Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that night, lying in bed, Dean stared up at the ceiling. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest. He couldn't stop smiling, but there was still a tiny niggle of doubt in his stomach. He grabbed his phone and sent Jo a message.
Dean
Hey are we cool?
Jo H
Yeah we're cool :)
Dean sighed in relief and put his phone away again.
'Cas?' he said in the darkness. 'Are you awake?'
There was a rustling from behind the curtain.
'I'm awake,' Cas replied. 'Are you all right?'
'Yeah, I just wanted to ask…' Dean shook his head, not quite able to hold his nerve. 'Did you have fun tonight?'
'I did,' said Cas, and Dean could hear the smile in his voice. 'I had a good time.'
'Good,' said Dean, and they were both fast asleep soon after.
Mary, as usual, got heavily into the Christmas spirit, and the house was quickly decked in tinsel, lights, and any other decoration she could get her hands on. Dean, however, was very quickly bored. Without school to keep him occupied, and Cas's almost constant presence making him restless, Dean begged John to take him into work.
'Dad, please, I'm so bored,' Dean complained, dramatically dropping his head onto the table at breakfast.
'Do your homework if you're bored,' said John, cutting up his bacon.
'I already did my homework.'
John raised his eyebrows.
'I'm serious, I did it already.'
John narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but finally agreed. 'Fine, but you're only getting fifteen an hour.'
'Done,' Dean grinned.
They got up to leave, just as Cas came in from his morning run, windswept and pink-cheeked from the cold. As Dean passed Cas, he had the sudden urge to kiss Cas on the cheek, and forced himself out of the front door, heat gathering in the pit of his stomach.
From then on, Dean found any excuse to avoid Cas while he tried to figure out what he was going to say. There were only so many days he could spend at his dad's shop, so when he couldn't go, he would head into town and wander around, looking for Christmas gifts.
Three days before Christmas, Dean had bought as many presents as he could get away with, but still couldn't even look Cas in the eyes, so he hid away in the garage with the Impala making minor adjustments to the engine.
It was a quiet afternoon. Sam had gone out with John, Mary was reading quietly in the kitchen, and Cas was watching TV in the living room. Dean got into the rhythm of checking each of the engine parts, seeing in his mind all the connections they made and how all the pieces fit together, taking them out in turn to examine them and make sure they were all in good condition.
'Dean?'
Dean jumped violently, smacking his head on the bonnet. 'Ah, jeez, Cas, don't sneak up on me like that,' he said, rubbing his head and stepping out from under the hood.
'Sorry.'
'What's up?'
Cas folded his arms. 'You've been avoiding me.'
'What? No I -'
Cas raised an eyebrow.
'Okay, maybe I have, a little bit,' Dean admitted.
'Why?'
Adrenaline rushed through Dean and he opened his mouth. 'Well I - I -' Just say it, he thought to himself. 'I - um - I'm bad at surprises,' Dean blurted out, as much to Cas's surprise as his.
'What?'
'Yeah, I - uh - got you a really cool Christmas present and I didn't wanna accidentally ruin the surprise.'
Cas blinked rapidly. 'Oh,' he said, unfolding his arms slightly. 'Really?'
'Yeah,' Dean said.
'So you'll stop avoiding me after Christmas?'
'Sure. Totally.'
'Right. Okay.' Cas looked slightly perturbed, but left Dean alone.
Once he was gone, Dean groaned quietly to himself. He did indeed have a Christmas gift for Cas, but he could barely form a coherent sentence around Cas, let alone confess to him.
He closed the hood of the Impala and lay down in the back seat with his phone.
Dean
What do I do?
Jo H
Do about what?
Dean
Cas
I don't know what to say to him and he's
noticed I'm being weird
Jo H
He's only just now noticed?
He's less observant than I thought
Dean
Haha very funny
Jo H
Just take him on a date dude
It's not that hard
Dean
It is that hard
He turns my brain to mush
Jo H
Aw how cute
I didn't know you could even feel all
the warm and fuzzy feelings
Dean
Again hilarious
Jo H
Seriously just take him out
Keep it simple. Show him you like him so you
Don't have to say it.
Dean
Because you're so great at this stuff
Jo H
Hey my plan was great.
Not my fault you bat for the other team
You won't have that problem with Cas
Dean
Yes oh wise one
Jo H
Do it
Do it
Do it
Do it
Do it
Do it
Dean
Oh my god
Jo H
Do it
Do it
Do it
Do it
Do it
Dean
Stop already I'll do it
Jo H
Dean rolled his eyes, but began forming a plan.
On Christmas morning, Cas seemed uncomfortable and nervous; unsure of his place in their traditions, but once everyone started opening the gifts he got for them, he started to relax. He'd given Sam a nice set of dice, along with a fancy box to store them in. For Mary, a bottle of perfume he'd caught her eyeing up in the store, and for John a big book about classic cars.
Then, Cas passed Dean his gift, already blushing and looking away.
Dean opened the small box and gasped slightly. Inside was a watch. The face was white and silver, and it had a fine leather strap.
'Cas, I love it!' Dean immediately put it on, grinning, and Cas turned even redder.
Dean then gave Cas his gift, watching with a racing heart as he opened it.
Cas's mouth fell open as he saw the telescope inside the box.
'Um - I just kinda thought maybe you'd want some practice before you go to college,' Dean said, in his best attempt to stay calm. 'And - and it's digital as well, so - so you can take pictures of Saturn, or whatever.'
Cas smiled shyly. 'Thank you,' he murmured.
Dean smiled back and passed around the rest of his gifts.
Mary showed Cas her favourite way to roast potatoes while they were making dinner, then he helped John put some decorations on the Impala for the day.
By the end of the day, they were all full of food and warmth, and went to bed.
Dean was just drifting off when he heard Cas quietly sniffling from the other side of the curtain. He got up and pulled aside the curtain, then sat on Cas's bed.
'Are you all right?' he asked gently.
Cas sat up. 'I'm fine,' he said, and smiled. 'I'm happy.'
'Oh.'
'I - um - this was the best Christmas I've had in a long time,' Cas admitted. 'Thank you.'
Dean gently rubbed his leg. 'You're welcome.'
The next day, Dean waited for it to get dark and approached Cas nervously.
'Hey, uh, it's pretty clear out there. If you want, I could take you out and we could try out your telescope.'
Cas beamed at him, making him weak at the knees. 'I'd love to,' he said.
Dean's heart fluttered. 'Dad, can we borrow the car?' he called.
John's voice came from somewhere upstairs. 'Sure,' he called back.
'What for, where are you going?' Mary asked from the kitchen.
'We're testing my telescope,' Cas said excitedly.
'Oh, that's a great idea,' she said. 'Wrap up warm though, it's cold out there.'
'Why don't you go put it in the car, and I'll make up some hot chocolate to take with us.'
Cas beamed again and ran upstairs.
Dean let out a breath and went to the kitchen, pulling two flasks out of the cupboard.
'Oh, you know what, we have some outside blankets around somewhere,' said Mary, getting up from the table. 'Let me see if I can find them.' Mary headed upstairs and, while she wasn't looking, Dean poured some whiskey into his flask.
When Cas was finished putting things in the car, he joined Dean in the kitchen and started packing snacks into a bag for them. Then he put on a beanie hat and a coat, and smiled excitedly. 'Are you ready?' he asked.
Dean chuckled. 'Yeah, let's go.'
He drove an hour out of town, until they found a good spot not tainted by streetlights, and watched Cas set up the telescope for the very first time. He'd also brought his laptop and a folding table to put it on, so he could save his pictures directly to the laptop.
Dean sat on the hood of the car and watched him set it up, smiling fondly at the expression on Cas's face as he concentrated on the instructions and hooked everything up.
At last, Cas's face lit up, and images appeared on the laptop screen. He'd captured detailed pictures of the moon, and waved Dean over, enthusiastically pointing out the craters and telling Dean their names.
'What do you want to look at first?' Dean asked, as Cas sat on the hood of the Impala, staring up at the sky with his hot chocolate in hand.
'We can see five planets at this time of year,' Cas said, his eyes raking across the sky. 'I think those would probably be a good place to start.' He took a sip of his drink. 'You can see them without a telescope, of course. There's Mars up there.' He pointed up, drawing Dean's attention to the bright red star above them. 'And if you follow that line, you can see Jupiter and Saturn, but we'd have to come out a little earlier to see Mercury and Venus.' Cas drew a line with his finger, leading Dean to two more bright stars in the sky. He put down his flask and went back to the telescope, changing the direction it was looking very slightly. 'I wonder if this can see Phobos and Deimos,' he muttered.
'What are they?' Dean asked, following him over to it.
'Mars's moons,' Cas told him.
'Mars has moons?'
'Yes. They're very small, though.'
Cas looked down the eyepiece, Dean took a deep breath and hesitantly put a hand on the small of Cas's back, standing close by him. Cas looked up at him, suddenly unsure, his blue eyes wide.
'Would you - um - would you like to see?' Cas mumbled.
'Uh, sure,' said Dean. They switched places and Dean pressed his eye to the eyepiece. Through it, he saw a round, reddish orange object. It was a little fuzzy, but he could see dark ridges, and white spots at the poles. It was really a planet, in outer space. It took Dean's breath away.
'Wow,' was all he could manage.
'If you press this button here…' Cas said, guiding Dean's hand with his. '... It'll take a picture.'
Dean's breath caught in his chest, his heart hammered, and his skin tingled where Cas had touched him. Dean slowly straightened and gazed at Cas. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes sparkled in the dim light of his laptop. They were standing close enough that their noses were almost touching, and Dean could hear Cas's unsteady breath.
Cas's eyes flicked to Dean's lips, but at that moment, an image flashed onto the laptop screen, and Cas jumped away to look at it.
Dean puffed out a breath and turned to the laptop where the picture he had taken was waiting.
'Oh look, you got a bit of Phobos!' Cas smiled, pointing to the blurry object off to the side of Mars. 'And on your first try too, nice job.' He picked up a flask and took a sip, then choked slightly.
'Eurgh, what is this?'
'I think you grabbed mine,' Dean laughed, taking it from him. 'I put a little whiskey in it.'
Cas wiped his mouth, chuckling to himself, and went back to the telescope.
Dean took a swig of the drink and sat back down on the hood of the car. The adrenaline was fading and all he could do was watch Cas taking pictures of the planets as they hovered overhead.
Hours later, Cas began packing up his equipment and putting it in the car.
'Hey, you wanna drive?' Dean offered, and Cas looked uncertain.
'It's been a while since I drove anything,' he said.
'Don't worry, she's like a million years old and she has the best mechanic, you can't hurt her,' Dean encouraged.
Cas nodded and slid into the driver's seat. He sat for a moment, feeling around the dashboard, and the pedals beneath his feet, before finally turning the key in the ignition. The car roared to life and Cas gave a short, nervous laugh.
'She's really something, right?' Dean grinned.
Cas nodded. 'She feels… powerful.'
'She is.'
Cas took a deep breath and put the car in gear.
'Careful…' Dean said softly. 'Ease into it… That's it.'
Cas pulled them back onto the road, not exactly smoothly, but the further they drove the more confident he got.
Dean tentatively put a hand on Cas's knee. Cas glanced at him and smiled, before focusing on the road. Dean then gently ran his hand up and down Cas's thigh and his stomach squirmed as he saw Cas turn red.
When they arrived home, Cas brought them to a stop in the driveway, with only a small amount of jolting, and they both got out of the car. They stared at each other over the top of the car. Dean opened his mouth, but the front door opened and Mary waved to them.
Dean sighed. 'Mom, you didn't have to wait up for us,' he called.
She giggled. 'Well, someone had to finish off the eggnog.'
Dean rolled his eyes and went inside, closely followed by Cas.
'I'm going to bed, and you should too,' he said to her. 'You're clearly drunk.'
'It's Christmas,' she protested, then danced back into the kitchen.
Dean sniggered and went upstairs. Cas followed too, but headed for the bathroom instead of the bedroom. Dean intended to wait for him to come back, but he was asleep in moments, the hour and the whiskey pulling him deep into his pillows.
Welcome back everyone :) thanks to EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester for the review! See you next time :)