A/N: This was written fairly quickly but I love AU teen!Cas cuddling up near the fire with teen!Dean while reading a good book, and I hope you do too. Enjoy~
Cocoa, Books, and A Fireplace In Heaven
Winters in Kansas were always cold but it almost never snowed. Depending on where you lived in Kansas you may get around four or five inches each time it snowed and it would be gone by morning, if you were lucky. Snow season is from late November or December at the earliest to mid-March at the latest. The possibility of having snow on Christmas morning was almost as possible as cooking an egg on blacktop in the summer. So of course Dean and Cas were both surprised when it started snowing on the way home from school that evening on Christmas Eve.
Having only lived in Kansas for two years now, Castiel had spent what seemed like forever looking up at the falling snowflakes when he got out of the car at his house. Dean didn't rush him. It had been a while since they had both seen snow anyway and being able to look at it so close to Christmas was something that they both found amazing. When Dean made his way around the car and wrapped his arm around Castiel, the younger boy let out a puff of warm air that floated away in front of him.
"It's been a while since we've seen snow huh?" Dean said rubbing Cas' arm as if to keep him warm. Castiel only nodded as a smile spread across his face.
Dean pulled his coat closer to him as he waited for Castiel to finish staring at the cloudy sky. It was a while before Castiel shivered and closed his eyes, the cold burning them slightly. He breathed into his hands before burrowing farther into his grey scarf. Leaning into Dean, they walked into Castiel's house, shutting the door and unwrapping themselves from their warm clothes. The house was a bit chilled because the heat was turned down to what it should be during the fall and Cas rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.
"Want to start a fire?" Cas asked as he turned toward the living room. Dean pat his back and walked over to the fireplace.
"Why don't you go get something hot to drink for us?" Dean suggested as he knelt in front of the logs. Castiel sent him a smile which Dean couldn't see before he went out of the living room and into the kitchen.
His house wasn't anything special, just a normal three bedroom, two and a half bath house with a garden on the side that his brother Michael often took care of when he wasn't working. The kitchen was probably Castiel's favourite place that wasn't his bedroom. It was filled with warm colors and seemed very homey in the winter when it wasn't nippy in the house. He loved to sit by the window seat with a good book when he was alone because he could look out on the backyard where part of the garden was and where wildlife often passed by.
Castiel smiled to himself as he retrieved two mugs from the top shelf in a cabinet. He set them face-up on the counter with a soft clicking sound and walked over to the fridge to get the milk out. Making hot chocolate wasn't something he was used to making since he didn't make it all year round, but it was something he could never forget how to make. Before his mother died they used to make it all the time during winter. Two cups of milk, four stable spoons of unsweetened cocoa, four tablespoons of sugar, one tea spoon of vanilla extract, one fourth a teaspoon of mint extract (or a candy cane if you don't have mint) and stir it all together in a sauce pan until it boils. By the time Castiel came back into the living room the entire house smelled like chocolate and mint with a hint of burning wood.
"This smells fantastic." Dean said as he took his own cup. Castiel sat his cup on the table next to the arm chair and pecked Dean on the cheek before escaping upstairs with a mumbled 'hold on' to which Dean just huffed with a smile and sat down on the couch. He sipped his drink and licked his lips at the minty hint of the cocoa before settling down where he sat.
A few minutes later a mound of blankets and pillows came down the stairs with a struggling Castiel underneath them. Only his bare feet were visible underneath all the blankets. Dean chuckled and set his mug down in order to take some of the blankets from him and they began to make a small pile on the floor. Castiel softly set a book down on the table next to his cocoa so he could help Dean. When they were finished they both grabbed their cocoa and Castiel retrieved his book before they sat together on the floor. Dean slipped one arm around Cas' shoulder before wrapping the blanket around them and holding his cocoa in his other hand. Cas snuggled up to him and sat his book, open, on his knees while holding his cocoa with both hands.
They sat like that for most of the evening even after it grew dark. They eventually finished their cocoa and Castiel set his head on Dean's shoulder while he read. Dean leisurely rubbed his thumb along Cas' arm while watching him read silently. The warmth of the room was quite comfy and the fort of pillows around them served as good isolation; keeping all the heat in and around them. Every so often Dean would run his hand up and down Castiel's arm as a sort of comforting gesture and both were so relaxed it felt like nothing could ruin the moment.
"Dean." Castiel said after a while. Dean had nearly fallen asleep but he opened his eyes and turned his head to nose at Castiel's hair with a soft noise of acknowledgment. "What do you think you'll do after high school?" He spoke quietly, as if afraid to break the calm air around them. Dean thought for a moment before sighing.
"Probably get a job in engineering. Gotta go to college for it though." He explained and Castiel hummed in agreement. "I could always work at Bobby's shop, but I wouldn't make good enough money there." He said quietly and Castiel nodded slowly. It was silent for a few moments before Dean spoke again. "What do you plan on doing?" Castiel was silent for a short while and Dean thought he had fallen asleep until he spoke, his voice barely a whisper.
"Michael wants me to go to school for nursing, but I'm thinking of taking classes at the community college for teaching Literature at one of the high schools nearby." He mumbled sleepily and Dean rubbed his arm.
"You really love books don't you?" Dean said and Cas let out a small chuckle but didn't answer. "As long as it's what you want Cas, I bet your brothers will be happy with whatever you do." He said quietly and Cas nodded slowly again, his body leaning more heavily into Dean.
When night had fallen completely and the snow outside had slowed to a stop Michael walked through the front door and shut out the cold air. The warmth of the house was a pleasant surprise as he took off his coat and gloves. It wasn't usually this warm in the house, but as he entered the living room to a fire burning in the fireplace his gaze landed on the two teens that had fallen asleep huddled up in front of the fire. He let out a silent chuckle and placed his car keys on the table in the entryway before making his way into the kitchen. Coming home to a warm house was one pleasant surprise but seeing his baby brother all cozy in front of the fireplace with, what he hoped to be, a boyfriend was an utter bafflement. No boys cuddled together like that ever unless they were together.
Michael supposed he should be mad, but somehow he wasn't. Castiel wasn't someone who normally socialized so this was shocking in and of itself. He had questions to ask and things to find out, but for now he was going to let them sleep, whether they slept until morning or woke up to move upstairs after a while. He would stay out of sight and maybe Castiel would have one of the best Christmas' he'd had since their mother passed.
A/N: I honestly don't know where this came from. I was in a fluffy mood, so my brain just decided to write this. I hope you all liked it and please tell me what you think! I may write a second chapter but I don't know quite yet. If you'd like me to make a second chapter then please tell me in a comment! Also, that hot cocoa mix recipe is real. It's super delicious too! I highly recommend putting a mint or candy cane in it along with a hint of cinnamon.