the rusty nail } { my strength is fading, I have to give in

[hasperkynipples]

Dean didn't know what he was doing in Smallville.

He shouldn't be in Smallville. He was supposed to be in Indiana, with Lisa and Ben, trying to see if he could handle living the normal, apple pie life, but he wasn't getting there. He wasn't even sure if he really wanted to go. All he knew was that he had made a promise to Sam to get out, and he didn't know if he could do it.

He had only left Lawrence a few hours ago, but he hadn't made it very far before being in serious need of a hard drink. In fact, it was the kind of drinking that he really didn't want to come up from, but after the very butch bartender of the Rusty Nail (worst bar name ever, in his humble opinion) decided that he needed to be cut off for the night, he paid his tab and stumbled his way out, hands fumbling in his pockets for his keys. He wasn't planning on driving -- that car was all he had left, and he wasn't about to destroy it -- but he needed somewhere to sleep, and he wasn't going to make it to a motel. Back seat was comfortable enough -- wasn't like he hadn't done it before.

The cool, fresh night air hit him like a blast to the face and woke him up a bit, making him sway a little less and walk a little straighter. He was surprised that he had even had enough sense not to just buy his own booze and give himself alcohol poisoning, but he had, and right now, he just wanted to sleep it off. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and went to unlock the passenger's side door, one hand rubbing his face slowly as he did.

Tomorrow was going to suck, and not just because of the hangover.

[If you need more ... lemme know?]

Comments

[manorsuperman]

"You, too." She paused, making a point to get his name right this time. "Dean."

[hasperkynipples]

He gave her a small smile at that, before starting to pull away a bit. "I should let you get back to what you were doing. You probably have someone waiting for you."

[manorsuperman]

She shook her head. "No, not really. I was just out for a drive." She averted her eyes and chuckled a little to herself—maybe a little at herself. "I don't even live here anymore. My apartment is miles from here."

[hasperkynipples]

"Wow," he said, surprised. "I thought you loved Smallville."

[manorsuperman]

I do, it's just—" She let out a heavy sigh. "A lot changed after you left. And no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stay."

[hasperkynipples]

He took a deep breath and nodded. "I know that feeling."

[manorsuperman]

Lana looked up at him, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "You didn't hear anything, did you? I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, and...some of them were newsworthy."

[hasperkynipples]

"Sweetheart, I was too busy doing my own list of things I'm not so proud of. I wasn't exactly watching the news." He sighed. "Besides, I'm pretty sure mine has yours beat."

[manorsuperman]

Well, if that was really what he thought...

"I married Lex Luthor."

There, she said it, and that really wasn't the worst of it.

[hasperkynipples]

He took a deep breath, before shrugging. "I went to Hell."

[manorsuperman]

Again, he'd shocked her.

"You...you're not speaking metaphorically, are you?"

[hasperkynipples]

"No," he shook his head, rubbing at one of his eyes. "I'm really not. I went to Heaven too, but I actually think that one sucked worse."

[manorsuperman]

"How—"

She shook her head. She really didn't want to know, at least not right now.

"You're not sleeping in your car." And she meant that. He should listen to her.

[hasperkynipples]

He doesn't know where the smirk came from, or even the energy to manage it, but it was there, fleeting for a moment just from the way she said it.

"You gonna take me home with you?"

That statement was chock full of flirt. She should humor him.

[manorsuperman]

She tried not to smile, she really did, but she couldn't seem to help herself.

She shook her head again. "I still don't know how you do that."

[hasperkynipples]

"It's the one superpower I have," he said with a bit of a laugh. "I'm pretty fond of it."

[manorsuperman]

She took hold of his arm and started to lead him back toward her car. "Making innuendo sound charming? I guess you would. It keeps you from getting slapped."

[hasperkynipples]

"Oh, no. I still get slapped." He let her lead him, not really sure where they were going, but figuring that it was better than where he was. Sleeping in his car wasn't ideal, even if he was prepared to do it. "Just not nearly as often."

[manorsuperman]

"Well I haven't done it, and I doubt I ever will. Not for that, at least." At this point, a subject change was in order. "We'll stay at the inn. I'll save time and gas that way."

[hasperkynipples]

"Okay," he said simply, not really in the mood to argue. It's not like he had anywhere else more pressing to be, and this? This was nice. This was good.

He could use some more of this.

/lamest reply ever

[manorsuperman]

It felt strange having him there with her after all this time, but at the same time it was oddly comforting. In a way, he was all she had left of any of her old life.

Once they were both inside the car, she pulled off toward the road.

[hasperkynipples]

Dean slumped against the door, letting his forehead rest against the window. He knew he was going to have some explaining to do, but for right now, he was just going to sink into the silence of the drive.

Once they got to the inn, he pushed up to follow her inside, patting down his pockets to track down his wallet. "Hopefully they'll have two vacancies."

[manorsuperman]

"I could do with the one." Lana gaze turned his way, her voice quiet. "I don't want you to be alone."

[hasperkynipples]

He took a breath at that before shaking his head. "I'll be fine, Lana. I'm a big boy." And he means that -- or at least he wants to.

[manorsuperman]

She tilted her head a bit. "Maybe I didn't word that correctly." Her hands moved to grip his upper arms. "You can make any arrangements you want, but big boy or not, I'm not leaving you."