Title: A Matter of Perspective

Main Characters: Sam, Dean

Secondary Characters: OCs

Spoilers: This could take place at anytime during season one, but there are no spoilers. :)

Summary: A "tall" tale for Sam and Dean.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. I am just borrowing the characters, and I promise not to treat them any worse than Kripke does… *thinks of what happened in the season finale* Wait…that didn't sound as comforting as it was meant to. ;) *grins*

A/N: This was inspired by all the stories I have seen were Dean is referred to as short, lol. :) Jensen himself is 6'1", and has said that he feels like a midget next to Jared who is 6'4", so when I got the idea for this, I couldn't resist writing it. It is the first humor fic I have posted, and I hope you enjoy it. :)

A/N2: This plot bunny also mutated a bit, and turned into more than I originally intended it to be. :) My Great Aunt Kathy, who owned a motel in the town where I live, passed away a few months ago. The last time I saw her, she realized that I had to bend down to hug her, and she couldn't help commenting on how tall I was. That memory always makes me smile, so I decided to dedicate this fic to her. :) The motel described is the one I went to many times to visit her, and the woman who owns it is my aunt. :)

A Matter of Perspective

It was quiet. That, in and of itself, told Sam how upset Dean was. And what was worse, he couldn't get his older brother to break his self-imposed vow of silence, no matter what he did.

He had tried everything he could think of. He'd tried to draw Dean into their normal, easy-going banter, but that had only resulted in a one-sided conversation with himself. He had tried teasing him, but all that had done was earn Sam a few glares that would have been enough to send any number of supernatural evils running away in terror. Sam had even tried apologizing - though he honestly wasn't quite sure what he was apologizing for - but that had only made Dean's jaw clench harder, a sure sign that he was absolutely determined to ignore his younger brother.

Finally, Sam had resorted to using his most powerful weapon: the puppy-dog eyes that almost never failed to get him what he wanted. "Come on man, say something," Sam pleaded.

Nothing.

Dean's resolve seemed unbreakable.

"Alright, that's it!" Sam cried in exasperation. "Enough with the silent treatment!"

Dean still didn't answer, but at least Sam knew he had heard him; his white-knuckled grip on the Impala's steering wheel made that clear.

"Dude, this is just ridiculous! All I did back there in that store, was ask if you wanted me to get something off the top shelf for you!"

Dean turned to him, his fierce gaze seeming to say that Sam had just made a very important point.

"Wait…that's what this is about?" Sam asked in disbelief. "You're mad at me, because you're short?"

"I am not short!" Dean snapped. "I am 6'1", Sam. SIX FOOT-ONE! That is not, by anyone's standards - present, freakishly tall company excluded - considered short!"

Sam couldn't help it. He smirked. "I hate to break it to you, Dean, but it's all a matter of perspective. You may be 6'1", but I'm 6'4". Compared to me, that makes you short."

"No, it makes you a freak of nature, Goliath," Dean muttered.

Sam shook his head and broke into an amused grin. "Whatever you say, David."

Dean glared at him again. "I have a sling-shot in the trunk, you know," he growled.

Somehow, Sam didn't think his laughter really helped improve Dean's mood.

A few hours later, Dean was once again adamantly ignoring him. It didn't really bother Sam this time, though. Unable to let the issue drop so easily when it was obviously irritating his brother, Sam was using the silence to think of several ways to tease Dean about his height…or lack thereof.

However, seeing as they had just pulled into a motel parking lot, Sam decided to save his comments until after they had checked in. As much as he was enjoying this, it wasn't worth having Dean decide to make him spend the night in the Impala.

"You coming?" Dean demanded, opening the driver's side door.

Sam nodded, and slipped from the car, following Dean as they headed for the check-in counter.

They had found a motel that was fairly large, white-washed with black trim, and a pool out front. The inside was a bit of a throw-back, with red and black shag carpeting and wood paneling on the walls, but it was obviously well-cared-for, and certainly one of the nicer places they'd stayed.

An older woman with short, gray hair, and glasses, and a warm, friendly smile, met them at the desk. "Welcome to the Skyway Motel," she greeted. "Would you like a double or two singles?"

"A double, thanks," Dean answered, reaching for his wallet.

Evidently, his bad mood was reserved solely for Sam.

The woman nodded, then handed Dean some paperwork to fill out, and smiled again. "I'm the owner, so if you need anything, or you have any problems with the room, just let me know."

"Excuse me," a deep voice interrupted.

All three turned to see who had spoken, and Sam's eyes grew wide.

Standing in the doorway was the largest man Sam had ever seen. He was broad shouldered and heavily muscled, and had to be over seven feet tall. He was huge.

"The machine is empty, and I was wondering if I could have some more ice," the man asked in a thick German accent.

"Of course, Gerhard," the woman answered. "I'll be back in just a minute."

She walked quickly from the room leaving the three men standing in awkward silence.

"Guten Tag," the man greeted after a long, drawn-out pause.

"Guten Tag," Sam answered a little uneasily, recognizing the German for "good day."

The man smiled, but it didn't really do anything to make him seem less intimidating.

Suddenly, Sam sympathized with all the people who had reacted to his height with shock, because now Sam was the one who couldn't help staring.

He had gotten so used to towering over most of the people they met, that it was an entirely new experience to have to look up to someone. Sure, as a kid he hadn't been as tall as he was now, and he'd had to look up to Dean, but Dean was his older brother, so that had been a simple, accepted fact of life. Of course, that hadn't made Sam enjoy it any less when he'd hit a growth spurt as a teen and surpassed his "big" brother.

But, meeting someone who towered over him as an adult was…unexpected.

Sam forced himself to smile in return, hoping that the large man hadn't noticed his surprise. Thankfully though, he was saved from having to think of anything to say when the woman returned, carrying a bag of ice.

"Here you go, Gerhard," she said, holding the bag over the counter.

Deeply ingrained manners won over Sam's astonishment, and he took the bag from the woman and handed it to the towering German.

"Danke, little man," the German said with a toothy grin.

Apparently, Sam hadn't hidden his shock as well he thought.

"You're welcome," Sam answered, feeling his face redden. He didn't need to see his brother's expression to know that he was enjoying this way too much.

"Danke," the German said again, lifting the bag of ice, and nodding to the woman at the desk. He glanced once more at Sam, his grin broadening, then turned and left the office.

Still sensing his brother's amused gaze, Sam shifted uneasily and cleared his throat, putting his hands in his pockets. He moved closer to the counter, pretending to study some travel brochures with great interest.

He knew Dean wasn't fooled, but he refused to give his older brother the satisfaction, and tried to ignore him with the same determination Dean had shown earlier. Unfortunately, that didn't last as long as Sam had hoped…

"You're all set," the woman announced, handing Dean two room keys.

"Thanks," Dean smiled. It was a smile Sam knew all too well, the knowing smile that said his little brother had just been put in his place.

As Sam had expected, the minute they were out the door, Dean started laughing.

"It isn't funny, Dean," Sam grumbled.

"Oh, it's very funny, little brother…or should I say, 'little man'."

Now, it was Sam's turn to glare. "If I'm little, what does that make you?" he snapped.

"The handsome one," Dean quipped back easily. "Face it bro, compared to him, you are little."

"I am not little," Sam insisted.

Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder, and his grin turned wicked.

"I hate to break it to you, Sammy, but it's all a matter of perspective…"

Fin

Dedicated to my Great Aunt Kathy, who is now with her Lord and Savior. She will be dearly missed until the day we go to join her there.

A/N: If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Supernatural fics, most of which are much more angst-filled and serious than this one is, lol. :)

And of course, please review and let me know what you thought. I would be very grateful… *attempts Sam's puppy-dog eyes*

Thanks for reading!

Ani-maniac494 :)