Summary: For almost as long as he can remember, Adam Winchester's older brother, Dean, has been a distant figure, home for only two weeks at a time before being whisked back overseas to one warzone after another. But despite all this, he's been more of a father figure than John ever was.

Adam was seven-years-old when his brother left for the first time.

He could still remember vividly every single detail of that day.

He could remember the near-silent drive to the airport, the only sounds in the impala being John's occasional attempts at telling his son how proud he was.

The group that had come to see Dean off was neither small nor large.

Adam and Sam and John were there of course.

And then there were uncle Bobby and his wife Karen.

And aunt Ellen and her husband Bill were also there with daughter, eleven-year-old Jo, and that strange little boy they'd adopted not long ago, thirteen-year-old Ash.

Adam could remember Dean hugging them all goodbye, first dad, then all their uncles and aunts. Then when he hugged Jo, she ended up being the first one to start crying, not wanting to let him go.

Even back then, she'd had a crush on him…or maybe it was something like admiration.

Then he hugged Ash, and then Sam, who made an even bigger fuss than Jo had.

And finally, it was Adam's turn.

He remembered strong arms wrapped around him, giving him a sense of safety no one else would ever be able to.

"You take good care of Sammy and dad, alright kid?" whispered Dean into his ear in a conspiratorial whisper. "You don't cause trouble for them, and you study. You study so that you don't have to end up like me, so you don't have to join the military because there ain't no one else that's going to take you."

Adam had nodded then, even if he didn't quite understand what his brother was saying. Why wouldn't anyone want Dean? He was the most amazing, coolest person out there. All of Adam's friends were so jealous that he had such an awesome big brother.

"There's a good kid," said Dean warmly, giving him one last kiss on the top of his head before finally pulling away.

And after one last smile, he turned and walked out of their lives for many months.

The sad thing was, it wasn't Dean's words or his hug or his smile that Adam remembered best from that day.

It was his back.

He could still remember perfectly, every little wrinkle in his clothes, every dirty blond hair cut short and neat. And he could remember Sam holding his hand, squeezing so tight Adam thought his hand might break, and he could remember the tears sliding silently down his brother's face as they both stood watching their big brother walk away.

The first time Dean came home, dad was passed out drunk on the couch, and it was uncle Bobby that drove them to the airport.

The others had wanted to come, but the adults had decided they would wait at the Roadhouse with a party ready, to allow the Winchesters their own private reunion.

The anticipation reached a nearly unbearable point once the first soldier appeared, and it only grew worse as they watched person after person stream through, and their eyes roved through the crowd, looking for their soldier.

"There he is!" shouted Sam suddenly, and by the time Adam had turned around, he was already running towards their older brother, launching himself into his waiting arms and wrapping his legs around Dean's waist, clinging to him like a starfish.

Adam didn't notice the few amused chuckles from the people around them as he himself was soon running towards his older brother, tears blurring his vision until he couldn't make out faces anymore.

By the time Adam had reached them, Dean had already sunk to his knees, unable to hold fifteen-year-old Sam up for very long, considering the teen was in the middle of a rather frightening growth spurt.

"Hey, kid," Dean greeted warmly, unwrapping an arm from around Sam and bringing Adam into the embrace as well.

Adam wasn't sure how long they stayed like that as Sam kept his head buried in their brother's neck, his shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

"We missed you," whispered Adam, still clinging tightly to his brother and blinking away the tears that just wouldn't stop coming.

"I know, bud," replied Dean, pressing a kiss to his temple. "But hey, I'm home for two whole weeks so stop with the crying already!"

"Two weeks isn't long enough," replied Adam sulkily. "Why can't you just come back and we can live together like before?"

Dean just laughed at this, saying, "Hey, hey, is that ungratefulness I'm hearing from you, Adam? I thought you were happy because we have more money now for new toys for you!"

Adam shook his head emphatically. "If it means that you can come home for good, I don't want any new toys ever!"

"Oh, kid…"

Sometimes, Adam really hated his dad.

He had developed this power complex soon after Dean had gone back after his first leave.

Despite the fact that Dean earned enough money to support them all and had taught Sam and Adam how to keep their father from spending it all on alcohol, John was obsessed with being the family's "breadwinner."

As a result, every time Dean came home for leave, it was to a new home.

Every job John worked, he eventually pissed someone off and got fired, and because of his desperate need to feel useful, he'd uproot his kids' lives and drag them to another town in search of more work.

And every time they moved, the first room they set up was Dean's bedroom, because Dean loved coming home for surprise visits, and the two boys always made sure he at least had his own bedroom to sleep in.

Even if it meant that Sam and Adam had to share a room because their apartments only had three rooms.

Sometimes, they moved before Dean even had a chance to see his room.

But Sam and Adam didn't mind.

Because the room wasn't only a place for Dean to come home to.

It was a source of comfort for both boys for whenever their father came home completely and utterly drunk and more than a little violent.

They'd lock themselves up in Dean's room and fall asleep in his bed, surrounded by his things.

Sometimes, Sam would whisper stories to Adam of events he didn't remember or wasn't around for, both of them trying desperately to block out the thump of furniture being knocked over or their father's drunken rambling.

Sometimes, their bedroom would be ripped apart the next morning, their father passed out on one of their beds and clutching the picture of Dean they kept on their bedside table.

And they'd tuck a blanket over him and go about quietly picking up their room because they weren't the only ones that missed their big brother.

Dean's room was always kept meticulously neat, and was forbidden to outsiders.

Adam remembered how annoyed Sam's first girlfriend, Ruby, had been every time she found the room locked when she came over, with no one allowing her inside to satisfy her curiosity.

Sam had broken up with her when finally she gave him the ultimatum that either she be allowed to see the room, or they were over.

Adam remembered when Dean first met Castiel while on leave.

They were in California because Sam had gotten a full ride to Stanford, and had finally put his foot down, telling his father that if he tried to move them again, he'd move out and take Adam with him.

Castiel was a Stanford student working part time at Sam's favourite coffee shop and had become somewhat of a friend to the two youngest Winchesters because of how often they came to the shop.

The first time they had entered the shop with Dean in tow, Castiel had taken one look, and tripped over his own two feet.

Blushing profusely, he approached their table.

"Hello Sam, Adam. Good to see you again. And may I ask who this is?"

Dean looked up at Castiel with what seemed to be merely an expression of curiosity, but to anyone who knew him well enough (a.k.a. Sam and Adam) he looked utterly smitten.

Smiling charmingly, Dean leaned forward on his elbows, looking up at Castiel through his lashes.

"Dean Winchester, older brother. Nice to meetcha, gorgeous."

And Castiel's face flushed even darker than it had before.

"Castiel Novak," he introduced, holding his hand out to shake. "May I ask why I haven't met you before?"

"Probably because I was overseas," he replied, still smiling, showing off barely-there dimples.

"You travel?" asked Castiel, seeming intrigued.

"Nah, I'm part of the military," said Dean, still smiling, though his shoulders had grown a bit tense. There weren't many people that would enter into a relationship with a deployed soldier.

"Really?" asked Castiel, seeming even more intrigued, and Adam could see the tension slowly seeping from his brother's shoulders.

And after that, the two of them were completely inseparable.

Even after Dean had left again, they continued talking on the phone and Skype whenever Dean wasn't talking to his brothers.

Castiel soon became an honorary member of the Winchester family, an honor which had thus far only been given to the Singers and the Harvelles.

He was always there to pick Dean up at the airport, and it hurt Adam whenever he saw Castiel hanging back, not able to properly greet his lover for fear that he would be dishonourably discharged.

Once they were in the safety of the Impala, though, Dean and Castiel would be attached at the lips for at least five minutes, and they wouldn't let go of each other's hands for at least an hour after they'd gotten home.

Not that Sam and Adam minded any of this at all.

Their brother deserved whatever happiness he got.

Adam's favourite homecoming of Dean's was probably when he came home for Christmas in 2011.

That September, the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy had been repealed, and this time, it was Castiel rather than Sam launching himself at Dean, wrapping his legs around his soldier's waist and planting a big, sloppy kiss on his lips.

They were on the receiving end of a very few glares from others, but just about everyone else was cheering and wolf-whistling at them.

Dean even endured some good-natured ribbing from some of his fellow soldiers and ended up flipping them all off, the goofy smile still on his face ruining the effect.

It was during those two weeks, during which the Harvelles and Singers and Novaks all came up to spend Christmas together, that Dean finally proposed to Castiel in front of all of their loved ones.

There was a good deal of crying that night, and not only from Castiel either.

Ellen had tears of pride streaming down her face, and was the first to pull both her boys into a tight hug, saying how happy she was for them.

Even Bobby had moist eyes before long, not that he would ever admit it, and everyone respectfully turned a blind eye as he quickly swiped the tears away.

It wasn't as if they didn't all know already just how proud he was of Dean.

Adam's least favourite homecoming of Dean's was his very last one.

It should have been a happy affair.

He should have come home with fanfare, his head held high and proud that he had served his country, and that he was now free to rest and live the rest of his life.

Instead, he came back with a crippling injury in his shoulder and even more crippling PTSD.

They were scared, all of them, that he'd never recover fully.

But Castiel was amazing, helping Dean adjust back to civilian life, and after months of despondency and locking himself in his room, he finally started returning to the man he had been, the man Adam had admired all his life.

Adam actually cried with relief the first time Dean asked if he wanted to go to a movie together.

And Dean had held him, just the way Adam remembered from all those years ago, and that sense of safety and security was still there.

"I know," Dean whispered to him, "I know I scared you. I'm sorry, kid. I won't do that again. I'm sorry."

And all Adam could do was cry and cling to him, whispering, "You're back. You've finally come back."

And Dean just kept hugging him and whispering, "I'm sorry."

SkyGem: So, you guys like? Please let me know, eh? I was thinking of doing one for Sam, but I'm not so sure about that. Would you guys want to read it?