Standing Together

Chapter 6

"Hey, I can't come to the next couple shows," Dean says out of the blue one day, after nearly a month of going to every concert together.

"What? Why?" Castiel asks. Dean's become his personal stress manager. Each show becomes a little easier than the last with Dean by his side or sitting in the audience with a proud smile. Who's going to tell him to shut the fuck up when he's getting mad about something stupid if Dean's not there?

"It's father's day on Sunday," Dean says. "I'm going down to Texas with Sam."

"Texas? What's in Texas?" Castiel asks, confused. He didn't realize Dean had ever been to Texas.

"My dad's grave," Dean says. "It's kind of a tradition to go down there every year, and we've missed his birthday and the anniversary of his death, so this is kind of the last chance we have to go on a day that actually means something, so..."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Castiel says, trying to hide his disappointment. "Well, you have fun, I guess — or as much fun as you can have, given the circumstances."

"You gonna be okay while I'm gone?" Dean asks.

Castiel nods. "Yeah, it'll be just like old times. Just hurry back, will you? I'll get lonely if you're gone too long."

Dean chuckles and wraps his arms around the boy, resting his chin on Castiel's shoulder. "It's just a few days, I promise. Then I'll come back, and you'll see me cheering for you in the front row of every concert."

Castiel sighs. "Okay. I'll see you in a few days, I guess."

Dean must hear his reluctance to let that happen, because he adds, "I know this probably sounds weird to someone who doesn't go to their parents' graves very often, but this is just something I have to do. I didn't go at all last year, and I still feel bad about it, and I don't want to do that again."

"I understand," Castiel says. "I'm all for you going down to Texas if you want. I just..." He gives his fiancé a forced smile. "My tour schedule's everywhere. You know where to find me when you're ready to come back."

Dean presses a kiss to his cheek. "If you need me, you can call whenever you want. I'll have my phone on me the whole time. Just give me a buzz, okay? I'll pick up."

Castiel lets out a long breath. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind. But when are you leaving? Now? Tonight? In a few days?"

"Tomorrow morning," Dean replies. "I'm going back to Massachusetts to drive down there —"

"What? Why don't you just fly down directly to Texas?" Castiel asks, baffled. "Driving would take, like, four days."

Dean chuckles. "No, not quite that long. But we always bring the impala down when we go. It was his car for at least a decade before I was even born. She's known him longer than Sam and I combined. She has to come visit, too, you know?"

Castiel smiles a little, hiding his expression against his fiancé's shirt. "Your car is going to go visit?"

"Of course," Dean replies. "She's part of the family, too."

Castiel chuckles, glad to hear the light tone in Dean's voice — it almost sounds like he's joking, but anyone who knows Dean and the impala knows otherwise. "That's an interesting little family right there."

"We're the best family," Dean replies. "Two weirdo brothers and a fancy schmancy car from the sixties."

"What's not to love?" Castiel adds, amused. "Are Adam and Bobby going to meet you there, too?"

Dean shakes his head. "They never really come — except when Sam and I were younger, 'cause I wasn't allowed to drive myself at thirteen." He says it as if it's ridiculous to assume a thirteen-year-old can't drive a car. "But by the time I turned sixteen, it was just us. Adam's never even been. He didn't know my dad well enough for that, and and he and Bobby weren't on the best of terms when he died, so he doesn't really care."

"Wait, but if your dad and Bobby weren't on good terms, why did you move in with Bobby?" Castiel asks, confused.

Dean shrugs. "Beats me. I asked Bobby once, and he doesn't really know, either."

"Did your dad not have a lot of other friends?" Castiel asks.

"No, that's the weird part," Dean says. "He did. He made friends with just about everyone. He had enough friends at the station that we shouldn't have had to leave Texas at all, but he chose Bobby instead. I think he just knew Bobby would be able to handle us better than anyone else, and he was right."

"What was your dad like?" Castiel asks curiously. Dean never talks about him, so this may be his only opportunity to get an answer.

But Dean just shakes his head. "That's a story for another time."