Downtime
Downtime
Sam was exhausted. The last month, while supernatural free, had been one hit after another. When he took the job at NCIS they’d talked about the overflow of the typical cases that he’d be asked to help with when there was nothing supernatural to do. All the jobs he’d looked at required additional lab work since ‘legitimate’ supernatural cases were still few and far between but he hadn’t expected so much. Abby was a miracle worker and Gibbs wasn’t the only one who expected immediate results. He was, Sam had noticed, the only one Abby really worked herself up for though. Sam understood why. As harsh as Gibbs was sometimes, he took care of his people, the lab included.
He knew Dean was pretty worn out as well. The month had started out slow, with nothing but cold cases, but then they’d caught a killing spree. That took more than two weeks to handle and then they’d stumbled into a child pornography ring. He still wasn’t sure how the team had managed not to shoot the men responsible but they were in custody as of that morning and Sam was more than a little concerned about what state he’d find his brother in when he got home.
Gibbs had come down to the lab and told them to take the rest of the day off. Tony had come down a few minutes later and dragged Abby off to hunt for movies. Sam thought about it, but in the end he’d started up the mass spec and started looking through the database of cold cases to see if there was anything that stuck out as supernatural that might have been missed. He had two cases dog-eared to pull the files in the morning but when the mass spec was finally done with its rotation, Sam called it a night.
He was a little surprised to come home and find the street in front of the house full of cars. The neighborhood was quiet and they didn’t normally have that many visitors. The front door wasn’t locked and Sam dropped his keys in beside Dean’s, kicking his shoes off before he moved down the hallway. A bark of laughter caught his ears and he relaxed a little as he walked into the kitchen.
There were four pizza boxes on the counter and Sam could see two more had already hit the trash. The lights were dimmed in the living room and Sam looked with growing curiosity at the assembled contents of Dean’s living room.
Ducky was sitting back in the recliner. On the couch, Gibbs sat to the side closest to Ducky, Abby pressed up under his arm as she leaned into him. McGee was resting next to her, his attention completely on the screen. Tony was sitting on the love seat next to Dean.
No one else seemed to notice Sam in the kitchen, but when he looked up at his brother he realized Dean’s eyes were on him. He smiled, unsure of his welcome but just as he was thinking about turning tail and running to his room, his name was called.
“Thought I told you to take the rest of the day off, Winchester?”
Sam was startled as he looked over at Gibbs. He should have known he’d noticed. Dean was always talking about how Gibbs must have some supernatural abilities he wasn’t talking about. “Yes, sir, you did.”
“He always sucked at taking orders,” Dean commented.
“Now you tell me?”
Dean smirked. “I don’t remember you showing his resume around for my approval. I’m pretty sure I’d have mentioned it, you know, probably before he hit me.”
Dean was pushing up off the couch though, pulling Sam back into the kitchen where they could talk for a second. “Sorry, man. I forgot to call you when Tony showed up and then everyone else was here and I got caught up in it.”
“No worries, Dean. It’s your house.”
“Yeah, but it’s yours too.”
“Dean-”
“I mean it Sam. You name is on title, has been since I bought it.”
Before Sam could respond to that surprise Dean shoved a plate at him and was in the fridge pulling out a beer for him. “Tony corrals everyone here sometimes, especially after hard cases. Surprised he didn’t talk to you about it.”
Sam filled his plate with pizza and shook his head. “That’s what he meant,” Sam mused. “He came down to get Abby to look for movies. Told me to get home before I missed anything. Guess he thought I already knew.”
“Sorry, Sammy. You missed Jimmy completely. He apparently has a life outside of NCIS. You also missed the first movie but Tony and Abby decided to go for campy Hollywood horror stories. You aren’t missing anything other than me having to explain why I laugh every time they do something stupid.”
“Anyone need anything?” Dean called into the other room. A chorus of beer, water, soda, and a ‘Dean I thought you’d never ask’ from DiNozzo had them settling into the other room, Dean back in his position next to DiNozzo as Sam sat at his brother’s feet while he ate.
His back was pressed to Dean’s calf muscle and he felt himself relax for the first time in days.
“God the graphics on this are awful. Tony, why do you keep picking crap movies?” McGee asked.
“Shut up McCritic,” Tony said as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn on the table and threw a handful at him.
“Do ghouls really try to eat people?” Abby asked, staring straight down at Sam.
He’d gotten to know Abby pretty well in the time he’d been with NCIS and though she still preferred Dean over him - he was sure he could have won her over already if he hadn’t hit Dean the first day on the job - they had a lot of fun working together. She’d started plowing into him when she needed hugs after the first time she’d asked if he gave as good as Dean. He’d had to bite his tongue at that because it really wasn’t a good idea to let in on their relationship, no matter how slow progressing it was, and just hugged the stuffing out of her. She’d been coming back ever since.
“Only the dead, Abby,” Sam answered. “God, remember that time in Nashville,” Sam asked, tilting his head back to look at Dean. “How many stitches did you have to get?”
“Only twelve. Not my fault the damn thing threw me into the gravestone. Who the hell puts spikes on those things anyway?”
Sam shook his head because seriously? Who did?
“They eat dead people?” Abby sounded disgusted and Sam smiled as he looked back at her.
“Is that worse than eating them still alive?” Gibbs asked before Sam could.
“Yes. No. I mean, that’s gross! They’re all decaying and stuff!”
Ducky was being uncommonly quiet and it was then that Sam noticed he was asleep. He knocked at Dean’s leg and nodded to the ME. Sam’s relationship with him was still rocky but he’d seen Dean have a hard time with him too at the beginning of a hunt. Dean let it go, telling Sam it was just Ducky’s way of handling the supernatural things that his scientific mind couldn’t quite wrap itself around yet, but Sam wasn’t as easy to forgive. Still, the man was growing on him. Even when they had a difference of opinion on a case he kept things polite which was better than Dean did.
McGee saw where he was looking too and shook his head. “Looks like I better get Ducky home. He sleeps like that much longer and we’re gonna hear from him in the morning.”
“Not in the morning we won’t,” Gibbs said as he stood up. “Take tomorrow off. Come back in fresh on Monday. I already cleared it with Morrow.” He looked down at Abby and then at Sam, “Even the lab rats.”
“Thank god,” Sam said as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the seat of the couch. He could wake up early and crawl in bed with Dean and sleep to his heart’s content. It sounded like the best idea ever.
“Maybe if you went home when I sent you, you wouldn’t be so needy.” Gibbs commented.
Sam looked up sheepishly but Abby was grinning at him still so it was a win.
Gibbs and McGee got Ducky out the door and headed home themselves. When Sam came back into the living room Tony had relocated onto the couch with Abby at his side. Dean was on the far end of the love seat, already tuned into the movie so Sam took a seat next to him.
Dean had gone through when everyone was leaving and turned out most of the lights. It said something about how comfortable he was with Abby and Tony there that he did it and Sam relaxed more and more with them still at the house.
“Dean, sleeping here,” Abby finally mumbled out.
“Yeah, me too. Gonna steal your couch,” Tony said with a yawn.
“Nah, you and Abbs can steal Sam’s bed. He can bunk with me for the night.”
“Hey!”
“Come on, Sam, we used to all the time when we were little. What are you bitching about?”
Absolutely nothing, actually. He wanted nothing more than to spend the night wrapped up in Dean’s arms. He couldn’t exactly explain that to Abby and Tony though. “I wasn’t 6’5” when we were little.”
“Yeah well you’re not the only tall one in the family.”
“Whatever you gotta tell yourself, shorty.”
Abby snorted. “You’re the only one that could call him short and get away with it.”
Sam winked. “Can’t help it he got the short genes in the family. Dad was taller too.”
“Don’t worry, Dean. You might not be as tall as Sam, but you are definitely the prettiest in the family.”
Tony snorted at her comment and Sam laughed. “You’ve got me there, Abby.” Sam agreed.
Tony’s eyes focused on him briefly, something more than humor behind his glance but Sam wasn’t sure what it was. He decided not to worry about it though. It’d been a long day and he really did want sleep. “Alright, well if I’m bunking with you, I’m going to your bed now. And I’m sleeping until the apocalypse.”
“Think we can sleep through it?” Dean asked.
Sam smacked his brother’s leg as he stood up. “If anyone could it would be you.”
Sam left the others with a ‘good night’ and Abby offered to - after sleeping in obscenely late - cook breakfast for everyone. He grabbed clothes out of his closet and took care of business in the bathroom before heading into Dean’s room.
It felt weird being in there without Dean but he settled into his brother’s bed and got comfortable. He buried his head in Dean’s pillow and let that relax him. It wasn’t long after that he felt the bed dip behind him.
“Still awake, Sammy?”
“Mmmm.”
Dean’s soft chuckle filtered to his ears and then Dean was sliding up behind him, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. “You alright, Sammy?” Dean asked.
Sam turned onto his back and looked up at Dean. “Yeah. Bad case. Just glad it’s over, you know?”
Dean leaned in, pressing his lips to Sam’s in a gentle kiss. There was nothing earth-shattering about it, but it was reaffirming and when Dean pulled until Sam was lying across his chest, arms wrapped around each other, he just closed his eyes and listened to his brother’s heart beat.
“Is Abby going to wake us up at dawn for breakfast?”
Dean laughed. “No. Breakfast will probably be at noon or something. Whenever she and Tony stumble out of bed.”
“Something going on there that I missed?”
“Nah, she’d never break McGee’s heart by rubbing something like that in his face. Besides, Tony has eyes somewhere else.”
“Really?”
Dean snorted. “Go to sleep, Sammy and keep your eyes open at work. You’ll see it in no time.”
“How’d I miss it and how’d you catch it?”
“People only see what they think they should. Not many people go outside social norms for love. Makes it easier to spot in others.”
Sam was intrigued by that but he was far too sleepy to think about it anymore. “Nite, Dean. Thanks, for convincing them I needed to be in here tonight.”
Dean pressed a kiss to his temple. “Don’t worry, Sammy, I got your back.”
He fell asleep with that promise in his ears and slept so damn hard he almost missed breakfast.
On to Routine Haunting