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 βi love youβ until itβs practically burning a hole in his chest
keeps catching himself staring at your mouth when youβre laughing, then immediately looks away, cheeks flushed like youβve caught him doing something scandalous
his βI like youβ is so soft it barely makes it past his lips, but his βI love youβ? 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 βI love youβ in his head for weeksβout loud in the shower, under his breath in the Impala, biting it back when you hug him goodbye
he doesnβt want to scare you off, so he settles for little slips: βIβlike you. A lot.β (the pause is deafening, his heart hammering at what he almost said)
when he finally says it, itβs in a low, raw voice. not planned, not rehearsed. maybe youβre teasing him, maybe heβs half-laughing, maybe it just falls out when you least expect it. and he looks at you like heβs terrified you wonβt say it back.
the boy who swears heβll never say it first, but doesnβt realize heβs been saying it all along
his βI like youβ is obviousβhe says it like a smirk, like itβs 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
heβs reckless with affection in every way except the wordsβbecause those words are dangerous, sacred, too binding for a man who thinks he breaks everything he touches
but itβs there in how he brags about you to Sam, in how he checks the locks three times when youβre sleeping over, in how he pretends he doesnβt notice you steal his flannel (and then never asks for it back)
the first almost slips out when youβre patching him up. He winces, grins at you, and mutters: βGod, I loveβuh, I mean, I like having you around.β You catch it. You always catch it.
when Dean finally says βI love you,β itβs in a moment so unguarded he doesnβt even realize it left his mouth until you smile at him. maybe heβs drunk, maybe heβs half-asleep, maybe he blurts it out mid-laugh. and once itβs out? he doesnβt take it back.
Sam would be the one to say it first.
heβs too thoughtful for his own goodβhe doesnβt throw the word βloveβ around casually, so if he feels it, it eats at him until he canβt hold it in anymore.
heβll think about it late at night, spiral over what it means, how it changes thingsβ¦ and eventually he decides keeping it in is worse than the risk of saying it.
so when it happens, itβs not some grand moment. It just slips out when heβs looking at you like youβre it.
Dean, on the other hand, feels it first.
heβs quicker to fall (though heβll never admit it). deanβs whole thing is that he shows you long before he says itβcooking for you, touching you casually, making sure youβre safe.
but those three words? theyβre too raw, too binding, too βwhat if I lose you.β so he skirts around them, says everything but that.
when he does say it, itβs probably by accidentβ¦ but itβs always been true in his chest.
Sam crosses the line first with words. Dean crosses it first with actions.
κ. all works ; writing guidelines ; support my work .α