Sam's late birthday dinner was pizza, one loaded with meat and the other all vegetables with pineapple which Dean thought was the worst sin to be committed on an innocent pizza.
No one was talking and tension hung in the air as they avoided questioning Dean about his day. Dean knew it was just a matter of time before they each privately questioned him so he tried putting an end to it by coming clean while still omitting important details.
"I waited tables at a place downtown that's upscale and caters to people with money and they tip really well. That's it, that's all there is to it so both of you stop looking at me like I robbed a bank or something."
Sam countered, "But there's three hundred and ten dollars there and I didn't even count the change."
"The place paid me a c-note and the rest were tips."
"Two hundred and ten dollars in tips?"
Cody opened his mouth and made it worse, "What restaurant pays you a hundred dollars cash? It's a minimum wage job."
Dean snapped, "I could have made a lot more doing something else but I didn't. You should just be happy I brought in some money. By the way Sam, don't tell Dad about this. I'm savin' it for us…for emergencies."
Sam furrowed his brow, "I don't tell Dad anything important, and you know that." He could tell his brother was hurt by all the questions, "Thank you for my birthday pizza, D."
Dean grabbed him around the neck with his arm and kissed Sam on the forehead, "You need new shoes, your toes are busting out of those old sneakers. I swear your gonna have feet the size of canoes someday with the way your growing." Dean snickered at his own joke.
"I'm not gonna have canoe feet, jerk!" Sam slipped from his brother's grasp and flicked a mushroom at him, landing on a freckled cheek. Dean picked it off and held it out on a fingertip to Sam who put his lips around the digit and sucked the mushroom slice off.
Cody could clearly see his boyfriend's pupils expand as if Dean was staring at something very tempting. The Winchester brothers had lives more complicated than he imagined. He felt bad for all they went without that he took for granted like hot meals, new clothes, parents and a real home.
Then there was Sam and Dean's relationship which he was starting to figure out even though the brothers seemed clueless about it.
Dean stayed in bed with Sam until the birthday boy fell asleep. Cody watched and listened from the other bed trying to catch some of their whispered words to one another.
"Are you going back there, D?"
"Yeah, Dad will be back as soon as school lets out and I need to make as much money as I can and then I'm going to send some of it to Bobby for safekeeping."
"But what about school?"
"I'll skip out last hour, its study hall anyway. I could just quit…I've thought about it."
"No don't."
"I'll get my GED, it's pretty much the same thing."
Cody detected anger in Sam's voice.
"Dad will just make you hunt all the time! He's a real bastard to you."
"Where did you learn that word from?!"
"From you, it's true and you know it."
"Come on Sammy, relax and have some good birthday dreams."
"Fine."
Dean stroked his brother's hair until Sam's breathing changed to slow and rhythmic and his little body relaxed in the omega's arms.
When Dean crawled into bed with his boyfriend and the first thing Cody did was slide a finger inside of him, checking to make sure his hymen wasn't stretched or damaged but everything felt normal.
Dean grabbed him by the wrist and whispered sharply, "You don't believe me?"
"I-I was just making sure you were ok," he pulled his wrist free, "don't you ever grab me like that again."
"I'll be leaving soon so you won't have to worry about it."
Dean was starting the painful process of letting go. He was used to leaving people he cared about but he had an inkling the omega fell in love with him somewhere along the line which complicated things. The last thing he wanted was for a great catch like Cody to spend his time pining away for someone he could never really have.
The omega rolled toward the wall so he wouldn't have to look at Dean, "You're a real asshole sometimes. Goodnight."
Sam watched and listened, only seeing forms and catching whispers. Then Dean cuddled up to Cody who within a minute or two was moaning into his pillow. His brother was doing something to the omega under the sheet and it continued until Cody rolled on his back and his hips rose in the air. Sam heard breaths coming quickly followed by a sort of whimper and then all went quiet, at least for minute or two.
Next it was Dean with his ass in the air as Cody fingered and licked him from behind. Sam could see his brother's form and the movement of his hand milking his own dick. Dean stayed quiet only taking heavy breaths so as not to wake up his brother.
The air in the room was thick with the smell of two fertile, young omegas. Instead of associating the comingled smells with child-like associations, Sam Winchester's senses were changing. There were subtleties he was starting to pick up on, the kind that tickled at those dormant alpha senses. Getting back to sleep after that proved difficult.
…..
Three nights a week, Dean's life consisted of skipping study hall to catch a bus to downtown, then working until nine or ten at Chaton, taking a bus to the gas station then walking back to the motel.
They were eating better since he took the job he hated but a full belly made up for all the bullshit he put up with. Dean kept his word and Sam got his new pair of sneakers one size too big so he could grow into them. Sam nagged Dean until he persuaded his brother to buy a new pair for himself. Neither were clothes horses but they picked out new underwear and socks, the kinds of things you didn't want to get second hand.
Sam donated his two pair of flood jeans and two tees that were now so short they showed his belly button and picked out some new/old jeans at the thrift store and again he encouraged Dean to do the same since the sixteen year old was still growing. Sam got his brother's old tees and the circle of life continued.
Sam's appetite was increasing and for once he could keep up with his brother when it came to eating. Puberty was threatening to rear its head any time now. What little baby fat he had left was disappearing and Dean noticed more angles to Sam's face.
"Sammy is going to be one handsome dude…"
….
May 26th, 1995
"Yeah Dad, June second…it's a Friday…ok…yeah I know! Sorry, bye."
Right after the call ended, Dean gathered up the money and they took a morning bus to the nearest post office. There he got a money order and put that and a letter in a priority mailer to Bobby. Sam turning twelve had lit this flame inside of Dean to earn as much as he could and save it, a nest egg for the two of them and their future. As Dean got older their dad did less and less for them. If John allowed the two of them to go hungry as children what would prevent him from allowing them to be homeless.
They had a home already with Bobby but there was no way Dean would put that on his Uncle. He didn't want Bobby hurt or their relationship destroyed because of John. Dean was used to fending for himself and his brother, besides, all he really needed in life was Sam and the rest would fall into place.
….
June 1st
Dean admired Cody one last time; he touched the omegas hair and lips, cupped his cheek and trailed fingers over his collarbone. Dean knew that tears were coming and he'd need to be the strong one so that Cody could cry. He gave the omega a slip of paper with Bobby's non-hunter number on it and his address.
"Keep this; it's my Uncles info. Even if I'm not there you can leave a message for me and I'll get it eventually. You can send letters there but I don't know when I'll be able to read them. One more thing, if anything happens…"
Cody interrupted, "If its supernatural stuff I'm supposed to let you know."
"Yeah."
The omega carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket, "You know I think it all sounds crazy Dean. I've never seen a werewolf or vampire or anything weird."
Dean did a bow, "You are welcome."
Cody threw his arms around Dean, finally proclaiming what he'd been holding back "I love you."
"I know." Dean was blunt and that was the way it had to be. He didn't love Cody that way but he cared about him. "Promise me you're not gonna sit around moping over me. You're awesome, Cody, you deserve a stable guy who has as much love to give as you do."
Cody let it all out. His fears being alone, of missing Dean and how he'd never love anyone as much, things teenagers say when all they think of is here and now. That first love is always the toughest. When he finished purging himself of all those bottled up feelings, Dean left the car and entered the motel room where he closed the door on this little chapter of his life.
Sam came out and Cody smiled and opened his arms. They hugged with the warmth of siblings saying goodbye, maybe forever.
Sam didn't have to tilt his head very much to look in the omega's eyes, "Thanks for always being so nice to me and Dean. You're my second favorite omega."
Cody laughed, "Well second place isn't so bad." He stepped back to take in the lanky boy with the almond eyes that reminded him of a wolf's eyes. "I know you'll take care of Dean even if he thinks he doesn't need it."
Sam nodded, solemnly swearing to take care of his brother. He got a kiss on the lips from the omega and then Cody was gone.
…
Bobby sat out on his back porch with a mug of strong coffee and Rumsfeld at his feet. The trees that had grown around and through the junked vehicles were leafed out and the peonies surrounding the porch were heavy with perfumed blooms. Summer was here and the boys were on his mind.
He found a priority envelope among the mail and the return address simply said "Dean" He opened it to find a money order made out to him, along with a letter.
Hi Bobby,
Do me a favor and either cash this and put it in your safe for me or open a savings account in our names. Whatever you think is best. Don't bother wondering where I got it. By the time you get this we'll have moved on but will let you know where we end up. I don't think Dad is going to let us go back home this summer. Sam is doing great in school but what else is new. I'm fine.
Take Care,
Dean
…..
June 7th, 1995
After weeks of constant hunting and driven to the point of exhaustion, it was inevitable that something would happen to one of them. Dean had fallen through some rotted floor boards inside an abandoned house and into the basement, breaking his collarbone.
John knew the damage was emergency room worthy so Dean gave his dad that much credit. When the hunter found out Dean would be in a sling and out of commission for the better part of the summer he berated his son for being so stupid and careless.
The doctor insisted Dean better take it easy because of the severity of the break, warning John Winchester that it needed to heal completely or his son risked being reinjured. The hunter had just gotten the heavy lifter in the family back and now Dean was useless. Forcing Sam to hunt without his brother was futile.
Their dad was forced to get them a circa 1970 fishing cabin at Pike Bay Campground. The man owed John a favor from a long time ago and didn't mind putting the boys up for a few months. John refused to drive cross country to South Dakota and Bobby Singer when his quarry was in the opposite direction.
…
John downed the last of his coffee and made a face, "Christ, that coffee is shit."
Sam and Dean sat there shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the bed looking as if they were competing in a contest as to who was more pitiful. Dean was shirtless and wearing a sling and covered in bruises and Sam looked like a skinny, wet foal straight from its mama's womb.
The alpha looked straight at Dean, "I told you not to chase that fucking thing inside that dump. Now you're going to sit on your ass most of the summer doing nothing."
He focused his attention on Sam, "I don't want to hear another goddamn word about going to Bobby's."
"But Dad…"
Dean nudged his brother and Sam went silent.
…
Resting his bones on a soft bed of beach grass as the sun warmed his bare skin, the sounds of the seagulls and gentle waves lapping at the shoreline and Sam's laughter made this a very good day despite the pain.
Dean opened his eyes when he heard his Sam yell "Dean, look at me!" He was still getting used to the sling and struggled to sit up. Sam was swimming to shore, his body rising and falling like a dolphin. Sam emerged from the water in all of his golden tan glory and ran to Dean.
He flopped on the bed of grass next to his brother and held his hand. Dean didn't pull away or tell Sam he was being weird like he sometimes did. For a month at least this was their little world.
Dean rolled his head to the side, practically within kissing distance, "Last night when you were sleeping it sounded like you were growling at something and then you let out a little howl like a wolf pup…it was cute." He squeezed his brother's hand, "Are you my little wolf, Sammy?"
Sam let out a howl and then they both got a case of the giggles.
TBC