These bonus chapters seem to have taken a turn down the angsty road. The guys are just so pretty in their pain, right…? Anyhow, back to a little fluff!
-.-.-.-
"Come on. It's about time you watched this one." Dean pushes Castiel down in front of the TV.
"Is it yet another Western?" Though Castiel enjoys movie nights with Dean, it is not the choice of movies that keeps him coming back to The Dean Cave. The Westerns are often historically inaccurate, and the story lines seem to resemble each other. But Dean's enthusiasm is infectious. It seems to be one of the rare occasions where Dean allows himself to let go of the weight of the world, if only for an hour or two, and Castiel is happy to be part of that experience.
"No, it's- Hey, what do you mean 'yet another Western'?"
Castiel looks up at the hunter, who demonstratively crosses his arms in front of his chest, body language challenging the Angel to say a single bad word about Westerns. Castiel flounders for a moment, mouth opening and closing. "Er, uhm… only that we… uhm, seem to have… uhm, a theme…Yes, a theme… for movie nights…"
For five agonising seconds, they stare at each other. Castiel is hoping that Dean will believe his explanation, and Dean is wondering if it is worth calling the Angel out on his poor explanation.
In the end, Dean decides to let it go. Forgiveness is the spirit of the season and all that crap. And maybe, just maybe, they have been… watching a lot of Westerns. Not that there is such a thing as too many Westerns! But if Cas wants to watch something else, maybe he will appreciate tonight's change of pace. "Yeah, alright… Well, it's Christmas. So, we're gonna watch a Christmas movie."
Castiel perks up at this. Dean smiles and hands the Angel one of the bowls of popcorn before popping the DVD in the player. He quickly takes his own seat next to the Angel, placing his own bowl of popcorn in his lap. Dean's bowl is significantly bigger than Cas', since the Angel does not actually need the sustenance nor can fully appreciate the taste. But it's movie night, and movie nights means snacks, even if they only taste like molecules.
Castiel is surprised by the depressive start to the movie. It does not fit his notion of what a Christmas movie should be. He thought there would be elves and singing. Maybe Santa Claus.
However, it is not long until he understands why Dean picked this movie. He can't help exclaiming; "Clarence!"
"Exactly." Dean smirks and enthusiastically slaps the Angel's arm. "About time you learned why Meg kept calling you that."
Castiel tilts his head and embraces the movie with a new level of enthusiasm. He never defined his relation to Meg. They had been natural enemies, but somehow became allies. Meg even became Castiel's keeper once he took on Sam's insanity. He had become somewhat… fond of the demon. The fact that Dean remembered and didn't judge Castiel for his unconventional alliance was a very nice gesture.
From their very first movie night, Dean had berated Castiel not to take the movies too literal, to try to 'use his imagination'. Still, Castiel has to bite his tongue in order not to comment on the inaccuracies in the Angel lore of this movie. Angels do not earn their wings. They are created with them. There are different classifications of Angels, but no such thing as "second class Angels". And though the thought of Guardian Angels might be comforting to humans, it is not an actual classification. Only prophets are assigned an Angel for protection. Even the Winchesters did not have a Guardian Angel, despite being one of the most important families in history. Of course, Angels interfered, but they didn't guard and protect them. They only secured that everything moved towards the Apocalypse.
Normally, Dean would comment on the movie and bring Castiel's attention to parts of the story that he thinks are important. But this time, they watch more or less in silence. Dean might laugh if he finds something funny, but he doesn't actually say anything. There is almost a sense of anticipation in the air, which Castiel cannot explain.
When the movie ends, Dean turns towards Castiel. "So…?"
Castiel smiles at him. Dean always asks his opinion, and usually Castiel tries to be enthusiastic, but this time, he truly is. "It was a very nice movie. I enjoyed it very much. However, besides being an Angel, I still don't understand why Meg decided to name me after Clarence."
"Who knows why Meg did any of the things she did. But I guess she thought you might be, like, our Guardian Angel, Sam's, and mine, because you kept helping us out."
Castiel's smile drops. "I wish you could have had an actual Guardian Angel to look out for you. If Angels had prioritised your safety instead of turning the Earth into a battlefield, maybe you could have been spared all the agony that you have had to live through. Maybe you and Sam could even have lived normal lives."
Dean looks away and he has to clear his throat before answering. "Yeah, well, we have you. You might not be a Guardian Angel, but you are one badass warrior Angel. Couldn't ask for anyone better." He looks back at Castiel when he finishes, letting him know that he is serious.
"Thank you, Dean." Castiel nods his gratitude. "You actually reminded me of George Bailey in certain aspects."
Dean laughs insecurely. "I know I'm a bit of a mess, but I'm not suicidal, Cas."
"That is not what I meant." Castiel refuses to play along with Dean's self-deprecation. "He saved his brother at great cost to himself and kept putting everyone else's needs in front of his own. Just like you."
For a fraction of a second, Dean seems to take in Castiel's words, but true to form, he quickly recovers and huffs out what should probably have been another laugh, but it seems to get caught in his throat. "Yeah… maybe…" When his voice seems to fail him, he instead claps his hands together and gets up from his seat. "Well, that's all folks. Let's get to bed."
Castiel knowingly watches the hunter as he shuts off the TV and collects the mostly empty popcorn bowls. Castiel did not empty his, which Dean quickly remedies. He slowly gets up when Dean walks towards the door. He turns off the light.
Dean awkwardly gestures towards the kitchen with the bowls. "I'll just go, you know, drop these off."
"Of course." Castiel steps to the side to let Dean get past him. Before Dean can disappear down the hall, Castiel calls after him, suddenly feeling in the mood to say; "Merry Christmas, Dean."
Dean stops in his tracks and turns to look back at the Angel with a small smirk. "Merry Christmas, Clarence."
-.-.-.-
I have not actually watched this movie, so I apologise if anything is incorrect. I just thought it was about time that Cas learned where his nickname came from :-)