Work Text:
Dec 24th, 11:45 PM
They had about an hour left to Santa Fe, when Dean could feel his eyes falling shut. Damn. Okay. They clearly weren't going to make it to Flagstaff, Arizona today. Sam was fast asleep in the passenger seat, and a glance in the rear view mirror told him that even Cas was on the verge of falling asleep, nodding in the back seat. Dean opened his eyes as hard as he possibly could, feeling them bug out slightly, and turned at the first motel sign he saw along the highway.
"I'm not carrying your asses. Get up, we're in room number seven," he said, tossing the key. It bounced on Sam's luscious locks, and fell into his lap. Score!
He removed his boots, letting his feet get some well earned air, and collapsed on the bed closest to the door. Sam and Cas dragged themselves into the room, and Cas volunteered to take the couch, claiming he didn't need sleep (which everyone present knew was bullshit).
"Merry Christmas," Sam said, toothbrush in his mouth. "It's past midnight."
Dean just groaned and turned over, already fading out of consciousness. He could hear Cas' deep voice, telling Sam a bunch of Christmas related factoids. The soothing sound of his best friend's voice was better than a lullaby.
Dec 25th, 9 AM
"...yeah, gotcha. Who would have thought? Thanks anyway, Jody. Merry Christmas! Say hi to Alex and Claire from us." Sam laughed. "Yes, Dean is a grownup, he can tell you himself. He's just not awake yet."
Urgh, how many hours did he sleep? His mouth felt like sandpaper, and he could taste his bad morning breath. Pale winter light shone through the gaps in the blinds, making the water damaged wallpaper extra ugly. Sam poked him in the ribs.
"So, get this! There were never any werewolves. The FBI caught a real serial killer, a cannibal!"
"Humans are the worst." Sam raised his eyebrows in agreement. This would feed his serial killer boner, for sure.
"Jody says Merry Christmas, and you should call her, too, Dean. Cas, give Claire a call, or at least send her a text. She misses both of you dumbasses; I don't know why."
"Screw you, I'm a delight." Dean smacked, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. It didn't work, so he stretched his tongue from side to side and then out, scraping it against his teeth. Nope. Still gross. Couldn't be helped, he had to get up and brush his teeth if he was going to feel human again. He scratched his butt and sniffed his armpits. Yeah, a shower would be good, too. Especially since he was going to be trapped in a car for eight hours with two equally smelly people. Eight hours, unless… "What do you guys think, should we go to Jody's for Christmas?"
"I really do miss Claire," Cas said. His lips twitched in a tiny smile, and Dean, for some reason, choked on his breath.
"Yeah, it would be nice. Do you think we'll make it today?" Sam asked.
"Fifteen hours, give or take. It's nine AM. So, midnight-ish?"
"We've knocked on her door later than that. I'll call her, let her know."
I love you, Mom, and I miss you. Merry Christmas.
Dean sent the text to his mother's account while Sam was on the phone. She'd probably never read it, since she and her phone were on a different plane of existence, but it made him feel a bit better.
hey shortstack what other classics are missing from ur Important Education? He sent a text to Claire, smiling a bit to himself about how different he sounded when texting a teenager.
His phone beeped immediately. hey assclown ill have u know im an Edumacated Young Woman And then rapidly again. but ill let u show me ur ghostbusters if i can show u mine
ok FINE
The faux exasperation amused him, and he didn't mention that he already had seen it. How could he not, when he loved the original?
10 AM
It took them an hour to get ready, since both Sam and Cas showered for ages. "Please, don't tell me what you did in there," Dean said.
Sam huffed. "The water pressure is so bad, I could barely get the shampoo out of my hair."
"Whatever, Rapunzel."
Cas didn't say anything. Maybe, just maybe, there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. Dean's brain decided that this was Very Important Information.
"Come on, guys, get dressed already, or we won't make it today. Breakfast on the road!"
1 PM
Southeast of Colorado Springs, they hit the first snow. It was around freezing, and the road was slippery. With the flurry of tiny snowflakes in the air, sight was severely reduced. Dean cursed and stopped at the first available rest area. There were three gas stations, four fast food places, including one Biggerson's, and two wooden benches fastened to a wooden table. Dean picked the non-chain diner, hoping to get a decent cup of coffee and a bacon cheeseburger, preferably made from real meat. The blonde waitress was rolling pink bubble gum between her mouth and her fingers, and looking out the window as if she were waiting for someone. The three of them sat down in a booth, seats lined with wine red vinyl, and waited for her to notice them. It took a while, but when she did, she was all smiles. Dean flirted on autopilot, barely even reading her name tag.
"I'd like the bacon cheeseburger, side of fries, coke and a cup of coffee. My health nut brother over there wants the chicken caesar salad, dressing on the side, and ice tea, no sugar. And my handsome friend here wants the plain burger, no pickles, coke and a cup of coffee, and a brownie for dessert. Make it a pie for me, too. Don't forget the pie."
"Sure thing, honey," she said, "bacon cheeseburger for you, caesar salad for your brother," she nodded at Sam, "and a burger, no pickles, for your handsome friend." She winked, freaking winked, at Cas.
He didn't like her tone, and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. "Yeah." Cas didn't even see her wink, thank goodness. There was no time to have him misunderstanding things now. He was looking out the window from his seat next to Dean, his face blank and his gaze far away.
2:30 PM
An hour and a half later, the snow had stopped falling, and most of it had already melted. The road conditions looked better, and they couldn't keep refilling their coffee cups much longer. It was time to get going again. Dean fired off a quick text to Jody.
We are on our way, but we'll be late.
Better late than crashed, okay? Drive safely.
Cas hadn't said a word since Dean ordered their food. Was he sulking again? Why? And how could Dean possibly ask about it? Words were not exactly his thing. He punched Cas in the shoulder, in a very friendly manner, and told him to get going. All he got in return was a glare that could kill lesser creatures, like demons or Leviathans.
This time, Cas was in the front seat, while Sam sat with his long legs across the back seat and "rested his eyes," as he called it.
"Sooo…" Dean started. Cas didn't even look at him. "Did I do anything to piss you off, or did you wake up on the wrong side of the couch this morning?"
"I don't require sleep."
"Sure you don't." Dean fell silent, hoping to get something to work with.
"Did you get her number?"
"Who? Blondie?"
"Her name was Kayla."
"See? I didn't even know that? And how many times do you think we're going to be passing through Bumfuck, Colorado? I was just being nice, that's all. You're the one she was winking at."
"Because you constantly mock me, calling me handsome like that!" Cas was shouting, waking Sam up.
"Guys, keep it down. Just kiss and make up, already."
That particular sarcastic comment kept them quiet for several hours. They even passed through Crowley county, and nobody made bad jokes about it.
9:30 PM
The traffic had been atrocious, with a combination of holiday travelers and road work. (So much road work.) Dean's foot was hurting, and his arms were growing tired. Sam had complained about the cold, and they were currently huddling up in the front seat, all three grown (or overgrown) men. As they passed the border into Nebraska, Dean spoke up.
"Last chance to turn right and go home."
"Ugh, so tempted," Sam said.
"We have more than five hours left," Cas said, with a deep sigh.
"Yeah, we're not making it today. How about a night at the bunker, and then Boxing day with Jody and the girls?"
"Sounds good. I'll call and let them know."
Not one minute after Sam had hung up, Dean's phone pinged. "Can you check that, Cas? It's in my jacket pocket."
"It's from Claire, and it says, in all lowercase without punctuation 'boo you whore'."
Dean laughed, and he heard his phone camera click. "Are you sending that to Claire?"
"I don't understand your jokes at all. I think it's a reference, but it's not one Metatron provided to me."
"Mean Girls," Sam said. "It's a chick flick."
"Shut it!"
11 PM
They dragged their exhausted bodies into the bunker. What a waste of two days' travel. And tomorrow, they were doing it all over again, on different roads. This was the life he had chosen, and like so many times, he wondered why. The lights flickered on, slowly, as if they were just as tired as he was. There were no Christmas decorations in the bunker. No food. No gifts. While almost all their Christmases had been exactly like this, only worse, he felt a deep disappointment settling over him. He sighed.
"Can we have one good thing? Can we have Die Hard and a beer?"
"I think, technically, that's two good things," Cas said.
It might be the exhaustion, but that was hilarious. Dean laughed until his eyes teared up, and he laid his arm around Cas' shoulders. "Make it two good things, then."
Cas smiled back, a real smile, and Dean could feel the air between them clearing.
When he took count of them, he actually came up with a list of five good things. 1. Die Hard. 2. Beer. 3. Popcorn. 4. His brother, safe and sound. 5. His best friend, safe and non-possessed, on the bed next to him.
Well before John McClane had said his "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker," Cas was slumbering with his head on Dean's shoulder. If Dean would happen to sniff his hair, or maybe plant a soft, soft kiss on Cas' head, nobody would know. Well… Dean looked up guiltily.
Sam smiled, and stretched. "I'm heading to bed. Have fun."
"Shut up." Dean felt his face heating up.
"Yeah, Sam, it's none of your business," Cas slurred from his resting position.
Oh.
Oh.
Once Sam had closed the door, Dean dared to look at Cas again. He squinted back, like he was trying to look into Dean's soul again, the way he had when they first met.
"Sooo…"
Cas lifted one eyebrow.
"Uhm…"
Dean didn't have time to actually get real, meaningful words out, because Cas' lips were on his. It was just a dry press, nothing invasive, just… cute? He opened his mouth, and took Cas' lower lip between his own. Before he knew it, he was pressed down into the memory foam, the laptop forgotten by his feet, and Cas' heavy weight on top of him. They kept kissing, with more and more intensity, until the laptop fell off the bed. That broke the spell, and they both let go.
"I enjoyed that. Very much."
"Yeah. We should kiss some more. But maybe not tonight."
"May I stay?"
"Cas. Please. Please, stay. Stay with me." The words were pouring out. "That's all I ever wanted. I want you here, with me."
Dec 26th, 10 AM
"If we're going to Jody's, we need to leave, like, right now." Sam opened the door carefully, peeking out between his fingers.
"Hey, asshole, a. we're not nude and b. if we were, you'd have seen the whole thing anyway. Stop it with the hand thing." Dean turned over in bed, and smacked a kiss on Cas' forehead. "Come on, wake up, sunshine. We're gonna see our daughter."
"So, basically, you two just went from unbearable UST to long time married?"
"Eh, let's face it. We've been married for years." That woke Cas up.
"Sam, would you be so kind and leave me with my husband? We have a thing or two to talk about."
"Sure, but I am leaving in twenty minutes, and I'm taking Baby. You're either dressed by then, or you're staying home." Sam slammed the door on his way out.
"Too much?" Dean asked, nervous for the first time since they kissed.
"Not enough," was the answer.
10:21 AM
They were just a little bit late, but they made it in time before Sam left. Both had yesterday's clothes on, Dean's shirt was inside out, and both had extremely messy hair. Sam just rolled his eyes and started the engine.
4 PM
They rolled into Sioux Falls, and knocked on Jody's door. She was wearing an apron, and graciously accepted their hugs and kisses. Even Claire came up for a hug, but she looked at them with suspicion. "Wait," she said. "Something happened."
"Yeah." Dean took Cas' hand. "We're gonna get married. As soon as possible. Let's make it official."
"As official as it can be, when I'm not a real person, and you're legally dead."
"Eh, details."
Everybody came to congratulate them, including Claire. She did have a few conditions, though. "One, no cuddling when we're watching movies. Two, no gross parenting stuff. Three…"