Title: Carry On My Wayward Son (or How John Winchester Found a Son-in-Law in Tony Stark)

Series: Supernatural Husbands

Summary: The five times John Winchester called Tony Stark his son-in-law, and the one time Tony Stark called John Winchester his father-in-law. Third in Supernatural Husbands series.

Timeline: January 2003, Pre-Iron Man, Pre-SPN

Warnings: Slash, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, John Winchester

Pairing: Dean Winchester/Tony Stark

Author's Note: Here it is, the third installment of the "Supernatural Husbands" series, which will follow our boys through Avengers. Fanfic and AO3 will be updated at the same time.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is recognized.

"1. 23 and Retired"

Carry on my wayward son,

There'll be peace when you are done.

Lay your weary head to rest,

Don't you cry no more.

"Carry on My Wayward Son," Kansas

"Winchester."

"Hey Dad."

"Dean – so I assume from your radio silence the past week that everything's worked out between you and your guy?"

"Yeah, it is. It's – it's real good now –"

"Don't need details, son. I'm not one of those hippie-yuppie parents who need to know all the personals of their kids sex lives. Anyway, I got a case for you – it's a couple hours outta the way –"

"About that, Dad –"

"Don't tell me –"

"Yeah. I – I can't hunt anymore, Dad."

[pause]

"C'mon, Dad, you knew it was a possibility."

[pause]

"It's – it's just too dangerous. Tony's working on erasing my record and creating a new I.D. for me – it's both way too simple and complicated than I thought it would be – and it would be no help if I kept hunting and kept racking up warrants. Plus, when it comes out that we're dating – and it will, because that's his life – the press is going to be digging up as much dirt as they can. We're trying to decrease the impact as much as possible."

"So, what if after all that you guys have done, they still find out. What's he going to do then?"

"Well, we talked about it. No one except his P.A. will know we're together. I'll keep out of the way, but if someone sees us, I'll just act as his bodyguard. If we can keep this under wraps for two to three years, Tony will have built up enough leverage to get the government to clean up my records for us."

"And how the fuck is he going to do that?"

"Dad, you did know that Stark Industries is the sole supplier of weapons for the U.S. military?"

"Yeah – and they were back when I served too, though that was when his daddy was still running things."

"Yeah, well, they have him building some missiles that will revolutionize war. The way he talks about it, these missiles will completely obliterate the enemy and be a deterrent to other nations. The war on terrorism will be over."

"Dean, hate to burst your bubble, but that's what they said about the bomb. Deterrents don't work, not completely. And if you ask me, this war their having in Afghanistan is stupid. I get it – after 9/11, they have to do something, but Russians tried to do the same thing in 80s, and they busted big time. If you ask me, this is going to go just like 'Nam, going on until infinity, because you can't fight guerilla warfare with missiles –"

"Look, the point is that Tony is going to work with the government to get my record expunged – he'll have enough political capital at that time."

"'Political capital' – he got you using big words now –"

"Haha – look Dad, Tony is positive it'll work, and he's the one with experience, so I trust him."

"OK, kid, but tell me – what will you do if his plans are shot out of the water or someone finds out before? What's the plan, then?"

"He has a house on an island that doesn't have an extradition treaty and millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts."

[pause]

"Dad?"

"He doesn't do anything by halves does he?"

"No. No he does not. And, well – If – if that happened, we'd see if we could get you, too, to come with –"

"Don't you dare! What would I do on an island, twiddle my toes in the sand? Fuck, no. If something happens, send postcards to Pastor Jim, and they'll get to me. Don't you think even think of calling or trying to find me. You get the hell out of dodge, or I'll make you wish you were in federal custody, you hear me?"

[pause]

"Dean: Do. You. Understand. Me?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Good."

[pause]

"Dad?"

"Yes, Dean?"

"You OK with me retiring?"

"Am I happy? No – but I told you that last week. Am OK? Yeah, Dean, I'm OK. Dean?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"He loves you?"

"Yeah, he does."

"He worth all the trouble?"

"Yeah, Dad, he is."

"Then you don't need me to OK it."

"But – I just – I really want you to be OK with it, Dad. You're my dad. I know this wasn't what you had planned –"

"Like I said, Dean, you're a grown man. You got your own life and your own – guy. Do want you want and tell anyone else who tries to get in the way to fuck off. Including me. But I'm not. Trying to get in the way, that is. Your guy – he's OK, I guess. He didn't shit himself or run off when I met him, which I respect, and now he's trying to build you a new life, which I appreciate. He'll make a good son-in-law."

[Dean chokes a little at the word son-in-law].

"But, you know me, Dean – I'm not always going to be nice. I'm an asshole, and I know it –"

"I get it, Dad. But I have to say – you've been surprisingly not that much of an asshole about everything."

"You're my son, Dean. Though, you'd think I had a daughter with the amount of girl talk you've made me do in the past few weeks. Do you need more – girl talk that is? Or are you going to be a man and stop needing my permission for shit?"

"Yeah, no more chick flicks, I get it."

"Good, because if not, I'd have no idea what sized tampon I'd have to get ya, and there is an entire aisle full of different kinds of that shit."