Can I Keep Him?: 'Supernatural'

By bb1028 © 2008

“A fish?”

Dean wasn’t sure he wanted an explanation, but he knew he was going to get one anyway.

School had just let out and they were standing on the sidewalk under the oak tree in front of the big brick building. Normally the tree served as a meeting place at the end of their school day – today it was the place that Dean Winchester was sure his little brother had lost his mind.

Sam was shifting nervously before him in his too big clothing with his hands hidden behind his back. When no answer was forthcoming Dean repeated the question, “A fish?”

At Sam’s quizzical look Dean realized his brother wasn’t even sure how to go about answering the question. And if that didn’t make Dean feel better. Still, he was willing to give his brother the benefit of the doubt, and Dean was holding onto the hope that he had just simply heard wrong.

Finally the youngest Winchester seemed to decide on his best course of action and Dean braced himself for the inevitable.

It wasn’t the response he’d expected, but the animated nod of his head was answer enough. Dean groaned as he realized his day was just about to get interesting.

Sure enough, Sam pulled the small plastic container he had been holding from behind his back and presented it to his big brother with a wide dimpled grin.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Dean looked at the bobbing goldfish and simply shook his head.

“What?” Sam asked in confusion. “I won it at the school fair! Isn’t he cool?”

Dean didn’t miss the cautious hopefulness in his little brother’s question, and he couldn’t help but give him a small nod and simple, “Yeah.”

It wasn’t that the fish was really a big deal, it was more the reaction it would get out of their father. They’d never had a pet; they weren’t allowed to have pets, but there was no mistaking his little brother’s excitement – the kid was practically vibrating with it.

Dean knew it wouldn’t go over well with their dad, but he’d let him be the one to tell Sam no. He wasn’t about to be the one to take the smile off his kid brother’s face. One look into those big pleading hazel eyes and he was a goner anyway so really there was no use trying. Besides, how long could these things live anyway?

When that train of thought only brought him to more future complications Dean decided it was time to start walking.

“Alright, come on.” Grabbing his little brother’s shoulders he spun him around – mindful of the fish and the water threatening to spill everywhere – and nudged him forward through the crowd of screaming kids and their parents.

It was the usual scene after school let out. Parents standing impatiently by the school fence while their kids ran around in a game of tag, oblivious to their mother or father’s irritation. There was also the occasional teacher trying to herd the large groups of children to their respectful owners. Dean thought it looked more like the guys on the farms they’d driven by herding their animals, and figured the intelligence levels and attention spans were probably about right.

Keeping both hands on his brother’s shoulders in an effort not to lose him in the chaos Dean moved them past a mother and her wailing baby and in what he figured was the right direction. Once past the annoyed parents and their rambunctious kids Dean had a clearer view of the sidewalk ahead of them and he sought out the now familiar path back to their motel. It wasn’t a long walk back to their room. Normally it took them a good fifteen minutes, or ten if they were in hurry to catch a show on TV. Today however, it seemed Sammy’s new friend would be extending their journey.

Sam’s shuffled walking was entirely too slow for Dean’s liking and he moved from behind his brother to beside him in efforts to get him moving. Without taking his eyes off the fish Sam complied and they picked up the pace a bit.

However while observing the little fish as it did laps around the round bowl, Sam was oblivious to where he was walking. Rolling his eyes, Dean pulled on the youngest Winchester’s arm and moved him out of his direct path into a telephone pole. When his older brother’s maneuvering did nothing to sway Sam’s examination of his newly acquired pet, Dean took the silence for the gift that it was and kept up with their forward movement. A distracted Sam was a compliant Sam, and Dean wasn’t above using it to his advantage.

Dean was watching an old lady watering her plants across the street when he was slightly startled by his brother’s voice. Turning his head to look at Sam he was met with his brother’s inquisitive gaze.

“What can I name him?”

“Huh?”

Sam signed and looked at him with the patient expression a parent would use on a small child. Dean was pretty sure his little brother forgot how old he was sometimes. It made him think of the first time his kid bother had used this very look on their dad.

 There was no denying the stifled chuckles that had nearly escaped that day. The man’s face had been priceless in the wake of his youngest son’s patient stare, and the thought still made Dean want to laugh.

“My fish needs a name. What can I name him?”

“Oh, I don’t know… fish?”

Clearly his suggestion wasn’t what his brother was looking for. “Come on Dean, I’m serious! I want to name him.”

“You’re always serious,” Dean grumbled. “You’re way too young to be so serious all the time.”

“I’m not too young, I’m six!” The indignation was all too clear in the higher pitch of Sam’s voice.

Dean rolled his eyes, “That’s right…I forgot, you’re a big boy now.”

Sam pursed his lips at his brother’s flippant response. “I’m se-”

“Serious. I know. You’ve only told me a million times. Now, what were we talking about?”

Sam’s scowl quickly brightened at the reminder.

“A name for my fish!”

Dean wasn’t sure that conversation was any better than his brother’s insistence that he wasn’t a little kid anymore. After all he could read now. Didn’t that make him a big kid? Dean had lost count the amount of times he’d heard that argument and was more than regretting his role in teaching the kid how to read.

Dean released a long suffering sigh, and resigned himself to fish naming for the remainder of their trek back to the motel.

“Okay. So, what? Flounder?”

“No, Flounder was yellow!” Sam said it as if it was an insult. Whether it was to him or the fish Dean wasn’t sure, but he really had to wonder at his little brother sometimes. Sure it was a goldfish, but really… did it make that much of a difference?

Evidently it did to Sammy.

“Yeah, and he was a fish. See? Perfect name for Flipper in there,” Dean punctuated his point with a nod of his head towards the container and its inhabitant. Just because it made a difference to Sam didn’t mean Dean couldn’t try to convince his brother otherwise.

Sam seemed to consider his words for a moment, but Dean realized his suggestion of Flounder had already been forgotten and Flipper was now being contemplated. He wasn’t sure whether to prepare for another outburst or ridicule his brother for even considering naming his fish Flipper. If he couldn’t name the stupid thing Flounder then surely he couldn’t name it after a dolphin – right? Dean couldn’t believe he was even putting this much thought into naming a fish.

Eventually Sam shook his head and Dean almost laughed at the complete look of concentration on his little brother’s face. It never ceased to amaze him the amount of thought the littlest Winchester put into things. If he put this much effort into naming a little slime ball with fins it really was no wonder the kid was practically a mini genius. Dean knew first hand the things – and the trouble – his kid brother’s big brain could get him into, and that thought alone brought him back to the matter at hand.

Sam had been quiet for a few minutes, silently pondering the whole name situation and Dean figured it was time he moved the process along.

Reaching one arm over, he poked Sam in the side of the head a few times before his little brother could pull away. Dean grinned after realizing his poking had not only successfully gained the littlest Winchester’s attention but had also managed to further mess his brother’s unruly mop of dark brown curls.

Sam turned his head in Dean’s direction and shot him an annoyed glare while brushing his long hair out of his eyes with the back of his small hand. Teasing grin still in place Dean raised one sandy brow before asking, “Well?”

At first it didn’t seem like he was going to get an answer and Dean was just about to question him again when Sam suddenly stopped. The water in the small bowl sloshed around the edges, and Dean had to back track a step after his brother’s impromptu pause.

He was just about to open his mouth again when Sam’s eyes grew impossibly round and his previous look of annoyance morphed into a big goofy grin. The display of dimples and look of accomplishment on the youngest Winchester’s face was enough to silence the older boy’s objection as he waited for Sam’s response.

“I’ve got it!” Sam exclaimed.

You’d think the kid had just come up with the greatest thing since sliced bread, and Dean could practically see the light bulb lit up above his brother’s head. The look on Sammy’s face alone was making him more than a little curious – if not slightly cautious – to hear what he had to say.

After a few more moments of silence Dean found himself rolling his hand in a forwarding motion in an attempt to get his brother to spit out whatever bright idea he had come up with. When Sam merely looked up at him expectantly Dean prompted him further.

“Got what Sam?”

Sam’s expectant look turned to one of confusion before finally settling on realization as he remembered that he hadn’t actually told his brother yet. Dean could only roll his eyes. For a smart kid, Sam definitely had his moments.

“Oh! How about Spot?” Sam was practically bouncing on his heals. The fish would be lucky if it had any water left in the container by the time they got back to their room.

“Spot? Are you ser-… never mind,” Dean shook his head. He wasn’t about to get into that one again. If his little brother told him one more time that he was serious Dean was likely to go nuts. “So let me get this straight. You say no to Flounder, an actual fish name, but you decide to name it Spot?”

Sam nodded his head – dimples still in place – and looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Holding up the container, Sam positioned it directly in front of Dean’s face. He had to take a half step back so he wouldn’t get fish water up his nose, and shot an annoyed look at his little brother. His irritation was ignored as Sam gave the container a little jiggle to make sure his big brother’s attention was on the fish.

“Yeah! Look, he’s got a little spot… right… there!”

Squinting at the place Sam’s little boney finger was pointing to, Dean saw a spot alright, but he wasn’t sure if it was actually on the fish.

“Are you sure that’s a spot and not just poo-”

“Dean!”

The jostle of the water as Sam indignantly pulled the fish back towards him was all the answer Dean needed. He was pretty sure spots weren’t supposed to move.

After realizing his brother was no longer in front of him Dean had to jog a few steps to catch up with Sam as he stormed off with a huff.

“Alright, alright,” Dean raised both hands in a placating gesture and sought out his brother’s gaze to make sure he had his attention. His name had been bordering on a whine, and Dean figured it was better to agree rather than suffer through a Sammy lecture. That didn’t mean he was sold on the whole Spot idea. Dean was still convinced that the unidentifiable thing – at least, that’s what he was calling it – floating around in the water was in fact floating, and not on the fish. But whatever made Sammy happy… made him happy. Well, made his ears happy anyway. They still had a way to go, and he didn’t think he could handle a grouchy Sam complaining the whole time.

At Dean’s acquiescence a toothy grin appeared to replace the pout that had settled on the younger Winchester’s face. His older brother’s approval of the name seemed to satisfy Sam, and Dean figured if it made his little brother smile he wouldn’t have cared if the kid had named the fish Jaws.

“Spot,” Sam repeated the name while returning his gaze once more to stare intently through the container at the fish. “I think it’s a good name.”

Dean was tempted to tell him that it sounded more like a dog’s name, but thoughts of lectures, unhappy ears, and grouchy Sammy’s ran through his head and he thought better of the idea.

“Yup, it’s perfect,” However, the narrowing of his kid brother’s eyes told him he had been less than convincing. “Hey! You wouldn’t happen to know what that thing eats would ya?”

When all else fails… change the subject.

Sam seemed to think about that for all of two seconds before stopping in his tracks for a second time. Sam slid his backpack off his shoulders, and leaned down to set the fish on the ground next to his feet. Crouching down on the sidewalk he tore open the zipper to his bag and began rummaging through it.

Dean couldn’t help the groan that slipped out. At the rate they were going they’d never make it to the motel. He was just glad their dad wouldn’t be back for another few hours. Dean could only hope that his father’s day of research had been a successful one, or else all three of the Winchester’s would be in for an even more eventful evening. Crossing his finger’s Dean hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with a grouchy Sammy and a grouchy dad. John Winchester could be difficult on his best days; Spot didn’t stand a chance if their dad hadn’t had a good day at the library.

The thought of the little fish brought his attention down to the water filled container and his brother’s crouched form.

“Sam, what are you doing?” Dean tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice but figured he was fighting a losing battle. It wasn’t like his brother was listening to him anyway.

Sam continued with his enthusiastic search to the bottom of his bag as if his older sibling hadn’t even spoken. Watching him Dean couldn’t imagine what was taking so long. Sam’s school supplies were all neatly organized and Dean wouldn’t have been surprised if the kid had them in alphabetical order. Even at six his little brother was a total neat freak.

“Here it is!” The triumphant exclamation brought his attention to the little container in Sam’s outstretched hand.

“What’s that?” Dean asked with a scrunched face.

“Fish food. It came with the fish.” And there was that silly grin again. Some days Dean swore his little brother was the biggest nerd.

“Great. Now can we get going? Or are you planning on sitting around here all day?”

It was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes, “I was just answering your question.”

Apparently show and tell was required to answer all questions. Dean would have to remember that for future reference.

“Fine, get your stuff together so we can go.”

He watched as Sam put the small container of fish food back into his bag before zipping it, grabbing the fish, and shouldering the book bag. Dean gave a small sigh of relief once they started moving again and hoped that they could make it this time without anymore interruptions.

“Hey, Dean?”

Or not. Dean held his breath and counted to ten.

“Dean?”

No such luck. He let out the breath, and turned his head to look at his brother, “Yeah, Sammy?”

“Does he just float around in there all day?” Sam’s face screwed up thoughtfully. “When does he sleep?”

Dean scowled and continued walking. He was just grateful that they were only a few minutes from the motel and hoped he could ignore his brother for the remainder of that time. Unfortunately, Sam wasn’t done talking.

“When do I feed him?” The younger Winchester peered through the container at the blissfully unaware fish. “Hey, Dean? Do you think Spot can hear me?”

Dean let the multitude of questions go in one ear and out the other. He should have known better than to think Sam was done with the Q and A session. His little brother seemed to have an endless supply of questions; it was just Dean’s luck that made him the unwilling recipient.

“Do you think fish know they’re fish?” Sam asked absently. “And how do they meet other fish if they live in these containers?”

Dean sighed and closed his eyes. He then thought better of the idea after he caught a glimpse of another telephone pole coming up. That was all he needed. His father would be less than excited about the goldfish; Dean didn’t feel like explaining why his little brother had a lump on his head too.

However, at this point Dean wasn’t too worried about his father’s reaction to their new addition to the family. If Sammy didn’t stop asking all of his fish related questions, Dean didn’t think Spot would make it through the next five minutes never mind however long it took for their dad to get home.

One look at the kid though and Dean felt his annoyance slipping. His little brother was smiling brightly at the fish and for Dean that was enough to push his irritation at Sammy’s endless inquisition aside.

“Hey! How do we know that Spot’s even a him?”

Then again, even awesome big brother’s had their limits.
 

The End...

 

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