“I told you I’ll be fine,” Bobby growled into the phone as he shifted the file he was holding to dig out his motel key. “I did used to hunt solo before you idjits needed me to run phones on every case, y’know.” He wrenched the door open after a moment, tripping on the lip of it, “Balls!”
He landed hard on the motel floor, file and cell phone shooting out from his hands. He got himself to a sitting position, removing his ball cap to run a hand through his hair as he watched all the papers from the file flutter to the floor. He let out a long sigh, before grabbing the phone off the ground, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, Dean. I just tripped.” He got himself back to his feet and closed the motel door, “Who’s bright idea was it to put a step on a ground-level room?”
Bobby shook his head as he locked the door, resisting the urge to sigh again, “Listen, Dean, I’d love to continue this conversation, but unlike you boys, I don’t keep a pee bottle in my truck, so unless you wanna-” He cut himself off, face splitting into a smile as the line disconnected, I’ve gotta remember that one more often.
He kicked his shoes off before collapsing on the bed, letting out a groan as he sank into the mattress. He checked the time on the digital clock beside the bed, before his eyes slipped closed, I have time for a quick nap before meeting with the coroner.
—
“Bobby…”
Bobby rolled over, toward the voice of his wife, not bothering to open his eyes.
She chuckled as he flung his arm over her middle, pulling her closer, “Bobby, we don’t have time for that. You’re late.”
“J’s five m’re minutes…” He felt her roll over, arm falling onto the bed and he frowned, “Nooo…”
“I’d love to stay, Darling, but you’re really going to be late.” His tired brain was unable to place what sounded off with her voice, so he finally decided to crack an eye open – to see a brunette with a beard starring back at him, “Morning Sunshine.”
Whoa! Bobby startled awake, grabbing for the gun under the pillow, firing off a shot before his brain caught up to what was in front of him. He heard an annoyed sigh, before the springs of the bed creaked as the man got up, “Are you going to shoot me every time?”
Bobby finally placed the accent and stood from the bed, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well I was checking on you,” Crowley huffed, checking out the new bullet hole in his suit, “But apparently even asleep you’re protected.” He shook his head, eyes going back to the hunter, “Seriously, I’m gonna have to start billing you for my dry cleaning.”
“Dean sent you to check on me?” At the nod, Bobby scrubbed a hand down his face, “That boy needs to calm down. I haven’t even been gone a whole day yet and-”
“Uh, what?” Crowley shook his head as Bobby blinked at him, “You’ve been gone three days, mate.”
“What?” Bobby dug his phone out of his pocket, “No, that’s not-” he cut himself off as his eyes landed on the date in the corner, that can’t be right. “I’ve been asleep for three days?”
“I know you’re getting up there, but that seems a tad overkill, don’t you think?”
Bobby shot the demon a look, “Aren’t you like three hundred years old?”
Crowley scowled, “Nevermind that.” He crossed the room, making a whiskey glass appear on the small kitchen table, “You weren’t snoring.”
“Excuse me?”
The demon took a swig from his glass, “You weren’t snoring.” At the unchanged expression, Crowley sighed, “Just… trust me, you snore when you sleep. But not this time. Ergo…”
“I wasn’t asleep.” Bobby’s brows furrowed, I was drugged? I haven’t even been in town- His face changed as he remembered the diner, “Shit.”
The corner of Crowley’s mouth pulled up into a smile, “Care to share with the class?”
“The diner,” Bobby scrubbed a hand down his face, “I stopped for a burger last night. That’s gotta be where the thing is hiding.”
“Excellent!” Crowley took a few steps forward, finishing his drink, “Then let’s go.”
Bobby raised an eyebrow, “You’re not coming.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t need your help?”
“Pfft, please. You just lost three days because of a burger.”
Bobby rolled his eyes, “Tell Dean I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Fine,” Crowley held his hands up in mock surrender, “Go without me. But don’t expect me to swoop in and save you when things go sideways.”
Bobby snorted, “Deal.”
With that, the demon was gone. Bobby took in a deep breath, looking around the motel room, noting the file was sitting on the kitchen counter – back together. He shook his head before shoving on his shoes, heading for the door, let’s hope whatever it is is still there.
—
Bobby dug his key out of his pocket, shaking his head, what the hell kind of monster is this? I’ve never seen a body that- He stopped himself just inside the door as he spotted Crowley sitting at the kitchen table, “What the hell are you doing back here?”
“My job.”
“Right,” Bobby closed the door, tossing his jacket down on the bed, “And since when does the King of Hell take orders from hunters?”
Crowley bristled, getting up from the chair, “Well excuse me for not wanting to stay indebted to those denim-clad nightmares. I do have more important things to do than sit around and wait for them to call.”
“Great,” Bobby plopped himself down on the bed, kicking off his shoes, “Then why don’t you go do those more important things, and I’ll get on with the case?”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re crochet-y?”
Bobby snorted, “It’s been said.” He readjusted his ball cap as he watched the demon, who seemed hesitant. He let out a sigh, “Why are you really here?”
“I already told you-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re settling a score with Dean. But that doesn’t explain why you’re hanging around. You could’ve reported I was fine this morning and went about your business. But you’re still here. Why?”
Crowley shifted his weight from one foot to the other, “Can’t a friend just drop in on another?”
“We’re not friends.”
“Fine.” The demon sighed, swallowing what was left in his glass, “I thought this case maybe had something to do with an escaped Hellhound.”
“And now?”
Crowley shook his head, “I saw the body. If this was my girl, there wouldn’t have been that much left.”
Bobby took his hat off, running a hand through his hair, “And you didn’t tell me this at the beginning because…?”
Crowley let out an exasperated sigh, “Because I don’t exactly jump at the chance to announce I screwed up. I am the King, after all. I have to maintain a certain… reputation.”
“You let a Hellhound escape?”
“See?” The demon pointed to his face, “That is exactly the kind of look I was trying to avoid.”
Bobby let out a sigh, “Fine. Stay and help. But it’s…” he checked the time on the bedside clock, “1am, so I’m gonna get some sleep.”
“Perfect.”
Bobby watched as he made his way over to the bed, “What are you doing?”
Crowley blinked at the hunter innocently, “What?”
“You don’t sleep.”
He raised an eyebrow, “So that means I have to stand on the hardwood for eight hours while you sleep?” He shook his head, “Watching hunters sleep is more Castiel’s speed than mine.”
“I was thinking more you could go to Hell.”
Crowley frowned, “And here I thought we were just starting to get along.”
“I’m serious. Go do your other royal duties.” Bobby placed his hat on the bedside table, before digging his phone out of his pocket, “Come back in four hours and I can fill you in.”
“Four hours?” Crowley tsk-tsked the hunter, “That’s hardly enough time to do anything productive.”
Bobby snorted, “Well we’re not sleeping together so…”
Crowley waved a dismissive hand as he pulled back the covers, “Get over yourself. This bed is big enough for two people with plenty of space left between. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Bobby let out a yawn, before nodding, “Fine. On one condition.”
Crowley perked at that, and turned expectant eyes to the hunter, half-sitting on the bed, “Yes?”
“Take your shoes off.”
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