❝ who shot that arrow in your throat? who missed the crimson apple? ❞

[adaptably]

Who: adaptably & likemichael
What: Dean tries to calm down a raging cat after Tony Stark pressed some emotional buttons by accident.
Where: Old Town to Business District (Sanctuary to Bobby Singer's house)
When: BACKDATED TO night 12/18
Rating: NSFW
Notes: No Regrets. Ever.

Comments

[likemichael]

Dean had seen the scene. Of course he had, half the party had, but he didn't need to stay and coddle Tony, there would be plenty of people to do that, and his girl to tell him off for being an asshole. Dean was sure no one else would go after Selina, however. The fact of the matter was that Tony was out there, he made friends fast, he flashed a grin and people liked him because he was absolutely likeable. Selina was a mystery, somewhat of a problem, in fact, and she was damn good at closing herself off from everyone out there. He felt like, if there was anyone here that he was most like, above everyone, it was her. He and Sam were sometimes polar opposites, and as time went on Castiel became more like Sam, too. Jo was... complicated, and Elizabeth was an amazing friend, but she was always going to be a step above, a step higher than him, and that was where she belonged.

Selina was like him. She was always left behind, considered last, and wanted to just be thought of first. So, he had Sam, when he needed someone there. He wouldn't ever just forget the fact that he'd left too, that Sam had left him more than once, and it was nagging in the back of his mind that this new Ruby would snatch Sam out from under him again. It made him anxious, it made him damn well angry, and it reminded him yet again that if people were around for long, they'd always leave eventually. They'd leave, they'd die, and then he'd be there, picking up the pieces.

Hat left somewhere in the Sanctuary -- he wasn't sure where, probably on some girl's head by now -- and coat not even considered for the day, Dean headed after Selina. He would prove to her, somehow, that he'd always be around for her, because he was good to his friends like that. It was just a matter of time before she joined the list of people who abandoned him, anyway.

"Hey! Hey, Kitty-- what's the deal?"

[adaptably]

His voice made her closer eyes and sigh out of irritation. Not that she was necessarily angry or even irritated at Dean himself, but she wanted to be left alone. She shook her head at herself and kept moving. Selina was not the kind of woman to stop because someone was calling out after her when she was this upset. If he wanted to talk then he had better keep up. If she stopped, then she'd have to lash out, and that wasn't something she wanted to do in this dress.

Her fists balled in her coat the more she thought about the conversation. The more it reminded her of meeting Bruce Wayne at the charity ball, but with the twist of what eccentric billionaires carried. It angered her so much that tears nearly burned at her eyes against the cold air. The fact that she had let Tony anger her so much, the fact that she was still angry at Bruce, and the fact that a combination of Tony and the memory of Bruce Wayne had ruined what was turning out to be a good night. The first in a long time that was actually enjoyable, and two rich jerks ruined it.

Selina glanced up at the sky and swallowed the emotions that had gathered in her throat. There was no way she was going to let Dean see her this upset. She had an image to hold of being the mysterious Selina Kyle. That mystery didn't bleed like people did, and it didn't cry like people did.

[likemichael]

Cursing under his breath, Dean opted for a better idea. Getting into the Impala, he pulled out of the space the car had been in and headed down along the street, rolling the window down as he curb-crawled, following Selina down the way. She was going to have to talk to him somehow, and he was a stubborn asshole when he wanted to be. And, well, he wanted to be right now.

"Need a ride? 'Cause you sure do look like you could use one." He gave her a little smirk, arm resting on the door frame as he inched the car forward slowly. "What did Stark do, huh? I'm gonna guess he was a jerk and deserved that mean right hook?"

He was trying to interject humour, even if it was highly uncalled for, and as much as he knew he was probably just annoying her, he didn't really want to leave her be.

[adaptably]

She gritted her teeth and let out a slow and annoyed exhale before turning to look at him. Normally she'd play along with the joke, but at the moment she was too upset. Selina shook her head as she glanced behind her at the Sanctuary. She'd rather not talk about it, but she had learned that Dean was just as observant and determined as she was. Trying her best to hide just how upset the whole encounter made her, she threw on a cynical smile.

"Stark has no tact." she said simply. There were reasons upon reasons she disliked Tony Stark, but she wasn't about to rant about it while she stood in the snow. "He brought up some things that I'd like to forget. Not that you can expect much out of a billionaire playboy who pretends at being something he isn't." Even if he had a woman and less of a fortune here, Selina believed he was still what he said he wasn't. He was doing a poor job of proving her wrong.

With her hands buried deep in her coat and her nails pressing deep into the skin of her palms, she glanced over the Impala. An eyebrow arched before she looked back at him. It was obvious she was trying to say something light hearted, but nothing was coming to mind. Or at least nothing she wanted to say.

"You're leaving too?" Selina asked instead, feeling the high of her anger fading into melancholy. Which was usually how her emotions went whenever she thought about Gotham.

[likemichael]

"That's news to me," he answered lightly, giving her a half-wry smile. He knew Stark was an ass, but that was easily overlooked for Dean, because he'd dealt with people a thousand times worse. When all of Heaven's most arrogant angels were coming down to tell you that you were insignificant and worth nothing but the meat on your bones, you learned to tolerate bullshit more easily. Besides, Dean was hardly the picture of nice guy himself, but that was part of his charm, or so he told people who called him out on his crap.

He nodded slightly at her question, shrugging a bit. "Yeah, I am. You gettin' in?" He was determined to make her come with him, to forget the crap Stark said and bring herself back onto level footing. "Forget what Tony said, come hang out with me. I can promise you I'm way more fun to hang out with than Iron Man. And I don't even need a nice suit to do it."

He was trying, at least, to perk her up and coax her into taking the chance to just have fun and do what they wanted to do.

[adaptably]

It wasn't easy for Selina to overlook certain aspects of Tony's personality. She certainly didn't have the life that Dean did, but with Dagget more or less holding her life in the palm of her hand? She didn't give too much credence to men who liked to flaunt around with what they had.

She took a step or two towards the Impala. She toyed with the idea of what to say in response to the question. He was obviously trying to lighten the mood, even if she didn't necessarily want to let go of her anger just yet. It was still flaring there, inside her, but there was no point in lashing it out at Dean. He didn't do anything to deserve it. She glanced upwards again and silently wondered why she let herself be close to people after what happened.

"You did say you were going to come back for me." Her tone was light, but still lacking the playful attitude she had earlier. Selina was also trying not to put too much thought into the statement with the context of their encounter before the party.

[likemichael]

"Damn right I did, get in. We can go do something fun for us regular, not rich and fancy kinda people." Then again, Selina still felt classier to him than most girls he'd hooked up with throughout the years. He supposed she just carried herself in a way that made her seem like she didn't give a crap, but he was certain she cared more about so many things than she'd ever let on to anyone.

He reached over to the passenger side door to pop it open for her, and gave her a quick smile as he waited for her to get in. She was in need of cheering up and, well, Dean was good at cheering up everyone but himself. It used to be easy, just some booze, a girl, and some good music. After a while, that turned out to be more destructive than anything else and it was like Famine said -- he left a part of himself in Hell, and inside he was already dead -- so he didn't try to act like he was alive inside anymore. He'd lost his fighting spirit, and it was hard to get back.

"So, we could get a movie, some snacks, just hang out on my couch back home? Or we could get dinner?"

[adaptably]

That was the image she projected. She needed to look classier, talk classier, be classier if she was going to climb the social ladder to get at their money and precious items. She looks away as he opens the door, debating her choices. She could walk off and eventually find her way back to Hatfield. No doubt that Dean would follow her there like some kind of lost puppy. Or, she could get inside the Impala and try to piece back together the wrecked night. Maybe it was against her better judgement, but Selina walked around the Impala and slid into the passenger seat.

At least the inside looks better than it did when Sam left the first time.

At his next question, her gaze slowly moves back to him. Selina isn't sure what she wants to do, short of breaking down and crying out of anger, frustration, and pain. Except she's not the type to cry. She hasn't cried in a long time. With a sigh she looks out the windshield. This isn't how her life is. People didn't come after her and offer her ways to make it better. She swallows down the emotions in her throat.

"Surprise me."

[likemichael]

Dean gave her a little smile at the comment and turned the car in the direction of Singer Auto Salvage, deciding he was going to just combine ideas. He could cook, he'd learned very fast as a child that if he didn't cook then he and Sam didn't get decent food, and that meant he was neglecting Sam. So, he'd learned to cook at a very young age and would make dinner more often than not until Sam left for college. After that, he and his father fell into a rut of just getting takeout food and it continued on like that. Sometimes he'd cook for him and Sam, but until they got to Mandalus he didn't cook much at all. Now, it seemed like he was always cooking, working on a car, or hunting. Mandalus gave him a weird mix of the hunter life and normality, and he actually really liked it.

He turned to radio on, wrinkling his nose at the Christmas music playing over it and changing the station to find something better, pausing at some Led Zeppelin. "Don't even think about judging my musical tastes again, Kitty, or you're riding in the trunk." His tone was light and he was happy to drive them back across the huge city to get to his home.

"So, tell me what you want to eat, or I'm gonna subject you to spaghetti and meatballs." He drummed his fingertips against the steering wheel as they drove, nearly silently singing along to the song. It was one of his two favourite songs, and he couldn't help singing along.

[adaptably]

Mandalus seemed to do a good job of combining everything that people felt they needed in their lives. Maybe that was simply why Selina felt she kept messing up. She had been given a new life - a clean slate - and in her mind, all she did was mangle it. She had tried to play the good girl, and ended up trapped in a dungeon beaten and broken. She tried to hide and then people dragged her out of her shell. She turned back to thieving, with the intention of stealing things that would help their side, but something told her it was wrong. That little voice in her head would always say that she was letting him down again. Disappointing him. That was why what Tony had said truly upset her. It brought all of those doubts up to the surface and once again, Selina Kyle felt lost and unsure of what to do.

Led Zeppelin came through the speakers and she glanced at the radio, then at him. She forced a humorous smile before looking out the window again and trying to sort her thoughts. What was the right thing to do in this stupid city? Survive? Adapt and just try to be normal? Fight their stupid war to go home? Maybe if she could figure that out then the doubts would stop.

"I haven't had spaghetti in a long time." Selina said, her voice softer than she wanted to project, but there was a hint of fondness in her voice.

How long had it been since she actually pretended to be normal? It was long before Bane took control of Gotham. A very, very long time. That was why she was lost. Or, part of the reason. She was trying to be someone she wasn't. It wasn't like a mask or a part to play, it was a change in lifestyle and pace. To go from being a street cat to domesticated, maybe it was something she couldn't do.

[likemichael]

Dean glanced over at that, dropping an arm across the back of the bench seat, his fingertips grazing the back of her neck as he drove. "Then you're getting spaghetti, Kitty." He gave her a quick smile and while it was a long drive back, since the city was so large, he was happy to just sit in the quiet with the music playing as the only real sound over the rattling of the legos in the heater and the engine purring. He was happy, and it was weird.

The drive was surprisingly pleasant, even with the silence between them, and he didn't expect her to be talkative or cheerful, he knew something crappy must have been said to spark the reaction that it got, so he wasn't going to press it. Instead he just led the rest of the night for them.

Pulling up at the house, Dean got out of the car and headed around to open her door for her, offering his hand to get her out. Once he had, he went up to the front door, unlocking it and glancing back to her. "Sammy will be back with Cas later, but we'll get some quiet until then."

[adaptably]

By the end of the drive, Selina was able to muster that playful smile of hers back. She recognized the house right away, given she pelted it with a snowball just days before. She stepped out of the Impala, careful to make sure she had her balance before closing the door behind her. Grabbing her skirts, Selina followed him up to the front door. It was a difficult thing to maneuver with all the broken cars, parts, and frost on the ground, but she managed it. Running around with serrated metal heals was just as difficult.

Selina replied with a smile - one she hoped was playful. "Little brothers always know how to ruin the fun before it even starts."

[likemichael]

He smirked a little at that smile. It definitely looked playful. "Yeah, but he's a good kid." Even if he was damn sure Sam picked the worst people to befriend. Still, that was a case to sort out after they tried to figure out Sam's head. He had started thinking of Sam as an equal and not a kid, but with his head the way it was all Dean ever saw was a that five year old who started asking him all these questions and he didn't have the answers for him. They'd sort it all out, and he'd have his brother back in tip-top shape. Or so the plan was, but their plans rarely panned out.

"Watch your step, when you get in. The place is always a mess." He led the way through the house, and to the kitchen, taking his jacket off and dumping it over the back of a chair, his cuffs being unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up. Getting pans out, he started preparing to cook spaghetti for them, a glance passed to her. "You want a drink? We've got a few things in the fridge just... uh, don't touch the stuff on the top shelf." The last thing she needed was to spill lambs blood down her dress.

[adaptably]

"They're the ones who never have any fun." She joked and stepped inside, making sure to avoid the books on the floor.

Once she was sure she wasn't about to trip on anything, she removed her coat and draped it on the back of another chair. She folded her arms, taking a good look at the house this time. It was certainly well lived in and cared for on the inside, and it was obvious the kind of person who had made it their home. The kind who found more comfort in familiar items rather than the expensive kind. She lowered her hand and trailed the tips of her fingers across the table. There was plenty of love and care that went into maintaining the run down house, but that was part of it's charm.

Selina glanced up at Dean as he addressed her. She crossed over the fridge and opened the door, taking note of what was on the shelves and where it was put. Not that she was going to go poking around with what they had hidden away. There were somethings that even she didn't want to know. Selina reached into the fridge, her fingers curling around the neck of a beer bottle and pulled it out. Closing the fridge door with the tips of her fingers on her other hand, she held the bottle up to Dean.

"Since my little fit made you leave the party early." The offer was meant to try and make it up to him in some way. Even if that meant just being good company until his younger brother and friend came home. "I hope it didn't ruin your evening like it did mine."

[likemichael]

"I make sure he has some fun every now and then." Then again, it was just in Dean's nature to take care of everyone and make sure they had enough of everything in their lives, if he cared about them. He'd ensure they were fed, clothed, safe, warm, and if he could he'd make sure they were happy too. Even before his mother died, he would comfort her when she argued with his father, despite only being four years old at the time, and after her death he took on the role of comforting his father and being a tiny voice of reason. Above all, he took care of Sam, because that wasn't just his job, it was who he was.

Looking up at her offering a bottle of beer, he half-smiled and took it, popping the top off and taking a drink from it, setting it on the counter as he boiled water for the spaghetti. "Your little fit was probably justified." He shook his head a little, giving her a fond look that he didn't often show many people. "Nah, I think I had enough of the party anyway. It started goin' south for me too, really."

He wasn't going to air Sam's business to Selina, though, and they didn't know for sure what the deal was with this Ruby chick either, but he'd make sure things were straightened out and put right, and his brother was safe, even if Sam would be mad at him for any way he handled this besides simply giving in and letting him have what he wanted.

[adaptably]

"You're such a caring older brother." Despite the tone, there was a fondness to it. She glanced over the kitchen again. "He's lucky to have you. And this house." Her gaze swept downwards and around the stove. Dean was lucky as well, in her mind, but she had a feeling he wouldn't agree with her if she had said it.

Her weight shifted in her heels as she watched the water boil. It was strange how oddly domesticated the whole situation seemed - even if they were wearing clothing that didn't fit the environment. Selina wasn't about to point out what she thought that said about them. She was the kind of person to observe and take her surroundings in an instant and calculate the best way to merge into the area. It was the little details that stuck out to her: the items on the stove, the way some of the flooring was disjointed around the doors. Meeting his gaze again, she reached over and picked the bottle up, taking a drink from it.

"Parties shouldn't have downsides." She said thoughtfully, tapping the rim of the bottle against her lips before putting it down again. She bit the corner of her mouth and her fingers clacked quietly against the counter. "Look, Dean. I don't need you thinking that you're obligated to do any of... this." Her eyes searched his face as she waited for his answer. "You don't need to try and impress me."