The Runt of the Litter

Orion

Note: hey my lovelies. thanks so much for sticking around and for the kind words on the last update. tbh life has been an absolute shitstorm lately.

so my 34 year old brother had a fucking heart attack. he's okay, but like... what the fuck. why.

and i have two new nieces on the way! one of whom is the daughter of my brother who just had a fucking heart attack. so, you know, he really didn't need to take the attention away from his pregnant wife lol

aaand we're moving out of the house i've lived in my entire life. which is super awesome, but also very stressful and time consuming.

and im finally being medicated for the pain and fatigue that have been messing with me. so i feel wayyyy better than i did a few months ago.

hopefully this means i'll be able to write more consistently. but i won't be making any promises at least until we've finished moving-- which will be in april.

anyways i love you guys and i'm truly sorry to be so inconsistent and chaotic lately. i never stopped writing, and i don't plan to stop anytime soon

i'd love to know how you're all doing! i feel so out of the loop <3 and i hope everyone's relatively happy and healthy

lmk if you see any obvious errors; i wrote this over the course of a few months.

in this one, anna is six and john is an ass (an ass who's honestly trying, but still an ass)

without further ado...

Orion

Anna sat on the motel carpet in her purple pajamas, holding Halloween in her lap. "I don't think he'll say yes," she murmured to her stuffed frog. "He doesn't like to do stuff besides hunting. And he gets annoyed at me if I'm with him too long." She hugged the frog close and yawned.

Dean would come back inside at any minute, and Dad would probably stay outside for only a few extra minutes. Anna was supposed to be sleeping. She heard the door open and scrambled up and into bed. But she wasn't fast enough to go undetected.

"What're you doin' up, Rugrat?" Dean asked with confusion. He closed the door behind him, confirming Anna's theory that Dad wasn't coming in just yet. "You need something?"

She sat up and said, "No, it's okay. Sorry."

"That's okay," Dean assured her and sat on the edge of her bed. He picked Halloween up from where she'd dropped him in the sheets and handed the frog to Anna. "Can't sleep?" he asked and tugged the blankets up as she lay back down.

Anna shrugged and tucked Halloween under her arm. "You think Daddy will come with me?" she asked. "For the field trip."

Dean frowned for a second, then suddenly seemed to understand. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't think he has any hunts lined up yet. Why don't you ask him before he finds something?"

Her eyes widened, and Anna shook her head. "I'm s'posed to be sleeping," she whispered emphatically.

Her brother's smile was not encouraging. He just looked amused, maybe affectionate. "Dad won't mind, Sweetheart, trust me. He's in a good mood."

Dad's good moods were rare, but when they came it was worth the wait. "You think he'll say yes?" Anna asked, still whispering but with more excitement. She wriggled out from under the covers so she could get on her knees. "Like really?"

Dean smiled more softly and said, "Let's find out." With two hands under her arms, Dean lifted Anna out of bed and swung her onto his hip.

Anna wrapped her arms readily around his neck, Halloween's leg squished in one of her hands. "Are you sure he's in a good mood?" she whispered as they moved toward the door.