A/N: Written for "Gay Pride" contest over on #ObscureAndForbidden group at DeviantArt. Please Note: This is not Wincest, just brotherly justice.
Disclaimer: No matter how it pains me I still have no ownership of the boys or their world.
Summary: Just a night off in a small town until trouble pokes it's nose into the bar that our boys are relaxing in. Justice has a name... Dean Winchester.
It was a typical Saturday night in Small Town America. The job was completed and the room was paid up for another night so they figured they'd hang around for a bit of R&R. Of course, in a small town like this one there wasn't a whole lot of options for a Saturday night. They could hit the movie theater but neither one of them was up to seeing the My Bloody Valentine… for a third time. They could play Putt Putt, but they had tried that once…just once. Dean was sure the windmill was possessed the third time his ball was deflected and came close to putting a few rounds in it. Sam wasn't looking for a repeat of that fiasco.
So, that left one option, and to be honest, there really was no doubt where they would end up. Pool and drinks at the local tavern. Dean was ready to hustle a few games to pad their pockets but Sam convinced him that their financial situation was good for now and that he was actually looking forward to being able to play a few games against his brother for sport. The place looked a bit rough from the outside, a few bikes were in the parking lot and the sound of Metallica was pounding through the walls. Yup, Dean would feel right at home here.
They made their way to the bar and ordered before scoping out the place. Finding an empty booth in the back of the bar by the pool tables seemed like a stroke of good luck. One beer in and Sam was already feeling mellow. It had been way to long since they had been able to just go and hang out together without worrying about demons or ghosts or angels. Even Dean seemed to be relaxing a bit in this atmosphere and that only made Sam's smile deepen.
By nine o'clock the place was pretty packed and Sam was thanking the Gods of Bars and Whiskey that they had gotten here early enough to have gotten the booth. The crowd was an eclectic mix and people watching had always been one of Sam's favorite things to do. It probably stemmed from spending so much time checking people out trying to make sure they were alone in their skins. Dean, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anyone outside of the red head that was waiting on their table. Yup, definitely Dean's kind of place.
Shortly after ten they took a break from their latest round of pool. While Dean was flirting with the waitress Sam noticed a couple of new patrons enter the bar. They were young, early twenties by his estimation and obviously together. It was hard to hide the look in their eyes when they spoke to each other. Sam smiled to himself. Young love…he remembered what that had felt like and felt a slight pang of sadness at the memory.
"What with the look Sammy?" The waitress had disappeared, probably off to get their next round, which freed Dean up to see the expression on his brother's face.
"Nothing really. I guess I was just thinking about how nice it must be to be young and in love and NOT have the end of the world looming over your head." He nodded to the couple at the bar.
Dean turned his head slightly to see who Sam was talking about. After a moment he turned back with a slight smile on his own face. "Yeah. I feel ya. Someday Sam… I promise. We'll just finish up this little Apocalypse problem and then our calendar is wide open."
Sam shook off his melancholy and grabbed his pool cue. "Ready for the next round or are you afraid I'll kick your ass again?" His smirk wasn't quite up to the standard of the one that typically took up residence on his brother's face but it was good enough to get a response from Dean.
"Dude, you are so on. And you didn't beat me last game. I got distracted when Jenna walked by. Damn that woman can really walk…you can't blame me for admiring the view."
"Yeah, right. If that's what you have to tell yourself to get to sleep at night." Sam was enjoying the banter. Lately it seemed like they had less and less time to just blow off steam and he had almost forgot how nice it could be. "What excuse are you planning on using after I wipe the table with you this time?"
He ducked the swat to the back of the head that his brother attempted to land and grabbed his beer as he headed for the one empty pool table. He heard Dean grumble a comment behind him, something containing the word Bitch he was sure, and follow.
As they approached the table they saw the couple they had been discussing earlier approaching from the other direction. Reaching the table at the same time there was a moment of awkwardness over who was going to get to play.
Sam broke the tension with an easy, "Hey, you guys wanna play teams? I'm kind of bored kicking his ass and could use the challenge." He smiled when he saw his brother's face redden.
"Well, Rick hasn't ever played. I was just going to try to teach him. It's a tradeoff. I went to that Rodeo with him and now he has to learn to play pool with me. " The taller of the two replied.
"Come on now, you know you loved the Rodeo, just admit it!" Rick slapped his friend on the shoulder good naturedly.
"We really wouldn't want to put you out. If you guys are that good maybe we can just watch…"
Sam gave a quick look to his brother who shrugged his response with a smile.
"How about this, me and Dean will split up and we can help you teach Rick the ropes. Maybe Dean can pick up a few pointers while we're at it." He wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the kick in the pants that came from his brother. "I'm Sam by the way, and this is my brother, Dean."
The two newcomers exchanged a glace between themselves before turning to the brothers with a warm smile.
"Sounds like fun. I'm Jake and as you know already, this is my friend Rick. Nice to meet you both."
Sam went with the guys to help them pick out a couple of pool cues while Dean racked the table and ordered a round for the group. It wasn't long before the game was well underway and the foursome was laughing hysterically as they each took turns trying to explain different shots to Rick.
As the game went on Sam couldn't help but find himself smiling again at the interaction between their new friends. Anyone watching Jake lean over his friend to help him line up a shot would have to be blind not to see the chemistry there. While he found it strangely comforting to watch it was quickly becoming apparent that not everyone in the bar was in agreement with him. They were definitely catching the attention of the bikers at the next table who didn't look quite so pleased with the relationship.
"Hey…pansy ass. Ya wanna take that touchy feely stuff out of here. We don't go for that in this bar." This from the black haired biker with the biceps like miniature mountains.
"Yeah, if you guys like having things up your ass so much how about my boot?" From his six foot four, built like a lumberjack partner.
Sam could see both men tense at the comments and was about to say something himself when he heard his brother speak up.
"Why boys…don't be jealous. Just because you aren't as good looking a couple as they are doesn't mean you have to get bitchy." Sam recognized the smirk on his brother's face. This wasn't his "look at how hot I am" smirk or even his "You are soo not going to win this battle of insults" smirk. No, this was the dangerous one. The one that didn't reach his eyes. The one that said, "Back the fuck off or pay the consequences."
He saw the first biker turn red and knew that this was going to turn violent quickly if he didn't step in. Before he could form an appropriate response Rick spoke up.
"It's ok guys. Really. We're used to it. This has been fun and all but we don't want any trouble. We're just gonna go. But really, thanks for the game, we really enjoyed it." The look that accompanied the words broke Sam's heart a little. It was obvious to him that the couple had experienced this scene many times and were resigned to their part in it.
"It's not ok." Dean said quietly under his breath. He had put down both his beer and his pool cue and Sam knew he was slipping into a fighting stance without even realizing it.
"Listen to the fairies before you get yourselves hurt. Fly away now boys and maybe we won't have to teach you a lesson to remind you not to come back." Lumberjack was cracking his knuckles in an attempt to be intimidating.
Dean was ready to snap but before he could he felt Jake's hand on his shoulder.
"Dean, it's not worth it. We're leaving. But thank you…it's not often that a white knight stands up for us. We can't tell you how much that means to us. No matter what those Neanderthals say we will always remember the moment that the hottie with the gorgeous green eyes and, yes I'm going to say it, even hotter ass took a stand for a couple strangers." He dropped a quick peck on Dean's cheek as it warmed with a blush.
While Dean stood speechless watching the couple walk out of the bar Sam could feel his own anger slowly start to dissipate. He couldn't remember the last time he saw his older brother blush and found the sight more than a little amusing.
Dean picked up his pool cue and stalked around the table, ostensibly ready to finish the game the four of them had started. But, something about the way his eyes tracked the bikers told Sam that this wasn't over…yet. It took only a moment before the two trouble makers were headed towards the exit themselves.
"Sammy, I don't like this. Those two better not be going where I think they are…" He set down his cue and nodded towards the exit. He took a second to tell the waitress to hold their table before following the bikers.
Sam dropped his own drink off at the booth and followed behind his big brother. He was pretty sure the bikers were right, there was going to be a lesson taught tonight but they were wrong about one thing…school was definitely in session but Dean was the one who had some teaching to do.
As they came out of the bar they could hear the muffled sounds of a conversation coming from the side of the bar. Although they couldn't make out the words over the sound of the music coming from inside the tone was clear. They stepped around the corner of the bar to find that the bikers had their friends trapped in an alley. They were obviously afraid and Jake had a trail of blood coming from what appeared to be a split lower lip.
No communication was needed. Dean leaned casually against the wall and called out, "Now guys… really… is that any way to be sociable? If you wanted to dance why didn't you just ask me, I'm pretty sure I can make room on my dance card for the two of you…" The dangerous smirk was back and this time Sam wasn't about to intervene. These guys were nothing but bullies. They had purposefully waited to get their friends alone and defenseless.
As the two bikers turned towards Dean's voice Sam slipped past them to their friends. Checking over Jake's injury he assured the couple that it wasn't major and would be just fine with a bit of ice. They warily watched the bikers as they approached Dean.
"Emm… I'm not Bruce Lee or anything Sam but… shouldn't we try to help Dean? Those guys are huge…they're gonna kill him." Rick looked terrified at the thought of joining the fight but Sam could also see the steel of determination in his eyes. Yeah, he was scared but he would suck it up and do his best to keep Dean from getting hurt. Sam smiled, touched by the sentiment; it wasn't often that they got to help people who actually worried about their welfare.
"Don't worry about Dean. He's fine. In fact, if you guys are up for it, I'm pretty sure he's going to want to finish that game of pool when he's done here." Sam was watching their friends, trying to reassure them, while still keeping half an eye on his brother… just in case.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here? The pansies backup singers have arrived? Don't worry boys… we had plans to chat with you later…wouldn't want you to feel left out." Lumberjack was keeping his attention focused on Dean while his partner kept watch over Sam and the guys.
"Awww! Ain't that sweet Sammy? They didn't want us to feel left out. I'm so touched. Really, I think I feel a chorus of Kumbaya coming on." Dean's attention never wavered. He had mastered the art of the snarky comeback while facing much worse things than these two.
With no warning Lumberjack lunged at Dean. It was a clumsy attack, the man was slow and ungainly. He might have had muscles but they came from lifting weights, not battling demons. Dean easily side stepped the oncoming mass of flesh while he spun a kick into the larger man's rear end, using his own momentum to slam him into the wall Dean had been standing against.
The man's shoulder crunched as it made contact with the wall eliciting a surprised scream from him as he dropped to the ground. While Dean's back was turned, the other biker made his move. This one appeared to have a bit more experience in hand to hand fighting and threw out a kick aimed to take Dean's legs out from under him. Once again the older Winchester, instincts ringing with his adrenaline, avoided the kick easily.
From there it was pretty much over before there was time to process the damage. A quick combination of fist to the nose, producing a satisfying snap, and a knee to the kidney had the second man down in seconds. Sam couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the looks on the faces of Jake and Rick. He thought that at any moment they might re-enact the infamous "we're not worthy" bow from Wayne's World. He felt a fierce surge of pride as he watched his brother saunter over to them.
"Damn it Sammy… I think I broke a nail." Dean waved his hand in front of his brother's face.
Sam almost choked on the laughter he was trying to swallow at his brother's statement and the petulant look that accompanied it.
"Don't worry Dean… I'm sure we can find a good manicurist in the morning." His grin was infectious as he saw Rick and Jake slowly break into their own smiles, the tension bleeding out of their muscles.
"Let's go get you some ice for that lip…then we can finish our game. Sam thought that he got lucky and wouldn't have to admit defeat, didn't you Sweetie? We can't let that happen now can we?" Dean smiled warmly at the group and started to walk back to the bar.
He stopped when he came to the two downed men. They weren't unconscious, just in agony. Sam could see the slightly frightening look of satisfaction on his brother's face. He stepped up to his brother, a bit afraid that he might mean to finish the job…the way the job usually ended…with the evil dead. As he did he was surprised by the feel of Dean slipping his arm around his waist, hand sinking into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Honey, I feel a little bad for them… how will they ever live down having their assess handed to them on a plate by a fairy?" With that statement Dean leaned over, well within sight of the downed men, and laid a big kiss on his brother. "Maybe you boys had better find a different bar; we don't really like your kind around here." With that he pulled his shocked brother to his side, hand still firmly planted in that pocket and walked back to the bar, swaying his hips seductively, ready to finish his pool game and already forgetting the idiots he had left out in the alley. Dean didn't have to buy another drink all night, yup… his kind of place.