[ there’s some kind of fire burning in his head– hellfire, he realizes after a moment… walls upon walls of it, trapping him in. he thinks maybe he recognizes where he is, but it’s faded, locked behind a glass door, like if he peers through it hard enough he’ll be able to see what it is he can’t remember. ]
[ turns out he doesn’t have to. when he turns around, lucifer is standing right behind him, hands outstretched, as if asking sam to embrace him. sam’s throat feels dry, his body thrumming with the need to escape, with barely-concealed panic. when the devil speaks, he speaks with castiel’s voice– YOU COULDN’T SAVE ME—— this is your fault, sam, because you didn’t say yes…. say yes…… ]
[ something wet hits his cheek, and all at once the fires are extinguished. both him and castiel look up, and rain begins to fall. their eyes meet again, but castiel is fading away. he calls out, telling him to wait, that he can fix it, but he’s already gone. ]
[ sam opens his eyes slowly, already forgetting the fires of his dream, but he can feel the heat of castiel’s gaze heavy on his face. that, too, fades after a moment, and dean’s familiar features fill in the empty spaces. he sits up, not yet noticing the dog in his brother’s lap. ]
It’s almost twelve, man. Figured we’d let ya sleep in a lil’, but there’s pie waitin’ to be eaten. And some of that weirdass healthy stuff they sell at the corner shop.
[ He doesn’t say anything about the pup, doesn’t have to either. Full of enthusiasm, the floppy-eared golden-brown ball of fur leaps up to peck at the sleepy face before him, and Dean leans back to accommodate the action. If you’d asked him years ago about taking in a dog, especially a larger breed, he would’ve laughed, maybe even responded with a “hell no”, but definitely not considered the idea. Things have changed since then, though, and so have the two brothers. There’s hardly anything left for them to hold onto but each other, and Dean realizes he’s not always the best at protecting his giant of a brother, nor comforting him when he needs it. He’s not good at emotions and he doesn’t know what to say when Sam wakes up after a night filled with terrors and memories of things that should never have happened in the first place.
Maybe it’s still a stupid-ass idea, but it’s a pretty damn heartfelt stupid-ass idea, and aside from that: what do you give someone during times when they’re at their wit’s end, when dad joke and porn mags aren’t even going to draw out a smile because those are old jokes? Well---hopefully, this. Not just because the pup is cute, not for replacement of Dean’s care for his younger brother, because he’ll damn well still be there for him, but because it might be a welcome change in their lives. And on top of that, because somewhere deep down, Dean is still none too fond of dogs. Traumatized, maybe even, by his encounter with the hellhounds. This pup, however, seems harmless as anything. And loving something from the start is far easier, his devotion to Sam being the prime example of that. There will be changes in their routine, their behavior, in their mood because of this. Dean just hopes it’ll all be for the better, and that they’ll finally have something---someone to care for other than just the two of them. A welcome addition into a close-knit family bond.
After the no doubt unexpected puppy face wash, Dean extends the hand with which he’s holding the pup towards Sam so his clumsy pup paws can leap onto him, ears flopping side to side with the sheer amount of enthusiasm with which the dog pounces onto his new owner. Dean watches more face-licking commence while displaying an ear-to-ear grin, before finally speaking up again. ]
Oh, sorry if he’s got morning breath, fed him some shapeshifter skin this mornin’.
[ No, he didn’t. But it’s still funny to watch Sam’s reaction to the thought of the pup eating slimey, gooey shed skin. ]