Prompt fic: Sugar High!
Title: Sugar High (part 1)
Author: brassband777
Characters: John Winchester, Mary Winchester, Dean (8), Sam (4)
Scenario: wee!chester. Written for the prompt challenge (Feb/March 2013)
Prompt: ‘Halloween - Mary takes the boys trick-or-treating. After bringing them home, she leaves to attend some kind of event (whatever she is doing isn`t important) making John stuck at home with two boys who of course have more than their share of sweets. How will John cope with both kids on a sugar kick? You can pick the boys ages, though I personally prefer them to be quite small here’. Prompt by Capricorn86.
Warning: contains parental spanking.
Author's Notes: this fic is set in my AU where Mary is still alive. In this AU, Mary was brought up as a hunter, but her family never had any dealings with the Yellow-Eyed-Demon. She has kept the truth of the existence of the supernatural from both her husband and her children.
John Winchester looked up from his accounts book as his wife, Mary, entered the room carrying their excited four-year-old.
“Daddy, I’s a bunny!” squealed his youngest, clapping his little hands in excitement.
“So you are, Sammy.”
Even though he was snowed under with work, John couldn’t help smiling at the toddler’s enthusiasm.
Sam squirmed in his mother’s arms, wanting to be put down. Mary obligingly set him on his feet and he immediately clambered up onto his father’s lap.
“Bunnies go hoppity hoppity hop,” giggled Sam, bouncing up and down on John’s knee.
John immediately set down his calculator and wrapped an arm around the little boy’s waist to prevent him from falling off. He looked fondly down at the child bouncing on his lap - the kid looked totally adorable! Sam was wearing a one-piece, furry white rabbit costume complete with a fluffy tail and a hood with two long, floppy ears. Mary had completed the look by using face-paint to make the child’s face white and had added a black nose and whiskers.
The little boy ceased his bouncing and started playing with the buttons on his father’s shirt instead. John dropped a kiss onto Sam’s head.
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you, Mare?”
Mary shook her head.
“No, I’ll be fine, Johnny. I know you’re swamped with work and you might as well get as much done as you can while you’ve got peace and quiet, without our two little darlings being able to interrupt you.” Knowing how overprotective John could be, Mary added,” Anyway, there’ll be loads of people around so don’t worry and don’t forget I was trained in self-defence growing up.”
In reality, with her hunter’s upbringing, Mary knew that she could protect herself and kids far better than John ever could even with his height and weight advantage as well as his marine training. Mary had deliberately kept her husband in the dark about her past - she wanted nothing to do with hunting ever again, she just wanted a normal family life.
Although John would have loved to spend Halloween trick or treating with his family, he was glad of the chance to catch up on the accounts and stocktaking. John and his partner (and good friend), Mike Sanderson, had purchased the autoshop when their old boss had retired two years ago. They had employed someone to man the reception desk, to take calls, make bookings, place orders for parts and handle the finance side of things, leaving he and Mike free to concentrate on fixing the cars. Their previous employee, Greg Turner, had been a godsend, brilliant at his job, but he and his family had moved to another state a month ago. John and Mike had hired someone to replace him, but the new guy had failed to show up on his first day of work, leaving them in the lurch. They had interviewed again immediately and had signed up a replacement, but he couldn’t start for another three weeks when his contract with his present employer ended. John couldn’t wait! He treasured the quality family time they usually shared every evening and at weekends. His own father had walked out on him and his mother during his childhood without any explanation and he was determined that his own sons would never suffer from an absentee father like he had.
Sam spotted the calculator sitting on the table and gleefully grabbed it, pressing the numbers at random. John watched the boy with amusement for a moment before reaching out with the arm that wasn’t holding Sammy to wrap around his wife’s waist and pull her to his side.
“Just be careful, okay Mare?”
“I will do, John. We’ll be no later than an hour and a half, so there’s no need to send out the cavalry before then.”
Mary leaned down to give her husband a lingering kiss, which was interrupted by their eight-year-old barging excitedly into the room.
“Momma, can you please fasten my sheriff’s badge, I can’t do it,” asked Dean.
John grinned at the boy’s choice of costume - he had once dressed as a cowboy at Halloween during his own childhood. His eldest was like him in many ways, whereas Sammy seemed to take more after his mother. Dean’s costume, like Sammy’s, had been bought from the local fancy dress shop and was of good quality. The fake leather chaps he was wearing over his pants looked real and he had an authentic looking waistcoat over his cream-coloured shirt. The outfit was completed by a cowboy hat and a gun belt complete with holsters and two toy pistols.
Mary took the proffered silver plastic star-shaped badge and attached it to the left hand side of the waistcoat.
“My, what a handsome sheriff,” teased Mary, removing his hat and ruffling his short dark blond hair.
“Momma!” complained Dean, ducking away from her hand and reaching for his cowboy hat, “Can we go yet? Can we? Please?” The child was so excited that he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, an ear-splitting grin lighting up his young freckled face.
Mary shook her head fondly. If Dean was this excited now, what would he be like when hyped up on loads of candy? For a moment, she felt guilty that she was abandoning John to look after two children, who would undoubtedly be on a sugar high, once she returned from the trick or treating. Months ago, she had arranged to meet up and go out for a meal with hunter friends that she had made growing up. Although she had turned her back on that lifestyle, she hadn’t turned her back on her friends. She hadn’t known at the time that Greg would leave and John would be swamped with paperwork from the garage, but rescheduling the meal wasn’t an option as her friends’ hunts for supernatural monsters took them all over the country.
“Don’t forget the boys can stay up half an hour later tonight,” she told John.
John glanced up at the clock before replying, “Why? If you’re going to be no later than an hour and a half, it’ll just be in time to bath Sammy and put him in bed.”
Mary chuckled. “You really want to try put an energetic, wide awake, candy-filled toddler straight to bed? You’re setting him up to fail. He’ll need to get rid of his excess energy and calm down first.”
John grimaced, remembering past bedtimes when his children had been too excited before bedtime. “I suppose you’re right, Mare. But Dean can go to bed normal time ‘cause it’s not right after the trick or treating.”
Seeing her now disgruntled eldest about to voice his opinion, Mary got in first. “And if you were Dean, John, what would you think of that?” Mary raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Your baby brother gets to stay up half an hour later, but you don’t?”
John closed his eyes briefly, knowing he was defeated and seeing the logic. “I get it, it wouldn’t be fair. Fine, they can both stay up.”
“Cool!” enthused Dean, his green eyes shining.
Five minutes later, Mary ushered her two excited sons out of the front door.
Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~
John sighed as he totalled yet another column of numbers. He didn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. When he heard the key in the lock heralding the return of his family, John glanced at the clock in surprise. An hour and a half couldn’t have passed already, he’d hardly made a dent in the paperwork before him! But it had.
“Daddy!” Sammy ran straight to him.
“Hey, tiger. Did you have fun?” John stood and scooped the four-year-old up into his arms.
Sam nodded. “Uh-huh. ‘N I got lots ‘n lots’ n lotsa candy! Wanna see?”
He waved his orange, pumpkin-shaped bucket in front of his father’s face. John had to pull back in order to avoid being hit with it.
“Wow, you did get a lot. How about you, Deano, you have fun too?” John turned to address his eldest.
Dean moved forward, grinning. John secured his youngest on his hip and reached out and gave Dean a one-armed hug.
“Yeah, Daddy, it was so cool. I saw one kid dressed as Darth Vader. Can I go as him next year?” Dean didn’t pause for John to answer and just carried on his excited prattle, “But we met some real jerks. They tried to frighten Sammy, but they know better now! Hmph!”
John raised worried questioning eyes to Mary. Sammy seemed okay but wanted to make sure.
Mary smiled reassuringly. “You’d have been proud of him, John. There was a group of four, I’m guessing twelve or thirteen-year-olds and they thought it would be a good idea to make loud roaring sounds and chase Sammy. Well, Dean set them straight, he stood his ground and yelled at them, telling them they were big bullies and should pick on someone their own size. You should have seen their faces - I don’t think they expected to be told off by an eight-year-old. In fact, I think they expected him to run screaming as well.”
John tightened his arm around Dean for a moment. “That was very brave, Dean. I’m really proud of you for protecting Sammy like that. You’re a fantastic big brother.”
Dean beamed at the praise.
“Okay boys, give me your candy. You can have two a day until it’s gone. And then let’s get you out of those costumes.” Mary held out her hands for the buckets.
Sammy was reluctant to hand his over, which was expected. Dean however, immediately handed his over without protest, which was unexpected.
“I’m….uh….gonna go get changed now,” muttered the eight-year-old, hurrying from the room.
If John hadn’t been busy prising the bucket out of his stubborn toddler’s hand, he might have been more suspicious at his eldest’s acquiescence.
Once in his bedroom with the door shut safely behind him, Dean emptied out the pockets of his waistcoat, which he had filled with chocolates and sweets, knowing from experience that his candy would be taken from him and rationed. He grinned at his stash before hiding it in the drawer in his bedside table.
Downstairs, Sam was sulking, having been successfully separated from his Halloween treats.
“Baby, you had enough sweets while we were walking around.” Mary tried to smooth his ruffled feathers.
“Nuh-uh, I didn’t have not none!” the toddler insisted, turning pleading puppy-dog eyes on his father, “Daddy, I needs some candy!”
“You need it, huh?” grinned John.
“Uh-huh.” Sam nodded forcefully. Maybe Daddy would give him some?
“Sorry, tiger, but Momma says you can’t have any.” John smirked at Mary.
Mary playfully swatted the back of John’s head. “That’s right, make me out to be the bad guy here.”
She reached out and took Sam from John. “You can take have some more candy tomorrow. Come on, let’s get you changed,” she said as she left the room.
Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~
Mary hugged and kissed both of her children before grabbing her coat and exiting through the front door. John locked the door after her.
”’Member I doesn’t have to go to bed yet, Daddy. Momma said I can stay up,” Sam tugged on John’s sleeve to make sure he had his father’s attention.
“Yeah, Sammy. I remember, so you can go and play.” John smiled down at his youngest and the toddler grinned back.
“Yay! Come on, Deanie!” Sam scampered off towards the stairs.
Dean rolled his eyes at the nickname ‘Deanie’ . He didn’t mind ‘Dee’ or even ‘Deano’ which his daddy affectionately called him, but he thought ‘Deanie’ was a nickname for a baby and he was eight now. In spite of that, he indulged his little brother - he had once asked Sammy not to call him that but one look at the trembling lower lip that had resulted had made him immediately relent.
“Coming, Sammy!” Dean immediately took off at a run after the four-year-old.
“Hey!” called John sternly after them, “It might be Halloween and you might be having later bedtimes, but the other house rules still apply and that means no running inside!”
John moved back to the dining room table and began scouring the stock lists.
Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~ Supernatural ~
John glanced up from the spreadsheet in front of him, his concentration broken once more by the herd of elephants trampling around upstairs. With a sigh he stood up. He had no desire whatsoever to play ‘mad dad’ when his children had had such a fun evening and were so happy, but this was the fourth time now in the space of twenty minutes that he was going to have to go up to them because they were running in the house. John had given warnings, to no avail.
As he reached the top of the stairs, he was greeted with the sight of Dean speeding after Sam.
“You can’t catch me, Dee!” giggled the four-year-old.
“Wanna bet?” retorted Dean, making a lunge for his little brother.
John cleared his throat loudly. “I bet there will be two sore little behinds in a minute.” John’s stern tone halted both boys in their tracks.
“Sorry, Daddy. We won’t run again,” said Dean, dropping his gaze to the floor.
“You said that last time, Dean, and you’ve had lots of chances. I think a warmed bottom will help you to remember not to break the rules.”
John reached Dean’s side in three strides. He turned the boy sideways and administered a single sharp swat. Dean, once he realised no more slaps were forthcoming, immediately reached back to rub at the sting.
Sam watched, wide-eyed, and when John let go of Dean and moved towards him, the toddler ran away in the other direction. John caught up to his youngest easily and picked him up, tucking him under his arm. Just as he had with Dean, he gave the child a single smack, but lessened the force behind it, taking into account the four year age gap.
“OWWW!” Sam yelped, his lower lip protruding as he was set back on his feet. He glared up at John. “Daddy’s a meanie!”
John always found it amusing that a single swat would result in a sulky, pouting Sammy, but two or more swats and it was as if the child was being murdered.
“Now I want you two to play downstairs where I can keep an eye on you.”
Dean nodded obediently and held out his hand to his little brother. Sam took it and they followed John down into the living room.
Once there, the two children moved over to the toy box in the corner of the room. Dean got out his Lego set and began to build, while Sam chose to play with a toy car, crawling all over the floor making ‘brmm brmm’ noises. Satisfied that his kids were sufficiently occupied for the time being, John moved back into the dining room to continue working.
Dean quickly found that he genuinely couldn’t sit still. He was itching to go and play football, baseball, anything where he could run and burn off the excess energy. Slowly a plan began to form in his mind…….
Fifteen minutes later, John re-entered the room. “Okay, bath time boys.”
“Uh, Daddy, could I please have a shower tonight instead?” asked Dean innocently.
Usually the boys always bathed together as they enjoyed playing together in the water, but since Dean’s eighth birthday, Mary and John had considered him old enough to shower if he wanted to.
“Sure, kiddo, I don’t see why not.” John missed the self-satisfied smirk that flashed across his eldest’s features.
John held his hand out to his toddler, wondering if Sam would kick up a fuss with Dean not bathing too. He needn’t have worried - the baby of the family immediately scrambled to his feet and took his father’s hand.
“Can I have lots ‘n lots of bubbles, Daddy?”
Continued below....