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spn_springflingTitle: hang the stars in the sky
Pairing: Sam/Dean, Sam/Dean/Cas
Rating: Gen
Any warnings: References to PTSD symptoms?
Dean never knew how unsettling the dark truly was. After a lifetime of light -- the soft fluorescent glow from under the bathroom door, the softer bedside lamp, headlights through the window, moonlight on a graveyard -- the pure underground darkness made his skin crawl, and not even the reassurance that Sam was right next to him could help.
Sam was used to the tossing and turning, the nightmares, the getting up in the middle of the night only to (hopefully) come back in about twenty minutes. Just like Dean was used to Sam's episodes of insomnia. It was part of the life.
Then Cas joined them, and he refused to accept that excuse.
They tried everything they could think of -- keeping the hall light on and the door cracked, turning on a lamp -- but whatever it was just kept Sam awake, and Dean wouldn't sacrifice his brother's sleep for his own. That wasn't fair when neither of them were getting enough to begin with.
Dean tried to tell Cas to give it up. That he'd get used to the dark eventually, it was no big deal, really. But Cas was determined to find a solution, and he pursued it so passionately that Sam tagged along too.
Their next idea was inspired by something Sam saw on the internet. Dean was naturally dubious of anything that came from social media since Sam got Cas into Pinterest. But he couldn't argue about this one, because he didn't know they were doing it until it was already done. They turned out the lights that night, and Dean braced himself, only to be surprised by small pinpricks of light on his ceiling.
His first thought was of those plastic glow-in-the-dark stars kids hang up in their rooms. He bought a pack with some pocket change when he was maybe eight and stuck them up on the motel room walls. Some fell off throughout the night, but Sam just told him to make a wish on the falling stars.
These weren't those plastic stars, but they glowed in the same way, mostly white and yellow, but a few dots of red here and there.
"Look," Sam whispered, pointing. The joy in his voice was unmistakable. "There's Ursa Major." He drew his finger in a circle. "And Ursa Minor. Mars."
"What is this?"
"The night sky," Cas answered, "As you might see it at this time of year."
"No shit. I meant what is this?" he gestured broadly with his arm.
"We thought this might work better than leaving a light on," Sam explained softly. "It does give off some light, but not enough to keep me awake."
Dean frowned. How long had this taken? And exactly how did they pull it off without him knowing? He'd already worked out that it was probably glow in the dark paint.
He pointed. "Big dipper."
Sam rolled his eyes fondly and rested his head on Dean's chest. Dean ran his fingers through his hair and smiled when Sam sighed.
"I'll change the paint as the sky does," Cas explained softly. "And we can teach you the constellations, if you'd like."
Dean didn't answer. He leaned against Cas -- sat up on the bed like the weirdo he was. He never slept himself, but sometimes he rested or watched Dean and Sam sleep. It stopped feeling weird a while ago.
It was a small gesture, but Dean felt touched. Sam was already knocked out. Dean just hoped it was enough light to keep him asleep as well.
:::
When Dean woke up the next morning, after sleeping for five straight hours, he felt exhausted. He dragged himself out of bed, always the last of the three of them to do so, and shuffled to the kitchen.
"You slept well," Cas said from the table. It wasn't an observation, it sounded like fact. Cas was probably monitoring him all night, the freak.
But he wasn't totally wrong. Dean didn't remember waking up during the night at all.
And Sam's soft grin told him all he needed to know about how his brother slept. "You feel good?"
"Yeah, well," Dean grumbled without any actual malice, making a beeline for the coffeepot. "'S what happens when a couple of dorks decide to hang the stars in the sky for me."
Pairing: Sam/Dean, Sam/Dean/Cas
Rating: Gen
Any warnings: References to PTSD symptoms?
Dean never knew how unsettling the dark truly was. After a lifetime of light -- the soft fluorescent glow from under the bathroom door, the softer bedside lamp, headlights through the window, moonlight on a graveyard -- the pure underground darkness made his skin crawl, and not even the reassurance that Sam was right next to him could help.
Sam was used to the tossing and turning, the nightmares, the getting up in the middle of the night only to (hopefully) come back in about twenty minutes. Just like Dean was used to Sam's episodes of insomnia. It was part of the life.
Then Cas joined them, and he refused to accept that excuse.
They tried everything they could think of -- keeping the hall light on and the door cracked, turning on a lamp -- but whatever it was just kept Sam awake, and Dean wouldn't sacrifice his brother's sleep for his own. That wasn't fair when neither of them were getting enough to begin with.
Dean tried to tell Cas to give it up. That he'd get used to the dark eventually, it was no big deal, really. But Cas was determined to find a solution, and he pursued it so passionately that Sam tagged along too.
Their next idea was inspired by something Sam saw on the internet. Dean was naturally dubious of anything that came from social media since Sam got Cas into Pinterest. But he couldn't argue about this one, because he didn't know they were doing it until it was already done. They turned out the lights that night, and Dean braced himself, only to be surprised by small pinpricks of light on his ceiling.
His first thought was of those plastic glow-in-the-dark stars kids hang up in their rooms. He bought a pack with some pocket change when he was maybe eight and stuck them up on the motel room walls. Some fell off throughout the night, but Sam just told him to make a wish on the falling stars.
These weren't those plastic stars, but they glowed in the same way, mostly white and yellow, but a few dots of red here and there.
"Look," Sam whispered, pointing. The joy in his voice was unmistakable. "There's Ursa Major." He drew his finger in a circle. "And Ursa Minor. Mars."
"What is this?"
"The night sky," Cas answered, "As you might see it at this time of year."
"No shit. I meant what is this?" he gestured broadly with his arm.
"We thought this might work better than leaving a light on," Sam explained softly. "It does give off some light, but not enough to keep me awake."
Dean frowned. How long had this taken? And exactly how did they pull it off without him knowing? He'd already worked out that it was probably glow in the dark paint.
He pointed. "Big dipper."
Sam rolled his eyes fondly and rested his head on Dean's chest. Dean ran his fingers through his hair and smiled when Sam sighed.
"I'll change the paint as the sky does," Cas explained softly. "And we can teach you the constellations, if you'd like."
Dean didn't answer. He leaned against Cas -- sat up on the bed like the weirdo he was. He never slept himself, but sometimes he rested or watched Dean and Sam sleep. It stopped feeling weird a while ago.
It was a small gesture, but Dean felt touched. Sam was already knocked out. Dean just hoped it was enough light to keep him asleep as well.
:::
When Dean woke up the next morning, after sleeping for five straight hours, he felt exhausted. He dragged himself out of bed, always the last of the three of them to do so, and shuffled to the kitchen.
"You slept well," Cas said from the table. It wasn't an observation, it sounded like fact. Cas was probably monitoring him all night, the freak.
But he wasn't totally wrong. Dean didn't remember waking up during the night at all.
And Sam's soft grin told him all he needed to know about how his brother slept. "You feel good?"
"Yeah, well," Dean grumbled without any actual malice, making a beeline for the coffeepot. "'S what happens when a couple of dorks decide to hang the stars in the sky for me."
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no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 03:47 am (UTC)And this: Some fell off throughout the night, but Sam just told him to make a wish on the falling stars.
My heart.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 04:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 05:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-05 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-06 05:40 am (UTC)I love how much Sam and Cas both care about Dean, and how loving and kind they are to him... beautifully done :)
no subject
Date: 2017-04-08 09:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-14 09:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-17 03:14 am (UTC)