Bowman heaved a sigh. A child wasn’t as light to him as to Sam, though even Oscar was much thinner than he expected. At least, judging by the way Oscar clung the best he could, they didn’t need to worry about him falling off.
Oscar had his eyes shut tight and they hadn’t even gone anywhere yet. A hand settled on top of his head and he looked up in surprise to find Bowman smirking confidently at him. “It’ll be alright, Oscar,” Bowman told him. “I’d never let Birdie fall, and I’ll never let you fall, either.”
There was a pause in which Oscar considered his options. He didn’t have many. He was already tied securely to the sprite. He glanced over as spritely Sam finally began the work of hooking himself into his own glider. They were going to do this. It was a lot more excitement than he’d met with in the Lounge so far, and he wasn’t sure how brave he’d be for it.
“I-I’ll try it for a little while,” he stammered, clinging even tighter. “May-maybe it’ll be fun.”
Bowman snickered. “That’s the idea,” he confirmed. Then, he fanned his wings impatiently. “Soon as Sam gets himself ready over here, we can get going.”
Sam rolled his eyes, the last strap clicking into place. “I’ve got an idea,” he said. He shifted his shoulders. “Hang on, alright?” he told the kid positioned right above him, safely nestled between the canopy and where he hung, hands tight on the bar.
“ ‘Kay!” his younger self said with a big grin, wrapping thin arms around Sam’s neck. It was hard to believe he’d once been that small and light before.
Sam wrapped one hand around his younger counterparts arm to get a good grip on him, then called up “Dean! Mind giving us a hand?”
He was looking at the teenager sitting at the table, staring in awe at his little brother strapped into a tiny glider. “Uh, yeah!” Dean stammered, caught off guard by the sudden attention.
“Just lift us up over your head so I can get some air,” Sam coached, knowing his Dean would want in on this if he was around, so he might as well get Sam’s Dean as involved as he could be.
Two large hands approached from either side, slipping beneath the glider. Sam’s feet left the ground as Dean cupped his hands, and he prepared himself as they lifted into the air. Two green eyes peered under the wings to see where Sam was secured, and the young kid eagerly waved at his older brother.
“Check this out!” Sam called to Dean, stretching his legs and arms (or at least the one arm Sam wasn’t holding tight) straight out to show off. “No hands!”
The twin green orbs briefly rolled. “You’ll take care of him?” he asked Sam seriously.
Spritely Sam nodded, perfectly serious. “Won’t harm a hair on his head. Now hold on!” he coached the kid braced against his back.
The hands rose up into the air, and Sam kicked off Dean’s skin, jumping off the edge like he was up on the ledge of a cliff.
Down on the table, Bowman grinned and tensed. “Alright, Oscar, let’s go make sure they don’t crash,” he announced.
Brothers Apart 