⇒ 43

[whatialways_do]

Who: Max Guevara and OPEN
What: Beating ... the holy hell out of a punching bag.
When: Late Wednesday night, possibly early Thursday morning.
Where: The Gym
Rating: PG-13

Comments

[possemagnet]

Wandering around the damn castle that was apparently out to get him Dean was sure of a few things. One, that the place itself was mammoth and two that he still had a lot of reading to do until he totally understood it. Dean couldn't sit down and study for hours on end like Sam, it started wearing at him, he needed to let loose energy and for as much research as he'd done in his room with Cooper at his bedside he wasn't any better off than when he'd started. It was about then that he'd taken to just exploring the place. He didn't have his guns, no weapons to speak of, and he was dressed in nothing but a tucked in button up and jeans. He was out of his element. It had been a week since everything happened at the bone yard in Kansas, and for Sam, Bela, and Jo it had apparently been longer. He wasn't sure how to account for the time lost or the fact that he'd been here several times before, so, he just chose to ignore the crowds and stick to himself until he was more comfortable around the cluster fuck of people that knew him from times

[whatialways_do]

Of course. Because what's the use of living in a giant castle if she's able to avoid people.

She doesn't turn at first. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and then moved over to pick up the punching bag, preparing to put it back where it belonged. "Nothing really. It's just been a crappy couple weeks."

She could totally pretend that she didn't know who he was. That was definitely something she was capable of. Maybe. Kinda.

... She'll give it five minutes then reconsider.

[possemagnet]

"I know about that," his past few weeks hadn't been much better. Compiling the fight to end the apocalypse with showing up here and you have one sympathetic Dean, but he's not going to get that far into an explanation.

He's hesitant, but he goes to help with the bag. He knows she probably doesn't need it, but he can't help how he was raised. "From the mixed reviews I got this place doesn't give many breaks," if he thought that was a part of it. The castle having something against its residents had been mentioned once or twice.

[whatialways_do]

She shrugged, before letting him help. She was opposed to gentlemanly tendencies. It didn't happen all that often where she was from, and if he wanted to help, more power to him.

"Not really, no. But it doesn't always end with someone I know getting the squeeze because she threw out a few flowers and got a little pissed off that no one had bothered to ask her before constructing the damn thing in the first place."

That had really pissed her off. He was an idiot kid who clearly didn't know how the world worked, and he was laying into Jo of all people, just because she reacted. Which was exactly what he wanted her to do. This place was full of such bullshit sometimes.

[possemagnet]

Dean chained the boxing bag back up, testing the weight if it with the rough side of his palm around the lasso that kept it levitated. When he was done he gave the bag itself an audible swing to make sure it wouldn't snap, and then peered around the bag to look back at his company.

"I don't know anything about that," Dean said with some indifference. "I just showed up less than 24 hours ago, sounds like your friend got the short end of the stick."

[whatialways_do]

"People are just assholes with shitty timing," she shrugged. "That's really all it is. It was two weeks ago, but with people coming back ... it's getting rehashed, one way or another."

Her eyes tipped up to look at where the bag was braced on the ceiling, and shrugged. "Not bad."

[possemagnet]

"I know my way around a gym," Dean responded to her. He stepped back from where the bag was and gave her a subtle once over with his eyes. "So, outside of the way the world works- assholes with shitty timing, things are okay, right?" He wanted to make sure she was okay.

[whatialways_do]

"Aces," she nodded. Because she so wasn't going to tell him that he was one of her issues unless she absolutely had to. She was doing her best to avoid that particular conversation. "Thanks for the help."

[possemagnet]

"Yeah, no problem- not that you needed it." He figured if she was strong enough to knock the damn thing off the chain she was more than capable of putting it back up. This was just where his rare chivalry came into play. "I'm Dean."

[whatialways_do]

He couldn't have just left it at that. She sighed and took a breath before shaking her head. "Yeah. I know."

She paused, before holding up a hand. "Max."

[possemagnet]

That changes everything, Dean's demeanor drastically turns from cocky and overconfident to thrown for a loop and a little awkward.

"Oh." It comes out in a wincing breath and it's clear that fight or flight instinct is kicking in hard, the latter being more prominent.

"Guess that makes this pretty awkward then, huh?"

[whatialways_do]

"Only until you had to introduce yourself. Thanks for that." Her tone was dry, but not obnoxious. She actually was making a solid effort to be nice here, even though she was really tempted not to. She took a breath, before glancing back at the punching bag again.

"So who gave you the heads up?"

[possemagnet]

Dean forces a smile and raises his hand and lets it gently drop. He's waving the white flag here for Max's benefit. He's not sure how close they were, but he doesn't want to make any harder than it is. Sam was right, though, she was a certifiable hottie.

"...Sam's pretty useful when he's not bein' a pain the ass." Dean shifts between each bow leg and then strains for another candidly amused expression. He's not sure it passes. "Better to have it be like pullin' off a band aid than to let it build, right?"

[whatialways_do]

She shrugged. "Not the first time I've had to do this. Figure if you show up enough times I'll get plenty of practice." Or maybe she'll eventually go home, forget, and come back and the awkward would be gone. But either way, the cycle would continue. More ore less.

[possemagnet]

"Look-" Dean's going to level with her here. There's nothing outside of awkwardness in his stance that says he's anything but sympathetic, and he is, because he can only imagine how much this must suck for her. She's got it worse than just not remembering. "I'm not gonna pretend I know what it feels like, 'cause I don't, and I'm not gonna make any guess work at..." Brief pause. "Well, y'know... But you seem like y'got your shit handled."

Things along the lines of that are a huge compliment coming from Dean, and strangely he means it.

[whatialways_do]

"I sense a pretty heavy 'but' coming with a lead in like that." She took a breath, before shaking her head. "Look, before you give me some sob story about how you have another girl back home -- I'm not looking for any handouts. You gotta do what you gotta do. Not like I'm from your world or anything."

Which was Max's way of saying he didn't owe her anything. She missed him, but she wasn't some desperate clingy chick he had to worry about.