In Which Boaz Makes a Roadtrip

[mini_dean]

"Ben, he's not asking for you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"Yeah, I get that." He looked at the picture in his hand that Dean had left. His father - all these years later and suddenly Dean was back and his mother was telling him that she knew - wanted to see him. And he had a little cousin. "Just... not something I was expecting."

"Dean will be fine with whatever you choose. But I'd really like you to think about at least talking to him. I'm sure you've got questions."

"I do." He rubbed the back of his neck. "What about you, Mom? You want him around again?"

Lisa smiled just a bit. "It was nice seeing him again, Ben. I'd like to see more of him. But if you're not comfortable..."

"Mom, I'm not eight anymore. You don't need to worry about my feelings when you're seeing a guy." He smirked up at his mother. "I just don't want to hear about what you two are doing when I'm not here."

"Like I'd tell you that anyway." Lisa smoothed the first red spike of her son's hair so she could kiss his forehead. "Do me a favor, though?"

"What's that?"

"If you decide to take a road trip out to Iowa like I know you're planning, please at least tone down the look so the press doesn't follow you."

Ben smirked a bit and shook his head. "Yes, Mom."

***

The flight from LA to Des Moines wasn't bad, and he rented a car the next morning to drive the rest of the way to the house where Dean had told his mother that he lived. It probably wasn't the smartest plan he had, but he did want a chance to look at this family before he went to talk to them.

He watched his cousin and his uncle go off to school, and saw that his father's car stayed parked in the driveway. Figuring that it meant Dean wasn't going off to any job, Ben pulled the car up next to it in the driveway and made his way to the front door, knocking before he looked at his reflection in the window.

He actually looked normal for once, and sober too. It was the best he could manage, so he hoped it would be noticed he was trying to act the part. If only for his mom's sake.

Comments

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Try Brother's Grimm."

[mini_dean]

"Oh fun. Who had to kiss the frog?"

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Neither. But I did almost bag the Big Bad Wolf."

[mini_dean]

Ben laughed. "Of course. Of course you did."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you asked for weird."

[mini_dean]

"And that's pretty high up there on that list."

Ben wasn't too comfortable talking about monsters, but it was the only thing he really knew about Dean.

"What was your life like... I mean, beyond the hunting? I mean, I was only eight when I met you that time. Didn't think to ask you questions, and neither did Mom really."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Tell you the truth? There wasn't really much outside the hunting," Dean shrugged, finally feeling like he had enough coffee in him to read the note Olivia had left for him. "Dad raised me and Sam on the road, taught us the rules of hunting, trained us -- he pretty much primed us for this."

[mini_dean]

"And you never wanted anything different?"

He tilted his head at the note but didn't ask because it wasn't his business.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Oh, sure I did," he shrugged. "Especially when it got really bad. But someone had to watch my dad's back, and for me, family was more important than anything else."

[mini_dean]

"So what were those dreams?"

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean looked up from the note at Ben for a moment, studying his face carefully, before shaking his head and placing the note back on the fridge. He could say. Could tell him that all he ever wanted was the family and that when he closed his eyes he saw Ben and his mother, but that would only bring up too many questions he wasn't sure he was comfortable with answering.

"Can't remember. Too long ago."

[mini_dean]

"That's a shame. I remember a few of mine. I wanted to be a race car driver at one point. An astronaut. And I think I wanted to be Batman somewhere along the way." He chuckled.

"Mom got me a cape and everything. I didn't take it off for weeks."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Dude, I friggin' was Batman," Dean smirked. "I had the awesome car and everything."

[mini_dean]

"But you didn't have the cape," Ben pointed out, smirking.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Didn't you ever see The Incredibles?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "Capes are bad."

[mini_dean]

"The Incredibles was a cartoon." Ben scoffed. "Everyone knows what happens in cartoons isn't real. batman was real."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean laughed. "Don't try telling Olivia that when she was six. You would have driven her to tears."

[mini_dean]

"It's a good thing she's not six anymore then."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, guess so. Can't tell if she was more of a pain in the ass when she wanted to watch the same movie over and over again, or now that she's sixteen and there are boys involved."

[mini_dean]

"Well, if she wants to watch the movie over and over again with the boys involved, you won't have to worry too much I think."

At that point the front door opened as Sam got back from taking Olivia to school. "Dean? Who's got the rental in the driveway..." Sam walked into the kitchen area and saw Ben, then stopped.

"I didn't realize we were having company."

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, uh -- Ben was passing through, figured he say hi." He turned back to Ben. "Ben, you remember Sam, right?"

[mini_dean]

Ben raised his hand in a hello. "Yeah, kinda."

"Well, it's nice seeing you. I'll... just grab my laptop and go into my actual office..." He went for the laptop on the breakfast bar.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

Dean watched his brother go, before jerking his thumb towards the living room. "We could go sit. If you want."

[mini_dean]

"Sitting works. I don't have to leave until about four if you want. My plane's at seven back to LA."

He had made sure he had a long period of time to try and talk to Dean. Just in case he had work or something and wasn't able to in the morning.

[jstliketherifle.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Dean nodded. "C'mon. Let's sit."