Are We Still Brothers?
AN: I wrote this because I love Hurt!Dean and if I can have him shirtless, or nearly shirtless, even better. I wrote this piece of fluff after watching the episodes of Sam's angel possession. I felt a 'brotherly moment' was needed in there, somewhere.
Dean was hurting. The hunt had not gone well, and after being thrown against the wall a few times by a witch, he was battered and bruised. He did manage to take care of the witch though. And after he killed her he managed to get to his car and drive away. He was not sure how he even made it to the bunker. He was sure he had passed out behind the wheel at least once. He just remembered jerking his head up and trying to focus on the road ahead of him. But his blurred vision made that nearly impossible at times.
Dean let himself in and yelled once for Sam, though he didn't expect his little brother to be there. The yelling made Dean's head hurt anyway. He then decided he just needed to sleep and to take a little pain medication. It would not be wise, he thought, to drink if he had a concussion. Dean took his pills and drank some water. He unbuttoned his shirt. He wanted to check and see how his chest and back looked in his bathroom mirror. He was plenty sore, so he knew the bruises would be big and angry. He would take care of the cuts and the bleeding, too, once he got to his bedroom. But, he never made it. His head was killing him, and he stumbled a little as he tried to leave the room. He grabbed onto the edge of the kitchen table to steady himself. But he lost the battle with consciousness and collapsed to the kitchen floor. He lay there until Sam found him a couple hours later.
Sam saw the Impala when he pulled up to the bunker. He sighed as he let himself in. He didn't want to fight with Dean. Luckily for them, though, the place was so big they could literally stay away from one another, if they needed to. Sam didn't call out to see where Dean was. He was still upset with his big brother over the whole angel possession thing and, he needed a little time and distance. Sam went to his room and lay down, but something was wrong. Dean usually had the TV or the radio on. Or he was in the kitchen cooking something. As he told Sam once, he was now 'domesticated.' Sam had not smelled any food when he had come in. That was another thing that was missing. Dean liked to cook and when he made himself something. He always cooked enough for them both. Sam then realized how long it had actually been since he had eaten anything. He then decided to go to the kitchen and see what Dean had made to eat.
Sam stopped for just a second when he walked into the kitchen and saw Dean lying on the floor. Sam then rushed to his brother's side. He could see the bruises on the elder Winchester's face and chest. The blood on Dean's face and chest had started to dry. He still looked bad. He had no idea what Dean had been doing, but from the looks of it, things had not gone well. He hoped that Dean had at least got the monster in the end.
"Dean!" Sam said, shaking his brother, gently. "Come on, Dean. Wake up!" He pleaded when he saw no reaction. "Come on, Dean."
Sam stood. He looked around the kitchen for the clean dishtowels and dishcloths. He found the drawer and grabbed a dishtowel and then he wet a washcloth. He knelt down beside his brother again, and he carefully wiped the blood from Dean's face and chest. The elder Winchester didn't move. He didn't even flinch as Sam worked.
Sam was very disturbed by Dean's lack of response. He had no idea what to do. He didn't have the medical knowledge. But, he was pretty sure, judging from the bruises on Dean's face and the size of the knot he found on the back of his brother's head, Dean had a concussion.
Sam pulled Dean up off the floor. He could feel his brother shaking from lying on the cold, tiled kitchen floor. The younger Winchester pulled Dean's shirt over his chest in an effort to keep him warm. Dean opened his eyes seconds later. He turned his face to Sam's chest, groaning from the soreness in his chest and the fact that the light was hurting his eyes.
"Dean?" Sam said, looking down at his brother, confused by his reaction.
"…hurts…." Dean croaked out. "…too bright…." He said, turning more to his brother to try and shield his eyes from the light.
Sam was still a little confused until he looked up. He couldn't stand right now to turn the lights down. He didn't want to put Dean back down on the cold floor and he was not sure if Dean could sit up on his own. But he had to do something. They couldn't stay there all night.
"Dean," Sam said, as he started to stand. "Come on, I'll get you to your room."
Dean shook his head. He got a grip on the back of Sam's shirt, pulling him back down to the floor.
"Can't Sammy, hurts…hurts too much." Dean said. His chest felt like it was on fire. And he had never had a migraine before, but if it felt anything like his head did right then he would never ever wish it on anyone, even Crowley.
Sam looked at the elder Winchester for a moment. He was scared. He didn't like to see Dean like this. And he knew that they needed help. He needed Castiel, and he took a moment to send up a prayer before he tried to get Dean on his feet again.
Dean moaned and groaned, loudly. But, he did manage to get to his feet. And it took Sam forever to get him to his room.
Sam managed to get the cover pulled back before he helped Dean onto his bed. Sam then prayed again as he sat on the edge of the bed. Just an angel, any angel would do. But it soon became apparent that no one was coming. He and Dean would just have to deal with this one on their own.
"…need to get you to the hospital." Sam said, he had not meant to voice his thoughts. Especially seeing how it affected Dean.
The elder Winchester shook his head. He became restless. "…not going…!" He declared.
The younger man shook his head. "Okay, Dean. Okay, we won't go. But I can't get Cas…."
Dean shook his head. "Cas…he's got…own issues."
Sam nodded. That's for sure. He thought. Heaven has to be a mess these days.
The elder Winchester looked up at his little brother. The elder's eyes seemingly penetrating Sam's soul.
"I did…what…I did…because…." Dean's voice was still rough, his pain showing through in his halting speech.
Sam nodded, again. "I know why you did it." He knew exactly what Dean was talking about, the whole angel possession thing. And he still was not over being angry at him. But, for now, he would listen to what Dean had to say.
Dean could tell he had his brother's full attention, so he just spelled his guts. "I'm not…I'm not sorry…for what I did. But…but I am sorry…for the way…I did it." He paused for a second and pressed his hand against his right side for a moment, trying to ease the pain. "I just…you were gone…and I…I didn't…I didn't know what to do. I can't…I can't do this…without you."
Sam saw the tears in his brother's eyes. He knew Dean was in tremendous pain. But these were not those type tears. The elder Winchester was pleading for forgiveness. Sam didn't respond immediately, so Dean closed his eyes, letting the tears roll down his cheeks. He turned his face towards the wall. Sam was not going to forgive him.
Sam stood and looked at Dean for a moment. He had considered leaving the room. But, instead he sat back down again. He put his hand on Dean's forearm so that Dean would turn and look at him. Dean turned his head.
"I was wrong for saying what I did to you." Sam stated. "I can't just hunt with you. I can't do that. We're brothers. Despite it all, we're brothers. And I…I can't just turn that off. I can't …stop being a Winchester, stop being your little brother." Sam paused. "But I need to know what's going on. I deserve that much." He paused again, to add more emphasis. "I need to be able to make my own decisions. And I need ALL the facts to make those decisions."
Dean nodded. He understood exactly what Sam meant. But he was not sure he would change things if the situation came about again. "Are we…still brothers?"
Sam stood. He looked at his brother and grinned. "Yeah, Jerk. I'm going to go and fix me a sandwich. I'll bring you one, too…and some pie."
Dean grinned at the mention of pie. "Sam," Dean said as Sam started out of the room. He turned back around and waited for the elder Winchester to speak. "Thank you."
Sam smiled and nodded. He then left the room, heading to the kitchen.
THE END