fic: Remedies
Title: Remedies
Rating: PG
Genre and/or Pairing: Cas/Sam pre-slash, Dean
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: FLUFF. With a side of fluff an' a large glass of fluff. Also, shoddy writing.
Word Count: ~2,400
Prompt: "I just love Alternative universe, my top favorite its high school, but I like almost everyAU."
Notes: For the Great Blind Sassy Exchange on Tumblr. It's sort of a high school AU, but Cas wound up being in college instead. Sam's in high school, so it's almost the same thing, right?
Sam slid out of the elevator, adjusting the straps on his backpack. It had been a long day, most of his classes in the middle of finals, and his brain was swirling with Calculus equations from the last class of the day. But it was Friday afternoon, and he had two and a half days to relax. And cram for a Chemistry exam. So he wasn't completely off the hook, but there was plenty of time to freak out over that later. Not like he wasn't sailing past the others in that class anyway. Besides, finals were nowhere near as serious for sophomores as they were for the seniors. He'd seen a few of them freaking out earlier that day, and he really didn't want that level of stress right now.
Besides, he had the apartment to himself tonight, and he fully intended to utilize it. Fridays were his night. Dean worked late at the garage, and Castiel had classes until mid-evening at the earliest. So Sam used the quiet time to study, or work on projects, or catch up on the TV he missed during the week when Dean took over to watch Dr. Sexy MD.
He unlocked the door, tossing his keys on the desk that served as the apartment's front hall. Tonight, he had a few movies he'd downloaded, ready on his external drive to watch on the big screen in the living room, and he was looking forward to it. As much fun as watching movies with his brother and their roommate, Dean had a tendency to talk through them. He had enough time to get one or two in before starting dinner. Since he was the only one home early enough, Friday was his night to cook.
Sam dropped his backpack on the lump of blankets on the sofa, intent on grabbing some chips and a soda before starting his movies. But he stopped short when the couch whimpered.
Huh. That was new.
Upon further examination, the couch moved, the backpack falling to the floor. The blankets shifted, revealing a mussed head of dark brown hair and blue eyes that looked none too happy at getting Sam's schoolwork thrown at him.
"Cas?" Sam gaped, reaching to pick up the offending bag. "What are you doing home? Skipping class?"
Castiel rolled his eyes, snuggling back into the blankets with a pout. He mumbled something Sam couldn't catch, his already rough voice sounding more scratchy and raw for the effort.
"'M sick."
"Obviously. Either that or Dean replaced your mouthwash with gravel." Sam tossed the bag on the chair instead. "Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone."
Blankets tucked up to his chin, Castiel shrugged. "It's okay."
He looked terrible, Sam noticed, now that he wasn't so surprised by the other's presence. His face was flushed red, his bangs sticking to his temples and forehead with a light sheen of sweat. But he was shivering under the comforter he was curled up in. His blue eyes were glazed and puffy; he looked like he'd cried for at least a little bit, and Sam didn't blame him. Being sick sucked.
The brunette frowned, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Uh... anything I can do to help?"
Castiel sniffled, shaking his head slightly and burrowing further under the blanket. "I just want to sleep."
"Okay, I guess. I'll, uh, be in my room. Just call if you need anything..."
"Alright."
Castiel closed his eyes, shivering for another moment before settling in to nap some more. Sam stood awkwardly for a few seconds, just watching the other, before moving into the hall toward the bedrooms.
oooooooooooo
Castiel woke to the sound of the front door shutting. A quiet groan caught in his throat as he tried to sit up. He didn't make it far before considering it too much effort, and just lay back down. His head pounded and spun at the same time, and he squeezed his eyes shut once again. His entire body ached, feeling too stiff and stretched too thin. He was burning up, sweating, yet freezing at the same time, shivering.
He felt a little warmer though, and peeked an eye open just a sliver. There was extra blanket covering him that wasn't there when he'd dozed off. Sam's, he guessed, and the thought made him smile the tiniest bit.
He assumed the door closing had been Sam, most likely on his way out to do something so Castiel could sleep. Sam was always thoughtful like that. Castiel wished he'd had said something though, he could have easily moved into his own room to sleep so he wouldn't bother the boy. He knew Sam was used to having the evening to himself, and he hated being a nuisance.
As it turned out, he was incorrect. Footsteps came from the door to the living room, and Castiel peeked an eye open curiously.
Sam leaned over the top part of the sofa, studying him with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to wake you."
Castiel shook his head. "You didn't. I can go to my room if you need the couch," he croaked out, throat still scratchy and sore. He moved to sit up again, but Sam halted him with a hand on his chest.
"Don't worry about it. Stay here. I went to the store and got some stuff to help." With another smile, he set a white paper bag on Castiel's chest, leaving the other's line of sight and heading for the small kitchen with a larger bag.
Curious, Castiel scooted up a bit, not quite sitting up but leaning more against the arm of the sofa. He opened the bag, examining the contents. A few boxes of cold medicine and a bottle of orange juice.
He blinked, staring at Sam from the kitchen's doorway.
"You got me cold pills?"
"Yeah, I figured they'd help. Though I wasn't exactly sure what kind of cold you had, so I just got whatever treated the most symptoms. Also orange juice. Because Vitamin C kicks colds' asses."
Castiel smiled, moving to open the package and get out a few pills. He chased them down with a sip of the orange juice, careful not to drink to fast. The last thing he needed to add to this misery was throwing up. "Thank you."
Pans clanked in the kitchen before Sam answered. "Hey, no problem. Being sick sucks, I can relate. Whenever I got sick as a kid, Dean pretty much forced the stuff down my throat until I felt better."
Castiel had to admit, that sounded very much like their other housemate. He was more than aware of the protective streak Dean had over his younger brother. It made Castiel happy to catch the brunt of some of this in the younger Winchester. In such a big family as he'd come from, special attention was few and far between, especially for the shy, youngest son. It made him feel warm to know someone cared enough to help him out when he was sick.
Of course, it could have also been the fever causing the feeling. But Castiel was pretty sure it was a happy- warm.
He must have dozed off again, because when he opened his eyes again, the light was fading from the living room window, signaling sunset. He felt slightly better, so the pills must have been doing their job for now. His mouth tasted funny from breathing through his mouth, but he didn't ache as much as he had before.
Sitting up a bit, he looked around. Sam was still clattering around in the kitchen, although quieter than before. Rolling his shoulders in a slow stretch, Castiel reached for the orange juice bottle, chancing another small sip. It soothed his sore throat on the way down. He stretched a bit more, the cold making him sleepy despite sleeping pretty much the whole day.
A few minutes later, Sam came out of the kitchen, a bowl in each hand. He offered a small smile, taking a seat on the coffee table beside Castiel.
"Hey, you're up again. You hungry?"
Castiel nodded. He hadn't eaten all day, worried he wouldn't keep it down long enough to do him any good. But the medication in his system was helping enough that he figured he could give it a try.
Sam waited until he sat up a bit more, setting one of the bowls on his lap.
"What is it?" Castiel leaned down, letting the steam waft against his face. It smelled good.
Once he was satisfied that Castiel's bowl wasn't in danger of falling over, he picked up his own, blowing idly on a spoonful. "Tomato and rice soup. Dean made it for me whenever I was sick, cuz he said Mom would do it for him."
Castiel smiled softly, taking a bite once it was cool enough. It warmed him instantly, and he hummed as it started to take the sting away from his raw throat. He wasn't quite sure if it was all the soup's fault, or if it also had something to do with being included in the Winchester family traditions. Either way, it was nice.
"It's good. Thank you."
Sam nodded, chuckling a bit against his own spoon. "Just try not to throw it up, okay? It does a lot more good in your stomach than in the toilet."
"I'll certainly try my best."
They ate quietly for a while, Castiel being careful to eat slowly, which also gave him time to properly savor it. When he'd eaten all he could-- a little less than half the bowl, that on its own being an impressive feat considering how his stomach had twisted around all day-- Sam took the bowls to the kitchen before coming back out to sit on the table again.
"Feel any better?"
"Yes," Castiel answered quietly. He was feeling sleepy again, even sitting up was hard work with this cold. "The medicine is working quite well and the soup helped immensely. Thank you."
He shrugged. "You don't have to keep thanking me, I'm just trying to take care of you. Didn't your family help you out while you were sick?"
Castiel paused at this, tilting his head in that way that Sam had associated with him since they'd first met. "I... suppose maybe?"
Sam arched a brow. "Maybe? You dunno for sure? What did they do?"
Sliding back against the pillows, Castiel stared at the ceiling thoughtfully for a few moments. "Well, my parents usually quarantined me to my room. Having that many children, it wasn't wise for me to spread the sickness to all them."
"Oh..." Sam didn't really know what to say to that. He forgot sometimes how weird Castiel's upbringing had been. It made him that much more glad he'd come to share the apartment with him and Dean.
"Gabriel would sneak me things though," he continued, smiling a bit at the memory. "Mostly candy. He said sweet things were good for being sick. Sometimes he'd bring me a book or two. We didn't really have the same taste in reading, but it was appreciated anyway."
Sam had to laugh at that. He'd met Castiel's brother once or twice, and that sounded very much like him.
"My favorite thing though," Castiel continued, letting his eyes slip shut as he relaxed into the blankets, "was the few times Anna was home while I was sick. She would crawl under the covers and curl up with me until I fell asleep. Even if I was too hot before, it felt so nice that I'd fall asleep in minutes."
He let out a little content sigh, pressing his flushed cheek to the cool fabric of the pillow as he recalled how nice it had felt. He heard Sam get up, most likely to leave him alone to sleep.
The blankets shifted and Castiel blinked his eyes open quickly, looking up in surprise as Sam scooted under the covers, curling around him so they could both fit on the couch.
"S-Sam?"
Sam grinned a bit, sheepish, cheeks flushing a bit. "I'm helping. So just go to sleep, okay?"
The younger boy's arm wound around his waist, hugging him close. As shocked as Castiel was, he had to admit, it felt every bit as wonderful as it had when his sister had cuddled up to him when they were younger. He relaxed into it with a yawn, letting his head rest on Sam's shoulder and closing his eyes again.
Sam let his fingers pet through Castiel's messy hair, his own unease about maybe doing this completely wrong fading as the other relaxed. He smiled a bit, curling over him and settling in.
oooooooooooo
Dean tossed his keys on the table, shutting the door with his foot as he flipped through the mail he'd brought in on his way. After giving it a once- over, he left the envelopes on the table as well, heading into the apartment proper.
It was awful quiet; it wasn't that late, and it was Friday night. Neither Sam nor Cas had classes on Saturday, so he expected at least one of them to be up and doing something. The TV was off and the lights were all out, save for the kitchen.
He stepped into the living room, stopping to take sight of the lump on the couch. Wrapped in no less than two comforters were both Sam and Cas, sleeping soundly. His little brother was curled up around his friend, cheek pressed to the other's hair and arms wrapped around him. Castiel's face was buried in the crook of Sam's neck, and although he was breathing a little ragged, he looked content enough.
A quick glance at the coffee table revealed a bottle of orange juice and an assortment of cold medication. Cas had mentioned not feeling too well when Dean was getting ready for work this morning, so he'd probably stayed home.
He grinned fondly, moving quietly towards the kitchen, careful not to wake them. Leave it to Sammy to be the one to take care of sick friends on his free night. He'd tease them both about it later, although he knew he'd go easy on them, considering how freaking adorable they looked right now.
For now though, he had other things to pay attention to. Mainly, his stomach. "Oh cool... soup."
Rating: PG
Genre and/or Pairing: Cas/Sam pre-slash, Dean
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: FLUFF. With a side of fluff an' a large glass of fluff. Also, shoddy writing.
Word Count: ~2,400
Prompt: "I just love Alternative universe, my top favorite its high school, but I like almost everyAU."
Notes: For the Great Blind Sassy Exchange on Tumblr. It's sort of a high school AU, but Cas wound up being in college instead. Sam's in high school, so it's almost the same thing, right?
Sam slid out of the elevator, adjusting the straps on his backpack. It had been a long day, most of his classes in the middle of finals, and his brain was swirling with Calculus equations from the last class of the day. But it was Friday afternoon, and he had two and a half days to relax. And cram for a Chemistry exam. So he wasn't completely off the hook, but there was plenty of time to freak out over that later. Not like he wasn't sailing past the others in that class anyway. Besides, finals were nowhere near as serious for sophomores as they were for the seniors. He'd seen a few of them freaking out earlier that day, and he really didn't want that level of stress right now.
Besides, he had the apartment to himself tonight, and he fully intended to utilize it. Fridays were his night. Dean worked late at the garage, and Castiel had classes until mid-evening at the earliest. So Sam used the quiet time to study, or work on projects, or catch up on the TV he missed during the week when Dean took over to watch Dr. Sexy MD.
He unlocked the door, tossing his keys on the desk that served as the apartment's front hall. Tonight, he had a few movies he'd downloaded, ready on his external drive to watch on the big screen in the living room, and he was looking forward to it. As much fun as watching movies with his brother and their roommate, Dean had a tendency to talk through them. He had enough time to get one or two in before starting dinner. Since he was the only one home early enough, Friday was his night to cook.
Sam dropped his backpack on the lump of blankets on the sofa, intent on grabbing some chips and a soda before starting his movies. But he stopped short when the couch whimpered.
Huh. That was new.
Upon further examination, the couch moved, the backpack falling to the floor. The blankets shifted, revealing a mussed head of dark brown hair and blue eyes that looked none too happy at getting Sam's schoolwork thrown at him.
"Cas?" Sam gaped, reaching to pick up the offending bag. "What are you doing home? Skipping class?"
Castiel rolled his eyes, snuggling back into the blankets with a pout. He mumbled something Sam couldn't catch, his already rough voice sounding more scratchy and raw for the effort.
"'M sick."
"Obviously. Either that or Dean replaced your mouthwash with gravel." Sam tossed the bag on the chair instead. "Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone."
Blankets tucked up to his chin, Castiel shrugged. "It's okay."
He looked terrible, Sam noticed, now that he wasn't so surprised by the other's presence. His face was flushed red, his bangs sticking to his temples and forehead with a light sheen of sweat. But he was shivering under the comforter he was curled up in. His blue eyes were glazed and puffy; he looked like he'd cried for at least a little bit, and Sam didn't blame him. Being sick sucked.
The brunette frowned, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Uh... anything I can do to help?"
Castiel sniffled, shaking his head slightly and burrowing further under the blanket. "I just want to sleep."
"Okay, I guess. I'll, uh, be in my room. Just call if you need anything..."
"Alright."
Castiel closed his eyes, shivering for another moment before settling in to nap some more. Sam stood awkwardly for a few seconds, just watching the other, before moving into the hall toward the bedrooms.
oooooooooooo
Castiel woke to the sound of the front door shutting. A quiet groan caught in his throat as he tried to sit up. He didn't make it far before considering it too much effort, and just lay back down. His head pounded and spun at the same time, and he squeezed his eyes shut once again. His entire body ached, feeling too stiff and stretched too thin. He was burning up, sweating, yet freezing at the same time, shivering.
He felt a little warmer though, and peeked an eye open just a sliver. There was extra blanket covering him that wasn't there when he'd dozed off. Sam's, he guessed, and the thought made him smile the tiniest bit.
He assumed the door closing had been Sam, most likely on his way out to do something so Castiel could sleep. Sam was always thoughtful like that. Castiel wished he'd had said something though, he could have easily moved into his own room to sleep so he wouldn't bother the boy. He knew Sam was used to having the evening to himself, and he hated being a nuisance.
As it turned out, he was incorrect. Footsteps came from the door to the living room, and Castiel peeked an eye open curiously.
Sam leaned over the top part of the sofa, studying him with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to wake you."
Castiel shook his head. "You didn't. I can go to my room if you need the couch," he croaked out, throat still scratchy and sore. He moved to sit up again, but Sam halted him with a hand on his chest.
"Don't worry about it. Stay here. I went to the store and got some stuff to help." With another smile, he set a white paper bag on Castiel's chest, leaving the other's line of sight and heading for the small kitchen with a larger bag.
Curious, Castiel scooted up a bit, not quite sitting up but leaning more against the arm of the sofa. He opened the bag, examining the contents. A few boxes of cold medicine and a bottle of orange juice.
He blinked, staring at Sam from the kitchen's doorway.
"You got me cold pills?"
"Yeah, I figured they'd help. Though I wasn't exactly sure what kind of cold you had, so I just got whatever treated the most symptoms. Also orange juice. Because Vitamin C kicks colds' asses."
Castiel smiled, moving to open the package and get out a few pills. He chased them down with a sip of the orange juice, careful not to drink to fast. The last thing he needed to add to this misery was throwing up. "Thank you."
Pans clanked in the kitchen before Sam answered. "Hey, no problem. Being sick sucks, I can relate. Whenever I got sick as a kid, Dean pretty much forced the stuff down my throat until I felt better."
Castiel had to admit, that sounded very much like their other housemate. He was more than aware of the protective streak Dean had over his younger brother. It made Castiel happy to catch the brunt of some of this in the younger Winchester. In such a big family as he'd come from, special attention was few and far between, especially for the shy, youngest son. It made him feel warm to know someone cared enough to help him out when he was sick.
Of course, it could have also been the fever causing the feeling. But Castiel was pretty sure it was a happy- warm.
He must have dozed off again, because when he opened his eyes again, the light was fading from the living room window, signaling sunset. He felt slightly better, so the pills must have been doing their job for now. His mouth tasted funny from breathing through his mouth, but he didn't ache as much as he had before.
Sitting up a bit, he looked around. Sam was still clattering around in the kitchen, although quieter than before. Rolling his shoulders in a slow stretch, Castiel reached for the orange juice bottle, chancing another small sip. It soothed his sore throat on the way down. He stretched a bit more, the cold making him sleepy despite sleeping pretty much the whole day.
A few minutes later, Sam came out of the kitchen, a bowl in each hand. He offered a small smile, taking a seat on the coffee table beside Castiel.
"Hey, you're up again. You hungry?"
Castiel nodded. He hadn't eaten all day, worried he wouldn't keep it down long enough to do him any good. But the medication in his system was helping enough that he figured he could give it a try.
Sam waited until he sat up a bit more, setting one of the bowls on his lap.
"What is it?" Castiel leaned down, letting the steam waft against his face. It smelled good.
Once he was satisfied that Castiel's bowl wasn't in danger of falling over, he picked up his own, blowing idly on a spoonful. "Tomato and rice soup. Dean made it for me whenever I was sick, cuz he said Mom would do it for him."
Castiel smiled softly, taking a bite once it was cool enough. It warmed him instantly, and he hummed as it started to take the sting away from his raw throat. He wasn't quite sure if it was all the soup's fault, or if it also had something to do with being included in the Winchester family traditions. Either way, it was nice.
"It's good. Thank you."
Sam nodded, chuckling a bit against his own spoon. "Just try not to throw it up, okay? It does a lot more good in your stomach than in the toilet."
"I'll certainly try my best."
They ate quietly for a while, Castiel being careful to eat slowly, which also gave him time to properly savor it. When he'd eaten all he could-- a little less than half the bowl, that on its own being an impressive feat considering how his stomach had twisted around all day-- Sam took the bowls to the kitchen before coming back out to sit on the table again.
"Feel any better?"
"Yes," Castiel answered quietly. He was feeling sleepy again, even sitting up was hard work with this cold. "The medicine is working quite well and the soup helped immensely. Thank you."
He shrugged. "You don't have to keep thanking me, I'm just trying to take care of you. Didn't your family help you out while you were sick?"
Castiel paused at this, tilting his head in that way that Sam had associated with him since they'd first met. "I... suppose maybe?"
Sam arched a brow. "Maybe? You dunno for sure? What did they do?"
Sliding back against the pillows, Castiel stared at the ceiling thoughtfully for a few moments. "Well, my parents usually quarantined me to my room. Having that many children, it wasn't wise for me to spread the sickness to all them."
"Oh..." Sam didn't really know what to say to that. He forgot sometimes how weird Castiel's upbringing had been. It made him that much more glad he'd come to share the apartment with him and Dean.
"Gabriel would sneak me things though," he continued, smiling a bit at the memory. "Mostly candy. He said sweet things were good for being sick. Sometimes he'd bring me a book or two. We didn't really have the same taste in reading, but it was appreciated anyway."
Sam had to laugh at that. He'd met Castiel's brother once or twice, and that sounded very much like him.
"My favorite thing though," Castiel continued, letting his eyes slip shut as he relaxed into the blankets, "was the few times Anna was home while I was sick. She would crawl under the covers and curl up with me until I fell asleep. Even if I was too hot before, it felt so nice that I'd fall asleep in minutes."
He let out a little content sigh, pressing his flushed cheek to the cool fabric of the pillow as he recalled how nice it had felt. He heard Sam get up, most likely to leave him alone to sleep.
The blankets shifted and Castiel blinked his eyes open quickly, looking up in surprise as Sam scooted under the covers, curling around him so they could both fit on the couch.
"S-Sam?"
Sam grinned a bit, sheepish, cheeks flushing a bit. "I'm helping. So just go to sleep, okay?"
The younger boy's arm wound around his waist, hugging him close. As shocked as Castiel was, he had to admit, it felt every bit as wonderful as it had when his sister had cuddled up to him when they were younger. He relaxed into it with a yawn, letting his head rest on Sam's shoulder and closing his eyes again.
Sam let his fingers pet through Castiel's messy hair, his own unease about maybe doing this completely wrong fading as the other relaxed. He smiled a bit, curling over him and settling in.
oooooooooooo
Dean tossed his keys on the table, shutting the door with his foot as he flipped through the mail he'd brought in on his way. After giving it a once- over, he left the envelopes on the table as well, heading into the apartment proper.
It was awful quiet; it wasn't that late, and it was Friday night. Neither Sam nor Cas had classes on Saturday, so he expected at least one of them to be up and doing something. The TV was off and the lights were all out, save for the kitchen.
He stepped into the living room, stopping to take sight of the lump on the couch. Wrapped in no less than two comforters were both Sam and Cas, sleeping soundly. His little brother was curled up around his friend, cheek pressed to the other's hair and arms wrapped around him. Castiel's face was buried in the crook of Sam's neck, and although he was breathing a little ragged, he looked content enough.
A quick glance at the coffee table revealed a bottle of orange juice and an assortment of cold medication. Cas had mentioned not feeling too well when Dean was getting ready for work this morning, so he'd probably stayed home.
He grinned fondly, moving quietly towards the kitchen, careful not to wake them. Leave it to Sammy to be the one to take care of sick friends on his free night. He'd tease them both about it later, although he knew he'd go easy on them, considering how freaking adorable they looked right now.
For now though, he had other things to pay attention to. Mainly, his stomach. "Oh cool... soup."