What they don't know is that Dean and Lisa broke up just a week before they were supposed to go on a family trip to the lake house the family had stayed in every year since before even his mother was born. It was shared between the Campbell family, and this was the week that the Winchesters got to stay there.
Dean had already told his parents that he would be bringing someone. He was sure they would understand if he showed up without someone on his arm, but he didn't want their pity and prying questions on what had happened. They hadn't met the girl yet, and they seemed pretty excited to finally be introduced. Bringing someone out to the lake house meant that things were getting serious. Dean had thought they were until he caught Lisa in their bed with their neighbor. He always hated how the guy had looked at her.
Dean was stumped on what to do, and time was running out. There were only three days left before he was supposed to leave. One option was picking up some random girl, but he doubted he could get anyone to agree to pretend they had been together for six months. It would make him look too desperate. The next option was asking a friend to go with him. His family already knew Jo and Charlie. They hadn't met Meg, but he wasn't sure he'd feel comfortable bringing her up there. The last option was going alone, and it seemed to be the only option.
Dean let out a tired sigh and went to his fridge, his mind turning the problem over. After moving out of the apartment he had shared with Lisa, he had gone to another much smaller apartment. Things weren't great. Having only beer in his fridge made things worse. He really didn't feel like going out to buy food. Maybe takeout.
He picked up his phone, dialing the number for the pizza shop that was down the street. Of course, he had it memorized. He hesitated with his finger hovering over the call button and bit his lip. Eating an entire pizza on his own wouldn't help him feel any better.
He cleared out the number and put in a different one before pressing the call button. He put the phone to his ear and waited.
"Dean?" a gruff voice said on the other side of the line.
"Hey, Cas. Are you busy?"
"Not at the moment, no. Why?"
"Come over to my place. I need a drinking buddy," Dean said as he pulled out a beer and popped it open.
"Dean..." Cas sighed into the phone. "Alright. I'll be there soon."
"Oh, and bring pizza. Thanks!" Dean hung up before Cas could argue. He took a long sip of the beer, relaxing a little at the bitter taste. He stood in his kitchen for a moment, letting his brain stop thinking before he realized how gross he was from work. He grumbled to himself and got into the shower, figuring that the pizza would slow Cas down long enough to give him time.
Either Cas was faster than Dean had thought, or Dean had taken longer in the shower than he expected because Dean wasn't completely dressed when there was a knock on the door. He quickly pulled on his pants and went over to the door, buttoning up his jeans as he walked. He unlocked the door before opening it, grinning when he laid eyes on the pizza in Castiel's arms. He stepped back so Cas had room to enter.
"Why are you undressed?" Cas asked with a frown as he hesitantly entered the apartment. The circles under his eyes were darker than usual. Dean figured he had been working a lot lately. A night of pizza and drinking should do both of them some good.
"I just got out of the shower. Sorry," Dean said, closing and locking the door behind Cas. Cas just looked around the room awkwardly, avoiding looking at Dean until he spoke again. "I'll go get dressed. The beer is in the fridge. Help yourself."
When Dean came back into the room fully dressed, Castiel was sitting at the small dining table with a beer and a slice of pizza. His eyes were distant until Dean broke the spell by nudging him as he walked by.
"How's work?" Dean asked as he grabbed his beer and slice for himself. There was a beat of silence before Cas answered.
"Work is work," he said vaguely. Cas worked at the hospital in the city while he was going to med school to become a doctor.
"You look like shit. I think you need a vacation," Dean observed as he sat down across from Cas.
Cas nodded a bit. "You're probably right." He cracked a small smile. Dean's stomach twisted at the thought of his upcoming vacation. He let out a sigh.
"Y'know, I'm supposed to go up to my family's lake house in a couple of days. Usually, I'd be pumped, but I told them I'd be bringing Lisa, and now that we're broken up...well. I just don't feel like dealing with them acting all weird when I tell them what happened. The only good part would be my mom making me an extra pie to help me feel better." He shook his head in annoyance.
Cas gave a short laugh. "Looks like it would solve both of our problems if I just went with you. The only problem is that, well, I don't think I could pass as a Lisa."
Dean seemed to mull this over for a while, actually considering it. Cas had just been joking, knowing Dean would never want to even pretend that Cas was his boyfriend. He was never rude, and he respected gay people, but he just never liked it when someone would call him gay. Cas assumed something had happened in his past that made it such a touchy subject.
"I never told them much about her...not even her name," Dean said after a long silence. Castiel's eyes went wide at that, and he looked up at Dean. He was actually considering it? "Cas, would you pretend to be my boyfriend for a week?" Dean blurted out before he could second guess himself.
Castiel stared at Dean for a moment in disbelief. "Sorry, what?"
Dean started to shake his head. "No, no, you're right. I wouldn't make you do that," he said, more to himself and then proceeded to stuff his face with pizza and beer to hide his awkwardness.
After taking a moment to recover, Cas spoke again. "I really wouldn't mind...if you're being serious," he said quietly.
Dean perked up at that, regarding Cas for a moment. "Really?"
Cas shrugged, swirling his beer absentmindedly. "It would be a nice vacation, from what you've told me about the place. A lot of people seem to already think that we're a couple anyway." He cracked a smile, and it spread at Dean's blush. "Plus, lots of couples don't do much PDA. It's rude, especially in front of family. So we can just hang out at your lake house for a week with a different label to our relationship."
"My dad probably wouldn't let us sleep in the same room anyway," Dean muttered and took a swig of his beer. He watched Castiel for another moment. "If you're willing, it would be great if you'd come with me."
Cas nodded, a playful smile growing on his face. "Hey, Dean, will you be my fake boyfriend for a week?
Dean grinned. "I'd love to," he said with a wink. "Does my fake temporary boyfriend want another beer or slice of pizza?"
"He'd love both," Cas replied and held out his plate to Dean. Dean took it and grabbed them both more food and drinks.