Take Care of My Baby

Cas and Dean have two days of peace before they run into Dick Roman.

Due to the postponement of his college classes for the week, Cas accompanies Dean to the garage. He keeps out of the way with a book in hand, though he reads more into the hard lines of Dean's body as he works than he does into the words. Every so often, Dean will turn around to catch Cas staring and will give him a smile and a wink, and Cas will avert his eyes only to raise them moments later.

Bobby comes in at about noon, intercepting one of their moments of staring at each other. They don't notice that he's there at first, not until he clears his throat and asks, "Ya done?"

Dean jumps in surprise, dropping the wrench that he was using to work on the engine. "Yeah, we were just..." he makes a lame motion, then ducks his head. "Whattya need?"

"I know it's about time for your lunch break, but we got some new guy rollin' in here, askin' to see you specifically," Bobby tells him.

"Who is it?"

"Damned if I know. Some new guy; didn't catch his name. If you don't wanna worry 'bout him right now, I can ask him to come back later."

At this, Dean and Cas exchange another look, though this time it's not a doe-eyed look, it's a look of worry. They both have a feeling that they're gonna run into some trouble.

"Nah, I'll get it right now. No big deal," Dean tell him. Bobby shrugs and walks off in the direction of the front desk again while the other man turns to Cas and says, "You wanna wait here? This might turn ugly."

"I'd rather be with you," he says.

"Well, if things start turnin', you get outta there, okay?"

"Okay," Cas promises. He has no intention of doing that, however. If things turn ugly, he's going to make sure that Dean has someone at his side.

Dean grabs rag and wipes off his hands as the two head out to the front. There, standing in the lobby, is a man with a close-cropped haircut. He's wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, and there's an air about him that just screams of adversity. When he sees Dean enter, he eyes the man up, as if he's trying to determine who he is.

Dean sticks out his hand and greets the man with, "Dean Winchester."

"Ah, the infamous Dean Winchester. Glad to meet you in person," the man smiles. It's a wicked one, like the candy-coating on a sour lollipop. He eyes Dean's dirty hand with disgust.

"You got a name?"

"Richard Roman. But you can call me Dick."

"Dick. Fitting," Dean nods with pursed lips. Before the man can shoot a comment at him, he asks, "So what is it you need from me?"

"Now, I got this car out front, and I'm ready to race her against the fastest man in town. Thing is, I wanna make sure she's up to standards. Y'know, how her engine's doin', if she's ready to win," Dick responds with that same devilish smile. "Think that's somethin' you can handle?"

"Sure thing," Dean says, and his voice is just a little tight, a sure sign that he's holding back all the curses he wants to spit from his lips at the man before him. But he's a professional; he can't reflect a bad light on the garage. It's owned by Bobby, and Dean is just an employee. If he owned the thing, he wouldn't hesitate to tell the man to fuck off.

The make to head out the front door when Dick stops. He motions at Castiel, saying, "I didn't know they let you bring your pets to work."

Dean gives no indication that the statement bothers him aside from the quick clenching of his jaw, but soon he's saying cheerfully, "Aw, now isn't that cute. Dick can't get it up without bringin' somebody down."

Cas bites his lip to hold back the laugh that threatens to bubble up. Dick's face is priceless; it's a mixture of shock and anger, but he soon smooths it over with that same expression of distant amusement.

"Very funny, Dean. Glad you've got a sense of humor."

"Thanks," he says cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Now, what do we got here?"

They've made it outside, and Dean motions to the car before him. He knows damn well what it is: a '55 Thunderbird, painted a unattractive gray shade. It's a new model, and he'll admit, it's pretty impressive.

"This here's my ride. She'll beat any old Coupe, sure as shit," Dick brags, stepping forward as he pops open the hood.

"Yeah? Then whattya need me to look at? Seems you're pretty sure she's in top condition," Dean tells him. He peeks into the hood with a bit of trepidation.

"Just some extra assurance," Dick smiles. He crosses his arms over his chest and stands behind Dean, looking down his nose at the man as he goes through the basic maintenance procedure: checking oil, fluids, and more. The engine is a damn powerful one, and it's in top condition. It'd certainly be a challenge to race it, but not anything that Dean can't handle.

He steps back and looks at Dick. "She's in racin' shape, that's for sure," he acknowledges. "Nothin' I can do for her."

"Thanks, Dean." Dick sticks his hand out, and Dean shakes it quickly, wiping his hands on his jeans when he's done. "When'll I see you for a race?"

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. That'll work for me."

"All right. Well, I'll see you at the usual place," Dean says, intentionally vague. He wants to leave Dick confused, to make him ask around town to find what the 'usual spot' actually is.

"Yeah," the man nods, keeping any indication of that confusion from seeping into his face. It's in his eyes, however, and he makes to climb into his car. He pauses just before he actually gets in, however, as if another thought occurs to him. "One other thing," he says, a slow smile working its way across his face. "Feel free to bring your pet along."

He's gone as quick as hell after he says that, knowing he won't be able to get away with it if he sticks around any longer. Dean has his fists clenched as he and Cas watch the T-bird peel out of the parking lot, kicking up dust in its wake.

"What a dick," Dean mutters when he's nothing but a tail light in the distance.

"You can say that again," Cas agrees.

"That motherfucker ain't gonna get away with that, callin' you my pet," he spits, his jaw clenching and unclenching furiously. He turns and heads back into the garage, holding the door open for Cas as he goes. "I'm gonna beat his ass so hard that he won't be able to see my goddamn plates by the time I'm done with him."

"Just be careful, okay?" They're inside the building now with no one to watch them, so Castiel takes a chance and touches Dean's hand, a touchingly concerned action.

The older man's expression softens. "'Course I'm gonna be careful," he says quietly, and he takes Cas's hand in his own just long enough to give it a reassuring squeeze. "You'll come watch me, right?"

Here, Cas hesitates just briefly. He doesn't like racing; it scares the hell out of him, and he knows that he'll be terrified the whole time he's watching Dean drive so damn recklessly. But on the other hand, he knows his presence will be calming to Dean. Dean'll ride hard knowing Cas is standing out there with Sam and Ash and the rest of the usual crowd, cheering him on. And he knows that Deal will be more careful with him there.

So, even though racing scares him, he's not one to make Dean change just to please him, not when some compromise can be made. Castiel agrees, "Of course."

The way Dean's face lights up is worth every heart palpitation he's sure to have. It's like a kid on Christmas, opening the last gift under the tree to find it's the one they've been pining after all year. With no care for how it looks to anyone who might happen to pass by, Dean wraps his arms around Cas's waist, pulling him into a tight hug and lifting him right off the ground. He's exclaiming a mantra of "Thank you, thank you, thank you," as he spins the both of them around. It'd be pretty damn hard for Cas to not feel like he made the right choice with the reaction like that.

When Dean sets Cas down, he grabs the man's face and plants a soft, smiling kiss right on Cas's lips. They linger there for just a moment, because a few moments later, someone clears their throat and disturbs them.

Cas and Dean break apart immediately, both of them red-faced and anxious like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Bobby is paused in the doorway, his take-no-shit face standing out proudly.

"Boy, ain't you got some work to do?" he asks with a roll of his eyes.

"Y-yeah," Dean stammers, "Sorry."

"Ain't nothin' to be sorry for, 'cept you're still clocked in." Bobby nods back to the garage. "Get goin'. And come talk to be 'fore you leave."

"Yes, sir," Dean says as he heads back into the garage area, Cas following close behind.

As they go, Bobby calls after them, "And don't you call me 'sir'!"

"Shit, shit, shit," Dean grumbles as he picks up his wrenches. "I need to be more careful. Gonna get you hurt, and if I do..." He trails off with an angry shake of his head. Dean knows full well the consequences of people finding out about he and Cas. His overwhelming joy at knowing the man is going to watch him race is no excuse; they're trying to end the rumors about the two of them, not give people more of a reason to believe them. And the people who want to do the ass-kicking aren't going to go after Dean first, they'll go after Cas.

"Dean," comes the quiet voice behind him. He looks up from the toolbox to see Cas, concern radiating out of his deep blue eyes, his head tilted just a bit to the side. "Dean, don't beat yourself up. The only person who saw was Bobby, and he didn't seem angry. We'll just have to be more careful."

"Yeah, well. I should be being careful already," he mutters, turning back to pick up the wrench he wants. He evades the stare he knows is burning holes in his back, instead opting to begin working on the motor of the car in front of him.

Castiel doesn't say anything to him after that, but he doesn't miss the frustrated little huff he gives as he plops down in the corner with his book again.

The day passes quickly after that. Dean loses himself in the systematic process of identifying and fixing the issues that he finds in a few different vehicles. It's simple work - at least for him - but he can shove his problems to the back of his mind, and it's part of the reason why he likes cars so much. He found solace in deciphering engine motors as a kid, when his dad was moving them around the country. It was easy to ignore the grief of losing his mom and having his father become more distant with each passing day. Since then, when the shit piles up, he turns to his cars. It makes the world a little more bearable.

The only downside is how time flies when he works like that. All too soon, it's the end of the day, and he's clocking out. He hands his car keys to Cas and says, "I'll be out in a minute. Gotta talk to Bobby."

"All right," Cas agrees, taking the keys with a masked reverence; he knows that Dean doesn't even trust Sam with his keys.

As he walks off, Dean steels himself. But before he gets very far, he simply walks up and knocks on the door to Bobby's office. He isn't one to dwell on things. Rather, he's going to come straight out and deal with it.

"Come in," is the muffled grunt that comes from behind the door. Dean walks in, feeling a little like a kid walking into the principal's office. Bobby motions to the chair in front of his desk, and Dean takes it.

"So. Whattya need?" he asks straight-out.

"Boy, you know you're like a son to me. Right?"

"Right," Dean agrees, nodding.

"Then it ain't gonna surprise you when I say I don't wanna see you hurtin'."

"Right," Dean agrees again, though he knows it was a statement, not a question. His heart rate picks up a little bit.

"Well, it also ain't up to me to judge you boys. That's up to whatever higher power you believe in. I don't give one damn 'bout what you two do, and I'll be right there to back you. But everyone ain't like me, Dean, and you two'll find yourself in a whole world o' hurt if you ain't careful. Not everybody takes kindly to things they don't understand," Bobby states, somehow managing to be both laid-back and earnest at the same time.

"Thanks, Bobby. Means a lot to me," Dean says, and it does. Bobby is a father figure to him, and to know that he cares is important as hell to him.

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here before you make me have a moment," the older man grumbles with a good-natured roll of his eyes, shooing Dean with a wave of his hand.

Dean can't help but laugh at that, and he's out the door a few moments later with the quick call of, "See ya tomorrow!" before he's on his way back to the car to tell Cas what happened. He can see that the man is worried when he leaps into the Coupe, but the expression lightens once he sees how happy Dean is.

"What happened?" Cas asks.

"Bobby says he's got no problem with us, but he wanted to tell us to be careful."

A weight seems to be lifted from Castiel's shoulders. "That's good," he says as a faint smile tilts his lips upward. He knows how much Bobby's opinion means to Dean, and to have that acceptance is more important than the acceptance of nearly everyone else.

The engine roars to life, and if Dean goes a little too fast on the way home, Cas can forgive him, because as they're halted at a stop sign, Dean turns to him and says with the biggest smile on his face, "I can't wait to get home so I can kiss you all night long."