Summary: Story 2: Halloween Candies – One-shot! Wee!chester An episode of the Winchester sibling fight, nice and healthy. Words: 2,863
Halloween Candies is inspired by 12x11 "Regarding Dean".
Dean: "Look at his face. Oh! Kind of like that time I ate all your Halloween candy. You remember that? Classic."
In this story, Sam is 8 while Dean is 12.
Rated: K+
Halloween Candies
Background: Sam happened to be at Bobby's place yesterday, on Halloween. Bobby suggested that he goes out for trick or treat. Sam was a little reluctant at first - worried that Dean will tease him for it if he knew, but he agreed easily after knowing that Dean had done it before too. Actually, Dean might still be willing to do it, if he wasn't helping Dad out tonight, just for the candies. Bobby had dressed him up in a simple Batman costume - cheap plastic mask and a dusty, grey cape (that is really an old towel). It was Sam's first experience with trick or treat and he had quite enjoyed it, especially the part where he earned himself a bag-full of Halloween candies for an evening of trick or treat.
It is a typical weekday afternoon. Sam had just finished school and, as reminded by Dad and Dean for about a million times, he is heading straight back to the motel apartment which Dad had rented - for a month this time round. Normally, Dean would have insisted that they go home together. But this time, the school is fairly close to their stay and Dean felt safe enough to return home first on days when his classes ended earlier.
Sam does the special knock and Dean unlocks the door for him to come through. After making sure that the door is locked nice and tight, Dean goes back to the living room and slumps down onto the sofa. He picks up the opened diary and continues from where he left off. Meanwhile, Sam heads towards the kitchen table and drops his school bag onto one of the chairs, giving a disgruntled sigh at the messy table, spread with pieces of notes and news about something - a hunt that Dad is on in this town. He is about to pull out his homework when he notices something amiss.
"Where are my candies?" Sam asked while lifting several papers and checking under the table.
"What candies?" Dean asked as he flips a page in Dad's diary.
"My Halloween candies! I left them right here!"
Dean looks up to see Sam pointing at somewhere on the kitchen table.
"Huh... Must have dropped them somewhere," Dean said "nonchalantly" and hastily return his attention to the diary.
... ...
"Dean...?"
Dean looks up to see Sam glaring at him with a dead look in his knowing eyes.
"What?"
"You ate my candies didn't you."
"No!" Dean replied defensively and Sam just stared at him sullenly.
Where did the tiny 8-year-old get all that sass from?!
"Fine, alright, I did eat them," Dean confessed what Sam already knew. However, upon hearing the confirmation, a look of hopeless devastation still fell upon him.
"They're just candies Sam, don't make a big fuss over nothing."
"You ate all of them?!" Sam interrogated, his tone rising in anger and incredulity.
"There weren't a lot to begin with! And I was hungry!"
"And you were a pig, you meant!"
"Just get them again next Halloween. Don't be such a baby about it," Dean retorted.
That had struck a chord. Sam has always been the youngest in the family and especially recently, he has gotten increasingly annoyed that Dad and Dean continue to treat him like some useless kid, side-lining him while they discuss hunting stuff and leaving him at Bobby's when they go investigating. Although Dad had not let Dean get into the real action yet, he had been helping out a lot behind the scene. Sam doesn't understand why he can't be allowed to do the same.
However, Sam did realise that from the earlier conversation, he sounded just like a whiny brat complaining about his missing Halloween candies. But, it is obviously Dean's fault in this case! It's not merely the sweets that Sam is angry over, it's about Dean being an ass. At least, that's what Sam told himself. Yet, it is true that anyone will be mad when their entire night of hard work is gone - just like that - because of an unrepentant guy with a bad attitude.
"Sammy - come on, don't turn your back on me," Dean said after Sam turned to walk towards the bedroom, away from Dean, but not before Dean caught the look on his face.
Sam didn't reply. Instead, he bangs the door shut behind him, creating a physical barrier between himself and Dean.
Dean groans in frustration – frustration directed internally at the self. Why did he banter with Sam when he knew that he was in the wrong? Why didn't he simply admit his mistake upfront and apologise like a decent human being/mature older brother? Why did he even eat those stupid candies in the first place?
It really wasn't intentional, though. Dean was looking through the news and notes lying around on the kitchen table in search of helpful information for the hunt, when he saw all those sweets lying there temptingly, within arm's reach, coming in all kinds of colours and flavours. He tried on one of them and it tasted so good. Unknowingly, while concentrating on the hunt-related notes, he finished the scatter of candies in a blink of an eye.
... Maybe he really is a pig, like Sam said...
Dean got up from the sofa and goes to stand in front of the bedroom door. He tries the knob but it is locked.
"Look, I'm sorry about your Halloween candies, alright."
"...Sammy?"
Dean wasn't even apologising for the main issue here.
On the other side of the door, Sam is lying sulkily on the bed. Although Sam had not intended to give Dean all the candies, he did want to share them with him, knowing how he would love those sweets but did not even had the chance to trick or treat. Sure, he is furious that Dean ate all his candies, but more than that, Dean had called him a baby, which he is not.
Dean waited for a few seconds but received only silence. Of course, he can pick the lock open in a matter of couple minutes, but Sam will probably be even more pissed off than he already is if he does so. In the end, Dean decided to give him some time alone to cool off.
The rest of the evening passes by without a single word being exchanged. Night time comes and Dean steps into the kitchen, finding himself half a packet of spaghetti and the remaining bottle of Bolognese sauce. It is just enough for 2, so he emptied all the noodles into a pot and heat up the sauce in the microwave. Dean is not particularly hungry (probably because of all those candies and guilt swimming around in his stomach), but he thought that Sammy must be. The kid hasn't eaten anything since afternoon, and Dean is pretty sure there is no food inside the room.
Dean sets up the dinner table, making it more refine than he usually would, with the pair of fork and spoon placed neatly on either side of the dish.
"Sammy, dinner's ready," Dean called out from right outside the room. No sound from the other side. Maybe Sam had fallen asleep?
"Sammy?" Dean gave two small knocks on the door.
Just then, as though in response to Dean's knocks, there are 3 knocks from the main door, followed by 2, then 3 again. Dean gives the bedroom door another look and then steps away from it to attend to the other door.
"I've found it. It has been the Johnsons this whole time..." John came through the door, already going on about the case on hand.
"Really?" Dean asked, interested.
"Yea, it's them since the very beginning... Are there any more of that? I'm starving," John noticed the plate of spaghetti on the kitchen table.
"Sure, take a seat," Dean went to fish out the rest of the spaghetti from the pot. While doing so, he hears a soft click of a door unlocking. He turns around with the bowl of noodles and sees Sam coming out of the room.
"Hey, Sammy," John spares him a glance and then returns to the notes on the table.
"Hi Dad," Sam replied emotionlessly. He goes to sit down at the kitchen table with John and begins twirling the spaghetti with his fork.
Dean places the bowl of noodles in front of John and then proceeds to pour the remaining Bolognese sauce over it, all the while observing Sam from the corner of his eye. Sam, conversely, fixes his eyes on the food and eats on obliviously.
John continues to discuss the hunt with Dean as he eats and Dean stands at the side of the table, arranging the pieces of paper idly to keep his hands busy while conversing with John.
Sam finished his food before John did. He washes his plate and utensils by the sink and left them out to dry. Afterwards, he goes over to his school bag that was left on the chair earlier on and pulls out his homework.
"I guess I'll make a visit tomorrow morning..." John was saying to Dean and then stopped for a moment to chew on his spaghetti.
"Sammy, you alright there?" John asked out of the blue.
Sam looks up from his school work to find both Dean and John eyeing him from across the table.
"I'm fine," Sam replied, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Dean.
"Hm, it's just... You've been quiet," John observed.
Typically, when John and Dean have hunting conversations in Sam's presence, he will be listening attentively at the side, asking endless questions, bombarding them with all his "whys", "whats" and "hows". But today, he has been unusually quiet and hasn't released a single question since John came home.
John then turns to Dean with a questioning look but Dean avoided his gaze, suddenly busy with the pieces of paper in his hands. Something is going on with the boys. John realises that but did not push for it, as neither seems to want to share. He contains the curiosity within him, reverting back to the hunting matter, which is the priority right now.
Dean arranges and rearranges the pieces of hunt's notes unnecessarily. He knew that Sam is not one to complain to Dad about their issues. Kids' conflict should just stay within the kids, no need to get adults involved. However, Dean still feels a little touched, and grateful, for Sam to not tell on him.
Days passed and none of them mentioned the fight ever since. Dean acts like nothing happened, treating Sam like how he usually does. Sam, however, is not as carefree about it, talking to Dean only when he asked him a straight question and always giving short, half-hearted replies in return.
Or maybe Dean is not exactly that indifferent about it either. He seems to be avoiding spending time with Sam these days - they haven't even had a single meal together since.
Moreover, Dad hasn't been home much again. He's at a critical stage in the hunt - the hands-on stage whereby he's at full power to seek out the evil thing and end it, after days of investigations and research. However, that also means it is only Sam and Dean in the apartment - alone, with no Dad as a buffer to the post-fight-no-make-up awkward situation. When John is home, Sam will dumb down on his silent treatment and acts more naturally towards Dean. Again, not wanting to get John involved.
Sam is walking back from school, returning for perhaps the last time to this motel apartment. John believes that he'll be able to finish up the hunt by tonight.
Sam gives the special knock and Dean opens it for him with a "Hey, Sammy", which he acknowledges with a jerking nod of his head, his gaze cast towards the floor, and then he goes to drop his bag on the usual chair. He pulls out his homework and put it on the kitchen table. It is at that moment when he sees them. Lying right next to his homework, is a small heap of candies. Sam freezes for a second at the unexpected scene.
"They're yours. I'm returning them to you, so you can stop being all mopey and grouchy already," Dean said in a mock irate tone.
"Where did you get these from?"
"Shops nearby - and no I did not steal them, I bought them with my own money."
"You don't have your own money, Dean," Sam raises an eyebrow.
"Dad gave me some for helping him out with this hunt," Dean said smoothly. "I was the one who made the link to the Johnson family, you know," Dean added proudly.
Dad awarded Dean money for helping out with the hunt? That's a lie right there. Sam knows that although John does give Dean some cash, it's only about enough for their 3 meals a day. Then, the points start to connect.
Dean always finding excuses to stay away during meal times - sleeping, cleaning, shopping, researching on the hunt... Sam had noticed, of course, but he did not bring it up, as he had been in the process of giving Dean the cold shoulder. As a matter of fact, he had not seen Dean eaten anything except plain crackers these few days, which were bought the week before.
"Dean! You don't have to starve yourself to buy me candies!" Sam exclaimed maddeningly.
"I'm just returning what I've taken -well, eaten- alright." And truly, he did. He even went through the trouble to get a variety of different types of confections, like the mixture of Sam's Halloween candies.
"Sammy, look..." Dean began, looking embarrassed, his hand reaches up unconsciously to scratch the side of his head. "I, er, I shouldn't have eaten all your sweets. I'm sorry. Really. It's not exactly the same as what you had," Dean gestured at the candies, "but it's close enough, right?" Dean said hopefully.
Sam peers up at Dean and he feels an uncomfortable squeeze in his heart when he sees the slightly slimmer contours of his brother's face. In this moment, he can't help but realises just how petty and childish he really was. So what Dean ate all of his sweets? So what he had called him a baby? He is still the best big brother anyone could ever have, despite being annoying at times. Sam nodded silently to Dean's query.
"So...we good?" Dean asked tentatively.
Sam takes a quick look at the table of candies and picks out the largest bar of chocolate among them.
"Ya, if you eat this first," Sam held out the bar and Dean took it in surprise.
"Thanks, Sammy," Dean smiled and Sam smiled back - the one-sided cold war has ended.
Suddenly, a familiar set of footsteps can be heard walking towards the door. The brothers exchange a look of alarm.
"Hide the candies!" Dean cried out in panic. The both of them look around the area anxiously and then in the nick of time, sweep the bunch off the table and into Sam's school bag. Neither thinks that Dad will be too thrilled to find out the food money has been translated to sweets.
Dean goes to open the door after taking a steadying breath to calm his sudden accelerated heart rate, while Sam pretends to watch tv.
"Dean, Sam, pack up, we're leaving," John said as he walks through the door.
John sits in the car as he watches the boys load their belongings into the trunk. He thought that they look a little stress and panicky while having some whispered conversation that is out of his earshot.
"... hide them inside the empty salt bag instead! They'll get crushed, I don't want my bag sticky..."
"No, are you crazy?! Dad will see if we take them out now..."
Their conversation is cut short when they open the car door and get into the back seat. John starts the car and drives off while the two continue to have their silent communication at the back. Through the rear view mirror, John sees Sammy with one hand around his school bag that is sitting on his lap and the other hand pin down on the car seat by Dean's hand. They also happen to be glaring at each other. The curiosity within john, from a few days ago, rekindled.
"Boys, is there anything going on between you two?"
"No, sir," the brothers instantly sat up straight in attention and replied in unison, Dean immediately letting go of Sammy's hand. They then turn to give each other a look of surprise and started sniggering at the same time.
"Ok... if you say so," John smiled to himself and accepted the very suspicious response without further grilling. After all, they seem to be on good terms again, so they've probably worked things out on their own.
With ACDC's "Back Seat Confidential" playing softly through it's stereo, a black impala leaves it's trail along the stretchy highway, bringing the 3 Winchesters towards the next phase of their journey.
~ The End ~
Sidenote: I chose "Back Seat Confidential" because the title of the song fits the story, NOT the lyrics – not trying to imply any Wincest here (obviously). Can't say I'm familiar with old rock songs (beside a few that were played on the show) so it's hard for me to find one that fits. And yes, it's not a suitable song to be played with children in the car, that's why I made it play softly instead of blasting out loud~ :P
If anyone has any better alternatives, drop it in the comment and I'll be happy to change it:)
(If there're more than one good suggestion I'll pick the one that I think best fit the story~)
