The Flip Side Part Three
By Brate
Previously published in Hunting Trips #1, Neon Rainbow Press.
Sam Winchester stood with his arms crossed, stubbornness etched on his face. "It's your turn," he told his brother.
"Bullshit," Dean snapped back. "I did it last time."
"When?"
"In Raleigh."
"No." Sam shook his head. "I'm the one who ended up covered in mucus."
"That's right... but I did it in Devlin."
"Nuh-uh. I'd just gotten back from the hospital after that she-bat went batshit."
"Oh, yeah. Georgetown."
"Try again."
"Lansing."
"Nope."
"Come on," Dean pleaded. "I promise I'll do it next time."
"I don't believe you."
"I'll sign an I.O.U."
"Like this one?" Sam held up a scrap of paper.
"Dude, you actually kept that? Just how lame are you?"
"Not as lame as you, apparently, trying to get out of doing your job."
"I call foul." Dean raised a hand. "This is not my job. Hunting monsters and evil spirits is my job. This is extra."
"Well, neither of us can take a shower until you ..."
"I know, I know." Dean's face brightened. "Let's call housekeeping."
"You'd rather call in a girl than kill it yourself?"
"If it comes to that, yeah."
Sam made a point of looking around their room. "I highly doubt they even have housekeeping here."
Eyeing the closed door uneasily, Dean asked, "What if it's a jumping one?"
"It's not."
"How would you know? Are you some kinda spiderologist?
"Yes, at Stanford I minored in spider-ology." Sam shook his head, trying not to smile. "It's a little bitty spider, man, grow a spine."
"It's not a small one; it's one of those hairy, big-body deals!"
"Tough. Go."
Dean's lip curled, but he slowly made his way to the bathroom door. Opening it, he had the look of a doomed man walking to the electric chair.
Sam watched him. Growing up, both boys had disguised their irrational fear of spiders from their father, simply finding ways to have him "discover" the spider and kill it. Then, in his first year of college, Sam's roommate had a pet tarantula. He'd gotten over his phobia pretty quickly, through sheer necessity.
A muffled shriek came from the bathroom.
But, of course, Sam wouldn't be telling Dean anytime soon.
