TorchMLP: So Dean’s relationship with his dad in the show is one where John is basically Dean’s hero, the person he looks up to and strives to be. How does this change in Brothers Saved?
nightmares06: Burning undercurrent of resentment because John doesn’t think he can do the thing
nightmares06: Sam’s the one that gets most upset about it, but Dean feels the strain
TorchMLP: is it like a gradual build up, or something that persists for several years?
nightmares06: It’s pretty gradual, but with Sam it all boils over at once
Tag: john winchester
This will be coming for sure in at least one AU! In Brothers Unexpected, Oscar is found by Dean and is heading for an unsettling confrontation with Dean’s father, whether he wants to or not!
Pushing past Dean, John dug under the pillow on the teen’s bed and looked slightly mollified to find the colt hidden away. “Guess there’s hope for you yet,” he muttered as he held out the gun. When Dean didn’t reach for it, John paused, his eyes falling to Dean’s hands. Which were obviously hiding something.
“What’s in your hands, boy?”
In Dean’s hands, Oscar shook. He hadn’t even had time to yelp in surprise when Dean swiftly picked him up, and the sight of a new human in their midst locked his voice up. When he’d asked Dean if he could stay, he hadn’t even thought this far ahead. He hadn’t thought about what he’d do when another human shoved his way into the mix.
That voice, after weeks of Dean’s quiet, felt like it shook the air. Even Dean’s teachers and classmates didn’t command as much attention as his father did. Oscar remembered hearing tall humans like that from his haven in the walls.
They always scared him when they yelled, even if it was only over a sports game.
Now, at least, he had someone on his side to look out for him. Still, even with the cave-like protection of Dean’s cupped hands around him, Oscar’s timid nature took priority.
He took a chance to lean to the side, and peek between two of Dean’s fingers. The sight almost froze him. Dean’s father was tall, and his face even more enigmatic and world-worn than Dean’s. He was stern, frustrated even. Oscar ducked away with the knowledge that the human had to have seen him.
Left with no other options, Oscar curled into himself, hugging his legs close and hiding his face. Don’t hurt me, he pleaded silently, eyes shut tight.
Brothers Saved: Fighting Lessons
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14; the day after Dean wakes up for the first time.
“Did Dad show you how to defend yourself?”
Dean stood on the table in the kitchen of Bobby’s house, his arms crossed tight around his chest. He was doing what he could to avoid showing how nervous he was here, surrounded by everything looming overhead.
Including Sam, but the wide look in those hazel eyes was ground for Dean, keeping him focused away from how his little brother had turned into a Godzilla.
‘N-no,” Sam said, fidgeting where he sat.
For a moment, Dean wished their roles were reversed. It was fleeting, because he’d never want his little brother in harm’s way, and having Sam full sized and uncursed meant Dean had done his job right, but it also meant that Sam was the one who would need to protect them if anything happened.
“Dad was too busy when they left,” Sam told him. “He told me to keep the house shut tight and Bobby said go to the basement if anything bad happens, and keep you with me. Bobby gave me this.”
From his jacket, Sam pulled out a gun. Dean stiffened, more from the sight of Sam holding a gun than from the size of it. His little brother knew how to shoot, but having Sam carry around a concealed weapon…
It just felt wrong.
For so long Dean had tried to protect Sam from this lifestyle, and now it had risen up to consume them both in return.
Sam put the gun down on the table not far from Dean, and the surface shuddered under his boots. Instinctively, Dean ducked against the side of the nearby soda can, his small hands soaked instantly in condensation.
He was not going to get used to that.
Sam drew away, worry dancing in his eyes for Dean’s skittish reaction. Dean chose to pretend it never happened, strolling casually over to the gun.
Bobby kept all his weapons in good repair, and this one was no different. The cool metal gleamed at Dean as he reached into his own jacket, pulling out his trusty colt. The gun had been cursed with him, though he would never be able to restock the bullets inside or repair it. Eventually, there would be no way for Dean to use it and it would become nothing more than a curiosity.
Like me, shot an annoyed voice at Dean in his mind that he had to shrug off.
Dean held up his colt to the big one, comparing the sheer scale difference. It was a long moment before he tucked his away, always so fascinated, once he was past the shock, at how strange everything seemed after the curse took effect.
Turning sharply on his heel, Dean regarded Sam sternly, almost making the younger boy jolt to attention. “Shooting guns is one thing,” he said, “but you need to know how to defend yourself when you don’t have a gun, or if you lost it. Once Dad gets back, you need to ask him for some hand to hand combat lessons.”
Sam stuck a lip out. “But I don’t want to learn from Dad!” he complained. “He’s always so bossy, and he never listens.”
Dean certainly didn’t have any defenses against Sam when those big warm hazels were turned around on him. “Can’t you teach me?”
For a long moment, Dean stood there with a look of shock on his face. Normally, training Sam himself would be the first thing he thought of, but now… Sam could pluck him up between two fingers. How could he possibly teach combat?
“S-Sam,” Dean started uncertainly, “I don’t think that’s going to work. I mean, you’re–” he gestured up at Sam and how he looked overhead even sitting down, “and I’m –” Dean stepped back to the soda can, cutting a hand across the condensation to display how he would never reach the top.
“So?” Sam blurted, then covered his mouth when the volume made Dean flinch. “S-sorry…” He hunkered his shoulders. “I just– you’re really good at teaching. If you just show me what to do… I learn fast, honest!”
Dean’s eyes softened. Despite his protests, there was something warm and good inside his chest to hear that Sam still wanted him as a teacher.
“Sure, Sammy. Whatever you want.”
Hours later, they could be found just like that. Dean standing on the table, showing off a combat move as best he could without someone to practice on, and Sam mimicking him.
Dean was proud to say that Sam was just as quick of a learner as he’d promised.
These story parts might go in no particular order, so there’s a chance you’ll see things from the night before later on. I’m just writing as they come to me.
Brothers Saved: A Midnight Snack (4 of 4)
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14; occurs directly after Brothers Saved 2
The food finished quickly, and Sam once again found himself stretching to reach one of the pot holders Bobby kept by the sink. Dean stepped back on the table, closer to the center as Sam moved about the room, still adjusting to the sight of a giant like that.
“Ha!” Sam finally snagged the pot holder, snatching it from the wall. “Stupid thing.”
He was going to need to either grow a few inches or invest in a stool to reach stuff around the kitchen.
“You show ‘em, Sammy!”
With Dean cheering him on, Sam flushed red at the praise as he got a solid hold on the pot of boiling water, tipping it into a colander that was sitting in the sink, waiting for the hot dogs.
Five minutes later, Sam made it back over to the table in triumph with two plates and a bottle of ketchup. The first meal he’d done by himself.
Dean stepped over to the plate with one hotdog at the same time as Sam realized he’d forgotten one thing.
How was Dean going to eat a hotdog that was twice as tall as he was?
Dean was one step ahead of him. “Awesome!” he said, sitting on the lip of the plate and spearing the thick meat with a knife. “Mind giving me some ketchup?”
Sam obediently poured out a dollop of ketchup a few inches away from Dean, watching as his older brother sliced into the hotdog and quickly portioned it into pieces that Sam could barely see.
Sam was riveted watching Dean move. Such tiny, delicate movements that he’d miss if he looked away.
As such, it wasn’t until Dean had begun eating that Sam started on his own, using his fork to cut pieces off. There were no hotdog buns in the house. Or lettuce or tomato. Bobby didn’t exactly carry ‘high class’ meals, but it would do for what they needed.
When Sam took his first bite, Dean stiffened and angled himself so he wasn’t looking directly at his brother. Sam froze, realizing that the piece of hotdog he’d just eaten was the size of Dean’s torso, and his older brother was barely bite-size.
“You know you’re safe, right?” Sam asked, breaking his promise to himself to not poke at Dean’s pride. It was important for him to hear that from Dean. It was everything.
Dean glared, then looked away quickly again. “I know, alright?” he said in annoyance. “I just… This entire thing’s friggin’ weird, give me some time!”
Sam slouched. “Okay.”
Dean huffed. “It’s not you, so don’t go acting down on me!” he insisted. “I’m just… not used to anything like this.” He stuffed a bite of meat in his mouth. “See?” he asked past the hotdog.
Sam had to muffle a snicker into the back of his hand at that. “Whatever you say, jackass.”
Dean pointed his knife at Sam. “Better watch your mouth, bitch.”
Sam rolled his eyes and instinctively ruffled Dean’s hair. The spike bounced instantly back into place. “Jerk!”
Asks and prompts open for this AU!
More coming tomorrow!
Brothers Saved: A Midnight Snack (3 of 4)
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14; occurs directly after Brothers Saved 2
The kitchen was only a few steps away now, and Sam quickly nudged the door with his boot, flipping on the light with an elbow so he didn’t have to open his hand up again.
“Made it,” Sam announced as he uncurled his hands and moved them to the table. Dean stumbled to his feet and dropped to his knees as soon as solid ground was under him, pretending to kiss the ground.
Sam rolled his eyes at the dramatics. “It wasn’t that bad!” he protested as he stood on his tiptoes to reach the hot dogs in the freezer.
“Says you!” Dean argued back, going to his feet again and pacing around the area. His old curiosity shone through as he investigated books that could be buildings and pushed around a pen that was three times his height.
Sam watched from a distance as he filled a pot with water, dumping three of the hot dogs into it and putting it on the burner like he’d watched Dean do before. Everything he did these days felt like he was mimicking Dean, trying to fill his brother’s shoes.
Dean sat down with a huff on one of the books. “At least the ground doesn’t move,” he said, rubbing his head.
“I wasn’t that bad, was I?” Sam asked worriedly.
Dean glanced up, the bridge of his nose pinched between two fingers. “Nah. Even the bed was getting old. Can’t stand without it trying to toss me to my knees.” He stomped his boot on the wood grain. “This is much better.”
Sam grinned, heartened to hear it wasn’t just him. “That’s good. The hot dogs’ll be done soon. Oh!”
Dean looked up at the sudden increase in volume.
“I almost forgot,” Sam said apologetically. He reached into his pocket. “This shrank with you but it fell out of your hands.”
He held his hand out to Dean, and Dean was drawn to his feet without thought. Sitting in the center of Sam’s palm, almost lost in a crease in the skin, was Dean’s colt. The gun entrusted to him by John, used to protect Sammy.
Dean didn’t even think about the size of Sam’s hand as he leaned a hand against the thick skin and reached over. The metal was warmed from its protracted time against Sam’s warmth, but the familiarity of that metal, the touch of the etchings under his fingers, it all felt right to Dean.
“I thought I’d lost this,” Dean said wonderingly, shifting it to catch the light. Reverently, he sat down and started taking it apart, practiced movements as he checked to make sure everything was in working order.
“I’ve got some extra ammo in my jacket,” Dean mused to himself as he snapped the barrel back on and sighted along his arm, taking care to never aim it at Sam. Small or not, the gun could still do damage. “Maybe enough to last until we figure this out and get me normal.”
Sam smiled, sadness in his eyes as he remembered each time John or Bobby had checked in. Unsuccessfully.
“Yeah, Dean. Normal in no time.”
Asks and prompts open for this AU!
More coming tomorrow!
Brothers Saved: A Midnight Snack (2 of 4)
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14; occurs directly after Brothers Saved 2
Dean’s shoulder felt thin under Sam’s touch, but the fabric of his shirt was soft, and after a moment Dean leaned into it. With Dean staring in the opposite direction and Sam keeping his touch light, they could pretend things were normal.
Dean sighed, then slumped. “Fine,” he muttered, so quiet Sam had to strain to hear. Sam’s face split into a grin as Dean turned to him. “You can carry me.”
Before Sam could move to reach for him again, Dean jabbed out a hand, freezing him in place. “But!” he barked. “No sudden moves, no grabbing, and if I want off the Sam-coaster, you put me down! Capiche?”
Sam nodded. For this, he’d agree to anything. “Got it.”
Taking his fingertip off Dean’s shoulder, Sam flattened his hand on the bedcover next to Dean. “This work?” he asked hopefully.
Dean stared down at the hand. Looked at the fingers that could curl around his entire body, saw the twitch of the palm as Sam’s pulse throbbed beneath the surface. “Perfect,” he said to reassure Sam, though inside he was full of trepidation.
There was nothing left to it but to get in Sam’s hand, and Dean knew it. Bracing himself, he stepped up onto the soft surface, nearly faceplanting as the skin moved under his boot. Sam’s fingers twitched, and Dean glared at him.
“Sorry!” Sam said. “It… tickles.” He blushed bright red.
Dean huffed in annoyance without a comeback. “Whatever.” He walked to the center of Sam’s hand and quickly sat down. “Just get it over with.”
That was the end of Dean’s control over the situation, and he knew it. Sam’s fingers curled up, keeping his older brother in a bowl of flesh as he pushed himself to his feet. Dean clung to the thumb near him as the ground plummeted away, his face green at the thought of the heights.
Seeing this, Sam gently curled the thumb Dean was clinging to and covered Dean’s lap, making it into a makeshift seatbelt. Beneath Sam’s touch, those tiny legs shifted as Dean got into a better position, tugging the thumb tighter around his waist.
Sam had to hide a smile, recognizing the unthinking trust Dean had for him. It was enough.
Before he took a step, Sam also brought his second hand up to guard the edge for Dean, holding that hand against his chest. It gave the smaller Winchester a secure place to sit, especially as Sam went to take a step.
Dean’s tiny body wavered as Sam’s boot hit the ground, hugging the thumb around his waist tighter. Sam knew better than to tease him for that, realizing Dean was actually afraid of what they were doing. If this didn’t go well, Dean might refuse Sam’s help the next time they needed to change room, and Sam dreaded Dean’s reaction to someone else’s hands. Their dad was their dad, but John could be heavy-handed with Dean’s training.
“Heavy-handed" took on a whole new meaning with Dean now, and Sam was determined to shield him from what he could.
Sam carefully pushed open the door to the room, only taking his guarding hand for a moment to do so. Dean shrank against his stomach, and Sam bit his tongue to keep from saying a word and possibly bruising Dean’s pride by pointing it out.
Another step.
Once they were over the threshold, it felt like it got easier with each step Sam took. He flicked on the light over the stairwell, then found himself wondering which would be worse for Dean– seeing where they were going and when Sam would start descending but also possibly spotting the height of the stairwell, or not seeing anything and not knowing when Sam was going down the stairs, but also guarded from the sight of the drop.
Either way, Sam didn’t want to risk tripping on his way down, so the light stayed on.
The trip down went swiftly, and Sam made sure to not draw it out even when he felt Dean shrink down around his thumb.
“Almost there,” Sam murmured reassuringly as they reached the ground floor, and his mouth twitched into a smile as Dean predictably punched his fingernail.
“I’m fine! Never better!” Dean protested his reassurance, but a bit of relief lurked in those defensive words.
Asks and prompts open for this AU!
More coming tomorrow!
Brothers Saved: A Midnight Snack (1 of 4)
Looks like everyone’s as exited as I am to get a bit more of the BS bros out there! We left Dean hungry, time to go fix!
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14; occurs directly after Brothers Saved 2
Sam’s free hand moved at Dean, and he found himself leaping backwards off the other hand to avoid the grab.
“Whoa!”
Sam froze in place, his eyes wide. There was no mischief hidden in those eyes, just concern and worry.
“You… you wanted food, right?” Sam asked softly. “That’s downstairs. You…”
He trailed off, looking away. Dean followed his line of thought, inserting his own words into Sam’s voice.
You need help getting there.
Dean’s lips thinned into a line. True or not, he was wary of hands that were as big as his entire body. Sam could pinch him between two fingers if he got annoyed, and Dean could remember them arguing on more than one occasion. All it would take was Sam getting annoyed one time, and those hands could turn on him.
They won’t, a small voice whispered in the back of Dean’s mind. He still looks up to you and always will.
Dean wasn’t interested in listening to such a voice, more concerned about his current predicament and how he’d manage to avoid being carried around like a doll. He held his hands up placatingly. “Can’t you just… bring the food up here?” he offered with hope that Sam would go for it.
Dean was allowed that spark of hope for a few moments as Sam thought it over, then it all came crashing down as he shook his head in a negative. “Dad said I can’t leave you on your own,” Sam said. “That means you have to stick with me when I go downstairs.”
Dean swallowed, growing more nervous at the reminder of stairs. Bad enough the bed was tall enough to be a building. Worse to imagine stairs that were higher, and being carried down them.
“N-no,” Dean said shakily. “I’ll wait here. I’ll be fine.”
The hand Sam had resting on the bed came to life, the larger-than-life movements catching Dean off guard and making him jump in surprise. Sam nudged Dean lightly in the side, almost playfully, though he was strong enough that his nudge almost sent Dean tumbling on the plush surface.
“Gonna live your life out on a bed? ” Sam asked, the humor not lost on him. “Dean, you’ve been sleeping for a week and I haven’t dropped you or let you get hurt. I promise I’m careful.”
Dean stubbornly stared down at the bed, refusing to meet Sam’s gaze.
“Please, Dean?” Sam pressed, this time resting his chin on the bed.
“It’s not about that!” Dean protested plaintively, turning around on his heel and walking away from Sam. He knew if he looked into those eyes there would be no saying no. It didn’t matter that his strides were so small Sam could cross the distance in seconds. He just needed space.
“Then what is it about?” Sam asked softly, hearing Dean’s tiny stomach grumble again. It had to really be bothering him if he was ignoring food over it.
“It’s just–” Dean ground to a halt. “Everything’s so big! ” he complained, waving his hand over his head. “You, the bed… It’s all so high, and I can’t do anything now, not even get to the kitchen on my own!” He gulped as he tried to imagine just how far away that would be for him without Sam’s help.
“I’ll be careful, Dean, I promise,” Sam swore, inching his hand closer to where Dean was standing. That tiny back stiffened as though he could hear it, and upon reflection, Sam realized Dean probably could. “You’re safe with me and always will be.”
As gently as he’d ever done anything, Sam laid a fingertip on Dean’s shoulder, determined to not knock him off balance but wanting to offer his support.
Asks and prompts open for this AU!
More coming tomorrow!
Brothers Saved 2
(( Back by popular demand! If you want to catch up on the storyline of these two brothers, check out the link!)
AU: Brothers Saved
Timeline: Sam is 10, Dean is 14
“Tell me everything.”
Dean sat close to the edge of the bed, far enough away to avoid the vertigo looking down had caused him moments ago but close enough to stare expectantly up at Sam.
Nothing in Dean’s voice gave away the fact that Sam towered over him while sitting.
Instead of sitting on the bed like his older brother, Sam leaned against it, putting his eyes only slightly above Dean’s head. There was nothing but concern in those hazel pools, and that alone told Dean how serious things were.
Normally there’d be teasing. Banter. Good-natured jibes between the brothers that came as naturally as the sun rose. Instead, the tension in the air between them was so thick it could be cut with a butter knife.
Sam took a deep breath to steel himself, the humid breeze washing over where Dean sat. Dean refused to let any of his trepidation show. He was the oldest, therefore it was his job to reassure Sam, not the other way around. There was nothing else to it. Dean had spent his entire life looking out for the kid; that wasn’t about to change just because he’d lost a few inches.
Okay, maybe more than a few, Dean admitted to himself like he would admit to no one else, watching Sam fidget in place. The kid could star in Godzilla vs Mothra if he wanted to. Still doesn’t change a thing.
“You… you jumped in front of her attack,” Sam said, softening his voice when he saw Dean flinch. “The room turned white, and when it stopped… you were gone.”
Dean frowned at that. His own recollection from before waking up on the pillow at a fraction of his height was sketchy at best, but that light– an all-encompassing illumination– had haunted his dreams until it became his entire world.
“Dad broke the door down, and everything got real crazy,” Sam went on, looking down. “Everything was loud, she was trying to stop him… and I saw you. Just lying on the floor, barely a scrap of cloth. I… I almost didn’t grab you. I didn’t know it was you until I saw your hair.”
“That’s over now,” Dean said sternly, drawing Sam’s eyes back up to himself. Those huge hazels locked on him, making him stiffen in place.
Dean did what he could to suppress that instinct. This was Sam. They were still brothers. From the look on Sam’s face, the last thing he had to worry about was being in any danger in that gaze.“Yeah,” Sam whispered. He took a deep, steadying breath and his voice was more solid as he continued. “When Dad hit her, her hold snapped, and I fell. I grabbed you, then Dad hauled me up and out of the room.”
Dean didn’t say a word, and he worked to keep any emotion from crossing his face, but he turned slightly ashen to hear how close it had come. Giants fighting, John tossing himself into the fray in his somewhat reckless manner– especially when it was Sam in danger.
“We didn’t think you’d wake,” Sam trailed off. His fidgeting resulted in a hand reaching for Dean, then jerking back like he’d been burned. Remembering Dean’s first reactions to him after waking.
Dean hauled himself to his feet, gesturing for Sam’s hand. Sam hesitated, then put it down next to him. Instead of just touching it with a hand, Dean decided to lean on the hand like it was an offered seat.
“I’m awake now,” Dean said, his tone kind for Sam. “You did what you had to do, and got me out of there. That’s what matters.”
A smile edged its way onto Sam’s face, and Dean knew he was getting through to him.
“Whatever happens, it happens to both of us,” Dean said firmly. A finger beneath him rose up, briefly nudging him off balance, but instead of falling over, Dean found himself sitting further on the back of Sam’s hand. He snorted, then laughed out loud at how ridiculous it was. Dean Winchester, sitting on a hand.
Sam joined in, his laugh deeper and more rumbling than it was before, but just as warm and kind.
As they tapered off, a different sound came, and Sam blinked in surprise.
Dean reddened, holding his stomach. “Do you have any food?” he asked weakly.
Sam’s eyebrows went up as he held in a grin. “Sure thing. Bobby’s got hot dogs in the kitchen,” then snickered.
Some things never changed.
( Original post )
This also brings into question if John Winchester would leave his boys a toy when he passes on…
Or is Dean full of bs?
There’s a possibility we’ll see any of the supernatural characters appear in any of the stories at any time, but where and when is always a mystery.
I think it’s very likely this one will come about, with both brothers determined to track their father down after so long trapped in the motel. Jacob is just as determined to help them. No one should go for so long without contact with their family.
Brothers Apart 