Stupid 'lil Christmas-y fic for the holidays.
Sort of a follow from Don't Call Him Fluffy but not really - Set in the same meta I guess - they have a dog which is all that matters.
Disclaimer, characters aren't mine (still)
Enjoy!
"SAM!"
Dean's voice echoed through the hallways of the bunker. Sam looked up from the book he was reading and frowned. What had he done this time? The last prank he'd pulled had been weeks ago and Cas had got to it first, which had made Sam question why the angel was using Dean's shampoo anyway.
As Sam was deep in thought, a mass of dark sandy coloured fluff charged into the room. Sam smiled at the sight of the dog. Dean had found the puppy a few months back and said they should keep it. The once cat sized animal now reached just below Sam's knee and was still growing
"Watcha got there, buddy?" Sam swung his legs off the side of his bed and held out his hands to Loki.
Loki leapt back, shaking his head wildly and causing the object in his mouth to go flying into a lamp. Sam sighed and stood up, making a move to retrieve the fallen object. He saw his mistake immediately. Loki lounged for the object. Sam threw himself towards it, refusing to lose to Loki.
The dog barrelled into Sam, throwing him off balance. Sam locked both his hands around the object as Loki began slobbering all over his face. Sam rolled over, forcing the one hundred pound dog off him. He rushed to his feet and braced himself for another tackle. Loki play bowed in front of him, brown eyes twinkling and tongue hanging out of his mouth. His tail swept side to side furiously.
Sam looked at the object in his hands, groaning when he realised it was one of Dean's boots. He shook his head at the dog, "You've really done it this time."
Loki barked. Sam prepared himself as heard his brother storming down the hallway. The older hunter stopped in the doorway of Sam's room, face like thunder and looking ready for murder. He pointed accusingly at Loki.
"I swear to every son of a bitch who gives a shit I will skin that dog," he looked up from Loki to Sam, "Tell me you got the damn shoe."
Sam held out the drool covered shoe hesitantly. Dean sighed. He took his shoe from Sam and shook his head.
"Why did I think a dog was a good idea?" Dean muttered.
"'Cause he's really cute," Sam replied.
Dean threw him a look, "No, fluffy baby animals are cute, not demon dogs who ruin all your crap!"
"Awh come on, he hasn't ruined all your crap..." Sam reasoned, "Just... some of it. And hey, at least he hasn't peed in the car."
Dean paused, "Sam, if you've just cursed that - where's he gone?"
Sam looked around his room, Loki was nowhere to be seen, "Maybe he just went-"
Crash!
Sam and Dean looked at each other before sprinting towards the noise. They reached the kitchen to find Castiel standing in the doorway, watching as Loki tore up the place.
Sam stepped past Cas and went to confront the dog. Dean bit back a laugh as Loki slammed into Sam, almost knocking him over.
"Have you considered training him?" Cas asked Dean.
"Nah, Sam normally behaves himself."
"I meant the dog, Dean."
Dean shrugged, "Haven't had time."
"LOKI! GIVE IT BACK!"
They watched as Loki barrelled past them, wooden spoon in his mouth. Dean and Cas moved just in time to avoid being ran into by Sam. Dean couldn't help smiling as he watched his brother chase the spoon wielding dog out of sight.
He turned back to the kitchen and sighed. He took a few steps in, assessing just how much carnage the dog had caused.
The refrigerator was open, most of its contents out on the floor but intact. A carton of milk was balancing precariously on the shelf in the fridge, though the actual milk was on the floor. The remaining bottles of beer were lying in pieces, as were an entire carton of eggs. Everything that had been lying on the counter was on the floor - including half a bag of flour Dean had meant to put away.
Dean went to say something but was cut off by a loud thud coming from the library that was followed by swearing and barking. Another thud. Cas narrowed his eyes. Just less than a minute later, Sam stepped into the kitchen, out of breath and limping slightly. He held of the spoon triumphantly.
"What was that thud?" Dean asked, green eyes glinting.
Sam shrugged.
"Did you fall over?"
"No," Sam snapped.
Dean grinned. He looked down at the spoon, "We are never using that again. Ever."
Sam nodded, "Fair."
"Guess we gotta do a supply run," Dean looked pointedly at Sam, "Again."
"Hey, don't look at me I did the last one!" Sam said.
"Yeah and-"
There was another thud. Dean closed his eyes briefly before staring daggers at Sam.
"I have an idea - why don't you go on a supply run and get as far away from Loki as possible and I'll stay here and clean up." Sam reasoned, not trusting leaving his brother alone with the dog. He met Cas's eyes and made a face.
"I'll come," Cas volunteered.
Dean looked between Sam and Cas, "I can go on a supply run by myself guys, I'm not radioactive." He sighed to himself when he saw the looks on both their faces, "Fine. Let's go."
Dean glanced sideways at Cas. They'd been driving for just over twenty minutes and had been in silence for most of them. Dean studied the angel's face, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about.
"Aren't you meant to watch the road?"
Dean looked away, feeling his face reddening. He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the wheel. They fell into silence once again. Dean frowned at the grayish colour of the sky.
Dean parked as close to the store as possible, which wasn't hard considering the lack of car. He ran his hand along the side of the chevy as they made their way towards the store.
He grabbed a basket, "Feel free to browse," he told Cas before setting off on a mission to find what they needed. He rolled his eyes at the Christmas music blaring.
As he was putting a case of beer in the basket, Cas came and stood next to him.
"Is it necessary to kiss under mistletoe? And why is candlelight important?"
Dean stared at the angel, slightly taken aback, "Um... I dunno, it's just a Christmas thing, 'ya know?" Cas narrowed his eyes, "Ask Sam. I'm sure he'll have an entire book about it."
Cas nodded and walked away. Dean smiled and went to find the next thing on his mental list. As he put a carton of eggs in the basket, the unmistakable tune of jingle bells echoed through the store. Dean looked down an aisle to see a disgruntled Castiel holding a singing and dancing snowman.
Dean bit back a laugh as he went to rescue the angel. After turning off the snowman, he put it back on the shelf.
"Why do you and Sam never have anything like this?" Cas asked, following Dean down the aisle.
Dean shrugged, "We've normally just been on the road. What about upstairs? Don't you do anything for your half brother's birthday?"
Cas looked at him.
"Take that as a no." Dean smiled, shoving a carton of milk in the basket.
He stopped in front of a shelf of Christmas decorations, thinking of the last time they'd done Christmas. He subconsciously picked up a pack of tree decorations.
Cas peeked around Dean's shoulder to see what he was looking at. Dean debated with himself for a moment before dropping the box into the basket.
"Here," he handed the basket to Cas, "Pick what you like." He pulled out his phone, "I'm gonna grab some stuff, meet you at the register."
He opened his messages and clicked Sam's name.
We're doing Christmas. You're in charge of the guest list
Sam threw a football across the field for the twentieth time. Loki bounded after it, tail wagging furiously. He reached the ball and barked at it before picking it up and charging around in circles.
"You tired yet?" Sam called to Loki. The dog woofed once before continuing to run around.
He grinned and rubbed his hands together in an attempt to fight off the cold. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Loki bounded over to him as he pulled his phone out.
"Oh God what does Dean want now?"
Loki barked and shook his head. Sam kicked the ball for Loki as he read the message.
We're doing Christmas. You're in charge of the guest list
Sam grinned. He punched in a reply before shoving the phone in his pocket.
He looked down at Loki, "Come on!"
Sam took off at a run towards the bunker. Loki tore after him, football in his mouth.
Dean dumped the bag in the back of the car before climbing into the driver's seat. He checked his phone, smiling at Sam's message.
"Where now?" Cas asked.
"Few more bits," Dean replied as he drove out the parking space, "One of them might be a bit difficult but we'll find it."
He turned on the radio and flicked through the stations until he found one playing Christmas songs all day long. He glanced up to see Cas staring at him. Cas went to ask a question but Dean held up a hand and turned up the music.
They reached the store as the fifth song ended. Dean tried to calm his excitement as they made their way into the sore. He led Cas over to the trees.
"I've gotta grab some stuff," He told him, "Pick a good one."
"How do I know if it's a good one?" Cas asked.
"I dunno, just... pick one you like," Dean told him, "I trust your judgement."
Dean took off down the aisles, picking up a basket as he did so. He grabbed a few more packs of decorations and several sets of lights. He dropped a box of crackers into the basket before continuing down the aisle. He stopped by a pair of wings for a nativity costume but decided against it and picked up Santa and elf hats instead. He walked past a pair of antlers but backtracked and added them to the basket before making his way back to Cas.
"Find one?"
Cas nodded and pointed to a box.
Dean held out the basket, "Here. I'll grab the tree."
Cas stared at him, "I lifted your ass from hell I can lift a tree."
Dean drew his head back slightly. He let the basket fall to his side and watched as Cas lifted the box with ease. Cas turned to him and smirked. Dean made a face and rolled his eyes. He took off for the front of the store, gesturing for Cas to follow.
"Dean,"
He turned around to see what Cas was holding. He grinned at the dog costume and went over to him.
"Do they have a size for baby horse?"
Cas shrugged, "That one has bells on it. And it comes with antlers."
Dean picked up the one he was talking about, "For large dogs?" he asked, for some reason thinking that Cas would know the correct sizing for dogs.
"Large dog, small pony,"
"Well it the biggest one they have so it will have to do." Dean added the costume to the basket, wondering what had happened in his life to lead to him buying dog clothes with an angel.
They headed to the check out, Dean quietly humming along to the song playing in background. As they drove back toward the bunker in the fading sunlight, Dean couldn't help but notice the smile on Cas's face.
When they entered the bunker, it was suspiciously quiet. Dean frowned. The dog bed was empty, though he knew that didn't mean much as Loki hardly ever slept in the damn thing. Before he could say anything, he heard Loki charging down the hallway.
"Hey boy!" he exclaimed, having forgiven the dog for the previous incidents.
Loki dropped the ball he was carrying at Dean's feet and barked. Dean tousled the fur on his head before picking up the football and launching it down the hallway the dog had just come from. Loki shook his head before tearing after the ball. Dean winced as he heard Loki collide with something. No, not something, Sam.
A second later, both dog and hunter came racing out of the hallway; Sam in the lead with the ball tucked in his arm. He grinned at Dean.
"Did you actually call anyone or have you just been playing with the dog?" Dean asked guessing the latter.
Sam nodded, his smile fading slightly, "Jody's out of town but she said she'll call when she gets back. Charlie said she's one her way but she's no sure whether she'll make it. I didn't know who else to call."
Dean sighed but smiled, "Come on, Cas picked possibly the biggest tree they had so its gonna take the two of you to decorate it."
"Two of us?" Sam and Cas demanded simultaneously.
Dean grinned even wider, "I got stuff to make!"
Sam rolled his eyes as Dean swanned off to the kitchen, carrier bag in hand. He turned to Cas who was frowning at the box containing the tree.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Sam grinned, sparking excitement in Cas's eyes.
Five minutes into the construction of the tree Cas decided that four line art drawings didn't suffice as instructions so promptly tore them up. After another five minutes, they'd constructed the base, only to find out they'd missed a step when Sam found a set of screws in the box. Half an hour later, all the branches were unfolded and in place. They stood back.
"We're gonna need to move the tree,"
Cas threw Sam a look, "What?"
Sam pointed to the hallway directly opposite the tree, "It's directly in the middle of Loki's morning running path."
Cas sighed, "Please don't tell me we have to dismantle it again." He looked to Sam, hoping to find the answer in his eyes like he always could.
The hunter narrowed his eyes at the tree. Cas saw pure determination in his gaze.
Sam inclined his head slightly, "We're not dismantling the tree."
Dean paused the tune he was whistling to take a sip of the eggnog he'd just made way too much of. He took several more mouthfuls before shrugging and pouring more rum into the mixture. He poured some in two more glasses, checked the contents of the oven, and went out to find the others.
"Left. Left. Little bit right. A little bit right Sam not three foot."
"I'm so sorry, do you wanna move the damn tree?"
"I could much easier than you but let's not discuss that."
Dean raised an eyebrow. He blinked several times to make sure it wasn't just all the rum and he was actually seeing his brother waltzing through the bunker carrying an eight foot Christmas tree. When he was sure he wasn't drunk, he took another swig of the eggnog, congratulating himself on the rum to everything else ratio.
"Okay, now gently lower it to the ground. Gently... That wasn't gently."
Sam stood back from the tree. It shook for a moment before settling in place. Cas smiled and held out his hand for a high five. Sam grinned and high fived him.
Dean smiled and walked over, "Here. What d'you think? Use a little more kick?"
Sam paused with the cup at his lips, recognising the stupid grin on his brother's face. He narrowed his eyes and took a sip. The rum hit him instantly, "We're good,"
"You sure?" Dean asked, "Cas what do you-" He looked at the angel to find the glass already empty, "Like it?"
Cas nodded, "I think so."
"I'll take it," Dean raised his glass slightly at him.
"What's that smell?" Sam frowned. His face lit up when he realised, "You're making cookies?"
"It's Christmas, Sammy!" Dean beamed. He glanced at the tree, "How are we gonna get something on the top of that?"
Sam shrugged, "Human pyramid. It'll be fine." He went over to the bag laying on the table and began sifting through it for the lights. He gasped suddenly, "Is this what I think it is?" he held up the dog costume, almost knocking the eggnog over.
"Yup," Dean nodded.
He laughed as Sam took the costume out the packet and went to find Loki. He picked the lights out of the bag and took them out the box.
"Helping?" he asked, holding out the bundle to Cas, "Come on. Tree decorating isn't a one man job."
"It seems fairly straight forward," Cas replied but taking the bundle anyway.
"That's what they all say, Cas," Dean told him, "That's what they all say."
"Okay, ready."
Cas plugged the lights in. The yellow-gold bulbs sparked to life, twinkling alternately. Dean smiled at the look on Cas's face and went to get the rest of the decorations. He snorted as he heard a shout followed by jingle bells coming from down one of the hallways. He shook his head and handed the remaining decorations to Cas.
"I've gotta go check on the food," he said, "You know what to do, right?"
Cas looked and Dean and nodded, "As I said, it seems fairly straight forward."
Dean smiled, "Back in a sec."
As he entered the kitchen, he was hit with the smell of cookies. He checked them briefly before putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes. The jingling bells got louder and louder until the reason behind the sound came leaping into the kitchen.
Dean burst out laughing as Loki ran around him wagging his tail. He shook his head at the dog, watching as he tried his best to rip the bell off the costume.
"Here buddy," Dean grabbed a pair of scissors and knelt down in front of Loki. He cut the bell off, not believing it would be able to stay on longer than five minutes and knowing full well Loki would try to eat it. As he stood up, Sam came into the kitchen, a seemingly permanent smile on his face.
"Left Cas decorating?" he asked as Loki ran out the kitchen.
"Yeah," Dean replied, "Though I think Loki's going to help him," he grabbed the oven gloves and took the cookies out the oven.
Sam inched closer, dying to see if they tasted as good as they smelt. He waited for Dean to turn his back before going to get one.
"Hey!" Dean turned around just in time and smacked Sam's hand away.
Sam scowled. Dean shook his head though he couldn't help smiling. He laid a towel over the cookies and elbowed his brother before making his way out the kitchen. Sam gave one last look at the cookies, debating whether he should risk trying to grab another one. He decided against it and followed Dean into the library.
They both smiled upon seeing Cas wrapping tinsel round the tree. Loki was sitting at his feet, watching every move he made. Sam and Dean grabbed some decorations and set to work.
Twenty minutes later and the tree was finished, complete with a star on top courtesy of Cas. They stood back and studied the tree. Dean picked up the shopping bag and grinned. He lifted out the Santa hat and pulled it over Cas's head. Cas frowned but made no attempt to remove the hat. Dean grabbed the antlers out of the bag and casually balanced them on Sam's head.
"Hey, what are you planning to cook?" Sam asked as his phone buzzed, "We don't have anything remotely Christmassy."
"Where there's a will there's a way," Dean told him, "Who's that?"
"Charlie. She said damn us for making her travel on Christmas Eve." Sam replied with a smile on his face.
Dean laughed. Sam shot back a reply before sliding his phone back into his pocket.
"I'll be right back I just gotta go find something," Sam declared before taking off towards his room. Loki jumped to his feet and trotted after Sam.
"This is nice," Cas stated, leaning against the back of a chair, "No hunting, no apocalypse. Just..."
"Yeah," Dean perched next to Cas, "I know. Nice to catch a break."
They sat next to each other, neither one saying a word. Dean wondered briefly if he should say something, but remained silent. Cas watched the lights twinkling on and off. He smiled a little, the lights reminding him ever so slightly of grace. He secretly assigned each bulb the names of his brothers and sisters. He named one of the reindeer decorations Sam. He'd just started searching for the right Dean as the actual Dean yanked him out of his thoughts.
"Shit!" Dean yelled, jumping up onto his feet.
"What?" Cas asked, hoping the hunter hadn't been talking to him before his outburst.
"I haven't wrapped anything!" Dean exclaimed.
"But Dean, you never rap..." Cas frowned, utterly lost.
"Presents, Cas. I haven't wrapped any presents."
"Ohh,"
Dean smiled, "Won't be a minute," he took off jogging.
Cas narrowed his eyes. Presents! That's what he was meant to ask someone about. He got his phone out and scrolled down until he found Charlie's name. He clicked the little envelope symbol and began typing.
Sam added the last present to the small pile on top of his bed. He sat back and looked at them, hoping he'd chosen correctly. He looked sideways at Loki and shook his head. The dog was at the foot of his bed surrounded by wrapping paper from what was meant to be his present. He shook the rope toy vigorously before going back to trying to eat it.
"Hey Sammy, don't suppose you have any wrapping paper?"
Sam held what was left of the roll put to his brother. Dean thanked him and grabbed it before running down the hallway. Sam got to his feet and gathered up the presents. Loki watched him leave the room. Just as he disappeared out of sight, Loki stood up and ran after him, new toy in his mouth.
"Hey Cas," Sam smiled.
Cas got to his feet, smiling at the presents he'd just slid under the tree, "Do you give each other gifts every year?" he asked as he watched Sam add more wrapped objects to the ones already there.
Sam shrugged, "Depends really. Some years we do. Others it just... doesn't happen. This is the first time in a while."
Cas nodded, feeling that the subject was a sensitive one. A moment later, Dean came into the room, arms full of wrapped bundles. He placed them under the tree with the others before standing back to admire the tree. He glanced to either side to find Sam and Cas doing the same.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Sam said through a yawn, "G'night jerk."
"Night bitch,"
Sam smiled to himself and trudged off to his room. Loki looked from Dean to Sam before bounding after Sam.
"Me too," Dean clamped his hand on Cas's shoulder, "See 'ya in the morning, Cas."
"Night Dean," Cas smiled.
Dean let his hand fall. He sauntered towards his room, whistling the tune of a Christmas song Castiel wasn't sure of. He watched the hunter walk away. When Dean was out of sight, Cas looked back to the Christmas tree and sighed - wondering how he was going to pass the hours this time.
As Dean slowly came to his senses, he became aware of some heavy on top of him. He peeled his eyes open. He blinked several times to clear his vision and found himself staring straight into the eyes of Loki. The dog barked softly and attempted to lick Dean's face. He shoved the dog backwards enough so that he could sit up. He almost screamed.
Sam and Cas grinned at him from the end of his bed. Both were wearing make shift pyjamas - the only difference being Sam looked like he'd actually slept, instead of Cas who no doubt had been up all night. It was so easy to forget he didn't need to sleep sometimes. Dean rubbed his face.
"Guys... this is the creepiest thing you've ever done," he told them, "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Few hours," Sam replied, receiving the exact reaction he wanted from Dean, "Like a minute max."
"Come on then,"
As Dean finished speaking, Sam and Cas jumped off the bed. Picking up on their excitement, Loki leapt off the bed and proceeded to bounce around the room until Dean got up and went with them to the library.
"Where's the eggnog?" Sam asked Dean.
Dean threw him a look, "Dude, it's nine in the morning."
"But it's Christmas!"
"...Alright then."
As Dean returned from the kitchen with a jug of eggnog and several glasses, the door to the bunker flew open.
"Ho ho ho bitches!" Charlie threw her free hand out to the side and kicked the door shut. She hurried down the stairs, face reddened slightly by the cold.
Dean handed her a glass, "Eggnog?"
"Bit early?" she asked, dumping a bag on the table and taking her jacket off to reveal a Star Wars themed Christmas jumper.
"It's Christmas."
She shrugged and took the glass. She took presents out the bag one by one, handing them to the name written on the label, "I was gonna hunt you guys down and give you these anyway but now you're doing this so merry Christmas!"
The three of them ripped open the presents while Charlie pulled back a chair and sat in it. She smiled as she watched them rush to pull on their very own Christmas jumpers. She had to do a double take when she noticed the rather large dog playing with the wrapping paper, but decided it was better to just go with it than question it.
She quickly moved her drink out the way as she was attacked by them. They all threw their arms around her and thanked her for the jumpers. The four of them stayed like that for a moment, each of them feeling more at home than they had for years.
After what felt like an eternity, they broke apart. Sam and Dean sat cross legged in front of the tree and started finding the next presents for everyone to open. Cas was sitting slightly apart from them, busy giving the dog a belly rub. Charlie smiled, secretly hoping they'd do this every year but on some level knowing that, with the Winchesters, that would never be the case.
Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free leave a comment if you have the time.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and Holly Jolly Holidays if you don't :D X