Dean wasn't at all surprised when Sam came into his room that night, a first aid kit tucked under his arm. Wordlessly he grabbed at Dean and not all too lightly shoved him towards the bed. Dean didn't fight it, letting his brother move him as he wanted.

The both of them sat down on the bed and Sam set the first aid kit next to them. He opened it up and pulled out a small container of cream and started to apply it to Deans cheek where he had punched him, his touch was light despite the earlier hostility before his hand moved for a moment to cup his cheek.

Sam curled a bit more into him, breathing out slowly before he pulled out a small bandage and placed it on Deans cheek.

Dean didn't move, letting Sam do whatever he wished, he just stared at him, eyes raking over his little brother. He already knew his face, every dip and mole and every last wrinkle there, knew it better than he knew his own at times. Unable to help himself he leaned in a bit more towards him.

Sam brought his head up enough to look at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm not sorry about punching you." he told him.

"Yeah I figured." Dean murmured. "Wasn't looking for an apology."

Sam licked his lips and reached between them to take Deans hands in his, trailing along Deans nails.

"I saw the wall." Sam told him. "I saw your nails and I saw the blood."

Dean breathed out slowly. "Didn't want you to see it."

"Yeah I know, I also noticed how fast you went to the bathroom to wash it off." Sam said. "Just because I'm not talking about it or not telling you anything doesn't mean that I don't know." he pressed his forehead to Deans. "I'm just waiting for you to talk to me first."

"That's always been the hardest thing, always saved it for those times when one of us were going to die." Dean said. "Staring death in the face kinda made us nostalgic."

Sam tightened his grip on Dean minutely and closed his eyes before he reached out and wrapped his arms around him completely, tilting them so that they could lay down on the bed.

Moving them so that Sam could curl around him completely, he wrapped his arms and legs around him.

"I'm not going to let you go." Sam whispered. "I don't give a damn Dean, I'm not going to let you go."

"Sam, you promised that you were going to-"

"I know what I promised." Sam injected, tightening his grip on Dean, burying his face in Deans shoulder. "I know what I promised but I'm making my own promise too."

Sam pulled back enough to look at him, a fire in his eyes. "I'm not going to let you go Dean." he told him. "That box you made, that stupid asinine box, it can be doubled."

Dean frowned for a moment, trying to figure out where his brother was going with this.

Sam nodded and placed his head back on Deans shoulder. "Then we can make it big enough for the both of us."

Deans eyes widened and he tried to pull back to look at his brother, shoving at him to try to go face to face. "There is no way in hell that you are-"

Sam pulled back enough to kiss Dean, silencing him and tightening his grip on his brother. Dean struggled for a moment before he all but gave into the kiss, the both of them just holding onto one another and breathing the other in.

"If you think for one second that I'm going to let you cage yourself with an angry archangel all on your own." Sam said roughly when they finally pulled away. "Then you're the biggest idiot I know."

Dean swallowed hard at that. "I thought I already was the biggest idiot you knew." he said a bit hollowly.

"You are. But you can get bigger." Sam told him. "I've been there Dean, I've been locked up and thrown away into a cage I willingly jumped into with two archangels, and I would never wish that on you."

"I can't have you do that Sammy." Dean told him, his voice cracking. "He can hurt you in there then."

"And he can hurt you regardless." Sam told him, laying his head down on the pillow. "And I'm not going to let you face this alone. Besides," he closed his eyes. "Being locked up in a casket with my brother is kinda one of the best ways our lives could've ended."

"You do realize how sad that is." Dean said, copying his brother and laying down. "We're not done talking about this."

"Yeah we are." Sam told him, opening one eye. "Because mom has your box thing and she hid it, I know where it is and I'm not going to tell you until we reach that one last choice, just like I promised." There was a small smile tugging at his lips. "And I know you'd never leave without saying goodbye, not on the phone but in person."

"Sam." Dean started to say.

"And now you have more incentive." Sam continued as if Dean hadn't spoken. "You told me a few months ago that you didn't care if you lived or died, that you never cared. But you cared whether I lived or died and you wanted me alive." There was indeed a smile spreading along his face. "So he's your ultimatum. We're going to keep trying and keep looking and we're not going to stop, even when we can't find anything else we're going to keep going because the alternative." Sam grinned, a humor and self desecrating alternative."

Sam leaned into him once more. "Either you live and keep looking with me, keep looking at every last crevice and even after keep looking. Or, we both get locked up in that stupid ass box you made and thrown into the Atlantic Ocean."

Dean swore that his heart was either going to beat right through his chest or stop right then and there. "Pacific's closer." Dean said, his voice rough and shaking. His entire body was shaking and he gripped at Sam tighter. His brother did the same and started to rub at his back as well.

"I like the Atlantic better." Sam told him. "It has a higher density and a richer salt content."

"Why is that important?" Dean had to ask, a small laugh threatening to escape him.

"Because I like that better." Sam said rolling his eyes and smiling at him. "There is also a higher content of plankton in the Pacific ocean and I don't want our box to have a lot of algae growing on it."

"Sam." Dean said waiting until Sams attention was on him. "You're ridiculous."

Sam chuckled lowly and leaned in to kiss him again. Dean allowed it to go on for a few moments before he pulled back.

"Sam." he said trying to find the right words to say.

"It doesn't matter." Sam told him. "I'm not changing my mind, you're not changing your mind, and it might not even matter in the end because mom just might kill the both of us when she learns about this."

That did it and Dean started to laugh, unable to stop himself, it was a touch hysterical and not so humor filled but he laughed and felt his entire body shake and relax. Sam joined him for a few moments, pressing more into him.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily." Sam told him. "You're stuck with me forever, in the box or out of the box."

Dean smiled and curled into his brother, feeling Sams heartbeat steady between them. "No other way I'd have it be."

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31/365

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This episode was so painful in such a good way.