Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Why did Dean have to interrupt them in bed? If he had just done it after dinner they wouldn't be coming down right now. The beating was always less right after dinner, they were too full to have any actual energy. And now-
Dean stilled as he heard the stairs creak behind him. He watched as the men sat on the couch beside the armchair he chose to perch in. Tony glanced at Deans hands, the boys nails digging into the fabric of his sleep pants and into his leg.
"Okay Dean," Tony started, pulling his eyes away and looking at Deans face. "Why don't you explain what that was about."
The couple stared at Dean expectantly.
"What's to explain. I offered the deal, the only thing left is for you to take it. Whatever you're into, I promise I can handle it." The boys bravado showing through as he smirked at the two.
"I can tell you right now we're not taking that deal-" Steve started.
"What? Why not? You can do anything! I'll do anything for you! Don't you want that?" Dean was starting to panic, interrupting Steve. They need to take this deal. He couldn't leave Sammy un-defended.
"Slow down-"
"Come on, I already told you I can hide bruises, I-I can clean and cook, I'm great at hiding pain-"
"Dean-"
"I'm useful for stress relief! I know you have each other, but you can use me too! I've been told that I'm a great fuck! I can suck and everything! You don't want to give that up!" Dean tried to take control of the situation by leaning into the chair and letting his legs spread, showcasing his crotch.
"Dean, stop."
Dean froze. That must be Steve's 'Captain' voice. If he didn't know he was in the army before, no doubt now. The boy looked at the grown men, gaging their reactions. Steve was angry. Shit. Tony looked like he was gonna be sick. Interesting.
The three sat there. Tension hanging thick in the air. Dean with his legs still spread, and Tony gripping Steve's hand so hard both of their knuckles were turning white.
"We're not going to hurt Sam. Ever." Steve carefully explained. "And neither will we ever hurt you." Dean snorted as he sat up.
"Sure and the Easter bunny is totally real," he scoffed. "Look, I know how this works. You play real nice and all for the first few weeks, get us to trust you, get the CPS guy to stop looking so closely then you run out of beer and suddenly you're looking for blood. I know, I've been through this. That's why I'm offering for you to skip all that and just get to it. More fun for you. All I ask is that you don't touch Sam. That's it. That's the only requirement and I don't think it's such a bad one."
"No Dean, that may have been how it was before, but it's not going to be that way here." Dean tried to interrupt but Steve put up a hand, silencing him. "I know you don't trust us. And that's okay, we have to earn that, we know. But trust what you see. Can you do that?"
Dean nodded slowly, skeptical. Tony finally spoke up then, still looking a little green.
"Okay, awesome. This is what we're gonna do, I'm going to state things you saw today and the logical explanation for them. You then tell me if it makes sense or if you have any questions and we'll go from there. Okay?" He waited for a nod. "Good. Now. When you came in, Thor was wearing a sleeveless shirt. Did you see any bruises?"
Dean shook his head.
"Right. Because there weren't any. Which means that either we don't hurt our children, or we don't hurt them anywhere you can see, but the fact that he had no troubles carrying your things up the stairs indicates that he's probably not in pain anywhere. Agreed?"
A nod.
"Good. Next. Clint was playing video games and didn't want to pause to greet you. Steve told him firmly to get his butt over to meet you. Did you see Steve touch him in any way to get him to comply?"
A shake, no.
"Right. Now that could mean that Clint was going to get in trouble later, but, from his dramatic ass eye roll you could probably tell he wasn't scared in any way, meaning he was in no way expecting to get hurt. Agreed?"
A nod.
"Do you want me to keep going?"
A nod. Dean was looking firmly on the ground by now, hunched in toward himself.
"Okay. Nat. She, admittedly, doesn't talk much. We're working on that, but we let her do what she's comfortable with. When she refused to speak to you did we get mad in any way?"
Another shake. No.
"That's right. We would never harm any kids, ever. Let alone our own. And like it or not, for the time being you're included in that category. Do you understand?" Tony was now sitting so close to the edge of the couch he could reach out and easily touch Deans hand. He wanted to. The poor boy looked so confused.
"I-no. I mean yes, but no." Dean shook his head slightly, still looking at the ground. "I understand what you're saying, but I don't understand how, or why. Why would you take us if you don't want anything from us?" He looked up, his eyes pleading with the older men for answers.
Tony did take his hand then.
"We took you in because you needed somewhere to go. As simple as that," Steve smiled. Dean was sitting stiffly, glancing both at Steve and at Tony's hand that held his. "I know it's hard to understand with what you've seen, but the world does have some good people in it, and we like to think we're some of them," the blond man wrapped his arm around Tony, creating the picture of a happy couple.
Dean shook his head and took his hand away quickly. He just sat for a moment, his hand posed in the air close to his chest. He studied the two closely as they looked at him, Tony's hand just hovering above where he had held Deans hand. After a moment, he buried his face in his hands on his lap and groaned.
"Ugh. K. This is how this is gonna go." Dean sat up straight again, placing his hands on his knees. The couple instinctively moved back, giving him space. "I don't trust you. At all. But if what your saying is true then it could be really good for Sammy. I'll let you do what you do, but if I think you're gonna touch him in any way, you're both in shit. And I mean it," Dean pointed at the men, glaring at them dangerously. "You touch a hair on his head I'll be burying you in an unmarked grave, then Sam and I are gone. I don't know if they told you, but our dad is coming back for us. The moment he does we're leaving, no if's, ands or but's. Agreed?"
Tony and Steve looked at Dean. Then at each other. "Dean," Tony started, "I promise we will never harm Sam. If your dad comes, we're not going to stop you from seeing him. But this hostility? It needs to stop."
Steve placed his hand on Tony's arm, silencing him. "We know you're protecting Sam, and that's really great. But we need to have some rules too. Can we talk about that?"
Dean shrugged. "Your house."
"Okay then. First off, threatening people? Not okay," Tony shook Steve's arm off him. "After tonight I don't want to hear you threaten anybody with death. Or maiming. Or bodily harm of any kind basically."
"Just try to be nice," Steve finished. Dean snorted. "Second rule. I know we haven't had a problem yet, but just in case, no weapons. No knives that aren't for cutting steak, no guns, nothing that was made to hurt someone else," Steve continued.
"I understand this rule but I'm not going to follow it," Dean stated clearly. "I am not going to be defenceless."
"I'm afraid this rule is one of the most important Dean. If you have a weapon, you're a danger to everyone in this house, and we won't stand for that-" Steve argued.
"You're telling me you don't have a single gun in this house? Nothing to protect yourself with?" Dean's voice getting louder. "You were in the army, you know how to use them and you're telling me you don't have a single gun in this house."
"No. Dean. I don't. The most we have is an extremely advanced security system and a baseball bat by the bed and the front hall closet." Steve responded. "Guns kill in an instant. If one of the kids were to find it I could never live with myself. Yes I know how to use weapons. I know how to kill and incapacitate in seconds. I had the highest kill count in my squadron. But Dean. Every one of those lives I took? I remember them. I mourn them. I don't play with human lives that easily that I would have something to take it away laying around. So again. I have to insist. No. Weapons."
Dean stared at Steve, expression unreadable.
"One gun. Unloaded in a box under my bed," Dean negotiated.
"No. No weapons." The soldiers gaze was piercing under the scrutiny.
"One knife?" Dean tried again.
Steve sighed.
"Because you still don't trust us, I will let you have one knife. But. You keep it in a locked box under your bed and you never take it out unless you fear someone's life is in danger." Steve conceded. "And, you give it to us when you trust us."
"Deal," Dean stuck out his hand to shake Steve's. The blond took the hand and shook it firmly.
"This means that you have to give us any weapons you have now. And if you hide any, trust me we'll know," Steve said, letting go of Deans hand. "We can do that after we go through the rest of the rules."
"Rule number 3!" Tony startled the other two. "No recreational drugs or alcohol. If you choose to break that rule, at least tell us first."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course you would have that rule. Alright. What else?"
Tony hesitated. "It's not in your file, but tell us when you want to self harm," he carefully stated.
"Self harm? What like if I'm gonna kill myself?" Dean laughed. "I may have a shit life but I promise you I'm not suicidal."
"We're glad to hear that, but that's not what I meant," the engineer replied. "It could be cutting yourself with a razor, punching a wall, hitting your head against that wall," he paused, "digging your fingernails into your skin."
Deans face shut down. Any expression it once held fled. After a moment, he smiled, the lines a bit too sharp to be natural as he responded "If you think a little blood is bad, boy you don't wanna know how the rest of my life has gone. If you weren't bleeding by dinner you weren't working hard enough." Dean stopped. His eyes widened. "Wait, no. That came out wrong. Our dad wasn't abusive, I swear! It's just, he was in the marines and we did drills and runs and shit! You know how it is, right? Steve?" Dean looked to the soldier for help.
"I understand what your saying and that's a conversation for another day Dean, but bottom line we don't want you bleeding at all if we can help it," Steve replied.
Dean furrowed his brows as he looked at the man. "What, are you so rich you have your kids do drills inside in a special padded drills room?" He asked.
"Dean our kids don't do drills," Tony explained. Dean was silent.
"But you were in the army. Why don't you have your kids do drills?" The boy questioned.
"Because they aren't in the army?" Steve questioned back.
Tony raised his arms between the blondes. "Okay we are getting off topic. Bottom line, you wanna hurt yourself in any way, you tell us first. Fair?"
Dean shrugged. "Can I go now?" He asked, not looking at the men.
Tony sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "Yeah. Sure. Go get any weapons you have and leave it on our bed. Then go to bed kid."
The two men listened as Dean climbed the staircase and were still until they heard the door close quietly above them. Tony collapsed into the back of the couch.
"Well Steve, I don't think we're gonna be hearing dad and papa from him any time soon."
"No. But it's going to be that much more worth it if he does," Steve whispered as he pulled his husband in for a hug.