Life in the Back Seat (Supernatural, Dean)

[sierraplaid]

Title: Life in the Back Seat
Fandom: Supernatural
Characters: Sam, Dean (gen)
Summary: Dean has a bad cold and nests in the back seat of the Impala.
Warnings: None
AN: Based on tarotgal’s prompt on the 2015 meme: “Nesting in the backseat of the Impala when sick is the best thing ever. I want to see a fic set entirely in the backseat. Stuff blankets, pillows, tissues, and anything else you can into the backseat.” I was inspired by missbayliss’s fill of this prompt (also at the link) which is made entirely of sweetness and awesomeness.

Title is a play on the Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane.” Dean’s taking it a little bit slower today.

Also, I've (temporarily) sworn off writing any dialogue whatsoever.

***

Life in the Back Seat

Sam heaves a weary sigh and shifts creakily in the driver’s seat. Either the Impala wasn’t designed with his long legs in mind or his legs weren’t designed with the Impala’s poky footwell in mind, but whichever way he looks at it, Sam’s legs still ache most of the time he’s in the car. That’s just expected, the most normal thing in the world for him. What’s killing him right now is his arms. He’s really not used to driving these marathon stretches of pavement. This morning he’s keenly aware of muscles he didn’t even know he had knotted up tight in his shoulders from all the unaccustomed time behind the wheel—all today since they got an early start at dawn, and seven hours yesterday once he finally talked Dean out of his keys.

“hTCHSHHhh!...hTXCHHuh!”

Sam’s eyes flick up to the rear-view mirror. His brother hasn’t moved since the last time he looked. Dean is nestled snugly in the back seat, excessively bundled up like a marauding draft could come and do him in at any second. He’s half reclined on a mound of clothes-filled duffel bags with his socked feet pressed against the opposite door, his knees bent up. Their warm, heavy camp blankets are heaped over his middle, tucked in around his legs, bunched around his chest, and he’s swimming in Sam’s too-big sweatshirt.

“hehTCHSHHh!”

Dean has been putting off this cold for a week. Sam has the unfortunate habit of coming down with things without much warning and usually at the worst possible time, so it’s always sort of remarkable to him that Dean can practically schedule when he’s going to be sick, in as off-hand a way as he might, say, announce that this coming Thursday is laundry day. With not much more than sheer will power and the occasional fortifying nip of whiskey, he fought it back, day after day, until the monster got the gank it had coming to it.

Then, right on schedule, Dean got what was coming to him. The only thing is, while the cold may have been penciled in, neither of them expected it to be as bad as it’s turned out to be. After the adrenaline crashed and Dean couldn’t help it any more, he got slammed with the full pent-up force of the worst head cold he’s had over a decade. Since they put the hunt behind them he’s been sneezing just about constantly whenever he’s awake.

“htTCSHHuh…htCHSHhuh!”

Sam hears him pull a handful of tissues out of the box, his breathing stuffed up and hitching.

“h…hehTCHSHHh! TCSHhhuh! hTCHXSHuh!”

They shoot past an off-ramp with a sign advising NEXT SERVICES 120 MILES, and what Sam wouldn’t give to get them a motel right here and now. But Sam knows to pick his battles with his brother, and just getting him more or less horizontal in the back seat was no small victory. This was their compromise: Dean rests, Sam drives. Sam’s not going to push his luck by suggesting something dumb like Dean take a sick day. Dean would just argue that he already is.

“TXCSHhuh!”

Dean catches a sneeze in the tissues, then drops them into the footwell and pulls out another batch.

“haTXCHHuh…hTXCHHh!”

He sniffles wetly and starts to blow his nose, then breaks off suddenly with a sharp inhale and curls forward into the tissues again.

“hCHSHhhuh! hehTXCHHuh! htTCSHH!”

Sam throws a sympathetic look over his shoulder, but Dean doesn’t notice. He’s blowing his nose again, slumped back against the duffel bags with his eyes closed. He sniffs hard, breathes out a stuffed-up sigh, then tosses the tissues and twists aside and buries his face in the crook of his arm with one last wrenching sneeze.

“haTXCHHuh!”

It’s been a long day already and it’s barely begun. They wouldn’t be doing this haul in the first place except there’s a case—four enormous western states over, of course—and they’ve got another five hundred miles of real estate to cover by nightfall if they want to get there in time. According to Dean’s schedule, he’ll be back on his feet by the time they get there—no doubt about it, that’s just the way it’ll be. One good night’s sleep and he’ll be fighting fit. Sam keeps his skepticism to himself, listens as Dean’s breath starts to hitch.

“h-h..hehTXCHSHH!”

When Sam checks the back seat again Dean’s eyes are still closed, his head falling to the side—not asleep, but maybe headed there before too long. His arms are folded loosely across his chest, holding the blankets close, tissues held in the palm of his hand. Sam looks back to the road. Maybe Dean will be feeling better by the end of the day. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s amazed Sam with a comeback. He’s getting some rest, he’s cozy warm, hydrated, fed—they’re doing everything they can on the road. Besides, Sam reflects,… he’s Dean. He’ll be okay.

Sam rolls his shoulders slowly, tilts his neck side to side, trying to work out the knots. Maybe, if he’s lucky, tomorrow Dean will even feel up to driving.

***

End

[flailingartist]

This was adorable and made me make rather undignified fan girl noises. I loved that you kept the crucial bits of dialogue in there... ?

Awesome job on the visuals as well!

[estrelleta]

Did I ever tell you I love you?

 

Well I do. A lot. Absolutely beautiful writing, impeccable scene setting and that non-dialogue was spot on (although it did also make me appreciate just how perfect the actual dialogue in your other fics is too!)

[Wow Really?]

Aww heck, this was adorable.

 

[lilysneeze]

Awesome job!

[MissBayliss]

On 27 February 2017 at 11:50 AM, sierraplaid said:

With not much more than sheer will power and the occasional fortifying nip of whiskey, he fought it back, day after day, until the monster got the gank it had coming to it.

Best.

I could just quote the whole fic because every sentence is stellar. (I filled this prompt too but no where near as adequately) Hat's off to ya. I loved every word.  

[sierraplaid]

On 2/26/2017 at 5:58 PM, flailingartist said:

This was adorable and made me make rather undignified fan girl noises. I loved that you kept the crucial bits of dialogue in there... ?

Awesome job on the visuals as well!

Yup, absolutely kept the most important dialogue, haha.  Thanks -- I'm glad it made your fangirl heart happy.

On 2/27/2017 at 1:05 PM, estrelleta said:

Did I ever tell you I love you?

 

Well I do. A lot. Absolutely beautiful writing, impeccable scene setting and that non-dialogue was spot on (although it did also make me appreciate just how perfect the actual dialogue in your other fics is too!)

 Thanks thanks thanks!

On 3/1/2017 at 8:02 PM, Wow Really? said:

Aww heck, this was adorable.

 

Heehee, thanks!

On 3/1/2017 at 11:29 PM, lilysneeze said:

Awesome job!

Why, thanks!

On 3/4/2017 at 4:58 AM, MissBayliss said:

Best.

I could just quote the whole fic because every sentence is stellar. (I filled this prompt too but no where near as adequately) Hat's off to ya. I loved every word.  

 Your fill of this prompt makes me SO SO SO happy. It's just perfect. I wanna roll around in it. AND I want it to be an actual scene on the show. I'll back your play to get hired as a writer on SPN any day of the week; just say the word.  

[telltale]

I think it's awesome you wrote this without dialogue.  Your descriptions are all super well-written and also Dean is so stuffy and sick I am in looove.

[sierraplaid]

On 3/10/2017 at 7:23 PM, telltale said:

I think it's awesome you wrote this without dialogue.  Your descriptions are all super well-written and also Dean is so stuffy and sick I am in looove.

Yay, thank you!  I'm so glad you liked it.