Set Fire To My Heart

Chapter 15: Burning Inside

"You doing okay there, chief?" Benny's smooth voice pulls Dean out of his thoughts. He looks up at Benny from the spot on the rig he's been wiping down now for probably about fifteen minutes. He nods a silent answer, causing Benny to lean against the truck, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow in challenge, effectively calling Dean on his bullshit.

"I'm good," Dean grumbles, tossing his rag into the nearby bucket. He pulls himself to his feet, letting out a small groan as his back pops from being hunched over for so long.

"I'm not saying you're not, but you seem off," Benny supplies. "I'm not the only one to notice either, Dean. You've hardly said a word to anyone since you got here. Twelve hours ago," he narrows his eyes at Dean.

Rolling his eyes, Dean shakes his head. "So I'm getting in trouble for working. Got it," he nods, picking up his bucket and making his way over to the sink, tossing the rags in.

"No, smart ass, I'm just trying to make sure you're okay," Benny says softly from somewhere behind him. "You had your first big run and rescue that can weigh on us, even if you get 'em out and safe," he reasons. "I'm here to talk if anything is bothering you, work-related or not."

Dean sighs and pours the water down the drain. "Thanks, but you're starting to sound a little like a Hallmark card there, man," he shoots back, rinsing out the bucket and putting it back in its place. Dean turns and looks at Benny, sighing. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just crap I should have left at home."

Benny nods. "Regardless, I'm not just your Lieutenant. If something is bugging you, you can come to me as a friend too," he eyes Dean cautiously. "Woman trouble?"

Dean shakes his head. "Nah."

"Guy trouble?" Benny asks, and Dean feels his blood run cold. He freezes, unable to confirm or deny. "This have anything to do with that Novak guy you rescued?" He finishes.

Well, fuck.

"No," Dean lies, trying to play it off with a shrug. Benny once again raises his eyebrow. He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, but I don't really want to talk about it," he says firmly.

"I thought he was going to make a full recovery?" Benny questions. "Did you go to the hospital and visit him?" He eyes Dean suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's mostly recovered and home, and we actually hung out a bit the other day," Dean admits, hoping Benny doesn't ask for details. "He's a cool guy," he shrugs.

The suspicion doesn't leave Benny's eyes as he studies Dean carefully. "He just went through it, and now he has to deal with the insurance red tape," he says. 

Dean nods, and his eyes grow wide. "Speaking of, he was asking about the incident report, and I told him I'd ask around," he says.

"Our end of things are done. I sent it to the Chief two days ago for finalization, and it's been submitted. So hopefully he won't have too hard a time getting things in order. If he wants a copy, I can get you one to take to him," Benny offers. "That way, he doesn't have to go through the request process."

"That would be awesome. Not sure when I'll see Castiel, but that would probably make things a little easier on him," Dean says.

"Well, that's good," Benny shrugs. "I'm sure he could use a friend right about now."

The word causes Dean to huff a bitter laugh. Friend. Castiel all but threw him out after sucking him off, sending Dean the clear message that whatever there was between them wouldn't go above that level. Granted, the guy was dealing with some shit, so it probably wasn't the best time for him to entertain the idea of a relationship with anyone. Especially someone like Dean. There is no way Dean was good enough for someone like Castiel.