Reading Between The Lines (Sabriel)

Chapter 3

Sam wasn't expecting to have such a good time with the Trickster. He thought it was going to be the longest two hours of his life, and he sure as hell didn't think he was going to stay any longer unless the guy physically duct-taped him to a chair. He still doesn't like the Trickster, obviously -- the guy may have a hell of a sense of humor and the best collection of stories Sam has ever heard, but he's still a monster, and if Sam thought he had a chance, he'd kill the guy where he stands out of moral obligation if nothing else.

Still, he was pleasantly surprised by how the night went. He needed some time to relax after the nearly nonstop hunting he's been doing since he left Stanford a few years ago. Hunting was a gift at first when he was just trying to get his mind off Jess, but that was a long time ago and Sam was in desperate need of a break. It was nice to have someone to just chat with and joke around, even if that someone was the Trickster.

Sam finally makes it back to the crappy hotel he and Dean are staying at, and he's hoping to god that Dean went to bed in the last few hours and isn't waiting up. Granted, he was just taking a nap before Sam left, so the odds are slim to none that he'll get lucky tonight. Even a note on the table wouldn't be enough to calm him down.

But when he steps inside, he sees Dean looking shockingly cheerful for having been ditched a few hours earlier. "Hey, Sammy."

"Hey." Sam stifles a yawn. He didn't realize he was so tired until he saw his bed just a few feet away. "Why are you still awake?"

"I wanted to make sure Baby got back in one piece."

Sam rolls his eyes. "Your car is fine, Dean."

"She better be," Dean replies in a threatening tone. It seems like a joke, but Sam knows how seriously he takes his car's safety. If anything happened to that thing, Sam wouldn't live to tell the tale of what Dean would do to him. "So, where'd you sneak off to today?"

"A bar downtown," Sam says. That's one thing he doesn't have to lie about.

"Ah, it's about time," Dean says with a grin, which doesn't make much sense until he continues, "So, you get lucky?"

"What? No!" Sam says immediately. That wasn't at all why he went there. Dean knows him better than that.

"Aw, come on, Sammy," Dean insists. "You can tell me! What, did getting arrested finally get you in the mood? I mean, weird kink, but to each their own."

"Oh, shut up." Sam sits down on his bed and kicks off his shoes. He should probably get changed, but he's too tired to even try it. Instead, he just lies down with his face in his pillow.

Dean evidently hasn't had enough of this, because he asks, "So? What was her name?" in such a way that Sam can hear the shit-eating grin on his face without looking.

"Fuck off," Sam mumbles.

Dean just laughs at him, because that's what brothers do best.