A/N: (if it's socially acceptable to ask for comments/reviews/criticism on oneshots then this is me asking right now thnks)
"Dean?"
The seven year old turned around to find his little brother following close behind him, almost out into the hallway of the preschool. Sam's teacher, Miss Preston (a nice, really young lady with pretty hair and glasses), wasn't far behind."Yeah, buddy?" Dean asked, mocking John's voice when their dad spoke to the four year old.
"I wanna stay with you, Dean. I don' want you to leave." The younger boy sniffed, stepping closer. He stumbled a little on his baggy jeans and threw his arms out in surprise before recovering.
"I know, buddy. I'll be back real soon though, 'kay? You want me to give you a surprise?" Sam nodded excitedly, curls bouncing into his face before he pushed them back with the flat of one grubby hand. Dad had been too tired to fight Sam into a haircut, and Dean was always too afraid he'd hurt his little brother if he tried.
"Ok, but I can only give you your surprise if you promise you'll be good. Promise?"
"Promise..." Sam thought it over, sounding hesitant. "What's the surprise?" He asked, suddenly suspicious.
Dean pulled an old, though preciously protected, mint box out of his pocket. He'd been saving it for just such an occasion. Dad had been gone except for pick up time and late, late at night for the past three days and he knew that Sam would be more clingy than usual at drop-off. He'd seen a mom use mints with her little kid at the last school they'd been at, and thought he'd try the same, so the last time they'd been at a gas station he'd gone inside to pee and snag a tiny box of the same mints from a shelf.
Obviously, he thought proudly, it'd worked.
"Promise, promise, promise!" Sam said quickly, and Dean laughed before carefully opening the box with a clink and picking out a little mint.
"Hold out your hand," Dean said solemnly, and Sam did so. He stood stoic, trying very hard not to fidget and doing very well for a four year old. Ever so slowly, Dean lowered the mint into Sam's hand. "There you go. Now be super careful with it, and go back with your class till I come pick you up. Okay?"
"'Kay," Sam whispered, eyes glued to the mint he held in his hand. Dean watched his brother stand and inspect the mint, lift it up and sniff it, and then shove it in his mouth. The kid's eyes lit up and he looked at his brother with his lips tightly puckered, and Dean pointed back behind his brother into the classroom.
Miss Preston stepped up and took Sam's hand, offering Dean a grin before turning back to the younger boy.
"Alright, Sam, do you want to join us now?"
Dean slipped away while the kid was distracted, and heard Sam begin jabbering to the lady so quickly even he had a hard time understanding him. Despite that, Dean felt like he had this under control.