Summary: John takes Sam and Dean to a museum.
They'd been in town for just over a week now, and the boys were climbing the walls. It wouldn't take a genius to see that Dean was bored out of his brains by the lack of anything in the motel room, and Sam had became clingy. His youngest would often get scared and anxious in quiet places due to the lack of vibrations.
John supposed it was the same concept as a guy from the city moving to the wide open. There are sounds you get used to, and sounds you find you can't live without.
The woman at the hospital had told him that Sammy needed consistency to help him adapt and learn, so maybe some population of 425 town wasn't the best choice on his part.
He had however managed to find them something to do.
"A museum..." Dean's voice said dryly.
"Cheer up, you haven't even been inside yet, it could be good." John tried to reassure.
"But this town is boring... their museum's just gonna' be too."
"You're not the only one we're going for, kiddo." Adjusting Sam in his hold, he took Dean's hand and led him through the front doors.
Dean's jaw dropped as he came face to face with a giant dinosaur skeleton.
"Woah!" He let go of John's hand and rushed over to it.
John smirked before walking over to one of the volunteers.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked.
"Yes, umm, which floor is the exhibition on?" Sam began to wriggle in his arms as he asked.
"It's just over there." She pointed across the entranceway to a open set of doors on the right.
"Great, thank you." John nodded before walking over to Dean. He lifted Sam down to the floor.
Dean continued to read the information board in front of the dinosaur before turning to his little brother.
Who wasn't there.
Dean then looked up at John who pointed with a smirk to the small child wandering over to doorway disco ball colour dots were spilling from.
John's couldn't help but smile as he heard a light gasp from his youngest's lips at the sight of the sensory room.
Fairy lights of all colours were strung around the space, twinkling, flashing, and slowly changing, while piles of them also lay on the floor. Vibrations could be felt underfoot getting faster and slower every few seconds. Moons and stars shone onto the ceiling from a projector. Any spare space on the floor had been covered in things to touch of all different textures and scents, as well shiny beads and jewels to play with. Bubbles were also floating around from a bubble machine in the corner.
Sam was in the middle of it all, mouth wide in enchantment.
John reached a hand down and rested it gently on Dean's shoulder. He offered a smile as his oldest looked up.
"I see he found it."
Sam's hands ran through strings of lights before he saw the shadows of his own hands on the wall. Amazed, he placed them in front of the torch and watched as the shadows appeared causing the young boy to giggle.
"d!" A small voice called.
"You're wanted, Tiger."
Dean walked over to Sam and immediately felt his little brother's hand gently take his own before he was pulled to sit down. Sam then noticed the tent and crawled inside, guiding his big brother inside too before crawling into Dean's lap, and leaning back against his chest.
The youngest Winchester giggled to himself as he happily popped bubbles before finding a flashing bouncy ball inside the tent and rolling it from hand to hand, making the colours change as he did so.
"d." Sam pointed to the stars and moon projected on the ceiling.
'Star'
Sam wasn't interested in signs right now though, not when literally everything else in the room was taking up his attention. The inside lining of the tent had been decorated with feathers, pieces of cloth, beads, fabrics of various textures, sequins, plastic, and wool, all sewn carefully to the material. Sam ran his hand across every section, the beads proving to be his favourite.
After just over an hour had past, John popped his head into the tent. 'Sammy, we need to go now.'
Sam began to kick a fuss, eyes filling with tears.
John lifted him up into his arms.
'We can come back. Okay?'
The volunteer turned to them.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this exhibition closes today."
Dean looked as heartbroken as John.
"Why would you close it, it's amazing for kids like Sammy?" John asked.
"An artist made it but it's only for a limited run, I'm afraid." The woman paused. "She's here today, I can go and grab him for you to talk to. Hold on one sec."
Before John could say anything, she was gone.
Returning less than a minute later was the staff member and a small, brunette. She smiled upon sight of the young boy.
"Deaf?"
John nodded.
'Hello'
Sam became nervous, burying close to John's neck.
'Sammy, you big boy now'
The little boy moved away ever so slightly.
'Hello'
'Name you what?'
'S-A-M'
'Nice meet you, S-A-M. Name me C-A-R-A' She smiled. 'You like?'
Sam nodded. 'Light. Soft. Star'
'You like stars?'
'Yes'
'Well then, I have present for you, S-A-M'
The artist walked into the room and unplugged the projector.
'Yours'
"You sure about that?" John asked.
She nodded. "Of course. I'm just glad to see my exhibition mean so much to someone."
'What you say, Sammy?'
'Thank you'
'You welcome, S-A-M'
The artist handed the projector to Dean, as John had his arms full of Sam before waving them off.
Later that night in the motel room, the projector was plugged in and casting he solar system onto the ceiling and walls, rotating slowly.
Sam was beside himself in intrigue, reaching up as he stood on the mattress to try and touch them. They even managed to get him to sleep in record time as the soothing shapes settled him down.
Looking over at the bed, John smiled at the sight of his boys, asleep happily in each other's arms, before clicking the projector off.
Lounging on the bonnet of the Impala, Sam smiled.
"Star challenge?" He asked.
Dean walked over with two beers, handing one of them to his brother before climbing up next to him.
"No because you always win, and you know you do."
Sam smirked.
"Here." Dean briefly took the bottle back to pull off the cap before passing it over.
"Thanks." Sam took a drink.
"Remember your old projector?"
"Dude!" Sam exclaimed. "I loved that thing SO much, you no idea!"
"Sam, you had that thing on every night for what felt like a million years, I had an idea."
The youngest Winchester's face fell slightly.
"Wait, you not like it?"
"I liked it at first, then it got annoying. Dad later found a switch that made it more advance though, so when you learnt to read, he changed it to the detailed solar system with names and everything, or the constellations one. Then Mr. Brainbox here remember every single one of them, which is why you always win at Star Challenge."
"Jess beat me at Star Challenge once." Sam admitted, softly.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"I not find Ophiuchus, so I lost."
"Bet she held that over you forever."
"Yeah." He smirked before sighing. "I like to think she up there, as her own star now."
"I'm sure she is, Sammy. She'll be looking down on you. So will Mom."
"You think so?"
Dean nodded. "Of course."
"Thanks, D'n."
Sam closed the gap between himself and Dean, resting against his brother's side as he looked up at the stars.
Dean smiled.