WBY - Six Times a Charm (part three)
All he had to do was grab the money from the can and sneak out tonight after Sam was asleep. Dean and Dad weren’t due back for a few days and post punishment Adam was notorious for sulking so it might not even be noticed that he was gone till tomorrow afternoon. It was possible the money would be missing before that, but probably not. The can money was all of the Winchesters to use but it was understood that using it for stupid reasons was not acceptable. Adam wasn’t dumb enough to think that running away from home was an acceptable reason. Then again, not starving when you decide to run away from home was probably acceptable. Easy enough to justify. A kid would need funds if he was on his own.
Sneaking out on his middle brother wasn’t going to be easy though. He’d never done it before, well except for the very first time he met his family. Then it hadn’t been just Sam - it had been Sam and Dean. Adam ruefully remembered sneaking away from their no tell motel and how it coincided with his first foray into Winchester discipline. Adam couldn’t help but rub his butt again.
It didn’t really hurt anymore but just thinking about potential spankings and previous spankings made him want to rub out any perceived sting.
All he had to do was wait for Sam to go to sleep.
It was then that he thought about dinner. He could still smell the fragrant lingering scent of chicken as it wafted up the stairs.
Food would get him in the kitchen with the can!
Adam carefully opened the door and followed the succulent smell of chicken down to the kitchen. It had been carved but was still warm. Adam whiffed appreciatively, then eyed the chicken appraisingly. There were lemon slices on it and thyme. Adam scraped at the thin, slightly crusty herbed chicken skin. Adam was pretty sure it was thyme, he doubted that Sam would lace chicken with weed.
“Change your mind?” Sam asked startling Adam out of his chicken inspection.
“Not really,” Adam responded sullenly, “Just don’t want the chicken to go to waste.”
Sam snorted, a decidedly Winchester sound but stepped up behind Adam and placed an arm around his shoulders. Adam struggled to get away from the physical attention, but really didn’t put too much effort into the battle. He shrugged hard once and Sam acquiesced with a grin.
“Okay, Rambo. Get your dinner if you want. I promise I won’t continue with the love fest.”
Adam had to admit, for a pain in the ass, Sam was a pretty good brother.
Adam caught himself on the word “brother”. He looked hard at Sam, his floppy hair hanging in his eyes his body long and lean, bare arms ropey with muscle. Sam looked like a half grown colt, all legs, sinew and the promise of what he would be. That didn’t mean that said colt wasn’t strong or tough. Sam was both. Adam considered Sam carefully, if he wasn’t his brother, than there was no need for Adam to beat himself up about his game plan. Even if Sam considered him a sometimes friend, well Adam’s leaving would only make things better for Sam.
Adam needed to keep up pretenses, at least that’s what he told himself when he grabbed a plate, ripped off a chicken leg and gnawed some meat off. Then, because he was a growing boy he dumped a heap of potatoes on the plate and green beans too. If he was going to leave, he might as well leave well fed.
Adam ate quickly. It was good and he was hungry. The combination put a whole new spin on fast food. Adam glanced at Sam when his older brother came back in the kitchen but he didn’t slow down shoveling food in.
“You act like you’re starved.” Sam said disapprovingly.
“Shut up. You haven’t been on lock down all day.”
Sam nodded knowingly, “True, but even on lock down you were offered dinner.”
Adam shrugged, “Didn’t offer me lunch.”
“That’s ‘cause at lunch time I was walloping your ass. That seems to be contraindicated you know. Beating and eating.”
Adam huffed, “Well, you didn’t have to beat.”
“And that little brother, is where you are wrong,” Sam began, “ You knew damn well that you had those tests to do and you know how I feel about school work. Christ, Adam you are smarter than shit.”
Adam felt more than saw Sam’s gigantor body come up behind him. Sam grabbed him again, this time less brotherly and more rough. Still, it wasn’t anything that Adam couldn’t handle, Winchesters tended to be less lovey and more punchy. So Adam turned into his brother and jammed an elbow hard into Sam’s ribs. Sam whoofed but didn’t stop the onslaught. There was a brief moment or two of quasi wrestling, sort of fighting before both Sam and Adam gave up almost giggling together.
That is if Winchesters giggled.
Then panting lightly with the effort of trying to kill each other in such a short space of time the both boys looked at each other and laughed. Adam figured it was more laughter than actual attempted murder that brought on the gasps from his older brother.
“You, Ads, are cleaning up dinner.” Sam stated, hazel eyes glinting with amusement.
“Why me? I’ve already been beaten within an inch of my life, grounded and now I have to do menial tasks.”
Sam laughed again, “You’re the youngest. You always have to do menial tasks. Besides, I cooked - you clean up.”
“I think I should be absolved from clean up duty because my ass hurts.” Adam attempted to glare at Sam.
“Well, unless you wash dishes with your ass, there is no absolution for you.” Sam grabbed a dishtowel, rolled it expertly and flicked it once on Adam’s rear. It stung like a thousand bees and instantly ignited Sam’s previous handiwork. Adam yelped and skipped to the sink already grabbing the dish soap. His older brother laughed again then exited the kitchen, heading to do whatever Sam did in his down time. Probably reading War and Peace or something.
Adam turned on the water, poured an excessive amount of dish detergent in the sink and dumped the mismatched plates in the water. He glanced at the can sitting a mere three feet from where he was standing.
Should he? Should he take the money and go?
Adam debated as the water churned the soap into mountains of suds. It made him think of bubble baths with his mom. Well, not with his mom, but when he was a toddler. He liked making beards with the bubbles, feeling the soft bubbly foam all over his face. His mom had laughed and said he looked like his daddy. That was before he’d ever met his dad and when he had finally met him, the bubbly beard was nothing like the salt and pepper scruff that seemed to continuously reside on John Winchester’s face whether he had shaved or not.
He looked at the can again. Maxwell House…Good to the last drop!!
Adam took a step toward the can then glanced over his shoulder at the living room. He couldn’t hear the TV, but Sam wasn’t likely to be watching it. If Dean were home, the TV blaring would be a given but with Sam, he was more likely to be reading or researching. He strained his ears to listen for Sam’s footsteps. Despite being tall and lanky, Sam was amazingly quiet when he wanted to be. Still, there was no reason for Sam to turn on the ninja act, there was no one home but Adam.
Another step and Adam was at the can. There was a moment’s hesitation. Adam was a good kid. He didn’t do bad things. He didn’t lie and he most certainly didn’t steal. Not from his family anyway. That wasn’t even a Winchester rule that was a Mulligan rule. It made him feel like he was spoiling his mother’s memory. She would have been disappointed and probably have given him a lecture. His mom was the queen of lectures and subsequent guilt. Adam smiled ruefully at his mother’s memory and how damn good she was at making sure he would toe the line. His mom and his dad differed dramatically in their discipline styles. Stealing from the can was certainly it was something his Dad would whup him for. There was no doubt about that, still, it was more than the potential for physical reprimands that stilled Adam’s hand moments before he touched the can. His dad trusted him. His family trusted him. That feeling gnawed at him, causing his stomach to flip and a dull ache to squeeze his chest. Adam blew off the image of his mom and his dad with an actual growl and a headshake that mirrored how he felt at the moment.
Adam pulled the money from the can with a quick jerk of the plastic lid, shoved the wad of money in his jeans and turned back to the dishes.
This was about Adam and taking care of himself. And of ultimately taking care of his everyone he cared about. He would never be a Winchester. Not really. And the sooner he was gone the better it would be.
Part four
http://wildblueyonder6.livejournal.com/44042.html