Philip LaFresque and Jack Daniel's depressing day in the kitchen [29/??? artefacts collected]
[ And then this happened and Philip was back in his body. Just like that. Just... like that.
Not that the time off was a breeze, oh no. The things he said to some people, the things Clarence did, but... there are the things he didn't do. The things he could've done so easily and yet--
And yet Philip is back in his body and nobody is hurt. Nobody ( Read more... )
Not that the time off was a breeze, oh no. The things he said to some people, the things Clarence did, but... there are the things he didn't do. The things he could've done so easily and yet--
And yet Philip is back in his body and nobody is hurt. Nobody ( Read more... )
And knowing that Philip feels worse makes Dean wish he wasn't so goddamn helpless.
But he calls back. It's what friends do.]
...hey, uh. Phil? You there?
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It sucks that Philip can't dig deeper in his own head, though. Leaving breadcrumbs here and there in his brain isn't going to pull together anything cohesive - more like a jumbled mess of fuck-all.]
He's been there a while, he's probably been through the files.
[Dean groans, rubbing a hand over his face. He could try to get Cas to look into it, but there's no telling what kind of damage Clarence could do with all his fingers in Philip's pies. Wishing that he could do more - always wishing that he could do more - Dean huffs a sigh, tilts his whiskey bottle to one side thoughtfully, and then glances back up at Philip.]
So what are you gonna do?
[Because Clarence probably made a mess, and gift-baskets aren't going to clean it up.]
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[ And what else is new? A lopsided grin. ]
You mean about everything or...?
[ The number of things Philip presently has to do something about seems so overwhelmingly huge and his mind is barely made up about half of them.
If Dean wants to narrow that down further then he'll take it. ]
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He can't really help the sarcasm he's employing - Philip never told him that he was interested in a girl (if that's the case. Dean hopes it's the case. Please be the case).]
I dunno, dude, maybe the chick Clarence played tonsil-hockey with before dumping her on the curb like a sorority girl going through hazing?
[Ring any bells, Quasimodo?]
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...No plans.
[ That, perhaps, is not strictly true. Strictly in this sentence being an euphemism for 'at all in any sense of the word'.
Philip does have a plan. It starts with an apology about the encounter and ends with not seeing Evelyn again ever.
(And hey, he never did get around to telling Dean how much he gained by having Evie's company. No point in declaring how he's about to lose it.) ]
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No plans.
[We're sorry, but Dean isn't going to just let that go. Not by a long-shot.
Maybe it's because his own relationship here went to Hell in a hand-basket and came back soaking wet with a serious chip on its shoulder. Maybe it's just because Philip deserves to be happy. And maybe it's also because his best friend didn't tell him that he (possibly) had a thing with a girl and Dean never got any details whatsoever.
Bros before hos, man.
Not knowing Evelyn's mental state or how she feels about being taken advantage of and lied to by an asshole virus, Dean does know one or two things about women and involving them in your crazy life.
Chicks hate the "better off without me" speech.]
You gonna break up with her?
[Dean's taking a wild guess here.]
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...I'm not going to see her again.
[ Welp. That will do. ]
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[Dean stares at Philip in abject surprise, blinking a couple times just for emphasis.]
I mean...wow. Your best friend stabs your eye out and you eat eggs with him the next day, and the chick you sort-of dated for however long is left alive by your psycho-virus and you never see her again.
[He nods along, expression mild and words even milder. He gets it. Mulling it over and scratching his chin, Dean concedes the point.]
Yeah, I can...I can see how that sounds...
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...like complete bullshit.
[Or that.]
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I dread this moment and would rather sever ties with the woman I have come to care for deeply than watch the abomination within me take control and sever her fingers, arms, legs, head or other body parts.
Surely your most recent event experience must have rendered you more than capable of understanding this point of view and as such I hope you understand that I must humbly and sincerely disregard your advice."
TRANSLATE: English ==> Philip :]
...Right.
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...look.
[Dean rakes a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh.]
I know you want me to shut the Hell up and let you do your thing. I know you just wanna protect her. You don't want her to get hurt 'cause of you. I get that, I've been there. And you've had so much crap thrown at you that it's a miracle you're still standing.
[There comes a time in a man's life when he realizes that the decisions he faces aren't ultimately his decisions to make.]
But if this girl was enough to make you forget all that crap, even if was only for a second, you're makin' a big mistake.
[It's rare to find someone you can share your deep, dark secrets with. Someone you can trust implicitly, someone who won't ( ... )
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Philip wants to end it himself and let the thoughts of a noble sacrifice soothe him, because the alternative could very well be his willingness to give it a shot, shot down just like that by Evelyn finally deciding that he's not worth the risk after all.
He quickly looks the other way, but the thought still lingers. One thing about Dean's narration rings true, at least: It's not just his decision to make. ]
...What if she doesn't think so?
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You're not gonna know until you talk to her.
[On the upside, Philip seems a lot less doom and gloom now.]
But speaking from experience: the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be.
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...
At that moment Philip wants to do anything but talk to Evelyn, anything but so much as see her. The longer he can put this off, the better. But that's his opinion and Dean's is another. He doesn't know if he can get them to match or even mesh, not this time.
So he would rather let it be. Agree to disagree and... see where it leads, once he forces himself to set things straight with Evie. If he can force himself at all...
Another nod that acknowledges rather than agrees. ]
I'll... I'll try.
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Whatever that is.
Here's to hoping he won't fuck himself over, right?]
Yeah. Lemme know how it goes, okay?
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It's only after that that his expression falters, because that part of their conversation is finally at an end, allowing for the opening he'd need to discuss... something else. ]
Dean, um... about something else...
[ Heavy silence falls on them and suddenly Philip wishes he'd left well enough alone rather than thrown a large rock at its head.
He swallows. This is the kind of question you preface with silence until the moment your partner offers verbal acknowledgement, until they have braced themselves as much for the question as... as you are desperately trying to. ]
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