I usually deplore lengthy A/Ns, but I would be remiss if I did not take this last opportunity to thank all my wonderful and generous reviewers: every review, regardless of length, was treasured. Your support, encouragement and thoughtfulness were invaluable and divinely rapturous each and every time. And thank you to all my readers. Thanks for sticking with this crash course in Dean 101. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have. Thanks everyone.
I'll take Sexy Supernatural Siblings, for $1000, Alex.
o0o
Sam couldn't believe they were actually at Disney World. Was still pinching himself even though they'd been here three days already.
Three days of avoiding the hoards of screaming tots in the kiddie sections, three days of mind-blowing roller coasters, three days of Space Mountain and the Tower of Terror. Three days of Dean trying desperately to look cool and unaffected while being hurled around twisting roller coasters, three days of cleaning up at the frontier shooting gallery only to give away the stuffed animals to the first pretty girls that passed by. Three days of Dean charming women of all ages, except for Minnie Mouse and Dora the Explora.
Heh. Three days of teasing Dean about the height requirement for the rides.
And three days of Dean muttering "Christo" every time a park employee in a cartoon costume came near him.
He hadn't managed to persuade Dean to pose with any of the oversized characters yet, but he was keeping the pic of the two of them and Snow White as future blackmail material.
Disney-fuckin'-World. Man. It was everything he'd hoped for.
Sam had studied the website daily since he'd found out, he'd charted out what rides he'd wanted to go on, and he'd printed off a list of the things he wanted to see and do and a detailed schedule of what events and shows were on when.
An itinerary that Dean had promptly torn up on their first day at the park and told Sammy to live on the edge, and just wing it. Sammy had forlornly watched his carefully constructed plans go into a nearby recycling bin, and had briefly mourned its passing. And had bitten the proverbial bullet and had done it Dean's way.
It was one of the easiest decisions he'd ever made.
They'd been to Epcot Center, the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom. Today they were going back, trying to see what they'd missed, trying to soak it all in before they left tomorrow. Sam still couldn't believe Dean had set this up for five days. Five phantom-free days. Five days of no research, no ghosts, no talk about demons or goblins. Five days of no cell phones, which meant five days of no possible jobs or interruptions. Dean wasn't even checking his messages, he was just living in the extremely normal present, with his baby brother.
The closest they came was the haunted mansion. Which they'd both scoffed at and rolled their eyes at and then promptly tried to automatically nullify the spooky spirit who'd popped up behind them.
The park employee had not been amused by the double doses of holy water in his face.
Other than that, it had been a complete vacation from the paranormal and supernatural.
Although Dean swore that anyone who voluntarily went on the "It's a Small World" ride had to be some kind of demon-worshipping Hellspawn. Or some other relative of Meg's. Heh.
Disney World.
Sam had even caught Dean humming a certain truly annoying song from said aforementioned ride. When challenged about succumbing to the evil influence of all things Disney, Dean had flatly denied any such action and had said that it was the annoying seven year old in front of them who'd been humming.
Yah, right. More like an annoying and seriously in denial twenty-seven year old.
A twenty-seven year old who was reluctantly having a good time. Reluctantly because putting aside what he considered his duty and responsibility for five days did not sit well with Dean. Reluctantly because he had nothing more than holy water to ward off the evil Emperor Zurg and the thousands of screaming little minions of Satan masquerading as innocent children.
But he'd sucked it up, let his natural aversion to crowds go and was having a pretty good time, actually, all in the name of brotherly birthdays.
And Sam appreciated it. Because, while Chris had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he hadn't known all there was to know about his brother, that he hadn't really understood what drove Dean at all, ok, that he'd been incredibly willfully and utterly blind about his brother, Sam did know some of the fundamentals: such as Dean and crowds don't mix. And Disney World was really not Dean's thing. Yes he liked the rides, loved the roller coasters and thought some of the exhibits and special effects were awesome. But he hated the sheer number of bodies – even if many of them were lovely to look at – and hated the people constantly bumping into them and the overall noise – although when the noise was the Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster he didn't seem to have a problem with it. And while he was mostly enjoying it, it was nothing he would have subjected himself to if it weren't a gift for Sam.
Of course that didn't mean he didn't let Sammy know exactly how much he hated the crowds, and just what knife he was going to use on the next whiny tantrum-throwing tot, and it certainly didn't mean that he hadn't expounded at all on his theory about the unnaturalness of Giant Talking Mice or Dogs or Sponges. Nope, he was still his usual annoying self.
And Sammy wouldn't change a thing about him.
Because Sam was grateful. Grateful for the time he had with his brother and grateful that he'd have more time in the future. And they would, they both would, he'd make sure of that. But Chris' mention of Dean's death had made Sammy appreciate a truth that Dean had always known: life was short, and it could all change tomorrow. It was a lesson Sam should have known and a lesson that meant that they should cram as much time and energy and, well, living, into their lives while they could.
Because they were at Disney World, damnnit. The ultimate Mecca for all things exciting and thrilling. And all things wonderfully, utterly, absolutely normal.
It was exactly what Sam had always wanted for a birthday present, and Dean, his imperfect, annoying yet totally awesome and unswervingly loyal brother was exactly the person he wanted to be there with.
Disney World. It was fan-fucking-tastic.
Now… if he could just get Dean into a pair of mouse ears...
o0o
The End.
Really.