Book Haven: Saturday [12-12-09]

[livingasheth.livejournal.com]

Millie didn't usually open the bookstore on Saturdays, but she thought that with Christmas coming an extra day might come in handy for those busy during the week.

So, the store was open and she was cozily looking through some new inventory should anyone need her.

Comments

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

If you had told Jess a year ago that he'd be so eager to impress a teacher that he'd actually be buying a book with his own money to write a report, he would have said you were nuts. And yet, here he was in the fiction section, searching for one specific, special book. The problem with being a fan of indie writers was that Amazon didn't carry them, and no one who owned a copy ever wanted to sell it. He wasn't sure if the bookstore in Fandom would have it, but they carried some of the weirdest stuff he'd ever seen when he worked here, so he figured it was safe to at least hope.

[likethegun]

Thanks to the terrifying denizens of morethanbrothers.net, Sam was armed with a list of the Supernatural books he needed to buy. He needed a copy of "All Hell Breaks Loose" of course, and there was another book about a guy named Max that Sam was hoping would provide him with a very useful potential ability. He couldn't keep getting the books out of the library - that left a trail about what he was doing right through the school's computers. To throw down some cash and buy the books was a lot safer. Then it was just a matter of keeping them in his room where no one else would notice them.

He was winding his way through the store to find the right section, hoping that the books would be here, when he discovered that he wasn't alone. Feeling like his heart skipped a beat, Sam he stopped in his tracks and just stared.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

It took Jess a few moments longer to realize he was being watched, and when he glanced over, he almost glared before remembering that he wasn't looking at Dean. "Hey Winchester," he said, looking at him harder for a moment. "You okay? You look like you're going to throw up."

[likethegun]

Sam made a noise like he'd been holding his breath as reality hit him. "Jess," he said simply. Of course it was Jess. Of all the days to be here, of all the shops to go into, of course it was Jess here.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"That's me," Jess said, looking back to the shelves. "What, did you think I was your boyfriend? Try to jump me and I'll punch you."

Shhh, it would totally work this time.

[likethegun]

"No, of course not," Sam said quickly. Maybe if his heart stopped pounding, that would almost be believable. "What are you doing here?"

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Shopping," Jess said shortly. "What are you doing here?"

[likethegun]

"You know what I mean," Sam said. After the emotional rollercoaster he'd been on since last weekend, his patience was running a little short. "What are you doing here?"

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

Jess wasn't exactly a master of patience either, and gave Sam a dirty look. "It's none of your business. What, is there some law that says I can't be here?"

[likethegun]

Sam sighed as the rational parts of his mind took over again. "No, of course there's not. I'm sorry, I just...really wasn't prepared to run into you."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"What's the big deal?" Jess asked. "About running into me, I mean." Either Sam's thought process was going too fast, or his was going too slow.

[likethegun]

"Well, it's just...with everything that happened to Peter..." Sam trailed off with a shrug, letting Jess finish that sentence for himself.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

The problem was, Jess couldn't finish that sentence, and now Sam had his full attention. "What are you talking about? What happened to Peter?"

[likethegun]

"I thought all the alumni knew," Sam said, confused. "It was in that newsletter thing you guys get."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Uh, sorry, but I've got way better things to do than read that newsletter," Jess said. "What's wrong with Peter?"

[likethegun]

It had been so long since Sam had had to explain the explosion to anyone that the sting that came from thinking about what had happened, to put it into words, was almost new. "He got an ability that he couldn't control, a kind of nuclear power. His brother...he got them out of the city in the end, away from everyone so no one would get hurt but them when he lost control."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

Jess had thought of a few possibilities, but that was way worse than all of them. "But they're okay now, right?" he asked. "I mean, Peter can heal himself, and..."

[likethegun]

Sam just shook his head and stared down at his hands. Looking at Jess was harder than he would have thought, and it was easier to focus somewhere else.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Jess said, before everything suddenly clicked and he realized why Sam was looking at him like just being around him made him sick. "Oh, oh man, I'm sorry. I've got to be the last person you want to see right now."

[likethegun]

"No, it's okay," Sam said, not wanting to seem as weak as he probably looked. "I just...I wasn't expecting to see you, that's all. I thought you were done with Fandom."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"I was. I mean, I am, for the most part. I was just trying to find this novel," Jess said, finally spotting it and grabbing it off of the shelf. "I couldn't find it anywhere around me, and I had to deliver something to a guy in Baltimore, so I figured it wouldn't be that much further to come here." He let out a sigh as he shook his head. "I'm sorry about Peter."

[likethegun]

"It's okay, you didn't know," Sam said.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"I mean I'm sorry about what happened to him," Jess said. "He was a good guy. An impossibly good guy. I didn't think he could get hurt for good."

[likethegun]

"Yeah, me neither." Sam smiled softly, almost to himself. "You know, sometimes it feels like he's still alive. Like...there's a piece of me that should be missing with him gone, and there isn't. That sounds completely crazy, I know."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Not that crazy," Jess said. "Of course, if he was still alive, I think he'd have found a way to get in touch with you."

[likethegun]

Just as quickly as he'd started to smile, Sam's face fell. "Yeah, of course," he said quickly, with all the fake rationality he could muster. "I know he's really gone. I was just saying...never mind."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

The look on Sam's face was like a punch to the stomach - this was why he sucked at the emotional crap, because he always said the wrong thing - and Jess realized that he should probably get out before he accidentally messed with Sam more. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm gonna go pay for this and get out of your way."

[likethegun]

On one hand, Sam didn't mean to drive Jess away, but on the other...yeah, looking at him wasn't getting any easier, and he was just as happy to let Jess go. "Okay," he said. "I'm sorry, I just...thank you. For understanding, I guess."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"It's not a problem," Jess said, as he backed away. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

[likethegun]

"I will," Sam said, since that was the most acceptable answer that came to mind. He turned to the shelves, not wanting to watch Jess leave. Somehow, he had a feeling that would only make him feel worse.