The "Take Care" Meme

[redheels]

The "Take Care" Meme
a shipping meme

Life is hard. You can go through rough patches and over bumps, and sometimes it feels as though you're definitely worse for the wear, both physically and mentally. It's nice to have someone - someone more than a friend - there for you in those times...even if you don't think you want them or deserve them. But they're here, and they'll take care of you.

How to Play:
* This is a shipping meme for more tender, soft moments, but a little more serious than your usual "fluff." It's for people who've been broken down by their experience and those who wish to heal them.
* Comment with your character/your preferences. You may also want to specify whether your character will be the one "cared for" or the one doing the "caring" + pertinent information, but for most effectiveness, it's best to be open to both.
* Comment around.


Prompts
1. Know You've Been Hurt By Someone Else: There are scars left on their heart from a past relationship or fling, and you have to let them know you're not the same way.
2. Can Tell By the Way You Carry Yourself: The person you have feelings for is one of those "cold stone wall" types who pushes people away. Can you get past that?
3. I've Asked About You: You've only heard bad things about this person, but you don't believe it.
4. What's a Life with No Fun: Lighten up a bit! You'd do anything to bring a smile to their face.
5. Please Don't Be So Ashamed: You have a big, BIG secret you don't want the other person to find out about, because surely they wouldn't want to even be near you if they did.
6. I've Had Mine, You've Had Yours: You've both had problems, and it could help to compare wounds so they can begin to heal.
7. Those Lies Heal: Protecting your loved one is more important that the truth, isn't it? It's a lie, but there are good intentions here.
8. You Can't Sleep: Because of past trauma, you're having a sleepless night. Luckily, this time you have somebody to help you and give you some comfort.
9. You Cry Still: The obligatory "seeing your significant other/love cry over something and wanting to make them stop at any cost" option.
10. All Get a Little Taste: Your loved one is sick or injured - literally this time - and you're looking out for them and trying to get them better.
11. You Just Don't Know: Either through magic, torture, or blunt trauma to the head, your special person can't remember you! It's up to you to get them to remember what was between you two by showing all the ways you cared for each other.
12. I Give Her Space: Part of being a careful lover is knowing when you need to leave them alone.
13. Tryna Run from That: Uh-oh, you don't want to fall in love, because you've been there, done that! Maybe there's still time to escape from this...or maybe it's too late.
14. I Will Care for You: After a particularly rough day, you're need a little TLC. Your loved one is going to do everything for you - a bath, food, the works.
15. All the Baggage Just Ain't as Heavy: You know it will take a while for this person to mend psychologically and spiritually, and you're willing to wait.
16. Change the Pace: And the smut option. Show you care through sex.
17. We'll Just Go Slow: You're going to take things one step at a time. No need to rush and define things. Just enjoy each other's company and the healing it brings.
18. We All Have Our Nights: Your lover, because of their past experience, is having a complete breakdown. You have to bring them back from the edge.
19. You Don't Say You Love Me: You both know how you feel, but one of you is having problems saying the four letter word. That's okay, though. Your lover understands.
20. To Save You: After months or years, you've both worked on the problems and old scars and you might just be ready to start something resembling a normal love.
21. CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE

Comments

10.

[freesoldier]

[ Clarence has fallen. It hurt when Metatron took his grace. He thought that he'd feel nothing, but it had hurt. More than anyone could ever imagine. He stole something from Castiel and he had no way of getting it back. Metatron sealed the gates of Heaven up and kicked all the angels out. His brothers and sisters were out on the streets trying to find their way. They were sitting ducks for humans who wanted to swoop in to do anything. The idea made Castiel sick. Finding Dean had been priority number one, but he wasn't where Castiel had left him. Either was Sam. Either Sam had made the ultimate sacrifice or Dean had gotten to him in time. He hoped it was the second. They couldn't take anymore hits like this. The angels falling was going to bring about a lot of damage control.

He thought he had seen the last of her when he went to fetch the angel tablet. Sam and Dean told him they saw her die and Castiel excused himself. She was a demon. Ultimately Meg was an abomination, but Cas no longer saw her like that. She had done a number of good things when she could have betrayed them all. She liked to say she was just in it for the payback, but when she looked at him it didn't feel like payback. Cas was never very good at figuring out human emotions, but Meg's were easy to read. He spent a long time with her one on one in that psych ward. Maybe he knew more about her than he let on to most folks. Whatever had happened with Crowley hadn't killed her though. Because one minute he was trying to explain to the waitress that he had no money to pay for his coffee and the next she was just there. Smirking and calling him Clarence.

It was no secret among the demons that the angels had all fallen. They were walking targets to anyone who wanted angel payback. Castiel was one of those targets. Crowley was in the wind and that meant Hell was no longer being kept in order. She was telling him all this horrible stuff and yet he couldn't stop staring at her. He could no longer see past the human "meat suit" she wore around. All he could see was her face. Pretty. Beautiful in fact. It was strange how things were so different, but still the same. It actually made Castiel smile for once since this all happened.

Another moment passed and he sighed heavily. Things were dysfunctional at best. He could no longer contact the Winchester's with his powers and he didn't possess the phone to do so. Not to mention his extreme lack of money. He was mortal and maybe he was a little curious to see what that entailed. ] Would you mind if I ordered a hamburger?

[unregenerate]

[ Meg's escape from near certain death had been...interesting. Thankfully, Lady Luck had still been on her side, though the body she's taken up residence in was a little worse for wear after the whole being stabbed in the stomach ordeal. There was more to it than that, but let's just say she spent a lot of time recuperating in a dingy hotel room, planning out her next move.

Really, she was hesitant about contacting the Winchesters at that point, because she always managed to end up on the wrong end of a fight when she teamed up with them. And Castiel...well, the whole demon tablet / angel tablet business was something she was not down with. If they managed to close the gates, and she ended up stuck in Hell, so be it. Meg was going to take herself a little vacation, stay out of the bigger picture unless something major happened.

Which it did, the night the angels fell from Heaven. By that time, she was up and walking, bored out of her mind. Meg had been considering a little trip out of the country until she saw those wingnuts falling from the sky.

It made her think about Castiel. Something was seriously wrong if demons were still walking around free and angels were crash landing into Earth like meteors. Obviously, her plans changed. She was going to find her angel and make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid.

While on her Clarence hunt, Meg managed to pick up a few hints of what was going on back in her hometown - Hell's a mess, what a surprise. Crowley was MIA, which was good news to her ears. She didn't come into direct contact with any demon if she could help it, and by the time she finds him she's got enough info to fill him in.

It's strange, seeing him be so incredibly human. None of that angel mojo in the air, just plain ol' Castiel, in a diner and asking for a hamburger. Now that she's found him, he isn't leaving her sight. ]

You got it, Clarence. [ She makes it a habit of picking a few pockets when she can, so she has some cash handy for emergencies such as feeding a previous angel. ] Go crazy, I can cover you.

[ She's sitting across from him, arms folded on the tabletop as she looks him over. Obviously he isn't in any pain or injured. Meg can bet he probably isn't happy about his current predicament, though. ]

What's the story? Been wandering around on your lonesome, bumming burgers off strangers in the street?

[ It's actually her way of asking if he's okay. ]

[freesoldier]

[ The moment she agrees Castiel has waved down the waitress. He has some time until she can make her way to him so looking over the menu is priority. Finding it would help, but he's distracted by Meg speaking again. She's asking questions and he has to think about how he wants to answer. Telling her the whole story was first on his list, but this place has people. People that have ears and can very easily listen in, but why would they want to? Unless they're specifically looking for Castiel. There's no reason to listen to the rantings of a man who couldn't even pay for his own coffee.

Cas never had to worry about food when he was an angel. Jimmy Novak liked hambugers and sometimes his vessel wanted a hamburger. It's never a strong urge though. Never enough to propel him to hamburgers. It's not like the incident before. Now? Now he's starving. It feels like he's been forever since he ate and sitting here with all these smells--it's hard for him to resist. He's never experienced this problem before so it takes him longer than it should to recognize that the stab in his stomach and sinking feeling is hunger. His body is craving something and it's up to him to supply it. Being human is becoming more difficult by the second.

Castiel doesn't answer her just yet. Instead the waitress has found her way to them and she's asked for his order. He immediately orders what he hears come out of Dean's mouth on multiple occasions. She's smiling and calling him sweetie. Castiel is still unaware of the affection and doesn't react. She's gone and he's once again alone with Meg. ] Naomi--an angel--was controlling me previously. Metatron--another angel--"said" he knew how to close the gates of Heaven and I was prepared to do it. Lock us up for a sit down. At least until we could sort ourselves out. Our fighting couldn't spill out onto this world any longer. Metatron used me to further his own agenda and cast us all out. He took my grace. Cut it--out of me.

[ His tongue feels heavy and the emotion that comes with talking about his family is evident in his voice. Nobody quite does dysfunctional family like the angels. But they were without proper guidance so it was expected that they would stumble. ] I don't know how to get ahold of Dean or Sam who may or may not be dead. Sam was turning Crowley human as part of the last bit of the trial. There's a good chance he's dead though.

But to answer your question--no. I have not been bumming burgers off strangers. This hunger is a recent development.

[ Another pause. ] I can no longer see through your "meat suit". It's--alarming.

[unregenerate]

[ Sitting in a diner with him is so otherworldy it feels surreal. If someone told her a few years ago not only would she buddy buddy with an angel, but she would seek him out in an attempt to make sure he was okay, she would have laughed herself into the next week. Then slit their throat.

But here she is. Listening to his story, buying him a burger, like they're two people just hanging out in some greasy spoon. When life throws you curve balls and blah blah blah, whatever. This wasn't the story she was expecting, and by the time he's finished her eyebrows are arched up fairly high. ]

That's a tale that could sell a few books. So, you had a few brethren yankin' you around to further their own little agendas, and in the end everyone got screwed over.

[ How very...demonic of them. She has to wonder if demons were created as some kind of homage to their bffs in the sky. Well, they aren't really in the sky anymore, are they? While she, personally, isn't too scandalized about these turn of events, she knows Castiel is probably five kinds of messed up about it. ]

That's some rough stuff, Clarence. [ There's a slight head tilt on her part, and she's looking at him thoughtfully. ] Guess you really can't trust anyone these days, can you?

[ Meg herself has no phone, since she tossed it forever ago. Right when they were about to invade Dick Roman's building for a little take down. She saw no point in having it. ]

If you remember Tweedledee and Tweedledum's number, we'll find a payphone somewhere and give them a ring. And Crowley? [ She snorts, leaning back in her seat a bit. ] He's like a cockroach. Always coming back for more - he won't be gone for long, believe me on that one.

[ She's actually itching to grill him about that 'turning Crowley human' thing Cas mentioned, but she'll leave it be. It's not like she can't ask later. ]

I'm looking a little less 'demonic abomination' and a little more 'pretty lady', huh? [ She smirks, catching sight of the waitress as she starts to bring Castiel's order to their table. ] Alarming is one of the best compliments I've had lately, thanks Clarence.

[ A joke - she knows her true form is pretty awful, and it doesn't bother her by any means. What can she say, she's grown used to it. ]

[freesoldier]

[ It felt good to talk to someone who understood. Cas never understood what it was like to be this isolated. Before when he was rebelling with the Winchester's he at least felt connected to them. He may have not been connected to the angels, but he had the Winchesters. Castiel has no one now. He's unaware of the Winchester's safety and he's lost his family. The angels had their problems, but they were his family. He knew them. He cared for them. He slaughtered thousands when he had the Leviathans inside of him, but he still had ones he cared about. They were all lost now. There would be no way for them to find each other and get through this. No way to get back home. It was absolutely maddening.

She was trying to understand and for that Cas was grateful. Meg did seem to try harder with him than most. The last interaction they had was Castiel caring for her. He was the one patching up her physical wounds. She propositioned him with "furniture moving" which he was able to decipher the meaning behind. Part of him knew that it was simply an attraction to his vessel. Most experienced this issue on a regular basis. Castiel chose to ignore it and remain oblivious at times. Sometimes when Meg looked at him like that--it felt real. He was ashamed almost instantly, but it felt honest. Maybe things were there, but neither had ever been in a position to face them. ] No. I don't believe so. [ But he trusted her. Oddly enough he still trusted Meg. He trusted her just like he trusted the Winchester's. He was alert around her, but he trusted her.

It would take some doing, but he'd try to remember the number. He only ever needed it when he was to keep his angel "mojo" limited. During his rebellious phase. It's been some time since then. He's always just been summoned. Phones weren't necessary. He's already frowning at the idea of trying to recall the digits. He'd been through too much to retain that information. Perhaps it'll come easier on a later day. ] It's possible he didn't survive as well. I'm not entirely sure on his whereabouts. [ But Cas isn't sure about where anyone is. He's surprisingly calm for someone who thinks the Winchester's are dead, but it's not really sunk in yet.

He can't help the smile that comes when she mentions how she's a little more pretty lady. It's true. She is. He noticed, but never like this. He was always too distracted by her actual form. All demons had hideous forms. It was part of their nature. ] It's strange. I know what you look like, but I never--well, this will sound crazy, but I never saw. I don't think I'm quite used to this human thing. [ The waitress raised a brow when she dropped off Cas' food. She didn't say anything. She just moved away. Suddenly the nice looking odd man was seeming a little crazier than she liked.

He reached for the ketchup and pulled the top of his bun off. While he shook it off he looked up at her to make eye contact. ] I got an erection this morning. [ He shook his head and went back to his hamburger. ] I don't think I like this human thing.

[unregenerate]

[ Meg would prefer to imagine Crowley crawling on the ground somewhere, half dead and choking on his own blood. Yeah, that's a good picture. Even if he could be turned human, which she legitimately doubts, that just makes him easier to kill. Or torture. Maybe she should go look for him.

Priorities, though. Crowley is at the bottom of her list. The very bottom. ]

I don't think humans are used to the human thing, Clarence. [ She smirks slightly. He seems so baffled about being human, and she can't blame him. Despite being a previous human herself, Meg would probably feel the same way - with a little more anger, of course - so she gets it. Her smirk turns into a full on grin when he mentions his early morning problems. ]

You know, there's a swift way to take care of that. [ She leans forward a bit, her grin turning slightly suggestively. ] All you need is your hand. Are you a righty or a lefty? Or I could always give you my hand.

[freesoldier]

[ Crowley is the last person Cas wants to just let go free, but there's nothing he can do about it now. He has no "mojo" and he is very unsure how to operate in this world without any of his powers. Cas only had one very distinct case of going human and it didn't last long. It had been gradual. This was different. This was everything being sucked out at once. No way back in. Almost no hope. He's not sure how they'll get the doors back open or if there is even a way. Perhaps his brothers and sisters will just get more violent since being forced down here.

Castiel spared her a look while he lifted his burger up to take a bite. She suggested she knew of a way, but he could almost already tell where this was headed. He didn't smile or respond at first. He simply took a bite of his burger and chewed. Castiel had never thought much about doing that. The desires were not something that came about in a very prominent way when he was an angel. He could have them, but they always in check as an angel. As a human it seemed he had no idea how to control who he responded to or even when. It was not good.

He finally swallowed the bite of burger and put it back down on his plate. He sighed heavily, but it wasn't actually exasperation over her taking this down a more crude avenue. True he had brought up the topic, but to him it was just casual conversation since this was all very new to him. ] Right handed, but I believe that has something to do with Jimmy and not my own personal preference. I could use both. I've never had to do that though. It was never an issue before.

[unregenerate]

[ It'll be interesting, to see how the angels handle walking among the humans. From what she's seen so far, it's been a lot of dazed wandering from the ones she did run across. Meg wasn't keen on stopping for a chat with any of them, though. Let them figure the human crap out on their own.

She snatches a couple of fries from his plate, snacking on one of them as she listens. The roads that Meg prefers to take are always of the crude and crass variety, since they tend to get the more interesting reactions. Straight up nonchalance is one she rarely runs across, and she can appreciate it. Sure, she's more than willing to teach him all kinds of things that involve his hands, but she also knows this is probably all fairly new to him. ]

Oh don't worry, I'm sure once you start you'll figure it out quick enough. [ Her eyebrows quirk up as she says this, finishing up the fries she'd grabbed. ] All it takes is some alone time and some lotion. I'll be happy to show you.

[ The waitress stops by, asking if they'd like dessert and dropping off the the little scrap of paper to take up to the register when they're done. Meg takes it, folding it as she speaks. ]

What's the plan from here, Clarence? Hunt us down some hunters? [ Meg has confidence in her abilities to track down Winchesters, especially since they could be pretty predictable. ]

[freesoldier]

[ If Castiel could get into contact with more of his kind he would most likely do so. Living down here amongst the humans would come as a shock to most of them. A lot of them were soldiers such as Castiel. They weren't fit for duty outside of fighting for God. They didn't "rub shoulders" with humans very often. They wouldn't know how to act or really respond. It took Castiel a long time before he was even functional down here. Even then most every saying he had was out of date or he didn't understand the more recent ones. They would need more help. They would also need an avenue as to where to direct their anger.

He would admit that her bluntness has always been something that's both intrigued him and flustered him. Castiel isn't used to women making such obvious passes at him. There was the time at the whore house with Dean, but she simply wished to make money. She held no real desires or feelings for Castiel. He figured that out quite quickly. Meg was one of the few women or rather not so much women to take an interest. It always left him feeling just a touch flustered by it all. He didn't like being knocked off balance sometimes.

Castiel bowed his head and smiled down at the table when she offered to show him. He did appreciate the offer, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. Finding the Winchester's would be smart, but he has no means of contact right now. Unless she does. ] I appreciate the offer, but we have things to attend to. Perhaps we could "move furniture" at a later date? I would like a room. Not having money has left me without a place to sleep. While the bench in the park across the way is adequate--I find I need more cushion.