Dean Winchester (
dudeimbatman) wrote2020-05-03 05:42 pm
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weirddreams
Honesty, if anyone had told Dean he'd be living this sort of life a few years ago, he would have called them a liar. He wouldn't have even believed it of Itinere, but here he is living a practically idyllic life in a weird little magical town. They had Sam's birthday yesterday and for once in his life, he's not dreading Mother's Day. He's actually looking forward to it because Mary is here.
Carmen is working the night shift at the emergency room here (which means she's probably reading or playing games on her phone) and that leaves Dean with a night to himself. After dinner and watching TV with the family, he goes to the Bat Cave to have a beer, wind down and wait for Carmen to get off work. He's there, watching an old black and white horror movie that he's seen a thousand times when Sam walks in. Dean looks up a little surprised. It's not often Sam seeks him out in the evening. "Hey, Sammy. Couldn't sleep? Want a beer?" he offers, gesturing to the small fridge with the cold beer in it (El Sol of course).
Carmen is working the night shift at the emergency room here (which means she's probably reading or playing games on her phone) and that leaves Dean with a night to himself. After dinner and watching TV with the family, he goes to the Bat Cave to have a beer, wind down and wait for Carmen to get off work. He's there, watching an old black and white horror movie that he's seen a thousand times when Sam walks in. Dean looks up a little surprised. It's not often Sam seeks him out in the evening. "Hey, Sammy. Couldn't sleep? Want a beer?" he offers, gesturing to the small fridge with the cold beer in it (El Sol of course).

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It's not often that he is apart from Ruby either but in an odd switch of routine, she was the one that fell a sleep while he was the one that couldn't. He had gotten up to just to burn off some excess energy and mull over his thoughts when he heard the TV from inside the Bat Cave. It's easy to guess inside is Dean. He's needed to talk to Dean for some time whether he's consciously aware of it or not. Sam's gaze turns to the fridge and he moves toward it because why not. A can of beer might help. He moves to sit down on the couch when he has one and lift it as a gesture of thanks.
"Yeah, couldn't sleep yet," he confirms. His attention shifts to the horror movie Dean has playing, not exactly opposed to the old white and black form of horror to say anything about it. "Have a little bit on my mind lately. What keeps you up? Carmen back home?" This may just be the typical warm up before his thoughts spill over, but it's born out of genuine regard too.
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Beer usually does help at least in some regard. It'll probably help him relax a little and get to sleep when he does go to bed.
Dean nods in understanding. Sometimes it's best to let the silence work on Sam. "She's on night shift at the hospital. She doesn't get off for another few hours." He takes a sip of his beer and looks sideways at Sam. "So what's on your mind?" He'd know that Sam had something on his mind even if he hadn't said it; Sam is awake in the middle of the night. That tells Dean the kid has something on his mind.
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Beer will get him to relax a little for sure. Sleep is a little easier only when things are off his mind.
Silence is one way to get him to talk. He doesn't see it but it's quite effective. "She's adjusting well then?" He assumes she has from what he's seen but won't make the assumption. He has the beer in both his hands and he stares down at it for a second before pulling the tab to open the can to take a sip. "This place, you know? Over the last two years, it's been home and...
"Do you think it'd be good to stop being cautious and start making it more permanent?"
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Then he needs to talk some of those things off his mind. As much as Dean teases Sam and gives him a hard time, that's part of why he's here. He wouldn't have Sam talk to anyone else.
He nods a little. "I think sometimes it's still a little weird that I'm not exactly the person she knows, but it's getting easier." For both of them. Sam's commentary has Dean nodding a little. Yes, this place has become home, especially with all of the aforementioned family around.
Of course, Sam's question gets a confused look out of Dean. "Permanent how?" His tone is suspicious and confused. He's afraid Sam is talking about moving out of the bunker and getting his own place.
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He should just it off his mind. He's always been able to talk to Dean so that's not the issue. The issue is... he does not want to make Dean swallow his beer down the wrong pipe if he jumps to the point too quickly. Though it may be unavoidable.
He shakes his head because he gets it. "I think it's normal to feel a little weird that there was a whole other you that existed and that she knew him first." No one expects either of them not to feel weird about it even if it's been a handful months since Carmen arrived. It's because they have family it can feel like home at all.
Maybe if he were still that kid in college then moving out would seem to be the next logical step, but it's not that. He shakes his head because whatever Dean is suspicious of it being, it's not that. "I mean, acting like we're going to be here forever. Lay down roots," he pauses just to work the nerve to his true thought, "think about kids, maybe."
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Yeah, that's probably going to happen regardless unless Sam has very good timing and that'll just be weird and difficult. He'll recover from beer down the wrong pipe. He'll even eventually recover from this discussion.
They're the same person so sometimes Carmen forgets and Dean will either do something that the other him wouldn't or he'll say something or Carmen will be surprised by a difference. Whether anyone else is aware of it or not, Carmen is falling in love with this Dean and he's pretty sure he's already in love with her (though he definitely doesn't want to admit that to anyone yet; commitment issues, that's another thing that the Dean in Carmen's world hadn't had). "It is pretty frickin' weird," Dean agrees. "I think she likes me though." Yes, Dean. That's putting it in the most simple form.
Dean frowns and takes a sip of beer. He thought they were laying down roots here. They've got friends and they've done quite a bit to the bunker to make it more 'home'. Of course, then Sam puts that out there and Dean coughs, choking on his beer a little. He pounds on his chest with one fist. "Sam...I thought you'd figured out Ruby can't have kids. And if she could...half demons..." He raises his eyebrows to finish the sentence.
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Well, suppose he can see that Dean might recover too. Probably.
That's the one thing about Carmen that Sam thinks they all see about her; she doesn't treat Dean like an 'other.' He could already tell Dean liked her despite his commitment issues. "You know I think she does too," Sam tilts his head because yeah, that's just the way it looks.
Yeah. Sorry, Dean? For the longest time Sam stayed because Dean thought it was home and it only started to change for him when Ruby and him got more serious and when friends and family made it feel like home. Surely enough he knew Dean would react like that. He gives him a moment before shaking then switching to nod his head. "No, no, yes, I know that. There's other ways to bring kids in picture." Does he have to spell it all out?
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Because to Carmen, he isn't. He's different but he's still the same person she loves in so many ways. Dean grins, pleased at Sam's observation, even if it is the obvious one. "She's a cool chick. I'm glad she gets along with everyone." Which is practically like saying he's thinking about committing.
Dean considers Sam's words and takes a sip of his beer. "Like a surrogate? Dude, you are not sleeping with Carmen," but mostly Dean is joking. "I haven't seen very many kids around this place. They might show up though. Or someone might not plan very well." Dean's eyes narrow a little. "So is this like...The...one? I mean...what you want to do with a life where you can do anything?" He's not judging exactly, but he's asking.
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Honestly, Carmen is such a class act that Sam hopes Dean doesn't hesitate when the moment presents itself. Well, he's trying not to be the one to push Dean. Letting Dean tell him about Carmen is better. "Me too. She's well rounded from a good family, business minded, well educated, and she didn't run when you told her what we do." (No, he is not trying to make it sound like he'd date her.) Yes, it sounds like what Dean's saying and Sam has another sip of beer rather than tell him. Commitment is his brother's thing to figure out.
Sam reacts the minute Dean puts that out there. "Dude, I'm not sleeping with Carmen. What is wrong with--" When he catches on to the joke, he just stops and gives Dean a roll of his eye. He considers the truth in what Dean is saying and he does not have an answer for that particular point just yet. However, he does know how strongly he feels about this. "Point taken. But- But it's not impossible that one might show up and need a family eventually. Yes, someone might not plan well either. The point is I'm open to it, or well, I want to be." Sam visible turns over the next question in his head,as it's more important. "What? Yeah...if there's anything I want to do with my life, it's have a family."
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Dean will probably hesitate because he's Dean, but hopefully Carmen will forgive him. Dean is glad that she gets along with the family. Dean smirks a little. "That last one is the big one." After all, what they do is what made Cassie run. Dean will figure it out, especially since Carmen hasn't run
Sorry, Sam but Dean had to add some levity to the whole conversation. He is serious about the surrogate thing though. It's good that Sam knows how he feels about it. Honestly, Dean is a little surprised that Sam feels so strongly about having a family. "I guess it's something we never really had a chance to talk about: whether you wanted kids or not." It's not been an opportunity they could afford to think about back home. "Does she know?" Ruby he means, that Sam wants to have kids.
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Sam would hope she has a sense that she's his best friend. Think it goes hand and hand with being the girlfriend.
For some reason Sam thinks Dean will be able to pull it together. After all, it's not like Dean nor Carmen can run from this place. Sam just nods. It's the biggest one. He remembers Cassie vaguely from all those years ago and the great thing is that he doesn't have to look at Dean with that same hurt in his eyes for being bumped.
Yeah, maybe Dean could work on the levity a bit. Sam fails to catch that Dean is serious about the surrogate thing though it's more to do with him being uncomfortable with the science behind the idea. He's thought about this for a few weeks now and he does feel strongly about it. "Exactly. I don't think I'd ever be able to decide back in our world, but it's. It's a real possibility without putting them in danger." It's almost as if they're on the same line of thinking. "No, I'm not sure how to bring it up to her yet." He means he's worried she might not want to go there with him.
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This place certainly lends itself to getting your life together. After all, it gives a person all the tools they need to do that. Dean has no desire to go through that kind of hurt. It's the reason for his commitment issues. He'll figure it out eventually though and Carmen will push him along where she needs to.
Sorry, Sam. Sometimes, Dean forgets that it's difficult to tell when he's being serious. In some ways, Dean figures that their family was so screwed up that Sam wouldn't want to have one of his own, but Dean has been known to put his own feelings onto Sam. That idea of safety is exactly the reason Dean had Cas wipe Lisa and Ben's memories of him; he couldn't put them in danger, not again. That's not an issue here. He takes a deep breath and nods. "I guess I could get behind being an uncle." That's pretty much Dean's blessing. His brow furrows a little. "I think you're going to have to figure that out at some point. Guess you could bring a kid home like you did Rifle," he jokes. Don't do that, Sam. It's a terrible joke.
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Yes, Ruby does not need to be aware of it fully to be special to him.
This place couldn't be more of the place they deserve. Opposite to Dean, Sam is willing to risk the hurt.
It's only difficult to tell when his brother is being serious sometimes. To be fair, Dean isn't wrong about them being screwed up and Sam not wanting children in the mix. However, it was mostly the case to grow on his conscious back home. The danger doesn't exist like it did back home. Sam knows not to bring up Lisa and Ben, but like Jess, they add to the reason why it isn't a thought back home. There's no evidence they're at risk of being well known here. Sam expects Dean can go one of two ways and his blessing is the one he was hoping for. "Heh, we'd have to set some ground rules first." About what Dean can do to spoil them if it comes to pass. "I know. I'll figure out a way to tell her soon." He runs his hand over his eyes at Dean's unreasonable joke. He won't. Kidnapping is not a game plan. "Seriously you could work on your jokes."
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Given some time, Dean will think through all of the things that Sam has already realized and he might actually come to the conclusion that Sam has: the danger doesn't exist the way it does back home; they (he) could have a relatively peaceful life here without endangering the people he loves. Dean blows a breath through his lips, making a dismissive sort of sound. Clearly, he's going to consider the ground rules carefully then throw them out the window. "Are you kidding? I'm hilarious," he tells Sam, trusting that Sam will find a way to talk to Ruby about it. Sam was always smarter about things like that than he is, at least when emotion is involved. He suspects that this conversation is part of Sam working that out.
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They would go around in circles if it was ever up for an honest open discussion. Sam would like to see the day when Dean gathers up enough courage to push forward and may even believe he sees hints of it already. It would mean a lot to know Dean is proud.
It took Sam some time to come to that realization so Dean isn't far behind if it's any consolation. The only thing that still concerns him about Itinere is wish magic and if there are consequences out of their control. Dismissive as his brother acts, Sam does not intend to let Dean forget so easily. They can discuss what those ground rules are later. "Yeah. Not really." He tilts his head to the side, pulling his lips into a line. He is thinking about how it is possible to adopt a child in a broader context; Dean has that part right. Ruby is also his next stop. The thing Sam needed first though was Dean's blessing, which really starts to sink in when a short (awkward) silence falls between them.
"So you're on board, Uncle Dean?" His enthusiasm is measured as nothing is official.
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Wish magic concerns Dean sometimes too. It's far too difficult to figure out if the things that happen to them sometimes happen because of the things they wish for or because they're Winchesters. Pshaw, Sam has been trying to convince Dean he's not hilarious his whole life; it hasn't worked yet. Dean watches Sam and tries to dissect his expression and what's going on in his head. Right now, he figures there's a lot going on in his head right now. He's got Dean's blessing. He figures that'll do at least until an actual kid is in the picture then he'll warn Sam he ought to talk to the grandparents-to-be.
Dean grins, letting those words sink in. "Dude, I'm going to make an awesome uncle."
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Unfortunately, Sam isn't the one that is going to let Dean have too many drinks on purpose so it could be a long time until it gets there.
There's a strong possibility for both cases. For it being that they're Winchesters or the occasional occurrence. At one point he used to laugh at Dean's jokes, sometimes the faces he would make as he was especially young, so maybe he can see why Dean is unconvinced. Honestly, there's a lot to sort out. There's concern to what Ruby will think or say most of all. He'll have to face that soon enough. Yeah, and the grandparents-to-be are another worry at the back of his mind.
"Dude, we're going to talk later, much later about ground rules." When they get there that is. For now though, he can't help but smile just a little more. He can't doubt that Dean won't be a good uncle.