Dean Winchester (agentplant) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2023-11-30 14:46:00 |
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Jack scrunched his face and looked up at the building. There was something missing. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but something didn’t quite sit right. Maybe he was just imagining things, his instincts did seem to be off a lot lately, but that didn’t stop the feeling. It was probably just something small. Something easily fixable. But, despite what he was feeling, he liked the place and he was excited for Dean. He pushed through the doors and called out. “Dean?” he said, looking around. “There’s some guys delivering a big box out back and they need you!” He would have signed for it, but they said they needed to see Dean and have him check it out before they completed the delivery. “I tried to sign, but they want to see you!” Where was Dean? Had he already found the guys out back? There was still a lot to do in order to get Rocky’s Bar and Grill up and running for next year and in time for his brother’s wedding. Dean had been tempted to ask Jack to use his powers and zap the place into shape, but he didn’t even know if he was capable at this point in time. Plus, he often managed to fuck things up when using his powers, and Dean didn’t want to make things worse. Plus, it wouldn’t feel the same if he didn’t do the necessary renovations with his own bare hands. He was busy painting the bathrooms when he heard Jack calling out for him, and he set the brush down carefully before wiping his hands on a rag. “Who’s out back?” Dean questioned with a raised brow and thirty seconds later, he was running off to the back. “It’s the bull!” He exclaimed with childish glee along the way. He had the men bring it in and directed them where to place it. Once he was satisfied, he signed the delivery slip and sent the guys off. “Why don’t you hop on the big guy and take him for a ride?” Dean motioned for Jack to get on the seat and then stepped back. Jacked gave a small laugh as he watched Dean run off to the back. He’d only heard him talk about it, but it seemed like he had taken days to pick one out. At first Jack had been confused - a mechanical bull? Weren’t there real bulls that would work and be more reliable than a mechanical one? Or were mechanical things more reliable? Anyway, he had googled it, and saw what Dean had been choosing, and he was almost as excited as Dean was. After it was set up, with all the safety padding around it - blow up mattress things? - he checked it out from all angles and looked up at Dean when he suggested he get on. “Really?” Jack was already making his way to it, more eager than he let on. “You don’t want to break it in yourself?” He only hesitated a moment before he stood on the step stool and slung his leg over the side. Tried to anyway. He’d been practicing, but the arm of his couch was absolutely nothing compared to the real thing. He finally settled in the saddle and held on tightly. “This is a very manly feeling,” he remarked, lifting his eyebrows at Dean. “It’s not doing anything though.” “Oh no. I would love for you to do the honors.” Dean held back an amused chuckle when Jack used the stool to get up, instead of jumping up onto the bull directly. It was always fun to watch Jack do things for the first time - though he didn't plan to be around for every first time. There were some things that Jack would have to navigate on his own. The machine had a few options, and he debated on being completely evil and setting it to advanced. It wasn’t like Jack would die if he got thrown off too hard or anything like that, but he decided to go with intermediate. “Oh, right. I just have to turn it on for you.” Dean moved to the control panel and hit the button to start it up, whipping out his phone to start filming it. “Let ‘er rip!” Jack bounced a little in place to test his hold on the bull, and leaned around to look at its face. He had about a second to wonder why the thing wasn’t moving - he had no idea why he thought it was automatically supposed to start, or maybe he pushed a button or something - before Dean told him he had to start it up. “Oh, okay. I’ll just -,” and then it moved. Just a little at first. Kind of like bobbing in some water on a floatie. It wasn’t bad. He grinned at Dean as the thing picked up pace, and his grip got tighter as the bull spun around beneath him. And then it got faster and the real bucking started. Enough that Jack’s butt actually lifted time and time again. His Taco Bell visor flew off of his head and he gripped his legs firmly so he didn’t get thrown off. Or tried to. He felt himself slipping but was determined to stick it out. “Holy crap!” He made a noise, something between a squeak and a yelp as his hands slipped and his body lifted up, the only thing still keeping him on was one leg holding tightly. Another circle and bucking bull beneath him, and Jack was airborne. He landed on the mat a few feet from the bull as he rubbed his aching butt and watched it go without a rider. Dean watched in awe, impressed that three seconds had gone by and Jack was still riding. He whistled sharply and winced on a particularly hard drop back on the seat. “C’mon, Jack. You got this!” Dean exclaimed from the side, cheering him on. When he finally got thrown off, he couldn’t believe the height Jack had reached before hitting the mat. Dean hurried over to turn off the bull and stopped filming to help him up. “Seven seconds. For a first-timer, that is pretty impressive.” He leaned forward to grab Jack by the hand and pulled him up from the mat. “Maybe you should look into professional bull riding.” He teased him playfully and motioned for him to follow over to the bar. Dean grabbed two beers and flipped the caps off, handing one over to Jack. “You know, you can always practice and then bring a girl…or a guy, over to the bar and have them watch you. Chicks dig it, but I’m not so sure about the guys.” “Seven seconds? Only seven seconds?” Jack grabbed Dean’s hand and pulled himself up. “That - it felt like a few minutes. At least three.” He was all smiles as he followed Dean to the bar. He hadn’t expected it to be so much fun or so exhilarating. Even though he’d gotten tossed off - he’d heard that could happen - he still enjoyed himself. “Maybe I will. Practice. And watch some videos. I should have done that, but I thought it would be easier than it was.” Jack looked thoughtful as he drank from his bottle. He doubted he would ever bring a girl. He liked them, but they never seemed to like him back. Or people in general. That was okay though. “Why would that impress a girl?” He wondered, grinning at himself. “I probably looked like a spastic chihuahua up there.” He felt like one. When he realized he was being thrown off he was sure he was a tangle of arms and legs as he tried to land gracefully. Unsuccessfully. “Are you going to take a turn?” “The longer you stay on, the crazier the bull gets. In the professional circuit, eight seconds is all you need to score, and then you jump off. But you can stay on the mechanical bull as long as you want.” He clinked his bottle against Jack’s and took a long pull from the bottle, his elbow resting on the bar. “Why would that impress a girl? That’s a very good question.” Dean replied with a pensive sigh, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “It depends on the girl. Some girls might think it’s stupid and childish, while other girls think it’s hot to see a guy who is strong enough to handle the bull.” He tapped the cap of the beer against the counter top, and added with a shrug, “who really knows what goes through their minds? I sure as hell don’t.” He took another swig and shot the cap successfully into the bin, a few feet away from him. “Fuck yeah, I’m going to take a turn. I just need to stretch a little. I’m old now and that doesn’t always bode well.” “The professional circuit. That’s a real bull, then, I guess?” He asked. His seven seconds didn’t seem so pitiful to him now. Well, it kind of was, considering that it was a mechanical bull, but that thing had to be going at a warp speed. Jack always enjoyed his time with Dean. They always seemed to have teaching moments, and Jack especially liked to learn from Dean’s experience. He knew he had a long way to go and he would gladly take all the advice he could get. “Girls are a mystery,” he said, drinking more beer. “I’m getting a better grasp on the way they work though, but the bull thing surprises me. I guess I didn’t think too much about it before.” He started to type what Dean had said into his phone, saying the key phrase under his breath as his thumbs moved over the keyboard strong enough to handle the bull before he realized what he was doing and stopped. He typically liked to do that in private, because notes could never hurt to have, but he hoped Dean would just assume it was a random text. “If you have arthritis or something, you know I can fix that for you,” Jack smiled at Dean, his smile getting wider and a little more playful as he realized when Dean got in the bull, he’d be in control of the speed. “So when you get on, is that going to leave me in charge of the control box?” Jack knew he would do whatever speed or setting Dean told him to set it at, but it was still fun to joke around. “Yup. A real bull and some very real injuries. That shit is incredibly dangerous, so it takes some balls to go out there and risk it all.” He thought about advising Jack against it, but he didn’t even think it was a thing where they lived, and even if he did happen to come across the opportunity, he was an angel, and he wouldn’t get hurt. “Just when you think you have girls figured out, they will turn around and do something to make you question it all. You’ll never fully understand them, and that’s just a part of life.” Dean cleared his throat and finished off his beer. He had been about to comment when he noticed Jack typing on his phone and muttering under his breath. He paused for a moment but decided to leave it alone. “It’s all a part of growing old. I can’t be bothering you to fix every little ailment I have. If I get seriously injured, I’ll ask, but I can handle the rest.” While he was grateful to have Jack at his side, he might not always be there and he didn’t want to lean too heavily on him. “I’m a certified pro when it comes to bull riding.” Dean stretched his arms forward and locked his fingers together to crack his knuckles, his head rolling left and right. “You can put that on the expert level, and I’ll show you how it’s done.” |