John crossed his arms, staring down at the brothers. “Mind explaining what the hell you were thinking?” he demanded of Dean. 

Dean stiffened, annoyance flashing in his eyes. Sam was surprised. Even after everything, he was so used to Dean doing whatever their dad said like a good little soldier. But now, the older brother was in clear disagreement with the hunter.

Dean clenched a fist. “He’s not going to learn anything if we just lock him up all day. And I was watching out for him. No one ever saw him in my hood.”

John scowled. Sam shrank a little closer to Dean, intimidated by the angry glare. No matter how much he understood intellectually that he wasn’t going to be hurt, it was hard to see someone bigger than a building so angry.

Dean’s hand scooped Sam off the table when he wasn’t looking, too distracted by their father. He was cupped protectively by Dean’s chest while the boy continued arguing. “Dad, if we just keep him locked up like that, he’s going to get bored and he needs to stay sharp if he’s going to be this size, at least until we find a cure. You can’t watch him all day. At least if he’s with me, he’s safe.”

John didn’t move for a minute, sizing both his sons up with his arms crossed. “If anything happens to him, you’re responsible,” he snapped at Dean before stalking away.

Sam could feel the tension leak out of Dean the moment he was turned away. He didn’t say a word, holding his tongue as gratitude filled him. He wouldn’t be stuck in a massive room all day with nowhere to go. 

Thanks to Dean, who’d stood up to their father for the first time.

I have a feeling, if cats can pull off a bitchface, that’s what Dean will be getting for that picture. Super teeny kitty, though! So cute, and it’s probably a good thing he only has itty bitty claws. Dean will probably be driving him nuts before they manage to get him back to normal.

So far, Dean has only been knocked out and tied up with Sam around. This will come up in the future, though. Good ways for Sam to help out big bro would be carefully talking Dean through an injury if it’s too big for Sam to handle, keeping Dean from slipping into sleep when he might have a concussion, even taking a bullet out of a wound. His hands are the perfect size to slip in and grab it.

Sam hasn’t hurt Dean yet, either physically or emotionally. The closest is Dean having to see Sam afraid of him after the events of Taken. Even Sam’s hurt by those automatic reactions, he just can’t stop them.

The Climbing Bet

BA Canon: Yes

Timeline: After The Golden Touch


Dean snorted. “No way.”

Sam glared up at him. “Seriously? You doubt me? After I saved your sorry ass from being a statue.” He shook his head mournfully with a smirk hiding in the corner of his lips.

Dean cocked an eyebrow at the bookshelf. “Sure, but you climbed a tree back there. I’m betting there’s a few more handholds on a tree than a shelf. The thing’s pretty much a cliff.”

Sam jabbed his hook at Dean. “If I can climb it, I get control over the television for a week.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed. “Deal.” He stuck a hand out.

Sam grinned confidently as he let Dean cautiously shake his much smaller arm between two fingers. “You’ll be eating your words,” he shot back at his big brother as the older hunter stood and stepped back.

“Better put your money where your mouth is, pint-size,” Dean said as he leaned against the wall. Standing, he was just as tall as the shelves he’d challenged Sam to climb. “Or I’ll be in charge of the TV for the week.”

Sam uncoiled his fishing line, the clear rope ready in his hands. He ignored the looming shadow of the older Winchester, knowing Dean wouldn’t interfere unless Sam slipped. For once, he actually had a safety net as he climbed. Normally, he was on his own when he tried foolhardy stunts like this. Walt would always lecture him, but he’d always do it again. He was one of the best climbers around, after all.

The first shelf was easy. An easy toss got the hook snagged on a vase. Sam tugged on the line, judging how solid the catch was. Only when he was certain that it wouldn’t shake free did he start climbing up.

The line he used was smooth, hard to climb directly up most days. After years of practice, his hands were becoming as callused as Dean’s, but for completely different reasons. The calluses gave him a better grip on his line, letting him haul his body up with nothing more than his hands.

He clambered up the first shelf, eyeing up his surroundings. Beyond the vase and a discarded Bible, he could see Dean’s knees, the thick legs crossed while he leaned against the wall. Sam couldn’t help a smile at the thought of using Dean to climb the rest of the way up, but pushed that thought away. Besides being an easy out, Dean would probably declare that ‘cheating.’

Sam flicked his line, releasing the hook from its snug fit. He held it at the ready, staring up at the shelf above. This time, the game would be interesting. The shelves were all even, so there was no way for him to reach the next one up without leaning out into the open air.

A careful examination of his surroundings revealed a bracket above, used to set the shelves into the wall. There were holes interspaced on the brackets, and one of them might be just far enough out for him to be able to use it to climb up. With a rush of confidence, Sam tossed his hook at the bracket.

And missed.

He growled as he pulled the line back. Dean leaned down with a smirk. “Need a hand?” he goaded Sam.

Sam ignored him, trying the shot again. At least in this case, there was no hurry, and no danger from the human nearby. No danger past the teasing and jokes, at least.

The second toss did it. He tugged on the line, then began climbing again. This time, his line didn’t make it all the way to the shelf, but he was able to grip the metal bracket, scaling up the last few inches. He unhooked his fishhook on the way, attaching it to the pocket Walt had made for a time just like this.

The grin wouldn’t leave his face after that level. The end of a blanket draped down from the shelf above, so he didn’t even need to get his hook back out to get to the third shelf, putting him at chest height for Dean and one shelf away from his goal. He caught his hook on the bracket on his first toss. Barely two minutes later, and he hauled himself up to the top, swaggering over to Dean’s surprised face with a knowing grin.

“So,” Sam smirked. “Who’s up for some Star Wars this week?”


Submissions Open!

Playtime

BA Canon: Yes

Timeline: During the two month stay at the motel while Sam’s arm heals


( Part 2 of 2 )

A scattering of freckles surrounded Kara’s landing spot, each as thick as or thicker than her fingers. The skin wasn’t smooth this close, but it still had a soft feeling as long as she didn’t brush against the stubble under his nose.

Kara froze, afraid she’d woken up her friend. For a second, the eyebrows scrunched together, and Dean brushed his hair flat with his hand. Then the skin between his eyes evened out and the hand went back to his chest.

He was still asleep.

She let out a quiet giggle. “That was fun! ” Normally, she’d want to do it again, but first she needed to worry about getting off Dean’s nose without waking him.

This idea was encouraged when the hunter shifted under her. A deep breath was taken. She could feel the breeze pass her by even as it was pulled into immense lungs. A sigh rattled out of him, fading into silence.

She went to push up, but just ended up slipping back down from the awkward angle she was lying at. A fluttering next to her caught her attention, and she gave a small gasp at the sight of his long eyelashes as they moved. They were twice as long as her hand. She brushed her fingers over them, giggling at how the fluttering sensation tickled.

“Kara!”

Sean’s voice came from nearby, and she peered off from her perch. Sean was trying to keep his balance on the pillow next to Dean, but the weight of the human turned it into a steep slide before he could get close enough to climb up. “Kara, we should go!” he called to her, nerves starting to come out.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

The unexpected voice made Sean jump and Kara almost tumble from her perch. Walt was standing on the nightstand next to Dean’s watch, his arms crossed and a stern glare on his face.

“Aww!” Kara said. “But we didn’t even wake him up!” she pointed out.

Walt pursed his lips, trying to hide a smile. “You sure about that?” he asked.

“Huh?” Kara glanced back down at the hunter, and squeaked with surprise when she saw one of the big green eyes staring straight up at her.

The eye dilated as it tried to focus on the tiny girl, the skin next to the eye scrunching in a smile. She toppled off Dean’s nose in surprise only to be swept up in a hand before she hit the ground (in other words, Dean).

Dean let out a laugh of his own as he went to sit up, collecting Sean in his other hand. “How’d you figure it out?” he asked Walt as he held both hands near the smaller man to let Walt climb in with the kids. With both children already in Dean’s hands, there was no way the older man would turn down the help out of pride. He always remained near his charges.

“For one, there’s no way a hunter sleeps through Kara landing on his nose.” Walt mussed up her hair. “For another, you’re very bad at hiding smiles.”

Dean had to nod in response to that. People like Walt and Sam could read him like a book, he was coming to find. Small tells that were hidden to another human were as plain as day to someone the size of his finger.

Sean blinked up at the giant. “So you knew the whole time?” he asked, disappointed.

“Nope, just when this one decided to canonball my face,” Dean said with a gentle smile, nudging Kara lightly with a finger before he lowered them all down to the ground. “I think you two might want to stick to visits during the day. Safer all around for everyone.”


( Part 1 )


Ask’s Open! || Prompt’s Open! || Submissions Open!

Playtime

BA Canon: Yes

Timeline:

During the two month stay at the motel while Sam’s arm heals


( Part 1 of 2 )

“C’mon, slowpoke!” Kara hissed.

Sean, bringing up the rear by at least six inches, scuffed his feet against the ground. “What if we get caught? ” he asked plaintively.

She giggled. “We won’t get in trouble, silly. I promise, it’ll be fine!”

“But Walt…”

He was cut off when she darted back and grabbed his arm. She dragged him the rest of the way down the tunnel, all the way to where the exit was. “We’ll be fine! Just a quick look!”

Out in the motel room, night had fallen. Steady breaths could be heard from the towering bed above their heads, one huge arm draped off the side and motionless. Kara pushed Sean over to the bed cover, and they both used the thick fabric to climb up.

Dean was motionless up on the bed. One hand was draped over his chest, the left hand with his ring on it. The second hand that would normally have that massive, clunky watch on was hanging off the edge. Kara waved Sean on encouragingly, then scrambled up to Dean’s stomach. She bounced a little on the cushioned surface, laughing at the way her feet sank into the skin. If only he let them play like this when he was awake! But they had a plan tonight, and she tried to focus on that.

“See?” she whispered to Sean. “He’ll never know! His ring’s so big. We can just take a peek.”

Sean, spurred on by curiosity, followed her up the stomach and on to the chest. They arrived at the massive hand. Huge fingers were stretched out, a small space created under the arch of his palm that was actually big enough for them to fit under. Sean’s eyes widened at the thought. It had been less than a year since he’d been a human, and now he could hide under a hand with no one the wiser.

While he was staring in amazement, Kara snuck past him and slipped under the hand. “Whoa,” came her small voice. She stroked the thick silver, staring at the nicks and scratches that covered it. She couldn’t imagine how someone could actually have scratched up such a powerful looking ring.

Curious, she wrapped a hand around it, testing the thickness of the metal.

While she was under there, Sean’s eye was caught by something even more interesting. Moonlight glinted off a brass amulet, resting peacefully on Dean’s chest, another thing that they’d never even come close to. He slunk up to it, carefully eyeing Dean’s face to see if there was any sign the hunter had noticed them there. But the human slumbered on peacefully.

Sean nudged the amulet, then picked it up. It was heavy and solid. Instead of being cool to the touch like he’d expected, the brass face had picked up the body heat of its owner and was warm to the touch. A hand wrapped around the thick cord that it would normally hang suspended from, slipping up it to stare at all the small threads that were bound into one. It was amazing for Sean to think that when he was a human he couldn’t have even seen the detail that was in these objects. Dean couldn’t even see half this detail.

The hunter suddenly shifted, sending Sean sprawling a few inches down. Kara clung to the ring in surprise.

Dean’s hand lifted up, taking Kara with it. She gave a squeak of surprise as it passed over Sean, then over Dean’s face. Her fingers – clammy with sudden nerves – slipped, and she fell.

Right on Dean’s nose.

The Incredible Shrinking Winchester

BA Canon: No || AU

Timeline: After The Schism of Fire and Water


( Part 6 of 6 )

Sam clambered to the center of his ledge again, breathing heavily after his close call. Then froze as he felt eyes on him. He wasn’t as alone as he’d thought.

He already knew who it was.

Sam turned to face her. Celeste. The architect of his curse.

She was standing against the wall of the canyon with a smirk. “Oh, Sammy. How nice of you to join us at last.”

Sam snarled, storming towards her. “What the hell did you do to me? Why now?

She held up a clawed hand. He froze in place, under her control. With a slow, swaying stride, she walked around him. “Hmmm. You did grow up nice,” she complimented. “Too bad I never got your brother with this. He would be fun to have around. Such pretty eye candy for a Winchester.”

He glared at her and she sighed. “Ruining all the fun. At least Dean-O made things interesting when I had him caught. Always screaming and yelling his dear little head off.” Her hot breath brushed against Sam’s neck. “You still have a part to play in things, Sammy boy. Maybe Dean will even play his part before you go subatomic. I… hope you enjoy the view on the way down. But your part in their world is over now. Welcome… to your new home. Until even this grows too big for you to see.” She gave him a wink as she straightened. “You might want to hold on to that hook of yours. It’ll come in handy.”

The air warped around her as she vanished.

Released from her freezing hold, Sam almost plunged through the air she’d been in moments before. He caught himself against the wall with a curse.

His situation started to really sink in. She’d stolen his world. His family… his brother. Everything. It was right there, above him. Around him. But forever out of reach. Dean might as well not exist at this size. If Sam tried to make his way back to them, he could die. They just had to brush against the tabletop and he would be just a memory. Put a book down. Spill a glass of water.

No way to communicate.

No way to let Dean know he was okay. He was alive.

Straightening, Sam steeled himself for what lay ahead.

He sent one last glance up at the sky. One last look at Bobby’s house beyond. One last wish for Dean, and a prayer that they’d see each other again one day in the future.

That one day he could embrace his brother as an equal. Dean’s smiling face flashed into his mind one last time, winking at him when the older hunter was up to no good. Sam smiled back at the memory, a forgotten tear falling down his face.

Then Sam turned to his new world. He needed to climb farther down if he wanted to survive another gust like the last one. His brother had become a force of nature Sam needed to weather just like a hurricane.

Survival.

He dropped into darkness, eyes adjusting as he went.


( I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I hate the ending as much as everyone else. Sammy’s on his own in this AU and I think we all need hugs now. )


(

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

||

Part 4

|| Part 5 )


Ask’s Open! || Prompt’s Open! || Submissions Open!

The Incredible Shrinking Winchester

BA Canon: No || AU

Timeline: After The Schism of Fire and Water


( Part 5 of 6 )

He must have drifted off while he sat there.

Waking up, something in Sam told him everything was different. Changed.

He blinked blearily, rubbing his eyes with a lazy hand as he yawned. “Dean? How’s the…”

He trailed off as he saw his surroundings.

The table was gone.

Sam’s entire world was inside of a deep canyon. He sat on the side of the steep walls, on a brown edge. Other protrusions could be seen sticking out in the distance, irregular and spiky. Even as he watched, one broke off and fell into the darkness.

Sam crawled to the edge to watch it land, but the bottom was too far away.

Deep rumbles and thunderclaps came from above. Sam brushed his hair back from his face, staring straight up at the top of his ‘canyon.’ The light above changed rapidly, like someone was pacing in front of the storm.

One rumble of thunder stuck out to him, and Sam realized what had happened. Where he was.

He hadn’t gone anywhere.

He was still on the table, but he was so small he’d fallen into a crack in the wood. Splinters surrounded him, and the dark canyon he was trapped in was a simple notch in the wooden table at Bobby’s. The thunder above… a brief, echoing cry of Sammy!

…was Dean.

Dean, trying to find his lost brother. The brother who’d vanished into thin air.

Darkness covered the crack again and Sam stared up, not realizing his danger at first as he tried to make out his brother in the dark sky above. An echoing sigh was the only warning he got before a huge whirlwind struck, knocking him straight towards the edge.

With a cry, Sam tumbled off the ledge. He had his fishhook out in a second, embedding it into a crack. He was so light he had no trouble holding his weight in place as he dangled there until the whirlwind ended.

Then the air started to rise up, and Sam clung to the cord with a desperation born of life-preservation as he did his damndest to keep from flying up with the air his brother was breathing in, huge lungs the size of a city greedily stealing the air around him. It rushed past, almost pulling him right off the cord.

Another rumble echoed through the world, and the light returned as Dean lifted his head to look at Bobby.

Sam couldn’t see any of that.

He couldn’t even make out Dean as more than a towering, looming shadow. Dean, his brother and best friend. The only person he’d been able to rely on for almost an entire year. A colossus that could snuff Sam out without a thought. As long as the immense hunters above were paying attention to Sam’s small corner of the world, he was in danger. Dean and Bobby had ceased to exist as people he could interact with. He was on his own.

Alone.


(

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

|| Part 4 )

Dean needs to have more faith in himself. He always assumes he’d do the worst, when really he just tries to be thorough. And thorough will eventually lead to either do research, or call Bobby. It might take a smack upside the head once in awhile, but Bobby will steer him true.

So glad you enjoyed! 😀 It was a fun little adventure.