AN: Tag to 10x03 because I just couldn't deal without any brotherly fluff.
He knew should be sleeping. He hadn't slept a full night's sleep in months. Months. Yet, every time he closed his eyes all he could see and all he could hear were his brothers—no. Not his brother's, the demon's— words. So eventually, Sam gave up. He searched for a plausible substitute. Reading didn't work. He kept getting distracted. Cooking didn't work because they didn't have any food. Not that he was that great of a chef, anyway. Sam couldn't stop himself from checking on Dean, even though it felt slightly creepy to stand in the doorway and watch his brother sleep. He quietly shut the door, relief washing over him in waves. Damn it felt good to have his brother back.
He eventually decided to clean out the Impala, which was currently parked in the huge ass garage in the bunker. The car was all kinds of disgusting and Sam immediately regretted his decision as soon as he began the process for many reasons. First of all, Dean would probably want to do it when he felt like it. After all, it was his baby. Sam pretended to ignore how his eyes stung out of sheer relief that his brother was going to fawn over his car's condition as soon as he was up to it. Also, cleaning a car proved to be extremely difficult when you only technically could use one arm.
It wasn't until hours later that he finally stood back up to admire his work. Not too bad, he thought to himself. When he did, his shoulder ached painfully causing his vision to blur and him to suck in a large breath. He put his unwounded arm on the top of the car to keep from falling over.
"Sam, Dean is awake and—what are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Cas," Sam tried to keep his voice steady, biting the inside of his cheek to keep the lie in tact. "I was just cleaning the… car."
He felt Cas pull him gently from the car and put an arm around his waist. He didn't protest. The two started walking back towards the inside of the bunker. Sam leaned on the angel a little more than he normally would have, not going unnoticed by the angel. Sam felt his worried glances, but ignored them as he focused on getting up the steps and not falling over.
"Cas, what the hell happened?"
Sam winced at the sound of his brother's voice, but tears sprang nonetheless. It had been a hell of a long time since he had heard the concern he could feel radiating from his brother's words. He didn't have the energy to muster up a response.
"Bedroom or couch, Sam?" Castiel ignored Dean momentarily, tightening his grip on the younger Winchester.
"Couch," Sam whispered, keeping his eyes on the ground but felt his brother's concerned stare nonetheless, "thanks."
It felt like an eternity before Sam felt the couch behind his back. Sighing in relief, he melted into it, lying on his back as he felt the effect of days without sleep catch up to him. He had his good arm over his eyes, attempting to block out the harsh lights of the bunker.
"Sam?"
Dean started to walk closer but then decided to merely hover in case Sam didn't react well. It had barely been 24 hours since Dean became human again and didn't want to rock the boat. What he had said to his brother… was unforgivable.
"There are… painkillers," Sam breathed heavily, opening his eyes and staring up at the large ceiling, "in my bedroom…. Nightstand… drawer."
Within a minute, Sam was being sat up and handed a glass of water. He eagerly took the two white pills from his brother's hand, taking them and then sipping on the water until he was satisfied. Dean took the glass away from him as Sam leaned back onto the sofa. The lights flicked off eliciting a soulful sigh out of the younger brother as he shifted to get comfortable on the sofa.
It usually took a few minutes for the pills to kick in, so Sam waited. Just as he began to feel the effects of the pills kicking in, he also felt a soft fabric being draped over him. He barely opened his eyes, but he saw his brother tucking him in as if he were five again. It made his eyes water yet again and before he could stop it, one tear rolled down his cheek.
"T'anks, D'an. P'ease… p'ease d'nt…leave me." he muttered right before he drifted off into a peaceful sleep without hearing his brother's choked up reply.
"No problem, little brother. I'm not going anywhere."
