Baby and Kitty=Win. Just saying. Thanks for the reviews, m'dears. I loves them utterly. XD Thank you, oh ye of alerting and faving, you brighten my existence as well. And all of you readers who just read and make my hit count go up? Yeah, I -heart- you peeps too. XD The OCD in me angsts at not being totally current as far as Sam/Dean now being patched up thanks to psychic-ville, but at the same time, I like that they have conflict now and it's not just worried!Sammy, there's underlying angst and now I get to do my own version of their...whatever you wanna call it. Although I cheered for Dean and cracked up when he told Sam to stop being a bitch. Sam's kinda a hypocrite. I lurve him anyway. But Dean is bomb. And then Sam was like 'oh, you can live your own life' and Dean's heart was all broked and I was bummed...but I love that we got some insight on how Cas' betrayal made him feel...XD I digress!~
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November, 1997
The room was silent but for John Winchester's faintly labored breathing, and the ticking of the clock. At least, that was all that Sam heard, but Dean had been forcefully inducted to the realm of dog-hood, wherein everything was turned up. Sam's breathing, the rustling of his clothes, the faint rustling of his own-damnit-fur as Sam stroked him lightly, that thundering freaking clock. He heard it all.
Sam, on the other hand, was stuck with human hearing and had finally calmed a bit. Enough that he was tempted to grab his brother up, clutch him close, and start crying in relief rather than sorrow. Sam had been mourning his big brother, and to find out now that he was alive was overwhelming. He wanted Dean by his side, he wanted to see his brother's cocky grin and hear him call Sam a 'bitch' and laugh, and he wanted to feel Dean's arms around him as he reassured him that he was indeed alive and well.
But he couldn't, but he was currently pint-sized and four-legged, and Sam was the one who ought to be doing the comforting, and was in fact, trying to.
The moments following Dean laying down beside him seemed to stretch on, but it was only really a few minutes later that Sam lowered his hand and shifted so that he was on his knees as he looked down at his brother. "You sure you're okay?" he ventured to ask. "Not hurting or anything?"
Dean had given a soft growl as Sam's hand pulled away from him, but he lifted his head and watched his brother as he spoke. Other than being a dog? I'm great, thanks for askin'. The weary sarcasm was lost on Sam, since to Sam, it was nothing more than a few little growls. As it was, Dean added a faint shake of his head so that Sam would know he was alright. If this could qualify as 'alright'.
Sam bit his lower lip and then mumbled. "This is...really weird, man...even for us, this is...weird."
Dean huffed. Ya think? He noted Sam's expression was all kinds of anxious, and he internally sighed as he brought a shaky paw down on top of one of Sam's hands, which were currently palms-down against the carpet. Like you said, we'll figure this out, don't look so damned gloomy, kid. He knew that Sam couldn't understand him, but it comforted him to speak anyway, and he knew that Sam knew him well enough to get the gist of it. Hopefully.
Sam did seem to, anyway, from the way the tension in his shoulders eased slightly and he went from sitting on his knees to sitting cross-legged. But after a pensive moment, Sam said quietly. "I thought...I thought you were...when you weren't with Dad..." he trailed off, his expression pained, and it took Dean all of five seconds to get the idea.
Oh. Well damn. He hadn't thought of how Sam must have seen things, Dean being absent and their Dad all beat to Hell. Come to think of it, as he peered up at his little brother, there were some faint, red splotches on his face and his hair was clinging to his cheeks a little like it had gotten wet. The kid had been crying, he'd been too busy bemoaning his current position to notice. He'd been crying for Dean. And, he also had the beginnings of a nice bruise on his cheek, partially under his eye, courtesy of Dean's attempt to leave quickly.
Wasn't like he could do much to comfort or reassure the other, but dog or not, Dean was alive and that had to count for something, right? No wonder he'd wanted to get all touchy-feely though, aside from probably just bein' curious, typical Sammy and all that. Dean hesitated and then sucked up his pride-because hey, it was his little brother-and he clumsily edged closer to his brother's crossed legs and rested his head on the other's ankle with a low whine. I'm here, Sammy, it's okay.
Sam seemed to get the message, because his whole body kind of slumped [with relief, maybe?] and he smiled slightly. "I'm glad you're...y'know...not." 'Dead' went unspoken, but Dean, like Sam, knew his brother well and he got the message.
You and me both, pal. Dean growled softly, and when Sam's hand lifted to stroke his fur softly, he didn't bother to protest.
Once again, the pair fell silent until Sam spoke softly. "Dad probably won't wake up for awhile anyway...so if you feel like sleeping..."
Dean didn't want to sleep, he wanted to wake up from this freakin' nightmare where he was a dog, but that didn't seem likely to happen any time soon. So for now, he'd settle for sleeping, because he was pretty sure that it was the only way he'd be getting Sam to sleep. So he pressed a paw against Sam's hand and gave a little nod in the affirmative that he would sleep. What else could he do? Sam needed his rest, and staying up all night wasn't gonna make the problem go away, so Dean had no reason to stay up either. And maybe when he woke up, this would all be one crazy, bad dream.
But knowing Winchester luck, he doubted it.
There were two beds, Dean and Sam had each taken one while their father was out, but now they'd been left with just the one. Dean eyed the bed a moment and grimaced before he forced himself to look up at Sam with a huffed sigh. He wasn't getting up there by himself. And thankfully, Sam understood the problem already.
Sam bit his lip again before he gently brought his hands around Dean's sides. "Sorry, Dean." he whispered, and he was. His brother didn't deserve half the crap he got, let alone being turned into a dog. Just part and parcel of the crazy Winchester life, one that was growing more and more intolerable to Sam. But those were thoughts for a different time, one when his big brother didn't need his help, and his father wasn't passed out from the intensity of his last hunt. A hunt that was still ongoing, if Dean's hesitant sort of reply was anything to go by.
Dean gave a faint whine, unintentionally, as Sam lifted him up and he instinctively scrabbled a bit as he tried to gain some purchase on Sam. He didn't like flying, and this felt damned close to it. Heights, he could handle, but he needed solid, firm ground. Not this, especially in the form he was currently in.
The trip to the bed didn't last long, but Sam held Dean carefully close before he set him down on the bed.
Dean shuddered a little, relieved when he was met with something solid before he attempted to pad to one side of the bed, but his coordination was worse on the uneven bed than on the ground, and he stumbled onto his stomach. He couldn't get the hang of it.
Under better circumstances, Sam might have been amused, but as it was-he just felt sorry for his brother and knew better than to show it. Sam slid into bed beside Dean and hunkered down as he gently pushed Dean upwards till he was able to lean his head against the pillow and was facing Sam. "You still good?" Sam asked softly as he brushed his hand over Dean's side lightly.
Dean gave something like a snort and shoved a paw at Sam's hand as he lay a bit awkwardly beside his little brother. All things considered? Yeah, I'm good, kid. So quit lookin' at me like a sad damn puppy.
A statement rife with irony, at the unfortunate present.
Sam just kept on staring at him, nibbling at his lower lip like it was going out of style, and his face kinda scrunched up like he'd eaten a lemon. The kid was worried, and Dean didn't like that one bit. In fact, he didn't like a lot of things right now. Life, for example. The fact that he was a friggin' dog, for another. And yes, the fact that his brother looked like he was about to just break down and cry, when he'd apparently already been crying-thanks to Dean.
And for the record, he didn't like chick-moments either. But since Sam being upset bugged him worse...well, he could suck it up.
This time, anyway.
Dean huffed as he sort of wriggled his way closer to a faintly surprised-looking Sam, and he didn't stop until he was right beside Sam. He shoved at Sam's arm with a pushy paw so that he could get by, and he stopped when he was more or less pressed against the side of Sam's chest, again, much to Sam's surprise.
"Dean?" There was hesitation in Sam's voice, no big surprise. Normally Sam was the one big into the fluffy crap, or he was busy trying to assert his teenage rebellion or whatever the Hell his smartin' off to their father was.
Dean didn't bother to attempt to reply, he simply laid his head against Sam's upper arm, and gave said arm an awkward pat. He felt like a moron, and oh-man-if he'd been in his body this would not be happening. But he was stuck as a dog, and embarrassing as it was, like he said-he'd suck it up. Because he couldn't handle the kid crying or keep looking so miserable, especially not on top of everything else.
Sam seemed to get the message, because his face relaxed at the same time a small, grateful smile curved his lips. He still seemed sad though, and Dean was beginning to think that as long as he was a dog-that wasn't going away. Which he appreciated, even as he didn't like it.
Sam's arm slowly curved around Dean and he forced himself to relax as Sam tugged him still a bit closer as he tucked Dean against him and tilted to his side so he could rest his arm on his stomach and his hand lightly on Dean's side.
The kid was still worried, but he didn't look so tense and that was worth it to Dean. Green eyes and brown stared for a moment in the dimly lit motel before Sam's thumb brushed lightly against Dean's side. "We'll figure this out, Dean. You won't be this way long." he promised.
Dean wouldn't have argued that if he could, so instead, he allowed himself a wolfish sort of grin as he batted a paw against Sam's cheek like he was punching him lightly. Thanks, Samantha.
Sam knew his brother better than anyone, and he got the message. He scrunched his nose but smiled faintly before he closed his eyes.
Dean could tell when Sam had fallen asleep from when he could literally hear his relaxed movements, the rhythmic sleeping pattern of his breath, but it seemed like hours before he finally gave in and closed his own eyes. Dean figured Sam had fallen asleep so easy cause he had Dean by his side, but having Sam by his side hadn't done much to ease his concerns, for once. Maybe when he woke up, it would all just be a really crappy dream...
But knowing his luck?
He doubted it.
...
Present Day
"Whad'ja idjits get yourselves into this time?"
That was the question of the [decidedly late] hour as Sam winced into the phone. The moment of comfort had passed all too quickly as Sam had deposited [an irked] Dean onto the bed and dialed up Bobby. The sooner they fixed...whatever this was, the better.
As it was, Sam was more than a little freaked out, certainly more than he let on. Every time he turned to look for Dean, there was that dog, with Dean's intense, green eyes fixed right on him. He wondered if that had been how Dean had felt every time he'd turned around to find Cas' own blue eyes giving him 'creepy eye sex'. Moreover, he was concerned about any other possible effects. For now, despite his form change, Dean at least seemed...alright. Uninjured. But they had no idea what was going on and if that might change.
"Well, uh...you ever hear about...people turning into animals?"
There was a brief pause on the other end before Bobby's gruff tones spoke again. "We talkin' literally, or..."
"Literally." Sam clarified, regrettably, with a quick glance at the dog-er, Dean-on the bed.
"Dean." It wasn't a question, more of an almost-groaned statement.
"Yup...uh...he's...a dog."
"...A dog?"
"Small, furry, four legs...definitely a dog. Husky, I think." Sam noted that as he said that, Dean began craning his head as if to confirm Sam's words. When he found he couldn't really do much but see his legs and tail, he gave an irritated huff and tilted his head back to Sam with a faint glare.
Sam looked away at that. It wasn't his fault his brother had gotten into trouble.
"Yer not jokin', are ya?" Bobby doubted it, but he had to confirm it anyway.
"Trust me, I wish I was joking."
"Well damn.." Bobby was silent a moment before he spoke again. "There's some lore on it...shifters, things like that...curses...a lot of it springs up in myth, Greek, Norse...but I haven't heard of it happenin' before. Not besides shifters." And that didn't quite count as what Sam was referring to, he was sure. "What happened?"
Sam was afraid of that. "I'm not too sure. Dean thought he got hexed. He called me up sounding like he was...dying, and by the time I got to the motel he was a dog. And before you ask, I'm sure it's him. No mistake." Sam glanced at the dog on the bed who was listening to his every word and still glaring all the while and mentally confirmed it. Yup. It's Dean, all right.
"Well...crap. I'll see what I can dig up, put in a few calls. In the meantime, you don't let him out of your sight. If somethin' is behind this..." There was a note of worry in the surly hunter's tone, something that Sam both appreciated and mirrored at present.
"Yeah, I gotcha." If something was behind it, it might come after Dean, which bumped up his vulnerability scale a few dozen extra notches. Plus, if they ran into the Leviathans...they were royally screwed.
"And Sam...whatever Dean did to piss you off, you don't let it get in the way of fixin' him, y'hear me?"
Sam's eyes widened faintly in surprise. "What makes you think-"
"Y'think I was born yesterday, ya idjit? Anyway, I called Dean about somethin' earlier and he told me a bit'a what happened. I ain't sayin' either a'yuh is right or wrong, but I know Dean feels like crap about it even though, to be honest, I don't think he was wrong."
"What happened to not saying either of us was wrong?" Sam queried through faintly gritted teeth as he shot a dark glance at Dean, whose eyes narrowed in return.
"Yeah, well, pardon me. He shouldn'a lied to ya, Sam. But you didn't give him much choice."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam's tone was a little irritated now, and Bobby's reply was sharp.
"Don't get prissy with me, boy. Dean did his job, and now you got one to do too. All I'm sayin' is, don't let your hurt feelings get in the way. I ain't gonna argue it with you, figure it out. And be careful, Sam. I'll let you know soon as I find somethin'."
Sam clenched his jaw slightly and he wanted to demand a little more clarification on Bobby's part, since the older hunter seemed to have such damned insight. But he was right, this wasn't the time to argue, and he'd already known he couldn't be too 'pissy' about Amy just now. Not when Dean needed him like this. It was his life on the line, and when it came down to it-pissed or not-they were brothers. "Okay, Bobby. Thanks."
The line clicked off and for a moment, he stared down at his phone before he tilted his gaze to Dean. What possible reason could Dean have had [besides just plain getting away with it without an argument] to lie to his face? To go behind his back and kill his friend? There was no reason, it was just Dean being Dean, doing what he wanted. Nevermind trusting Sam like he said he would...a trust that Sam had been grateful to receive, after all the bad water under the bridge. It was like he finally had something stable, something familiar, something decent to cling to amidst all the crap going on his messed up life...and then Dean had taken his hopes, that faint sense of control, and crushed it.
And he'd killed Amy.
Bitterness and anger welled up inside of him again, he couldn't help it, as he turned to Dean and found Dean watching him carefully. He recalled hearing something before about dogs being attuned to emotions, and he wondered vaguely if Dean could 'sense' his. He almost hoped that he could, so that Dean understood Sam was still pissed, and this didn't give Dean a 'free-pass'. "Bobby doesn't know what could have caused it. He's looking into it." Sam said simply, but accusations and angry shouts danced at the edge of his tongue. This was part of why he'd left in the first place, because looking into Dean's eyes, those guilty, stubborn eyes, he'd been incensed. Sam could tell he felt guilty about Amy, but didn't that just prove that Sam was right and Dean had killed her for nothing? It wasn't like he was guilty about lying, he'd done that plenty, right?
Quit looking at me like that, damnit. Dean growled lowly and Sam jumped slightly, actually a bit startled. Dean's current form would take some getting used to.
Dean had listened to Sam's half of the conversation and he had even heard the faint buzzing of Bobby's, more or less. But he had no idea what the older hunter had said that had Sam staring at him like he was deciding whether to strangle him or to stab him. Dean glared lightly at Sam, and he wasn't really satisfied when Sam simply turned away.
"I'll see what I can find online. You just...stay there, I guess."
Tell me to 'stay' again, and I will find a way to kick your ass. Dean growled, but Sam didn't acknowledge him as he pulled out his computer and set himself up to start working. He glared at Sam and gave a little growl for effect, but Sam was still ignoring him, it seemed.
And that bothered him.
Dean could take anger, or a punch in the face, or Sam having a bitch-fit. It'd piss him off, but he could handle that. Being ignored by his brother, plain and simple, agitated him, and...hurt. More than he would ever care to admit. Sam, man...c'mon, I can't even talk, don't do this now. The words came out as a low whine, and Sam did finally look over at him, but it seemed more like a 'Dean's fine, whatever' look before he tilted his gaze back to his computer.
The prick.
Sam...Sam, damnit, look at me! Hey! Dean's words were a flurry of low growls, and he rose to continue his tirade as he moved a bit forward without much thought. He made a noise of surprise as he missed his footing and stumbled a bit, and found that he'd been closer to the edge than he'd realized. His sudden height difference, along with the body itself, scrambled his depth perception and coordination. Dean found himself colliding with the ground for the second time that night, and he gave an unintentional whimper.
"What the Hell, Dean?" Sam's voice sounded faintly angry, but concerned too, and that was something, Dean supposed.
Sam's long hands found Dean's smaller body as he pushed on Dean's side to roll him over and look down at him, prodding a few places to check for injury. When Dean growled in response, he took it as a sign that the other wasn't hurt. "Next time you feel like jumping off a bed...don't." Sam advised, and Dean's dry look spoke volumes of how much he'd probably like to bite Sam.
Well, goody, because he was pretty tempted to throttle his currently canine brother, so it evened things out.
Sam rose and Dean cocked his head with faintly narrowed eyes. "What? You want me to play with you, or research?"
You dick... Dean growled. Was this how it was gonna be? Dean had lied, and now Sam was allowed to forget every damned lie he'd ever told Dean and play hypocrite? He'd screwed Ruby! A freakin' demon! To say nothing of the demon's blood, and freaky psychic crap, and going out behind his back, and hiding his tea-parties with Lucifer. Or, hey, how about lying about Amy in the first place? But Dean, who had lied to do his job as a hunter and a big brother, [and felt guilty about it anyway], Dean was the asshole here?
"Research it is." Sam muttered as he turned from Dean and headed back to his computer. Dean hadn't been expecting a cuddle-fest or anything [and he sure as Hell didn't want one] but would it kill his brother to act like he gave a damn that his brother had been turned into a dog?
Dean glared at Sam for a long moment, but it gradually faded to something more like annoyance and agitation as Sam simply ignored him. That was something that he'd always hated. At least if the kid was fighting with him-they were still interacting. Being flat out ignored just...bugged him. At least, when Sam was the one doing the ignoring.
Well fine, if he wanted to ignore Dean, he'd just have to irritate Sam until he paid him some damned attention.
That thought in mind, he vaguely crawled his way over to Sam-still unused to his form- and promptly smacked a paw against his brother's ankle. Sam's brow furrowed as he looked down at Dean, who gazed belligerently back up.
You can give me a bitch-face all you want, I ain't goin' anywhere, Sasquatch.
Sam gazed down at his brother as he swiped at his ankle. He couldn't tell what the other's game was. Sam needed to research and find some way out of this mess, and surely Dean wanted that, so maybe he was just bored? "Do you want my help or not, Dean?" Sam's voice was faintly sharp, and Dean's eyes narrowed. So much for 'brotherhood' and all that jazz.
Screw you. I can figure this crap out on my own. Dean gave a quick turn from his brother and promptly fell chin-first into the carpet as he lost his balance. Are you kidding me? This time, Dean gave a low growl as he pushed himself back up and padded a deliberate paw forward. How the Hell did dogs walk again? Two legs at once or something? He hadn't paid enough attention to a dog to know, he'd never thought he'd become one, after all.
Dean yelped and then gave a growl of protest as he felt hands around him and found himself deposited back on the bed. Sam stood at the edge of said bed to regard him with a faint frown. "Get some sleep, Dean. I'll keep researching." There was a vague note of concern buried in the undertones of his otherwise curt words, but it did little to soothe Dean. This was not his girly, touchy-feely, pain-in-the-ass little brother. Well, he was maybe still a pain-in-the-ass, but his coollness and intentional reserve was driving Dean nuts. Especially when he couldn't retaliate or defend himself.
You want me to sleep? You're jokin', right?
Sam heard Dean's growl and maybe it was his imagination filling in the blanks for the big brother he knew all too well, but it was decidedly sarcastic-sounding. He held up his hands. "Fine. Don't sleep. Whatever."
Dean growled, but Sam noted that his tail was curled and his ears were lowered. His body really did betray him now. The sad gestures spoke volumes, actually, since it meant that it wasn't boredom driving Dean. Sam eyed his older brother a moment, and he saw Dean's glare become a slightly puzzled head-tilt, oddly reminiscent of Cas as Dean eyed him warily. He moved forward and Dean tensed, only to give a low whine as Sam's fingers ran through his fur.
Sam? One minute, Dean was getting stared at and the next minute, he was getting stroked. He didn't get Sam's mood at all. All he knew was that that weird, bitter taste in the air that had made him think Sam was pissed [alongside of the fact he just knew from Sam's actions that he was pissed], had lessened into something a little sweeter. Calmer.
"Seriously, Dean, just sleep, okay?" Sam's voice had softened a little. "There's nothing you can do right now. I'll figure this out." he brushed his thumb against Dean's snout, and then trailed his fingers over Dean's head and ears, which caused him to shiver a little.
Sammy... The comforting gesture made Dean's guilt resurface in an instant. The desire to explain himself, to make Sam understand welled up suddenly-but he couldn't do a damn thing about it. And even if he could, he wouldn't. Still...he wanted...he wanted to fix things. Dean had just done his job. All the time's he'd forgiven Sam, and he wanted to throw a bitch-fit about this? Dean knew he shouldn't have lied, he hated lying to Sam anyway, but he'd done the right thing.
So why was he the one left feeling so damned guilty?
Yeah, yeah. Dean lightly batted Sam's hand away, and the ghost of a smile flickered across Sam's lips as he lowered his hand.
Sam continued to gaze down at Dean, and uncomfortable, he figured the best way to handle it was to just give in and he gave a huff as he flopped down and closed his eyes. After a bit of squirming, he found a comfortable enough position to lie on, and tried to focus on sleeping. As if. All the same, he heard Sam move away after a moment and head back to his laptop to begin clicking away.
Sam had given in to the urge to comfort his brother, and to his surprise, Dean hadn't made much fuss about it and even relented to his suggestion of sleep. And it was admittedly...adorable, the way that Dean batted his hand and flopped down. Everything, really. Surprisingly, rather than being a slobbery pitbull or something, he'd become a husky pup, and that meant..well, as stated, adorable. It was a crap situation, but it didn't stop him from taking a sly picture of his attempting-to-snooze brother via his cellphone.
What kind of little brother would he be if he didn't do that, after all?
But the moment of vague amusement didn't stop the worry over the situation, or his concerns about how easily something had gotten the drop on them. Had it waited until Sam's departure? Sam's gaze slid over to Dean on the bed and he felt a clench in his chest. Dean wasn't supposed to be this way, he wasn't supposed to need help this way, and if it was paining him, it had to be killing Dean.
Sam would fix Dean and maybe when it was over...Dean would be able to actually trust Sam after all, and regret lying to his face.
At the moment, Sam reflected as he took in the sight of the small form breathing evenly, huddled in a ball on the bed and comforter that was practically engulfing him, he certainly didn't have a choice.
But then, neither did he.
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This took so long...I've been distracted...AND IF BOBBY DIES, I WILL HUNT SERA GAMBLE DOWN. She took Cas, if she takes him...be kinda cool if Cas pops up and helps him somehow...but I doubt we'll be that lucky. XD Poor Dean. Cute Sam moments too...but Dean's eating habits are just NASTY! By the by! I've created in-character facebook profiles for Dean, Sam, and Castiel. I worked reeaaally hard on them, and making interactions/wall posts/photo comments between them and I think it's fun to read so...if you have a minute, I'd adore you all endlessly even more if you'd take a look and 'like' those pages. If not, I adore you all anyway. XD You can find them all on Dean's page, which is facebookdotcom/xbadmoonrisingx Thanks for reading, faving, alerting, and reviewing! You all rock! Happy holidays! ~Witchy~