Disclaimer: Dean, Sam, and John belong to Kripke and his fabulous writers from the WB. The Dean Bug belongs to the world. (But I totally take credit for making it a star)
The Dean bug
John sat at his eldest son's bedside gently patting his forehead with a damp cloth. Dean moaned softly tossing from side to side the fever making him miserably hot and sweaty.
"It's okay Deano, I'm here. You're gunna be okay."
Dean's eyes flickered open to regard his Dad who smiled gently and kissed him on the cheek.
"Go back to sleep, son. You'll feel better once the medicine starts working." Dean eyed the pink liquid sitting on the bedside table with something akin to disgust before he coughed violently throwing himself into his Dad's embrace.
Dean was nine years old and should have had the chicken pox along time ago. It was just luck that whenever he'd been enrolled in a school they'd either just had an outbreak or one came about just after they left. But good luck can't last forever and that was why John and his boys were laid up in a little house just outside Wundo Arkansas while Dean recovered from the childhood sickness.
Dean's coughs abated and he buried himself deeper into his dad's chest whimpering at the pain in his throat and the itching of his skin. John made circles with his big palms on Dean's back soothing him back to sleep just like he did when Dean was a baby. When his son's breathing slowed and his head was resting gently against his shoulder John slipped him back under the cool sheets and tucked him in tight.
Dropping a kiss on his sweaty brow John exited the room leaving the door open should Dean cry out for him.
John found his other son watching Jurassic Park in the living room. Sam jumped up the second he saw his dad and looked up at him with big brown eyes
"Can Dean come out and play now Dad?" Sam asked pleadingly.
"Sorry kiddo, your brother's going to be out of commission for a few days at least." John said ruffling his sons hair and sitting down on the couch. Sam climbed up onto his fathers lap and looked at him seriously.
"Will Dean get in commission soon?"
John looked perplexed. "What Sammy?"
Sam sighed at his Dad's apparent stupidity. "You said Dean's commission is out, when will his commission be in…what is a commission dad?"
John laughed loudly but stopped when Sam looked at him disapprovingly. "Sorry Sammy" he said with a smirk. "What I meant was that Dean is sick…"
"He has spots." Sam interrupted.
"Yep, he has spots. So I gave him some medicine that will make the spots go away but it will take a few days to make him better. Your brother won't be able to play for a least a week."
"A whole week?" Sam asked looking dejected.
John nodded his head sadly. "A whole week."
Sam looked depressed at the prospect of a week without his brother so John tried to cheer him up. "But hey, this means you'll have to help me take care of Dean." Sam's eyes brightened at the idea.
"How will I help Dad?" John hadn't thought that far ahead.
"Ahhh… you'll have to help me keep him cool, and make sure you're quiet around him so he can rest…"
"And paint the rest of him blue so the red spots aren't distracting." Sam asked hopefully.
John didn't know where Sam got these ideas sometimes.
"No paint anywhere near your brother. On second thought no paint at all."
Sam looked gloomy. John threw an arm around him and wrestled him closer, Sam fought against the pull for a few minutes laughing and giggling at his Dad's tickling but eventually he settled comfortably his hand resting above the steady thump, thump of his father's heart.
"So, Jurassic Park huh?"
Sam nodded sleepily "They have to escape the bad dinosaurs, there are some good ones, 'cuz the fat man shut down the 'lectricity and all the mean dinosaws got out….it's really scary Daddy."
"Never trust a fat man Sammy they're always getting eaten on TV."
Sam nodded obediently his shaggy hair hanging in his half closed eyes. The T-Rex roared on screen and Sam jumped a mile, John chuckled "I think this movie is a bit old for you Sammy." Sam's big eyes were wide with fright.
"Come on squirt, time for bed."
Dean woke up in the middle of the night sobbing in frustration. His skin was sweaty and itchy and he had longs red grazes all over his body where he had tried to abate the incessant itching by scratching furiously with sharp nails. His throat was so sore and he smelled gross from the lotion his Dad had rubbed into his skin to try and stop the burning itch. Dean tried calling out for his Dad but he couldn't seem to raise his voice, with a trembling hand he reached for the small glass of water Dad had left beside the bed and took a little sip. The lukewarm water trickled soothingly down his throat so he quickly guzzled down the rest. Once the water was gone Dean pushed back the covers and slipped from his bed wanting a hug from Dad to make him better.
Dean pushed open the door to his father's bedroom quietly but there was no one inside. He could hear the television still on downstairs but the thought of going down all those steps made him feel queasy. Closing his dad's door Dean shuffled down the hall some more, his three sizes too big pyjamas almost tripping him with every step, to knock softly on Sammy's door. There was no answer to Dean's croaky call to his brother so he opened to door and walked in hoping to wake Sam so he could call for Dad. The room was dark and still packed bags off Sam's stuff littered the ground. Stepping on a squeaky toy scared the living daylight out of Dean but didn't seem to bother the softly snoring Sam. Shuffling closer to his brother's prone form Dean shivered and pulled one of Sam's discarded blankets up around his shoulders. The soft fury material was cool against his flaming skin. Unfortunately Dean's feet got tangled in the blanket and he went crashing to the floor in a tangle of muted cries and sniffles.
Sam shot out of bed in a microsecond his little feet pounding out the door trying to get as far away from the hairy monster in his room as fast as humanly possible.
"DAAAAAADDDY There's a dinosaw in my ROOOOOOM!!!"
Sam flew down the stairs like a race car, his feet barely touching the floor. At the bottom of the stairs he collided with his Dad. John picked up his panicked child and shushing him gently.
"Hey, Hey, shhhh Sammy its okay. You had a nightmare. I knew you shouldn't have watched that movie."
Sam shook his head wildly tears streaming down his baby cheeks and pooling on his neck, John wiped them away with his calloused hand jigging Sam up and down like he was a colicky baby. Sam hiccuped, little 'hics' that made John smile.
"Daddy," Sam sniffled, "there's something in my room."
John told Sam to stay behind him, he was convinced nothing could have entered the house since he closed it up for the night; John didn't just dead bolt the door. He put salt rings under ever door, window, air vent and mouse hole. He said complicated protection rituals and hung sacred protection objects over his sons' beds. But still it was better to be safe than sorry.
Sam clung to his Dad's jeans, his little fingers turning white with fright as John inched closer to Sam's open door. His pistol at the ready John stuck his head around the corner and stopped suddenly. Dean was sitting in the middle of Sam's floor his feet impossibly tangled in the frayed edge of an old blanket, furious tears leaving marks on his cheeks. Flicking on the light John holstered his weapon and crossed the room in three quick strides dropping to his haunches and using a pocket knife sliced the offending trap off of Dean's feet.
Gathering his sick son in his arms he carried him over to Sam's bed and sat down brushing sweaty hair off of Dean's flushed forehead.
Sam, suddenly fearless, jumped up on top of the bed next to his dad. "Did you see the dinosaur Dean? It was fifty feet tall and it was hairy and orange and it had spikes down its back and it stunk like you… You pong!"
John rolled his eyes to the heavens and Dean stuck out his tongue at his brother.
"Sam there was no dinosaur in your bedroom.' John said pushing Sam away from him and back under his covers.
"Now its ten o'clock, so go to sleep."
"But Daaaad." Sam whined.
"No buts go to sleep."
"You said butt." Dean giggled.
John looked exasperatingly at his sons' playful countenances all traces of tears banished from their faces.
"Sleep! Now! No arguments!"
He kissed Sam forehead despite his wriggling around and hoisted Dean up again and left the room.
"Dad…" Sam called.
John sighed, suddenly tired. "Yes Sam?"
"Can you leave the door open?" he asked sheepishly.
John knew he shouldn't encourage childish fantasies in his son's. They would have to learn to face their fears eventually and sooner was better then later. But he couldn't resist the pleading note in Sam's voice so just this once he relented.
"Okay Sam…Now go to sleep."
Sam obediently shut his eyes and started fake snoring to please his Dad.
John settled Dean in his own big bed. Usually the boys would stay in the same room but because John didn't want Sam to catch the chicken pox too he'd separated them. Sam was never really that bothered not being directly in contact with his brother he seemed to believe that Dean would always just be there…always, so there was nothing to worry about if he didn't see him for a few days. Dean was different, unlike Sam he didn't make friends very easily, 'it can't help that we move around so much' John thought guiltily as he laid Dean under the soft doona. Sam was his only real companion and he missed him especially when he was sick and needy.
After making a quick trip back downstairs to switch off the lights and the TV John returned to his room and slipped into bed beside Dean. His eldest son regarded him as if betrayed. "Dad how come you wont catch the spots from me."
John smiled gently and slipped an arm around his son.
"Because I've already had them. I had them when I was a kid."
"You were a kid?"
John laughed "Of course I was a kid…I was once little and sick like you."
Dean yawned, the excitement of the 'dinosaur' and his illness finally catching up to him.
"Dad…"
"Yeah baby."
"Does the mean one day I'll be big and strong like you."
"Yep, you and Sammy will be grown ups someday." John laughed. "Sammy might even end up taller than you."
Dean opened his sleepy eyes disbelievingly. "He will not. I'm the biiiiig brother." His words were smothered by a yawn. "So I have to be bigger."
John chuckled tucking the blankets around them and switching off the lamp.
"Yeah you're the big brother."
After Sam had burnt Dean's toast, spilt a glass of water all over his bedclothes, tried unsuccessfully to pull the TV up two flights of stairs, almost smothered him while trying to fluff his pillows and accidentally spilt Lego all over the hallway which John tripped over and nearly fell down the staircase, he was banished outside to play in the backyard with his toys.
The backyard wasn't anything special. A couple of Oak trees and a Maple had been hacked back by some over zealous gardener and were stunted and gnarly. The garden, if you could call it a garden, consisted mainly of prickles and weeds but to the imagination of a five year old the prickles were booby trapped towers that kept the kidnapped princess from the knights that tried to rescue her… but Sam was five and though that girls, especially princess girls, were yucky and stupid so instead of coming to her rescue he dug a hole into the 'dungeon' to steal all her treasure. After digging a hole about a foot wide by two foot deep and not finding any treasure Sam gave up on that game and wandered over to the stunted trees. They had been planted to block out the neighbours yard so they stood in a row by the east fence. Sam edged closer to the trees pretending he was hiding from something bad, like the things his dad fought.
The weather had been funny of late, the days were sunny and warm but the nights turned cold and damp, in the early morning the trees were heavy with due and the damp spider webs glistened like diamond necklaces. Sam stood entranced by the glittery webs watching them sway slightly in the pleasant breeze. Alas Sam didn't realise that spider webs might actually contain spiders. So when he stood with his face a mere inch or two away from the silvery threads he was scared stiff when he came face to face with a gigantic spider. The spider's eyes glowed brightly in the morning sun and his many legs twitched violently at Sam's intrusion into his domain.
Sam scampered back in shock falling over a stump in the ground and landing in the tall grass. He lay panting in the grass before rolling over onto his back and glaring at the spider. Sam looked in shock down at his clothes; they were caked in mud and dirt.
'Daddy's gunna kill me.' He giggled to himself utterly excited at having gotten himself so dirty. 'Even Dean can't get this much mud on him'
The long grass hung over him like a jungle canopy and Sam army crawled back toward the house. His company of men had been attacked by General Dean's evil militia. They were surrounded by enemy forces and were loosing ground fast.
"Right men," Commander Sammy called to his troops. Captain Teddy saluted him briskly. "We have no choice but to go down fighting… we may not come back from this one boys."
Mr Piggles the pig nodded his head in agreement and Action Man raised his machine gun in readiness.
"Let's show 'em this is our backyard!" Sam cried imitating his Dad's deep voice.
Sam plodded Captain Teddy and Mr Piggles down the tunnel his crawling had made in the grass. They rushed General Dean's invisible troops and were cut down by their rival's fire.
"Tell my wife I love her… mash potatoes and meatloaf" Captain Teddy said bravely as he succumbed to his wound. Sam generally thought that that was what a dying man would say to his wife if he had the chance, Meatloaf was yum!
Action man stomped through to his comrade's corpse saluting his fallen friend before rushing to the aid of Mr Piggles. Action man threw him over his shoulder and ran toward the safety of home base.
John was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of instant coffee that tasted like engine oil and reading the local paper when Sam rushed through the back door. He scampered over to the table and dropped his toys onto the clean bench.
"Admiral Dad, where is the medical unit?"
John looked up from the table with raised eyebrows. He took in Sam's filthy clothes and grubby face with a deep sigh.
"Hurry man, answer me." Sam yelled still in full on commander mode.
John folded his paper and rested his chin on the table so he could look directly into Sam's eyes.
Sam stared back military precision.
"What seems to be the problem General?" John asked seriously.
"I've lost most of my men Sir and this one needs urgent medical attention" he said holding up Mr Piggles "His head was blown off."
John shook his head seriously. "His head was blown off huh? Well he'll need a band aid then won't he?"
Sam's face was over taken by a wide cheerful grin and he bolted up the stairs to get his Dad's first aid kit.
John absently posed Action Man into a sitting position and brushed the dirt off Sam's bear.
Sam reappeared huffing happily and carrying a red box that was almost bigger than he was. He dropped it on the table and opened the press studs to reveal a very full mini operating theatre. John had enough medical equipment to treat anything from nappy rash to minor bullet wounds and everything natural or supernatural in-between. Lucky for Mr Piggles John was an expert in undoing decapitations.
Sam nursed his stuffed pig while John took the plastic off the Sesame Street band aid. He gently stuck it to the pink fur on the animals' neck and Sam kissed him better.
"All good" John asked gravely, waiting for the General to make his assessment.
Nodding Sam smiled "All good"
Sam brushed his pigs fur clean of dirt, the once clean bench now littered with clumps of grass and mud. Sam ran his fingers through the dirt like he was finger painting. John got up to get a sponge to clean up the mess.
"Dad" Sam said ungently to his Dad's back.
Turning around John nodded his head to tell Sam to go on.
"There's a Dean Bug." He whispered pointing to the table.
John went around the table and rested his hands on Sam's shoulders.
"Where?" he asked, eyes scanning the messy table.
Sam climbed onto his knees in the chair and leant further over the dirt, his finger stretching to point to the beetle.
The little red beetle crawled slowly through the grime oblivious to the two giants watching is every move.
"Dad the Dean bug needs the pink medicine to make his chicken pots go away."
"Chicken pox and no he doesn't." John said with a genuine smile in his face. Sam's imagination really amazed him at times. He gently stuck out a finger and the lady bug clambered onto his hand. Sam watched in wonder as the little beetle climbed up his Dad's hand.
"This little guy belongs outside." John said smiling again as Sam slipped his little hand into John's much bigger one to follow him outside. They put the bug down near the house. Sam didn't want the Dean bug to get eaten by the mean spider.
They stood and watched the beetle scurry under the house before going back into the house. Sam tried to help but really hindered the cleanup and willing had a bath, being dirty wasn't as much fun after a while.
Now clean and comfy in fresh clothes Sam carried some chicken soup up to his brother and from the other side of the room told him about how Dean's army crushed his army in battle and about the bug with the chicken pox.
A week later the little family was on the road again. John hummed tunelessly to the radio while Dean and Sam continued their battle with a reincarnated Captain Teddy and a healthy Mr Piggles now leading General Sam's forces in a monumental battle for the ruling of the backseat.
That week spent in Arkansas was a happy reminder of what the Winchester's were. They were a normal family living in extraordinary circumstances. It didn't matter that they really hunted demons, twenty years later Sam still couldn't watch Jurassic Park, something Dean never let him live down. Dean refused to eat anything pink because he still tasted that bitter medicine every time he did. And John still hoped against hope that his boys even now played mock battles over who got to choose the music or who got the first shower. Because as long as they acted like kids nothing could touch them, it was only when a person was an adult that they had responsibilities. It was only adults that were allowed to die.
-FIN
Please review :) I'd love to hear what you thought of this fic. I know it's cheesy…Is it too cheesy? Not cheesy enough? (I doubt that). I'm glad I got the cutesies out of my system, maybe now I can write something serious. Ahhh who am I kidding, I couldn't write something serious to save my life, and that's the way I like it. Hope everyone reading this has a fabulous day tomorrow love Balloons.