Fever Dream [Cougsen Drabble]
broe-dameron said: Cougsen -- “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” ** OR ** “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”
But Gaz... what about both?
Jensen was not having the best day. Possibly the worst day he’d had in quite a few weeks and considering the Petunias had lost a crucial match earlier that week... that was saying something.
“You know... I’m having second- or is it seventh?- thoughts about being the one to do this particular task,” Jensen huffed over coms to whichever Loser happened to be listening at the moment. He was out of breath, light-headed, and his entire body was roughly the temperature of Satan’s left pinkie toe.
It wasn’t exactly common knowledge, but that was where Satan stored all of his extra heat and being the ruler of hell meant there was a lot of extra heat. “I think I’m hallucinating about the devil. What does his feet look like anyway? Hooves? Hooves don’t have toes where would all his heat go?”
“Jensen, this is not the time. I need you to reach the panel as quickly and quietly as possible.”
"Oh sure, let me just locate the panel through the fog that’s filling this vent. That’ll go over well, Colonel.”
“There’s no fog in the vent, Jensen.”
“Then why is it so damn blurry, huh? Am I crawling through Satan’s asshole now? That makes even less sense than his pinkie toe. I know how ridiculous I sound.”
“Jensen.”
“Yeah, yeah, panel I am on it. Crawling through the vent. Stealth mode activated.”
“Jensen!”
Jensen rolled his eyes and promptly collapsed for a moment as the vent decided to do a barrel roll. “Did the building move or was that just me?”
“Just you.”
“Okay. Let’s add dizziness to the symptoms list, shall we?”
“Symptoms list?"
Jensen blinked hard as the vent decided to stop spinning and he would have kept moving but the Colonel’s words finally registered with him now that he was upright. “Oh.”
“Oh?”
Jensen never told his teammates that he wasn’t exactly feeling up to par. He assumed he could tough it out without worrying the others, without being excluded, without the disappointment of not being able to participate because Clay would definitely tell him to go home and rest.
“Nevermind. Carrying on to the panel. No problemo.”
“Does this have to do with your second thoughts that you never mentioned before?”
“I believe it was seven thoughts, actually Colonel. Keep up...”
Clay took a moment before responding. “Jensen are you sick?”
“Nah that doesn’t sound like me. I don’t get sick.” He said this between gasping breaths and having to take a moment to rest his head on his arm. The vent was spinning again.
“Jensen, turn around.”
“Almost at the panel, Colonel.” And he was, according to the blinky lights attached to his wrist. It had a name but through the heat and the fog of his brain he couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Jensen.”
He started crawling again, keeping lower to the ground. His entire body was on fire. Clay was quiet on the coms which could only mean he was discussing how much of an idiot Jensen was with the rest of the Losers. When the coms clicked back on, it was not Clay.
“Jake.”
Oh he did love that familiar and sexy voice.
“Sexy?”
“Oh that was out loud, huh? Whatever we both know the feeling’s mutual.”
“De veras?”
“Yes, really. I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice, Cougar. Those eyes raking over my hot body. Wish you could see me now. I am on fire.”
“Turn down the right vent.”
“No man, this thing on my arm says to go left.”
“Go right.”
“I think you’re lying to me dude.”
“You are hallucinating again. Go right.”
“Oh.” Jensen squinted at the device on his wrist. Traitorous blinky lights. “Well if you say so.”
Jensen followed Cougar’s directions without fail. It was only a couple turns, go straight and then- “Cougs, there is no panel here. This is a dead end.”
The dead end opened and he was greeted with an extra blurry Cougar face.
“Why hello there. Is the panel in this roo- oh you tricky bastard I am going back in there.”
Cougar grabbed his arm, holding him still. “No, you are not.”
Jensen did not have the energy to pull away from Cougar, even just a little. “Okay... I’m not. Fuck I’m sorry guys.”
“Thanks Cougar, get him out of the vent. We’ll come back later.”
Cougar nodded even though Clay couldn’t see him. Or could he? He could be in the room right now and Jensen would have no idea.
Jensen allowed himself to be pulled out of the vents and helped to his feet and that was when the power went out. To everything.
. .
Jensen woke up to a massive headache and the strange sound of beeping. He breathed in deep through his nose and cringed at the scent. Hospital.
“You dirty vent liar,” Jensen growled once his eyes focused. Cougar was sitting next to him in a chair, hat covering his face.
At the sound of Jensen’s voice, Cougar sat upright and pushed his hat up with his index finger to smirk down at the hacker. “You believed me.”
“Didn’t even hesitate. Trust you that much buddy, and you take advantage. My poor fragile heart.”
Cougar grinned, showing teeth which meant he definitely got some kind of kick out of tormenting Jensen. “You like me.”
“I-” Jensen’s mind raced back through the haze that was the vent. Oh. “You know. Fevers are weird things man. Brain was literally boiling inside my skull I bet. Who knows what-”
"You fainted...”
“Well yes, I do remember that was how the night ended-”
“Straight into my arms.”
“Uh... good catch?”
“You know,” Cougar leaned forward in his chair so that he was practically hovering over Jensen, “if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”
Jensen blinked. He glanced from Cougar’s eyes which seemed genuine to his grin that was entirely too pleased with itself. “Don’t mess with a man who passed out man. I could still have a fever. Could be hallucinating like with those blinky lights.”
“Weren’t hallucinating. I lied.”
“Right. We established that. Filthy vent liar.” Jensen glared but there was no heat behind it. “So... no hallucinating?”
“Not.”
“Well good then. Next time I won’t faint in your arms.”
Cougar chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Next time.”
Jensen grinned. There would be a next time. “No chance I can get a kiss this time, huh? Or am I too gross and sick for that?”
To his surprise, Cougar leaned back over him and kissed... his own palm before placing his hand over Jensen’s mouth.
Jensen sighed and pursed his lips against Cougar’s palm. Good enough.
