Honey-Trapped 3/?
Chapter 3
Dean had steak, baked potatoes with sour cream and salad on the menu. Bobby got the important task to wash the potatoes and wrap them in foil.
"You do all the cooking?" He asked just to do some small talk. Dean moved around the kitchen with an ease that spoke of practice. He didn't even have to look when he reached for a spoon from the drawer or a cutting board from one of the upper cupboards.
"Yep." Dean let the word pop. "Can't trust Sam in the kitchen. That guy can burn water."
He threw together some seasoning for the steaks but Bobby could tell that he was mulling over something. As if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to put it in words. Or if he should speak at all.
"Sam tried to make steak once." Dean finally said, eyes fixed on the herbs he was chopping for the sour cream. "On my second or third day here, can't remember." He paused, shoulders tense and almost desperately not looking at Bobby.
To make this easier for him, this was the first time Dean actually talked about what happened to him, Bobby pretended to be absorbed in washing the potatoes.
"Let me guess, he burned them to coal?" He asked, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.
Dean let out a shaky laugh. "Man, I'd been so afraid of him. I thought if I just breathed wrong …"
Bobby didn't say a word, giving Dean time to work through this. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear what Sam had done or had threatened to do but if Dean was ready to talk about it, Bobby for sure would listen.
"Anyway." Dean took a deep breath and cleaned the knife to start on the salad. "Sam got steak, maybe he wanted to do something nice, I don't know. But he had these steaks and he was about to kill the poor cow a second time." He shook his head with an almost fond smile.
Bobby kept watching him out of the corner of his eye.
"What did you do?" He asked.
"I ripped the steak out of his hand and basically kicked him out of his own kitchen." Dean answered as if he still wasn't sure what had come over him back then. "Degraded him to potato duty." With the knife he pointed at the potato in Bobby's hand.
"What did Sam do then?" Bobby asked. How did he punish you? Was the question in his mind but he didn't dare to ask that one.
"Enjoyed a good meal." Dean shrugged. "When I realized what I had done I thought he would punish me or bring me back or whatever. But he didn't. He never did."
Bobby got why Dean was telling him this, to prove that Sam wasn't that bad, but what he got out of this story was that Sam hadn't needed to punish Dean, just that he could had been enough.
And randomness was another good tactic to keep somebody on his toes. If you never knew what would tick your abuser off, you lived in constant fear. So maybe Sam did let the steak incident slide, it didn't prove anything.
Bobby didn't say any of that and just finished wrapping the potatoes. He did, however, wonder where Sam had found Dean. Obviously a place Dean had been terrified to be brought back to. Where there still people out there like Dean? Was there still human trafficking going on?
Dean had refused to get the police involved and Bobby was sure that if he talked for example to Sheriff Mills Dean and Sam would just deny everything. And Bobby would lose Dean over it, that much he knew.
Despite his dark thoughts they worked in comfortable silence for a moment.
Before Bobby could come up with a neutral topic, the doors of the elevator opened and Sam stepped out of the car.
Dean claimed to love this man and for his benefit Bobby tried to be not too hostile but under the surface he just hated Sam.
The last, and only, time Bobby had seen him, Sam had been dressed casually and hadn't looked like much. Now Bobby took in the tailored suit with the crisp white shirt and the tasteful tie, the slicked back hair, shiny shoes and slim leather briefcase. He didn't quite remember what Sam did for a living, devil's advocate or something, but it did pay off well, that much was obvious now.
He looked good, Bobby had to give him that. He filled out the suit with confidence but his face was open and friendly. A man mothers would love to call their son-in-law. A man people later would say about: "But he's always been such a nice guy."
Sam's eyes fell on Bobby and his face lit up with a genuine smile.
"Good to see you again, sir." Sam stretched out his hand and Bobby took it just to be polite. Sam's handshake was strong but comfortable.
"Thanks for having me." Bobby answered, ignoring Dean's pointed look. He wasn't ready to let Sam off the sir hook.
Sam gave him a sharp nod and let go of his hand.
"Hey." He greeted Dean and leaned in for a kiss. He was aiming for Dean's lips but at the last second Dean turned his head so that Sam only caught the corner of his mouth. His eyes went almost comically wide while Sam let his forehead rest against Dean's for a second.
"Sorry, I forgot." Sam mumbled so low that Bobby wasn't sure if he understood the words right. They didn't make sense, though. "I'm a bit tired."
"I fed you too well." Now Dean grinned, cupping the back of Sam's head. With every other couple a display of affection like this would be adorable but with their background it made Bobby sick.
"There's a reason we usually do that on a weekend." Sam dropped another cryptic line and gave Dean a quick peck on the cheek. At least he respected Dean's silent request for no kissing on the lips. "Do I have time to change?"
"As long as you don't fall asleep." Dean teased with a watchful eye on the steaks he'd just put in the pan.
"If I do, it's your fault." Sam pointed at him. "Ellen wasn't pleased that I almost dozed off in a meeting today."
"You were the one who said, better safe than sorry." Dean reminded him and shooed him out of the kitchen. "Hurry up, you have five minutes."
"What was that about?" Bobby watched Sam climbing up the stairs.
"He's just tired." Dean dismissed it but Bobby got the feeling that he was missing something here.
Sam was back a few minutes later, now wearing worn jeans and a t-shirt and even his hair fell more open down to his shoulders.
Over dinner it was mostly Dean who carried the conversation. He asked a lot of questions about Sioux Falls, about the people he hadn't seen in a while. Bobby knew that this was more to fill the silence with harmless small talk than anything else but he answered easily.
Sam threw in a few bits about his day at work but mostly he stayed quiet.
"I really did a number on you." Dean commented when Sam blinked wearily over the rim of his glass. "Or you're just a bottomless pit."
Sam glared at him and opened his mouth to say something but with a glance at Bobby he just snapped it shut again. The way Dean laughed at that he knew exactly what Sam had been about to say.
Bobby had no idea what they were talking about but now that Dean had pointed it out, Bobby noticed how tired Sam looked. Not worn out tired, not like he had a hard day at work tired, more like the tiredness one got after a good meal. And Dean had said something about feeding him. Maybe he was still full from breakfast and whatever lunch Dean had packed him?
However, Sam finished his steak and potato without struggling and even had room for a slice of apple pie with whipped cream Dean had for dessert.
After that Sam almost fell asleep at the table. Dean clearly found it amusing.
Sam did help cleaning up but then he excused himself and went to bed. It was only eight in the evening.
Bobby wasn't sure if he really was this tired or if it was just an excuse to stay away from him. Either way, Bobby was looking forward to an evening with Dean alone.
After a day in the car he was tired as well so when Dean suggested a quiet evening on the couch, watching a game, Bobby agreed easily.
"Beer?" Dean asked from the kitchen, head already in the fridge.
"Sure." Bobby fought the urge to shout. It wasn't that far from the couch where he was sitting to the kitchen.
Dean handed him his beer and then sat down in one of the chairs.
For a moment they just sat there, nursing their bottles, and Bobby didn't know what to do or say next.
"So." He started, drawing out the word. "Is Sam always like this in the evening? It's a bit early for bed time." He was a grown man, he shouldn't be in bed by eight.
Dean shook his head with a soft laugh.
"Only on special occasions." He answered with a glint in his eye.
Bobby got the feeling that he'd stumbled over an inside joke he just didn't understand. Probably one involving sex so he didn't want to know.
"Any plans for tomorrow?" Bobby changed the topic. Dean had invited him to stay for a few days but they hadn't planned anything yet. It was the middle of the week so Dean probably had some work to do.
"I was planning a trip to one of the scrap yards." Dean took another swig of beer. "The owner has offered to take all the stuff from the basement, I have to set up the details with him. You can come with."
"Sounds good." Bobby agreed. "Sam has work tomorrow?"
"He was considering taking a few days off for your visit." Dean said, eyes fixed on the bottle in his hand. "But he decided against it. Didn't want to interfere too much."
Dean reached for the remote and a moment later the TV came to life. It was much bigger than the old TV set Bobby had at home. Like everything else around here. He probably could fit his entire house in what Dean called the living room.
"Sam has quite some money." He observed.
"I make some money with the cars as well." Dean said stiffly. "I pay my share."
"I didn't mean to …" Bobby started but then realized that that was exactly what he'd meant. "I'm sorry." He faltered. "It's just …" He made a vague gesture.
"I know." Dean sighed but his expression softened. "Sam and I have started in the worst possible place, I know that. And it looks worse from the outside, I know that too. But we're good now."
He leaned back, head resting on the back of the couch.
"There are things I can't tell you." He said after a moment and on some level Bobby was glad about that. He was there for Dean, he would listen to whatever Dean wanted to talk about, but there were details he just didn't want to know.
On the other hand, a statement like that just cried for questions. Questions Bobby didn't ask. At least not at the moment.
"Just trust me with this, please." Dean said quietly.
Bobby watched him sitting there, laid-back and open, beer bottle in a loose grip on his knee. He looked happy.
"I'll try." Was all he could promise but it seemed to be enough for the moment. Dean gave him a smile and then turned his attention back to the TV.
Chapter 4
Masterpost