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Dоcтоя Slêêp ([info]doctoring) wrote in [info]snapthread,
@ 2020-02-16 17:42:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:dan torrance, john constantine (vertigo)

WHO: Constantine & Dan
WHAT: Dan owes Constantine dinner, because he was magicked and kissed him at that weird party
WHERE: House with the blue door (Dan's abode)
WHEN: Tonight





Everything had happened so quickly, Dan just needed a moment. One moment or two, or five, something so that he could calm the whole circus of acrobats doing flips in his stomach. First he went to a party just expecting to nurse a fucking soda and make sure Richie's head didn't explode, and then he'd gotten yanked out of the corner where wallflowers roamed and into a kissing booth with a guy that pushed the right buttons to remind Dan that he actually had a sex drive, somewhere, then after that incident with Bill it was like he’d been hit across the face with a hot iron and he had even more questions. About what the fuck he was even doing.

Okay, fine. He simply needed a moment to process, and he got to do just that while making dinner in his nearly bare-bones kitchen (he'd managed to find fresh ingredients though - and a dining room table, plus chairs, he had that). Cooking was therapeutic, in its own way, and he at the very least didn't slice a finger off while beginning to prepare the stir fry for dinner - cutting the beef, cutting the vegetables, gathering the right spices. He was currently letting the beef sizzle in oil in the frying pan and listening for a knock at the door.

Though he didn't need the knock, necessarily. It was difficult to get the jump on a psychic - his mind reading capabilities expanded like a mushroom cloud, pushing outward, and he listened for the approach of his specific dinner guest.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-17 02:24 am UTC (link)
John didn't know what he was doing. Not really.

He knew that he'd been to a fun party and while under the spell of magic he'd kissed someone who was not Peter or Claire and he'd had a pretty good time doing it. Enough to flirtatiously quip about dinner, and then even consider accepting the subsequent invitation. That was a thing that had happened.

But it wasn't just Dan's good looks that had him finishing off his cigarette in front of the blue door he'd been directed toward. Hell, he wasn't even sure if it was the psychic touch he'd redirected at the party either, although Constantine would admit that was maybe what made it more interesting.

He liked a mystery. And more so, he liked someone who wasn't squeaky clean, who might have a good story to tell -- even if they didn't want to tell it (and certainly didn't have to). There was something about Dan's wear and tear that was compelling.

And yeah, okay, he kissed pretty fucking well. There was that.

He finished off his cigarette, flicked the butt away from the doorstep and wondered, momentarily, if he should have brought something. First dates weren't really something he did all that often and it probably fucking showed, what with him showing up empty handed. Bit late now, though, so he just... knocked.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-17 03:16 am UTC (link)
His senses prickled at the presence of someone on his doorstep - Dan cast a wide net, after all - and he definitely let John finish his cigarette. Oh, and let him knock as well - because it would have been weird as fuck if he just randomly opened the door before John even had a chance to rap his fist upon it.

Dan was nervous, was it obvious? It probably was. He hadn't done anything resembling a dinner date in...years. Mostly because in the past he was fond of drinking his dinner - he'd go to bars craving a cold beer or tequila (it always tasted like chocolate when you had a little bit of a sunburn), bars that violated health codes, no free wifi or cucumber slices in the beverages. Dark corners, creepy paintings, shot and beer specials. One leaning pool table.

That was a lot different than stir fry and sparkling non-alcoholic grape juice. He was trying his best here.

"Hey," Dan opened the door, wearing this stupid grin that he'd probably kick himself for if he got a look in a mirror. "Come on in. So you found the place okay?"

That was a joke. This town was the size of a postage stamp.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-17 03:35 am UTC (link)
"Got a little turned around on Main Street, but I'm here in one piece," Constantine joked right back. Because yeah, this place was ridiculously small -- and that was saying something because he was pretty sure it had increased in size since he'd shown up. There certainly hadn't been Fjords or hot springs there at that point. But it still felt small and too cramped most days.

He slipped in past Dan though, noting that goofy smile and finding it mostly endearing -- enough so that he sort of offered one back. Not quite as goofy, but hardly sharp. "I meant t'bring something," he admitted, "wasn't sure what. So. Hope you have enough --" he looked around, wonderingly, like maybe he could spot out something that Dan had in abundance. But he was new and therefore probably wouldn't have much of anything. At least not in abundance. "Books?"

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-17 01:37 pm UTC (link)
"Can never have too many books," Dan replied, aware that he sounded like a big fuckin' nerd. But that was okay - he, admittedly, did have a lot of books in here too. The town had a library, so that meant it was his main hangout zone and he checked out a lot of things.

Libraries were his sanctuary, after all - when he was a kid they'd been free, which was a bonus when your mom didn't make much money at her job. Row after row of neatly lined up books with spines facing outward, color coded, alphabetical order, that coarse cheap carpet and the library smell. He didn’t know what it was, exactly. Probably the decay of paper; you could get a sniff of the pages of books becoming more and more brittle in real time, but there was something comforting about a place to just sit in the muffled stillness for awhile. Folks inside were generally quiet, save for the occasional laugh of a child or the whisper of the librarians themselves. In this town, it was even quieter.

"You didn't have to bring anything though," he continued, edging back toward the kitchen. "Just you's more than fine. Do you want - uh, I have sparkling grape juice." An apologetic wince followed. "Sorry, you know. The AA thing."

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-18 03:04 am UTC (link)
"Only not enough space," Constantine agreed -- because Dan wasn't really making himself out to sound like a nerd if Constantine was basically the same way. Sure, his books mostly tended to be occult tomes, old things filled with old magic and secrets that probably weren't meant to be uncovered but -- look. He could get by on Dean Koontz and whatever other paperback was sitting around and not feel like he was having a bad time of it. He liked reading.

Constantine adjusted his tie before slipping his jacket off and followed Dan back to his kitchen -- the guy was being a little nervous about it and John didn't really want to be the cause of that, so he'd at least do his best to minimize that discomfort, if he could. "Sparkling juice it is," he agreed easily - all charm and no judgement. "You've got fuck all to be apologizing for, mate. Doing right by you is more important than impressing me with selection." If John was so keen on wanting booze, he knew where to find it -- and it wasn't here. But he was. So that must have meant something, right?

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-18 03:19 am UTC (link)
They had that in common, a love of reading - Dan liked the classics, he liked how-to books, he liked non-fiction, he liked just about anything. It was a fair mix now in his house. But it was just one of those things, another reason why he was interested in knowing John - the brief glimpses he'd gotten at the party were like catnip; he was filled with darkness, but also light, if even a scant amount. Not everyone saw it though, Dan assumed - but they would, if he just turned it outward.

"Charming," he grinned, popping the cork from the bottle of sparkling non-alcoholic beverage. "I do want to impress you, so hopefully I'll manage somehow."

Drinks were poured, and he used a spatula to poke at the contents of the skillet and the other hand to reach over, resting on John's wrist - because Dan hadn't touched him since he came in, and he was curious about that zing. He’d added the vegetables at this point, then the sauce to let it all cook - the secret to a good stir fry was coconut oil, along with keeping the temperature hot enough and hearing the telltale sizzle. Otherwise it wilted and fell apart, and we couldn’t have that.

Also sriracha. You couldn’t have stir fry without some kick. "Is that what you do mostly, here, read? What did you do back where you came from?"

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-18 03:33 am UTC (link)
The AA chip, here or otherwise, kind of did impress John, though. Because he'd known plenty of people to fall down that hole and never come up from it again. Because John knew, absolutely, the cost of having a habit so bad it could kill you or the people around you. Not everyone stopped, even when they were aware. It took strength. Quite possibly the sort that John didn't have, himself.

He didn't say so, though, not yet. Because that was heavy shit and they weren't there. Not yet.

Maybe, eventually, he thought, as Dan reached out to touch him. It was a little electric -- the kind that didn't zap, but made the hair on the back of his neck stand a little. Like a call to attention, maybe. He made a little noise of interest, even as he leaned in a little closer -- possibly under the pretense of watching Dan cook. "Smells good enough to impress," he said with a crooked sort of smile.

"I read," he agreed with a tip of his head in acknowledgement. "And go through the doors fairly frequently. Help out at The Spider's Web, now and again." He didn't do anything in a capacity where it might be called a job though. Some things never changed, no matter the location.

"Back home? Depends who you ask. Found trouble, mostly." Which was not un-true by any means "You?" John was curious, of course he was. That zing, that electricity and the subtle mental prodding at that party -- he wanted to know.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-18 01:48 pm UTC (link)
The rice was getting nice and fluffy in a pot on the stove, so Dan would just finish up with the main portion, the star of the show - though he was pretty into John being there, in his space. He could definitely cook meat and just kind of lean against someone else, couldn't he? Yeah, it was doable.

"The doors are tempting," Dan agreed; it was easy to see why someone might want to play Russian roulette and go through them - there was little choice in the matter anyway, if you wanted to actually set up a house in town. Because they didn't actually come abundantly furnished. Plus, it was kind of interesting, knowing that you were stuck in this dimension-between-dimensions, and there were hundreds, thousands, millions more out there to potentially find. "Trouble, huh? You know, I think I can see that about you."

That observation made him smirk, and he reached across John to give the rice a stir. "I - well, I tried not to find trouble. It sort of found me though. But generally I worked nights, in hospice, and there was a death-sense cat and a kid who called me Uncle Dan, then add some psychic vampires and a hotel filled with ghosts. That was the trouble I got into." It wasn't your normal everyday variety.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-19 10:07 pm UTC (link)
It was doable, apparently. And John hadn't really known what to expect when he'd walked into Dan's, if he was being honest. He'd seemed a little uncomfortable, a little awkward and John was maybe going to keep it casual because he wasn't interested in being the sort of bloke who pushed when he wasn't wanted. But the touch was -- well, it helped clear things up maybe a little. Or perhaps was just paving a path? He couldn't say for sure. In any case, he scooted over a bit more so that they could be more centered with the stove because fuck all of he was going to be the reason for burnt food.

"They are. Dangerous too, sometimes. But Can't say I mind. This town's sleepy. It gets stagnant if you don't... move a little." Grabbing up furniture, food stuffs and medical supplies was really only a scratch at the surface. Constantine smirked a little when Dan pointed out that yeah, maybe he seemed like trouble -- there was no denying it -- but he didn't further explain himself just yet, instead letting Dan give a somehow too vague and too specific description of his own troubles.

"Sounds like my kind of trouble," he admitted, curious. Well, ghosts and psychic vampires, certainly. "Not so much the Uncle Dan bits, or the cat though." Although he did have Gemma, back home. Probably doing much better without him around, but it didn't mean he didn't miss his niece.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-19 11:14 pm UTC (link)
Dan plated that stir fry, right over fluffy rice and - ta da! He'd managed to make dinner without fucking it up. So maybe he'd just tack that onto the list of Things that Impressed John. "I wasn't sure if the Uncle Dan bits were the type of trouble I wanted either," he admitted, with a low laugh. "But - she needed me." And he missed Abra - he still regretted what happened, how everything played out, especially when it came to her father. She'd never see him again and that wasn't something she'd get over. Dan hated that part, that she'd lost him. Regrets clung to him, they were there like the ghosts were, icy fingers down his spine.

The plates were set on the dining room table and he reached for John - both hands this time, wanting the palm-to-palm contact. "Here, come sit," he encouraged. Not like John couldn't have found his way on his own, but right. Dan was ever-so-helpful.

"Are you going to tell me why you feel so...interesting?" he asked, since surely he wasn't the only one who noticed.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-19 11:48 pm UTC (link)
"Found family, then," John said, because that was the only thing that made sense when put into terms like that. Dan had found someone who'd needed him, and even if reluctantly, he'd taken on the role. Good for him, John decided - another thing to add to the list of things to be impressed by.

He was also a lot more tactile than Constantine might have assumed the other night. It remained interesting, and so he put on a crooked little smile as he was lead to the table he could have just as easily found himself. And what the hell -- he kept his palms there for a little bit, because that zing was still there. Something electric and curious.

It was doubtful that Dan was the only one who noticed that John was 'interesting'. He was simply new here and had yet to hear about it from someone else, or see it in action. Not that John had been doing a lot of magic for heavy lifting these days, but he wasn't subtle about it with the little things either. "Your world have any magic to it?" He asked, edging into an answer. Ghosts weren't quite the same as magic, even if they often ended up being kissing cousins.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 12:14 am UTC (link)
"I think so," Dan replied, settling at the table - he assessed to make sure they had everything first though. Food, check. Non-alcoholic beverage, check. Actual utensils so they didn't have to eat with their hands and napkins so they didn't have to be barbaric when wiping mouths, also check. "There's - well, there's what I have. It's called the Shining. I think it's a little magical though."

He sipped his delicious sparkling grape juice. Mm, fruity. "But either way I'm not...unfamiliar with it. Is that what you are? Magic?"

No wonder he felt something whenever he touched John, or - kissed him so deeply he could taste the marrow in his bones, either one.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 12:37 am UTC (link)
"The Shining," John repeated, like he was testing the word out, turning it over in his head. The word alone didn't describe a whole lot, except for how it kind of did at the same time. But he gathered it was psychic stuff, considering. Not so much a magic as an inherent thing.

Not that magic wasn't occasionally inherent too, with some people. John had been doing little acts of accidental magic since before he knew how to stop himself. Dan wasn't the only one with ghosts. John's hadn't been in a hotel, though.

He took his hands back, so that he could pick up his fork and see just how impressive Dan's cooking really was. "Some people have magic," he explained, considering. "And some people simply are. Any sorcerer, magician -- whatever fuck dumb name you pick for it -- worth his salt is a little bit of both." And John didn't care to brag, not exactly, because he tended to call what he did dabbling in most (sarcastic) cases. But there really wasn't anyone much better.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 12:59 am UTC (link)
"So I assume you're more than worth your salt," Dan surmised, lips twitching to hide a smirk. Or a smile. Maybe both. "It must be strange, having all of that magic and not really - doing the same things you usually do?" But then again, maybe John appreciated the break.

There was never any break from the Shining. It was always with Dan - always building, always creating. Building walls and knocking them down. Adding and subtracting. Sometimes he had moments which he could quantify as peaceful, but those were far and few in between. "I can read minds," he said. "And...other things."

He extended his hand, and the bottle of grape juice zipped right to him, so he topped off his glass. "Basically it encompasses lots of psychic powers. Can talk to spirits too. Ghosts are talkative, don't you think?"

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 01:24 am UTC (link)
"I do alright," John said in a way that very much implied exactly what he wasn't saying. He was worth his salt. He considered it though, whether or not it was strange to have potential that wasn't being used but -- for the most part it wasn't. Even in sometimes the worst situations back home, John had deferred to skills other than magic to save his own ass. Mostly by talking instead. Sure, he made his own luck and that wasn't just some parlor trick, but he liked to think he was just clever, most days. "Less people dead lately," he admitted instead, in a moment of hard truth. "Can't say it's a tragedy to go without, some days."

He nodded thoughtfully, picking up his juice for a drink -- very fruity, indeed. "Figured as much," he said, because it'd been pretty obvious, when Dan had gone poking. "I know a bit about those things. Maybe not as much as you." Psychic stuff was a gamble and not usually somewhere he liked to go, certainly it was harder than telekinetics and the rest -- but it was also pretty easy to ward off. Not that he was bothering just now. Dan wasn't prying.

He was show off, though. Which John liked quite a lot. So he did the same -- drawing a little symbol on the table with the condensation from the glass and then moving the bottle to cover it. From there, his cup simply filled itself. "The dead feel like they're entitled to every last word they were never given," he said carefully. Sometimes, John tended to agree, even if he didn't want to. Then again, sometimes it was his fault.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 01:22 pm UTC (link)
The trick with the refilling glass was kind of amazing - or at least to Dan it was and he grinned, a flash of sharp teeth. "Do you always use symbols?" he asked, since some magic required the use of tools. A wand, for example. A spellbook. He just wanted to learn more - without the use of prying. That was just rude.

"And do you - what I mean is..." He artfully arranged some rice on his plate with his fork, trying to think of how to word it. "Have you ever encountered someone who has ghosts...locked away in their head?"

Not that Dan was...talking about himself. (Of course he was - they both knew it too, surely). Maybe it was even the source of that call to attention, that skittering of electricity that crawled beneath Dan's skin, whenever he put his hand on John's - it wasn't bad. Not at all. But he definitely didn't understand it.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 03:47 pm UTC (link)
"No. It always depends, with magic. Sometimes it's symbols, sometimes words, sometimes just -- knowing how to do it is enough, if that makes sense. Do it once, you can do it again?" He poked a vegetable onto his fork and then chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Dan was -- well. Different than most. As someone with shine he was already magically inclined, in a way. For the briefest of moments, John thought, maybe this was someone who could stand to be taught some of the tricks of the trade.

Magic cost though, and even though any idiot could learn it if they really wanted, it wasn't always a smart or good choice. He'd have to think on it.

He gave John a look, searching for a moment, before he leaned his arms on the table, leaned in a little, like he might just find those locked boxes behind his green-blue eyes. "Is that how you get rid of them?" He asked, after a beat. "Heavy burden, innit? To just carry them around with you like that." Locked away or not, they were still there and always would be, never quite forgotten.

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 05:24 pm UTC (link)
"They followed me to Florida," Dan explained, leaning in too, dark blonde lashes nearly getting tangled when he blinked, when he looked down through them. He spoke in a hushed tone, like if he was too loud they would burst free from those boxes, or the rattling would bang against his skull too loudly. "My - friend. My mentor. I saw his spirit. He showed me how to lock them away so they couldn't consume me."

They had tried. And they grew hungry in the meantime - he only let them out so they could consume Rose instead, left with little choice and they had; feeding on sinew and bones and whatever dark sludge remained of her soul. Sometimes, he felt her there too. With them.

"But I don't...actually know how to get rid of them."

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 07:24 pm UTC (link)
"That's Florida for you," John said dryly, picking up his glass again for another drink. It was kind of cute, that it was some kind of sparkling brand, like an attempt at romance when literally any other beverage might have done. But he was listening, considering the weight of it. Dan's ghosts weren't just the haunting sort, the kind that hung around to make him feel poorly for deeds done in the past. They were the kind that got ugly and out of control unless put in some box. Neither kind were great, of course, both equally damaging, but in different ways.

"It's a good trick," he decided after a moment, scooting his mostly empty plate a little further onto the table so he could take up the space instead. It was something he might have wished he could have learned at a younger age. Now though? "There're ways. Total banishment isn't impossible. Better Hell than your own space."

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 07:57 pm UTC (link)
When he died, when he rigged the Overlook to blow, the ghosts died with him - Dan knew that. But the problem was, that now? He wasn't actually dead. The ghosts of the Overlook were back in their cramped homes, on a dusty shelf and starved for food - they couldn't hunt, they couldn't feed, they could only continue to exist and be this itch at the back of his skull.

"What would total banishment entail?" he asked, resting his hand on John's knee. Maybe he just liked touching because for Dan, the ghosts were quieter around him - less of a heavy presence, anyway. Perhaps they were afraid of John. Dan could see why.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 08:18 pm UTC (link)
John traced a line across the bumps of Dan's knuckles and still couldn't quite pin down what it was about the both of them that had them practically in each other's laps on only a second meeting. Careless sex was one thing, but actually giving a shit and having a conversation was something else entirely. It wasn't difficult to get people to like him if that was what he wanted; John made his own luck and turning on the charm to make a friend (or personal shield) wasn't even something he had to try at most the time. But he knew when he was doing it, and now wasn't one of those times.

So it was something else.

"Ghosts are already dead," John explained, turning Dan's palm so it was upward, brushing his thumb across it. "So you just send it to where dead things belong. It's magic, and it's not the pretty kind. Takes some effort to learn it because it's a fuck of bad time if that sort of thing gets botched."

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-20 08:53 pm UTC (link)
"Is that something you could do, since you already know the magic?" Dan asked, fingers twitching a bit - they curled inward, as if responding to the touch of John's thumb along his palm. "I mean. There are a lot of ghosts."

Mrs. Massey. Those twin girls. Party revelers with their bleeding scalps, dearly departed bartenders, that one guy in the bear suit and can we not. Letting them out to kill Rose had been bad enough - he'd barely reined them back in. Or actually, he hadn't. They'd driven Dan mad too, just like his father, and he almost killed Abra - though luckily, he'd managed to push past it the way Jack never did.

He winced, eyes tightening. "I don't know if I can let them out, even to banish them," he murmured. "They're strong."

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-20 09:22 pm UTC (link)
Could John do it? Well, yeah. He had no real doubt about that. It wasn't a slight against Dan and his troubles, obviously, but John had taken out bigger and badder stuff in the past. The question wasn't if he could do it but if he would do it.

Which was sort of a dickish thought, but no one have ever accused Constantine of not being an asshole at one point or another.

Well. Probably he would do it. It wasn't like he was always out for personal gain, particularly not these days, but for a moment there he thought maybe it'd be smarter to teach Dan himself. One never knew when you'd be out a helpful Scouse sorcerer and have to fend for yourself, after all. Still, he offered a vague nod in reply.

"They're not stronger than you," John pointed out like it was obvious. Which he sort of thought it was, considering Dan was carting all of them around in his head and not catatonic or crazy. "You could do it. One at a time."

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-21 12:10 am UTC (link)
One at a time. Maybe so. Dan wasn't so sure, but he thought that he ought to try something - because keeping his mind weighed down with the lockboxes, gathering dust and forever a looming presence, wasn't an appealing option at all. Dick had showed him the trick when he was a kid, freshly scarred from the events at the Overlook, but he was an adult now. He needed a more permanent solution.

"Will you show me how?" he asked, since he had absolutely zero experience with banishing things - creatures, ghosts, anything else - to Hell. He didn't even know if he had that capability at all, to be honest. "Not right now - " Because they'd just eaten and there was a very real chance that stirfry goodness would come back up if Dan even attempted to mentally go near those boxes. "But...soon?"

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-21 01:05 am UTC (link)
John considered it -- although he didn't really fucking know why, because he knew that he'd do it anyway. Even if this -- whatever this was -- didn't turn out to be anything, John still wouldn't leave a new mate in a lurch if he could do something about it. And anyway, Dan sort of asked with a pretty sort of desperation. He probably didn't even mean to. It just was.

Constantine was getting soft here, he decided before huffing out a little sigh. "Not now, no. We pick somewhere safer. Behind the doors, most like. We build wards. Proper ones. And then I show you how it's done. It's not an easy learn, mate. I don't -- I can do it. But maybe I teach you the ropes. In case."

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[info]doctoring
2020-02-21 02:07 pm UTC (link)
"Behind the doors," Dan agreed. Wards. Proper ones. He supposed that it really was better if John showed him, rather than just taking the reins and doing it all on his own - that way if something happened, Dan would have the knowledge too.

Not that he expected anything to happen. But, again, just in case.

Touched that John would even be willing to go behind the doors (to avoid unleashing some sort of beastie into the town, Dan imagined) to help him, he leaned in and kissed the other man gently. "Thank you," he smiled a bit, glad that magic rose petals had sort of nudged John his way - even if the ripple and shimmer of season magic had a rather embarrassing (but fun) unconventional method of doing so.

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[info]_constantine_
2020-02-21 05:49 pm UTC (link)
Exactly -- it was safest to not bring ghosts to their own home front. Dan was likely aware of that, and could take some comfort in the fact that no one else he'd adopted here in this little town would be in any kind of danger while they did what needed done.

People here, they weren't helpless, obviously, but most if not all of them weren't equipped with the sorts of skills necessary to deal with things like these. Super heroes and ghosts didn't go hand in hand, and John rather thought that those other wizards, while talented, didn't have the same kind of skills or taint about them that he had. It was neither here nor there though, that point. This was a problem for none of them.

Maybe it felt a little good, though. To have a problem to solve again. Maybe Dan had been a little too close to home when he'd asked if it felt strange, not doing what he normally did. It was hard, getting himself to try not to crave the adrenaline rush that came with a shitstorm of a mess.

The kiss was - almost cute, and John smiled crookedly over it, leaning in slightly closer. "Might be worth it."

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