9 [Voice]

[smartwinchester]

[There isn't a video feed -- mostly because Sam has spent the last half hour readjusting to the fact that he's a person again and he really doesn't want to see the majority of the city right now. But after gauging how long he's been gone and knowing his family is probably flipping the fuck out, he can't really avoid a public service announcement to let everyone know that Sam Winchester is, in fact, not dead.

There's an awkward moment of hesitation, though, before Sam begins to speak. His voice is a little quiet and hoarse, but he sounds like he's in one piece.]

... I'm sorry, for worrying everyone, but -- I'm alright.

[People require more detail than that, surely. But Sam doesn't know what to say. He can't tell the entire city that he has one foot in Hell and the other foot in reality. That he took off his bracelet in a psychotic fit of get it off of me. But he can't keep it a secret forever, especially since he's obviously not okay. So he settles for a compromise -- and Sam lets out a long breath.]

I'm in room 302 at the hospital in the Sigyn district, if anyone wants to come see me. But -- just as a future warning, don't take off your bracelets unless you want to forget who you are until you put them back on.

[There's a tiny laugh. It doesn't sound very happy.]

It's kind of a weird whiplash effect when you snap back to reality.

[And he stops before he shuts off the feed, to send out a few private messages. This time, though, they're on video, and they show Sam sitting on the edge of a bed. He looks tired, pale, but in one piece. And definitely still Sam.]

[Filtered to Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, and Castiel]

[Sam forces a smile. It's the smile he wears when he knows he is in this much trouble. Some things don't change from the time you are four to the time you are twenty-eight. Being in a large amount of trouble because you're the baby of the family and you went off missing is one of them.]

-- did I miss anything?

[Please don't kill him.]

[Filtered to Vriska Sekret // Private // Unhackable]

[This smile is a little more genuine and less 'please don't kill me'. Sam is pretty sure he can stop Vriska from punching him in the face, okay.]

So -- becoming a ghostly grey person, not as cool as you would think.

What is cool is sneaking food into the hospital so I can eat something that isn't pre-chewed.

[Sam may or may not be on a psychotic watch. ... y u p.]

[Filtered to Buffy Summers // Private // Unhackable]

[ -- or Sam was going to send out a message, when it is returned as a failure. He tries again -- and again -- and maybe six more times until he gets this odd sinking feeling in his chest. Something is either wrong or he missed something or did she go home? Did he miss her going home?

-- dammit.]

Comments

[video]

[clockeyes]

Sam! Oh my, Sam! You're back!

[Don't mind the clockwork angel grinning widely at the camera, because honestly, he was worried about you like no one's business.]

And you took off your bracelet? That's...that's not good. You are alright, aren't you?

[video]

[smartwinchester]

[Sam almost keeps the voice feed on, but -- it's Cheriour. So have a Sam, who looks tired, but offers half a smile in response.]

I'm alright. Are you? Is everyone else?

[voice]

[whatagoodgirl]

[She'd found out by now that Sam was missing but not gone home, so it's a relief to hear this message. Although he's not the only member of the resistance, he was the one that brought her in, and she feels a bit more secure with him here.]

... hi, Sam. [Shyly.] Do you mind if I come visit you?

[voice]

[smartwinchester]

[Viva La Resistance!]

Not at all. The door's open.

[video]

[extraordinarymuse]

You mean there are side effects to taking off a bracelet?

[Please don't mind her! She's still in the 'I don't know what the hell is going on right now' and 'I don't believe any of this shit' stage of arriving in Asgard. But she recognizes you because Conan gave her a link to your explanation of the Gods of Asgard and it was really helpful! Just for, you know, some slight background here.]

[video]

[smartwinchester]

[This Sam can do -- he can easily answer questions. Much better than talking about why he took the bracelet off to begin with.]

You know the natives, right? The featureless grey people that are wandering around?

You turn into one of them.

[Video]

[dragonspeak]

Your housemates are going to be happy to see you, and the natives can rest easy now.

[While he's obviously grinning at the story he's just dying to tell Sam, something about his expression, and the way he looks Sam over in the video, gives away his relief.]

Room 302, right?

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

[ ... bzuh?]

The natives can --

[ ... oh, Jesus Christ.]

What did they do?

[HIS FAMILY IS SO STUPID.]

[video] oops, misread something! sorry for the re-post!

[blossomgale]

Why did you laugh? [ She doesn't realize it's an unhappy laugh. Human emotions are difficult for her to understand, so some of her questions might come off odd. ]

[video] that's fine <333

[smartwinchester]

[Sam's best friend is an emotionally stunted angel. He's used to these kinds of questions. 8|]

It was just a reflex.

I didn't know what else to say.

[GODDAMNIT SAM]

[hypertoxic]

Oh my god. Winchester, I am going to kill you!

[ She says, over video, startled and wide eyed and instantly mad and extremely relieved. She practically flies off her bed, gathering her things in a whirlwind and bolting out the door.

She runs into Baldr's kitchen, a sack in her hand, and just starts grabbing whatever. She's only half paying attention to the video floating beside her as she kind of rants at it. And him. ]

You've been gone for, like, forever! Do you know how much you missed? It was ridiculous! There's all this stupid stuff going on, and I don't care about most of it, because it's the same hoofbeast shit as always, except for Karkat going completely out of his pan-- what the hell is this?

[ Staring at a can of Spam. She makes the most hilariously disgusted face and ignores it. Nothing good can come of a stupid name like that. ]

Not to mention I had to ask freaking Bobby what was going on, and he's kind of really annoying! He'd be maybe tolerable if he stopped looking at me like I'm going to start eating human wigglers or something, but--

[ A pause, finally, and she looks at the screen. ]

Wait, why are you stuck in the hospital, anyway? Can't you leave? Don't tell me it's your turn to get handcuffed to the bed.

[GODDAMNIT SAM]

[smartwinchester]

[ -- give Sam time to process the insults and the facts and the Spam -- why the fuck does she have any Spam?? -- before he answers the most important questions first.]

... this is where I woke up, I don't really know how I got here. I don't remember. And I don't think it's a good idea for me to leave yet.

[He kind of took off his bracelet in a fit of crazy, Vriska, he has no idea what the fuck happened. 8|]

That was SPAM, by the way. No one knows what it is.

[action]

[damnidjits]

[Guess who is storming his way to your hospital room? That's right, the hospital staff has to deal with one really pissed off, worn out hunter, who is ready to yell up a storm if they don't let him in. Fortunately, they aren't stupid enough to stop him, so within five minutes of Sam posting on the network, the door is flung open with a loud crack to reveal one Bobby Singer, who is shaking with suppressed rage and relief. There's at least thirty seconds of staring before he chokes out words that are supposed to sound angry, but are more tired and relieved than anything.]

You stupid, stupid ass. What were you thinking--

[Words are starting to be too hard, so he walks over to squeeze the living shit out of Sam (after making sure the poor guy is alright enough to be hugged).]

[action]

[smartwinchester]

[Sam is on his feet as soon as Bobby enters the room. He even opens his mouth, to try and stave off the inevitable slew of insults, but he stops talking as soon as Bobby does. And his heart twists when Bobby seizes him into a hug, because they all must have been so worried, and it was Sam's fault.

When he does start talking, it's quiet and tentative, and he hasn't hugged back yet.]

I wasn't -- I don't remember taking the bracelet off in the first place.

[He pauses again.]

... I'm alright now and -- I'm sorry, Bobby, I didn't --

[But he doesn't know what else to say on top of that, save for falling quiet.]

action;

[minifridge]

[Hey, look who's rolling in a good half hour after visiting hours are over, holding a shoebox a little gingerly. She closes the door behind her and gets as far as putting the box down on the nearest flat surface before actually looking at him properly. She gives him a soft, uncertain look, a confusion of relief and concern cluttering her mind.]

Hey- how are you doing?

action;

[smartwinchester]

[Sam is reading -- but once he hears someone come in, he immediately sits up to move to stand, until he sees it's Mary. And he immediately sinks back into his bed to sit.]

... I'm okay.

[Which is, more or less, the truth. And his eyes shift slightly to the shoebox, questioningly, before he glances back at her.]

What about you?

[Offline]

[ofthursday]

[As soon as Castiel receives the message he's on his way to the hospital to find Sam. On one hand, he's so relieved to see his friend again and know that Sam's alright, on the other, he's also incredibly unhappy. Sam was gone for ages, and Castiel can't even truly be angry, because he knows it's likely all his fault Sam disappeared in the first place.

He finally locates Sam's room and steps slowly into it, hesitantly.]

Sam?

[Offline]

[smartwinchester]

[Sam is sitting on the end of his bed, carefully fidgeting with the bracelet, lost in thought, until he hears his name. And he looks up with an instant smile, albeit a tired one.]

Hey.

[And then, Sam tilts his head slightly as he absorbs something different about his friend, before -- ]

No wings?

[voice]

[callmegenius]

Wow. You did that? How'd you even know to put it back on?

[voice]

[smartwinchester]

I don't know. Someone must have put the bracelet back on me. I woke up here.

[text]

[holmes_fanatic]

[Room 302? That's just a flight of stairs and a corridor away. Conan stands -- but politeness gets the better of curiousity.]

Can I come visit or are you resting?

[text]

[smartwinchester]

You can come visit me.

video→action;

[sonofabitch]

Just missed me wailing on your ass. Oh wait, that's gonna happen in 3, 2, 1...

[Hey Sammy, your big brother is bursting into your room, trailed by unhappy nurses, and the first thing he does when he sees you is punch you square in the shoulder.]

Alright, now you're all caught up.

[And now you get to watch him be swamped by physicians that think he's attacking you. What a pleasant way to come back to the family.]

action;

[smartwinchester]

[Sam almost tiredly explains that it wasn't his fault he went missing -- but hey, he figures he can wait until Dean shows up to do that. Except when Dean shows up, he gets punched in the shoulder, and ow, that hurts, and he's about to say that when suddenly Sam is on his feet to negotiate the release of his older brother.]

He's fine, he was just dropped on his head as a kid --

[A few quiet reassurances and a mandatory ice pack later, Sam turns to Dean in exasperation.

And he throws the ice pack at his face because he is not using that, thank you, he can take a punch to the shoulder.]

What in the hell is wrong with you?

[Audio]

[1864]

You took your bracelet off?

[ And forgot who he was until he had it on once more? That was an interesting side effect.

And something she wanted to test. On someone else, of course. There was no point in risking her own sanity. ]

[Audio]

[smartwinchester]

Yeah.

Point one in the 'don't do that' column, achieved.

audio

[kingside]

Would it be possible for you to describe the experience in more depth?

audio

[smartwinchester]

I don't remember most of it. I don't know how much help I can be, but -- I don't remember the last... two weeks, or three? I don't even really know how long I was gone.

[leonsurvivor]

You truly didn't remember anything with your bracelet off?

[Giving his a rueful look.]

[smartwinchester]

Not a thing.

[Sam catches the look and offers him a tiny smile.]

I wouldn't mess with them.

video;

[watsowned]

I assume you've already been both scolded and hugged the appropriate amount, so welcome back!

video;

[smartwinchester]

And punched, yeah.

[Rubbing his shoulder. His brother is an asshole, ok.]

-- thanks, Wendy.