Saw this prompt shared on facebook and couldn't pass it up. Cute kid fic was firm in my mind though, so enjoy the fluff and stuff.
"G'nite Mrs. Tran! Thanks for the smoothies!" Dean called to Kevin's Mom as he pulled his tilted bike from its side in the driveway and headed home.
Balmy, summer Saturday nights were the stuff that kids dreams were made of in his little neighborhood out in Key West. All the kids on his street were invited to the Tran's weekly backyard BBQ and movie night. They'd just spent a fun evening huddled on the back lawn, watching the eighties classic "Monster Squad" on the projector screen.
Sammy usually tagged along but he was missing Aunt Jody and her daughters Claire and Alex, so his parents had sent him up to Souix Falls for a few weeks. Dean had to ride his bike because he lived on the very end of the street which was almost a mile long and who wants to walk a mile somewhere when you're too excited to just be there already?
He was cruising down, making good time pedaling under the tropical stars and sweating like a tent revival in an Alabama August when the flapping sound of bats near his head caused him to furiously swat. It was instinct and he couldn’t help it. But his bike chain snapped, almost pitching and cartwheeling him forward right into a pavement flavored sandwich.
"Sonuvabitch!" he cursed, when struggling to recover, only glancing around after stabilizing his bike to see if any adults were around and caught him swearing. His mama would tan his hide if she heard him talk like that.
There was no way he was getting the rest of the way home on that busted chain, he was thankful he'd somehow managed to hang on to the smoothie Mrs. Tran had given him. So balancing his drink while holding the handlebars of his bike, he trudged onward and homeward. After a few minutes he felt chill down his spine, which was bizarre given the time of year and latitude. So he shrugged it off, pretending it didn't make him slightly uneasy.
Out of nowhere, the chill returned. A frigid hand rested on his right shoulder, exposed by his lime green O'Neil tank top. He turned to find a kid near his own age just standing there. From which shadow he'd skulked from, Dean had no clue.
"Is that a Mango Berry blast smoothie?" The kid asked him. He looked downright famished but also, happy?
Something about the intense look in his eyes and the amusing kindness residing in them had Dean wanting to hand over the drink and offer him a hug at the same time.
He extended the smoothie to him. "Want it?"
"Really?" The hope in the kids eyes just killed Dean.
"Sure. What's your name? I haven't seen you around before…"
The kid held up a finger for him to wait, turned the cup sideways, took a chomp and proceeded to drain the cup in two seconds flat. His whole body shivered and he held his head groaning.
"Aw dude, that's gotta be some wicked brain freeze. Never seen someone down a drink that fast," Dean commented with empathy. He was kinda impressed too.
When the kid recovered he volunteered in a raspy voice saturated in a distinct Bayou accent, "Benny. Name's Benny. Just moved in over on Rue Orleans from Thibodaux, Louisianne."
A flustered cacophony of flaps and squeaks erupted and Benny looked above them. "Non!" he whined at a couple of bats hovering, "Il y a personne ici qui je connais! Donne moi quelques minutes de plus, s'il vous plâit?"
Dean noticed the bats seemed to calm a little, then he turned to Benny, wide eyed at the turn of events. "Dude what the hell?"
A pleading expression came over Benny. "I'm a vampire. Don't worry. We won't hurt you or anyone else. We're fruitarians."
Dean just continued staring, trying to process that banana of a bomb drop.
"Guess that means you won't hang out with me?" Benny's voice now held tragic disappointment.
He hadn't caused Dean's bike chain to snap, hadn't attacked him. All he'd done was politely accept what'd been offered to him.
"So you don't drain people of their blood?"
A look of disgust had Benny scrunching his nose in distaste. "Ew, no. That's just gross."
Dean shrugged, "Alright, want some mangos then? My mom has a bunch of trees in our backyard. She's got more than she knows what to do with. Think of it as welcome to the neighborhood fruit basket."
The light in Benny's eyes sparkled a radiant blue and Dean just knew he'd made a good friend.
"Really? They're are my favorite!"
Dean grinned, "Well, c'mon. There's about eight bowls just brimming on our kitchen counter right now. I'm Dean by the way. Dean Winchester. Can't believe vampires actually turn into bats."
Benny chuckled, "I can't believe you aren't freaked out that vampires are real."
"Well, I can't believe I've made friends with a walking, talking fruit bat."
"Let's keep that on the DL for now."
"Cool. Cool. Wanna come over an swim tomorrow?" Dean prompted, pretty hopeful.
"I kinda sleep in a lot. Like, until sundown," Benny tried to explain.
"Oh that's okay, we've got plenty of Banana Boat Suncreen.." Dean joked, waggling his eyebrows.
Benny laughed, "That's pretty good, Dean. I think I like you."
Dean's heart swelled. "I'm glad. Cause, I like me too."
Tossing banter back and forth the rest the way to the Winchester house, both had a feeling this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
@good-things-do-happen-dean @prinsessa-dean @envydean
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