It was nearly midnight when the two Hunters finally got back to their motel room, vamp blood staining their shirts and hands, soaking wet from the downpour that they'd gotten caught in. Both were weary, cold, somber and ready for a hot shower before going to sleep. They dropped their weapons on the table, hung up their jackets and began to get ready to hit the hay. Sam claimed the first shower and Dean merely shrugged as he pulled out an instrument case from under the bed.
When Sam stepped out of the bathroom, he raised his eyebrow as he found his brother sitting on his bed with a guitar in his hands, tuning the strings. Sam coughed and Dean looked up tiredly. The younger Winchester jerked his head at the bathroom and Dean gave a small nod before setting the guitar on the bed. Sam looked over the guitar as his brother showered. It was a nice guitar, despite being worn in certain places, and the wood grain still shone in tones of warm honey and light brown beneath the finish. Sam knew that Dean had had guitar lessons when he was younger, but he didn't know that he still played. He'd always thought Dean had used the case for hiding his porn mags or something, but he now knew that to be wrong.
He touched the strings, listening to the soft hum of the different notes, and sat on his own bed when Dean came out if the bathroom. The elder brother toweled his hair off then tossed the towel onto a chair before sitting on the bed again to pick up his guitar. His calloused fingers plucked at the strings, playing an unfamiliar tune. Sam could swear, underneath the sounds of the strings softly ringing, that Dean was humming. When Dean's fingers paused for a moment, the humming was definitely there. Wait, Dean was humming a sing, and from the sounds of it, it wasn't a classic rock song. Or maybe it was, he really had no clue.
"Dean," Sam said. Dean lifted his head to look at Sam, resuming his playing.
"What, Sam?" He asked in a gruff voice.
"Were you...were you singing?"
"Singing? No," Dean tries to be indignant, but Sam gave him that look.
"Okay, fine," Dean grumbles. "Maybe I was. What of it?"
"You should..." Sam hesitates a moment and Dean raises an eyebrow. "You should sing whatever song it was. I'd like to hear it if you don't mind."
Dean sighs, about to refuse and narrows his eyes as Sam gives him that puppy eyed look. He grumbles a muttered, "Fine, but stop looking at me like that." Sam grins and waits for his brother to start.
"Mama told me, when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day.
Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above
And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can
Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied
And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can
Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied
And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can
Baby, be a simple, really simple man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby, be a simple, kind of simple man..."
When Dean finished, both men had trouble swallowing, and Dean rubbed his face with his hand. It was quiet as each Winchester sat in their own thoughts for a while.
"That was...that was beautiful, Dean," Sam's voice broke the silence, slightly raspy as if he wanted to cry.
"Mom used to sing it to me before bed," Dean replied, voice husky. "It makes me think of her and what our life could have been if we weren't Hunters." Sam nodded, and knew that despite all the bullshit and trauma they'd been through, Dean pretty much was the simple man Mom had wanted him to be.
Really. Dean liked his pie, his music, women and he was good at being a hunter. He was a good brother, always doing what he thought was right, even if it blew up in his face. Sam huffed a laugh and shook his head. Dean looked up.
"What, Sam?"
"Nothing, Dean. Just...You should sing more." Dean chuckled quietly.
"Thanks, Sammy."
Dean put away his guitar, sliding the case back underneath the bed before turning off the light.
"Goodnight, Dean."
G'night, Sammy."
DISCLAIMER: The image I used belongs to LiLen on Deviantart. I do not own Supernatural or the characters used. All events in this story are are non-canon. I made this up.
Story idea credit goes to my Friend Footballgirl on Discord