Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is also referenced repeated character death and impending (assumed) permanent death. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: Hey, guess what? It's Wednesday. You're welcome, loveys.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 15); MC4A (Year 4)
Individual Challenges: n/a
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 15 – Assignment 03
Subject (Task No.): Magical Law & Government (Task#4: Write about having to clean up someone else's mess, figuratively or literally.)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Fantastic Beasts [19](Someone being cursed); 365 Prompts [258](Lime Green); Auction [5.4] ("You're Welcome" from Moana)
Other MC4A Challenges: SuB [3C](Flag); AU [1C](Mythology); Ship (Troublemakers)[SuMic2 (Black; Green; Purple; White; Yellow)/3B (Time Travel/Time Loop); Chim [Dextrin](Royal Purple; Gender Bend); Garden [Mixed Bag](Angst); Fire [x3](Hold the Mayo; Like Beckham; Backwards Clock)
Representation(s): Desi & Fem Harry Potter/Gabriel; Sam & Dean Winchester; Time Loop Episode
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: n/a
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: n/a
Word Count: 806 words
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You're Welcome
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Sam looked up tiredly as a slim Indian girl who looked like she might be fifteen at the most slid into the booth across from him. She was wearing a pants suit that was a shocking shade of lime green. Tiny yellow and white flowers were embroidered on the labels of the blazer. The deep purple of the blouse she wore underneath somehow went well with it. Her long black hair had been braided and then twisted up into a stylish bun held in place with a stick that had a bunch of charms in the colors of various pride flag dangling from it.
He felt a glimmer of interest because this had not happened in any of the other loops. On the other hand, Sam had also lost count of how many times he had seen his brother die now and that had begun to take its toll on him. He was quickly running out of hope that there was even a way to stop the curse they had managed to get caught up in.
In short, he was exhausted and summoning the energy to be curious about anything was beyond him.
He watched as she calmly ordered a cup of hot tea from the waitress. They waited in silence for the tea to arrive. After the waitress had delivered it and left, the woman pulled out a tiny jar of honey that was a dark amber color. With careful precision, she fixed her tea.
"He's an idiot," she announced in a British accent after making the jar disappear back into her colorful blazer. She took a single sip of her tea and set it back on its saucer. Sam sighed wearily.
"Dean?" he asked.
"Oh, him, too, I suppose," she said. She fidgeted with her teacup for a moment before dropping both hands into her lap. "I mean, this whole thing really started when he decided to be a self-sacrificing idiot and throw his life as well as his soul away like it's so much worthless trash." She shrugged. "I was actually referring to my half of things. He takes his role as a Trickster very seriously, but (and this is a fairly large but, I'm aware), he's an idiot."
"Wait," Sam said, suddenly feeling like he got a second wind. "Are you saying that this is the work of a trickster?"
"Yes," the woman agreed, "and he's very, very sorry for what he put you through. Isn't that right, Gabriel?"
"Harini," said Loki as he turned around in the booth behind her. Without turning around herself, she lifted a hand. All fight drained out of the trickster instantly. Loki turned his full attention towards Sam. "I may have gone a bit overboard trying to teach you about the inevitability of Dean's death." He might have stopped there except that the pointed way Harini cleared her throat. "And I am very, very sorry for causing you distress above and beyond what you were feeling, even though you should totally have thanked me—"
"And that's enough out of you, love," Harini decided. She moved her hand as if pulling a zipper. Accordingly, one manifested across Loki's lips—no, she had called him Gabriel, hadn't she? "I love him dearly, even when I'm forced to clean up his messes. I'm sure you understand the feeling."
Sam did, actually. Even with all the fights between them, there was still a part of him that would love to be cleaning up after his dad still. It just wasn't as desperate as the part of him that did not want to miss cleaning up after Dean.
"Well, I can't do anything about demon deals," Harini explained after another careful sip of her tea. "I am afraid that Dean will just have to tough it out on his own until it's time for him to fly the coop." Gabriel made a few frantic noises like he was trying to say something. She gestured sharply again to silence him before giving Sam an apologetic smile. "Did I spoil the story by announcing that his death will not be permanent?"
Harini covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers. Her emerald eyes glittered with satisfied mirth above them. Then she gave a shrug that managed to be both delicate and imperial at the same time. Her smile grew to Cheshire Cat proportions as she leaned forward over the table.
"You're welcome," she said as both her and Gabriel faded out of existence, leaving only the ghostly image of her toothy grin in her place. After another moment, even that faded completely from sight.
Sam shook himself and immediately got up to go find where Dean had wandered off.
He wanted to put as much road between them and this hell of a town as quick as human possible.
Fucking tricksters.