Guava 22 and Trail Mix 4
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Guava 22 (say cheese) and Trail Mix 4 (outer space)
Toppings & Extras: Malt (Trick or Treat: Our house, it has a crowd; there’s always something happening and it’s usually quite loud-“Our House”, Madness), Caramel, Milkshake
Word Count: 1,024
Rating: PG
Summary: Why is it that when you most want time to stand still, it speeds up?
Notes: This takes place immediately before my upcoming NaNo. Thought I might as well start getting my brain moving in that direction! Counts for the BTS: 1k for Wed. and Malt
That morning, Dean had woken to two arguments, a heated debate over (but not quite heated enough to qualify as an argument) the best way to cook eggs, three exclamations of surprise (usually involving a highly inappropriate suggestion), some immature sap (he knew exactly who) complaining about the impressive and undisguised amount of PDA going on in the house and the pissed off neighing of a horse. The last he suspected had something to do with the fact no one had probably fed the poor beast in all the chaos. Groaning, he briefly pulled his pillow over his head before rolling out of bed, pulling on the first clothes that came to hand. He absently noted that the bed made up on his floor was empty, signaling that his cousin had obviously had enough even before he had.
As he thought this, Sage’s lovely and strident tones cut across the noise, telling them all, in colorful terms, that they had better be quiet until she said they could speak or else.
The resulting silence lasted all of thirty seconds, if that. What actually happened was, well, nothing. He thought maybe Morgan replied, but the rest of them carried on exactly as they had been. He slipped out of his room and had no problem circumnavigating his family - no problem in that none of them attempted to bring him into their conversations, that is. Physically, it was another story. Their small house consisted of a decent sized kitchen, a fairly large living room, his father’s office, and four other rooms, all usually used as bedrooms - one each for himself, his dad and Russell - and a guestroom, that was currently in use by Morgan and Mal, considering no one wanted to risk putting the sometimes overly affectionate couple where they might be scarred for life.
Considering there were currently eight people staying there, getting around was sometimes tough. He skirted the two groups as best he could, waving to Sorin as he finally reached the front door, and heading out to the barn to feed the horses and eliminate at least some of the noise.
As he stepped inside, he winced and instantly slapped a hand over his eyes. “Gods’ Breath, Russ!”
“Good morning, Dean,” Shannon Culvert, Russ’s longtime girlfriend replied, laughing as she pulled away from him. “I’m sorry. I distracted Russ while he was attempting to feed the horses.”
Dean cautiously peaked around his fingers, making a face. “I’m going to leave now. I’ll be back after everyone has their morning...whatever this is.”
“If you’re thinking of slinking off to Carrie’s, remember what she told you.”
“Russ, you are such a father sometimes,” Dean grumbled. “Of course I remember what she said, but it’ll only be a quick visit. Shannon, I used to like you.”
The couple both grinned. “Now, now, Dean, be nice. It’s nothing I’m sure you haven’t done with Carrie.”
“Leaving now,” Dean said and hastily slid from the barn before the talk could really head in that direction. The difference, he decided, was that he chose to do it in private places, not where any old person could walk in on them. Plus, he was pretty darn sure he and Carrie had never, ever looked like that.
Focused on that, he almost walked headlong into a wagon that had mysteriously appeared in the yard outside the house in the few minutes he’d been inside.
“Watch out, Dean!” came a laughing voice and then Carrie had bounded over to him, beaming. “Mom agreed!”
He stared at her blankly for a moment. “Agreed?”
“Well, since I’m heading back with Colin and Morgan and Mal tomorrow so early, Colin convinced Mom that I should actually stay. She says she doesn’t like it but I insisted that Sage would be a proper chaperone,” she said in one giant breath, wrinkling her nose.
Dean barely resisted the urge to kiss it and instead grinned. “Glad to have you, but you might not be glad to be here. Hi, Eva!” he said, waving to her mom as she hopped down from the wagon to help Colin unhitch the horse.
“Good morning, Dean! How are you?”
“Good! Colin, if you go into the barn, make a lot of noise first.”
Colin looked up from the bridle and blinked. “Why ever for?”
“Russ and Shannon.”
KIN’s leader paused, glancing towards the partially open barn doors. “Oh dear,” he said after a moment. “I swear those two are even worse now that Shannon’s pregnant.”
“You’re telling me,” Dean said.
It was about then that the rest of the current household - Sorin, Morgan, Mal and Sage - tumbled out of the house. Well, not Sorin, because his dad would never tumble in any sense of the word, but the other three did and came over to greet Eva and Carrie while Morgan made a beeline for the barn.
“Morgan,” Dean and Colin started at the same time, but she just winked and bounced past them with a wave at the Michaels.
A moment later, loud swearing could be heard and not from Morgan as she raced back out, snickering gleefully and hid behind Sorin.
Shannon appeared a moment later, looking more than a little irritated, one hand on her slowly swelling belly. “Haven’t you ever heard that stress is not good for a baby? You should learn this before you and Mal-”
“Children!” Sorin’s voice cut across the fray. “Gods’ Breath.”
“Just because you and Russ got pregnant does not mean,” Morgan began.
“I don’t think you need to worry about the kind of stress,” Mal started.
“I’m just impressed Morgan’s this awake this early. What did you do, Mal?” Colin asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sage groaned.
Russ now appeared, looking torn between amusement and annoyance. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.
Dean grinned, slipping an arm around Carrie’s waist comfortably as Eva, somewhat used to the family after two years of Carrie dating Dean, could only shake her head.
Freeze.
Lock in.
Remember.
Never forget.
This was his family.
No matter how far away he was, he would keep this moment in his head forever after.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Guava 22 (say cheese) and Trail Mix 4 (outer space)
Toppings & Extras: Malt (Trick or Treat: Our house, it has a crowd; there’s always something happening and it’s usually quite loud-“Our House”, Madness), Caramel, Milkshake
Word Count: 1,024
Rating: PG
Summary: Why is it that when you most want time to stand still, it speeds up?
Notes: This takes place immediately before my upcoming NaNo. Thought I might as well start getting my brain moving in that direction! Counts for the BTS: 1k for Wed. and Malt
That morning, Dean had woken to two arguments, a heated debate over (but not quite heated enough to qualify as an argument) the best way to cook eggs, three exclamations of surprise (usually involving a highly inappropriate suggestion), some immature sap (he knew exactly who) complaining about the impressive and undisguised amount of PDA going on in the house and the pissed off neighing of a horse. The last he suspected had something to do with the fact no one had probably fed the poor beast in all the chaos. Groaning, he briefly pulled his pillow over his head before rolling out of bed, pulling on the first clothes that came to hand. He absently noted that the bed made up on his floor was empty, signaling that his cousin had obviously had enough even before he had.
As he thought this, Sage’s lovely and strident tones cut across the noise, telling them all, in colorful terms, that they had better be quiet until she said they could speak or else.
The resulting silence lasted all of thirty seconds, if that. What actually happened was, well, nothing. He thought maybe Morgan replied, but the rest of them carried on exactly as they had been. He slipped out of his room and had no problem circumnavigating his family - no problem in that none of them attempted to bring him into their conversations, that is. Physically, it was another story. Their small house consisted of a decent sized kitchen, a fairly large living room, his father’s office, and four other rooms, all usually used as bedrooms - one each for himself, his dad and Russell - and a guestroom, that was currently in use by Morgan and Mal, considering no one wanted to risk putting the sometimes overly affectionate couple where they might be scarred for life.
Considering there were currently eight people staying there, getting around was sometimes tough. He skirted the two groups as best he could, waving to Sorin as he finally reached the front door, and heading out to the barn to feed the horses and eliminate at least some of the noise.
As he stepped inside, he winced and instantly slapped a hand over his eyes. “Gods’ Breath, Russ!”
“Good morning, Dean,” Shannon Culvert, Russ’s longtime girlfriend replied, laughing as she pulled away from him. “I’m sorry. I distracted Russ while he was attempting to feed the horses.”
Dean cautiously peaked around his fingers, making a face. “I’m going to leave now. I’ll be back after everyone has their morning...whatever this is.”
“If you’re thinking of slinking off to Carrie’s, remember what she told you.”
“Russ, you are such a father sometimes,” Dean grumbled. “Of course I remember what she said, but it’ll only be a quick visit. Shannon, I used to like you.”
The couple both grinned. “Now, now, Dean, be nice. It’s nothing I’m sure you haven’t done with Carrie.”
“Leaving now,” Dean said and hastily slid from the barn before the talk could really head in that direction. The difference, he decided, was that he chose to do it in private places, not where any old person could walk in on them. Plus, he was pretty darn sure he and Carrie had never, ever looked like that.
Focused on that, he almost walked headlong into a wagon that had mysteriously appeared in the yard outside the house in the few minutes he’d been inside.
“Watch out, Dean!” came a laughing voice and then Carrie had bounded over to him, beaming. “Mom agreed!”
He stared at her blankly for a moment. “Agreed?”
“Well, since I’m heading back with Colin and Morgan and Mal tomorrow so early, Colin convinced Mom that I should actually stay. She says she doesn’t like it but I insisted that Sage would be a proper chaperone,” she said in one giant breath, wrinkling her nose.
Dean barely resisted the urge to kiss it and instead grinned. “Glad to have you, but you might not be glad to be here. Hi, Eva!” he said, waving to her mom as she hopped down from the wagon to help Colin unhitch the horse.
“Good morning, Dean! How are you?”
“Good! Colin, if you go into the barn, make a lot of noise first.”
Colin looked up from the bridle and blinked. “Why ever for?”
“Russ and Shannon.”
KIN’s leader paused, glancing towards the partially open barn doors. “Oh dear,” he said after a moment. “I swear those two are even worse now that Shannon’s pregnant.”
“You’re telling me,” Dean said.
It was about then that the rest of the current household - Sorin, Morgan, Mal and Sage - tumbled out of the house. Well, not Sorin, because his dad would never tumble in any sense of the word, but the other three did and came over to greet Eva and Carrie while Morgan made a beeline for the barn.
“Morgan,” Dean and Colin started at the same time, but she just winked and bounced past them with a wave at the Michaels.
A moment later, loud swearing could be heard and not from Morgan as she raced back out, snickering gleefully and hid behind Sorin.
Shannon appeared a moment later, looking more than a little irritated, one hand on her slowly swelling belly. “Haven’t you ever heard that stress is not good for a baby? You should learn this before you and Mal-”
“Children!” Sorin’s voice cut across the fray. “Gods’ Breath.”
“Just because you and Russ got pregnant does not mean,” Morgan began.
“I don’t think you need to worry about the kind of stress,” Mal started.
“I’m just impressed Morgan’s this awake this early. What did you do, Mal?” Colin asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sage groaned.
Russ now appeared, looking torn between amusement and annoyance. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.
Dean grinned, slipping an arm around Carrie’s waist comfortably as Eva, somewhat used to the family after two years of Carrie dating Dean, could only shake her head.
Freeze.
Lock in.
Remember.
Never forget.
This was his family.
No matter how far away he was, he would keep this moment in his head forever after.