canon au } { post-1403: the scar

[hasperkynipples]

Dean: [As soon as they return to the bunker, Dean makes a point of scrubbing himself of Michael. He heads to his room to strip out of the three-piece suit that feels like it's suffocating him, and then takes a long, hot shower. When he deems himself clean and reemerges again in his usual clothing, gives off a "don't talk to me" radius a mile wide, but that's generally for the other hunters' benefit. Which ... wow there's a lot of them. He doesn't know where to go without bumping into someone, so eventually he retreats into the garage with a beer to find a car to work on to keep his hands busy]

Sam: [and he will give his brother some time before walking in with a dinner bag from the diner. Burger and fries] I brought you dinner.

Dean: [rolls out from under the car] Thank God, I'm starving.

Sam: Figured you'd be. Got you as many calories as I could fit in the bag.

Dean: Thanks, Sammy. [and he will go wash his hands, before getting ready to dig in] So ... looks like I missed a lot.

Sam: Yeah, have you looked at a calendar yet?

Dean: [no, he's aware of that time he gestures back to the main area with his beer] I was referring to how we seem to be hunter central right now.

Sam: Yeah. Well, we brought them back through the rift, but they have no clue on how this world operates. Michael, Ben, and I have been working on finding cases and organizing teams to take them locally.

Dean: [he nods slowly] No, it's good. It's just ... not what I was expecting.

Sam: You'd be proud of the boys. They're the ones doing most of this work while I've been... [looking for you]

Dean: [glances over at him and raising an eyebrow] Losing your mind? [he then gestures to the beard]

Sam: Looking for you. [scratches the beard]

Dean: You look like crap. [because this is Dean]

Sam: Bela likes it.

Dean: She would.

Sam: So get used to it. [takes a sip from his own beer]

Dean: [rolls his eyes] So what else should I know about?

Sam: Well, Jack's powers are gone. Cas thinks that they'll recharge, but he's having a hard time adjusting to being human. Ben's been trying to help him since he went through it himself. And I just found out that Nick left while we were recovering you.

Dean: Nick?

Sam: [oh yeah] The guy Lucifer was in back in the beginning.

Dean: .... He survived?

Sam: Yeah, but he's got major PTSD. Like, I don't know if anyone can ever help him levels of trauma.

Dean: Damn.

Sam: I'm not even sure if we should hunt him down. There's nothing we can do for him.

Dean: [he shrugs] We can keep an eye out. Keeping him cooped up here isn't going to help him get any closure.

Sam: Exactly. And it's not like he doesn't know how to find us.

Dean: Yep. I'm sure he'll be fine. [spoiler: it will not be fine]

Sam: Totally. [when is it ever going to be fine?]

Dean: [never, this is their lives. and with that, Dean's just going to dig into his food because nope, not going to talk about him, la la la]

Ben: [and he will poke his head in] Sam? Maggie's group just got back from their hunt and want to check in with you on some stuff.

Sam: Yeah, I'll go talk to her. [looks at Dean] Be back in a bit

Dean: [nods, still shoving food in his mouth before swallowing and shouting after him:] Bring me another beer!

Sam: [nods absently, because he probably will take awhile.]

Ben: [leans in the doorway a moment, arms crossed, looking at the floor. Not sure how to talk. He's tempted to just disappear back into the hallways]

Dean: [glances over] So you've been hanging out here?

Ben: Yeah. I mean, Sam's been out looking for you the last few months. Mikey and I had to be version 2.0.

Dean: Sam said you were doing pretty well. Going to keep that up, or are you headed back to Beacon Hills?

Ben: [shrugs] Not sure. I mean, with you back, Cas will focus more on Jack now. Not really a lot for me to do around here.

Dean: There's always plenty to do. Michael's still out there doing God knows what, and ... there's always monsters.

Ben: I can do that here or in Beacon Hills. [he's a Winchester and doing the whole talking around what he really wants to say thing]

Dean: [well he's not going to call him out on it. That's what his girlfriend is for] Then up to you, man. I know how close you and Lindsay are. [he's also not going to be the one to make Ben give up the life he's happy in. He's screwed that up too many times on his own, he's not going to do that to Ben]

Ben: [nods, then out of the blue] I'm thinking of asking her to marry me.

Dean: Are you going to wimp out and run off to Vegas like Sammy did?

Ben: Not sure. Not even sure if I can, because you know, no actual identity in this dimension.

Dean: Fair enough. Though we do have a guy in the government now. [he means Stiles]

Ben: Yeah, and I know he'd be happy to help. Probably should do it anyway because Liv and Mikey seem to have found their perfect matches.

Dean: Yep. And given the bullshit this world tends to shove at us, you have to take whatever happiness you can get.

Ben: [nods, looking at the wall a moment, taking a deep breath] You scared me, you know.

Dean: [raises an eyebrow] I scared you?

Ben: Saying Yes. I've seen how that particular story ends. [yup, not looking at Dean. Wall is very interesting]

Dean: Yeah, I wasn't particularly fond of it either. But we were running out of options.

Ben: You could have let it be me.

Dean: Absolutely not.

Ben: Why not? I'm just as much of a vessel as you are. [and he'll look at Dean, angry, but also trying not to let the tears in his eyes fall] I've spent most of my life learning to deal with the archangels.

Dean: Yeah, and you also have a life and a girlfriend and way more going for you than I do right now. I was the right choice.

Ben: Yeah, right choice. The choice that could lead to me having to watch you die. AGAIN. Or worse, being the one who had to do it!

Dean: I hate to tell you kid, but we're all gonna die sometime.

Ben: I'm the last person you need to remind that to. [anger is starting to win over tearing up]

Dean: You also realize that if I let him take you, you would be asking me to potentially do the exact same thing to you. [he's calm and steady because even though this choice went bad, it's still the best one they had]

Ben: Yeah, but I'm not the one who Death has a hard on for.

Dean: That doesn't make you any less dead! Billie has a hard-on for all of us.

Ben: The world needs you more than it needs me, and we both know it.

Dean: Fuck what the world needs! There is no version of the universe where you go in the ground before me. You got me?

Ben: [and he is actually shocked at the amount of emotion Dean tosses at him and doesn't say anything, just staring at Dean with wide eyes]

Dean: [yeah, normally he wouldn't but the idea that anyone needs to die to save his life is always going to be a hair trigger for him. and he's never not cared about Ben. It's just that Ben always seemed to assume that he's just like the other Dean, so he gave him his space]

Ben: [finally he looks down at the ground, biting his lip. Almost embarrassed, really, as he whispers] Yes, sir.

Dean: Good. [and he'll break eye contact and go back to the car because how do you parent? Dean Winchester sure doesn't know] Anything else?

Ben: No. [and he's going to retreat as Sam returns with the beer, looking back at Ben in confusion as Ben makes his getaway]

Dean: [and he's just going to nod and go back to the car he was working on cuz that's about standard for things with him and Ben]