Title: The Clattering of Legos
Author: Wingless Night
Rating: PG
Summary: After a long night, Team Free Will decided to take some time off.
Disclaimer: Supernatural and all of the characters within belong to Eric Kripke and other folks who are not me. I am not making any money off my fictional writing piece, etc, etc, etc.
Author's Note: This is set sometime in Season Five. No spoilers. This is an impromptu ficlet. Literally, I was driving around in my car and started thinking about everything Chuck said in Swan Song and this is what came of it. I guess it's more a character study than anything else. Not the best thing I've written, but I also haven't really written anything for the better part of a year. So yeah… hope this is good.
It was one of those nights. After completely vanquishing a lair of demons with the help of his little brother and his angel, Dean found himself wanting nothing more than to pack up into the Impala and just drive off somewhere. He was feeling restless, hopeless and could do nothing but clench his left hand into a fist as his right hand drummed impatiently at his side. They had managed it once again, Team Free Will over Evil Incarnate in order to wake up tomorrow and do the same thing all over. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Dean could honestly say he was sick of it – of the damned apocalypse; of Castiel slowly becoming Cas, who was becoming more and more human as the days went by; of everything. He could remember the times when this job – it had always been a job – but when it didn't take into account that the whole world hung in the balance of which way the Winchesters went. After traveling around on the whim of Sam's research for so long, Dean couldn't say that he was happy being herded towards some big angelic death match.
Castiel appeared at Dean's shoulder, a questioning look on his face before Dean could allow his thoughts to get any furthur. "Dean…," he began.
Dean turned towards the angel, changing his blank look for an easy grin, which only seemed the confuse Castiel more. "What's up?" he asked.
"I was just… wondering about you. Are you well?"
"'Course I am, Cas, what makes you think I'm not?" was the reply. A lie. Dean knew it for what it was.
Castiel's eyes clouded over and he frowned. Dean thought the angel would push him, trying to get an answer out of him and held his breath, already formulating his next lies. I'm tired, he would say, or Nothing to worry 'bout here. Let's keep moving. He had to lie. He didn't know what to do if Cas managed to push him beyond the falsehoods.
Thankfully, the angel just shook his head and went back over to Sam, helping the younger Winchester pack up the weapons and the supplies into the trunk of the Impala. Within moments, the comforting sound of the trunk closing reached Dean's ears. This job was done.
Wheeling, the man went to the driver's side of the car and opened the door. Sam, without saying a word got into the shotgun seat and Castiel, who seemed to have an allergy to doors, appeared in Dean's rearview mirror.
Team Free Will, again.
Some part of Dean was sickened by the thought. What could they really do against Lucifer and should he actually formulate the ideas at the moment? No, he decided. He wasn't the thinker of the family, and he didn't care to be. So, he turned on the ignition, letting the comforting rumble of his baby completely take over his senses. He heard Sam shiver beside him and automatically moved to flick on the heater.
The comforting rattle of lost Legos reached his ears and he couldn't help but smile.
"Where to next, Dean?" Sam asked softly, checking a bruise on his forearm from where a demon had thrown him into a cabinet.
Dean turned to his younger brother and shrugged. "We're done this hunt. Until Bobby calls us, we're off duty," he replied.
Sam nodded and turned to look at Castiel. The angel seemed puzzled by the concept of "off-duty."
"So where do we go?" came the gravelly voice from the backseat.
Sam grinned as he turned to face forward, allowing his older brother to answer the question.
He could almost hear the smirk in Dean's voice as the eldest commented, "West seems good. Right, Sammy?"
Sam rolled his eyes at the nickname and nodded. "West it is," he agreed.
Castiel looked between the two brothers. "I do not understand."
"Relax, featherbrain," Dean practically ordered as he drove away from the now-empty demon nest and back onto the highway. "We're off the clock – it's time to do something new."
Cas chose to remain silent at this information and leaned back against the seat. Dean chuckled a little to himself and turned up the Zepplin song on the radio, allowing the tune to fill the car and the air around it. After the first stanza, the elder Winchester even began to softly sing along.
Sam leaned back against his seat, closing his eyes as he let the purr of the engine, his brother's offkey singing and the clattering of the Legos lull him into sleep.
