-Nicknames-
Okay... a random fic idea that popped into my now Supernatural obsessed brain. Characters not mine. Very, very, very, subtle wincest. Mostly just Dean looking out for his Sammy, though. Hope you enjoy! Reviews are loved. Edited to fix horrible 4 a.m. spelling mistakes.
Its Sam's first day of school. They're not surprisingly enrolled in a new one. This time in Oviedo, Florida.
Sam's been nervous about today for the last week. He'd begged Dean, who was starting fourth grade, not to make him go. The younger brother had tried everything. Bribery. Faking sick. Demonic possession –their father had just loved that one. Nonetheless, they were here now, and Dean's eyes scan the crowded halls for any potential threats as well as for their separate rooms. They happened to be across the hall from each other.
"I don't wanna go!" The six-year-old wails, clinging to his brother's arms for dear life as they reach the door to the first grade room.
Dean just holds him tighter, his big brother instincts kicking into overdrive. "Don't worry, Sammy. Nothing bad will happen." He points to the door across the hallway. "I'll be right over there, okay?" After convincing Sam to actually enter the classroom, he approaches the teacher to introduce his brother. Sam's too shy and introverted for it to get done otherwise.
"Why, hello there, Sammy." The woman smiles sweetly at the boy hiding behind his brother.
Dean doesn't like her already. "His name is Sam." He corrects as politely as possible. "I'm the only one who can call him 'Sammy'."
She doesn't seem to mind his comment, just smiles at him instead. "I'm sorry. Won't happen again." She assures him, and he'd bet anything that she has an older brother, too. Maybe she's not so bad after all then.
"Sammy… " He pries his brother off of him, forcing him to face the teacher.
"Hi, Sam. I'm Ms. Kelley. Your big brother needs to get to his class now. But, don't worry. We'll have lots of fun. You'll make all kinds of new friends."
Dean waits until she walks off to greet another student before he does anything else. "I have to go now." He says sadly, pulling his Sammy into a hug. "I'll meet you after class, okay? And remember…"
Sam cuts him off. "No telling anyone the secrets." Dean and Dad have drilled that into his head for as long as he can remember.
"You got it." Dean grins. "Alright, Sammy, I'll see you soon."
The next time is a few years later, when Sam is in fifth grade and getting picked on by Michael Quinn, one of the playground bully's in their latest school in Calhan, Colorado. There have been countless ones in between.
When Sam tells their father about the boy, he just shrugs it off. 'Sam, you should be able to take care of yourself out there. Man up, son.' He says, before disappearing again.
A fifteen-year-old Dean is appalled by the reaction.
The next day he skips his own classes and, with the help of his first fake ID, drives over to the elementary school.
He sees Sam sitting in the corner of the playground by himself. This other boy and three of his friends approach before Dean can get close. He listens intently from the bushes a few feet away.
"Aw, what's wrong, little Sammy?" The leader of the group teases, reaching for the brown-bagged lunch Sam is holding.
"Leave me alone!" Sam yells back, clutching the bag to his chest.
One of the other's speaks up next. "Look, Mike! He's gonna cry!"
Why were these kids even here? Dean thinks to himself as he watches on. They looked to be closer to his age than Sam's.
Sam was talking again. "No, I'm not!" Dean watches his eyes scan for an escape route. He can't find one. The bullies are laughing at him now. "Shut up!"
Dean knows it has to be hard for Sam. He knows that his brother could take down all four of those idiots in a matter of seconds if he were allowed to. But, Dad has expressly forbidden them from that kind of fighting. It was only to be used on hunts.
He's already moving to step in when this Michael guy throws the first punch. Dean blocks it easily enough, catching the fist in his own hand, before it even comes close to hitting Sam. He's between them, and he feels his brother grab hold of him.
"Let's get something straight. Right now." Dean grinds out through clenched teeth. It's more for effect than any actual effort. "You touch Sammy again and I'll know about it."
The three lesser bullies back off, nodding in agreement, but Michael's still standing his ground.
"You had to call in for back-up, Sammy? Tattle-tale!" He taunts, obviously unaware of the older boy's lack of patience for this kind of thing.
The next thing he knows, it's Sammy that's lunging forward, trying to attack, and Michael's rushing towards him. They each land a blow before Dean sweeps his brother into his arms. "Okay. Time to go." He carries Sam away, setting him back down long enough to see if he's hurt. He'll have a black eye by the end of the night, but Dean doesn't have to look to know that Michael Quinn won't mess with his baby brother ever again.
"My name is Sam!" The younger calls over Dean's shoulder, where the shell-shocked bullies are still standing. Dean just smiles.
After that, Sam seems to need his help less and less. He goes on hunts with them now, and while Dean still guards his brother like a hawk, it's become less about bullies and more about watching his back.
Until Lauren, anyway.
They're in Dayton, Ohio, now, and Sam is fourteen. They've been here a month and a half, so Sam has started to fit in at school, make some friends, which is just going to make leaving harder for him, when the time comes, Dean knows.
Four hours ago, he dropped Sam and date, Lauren McKenna, off at the local movie theater on what would be his brother's first date.
Now, the concerned older brother was waiting up for him. He's supposed to have been home an hour ago.
He hears the door creak open and Sam comes in. "Hey." He offers, stepping into the bathroom of the latest motel before Dean can say anything back.
"How'd it go, bro?" He asks, and he's grinning until he sees the expression on his brother's face. Sam is soaking wet and exhausted, it appears, and he can see the beginnings of a bruise under his left eye. "What happened to you?"He demands, his mind jumps to monsters and demons.
"She… she called me 'Sammy'." He says, collapsing onto the couch beside his brother. As if that statement alone explains everything.
To Dean, it does. But, he tries to figure out the details anyway. "And you…?" He pulls himself to his feet, grabbing some ice from the mini-fridge for Sam's eye.
"I told her not to call me that. She did it again so I told her she should call her mom and get her to come pick her up, because I was done. She punched me and said I should start walking. Thanks." He accepts the ice pack with a smile.
Dean stares, processing that information. "Wait. You broke up with a girl… for me?"
"Yeah, Dean. 'Sammy' is the deal breaker. That's yours."
He smiles, pride swelling for his baby brother. "You coulda called me, you know. I would've picked you up."
Sam just shrugs. "I was hoping to avoid the lifetime of teasing I set myself up for. I know you'll never let me live it down."
"You got that right, bitch." He teases.
There's only one possible response to that. "Jerk."