Living Right Is In the Trying
Dean Winchester smoothed a hand across his knuckles, staring at the flat paper map in front of him. He still had a thousand and some miles to go before he reached California but it wasn’t really a big deal. He could drive all night and knock off a hundred or so if he really wanted to. Fact was however he wasn’t too sure that he wanted. Yeah he wanted to see his little brother Sam again but at the same time, he didn’t. Not because he didn’t love him because he did. Loved him so much he’d fucked himself over and sacrificed himself just so the kid could get the life he’d always wanted. But now here he was free and clear and able to do whatever he pleased. The last thing on his mind was slipping back into his role as his baby brother’s keeper.
It was hard to put into words, or maybe he just didn’t wanna go there. Being an older brother meant taking care of your younger siblings…making sure they succeeded and didn’t get picked on. But that wasn’t supposed to be all there was. He was supposed to have a life outside of his family. He was supposed to be chasing chicks or hanging out with the guys, not sitting behind bars in a small room with a man who constantly farted.
In his experience though life never ever worked out how it was supposed to. This was the hand life had dealt him and he was going to play; there really wasn’t any other option.
Smoothing a hand over his face, he signaled the waitress for a refill on his coffee and flashed a grin when she walked over. She giggled and ducked her head, filling the small white cup to the brim before asking if there was anything else he needed. He asked for a slice of pie-if it was fresh-and a to go cup. She nodded and hurried off, and he checked out her ass as she went. She was pretty if you liked bottled blondes in too short skirts, and he did, but he just wasn’t in the mood. It was hard to think about sex when you had no damn idea what you were going to do from now on.
Inside the diner were truckers in dirty caps with big rigs parked up outside, and a little old couple that drove an RV. They were taking pictures of the cheesy art on the walls and giggling like teenagers, posing beside the giant cactus with a cowboy hat on. Dean watched them with a wistful feeling in his heart wondering if his parents would have been that way had they lived. His mom loved figurines so he could see her dragging their dad on road trips just to find angels with big eyes peering out from behind their own wings. And their dad would gripe the whole way but be happier than he’d ever been.
Instead of angry and miserable like he ended up.
Sighing deeply, he pulled out his wallet and dropped some money on the table. He grabbed his to go cup from the counter and poured his coffee into it, smiling when the waitress handed him a plastic container holding his pie. He winked, tucked his crumbled map into the pocket of his brown leather jacket and strolled outside into the cool morning air. The highway loomed before him but it was mostly deserted. Only drifters, truckers and people with nowhere to be used roads like this. The ones with just numbers as signs and billboards saying you just had to stop by and see the biggest ball of twine in the world.
It wasn’t that big if you asked him. He was expecting the size of a car.
The ground was dusty from not enough rain and as he walked towards his car, he kicked flecks of dirt up with his heavy work boots. All around him was open space and semi clear skies; the air fresh with a hint of exhaust from the 18-Wheelers parked on the other side of the diner. A part of him wished that he could do something like that. Just drive from place to place with his haul and see the world. Even if he could he’d probably end up worrying about Sam. Or Sam would worry about him and beg him to stop, citing sources about accidents and robberies. And the kicker of course was that he would stop.
Throwing open the driver side door he slid inside and sunk against the smooth leather seat, putting his pie aside. He continued to sip his coffee and stare at nothing, thinking about the past and all of the directions his life could have went. Not that he figured he’d ever be some kinda hot shot doctor or whatever, but felon certainty hadn’t been on the list. How was he supposed to get a job with that lurking over his head? People would immediately assume the worst. That he was an axe murderer released for good behavior and overcrowding.
Yeah that would be a way more interesting story than the truth but he doubted it would help with the whole employment thing.
What kinda jobs don’t give a shit about that kinda thing? He wondered to himself. Garbage man? Janitor at some place after hours?
Not glamorous but he could make it work for a few bucks.
He glanced to his watch and slumped, checking the gages to make sure he had enough gas. He placed his coffee into the cup holder and finagled his keys out of his pocket. He was just about to stick them into the ignition when yelling caught his ear. Arching a brow, he turned his attention to a beat up green pickup truck and two men; the yeller pointing down while waving his left hand around. The other simply watched him with a rather blank expression.
His cellmate in the joint hadn’t been some deep philosopher or intellect, but he’d always talked about what he would have done differently if given the chance.
“I’d help more people, Dean. I’d give homeless men change and help little old ladies across the street,” He’d said genuinely. “Karma adds up, son. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a shithead I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Dean would only smirk and remind him he was in jail because he stole millions from his company and was in fact a greedy bastard.
Still it wasn’t a bad motto to live by. And the more time he dawdled the longer it would take him to reach California. God that made him sound like an asshole but there was just so much more to the story. So much fucken history that it was choking him. He needed time to breathe. Just a little.
He climbed out of the car easily and made the short trek over to where the men stood, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Hey, you guys need some help or something?”
The shorter one looked at him and smiled, his eyes flashing gold from the glare of the sun. “Do you know how to change a flat tire?” He raked a hand through his light auburn hair. “I know it’s something every guy is supposed to know but let’s just say I missed that class in shop.”
Dean chuckled; the little voice inside his head already cracking jokes at the fact that two guys had no idea how to change a freaken tire. He was sure that was mandatory for dudes. “Yeah I know how to change a tire.” He peeped into the bed of the truck and spied the spare. “You got a jack?”
Shorty shrugged. “I don’t know. Do I?”
Snorting, Dean waved a hand. “Okay no worries I should have one. I can have you fixed up in about fifteen.”
“Great.” Shorty offered his hand. “I’m Gabriel Legend and my silent companion here is Castiel Novak.”
Dean shook his hand. “Dean Winchester.” He turned to the aforementioned Castiel to do the same, blinking when wide blue eyes stared intensely back at him. “Um, hey.”
“Hello.” Castiel said with a deep, rich voice. He shook Dean’s hand in a nice firm grip. “It is very kind of you to offer to help us. Gabriel was quite sure we would be here for a while since neither of us is proficient at this task.”
“Yeah well, it’s this new thing I’m trying.” Dean smiled at him. “Sending out good karma or some shit.” He headed back to his car and shrugged out of his jacket, popping open the trunk to pull out his jack. He left his coat hanging over the side before returning to the truck, slipping the flat end of the jack under the truck’s axel.
Kneeling with the X shaped lug wrench in his hand, he began the rough task of twisting off the lug nuts, grunting on the particularly tight ones.
“Soo…” Gabriel drawled. “What brings you to bum fuck nowhere? Business or pleasure?”
“Neither. Just passing through.” Dean explained lightly. “What about you guys?”
“I had a candy bar craving and the grocery store is two miles from where we live. It would have been better to get the flat there but of course no one would have probably offered to fix it.” He rubbed his chin dramatically. “So I guess it was our lucky day to run into you.”
Dean finished the last lug with a little pull and it slipped off to join the others. He piled them on top of each other so that he wouldn’t lose them. “Guess so.” Next he went about jacking up the truck. With up and down movements, he clicked and clicked the lever, and little by little the vehicle started to rise up off the ground.
Gabriel folded his arms over his chest. “Well damn, you make it look so easy! What else can you do?”
Dean tilted his head to the side. “Uh…I don’t know.” Odd question to ask someone.
Gabriel grinned. “No I mean, what else can you do with a truck? Or for that matter a car or a tractor.”
“Oh. Not tootin’ my own horn but if it runs on four wheels I can probably fix it.” He’d been working at a garage when the shit hit the fan for his old man’s best friend. Knew his way around an engine like a chef knew his kitchen. “Why?”
Excitedly Gabriel bounced on his toes. “You’d be perfect to help Rufus. And when I say help I mean do most of the work because he’s getting old and grumpy, and his joints make noise when he bends over too far. Would you like a job fixing shit? I can’t really pay you a lot but I can offer room and board. Sorta.”
As Dean lifted the spare tire out of the truck’s bed, he ran the proposal over in his mind. It seemed okay but that could just be some kinda cover. It was possible that Gabriel and the overly quiet Castiel were serial killers looking to make him their next victim. That would be his luck. “Not really in the market for a job.”
“Aw c’mon!” Gabriel pouted. “I’ll admit it’s not exciting work but you’d be with good people. And after you fix what’s broken you can be on your merry way. Tell him Castiel.”
Castiel nodded slowly. “Gabriel is a good man. He runs a tourist outlet a few miles from here.”
Gabriel snorted. “Call it what is it a tourist trap. But the locals enjoy it too.”
Dean pulled the flat off and let it fall heavily onto its side. “You mean you sell like rocks with those googely eyes or something?”
Gabriel smirked. “We do sell trinkets but mostly it’s special people showing off their talents. I’d give you a flyer but I left them in my other pants. Anyway we don’t make millions but we do make enough to stay in business, thanks to Castiel here. He’s our main attraction.”
Those words made Dean stop what he was doing and take another glance at Castiel. He didn’t look extraordinary but that wasn’t to say there wasn’t something mesmerizing about him. Maybe it was the startling ocean blue of his eyes that looked right through you or the somewhat distinguished angles of his face. Maybe it was the dark disheveled bed head or the shadow of scruff on his cheeks. He just looked…ethereal for whatever reason. Even in his khaki pants and snug blue sweater.
“Oh yeah?” He mused. “What do you do? Read minds or something?”
Castiel smiled softly. “No. My talent is more physical actually.”
It wasn’t a come on, obviously, but for a man who’d spent the last year behind bars without a moment alone to piss let alone jack off, it sent a shiver down Dean’s spine. He turned back to his task before he said something that got him into trouble. The last thing he needed was to get his ass kicked for hitting on the wrong guy. Or a guy with his possible boyfriend standing right there.
“Ya don’t say.” He said instead, fitting the good tire into place. “Just a bit curious though. Do you guys normally go around offering jobs to drifters? I could be insane or dangerous.”
Gabriel piffed at him. “Nah. I know dangerous and you’re not dangerous. Besides don’t let Castiel here fool you. He could kick your ass if you tried to harm us. He’s scrappy.”
Dean snickered lowly. “Interesting.”
“You have no idea.” Gabriel murmured mischievously. “Seriously though, I do need a good mechanic and you’re killing it with that tire. You’d get your own trailer and whatever is left in it. Fifty bucks a week, twenty-five when I can’t swing fifty. I know it’s not a lot but we got some things cooking. You won’t starve or anything.”
Exhaling deeply, Dean started to give the offer some serious thought. He didn’t exactly need any cash-at least not until the grand he already had left-but he was looking for a place to lay low for a while. And having a job gave him a nice excuse to tell Sam once he explained why he wasn’t coming immediately to California. He would be upset but he would understand the monetary aspect of things.
And it would give him a chance to get his shit together.
He finished fixing up the tire in silence and stood to lower the truck back to the ground. Afterwards he wiped his hand on a stray rag from inside the cab and faced Gabriel. “I should tell you, I just got out of jail a few weeks ago.”
Gabriel’s brows arched. “Who did you kill?”
He laughed. “No one. It’s a long story but my brother did something stupid so I took the rap for it. Got a year because I didn’t have any priors.”
“Wait. You went to jail for a crime you didn’t commit so that your brother would be free?” Gabriel inquired with a bit of awe. “That’s some crazy ass shit. My brother was a dick. He’d set me up instead of help me go free.”
Castiel glanced off towards the horizon. “I think it was a very noble gesture.”
Funny how stupid and noble can often go hand in hand. “Yeah well…” Dean cleared his throat. “He’s my little brother and I look out for him. This happened in Kansas if you wanna look into it to know that I’m not lying. I served my time and got released. Now-now I just wanna be in my own space for a while.”
Gabriel nodded. “Deano I think you’d fit right in with my group of misfits. As long as you’re not a klepo or pyromaniac I think we’ll be okay. But since I would be an idiot not to ask, what did you serve time for?”
“Grand left auto.”
“Ooh flashy. So you weren’t in with the killers and rapists?”
“Thankfully, no. My cellmate embezzled money from his company.”
“Ha! Idiot. You gonna follow us in that monster you call a car?”
Dean rolled his eyes playfully. “Careful. She’s very sensitive.” Pause. “And yeah I will.”
“Good.” Gabriel nudged Castiel towards the truck. “You won’t regret your decision, dude. Trust me. I’m gonna change your life.”
Okay that sounded a bit ominous. Dean folded up his jack and packed it away in the trunk of his black Impala, grabbing his jacket and tossing it into the back seat. He started up and flexed his fingers on the steering wheel, easing the car into gear and pulling out behind Gabriel seconds later.
As he drove his thoughts collided together violently in his mind. Some would call him a coward but he wasn’t running from anything. He was just prolonging carrying out a decision he had already made. Besides it wasn’t like Sam was bad off or anything. The last time he’d talked to him he’d learned he had a new girlfriend now named Jessica, and that he was doing extremely well in school. Hell the little bookworm had always been a total nerd and now it was really paying off.
He had not imploded without his big brother there to watch over him. He’d simply found someone else. Someone better. Nothing beat some pretty little thing in a too tight shirt who thought smart guys were sexy. So yeah, Sammy was just fine without him.
Digging into his glove compartment, he pulled out an old cassette tape and slipped it into the tape deck. Soulful rock music filled the car and he nibbled on his bottom lip, his clear green eyes focused on the backs of the two heads in the vehicle in front of him. He wasn’t sure what to make of Gabriel yet. He came off as an okay dude but looks could be deceiving. Still offering him a job right off the jump wasn’t something an asshole did; well not unless he wanted to get over on you. But it wasn’t like he had anything worth taking except his car, and they could pry it from his cold dead hands if they dared. There’d been this look in his eyes though bordering on devious like he enjoyed being an asshole from time to time.
Who didn’t?
Castiel was much harder to pin down of course. He’d seemed utterly indifferent and aloof while managing to stare at Dean like he could read his mind. And what was up with him being the main draw to Gabriel’s whatever? What could he possibly do that had people paying out their hard earned money to see it? That was also of a physical nature?
Suddenly by no fault of his own, Dean began to imagine that Castiel was some type of contortionist. That he could bend his lithe body into many interestingly different ways; tie himself up like a pretzel with his legs behind his head.
Yeah. Yeah he would definitely pay to see that.
Shaking those images away before he ended up rear ending them, he took a quick sip of his coffee. While his life wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, he knew that he was lucky not to end up in Prison with a capital P with the bad sort of people. Not that he was shallow because he wasn’t-exactly-but with his looks he would have been the bell of the ball. And while he could fight, there was always someone bigger and badder just waiting to take you on. All that shit would have probably put him right off guys entirely. As it stood however, he was pretty fluid in who he was attracted to. Had been since he was fourteen and Steven Drake rode into town on his motorbike, not giving a fuck about much except his mom and his reputation.
Honestly at the time Dean was not sure whether he wanted to kiss him or be like him. Probably both.
Dean had never expected to actually be his friend because he was two years older, but in between teasing Dean about being “pretty” he’d honestly appeared to like him. Dean would have ended up doing something stupid if things hadn’t spiraled out of control at home a few weeks after he turned fifteen. Suddenly there was no time to meet Steve behind the abandoned department store in the middle of the night for beers and shot gunning cigarettes. Suddenly there wasn’t time for anything except making sure Sam was okay.
He didn’t regret one minute of his life in service to his little brother, but he missed how it was before.
Before the fire.
Before the alcohol and the depression and the yelling.
Before he was expected to be way older than his fifteen years.
But fuck it. He couldn’t change the past and his future was possibly looking up.
After driving down the long stretch of highway past a few houses and more fields, Gabriel turned down a side road instead of coasting onto the ramp that would take you to the freeway. The journey continued on through the rather rural area and as he peaked over a steep hill, he saw a group of bright red tents sitting a ways off from the road with several gray trailers even further out into the field.
Gabriel switched on his signal light and Dean followed, passing a large wooden sign that read LEGEND’S MAGICAL MENAGERIE!.
The Impala’s wheels crackled over gravel before coming to stop in what he assumed was a small parking lot. He had a feeling you could just park anywhere though and it would be okay. He cut the engine and climbed out, looking around slowly. It was almost like a circus but there were no animals or clowns or booths where you could play games. Or was that a carnival? Eh.
There were picnic tables where one could eat and a large grill for grilling up food. He could hear the sounds of machines-maybe a generator of some type-running and there were swinging lanterns for when it got dark. As well as two tall street lamps.
All in all it didn’t look too bad. The area was clean and the grounds kempt; not the kinda place you’d find litter or garbage scattered around.
Gabriel jumped out of the truck and strolled over to him. “What do you think?”
Dean smiled. “Looks pretty nice. Bigger than I expected.”
Gabriel yawned. “Yeah. Besides Castiel there are four other people with their own tents and talents. Then I’ve got a few workers that keep things looking nice.”
“What made you open this kinda place anyway?” Dean asked curiously.
Gabriel’s carefree expression slipped for a moment. Dean didn’t expect him to really answer, but then he shrugged. “My dad was a dick, a real cooperate douche-bag that wanted me to follow in his footsteps. So naturally I did the next best thing and started hustling. You name it and I probably dabbled in it-nothing horrible but illegal wasn’t really a problem. Got in deep with a bookie so I took what I had, moved out here and bought this land. Before the whole tourist deal I tried farming and raising livestock. After seeing a baby cow being born I decided being Old MacDonald wasn’t the way to go.”
Dean laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Happy to say I’ve never seen that.”
Gabriel winked. “Pray you never do.” Then he motioned for him to follow him. “Let’s get you set up and introduced to Rufus.”
Falling into step with the two men, Dean could see a few people wandering around while others stopped to stare. He didn’t wave or acknowledge them; he figured there was plenty of time to find out who to avoid later on.
“May I ask you something?” Castiel questioned when they rounded a tent and Gabriel sprinted ahead. “You do not have to answer if it causes you distress.”
“Shoot.” Dean said.
“What were the circumstances that made you take your brother’s place in prison?” A little frown appeared between his brows. “Gabriel says it is none of my business but that does not stop my curiosity on the matter. I find it very gallant that you would put yourself into that situation for a loved one.”
Dean grinned; he’d never been called gallant before. “Interesting choice of words but I kinda like it. Um…” He exhaled. He hadn’t told many people this story because he didn’t want it to affect Sam’s future. But there was no reason to keep it bottled up inside anymore. The case was closed and justice had been served. “Sam-my brother-he’s a good kid really. Some shit just went down in our past that made him start acting out. He got in trouble with the law twice before and this would have been his third strike I guess. Of course it started ‘cause of a chick.”
Castiel listened aptly. “Yes?”
That night flashed before his eyes and he scratched at his cheek. “Yeah. At the time he was bang-seeing this chick named Ruby and she was fuckin’ insane. I tried to tell him to ditch her but he wouldn’t listen to me. I think he liked her because I hated her. Anyway I’m at work one night and they roar up on this sweet yellow Mustang with racing stripes. Sam jumps out and he’s babbling about how Ruby stole the car and the cops are after them and what is he gonna do? He can’t go to jail! He has two years left at Stanford-he had to go back in the fall.” Kicking a rock with his boot, he grunted. “So when the cops arrived I told them I did it. Ruby’s dad was rich and in exchange for not saying she was involved, he got me a good lawyer and gave Sam whatever he needed while I was away. When I got out he made sure my car was waiting for me along with a check for a thousand bucks. “Staring over” money it was called.”
“You must love your little brother very much.”
“Yeah.”
“Is he still involved with Ruby?”
“No. He’s dating some girl named Jessica now. It’s getting pretty serious.”
“You like her?”
“Haven’t met her yet but from what I heard she seems okay. She’s not a psycho bitch so that’s a plus when it comes to chicks.”
Castiel gave a tiny smile but it changed his entire face. Made him look younger. Made the corner of his eyes crinkle just so. “So Gabriel has told me on several occasions.”
Dean wet his lips. “You two a thing?”
Castiel blinked. “No. Gabriel is just-well he’s become a very dear friend of mine. He took me in when I had nothing.”
“Likes collecting strays huh?” He joked, and Castiel’s tiny smile flared up again. “That’s cool though, Cas. Everyone needs someone. I guess.”
Whether or not Castiel noticed the shortened version of his name, he didn’t seem to care. Actually his eyes widened in what could have been considered delight and Dean found himself tumbling into all the captivating blue. “Well now you have us.”
Dean opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Not that it mattered since Castiel decided the conversation was over and meandered away towards where a petite blonde woman was standing.
Gabriel had stopped and was standing with a middle aged black man, looking amused for whatever reason. Dean snorted inwardly and joined them; waiting as Gabriel introduced the man as Rufus Turner. Rufus didn’t really look friendly, in fact he looked like a total hard ass but Dean was used to dealing with his type. Tangling with one Bobby Singer had pretty much trained him on how to deal with gruff old dudes who liked their whiskey more than anything else.
Rufus looked him over with a huff. “Another one? What can this one do?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t taken him for a test drive yet.” Gabriel teased. “He’s here however to help you. He’s supposed to be a kick ass mechanic. In any case I think you should give him a try. You’ve been whining about your back for months now so look! I brought you a shiny new toy to do all of the heavy lifting! His name is Dean Winchester.”
Dean held out his hand which Rufus shook though a bit reluctantly. “Nice to meet you.”
“How old are you, boy?” Rufus asked. “And why did you agree to work for this maniac?”
“Twenty-three.” Pause. “And it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Rufus chuckled. “Yeah I’ve had a few of those myself. Okay. I guess it won’t hurt to see how you fair with a wrench in your hand. In any case you gotta be better than Andy. Damn fool wouldn’t know an alternator if it came up and bit him in the ass.” He pointed to a rusty red tractor a few yards away. “You help me get that working and you can stay as long as you don’t annoy me. I’m not too old to be shootin’ people but I am too old to go to jail for it.”
Dean arched a brow and grinned. He had a feeling he and Rufus were going to get along just fine. “No problem. You got a toolbox?”
“Does the Queen wear a crown?” Rufus waved him on as he walked off. “C’mon. Let’s get to work.”
~*~
By noon Dean had discarded his long sleeved flannel shirt onto the large tire of the tractor. His muscles were straining and tinged with sweat, his dark green shirt stained with grease and oil. But he was smiling at whatever Rufus was saying from where he stood on an apple crate so that he could tinker under the hood of the tractor.
Castiel watched him from where he leaned against the souvenir stand with a critical eye. He couldn’t stop himself from cataloguing Dean’s expressions or the way he would throw his head back and laugh when Rufus said something particularly funny. Most of the older man’s jokes tended to go over his head but Dean had no apparent problem understanding them. It was nice though to see Rufus with someone who he could banter back and forth with. Since Uriel left he had not had that opportunity. Not really. Most did not want to spend their time listening to Rufus complain about the price of things.
Which made Dean’s ingratiation with him all the more intriguing. What could they possibly have in common? Was Dean’s skill as a mechanic really so amazing that he could smooth over someone as prickly as Rufus was prone to be? Or was Rufus simply happy to have someone to talk to? In any case it was nice to see him more active.
For all intents and purposes Dean Winchester was a kind young man. An admirable man because of the way he had protected his brother. Castiel did not know of any family that wasn’t on television that would react in such a way. Certainly no one in his “family” would have vouched for him in such a manner. Here maybe but not there.
Yet there was a sharp sadness in Dean’s telling green eyes that clearly stated all was not so cut and dry. Perhaps it was wrong to pry-Gabriel often said he asked too many questions, that he was nosy- but he found himself wanting to know more. And not just about the situation which found Dean in Nebraska but more about the man himself. It was obvious that Dean had many layers; he’d shown several in the few hours since they’d met. But which was the bottom one?
“Look at you, checking out our new resident beefcake.” Gabriel’s voice drifted to his ears but he didn’t turn. “Didn’t know you were a fan of the working man, Castiel. Are those rippling muscles doing it for you?”
Castiel sighed slightly as Gabriel popped up behind the counter, wiping down a crystal hologram paperweight. “As if I am to believe you offered him a job because of his skill set?”
Gabriel grinned widely. “So I thought he was pretty, sue me. You can’t be surprised by that.”
“Nothing you do surprises me anymore.” Castiel mused affectionately.
Gabriel blew him a kiss. “Like you don’t think he’s hot. Granted I’ve never seen you into anyone before but it’s nice to know you’re not a robot. I have had my doubts all these years. It would explain so much.”
“Why do you think I am “into him”?” Castiel used air quotes. “Because I am looking at him? I’m not you.”
“But you wish you were!” His friend laughed. “And how do I know? One, look at his face. Seriously look at it. Grandmas would be into him. Those lips… Two, you went all dopey eyed when you were talking to him earlier so he must have said something you liked. I’m not judging you even though he is only twenty-three. He’s lived so it’s okay.”
Not really. No one so young should have shadows in their eyes. “He is very handsome. I think working here will be good for him. It has helped many.”
Gabriel shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him one way or the other. “Yeah well he’s a good kid, and you know how I’m a sucker for a pretty face and puppy dog eyes.” A beat. “Did he tell you the whole deal with his bro?”
Castiel nodded. “Yes. It made me like him even more though I have to question that. I don’t really know anything about him beyond what he did for his little brother.”
His friend smiled. “Considering he went to bat for him majorly, I think that’s enough.”
Gabriel could be very intuitive when he wanted to be. When he wasn’t joking around or trying to be the life of the party. He was known for being a good judge of character too; all of the people he brought into his circle were damaged but well meaning. And after they were no longer dragged down by their inner or outer turmoil, they flourished under his management. Yes they didn’t make money hand over fist but they were comfortable and in a loving environment.
And that is all that mattered.
Tilting his head to the side, Castiel scowled. “He’s twenty-three?”
“Yup!” Gabriel popped the word. “But like the song goes age ain’t nothing but a number. Especially in your case.”
Castiel bristled a little. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Gabriel folded his arms over his chest. “It means that you’re a year away from thirty and yet you’ve never been in a relationship. Heh not for someone’s lack of trying of course but you might as well be eighteen or younger with what you know about those sort of things.”
Blue eyes rolled dramatically. “You always jump to the middle. I just wish to be Dean’s friend. I think he could use one.”
Lowering his voice, Gabriel watched Dean’s jaw flex as he struggled to tighten whatever he was working on. “You gonna show him?”
Naturally Castiel knew exactly what he was talking about. “I suspect he will inquire about my purpose here after he has met the others. So yes, I shall show him. I just hope he isn’t disgusted.”
“I doubt that.” Gabriel replied calmly. “Doesn’t look the type. You gonna charge him?”
“I hate it when you say it like that. Makes me feel like a whore.”
“You’re only a whore if you let them touch you. What you do is a job and you get paid for it. Just like the others.”
“I know. And to answer your question…maybe.”
Gabriel patted his shoulder, his face alight with glee. “I think things are going to be a lot more fun with old Deano here. I can’t wait!”
From across the way, Dean slapped at the side of the tractor and Rufus cranked it up. It roared to life with a deep sound and Dean whooped, his grin infectious.
Watching him Castiel felt very inclined to agree with Gabriel. Things were definitely going to change, that was for sure. He would reserve judgment on the better or worse for later.
Chapter Two