Work Text:
“You’re crying.” Sam spoke quietly voice barely above a whisper.
Deans breath hitched from his bunk in Bobby’s spare room. He was hiding under the covers skin itchy enough to feel like it was peeling off.
“Dean you’re crying.” Sam repeated having moved down from his top bunk to sit looking at his older brother from the floor.
He stayed silent. His mouth so dry even if he wanted to he couldn’t get his words out. His skin itched but he couldn’t even move from the bunk.
“Dean please I’m begging you just say something.” Sam’s voice cracked. “Anything.”
Dean tried to speak but no sound would come out. He gasped for air but no oxygen would enter. Was he dying? Would he die lying in Bobbys spare bed? He gasped one last time and suddenly a sharp pain flung open at his side. Shit. Now he was panting for air and Sammy. He couldn’t loose his brother and his mother in the same month. Where was Sammy?
Suddenly Dean was flung into the bathtub across the hallway. The taps desperately running and cold water rushing at him. The rest of his body changed almost instantly. Dad would be pissed when he got back, if he ever got back. But he was breathing again. Shallow gasp after shallow gasp. His lungs and gills working overtime to recover him.
“Kiddo, you’re okay now.” Bobby grabbed him by the shoulders pulling him into a strong hug. “You’re okay.”
Sammy stood at the doorway watching. Silently. He had puffy red eyes and had tracks of water going down his face.
“Sammy.” Dean spoke softly. “C’mere”
The young boy ran to his big brother, who at this point was covered in rough scales, and hugged into him. He started crying more and Dean moved his fringe from his face. And wiped his tears with his clawed thumb.
“I’m so sorry Sammy.” He whispered. “This’ll never happen again okay.”
Sam wouldn’t let go of Dean until Bobby put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Your T-shirts soaked kiddo. Go get changed I’ll look after Dean.”
Sammy left the room hastily. Bobby turned to Dean frowning. Dean hid his face into the ‘knees’ of his tail. A hand was placed carefully onto Deans shoulder.
“Want to tell me what happened there Kiddo?”
“I dunno.” He mumbled hiding his face in his hands. “I just couldn’t move, then I couldn’t speak, then I thought I was dying. I couldn’t breathe and my gills opened up.”
Bobby sighed. The kid was 11, he was barely old enough to use a stove and if he was having panic attacks. Fuck. When was the last time he transformed too? He should be in his true form at least 12 hours across two days to stay healthy. Dean had been sleeping in the shared room and essentially attached to Sam the whole week. Dean started sobbing into Bobbys shoulder.
“I don’t want to leave Sammy.” Whispers between sobs.
“Dean.” Bobby spoke firmly. “Sammy and you are safe in my house. Nothing and I mean nothing will happen to the pair of you in my care.”
Deans sobs shrunk as he leaned back into the tub. He made a weak huff as he shuffled lower into the tub. Either his large tail fin would hang over the edge of the tub. Or half of his body gills would be out of the water. He had gone back to breathing to his lungs at this point but the cold nighttime air made them sting.
Dean had eventually settled into an uncomfortable slumber and Bobby made a mental note to make sure he was in the paddling pool most of the day following. As he returned to bed.
Dean was always good with grief.
Which is why there was absolutely nothing he needed as he crashed and banged car parts. In the blazing heat. The medium-sized pool that Bobby had built for him when John had left them there for 6 months stood idle in the junkyard. Dean was supposed to be regularly dipping into the water. Especially in this weather but alas he was too focused on Baby to notice. Dad would’ve wanted him to be strong and to fix the impala.
Sam sat at Bobbys dining table. Reading news reports all over the country. He needed to get Dean out and hunting. It was a distraction for his older brother and if not Dean would likely be on the floor forcefully transformed an in pain sooner than later. One of Johns old burner phones buzzed. A case. Anything to get Dean out of his misery.
It wasn’t a case. But it wasn’t not a case. It was weird, a woman was on the other end of the line. She spoke about being able to help John and well there were no other leads.
They arrived at the roadhouse in the evening.
“I feel like a soccer mom.” Dean whined.
“It’s the only one Bobby had.” Sam spoke gruffly. “Once the impala’s fixed we’ll be back in that.”
Dean only huffed and walked to the door.
It was locked. As expected for 9AM and a saloon. Not to worry as they picked the lock with ease and started to investigate the room. Suddenly a firm rod stuck to his back.
“Oh I hope that’s a gun.” He spoke cheekily.
“Maybe I’m just happy to see you.” The voice spoke. It was younger than the voice on the phone.
Dean managed to disarm her. But Sam walked out with his hands up. The older woman had a gun pointed at him.
“Really Sam!” Dean whispered annoyed.
“Dean.”
“Sam.” … “Dean.” Another pause. “You wouldn’t happen to be John winchesters boys?”
“Yes yes we are!” Dean exclaimed.
“Mom do you know these boys?” Jo asked.
“They’re Johns boys. You remember him he was like family at one point.”
A few minutes later the group were sat at a table at the bar. Dean was nursing a glass of water, smirk on his face whilst speaking to the roadhouse owners.
“So John mentioned you boys a lot growing up. He wouldn’t bring you guys over but wouldn’t give an explanation as to why.” Jo said. “It sucked, at one point John was like family.”
“How come he never mentioned you?” Sam asked. “Were you and dad?”
“Absolutely not!” She exclaimed. “He was close with Jo’s late father.”
The next thing happened so fast. A glass of water threw at him haphazardly but with intent.
“Ow!” He exclaimed but it was too late. His arm itched as his skin rippled and his forearm fin feathered out.
“I fucking knew it!” Ellen shouted. “Why didn’t that shit for brains trust me with this I’ll never know?”
Dean grabbed his arm in panic, wincing as the skin of his fins were sensitive as Sam rose out of his chair protectively.
“What the fuck was that for?” Dean shouted. They had not gone for the attack though tense Dean stayed still.
“Your father has lied to us for decades.”
“So what you gonna do!” Dean was shouting. “Kill me. Or just sit there.”
“Relax.” Ellen spoke. “I had my suspicions. Jo go run a bath for our guest. I need to speak to them in private.”
“Mom are you serious.”
“Yes now go.” Jo left in a rush.
Ellen leaned back into her chair as Dean held his hand under the table. She knew. And she wasn’t doing anything about it. Hunters could and would be lethal to Merfolk if able. Yet there she was sat at the table with a can of cola.
“So what am I just expected to sit and look pretty?” Dean chuckled nervously.
“No, I have some questions.”
Dean had to explain most things to Ellen. The witches, the yellow eyed demon and how he was only part mermaid. He didn’t know why, if he started off human or if he started off merman. He was too young to remember.
“How’d you know?”
“Well. John always said that he was taking you to lakes or the beach. He was worried you’d decide to leave one day.”
“How’d you get merman from that?”
“He’d always panic like he’d said too much.”
“You threw water at a stranger because he likes the beach?”
“Well I was right so.”
Later on Dean was sat in the tub. It was a little small as he had graduated from tubs on days off into a pool in Bobbys garage. Or if on the road, nearby lakes or rivers. But Ellen had provided some pillows for his back. It was weird, normally outsiders would attack him for who he was.
“So Dean.” A voice spoke knocking at the door. Jo.
“Come in.”
She did and she stopped still, she looked him up and down her eyes wavering over the strong tail fin hanging out of the tub. Dean noticed her and adjusted the tail fin a little under her gaze. Then she looked at his green eyes. The same green eyes he arrived with.
“Ash is working out a system to search for the yellow eyed demon but I wanted to ask you some things.”
“Well I have nowhere to go.” Dean smirked sitting up.
“How come you hunt? I mean is it not too risky?”
“Way I was raised.” Dean paused. “Let me ask you something now.”
“Fine.”
“What’s the deal with this place? You know so much but you claim you don’t hunt.”
“Hunters pass through and we listen, that’s it.”
Sam had found them a hunt. And they did it. With relative success. Some Hindu spirit posing as a clown to hunt. Dean managed to get them out before there was trouble. But it still took a few days and Sam had to deal with his fear of clowns.
Back at the roadhouse Ash gave them the news about the yellow-eyed demon.
“No sign at all?” Dean lifted his eyebrow.
“None, but when there is, we’ll know.”
Sam suggested staying over in the guest rooms at the roadhouse before going back to Bobbys scrapyard. Dean seemed out of it. He could barely stand and was in no position to drive.
In the evening, Jo waltzed over to Dean. She leaned on the bar, a duffel bag in her hand. The room had barely a person in, the sun had started to set and the evening had taken full hold.
“So hey, there’s a lake about 10 minutes north of here. Mom’s gonna look after the bar. Would be nicer than the cramped tub.”
Dean huffed. And looked to Sam who was sitting next to him. He stuttered before excusing himself.
“Listen Jo.” Dean paused. “Normally I’d be all over you. The first chance I got. But right now. I don’t feel like it.”
“I get it. I do. But you seem tense it might still be worth going to the lake. Doesn’t have to be a date I just never see people around my age here except Ash and well he’s Ash.”
“Are you trying to manipulate me into seeing my tail again?”
“Maybe.” She smirked. “But mostly, you look tense dude. And as much as this sorta place is definitely your scene I think you could do with a break.”
They did end up at the lake, and Dean ended up enjoying it. He swam for a couple hours before returning back to shore. Happier than he had been in a long time. Jo had been reading a book on the shore. And when Dean was taking a break from swimming she would chat with him.