Dean woke to find Cas' face pressed to his cheek, one hand clenched in Dean's hair, the other cupping his jaw. Dean's arms were wrapped around Cas, their legs tangled. They were sticky and sweaty and Dean couldn't have cared less. They'd been so wrung out, he wasn't sure who had slept in the wet spot. He suspected he was the wet spot, but it really didn't matter. It didn't even bother him that it hadn't been one of their best efforts, because even when it wasn't spectacular, it was always good. He always got where he needed to go, and Cas always wound up with that satisfied smile on his face.
Cas buried his face against Dean's cheek and felt the corner of Dean's smile curl against his lips.
Dean kissed Cas on the lips and watched his eyes open. He was going to say something before those unconditionally trusting eyes opened, but he couldn't remember what. Cas' mouth slowly curved into a devastatingly sated smile. Dean was dazzled by it. He rubbed the small of Cas' back until Cas' eyelids dropped again. It might have been minutes or hours, Dean couldn't tell or care. He felt so ridiculously fortunate to be able to do this simple thing with Cas. For Cas.
From his deep, even breathing it was apparent that Cas was asleep again
Dean carefully covered him with the duvet. He'd learned, during his bizarrely complicated life, that these were the moments you didn't take for granted. He tried to engrave every image, every emotion he was feeling, permanently into his memory. He watched over Cas for a few more moments, before realizing how douchey that was, shook his head and slipped out of bed to have a shower.
-oOo-
Dean and Sam leaned against the bench dividing the kitchen area from the lounge, neither of them ready for conversation yet. Their coffees were slowly clearing their bleary, eggnogged heads. Some wrapped gifts had 'appeared' under the unnatural tree overnight.
Cas shuffled sleepily out of the guest room in pyjama pants and faded t-shirt, his eyes barely open. He scuffed somnolently over to Dean, wrapped his arms around Dean's waist and leaned his head against Dean's temple. Dean put his coffee down on the bench, brushed Cas' hair back and put an arm around him. Cas' dark-lashed eyes were closed. Dean couldn't understand how someone could be so adorable, sexy and grumpy at the same time. His heart thumped a bit harder. He'd done that, he thought, with pride. Well, may be not the adorable part, and only part of the sexy. "Hey, baby," He whispered, rocking Cas a little as he wrapped his arms around him. He nuzzled firmly below Cas' ear. "You smell like us..." Cas' arms tightened around him. Dean slid his mouth to Cas' parted lips and let Cas set a slow, sleepy pace against his tongue.
There was a loud throat-clearing noise from Sam.
Cas stopped kissing Dean, nudging his nose affectionately against Dean's cheek and turned to regard Sam with curiosity.
"You guys have to stop doing that in my guest room." Sam frowned.
"You're just jealous," Dean teased, smiling contentedly.
"No, I just don't want to wash those sheets," Sam shot back, compressing his lips in a way that meant there was bitch-face looming in the near future.
"We will wash the sheets," Cas offered. Dean's glare at close range was not pretty. "Or I can sleep on the couch," Cas continued, raising a challenging eyebrow at Dean. Dean imagined sleeping in the roomy bed by himself, waking up cold and alone. He'd probably end up joining Cas on the couch. He couldn't afford the dry cleaning bill. "Fine," Dean agreed begrudgingly, "We'll do the sheets."
Sam smiled to himself. "Whipped, " he muttered as he took another sip of his coffee.
Cas ran a thumb over Dean's unshaven jaw and gave him a final kiss before disappearing into the bathroom, Dean's eyes unconsciously following.
"You know, as part of the Christmas experience, I've booked you and Cas into a volunteer program for the day…" Dean's eyes darted back to Sam and glued themselves there. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, Dean. Christmas is about peace, giving and helping others. And, yes, I know, I know - eggnog, gifts and cartoons like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer."
"Seriously? After everything we've done. You want us to do volunteer work? Isn't what we normally do considered volunteer work? It's not like we get paid!"
Sam folded his arms, unimpressed with Dean's argument. "You'll be helping the homeless and the less fortunate." Dean folded his own arms stubbornly. "Dude, we used to be the homeless and less fortunate!"
"Well then, help the friendless and helpless!" Dean huffed, frustrated because Sam knew he couldn't claim to have been helpless or friendless.
-oOo-
Sam made sure they got to their volunteer appointment. Dean was relieved to find that it was nothing more strenuous than keeping some geriatric folks cheery and handing out their party food. Unfortunately for the volunteer staff, and a few of the older folks, Cas had a knack for being a little too blunt and honest.
"Have you no family?"
The sack-shaped little woman burst into tears. Cas did apologise, but he really had little sense of what might set someone off, or the sad circumstances that might have brought people to this place. After that, they put Cas to work in the kitchen.
Dean was left to 'entertain' the old folk by himself. He figured he should be fine. He was good at winning people over. Handing out food and drink. Pretending to listen to their longwinded, pointless stories. He could be charming. He could do this. So he served them cake and smiled winsomely, asking their names, and whether they'd be on Santa's naughty or nice list. Maybe that was what did it, but it was deeply embedded in Dean's character to flirt good-naturedly and make small jokes with people to break the ice. Probably he was imagining it. These people were old. They could barely see him, let alone leer lasciviously at him when he was getting them a cup of punch.
But he hadn't imagined it. When he turned to get Lillian her third cake, she squeezed his ass. He jumped like a surprised cat and stared in shock. Her friend, Edith, giggled. Then toothless Walter grinned gummily and winked at him. That was it! He was not about to be molested by a bunch of old people! Then a thought occurred to him. "Christo."
Not a single one even blinked, let alone showed signs of being possessed by a demon. Dean sighed resignedly. He raised his voice. "Okay. Here's the deal. Look all you like, I don't care. But the first one to touch, gets a bullet in the eye."
Walter smacked his gums hungrily and looked happier than ever. For the first time, Dean worried that he might be outmatched.
"What did he say?" Edgar, at the back, whispered loudly, cupping his bad ear.
"I think he said we can look and touch, if we want to try!" Pearl, his scandalised neighbour, enunciated loudly and clearly into Edgar's good ear.
Dean wiped a hand down his face. He couldn't shoot a bunch of wrinklies, even if he felt they deserved it. Sam, on the other hand, was a dead man.
When nearly two hours had passed, Dean's nerves couldn't take it any more. He burst into the kitchen where Cas sat, chatting with three very pretty, young sorority girls, while peeling apples. Dean stopped in his tracks, a scowl crossing his face. The blonde, and two brunettes looked him over much like the elderly folk had. His scowl deepened and his hand went to the back of his jeans for the gun that wasn't there, but locked safely in the Impala.
"I'm getting groped by Betty White and you're doing Girls Gone Wild?"
Cas ignored the reference and waved Dean over with his vegetable peeler. "I have peeled one hundred and fifty two apples. My hands are wrinkled and sticky from my exertions." He held them up for inspection, looking serious. Dean's eyes glazed over for a moment as his mind took a scenic detour.
The three girls looked at each other. One girl, a brunette in sexy-nerd glasses, spoke up. "Is this Dean?"
Dean's mind dragged it's spent self reluctantly back to reality. Cas smiled at her, then turned a proud smile on Dean. "Yes. This is Dean." Dean softened a little, realising Cas had been talking about him while they'd been apart. He came and stood beside Cas, leaning against him, and ruffled his hair, feeling himself relax. He smiled back. "You ready to go, Cas? … It's not just the ladies that were handsy…"
The blonde with a sweet, cherubic face gave a surprisingly wicked laugh. "Why do you think we're in here?"
"Go on, Cas. We've got enough apples now. You go home with your boy and remember what we told you." The girls looked at each other and smiled. It was creepy. Just what he needed - Cas taking sex tips from sorority girls. He knew how depraved they could be. He hoped they hadn't corrupted Cas. He didn't even sound convincing to himself. Finally, the previously silent brunette spoke, with a gleam in her eye, "Merry Christmas, Dean."
-oOo-
Heading back to Sam's in the Impala, Dean tried to get Cas to confess what the girls had been teaching him. All he would say was "You'll see soon enough, Dean."
"Were you okay in your kitchen, Cas?"
"Yes, thank you, Dean. And you?"
"I don't know… I felt bad, you know? I tried to listen and be sympathetic and stuff like Sam does, but the wandering eyes… and the hands! I mean - I know they gotta take it where they can get it - but jeez! I tried to be friendly, but that is not what I signed up for! It was hard. I wanted to yell at them, but then they look all sad, and tell you how lonely they are. And they seemed to like the threats."
"At least they appreciated you. I was relegated to a back room."
"Yeah, with the others that needed protecting from straying hands."
When they were buzzed up to Sam's apartment Dean thought he could hear the sounds of a loud party coming from up the stairs. He exchanged a concerned look with Cas.
Dean knocked on the door loudly. A curvy redhead in a long sweater, pretending it was a dress, answered the door. The noise that rolled out of the apartment was astounding. The room was full of ridiculously good-looking people, talking and laughing loudly. Their perfection made Dean feel like a bow-legged, midget troll. Dean looked at the door and checked they were, in fact, at the right apartment. The redhead laughed and kissed them each on the cheek, holding the door open. "The more the merrier!"
Dean raised his eyebrows at Cas and shrugged, stepping into the apartment. Cas followed. The girl turned her back to them and bellowed, "SAM! More guests!" Then turned back to Dean and Cas with a big hostess smile. "See you later!" Dean watched her, perplexed, and mesmerized by the potential for her derriere to be revealed by the tiny dress. Cas tugged at his elbow.
Dean turned his body towards Cas, his eyes still following the redhead, until he felt Cas turn his head with his fingers on his jaw. "Dean."
"What? I was just…"
Cas gave him a sweet, tender kiss.
"What was that for?"
Cas pointed upwards and Dean followed his pointing finger to see the tiny sprig of mistletoe pinned over the door. He grinned and kissed Cas back, holding his face with both hands. Cas looked adorably pleased with himself.
"That is what the girls in the kitchen were teaching me. The traditions of Christmas," Cas admitted, his eyes shining as he gazed at Dean. He looked cute. Dean felt like a gargoyle in this room full of manufactured perfection, but Cas still shone. He stood out like an original work of art in a room full of black and white photocopies, drawing Dean's eye.
"Dean! Cas!" A hugely grinning Sam had found them. Dean grabbed Sam by the sleeve. "Dude, who are all these people?" Sam shrugged. "Work colleagues."
Dean paused. Sam looked so happy. "What the hell do you do?"
"Never mind that. How did the volunteer work go? Don't you feel more …Christmassy?" Sam was surprised to see an angry, uncomfortable look cross Dean's face.
"…Dean? …What did you do?"
"You're a dead man, Sam!"
"What! Why?"
When Dean told him the story, Sam burst into peals of laughter, holding his sides, bent at the waist. Dean had apparently been expecting a little sympathy and turned to Cas, looking aggrieved. Cas was smiling, with a twinkle in his eye. He patted Dean's shoulder, and had the good grace not to laugh.