Dean pushed the door open by his hip as he carried the heavy box into the dark apartment. The box of car parts, that he'd bought for the garage, jingled as he kicked the door shut behind him. Gently, the man bent down to leave the box beside the door. He'd take it to work the next morning.
Concerned, he peered around the dark flat in confusion. Sam should have been home from the courthouse hours ago. Dean had to stay behind at the garage with his uncle bobby to finish up on a car so was late. It was rare for Sam to not be on time as he always ensured that he stuck to a strict schedule which is what helped him be so organised.
The notes and paper splayed across the table only served as evidence to the hours of work Sam had put into the case. Several weeks of work were all adding up to the few hours in the courtroom today. Dean's partner had spent hours every night working without break or rest. Dean would scold him for over doing it but he knew that he couldn't divert Sam's attention.
Dean's large fingers shifted though the sheets as he walked past towards the kitchen. Darkness shrouded the room, clicking the light on Dean's eyes searched the area for his partner. The emptiness was his only reply.
Suspicious, Dean pulled his cell from his pocket and pulled up his partner's number. Holding the cell to his ear, he walked though to the living area to wait out an answer.
Suddenly, a ringing echoed out from the bedroom. The sound was muffled and slightly distorted.
"Sam?" Dean called.
He got no answer.
Stepping towards their bedroom door, he hesitated before twisting the knob and letting himself in. The room was also dark as the curtains were drawn, blocking out the light from the street outside. Sam's satchel was singing as the cellphone inside continued ringing. The bag was discarded near the door in an unusually careless style. Sam was proud of his leather bag so would never usually be so thoughtless.
Opening up the satchel, Dean rummaged through the papers and files until his fingers made contact with the cell. Switching it off swiftly, he peered around the room. Just then, he noticed the lump hiding under the covers of their bed. The shape was on Dean's side.
The mechanic suspected that he knew the source of the misshapen blankets. Making his way over to the bed and kneeling down beside it, Dean edged the blanket back a little until he could see Sam's face.
His partner's face was swollen and red from crying. Eyes puffy and bloodshot, Sam was clearly distraught about something. Dean slowly reached up to wipe away the drying tears on Sam's cheeks. The tall man clutched Dean's pillow to his chest as he lay there. His breathing was tired and heavy as though he needed to sleep for hours.
"Sammy?" Dean whispered gently as though louder words would break him, "What's wrong, Babe?"
This triggered a sob from Sam's chest. It curdled inside of Dean making him wince. Without another word, Dean stood and slipped into bed on Sam's side so he was behind his partner. Gently, he encouraged Sam to turn to face him. As soon as the other man was looking at him, Dean pulled him tightly into his arms. He held the larger man against his chest protectively.
He hushed Sam while stroking his soft hair, "You okay?"
"I failed, Dean." He muttered quietly.
"What do you mean failed?"
"The case, Dean! I failed. They let him go..." Sam whispered against his partner's chest.
Holding on tighter now, Dean dropped a gentle kiss onto Sam's forehead, "It doesn't matter. Nobody can be perfect all the time. I don't know how you manage being perfect so much anyway." He encouraged. "You've lost cases before though, Sammy. What's different now?"
"I... I just worked so hard. I really believed that I had solid evidence. A solid argument but I was wrong." He tried to stop himself deteriorating back into sobs.
"Shhh, it's fine. Everyone knows how great you are." He chuckled lightly. "Jesus, you're practically notorious around here. What is one little blip of negativity gunna do, hey? It's not like you'll lose business!" Dean didn't actually know that but he knew that Sam was the best lawyer in the whole of America, if not the world. "Give it a few more months and you'll find another case which you feel passionately about again and you'll work you butt off, like you'll always do, but this time you'll get the results you want. It's all because you learnt from this time."
"You think so?" Sam asked uncertainty. He lifted his head to stare into Dean's green eyes hopefully.
Leaning down, Dean pressed a reassuring kiss against Sam's soft lips, "I know so."