Christmas Café (SPN fic, Dean)

[Sawyer]

I always feel like I have to specifically mention that I'm featuring Dean in something, because almost all of my work is about Sam. He's just easier for me to write, for some reason! Like a comfort zone, or something. Anyway, enjoy!

“I said I don’t like this, Sam.”

“You don’t have to like it.” Sam swings his legs through the impala’s open passenger side doorway and feels his boots crunch against the snow. “People are dying, Dean. We don’t really have a choice.”

“You remember when dad got us a Christmas tree when you were a kid? I thought I was gonna have to take you to the hospital.” Dean follows his brother’s lead and exits the car, walking around to the trunk and then popping it open.

“I wasn’t that bad,” Sam objects. “I don’t even think I’m really that allergic anymore – I was around plenty of them at college.”

“Yeah, probably all one at a time and in an open space, Sam, not walking through a freaking maze of the things!”

Sam waits for his brother to arm himself, and then he does the same. “I think I’ll risk getting the sniffles if it saves a few lives, Dean.”

Dean slams the trunk shut and heads inside. “Yeah, well, you start breaking out in hives and we’re calling it quits.”

In between the tree farm and the parking lot is a wide ranch-style cabin, one side set up as a gift shop and the other a small café, selling glass ornaments and cider and mittens and chili. Business seems to be calm, probably given that it’s a weekday, with only a few small families and young couples and even one group of teenagers in the building keeping them company.

“You should take an antihistamine,” Dean advises as they approach the clerk in the gift shop, but Sam just swats him on the arm.

“I’ll be fine, quit fussing.”

“Hi,” Dean says to the young woman behind the desk, grinning at her red-trimmed green vest and hat. “We’d like admission into the farm for the…” He pauses, eyes welling up unexpectedly as he gives the underside of his nose a hard swipe. “…Sorry. Ah, for the afternoon.”

“Okay, no problem!” she chirps, the bells on her uniform jingling as she turns around. “Let me set that up for you; I’ll be right back!”

She heads into some back room that actually looks more like a closet from where Dean’s standing, and he and Sam take the opportunity to survey this section of the establishment for anything suspicious.

A wide pillar set up as a fireplace separates the gift shop and café, with a setup of couches and a coffee table on both sides of it. There’s a massive, extraordinarily decorated pine tree set up in the middle of the gift shop side, but it doesn’t seem to be giving Sam any trouble as he discreetly scans it for EMF. All of the merchandise is organized in an intricate way, most of it glittering and giving the room a festive and cozy feeling. Despite the place’s charming aesthetics, Dean feels uncomfortable. He can’t quite place why until he notices –

“Hh’NGXCHh!” – a goddamn cat playground covered in ribbons and tinsel and five tiny monsters about to wreak havoc on his eyes and sinuses. Fantastic.

“Dean?”

“Uhh-KNGTCHh! Yeah,” Dean acknowledges, reaching up to rub at his eye as Sam makes his way back over to the desk.

“Jeez. Gesundheit,” Sam says lightly, and Dean wants to smack the grin right off of him. “Funny how you were so worried about my allergies…”

“Shut… HhH’EHTSHh! TSCHhUH! Shut up, Sam.” He just wants to get their tickets into the farm and get out of here. What the hell is taking her so long?

“Maybe it’ll be better on the other side of the fireplace,” Sam suggests. “Go and sit on the couch or something. I can wait for the tickets here.”

“Really, dude? You’re benching me?” Dean sniffs, long and liquid and itchy, and it doesn’t do much for either his point or the irritated feeling inside of his face.

“Relax,” Sam says. “It’s just for a couple minutes. You’ll nix a hunt when it’s me but you won’t literally sit down, further away from the allergen, until you can get some fresh air?”

“Whatever,” is all Dean has to say in response, but he does head over to the café (grabbing a couple napkins off the counter on the way) and plants himself on the couch facing the fireplace.

…Right next to a sleeping calico cat, curled up contentedly against the armrest. All right, yeah, that’s cool. This is great. It’s great. Thanks a lot, Sam.

“NGHTCH! HnCHSHh!” As much as he doesn’t care (really really doesn’t care) about whether he disturbs the cat next to him, Dean would rather avoid jostling the couch in case the cat wakes up angry and attempts to scratch him. After what he said about Sam getting hives, Dean would rather avoid an outbreak of his own.

“Hh!” But Jesuschristgoddamnit, it won’t fucking stop. This one lingers unusually – dramatic buildups are usually Sam’s thing – teasing him like somebody’s gently, annoyingly just tugging at a string instead of pulling the plug. “Hh’huh… uh’hh’HH!”

Aaand it’s gone. Fine; at least now he won’t have to worry about stifling anything to avoid waking the source of his misery.

“KHSHHuh!”

The cat stirs with an irritated bumbling sound, but thankfully doesn’t lift its head. Dean sniffles against the back of his hand just before he sees his brother approaching.

“Bless you,” Sam says with another grin as he holds up the tickets. “You ready to go?”

[Nola]

“Hh’NGXCHh!” – a goddamn cat playground covered in ribbons and tinsel and five tiny monsters about to wreak havoc on his eyes and sinuses. Fantastic.

I love this. Cats and Christmas were meant for each other. I literally squealed when I read this part, just fyi. I'm dying of cute as I type.

And, ohmyGod, I love how you have your own canons and you stick to them, it is so refreshing and sexy.

And YAY again for le kitties!!!

“Hh!” But Jesuschristgoddamnit, it won’t fucking stop. This one lingers unusually – dramatic buildups are usually Sam’s thing – teasing him like somebody’s gently, annoyingly just tugging at a string instead of pulling the plug. “Hh’huh… uh’hh’HH!”

More lovely Sen canon-ness and you know I love the swearing!

The cat stirs with an irritated bumbling sound,

Cutest thing I ever read. Ever.

Thank you for sharing this loveliness with us. Cats, Christmas, Canon (allergies), what else could we want??

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

N'awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

The epic backfire! Love it!

[telltale]

Aw, this was really happy-making.

I appreciated the mention, btw. <3 I'm the opposite of you, character-wise. I'm all sneezy Dean all the time, and Dean POV would be my comfort zone except Dean POV gets depressing really fast on me and then I just give up, boo. I do like writing Sam POV too, but I don't know that I get his voice quite right. Anyway, your voices are all excellent!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Cat allergic Dean is my favourite ! You've made my day omg this is so cuuuute Dean worries about Sam and ends up being the one allergic! Perfect! :)

[tenderwarrior]

Wheeee! I loved this. Put me in the Christmas mood

[HPG]

Aww, Dean and the cats!

[Always-a-Ginger]

This was just freaking ADORABLE! Just perfect.

I totally loved Dean being taken off guard and Sam enjoying it. I can totally picture his smirk.

My favorite part was Dean trying not to wake the cat. Don't know why but it totally made me laugh.

This was great.

[party_girl077]

Omg this is wonderful, I love how it turned around on a Dean!

[gingerdean]

!!!

Ahh, I was sooo excited when I saw this. Sneezy allergic Dean, my favorite thing ever ever. Merry Christmas to me!

This fic has such a cozy feel to it. I love the Christmas-y backdrop, with the tree farm, and the cabin, and the visual, and wonderful descriptiveness of the whole thing. And then Dean, being all worried and overly protective of Sam, only to end up getting set off himself? haha, Love it.

And this:

Hh!” But Jesuschristgoddamnit, it won’t fucking stop. This one lingers unusually – dramatic buildups are usually Sam’s thing – teasing him like somebody’s gently, annoyingly just tugging at a string instead of pulling the plug. “Hh’huh… uh’hh’HH!”

Um...holy crap. Then he loses the sneeze, and then the sudden one sneaks up on him right after...unf.

Thank you for the pure unadulterated awesomeness. I love your stuff so much.

[MissBayliss]

Urrrrgh, I'm not usually into allergic sneezes, but for Dean, everything is sexy. Love this

[anna]

This is amazing Sen Beret, short but so sweet