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Sam wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t feel sick, but he didn’t feel healthy either. He was stuck with that uncomfortable feeling when you know your getting sick and there’s nothing to be done but wait for it to come and pass.
He didn’t complain and he thought he’d hidden it well, but he should have known that Castiel would see through his facade.
"Come… I’ll make you some tea." Castiel took Sam’s hand and gently pulled him to the kitchen. He sat the hunter down at the table and went to the stove. The burner made a few clicks as he lit it. He filled the tea kettle with water and set it on the burner.
Castiel slowly opened the wooden cupboard, letting the old wood groan gently. He grabbed the canister of Sam’s favorite tea and got it down. He set the canister on the table where Sam was sitting and smiled at Sam’s questioning glance.
Castiel then returned to the cupboard and brought down two teacups, tapping his fingernails a few times as he also brought them over to the table.
One by one, Castiel brought items to the table at a calm and steady speed, each movement he made was slow and deliberate. He knew that Sam would find the pace and movement to be soothing on it’s own.
Before the kettle could whistle, Castiel snatched it up off the stove top and turned off the burner. He set the kettle on a panholder on the table and then sat down across from Sam.
"смотреть." Castiel said softly, eyebrows raised. Sam’s dopey smile widened at the Russian word, just as Castiel expected. And he had Sam’s full attention.
Slowly, Castiel opened the canister of loose tea leaves and pulled out the tea ball and spoon. He opened the tea ball and set it aside while Sam watched. Then he took the spoon and started sifting through the leaves with it. A soft ‘kshh kshhh’ sound was made with each stir and sift. The leaves crunched and moved, the noise being amplified by the metal container. He stirred and sifted for a minute, watching Sam out of the corner of his eyes, before he finally scooped a heap into the tea ball and closed it.
Castiel set the tea ball in the cup closest to Sam with a gentle ‘clack’ and let the chain dangle off the side. Then he wrapped his hands around the cup and slowly tapped on it. The light ‘tink tink’ sounds of his nails hitting the ceramic changed pitch as he tried tapping different areas. The top of the cup, the bottom, the small handle. Then he moved the cup around on the wooden surface. Slowly, almost casually, as if the movement were incidental. He could hear it catch on each difference in the wood grain and pattern.
He let go of the cup and grabbed the tea kettle. He slowly poured, letting the water sounds soothe Sam and himself. Then he picked up the small sugar bowl and spoon. While the tea steeped, he stirred and sifted. The ‘kshh kshh’ sound was finer without the crunching. Every once in a while the spoon would tap the side of the bowl, a light ‘clink’.
Smoothly, Castiel removed the tea ball and dumped a teaspoon of sugar in at the same time. The tea ball was set in the empty cup on the side and he stirred the sugar into the tea, letting the spoon clink against the side in a regular time.
When he was satisfied, Castiel removed the spoon and slid the cup closer to Sam, who looked as though he could barely hold his head up any longer.
"And after tea…. a nap, I think." Castiel whispered.