Summary: Dean goes to see Bobby, he doesn't expect to run into Lucifer.
Dean was driving up to see Bobby, the folks at the diner had insisted that he take a vacation and honestly Dean was glad that he had an excuse to leave. He wanted to see Bobby, the calls making him miss the older man but he hadn't been ready, still wasn't ready but it had been seven months since he had seen Sam and Crowley would show up and then leave and it didn't take much to guess that the Demon was checking up on him for Bobby.
So, here he was, borrowing one of Emily's daughter's cars so he didn't use so much gas on his drive, and he could hardly believe that he was one of those people now.
Dean was humming along to one of the songs when he saw the man on the side of the road, Dean pulled over, his hand on the gun in the glove box as he looked at the man.
"You lost?" Dean asked, staring at the man, he seemed familiar somehow.
"Winston?" The man asked as he fell to his knees.
"Lucifer?" Dean asked as he got out of the car and helped the man into it.
"Hey." The man said softly.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Hell." Lucifer said simply.
"Hell?" Dean asked.
"They didn't find you." Lucifer whispered, "I'm glad."
"Who didn't find me?" Dean asked looking at his friend.
They had become friends after that first night with casseroles and apple juice, sometimes Lucifer would show up at the diner, just him and have some pie with Dean, it had been Lucifer who had first brought Mr. Mort into the diner, raving about his pie, Mr. Mort had prefered the burgers but liked the pie too. They had talked about anything they wanted, from family to Dean's plans for the diner, they were friends and then one day Mr. Mort had come in alone and told Dean Lucifer wouldn't be back for a while, if he came back at all.
Mr. Mort had shared a pie with Dean, one Dean never wanted to make again, Dean had named it 'Dead friend' Pie.
"The Angels."
"Like Avenging Angels?" Dean asked.
"Yeah."
"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked looking at his friend, "There's a hospital up here, we can go there."
"No, they cannot help me."
"You don't look good, Luc'." Dean said as he passed the exit.
"Where were you going?"
"I was heading to see my friend Bobby." Dean said.
"Robert Singer." Lucifer said, "That is good, he can help."
"Babby isn't a doctor."
"No, but Castiel and Gabriel will be there."
"Castiel, like Sam and Crowley's Castiel?" Dean asked.
"You have met Castiel?" Lucifer asked, looking at Dean.
"Yeah, he and Sam came around for a hunt, both of them were useless." Dean muttered.
"I had hoped to spare you the knowledge that your brother was not a Lawyer." Lucifer leaned his head against the headrest.
"You knew Sam wasn't a Lawyer?" Dean asked, glaring at the man next to him.
Lucifer looked at Dean, "You were so happy, and you were normal, I saw so much of my heart in yours, I wanted to spare you pain, if I could. You gave me a chance when so many others didn't, you became my friend and I did not wish to hurt you, or drag you into this war of ours."
"War!?" Dean asked.
"Heaven wants the end of days to come, as does Hell, for the most part."
"And what do you want?" Dean asked, "Because as the other half of the destructing force, I'd think you could affect a whole lot of that end of days thing."
"Perhaps." Lucifer said, "But there is no reasoning with Micheal, he follows the words our Father gave to the letter."
Dean stayed silent for a moment, "You owe me."
"Pardon?"
"You owe me and Mr. Mort something, I haven't decided what yet, but you owe us."
"Why?" Lucifer asked curiously.
"We had 'Dead friend' pie for you, you owe us."
Lucifer smiled and closed his eyes as Dean kept driving, 'friend' that was not a word anyone had used in reference to him, not in a very long time.
"Hey, Luc', we're here." Dean said as he leaned into the open passenger side door.
"Do you need help?" Dean asked when Lucifer just blinked blurrily up at him.
Lucifer held up his arms for Dean to help him, Dean lifted the man up and slid his arms around the man's waist, curling his fingers in the man's belt when his hands slipped in blood.
"Have you been bleeding the whole time?" Dean asked softly.
"Is that what that is?" Lucifer asked.
Dean rolled his eyes as he knocked on Bobby's door, the house seemed newer than he remembered.
The door opened and Dean stared at his father for a long moment, "Is Bobby home?" He finally asked.
"Who the hell are you?" John growled.
"None of your god damned business." Dean snapped.
"Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain." Lucifer mumbled.
"Shut up, you have no room to talk." Dean told the man he was holding.
"Winston." Crowley said in shock, "Here let me help..."
"I got him, move the Winchester." Dean said, "And get me the first aide kit."
Crowley shoved John over and went to get the first aide kit as Dean settled Lucifer on the couch. Crowley offered the kit to dean as he pulled Lucifer's shirt up, the man's head against Dean's shoulder, hiding his face from view.
"Where's Bobby?" Dean asked as he worked on Lucifer.
"Out with ..."
"Why is he here?" A short brown haired man asked, pointing at Lucifer and Dean.
"Pardon?" Crowley asked.
The man drew a small blade like object and Dean frowned, "I feel jilted."
Lucifer began to chuckle, "My brother threatens you and you feel jilted because it's not a sword?"
"Hey, those swords in the portraits are amazing." Dean returned.
Lucifer pulled away to lean against the back of the couch, making everyone in the room suddenly draw a weapon.
"Don't change, Winston." Lucifer said quietly, "Please."
"Go to hell, Luc'."
Lucifer grinned, "Been there, doen that, twice."
Dean shook his head, "All done."
"What?" Lucifer looked down at the neat row of stitches Dean had given him.
"My brother was a wimp when it came to stitches, distraction is key." Dean said as he stood up and turned around to look at the people pointing weapons at him, "Now then, why did no one think to mention to me that someone started the apocalypse?"
Dean glared at the group, mostly Bobby and Crowley.
"Who the hell are you and why the hell did you bring that here?" John asked, gestering towards Lucifer.
"No, just no, you don't get to do that, you don't get to judge him, you bastard." Dean snapped.
"You don't talk to me like that, boy!" John yelled, stepping closer to Dean.
The part of Dean that still feared this man wanted to cower, wanted to apologize and beg for forgiveness, wanted the millions of hugs he had watched Sammy get while he tugged his covers off the bed and wrapped them as tight around himself as he could as he hid in the closet or under the bed and pretended that his mom was hugging him before bed; once he had even stolen a bottle of the perfume she used to wear and sprayed it on the covers, John had tanned his hide when he found out.
Looking at this man Dean realized that he wasn't afraid of him, not really, he was mostly sorry for the man his father had become, and he wondered if any of the man his mother had loved was left.
"You're not my father, I'll talk to you however I want." And those words felt better than he thought they would.
John jerked back in surprise, and Dean wasn't sure if it was the Devil suddenly at his shoulder or the fact that no one had ever really stood up to him before besides Bobby.
"Winston." Lucifer said softly.
Dean looked at Lucifer, "That was very freeing, Lucifer."
"I'm sure it was."
"I think we all need to calm down." Bobby said, ever the voice of reason.
"Hey, Bobby." Dean said suddenly, moving to hug the man tightly.
Bobby squeezed Dean just as tight, "If you had called I would have told you now wasn't a good time."
"Now was good, I would have missed Lucifer otherwise." Dean said.
"I want to hear that story, you understand." Bobby said as he let go of Dean.
"I'll tell you about Mr. Mort too." Dean said with a grin.
"Wait, you've met Death?" The short man asked.
"Yes, Gabriel, Winston has met Death." Lucifer said.
"I've met Death?" Dean asked.
"You know him as Mr. Mort, it is the name he uses in the mortal world." Lucifer explained.
"So, when are we killing Lucifer?" Sam asked, glaring at the man who smirked at him.
"Whoa, no one is killing anyone." Dean said, moving between Lucifer and the others.
"Give us one good reason." John growled.
"Uhh..." Dean thought a moment, "He was an Angel once?"
Gabriel lowered his blade, "But he was cast out."
"And what you don't believe in second chances?" Dean asked, "I mean god gave humans one, why should his first born children not get that?"
Lucifer watched Dean defend him and he felt something stir in himself, and he knew that he would not allow harm to befall this human, this human was his to protect as the human protected him now.
The group watched Dean defend the Devil and they found themselves agreeing; the Angels, Bobby and Crowley more than Sam and John.
"Why are you so against him?" Dean finally asked, glaring at his brother and father.
"He tried to get Sam to say yes to being his vessel." John snapped, glaring back at Dean.
Dean suddenly turned to look at Lucifer and his eyes widened and then softened as he realized that he could have gotten Sam to say yes by telling him he could take him to Dean, but he had chosen to find a different way, he had chosen to keep Dean safe and out of the war they had been in.
Lucifer leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Dean's, "I could not betray your unknowing trust like that." he whispered, letting his thumbs rub small circles against Dean's throat.
"Thank you." Dean murmured, wrapping his arms around Lucifer's back and closing the gap between them to rest his head on Lucifer's chest.
"You... you, Lucifer, you've fallen." Gabriel said, surprised.
"Yes, it seems so." Lucifer said, pulling away from Dean, keeping his hand around his shoulders, "Though this time it was much more pleasant."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby asked.
"How do you plan on stopping the others?" Lucifer interrupted.
"We didn't even know they sprung you." John snarled.
Lucifer looked at him blankly.
"How'd you get away?" Gabriel asked.
"I remember that I was supposed to be somewhere." Lucifer shrugged as he looked down at Dean.
Dean smiled softly, feeling that he was the place that Lucifer had felt he needed to be at, that explained why he had found him along that stretch of road.
Dean listened only half heartedly as the others made plans and shared thoughts and infomation.
"...And Winston can do the werewolf hunt with Lucifer and Gabriel." John said.
"Whoa, back up, I'm not going on any hunt with anyone." Dean interrupted.
The group stared at him.
"I'm here to visit Bobby for the week, then I'm going home." Dean said.
"Look, you go on this hunt, then you can go home." John tried to reason.
"No." Dean said. "I'm out, no hunts for me, I'll do research with Bobby, but I'm not doing hunts."
"Kid, it's one hunt." John started.
"It's always one hunt with you, that's how it always starts, one hunt and then its two and then five and then its no answer on the fudging phone." Dean snapped, "My answer is no."
Lucifer hugged Dean around the waist from where he was sitting next to him.
"What is your problem with me?" John asked exasperated.
"My problem with you, John Winchester, is that you don't care about anybody but yourself and your petty need for revenge." Dean snapped, "You dragged Sam and Dean all over the country to find the thing that killed your wife, and you left them on their own for months at a time, and then you walked away from the kid that still needed you and you wonder why he doesn't want to be found."
"Who the hell are you?" John asked staring at Dean.
"No one you bothered to know." Dean said with a glare, "No hunts for me."
"Winston, come help me get some beer." Bobby said, getting up.
"Yeah." Dean said following Bobby.
"You need to calm down." Bobby said.
"I know, I just, that man, I want to hate him, I do, a part of me does, but he just rubs me the wrong way, ordering me to do something when he's never even met me really."
"That's John." Bobby said.
"I'm not that boy anymore, Bobby, I can't be, Sammy's all grown up and doesn't need my protection anymore, I don't have to take John's abuse anymore." Dean said quietly.
"I'm proud of you, you know that?" Bobby asked.
Dean looked at Bobby in surprise.
"I am, you wanted something and you did it, you didn't give up on it, and even if you told them, I don't think you'd let them drag you back without a fight, bigger than the one Sam put up. You're not that little boy anymore, the one that would die for Sam just to get a 'good boy, Dean' from that man." Bobby told him, "You're stronger than that now, you know you deserve better."
Bobby left with the tray of beer, leaving Dean alone in the kitchen.
Dean sighed and when to the fridge and pulled out the milk and chocolate sauce, he need some chocolate right now, and it took him a moment to realize that he hadn't told Bobby he didn't drink anymore.
Dean put the milk and chocolate sauce away and walked into the room stirring his chocolate milk.
"Probably good you don't want to hunt." John sneered at Dean's chocolate milk.
"Sorry, I didn't want to be an alcoholic anymore." Dean said.
Bobby smiled proudly at him and that was good enough for him.
The week passed quickly researching with Bobby and Crowley, and then Dean packed up his car and drove back to the diner, smiling at Mr. Mort when he entered the diner and checking up on how things had gone without him.
The kids had missed him but they still got their specials and Dean spent the rest of his afternoon off helping them with their coloring or homework.
Then Dean went home, happy with his normal life, even if his best friend maybe boyfriend was the Devil and his other friend was Death, he was happy to stay out of that life, seeing John had reminded him how much he hated it.