Chapter Text
“Should I call Dean ‘father’ too?”
Sam turned his head so fast it let out a loud crack. Until then, it was a quiet breakfast sharing with Jack, in the bunker’s kitchen. Sam was just thinking that Dean should have joined them, instead of drinking himself stupid in his own stupid room, like the stupid stubborn brother he was. Though, hearing Jack’s sudden question, the tall hunter was suddenly glad Dean decided not to join.
Sam faced Jack, a baffled expression on his face.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Dean. Should I call him ‘father’ too?”
Sam took a time to process the question. Since Jack’s birth, Dean had been the furthest thing to a father to him (much to Sam’s chagrin). Sam considered Jack, his brows frowned in perplexity.
“But why would you want to do that?”
It was Jack’s turn to frown.
“He… Dean is Castiel’s mate… They are bounded… So since Castiel is my father, Dean is too?”
Sam raised his hand to interrupt him. He frankly wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the explanation, but curiosity had taken over.
“What do you mean, they are ‘bounded’?”
Jack stared silently at Sam for a long time, his eyes squinted, as if the kid was determining if Sam’s question was serious. When he finally answered, his tone was very careful.
“Before I was born, I could already feel Castiel’s grace, when he was around my mother. I know the frequency, the feeling of my father’s grace. And I realized I can feel it on Dean too.” Sam looked at him, eyes wide. “It seems my father bounded with him, and intertwined his grace with Dean’s soul. I-” Jack looked away, almost shyly. “I am not sure, but it seems to be a very intimate bound. From the time I shared with my father, I could feel the way he felt for Dean and -”
Sam raised his two hands.
“Okay okay, that’s enough! I definitely don’t wanna know about that!”
Jack tilted his head on the side. Sam’s heart hurt. The kid looked so much like Cas…
After a moment, Sam realized the kid was still waiting for an answer.
“Erm… Listen. I don’t know about any ‘bound’ my brother did with Cas” (Sam did his best to chase away the inappropriate images he definitely didn’t want to see) “But maybe it’s better you keep calling Dean ‘Dean’. He… Dean is a bit touchy since…”
Sam waved in hands, as his voice died in his tightening throat. Jack nodded.
“Since Castiel’s death,” he completed.
Sam swallowed the lump forming in his throat. The memory stung.
“Yeah.”
“I… I understand. I think.”
Jack nodded for himself, then turned away, to leave the kitchen, a defeated expression on his face. Sam hated himself for letting the kid down.