Chapter Text
The small motel room glowed with playful energy as the two brothers wrestled on one of the beds, the elder easily overpowering the younger. Unsurprisingly, their father, John, was off on a hunt, leaving Dean to care for his four-year-old brother.
Of course, with Dean as his only companion, Sam was bound to get bored, so he’d end up picking fights with his big brother, even though he knew he was likely to lose.
As predicted, their little scuffle ended with Dean carefully straddling Sam’s hips, pinning his arms above his head with one hand, while the other formed a claw shape and hovered above the younger’s stomach.
“I’m gonna get you, Sammy!” Dean growled, his fingers wiggling just above the kid’s tummy.
“Nooo, go away, De!” Sam protested, already giggling up a storm.
“Nuh-uh! You asked for it, little brother! Now the tickle monster’s gonna getcha!”
The playful threat made little Winchester squeal, shaking his head as excitement filled his laughter.
“Eeek!! No tickle monster! Hehehe!”
The sight of his younger brother tittering with excitement made Dean’s heart melt, completely overwhelmed with affection. This is how he wanted Sam to feel all the time—happy, giddy, and without a care in the world. He would do anything to keep the kid in this joyous state.
“Yes, tickle monster! He’s coming for you, Sammy-boy!” Dean’s fingers halted their movements momentarily as he pinched the hem of Sam’s shirt, slowly lifting it to reveal the soft skin of his belly. The gesture caused Sam’s eyes to widen, and his laughter spiked in anticipation, his little body wriggling as if he were already being tickled. The reaction made Dean’s grin widen.
“Ooh, giggling already? You know… that only makes the tickle monster wanna strike even more!”
“Dehehee!! Pleeeease!!”
To anyone else, that might have sounded like a plea for mercy—a little kid desperate for his brother to stop and let him go. But Dean knew his little brother better than anyone, and those pleas? They weren’t for him to stop—no, no—they were for him to keep going.
“Alright, alright… you want me to quit teasing?”
The response was a little nod. The kid just wanted Dean to stop with the anticipation and teasing… he wanted the real deal!
“No more teasing, De!” Sam huffed, his cheeks already flushed with both laughter and embarrassment.
Dean replied with a simple “Okay,” before releasing Sam’s wrists and using both hands to hover over the kid’s exposed tummy, fingers wiggling menacingly as before. What the elder did next caused the younger’s eyes to widen and his giggles to pick back up.
“Five… four…”
Dean started to count down, his fingers slowly lowering with each number.
Sam squeaked and started to flail, using his now freed hands to grab onto his older brother’s wrists, though he didn’t have the strength to push them away. If the anticipation wasn’t strong before, it sure as hell was now.
“De, nohoho!” Sam pleaded emptily, his expression glowing with giddiness. But Dean didn’t stop, his fingers lowering even more as he reached zero.
“Two… two and a half…” His hands were now centimeters above the quivering skin, but he stopped wiggling, simply holding them still. The room went silent as Sam held his breath, his gaze locked onto Dean’s hands.
Then suddenly, Dean shouted, “ONE!!” before gently digging his fingers into Sam’s soft tummy, causing the younger to shriek and burst into high-pitched laughter, writhing and kicking under the sudden attack.
“EEK!! Dehehehe, noooo!!” Sam cackled, his brown hair whipping back and forth as he shook his head.
Dean couldn’t hold back a chuckle of his own, his heart swelling at how adorable his little brother looked.
“Grrr! The tickle monster’s got you now, Sammy! There’s no escaping his wrath!” he teased, skittering his blunt nails all over the boy’s lower belly. Each poke, scratch, and scribble left the little Winchester in further hysterics, his cheeks a rosy shade, decorated with those precious little dimples that never failed to bring a smile to Dean’s face.
How could one little boy hold so much weight in a person’s life? Despite the darkness that engulfed the world outside, each little giggle from the boy seemed to fill their small motel room with balls of sunshine.
Dean paused the tickles momentarily to give the kid a chance to breathe.
“Hey, Sammy… y’know what would make this even better?” he asked with a smirk, mischief dancing in his eyes.
“W-What?” Sam tilted his head innocently, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he continued to giggle.
In a blur of motion, Dean grabbed Sam’s wrists in each hand and pinned them on either side of him.
“Raspberries!”
Sam’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he couldn’t get a single word out before his brother’s lips connected with his belly, blowing a loud, messy raspberry into the soft skin.
The younger let out a shrill shriek and tugged at his arms, his legs kicking wildly in every direction. His laughter was loud and infectious, able to melt even the coldest of hearts. Maybe if their father could hear it, it could even melt his…
After some time, Dean relented, not wanting to kill his little brother with tickles. He sat beside the giggling child, rubbing his tummy to ease the leftover tickles.
“You alright, Sammy?” he asked, just to be sure, his fingers instinctively moving to run through Sam’s soft, brown hair.
Sam opened his mirthfully teary eyes, looking up at his big brother with utmost admiration. He nodded tiredly, leaning into the elder’s hand.
“Uh-huh… that was fun, De.”
The response made Dean smile warmly, his chest tightening. He leaned down to press a tender kiss to his brother’s forehead.
“Yeah, it was. But I bet you’re tired now, huh?”
That made Sam pout a bit. “I’m not—” he was cut off by his own yawn, signaling that he was indeed tired.
He averted his gaze, smiling timidly. “Maybe a little…”
Dean snorted, shaking his head in exasperation.
“You’re such a dork.” He grinned, affectionately ruffling Sam’s hair before pulling him into his lap.
“I think Scooby-Doo is on right now… you wanna sit on the couch and eat ice cream while we watch it?”
The offer made Sam’s eyes light up, and he quickly shot up, ecstatic.
“Yes!!” he exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.
The giddy response coaxed a laugh out of Dean as he stood up, playfully slinging Sam over his shoulder and walking them over to the couch.
“Alright, alright! Someone’s excited!”
Sam squealed as Dean plopped him onto the couch before following suit, pulling the kid close to his side.
“Now, you stay here while I grab us some ice cream… then we’ll watch as much Scooby-Doo as you want.”
Sam giggled and gave his brother a big hug. “Love you, De!”
The simple display of affection caught Dean off guard, and he froze momentarily before wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, giving him a squeeze.
“I-I love you too, Sammy…”
And so, the Winchester brothers spent the rest of the afternoon snuggled up under a blanket, sharing a bowl of ice cream, laughing at the cartoon dog getting into mischief and occasionally helping catch the bad guys.
When Sam eventually fell asleep, curled up against Dean’s side, Dean couldn’t have been more proud to be a big brother.