You know what's really underrated? That sweet but awkward, liminal phase between "I like you" and "I love you"
And I'm curious who do you think is the first to cross that boundary, Sam or Dean?
Let's say they're seeing someone, and they're dancing around this thing in between them, despite regularly going out with that partner. Maybe they had kissed before, or maybe their friends know about them already. They refuse to see other people and know they like each other.
the boy who overthinks โi love youโ until itโs practically burning a hole in his chest
keeps catching himself staring at your mouth when youโre laughing, then immediately looks away, cheeks flushed like youโve caught him doing something scandalous
his โI like youโ is so soft it barely makes it past his lips, but his โI love youโ? it lives in every action: tucking a blanket around you when you fall asleep on the couch, brewing your coffee just right, brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear without thinking
probably rehearses โI love youโ in his head for weeksโout loud in the shower, under his breath in the Impala, biting it back when you hug him goodbye
he doesnโt want to scare you off, so he settles for little slips: โIโlike you. A lot.โ (the pause is deafening, his heart hammering at what he almost said)
when he finally says it, itโs in a low, raw voice. not planned, not rehearsed. maybe youโre teasing him, maybe heโs half-laughing, maybe it just falls out when you least expect it. and he looks at you like heโs terrified you wonโt say it back.
the boy who swears heโll never say it first, but doesnโt realize heโs been saying it all along
his โI like youโ is obviousโhe says it like a smirk, like itโs tattooed in the way his hand rests on your thigh when he drives, the way he leans a little too close in diners, the way he calls you sweetheart like it belongs to just you
heโs reckless with affection in every way except the wordsโbecause those words are dangerous, sacred, too binding for a man who thinks he breaks everything he touches
but itโs there in how he brags about you to Sam, in how he checks the locks three times when youโre sleeping over, in how he pretends he doesnโt notice you steal his flannel (and then never asks for it back)
the first almost slips out when youโre patching him up. He winces, grins at you, and mutters: โGod, I loveโuh, I mean, I like having you around.โ You catch it. You always catch it.
when Dean finally says โI love you,โ itโs in a moment so unguarded he doesnโt even realize it left his mouth until you smile at him. maybe heโs drunk, maybe heโs half-asleep, maybe he blurts it out mid-laugh. and once itโs out? he doesnโt take it back.
Sam would be the one to say it first.
heโs too thoughtful for his own goodโhe doesnโt throw the word โloveโ around casually, so if he feels it, it eats at him until he canโt hold it in anymore.
heโll think about it late at night, spiral over what it means, how it changes thingsโฆ and eventually he decides keeping it in is worse than the risk of saying it.
so when it happens, itโs not some grand moment. It just slips out when heโs looking at you like youโre it.
Dean, on the other hand, feels it first.
heโs quicker to fall (though heโll never admit it). deanโs whole thing is that he shows you long before he says itโcooking for you, touching you casually, making sure youโre safe.
but those three words? theyโre too raw, too binding, too โwhat if I lose you.โ so he skirts around them, says everything but that.
when he does say it, itโs probably by accidentโฆ but itโs always been true in his chest.
Sam crosses the line first with words. Dean crosses it first with actions.
๊. all works ; writing guidelines ; support my work .แ