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This was supposed to be a simple 'salt and burn' kind of case. But with the boys, nothing ever goes as planned, does it?
This spirit was meaner than what they first imagined, and stronger too. She was a teacher killed by one of her students, who went crazy and killed two other students during his breakdown, twenty-three years ago. Hunting the highschool she used to work to was one thing, hurting kids was another.
When the two brothers started digging up the grave, the ghost didn't like it a bit. Dean decided to let Sam handle the grave duty while he slowed down the angry teacher. Sam is younger and stronger, it will go faster that way.
By the time Sam finally got to the buried coffin, Dean had taken a few hard punches. Dean saw Sam checking on him, and told him to hurry the fuck up and torch the angry bitch. The younger man did as he was told, and the skeleton was on fire less than a minute later.
"You okay ?"
"Yeah, no big deal"
They both stood at the edge of the grave for a little while, looking at the flames, and enjoying the heat coming up from the hole on this chilly night.
Once they put the shovels and the weapon bag back in the trunk of their car, Sam climbed shotgun, and didn't say anything when Dean turned on the radio. He was exhausted, so was Dean, and a little bit of music helped relax them both.
They finally arrived in the parking lot in front of the room they rented at the cheap motel downtown. It had been two days already, and to be honest, the room wasn't that bad. It was clean, and the mattresses were fairly recent.
Dean got out of the car, grabed his duffel, letting Sam take his own duffle and the weapon bag while he reached to open the door.
"First in the shower!"
"Dude! I'm covered in grave dirt !" replied Sam with his legendary bitch face
"Boo hoo princess"
"Jerk"
"Bitch"
When Dean came out of the shower, Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a burrito, a beer half drank already.
"Your turn"
"You've left enough hot water this time ?"
Dean grinned and said nothing. He opened the fridge, took the second burrito and a cold beer. Sam took his clothes and headed to the bathroom, closed the door behind him. Few second after, Dean heard the water running.
Sam got out of the shower wearing sweat pants and a worn out grey T-shirt. His hair was wet and messy. When he spotted the bottle of Jack on his brother's hand, he raised an eyebrow and slightly tilted his head back.
"What ? Come on Sam, it's been two weeks non stop. We deserve a little break. Want one ?"
"Yeah, sure"
Sam took the glass Dean handed him, and let the burn of the alcohol fill his mouth and throat.
It was a quiet night, neither of them saying anything, simply enjoying the moment and each other presence. So, unknowingly, they both ended up having more than one drink.
Starting to feel a bit dizzy, Sam got up
"I'm beat, I'm gonna go to bed. You should too, you look awful"
"Yeah, coming right up"
Dean stepped into the sheets, checked on little brother one more time before reaching to turn the lights off
"Night Sammy"
"Night" mumbled Sammy, half conscious
Since he was just a little boy, Dean learned to unconsciously analyze Sam. His breathing pattern, all the expressions on Sam's face, his body language, the way he moved in his sleep. Basically everything to be able to know if little brother needed help, was in pain or angry, needed to be left alone or was just being a little brat like he sometimes was.
That's why, even in a deep sleep, after a long day, some grave digging and fighting, and few drinks of scotch, Dean opened his eyes wide just four hours later, whimpers being loud enough in the silence of the night
"No... please, don't... No, no, don't... Please, stop... Dean, please just stop"
At the sound of his name, Dean sat up, trying to get a look at his brother. He knew Sam was having a nightmare, but his body was shaking violently, almost trashing beneath the sheets, clearly trying to get free from some invisible bonds.
The older sibling quickly got out of bed and sat on the edge of the other bed, facing his brother but not daring to touch him.
"Hey, Sammy... Sam, ssh, it's okay"
But the words seemed to have no effect whatsoever. Dean helplessly watched his brother fight what appeared to be a memory from his time in the cage. Those were the worst. Sam wouldn't open up about what Lucifer did to him, but clearly, some of it involved him. Or his face and body to be exact. Dean remembered the way Sam acted around him when the wall Death had put in his head collapsed. He shied away from Dean's touch, jumped when his big brother came from behind unannounced, and kept his head mostly down, not looking at him in the eyes. Broken, submissive.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to put one hand on Sam's chest, the other on the mattress, between his head and his shoulder, "Come on Sam, wake up".
The touch seemed to do the trick. Sam's eyes opened immediately, but still looking at something from the past with so much fear and pain.
When he saw Dean standing so close to him, he wasn't entirely back in the present moment, and recoiled instinctively. His back slammed against the headboard, knees pressed against his chest, head bowed down and arms locking himself in that position.
"No more... Please, stop..."
His voice sounded hoarse and broken, but Sam simply didn't care, just as he didn't care that he was begging.
Dean felt like some evil entity had taken his beating heart in their hand and pressed harder and harder. There was so much pain emanating from the two men that the air was thick and barely breathable.
The small kitchen window allowed some light into the room. It was a full moon tonight, so there was enough light for Dean to see Sam shaking. He understood that his brother was holding a sob in his chest, not letting himself be defeated by was had just happened.
"Hey, Sammy, it's okay... It's okay, you're safe now"
As Sam didn't move, Dean extended a helping hand towards the crouched man in front of him. But he stopped soon enough. Every hunter knows that a frightened animal shouldn't be touched.
Instead, Dean sat near his baby brother, one leg folded against the mattress, the other bent at the knee. He used his leg to hold his elbow while his head rested on his hand, and looked at Sam
And out of nowhere, he decided to tell him a story. A happy memory from when they were kids.
"Hey Sam, remember the fourth of July when you were like thirteen ?"
Dean didn't stop talking, the fireworks, the way they were lying down on the hood of the impala, and how Dean made Sam drink his beer, and how he hated it.
Slowly, Sam's head lifted up, his eyes met Dean's, his arms fell to his sides and relaxed his position into something more comfortable.
By the end of the story, Sam was smiling.
"Yeah, I remember"
Dean didn't say anything for a while, just looking at his brother, analyzing if he was ok, if he could come closer and touch him.
Sam made the first move though, closed the few inches between him and his big brother, putting his head on Dean's shoulder, arms closing on the man's back. Dean hugged his younger sibling back, trying to convey the love he had for him.
"I'm sorry Dean..."
"Don't say that, it's okay Sammy"
"I woke you up"
Dean chuckled "Yeah, well, I was going to wake up eventually so..."
"Hey, this, whatever it is, it's eating you up man, talk to me"
Sam took one last deep breath of Dean's smell before letting go of the embrace. He didn't say anything, eyes looking intently at the sheet.
After a little while, Dean sighted "Sam, I've done some time in hell too, I can handle it, trust me"
No response
"Sam, I... did Lucifer used me ?"
Sam gasped. He couldn't speak. He didn't trust his voice, and from the tears that he felt coming up, he was right not to. So he nodded. It was little, but Dean caught it.
"That's what I thought... Sam, did I... did I 'force' you ?"
Sam looked up, tears running down his face. There was no need for words.
"Oh Sam, I am so sorry... " Dean whispered, pulling Sam into a new, more intense hug
"So sorry"
"Not you" managed to say Sam in between two sobs
"I know but still..."
They both stayed like that, without saying a word. Dean tried to show Sam just how much he meant to him, that he was there and wouldn't hurt him, ever. Sam understood it all and let himself process everything that happened in the last twenty minutes or so.
With a light voice -not shaky, not full of tears, but now serene- Sam asked
"Dean ? Can you... sleep with me tonight ?"
"Yeah, sure I can little bro, any time"
Sam laid back on his side, face looking at the wall. Dean slipped under the sheets, and pressed his chest on his brother's back. Sam wiggled even closer, and welcomed Dean's arms across his stomach.
Right before dozing off, Dean pressed his lips against Sam's neck and stole a kiss.
Sam walked into dreamland with a smile across his face.
The end