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It's hard for Benny at first, being out in the real world again after so long in purgatory. The smell of fresh blood is intoxicating and his teeth ache with the need to let them free and feed. But he won't, he can't.
He's thankful for Dean because otherwise he's sure he would have fallen off the wagon long ago. Dean makes him want to do better, to be better, and Benny can't bear to let him down. Its a struggle to learn self control, but Dean is with him every step of the way, patient and more understanding than any human has a right to be.
It helps that Dean makes everything feel so normal, even while they roadtrip across the country and try to stay far away from any prying eyes. He cooks when they have a motel with a kitchen, they eat together at diners and drink at bars. Benny knows Dean has to be going a little crazy, staying with him so long and not hunting unless they happen to run across something, but he's glad all the same. Dean's the only thing that makes being alive again worth it.
They're at one of those motel rooms now, Dean making dinner for them both even though he knows Benny would be perfectly fine with just his bags of blood. It's almost domestic, and Benny's heart hurts a little with how much he likes it.
“Aw fuck,” Dean says all of a sudden, jerking back from the counter, and Benny turns from where he's leaned on the wall nearby to see that Dean's cut himself.
Benny doesn't even realize he's staring at the blood slowly welling out of the cut until Dean moves into his line of vision. “Hey, man,” he says, face concerned. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” Benny says, taking a deep breath, surprised to see that he actually is. He smiles, happy to feel his teeth haven't started to emerge at all. He really is getting better at this whole thing, and it's all thanks to Dean. “I'm good.”