#samcasbenny

So. James Novak, the famous indie folk singer, has a very well-publicized meltdown and disappears from the public eye. His agent refuses any interview requests and puts out very vague statements about how James is taking time off from the music industry “to reconnect with himself.”

Really, James was just exhausted from being James, so he threw a dart at a map of America, packed up all his things, and introduced himself to his new neighbors by his childhood nickname of Castiel. He does not mention his music, and when he’s a suit and tie rather than his traditional “stoner” clothes, no one seems to recognize him.

The very last thing he expects is to run into is his old best friend Benny at the supermarket, or for Benny to have a different last name. Wasn’t it LaFitte, not Hargrove, when they were in high school?

Turns out Benny is trying to keep from being recognized too, though for very different reasons. While Cas might get mobbed by fans or reporters, Benny might just be murdered. That’s kind of what happens when you testify against your wife and the serial-killing cult leader the two of you used to follow. The case was three years ago now and Benny’s not technically in Witness Protection anymore, but he’s cautious. Paranoid, maybe. He’s seen some stuff, okay?

It’s a weird situation.

Which only gets weirder when, waiting for Benny to clock out at the coffee shop he runs now, Cas gets recognized by someone he’s never seen before in his life. Except the man calls him Jimmy, which he hasn’t gone by since he was seventeen, then switches to Cas when Cas still doesn’t recognize him.

There’s a blush on the man’s cheeks for no reason Cas can place, until he says, “We went to high school together. I, uh.” He lowers his voice. “I went by Samantha? Back then?”

That’s when it clicks. Sam, the third member of their trio, two years younger than them but still an integral part of the group for the two years that the Winchesters lived in that town. She looks- well, he, Cas guesses. He looks good. Happier now, than he did when he was fifteen.

Turns out that Sam, after divorcing his husband Brady (and the less said about that the better), used the money from the settlement to go out and get surgery, start HRT, buy a new wardrobe, and relocate somewhere that no one would know who he used to be. It was just pure chance that he happened to end up in the same place as Cas, who just happened to end up in the same place as Benny, who only picked this town because Washington is about as far from Louisiana as he can get without leaving the country.

(woah, I had almost forgotten about this one… here ya go, nonnie!)

1. things you said at 1 in the morning

“I fucking love oxygen,” Sam gasps, breathing deep. Today is one of the best days he’s ever had, definitely the best in months, and he’s been doing nothing but lay around in the hammock all day, watching the sun rise and set and make way for the stars. Benny and Cas have pulled up lawn chairs on either side of him. He’s exhausted, he’s been awake for nearly twenty-four hours, but he doesn’t want to go to sleep and wake up coughing. “It’s just…” He cuts himself off to inhale again. He can feel the cold night air all the way down to his bones, lungs pressing against his ribs with each breath, and his head spins with it. “Holy shit, we should write a thank you note to the inventor of oxygen. Who invented oxygen?”

“There’s some debate about that,” Cas says dryly. Benny snickers. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Breathing is the best part of human existence,” Sam says, somehow managing to sink back even further into the hammock. “This is amazing. I love this place. I love this air. God I love you both so much.”

Benny growls and shoves Cas’s unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders. “Bed,” he grunts, backing Cas up towards his bedroom as he grabs at the man’s ass. “Gotta-“

Ding, dong.

He and Cas freeze. Benny’s hand slowly slides away. “No, way.”

Cas groans and thinks his head back against the wall. “Maybe they’ll go away?” he suggests.

Diiing dooong.

“No,” Benny groans again. “It’s one in the morning, who the hell is that?”

Cas sighs. “Go see who it is. I’ll be down in a minute. I need to just… er, get dressed.”

Benny manages a smirk at that before he stomps down the stairs, fully prepared to yell at whoever is outside. The doorbell rings again just as he reaches the door, and he’s snarling as he whips the door open. “What the hell are- Sam?”

Sam’s breath hitches and he sobs once. The smell of alcohol all but assaults Benny. “I din’t know where else ta go,” Sam mumbles. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, course, brother,” Benny says, grabbing Sam’s wrist and tugging him inside - and carefully removing the bottle of tequila from his hand. “What happened? Are you all right?”

The noise Sam makes is not one that Benny ever wants to hear again, all choked and wet and like he can’t decide if he should laugh or cry. “I’m a shitty father,” he mumbles. “Where’s Liz?”

“Babysitting Claire for the night,” Benny says, frowning at the almost empty bottle in his hand. “Damn, how much of this did you drink?”

“Benny? Is that Sam?”

Sam spins around and almost loses his balance as he looks up the stairs at Cas. Benny darts forward and wraps a hand around his arm to keep him from toppling over. “Din’t realize y'had company,” Sam mumbles. “I should… go. S'mewhere.”

“No, stay,” Benny says, glancing apologetically at Cas. “Don’t want you wanderin’ around like this. Tell me what’s wrong, Sam.”

Sam makes that noise again. Out of the corner of his eye, Benny sees Cas flinch. Sam screws his face up, and there’s such a deep set misery and exhaustion and fear around his eyes that Benny wonders how he’s never seen it before. “I don’t know what to do,” Sam whispers. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Why don’t you have a seat, Sam,” Cas suggests softly. “And we’ll-”

“Kelsey’s dying,” Sam blurts out, and then it seems like whatever strength he had gives out and he bends almost in half, sobbing. “I’m supposed to take c-care of her, swore I would, promised…” He trails off, crying too hard to speak, and Benny ushers him towards the couch, meeting Cas’s horrified gaze. That can’t be right. No way is Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey who steals Benny’s hat and Cas’s trench coat, who calls herself King Kelsey, who’s the sweetest, gentlest kid in the world… No way.

“Sam, what are you talking about?” Cas asks, voice just barely shaking. “What’s wrong with Kelsey?”

“It’s her heart,” Sam whimpers. “It’s always her fucking heart, every time, can’t make it better, I’m her dad, s'posed to… It’s all my fault,” he sobs, wrapping his arms around his stomach. His shoulders are heaving, and tears drip steadily off his nose. “She’s only five,” he groans, and then screams it. “She’s only five!”

“Oh, my God,” Benny breathes, and he doesn’t even notice Cas slipping past him until the other man is kneeling in front of Sam.

“What can we do to help?” He asks softly, tapping Sam’s knee to get his attention. “Sam. What do you and Kelsey need?”

“It’s my fault,” Sam mumbles. “Shouldn’t’ve…”

Benny eases down on the couch next to Sam, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, Sam, tell us what we can do,” he says gently. “There has to be a way we can help.”

“I’m broke,” Sam says hoarsely. “She needs surgery, and I can’t fucking afford it and if I had just worked harder, or just swallowed my fucking pride ‘nd moved here sooner then none of this would’ve, she’d be okay.”

“Just money?” Cas says. “Sam, that’s not a problem, we can help with money. I’ll pay for the procedure myself. How much do you need?”

Sam stares at him, a few stray tears still trickling down his cheeks. “What…?”

“Okay, you’re drunk, I’ll just call the hospital tomorrow and find out. It’s not a problem.”

“You’ll do that?” Sam asks in a voice that seems far too small. “You’d… for Kel?”

“Of course,” Cas says, squeezing Sam’s knee gently. “Anything, for you and her.”

Sam’s breathing is speeding up, and Benny can see the tears building in his eyes. He squeezes Sam close, pulling him into a one-armed hug. “She’s gonna be okay, Sam. She will.”

“Oh my God,” Sam whimpers, screwing his eyes shut. “Oh my God, oh my God, I don’t, you’re…”

Pfft I love threesomes, no worries.

So this is that AU where they each have a kid. Benny got his girlfriend pregnant when he was seventeen. After Elizabeth was born, Andrea left both her and Benny for another man. Cas is raising his six-year-old niece, because her father disappeared two years ago and her mother went off the deep end. The two of them meet through Jody Mills, who set up a single parents group through their church; Elizabeth and Alex babysit the kids while the parents get to have some grown-up conversation for a while. Cas and Benny are friends and maybe just starting to flirt a little bit.

Enter Sam, the guy whose wife died when their daughter, Kelsey Davina, was only a few weeks old. He’s been working his fingers to the bone for the past five years trying to provide for her and afford the numerous surgeries she’s needed over the years, and he’s just moved in with his Uncle Bobby because, much as he might hate to admit it, he can’t make the rent on his own place anymore. Bobby convinced him to go to the parents group after a few weeks. He gets along okay with Benny, but he hates Cas. With a passion. Because Cas is freaking Superdad. He’s got family money and only works because of the “personal satisfaction” he gains from it, so he can spend all the time he wants to with his niece. Spontaneous trips to Disneyland, extravagant gifts, elaborate and thoughtful games.

Meanwhile Sam barely sees Kelsey long enough to help her get ready for bed, because he’s working two fucking jobs and helping Bobby out at the garage (of course he doesn’t have to, but he has his pride, damn it) and he still doesn’t have enough money for that last surgery that she needs. If all goes well, there should be no more after that. Not that he’s telling any of these people any of that.

Skip forward two months, when Kelsey’s doctor tells Sam that if his daughter doesn’t get that last heart surgery soon, then, well… She needs that surgery within the next few months. And Sam is still short almost a thousand dollars. Cue him getting massively drunk and showing up at Benny’s house in the middle of the night to continue being massively drunk and cry his eyes out because he can’t fucking do this.

Only Cas is there, too. Because things between him and Benny have finally reached a head and were just getting interesting (read: naked) when Sam showed up.

So he pours out the whole story and cries and there are tears and feelings and before he quite realizes what’s going on Cas has offered to pay for Kelsey’s surgery and God, Sam, why didn’t you say something before now?

And Sam is practically sweating tequila at this point and he just reaches up and kisses Cas as hard as he can before slumping over sideways and falling asleep on top of Benny.

When he wakes up, he doesn’t remember anything, just that he can’t afford the surgery and his daughter is going to die because he’s a failure (and that he smells disgusting and is currently asleep on Benny’s couch). Except when he calls the hospital to ask if there are any other options, they’re wanting to schedule it and saying that the money isn’t an issue anymore.

And it’s only when Cas and Benny come downstairs a few minutes later that they explain to him what happened and Sam loses it all over again.