Title: In My Veins
Summary: Dean didn't care whether Ketch made it out of that apocalyptic universe alive. What he did care about, more than anything, was his brother. Hurt/Comfort. Protective!Dean. Big!Brother Dean. Brotherly love. Episode Coda 13x17 "The Thing".
Warnings: Rated T for bad language. Spoilers up until 13x17.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Some things never changed.
That simple truth became very clear to Sam as he stared at his older brother, who was willing to jump through an apocalyptic wormhole into another dimension.
"I don't care if he dies," Dean growled with his back turned on Ketch, but what he really meant was 'I only care that you don't.'
And just like that, Sam's bitterness about Dean picking Ketch over him morphed into something else, something warm and familiar and comforting that rooted deep in his soul.
Dean told him that it was safer this way, that Sam would be their contingency plan if all else failed, swooping in to save the day if Dean didn't make it back in time. But Sam knew that that wasn't the only reason why Dean wanted to keep him out of that apocalyptic war zone.
After all, Dean was still a selfish bastard, who stopped at nothing to keep him safe.
"I know you don't like this, okay? I don't expect you to."
Dean was still his the parental figure, the protector, the older brother who called the shots.
"This is the way it's gonna be."
And Dean always made Sam's safety his number one priority, the words their father had instilled in him from such an early age on forever pulsing through his veins.
'Watch out for Sammy.'
Sam locked his jaw when Dean's hand settled on his back, warm and reassuring. It was an apology, a peace offering, and a goodbye all at once.
"Okay," Dean sighed and stepped forward, shouldering his bag like a soldier leaving for war.
Sam tried not to blink as his eyes began to sting.
Yeah... some things never changed.
the END.
A/N: Just a short tag to last night's episode :) Reviews make me happy!