Vulnerable (SPN, Jack)

[lillian]

My last fic was getting too un-fluffy so I wrote this one before I finish that one up. Yes, more Jack. The Sam & Dean stifling one will be next! (A/N: name change !)

 

Part 1: Photic

The first time it happens is in the parking lot of a diner somewhere between Washington and Wyoming. They’ve been in the car all day, making their way south east to Kansas. Dean’s starting to get grumpy(er) and Sam’s had enough, so they stop for burgers. 

The cut of the engine and Dean slamming his door start Jack out of his light nap. He’s sleeping a lot more recently; the soft purr of the Impala’s engine lulls him to sleep. That or the crosswords Sam keeps giving him, apologizing for the long boring days in the backseat and promising to get him a phone soon. He rubs his eyes and yawns. 

“Jack?” Sam’s leaning over the bench seat. “We’re getting some lunch.” He slides out of the passenger seat and stretches in the sunlight. Jack creaks the door open and climbs out, shifting the abandoned crossword off his lap and into the seat. The air is bright and warm. A soft spring breeze scatters bundles of tree pollen across the parking lot. Jack closes his eyes and inhales, stopping to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his face after the stuffy dark of the backseat. Sam’s footsteps crunch on the gravelly pavement after Dean. Jack opens his eyes and steps forward to follow. 

Suddenly, an electric zing sparks behind his eyes and down into his nose. It’s not like the angel radio from before. It doesn’t hurt, it just—

“ehhhTISHuu!” It jerks him forward, and he stumbles, mostly out of surprise. Sam whips around, opening his mouth to say something. Jack’s eyes are squeezing shut again as his chest expands with an involuntary rush of air. 

“ASHHeww!” 

Then it’s gone. Sam’s staring at him. Jack looks up with wide eyes, careful not to look at the sun again. 

“Bless you,” Sam says, then chuckles. “Guess you’re more human than we thought.” 

Jack rubs his nose and sniffs reflexively, blinking. It wasn’t… unpleasant, but it was new and strange and he’s not sure how he feels about the complete lack of control he feels when it happens. He begins to ask a question, but Sam’s already explaining. He’s been doing a lot of that. 

“You sneezed, Jack,” he says, still smiling. “You’ve seen Dean and I do it.” 

He remembers being startled awake when Sam shook the car with a few explosive sneezes neatly caught in the crook of his arm, and hearing the occasional guttural, smothered “nGXTsh!” from the driver’s seat, each time earning a soft “bless you” from Sam, and shifting to a nearly silent pulse when Sam was asleep. 

Dean already has a table when they get into the diner. 

“What took you so long?” He asks, glaring at the menu. Jack slides in next to Sam, avoiding looking at Dean.

__

Lunch is tense, and Jack is glad when they head back to the car. He follows Sam and Dean out into the sunlight. Suddenly, he feels the sparking behind his eyes and in the back of his nose again. He sniffles, and draws a sharp breath, this one making a small “hih!” sound. His eyes slip closed before he gets a look at Sam’s face, but he knows he’s watching him. He turns away, starting to blush, as his breath hitches again. He doesn’t like this vulnerability. Not in front of Dean.

Remembering how Dean always holds a fist to his nose and clenches his jaw to muffle the sound, Jack crushes his fist against fluttering nostrils and jerks forward with a strangled “hnnGKk!” but unlike when Dean does it, Jack needs another one, and he trembles with it in the same breath. “nnKSH!” When he sniffles this time, it’s not just a dry, irritated sniff. It’s snuffly and wet. He wipes his nose on his sleeve, looking at the ground.

“Bless you,” says Sam. Dean’s staring at him, then at Sam, eyes wide.

“Did he just sneeze?” 

“He did,” Sam says, almost triumphantly. “”The Antichrist” sneezes.” Dean scowls at Sam’s air quotes. 

“Doesn’t mean he’s not evil,” Dean mutters, and unlocks Baby with more force than necessary. 
___

Part 2: Allergic

Months have passed since that first week. Dean’s suspicion has faded as it becomes more apparent that while powerful, Jack is pretty human. Sometimes they watch Scooby Doo together.

Today it’s raining. Jack can tell, even though the bunker is tightly sealed underground. The damp creeps through the walls with the smell of something wet and earthy. He wakes up sneezing. 

One while he’s still in bed, muted and stuffy. “hegg’sheh!” He blows his nose after and feels less congested, but his nose is still tickly. 

He shuffles into the kitchen, where Dean is just finishing up the bacon and the not-bacon for breakfast. Jack pauses in the doorway, raising his elbow to his face like Sam is always reminding him. 

“ISHHuu!” It’s strong, but it doesn’t really scratch the itch that’s now hovering in the back of his nose, making his nose run and his eyes water. He sniffles and rubs at the side of his nose. 

“Bless you,” Sam says, attention mostly absorbed by his tablet. The novelty of nephilim sneezes has worn off by now. 

“heeh—nCHHew!” 

“Good morning to you too,” Dean says. “Bacon?” 

“Yes please,” he says, sniffling. He resists the urge to wipe his nose on his sleeve, instead grabbing a napkin when he sits down. He doesn’t want to blow his nose at the table. He doesn’t think Sam would like that very much. The tickle surges again and Jack’s pink nostrils flare. 

“hih’TXCHeww!”

He catches it neatly in the napkin, which is good, because his nose is starting to get really runny. He rubs his nose through the napkin, blinking away tears. 

“Gesundheit,” Dean says. 

“Thank you,” Jack replies, starting to get stuffy again. 

He misses Dean’s raised eyebrow and the glance he shares with Sam. Another sneeze begins to crest, but annoyingly, it fades back to the buzzing tickle in the back of his nose it was before. 

Sam hears the small sigh of irritation. “You alright?” He asks. 

“Yes. Just... itchy.” Jack finishes wiping his nose and switches to pinching it, trying to massage away the tickle. He can’t reach it, so he tries his eyes instead. It’s hovering in his throat, the back of his nose, and now, starting to burn in his eyes. 

Sam leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, Dad Mode activated. “You sound congested.” He looks him over— bedhead, pink nose, which is quickly flushing a deeper shade as Jack rubs it furiously. There are dark circles under his slightly puffy eyes. The bags under his eyes only become more apparent when his eyes shut tightly as Jack sneezes again. 

“upp—TCH!” Another, equally light and fittish, follows. “TSCH!” 

“Bless you,” Dean says, and Sam’s a little surprised at the concern in his voice. 

“Th- thags— hetCH!etCH!”

“You gettin’ a cold?”

“I don’t… think so?” Jack had a cold in the fall, when the weather changed. It hadn’t felt like this. On the first day, he’d been chilled and achy, and then what Dean called “croaky” when his voice scraped against a sore throat. By the next day, he was sneezing and very quickly lost his voice. After coughing through movie night, Sam sent him to bed early. For the next week or so he’d “laid low,” parked on the couch watching movies and going through boxes of tissues. 

—-

Later that day...

“I think it's allergies,” Sam says, after a trip to the dungeon to look at a leaky pipe leaves Jack pink-nosed, snuffly, and teary-eyed. 

Cas is back from his angel business, and is currently fretting over Jack while he tries to watch the Hobbit. 

“het’CHSH!etTXCHH! uh….” Jack sniffles, sniffles again, and reburies his face in the crook of his arm. “TSHHiew!” 

Cas looks like he’s about to cry. 

“Bless you. He’s fine, Cas.”

Jack does not feel fine, and he does not appreciate Sam brushing off his suffering. He’s itchy, and no amount of eye-rubbing, throat clearing, or sneezing seems to be helping. His eyes are puffy, and dark circles make him look a bit like a zombie. On the other hand, Castiel is hovering really close and making annoying little noises of concern every time he sniffles. 

“Allergies to what? It’s the middle of winter." Dean's not hovering, just observing from the other couch.

Sam cringes as Jack muffles a sneeze into his sleeve. “Mold, I’m guessing. The dungeon’s pretty damp.” Another sneeze. “Bless you. Probably dust, too.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “We should probably change the air filters and get one for his room.” 

Sam’s a hypocrite, Jack thinks. He’s been just as sniffly as Jack in the mornings; tired and puffy around the eyes. Jack snuffles and wipes his nose on his sleeve, feeling some satisfaction when Sam makes a face. He knows he shouldn’t be so petty, but he’s irritable and itchy and –

“Eh-heh-hh…!” 

Cas automatically reaches for Jack’s shoulder, forehead lined with worry. Jack shrugs him off, snapping to the side.

“EHTCSHH!” It’s uncovered, loud, scraping, and messy. Jack clears his throat and coughs, then swipes up against his nose with the palm of his hand.

“Jack!” 

Jack gives Sam a watery glare. 

Dean, to the surprise of all, comes to his defense. 

“He’s not contagious and he looks tired as hell. Let him be.” 

“ttCHEww!” He sort of aims for his shoulder, and brings a lazy fist up for the next – “hihhhGSHHeh!” Grumpy and tired though he is, he really should have covered that one. He sniffles with a thick gurgle and even Dean winces.

Sam blesses him as he cringes and leans slightly away. Jack’s noticed the blessing is an almost automatic habit. “Still...”

Jack’s eyes slip closed again and his red nostrils flare.

“Cover your mouth,” Sam says warningly.

“nnnGXCHShhuh!” It’s into his fist, pressed tight against his nose, but it’s nasally and messy. Jack can’t bring himself to care. As he wipes his nose on his sleeve again, he feels Cas’ hand on his back. Will faltering with each sniffle, he lets himself lean into it this time. 

“If he’s having an allergic reaction, he should probably have some medicine and a shower,” Castiel says sternly, looking over Jack’s head at Sam and Dean. Both look away from the angel’s judgemental gaze. Sam clears his throat. 

“Right,” he says, standing. “I’ll go grab some Benadryl.” Castiel glares after him, a protective hand on Jack’s shoulder. Dean cracks open a beer. 

“ESHH!” 

“Gesundheit,” Dean says before taking a swig. 

“God bless you.” 

Jack snuffles miserably, and Cas gives his shoulder a squeeze. 

~fin~

Edited June 12, 2023 by lillian

[secret19]

1 hour ago, lillian said:

My last fic was getting too un-fluffy so I wrote this one before I finish that one up. Yes, more Jack. The Sam & Dean stifling one will be next!. 

This is a beautiful piece of literature. I don’t think I have ever been as happy as when I read this note from you. I’m so excited. I read this sooooooooooo slowly because I didn’t want it to ever be over. Amazing work Lillian. Please please please give me more!! 

[lillian]

Oh Secret! Literature is too high praise lol. Jack's just so cute and I love exploring his "firsts" and TFW trying to figure out how to take care of him ❤️ 

Also this is the prompt I wrote for myself about Sam and Dean with stifles fic...

Let Go
The boys are great at stifling. Hunting with John they practice being silent, once alone they can finally sneeze. Explore the different sneeze sounds and patterns and the urgent squelchy throb of stifling. Once free, Sam lets loose (purely from need, lots of relief) but Dean can’t, not all the way. Sam begs him to stop holding 'em in but he can’t let go—

Any suggestions?

[secret19]

Heaven in a prompt. I really really loved the compulsion you gave Sam to bless in this fic, it fits his character perfectly. 

8 hours ago, lillian said:

“Bless you,” says Sam.

The slight emphasis here was amazing. 
Other than that- no notes!! 
 

 

Except write it as quickly as possible ☺️

[Not Telling]

This is an incredible piece you have written @lillian I am in love! I have read it through four times already and still don't think I've had enough. I haven't encountered a Jack centered SN sneezing fic before and I am now so attached, it's such a perfect concept- a Nephilim, the son of Lucifer, a powerful supernatural being succumbing to something so human, it practically writes itself! I love how you write the inner conflict and how he's struggling with the vulnerability component of sneezing. You also captured each of the character personalities so well, from Sam gently explaining to Jack what was happening after he sneezed the first time, to his compassion though stern enforcement of how to politely sneeze and handle the action around others like not swiping his nose with his bare hand and covering his mouth, while Dean has that slightly abrasive response and attitude initially but also isn't one to stand on manners so he has no issue with Jack's allergic outbursts and tries to get Sam to cut him a break, to Cas's general concern and protective instinct to try ameliorate and ease the discomfort for Jack, to even the nuances of how they each respond to Jack's sneezing, Dean totally strikes me as someone who would say "Gesundheit" over "Bless you." This is a top notch canon compliant fic, it's like this could have been written into a Supernatural episode and not felt incongruent. So amazing! ❤️ 

[jensdw]

so well written and so adorable!

[Wolfwings22]

This was amazing! It brought me right back to my supernatural phase as if it was yesterday. There isn’t enough written about Jack and especially how he is with his fathers and how each of them bring something different to the table while all wanting the best for Jack (even Dean though he wouldn’t admit it in earlier seasons) Amazing and I’m definitely looking forward to hopefully more! 

[lillian]

@Wolfwings22 @secret19 @Not Telling @jensdw Thank you so much for the encouragement!! I was a little worried the fandom had died and especially as I couldn't find anything written about Jack, I was worried nobody would be interested. Thank you for tagging along on my little Nephilim obsession!! I've written a couple things about him already and I have a few more ideas...

[Femilloween77]

The fandom definitely isn't dead! Very happy that you keep on posting spn content (especially Jack content haha). Very cute work! I love the way you depict Jack and Cas's relationship.