Work Text:
Ever since his little escapade to California, Dean's spent almost every day at the shop as penance for leaving Benny alone for over a week during the November holidays.
2 months of 6 day weeks- Excluding federal holidays, and certain days where the shop was closed unless someone called 'em in- that's his payment to keep his longest friendship alive.
Their system is that Dean comes in the mornings, opens, and get's everything going. Then Benny will come in a bit later and Dean takes a few hours for "lunch" which, his first few weeks back, meant anything from going home to make sure Sam wasn't falling off the wagon to shuttling Cas to and from therapy appointments and job interviews (Sam tried to recommend his online therapist to Cas- Cas had called it "unnatural" and insisted that, if he must go see a professional, it would be in a physical, professional environment.) and now just consists of him actually getting to eat lunch and take a bit of a breather before heading back to work till closing.
Was it a lot? Yes. Did Benny try to get him to give up their system? Yes.
But is Dean a stubborn bastard? Well, they all know the answer to that one.
The only days where he's agreed to pause their arrangement is when they've got punks from the high school coming in, then Benny stays till closing.
It's 9h10, 10 minutes after they're supposed to be at the front door, that he can hear his gaggle of unpaid laborers coming up the street.
"Kaia, Claire, Kevin." He greets each one individually when they barge in, only Kevin responds, the gals already off to get their gear on.
"Hey, Dean." Kevin hands Dean a paper with the words 'OFF-CAMPUS CTE EDUCATION' in big bold letters at the top, the same one he hands Dean every time he comes in.
Claire and Kaia have 'em too, probably shoved hastily into their bags before they left campus, they're the only thing proving to the high school that the punks aren't skipping the day, they're just getting hands on work experience for a job none of them actually want.
Bobby originally started this program, helping get kids who want more specialized training into a real work environment, but really it's where the 'troubled' students go. The kids who can't sit still, who complain about reading from a textbook when they could be doing the real thing, it gets them out of the schools hair once or twice a week and gives Dean lackeys to order around.
There's requirements, sure, but lots of the kids are conveniently pushed through even if they don't necessarily meet them- All Bobby, or Dean now, ever asked was that they have good characters, they know that the moment they step through that door they will be doing work, and that they not cause problems.
This year he's only got four consistent kids, it was five, but Jesse Turner moved after the first week
Claire's a Junior who seems dead set on dropping out, it's only Jody's death glare between her and never going back to school, so now she's just taking the bare minimum of classes and staying 'out of that fucking building for as long as I can'. Her words.
Kaia's also a Junior and one of Jody's wards, she's newer to town and a bit scrappy. Dean's got the suspicion she's only taking this class to hang out with Claire.
Kevin's a Sophomore taking AP classes and is on track to become valedictorian. It took a couple weeks to figure out that he's coming into the shop so he can learn more about wiring mechanics for his robotics team.
And.... Dean's missing the fourth kid.
"Kevin?" He asks, signing his name on the bottom of the teens slip, "Where's Max?"
"I think his sisters sick or something."
Max is a good kid, a bit cocky, but it's his Senior year and he's already got all his required credits out of the way so now he's just waiting out the clock
"Alright," He passes the paper back, "Go get your coveralls on, I've got a radio for you to re-wire."
Kevin grins and runs off to the lockers where all their loaner coveralls and steel-toed boots wait in carefully labeled lockers.
Really, their day is pretty standard. Claire and Kaia work on tightening the alternator belt on an old Toyota while Dean shows Kevin how to run power to a new radio. Benny comes in around noon and gets the girls' slips signed before checking their work and directing them to a Honda that needs an oil change.
Kevin leaves first, around 14h for orchestra rehearsal, and Dean decides to call it.
"Alright," He shouts across the bay to the remaining teens, "Pack it up kiddies, Jody's gonna charge me with Child Labor Violations if I let you two work any longer."
"Not a kid." Claire grumbles under her breath, careful to put the socket wrench she'd been working with exactly where she found it, lest she face Benny's wrath the next time he can't find his tools.
"Throw your coveralls in the laundry-!" Kaia's already out the door but Claire slightly slows her pace to acknowledge that she's listening to him (freaking teenagers, they're like cats), "I'm gonna' wash 'em over the weekend."
"Fine."
She lets the door swing closed behind her and Dean can't help but shout, "A 'Thank you, Dean, for not making us wear gross, sweaty PPE all day' would be nice!"
His own echo is the only response he gets.
That and Benny's chortling from where he's filling out the service papers for the Toyota.
"Can it, Benny."
"Half the fun those kids have here is from riling you up." Benny says, refusing to follow Dean's kind suggestion to shut his trap.
When Dean scoffs he looks up, the wire around his reading glasses catching the light and flashing silver. Fuck, he'd bitched and moaned about not needing those glasses for nearly a month before the combined nagging of Andrea, Garth, and Dean finally made him cave.
So now he wears cheaters with frames that match the grey in his hair... Fuck, he didn't have that when they met.
"I never see them trying to wind you up."
"They try, chief," Benny shuffles all the papers together then shoves them into their little folder, "They also know Andrea won't give 'em free pie at the diner if they push it."
"Andrea gives them free pie!?"
Dean wants to press Benny more on his wife's generosity- He's known her since before they were married and she has only once given him a free slice of pie.
He'd said he wasn't hungry and sent it back, maybe that's why she hasn't given him a freebie since- But it's not fair to judge him off of one incident in his 20's, especially not when it was right after Bobby died-
"Am I permitted to enter through here?"
Ah, right on cue to stop him from spiraling down that rabbit hole, Cas. He's hovering near the side door to the garage, waiting for permission to enter like he always does because "what if you're not in the garage and I just walk in on some other worker?"- Dean has tried to explain that it's really only him and Benny, but Cas hasn't broken his habit yet.
"It's just us Cas, come on in-" He grabs a rag to wipe the grime off his hands, "Work let you off early?"
"It is Friday so they let me go home early, yes."
"Well shit, maybe I should quit mechanics and become an accountant."
"You'd despise working at a desk," Cas says with a chuckle, finally close enough to wrap his arms around Dean's waist, "How was your day?"
"Had to keep the kids from lighting the shop on fire." He feels Cas tense around him, just slightly.
"...Sarcasm?"
"Sarcasm," He twists around and plants a chaste kiss on the bolt of Cas' jaw, "Absolutely no fires were started today." Then he pulls away because he really doesn't want to get grease on Cas' nice white shirt- It always ends with Cas hunched over the sink at midnight, wearing a hole through the fabric with a tide stick, "Have I had you listen to that song yet?"
"Which one?"
"Billy Joel, 'We Didn't Start the Fire'?" Cas just blinks at him blankly, "I'll take that as a no... we'll add it to the list."
They have a list, written on a wrinkled piece of notebook paper, that lives in Baby's glovebox and is packed with songs that Dean (and admittedly, on a couple occasions, Sam) have deemed important for Cas to know.
Benny and Garth have a couple songs on there too- But all of them have been put under review since the Cupid Shuffle incident.
"Where are the kids now?"
Cas has been a bit hesitant about meeting the "youth" that Dean "employs" (Cas' air quotes, not his) but the kids have had no such reservations. Claire and Kaia have waxed poetic about how Dean doesn't see them as family enough to introduce Cas, Kevin's mom strong armed Dean into coughing up a picture of his boyfriend to show her- Nobody in town seems to care that only Sam, Benny, Garth, and their wives have been personally introduced to Cas so far, all of them want to be next.
"They're just leaving," It's probably not worth it to try and call them back into the garage, Claire and Kaia are probably already halfway home, "Probably for the best, I think Kevin and Max would be pissy about the gals gettin' to meet you first."
"Let 'em be pissy!" Benny gets up from the little rolling stool he'd been balanced on, "They ain't the ones askin' me for a physical description of him."
"They're what!?" Cas chokes out at the same time Dean scoffs out- "What're they, police artists?"
God, maybe he should bite the bullet and just show 'em a photo of Cas, it'd get them to stop harassing people.
There's a creak from the back of the garage, where the locker room entrance is, and Dean catches sight of a faux leather jacket and jewelry that is absolutely banned from the floor during work hours.
"Dean," Claire's running back into the garage, chunky- and not OSHA approved boots- thudding against the concrete, "We still need you to sign our-"
Then she stops, face going a dangerous shade of white.
"Woah, easy kid," Dean laughs, "You stand up too fast or somethin'?"
She doesn't answer, doesn't even roll her eyes, just keeps staring through Dean, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water.
"Claire?" Dean thinks he sees tears welling in her eyes, "Claire, kid, you gotta' say something."
He's about shout at Benny to call 911, or Jody, because obviously somethings wrong, when Claire chokes out one strangled word.
"Dad?"
The entire garage is silent save for the radio in the corner that Dean always keeps running, singing something about no disguises for double vision- Benny is looking between Claire and Cas, because that's who she's looking at, Cas, her eyes watering up and her face so tight it looks like a coil about to snap.
Cas looks behind him first, then at Dean, but when Claire doesn't stop staring at him he just clears his throat, "I am not your father."
Dean and Benny both wince, even before Claire makes another choking noise in the back of her throat, because they both know just how deep those words might cut.
He inches forward, hands outstretched to do... something, "Claire-"
Her head whips around to lock onto him, "I-I'm not crazy, Dean."
"Never said you were, kid."
Benny's got his phone out, typing out a text to someone.
"Dean." Claire looks desperate- Her hands shake when she fumbles around in her pocket, pulling out her much more modern cellphone and taking a couple of tries to unlock it before it finally lets her in, "Please..."
She's swiping through her photos now- Dean recognizes Kaia, Alex, Jody, Donna, there's a few of him in there that he did not know existed, she swipes past pictures of her with a weary, broken looking blonde woman, and finally stops on a photo of her- at least, he thinks it's her- as a little kid, sitting on top of a young mans shoulders.
It's definitely an old picture, he'd be able to know that even if Claire wasn't max 4 years old. It's got grain and a date and time in the bottom corner that he doesn't look too hard at because he suddenly registers the man holding Claire and-
"Woah," Honestly he'd be freaked out if he was Claire too, Cas is a dead ringer for the guy in the photo. Same dark hair (though this guy doesn't have any premature salt and pepper), same blue eyes, there's a few little differences in the way he smiles but shit- "Jesus, yeah- Cas, she ain't wrong."
Carefully Cas shuffles closer, just till he can see the screen, then he sucks in a breath.
"Oh," Cas' eyes are wide and he reaches out like he's going to take the phone then stops just shy of his fingers touching the screen, "That's Jimmy."
If Claire hadn't looked distraught before, she certainly does now, "You knew him!?"
"Yes he...." Cas looks uncomfortable, "He's my cousin." He glances at Dean helplessly, "I didn't- He's here?"
Benny seems to take that as his queue to quietly leave the garage and give them their space, already knowing what was about to happen.
"I texted Jody, she's on her way." He whispers to Dean on the way out, giving him a little pat on the back before leaving them.
"He-" Claire takes a shuddering breath- She keeps almost looking at Cas then turning away at the last second, "There was an accident a long time ago, dad was coming to pick me up from a sleepover and some asshole was driving drunk..."
She swallows thickly and Cas fumbles blindly for Deans shoulder, looking just as bad as Claire now.
"Claire lives with Jody and Donna," Dean whispers into the silence, "You've met 'em."
"Yes, the ah-" Cas looks a little lost, "The police officers."
Any other day Dean would have ribbed Cas about Jody being a sheriff- Just because Jody had done it to him when she'd first gotten the job- but now's not the time.
"CPS said my dad didn't have any family," Claire looks up at Cas, "But you...?"
"Maybe we should sit down." Dean herds the two stricken Novak's- Fuck, how did he never connect that they had the same last name?- into his office. He doesn't even argue when Claire sits down in his nice, cushioned seat, something that she usually does with a malicious smirk.
Cas slumps down in the nearest chair and- well, that's all the chairs Dean has in here. He closes the door and ends up sitting on the floor; There's a weird power that comes with being the only one standing and he doesn't think that's necessary right now.
"You look like him." Claire draws her knees to up to her chest, "It's weird."
"Our parents used to say the same thing."
"...Do I have grandparents?"
Wow, Claire is really cutting to the chase here.
"Yes, James' parent are still alive." Cas frowns like the idea of them leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
"Why didn't I go to them instead of foster care? Why didn't I get told about dad's family? Why didn't I know."
"No, no, he would have rather die- He wouldn't have wanted that life for you." There's blood welling up from Cas' thumbnail where he steadily picks away at it, "You are much better here, believe me."
"What? Just 'cos you look like my dad I'm supposed to trust you blindly!?" Claires angry, running on a hairpin trigger that Cas keeps ghosting over, "I wanna' know the truth!"
Cas opens his mouth but no sound comes out- He's noticed the blood on his hands now, he shoves both of them into his pockets hastily before taking a deep breath in and out.
So Claires dad was one of the runaways-
In.
Was he the last one till Cas-?
And out.
He said they were cousins, but fuck, they could have been twins-
In.
Does Cas ever look in the mirror and see Jimmy?
And out.
"I'm sorry that you feel like things have been hidden from you," Cas looks pained when he speaks, "James- Jimmy- Your father- He wasn't lying- He didn't have any siblings, it was just him."
"And you." Claires face is red with emotion.
"And me yes," He shoves his hands deeper into his pockets, "Us cousins all treated ourselves as siblings to one and other- There was a hierarchy between real siblings and fake ones, of course-" Dean hates the way Cas' voice broke on the word 'fake', "Your true siblings had first and final say of what you did, the older the more authority- W-we were all envious of James, in a way, he had a certain freedom being a lonely child...."
Cas trails off for a moment, lost in thought before he snaps back to reality.
"Yes, anyways, we socialized within our age groups, and he and I were born only a week apart, so we were rather close- And we looked so similar, for most of our childhood we were bound at the hip-" There's another crack in his voice and when he looks up from the floor his eyes are shiny, "What year- When did he- he pass?"
"6 years ago."
"I see," There's a tremble in Cas' hands when he cards them through his hair, "And how old were you then?"
Claire swallows thickly, "11."
"So you're 17?" He hesitates, "I-If my math is correct."
"Yeah, so what?"
"That's how old James was when he..." Cas bows his head and Dean decides not to mention the shiny streak that slips down his cheek and splatters on the floor, then he takes a long, stuttering breath, before he straightens up to look at Claire straight on, "The last time I spoke to your father we were 17. He'd met a girl who went to the charter school next to ours, he said she had the most gorgeous smile and that God must have a plan for them b-because in 9 months they were going to be blessed."
Claire's shoulders are trembling but she doesn't say a word.
"He was very brave, braver than I would have been- Your mothers parents lived 2 states away and had offered to shelter James and your mother and- and you and so one night I saw James at family dinner, and we went outside and he told me a-all of this, then the next day he was... Gone." Cas sniffles but no more tears fall, "One thing you must know about my family, we don't look for those who are already dead to us... So you weren't lied to, your father has no next of kin, none that would have done you any good..."
"Why didn't you look for him."
Claire is starting to sound accusatory and while Dean is all for clearing the air, he also wont let her blame Cas for something that wasn't his fault, "Claire-"
"Dean, it's okay." Cas staggers to his feet, brushing invisible dust off his coat, "I didn't do enough for him, and I face that reality every day- Your father was a good man, Claire, righteous. He did what was necessary to protect his family, you. I don't believe he ever wanted anything outside of that."
Claires lip wobbles, "But it's not fair."
"No, it's not-" He hesitates for a moment, "W-was he a good father?"
Claire presses her lips together tightly and nods.
"Good...That's-" He smiles weakly, "I'm glad."
There's sirens approaching rapidly outside and the bubble of isolation in their little room is broken.
Claire jumps to her feet, wiping her eyes and smearing mascara all over her face, "That's my ride."
Dean staggers up to his feet, knee almost buckling underneath him when he does, "Claire-"
"I'll see you next week," She's on her way out but hesitates in front of Cas, "Try not to be a stranger for another 17 years."
She doesn't hug him or anything, but she slows, just a bit, when Cas laughs wetly-
"I will do my best."