"Dean."
"Dean."
"Earth to Dean?"
"Helloooo?"
"Dude, he's dead."
"No he's not."
"Dean!"
It was Jo's voice that eventually roused Dean from his dreamless sleep. "What?" he mumbled tiredly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Adam, Ash and Jo were all staring at him.
"Dude, you passed out on my couch as soon as we got here from school. It's two a.m." Adam sat back on the floor where he was sitting. It was Friday night and they'd gathered at his house for pizza and games.
"Shit…" Dean yawned. "Your couch is really nice, though, man," he added, cracking a smile.
Jo gave him her "really?" look, complete with a roll of her eyes. But she smiled and told him, "Come on, I'll drop you at home." The other boys gave Dean a suggestive look but Dean just lightly smacked Ash's shoulder and stood up to stretch. Jo had come out to them all nearly five years ago and they still made jokes that she and Dean would make a great couple.
The ride was short and quiet and before long Dean was silently slipping into his house. He left his bag and shoes at the door before sneaking through the house and to his room. There were no sounds in the house and Dean felt worry in his gut until he turned on the lamp and found his kid brother sleeping in his bed. The first thing Dean noticed, though, was the huge purple bruise decorating the young boy's jaw. Dean shed his jacket and crawled into bed beside his brother.
"Sammy," he whispered, touching the boy's shoulder.
Sam's hazel eyes slowly opened and he yawned widely. "You're home," he said quietly with a small smile.
Dean's fingertips brushed Sam's face and the younger boy flinched. "Was it…?"
"Yeah…" Sam looked down and picked at the edge of his brother's sleeve.
Rage and regret battle for dominance in Dean's emerald eyes as he put his arms around Sam and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Sammy."
"S'okay," Sam replied, a gentle trickle of tears slowly soaking into Dean's shirt. Eventually he fell back into a deep sleep and Dean kissed the top of his head, drifting off himself.
The next morning, like every morning for the past year, Dean didn't wake to the smell of cooking in the kitchen. He didn't wake to the hum of the washing machine or the vacuum in the main room or even the soft sound of singing. Instead, he woke to heavy silence with his bed empty and a cold feeling in his stomach.
He sat up and put his head in his hands just as his door opened and Sam's grinning head popped in. The bruise on his face was still purple, but the edges had taken on a sickly green color. Even so, his eyes glittered as he entered.
"Can we go out to breakfast, Dean?" he asked in the sweetest voice he could muster.
For his brother's sake, Dean got up and ruffled Sam's hair, plastering a smile on his face. "Sure, Sammy. I'll get dressed and then we can go."
Five minutes later the two brothers left the empty house and walked the mile and a half to Ihop. Dean watched as his brother devoured a huge plate of pancakes with a side of bacon and eggs and still muttered that he wanted more.
"Damn, I remember when I could eat like that," Dean laughed as their waitress arrived with the bill. Instead of just leaving it at the table, though, she tapped Dean on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow her. He told his brother to stay put and trailed after her towards the kitchen.
She was an attractive woman in her early twenties, but the expression on her face blatantly said she wasn't there to flirt.
"Um," she began quietly, glancing around. "My manager told me to tell you not to worry about the bill." Dean gave her a look of pure skepticism. "Look, we all see your brother and my manager knows your dad and decided to cover it for you."
Dean's eyes grew cold. "We don't need pity."
She sighed and put her hand on his arm. "It's not pity. We just want to help."
Dean was tempted to get angry and go off on her about how they didn't need help, either, but when he glanced back at his brother, the feeling was extinguished. He looked down. "Sorry, it's just… Thank you."
The waitress smiled sadly and squeezed his arm affectionately. "I wish we could do more."
Nodding, Dean pulled away and steeled himself as he returned to Sam. "Come on, little bro, let's get going. I took care of the bill already," he said when he got back to the table. Sam jumped up and followed him out, looking for all the world like he was the happiest kid alive.
