Some Things Are Worth Trying For

Some Things Are Worth Trying For

A Supernatural story by Emmy @Yorkshire_SPN

The #SPNWishList fic and art challenge is back on track! Emmy responded to the prompt: "Sam and Cas try to cook." I had a rough couple of weeks and didn't give this the attention it deserved until now! And it was completely worth it. Enjoy this slice of bunker life... A yummy slice, dusted with a liberal amount of sugar!   -- Jennie

It was about 2 p.m. by the time Dean finally got his act together and went out to get food. Sam sat in his chair in the library, flipping through a tome on vampirism in 18th-century Haiti and restraining himself from tapping a foot on the ground.

“Hey, uhh, where are you goin’?” Sam asked, keeping his tone casual.

Dean swung around irritably. “To get some food. You know, food? Pie, bacon, burgers, the good stuff. None of your rabbit crap.”

“Yeah, I know. Look, I’ve got a package waiting for me. but it’s in Grand Island. Could you--”

“Grand Island, Nebraska? Are you freakin’ serious? We have a post office right here in town!”

“Yeah, it somehow got turned around and sent there, I don’t know. Could you just get it for me? Please?”

Sam turned on the puppy-dog eyes, and Dean blew out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, fine. But you owe me! Cleanup duty for a week, no complaining, OK?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want Dean,” Sam said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

Dean hummed in reply, swinging his car keys round his finger as he headed up the stairs and out of the bunker, the door slamming shut behind him.

Sam stayed very silently where he was, counting in his head. When he got to 100, he raised his voice and yelled.

“CAAAAASSSS! CAS! HE’S GONE!”

In a moment Cas appeared, his head peeking around the doorway from the corridor, carefully checking that the coast was clear. When he saw Sam, he grinned, and came through holding two bulging grocery bags.

“Dean didn’t think there was anything unusual about your request?” Cas asked with a tilt of his head.

“Nope! For a hunter he can be remarkably-- wait, just how much stuff did you buy, dude?!”

“I thought I should get three of everything. One for a first attempt, one for the real thing, and a spare. Just in case.” Cas shrugged, a glimmer of amusement crossing his face.

“OK. Well, how hard can it be, right?”

“Baking is a very precise science, Sam. We should take precautions where we can.”

Sam rolled his eyes at that, and gently shepherded Cas toward the kitchen, grabbing a bag that looked about ready to burst and depositing it swiftly on the counter. While Cas unpacked his grocery haul, Sam opened the fridge and pulled out the vegetable drawer, his hand stretching underneath the food to reach his hidden stash.

“I knew Dean wouldn’t find you there!” Sam said happily, rummaging around till he pulled out a thin book titled “Quick And Easy Baking.” He quickly flipped to the page he’d marked before for a Simple Double Chocolate Cake, reassuring himself that he’d remembered the recipe right, then swung around to show Cas.

“See! C’mon, man, if I can do Rowena’s spells, I can follow a recipe book. It says here step one, preheat the oven to 350…”

Cas moved over to fiddle with the knobs on the stove, brow furrowed in concentration already. “All right, you can check that off your list, Sam. Done!”

Cas had such a proud look on his face when he said it that Sam couldn’t bear to tell him that he’d preheated the grill, not the oven, so he sidled over and switched it when the angel wasn’t looking.

“All right, step two is to weigh out all our ingredients. It’s 175 grams each of butter, sugar and flour. You got that?”

“I’ve got it,” Cas replied seriously, grabbing the measuring scales from the countertop and pulling out a bag of flour.

“Wait. Cas. You can’t bake like that. You gotta take off the trenchcoat, dude!”

Cas looked at Sam in confusion, then down at his coat, then back up.

“Does my attire affect the outcome of the baking? Perhaps I should have worn an apron…”

“No, you idiot, you’re gonna get flour on your sleeves and in the bowl and everything! You have to have your arms free, see?”

Sam demonstrated by rolling his own sleeves up, then held up the cookbook pointedly.

“See? Like in the picture.”

The cover did indeed show a chef with rolled-up sleeves, so with a reluctant huff Cas peeled off his coat and jacket and set them aside, rolling up his cuffs about halfway to his elbows.

“Close enough. And….c’mere--”, Sam said, reaching across to tuck the dangling ends of Cas’ tie into his breast pocket. It was funny seeing Cas out of his formalwear, but he looked so perplexed already that Sam bit back his laugh.

“OK. You’re good to go.”

With a despairing look down at his sideways tie, Cas got down to business, tearing open bags and measuring everything out into little bowls that Sam had set out on the table.

While he did that, the younger Winchester went on to step three -- beating the butter and sugar together. Sam had never done this before, but he’d checked on YouTube, and it seemed easy enough. He got into it, enjoying the way the repetition worked his muscles, letting his mind wander onto the subject of Eileen, her open smile, the way her hair fell when she laughed, the--

There was a crashing sound as his bowl hit the floor.

“Dammit, Cas! Personal space!”

Cas stared, horrified, at the smashed glass at his feet.

“I’m sorry Sam, I just wanted to observe the process, and standing behind your shoulder gave the best vantage point. I didn’t realize you would turn so fast and….”

“And bump into you when you’re standing an inch from my back? Look, nevermind, let’s do that step again,OK? We still have--.” Sam checked his watch. “--like, two hours before Dean should be home. We can do this.”

Cas nodded, going back to the table to measure out more ingredients for Sam. There wasn’t another bowl quite as good as that one, but Sam figured a salad bowl would be fine, and soon enough he was back to beating the butter and sugar together.

This time Sam couldn’t quite get back into that meditative headspace, though, because Cas was craning his neck and fidgeting at the edge of his vision.

“How about you mix everything else together while I do this?” Sam said. “Then we’re ahead on step four, right?”

“Step four is when we mix all the ingredients together, Sam. Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for the opportune moment?” Cas said, studying the recipe intently.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Mixed is mixed.”

Cas ducked his head in agreement, and bustled over to the cupboards to find something to mix everything in. Eventually he came back with a cereal bowl, and began tipping the various powders and wet ingredients in together.

For a few minutes, there was blissful silence as the two worked together, each intent on his own task. Then Cas spoke again, hesitantly.

“Sam, may I ask you something?”

“Sure, Cas, whatever you need,” Sam replied, curious to see what was bothering the angel.

“I know we are doing this for Dean’s birthday, but shouldn’t we have told him? In my centuries observing human traditions, I have noted that it is customary to give gifts, often at breakfast time or with a meal.”

Sam grinned and turned to face Cas, brandishing his spoon to emphasize his point.

“And what exactly about our lives is customary, Cas? Trust me, between this and the pie he’s bringing home, Dean’s gonna be happy, foodwise at least. As for gifts, I found him a Zeppelin record when we visited that haunted vintage store a while back. We’re good.”

Cas didn’t seem reassured though, and he pressed his point. “Yes, but this year…. You said it would be special, Sam. To make up for last year.”

“Cas, have you ever seen me make a cake before?”

Cas shook his head dutifully, so Sam went on.

“Have you ever even seen me bake before? No. This is special, Cas. Us doing this, making the effort, being a normal family. He’ll appreciate it, and that’s what counts.”

That seemed to make sense to Cas, and before long they were pouring his bowl into Sam’s, milk splashing everywhere when Cas tipped it a little too fast. He looked so guilty that Sam had to laugh, passing the spoon over to let Cas have the final stir.

“That’s it, we need it all combined. No lumps!”

Cas’ arm almost blurred, he was stirring so fast, and Sam could’ve sworn he saw a brief blue glow in the angel’s eyes as he worked, using his powers to smooth out the mixture. In just a couple of brief moments, he was done, holding out the bowl for Sam to inspect.

“Nice work, for a halo!” Sam teased, letting a smile spread across his face at Cas’ answering frown.

“I would like to see a human do it as fast, even one as….unusual as you, Sam Winchester,” Cas replied, raising his eyebrows when that just made Sam grin more.

“Can you get the baking tin for me? It’s under the-- yeah, next cupboard, behind the food processor.”

There was a mild clunk as Cas pulled the food processor out to reach the tin, then passed it over the table to Sam, who promptly poured the cake mixture in.

“C’mon then. You can put it in the oven.”

Cas beamed at that, holding the tin carefully between both hands as Sam walked over to the oven and pulled the door open for him. The heat rushed out and made his hair wave, and then Cas put the cake onto the top shelf, the door closed again, and they were done.

“We make a pretty good team, buddy!” Sam said, slumping down on the floor in front of the oven. Cas joined him, sitting delicately with his legs crossed, eyes focussed on the cake.

“So now we just... wait here then?” Cas asked.

“Guess so. How long till Dean’s home?” Sam queried, laughing at Cas’ look of bemusement. “Oh, come on, you think I don’t know you check in on him? I bet you know exactly which mile marker he’s passing right now.”

Cas looked embarrassed, then closed his eyes briefly. “Dean will be home in approximately 50 minutes. And I only check when he’s out alone. Usually.”

“Hey, if I had angel powers, I’d be keeping an eye on him too. It’s good, Cas. Shows you care.”

Cas looked a little less mortified after that, and the two of them settled back against the cupboard doors. It was comfortable, and warm, and as they watched the cake rise slowly, Sam drifted in and out of sleep, trusting to Cas to wake him if he needed to.

For Cas’ part, he watched his human relax, tension bleeding out of his muscles as the smell of fresh baking lulled him to rest. It wasn’t often that either Winchester let himself uncoil like this, and Cas wouldn’t have disturbed him for the world.

After enough time had passed, though, he needed to, so he gently nudged Sam with the tip of his shoe. Sam’s eyes flew open as he snapped back awake, then slumped again when he realized where he was.

“Is the cake ready?” he asked, blurrily, through a yawn.

“I believe so. And Dean is only a few minutes away now, so we should be ready for him,” Cas replied with absolute certainty in his voice.

“Pass me the oven mitts, then,” Sam said, gesturing vaguely at a drawer.

Cas pulled them out and handed them over, standing up and stretching his vessel after so long in one position. Sam knelt on the floor and carefully pulled the cake out, a smile cracking his face when he saw how it had turned out.

“It’s perfect, Cas! Here, slide me that plate…”

Cas obeyed, and Sam turned the cake out onto the dish. It was one that Mary had bought, when she’d been here, and Sam knew Dean kept it for special occasions.

“OK. Now throw me the powdered sugar, quick!”

A moment later, a cloud of white erupted around Sam as the open bag of sugar landed in front of him. There was a sound that he was sure was Cas suppressing a laugh, but when the cloud settled, the angel looked apologetic again.

“I’m sorry Sam, you said to throw it and--”

Before Cas could finish his sentence, they both jumped at the telltale sound of the front door opening. In a hurry, Sam flung a light dusting of sugar over the cake, and then both of them rushed to the library table, Sam placing the plate in front of Dean’s seat.

“Hello? Anybody home?” came Dean’s gruff voice as he walked down the stairs.

In the library, Sam frantically swiped the sugar off his shirt and out of his hair, turning to straighten Cas’ tie, but the angel wasn’t there, so he stepped out to intercept Dean in the war room while the idiot got back from wherever he’d gone.

“Uhh, yeah, just been doing some research. You get the package?” Sam said, knowing he was babbling slightly.

“Uh-huh. ‘Learn ASL In A Week,’ guessin’ that might have a little something to do with Eileen? You two struggling to get that talk going in the bedro--”

“OK, that’s enough!” Sam interrupted desperately, squirming as Dean snickered and winked at him. He was saved from having to say any more by Cas, leaning in from the library to beckon them over.

Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam, but walked forward just a pace ahead of Sam, near enough that when he stopped dead, Sam almost walked into the back of him.

On the table in the library sat the cake, decorated with lit candles, with two neatly wrapped gifts set to the side. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was more of a birthday than Sam had ever seen in his life. More than Dean had seen in decades, too.

“Happy birthday, jerk,” Sam said softly behind his brother, seeing the candlelight dance on the tears in Dean’s eyes as he turned to look at him. It always broke Sam’s heart when Dean looked like that. Like he was almost a kid again.

“You should sit soon, I’m afraid the candles are already leaking onto the cake…” Cas’ awkward tone broke the spell, and Dean laughed, dipping his head as he swiped at his eyes, everyone pretending not to see.

“This all for me, Cas?”

Cas nodded in affirmation, pulling out a chair to sit across from Dean, with Sam going to his usual place beside him.

“I-- I don’t know what to say, guys. This is…. Well, it means a lot, OK?” Dean’s voice was husky and full of emotion when he spoke, and Sam reached out to clap a hand to his shoulder. Dean just nodded quickly, his hands making little fists in his lap.

“You gonna blow them out or what?” Sam said, keeping his tone light and encouraging.

Dean took a deep breath and blew, the candles flickering out all at once, and Sam applauded spontaneously.

“I will cut the cake. You have to open your gifts now,” Cas said insistently, making Sam even more curious about what the angel had wrapped up.

Dean obliged, clearly not trusting himself to speak anymore, and reached out first for the one he knew the shape of. The paper tore off easily in his hands, and he made a little noise of surprised delight when he saw what it was.

“Zeppelin live?! Dude! I’ve been hunting this down for years! Where’d you find it?”

“Got lucky in that junk store a few towns ago,” Sam answered, unable to keep the pride from his voice now that he could see how much Dean liked it.

“That’s awesome. Wow! And this is from you, Cas?” Dean said distractedly, eyes still running over the vintage vinyl.

Cas nodded, and Dean set the record aside to pick up the other present. He looked at it curiously, then pulled the wrapping off.

Sam’s heart stopped.

It was a picture frame, just plain and black, but inside was something Sam never thought he’d see again. It was the photo Bobby took, just before they lost Ellen and Jo. It wasn’t even a good picture, they all looked too serious for that, but after all these years it took his breath away.

Dean hadn’t moved his eyes from it since he took the wrapping off, and he didn’t look up now as he spoke.

“How… how did you get this, Cas? He burned it.” Dean’s voice was so quiet, so raw, that Sam almost didn’t hear the words, but Cas did.

Cas hesitated before he replied.

“Some things are worth burning a little grace for. And this is one of them. Happy birthday, Dean.”

In a rush, Dean got to his feet and pulled Sam up into a hug. He reached out with one hand and beckoned Cas too, tugging him in with one arm so that they were both held tight. After few seconds, he released them, just a tiny tremor visible in his eyes as he turned away for a moment.

Sam gave him a second, then gestured to Cas to put the cake back in front of Dean, neat already slices cut into it. As a couple more minutes passed, with Dean still looking at the photograph in his hands. Then he gave himself a little shake and set it down.

“So, uhh. We gonna taste this cake then, or what?” Dean said, his voice almost normal as he stood up. “Hold on, I’m gonna get some of that whipped cream in a can…”

Sam was still smiling, not even paying attention, really, so he almost jumped out of his skin when Dean yelled furiously from the other room.

“SAMMY! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY KITCHEN?”