Drive-In

"When's the last time we did this?"

"2018," Dean answered, his mouth full of popcorn.

Sam raised an eyebrow, watching a stray kernel tumble down Dean's shirt and bounce off his knee to join the growing pile on the floorboard. "You really remember-"

"Yeah. Freedom, Wisconsin."

"Huh."

"Huh?" Dean looked at him. "You don't remember?"

"No, I do; I'm just surprised you do. It was after we took out that spirit at that haunted house." Sam paused. "It's scary how vague that statement is for us."

"That was fun."

"Not the part where you went through a window."

"That sucked."

"Yes, it did."

Dean grinned. "But it was fun watching the second Deadpool while I was high. Now that was a good time."

"We weren't watching Deadpool. You dragged me to see that World War Two horror movie."

"I dragged you to see Deadpool, too," Dean countered.

"Yes, you did. But when you were high on painkillers from your window leap, we were watching Overlord."

Dean's eyes glazed a bit. Trying to remember, no doubt. He frowned, then shrugged and said, "It was fun watching that while I was high too."

Sam rolled his eyes and reached for a handful of popcorn from the communal bucket between them. The bucket that was already half empty. He shook his head. "You're gonna be getting another bucket before the movie starts."

"I bought this one."

"And you're eating it. All of it. We were supposed to be sharing."

"I never said anything about sharing." Dean flicked a kernel at him. "Go get your own bucket if you don't like sharing with me."

Sam just reached for another handful, knowing if anyone was going for more popcorn, it wasn't going to be him. He glanced around the parking lot as it filled with vehicles. "You remember doing this when we were kids?"

"One of the perks of travelling the back roads." Dean nodded, staring out the windshield. "We've probably been to more drive in theaters than almost anyone."

"Probably."

"You ok?"

"What?" Sam blinked at the non sequitur.

Dean was staring at him, eyes narrowed. He wiggled his fingers in the air and said, "You look uncomfortable."

"Really?" Sam smiled. "I look uncomfortable?"

"Yeah. Your face is all black and blue-"

"Huh, wonder how that happened."

"- and you're sitting there all stiff-"

"I am?" Sam snorted, not shifting from where he sat all stiff against the seat.

"Yeah." Dean tilted his head. "And, you know, with your arm on that pillow you look like some kind of invalid."

"Who me?"

Dean grinned and flicked another piece of popcorn at him. Sam ignored it because it flicked past his right arm. The one he wasn't moving from the pillow. The one that was barely tolerable settled on the fluffy pillow with a bag of ice resting on top. Instead he reached for his cup of pop and took a sip. They had beer for later and whiskey for even later, but for now they were sober. Well, Dean was sober anyway. Sam smiled to himself.

He was a little high.

"You're high, aren't you?" Dean grumbled. "How many pills did you take?"

Sam held up two fingers, frowned, then went ahead and held up a third finger. He grinned, but Dean didn't return his grin.

"That bad?"

"Well it's not great," Sam shrugged his left shoulder, wincing even at that slight movement. "But it's better now."

"I bet it is. After taking three times the recommended dosage."

"Why're you judging me? You were just talking about watching a movie while you were doped up on drugs. Why can't I?"

Dean shook his head. "It's not 'bout that. You need more ice yet?"

"No."

"Fingers numb?" Dean asked, leaning over the popcorn and gently easing his finger around the edges of the ACE wrap. "Not too tight?"

"It's fine." Sam swatted at him and missed completely. Maybe he was higher than he'd realized. "You checked it twenty times. Leave it alone. I'm fine."

"Mmhm." Dean narrowed his eyes. "Twenty stitches is not fine."

"My arm's still attached."

"If I hadn't shoved you-"

"You sat on me." Sam flicked a kernel at his brother and missed completely.

Dean grinned. "Yes, I did. Which is why you still have a right arm."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They settled back more comfortably and waited for the movie to start. It had been a long couple of days hunting a Tik Tik followed by an even longer night spent in a busy ER. Stitched up and released in the wee small hours of the morning, Sam had been ready to fall straight into bed and, surprisingly, so had Dean. But a day spent napping led to an evening spent driving and, happening upon a drive-in theater, they'd both agreed they deserved the night off.

"I'm thinkin' pizza."

Sam rolled his head along the seat back and observed his brother shaking the last kernel of popcorn out of the bucket. "I told you to buy the extra large."

"And I told you up front that I was hungry and wanted a pizza."

Sam groaned and it didn't have anything to do with the pain in his right arm. "Dude. Go. Go get your pizza. Don't let me stand in your way."

"You couldn't stand right now even if you wanted to," Dean said, his tone oddly mingling smugness with concern.

He had been the one to more or less hold Sam's arm together on the frantic drive to the hospital, so it made sense he might still be a bit concerned. The trip and everything up until about three hours ago was fuzzy, but the memory of Dean shouting at him to stay awake while his body was trying its level best to bleed out was sharp and clear.

"I could stand," Sam argued mildly. "Even if I wanted to."

Dean snorted, amusement lighting his features.

"That didn't come out right. But I could," he insisted.

"Yeah, well you're not going to." Dean set the empty bucket aside and reached for his pop. He took a drink, then said, "The movie's gonna start soon. I'll get pizza at the break. I'll get you more popcorn if you're still awake at that point."

"I'll be awake and I'll still want more popcorn." Sam shot his brother a mild glare. "I only got like five handfuls."

"Do you want me to get more right this minute?" Dean huffed like he was majorly inconvenienced.

"No." Sam shook his head, settling back against the seat again. "Just sit still and watch the movie."

Dean turned the volume up on the radio as the movie began.

Somewhere along the way, Sam had fallen asleep.

Not so deeply that Dean's laughter hadn't reached him, but just enough that he was floating quite contentedly in the twilight of near unconsciousness. The first movie had been a kid's flick, but Dean had obviously enjoyed it judging by the sounds of amusement Sam had vaguely picked up on during his nap. He'd missed the entire movie, but listening to his brother had been enough to relax him in a way that even the good drugs couldn't do.

His eyes still closed, too comfortable to bother with full consciousness, Sam listened as Dean stretched out the kinks in his back and neck. There was some soft muttering about people who snored during movies, but Sam didn't feel that was a good enough reason to wake up fully. Dean shifted closer, his touch gentle as he checked the ice pack. It was nothing but melted water now.

The door creaked a moment later and the car rocked a bit as Dean got out, presumably to go for more snacks during the intermission. Sam almost worked up the energy to call out a request for a new ice pack, but it didn't seem worth the effort. So he sank just a little deeper into sleep.

And then he came awake with a start when his door was pulled open.

"Calm down, it's just me," Dean said, dodging Sam's completely uncoordinated punch.

Sam settled down with a muffled groan, cradling his arm against his chest.

"Sorry, man. Didn't mean to freak you out." Dean crouched down, studying him intently. "How you doin?"

"Still here." Sam blinked hard, trying to clear his fuzzy vision.

"Yeah. And you sound completely enthusiastic about it."

Sam yawned and straightened a little. "Hard to be enthusiastic with my arm sliced and nearly diced."

Dean raised an eyebrow and said, "That's a disturbingly specific way to put it."

"I am disturbingly specific."

That got him a chuckle and a pat on the shoulder. "You are disturbing, that's for sure. I was going to say it's time for your next dose, but now I'm thinking maybe you're still too far over the rainbow."

Sam squinted, glancing around for the rainbow. He shook his head, realization dawning that there was no literal rainbow. He looked at his brother and said, "But my arm hurts."

Dean laughed again. "Wow, that was really whiny. Your tough guy image is taking a beating."

"I don't care, give me the pills."

Crap, I really am whiny.

"Alright. Pills, popcorn, and pizza," Dean said, materializing a cup from somewhere and dumping its contents - nothing but ice - into the bag they'd been using for an ice pack.

Sam hazily watched him work. "Where's the pizza?"

"Set it on top of the roof." Dean nodded his head upward as he placed the fresh ice pack on Sam's arm. He gently checked the tightness of the ACE wrap and the color of each one of Sam's fingers before he patted him on the shoulder and straightened. "Looks good."

Squinting at the bandaged appendage, Sam wasn't sure what looked good about it, but Dean closed his door before he could ask. A moment later, Dean was sliding a pizza box with a bucket of popcorn on top across the seat. It smelled incredible and woke Sam up more than anything else could have. His attempts to move the popcorn bucket nearly resulted in the entire car being covered in popcorn.

"Hey, hey," Dean said, grabbing the bucket. "Hands off, buddy. You're about as coordinated as a toddler."

"Rude."

"Accurate."

The thought of rolling his eyes just made him dizzy, so Sam settled for a half-hearted glare.

"How's the ice pack feel?" Dean asked, organizing the snacks to his satisfaction.

"Good. Thanks."

"Cost me an extra three bucks. Highway robbery. You're welcome." He rattled the pill bottle. "Alright, time for your second ride over the rainbow for the evening. But you need to stay awake long enough to eat something. I don't need you sick and pukey right during the climax of the movie."

Sam took the easy way out and didn't argue with his brother. He was getting the good drugs and that was all he really cared about. He downed the pill with a sip of pop, then accepted the piece of pizza he was given. It was a little tricky with only one operable hand, but he was hungry enough not to be fussy.

A wad of napkins landed on his lap indicating that while he wasn't fussy about the neatness, somebody else sure was.

After a few minutes, Dean chuckled out of the blue.

Sam raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny?"

Motioning to a couple kids chasing each other around below the movie screen, he said, "Just was thinking about the first time we went to a drive in movie."

"Jurassic Park?"

"No, that was later. First time we went was when you were five. That summer you broke your arm. Dad took a nap in the back seat while we watched the kid's movie. That dinosaur movie."

"Jurassic Park?"

Dean frowned at him. "No, that was years later. This was that animated one. With the toddler dinosaurs having their little toddler dinosaur adventures."

Sam snorted at the description. "The Land Before Time."

"Yeah. That one. You sat on my lap, freaking out the whole time."

"It was kind of a scary movie for a little kid," Sam defended.

"I hated that movie."

Sam didn't ask why. He knew. He hadn't thought of it in decades, but now the memory returned, a bit blurry, but clear enough. He'd been scared for the little dinosaurs, but the movie had affected his brother for a whole different reason. Dean had cried silent tears when the dinosaur had lost his mother.

"I hated the movie," Dean said, his eyes on the kids playing in front of them. "But it was a fun night. You only had a couple weeks left till you got the cast off so you were less whiny and more fun. Dad let us play at the playground during the intermission."

Sam watched his brother, trying to decipher what this conversation was all about. It would have been so much easier if his mind wasn't fuzzy with painkillers. Was this a good memory or a bad one?

"It's a good one."

"What?"

"You asked if it was a good memory," Dean said, shifting in his seat. "You're talking aloud when you think you're just thinking."

"Oh."

"But it was. A good memory. Still hate that movie and can't figure out who thought it was a good movie to make for a bunch of freakin' kids. But yeah. It was a good memory."

Sam smiled, watching the kids playing. They had a lifetime of bad memories, but perhaps there were just as many good ones as bad. He glanced at his brother.

"Did I just say that aloud?" he asked, watching Dean tidy up the car in preparation for the soon to begin second feature.

"Say what aloud?"

"Never mind."

The second movie started a moment after the trash was bagged and tossed into the backseat. Sam made it through the opening credits before his eyes began to get heavy. A few minutes later and he could barely hold his head up. Stupid drugs. He squinted at the movie screen. He couldn't remember what they were there to see, but it sure looked interesting.

"Jurassic Park," Dean said out of the blue.

"Hm?"

"That's what we're here to see. The newest one. I can't remember the specific title; why there are so many of these movies I don't know," Dean muttered, shifting around in the dark. "You'd think people would've learned from the first movie that dinosaurs are a very bad idea. People are stupid. Here."

Sam blinked blearily at his brother, wondering what here meant.

"Just like when you were five," Dean said, laughing as he gently pillowed his jacket behind Sam's head. "Can't make it to the second feature."

"The second feature is for adults. I wasn't supposed to stay up for it when I was five. And neither were you. And this doesn't count because you gave me drugs."

Dean snorted. "Just say no, Sammy."

Sam closed his eyes despite his best efforts. He had actually been looking forward to this movie and now he was going to sleep straight through it.

"We'll get the DVD when it comes out, ok?"

"Are you reading my mind?"

"Yes."

Sam was too tired to figure out how the mind reading thing worked. A spell? A charm? A potion?

Dean laughed again and Sam couldn't figure out why he was so amused. It was a good thing, though, so he didn't worry about it. He just sank a little further into the seat, moving around until he found a comfortable position in the cramped car. It had seemed so spacious when they'd been kids. It took a minute, then he leaned against something to his left and was finally comfortable.

"Well, I'm glad one of us is comfortable."

Sam didn't bother opening his eyes or trying to move from his comfortable position slouched against his brother. Because he was comfortable and even though Dean was griping, he had made no effort to move away. For a few minutes, Sam just drifted, vaguely listening to dinosaur roars overlaid with his brother munching on popcorn and providing his own commentary to the movie. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Dean spoke up a bit louder.

"There are more good memories than bad," Dean said, obviously having been reading Sam's mind all night long. "You know? Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but the more I look for memories, the more good ones I find."

It took effort to find his voice, but Sam managed to say, "I'm glad."

"So am I. Now, will you please go to sleep? The grown-ups are trying to watch a movie."

Sam smiled.

Hope you enjoyed! Promise I haven't given up writing. I've actually been doing a lot of writing for my original novel, but that has meant fanfic took a back seat for awhile. I'm hoping to pop back here more often with new posts but I'm very consumed with my novel, so we'll see how it goes. But I have stacks of in-progress SPN fics, so never fear. I will be back with more...sometime. :) Thank you for reading!