san – Sam and Nicholas? Even if this isn’t right, I am looking forward to learning more about Jacob’s dad!
You got it!
In Brothers Unexpected, Sam has a lot to get used to. Including Jacob’s father, Nicholas Andris, the person Jacob resembles the most when he grows up, especially in height.
While Sam is but a two-and-a-half inch tall kiddo.
(If anyone’s missed it, there’s a special short story about Jacob and his late father over on deviantart. It happens later along the timeline than where Brothers Unexpected is at thus far. Check it out here and the second part here.)
Nicholas froze in the middle of relaxing into the couch’s worn, comfortable cushions. His heart skipped a beat and he processed what he’d heard, the tiniest little noise that he might not have noticed. Before they found Sam, he definitely wouldn’t have registered the sound.
He glanced around, turning his head to scan the room. He knew Sam hadn’t been on the couch when he came in, so he could at least do away with the frantic worry that he’d nearly crushed the kid. That didn’t write out the possibility that he was under the couch or somewhere near enough that Nicholas’ careless action could have hurt the tiny kid.
“Sam?” he called out cautiously. His deep voice was quiet, but he knew that to Sam it still rumbled overhead. If the kid was hurt or scared, he probably wouldn’t answer.
The new au takes place in a world where borrowers are known and are treated as pets. When Dean was cursed, he was caught and shipped to England and put in a pet store. The lady we see handling him in the snippets isn’t the one who captured him, but simply a person who works there. Stan happens to walk into the pet shop and sees Dean.
AFIN – Both Sam and Dean are cursed. Sam and Dean are captured and shipped over to Europe at some point in their lives. Borrowers are well known in this world and are caught and sold as pets. When Sam and Dean are captured, Dean is separated from Sam in some way (bought by someone, moved to different location?) and Dean is put up for sale in a pet store where Stan comes and finds him
This is it! The background for Brothers Kept!
In Kept, borrowers (my supernatural-style borrowers) were discovered in the ‘50s. Ever since then, they’ve become highly sought after pets for the wealthy and rich (anyone that can afford the high costs of adopting a living, breathing person).
In America, borrowers are a very uncommon sight due to their rarity. American borrowers are even more costly than regular ones. The Winchesters grew up on the road with their father, not paying much mind to the little people. They knew they existed, it was just that borrowers were so rare they didn’t consider them in their day-to-day lives.
Until the curse.
When they tried to find help to seek out John Winchester, they were caught and shipped overseas, processed for sale. Sam, being young and impressionable, didn’t take long to sell, while Dean, angry, betrayed and mouthing off, got stuck in the store for… years. Constantly put down, disciplined for bad behavior, ignored by customers…
Then one day Stan happens by the store and discovers a borrower in a leather jacket and jeans with scratched out messages on the side of his cage that are a cry for help, and can’t turn his back on him.
We’ll have a second preview later on this week since the story name was guessed as well, A Friend in Need.
His gaze shifted again to regard the other cages and the patrons perusing them. The people of both sizes that he saw appeared entirely different than himself and Dean. Most of the borrowers were dressed in bright outfits, practically bouncing at the front of their cages to catch someone’s eye. The humans were all enamored of them, a child further down prodding his fingers against the glass to tease one.
Dean was visibly very different from the rest. His clothes were darker, almost as though they were advertising him as an edgy biker character of some kind. Yet he was clearly unused to the attention Stan was showing him, and was less than comfortable with it.
A cold spike shot through Stan’s insides when he noticed something in the back corner. Tucked behind a hamster water bottle where the average patron would miss it, there were little tick marks scratched into the glass. Stan tilted his head and noticed words put there and scratched through. Words that broke Stan’s heart to read.
Please save me
Kill me
Stan’s brow pinched together as he reached a numb hand to lightly touch a fingertip to the glass on the other side of Dean’s scratches. He wished he could wipe them away, fix all that had made the poor bloke so miserable.
~~~
Dean couldn’t look away from the man.
Green eyes that put Dean’s to shame, a shock of red hair that looked perfectly wild and a pale complexion that nearly matched the borrowers who never saw the sun, the man touched the glass near Dean with a long finger that outsized the borrower.
Captivated by the intense gaze, Dean couldn’t help but lean forward and flatten his hand against the side of the glass to see the sheer difference between them. Compared to Stan’s fingertip, his hand was too small to fill the entire area, the tips of his fingers falling just short. He could make out every crevice and crack, the whorls of a fingerprint clearer than the words Dean had carved into the wall of his cage.
Dean was small. Insignificant. Nothing, a voice whispered in his mind.
A shock ran through Dean and he drew back from the fingertip like the glass had burned him, quickly pulling his sleeve down over his hand and trying to scrub away the scratches like the leather could possibly fix the mess he’d made.
Everything in this story was inspired by @wolfie180g‘s picture of Dean and Cas!
Hey, BFTP isn’t Blast From The Past is it? Also it’s really neat that you guys are doing an AU with a smol Dean and Jacob, and tol Sam 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing these stories!
(Thanks nonnie! This is a ton of fun and we love to share >w>)
That’s the one! Sam’s staying at familiar motel and it’s going to be a Blast from the Past!
Once they get past introductions.
From his angle under the dresser, Jacob could almost see the glaring red numbers on the alarm clock across the room. Whatever hour they broadcast to the room, all he knew was that it was late afternoon. The sun was already setting outside, leaving just an orange glow peeking around the shabby curtains on the window.
Late for humans, perhaps, but for people like him, it was nearing the perfect time to be out and about. Standing at less than three and three-quarter inches tall, Jacob would be lucky to stand taller than someone’s shoe. His caution under the dresser was born of how true and serious that truth was. It would only take one mistake, one moment of inattention, to land him in trouble.
He’d been taught that lesson every day since he woke up in a world too big for him. Only fourteen years old, and he’d had to accept a new life.
His old one was literally out of reach. Furniture towered overhead and people were powerful giants with the power to lock him away for good.
He shifted from one foot to the other, his handmade leather boots pressing into the dusty carpet fibers. Walt, a man his size who had taken him on as a pupil of sorts, had made the boots for him, along with the satchel that rested against his side and comforted him with its presence. Everything he owned was in there, and he drummed his fingers silently against the top flap. Hopefully he would come away from this room with a little extra.
It wasn’t his greatest plan, coming out to check out the room by himself. An inner voice that sounded a lot like Walt scolded him for it. He reassured it that he wouldn’t take long. Then he could resume looking for wherever Dean had already wandered in his own search for supplies. He was always better at finding exactly what he needed.
Dean was like Jacob. Small, and trapped in the harsh living they had to make for themselves in the walls of the Trails West. He’d been shrunk down for ten years by the time Jacob arrived. It had hardened him in ways Jacob doubted he’d ever fully understand. Whenever Walt finished with a lecture, it seemed like Dean was there with another one just to remind him.
Stuck here forever. Gotta take care of yourself. No one out there will.
He took a slow breath and eyed the table in the room. The lamp on the dresser directly above him provided some extra light for the cluttered surface. Luckily, no one sat in the rickety chair next to it.
He wasn’t out of the woods. There was a human in the room, the only reason Jacob hadn’t come any farther out than the dresser. The man was milling by the bed and rummaging through his duffel bag. Jacob wasn’t sure, but the guy had to be nearly as tall as his dad had been, so many years ago. His heart did a flip as he leaned out just enough to assess the man’s height before ducking back out of sight.
Definitely a big guy. Easily over six feet tall, one of the tallest people he’d seen since shrinking down. Jacob was supposed to grow that tall one day. That promise was long gone by now. Now he’d have to hope for four inches of height.
He heaved a slow breath. The duffel bag on the bed was a sign of a road tripper. Maybe someone on his way to a new job, or visiting friends far away. Whatever he was there for, the motel was only serving to keep him from nodding off on the long drive.
These kinds of folks tended to have snacks, so he’d learned. Quick and easily accessible food that, if they could take off with some, would be great for them.
Getting ahead of himself, Jacob wondered what the guy might have hidden away in that bag. It had been a while since he’d had trail mix.
Brothers Remembered has Sam and Dean separated in childhood, Dean barely managing to push his younger brother out of the way in time to avert the curse, but get caught in the blast himself. When, years later, another kid gets snapped up, what’s Dean to do but take him in and teach him to survive?
Since Dean is an adult when he finds Jacob, he takes him to his shelter and nurses him back to health, and helps the kid adjust when he wakes up. They occasionally talk to Walt and Mallory, but by and large Dean and Jacob are independent of the others.
Naturally, shenanigans happen when Sam stays overnight, suspecting none of this.
There was some keys tossed on the nightstand, and a shadow that passed by the vent, its owner out of sight. Dean’s eyes tracked the hulking shadow, enough to eclipse him and everyone he knew at the motel without a problem.
Then, the shadow’s owner came into view and Dean had to restrain himself from leaping back.
This human was big.
The guy might be the biggest person Dean had ever seen. Standing so tall that the vent was only a few scant feet above his head, his hair was longer and fluffed out at the sides, showing signs that he’d just gotten in and had no time to recover from his drive.
A classic road tripper, if a little young. Dean had an urge to cut that long, floppy hair that he couldn’t explain.
The human never noticed him up there, perched above the vent, but that was enough for Dean. He didn’t want to mess with a person that big, tired from driving or not. Whatever supplies this guy had, he could keep. Dean would run through the room after he checked out of the motel for good.
Hitching up his duffel, Dean turned toward home and left that room behind.
There’s plenty more planned in these stories. Brothers Adopted we still need to write out, but Brothers Asunder already has several stories composed and waiting to post. Asunder will continue as soon as it wins the poll with Dean of Nowhere, the follow-up to Sam of Wellwood. And what an adventure it will be!
( @bittykimmy is still mad at us for that story, btw )
As for the rest, we already have this planned out 😉
Sam winced, but didn’t have time to mull it over before the second, newer person whirled around and focused on him.
“And you! ”
The tone of voice was forceful enough to make Sam wince. It almost reminded him of getting scolded in class, or maybe–
He pushed the second image out of his mind. This guy was nothing like his father when he harped on a subject. John Winchester had a strong presence about him, so Sam couldn’t figure out why this person who stood barely a fingerlength tall might remind him of him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, catching a kid? ” Dean practically spat out. “He’s not bothering anyone!”
You will go down as the best name-guesser for the story acronyms! (Other sneak peeks on the way during the week from the rest of the guesses we got)
AFIN is indeed A Friend in Need, but since this is a completely new AU, before we give the full sneak peek, can anyone guess what’s going on in the story? Because this is different than what we’ve tried before, and we’re excited to hear what everyone thinks!
Dean was small. Insignificant. Nothing, a voice whispered in his mind.
A shock ran through Dean and he drew back from the fingertip like the glass had burned him, quickly pulling his sleeve down over his hand and trying to scrub away the scratches like the leather could possibly fix the mess he’d made.
@torchmlp got the name on the mark! Birth of a Nightmare is #boan, and it’s coming sooner than everyone expects with the season 3 finale! The origins of the witch!
Her life’s blood slowly dropped from the wounds, a puddle gathering beneath the planks.
“Please,” she rasped, her clear blue eyes looking towards her husband.
Her betrayer.
She swallowed, her throat as dry as a parchment found in the Egyptian tombs. “Please. I have done none of these things. I am innocent.”
A cold wind whipped up, tangling her pristine white robe around her legs. Bloodstains blossomed like flowers where the white came in contact with her ankles.
“She is not!” shouted her former lover. The man she’d thought soulbound to her much like she was to him. A bond that left nothing behind in her chest when it shattered, destroying all she’d ever thought important.
And another guess that comes right from the Brothers Apart chatroom! Dean might be the size of a mouse, but he has The Heart of a Wolf!
“What do you want?” Sherlock sighed. The last time the agent had set foot in Baker Street, he’d somehow gotten himself enrolled in a bizarre training with Dean.
Still, even Sherlock had to admit (at least to himself, and certainly not out loud) that he had the makings of an acceptable ally.
With their recent addition of Detective-Inspector Greg Lestrade to the list of people who knew about Sam and Dean, Sherlock was beginning to resign himself to this pattern.
“Oh, er. Well, I was mostly wondering if Dean would be up for another training session.”
“I don’t see why not.” Sherlock’s blunt reply was strictly derived from Dean’s previous encounters with Agent Baker. They were quite easygoing with one another, the agent mindful of his movements around Dean, who was seemingly unafraid to tell it like it was to anyone no matter how tall. Objections to the opportunity to refine Agent Baker’s skills were likely to be rare, if existent.
“Brilliant! ” After a slight pause, Agent Baker began a hesitant question. “Do you, ah, think he’ll mind–?”
Sherlock rolled his eyes with a disinterested noise and hung up the phone on the spot.
“We should scout the area before it gets dark,” Dean said, getting up and stretching. “Make sure we find a safe home for the night.”
“Right,” Jacob muttered, a more subdued smile on his face. Regardless of how much trust he’d managed to bargain for himself, the two of them would need some space to themselves. Fascinated or not, he couldn’t deny them that.
“Just keep yourselves outta trouble,” he joked, reaching out to nudge Dean in the side before he was done stretching. As before, he drew his hand back quickly to avoid the retribution that he was sure the little guy would offer. “Gotta be ready for a bit of a hike tomorrow.”
Dean recoiled in surprise, his face falling into a flat expression at the playful gesture. He threw up his arms in frustration at how quick the teenager could move, faster than he could react to. “Well unless the village is a few feet in, I think you’ll be doin’ most of the hikin’, Godzilla,” he retorted in annoyance, his Midwestern drawl thickening.
Sam tried to hide a snicker behind a hand, entertained by the innocent interactions between the pair. He hadn’t been bored once since they met Jacob. “So how far in the forest is the village, anyway?” he asked.
First time and you got it! The name is officially Any Port in a Storm, and these brothers certainly need a port to huddle in, considering the circumstances John finds them in!
When the snow started to come down, he knew they were really in trouble.
Dean glanced to the side, his gaze softening. Sam was slumped against his side, exhausted and weary. They had run for most of the day, leaving the younger kid drained and unable to keep up with his older brother for long. Dean had tried giving Sam a piggyback for a bit, but he tired as well within the hour.
We’ll just stop for a bit… get your energy back up and then we’ll find someplace safe and warm, okay?
There wasn’t much choice for them to stop. Sam couldn’t keep up, Dean couldn’t carry him, and he’d never leave his little brother behind. He’d found a bit of cover against a wall, staring at the deserted street beyond.
Occasionally, they’d pass by, and Dean could only hope that no one noticed the pair of tiny children seeking refuge.
Their escape, it seemed, came with a cost, and he didn’t know if they could last the night.
Brothers Apart 