5:46 A.M.
"Dean. Deeeeeeaaaaaann."
Reluctantly, Dean flipped over to the other side of the bed and let out a sigh. When he opened his eyes, he saw his brother standing so close to the bed that they were nearly touching. "What?" he asked.
Sam blinked, then briefly looked over his shoulder. "The towels are alive. And they hate me." he whispered.
For a minute, Dean had to process what he had just said before he slowly sat up. "What?" he asked again, although less demanding.
"They're on the couch. I poked 'em and they moved away from me… and they kinda growled at me." said Sam.
Dean gave him a look. "Growl? They… 'growled' at you?" he clarified, heaving himself out of the bed. He had a hunch of what was really going on.
"Yeah, but it was sort of like a puppy or a little kitty." said Sam as he followed Dean into the living room. "Uh, now that I think about it, it wasn't really a growl…"
"Shut up for a second, will ya?" Dean interrupted.
He walked all the way to the couch where a lumpy pile of towels were situated, and if he stared hard enough, he could make out a slow, gradual up-and-down motion from under them. Dean carefully pulled away the nearest towel and revealed a pale, sleeping face with a dark mop of hair.
Sam sidled up beside him and peered at the new spectacle. "The towels can turn into humans now?" he quietly asked.
"That's a real human, dummy." said Dean. He then proceeded to tell his brother of the happenings last night, plus a couple of opinions he was harboring about the kid.
"Really? That's so cool." Sam breathed out in awe.
Dean did not say anything. Sure, he saved the kid but it was not like he made things all that better for him; he was still homeless, alone and probably some other level of messed up Dean had yet to discover. And upon noticing the slight flush in his cheeks, the kid now had a slight fever to boot. As Dean checked on their surroundings, he realized it was much colder here than in the bedroom, not to mention that outside was still gray and rainy.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Sam was approaching the kid, probably going to wake him up.
"Careful with him." said Dean, although he was not sure whether he was after his brother's safety or the kid's.
Sam merely nodded anyway. "Wake up. Wake up." he said gently, shaking the kid's shoulder.
There was a second Dean wanted to stop him; the kid still looked as tired and fragile as ever and he could use some more sleep. However, the kid was soon rousing and his eyes sluggishly cracked open. Judging by the haze in his eyes, the kid was still a bit groggy to register what was going on, but it did not take long for them to clear.
When the kid saw Sam being so close to him, his eyes widened, he scrambled away and screamed.
Sam, caught unaware, screamed as well and fell to his bum.
The kid screamed louder.
Sam screamed louder.
Dean palmed his face before slapping his other hand over his brother's mouth to shut him up. Next, he ran toward the kid, who was still fearfully backing away, and caught him before he fell off the couch and hit his head again.
"Whoah, hey, easy there. I've saved you enough times already." Dean could not help but chuckle. Once he dragged him to the middle of the couch, the kid had his frightened gaze locked on Sam, who was currently staring at the kid with wide-eyed fascination.
"That's just Sammy, my brother; he won't hurt you, right?" placated Dean, stealing a glance at his brother.
"No, I won't! Honest!" said Sam as he found his feet.
Snickering, Dean turned his attention back to their visitor. "How're you feeling, kid?" he asked.
The kid seemed to have calmed down, his eyes were not as wide anymore and his posture was not as rigid. Nevertheless, he did not answer.
"Kid?" Dean tried again, slightly worried.
The kid scrunched his eyes shut before half-opening them. "Please stop doing that." he murmured.
"Stop doing what?" inquired Dean.
"Making the room spin… It hurts to look at." the kid muttered woozily.
That set Dean's inner alert levels on high. "Sam – "
"I'm on it!" said Sam, scurrying off to the kitchen to get what they needed.
Dean allowed himself a small smile at his brother, though it did not last long. The kid must have simply woken up too fast, coupled by the fever he was already having.
"Just try to relax, close your eyes and lean back. It's just a dizzy spell." soothed Dean, kindly pushing the kid even deeper into the couch, which was a bit of a struggle since the kid was resisting and tensing.
"Dizzy… spell? Haven't heard… such a spell…" he mumbled.
Before anything else could happen, Sam finally returned, carrying a glass of water, some pills and a banana. "Here, Dean. I got 'em." he said urgently.
"Thanks, Sam." Dean took the banana first, peeled it and presented it to the kid, who had already lost what color he had retained last night. "Here, take two bites outta this." he instructed.
The kid gave the banana one long stare before turning away with a barely audible groan.
"Come on, we can't get you to take the medicine unless you eat something first." said Dean.
The silence of anticipation lasted for almost a minute, but eventually the kid gave in and took a tiny bite out of the banana, then another. Dean was extremely grateful that he did not have to feed him this time. Once the last bit was swallowed, Dean got a pill and the glass of water and explained to the kid that he had to gulp down the pill fast then drink the water right after. Thankfully, the kid obliged much sooner, albeit he looked like he regretted that when he shuddered at the taste of the pill.
"That was unpleasant." he commented after a while.
"That's why it's medicine." said Dean smirking. "I'm Dean, Dean Winchester. And I already told you that this is Sam." he said, pointing to his left.
When Sam noticed that the kid was clear in the freak-out zone, he beamed and walked over to him. "Hi! What's your name?" he asked cheerily.
"C– " The kid gasped and suddenly placed both his hands over his mouth.
Dean and Sam shared suspicious glances.
"What? Carl? Keith? Kevin?" offered Dean.
The kid shook his head and looked like he was attempting to sink into the couch. "I'm not supposed to reveal it yet." he muttered.
"Why not?" Sam asked.
This time, the kid's eyes fell on his hands and let them remain there. "It's the law in my family." he said quietly.
Messed up family, messed up kid; it made sense. "What's with the 'yet'? You can't say it yet?" Dean inquired.
"Once I come of age, I can proclaim it." the kid shyly replied.
"And that would be when?"
"Many, many years from now."
Dean released a huff and crossed his arms. "That's not fair. We told you our names," he said.
"I didn't ask for it." the kid blurted out, his voice cracking.
That was the tone Dean recognized that he should not push. "Fine. Keep your name a secret, but we can't just go around calling you 'kid' all the time. You need a name." he said.
"Let's name him Conner!" Sam suddenly piped up.
Both Dean and the kid eyed him peculiarly. "Conner? Why that?" Dean asked.
Sam reached under the coffee table and pulled out the worn comic book they found when they first entered the room, the one that Sam got seriously hyped up over upon finding it. "Superboy's human name." he explained happily, pointing at the character on the cover.
Sam then brought the comic book up next to the boy on the couch. "He kinda looks like Superboy, and since he's not telling his real name, that's sorta like a secret identity already." he added.
Well, the name was as good as any. "You alright with 'Conner'?" Dean asked the kid.
He mulled over it for a while. "I suppose." he said.
"Great. You're Conner now." said Dean.
"Yay, Conner!" Sam cheered. And just like that, he full-on rammed into the newly-dubbed Conner for a hug. Needless to say that Conner was very taken aback by the action. "Can we keep him?" asked Sam.
"Sammy, we can't keep him; he's not a pet. He needs to get to an orphanage or something; he doesn't belong with us." Dean explained.
The enthusiasm in Sam's expression withered away yet he held on tighter to Conner. "But… he has nowhere else to go." he whimpered.
Dean sighed and regarded Conner again. "Conner, are you absolutely sure that you don't know anyone who can help you get home?" he asked.
Apparently, Conner was still getting used to his new name since he did not answer immediately. "I've tried calling them in every way I know how. None of them seem to be listening." he said.
"Why don't you just tell us your real name? Maybe the police can help." suggested Dean.
"Everyone I know is in Heaven. They can't help me." said Conner.
Dean bit back a curse. "Where do you live anyway?" he asked.
"Heaven." Conner replied.
"Very funny. Now really, where do you live?"
"I just told you."
Dean sighed once more. Either Conner had bumped his head harder than he thought or 'Heaven' could just be a street name or a short bit of a long address little kids could barely remember. It really did not help much.
All of a sudden, Sam was tugging at his shirt. "Dean, we're still going to jog around the park, right?" he asked.
"Sammy," Dean began.
"You promised." interjected his brother, his eyes going wide and dewy.
Damn that puppy-dog stare. "Fine, get dressed." said Dean.
Sam grinned before he disappeared into their bedroom, leaving Dean alone with Conner. He was thinking of just leaving him here in the room while he and Sam go out. They had been planning this since they came here and Dean was not about to ruin it for them by having a stranger tag along. Besides, after what happened to Conner last night, he figured he should stay indoors for a while.
He had perfectly reasonable excuses, yet somehow Dean ended up saying, "Hey, Conner, why don't you go follow Sam and see if there's anything that can fit you,"
Conner seemed more surprise than he was. "Why?" he asked.
"One, you're a mess." said Dean, indicating that his shirt and pants were muddy, torn and even a tad damp. "Two, you're coming with us." he added.
"I am?"
The fact of the matter was that Dean had no choice. No matter how harmless (and pathetic) Conner appeared to be, he still did not trust him, not really. Leaving him alone with all their stuff was a bad idea, and he could not have him passing out while no one was around. Whether they wanted to or not, Conner had to be constantly under his watch.
"I don't know what to do with you. Until dad comes home, you're stuck with us for a while." said Dean. This would just be temporary; once his dad returned, he would know what to do with Conner. "So you gotta do what we do."
6:22 A.M.
Once the rain had finally stopped, they immediately headed for the park.
"Hurry up, Sammy! I thought you wanted us to be the first in line for that nacho stand," hollered Dean. They were already on their second trip and they thought going off the beaten path would spice things up this time.
"Dean, look," piped up Sam.
Dean turned around, only to see his brother nervously watching Conner take hold of some railings for support. Upon closer inspection, Conner was panting hard and his legs were shaking. Normally, Dean would scoff at this weak display – he and Sam had not even broken a sweat yet – but then he recalled last night's drowning and today's slight fever so Conner's body was not exactly at its peak.
"Hey, kid – I mean Conner, you okay?" Dean asked, walking over to him.
Conner continued to pant heavily and lean more into the railings.
"Conner?" Sam tried, concerned.
A moment passed until, finally, Conner peeled open hazy eyes and replied, "I-I'm fine. I'm simply… not used to running."
Dean's eyebrows went up at that, still novel to the idea that there were some people who did not run much, or at all. "Really? That means you gotta get a lot more exercise. You don't wanna end up a big blob, do ya?" he joked.
With effort, Conner tilted his head to look at him. "I don't… understand." he panted.
Rolling his eyes, Dean was about to lecture him when a small grumbling noise reached their ears. He traced it to Conner's belly, which was easy because he and Sam were used to not eating yet at this hour. Dean looked up and saw that Conner had a bewildered and horrified expression on his face, similar to when he yawned last night.
"Relax. That was just your stomach telling you you're hungry." said Dean before Conner could freak out again.
"I'm hungry?" There was another head-tilt as he stared down at his abdomen, something that was kind of a problem since he was wearing at least three layers of Sam's thickest, fluffiest sweaters. "I've never been… hungry before." he admitted, and Dean could not help but notice how he uttered the word 'hungry,' as if this was the first time he had ever said it.
"Man, you must've had an easy life. No exercise, no hunger," Dean went on. He poked at Conner's chest a few times and he stumbled backward instantaneously. "You're a sissy-pansy!" he remarked.
Cue the head-tilt and squinty eyes. "What's a sissy-pansy?" he asked.
Sam went next to Conner and whispered something in his ear.
"I'm not a sissy-pansy!" Conner exclaimed.
Dean smirked as he took a few steps forward. Then something beyond the railings caught his eye. "Whoah! Check out that leaf pile down there!" he elatedly cried out.
Sam and Conner peered over the railings as well. The railings were apparently preventing people from tumbling down a very steep decline that led to a wooded area; it also prevented them from the awesome, enormous leaf pile at the bottom that had accumulated over the days.
"It would be so cool to jump in there." said Sam eagerly.
"Hey, Sammy, I dare you to go down that hill." snickered Dean.
"No way! You go first!" his brother playfully countered.
Dean was about to oppose to that when he noticed Conner still eyeing the pile intently. "I betcha Conner's too much of a sissy-pansy to go down there." he teased.
Conner pushed himself away from the railings and glared at him. "I'm not a sissy-pansy." he said.
"Yeah, you are. But don't worry, once me and Sammy get down there, we'll save you a leaf or two to jump in." said Dean. He gave Sam a challenging look as he held a closed fist in front of him, ready for an epic battle of rock-paper-scissors. "Alright, loser goes down first to check the terrain but jumps into the leaves last. Ready? One, two – "
Suddenly, Conner darted through the railings and practically jump-rolled down.
"Conner!" Sam and Dean screamed in unison.
In less than a second, Conner vanished into the pile of leaves and did not get back up. Sam and Dean hurried down the hill and began searching desperately for Conner.
"Conner! Conner, where are you?" Dean shouted through the leaves.
They went on scattering the leaves everywhere and it took a lot longer than Dean liked to locate him. He was actually getting really worried.
"Dean, I found him!" called out Sam, gripping onto a part of a sweater.
Together, the dug Conner out of the last pile and hauled him to a sitting position. He had scratches everywhere but there did not seem to be any major damage.
"Hey, hey, your melon still intact? How many fingers am I holding?" asked Dean frantically, holding up three digits.
Conner blinked and Sam had to keep him steady to avoid a face-plant.
"Say something!" yelled Dean.
Conner blinked slowly once more before his blank, shocked appearance made way for a grin.
"I'd like to do that again!" he proclaimed.
Both Winchesters stared at him incredulously before all three of them burst out laughing.
"You're messed up!" guffawed Dean.
"Perhaps, but now the leaves have scattered and you two have no pile left to jump in." remarked Conner.
Glancing at their surroundings, they discovered Conner's words were true. They had spread the leaves out so much when they had been looking for him that it would take hours to assemble them into a pile again.
"Why you – " Dean started, chuckling.
"Get him!" Sam happily screamed.
They ganged up on Conner and began throwing leaves at him. It was a two-on-one battle so Conner lost not long after, which instigated an even more intense tickle-fight that rendered Conner as helpless as ever.
Once the adrenalin had died down, all three of them lied down on the grass, just trying to regain their energy.
"You know, you're alright," Dean said to Conner as he lightly punched his arm. Dean then slowly sat up. "Come on, I know a big, cheesy plate of nachos that has your name on it."
Conner tilted his head at him. "Nachos?"
TBC
If Adult!Cas is to Superman…
…then it's only logical that Fledgling!Cas is to Superboy.
There, a little easter egg/kinda-trivia/math-and-wordplay for you guys XD
Also, I needed Cas to go under a different name to prevent time-paradoxes and stuff like that.
Btw, certain questions about Cas' vessel will be answered in the coming chapters (but he is in possession of Jimmy).
Remember, feedback is a writer's catnip! 8D