Chapter Text
Dean is a bit of an enigma. He’s charismatic, quick-witted and well-spoken if not eloquent, and impossibly perfect. For a guy that looks like him, he’s one of the kindest and most patient people that works at Copland’s Auto Body Repair. He knows his way around cars, enough that it was obviously second nature. He’s a hard worker and you can tell his passion comes from a love for what he does. He’s good at what he does, he’s quick and efficient, and he’s great conversation. He’s just… perfect.
Malorie has been working at the shop since she got out of uni. It’s safe, reliable, and has a good steady paycheck. It’s the perfect amount of human interaction and an even better amount of time spent surrounded by the clatter of metal on metal and sharp, nearly burning scent of motor oil.
Dean came to work at the shop only a year ago, but he has quickly made a name for himself, both in the shop workers and with their customers.
Dean is a big ole flirt but he doesn’t mean anything by it, Malorie quickly learned. Lucky for him, she’s a big ole flirt too, and she has been horribly deprived of the quips and banter.
But, behind the charm is a softie.
Dean is a private man but that doesn’t stop him from rambling about the one’s he’s got at home for hours. And, well, so can Malorie. It keeps them busy while they’re under the hoods.
And that brings them to today.
“I just don’t know what to do!” Dean exclaims, voice exasperatedly and high. “He’s old enough to know better, but he just keeps sticking things into the electrical sockets. It’s like he likes being electrocuted!”
Malorie laughs. “How old’s Jack, again?” Jack is Dean’s toddler, who sounds equal amounts exhausting and infuriating. More often than not, Dean is spinning tales that are told with a twinge of madness and fondness.
“Just turned four.”
“Ah, four. They’re curious at four.”
Dean sighs. “Extremely. He’s always been a curious kid. I mean, when we first got him, he was just soaking in information like it was nothing. Copying our every move — which makes you painfully aware of all of your bad habits — and trying to take in everything and anything he could get his hands on. But sometimes I just—” He sighs again. “Did you know that he tried to eat a candle? Because he did. When I asked him what he was doing he said that it was an organic wax and safe for consumption and I just stood there like, ‘Jack. It’s a candle. You don’t eat candles.’”
“He said that?” Malorie asks, eyes wide.
“Well not verbatim. But you get the gist.” He scrubs his face with a hand, smearing a streak of oil on his cheek. “He still doesn’t fully get that things that smell nice aren’t always edible. Not usually edible. Yeah. He still doesn’t get the whole food thing yet. You’d think he would but he doesn’t.”
Malorie snorts. “What has Cas done about it?” Cas is Dean’s wife. Dean has many things to say about Cas, but it’s usually along the lines of “stubborn little shit” to “most gorgeous thing I’ve ever laid eyes on” to “an angel lightyears out of my league.”
“Cas tried to eat the candle too! Went on a whole schpiel about bees — which, just, don’t get Cas talkin’ about bees because you’ll never hear the end of it — and then proceeded to scrape a chunk of wax out of the candle and try it! I swear to the deities floating up and around that one of these days they’re gonna kill themselves. That is, if they don’t kill me first.”
Malorie laughs hard in disbelief. “That reminds me. How’s Cas’s garden going? Any bees?”
“Oh. So many bees. The garden is filled with bees. And Cas just sits there, staring at them for hours. That moron’s lucky the sun doesn’t burn like it does for me.” He huffs. “It’s unfair. Cas’s body just tans perfectly. I mean, I tan well, but I still have to use sunscreen and shit.”
“Ah, the envy of better genes,” Malorie says. “C’mon, Cas has gotta have something wrong. No shellfish allergy? No vitamin D deficiency? No embarrassing tattoos?”
“Cas does have tattoos,” Dean says, “but they’re not embarassing.”
“Cas has tattoos?” Malorie asks, her mental image of his wife rapidly changing in her brain.
“Yeah. They’ve got… special meaning. To both of us.”
“Aw. That’s sweet,” she cooes. “Let’s hope that one day you won’t have to get that removed.”
“Don’t think I will,” Dean says with a dopey grin.
Malorie’s phone dinged in his pocket. “Time for a lunch break.” She stands and stretches until she feels her joints pop. “You gonna join me?”
Dean nods, setting down his wrench. “I could eat.”
They both head to the back. Malorie’s mouth is already salivating thinking about the leftover curry she’s going to eat. She’s staring at it revolving in the microwave when she hears Dean curse.
He’s hunched over his bag, rummaging through it with a frown. “I think I left my lunch in the fridge.”
Malorie softens. “I think I’ve got a protein bar in my bag…”
There’s a soft knock at the door.
Dean’s face lights up, a bright smile erupting, making his eyes crinkle. “Hey you.”
At the door is a tall man, though not as tall as Dean. He has dark rumpled hair, crazy blue eyes and wears a suit and trench coat. Malorie stares at him in confusion.
“You forgot your lunch,” he says, his gravelly voice surprising Malorie and making her jolt up.
“You are a lifesaver,” Dean says. He strides over to the man and takes the tupperware from him and presses a soft kiss to his lips. Malorie’s eyes go so wide, she thinks they’ll bulge straight out of her skull. “Please tell me you fed Jack something other than his awful bacon waffles.”
“Actually, the bacon waffles are quite nutritious considering his incorporation of nutritious proteins such as…”
“Waffles ain’t nutritious. He’s gotta have something fresh.” Dean pauses and buries his face in his hands. “I’ve been damned. I’ve officially turned into Sam.”
Cas takes Dean’s hand and squeezes it gently. “That’s not a bad thing.” He smiles. “And, I managed to convince him to have some broccoli. I had to smother it in cheese and bacon, but he ate it.”
“Why did we introduce him to bacon?” Dean asks.
“Because it makes him eat things,” Cas says. He rubs his fingers up Dean’s arm. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll see you when you get home. Remember, Sam and Eileen are coming over tonight.”
“How can I forget?” Dean questions. He kisses Cas tenderly once more, pulling away and staring into his eyes while his thumb strokes his cheek. “Now get out of here. Or I won’t get any work done.”
“Well, we can’t have that.”
“I love you,” Dean says softly.
“I love you too.” Cas sends him one last glance before he exits, closing the door behind him.
“That’s Cas?” Malorie finally manages to say.
“Yeah,” Dean says dreamily. “Ain’t he just the best?”
Malorie nods, almost speechless. “Yeah. He is.”