Castiel understood the human need to celebrate Independence. If he could, he would instill this same sort of holiday in heaven, at least a similar celebration.
Heaven. The ping of homesickness hit him as he thought about home, how he wished he could be there instead of an old, rotting dock in New Orleans watching the stars peak out from behind the moon.
Nothing you can do now, he reminded himself.
Leaning back against the Dock, hands brushing against his shoes that were pressed at his side, he sighed as more and more stars began to peek out and the clouds started to recede away from the sky.
"Cas!" Dean's voice tore him from his gaze as the hunter handed him a sugary stick. "Churro. Trust me you'll love it."
"Where's Meg?"
"She's taking care of some stuff," Sam muttered as he took a seat on the dock, following Cas's examples and ripping off his large shoes to dip his feet in the water. "She'll be over soon."
"What do you usually do on this day?" Dean asked through a mouthful of churro. "We never get to see you."
"I'm usually dead. Or fighting a war, if you haven't noticed," Castiel said sharply, watching Dean narrow his eyes before snatching Castiel's churro.
"If you're going to be 'Cas the ass' and not even eat it you could at least say something."
After a few moments of Sam finally relaxing and Dean finishing off the churros, Castiel felt the soft footsteps and caught the scent of sulfur and cinnamon.
"Clarence," she greeted, her voice something of a nice thing to hear after a week of the two being apart due to interest. "Hey, ass-wipe," she muttered to Dean. "Move. Baby on board."Dean grumbled but let her take his place at the side of the dock, watching Castiel help her down as she shifted uncomfortably with Nyx in her arms.
"Meg," Castiel let out, and without a second thought she lowered the child in his arms while she managed to press next to him on the dock.
"Who's bright idea was it to have this shit three states out from Kansas?" She muttered as Castiel struggled with Nyx in his arms, ignoring the looks both Sam and Dean shot her.
"Cas wanted to see fireworks."
"And we couldn't do that in Kansas?"
Sam blinked at her. "You've never seen fireworks on the water?"
Meg shrugged. "Either dead or fighting in a war."
"There was a reason they should procreate and it's right there."
"Excuse me?"
"Hold on, Cas," Dean ignored Meg's obviously upset face to lean at Cas's back. "Are you…talking in Enochian to the kid."
"Why is that a problem?"
"Oh, I don't know, don't you think English is a good enough language?"
"Dean-"
"Not now Sammy. Dude, seriously?"
"Dean, fireworks! Shut up!"
Castiel looked up as brightly colored lights littered the sky. Feeling Nyx stir negatively to the noise, he carefully tucked her in his coat as he felt Meg press against him, brushing against him and watching the fireworks overhead.
Dean, after a while, ran off to buy sparklers while Sam tried to keep him from spending the rest of what little money they had, while Castiel and Meg kept their places on the dock.
"Damn," Meg muttered after a while. "You forget there's things in this world like this."
"I didn't," he looked at her before kissing her, almost losing his balance before she leaned up against him, deeping it and feeling him adjust Nyx so that she was still covered by his coat.
"Thank about," she said softly when they broke the kiss. "How nice these would sound during sex."
"The boys…Nyx…" he muttered, interrupted by her attacking his face again. "I would enjoy that…"
"Would I have to wait ten hours for you to say 'later' or should I wait until you're good and ready?"
"I believe," he whispered as he watched Dean chase a few kids with some sparklers. "That they wouldn't be missing us at all."
