Crowley's Christmas Fic Exchange: A Home for the Holidays for Ellerkay
Author/Artist: jdl71/jld71
Beta: rocketmojo
Author: jdl71
Giftee: ellerkay
Prompt: Fluffy Sam/Dean enjoying holiday activities.
Warnings: Fluff, Sibling Incest, Christmas/Holiday Activities, Christmas Trees, Christmas Stockings, Kissing
Word Count: 1,597
Summary: Sam and Dean decorate their home for the holidays.
The small cabin they had settled into was homey and inviting with the warm wood floors and the soft blue the walls had been painted in. It had been a battle of wills between them at first when trying to figure out what color to choose. Sam had wanted an eggshell color which Dean had rolled his eyes at. Eggshell wasn’t a color as far as he was concerned. He hadn’t really cared what color they picked as long as it wasn’t an in-your-face pop of color. Eventually, they had settled on a color of blue called Marlin that complimented the richness of the floors and just felt right to them. And now they had a place to call their own. It wasn’t some room in a rundown motel. It wasn’t a place they were squatting in. It wasn’t the bunker which they had tried to make their own but never felt like a true home to them or the Impala which had been a home to them when they had nothing. The cabin was theirs and it was their first Christmas in it.
Parking the Impala, Dean cut the engine and sat for a moment breathing in the crispness of the chilled air, feeling how relaxed he was now that he was home. Home. That world still felt unfamiliar on his tongue whenever he said it. He and Sam had a home of their own and it was heavily warded against anything supernatural. They didn’t want anything, friend or foe popping in and disturbing the tranquility they had carved out for themselves. If their hunting services were needed a phone call would suffice, one they would return after they were finished with their day jobs. Sam was the head librarian in their small out-of-the-way town and he owned a small coffee shop only a few doors down. Life was good. It was their life to live, and they lived each day to its fullest.
Grabbing the few bags he had with him he made his way inside, listening to the crunch of his footsteps against the snow that had fallen earlier that morning, to be greeted by the smell of the dinner he’d thrown into the crockpot prior to leaving for the day. He loved the fact that whatever tension he’d been carrying throughout the day seemed to melt away when he stepped over the threshold. Especially when he was greeted by the man he loved, Sam. A smile played across his lips when he took in the sight of Sam as he walked out of their bedroom with a book in his hand. Sam would never change. His brother loved books whether he was reading for pleasure or researching, Sam was happiest when he had a book with him and he would never take that away from him.
“Hey,” Sam greeted looking up from the book he was holding. “I was just…” He motioned to the book.
“Being a geek? Yeah, I figured as much.” Dean smiled fondly as he set the bags down on the small kitchen table. It comfortably sat two which was all they needed.
Coming closer and planting a kiss on Dean’s cheek Sam peered at the bags. “What are those?”
“Something for after dinner,” Dean smirked when he saw the questioning look on Sam’s face. “Which should be ready. Go put your book away. I’ll get the plates, we’ll eat, and then I’ll let you see what’s in the bags.” He shooed Sam away and set about getting dinner on the table after placing the bags out of sight.
With dinner having been eaten and after they had chatted about their day, together they cleaned the kitchen before Dean led Sam into the living room where they had set up the Christmas tree they had picked out together.
“Are you gonna tell me about the bags?” Sam questioned. He hated when Dean kept something from him.
“Yes, after you get a fire going.” Dean pointed to the unlit fireplace watching as Sam rolled his eyes at him in frustration.
“Fine,” Sam huffed and turned away, making his way to the fireplace to light the logs he had stacked earlier. When he turned back, he couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from within him when he saw Dean holding a sprig of Mistletoe over his head. “Is that supposed to be a hint?”
“Maybe,” Dean quipped, watching Sam close the distance between them, and then he felt Sam’s lips on his. “That worked to my advantage,” he chuckled when the kiss ended.
“Mine, too,” Sam agreed and then watched Dean as he pulled his phone out of his front jeans pocket.
Dean gave a mischievous grin as he pulled up the Christmas music he had downloaded and hit play, filling the air with the sound of Bing Crosby’s voice crooning I’ll Be Home for Christmas, thinking how appropriate the song was since they now had a home for the holidays.
A smile tipped the corners of Sam’s mouth as he listened to the music and watched Dean.
Grabbing the bags he placed them by the tree, emptied them, and stood back to watch Sam’s reaction at seeing the decorations he’d purchased. He’d originally told Sam he’d allow them to get a tree but that he hadn’t been interested in decorating it. Sam had given in, but he knew Sam wanted to see the tree shining with lights, tinsel, and ornaments.
“You…” Sam’s eyes widened at the sight before him. Dean had gone against his word, not wanting to decorate, and had purchased everything to decorate their tree.
“Yeah, well…” Dean waved his hands at the decorations. He could never deny Sam what he wanted. He stepped back allowing Sam to grab a string of lights, laughing as Sam meticulously strung them, weaving them through the branches of the tree.
Together they placed the ornaments on the branches, not stopping until every single one Dean had bought hung from its own hook that dangled from a branch. Then came the tinsel. Sam’s idea had been to place a piece on each branch while Dean’s had been to just toss the tinsel at the tree letting it land where it fell. In the end, the tree was covered in tinsel, making them laugh at their handiwork.
The last thing for them to do was place the star on top of the tree. Grabbing the glittery silver star Dean handed it to Sam who looked perplexed. “What, you think I’m gonna reach up there? You’re taller than me.”
Shaking his head Sam accepted the star and then moved closer to the tree trying to find the right angle so he didn’t knock the tree over when he placed the star atop of the tallest branch. When he was satisfied he’d found the right angle, he leaned, raised his arm, and gently placed the star on the tree. Stepping back, he held his breath waiting to see if the tree would topple over or if it would remain standing. He was startled by Dean’s hand on his back.
Dean nodded appreciatively admiring Sam’s handiwork. “Looks good.”
“Yeah, it does,” Sam agreed.
“There’s one thing left to do,” Dean explained and then grabbed the last bag. Handing it to Sam he waited for his brother’s reaction.
Sam set the heavy bag down on the coffee table, looking into it to see what it held. Reaching in he pulled out a polished metal stocking holder in the shape of an S and then one in the shape of a D. He blinked away the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes when he saw the red and black plaid stockings lined with white fur. “You didn’t have to…”
“I know but I figured we should…” Dean shrugged trying to find the right words to explain to Sam that he wanted to give Sam everything they had missed out on.
“Yeah…” Sam agreed and then dragged Dean over to the fireplace where they placed the stocking holders on the mantle and then hung their matching Christmas stockings. “Hey! Don’t move.” Not giving Dean a chance to protest, he disappeared from the living room.
While Dean waited for Sam to return, he admired what they had managed to accomplish. The cabin and the decorations felt right. Feeling at ease in their home he took a seat on the couch sitting across from the fireplace watching the flames dance over the logs. He felt his eyes beginning to droop as the warmth of the fire settled into his bones.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me just yet.” Sam chuckled at the sight of Dean, loving how relaxed he looked.
Dean cracked his eyes open looking up to see Sam standing in front of him holding two mugs. Sniffing, he detected the slight smell of chocolate wafting toward him as Sam moved to sit on the couch next to him. “Hmm, what’s this?”
“Hot chocolate.” Sam handed one of the steaming mugs to Dean, grabbed the blanket hanging off the back of the couch, and moved closer to his brother snuggled together.
They sat quietly listening to the music playing in the background, watching the fire, and sipping at their hot chocolate.
“This was nice, thank you,” Sam said, his baritone voice soft as he spoke.
A soft smile came to Dean’s face as he turned to look at Sam. “You’re welcome.” While he had never given much thought to having a home, decorating it, or even partaking in holiday activities, he was glad he’d given that to Sam.
xxxxx
end