Some Nights

Sick Day

caution: contains the spanking of a naughty moose. Dean is 18, Sam is 14.

******

There is a moment in everyone's life where they ask themselves if what they are trying to achieve is worth it. To Sam Winchester, it seemed valid enough, even though the anxiety of it all kept him up all night, squirming and kicking in the old motel bed. Luckily, his brother was a sound sleeper, dead to the world, so when Sam did get up to pace back and forth, it didn't disturb Dean.

Now this morning, he realized not getting a wink of sleep worked in his favor. He burrowed down in his bed, and put on his most sad expression, hoping the bags under his eyes, and the sweating from his nerves would help with the guise.

"Come on, Sammy." Dean passed by, grabbing Sam's blanket covered foot and giving it a tug. "We're gonna be late."

"I can't." Sam moaned.

"What?" Dean stopped in the middle of tugging on a t-shirt. "What do you mean you can't?" He sounded annoyed. "School sucks, but dude, get over it."

"I feel horrible." Sam buried his face in his pillow.

As he expected, this got Dean's attention pretty damn fast. His brother finished putting on his shirt, and walked over to the bed, crouching down so he could see his brother at face level. "You sick?"

"I think so." Sam coughed, and then inhaled loudly, the noise filling the room. "My head is killing me. I can't breathe, and every time I close my eyes and open them, I see little spots."

"Shit." Dean looked worried, putting his hand on Sam's forehead. "I should call Dad, and let him know."

"No!" Sam protested, and then at Dean's surprised look, he coughed again. "I just...he'll see it as a sign of weakness. And what's the point of him coming home if I feel better in a few days?"

"But missing school is a red flag, Sammy." Dean chewed his lip. "If they start asking questions..."

Sam felt the first pangs of guilt begin to overtake him. Was it really worth it? "Can't we sign a note?" He asked weakly. At his brother's accessing look, he coughed loudly and reached for his for his throat, as if it ached purely in pain. "Please, Dean. I can't go feeling like this."

"How about I call the school pretending to be Dad and just tell them that we both can't attend due to a..." Dean scratched his head, looking around the room for inspiration. "A family emergency."

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Sam bit his lip. He hadn't thought about the possibility of Dean missing school too. HIs brother was sent to graduation soon, and it wouldn't look good on the record. But Dean could honestly care less about school records. He wanted to be a hunter, pure and simple. You didn't need a degree to kill a vampire.

"No, Dean. If Dad found out..."

"He won't find out." Dean stood up, brushing the hair back from Sam's forehead. "You feel warm too."

"I can take care of myself." Sam said quietly, trying not to sound to distressed. It was all so delicate, but if one of the strings were pulled to hard, his whole plan would unravel faster than a kitten with a yarn ball.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, a motion he did when he was feeling trapped. "I don't feel good about leaving you here."

"Dean, I'm fourteen. I don't need a babysitter. Just a glass of water."

"Dude, if you are really sick and Dad finds out I left you alone, my ass is toast."

Another pang of guilt.