4. A Dream

Dean felt soft lips brush tenderly against his own, opening his eyes he saw Sam hovering over him. Their lips met again, a feather-light caress at first that soon deepened....

Dean jolted awake (in yet another new motel room), sitting up on the lumpy couch he looked at the other side of the room to see his father in one bed and Sam in the other, both fast asleep. He shuddered and rubbed at his lips, as though trying to scrub away the dream. He stood and ran to the bathroom, throwing the toilet lid up just in time. He wiped the vomit from his mouth and flushed the toilet.

Sam awoke, hearing the sound of retching. He sat up in bed, squinting to make out the figure huddled over the toilet. He heard it flush and watched as Dean stood up and made his way out of the bathroom. Dean looked over to Sam's bed again to see his little brother staring up at him. He stopped mid-stride, feeling like a criminal who had been caught in the act. Guilt flooded him as his dream came rushing back. He sighed and lied back down on the sofa, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to erase the images in his head.

"Dean, are you o--?" Sam began to whisper.

"Go to bed," Dean barked, louder than he intended. Their father shifted in his sleep but didn't seem to wake.

An hour passed, Sam lied in bed, still awake. He heard shuffling feet and in the darkness saw his brother rise from the couch and quietly creep out of the room. Sam rubbed at his eyes, willing himself to fall back asleep. The minutes crept by, and Sam began to worry. Where had he gone by himself in the middle of the night? What if he was in danger? He looked over at the clock on the bedside table; it was three o'clock, Dean had left at two. A few more minutes passed with Sam still worrying when the door opened. Dean sneaked back in, almost tripping, but he managed to catch himself just in time. He slowly and carefully made his way over to his little brother's bed. Sam shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep as he felt Dean breathing over him. Sam could smell beer on his breath.

"I love you, Sammy," Dean whispered. He pecked his little brother on the cheek. Sam's heart raced so fast he thought it would shoot right out of his chest. He felt his brother's clumsy hand caress his hair. Sam knew how close Dean was, he could feel his breath tickle his lips. His own breath caught in his throat, partly terrified that this was just a dream and yet terrified it wasn't.

Dean's lips brushed against Sam's for a split second. "Oh, fuck. I'm sorry, Sammy," Dean whispered, his words slurring slightly. Sam felt Dean's hand on his cheek; a shiver ran through him. And then he was gone. For a moment Sam was sure he had dreamed it but as he opened his eyes he saw his brother at the foot of his bed, a sad little smile plastered to his face.

Before he could stop himself Sam spoke, "I love you too, Dean."

The older brother's eyes widened and he turned away to hide the tears that were threatening to spill. Even through the haze of alcohol a million emotions were fighting within him. Did Sam understand what Dean had meant? And what did he mean when he whispered that 'I love you too'?

Sam stood up and slowly made his way over to Dean. Dean turned to face his little brother, tears now falling freely. Sam wrapped his arms around him, burying his head in Dean's chest. He breathed him in, allowing himself to cry as well. They stayed like that, holding on to each other for a moment frozen in time. Finally, Dean escaped the embrace, pushing Sam away gently, but firmly. He wiped the tears from his face and went to lay back down on the couch. Sam made to follow him.

"Don't," Dean whispered. Sam stood alone in the center of the dark room, feeling more confused than before. Dean stared off into space, away from Sam, the silence pressing in on his ears. Finally he heard Sam move away and crawl back into his bed. Sighing and closing his eyes, Dean willed himself to sleep, willed himself to forget what had just happened. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to know what it meant. But as Sam pulled the covers around him he couldn't be more desperate to understand.

------------------------------------------

*Le gasp* First contact! *wiggles eyebrows* Tell me what ya think! Sorry, I know it's a bit short. But seriously, please, please review.
~aep