Fourth Floor Common Room, Thursday Evening

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Having scoped out the common room that morning, Dean headed down to it after supper.

Raiding the small kitchen attached, when Dean finally made it to the couch in front of the tv, he had a couple of sodas and a big bowl of popcorn. Sitting down, he grabbed the tv remote and flipped until he found some old B monster movie. He grinned and settled in for the evening.

Food, drink and bad movies. Not much more a guy needed to enjoy an evening.




[ooc: open for interaction]

Comments

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean found himself picturing something like the Creature of the Black Lagoon dressed in desert camouflage fatigues. "Do they have tails?" he asked curiously.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec made a thoughtful face, honestly trying to remember for a moment. "Don't think so. One guy had four arms though. Ant DNA."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"Huh." He glanced down at Alec's body. "You don't have any extra bits or anything do you?"

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"No." Alec looked amused, glancing down at himself as well. "Everything different's beneath the surface."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"So what is different? Superstrength? X-ray vision?"

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"Increased strength, speed, reflexes, flexibility, bone density, intelligence, healing, stamina," he rattled off quickly. "Along with sharper senses, the ability to see in the dark, and telescopic vision. Most of that's from the leopard DNA that's the main non-human component."

Alec frowned at himself when he finished, a little surprised that he'd just basically listed everything he was capable of, generally if not down to the letter. He eyed Dean carefully for a moment, wondering if he was just being chatty or if there was something about his double that put him off his guard.

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean stared at his double as he rattled off a really impressive list of special abilities. With all that... "Dude, you're a freaking superhero."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

At that, Alec made a face of plain distaste. "No way. I don't go in for the altruistic saving the world crap."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"What do you go in for then?" Dean asked, still trying to imagine what it would be like to be able to do all that. He'd be the best hunter that ever lived.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"Living a life that doesn't include me being a government puppet?" He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck in exasperation.

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there was that. If he'd lived his entire life like Alec had without even a name, Dean figured he wouldn't be thinking much beyond getting free of all that either. "That works as a life goal," he agreed.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he muttered, picking at the remains of the popcorn bowl. "It's something, I guess."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"Hey." Dean nudged his double's arm. "It's a place to start. Hell, you just got a name today, you haven't had time to think of what else you want." He grinned. "Maybe you'll find out you want to be a superhero after all."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, then flicked an unpopped kernel at Dean's head, grinning faintly despite himself. "No way. Nuh-uh, not happening."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"What the snappy wardrobe of a cape and spandex doesn't sell you on it?"

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"As good as I'd look, I still say vehemently 'no'," Alec said, grin widening.

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean grinned back. "Yeah we would look good in spandex, wouldn't we?"

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"There's not a lot we wouldn't look good in," Alec pointed out,

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"This is true." Dean sprawled back against the couch cushions. "Such a burden, being this good looking."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"You know it," Alec said, mimicking Dean by leaning back beside him. "So where'd you get your looks - Mom or Dad?"

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

The question wiped the smile right off Dean's face. "Dad said once that I have the same smile as my Mom," he said softly. "He was drunk at the time. My mom died when I was four, y'see."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec blinked, then frowned slightly. "Sorry." This was awkward. He'd dealt with casualties, but no one as close as he assumed a mother would be.

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." Dean hesitated, but, hell, Alec had told him a lot of stuff about his past that weren't easy. He probably owed the same kind of honesty. "It was..." He shook his head, not able to find a word to describe it. "I woke up and heard my dad yelling and Sammy crying and this weird crackling roaring sound. Fire." He swallowed hard; for years that that had been the soundtrack of his nightmares. "I ran out into the hallway. I remember it was hot, like... searing hot. Dad was there, with Sammy. He gave him to me, told me to take him outside. Told me not to look back. So I did."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"And she was still inside," Alec said quietly, able, at least, to be sympathetic when it suited him. "Harsh."

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"She was fucking pinned to the ceiling of Sammy's nursery and set on fire!" The words came out harsh and angry and Dean had to take a deep breath or two to get his emotions back under control. This is why he usually didn't talk about that night, not in this kind of detail. "Something, a demon Dad figures, did that to her."