frozen-delight:

SPN Parallels: Dean wiping his eyes with the back of his hand

Dean […] is grumpy and slow to wake up, stretching and creaking and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands,
a waking-up gesture that is so compulsive, so who he is, that it shows
up repeatedly, and it makes him look either like he is 6-years-old or,
well, like an odalisque.

Rubbing your eyes with the heel of your palms is what cowboys and
gunslingers do. A tough gesture, you don’t care if you get a little
grime in your eyes if you’re a tough guy. Cliche, but true. I have a
hard time imagining Clint Eastwood rubbing his eyes with the backs of
his hands. It looks like a child-like “boo-boo” type of gesture. It’s
palms-facing-out, which is vulnerable. Look for it from Ackles. It shows
up repeatedly. It’s one of those gestures that beautifully undercuts
the sincerely tough and bossy and aggressive persona of Dean Winchester.

(Sheila O’Malley)