Dean was restless.
He and Castiel had escaped Purgatory a bit over a month ago, and Sam thought that sometimes Dean was still having difficulty settling in here. For the first few weeks, he would practically ask permission before doing anything in the house. When he decided to rearrange his bedroom, he asked Sam if it was okay. When he found an art print he thought Sam might like, he asked before putting a nail in the wall to hang it.
It took Sam finally grasping his shoulders and looking him in the eyes and saying "This is your house, too, Dean. You don't have to ask permission to do anything. This is your home, too."
Dean relaxed quite a bit after that, but he was still restless. Sam watched from the couch as his brother paced the house, or walked through the property, looking over things. He was waiting for those inevitable words to come from Dean's mouth, and a bit over a month after his return, they did.
"Maybe we should find a hunt."
They were sitting on the couch, watching an episode of the old 1970s Batman program, when he said it. Sam shot him a glance and found Dean looking at him.
"Sure you're ready for that?" he asked softly, "Only been a month."
"Can't sit here forever," the other man said. "I mean this is nice and all -" he motioned around the room, indicating the house, " - it's great, actually, but .." He shrugged a shoulder, "Gotta get back at it sometime, right?"
"Do we?" Sam fidgeted with the cuff of his hoodie, eyes on his hands. There was silence, and he raised his gaze to meet his brother's. Dean was staring at him, head tilted slightly.
"You don't wanna hunt anymore?"
Sam shrugged a shoulder, "Yeah, eventually. Maybe. Just - " He hesitated, trying to find the words, "You've only been back a month, and -"
"You think I'm not capable?" Dean demanded sharply, brows furrowed as he stared at Sam, "Or that I can't handle myself anymore? I handled myself just fine in Purgatory, Sam."
"I didn't say that, Dean," he protested, "I know you're capable."
"Then what?"
Sam frowned at the cuff of his sleeve. "Just got you back," he finally answered, voice low, "You and Cas. Not ready to risk losing either of you again, Dean. I think -" he hesitated again, "We've done a lot, Dean. We've lost a lot. At some point, we deserve more out of life than nearly dying every night, don't we?" He expected his brother to chide him for his confession, to rib him for wanting an "apple pie homebody" kind of life.
His brother's features softened a bit, and Dean scooted closer on the couch. "Not gonna lose us, Sammy," the man told him, laying a hand on his knee and squeezing lightly, "But -" His voice trailed off, and he stared at the floor for a minute. Sam was just about to ask 'But what?' when he spoke again, "But if you're not ready, okay. We can wait."
Sam blinked at him and the unexpected response. "Really?"
"Yeah," Dean nodded, "Yeah, really. You're right. We've been going nonstop for years now, dealing with all kinds of crazy shit. We've given everything for that life and you're right, it has cost us nearly everything. I think we've earned a break."
"And you're okay with that?"
"Yeah," his brother nodded, shot him a small but genuine smile, "Yeah, I am. If anyone needs our help, we'll help. But.. yeah, Sam, I think I'm ready to just -- rest a while. Yeah, I'm okay with that."
Sam let out a startled laugh as his brother laid back and stretched out suddenly on the couch, propping his socked feet on Sam's lap.
"I think I'll grow a garden. Cas talked about bees a lot during his crazy-from-Lucifer phase, he could keep bee hives or something."
Sam stared at Dean at the words, caught off-guard. His brother was staring at the television again, a small but content smile on his lips. His words were barely audible as he finished softly,
"That will be nice."
After a moment, Sam grinned and relaxed back against the couch, one hand resting on Dean's ankle.
He couldn't stop the laugh which erupted when Dean added with a smirk,
"I think I'll grow a beard and get me a cowboy hat so I can tend to the farm."
Three months later, he had done both.
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The House that Sam Built
FanfictionDick Roman is dead, but Dean and Castiel are gone. Bobby and his house are gone. Sam is trying to cope with his grief and not fall apart. So he builds a house of his own. 'Sam was going to build the house he had promised his brother so many years ag...
