I do not own Supernatural

Because Sam and Cas had been getting closer, I believe in Season 9 and 10, but we still never got the extent of brotherly tenderness.

"Dean's in the garage," Sam immediately stated as soon as Cas appeared in the library of the bunker. The youngest Winchester had his face in a book, his shoulders hunched over, and his voice attempting to hide his exhaustion.

Because Dean was in fact the person Cas was looking for, the angel was about to turn around and start for the garage, but halfway in his turn, he stopped. There was something in Sam's tone that made the angel think about why he would automatically assume his desire to visit the bunker was only for Dean's company. After everything Cas and Sam had been through over the past years, especially recent months, why was it assumed that Cas would only care for the elder brother?

It might have been because Cas was in the middle of his "mid-life crisis" as Dean had put it, rethinking everything he had done in life and wanting to do what he could to change, that he paused in his mission to see Dean. As much as he wanted to see how the oldest Winchester was, to observe the beautiful hunter and be reassured that he was alive and at least fighting against the Mark, Cas began to feel the need to take a moment to speak with the younger.

"Thank you. I will visit him shortly." Sam looked up from his book, surprised that he wouldn't leave for the garage immediately. "How is everything with you?"

"Dean's in a pretty bad shape," Sam sighed, putting his book down. "He's trying to act like everything's normal, but he gets those moments of aggression, or worse, depression."

"No," Cas interrupted. "How is everything with you?"

The emphasis on you was an even further shock for Sam, who had never thought to hold the angel's attention longer than what was required to keep a healthy relationship with Dean. "I'm fine."

Cas gave him a stare that Sam was used to seeing him give Dean, one that said he knew he was lying and to stop his bullshit. The angel came closer and sat in a chair beside the hunter.

Almost hesitantly, Sam began to tell the truth, if only to get the angel to stop looking at him like that. "Tired mostly. Exhausted actually. It's," he paused, thinking. "I'm used to dealing with the end of the 's become almost normal." He have a bitter laugh at the ridiculousness of the statement. "But it almost seems harder this time around."

Cass nodded. He certainly understood. There was a part of him that felt the same. The world might not have been in any serious danger at the moment, but it still felt like one of their most difficult ordeals. The fate of the world wasn't necessarily resting on their shoulders, but there was most definitely a burden upon them. A soul-crushing weight that refused to let up.

"It's just," Sam tried again, "I've always been able to rely on my brother. He's always been the one saying that everything was going to be alright, and for the most part I believed him, because he almost always made everything alright."

That was the root of the problem. Dean. Sam and Cas had both caused more problems than they could ever hope to make up for in their lifetime. Even when they had thought they were doing good, many times it had resulted in disaster. And each of those times Dean had been there to try and warn them away from their wrong decisions, trying to be the voice of reason when they couldn't see the truth themselves. He had always been (somewhat ironically) the strong, moral compass of Team Free Will. It was Dean who knew right from wrong, and knew what choices needed to be made to stay on the righteous path. Then, when Sam and Cas did mess up, it was usually Dean that picked them back up. He always made sure that their mess was cleaned up, and he was always there to help them do so.

True, Dean wasn't always the easiest to be around during these times. It was during these times that Dean felt betrayed and beaten, but he always, in some manner, forgave them. With his gruff, rough-edges, harsh words, and stern demands, Dean was always there to help them pick up the pieces that they had broke.

It was Dean, they both believed, who was the true hero.

"Because it's Dean this time," Cas affirmed when Sam seemed unable to say aloud what the difference was this time around.

"Because it's Dean."

Dean had been the one to make the mistake. Not one of his small mistakes, or one of his minor sins, or even the mistakes he had made against his will down in Hell. This was a mistake that affected all those around him, and would eventually turn the righteous hero into the worst villain.

Cas watched Sam as hazel eyes seemed to dim and lose focus, staring blankly at the table. Though in his thirties, he seemed so much a child then, lost without someone to guide him. It wasn't a state Cas was used to witnessing on Winchester. The sight broke his heart.

"You will get through this," the angel stated as if it were the absolute truth. "You too are strong." The focus in Sam's eyes was still blurry and Cas wasn't sure if what he was saying could be readily taken in. "It is not just your brother that has saved the world on countless occasions. It has been because of you as well that the world still lives on."

Sam shook his head slowly, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. "Only because of Dean."

"That's not true. It was your strength and moral standing that allowed you to overpower Lucifer and toss him into the Pit. It was your strength that kept you on your feet for months on end when Lucifer haunted your every waking moment, where as I couldn't even last a second. It was by your power that allowed you to get so far into the trials and almost cure Crowley. No one could have gotten as far as you did without a sense of purity in their soul."

It took awhile, but Cas' words seemed to sink in. Whether he believe them or not, Sam at least appreciated the attempt at comfort. "Thanks Cas," he practically whispered, smiling slightly.

"Of course." He made to stand up.

He didn't get far in his attempt to leave, though, before Sam stopped him. "The same goes for you," the words were low, but they had meaning behind them. "You're strength and everything you are isn't measured by my brother."

It was a strange declaration. On one hand, Cas knew the statement was true, that as a human, Dean had very little power in how the angel defined himself. However, the unfortunate truth was that Cas had found himself more and more doing things and saying things that he knew would align with how Dean worked. Though he still had his own thoughts and own power of will, much of what he did was because of Dean. Hell, most of the mistakes that the angel had made was because he had hoped to protect the hunter.

"I know we don't say it much," Sam continued, "but we do appreciate you. You're family. We're brothers." Cas smiled in a way that may have seemed insignificant to others, too small to make a fuss over, but meant everything to the Winchester because he knew those small, crooked smiles were the sincere ones. Then, because this session had been a little too heartfelt, even for the youngest Winchester, Sam concluded with a well-meaning tease, "Well, you're my brother. Something entirely different for Dean, I suspect."