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Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T05); RAVEN (2025); MC4A (Sp-Yr8)
Individual Challenges: Anti-Puzzle; Feather Head; Purple Scholar; Tossed Chum; Dreamers; Criminal [x2]; Neurodivergent; Hunter MC [x2]; Booger Breath; Zed Era; Deal Maker; Second Life; Rainbow Connection; Sandbox [x2]; Crossing Over; Animated; Binger; Cinematic; Graphic; Reader; In a Flash; The Real MC (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Exchange; Outer Limit; Two Cakes (Y); Salt Wrench
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 05 - Assignment 06
Subject [Task (Prompt)] : Magical & Muggle Language [Task#1 (someone communicating with something other than spoken words)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Library [SH5](Dean Winchester); Frenzy [OUaT#3]("Everything comes with a price"); Center [51 - Gloria](Confident); Pokemon [874 - Stonjourner](salmon pink); Mar House [Gryf-3](warmth);
RAVEN Challenges: A [03](Arguing/Debating); Traits [55](Oblivious); Colors [80](Salmon); Items [97](Water); Settings [04](Basement)
Other MC4A Challenges: Chim [Jolene]("Isaac" - Bear's Den); Hunt [Sp Set (Night)];
Representation(s): Dean & Sam Winchester; Canon Apocalypse; Chim Song Prompt; BC Use
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Persistence Still; Odd Feathers; Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi; Demo 1 (Found Family; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Lovely Coconuts; Grease Monkey; Muck & Slime; Esbat); Demo 2 (Machismo; Tomorrow's Shade; Unicorn; Hot Stuff; Misshapen Pods)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Thimble); SN (Rail; Negate); FR (Satisfaction); O3 (Ox); HoSE (Sanctuary); SHoE (Terse; Onus); FIN (n/a); Once (Santa Fe); War (Obstruction; Sanctuary; Ennui); TY (Ntaiv; Enfant); Mea (Ennui); Share (Ameliorate; Dragoman; Augur); DP (Keen; Terse; Yearn)
Space Address (Prompt): SpB 5C (Childhood); TrB 2E (Propaganda)
Word Count: 797 words

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Needs and Wants
Chapter 27: Right Then
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It took less effort than Dean would have expected to get Harry to let Dean take over cleaning the sweater. It took even less to chivy the kid into what passed as pajamas for them all (boxers and a t-shirt, one straight out of Dean's collection even if it ended up fitting the same way that Harry's beloved sweater did). The boy had only hesitated the tiny bit when he had handed over the soaked sweater. His emerald eyes had lingered for a moment before he had deliberately turned away. The way he had suddenly become interested in adjusting the pillow on his bed was familiar in a way that Dean didn't like to think about.

He had spent years giving up things he cherished. He had spent his whole life doing it even. While it had hurt seeing a similar expression on Sammy's face as kids, somehow seeing it on Harry's face was worse.

Dean couldn't just give up on the thing without at least trying.

"Dude," Sam said after he had found Dean wringing out the purple fabric from its latest dowsing in the mixture of baking soda and water. The runoff was barely tinted salmon pink this time. It was hard to tell because of how dark the purple was, but Dean thought that it was probably safe to actually wash now. "Why are you wasting time handwashing that?"

"It's important," Dean answered simply. He focused on keeping the tension of the twisted sweater just right. Wet wool tended to stretch more easily and he didn't want to distort the yarn more than strictly necessary. Confident that he had wrung it out as much as it was going to be, Dean unrolled the sweater and draped it over the wooden rack he had pulled from beneath the counter beside the laundry sink.

For an aging bachelor, Bobby certainly had enough household gadgets to make a wife ecstatically happy.

(Dean refused to acknowledge how many he would have loved to have over the years, if only they didn't take up trunk space that was needed for weapons and other hunting necessities.)

"It's a sweater," Sam dismissed. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Despite his height, he hunched his shoulders and tilted his head in a careful way that made him look like a sad puppy. "Look, about earlier, I wasn't really thinking. I shouldn't have just said that."

Dean's stomach turned sour as exhaustion swept over him. He wanted to believe the apology was real. He really did. But as much as he loved Sammy and acknowledged that he was the smart one, Sammy still had the tendency to just ignore interpretations and conclusions that went against whatever he had already concluded as the reason for things.

Sam would hate to know that Dad had been the same way.

"It's fine," Dean said after probably too long of a pause. He turned to dump the tub he had been using for the baking soda bath. He didn't have the energy to get into how fucked the situation was. It was late enough that it was becoming early. He just needed to clean up after himself before he could head to his own bed.

"Really?" Sam asked in a shocked tone. "You don't mind that I outed you to Castiel?"

"Sam—"

"I know that you two have bonded or whatever," Sam interrupted. He ran his hand through his long hair. "I didn't mean to do anything to mess that up." He gave Dean the same half-smile that he always had when he was trying to get out of trouble as a kid. "I don't think Cas cares about that kind of thing anyway."

Dean slammed the empty tub down on the counter before turning towards Sam. It looked like they were doing this.

"Damn it, Sam," Dean snapped. Furious warmth sparked within him like a banked fire being poked. His hands curled into fists. He could feel his fingernails biting into the flesh of his palms. "What part of 'gripped me tight and raised me from perdition' do you not get?"

Sam looked as surprised as he was confused. Dean took a deep breath and blew it out his nose.

"Cas held my soul within his, Sam," Dean explained in a tone made flat by the crushing exhaustion. He closed his eyes and gave into the urge to pray briefly. "Everything comes with a price. He already knows all there is to know about me. Hell, he probably knows me better than I know myself. Ain't nothing you can say that will mess up anything between us."

The door at the top of the basement stairs opened with an almost-silent squeak.

"Dean?" Castiel called down. "Can you come here? Please?"

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To be continued
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