For the Secret of the Sea

Epilogue (Part 3/3)

Later that night, the three couples dispersed for some time alone. Dean snorted as he remembered that Win had recovered enough to wiggle his eyebrows meaningfully at the two of them. Dean ignored him as he and Pharm went to sit on a rock along the treeline to look at the ocean in the moonlight.

Pharm leaned against him, fitting just perfectly under his arm, as if he'd always belonged there.

"Is Win going to be okay?" Pharm asked.

"Mmm." Dean squeezed Pharm gently. "It was mainly the shock. He'll be fine now that he's past that."

"I don't...I can't imagine." Pharm shivered.

"I can't either." Part of Dean still wanted to find Win's parents and, well, and hurt them. He knew that was a terrible idea but seeing Win's face had broken his heart. He'd known from what Win told him that it was bad, but...

"Will they try to find him now?"

Dean paused, considering that. "I don't think so because that would mean admitting they lost him. They've probably told everyone they sent him to America to train to run the hotel business."

"But if they do show up, Team will run them off." Pharm nodded, as if that settled it. And honestly, Dean thought about what he knew about Team and decided it probably did. Not to mention the rest of their friends in town sounded like a menace and a half.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the owls in the trees behind them hoot, overlaid by the sound of water gently lapping the shore. Dean thought he could happily stay like this forever, but he remembered he had a question.

"Er..."

"Yes?" Pharm looked up at him.

"I know that I misheard you talking about that guy...but what actually happened?"

Pharm looked back at the waterline. "It, uh, it was nothing."

"Now that I know you a little better, I know that you wouldn't have sounded so vehement over nothing."

Pharm squirmed. "It was just...I went over to the drama club to bring snacks because Manaow is a member. I ran into Alex just outside the building. He kept standing a little too close."

Dean waited, hoping to get more detail.

"He asked me out and I said no." Pharm took a breath. "But he kept pushing me to say yes. And moving closer and closer."

Dean couldn't help twitching at the image of a jerk looming over tiny Pharm and scaring him.

"When I was backed up against a wall, he leaned in and..." Pharm looked down. "I kicked him in the balls and then ran away."

Dean took a few moments to process that and then he couldn't help it: He giggled.

Pharm looked up in surprise. "Dean?"

Dean laughed out loud and squeezed Pharm even tighter. "That's amazing."

"You're not...upset?"

"That you kicked a boorish asshole who absolutely deserved it? No, I think you're a very good boy." Dean smiled down at Pharm, enjoying the way the smaller man's whole body shivered. Oh, he could work with that.

Yeah, this was going to be a much better vacation than he'd expected.

—end—