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andromytta · 5 years

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All Your Life

SPN Rare Ship CC: Round 23 | andromytta vs. @ladylilithprime

Prompt: Apple Pie

Ship: Claire Novak/Kevin Tran

Word Count: 2441

Tags/Warnings:

Nerd Claire

Punk Kevin

Family Drama

Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags

SPN Rare Ships Creation Challenge

Thanksgiving Dinner

Apple Pie

Demisexual Claire Novak

Summary: Claire finally brings Kevin home for family dinner. But it can't just be any family dinner, no, it has to be Thanksgiving dinner. With her ENTIRE FAMILY present. Oh, and her dads still hate him....

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16651645 (Part 3 of the Never Let You Go series)

Kevin lounged on Krissy’s bed watching Claire pack for her Thanksgiving trip home. He had offered to help her multiple times, and each time she responded with “You’ll just do it wrong.” So, he resigned himself to thumbing through magazines on her roommate’s unmade bed, skimming the articles and sex tips and sniffing every perfume ad. It was Wednesday, and Claire had just finished her last class before Fall Break.

“You’ll be back here on Monday, right?” he asked.

“Mmhmm…”

“And your folks live less than an hour away, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Then why do you need so many bags?” Kevin asked with a chuckle. So far, Claire had three bags packed and was working on her fourth.

“Well, this one has all my books,” she said as she pointed to the oversized wheeled backpack. “This one has my computer and my camera equipment.” That one was a medium sized hard case with wheels, plastered with stickers. “These other two are for my clothes and, you know, girlie products.”

“Wait, so you’re on vacation and you’re still going to be doing homework?”

“Well, duh.”

“Ok, ok,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “You do you. But you know,” Kevin said brightly, “try to relax a little.”

“Oh yeah, like that’s even possible.” Claire said, rolling her eyes. “What about you? Can you relax? Are you even ready to meet my family tomorrow? I mean, like, my whole family?”

“Yeah, Babe. I’m actually fine. I mean, I already know your grandmother and your aunts, and they love me. So what do I have to worry about?”

Claire rolled her eyes again. “Oh, I don’t know. Only that my dads basically hate you already, and if Jack doesn’t like you, well, then all bets are off. I mean, if my twin can’t stand you , then there’s not anything I can do about it. And then there’s Alex. She hates everyone.” Claire started pacing and her voice got faster and higher pitched the more she talked.

Kevin grabbed her forearms and stopped her pacing in the middle of the room. “Shhh. Chill out. It will be ok. Your siblings will love me. I mean, I am pretty awesome. And I have no doubt Ellen will make sure your dads remain civil during Thanksgiving dinner.”

Claire actually laughed at that. “That’s true. My gramma can be pretty scary when she wants to be.”

About an hour later, Kevin was dropping Claire off in front of her parents’ house. “You and Krissy and Joss will be here on time, tomorrow, right? Don’t be late.”

“I know, I know. High noon. Sharp.” Kevin said with fond exasperation. They had been over this dozens of times already. “Our watches are synchronized and I have my super secret decoder ring.”

“And bring your guitar,” Claire continued. Kevin wasn’t sure if she heard his snark in the midst of her panicking. “Jack will want to play. Dad won’t let him touch his ever since he got jelly on it…” she trailed off, though still mumbling to herself as she pulled her luggage out of the backseat.

“Yes, Claire, I know. Now go, see your family. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kevin kissed her on the cheek before leaving her, and her bags, in the driveway. Hey, he offered to help, but she’d steadfastly refused.

Claire wrestled her bags to the front door and was just trying to dig her key out of her purse when the door flung open. Jack was standing there with a huge smile on his face.

“Claire! You’re home!” He engulfed her in a big hug, grabbed her bags, and ushered her inside. “Alex! Dads! Claire is home!” He didn’t really need to shout, because they were all gathered in the living room already.

Alex looked up from where she was lounging on the couch. “Hi.” She returned to her phone after that affectionate greeting.

“You’ve been out of class for three hours. What took you so long?” Castiel asked. “I hope you brought your midterm project with you.”

“Geez, Cas. You’re on vacation. Can’t you give ‘Professor Novak’ the day off?” Dean said, smoothing his hand down his husband’s arm and grabbing his elbow, giving him a gentle shake before greeting Claire with a hug. “Welcome home, Kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad.” Claire returned the hug affectionately, their previous fighting long but forgotten.

“Ok, now go upstairs and get cleaned up. We have pies to make.”

“Awesome. Is Gramma coming over tonight?”

“Yeah,” Dean answered. “She’s coming over tonight to help with the cooking. Cas is picking up Sam and Jess and Gabe and Kali at the airport tonight, so Jess and Gabe will also be here to help. Jess said she’sreally excited to learn Mom’s stuffing recipe. Then Grampa, Jo and Charlie will be here tomorrow. I’m assuming your new ‘friend’ will be here then?”

Claire nodded, hearing the finger quotes in her dad’s voice.

“And I assume your therapist is coming too?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Da-ad. Krissy is not my therapist. But yes, she’s coming and bringing her girlfriend too, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

A couple of hours later, Claire was pressing pie crust into her fifth pie tin, covered in flour up to her elbows, when the door opened and Ellen Harvelle-Singer walked in. “Gramma!” Claire exclaimed, running to give the woman a big, flour coated hug.

“Hey, baby,” Ellen said, smoothing Claire’s wild blond hair.

Dean came out of the kitchen just behind his daughter. “Hey Mom,” he said, wrapping both women in a hug.

Ellen looked at Claire. “Well, didja tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Dean asked.

“Guess not.” Ellen said. Changing the subject, she asked, “So where’s my dreamy son-in-law and my other two grandbabies?”

“Cas and Jack went to pick up the rest of the family at the airport, and Alex is up in her room. She cut herself peeling apples for Claire, and wouldn’t let me help her. She insisted on waiting until you got here. Apparently, you fix cuts better than me,” Dean pouted at his mother.

“Well, then, let me go take care of that,” Ellen said before turning pointedly to Claire.

“While I’m gone, you tell him, got it?” No one defied the matriarch of the family for very long.

“Yes, ma’am,” Claire gulped, and she sheepishly made her way back to the kitchen and forced herself to concentrate extra hard on her pie crust. Dean just stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Well?” he said with a lifted eyebrow.

Never looking up from her pie crust, she said in a single rushed breath, “So, you know that band that played at the Roadhouse, the punk band that did a cover of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ that you hated, and you really don’t like how Gramma hired him as the music manager there, even though he’s really good and the bar’s profits are up, but you just generally really hate that guy for no actual reason?”

Dean stared at his kid for a long moment before simply barking, “Yeah.”

Claire finally looked up from her pie, her blue eyes locking with Dean’s green. “Well, that’s Kevin. My Kevin.”

“Wha-What?” Dean spluttered. “But-but you said he was in band not A band.”

“No, I said he was in a band. And I was ready to bring him home for dinner, until Aunt Jo told me what you said!” Claire stashed her last pie crust in the freezer, slamming the door to emphasize her point.

Dean dropped heavily into a chair at the kitchen table. Now, Claire’s actions made sense. They’d been fighting for months over this very issue. And it was all his fault. He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck, feeling chagrined. “So, that’s why you haven’t been home for family dinner?”

“Well…..yeah,” Claire said as she started removing the peeled apples from the cinnamon and ginger infused water they were resting in. That was her secret, why she made her family’s signature apple pie better than Dean, and even better than Ellen. She began chopping as she was talking. “I mean, it’s not exactly encouraging to bring your boyfriend home to meet the parents, when you already know the parents hate him.”

“Oh, come on, Claire! You know that’s not what I meant. Just because I hate the way he performed, doesn’t mean I hate him. I don’t even know him.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly the poster boy for easy going paternal figures, particularly if it comes to your beloved Led Zeppelin. Who I still think are overrated anyway.” Claire said sassily as she continued to chop.

“Like you’re any different. Just let someone butcher a Beatles’ song,” Dean retorted lamely. He had a note of pride in his voice he couldn’t conceal.

Claire shrugged, a small smile tugging at her mouth “Well, I am your daughter.”

Dean got up from the kitchen table and moved to one of the bar stools in front of the counter where Claire was chopping. “So, tell me about him. Clearly there must be more to him than the butchering of perfectly good classic rock.”

Claire’s soft smile widened just slightly. “Well, his rendition of ‘Blackbird’ is the best I’ve ever heard.”

Dean looked mildly surprised. “That’s saying a lot.”

“Dad, he’s enormously talented. Just because you’re too old to get his style of music doesn’t make it bad.”

“Your face is old.”

Claire raised an eyebrow at him. “Nice comeback, there, Pops. If my face is old, what does that make your face?”

“Shut up,” Dean retorted with a smile of his own. “So, go on, tell me more.”

“You literally just told me to shut up.”

“You know what I mean.”

Claire stuck her tongue out at him, but continued talking. “Kevin is really great. He plays six instruments.” Dean made a “huh” face at that. “He has a degree in music theory from Princeton. Did you know that because of his help, the Roadhouse has become one of the top college bars in the city?”

“Please, your grams and Jo could have done that.”

“No, Dad. Kevin is the one who hooked them up with the up and coming bands in the area. There’s more to music than just cover bands for mullet rock, you know.”

“Hey, I like those bands. And they don’t all have mullets.”

“Yes, but you’re not a twenty something college student with miles of disposable income,” Claire said cheekily. “Your bands still play there; just other bands play there too. Gramma put him in charge of this summer’s Battle of the Bands. It will be epic.”

“You know, I don’t know how I feel about my kid sister meeting your boyfriend before me.”

“Hey, it’s not like that was planned. They didn’t even know we were dating when they hired him. It was only after he and Jo got to talking and that’s how she found out. Then she called me and told me what you said about him.” Claire dropped her eyes back to the cutting board. She’d been making this pie for so many years that the chopping came naturally to her and she hardly had to watch what she was doing, but she found she couldn’t look into her dad’s eyes anymore.

Dean reached across the count and stilled her hands. “Hey, hey, Claire-bear, I’m sorry I said that. Well, I’m sorry I said it like that. If I had known he was important to you…well, I was drunk so I probably still would have said it.”

“Wow, Dad, you suck at apologizing.” Claire smiled weakly.

“Well, I’m sorry, but your boyfriend’s music does suck.” She glared at him. “To me,” he added. “But I won’t let that affect my judgement of him as a person. But if he turns out to be an asshole and he hurts you, I’ll just beat him up extra hard.”

“He’s got a black belt in three martial arts, Dad, I doubt you could take him.”

Dean took her hands and looked her in the eye. “Seriously, though, Claire, what kind of guy is he? He’s not pressuring you into anything, right?” That was a problem in her last relationship. Her ex-girlfriend’s addictive personality lead to her wanting to do things that Claire was uncomfortable with.

“Dad, he’s a really, really great guy. He knows and respects my limits, sometimes even better than I do.” Claire blushed and ducked her head down. “He, well, um, Kevin, he might be the one, Dad.” Dean’s eyes lit up with happiness. But before he could say anything, Claire added, “But don’t you dare start planning a wedding. We are nowhere near that yet!” His face fell comically fast.

Just then, Ellen and Alex emerged from upstairs. “Well, I got her all patched up, and she’s graciously decided to socialize with the rest of her family,” Ellen said as they came into the kitchen.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I decided so much as she’s making me,” Alex grumped. Ellen smacked the back of her head. “Ow!”

“Hey, it’s not like we’re asking you help with cooking in any way. Just keep us company. It’s not like you see me or your sister every day,” Ellen scolded her.

“Yeah, please don’t help us cook,” Claire teased as she tossed her apples into the skillet. She then turned to her grandmother. “Before you ask, yes, I told him.”

Ellen turned to Dean, “And you’ll be on your best behavior and give this boy a chance, right, son?”

“Yeah, Mom. He sounds like a good kid,” Dean said.

“Hey, he really is a good kid. Even your pop likes him, despite his weird hair.” Ellen said.

“Well, if Dad likes him, then I guess he must be ok.” Dean agreed. Bobby Singer pretty much hated everyone who wasn’t family, and sometimes he didn’t like them much either.

They didn’t have a chance to discuss it further, because just then the front door swung open and the rest of the family came piling in. Gabriel and Jessica were already arguing over who cooked what better, Cas and Kali were having a heated discussion about politics, and Sam was telling Jack something no one but them could hear, Jack hanging on his favorite uncle’s every word.

The Winchester-Novak-Harvelle-Singer Thanksgiving was certainly going to be interesting this year. But there was at least one thing Claire could definitely count on: Every single one of her apple pies would be devoured before the end of the day. The rest, as usual, would be a toss-up with her large and unpredictable family.

Poor Kevin.

#spn rare ship cc #spnrareshipcc #ladylilithprime #Claire Novak/Kevin Tran #apple pie #thanksgiving dinner #dad dean

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