Warnings: Language, violence, emotional Dean

AN: So, I have gotten a few questions about this series. This will be Bottom!Sam and Top!Dean. I, of course, will tag it when it gets to that part. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

1995

"You go to school. You come back. Don't answer the door…" Sam heard John say. Dean was nodding along, agreeing with everything his dad said. Dean was sixteen and more than capable of holding down the fort on his own. Hell, Sam had been doing it on and off since he was about nine or ten.

"Got it." Dean said. John patted his shoulder.

"I know you do. I just have to be sure." John said. "I'll be by this weekend to pick you up and you can come help me." Dean looked back at Sam, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the afternoon cartoon on TV. The weekend was two days away, and he knew that Sam didn't like being left alone. Hell, he didn't like leaving Sam alone, but it was safer in the motel room than it was in the back of the Impala or the truck.

"Okay." Dean said, nodding. He looked back at John and offered him a smile. "Call if you need anything."

"I will." With that, John left, leaving Sam and Dean alone. Dean walked over and flopped on the other bed.

"Dad's gone." Dean said.

"I know. And you'll be gone this weekend." Sam said.

"Sammy..." Dean said, but Sam got up and headed over to where his backpack laid on the couch.

"I've got homework." Sam said. "I was just waiting for dad to leave so I could do it." Dean sighed and laid back on the bed, looking up at the water stains on the ceiling. He listened to the soft murmurs of the TV and the scribbling of pencil on paper as Sam worked on his homework. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until his growling stomach woke him almost two hours later.

"Shit!" Dean gasped, sitting up. He looked around the room, his mind not fully awake. He didn't see Sam at first, causing panic to flood him, until he heard the shower running. Sighing, he ran a hand down his face. He went to the kitchenette to see what there was to eat. They had a couple small boxes of cereal left that they had swiped at a place that had continental breakfast. There were a couple bags of Ramen, a couple packets of oatmeal, and one can of baked beans.

"That's just great." Dean sighed. They had a little extra money this time. Not much, about twenty. He could split that between gas and food, since he would only probably be driving the car to and from school. There had to be some good clearance items around. Sam came out of the bathroom then with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I've gotta do laundry sometime." Sam said. "Might be worth it to take a trip to Uncle Bobby's or something." He sniffed a pair of sweats. They didn't smell awful, so he slipped them on. He find a shirt next. One of Dean's old ones.

"Well, our food options are a little limited to day Sammy." Dean said. "What suits your fancy?" He showed Sam the selection. Sam sighed and picked the small box of Cap'n Crunch. It at least tasted okay without milk. Dean watched as Sam flopped on the couch and ate the sugary cereal straight from the box.

"New Home Improvement tonight." Sam said. "We can actually get ABC in here."

"That's cool." Dean said, making up his oatmeal. Once it was nice and warm, he flopped down next to Sam. "I'll try to convince dad to let us go take a break at Bobby's or Jim's for a bit. Could kinda go for some of Bobby's chili."

"That stuff will kill you." Sam said. Dean laughed.

"Yeah, but what a way to go." Dean said with a smile.

They made small conversation like that for most of the night. Since John wasn't there, the boys didn't have to share a bed. Then it was up the next morning and off to school. Dean didn't want to be there. If he was eighteen, he would just quit and find himself a job somewhere. Someplace that paid cash and he could make sure that Sam never went hungry at night.

This was the way it went until early Saturday morning. Dean was awake long before Sam, because John was on his way. Dean decided to let Sam sleep. He had been complaining about a headache and he knew that sleep was usually very helpful for that. Dean sat on his bed, watching Sam's breathing. He had done that ever since the fire, just making sure that his Sam was still there, still alive.

Dean tried to get his stuff together as quietly as possible. John had called the night prior and told Dean where to meet him. Dean wasn't entirely sure what they were hunting yet, but he knew that you had to be prepared for everything. He had just gotten the last of his supplies packed when he heard a noise.

"Dean?" Sam's small voice asked. "Where are you going?"

"It's Saturday. Gotta go meet up with dad." Dean said. He wasn't looking at Sam, but he knew he was pouting. Dean turned to look at Sam's bed. He was all curled up under the cheap motel comforter. Dean sighed. "Sammy, look at me." He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why can't I go with you?" Sam asked.

"It's not safe." Dean said. "You know that. If anything happened to you…" Dean sighed and played with Sam's hair. "I'm going to talk to dad. Convince him that he needs a little vacation. We'll go to Bobby's or Jim's or someones and take a few days. You and I can hang out. We'll watch movies. I'll braid your hair." Dean laughed. Sam sighed.

"Just be careful, okay?" Sam said, looking up at Dean.

"Always." Dean smiled at him. "Get some rest and I'll be back before you know it." Dean went through all the instructions he had for Sam, Sam nodding and agreeing to each one. Dean got his bags and left then, heading in the direction of John.

It was a werewolf. The moon was right. It had taken John a day to track the pattern and every month was the same. It was a werewolf. So here they were, in the woods with just the moonlight to guide them. It was a lot darker than the last werewolf hunt Dean had been on. Him and John hadn't gotten separated on top of that. This was turning out to be a real shit fest.

That's when Dean found her. She was leaning against a tree, like she was catching her breath. He could see the long fingernails, like claws, and she had blood on her. That much he could see from the moonlight. She turned to look at him just as he aimed his gun and fired, right into the chest. She screamed, but it wasn't an animal like scream. Dean stared in shock as John came running his way.

"Dean!" He said. Dean looked up at John. "That wasn't the werewolf!"

"What?" Dean asked. He looked down at the body. John pulled out his flashlight and shined it on the woman. She had been taken by the werewolf and had gotten away. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong look. "Oh god, dad…"

"Dean…it's...it's okay. These things happen sometimes." John said. "I took out the werewolf. It's okay." Dean could feel the tears filling up his eyes. He had killed an innocent woman. "I'll take care of this Dean. Go home."

"But I…"

"Dean. Go." John said. "I've got this son." Dean nodded and made his way back to his car. Everything seemed to move in a blur as he drove back to the motel. It was very early in the morning when Dean slipped into the room.

"Dean?" Sam's voice echoed out, filled with sleep. Dean turned and looked at his brother. "Dean? What's wrong?"

"S-Sammy." Dean said. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed with Sam, holding his brother close to him.

"Are you okay? Is it dad?" Sam asked, playing with Dean's hair.

"He's fine." Dean said. "Just a rough hunt." Sam nodded and let Dean stay there, trying his best to wipe tears off Dean's cheeks before Dean realized they were there. He knew his brother would be embarrassed if he knew that Sam had seen him cry. It had only happened a few times in Sam's lifetime. He didn't see Dean or John cry often.

"It's okay De." Sam said, rubbing his brothers back. "I'm right here. Whatever happened, it will get better." He kissed the top of Dean's head and drifted back off to sleep. But Dean didn't. He laid there awake, holding on to Sam. To make sure he was still there.