Chapter Text
Settled on the corner of two streets, in the middle of Lawrence, Kansas, a rather unremarkable looking shop sat facing a bar on the other side of the street and next to an empty storefront. The shop itself was bland, a little rundown looking on the outside with a blinking sign advertising their business in the window, a neon one above that stated that the store was open, and their sign above the door. Other than that the window showed very little of the interior of the business and it was overall fairly uneventful looking. But of course, that was from the outside.
The inside of the store was another story. Leather chairs were stationed in two separate workshops in the back of the small building, sided with bright lights, sets of needles and equipment neatly stacked in drawers and on the tables. In the front of the stores the walls were lined with poster holders, advertising some of the work the two brothers who owned the store made up themselves. Books littered coffee tables and sofas and big comfortable chairs were arranged strategically to allow privacy yet be close enough to the action to hold a conversation with someone in the back if they so wished. And despite the classic rock that frequently blared from the speakers, at the eldest brother’s request, the whole store had a comforting scent of pie and books and ink and leather. It smelled a lot like home to the Winchester boys.
Sam and Dean had lived in Lawrence for as long as they could remember. Sure they got out and travelled a lot here and there, especially across the midwest when they went to visit family, but Lawrence was always home. So once they’d decided to open up shop they’d found the perfect place in the dead center of town.
Dean was the older of the two by a good six years. It had been his idea in the first place to open up a tattoo parlor. While he was going to school for auto mechanics, he’d needed a job other than the bartending he did for a family friend’s joint a few nights a week. That job alone didn’t pay the rent. So he got a job at a tattoo shop close to the school and that’s where he found out he had a pretty good eye for art and one of the artists took him under his wing, showed him the ropes. After he graduated with his degree he got a full time job at his Uncle’s auto shop but was also hired on as a tattoo artist, part time. He made his own hours for his workshop and got a few loyal customers. But when Sammy headed off to college, Dean realized he’d need more money to help pay for Sam’s schooling. That was when he found the storefront and decided to open his own place.
Sam, who had just gotten into college on almost a full ride, thought his older brother was crazy to buy his own store. He hadn’t realized just how much everything costed. He’d done the math plenty of times, sure, but actually being at college had been a challenge. Especially with no job of his own. When it got to be too much, Sam transferred to a college back in Lawrence, moved in with Dean at his place, and started working books on the store. That was when business started picking up. Dean hadn’t always been the best at taxes, and record keeping, so Sam managed all that while Dean did the actual work on bodies. In between receiving his Associate's degree and working for Dean, his brother actually showed him how some of it worked. He’d finish up records and go sit in the back and watch Dean. Or he’d sit at one of the tables and scribble up some of his own designs.
Now it was three years later. Dean had booming business on this side of town and he had new customers in weekly. Social media had blown up with their images and they were getting appointments for months in advance so people could make the trip out there to get work done. Sam graduated with his associates and went into a pre-law program online, and had managed to get licensed in tattoo work, now having a workshop of his own in the back. Dean still worked at the auto shop on top of everything, and occasionally went by and filled in for someone at the Roadhouse, the bar that was owned by family friends. Overall, life was finally on track for the two, and they were happier than they had been in years.
~~~~
“What do they expect from us?” Dean complained, kicking his feet up on one of the coffee tables as he leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.
“What they always expect, cheap prices for high quality work,” Sam snorted, scribbling something down on a sheet of paper.
Dean rolled his eyes before closing them for a moment. It was the longest break he’d gotten in hours. He’d been working on a pretty intricate tattoo on one of his regular customers. It was still a work in progress. Every few weeks the guy would come in for more details. The piece, when it was done, was supposed to be something about heaven versus hell, a whole sleeve, shoulder to wrist. Dean was still working on the Hell scene, on his lower arm. Demons and the whole shebang.
“I think I’m gonna grab lunch. What do you want?” Dean finally stood again, never able to stay down for long.
“I don’t know. Bring me back a salad or something,” Sam shrugged.
“A salad? I don’t see how you can survive on all that rabbit food. I’m bringing you a burger and you’ll thank me later,” Dean pointed at him, going behind the counter Sam was sitting at to grab his keys and wallet.
“It’s not rabbit food. It’s called healthy living. At least I don’t have a high risk of heart disease.”
“If I go, I’m going fat and happy, Sammy,” Dean teased as he walked out the door, letting it slip shut with a ring of the tiny bell above it, and headed to the diner down the street they went to regularly.
He was only gone for a half an hour tops, returning with a plastic bag filled with Styrofoam takeout containers and he dropped it on the counter in front of Sam. He pulled up a chair on the other side since they had at least another half an hour until their next appointment. Divvying up the order he handed Sam his burger and a small salad per Sam’s request, then took his own onion rings and burger for himself.
“Did you notice next door?” he asked Sam who looked up from opening one of his containers with a cocked eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“The ‘For Sale’ sign is gone. Think someone bought it?” He didn’t look up from adjusting the burger, pushing all the good stuff back inside, preparing to take a bite.
For as long as the boys had owned the shop the store next to them had been empty. There was no reason Dean could find that no one would buy it, it just seemed that no one had any interest. They’d talked about maybe buying it themselves and expanding the store, knocking down the wall between them, but it didn’t make much sense considering there were only the two of them and they had plenty of space right where they were.
“I didn’t see it. Probably then. We’ll just keep an eye on it, see if anything pops up,” Sam shrugged, starting on his salad while Dean took a large bite of his burger.
“I guess you’re right,” Dean nodded around a mouthful of food and decided to let it go for now. Just go with the flow and see what happened with time.
~~~~~
It was nearly a month before they heard anything else on the store beside them. Dean was working on a client, giving her a blue jay and cardinal over her calf when Sam came in with a newspaper for himself and coffees for the two of them.
“So get this...” Sam started, setting everything down.
“Hmm?” Dean hummed, focused on getting the details just right and wiping off blood to keep the area free for him to see. He always was one for detail and precision and when he was working he’d frequently poke his tongue out of his mouth, as if it helped him concentrate. He just happened to be doing it at this moment and he glanced up at Sam as he took a moment to wipe the area clean again.
“The shop next door. It’s going to be a flower and candy shop,” Sam chuckled softly and took a sip of his coffee before going to set up his station for his first client of the day.
“Flowers and candy?” Dean was clearly amused at the prospect. “And how’d you find this out?”
“They put up a ‘Coming Soon’ sign. It’s called Honey Bee’s Sweets and Flowers apparently.”
Dean chuckled again at the prospect, imagining how the flower shop would look next to their tattoo parlor. He couldn’t help but wonder who would decide to set up their flowers and candy store next to a store like their own.
“Any news on when it’s supposed to open?”
“It said in November,” Sam shrugged.
“Well...” Dean took a moment to look up at Sam. “I can’t wait to meet the lovely ladies who get to have a store next to us.”