she opened it. Inside was a delicate necklace with a gold tarot card pendant — the Lovers. The lovers meant multiple things usually it represented relationships and choices but also a aspect of the quadrants life will be sacrificed, maybe that was hunting for Jovi but she'd have to wait and find out but overall whatever choice it's not to be taken lightly as the ramifications will last.

"It just... reminded me of you," Blake mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck like he didn't know how to be a human being. Jovi stared at it, her usual sharp tongue failing her for a second. Her heart swelling at the thought he put into it and the obvious attached feelings that came with it. "Blake," she said, her voice soft, "it's... it's perfect."

"I know it's not your usual style," Blake interrupted, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "But I saw it, and it just reminded me of you. I mean, you're kind of like a force of nature, and... I don't know. It felt right."

Jovi tilted her head, her lips curving into a mischievous smile. "So, you're saying I'm a dangerously romantic tarot card?"

Blake scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "Something like that."

Jovi plucked the necklace from the box and held it up. "Well, I gotta admit, it's pretty badass for something not covered in skulls or Latin inscriptions. Nice job, Winslow."

Blake's grin widened, but he wasn't done yet. "Speaking of badass... I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me this weekend. Like, as a date."

Jovi blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Did Blake Winslow just ask her on a date? Was she dreaming? If so this is her minds sick way of messing with her. She quickly recovered, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes playfully. "Wow. A necklace and a date offer? Careful, Blake, or people might think you're trying to sweep me off my feet."

"Is it working?" Blake asked, leaning casually against the wall.

Jovi let out a mock sigh, tapping her chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm. Well, you did manage to survive me for this long without running away screaming, so... fine. I'll go. But no cheesy rom-com stuff, got it? I'm not doing candlelit dinners or walks on the beach."

Blake held up his hands in surrender. "No rom-com stuff. Got it. What about pizza and an arcade?"

Jovi's eyes lit up despite herself. "Okay, now you're speaking my language."

Blake smiled, clearly relieved. "Great. Saturday at six?"

Jovi nodded, a rare softness flickering across her features before she quickly masked it with her usual sarcasm. "Sure, but don't expect me to go easy on you at the arcade. I've got a reputation to uphold."

Blake laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it." his eyes drifted down to the necklace in her hands "here" he held a hand out for the delicate piece of jewellery, she handed it over the blush forming on her cheeks. Blake gently moved her hair, his fingertips grazing the back of her neck sending shivers down her spine. The Winslow boy clasped the necklace round Jovi's neck before stepping back as Jovi turned around her fingers brushing over the pendant. "Looks beautiful" Blake commented though his eyes were on her, Jovi looked up at him with bright eyes "I love it, thank you".

As they stood there Jovi realised that maybe birthdays weren't so bad after all.

☆

𝑱𝒐𝒗𝒊 sat in front of her and Alex's shared vanity mirror applying a coat of mascara while said girl watched from where she laid on her bed. The Winchester girl wore a grey sweater with a black tight mini skirt paired with black tights and knee high boots. Since her birthday she'd gone shopping with Kat and brought a bunch of clothes and shoes so she was no longer borrowing clothes from Alex which the raven haired girl appreciated. Now Jovi felt like herself, like she had a personality of her own and it felt amazing. "You excited?" Alex asked Jovi glancing up from her phone that was in her hand, Jovi looked at her friend through the mirror "yeah...I mean I'm nervous too but excited"

Alex smiled in understanding, she'd been in Jovi position. Switching from a life of vampires and death to homework and boyfriends, she also enjoyed guiding the youngest Winchester through her new relationship. Jovi was becoming like a little sister who was like her own personal barbie doll to dress up and experiment with makeup on, and surprisingly Jovi let her do it unlike Claire who would've kicked and screamed if Alex had ruined her sense of style.

"You'll be fine, Blake's a nice guy and what's the worst that could happen? He kisses you?" Alex laughed but Jovi stopped, spinning around to face Alex, her expression a mix of panic and sarcasm — her usual armor, only a little more cracked tonight.

"What am I supposed to do if Blake kisses me? I've never been kissed before...what am I even supposed to do!" Alex couldn't help but smirk, tilting her head as she studied her younger friend. "You're seriously overthinking this, Jov. It's just a date, not a test."

"Yeah, but — what if he kisses me? What if I mess it up and he never wants to talk to me again and I'm just that girl who choked and —"

Alex held up her hand, cutting off Jovi's ramble. "You are way too cool to choke. Trust me, Blake is probably going to be the nervous one. You just have to relax choose a lip and...go with the flow."

Jovi gave her a skeptical look, arms crossed. "Easy for you to say, Miss 'I've-gone-on-a-bunch-of-dates.'"

Alex laughed, rolling her eyes. "Look, Jovi. First things first, you don't need to do anything except be yourself. You're hilarious, confident, and — let's be honest — he's lucky you even said yes."

Jovi's mouth curved into a grin, she already knew that much! Seriously most guys have better luck at winning the lottery than getting her on a date...not that she's been asked out that many times but on cases she meets boys and then her dad scares them off like always. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," Alex said firmly. "And if he does try to kiss you, don't stress about it. Just lean in a little, and if it feels right, close your eyes. Don't overthink it. Just...feel it."

Jovi bit her lip, half-amused, half-still-nervous. "And if I freak out?"

"Then you make a joke," Alex replied with a grin. "Like you always do. And if you're feeling bold, throw your arms around his neck. Guys usually like that."

Jovi laughed, rolling her eyes. "Look at you, handing out advice like a love guru."

"What can I say? You learn things," Alex said, shrugging. "Just don't let your head ruin the moment, alright? You've got this. He's going to love being around you, and honestly, if he kisses you, it's because he wants to. So let yourself enjoy it."

Jovi sighed, but her shoulders relaxed a bit. "Fine, fine. But if I mess this up, I'm blaming you."

Alex just smiled, watching as Jovi took a deep breath and finally stopped stressing. "You're not going to mess it up, Jovi. You're going to have fun. And if nothing else, you'll know what to do next time."

Jovi shook her head, but she finally seemed calm. "Alright. Let's get this over with," she said, shooting Alex a nervous smile.

"Go knock him dead," Alex replied, and as Jovi headed out the door, she felt just a little more ready for whatever this date — and Blake — had in store.

And if on cue, she opened the door, and there he was — Blake, looking like he'd just stepped out of a music video. His varsity jacket hugged his shoulders, his brunette hair was slightly tousled, and he wore a crooked smile that hit her like a punch to the stomach.

"Hey, Jovi," he said, giving her a grin that she swore could light up a stadium. "You look beautiful, ready to go?" Jovi could feel her heart leap in her chest but chose to ignore it as she kept up with his words. "Thanks and that depends. Think you can keep up?" She shot back, a smirk pulling at her lips.

He laughed, unphased, and held out his hand. "Guess we'll find out."

They headed down to his truck, which was parked by the curb under the glow of the streetlight, the night air cool and filled with that electric energy that made everything feel a little surreal, a little magical. He opened the door for her, and she tried not to let him catch the slight blush that rose to her cheeks. She'd seen this guy score touchdowns with the confidence of a legend, but here he was, treating her like she was the center of his world. It was almost too much... but it felt good, too.

The arcade buzzed with neon lights and the overlapping sounds of beeping machines and cheering kids. Jovi stepped inside, her eyes scanning the rows of games with a smirk. Blake followed close behind, his hands shoved casually into his jacket pockets, wearing his usual cocky grin.

"So, this is your idea of a first date?" Jovi asked, arching an eyebrow. "A sticky room full of flashing lights and overused joysticks? Classy." She honestly couldn't think of a better date idea but he didn't need to know that...

"Hey," Blake replied, holding the door open for her, "you gotta earn your pizza. Besides, I figured I'd give you a chance to impress me."

Jovi let out a sharp laugh, turning to look at him. Impress him? More like impress her! "Oh, Winslow, you have no idea what you've just signed up for."

Blake smirked. "Winner picks the toppings."

"Loser pays," she shot back, already heading for the nearest racing game knowing she was about to wipe the floor with him.

Blake slid into the seat beside hers, gripping the wheel with mock confidence. "Hope you're ready to lose, Winchester."

"Oh, honey," Jovi replied with a wicked grin, "the only thing I'm losing is my patience with how slow you'll be."

The race began, and within seconds, Jovi was dominating. She weaved through the course with almost supernatural precision, leaving Blake trailing behind her digital car. By the time she crossed the finish line, he was still skidding into a guardrail.

"Boom!" Jovi exclaimed, throwing her arms up in victory. "Hope you brought cash, Winslow."

"Beginner's luck," Blake muttered, but his grin betrayed how impressed he was.

From skee-ball to air hockey to basketball hoops, Jovi wiped the floor with him at every game. Blake's competitive streak kept him in the fight, but he couldn't keep up with her sharp reflexes and killer instincts.

Then they stumbled upon the shooting game. Jovi stopped in front of it, her smirk shifting into something sharper, almost predatory. This...this was her moment.

"Careful, Winslow," she teased, picking up the plastic light gun. "You're about to see what a lifetime of experience looks like."

Blake laughed, sliding a token into the machine. "Oh, come on. It's a game. How hard could it be?"

The screen lit up with a zombie invasion scenario, and the game's narrator barked, "Defend the city!" Blake grinned and fired a few shots at the shambling undead, but Jovi was already in the zone.

Her movements were fast and precise, every shot landing squarely on the heads of the incoming zombies. She moved through the levels with the kind of focus Blake had never seen before, her hand steady as the waves of enemies grew more intense.

"Holy crap," Blake muttered, barely able to hit one zombie while Jovi took out entire hordes without missing.

When the final level ended, the screen flashed: NEW HIGH SCORE! Jovi leaned back, blowing imaginary smoke off the barrel of the gun.

"Not bad for a girl, huh?" she said, glancing at Blake with a smug grin.

Blake blinked at her, stunned. "Okay, what the hell was that? Are you secretly a Navy SEAL or something?" Nope, just a hunters kid with a pretty traumatic childhood, Jovi thought to herself but instead she shrugged, pretending to be casual, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her amusement. "Let's just say I have a lot of practice."

Blake shook his head, laughing as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, Winchester."

"Smart boy," she said, setting the gun down and walking past him. "Now, about that pizza..."

☆

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 drove with the windows down, laughing as they passed through town, Blake cracking jokes and matching Jovi's sarcasm line for line. She didn't think anyone could keep up with her banter, but Blake was good — effortlessly, annoyingly good. The pizza place was this tiny spot with vinyl booths and faded posters of old bands on the walls, and they slid into a booth together, bumping elbows in a way that felt natural, easy.

The pizza was pepperoni—a glorious, cheesy testament to her arcade supremacy — and as the slices disappeared, Jovi Winchester found herself uncharacteristically... warm. Not from the pizza (though it was doing its job), but from Blake's easy laughter as they swapped stories. His tales of ridiculous football mishaps were matched by her retelling of legendary Winchester prank wars—like the time she slipped pink hair dye into Sam's organic, chemical-free shampoo. The aftermath? Priceless. The way Blake's laugh lit up his face? Even better. It was the kind of moment that felt suspiciously close to nice. Dangerously close to sweet.

They had just demolished the last slice when Blake hit her with that look. You know the one — thoughtful, searching, the kind that made her feel like she was under a microscope, her snarky walls suddenly looking way too thin.

"So, Jovi," he began, a small smile on his face. "I gotta say, for how long we've known each other, there's a lot I still don't know about you."

She raised an eyebrow, her smirk in place like a shield. "Oh, yeah? What kind of mystery do you think I am, Winslow? Agatha Christie or Scooby-Doo?"

He chuckled, folding his arms. "A pretty good one, apparently. You don't talk much about your family. I mean, I've only ever seen your dad and uncle. And he's great, don't get me wrong, but...you're still a mystery" His words were gentle, careful, but they felt like he was stepping into a room she usually kept locked tight.

Warning: Intruder alert. That was the thought that pinged through her brain as her stomach twisted. But no way was she showing that. She forced her shoulders to relax and picked up her soda, taking a long sip. "Not much to tell. Just me, Dad, and Uncle Sammy."

Blake's brow furrowed, curiosity and concern in his expression. "What does he do, anyway? I never really see him."

She shrugged, casually leaning back, hoping her answer sounded as offhand as she wanted it to. "My dad and my uncle are FBI agents. So, you know... they're kind of all over the place. Hunting down bad guys, solving cases. Very X-Files." Totally not fighting demons or ganking vamps, nope, not at all.

He looked impressed, his eyebrows shooting up. "FBI? That's intense. Is that why you live with Jody Mills most of the time?"

Jovi shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Jody's just... family, you know? She's known my dad for years, and she's a pretty amazing backup guardian whenever he and my uncle have to travel. It works out." She threw him a small, cheeky grin. "Besides, she keeps me grounded. No way she'd let me run off and do anything stupid."

Blake laughed, shaking his head. "Jody's pretty great. I can definitely picture her pulling you back if you tried to go rogue."

"Oh, she's terrifying in mom-mode," Jovi said with a grin. "It's like being yelled at by a Viking warrior. You don't forget it."

She thought they were safely back in lighthearted territory, but then Blake shifted, his voice softening. "What about your mom?" he asked, the question hanging in the air like a bomb with a faulty timer.

Boom.

Jovi froze for a split second but recovered like a pro, letting out a dry chuckle. "Oh, that's because there's not much to tell," she said breezily, twirling her straw like she didn't have a care in the world. "My mom was a, uh, one-night special. The whole hit-it-and-quit-it deal. Her name's Jennifer, but I've only ever seen her once—she took one look at me in the hospital and decided I wasn't her style."

Blake's face softened, an unspoken sympathy in his eyes, but Jovi just waved a hand, laughing like it was nothing.

"I mean, hey, I like to think I scared her off, y'know?" she joked, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Came out all crying and hungry, and she took one look and thought, 'Nope, not for me!' Guess I was too hardcore even back then."

Blake cracked a smile at that, but there was something warm and sad in his expression that she tried to brush off. "You... don't remember her at all?"

"Nah," she said with a shrug. "No sad, tragic memories or anything. Just Dad, uncle Sammy and me, taking on the world." She leaned back, raising her soda cup in a mock toast. "Honestly, who needs the extra drama? It's way better this way."

Blake mirrored her, clinking his cup against hers with a smile, but he didn't look quite as convinced. "Well, you definitely turned out just fine. Better than fine, actually." He shot her a grin, his eyes playful. "I'm pretty sure your mom couldn't have handled all this attitude anyway"

Jovi grinned, the tension in her chest easing slightly. "See? Exactly. This town can barely handle me. I was doing her a favor."

He chuckled, shaking his head, but his gaze lingered on her a bit longer, thoughtful. "Well, for the record, I think you turned out pretty amazing. Even if you are a bit of a mystery."

"Oh, don't worry, Winslow," she said, flashing him a smirk. "Stick around, and maybe I'll let you solve a couple more clues."

☆

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 they'd stuffed themselves with pizza (because, honestly, carbs are life), Blake took her hand, his grin doing that infuriating thing where it was both smug and kind of sincere. "Come on, I've got something to show you."

What is this? A rom-com scavenger hunt? Jovi thought to herself, But curiosity got the better of her, so she let him lead the way.

They walked down to a lake that wasn't far from the pizza place, the stars glimmering above them and the water reflecting the city lights in a soft, golden glow. It was chilly, which she was about to ignore out of sheer stubbornness, but Blake — human golden retriever that he was —shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders without a word. His fingers lingered just a moment too long, and if her pulse sped up, well, nobody needed to know.

"Chivalry's still alive, I see," she quipped, raising an eyebrow to mask the warm-and-fuzzy chaos brewing inside her.

"With you? Thought I'd go all out," he replied, his voice warm, his gaze steady. It was enough to make her brain short-circuit for a second.

Cute and quick on his feet? Damn it.

She didn't look away, daring him to keep eye contact as they strolled along the water's edge, her boots crunched against the gravel, and the soft lapping of the lake filled the silence between them, somehow making it feel intimate rather than awkward. Gross. Romantic clichés: 1. Jovi Winchester: 0.

They stopped by a dock, and she leaned back against the railing, glancing out over the water like she wasn't hyperaware of how close he was. Blake moved in, planting a hand on the railing beside her, trapping her in what she grudgingly admitted was a pretty effective proximity trap.

"You're not like anyone else, Jovi," he murmured, his voice low, his eyes searching hers full of something that made her stomach flip. "You know that, right?"

Her head tilted, her signature cocky grin sliding into place. "What's this? Mr. Smooth Talker's pulling out the big lines now? Should I be flattered or concerned?"

His lips twitched, but he didn't back