( He doesn't push further. It's been a few months. Ben is where Ben is. Dickerson's feelings haven't changed and his "offer" still sits out there. But, he does need a - thank you, Helene - for the beer. )
[The obvious, clearly. Because as much as he tries to ignore it, he is his father's sun so if Dickerson doesn't have any objects, Bob Seeger will start floating through the speakers as they start to head towards the highway.]
We're certainly not complaining for the extra help.
[Things have been busy lately, a lot of people coming in for their regular maintenance. The jobs don't take long, but the heavy flood of them have made it hard when they're down a few hands as the family men start taking some of those summer vacations.]
( He never complains when he's spending his time with Ben.
He doesn't know what else to say for the moment so he lets Bob Sieger take over as they travel along the highway.
About an hour later, everyone is working on their Night Moves. Dickerson sings along about awkward teenage blues when there's a pop that sounds from underneath the car. Bracing himself against the wheel with an arm across Ben, he checks the rearview mirror and sees he has the open lane to pull off onto the shoulder. )
[Ben can't help but wince at that sound because that's never good. He glances back over his shoulder as well, waiting until they're on the side of the road, before going to climb out of the car.]
That sounded like a tire. You got a spare in the trunk?
( He hopes that he rolled over something, but he knows there's a tire that's not intact. Still, as he steps out of the car, he holds onto the sliver of hope and comes face to face with a busted tire.
He nods, coming around to the trunk. Opening it, he remembers at the last minute -- when he's faced with a bag of hunting supplied zipped up and a trunk next to it. He slams the trunk back closed. )
[It's repeated in commiseration, and he sighs before running a hand over his face.]
Alright. You want to call the tow, I'll see if I can spot somewhere for us to crash?
[They've maybe an hour away from Peoria at most, but who knows how long it's going to take to get the tire fixed. They probably weren't making it to Lawrence tonight.]
It's fine. The actual birthday stuff wasn't until tomorrow anyway. We've got time.
[He tabs another motel option - how far away he'll get will depend on how long the tire is going to take - dropping it off and renting a car in another state doesn't seem like the best idea in his opinion, but maybe they'll be able to get a little bit further before they stop for the night.]
Elena's actual birthday, anyway. I think it's also Damon's birthday but that was Wednesday.
[And he wasn't necessarily expected for that. Ben puts his browser to the side and pull up his text messages to text Dean: Got a flat near Peoria. Waiting on a tow, but probably won't make it in until tomorrow.]
( And he thought hunting and secret love child, angels were something. )
Dean and Elena and you had lunch with their alternate universe children and Damon. Who is a nice vampire.
( Okay.
Let me know when you land somewhere for the night.
AAA drops the car off a few miles outside a mechanic's garage and gas pump. That garage is off of a dive bar and across the street sits a motel. Once he squares away with AAA, he rejoins Ben by the gas pumps. )
Damon and the alternate universe children is honestly the least crazy thing about Elena's life.
[It all just spirals from there.
That being said, he will thumbs up Dean's text and glances up and Dickerson when he returns outside.]
What did the mechanic say about when it'll be done?
[It's roughly mid-afternoon at this point, so maybe they have some time, but if the mechanic's hands are full, he may not be able to get to them until much later.]
Well, considering Dean dragged her along with an angel...
( He can see it. )
Mechanic's backlogged, but he can get to it first thing in the morning, or at the end of the day, if he's lucky. But, we're gonna need a room. And, maybe a drink. Maybe not in that order. Whatdya' say.
Room first. We can drop our stuff off before we eat.
[Hopefully the motel isn't as shady as it looks.
They get a room for the night and then head over to the bar. Ben orders himself a burger and a ginger ale before texting Dean an update and a new ETA.
And maybe they can use the extra time to make things a little less weird. Because Ben's been feeling the weirdness, and even if he thinks he knows why, he doesn't necessarily want it to be something Dean picks up on.]
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( He doesn't, he's actually taken a step back toward hunting. Bare minimum's a thing in a precinct like his, he just never only did it. )
Cool she invited you. You and Dean must be working on things?
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[It can't be a one way thing, and since Dean actually has a home to go to, it's worth Ben putting in some of the effort.]
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( He doesn't push further. It's been a few months. Ben is where Ben is. Dickerson's feelings haven't changed and his "offer" still sits out there. But, he does need a - thank you, Helene - for the beer. )
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[Which means they'll be stuck in a car for a long time together. Ben probably won't leave him to suffer that long. Probably.]
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( So, something to look forward to. If that's all they have for the time being...
On that Saturday, he parks his car by Ben's apartment and knocks at an ungodly hour, packed enough for a few days. )
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Thanks for driving.
[They'll probably trade off at some point, but he still appreciates it all the same.]
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( And, let's be honest. He has a better driving record than Ben.
He leads the way back to his car and opens the trunk for the two of them before taking the front seat. )
What's the music vibe to start us off, Braedan.
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How's work been?
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( He plays catch up on paperwork and he gets to do his own personal research when he can. )
It's why you've been seeing me on Saturdays at the garage. Gotta get my hands dirty somehow, you know?
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[Things have been busy lately, a lot of people coming in for their regular maintenance. The jobs don't take long, but the heavy flood of them have made it hard when they're down a few hands as the family men start taking some of those summer vacations.]
It's been nice having you around.
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( He never complains when he's spending his time with Ben.
He doesn't know what else to say for the moment so he lets Bob Sieger take over as they travel along the highway.
About an hour later, everyone is working on their Night Moves. Dickerson sings along about awkward teenage blues when there's a pop that sounds from underneath the car. Bracing himself against the wheel with an arm across Ben, he checks the rearview mirror and sees he has the open lane to pull off onto the shoulder. )
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That sounded like a tire. You got a spare in the trunk?
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He nods, coming around to the trunk. Opening it, he remembers at the last minute -- when he's faced with a bag of hunting supplied zipped up and a trunk next to it. He slams the trunk back closed. )
I pulled it out. I rearranged my trunk. Shit.
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[It's repeated in commiseration, and he sighs before running a hand over his face.]
Alright. You want to call the tow, I'll see if I can spot somewhere for us to crash?
[They've maybe an hour away from Peoria at most, but who knows how long it's going to take to get the tire fixed. They probably weren't making it to Lawrence tonight.]
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( He's happy they have cell service, at least. As he pulls up the app, he knows Lawrence is not in their future tonight, but tomorrow. )
They'll probably tow us somewhere close, But, we'll need to stay somewhere tonight.
( The app updates. )
Thirty minutes.
( He waits, leaning against the driver side of the car. )
Sorry, this is not the weekend you were looking for.
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[He tabs another motel option - how far away he'll get will depend on how long the tire is going to take - dropping it off and renting a car in another state doesn't seem like the best idea in his opinion, but maybe they'll be able to get a little bit further before they stop for the night.]
Elena's actual birthday, anyway. I think it's also Damon's birthday but that was Wednesday.
[And he wasn't necessarily expected for that. Ben puts his browser to the side and pull up his text messages to text Dean: Got a flat near Peoria. Waiting on a tow, but probably won't make it in until tomorrow.]
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( It's an easy replacement. It's just a matter of where they end up. )
Damon's...
( You okay, though? Let me know if you need a hand." )
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[So naturally that makes things complicated.]
He seems nice enough, though. We had lunch with Dean and them and the kids back in Mystic Falls.
[To Dean: No, we're good. Even if we had a spare we wouldn't have made it anyway. I'll keep you posted.]
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( And he thought hunting and secret love child, angels were something. )
Dean and Elena and you had lunch with their alternate universe children and Damon. Who is a nice vampire.
( Okay.
Let me know when you land somewhere for the night.
AAA drops the car off a few miles outside a mechanic's garage and gas pump. That garage is off of a dive bar and across the street sits a motel. Once he squares away with AAA, he rejoins Ben by the gas pumps. )
We should grab rooms.
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[It all just spirals from there.
That being said, he will thumbs up Dean's text and glances up and Dickerson when he returns outside.]
What did the mechanic say about when it'll be done?
[It's roughly mid-afternoon at this point, so maybe they have some time, but if the mechanic's hands are full, he may not be able to get to them until much later.]
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( He can see it. )
Mechanic's backlogged, but he can get to it first thing in the morning, or at the end of the day, if he's lucky. But, we're gonna need a room. And, maybe a drink. Maybe not in that order. Whatdya' say.
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[Hopefully the motel isn't as shady as it looks.
They get a room for the night and then head over to the bar. Ben orders himself a burger and a ginger ale before texting Dean an update and a new ETA.
And maybe they can use the extra time to make things a little less weird. Because Ben's been feeling the weirdness, and even if he thinks he knows why, he doesn't necessarily want it to be something Dean picks up on.]
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Probably should've checked beforehand, but not one or two star reviews. No claim of bed bugs.
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[On theme and brightly colored but at least clean and relatively safe. He's pretty sure Dean's stayed in worse.]
And everything works out and we get an early enough start we should be able to get there by lunch tomorrow.
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( Room's VERY brightly colored. )
What time's the - is it a party?
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