Infinite Consortium - Tuesday

[single_man_tear]

Yes. Dean was at work. But he wasn't working. Or at least not at the job that paid him money.

Instead he was going through every search engine looking for a set of very specific supernatural events. And one after another was a bust. Which was annoying in itself but now the suit of armor was shoulder surfing and kept looking at Dean's laptop screen.

"Do. You. Mind?" he growled.

The chair was chained up again just because Dean wasn't dealing with it today.

[open]

Comments

[needsacatchphrase]

"I'm so sorry," Jane said, rushing on into the shop. Where she had never actually been before, but that wasn't important. "I kind of... crushed my phone."

[single_man_tear]

Was that Dean slapping his laptop shut as soon as he saw Jane. Yes it was.

"That's okay. I had my hands full this weekend," Dean admitted. "And I mean... you're not required to always text me back."

He did start digging through his go bag. "But you're lucky. I picked up a bunch of burner phones last week."

[needsacatchphrase]

That's suspicious. That's weird. /soundclip

"That kind of makes you sound like a drug dealer, but I'm appreciative of the offer after being without one all weekend," Jane admitted.

[single_man_tear]

And it wasn't even porn, which is really the weird thing.

"Nah, no drugs. Just a guy who doesn't want to be found because people don't think ghosts or demons are real," Dean said pulling out said burner phone.

"If you have the broken one with you I can switch out the sim card for you."

[needsacatchphrase]

Jane took a deep breath. "Have you ever seen when someone squishes cotton candy with their hand?"

She'd love to believe the sim card survived. She really would.

[single_man_tear]

"Remind me never to make you angry," Dean joked as he struggled with opening the plastic packaging to get to the phone. Finally he just pulled out his knife to try and slice it open. "We'll just activate it then."

He glanced up at Jane just to assess her mood and try to get an idea of her state of mind.

"You doing okay? Anything else break at the apartment?"

Look, at this point it's a fair question to ask.

[needsacatchphrase]

Frazzled. Mostly frazzled. Because oh boy was that a strange text to get.

"Oh, no. No, no. I was in New Asgard at least," she replied. "Val offered me way too much alcohol, but that's just how she shows she cares. That and violence."

[single_man_tear]

Val. Auntie Val says... was a common phrase heard this weekend. Dean frowned a second until he at least got the packaging open. "Well, Val sounds like my kind of people."

He pulled out the phone and smiled. "Here you go. No harm, no foul. It's generic so you can just hook it up to whoever your carrier is."

[needsacatchphrase]

"She'd probably like you," Jane admitted with a little grin, taking the phone. "Thank you. For the phone. And for apparently putting up with a kid. That's never actually happened for me here before."

She'd been around for it and no kids.

[single_man_tear]

"I wish that was the first time I had surprise kids," Dean replied. "Of course that time the kid tried to kill me a week after she was born."

Dean. Not everyone lived your life.

"That sounded weird. Long story. Anyway. The kid here was a lot of fun. But very tight-lipped. Apparently the future-me said no talking about the future. Which was... frustrating."

[needsacatchphrase]

"I can imagine it would be concern about the timeline," Jane suggested. And not just anyone fucking with Dean. Unless it was. Which seemed distinctly possible from what she knew about his life.

[single_man_tear]

There was a lot Dean wanted to rant about right at that moment. Because screw timelines. But that wouldn't do any good right now so he let out a long sigh.

"Yeah. I guess. I just wish... well. Nothing is ever easy, so why start now?"

He rubbed the back of his neck trying to loosen it up. "Did you have fun back in New Asgard?"

[needsacatchphrase]

"Val wanted backup with the UN," Jane said, nodding. "Which just meant I was there to keep her from trying to stab one of them for dumb questions. Well. Sometimes all the questions."

But they were dumb.

[single_man_tear]

"The UN?"

Dean laughed out loud. "First, it's amazing to me you rattle that off like it's nothing."

Yep. Looking at her with new respect now.

"And second... Next time Val comes around, I think I need to take her out for a bar crawl in Fandom."

...

"Maybe not the raccoon bar."

[needsacatchphrase]

"I don't think she'd mind the raccoon bar, honestly," Jane replied with a laugh. Just as long as there was booze.

[single_man_tear]

"Hmm. I like her even more," Dean said relaxing a little. "So I take it there was no stabbings or international incidents?"

[needsacatchphrase]

"Asgard is kind... a refugee place," Jane replied. "People from the nine realms, but also aliens. It can cause a little bit of a fuss."

[single_man_tear]

"Sounds like an interesting place," Dean mused. "Kind of like here but with less time travel and completely secret and... okay maybe not quite like here. I doubt they have days where everyone tells the truth or have random children from alternate realities."

[needsacatchphrase]

"I really hope not," Jane said, trying to think about a kid with Korg.

[single_man_tear]

Jane didn't seem like the type who'd hold hands with someone over lava for a month.

Dean thought about showing pictures of the other kid who showed up but dismissed as it being even more weird. "Anyway. I'm glad you had a no stabby weekend. That's probably the best thing you could ask for," Dean reasoned. "Any plans for the week?"

[needsacatchphrase]

Maybe in the darkest timeline?

"Well, I should be at the bar on Saturday and I have my class on Thursday..."

[single_man_tear]

"Doing anything Friday night?" Dean asked hopefully. "Because I could honestly use a break from all the weirdness and research. Just nothing with Old Bay seasoning."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Friday sounds great," Jane said, perking up immensely. "We could do a nice, normal date without enforced honesty or children showing up. Like a movie!"

And not beating up people as superheroes or anything.

[single_man_tear]

"Normal sounds fantastic," Dean said in total agreement. "And a movie even better. Popcorn with the fake butter. Licorice. Nothing better."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Mildly flat soda," Jane added with a grin. "I haven't been to a theater in years now."

[single_man_tear]

"Same. I hear they have one in town but I'm not sure if that counts as normal."

[needsacatchphrase]

"I've seen it show have classic movies listed as being played," Jane ventured. "I haven't checked out a lot of plays in town, honestly."

She really ought to.

[single_man_tear]

"I don't mind a good classic movie," Dean said, amiably. "I think we have ourselves a date."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Fingers crossed that things stay normal," Jane said, probably jinxing them somehow.

[single_man_tear]

Dean immediately rapped a nearby table with his knuckles. "I'll be hoping for any kind of normal," Dean admitted. He paused a second before asking. "Would it weird you out if I told you about the kids who showed up for me?"

[needsacatchphrase]

"I'm actually pretty curious," Jane admitted, leaning on the counter to be closer for it. "The alternate timelines are fascinating."

Jane. Focus.

[single_man_tear]

Dean smiled and pulled out his phone. He leaned on the counter to share the view and pulled up the video he took. "The one in the hoodie is Love. That's the one I texted you about," Dean said as the sing-a-long started. "The other girl is Samantha. Apparently my boss here and I had a fling in some other reality and she was the result."

Was he smiling in pride of two girls that weren't even his? Yes. Shut up.

[needsacatchphrase]

"They're very cute," Jane said, mostly because they weren't tiny babies and therefore a little out of her depth of experience. Older kids she could deal with just fine. Possibly by trying to explain astrophysics to them. "And you survived the weekend even with two additions. I'm impressed."

[single_man_tear]

"They ran me ragged, stole my pie and completely exhausted me," Dean admitted. "And we had a strong disagreement over chicken nuggets. I don't think I won any father or uncle of the year awards but they went back home alive. That has to count for something right?"

Yes, he was being dismissive but he was smiling too much to hide the affection he had for the kids. "They did have good taste in music, though. I never thought I'd have kids. For a weekend it was interesting to get a glimpse of what it would be like."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Oh, trust me. Kids weren't really on the docket for me either," Jane replied. "Not with my career or the whole..."

Everything else in her life.

[single_man_tear]

Dean's smile slipped a bit and he pocketed the phone quickly. "Well, your career is quite impressive," he said, pulling out a familiar book from his bag. "But it's a little over my head. Think I can get an autograph from the author?"

[needsacatchphrase]

Jane? Delighted that he was reading it anyway.

"Well, I guess I could do that," she said, positively beaming as she looked for a pen. "I can explain anything too! Or we could just watch meta for Event Horizon, it's actually pretty good at explaining the theory with less math."

[single_man_tear]

"Oh! Ok. Hopefully your theory avoids the part about opening a portal to the hell dimension," Dean said with a good deal of enthusiasm. "Physics? Not my bag but horror movies? That I can understand."

Oh. Look at that. Dean had a pen in his hand. How lucky.

[needsacatchphrase]

"Oh, I'm not on the practical part of things, more the theoretical," she promised, signing the book with a little heart below Dr. Jane Foster. "But they really get the folding of space correctly. It's easier if you remember that our realities are all subject to the electrical impulses that power our bodies."

That was easier, Jane?

[single_man_tear]

Nope. Dean was totally lost there but he did smile at her and looked very impressed. "Well, I don't know much about how the folding of space works but I know I'm pretty good with my... impulses."

If Sam was here right now there would be such a hard eye roll at his brother. So hard.

[needsacatchphrase]

She dated Thor for several years, this was the right level of ridiculous flirting. Which was why Jane grinned again, leaning over to give Dean a quick kiss as she gave the book back. "You'll have to recommend me a book on cryptids or something."

So she could also show an interest in his stuff.

[single_man_tear]

Dean’s smile widened a little more. “Sure. Just stay away from any books by Carver Edlund. Total garbage. Not worth a second of your time.”

The meta would probably kill him.

[needsacatchphrase]

"No Carver Edlund," she agreed, nodding. Oh, she was definitely going to need to at least see what he meant, right? Or mention it to Darcy at the very least.

[single_man_tear]

If Dean could read minds right now he would be paying Anakin money for his trademark "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

But instead he smiled. "Great. I'll see you Friday," he said leaning in for one more quick kiss.

[needsacatchphrase]

You couldn't just mention a name and not expect her to see how wrong it was! She was a scientist!

"Friday, she agreed.