Running Hot

Summary: The team has been on the run since Leon and Mia offered Brian the chance to run with them and he took it gladly. With the latest bounty hunter on their tails, it's the worst time for Brian to get sick, so of course, that's exactly what happened.

Rating: M (mostly for language)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fast and Furious franchise. It's a bummer.

Established Brian/Dom

Oh my god, has it really been FOUR YEARS since I've posted a story for this fandom? I'm a horrible person. We're looking at six chapters here, so I hope a slightly longer fic from me makes up for the wait at least a little. (You want to know what happened four years ago? A full time job, that's what. It's a real time-suck.)

It was somewhere between throwing everything he owned into a car in less than twenty minutes and the mad drive that he and Leon did in his Supra to the meet up point with the rest of the team that Brian remembered the mild cold he'd had since last week having morphed into something was more annoying overnight.

There had hardly been any time to register it, Brian had only managed to stumble into the bathroom off his and Dom's bedroom that morning before Vince had charged into the shared house, shouting about the bounty hunter who'd been asking around about them in town.

It wasn't the first pack-and-run they'd done but they'd been in their current house for over four months, the longest since they'd started running over a year ago. Eventually, with the warrants so fresh and the bounty on their heads so high, single men or whole teams would show up wherever they'd holed up and everyone would have to run. Dom set the rendezvous points the minute they settled into a new place and he mercilessly tested all of them in where they were supposed to run to if the shit hit the fan again.

So far, that system and Dom's drill sergeant mentality hadn't let them down yet. They'd made seven moves in the year since Leon and Mia had shown up at his door with an invitation that Brian hadn't even dared to hope for. He hadn't looked back. As long as they all made it to where they were supposed to meet, he wouldn't look back this time either.

It wasn't until a coughing spell caught Leon's attention that he'd even remembered the aches in his joints, the hot, scratchy feel of what seemed like his entire being or the earlier coughing fit in the bathroom right before Vince's call to run.

"Dude, that sounds nasty." Leon said, wrinkling up his nose like Brian was trying to be gross about it. He was pretty sure coughing into his shoulder wasn't some sort of breach of manners and if it was then Leon could go screw himself. He was driving the sort of speeds that two hands were required for and he wasn't letting concern about germs get them into an accident they couldn't afford in any way.

Brian cleared his throat, trying not to wince at that sandpapery pain that had been getting progressively worse. "Not trying to be."

"I don't mean nasty gross, you idiot." Leon clarified while he rolled his eyes, "I mean, 'I think that's a nasty case of whooping cough you have' nasty."

Brian snorted, "Yeah, pretty sure that's not true."

Leon stared at him a few seconds longer before turning his sharp gaze back out to scan for cars that looked like they could be following them. "Fine, keel over for all I care."

Brian ignored him… since when did Leon have a medical degree?

It had taken them most of a day before they spotted Letty in her car, alone with a bunch of stuff jammed in the back seat. Leon, who'd switched with Brian when he decided that Brian's coughing was going to get them into an accident, hands on the wheel or not, pulled up alongside her on the stretch of highway they were speeding down.

Brian nodded to her and Letty gave him a closed fist salute. They let themselves drop back behind her and followed along, watching her back and their own. Brian kept his eyes out for a tail as best he could, but his focus was lacking and he knew it. When they met up with the others, he was getting enough coffee and energy drinks to perk up a corpse. No way was he going to let a cold keep him from spotting a threat.

Until then, he'd just have to keep nursing a single water bottle half-full with warm water that Leon had shoved in his hands hours ago. He wished to hell that he had some sort of aspirin in the car and made a note to throw some pills and stuff in his glove compartment next time they settled down.

Brian scanned the road ahead of them, which was empty except for a beat up pickup that they were about to pass easily. He shifted in his seat, swinging around to get a better view behind them but the sudden shift after sitting so long made his head swim. He swayed in the seat, trying to blink away the back spots that were suddenly in his eyes.

Great fucking lookout he was…

"Whoa, you okay?" Leon asked.

Brian clenched his eyes shut as the car moved around him dizzily. If they could just stop moving for one minute, it would help more than anything. That, though, wasn't an option and even shaky and confused Brian knew it.

Leon gripped his shoulder, "Brian? You hearing me?"

"Yeah," Brian said roughly, though his ears were still ringing a little. He couldn't believe that something as simple as a quick twist in his seat could make his head reel like that.

"Why don't you get some more sleep," Leon said hesitantly, eyes darting back between Brian and the road. For his part, Brian was glad that Leon had to keep driving… it kept him from being able to stare at Brian too intensely. The last thing he wanted was to be a weak liability to the team but he'd like it even less if they could actively see it on his face.

Brian was about to agree with Leon, since he was doing a pretty awful job of watching their backs and if he slept then Leon wouldn't need to divide his attention to look after him, but then Leon said the one sentence he was absolutely not going to agree with.

"We're meeting up with the others soon. Dom will know how to get you set up with a doctor." Leon said, as though that was supposed to be comforting.

"No," Brian immediately protested. He'd practically cut Leon off just to tell him how that idea was so not happening.

There was a long moment of silence in the car before Leon's incredulous voice broke it, "Are you insane?"

"I'm not insane," Brian protested, "I'm being practical. We don't have time to slow down for a cold." He could see Leon start to sputter, phrases like 'hacking cough', 'nearly passed out' and 'you look like death' coming out in a confused jumble, so he hastily added, "Even a bad cold. When we settle down, I'll spend a day in bed and sleep it off but not until we're all safe."

"And I'm just supposed to not say anything to Dom?" Leon asked, "Nevermind he'd kill me just from a leadership standpoint… if you're sick then we need to know about it but you want me to not mention to your…" Leon hesitated here and Brian genuinely wondered what word he'd decide encompassed his relationship with Dom.

It was tempting to let him try to figure out what to say but Brian wasn't really in the mood at that point. His head was clearing but a headache was taking over for the dizziness and disorientation from before. He was breathing carefully, trying not to set off another coughing fit. Not only would it make Leon hesitate to keep his little secret, it would hurt like a bitch.

"Look man, I think we both know that ruthless bounty hunters trump bad head cold. Don't put Dom in a position like that and don't make everyone worry more than they already are." Brian said, cutting off any of Leon's attempts to classify his and Dom's relationship.

Leon face went sour at logic like that, but he couldn't refute it. "Get some sleep," He said roughly, "I'll wake you in a little bit."

Brian grinned tiredly, "Thanks man." He said, leaning his head against the window. He'd take the opportunity to sleep. Leon and Letty could combine forces while he did and with a couple hours sleep under his belt, he would be fresh again in case anyone caught up to them or they got separated from Letty.

"Probably not a good thing to thank me for, asshole." Leon muttered, but Brian was already asleep.

"Yo, Brian," Leon's voice came to him through a fog, "Are you passed out or just sleeping? Wake up!"

Leon's voice sounded like it was hovering someplace between concerned and annoyed but it still took Brian's sleepy mind a few extra seconds to wake up before he could answer.

"I'm up, I'm up." He said, dragging a hand down his face. Headlights of a passing car flashed in his eyes and he closed them again to duck his head down. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A while," Leon vaguely answered.

A while was a complete understatement. He'd fallen asleep mid-afternoon, expecting to get woken two, maybe three hours later for some sort of dinner and driving switch. The hot sun had already gone down and the sky was black. They were in a more populated area now, instead of the middle of nowhere. Brian's Spanish was still iffy but he was pretty sure they were damn close to their destination.

Brian swung his head back around to stare at Leon, who was very studiously watching the road. Bullshit. "I thought we agreed on 'a little bit'? It's been like six hours!"

"Seven but who's counting?" Leon joked, still not looking at him. He looked mildly embarrassed, in that macho guy caught doing something nice for another dude way.

Still staring incredulously at Leon, Brian tried to come up with something to say that wouldn't come out sounding like a little kid pissed that his sneaky parents had conned him into napping longer than he wanted.

Leon's bravado seemed to sag. He glanced at Brian, "Look, sorry, but you totally needed it. I did try to wake you up a few hours ago but you wouldn't so I figured you needed it. No harm no foul, right?"

"Thanks," Brian said, turning away and trying not to sound petulant. He did feel better and certainly more stable than he had before. His skin still felt kind of prickly and hot but his head had cleared which was what he'd been aiming for. The silence in the car hung for a few seconds longer before Brian decided to change the subject. "We close?"

Leon looked relieved that Brian wasn't going to give him more shit. He nodded, "Another hour maybe?"

"That doesn't sound real sure," Brian laughed, though it quickly turned into a cough that he was hard pressed to stifle. Leon heard it all the same, that same sour look coming over his face. "Can it, man." Brian wheezed, taking careful sips of his nearly-empty water bottle. "We meet up with anyone else?"

"Not yet," Leon answered. Brian could tell Leon was as worried about him on that score but neither of them wanted to jinx it. They'd all made a mad run for the cars that were up to the speeds they needed, dividing up into Leon and Brian, Vince and Mia, Letty by herself and Dom by himself.

Brian usually insisted on staying with Dom, who was last out every time by his own decree, but this time the bigger man had just stared at him strangely, kissed him hard and sent him on his way. The last five times they'd run, Brian had driven with Dom. He wasn't sure what had made Dom send him away with Leon. Normally he'd have argued but during their bounty-hunter runs Dom was irrevocably in charge and Brian wasn't going to challenge that. He rubbed his chest and took another tiny sip from the water bottle then regretfully capped it to save what they had left.

"We'll be able to stop soon, get you some more." Leon offered quietly.

There was nothing particularly helpful Brian could say and thanking Leon too many times would make the other man uncomfortable so Brian just nodded. The passing headlights were beginning to make his head ache again but that was nothing compared to the persistent tight feeling in his lungs.

He'd only just woken up, but he was already exhausted.

This won't be a problem. He thought, clenching his fists. I can't let this be a problem.

He was getting the feeling it wasn't going to be his choice real soon.