As a gift to my followers, have a sneak peek from a future Brothers Apart story!
Curled into a ball, Sam listened impatiently to the voices that echoed above him.
They had stumbled onto a case up by the Great Lakes one morning that had both of their spidey senses tingling. A man was found dead in his home while his wife was out. All doors locked, the alarm system armed and fully functional. The oddest part was his heart had stopped without warning (he was only 40). In the subsequent autopsy that had been run on the body, the doctors had found, of all things, a cupid’s arrow pin in his heart.
Like it had simply materialized there by magic.
Needless to say, the authorities were baffled. Dean was betting on a witch, and Sam wasn’t about to bet against him.
Which was why he was curled up into a ball, safely tucked in Dean’s hand and waiting for an opportunity to get out and search for the hexbag while Dean smooth-talked his way into the house.
He couldn’t help but squirm a little in place, trying to find a comfortable position as Dean walked into the house at last. The huge fingers cupped around his body flexed open a little at his struggles, giving him space.
Even as he gratefully shifted to a more comfortable position in the increasingly hot and enclosed area, one of the fingers he was leaning against twitched in what he recognized as Morse Code.
Bitch.
Smirking, Sam pounded out his own shorthand into the fingers with sharp punches, telling Dean off.
Random ask here, but when a little is living with a human, even though I know they are technically touched or manhandled all the time, do they ever experience touch deprivation? I don’t know how even being held to a chest in a hug compares to someone the same size interacting with you and to what extent that would affect you…
Well, that’s probably going to depend on the exact little in question.
For instance, I hate touching. The fact that someone could pick me up and move me around at any time would bother the hell out of me, and I’d be twitchy from too much touching!
Some would likely yearn for same-size touch, wishing to find another of their kind. Especially if they’re in forced captivity, instead of the mutually supportive relationship like Sam and Dean have.
This actually came up in the Sad Oscar AU (aka Brothers Consulted). Oscar spent a long time with humans that could and would pick him up whenever they wanted, and it’s just not the same…
Oscar was so shocked by the sight of someone with such small features that he didn’t even flinch back from the sudden embrace. She was taller than him, but her thin frame was at his scale. No giant hands or looming faces to force him to go wherever they wanted. As it sank in, he shuddered with sheer relief and hid his eyes against her shoulder.
One frail arm returned the hug, but even Oscar’s earnest cling was timid and weak. The hand on his cane gripped it so tightly it shook.
Oscar had had no shortage of physical contact since his capture. From Noriko to Charlotte, no human had any qualms about grabbing him up in a relentless grasp, hugging him or simply carrying him around. He was no stranger to touch, and yet he might as well be touch starved.
“S-someone came,” he muttered, almost more to himself than to the stranger holding him now.
“… in his panic, did the only thing he could think to do.” In the pocket!lock, is Sherlock going to attack/stab John or something?
Thankfully for John’s fingers, no. Sherlock’s go-to when he’s outmatched like this is to outsmart and outrun. He’s less inclined to go looking for a fight, or trouble he can’t get out of.
Let’s see how that’s working out for him…
A shadow fell over Sherlock, and he had just enough time to see the mug before it dropped on top of him and trapped him in darkness.
Even with his limp, John was much faster than Sherlock could hope to be on his own.
So, from what I gathered – The AU takes place two years earlier than when Jacob was cursed in Brothers Adopted. Meaning, Dean’s 22, Sam’s 18 and Jacob’s 13.
After arriving at Trial’s West, Jacob was cursed by Celeste, but he’s mom found him and saved him. Which means that Jake never met Sam or any of the other smaller residents who call the motel their home. Anyway, Dean somehow hears about this case of an attack and a disappearance of of a kid, and it just so happens it took place just so happens it took place in Trial’s West.
So Dean starts to really dig into the case (which is suspiciously similar to what happened to Sammy years before) and somehow finds out that the victim, Jake, was actually shrunk (I still don’t get how he figured it out though. in the sneak peaks he said something like “the news weren’t kidding about you, were they?” so I figured he knew, but there’s no way a case of a shrunken kid would show up on news, so he must have found some clues or something…I really don’t know), so he decides to “borrow” him for a while, until the case is over or something like that.
They arrive at Trial’s West only to encounter a smol stranger (Sammy to the rescue :D), who I’ll take probably got caught by Dean after attempting to save Jake. After things got more or less calm(ish), they question him about the case- if he knew of any disappearances that have accrued in the motel (referring to Sam, which just so happens to be the exact guy they’re questioning).
I’m gonna guess that that this au will be kinda like brothers together, only instead of Sam being shrunk and saved-Jacob’s shrunken and saved by his mom (Sam was cursed too, but unlike Jacob, he wasn’t saved in this au), and instead of Oz, the experienced borrower, teaching the recently shrunken human, Sammy, how deal with his new size-Sam’s the one who’s teaching the recently shrunken Jake! My guess for Something Borrowed :3
We’re both impressed! We didn’t think anyone would guess this!
This is why we hid the AU name for the story, because it gives away Dean’s true intentions, and the reason he ‘borrows’ Jacob.
Runners up for the AU name was Brothers Borrowed, but instead, we present…
Brothers Sought!
We’ll keep the reasons Dean discovered Jacob’s existence under wraps… for now 😉
“My brother vanished at that motel when we were kids,” Dean said, finally letting out the secret he’d hidden away in his heart. “And if this is the same thing… you might be able to help me find him.”
Jacob made sure he sat right in the center of Dean’s palm again, ever wary of the edge. It was a habit he needed to keep, always, at this size. The world was dangerous for him like this.
He almost didn’t want to accept that someone else might be going through the same thing.
“Your brother,” he echoed, in a cautious voice. From looking at the guy, he was still pretty young, but hadn’t been a kid in a while. Years. If this wild hunch was correct, someone had been shrunk down to Jacob’s size years ago, and hadn’t been found like Jacob had. The thought made him go pale.
“Uh. Maybe. I’m not sure how I’d… okay,” he stammered, rubbing self consciously at his neck. The thought of dealing with all of this alone, for so long, broke any chance of focusing. “I– I guess it kinda makes sense. Sure. If I can find him, I’ll … help.”
There’s BOTH! The season finale for Brothers Lost will be a RIDE!
And this isn’t even like, half of what’s going on in the story
Dean forced open the pocket, snaking two fingers in to pry out the people in there. His plan went awry when a bolt of pain struck. “OW!”
Snatching his hand back, Dean stared at the thin trail of blood leaking from a cut that hadn’t been there moments before. “Son of a…”
“Dean!” Sam snapped. “It’s just a cut.”
Nodding, Dean went back, this time moving too fast for an attack, and yanking the occupants of Jacob’s pocket out.
In a sprawl of arms and legs, the small pair that had been hiding inside landed on Dean’s palm. A glint of metal flashed, and Dean pinned the tiny knife between two fingers, aiming to avoid anymore retaliatory strikes at his fingers.
The guy that wielded the knife didn’t let it go without a fight. Squirming to free himself from the pile with the second, he clung to the hilt with a death-grip.
“Get fucked!” he shouted, digging his heels into the cushion of skin on Dean’s palm.
Dean stared.
The guy hanging onto the knife might as well be his doppelganger.
Jeans, boots, leather jacket and duffel bag, the guy couldn’t be more than four inches in height. Taller than both of the others they’d found earlier, what stood out the most was his spike of blond hair and the scowl on his face that was a mirror of Dean’s own.
The tiny mirror of Dean had such a strong grip on the knife hilt that he was dragged into the air when Dean tried to twist it away from him. The second person, who Dean shouldn’t have been so surprised to see the fluffy dark hair and familiar hazel eyes of his younger brother on, dove for the first guy’s legs, grabbing on and trying to lend weight to the tug-of-war between the two.
Sam’s voice broke the spell that had fallen over Dean.
Does the unnamed Sad Oscar AU takes place in Brothers Consulted?
Oh gosh. You’re the first person to guess that!
The unnamed Sad Oscar AU is indeed secretly a part of Brothers Consulted. At some point during the writing of it, my cowriters couldn’t stand it any longer, and through nudges and some Upset conversations, it was decided that he needed a rescue in Brothers Consulted. So that “The End?” on the last installment was a red herring! It’s not truly the end of the Sad Oscar AU. Everything after that, well, it involves a Plot from Brothers Consulted that you will all have to wait and see (luckily it got voted in as the next story, so you’ll get closer to being able to guess the answer).
Of course, with BC and Oscar that means he will have to meet the Baker Street crew someday. One thing we have planned for that is an encounter with Sherlock in which the detective, predictably, runs his mouth. He’s going to learn that Oscar’s no “typical” borrower:
“W-well, I can be scared if I want to! I’ve had to do everything by myself since I was seven while all you humans did was take and take, a-and then someone took me and … I’m not a doll, I’m Oscar, and I’ll be nervous around humans all I want!”
The words had barely left his mouth before Oscar’s indignant look transformed into shock. The quietest squeak escaped him and he ducked behind the nearest hiding place he could find. That happened to be Dean.
Ooo, what a great first guess for this! You nailed it!
While Brothers Lost began with The Road Not Taken, their first season will wrap up with The Road to Nowhere– named for a very real place that I once knew (though this story is not placed near the original road to nowhere).
This story will edge towards the Bittersweet Parting style of season ending, instead of the kind of season ending we got with Taken… Take that as you will.
We haven’t gotten around to finishing up our current excerpted stories and moving on to this one because… well… @nightmares06 has plain run out of energy most days, so an excerpt a day has become too much for her, and she’s contemplating other options to continue on with story peeks, so expect news for how it will change soon. The other sneak peeks that come from people guessing our plans or story names/au names won’t change at all, just the daily posts.
Naturally, a correctly guessed story name will net you a peek at this in-progress work!
Sam stared at Dean, and Dean stared back at Sam.
There had been a tiny voice, just at the edge of hearing, but neither of them had made any noise. They were both fully in view, with only the sounds of an empty parking lot accompanying Sam while he emptied the Impala, left for the morning after their late night check-in.
As it sunk in, Sam shut the door behind him and Dean chucked his towel into the bathroom sink, both reacting to a possible threat in the area.
A splash of movement down by the table legs caught Dean’s eyes, and he sidled around the wall, signaling for Sam to take the opposite side.
Sam got into position, and Dean dove his hands at the table leg, aiming to catch the unknown creature in their room.
Sam and Dean Winchester have struck up a deal with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. The brothers will offer their help solving cases, in return for living in the flat and sharing in the food John brings home.
This all sounds well and good, until it’s the Winchesters that end up needing Sherlock’s services for his next case…
Brothers Consulted pulled away from Brothers Lost in the poll, and so we’ll be seeing the return of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in the multiverse!
A reminder to everyone that when A Burglary at Baker Streetends, there will be no poll. Instead, There’s No Place Like Home will begin posting, and after that story wraps up we’ll return to the poll with all new options in it!
And now, a special sneak peek of the story that begins January 2nd, 2019!
Dean gestured for Sherlock to give him a hand. “Well, what are we waiting for, then?”
Sherlock smirked and proffered a hand for Dean, smoothly ferrying the elder Winchester to his shoulder. With Dean settled, Sherlock turned to face the room, not entirely sure of what to expect. And for once, the uncertainty wasn’t irritating, but exciting.
“Where to, Winchester?” he queried, awaiting Dean’s instruction.
Dean was silent for a long moment. He very rarely tried to actively use the ability. Mostly it just happened. They needed food, and he would suddenly just know where to go. Questioning it when their lives depended on the ability seemed like looking a gift horse in the mouth.
As he focused, the prickles on the back of his neck began to grow more prominent. His surroundings dropped away. He no longer noticed the rhythmic cadence of a pulse that throbbed through Sherlock’s neck next to him, and the steady sound of breathing, air rushing in and out of Sherlock’s lungs, was gone. It was like he was standing next to Sam once more, trying to hurriedly clear his mind and listen to Sam’s constant litany of ‘advice’ for how to do it.
With focus came clarity, and Dean found himself pointing before he realized his hand was moving.
Psychic freak slipped into his mind and he angrily crushed the thought as he told Sherlock, “That way.”
Sherlock almost didn’t notice the tiny hand, but he frowned when he tracked its path with his eyes. Dean was pointing at the door out of the flat.
The detective’s steps were halting as he approached the door, confused about what Dean was supposed to be leading him to. At his right, John entered the main room from the kitchen, a biscuit in one hand and the morning paper in the other. John paused as he noticed Sherlock’s odd movements, eyeing his flatmate as he sank into his armchair.
Sherlock slowly wrapped his hand around the doorknob, wishing he could look at Dean questioningly.
Dean didn’t notice the odd looks John was shooting at the strange pair from his armchair, unknowingly placed beside the nook in the walls the brothers had chosen for their home. If Dean spared a thought for where it was placed, he imagined it was just about at John’s eye level while sitting.
But right now, his thoughts were all tied up with the feeling on the back of his neck. After years of stubbornly ignoring the ones that were out of reach, it seemed that giving it his full attention had brought it flooding around him, more important than anything else. He needed it, and this was his chance to finally see what, and where, the thing was that was pulling at him in London.
When Sherlock didn’t open the door, Dean felt his impatience come to the fore. “Well?” he burst out. “We’re doing this, right? Or was this just some test run?”
It’s a definite misconception between Stan and the Winchesters!
He doesn’t quite see himself the way they want him to…
It took seconds for Stan to grab the clip near the top of the pen and haul it all the way back to Sam, panting a little from the effort as he stepped back to give the human room to take it.
Sam was frozen in his search, not having expected Stan to suddenly shoot off in a different direction while they conversed. Seeing how much effort it took Stan to drag the pen over to him drove into Sam how different they were in size, making him feel obnoxiously oversized all over again.
Dean had an identical look on his face, not knowing how to react.
“S-Stan,” Sam managed to get out, delicately picking up the pen. He’d been looking for one, but– “You can just… tell me where the pen is, okay? You don’t have to go through all that work, I can just grab it.”
The ghost of a proud smile that had found its way to Stan’s features for finally making himself of use melted when he saw Sam’s reaction. Now he was confused all over again, worried that he’d done something wrong.
“But… you wanted it…” Stan trailed off awkwardly, trying to think of a way to fix it. But there was nothing to fix. The pen was fetched, Sam already had it. He didn’t understand why the brothers seemed so averse to his actions, but he resolved to do better next time as soon as he found out.
“That’s… not what I’m saying…” Sam said, his conviction fading at Stan’s reaction. “Just… If I want something, you don’t have to get it for me.” It was so hard to come up with words for what he meant. “I don’t want you straining yourself.”
“You’re not a pet,” Dean interrupted, putting it far blunter than Sam would have done. “You know that… right?”
We love the idea too! That’s why we ended up with this exact storyline:
Brothers Remembered || Dean was cursed as a kid, growing up as a borrower at Trail’s West. He helped another kid cursed just like him, and certainly never expected to see a familiar face staying in one of the rooms.
Now they just need Sam to get on board with the whole concept…
It was during this time that Dean reached the top of the table and darted behind the huge laptop. He flattened himself to the back, barely daring to breathe for fear of alerting the human to his position.
Taking a few measured breaths to prepare himself, Dean leaned around the edge of the laptop to catch sight of where Jacob was now, expecting to see him contained.
What he found instead made all these thoughts flee his mind.
Jacob was casually sitting there and eating pizza while Dean risked his neck saving him!
Brothers Apart 