Author: moonfairyhime
Rating: PG-13, minor swearing
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Summary: On any road trip, you risk the chance of running out gas. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't happen. This is one of those sometimes happens moments.
Feedback: I'd really appreciate it.
Author's Notes: Slight spoilers for episodes 1.10 "Asylum" and 1.11 "Scarecrow". Warning: Some really bad puns have been used. A little fluffy towards the end. Many thanks to okibibanshi for beta-ing and putting up with me. This fic is dedicated to litashields for just being the best person ever.
Sam watched as they drove past the sign declaring Welcome to Deerlake Falls. Down below the sign welcoming them into town was People Population: 65, Cattle Population: 5,000. Sam blinked and sighed. He really hoped Dean knew where the hell he was going for once...
...and ten minutes later, Sam was once again tempted to beat his head against the dashboard until sweet unconsciousness welcomed him with her open arms. Dean and Sam were standing in front of what may have been a very popular restaurant if they had gotten there about a decade earlier.
"Dean, you made us drive to a remote location in the middle of nowhere for a restaurant you remember eating at twelve years ago. What is wrong with you?"
"I'm hungry." As if to prove a point, Dean's stomach grumbled.
Sam shook his head. "Dean, I'm proud of you. That was a really well-thought out statement."
"Aww, thanks Sammy. Wait... Do you mean that I don't think things through?"
"Not all the time, Rambo."
Dean shrugged and started walking towards the Impala. "Oh well, Sammy. We may as well head out. I can't handle anymore of this town. I feel like they're all staring at us."
Sam looked around. "That's because they are, genius."
"I wonder why. Maybe they've never seen such a handsome guy before."
"Or maybe they aren't use to hearing Metallic so loud that their dead ancestors are screaming 'Turn it down'."
Dean glared at Sam. "Don't joke about the dead. They don't like it and then tend to show up in the form of ghosts or zombies and haunt the living hell out of you."
Sam just looked at Dean. "You know, if I was being haunted by a ghost, it might be an improvement. Like a type of guardian angel. You have to admit that not all ghosts are nasty."
Dean nodded as both brothers got into the Impala. "I'll give you that one, College Boy."
Sam glanced at his brother. "Do you think we have enough gas to make it to the next town?"
"Sure we do." Dean patted the dashboard. "She's never let me down."
"Dean, it's eighty miles to the next town and sunset is in an hour." Sam looked worried.
"Don't worry, Sam, we'll be fine."
...An hour later and in the middle of nowhere, Sam was really hoping that Dean was rethinking his definitions of "enough gas" and "we'll be fine". Dean was rooting through the trunk, trying to find the spare gas can. Sam looked at his brother from where he was standing next to the trunk and shook his head. Sam opened his mouth and Dean glared at Sam.
"Don't say it, Sam."
"I was just going to say a quote."
Dean's curiosity was piqued as he slammed down. "Okay, then, Sammy, what is it?"
Sam grinned. "'A pedestrian is someone who thought there was a couple of gallons left in the tank.'"
Dean retaliated by smacking Sam upside the head. "Ha. Ha. I found the spare gas can, but it looks like all the gas in it has evaporated. Look's like we're walking to the next town, which would be..."
"Little Big Root and we're about fifteen miles from it." Sam supplied the answer without even pausing.
"Isn't that an oxymoron? Little big?" Dean pondered the question for a little bit. "Hey, Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"...You get premonitions of everything else. Why didn't you get one of this happening?"
Sam stared at his brother with a look of 'Gee, genius, I don't know. I do remember, however, asking you if we had enough gas'. Dean interpreted the look as 'O, Great Big Brother, I have no answers for you, O Handsome One'.
"Well, Sammy, I've got an idea." Dean said, grinning like a fool.
Sam could only stare at his brother. "Those may be the four scariest words I've ever heard come out of your mouth."
"I'm going to walk to town and get gas. You are going to stay here and watch my baby. If anything happens to Her, I will kill you."
"Dean. I don't want to stay here by myself." Sam sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Well, this is inconvenient. I really wanted to make it to Leaky Creaky Springs by morning."
"Well, College Boy, is there ever a convenient place to run out of gas?"
Sam frowned. "No, not really."
Dean suddenly grinned. "Well, breaking down in front of some hot chick's house would be really cool."
"..." Sam just looked heavenward, once again wondering if he was brought home by the wrong family, but the whisper of no he heard in the wind (and he knew that Dean didn't hear it) quickly made him ignore the thought.
"Okay, Sam, new plan. We'll both head to Little Giant Tree or whatever it's called and if something happens to Her while we're gone, I'll kill you."
Sam nodded, agreed, and wondered if his brother was getting to him, because, really, it seemed perfectly acceptable to die just because Dean's car got a scratch while they were out getting gas. "This isn't a bad area. No one will bother the car."
"Oh, now you know what's going to happen."
"No, this just feels like a nice area."
"Well, if we stumble across poppies, car or no car, I'm hightailing it the other way."
"I'll be two steps behind you."
"Good to know you have my back." Dean said, a smile finding its way on his face and Sam found himself grinning back at his brother.
Dean and Sam made it half way to Little Big Root before the sun fully set and the stars began to shine. Sam pointed straight above them. "Look, it's Orion."
Dean looked up and grinned. "I wonder what's below Orion's belt."
Sam smiled at their old joke. "Whatever it is, I bet it's Sirius."
Dean actually laughed before he pointed up. "There's Pleiades. I wonder where Merope is hiding tonight."
"You would be concerned about that sister."
"What's the constellation next the Little Dipper again?"
"Draco the Dragon?"
"That's the one. There's a queen too? Cassiopeia?"
"Right. Don't forget about Cepheus, her king." Sam said and smiled. "Jess and I used to look at the stars whenever we could find the time and since we lived on campus, the lights kind of drowned out the stars and..."
Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Sam, please don't tell me you would take Jess out stargazing just to make-out with her."
If Dean could have seen Sam's Cheshire Cat grin, he would have been proud. "Sometimes. A lot of the time though, we did just stargaze. I love to stargaze, you know that. Sometimes, I like to be reminded it's okay to take a step back and relax. In the grand scheme of things, we aren't important. Compared to these stars, standing unchanged for so many eons, we're just a mere moment of a burst of light before we completely fade."
Dean smacked his brother with the gas can. "I forgot that stargazing makes you all philosophical. How much longer to Big Little Stem?"
"If you mean Little Big Root, we could have been there about twenty minutes ago if we were in the car..."
"Bitch, I swear no one can hold a grudge better than you."
"Runs in the family." Sam said, shrugging. "I'd say it's going to take us about twenty-five or thirty more minutes to get to the town. Let's hope we can get a ride back to the car from someone in town."
Dean glowered at Sam. "If they try to feed us apple pie, I'm running for it. I do not want to meet any more fugly creatures like that Scarecrow."
"I highly doubt that'll happen for multiple reasons. One reason is we're not married."
"Must you dissect everything?"
Sam nodded. "Of course. I'm the geeky college boy who majored in Pre-Law at one of the best schools in the nation. Lawyers are supposed to dissect everything. They teach you that in Pre-Law 101."
Dean shrugged. "At least you admit you're a geeky college boy."
Sam stared up at sky, absentmindedly pointing out Venus. "What was your favorite superhero growing up?"
"Random much?"
"Humor me?" Sam asked and heard Dean sigh.
"I always liked the Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four." When Sam snorted, Dean continued. "She reminded me of Mom; pretty with blonde hair and even though you can't see her, you know she's there. What about you, Sammy? Who was your favorite superhero?"
Sam smiled. "Oh, I had the best superhero in the world. He picked me up when I fell down and was always there for me, even when I didn't think I needed him to be. He nursed me when I was sick and played with me, even though he was older than me and didn't always like playing baby games anymore. Funny thing, though. You used the wrong choice of words, Dean. He wasn't my favorite superhero, he still is my favorite superhero."
"And what's this superhero's name?" Dean couldn't help but ask.
Sam grinned. "Oh, you don't know him? It's Captain I-Don't-Do-Chick-Flick-Moments a.k.a. Super Big Brother, the best superhero in the world."
Dean smiled, touched too much for words, and gave Sam a push. "Just because you're trying to flatter me doesn't mean I'll let you drive my car more, Sammy."
"To drive the car would imply using gas, which we currently don't have."
"Shut up." Dean then farted. "And there's your gas."
If the dashboard was in front of Sam, he knew he'd currently be beating his head off it. Sam really hoped that stupidity wasn't contagious.