Dean was acting weird after Thanksgiving, their dad even weirder and this left Sam in a awkward place. John had been drunk for a good portion of a week and Dean refused to make eye contact with either of them for some weird Dean reason, iand/i Janie was spending even more time at their place than she was before Thanksgiving. Sam decided it was in his best interest to also do his homework in his room with Dean and his girlfriend to prevent Dean from doing anything too horrible. Sam knew that Janie liked him. She said so a couple times. She was kind of nice, never called him "Sammy" and when Dean was being a jerk, she usually told him to stop.

"Why are you so mean to your brother?" Janie asked. She was sitting cross legged at the foot of Dean's bed with their geometry book between her feet. "He seems like a nice kid. Look at him over there, working so hard on his project. The exact opposite of you."

Sam smirked as he locked eyes with Dean, who was sitting against his headboard, before had a chance to answer, making him mumble a little bit.

"He's… we… it's complicated."

"You both talk about each other like you're all each other has in the whole world," Janie continued. "But it just comes off like you hate each other right now."

"Because we do," Dean answered. "We're in the middle of a war. And it's my move."

"Dean's going to try to kill me because I got Dad to give him a lecture about-"

"I'm talking, Sammy," Dean interrupted. "Right now, I have the upper hand. I'm waiting for the right time to completely ruin everything he has going for him."

"That's horrible," Janie chuckled.

"You'd understand if you had brothers," Dean nodded. "It's a brother thing."

"It sounds like it's a 'how can I make my brother cry' thing," Janie replied.

"That's part of it," Dean smiled, he leaned closer to her.

"Please don't kiss," Sam sighed.

"If you don't want to watch, go in the living room and watch cartoons like a normal person," Dean said smugly. "You're always talking about how you want to be a normal person. Here's your chance."

Janie leaned back, setting her arms behind her. "We should really work on this assignment. I really want to get a solid B in this class. It will look good on college apps. Plus you'll lose your A if we don't do it."

"Dean has an A?" Sam laughed.

"Yeah, I do," Dean said sticking his tongue out. "Imagine that."

"How do you have an A?"

"I'm good at math," Dean sighed. "I told you I was good at math. I help you with your math all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm in 6th grade," Sam replied. "Sixth grade homework shouldn't be hard for a high schooler."

"It's just something you're going to have to wrap your brain around, kiddo," Dean smirked. "Cuz it's true. Now, shut up so I can keep it."

"Does Dad know you have an A?" Sam pressed.

"Yes," Dean sighed. "And so does Bobby, anyone else you need me alert? Call the New York Times or something?"

Sam shrugged and turned back to his project. "I'm kinda surprised it didn't make the six o'clock news."

"That's it, you little bitch," Dean growled pushing himself off his bed and taking three quick steps to Sam's bed. Sam grabbed his homework, squirmed just out of his reach and scrambled out of the room, Dean's footfalls right behind him.

"Dean," Janie called after him. "Leave him alone."

Dean turned around, leaving Sam in the living room, giggling to himself.

Sam walked on his toes around Dean after that. He was doing his best to try to keep from making Dean angry, because he knew that would only make Dean act faster. He figured it he was nice enough to Dean, his brother might forget that he promised to pull the biggest prank of all time on him. Sam jumped up after dinner and washed dishes before their dad say anything, he kept the room clean, he didn't complain too much when they had to run PT drills in the snow. He did everything he could to keep Dean from having a reason to be upset with him.

The Winchester men all went grocery shopping on a Wednesday night in the middle of December. All three filling a cart as quickly as they could because none of them wanted to be there. Dean had to make a phone call to Janie before eight when John cut of phone privileges, Sam had a science lab to finish up, and John just really hated grocery stores.

Sam took his basket to the produce section and filled it with all his favorites, apples, assorted salad vegetables, oranges. He even grabbed a couple containers of pure fruit juice he knew his dad would scoff at, but would buy for them anyway. If he bought Dean little snack pies, he could buy Sam fruit juice. He met John and Dean back in the soap aisle, Dean with a creepy grin on his face as his dad debated shampoos.

"What sorta crap do you need, Sam?" John asked as Sam poured his produce into the cart.

"Conditioner," Sam answered. "Whatever one you want, I'll get the same thing, but conditioner."

"What do you need that for?" Dean asked.

"It makes your hair softer," Sam explained. "And keeps it from tangling."

"If you had your hair short, that wouldn't be a problem," Dean replied.

"But I'm not you," Sam spat.

"Can you two get along for forty five minutes until we get out of here," John said gruffly. "I'm considering duct taping your head's together until you remember how to be civil. I'm getting apple whatever this is, the ninety-nine cent one. Pick out what you need, then we'll hit the meats and be out of this god forsaken place."

"Yes, sir," the boys replied.

Sam grabbed his conditioner and followed behind the rest of his family. He watched as Dean started to walk weird, grabbing something in his pants. He was clearly hiding something in there, which wasn't too unusual for them, but John did say that he'd buy the boys whatever they wanted, within reason. Sam started to imagine what kind of freakish thing his brother could have shoved down the front of his pants. The longer the thought about it, his mind wandered to the creepy sex talk Dean had had with him when Dean started getting really serious with Janie and all the things Dean told him was required to do things with girls, then immediately decided that whatever Dean shoved down his pants was something Sam didn't want to think about ever again.

When they got back home, Dean scurried off to the bathroom, presumably to hide whatever it was he stole from the store while Sam unpacked the car. John grabbed himself a beer from his fresh six pack and planted himself on the sofa.

"You put it away," John said when Dean emerged from the bathroom. "Sam brought it all in. I would have bought you condoms, by the way."

Dean turned a shade of red Sam didn't think his brother was capable to turning if he wasn't being choked to death, it was damn near close to purple.

"Uh...I… no… I…" Dean stuttered.

"Put away the groceries," John chuckled. "And stop stealing. I really don't want to bail you outta jail."

Dean tripped over the chair, unable to get out of his own way on the way the kitchen.

"Dad's right you know," Sam said seriously, dropping the last of the bags at Dean's feet. "You can go to kid jail for stuff like that."

"Regular jail, Sammy," John called over the back of the couch. "Regular, grown up jail."

"Even worse," Sam nodded.

"You only go to jail if you get caught," Dean winked.

"And if I catch you doing it again," John replied. "I'll punish you like they did the old days. So don't do stupid things like that again."

"Yes, sir," Dean nodded as he put the milk in the door of the fridge.

Dean was acting more weird than usual since the shopping trip, it was freaking Sam out. His brother was walking with a strut and his "I'm smarter than you" face, which Sam could only take as Dean had finally figured out how his brother was going to get him back for the itching powder. Sam started to check around corners, slowly open doors, and made someone else enter a room before he did. He figured that Dean wouldn't do anything to food, their dad had scared that out of them, but everything else seemed to be a possible prank. Sam searched the bathroom the morning after the shopping trip, but he couldn't find anything weird. Dean must have hidden it better after he put away the groceries, but Sam had a deep gut feeling that whatever Dean stole, he was going to use it against Sam.

Sam awoke a few mornings later to Dean banging around in the kitchen. He wiped sleep from his eyes as he entered the room, observing his brother's weird happy mood as he flopped down at the kitchen table.

"What are you doing?" Sam yawned.

"Cleaning up," Dean answered. "I can make you a quick egg sandwich if you want before Janie gets here."

"I'd love one," Sam smiled. It has always been Dean's job to keep both of them fed. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but Sam i loved /i Dean's cooking. "Has Dad gotten home yet?"

"Not that I know of," Dean answered as he took two eggs out of the fridge. He place the frying pan the boys had found under the sink of a random house they lived in, that Dean had shoved in his duffel years before. "I didn't hear him come in last night. And I've been up since five, he hasn't come in."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Sam asked, watching his brother toss two pieces of toast into the toaster oven.

"Did you really want a five am wake up call if you didn't have to be up?" Dean smirked.

"No," Sam shrugged. "But why are you up?"

Dean brought Sam over his plate and sat across from him. "I'm going out with Janie as soon as she gets here."

"And you think there's a chance she'll be here before eight in the morning on a Saturday?"

"Shut up and eat your sandwich," Dean said rolling his eyes.

"You know," Sam said with a mouth full of food. "Since you and Janie starting hanging out, you've been a lot nicer. I don't know what she's doing you, but tell her to keep doing it."

Dean let out a big belly laugh, louder than anything Sam had really heard Dean laugh before. He didn't understand what was so funny. Sam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at Dean.

"I don't get it."

"Someday, Short Stack," Dean said standing up and ruffling Sam's hair. "Someday you will understand why that is the funniest thing you've ever said to me."

"Is it something gross?" Sam asked.

"Eat your breakfast," Dean called over his shoulder as he walked back to the sink to finish washing up the dishes.

As Sam brought his plate up to Dean to wash, John flew the front door open.

"Hey," he mumbled. "Good morning."

"Hi, Dad," Dean answered. "I was making egg sandwiches for breakfast, do you want one?"

"Nah," John said shaking his head. "Just coffee is there is any."

"Yes, sir," Dean mumbled.

"I'm gonna take a shower," Sam said.

"No," Dean said eyes going wide. "You shouldn't. Not right now."

"Why?" Sam sighed. "You're already dressed and stuff for your date."

"Because," Dean said nodding over at their father.

"Showers aren't loud, Dean," Sam said rolling his eyes and turning toward the bathroom. "I don't feel the need to sing the discography of Led Zeppelin while I'm in there."

"I just think it's a bad idea, Sammy," Dean said as he walked the cup of coffee to the living room.

"You're a freak," Sam answered, squinting his eyes and storming off.

Sam shut the door to the bathroom quietly and turned on the shower. The bathroom was the only place where any of the Winchesters had privacy. He tested the water and walked back across the room to lock the door. It may be a sanctuary, but Dean didn't really understand personal limits and Sam had opened the shower curtain more than once to see his brother going through his elaborate primping routine.

Sam washed his hair thoroughly before applying his conditioner. He liked to let it soak in a little bit while he washed himself. He wasn't sure if it actually did anything or not, but he liked to think it did. As Sam was ready to get out, he rinsed his hair.

As he ran his fingers through his hair, Sam was used to a couple strains coming out while he scrubbed, but when he looked down at his hands there were chunks between his fingers. Sam rinsed his hair furiously. He rubbed and tried to get the conditioner out of his hair as fast as possible, but the more he scrubbed the more hair fell out.

Sam started to hyperventilate. He jumped out of the shower and wrapped himself in his towel.

"DAD!" he screamed unlocking the door. "Dad something's wrong."

"What?" John grumbled, sitting up slightly.

Sam ran over to his dad holding his hair in his hands, crying. "Something's wrong."

"Dean!" John's voice bellowed through the house. "What the fuck did you do to your brother?"

"Nothing," Dean said coming out of his bedroom. "I was in the other room. Oh my God."

"What did you do?" Sam growled. "What did you do to me?"

"I um…" Dean did his best to hold back a smirk. "I'm sorry."

"Can you fix it?" Sam said turning back to his father.

John rubbed his hand across Sam's head. "Not without shaving your head, kiddo."

"No!" Sam sniffed, wiping his eyes. "What did you do to me, Dean?"

Dean mumbled something Sam thought inaudible but made John sit up quickly.

"Is that what you shoved down your pants at the store? Because I swear to God, Dean."

"I didn't think it would do ithat/i ," Dean pointed at Sam.

"What exactly did you think it would do, Dean?" John yelled. "Did you not read the directions? What the hell did you think was going to happen?"

"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "It was just supposed to be funny."

"What?" Sam said, eyes wide. "What did you do? What's happening?"

"Dean's a bigger jerk that you thought he was," John said seriously.

"That's not fair," Dean said. "It was just a prank."

"Ruining your brother's life isn't a prank," John replied.

"What did you do!" Sam screeched. "Why is my hair falling out? Is it radiation?"

"I put stuff that girls use to take hair off their legs in the conditioner," Dean mumbled looking at the floor.

"Why?" Sam whined.

"It was supposed to be funny," Dean answered. "I mean, it's kind of funny. If you weren't crying it would be a lot funnier."

"You're a horrible person," Sam said. "Can we fix it, Dad. Please, fix it."

"I gotta shave it, Sam," John replied.

"Otherwise it'll be all patchy," Dean snickered. "That'll make it worse."

"Go to your room," John boomed in the voice that always struck fear in his boys.

"But Janie," Dean whined.

"Room," John said pointing. "You'll be lucky if I let you out of there to eat."

"This sucks," Dean said, kicking the kitchen chair as he turned and walked back into his room.

"I'll fix it, Sammy," John said softly. "It'll grow back. It'll take a while, but it'll grow back."

"I'm never cutting my hair again," Sam sniffed. "Just to stick it to Dean."

"That's a bit extreme," John smiled. "Go put some clothes on and I'll fix your head."

Sam stood up, ready to head back to the bathroom, but John pulled him toward him in a very unfamiliar hug. "Don't let Dean get you down. You'll look fine rocking the bald look."

"I'm going to destroy him." Sam said seriously.

"Go get dress, kiddo," John said releasing him.

"I'm serious, Dad," Sam said looking his father dead in the eyes. "I will destroy Dean."

An: Sorry this took so long to get up, GISHWHES plus family visiting from out of state. I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be the last chapter. Sam's retaliation to the nair prank was my reason to start writing this. It's a good one, I think. Thank you very much for reading I appreciate every single one of you.