SPN_J2_BigBang: Magical Girl Sam Winchester [2/3]

[ikira]

Previous

When Sam woke up the next morning, he groaned when he became aware that they’d forgotten to close the blinds the night before, and sunlight was now streaming cheerfully through the window and right into Sam’s eyes. He tried to roll over to bury his face in the pillow to block out the light, but he was stopped when something on his stomach gave out a little squeak and started scrambling at the fabric of his shirt, digging in little claws. He yelped as one of those claws found skin and dug in, sending him flying unto an upright position.

He looked down and met Fefelli’s bleary gaze, the creature clinging to the front of his shirt, both of them feeling very confused. It was too early to think clearly. Then Sam remembered Fefelli curling up with him the night before, and he felt himself relax a bit.

“Oh. Good morning,” he greeted the creature, reaching down to pat its head. Fefelli processed his words, slowly waking up. Sam could see the moment the memories came back, because Fefelli relaxed a bit, removing its claws and allowing itself to slide down Sam’s chest onto the bed again.

“Good morning,” it responded, tail flicking happily. It stretched out over the bed, spine arching and paws reaching out, yawning widely. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that,” Fefelli admitted.

“Me neither.” Now that Fefelli was no longer attached to his shirt, Sam got out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he came back out to get something to eat. Glancing around the room, he saw that Dean’s bed hadn’t been slept in, and Dean hadn’t returned since Sam had gotten into the shower.

“Must have been really ‘friendly’ then,” Sam muttered to himself, shaking his head. Not that he’d have done any differently. Sleeping in a nice comfortable bed with a naked woman wrapped around you trumped the lumpy motel beds every time. Dean was just lucky he kept finding these women who were willing to take him home with them. It was also nice that it let Sam have a night to himself, and for an added bonus Fefelli hadn’t had to sleep curled up in the bottom of his bag this time. He’d have to remember to get Dean something good for lunch today. For breakfast though, Sam was on his own. Dean usually didn’t stumble back to the motel until almost mid-morning.

Since Dean had taken the Impala the night before, Sam could only get breakfast from wherever he could walk to, and there wasn’t much around. He ended up stopping at a grungy-looking truck stop and buying a couple of pastries because they looked like the only food available that hadn’t been cooked in engine oil. He chanced getting a cup of coffee and almost immediately regretted it. He was pretty sure it was engine oil.

Thankfully though the pastry was decent and enough to get him through to lunch, so he paid for his meal and left. When he got back to the motel, Fefelli was flipping through his book with a graceful paw, looking bored. It perked up when Sam shut the door and revealed the brown paper bag he’d been hiding behind his back.

“It’s a cherry Danish. Wanna try?” Based on Fefelli’s exuberant nodding, the answer was yes.

Ten minutes later, the pastry was completely gone, crumbs and all, and Sam was starting to get worried.

“Dean’s usually back by now,” he told Fefelli. The creature merely blinked at him, fur around its mouth stained red from the cherry filling. It was actually kind of disturbing, so Sam looked away. “And even if he’s not back,” Sam continued, starting to pace, “he’ll at least let me know he’s going to be late. Usually by bragging about getting laid, but still.”

Fefelli started cleaning its fur, completely uncaring. “I’m sure he’s fine. He seems like a decent warrior. He should be able to take care of himself.”

“Dean’s not decent, he’s amazing,” Sam corrected. “Best Hunter out there.” He knew he probably sounded like he had a bad case of hero worship going on, but it didn’t matter because he was telling the truth. Their father had made sure that they were capable of taking on anything, and Dean had taken those lessons to heart. No Hunter fought as fiercely or devotedly as Dean. When Sam was small, he had thought Dean to be a superhero, capable of beating any monster. Now that they were grown, Sam still kind of believed that, even after Dean’s trip to Hell. Not that he’d ever admit that out loud.

“So there’s nothing to worry about,” Fefelli dismissed him, hopping up onto Dean’s bed.

“I suppose,” Sam reluctantly agreed. But then he had a thought that chilled his blood. “Wait, there is one thing that Dean can’t fight. Goblins.”

Fefelli rolled its eyes. “Yes, but there are no Goblins around. I’d have sensed if there were.”

It wasn’t enough. “What if he went pretty far out to find the right bar? Or if the woman he picked up lived far away?” Potential worse-case scenarios shot through his mind. Dean could already have his soul sucked out and was lying helpless and abandoned in some alleyway. Maybe the Goblin was just attacking now, and Dean was struggling helplessly against it, wondering where his little brother was. Maybe -

Fefelli cut through his panic with a snort. “My senses cover this entire city and its outskirts. I highly doubt your brother would travel that far just to mate with some random stranger when there are more appealing options close by.” This statement was accompanied by a meaningful look, but Sam ignored it, focusing on the important bits.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t bother going too far out.” Feeling slightly better, Sam started puttering around the room, starting to pack. “I’m probably getting worked up over nothing.”

Except Fefelli suddenly stilled, entire body going rigid. “Unless...” it trailed off.

Sensing the change in Fefelli’s mood, Sam was instantly on alert. “Unless what, Fefelli?” he asked, serious expression crinkling his brow.

“Unless...there are some Goblins, stronger Goblins, that can hide themselves from my senses if they concentrate. But it’s a conscious decision, and the only reason they would do that is if...they already knew I was here.” Dawning horror spread over Fefelli’s entire body. “Oh no.”

“What?” Sam all but shouted.

“The Goblins must have anticipated me coming here for one to have hidden itself. And the only way they could know I was coming was if they knew who I was travelling with.” Fefelli glanced up at Sam, guilt forcing its ears to hang low. “They might have recognized Dean as one of my travelling companions.”

“And taken him,” Sam finished, feeling the blood drain out of his face. He fought down the urge to panic, trying to think about it logically first. “We don’t know if that’s what happened,” he pointed out, already digging around in his coat pocket for his phone. “Let’s see if maybe he just lost track of the time first, okay?”

He didn’t wait for Fefelli to answer, already calling Dean’s phone. It rang and rang and rang until he got voicemail. Sam left a message, fighting to keep his voice steady, telling Dean to call him back the moment he could, and then hung up. He tried again, wincing as once again Dean didn’t pick up. The third time, it didn’t even ring, just went straight to voicemail. It could mean that he had just got fed up and shut off his phone, Sam told himself. Or maybe the batteries died. Except Dean never turned off his phone, and he had seen it plugged in and charging just yesterday.

Forcing himself to breathe normally, Sam tossed his phone down onto the bed. A sick feeling had settled in his chest, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Dean’s side of the room.

“Why don’t we just go look for him?” Fefelli suggested, trying to be helpful. “See if anyone has seen him?”

Sam tilted his head thoughtfully. “It’ll take too long to search by foot. Maybe if I hotwired a car...”

Fefelli shook its head, ears flapping comically. “You don’t need to do that. As a Guardian of the Heart, one of your gifts is superhuman abilities. Use them to search for Dean.”

“What, like I can fly?” Sam asked, bewildered. The thought was kind of appealing though. If he’d known he could fly, then he probably wouldn’t hate the whole Guardian thing so much.

“Not quite fly, no,” Fefelli told him, “but you can run extremely fast, and jump higher than twice your stature, and your agility is greatly increased.”

Huh. So that was how he managed to run around and fight in those heels. Should have known it was magic. “Well, I suppose that might work. Can’t hurt to try.”

He left a note pinned to on Dean’s pillow in case his brother came back while they were out looking, before transforming into the Guardian of the Heart. He decided to bring his phone so if Dean tried to call back he would know, but he wasn’t sure where to keep it. It wasn’t like his dress thing had pockets.

Fefelli coughed discreetly into its paw, gesturing with the tip of its tail to the corset top. Sam had to fight back a blush, but he supposed women did this kind of thing all of the time. Shrugging, he tucked the phone into the corset top, just behind the bow. It rested snuggly against his chest.

Once that was settled, he opened the door to the motel and quickly ducked into the alley behind the building. The city was busy enough that there was a risk that someone would see him if he stayed on the ground too long, so he’d need to search via rooftop. The idea didn’t appeal to him that much, with all the running and jumping that would require, but he trusted that Fefelli was honest about his abilities. Now it was time to put them to the test.

The motel they had chosen was only two stories high, but when Sam stared up at the edge of the roof it seemed so much taller. “Are you sure I can make that?” he nodded towards the edge.

“Just gather your strength, focus your power into your feet, and jump.” Fefelli instructed, once again perched on his shoulder.

“Okay,” Sam agreed shakily. He pushed down his fear as best he could, thinking of Dean. This was for Dean. He could do it for Dean. Keeping that though fixed firmly in his mind, he tried to follow Fefelli’s directions.

He breathed out slowly, imagining the glowing golden power that usually accompanied the formation of his spear flowing out of the heart crystal and down his legs to gather at his feet. He wasn’t sure if it was just wishful thinking or not, but almost immediately he thought that his feet felt a bit warmer. He took a steadying breath in, crouched down, then sprung.

Instantly it was like soaring, flying straight up into the air like a rocket. Sam couldn’t stop the shout of surprise from escaping, but if any attention had been attracted by the noise he was already gone. He didn’t quite make it all the way up onto the roof, but he had jumped high enough that he managed to catch the lip of the building with his gloved hands. Scrabbling against the brickwork with his boots, he managed to clamber up onto the roof proper.

Panting for breath more from shock than exertion, Sam risked a look back down from where he’d come. The height he’d just managed to scale was mind-boggling to him. Two storeys! He’d just jumped two storeys! Fefelli just grinned smugly as he started laughing uncontrollably. Forget demon blood! These powers were so much cooler! He was even starting to get used to the outfit.

Once he’d managed to calm down from his excitement, he looked around at the city spread out before them, and felt his heart sink a little. “How the hell do I figure out where to even start?” he asked Fefelli sadly.

But Fefelli had an answer already. “You’re a Guardian of the Heart, and your hearts are connected,” it said, grinning. “Sense him out. Follow where your heart pulls you.”

Sam leveled a flat look at the creature. “Seriously? That is the cheesiest advice I’ve ever been given. ‘Follow my heart’?”

Growling, Fefelli batted at his ear with a paw. “Just do it!”

Having no better ideas, Sam tried it. He closed his eyes and waited for something to happen. He tried thinking of Dean, picturing him in his mind. The short scruffy hair. The dusting of freckles across his face. His green eyes that Sam felt a little jealous of, that always managed to see right through him. The way the corner of his eyes crinkled up when he was really laughing. His warm smile. The way he rubbed the steering wheel of the Impala whenever he thought Sam wasn’t looking. The way he handled a gun. The way he always protected Sam against the world. The way he smelled. The way he looked when he’d just gotten out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist and water trailing down his chest. His bow-legged walk. His friendly pats on the shoulder when Sam had done something to make him proud. The warmth of his rare hugs, the way he pressed Sam close and held on with all of his strength.

Sam’s eyes snapped open. He knew where Dean was.

Fefelli grinned knowingly.

~*◊*~

There was a mini putt course on the edge of the city that must have been abandoned judging by its state of disarray. The obstacles and decorations were all rusted with large chips in their paint. The putting greens were overgrown with weeds, and the large windmill that formed the center of the course had lost one of its blades so that the rest of them swung sadly back and forth in the breeze without turning fully. The entire place was washed red in the setting sun, making it appear like the dry long grass was on fire. There was no sign of life in the area, not even field mice scurrying about. Sam stepped carefully, glancing this way and that, waiting for the attack he knew was coming.

There was nowhere tall enough on the course to hide a full grown man but the windmill in the center, so Sam headed there first. The crawling weeds tangled around his heels as he picked his way across the course, hindering his movement. Fefelli was tense on his shoulder, but refrained from speaking.

Surprisingly, Sam managed to reach the windmill without being attacked. Suspicious, but willing to accept the bit of good luck, Sam circled it until he reached the far side. There, lying against the windmill as if sleeping, was Dean.

Sam instantly fell to his knees, reaching under Dean’s chin for a pulse. Thankfully he found one, beating strongly. “He’s still alive,” he told Fefelli, who relaxed marginally. He studied his brother, noting that Dean seemed to be chained to the windmill. The bindings weren’t anything that Dean wouldn’t be able to get out of with a bit of effort, but it was strange to see them in the first place. Sam hadn’t really thought any of the Goblins capable of such planning. It made him a bit nervous.

“Huh. His soul is still intact,” Fefelli murmured. “Why would that be?”

The answer hit them both at the same time. “Bait,” they said in unison.

“Why yes, that is correct!” a high shrieky voice broke through the quiet of the course. Sam instantly jumped to his feet, craning his neck back to look to the top of the windmill.

The monster crouched on the windmill staring down at them was obviously related to the Goblins that Sam had fought before, but wasn’t the same. It was smaller for one, less bulky mass and more lanky. It was hairless for the most part, just a few patches of fur down its back, on its head and feet, and the end of the oxen tail. The ears were shorter and pointed, standing straight up, and it had long tusks and horns protruding from its face. Its skin was mottled brown and green, and it wore a brown fur loincloth with a wooden club tucked into its belt.

“Fefelli, what is that?” Sam whispered out of the side of his mouth. He could feel Fefelli’s fur standing straight up against his cheek.

“That’s the Hobgoblin,” Fefelli hissed back, a growl low in its throat. “He’s one of the Goblin King’s greatest generals! No wonder I couldn’t sense him! This does not look good.”

Before Sam could ask for more information, the Hobgoblin started speaking again. “Fefelli!” he cried out, his voice putting Sam’s teeth on edge like nails on a chalkboard. “It’s so good to see you again! I see that you haven’t managed to die yet! And look! You even have a new champion! How quaint!”

The Hobgoblin started laughing, sounding like a dying bird, and Sam finally had enough. Using what he had learned earlier that day, he leapt up onto the top of the windmill, Fefelli yowling in surprise and desperately clinging to his shoulder. The Hobgoblin also jumped back, stumbling over his tail, barely managing to stay up. Sam reached out, grabbed the Hobgoblin’s ear and jerked him forward roughly.

“Shut. Up,” He snarled into the monster’s face. The Hobgoblin gaped at him.

“My, my,” he chuckled nervously. “A bit more fiery than your usual, eh Fefelli?”

Sam’s eyes narrowed. He wrinkled his lip in disgust, then shoved the Hobgoblin backwards. The Hobgoblin let out an almighty shriek as it tumbled off of the windmill to the ground below. Sam glared dispassionately down at the cloud of dust that had risen from the impact, the Hobgoblin twitching slightly.

“Well that was rather anticlimactic,” Sam stated, raising his brow. “Come on Fefelli, let’s get Dean out of here before he comes to.” He turned around, focusing on leaping down without hurting himself.

“Sam, watch out!” Fefelli screamed.

Sam whirled about, but he wasn’t fast enough to react. The Hobgoblin pounced onto him, mouth spread wide in a broken toothed smile, and knocked him off balance. Sam experienced the wind rushing past him for a second, wide eyes locked with the Hobgoblin’s mad yellow ones, and then they hit the ground. All of the air in Sam’s lungs was pushed out with the impact, and pain lanced across his back. The Hobgoblin merely rolled with the landing, tumbling to a stop against a plywood pirate ship with rotting masts. He was giggling like a madman, long pink tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.

Struggling to get air back into his abused lungs, Sam slowly flipped over. His ears were ringing, or maybe it was just the Hobgoblin’s annoying laughter, but it made it hard to concentrate. He couldn’t see Fefelli anywhere, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. The Hobgoblin was beginning to bounce back over. He struggled to his knees, reaching for his spear stored in the crystal.

At once the Hobgoblin pounced, grabbing his hands and pinning them down. “Ah, ah, ah,” he mocked, still grinning. “None of that now.”

Sam strained against his grip, but the Hobgoblin was impossibly strong , and he couldn’t get his wrists free. The Hobgoblin grinned down at him, enjoying his efforts, a string of drool escaping his mouth left hanging open to drip onto Sam’s face as he leaned in close.

“Hey! Hey, Ugly!”

The Hobgoblin whipped his head up, ears perking. Sam had to look too, despite dreading what he would see. Sure enough, Dean seemed to have finally regained consciousness, and he was tugging on the chains holding him down, staring straight at them. Oh God, he was looking straight at Sam. Sam felt his face burning in mortification. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the Hobgoblin killed him tonight. If he didn’t, Dean’s teasing sure would.

“Silence, human!” the Hobgoblin spat. Dean merely smirked.

“Say, why don’t you leave the pretty little girl alone and try to take me on, huh?” Dean grinned, pulling on the chains meaningfully. “I owe you a couple of hits anyways,” he gestured to the bump on his head that was still sluggishly bleeding.

The Hobgoblin smiled back, all teeth. “No, I’d rather deal with you later. Right now, I need to take care of this Guardian here so she won’t get in the way again. Such a pretty little thing shouldn’t be kept waiting, wouldn’t you agree?”

“While I agree that a young lady should never be left waiting, I don’t think you should be the one taking care of her,” Dean shot back, and Sam could tell he was completely serious.

And that’s when it hit Sam that for some reason, magic or just plain obliviousness, both Dean and the Hobgoblin thought he was a girl. An actual Magical Girl, like in the cartoons that he sometimes caught Dean watching. He wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness.

Still, whether it was on purpose or just luck, Dean had managed to distract the Hobgoblin enough that his grip on Sam’s wrists had slackened. Time to take the opening he had been given.

Sam kicked up his legs, locking his ankles under the Hobgoblin’s chin, and kicked them out. The Hobgoblin choked in shock as he went hurtling across the golf course, crashing through the pirate ship. The entire display collapsed in a pile of rotten wood.

Knowing that he couldn’t afford to waste time anymore, Sam immediately summoned his spear.

“Lovely Heart Pierce!” he shouted, throwing the spear straight and true.

The Hobgoblin dodged it.

“God Dammit!” Dean swore, beating Sam to it. The spear flew back into his hands. Not knowing what else to do, Sam tried it again, but as before the Hobgoblin was too fast to hit. Sam caught the spear again, gripping the handle tightly in frustration.

“Guardian of the Heart!” Sam cocked his head when he heard Fefelli call out. Part of him was relieved to hear from the creature, especially because Fefelli had the sense not to call him by name in front of Dean, but the rest of him was desperate for help. “Throwing the spear will not be enough! You must stab him with it. Anything else he’ll just dodge!”

He had to fight back a groan. The Hobgoblin was too fast as it was, how was he supposed to stab him?

“Shut up!” the Hobgoblin shrieked, glaring at Fefelli perched on the head of an elephant decoration. “I’ll get rid of you next, worthless rodent!”

“Hey!” Sam shouted, indignant. “Fefelli is not a rodent!” Sam paused, “I don’t know what it is, but definitely not a rodent!”

Fefelli growled at him, but Sam was already moving, holding the spear with both hands. The Hobgoblin eyed him, watching his approach. When Sam swung the spear in a wide arc, the Hobgoblin was already airborne, leaping over Sam’s head to land behind him. Sam couldn’t get out of the way in time, the Hobgoblin’s backward kick catching him full across the back and sending him skidding through the long grass. A rock wall stopped him with a crash. He moaned, suddenly very grateful that the superhuman abilities that Fefelli had mentioned seemed to include slight indestructibility, or his skull would have been broken by now. He laboured to his feet, wobbling slightly.

The Hobgoblin hadn’t even bothered to follow him, feeling confident that Sam wasn’t that much of a threat. Unfortunately, based on how this fight was going so far, he wasn’t wrong in thinking that. Sam was having trouble standing, let alone taking this monster down. He waivered, sinking down onto one knee, hanging onto the spear for support.

“Aww, tired out already?” the Hobgoblin mocked, pouting his lips. “But I was just starting to have fun. Ah well, I suppose I could always play with this little human.” He turned back to Dean. The long pink tongue came out and licked a stripe up Dean’s face. Dean shuddered, trying to escape, but the Hobgoblin pressed in close.

Then he kissed Dean, slimy tongue and all.

Sam saw red. He shouted wordlessly, climbing to his feet, wounds forgotten. Golden light began to swirl around him, ruffling his hair and clothing. The spear started glowing so brightly it lit up the entire course like daylight. Then it began to morph, the handle shrinking and the sharp end extending down and expanding. When the glowing faded, Sam was holding a lance instead of a spear. He levelled it at the Hobgoblin and charged, pushing all of the magic power he possessed into the tip.

“True Love Spike!” he screamed, pushing the lance through the Hobgoblin with all of his strength.

The Hobgoblin screamed loudly and endlessly, even as he began to warp and dissolve into dark ash. It seemed to take forever before his voice cut off, but finally blessed silence descended over the mini putt course. A soft breeze rustled the grass.

“Wow,” Dean gasped, staring intently where the Hobgoblin had been. Sam jerked, startled. He had been lost in thought and had forgotten Dean was there, watching.

“Oh, are you okay?” he asked, once again kneeling down at Dean’s side. The lance disappeared as golden sparkles when he set it down, making Dean squawk in surprise, but Sam was only focused on the chains. “Here, let me help you out.”

“No, that’s okay, miss,” Dean gave Sam a wink. “I’m nearly out already.”

Sure enough, with a twist of his wrist, the chains fell away. Dean spread his hands, one still clutching a paperclip, in a ‘ta-da’ manner. Sam fought down the urge to grin at him. So this was what it was like to be charmed by Dean. No wonder he had no trouble finding girls.

Now that Dean was free though, Sam had no reason to stick around. He needed to get out of here, and fast, if he wanted to beat Dean back to the motel. Rooftop jumping was technically a more direct route to get back, but he wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to outpace the Impala. He glanced around wildly for Fefelli.

“Well, sir, now that you’re safe, I suppose I should go.” He tried to mimic a girl as best he could, tugging on the end of his skirt, but he wasn’t sure how convincing he was. Better to get out of there before whatever spell was keeping him disguised wore off. He spotted Fefelli waiting for him on the top of the windmill and took that as a cue for his escape route.

First he had to get away though. “There’s no need to go just yet,” Dean told him, reaching out for his hand, “Hi, I’m Dean.” He was using his most dashing smile, and Sam found it suddenly that much more difficult to leave. Dean just had that affect on him sometimes. But the idea of getting caught was stronger than his desire to see where Dean would take this, so he reluctantly pulled his hand away, ignoring the spike of guilt when Dean’s face fell.

“No, I really do need to go. There might be more Goblins like him in the area.” He hoped that sounded like a good reason and not an excuse. He didn’t want Dean to feel rejected, even though that would probably be the best idea. If Dean felt rejected, then he’d leave Sam, or rather the Guardian of the Heart, alone. The idea was like sour milk to Sam.

Dean seemed to recognize Sam’s reluctance, because he took a step back, smiling sadly. “Well, then. Better go find them, right?”

“Yeah...” Sam agreed softly, looking down at his boots. He knew he should do something, but he didn’t know what!

Then, Dean acted for them both. He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss against Sam’s cheek. When he pulled back, he was smiling gently.

“That’s what the girl does when she gets rescued in the movies, right? I’m not a girl, but I don’t mind getting rescued like a damsel in distress if you’re the one doing the rescuing.”

Somehow Sam knew exactly what to say to that. “And I don’t mind rescuing you. At all.” He knew he was blushing again, but he hoped that the magic disguise was covering it.

“You might just have to,” Dean grinned, once again backing away. “Until next time?” he asked, looking hopeful.

Sam nodded. “Until next time.” Then he leapt up onto the windmill where Fefelli was waiting.

When he turned back to wave, Dean called up to him. “See ya, Guardian Girl!”

Sam barely managed to avoid tripping over his own feet as he jumped off of the windmill and started running into the city, but he still couldn’t stop smiling. Even though Fefelli was laughing at him the entire time.

~*◊*~

Sam did actually make it back before Dean with about ten minutes to spare. It was just enough time to change back, shove Fefelli out of sight into his bag, and throw himself on the bed with a book. When Dean finally pushed open the motel door, the bed had just stopped shaking and Sam had just managed to get his book open to make it seem like he’d been reading the whole time.

He looked up, taking in Dean’s appearance, unconsciously searching for wounds, but thankfully the Hobgoblin seemed to have just used him as bait. His clothes were slightly rumpled, and he had a dopey grin on his face that Sam had come to associate with his brother getting laid. He fought down the urge to wrinkle his nose in disgust, then remembered that as far as Dean knew, they hadn’t seen each other since the day before.

“Where the hell have you been, man?” he asked, trying to blend annoyance and concern equally into his tone.

Dean just shot him a smug little smirk, moving into the room to flop down on the other bed with a huff. “Where do you think?” He gave Sam a suggestive wink. Sam played along, giving his brother a disgusted look, wondering when Dean would finish with the conquest story and move to the part about getting attacked by an unknown monster and then rescued by what he thought was a girl. He couldn’t wait to see how Dean tried to spin that one.

He wasn’t really paying attention as Dean went on about the woman he’d been with until he heard the phrase ‘giant bow with a crystal’ somewhere in Dean’s rant. Suddenly Dean had his full attention.

“...and I have no idea how she managed to move in those boots, they had to be three inches tall at least, but they made her ass look perfect. Girl really knew how to show off her assets, you know what I mean?”

And that was when Sam realized that Dean had been talking about him the entire time. He had to give himself a moment for his brain to restart from the sheer what-the-fuckery of the moment.

“Yeah, she was smokin’ alright, strange getup aside. Besides, doesn’t matter what they’re wearing for long, right?” Dean smirked, bobbing his head happily.

Gaping at his brother didn’t seem to be accomplishing anything, so Sam was forced to finally say something. “So you...met up with this...girl in funny clothing,” he repeated. Dean nodded along happily. “And then you...what?” Because there was no way Dean was actually trying to imply that they had slept together. Sam had been there, and he definitely would have remembered that little interaction.

But to his bewilderment, Dean went with just that. “Geeze, Sammy, do I have to spell it out for you? I know it’s been a long time since you’ve got any, but when two really hot people meet up and like the look of each other, they generally end up having sex!”

Once again, Sam was stunned into silence. Because while he knew Dean was lying, he couldn’t actually say anything about it without revealing how he’d known. But the fact that Dean wasn’t even going to mention that Sam had saved him, content to just create some fake fling; that was rather annoying. Sam had worked his butt off to save Dean, and now he wasn’t even getting the acknowledgement?

To save himself from blurting out his secret, he refrained from speaking again, just letting Dean babble. He did note however how few details Dean was giving about their supposed night together. Mostly he was just talking about Sam’s body or gracefulness, things that he actually would have experienced, with the few sexual details thrown in sounding very much like other stories Sam had heard before. An interesting thought started forming in Sam’s head. If Dean was lying about getting laid now, maybe he had in the past. Suddenly he didn’t feel so bad about the drought in his sex life anymore, if it wasn’t just him.

Eventually Dean started winding down his story. When he finished, both brothers were laying flat on their backs in mirrored positions, staring up at the ceiling with their hands behind their heads. They lay that way in silence for so long that Sam started drifting off to sleep. Then Dean spoke again.

“You know, I think I remember seeing her before,” he murmured into the quiet room, brow wrinkled in deep thought. “But I just can’t remember where...strange, you’d think that outfit would be more memorable.”

He didn’t notice Sam having a silent freak out in the next bed over. If Dean started remembering the other times he’d seen the Magical Girl version of Sam, he might start cluing in that Sam always seemed to go missing at those moments.

But then Dean rolled over with a huff, kicking off his boots and reaching for the bedside lamp. “Ah, forget it. I’m sure it can wait until the morning. I’m beat. Night Sam.” He flicked off the light, leaving the motel room illuminated by the yellowy light of the streetlamps that permeated the cheap blinds.

Sam was left lying frozen in the bed, eyes wide, trying to calm his too fast heartbeat, marveling at his luck. Once again, Dean was still in the dark and his secret was safe. His eyes fluttered shut as he sighed silently in relief and tried to relax enough to get to sleep.

~*◊*~

Sam had thought that after a full night’s sleep, Dean would have gotten bored with the ‘Mystery Chick in the Weird Outfit’ as Dean had titled him and moved on to hitting on the waitresses at the diner they visited for breakfast. But apparently he had made more of an impression on his brother than he’d realized, because Dean talked of nothing else all throughout their meal.

“Seriously, though, Sam! She took care of that thing like it was nothing! I couldn’t even make a dent!” he growled, spearing a breakfast sausage with his fork and tearing into it with his teeth. “We need to find her and figure out how she did it.”

Doing his best to hide his nerves, Sam kept his gaze on the fruit salad he’d ordered. At least Dean was admitting to his rescue now. “Sounds like some kind of witch to me,” he offered. He knew how Dean felt about witches, maybe that would scare him off. Anything to get Dean to drop the subject. But Dean clung to it like a rabid terrier.

“Oh please, you think I can’t tell a witch when I see one?” Dean raised a brow, looking offended. “She was not a witch. Pretty pink costume? Calling out your magical attacks? Magical critter familiar? She’s clearly a Magical Girl.”

Although he recognized the term, and knew that was a pretty good description of what he had become, Sam couldn’t resist asking, “I’m sorry, a what?”

“A Magical Girl...” Dean started to explain, and then he trailed off as he realized how that must have sounded. A pale blush grew on his cheeks, highlighting his freckles. Sam fought back the urge to grin, both at Dean’s embarrassment and the way his blush made him look kind of cute. But then Dean seemed to steel himself, drawing himself up and looking down at Sam imperiously.

“A Magical Girl, Sam. Like in anime. Even you should know Sailor Moon.”

Ah, Dean had him there. Because Sam did know Sailor Moon, he had watched it when he was younger in middle school. Dean knew that, having watched it with him every day afterschool whenever they were in one place long enough with a TV. He therefore was forced to remain silent, glaring. Dean smirked knowingly, leaning back in the chair. Point Dean.

They ate a bit more in silence, Sam pouting and Dean being smug, occasionally stealing bits of food from each other’s plates. After a bit though, Dean began to slow, chewing thoughtfully. Sam watched him warily.

“What?” he finally forced himself to ask. It never boded well when Dean started looking like that.

“It’s just the girl. The Magical Girl. I don’t even know her name.” He frowned, staring at his food. With a sigh, he pushed it away. Sam’s eyes widened. So this was serious, then.

“What does it matter?” Sam huffed frustratedly, “It’s not like you’ll ever see her again!” Well, hopefully that was true. He intended to be much more careful about being spotted in the future, at least. Ideally that would be enough.

Dean leaned in close. “But that’s the thing. I was thinking about it all night, and I realized I have seen her before. I got knocked out by something, so I didn’t get a good look at her, but I remember those boots.” He stared at Sam meaningfully, as if this meant something. When Sam didn’t immediately respond, he rolled his eyes and continued. “It means she’s been following me. And watching out for me!”

“Well lucky you, you have a pretty magic girl to be your body guard,” Sam snapped. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt so hostile. Maybe it was because Dean was getting a little too close to the truth. Maybe it’s because Dean seemed so pleased with the idea. Either way, he didn’t share Dean’s enthusiasm for the whole thing.

Not recognizing Sam’s bad mood, Dean plunged on. “Normally I’d be kind of freaked out that we’re apparently being followed, but in this case I’ll make an exception. The girl’s got taste. And a nice ass. You can make allowances for these things.”

Sam gritted his teeth as Dean once again started complimenting his magical self’s assets, getting more and more fed up with the entire ordeal. Finally, after Dean commented on how slim the corset made him look, despite his apparently smaller chest, for the fifth time, he’d had enough. He slammed his hands down onto the table, pushing himself to his feet, practically shaking with rage. Around them, the diner fell silent as the other patrons were startled by the loud noise. Sam paused for a moment, fighting to keep his breathing calm as he glared down at Dean’s stunned face. Then, without a word, he turned sharply and stormed out of the diner.

Dean didn’t follow him. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

~*◊*~

At first, Dean actually considered letting the matter drop completely. He’d picked up on Sam’s reluctance to discuss ‘Guardian Girl’ from the confrontation in the diner, and he did have some tact. He tried not to bring it up again. As much as he was dying to talk more about the mystery girl, Sam clearly wasn’t interested.

They continued hunting, trying to keep the Seals from being broken, and occasionally running for their lives from various demons out for their skin. Ruby stopped by only once, and Sam surprised him by turning her away almost immediately. Dean overheard them arguing viciously, Ruby insisting that Sam needed her, citing all of the times she’d helped him in the past, but Sam wouldn’t be moved. When she pushed the issue, he heard Sam start to recite an exorcism without hesitation, sending her scrambling away. She gave them both a look that promised bloody murder, but Dean was too thrilled with Sam to care. Sam had finally seen her for how petty and scheming she was, not helpful and driven as he’d believed, and he wondered what brought about these changes. Part of him worried about how much of it was just Sam becoming more jaded by the whole apocalypse. The thought of Sam becoming bitter and hateful like himself left Dean with a phantom pain in his chest. He never wanted Sam to lose that optimism and belief in the good of people to disappear, it was what made Sam who he was.

At least he could be thrilled Ruby was gone.

Hunting started picking up as the summer ended, with something popping up almost every week. They were constantly on the road, driving from one state to another, trying to put as many evil monsters down as possible. Sam still seemed a bit distant, sometimes sneaking out when he thought Dean wouldn’t notice, but it happened only rarely, and he came back no worse for wear, so Dean didn’t let himself get too concerned. Ruby was out of the picture, so unless there was some other demon bitch he didn’t know about, it couldn’t be worse than that. He sometimes smelled like ashes when he returned, so maybe he was hunting some small-fry ghosts and stuff in between their major jobs. After demons and angels and all of that bullshit, putting a ghost to rest would have been a walk in the park for either of them.

All in all, things seemed to be going well. Though they weren’t quite the same as before, the tense air between Sam and him that had appeared ever since he’d sold his soul was starting to relax, and they were more comfortable around each other. Despite the apocalypse hanging over their heads and Sam’s new secrets, they were as close to happy as they ever got.

But it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get the thought of Guardian Girl out of his head.

He started simple. Googling various combinations of Guardian, Girl, Pink, and Heart didn’t give him too much, but the first attempt rarely did. He was used to that from years of hunting. Usually you had to dig a bit deeper to get what you wanted. And he wanted proof that Guardian Girl existed. He knew she must be real, he remembered the feeling of soft, warm skin against his lips when he’d kissed her, but surely he wasn’t the only one who’d seen her.

He tried various forums and websites, searching for any hint of her. He managed a bit of luck on a conspiracy website he had randomly clicked on. Someone had spotted her, even managed to get a blurry picture of her jumping over the rooftops. It was all he needed, proof that she actually existed. He quickly saved a copy of the picture and bookmarked the site so he wouldn’t lose it. Then, feeling rather satisfied, he went for his shower. He could keep looking for more later.

He almost had a heart attack when he came out later and thought he’d seen Sam looking at his laptop, but Sam ignored him when he picked it up off the table and took it back to his bed. He couldn’t fault Sam a bit of snooping, he had been rather secretive about his research. But come on! Sam didn’t like him talking about her, he probably wasn’t going to like him looking into Guardian Girl. He was trying to be delicate about the situation! There was no reason to feel guilty. But Sam looked kind of sad when he glanced up from the laptop, and even though he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, he still felt bad. When he upset Sam, it was like kicking a puppy, you always felt evil afterwards.

Well, it’s not like the internet wouldn’t be there when they got back. Making up his mind, Dean closed the laptop and reached out with one foot to kick Sam out of the other bed. “Come on, man,” he grinned as Sam spluttered on the floor. “Let’s go make some cash.” He didn’t wait to see if Sam was following, already pulling out the keys to the Impala. There was a bar not too far from there that had both pool and darts. They could both do some hustling tonight.

Weeks later, and Dean had found nothing more than that first blurry picture. But Dean was a stubborn bastard. Even better, he was a resourceful stubborn bastard. Not long after the internet searches, Dean started calling up other Hunters, asking them about potential encounters with anything that sounded like a Goblin. Even if they hadn’t heard anything about Guardian Girl, it was a good idea to let others know that there was a new kind of monster on the scene. Bobby nearly chewed his ear off when Dean called, but he promised to keep an eye out for any hints, so it was worth a few ‘idjits’. Part of him wondered why he was so obsessed. He knew he’d never paid this much attention to a woman who was basically a stranger before. But something about her was just...different. Familiar. He couldn’t place it, but she felt like someone he could trust. There were so few of those people left, it made her all the more precious. He had to find her.

~*◊*~

Sam had thought things were going well. Dean had for the most part stopped talking about his alter ego, keeping his theories and stories to himself. Sam had improved to the point that he was actually almost enjoying himself when he went out to fight Goblins. Fefelli was correcting him less and less, and was starting to pick up his dry sense of humor. The first time Fefelli had called a Goblin a ‘dumbass’ Sam had almost fallen over laughing. Things had been going good.

But then he had seen Dean’s search history. Sam was indignant that Dean was still pursuing his alter ego, but at least Dean didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with his research. There was one tab open on a discussion forum that actually had a post from someone who had managed to spot him and get a blurry picture, but that was the only useful information that Sam could see, not nearly enough for Dean’s taste. He debated about closing the tab, hoping that Dean would forget that site and the picture, but before he could he heard the shower turn off and the bathroom door unlock. He threw himself away from the laptop, trying to look normal when Dean stepped out. He wasn’t fully successful, Dean shooting him a suspicious glare as he went back to the laptop, but nothing was said and Sam figured he was safe.

After a while and a few talks with Fefelli, Sam decided it wasn’t too bad if Dean was trying to search him on the internet. It wasn’t like he had a website, and there was nothing that Dean would be able to learn from the few candid shots random people had managed to snap that he didn’t already know. There would be nothing dangerous that he could learn, so maybe it was better this way. Dean could distract himself with the internet while Sam fought the Goblins, and eventually Dean would get fed up with the lack of information and give up. Sam just had to wait him out.

But Dean didn’t stop there. He started calling up other Hunters. God, the thought of Bobby knowing about his secret made Sam want to curl up and die of embarrassment. He didn’t think Dean was having much luck, knowing that he hadn’t fought any Goblins around other Hunters, but it still made him want to tear his hair out in frustration. Why couldn’t Dean just let it drop already? He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Sam’s alter ego since the Hobgoblin, and that had been months ago! He never cared this much a woman he barely knew for this long. He had always been more of the love em’ and leave em’ type.

The final straw was when Sam found Dean’s notes. Well, to be fair it was actually Fefelli who found them. It had been digging around in Dean’s bag out of boredom while Dean had been out interviewing a witness. Sam had been left behind to prepare the bathtub full of holy water they thought they might need for this particular hunt, and Fefelli was taking advantage of the freedom. Sam had mostly been ignoring the sounds of the creature exploring the room, focusing on the ritual to make the water, when there was a crinkling sound coming from just behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Fefelli sitting in the doorway to the bathroom with a sheaf of papers clamped in its mouth. It looked amused by something, which could only mean bad things for Sam.

He nervously abandoned the water, figuring whatever Fefelli had was probably more important. He took the papers gingerly, trepidation coursing through him as he began to look through them. As he read, his eyes widened, and the blood drained from his face.

‘Guardian Girl’ the papers read across the top in Dean’s messy scrawl. Then beneath was a subheading. Web info

-Only a few sightings, mostly at night (descriptions vary, not all may be true, more than one Guardian Girl? Team?)
-Pictures show she mostly travels by rooftop
-white cat thing always nearby
-saves people, but doesn’t stay to talk to people (shy? Hiding something? Humble?)

Another page was titled Hunters, and for the most part it was blank. It only had two notes.

-Monsters (goblins?) match no description of any previous encounter (even Bobby stumped!)(New species? Doesn’t match description of Goblins from myth)
-No hunter has seen either the Monsters or Guardian Girl (only one girl then?)

He flipped through pages and pages of Dean’s research, including a map of the states with red dots showing all of his fights where he had been spotted by witnesses, with potential sightings in blue. A second map marked all of the hunts the Winchesters had taken since Sam had become the Guardian of the Heart. When the two maps overlapped, it was easy to see a pattern emerging.

The last page from the bundle was more of a piece of scrap taken from a notepad, barely 5 inches square. Dean’s printing covered the center in bright blue ink. Guardian Girl is definitely following me. She must have the hots for me too. Need to arrange a meeting, preferably without getting attacked again.

Sam finally had to sit down, mind reeling. He wasn’t sure how to react to what he had just read. Dean had devoted more attention to the Guardian of the Heart than he did most hunts, based on the amount and diversity of the research in the pages. Nothing caught Dean’s attention like this, except for maybe the Impala. Sam knew that Dean cared about him, he’d gone to Hell for him after all, but he’d never been able to command Dean’s interest like this, and he finally had to admit that he never would. Dean was absolutely infatuated with his female alter ego, and Sam couldn’t even compete. And for some reason, that hurt.

Moving in a kind of daze, he left the bathroom, throwing the papers onto Dean’s bed before sitting down heavily on his own. He was dimly aware that Fefelli had trailed along behind him, hopping up to paw at the pages with an amused air.

He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly feeling so down. He should have been pissed that Dean was still going after his alter ego even though he knew it upset him. He should have been a bit creeped out by Dean’s devotion to the subject. He should have been ignoring it, getting back to making that holy water. He should have been putting the papers away so that Dean didn’t know he’d been snooping, whether it was his fault or not. He should have been doing anything other than sitting on the bed, staring at the floor and feeling sorry for himself.

He finally looked up when he felt the bed shift minutely, finding Fefelli beside him, looking up at him with a tilted head. “What’s wrong?” Fefelli asked, catching on to his sour mood. “Are you not amused?”

Sam stared at the creature. “Amused? Are you kidding? My older brother has a crush on my magical girl identity, which he doesn’t realize is me, and he now also thinks I like him back. He won’t stop trying to find me, and it’s only a matter of time before another Goblin recognizes him and attacks him, which means that he’ll see me again. And then sooner or later he’ll figure out it’s me, and then he’ll think I like him, and then what’ll happen?” His voice had gotten louder and higher as he ranted, finishing with a wail as he buried his face in his hands. Still, there seemed to be something else that was bothering him, but he couldn’t pull it out of the mess his thoughts had become.

A moment later, he felt a tentative paw rest on his arm and a silken tail wrapping around his back. He peeked between his fingers to see Fefelli peering up at him with concern. Once it saw that he was paying attention, it smiled. “But isn’t that what you want to happen? For him to finally understand your feelings?”

Frowning in confusion, Sam dropped his hands to his lap. “What feelings? Embarrassment?”

“Love,” Fefelli said simply.

“I’m sure Dean already knows that. Brothers just don’t talk about that kind of stuff, we just know,” he explained.

“No, not brotherly affection,” Fefelli argued, “I mean True Love.” Sam could hear the capitalization on the two words.

“What? What are you talking about Fefelli? I think you’re a little confused.” He tried to laugh his sudden nerves off.

“I am not!” Fefelli shouted with conviction. “I am the original Guardian of the Heart, the one entrusted with the Power of the Heart, so I know True Love when I see it! You love Dean, you must know this!”

“No! No, I can’t! I don’t have to know anything!” Sam stood in a rush, perhaps thinking he would storm out, but Fefelli was nimble and quick, darting across the room to stand in front of the door. “Move Fefelli,” he growled.

But Fefelli was resolute. “No. Not until you listen to what I have to say!” Sam growled, reaching out to grab Fefelli by the scruff of its neck to toss it aside. A second later he pulled his hand back quickly with a yelp, nursing the bite marks on his thumb. Fefelli hissed in irritation.

“Fine!” he threw up his hands, returning to the bed. “I’ll hear you out, but that doesn’t mean you’re right.”

Fefelli didn’t bother moving, probably expecting him to make a break for it at the first opportunity. Unfortunately that had been his plan. He fought back a pout at being thwarted. “I can sense love in a person’s heart,” Fefelli began, “as easily as you can see colours and light. And while I can see the brotherly love between you that you will admit to, it pales in comparison to the True Love that you feel. You are willing to do something you find distasteful and embarrassing, namely fighting as the Guardian of the Heart, just to protect him. Concern for him gave you the strength needed to defeat the Hobgoblin. You were able to sense his location with ease when you followed your heart. These are all only possible when you feel True Love for another.”

Sam started to interrupt, shifting uncomfortably, but Fefelli hissed before he could speak, and he fell silent. “But more than that,” Fefelli continued, annoyance warring with affection in its tone, “I’ve been watching you two since I met you, and it’s clear just in the way you look at each other, the way you speak without words. You are so in tune with each other you’re like one person. You become happier when Dean is happy, you worry about him when he’s gone, and you get jealous when he’s with another. Yes, Sam. You love him.”

Jealousy. That was the thing he was missing. He was jealous of his alter ego because she had something Sam never could; Dean’s love. He hadn’t even realized that was what he wanted until Fefelli outlined it for him in stark detail. He couldn’t deny it, it was all true, everything Fefelli had said. Moreover, there were a hundred little moments that the creature wasn’t even aware of. The way he went out of his way to pick up pie whenever Dean looked a little down. How he’d fallen to pieces when Dean had been in Hell. How the sight of Dean wearing his clothes sent a little jolt of pleasure through him. How Castiel was still his favourite angel despite everything because he had returned his brother to him. The way he couldn’t sleep well unless he could hear Dean breathing. How every time Dean threw a proud grin his way, he felt unbearably pleased. Sure, some of these things could be blamed on their codependent nature, but not all of it. Not all of the little pieces of their lives.

It was true. He did love Dean.

“Oh God,” he moaned, sliding off of the bed and onto the floor. He felt dizzy, too many realizations for his mind to handle. “God, Fefelli, what do I do?”

Fefelli, catching on that he wasn’t going anywhere at the moment, padded over to him. “Tell him,” it suggested, as if it was that easy.

“I can’t just tell him! He’s my brother!”

“So?” Fefelli sat down next to him, once again staring in curiosity. “What does that matter?”

“You don’t...it’s not...” Sam struggled to begin to explain to this odd creature about social norms and behaviours. “You just don’t do that.”

“Nonsense. You clearly have. So what’s the problem?”

“It’s not exactly accepted in our society,” he said faintly, but he knew there wasn’t much point. Fefelli’s species were obviously completely different from humans, and their customs probably reflected that. It might not be a big deal to them at all. Considering how obsessed they seemed to be with hearts, maybe they were a lot more liberal about love in their culture.

“Sam.” Fefelli leveled him with a flat look. “Nothing you or Dean do is accepted in human society. I haven’t been here that long, and even I can see that.”

Sam had to admit it had a point.

Voice softer now, once again Fefelli rested a paw on his arm. “Really, though. You should tell him. That way, he can hear the truth from you, instead of a twisted version being spat out by a Goblin. You don’t even have to tell him about your feelings yet, you probably need more time to adjust. But you should tell him about being the Guardian of the Heart.”

Sam sighed, letting his head drop down between his shoulders. “You’re right. He’s going to find out sooner or later, and he’s going to be pissed I didn’t tell him sooner. Better get it over with.”

Fefelli grinned at him, hopping up onto his shoulders once he was upright. No point in hiding if he was going to reveal Fefelli to Dean soon enough. He pulled out his phone, dialling Dean’s number from memory.

“Yo!” Dean answered tersely. Apparently the interview had gone badly. Sam winced, worried that Dean might take the news even worse if he was already in a bad mood.

“What happened?” he asked, stalling for time.

“I managed to swing by the morgue before the interview to check out the body, and it’s a bust. No sulfur, no signs of possession, just traces of heroin in the blood. Turns out the victim was a druggie, not a demon like we thought. I went to the interview just in case, but it checks out there too. Total bust.”

“Oh, that’s annoying,” Sam agreed, though he was secretly relieved. The last thing he wanted was to deal with a demon on top of the fallout from the conversation they were going to have. “So you’re on your way back?”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed, letting his frustration diffuse away with the breath. “I’ll be there in five or so.” They quickly said their goodbyes and hung up.

Sam decided that he’d rather wait outside than trapped inside the stuffy motel room, so he threw on his jacket, tossing his cell back onto the bed. Fefelli perched safely on his shoulders, Sam pushed open the door, stepping out into the parking lot behind the motel.

The Goblin King was waiting for him.

~*◊*~

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