Castiel was actually looking forward to Christmas for the first tune since his mother died. He and Ishmael were going to spend the Holiday at Gabriel's with the rest of the family. He was hoping to take an extra day off, the boss okayed it so long as all of the Heller paperwork was ready to go for the next fiscal year.

Next year promised to be a lot less paper work and a lot more traveling. It would be a nice change. The only downside would be traveling with Dean. It had never caused a problem before, but lately things had become very awkward between the two of them. Castiel was sure it was him, he had a sinking feeling it was because his homosexuality was making Dean uncomfortable. Dean tried, but Cas every time tried to join in on Dean's banter, it got quite awkward. Dean would get nervous and avoid eye contact. If Dean was a homophobe why would he engage at all? It was all way to confusing for Castiel to handle with a mountain of work to be done and only a week to finish it.

Monday started of well enough, he was at the office first and sat his to-go mug by the coffee pot before getting straight to work unloading his satchel full of work he took home to finish. Dean came in and placed his mug next to Castiel's and mumbled a greeting through the bagel hanging out of his mouth. Both of them moved about the room with what only an onlooker would call grace. Dancing around one another like a practiced routine, efficient and never in the others way. Cas grabbed his mug and sat at his station. He began rapping out numbers and summarizing a years with of work onto a single page. He sipped his coffee and stopped. This was not his coffee. He looked at the mug, it certainly looked like his mug, but there was a pound of sugar and, he sipped again, creamer? He looked up at Dean and watched him sip his coffee. As Dean brought the mug to his lips Castiel had two immediate thoughts. 1) His lips are on my mug 2) There is nutmeg in that coffee.

Dean pulled the mug from his face, turning it around and examining it. He made a face that said sure looks like my mug. Then he took another sip, his eyes narrowed and he looked Castiel dead in the eyes.

"Nutmeg" he hissed.

Castiel deflected

"creamer?"

"Shut up. All this time you knew about the nutmeg?"

"All this time you've been a creamer fan?" Cas held his hand to his heart and had his mouth agape in exaggerated shock. "It's like I don't even know you, Dean!"
Dean snorted and continued drinking Castiel's coffee.

They had worked well onto the morning before Dean got up to make the coffee. He poured the nutmeg into the filter with broad movements and never took his eyes off Castiel.

"Seriously, Dean?"

Dean stuck his tongue out at Castiel and pressed the brew button. He came by Castiel's desk and began to draw his hand across it.

"No the fuck you don't!" Castiel growled and slapped Dean's hand away.

Dean raised his eye brows and held his own hand with a look of mock pain

"Castiel, you Bitch!" Dean came at his papers with both hands waving furiously.

Son of a Bitch, this was now a slap-fight.

"Stop-now-Dean!" Cas managed trying to grab Dean's hands and rescue his papers "Fucking-ass-butt!"
Dean stopped and Castiel caught his hands

"assbutt?"

"Yeah, and?"

"No, no it's a fine insult, if you're ten"

"HA! Says the grown man who started a slap-fight"

Dean looked down at his hands in Castiel's. Shit. Now was the time where Dean got all weird and it would be awkward for the rest of the day.
Dean rubbed his thumbs gently against the back of Castiel's hands and slowly removed his own. Dean walked to his own desk. Leaning down to grab his keys.

"Hey, do you want to get lunch?"

Castiel blinked

Dean waved his keys "My treat"

"You talked me into it" Cas smiled. He was going to evaluate Dean and his behaviors later, but for now his stomach was calling the shots, and Dean was buying.

Dean drove a beautifully restored '67 Impala. On the way to lunch (Cas hadn't bothered to ask where) Dean told him all about his father have it to him and helped him restore it before he died.

"What happened?"

"He liked to drink, finally got the better of him one day"

"I'm sorry"

"Nah man, don't be. He got what was coming, he drank and got mean. He was a good man sober, but after Mom died he just drank"
"No, I'm sorry that he couldn't stay sober for you. It's hard when a parent gives up
because the other is gone"

"Hmm"

"My father did the same"

They pulled up to a diner called Burgers and Things and Dean beamed.

"A man after my own heart" Castiel grinned.

Dean snorted.

The entire staff knew Dean when he walked in, it was interesting to see him have a place. Castiel had known Dean for years and had never even been in his cat, let alone to his house. He meet Lisa once at last years Christmas party, but that was the most he knew of Dean's personal life.

Dean sat on the far end of the booth and Castiel slid in across from him. Dean made some flourish of his hand and signaled "2" to the closest waitress. She winked and put pen to pad.

"What was that?"

"I just ordered you the best thing on the menu"

Dean took him to his favorite place. His place, was paying for lunch, and even ordered for him. Cas didn't have many, well any friends, if thus is what they were like, he decided he needed more.

"You get that look a lot"

"What look?"

"That look you get when you're way off in thought"

"Oh, that look"

"What were you thinking about"

"People. I really don't have many friends"

"We're friends, right?" Dean asked with honest question in his voice.

"I'd say so" was really all that came to Castiel's mind.

"There, so you have one. You have me!" Dean beamed, with obvious relief.

They ate in peace after Castiel agreed that it was the best burger he had ever tasted. It really was.

"So we're friends" Dean said wiping his mouth with his napkin and sitting back.

Cas nibbled at his fries wondering if this was a loaded question.

"We've established our friendship"

"So, I can talk to you about...things, right?"

"I guess so" hesitation evident in his voice.

"So, did you want the divorce or did she?"

Castiel hadn't expected the conversation to turn to his personal life. He didn't mind, but he was adding it to the list of things to evaluate later.

"I did"

"Was it because you're" he gestured broadly in his direction.

"Gay? Somewhat."

"Was she mad, when you told her?"

"She already knew."

Dean raised his eyebrows "For how long?"

"Since the very beginning." Cas smiled thinking about Meg.

"How long did you know?"

"A long as I can remember"

"Hmm." Dean sipped his coke "Lisa and I aren't doing so great"

"I'm sorry to hear that"

Dean waved it off "Don't." Dean pressed the bridge of his nose. "It's really a lot of things, but... Nevermind."
Dean slapped a $50 on the table and motioned for Cas to follow.

They made their way back to the car. Dean sat still, hands on the wheel before turning to Cas, mouth open, waiting for words.

Then he smiled, and they drove back to the office in silence.