Sleeping With Your Peepers Open

Dean noticed that Sam was sleeping with his eyes open as they headed south along Route 69. The Impala stalked the open road and Dean accelerated, just happy to be leaving the flat scenery of the Midwest.

It looked like Sam was daydreaming. After all, Iowa cornfields could be stimulating for only so long and Sam was prone to zoning out in the Impala. They were both tired after finishing up an all-nighter getting rid of an unhappy spirit in Des Moines. The hunt had gone smoothly and they were leaving Iowa as quickly as they had arrived.

Sam had the US: Midwest Region Map folded on his lap. His head was tilted back and his eyes were half-mast. Sam's breathing was a little loud and his mouth was hanging open like it sometimes did when Sam was so enthralled with research that every other concern went out the window including controlling his jaw and monitoring the noise of his breathing. Sam could be such a geek.

Metallica's St. Anger was playing on low. Normally, Sam didn't complain about Dean's choice in music but Sam hated this song. Sam could recognize the song in the first few seconds and Dean figured Sam tried to change it before Dean even noticed what the song was, but Dean knew his own music and most of the time Sam didn't succeed.

"Hey Sammy! Your favorite song!" Dean said, elbowing Sam in the ribs.

Sam didn't so much as twitch. Dean gave him a sideways glance. That was strange but Sam looked like he was extremely engrossed with whatever was going on outside the window. Which was nothing. The damn wind wasn't even blowing.

"Uh, mind telling me what's so interesting out there?"

Nothing.

"Sammy?" Dean snapped his fingers in front of Sam's face.

But then, out of all the reactions that Sam could have had, the kid started snoring. Snoring. Deep, steady snoring that Sam only did when he was deeply asleep.

What the hell. Dean looked over at Sam. His eyes were open. In Sam's defense, they weren't wide open but they sure as hell weren't all the way closed like they were supposed to be.

Dean didn't even think you could fall asleep with your eyes open. Wasn't that against the laws of Science or something? You fall asleep and your eyes close. That's just how the world works. But apparently not to Sam.

It was starting to freak Dean out. Sam was okay, wasn't he? He hadn't even gotten banged up on the last hunt. The spirit had unleashed all it's anger on Dean. All Sam had done was burn and salt the bones. Dean had been the one distracting the stupid thing.

To Dean's knowledge, Sam had never slept with his eyes open before which classified this behavior as abnormal on the Sammy list. Then again, it was claimed that it was impossible to lick your own elbow and Sam could do that, so maybe this wasn't a big deal. Maybe it was just one of the strange things that his kid brother could do.

Still, the elbow thing was kind of cool. (Especially when Sam had won twenty bucks from a bartender when he proved he could do it.) This was just plain scary.

"Wake up Sam!" Dean shook Sam's shoulder and Sam bolted upright, the map sliding onto the floorboards as he shifted.

"I'm 'wake." Sam slurred, blinking as he regained his surroundings.

"You really are a freak." Dean told him.

"Huh?" Sam rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"Dude." Dean said. "You were sleeping with your eyes open."

"What are you talking about?" Sam stretched and arched his back the best that he could within the small compartment of the car.

"Just what I said. It was freaking me out."

"I wasn't sleeping with my eyes open Dean."

"You totally were." Dean said and thought for a moment. "It's kind of a handy trick Sammy. Did you learn how to do that at Stanford?"

"Shut up Dean. I'm tired."

"Apparently. That was one of the weirdest and creepiest things I've ever seen Sam and I've seen a lot of weird and creepy."

"Shut up Dean." Sam again, this time with more annoyance.

"Maybe your eyeballs are too big for your head?" Dean pondered out loud.

"Shut up Dean." Sam repeated. Dean fumbled beside his seat and pulled out a pair of cheap sunglasses that he had snagged a long time ago from a gas station in Florida. He handed them to Sam. "Put these on."

If Sam wanted to be a freak and sleep with his eyes open, more power to him but Dean did not want to see it.

Sam rolled his eyes but reluctantly slid on the sunglasses.

Dean turned up the volume and the sounds of St. Anger filled the car.

"I hate this song." Sam grumbled.

Dean grinned. "I know."

As always, I'd love to know what you thought. I don't have anyone beta my fics so suggestions are ALWAYS welcome :D