Work Text:
Kevin takes a slow walk around the metric ton of shit he’s gotten himself into. Metaphorically, of course. It’s not actually a ton of-
Never mind. He takes a slow walk around the snoozing cat doll. He thinks his grandma had one of those. She had bad memory problems, but wanted a cat, so they got her a fake one. That one was cute. Almost felt real, especially to 6 year old Kevin Tran who couldn’t get a cat of his own. This one is just creepy. He backs away to the door, fumbling it open and creeping out of the room. The cat is sleeping, or that’s how ti looks.
It’s also haunted by the ghost of a 19 year old who got killed from her mom’s demon deal. Kevin twists, breathing out. You know, he thinks angrily, this never would have happened if not for Claire.
Claire was a kid, younger than him, so he almost felt bad talking about her like that. In this case- well, Kevin didn’t give a fuck.
He texted her again. bring help! Goddammit. He wasn’t a fan of the Winchesters, but he was hoping- he ducked under the stairwell, breathing hard- he was hoping that she’d get them out here. If they were good for anything other than college money and free beer, it was in taking on these cases that Kevin couldn’t help but recognize as monsters, not freak accidents.
Already this year he’d called them in for some ghoul thing and about a ghost. Those had been normal. This case, it’s all Claire’s fault. She’s summoned a demon. Who does that? No one wants a demon.
Except for, apparently, Claire. The demon she’d summoned had woken up the ghost. It hadn’t even helped her with her thing about Kaia. Really, he feels for the kid.
A little meow and a shifting, robotic movement send his heart into a drumming beat. No, he doesn’t feel for the kid. Kevin hates to see people messing with things they had no idea about. He takes a deep breath.
“Kevin?” A loud whisper jerks him around.
“Where’s help? I told you to bring help,” he hisses back.
Claire makes a little noise. “I am help!”
“No, you’re a 14 year old who just summoned a demon and a ghost in one sitting.” He gives her a furious glare. “Did you at least bring salt?”
“I’m not 14! Did I at least bring- yes, I did bring salt. What do you take me for? An amateur?”
“You are an amateur.”
Claire gives him a jerky glare. “I’m more competent than you! You just wanted to call Dean!”
Kevin’s eyes flash. “You know why that is? I’m not in the mood to die!” He’s no amateur. He wishes he was. But Kevin’s gone out with a bang. Multiple times. He doesn’t take chances on his life. Or bet on a crossroads demon’s kindness, especially not one that’s just been in Hell’s version of Guantanamo for- you know what? He’s not going to think about the time dilation. There’s a reason he’s not a STEM major.
“Okay, well- whatever. I’ve been around the block a couple times too!” Her voice squeaks at the end. “I salt, you burn. Then the demon.”
Kevin gives her a level look. “I take care of the demon on my own.” He grits his teeth. “Not in the mood to let a tween girl die on campus while I’m meant to be babysitting.”
“I’ll help!” she insists. “Stop calling me a tween.”
Kevin shakes his head. “Salt, Claire.” There was really no winning against him. He’s already won 3 drinking competitions. Did the polar plunge with his girlfriend, too, and convinced the school to give him a library job over the dean’s nephew. Kevin has been riding high lately.
He hopes this isn’t the first bead in a necklace of bad luck. “Fine. Go on three.” Kevin nods. “One, two, three!”
She runs at the cat and its eyes light up, needle filled paws raising up. Kevin flicks the lighter on, following after her.
It gets one jab at her, the ghost pouncing, before she runs, wincing. Kevin has an easier time, the lighter arcing onto the thing’s fur.
Salt- and burn.
She drops the empty bags of salt and he hauls her around the corner and out the door as the room fills with smoke. “We got it?” She cranes her neck.
Kevin lets out a deep sigh. “Think so. Now go hide. Girl’s bathroom or something, I don’t care. I’m taking out the demon.”
“Hey! Hey, no, you’re not leaving me, you- Kevin!”
Every article of clothing Kevin owns is embroidered with a devil’s trap. He has three handkerchiefs, one gun, a set of handcuffs, and at least 10 painted in his own dorm. Problem is, this isn’t his dorm. He was going with Claire to see one of his friends and show her around, and this isn’t his dorm. The only devil’s trap here is right in front of the door outside. He paints them in front of every building.
Arizona is the worst place to hunt demons. Good for college, but it’s too fucking hot. His breath stutters as he sees the trail of sulfur smell and he sets his shoulders, pulling out his gun.
Hopefully no one is in the building. He hates panic. He hates causing trouble. “Hey!” Claire shouts, this time extra loud.
“What the fuck!” Kevin’s panicking. “Get, get, get out! Go away!”
She shakes her head, barreling through the hallway to stand next to him. “I’m going to help!”
Kevin can feel the vein popping out of his forehead. “Claire Novak, I am warning you right now-”
“You sound like my mom. You know, there’s a reason I didn’t call her!” The cross between annoyed teenager and hunter suddenly takes the place of worst personality in his mind. Stubborn and- and headstrong.
“You should have!” he yells, too loud in the silence.
“Well, we’re just going to have to deal with it! And hopefully I won’t get grounded!” Kevin pulls out his flask of holy water.
“You are insane. Oh fuck, you are insane. You’re buying me something after this. Shoes. Taco Bell.” Kevin growls under his breath, stretching out.
“I am? You keep saying we should call Dean! He’s going to be so disappointed!”
Kevin feels his soul leave his body. Metaphorically. “There are worse things than Dean Winchester being disappointed! In fact, I make it a point to disappoint him. Doesn’t it give you a kick?” His voice strays into the kind of careless wildness that he remembers from a couple of absolutely wonderful experiences with demons in the past.
“Give me your gun.”
Kevin shakes his head. “No fucking chance.”
“No fucking way,” Claire whispers. Kevin’s head snaps up. The demon, the one who’s definitely not in its right mind, is cracking the floor tiles underneath it as it walks. Like parting some sort of sea.
Kevin raises the gun and shoots twice. Misses twice. “We’re in deep shit now!” he yells. “Run the other way, come on!”
Holy water- he spies a mop bucket across the floor and shakes some of his flask in, grinning like a maniac as he dumps it. Water splashes on the floor, almost everywhere. The demon stops in its tracks and bares its teeth. “Can’t get another clear shot on me? That water’s going to dry up soon!”
“I’m sure of it!” Kevin shouts, standing in the middle of the puddle, gun raised. “You realize who I am? I’m fucking coming after you, you realize that? I was sent to Hell and now I’m back!” he shouts furiously.
The demon prowls closer. “You’re lying.” Its head wobbles. Kind of gruesome. Kevin grins, tipping his head.
He’s not. He’s not messing around, either, and he pulls out double spray bottles of holy water, blasting it in the face. The demon screams, falls forward, burning in the pool on the floor. Kevin takes off, sliding on his socks out the door. The demon staggers and gives chase.
But the doorway’s got a trap and it holds tight. The demon writhes where it’s being held. Kevin smiles, slowly strolling around its place. “Claire?”
“I have the-” He nods at her and she reaches in, cuffing the monster. He gave her the handcuffs.
“Kevin Tran,” he greets. “Didn’t think we got a formal introduction.” The demon, in the body of someone he recognizes, doesn’t reply.
By a miracle, they haven’t drawn a crowd. “You know, we make one hell of a team,” Claire says. Why does she sound pleased?
“Hell being the operative word,” he mutters. Claire grins and elbows him.
“I think you meant that in a nice way,” she declares. Kevin hesitates, then wraps an arm around her.
“I might have,” he acknowledges, “But nothing is stopping me from calling Jody.” Kevin sighs. “Maybe she’ll give me Taco Bell. Is she the kind to pick it up on the way?”