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Stepping away from Jared to push through the throng of people filling the room, Jensen is forced to slap a hand over his mouth as he runs for the exit. Several fans yell out, asking if he’s okay, and he can hear Jared and the staff calling his name. Out in the hallway, there are even more people. He knows he won't make it to the nearest set of bathrooms, so Jensen desperately scans the area for somewhere he can escape. Spotting the large green sign hanging over the double doors to his right, he shrugs off the fans who reach for him and sprints to it. He shoulders the door open and beelines for the grass. Vomit spills from his lips before he has a chance to remove his hand, but the second heave splashes onto the ground at his feet. He’s vaguely aware of a few people now watching him get sick, but Jensen is too far gone to care. He fully trusts Clif and the rest of the security team to take care of it. A few minutes later, someone comes running up behind him. Jensen prepares to fight them back, if necessary. Thankfully, though, he immediately recognizes the weight of the hand that comes to rest on his back. From Jensen’s limited view, he also sees a pair of familiar tennis shoes join Jared’s boots. Jared murmurs something to Clif, then, both men move to block the onlookers' view of the sick actor. The next wave of partially digested enchiladas makes Jensen feel lightheaded. When his knees threaten to buckle, he grabs onto Jared for stability. Feeling Jensen’s hand on him, Jared leans down to speak to him. “When you’re done,” he says softly, “We’re going to get you back inside.” He runs his fingers through Jensen’s hair and places a quick kiss on the crown of his head. “Someone’s on the way to drive you back to the hotel.” When Jensen wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and stands, he immediately sways. Jared’s there to hold him up. “You okay?” his costar asks, wrapping his arm around Jensen’s waist. Jensen shakes his head. “No," he groans and hovers his hand in front of his mouth. "I need to sit down…” “Okay, come on. I got you.” Once Jared informs Clif, they lead Jensen back inside. ****************************************************************** As soon as the trio steps through the doors, a gaggle of volunteers in bright red shirts surround them to try to hold the concerned crowd at bay. Jensen hears the fans behind them, calling his name and asking if he’s alright. It’s sweet, and he wishes he could acknowledge their kindness, but the room is spinning, and he really needs to lie down. Jared pushes the door to the green room open, and the din of the hallway fades. Jensen breathes a sigh of relief and focuses on making it to the couch while Jared grabs him a fresh water bottle from the snack table. There’s already a trash can conveniently placed by the end of the couch, Jared’s large hoodie draped over one of the arms, and a can of lemon-lime soda sitting unopened on the floor.News travels inexplicably fast on the convention circuit. The other cast members keep their distance and converse quietly so he can crash if needed. They don't blame him for the disturbance or the disgruntled sound his stomach makes when he lies down.He feels gross, but they're gentle smiles make him feel less so. They know. They've all been there.By the time Jared returns and starts fussing around, trying to help Jensen get comfortable on the sofa, the sick man is shivering. Jared unzips the hoodie someone left for them and drapes it over Jensen. He rubs Jensen’s shoulder through the material and coaxes him into drinking a little water before rising to speak to Misha. He's hovering nearby, visibly worried about Jensen. The convention coordinator, Steph is standing beside him, but Jared resolutely ignores her. He isn't particularly her biggest fan right now. She was the one who convinced Jensen to come today.If anything, Jared wishes he could shove her face in Jensen’s and berate her for pressuring him. He won't, but only because it would disturb Jensen. “How is he?” Misha asks, his concern evident in the way he keeps glancing at the dozing form on the couch behind Jared. “Not great,” Jared says, leading him a little further away to prevent them from waking him up. Jared has yet to acknowledge Steph's presence. “Do we have anyone who can fill in for him?” he asks Misha. Misha shrugs. "Mark and Bri are available. Or you could probably get Adam or Alex..." He turns to Steph. “I’m supposed to have ops with Jensen this afternoon, but Seb could probably step in for a last-minute angel duo.” Irritated by Jared's disrespect, but forced to focus on the problem at hand, Steph nods thoughtfully. “That should work. Our main concern is the J2 panel-” She looks at Jared, but he still refuses to meet her eyes. “After the fiasco in Detroit and Billings, we can't afford to cancel it.” She leans to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of Jensen. She huffs when a six-foot-four obstacle suddenly blocks her view. “Do you think he’ll be okay by then? We could maybe shorten it to forty-five minutes instead of the full hour.” Jared's furious gaze snaps to her. “You better be joking,” he threatens her, his fists clenched at his sides. It was obvious last night during dinner that Jensen wasn’t feeling well. He only ate a small portion of his meal before claiming exhaustion and calling it an early night. Jared hung out with Rob in the hotel bar for a few hours following dinner, but he sent several texts to Jensen. They went unanswered. By eleven-thirty, it was clear Jensen had either already gone to bed or wasn't able to reply, so he and Rob ventured down the road to the twenty-four-hour grocery store to pick up some stuff for him. Jared then stopped by Jensen's room to drop them off, but he ended up staying after Jensen opened the door panting while wearing a vomit-stained shirt. Not able to contain his fury any longer, Jared growls at the woman he would've called their friend only yesterday. “He told you he was sick, and you, what- didn’t believe him?” Despite being sick all night and barely managing two hours of sleep, Jensen did the responsible thing this morning when he woke up still feeling awful. He called Steph and notified her of his condition. Although she was understanding, she also urged the sick actor to try to attend his scheduled events today. Due to a scheduling conflict, neither Jared nor Jensen had been able to fulfill all of their duties during the cons in Detroit, Michigan and Billings, Montana over the summer. Steph called repeatedly between then and now to stress how important it was that they be present this weekend or they would all face recourse from the angry fans. "This-" Jared motions to his sick costar before whirling back around to accuse Steph, “- is your goddamn fault!” He places a finger in the middle of her chest and increases the pressure until she has to take a step back. He doesn't usually use his stature to scare people, but he's truly pissed right now.“He would’ve been just fine if you’d let him rest, but you told him to push through it!” It is well-known that Jensen hates letting people down, and Steph blatantly used that to manipulate him into carrying out the requirements of his contract. And while Jared knows Steph doesn't really hold all of the blame, Jensen gets a pass until he's able to sit upright on his own. Steph lowers her voice but speaks sternly to Jared. “While I understand that you’re upset, Jared, Jensen is a grown man. I didn't force him to do anything. He chose-” Before she can continue, Rob’s frantic voice cuts in. “Jared- Can you come over here, please?” Jared turns to see him sitting on the couch next to Jensen. He supports the sick actor with one arm while Jensen leans precariously over the trashcan situated beside the couch. After ensuring that Steph knows their conversation is far from finished, Jared jogs over to trade places with Rob. He is relieved not to have to tolerate the irritating woman's presence a second longer. Sitting down, he cards his fingers through Jensen’s hair and gently squeezes the back of his neck comfortingly. It is obvious Jensen’s nausea has returned, but Jared still asks him, “Feeling bad again?” Predictably, Jensen doesn’t respond. Instead, he breathes heavily through his nose and swallows convulsively. A few hitched breaths later, he reaches for the trash can. He gives a horrible hacking cough and something splashes into it. Jensen starts shaking again, so Jared takes over. He holds the bin up so Jensen won't have to strain his neck. “I know,” he whispers, rubbing gently between Jensen’s shoulder blades. “I know, it sucks, but it’ll be over soon.” It honestly only lasts a minute or so, but Jensen shivers violently when it is over. He coughs weakly and burrows into the borrowed sweatshirt. He turns his head away when Jared tries to get him to drink. “C’mon, man…just a little," Jared urges. "I’ll let you sleep…Promise.” Jensen rolls his eyes but he relents and lets Jared tilt the bottle to allow some water into his mouth. In his reclined position, he chokes on the first swallow and coughs violently. “Here, let's get you sitting up. That might help,” Jared murmurs, repeating the action of lifting the bottle to Jensen's lips. Jensen dutifully swallows- this time managing not to choke- and goes to lay back down.Jared stops him. “Not yet. You've got to give me one more. That first one didn’t count." Jensen huffs, annoyed. His jaw ticks and his eyes shift away from Jared’s face. Unlike the rest of their castmates and the young volunteers, Jensen's scowl doesn't scare Jared away. He simply brushes errant hair off of Jensen's forehead and nudges him with the bottle again. "You barely got anything in your mouth, dude.” Acting like a stubborn child, Jensen fixes Jared with a glare, crosses his arms over his chest, and drops his mouth open. Jared snorts and mutters under his breath, “Drama queen.” He tips the bottle until he can see it pool in Jensen's mouth then moves it away and screws the lid back on. Some of it leaks out of Jensen’s mouth and trails down his chin. Jared uses the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe it away. If Jared did that a few years ago, Jensen might have blushed, but now, his gaze softens and he nods to Jared before rolling to face the couch. Jared realizes it should probably feel awkward to brush his hand across Jensen’s heated forehead and pat his hoodie-covered chest, but it doesn’t. Smiling fondly at his sleeping costar, Jared gets up to join the others. “Get some sleep, man. I've got your back.”