He Ain't Heavy by quiesce, Dan & Sam, rated: G
Title: He Ain't Heavy
Author: quiesce
Author's website: fix index post
Pairing: Dan & Sam gen
Rating: G
Category: gen
Notes: Written for picfor1000. Many thanks to phoebesmum and catwalksalone for betaing.
Dan came to a decision and pointed to one of the dinosaurs at the back. "No, I think that one would win."
He turned to explain to Sam that even though it wasn't as big as the one right in front of them, it looked a lot meaner. Except Sam wasn't there. Neither was Dad or Mom or David.
They must have moved on to the next display, he thought. He walked quickly to catch up, weaving his way through other kids running around and grown-ups pushing strollers.
He couldn't see them where he thought they'd be so he kept walking, but felt less certain that this was the right thing to do. There was a wall ahead. Turn right or turn left. One way, or maybe both, would take him farther away from his family.
Dan had been a Cub Scout for a few months last year. He'd quit because he thought it was boring, but he had gone on a field trip with his pack before he left. On the bus ride, they'd been told over and over again that if they got lost or couldn't find the rest of the pack, they were to stay where they were and wait for the pack to find them. That if they wandered around looking for everyone else, they might get more lost.
He couldn't stay exactly where he was, in the middle of the hall where strangers kept bumping into him, but if he went down the hall on his left, there were some drinking fountains in a little alcove where he could wait and not be in the way.
He made his way to the fountains and stood beside them, back against the wall. He tried to check everyone as they walked past, but sometimes there was a big group of people that all came at once and he'd lose track.
Dan slumped to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees. He wasn't going to cry because he was eight and only babies cry. But he wanted to, a little bit.
From the floor, he couldn't see everyone's faces, so he switched to watching shoes. His mom had bought a new pair just the other day and he wished he had paid more attention when she was showing them off, but he was pretty sure they were red.
There were red running shoes and red kids' shoes and hiking boots that were kind of reddish and a pair of red boots that didn't look comfortable at all, but none belonged to his mom.
His watch said he'd only been waiting by the fountains for five minutes, but it felt like five hundred. Maybe his watch was broken. Maybe he'd been sitting there for hours and they'd just never noticed he was missing and were going to leave without him. Maybe they'd already left.
He started feeling sick, like he was going to throw up, but he didn't want to leave to find a restroom. The Cubmaster had been very clear that the best way for people to find you if you got lost was to stay in one spot. Instead of getting up, Dan leaned over until his face pressed up against one of the fountains. It was cool and made him feel a little bit better.
He wondered if they would lock the museum up at night with him inside or if the museum people would make him leave and he'd have to sleep in the parking lot outside.
Somebody tapped his shoulder.
"Found you!"
Dan jumped up grinning, stomach ache long forgotten. "Sam!" He looked around so he could give his mom a hug -- because she would have been worried, not because Dan needed one; he was eight -- and tell his dad he was sorry for getting lost, but he couldn't see them anywhere.
"Where's everyone else?"
Sam shrugged. "Dunno."
"You got lost too?" Dan felt bad because he was Sam's big brother and it was his fault that he'd got lost himself when he should have been paying attention and stopping Sam from getting lost.
"Nope. I know where we are. If we go through there, we'll end up back at the Beginning of Time again, and if we go back that way, we can skip right to the dinosaurs."
"But you got separated from everyone else?" Dan asked, concerned that even if he knew where he was in the gallery, Sam might have been upset when he realized he couldn't see his family.
"I guess. Mom and Dad were watching David show off about already learning everything here in science class, so I left."
Dan wondered which his dad would think was the greater offence: not paying attention and getting lost and panicking -- just a little bit -- about it, or intentionally walking off. Neither was going to go over very well.
"Why did you do that?"
"You weren't there," Sam shrugged again.
"So you just left?"
"I thought you'd want me to find you," Sam nodded, but Dan could see that his questions had left Sam feeling uncertain that he'd done the right thing.
He was about to reassure Sam that he was grateful to see him when their dad walked up with Mom and David in tow.
"Where the hell have you two been? We've been looking all over for you. You were making your mother worry."
Dan thought his mom did look a little pale, but she just stared at the ground and didn't say anything.
"Answer me," their dad insisted. Dan felt Sam grab his hand, scared.
Dan realized he'd never be able to find his brother if the tables were turned and it was Sam who got lost. And Sam had caught up to Dan in school, so Dan couldn't help him out there either. But standing up for Sam was something Dan knew he could do.
He took a deep breath. "It's my fault. I wanted to show Sam something and I made him come with me."
Author: quiesce
Author's website: fix index post
Pairing: Dan & Sam gen
Rating: G
Category: gen
Notes: Written for picfor1000. Many thanks to phoebesmum and catwalksalone for betaing.
Dan came to a decision and pointed to one of the dinosaurs at the back. "No, I think that one would win."
He turned to explain to Sam that even though it wasn't as big as the one right in front of them, it looked a lot meaner. Except Sam wasn't there. Neither was Dad or Mom or David.
They must have moved on to the next display, he thought. He walked quickly to catch up, weaving his way through other kids running around and grown-ups pushing strollers.
He couldn't see them where he thought they'd be so he kept walking, but felt less certain that this was the right thing to do. There was a wall ahead. Turn right or turn left. One way, or maybe both, would take him farther away from his family.
Dan had been a Cub Scout for a few months last year. He'd quit because he thought it was boring, but he had gone on a field trip with his pack before he left. On the bus ride, they'd been told over and over again that if they got lost or couldn't find the rest of the pack, they were to stay where they were and wait for the pack to find them. That if they wandered around looking for everyone else, they might get more lost.
He couldn't stay exactly where he was, in the middle of the hall where strangers kept bumping into him, but if he went down the hall on his left, there were some drinking fountains in a little alcove where he could wait and not be in the way.
He made his way to the fountains and stood beside them, back against the wall. He tried to check everyone as they walked past, but sometimes there was a big group of people that all came at once and he'd lose track.
Dan slumped to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees. He wasn't going to cry because he was eight and only babies cry. But he wanted to, a little bit.
From the floor, he couldn't see everyone's faces, so he switched to watching shoes. His mom had bought a new pair just the other day and he wished he had paid more attention when she was showing them off, but he was pretty sure they were red.
There were red running shoes and red kids' shoes and hiking boots that were kind of reddish and a pair of red boots that didn't look comfortable at all, but none belonged to his mom.
His watch said he'd only been waiting by the fountains for five minutes, but it felt like five hundred. Maybe his watch was broken. Maybe he'd been sitting there for hours and they'd just never noticed he was missing and were going to leave without him. Maybe they'd already left.
He started feeling sick, like he was going to throw up, but he didn't want to leave to find a restroom. The Cubmaster had been very clear that the best way for people to find you if you got lost was to stay in one spot. Instead of getting up, Dan leaned over until his face pressed up against one of the fountains. It was cool and made him feel a little bit better.
He wondered if they would lock the museum up at night with him inside or if the museum people would make him leave and he'd have to sleep in the parking lot outside.
Somebody tapped his shoulder.
"Found you!"
Dan jumped up grinning, stomach ache long forgotten. "Sam!" He looked around so he could give his mom a hug -- because she would have been worried, not because Dan needed one; he was eight -- and tell his dad he was sorry for getting lost, but he couldn't see them anywhere.
"Where's everyone else?"
Sam shrugged. "Dunno."
"You got lost too?" Dan felt bad because he was Sam's big brother and it was his fault that he'd got lost himself when he should have been paying attention and stopping Sam from getting lost.
"Nope. I know where we are. If we go through there, we'll end up back at the Beginning of Time again, and if we go back that way, we can skip right to the dinosaurs."
"But you got separated from everyone else?" Dan asked, concerned that even if he knew where he was in the gallery, Sam might have been upset when he realized he couldn't see his family.
"I guess. Mom and Dad were watching David show off about already learning everything here in science class, so I left."
Dan wondered which his dad would think was the greater offence: not paying attention and getting lost and panicking -- just a little bit -- about it, or intentionally walking off. Neither was going to go over very well.
"Why did you do that?"
"You weren't there," Sam shrugged again.
"So you just left?"
"I thought you'd want me to find you," Sam nodded, but Dan could see that his questions had left Sam feeling uncertain that he'd done the right thing.
He was about to reassure Sam that he was grateful to see him when their dad walked up with Mom and David in tow.
"Where the hell have you two been? We've been looking all over for you. You were making your mother worry."
Dan thought his mom did look a little pale, but she just stared at the ground and didn't say anything.
"Answer me," their dad insisted. Dan felt Sam grab his hand, scared.
Dan realized he'd never be able to find his brother if the tables were turned and it was Sam who got lost. And Sam had caught up to Dan in school, so Dan couldn't help him out there either. But standing up for Sam was something Dan knew he could do.
He took a deep breath. "It's my fault. I wanted to show Sam something and I made him come with me."