(Untitled)

[broken_brushes]

Despite how cluttered the thing could get, it always seemed like the best way to get word out to people was to post a notice to the bulletin board in the Compound. I could (And would) make mention of the lock-in on the radio, but you never could tell if people were listening. For maximum exposure, you had to use the board

Comments

[wayward_dad]

It wasn't like Hera could read, not really. But that didn't stop John from occasionally visiting the bookshelf to find a few things for her, anyway. A good deal of the time he ended up reading them to her (or her sister), although sometimes she did try to read to him. Or Sharon. Or anyone who even looked remotely interesting.

Head bowed down, he was busily flipping through the thin books in his hands (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, No, David!) as he strolled down the corridor. Only the fact that the smallest book began to slip from his grip made him stop, narrowly avoiding running Shari Cooper over.

Half of his mouth twitching apologetically, John gave her a nod and righted the books. "Well, look who it is," he said mildly, eyes flickering to her leaflet. "You're just askin' for trouble, you get that, right?"

[broken_brushes]

Even then, after everything that had happened, after loving Sam and Dean as fiercely as the brother I'd grown up with and actually going so far as to give them the same title, John Winchester still intimidated me a little. Maybe it was because I was there when he first showed up, and I'd never really gotten over having made a total ass of myself, but it was probably more to do with the whole 'gun-wielding ghost hunter' thing. I lived in fear of John finding out and telling his sons I was bad news, despite the fact that the guy had never done anything to make me think he'd be so callous.

I mean, the guy was holding The Very Hungry Caterpillar, for God's sake.

"I'm really only bothering so that he feels like a rebel when he breaks the rules," I replied with a smirk as I glanced over to John. "He was actually pretty good entertainment last time. I wouldn't have thought Dean would look good in a dress."

[wayward_dad]

John had somehow missed catching sight of his eldest in a dress and wasn't exactly itching to view a potential repeat performance. His lips settled into a thin line and he snorted, head shaking as he doggedly shoved any mental images that might have been traveling to the forefront of his brain right back into the vault where they belonged. "I'll take your word on the dress," he said, "but I have no doubt he brought down the house with...whatever the hell it was he got himself up to." The jury could have been out for days deciding just what shenanigans Dean Winchester had gotten up to in the middle of a girls' slumber party.

[broken_brushes]

"All things considered, he was amazingly well-behaved," I replied, smiling as I remembered. "Some harmless flirting. He's good at that, and everyone had a good time."

My gaze dropped to the books and then lifted curiously to John's face again. "For the kids?" Well, obviously, self.

[wayward_dad]

As Shari detailed what Dean had done at the last lock-in, John had found himself nodding, a faint noise that teetered on becoming a chuckle managing to escape from his lips for a fraction of a second.

"Yeah. Figured they'd like some new ones, Hera especially." Edging the book spines with his thumb until they were all flush together, John then tucked the set under his arm. "I'm getting tired of Curious George, anyway." He didn't sound too put out about it though, because he wasn't. He'd never gotten the chance to read stories to Sam (or Adam, but that wasn't his fault as he hadn't known about the kid until he was too old for bedtime stories), so maybe John was relishing this whole second-time-around thing a little more than he should.

[broken_brushes]

"That's sweet," I said, smiling instinctively. "Not that it takes anything away from your clearly epic masculinity, of course. You can be both manly and sweet. Not everyone can pull it off, but it does happen."

[wayward_dad]

"Of course," John agreed, the corners of his mouth hitching in an upward direction momentarily. He then rocked back on his heels a moment, considering, and then leaned in toward Shari. "But that's just between you and me, right? Don't want my reputation ruined."

[broken_brushes]

"Oh, absolutely," I replied with the somberness due such a serious topic. "As far as I'm concerned, you're still utterly terrifying." The irony was, of course, that he still kinda was, in a completely irrational way, if a little less now that we were actually having a conversation that involved neither firearms nor less than five whole words.

[wayward_dad]

"Terrifying," he repeated, and straightened. "I'll take it." Though his lips were twitching, threatening to curve into an actual smile, inwardly John wondered about that. Shari was only joking (at least, he assumed she was) as per the light-heartedness of the conversation, but it made John wonder. Did he still have 'it', or had his time on the island made him become soft? Hunting and tracking opportunities were few and far between here. While he did actively train and hone his weapon skills on a daily basis, he couldn't help but leave room for self-doubt.

"You talk to Neil yet? I hunt a few things for the pub; if you need food, I'm bettin' he'll be good for somethin'."

[broken_brushes]

What I didn't know then was that John Winchester totally had it in him to be ridiculously adorable. He did a really good job of covering it up, even when he was toting around picture books for preschoolers.

"No, not yet," I answered. I didn't have to ask which Neil he meant, even with mention of the pub; I wasn't really friends with Neil McCormick, but when you'd been on the island a long time, you tended to have a sort of kinship with the other people who'd been around as long. There weren't as many of us as you'd think. "To be honest, I hadn't really thought much about the food beyond the baking-" I tipped him a knowing glance, "Jo mentioned something about wanting a midnight feast, and I guess I'd better get my ass in gear if I expect that to go off. But that's a really good idea. If you think he'll do it, I mean. It's not like he's getting anything out of it, and I wouldn't want to impose."