The Pay-Off For Having Faith

11

Dean had tossed his duffel bag on his bed when he finally entered his bedroom, stating he would put his things away later. He had spent five minutes in the room, looking it over and checking the closet. When finished with his cursory exploration, he had requested to see Sam's 'space'.

They were in Sam's room now: Sam was sitting on his bed, watching as his brother roamed the room, inspecting everything. Fingertips brushed against the laptop on his desk, over the spines of the books on his bookshelf. The young man studied the posters on the wall, the pictures of Sam and his friends taped to the mirror or in small frames on the bookshelves, and various other objects. He actually picked up Sam's recently acquired framed picture of he and Sam, which had been sitting on the desk, and stared at it for several minutes, before replacing it to continue his exploration.

Sam allowed it, watching in silence as Dean touched and looked at everything. When his brother turned to him finally, he patted the spot next to him on his bed. Dean crossed to room to perch himself on the bed next to him, and Sam asked,
"You okay?"

Dean nodded, glancing around the room. "It's – different," the man admitted, shooting him a sheepish smile, "Colors and pictures and stuff. It's – I like it, I like learning who you are."

He smiled and told the other, "I'll show you the rest of the house when you're ready." He stretched out to lie on his back, grabbing Dean's wrist as he did and tugging the other down next to him. Dean stared at him for a moment, green eyes studying his features, before shifting his gaze to the ceiling.

"Sam."

"Yeah, Dean?"

"What if – " Dean's voice trailed off for a moment before he continued, "What if I can't adjust to – to all this. I don't know if I'm going to know how to – " He fell silent, swallowed hard, hands clasped tight together on his stomach.

Sam rolled onto his side to study his brother – he saw the tension and the nervousness in the other – and assured him gently, "We'll learn how together, okay?" Dean's eyes shifted in his direction, and the man nodded yes.

"You're not alone anymore," he reached out to brush his fingers against Dean's cheek and up through his hair, and his older brother exhaled softly, slight shiver running through him. Green eyes met his hazel ones, focused on him and him alone, and Sam felt heat rise to his cheeks. His eyes roamed the other's perfect face, took in the freckles, the line of his jaw, the full lips.

"Sammy," his brother murmured his name, barely a breath. The low-pitched, husky timbre of it sent a stab of heat straight through him, and he pulled away and sat up abruptly, clearing his throat.

When he glanced at Dean a minute later, his brother was still watching him, a hint of a smirk touching his mouth.

Dean was in the shower a short while later, and Sam was in his room, texting Gabriel. He raised his head from his phone when he heard John's voice in the hallway,

"Uh.. Dean?"

"Huh?" his brother's voice carried from the bathroom.

"You, uh, can close the door when you're showering."

"Oh. Huh. Okay."

"I'll just get this for you.." followed by the sound of the bathroom door shutting softly.

Sam snickered at the exchange: harder as his father appeared in his open doorway, hand rubbing at the back of his neck and embarrassment on his face.

"I guess they didn't have doors on the showers in the hospital?" his father surmised, giving him a mock glare for his laughter, "Or left them open? This might take some getting used to."