Shadow put his knee into Mad Sweeney's chest. “For the second time, are we done fighting?” he asked.
“We may as well be, at that,” said Sweeney, raising his head from the floor, “for the joy's gone out of me now, like the pee from a small boy in a swimming pool on a hot day.” And he spat the blood from his mouth and closed his eyes and began to snore, in deep and magnificent snores.
Neil Gaiman "American Gods"
I think how great this passage of the book would be in the serie version and decide to do it myself with my personnal touch.
okay I’ve thought about this a lot because I’ve made them both make sense in my head, but it definitely takes a lot of (cursed) work. deeply compelling though!
Did American Gods end or get cancelled or something ? Cuz I immediately dropped the show when Orlando Jones, the best fucking part of the show, was fired, and it looked like Mr Ibis and Mr Jacquel weren't gonna appear together again, I heard Mad Sweeney ended up dying and even though be dies in the book, I thought his death would get changed or wiped since he's such a popular character. I had no reason to keep going with this show, everything just fell flat to me.
No one talks about it anymore and I haven't even seen any recent MadMoon (Shadow and Mad Sweeney, not Mad Sweeney and Dead Wife)
Did the show just hit a dead end that badly ? Because if so, I hope it gets a reboot one day. It really did turn to shit after season 1.
Just a little thing I wrote, started watching American God's again so you know what that means haha. As always enjoy!
Sort of a follow-up to an old ask but can be read alone.
Better
Splish Splash
“This...went a lot better in my head,” Shadow announced after five minutes. He shifted around trying to get more comfortable and was pinched on his side for his efforts.
“Oi, watch it,” Sweeney grunted. “You’re going to crush the jewels.”
Shadow snorted but settled and let one arm hang over the edge of the bathtub. One of Sweeney’s legs was tucked along the side, and the other hung over the edge of the bathtub near the tap. It was cramped, and Shadow was sure half the water had probably sloshed over the side of the tub in the course of their getting comfortable.
Shadow was tall, Sweeney was taller, and the bathtub was not equipped to handle two grown men. To be fair, when Shadow had pictured this moment it didn’t place in a random motel, with a said leprechaun.
No, when Shadow first pictured everything in his head, he’d started the bath off alone, then Laura would join him. It’d been a nice idea. After Laura, Shadow had given up on the idea. Honestly, he hadn’t thought about it until Wednesday decided to get them rooms in an actual hotel.
With sheets that weren’t paper-thin, and mattresses that didn’t remind Shadow of prison, and a bathtub that didn’t look like it worked part-time as something you might dissolve a body in. And complimentary soaps and bubble bath.
So Shadow did what any man in his situation would do when presented with an opportunity. Ordered room service on Wednesday’s tab, got a movie on Wednesday’s tab. He took a shower first and then poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub and let it fill with water.
He deserved a nice quiet night in and he was going to enjoy it, the only reason Sweeney was here is that Shadow thought it was his room service. Instead, it was Sweeney with a few little bottles and chocolates from the mini-fridge.
“Why do you smell like lavender?” Sweeney leaned in close and inhaled.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Shadow replied.
Sweeney’s hair was still damp, and he too smelled like lavender and looked less...deranged. The man seemed to think Shadow was talking too long to say anything else and slid past him into the room.
He let out an appreciative whistle.
“Well well well, guess we know Wednesday does play favorites,” Sweeney didn’t sound pissed about it, which was good.
Things, whatever this was between them, were still new. Still fragile. They still butt heads, it was inevitable, but some nights, after licking their respective wounds, they came together. Cigarette flavored kisses on the hood of Betty in the dead of night. A whiskey flavored one in random motels across the country. Mint flavored ones on the off chance that Sweeney actually brushed his teeth.
Ever since that night in the hotel room, when Sweeney asked him for a chance.
Shadow is brought out of his thoughts by another knock and this time it’s his room service. Nothing fancy but still good. He turned around and Sweeney wasn’t anywhere that Shadow could see.
“You planning on having some alone time or something?” Sweeney called from the bathroom.
Shadow blushed for some reason and left his food on the table as he walked to the bathroom. Sweeney was leaning against the bathroom counter.
“It uh...when I was in prison I made a list of things I wanted to do when I got out and...a bubble bath was one of those things, just, mean and Laura, but,” he shrugged. “It’s dumb I know but-”
“You think that’ll fit two of us?” Sweeny asked.
“What?” Shadow blinked.
Which led to their current situation. The two of them squished in a bathtub. Sweeney’s other arm had found its way around Shadow’s waist, his chin hooked over Shadow’s shoulder.
“This is boring,” Sweeney said after a while.
“You have only to blame but yourself,” Shadow pointed out.
“Oh what, so you were just gonna take a bubble bath by yourself?” Sweeney scoffed.
“That was a general idea,” Shadow answered.
“Oh…” Sweeney shifted a little and Shadow was reminded that they were both in fact naked. “I could leave?”
“No,” Shadow said far quicker than he probably needed to. “It’s not how I pictured it, but it’s also not bad. It helps that you smell good.”
“Fecker,” Sweeney snorted.
Sweeney used his foot to turn the tap on and the water slowly heated up before he turned it off. Shadow decides it’s time to get out once the water’s gone cold again and Sweeney has actually fallen asleep.
Shadow manages to get out first and wraps one of the towels around his waist. He turns back to look at Sweeney, head tilted to the side, snoring softly, Shadow almost didn’t want to wake him. Almost.
He sat on the edge of the tub and cupped Sweeney’s cheek and tilted his chin up as he leaned in and kissed him.
“I’m not fucking sleeping beauty,” Sweeney mumbled.
“Come on, we’ll order more room service on Wednesday’s dime,” Shadow tossed him a towel as he stood up.
“Now you’re talking my language,” Sweeney grinned and stood up.
Shadow tried not to notice the way the water ran down his chest and hips and thighs. Or how the curtain did indeed match the drapes.
“Like what you see?” Sweeney was smirking when Shadow met his gaze.
“And if I did?” Shadow asked.
Sweeney, with the towel still clutched in his hand, stepped towards Shadow and tilted his chin up. He kissed Shadow, softly at first like he was still testing the waters after all this time, and then deeper, his hand slid down to the curve of Shadow’s back bringing him closer so they were chest to chest.
He pulled away after a few seconds and smirked down at Shadow.
“Next time, I’m gonna be offended if you don’t do anything,” he patted Shadow’s cheek and wrapped the towel around his waist before going out to the bedroom. “Now, we gonna rack up Wednesday’s bill or not?”
Goddamn tease, Shadow thought as he followed him out of the bathroom.
