Dean hadn't wanted to stay at Mary Winchester's grave, but as they drove away he looked increasingly troubled. Eventually he pulled over the Impala at the side of the road, got out and sat on the hood, blinking at what was probably the bright light but could just as well have been blinking back tears. Sam got out and stood by the car, asking carefully, "what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry." Dean said.
A hint of a smile passed Sam's lips at his strong brother apologising for something. The urge to tease Dean rose in Sam but he squashed it. Something told him that now wasn't quite the time, and he didn't need to be psychic to figure that out. Instead he asked, "sorry? For what?"
"The way I've been acting." Dean swallowed hard as his brother came to sit by him, letting out a small sigh, but not saying anything. Giving Dean room to talk.
"Back at the hospital... I made a full recovery. Then 5 minutes later Dad's dead and the colt is gone."
"Dean-"
"You can't tell me there's not a connection there."
They sat in silence, until Dean summoned the courage to speak again. "Sam. You... and dad, you're the most important people in my life."
The unspoken words were that their dad was gone, leaving just Sammy. He could see the tears on Dean's face now, and each one broke his heart.
"I was dead, Sam, and I should have stayed dead. So tell me, what can you possibly say to make that alright?"
Dean looked away, over the mountains and valleys, seeing the trees and dirt but not really seeing them at all, he was just facing that way so the person he cared most about in the whole world didn't see his pain. He was just about to get up and continue driving, regretting his whole outburst, when he felt Sam's warm hand on his leg. His head snapped around.
Sam was staring at him with what could only be love in his eyes, an emotion too intense for Dean to want to tear his eyes away. Sam didn't take his hand away as he spoke, wanting his older brother and best friend to truly believe his words.
"Dean. I never gave up on you, and I never will. Perhaps there was something strange about you coming back from the brink of death, but all I can say right now is that I'm glad you did. You and me, we're all we've got, we have to stick together." He took a deep breath, as if he'd been keeping this inside for a long time too.
Dean managed a shaky laugh, and instinctively rested his head on Sam's chest, arms gripping him tightly. Sam put both arms around him and held him steady. Both their minds were running a mile a minute. Dean, the usually strong one, resting on his rock, Sammy. His Sammy, who was holding onto him just as tightly, as if they were the only things in the world that mattered to each other.
They didn't need to say any more- their closeness was saying it all. And at the end of the impromptu embrace, perhaps they both realised they needed to stick together for more reasons than just being brothers.