This is for Mad Server's birthday. Surprise!! Happy Birthday, Hon! Many happy returns! Prompt: Fevered Dean. (yummy)

See ch. 1 for disclaimers

See Enkidu07's profile for list of participants for we are legion. :)

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It was getting hard to understand what Sammy was saying. Dean's eyes were trying so hard to close, but he was giving it his all to keep them open. His little brother had something important to say about the next job and the older hunter really wanted to hear it. They'd been stumped for a while, now with people missing – possibly dying.

"What's with the heat in this room? It's cold in here!" Dean lurched to his feet and went to the heater/air conditioner to turn it up.

"Dean! What the hell are you doing? It's over 80 degrees in here!"

"'M cold, Sammy. Why is it so cold? I've got to turn up the heat and get warm." A shiver raced through his body to emphasize the statement.

"Dean? Are you okay, man?" Sam put down the pages of notes that he'd been trying to explain to his big brother, a worried look on his face.

The older hunter backed away from his brother. "I'm fine! Just need to get warm." His glare was tempered by his unsteady wobble as he moved.

The younger man rose quickly to take hold of Dean's arm, attempting to return him to his bed. "It's okay. Let's get you back under the covers and I'll mess with the heater, okay?"

"Okay, but turn it all the way up. It's so cold in here. Is it even working?" Exhaustion and Sam's confident tone caused the older man to give in to the instructions.

"I'll check on it, okay? Don't worry, Big Brother. I'll take care of it." Sam helped his shivering sibling get settled into the bed and pulled the covers up to his neck, a look of concern on his face. Tentatively reaching out a hand, he took a deep breath and laid it on Dean's forehead. His brother leaned into the touch, but Sam pulled back, shocked at the heat coming from his brother's skin.

Dean huddled under the covers, his shivers now obvious to the younger hunter. "Hurry up, okay, Sammy?"

Sam moved toward the first aid kit in one of the duffle bags. "Yeah, no problem. I want to give you some pills first, though. I think you have a slight fever, Dean. I want to try to get that down a little, too." He grabbed the bottle of pain relievers and a bottle of water and headed back to Dean's bed.

Frighteningly, his brother didn't argue the taking of the meds, but took them without comment giving a shudder and slight moan as he settled back down.. Normally, Dean balked at showing any kind of need before anyone else. The tablets and the water gone, Sam sat down next to his brother's hip; Dean unconsciously made room for him. The younger hunter began rubbing his sibling's back to try and relax the tenseness he felt there.

"You're going to be okay, Dean. Don't worry, Brother. I'm here and I'm going to be here as long as you need me."

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