Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.
"Dad, can we have a dog?" Sam asked looking longingly in the windows of the pet shop.
"No." John said gruffly as he continued walking. Dean looked at Sammy, and then at the dogs before the two boys trotted after their father. Back at the motel Sammy was working on homework when Dean approached his father hesitantly.
"Stand up straight." John barked. Dean stood bolt upright, his hesitance fading out of his stature, his features hardened.
"Dad, why can't we have a dog? Bobby says some of the other hunters have dogs." Dean asked.
"Tell Bobby to keep his nose out of our business. He's not your father." John snapped, turning a glare on the boy.
"It's just-" Dean wanted to know why, but John stood and he felt his words die on his tongue as his mouth ran dry.
"You can't keep your brother fed, how are you going to feed a dog?" John's voice was low, dangerous. Dean wanted to run away, but he stood there, back straight, features hard, eyes ahead, heels together, hands at his sides, shoulders back. "And what happens when you can't get back to feed it? Or when motels don't allow dogs? Or when it tears the seats in the car? Are you going to walk it, brush it, pay for the vet?" John had more but Dean cut in.
"Yes sir." He said trying to keep the dejection out of his voice. Dean didn't ask again, he knew no meant no and pressing an issue meant punishment. Sam however, did keep asking. The answer didn't change. John' answer didn't change, Dean's response did however. John was out on a hunt and Dean and Sam were in a motel, walking to and from school. They found a dog on their way back to the motel and decided to take it home. They snuck it into the room and washed it in the tub.
"What should we name him?" Sam asked looking up at Dean with a poof of suds on the top of his head. The dog looked at them from the tub with big sad eyes and Dean smiled.
"Gator." Dean offered.
"I like it!" Sam resumed washing the dog. When he was finally clean Dean went to the store to get dog related supplies while Sam waited with him in the bathroom. Gator, it seemed, was fine being locked in the room with Sam, and caused no trouble until Dean's return when he burst out the bathroom door and jumped up on Dean to lick his face.
"Gross!" Dean huffed and pushed the dog off. "I got a leash and collar and a couple things of dog food." Dean said unloading his pockets. They took him for a walk and ended up getting told off by an old woman for not picking up his poop. They ran away, not knowing what to do. They kept the dog in the motel room while they were at school, he tore up one of the pillows but was over all fairly calm. That was until John came home. He picked them up at school, saying it was time to move on. The boys shared a look as they got in the car.
"I'll pack up the stuff if you guys wanna go out and get dinner." Dean offered.
"We'll get food on the way out of town." John said, sounding grumpy. Dean kept quiet, it was better to leave John alone when he was grumpy. When they got back to the motel Sammy ran in and Dean stalled as best he could before they got inside. Dean scanned, the dog was hidden, probably locked in the bathroom, but the room looked a mess. He spotted a tin of dog food on the table and tried to hide it before John saw. Sam was trying to sneak out of the bathroom but Gator always got past him. The dog burst out and jumped up to give Dean his customary kiss on the face. Dean froze, eyes slowly sliding across the room to the face of his father.
"Dean-"
"Wait, I can explain!" Dean pushed the dog down and grabbed its collar to pull Gator behind him.
"Pack your things." John said in a voice that was new to Dean. Something akin to calm, but John was never calm, this was bad.
"Dad-"
"Pack. Now." John's voice snapped. Gator barked and pulled, Dean felt one of his fingers twist in the collar but hung his head. He pulled Gator back to the bathroom and closed him in. When they were done backing John went to the bathroom and opened the door. Gator was sitting there looking like the lovable idiot he was and Dean felt his breath hitch. It felt like his stomach was in his feet and his heart was in his stomach, the lump in his throat felt like it was choking him and he felt a hot sting in his eyes.
"What's his name?" John asked.
"Gator." Sam said in a small voice, watching from the bed. Dean felt sick, Gator shouldn't be under John's eyes. He was innocent, John would take that. Gator was a private joke, a secret best friend, a confidant between him and Sam and John was putting it under a microscope, scalpel in hand. John's movement was sudden, Dean lurched forward, he didn't know if his body intended him to fight his dad or take the blow, but he saw John's hand grabbing the scruff of Gator's neck. The dog looked at Dean with big eyes as John dragged him to the car and tossed him into the back seat.
"You're cleaning every single dog hair out of this car and if he rips the seats you're getting new ones." John said. Sam beamed at Dean. Dean knew this wasn't a victory.
Gator had been a good dog, innocent, sweet, always eager to give people kisses. Dean saw that John intended to make Gator into something else. Sam went to school, Dean John and Gator stayed in the motel to plan the next hunt. Gator cried and scratched at the door. John kicked him. Gator peed, John punched him, then he rounded on Dean.
"Clean this mess up." John growled. Dean put the leash on the dog and tied him up outside while he cleaned the pee and then took the dog for a walk. Gator limped after that. He never peed inside again.
Dean watched as John slowly infected Gator with his hate and wondered if it would get him too. Gator went from street dog to family dog to hunting dog. He only tried to kiss John once before he stopped kissing anyone. And then while Sam was at school John took Gator out. Bait, he'd called it. The monster came, and John ordered Dean to save the dog. The order came a little too late. Dean looked at Gator as his eyes faded back to the look they'd had when Sam and Dean found him. Dean sat there with the dog until his body was cold, and then salted and buried him. John had already left, so Dean had to find his own way back. He opened the door to hear John telling Sam the dog had run away. They'd opened the door and he just bolted, like how he did when they let him out of the bathroom. Sam cried, but believed them. He had no reason not to. John grew irritated with them and dumped them at Bobbies, saying something about them getting over the damn dog.
"They're just boys John!" Bobby snarled.
"They've both killed, hunters aren't kids." John replied.
"Sammy's eight! Hell, Dean's only 12 and that's still too young!" Bobby yelled.
"I don't need this from a drunk like you. You're not their father." John slammed the door as he left. Dean saw Bobby look at them with pity.
Dean looked at Sam with a glare.
"I've told you once, I"ve told you a thousand times Sammy, no dogs." Dean said.
"You were in Purgatory! I thought you were dead!" Sam huffed. "Why do you hate dogs so much?" Sam asked.
"I don't." Dean looked confused.