Fic: I Didn't Steal Them
Title: I Didn’t Steal Them
Genre: Gen
Characters: John, Dean, Sam
Rating: PG
Summary: Written for hoodie_time’s Winter/Holiday themed Dean-focused h/c comment-fic meme with the prompt:
Pre-series
I'd like Sam to be six or under, which would make Dean no older than ten.
Dean and Sam were alone for the month leading up to Christmas. In preparation for the holiday, Dean started working some odd jobs to save money up to buy Sam presents. John stumbles in the night before Christmas eve, thinks he stole the presents, and punishes Dean for it-but then he realizes he was wrong.
He goes out and gets both boys amazing presents, and gives both boys the Christmas they deserve.
Warning: violence
Word count: ~600
AN: My greatest thanks to icelily01 and whit_merule for the beta. ♥
Dean thought he was dreaming when he heard shuffles outside the window and soft knocking at the door a moment later. But a murmur of his name made him fully awake.
“Dad?” he hissed, sitting up straight on his bed.
“Dean, open the door.”
The wind was harsh on Dean’s face when John walked past him into their motel room.
“You’re back, Dad.” Dean couldn’t hide the delight in his voice. He and Sam had given up hope that John would manage to return for Christmas. Yeah, sure, it was crappy, but there was nothing they could do about it. So they just did what they always did: taking some odd jobs so they could have their own Christmas. Dean would do house-sitting or dog-sitting, and lately he’d been helping removing snow on the driveway and sidewalk of some houses in the neighborhood. Sam was still too young to work so he sometimes came with Dean and helped around. And the result, they were now the proud owners of a humbly decorated plastic Christmas tree. They also bought presents for each other and their dad which they piled up under the tree. Presents that were now the object of John’s close scrutiny.
“You have presents,” said John slowly, and Dean beamed.
“Yeah,” he said. He smiled brightly. “Sam and I-” He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as John grabbed him and shook him so hard his teeth chattered.
“Where did you get them, Dean?” John shook and shook. “From the house across the street? Or that huge one with the green fence? Oh, I don’t think so. You wouldn’t be able to break into that one.” He ceased the shaking but Dean was too dizzy to talk. “I never taught you to be a thief, Dean.”
Dean opened his mouth but a loud slap landed on his cheek. Dean froze and he touched his face. It felt warm. He looked warily at John, lips wobbling and eyes beginning to water.
“Dad, I swear I didn’t. Sam and I, we worked-”
“That’s enough. I didn’t raise my kids to steal or lie.”
“But I didn’t steal them, Dad. I’m not lying. Please.”
It got even worse. His plea was answered by a backhand and another slap. Dean staggered back. His ears rang and his head pounded. He clamped a hand over his mouth when he suddenly felt like gagging.
“Dad!” From behind two small hands gripped his arms and propped him up. Sam shrieked in his ear. “Dean didn’t steal anything and he wasn’t lying. We bought all of these ourselves with our own money. We worked hard for this. We thought you wouldn’t come home for Christmas, Dad.”
John stood still, gaping at Sam, unable to say anything at first. Then he turned to Dean.
“Is that true?”
Dean only stared at him.
“Oh my God.” John took a step toward Dean but Dean backed off, stumbling into Sam, who tightened his hold on his brother. John flinched. “God, I’m so sorry.” He reached out tentatively to brush away a bead of blood at the corner of Dean’s lips.
Dean jerked a little, not realizing he’d bled. “Sure. Sure, Dad.” His voice was shaky.
“You okay?”
Dean nodded. “Yeah. I promise I’ll never do this again.”
“No, no. That’s not what I mean. But this.” John gestured to the tree. “This is my job. You caught me off guard, son. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thought…”
“That’s okay, Dad.”
“How about - how about if we go eat out now?”
“It’s kinda late,” Dean replied, frowning.
“We’ll find a place that’s still open.” John tried to smile. “Well?”
Dean looked at Sam over his shoulder and Sam gazed back, shrugging.
“Yeah, sure, Dad. Let’s go,” Dean said. He managed not to flinch when John ruffled his hair.
~~~
The three stumbled back into their motel room way after midnight. They were all laughing and their hands were full of paper bags. John took them to a 24-hour convenient store and there he let them take anything they wanted: chocolates, cookies, all kinds of chips. It might sound lame for other kids but to Sam and Dean, they had never had a more wonderful Christmas.
~~~
Genre: Gen
Characters: John, Dean, Sam
Rating: PG
Summary: Written for hoodie_time’s Winter/Holiday themed Dean-focused h/c comment-fic meme with the prompt:
Pre-series
I'd like Sam to be six or under, which would make Dean no older than ten.
Dean and Sam were alone for the month leading up to Christmas. In preparation for the holiday, Dean started working some odd jobs to save money up to buy Sam presents. John stumbles in the night before Christmas eve, thinks he stole the presents, and punishes Dean for it-but then he realizes he was wrong.
He goes out and gets both boys amazing presents, and gives both boys the Christmas they deserve.
Warning: violence
Word count: ~600
AN: My greatest thanks to icelily01 and whit_merule for the beta. ♥
Dean thought he was dreaming when he heard shuffles outside the window and soft knocking at the door a moment later. But a murmur of his name made him fully awake.
“Dad?” he hissed, sitting up straight on his bed.
“Dean, open the door.”
The wind was harsh on Dean’s face when John walked past him into their motel room.
“You’re back, Dad.” Dean couldn’t hide the delight in his voice. He and Sam had given up hope that John would manage to return for Christmas. Yeah, sure, it was crappy, but there was nothing they could do about it. So they just did what they always did: taking some odd jobs so they could have their own Christmas. Dean would do house-sitting or dog-sitting, and lately he’d been helping removing snow on the driveway and sidewalk of some houses in the neighborhood. Sam was still too young to work so he sometimes came with Dean and helped around. And the result, they were now the proud owners of a humbly decorated plastic Christmas tree. They also bought presents for each other and their dad which they piled up under the tree. Presents that were now the object of John’s close scrutiny.
“You have presents,” said John slowly, and Dean beamed.
“Yeah,” he said. He smiled brightly. “Sam and I-” He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as John grabbed him and shook him so hard his teeth chattered.
“Where did you get them, Dean?” John shook and shook. “From the house across the street? Or that huge one with the green fence? Oh, I don’t think so. You wouldn’t be able to break into that one.” He ceased the shaking but Dean was too dizzy to talk. “I never taught you to be a thief, Dean.”
Dean opened his mouth but a loud slap landed on his cheek. Dean froze and he touched his face. It felt warm. He looked warily at John, lips wobbling and eyes beginning to water.
“Dad, I swear I didn’t. Sam and I, we worked-”
“That’s enough. I didn’t raise my kids to steal or lie.”
“But I didn’t steal them, Dad. I’m not lying. Please.”
It got even worse. His plea was answered by a backhand and another slap. Dean staggered back. His ears rang and his head pounded. He clamped a hand over his mouth when he suddenly felt like gagging.
“Dad!” From behind two small hands gripped his arms and propped him up. Sam shrieked in his ear. “Dean didn’t steal anything and he wasn’t lying. We bought all of these ourselves with our own money. We worked hard for this. We thought you wouldn’t come home for Christmas, Dad.”
John stood still, gaping at Sam, unable to say anything at first. Then he turned to Dean.
“Is that true?”
Dean only stared at him.
“Oh my God.” John took a step toward Dean but Dean backed off, stumbling into Sam, who tightened his hold on his brother. John flinched. “God, I’m so sorry.” He reached out tentatively to brush away a bead of blood at the corner of Dean’s lips.
Dean jerked a little, not realizing he’d bled. “Sure. Sure, Dad.” His voice was shaky.
“You okay?”
Dean nodded. “Yeah. I promise I’ll never do this again.”
“No, no. That’s not what I mean. But this.” John gestured to the tree. “This is my job. You caught me off guard, son. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thought…”
“That’s okay, Dad.”
“How about - how about if we go eat out now?”
“It’s kinda late,” Dean replied, frowning.
“We’ll find a place that’s still open.” John tried to smile. “Well?”
Dean looked at Sam over his shoulder and Sam gazed back, shrugging.
“Yeah, sure, Dad. Let’s go,” Dean said. He managed not to flinch when John ruffled his hair.
~~~
The three stumbled back into their motel room way after midnight. They were all laughing and their hands were full of paper bags. John took them to a 24-hour convenient store and there he let them take anything they wanted: chocolates, cookies, all kinds of chips. It might sound lame for other kids but to Sam and Dean, they had never had a more wonderful Christmas.
~~~