ohsam | One whole year!

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ohsam is one year old today! You know what that means, right? COMMENT-FIC!

Happy anniversary to us, and it's thanks to you, our fantastic members, who consistently come back and hurt Sammy in new and creative ways! \o/

Now, go and commit comment-fic!

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Ground Rules:

1. This is a Sam-focused hurt/comfort community, so Sam should be the one in the hurt/comforted role. Your prompts may involve sick!Sam, hurt!Sam, angsty!Sam, basically anything that results in Sam being on the receiving end of hurt/comfort. (No rules against whumping other characters as well, of course, but you have to whump Sam first. ;) )

2. Comment to this post with your desired characters or pairings, and a prompt. All genres/pairings are welcome, BUT no RPF/RPS, please. Please focus on the fictional characters only.

Example A: “Sam, Dean, gen, set in season 2. Sam has a vision and passes out. Cue caring!Dean and limp!Sam.”
Example B: “Sam/Dean, trauma. Sam is injured on a hunt, Dean freaks out when he thinks Sam might be dead.”

3. You can leave as many prompts as you like, but please write one prompt per comment. If you've got a few (and feel free to prompt at will!), comment with each separately. This is to keep the meme manageable.

4. Your prompts can be as short or as detailed as you’d like. i.e. "Sam, Dean. Fever." Or a three-paragraph epic with details (

rainylemons, we're all looking at you!). The more detailed your prompt, the less wriggle room you're giving the writer, though, so bear that in mind.

5. Scroll through the comments and when you find a prompt you like, write a fic in reply to the comment. There is no word count limit.

6. More than one comment-fic response to a prompt is totally acceptable, and in fact encouraged. The more fic, the better!

7. When replying to a prompt with your comment-fic, put ‘FILLED’ in your subject line and then anything else you want, ie: a title if you have one/part numbers. It’s not a big deal if you forget this step, but it will make it easier for people to find your fic, and for me when I’m compiling the master list.

8. Anonymous posting is enabled, but I haven't figured out how to turn off I.P. logging. If you're embarrassed by how schmoopy your prompts are, don't worry, we won't tell on you. ;)

9. No spoilers for future episodes. NONE. We will send Missouri after you with a spoon.

10. Standard rules of politeness apply. Do NOT bash any characters. Do NOT say rude things to prompters and writers. In short, don't be a douchebag. The mods will ruthlessly delete any ridiculousness we see.

11. Questions about the meme? Comments? PM your mods! We will be happy to answer your queries.

12. Do feed your authors! They’re awesome. Feedback is THE BEST DRUG EVER.

13. If you want to advertise this, that’s fantastic! It would be really appreciated. Just copy and paste the code provided above into your journal.

In conclusion, have FUN!

Master List

jennytork: Don't care how you do it, but land Sam and Dean in a situation where something that looks really bad, given their history, is the right thing for Sam to do. He has to go all out with his powers, and this time it really is going to change him, he won't be entirely human any more, but it's the only way. He's just gotten Dean's trust back after the soullessness thing and the whole mess of the last three years, and he knows this is going to undermine that. He doesn't trust himself, for that matter, but at a certain point not trusting himself to do the right thing becomes a coward's way out of responsibility. So he's open with Dean, but he has to go through with it. And Dean is angry and bitter and suspicious, and Sam knows he deserves that, but he does what has to be done. And he's hurt, he's hurt real bad. Will Dean be able to treat this injured, not entirely human thing as Sam, as his brother? Too High.

anonymous: A small town's "Haunted Village" turns out to be actually haunted. Sam and Dean show up in time to evacuate most of the school groups before things get too crazy, but they end up stuck in a corn maze with a kindergarten class and its very scared young teacher when all hell breaks loose.

Sam's arm or leg or something gets crushed/snapped/mangled and he's doing his best to keep it together for the kids and their teacher all the while trying to get everyone to safety. Dean is awesomely awesome, doing his best not to draw too much attention to Sam's injury so as not to freak anyone else out, but making sure Sam is all right every few minutes nonetheless. Untitled.

sistabro: Sam's visions and nightmares developed at a much earlier age. The more they progress, the harder it is for him to cope and keep his grip on reality. The headaches and lack of sleep eventually become too much and he turns to cutting to keep himself grounded. Cue awesome big brother Dean who does what he can by coaxing him through the hard times (I'd love a scene where Dean takes a knife from Sam's hand and mention of how he reacts to seeing fresh cuts on Sam's arm), but knows he ultimately can't make Sam stop and it could be something that they'll have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Counting Bodies Like Sheep

radiumgirl: Sam has an unfortunate altercation with a hellhound, and he's not fatally injured, but he's cut up, and in a lot of pain. As if THAT wasn't enough, the encounter also acts as a trigger: the wall cracks just a little more, and his mind is thrown back into Hell. He's seizing, flailing and suffering and making his injuries worse; Dean's trying to take control of the situation, even though he's horrified and panicked at Sam's memories coming back, and also at the very implications of hellhounds in his own life: his death, Jo's death. This Time and the Last Time.

phreakycat: Ever since his week of reliving Hell, Sam's started crying in his sleep. He can't/won't cry during the day, but every night when his defenses are down he sobs and sobs in his sleep.

This makes sleeping difficult for Dean, obviously. So Dean decides he's clearly got to do something to help. He's got to get Sam to cry during the daytime so that they can have a chick flick moment and Sam can let go of some of his angst. Turns out, despite all of Dean's "you're an emo girl" teasing over the years, getting Sam to cry is easier said than done. It's In My Honey, It's In My Milk.

glovered: When we see that flashback at the beginning of Unforgiven, Samuel and Sam are walking out talking about Sam's wound. Well I noticed that he's bleeding and shot or stabbed in the arm. Hurt!Sam isn't good, sure BUT what I really noticed was that Sam was wearing his BROWN HOODIE. Which now has a HOLE in the ARM.
Fast forward to present and maybe Dean finds the ripped hoodie and mends it for Sam. Maybe even soulless!Sam kept it because it was the first piece of clothing Dean bought Sam after he lost everything in the fire at Stanford. Cue Sam being touched by the gesture and apologizing again for, ya kno, letting his bro get turned into a vamp and stuff. Our Boots On With Both Hands.

minviendha: Sometime after getting his soul back, Sam falls ill. It's nothing life threatening, but he feels pretty miserable and can't really get out of bed - though he does try. Sam plays it down, but Dean won't have that. Ever since Sam's soul is back and Dean knows it's only a matter of time until the wall breaks and he loses his brother again, Dean is even more overprotective than in his best days, and now Sam's sick, he is in full "Take you medicine!"/"If you get up one more time I'll tie you to the bed!"/"Shut up and let me read you a bedtime story!" big brother mode. Pause.

minviendha: Sam decides to stay with his family instead of going to Stanford after his father gives him the ultimatum. The hunting life slowly begins to eat away at Sam, & his family can see it happening. Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees.

wave_obscura: Dean has to feed Sam ice chips. Ice Chips.

youaredriving: If poison ivy is burned and the smoke then inhaled, this rash will appear on the lining of the lungs, causing extreme pain and possibly fatal respiratory difficulty. Like An Old Biddy.

blueeyedliz: Sam's wall cracks again, and this time he's out for much longer than 3 minutes. Dean knows that every second is an eternity, but he can't manage to bring Sam back. He figures the best way to snap Sam back into the here and now is to emphasize the differences/good things about reality. But the opposite of torture is... hugs and puppies? I'd love for this to have some degree of awkwardness to it, cuz it's not like Dean's used to just holding his brother, but Sam needs it (and not-so-secretly likes it) and Dean's going to do whatever it takes. Eventually, when Dean sees Sam uncovering potentially wall-damaging memories, he takes a preemptive approach. Maybe they're both a little sheepish, but, really, neither's going to give up the chance to be close AND stave off hell!seizures at the same time. Gen preferred. The Reluctant Romantic.

mercuryblue144Sam still keeps the voicemail from 4x22 even after all this time. He needs not to let himself forget about what he has done and what he is. So whenever Dean smiles at him or talks with him like he really cares, whenever he feels little blip of happiness or normalcy, whenever he thinks he has done something well, whenever he starts believing Dean has forgiven him... he has to reach out to his mobile and listen to the message.

This way he can remind himself he cannot be forgiven, that this is what Dean really thinks of him, and that he is living on borrowed time without any hope for atonement. Who Won't Let A Coward Run.

si_star_x: Schmoopy fluffy prompt! *confetti* Something happens where Sam is forced to cut his hair super short and he ends up being really depressed about it. Dean gives him a hard time about it at first because, hey it's just hair it'll grow back, but eventually he sees how much it's really bothering Sam and comforts him like whoa. "Did I ask for a haircut?

monicawoe: Sam realises he's being manipulated and turns the tables on Ruby. The BoyKing steps up to the plate and not only gets Dean out of Hell before he can pick up the knife, he forces Ruby to abandon Lilith and serve him.

Suddenly there's civil war in Hell and Heaven is completely baffled, so Castiel is sent to find out what's going on. Sam is somehow still fundamentally SAM, though, and manages to hold onto himself. No demon blood. No nothing. Nothing Left To Lose.

monicawoe: So Sam's all put back together again and Robo!Sam, like a good terrifying attack dog, is once again leashed and under the firm management of Sam's soul. Everything is good -- or is it?

[Cut for length] Sam's amoral side has gotten stronger in the year it was at large. It devises better plans, faster. Its inner voice is louder and more persuasive -- and when Sam listens, it gets results. [Further cut for length] As Sam struggles to recover Dean's trust and re-examine himself, Sam and Dean sink into a lonely spiral of second-guessing and paranoia -- while the line between Sam and his inner SkyNet ripples and blurs. Don't Worry.

ratherastory: The Jessica Moore Sam was living with at Stanford? Not his adult girlfriend, but his barely out of diapers kid. Mom died in childbirth, took off, whatever, but Sam's left with his baby and when Dean breaks in, he finds Sam alone in a small apartment with his little girl. If That Mockingbird Don't Sing

radiumgirl: Gen, preseries with a connect to season 6, Dean POV - it sucks when your Boy Scout little brother suffers heatstroke mowing lawns in 110 degree heat because he wants to earn some honest cash. It makes you freak out because, sure, the kid's a giant pain in the ass, but he's kind of your whole world. It sucks more when it happens again years later, not because he's mowing lawns, God don't you just wish, but because it's a 110 degrees and he wandered off into the desert heat during a wall crumbling sort of fugue and he doesn't know you (at first) or what's happening to him and he thinks he's that same snot-nosed teenager in the hospital after a heatstroke, asking when Dad's gonna get there. How do you keep from breaking the kid's heart and maybe ripping down that last shred of wall? You can't tell him Dad's dead and you aren't sure if you should do anything to make him come back to his adult reality because, let's face it, his reality is nothing but pain. But, he's still your world and you still stay by him, comforting and cooling him down and, no not the hospital this time, just a cool bath and rag on the forehead, and your heart breaking into a thousand pieces as you tell him "Dad'll be here soon, Sammy. Shh, he'll be here soon. I promise."

Saying you promise is almost like the first step to saying goodbye and it hurts. The Hollow of his Hand.

captainlon: "Appointment in Samarra" fic: Robosam shatters his leg when Bobby springs the trap door on him. It's a compound fracture, but Bobby is content to let him stew in his pain for a little while because, well, it's Robosam. But then he starts to notice Robo drifting into shock, and, dammit, Dean will be so pissed if he comes back with Sam's soul and finds the body dead, so, fine, FINE, Bobby will go tend to Robosam. Except...well...Robosam still really wants to stab Bobby in the neck, so things get a little awkward. Deadly Patient.

tversan: Sam's fourteen and at home waiting for John and Dean to come back forms hunt. After a week and a half - three more days that Dad had said - Sam has worked himself into in a panic. They could be hurt, they could be dead, how would Sam know? He calls Bobby and Pastor Jim but neither have heard from John. So he decides to hot-wire a car and go to wherever John and Dean are supposed to be. Except his timing sucks and a couple of cops spot him just as the car starts. He doesn't even have time to run away.

I don't know what CPS would do under these circumstances, so if it's easier have John and Dean drive up right then, great, otherwise they can return the next day, perfectly fine. The hunt just took longer than expected. What I want is a fourteen year old Sam in juvie for a couple of weeks. He's small and scared shitless and hand to hand combat is great - when they're not ganging up on you. Juvie.

si_star_x: Sam breaks his leg during a hunt, and badly so. It's shattered, in the puke-your-guts-out painful, going to take a long time to heal and probably will leave him with a limp for the rest of his life kind of way. And all he wants is to lie there and scream, or die or something, but Dean's upstairs, waiting for the thing that attacked Sam, and Sam just found out that their method for killing it doesn't work. So he has to warn Dean, but his cell's broken and Dean's in a soundproof room (or simply out of earshot), somewhere at the top of an awful lot of stairs.

But if Sam Winchester can't run to his brother's rescue, he's going to crawl to it. A little pain isn't going to stop him. The Climb.

minviendha: Some demon with insight into the cage (or Lucifer or Michael themselves, however they'd be able to) taunt Dean with stories about things that have been done to Sam in hell. Through the Glass.

monicawoe: Someone -- Gordon Walker, Walt and Roy, the gang from Free 2B U & Me, whoever -- has it in for Sam. The kicker? They know enough -- about Sam's past, his powers, his *cough*cravings*cough* weaknesses, his HELL SEIZURES -- to put him through some seriously rough times, and bring the inhuman parts of him right up to the surface.

That's before Dean rescues Sam and shoots the crap out of his captors, of course. But by the time he arrives, Sam's already pretty messed up . . . Less and More.

4422shini: Somehow, with bogus insurance and no money our boys always end up alone in their hospital room. But what if that wasn't the case? I want Sam, any injury, stuck sharing a hospital room with the roommie (or family of roomie) from hell. You can make this angsty or comical, just make sure Sam is annoyed beyond belief by having to share a room with someone else. My only stipulation is that the injury is bad enough to keep him there for a couple days, but not so bad that he's unable to gripe and bitch.' Of Hospitals, Roommates and Puke.

vail_kagami: While Dean is in the past (4.03 In the Beginning, that would be) angels (Uriel or anyone, really) find Sam. Suffering ensues, however the writer wants to go about it. Dean comes back and flips about three and a half shits. Getting Lower Ever Since.

greeneyes_fan: People who deal with crisis, or who live in a situation of long-term, ongoing crisis, develop coping mechanisms, behaviors and even personality traits that are excellent for coping with crisis--but which make for lousy methods of functioning in the real world (i.e. a state of affairs where there is not a crisis going on).

What behaviors and traits has Sam acquired in the last few years that maybe he didn't have before, or that are exaggerated versions of earlier ones, which might preclude being able to actually function effectively in ordinary society? Not necessarily the more dramatic possibilities, like the impacts of traumatic memories--what about things like needing to keep constantly busy, or a tendency toward hypervigilance, or a reduced capacity for compassion? Does suppressing his own feelings lead to an inability to empathize with others? Does he feel a sense of relief when something hugely problematic happens because at least this is a situation he knows how to deal with?

Gen, please. Motion Sickness.

quickreaver: Michael and Lucifer fight and they fight over Sam, ripping his soul between their fiery maws like he's a chew toy. [cut for length] Sometimes Michael and Lucifer get caught up in fighting and forget that they're fighting over Sam. [cut some more] hey, it's Hell! NEAT. You don't get to die and Sam lies there, drawing broken breaths through shattered lungs, cast off and forgotten until Lucifer, tired and weary from battle, comes slumping back to him. And he picks up his forgotten toy, drags Sam's limp body to his corner of the cage while he and Michael lick their wounds[further cut]. And there, bit by bit, stitch by stitch, he puts Sam back together again. Kiss With A Fist Is Better Than None.

youaredriving: A resouled Sam discovers that not only was he sleeping around, he was also not so interested in the concept of consent. Cue Sam getting flashbacks of Sam raping or killing a woman that leave Sam puking and absolutely horrified. Untitled.

killabeez: If someone can just find a way for Sam to give Dean the amulet back, and for Dean to be surprised/genuinely touched/really really grateful, that would be amazing. Especially as an understated (but obvious) thing, because he's supposed to be looking out for Sammy, not the other way around. Maybe Sam's dying, and wants to leave a little bit of himself behind with Dean so he doesn't do anything batshit crazy this time. However you do it is great, I just need the amulet back, and for it to be a good thing. That's Why I Hold With All I Have.

27_jaredjensen: sometime season 6, Dean, Sam: Gen bed sharing, forehead feels, neck massage because of headaches, Nyquil, theraflu, hot tea, bad, awful dreams because he can't sleep (you know GOOD sleep), and finally just some good ol' Tussionex which tastes like candy pineapples and has hydrocodone to kill the cough. It also makes Sam sooooooo relaxed until he's sort of floating, in and out, tucked in against Dean on some motel bed somewhere in nowhere land, wrapped in blankets, clutching a roll of toilet paper, and catching random moments of either all of the Lord of the Rings or all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies which Dean watches to pass the time while Sam finally sleeps it off. Medicated.

Anonymous: Sam loses his hearing at Stanford. Untitled.

nanoks: Sam comes back from hell cold and touch-starved. He has to be in his hoodie at all times. Maybe he smokes? He's always twitchy and on-edge. He can never just be comfortable. But he has his brother, and his brother does what he can. Wincest is welcome. A Tender Touch.

dante_s_hell: Sam's tweaked his back pretty bad, so Dean gives him a massage. Thoroughly. Twist and Shout.

de_nugis: Dean settles down in due course with Lisa and Ben. Retires from hunting, because he won't bring his work home with him to endanger his family. Sam tries to do the same, to make a civilian life for himself and be content with his place in Dean's family, but it's hard. He still feels like he should be out there atoning for what he's done, and though Lisa and Ben include him for Dean's sake, he's always a bit on the margins. So he ends up hunting again. He still sees Dean when he can, but he stays away from Lisa's out of the same fear that made Dean retire -- he's not going to have something evil follow him back to Dean's home.

And in the end every hunter is going to draw the short straw. Sam gets hurt on a hunt alone, and he knows it's the end. At least he's luckier than most in having an angel on speed dial. He knows Cas isn't allowed to heal him, but what he can do is get Dean. They say their goodbyes. Last Call.

gwendolynd: Sam is flogged within an inch of his life (literally) for whatever reason. Untitled.

darth_firefly: Sam's tweaked his back pretty bad, so Dean gives him a massage. Thoroughly. Wincest or gen, but prefer the focus to be on the massage (the pain/pleasure of Dean digging his thumbs in, working out knots, making Sam groan in ways that sound good and bad) instead of sex. Massage.

authoressnebula: People begin to disappear, and only Sam seems to notice. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Now with a sequel! Everybody Standing Around Us.

bythedamned: Sam tries & fail to cope with the fact that Mary sold him before he was even born in exchange for John's life. Cue Dean being an awesome big brother. One to Sell.

emmram: After experiencing what a crack in the wall is like, Sam dutifully stops "scratching". After a while, though, he starts to experience migraines and fevers and his general health goes downhill . When he finally collapses, Dean has Castiel check him out. Castiel tells them that the wall is holding, but there's so much pressure building behind it that it's killing Sam, and eventually the pressure will just destroy the wall entirely. In order to prevent that from happening, Sam will need to let some of the pressure out every once and a while - meaning every few months he'll need to scratch just a tiny bit and open a pressure valve of sorts, letting just enough hell through to slack off the pressure for a while... The Fragile Substance of My Soul.

minviendha: Sam and Dean are ambushed by a posse of anti-Sam hunters and killed. Dean moves on, but Sam sticks around, pissed about the fact that when the hunters took him out, they took Dean too. A few years pass and Bobby gets wind of some violent deaths going down in the area where the Winchesters fell. He does the math and doesn't like the answer he gets, heads out to put Sam Winchester to rest once and for all. The Ghosts You Know.

captainlon: Sam (and Dean?) go spirit-walking (as in Death Takes A Holiday? Or a curse?) and after they get back in their bodies (break the curse?) Sam's consciousness keeps slipping loose like part of a cheap plastic toy with the insertion tabs broken off.

Cue uncontrolled, random fainting, disturbing astral plane encounters, frantic Dean, and neat ghost tricks. Fragile.

cherry916: Post 6x12. Ever since Sam got his soul back, he's suffered almost constant headaches due to the pressure from the wall. He tries to hide it, but Dean, being an awesome big brother, notices and does his best to help Sam cope with the pain. Under Pressure.

crazybeagle: Sam develops chronic muscle spasms around/near that scar on his back.When it Counted Most.

ancastar: For some reason Sam receives 20 lashes. Dean is made to witness the punishment and suffers each stroke with Sam. Bearable.

emmram: Uriel gets a hold of Sam and Dean and wants to use them against Castiel in the civil war. [prompt cut for length] Ruin.

harrigan: Stanford-era. Sam's got a trick knee from the hunting life -- usually it's okay, but once in a while it hurts enough that he favors it noticeably. He does something to re-injure this knee and iss so used to treating his own injuries that he brushes off Jess' pleas to visit a doctor and wraps it and ices it by himself, like he's always done. The injury is far more serious than he realized, and it just keeps on getting worse -- cue Jess getting kind of frantic and begging him to go to a doctor. Locus Standi.

4thejourney: Sam's visions and nightmares developed at a much earlier age. The more they progress, the harder it is for him to cope and keep his grip on reality. The headaches and lack of sleep eventually become too much and he turns to cutting to keep himself grounded. Cue awesome big brother Dean who does what he can by coaxing him through the hard times (I'd love a scene where Dean takes a knife from Sam's hand and mention of how he reacts to seeing fresh cuts on Sam's arm), but knows he ultimately can't make Sam stop and it could be something that they'll have to deal with for the rest of their lives. My Scars To Remind Me

crazybeagle: SPOILERS FOR 6x15, THE FRENCH MISTAKE. Dean says to Sam "you don't seem all that eager to get back to our universe" (paraphrased). The reason Sam isn't chomping at the bit to get back (even though he knows they have to return) is that in this universe there's no demons, no magic, etc. That means no demon blood, and no addiction. It's the first time in a long time that he hasn't felt that constant hunger niggling away at him. It's such an incredible relief, not to feel that addiction, and he didn't realize how much it was weighing on him until it was gone. Add to that the fact that no hell = no need for a wall, and Sam feels better than he has since, well, ages.

Once they return to their universe, though, the addiction and the hunger and the itching wall all crash back down on him. It's depressing and exhausting and overwhelming. Dean eventually figures out what's going on (Sam can tell him or he can figure it out on his own) and does his best to help Sam readjust. Tabula Rasa.

Sorry for the delay in getting the list up. Please let me know if I've left out your fill! :)

Current Mood: happy

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From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

**

Sam feels worse when he wakes up. His mouth feels full of cotton and his throat is raspy and dry. There’s a headache behind his eyes with a thud like a heartbeat and both his legs and back feel like they might be cramping. He doesn’t want to move let alone attempt anything else.

So maybe Dean had a little bit of a good idea suggesting a break.

He only lets the thought skate across the surface of his brain for a moment before summarily executing it. It’s still not that bad. He’s not a wuss. A couple fever-reducer-pain-relievers and he’ll be good as new. Sam coughs weakly into his elbow and turns his head to tell Dean so when he realizes, extremely belatedly, that the Impala is stopped and Dean is not there.

Sam is about two seconds away from an unwarranted, embarrassing, and probably painful panic when the door opens and Dean slides in.

“Where were you?” Sam mumbles, through a throat that feels full of gravel.

“The drug store,” says Dean. “Thought about waking you up, but you were out. Here, drink some of this.” He drops a bottle of water on Sam’s lap and narrows his eyes. “You sound worse. Do you feel worse?”

“I feel fine,” Sam says, and hunches under the blanket. Dean does him the favor of not laughing at the more than weak attempt at a lie.

“Sure, Sam,” Dean says, and then uncaps the water bottle like Sam can’t do it himself. “I’m serious, drink some. We’re heading to the motel and getting you medicated and in bed. How’s that sound?”

Sam tries to glare, but he has a feeling it comes off pretty feeble. He takes the water bottle and has a careful sip. “M’not six.”

“Maybe eight,” says Dean, a little too lightly, and guns the engine. “On a good day.” Sam would throw something at him, but all he has is the bottle of water and he kind of wants to hold onto that. So he settles for huffing and putting his forehead against the window. It’s cool and feels pretty good on his too-warm face.

He must have said that out loud because Dean says, “I bet it does, Sammy,” and jostles his shoulder, just a little.

**

Sam tries to resist being manhandled into the motel room for no reason other than stubborn pride. Bed, no matter what the condition of it, is sounding better and better. And it isn’t like his feeble resistance does any good anyway.

He pauses, swaying a little, and stares at the motel room. “Looks normal,” he murmurs, blearily, but then everything is getting a little bleary. Dean grunts and steadies him with a hand in the middle of his back.

“Don’t sound so surprised. Come on, Sasquatch. Pay attention. Bed’s over there, get in it. I’m going back out to get your meds. Oh yeah, and you probably want to change. I will put you in PJs if I have to.”

“Bossy,” Sam mutters, and shuffles forward cautiously. “That’s my job,” Dean agrees, and Sam glances over his shoulder to glare. Dean just Looks at him until he goes back to moving, managing to flop onto the bed and roll over onto his stomach without further instruction, and great, now his nose is starting to run.

He rolls over, fixes his eyes on the Kleenex box on the desk, and starts to get up. From the door, he hears, “Get back in bed,” barked, and gets back into bed before he can even think.

Then he lifts his head and glares at Dean, who just glares back. “I was getting a Kleenex,” Sam protests, and Dean looks for the box and brings it over, and then goes so far as to pull out a tissue and hand it to him.

Sam blows his nose and tries to manage a solid bitchface, but Dean is ignoring him. “I’m not helpless,” Sam says.

“Course not,” Dean agrees, and then holds out two pills and a glass of water. “Take your medicine, Sammy.” Sam takes the medicine and Dean nods approvingly. “Right,” he says, “Now naptime.”

“Bring me my laptop,” Sam says. Dean just looks at him, doesn’t bother to respond. “I’m not tired,” he whines, and damn, he’s regressing more in age every minute, that’s a bad sign.

“Too bad,” Dean says ruthlessly. “Close your eyes and pretend.” There is something tense and tight in Dean’s tone that Sam doesn’t like, but he’s too tired and miserable to pick at it. He rolls over again and loses track of things for a while.

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

When he comes blinking awake, it’s to Dean saying “take your medicine,” again, in a tone that brooks no discussion. Sam can hear the TV, volume on low, and glances at the window. It’s almost dusk. It was midmorning when they checked in. “What’d you give me,” he mutters. “Sleeping pills?”

Dean’s palm finds his forehead and feels it, and by the frown, he doesn’t like what he finds. Sam doesn’t feel worse but he doesn’t really feel better either, except maybe his headache’s faded. A little. He shoves at Dean’s hand, which is now practically under his nose with its burden of pills.

“Don’ want meds,” he says, far less coherently than he would like.

“Too bad,” says Dean. “I don’t like the way your temperature’s going.”

“Unh,” Sam says, which is intended to be disagreement but doesn’t really come out sounding like anything. He takes the pills, and glowers at Dean. “You happy?” His throat still hurts, and so does talking. He kind of just wants to go back to sleep, but he doesn’t really want to go back to sleep.

“Not really,” Dean says, and Sam pinpoints the look on his face as ‘worried.’

“M’fine,” he says, because he doesn’t want Dean to worry. “Had worse.”

“Yeah,” says Dean, “I know.” Which he would, since he was around for most of them. Cleaning up puke and hauling Sam to the ER and – well, everything. Except Hell.

Which he must have said aloud again by accident because Dean’s expression spasms and suddenly he’s right in Sam’s face saying, “Don’t think about that, Sam, don’t you even think about thinking about-” and Sam just blinks at him blankly, because he doesn’t really think he can think about anything right now. Maybe not for a while.

“M’fine,” he says, as grumpily as possible, but Dean doesn’t really look soothed.

“Go to sleep,” Dean says, and Sam can almost hear, that’s an order. Imagines Dean dressed up like a drill sergeant and snorts before burrowing more into the pillow. Hot and cold washes through his body in waves and he closes his eyes.

**

“How d’you feel?”

“No hallucinations yet,” Sam says before he’s fully awake, and the slight pause jolts him the rest of the way out of his pleasant haze and blinking at Dean, who has paused momentarily.

“I’d hope not,” said his brother finally, in that too light voice that means that Sam said something wrong, which - it was really supposed to be a joke. At least, he thinks so. Sam’s eyes feel full of grit and he’s achier than ever. It has evidently been a while since he had a fever, because he forgot how much it feels like crap.

Dean pokes a thermometer at him and just says, “Hold that,” while he gets up and starts fishing in the bag of supplies. Sam kicks off his blankets and tries to sit up, holding the thermometer and not taking his temperature, but he only gets about forty-five degrees off the bed before Dean snaps, “And stay where you are,” with a slight note of near menace in his voice.

Sam goes back down with a sigh. “I’m hot,” he complains, and great, now he’s losing his voice.

“Not surprised. And if you’re talking, you’re not taking your temp, so…” Dean surfaces with a box that he flashes at Sam. “You’d better be grateful. I’m making you tea. And you’re going to drink the whole thing.”

“Deeeean,” says Sam, deliberately childish, and then breaks off in a fit of coughing that makes his stomach hurt.

“And that,” says Dean emphatically, “Is why we’re not going anywhere. Not until you kick this – whatever it is.”

“It’s not that bad,” Sam says, again, what must be the tenth time. Dean snorts.

“I can still hear you. Do I have to do something drastic with that thermometer?”

“Fuck you,” Sam says raspily, and puts the thermometer under his tongue, leans back on the pillows, and sulks. He notes that the other bed still shows no signs of being slept on, and wonders why he’s surprised.

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

The thermometer beeps a second later while Dean is still busy, and Sam dares to pull it out and check the number. He frowns at it and rolls uncomfortably over.

He just woke up. He is not going back to sleep. Just resting his eyes.

“You’re not going back to sleep,” Dean agrees. “Tea, and food. And then bed. What’s the magic number?”

Sam just stares at Dean, busy trying to figure out what ‘magic number’ means, until Dean shakes his head and just says, “I’ll take that as an answer, then.” Dean snags the thermometer and looks at it, frowns too. “If this doesn’t clear up in a couple days…I think it’s med time again.”

Sam spends a few more minutes trying to work out ‘magic number’ before giving up and considering Dean instead. His big brother has always been pretty much a nag when it comes to Sam being sick, and yet. It seems worse this time around. When Sam finally finds something to say, he decides on, “Little overboard, Dean.”

“Who’s overboard?” Dean says innocently, turning away, and Sam is pretty sure he’s got it right, though he’s not sure scrambled as his brain feels right now just how he managed that feat.

“M’not going anywhere,” he says, and Dean ruffles his hair and is helping him sit up, which makes everything reel a little so he barely hears the, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Sammy.”

**

The tea is fine. The saltines don’t go so well, and apparently whatever he has is messing with his stomach too, because Sam has a brand new bucket all to his own and a whole new level of miserable. Dean looks worried. Well, doesn’t look, but he can tell because whenever Dean is worried he gets even bossier than usual. The first time he threw up he managed to make the toilet, but while dragging him back to bed and pouring him under the sheets, Dean informed him that if Sam so much as twitched Dean was going to strap him to the bed for as long as is necessary.

Sam knows better than to not take Dean seriously on that threat.

He stays where he is with a bucket for company, and watches Dean’s back as he putters around the room, which is fast starting to smell like sweat and vomit. ‘Putters’ is maybe not a very Dean sort of word, but if he’s going to act like a mother hen Sam figures he deserves it, even only mentally. “Dean,” he rasps, finally.

“Uh-uh,” Dean says, “I can hear a Talk coming a mile away in that tone, and now is not the time.”

Sam settles for, “I’m really fine,” which is less convincing than it should be considering how wasted his voice sounds and the fact that the ice bucket is not there for ice. Dean glances at him, and does not say yeah, but for how long. Sam can hear it anyway.

He groans a little and lets his head fall back with a thunk. Yeah, he knew that was a long shot.

“Go to sleep, Sam,” Dean says firmly.

“I just don’t want you to,” Sam starts to say, and Dean turns around and gives him that Look, again, and Sam stops talking.

“Try some more tea,” says Dean, forcefully.

“No,” says Sam, equally forcefully, and they stare at each other for a while. Sam gives in first, because he can’t hold his head up for that long, but Dean comes over a second later and his voice is a little quieter. Apparently as far as he’s concerned the danger of a Talk has passed. Which it probably has.

“Headache?” Dean asks. Sam shakes his head just a little, though there’s probably one on the way. There always is. “Nauseous?” Sam shakes his head again, and Dean nods approvingly.

“More saltines,” he orders, and Sam imagines saying sir, yes, sir to Drill Sergeant Dean and snorts again, and just ends up with snot on the sheets.

Amazingly, Dean doesn’t even comment. He wipes it off, and gives Sam a saltine and a glass of water. Sam figures it might be a little bit of an apology for not allowing any of the touchy-feely crap that Sam usually gets allowances for when sick.

He hopes his wan smile is sufficient thanks for both.

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

**

“I swear to god you’re enjoying this,” Sam rasps, and nibbles carefully on another saltine. That Dean feels the need to take out of the box for him.

“No idea what you’re talking about, Sammy,” says Dean. “Now shut up. Bedtime story.”

“Aw, shit,” Sam says, and gives Dean the best plaintive stare he can manage. The corner of Dean’s mouth curves upwards a little, which would be satisfying if it weren’t for the fact that he clears his throat and ignores Sam completely.

“All right. Here goes – uh, ‘A Highlander Never Surrenders,’ by Paula Adams.” Dean glances up, briefly, propping the book open. “I hope you haven’t heard this one before.”

“You’re going to make me barf all over again,” Sam warns. Dean just grins at him, and it almost makes Sam feel better, just that. So maybe Dean’s scared, maybe he’s worried. (Maybe Sam is, a little, too.) Maybe he misses being a big brother, and maybe Sam sometimes (sometimes) misses being a little one.

Can’t hurt that much to give him that, right?

And with that revelation, Sam lurches over the side of the bed and does throw up, which sucks, but it feels better than he’d ever admit when Dean shoves him back in bed and pushes his hair out of his face, hand resting for a moment on his forehead. “Dean,” he sighs, but not really in protest.

“Shut up, Sammy,” says Dean, nothing but affectionate.

From:

alphabet26.livejournal.com

Aww, so sweet!

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

Apparently, I defy my own expectations of all hurt no comfort. >> Thank you!

From:

greeneyes-fan.livejournal.com

Oh, this is so warm and fuzzy and lovable. Like a kitten.

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

I don't even know what happened. I never write things like this. >>

Thank you!

From:

greeneyes-fan.livejournal.com

Everyone needs kittenfic sometimes.

I gotta ask, is your username a combination of the names of two fictional women who have something in common?

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

...yes, as a matter of fact it is. Although 'someone' might be more accurate. >>

From:

vail-kagami.livejournal.com

Awesome fill. Thank you so much!

It's been not so long since I was sick myself, so I was really feeling with Sam here. Fortunately, he has a really awesome big brother to care for him.

I loved how they fell back into their old roles through this, and the understated worry about Sam's future.

Edited Date: 2011-02-24 06:08 am (UTC)

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

I never write anything like this (or almost never) but the prompt just made me smile too much not to try. And hey, it was fun to write.

I'm glad it worked for you!

From:

ariadnes-string.livejournal.com

bossy!Dean is love!

From:

minviendha.livejournal.com

I rather enjoyed writing him, too. XD

From:

marziebarz.livejournal.com

THIS WAS SO CUTE!!! And I coulda sworn I commented already but apparently I lie. Anyways, I love Dean being bossy whenever Sam gets sick, so that was awesome, and I love even more fever!Sam's somewhat incoherent ramblings, so this was just about the greatest thing ever.

Also, HAH! PROOF THAT YOU CAN DO HAPPY THINGS!!! ^_^