Kevin looked up from the piece of paper with wide eyes but Sam was already mouthing "go" over and over again.
Kevin raced out of the kitchen and left Sam, his last image of him standing despondently near the stove staring at his hand as it shook of its own accord.
"Dean! Dean!" Kevin darted through the library and into the hallway. "Dean!" He screamed, his own shrill voice freaking him out.
Kevin nearly collided into him at the threshold of Dean's room but suddenly Dean was right there bracing his shoulders to cushioned his stop. Dean's eyes were sleep-shocked but he was alert. "Where is he!?" Dean rasped heavily.
"Kitchen," Kevin yelped and Dean let go to run down the hallway. Kevin tore off after him.
Dean used the side of the doorway to swing his body faster into the kitchen and somewhere in the back of his head Kevin was impressed by how cool it looked. When he got into the kitchen though, Kevin halted. He was desperate to help but he didn't want to get in the way.
Sam was still standing there in his hoodie and boxers. Kevin's worry escalated as he realized Sam's entire right arm was shaking uncontrollably now.
Dean came up in front of him, reaching out. He was whispering to Sam. Kevin couldn't make it out but Sam wasn't responding to him.
"Sam!" Dean snapped. Sam flinched but he didn't look up. He seemed dazed somehow.
Dean stepped into Sam's space further and braced him, hands on Sam's ribs, watching Sam's convulsing arm too now.
Kevin clutched himself watching them. He moved in closer, inching closer to see Sam's face.
Sam shook under Dean's hold but worse than that Kevin could see the dread welling up in Sam's eyes as he suddenly turned to stare into Dean's eyes.
Sam tried to speak. Confusion and fright bled into his already worried expression.
"Sam," Dean murmured then stopped as he saw Sam using his left hand to point at his head. Kevin was baffled. He prayed Dean would get it because the brothers were scaring him. Dean was still pale from sleep in his sweatpants and tee, so desperate as he struggled to understand his brother. Sam looking like he was on the brink of tears over his irrepressible arm spasms and unable to speak.
A split-second later something must've clicked because Dean immediately stepped into a full-fledged embrace, wrapping his arms around Sam's waist and back.
"Okay okay..." Dean muttered, suddenly sounding completely in control and Kevin let out a long, inward sigh of relief. It was short-lived though.
Kevin watched in horror as Sam's torso almost immediately twisted and jerked to the side. It looked like he'd gotten hit was a taser. Dean caught him in time just before Sam almost banged his head into the stovetop and for a moment so terrifying Kevin felt like he was seeing them frozen mid-air, the two of them just stayed crouching low like that as Dean spoke to his brother.
"Okay, okay Sammy just stay with me, dude, okay?" The words rolled off Dean's tongue as Sam knelt to the floor with him.
Sam's eyes were only on Dean but he looked frightened and he kept trying to speak. Bizarre facial tics were surfacing now too. Sam gurgled and let out choked-off whimpers. His eyes were getting glassy with a faraway, distracted look like he was seeing something neither Dean nor Kevin could see.
Heart beating fast with adrenaline and the imperative to help, Kevin stepped forward to lend support. He reached out to help lift Sam up from where he was kneeling.
"Kevin, hey, no-no-no, Kev." Dean put his palm up, stopping Kevin in his tracks.
"But-"
"He's gotta go down," Dean explained softly. "Help me," he ordered, hefting Sam's body up against him for a better grip.
"Wait but...here?" Kevin asked, incredulous. Something about lying Sam down on the floor of the kitchen freaked him out. It was like… a real emergency if they couldn't even move him to a bed or even just the couch in the study.
"Yeah," Dean grunted, disregarding Kevin's distress. Sam let out a garbled wheeze before Dean lowered his flailing, twitching body down onto the kitchen floor.
Kevin told himself to keep calm and moved forward cautiously to spot them, adrenaline keeping him hyper focused now.
"Okay, it's okay, just let it happen, Sammy. Just ride it out. Relax, just relax," Dean whispered coolly as he settled his brother onto the floor. Sam squirmed with uncoordinated movements and Kevin couldn't figure out if they were involuntary or if Sam was trying to get comfortable. Sam's jaw clenched, teeth grinding, and his expression was both sorrowful and scared but still uncompromisingly fixed on his brother.
"Dean... Dean, his eyes," Kevin warned, his voice trembling as he watched the pupils of Sam's eyes expanding, eyes going nearly black. Despite himself, Kevin leaned away from Sam.
"I know, Kevin, that's normal. Sammy's still with us right now though so just chill out. Nothing's wrong," Dean replied with the same tone he'd been using, still staring into Sam's wet gaze.
Kevin swallowed and nodded. Okay, good, Sam wasn't a demon. Dean was the expert on both Sam and demons after all, so Kevin forced himself to take deep breaths. He watched and waited for any point at which he could be of use to Dean.
Dean continued hovering over his brother, kneeling along Sam's side, running his hand up and down Sam's arms and shoulders as the youngest brother's arm and torso convulsed on the floor.
"You're safe. You're okay, Sammy. You know the drill, man, you just have to let it play out."
Sam spasmed into a freaky grimace and Kevin was impressed Dean was keeping his composure, exuding nothing but steady, even-keeled competence. More than that though, Dean was being affectionate. No frustration, worry or even face-saving humor shaded his demeanor right now. This was so raw that Kevin felt like a trespasser. He never thought he'd ever see Dean like this. Never thought Dean could be like this, offer this kind of care.
And the connection between the brothers right now. Sam under damn near full body convulsions yet what remained of his consciousness was seeking Dean out and then Dean meeting him with such unwavering confidence and tenderness.
It was more innocent and pure and loving than anything Kevin had witnessed in a very long time.
These men were monster hunters, thieves, and drunken brawlers as far as he'd even known so nothing could've prepared him to see this. To see this echo of what they'd probably been like as kids manifesting itself in full technicolor before him. This was them at their core, their source of hope, their reason for fighting, and Kevin's eyes brimmed with tears as his grief for his mother became almost too much to bear.
Sam let out a pitchy whine. Kevin wiped the water out of his eyes and focused. Sam was just barely conscious now but still looking to Dean when he could, listening to Dean's voice.
"You're doing great, little brother. You got this. Just keep-"
Dean's hushed words were interrupted by a severe spasm that marched down through Sam's entire right side to his right leg and foot. Sam let out a guttural whine of despair.
"It's okay! Sammy, this can happen, you know this can happen-" Dean murmured urgently. Sam jerked and writhed, then squeezed his eyes closed.
A new flash of terror ran through Kevin as he watched Sam's back lift up for a second, issue a choked-off cry, and slam back down to the floor. Dean's hand was there to cushion the blow to the back of Sam's head. Dean swore.
"Dean-?" Kevin whispered, staring at Sam as the man's entire body started to seize and writhe.
"Fuck! Shit! Kevin go get a pillow!" Dean barked harshly, his whole tone and demeanor shifting drastically. He pulled Sam's body a little roughly into the center of the kitchen. To Kevin it felt like Dean was back to himself now. He jumped up and took off for a pillow thinking that other persona of kind caring big brother still just too weird for him.
When Kevin came running back with a pillow he found Dean frantically shoving the stools near Sam's feet away and letting them crash to the ground. Kevin flinched at the loud screeching noises that continued to reverberate around the kitchen's acoustics.
Dean stuff the pillow under Sam's head and Kevin knelt to the floor with them. Sam was in the midst of a full-blown seizure now. Totally unconscious, his body shuddered into tight muscle contractions then relaxed and the process just kept repeating over and over again. Dull jagged grunts emitted from his jaw, his disheveled hair whipping around as the involuntary movements took him over.
Kevin remained still where he was, unsure what to do so trusting Dean would tell him if there was anything. Scared and charged up, Kevin's mind whirred with observations, one of which was how thin Sam had gotten. The man was six foot four but his bare, pale legs had nothing but wiry muscle on them and his sweatshirt had considerable room to spare.
It took a second for Kevin to realize Dean wasn't making things better, wasn't treating Sam, wasn't holding him down. He was doing nothing, just kneeling next to his frantically writhing brother and watching.
"Dean, c'mon, you gotta do something!" Kevin prompted helplessly, scared Dean had finally checked out.
It looked like Sam was dying right before their eyes, his entire body wrecking itself with flailing limbs and bodily contortions and Dean was just sitting there?!
No, wait. Dean was checking the time. What a productive thing to do while your brother's having a death seizure, Kevin thought sarcastically.
"Dean!" Kevin screamed.
"Shut up Kevin," Dean bit back viciously and Kevin fell silent, watching the older brother in disbelief.
Kevin swallowed and kept his eyes on Sam now, praying to whoever might be listening that Sam wasn't going to die right here on the kitchen floor.
Kevin folded his arms and held himself, rocking back and forth. His eyes were tearing up. He sniffed and wiped them but he couldn't calm down as he watched Sam's seizure. He almost started sobbing when he saw bright red blood spatter out of Sam's mouth onto his lips and face.
"Fuck, Sammy, c'mon," Dean whispered vehemently but Kevin heard the tremor; the plaintive note in the man's tone. He peered over and noticed Dean was paler and biting his nails.
Oblivious to the young prophet, Dean quickly reached over Sam's body to grab the washcloth that'd been folded and hung along the oven handle. He held off on touching Sam at all though.
How was Dean not moving?! All Kevin wanted to do was hold Sam down and scream at Sam to stop this! Stop scaring us! Stop scaring Dean!
More jolts and shock waves wracked through Sam's body; blood continued to get drooled, spit, or blown out onto his lips, chin, neck and hair.
Kevin felt like this was never going to end.
But finally it did.
After three minutes and thirty seconds, Sam's convulsions began to taper off.
And when Sam stilled, Kevin realized that corpse-like stillness was just as frightening as the seizure.
A/N: Originally published 4/13/2019, revised 8/14/2019! Old A/N: 700 Reviews! To All My Readers: Really, truly thank you so much for reading. Please comment/review if you can spare the time! ~ Alex