Baby Steps
Baby Steps
John laughed as he watched the two of them. Dean hovered just outside his little brother’s reach, watching as Sam used the ball tee to pull himself upright. Dean was watching Sam with a look of utter awe on his face and Sam had his tongue out in concentration. “De,” he said firmly as he looked up to find his favorite thing in the world. Dean was - and John figured always would be - Sam’s favorite toy.
Sam reached out for Dean, but he wasn’t close enough to touch. Dean shook his head. “Sammy,” Dean said in quiet exasperation.
“Hey, Mary,” John called back to get his wife’s attention. She came out onto the porch, wiping her hands on the dishrag and looked at her boys playing together.
“Dean’s going to get too big for him pretty soon,” Mary said with the same quiet tone her son had just used.
“Nah,” John said with a shake of his head. “Dean would let Sam do anything to him. Have you noticed the way he beats us to his room at night, when Sam is fussing?”
Mary frowned but John was already looking back to his sons.
“De.”
Dean looked at Sam for a minute and opened his arms. “You want me Sammy, then come get me.”
Sam looked at his older brother, then back to the tee that held him up. He looked over to where John and Mary were watching and John could almost see his little boy doing the math. Mom and Dad were too far away and the tee wasn’t gonna help him. He looked back at Dean then.
“De.”
John watched, his mouth dropping open as Sam let go of the tee. His hands were reaching out for Dean and Dean was smiling like a loon, his arms reaching just as hard for him though he didn’t move forward. Mary started to move, but John grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
Sam took his first step, eyes focused on his brother.
“Come on Sammy, you can do it.”
Sam took another wobbly step and another fast after that. He was about to topple but then Dean was there, Sam’s hands held tightly in his own. He smiled like Sam had just brought him the sun.
“Good boy, Sammy.” Dean said, as they both sat on the ground together. He pressed a kiss to Sam’s lips and Sam tipped himself over onto his back on purpose, looking up at Dean.
“Tic De!”
“Oh you want tickles?” Dean curled his fingers up and began running his pudgy fingers over Sam’s tummy. Sam let out a squeal of laughter and Dean’s followed up after it.
John took a deep breath as he watched his boys.
“They’ll grow out of that soon, right?”
“What?”
“All the kissing and being so close? I want them to be close, John, I just want to make sure Dean gets enough time with kids his own age too. Right now he just wants to play with Sam.”
John shook his head as he pulled his wife into his side, kissing her softly. “They’re young, Mary. Soon as tee ball starts this year we’ll get Dean on the team and you’ll wish for the days when he’d sit with Sam while you were doing the dishes.”
He looked at his boys and sighed. He’d always wanted a big brother when he was little and he’d been a bit envious of the kids who had it. “So what do you say we celebrate our baby’s first step?”
Mary looked at the boys and smiled. “Yeah, just give me a few minutes to get ready.” Sam was still on his back watching Dean while Dean was at his side, lying on his tummy but up on his elbows as he talked to Sam about his day at school.
“Sammy, you took your first steps,” John grinned as he swooped down onto the ground and blew raspberries into Sam’s neck.
Sam giggled and Dean watched them both fondly. When John winked at Dean his smile broke into a full fledged laugh. “Very nice job watching out for your brother, Dean,” John acknowledged. “You’re a great big brother, making sure he didn’t get hurt.”
“I’d never let Sammy get hurt,” Dean said with a suddenly somber expression.
“I know it kiddo,” John said, ruffling his son’s hair. “Now, how about we celebrate Sam’s first steps with some ice cream?”
“Yeah! Sammy, did you hear that? Ice cream?”
“keam!” Sammy yelled in excitement.
When Mary came out, all three of her boys were waiting at the door. There was a shadow to her eyes that John had come to wonder about, but he put it aside. She wouldn’t talk about it and the boys didn’t need to see that darkness anyway.
Besides, between him and the boys, he wasn’t sure which of them was the most excited to get their treat.
John laughed as he watched the two of them. Dean hovered just outside his little brother’s reach, watching as Sam used the ball tee to pull himself upright. Dean was watching Sam with a look of utter awe on his face and Sam had his tongue out in concentration. “De,” he said firmly as he looked up to find his favorite thing in the world. Dean was - and John figured always would be - Sam’s favorite toy.
Sam reached out for Dean, but he wasn’t close enough to touch. Dean shook his head. “Sammy,” Dean said in quiet exasperation.
“Hey, Mary,” John called back to get his wife’s attention. She came out onto the porch, wiping her hands on the dishrag and looked at her boys playing together.
“Dean’s going to get too big for him pretty soon,” Mary said with the same quiet tone her son had just used.
“Nah,” John said with a shake of his head. “Dean would let Sam do anything to him. Have you noticed the way he beats us to his room at night, when Sam is fussing?”
Mary frowned but John was already looking back to his sons.
“De.”
Dean looked at Sam for a minute and opened his arms. “You want me Sammy, then come get me.”
Sam looked at his older brother, then back to the tee that held him up. He looked over to where John and Mary were watching and John could almost see his little boy doing the math. Mom and Dad were too far away and the tee wasn’t gonna help him. He looked back at Dean then.
“De.”
John watched, his mouth dropping open as Sam let go of the tee. His hands were reaching out for Dean and Dean was smiling like a loon, his arms reaching just as hard for him though he didn’t move forward. Mary started to move, but John grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
Sam took his first step, eyes focused on his brother.
“Come on Sammy, you can do it.”
Sam took another wobbly step and another fast after that. He was about to topple but then Dean was there, Sam’s hands held tightly in his own. He smiled like Sam had just brought him the sun.
“Good boy, Sammy.” Dean said, as they both sat on the ground together. He pressed a kiss to Sam’s lips and Sam tipped himself over onto his back on purpose, looking up at Dean.
“Tic De!”
“Oh you want tickles?” Dean curled his fingers up and began running his pudgy fingers over Sam’s tummy. Sam let out a squeal of laughter and Dean’s followed up after it.
John took a deep breath as he watched his boys.
“They’ll grow out of that soon, right?”
“What?”
“All the kissing and being so close? I want them to be close, John, I just want to make sure Dean gets enough time with kids his own age too. Right now he just wants to play with Sam.”
John shook his head as he pulled his wife into his side, kissing her softly. “They’re young, Mary. Soon as tee ball starts this year we’ll get Dean on the team and you’ll wish for the days when he’d sit with Sam while you were doing the dishes.”
He looked at his boys and sighed. He’d always wanted a big brother when he was little and he’d been a bit envious of the kids who had it. “So what do you say we celebrate our baby’s first step?”
Mary looked at the boys and smiled. “Yeah, just give me a few minutes to get ready.” Sam was still on his back watching Dean while Dean was at his side, lying on his tummy but up on his elbows as he talked to Sam about his day at school.
“Sammy, you took your first steps,” John grinned as he swooped down onto the ground and blew raspberries into Sam’s neck.
Sam giggled and Dean watched them both fondly. When John winked at Dean his smile broke into a full fledged laugh. “Very nice job watching out for your brother, Dean,” John acknowledged. “You’re a great big brother, making sure he didn’t get hurt.”
“I’d never let Sammy get hurt,” Dean said with a suddenly somber expression.
“I know it kiddo,” John said, ruffling his son’s hair. “Now, how about we celebrate Sam’s first steps with some ice cream?”
“Yeah! Sammy, did you hear that? Ice cream?”
“keam!” Sammy yelled in excitement.
When Mary came out, all three of her boys were waiting at the door. There was a shadow to her eyes that John had come to wonder about, but he put it aside. She wouldn’t talk about it and the boys didn’t need to see that darkness anyway.
Besides, between him and the boys, he wasn’t sure which of them was the most excited to get their treat.