Work Text:
Anyone who had ever had the opportunity to share a meal with the Winchester brothers knew that they had undeniably simple tastes. As sons of hunters and hunters themselves, of course, they had grown up and lived most of their lives on the roads, leaving very few opportunities for relaxation or even cooking. They would stay a few days, complete the case, save lives, then drive across the country and start all over again. However, in the many motel rooms they had crossed until then, Dean had nevertheless learned to handle things in a kitchen. He had had to feed himself and his younger brother when their father was gone several days or weeks, hunting monsters in another state and left them a roll of bills on the night table for the most part. Of course, they were not rolling in money. But Dean had always managed to find something to satisfy his brother and he was not too proud of it.
If many thought that Sam was the smartest of the two —which Dean pretended not to be offended by— very few knew that Dean was actually the best cook. Admittedly, some of his creations had not always been successful, such as those marshmallow nachos that Sam seemed to like when he was 8 years old. But he could nevertheless boast of his superb homemade hamburgers, pancakes or even of his talent for pies: apples, cherries, blueberries, pecan… he tried everything. He also knew how to concoct this famous tomato-rice soup that Mary Winchester made for him with love when he was sick, holding this recipe from her own mother, before singing "Hey Jude" to him until he fell asleep. This same soup that John had tried to reproduce for years afterwards by always adding too much salt.
However, the recipe of their childhood that Dean has always taken the most pleasure in redoing was undoubtedly the "Winchester Surprise". It was the only dish, apart from the soup, that Mary cooked on her own for her children when she was still alive. In addition to these two recipes, Mary had always proved to be a poor cook from what their father had told them. Dean didn’t know then where his attraction to cooking came from, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. He and Sam had tried to recreate the comfort of their home hundreds of times trying to reproduce the Winchester Surprise and it was the first dish they had made in the bunker kitchen.
Dean never ran out of ideas to try to improve the recipe, making it more exotic or richer depending on the desires. He had made Castiel taste it when he became human and he had caught a cold, seeing him shivering in a blanket in the bunker all day long. To hear his friend’s groan of satisfaction when the food had passed the threshold of his lips was the best reward.
Today, he had no particular excuse to do the Winchester Surprise, he was simply bored and had just come back from the grocery store. Sam had gone to clear a vampire nest with Eileen and would probably be back tonight, Castiel had gone off to do some business in Heaven and Jack and Charlie had gone to the cinema to see the latest Disney movie. He had the kitchen to himself.
Also, Dean didn’t wait any longer to plug his phone into a small speaker and put a Metallica playlist on that soon resonated in the room. He had all the ingredients he needed and mouths to feed when they came home tonight, what more could he ask for? He started whistling quietly to the rhythm of "Fade to Black" and opened the refrigerator in search of onions, grounded meat and slices of cheese. He caught pickles and some other condiments. Once all this was laid out on the central island, he closed the fridge and went to search in a cupboard for buttermilk biscuits and corn chips, which would be the main garnishing. Finally, he seized a gratin dish and some utensils before returning to the central island.
Dean felt good and light, it was that special feeling that he felt every time he went into a new recipe. He knew that this unique satisfaction of having created something that would please his family would follow and it was really gratifying to know that his food would be eaten tonight. Sam would probably roll his eyes with tenderness while Jack and Charlie would rush to the table like the walking stomachs they were. Eileen would sign him a simple "thank you" charged with gratitude and Castiel would still give him this look full of a special affection that he always reserved for him. With that in mind, Dean got to work.
Maybe he’d come back to the bases today. After all, the Winchester Surprise in all its splendor was above all made to warm the hearts of those returning home from a rough day. He didn’t have to seek something too original today. Dean began: he scattered the cookies across the bottom of the baking dish before sautéing the onions in a frying pan. Quickly, he added the meat and let it rest for a few minutes while listening to the guitar solo which was in full swing in the speaker. Afterwards he added his condiments and stirred.
He had made this recipe so many times that he could have done it with his eyes closed. When everything had simmered to his liking, Dean poured the mixture into his baking dish and covered it with slices of cheese. Satisfied with his decoration, he finally slipped the dish into the oven before closing the door and turning the thermostat up. He programmed an alert on his phone 5 minutes before the end of the cooking to add the corn chips and sighed with satisfaction before catching the part he feared the most: the dishes.
That night, Sam and Eileen returned from their hunt in one piece just after Jack and Charlie returned. Castiel was the last to enter the bunker, a tired, but relieved to be home expression on his face. Everyone found the table set in the library, a rather rare thing in short, but everyone knew what it announced. And as Dean had predicted, each one went with his own reaction as they sat down at the table.
"Thanks mum." Sam gently laughed at him when Dean served him a piece, and Dean replied with a middle finger and a smile on his face.
Castiel, as usual now that he had become an angel again, did not hesitate to eat, but took the time to analyze each molecule with curiosity. Finally, Dean sat down with a full plate and looked around. His family chatted happily while filling their bellies and he could not feel more at home than now. Hell, he loved to innovate in the kitchen, even though he always ended up going back to basics.