Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dean yawned, feeling wakefulness breaking in and urging him out of his comfy sleep. He wasn’t fully awake, in that uncomfortable situation in which you wanted to keep sleeping but knew that the feared moment of waking up was less than five minutes away.

He was Dean, Dean Winchester, the son of John Winchester and older brother of Sam. He was Dean and he was seventeen years old. He was Dean and he was a hunter. He was Dean and- He already knew who he was. Why did his own name keep sounding in his head?

“Dean” Oh, there was the reason. His dad was calling for him. “Dean, I know you’re awake.” Dean tried to mumble ‘five more minutes’ but he doubted that whatever came out could be understood. “Dean, c’mon, we both know you’re awake, you can’t fool me.” His father’s voice had a slightly amused tone to it now.

He yawned again as he shifted to sit upright in the copilot seat and stretched out as much as he could in the limited space he had. “I’m not really awake until I realize I’m awake, you know.” He said after yet another yawn. Well, goodbye sleep, hello cruel world. “What’s the matter?”

“We’ll be reaching the town in about twenty minutes. I’ll leave you in the house and go to finish arrange the rent and Sam’s school paperwork, so it’d be nice if at least one of you is conscious enough to be able to open the door.”

Dean looked at the car’s back seat, where Sam was still snoring happily with his head against the window glass. Then he gazed briefly at his father, just long enough to see the dark circles under his eyes.

“Dad,” he began, “ have you been driving all night?” He asked a bit worried.

“I stopped the car and slept four hours. I don’t need any more than that.”

“Right” he muttered, pressing half his brow against the window. His father never took taking care of himself too seriously, and Dean and knew that what little he did was for his and Sam’s sake, so they would not worry. At least now he was better that in those first years, he supposed.

He shook his head, chasing depressing thoughts away. “So, where were we going and why?” He asked. From what he could see, there was only a little town in the distance, from his viewpoint as green as the moss which covered almost completely the trees in the forest they were going though. Seriously, there was nothing but green all around.

“Forks, Washington. A few kilometers away there is a reserve in which I have heard there are werewolves.” That caught Dean’s attention, but John destroyed his hopes. “Sorry young man, I know you like werewolves but you’re not coming this time.”

Dean pouted. “C’mon, dad, why not? Werewolves are awesome and last time I just got a scratch.”

“Last time it was one werewolf. This is a whole pack.”

“Then you’ll need my help!”

“I’ll call Bobby for help if I need it. Dean, I know you could handle yourself, but Sam can’t. I’m not going to risk getting him close to a pack of werewolves, so he’s staying in town, and you’ll stay to make sure nothing happens to him. Are we clear?” John had an authoritative edge to his voice now, and when he did so, Dean didn’t even consider arguing with him.

“Of course” he conceded.

They stayed in silence the rest of the trip until John parked the car in front of a house. It was a nice house, Dean thought. It was made of wood, looked sturdy, had two stories, away enough from other houses to be discreet but close enough to make anything that could want to hurt them need to be careful. It was a million times better than any motel room they had been in so far.

“I like it.” Dean declared. “How long are we staying here?”

“No less than two weeks, probably no more than three. You should get in.”

He looked into the backseat where Sam was still blissfully unaware of the world surrounding him. “Sammy, it’s time to wake up.” He got no reaction. “Sammy.” He tried again, and at least this time he got something that was probably meant to be ‘five more minutes please’. “Sammy! I know you’re awake.” John laughed softly, watching Dean do exactly what he had done himself not half an hour ago. “You can sleep some more once we’ll inside.”

Dean and a grudging Sam got out of the car. They opened the trunk and each grabbed a bag with their indispensable things, and the elder one in addition grabbed a riffle. Just in case.

“Dad? Where are you going now?” Sam asked sleepily.

“I’m going to sign you up into the school.” Then he looked at Dean. “Son, are you really sure-“

“I am, dad. Really, don’t worry about it. Math and literature were never my thing, and I don’t need them for hunting anyway.” In that moment, if Dean had been looking at John’s face, he would have seen guilt and remorse flash in his father’s eyes, but he missed it, instead inspecting the house.

John sighed. “Well, if that is your decision, then I’ll have to respect it.” He handed his eldest son a picklock. “Get in, I’ll return later with the key, but I don’t think anyone will see you if you enter now.”

Dean flashed his best grin at him as he picked his own picklock from his jeans pocket and held it proudly. “I will get in, make breakfast and by the time you return Sam will be ready for you to take him to school.”

John returned the smile. “That’s my boy.” Dean beamed. “Sammy, listen to your brother.”

“I will, dad. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

With that, John took off, leaving his children behind. Before he was out of sight, Dean had opened the door and they stepped in. The living room was just besides the door, and Sam went directly to the very comfortable-looking sofa and threw himself on it, falling asleep again almost immediately. Dean snorted and smiled exasperated at him, wishing he could do the same. Sleeping was fantastic. Buuuut, being the elder brother had its pros and cons. He was in charge but he was also the responsible one, so he had no choice but to make breakfast.

The kitchen already had food on it, which was good because he was pretty sure the food he had grabbed from the car was starting to grow mold (it was in the very back of the trunk, and none of them could remember when they had put it there), so he threw it to the trash and started cooking a real breakfast.

When John returned almost an hour later, the plates were in the sink and Sam was fully awake, ready to go to school. Dean lied on the sofa while failing to find anything interesting on TV. John sat and ate his part of breakfast, rested a little, but ten minutes after it was time to go.

“Well, we’ll be going now. Dean, remember that school finishes at-“

“Ten past three. I’ll be waiting for him since ten minutes earlier.”

“That’s it. What are you gonna do while your brother is at school?”

Dean shrugged. “I’ll look around the town. Maybe there’s something interesting to do.” He doubted it, the city seemed as boring It had looked from the car.

“Do you want me to give you a ride to the downtown?”

“Nah, I’ll go walking later.” With nothing more to say, Dean said goodbye as his father and brother walked out and heard the car engine come to life and disappear into the distance.

He kept channel-surfing some more minutes, but nope, nothing interesting. He turned the TV off and looked at his watch. He had eight hours and a half until he had to pick Sam up from school. He sighed and stood, walked out of the house locking the door behind him and started walking. Everything around him was green, just as it had seemed from the distance. It seemed like a calm, quiet, peaceful and therefore utterly boring town.

In less than fifteen minutes he had reached the ‘interesting’ (emphasis on the quotation marks) part. He could see the school not far from where he was, so at least now he knew where it was. He walked some more, finding a library, a couple of cafés, a sports centre, a supermarket, a park… In short, there was nothing interesting. The rest were just houses and boring-looking people. Resigned, he entered an almost deserted café. There was no one but him, a teenager couple that had doubtlessly skipped their classes whispering at each other in a corner, and the barman.

“What’s it gonna to be, chief?” Said barman asked when Dean sat at the counter. He seemed around thirty-five years old, tall, burly, with blonde hair and beard, blue eyes and overall friendly looking.

“A cappuccino” Dean mused. It was too early for alcohol.

“Right away.” With nothing better to do, Dean watched the bearish man work on his drink and thanked him when it was done. “Anything else, boy?” Dean pointed at a very tasty looking pecan pie he had been eyeing. Soon a slice was in front of him and damn if it wasn’t the best pie he had ever tasted, and he considered himself an expert in the matter.  The cappuccino was fucking good too.

“Shouldn’t you be in school right now?” The bartender asked.

“I’ve left it.”

The bartender raised an eyebrow. “You’ve left it? How old are you? Seventeen? Maybe you should reconsider it, you still have time.”

Dean shrugged. He didn’t have to answer, but he didn’t have anything better to do either and the guy seemed friendly enough. “Nah, it isn’t my thing and I don’t need studies for what I want. Besides, it’s rather hard to study with my lifestyle.”

“And what would that lifestyle be?”

“We never stay in the same place for long. The longest we’ve been in a place has been a month and a half.”

“You parents are travelers then?”

“My father” Dean corrected. “His work requires him to travel constantly, so me and my brother have to move constantly too. We just came here this morning.”

Luckily, the bartender didn’t ask about his father’s job. “And what do you think of this little village in the middle of nowhere?”

Dean smiled. “Do you want the polite answer or the sincere answer?”

He smiled back, and his smile looked like it could light up a dark room. “The sincere one. I guess it isn’t very positive.”

“Well, it looks like a nice place, but kind of boring. Too green for my liking, and too cloudy. By the way, I want another pie, apple this time. And another cappuccino.”

The man nodded. “Yeah, we see the sun twice at most in a year, but I like it that way. Not a big fan of the sun.” He put Dean’s second order in front of him, putting the empty plate and cup away. Then he offered his hand. “Name’s Benny, by the way.”

He took the offered hand. “Dean.”

It turned out that after the generic, friendly but shallow talk, Benny was actually an enjoyable guy. He was friendly, funny, countered Dean’s sass with his own, sensed when Dean didn’t want to answer certain questions, provided information about himself but wasn’t self centered, etc. In short, he was the kind of guy Dean liked talking with. Not to mention the food in his café was fucking delicious.

After two hours (time flies when you’re in good company) more people started coming in, stealing Benny’s attention away from him, but in exchange he got the attention of some girls, so he wasn’t going to complain.  His ‘left school cause I have a hard life but if you listen to me for a while you’ll realize I’m actually very smart and by the way I’m wearing a leather jacket’ vibe always helped at flirting time. His pretty face helped too. Sadly, soon the girls had to return to school from the break, so they left along with everyone else, leaving the café empty again.

“Aaah, there they go, taking my heart with them.” He said dramatically. Benny, once again free from duty, smiled at him amused.

“Want more pie to bury your sorrows?”

The teen shook his head. “No, If I keep eating I’m going to lose all the money I have.” He paid his check and stood. “Well, Benny, it’s been a pleasure meeting you. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

He went out, giving his back to Benny. The older man, now alone, kept looking at him. His expression had changed, the smile gone, but he didn’t look hostile. He just focused on Dean, face considering and wondering.

Dean dedicated the remaining part of the morning to walk the town. By the fourth time, he had memorized most of the downtown plane and a good part of the residential zone. Then he went to pick Sam up and they returned to the house.

“How was your first day?” Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. “Could have been worse. At least there is no bully this time.”

“So the people are OK?”

“Well, they seem friendly, nice. But there are some weird guys.”

“Weird how?”

“Well, there is a family, the Cullens, I think. They are your age, and they’re all very pale and don’t hang out with anyone else. Everyone seems to think they’re fantastic, but to me they seem like snobbish jerks.”

Dean frowned a bit. “Very pale and don’t hang out with anyone, huh? Do you think they could be monsters?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know, but tomorrow I can ask around and find out if there’s something weird about them. And you? What have you done?

“I went to the best café I’ve ever been in, made friends with the barman and walked this town four times and found nothing interesting.”

When they reached the house, they had lunch. Then Sam did his homework, which he finished in twenty minutes, and next he started reading while Dean played solitaire. They stayed there for the rest of the day and nothing happened.

The next morning was very much the same with the exception that they woke up already there and Dean stayed in the café enjoying Benny’s company for almost one more hour.

“Tell me, Benny” Dean said when the people returned to the street and left the two of them alone. “My little brother told me something about a family, the Cullens. It seems like they are a bit strange. Could you tell me something about them?”

Benny’s eyes fixed on Dean for a moment, then he snorted and started chuckling to himself. Dean frowned. Had he said something weird?

“What? Is it that funny?” He asked a bit defensively.

“No, no, it’s not that” Benny said shaking his head when the laughter died. “It’s not something you have to worry about. Nothing worth mentioning.” Which Dean didn’t buy for a second, but well, if the man didn’t want to share it, Dean was the least appropriate person to call him out on it.

The barman proceeded to tell him about the family. Indeed, they seemed weird, but Dean still wasn’t sure that it was a case.

Dean nodded when Benny finished. “When did they come here?”

The older man narrowed his eyes at him. “Why do you want to know?”

“Oh, it’s just that I think I remember meeting a family like them quite a few years ago, when I was little. Maybe they could be the same family.” Dean lied smoothly. He had prepared a script for himself so he could answer all of Benny’s possible questions.

“Almost three years ago. Could they be the same?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Dean let the matter flow away, moving to different subjects for a while. Then, when he thought the bartender had forgotten about it, he returned to the investigation.

“A question; has there been any crimes or… emm, strange deaths around here in the last years? I do not mean the deaths near the reserve, the ones who were found without hearts. Anything else?”

For a moment, it looked like Benny grinned. Not the friendly smile that seemed to be his standard expression, but a somewhat feral grin, a winning expression that made Dean think of the face people made when they found something they were looking for. However, as soon as Dean blinked, Benny wore a somewhat perplexed face, so the younger man supposed he had imagined it.

“No, there’s been nothing of the sort.” Dean expected Benny to ask the why of such a question, but instead he changed the subject, and soon it was forgotten.

Later Dean picked Sam up and they walked home again.

“I’ve been asking the guy I told you about yesterday about that family. It seems like they just think too highly of themselves to bother mixing with the lower folk.”

Sam nodded. “I asked in school and got the same impression. Nothing to worry about.”

The afternoon passed without any conflict until half past seven, when they heard a car outside. Dean looked through the window and saw his dad getting out of the Impala. He opened the door just as John was going to knock the door. He stepped inside.

“What’s it, dad? You said it’d take at least two weeks.” Sam said.

John grunted. “It seems like the information I got wasn’t the best I could get. Those aren’t werewolves, those are skinwalkers! That complicates things.”

“Skinwalkers. Those are the ones that can transform into animals, right?” His eldest son asked.

John nodded. “Exactly, and what’s more, they can do it anytime and don’t lose rational thought. They also have a weakness for people’s hearts, so that’s why they thought it was a werewolf. Besides, the pack is much larger than I thought, so between one thing and another, I think I’ll be working in this for at least a month and a week. That’s what I came to tell you.”

“Do you need help, dad?”

“I fear so, but you’ll be looking after Sam as we talked. I’m going to call Bobby and Rufus and ask them to come, but you two stay here, understood?”

“Yes.”

Then he grabbed a money roll from him jacket pocket and handed it to Dean. “For the extra time.” Dean grabbed it.

Their father stayed for a few more minutes and then he was off, saying that he didn’t want to leave the skinwalkers unwatched too long. He hugged his sons and told them to be careful, like he always did. Sam and Dean didn’t worry about him because they knew he was unbeatable. The only worry in Dean’s mind that night was that they were staying in that unbearably boring town for more than a month. But hey, at least he had Benny.

The next morning, when he was in the café delighting the wonderful peach pie and a drinking chocolate, when the building was empty save for himself and Benny, before the students came in, Benny put both his hands on the counter and leaned into Dean’s personal space, smiling at him. Dean began to feel uncomfortable.

“Umm, is there something I can help you with, man?” Dean asked a bit awkwardly.

Benny’s smile widened. “You are a hunter, aren’t you? At least your father is.”

Dean stared at him, slightly open mouthed and leaving the fork with the piece of pie that was midway to his mouth in the plate. He recomposed quickly though. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

“Hunter? You mean like the one that killed Bambi’s mother?” He asked in a rather convincing relaxed manner.

“No, I mean hunter like the ones who come to a shit town in the middle of nowhere to hunt a pack of skinwalkers and whose son asks about strange people and if there have been strange murders since they arrived.” Benny flashed a smile at Dean’s slightly panicked face, then he realized how close their faces were and he moved away, slightly self-conscious.

Dean hid his face into his hands. “Man, am I that obvious?”

Benny put a hand in his shoulder, reassuring him. “C’mon, Dean, I wouldn’t have known you were a hunter if I hadn’t known about these things beforehand. You did well.”

“I guess you’re right.” Dean mused showing his face again. He was about to ask if Benny was a hunter when the door opened and a flow of client came in, demanding to be attended.

Dean finished his pie while watching Benny carefully. He definitely looked strong enough to put up a good fight, and he was so friendly that Dean couldn’t imagine he would have many problems getting information out of people. But if he was a hunter then why was he working in a café? Maybe he was retired, but even if that was the case, the skinwalker pack was close enough for him to take care of it himself. He didn’t seem the kind to let people die when he could do something to help them, but then again, Dean had known him for barely three days.

Dean eyed the last client leave, and then, making sure they were completely alone, he faced Benny again, who had returned to his former position, but this time he respected the teen’s personal space, something he was grateful for.

“So,” he began, “you a hunter?”

“Nope” was the gleeful answer.

“Former hunter?”

“Cold.”

“You were saved by a hunter once?”

“Even colder.”

“Well, then how do you know?” Dean asked, confused.

Benny looked through the store windows, and after a moment’s hesitance, he leaned closer to Dean.

“This afternoon” he whispered, “at half past five, come here. We will walk like two good friends and I will show you the most quiet, nice and discreet place nearby. Will you come?”

Dean hesitated momentarily, the nodded. “Don’t be late.” He said without a hint of doubt in his voice.

“And why are you leaving me at the library?” Sam asked as he walked a bit faster to catch up with his brother.

“Because you like books.”

“I do, but what you want is to leave me in a place where I’m not alone while you go do something else. What are you gonna do?”

“Since you ask, I’m hoping I get lucky and sleep with a girl.” Dean lied.

Sam wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, that’s gross.”

“Believe me, you definitely won’t be thinking like that in four years.” Dean said gleefully.

Once Sam was sitting in the library with a pile of books that could last him a week (and that was something, because the child read at the speed of light), Dean left the library and went to the café. Benny was waiting for him at the door, wearing a sailor cap.

“Looks good on you” Dean said as his greeting. Benny nodded with a smile as his. They started walking, talking about silly things that none of them really cared about. Eventually they left the town and walked into the forest. Dean had no idea how Benny could orientate himself on it; to him, it all looked the same. Finally, after almost an hour, they reached a small glade next to a little river. It was indeed discreet, mainly because Dean doubted anyone else knew how to find it.

They walked to the center of the glade. Dean looked at Benny.

“So, what was what you wanted to tell me?”

“I’m going to tell you how I know about hunters and skinwalkers and everything else. But before that, you have to promise me something.”

“What?”

Benny smiled at him, and Dean detected a bit of sadness in it. “You have to promise me that you won’t jump to conclusions and listen to me before you judge me. Promise.”

“OK, I promise.” Dean agreed, bewildered.

Benny sighed, as if preparing himself. “Well, it is that…” He looked down, doubt obvious in his face, but he took a deep breath and looked up at the younger man again, both resolution and some worry mixed in his face. “I’m a vampire.”

Dean blinked. Then he blinked again, puzzled. Next, a smile found its way into his face and he started chuckling.

“Man,” he began, “I don’t know why you want me to think you’re a monster, but you did the wrong choice. Vampires are extinct.”

Benny smiled wryly. “Oh, I assure you we are very definitely not extinct, just cautious.”

“Sorry, but I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t?” Benny asked. His smile widened, showing his gums.

And then fangs fucking popped out of them.

Suddenly Dean was very much not laughing. Benny was a vampire. His friend was a vampire. He began to hyperventilate as panic took hold of him. He thought vampires were all dead. He had never learnt how to kill a vampire, how to defend himself from one. He wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t do this.

Instinctively, he grabbed the gun he always took with him and pointed it at Benny. The man- the monster hid his fangs and put his arms up, showing that he wasn’t looking for a fight.

“Hey, you promised you wouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

“I’m not jumping to conclusions” Dean countered. “I’m just taking precautions.”

“It’s a little hard to have a proper conversation if you’re pointing a gun at me.” Benny gave a step forward, his arms always raised.

Now, Dean liked to think of himself as a capable and independent adult, but the true was that he was only seventeen years old, and while he did some amazing things for his age, they were all planned beforehand. A wendigo, a werewolf, a shapeshifter, he had no problems. He knew how to deal with them. But he had never faced a vampire, he didn’t know what to do, and he was shaking. And shaking was a dangerous thing to do when your finger is touching a trigger. The short version is, he shot the gun accidentally. The bull flew and hit Benny’s left shoulder.

“Fuck!” Benny grunted.

Dean forgot that Benny was a vampire and remembered that he sort of was a friend, a friend who he had just shot. He put the gun away and ran towards the vampire, who was pressing his hand against the wound. “Shit, man, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shoot. Shit, shit, I’m sorry, sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it” Benny interrupted him with a wave of his hand, giving Dean a chance to see the barely bleeding wound. Benny moved his shoulder with only a little bit of discomfort showing on his face. “But you better help me get that out later. It’s rather annoying when it heals with the bullet still inside.” He mused.

Dean nodded with his pale face, but at the same time he gave a few steps back. He had been reminded that the other man wasn’t really a man. He looked at the ground and got an (admittedly desperate) idea. He kneeled down and grabbed two sticks.

Benny heard the young man move and gazed up, only to see Dean holding two sticks as a cross and pointing them at him. Between that and the look on his face (half terrified and half perplexed at his own actions), he looked utterly adorable. Benny smiled, then snorted, then chuckled, and soon he was roaring with laughter. Dean looked offended.

“Thank you, brother, that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in years” He said breathlessly when the laughter started dying out. “That was genuinely adorable. And just so you know, even if that had been a real cross, It would have had no effect on me.”

Dean frowned. “Well, then what would have worked?” He asked.

“I will tell you the day I’m sure you don’t want to kill me.” Benny said good-naturedly.

“That day might never come.”

The vampire shrugged. “Then I’ll never tell you.” He said simply.

For a moment there was silence in the glade, comfortable for Benny but not for Dean.

“So… Umm… Do you wanna drink my blood or something like that?” The hunter asked, a bit awkwardly.

Benny raised an eyebrow and eyed his neck. “Do you want me to? I’ll make sure you’re OK and enjoy it.” He licked his lips.

Dean stared at him open-mouthed. Was that a… a sexual innuendo? He shook his head. “No, thank you. I think it’d be better if we waited to the third date for that.” He was joking, but his body was tense. Benny sensed it.

“Hey, relax, it was just a joke. I drink from blood bags only anyway, no one dead. So you’re getting back home alive, if that’s what worries you.”

It probably was a filthy lie, but if it was true then he had hope of returning to Sam alive, and Benny didn’t have to be the bad guy.

“It’d be nice to believe that, but you understand if I don’t, right?”

Benny nodded. “Of course. In fact, I’m surprised you’re taking it this well. Most would be trying to stab me with that.” He pointed at the fragile sticks Dean was holding, which probably would break if he tried to use them to stab someone, less alone burly Benny. “Anyway, that’s enough. I took you here for a reason. Two, actually.”

“And those are…?”

“First is that I like you, and second that you’re a hunter. I need your help. More precisely, your father’s.”

“What do you need my father’s help for?” Dean inquired. If he was a vampire, the last thing he would want would be to come in contact with a hunter.

Benny approached into his personal space again, smiling, but his eyes were hard. “You see, we vampires live in nests. The thing is, I’m the black sheep of mine, in the sense that I have respect for human life. I’m the only one who doesn’t kill people. The others are murderers, and they ruined my life. I hate them and I want them dead. And that’s where your father comes in, and to reach your father, I need you as an intermediary.”

Dean frowned. “I am a hunter myself, you know. I could deal with them.” Actually, he knew he couldn’t, but he was offended that Benny had reached the same conclusion.

“I’m afraid I’ve grown too fond of you to let you risk your life that much. I’ll only give you the information when your father comes back.”

“All of that is very nice, but I’m afraid I still have no reason to trust you. For all I know, you want to set a trap to kill my father. You’re gonna need to elaborate some more if you want me to trust you.”

“I guessed that much. Your father wouldn’t have lived so long if he hadn’t taught you to not trust anyone.” Then he looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was about to set. “I guess you’re starting to feel hungry. Would you like to keep talking while we have dinner? If you’re willing to have dinner with me, that is.”

“Tomorrow.” Dean answered quickly. Benny looked at him questioningly, but said nothing. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go back. I told Sam I would go pick him up in two hours, and if we go back now it’ll be two hours and a half.” His tone made it very clear that he didn’t want to continue that conversation then.

Benny nodded and started leading the way, Dean following him, careful to always have his eyes on Benny’s back. They walked in silence until they reached town and each one went their own way.

Dean went straight to the library. When he was inside, he looked for Sam and when he got close saw that his brother had already read a book and a half. How he could read so quickly was something completely beyond Dean’s limited human comprehension.

“Wait a moment, I’m going to take a few books before we go.” He told Sam before he could stand when he saw him. Ten minutes later, they were walking out of the library, each one with a small pile of books under the arm.

“Dean, are you reading Dracula?”

“No need for the surprised tone, you know.” Dean said, slightly offended.

Sam shrugged. “It’s just that I’ve forgotten the last time I saw you reading, let alone real literature.”

“Hey! I do read, you know. I’ve read the Odyssey.”

Sam flashed at him a smug smile. “I read it before you did, and you have yet to read the Iliad and the Aeneid.”

Dean grunted. “Why don’t you go finish your homework?”

“I already did.”

“Well, then go read your ‘real’ books and leave me alone.”

With Sam gone, Dean continued reading. It was only to learn about vampire’s weaknesses, he had rented all the vampire books that weren’t directed at horny teenagers, just in case he had to defend himself from Benny the next day.

(Well, and maybe he wanted to find out if they could kill the vampire and save poor Mina Harker before it was too late for her. But only a little. It was mainly about research. Really.)

When Benny had talked about having dinner together, Dean pictured grabbing some junk food and eating it while they talked on the street. Instead, they were sitting in a fancy French restaurant and he felt self-conscious about his disheveled looks, but thankfully no one seemed to mind it. Well, it seemed like today Sammy was going to be staying in the library a few more hours than originally expected.

“I thought you wouldn’t eat. You know, because you’re a vampire and you drink blood.” OK, so maybe that wasn’t the best way to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them.

“Mmm, I guess it’s normal you’d expect that. I don’t need food and I don’t digest it, but I can still taste it. Which is a relief, because I’ve always thought a good food is one of life’s best pleasures.”

The silence settled between them again, just as uncomfortable as before. After a few minutes, Benny sighed and pushed his wine glass in front of Dean. He looked sad. “C’mon, do it already.”

Dean blinked. “Do what?”

“Put holy water in my wine and see if I burn when I drink it.”

“I have no holy water.” Dean answered.

Benny raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t? I smelled the garlic and supposed you had taken holy water and maybe a real cross with you too. Really, Dean? Garlic?”

Dean scratched the back of his head embarrassedly and feeling a bit guilty. “Well, yeah, yesterday evening and this morning I read the most famous vampire stories I could find, but in the end I just chose the traditional things. You have a very good nose, by the way. It’s been two hours since I touched the garlic and I thought I had managed to wash the smell off.”

“You haven’t brought it here?”

Dean shook his head. “No garlic, no cross, no holy water nor anything of the sort.”

“And then what?” Benny asked surprised,

“Nothing.”

That surprised Benny even more. “Nothing? Truly? Why?” He asked genuinely perplexed.

“Well.” Dean said looking elsewhere. “I didn’t bring anything because I didn’t think I’d have to fight you.” Dean faced him, looking at him in the eyes and smiling. “I realized that I trust you, fangs or not”

Benny looked at him shocked for a few seconds. Then a smile slowly appeared on his face. It wasn’t a big one, but it expressed such happiness and gratitude that Dean felt proud of himself for having put it there.

“Thank you, Dean.” Benny said in his most earnest voice. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Dean’s smile widened. “Don’t give me reasons not to.”

In that moment their food arrived so they stopped their conversation and started eating. Dean took a bite and fuck it was good.

“I suppose you like it, don’t you?” He looked up at Benny and noticed his amused smile, and then he realized he had moaned. Dean blushed and fixed his eyes back into the plate as he muttered a ‘shut up’, which only widened the vampire’s smile.

Then Benny remembered the actual reason of why they were there. Dean had decided that he trusted him, so he needn’t really tell him more, but he wanted to show the hunter that he appreciated the trust he had put in him and that he trusted him back.

“Dean, would you like to know my story? Why I don’t kill people and hate my nest?”

“I thought it was because your conscience had survived your transformation.” The hunter answered with his mouth stuffed of food.

“Well, not exactly. It’s more like it was resurrected. I haven’t always been this cute and cuddly. There was a time in which I was no better than them”

Benny started speaking. He told Dean that he had been turned one hundred and fifteen years ago, when he was thirty seven, making him one hundred fifty two years old, that he had had a family, a wife and two children, and that he had never seen them again. He told him about his murderer years, when he and his nest attacked yachts (he was a vampirate, as Dean very cleverly put it). And then he told him about Andrea.

Benny showed a wistful smile, lost in thought. “She was wonderful, Dean. She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she was good and kind, but strong. I told her what I was, what I had done, and when I did, she accepted me and showed me I could change my ways. I loved her.”

“We ran away. I thought I had left my past behind, but my maker is a possessive one.” His eyes became hard and hateful. “They killed her, in front of me. She was screaming. They ‘forgave’ me, let me live, but I wish they had killed me, too.”

“I have never trusted anyone since then.” The pain in his eyes dissipated. “Until I met you, that is. You’re the first person I have cared about since then. I mean it.”

Dean didn’t know what to say. What did he say? Tell him ‘thank you’? Try to comfort him about Andrea? Nothing he could think of seemed appropriate.

Benny, being Benny, noticed it, and went back to his food, bringing the conversation to an end. Dean, thankful, did the same. And soon, the man found out he had an inner Sam. For the first time in his life he was in the same room as a monster and neither of them were trying to kill each other, so instead of murder attempts, questions flowed out of Dean. Did sunlight hurt? How much? Did he sleep in a coffin? Did he sleep at all? Could he turn into a bat?

Benny answered all his questions, and in turn he asked about the hunter lifestyle. Since when was he traveling? Why? How many kinds of monsters had he fought? Did he miss a normal life?

Finally, time to pay came. “Don’t worry about it. It’s on me.” Benny said when he saw Dean taking his wallet out.

“I can afford it.” Dean argued. “And are you going to let me feel bad about it? I thought you were a good friend.”

“I guess you don’t know me as much as you thought, then.” A mocking smile flashed in his face. “I’m willing to let you suffer and hate yourself about it.” He paid and the waiter was off before Dean could do anything about it. Benny stood, gesturing at Dean to do the same. “Shall we?” Dean followed.

“I don’t like it.” Dean still complained as they went out of the restaurant. “If you pay for me, it’s like a date.” He explained.

Benny gave him an eloquent look.

“Wait, it was a date?” The older man ignored his question and started walking, humming. Dean ran after him. “Hey, was it a date or not?” He inquired.

“Dean, it can’t be a date if you don’t consider it a date. It was whatever you want it to be.” Benny explained calmly, as if he was talking to a five years old.

“But did you want it to be a date?” Dean asked once again, starting to feel nervous. Benny didn’t answer and resumed his humming, and the young man accepter he wasn’t getting an answer.

“Hey, your house isn’t that way.” Benny commented when Dean turned right while Benny did left.

“But the library is. Sam’s in there, remember? He’d love to stay the night there, but sadly they close in two hours.”

Benny nodded and followed after Dean.

“Are you following me?”

“I’m walking you home.”

Dean stopped and frowned at him. “Hey, Benny, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a guy, not a girl. I don’t need you to pay the food nor walk me home or anything like that.”

“Dean, I’m walking you home regardless of if you like it or not.” He came into Dean’s personal space and Dean realized that his smile was tense and that his eyes were inspecting their surroundings. “Just in case.”

Dean tensed. “Are they… We’re being watched?” He whispered.

Benny indicated him to go back to walking. “They aren’t, but I’d rather be careful. They don’t know about you as far as I know, but I can never be sure. There’s no risk during the day, but make sure that you and your brother are never alone in the street during night, OK?”

They went to the library and got Sam, who looked at Benny curiously but made no questions. Benny accompanied them to the door of their house. As soon as they were alone Sam asked about the stranger, and Dean answered that he was a friend, leaving out the part about the fangs inside his gums.

Before going to sleep, he checked that the door was completely locked, as well as all the windows. Thrice.

Two weeks had passed since Dean and Benny’s not-date. The routine was mostly the following: Sam went to school, Dean spent the morning stuffing himself with Benny’s pies, and they spent the afternoons at the house, except a couple times that Dean got a date. Unfortunately, they had gone nowhere.

Benny was in the mix. He would spend some afternoons with them, playing cards, talking, every now and then making dinner (and when Dean tasted his food he was tempted to chain the man to the kitchen), or simply enjoying the company.

Now, Dean was sleeping, or trying to, at least. He had woken up at least three times by now. He sighed and reached one arm out of the bed, unsuccessfully fumbling for his watch on the dark.

“It is five o’clock, if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you.” Dean answered sleepily. Five o’clock, he still had time to sleep more before his alarm set off. He went back to a comfortable position and closed his eyes. Five seconds after, he was sitting on the bed and had turned the light on.

“Benny?!” He hissed.

Indeed, Benny was in his room, with his arms crossed and leaning against the window frame, narrowing his eyes at the sudden light in the room. “Yeah, that’s my name.”

“Since when are you there!?”

“Since I saw you had turned your light off. For the last two weeks.”

Dean’s jaw dropped. “You- You’ve been watching me sleep?” He asked incredulous, and he could hear the anger in his own voice. “Do you have any idea how fucking creepy that is?”

Benny raised his arms trying to calm Dean down. “C’mon, it’s not like tha-“

“Then explain it. Quickly.” He interrupted.

“If you hadn’t interrupted me, I could have said I am watching over you, making sure no one from my nest comes. I’m just worried about you, brother.”

Dean calmed down a very little bit. “It’s still creepy. And at least you could have, I don’t know, asked me about it? Tell me if you’re going to be a creep!”

Benny looked down, sad. “I’m sorry, Dean. I didn’t want to worry you.”

Dean scoffed. “Well, you almost gave me a heart attack. And aren’t you a bit paranoid? You’ve been obsessed with watching over me, but nothing has happened yet!”

The vampire looked even more sad, not daring to look the other in the eye. “I know, I know. It’s just- You know what happened the last time I took a liking to anyone. If the same happened to you- I just couldn’t anymore, Dean. I couldn’t bear it.”

With those words, the anger left Dean completely. Maybe he had overreacted, he thought feeling a little guilty. Benny had reasons to be paranoid, and actually Dean was grateful for the worry, if not for the way he had chosen to go about it. He sighed.

“Don’t worry, forget it. You startled me, that’s all.” Then he frowned, worried. “Do you sleep at all?”

The older man seemed relieved to hear that. “Yeah, I sleep three hours in the morning, and another one while I’m watching over you. Even asleep, I’d hear if someone was to enter the house.” He explained.

Dean hummed. “You sure you rest enough?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m not human, so I don’t need as many hours of sleep as you do. Talking of which, you should go back to sleeping, you still got a couple hours till you have to take Sam to school.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m fully awake now, no way I’m gonna get any sleep.” He grabbed a deck of cards from the nightstand. “You up for a game?"

Three games later, any tension remaining between them had completely disappeared.

“By the way,” Benny commented as he grabbed a card from the deck, “you are even cuter than usual when you’re asleep.”

Dean made an offended noise. “I’m not cute.” He said firmly. “I’m handsome in a very manly way.”

Benny chuckled. “Boy, you’re not even of age yet. It’ll take a few more years for you to be ‘handsome in a very manly way’. Until then, you’re cute.” He stated. The ‘cute’ man grumbled lowly and they continued the game.

Dean’s head hurt. A lot. An awful lot. He groaned as he came back to consciousness. And then his alarm shot up.

He was on a sofa in a big fancy living room, nice but foreign. And most important, his hands were tied up on his back, as well as his feet. He tried to stand, but only managed to tatter for a few seconds before falling back into the sofa. He looked around with increasing panic, seeing that there was no one else in there and that the only door was closed.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Panicking would definitely not help. The first thing was, how had he ended up here? He had fallen asleep, and everything after that was blurry. Forcing his brain, he thought he could remember a noise waking him up, and something hitting him before he could even think clearly. His head hurt in that same place so it hadn’t been a dream.

What could have happened? Benny was in the house like every other night. He didn’t spend the night in Dean’s room anymore, but even so he would have noticed if something was off. Had he been attacked, overpowered? And what had happened to Sam? If they had dared to even look at his brother, there would be blood.

As worry invaded him, he twisted his hands, trying to set them free. After a short eternity, he could feel the rope starting to loosen. There was a light at the end of the dark tunnel, but something blocked it, bringing him back to darkness.

The door opened, revealing a young-looking man. Dean stopped moving instantly, least he noticed that his hands were almost free. The man came close, uncomfortably close, reached behind Dean and tightened the knot. Then he sat in front of him.

“It’s a pleasure finally meeting you. I’m always glad to meet Benjamin’s friends.” He said amiably. Dean felt the sudden urge to punch him in the face.

“I guess you’re a vampire, right? From Benny’s nest.”

“I’m not just ‘a vampire’. I’m their leader, Benny’s father.” He stated proudly.

Shit, this was worse than he expected. ”The one with the God complex, then.” Dean blurted out. “And why is someone so important, ancient and powerful wasting his precious time with a lowly, insignificant mortal as myself?” He asked sarcastically.

“As I said, I’m always glad to meet Benny’s friends. The moment you first contacted him you became one of my concerns. I’ve been studying you, and I decided tonight was finally time for us to have a talk. We have much to discuss.”

“What did you do to my brother? And to Benny?” Dean demanded.

“Your brother is sleeping calmly in his bed, he is of no concern to us.” He answered with a dismissing gesture. “I suppose Benny is agonizing with dead man’s blood in his veins. You see, I didn’t like that he tried to hid you from me, so he had to be punished.”

Dean glared at him hatefully.

The vampire sighed. “What do we do with you, Dean? The human Benny has fallen in love with, once again.”

Dean ignored the ‘fallen in love’ part. Obviously he had gotten it wrong, but correcting him wasn’t one of his current concerns. “And what are you going to do to me? Kill me as you did to Andrea?” He sneered.

The Old Man, as Benny sometimes called him, shook his head gently. “Not this time. I thought that killing Andrea would end Benjamin’s infatuation with human life and he would return to us. I see now it was a mistake, as the only thing it did was to plant hate for me in his soul. No, I won’t make the same mistake with you. You’ll be a peace offering.”

“…Peace offering?” He didn’t like how that sounded, not a bit.

The vampire stood up and sat in the same sofa as Dean, putting one arm around his shoulder and staring at him in the eye.

“Yes. Right now, Benny wouldn’t dare to do it himself. He’d watch you grow old and eventually die, and then he’d be miserable. But I will make the decision for him. You will become one of my children, and Benny will see that I don’t begrudge his relationship with you.”

Dean’s horrified eyes watched how the ancient being brought his wrist to his mouth and pierced it with his fangs. He tried to push his head back, but the vampire’s strong hand kept it in place as the bloody wrist neared his mouth. He thanked a God he didn’t believe in when the wrist went away from him.

“However, thinking It more carefully, It’d be a waste to turn you before feeding from you. Both me and Benny will taste your blood before you taste mine, and that way we will be even closer, all thanks to you.”

The relief Dean had felt when the wrist went away disappeared and gave way to a new anguish as the fangs appeared again and immediately the leech was at his neck and he could feel the fangs burying in his neck and it hurt and please stop. He screamed and writhed and fought and tried to push him away, but the other was too strong. His fighting became weaker as he felt his strength leaving him.

Suddenly, a hand yanked the head away from his neck and then the vampire’s head was off his body. Dean saw the frozen surprised expression fall to the floor. He looked up and saw his father.

John threw the machete next to the dead body and cupped Dean’s face. “Dean, how are you feeling? How much did he drink? Stay awake, Dean, whatever happens, please stay awake. Everything’s OK now. Just hold on a little longer.” When Dean could focus his eyes again, he saw John’s face, showing more worry than he had ever seen in him. The second thing he saw was someone about to attack him.

“Dad, careful!” He said weakly, but it wasn’t necessary, because before John had finished turning, the second vampire’s head was in the floor too, courtesy of Benny.

“How is he feeling?” He asked, and the worry was obvious in his voice too.

“He’ll live. Watch the door while I untie him.” Benny nodded and fixed his gaze on the door. John untied his son’s hands and gave him a cloth to press against the wound in his neck. Dean did so and John untied his feet.

He helped him stand, putting his arm around his shoulder. They heard a thud and saw another vampire head in the floor and Benny pushing the body off. “There are eight left. Chief, I can’t fight them all on my own. Can Dean walk?”

They both looked at Dean, who nodded. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he felt stronger than a few minutes ago. He slipped his arm off his father’s shoulder, who knelt down and grabbed the dropped weapon. “If you feel weak, tell me immediately. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Before leaving the room, Dean got a sword from a shelf. It was meant for decoration, but the edge was sharp and he wouldn’t have problems beheading someone if he needed to.

They walked through the manor’s corridors, Dean always between his father, on his back, and his friend, on the front. A couple of vampires attacked them, but they died before they could do any harm.

But when they reached the hall, a vampire leaped on Benny, pushing him into another one who was waiting. Dean looked back and saw that his dad was busy with another two. And then he saw another one, looking at him, smirking.

She jumped over Benny, who was fighting on the floor, directed at Dean. Before he could actually think, Dean had swing the sword and the monster had no head. He stared at the corpse, an added vampire to the mental list of things he had killed. He felt the weakness return.

“Dean, be careful!” Benny shouted. He turned and saw his father killing another one who had been about to kill him. After the thud of the body falling, silence fell between them, broken only by the noise of heavy breathing.

“Well, that’s it.” Benny said. “They’re all death.”

“Are you sure? There is no more danger?”

“Sure. I’ve spent one century with them, I think I’d know if one was missing.”

Dean sighed. “Good. Because I’m about to pass out.” And then, everything was black.

He woke up and everything was too bright to see anything. He blinked a couple times and when his eyes adjusted saw he was in ah hospital room. He moaned and brought his hand to the bandage in the left side of his neck.

“Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

He looked towards the voice and saw his father in a chair smiling at him. He looked tired but relaxed.

“Very good, actually. Was it really necessary to take me to hospital?”

John nodded. “You lost too much blood. You’ve been here for four hours, and the doctor says that by midday you’ll be discharger.”

“Where’s Sammy? Is he OK?”

“Yes. He is here, he just went to the toilet.”

A few moments later, the door opened and his brother came in. He looked relieved to see Dean awake, and asked about everything that had happened. Dean told him, but he didn’t know one part.

“What happened before you came, dad?” He asked.

“When I finished with the skinwalkers, I went to pick you and Sam. And what did I find? A half- dead vampire dragging himself out of the house and you gone. He told me what had happened, and we went to save you. I even gave him some of my blood so he could get his strength back and help.”

Dean was surprised at his father carelessness. “Dad! As far as you knew, It could have been a trap!”

“I know, but when I heard you were in danger, I just forgot everything about being careful. All I could think about was to get you safe.“

Dean smiled internally at his father’s display of affection. Then he hesitated for a second before saying: “And where is Benny?”

John frowned and his eyes hardened. “He’s a vampire.”

‘Is’, not ‘was’. That was a good sign. “He is. He is also my friend.”

His father seemed to fight with himself before sighing. “I guess he did help me save you and kill the other vampires. And if he was lying about not drinking from living people, then it’s illogical that you and Sam are still alive. He… I’m not going to kill him.” He said, apparently struggling with himself to say those words. Sam seemed delighted and Dean smiled at him (he had always wanted to meet a good monster). “He’s outside, waiting to speak to you.”

They kept talking for a while and then they had to go. “I and Sam are going to get our things from the house. We’ll be back by midday to go.”

A few moments after they went out, Benny came in. “Hello, brother. I guess you’re feeling OK?”

“Aha. A little bit dizzy, but all right.”

Benny sat where John had not two minutes before. He wore a sad smile. “I’m sorry I failed you, Dean. I shouldn’t have let them-“

Dean raised a hand, indicating him to stop. “Don’t you dare apologize. You did everything you could, and I’m alive thanks to you. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me nothing.” He answered with the same sad smile. Obviously he was going to keep blaming himself, but right now Dean didn’t have the strength to convince him otherwise. But he sure as hell was going to as soon as he was completely recovered.

“And how are you feeling? You just killed your whole nest.”

Benny shrugged. “I was fond of some of them, but it’s better this way. Even with the Old Man dead, they wouldn’t have stopped killing people.”

Dean hummed to let him know that he had listened to him. After that they just stayed there, in silence. Dean didn’t like silence, not when there was so much to talk about, but he didn’t know how to start. So he decided to start with something funny.

“Hey Benny,” he called, “ did you know what the Old Man said? He thought you were in love with me, that I was the same to you as Andrea.” Dean chuckled.

Benny emitted a too obviously forced laugh, and when Dean looked at him in the eye, he lowered his them, awkwardly.

The hunter swallowed. “Benny…? Are you…?”

“Am I in love with you? Yes. Very much. I felt attracted to you since I first saw you, and when you said that you trusted me, well, it meant a lot to me. I love you, Dean.” Benny said, still not looking at the boy.

“Oh.” Was all the answer he got.

The silence became incredibly awkward, almost unbearable, neither of them daring to speak nor look at the other.

“Benny, I… Emm… I’m very… flattered? But it’s just that, err, I’m straight. Not into men.” Dean managed to mutter. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Responded the vampire, finally looking at him. “You… You aren’t mad about it?”

“No. Why would I be? I thought you’d be disappointed that I didn’t like you back,”

Benny smiled widely, relieved and relaxed. “Nah, I was expecting it. I was just worried that you’d take it badly. Being your friend is more than enough for me, I don’t need more. That is, if you still want me to be your friend.”

“Of course I want!” Dean said firmly. “Man, you’re awesome. And you cook the best food I have ever eaten. There’s no way I’m letting you get away from me.”

The older man chucked. “As if you could stop me if I wanted.”

“Of course I could, don’t even doubt it.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere, so we’ll have to wait to another occasion to see it.”

“And what do you want to do now?” Dean asked. “Are you going to start a campaign to make monsters aware of the value of human? Or are you going to buy a castle in Transylvania and become Dracula?” Dean inquired with a grin.

Benny grinned back, “That’s honestly the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Dean looked proud of himself. “Actually, I’ve been talking to your father. He doesn’t seem to want to behead me, so I asked him if I could work for you.”

“Work for us?” Dean asked surprised.

Benny nodded. “Yes. For half a century, all I had was a desire of getting revenge. Now you’re all I have, and if I have the chance, I want to be with you.”

“And what did he say?”

Benny smiled widely. “He said that as long as I cooked healthy food once a week, he had no problem with it.”

Dean also smiled widely, delighted. “So you’re a vampire pirate who hunts vampires. A vampirate vampire hunter!” Benny rolled his eyes.

“Well,” Dean offered his hand, “I’m Dean Winchester, and I’m your new boss. I’m trusting you.”

Benny took it. “Hi, boss. I’m Benny Lafitte, and you’re not gonna regret it.”