Dean Winchester (i_soldieron) wrote in we_coexist, @ 2013-04-14 17:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | dean winchester, dinah lance, zz:status complete |
Birthdays are for...(Dinah/Dean log, cont in comments)
Dean made sure Sam was comfortable. He also made sure that the weird basket from Fred had been set to the side, almost hidden. It was a basket full of waffle related items: batters, preserves, whipped cream, syrups, even little pitchers and dishes. No waffle iron, but when he was putting things away, the older Winchester found the waffle irons; he didn’t think too hard about that one, just chalked it up to the City. He really hoped whatever version of his brother that had lived here before the current one...he hoped that Sam hadn’t shared a weird waffle fetish with the brainy loon.
The basket had come with a card, and wanting to see if it was safe or not, Dean had read it. So, I heard you got your soul back... Dean stopped right there and shoved the card in a drawer with cooking utensils, not thinking Sam would go looking through those drawers anytime soon.
“Okay, Sammy, I’m heading out for a bit. Call if you need anything.” He didn’t go kiss the guy on the top of his head, nor did he pat him on the shoulder. He just gave Sam a wave and headed out. He had a plan.
Sam still had the memories of all of the things he’d done without a soul. They kept him awake most nights and made him feel... tainted, worthless, dangerous. There was a very strong fear that the things he’d done during that time period were still him. He might not have had a soul, but the things he’d done and thought and said had come from a part of him. They hadn’t simply come from nowhere after all.
Hurting Fred was the worst part. That kept replaying during his waking hours. He needed to apologize, but he also didn’t think she needed to see him right now.
He’d tried to push Dean away but his brother kept showing up, every morning like clockwork. Sam appreciated that more than anything, even if he didn’t think he deserved it. He’d tried to point out that maybe Dean was needed at home, but that only earned a glare and a change of subject. So he resigned himself to the company and slowly it was starting to bring him out of his guilt. The guilt was still there, but each day he felt just a little bit less tainted.
He did raise an eyebrow when Dean mentioned that he was leaving for a little while, though he didn’t complain. He assumed that it had something to do with Dinah-just a guess by the smile on the older Winchester’s face-and he was glad that his brother was headed out to something a little happier. He returned the wave and even managed a small smile. He almost considered asking Dean to tell Dinah that he’d said hello before he remembered that he probably owed Dinah an apology as well.
----
A little later, Dean slipped into the flower shop, held his finger to his lips to keep the staff quiet, and made his way to the workroom. Dinah did like working on the arrangements after all. He made just enough noise to make sure she heard him, so he wouldn’t get hit when he came toward her.
“Time for a break.” He smiled, holding up a carton of Chinese, not enough for a full meal but enough for what a decent break.
----
Dinah’s staff were all too familiar with her live-in boyfriend. After all, a few of the cashiers had developed crushes on the mysterious man who’d taken the apartment above the shop. It hadn’t taken long for speculation about the two to start flying around the shop and so a few of the women had been disappointed but not overly surprised when their boss moved back in to the apartment over the shop.
They might not have known the occasion, but not a single one of them was going to spoil the surprise. They simply went back to their work and looked the other way as the man who wasn’t exactly authorized stepped into the back room.
Dinah had made a point to work on her birthday. She usually tried to keep busy because birthdays just didn’t usually work out for her. After years with Ollie, she was used to having them forgotten and it didn’t bother her all that much. Or so she told herself. Dean had already warned her that he wasn’t great at remembering dates, so she’d made her peace with that.
Which was why it was a bit of a surprise when he showed up in the backroom. The blonde had been expecting Clarissa or Felicity, but she’d whirled around with a smile at the smell of Chinese and the sound of Dean’s voice.
She set aside the bouquet she’d been working on-it didn’t need to be done right now, as it wasn’t set for delivery until tomorrow-and took the few steps that closed the gap between the two of them.
She pulled him close for a brief kiss-brief only because she didn’t want to risk one of her employees walking in on them.
“Suddenly, a break sounds really good. Hi.”
She hadn’t seen that much of him lately, though she understood why. He’d been home to sleep and had spent his days with Sam. She missed him but thought that he was right where he was needed most, so she had no complaints. She was worried about Sam too and thought that having family around was the best thing for him. For both of them, given the events over the past few months.
----
Dean wrapped an arm around her, and returned the kiss. He did like kissing her; it was more than nice, very nice. His hand might have gone further down to squeeze inappropriate areas. The smile on his face suggested he knew he was being naughty.
“Mm, good. Let’s go.” He stepped away, holding the carton out to her. “Have things to do.” He laughed softly. Carton offered in one hand, and the other hand was offered for her to take. He’d yet to say anything about birthdays; he probably wouldn’t...not at first.
---
Dinah had a hard time resisting that smile or those hands, though she would have put a stop to it before things got too heated. Luckily, Dean seemed to know just how long was appropriate for sneaking a grope in her work space.
She quirked an eyebrow at the announcement but took both the offered carton and the hand.
“Things to do? What things?” she asked, curious about what he had planned for the day.
He sometimes stopped in for lunch, but usually that didn’t entail whisking her off somewhere besides their apartment and if he’d planned for a trip up there then he would have other ways of saying as much.
She did tug at his hand to stop him before they left the work room. She leaned up for a kiss and a nuzzle to his neck. She had definitely missed him lately and there were a few things she wouldn’t mind squeezing into the time that she was going to take away from the shop to spend with him.
----
Dean laughed softly into the kiss and the nuzzle. He was more than happy to to receive the attentions; how could he not? He kissed her in return before stepping away and tugging her along. He led them out the backway to the Impala waiting for them both. He had plans after all, and he wouldn’t get them where he wanted by foot, of that he was sure. Plus, they only had an hour, or that was the plan.
He softly squeezed her hand as he held the door open for her. Yes, he had his moments of being a gentleman after all. He just smiled, nudging the door closed as soon as she was in. He moved quickly round to get into the driver’s seat.
“Eat up.” He didn’t tell her where he was taking her. He wasn’t going to. The ride took a little longer than he would have liked, but he smiled almost impishly as he pulled up in front of the parts store. This one dealt specifically in motorcycles. Still he said nothing. He slipped out of the car and made his way around to the passenger’s door to let Dinah out.
-----
Dinah laughed softly at the orders. Now, if he’d actually tried bossing her around it wouldn’t have gone so well, but being ordered to eat was something she was okay with. Particularly when dealing with food from her favorite Chinese restaurant. She still wasn’t sure what was going on and why Dean was acting mysterious about their destination, but the anticipation of a surprise was half the fun.
She stepped out of the car and looked at the shops in their vicinity, trying to figure out where they were headed. Her eyes lingered on the motorcycle parts shop, though she didn’t want to get her hopes up too much. She had been working on upgrading her bike and there were a few parts that she wouldn’t mind picking up.
She turned her attention away from the shops and back to Dean, her eyebrows raised.
“So are you going to let me in on what we’re doing yet?” she asked, the smile still on her face as she took his hand in hers.
----
“You’re smart enough to figure it out.” Dean may have risked a soft tsk. He led the way to the bike shop, holding the door for her again. There was still a smile on his face; it hadn’t exactly left since he’d picked her up. Of course, he was concerned, but it wouldn’t show, not yet. Maybe not ever.
“So, I’ve got a bit of a budget, but...they showed me two of the parts you’ve been looking for in my price range. So..” He led her over to where those parts were waiting. “Pick one.” Hey, the jobs did come, and he was paid for them; but, he wasn’t making as much as a billionaire playboy might. He wasn’t Tony Stark, nor was he Oliver Queen. He was Dean Winchester.
----
She’d already suspected that this was a birthday thing, but when Dean led her into the store and over to the parts she’d been eying, Dinah’s face lit up. She didn’t really care that the store was mostly filled with men who looked like stereotypical bikers. She didn’t care who saw. She pulled Dean into a hug and pressed her lips to his.
“You remembered,” she said, after she’d given him a kiss that was just long enough to express her appreciation but not quite long enough to push the boundaries of public indecency. She didn’t care about that as much as she should maybe, but she also didn’t want to make too many people uncomfortable. Not to mention that being distracted in a public place could be dangerous considering what they both did.
She hadn’t asked about Sam yet. She wanted to, but it was hard to bring up something that would wipe the smile off his face. She hadn’t seen many smiles since they’d heard Fred’s stories so this afternoon was a nice treat in more ways than one. Her fingers did find his again and there was a brief squeeze that hopefully communicated the fact that she was here for him, even while he was off being there for Sam.
----
“I may have put it in my phone, once I figured the damn thing out.” Dean smiled. He returned the kiss even enough, and he was careful not to take it further than it needed to. They were in public after all. He wasn’t as dumb as most thought, and it hadn’t taken him that long to make the phone do what he wanted; it was simply wanting to make it do something. Usually he had to have a reason to bother with tech if he had a Sam around.
“This is okay?” And the smile faded a little as the concern that maybe he didn’t do it right showed. He hadn’t had much experience getting female loved ones gifts. Actually Lisa had been the only one he’d been around long enough to get one for, and that had gone well enough. This was different. Very different. He wanted it to be just the right thing.
----
Dinah was very happy that he’d remembered. Especially after the warning that he might not. It was a little bit pathetic to realize that he was the first significant other to actually go out of his way to celebrate her birthday. She beamed up at him.
“It’s perfect.”
Anyone could buy flowers or jewelry. Dinah had never been that big on sparkly things. Engines, she could understand. Building them, rebuilding them, upgrading them, all of that was something worthwhile that she could do with her time. Something that was satisfying and mentally calming all at once. She loved flowers, but she worked with them all day long so a bouquet to surprise her might not have the same effect as on some women.
But this was something that showed how well he knew her and that’s what made it more romantic than any of the traditional gifts he could have given her.
She studied each part, trying to decide which she wanted more at the moment. Finally, she indicated her choice to the clerk, who started to bag it up.
“Thank you,” she said as she leaned in and lowered her voice so that the sentiment remained between the two of them.
----
“Of course.” Dean smiled down at her. He did love Dinah; it was the only explanation for it. It wasn’t like he was trying to get in her pants - he’d done that already. He wasn’t trying to impress her for some strange reason. He wanted her happy, plain and simple.
“We can put it in the trunk or backseat. Then I’ll take you back to work and the garage. It’s not much, and I know I’ve been gone. I just wanted you to know, you matter to me.” He smiled at her. She mattered a whole lot.
-----
Dinah waited until they’d paid and gotten out of the shop before pulling Dean into another kiss. She appreciated that she didn’t have to question where she stood with him. She appreciated that he was the sort of guy who went out of the way to let her know that she mattered to him.
“I love you,” she said once she broke the kiss.
She waited for Dean to open the trunk so she could put the new part for her bike inside. It was only once her present was put away that she asked the question that had been on her mind since Dean had showed up in the shop. Since before that really. They didn’t have much time to catch up lately. She knew that Dean sometimes did better with being given space to come and talk to her as he needed, but she also wanted to remind him that she cared about Sam too.
“How’s Sam doing?” she asked.
She wanted to ask how he was doing as well, but how Sam was doing was pretty much synonymous with how Dean would be doing right now. Asking the first question was a little less direct and gave him the freedom to choose how closely he wanted to play things to the vest.
----
"You too." Dean had returned the kiss, and when it was done, he absently licked his lips, tasting her there. He did like the taste of her. He held her close for as long as he could, but it wasn't easy to continue doing so when he had to put something in the car to take home. Home - it wasn't a word he ever really thought he'd get to say and mean.
The older Winchester paused as he was about to shut the Impala's trunk. There was slight smile on his face as a very disturbing memory came to mind. Sam the car. That memory was pushed aside by the question, and the smile faded.
"He's alive. He...he's Sam." Dean shrugged, closing the trunk a little harder than was necessary. He lightly petted the black painted metal, giving a mental apology to the poor car that had seen him through so much. "He's dealing with it. He doesn't really have many other choices. Course, he remembers everything he did before, but he's not going to remember Hell." Dean was damn grateful that that was the case.