Warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Chapter 12 Tension

Sam let the statement hang in the air feeling bad about the way he reacted.
"Takes a bit of getting used to hey?"
"No kidding. I don't know how Dean did it all those years."
"He grew up with it Sam. He has a few years' experience on you."
"But he's ten Bobby. I should be more understanding."
"And you're missing a large part of your support and the love of your life. You have problems too Sam. Just take it easy on both of you."
Sam nodded. "Well I better go find him."
On his way out the back door Sam found a note on the kitchen table from Dean 'Gone outside -won't leave the yard.' Sam walked the yard twice calling for Dean but he didn't answer. Sam went back to the house and made a cup of herbal tea for himself and sat mulling over the situation.

Dean found a nice tunnel though some overturned cars that no one would find him in and sat hunkered down on his bottom with his head on his knees. Dean felt a bit sad at the way Sam had treated him that afternoon but he didn't cry just sat sadly drawing patterns in the soft dirt trying not to think. He thought he heard Sam's voice from far away but stayed put needing some time to think and be away from the adults.

Sam did another round of the yard calling for Dean before sitting on the back porch hoping Dean would come to him when he was ready. Bobby came out after a while with a coffee for Sam and a cup for himself. They didn't talk just sat quietly both sets of eyes on the lookout for Dean. It had started to get darker in the sky when Sam did his next walk around the yard looking for Dean calling for him but he didn't get a response and headed back to the house. Sam was helping Bobby prepare dinner when Dean snuck back into the house. Sam watched him trot upstairs before going up after him. When he went upstairs Dean was in the bathroom with the door shut and Sam could hear the water running.

When Dean came out of the bathroom Sam was sitting on the end of the bigger bed but Dean avoided his eyes like he knew he would be there and put his dirty shirt and pants in his duffle bag.
"Dinners ready Dean."
Dean just stood next to his bag looking down.
"Look I'm sorry Dean I shouldn't have scolded you like that."
Sam crossed to Dean and pulled him into his arms. Dean stood stiffly as Sam hugged him and Sam took a step back feeling disgruntled at Dean for not excepting his apology.
"Come on let's eat."
Sam grasped Dean's thin shoulders and steered him towards the door.

They sat at the table as Bobby put the plates on the table but Dean picked at his food, his mood not improved since his time in the junkyard. He could feel Sam's eyes on him as he moved the food around the plate without eating any, his head down.
"Damit Dean you gotta eat something!" Sam exclaimed, his patience had worn through as he worried about his brother.
Dean's head bent further over the plate and he tentatively forked a small amount of food into his mouth without tasting it.

The next ten minutes were silent as Dean ate small amounts of food and Sam sat trying to control his worry from turning to anger. That was something his dad had often done but he refused to do it himself. Bobby ate silently feeling he could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Sam finished his food and looked over at Dean's still almost full plate.
"Dean, Bobby put a lot of effort in to make what you would like." Sam kept his voice as low as he felt he had already chastised him enough that day.
"I'm not hungry." Dean's voice was all but a whisper.
"Well I don't think you have eaten enough. You should eat at least half."
Dean nodded slowly looking down. He would do it just to keep Sam happy.

Bobby and Sam cleared the table while Dean ate his food slowly. Every mouthful felt like he was trying to swallow a baseball it stuck to his throat and was tasteless. Dean knew it wasn't Bobby's cooking as he normally he cleared his plate without fuss but his mood was putting him off his food as it did when their dad was unhappy with him or he had some other problem to deal with. His everyday problems were more along the lines of what do we do for food? Why is dad three days late? How do I get Sam in to see a doctor with no money? Not why is my brother being such a creep to me? He knew he wasn't being fair they were both stuck in a situation they didn't want to be in but Dean felt things couldn't get any better if Sam continued to treat him like he was four.

Sam watched Dean eat his food from the living room. Was Dean trying to piss him off? He was eating slowly and sullenly and Sam could never remember seeing Dean sulk over anything while they were growing up. Dean finished half his food and got up to dispose of the left over's but Bobby took it off him to fed to his dog. Dean helped wash and dry the plate and cutlery then put them away. Sam was sitting in the living room so there was no avoiding him as he tried to go back up to their room. Dean made the second stair before Sam called him back.
"Dean you wanna come watch a movie with us?"
"No thanks" Dean called over his shoulder and continued his way up.

Sam raced over to the bottom of the stairs.
"Dean just stop and come back here." Sam regretted the words once they were out of his mouth. They were way to sharp.
Dean stopped but came back down very slowly.
"Come on man I'm making an effort here. You could at least do the same."
Dean stood on the forth step looking down at his brother but didn't say anything.
"Dean look I know this isn't easy. Just come and sit with us for a bit."
Sam moved back to let Dean move past him into the room but Dean sat down on the step instead. Sam walked back into the living room hoping Dean would follow him but Dean stayed where he was. Sam sighed and sat down raising an eyebrow at Bobby who glanced quickly at Dean then gave an almost nonexistent shrug. Sam picked out an age appropriate movie to entice Dean to join them but he stayed on the stairs but at least he was looking in their direction. During the first hour Sam stole glances at Dean to find him staring back looking bored and uninterested. Shortly after he saw Dean looking at the wall and the next time he glanced over Dean had disappeared as silently as a cat.

TBC