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Swiping a hand across the steam-covered bathroom mirror, Dean breathed a sigh of relief. The heatwave had ended, and his sunburned skin had started to turn from a bright shade of pink to a paler pink, with an addition of more freckles popping up. Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, he stuck his tongue out at his reflection, reminding himself that the sunburn could have been worse. He could have had peeling from his sunburn with itchy skin instead of what he was dealing with now. He knew if he brought it up to Sam, his brother would only point out that everything was his own fault. He could practically hear Sam’s put-upon tone in his ear as his mind supplied the words he knew his brother would respond with if he complained. “Well, Dean, I told you to put on sunscreen. I warned you that with your fair skin you’d burn. But no, you had to ignore my warning. You went off to test out the water, and then you went for a walk with no protection from the sun’s harsh and potentially damaging rays. It’s your own fault.” He knew those words rang true, even if it was imaginary Sam speaking them to him in his mind. It was his fault, at least the sunburn was, but he was pretty sure he was over the worst of it. After rubbing Aloe Vera sunburn relief gel on his skin for the past two days and sitting under the seafoam green beach umbrella after using Sam’s sunscreen for protection against the sun shining down on him, he felt and looked better. He’d never been one for taking a vacation, always preferring to be active in a hunt for the supernatural, but he had to admit that taking this much-needed break had been fantastic for him, despite the sunburn and heatwave, and for Sam. They had both needed this time away from the hunting world, and he now saw the appeal of taking time for himself and letting his brother do the same.
Now that Dean was freshly showered after having spent most of the day at the beach lounging on a beach chair or in the water, he felt refreshed and ready to head out for something to eat. He and Sam had discovered a Mom-and-Pop diner within walking distance of the Laughing Seahorse motel that served hearty meals, and they had been frequenting the place since, grabbing a bite to eat if they didn’t feel like slapping together a sandwich. The diner, named The Sunny Side Up, which had been painted a bright and what he supposed was thought of as sunny yellow, was inviting and seemed to be a popular place with the locals and vacationers. The staff was a mix of ages ranging from high schoolers to middle-aged, and they were all welcoming, but not intrusive, leaving you alone once you’d ordered and were served your food. The coffee was strong and served hot; the food was priced decently and piled high on the plate, and they offered a variety of pies. Hearing Sam’s muffled voice calling to him through the closed bathroom door, urging him to get a move on, he finished dressing and then pulled the door open. Stepping into the air-conditioned room, he shivered when the cold air blew across his warm skin. “Okay, I’m ready,” he announced with a smile, waiting for Sam to get to his feet so they could head out and grab dinner.
Hearing the sound of his brother’s voice, Sam raised his head from the magazine he’d been reading to pass the time while he waited for Dean to shower and dress, to see his brother standing in the bathroom doorway, smiling at him. “No,” he breathed out, shaking his head emphatically when he saw what Dean was wearing. “Change your shirt,” he demanded as he tossed the magazine down on the bed beside him. “You’re not wearing that…” Raising an eyebrow, he pointed at Dean’s shirt. “I refuse to be seen with you wearing that monstrosity.”
Looking down at himself, Dean smoothed out his shirt and then looked up at Sam. “What? Are you jealous?” he teased, smirking at his brother. “Afraid I look too good in my Hawaiian shirt?” With their vacation coming to an end, he’d thought it was a great time to wear the Hawaiian shirt he’d bought.
“No, I’m afraid to be seen with you… Dean, that shirt is hideous. I told you that the day you insisted on buying it,” Sam stated as he rose from the full-sized bed.
“It’s either this or nothing,” Dean countered as he pushed past his brother on his way to the motel’s door. “You coming or what?” Not waiting for an answer from Sam, he unlocked the door and pulled it open to step out into the warm beach air.
“Asshole,” Sam grumbled under his breath as he followed Dean, knowing that arguing with his brother would get him nowhere. Dean had already committed to wearing that monstrosity of a shirt, and there was no talking his brother out of it.
“Come on, bitch,” Dean called out, sauntering toward the sidewalk that would lead him and Sam to The Sunny Side Up diner.
“Jerk!” Sam shot back, rolling his eyes as he strode toward Dean, joining his brother on the short walk, which he and Dean made in comfortable silence. After finishing their meals, he followed Dean outside, wondering what he and his brother might do next - return to their motel room or… Well, he had no idea. “So, now what?” he asked as he and Dean walked along the sidewalk, their flip-flops smacking against the hard surface as they walked, filling the silence.
Shrugging, Dean turned toward his brother. At first, he found that he didn’t have an answer to Sam’s question, but soon realized he did when he looked up at the sky and the waning sun. “Come on, follow me,” he urged, leading Sam toward the beach. Finding the beach nearly deserted at that time of night, he smiled at the still calmness that had settled over it as he made his way over to the beach loungers he and Sam had occupied earlier that day. “Come on, take a seat,” he urged, patting the empty beach lounger next to his.
“You want to…” Sam started to say, perplexed by his brother’s actions.
“I want to what?” Dean asked, looking up at his brother.
“You want to watch the sunset?” Sam hedged as he sat on the beach lounger, looking over at his brother with furrowed brows. He hadn’t expected this from Dean, surprised by his brother’s decision to watch the sunset.
“Yeah, I do. It’s peaceful on the beach right now. It’s pretty much just us, and believe it or not, I can appreciate the beauty found in nature, even the sun as it sets over the ocean.”