Disclaimer: I own nothing
Spoilers: For 9.09 and 9.10, if you haven't seen the promo.
Warnings: None, really. But it's not a very happy fic.
Summary: Dean's whole life is based on getting the job done. No excuses. This isn't any different. Short 9.09 tag that I mainly wrote to deal with how the episode ended. I needed my own closure.
There's always a job to do. Kill the monster, stop the apocalypse, fix the car, help Sammy, clean the weapons, save the damsel in distress. What he's about to do is just another job, really. Just something that needs to be done.
Tfirst thing Dean does is grab a sheet off Sammy's bed. Sam won't need it any time soon and they can always get a new one. Kevin needs it more right now. He pulls it off the mattress, ignoring the small details of the room that made Sam's room a place to live rather than a place to stay. Dean still couldn't get into the idea of "home" and this is why. Instead of taking refuge here, he's using the bedding to start a hunter's pyre for another family member.
Sheet in hand, Dean marches back into the library. His stomach is in knots, and he chokes on more tears as he gently drapes the sheet over Kevin's body, tucking it under him gently. Years of compartmentalizing is the only thing that allows him to hoist Kevin's body up into his arms, and carry him out to the car. He's definitely not thinking about the horrible smell of burnt flesh, or the fact that Kevin's slowly getting colder, or the stiffening of his body. Kevin could kind of be on the manic side, always twitching or pacing.
But Dean's not thinking about it.
He drives. The Bunker isn't really the best place to do this, but there's a place a few miles away that'll work. The car's quiet and the empty seat next to him is impossible to ignore. It's just another thing he's not thinking about. He can think about how to save Sam and his soul-crushing guilt after he's taken care of Kevin. Right now, he needs to do his best to honor every sacrifice the Prophet made for them.
Dean builds the pyre with care. He gathers sturdy wood and arranges it meticulously, creating a strong base. He goes back for Kevin and secures the sheet that's wrapped around him with rope. After Dean gently places Kevin on top of the pyre, he circles the structure, dosing it in gasoline. It takes him a long time to light the matchbook and toss it on the wood. Once the fire is lit and it's burning, that means Kevin's really gone and he isn't coming back.
But he has to, because he can't do the one job that always comes first until he says goodbye to Kevin. He stiffens his upper lip and holds his breath as he lights the matches, and throws them.
Once the fire starts to die down to embers and smoke, Dean gets in the Impala and floors it back to the Bunker. He's already screwed this up once, but by heaven or hell, Dean's going to do this job right.
He's going to save Sam.