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Jack was working on cleaning up a polluted lake when he heard Claire’s prayer, asking to meet her at a specific diner in New Mexico. Since Claire didn’t usually ask to see him outside of their weekly family dinners, Jack decided it was urgent enough that he go see her, leaving the angels to finish with the lake.
He flew to the parking lot behind the diner to keep anyone from seeing him, and then walked around to enter, Claire seated at a booth in the corner. He joined her, sitting across the table.
“What’s up, Jackie?” Claire asked with a smile, chewing on her fry.
“I was doing some cleaning, did you need something?” Jack asked, steadying his breathing now he knew she wasn’t in immediate danger.
“Yeah, Father’s Day is tomorrow,” Claire said. “So we gotta figure out what to do for Dad and Cas.”
“Father’s Day?” Jack furrowed his brow. He had never heard of anything like that.
“Oh, shit, you wouldn’t know. It’s just this holiday that people celebrate once a year to like, show thanks for their dads. There’s a Mother’s Day too,” Claire explained.
“How do people usually celebrate it?” Jack asked earnestly. He thought he showed his appreciation for his dads well enough, but if there was a specific day for it, that would be a good way to make sure they knew.
“Well, I haven’t really celebrated once since I was a kid,” she paused, clearing her throat awkwardly. “So I didn’t really buy anything, I always just made stuff, like, arts and crafts.”
“Do you think they would like that?” Jack tilted his head, thinking about what he could make. “Something homemade?”
“Actually...I think they would,” Claire said thoughtfully. “It’s not like they had the most stellar dads growing up, so they didn’t even get that side of it.”
“What should we make them?”
“Well, there’s always just a picture frame,” Claire suggested. “We took that one picture of all four of us on my birthday, so we could use that. And maybe one of just Dad and Cas too.”
“I like this idea,” Jack grinned. “What do we need to complete it?”
“We have to go to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby or something,” Claire said, throwing some cash on the table. “Come on, I’ll drive.” Jack followed Claire from the diner to her car, carefully sitting in the passenger seat.
“How have you been, Claire?” Jack asked as they pulled onto the road.
“I’ve been good, Jackie. Haven’t gotten anything worse than a cut and a minor concussion in the last few weeks,” Claire said teasingly. “And...I may have met someone?”
“Oh,” Jack raised his eyebrows and looked over at her. “Who is it?”
“Another hunter, of course. Her name is Abigail and she’s two years older than me,” Claire revealed, smiling nervously. “Nothing has happened yet, but she was definitely flirting with me.”
“Well, I wish you luck,” Jack said, happy that Claire trusted him enough to reveal something so personal.
“Thanks, Jackie. What about you? Is that something you’d be interested in? Meeting somebody like that?” Claire asked, looking over at him.
“I...I’m not sure. It would be very hard to make it work considering who I am now,” Jack mused, looking out the window. “It’s not an impossibility but…”
“I get it, it’s okay,” Claire reached over and squeezed his hand. “Let me know if it ever happens.” Jack nodded and soon they were pulling into the parking lot of a craft store. “Come on, we’ve got supplies to get.”
Jack and Claire headed inside the store and, after grabbing a basket, headed back to first pick out a few picture frames.
“I also need to make a gift for Sam,” Jack said as they walked down one of the aisles. “Do you think he would like the same thing?”
“I think he definitely would,” Claire agreed, dropping four different picture frames in the basket. “Pick one out for Sam and then we’ll go get the stuff to decorate them.” Jack did so, setting it in the basket as well as they headed over a few aisles.
“There’s...a lot to choose from,” Jack said, looking over the massive selection. “What should we get?”
“Whatever you want, Jackie,” Claire said. “They’re gonna love these no matter what, so we can decorate it with anything.” Jack nodded and watched as Claire grabbed a bottle of glitter in almost every color available and dumped them in with the picture frames. “Go crazy.” Jack took her advice and picked out an array of sequins, tiny pom-poms, and foam stickers, Claire doing the same beside him. Eventually, she declared them done and swiped several bottles of glue as well.
“Is that everything we need?” Jack asked, looking through their basket of goods.
“We just need a couple bottles of paint,” Claire said and led Jack to the correct aisle, picking out a few different colors herself, Jack doing the same. “Now we’re ready.” They checked out - the total coming up much higher than Jack anticipated but Claire just swiped a credit card - and they were off, back to the motel Claire was staying at for the time being.
Once she had unlocked the door, she dumped everything from the bags onto the bed, instructing Jack to do the same. “First, we paint!” The two picked out their colors - Claire going with a red for the picture of her with Dean and Cas and Jack picking a blue for his, and they agreed on a neon pink for the family photo and black for the frame for the couple’s photo. Jack also selected a calming purple for Sam’s gift.
Claire put Scooby-Doo on the TV to watch as they painted except they realized quickly they did forget something - brushes.
“I could fly back and pick some up?” Jack offered.
“Nah, let’s just use our fingers. More fun that way, right?” Jack agreed easily and soon they had paint everywhere - their hands and the frames, but also all over the table, their clothes, hair, and even some on their face.
“Perfect!” Claire said, looking down at all five frames. “Now we have to let them dry for a bit and then we can decorate.” Jack nodded and joined Claire on the bed to watch TV while they waited, and before they knew it, over an hour had passed.
“Now it’s time for the best part,” Clarie said once she had checked the paint. “Just do whatever you want, Jackie.” Jack liked the idea of that and grabbed a few different color glitters and sat down at the table once more. The two worked together to decorate the picture frames, spilling glitter and sequins everywhere. At one point, Claire even threw a handful of glitter at Jack when he got some of his on her frame by accident, leaving him covered in a mixture of neon orange and blue glitter.
By the time they were finished with all five, they were a mess but Jack hadn’t stopped laughing and smiling, so he considered the entire evening a success. “Now all we have to do is print the pictures off, put them in their frames, and tomorrow surprise Dad and Cas.”
“That sounds wonderful. I cannot wait to see them,” Jack beamed, looking down at the frames once more.
-
The next day, Cas and Dean were having breakfast when the door to the bunker opened with the tell-tale creak that echoed everywhere. Dean frowned and stood, slowly walking down the hallway toward the entrance, but as soon as he entered the library, he was practically tackled as two bodies slammed into him. Dean recognized them as soon as he got his arms around them, hugging both kids tightly.
“What are you two doing here today?” he asked, pulling back to look at Jack and Claire and - what the fuck?
“Happy Father’s Day!” They shouted in unison, but Dean could only focus on the fact that his kids were covered in….glitter? “We made you a gift!” Jack said and held up an obnoxiously bright gift bag. Dean took it and as soon as it was in his hand, the two of them moved over to Cas and hugged him tight as well.
“What is happening?” Dean asked, looking at Jack and Claire with wide eyes.
“It’s Father’s Day,” Claire rolled her eyes. “And you two are our fathers so we’re here to celebrate?”
“I didn’t even realize it was,” Cas said, kissing Claire’s head. “That’s very thoughtful of you two.”
“Why don’t you open your gift?” Jack suggested, biting his lip eagerly. Dean looked over and met Cas’ eyes before nodding.
“Alright yeah, come on,” Dean said and walked the rest of the way into the library, setting the bag on one of the tables. He and Cas stood next to one another as Dean reached in and pulled out the first thing which was...a picture frame, with a picture of the four of them behind the glass.
But the frame…the frame was truly hideous. Streaky pink paint was barely visible under the mounds of rainbow glitter, sequins, puff balls, and felt. Everything about the colors clashed together and none of it looked good in any sense of the word.
And it was the best gift Dean had ever gotten.
“There’s more,” Jack prompted, which had Cas reaching in and pulling out another frame, this one with a picture of just the two of them. The frame was just as revolting as the first. They pulled out two more pictures, and the theme to make the most hideous gifts seemed to carry through. The frames were practically shedding, getting glitter and sequins everywhere.
“So this is why the two of you look like you got glitter bombed?” Dean asked, eyebrows raised.
“There may have been a few instances of hostile action,” Claire admitted with a shrug, though Dean could tell she was a little nervous.
“I’m sure,” he said with a grin. “Thank you for these, they’re…” he trailed off, not really sure how to articulate what he was feeling.
“They’re perfect,” Cas stepped in, smiling at the two of them. “We love them.”
“You do?” Jack asked, looking between them quickly.
“Of course we do,” Dean cleared his throat. “You two made ‘em, didn’t you? That makes it the best.” Both kids beamed and threw themselves into Dean’s arms once more, covering him in glitter as well, he was sure. Cas joined the embrace as well, holding them all close until Claire began pulling herself out of the hug.
And just as Dean suspected, he looked like a stripper.
“Also, as part of your Father’s Day gift, Jackie and I are gonna cook you dinner tonight!” Claire said with a smirk, already running toward the kitchen. Dean took off after her, yelling that she was not going to ruin his kitchen.
Jack looked at Cas with a bright smile. “I am glad that Claire told me of the celebration of Father’s Day. I want you and Dad to know that I am very grateful that you two, and Sam, care for me.”
“Of course we care for you, and Father’s Day still would have been good if you just came to see us, no gifts necessary. But I do love these Jack, they’re wonderful,” Cas said, looking down at all the picture frames again.
“I love you, Dad,” Jack said suddenly, moving in to hug Cas tightly around the middle. Cas sighed and returned the hug, whispering in his hair that he loved him as well.
The tender moment was broken as Claire ran through the room giggling and waving a frying pan as Dean followed, trying to get it away from her. Jack looked up at Cas hopefully and with a nod of his head, Jack was off, chasing after Claire as well, shouting at her to throw the pan to him - much easier to keep it from Dean when it was two against one.