Team Free Will x winchester sister!reader
Summary: Just a boogie-board adventure with your favorite people. Well, Castiel didn't want to boogie board but he's watching over you and your brothers.
Note: This is for @ambiguous-avery's Summer Snapshot Challenge! It seemed fun to jump into. So here's this 950 word snapshot of the trio!
The California sun blazed overhead as you trudged through the sand, arms loaded with beach gear. Behind you, Sam carried the cooler while Castiel squinted suspiciously at his swim trunks like they might burst into flames.
"I still don't understand why we need to submerge ourselves in salt water for recreation," Cas muttered, adjusting the oversized sunhat you'd forced on his head.
"Because normal people do normal things sometimes. Even us," you called over your shoulder.
Dean jogged past, already stripped down to swim shorts, boogie board tucked under his arm. "Come on, slowpokes! These waves aren't gonna ride themselves!"
"Dean, you've never boogie boarded in your life," Sam pointed out, but his smile was fond. It had been your idea to take a beach detour after finishing a salt-and-burn in San Diego. For once, nobody was bleeding, nothing was trying to kill them, and the weather was perfect.
"Alright, listen up," Dean announced once you'd settled on towels. "I've watched Point Break like fifty times. I got this."
"That's about surfing, Dean," you said, rubbing sunscreen on. "And Patrick Swayze dies."
"Details." Dean waved you off, studying his board with lore-research intensity. "How hard can it be? You just ride the wave, right?"
Sam was already getting in, his longer legs carrying him easily through the surf. "The key is timing. Wait for the right wave, then kick hard when it picks you up."
Cas remained on his towel, having declared himself "designated observer" after testing the water with one toe and deciding it was "unnecessarily cold."
You grabbed your board and jogged toward the water, the sand burning your feet. The ocean was perfect—cool and refreshing, with waves big enough to be fun but not intimidating.
Sam caught his first wave, riding it nearly to shore with a whoop of pure joy. When was the last time you'd heard him laugh like that?
Dean finally charged into the water, sending up spray that made you squeal. "Okay, I watched Sam. I got this."
The first wave was perfect—not too big, not too small. You and Sam watched as Dean kicked hard, felt the wave catch him, and then...
"WOOO! I'M KING OF THE OCEAN!" Dean shouted, shooting forward. For about five seconds, he looked natural.
Then he decided to get fancy.
"Dean, don't—" Sam started, but it was too late.
Your brother attempted some sort of spinning maneuver that would have been impressive on solid ground. Instead, the board shot out from under him, he went ass over teakettle, and the wave dumped him face-first into sand.
He came up sputtering, hair plastered to his head, spitting seawater and looking deeply offended by the entire ocean.
"I meant to do that," he announced with as much dignity as someone could muster with seaweed hanging from their ear.
You and Sam burst into laughter, the kind that made your sides ache. Even Cas was grinning from his towel.
"Would you like me to heal the sand abrasions on your face?" Cas called out.
"I'm fine! That was just practice. Watch this."
What followed was the most entertaining hour you'd had in months. Dean's determination to master boogie boarding was matched only by his complete inability to stay on the board without attempting ridiculous stunts. He wiped out spectacularly at least six times, each crash more dramatic than the last.
"Maybe try not doing a backflip this time?" you suggested after he'd somersaulted through a particularly aggressive wave.
"Where's the fun in that?" Dean grinned, pushing back wet hair. There was something different about him out here—lighter, younger. The constant tension in his shoulders had melted away with the salt water.
Sam had moved on to trying to catch waves while standing, which he was surprisingly good at. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," he called.
"Show off," Dean muttered, but he was smiling.
You floated on your board, letting smaller waves carry you gently toward shore. The sun was warm on your back, and your brothers were happy. For the first time in longer than you could remember, there were no monsters, no apocalypses, no cosmic consequences. Just the four of you and the endless ocean.
"This is nice," you said, paddling over to Sam.
"Yeah. We should do this more often."
"What, nearly watch Dean drown himself trying to impress the fish?"
"Hey!" Dean protested from where he was lining up for another wave. "I'm getting better!"
He wasn't, but nobody had the heart to tell him.
As afternoon wore on, you gradually made your way back to the towels. Dean had finally managed to ride one wave to shore without falling off, and he was strutting around like he'd won the Super Bowl.
"Did you see that? Perfect form. I'm like a natural-born surfer."
"You boogie boarded for maybe ten seconds," Sam pointed out, grinning.
"Ten seconds of pure artistry."
Cas had bought drinks from somewhere, and you all settled on towels, sandy and sun-warmed and completely relaxed. Dean was already getting sunburned despite SPF 50, and Sam's hair was doing that impossibly fluffy post-salt-water thing.
"We should make this a tradition," you said, leaning back. "Every beach town hunt, we take a day."
"I could be amenable to that," Cas said solemnly.
"Count me in," Sam agreed. "Though maybe we should get Dean lessons first."
"I don't need lessons! I just need practice. And maybe a better board. This one's clearly defective."
You exchanged a look with Sam, both trying not to laugh.
As the sun started sinking lower, painting the ocean gold and orange, you felt that familiar tug of melancholy that came with perfect moments. They were so rare in your lives.
"Hey," Dean said quietly, sensing your mood. "We're okay. Right now, we're all okay."
You nodded, throat suddenly tight. "Right now, we're perfect."
"Speak for yourself," Sam said, pulling seaweed from his hair. "I'm a mess."
"We're all a mess," you laughed. "But we're a mess together."
Cas tilted his head. "I find your particular brand of chaos... comforting."
Dean's phone buzzed with what was probably a new case, but he didn't even look at it. Instead, he buried it in the sand.
"What? It's a beach day. No work on beach day."
You grinned, settling back on your towel. The waves kept rolling in, and for once, you weren't in any hurry to leave.
