[MAL] Irene Porter quote
[Set in Winchester Initiative. Alec is smart_alec494 and used with permission from his mun who made a request for Dean and Alec future fic with the prompt “music.” It somehow turned into past fic. My bad.]
“Just because everything’s different doesn’t mean anything’s changed.”
“Relax, dude. You’ll get it.”
“This is frustrating.”
Alec had been trying to pick up the ball in the children’s ward of Saint Mary’s for about an hour, and he still hadn’t managed to get a hold on it. He was getting frustrated, and Dean was trying to figure out why, but he and Alec were still getting to know each other on the reaper front and while he knew Alec’s life, he still hadn’t quite figured out the way his head worked. It was complex and quicker than his own-kind of like Sam, but even more so.
Dean sighed heavily, before getting up in front of him again, and reaching for the ball himself. It only took about a moment of focus before the ball was up in his hand. He tossed it lightly, trying to figure out how to get Alec to make this work. Dean always needed to focus, keep his mind on only one thing. Alec might work the same way. In fact, given the way Alec’s mind tended to work, he probably needed not to think at all.
Huh.
“I just want to play, man.” Alec was almost sulking. “I miss it.”
“I know, dude. Trust me, I know. But you’ll get it?”
“When? When I’m not all that human anymore?” He was starting to pace a bit, his eyes occasionally wandering over to the small piano sitting in the corner of the room. The piano that he wanted to play but wouldn’t be able to until he managed to master this thing. “When I’ve been dead for so long that I don’t even care anymore?”
“Don’t be so melodramatic.” And with that comment, he switched the angle of his wrist and tossed the ball at him as oppose to tossing it in the air. Alec reacted more on instinct than anything else, his hand coming up to catch the blow that was coming at him without even looking, and was almost startled when there was the smack of the tennis ball hitting his palm. “See?” Dean grinned. “You’re getting it.”
Alec stared at it with wide eyes for a moment, until his brain kicked in again, and the ball slipped through his fingers as though there was nothing there. “How did you do that?”
“Figured that while for me, it could take a lot to focus, but your mind is always goin’ so maybe it would work better if you just-stopped.”
“So working on instinct instead of intent?” He considered that for a moment, before heading over to the piano, sitting down at the bench and just starting to play without a pause. It was a little awkward at first, his fingers occasionally slipping through the keys instead of actually hitting them. Once he managed to settle on the song he was playing and started to get into it, the song became much smoother, with close to no missing notes. A small grin crossed his face, and Dean smirked slightly as he moved closer, leaning against the side of the piano.
“You really like this music stuff, huh?”
“First thing that I was really good at that was specific to me,” he said with a nod as he continued to play. “Transgenics were trained to be good at everything, across the board, but you can’t really train for artistic talent. You just either have it, or you don’t. Joshua could paint, and I could play the piano.”
Dean nodded for a minute, before sighing. “I wish I could drive my car sometimes.”
“What kind of car?”
He grinned. “Sixty-seven Chevy Impala. She was older than I was, but man-she was a sweet ride. She took care of me too, just like I took care of her.”
“Well, you’re better at the whole touching thing. Can’t you just borrow her for a while and take her out on the road.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t work for me the way it works for you. I really have to focus, and that takes all the fun out of driving. Plus, my brother might have a minor coronary episode if I take his car.”
“He doesn’t know you’re doing the whole reaper thing?”
“Nah,” Dean shook his head. “Sammy-he’s got enough on his plate to worry about. He just thinks I’m at peace somewhere. That’s all he really needs to know.”
“Because of the risks to reapers, or because he might ask you to do something stupid?”
“Because he might ask me to do something stupid,” Dean nodded. “It’s not his time yet. And I don’t want him to start running off and getting there too soon.”
“If it’s not his time, doesn’t it mean that there’s nothing you can do anyway?”
Dean shook his head. “Not that simple. Everyone’s got a natural death-a death beyond their own control. That’s what reapers can see. But human beings still have choice, you know? It’s their life, and they can choose to end it whenever they see fit. Reapers can’t do anything for that.”
“So you’re worried about him throwing himself into bad situations just so that you two can be together again?”
“Sammy never did well on his own. He’s got Ruby now, but it’s not the same.”
Alec paused for a moment, keeping it quiet as he finished the song before looking over at him. “Got any requests?”
Dean wasn’t prepared for the subject change, but it wasn’t unwelcome, either. “Know any Blue Oyster Cult?”
“Hell yeah. Anything specific?”
“Nah,” Dean shook his head, moving to lounge across one of the chairs in the back of the room. “Just play.”
938 words
“Just because everything’s different doesn’t mean anything’s changed.”
“Relax, dude. You’ll get it.”
“This is frustrating.”
Alec had been trying to pick up the ball in the children’s ward of Saint Mary’s for about an hour, and he still hadn’t managed to get a hold on it. He was getting frustrated, and Dean was trying to figure out why, but he and Alec were still getting to know each other on the reaper front and while he knew Alec’s life, he still hadn’t quite figured out the way his head worked. It was complex and quicker than his own-kind of like Sam, but even more so.
Dean sighed heavily, before getting up in front of him again, and reaching for the ball himself. It only took about a moment of focus before the ball was up in his hand. He tossed it lightly, trying to figure out how to get Alec to make this work. Dean always needed to focus, keep his mind on only one thing. Alec might work the same way. In fact, given the way Alec’s mind tended to work, he probably needed not to think at all.
Huh.
“I just want to play, man.” Alec was almost sulking. “I miss it.”
“I know, dude. Trust me, I know. But you’ll get it?”
“When? When I’m not all that human anymore?” He was starting to pace a bit, his eyes occasionally wandering over to the small piano sitting in the corner of the room. The piano that he wanted to play but wouldn’t be able to until he managed to master this thing. “When I’ve been dead for so long that I don’t even care anymore?”
“Don’t be so melodramatic.” And with that comment, he switched the angle of his wrist and tossed the ball at him as oppose to tossing it in the air. Alec reacted more on instinct than anything else, his hand coming up to catch the blow that was coming at him without even looking, and was almost startled when there was the smack of the tennis ball hitting his palm. “See?” Dean grinned. “You’re getting it.”
Alec stared at it with wide eyes for a moment, until his brain kicked in again, and the ball slipped through his fingers as though there was nothing there. “How did you do that?”
“Figured that while for me, it could take a lot to focus, but your mind is always goin’ so maybe it would work better if you just-stopped.”
“So working on instinct instead of intent?” He considered that for a moment, before heading over to the piano, sitting down at the bench and just starting to play without a pause. It was a little awkward at first, his fingers occasionally slipping through the keys instead of actually hitting them. Once he managed to settle on the song he was playing and started to get into it, the song became much smoother, with close to no missing notes. A small grin crossed his face, and Dean smirked slightly as he moved closer, leaning against the side of the piano.
“You really like this music stuff, huh?”
“First thing that I was really good at that was specific to me,” he said with a nod as he continued to play. “Transgenics were trained to be good at everything, across the board, but you can’t really train for artistic talent. You just either have it, or you don’t. Joshua could paint, and I could play the piano.”
Dean nodded for a minute, before sighing. “I wish I could drive my car sometimes.”
“What kind of car?”
He grinned. “Sixty-seven Chevy Impala. She was older than I was, but man-she was a sweet ride. She took care of me too, just like I took care of her.”
“Well, you’re better at the whole touching thing. Can’t you just borrow her for a while and take her out on the road.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t work for me the way it works for you. I really have to focus, and that takes all the fun out of driving. Plus, my brother might have a minor coronary episode if I take his car.”
“He doesn’t know you’re doing the whole reaper thing?”
“Nah,” Dean shook his head. “Sammy-he’s got enough on his plate to worry about. He just thinks I’m at peace somewhere. That’s all he really needs to know.”
“Because of the risks to reapers, or because he might ask you to do something stupid?”
“Because he might ask me to do something stupid,” Dean nodded. “It’s not his time yet. And I don’t want him to start running off and getting there too soon.”
“If it’s not his time, doesn’t it mean that there’s nothing you can do anyway?”
Dean shook his head. “Not that simple. Everyone’s got a natural death-a death beyond their own control. That’s what reapers can see. But human beings still have choice, you know? It’s their life, and they can choose to end it whenever they see fit. Reapers can’t do anything for that.”
“So you’re worried about him throwing himself into bad situations just so that you two can be together again?”
“Sammy never did well on his own. He’s got Ruby now, but it’s not the same.”
Alec paused for a moment, keeping it quiet as he finished the song before looking over at him. “Got any requests?”
Dean wasn’t prepared for the subject change, but it wasn’t unwelcome, either. “Know any Blue Oyster Cult?”
“Hell yeah. Anything specific?”
“Nah,” Dean shook his head, moving to lounge across one of the chairs in the back of the room. “Just play.”
938 words