SN-Independence Day-Weechester PG
Dedicated to my partner in crime
nocturniquette1
Cause the secret isn't finding someone perfect. It is finding someone as fucked up as you are :)
“But why?” Dean bellowed, trying not to whine.
“Because I said so.” John said as he tossed some more gear into his duffel. His back was turned so he completely missed both his sons standing behind him mouthing ‘Because I said so.’ at the same time.
“But it’s Interpendent day!” Dean exclaimed, now dangerously veering into whining territory. John gave him a look as Sam mumbled under his breath “Independence”
“Whatever” Dean mumbled back “It’s not fair.” he said sitting on the edge of the bed arms crossed. He had completely tumbled headlong into a class four whine followed by good chances of pouts. At 13 Dean was bordering on the perilous edge between child and teenager. Parts of him seemed to have embraced the hormonally change, like his ears, feet and hands, while other parts were firmly entrenched in their previous ways. Like his face, chest and general attitude.
“Life” John began zipping up the bag “Is not fair.” again he missed both sons miming the words again as he said them “The sooner you understand the better off you’ll be.”
“But there are fireworks!” Sammy finally said, his words exploding as if they were the most basic of facts known to man.
John silenced him with a glare, which of course brought Dean to his feet to intercede. Standing between John and Sam Dean said “Can’t we just go out and see…”
“No” John said with the finality that had declared the conversation as over. Forever. It was the same tone he had used since they were both little kids, and as always Dean sighed as his shoulders slumped and quietly gave up. “Maybe next year.” he said as he ruffled Dean’s short hair with his hand. If he noticed Dean pull back slightly, he didn’t say anything about it. He took a step towards Sam who glared up at him, almost daring him to mess a strand of hair on his head. John just shook his head and walked out.
The door closing was deafening in the small motel room.
They sat in the room in silence, the television droned on in the background as small pops of fireworks could be heard through the night. With each set Sam would run over to the window, hoping to see some kind of display in the sky, but with each time he would sigh and walk away in disappointment.
After an hour of this Dean turned off the TV.
Sam looked over at him, Dean had called remote for the night, as he normally did. That usually mean they watched whatever crappy show about a talking car he could find on the set. “I was watching…” Sam began and then realized he hadn’t been watching it.
Besides Dean had tossed the remote on the bed and began to sling on his jacket “Get dressed.” he said pulling his shoes on over his socks.
Sam slowly got off the bed holding the remote. He wondered if this was some detailed plan on how to get the remote back from him somehow. But when he saw Dean walk into the bathroom and throw some water through his hair, Sam knew this wasn’t a trick.
“Where we going?” Sam said slipping his own sneakers on.
Dean shrugged as he took a comb to his hair, trying his hardest to style past the fact he had so little hair to begin with. “Out.” was all he said.
“But dad said…” Sam begun but stopped when Dean dropped the comb and walked out of the bathroom “I don’t care what he said.” he tossed Sam his own jacket “You wanna see fireworks or not?”
Sam nodded catching the coat in stunned silence. He shrugged it on slowly, after a few seconds he asked “Won’t we get in t trouble?”
Dean shrugged his shoulders in that same apathetic way most teenagers communicate in and said “I don’t care anymore.” he opened the motel room door and looked at Sam “You coming?”
Sam looked back at the motel room and then back at Dean. He was tempted to try his bluff and say he wasn’t going. In his entire life Dean Winchester had never left his little brother alone in a motel room, he was wondering if he would now. His thought process was cut off by the machine gun like pops of firecrackers and his eyes went wide in the same adolescent Palovian response all kids had to fireworks. Zipping his jacket up he raced out the door as Dean followed.
He was so sure they were going to be toast.
It was past midnight when they came back.
They were both laughing and going on as Sam held the two sparklers in his hand making a figure eight in the air. As Dean pushed the door open he said “I can’t believe they ran that fast!” he said his hand over his stomach as he laughed some more “They ran like scared girls.”
Sam was giggling as well as the sparks lit up the motel room “Well it did sound like it was a gun when it…”
They both saw John sitting at the kitchen table.
Sam almost dropped the sparklers in shock. Dean paused mid-laugh “Dad?”
“Sam go throw those away and get ready for bed.” John said in a cold voice. He continued to just stare at Dean.
Sam paused for a moment as Dean glared back at him. In a quiet voice he said “Dad, it was…” but he never finished.
“Go Sam.” John growled “Now.”
Sam backed out of the motel room to dispose of the sparklers quickly.
John swept his arm across the small table and a box came flying towards Dean, landing at his feet. It was an assortment of fireworks, one of those twenty dollar jobs you get on the side of the road. Dean looked down at it and then back to John “I came back to give you guys those.” he said. Dean said nothing as his father went on “Do you have any idea how worried I was about you two?” he stood as Dean steadied himself “Any idea how crazy I was with worry?” He took another step towards Dean and demanded “Answer me!”
Dean looked up at him and with a level voice that seemed to bear no emotion he said “He isn’t a goldfish.”
John blinked a few times in confusion “What?”
“Sam isn’t a goldfish.” Dean said, not moving an inch away from his father “You can’t just leave him locked up in here and think he is going to be ok.”
“Dean what are you…” the older man begun but the teenager interrupted him.
“He deserves more than this.” each one of Dean’s words were like shards of glass, the edges gleaming in the moonlight “He deserves the chance to go out and laugh and play and set off fireworks just like any other kid.” he said “And if you keep locking him up like this he is going to grow up to hate you.”
John went ashen for a moment and then went to backhand his son across his face. Dean blocked the blow without an iota of emotion on his face. In a very low voice he said “You can hit me all you want dad. But it doesn’t make what I said not true.” John thought about grabbing him and setting him over his knee, but he remembered giving his own father that look years ago. Dean’s hands were balled up into fists as he looked up with an angry stare.
John was about to say something when the motel room opened, Sam standing there in the doorway with his mouth half open in shock. John never took his eyes off of Dean “Go get your PJ’s on Sam.” The younger Winchester stood there not moving, without ever taking his eyes off John Dean said “Go on Sammy, it’s ok.”
To John’s amazement his youngest son closed the door and marched into the bathroom. Seconds later the bathtub could be heard running. Dean said in that same even voice “You wanna drag us around the country dad, stowing us in crappy motel after crappy motel that’s fine. You wanna pull us out of half a dozen schools because your job is over, fine. And you even wanna lock us up in here and force us to stay put all day that’s fine.” and now Dean took a step forward “But if you think I am going to deny Sam things that every kid should get, like fireworks or Christmas or whatever you’re nuts.”
John stood in shock as Dean confronted him “He is a good kid dad. A great kid. And all he knows is this life.” the next words he almost spit out “And that’s pretty shitty. He deserves more.” and without the hint of a whine he said “It’s not fair.”
Without a backwards glance Dean took off towards the bathroom, knocking on the door lightly “You need help?”
Sam’s voice came back “Not yet, I’m still washing!”
Dean backed away grabbing a set of clean towels from the corner chair. John watched him pick them up and walk over to the door “Dean!” a voice called out “I forgot the towels.” rolling his eyes Dean walked in and closed the door behind him.
John sat back at the table exhausted; he had never seen Dean act like that before. He looked down at his hands and tried not to collapse, what was he doing to his kids? What kind of life was this? And damned if he wasn’t right, Sam deserved more.
They both did.
Picking up the box john walked over and knocked on the bathroom door “If you guys hurry up.” he said over the muffled talking and laughing he heard in the bathroom “We can still light these off in the parking lot.”
There was a muffled cry of joy and the door opened up showing Sam standing there in his pajama bottoms, no shirt, sopping wet hair “Really?”
John smiled as he realized he had grown since the last time he had really looked at him. He nodded “If it’s ok with your brother.”
Sam looked back at Dean who nodded confused, he held out a towel to his brother who raked it through his hair hard, throwing water everywhere. He stripped on his shirt quickly and went running towards the door. Dean walked out and John handed him the box, a look passed between them for a second.
Dean took the box “Get a coat retard, you’re soaking wet!”
Sam moaned but walked over and grabbed his coat anyways. Dean opened the box and began handing Sam the fireworks one at a time. John came up behind him and placed a hand on his oldest son’s shoulder “Happy Independence Day Dean”
Dean looked up and smiled at him “You too dad.”
And the three of them watched the lights as the fireworks burned.