Dean had always been quick to fall asleep, in general. The hunting life had conditioned him to be able to; crazy nights and days of research and literal fighting for your life meant that you grabbed sleep when you could, because you didn't know when the opportunity would come again.

Sex wasn't really a different story, he was a little ashamed to admit. It's not like he rolled off his partner and immediately was down for the count or anything, but the cozy, post-coital cuddling never failed to lull him off to sleep in five minutes or less.

There was something particularly addictive about sleeping with his brother, especially. He didn't fall asleep any quicker or slower after sex with Sam, but when he did sleep it was always more restful, more peaceful. The nightmares were fewer and farther between, and his body felt better and more relaxed upon waking the next morning.

This feeling was doubled once they found the bunker. Being somewhere that they could lock down, was warded, secret, secure. That gave him peace of mind that he had never felt before, and it was reflected in how deeply he slept.

Sam might try to play it cool, and act like the bunker wasn't affecting him the same way, but Dean could see that was a big fat lie. The number of times he'd rescued an antique book from falling out of Sam's limp hand after the giant goof fell asleep on one of the library's couches was proof enough of that.

And it's proof enough now, watching Sam sleep in their bed, cuddling Dean's pillow in his brother's absence. They had sex a few hours ago, in the middle of the afternoon, just because they could. But unlike Sam, Dean's growling stomach was enough to propel him out of bed and into the kitchen to make them some dinner.

Dean leaned against the door frame, listening to the slow, steady sound of Sam's breathing and watching his brother's serene face. He almost didn't want to wake him; he just wanted nothing more than for Sammy to feel as safe and relaxed as he did right now.

In the end, he didn't have to, as Sam took a deep breath and his eyes fluttered open. He squinted slightly, and his gaze fell on Dean.

"You bein' a creep an' watchin' me sleep?" Sam murmured lowly, and Dean smiled.

"Maybe," he said vaguely, and Sam chortled.

"Weirdo."

Dean said nothing as Sam stretched, raising his arms above his head and flexing his whole body. Dean's eyes trailed down over Sam's exposed muscles greedily.

"You cookin' dinner? Something smells good," Sam asked, eyes closed, and Dean grunted in the affirmative.

"Cool. Thanks," Sam sighed, and Dean shook his head. Sam was halfway back to sleep already, and the temptation to join him was strong.

Instead, he moved toward the bed and placed a gentle kiss to Sam's forehead.

"Want me to wake you when it's done? Shouldn't be too much longer."

"Ok," Sam whispered sleepily, and Dean smiled before pressing another kiss to Sam's head, "Love you, Dean."

"Love you too, Sammy."

A/N: Holy crap, guys, this is it! This is the end! I'm finally finally done with this challenge! It took me way longer than I would have liked, (sorry about that) but it's finally complete, and ending on a totally and ridiculously sappy note. I really hope y'all enjoyed it!