voluntaryapnea | 23. Wishing on a two-way radio

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23. Wishing on a two-way radio

[Video]

[He almost doesn't log on when he realizes what's going on. Almost. But he's never been good about refraining from doing things when it comes to finding out what's going on. And he's just hoping like hell that his dad really is okay like Liam told him, that Melissa's doing well, that things in Beacon Hills aren't as screwed up as they usually are. He hopes.]

So, anyone out there from Beacon Hills listening on this thing?

[Private to Jean]

I have a question for you. [Actually it's more like a possible request. He's not entirely sure yet.]

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[He's definitely used to being the embarrassing one. Always has been. Poor Scott, really.

Stiles nods to acknowledge the promise that Scott will be fine. He's been telling himself that since the day his best friend dropped into a coma. Other people have been telling him that too. Except Dean's other self, who just doesn't have that kind of optimism.

But he does pause at the offer of secrets and he chews his lip, feeling distinctly guilty already for even considering what he's about to ask.]

Maybe. [He hesitates again, but hell, his own curiosity is what typically wins out and this is no exception.]

Who's Lisa?

[It's karma, Stiles. She's a bitch.

Which Dean should really consider a little more of himself but hey, if he wants to screw himself over, he already has plenty of debt worked up in that field so he's not really all that bothered by the idea.]

Lisa? [It takes him a moment to place the name; he'd recognize her on sight, of course, but he wasn't expecting that line of questioning and it's not an uncommon name. It's obvious when it clicks though because Dean glances (ever so slightly guiltily) off screen for just a second -] Braeden? [- and then he's standing up, moving to a different room in the apartment.]

Uhhh. She's. One of my ex's. She and I hooked up back when she was in college, and it -

Anyway. Why?

[Stiles chews his thumbnail while Dean thinks, but the moment he realizes who Stiles is talking about, he can see it. He keeps quiet while Dean leaves the room.]

I'm not sure about the last name.

[But he picks up on the fact that Dean is a little -- wary? Uncertain? Worried? He's not sure.]

She contacted him. He seemed...thrown.

Hold that thought.

[Dean is a little mystified himself - the timelines diverge but he's not exactly sure where, not sure how different they are; his line goes dead for a minute as he scrolls through to find the other Dean's post, and the contact from Lisa on it.

When he comes back he's not smiling anymore, but he is chewing his lip, eyebrows pulled together.]

Okay yeah. That's Lisa Braeden and me'n Sam helped her with a problem she was having in our wheelhouse. Ben is her son.

Which is... I mean... Okay look. She says he's not mine and she didn't tell me about him until we showed up in town for the case, and I believe her but also the age is about right and. I don't know. We got along really well and he's a great kid and...

Anyway. She's great, too. Like, really, really great. I don't know what his deal is with her? [This Dean is happily in a serious relationship that his inmate self never had the opportunity to get involved with; it doesn't take a mindreader to see there's more going on there than the obvious, especially since Dean neither takes her head off, hangs up, or allows the conversation to remain public.] But I know that me'n Sam cleared out the changelings a couple months ago - after I got back from the Barge - and then she told me to clear out too, and not to call if I didn't want to. Which I don't. That's all I got.

[Holy shit. Dean might have a son. No wonder seeing Lisa had thrown his inmate.]

But in theory, other you might believe that Ben's his son. [That is...so far out of his realm of expertise he's not even sure he's on the same Barge anymore. And there hadn't been a thing about Lisa or Ben in Dean's file. He'd know, since he basically has it memorized by now. He chews his thumbnail.]

Or something else happened in his universe that didn't in yours. [Or hasn't yet, anyway.]

Or both.

[It's not just uncomfortable for Stiles to be talking about this; even though things are as resolved as they're likely to get for the Dean on the line right now, he's still not sure what to make of it, not sure if he wants to know Ben better because of the possibilities or if he's relieved that Lisa doesn't want him around, so now he doesn't have to explain that to Felix.

He shrugs after a minute, rubbing at his mouth with one hand.]

Yeah. I mean, I don't know what he might believe, I don't know what happened there. It was after the Barge for me. After things should've changed.

I dunno. Sorry, dude.

No, don't be sorry. The background information is a lot more than I had to go on.

[He offers Dean a small smile, falling silent for a moment. He's chewing his lower lip.]

It's been bumpy. But...we've actually bonded some. And he still likes talking about car stuff, so that's been pretty safe and neutral territory for both of us.

[Dean waits that moment, mulling over his own thoughts; he genuinely wants to help Stiles however he can, but it's with no small amount of visible relief that he latches onto what is indeed a much safer subject for him, too. He doesn't like thinking too much about Lisa and Ben.

He doesn't like feeling like a shitheel even though he's doing exactly what everyone seems to want.

Of course, the realization that Stiles' inmate has not only the same brother he does but the same car he does makes Dean groan with a tangentially related, horrible thought.]

Oh no. Not my baby. Don't tell me he fucked her up, too.

[It takes everything Stiles has not to laugh at the horrified expression on Dean's face. He doesn't know precisely what happened to his inmate's car, but he does know that the topic of the Impala gets Dean to drop some of his defenses. Not entirely, but more than usual. Enough that Stiles is trying to come up with a good way to use that to help him somehow. He's just not entirely sure how yet.]

Well, what I know is that he loves the car as much as you do.

No one loves that car as much as I do!

[This is a rote protest, not as savage as he would actually get if someone were actively in danger of hurting the car in question, but sincere nonetheless. He's taken so much crap over his relationship with the Impala that he's not even bothered anymore, if ever he was.

But even he has to admit that at the end of the day, if there's anyone that does, it's probably... well. Himself.

Dean shakes his head.]

Alright, fine. When you're right, you're right. But don't get too cocky over there.

Except another version of you?

[This time he can't quite contain a chuckle. He's not mocking Dean for his relationship with his car. Just for disbelieving another version of him could care about it as much. When Dean finally concedes and shakes his head, he simply grins.]

Me? Cocky isn't in my repertoire.

And a liar now, too. God, I'm a bad influence on you.

[This is the version of Dean that can handle being laughed at, though, even if he would probably argue at least a little about the similarities between the versions of him. He knows something's broken there, something vital, maybe something irreparable; he hopes not, for Stiles' sake, for Sam's, for the world's, but. He was never much of an optimist, even when he could still hang his hopes on blind faith.

He's smirking.]

I'm glad, though. I am. And proud. I mean it's weird, don't get me wrong, I haven't forgotten that. But I am.

[It's good that Dean can handle being laughed at because Stiles is definitely amused right now. And he feels lighter than he has in awhile, since before Scott coma'd, definitely. There are similarities between the two versions of Dean, but there are a lot of differences too. And so far, Stiles thinks he's done a good job of keeping them entirely separate in his mind. He doesn't try to push his inmate into being like this Dean. In fact he tries really hard not to.

He smiles a bit when Dean says he's proud, even though it's weird. It's definitely weird. But he's good with weird.]

Thanks. It's weird, yeah. But I think it'll be all right. [The last time he'd talked to this Dean, he'd just learned about having the other Dean as an inmate. He thinks that even though there's a long way to go, they've come a long way. They've made progress, even if it maybe doesn't seem like it to most.]

It's good to talk to you, man. I'm glad everything's going good.

[Dean's smiles always came easily; now it's almost thoughtless how quickly he does because yeah, things are good. Everything's going good. Some days he still wakes up and wonders if this is really his life now, if he really gets to have this.

It's not perfect. But it's so much better than it might have been, and so much better than it was. The hunter snorts.]

Alright, alright, enough with the chick flicks. We're both awesome and we're gonna continue being awesome. You're gonna go talk to your people, and I'm gonna find someone else to bother for a while.

And don't do anything I wouldn't do. Which still leaves you with a literal fuckton of options, so don't screw it up, you hear, Slick?

Hell yeah we're awesome.

[He grins.]

Wait, are you saying there's stuff you wouldn't do? [His eyes widen in feigned shock.]

One or two things. Mostly other Meatloaf lyrics, come to think of it.

[Well now he just has a mental image of Dean belting out "And I would do anything for loooove." It's all he can do not to snort.]

No Meatloaf karaoke. Got it.

[Don't think he hasn't. Dean and Meatloaf have a similar level of cheese and drama, okay, and he can get away with mixing them up with the rest of his hair band music if he's had enough to drink.

Shut up.]

Attaboy. Catch you around.

Take care, Dean.

[He smiles and lifts his hand in a wave.]

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