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Dean was the one who had introduced Castiel to the concept of a “Tree Lighting.” He’d talked about how his dad had taken him one time as a kid. Sure, it’d been so he could drop him off somewhere while he worked a job, but he and Sam had been given some pocket money, and being left on their own in a beautiful town wasn’t really an elementary-schooler’s nightmare. Not when there was so much to see and do. Now, with Jack, Dean suggested to Sam and Cas that they take him to one. Everyone quickly agreed. Castiel wanted to see his first Tree Lighting as well.
They had to drive to a more populated town to find one, and they’d be staying in a motel for a bit, just to make sure they had a homebase for the event. Sam got a room with Jack, and Castiel with Dean.
“Alright,” Dean said, checking his watch, “the Tree Lighting starts at eight. And it’s friggin’ cold out, so dress warm.”
Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean.
“Dean, I’m an angel.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Cas just sighed. “I could go out there buck naked and not get cold.”
Dean’s face blanched, and then his cheeks started to turn red. He looked away from him, swallowing roughly. “Right. Right. Yeah. I’m just gonna…” He rubbed at the back of his head. “I’m gonna see how Sam and Jack are doing; talk plans for dinner.”
Castiel ended up following Dean into the other motel room. What they found was Jack bouncing on the bed by sitting cross-legged and using his knees for leverage, and he and Sam were laughing.
Cas smiled at the sight.
Sam turned to them. “All settled in?” he asked.
“Yes. Mostly. We’re here to talk about dinner.”
Jack stopped bouncing, and then announced quite loudly, “I don’t want dinner. Sam told me there’d be food at the Tree Lighting.”
Sam just smiled, giving Jack a fond look, and turned back to Dean, and Cas, “He’s gonna eat dinner. He knows that all they have are hot chocolate, candy, and cookies.”
“Yeah. Exactly. Dinner,” Jack reasoned. Cas just tilted his head at him, lowering his eyebrows. “What, it’s not like I’m human,” Jack said. “Besides, I want candy.”
Dean laughed, and went over to sit on the bed with Jack. Castiel settled for sitting with Sam. His boyfriend pat Jack on the shoulder.
“Okay, kiddo, but the adults need to eat.”
Jack slumped. Cas couldn’t help but smile, despite his son’s temporary disappointment. It was a minor thing, and it brought out Jack’s personality.
“Fine,” he relented.
They ended up going to a diner for dinner, and then by the time it was even darker than it had been at four PM, they started walking around the town. The buildings were old, made of brick, and the streets were set up like a grid. It’d be impossible to get lost. So Cas took Jack and broke off from Sam and Dean for now. Dean had wanted to go into one of the shops since everything was apparently on sale right now as well.
With some exploring, and careful observation, Castiel and Jack found a historical building. The wood and stone was clearly old. Even smelled old. The actors dressed in clothing from the 1800s was enough of a tip-off as well.
Jack beamed as he saw a kid walking out with a cookie, and some sort of drink that had steam wafting from it.
Jack grabbed Cas, and started dragging him up the stone steps. Cas’ heart filled with joy.
It was crowded inside, the sparse rooms lit only with flickering candles. The bit of light playing with the darkness made for a cozy atmosphere. There was a woman playing a flute in one corner of the dining room, and on the table, there were refreshments. Cookies, hot drinks.
Jack immediately went for it.
On a piece of paper that had been made to look like parchment, the prices were listed.
Cas paid, let Jack ogle the sights as he ate, and drank, and then he took him back outside, searching for his boyfriend and his best friend.
Dean immediately put an arm around Cas’ shoulder when they met up again, and Dean kissed him on the cheek. Unlike most kids, Jack didn’t scrunch up his face in disgust at this. He just seemed content.
Sam started asking Jack what he’d been up to, and Dean said to Cas, “Good. I thought you were gonna miss it.”
“It’s not eight yet,” Cas reasoned.
“It’s close enough.” Then, he addressed the whole family, “Hey, guys. Let’s head closer to the big tree they have in the middle of the square.”
They agreed, and made their way through the throngs of people, smelling ginger and candy canes and hot chocolate, hearing carols in the air. Castiel could see just fine, and he knew for sure that Sam and Dean could since they were taller than him. Jack, while still being an average height, seemed to have difficulty.
Cas wasn’t sure how to deal with the problem, seeing as Jack looked like an eighteen-year old.
But, Jack ended up tugging on his sleeve, and Castiel hoisted him up, carrying him on one shoulder. Holding his son up like that was easy. He barely felt his weight.
Sam just smirked. “I could’ve done that,” he said.
Cas winked at him, which cued Dean to lightly smack him on the back of the head.
They broke off into laughter.
Suddenly, the people in the square were counting down, and they joined in. Castiel had started later than the Winchesters, just a little confused as to what was going on, but he was buzzing with eager energy. Everyone cheered once they got to one, and then, Castiel could hear the strong thrum of electricity working itself through a large pattern of wires. The giant tree in the middle lit up with all the colors of the rainbow (at least, only the colors that humans could see), and the leafless trees all along the roads on either side lit up in gold and white.
Jack started clapping and cheering, and Castiel kept a tight hold on him. He beamed, and couldn’t take his eyes off the sight. But then, he found Dean looking at him.
“Really is beautiful, huh?” Dean asked.
“Yes, it is.”
Dean came forward and kissed him, and Castiel knew he hadn’t been talking about the Christmas lights.