Supernatural Fanfic: Twenty Questions (8/20)
Title: Twenty Questions
Author: poestheblackcat
Chapter rating: PG-13
Chapter characters/pairings: Sam, Dean
Chapter warning/spoilers: Not much
Chapter summary: Dean has always known what his job is.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Unfortunately. Darn you, Kripke. So, like I was saying, it’s almost my birthday…Okay, wishful thinking?
Chapter 8: Dean’s Job
“Dean, why’d you do that?”
Sam leaned against the doorway looking at his brother, who was sprawled on his bed.
Dean looked…well, he looked like he’d gone ten rounds with a steamroller and lost.
The almost-teen groaned and shifted the ice pack. “Because, Sammy.”
Sam walked in and perched himself carefully on the bed, careful not to jostle it. “But why, Dean? Those guys were way bigger than you and there were like, five of them.”
“ ‘Why, why, why,’ I swear it’s like you’re a friggin’ three-year-old again,” Dean muttered through a split lip. He sighed-and regretted it as soon as he did it when his ribs protested. He let his breath out slowly through his nose.
“Dean?” Sam said, softly this time. “You okay? Do you need anything?”
Dean groaned. “I need you to stop asking so many damned questions all the time, Sammy.”
The silence over the next minute was uncomfortable. Dean pried open a rapidly swelling eye to check on his brother.
Sam raised his eyebrows. ‘What?’ they asked silently.
“You don’t have anything to say that’s not a question?” Dean finally asked incredulously. “Seriously?”
Sam’s hands flopped up and down. “Fine. So at least the other guys look worse than you, I guess.”
Dean slapped Sammy’s knee with a hand sporting scraped knuckles. “Exactly. Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Sam pursed his mouth. Dean watched him warily from under the ice pack. Sammy looked like he was planning something. That was never good. The kid thought too much.
“You know, I’d like to know why you beat up those guys this afternoon, Dean,” Sammy stated.
“Sammy,” Dean said in warning.
“It wasn’t a question, Dean. It was a statement.” Sam smirked.
Dean closed his eyes. “Yeah? Well, here’s another statement: Little brothers are frickin’ annoying.”
“Then why’d you beat up the guys that were bullying me?” Sam shot back.
Dean would have tightened his lips, had they not been split and swelling up. “That’s a question, Sammy,” he said wearily. Little brother was getting to be too smart for Dean to keep things from him. Too bad. You didn’t know how great innocence was until you lost it.
“Dean, tell me,” Sam demanded.
All Dean wanted was some peace and quiet. “Because,” he said at last, “you’re my little brother and taking care of you is my job. Okay? Happy?”
Sammy was quiet for a moment. Then came softly, “No, I’m not happy with it.” A sigh. “Want some more aspirin?”
Dean breathed out carefully. “Yeah, thanks Sammy.”
Sam stopped at the doorway. “Sure, Dean. Just let me take care of you for a little while, okay?” He didn’t really say it. He wanted to, but he knew how his big brother would react to that.
What he really did say was, “Okay, Dean.” Dean could hear what he meant in those two words, though. And that was just fine.
Chapter 9: Protection from Monsters, Lifetime Guarantee