A/N: I do not own anything. Besides the plot.
OKAY! Here is Chapter 3. Operation: Boyfriend. The next few chapters at least will be on a day-to-day basis. As in...the chapters will be all about one day. This chapter is Tuesday. The first day of Sam, Gabe, and Jo's plan to get Dean and Cas together. Good luck, guys! Enjoy reading!
Chapter 3- Day 1 (Tuesday)
"Okay, the job's simple really. Someone comes in having car trouble, you take their name and number first thing. You write it down in here. You ask them what's wrong with it, you also write it down in here. You ask them to have a seat and someone will be right out. Then you walk back to the garage and get either Jo or myself. If we're both busy, get Bobby. Simple enough. So, you good?"
Charlie Bradbury nodded quickly. "Yeah, sounds good. Although, I do have a system in mind on my laptop that would make it much faster to take down their info and more accessible than writing it down in a book. For one, unlimited space. Don't have to go buy a new book."
Dean smiled kindly. "Alright, that's your job. Do it whatever way's easiest. I just want all the information, just in case." She saluted him as he walked back into the garage. He had just hired her as their new receptionist. Now he was on his way to hire more mechanics.
Dean had finally gotten around to sorting through applications and had found two that he liked the best. They had both been mechanics before and were able to start whenever. Perfect for the job, in Dean's book.
"Which one of you is Adam and which one is Ash?" A guy who was just a couple of inches shorter than Dean, and who also had a mullet that was about twenty years too late, turned around and stuck his hand towards Dean. "Name's Dr. Badass. You can call me Ash." Dean couldn't help the smirk that drifted onto his face.
He accepted the guy's hand and nodded. "Well, nice to meet you, Ash. You must be Adam then?" The other guy nodded, seeming a bit shy. He kind of reminded Dean of someone, but he wasn't quite sure who yet. It was at the tip of his tongue, but just sat there.
"Yep, that's me. So, um…when do we start?" Dean smiled, right down to business. "Well, if it's convenient, then now. I've been needing two more mechanics for a couple of weeks now. We've been getting slammed it just being Jo and I. The mornings usually tend to be somewhat slow, but in a couple of hours things will pick up fast."
Ash and Adam nodded. They were both able to start, so Dean showed them around the garage, showing them where everything is and explaining how he runs things. "I'm pretty laidback. Just be sure to be on time. If you're going to be late, call it in. I have to ask that you ask off for work at least a week in advance. No dress code, though its common sense on what to wear obviously. Oh, and just don't scare off the customers. I had one guy who had a customer running out of here, threatening to sue him. I never got the whole story on that one, so…just don't do whatever the hell he did. Any questions?"
They shook their heads and that was that. He officially had two new mechanics who were ready to go. "Okay, Jo should be here any minute. She called in saying she'd be late. My advice…don't hit on her. She might punch you."
Ash snorted, possibly accepting the challenge, Dean wasn't sure. Adam looked a little frightened. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the two of them to make sure they could handle the pressure of working for the busiest mechanics shop the town had. He walked back through the garage and into his office.
Bobby was on the phone ordering some parts they needed so he sat down at his desk, flipping through the schedule of the day. He was just about to go see if anyone had shown up yet when his cell phone went off. He slid it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. Sam was calling him.
"Heya, Sammy. Aren't you supposed to be in class right about now?" He heard Sam chuckle on the other line and let a smile of his own grace his face.
"Yeah, but the teacher cancelled class. I don't have class for a couple of hours so I thought I'd call, see what's up."
Dean chuckled, flipping the schedule book closed and sliding it into his drawer. "I'm at the stop. Just hired three new people. Finally got a receptionist and two new mechanics."
"Oh! That's cool, cool. So what are they like?" Dean raised an eyebrow, growing slightly suspicious, but letting it drop for now.
"Well, the girl I hired, she's pretty cool so far. Seems like a total nerd, which hey! It's better than a freak. So far I don't wanna strangle her. One of the mechanics is stuck about twenty years in the past, mullet and all. Even called himself Dr. Badass if you can believe that. The other kid seems cool. Kind of shy, but I think he'll open up once he gets comfortable."
"Dr. Badass? Are you kidding me? I haven't seen anyone with a mullet since…I can't even remember when. Have they met Jo yet?"
"No, they haven't. I'm waiting for that show to go down any minute now actually. I've been thinking about taking bets with Bobby on whether or not they'll get punched on their first day. I kept the stack of applications on my desk just in case she's a bit too much to handle. You know Jo."
He heard Sam laugh on the other end and his smile widened. That kid was his pride and joy, he'd never hesitate to admit that. "Oh man, you gotta get pictures or something. Hide a camera somewhere and record it."
Dean rolled his eyes. "You do remember that I have surveillance cameras both inside the garage and outside, right? I don't have to hide a camera, they're already there. But hey, are you stoppin' by the bar tonight?"
"Yeah, my last class ends about six and then I'll head over. I have to talk to Jo anywa-. Um, so Gabe told me you ran into Castiel at the café yesterday. Did you go this morning?"
Dean sat up in his chair, placing his elbows on his desk. So that was why Sam was calling. "No, I made coffee at home this morning. I was running late and wouldn't have time to stand in line. That place is like a frickin' mad house in the morning. Normal people shouldn't be up that early."
Sam started laughing and Dean knew he was rolling his eyes. "Dean, you're up that early. You're gone before I even get up. What does that make you?"
"Crazy. That makes me a crazy person. It also makes me a business owner who needs to open up shop and make sure everything is in order before hell breaks loose."
Dean looked up at the clock, briefly wondering where Jo was. He looked over at Bobby to see he had wrapped up his call and was looking through the window, seemingly fascinated by something. He stood and walked over to the window, peering out into the garage. He watched as Jo flung herself into Ash's arms and he wrapped his arms around her.
"Uhh, Sammy, I'm going to have to let you go. I'll see you tonight." He ended the call without even waiting for a response, slipped it into his pocket, and walked out into the garage, Bobby right behind him.
"Jo! I see you've met our new mechanics." Jo whipped around to see Dean and Bobby walking towards them and released her hold on Ash. "Yeah, Ash and I go way back. We grew up together actually. The other kid I don't know."
Dean chuckled and introduced her to Adam as he approached. "We also have a new receptionist. Her name is Charlie. She's out front if you wanna go introduce yourself to her so she knows who you are. Oh, and why don't you take these two with you."
Dean watches the three walk away and turns to Bobby. "Let's hope things go well with Dr. Badass, Ms. Geek, and Mr. Close-Lipped." Bobby snorts at the nicknames, but goes back into the office and back to the paperwork he has to fill out for some parts.
It doesn't take long for the business to pick up and soon Dean's running around making sure everyone knows what they're doing. Between making sure Charlie's getting all the proper information and making sure Ash and Adam don't catch anything on fire, he's already worn out. He made sure to watch the first couple of cars the two worked on separately, just to make sure they knew what they were doing. If there was a problem, he planned on stepping in, but they were doing rather well for their first day.
Dean just got back from his hour lunch break, checked on all the newbies, and settled into his chair when Jo walked into the office.
"Hey Dean, Castiel's here. He's having car trouble. Figured you'd want to take care if it yourself." She threw a wink his way as he rolled his eyes, barely able to contain his excitement at getting to see Cas. He wasn't quite sure why he felt like a school girl when it came to this guy. Something about him just made him happy.
He walked into the office and spotted Cas talking to Charlie at the desk. "Cas! So, I hear you're having some car trouble?" Cas looked up at him and gave him a small smile.
"It seems that way. It was perfectly fine this morning when I went to work, but when I went to leave, it wouldn't start. I had to call a tow truck. I remembered Gabe saying you owned this place, so I figured it'd be the best place to go."
Dean couldn't help the smile that lit up his face at his words. "Of course! Best place in town. I'll have the truck bring her around to the garage and I'll take a look at her myself." Cas smiled properly this time and nodded. "It would be much appreciated, Dean."
All he could do was smile as he stepped outside to tell the tow truck driver to bring the car into the garage. He walked to the garage from the outside instead of making the trip back through the way he had come.
When Cas's car was in the garage, ready to be worked on, he popped the hood and had a look at what he was dealing with. Immediately, he saw at least three things right off the bat. They were easy fixes and wouldn't cost any money.
He spent a good ten minutes working on it. He smiled as he looked once more to see if he'd missed anything under the hood. When he didn't see anything, he tried starting it. And it didn't work. He frowned down at the steering wheel as if it had something to do with it.
He opened up the fuse box and started testing all of the fuses. And that's where his problem was, he thought.
He got out of the car and made his way into the waiting room where Cas was seated, chatting with Charlie to pass the time. He looked up as Dean walked in.
"Well, let me just say that I'm pretty sure someone was trying to play a prank or something because there were several things unattached. They either knew what they were doing or were just pulling random shit and hoping it wouldn't start. I also found a couple of blown fuses. Super easy to replace and only a few bucks, I won't even charge you for them. It's not worth it. I'm pretty sure that's where the problem is. I won't know for certain if that's all they did until I change the fuses."
Cas nodded, taking it all in. "I don't want to have you go through all this work and not pay for anything. It isn't fair, especially with getting new fuses. I don't mind paying for them."
Dean smiled as he pulled out the rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands off, just now realizing he had gotten grease on them. "Cas, it's no problem, really. Don't worry about it. It'll only take a couple of minutes to replace the fuses and you should be good to go. I'll be back out when it's done." He turned to Charlie before he left. "And don't let him pay for anything. The boss says." He threw a quick wink at Cas, earning him a small blush, and left the waiting area.
He walked back into the garage, pulled out some new fuses, and got to work replacing the blown ones. It only took a couple of minutes, like he had said. He turned the key, but it still wouldn't start. Again he stared down at the steering wheel with a frown on his face. "You know, the steering wheel didn't do anything wrong, ya idjit. It's no use scowling at it."
Dean looked up to see Bobby had practically materialized right next to him. "Oh ha ha, Bobby. I can't seem to get it to start. I plugged the spark plug wires back in, plugged in the ignition module, plugged the injectors back in, and changed a couple of blown fuses, and still it won't start. It seems like I'm fixing one small problem only to find another small problem. They're easy to fix, but there's so many."
Bobby nodded, running through a mental list of what else could possibly be wrong. "Did you check the computer?" Dean mentally slapped his forehead. He sure felt like an idiot. "Uhh, that was the next thing on my list."
Bobby rolled his eyes. He watched as Dean opened up the bottom of the driver's side dashboard and reconnected the wires. "There we go! Now we should start up…" He turned the key, and again nothing happened. "Okay, what the hell. Whoever messed with this had to have known what they were doing."
Bobby frowned and went to look under the hood. "It looks like you got everything from this end. I don't see anything else. Did you have a look underneath yet?"
"No, I was hoping it was all on top. It didn't seem to be anything bigger than a couple of pulled wires. I'll have a look, see if there's anything down there."
Dean pulled himself out of the car and laid down on the ground, crawling underneath to get a better look. He started messing around with some wires, moving them around to get a better look at a couple of things. "Well, I don't see much. Oh. Wait, hang on. I think I see the problem right here."
Bobby waited for a moment for Dean to explain. When he didn't, he got impatient. "Well? What is it? What do you see, boy?"
Dean chuckled to himself at Bobby's impatience. "It looks like a coil was cut. Let me just…Ah, you're fucking kidding me…"
Bobby's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. He knelt down on the ground to see what had happened and couldn't resist the laugh that bubbled up from his chest at what he saw. Dean was lying in a puddle of oil and was covered in it. He'd definitely be needing a shower before heading off to his next job.
Dean glared at Bobby as he pulled the rag he always kept in his back pocket out and wiped his face the best he could. He rattled off some tools and such he would need to fix the coil and got to work. He had already emptied the car of oil, so there was no need to get an oil pan. Once he was all done with that, which took a good ten minutes or so, he crawled back out from under the car and looked down at himself. He had worn a dark grey t-shirt that day and about half of it was now soaked in black oil, along with his arms, neck, face, hair. He reached into the car, turned the key, and it finally came to life.
He heaved a sigh of relief and walked over to the sink, quickly washed his hands, part of his arms, and most of his face. He still had some here and there, but he wasn't really in the mood to care. At least it isn't acid, he thought briefly.
He was wiping his hands down with a new rag as he walked back out into the waiting room. Charlie and Cas looked up as he walked in and their eyes widened a fraction. Cas stood and took in Dean's appearance. "I'm guessing there was something other than the fuses?"
Dean chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I replaced the fuses and it still wouldn't start. I found a couple more wires that needed reconnected and then I checked underneath. A coil connected to the oil pump had been cut, not letting any oil run. When I started messing with it, all of the oil came rushing out and I got an oil bath. Bobby sure thought it was funny. Next time I'll send him under the car while I wait by the hood."
Charlie chuckled while Cas just smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Dean. It seems to have been a lot of trouble." Dean waved him off, shoving the rag into his back pocket and walking over to the counter, leaning against it, trying and failing not to get any oil on it.
"Don't worry about it. I've had worse, believe me. I don't mind getting dirty." Cas blushed the slightest bit as Dean smiled. Jo took that moment to walk through the doors. She took one look at Dean and couldn't help the laughter that exploded from her mouth. "What in the world happened to you, Dean? Did you get into a fight with an oilcan and loose?"
Dean rolled his eyes, but looked in her direction. "Oh shut it. How about next time I shove you under the car and you take an oil bath. Then we'll see who's laughing." He smiled mischievously at her and she couldn't help the snort.
"Right. I'd know better than to mess around with what I'm guessing was a coil connected to the oil pump?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly, but let it drop. Cas turned back to Dean.
"So, how much do I owe you?" Dean looked at Cas and smiled. "I already told you that you're not paying for anything. They were easy fixes. No harm, no foul."
Cas rolled his eyes and stepped up towards the counter, closer to Dean. He could now smell the oil that Dean was covered in, mixed with hints of gas, probably from having to lie on the ground underneath the car. "Dean, you got covered in oil, replaced some fuses, and had to fix some coil. I'm guessing you also had to replace the oil as well. I can't just walk away."
"Yes, you are, Cas. Bobby's putting oil in as we speak. I don't care about being covered in oil. It's not like this is the first time. It comes with the territory. If it makes you feel any better, next time your car is having trouble and you bring it in, I'll let you pay for something. If it's something that needs a part ordered or whatever. Deal?" Cas seemed hesitant. He felt bad for having Dean go to all that work and not paying a single penny.
"I don't know, Dean…I still feel bad." Dean's smile widened, suddenly getting an idea.
"Okay, then you can buy me a drink the next time you come into the bar. I'm always up for a good, cold beer."
Cas smiled, thinking about buying Dean a drink. Or two.
"Fine, you've got a deal. And make that two, I still feel bad." Dean's smile widened as he stretched out his hand towards Cas to seal the deal. Cas took his hand and shook. Their hands remained clasped for a moment longer than was probably necessary, as they both got semi-lost in each other's eyes; forest green staring intently into ocean blue.
The only thing that broke them apart was the door to the garage opening and Bobby walking through. "Oil's good. Car's good to go. Runnin' like a champ. I pulled her out into the parking lot. Here's the keys." Dean turned and looked at Bobby as he threw the keys in their direction. Dean reached up and caught them midair. He turned back to Cas, handing him the keys.
"Here you go. Good as new. Now remember, if you have any problems, I'm your guy." Cas smiled, seeming to forget anyone else was in the room.
"Of course. Thank you, Dean. I'll definitely be bringing my car back in the future." He was almost to the door before he turned back around, throwing Dean a winning smile. "And I'll see you tonight." The last thing Cas saw before he walked through the door was the huge grin on Dean's face.
SPN
"Jo! I'm fine. Would you just give it a rest already?" They walked through the door of the Roadhouse later on that day to start their shift. Sam and Cas were already there and had started on their first beer by the time the two walked through the door. Gabe was behind the counter, leaning forward engrossed in conversation. The three looked up towards the door at the sound of Dean's voice.
"No! I won't give it a rest, Dean. You shouldn't even be here. You should be at home, resting. Not working behind a bar until you pass out."
Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to pass out, okay? If I were, I would have done it hours ago. You know, when it happened?"
It was Jo's turn to roll her eyes as they made their way towards the bar. Sam was watching Dean intently, wondering what had happened. He didn't miss the fact that Dean's usually rolled up sleeves weren't rolled up.
"Dean. What's going on?" Dean turned towards Sam and sighed, shooting a glare towards Jo. He was behind the bar and walked over to stand next to Gabe. "It's nothing, Sammy. I'm fine."
"Don't give me that bullshit, Dean. Just tell me what happened."
He sighed once more as he rolled up his right sleeve to his elbow. He was trying to figure out where to start as he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a long bandage wrapped around his arm from his wrist until somewhere past where he'd rolled up his sleeve.
Sam inhaled sharply. "What the hell did you do?!"
"I slipped and fell. That's all." Cas reached forward and placed a gentle hand on Dean's bandaged arm. It was so gentle that Dean barely felt his touch. Their eyes locked. "Dean, this was not there while I was at the shop. When did this happen?"
"Whoah, wait, hold on. Cassie was at the shop today?" Dean glanced at Gabe and nodded. Before he got the chance to explain, Jo came up behind them. "Go ahead, Dean. Why don't you tell them the whole story. Starting from the beginning. As in before Cas showed up so they know the full reason why you fell."
He rolled his eyes, but started to recount his day. "Okay. Fine. All morning I was running around making sure the new receptionist, Charlie, was getting all the right information down and then I was running back and forth making sure the two new mechanics knew what they were doing. I was doing that between everything else I had to do that morning. When I got done with all of that, Cas brought his car in, well, more like he had it towed in. I worked on it, fixed some things that were disconnected. It turned out that a coil was cut and I got under there to fix it. Well, I messed with the coil and all the oil came out, giving me an oil bath. I finished fixing it and it was good to go. Right after he left, we had a wave of customers come in. Then I got covered in gas a couple of hours later thanks to Jo."
He sent a look in Jo's direction, still not over the memory of being covered head to toe in gas. She just shrugged and waited for him to continue.
"Then Ash forgot to clean up a patch of oil in the garage and I slipped and fell, hence the bandage. There's a cut going up my arm. As I went down, I sliced my arm on a tool. Let's just say we found out the hard way that Adam is a bit squeamish when it comes to blood."
"A bit? More like he threw up in the trash can as your arm was being covered in blood. I have to admit, I haven't seen that much blood. Ever. That was a lot." Sam's mouth was hanging open in shock.
Dean chuckled dryly and nodded. Cas looked at him with concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay, Dean?"
He smiled genuinely at Cas and nodded once more. "Yeah, Cas, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm pretty tough."
"Did you go to the hospital? What did they say? Did you have to get stitches?"
"Whoah, whoah, hold up there, Samantha. One question at a time. No, I didn't go to the hospital. They didn't say anything, because I didn't go. And yes to the stitches, but I did them myself."
The look on Gabe's face had Dean cracking the first smile he had since he'd fallen. "Gabe, you might wanna close your mouth. I heard flies don't taste that great."
His mouth closed with a click before he opened it again. "You stitched yourself back up…? How…Why…You are an enigma, you know that, Dean-o?"
Dean shrugged and grabbed a rag from behind the counter and started wiping down the bar for something to do. It was only Tuesday, so there wasn't much to do.
Sam shook his head, not at all surprised at the fact that he did the stitches himself. "He's been stitching himself back up since he was thirteen, Gabe, when Dad taught him how to sew. Said he needed to know these things if he was gonna be a 'real man', if I remember correctly."
Dean chuckled, clearly remembering that moment. "Yeah, said I needed to know how to take care of myself and not have to be dependent on anyone else, and that included how to sew apparently. Eh, just meant less doctor bills on their part."
Several conversations started as Dean and Gabe continued their duties. After a while, Cas tried to pay for the drinks he'd already had, but Dean shook his head. "Did I forget to mention that family members don't have to pay when their older brothers are working? Huh. And yours is! I guess that means your drinks are the house tonight, Cas."
His lips parted in confusion. Sam leaned closer to Cas as Dean walked away with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Gabe did the same thing to me when he was trying to ask me out."
Cas looked at Sam even more confused. Was Dean trying to ask him out? Then he caught the whiff of alcohol on Sam's breath. "Sam, are you inebriated?"
Sam giggled and shook his head. "No, Cas. Of course not. I don't get ineb..inebri... Nope. But, I only speak the truth, you know. Truth comes out when you're..inebreeded."
"So, you are."
"No. Maybe. But what I'm trying to say is that Dean…he li-." Dean appeared in front of Sam suddenly, cutting him off.
"Okay, you're drunk. Hand over the keys. You're definitely not driving home tonight." Sam looked up at his big brother and was about to protest when Gabe walked over also.
"He's right, Samsquatch. Don't worry about it, I'll take you home when my shift's done. Give him the keys, babe." Sam pouted, but handed over the keys. Cas was watching clearly amused.
Dean pocketed Sam's keys and sent a smile Cas' way before turning to serve a customer. Cas blushed slightly as he remembered what Sam had said. Was it just the alcohol talking or did Dean really like him?
So what did you think of Day 1? I already have the rest of their plan all mapped out. All I need to do now is get it all written down and we'll be good to go! Review and let me know what you think! ^.^