Just Breathe Chap 14b/16
Title: Just Breathe Chapter 14b/16
Author: JCRGIRL
Pairing: Dean/Sam
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Wincest, underage
Word Count: 2,021
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Just playing in Kripke's sandbox.
Summary: Dad is away and Sam falls ill leaving Dean to deal with a sick brother.
Author Notes: Title from Faith Hill song. Also, as always completely unbeta-ed.
Dean was tired. It had rained not long before he and Zoe had decided to take their run and the residual damp now hung heavy in the air. Each breath felt like he was drowning and Zoe had stepped up the pace for the last mile making it less of a companionable jog and more a race. Things may have settled into a quasi-friendship between them, but still Dean refused to let the bitch win! Putting on a last burst of speed, he reached the back door of the house first. Hand against the doorjamb, he bent over and pinched a stitch in his side. He tossed a smirk over his shoulder when he heard Zoe come up behind him.
“Shut up, asshole.”
“Didn’t…say …a…word,” he grinned, panting a breath between each word.
Rolling her eyes, Zoe opened the door and held it, making an ‘after you’ gesture with her arm. The smell of Sammy’s dinner cooking filled the house with a hearty aroma that had Dean’s mouth watering the moment he stepped in the door.
“Nice run,” Sam asked, looking up from his book. He and Casey were in the living room reading in the companionable quiet that only two bookworms could share. Casey turned a page and smiled at Dean from her place lying on the couch.
“Yeah.” Dean walked over to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water, raising an eyebrow at Zoe in question and tossing her one at her head nod. “We got time for showers before dinner’s ready?”
Sam leaned back in his chair, forcing the front legs to leave the floor, and craned his neck to see the timer on the stove. “Yeah, if you’re quick. We should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.”
“What a good little wifey you are,” Dean teased, slapping Sam’s knee as he passed on the way to the bedroom.
Dean exited the bathroom ten minutes later to the sound of the timer going off. He opened the door to his and Sam’s bedroom long enough to toss his sweaty clothes on top of the dirty pile before coming out into the living room. Crossing to the couch, he slapped Casey’s feet for her to move them so he could sit down. In the kitchen Sam removed the baking dish from the oven, setting it down on the stove with a scrutinizing look.
“What’s the verdict, Sammy? Should I get the Pepto out now?”
“Bite me, Dean."
“It’ll be fine, Sam," Casey soothed.
When Zoe finally emerged with a proclamation that she was now ‘fresh as a daisy’, they sat down to Sam’s first attempt at cooking. Dean piled a bite on his fork and took an experimental sniff. It looked good, some kind of potato and beef casserole with mixed vegetables in the center, and it smelled good. Crossing the fingers of the hand under the table, Dean popped the forkful into his mouth. Rolling the bite around in his mouth, rich flavors exploded across his taste buds. Looking over at Sam’s apprehensive face, waiting for Dean’s verdict, he let out a low moan of approval. Sam’s answering smile was blinding and Dean will swear until the day he dies, not out loud mind you, that his heart actually stopped at the sight of it.
As everyone dug in, Casey kicked Sam in the shin and muttered ‘told you’ around a mouthful.
“Oh, god,” Dean groaned, hands rubbing over his stomach. “Sammy that was excellent. When we leave, you definitely have kitchen duty.” He pushed his chair back in an effort to leave the table.
“Wait! There’s more.” Sam jumped up, nearly knocking his chair over in the process. “I made dessert. Banana pudding.” Sam shrugged at Dean’s questioning glance. “Casey showed me. Apparently it’s a Southern thing.”
Dean pushed the pudding, banana, cookie combination around the bowl Sam set in front of him with the tip of his spoon skeptically. He saw Casey and Zoe take large bites and give Sam satisfied little head bobs. Spooning some in his mouth, Dean licked his lips and smiled. “Definitely have kitchen duty,” he repeated as he filled his spoon again.
Dean climbed into bed that night with a satisfied smirk on his face. After Casey left for her night on guard, Dean, Sam and Zoe began a friendly game of poker. Well, it started out friendly. By ten o’clock, Sam went to bed grumbling about competitive natures and cut throat playing. That’s when Dean and Zoe decided to make things interesting and play for money. Slipping between the sheets, his grin widened thinking about his wallet on the dresser now three hundred dollars fatter. Tomorrow, he’d have to find somewhere to hide it because if Sam found out he’d no doubt make Dean give it back to her.
Sam snuffled in his sleep and rearranged his legs. Dean turned his head, smiling at his little brother. Lately, Sam had taken to sleeping on his stomach with his face away from Dean, a position he’d never used before. Dean reached over and gently ruffled the hair on the back of Sam’s head.
“You did good today, Sam.”
Dean could hear the curtains fluttering, a breeze from the open window rustling the thin fabric, and he sighed at the sound of crickets and the feel of the cool air on his uncovered skin. Another gentle draft blew, disturbing the curls resting on the side of Sam’s face, and sent a floral scent Dean’s way.
Casey’s scent, Dean’s mind helpfully supplied. It had been on the pillow cases the first night they were there before Casey had the opportunity to change the sheets. Jealousy shot through Dean, burning his heart and prickling at the base of his skull. After a moment, Dean chuckled at himself. This was Sam after all. Painfully, awkwardly shy Sammy. The smell was probably just in the pillows. Right? He lightly ran his fingers through Sam’s hair then closed his eyes, mind determinedly thinking of anything but his little brother wrapped around a petite brunette.
The next morning at breakfast, Casey decreed that Sam should be well enough to start joining them on their daily runs. Apparently, breakfast was the meal for making announcements.
“Today?” Sam practically bounced in excitement. With nothing but homework and the four walls of the house and barn for the last two weeks, he was dying to get outside.
“I don’t see why not. We can go after breakfast if you want.”
Sam folded an entire piece of bacon in his mouth, grinning like a maniac.
They agreed to take it slow, work within Sam’s limitations to keep him from overexerting himself. However, less than a mile from the house, Dean and Zoe fell into their daily practice of turning a routine jog into a no holds barred foot race. Sam and Casey lagged behind, shaking their heads at the receding taunts and footsteps of the older two.
Casey came to a stop when they reached a clearing next to a small creek and sat on one of the boulders lining the creek bed.
“Sam, sit and rest for a minute then we’ll head back. I think this is far enough for your first day.”
“I can go…” Where Sam could go was cut off by a low hiss.
Casey jumped up from her seat, pulling her gun from the holster at her back. She reached out swiftly, grabbed Sam arm and pulled him behind her.
“Where is it,” he whispered in her ear, unholstering his own weapon.
“Shhhh.”
They spun in unison as another hiss, louder this time, came from their right. Slowly, two men moved forward from the surrounding trees. They stayed to the shadowy confines of the tree line, flinching when the breeze shifted the overhanging branches to allow sunlight to spill over them. Silver flashed in the man on the left’s eyes.
“Skinwalker,” Sam hissed in Casey ear.
“You know…a vampire and a skinwalker walk into a forest, sounds like the setup for a cheesy joke. So, it makes me wonder what two creatures, that hate sunlight, are doing here at ten o’clock in the morning.” Casey moved to her left, stepping in front of Sam. Yep, she was a hunter. Sarcastic banter with killer creatures in the middle of a pants-shitting situation…CHECK!
“Stay out of this, angelus fortis. We’ve been sent for the Rex Puer,” The right one, the vampire, sneered.
“Who sent you?” Sam felt like laughing at the entire situation. The only thing crazier than demons with guns? Vampires in league with skinwalkers and speaking Latin.
“Didn’t catch the black-eyed bitch’s name, but she wants that tight ass of yours real bad, Sam. So, let’s not keep her waiting.”
“Sorry, boys.” Casey leveled her gun and fired a shot. The vampire’s head snapped back, but he remained on his feet. “Zoe! Dean!” Casey’s screams echoed off the surrounding trunks.
The vampire looked back, a quarter sized hole dead center of its forehead, lips curling up to reveal the second set of teeth lowering into place. The skinwalker’s bones popped, body taking on a distinctly feline appearance. Within a few heartbeats, it had transformed into a mountain lion.
“Zoe! Dean!” Casey pushed Sam back when he tried to maneuver around her. “Damnit, Sam, stay back.”
The vampire charged. Casey fired off another impotent shot to slow it down, but it was prepared this time and dodged the bullet. It grabbed her arm and, in a swift movement, flung her ten feet and into a tree trunk.
Sam faced off against the skinwalker. It slunk low to the ground, prowling, then attacked. Sam was on his back before he had the chance to aim his weapon. The animal hovered above him and raked a heavy paw across chest, claws sinking through cotton and flesh. He screamed and the cat set both massive feet on his chest and bore down its weight in an attempt to keep him pinned, pressing hard on the still healing ribs of his right side. Another swipe of fur and claws and Sam could feel warmth running down his left arm. Pain bloomed in both legs as claws unsheathed to pierce the skin and muscle of his thighs to still Sam’s frantic leg movements. A shot rang out and the animal’s body fell on top of Sam like a dead weight pushing all the air from his lungs. He closed his eyes and tried to push the carcass off, desperate for a deep breath, but didn’t have the right leverage to free himself. As black spots danced along his vision, the pressure was released and air rushed back into his oxygen starved body with an audible inhale. His head was lifted and cradled in tender warmth and green eyes swam into focus, wide with fear.
“It’s okay, Sammy. We’ll get you patched up. Don’t worry,” the green eyes cooed at him. They disappeared, replaced by ash blonde hair as someone yelled. “Casey, get your ass over here.” Then the green eyes were back. He felt pressure and the pain across his chest and along his arm doubled. He gasped, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. A hand petted his hair. Sam was so tired, exhaustion seeping into ever appendage and fogging his mind. He snuggled his head into the hand in his hair and closed his heavy eyelids.
“It’s alright, Sam. I’ve got you. Not gonna let you go. Just stay with me. Everything’s gonna be okay. Please, Sammy, stay with me.” The hand stopped petting, now shaking his shoulders, and the soothing voice turned urgent. Opening his eyes, he saw that the green eyes were watery with unshed tears.
Those eyes shouldn’t be sad, they should be happy. Dean should be happy. Dean
“Dean?”
“Yeah, Sammy. I’m right here.” The hand was now on the side of his face. Dean’s gaze moved to Sam’s side. “Casey, do something!”
“Dean." Sam waited until Dean turned back to him, battling back the exhaustion. “I love you.” Smiling slightly, Sam closed his eyes and lost the fight, slipping into unconsciousness.
Chapter 15
Author: JCRGIRL
Pairing: Dean/Sam
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Wincest, underage
Word Count: 2,021
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Just playing in Kripke's sandbox.
Summary: Dad is away and Sam falls ill leaving Dean to deal with a sick brother.
Author Notes: Title from Faith Hill song. Also, as always completely unbeta-ed.
Dean was tired. It had rained not long before he and Zoe had decided to take their run and the residual damp now hung heavy in the air. Each breath felt like he was drowning and Zoe had stepped up the pace for the last mile making it less of a companionable jog and more a race. Things may have settled into a quasi-friendship between them, but still Dean refused to let the bitch win! Putting on a last burst of speed, he reached the back door of the house first. Hand against the doorjamb, he bent over and pinched a stitch in his side. He tossed a smirk over his shoulder when he heard Zoe come up behind him.
“Shut up, asshole.”
“Didn’t…say …a…word,” he grinned, panting a breath between each word.
Rolling her eyes, Zoe opened the door and held it, making an ‘after you’ gesture with her arm. The smell of Sammy’s dinner cooking filled the house with a hearty aroma that had Dean’s mouth watering the moment he stepped in the door.
“Nice run,” Sam asked, looking up from his book. He and Casey were in the living room reading in the companionable quiet that only two bookworms could share. Casey turned a page and smiled at Dean from her place lying on the couch.
“Yeah.” Dean walked over to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water, raising an eyebrow at Zoe in question and tossing her one at her head nod. “We got time for showers before dinner’s ready?”
Sam leaned back in his chair, forcing the front legs to leave the floor, and craned his neck to see the timer on the stove. “Yeah, if you’re quick. We should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.”
“What a good little wifey you are,” Dean teased, slapping Sam’s knee as he passed on the way to the bedroom.
Dean exited the bathroom ten minutes later to the sound of the timer going off. He opened the door to his and Sam’s bedroom long enough to toss his sweaty clothes on top of the dirty pile before coming out into the living room. Crossing to the couch, he slapped Casey’s feet for her to move them so he could sit down. In the kitchen Sam removed the baking dish from the oven, setting it down on the stove with a scrutinizing look.
“What’s the verdict, Sammy? Should I get the Pepto out now?”
“Bite me, Dean."
“It’ll be fine, Sam," Casey soothed.
When Zoe finally emerged with a proclamation that she was now ‘fresh as a daisy’, they sat down to Sam’s first attempt at cooking. Dean piled a bite on his fork and took an experimental sniff. It looked good, some kind of potato and beef casserole with mixed vegetables in the center, and it smelled good. Crossing the fingers of the hand under the table, Dean popped the forkful into his mouth. Rolling the bite around in his mouth, rich flavors exploded across his taste buds. Looking over at Sam’s apprehensive face, waiting for Dean’s verdict, he let out a low moan of approval. Sam’s answering smile was blinding and Dean will swear until the day he dies, not out loud mind you, that his heart actually stopped at the sight of it.
As everyone dug in, Casey kicked Sam in the shin and muttered ‘told you’ around a mouthful.
“Oh, god,” Dean groaned, hands rubbing over his stomach. “Sammy that was excellent. When we leave, you definitely have kitchen duty.” He pushed his chair back in an effort to leave the table.
“Wait! There’s more.” Sam jumped up, nearly knocking his chair over in the process. “I made dessert. Banana pudding.” Sam shrugged at Dean’s questioning glance. “Casey showed me. Apparently it’s a Southern thing.”
Dean pushed the pudding, banana, cookie combination around the bowl Sam set in front of him with the tip of his spoon skeptically. He saw Casey and Zoe take large bites and give Sam satisfied little head bobs. Spooning some in his mouth, Dean licked his lips and smiled. “Definitely have kitchen duty,” he repeated as he filled his spoon again.
Dean climbed into bed that night with a satisfied smirk on his face. After Casey left for her night on guard, Dean, Sam and Zoe began a friendly game of poker. Well, it started out friendly. By ten o’clock, Sam went to bed grumbling about competitive natures and cut throat playing. That’s when Dean and Zoe decided to make things interesting and play for money. Slipping between the sheets, his grin widened thinking about his wallet on the dresser now three hundred dollars fatter. Tomorrow, he’d have to find somewhere to hide it because if Sam found out he’d no doubt make Dean give it back to her.
Sam snuffled in his sleep and rearranged his legs. Dean turned his head, smiling at his little brother. Lately, Sam had taken to sleeping on his stomach with his face away from Dean, a position he’d never used before. Dean reached over and gently ruffled the hair on the back of Sam’s head.
“You did good today, Sam.”
Dean could hear the curtains fluttering, a breeze from the open window rustling the thin fabric, and he sighed at the sound of crickets and the feel of the cool air on his uncovered skin. Another gentle draft blew, disturbing the curls resting on the side of Sam’s face, and sent a floral scent Dean’s way.
Casey’s scent, Dean’s mind helpfully supplied. It had been on the pillow cases the first night they were there before Casey had the opportunity to change the sheets. Jealousy shot through Dean, burning his heart and prickling at the base of his skull. After a moment, Dean chuckled at himself. This was Sam after all. Painfully, awkwardly shy Sammy. The smell was probably just in the pillows. Right? He lightly ran his fingers through Sam’s hair then closed his eyes, mind determinedly thinking of anything but his little brother wrapped around a petite brunette.
The next morning at breakfast, Casey decreed that Sam should be well enough to start joining them on their daily runs. Apparently, breakfast was the meal for making announcements.
“Today?” Sam practically bounced in excitement. With nothing but homework and the four walls of the house and barn for the last two weeks, he was dying to get outside.
“I don’t see why not. We can go after breakfast if you want.”
Sam folded an entire piece of bacon in his mouth, grinning like a maniac.
They agreed to take it slow, work within Sam’s limitations to keep him from overexerting himself. However, less than a mile from the house, Dean and Zoe fell into their daily practice of turning a routine jog into a no holds barred foot race. Sam and Casey lagged behind, shaking their heads at the receding taunts and footsteps of the older two.
Casey came to a stop when they reached a clearing next to a small creek and sat on one of the boulders lining the creek bed.
“Sam, sit and rest for a minute then we’ll head back. I think this is far enough for your first day.”
“I can go…” Where Sam could go was cut off by a low hiss.
Casey jumped up from her seat, pulling her gun from the holster at her back. She reached out swiftly, grabbed Sam arm and pulled him behind her.
“Where is it,” he whispered in her ear, unholstering his own weapon.
“Shhhh.”
They spun in unison as another hiss, louder this time, came from their right. Slowly, two men moved forward from the surrounding trees. They stayed to the shadowy confines of the tree line, flinching when the breeze shifted the overhanging branches to allow sunlight to spill over them. Silver flashed in the man on the left’s eyes.
“Skinwalker,” Sam hissed in Casey ear.
“You know…a vampire and a skinwalker walk into a forest, sounds like the setup for a cheesy joke. So, it makes me wonder what two creatures, that hate sunlight, are doing here at ten o’clock in the morning.” Casey moved to her left, stepping in front of Sam. Yep, she was a hunter. Sarcastic banter with killer creatures in the middle of a pants-shitting situation…CHECK!
“Stay out of this, angelus fortis. We’ve been sent for the Rex Puer,” The right one, the vampire, sneered.
“Who sent you?” Sam felt like laughing at the entire situation. The only thing crazier than demons with guns? Vampires in league with skinwalkers and speaking Latin.
“Didn’t catch the black-eyed bitch’s name, but she wants that tight ass of yours real bad, Sam. So, let’s not keep her waiting.”
“Sorry, boys.” Casey leveled her gun and fired a shot. The vampire’s head snapped back, but he remained on his feet. “Zoe! Dean!” Casey’s screams echoed off the surrounding trunks.
The vampire looked back, a quarter sized hole dead center of its forehead, lips curling up to reveal the second set of teeth lowering into place. The skinwalker’s bones popped, body taking on a distinctly feline appearance. Within a few heartbeats, it had transformed into a mountain lion.
“Zoe! Dean!” Casey pushed Sam back when he tried to maneuver around her. “Damnit, Sam, stay back.”
The vampire charged. Casey fired off another impotent shot to slow it down, but it was prepared this time and dodged the bullet. It grabbed her arm and, in a swift movement, flung her ten feet and into a tree trunk.
Sam faced off against the skinwalker. It slunk low to the ground, prowling, then attacked. Sam was on his back before he had the chance to aim his weapon. The animal hovered above him and raked a heavy paw across chest, claws sinking through cotton and flesh. He screamed and the cat set both massive feet on his chest and bore down its weight in an attempt to keep him pinned, pressing hard on the still healing ribs of his right side. Another swipe of fur and claws and Sam could feel warmth running down his left arm. Pain bloomed in both legs as claws unsheathed to pierce the skin and muscle of his thighs to still Sam’s frantic leg movements. A shot rang out and the animal’s body fell on top of Sam like a dead weight pushing all the air from his lungs. He closed his eyes and tried to push the carcass off, desperate for a deep breath, but didn’t have the right leverage to free himself. As black spots danced along his vision, the pressure was released and air rushed back into his oxygen starved body with an audible inhale. His head was lifted and cradled in tender warmth and green eyes swam into focus, wide with fear.
“It’s okay, Sammy. We’ll get you patched up. Don’t worry,” the green eyes cooed at him. They disappeared, replaced by ash blonde hair as someone yelled. “Casey, get your ass over here.” Then the green eyes were back. He felt pressure and the pain across his chest and along his arm doubled. He gasped, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. A hand petted his hair. Sam was so tired, exhaustion seeping into ever appendage and fogging his mind. He snuggled his head into the hand in his hair and closed his heavy eyelids.
“It’s alright, Sam. I’ve got you. Not gonna let you go. Just stay with me. Everything’s gonna be okay. Please, Sammy, stay with me.” The hand stopped petting, now shaking his shoulders, and the soothing voice turned urgent. Opening his eyes, he saw that the green eyes were watery with unshed tears.
Those eyes shouldn’t be sad, they should be happy. Dean should be happy. Dean
“Dean?”
“Yeah, Sammy. I’m right here.” The hand was now on the side of his face. Dean’s gaze moved to Sam’s side. “Casey, do something!”
“Dean." Sam waited until Dean turned back to him, battling back the exhaustion. “I love you.” Smiling slightly, Sam closed his eyes and lost the fight, slipping into unconsciousness.
Chapter 15