Scenes (SPN fic)

[Sawyer]

Despite the whole thing feeling really arbitrary, I'm really weirdly fond of this one. Not sure why I wrote it or where I wanted it to go!

-

-

Sam is surprised to have been able to get fully dressed and almost done with towel drying his hair by the time he has to sneeze again.

“Hh’hh… EhhpCHTSHhuh!”

Dean’s scrawling notes from last night’s hunt into the journal, and he doesn’t stop writing as he mumbles a lazy “bless you” over his shoulder.

“Ugh. Thanks.” Sam scrubs his face with the towel until the skin around his nose and cheeks is flushed pink.

“What’s with you, anyway? You’ve been doing that all morning.”

“Hh’uh! Hhuh… htEHTSHyew! God. Uhh. Sniff! Probably just allergies or something.”

“It’s the middle of November, but nice try.” Dean scribbles something else in the journal before slamming it shut and turning to face Sam, frowning at the way his brother rubs his temple before folding a pair of jeans.

“Might’ve caught something while we were out yesterday, then, I dunno. Sniff!”

“Yeah, well, keep it on your side of the room,” says Dean, but his words have no heat. He’d make it a point to pick up some of those stupid mentholated cough drops on his way back from breakfast.

-

“HuhUhhTSHCHuh! GodIkeepsneezing – HH’ESHHuh!”

“Jesus. Bless you.”

“HihH’CHSHyew! Ugh, this sucks.”

“Quit whining, Florence. Any news on the case yet?”

“Uh, yeah. Three dead, two s-suspects – hh! God, are you kidding me – huhISHHuh! Hh’IHSCHhUH!”

“Bless you. You don’t have to twist all the way around like that every time, dude; you’re going to hurt your back.”

“Manners, Dean.”

“Seriously? Man, don’t hurt yourself over it. I don’t care about that stuff.”

“Yeah, I know you don’t. But some people actually do care ab—hh! about being… godjesuschrist – HUH’EHTSHhuh!”

“Bless you – Oh, there, you see, Sammy? I’m polite.”

“No, you just have some sort of… obsessive compulsion to say that every time I sneeze. Not even for anybody else. I don’t even think you’re consciously doing it anymore. So. It doesn’t count.”

“Oh that’s rich, coming from the queen of OCD.”

“Not my point.”

“Whatever, Howard Hughes. You wanna hit the road?”

-

Dean has seen it dozens of times before, but for some reason he’s still shocked at the treatment his little brother gets from women when he’s fighting a cold. Maybe it’s the way his voice sounds, soft and mumbled and stuffy, or the way his eyes sometimes start to water when he gets this congested. He looks pale and miserable and pitiful, yet it still somehow seems to work in his favor.

“God bless you, agent,” their interviewee practically coos as she ushers Sam and Dean through her parlor and into the living room.

“HepNGHT’chyew! Excuse me. Thanks,” Sam says. His cheeks gain a little color, and Dean knows why. Sam doesn’t usually sneeze just once, especially not when he’s under the weather or when he tries to hold them in like that. Dean himself knows this and still makes a comment before he knows Sam is done – just to get under his brother’s skin – but strangers usually offer a blessing after the first sneeze, leaving Sam uselessly embarrassed when the second (and sometimes third) comes along.

“EHT’CHSHhuh!” At least he’s seemed to realize that stifling them isn’t getting him anywhere.

“Goodness! Bless you. Are you feeling okay?”

Sam smiles at her after sniffling against his wrist. “I’m fine, ah, thank you…” he starts, but gets interrupted by the witness pressing her hand against his back and leading him down the hall.

“Oh, you sound horrible. Come down this way, let me at least pour you a cup of tea…”

Sam looks back, shrugging at Dean who’s just starting to sit down. It’s not like this hasn’t happened to him before.

-

“Y’know,” Dean says as he starts up his baby’s engine, “it might be smart to use that to our advantage.”

“Use what?” Sam asks. He’s hunched over in his jacket, already messing with the heater and tilting all of the vents toward himself. “My cold?” He grabs a napkin from the glove compartment when his nose starts to run, the likely culprit being the change in temperature.

Dean shrugs. “You saw how well it worked in there – it was almost like she thought spilling all of the answers would help you feel better. Chicks dig the vulnerable thing.”

“I’m not vulnerable,” Sam objects, but he’s shivery and red-nosed and sniffling into a tissue so it’s a little hard for Dean to take him seriously.

In surrender, Dean replies, “Hey, just a suggestion,” as he takes a left turn toward the library.

-

“Jesus, what happened to you? I was only gone for, like, ten minutes.”

Dean sets a stack of archival records down on the library’s wooden table and reclaims his seat. He eyes his brother with disbelief; Sam’s hair is tousled and tangled and sticking up a little on one side, and the half-circles underneath his eyes seem to have darkened a couple shades.

“Did you fall asleep?”

Sam blinks a few times before he drags a hand down his face and then self-consciously tries to smooth down his hair. “Not…” he squeaks out, blushes, and clears his throat. “Not on purpose,” he tries again. A little better, but his voice is still weak and scratchy.

From behind an open folder, Dean asks, “You okay? Headache?”

“Uh… hh’NGKCHhuh! No, just… huhMMPtsh! Just that. Ugh.”

“Bless you.”

“HtESSHCH’yew!”

Dean doesn’t wait for Sam to recover before he starts sliding things over to his side of the table. A couple folders containing death records, old news articles, a half-empty plastic rectangle containing pocket tissues. “Careful, Sammy,” he teases. “Lots of dust.”

Sam rolls his eyes and reaches for the tissues. “Yeah, I got it.”

Edited December 4, 2014 by Sen Beret

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Ohh Ohh Ohh!

Sam is so adorable and Dean is so awesome!

[HPG]

Adorable, awesome, and completely in character. I love it and I hope you continue

[AngelEyes]

“HuhUhhTSHCHuh! GodIkeepsneezing – HH’ESHHuh!”

“Uh, yeah. Three dead, two s-suspects – hh! God, are you kidding me – huhISHHuh! Hh’IHSCHhUH!”

“Yeah, I know you don’t. But some people actually do care ab—hh! about being… godjesuschrist – HUH’EHTSHhuh!”

OMG. Adorable frustration. Squee! I love it!

[Sophie<3]

Oh my gosh, Sennie, this was AMAZING!! I'm on my phone, my friend's sitting on her bed next to me, so this is pretty darn risky, but I just wanted to check the forum quickly and found this and wanted to let you know how much I like it! I always really appreciate lists in comments to my stories, so here's one for you!

I liked...

1. The banter!! Really authentic and hilarious and just generally entertaining!

2. Dean being really in character! I love that casual concern, where he isn't all over Sammy and maybe teases a bit or gets annoyed or doesn't really seem to give a d*mn, but in other moments you can still tell he genuinely cares! <3

3. The sneeze spellings!

4. Sam getting suuuuuper irritated!! With all the rushed words in between!

5. I know you like strangers' reactions to one of them being sick, but I guess so do I! I wasn't really aware of it before, but it was really cute in your story, I felt.

6. Dean noticing the effect Sam's "vulnerability" has and suggesting to use it to their advantage!

All in all, this was just wonderful and I absolutely love how our fetishy triggers are so similar! This way, I know that your stories are always worth checking out! Thanks for writing and sharing this!

[Always-a-Ginger]

It may seem odd but I really love that you titled this Scenes. It just works.

You nailed characterization and voice (as is your norm). And I lived how effortless the dialogue flows. Casually doting really fits Dean and frustrated but accepting Sam is awesome. Great work!

[Voodoo huntress]

!!!

[BlueRandom]

This might be one of my favourite things. It's way up there; you nailed it. The dialogue patterns are perfect, and the little sections would slot into the show so nicely. I always love talking-through-it, and the way you wrote those parts is very, very Sam.

So yeah - just wanted to say, you're the best. (Also, Sam would totally keep commenting on it and getting all pissed off with himself.Too cute.)

[Rika]

Dude I love this so much. It is so in character! As I imagined it, I heard their voices in my head and it all fit so perfectly!

Thanks for writing!!

[kendisima]

So sweet! I'm not even that into Sam fics, but this is one of my new favorites also, Dean the compulsive blesser is just too much. Great fic, love seeing when you have new stuff on the forum!

[Sawyer]

Ohh Ohh Ohh!

Sam is so adorable and Dean is so awesome!

So true all the time! Glad you liked it!!!

Adorable, awesome, and completely in character. I love it and I hope you continue

Thanks so much!!

“HuhUhhTSHCHuh! GodIkeepsneezing – HH’ESHHuh!”

“Uh, yeah. Three dead, two s-suspects – hh! God, are you kidding me – huhISHHuh! Hh’IHSCHhUH!”

“Yeah, I know you don’t. But some people actually do care ab—hh! about being… godjesuschrist – HUH’EHTSHhuh!”

OMG. Adorable frustration. Squee! I love it!

Aww, thank you! That was definitely my favorite part to write. I love when it's dialogue-only!

Oh my gosh, Sennie, this was AMAZING!! I'm on my phone, my friend's sitting on her bed next to me, so this is pretty darn risky, but I just wanted to check the forum quickly and found this and wanted to let you know how much I like it! I always really appreciate lists in comments to my stories, so here's one for you!

I liked...

1. The banter!! Really authentic and hilarious and just generally entertaining!

2. Dean being really in character! I love that casual concern, where he isn't all over Sammy and maybe teases a bit or gets annoyed or doesn't really seem to give a d*mn, but in other moments you can still tell he genuinely cares! <3

3. The sneeze spellings!

4. Sam getting suuuuuper irritated!! With all the rushed words in between!

5. I know you like strangers' reactions to one of them being sick, but I guess so do I! I wasn't really aware of it before, but it was really cute in your story, I felt.

6. Dean noticing the effect Sam's "vulnerability" has and suggesting to use it to their advantage!

All in all, this was just wonderful and I absolutely love how our fetishy triggers are so similar! This way, I know that your stories are always worth checking out! Thanks for writing and sharing this!

So kind of you to leave such a detailed reply, as you always do! Thanks so much Sophie. You're so right! We really do seem to like a lot of the same things, and I feel the same way about your work for that reason!

It may seem odd but I really love that you titled this Scenes. It just works.

You nailed characterization and voice (as is your norm). And I lived how effortless the dialogue flows. Casually doting really fits Dean and frustrated but accepting Sam is awesome. Great work!

Oh my god dude, that's so awesome to hear! I've always struggled with titles and with characterization (I think) and it's so cool that you pointed out both of them! Thank you so much for reading.

!!!

This might be one of my favourite things. It's way up there; you nailed it. The dialogue patterns are perfect, and the little sections would slot into the show so nicely. I always love talking-through-it, and the way you wrote those parts is very, very Sam.

So yeah - just wanted to say, you're the best. (Also, Sam would totally keep commenting on it and getting all pissed off with himself.Too cute.)

So thrilled that you posted in here! It's classic Sam, isn't it? I always imagined him getting all exasperated and indignant but still letting it happen. Glad you liked it!

Dude I love this so much. It is so in character! As I imagined it, I heard their voices in my head and it all fit so perfectly!

Thanks for writing!!

What a compliment! Thanks for READING.

So sweet! I'm not even that into Sam fics, but this is one of my new favorites also, Dean the compulsive blesser is just too much. Great fic, love seeing when you have new stuff on the forum!

Aw, that's so cool! It's always extra special when someone enjoys your work when it isn't something they usually seek out to read. Thank you so much! I'm planning on posting a Deanfic later today, so stay tuned!!

[gingerdean]

Squee! I love this little fic So cute.

The whole verbal exchange where Sam kept sneezing and was so frustrated with himself was sooo ridiculously hot. I love dialogue-heavy scenes, with the sneezing intermixed in the exchange, and all the interrupted speech, and Dean blessing Sam and just trying to take the whole thing in stride..mmmph. The dialogue is perfect and so in character, as always. I feel like a broken record saying that, because your dialogue is always fantastic!

I loved the bit where Dean blessed Sam and Sam promptly sneezes again, because...IDEK. I just love that.

And you made me find a new 'thing' I didn't even realize I loved so much until now - Dean's observations about how outsiders always bless Sam the first time he sneezes, and Dean being amused by the fact because he knows Sam will keep sneezing, and he knows how much it embarrasses Sam. And then we see it play out, with Dean watching Sam's face getting all flushed after he gets blessed, knowing he will sneeze again... omg.

And something about the interviewee saying 'God bless you, agent' was so yummy.

This was fantastic!!

[Sawyer]

Squee! I love this little fic So cute.

The whole verbal exchange where Sam kept sneezing and was so frustrated with himself was sooo ridiculously hot. I love dialogue-heavy scenes, with the sneezing intermixed in the exchange, and all the interrupted speech, and Dean blessing Sam and just trying to take the whole thing in stride..mmmph. The dialogue is perfect and so in character, as always. I feel like a broken record saying that, because your dialogue is always fantastic!

I loved the bit where Dean blessed Sam and Sam promptly sneezes again, because...IDEK. I just love that.

And you made me find a new 'thing' I didn't even realize I loved so much until now - Dean's observations about how outsiders always bless Sam the first time he sneezes, and Dean being amused by the fact because he knows Sam will keep sneezing, and he knows how much it embarrasses Sam. And then we see it play out, with Dean watching Sam's face getting all flushed after he gets blessed, knowing he will sneeze again... omg.

And something about the interviewee saying 'God bless you, agent' was so yummy.

This was fantastic!!

I'm so happy that you liked it!!! I think I'm the most careful with dialogue, but it's definitely my favorite to write! So I'm thrilled that you enjoy those parts too. I neeeever get tired of hearing it! Ah, and you complimenting the characterization is so cool, because I always feel the same about your work!

Hehe, I liked that too! When someone can't even respond to a blessing because they have to sneeze again? So good! And man, I know, I have such a thing for blessings, probably something having to do with how it's just a super casual and "normal" vanilla way to acknowledge a sneeze, and regarded as something that's also polite and even sometimes concerned? The best!

Lol and I'm also so glad that you liked my weird little headcanon... I think I've subconsciously included it in a lot of my fics but never really mentioned it in writing until now, but I'm going to try and include/be more aware of those types of things in the future, because I like them too! A little meta analysis of one brother's sneezing from the perspective of the other.

Thanks so much for your feedback! So detailed and lovely as always~