Heroes are Ordinary People [PG-13] Dean & Sam, Weechester
Title: Heroes are Ordinary People
Rating: PG-13
Category: Gen, Weechester
Word Count: 1,992
A/N: This was written for the summer_sam_love 2010 celebration as a tag episode 4.13 After School Special. Thanks to the lovely sendintheklowns and gidgetgal9 for the beta help and support. I definitely struggled with this one.
Summary: Sam can't deny that a part of him really enjoyed fighting Dirk but maybe he should just stick to fighting bullies and leave the criminals to the police.
~*~*~
It’s been a week since they left Truman and Sam actually thought things might change for him but his short lived moment of popularity only made him feel worse. He had actually enjoyed putting Dirk in his place but now Sam had to deal with even more guilt. He not only left Barry to deal with the jerks at Truman but now he introduced Dirk to the torment as well. Even though Dirk is usually doing the bullying, Sam doesn’t think anyone deserves to suffer like outcasts in high school. It’s cruel and unusual punishment.
The only good to come out the whole thing is that Dean seems to be backing off on the over protective big brother act. Apparently all it took was Sam throwing a few punches to prove he can take care of himself. Dean has even been letting Sam walk back to the motel alone but he’s pretty sure that’s because Dean’s gotten tired of waiting for Sam after school or at the library. Especially tonight since it’s Friday and Dean probably has more important things to do. Still, it’s nice to have the freedom.
His walk isn’t exactly peaceful but Sam’s gotten used to the sound of distant gun shots and fearful screams. He can count on one hand the number of times they’ve actually stayed in a decent neighborhood.
Of course it’s human nature to be curious and usually Sam’s more than content spying out the motel window as the cops zoom by but he doesn’t have that luxury tonight. He’s less than a block away from their room, outside some run down corner store, when he hears the commotion this time.
The hollering catches his attention and even as his mind is telling him to turn around and find another route, his body is dragging him closer. Thanks to his father it’s now a reflex to find the source of trouble and meet it head on. But his father also stresses preparation and Sam’s definitely not prepared for this.
He carefully scales the wall, following the whispering and sobbing coming from the alley. A terrified scream has Sam forgetting all about the plan he doesn’t have as he charges into the alley with nothing more than his fists and an exceptionally heavy backpack. His entrance manages to startle the men but does nothing more. He doesn’t look like much of a threat but these dirt bags just don’t know him yet.
He shrugs his backpack off and clutches it in one hand, swinging the heavy bunch of books into the first man’s side. The force manages to knock the man off his feet and Sam smiles to himself as he slams his knee up into the other man’s groin.
Apparently these guys weren’t expecting a five-foot-nothing-teenager to put up a decent fight. But they’ve never met a Winchester.
Sam reaches down to help the girl up and she smiles at him for just a second before it instantly fades into a look of pure fear. A large hand grabs him by the wrist and his legs leave the ground seconds before his head meets the brick wall beside him.
His body crumbles to the cold cement and he only remains upright thanks to the support of the unforgiving wall to his back. When his vision finally swims back in he watches as the two attackers close in on him and the terrified girl runs out of the alley at a speed Sam didn’t even think was possible.
A part of him holds hope that the girl will go for help and by some miracle he won’t have to take these two on alone. But the realistic part of his brain tells him the girl hightailed it out of the area, already forgetting about the stupid boy who swooped in and tried to save the day.
He refuses to give up though and carefully gets back on to his feet, using the wall to pull himself up. The men stop a few feet away and look at each other for a moment before turning back to Sam with sadistic smiles.
“Look here, Greg,” The first one sneers, “Boy Wonder still thinks he can take us.”
“Guess we’ll have to teach the punk a lesson, Jim.” The other man pulls out a knife from his pocket and twirls it between his fingers before thrusting in Sam’s direction. “Maybe all he needs is a little discipline.”
Sam stands up as straight as he can and instinctively goes into what he calls Dean mode-with a fake smile and a cocky attitude. “I get enough of that at home, but thanks anyways.” He gathers his strength and pushes away from the wall, inching closer to the men.
The one holding the knife steps forward and Sam reacts. He kicks his leg out and knocks the knife from the man’s hand before working on taking the two of them down. With all his training he could easily gain the upper hand in a fight with a grown man. He’s been fighting against his dad or brother for years. Except this time the odds aren’t in Sam’s favor.
Every time he manages to knock one down the other one’s already approaching and Sam’s quickly running out of energy. He focuses on the bigger of the two, the one who seems to be the mastermind. If he can get him to stay down Sam might just have a chance but unfortunately the other man recovers from Sam’s solid gut punch much quicker than expected.
It feels like a nasty burn at first as Sam finds himself falling to his knees. His hand grasps at his side and when he pulls it away the blood is a bit overwhelming. Instinct takes over and he presses as hard as he can, trying to stop the bleeding but he knows it’s not going to work. He doesn’t have enough strength.
He glances up at the two goons and waits for them to finish it. As much as he wants to get back up and kick their asses, there’s no fight left in him. He focuses on breathing through the growing pain as he scrambles back to the wall.
The two men look between him and the knife, their eyes wide with what almost looks like fear. It only lasts for a second though before the bigger one approaches again. Sam weakly pushes at the man’s hands as the bastard feels around his pockets, snagging Sam’s wallet before slamming his head against the wall.
He hears a shout echo through the alley and the hand griping Sam’s hair quickly lets go as the man backs away from him. Sam tries to force his eyes open so he can see what’s going on but they’re not cooperating. Instead he settles for listening to the garbled yelling as he lets the pain take over and he drifts in and out of consciousness.
When things go quiet Sam feels himself panic and it only gets worse when callused hands close around his neck. He waits but the obstructing pressure never comes. Instead the hands just rest there and thumbs begin to gently rub at his jaw.
Finally he hears the whispered, “It’s okay, Sammy,” and his panic disappears. He doesn’t know how and he doesn’t really care at the moment, but somehow his brother found him. Dean can take over now and Sam can finally let go. Maybe Dean will be able to fix the mess Sam’s made just like his big brother always does.
~*~*~
There’s no obnoxious beeping or harsh lighting when he finally wakes up. Instead there are stiff sheets, a lumpy mattress and a dark room which is a surprising relief. What’s not a surprise is his brother pretending to sleep in an uncomfortable chair that’s pulled as close to his bed as it can get.
Dean’s eyes snap open and his hand moves to rest atop Sam’s forearm before Sam even has the chance to move or make a sound. There’s a short silence between the two when their eyes meet and they both say all that they need to but can’t. Dean’s hand moves to Sam’s forehead and Sam relaxes into the cool touch against his heated skin.
“You’re warm.” Dean says, even though they both already know that. “But I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“Thanks.” Sam rasps, his eyes still feeling heavy.
“You could have bled out, Sam.”
“But I didn’t.” he tries for a smile but it only seems to piss Dean off.
Dean slams his fist on to the bed beside Sam’s leg and stands up from his chair. “This isn’t funny, Sam. If I hadn’t been there-”
“But you were, Dean.” Sam carefully pulls himself up against the headboard, wincing at the pull in his side. “I guess it was that crazy sixth sense of yours again.”
“More like I wanted a case of beer.” Dean stops pacing and turns to Sam with a hesitant smile. “The alley just happened to be on the way.”
“I’m glad it was.” he returns the smile as he carefully tugs his shirt up, inspecting the stab wound that Dean expertly stitched and bandaged. Suddenly he’s feeling stupid and week as he remembers everything that happened. He lowers his head and whispers an apology.
Dean quickly moves back to the chair, his hand squeezing Sam’s shoulder. He expects his brother to say something, maybe tease him for being so dramatic but Dean doesn’t say anything. The comforting hand remains on Sam’s shoulder and he knows Dean is listening, waiting for Sam to continue.
“I wanted to be the hero,” he explains. “I heard a girl scream and I thought I could help but they outnumbered me.”
“And outweighed,” Dean adds.
“I guess I got cocky.” he tries to shrug Dean’s hand away but his brother just tightens his grip. “But I fight things bigger than me all the time. I should have been able to take them down.”
“And from what I saw you did a number on them, dude,” Dean says with a proud smile and Sam’s insecurities fade slighting. “But those two were a lot different than some schoolyard bully or Dad and me. It’s hard to win against someone who plays dirty. You probably would have knocked them both out if Dumb and Dumber hadn’t brought a knife.”
“You think?” Sam blushes at the praise and he lifts his head with a smile.
“I know it.” Dean ruffles Sam’s hair and relaxes back into the chair. “But for now on can you just stick to fighting bullies and monsters. Leave the crime to the cops.”
“Sure thing,” Sam agrees with a laugh and nods his head toward the fridge. “Can I have one of those beers?”
“Nice try, midget.” Dean picks up the glass of water on the bedside table and hands it to him. “Ask me again when you’re not doped up on painkillers and I might consider it.”
“Really?”
“Well a hero like you deserves a drink.” He pats Sam’s shoulder and stands up, heading toward the small bathroom. “Just don’t make me change my mind.”
Sam smiles as the door closes and he sinks back against his pillows, alone for most likely the first time since Dean found him. Despite the fact that he came out on what feels like the losing side, Sam’s still rather proud of himself. So he needs a bit more training-and he may actually do so without fighting with his dad for once-but he still put up a good fight. Dean won’t always be able to fight Sam’s battles and Sam is pretty sure he proved that Dean won’t have to.
Of course he’s also fairly certain he just lost all the freedom Dean had been allowing lately. His big brother will once again be in overprotective mode for awhile and, shockingly, Sam’s okay with that.
The End
Rating: PG-13
Category: Gen, Weechester
Word Count: 1,992
A/N: This was written for the summer_sam_love 2010 celebration as a tag episode 4.13 After School Special. Thanks to the lovely sendintheklowns and gidgetgal9 for the beta help and support. I definitely struggled with this one.
Summary: Sam can't deny that a part of him really enjoyed fighting Dirk but maybe he should just stick to fighting bullies and leave the criminals to the police.
~*~*~
It’s been a week since they left Truman and Sam actually thought things might change for him but his short lived moment of popularity only made him feel worse. He had actually enjoyed putting Dirk in his place but now Sam had to deal with even more guilt. He not only left Barry to deal with the jerks at Truman but now he introduced Dirk to the torment as well. Even though Dirk is usually doing the bullying, Sam doesn’t think anyone deserves to suffer like outcasts in high school. It’s cruel and unusual punishment.
The only good to come out the whole thing is that Dean seems to be backing off on the over protective big brother act. Apparently all it took was Sam throwing a few punches to prove he can take care of himself. Dean has even been letting Sam walk back to the motel alone but he’s pretty sure that’s because Dean’s gotten tired of waiting for Sam after school or at the library. Especially tonight since it’s Friday and Dean probably has more important things to do. Still, it’s nice to have the freedom.
His walk isn’t exactly peaceful but Sam’s gotten used to the sound of distant gun shots and fearful screams. He can count on one hand the number of times they’ve actually stayed in a decent neighborhood.
Of course it’s human nature to be curious and usually Sam’s more than content spying out the motel window as the cops zoom by but he doesn’t have that luxury tonight. He’s less than a block away from their room, outside some run down corner store, when he hears the commotion this time.
The hollering catches his attention and even as his mind is telling him to turn around and find another route, his body is dragging him closer. Thanks to his father it’s now a reflex to find the source of trouble and meet it head on. But his father also stresses preparation and Sam’s definitely not prepared for this.
He carefully scales the wall, following the whispering and sobbing coming from the alley. A terrified scream has Sam forgetting all about the plan he doesn’t have as he charges into the alley with nothing more than his fists and an exceptionally heavy backpack. His entrance manages to startle the men but does nothing more. He doesn’t look like much of a threat but these dirt bags just don’t know him yet.
He shrugs his backpack off and clutches it in one hand, swinging the heavy bunch of books into the first man’s side. The force manages to knock the man off his feet and Sam smiles to himself as he slams his knee up into the other man’s groin.
Apparently these guys weren’t expecting a five-foot-nothing-teenager to put up a decent fight. But they’ve never met a Winchester.
Sam reaches down to help the girl up and she smiles at him for just a second before it instantly fades into a look of pure fear. A large hand grabs him by the wrist and his legs leave the ground seconds before his head meets the brick wall beside him.
His body crumbles to the cold cement and he only remains upright thanks to the support of the unforgiving wall to his back. When his vision finally swims back in he watches as the two attackers close in on him and the terrified girl runs out of the alley at a speed Sam didn’t even think was possible.
A part of him holds hope that the girl will go for help and by some miracle he won’t have to take these two on alone. But the realistic part of his brain tells him the girl hightailed it out of the area, already forgetting about the stupid boy who swooped in and tried to save the day.
He refuses to give up though and carefully gets back on to his feet, using the wall to pull himself up. The men stop a few feet away and look at each other for a moment before turning back to Sam with sadistic smiles.
“Look here, Greg,” The first one sneers, “Boy Wonder still thinks he can take us.”
“Guess we’ll have to teach the punk a lesson, Jim.” The other man pulls out a knife from his pocket and twirls it between his fingers before thrusting in Sam’s direction. “Maybe all he needs is a little discipline.”
Sam stands up as straight as he can and instinctively goes into what he calls Dean mode-with a fake smile and a cocky attitude. “I get enough of that at home, but thanks anyways.” He gathers his strength and pushes away from the wall, inching closer to the men.
The one holding the knife steps forward and Sam reacts. He kicks his leg out and knocks the knife from the man’s hand before working on taking the two of them down. With all his training he could easily gain the upper hand in a fight with a grown man. He’s been fighting against his dad or brother for years. Except this time the odds aren’t in Sam’s favor.
Every time he manages to knock one down the other one’s already approaching and Sam’s quickly running out of energy. He focuses on the bigger of the two, the one who seems to be the mastermind. If he can get him to stay down Sam might just have a chance but unfortunately the other man recovers from Sam’s solid gut punch much quicker than expected.
It feels like a nasty burn at first as Sam finds himself falling to his knees. His hand grasps at his side and when he pulls it away the blood is a bit overwhelming. Instinct takes over and he presses as hard as he can, trying to stop the bleeding but he knows it’s not going to work. He doesn’t have enough strength.
He glances up at the two goons and waits for them to finish it. As much as he wants to get back up and kick their asses, there’s no fight left in him. He focuses on breathing through the growing pain as he scrambles back to the wall.
The two men look between him and the knife, their eyes wide with what almost looks like fear. It only lasts for a second though before the bigger one approaches again. Sam weakly pushes at the man’s hands as the bastard feels around his pockets, snagging Sam’s wallet before slamming his head against the wall.
He hears a shout echo through the alley and the hand griping Sam’s hair quickly lets go as the man backs away from him. Sam tries to force his eyes open so he can see what’s going on but they’re not cooperating. Instead he settles for listening to the garbled yelling as he lets the pain take over and he drifts in and out of consciousness.
When things go quiet Sam feels himself panic and it only gets worse when callused hands close around his neck. He waits but the obstructing pressure never comes. Instead the hands just rest there and thumbs begin to gently rub at his jaw.
Finally he hears the whispered, “It’s okay, Sammy,” and his panic disappears. He doesn’t know how and he doesn’t really care at the moment, but somehow his brother found him. Dean can take over now and Sam can finally let go. Maybe Dean will be able to fix the mess Sam’s made just like his big brother always does.
~*~*~
There’s no obnoxious beeping or harsh lighting when he finally wakes up. Instead there are stiff sheets, a lumpy mattress and a dark room which is a surprising relief. What’s not a surprise is his brother pretending to sleep in an uncomfortable chair that’s pulled as close to his bed as it can get.
Dean’s eyes snap open and his hand moves to rest atop Sam’s forearm before Sam even has the chance to move or make a sound. There’s a short silence between the two when their eyes meet and they both say all that they need to but can’t. Dean’s hand moves to Sam’s forehead and Sam relaxes into the cool touch against his heated skin.
“You’re warm.” Dean says, even though they both already know that. “But I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“Thanks.” Sam rasps, his eyes still feeling heavy.
“You could have bled out, Sam.”
“But I didn’t.” he tries for a smile but it only seems to piss Dean off.
Dean slams his fist on to the bed beside Sam’s leg and stands up from his chair. “This isn’t funny, Sam. If I hadn’t been there-”
“But you were, Dean.” Sam carefully pulls himself up against the headboard, wincing at the pull in his side. “I guess it was that crazy sixth sense of yours again.”
“More like I wanted a case of beer.” Dean stops pacing and turns to Sam with a hesitant smile. “The alley just happened to be on the way.”
“I’m glad it was.” he returns the smile as he carefully tugs his shirt up, inspecting the stab wound that Dean expertly stitched and bandaged. Suddenly he’s feeling stupid and week as he remembers everything that happened. He lowers his head and whispers an apology.
Dean quickly moves back to the chair, his hand squeezing Sam’s shoulder. He expects his brother to say something, maybe tease him for being so dramatic but Dean doesn’t say anything. The comforting hand remains on Sam’s shoulder and he knows Dean is listening, waiting for Sam to continue.
“I wanted to be the hero,” he explains. “I heard a girl scream and I thought I could help but they outnumbered me.”
“And outweighed,” Dean adds.
“I guess I got cocky.” he tries to shrug Dean’s hand away but his brother just tightens his grip. “But I fight things bigger than me all the time. I should have been able to take them down.”
“And from what I saw you did a number on them, dude,” Dean says with a proud smile and Sam’s insecurities fade slighting. “But those two were a lot different than some schoolyard bully or Dad and me. It’s hard to win against someone who plays dirty. You probably would have knocked them both out if Dumb and Dumber hadn’t brought a knife.”
“You think?” Sam blushes at the praise and he lifts his head with a smile.
“I know it.” Dean ruffles Sam’s hair and relaxes back into the chair. “But for now on can you just stick to fighting bullies and monsters. Leave the crime to the cops.”
“Sure thing,” Sam agrees with a laugh and nods his head toward the fridge. “Can I have one of those beers?”
“Nice try, midget.” Dean picks up the glass of water on the bedside table and hands it to him. “Ask me again when you’re not doped up on painkillers and I might consider it.”
“Really?”
“Well a hero like you deserves a drink.” He pats Sam’s shoulder and stands up, heading toward the small bathroom. “Just don’t make me change my mind.”
Sam smiles as the door closes and he sinks back against his pillows, alone for most likely the first time since Dean found him. Despite the fact that he came out on what feels like the losing side, Sam’s still rather proud of himself. So he needs a bit more training-and he may actually do so without fighting with his dad for once-but he still put up a good fight. Dean won’t always be able to fight Sam’s battles and Sam is pretty sure he proved that Dean won’t have to.
Of course he’s also fairly certain he just lost all the freedom Dean had been allowing lately. His big brother will once again be in overprotective mode for awhile and, shockingly, Sam’s okay with that.
The End