The Bryne Runaways (Updated)

Chapter 17

I sit with my legs crossed on Dean's couch in his cabin by ourselves. I came out of my station early so I decided to visit him since he's all alone here. He's missed his station for quite a while now. I wonder what type of excuse they made up? I look as Dean pokes his tongue out from the corner of mouth, with one eye shut and the other focused at the bullseye. He throws the darts at the target that is on the wall that contain several small holes from missing his shots. He throws with his good arm as his bad one is resting beside him.

"So how are feeling right now?" I ask him as he throws another dart but it hits the door frame instead.

"I'm feeling great, never been better. What about you?" He asks me and I kinda wanna tell him everything that's going on but I'm very hesitant.

"I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" His brow raises with the question.

"Yeah"

"It doesn't look like it" He gets up to go grab the darts he threw.

"It's probably I'm just a bit stressed out" I say and he flops down on the couch being careful with his arm and shoulder that is bandaged.

"What's stressing you?" He asks looking directly at me.

"It's probably the lack of sleep"

"Why do you lack sleep?"

"Because I'm having these crazy nightmares" I say brushing the dust off my pants.

"What are they about?" He asks and I really don't want to tell I have nightmares of him getting shot by several more arrows. I don't want to tell him that when I sleep I picture him on the ground with arrows driven through his flesh and bleeds from everywhere.

"Just things in general" I say ignoring those wicked fake lives that we didn't get to see in person.

"Look Norman, I know you've been pretty down for what happened to me but you shouldn't feel that way because I'm okay. I really am. You didn't cause this" I nod my head at Dean then he continues to throw more darts and he gets excited whenever they get close to the center which is his goal.

"Norman I gotta tell you something" He interrupts the fun we are having and I gain this weird feeling like something bad is coming when someone says that. I don't look at him but at the floorboards with a loose nail on one of them.

"I'm in love with Margaret..."

I'm completely in shock. I look at him bewildered because I hear no type of humor in those words but seriousness. They say he's usually serious to the stuff that is important in him. I don't quite find the words to say anything back to him because I didn't expect something like this from him because he's always laughing or making jokes that would crack us all up.

"You are?"

"Yeah, I can't stand keeping it inside anymore. I had to tell you at least. To get it off my mind. I had to tell you that I love her. I can't stand being apart from her. And I think she seems to have the same mutual feelings too"

"I don't know if I'm crazy or it's my heart talking but I'm in love with her and if she wants me to fight by her side, I will. As long as it takes till she's with me" Dean loving Margret. I never expected this to happen. They do look like they have something going on. She has been the one to take care of Dean during the injury the most but this is another level and I'm extremely happy for him that he's in love.

"Norman?" Dean snaps me outta my thoughts.

"Did I weird you out?" He says with a slight chuckle very excited about his girl.

"It's not weird, it's part of life"

Uncle Ben and I are both currently home since we both are early also due to the sky that is pouring droplets of water now. I look at the window as the water drops fall to rejoin other forming puddles. The good thing about living in a forest is that there's a bunch of pine trees and when it rains it smells like pure nature. It's the best scent there can possibly be.

"What are you looking at buddy?" Uncle Ben walks in the living room putting on his shirt coming from getting cleaned. He walks with his bare feet over to the seat next to me.

"Nothing" I say as I fiddle with my thumbs then I remember that I'm hurting Uncle Ben if I continue acting like this towards him. So I need to knock it off. In his eyes I see the pain I cause him and seeing Uncle Ben like that is a red flag because he cheers me up and supports me no matter what I do, so what I do now is pull him closely to my chest as he can hear my small heart beat.

"Norman why are you hugging me like that? I'm usually the one that does that to you" He says and his hands go on my back. The hands that has been comforting ever since I was born.

"I'm hugging you like this because I love you" I say to him rubbing the back of his head. I hear his laugh and I can tell he's enjoying my embrace at the moment.

"Okay buddy, you want to let go now or you'll end up putting me in Dr. Meredith's study" He says to me and I release my clutch on him. I lay next to Uncle Ben as I hear the raindrops fall on our ceiling. "Uncle Ben why don't you like to read?" I say to him as his head lowers to look at me.

"Because I don't enjoy it, I'd rather do something that is much louder and killer"

"Is that reason why you became a hunter?" I say as I look at my favorite book I got from him. The book that he won't end up reading. It's about greasers. It's very good.

"Yup, so I can get some action" He says like if it pumps him up.

"So what if I whip something up, would you read it?" I say as I flip through the pages of the book I have in my hands.

"Oh yeah! Of course" He says.

"Will it contain dinosaur-robots?" He says and I chuckle at him.

"Dinosaur-robots? Really?!"

"Yeah, come on I'm a man of many adventures. You need to give me something I can be really into. It has to be like a twist" He says and I smile at his suggestions. Hearing Uncle Ben talk warms my heart like bread in a oven because he's my only family. It's a bond unlike others.

"Okay Uncle Ben. I will one day write you the best adventurous story you've ever read" I say to him.

"It has to be explosive" He makes the sound effects for it.

"It will" I tell him as the trees move casually in unison by the lovely weather.