I've been needing some h/c Chuck in my life and this idea popped up randomly after tonight's episode. Can be viewed as slash if you like ^.- Hope you all like it!! :D

Chuck shifted slightly, inadvertently clenching his jaw as even the movement of shifting from one foot to another caused his head to throb. The ache was persistent, dull and deep, spreading from the back of his neck to his eyes and down into his jaw. Chuck was used to headaches, he got them all the time from hours of staring at computer monitors, but this one had been going on for days and he had already surpassed his pain tolerance. He figured his recent return to the Buy More would keep his mind occupied enough to ward off some of the pain but it had done nothing but increase it.

The computer tech leaned back against the help desk he was currently occupying, pressing the heels of his hands into his eye sockets and holding them there, basking in the momentary relief of blissful darkness. His cell phone was ringing next to him but it sounded muffled and far away, hidden under a pillow or tucked in a drawer. He heard himself groan, the sound low and pained and pathetic even for him.

Ever since the new intersect had uploaded in his head, he'd been experiencing bouts of cluster headaches, each one lasting a few days at a time. None of them had been this bad though or lasted this long. He refused to tell Sarah about it because things were already tense enough between them without him looking for sympathy. Casey was completely out of the question, the older agent would just tell him to suck it up and stop acting like a woman. Ellie had given him some over the counter painkillers, a little stronger than Tylenol, and told him to drink plenty of water and go to bed early. She said that if it continued she would set up an appointment for him at the hospital to make sure he didn't have a brain tumor or anything but that was really the last thing he wanted; doctors and nurses, white robed and informal, poking and prodding him and making things worse. No thanks. And of course, the pills were at home in the medicine cabinet because he hadn't realized how much he needed them until now.

His cell phone was ringing again but Chuck ignored it, instead sliding down the cabinet and pressing his back into the cool solidity behind him. He hugged his knees, breathing through his mouth in short pants. His eyes were throbbing, it hurt to open them, and the normal sounds of the Buy More seemed amplified and played over a loud speaker in his head. God, this sucked and, knowing his rotten string of luck lately, it wasn't bound to get better any time soon.

"Bartowski." A voice hissed above him and Chuck resisted a sigh. Yep, his luck had just gotten worse…

"What is it Casey…?" He asked, voice muffled from his face being buried in his knees.

"You're not answering your phone and Walker got worried." He could practically hear the scowl in the older man's voice but he couldn't bring himself to care. There was a silence and Casey's voice suddenly sounded closer. "Why are you on the floor?"

"I'm becoming acquainted with the cabinet…you're interrupting." He snapped, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. Why couldn't they all just leave him alone in his misery?

"I'm serious Chuck." Did Casey sound worried? Alright, it was official, he had a brain tumor. "What's wrong?"

Chuck mumbled some kind of answer, he wasn't sure what, and kept his head down. It was better on the floor, he liked it on the floor.

Cool hands pulled his own away from his eyes and there was a burst of light. Chuck squinted sharply, eyes slamming shut again. The hands refused to let go of his wrists, instead keeping them pinned to his legs to he could bring them up to cover his throbbing eyes again. "Jesus kid…" Casey breathed next to him. "You look like Hell…you sick?"

Chuck shook his head slowly, regretting the decision immediately as the floor titled at an awkward angle and sent him tipping into the agent's shoulder. "Headache…kill me…" There was no playfulness in his voice or teasing; he would rather take a bullet than suffer through pain like this anymore. It felt like an ice pick had been wedged deep into his cerebral cortex and was not using the back of his eyes an etch-a-sketch.

"As inviting as that proposition is, I'm going to have to decline." An arms snaked around his waist and his other arm was tossed over Casey's shoulders. "Come on, geek wad." The agents said quietly, standing slowly and dragging Chuck with him.

The sudden rush of vertigo caused Chuck to cling to the agent with more vigor than he wanted to admit and he whimpered pitifully next to him. "Easy kid, I gotcha…" Casey reassured him and Chuck shivered unconsciously at the sound of his voice. For some reason it felt safe, protective, and he believed him.

"Where're we goin'…?" The words were slurred, sliding out between clenched teeth and clenched jaws.

"Home." Came the simple answer and Chuck managed to open his eyes enough to see Casey leading him to the door. "You're obviously in no condition to work."

"Gonna get fired if I leave…"

"Yeah, well you're gonna pass out of you stay." Casey swung slightly to the side to avoid running into a woman with a basket. "I'll call Big Mike and tell him you got an urgent service call or something, don't worry."

Chuck wanted to say something else but lurch in the back of his throat prevented that from taking place. Casey must have noticed because there was a quick side-step out of the automatic doors and Chuck found himself sinking bonelessly into the bright green lawn of the Buy More, violently expelling the contents of his stomach. He could hear sounds of disgust as customers passed by, probably casting him appalled looks and sneering as he lost his lunch on the perfectly manicured lawn. He didn't care; it wasn't like they had never thrown up before and right now he couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to.

A hand fell between his shoulder blades, rubbing slowly as he continued to gag and retch on the grass. The hand moved up, gently massaging the corded muscles in the back of his neck and releasing a little bit of the tension there. The nausea faded as well and he was left breathing heavily on his knees in the grass, more miserable than before. "Ugh…" He groaned, allowing the older agent to gently lift him from the ground once more.

"You get migraines often, Chuck?" Casey asked once they were standing again, waiting for the younger man to stop swaying before he took a few slow steps toward the parking lot.

"Migraines?" Chuck parroted back, squinted brown eyes searching his face.

"Yeah, migraines. These are all classic symptoms of one."

Chuck shivered and felt Casey tighten his grip. "No…only had one before…when I was 18..."

"Well, looks like you're due for another one." Casey replied in a resigned, almost apologetic tone. "Come on, kid, let's get you home."

OOOOO

The ride back to the apartment took half the time it normally did, especially in lunch hour traffic; partially because Casey broke every speed limit he saw. Chuck was propped in the seat next to him, slightly curled and limp like a discarded rag doll. He was pale, a thin sheen of sweat clinging to his face and neck. To be perfectly blunt, Chuck looked like he'd been sent through the ringer and then tossed into the garbage disposal.

"How ya doin' kid?" He asked, sparing a glance to passenger seat.

The younger man made a soft noise in the back of his throat but it was wordless and not helpful in the least.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Casey mumbled, pulling into the driveway of his apartment and shifting into park. He unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the car, walking around to the passenger side and opening it, neatly catching Chuck as he nearly tumbled out of the car. "Whoa…easy there, brainiac…" He whispered, pulled Chuck up and wrapping his arms around him to keep him upright.

Chuck tried to stand but his legs were weak and shaky, like a newborn colt, and so he ended up more leaning than standing.

Gathering the younger man in his arms, Casey half-dragged, half-carried him to the apartment, rummaging around in his pocket for the key. He found it, opened the door, and stumbled inside without dropping Chuck in the process, an impressive feat if he was perfectly honest with himself.

The apartment was cool and quiet, the usual array of computer monitors and surveillance screens turned off. He dragged the younger man into the back bedroom and gently deposited him on the bed, turning on the fan as he did so. The room was dark enough but he closed the blinds anyway, pulling the heavy curtains over the window as a second thought. "Stay here." He said in passing though he wasn't really sure why.

"Good plan…" Chuck mumbled from the bed, slowly curling in on himself again.

Casey tore his eyes away from the younger man and walked into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling out a small plastic bottle. He plucked a pill from the bottle and put it back, going into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator before returning to the room.

Chuck was still curled on the bed, his breathing shallow and audible from the doorway. He looked small and vulnerable in the midst of the all the sheets, nothing like the super spy they had been training him to be for the past six months. Here, in the darkened room, he looked like Chuck, computer tech and geek extraordinaire who had been thrown into a world of mystery and espionage that he never wanted.

Casey slid onto the bed next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. "Chuck, I need you to sit up for a second, okay?" He asked, his voice still gruff and sharp even though his tried his best to get rid of it. Comfort wasn't really his thing but when it came to the younger man he felt like he could give it a try.

It took a few seconds but Chuck was finally able to pull himself into a sitting position, his face paling even more. "Wha-?" He asked but stopped when the pill was pressed into his hand.

"Take that. It will help with the pain, I promise."

Chuck didn't even ask, he simply popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed dryly. Wincing in sympathy, realizing he probably should have handed him the water at the same time, Casey offered him the water bottle and watched as Chuck took a few hesitant sips. Once he was sure the younger man wasn't about to vomit all over the floor, Casey stood slowly and walked back into the bathroom, grabbing two washcloths and wetting them in the sink. He returned to the bedroom to find Chuck still sitting awkwardly on the bed, eyes squinted even in the dark, and face twisted in pain.

"Just give it a little bit." Casey said softly, sliding onto the bed again and grabbing a pillow, flopping it across his legs. "Here, lay back."

Once again, Chuck didn't bother to ask and simply fell into the agent's lap. His lack of response was surprising but not unexpected; Casey knew from experience that it hurt to talk.

"How do you know so much about this…?" Chuck asked finally, cracking his eyes open to gaze up at the agent.

Casey just shrugged and folded one of the wash cloths, laying it across the younger man's throat and feeling a slightly smile tug at his mouth when his jumped. "I had migraines a lot when I was younger, learned all kinds of tricks on how to handle them." He folded the other cloth and laid it over Chuck's eyes. "The medicine will kick in in a little while." He reassured him again, carding his fingers through the thick, curly locks in his lap.

Chuck made a soft, contented noise in the back of his throat and relaxed, keeping his eyes closed beneath the washcloth.

The agent remained silent, slowly raking his fingers through the younger man's hair, his fingertips digging gently into his scalp with each pass. He stopped after a few minutes, moving his hand so he was massaging Chuck's jaws and the corded muscles in his neck. He could feel the rapid, weak pulse beneath his fingers as he worked but Chuck's breathing had evened out and the pain lines in his face had smoothed slightly. He continued to knead away the tension in his neck, feeling the muscles slowly release under his ministrations.

"Casey…?" Chuck mumbled from his lap, his voice soft and not nearly as clipped as it had been before.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thanks…"

Casey smiled a little and nodded, continuing with his treatment. It didn't take long before the medicine took effect and Chuck slipped into blissful unconsciousness. Once he was sure the younger man was indeed asleep, he whispered into the darkness, "Anytime."

Hope you guys enjoyed it!! :D Yay new season of Chuck!! :D