The Power of Two:
The tension was so thick between Dean and Nathan that it was visible, and Sam knew that he'd be able to cut through it with a hair.
Sam didn't know what the hell their problem was, didn't get why they always seemed to be at each others throats. He wasn't sure that it was a brother rivalry or just rivalry and he didn't know what it was for either. The arguments that they had were all the same; whether Nathan should really be helping with their 66 Seals problem—and quite frankly it was starting to piss him off because it was just hot air. They were brothers, twins for Christ sake, and they were acting like a bunch of children.
Sam had tried to be sympathetic to Dean's mood, knowing that dad and Bobby keeping this from him in general had hit home. But he was in the same position too, wasn't he? Nathan was his brother too, and Bobby and dad had lied to him as well. So why didn't he get to act that? He did figure that it could be a twin-thing, but then again, he was sure that most twins didn't interact the way that these two were—but then he had to consider the fact that he was talking about the Winchesters here; the very definition of bull-headedness.
Sam sighed tiredly and shook his head, running his fingers through his long locks; he was going to have to talk to Dean about this—and he really didn't care if it turned into a chick flick moment; Dean was just going to have to grow up and deal.
"Dean," Sam greeted casually, his brother bent over with his head in the Impala's innards.
Dean lifted his head and looked at Sam for a second in suspicion before he ducked his head back in, fiddling.
"What, Sam?" he sighed.
Not feeling like beating around the bush, Sam went straight to it. "I wanna talk."
Dean rolled his eyes. "What is it now, Sam?" he asked, but already knew and he had no intention of discussing it.
"The way you've been acting..." Sam started and Dean stood up and turned to him, his hands and arms covered in grease and oil.
"I've already talked about that." he ground out, gripping the rag in his hands.
"No, we haven't, not really." Sam said, plowing forward. "I don't understand how you see Nathan as a betrayal. Did you look at Adam that way?"
"He was a Ghoul, Sam."
"We didn't know until later." Sam reminded.
Dean sighed. "I was pissed that dad had another kid with someone that wasn't mom, but I suppose that I was warming to the idea of having another younger brother." he told Sam slightly reluctantly.
"So how is this any different?" Sam asked him. "Nathan is our full brother, Dean. He was born a few minutes after you; he's your twin and dad didn't cheat on mom with anyone to make him. So why is it so hard for you to accept it?"
"Because... Not only did dad lie about it to out face's all this time, but so did Bobby. This was big, Sam. I can understand that dad had moved on; mom was dead and he was only human. But it's different with Nathan than it was with Adam." Dean told him, his jaw clenched with emotion.
"How?" Sam asked quietly, softly.
"Because Nathan is the very last thing of mom and dad that's left, the only thing in our family that wasn't tainted by the Supernatural like everything else is." Dean confessed, his knuckles going white, his gaze on the ground. "And now he's in, already too deep because the Angels found him and they aren't letting him go, not until everything literally goes to Hell. And it's our fault, Sam, ours." his finger pointed between the two of them. "There's no goin' back because once you're in, you're in forever."
"Dean..."
Dean shook his head silently. "There's nothing you can say."
"Then why are you making it so hard for him to like you? You know, I really think that he's starting to hate you a little."
Dean smiled at him ruefully. "If he hates me, then there won't be any hard feelings."
"Hard feelings about what?" he demanded, instantly alert.
"When all this shit that has built up finally hits the fan, and you know that it will, Sam; it's just a matter of time and then it'll be everywhere."
"You sound like you're giving up." Sam pointed out.
Dean didn't comment on the fact, but Sam saw something flash through his emerald green eyes for an instant. "Do save the speech, Sam. It was old a long time ago and it still is."
"You know that I'm right." Sam said anyway.
"When an Angel starts snatching civilians, he's way past desperate, Sam. It's just one of the signs before the storm hits; and that storm is going to tear us limb from limb, and the world is going to become a waste land for Dicks 'R' Us."
"You are giving up!" Sam accused.
"Just to clarify, I never said anything about giving in or up." Dean pointed out. "I'm just being real about this." he slammed the Impala's hood shut and walked from Sam without another word, heading back towards the house to wash up.
"Hey, dad." Nathan smiled as he sat up from his duffle bag, a folder in hand.
"What's that?" Bobby sat down on the couch next to him.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing really."
"Right." Bobby agreed albeit sarcastic. "If it's nothing then why were you diggin' it out of your bag?"
Nathan rolled his eyes but held out the folder to Bobby. "It really is nothing, dad."
Bobby took the folder and glanced back at Nathan before he opened the folder and looked that the documents inside and the contract inside. "Wow, Nathan; this is amazing. Why didn't you say anything?"
Nathan scoffed. "When was I going to just slip the fact that a couple of pro-basketball couches had me in mind for their teams?" he asked. "Was it in between the part about the Angels or was it after the part about the Apocalypse?"
"You know what I meant, boy." Bobby reprimanded.
"Fine, but seriously, dad. How was this of any importance or use in our current situation? Being recruited into the NBA is a useless skill in the Hunters game." Nathan spoke, looking down at his entwined fingers.
"There isn't going to be an Apocalypse, so after we deal with this shanzoo—you can play with that ball of yours to your hearts content." Bobby said, all fatherly-like.
Nathan stared at him, not even bothering to correct his grammar on the sport of things. He shook his head, taking the folder back from Bobby and stuffing it in his bag. "There's actually something that I, uh, wanted to talk to you about."
Bobby turned to Nathan, noting the seriousness in his voice and knowing that this was something that he should really pay attention to—not at all liking the feeling in the pit of his stomach.
A slight grimace crossed his face before his spoke; his voice hesitant. "I know that I've only been at this for about two days, but I've had a lot of time to think about this..." Nathan took a deep breath, preparing himself—a wince already ready to slide across his features at a moments notice. "I think that I should go with Castiel for a little while."