Author: sangre antigua.

Rating; Title; Pairing: M; Step Brothers; Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester.

Summary: In the summer of '08, Mary Campbell marries John Winchester, their sons Dean and Sam become step brothers. And more. AU WINCEST.

Warning/Disclaimer: Do not own Supernatural.

He didn't like the idea at all. They had lived alone for eight years and were going strong on nothing but their own hard work, their own time, their own sweat. Mary's job at the hospital was even more fruitful than ever with the increasing demand for nurses, and with the proximity of the University of Kansas, Dean could live at home and spare himself and his mother the fees of moving into a place of his own. But even with those two blessings, times were still hard. With the recession leaving visible hand prints on everything, Dean and Mary sometimes worked seven days a week from dawn 'til dust. It was easier on Mary, having an air conditioned work environment with the worst possible scenario being a patient coding or a patient losing his or her temper, but Dean worked construction on top of going to school. The spring days were the hardest, with school still being in session and the Kansas heat biting him in the butt, and the winters were a close second, with the wind snapping viciously around he and the other workers. But it was summer time, thankfully, and the most Dean had to worry about was the heat and dehydration. Another year of schooling under his belt meant the hassle of balancing work and school was slowly, but surely, coming to an end.

This summer was different, though. Instead of slaving over wood and power tools under an unforgiving sun, Dean was trying on tuxes and grinding his teeth until they ached. Tuxes weren't his thing. Weddings weren't his thing. But surely enough there he was, stuck in a suit next to the man who would become his step father. Dean openly proclaimed that he wouldn't call the elder "father", mostly because this John Winchester fellow was very much foreign to him. Mary had brought him to the house on several occasions for dinners and other special events while they were dating, but it had been awkward and Dean had been stubborn.

He didn't want a step father. They were doing fine on their own, albeit it got hard sometimes. But what wasn't a little difficult in life? It built character, as he had been told. Why would Dean want another person in his life—another mouth to feed? Let alone two of them!

When John had come to the house, he had brought his sixteen-year-old named Sam. Sam was a brown-haired teenager around the age of sixteen, tall—almost taller than Dean, himself—and in between lanky and built. He was bookish and quiet, with calculating eyes that saw anything and everything without blinking. Sam was a high school student—a great student, as Mary had boasted on several occasions when Dean groaned and griped—and had never worked a job before in his life. John had some booming auto-body shop a half hour from Lawrence with a few more just like it in the neighboring area, thus he didn't need any help bringing in money. Maybe that was why Dean resented Sam so much, because whereas he got to be a kid and lived carefree, Dean got his first job at age fourteen to help his mother out.

The rest was due to Dean's still sore wounds from his biological father, the bastard of a man who had left when Dean was eleven to chase skirts on the west coast. He only called or wrote when he needed something, and that seemed to be a lot these days. To keep his mother from having to worry about him, Dean kept the letters far from her tired eyes and never responded to them. That man didn't bother to take care of his family, so Dean wouldn't bother to help him out. For all Dean cared, all of his organs could fail and Dean wouldn't shed a tear.

The reception was nice enough, with flowers everywhere to the brink of him getting an allergy attack. Everything was a smooth off-white color with light blue and yellow accents here and there. His mother looked stunning, of course, and grandma and grandpa sat in their seats in the front row, smiles crinkling their eyes. Deanna Campbell dabbed away tears while Samuel Campbell held a look of fierce pride in his dark eyes. Unlike Dean, they were happy that Mary and John had fallen in love. They were as devastated as anyone when Dean's father left, and to find their daughter happy once more was a blessing. They didn't understand Dean's anger towards the whole situation, telling him over and over that he needed to accept the fact that Mary had found someone again and that he needed to be happy for her. His grandfather had even lost his cool one day and scolded Dean so badly that the teen stormed off, kicking the trashcan over as he marched home.

John was cleanly shaven and in a tux that fit him well. Usually he wore a thick, peppery beard, but he cleaned up well, Dean had to admit. He looked strong standing there, and happy, Dean noticed with a pang of guilt. But he quickly pushed that aside and let his brooding continue. Sam was to his right, standing between Dean and John's best man, Bobby Singer. Bobby was the co-manager of the auto-shop, Dean had been told. He had also been told that he was a kind, yet stern man, and he fiercely loved his wife, Ellen, and his daughter, Jo. Dean smirked. Jo was the pretty blond siting behind Dean's grandparents, her floral dress short but tasteful.

"I now pronounce you husband, and wife."

As soon as he could, Dean jetted away from the altar without looking too rushed. He didn't want to ruin his mother's happiness by causing another stink, but he was still angry and upset by the whole situation. The flask in the inside pocket of his tux jacket was calling, as was the warm sun outside of the cathedral. He maneuvered past guests until he reached the front steps.

Unscrewing the lid quickly, Dean took a long swig of the bitter contents and shoved the flask back into his pocket. The last thing he needed was his grandfather following him outside and yelling at him. Roughly, Dean rubbed at his face, sighing into his palms before looking at the sky. A beautiful day, with cool winds snaking around everything, brushing over fat, green trees. This day would have been ideal to work—but, no, Dean had to take it off to be at a wedding. He audibly groaned and leaned back against the railing of the steps.

"You sure skipped out quickly," came a voice from behind him. The door closed softly behind the owner of the voice—whom, thankfully, wasn't his grandfather—and said owner sat down beside Dean on the stairs. Sam. "Those vows make you nauseous, too?"

"You can say that," Dean moaned, avoiding the other by looking into the distance. "I just want to go home." To keep himself busy, he played with his bow tie and dusted off his shoes. "Why'd you come out?"

"Hot in there. Too many people." The wind ghosted over Sam's brown hair, throwing a few locks into his face. Unceremoniously he pushed them back. "Wanted to make sure you didn't vomit on the stairs or anything. You looked a little green in there."

"Yeah? Well...don't like this. Not at all." Why was he talking to this kid? He was already going to have to live with him—which Dean completely and utterly dreaded. Why talk to him?

"Me either." Sam played with the buttons of his shirt before cracking his knuckles. All ten fingers popped, Dean heard them all. "I mean, I want my dad to be happy, but we had a good life before. Just me and him...it was nice, y'know?"

At least Sam wasn't clicking his heels together. It was nice to know he was in the same boat, which surprised Dean a little. "Yeah, mom and I had it pretty good. She had her job, I had my classes...I'm not sure how that's gonna work now. I think I might have to move out. But with mom moving in with you guys, I don't think she'll need me anymore, so she'll be fine." Dean's throat went dry as he finished his sentence. Eight years of his life had been devoted to him and Mary working to support each other and to improve their lifestyle. Mary wasn't going to need him with John making money the way he was. She would be able to lean on him for all the support that she'd need.

Sam perked a little at that. "Actually, dad talked to your mom about that and they decided to move here. He's opening up a shop here and letting Bobby run the other one by himself." That was comforting to know, at least. One less thing to worry about. Sam didn't look fazed by the fact that he would be moving, or if he did he just didn't show it. "We're still gonna move into a new house, though, since they said the apartment would be too small for all of us."

Ah, the apartment. Dean loved that damn place, from the small, cramped kitchen to the deck where his secret stash was hidden. He had lived there since his father skipped out of town, so moving somewhere new was going to be a challenge. But at least he wasn't alone. "Uh, well, that's good."

Quietly, Sam agreed.

They sat there for a few more minutes in silence, letting the wind blow through their hair. Sam starred into the distance, past the cars surrounding the church and into the blue sky, while Dean fidgeted with his fingers. They both thought over the arrangement, Dean still bitter but gradually coming to terms, Sam keeping his thoughts hidden away from his new step brother.

Another voice came from the door, this time being Dean's grandfather. He cleared his throat, his eyes a little softer at the sight of Dean actually sitting with Sam, not yelling at him or wringing his neck, and herded them both inside for cake. "Your mother wants to dance with you," he told Dean, and to Sam he finished, "and with you, too."

The reception ended around nine, with the sun setting lazily in the distance and the guests heading outside to see the new family ride away. Bobby was helping Samuel load presents into John's car while the bride and groom hugged and shook hands with everyone on their way out. Pulling up the rear was Sam and Dean, walking with Sam in front and Dean in the back, not saying a word but both rather content. Dean hadn't complained in the last hour about anything but his feet hurting and Sam, well, Sam stayed quiet for the most part. Unlike when they were on the steps earlier, Sam was a little awkward with people, though he warmed up quickly if given the chance. He followed Dean around for most of the reception, which was almost kind of cute. They actually talked quite a few times about everything and nothing—discussing schools and what kind of music they listen to, what foods they did and didn't like. Sam liked a lot of country music, whereas Dean was all about Metallica and Black Sabbath. "Rabbit food", as Dean dubbed it, was Sam's favorite kind of food, and Sam rolled his eyes when Dean described the best burger he had ever had.

Once at the car, Sam climbed in behind the driver's seat and sat patiently for everyone else to join him. Dean was pulled aside by Mary, whom hugged him tightly without saying a word. She didn't need to, though, because it was all over her face. She was happy—happy with her wedding, with her new marriage, and with the fact that her son was getting along with her step son. He offered her a smile back and watched her climb into the car, helping her tuck her dress inside to prevent it from getting caught in the door, before climbing in after her.

It looked like things would turn out all right. After months of bitching about having intruders warp his life, Dean was opening his arms to the change. He still wouldn't call John "dad", if he ever would, but he could at least be civil with him. And having Sam in his life didn't look like it was going to be that bad.

Hopefully he could sway him away from lettuce and banjos.