Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Additionally, this chapter is fairly heavy with the effect of John Winchester's A-Plus Parenting. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: Oh, Sam, were you hoping to avoid a few things completely? It would be horrible if those things were to happen, wouldn't it? [sips tea]
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Post Term 16); Ministry (Pre-Open); MC4A (Summer Year 5)
Individual Challenges: Red Dress; Young Again; Red Lights; Red Bull; Little Tykes; Red Wave; Happy Birthday (Y); Rainbow Rainbow; Nonhuman MC; Criminal MC; Criminal MC; Hunter MC; Hunter MC; Hunter MC; Neurodivergent; Tiny Terror; Immortal MC; Booger Breath; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); Above Average Natural; Endings; In a Flash; The Real MC; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift
House: Slytherin
Ministry Challenges: Aug Bingo [C1](Angst)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: 365 [147](Sympathy); Insane House Challenge [579](Brothers); Days of the Year [Jul 2/World UFO Day](something being impossible to believe); Video Games Day [06](Apocalypse); Shark Awareness Day [03](Flying); National Dog Day [03](Reserved); Crystals & Gemstones [06](Adventure)
Other MC4A Challenges: AU [4E](Cartoon/Anime); Chim [Gyv]("King" - Florence & the Machine; Life/Death; Crimson); Fire [x3](Young Again); Garden [Bait (Kid Dean Winchester)]; Harvest [AUs (Secret Past); Realtionships (Siblings); Tropes (Kid Logic; Reflection; Moment Interruptus)];
Representation(s): Sam & Dean Winchester; Team Free Will as Fam; Canon Apocalypse; Chim Song Prompt
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Grease Monkey; Lyre Liar; Most Human Bean; Rock of Ages; Abandoned Ship; In the Trench; Second Verse (Persistence Still; Found Family; Nontraditional; Middle Name; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; For the Vine; Lovely Coconuts; Younger You); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Pear-Shaped; Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Eternal Boredom; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Creature Feature; Wind Beneath); Demo 1 (Under the Bridge; Over the Hills); Demo 2 (Sitting Hummingbird; Toto's Tribute)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Toad); SN (Rail; Negate); FR (Gestation); O3 (Ox); Once (Santa Fe; Inchworm); War (Obstruction; Sanctuary; Ennui); TY (Avasa; Enfant; Ntaiv)
Word Count: 811 words
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Revelations of Youth
Part 04: Discovered
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"He's, uh, that is," Sam stammered as his mind scrambled for any answer other than the truth. He couldn't be the one to break the news of John's death a second time. On the other hand, he couldn't exactly lie either. He didn't doubt for a second that Dean's age hadn't affected his innate ability to see right through any attempt of Sam to bullshit his way through. Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "What's, uh, what's the last thing that you remember?"
As diversions go, it sounded weak even to his own ears. The child in front of him clearly agreed. Dean's shoulders seemed to slump in defeat without him relaxing out of his rigid posture. Sam felt like he had just kicked a dog or stole a burger from Castiel.
"I had finished cleaning up after dinner," Dean reported in the same flat tone. A muscle twitched under the bruise on his jaw. "I hadn't paid enough attention and Sammy broke his plate. Dad sent me to sleep in the tub."
"What?" Sam asked, suddenly confused. He didn't remember that ever happening. Besides, it was strange that Dean would get punished if Sam had done something. Dean rocked very slightly on his feet. Sam wouldn't have noticed the motion if he hadn't been watching so closely. It was actually rather reassuring to see his big brother's nervous bounce in the small child before him now. "Why would you be punished for your little brother breaking something?"
"It was my responsibility, sir."
"Responsibility," Sam said, another bunch of things clicking into to place. Dean had always been the one left in charge. Sam had always been Dean's responsibility, even when Dad had been around. Somehow, Sam had never, not even when confronted with things like the shtriga, connected how that might have been enforced or how far back always went. "Right. Of course it was. What was I even thinking?"
Dean did another of his little rocks. Once again, he looked like he was preparing himself for a negative reaction at the same he was building up his courage. Sam didn't like what it said about anything past or present. He just couldn't put his finger on why. He wasn't sure that he was ready to even try.
"Sir," Dean started, drying Sam's attention back to him. Had Dean's eyes always been that green or that big? Maybe it was just the way the light was hitting his suddenly upturned eyes or the crimson in his flannel shirt. "My dad isn't coming to pick me up, is he?"
Sam swallowed hard against the lump suddenly in his throat. Certain that he wouldn't be able to speak without crying, he only shook his head. The worst part was watching something break within Dean, so small and young, and yet, he didn't make a sound even as his bottom lip quivered. The green of his eyes began to glitter as tears gathered in them. Yet, just like how Dean didn't make a sound, none of those gathering tears fell except for a single one that had Dean finally breaking his perfect form to roughly scrub away with the back of one clenched fist.
How many times had Sam accused his brother of being unfeeling or devoid of sympathy? How many times had he gotten angry or just disappointed that Dean refused to show or talk about his emotions like a normal person? And here was a blazing sign pointing out how far back that repression of emotional expression went back. It was yet another piece of evidence for a truth that Sam had been struggling to not acknowledge for what felt like his entire life but especially since their father's death.
He suddenly wanted his brother back with a fierceness that felt like grief. Sam could only watch as Dean wrapped his arms around himself in a parody of a hug. Maybe he should explain what had happened? Would Dean even believe the truth? How much had he actually known about hunting at this age? Sam's knowledge of the things their father hunted had been extremely limited until only a year or two before he had left for Stanford.
He had a feeling that it might not have been true for Dean.
Speaking of Dean, the boy had his face pointed downward again, but Sam could hear a soft murmur. He could not recall ever hearing a similar sound from Dean before, but the cadence was unmistakable. Under current circumstances, it filled Sam with terror.
Dean was praying.
"No, don't—"
Sam's protest was cut off by the distinctive sound of angel wings. Acting on instinct, he immediately moved to put himself between Dean and whichever angel had answered the kid's innocent but dangerous prayer. It was the worst possible way to confirmed that Dean no longer had the angelic warding.
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To Be Continued
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