Despite his strange sounding, angelic name, Castiel Novak was not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination. Growing up in a sleepy little village, his family Christmases consisted of the usual childhood things, such as wishing for snow that always ended up being more slushy than fun, baking cookies for the fat man with the red suit and pet reindeer, and colouring in handmade decorations at the small local school with his ten or so other classmates. To his dismay, he also spent far too much time for his liking reciting lines for the annual nativity play hosted in the village hall.
The first year, aged five and a half, he was awarded the less than desirable role of sheep number one. The humiliating, woolly costume had been sewn together by his grandmother in less than a day, and it had itched something rotten, leaving him with a nasty red rash. The next year was only slightly better, as the only wool needed for the wise man number two outfit was a scraggly grey beard secured with an elastic headband. It was only in his fifth year, the last before moving up to secondary school in the nearest town, that the young boy actually got a halfway decent role. Having paid his dues as a sheep, wise man, donkey and shepherd, he finally had the chance to grace the stage in a white gown and fluffy white wings as the messenger of God, Gabriel.
His early Christmases also included some things that many other children`s didn`t. Long hours were spent with his parents in church listening to an ancient looking priest drone on for what felt like centuries in a monotone voice about God and Christ and what he felt was the true meaning of Christmas. When his younger sister, Anna was born, she was dragged along too, even though she was still in pampers and little booties. He and the other children of local churchgoers were all enlisted into helping deliver brightly coloured leaflets, each one asking in bold letters when was the last time they had let Jesus into their hearts.
As much as Castiel loved and adored his parents, and as picturesque as that quaint little village was, with its beautifully kept gardens and always flowering hanging baskets, that quiet sort of life simply wasn`t for him. And as wonderfully kind as the majority of his church was, that wasn`t for him either. He had grown into a stubborn young man, with an inquisitive, but often sceptical mind, and as he saw no concrete evidence for any of it, he had left that part of his life far behind in his early teens. His education had brought him to university in the centre of a large city, complete with twenty four hour takeaways and twinkling lights that never dimmed.
Sighing, Castiel sits up properly in his bed and places his textbook down on the pillow to be tidied away later, silently wishing it was as easy to put his thoughts of home away. For the third year in a row, he had been invited to return home for the holidays. The first two years of his studies he had taken his mother up on the offer, more than glad to get away from the crappy dorms for a few days, and be back in his comfortable old room, gorge himself on turkey until he burst, but this year was different. He hadn`t quite managed to break the news to them yet, because his mother was the kind of woman who could talk the hind legs off a donkey, making it damn near impossible to get a word in edgeways ninety percent of the time. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for the onslaught of "Oh, that`s fine, dear. I understands" not so cleverly disguised under forced cheer and fake giggles.
He did feel horrible about leaving it so late to tell them, but last year he had only managed to spare four days away from campus anyway, unlike the first year when he hadn`t returned to University until after New Year's. This didn`t make him feel any better about it though, but knowing that Anna and her boyfriend were going to be with them did maybe ease his guilt a smidgen.
"Hey, Cas, you still working?" A damp head of hair pokes itself through the crack in the door. "Isn`t it time you called it a day already?"
Cas rolls his eyes at his friend, a soft chuckle escaping from his chapped lips. Damn winter weather. It still refused to let even a drop of powdery white snow fall, but apparently a week before Christmas was the perfect time for gale force winds and temperature drops of about a gazillion degrees. "Some of us don`t give up learning the second class lets out, you know, Dean."
The older boy laughs, and pushes the door open fully, letting it slam against the generic cream walls with a soft thud, disturbing a battered looking memo board. The novelty coffee cup shaped cork board had been a gift from his sister, but now it lay on the floor, bits of pieces of paper scattered around it. And right there in the doorway, dressed in a black cotton t shirt and form fitting dark blue jeans, was the reason why he was reluctant to return home for the festive season.
His best friend, roommate and hopefully secret crush, Dean Winchester.
"Sorry about that," he apologises and rushes to rehang the memo board, which falls down also straight away.
"Just leave it, it`s fine."
Cas rolls his eyes again, but living with the other boy for the past few months had made him almost immune to a whole manner of strange, loud and irritating noises and mess. The guy was like a hurricane, always tearing about, leaving a wake of destruction behind him wherever he went. After his last roommate who had dropped out due to illness had left, things had been too quiet, and while at first Tornado Winchester had been a bit of a shock to the system, now Cas actually found it quiet endearing whenever he happened across a random sock or belt just strewn about on his side of the room. Sadly, the same couldn`t be said about his friend`s need to blast his god awful classic rock every time he decided to actually do any of his work. Dean claimed that Zeppelin blaring from his laptop at inconsiderate volumes helped him think, but for Cas it was quite the opposite.
Dean flops down on the bottom of Castiel`s bed, the lack of an invitation not bothering him, like it never did. A worn old towel was slung around his neck and his black shirt was clinging to his shower dampened skin. Shaking his head like a dog, drips of water flying every which way, he grins and asks if Cas wanted to help him finish his Christmas shopping.
Pulling a face, Cas shakes his head regretfully. "I would, but I really should be getting back to this." To demonstrate his point, he picks up the psychology book in his left hand and smiles in apology. "Tomorrow maybe?"
Dean frowns, unwrapping the towel from his neck, beginning to dry his hair roughly with it. "It`s a Friday night, and only a week to go till the big day. You`re telling me that you would rather sit holed up in here with a boring old textbook, when I know for a fact that you handed the last of your work in for the holidays nearly two weeks ago, when you could be hanging out with me?"
Cas smiles cheerily, knowing that it would annoy him. "Yep."
He groans, clearly frustrated. "Oh c'mon man! It`s freaking Christmas in a week and I haven`t got anything for anyone apart from Sammy, and that`s only `cause the little geek texted me and told me he wanted a new tablet case, because Charlie covered his old one in Star Wars and My Little Pony stickers."
Biting back a laugh, Cas purses his lips in consideration, mind already made up, but wanting to annoy the other boy some more. "I don`t know," he starts, "surely the great Dean Winchester doesn`t need my help. I really think that I should just get back to my book. Have a nice time battling the crowds," he said with an eager wave of the hand.
Dean throws his damp towel in Castiel`s face with a playful scowl. Stunned, Cas freezes for a second, before flinging it back. They continue their childish game for a few minutes, before Cas decides that enough was enough and chucks it in the overflowing wash basket by the doorway. Apart from a few pairs of socks and underwear, everything in it was Dean`s. He liked to put off doing anything resembling cleaning or hard work, then complain and pout until Cas gave in and did it for him, insistent that that time would be the last.
"Don`t you need to finish your shopping anyway?" The green eyed boy asks, running a hand through his sticky up, but now mostly dry hair. "Please don`t tell me you`re already finished. I can`t be the only one who has hardly got anything." Seeing his friend`s guilty looking face, he pales. "Oh just great. Fan-freaking-tastic. I swore this time last year that by now I would have it all done, wrapped and delivered. This is obviously all your fault," he fake glares at Cas, who looked vaguely amused.
He raises one dark eyebrow. "And just how it this my fault?"
"You distracted me. All the time I wasted hanging out here with you and I could have been busy getting presents for everyone."
Cas throws a lumpy pillow at his head that misses by a mile. He flushes, "Don`t blame your lack of organisational skills on me. The blame lies with you and you alone," he says smugly.
"Aww Cas. Please come with me. You know I hate shopping at the best of times, but this time of year it is a million times worse."
Cas nods sympathetically. A week until the big day and he could only imagine the hell that would be city centre shopping on a Friday evening. Overworked housewives dragging their screaming little snotlings behind them, while trying to balance ten shopping bags in each hand and a large sized trolley piled high with food and toys in front of them. Desperate last minute boyfriends, confused and completely out of their element as they begged the salesgirls adorned with antler headbands (complete with bells) and tinsel bracelets, in fancy department stores for help choosing a perfume or other beauty product. Smug looking people sat in Starbucks sipping a festive themed drink in red cups leaning over their smartphones, relived that they had completed their online shopping weeks ago. It would be pure hell on Earth.
"Please, be a friend. Don`t make me face it alone," Dean pleads, breaking out his last resort. The puppy dog eyes. Oh, how Cas loathed them. Since meeting his younger brother, Sam a few weeks ago, Cas often wondered if it was Dean who had mastered the pitiful look first and passed it down, or if he had noticed how easily it worked for his younger sibling and copied it. "Don`t you have even one more thing you need to get? Even you aren`t perfect, you must have forgotten something."
Truth be told, he did have one last gift to buy. Cas had spent hours hunting up and down the aisles of countless different stores, all decked out in tinsel and glitter, but nothing had jumped out at him. Nothing seemed special enough for Dean. Not the expensive leather jacket he saw on Tuesday that he really couldn`t afford, but would have found a way to, or the complete box set of that embarrassingly cheesy medical drama that Dean secretly loved he found last month. At this rate, he was going to end up with awesome, well thought out gifts for all of his friends and nothing for Dean. It wasn`t his fault, nothing seemed to say "I love you in a totally non-platonic, but please don`t ever figure it out and hate me" kind of way.
"I only need a few bits. Sam is taken care off, Jo can have something girly, Charlie will probably want a book or DVD and Kevin went skiing with his mum, so screw him. Oh and something for you, obviously," he chuckles awkwardly. "Not that you deserve anything it you don`t help me," he threatens, but there was no venom behind it, and both boys knew it.
Cas laughs, "I told you ages ago. I don`t want anything from you. Spend the money on yourself for a change."
"Why do you have to be so difficult all the time?"
"Because you wouldn`t want it another way," he jokes with an infectious grin.
Dean shuffles uncomfortably where he sat. "Yeah, well," he gets to his feet in one quick movement. "You coming or not?" He shrugs his jacket on, ignoring his friend`s plea for him to wear warm gloves or a scarf. He does though, dedicate the time to making sure that Cas is wrapped up warm in a striped hoodie, rain jacket, thick blue gloves and matching beanie. Just as they were about to leave, he pulls Cas back. "You forgot this." Dean wraps the matching blue scarf around Cas, gently knotting it in a loop around friend`s neck and pats it down. "Let`s go."
Momentarily stunned by Dean`s actions, Castiel freezes, a dopey smile forming on his wind bitten lips. He knew it was foolish, he knew it was hopeless, that Dean would never see him as anything more than a dear friend, but his kindly actions still filled him with pure joy and a seriously stubborn case of the warm fuzzies.
"Err…Cas? You are still coming, right?" Dean asks, confusion colouring his words, as he stands there in the hallway holding the door open.
"Right!" Cas chirps and grabs his wallet from where it lay half buried under a pile of Dean`s clothes that had escaped from god knows where. Were they clean? Were they dirty? Nobody knew. He flicks off a lonely looking black sock that was determined to come with him and it lands somewhere out of site.
"Finally," Dean fakes a deep, frustrated sigh and lets the door swing closed behind his roommate with a quiet click. "Freaking shops will be shutting before you get there."
The usually bustling halls were silent and empty, a stark contrast to the noise and disruption that the boys were used to. As only a few students had made the unpopular decision to stay on campus over the festive period, the place was like a ghost town. Giggling girls gossiping about who knows what, lame practical jokes and parties held under the guise of studying had been replaced by empty rooms, peace and the promise of always finding a free shower without waiting for a year.
"Place is kinda eerie without everyone milling about wasting time, isn`t it?"
Dean agrees with a nod. "Wonder if everyone`s having a good time with their folks, or if the arguments have started already."
"Contrary to popular belief, Christmas isn`t actually about fighting with your family. It`s a time for spending time with the people you love and showing them how important they are to you. A time to put past grievances aside and focus on the stuff that really matters."
Dean scoffs, holding open the door for Cas who smiles his thanks. "Yeah, that right? Tell that to my old man. You sound like a cheesy greeting card."
It was no secret that Dean and his father didn`t get on, so it was a no brainer that he would choose to stay in an empty university rather than return home where the inevitable arguments would start. As far as Castiel could determine, John Winchester was not a bad man. A rough mechanic grieving the loss of his beloved wife, with a bit too much love for Jack Daniels, but not a bad man. That was why Dean was a couple of years late starting here; he had spent the last three years taking on the brunt of the work involved in his failing mother`s care. He didn`t blame John Winchester for her death, because it obviously wasn`t his fault the cancer had advanced so quickly without being noticed, but he sure as hell could have treated her better when she was still here. They didn`t have a happy, picture book marriage, but the way John was acting know, always wailing and crying over how much he missed her, you wouldn`t know. Dean felt they if he cared as much as he said he did now, then he should have shown it while he still had the opportunity. It was too little, too late, as far as he was concerned.
"What with Sammy spending the holidays with his friends and girlfriend, I sure wasn`t going to spend Christmas all alone with him. I don`t think the cops would have been too thrilled at the neighbours calling them out again after one of our arguments got a bit too heated."
"That happened last year?"
He grimaces, lips curling up cruelly, but his green eyes remained distant and sad. "And the year before."
Cas frowns, wracking his brain for something appropriately comforting to say, but coming up blank. Instead he pushes the final door holding back the icy wind and holds it open. "After you," he offers, pulling his coat around himself tighter.
"Wimp," Dean teases, pausing to readjust his own jacket, too proud to admit he should have wrapped up warmer when Cas had told him too. He knew that if he mentioned the icy chill seeping into his bones, Cas would happily run up to the room and fetch him something else, or even loan him his hoodie, claiming that his own jacket was more than enough to keep him toasty. That was never going to happen though. "Come on. Let`s get this hell over with, because when we get back I think I`m gonna sleep for a week. You can wake me on Christmas morning. Late and with coffee. Plenty of it." He walks out of the old building in one confident stride, putting on a brave face at the bitterly cold wind. Cas follows behind happily.
It wasn`t so bad once you got moving, Dean decided, but he was still struggling against the vicious wind that howled against the bare trees and endless crowds of desperate shoppers. They were surrounded by hundreds of people, most laden down with arms full of shopping bags displaying shop names, each with similar annoyed looks on their faces. So much for it being the happiest time of the year. The majority looked miserable, tired and fed up, defeated by the enormous, swelling masses. Why on Earth did people do this to themselves year after year? Next year Dean was seriously considering just sending a text message or email and being done with it. Maybe only get one or two gifts for Sammy and, of course, Cas.
"You picked a good day for it at least. I forgot all about the Christmas fayre."
"I honestly had no idea there even was one," Dean admits. "No careful planning involved whatsoever."
Cas chuckles, a deep gravelly sound that Dean finds himself mimicking. "Why am I not surprised?"
If you did your best to ignore the irritating swarm of anxious shoppers, the fayre was actually rather nice. A glorified Sunday market, with around a hundred little stalls offering everything from handmade window decorations, jewellery made up of old watch parts and other bits and bobs, winter plants and holly wreaths, to an older couple dressed in traditional clothing selling roasted chestnuts and spicy mulled wine. Right down at the top of the closed down street was a small stage outlined with glittering gold tinsel and stars, with a children`s choir and orchestra performing cheery carols. The musicians each wore crowns of holly, while the singers preferred fuzzy antlers or tinsel halos. Proud parents stood cheering and clapping along, a sea of smartphones snapping picture after picture.
"We might as well look around out here a little before trying the shopping centre. Some of the stalls might something a bit kooky for Charlie," Cas suggest helpfully.
"Yeah," Dean readily agrees, thinking not of his nerdy, flame haired friend, but of someone a little closer, with bright blue eyes and permanently messy hair. With so many stalls selling unique, handmade gifts not to be found anywhere else, surely he would be able to secure the perfect gift for Castiel here? High street stores had proven entirely useless, but maybe something a little more personal from the festive market would prove more suitable.
Looking around row after row of decked out stalls, it soon became clear that finding the perfect gift for Cas would be easier said than done. There was just so many beautiful and interesting items on offer, like hand crafted wooden animals, knitted clothing in a rainbow of colours and rare books, but still nothing seemed perfect enough for him. Not the snowman wind chimes, or the old fashioned tins of sweets and other goodies. He had just about given up hope when he saw it.
"Have you seen anything, Dean?" he asks when they pass a stall offering hot drinks and roasted chestnuts. "I think I`m going to get some, do you want anything? Coffee? Hot chocolate?"
Sighing, Dean shakes his head. "I`m good. Think I`m gonna head inside in a minute."
And that was when he saw it. The perfect present for Cas. A single stall in-between the hot drinks and tinkling wind chimes. A tiny little crystal stand, no more than a metre long with only a handful of items left. A striking woman with long red hair that billowed out around her shoulders in the wind posed behind it with a hand on her hips awaiting the next customer. Unprepared for the weather, she was dressed in a floor length black gown with blood coloured gems decorating her throat. "You looking for something special, dearie?" She sings in a surprising Scottish accent. "You`ve been staring at my lovely wee stall for over two minutes now."
Dean was unprepared for the strong accent, and hadn`t even been aware that he had been staring. Wandering over with a quick glance back at the long queue for warm drinks Cas was currently battling, he comes to a stop in front of the woman. "Sorry, I didn`t mean to stare. I`ve just never seen something quite like this before." He gently picks up the shaped crystal that had caught his eye, half worried he would crush it in-between his fingers. "It`s lovely."
The woman`s smile broadens into one of pure glee at the flattery, eyes glittering like the LED candles that decorated her stall. "Oh, that`s quite all right! My crystals do attract a fair bit of attention wherever I go." She raises one perfectly manicured hand and fixes a silky strand of hair that had dared to escape from its place, and tucks it behind her ear. "That one in particular is a personal favourite of mine. You have a good eye, sir."
Dean examines the crystal further for any slight imperfections, but quickly realises that it was perfect. "How much for this one, please?"
"My, you are certain that this crystal is the one for you. A gift for someone special, perhaps?"
He nods, words trapped in the back of his throat. How had this odd woman known?
"Hmm… a gift for someone very dear to you. I believe it must say just how highly you think of them, if it is that particular crystal that has caught your eye." She holds out her hand for Dean to pass her the gift to be wrapped up in black tissue paper. She ducks under the wooden table for a moment and pulls out a small blue gift bag, decorated with tiny gold leaf stars, and carefully tucks the tissue wrapped gift inside. "Here you are then. As it is for someone special I will do you a deal. Shall we say five pounds?"
Dean`s eyes practically bug out at the low price, but wasn`t about to argue with her about it. He fishes out his wallet and hands over the money, happy to see that Cas was still waiting in the queue.
"Excellent," she grins.
"Thanks," Dean replies as he takes the little bag from her hand, her long red nails briefly scraping against his palm. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that Cas was now finally at the front of the line about to be served. "And err...Merry Christmas, or happy holidays or whatever…" he trails off, searching for a name tag. She didn`t look like the Christmas type.
"Rowena," she fills in the blank for him. "I never wear name tags, don`t want to ruin my pretty dresses. And thank you, Dean. Enjoy the Winter Solstice."
"Err-right. Thanks." He turns to re-join Cas.
"I hope your friend likes his gift," Rowena calls after him merrily. "It`s made of rose quartz, the love stone," she shouts, but Dean doesn`t hear.
Dean finds Cas walking away from the drinks stall with two paper cups of hot chocolate in his hands and a large portion of roasted chestnuts. "Man, I thought that I was going to be lined up there until after New Year's," Cas exaggerates with a smile, offering Dean his drink. "It didn`t look that bad before I started queueing, I swear."
"Oh well, you`ve got what you wanted now. Shall we head inside after we`re finished with our drinks? I think we`ve seen all the Christmas market has to offer."
Cas agrees, all too happy to be getting out of the cold. They dispose of the paper cups in a bin near the main entrance to the three floor shopping mall, and argue over who gets to eat the last couple of warm chestnuts.
"So where to first?" Cas asks.
"Not sure," Dean admits shamefully. He was a terrible shopper, always had been. As a child he had thrown some very memorable fits smack bang in the middle of the supermarket that even his easy going mother, Mary, hadn`t been impressed by. "Jo would probably like a gift set or perfume or something."
Cas nods, trying to remember his way around the enormous shopping centre. "Right, so we want somewhere like Boots or Superdrug for ladies gift sets." He still was yet to find something worthy enough to be Dean`s present, but doubted he would find it hidden amongst lipstick and bath bombs.
The beauty shop was packed full of men and women alike. Overexcited women were spraying far too much of the free testers of the bestselling perfume in one corner of the store, while the men tried to work out from the packaging (or price) which their girlfriends, wives or mothers would appreciate the most. "Is this my colour?" and "will this make my lips look fuller?" were just some of the confusing questions Dean overheard while he followed Cas over to the aisle that stocked the brightly packaged gift sets.
"Okay so, which one do you think Jo will like? This one?" he picks up a medium sized package containing lotion and perfume for twenty pounds and a slightly smaller box that housed a smaller bottle of perfume, but a bottle of lotion and a necklace for a couple of pounds more.
"I don`t think she would thank you for that one, it is a Justin Bieber one aimed at tween girls."
Dean pulls a face, half tempted to get it for his friend as a joke. If it wasn't for the threat of a serious ass kicking looming over him, he would have. "Of course it is," he sighs. "So which one would you get?"
He surveys the full shelves for a good five minutes before reaching onto the top one and pulling down a red box. "This one. It is still a celebrity one, but I caught her dancing along to one of her songs once, so I think she`ll like it."
Dean grins and checks the price of the new gift set. Five pounds cheaper than the other one. "Alright!"
They pay and exit the store, deciding to try a book shop for Charlie's gift. Again, Cas was fairly certain that he wasn`t going to find Dean`s perfect gift alongside books, stationary and geeky memorabilia. They did, however, find something for Charlie, and even though Kevin had gone away for the holidays, Dean picks him up something anyway. He pays for Charlie's Harry Potter pop figure and Kevin's Star Wars notebook and light up keyring with a smile, and they head off to the shop next door. Cas searches the shelves of HMV for something for Dean, but as expected, he comes up with nothing. He has a quick look at the anime (blame Charlie for getting him into it) and finds Dean admiring the t shirts. He says nothing as Dean quickly pays for a shirt for his father. They leave straight after to finish their shopping.
"Well, I think that`s about everything done," Dean said, full of relief and bogged down with shopping bags.
Cas agrees, but was secretly panicking on the inside. He still had nothing for Dean. At this rate he was going to end up having to get him a boring t shirt or coffee mug instead of a well thought out, perfect gift. "Can we have one last look at the market?" he asks, hoping that by now the worst of the crowds would have thinned out and he might be able to spot something he could have missed earlier. He was clutching at straws, he knew, but he was getting desperate.
They wander round the market once more, but by now half the stalls had been packed up or were in the process of being packed away. "I`m gonna get a burger, you want anything?" Dean asks, pointing over to a hot chip van. Cas shakes his head, even though he was starving, his search was more important than his stomach.
"You haven't eaten anything since this afternoon, I`m getting you something and you had better eat it, else I`ll cram it down your neck myself," the other boy threatens, leaving Castiel alone.
"You looking for something, dearie?" a woman asks in a sing-song voice, flaming red hair whipping around her like a cape. "A gift for someone special, perhaps? I can help if you like."
He is about to thank her, but turn her down on her kind offer, when he sees it. A beautiful stone shaped into a delicate heart sat on a soft cushion on the woman`s table. There was a handful of others, all equally beautiful, but this one caught his eye. Castiel steps towards her stall. "How much for that one?" he asks, pointing at the heart shaped crystal.
"Hmm…let's see. Red Jasper, shaped into a heart. A very valuable stone for protection and passion, it will guard against physical threats. An ideal gift for that special person in your life," she smiles, eyes gleaming. "Of course, it also looks very pretty too. Shall we say five pounds?"
Cas pays the strange woman and meets up with Dean opposite the burger van. "Eat," Dean thrusts the cholesterol laden burger in his face, demanding he eat it as they walk. "Did you find whatever it was you were looking for?"
Cas shrugs. "Maybe."
He rolls his eyes. "Weirdo. Can`t answer a straight question. Were you looking for someone special then?"
"Wouldn`t you like to know?" Cas teases, before breaking out into a run.
"That`s not fair!" Dean complains, chasing after him, burger long forgotten. "Cheater!"
The room was cold when they finally get back. Dean dumps all but one of his bags down right in the doorway, much to his friend`s irritation. The bag containing the Rose Quartz he carefully hides under his bed, hidden from curious eyes by a bundle of socks. Cas hides his own crystal in the storage box under his bed where he kept his books, knowing that Dean would never look there. He empties out the contents of his other bags, dumping twenty pounds worth of Christmas decorations onto his bed.
"Dean, up," he orders, throwing a chunk of silver tinsel at his friend who lay on his stomach on his bed. Dean grumbles something under his breath, but slowly struggles to his feet once more.
"Where do you want it?"
"There." Cas shows him and Dean dutifully drapes tinsel around the curtain pole while Cas softens a blob of bluetac in his hands. "Catch." He chucks a warm glob in his direction, followed by a holographic banner. "Hang that over your bed, I`ll hang this string of fairy lights above mine."
Half hour later and the room was full of enough Christmas cheer as Dean could stomach. A long string of battery operated, multi-coloured lights snaked along the wall where Castiel`s bed stood, tinsel curled around the curtain pole and the headboards, and a banner showing Santa and his reindeer was stuck above Dean`s bed. A plastic sign reading "Santa stop here" was tacked onto the door and a teddy of him was sat at the window.
Exhausted after their busy evening, both boys fall asleep without changing and don`t wake until late the next morning to a grey sky full of cloud. "I wish it would snow," Cas said wistfully, looking out of the window hopefully. Nothing happens.
"Don`t say that. I hate the snow. It`s wet, cold and melts everywhere."
"I wish it would snow," he repeats, throwing Dean a mischievous look.
The rest of the week drags by slowly, the way the week before Christmas always does. Dean drops off his dad`s badly wrapped present the night before, but doesn`t stay long. He had given Sam his own weeks before when he had visited to introduce Jess, his girlfriend. Charlie and Jo had already agreed to meet up with them on the big day, and Kevin`s present would be waiting for him when he returned. Early Christmas Eve morning, Dean sneaks out to the local florist and buys an overpriced wreath and goes to the local cemetery where his mum was buried. Cas doesn`t bring it up, but he knows Dean knows he heard him leave.
Neither finds it easy to sleep that night, so they stay awake talking until gone midnight about Christmas when they were young. Cas` mum had always helped him and Anna bake cookies for Santa, and Dean laughs at how embarrassed he gets when he tells him about the nativity plays. In return, Dean tells him about sleeping downstairs on the couch with Sam every year until he was ten, having to pretend he still believed, all because Sam had wanted to meet Santa Claus.
Christmas morning brings a light drizzle of rain and chilly winds, much to Castiel`s disgust. When Dean jumps on the bottom of his bed around nine, in a childish attempt to wake him, he hisses and pulls the covers higher over his head. Half an hour (and two coffees) later the pair are up and dressed in Christmas pyjamas sent by Cas` mother and nibbling on cookies. Jo and Charlie would be there soon to exchange gifts.
"Dean? Shall we give each other our gifts while we are waiting?" Cas was desperate to see his reaction to the gift, but anxious. What if it wasn`t the perfect gift? What it he hated it? Cas would be heartbroken. Maybe he should have just gone for the shirt or box set after all.
"Sure." Though he didn`t show it, Dean was equally nervous. The delicate little crystal was such a crappy gift, looking at it now. What had he been thinking? Cas was going to hate it and he was going to feel so stupid. At least if they got it out of the way now, Jo and Charlie couldn`t tease him about it.
"On the count of three we swap gifts?" Cas suggests nervously.
"Sure."
"Eyes closed?"
"Of course," Dean agrees.
"One."
Dean coughs. "Two."
"Three."
They boys blindly exchange gift bags, opening their eyes only when they have the presents on their laps. Dean being Dean, he ignores the card and dives straight into unwrapping the dark tissue paper. He thinks he has missed it, when a tiny red stone falls into his hand. It was cut into the shape of a heart and he thought it was gorgeous. "Looks like me and you found the same market stall, eh?" A thin slip of paper he hadn`t noticed before pokes out of the wrapping. He picks it up and begins to read, briefly wondering if the crystal he had given to Cas had a slip of paper too.
Red Jasper. Jaspers have been revered by ancient civilizations throughout the world as sacred and powerful stones of protection, for both the physical and spiritual realm. Red Jasper is still known as the Stone of Endurance, a gentle, but vital, stimulator of chi, or Life Force, bringing physical strength and energy, stamina, focus and determination. It is a stone of passion, useful for restoring and rejuvenating the libido, and in manifesting creative ideas. A valuable stone of protection, Red Jasper guards against physical threats and assists in situations of danger. Red Jasper is a stone of passion and a token of all who consummate love.
Well that was certainly…interesting. He glances at Cas, who was reading his Christmas card. He thanks Dean and puts the card by his bed. It was entirely possible that Cas hadn`t read the description of the stone, had merely bought it because it was a nice colour, but the shape of it plus the meaning had the cogs in Dean`s brain whirring.
"It`s beautiful, Dean," Cas gasps in awe as he untucks the delicate crystal angel from its wrapping. A small slip of paper drops to the floor. Dean manages to grab it without Cas noticing. He would read it first, just in case it said something embarrassing. "Wow, I don`t know what to say. She`s gorgeous."
The cloudy pink angel was beautiful. Only the size of a pinky finger, but her crystal wings and flowing gown were incredibly detailed. Long pink hair cascaded down her back and a halo sat atop her head.
Dean reads the paper while Cas is busy admiring the angel.
Rose Quartz. Called the Heart Stone, Rose Quartz may have been used as a love token as early as 600 B.C. and is still an important talisman of relationships. It is quite effective in attracting new love, romance and intimacy, or in developing a closer bond with family or friends. As a stone of love, tenderness and sensuality, Rose Quartz is a powerful aphrodisiac, stimulating sensual imagination.
"What does it say?"
Dean nearly jumps out of his skin. "Huh?!"
Cas frowns and tilts his head, clearly confused. "The paper. I assume it tells you about the stone? Did the one I give you come with one? I had no idea."
Dean takes a deep breath. "Listen, I had no idea what the stone meant, I just thought it looked nice, so don`t think anything weird, alright?"
"Um, alright?"
Dean hands over both slips of paper, and holds his breath. This was either going to end really well, or horribly. Sure he may have harbored some secret feelings for his friend, but he had never planned on telling him outright. He kind of just assumed that things would work out on their own, you know? It was fairly obvious there was something between them, that they were both were too reluctant to start. He figured that things would come together on their own, likely under the influence of too much alcohol.
"Oh, I see," Cas says upon finishing reading the descriptions. "I had no idea the stones had any particular meaning," he smiles, seeming to understand where the situation was heading. "Did you?" He leans closer, placing the paper down on the bed.
Dean shakes his head. "Not a clue." He picks up the cloudy pink angel and offers it to his friend. "Do you still…" he trails off.
Castiel nods, reaching out his hand to take it. "Yes, if that`s alright?"
"Sure. So can I?"
Another nod. "Please, I got it for you." Cas picks up the Red Jasper heart and presses into Dean`s palm. Instead of moving away, his hand stays there, fingers interlocking with Dean`s.
"So…"
"So." Dean was the first to make a move, which was understandable, given he was the more experienced of the pair. The kiss was desperate, and clumsy, but sweet. Cas lets out a contented sigh and pushes himself into Dean`s lap, earning himself a surprised squeak. A knock on the door goes ignored, even when Jo lets out an annoyed curse. Dean laughs into the kiss, before finally coming up for air. He goes to the door like that, hair disheveled and pajama shirt slightly open.
"Come back later, we`re busy." He makes to slam the door, but a very surprised Jo blocks him with her foot. Charlie stood behind her giving Cas a smug grin and an encouraging thumbs up sign.
"But we have presents." Jo protests and holds out a bulging silver gift sack which Dean takes.
"Great, see you later." He slams the door, feeling only slightly guilty. He did feel a little bad about it, but a late Christmas morning gift exchange, vs a panting Cas with kiss swollen lips was a no brainer. He would make it up to his friends later. Much later. "And Merry Christmas!"