Dean was enjoying the attention of the cute brunette as he stood at the bar pulling on his beer. She was just his type, friendly but not over-eager. And she held her own in a conversation. Dean was picturing good things in his future, or at least in his next few hours, when his eyes made their routine scan over to where Sam sat alone in a booth on the restaurant side of the bar.
Sam was staring straight at Dean and the girl with an expression that Dean couldn't quite place; it was part longing, part sadness, and it almost brought tears to Dean's eyes just like that.
Damn. When did his little brother invent that face? It was entirely new and uncharted. And as familiar as Dean was with every bitchface his 16-year-old brother had perfected over the years, this one was a complete surprise.
When Sam saw Dean look his way, he smiled faintly and returned to the homework that was open on the table in front of him, scribbling comfortably away. He took a casual sip of his soda and ran his hand unconsciously through his hair, creating instant chaos. Dean could tell he was unaware of the intent way he'd been staring or of the effect it had on his big brother. But all of a sudden, the thought of another meaningless hook-up with another nameless girl while his little brother grew another hour older - alone and locked up in some seedy motel room - didn't feel so appealing anymore. He quickly made his apologies and extricated himself from the situation as gracefully as possible and made his way over to the little brother who meant more to him than even he was comfortable admitting.
"Heya Sammy." Dean smiled, sitting across from Sam in the booth.
Sam smiled, "Time for me to go?" He asked, beginning to gather up his belongings.
And just like that, Dean felt like the biggest waste of breath on the planet. The fact that Sam was used to the drill - waiting patiently by while Dean hooked up with some girl only to be dismissed back to the room alone when the girl said yes - suddenly made it difficult for Dean to breathe. He was used to dragging Sam along on the beginning of these merry adventures, only to desert him when things got steamy.
And Sam just took it. He didn't think anything was wrong with being ditched by his big brother time and time again in lieu of what Sam undoubtedly felt was a better opportunity. When did Sam get his adventure, Dean suddenly wondered? When did he ever get the chance to meet a cute girl and experience the thrill of engaging in a flirty conversation? The only girls Sam ever got to meet were at school, and they moved around so much that even that opportunity barely presented itself. Add to that the fact that Sam was painfully shy, and it all just came together to spell lonely.
Dean studied his brother as he set about gathering up his text and composition books to return to their room alone where he'd probably watch crap TV for an hour or two before rolling over and lying there awake, thinking about everything bad thing under the sun. On these nights, Dean knew that Sam never slept until Dean returned safe. Even if he had to be up at seven for school, and Dean didn't come staggering in until the wee hours. Only when Dean was safely inside, the door locked behind him and on his bed taking off his boots did he ever hear Sam's breathing even out in sleep.
Damn, Dean was a dick.
How had he never seen it before now?
"Yep, time for you to go, little brother." He winked. "You feel like pizza?"
Sam stopped what he was doing. "Hunh?"
"I was thinking maybe we could hit that pizza joint we passed back on the edge of town. It had a killer arcade. What do you say, little bro? You up for shooting some aliens? Maybe taking out a few zombies? Not the real kind." He added affectionately.
Sam looked confused. "You coming in or dropping off?" He asked.
Dean tried not to let it show how much that innocent question hurt him. "I'm coming along, dude. You think I'm letting you eat all that pizza alone, you're crazy." He messed with Sam's hair in that way he knew Sam hated.
Sam pushed his brother's hand away good-naturedly and his slow and appreciative grin just then melted Dean's heart in a way no girl ever could. It was almost too much to bear. Dean had to look away for a moment to hide the tears that suddenly welled in the backs of his eyes.
He snorted then and launched Sam's empty backpack at his head, "Pack it up, Einstein. Pepperoni awaits."