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[ He is loathe to let Sammy go, it's his kid brother and Cas is gonna get yelled at for damn sure, but honestly this is Dean's fault because all he said was 'try not to drink around him' and not 'hey maybe don't tell him he said yes to Lucifer and killed a bunch of people', but here they are. ]

Yeah. Course.

[ He swallows thickly, pressing his lips together. ]

...Want some spaghetti? I can make you dinner. [ Like he used to. ]

[Usually, Sam would be a little more petty. Because he knows Dean usually just offers to feed him like that after a rough conversation as one of those few ways he uses his — what was it called....? A 'love language'? But Sam's always been a bit begrudging about the idea that a bowl of mac and cheese or a slice of pizza will make anything any better.

But then again, Dean's got a bottomless pit for a stomach. The less Sam has to think about his body and nourishing it, between puberty and the weird, awful feeling he can't describe, the better.

This, though.

Sam owes Dean to not be petty or angry or turn him away. He sounds like he owes a lot of things. Like he's royally messed up — about as bad as anyone can. The idea makes him want to well up and cry it out, but he just nods instead.]

I'll be out. Later. For dinner.

[He'll pretend things are 'bad', instead of 'more bad'.

Hesitant, he starts to remove the jacket from his shoulders, to offer it back.]

[ It's definitely one of Dean's love languages - please, let me feed you, because it's the only thing I can do right now so just let me do it.

He moves to get up; it's not too far off from dinner now anyway, so he's happy to get it started, let Sam have first pick, see if Dean can soothe at least a little of the ache. He knows it isn't much, but he doesn't know how else to fucking fix this. ]

Keep that for now.

[ The jacket, he means. ]

[Sam rubs a thumb across the leather end of the jacket absently. He's always been a fidgety kid, plucking at loose strings. His eyes are red and puffy and his face is splotchy still, but he looks calmer. Looks like he's not on the verge of hyperventilating. It's better than nothing, right?

Still it's hard to not look like a wilted plant right now, with yellowing leaves, sunless and defeated. He wants to just go to sleep and not think about anything for a while; sleep's always been a good way for him to avoid reality, as long as his dreams don't betray him.]

Thanks, Dean.

... Sorry.

[Isn't that just how it is for them, now? No matter what age, Sam's got an apology ready.

After all, big or small, this is his fault. Isn't it?

He surely thinks so.]

[ It breaks his heart to see Sammy like this, and he reaches out, cups the back of his head to make his brother look at him as he kneels in front of him. ]

You don't have to apologize, Sam.

[ They've made their peace, said their apologies. Sam is forgiven a hundredfold and even if he weren't (which he is), none of that matters because this is a kid, a kid with no memory of the event, who's been basically sent back in time.

Who has a second chance. ]

It's gonna be okay, Sammy. I promise.

[Sam nods at his promise, and while he's not so sure Dean can keep one that big, he doesn't hold it against him. No matter how much his brother's driven him crazy (and vice versa), he knows that Dean has good intentions, even if the implementing isn't so good. In a way, it's at least good to know that even with how messed up and hurt and different the adult Dean Winchester is, there's still so much of the Dean that Sam knows left.

Usually he'd nudge off that arm playfully, and Dean would know that's their song and dance, and everything'll be good with that gesture. But he doesn't feel like shrugging his brother off right now. So he reaches up and gives Dean's wrist a squeeze. Thanks, it says, before he moves to crawl into bed. It's bad, he knows, to be left with his thoughts (they can be dark, biting, awful things, things he's never told Dean, things he's scared to ever bring up to his father). But for now, it'll do.

He just... he's gonna rest.

Or try to, anyway.

If he ends up staring at the far wall where he's lying for a while, so be it.]

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