Sam was in the kitchen, enjoying a peaceful moment alone as he prepared himself a coffee to keep him company while he worked on research through the late evening. He sighed, running a finger through his hair as he contemplated what things would be like when his brother was finally cured. The mark of Cain had proven formidable, preserving Dean in his demonic state despite the cure being administered. The human blood, to some consolation, had however shown a positive effect; Dean was more like himself. A sort of downgraded level of bad but with a still-twisted demonic soul.
He mixed in one packet of sugar to tone down the bitterness, swirling his spoon a few times around the mug. Tonight would be another long night, he was determined to find some way to return Dean to his former self. Somehow.
Not even two steps out of the kitchen and Sam was drawn from his thoughts by a loud shriek, followed by a few thuds before cackling, hapless laughter broke out.
Oh great.
Sam didn't need to step into the next room to know that right about now, Cas was adjusting his position over top of Dean in order to best pin him and wiggling his fingers into Dean's abdomen in time with Dean's cackles. This was one thing on the "strange things that happen now that Dean is a demon" list that Sam was still getting used to. 'Ticklish' and 'Dean' hadn't typically gone together in a sentence or even a thought since they were young - save for a few occasions - before Dean had become a demon.
Now, he was so impotently full of snark that he practically (and sometimes literally) begged you to tickle the snot out of him with every remark. And, the even funnier thing was, he didn't seem to mind. At all. Actually, Sam was almost certain that he enjoyed the whole ordeal.
Never once throughout a session, not even when Cas was clawing away at his hips, did Dean utter a plea for mercy. It could be a result of his pride, but Sam had a feeling that it was more than that.
Sam would've left the two in peace to wrestle and tickle the crap out of each other uninterrupted, but in order to do research, Sam needed his computer. His computer which was currently sitting in his room, on his desk, at the end of the hall directly past where Cas was carefully taking Dean apart.
Sam took a deep breath as he rounded the corner and headed toward the sound. A few steps later and he found the source, a red-faced Dean cackling near-hysterically while Cas held one of his arms up, pinned over Dean's head as he wiggled incessant fingers into his exposed armpit; Dean's other arm was stuck under one of Castiel's knees. Dean howled, kicking his legs out but uttering no protest.
Sam cleared his throat to announce his unheard entrance, the sound of his footsteps drowned out by the shrieking demon.
Cas looked up at him with a wide grin on his face, "Hello, Sam."
"Hey." Sam nodded, feeling a bit awkward at the casualty of the greeting despite his laughing brother being right underneath Cas.
"Hahaha what, distrahahacted so easily, Cahahas?" Dean prodded, "Not eheheven half as lethaahahal when Sahammy comes in. What's wrong, got a cruhuhuhush?"
Cas huffed, chuckling with an eye-roll as he revamped his attack, tickling more deliberately than before. Dean's taunting was drowned out in a wave of more desperate laughter.
Sam's eyes scanned the two of them, taking in how hard Dean was squirming and laughing, "Just don't kill him."
"As a Knight of Hell, I don't believe that I could even if I tried." Cas reminded him.
"I know, I meant, like-" Sam huffed, waving them off, "Nevermind. Have fun."
"Oh, I will." Cas grinned, pinching up the side of Dean's ribs after switching to hold both of Dean's arms down under his knees.
Dean bucked up, squealing, "Hahaha told yohohou Sammyhehe wouldn't try to hehehehelp you, he's too scahahared that I'll gehehet his ass bahack."
Sam stopped in the doorway, turning back to face his brother, "What'd you say?"
Dean would have raised his brows with a smirk if he had any sort of control over his facial expressions at the moment, "I sahahaid you're too scahahared, bitch."
Sam rolled his eyes, easily recognizing the taunt. Dean wanted him to do this, "You're really asking for it."
Cas wiggled fingers into Dean's stomach and made him squirm, giggling madly. "Well, duhuuhuh, it's fun hehehehehe-" Dean laughed unabashedly. So he was right, Dean really did like this.
Cas looked up at Sam, nodding him over in invitation. Sam blinked, still not entirely used to his brother actually being completely comfortable with being open about the things that he enjoyed, especially when he used to just sputter awkwardly if anyone even mentioned tickling around him before. He saw how Dean's face was scrunched up with glee, his legs kicking out wildly as Castiel squeezed up and down his sides.
"Alright." Sam shrugged, "Give me his arms." He grinned, coming to rest over Dean's head. The smug little ass didn't even put up a fight, grinning even wider when Sam pulled his arms up and pinned them under his knees, stretching him out and leaving two sets of hands to torment him.
Dean squirmed in anticipation, eyes bouncing from his brother to the angel. Cas hovered his fingers over Dean's stomach while Sam drew light, tiny circles on Dean's forearms, making him giggle softly.
When Dean opened his mouth to make some sort of inflammatory comment, they took that as their cue, and immediately hands descended onto Dean's lower ribs and armpits. Dean shrieked at the sudden touch, throwing his head back in laughter as the pair of them tickled him to pieces.
Cas honed in on a spot just under his rib cage that made him jerk at every touch, exploiting it to the fullest and sending Dean into hysterics. His face was red, his legs flailing uselessly and arms straining at their pin, but he still didn't protest, just laughed and laughed and laughed.
"I'm definitely gonna remember this when you're back to normal, Dean." Sam winked at him, tickling the sides of his neck.
"Oh plehehease, in a fair hahaha fight I'd kihihick your ahahahass, Sammy!" Dean insisted.
Cas pinched Dean's hips in response, "Unless he tried this." He squeezed again. Dean yelped, eyes going wide for a moment before he was screaming with laughter, crossing beyond even hysterics and tumbling into a shrieking, cackling mess.
Sam and Cas took their time taking Dean to pieces, balancing him on the thin line between hysterics and bubbling laughter for a while before they determined that his face had been red for long enough. Dean trembled slightly when they first moved off of him, giggling and laying flat on the ground in exhaustion for a few seconds.
"Oh man..." Dean shook his head, bringing his breathing back to normal, "You'd better start running." He grinned, his eyes flicking black.
Sam and Cas shared a wide-eyed look before scrambling to their feet, speeding across the room with grins on their faces.
Sam laughs as he rounds the corner, Cas close behind him and Dean gaining ground with each step. He heard a gasp and the sound of a scuffle before Cas cried out in laughter behind him. Crap. Dean was faster than he thought.
Sam spun around, struggling with whether to try to help Cas and inevitably be caught by his brother or to run and postpone his revenge. Cas was screeching, hands and feet pounding on the floor as Dean straddled him, face down, and wiggled one hand between his stomach and the floor and squeezed the back of Castiel's knees with the other. Cas cackled, looking up at Sam for a brief second, "Hehehehe-RUN Sahaham, I've ahahahahaha-I've got thihihihihis under contr-ahaHAHAHA!"
Sam's legs wanted to run because of the adrenaline response flushing through his system, but he didn't think that he could leave Cas like that. Dean was pretty merciless normally, but as a demon? He was brutal.
Plus, Sam couldn't deny that this whole situation was pretty entertaining, and even - though he probably wouldn't admit it - fun.
Sam whooped out a war cry before lunging at them, tackling Dean off of Cas and digging into his sides. Dean's sudden, surprised laughter rang out loud, startling him into falling on his back. After a bit of rolling around and giggling, Dean got Sam on his back, clawing at his ribcage and making him cackle. Cas joined in as well, and each of them spent their fair share of time laughing for the rest of the afternoon.
