@polyamships multiamory march day 7: "But I don't regret anything"
read on ao3 here, or continue under cut
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fandom: supernatural (tv 2005)
pairing: charlie bradbury/dorothy baum/jo harvelle
main tags: charlie bradbury lives, pre-relationship, confessions
rating: G
word count: 443
"You should've gave him the laptop." Jo shook her head.
Charlie shrugged, but the motion pulled on the stitches, and she groaned. "Couldn't lose the information." she grumbled.
"You're gonna be fine." Dorothy mumbles, squeezing her hand. Jo nods on the other side of her. For a moment, Charlie almost forgets where she is, but the rhythmic robotic beeping reminds her all too well.
Charlie chuckles weakly. If Jo hadn't gotten there when she did—fuck, Charlie didn't want to think about it. The hospital lights are too bright, but it helps her see her friends. Dean and Sam should be on their way, Jo told her earlier. Charlie wants to stay awake to see them, but she's so tired, she's not sure she'll be able to.
"You should've gave him the laptop." Jo shook her head.
Charlie shrugged, but the motion pulled on the stitches, and she groaned. "Couldn't lose the information." she grumbled.
"You're worth more than some fucking translations, Charlie." Jo swore.
She shook her head. "I signed up for this. I knew what I was getting myself into."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you go on a suicide mission." Dorothy interrupts. "Being a hero also means that means you try your damn hardest to live."
Jo and Dorothy have never met—Charlie didn't want for them to meet like this, next to her hospital bed. She never would've suspected they'd team up on her like this. It makes her smile. If she wasn't still so shaken up, she might even be a little into it.
"Besides, who's gonna help us pull the Winchesters out of trouble when they fuck shit up?" Jo cracks a smile. Dorothy snorted. Charlie chuckled a bit.
Charlie hummed. "I don't regret anything," she mumbled.
"When are you going to get it through your head that you're not alone?" Dorothy hissed. "If you had.. god, Lee, I don't know what I would've done with myself."
Jo nodded. "You're loved, Charlie. You're so fucking loved, don't you get it? You don't get to fucking die on us. I'd make a deal with Crowley myself to get you back if you dare."
Charlie paused. Oh. Dorothy squeezed her hand again.
"This really sounds like a hug moment." she grinned. Dorothy sighed and Jo rolled her eyes, but they both came to her side. Charlie sat up on her elbows as Dorothy bent down cradled Charlie's head against her chest, and Jo rested her head on Charlie's shoulder, wrapping her arm around her back.
"I love you guys," and Charlie says it so quietly, she's not sure they heard it. But Jo's breath hitches and Dorothy hums. There are horrible things in this world, and beyond, but Charlie forgets it all in favor of the love in her chest for the two women in her arms.
It was the summer of ‘96, when Charlie Bradbury learnt a valuable lesson. She would never, ever let Dorothy Baum waltz back into her heart ever again, and she’s made her peace with that no she hasn’t . Twelve years later, the very same Dorothy, now with a dance instructing permit is back, and apparently; it takes two to tango.
“A Tango?! Oh Winchester, you’re so whipped.” Charlie squeaked happily. Few things in life gave her as much pleasure in life as watching her practically adopted brother squirm.
“Hey shuddup, it was Cas’ idea okay. Sammy probably introduced him to his new age hippie magazines, that’s probably where he picked it up from. He even hired an instructor, she’ll probably be here soon.“ Although Dean sounded like he was grumbling, that little lopsided smile that always appeared at the edges of his mouth when he spoke of his soon to be husband betrayed him. Charlie couldn’t help smiling herself, those two had been through so much together, they deserved their happiness.
“Hey guys! Should I return later or -” God no, it couldn’t be. Anybody but her. And yet, when Charlie turned around, there she was. If she’d been beautiful all those years ago, now she was positively radiant. She’d grown out her hair, now neatly put up into a trim braid. Her eyes looked different too, less reckless,if that was possible, and more well, grounded.
“Dorothy.” She could positively feel the tension in the air.
“Charlie. Um wow I didn’t know you were getting marr - ”
“Oh no, we’re just friends really. Dean?”
“Yeah no. Yes I promised Cas, he’s the groom by the way that I’ll help with the - the uh the turtle doves and I should probably get going. Yeah” Dean dodged Dorothy, and hurried out of the room, leaving them alone with each other, and a sense of awkwardness. Peachy.
“So how have you been?“
A wreck. I’ve been a total wreck. “Great! I got a full scholarship to MIT, I’m planning on taking up Computer Sciences obviously though it’s really not my usual thing, and I really wanted to do a course in ethical hacking, which would’ve been helpful but I’m pretty sure RRE requires Computer Sciences as a subject and - “Dance with me”
“I - what?”
Red, just this once, please? One last time, just for old times sake.” She looked so hopeful, her eyes again sparkling with mischief, as they had always been, and a part of her just wants to get lost in between Dorothy’s arms again, wants to forget all of her problems, forget the betrayal and the pain and the heartbreak, but she can’t. It practically killed her to say what she said next “ I’m sorry, I can’t.” And then she ran out of the room.
But she wasn't fulfilled. Charlie knew what was missing—who was missing, a snarky girl with piercing blue eyes and brown hair who'd she'd spent the better part of a year fighting a rebellion with. She'd fallen in love with her, and now there was no possible way to get back to her.
fandom: supernatural (tv 2005)
pairing: charlie bradbury x dorothy baum
main tags: reunion, friends to lovers, first kiss
rating: G
word count: 1000
read on ao3 here, or continue under cut
divider cred
After reuniting herself, Charlie had decided it was enough. She'd had enough adventure for a lifetime, and without being able to return to Oz, she didn't see the point in fighting. She found herself a small apartment in Kansas City, and even got herself a plain little desk job, and it was like her life before she'd met the Winchesters. Boring, painfully so, but peaceful. She even made a new larping group. She filled her campaigns with realistic monsters, chuckling to herself at including real lore.
Charlie Bradbury was as good as retired, thank you very much.
But she wasn't fulfilled. Charlie knew what was missing—who was missing, a snarky girl with piercing blue eyes and brown hair who'd she'd spent the better part of a year fighting a rebellion with. She'd fallen in love with her, and now there was no possible way to get back to her.
She couldn't bring herself to meet anyone new. Sure, she had casual relationships, but she couldn't stop comparing them to Dorothy. Charlie wasn't sure she'd ever meet anyone else.
Slowly, she stopped having to check the locks multiple times a night to go to sleep. The nightmares weren't as real, though she still had them from time to time. She let people in, made real friends, let herself live. She even got herself a black cat and named it Leia.
It went on like that for a couple of years. Dean and Sam called, but she'd told them to stay away. Seeing them was too much of a reminder of everything she'd lost, no matter how much she missed them. They kept her updated though, telling them about God's sister and their mom and a whole other parallel world that went through the apocalypse, told them about another version of herself who was just as bad ass and cool. But eventually, their calls became further and further apart.
Charlie never stopped thinking about Dorothy. Never stopped dreaming about the joy on Dorothy's face when they won the war, never stopped regretting not telling her how she felt. She eventually found the strength to buy another copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, keeping the book in in her nightstand and rereading it on the quiet nights when she missed Dorothy the most.
It was around a month after she purchased the book that the first sign of anything strange in her life happened. Right after she'd officially retired, she'd set up an internet track on anyone searching up her name. It normally got hits from people looking up her larping group, but she never brought herself to turn it off. But that morning, logging onto her laptop for a quick scroll before she had to get ready for work, it pinged her. She opened it on instinct, and her blood went cold. Someone was searching for her—not as Charlie Bradbury, but as Celeste Middleton. Hacking was like riding a bicycle, and she traced the search to an I.P. in Topeka. Okay. Maybe it was just some True Crime freak trying to find her after they read about the wreck. No reason to panic.
She'd almost forgotten about it until a few weeks later. She'd come home from work and showered, then curled up on her couch wearing an old comic-con t-shirt and panties with Leia. She was only halfway through an episode of Star Trek when there was a loud knock on her door that made her jump slightly. Charlie hadn't been expecting anyone. She briefly thought about grabbing something for self defense, just in case.Was that too paranoid?
She looked down at her state of undress and sighed. "Hold on!" she called out.
"Charlie?"
She froze. No. No, that wouldn't be..?
"It's Dorothy. Please open the door?"
Fuck pants.Charlie rushed to the door, swinging it open. She didn't even get to say hello or how the hell are you here?, before Dorothy rushed forward, grabbing Charlie's face in her hands and kissing the daylights out of her. Charlie gaspedsoftly before kissing her back. She grabbed Dorothy's shoulders, pulling her inside the apartment and clumsily shutting the door with her foot.
She walked Dorothy to her couch, the brunette only stopping their kisses to breathe. Charlie pushed her down on the couch with a giggle. Dorothy gave her a big smile that made Charlie's heart melt and pulled her into her lap, and their lips met again.
"Okay, okay.." Charlie eventually pulled back. Dorothy was here. Dorothy was alive and here and was kissing her. Had Dorothy left Oz to be with her? The thought made her dizzy with joy. "Explain?"
Dorothy sighed. Her lips were wonderfully swollen from Charlie's kisses. "I ruled Oz for a couple of years. It was boring, but no one trusted anyone else to do it. I waited for you to come back, but after a few months I realized something must've gone wrong. It's a long story, and I'll tell you the details later, but long story very short, I found another key. And I tracked you down."
"You're the one who looked me up.." Charlie mumbled. She'd told Dorothy everything in Oz.
Dorothy blinked. "You're hard to find. I had to.." Dorothy trailed off, grimacing. "I might've had to slightly scare your roleplay group assistant?"
Charlie pinched the bridge of her nose. "You mean you tortured her."
"No! No, I didn't hurt her. I just told her I was going to, not that I would've really done it.. She, er, gave up your location pretty quickly. Worryingly quickly."
She sighed. "If I wasn't so happy you're here, I'd be a little mad at you."
Dorothy put a hand on the back of Charlie's neck and pulled her in for another kiss. It was gentle and sweet, not as desperate and rushed as they'd been before, but still just as emotional. Charlie hummed happily.
"Can't be mad at you when you kiss me like that." she mumbled. Dorothy grinned.
Do you mind sharing some of your Charlie/Dorothy headcanons? I can't get enough of this paring.
Eeepppp me too anon!!! Ugh I have so many! Have you seen my dorothy roleplay blog? If you find my ozbury tag on there you’ll find bunches of ozbury goodness!! One I had is based off a their that Dorothy called Ozma a bitch because they were a couple (there’s a whole other conversation about Dorothy/Ozma in Baum’s canon). Anyway Dorothy brings Charlie to meet Ozma and makes Ozma jealous by pretending to be together, but of course Ozma can see through it but can also see that they’re maybe not faking much. I had an Rp thread for that idea that was cute!
There’s also the ever popular confess their love when one is in mortal danger.
I think Dorothy is gray-ace/Demisexual so she’s not had many relationships, but she does tend to be homoromantic. Dorothy loves to call her Red and Char and Mine.
Charlie got Dorothy a phone and made her ringtone Ease in down the Road from The Wiz, and Dorothy doesn’t know how to change it back.
Charlie introduces her to Harry Potter and The Hobbit and all of the epic adventure stories her story inspired.
Dorothy gets a bit squeamish when they read Wicked, but totally ships Gelphie now. And Charlie catches her singing Defying Gravity in the shower.
Author Summary: Undercover FBI Agent Charlie Bradbury is ordered to arrest Mafia Crimeboss Dorothy Baum. Will she follow orders? One shot. Tumblr prompt. Enjoy!
Rating: Not rated
Opinion: I love fics where a job turns to something more and I love it even more when undercover cops are involved. This is really cute and sweet.
Author Summary: Charlie and Dorothy are on a long road trip to Dorothy's hometown. Dorothy insist they should tell her father the short version of how they met, but Charlie rather likes the long one...
Rating: T
Opinion: Misunderstandings abound in this adorable rom-comish fic. There are too many cute moments to count that had me smiling and laughing out loud. Definitely a great one if you're looking for some adorable fluff.