oh my gosh this is too cute

babybrotherdean:

“They really just… give you candy? For knocking on the door?”

Sam hasn’t been trick-or-treating in decades. It’s something he associates with the time before; back when he didn’t know that monsters were real and the world seemed a whole lot safer. Dean would cart him around whichever neighbourhood they were occupying at the time, and they’d come back to the motel room with a few bags of candy and wake up the next morning with stomach-aches and cavities. These days, Halloween is just another day on the job, albeit a busier one than usual.

This year, things are a little different, because suddenly, they’ve got somebody else around.

Jack’s genuine befuddlement around the entire concept of Halloween is endearing. He’s the one who brings up trick-or-treating; he comes to Sam a few days in advance and asks about a commercial he saw on TV. A bunch of kids going door-to-door and getting candy from strangers.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to talk to strangers?” he’d asked then, and Sam had laughed and explained the whole tradition to him. And now-

Now it’s become a bit of a family affair.

Of course Dean was on board right away. Everything else aside, he’s always loved Halloween, if only for the candy. He’s spent the last couple days preparing a costume for himself, and then helping Jack put one together when he asks. It’s nice to see them bond over it. Sam’s not as enthusiastic about the holiday as a general rule, but he wants to give Jack a good experience, so he stays cheerful and nods along when the two of them gush about their upcoming excursion.

Now it’s the night of, and they’re in the car bound for Lebanon, and Jack’s getting nervous. He keeps asking questions, like he’s worried that they’re playing a joke on him. “That doesn’t make any sense. Just… free candy?”

“Free candy,” Dean agrees. He’s decked out in full cowboy gear, because of course he is. Sam has to hide a smile every time he looks his brother’s way. “It’s the best day of the year, next to Christmas. Loads of free candy, and nobody asks any questions. Trust us.”

Jack seems to ponder on that for a moment. He’s wearing little white wings and a halo- his own request, and one that still makes Sam warm to see- and in his lap is an old pillowcase they dug up, ready to be filled with whatever candy they’re offered. “I do.”

Dean drives them around until they find a busy neighbourhood, extensively decorated for the season. Kids are running around with their parents, and older teenagers move in packs from house to house. Sam thinks they might end up looking a little out of place, but it doesn’t matter. “Ready to go?”

Apparently over his nerves, Jack nods, nearly bouncing in his seat. It’s easy to forget how young he really is, but it’s clear in the way his eyes are lit up. “I’m ready!”

With that, he scrambles out of the car, and Sam goes to follow suit until Dean catches his wrist. He glances towards his brother, puzzled, and when Dean reaches up towards his hair with something black in hand-

“You have to be wearing a costume,” Dean tells him seriously, and Sam makes a face as the little kitty ear headband is placed on his head. It’s small for him, but he decides not to protest. It’ll only be for a couple hours. “It’s Halloween, Sam. C’mon.”

And just like that, they’re on their way. The three of them stick out like a sore thumb- two grown men and a teenage boy acting like an excited puppy- but for how happy Jack already is, Sam thinks it’s worth it. Jack’s the one who leads the way, picking out the first house with some bright lights and inflatable ghosts out front, and he marches straight up to the front door, only glancing back at them once before regaining his confidence and raising a hand to knock.

He’s been practicing for this. Sam’s heard him in his room, and it’s precious.

“Trick or treat!” Jack says when a woman answers the door, as happy as Sam’s ever heard him, and it’s impossible not to be cheerful right now.

“We should’ve brought more bags,” Dean says solemnly when they see the full-sized candy bars that Jack walks away with, and Sam laughs, giving his brother a playful nudge as their resident nephilim leads the way to the next house.

Halloween isn’t so bad, Sam decides. Not if he gets to spend it with the people he loves.

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