“You sure you don’t want any painkillers?” Dean asked after a while, when Sam shifted and a pained groan escaped him.
“Yeah,” he said. “Not today anyway. I just want to get some sleep.”
“Okay.” He made room so Sam could stretch out face down on the bed. With his hands on his legs, ready to push himself up, another thought crossed his mind so he scooted up the bet to sit next to Sam’s torso.
Sam blinked at him uncomprehendingly when Dean splayed his hands over Sam’s shoulders. God, his brother’s back was hard as stone.
“Tell me where,” he said and started kneading the knots out of Sam’s tense muscles.
“You don’t have to,” Sam mumbled.
“I know,” he said. “You want me to stop?”
Sam stared at him for a while, eyes boring into his. Dean didn’t know what his brother expected to find there, but he held his gaze and eventually Sam shook his head, before he mumbled, “A little lower and to the middle.”
Dean moved his hands accordingly, pressing his palms in at the sides of Sam’s spine, right below his shoulder blades. “This good?”
“Uh huh.” Sam nodded into his pillow. He hissed a few times when Dean pried especially stubborn knots loose, but in the end the sounds of pain turned into soft puffs off breath as his body grew pliant under Dean’s hands.
“Hey Sam,” he said after a while and waited for his brother to huff out an affirmative sound.
“You know I’m not mad at you, right?”
Dean could feel his brother stiffen again under his fingers. Apparently he didn’t know. “I’m not. And I don’t blame you for whatever you think I do. Or for whatever you blame yourself.”
“Dean…” His brother said, just short of explaining all the reasons why Dean should indeed blame him. With a firm shake of his head, Dean smothered any protest Sam might have.
“I mean it, Sammy,” he said and gave his brother’s neck a reassuring squeeze.
The look in Sam’s eyes was still flickering but eventually his expression calmed and he mumbled a shaky, “Thank you.” If there were tears lurking at the corners, well, they both pretended not to notice.
“No need to thank me,” he said around a smile and shrugged. “You’re my brother, man.”
At the sight of Sam’s doubtful expression, he snarled, “Don’t you dare question that! Ever!”
He had, once. It had been the worst feeling and no way in hell would he let Sam go through that. Not if he had a say in that matter.
“Whatever shitty reasons your freaky brain comes up with to doubt that, they are wrong, you hear me? All that fighting, that’s behind us, remember? We’re in this together.”
Sam nodded. “Okay.”
He hesitate for a moment, but if they were at it, he might just put Sam's last fear to rest. "About that demon blood..."
Sam sucked in a breath and Dean knew he was hauling up the defenses. "I never thought you were a freak," he said and took the wind out of Sam's sails.
"All I did was worry about you. I know your not a kid anymore, but I'm still your older brother and I'll always be, so if you want me to stop that, I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't stop worrying about what it does to you. What other hunters will do to you if they find out." He sighs and hears Sam swallow hard. "I'm not sorry for wanting you to be okay. So if you think I'm looking at you like you're a freak, you gotta know I'm not."
Sam blinked, thoughtfully and finally he offered him a crooked smile. It might take a while before he'd believe it fully, but Dean got the feeling they were slowly getting back on the right track.
“Good.” He grinned and nudged Sam’s shoulder playfully, eliciting a chuckle from his brother and the tension finally started to dissipate.
“Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you braid my hair?”
“Oh, shut up!”
~FIN
I guess you were hoping for a bit more schmoop, but this just popped into my head. Maybe someone else will come up with something. Hope you liked it anyway.
FILLED - Coda 5x14, Gen 2/2
“Yeah,” he said. “Not today anyway. I just want to get some sleep.”
“Okay.” He made room so Sam could stretch out face down on the bed. With his hands on his legs, ready to push himself up, another thought crossed his mind so he scooted up the bet to sit next to Sam’s torso.
Sam blinked at him uncomprehendingly when Dean splayed his hands over Sam’s shoulders. God, his brother’s back was hard as stone.
“Tell me where,” he said and started kneading the knots out of Sam’s tense muscles.
“You don’t have to,” Sam mumbled.
“I know,” he said. “You want me to stop?”
Sam stared at him for a while, eyes boring into his. Dean didn’t know what his brother expected to find there, but he held his gaze and eventually Sam shook his head, before he mumbled, “A little lower and to the middle.”
Dean moved his hands accordingly, pressing his palms in at the sides of Sam’s spine, right below his shoulder blades. “This good?”
“Uh huh.” Sam nodded into his pillow. He hissed a few times when Dean pried especially stubborn knots loose, but in the end the sounds of pain turned into soft puffs off breath as his body grew pliant under Dean’s hands.
“Hey Sam,” he said after a while and waited for his brother to huff out an affirmative sound.
“You know I’m not mad at you, right?”
Dean could feel his brother stiffen again under his fingers. Apparently he didn’t know. “I’m not. And I don’t blame you for whatever you think I do. Or for whatever you blame yourself.”
“Dean…” His brother said, just short of explaining all the reasons why Dean should indeed blame him. With a firm shake of his head, Dean smothered any protest Sam might have.
“I mean it, Sammy,” he said and gave his brother’s neck a reassuring squeeze.
The look in Sam’s eyes was still flickering but eventually his expression calmed and he mumbled a shaky, “Thank you.” If there were tears lurking at the corners, well, they both pretended not to notice.
“No need to thank me,” he said around a smile and shrugged. “You’re my brother, man.”
At the sight of Sam’s doubtful expression, he snarled, “Don’t you dare question that! Ever!”
He had, once. It had been the worst feeling and no way in hell would he let Sam go through that. Not if he had a say in that matter.
“Whatever shitty reasons your freaky brain comes up with to doubt that, they are wrong, you hear me? All that fighting, that’s behind us, remember? We’re in this together.”
Sam nodded. “Okay.”
He hesitate for a moment, but if they were at it, he might just put Sam's last fear to rest. "About that demon blood..."
Sam sucked in a breath and Dean knew he was hauling up the defenses. "I never thought you were a freak," he said and took the wind out of Sam's sails.
"All I did was worry about you. I know your not a kid anymore, but I'm still your older brother and I'll always be, so if you want me to stop that, I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't stop worrying about what it does to you. What other hunters will do to you if they find out." He sighs and hears Sam swallow hard. "I'm not sorry for wanting you to be okay. So if you think I'm looking at you like you're a freak, you gotta know I'm not."
Sam blinked, thoughtfully and finally he offered him a crooked smile. It might take a while before he'd believe it fully, but Dean got the feeling they were slowly getting back on the right track.
“Good.” He grinned and nudged Sam’s shoulder playfully, eliciting a chuckle from his brother and the tension finally started to dissipate.
“Dean?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you braid my hair?”
“Oh, shut up!”
~FIN
I guess you were hoping for a bit more schmoop, but this just popped into my head. Maybe someone else will come up with something.
Hope you liked it anyway.