Title: When Hell Freezes Over
Disclaimer: Those boys will be mine one day. It may not have happened yet, but I won't give up hope.
Rating: PG
Summary: No one is perfect. Not even older brothers.

Dean is used to sleeping with glaciers pressed against his bare legs; ice cubes - fucking foot-shaped ice cubes - that never fail to keep him awake long into the gray hours preceding dawn. But sometimes, on winter nights, in drafty motels, when Jack Frost is working overtime, he allows himself to complain. Just a little. After all, no one is perfect, not even Dean.

"Why are your feet so cold?"

A muffled groan is the only reply given.

"C'mon Sammy. The rest of you is hotter than the Human Torch on a good day, but your feet are always so damn freezing. Where have you been, Iceland?"

"Greenland."

"What?"

"Greenland is cold, Iceland is green."

A brief smack, followed by Dean's "Don't be a smart-ass, Sammy."

"It's Sam."

"If you're old enough to be Sam, then you're old enough to sleep on your own. So either take your icicles out of my bed, or shut up and go to sleep."

Sam doesn't bother to reply, knowing Dean won't kick him out, especially not tonight, not after a nightmare.

"I thought so. Now move those popsicles away from me before I get Dad's blowtorch in here and warm them up myself."

Sam obliges as he always does; he's never learned to say no to his older brother. The feeling is mutual.

"'Night Dean," he mumbles sleepily, curling in on himself.

"'Night Sammy," Dean replies, casually stretching out an arm to wrap around his kid brother, his presence chasing the nightmares away.

Of course the moment Sam falls asleep those cursed feet are back and Dean is left shivering through another night, but it's worth it to see the dark bruises in the hallows of his brother's eyes lighten the smallest bit. It's worth it because, once again, Dean becomes a person Sam can turn to – and God knows the kid needs that in this place, with this lifestyle – and it's worth it because, if there's one thing Dean learns from the experience, it's to always wear pants to bed.