Wrapped in Honey 27/49
Chapter 27
Back home Sam helped Dean to get the boxes out of the car and then went upstairs to redo the spell while Dean stayed in the basement, sorting through all the new stuff he got.
"Should I come upstairs and stay in my room while you do that?" Dean had offered but after the day they'd spent outside with Dean unsupervised for quite some time it was rather pointless.
Sam did hurry to set the spell, though. And only then, when Dean was safely locked away again, Sam allowed himself to think about the risks he'd taken over the day. Dean had so many opportunities to escape or to ask somebody to help him and he might have even thought about it at one point or the other but in the end he'd stayed with Sam. Which meant what? Because he liked being with Sam? Or had Sam fucked him up mentally this badly?
Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts Sam left his room and opened the door to the stairways leading to the basement. He didn't want Dean to know but he needed to confirm that Dean was still there and hadn't used the chance to run away. There were noises coming from downstairs, metal on metal and a scrapping sound as if something was dragged over the cement floor. Satisfied Sam closed the door and went back to his room to grab a shower. Dean had been the one who had crawled through piles of scrap metal but Sam was not less dirty.
Later they came together for a lazy evening on the couch, the day had been exhausting for both of them, however, if Sam was honest, it had been fun and he was looking forward to the next time they needed to go on a supply run.
"I should tell Bobby about this." Dean said, a question hidden in his words. He still had to ask every time he wanted to contact his friend but Sam wasn't comfortable with letting him just chat with him without supervision. Dean didn't seem to mind, though.
So Sam got the laptop and typed Dean's enthusiastic report of the day. In this version Sam had offered to drive him since his own car was still stored at Bobby's and Dean made fun of Sam's lack of enthusiasm for hanging out on scrap yards. Of course Bobby asked when Dean wanted to pick up his car and the only thing Dean could say was "Not sure yet.".
For a moment Sam thought about visiting Dean's friend and he allowed himself to indulge in the thought of a road trip with Dean, seeing his friend and doing fun stuff like having diner food and sleeping in motels. But a second later he dismissed the idea. That would be far to dangerous. Dean hadn't tried to escape here in town, probably because he knew that the community was everywhere and his chances of getting out of town without getting caught were slim to nonexistent. But on a road trip ...
No, Sam wasn't ready to risk something like that. He felt guilty for keeping Dean prisoner, he did, and he was sure that there was something on Dean's side that made him stick to Sam but Sam wasn't quite ready for testing their bond like this.
A thing he was ready for, though, was for another trip into town with Dean the next Tuesday.
"You have an appointment at five." Sam said over breakfast. He hadn't said anything before because he didn't want to spoil the surprise.
"I have?" Dean looked up from his pancakes. "You're not taking me to the vet, aren't you?"
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Sam tried to laugh it off but it did sting a little how easily Dean was joking about this. "I thought with your business coming along just fine it's time for you to get your own bank account."
Dean froze with the fork half-way to his mouth. Slowly he put it down.
"Bank account?"
"If you want to run a business you need a bank account." Sam shrugged.
For a long moment Dean just sat there, thinking. This wasn't just about a random account, this meant much more and they both knew it. Dean was supposed to stand on his own feet with his business and that meant he needed his own money.
"Awesome." Dean grinned at him and went back to his pancakes.
After work Sam picked Dean up and drove them over to the bank. It was the same one where Sam had his account. So had most of the community.
"Mr. Campbell." The bank assistant, whose name Sam didn't bother to remember, greeted him and only with a delay he offered his hand to Dean. Sam raised an eyebrow to that but didn't say a word. They followed the man into his office where they took their seats.
"Mr. Campbell, what can I do for you today?" The man asked, completely ignoring Dean.
"Nothing for me today." Sam answered coldly. "But my friend here wants to set up a bank account."
Now the man eyed Dean as if he was an insect, barely worth his attention.
"I see." He brought his fingertips together and his attention wandered back to Sam. "Of course we offer service to people outside ..." He made a meaningful gesture towards Sam to indicate the community without saying the word in front of an outsider.
"Look, chuckles." Fed up Dean spoke up. "This is a bank, I want a bank account. Do your job."
"I see." He pursed his lips. "No problem, sir. We'll get you set up before you know it."
His sudden friendliness was false and he didn't do anything to hide that fact.
"With community benefits." Sam added. That was the only reason he put up with this guy and hadn't chosen another bank to take Dean's business. The community offered some nice benefits for their members and why shouldn't Dean profit from that as well.
"Ehm ..." At least that wiped the smug expression from that guys face. "He's not part of the ... community." The man pointed out, hesitating at the last word as if it wasn't obvious that Dean knew about them.
"I think he is." Sam answered and sat up straighter in his chair. He let some of his true nature bleed into his posture and was now looming dark over the man behind the desk. It was a neat trick but the man countered with obsidian black eyes.
"He is human." The demon clarified. "And as that not part of the community."
"He's my associate and as that he is." Sam demanded while Dean just sat back and watched the pissing contest. Sam couldn't help it, he was proud of Dean for not flinching when the demon revealed his nature.
They stared at each other for a while, neither of them ready to break eye contact, but in the end it was the demon who looked away first.
"I can't decide this." He reached for the phone. "Mr. Crowley?"
The demon had barely hung up when there was suddenly a voice behind Sam: "Hello, Moose."
Sam had expected the demon to appear like this, he liked his dramatic entrances, but Dean wasn't used to people suddenly appearing and announced his surprise with a "Son of a bitch!".
"Who's your friend?" Crowley's attention was on Dean immediately. Unlike his employee Crowley didn't seem to have a problem with Dean being just a mere human.
"This is my associate Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Crowley, he runs the bank." Sam introduced them.
"I'm just a humble member of the community." Crowley shook Dean's hand. "What can I do for you today?"
He looked from Dean to Sam and back again.
"Mr. Campbell brought his … friend in to get him a bank account." The demon behind the desk spoke up. "With community benefits." He said the last part as if he was offended by the idea alone.
"I can't remember asking you." Crowley glared at him and then turned back to Dean. "Community benefits, that's an unusual request."
Dean held his gaze, not budging down when the demon stared at him. Sam stepped around Crowley to close shoulders with Dean, they were in this together.
"You know, Moose." Crowley finally said. "I still owe your for that thing with that thing in that thing. So why not."
"But, sir." The demon really didn't know when to shut up. Sam half expected Crowley to just vaporize him but instead he glared at him again. It was enough for the man to realize that now was the right time to shut up.
"Haven't you heard Mr. Campbell? Mr. Winchester is his associate and as that he is an associate of the community."
"Yes, sir. Of course, sir." The demon didn't dare to look anybody in the eye and just kept himself busy with hitting buttons on this computer.
"Well, then." Crowley clapped Sam's shoulder and pointed his finger at Dean. "We should go out some day, have a few drinks and then you have to tell me how the mighty Sam Campbell got himself an associate."
"Yeah, we should do that." Sam agreed with a smile and maybe he should do that. It had been a while since he'd been out just for fun. And Crowley knew how to have fun. As long as he wasn't responsible for the snacks ... Sam didn't want to think about what Crowley had brought last time. But what could you expect from a demon, right?
With that Crowley disappeared the same way he'd come in.
"Dude, that's a neat little trick." Dean grinned like a kid. "You know for a supernatural creature you're kinda lame, Sammy."
Sam's breath hitched at the Sammy. Nobody called him Sammy and if somebody felt like he should try it, he never felt like that a second time. With Dean saying it, Sam wasn't sure, it felt kinda nice?
"So, your name is Dean Winchester?" The demon interrupted them and Sam needed a second to bring his mind back on track.
Everything was set up in a couple of minutes and then they were on their way back home.
"So, demons running the bank." Dean leaned back in his seat. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Crowley is a salesman at heart." Sam shrugged.
"And he's calling you Moose?"
"Don't you dare." Sam shot him a dirty look. He could live with Sammy but Dean calling him Moose? That was just wrong.
Back home Dean set up dinner but Sam could tell that there was still something on his mind. He didn't know if this was about their trip to the bank or if it was something else but he waited patiently for Dean to start talking.
"So, we were at the bank today." Dean did start talking over dinner. For some reason that was the time they usually had their serious conversations and Sam wondered what Dean would bring up.
"Hmm." He made.
"The other day we went to the scrap yards, a gas station and a diner." Dean summed up their adventure. "And you trusted me."
"I did." Sam swallowed and added: "I do. What's on your mind?"
"A bar." Dean said. "We go out, grab something to eat, have a few drinks, play some pool and when we get home we get you fed for real."
The trips they'd made before were one thing, manageable situations with a minimum of people involved. Situations where Sam could keep an eye on Dean and where there was no temptation for Dean to try something. A bar was a whole different thing.
"I know what you're thinking." Dean interrupted his thoughts. "Just hear me out, okay?"
Sam nodded. This reminded him of the coffee and pie trip Dean had suggested a while ago. He'd thought it through then too so Sam wondered what he would come up with this time. He was willing to at least listen to the idea.
Dean hurried to get a pen and paper and scribbled something down before he handed it over to Sam.
"What's this?"
"Robert Steven Singer." Dean tapped the paper with the pen. "That's his address. You know he runs a salvage yard, he's in the Yellow Pages you can look him up. C'mon, you have a vampire cop on speed dial. If I try something …"
Chapter 28
Masterpost