A/n: Alright. Another story. Because I have a problem. Lol This is partly inspired by my cat, the manga Man's Best Friend, and the summary I read for a Japanese Movie called Dog Star. Also, since I have someone to talk about Supernatural with now I feel like writing more for the fandom now. xD It is nice to have someone to talk to who doesn't want to make my head explode with telekinesis every time I bring up Sam, Dean, or Cas. Also the line breaks will not be song titles in this story. They will be song lyrics. Enjoy. ^^
-First you want to ride off into the sun. Then you want to shoot straight to the moon. Make a plan to love me sometime soon.-
Dean Winchester is a very average man.
He lives in a small house and works nights at the local bar as a bar tender.
He has two dogs and he has yet to find anything that he can't fix.
He is loved by just about everyone who knows him.
He loves his car, his dogs, his beer, and his family.
And at family gatherings he plays peace-maker because Grandpa hates Dad and Dad hates grandpa and Sam loves Dad but can't stand that Dad won't just accept that he isn't like him and in the end it is just a mess that Dean eventually cleans up. He loves his family but he wishes that he could just deal with them one on one so that he could avoid the big family fights. Not that he complains. No, Dean never complains. He grins and bears it and takes care of everyone else and their problems like he has done since Mom died. Of course that doesn't mean that Dean has no one.
The only thing that people really find odd about Dean is that he is constantly buying cat food for a cat he doesn't own. But just because he doesn't own a cat does not mean that he doesn't have a fuzzy feline friend to feed.
Every night before he leaves for work he puts out a can of cat food at his back door and every morning when he comes back the food is gone. The nights that he has off he will put the food out and sit in the rocking chair on his back porch until the cat comes by.
It is a little black thing with blue eyes and short fur that is perpetually sticking up at odd angles.
Every night the little black cat will slink out of the darkness and come eat and the night that Dean is off, like tonight, he will stick around for a while. The cat will finish his food, then look up at Dean, meow, and hop into his lap to be betted.
Tonight is one of Dean's nights off and he is sitting in his chair, scratching the cat behind his ears and enjoying the feeling of the furry puddle of warmth in his lap purring. He smiles softly as he gently hoists the cat up in his arms, holding him against his chest. The cat mewls and sits up some to look him in the eyes, seeming confused as to why the petting has stopped.
"You know sometimes I think I like you more than my dogs," the cat tilts his head to the side then starts to purr again when Dean reaches up to scratch at his jaw. "Don't get me wrong. I love them, wouldn't give them up for anything, but they just… It's different with you," he says, frowning because that just doesn't sound quite right to him.
The cat reaches out and puts his paw on Dean's chin and the man just laughs quietly. The little paw pads are warm are hot against his skin and he gently pushes the paw away, holding it between his thumb and forefinger afterward.
"That's it… that's what's different. I talk to my dogs but they just kind of stare at me. You actually seem to understand me," he says softly then he laughs at himself and sighs, letting his head fall back. "But you're a cat. You probably can't understand a damn thing I tell to you," he says, sounding almost sad.
With a little mewl the cat puts his paws on Dean's chest and leans up to butt his head against the man's chin. The man chuckles softly and looks down at the cat then reaches up to lightly tap the top of his nose.
"Even if you can't understand me you still listen better than any of the people I know," he says quietly, smiling broadly when the cat starts to purr loudly and settle back down.
For a little while Dean is silent. The cat is back in his lap and he's gently stroking his hand over the cat's back and watching the star speckled sky. He hums softly and gently rocks himself with his foot. His eyes close and he smiles, liking to be able to hear the frogs and crickets chirping out in his and his neighbor's yards.
When his phone shatters the silence he scowls and the cat lifts his head curiously as Dean fishes around in his pocket then flips open his phone without looking at who it is. It can really only be two people. Dean doesn't socialize much. Sure he is charming and well liked but for the most part it is just him, his dogs, and his family. And the cat he feeds but doesn't own.
"Hello," he says, scratching the cat under the chin.
Sam's voice comes through but Dean can't really understand what his brother is saying. He frowns, getting up as he listens to his brother cry and stumble through his words. The cat jumps to the floor before he is dumped off of Dean's lap and looks up at the man, curious.
"Whoa, whoa, Sam, Sammy, calm down. Where are you? Are you alright?" The man on the other end of the phone is still just as incoherent but Dean is still heading back into his house, leaving the cat alone. He glances out the window in his door, sending the feline an apologetic look as he heads through the house and then out the front door and to his car. Dean doesn't quite know what is wrong yet or where his brother is but he knows that he needs to get to him if he is this upset. "Alright, Sammy, I'm going to come get you, alright?" he asks, backing out of his driveway, unaware that a pair of big blue eyes are watching him from the bushes around the side of his house.
Dean isn't sure where Sam is but he'll find him.
-Here come old flat top. He come groovin' up slowly. He got joo-joo eye ball. He one holy roller. He got hair down to his knees. Got to be a joker he just do what he please.-
The cat watches as the black Impala leaves and once he can't see the taillights anymore he bounds out of his hiding place into the bushes and walks down to the end of the driveway, watching the road. After a moment he's back on his feet and making his nightly rounds around the house.
Every night the cat comes. He isn't always the cat that eats the food that Dean leaves out but he is the only cat that gets Dean's affection and love. He is also the only cat that went through the small garden in the back yard and flushed out any little critters that would ruin his human's plants or get into his house. Even though Dean doesn't consider himself the cat's owner the cat had decided that he is Dean's cat and Dean is therefore his human. The cat climbs up a tree near the house and hops onto the roof, his little paws silent as he pads along the roof. His hackles rise when he finds a raccoon trying to get into the attic. Fearlessly he runs at charges at the large, furry creature, hissing and growling. For a moment they stare at each other, both hissing and snarling.
Then the cat pounces and lands right on top of the beast. A few scratches, hisses, yowls, growls, and bites later and the raccoon is gone. The cat limps back toward the tree because the raccoon bit his back leg and climbs back down to the ground. He doesn't mind the fact that his leg is hurt and bleeding now. He knows if he just waits then his human will come back and patch him up. Dean has done it before. So he slinks back into the bushes and watches the driveway, waiting.
And he waits.
And he waits.
And then, finally, the black car rolls up and the cat sees his human get out. He watches as Dean goes around to the passenger side of the car and open the door. The man leans in and talks quietly with the person inside.
"Come on, Sam. I know you're hurting but we need to get you inside. You can't just sleep in the car," he says gently, like he's talking to a child, like he talked to the cat when he first met him on his back porch.
Slowly Dean helps a tall man, a very tall man, out of the car and starts guiding him toward the house. The cat watches as Sam lets Dean herd him into the house before he hops around to the back and onto the porch. He scrambles up onto the small table beside the rocking chair, and under the kitchen window then jumps up onto the window sill. All of this is done much less gracefully than it would normally be. He watches as Dean walks into the kitchen and looks around, seemingly at a loss. He looks upset and the cat mewls sadly and paws at the window. He doesn't like to see his human so sad.
The man grabs a beer out of his fridge, pops the cap and then takes a long drink from the bottle, leaning against the counter. After a moment Sam comes into the room. The cat sees Dean tell him something but he can't hear. Suddenly Sam's face crumbles and he starts to cry. Dean reaches to comfort him and his brother takes the comfort like a life line.
Dean looks slightly awkward but holds his brother anyway and lets him cry into his shoulders. Both of the dogs sharing the house come in to join the party. One is a big, white pit bull with a couple spots on his left flank and one on his right ear. He whines, his floppy ears pinned back as he looks up at the men. The smaller dog, a female is slimmer, skinnier than, not as bulky as her house mate, and is tawny and brindled. She barks, her ears perked in curiosity as she moves to sniff at Sam.
-I traveled through the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed. The pages were gold, the band was old, they played in half time. Now every dream gets whittled down just like very fool gets wise. You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight.-
Dean feels… overwhelmed. What is he supposed to do to comfort his brother? What can you do for someone who just lost the love of their life? Remy's barking isn't helping anything and he looks down at his dog that is sniffing at his brother then looks up and barks. His other dog is quite at least. That doesn't really help at the moment as he still has his brother crying in his ear and the other dog barking. Dean looks around a bit helplessly but pauses when he sees the cat in the window. He expected him to be long gone by now.
The man lets out a sigh then gently pushes his brother away. "Hey, Sammy, come on, let's get you to the couch or something," he says, guiding the younger man into his living room again. He pushes him down onto the comfortable black couch. "You want something to drink or… I don't know what to do here, Sam."
Sam doesn't answer and Dean lets out a sigh before wondering back into the kitchen. He picks his beer up off the counter and takes a swig then looks at the window again. The cat is still there. For a moment they just stare at each other and then Dean moves over to the window and opens it, taking hold of the cat behind his front legs he pulls him into the house, cradling him against his chest.
"I don't know what to do," he whispers against the cat's fur, his eyes closing as he nuzzles his fuzzy friend's shoulder.
When he hears the click of claws on the floor and feels the cat tense and hears a hissing beside his ear he slowly turns around, seeing Remy. His eyes go wide and he tightens his hold on the cat.
"Sammy… I could use your help in here," he says loudly, hoping that the somewhat urgent edge to his voice will urge his brother into moving.
Luckily it does and when Sam walks in he's looking miserable but it morphs to one of confusion when he sees his brother cuddling a cat and backing away from his own growling dog.
"Is that a cat?"
"Just get the dog in her crate, Sam."
"Since when do you have a cat?" Sam is pulling the dog away and leading her into her crate as he speaks.
"I don't have a cat. He just comes around during the night and I give him a can of food. On nights off we talk," he says, rubbing the cat behind the ears and smiling as it calms down once the dog is out of sight.
"You talk to a cat?" Sam asks smiling some as he comes back into the kitchen his head tilted and his brow perked.
"Shut up, Sam," he says, scratching the back of the cat's neck.
Sam just smiles and watches his brother. He always knew the man was really a big softy but seeing him cuddling a cat is just sort of funny. The younger man's eyes narrow when he sees blood on Dean's hand that is cupping the cat's rump and back feet as he holds the cat to his chest and Sam moves forward t to pull his brother's hand away from the cat.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asks, holding Dean's hands in both of his and looking for where the blood is coming from while he adjusts his hold on the cat.
"Yeah, fine," he frowns at the blood on his hand then pulls it away from Sam and holds the cat away from himself, looking it up and down. His eyes land on the cat's foot where the fur is matted and a bit darker than the rest of him. "What did you do?" he asks the cat.
The man looked at the cat and narrowed his eyes. The black feline just had the nerve to meow and look almost smug. Dean snorts and shakes his head, bringing the cat back to his chest.
"Dude are you really talking to a cat?" Sam asks, following his brother as he heads out of the kitchen and down the hall leading from the living room back to his bedroom and the bathroom.
"Shut up and help me, Sam," he says, handing his brother the cat that just seems so much smaller in Sam's hands.
The larger of the two looks down at the cat that looks up at him and they just stare at each other while Dean goes to the bathroom and crouches down to get the first aid kit out from under the sink. While the older brother is wetting a rag to wash off the cat's hurt leg with the younger slowly brings the cat to his chest and cradles him in one arm then experimentally scratches under the cat's chin, smiling when he gets a purr from the small feline.
"You two done bonding?" Dean asks, stepping in and gently tugging the cat's leg until it is extended so that he can wipe it down the place where the raccoon bit him. The cat hisses with displeasure at the wetness on his foot and the pain that comes with the rag dragging against the wound. "Awe I know it hurts, buddy… that's why Sam's holding you."
Sam glares at his brother and Dean just grins grabbing some antibiotic cream and squeezing a little bit onto his fingers. He rubs them together and then starts carefully massaging it into the bite. The cat lets out a displeased meow and Dean lightly taps his nose.
"If you wouldn't go off and get hurt we wouldn't have to do this every time, now would we?" he asks, getting out some gauze and wrapping it around the hurt spot. Once he's wrapped up the cat's leg to his satisfaction he takes the cat from Sam and put him on the ground. "Go close the window I don't want him to get out."
Sam perks a brow but moves to do as told, watching as the cat limps into the living room. Domino, the big white, pit gets up and greets the cat with a sniff and a lick to the head. The cat purrs and walks between the dog's legs, rubbing up against one. The younger brother comes back in as Dean sits on his couch and the cat jumps up into his lap.
"So… you do this often?" he asks, moving to sit beside his brother who his stroking his hand over the animal's back. Dean just shrugs.
"Every now and then he'll get hurt and I'll keep him inside until he's better, that's all," he says rubbing behind the cat's ear and then looking up at Sam. "How're you doin', Sammy?"
The young man lets out a shaky sigh and leans forward, elbows on knees and head hung. His brother's hand lands on his back and rubs in a soothing circle. Sam bites his lip and slowly leans back, letting his head fall so that he was staring at the ceiling.
"I don't know what to do, Dean. She's gone. I was going to marry her. She wasn't supposed to die we were going to have two point five kids and a dog!" he says, voice getting louder with each word until he is almost yelling. "I should have been there with her," he says brokenly. "Maybe I could've…" his voice fades.
"No, Sam. You couldn't have known there was going to be a fire. You would have just died with her," Dean says gently, choosing not to continue on to tell his brother how he'd rather have lost Jess than his brother. He knows it's selfish but it's true. Sam doesn't have to know about it, though.
"What am I supposed to do now, though?" Sam quietly asks, Dean sighs and leans back to look at the ceiling as well.
"Take it one day at a time…" Dean responds, turning his head to look at his brother. "For tonight, you'll sleep and we'll handle tomorrow when it comes."
-Sweet from the flowers, honey from the bees. I got a feeling, I'm ready to release. Roses are red and violets are blue. Honey is sweet but not as sweet as you.-
The cat purrs loudly, curled up on Dean's pillow and waiting for his human to come to bed. He can still remember Dean's quiet laughter when he had jumped up on the bed, stretched and then flopped over with a small whump as he hit the mattress. He loves Dean's laugh. The cat closes his eyes the tip of his tail lightly flicking and ears twitching as he listens to Domino's breathing as he sleeps by the bed. Remy is still in her crate. She's not as good with cats as Domino. When Dean comes in the cat lifts his head and watches as he moves over to the two crates in the corner of his room and slips his fingers through the bars, scratching at the young dog's side while she chews on a rubber toy.
"Sorry, baby girl, but I can't have you eating the cat. You're getting better, though. You didn't run at me this time. We'll work on it tomorrow, yeah?" he says, smiling as he gets up and heads to the bed.
The man shoves off his pants then crawls into bed, pushing the cat off his pillow. The cat doesn't mind. This is one of his favorite parts of getting to spend the night in his human's house. With a purr the cat curls up beside Dean's head and the young man smiles gently, reaching out to scratch under his chin. The smile slowly dies, though and he sighs.
"Do you think Sam is going to be alright?" he asks quietly, waiting a moment and watching as the cat licks its nose and yawns. He smiled some and rolls onto his side, facing away from the feline. "He'll be alright. I'll take care of him," he murmurs to himself.
The cat watches and waits until Dean is asleep, then he stretches out and slowly his body changes.
It changes from that of a cat, to that of a man. The moonlight coming from the window makes his pale skin almost glow and he is smiling as he lies behind Dean. With a soft, almost purr as he gently presses himself close to Dean's back and drapes an arm over his waist. The bandages once wrapped around his leg are torn off, unable to accommodate his new size. The cat, now a man, props himself up on his elbow and watches Dean with half lidded blue eyes then leans down, nuzzling the man's cheek with his nose.
"You take care of Sam and I'll take care of you," he whispers quietly, laying himself back down again, his face pressing into the back of Dean's neck.
The black curls on his head mix with Dean's light brown hair and his slightly stubbly face probably tickles the back of the somewhat larger ma's neck. The man is just as slim and slinky as he was as a cat, now, though he can hold onto his human, pressing his font to Dean's back so that there isn't a place they aren't touching. This is his favorite part of spending the night inside the house. He loves to hold onto Dean like this, loves to nuzzle his neck and his shoulders, and keep his human pulled closed to him because he is very much in love with his human.
-Have you ever made love to a beautiful girl, made you feel like it's not such a bad world? Hey man, now you're really living.-
A/n: The song lyrics used as line breaks come from the following songs: Make a Plan to Love Me, by Bright Eyes. Come Together, by The Beatles. Middleman, by Bright Eyes. Hey Man (Now You're Really Living), by Eels.