Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Additionally, there's references to canon apocalypse & child abuse. Feel free to back out if need be. Also, feel free to check the FAQs on my FFN profile before leaving reviews about anything you dislike (including characterization or length).
Author's Note: So, yeah, it's been a while. Mostly because I was being buried under finishing my theses and then starting my dissertation. But also because of all the entitled bigots that this fic draws is just exhausting. Imagine being old enough to go on the internet and complaining that some parts of it isn't what you want.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T04); RAVEN (2024); MC4A (Fa-Yr7)
Individual Challenges: The Real MC (Y); Old Shoes (Y); Sandbox (Y); Binger; Cinematic; Reader; Finders; Rainbow Connection; Flexible; Hold the Mayo
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 04 - Assignment 06
Subject [Task (Prompt)] : Ghost Hunting [Task#2 (someone feeling like they're being watched)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Library [Slaughterhouse](Dean Winchester); Frenzy [SPN#3](Pie Hole); Center [3 - Alvin](Brothers); Pokemon [138 - Omanyte](baby blue); Nov Stardew [Wizard](Burnt Sienna); InMem [2](Compassionate); Bargain [Toaster](physically strong)
RAVEN Challenges: A [21](Driving a Car); Traits [15](Crass); Colors [43](Ink); Items [31](Flashlight); Settings [96](Windy)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (Mixtape)[n/a]; Chim [Missy](Protection; "Shadow" - Livingston; Outside); Fire [Impala]; Garden [Remember (Car)]; Hang [Phrase#01](n/a);
Representation(s): Dean Winchester/Castiel; Desi & Autistic Harry Potter; Team Free Will as Family; Canon Apocalypse;
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Inky Shadow; Queen Bee; Under the Bridge; Second Verse (Persistence Still; Found Family; Nontraditional; Middle Name; Unwanted Advice; Lovely Coconuts; Grease Monkey; Most Human Bean; Muck & Slime; Rock of Ages; Bad Beans; Shiver & Shake); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Rediscovery; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; A Long Dog; Eternal Boredom; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Creature Feature; Wind Beneath; Abandoned Ship; In the Trench; Turtle-Duck; Forked Path; Some Beach); Demo 1 (Easy Zephyr)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Intercept); FR (Satisfaction; Gestation); O3 (Oust); HoSE (Sanctuary); SHoE (Terse; Onus); War (Obstruction; Sanctuary); TY (Enfant); Wings (Scintillate)
Space Address (Prompt): Ship 4C (Everyone Knew); AU 4A (Powers are Norm)
Word Count: 793 words
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Needs and Wants
Chapter 24: Rats
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When Dean pulled the Impala up to the house, Bobby and Sam were still out in the yard. Sam was holding one of Bobby's spotlight guns while Bobby directed him to point in at the dark blue Echo. Bobby was hunched over looking at various parts. He stood up when Dean turned off Baby's engine and got out.
"Might need a rinse to get the dust off her," Bobby announced as he wiped his hands on the maroon rag that he had pulled out of the back pocket of his jeans. Sam turned off the flashlight, plunging the yard into near darkness. "Other than that, she looks like she's still ready to be picked up in the morning."
"That's good," Dean replied. He gestured for Castiel and Harry to lead the way into the house. "Just what were you two thinking using a customer's car like that? You could have wrecked the dang thing!"
"Oh, gosh, could we have?" Bobby asked with exaggerated shock in his voice. "Don't you think I know that, you idjit? We were thinking we had to get to you faster than that block of junk I've been using."
"Bobby," Dean said with only a bit of hesitation. The old man snapped his handkerchief at him sharply.
"Don't you dare, boy," Bobby argued. "We've lost too many already. Ain't no way we weren't gonna at least try to get there as fast as we could. You'll have to shut your pie hole and just have to live with it."
Dean felt the way Harry froze for a moment as he went to move past him. It was for just a heartbeat. Then Harry was trailing along behind Castiel up the porch steps. The angel held the front door open for the twelve-year-old. The kid's burnt sienna skin still looked a bit gray beneath the flaking layer of dried blood. Even from across the distance, Dean could read the worried caution in his angel's baby blue eyes when their gazes met over Harry's inky curls. Dean gave Cas a brief nod.
"Not to sound like a girl or anything," Dean said in a low voice, "but I think we should work on cutting back on the name calling." He held up both his hands in a gesture asking for patience. "It's just that I don't think Harry takes it as a sign of affection. Did you know that he's never had pizza?"
"But he's twelve," Sam protested. Even in the dim light of the yard, he looked like someone had spritz him in the face with water. A cold wind blew between the garage and the house, full of the smells from a junkyard in South Dakota in the middle of July. "How could he have never had—don't they have pizza in the UK?"
"I get the impression that his relatives kind of suck."
"But how can—"
"Sam," Bobby interrupted in a gruff tone. Sam's mouth snapped shut. "Don't ask questions that you don't wanna know the answer to." The old man turned his gaze towards Dean. It felt heavier than normal. "How is Harry doing, really?"
"He's…" Dean trailed off, unable to think of how to phrase all of the things that he had been noticing over the couple of days that they had had the kid. He ended up rubbing his hand over his face. "I don't think he slept last night. I know he's taken your words to heart about cleaning up the place, because I keep finding him dusting or scrubbing things. And now this?" Dean shook his head. "Cas says Harry's a nephilim now."
Dean snapped his fingers as he remembered something else.
"Ran into Jody at the diner," Dean said. Both men straightened up like the honorable sheriff was present. "Yeah, so she's gonna run a few checks to see if there's any missing person reports that could shed any light on our new foundling. She was kind of pissed that we hadn't already started trying to do something along those lines."
"Like we need the kind of legal attention that might bring," Bobby grumbled. "We don't even know how long the kid will be here or why he had to come here of all places."
"Can we back this conversation up a whole minute or so?" Sammy interrupted. "Harry's a nephilim? Since when?"
Dean just flashed his newest scar at his brother as a reminder. Everything just seemed to be happening so fast. Yet at the same time, it felt like they were just rats trapped in a maze as they were observed by a petty man-child with all the powers of a god.
Actually, now that Dean thought about it, that was a pretty accurate description of how things were.