the life and love of lainey legaré (part nineteen)
fandom: supernatural
pairing: dean winchester x original female character
rating: teen
word count: 3.6k
tags/warnings: fluff, domestic dean, it's sammy's birthday!!, grief, light angst, the gang goes normal for a day
notes: only a short one but next is all hell breaks loose! also technically spiderman three came out AFTER sammys birthday but shhh that’s just between us xxx
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link to masterpost ❀ link to ao3 ❀ request a tag ❀ previous chapter
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Early May 2007
‘So, what do you want to do tonight?’ Lainey asked as she dumped her shotgun in the Impala’s trunk causing Dean to huff about how he’d just gotten everything in order under his breath. She ignored him, setting her sights on Sam who was hanging by the rear bumper eyes transfixed on where Dean was straightening up the armory given the trunk was now considerably more crowded than normal since she had left her truck behind when they’d last left Bobby’s. Of course he’d moaned about her bringing two duffels and her guitar, but it had only taken one suggestion of her just bringing her truck as usual for him to suddenly find room for everything.
‘You’re asking me?’ he said as his eyes focused back into place and he found her watching him, her face expectant.
‘Well it’s your birthday,’ she reasoned.
‘Lainey,’ Sam sighed.
‘What?’ she said, challenging him as she folded her arms across her chest. Dean had finished up but said nothing, watching as they fell back into the argument they’d been having since last night.
Seeing as the news about them getting together had gone down better than either of them would have hoped for, the new couple had decided not to push their luck, given that every wandering hand and warm giggle was met by a grunt or a huff from somewhere beyond whatever room they were in. It meant they’d only had a brief layover before they were back on the road and onto their next hunt which was thankfully a simple one even if the ghost they’d been hunting was a mean old son of a bitch. He was a judge who’d clung to his profession even after he’d kicked the bucket swapping life sentences for death sentences by murdering those he didn’t deem to have been handed the correct sentence when they'd come through his old dock. Still, one expertly executed root around his old chambers after hours and sent him on his way once they’d found the gavel he was clinging to. And since they'd just finished up, ahead of schedule, it meant that they now had a free evening hence why she had spied the chance to redirect the conversation back to their long-running debate on which Sam seemed to still be holding firm.
‘We’ve been over this,’ he said.
‘No you said you didn’t care,’ Lainey countered.
‘Exactly-’
‘Not that you wouldn’t do something,’ she corrected, ‘so pick.’
‘Why?’ Sam huffed.
‘Because she’s not gonna stop until you do,’ Dean said as he slammed the trunk shut and rested on it. Lainey rolled her eyes but allowed herself to be pulled in between his legs, her gaze never leaving Sam even as his hands rested on her hips, sliding just an inch under the hem of her shirt in a way that made goosebumps prickle her skin.
‘I honestly don’t care! We just finished a hunt,’ he reasoned, ‘you got thrown across the room for crying out loud!’
‘I’m fine,’ she lied, ignoring the way her shoulder twinged, once she remembered the feeling of her back hitting the hardwood desk, and the way Dean stiffened, his gaze fixed on her back as though he was assessing the damage through her clothes though it was nothing a couple of painkillers wouldn’t fix. Still she’d play on it if it meant getting her way, ‘in fact, if I go back to the motel and lie down I’ll definitely seize up so I need something to keep my bones agile.'
‘Told ya,’ Dean snorted, perching his chin on her shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. She was trying to stay firm, but it was hard to do with him so close. The warmth of him pressed up against her back enticing her to ditch the whole idea and head back to the motel instead. But she held out because it seemed to break down whatever resolve Sam had too. Because he knew it only came from a place of love. From how she cared for them enough to celebrate the little things they let themselves forget about. And if she could bend Dean Winchester into cuddling in the middle of the damn street Sam realised that he was likely fighting a losing battle.
‘I don’t know,’ he said, finally submitting defeat but not lending himself to being helpful.
‘Fine. I’ll pick,’ she said, turning herself around and offering her hand out to Dean, ‘keys?’
‘I can drive,’ he said, sounding offended that she dared insinuate such a thing.
‘You don’t know where we’re going,’ she challenged, palm still held in front of him. Dean looked at his brother who seemed far too bemused that his encouragement had backfired on him, but then relented anyway, pulling the keys from his pocket and dropping them into her expectant hand. Lainey grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she pulled out of his grasp and headed for the driver side with Dean hot on her tail as he said, ‘but I’m shotgun.’
‘Nope,’ she said, as she opened the backdoor, ‘it’s Sam’s birthday, remember.’
Sam’s laugh was the last thing Dean heard before he ducked into the back seat with a huff and a grumble.
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Dean grumbled all the way across town. In fact he hardly sat still, leaning over to fiddle with the radio and offering backseat driving tips which Lainey seemed intent on ignoring. And Sam let them bicker, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her drive and occasionally swat Dean’s hand away when he tried to interfere. In fact he only spoke when they pulled into the parking lot of a mall. It was large and vast, with a great number of cars still milling around and stuck in spaces despite the fact that the sun had dipped below the horizon on the drive over leaving the sky an inky black colour. Sam wasn’t surprised, America’s fascination with consumerism not dulled by it being a Wednesday or night for that matter. But Lainey didn’t pull into a space by the soulless shop front boasting bargains and half-off sales, instead she drove around the side until they were coming up to another building made out of the same nondescript brick the other was, only this was illuminated by the various glows of the neon sign pinned to the front which caused the faces on the posters tacked to its walls to look skewed and odd.
‘A movie theatre?’ Sam said, once he realised they were stopping here.
‘Yeah, I thought we could do dinner and a movie, my treat,’ Lainey said as she pulled into a space and cut the engine, finally conceding to looking at his way only to finding him looking skeptical which turned her tone mocking as she added, ‘what? Would you rather we go to Plucky’s instead?’
‘They do do birthday parties,’ Dean reasoned.
‘Funny,’ Sam bit, ignoring the shiver down his spine when he pictured the clown's childhood trauma inducing face.
‘Come on,’ Lainey said, encouragingly patting his leg, ‘you never know you might actually have fun.’
‘Whatever,’ Sam grumbled, peeling himself from the car.
As the three of them fell into step and headed towards the door he tried to think of the last time he’d been in a movie theatre. It had to have been years, definitely when he was still in college though he couldn’t remember what he’d seen last. He did remember who he went with though, how that time he hadn’t been the third wheel. How Jess had tucked herself into him the way Lainey was with Dean now, their conversation muffled as he whispered something in her ear that made her laugh and shove him before he captured her hand and anchored himself back to her.
‘Ooh, Blades of Glory that looks good,’ Dean said as they approached the doors, snapping his brother from the memory he’d been swimming in of blue eyes and blonde hair.
‘It’s Sam’s pick,’ Lainey chastised.
‘Why does he get to pick?’ Dean grumbled, with the disgruntlement only a sibling could muster.
‘Because it’s his birthday,’ Lainey said.
‘So? He said he doesn't care; besides I don’t remember us doing what I wanted on my birthday,’ Dean said.
‘We went to a bar,’ Lainey replied.
‘We always go to a bar, and I didn’t even get a free drink or go home with anyone so,’ Dean reasoned, as though this was the clincher to whatever point he was making.
‘Yeah because you were too busy pouting about the guy flirting with Lainey,’ Sam snorted.
‘Was not,’ Dean scowled,
'Aw really?' Lainey teased, making it deeper.
‘No,’ he grunted petulantly.
‘You didn’t move from your seat all night,’ Sam recalled, opting not to mention just how much grumbling his brother had done that night or how there had been no chance for anyone to buy him a drink as he barely let up between pounding his own.
‘In my defense I was angling for a free drink,’ she reasoned.
‘Yeah well I didn’t like what he was angling for,’ Dean said, pulling her closer.
‘Yeah because you would never,’ she said.
‘Baby I don’t need to try that hard,’ Dean said, leaning down to kiss her though she pushed him away when she caught Sam looking away, taking his aversion for being grossed out rather than something that caused an ache in his chest he couldn’t shake without looking away.
‘Come on,’ she said, ignoring Dean’s grumble when she pulled away, ‘let’s not put the boy off his popcorn.’
Sam pretended not to notice her watching him as she held the door open for them to duck through. Instead he focused on his surroundings trying to ignore the ache inside him as he took in the hustle and bustle of the movie theatre. It was easy to do given that teens gathered in every corner, creating a cacophony of sound that echoed off the high ceilings and was only muted by the thick carpet that he was sure had opted to be patterned to hide the years of dirt, grime, and no doubt child vomit that had been baked into it. Luckily for them after a lifetime of questionable bedspreads and keeping their socks on in every motel they visited the idea of that was easy to put from their minds, especially as the scent of buttery popcorn wafted past, forcing Lainey to grab hold of Dean’s hand so he didn’t wander to the concessions before they’d even got their tickets.
‘So, what are you thinking?’ she asked as they joined the back of the line for the box office, behind a group of zealous teens who were chatting loudly.
‘Blades of Glory,’ Dean said, ignoring her earlier decree.
‘Shush,’ she said, looking up at Sam expectantly.
‘Oh, uh,’ he hesitated, looking at the listings and only finding one that looked enticing, ‘Spider-Man looks okay.’
‘Spider-Man it is,’ Lainey nodded.
‘Ugh,’ Dean grumbled.
‘Oh come on, you sat through Titanic. You can do a superhero movie,’ she said encouragingly.
‘You sat through Titanic?’ Sam said, whatever apprehension he’d been feeling melting away with this new tidbit of information, especially given the way Dean scowled at Lainey like she’d let slip nuclear codes. He shifted, trying to seem casual as he shrugged, ‘yeah so? It was Lainey’s pick for her birthday.’
Sam grinned.
‘What?’ Dean huffed.
‘You’re so whipped,’ he teased.
‘Am not,’ Dean scowled.
‘Whatever dude,’ Sam snorted.
‘I was fully dialed in on Winslet, right babe?’ Dean asked, nudging Lainey who was ignoring their conversation in anticipation of being called next to the window.
‘Sure,’ she said, with not enough conviction to be convincing. As Sam made a whipping motion Dean shoved him earning himself a shove back which Lainey chose to ignore, presenting herself at the window as the usher called her forward and trying to keep her face straight like she wasn’t with the two biggest kids in the joint as she said, ‘three for Spider-Man.’
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‘So I see them both right. Bobby’s pinned by this thing and it’s all teeth and spit and just nasty and Rufus well he’s out cold so he’s useless. So I put my Walkman down where I’m hiding and set it to play for when I’ve got around to the other side. You should’ve seen the look on Bobby’s face when this thing gets distracted by Alanis Morrisette,’ Lainey chuckled.
‘Whatever works,’ Dean chuckled.
‘Yeah and it bought me time to stab the thing in the neck,’ Lainey mused, taking a sip of her drink, ‘though Bobby wasn’t exactly happy about a fifteen-year-old saving his bacon naturally.’
‘Really?’ Sam asked.
‘Oh you know how he is,’ she said, with a dismissive wave, ‘he was giving it the old ‘ya idjit thought I’d told you to stay put in that damn car’ like I hadn’t helped him and Rufus find and track the damn thing only to get benched at the last second.’
‘He was probably just trying to keep you safe,’ Sam reasoned.
‘He was tryin’ to keep me from running up his phone bill whilst he went on a hunt,’ she corrected, sinking back as she remembered the disgruntled look on Bobby’s face when Rufus had complimented her skills, once he’d was less groggy naturally, ‘but still he got his wish.’
‘You stopped tryna give the old man a heart attack?’ Dean chuckled.
‘Never,’ she giggled, taking a fry from his plate, ‘just found other ways to do it.’
‘Like dating Dean,’ Sam mused, his eyes mischievous over the top of his beer.
‘Exactly,’ Lainey mused, chuckling as Dean rolled his eyes and muttered a 'whatever' before he slid from the booth and climbed to his feet.
‘Right, gotta drain the snake,’ he said, knowing it would make Sam wrinkle his nose in disgust.
‘Ah, just when the check comes,’ Lainey said, unfazed by his vulgarity.
‘This was your idea princess,’ he winked before he disappeared down the aisle.
He was replaced by their server, who took their empty plates and decanted their bill on the table in one fell swoop, evidently eager to get home since the three of them had come in not long before closing and had spent a good while eating and talking in a relaxed and easy manner they never often got to utilize. Sam watched as she cast her eyes down the bill and pulled her wallet from her purse a moment later so she could fish out the right amount of bills to shove into the little vinyl folder it had come in. She hadn't let either of them pay for a damn thing the entire time they’d been out, insisting that it was her treat seeing as, one it was Sam’s birthday, two, very much her idea and three, to make up for neither of them having bought him a present since the chaos of the last few days hadn’t really allowed for it.
And though it wasn’t much more than a ticket, a meal, and some popcorn, the sheer amount of candy they’d bought having nothing to do with him and everything to do with Dean pulling things excitedly from the shelves and Lainey being unable to say no, hence why her purse was still chalked full of various half opened boxes and wrappers, it didn’t feel like that. It felt like she’d given him something he’d not realised he’d missed.
Normality.
They’d never had much of it growing up, any of them. They were always the new kids or the kids with dead parents. They could never buy whatever they wanted like new gadgets and clothes. They didn’t have big birthday parties with their entire class, even if Dean did try a lot of the time when Sam was younger to make it somewhat special. Even when he’d been at school with Jess it hadn’t felt entirely normal because he knew he was hiding something.
But this felt normal. Sure, most people went to the movies after a shift at the office and their work just happened to be a little more physical, and a little crazier, than a nine-to-five. But the rest was the same. They were out with their friends, their family. They laughed and joked and traded stories they’d never heard before. And for a few hours, they weren't hunters, or soldiers, or the weird new kids in hand-me-downs.
They just were. And it was nice to do that.
Lainey watched as he zoned out, lost somewhere in his head like he often was. When they had something on their mind they all went different routes. Dean stewed, ignoring it until one of them pulled it out of him or it boiled over uncontrollably. Lainey lost herself in others, fussing and taking on any little thing she could to keep herself from thinking about it until she was ready. But Sam submerged himself, thinking of it from every angle, working out every possibility. Fortunately whatever had caught his attention today seemed to be unlike the other stuff she knew he worried about. Softer somehow.
‘So,’ she said casually, snapping his attention back to her, ‘you like Spiderman huh?’
‘It was okay,’ Sam shrugged.
‘Yeah I thought so too though I didn’t have a clue what was going on…you seemed to though,’ she said, her voice soft and inviting him to talk if he wanted to.
‘Uh yeah,’ Sam said, shifting in his seat, ‘I uh, saw the first couple when they came out…with college friends and…Jess.’
‘And here I thought Dean was the dork,’ she teased. Her smile took some of the sting out of Jess’s name, and Sam felt a rush of gratitude for the distraction.
‘Dean?’ he asked in disbelief.
‘Oh definitely,’ she nodded, like she was clueing him in on a secret.
‘I thought I was the nerd,’ Sam said, a point that had been very much hammered home by his brother over the years.
‘Oh you are,’ she grinned, ‘but dorkiness is not academic. You’re studious, smart. Dean? Dean’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of every car ever made and every rock song written past 1960. He knows every line to Caddyshack and loves the Stooges. He likes superheroes…he’s a dork.’
Sam watched the fondness on her face, the soft smile that came from her remembering Dean’s continued whispered commentary throughout the film and how he kept her on track just as well as Sam had despite not having seen the first two because as he kept reiterating, this happened in the comics.
‘Thank you,’ he said as she came back to him.
‘What for?’ Lainey frowned.
‘Tonight. You were right, it was nice to do something normal…I guess we’ve kinda lost that recently. It feels like it’s just been one thing after another,’ Sam sighed.
‘I know what you mean,’ she agreed, reaching over to touch his hand gently, her thumb soft against his skin, ‘I’m glad you had fun.’
‘And…I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice as hesitant as her thumb which had stopped to rest against the back of his hand. When Sam’s brow furrowed she gave him an apologetic smile, a flush on her cheeks as she said, ‘if…we’re a little much.’
‘Oh, nah I get it don’t worry,’ Sam said, heaving a sigh of relief because he didn’t mind it really, even if his brother was trying out for first place in the ‘Grossing Out Sam Winchester’ Olympics he was happy for them. Even if it made him long for something he’d lost. Lainey seemed to know he wasn’t being entirely honest, her gaze expectant enough that he sighed for real, moving his hand away to rub the back of his neck as he said, ‘it’s just…seeing you two just made me think about Jess I guess.’
‘You know if you wanna talk about here I’m all ears,’ she said with a smile. Sam nodded.
‘Yeah I know…but I’m good. I’ve kinda given up on that part of my life y’know,’ he said, his eyes fixed on the bill instead of looking at her, ‘the normal bit.’
‘Sam you don’t know it’s over. Not forever,’ Lainey frowned, finally locking eyes with him, though as he looked at her he was struck by how disappointed she looked.
‘You really think we can do normal?’ he challenged. He understood the hope; he’d had it for a long time. But after everything they’d been through he couldn’t see a way back to that again. Even less so for her and Dean, who’d never left the life. Lainey swallowed, something unreadable in her eyes as she said, ‘I have to hope right?’
Sam was going to respond but before he could Dean came back, slotting in beside her as his arm went around her shoulders on instinct. Sam watched how she changed, their conversation like a distant memory masked by the glint in her eyes as she looked up at his brother, their fingers intertwining like she was trying to anchor herself to something real. But what struck him was how Dean did the same thing, holding her tighter than either of them realised as he said, ‘so, what did I miss?’
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Let's be normal, see bad movies,
Sneak a beer and watch TV,
We'll bake brownies or go bowling,
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turnnoffyourmind
