Hello hello! I told you guys I'd be back...eventually *ahem* sorry for the extended wait, really, things got busy and I worked my butt off a few weeks back making something I'll be posting later on, so I'm just now getting some time apart from school and other stories to get one of these up.
This one is for VegasGranny, I'm sorry it took me literally years to get to it, but hey I do save the prompts ;) She requested a story where the boys go ice skating for the first time, and their hunter and angelic reflexes don't exactly help out. (thank you for always being so supportive, I hope you enjoy!) It was a fun story to write for sure.
We all know how the world is right now, and writing/reading happy stories is doing me some good, and I hope it does the same for you guys. As always, if you have any requests/prompts/ideas for happy stories, you can go ahead and leave them in a review or shoot me a PM and I promise I'll save them and get to them eventually! Thank you all for reading, stay safe! This is also crossposted on AO3, same username and story/series title if anyone prefers that site. *I still don't own the show*
Dean had two containers of diner takeout in the front seat of the Impala and was turning onto the main road back to the motel when a sign caught his eye. There was a skating rink set up in the parking lot of the small outdoor mall they had passed by earlier. While he hadn't paid attention to it in the daytime, now in the absence of sunlight the bright white lights and signs were hard to miss.
They were a few miles outside Omaha, Nebraska after having finished up a case outside of town. Given it was getting late, they had agreed on sleeping at the motel for the night and driving back to the bunker in the morning. Well, the brothers would sleep. Cas would do whatever he did while that was happening.
The hunt had thankfully been a cut and dry one, more boring than anything, and aside from a few scrapes they had all walked away unharmed. Cas had tagged along for lack of anything better to do since the world surprisingly wasn't trying to end itself at the moment. That and a little extra muscle never hurt.
Dean passed through the now green light he had been stopped at and eyed the skating rink the whole way down main street until he couldn't see the center anymore. It didn't look extremely busy, seeing as it was just one of those little pop up ones, not the established rinks that were in some of the main towns. That and it was a school night, so the smaller kids were probably already home.
Mostly open ice rink open until eleven plus a trio of unhurt and bored hunters? Sounded like more fun than they'd had in a long time.
Dean kept the idea in the back of his head as he pulled into the motel and dropped off the food once he had gotten to the room.
"You're in luck Sammy, they had some of your cholesterol free no fun nonsense," he passed off Sam's container from the bag and took his own.
Sam just rolled his eyes at the usual jab and took the container. "Thanks for getting it."
"Mhm," Dean hummed and pulled out his own burger. "You two hold down the fort alright?" He looked between Sam and Cas, who was seated on one of the beds flicking through television channels. Dean could tell that both his brother and the angel were a little bored, but also that it was a four hour drive back to the bunker in cold, possibly icy conditions. Factor in it being nighttime and Dean being just a bit tired (not that he'd admit, but they could tell), the motel was the best way to go.
"There is not much holding down to be done, but yes, things have been fine," Cas affirmed without looking away from the television.
They ate in silence and moved into light conversation once they were done. Trying to find a decent movie or show to watch mid-week was a pain, and agreeing on something was harder.
Finally, Dean decided it was as good a time as any to bring his idea to the table. Okay, maybe not his whole idea, but enough to get them interested. "Saw a place while I was driving down, back on main street, may be worth checking out."
"Another hunt?" Cas looked away from the television, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Nah, like a good cool thing, since we're not leaving until tomorrow morning."
"Do we get any hints as to this supposed 'good cool thing'?" Sam questioned with air quotes. Freaking air quotes.
Dean shrugged before he shook his head. "It'll be a surprise. Come on, you guys are bored already, there's nothing on, let's just go check it out. If you think it sucks we can turn around and watch whatever reality TV crap is on this time of night."
He watched as Sam looked across to Cas, both of them thinking about the option put before them. They still looked confused, and by that time Dean decided he'd had enough and went to get his jacket back on.
"Know what? Executive decision, let's go, everyone in the car." He waved them forward with his hand, which seemed to finally get them moving.
It just took another minute before they were all set to go and Dean pointed the Impala back towards the mall complex.
Cas pressed Dean for more information, who refused and said the surprise could wait another literal two minutes. Sam saw the sign before Cas did, being in the front seat, and Dean almost laughed at the expression on his little brother's face.
"No way," Sam said under his breath.
"Yes way." Dean pulled the car around and parked it in the lot where they had a clear view of the rink.
Cas looked through the windshield and watched the people gliding in circles around each other. "The surprise is…ice skating?"
"Yeah!" Dean raised his hands in a 'duh, obviously' gesture, and Sam looked back at him with a grin on his face.
"Dean, you are not serious."
"Do I look not serious?"
"Why would you bring us to an ice skating rink?" Cas questioned from the back.
"Because," Dean turned around to look at him, "it sounded like the type of stupid fun we never get to participate in, so I figured why the hell not while we're stuck here? Not many people around, we've got the time, why not?"
Sam just kept staring at him, apparently trying to wrap his head around the fact that Dean was actually serious.
Dean looked between the two of them and snapped his fingers. "C'mon, yes or no, because I'm not going in there and looking like an idiot by myself."
"Is it customary to look foolish while ice skating?" Cas was watching the people skating more intently and his eyes widened as a few of them fell down and got back up again.
"It's a…tough skill to learn, so yeah, I guess," Sam shrugged, watching the people too. "Sure, why not? Cas?"
Cas, having finally come to a decision, slowly nodded. "I'm not sure I understand the purpose, but alright."
Dean grinned between the two of them and got out of the car, surprised his idea had actually been taken up. Making their way to the entrance booth, they could see that aside from a few couples and two groups of older teenagers, the rink was empty.
Dean traded some cash for three pairs of skates and gestured for Sam and Cas to follow him over to the bench area. Some mittens probably would've been good, but it wasn't like they had planned for this.
They checked to make sure Cas's boots were fastened, and then went about slowly making their way to the entrance to the rink.
"Hey, look, it's like an ice walker," Dean pointed and chuckled towards one of the teenage groups. One of the girls was using what appeared to be a walker fastened out of pipe to assist in her gliding across the ice.
"If you need one just let us know," Sam nudged him in the shoulder, which Dean tried to ignore. Sam then extended an elbow for Cas to grab onto to help with his own balance on the narrow skates.
"These are…very strange," he said, half to himself, as he tried to figure out how to properly walk in them.
Sam laughed along with him as Dean beat them to be the first person on the ice. "You think they're hard now, wait until you get onto the slippery surface."
"Come on you slowpokes!" Dean tested from his spot on the wall a few inches onto the rink.
"Yeah, like you've gotten so far out there," was Sam's reply. His brother was hanging onto the wall practically for dear life as he tried to slowly slide to one side away from the entrance.
Sam helped Cas get onto the ice, where he took up a position next to Dean, and Sam followed suit. "Okay, see like they're doing," he pointed towards one of the couples that was going around the rink close to the wall, but without touching it. "That's what we're aiming for," he told Cas.
Dean was a few feet in front of them, alternating between looking at his feet and pulling himself along the wall. He actually started making some progress, and looked over his shoulder to tell Sam such. Right at that moment, something in his footing went wrong. He would've hit the ice if not for the death grip he already had on the wall.
Sam, of course, saw the whole thing, and started chuckling. "You good Mr. Speedster?"
"Shut up, Sam," Dean replied gruffly and pulled himself into a standing position once again. He would definitely be feeling that one in his shoulders in the morning.
Cas was alternating between watching Dean's failed attempts, and the much better footwork of some of the other rink patrons. He slowly started skating forward, one hand on the wall, one hand at his side. He made it two paces before he too lost his balance and ended up seated on the ice.
"I don't see how this qualifies as fun," he muttered as he tried to push himself up but only succeeded in slipping back to the ground.
Dean, on the other hand, had his mouth open in laughter at the sight. If he didn't need both hands on the wall to keep his balance, he'd definitely have his phone out for a picture. Sam managed to hang on with one arm and give Cas a hand up, which he appreciated.
They continued their slow, awkward shuffle around the ring with a few more falls each and laughs from the others. When the time came to pass the entrance where there was no wall, only Sam managed to do it without falling. He continued, too, making measured and balanced strides so that he could skate alongside Dean and Cas without being behind them.
"Dude, no fair," Dean said when he saw Sam somewhat getting the hang of it. "You had practice or something?"
Sam thought back and shook his head. "No, I mean…Jess and I went rollerblading a few times, but I'm not sure if that counts," he replied as the only thing he could come up with.
"Sounds like you could have some muscle memory advantage, yeah I say it counts. But hey, at least you can put on your resume: 'skates better than an angel of the lord'." That one really had him cracking up, and Sam caught Cas's halfhearted glare from behind Dean.
Though, during his laughing tirade, he forgot to skate and raised his foot to step down, which promptly slid out from under him and landed him back on the ice.
"I believe karma is in effect, Dean, you should take note." Cas was smirking at him from his place still standing next to the wall where Dean glared up from the ground.
Dean muttered to himself on his way up and rubbed at his tailbone once he was secure against the wall. "I swear, I think I've gotten more bruises from this than the hunt."
"Your idea," Sam reminded, a few feet away closer to the center of the rink, trying to get his strides in order. With his arms stretched out to the sides to keep his balance, Dean had a 'baby Moose' joke on the tip of his tongue but decided in karma's favor to not make it known.
"How the hell are you balancing? You're like eight feet tall shouldn't that make it harder?"
"Perhaps Sam is just better than you," Cas suggested, a fond smile still stuck on his face from earlier.
Sam looked between Cas and Dean, who was shooting him quite the stare, and grinned himself. "Hey, Cas said it, not me. I can get you one of those walker things if you want-"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Dean waved off and continued his shuffle along the wall.
Cas continued to watch Sam and eventually came away from the wall, mirroring his sliding strides with the younger Winchester's. Sam wasn't graceful by any means, and the teenagers across the rink definitely had him beat, but at least he was upright.
He stayed that way until Cas slipped a few minutes later and in an effort to hold him up, Sam lost his balance, and they ended up in a heap on the ice. Dean paused his roundabout to stop and actually take a picture of the sight while Sam and Cas tried to sort themselves out.
"If we sent out holiday cards, this would definitely be the cover," Dean grinned as he looked through the photos he had snapped in quick succession. "Oh yeah, that one's going to Jody," he commented a bit quieter to himself and made a mental note for later. He wasn't a photographer by any means, but he had done a decent enough job with one hand on the phone and one hand on the wall.
After what seemed like a small eternity of slipping limbs, lost balance, and ice shavings literally everywhere, Sam and Cas were once again standing away from the wall.
"As if you would do much better standing away from the structure," Cas reminded, hands and arms still spread out from his body in an attempt to keep his balance. Dean, on the other hand, found it hilarious that a being with wings that could literally fly and enter alternate dimensions was having a hard time keeping his balance on some modified shoes on a sheet of ice.
Sam looked to Dean with an eyebrow raised. "Sounded to me like that was a challenge."
Dean opened and closed his mouth. "I don't have anything to prove. We all suck epically at this, it's for the laughs."
Sam motioned with his hand for Dean to continue. "So by that logic then, come on."
The older Winchester looked back to Cas, who seemed fairly smug given there were ice shards still clinging to his trench coat. Fine. Whatever. "Freaking…" Dean muttered under his breath.
He turned his body so he was facing away from the wall and slowly let go with both hands so he was standing untethered to the safety net. He didn't like it, not one bit. People went to the Olympics doing tricks on this stuff? He definitely had a newfound respect for those people.
"Standing there accomplishes nothing, Dean." Cas urged him on, demonstrating a few little slides of his own somehow without losing his balance.
"I'm goin', I'm goin', hold your horses jeez." Dean held his arms out similarly to the sides, his own makeshift balance wings. He pretended not to watch as Sam demonstrated a few strides as well. Sam was definitely better on the ice than Cas, but not by much.
Like his counterparts, he made it a few steps on knees as locked as he could make them…
"Bend your knees!" Sam reminded as an immediate warning.
Like he said, locked knees, which helpfully didn't want to unlock. Stupid nerves and cold and balance and ice. He went to take another stride and suddenly was slipping backwards away from his shaky center of gravity onto the ice rink below.
Something definitely popped in his lower back, and he knew he'd be feeling that later too.
"Whose brilliant idea was this?" Dean practically asked the universe as he dusted his icy hands off on his jeans from where they had tried to break his fall.
"Ha ha, very funny," Sam replied sarcastically. He bent his knees and widened his stance so he could give Dean a hand up, which took about five times longer than it normally did.
Cas was chuckling to himself as they completed the maneuver. "You looked like a baby deer, it was rather amusing."
"Glad I could amuse you." Dean cleared his throat as he looked around and found himself still a few feet away from the wall. "What do you say we head back, find some hot chocolate or something?"
Sam looked to Cas, who nodded in agreement. "Yeah sounds good. We'll see you back at the car then." It wasn't a question, but a statement, as they both began to slowly shuffle and slide their way to the exit across the ice.
"Hey, hey, hey, Sam. Sam!" Dean tried as they moved further from him while he remained stationary, caught between maneuvering back to the wall or trying to cross the treacherous open fifteen feet in front of him. "Cas!" he hissed to try to avoid drawing attention to himself.
Neither of them looked back, but he could hear them laughing despite the fact that they both still looked like baby deer themselves.
But then a thought occurred to him. He had the car keys, so they'd have to wait until he actually got over there for them to go anywhere.
Dean smirked to himself and turned back to the wall and began to slowly make his way back towards it. Speed be damned, he'd rather not get a broken tailbone.
He had made it a few feet around the wall when Sam came up next to him on the other side of it where the benches and solid floor was. When Dean turned around to look at his brother, he was instead met with a phone. There were a few distinct shutter clicks before Sam lowered it and grinned at the results.
"Jody's gonna have a blast with all these later," he said and turned the phone to Cas so he could see.
"At least something good'll come out of this," Dean muttered, but he knew Jody would get a kick out of them.
By the time he finally made his way back to the ice entrance, Cas and Sam had returned their skates and laced up their normal shoes. Sam had brought Dean's boots over to the closest bench so Dean didn't have to walk an additional twenty feet to get to where they had been.
Dean recognized the peace offering for what it was and took it gratefully without further complaint.
"That was an…interesting experience to say the least," Cas commented as they walked out of the rink, shoes on and dignity only a little injured.
"Yeah, but on the scale of bad ideas, it was at least decent." Sam shot Dean a look before he got into the passenger side.
"Hey, I'll take decent, you're welcome," Dean replied as he got in, started the car, and put the heat on as high as it would go. From the depths of the vents, decades-old legos began to rattle.