Word Prompt: Nurturing

Warnings: Weechesters, fluff

Nurturing

A wail pierced through the silence of the house rousing Dean from his light slumber of barely a few minutes; the new sleeping arrangements that his father had forced on him taking its toll.

"You can't keep babying him, Dean. He needs to learn to sleep on his own. And so do you. He is safe here. Bobby's house is safe," Dad said.

Dean huffed as his father's words proved wrong. Sam was obviously not okay and it was Dean's job to protect him, to take care of him.

Rocketing from the bed set up in Bobby's spare bedroom, Dean ran gracefully, bare feet barely making a sound against the wooden floorboards and he hurried to his brother's room.

The moment he crossed the threshold of the door, the piercing noise quieted slightly. The further into the room Dean moved, the quieter the noise became. Within moments, he was flushed up against the cage keeping his brother out of reach.

"I've got you, Sammy," Dean whispered through the bars of his sobbing brother's crib.

"I've got you," he repeated as one hand found the clasp to unhinge the only barrier keeping him from his Sam, the other tiny fist gripping them tight as he moved them out of the way.

With the bars gone, Sam's tiny hand reached out for his brother, each inch closer quieting the sobs wracking through the young body.

At last, the brothers were touching; fingers to fingers, palm to palm. With Dean's warmth radiating, enveloping Sam's hand like a hearth, the sobs hushed to mere shallow breathing, yet the tears continued to fall.

"Come on, Sammy," Dean whispered to his brother, "No more crying," his voice fading into the darkness of the room, emerald gazing into his brother's eyes, shining with fresh tears.

Noticing the continuing trails seeping into the pillow tucked beneath his brother's head, Dean soothed, "Shhhh, Sammy, shhhh," as he climbed into the crib. The elder crawled beside his brother, taking the young boy into his arms, making sure to keep his back towards the opening. He pressed his brother against his chest, making sure that Sam's ear was pressed tight to his heart, and wrapping his arms tightly, comfortingly around his middle.

When Sam was tucked deeply into his brother's embrace, each soft puff of breath falling gently against Sam's head, the tears dried. Sobs turned to tender breathing. Tears and cries turned to calm smiles.

At long last, shaking and worried breathing deepened as the white of pure dreams took hold of the brothers, wrapping them tightly in their embrace, letting the lull of sleep claim them and the world of comfort embrace and protect them.