The contrast between the two brothers had been so great that sometimes Dean wondered if they were even related. Sam lacked passion for his interests and well...Dean lacked passion for Sam's- but that didn't mean to say that he didn't have sympathy for how frustrated his little brother seemed to get.

Who even studied on a Friday afternoon? Sam apparently. In fact his brother seemed to be hunched over the desk when he got back, his movements reminiscent of a Monk's, his chestnut hair hanging over his face as if to conceal his work. "Sammy, hey" the elder brother dropped his keys into the bowl with a clink that seemed to resound through the room, his lips quirking up into a little smile as he saw that his brother didn't look up.

It wasn't that Dean wasn't interested in writing and all that jazz, it was just...he didn't find the same beauty in it that Sam did...he found beauty in other things like...cars and women- was that so bad?

"I'm fine" the voice cut through the silence. For his age, Sammy sure was mature. Even now the boy looked up at Dean with a steely glare, his expression betraying the fact that he clearly wasn't fine at all. With his grin growing wider, his brother paced back over and crouched besides him "are they getting to you again?".

That set him off. "I don't understand why they have to fight and be so stupid...Or pick on people. Why is height such a big deal anyway?" Sam suddenly burst out, eyes watering ever so slightly although he quickly wiped any evidence away from his face with the back of his hand.

Oh. 'Midget' was a rather harsh term, even Dean had to agree on that. It was poor Sammy's common nickname, the one that taunted him and had for a while and the poor guy couldn't seem to shake it. It was at times like these that he failed to see reason, failed to explain to Sam the ways of the world and- Well… "Listen, Sammy, I'm gonna let you into a secret" Dean crouched in front of him, putting a hand on his arm "they're not as grown up as you, and as tall or big as they may be… They'll never be as mature as you. Because you're smarter than them, and kinder than them, and you have way more experience than they ever will have".

At this flattery, Sam found himself looking away, glowering a little under his fringe and biting his bottom lip to keep the words from escaping his mouth to no avail. The words that rose in the air in the following moments were barely audible, yet they sounded a bit like 'lnph you'. "What was that?" Dean cocked an eyebrow and squeezed his brother's arm teasingly.

"I love you" he finally muttered, raising his eyes to look at the other's smug face before rolling them in exasperation. With a chuckle, Dean patted his arm and got to his feet, ruffling his brother's hair much to his annoyance and replying;

"I love you too".