SPN fic: "Steel Idle Trees to Pity"
Dean turned up the volume a little more with a frown as Sam coughed again, more loudly this time. He thought he heard him mumble a “sorry”, but he wasn’t sure.
Sam groaned and curled into the passenger door. “Dean,” he ground out between shallow breaths and closed his eyes tightly. “Dean, I feel like crap.”
“So you’ve said,” Dean said dryly.
Sam moaned futilely and coughed a little more. Dean handed him his water bottle, but Sam pushed it away with a limp hand.
“Drink some water, Sam.”
“It doesn’t help,” Sam practically whined. “I need some...milk, or something.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m not resuscitating you tonight when you choke on your nasty milk-thickened phlegm.”
“Do we have any tissues?”
“Do I look like the kind of guy who has a box of Kleenex on the floor of his car?”
Sam did the frown-pout thing. Dean really needed to mention sometime soon how unflattering that expression was on a twenty-four-year-old.
~
“You’re a baby.”
“Shut up.”
“It’s a cold, Sam!”
“Nngh.”
Dean was definitely glaring at Sam, who was now laying on his side across the front seat and had all but put his head in Dean’s lap.
“Dean, my head is pounding.”
Dean glared at the road now. “So?”
“The Leppard love isn’t helping.”
God damn baby.
~
Sam woke to half consciousness as he felt Dean sit down next to his head and heard him shut the car door. The sound of rustling plastic filled the car, followed by the unmistakable noises of a box being ripped open and perforated plastic being torn apart. Sam opened his eyes and watched Dean force three Tylenols out of their plastic and into his palm, then twist open a water bottle.
“Come on, Sam, open up.”
Sam sat up jerkily and reached for the pills and quickly swallowed them and chased them with the water Dean was holding out to him. He inhaled, then exhaled deeply before turning to Dean and giving him an exhausted smile.
“I could hug you.”
“But you won’t,” Dean replied. “Here, take this.” He plopped the bag in Sam’s lap. “And, see?” He pulled out the Tylenol box and tapped the label on the front of it. “PM. So you sleep it off, I’ll listen to some freaking music, and we’ll get to Oklahoma as painlessly as possible, okay?”
“Agreed,” Sam said as heartily as he could manage with what felt like a two-ton head and laid down across the seat again, setting the bag on the floor by his feet. He barely heard the radio turn on before he was out.
~
Sam woke up somewhere in western Missouri with the sniffles. Before he had time to even sit up properly, Dean was producing a gaudy purple square box and handing him several tissues.
“Thanks,” Sam said gratefully after he blew his nose.
Dean handed him the water. “Drink up.”
“Fine,” said Sam, but he smiled and took a swig before letting his head drop back to his balled-up jacket. He watched Dean’s hand reach over his head and turn up the volume just a little bit.
“Thanks, Dean,” he said quietly, not even sure if Dean could hear him, but he swore he felt a hand on his shoulder right before he drifted off to sleep once more.
Sam groaned and curled into the passenger door. “Dean,” he ground out between shallow breaths and closed his eyes tightly. “Dean, I feel like crap.”
“So you’ve said,” Dean said dryly.
Sam moaned futilely and coughed a little more. Dean handed him his water bottle, but Sam pushed it away with a limp hand.
“Drink some water, Sam.”
“It doesn’t help,” Sam practically whined. “I need some...milk, or something.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m not resuscitating you tonight when you choke on your nasty milk-thickened phlegm.”
“Do we have any tissues?”
“Do I look like the kind of guy who has a box of Kleenex on the floor of his car?”
Sam did the frown-pout thing. Dean really needed to mention sometime soon how unflattering that expression was on a twenty-four-year-old.
~
“You’re a baby.”
“Shut up.”
“It’s a cold, Sam!”
“Nngh.”
Dean was definitely glaring at Sam, who was now laying on his side across the front seat and had all but put his head in Dean’s lap.
“Dean, my head is pounding.”
Dean glared at the road now. “So?”
“The Leppard love isn’t helping.”
God damn baby.
~
Sam woke to half consciousness as he felt Dean sit down next to his head and heard him shut the car door. The sound of rustling plastic filled the car, followed by the unmistakable noises of a box being ripped open and perforated plastic being torn apart. Sam opened his eyes and watched Dean force three Tylenols out of their plastic and into his palm, then twist open a water bottle.
“Come on, Sam, open up.”
Sam sat up jerkily and reached for the pills and quickly swallowed them and chased them with the water Dean was holding out to him. He inhaled, then exhaled deeply before turning to Dean and giving him an exhausted smile.
“I could hug you.”
“But you won’t,” Dean replied. “Here, take this.” He plopped the bag in Sam’s lap. “And, see?” He pulled out the Tylenol box and tapped the label on the front of it. “PM. So you sleep it off, I’ll listen to some freaking music, and we’ll get to Oklahoma as painlessly as possible, okay?”
“Agreed,” Sam said as heartily as he could manage with what felt like a two-ton head and laid down across the seat again, setting the bag on the floor by his feet. He barely heard the radio turn on before he was out.
~
Sam woke up somewhere in western Missouri with the sniffles. Before he had time to even sit up properly, Dean was producing a gaudy purple square box and handing him several tissues.
“Thanks,” Sam said gratefully after he blew his nose.
Dean handed him the water. “Drink up.”
“Fine,” said Sam, but he smiled and took a swig before letting his head drop back to his balled-up jacket. He watched Dean’s hand reach over his head and turn up the volume just a little bit.
“Thanks, Dean,” he said quietly, not even sure if Dean could hear him, but he swore he felt a hand on his shoulder right before he drifted off to sleep once more.