Souvenirs

Summary: Crowley likes to bring Bobby souvenirs. Mostly new hats.

Crowley loved bringing Bobby presents.

Sometimes if his work took him somewhere exotic, he'd bring Bobby back a rare book or ingredients for spell work that could not be found in the continental U.S. Bobby always appreciated these gestures, because it made his work easier in the long run. He'd even been complimented by Balthazar for his "well-stocked pantry" because of Crowley's souvenirs.

If Crowley was working within North America, however, he'd bring back hats.

At first, they were just standard trucker's hats you could grab from any truck stop. Bobby would find the new hat on his desk in his den, a little note attached, covered in Crowley's neat handwriting.

If you're going to continue wearing those awful hats, at least here's a clean one. C

Passing through Oklahoma, thought of you. Want to share a home on the range? C

Eventually, Crowley developed a sense of humor, much to Bobby's dismay. The strangest one had been a hot pink, child-sized sombrero with little Hello Kitty beads dangling from the trim. I thought you could use a little fun, Robert. You can wear this when we go on that vacation. C

This morning, Bobby came down the stairs a little later in the morning than usual. He'd allowed himself to sleep in a bit, considering the boys were here and they could handle any phone calls. The smell of coffee and the sounds of Dean and Sam quietly talking greeted him as he entered the kitchen.

"Morning, Bobby," Sam said. Dean sat at the table, and simply nodded at the older hunter as he came in and made himself a cup. "Boys," the hunter said, nodding at them. "Any calls or cases today?"

"No calls. We're going to see if we can find anything today, though," Sam answered, the only one actually awake.

Bobby looked at Dean, who was staring off into the distance, his coffee getting cold in his cup. He looked at Sam, and raised his eyebrows. What's his deal?

Haven't heard from Cas in a while, I think he's worried, Sam was able to convey with a few quick gestures. Bobby nodded in understanding. Despite being an angel, Castiel could get neck deep in trouble just as fast as the Winchesters, and sometimes he was the only one would could pull them out of it. Not hearing from Cas in a while always seemed to put Dean on edge, made him worried. It did not matter that Dean pretended Castiel's absences never affected him; both Bobby and Sam knew he was edgier than usual.

Bobby understood better than most. He got worried if he did not hear from Crowley after several days. He knew the King of Hell was busy (had deals to make, schmucks to drag to hell) but it never made him relax until the insufferable ass was standing in his den, insulting his home (albeit playfully). In fact, it had been almost a week since Crowley had been there, but Bobby was hiding his irritation better than the elder Winchester.

"I'm fine, stop talking about me behind my back. Literally," Dean grumbled, catching Sam and Bobby off guard. He glanced over his shoulder at them and scowled. "Come on, Sammy, there's got to be something going on! I'm going stir-crazy, let's find a case."

Sam nodded and went to fetch his laptop and Bobby patted Dean's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "That angel has a knack for getting in and out of trouble faster than a cat falling in a full bathtub. Moping isn't gonna make it easier when he isn't around," Bobby said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not moping!" Dean denied, but it sounded weak to both of them.

"Well, let's keep it that way," Bobby said, and left Dean at the table to go into his den to start on the newest book Crowley had brought last time he visited. When he got to his desk, he was instead greeted with a new hat. Since he was alone, Bobby did not even stop the grin that spread across his face. Putting down the coffee, he picked up the trucker's cap and gave it a quick once over. It was blue, and there was an image of an evergreen on the front of the hat. Glancing back down, he spotted the usual note, which was attached to the brim via a post-it note.

Hope you like it. Blue seems to suit you. Stan sends his congrats.

"'Congrats?' For what?" Bobby wondered. He scowled, trying to remember if he knew anyone by the name of Stan, but he was drawing a blank. He looked at the note again, and noticed writing on the opposite side.

For our elopement, you moron! C

:D

"Dammit, Crowley, we didn't elope!" Bobby said in exasperation. I know lying is part of your business, but why are you spreading that one? And who the hell is Stan?!

He heard a loud cough, and turned from his desk to see Dean and Sam standing in the doorway, eyebrows arched and eyes wide.

"Not a word, ya idjits," Bobby growled at them. Dean opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. He walked up to them, grabbed the sliding doors and separated the den from the kitchen, and closed them on the boy's still confused faces.

Walking back to the desk, he looked at the new hat, then shrugged. He pulled off his current one, and placed the new one on his head. A gentle tug fixed it in place, and he smiled when it fit perfectly. He walked to the bathroom and gave himself an appraising look in the mirror. He turned his head left and right, and decided he liked the new hat immensely. Blue does suit me.

He went upstairs and walked into his closet, where he had carefully stacked the new hats on a shelf, their accompanying notes hung on the walls with thumb tacks. I've got more hats that a woman's got shoes, he realized with a huff. After looking for a moment for a clear space on the wall for his new note, he changed his mind. Instead, he folded it carefully and put in his wallet.

He returned to his den, and was delighted to see Crowley there, looking around for the old hunter. He looked up as Bobby walked down the stairs, and allowed a smirk to cross his features.

"So, I see you found the hat," the King of Hell said. "Like it?"

"I'm wearin' it, ain't I?" Bobby answered. Crowley simply grinned as they gave each other a strong hug and a lingering kiss on the lips. Apparently being away from Bobby put Crowley on edge too, because the hunter felt the demon go from tense to relaxed during their kiss.

"Think the boys would call me Uncle Crowley?" he asked after they broke apart.

"I think they'd call you a bag of dicks and threaten to stab you with Ruby's knife," Bobby answered honestly.

Crowley sighed dramatically. "So much for hoping for a functional family."

"You do realize they're Winchesters, right? You can find their picture under a lot of words in the dictionary-stubborn, loyal, stupid, heroes-but functional ain't one of them."

"No one likes a smart-ass, Robert. But, considering how handsome you look at the moment, they should at least I have a decent fashion sense."