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“I can explain,” Dean said, pulling away from Benny and turning to face the intruder. “This isn’t as it appears.”
“Isn’t it?” Sam said, and Dean’s heart sank. He’d rather face down his father, who would at best disinherit him and at worst beat him, than have Sam be the one to discover him like this. He could live with anything John did to him, even if John went too far and killed him, far more easily than he could deal with losing his little brother’s admiration. “Dean, you know I’m not stupid. You were in here embracing Benny, and instead of berating me for coming in unannounced, you jumped straight to defending yourself.” He smirked. “Badly, I might add.”
Dean groaned. Sam was absolutely right. He tried to figure out how to explain this without admitting to anything, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Benny was no help, trying to make himself as still and small as possible to avoid drawing Sam’s attention. The two didn’t get along anyway; this was likely to destroy any hope of changing that situation. “It’s a stable. If you need a horse for something, of course you come in here. That was my fault, not yours.”
“Since when has that ever mattered, Dean?” Sam crossed his arms. “If it had been Father…”
“He at least wouldn’t be wasting time talking to me. He’d do what he felt he had to do and have done with it.” Dean drew himself up. Whatever Sam was going to do, he’d handle. It would be better than waiting in fear. He tried to signal to Benny to run, without drawing Sam’s attention to him, but either it wasn’t getting through or Benny was ignoring him. “Well? Get on with it.”
“Dean. You know me. You’re always complaining about how I love to talk, and at least it will serve me well as a barrister.” Sam let his arms drop and took a step toward Dean. “Do you not have faith in me, Dean?”
“Of course I have faith in you,” Dean scoffed. What kind of question was that? He had every faith in Sam. “How could you ask me that?”
“You keep secrets from me all the time, on Father’s orders, but about something like this? I could be helping you hide, protecting you, finding ways to allow you to have time together, but instead you kept it from me. How is that not having faith in me?”
Dean stared at Sam. “You’re not ashamed to be related to me, knowing this?”
“No, I’m not.” Sam turned his head, looking at Benny. “Dean’s not forcing you to do anything, is he? Or threatening you, or bribing you?”
“Mr Winchester is the one pursuing me, but I’ve never felt like I couldn’t get away if I wanted to, Master Samuel,” Benny said.
Dean reached out and put an arm around him. As it appeared that Sam was not going to do anything stupid, he could do with the comfort he would get from contact. “Sam, you have to know I’d never do that to anyone. I love Benny, and he loves me. This is mutual.”
“Then no. I can understand your fear from anyone else, but me, Dean? You thought I would judge you for this? Then you don’t know me as well as you thought.” He gave a rueful smile. “I honestly believed you knew that half the time Castiel is over, we’re not doing our university work.”
“Excuse me, you what?” Dean shook his head, unable to believe he’d heard his little brother correctly. What he was doing with Benny, that was one thing. Benny knew the risks he was taking, being involved with Dean, and agreed to take them because he loved him. Sam? With Castiel? The Winchesters were rich, but Castiel was an actual noble’s son and heir. There were expectations. Sam was going to get his heart broken when Castiel decided it was time to take his position seriously and set Sam aside for a wife. “What the hell are you thinking, Sammy? Bad enough you’re lying to Father, and no I’m not begrudging you the chance to get out of some of the chores he would be giving you instead of me, but this is not smart!”
“I know what I’m doing, Dean.” Sam’s voice was barely above a whisper, but there was a confidence to it. “Castiel is betrothed, and I’ve met the young lady in question. She knows everything about Castiel and I and approves of it. When Castiel finishes school and begins to take on duties for his father, I’m to be his secretary. I didn’t tell you until now because I thought you knew, and the betrothal is currently a secret for political reasons. Why didn’t you tell me about you?”
Dean’s mouth hung open and he stared at his brother. Benny gave him a nudge. “Sounds like we can trust him after all, Dean. Your fears were just fears.”
“Fears? What, that I wouldn’t approve?” Sam scoffed. “Do I look like Father to you?”
“Don’t answer that,” Benny suggested while Dean tried to figure out how to lie without making it obvious that he was.
“That school you’re going to, rubbing elbows with young lords and old money… don’t think I don’t notice how you change when you’re there, trying to fit in,” Dean explained. “When it’s just the two of us, you’re the same as always, but when you have friends from school over, you’re always apologizing for things here. You act as though you’re ashamed of us. I was scared that you would see this as a reason to be ashamed.”
“Dean, you’re my brother. I could never be ashamed of you,” Sam said, voice rough. “It can be hard, seeing the castles and manors of my friends from school and then inviting them to our fortress that Father cares more about making defensible than making a home. That doesn’t mean I’m ashamed of it, and I will never be ashamed of you. As for Father, well…” He shrugged and averted his eyes. “You know as well as I do that he’s troubled, and if I can keep my school friends away from him, it avoids any kind of scene when he accuses one of them of attempting to do whatever it is he’s so afraid is going to happen.”
Dean closed his eyes, nodding. That part, he could not disagree with at all. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you know, now that I know you’re not going to be angry or ashamed. It’s good to be able to stop keeping this secret from you.” He kissed Sam’s forehead and then coughed. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Benny and I were kind of…”
“I still need the horse, and you might want to find somewhere a little more discreet,” Sam teased. “If Father asks, I went to the duke’s estate because his son and I have an exam that we agreed to help each other prepare for.”
Dean raised an eyebrow. “And is the exam real, or are you going to be examining each other’s lips?”
“Some of both.” Sam chose his horse and started preparing it. Dean shook his head, jerking his head to lead Benny to a more isolated part of the stable.