Fic: Brotherly Bond, R, Sam, Dean, Andy, Stacey

[my_sam_dean]

Title: Brotherly Bond
Author: my_sam_dean
Rating: R
Genre/pairing: Gen
Characters: Sam, Dean, Andy, Stacey
Word count: 2,500+
Prompt and Prompter: Toward the end of Season Two, the boys are swinging back through Andy's part of the world, and decide to check on him. Dean, superstressed over Sam possibly going darkside, has come down with the worst headcold ever, and is sneezing his face off (oh please oh please). Sam and Andy end up sort of awkwardly (or supersmoothly?) working together to subtly take care of him. Bonus points if Dean ends up feverish, overmedicated and in a set of Andy's PJs. Double bonus points for forehead feels and/or thermometer action. By mad_server
Summary: Dean's sick and won't admit it. Sam has the perfect plan to make Dean get the rest he needs. He ropes Andy and Stacey into helping him.
Spoilers: Episode Simon Says
Warnings: Lingerie?
Disclaimer: I own nothing Supernatural. I make no money writing stories. I do it for comments, which are my pride and joy!
Author's Notes:  Just for the purpose of this story, pretend that Andy's powers work on Sam.  Thanks to dawnintheforest for pointing out my blunder.

“Full tank of gas, great breakfast at the diner, where are we headed next, Sam?” Dean coughed and turned back to Sam, ready to get on the road.

“Hm, nowhere.”

“What?” Dean looked at Sam as if he’d sprouted a second head. (Okay, so maybe he did have a second head for a few hours before Dean and Dad could reverse the curse but it was something they never, never talked about.)

“No hunts. Zero. As in, we need to find something else to do. You know, have a life.”

Dean started the Impala as he flipped through people he knew in his head. “Anybody we know live near here?”

“Yeah,” Sam laughed. “But you’re not going to let me visit him.”

“Who would I try to keep you from seeing?”

Sam paused and wondered if what he had planned was such a great idea. “Andy.”

“That asshole took my car!” He ran his hand across the his dash. “He was driving this, my baby, Sam. I have to be unconscious for you to get behind the wheel. I’m not going to waltz on in and let him do that again. I might as well just hand over the keys!”

“He returned it without any scratches, bought you coffee and apologized,” Sam reminded him. “Besides, he knows us now. I think he’s scared of us, I know he’s scared of you. The Impala is perfectly safe.”

“Fine.” Dean got out of the car. “I don‘t want to feel like I‘m driving to the gallows. You drive.” He sank down into the passenger seat, made himself comfortable and put on his sunglasses. “I’ve decided that I’m on vacation.”

Sam just smiled and shook his head at his brother’s antics. It would be nice to see Andy again. Considering that all of the Special Children were picked for an evil army, Andy was the opposite. He helped others out and really cared about his small town and what happened to its residents. Andy was going to be a breath of fresh air after all the rotten creatures they’d had to deal with.

"Be on vacation. You've been bitchy all week because of your cold. Maybe you'll actually get rid of it."

Dean‘s stuffy voice argued, "I'm not sick."

"Uh-huh." Sam turned the corner and they sailed smoothly down the highway.

"I'm not." Dean crossed his arms, trying for the intimidating big brother look. It was ruined by his bright red nose. Sam bit his lip to keep from laughing and pissing Dean off. He pretended not to notice when Dean sank further in the passenger seat and shuffled around until he was comfortable. He couldn’t hide his smile when Dean began to snore. His mouth was hanging open and it surprised Sam that Dean didn’t wake himself up with how loud he was.

When Sam stopped for gas many miles later, Dean stumbled out to find the restroom before reclaiming the passenger seat as his. Sam was thankful that there were some convenience items inside. He grabbed some Tylenol and the heavy duty nighttime cough syrup. Dean hated any kind of medication but Sam knew he'd have the upper hand with Andy's power of persuasion.

When he heard the throaty growl of a classic car, Andy looked out his window and was pleasantly surprised to see the Winchesters. He welcomed them in. After stepping to the side, he gave Sam a questioning look because Dean walked past him without a word and went to help himself to the fridge. Sam shrugged and smiled apologetically.

"Hey, Dean. How are you doing?" Andy turned on his heel and tried to be polite.

"Fine. Sammy here had to stop instead of call for some reason. Okay if I have a beer?" Dean already had one in his hand and was sniffling as he talked.

"Yeah, sure." Andy was puzzled as Dean continued on his way to the television. He turned to Sam, "Did you need to see if I'd gone dark side?"

"No, no. Needed to get Dean to slow down and get rid of his cold before it turns into something worse. Life on the road with the long hours and fast food isn't exactly healthy. You'd told us to stop by anytime we were in town, so here we are." Sam smiled nervously and bounced on the balls of his feet, hoping he hadn't read Andy wrong or pushed the boundaries of their friendship.

Andy smirked with a gleam in his eye. "Cool. Do I need to do any Jedi mind tricks on him?"

"Would you like to do any Jedi mind tricks?"

Smiling wickedly and rubbing his hands together, Andy asked, "Can I drive his car?"

"Not this time." Sam shook his head. "You could convince him that he's sick, though. Some medicine and sleep would do him good."

"When can I start?"

"You are just way too happy about this."

"Stacey doesn't let me out to play. I can't use any of my gifts anymore."

"Keeping you on a tight leash, yeah?"

"She lives here. I love her but habits are hard to break."

"You've got it better than you ever had when you were single."

Andy nodded, deep in thought.

"Want to mess with Dean now?"

"What should I do first?"

Dean was just watching a program on sunken submarines when he suddenly realized that he was ill.

"You don't look too good," Sam sat down across from him. "Do you feel okay?"

"Not really," the words felt foreign on Dean's tongue.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure." Dean looked at Sam with bewildered eyes.

"Let's go to the kitchen. Maybe you'll feel better after some soup." Sam headed into the other room, making sure that Dean was following.

After half a bowl, Dean admitted, "You're right. I feel slightly better."

"I thought so. You need to take some medicine." Sam gave him the bottle of heavy duty cough syrup even though it was daytime. "You need a tablespoon of that."

"That's nasty," Dean sputtered after swallowing the dark green liquid. His face was all twisted up.

Sam winced in sympathy. He hated the taste as much as Dean, if not worse.

"I'll show you the guest room," Andy spoke for the first time since using his mojo.

Dean eyed him suspiciously before following him down the hall. He stepped into the room covered in pink and lace.

"You have a very poofy room," Dean raised an eyebrow.

"You can tell Stacey that."

"Chick from the dam?"

Andy nodded.

"Hm. Didn't think you'd be able to land her." Even with Andy's influence, Dean's personality came through.

"Yeah, well, I surprised us both." Andy looked to Sam for help.

"You'd better get in bed before that cold medication kicks in." Sam ordered as he took a couple steps closer to Dean as Andy slipped out of the room. "Andy brought in some pajama pants you can use."

"Sam, I'm not wearing some other guy's pants. He's probably been swinging free in them," Dean whispered loudly.

"I doubt it."

"Well, I don't. If you haven‘t noticed, he‘s a little odd."

"Wear your boxers."

"I'll sleep in just my boxers like I usually do."

"Not with Stacey around you won't. I'm not going to be embarrassed because you were drugged up and prancing around in front of her. Andy is my friend. In his house, you wear clothes."

"How about my clothes?”

"Don't make me go get them. I'm tired. Just put these on." Sam sighed. “They aren’t going to bite.”

Dean snatched them out of Sam's hands. "Fine. Just remember how twisted I think this is."

"I won't forget." Sam rolled his eyes. He knew dean would remind him over and over during their long drives.

He folded Dean’s clothes as he handed them over. They were stacked perfectly on the dresser when Sam heard Dean mutter, “Whoa.“ He tuned around in time to catch Dean as he stumbled.

“You okay?“

Dean scowled. “I’m fine.“ He yanked his arm out of Sam’s grasp. “You’re not so graceful either Mr. Twinkletoes.“ Dean crawled under the covers after moving half a dozen pillows. “This is so much better than a motel. Can you get the light?“

Sam flicked the light off. He closed the door as quietly as he could and met Andy back in the living room.

"He asleep?"

"Yep. Or he will be soon Were you still influencing him the whole time you were in there? He was talking like his stubborn self."

"No way. I gave up after the 'poofy room' comment. Figured the codiene would calm him down soon enough and I didn't want to give myself a headache. He's a very willful guy."

"You should live with him."

"No thank you."

***

A couple hours later, Sam went in to check on Dean. The room was getting dark. He put a glass of water on the nightstand and looked over at a conked out Dean. He felt Dean's forehead, getting worried when it was warmer than he had expected.

Back in the kitchen, he double checked the ingredients on the cough syrup he'd given Dean. There was no fever reducer in it. Cursing himself for not checking sooner, Sam opened the Tylenol and headed back to Dean.

He sat on the side of the bed and turned on the lamp. "Dean," he shook his shoulder. "Dean, I need you awake for a minute."

"Sammy?" his words were slurred.

"I've got some Tylenol for you. Need you to sit up." With an arm around Dean's shoulders, he slowly moved him until he was upright.

"What time is it? What the hell happened to our room?"

"It's suppertime. We're visiting Andy. Here, swallow these." Dean did as he was told.

"This is Andy's room?"

"No, it's Stacey's room. Remember her?"

"Yeah," Dean smiled and closed his eyes as he snuggled back down in bed. "She's hot."

"So you've said."

"Real hot."

"I know."

"What's she doing with him?"

"Shut up." Sam clicked off the light. Dean was asleep before the room was dark.

"Hey, Sam," Stacy greeted him from the kitchen sink. "How have you guys been?"

"Busy hunting. Traveling all over. How have you been?"

"Good. Still working at the diner. I know all the regulars so it isn't bad. Most of them have known me since I was in pigtails or I've known them since they were in diapers. The pitfalls of living in a small town."

"We lived in a couple of small towns," Sam told her. "Never lived in one long enough to put down roots. We've always been the new kids. The upside of that is no one has blackmail pictures of me."

"There are pictures of me that I'd love to burn," Stacey said as Andy came up behind her to put his arms around her.

"I can‘t imagine a bad picture of you," Andy voice was near her ear.

Sam smiled at the tender moment he was witnessing. He recalled holding Jessica like that in their kitchen, more times than he could count. He'd had all those little touches that he didn't pay much mind to at the time but would have given anything to have had after she was gone.

"How is our patient?" Andy asked Sam.

He scratched his head for a moment. "Dean's never been a good patient. Have to damn near tranquilize him to get him to stay in bed. The codeine allows him to freely speak his mind, and no one wants to be subjected to that. I'll keep him doped up for a couple days and we should be good to go. If he is aware enough to even begin to think he's getting better, he'll be off on a hunt in a flash."

"You plan to keep him in a fog until you set him free?" Stacey asked.

Sam nodded. "You especially don't want to talk to Dean when he isn't censoring himself. He's outspoken most days. Now he'd make a sailor blush."

"He called your room 'poofy'."

"You defended me, right?" Stacey demanded of Andy.

"It's not 'poofy'?"

"It's just a girl's room. Gees! I decorate one room the way I like it and you give me grief for it. Did you want to try to explain to my dad where I sleep when he comes to visit us in a few weeks? Hm?"

"Your pink room is perfect for you," Andy sucked up at the speed of light. "It brings out your natural glow and compliments that white teddy of yours with the garter belt that I like you in so much."

Sam cleared his throat. "Anyhow, I'm going to check on the car. Want me to grab some food while I'm out?"

"Burgers?" Stacey suggested.

"Sure." Andy shrugged.

"Burgers it is." Sam twirled Dean's key ring around his finger on his way out the door.

After they had eaten supper, Andy brought out the journal, scissors, markers and tape. Stacey had a stack of wedding magazines and each had some pointers that she liked or wanted to have in her wedding. Andy had been helping her make decisions and she had many more pages marked that she wanted to go over with him.

"Honey, where do you find all these magazines?" Andy's eyes were bulging when he saw the current stack in Stacey's hands.

With a shrug, she replied, "I get subscriptions off the internet."

Andy nodded and ran his fingers though his hair as Stacy picked the first item to question him about.

Sam liked looking at pages they'd already made. Some showed venues for ceremonies, receptions, and dances. Others had ideas about honeymoon destinations, formal wear and cakes. He'd tuned Andy and Stacey out after she began to explain why one wedding dress was different from the other when they were both strapless. So, he didn't hear them asking for his opinion.

"Sam!" Andy snapped his fingers to get Sam to look his way. "I want you to give your honest opinion." He showed Sam two pictures and said, "Would you let your wife wear something like that or is it too revealing?"

"That's not fair!" Stacey cried.

"This is Sam. He'll be honest." They both turned to face him. "So?"

Trying not to be biased, Sam looked closely at the two pictures. "They're cut the same, but this one has sheer trim. So, technically, it doesn't cover as much." He was hopeful that he'd be let off the hook at that but the couple was still staring at him. Sighing, he continued, "I wouldn't get between a bride and her dress, Andy. It could get messy." Before either of them could comment, Sam excused himself to look in on Dean.

As soon as he got to the door, he knew something was wrong. Dean was muttering, "So cold . . . Sammy . . . cold . . ."

After glancing at Dean, Sam called for his friends. He moved Dean to the middle of the bed. He didn’t want to think of Dean falling on the floor or hitting his head along with being sick.

Andy ran cool water into a basin in the kitchen. Stacey handed Sam a washcloth and continued to search for a thermometer. He met Andy in the hall and graciously took the basin.

"Do you need any help? Getting him into the tub maybe?" Andy asked.

"Here's the thermometer." Stacey's eyes were big. "Want an extra set of hands?"

"Thanks but I don't want you to catch what he has."

"We'll be up for another hour or so, but wake us up for anything."

Sam gave them a small smile and nod.

"102.5 degrees, Dean. Not good. You trying to prove to me that you’re sick? Man, I already knew that. Time for more Tylenol." He didn't like how Dean was like a rag doll with tremors. He placed the medicine in Dean’s mouth with a little water. Luckily, Dean was aware enough to swallow.

The minutes slowly ticked by as Sam was waiting for the pills to kick in. He'd wiped down Dean's face and neck several times. After half an hour, he took another reading. "101.8 degrees. Much better." He blew out a breath in relief.

He turned the light off and laid down on top of the covers behind Dean. He placed one arm over Dean's abdomen to keep him from kicking the bedding off during a hot flash. He had his other arm bent so he could easily reach Dean's forehead. Being that close to Dean, knowing that he would hear Dean the instant he needed him, allowed Sam to relax and he fell asleep.

Stacey opened the door a crack and saw both boys asleep. "Isn't that sweet?"

Peeking around her, Andy agreed. "They're all each other has. Of course they'd be close." He quietly shut the door. "Let them get their rest and we need ours, too. Especially if Sam wakes us for help. Fevers get worse at night."

"Andy, you're not doing your brain thing on Sam, are you?" Stacey asked cautiously.

"A nudge in the right direction? I don’t want him to be too stubborn to get us if he needs to. Is that okay?"

"I'll make an exception. Just this once." Stacey smiled made everything in Andy’s world fall into place.

That night was a peaceful one for all occupants. Stacey and Andy’s sleep was uninterrupted. Dean’s fever broke and he was on the mend. Sam instinctly knew, even in the realm of sleep, that Dean was doing better.

Sometimes, when it really counts, brothers simply know.