Warnings: Mild Wincest.

Author's Note: Last night I got bored and the words just didn't seem to flow so I got creative otherwise.
I came up with the FIRST OFFICIAL BANNER for this story! You can check it out through a link just underneath the avatar on my profile page!

Further Notice: Sorry for being such a pain in the ass with the little note last time. Had a bad day, please forgive me. And thanks so much to the sweet people that actually came through and responded!

Disclaimer: Wish-list for Christmas: 2 rough looking guys, travelling around in a muscle car that can be picked up at the Canadian border.

Playlist: Conductor - We Were Promised Jetpacks

Blue day - Darker my Love

So here you have it.

Reviews are highly desired ^^

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Chapter 21: Unaware awareness

Sam should have been happy. Elated even.

After nearly 24 years his brother had agreed, no, offered for him to take the wheel. Well, not quite literally, since Sam was rather certain he still would have to ride shotgun in the Impala, but the good intention was what mattered.
Dean was obviously pleased with the way he had handled things. Right now the older hunter was occupying the double bed, reading some random magazine he had found in the trunk while steadily stuffing hot chips into his mouth. Sam cringed when he noticed, not for the first time, that barely half of the greasy things ended up where they belonged.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead Sam turned his attention back to the yellowed book in front of him.
Since it was already getting dark outside they had fired up the stove, just like the night before. Only this time, Dean apparently had tried to establish a new record of how many logs could fit at once, successfully turning the cabin into a dry and stifling sauna.

Yes, his older brother really was a joy to be around.

Pushing the thought away the young man tried to focus on his research, but the letters were blurring into a big mushy blob, like before. He just couldn't get his mind off his brother's words from earlier. More precisely his own reaction to them after the first wave of pride had faded.

He was in charge when it came to...well...things. What did that even mean? 'In charge.' Not like there was actually something going on on a regular basis to take charge of. And even if, what was he supposed to do about it?

Somehow he couldn't help but wonder whether this was simply a well hidden ploy of his brother to slowly but surely drive him insane. Because while Dean was leaning back lazily, his own head was swimming. Ever since his promotion, or whatever it was, the development between them had become much more real to him. What used to be a twisted curiosity that caused trouble and awkwardness whenever it occured had suddenly become an omnipresent problem.

The young hunter found himself confronted with questions he didn't want to ask. Of course he had thought about their kisses before. Liplocking with your brother wasn't something you forgot overnight. Especially when you had to face the aftermath the next day, which never had turned out to be a pretty sight for them. He had been so caught up in finding excuses or ways to calm down the fallout afterwards that he never really had let himself think about the 'why'. Until now.

Sam's mind kept running through the last months over and over again, desperatley searching for a mistake in his chain of thought. There had to be another explanation. Something. Anything! But no matter from which angle he looked at it, he always ended up with the same conclusion.

They were brothers. Brothers that cared and looked out for each other, that fought side by side, that bantered and pranked whenever they had the chance, that stood through things most people couldn't even imagine...
...and that were attracted to one another.

Shit.

Now he remembered why he wasn't happy. Being in charge sucked.

Dean was happy.
A little warm maybe, but content.

Even though he would never say this to Sam's face, the guy had been right. Talking did help. Sometimes at least.
He knew they still hadn't resolved anything, hadn't exactly talked the way his brother would have liked. Still. Things were looking up.

The pressure was gone, had fallen off of him the second his proclamation had been voiced and accepted. All he had to do now was to lean back and let things play out the way they were supposed to. The two of them had spend ages on the road together without any of this weird crap happening, supernatural weird crap excluded, they could do it again. As long as they stopped fighting it on their own and joined forces, they would be back on track in no time.

Licking his greasy finger he flipped to the next page in his magazine, eyes immediately jumping to the oversized 'El Sol' beer advertisement. Maybe this mag wasn't so bad after all.

The older hunter raised his head, praying for Sam to be somewhere near to fridge so he wouldn't have to get up himself. All of his hopes were crushed though, when he found him at the table, brooding extensively over one of Bobby's ancient books.

Oh, he so didn't like that look. Whenever Sam pulled his brows together like this he either had caught himself making a mistake or was thinking about something Dean would later regret having asked about.

The hunter quickly contemplated his options until he finally got up as quietly as possible and tiptoed his way to the refrigerator. Opening the door carefully he had to suppress a gasp as the cold air from within the machine blew across his face. It was definitely too warm in the cabin. Damned stove. Damned logs. Tempted to crawl in with the beer, Dean grabbed two bottles which fogged up within seconds. As soon as the fridge was closed, the air seemed to thicken around him. He could practically feel the sweat before his pores even knew what hit them.

'Ok, that's it.'

Setting his drinks aside he quickly stripped out of his jeans and shirt, discarding them on the armchair that still stood in the kitchen.
Relieved the hunter grabbed the cold drinks and headed back.

Sam had somewhat calmed down from his first shock at his realization. They could deal with this. Just give it a little time and things would get back to normal. As long as they...
Suddenly something moved next to him, making him jump in surprise.

"Wow." Dean exclaimed as he raised his arms as a sign of capitulation.

The younger hunter looked up at him in annoyance as he willed his pulse to slow down.

"You scared the crap out of me, man."

The intruder just chuckled as he placed a beer on the table.
"Kind of noticed."

Only then Sam took in his brother's appearance. He had stripped down to his blue boxers and a white undershirt that clung to every line of his chest. Had his brother bulked up over the last few weeks? He couldn't remember him having...

'Oh my god.'

Heat rose up in his cheeks when he realized what he was doing. He quickly looked back down at his book, praying to god Dean hadn't noticed his staring.

'Ok, this is new. And so not good.'

He had seen Dean a million times like this, even in less. Why should this time be any different? Maybe he had spent too much time thinking about the topic. Yes, that was it. Let alone the stupid fire that crackled in the background. Clear signs of a heat stroke.

'Ok Sam, breathe. Just breathe.'

A hand appeared in his line of vision, pulling his attention back into the presence.

"You in there?" Dean asked concerned, once his brother responded to him.

"Dude, you don't look so good. Maybe you should move further away from the fire."

Sam swallowed heavily, his throat dry as the desert. He tried desperately to keep his focus on his brother's face but his eyes kept drifting south to those abs, standing out against the fabric.

"I...back in a minute." he burst out when he pushed past the older man and vanished into the bathroom.

Dean gazed after him in wonder, beer frozen in his hand.

"O...K?"

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tbc

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Ok, maybe the cabin is gonna take up longer than I thougt, but the boys seem to like it there.

Already getting annoying? Would you prefer them to get back on the road as soon as possible?