genetics | Supernatural: What's In A Name?

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Current Music: Yiruma; Passing By

Entry tags:

Supernatural: What's In A Name?

Title: What's In A Name?
Author:

papered
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: None
Rating: G
Word Count: 424 words
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, not mine.
Summary: Everyone needs some hint of normalcy to hold on to. Even Dean Winchester.
Notes: Inspired as I was listening to Yiruma's instrumental piece, Passing By, which is a gorgeous mix of piano and violin. A big thank you to

potthead for her mad betaing skills. :)

He knows it irritates Sam, which is partly why he does it – the flash of his cocky grin and his amusement-filled voice intoning Sammy, endlessly, until his brother threatens to shut him up with duct tape and stuff his head down the toilet.

But mostly, it slips out naturally when he’s not even trying to be annoying. The nickname rolls off his tongue without his realizing it, as he wakes up in the morning, still groggy, to find Sam researching some topic or another, or calling out a good-night greeting as he rolls into bed with muscles protesting after a particularly vicious hunt. He distantly remembers his mother calling Sam that, and unconsciously, the nickname had slipped into his vocabulary – a small but bittersweet reminder that once, even the Winchesters had been normal, before normal had passed on by. But it’s familiar and comforting, like an old, well-worn favourite pair of jeans that’s been ripped and torn through by hellhounds and werewolves, and covered in blood God knows how many times, but fits him like a glove and somehow smells like leather and smoke and car wax all at once.

He knows it irritates Sam, but there were times when his brother just smiles in response in that way of his, even as their banter leads to flying tackles and wrestling on the floor of the motel – a barely recognizable quirk of the lips. But Dean recognizes it all right. He knows his brother better than anyone, and can identify Sam’s moods and expressions with his eyes glued shut – and Dean knows that his brother understands, and in the same way that it comforts him, it’s a part of their childhood that Sam can hold on to.

It's almost painfully normal in how it contrasts with the rest of his childhood – the metallic cling and cold steel of the gun in his small five-year-old hands; how he could fall asleep more easily to the sound of his father cleaning the weapons than he could a summer breeze. The endless days of night-time hunting, and going to school the next day with a broken arm and bruised ribs, his side protesting as he flashes that dazzling smile at the teacher and explains how he slipped and fell down the stairs. It was anything but conventional.

Sam had always held onto the idea of normal with a determination that had puzzled his father. But everyone needed some hint of normalcy after all – something to cling on to from an almost-forgotten childhood.

For Dean, it was Sammy.

Finis.

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YAY!!! I love the new ending you came up with for this! Muchmuchmuch better than your last one, and it makes the entire fic so much stronger! Bravo! ♥

*SQUISHES* Thanks so much for all of your suggestions and changes and whatnot. ♥ :D

That was really amazing ♥ Awesome work!

Thank you! :)

Ooo! I liked this a lot!!

I'm glad. :) Thank you for reading!

This. This is great. I love it when Dean calls him Sammy and the times when Sam just accepts it. And Dean remembering that's what their mother called him, that part reminded me of the family picture in the basement of their house that was labeled "John, Mary, Dean, and Little Sammy". It just all fits so perfectly. :D

Those moments are definitely memorable. :D And actually, I didn't even think of that photograph until you mentioned it, but it ends up fitting in a way I didn't even intend. XD

Thank you for reading! :)

Awww! Adorable!

Thank you! ♥

OH BEAUTIFUL!!! ♥ I love it! =)

...to shut him up with duct tape and stuff his head down the toilet.
>> That part made me lauuuugh.

*SQUISHES YOU*

I can somehow imagine Sam threatening that. *g* Even if it sounds more Dean-like at times. ♥

Yay

papered!

Great job, I loved this!

The endless days of night-time hunting, and going to school the next day with a broken arm and bruised ribs, his side protesting as he flashes that dazzling smile at the teacher and explains how he slipped and fell down the stairs.

So perfect! Thats just like Dean, he's so in character!

Thank you for reading! :)

(no subject)

cookie-junkie.livejournal.com - 2007-02-27 05:52 (UTC) - Expand

Fantastic.

Thank you! ♥

Perfect and sweet ♥

I'm glad you liked. ♥

OHHHHHHHHH MY GOSH. OH MY GOSH. I love this. I think my favorite part is, "how he could fall asleep more easily to the sound of his father cleaning the weapons than he could a summer breeze. That's sort-of heartbreaking when you truly think about it. But the end, OOOOOH MY GOD. DSJFLSDKAFSA.

*grins*

Your awesome awesome comment just totally made me smile. :D That's actually one of my favourite sentences in this fic too, and if I think about it enough, I can imagine Sam doing the same with Dean, and how Sam probably had problems falling asleep when he's away at Stanford, 'cause there's suddenly no one there cleaning the weapons. *PLOT BUNNNIES*

Aaaaannnyways, I went completely off topic. :) Thanks again for reading, and for all of the capitalized-letters in the lovely comment. ♥

awww. i love how "sammy" is dean's version of affectionate and normal.

:) Thank you!

Awwwwwwww. Oh, Dean. Very nice fic, chica!

Thanks for reading, Liz! And the world needs more icons like the one you're using. ♥

LIZ OMG. I love it so much!!! I like the descriptions of Sam's smile, and jeans and the way you simply laid out the conflict between Sam & John in a way that emphasized Dean's perspective of the nickname "Sammy". *LOVES ON* great work!!! *mems*

THANK YOU, KELLY! *SQUISH* Guess who went completely overboard with descriptions this time round? \O/ I had waaaay too much fun with going off-topic and describing Dean's jeans though. :)

♥ You leave fabulous comments, y'know that? *grins*

This fic is so simple, and yet gorgeous. I absolutely love it.

Thank you! :)

First you convert me to the show and now you try to convert me to the fandom!? *glare*

Yeah, that was lovely ♥

:D?!

(no subject)

adevyish.livejournal.com - 2007-02-26 21:54 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

papered.livejournal.com - 2007-02-28 02:52 (UTC) - Expand

For Dean, it was Sammy.
Period!! I loved it :D

:) I'm glad. Thanks for reading!

Awww, very very sweet! Great job, thank you for sharing.

It's my pleasure. :) Thanks for reading!

Am happy now. In an ow kind of way. Thanks.

:) My pleasure.

But everyone needed some hint of normalcy after all – something to cling on to from an almost-forgotten childhood.

For Dean, it was Sammy.

Aww. :) So, so true. :)

Nicely done!

I'm glad you liked. :) Thank you for reading, and for the lovely comment. ♥

Aww.

:)

♥

YAY I love it. The end! The double entente! YAY!

*grins* Thanks for reading! :)

Loved it!

Thanks for taking the time to read! ♥

Sometimes tiny little fics are just so perfect - like a rich gourmet dessert where one bite is so rich that it fills your mouth with flavour. This fic is full of flavour, perfect in form, and not a sentence too long. Wonderful!

Your comment just totally made me smile. :) Thanks so much for reading, and for the heartwarming feedback. ♥

This is just a perfect reason why for why Sam is Sammy. It makes sense and now I'm going to have to backtrack to read all of your fics. *is excited* Nice work!