The moody princess

Dean sighed for like the tenth time in five minutes because, come on, this lore book had a chapter entirely dedicated to methods for measuring salt in ancient Mesopotamia. It was taking his whole morning as there was no way he could concentrate any harder on it, it was tedious to death.

When he sighed yet again Robert rolled his eyes and asked if there was something wrong, he knew it was a fairly simple task the boy was doing and it was taking him too much time. Sammy looked at him, averting his eyes from his own notepad and listened to Dean's admission of how boring the text was.

Dean often said a few things here and there when he was bored but he had never complained so openly, so boldly. He wasn't sure what he wanted to achieve when he spoke up but what he got surely wasn't the answer the boy expected. Robert looked at him, one eyebrow quirked and unamused "Well I'm sorry this document doesn't amuse the little princess, perhaps we could find something more of her liking so she could hurry the fuck up and be done with it already!"

Sammy softly giggled before getting back to work, Dean's cheeks went red in embarrassment and he focused again on his notes till Mistress Karen entered the study carrying her husband's lunch. It had always been the boys' cue to leave and eat lunch themselves, and Dean was grateful for that, he could really use a break from his cranky master, so he just closed his notebook and got up.

"Where are you going? Did I say you could leave?" Master Robert was frowning so Dean's cheeks blushed while he bowed his head, sat again and fumbled with his pencil. Mistress Karen stayed by her husband silently and five minutes later Dean and his brother were dismissed.

Dean pouted all the way to the kitchen. They ate and cleaned after themselves but on their way to the study Jonah, another slave, told him the master wished for his boots to be polished.

"But I can't right now, he's expecting me at the study" Dean said confusedly, they all knew he worked with the master till the evening.

"He said he wanted them now and he wanted you to do it" Jonah said shrugging.

At that statement there wasn't place for argument so Sammy continued walking and Dean went and polished the boots. When he was done he was told to sweep the porch, and after that he had to peel a bag of potatoes. Chore after chore he was kept away from the study till it was late and the master himself retired for the evening.

After two days of odd tasks he began to really worry, he knew by heart when the deadlines were, if he kept doing all that work around the house there was no way he could finish on time, he needed to get back to that book, fast. Dean didn't understand why he was doing laundry, gardening, sewing buttons and cooking while Sammy was still learning, so he tried to see his master, talk with him, but he wasn't allowed permission whenever he knocked at his door.

The week went through and when the deadline was reached and just passed it all suddenly became clear, master Robert didn't need him anymore... No, he didn't want him anymore. The realization hit him like a shower of icy water, it didn't matter if he was good or not at what he did, he crossed the line with his master and now he was paying the price for his cockiness. He had to apologize, now.

Master Robert had always been elusive, he rarely left the study, and it looked like that more than ever. By the third week of never-ending chores Dean stopped trying to speak with him, it was obvious his master had moved on from him. He cried every night and sometimes during the day as well. Sammy tried to comfort him but it was hard for Dean to even speak with his little brother since he wasn't allowed to discuss whatever happened inside the study.

John, his father, was the Master's overseer so he scolded him to no end till he was finally given an option, either he stopped his whining or he was going to get beaten so he could have a more genuine reason to cry, he wasn't allowed to disrupt the peace at the House.

It all downed him like nothing had before, Dean stopped crying and did everything he was told but there was nothing left of his cheery disposition, just automatic moves and dead eyes. Of course his behavior wasn't lost on the rest of the staff, they were used to his easy smiles and now they looked at him with nothing but pity on their eyes. It was a good thing Dean was so numb he never noticed it.

Robert was getting to bed one night and Karen kissed him goodnight like she always did, except this time she fiddled a little with her hair once she was lying by his side. She wasn't fooling anyone and Robert hated when there was something his wife was hesitant about. "What Karen, what's bothering you sweetheart?"

She smiled softly, it was evident he knew her so well to notice the smallest change in her. "Robert, can I ask you why did you ban Dean from the study? What could he possibly have done for you to be so mad at him?"

Robert sighed, he wasn't stupid, he noticed things around him, he saw how withdrawn Sammy was getting while still working by his side, and the side glances the other slaves gave him, like fearing he would snap at them or something. "It wasn't because of something he did, or it was, but I'm not mad at him or something… it's just sometimes I fear I'm taking much more of the boy than I should, perhaps he would prefer to be doing whatever else a boy his age does instead of having his nose buried in a book all day" Robert was gruff and he had close to no patience with people, and he always had a hard time expressing himself unless it was Karen he was talking with, he knew he could open his heart wide and the woman would only lovingly cradle it in her arms.

"So you think it's better for him to stay away from you?"

Karen felt him nod, she had her head pillowed on his chest and felt his chin softly moving over her hair. Her husband was a good angel but sometimes he was a bit of an idiot. "Maybe you should let him go back to work with you, he had been helping you for more than half of his life, he doesn't know anything different and now he's lost and so… broken. And it's not just because he likes to have his nose buried in a book, I'm sure it has more to do with him thinking you don't want him around you anymore"

They remained silent after that, Karen had said what she needed to and Robert just needed a moment to understand her point, which quickly became obvious. And she was right, of course. And he knew it, he had known it all along, he never finished the book Dean was working on, it didn't feel right. And he missed him, the kid somehow managed to own a place in his heart he never knew he was giving.

Next morning Dean got up and went to the kitchen to help his mother light up life into the house. Once the slaves were fed he continued with the chores he was again familiar with, cooking, sweeping, cleaning, all while remaining silent and void. Mistress Karen put together the breakfast tray she usually brought to her husband but this time she asked Dean to do it.

Dean bowed and carried the tray that weighted so much more to him than just the china it held, on that tray was the rest of his life, all his master expected from him, nothing more. He knocked on the door and waited to be allowed in, and once inside he walked to the side table where Sammy was still practicing his writing, set the tea service, poured a cup and stood by his master's side till he was permitted to serve the cup. He didn't try to speak with Master Robert, he didn't avert his eyes once from where they were supposed to be, he wanted to show him he at least could be the good slave the angel wanted him to be.

Robert signaled for the boy to place the cup on his desk and side eyed him while drinking, ashamed of having the bright, smart, cheery kid reduced to a… well, to a slave.

And no, though he couldn't properly explain it to himself that felt wrong, just… no.

He ate his breakfast, drank his cup, Dean cleared the desk again and was walking towards the door to take away the tray when the angel couldn't resist anymore, he was unintentionally being an asshole, and he was the adult, and he was an idiot, and he couldn't believe himself sometimes and just… Ugh… he had to fix the mess, now. "Where are you going?"

It came out angry and rough and Dean stopped dead on his place thinking he couldn't even do a simple task right. He stood there, head down, his master was standing up from his desk and Dean was feeling sick, he was going to be punished for something and he was so stupid he couldn't even understand what he was doing so wrong.

"Dean" Robert said and the boy flinched, physically hurting the angel when he noticed it. He breathed and tried again, this time his voice was more soft and leveled "Dean, go sit at the table and finish the book, its delivery had been postponed for too long now"

Dean had to make an impossible effort not to drop the tray he was carrying, he was too astonished to even move. His Master took it from his hands, placed it on the floor and walked him towards the table where his notepad was still there where he left it over a month ago. It was too much, and he was too young, and couldn't help the strained whimper that left his mouth, or the way his eyes swelled and his tears rolled down his cheeks, fat and hot and overwhelmed.

Robert, confused and ashamed for making yet another mistake, went to his knees to be at eye level with the boy "Leave if you want, you don't have to work with me…"

"I do! I do…" Dean was trying to talk while sobbing and sniffing "I'm sorry if I made you mad at me, I'm sorry Master I promise I'll be good please let me stay! I'm sorry!" the boy wasn't talking now, he was vomiting his heart out, shaking and disheveled, trying to stay afloat on a sea of insecurity because he was still a child, he was bright and smart and all of that but he was still a child.

"It's alright, you can stay if you want to" Robert had no idea of what to do, he patted the boy's shoulder in a futile attempt to comfort him and desperately looked at the other kid silently asking for help but Sammy also had his face red and stained with his own tears. Great, he made two kids miserable now. The angel did the smartest thing he could think of and went out of the room to find his wife.

Karen was at the kitchen animatedly chatting with Mary when he entered the room, eyes wide and a bit frantic. She didn't wait for an explanation and hurriedly followed him while he babbled not sure of how to explain what was happening. The woman entered the study to find the two boys sitting on the floor hugging each other, choking on their breaths in between ragged sobs.

She went to her knees and embraced them both against her chest and Robert was marveled to see the way they were slowly calming. Karen kissed the top of their heads and told them it was all right, and if they wanted to have a glass of water or something. Dean regained some of his composure and said he was fine but Sammy kept on hiccupping so Karen squeezed them one last time before going to retrieve a pitch and glasses. Robert scratched the back of his head and licked his lips, unsure of what to do next but Dean was ahead of him and after getting his little brother back to his chair he occupied his own, his hands still shaking a bit but reaching for the notepad anyway.

"Alright then" Robert handed Dean the book and the boy immediately swiped through the pages till he found the chapter he was working with. The angel sat on his desk and watched how he carefully re-read his notes before starting to write again, stopping only when Karen placed a glass of water in front of him, and when, later, they were called to lunch.

All of them learnt a few things that day. Karen realized how much she wished she could have children, but she was too old and nephilim were too rare to happen to her of all people. Robert knew he never wanted to be the cause for his boys to be so upset and, if it was up to him, they would only cry happy tears from now on. Dean promised his master he was going to be good and never complain about his work again, but the angel said he wasn't having that. Yes, some papers were boring but that was just because they weren't challenging enough for the mind, and Dean shouldn't be afraid to express his boredom. Next time though he could try and take it as an opportunity to push himself harder and not just bitch about it. Dean laughed at that, he could tell it was the weird way his Master had to show something close to affection, and he felt grateful for that.

When the faeries lore book was done Robert said out loud he wasn't going to review it, he trusted the work Dean had done, so he just wrote the formalities and sent it to print.