With Not Without You (Sam/Dean, PG, AU)
Title: With Not Without You
Author: Vera
Pairing: Sam/Dean
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Me no own. The idea is sailorstarshine's.
Word Count: 5.261
Summary: Harpy Dean is on egg duty when one of them hatches prematurely. Sam imprints on him. Lucky for the both of them, Sam's mother encourages their bond.
Author’s Note: Written for spn_illuminated and based on sailorstarshine’s art prompt. You can find her master post HERE.
=> AO3 <=
Dean sat on a rock, sighing deeply and flinging gravel in the direction of the eggs he was supposed to be watching. He was too old for this, dammit. He wanted to court the hens like the other adolescent tiercels. Not like he was particularly interested in any of them, to be honest, but he didn’t want to be on egg duty. Egg duty was for fledglings. He was almost a grown-up now. If they didn’t let him court, at least they should have let him join the guard in protecting the golden fleece. This was what humans were out to steal. They’d never come for the eggs. Dean would never be able to prove himself.
He flung a stone particularly hard without watching where it was even going, when suddenly he heard a suspicious crack. “Oh no,” Dean sprang up. “No, no, no. I didn’t do it!” He held up his hands in innocence and looked around before he realized there was nobody else.
The egg cracked again and Dean bit his lip, slowly shuffling forward. “Come on, buddy. I didn’t hit you, did I?” Once again he looked left and right, but nobody was around to blame him. After letting out a sigh of relief he realized nobody was around. Anywhere. And that fledgling was hatching. “Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed. “Come on. Don’t you want to wait for your mommy? I’m sure she’ll be back from courting soon.” Or maybe she was one of the lucky few in combat training. But those ladies would be back eventually as well. Then again, the eggs were not supposed to hatch until next week.
The faint cracking had turned into insistent hammering now and Dean could see the hatchling’s elbow emerge, hacking away at the shell. “Aw, come on,” Dean’s face fell. “Why me?” He knew what he was supposed to do. Run to the horn and blow it, declaring an emergency. The hatchling would need it’s mother present to imprint on. But for some reason, Dean was stuck, fascinated by what was happening right in front of him. All this time on egg duty and he’d never seen one hatch.
Both of its hands were now outside, the arms soon following, reaching for freedom. Dean was tempted to lend a hand and help out, but this wasn’t how it was supposed to work. Or was it? He took a step forward, then sprang back when the hatchling let out a loud, miserable whine.
“You can do this. Just one more push,” Dean cheered it on, moving forward again. And just as he’d said it, the shell gave one last crackle and it fell apart, revealing a young shaggy haired male hatchling.
His big eyes blinked at Dean. “Mama?”
Dean’s own eyes widened. Fuck! He quickly turned and ran to blow the horn. It was loud. Much louder than he thought, and it caused the hatchling to cry out in agony. Dean knew he shouldn’t. If he got caught with him, it was all over. But… the cries. He winced and doubled back.
The little guy was still sitting in between the cracked shell, arms wrapped protectively around himself, crying miserably. When he saw Dean approaching, his eyes filled with hope. “Mama?” He asked again, sniffling.
“Uhm, no,” Dean answered. “Dean. Uh. Me. I’m Dean.” He bit his lip.
“Dean?” The hatchling tried it out and hey, his second word! Dean felt warmth spread out in his chest and a sudden urge to protect the little guy or at least stop him from crying again.
“That’s right. It’s Dean. Don’t worry, buddy, nothing’s gonna happen. Your momma is gonna be here soon enough.” Dean smiled encouragingly.
The hatchling spread out his arms. “Dean,” He cried happily. “Dean!”
And Dean was pretty sure he sealed his fate right there, but he couldn’t help but close the distance, kneel down and hug the hatchling close. He pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around him to keep him warm and just as the hatchling was sniffing it, the first hens arrived, gasping loudly and dragging Dean away by his wings.
The last thing he heard were the hatchling’s loud screams of agony before the scolding started. But he couldn’t understand anything above the cries of his own name.
Dean was escorted back home and his father was called back in from work. He was sent up to his room, but he could still hear parts of what they were saying. The phrase “This wouldn’t have happened if his mother was still around” fell and Dean threw the blanket over his head and quietly sobbed into his pillow. What did they know? Yes, his father wasn’t the best and he missed his mother, but that didn’t make him a screw-up. What had happened today wasn’t his fault. It could have happened to anyone. But figures it had happened while he was on egg duty.
He was angry with the world, afraid of the consequences, he missed his mom, but mostly, he missed the fledgling.
Dean wouldn’t see him again until a week later. He was grounded at home and carving a slingshot when there was a knock at his door. He opened cautiously and then looked up impressed. A red haired woman dressed in full armor was at his door. Her red-brown wings glistening in the sun, the whole effect enhanced by the golden breast plate she was wearing.
“Hello. You must be Dean,” she said in a polite, melodical voice.
Dean just gaped at her. She smiled and suddenly he remembered his manners. “Yes ma’am.”
“I’m Anna,” she introduced herself, waiting for his reaction. “Sam’s mother.”
Dean frowned. He didn’t know any Sam. “Yes?”
She cocked her head. “They didn’t tell you, did they? It was my egg you hatched.”
“Oh.” Dean paled. “I didn’t… it wasn’t my f…”
“Hey, hey,” Anna reached out and touched his shoulder. “It’s okay, Dean. I know it’s not your fault. Figured my Sammy would hatch early. His father left before the nest was even…” She trailed off and bit her lip. “Listen, Dean, I’m not here to punish you or anything, but Sam… he’s… he’s crying all the time and I can’t leave him alone and there’s been reports that there might be another attack. And I’m on duty.” Anna looked lost. “Can you please come stay with him for a few hours?”
“Stay with… Sammy?” Dean tried out the name. The idea made his whole body tingle. He still missed him something fierce. “But I’m grounded.” He looked down at the ground.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain.” Anna smiled encouragingly. “Please, Dean. I need your help. Sammy needs you.”
“He does?” Dean blinked. “O..okay.” He nodded slowly and Anna beamed.
“Thank you so much!” She took his hand and rushed him out the door, closing it with a flap of her wing before they were taking flight. Anna led the way and soon they were in front of a hidden cave entrance, further away from the main part of their settlement.
Dean heard a sniffle coming from inside and it compelled him to enter before Anna could even confirm that it’s okay. Sammy was huddled in the corner, clutching Dean’s old shirt to his chest. As soon as he saw Dean, he gave a whoop of joy, jumped up and ran towards him on chubby legs. “Dean!”
Opening his arms wide, Dean enveloped him in a hug, suddenly feeling calm and serene. He was about to pull away after few minutes, but Sam clung on, refusing to let go. By the time he was able to ease Sam out of his grasp, his knees hurt and Anna was nowhere to be seen anymore. Dean smiled a little awkwardly. Sam just beamed at him. “So, you found your mother now, huh?” Dean asked.
Sam nodded. “My mama is awesome.” Then his face fell. “But I miss you. Where were you, Dean? Why are you not here?”
“I’m here now, buddy.” Dean sat down on the ground, his back to the wall. Sam smushed up to him immediately, cuddling against his side.
“You stay.” It was not a question. Dean sighed.
“No, sorry, Sammy.”
“Why not?” Sam’s hand clutched at Dean’s shirt, as if he was afraid it meant that Dean would leave right this second.
“I don’t live here. This is your family, Sam. Not mine.” Dean looked around the cozy cave. It held warmth. Something he missed from his own cave. He’d barely known his mother, she died when he’d been three weeks old. Killed by the filthy humans. Jason and his band of thieves.
“Why not?” Sam just asked again and Dean couldn’t be mad at him, but it hurt. So he chose not to reply.
“I haven’t seen you since you hatched. How’d you find your mom?” He asked instead and Sam launched into a long tail about everything that happened to him, including being a little afraid of his mother the first time he saw her and how he took his first bath and how much he hated wearing clothes and how he refused to let go of Dean’s old shirt.
“And I’ve really missed you,” Sam said again, and Dean’s heart broke a little.
“I’ve missed you, too, Sammy,” Dean finally confessed.
“Really?” Sam asked. “Then stay here with us.”
“I wish I could,” Dean replied softly, his hand passing through Sam’s long strands.
“But you have your mama at home?” Sam tried.
“No, my… no.” Dean sniffed, looking away.
Somehow, Sam must have sensed not to push it this time, so instead he just climbed into Dean’s lap and hugged him again. Dean closed his eyes and held on and that’s how Anna found them later, when she returned.
“I see you boys bonded,” she smiled sadly.
“Mama!” Sam exclaimed and after a little nudge from Dean, he ran over to hug her as well. Dean felt a little guilty. He never much thought about imprinting, but Sam was obviously smitten with him. But he had to admit that it went both ways, and he didn’t know if imprinting could do that. The hatchling imprinted, not the watcher.
Sam also loved Anna though, that was clear in the way Sam had talked about her. But it would all be so much better if Dean was around as well. Or so Sam had claimed. Dean sighed. “Thanks for letting me see him,” he said, on his way to the door. “If you ever need help again…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Anna shook her head. “I thought you’d stay for dinner?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m having dinner with my father.” Meaning he would prepare whatever John brought home.
“Oh,” both Anna and Sam sounded their disappointment at the same time. Her arms were wrapped around him and he leaned against her legs. They made such a nice little family.
“So I’ll see you around?” Dean didn’t wait for a reply. He quickly left before he wouldn’t be able to leave anymore.
Back in his own cold cave, his father didn’t arrive until hours later, smelling of ale and frankincense. “Oh, you’re back?” He’d asked. And that was it. He didn’t bring food nor did he ask if Dean had eaten, so Dean went to bed hungry.
The next day, when Anna came by again because apparently the second she tried to leave, Sam had cried bitter tears and demanded Dean come by, Dean had stayed for dinner at their place.
And it became a regular daily occasion after that. Dean was relieved from egg duty and made Sam’s babysitter instead, or whatever it was that Anna had told them. She was always nice and friendly and Dean never really saw it as a chore. It wasn’t until weeks into the arrangement, that he realized Sam would grow up. And he already grew fast. And then what about him?
Sam wouldn’t need a babysitter and imprinting could only go so far. Dean wasn’t his mother. He surely wasn’t his father either. And, much as he wished to be, he wasn’t a sibling. He wasn’t anything to them but the screw-up who’d blown the horn too late, so now they were stuck with Dean until Sam grew out of it.
Dean had never felt despair as bad as when he realized those facts as such. Because while Sam and Anna could easily live without him, he wasn’t so sure he could live without them anymore.
“I can’t see you anymore, Sammy.” He exclaimed the next day, while they were sitting outside in the meadow. “I mean, I can’t be your babysitter anymore. You’re growing out of it and I am getting too old for it as well.”
“What? But Dean, I…” Sammy tried, already tearing up.
Dean forced himself to look away. “No. This is silly. It’s for fledglings. And I’m a grown tiercel now. I want to be around other grown-ups and not waste my time with you anymore. I need to go to the academy and fight. I need to… need to go find me a hen and… and court. I need to do anything but be here with you.”
Sam reached out for him just as Dean took flight and he could feel Sam rip out one of his longer feathers while several downy ones whirled down all around him. Dean had to bite his tongue to not cry out from the pain. But the tear in his wings was nothing compared to the stab in his heart at seeing Sam left in the meadow, single brown feather clutched in his hand.
Dean flew up to the mountain, carefully flying out of sight of the watchers. It was forbidden to fly so far up. Humans might see him and come hunting. But right now he didn’t care. Sammy would never reach him here, that was for sure. The little guy couldn’t even fly yet.
Thinking of Sammy trying to fly and failing miserably made him chuckle. But then he thought of Sammy trying to fly while clutching his feather, just trying to come after him, because he didn’t understand that Dean had just left him, because… fuck, he had just up and left without a warning.
But that was the way it had to be. Cold turkey. Yes.
Dean wrapped his arms around himself, burying his body underneath the feathers. Then he bit his lip so hard it bled, just so he wouldn’t cry. It didn’t help.
Late that night, he finally made his way home. He was greeted by a frantic Anna on his doorstep. “Dean! Oh thank heavens there you are.” She gave him a brief hug. “Where’s Sammy? Is he trailing behind?” She looked around past him and Dean paled.
“Uhm, what? Is he… I thought he was at home with you?” The meadow was just a short walk from their cave. And no way to get lost in between. Sam should have… should have…
“You left him alone at home?” Anna asked.
“Ye…” Dean stopped. This was not the time to lie. “I left him in the meadow.”
“You what? Why, Dean?” Anna wasn’t mad yet, just concerned. His father, however, was furious.
“Because the boy can’t do anything right, that’s why,” John rumbled. “Worthless fledgling. It’s good your mother’s not around to see this. She’d be so disappointed.”
Dean swallowed hard, the shame and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. “I… I…”
“Now listen, sir.” Anna pushed herself up to her full height between them. Even in her normal gown and without armor she was still impressive. “Dean is a fine young boy and any hen would be happy to call him her own. I sure would be.”
”Keep him, then.” John just turned around, closing the door behind him.
Anna gaped. Obviously she didn’t expect this. Dean on the other hand was not surprised. He deserved this. He deserved to be all alone. Especially after today.
But then Anna surprised him. She pulled him close and hugged him once more. “I’m sorry you had to hear this, Dean. Don’t think for a second he’s right.” She pulled back. “I’m sure you had a reason to leave today. That’s not important now. What’s important is finding Sammy. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
Dean shook his head, fighting back fresh tears. Sammy standing alone in the meadow. Sammy clutching his feather. His feather. “No, wait. Maybe.” He wouldn’t, would he? It was Sam. Of course he would. “He might be trying to climb the mountain.” Following his smell. Aw, shit.
Anna looked even more scared than before, but she didn’t question him. “Lead the way.”
First they flew to the meadow, but any hopes he had on finding Sammy still there, probably rolled up into a ball and crying, were crushed. Next, Dean took the shortest way to the mountain. Closer to it, the woods were getting deeper and Dean spotted one of Sam’s brown feathers in a bush. He winced, realizing Sammy must have gotten tangled up in the thorns, but at least it meant they were on the right way.
Anna was silent next to him. When they reached the mountain, the way split in two directions. “You okay to look on your own, Dean? It’s already dark.” Anna looked torn. She knew it was faster if they split, but she didn’t seem to trust him to be on his own. It amazed him how much she still cared. She should hate him for losing her son.
“I’m fine. I’m old enough.” Dean spread his wings and stroke a pose.
“I see,” Anna suppressed a smile and Dean felt proud for making her forget her worries, if only for a second. “I’ll take the right, you take the left. If anything attacks you or you just get a bad feeling, fly back down, you hear me?”
Dean nodded and took off before she could change her mind. The way was narrow and steep and Dean had to admit that it was rather creepy to walk it in the dark. His night vision wasn’t that good and he’d feel much safer flying. Humans weren’t their only enemies. But he couldn’t risk losing Sam.
He felt much more confident when he found another brown feather. He was about to call for Anna, but then he heard a low growl followed by a stifled whimper. Sammy. Ears wide open, he made his way forward, grabbing a fallen branch just before he reached a corner. The growling was coming from very close to him now. He took flight and landed on a rock overlooking the rest of the path.
What he saw stopped his breath. Sammy was sitting up in a tree branch while a mountain lion was down below, trying to climb up. Every time he came close, Sam found a twig to throw at him, but the branch he was sitting on was starting to look bare.
Taking up all his courage, Dean charged at the lion with a loud yell. He held the branch high and then clubbed the lion with all the strength he could muster up. The lion yelped, stumbling back. Then he hissed, recovering and starting to charge at Dean. Dean held the branch high, ready to charge again, when Sammy dropped an especially large branch from up above, landing right on the lion’s head. Dean used the moment to charge again, taking flight right after before the lion could paw at him.
Luck must have been with them that night, because after that second attack, the mountain lion just growled, but then it licked its paws and trotted off. Dean waited until he couldn’t hear it anymore before he finally dropped the branch.
“Dean,” Sam whispered from above him, a shivering, huddled figure in the shadows.
“Come on down, Sammy. I’ll catch you.” Dean held out his arms.
“No,” Sam spat. “I hate you.”
Dean winced. Okay, he deserved that. “That’s why you came after me? To tell me that?”
“Didn’t come after you.” Sam crossed his arms defiantly.
“Alright, Sammy. Can you please come down and we’ll talk?” Dean tried. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean it.”
“You… you didn’t?”
“No I… I was just stupid, okay?” Dean passed a hand through his hair. Dammit. “I need you, Sam. Please. I need you safe and well.”
“You’ll catch me?” Sam asked tentatively.
“Always, Sammy.” Dean spread out his arms again. When Sam jumped, he took flight to catch him mid-fall, then he flew a few more feet with him in his arms before landing them safely.
Sam whooped, hugging him close. Then he suddenly pulled back. “I still kind of hate you.”
“I know, Sammy. I know.” Dean pulled him back into the hug, clutching him close.
“You won’t leave me?” Sam sniffled a little.
“No, Sammy. Never again, I promise.” He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to Sam. And even if not. He couldn’t live without Sam, he realized that now. Trying had been a dumb idea. It was already too late for him. He’d have to see this through and watch Sam leave him as soon as he was old enough. He just hoped that wouldn’t be anytime soon.
“Okay, hold on tight.” Dean hugged Sam close to his chest and took up flight again. He didn’t want to spend any more time here and risk the lion coming back. Avoiding the trees was a little harder because carrying Sam made him more uncoordinated, but soon he was free and up in the air, looking for Anna.
He didn’t need to search for long, because she came flying straight at them, tackling them in a hug mid-air. Dean was so surprised, he stopped flapping his wings, but Anna just carried them both back down safely. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she mumbled. “Both of you.”
With solid ground back under their feet, Sam let go of Dean and clung to his mother instead. That’s how it should be. Dean scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly out of place. But it didn’t last for long.
“You’re coming back with us, Dean. I’ll set you up a cot right next to Sammy,” Anna announced and just like Sammy sometimes did, it was not a question but a statement.
Dean was too tired to argue. He nodded and when Anna picked up Sam and held out her hand for him, he took it.
It still took him a while before he accepted his new family though. He tried to go back to his own home the next day, but things with his father just became more and more strained. When it turned into open hostility, Dean caved and went back to Anna’s place. The next day, she came home from work with all of Dean’s belongings in tow and the day after that, a woodsman came and turned Dean’s makeshift cot into a proper one.
They never talked about it, but Dean was eternally grateful to Anna. In turn, Anna seemed honestly pleased to have him around. If only to help with Sammy. The day when Sam left for the prestigious harpy academy, a school for future scholars and preservers of their most sacred knowledge and an honor reserved to only the best and brightest young fledglings, Dean was torn. He was so happy for Sam, but he’d miss him like crazy. And it might be time for him to look for a place on his own.
Instead, Anna sat him down and talked with him about warrior training and asked if she could take him under her wing. With his own academy to attend and extremely draining physical exercise, he didn’t miss Sammy quite as bad. And if he did, he cuddled up to Anna in front of the fire and they were trading stories about when Sammy had just been a wee fledgling.
The first time Sammy came back home after almost a full semester at the academy, he’d grown out of all his old clothes and insisted they only call him ‘Sam’. The second time, he hugged them both for the longest time and allowed them the occasional ‘Sammy’.
Their relationship changed as Sam grew. He didn’t need a protector so much as he needed a friend and while Dean sometimes missed the times of the two of them just cuddling together, doing nothing, it was just as great to have an equal to steal out and explore the woods and mountains with, without the constant fear of wee Sammy getting hurt. They often chased each other through the skies and discovered a hidden lake, where they would hang out and bathe in the summer months, when Sam was home in between semesters and Dean called in favors to get out of training.
However the time came when Dean was getting too old to still live with Anna, especially since she wasn’t his biological mother. Partially, he was doing it to save her reputation, but it was also getting awkward sometimes. So one day, he found the perfect spot. It was near Anna’s cave but far enough away and best of all, it was far enough away from the main part of their settlement.
Dean still felt like an outsider, but by now he was okay with it. He was turning out to be one of their finest warriors, or at least that was what Anna said to him, and he didn’t need the hassle of courting the hens. He was busy protecting their livelihood, the fleece, and more so, he was protecting their lives.
When he was done, and not a second before, he invited Anna over, anxious of her judgment. Sam was still at his academy, but he’d be home soon.
Much to his relief, Anna was pleased. "I love it Dean. It will be a great nest for you to start your own family. Did you built it with a special hen in mind?" she asked teasingly.
"What?" Dean frowned, thinking of all the silly hens he knew. "No, not really." He shrugged helplessly. That was really not how he pictured it. At all.
Anna paused, studying him for a moment. "Just you and Sammy then?"
In reply, Dean beamed. "You think he'll like it? I gave him the best lit room so he can read properly."
"I'm sure he'll love it." Anna squeezed his shoulder. "I'll miss having you boys around. You have to come over for dinner all the time."
"Count on it," Dean pulled her into a hug, already missing his regular meals at her table. She was every bit the mother he always wanted and he was still eternally grateful for her taking him on.
It wasn't until later that day, when he walked through the rooms one last time before he laid down for his first night's sleep in his own large cot, thinking how much better this would be if he had Sam to cuddle up against, when he realized the one thing missing from Sam's room. A second cot. He'd just assumed... and Anna... Anna must have known. And she'd given him her blessing.
He smiled, hugging his blanket and thinking about Sam.
Sam! Would he even want to sleep in the same cot with him? Dean sat up straight and jumped out of bed, pacing restlessly until exhaustion took him over. Thankfully for him, he only had a few more days to freak out before Sam arrived back from the academy. Before he could go visit him at Anna’s, Sam showed up at his entrance.
“How’d you…?” Dean trailed off his question when Sam tapped his nose.
“I’d still find you anywhere, Dean.” Sam smiled. “Now get out of the way, I wanna see the place you built for us.” Sam pushed him aside playfully and walked through the rooms with Dean trailing after him nervously. When he reached his reading room, he smiled happily. “You even got me a shelf.”
“Built it myself,” Dean mumbled. “So it might fall apart.”
“Oh, shush,” Sam rolled his eyes. His bedroom was the last place and Sam looked around carefully. Dean could sense his nervousness. In a way, they were still in synch.
“I can built you a…”
“Shush I said,” Sam turned to face him, placing his hand on Dean’s cheek. “It’s perfect.”
Dean smiled shyly, looking down at his feet. Suddenly Sam’s wings caressed his own and Dean shuddered. “Sam, I…”
“Shh,” Sam shook his head, thumb caressing Dean’s cheek bone, before he slowly leaned closer, kissing him.
After that, life was pretty damn good for Dean. Sam only had one semester left and he got a scholar position in their settlement. Dean finished his own training and he also took on teaching along with his shifts as a guard of the fleece. Sadly, he’d still been in training during the last attack and he blamed himself for not being around to help fight the humans. Anna had been wounded in battle, but she was recovering nicely. Him and Sam spent even more time at her place but come night time, she always shooed them home.
Some of his fellow guardsmen mocked him about not courting hens and worse, some of the hens were making eyes at him, but at the end of each day, he went home to Sam happily. He didn’t miss a thing. At least he didn’t think he missed anything, until the day came that he had to teach a new fledgling in egg duty. The fledgling was just slightly younger than he had been when Sammy hatched and he was just telling the story, explaining how it never happened again afterwards, when one of the eggs cracked.
“Oh come on!” Dean looked up to the heavens. “Again? Seriously?”
“What do I do?” The fledgling asked frantically. “Blow the horn?”
“Yeah, you better.” Dean nodded, thinking he really should go with him, but, just like before, something made him stay. The egg cracked fully after the horn was blown, but the newborn fledgling just had time to spot Dean, before the old mother hen could arrive to pull him away.
“You again? Don’t you know better? Heavens!” She held up her hands and looked up just when the fledgling took its first steps right into Dean’s arms. Or rather, right into Dean’s leg.
“Mama?” It said, clinging to Dean’s leg, and none of the hens was able to extract him again.
And that was how later that day, Dean was walking home with the fledgling still attached to his leg.
“Dean?” Sam came outside to greet him and stopped dead in his tracks, half amused, half shocked.
“He’s Amy and Matt’s.”
“Oh,” Sam’s face fell. Amy and Matt had been the two fallen in the last attack. “So what are we naming him?” Once again, not really a question if he was staying.
“I like Kieran,” Dean said, reaching down to ruffle the fledgling’s hair.
Sam nodded. “Alright. Do you like that, Kieran?” Sam knelt down, opening his arms and the fledgling, Kieran, let go of Dean and went over to Sam instead.
“Are you my mommy?” Kieran asked and Dean laughed.
“You’re explaining that one,” Sam said, looking pointedly at Dean. “Come on in, Kieran. You’re just in time for dinner.”
Still chuckling, Dean followed them inside. It seemed like there would be a place for a cot in Sam’s study room after all.
NOW GO LOOK AT THE ART POST AGAIN AND LEAVE SOME FEEDBACK FOR THE AWESOME ARTIST!!!
Author: Vera
Pairing: Sam/Dean
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Me no own. The idea is sailorstarshine's.
Word Count: 5.261
Summary: Harpy Dean is on egg duty when one of them hatches prematurely. Sam imprints on him. Lucky for the both of them, Sam's mother encourages their bond.
Author’s Note: Written for spn_illuminated and based on sailorstarshine’s art prompt. You can find her master post HERE.
=> AO3 <=
Dean sat on a rock, sighing deeply and flinging gravel in the direction of the eggs he was supposed to be watching. He was too old for this, dammit. He wanted to court the hens like the other adolescent tiercels. Not like he was particularly interested in any of them, to be honest, but he didn’t want to be on egg duty. Egg duty was for fledglings. He was almost a grown-up now. If they didn’t let him court, at least they should have let him join the guard in protecting the golden fleece. This was what humans were out to steal. They’d never come for the eggs. Dean would never be able to prove himself.
He flung a stone particularly hard without watching where it was even going, when suddenly he heard a suspicious crack. “Oh no,” Dean sprang up. “No, no, no. I didn’t do it!” He held up his hands in innocence and looked around before he realized there was nobody else.
The egg cracked again and Dean bit his lip, slowly shuffling forward. “Come on, buddy. I didn’t hit you, did I?” Once again he looked left and right, but nobody was around to blame him. After letting out a sigh of relief he realized nobody was around. Anywhere. And that fledgling was hatching. “Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed. “Come on. Don’t you want to wait for your mommy? I’m sure she’ll be back from courting soon.” Or maybe she was one of the lucky few in combat training. But those ladies would be back eventually as well. Then again, the eggs were not supposed to hatch until next week.
The faint cracking had turned into insistent hammering now and Dean could see the hatchling’s elbow emerge, hacking away at the shell. “Aw, come on,” Dean’s face fell. “Why me?” He knew what he was supposed to do. Run to the horn and blow it, declaring an emergency. The hatchling would need it’s mother present to imprint on. But for some reason, Dean was stuck, fascinated by what was happening right in front of him. All this time on egg duty and he’d never seen one hatch.
Both of its hands were now outside, the arms soon following, reaching for freedom. Dean was tempted to lend a hand and help out, but this wasn’t how it was supposed to work. Or was it? He took a step forward, then sprang back when the hatchling let out a loud, miserable whine.
“You can do this. Just one more push,” Dean cheered it on, moving forward again. And just as he’d said it, the shell gave one last crackle and it fell apart, revealing a young shaggy haired male hatchling.
His big eyes blinked at Dean. “Mama?”
Dean’s own eyes widened. Fuck! He quickly turned and ran to blow the horn. It was loud. Much louder than he thought, and it caused the hatchling to cry out in agony. Dean knew he shouldn’t. If he got caught with him, it was all over. But… the cries. He winced and doubled back.
The little guy was still sitting in between the cracked shell, arms wrapped protectively around himself, crying miserably. When he saw Dean approaching, his eyes filled with hope. “Mama?” He asked again, sniffling.
“Uhm, no,” Dean answered. “Dean. Uh. Me. I’m Dean.” He bit his lip.
“Dean?” The hatchling tried it out and hey, his second word! Dean felt warmth spread out in his chest and a sudden urge to protect the little guy or at least stop him from crying again.
“That’s right. It’s Dean. Don’t worry, buddy, nothing’s gonna happen. Your momma is gonna be here soon enough.” Dean smiled encouragingly.
The hatchling spread out his arms. “Dean,” He cried happily. “Dean!”
And Dean was pretty sure he sealed his fate right there, but he couldn’t help but close the distance, kneel down and hug the hatchling close. He pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around him to keep him warm and just as the hatchling was sniffing it, the first hens arrived, gasping loudly and dragging Dean away by his wings.
The last thing he heard were the hatchling’s loud screams of agony before the scolding started. But he couldn’t understand anything above the cries of his own name.
Dean was escorted back home and his father was called back in from work. He was sent up to his room, but he could still hear parts of what they were saying. The phrase “This wouldn’t have happened if his mother was still around” fell and Dean threw the blanket over his head and quietly sobbed into his pillow. What did they know? Yes, his father wasn’t the best and he missed his mother, but that didn’t make him a screw-up. What had happened today wasn’t his fault. It could have happened to anyone. But figures it had happened while he was on egg duty.
He was angry with the world, afraid of the consequences, he missed his mom, but mostly, he missed the fledgling.
Dean wouldn’t see him again until a week later. He was grounded at home and carving a slingshot when there was a knock at his door. He opened cautiously and then looked up impressed. A red haired woman dressed in full armor was at his door. Her red-brown wings glistening in the sun, the whole effect enhanced by the golden breast plate she was wearing.
“Hello. You must be Dean,” she said in a polite, melodical voice.
Dean just gaped at her. She smiled and suddenly he remembered his manners. “Yes ma’am.”
“I’m Anna,” she introduced herself, waiting for his reaction. “Sam’s mother.”
Dean frowned. He didn’t know any Sam. “Yes?”
She cocked her head. “They didn’t tell you, did they? It was my egg you hatched.”
“Oh.” Dean paled. “I didn’t… it wasn’t my f…”
“Hey, hey,” Anna reached out and touched his shoulder. “It’s okay, Dean. I know it’s not your fault. Figured my Sammy would hatch early. His father left before the nest was even…” She trailed off and bit her lip. “Listen, Dean, I’m not here to punish you or anything, but Sam… he’s… he’s crying all the time and I can’t leave him alone and there’s been reports that there might be another attack. And I’m on duty.” Anna looked lost. “Can you please come stay with him for a few hours?”
“Stay with… Sammy?” Dean tried out the name. The idea made his whole body tingle. He still missed him something fierce. “But I’m grounded.” He looked down at the ground.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain.” Anna smiled encouragingly. “Please, Dean. I need your help. Sammy needs you.”
“He does?” Dean blinked. “O..okay.” He nodded slowly and Anna beamed.
“Thank you so much!” She took his hand and rushed him out the door, closing it with a flap of her wing before they were taking flight. Anna led the way and soon they were in front of a hidden cave entrance, further away from the main part of their settlement.
Dean heard a sniffle coming from inside and it compelled him to enter before Anna could even confirm that it’s okay. Sammy was huddled in the corner, clutching Dean’s old shirt to his chest. As soon as he saw Dean, he gave a whoop of joy, jumped up and ran towards him on chubby legs. “Dean!”
Opening his arms wide, Dean enveloped him in a hug, suddenly feeling calm and serene. He was about to pull away after few minutes, but Sam clung on, refusing to let go. By the time he was able to ease Sam out of his grasp, his knees hurt and Anna was nowhere to be seen anymore. Dean smiled a little awkwardly. Sam just beamed at him. “So, you found your mother now, huh?” Dean asked.
Sam nodded. “My mama is awesome.” Then his face fell. “But I miss you. Where were you, Dean? Why are you not here?”
“I’m here now, buddy.” Dean sat down on the ground, his back to the wall. Sam smushed up to him immediately, cuddling against his side.
“You stay.” It was not a question. Dean sighed.
“No, sorry, Sammy.”
“Why not?” Sam’s hand clutched at Dean’s shirt, as if he was afraid it meant that Dean would leave right this second.
“I don’t live here. This is your family, Sam. Not mine.” Dean looked around the cozy cave. It held warmth. Something he missed from his own cave. He’d barely known his mother, she died when he’d been three weeks old. Killed by the filthy humans. Jason and his band of thieves.
“Why not?” Sam just asked again and Dean couldn’t be mad at him, but it hurt. So he chose not to reply.
“I haven’t seen you since you hatched. How’d you find your mom?” He asked instead and Sam launched into a long tail about everything that happened to him, including being a little afraid of his mother the first time he saw her and how he took his first bath and how much he hated wearing clothes and how he refused to let go of Dean’s old shirt.
“And I’ve really missed you,” Sam said again, and Dean’s heart broke a little.
“I’ve missed you, too, Sammy,” Dean finally confessed.
“Really?” Sam asked. “Then stay here with us.”
“I wish I could,” Dean replied softly, his hand passing through Sam’s long strands.
“But you have your mama at home?” Sam tried.
“No, my… no.” Dean sniffed, looking away.
Somehow, Sam must have sensed not to push it this time, so instead he just climbed into Dean’s lap and hugged him again. Dean closed his eyes and held on and that’s how Anna found them later, when she returned.
“I see you boys bonded,” she smiled sadly.
“Mama!” Sam exclaimed and after a little nudge from Dean, he ran over to hug her as well. Dean felt a little guilty. He never much thought about imprinting, but Sam was obviously smitten with him. But he had to admit that it went both ways, and he didn’t know if imprinting could do that. The hatchling imprinted, not the watcher.
Sam also loved Anna though, that was clear in the way Sam had talked about her. But it would all be so much better if Dean was around as well. Or so Sam had claimed. Dean sighed. “Thanks for letting me see him,” he said, on his way to the door. “If you ever need help again…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Anna shook her head. “I thought you’d stay for dinner?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m having dinner with my father.” Meaning he would prepare whatever John brought home.
“Oh,” both Anna and Sam sounded their disappointment at the same time. Her arms were wrapped around him and he leaned against her legs. They made such a nice little family.
“So I’ll see you around?” Dean didn’t wait for a reply. He quickly left before he wouldn’t be able to leave anymore.
Back in his own cold cave, his father didn’t arrive until hours later, smelling of ale and frankincense. “Oh, you’re back?” He’d asked. And that was it. He didn’t bring food nor did he ask if Dean had eaten, so Dean went to bed hungry.
The next day, when Anna came by again because apparently the second she tried to leave, Sam had cried bitter tears and demanded Dean come by, Dean had stayed for dinner at their place.
And it became a regular daily occasion after that. Dean was relieved from egg duty and made Sam’s babysitter instead, or whatever it was that Anna had told them. She was always nice and friendly and Dean never really saw it as a chore. It wasn’t until weeks into the arrangement, that he realized Sam would grow up. And he already grew fast. And then what about him?
Sam wouldn’t need a babysitter and imprinting could only go so far. Dean wasn’t his mother. He surely wasn’t his father either. And, much as he wished to be, he wasn’t a sibling. He wasn’t anything to them but the screw-up who’d blown the horn too late, so now they were stuck with Dean until Sam grew out of it.
Dean had never felt despair as bad as when he realized those facts as such. Because while Sam and Anna could easily live without him, he wasn’t so sure he could live without them anymore.
“I can’t see you anymore, Sammy.” He exclaimed the next day, while they were sitting outside in the meadow. “I mean, I can’t be your babysitter anymore. You’re growing out of it and I am getting too old for it as well.”
“What? But Dean, I…” Sammy tried, already tearing up.
Dean forced himself to look away. “No. This is silly. It’s for fledglings. And I’m a grown tiercel now. I want to be around other grown-ups and not waste my time with you anymore. I need to go to the academy and fight. I need to… need to go find me a hen and… and court. I need to do anything but be here with you.”
Sam reached out for him just as Dean took flight and he could feel Sam rip out one of his longer feathers while several downy ones whirled down all around him. Dean had to bite his tongue to not cry out from the pain. But the tear in his wings was nothing compared to the stab in his heart at seeing Sam left in the meadow, single brown feather clutched in his hand.
Dean flew up to the mountain, carefully flying out of sight of the watchers. It was forbidden to fly so far up. Humans might see him and come hunting. But right now he didn’t care. Sammy would never reach him here, that was for sure. The little guy couldn’t even fly yet.
Thinking of Sammy trying to fly and failing miserably made him chuckle. But then he thought of Sammy trying to fly while clutching his feather, just trying to come after him, because he didn’t understand that Dean had just left him, because… fuck, he had just up and left without a warning.
But that was the way it had to be. Cold turkey. Yes.
Dean wrapped his arms around himself, burying his body underneath the feathers. Then he bit his lip so hard it bled, just so he wouldn’t cry. It didn’t help.
Late that night, he finally made his way home. He was greeted by a frantic Anna on his doorstep. “Dean! Oh thank heavens there you are.” She gave him a brief hug. “Where’s Sammy? Is he trailing behind?” She looked around past him and Dean paled.
“Uhm, what? Is he… I thought he was at home with you?” The meadow was just a short walk from their cave. And no way to get lost in between. Sam should have… should have…
“You left him alone at home?” Anna asked.
“Ye…” Dean stopped. This was not the time to lie. “I left him in the meadow.”
“You what? Why, Dean?” Anna wasn’t mad yet, just concerned. His father, however, was furious.
“Because the boy can’t do anything right, that’s why,” John rumbled. “Worthless fledgling. It’s good your mother’s not around to see this. She’d be so disappointed.”
Dean swallowed hard, the shame and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. “I… I…”
“Now listen, sir.” Anna pushed herself up to her full height between them. Even in her normal gown and without armor she was still impressive. “Dean is a fine young boy and any hen would be happy to call him her own. I sure would be.”
”Keep him, then.” John just turned around, closing the door behind him.
Anna gaped. Obviously she didn’t expect this. Dean on the other hand was not surprised. He deserved this. He deserved to be all alone. Especially after today.
But then Anna surprised him. She pulled him close and hugged him once more. “I’m sorry you had to hear this, Dean. Don’t think for a second he’s right.” She pulled back. “I’m sure you had a reason to leave today. That’s not important now. What’s important is finding Sammy. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
Dean shook his head, fighting back fresh tears. Sammy standing alone in the meadow. Sammy clutching his feather. His feather. “No, wait. Maybe.” He wouldn’t, would he? It was Sam. Of course he would. “He might be trying to climb the mountain.” Following his smell. Aw, shit.
Anna looked even more scared than before, but she didn’t question him. “Lead the way.”
First they flew to the meadow, but any hopes he had on finding Sammy still there, probably rolled up into a ball and crying, were crushed. Next, Dean took the shortest way to the mountain. Closer to it, the woods were getting deeper and Dean spotted one of Sam’s brown feathers in a bush. He winced, realizing Sammy must have gotten tangled up in the thorns, but at least it meant they were on the right way.
Anna was silent next to him. When they reached the mountain, the way split in two directions. “You okay to look on your own, Dean? It’s already dark.” Anna looked torn. She knew it was faster if they split, but she didn’t seem to trust him to be on his own. It amazed him how much she still cared. She should hate him for losing her son.
“I’m fine. I’m old enough.” Dean spread his wings and stroke a pose.
“I see,” Anna suppressed a smile and Dean felt proud for making her forget her worries, if only for a second. “I’ll take the right, you take the left. If anything attacks you or you just get a bad feeling, fly back down, you hear me?”
Dean nodded and took off before she could change her mind. The way was narrow and steep and Dean had to admit that it was rather creepy to walk it in the dark. His night vision wasn’t that good and he’d feel much safer flying. Humans weren’t their only enemies. But he couldn’t risk losing Sam.
He felt much more confident when he found another brown feather. He was about to call for Anna, but then he heard a low growl followed by a stifled whimper. Sammy. Ears wide open, he made his way forward, grabbing a fallen branch just before he reached a corner. The growling was coming from very close to him now. He took flight and landed on a rock overlooking the rest of the path.
What he saw stopped his breath. Sammy was sitting up in a tree branch while a mountain lion was down below, trying to climb up. Every time he came close, Sam found a twig to throw at him, but the branch he was sitting on was starting to look bare.
Taking up all his courage, Dean charged at the lion with a loud yell. He held the branch high and then clubbed the lion with all the strength he could muster up. The lion yelped, stumbling back. Then he hissed, recovering and starting to charge at Dean. Dean held the branch high, ready to charge again, when Sammy dropped an especially large branch from up above, landing right on the lion’s head. Dean used the moment to charge again, taking flight right after before the lion could paw at him.
Luck must have been with them that night, because after that second attack, the mountain lion just growled, but then it licked its paws and trotted off. Dean waited until he couldn’t hear it anymore before he finally dropped the branch.
“Dean,” Sam whispered from above him, a shivering, huddled figure in the shadows.
“Come on down, Sammy. I’ll catch you.” Dean held out his arms.
“No,” Sam spat. “I hate you.”
Dean winced. Okay, he deserved that. “That’s why you came after me? To tell me that?”
“Didn’t come after you.” Sam crossed his arms defiantly.
“Alright, Sammy. Can you please come down and we’ll talk?” Dean tried. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean it.”
“You… you didn’t?”
“No I… I was just stupid, okay?” Dean passed a hand through his hair. Dammit. “I need you, Sam. Please. I need you safe and well.”
“You’ll catch me?” Sam asked tentatively.
“Always, Sammy.” Dean spread out his arms again. When Sam jumped, he took flight to catch him mid-fall, then he flew a few more feet with him in his arms before landing them safely.
Sam whooped, hugging him close. Then he suddenly pulled back. “I still kind of hate you.”
“I know, Sammy. I know.” Dean pulled him back into the hug, clutching him close.
“You won’t leave me?” Sam sniffled a little.
“No, Sammy. Never again, I promise.” He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to Sam. And even if not. He couldn’t live without Sam, he realized that now. Trying had been a dumb idea. It was already too late for him. He’d have to see this through and watch Sam leave him as soon as he was old enough. He just hoped that wouldn’t be anytime soon.
“Okay, hold on tight.” Dean hugged Sam close to his chest and took up flight again. He didn’t want to spend any more time here and risk the lion coming back. Avoiding the trees was a little harder because carrying Sam made him more uncoordinated, but soon he was free and up in the air, looking for Anna.
He didn’t need to search for long, because she came flying straight at them, tackling them in a hug mid-air. Dean was so surprised, he stopped flapping his wings, but Anna just carried them both back down safely. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she mumbled. “Both of you.”
With solid ground back under their feet, Sam let go of Dean and clung to his mother instead. That’s how it should be. Dean scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly out of place. But it didn’t last for long.
“You’re coming back with us, Dean. I’ll set you up a cot right next to Sammy,” Anna announced and just like Sammy sometimes did, it was not a question but a statement.
Dean was too tired to argue. He nodded and when Anna picked up Sam and held out her hand for him, he took it.
It still took him a while before he accepted his new family though. He tried to go back to his own home the next day, but things with his father just became more and more strained. When it turned into open hostility, Dean caved and went back to Anna’s place. The next day, she came home from work with all of Dean’s belongings in tow and the day after that, a woodsman came and turned Dean’s makeshift cot into a proper one.
They never talked about it, but Dean was eternally grateful to Anna. In turn, Anna seemed honestly pleased to have him around. If only to help with Sammy. The day when Sam left for the prestigious harpy academy, a school for future scholars and preservers of their most sacred knowledge and an honor reserved to only the best and brightest young fledglings, Dean was torn. He was so happy for Sam, but he’d miss him like crazy. And it might be time for him to look for a place on his own.
Instead, Anna sat him down and talked with him about warrior training and asked if she could take him under her wing. With his own academy to attend and extremely draining physical exercise, he didn’t miss Sammy quite as bad. And if he did, he cuddled up to Anna in front of the fire and they were trading stories about when Sammy had just been a wee fledgling.
The first time Sammy came back home after almost a full semester at the academy, he’d grown out of all his old clothes and insisted they only call him ‘Sam’. The second time, he hugged them both for the longest time and allowed them the occasional ‘Sammy’.
Their relationship changed as Sam grew. He didn’t need a protector so much as he needed a friend and while Dean sometimes missed the times of the two of them just cuddling together, doing nothing, it was just as great to have an equal to steal out and explore the woods and mountains with, without the constant fear of wee Sammy getting hurt. They often chased each other through the skies and discovered a hidden lake, where they would hang out and bathe in the summer months, when Sam was home in between semesters and Dean called in favors to get out of training.
However the time came when Dean was getting too old to still live with Anna, especially since she wasn’t his biological mother. Partially, he was doing it to save her reputation, but it was also getting awkward sometimes. So one day, he found the perfect spot. It was near Anna’s cave but far enough away and best of all, it was far enough away from the main part of their settlement.
Dean still felt like an outsider, but by now he was okay with it. He was turning out to be one of their finest warriors, or at least that was what Anna said to him, and he didn’t need the hassle of courting the hens. He was busy protecting their livelihood, the fleece, and more so, he was protecting their lives.
When he was done, and not a second before, he invited Anna over, anxious of her judgment. Sam was still at his academy, but he’d be home soon.
Much to his relief, Anna was pleased. "I love it Dean. It will be a great nest for you to start your own family. Did you built it with a special hen in mind?" she asked teasingly.
"What?" Dean frowned, thinking of all the silly hens he knew. "No, not really." He shrugged helplessly. That was really not how he pictured it. At all.
Anna paused, studying him for a moment. "Just you and Sammy then?"
In reply, Dean beamed. "You think he'll like it? I gave him the best lit room so he can read properly."
"I'm sure he'll love it." Anna squeezed his shoulder. "I'll miss having you boys around. You have to come over for dinner all the time."
"Count on it," Dean pulled her into a hug, already missing his regular meals at her table. She was every bit the mother he always wanted and he was still eternally grateful for her taking him on.
It wasn't until later that day, when he walked through the rooms one last time before he laid down for his first night's sleep in his own large cot, thinking how much better this would be if he had Sam to cuddle up against, when he realized the one thing missing from Sam's room. A second cot. He'd just assumed... and Anna... Anna must have known. And she'd given him her blessing.
He smiled, hugging his blanket and thinking about Sam.
Sam! Would he even want to sleep in the same cot with him? Dean sat up straight and jumped out of bed, pacing restlessly until exhaustion took him over. Thankfully for him, he only had a few more days to freak out before Sam arrived back from the academy. Before he could go visit him at Anna’s, Sam showed up at his entrance.
“How’d you…?” Dean trailed off his question when Sam tapped his nose.
“I’d still find you anywhere, Dean.” Sam smiled. “Now get out of the way, I wanna see the place you built for us.” Sam pushed him aside playfully and walked through the rooms with Dean trailing after him nervously. When he reached his reading room, he smiled happily. “You even got me a shelf.”
“Built it myself,” Dean mumbled. “So it might fall apart.”
“Oh, shush,” Sam rolled his eyes. His bedroom was the last place and Sam looked around carefully. Dean could sense his nervousness. In a way, they were still in synch.
“I can built you a…”
“Shush I said,” Sam turned to face him, placing his hand on Dean’s cheek. “It’s perfect.”
Dean smiled shyly, looking down at his feet. Suddenly Sam’s wings caressed his own and Dean shuddered. “Sam, I…”
“Shh,” Sam shook his head, thumb caressing Dean’s cheek bone, before he slowly leaned closer, kissing him.
After that, life was pretty damn good for Dean. Sam only had one semester left and he got a scholar position in their settlement. Dean finished his own training and he also took on teaching along with his shifts as a guard of the fleece. Sadly, he’d still been in training during the last attack and he blamed himself for not being around to help fight the humans. Anna had been wounded in battle, but she was recovering nicely. Him and Sam spent even more time at her place but come night time, she always shooed them home.
Some of his fellow guardsmen mocked him about not courting hens and worse, some of the hens were making eyes at him, but at the end of each day, he went home to Sam happily. He didn’t miss a thing. At least he didn’t think he missed anything, until the day came that he had to teach a new fledgling in egg duty. The fledgling was just slightly younger than he had been when Sammy hatched and he was just telling the story, explaining how it never happened again afterwards, when one of the eggs cracked.
“Oh come on!” Dean looked up to the heavens. “Again? Seriously?”
“What do I do?” The fledgling asked frantically. “Blow the horn?”
“Yeah, you better.” Dean nodded, thinking he really should go with him, but, just like before, something made him stay. The egg cracked fully after the horn was blown, but the newborn fledgling just had time to spot Dean, before the old mother hen could arrive to pull him away.
“You again? Don’t you know better? Heavens!” She held up her hands and looked up just when the fledgling took its first steps right into Dean’s arms. Or rather, right into Dean’s leg.
“Mama?” It said, clinging to Dean’s leg, and none of the hens was able to extract him again.
And that was how later that day, Dean was walking home with the fledgling still attached to his leg.
“Dean?” Sam came outside to greet him and stopped dead in his tracks, half amused, half shocked.
“He’s Amy and Matt’s.”
“Oh,” Sam’s face fell. Amy and Matt had been the two fallen in the last attack. “So what are we naming him?” Once again, not really a question if he was staying.
“I like Kieran,” Dean said, reaching down to ruffle the fledgling’s hair.
Sam nodded. “Alright. Do you like that, Kieran?” Sam knelt down, opening his arms and the fledgling, Kieran, let go of Dean and went over to Sam instead.
“Are you my mommy?” Kieran asked and Dean laughed.
“You’re explaining that one,” Sam said, looking pointedly at Dean. “Come on in, Kieran. You’re just in time for dinner.”
Still chuckling, Dean followed them inside. It seemed like there would be a place for a cot in Sam’s study room after all.
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