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It’s nearly Christmas time.
Dean put the tree up weeks ago (or, rather Cas did because he’s an angel and able to lift pretty much anything) and Dean tried to get the bunker geared up for Christmas as much as possible.
They’ve never really celebrated Christmas together, as a family. Besides that one time with Mrs. Butters. It had really been one apocalypse after another, with Michael, Lucifer, the darkness, and whatever happened during the season, Christmas came and went.
But this Christmas is going to be different, Dean’ll be sure of it.
Ever since Jack became God and brought Cas back from the Empty, Cas has been a little quiet when it came to Jack.
Dean hopes that having Christmas all together at the bunker will lift Cas’ spirits a little.
Cas comes through the kitchen doorway. He’s got little snowflakes that contrast his dark hair and a little bit of a grumpy look on his face. Dean thinks it’s adorable.
“You okay buddy? I didn’t think it was supposed to snow until tomorrow.” Dean says, washing his hands and wiping them on a towel.
“It seems to have come early. I could barely see the road,” Cas sets the eggnog Dean requested on the table. Dean snatches it but pauses first.
“Damn, I should probably call Sam and see if he can leave Eileen’s early.” Dean picks up his phone, and Cas takes a sip of Dean’s eggnog and makes a face. Dean rolls his eyes at him.
-
“So you guys really can’t make it out?” Dean asks again, already knowing the answer.
“Dean, the roads are bad right now and getting worse. I don’t want to risk getting Eileen’s Valiant stuck in the snow or sliding off the road,” Sam sighs. “Hopefully we’ll make it back tomorrow.” Dean feels his heart ache with disappointment. He really wanted to have this dinner with his family and now…
“Okay Sam. Stay safe.” He ends the call.
It’s him and Cas.
-
Dean and Cas never talked about what he said before the Empty took him.
When Cas came back to him, Dean just slapped him on the back and welcomed him home.
It’s only been a month since Cas came back and Jack became God. They’ve gone on pretty much how it’s been before, but Dean keeps looking at Cas more closely. Dean keeps catching himself thinking he loves you, he said it himself. What’s the problem?
The problem is this: Chuck wrote this story. Chuck made Cas say all those nice things about Dean, to make him break and cry so hard all night he didn’t know he even existed anymore. Chuck manipulated Cas to say how much he loves Dean.
And besides, Cas is an angel. Sure, his depleting grace is making more human than angel every day, but angels don’t feel love the same way humans do. The same way Dean does.
So, here they are.
Dean’s turkey is almost ready, and Cas is setting up the dining room table. Cas actually tried making muffins earlier, but they’re now sitting on the kitchen counter a little lumpy with blackened edges. Dean takes one look at them and puts the muffins in a nice basket with Christmas print inside.
Dean brings the food out one at a time, and Cas brings out the drinks. He doesn’t think too hard when Cas brushes past him.
Dean sets the final dish on the table (which has little snowmen on it. Cas picked this one out) and smiles at Cas. Around them, all the Christmas decorations brighten the room and the tree is dazzling in the dim light of the map room. Soft Christmas music is playing on the Alexa Sam just had to get (but Dean secretly likes having something to talk to when he’s researching or some crap at the table. Or cooking something in the kitchen.)
But before Dean could sink his teeth into the turkey cranberries, he had to get something out.
“I’m happy to have you back, Cas. To have you here.” Dean’s smile turns a little sad. “And even though Chuck manipulated us to his very end, I’m lucky to have you here, man.”
Dean looks down, and starts grabbing food from the table just to see Cas not taking anything. In fact, he’s staring at Dean.
“What?” Dean says.
Cas keeps on staring. “Chuck didn’t make me say anything before the Empty took me.” Cas says.
“Huh?”
“I said.” Cas looks at Dean in the eye. “I meant everything when Billie was chasing us. I meant everything I said.”
Dean’s heart is racing, he’s thinking, that can’t possibly…
But it is. Chuck is gone, human, he can’t do anything right now. And Jack isn’t possibly controlling them.
Which means.
Which means.
Cas loves him?
Cas has done everything...for Dean? He.
He wants Dean?
“So you…” Dean starts, not sure where he’s going. Cas seems to get it, though. He circles around the table, and never takes his eyes off Dean. He stands in front of him.
“I meant every word I said, Dean.” He lets out a disbelieving laugh. “You thought Chuck wrote that? That he wrote how you mean the whole world and more to me? How much I love you?”
Dean’s heart stops. He looks at Cas for a second, and a second more, and grabs him by the lapels of his trench coat and kisses him.
Dean’s whole chest and lips are tingling, he’s finally finally getting to kiss the man he loves. The man he would do anything for. When they pull away, they’re smiling and Dean laughs with a little disbelieving in him.
They’re staring at each other, smiling when Cas gives Dean a look he knows very well.
“All this time. This month, and way before that, I thought you didn’t reciprocate.” Cas says, looking at Dean incredulously. “You thought that was Chuck?”
Dean laughs again. “We’re just a couple of dumbasses, I guess.”
Cas laughs too, and kisses him again. They kiss and kiss and kiss, until the food goes long past cold.
-
Sam and Eileen come back early the next morning. Sam sees the library cleaned up to the minimum, with the food put away but many dishes still left out.
He doesn’t see Dean in his room, or Cas in his, so Sam goes to the Dean Cave.
Sam finds Dean (he can only described as ‘snuggled’). Next to Cas on the couch, watching Home Alone on the new TV they got last month. Cas has his arm around Dean, and his head resting on Dean’s.
Finally, Sam thinks. It’s about time.