Boyscout (For mini_dean)
Preemptive apologies to those who are better acquainted with the Scouting organization - I am a. a girl, and b. from a country where boy-scouts were introduced ... well, organized, past the time I had anybody close enough who was involved that I could get details from. So. >.>
"But... I hate camping!"
"Dean. You said you'd do it, you got yourself outfitted, backpack and everything. Why the cold feet all of a sudden?" Dean could very easily tell his brother was laughing at him, somewhere behind that earnest face, and that only made things worse.
"It's just... I suck at all of this, man. I'm not... I don't know the kid, and he doesn't know me, and this is a damn bad idea."
"C'mon, what're you talking about. It'll be good. Bonding." That got Sam a glare. "You know. You can't exactly take him to a trip with us, or Lisa'll skin you alive, bendy or not, so. You get to go on a trip with him. It's his first year with the boy scouts, he won't exactly have all that much baseline to compare you against, you'll do fine."
"... you're a bitch, you know that?"
Sam smirked. "Anytime. Jerk."
***
It wasn't as much of a disaster as Dean anticipated. Of course, they got lost. Of course, nobody agreed with him that M&Ms were valid provisions (except Ben. In private.)
That is, it wasn't as much of a disaster until up to a point. Then things got a turn onto his usual department and getting six children (including his own, and that thought didn't ever stop giving him a panic attack) and one more adult out of range of the stupid ghost (of course he wasn't allowed to take a shotgun.) turned into a nightmarish top priority.
Then he went back to salt and burn the damned thing's bones. He was almost there when he heard somebody following and turned, alarmed - only to find Ben following.
"What're you doing here?"
"I heard somebody walking outside the camp and came out to... scout."
"Get the hell back. Now."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I, uh."
"What?"
"Don't wanna get lost."
Dean rolled his eyes, but he had to admit there was a point to that. "Right. Um. Stay very close, and whatever you see, don't cry out, okay? That's like with all those kids that were trapped, something that's just gotta be done."
"Okay."
***
Ben was quiet for the rest of the trip, but it wasn't exaclty happy-and-content quiet. Even though he'd agreed to be the one to start the fire, back at the site. (Somebody had hung the poor sod from a tree. In the middle of freaking nowhere. Years and years ago. It wasn't a pretty sight, and Dean would have preferred not to have had the kid see it. But he wasn't panicking either, even if the ghost had almost gotten them. Once.)
It was definitely enough not a happy quiet as he was growing careless and decidedly disinterested in the normal scouting activities. A bit of prodding would get him back on track, but he was definitely too distracted and thoughtful.
They were minutes away from the end of the trail, where Sam would be waiting for them with the car too when the boy's distraction said its final word, and he slipped and toppled over into a brook, yelling in surprise at the impact and the chill of the shallow water more than anything else.
Dean wrapped him in a blanket and walked the rest of the sitance with him tucked under his shoulder, carrying both backpacks too. He even let Sam drive, working to keep the kid warm and make him dry (somehow) out in the back seat.
After a few miles, Ben stopped shivering, and relaxed a little. Even leaned against Dean a bit. (It reminded him of Sam when he was that age, and he bit off a few of the jibes he'd given his brother in such situations in the past.)
"Dad?"
He blinked, since the word was still very, very disorienting. "Yeah?"
"You know... I actually hate camping. Mom thought it'd be a good idea, you know, get to know each other..."
Oh god... Dean shot a look at Sam in the mirror, but he already knew he was fighting a suprised snicker.
"... next time, could we do something else? You know. The less mud and stuff in it, the better? I could gladly live with a live performance of, well, I'm sure you can figure out who, or something?" Ben's voice was slowly but definitely moving away from 'unhappy' and going into 'demanding', which suited his usual behavior much better.
"Sure. You can handle making sure not to get trampled by people twice as tall as you?"
"You kiddin' me? 'course I can!"
"Alright then." A beat. "No tellin' your mom about... you know." That got Dean a sharp look from Sam, and he pursed his lips. Later. They were almost at Lisa's anyway.
"About... oh, that? Nah. I'm not a rat either, you know. I just hate camping."
"But... I hate camping!"
"Dean. You said you'd do it, you got yourself outfitted, backpack and everything. Why the cold feet all of a sudden?" Dean could very easily tell his brother was laughing at him, somewhere behind that earnest face, and that only made things worse.
"It's just... I suck at all of this, man. I'm not... I don't know the kid, and he doesn't know me, and this is a damn bad idea."
"C'mon, what're you talking about. It'll be good. Bonding." That got Sam a glare. "You know. You can't exactly take him to a trip with us, or Lisa'll skin you alive, bendy or not, so. You get to go on a trip with him. It's his first year with the boy scouts, he won't exactly have all that much baseline to compare you against, you'll do fine."
"... you're a bitch, you know that?"
Sam smirked. "Anytime. Jerk."
***
It wasn't as much of a disaster as Dean anticipated. Of course, they got lost. Of course, nobody agreed with him that M&Ms were valid provisions (except Ben. In private.)
That is, it wasn't as much of a disaster until up to a point. Then things got a turn onto his usual department and getting six children (including his own, and that thought didn't ever stop giving him a panic attack) and one more adult out of range of the stupid ghost (of course he wasn't allowed to take a shotgun.) turned into a nightmarish top priority.
Then he went back to salt and burn the damned thing's bones. He was almost there when he heard somebody following and turned, alarmed - only to find Ben following.
"What're you doing here?"
"I heard somebody walking outside the camp and came out to... scout."
"Get the hell back. Now."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I, uh."
"What?"
"Don't wanna get lost."
Dean rolled his eyes, but he had to admit there was a point to that. "Right. Um. Stay very close, and whatever you see, don't cry out, okay? That's like with all those kids that were trapped, something that's just gotta be done."
"Okay."
***
Ben was quiet for the rest of the trip, but it wasn't exaclty happy-and-content quiet. Even though he'd agreed to be the one to start the fire, back at the site. (Somebody had hung the poor sod from a tree. In the middle of freaking nowhere. Years and years ago. It wasn't a pretty sight, and Dean would have preferred not to have had the kid see it. But he wasn't panicking either, even if the ghost had almost gotten them. Once.)
It was definitely enough not a happy quiet as he was growing careless and decidedly disinterested in the normal scouting activities. A bit of prodding would get him back on track, but he was definitely too distracted and thoughtful.
They were minutes away from the end of the trail, where Sam would be waiting for them with the car too when the boy's distraction said its final word, and he slipped and toppled over into a brook, yelling in surprise at the impact and the chill of the shallow water more than anything else.
Dean wrapped him in a blanket and walked the rest of the sitance with him tucked under his shoulder, carrying both backpacks too. He even let Sam drive, working to keep the kid warm and make him dry (somehow) out in the back seat.
After a few miles, Ben stopped shivering, and relaxed a little. Even leaned against Dean a bit. (It reminded him of Sam when he was that age, and he bit off a few of the jibes he'd given his brother in such situations in the past.)
"Dad?"
He blinked, since the word was still very, very disorienting. "Yeah?"
"You know... I actually hate camping. Mom thought it'd be a good idea, you know, get to know each other..."
Oh god... Dean shot a look at Sam in the mirror, but he already knew he was fighting a suprised snicker.
"... next time, could we do something else? You know. The less mud and stuff in it, the better? I could gladly live with a live performance of, well, I'm sure you can figure out who, or something?" Ben's voice was slowly but definitely moving away from 'unhappy' and going into 'demanding', which suited his usual behavior much better.
"Sure. You can handle making sure not to get trampled by people twice as tall as you?"
"You kiddin' me? 'course I can!"
"Alright then." A beat. "No tellin' your mom about... you know." That got Dean a sharp look from Sam, and he pursed his lips. Later. They were almost at Lisa's anyway.
"About... oh, that? Nah. I'm not a rat either, you know. I just hate camping."