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“No, Sam. There is no fucking way you are coming with me.”
“Seriously Dean? It’s a cold. I’m not dying.”
“You’re right, you aren’t dying, but you easily could die if you come along.”
“Really Dean? Exaggerating much?”
“No, dumbass. First of all, this is a Werewolf, which means it has wicked good hearing and we need to be stealthy. You can’t stop coughing for more than two minutes at a time. It’ll totally hear us coming if you’re there.”
As if Dean summoned it to prove a point, Sam let out a huge hacking cough that led to several other coughs until Sam could barely breathe. Dean took pity on his brother and thumped him hard on the back until the coughing finally subsided. Dean took Sam’s need to catch his breath to press on.
“Secondly, you look ready to faint on me right here and now and we’ve been resting at the motel all day.”
“Only girls faint, Dean.”
“My point exactly,” Dean said with a smirk. Sam threw a bitch face his way, but Dean ignored it and continued. “And lastly, You are all flushed, which means you’re running a pretty good fever.”
Dean snaked an arm out and placed the back of his hand on Sam’s head before Sam could dodge out of the way. Dean frowned at the heat coming off his little brother. It was even more than he’d anticipated. Much higher and he’d be forcing Sam into a cool bath.
“Yeah, there is no way you are coming with me tonight, dude. Those heat waves you’re throwing off are way too much for me to let you out of the damn motel room, let alone a hunt.”
“I’m going with Dean, you need backup. I won’t let you do this alone.”
“It’ll be a milk run, Sammy. It’s just one werewolf. I’ll be fine.”
“Every time we say it’s a milk run something goes wrong. No way are you going by yourself.”
“Ok, Sammy.” Dean sighed. “I’ll get the bags ready to go. Just go sit on the bed. I want you to rest right up until we leave ok?”
Sam rolled his eyes at what he felt was overprotection from Dean, but listened anyway. He didn’t want to incur the big brother wrath that Dean demonstrated any time Sam was injured or sick and refused to take it easy.
Dean disappeared out the motel room and Sam could hear the trunk pop open and then close a few minutes later. He carried in one of the duffels and the med kit and Sam groaned.
“I don’t want to hear it Sam, that fever is too high. I just want you to take an Advil. Just bring it down a bit.”
Again Sam rolled his eyes, but took the pills that Dean handed him. Dean utilized this moment to snap a pair of handcuffs on his brother and hook the other side to the bed frame.
“What the hell Dean?!”
“Sorry, Sammy. I can’t let you come on this hunt. You are too sick and there's too much risk for something to go wrong if you’re there.”
Dean took another set of cuffs and wrestled with Sam for his other arm. Sam was doing a fine job of holding his own until another massive cough came barrelling out and Dean took the opportunity to snap the other cuffs closed, effectively pinning Sam’s upper half to the headboard. Sam would not easily get out of this arrangement. And while it was unlikely that Sam would even be able to gain access to any lock picking materials hidden on his body, Dean patted Sam down, making sure to remove any paper clips and bobby pins attached to Sam’s clothes.
“Dean, please. Do not leave me like this.”
“I’m sorry, Sam. I really am. This is not how I wanted tonight to go.”
Dean picked up the bag and Sam panicked. “Dean, stop! You can’t just imprison me in the damn hotel room.”
“I can, and I am.”
And with that, Dean walked out of the room and to the Impala. Sam’s breathing sped up as he heard the engine start up and leave the parking lot. Sam’s brain decided to be extremely unhelpful and supplied him with countless scenarios of Dean and the Werewolf. Dean getting clawed to shreds, bitten and turned, pushed into a wall and killed from head trauma and an endless number of other horrific ways this hunt could go wrong.
To make matters worse, Sam had a realization: iIf Dean was killed on this hunt, Sam was stuck like this until someone found him. It made him remember the time Becky entranced him with a love spell and tied him to the bed when it started to wear off. Thinking about being tied up and waiting threw his mind back to the cage, when Lucifer would tie him up and leave him for days, weeks even. Letting the anticipation slowly drive him mad. Sam continued to spiral. The awful thoughts caused his breathing to speed up even further. His lungs protested with violent coughs, cutting off his oxygen intake further and causing his body to scream in need.
Dean returned to find his brother in a blinding panic. Breathing so fast and hard he was choking on the little air he was managing to get in between vicious painful sounding coughs. Dean had sustained a few minor injuries, but they were immediately ignored when Dean saw the state Sam was in.
Dean rushed to Sam's side and released both sets of cuffs. Sam didn’t even seem to notice Dean’s arrival or his release from restraints, too locked inside his own head. Dean pulled Sam to his chest and began speaking to him in low soothing tones. He didn’t even know what he was saying to Sam, just kept murmuring softly to him.
After what felt like ages, Sam seemed to return to himself, becoming more cognizant to the world around him. When Dean saw Sam’s watery gaze directed up at him he sighed in relief.
“Hey, Sammy. Just breathe okay?”
Sam nodded and focused his attention on trying to match the exaggerated breaths Dean was taking for him. It took several minutes, but Sam was finally able to return himself to a semi normal breathing pattern. The coughing was still persistent, but at least he could pull in good amounts of air in between them.
“Sorry.” Sam finally croaked out.
“Why are you apologizing, Sam? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I completely freaked out Dean. Being restrained like that should not have made me freak out the way it did. Dad taught me better than that. I should have kept my cool.”
“Was it the actual act of being restrained that sent you into the spiral?”
“Not at first.”
“Not at first?”
“First I was imagining all the ways that the hunt could go wrong when you didn’t have backup. Then my brain caught on to the fact that if something happened to you I was stuck like this and that just made me think of Becky and uh, Lucifer.”
As soon as Sam said Lucifer’s name, Dean felt guilty. His intention was to keep Sam safe, not dredge up his Hell trauma.
“I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t even think about how restraining you like that would affect you.”
“It’s fine, Dean. I’m fine”
“It isn’t though, Sam. I’m supposed to protect you, not hurt you further.”
“Dean. I’m fine. You calmed me down. You’re alive and safe from the hunt and I’m exhausted. Can we just pretend it didn’t happen and move on?”
Dean sighed. He didn’t want Sam to think it was ok, but his brother looked about ready to drop, so he let it go for now. He could continue berating himself for his stupidity in his head while Sam slept.
“Sure, Sam. Let’s get you to bed for the night.”
“Thanks, Dean.” Sam pulled away from Dean and laid down on the bed. Dean moved towards the bathroom, aiming to clean himself up, but Sam stopped him. “Oh, Dean?”
“Yeah Sam?
“Stop beating yourself up or I’m gonna crawl out of this bed and clock you.”
Dean couldn’t help the snort of laughter. “Alright Sammy. Just get some rest dude.”
Sam curled up on his side and was out before Dean even turned the shower on.