Human Sickness - (3 Parts)

[Mercury]

I'm not really good at writing serious sneezefics. I always intend for them to be, but they rarely turn out that way, so hopefully I kept this one consistent(ish).

Title: Human Sickness

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, okay?

Summary: Castiel isn't sure what to make of his vessel's malfunctioning, but thankfully the Winchesters seem to know what to do.

Human Sickness

It was dark, but that didn't matter to Castiel. While he was lost most of his abilities since his falling from heaven, his eyesight remained perfectly fine. He could still see the soft glow surrounding people, pulsing hypnotically, and the small droplets which glittered as they reflected the light. The human world was so very beautiful.

His hands we clasped, palms together, almost praying if not for the small phone nestled between them.

The bench he was sitting on was warm, as he had been sitting on it for approximately seventeen hours. He had nowhere to go, didn't required any food or sleep, and had nothing to do but wait for Dean to call. But time was moving slowly, and Castiel could feel humanity start to overcome him, like an unwelcome dizzy spell. Dean needed to hurry up; the rain was starting to come down harder, running down the back of his trench coat, and for the first time in his existence he felt cold.

It had taken a while for him to recognize the feeling; but he pieced it together from what he'd heard from conversations. He was cold. And tired.

"HEHSSHHHH"

His blue eyes fluttered open and he watched the fine mist blend into the rain as they settled on the gound. Castiel remained in a bent position, his forehead furrowed. In theory he knew what a sneeze was, but he hadn't expected it to be so... overwhelming.

Blinking, Castiel straightened up, bringing the back of his wrist to the underside of his nose, wiping at the dampness he found there. His nose was congested, as it had been most of the day. He was tempted to sniffle, but it was a pointless human habit he had not yet picked up, and he was in no hurry to gain any more of those.

"Ehh...hehhh... heeehh..." The angel paused, eyelashes fluttering, nose scrunched and flared. Bringing a hand up, he touched the tip of his nose, desperate to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling. It did, but not the way he intended;

"HEHIISSSHH! HEHHCCHH!"

He wiped his hands on his trench coat before pulling the garment closer around his vessel as he shivered. Castiel made a decision; this was not a pleasurable experience.

Blinking the water from his eyes, the fallen angel sighed. He was not feeling well; his head was far too heavy, something Castiel was sure was due to the fullness of his nose. He searched his vessel’s coat pockets for something that could help. From what he'd learn about humans, they kept a large variety of things in pockets, and the chances were high that he'd find something of use... He found keys.

Frowning, Castiel through the useless metal into a puddle. The runniness of his nose was making it feel funny, and while the sensation itself was not unpleasant, he knew the following expulsion would be. He stuffed his fist beneath his nostrils and sent up a silent prayer.

"Hehchhh!" The sneeze came out quieter than the others, but harsher and much, much thicker. "Hiishhh, Hihhcchhh!"

Castiel sniffled and cringed at the wet sound. There was a headache forming behind his eyes, and he pinched the bridge of his nose to try and ease it, but all it did was make the bridge of his nose hurt. Not quite sure what was wrong with him, Castiel lay down on the park bench, worried, but mostly tired. He knew humans were fragile, so perhaps his vessel was wearing out. His chest tightened; He couldn’t leave, he still had to help Dean.

“Hetchhh.” Castiel sneezed tiredly. He closed his eyes, hoping the sleep his body was screaming for would ease the unwelcome feeling, but as soon as he did the phone rang.

Shifting his hands from beneath his head, Castiel reached for the phone which had fallen from his grasp when the sneezing had begun. He pulled it from the mud and flipped it open.

“Is it dead?” He began, knowing who it was beyond the fact only one person had his number.

“Yeah, Cas.” The angel winced at the shortening of his name. “Thanks for the tip”

“It was necessary you have the information.”

“Yeah, well... thanks anyway.” Dean drawled, clearly uncomfortable.

Castiel felt a twinge of guilt. “You are wel... wehh...HEHisshhh!” He sneezed on the phone. It was harsh, and hurt his ears, so he could only imagine how it’d felt to Dean’s. But he couldn’t apologise, as he was pressing his free hand against his nose as hard as he could stand, desperate not to sneeze again, despite his hitching breath.

“You okay, Cas?” The voice waited for a response. Castiel could hear Sam in the background, obviously asking some variation of the same question. “Castiel?”

“Hehsshh! Ishhh! HihEhssshh!... hehhh...” He paused, the sensation fading away. He panted slightly, his throat and nose sore from having such a force ripped from it. “Dean, I don’t feel good.” Castiel hoped he hadn’t sounded as worried as he felt. He knew when humans malfunctioned it meat they were ill, and a large number of illnesses were fatal.

“I need help. I... HEHIISSSHH!” His head spun, and he quickly sat back on the bench before realizing the phone was back in the mud.

“Cas, you there?”

“I dropped the phone.”

There was an exasperated sigh, and some more words exchanged between the two brothers before the eldest returned to the phone. “Cas, we’re at the Purple Moose Motel, maybe you should head over here.”

Castiel looked at the bench he had been calling home. He wanted to sleep, but if Dean needed him to come then there was no other option. “I will arrive soon.”

He flipped the phone shut and rose from the bench. His head didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon, but he knew the deep tickle, which he was regrettably becoming used to, would only be temporary. “HEHITCCHH!” very temporary. “HAHSSHHH!” he gasped for breath, and took a moment before allowing himself to brace for transportation.

The world shifted around him. For a moment Castiel was glad he could still teleport, but the notion quickly left when his head swam and his legs gave out. His eyes remained closed, and his body braced for impact, but two arms circled him and a soft rumble came from behind. “Whoa.”

Castiel shivered and lent into the warm wall of muscles, trying to stop the small tremors which flooded his body. He coughed, and continued coughing until it felt like his throat had been turned inside out. He was vaguely aware of a hand rubbing his back.

“Shit, Cas.” Exclaimed Sam, as Dean pressed a glass of water into the angel’s hands. The younger Winchester guided the angel from his grip and onto the edge of the bed. It was much softer than the park bench, was Castiel’s conclusion. He finally opened his eyes, although it took more effort than it should. He stared at the glass of water cupped within his hands; it was cold, but as cold as his body was his throat was on fire. The water helped.

Sam took the glass from Castiel and returned to the kitchen to search for the complimentary teabags, while Dean took the position next to the angel.

“How long have you been like this?”

Castiel turned to look at Dean, however the light surrounding the human, brightened by selfless concern, flashed in his blue eyes and it brought a sharp feeling to his nose. “Hesshhh! Isshhh! Hehh... HETCCHHH!” blinking, Castiel allowed his eyes to focus on Dean beyond the glow. He saw the disgust and surprise behind the worry, and modesty brought his hand up to cover his nose.

“Excuse be; thad keebs habbening.” He sniffed liquidly.

Dean chuckled, and a stab of annoyance went through Castiel. He failed to see the humour in the situation; his vessel was clearly unable to perform vital tasks, like breathing, properly. If his vessel died he would have nowhere to go.

A tissue was placed in his hand, and it surprised Castiel that he hadn’t noticed the Dean moving to grab it. He brought it his nose and softly wiped its underside, not wanting to hurt or aggravate the sore appendage. He tried to sniff again, and it produced a gurgling noise but no relief.

“You have to blow.”

“Excuse me?”

“Blow.” Dean mimed what his meant, placing one hand on either side of his nose.

Castiel did what he was told, tissue circling his nose. Dean prompted him to repeat the process several times, with various tissues, until he was able to breathe again. Scrunching up the tissues and holding them limply in his hand, not quite knowing what to do with them, Castiel looked to Sam, who had returned with tea and a waste basket for the used tissues.

“Hehisssh” came another harsh release.

“Cas,” started Dean, “You’ve sneezed on me three times already. Cover your nose when you sneeze, okay.”

Coughing, Castiel nodded. “I apologise.” He sipped the tea. It felt nice, but after a quarter of the mug he returned it to the table, yawning as he did. “If there is no reason for me to be here I should leave.” He stood without feeling dizzy, but very tired. “I would like to return to my bench.”

Sam shook his head, hair shifting with the movement. “Do you sleep on a bench?”

Castiel blinked, not sure why Sam had used such an incredulous tone. “Where else would I sleep?” It was an honest question.

In mere minutes Sam was able to convince him to stay and use Dean’s bed. Castiel tucked himself into blankets and permanently renounced his bench. It wasn’t long before he drifted off, vaguely aware that if he left the care of his vessel to the Winchesters he might make it out of this alive.

[BlueRandom]

This is so great! Cas is awesome, and you've got his tone perfect - the whole mix of naive/know-it-all. Is this a oneshot, or a TBC?

Specially like this bit:

Sam shook his head, hair shifting with the movement. “Do you sleep on a bench?”

Castiel blinked, not sure why Sam had used such an incredulous tone. “Where else would I sleep?” It was an honest question.

[DaylightStarr]

You... you... Oh my LORD! You just about killed me with your awesome Cas fic of awesomeness! I loved this soooo much, you have no idea! I've been DYING for a sick!Cas fic ever since I laid eyes on that pretty, pretty man of scruff and you WROTE ONE!!!! God, you have made me sooooo happy! *flails*

Ooookaaaay, I am calm now...

Anyway, a wonderful fic, my dear lady. Thank you so much for sharing, and I look foreward to reading more, should you feel like writing more.

*Glomps you unexpectedly*

[crazy_cat_girl]

This is so adorable already! I love how Cas doesn't know what to do. Dean giving him the tutorial on how to blow his nose! Poor Cas!

"Castiel turned to look at Dean, however the light surrounding the human, brightened by selfless concern, flashed in his blue eyes and it brought a sharp feeling to his nose."

I love how Dean has a light that only Cas can see! The "selfless concern" made me all warm and fuzzy.

This is wonderful! Thanks so much for posting!

[Silent Sophie]

Oh my Gooood!

Well, okay, I can't tell I really *love* Cas, actually. But I definately LOVED this fic! You did amazing!

[obsessed]

Oh, he's a cutie! Thanks for writing this. :]

[Teh Ninjin]

ILOVEYOUSOMUCH!

Somebody wrote some Castiel.

yippeeee <333333333

you are....amazing.

[Zane]

O....M....G..... I'm so frickin speechless as to how amazing that was right now!!!!! but I will say this, it was and just so I LOVED IT!!!!!! Thank you so much for writing it! Castiel is so awsome! haha yay!

[shygreeneyes]

“I would like to return to my bench.”

Sam shook his head, hair shifting with the movement. “Do you sleep on a bench?”

Castiel blinked, not sure why Sam had used such an incredulous tone. “Where else would I sleep?”

Aw, Cas...

See, this is what fanfic is for. When the show completely breaks me, to go, Awwww.

[LeapYearKisses]

You... you... Oh my LORD! You just about killed me with your awesome Cas fic of awesomeness! I loved this soooo much, you have no idea! I've been DYING for a sick!Cas fic ever since I laid eyes on that pretty, pretty man of scruff and you WROTE ONE!!!! God, you have made me sooooo happy! *flails*

Lol, I felt exactly like this when I saw the description. XD Great job! I love that angel to pieces, but this is the first sneezy fic I've found of him. TBC?

[Mercury]

I'm so glad you guys like this. I was going to leave it as a oneshot, but because of this warm, fuzzy feeling you've given me I'll add a second part. I can't promise it'll be up soon, but I'll try my best.

[Silent Sophie]

Actually, I've always asked myself why there aren't Cas-centric sneeze!fics. I mean, with his "ignorance" about how to handle the sneeze thing, he'd be an absolute funny preciousness to play with. On the other hand, the Winchester boys draw all the attention and I can imagine why.

Anyhow, I think it'd be really cute to see Cas with an allergy too.

[Lady Blessington]

Gah.

I love how perplexed Cas is. Dean's aura making him sneeze is awesome. And Dean miming to him how to blow... yes please.

[iluvsneezes]

Awesome story so far! I'm really glad you'll be writing another part to it.

[Zane]

Actually, I've always asked myself why there aren't Cas-centric sneeze!fics. I mean, with his "ignorance" about how to handle the sneeze thing, he'd be an absolute funny preciousness to play with. On the other hand, the Winchester boys draw all the attention and I can imagine why.

Anyhow, I think it'd be really cute to see Cas with an allergy too.

I totally agree.

[Mercury]

A/N: It's a bit later than I wanted, but it's also longer than i thought it would be, so hopefully that makes up for it. I had no idea how to end it, so hopefully it finishes okay, and I'm always hesitant about lots of dialogue because I don't think I can write it where it sounds natural, but I'll never know if I don't try, right? Anyways, enough excuses; Enjoy!

Human Sickness Pt.2

When Castiel woke he felt like one of those angels who played harps and floated on clouds. He was in a place softer and warmer than anything else he’d found on Earth; a bed. If it weren’t for the dull throb in his head, and congested tickle in his nose he could have sworn he was back in heaven. Too bad he felt like hell.

“Hehicchhh.” He buried his head into the pillow. “Hesshumph.”

Coughing, Castiel rolled onto his back. His nose still tickled, although not so vehemently as before, just a sensation tickle due to its constant running. He sniffled, hoping he didn’t sound, or look, as pathetic as he obviously was. He didn’t want Dean and Sam to know how he felt; they would just act... human, and he was unsure as to what that would entail. The few experiences he had with emotions had been unpleasant, the concern he’d felt for Dean sometimes overwhelming, and he didn’t want to inflict that unpleasantness on anyone.

“Hehcchtt” his blocked nose squelched the end of his sneeze, and he could feel the congestion start to shift deeper into his nose. His head, which had bounced off his pillow with the thick sneeze, gave an angry throb, telling him to blow his nose and ease some of the pressure. He was very thankful Dean had showed him that trick.

Shifting, he pulled himself up slowly, immediately mourning the loss of warmth as the blankets fell around his waist. The movement made his head swim, and his twitch. He gave a sniff, and brought up the sleeve of his trench coat to wipe at his nose before he realized what he was doing; another bad human habit he had picked up.

“Cas?”

Castiel looked up. Both Dean and Sam were staring at him from the small table, his arm frozen in place and sleeve barely grazing the tip of his nose. He felt his face flush, feeling like a child being caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“I’b sorry”

“Don’t be.” Said Sam, who picked up a tissue box from the table and threw it at the angel, who saw it coming but made no move to catch it, having it instead bounce off his chest. It hurt, but he was grateful for the tissues as he plucked four from the box and applied them to his nose, blowing thickly several times.

He snuffled, feeling some of the pressure had left.

“Thank you.”

Sam smiled and turned back to his laptop, but Dean kept watching Castiel, arm over the back of his chair and body twisted. “You feelin’ any better?”

Castiel took a moment to pause and evaluate his position. Now that he’d rested, he did feel better, and the panic about his body malfunctioning had lessened, but the symptoms were still there and still horribly persistent. His nose, despite having been blown, was still running, and once again starting to tickle.

“Yes and No.” He responded, before his breath caught “Hehisssh! Hittchhh! Hehhhh... EHSSSHOO!...But mostly ‘no’,” He re-evaluated.

Dean nodded, as if the answer had been obvious, and rose from the table, grabbing a plastic bag off the table and bringing it over. He sat on the edge of the bed, and Castiel shifted to sit up straighter, both to give him room and to try to make himself more presentable. He sniffed and wiped the base of his nose with another tissue, acutely aware of his nose’s growing soreness.

“I got you some stuff.” Dean held the bag out to Castiel, who let it hang for a moment before realizing he was expected to take it. Inside he found a new handkerchief, a bottle and several small boxes. “It’s medicine,” the human explained, when he saw the blank look. “We didn’t know what you’d need, so what you don’t use we’ll put in the first aid kit.”

“Hehitsssh“ Castiel, aware of Dean’s proximity and his early request, had raised his wrist to his nose to restrict the spray. He looked at the damp appendage with distaste, but his baby blues were quickly fluttering closed again. “Itcchhh! Hihesshh!” He sniffed thickly, but kept his wrist to his nose, feeling self-conscious and disgusting.

“Dank you. I...Hehchhht!”

Dean smirked; He seemed to be enjoying his angel’s misery. “Might be time to blow again, Cas”

Castiel nodded and used the fresh handkerchief from the bag. Despite not being snuggled in the blankets anymore, Castiel was starting to warm up again; the soft light surrounding Dean was giving off a nice heat.

“Read through the boxes and see what you want to use.” He held one up, “Start with the night-time decongestants.”

Castiel blinked.

“You were snoring pretty badly last night.”

“Was that a problem?” Castiel felt worry grip at him. He didn’t want to burden the brothers more than he already was. He noticed Sam was looking at him over the back of the chair again, and saw how tired the human looked. Turning back to Dean, he asked; “Did I prevent you from sleeping?”

Dean shrugged. He seemed to be able to tell the angel was worried, although Castiel knew he was not versed enough in emotions to be able to hide them. However, he didn’t seem to care. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were possessed with the noises you were making.”

Blushing, Castiel turned from Dean to study the various boxes of medicines. “I apologise,” He offered.

“Yeah, well, you’re sick.”

Still studying at the daytime cold/flu tablets, Castiel frowned. He wasn’t sure whether being sick excused him or whether it meant he should be more considerate, as he was impeding on their lives enough already. Either way, he didn’t want to put them out, but when he went to ask for clarification he had to bury his nose into the soft cloth.

“Hehhchmpt. Hihshmft.” He snuffled into the material before resurfacing. He tried to sniff, the congestion making it impossible. “I cad do logger breathe proberly.” Coughing, he searched in the bag again and brought out the decongestants and cough drops.

“If you want, Dean can make you some tea.” Sam suggested.

“I don’t know how to make tea.”

“You stick a bag in boiling water, Dean!”

Grumbling, the eldest Winchester rose and headed to the kitchen. Castiel started shivering again, the loss of Dean’s warmth hitting him almost immediately. He pulled his trench coat tighter around his body, feeling another tickle tease his nose.

“Heh... ehhhh.... HEHTISSSHOO.” He turned to sneeze into his shoulder, still feeling Sam’s eyes on him. He felt heat rise to his face, but it didn’t do much in the way of warming him up.

“Cas?” Sam waited patiently as the angel tried to clean himself up with the handkerchief. “You can take a quick shower to warm yourself up, and the steam might help with the congestion.” He gave a warm, dimpled smile, but Castiel could see the vague annoyance which flickered around the edges of the human.

It wouldn’t be too much effort to go and take a quick shower, Castiel decided, and it would give the two of them a short break from having to listen to him sneeze and cough. So, nodding, Castiel rose from the bed and took a few steps before turning back, grabbing the handkerchief as a second thought.

“Did you sleep in that trench coat?” Sam asked.

“It provided warmth.”

“But didn’t it get wet in the rain?” Castiel nodded, and Sam sighed. “I’ll ask Dean if you can borrow a sweatshirt; I don’t think mine will fit.”

Nodding again, Castiel offered a “thank you” before heading into the bathroom. He made sure the door was locked before taking his coat off and peering into the shower. He could deduce that the ‘H’ meant ‘hot’, and the ‘C’ meant ‘cold’, so quickly adjusted the water into something that felt good on his arm.

He took his time to strip down, fold the clothing and place them on the sink. They were his vessels clothes so he had to take care of them, just as he had to take care of the body. Stepping under the spray, Castiel gave an involuntary sigh as he felt his muscles relax, but he quickly tensed and braced a hand against the wall.

“HEASSHHOO! HEHISSSHOO! HEHITCHHOO! Hehh... EHSSSHOO!” He panted for a second, waiting for further sneezes. The tickle remained, but it didn’t intensify enough to sneeze again.

Turning off the water, Castiel darted for the pants and pulled the handkerchief from its pocket. He blew his nose before it congested itself again, and then dressed himself, tucking the now soaked handkerchief into a pocket. He picked up the trench coat and flung it over his arm, ready to leave, but hesitated on the doorhandle.

“I’m not saying baby him, but cut him some slack!”

“I am!”

“You’re teasing him, Dean!”

“So? He knows I’m not serious!”

“Does he? He’s never been sick; he’s never even been around someone who’s sick. He’s confused, and worried.”

“Why? It’s not hard to be sick; you sleep, you drink tea, you take pills.”

“He doesn’t ask when he needs something; he just follows our lead.”

“Well then he should learn. Getting sick is just a part of life.”

“Not for him!”

Castiel hesitated, then raised his hand and knocked on the door. He had no idea if that was right, but it seemed wrong to just walk in on an argument about him. When the silence stretched for a few seconds too long, Castiel slowly opened the door and exited the bathroom. Sam and Dean both watched him re-enter the main room.

“Feel better?” Sam asked, concern written across his face.

Castiel decided it was an irrelevant question and instead looked from one brother to the other. “If I’m causing problems I can leave. I... HETISSSHOO!” He ducked his head as he sneezed, but kept it ducked, embarrassed at the suddenness of it. When he raised it again, he noticed that, while Sam was looking sympathetic, Dean was frowning;

“Cas, did you dry your hair?”

Frowning himself, Castiel shook his head. “Should I have done?”

Dean rolled his eyes, reached into his bag and threw a sweatshirt at the angel. It obscured Castiel’s vision, but he adjusted it so he could pull it on, before hanging his coat over the back of the couch. When he was done Dean was coming out from the bathroom with a dry towel.

“Go sit on the bed, Cas.” Dean suggested in a gentle tone. Castiel did as told, then watched Dean go into the kitchen and return a second later with a mug of tea. “Here, it’s been sitting on the bench for a bit.”

“Tea’s supposed to sit.”

“Only if you’re in England,” Dean countered Sam, then added in a lower tone as he passed his brother, “and this doesn’t mean you’re right.”

Castiel went to take the mug from Dean as the other approached, but instead it was placed on the small table beside the bed and Dean positioned himself next to the angel.

“Look, Cas, you being here isn’t a problem, okay? Sometimes I forget you’re new at a lot of this stuff.” He placed the dry towel over Castiel’s head and started drying his hair. It felt good; the rhythmic rubbing easing the dull headache that Castiel was starting to get used to. “and sometimes,” Dean continued, “It’s really frickin’ obvious.”

Dean continued for a few moments until he was satisfied. Castiel blinked at him when the towel was removed from his head and he could see his human rising from the bed.

“And from now on anything you need from us, just ask; it's the least we can do for everything you've done.”

Although he was trying to pass it off as casual, Castiel could see the honesty in Dean's words, and the concern in his eyes. The angel smiled; “Thank you"

[BlueRandom]

Yay, you updated! This is the cutest. And I love this:

"... But mostly ‘no’,” He re-evaluated.

Also, Cas in a sweatshirt?! Awww ...

[Lady Blessington]

It was so sexy... and then Cas KNOCKING ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR was just, precious.

[snuffle-bunny]

This is just gorgeous!! I don't know the fandom, but...an angel with a sneezy cold? Yum, yum...purrr...

[obsessed]

Aww, the oblivious manner he has is endearing and funny. I love it!

[ooo]

Sick Castiel is so much fun! And so incredibly endearing

This bit made me laugh out loud, I just love Dean's disgust and Sam's exasperation:

“If you want, Dean can make you some tea.” Sam suggested.

“I don’t know how to make tea.”

“You stick a bag in boiling water, Dean!”

Really enjoying this, thanks for writing it!

[iluvsneezes]

Aww, Castiel is so adorable! Great story so far.

[27jj]

Actually, I've always asked myself why there aren't Cas-centric sneeze!fics. I mean, with his "ignorance" about how to handle the sneeze thing, he'd be an absolute funny preciousness to play with. On the other hand, the Winchester boys draw all the attention and I can imagine why.

Anyhow, I think it'd be really cute to see Cas with an allergy too.

Agreed!! I'm actually writing one! (am I allowed to say that here?)

Anyways, Mercury, I am loving this! Especially the part where Dean 'seems' to be enjoying Cas' misery-I know I'm enjoying it! And Dean drying off Cas' hair is super cute! I'm really enjoying this so far

[*lovely_lily*]

This is so cute! Loving how Cas knows almost nothing about being sick and how innocent he is, It leads to like a realistic situation inside the fandom.

Its been awhile so I was just wondering if you stopped writing. Finger's completely crossed the answer is No.

[Mercury]

Its been awhile so I was just wondering if you stopped writing. Finger's completely crossed the answer is No.

The answer is 'Maybe'. As much as I love sick!Cas (which I completely and utterly do), I kinda ran out of ideas for this story, but I'd love to continue writing.

If anyone wants this continued then please suggest anything you want to see, no mater how small (you can PM if you're embarrassed about it ), and hopefully by the time exams are over next week I'll have an idea where I want to go with this