Archive of Our Own

Sliding in his socks across the dark hardwood floors of his kitchen, Dean grabs hold of the fridge to stop his momentum. Opening the door he grabs the first thing he sees, leftover pizza from the night before. Perfect. He sticks the slice in his mouth as he reaches for his coffee mug sitting on the counter. Trading a bite of pizza for a sip of the heavenly beverage, Dean almost moans at how awesome it tastes. Pizza and coffee, who knew? As he takes another bite of his pizza his phone rings. Glancing briefly at the screen Dean smiles around a mouthful of pizza before answering. 

“Sammy!”

“It’s Sam,” his brother replies in a dead tone and Dean can practically hear the perfected bitch face. 

“You’ll always be Sammy to me!” Dean says cheekily. “What can I do for ya? I got a busy day and I’m running late so you gotta make this quick.”

Sam hesitates so long that Dean worries the call is dropped before he hears a heavy sigh from the other side of the call. “Do you love me?”

Okay… Not exactly what Dean was expecting, but he can work with this. 

“Of course I love you! Not as much as pie obviously, but I mean you are my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother, Jerk.” Aaaannnnd there is that perfected bitch face again. The thought brings a smile to Dean’s face, he loves annoying his little brother. There’s a little shuffling on the other end and Dean assumes it’s Eileen, his brother’s wife, trying to make Sam feel better. The slight kissing sound a moment later confirms that thought. Knowing his brother, Sam probably has a dopey grin on his face now. Damn, that woman is way too good for his little brother. 

Sam and Eileen’s coworker turned romance relationship had reaffirmed Dean’s belief in love at first sight. Dean remembers thinking there’s no way the firecracker with long wavy brown hair could actually be interested in his nerdy little brother the first time he met her. He tried to convince her to date him, the much cooler and more handsome brother, but she wouldn’t go for it. Said something about having a “thing” for the nerdy type. After spending the weekend with the couple, it was quite clear that they were perfect for each other. Dean couldn’t be more happy for his little brother, even if he does tease him for how whipped he is all the time. 

Realizing he still doesn’t know why his brother called, worry starts to set in, “Seriously Sam, what’s going on?”

“Huh? Oh right! I want you to come home for Christmas.” Sam says it like it should be a statement, but the way his voice goes up at the end makes it feel more like a question than anything else. 

Those words, though, stop Dean in his tracks. The sounds of morning traffic in New York City should be blaring outside his apartment window, but his own heartbeat drowns it out. He should have known this is what the random call would be about. Somehow, by some miracle, he has managed to avoid all mentions of Christmas with his family the last month or so and he was hoping to keep it that way. Dean has thrown himself into his work more than ever to give plausible excuses to his brother when the topic comes up. With a heavy sigh, he puts the phone on speaker as he reaches for his leather jacket hanging on the back of his chair.

“Dean? Did you hear what I just said?” His brother’s voice sounds through the room, scratchy due to the phone speaker.

“Yeah, I heard ya. You know I can’t do that, Sammy. I have that big Christmas piece this year and I have to go down to Aspen for it. I’ve told you how big this piece is and how much I need it,” Dean says, hoping his brother will drop the topic now and leave it somewhere far, far behind them. It’s not like Dean is even lying or making this up! He really does have to go to Aspen to write a Christmas article for Roman Magazine. Dean practically begged his boss, so that he would be considered to take the piece on. And that's saying something, because Dean Winchester does not beg for anything. His boss is a total dick too, both metaphorically and literally a dick. Let no one say Dick Roman was inappropriately named.

“I thought you said your boss hasn’t decided yet,” Sam replies, and Dean can hear the disappointment in his brother’s voice. It breaks his heart a little, he misses Sammy, but not enough to get him to pass on this piece and the opportunities it presents for his career. 

“He’s choosing me! That's why I have to get to work, like five minutes ago. He is deciding today, but I know for a fact I’ll be chosen,” Dean argues, downing the rest of his coffee. He pats his pockets making sure he has his wallet and keys with him. 

“But you haven't been home for Christmas since…” Sam trails off and the silence from the other end of the phone is enough for Dean to understand what his brother wants to say. Even after all these years, it’s still hard for them to talk about. Sam must realize this too since he then tries a different route. “Bobby misses you.”

Goddammit . Of course, Sam knows his weak spots. With a heavy sigh Dean grabs his black leather satchel, checking to make sure his laptop is in it first, and his to-go coffee mug before heading for the door. 

“Sam, work is hectic this year,” Dean says, taking his brother off speaker as he walks out into the dimly lit apartment building hallway. His elderly neighbor two doors down waves at him and he blows her a kiss in response before locking his door. “I’ll be there next year, I promise. Besides, I’ll see you for the new year! You guys are still planning on flying over right?”

“You say that every year Dean and you never show,” Sam argues.

“I know, but I will have the promotion I’ve been waiting for by then and I’ll be able to take the time off,” he replies easily hoping it’s enough to satisfy his brother for now.

“Yeah, alright,” there is a heavy sigh from the other end of the line causing guilt to settle heavy in Dean’s stomach. “I guess we will see you for New Year’s then.”

“Great! Alright, tell Bobby and the girls I say hi!” Dean exclaims before promptly hanging up and sticking his phone in his pocket.

— — — 

Castiel sits in the conference room, fifteen minutes early of course, repositioning all of his belongings so they sit straight on the table in front of him. He woke up right at 6:05 like he does every morning and made himself a very delicious egg omelet breakfast, following the recipe he found the day before. As he got dressed for the day, in his usual white button-down and suit combo, he did more research on Aspen. He can’t wait to be there tomorrow and write the article he knows will make his career. Castiel tied his favorite blue tie around his neck, frustrated when he had to redo it because it ended up backward. 

Something reflective had caught Castiel’s attention through the mirror and distracted him. It was that damp picture frame sitting on the shelf. The one with two people smiling at him. Instead of smiling back like he used to, Castiel friended and slammed the picture down on its face. Thankfully (or not) it didn’t break and send glass everywhere.

Even just the memory of the picture makes Castiel frown again. He is so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't realize other people had filed into the conference room until his boss’ voice came from the doorway. Only startling slightly, Castiel straightens his pen again before turning his full attention to his boss.

Richard Roman. Castiel doesn’t really like the guy, but he does like his job so he doesn’t ever say anything. Roman Magazine is one of the top magazines in the state, even the country, and Castiel has had the honor of writing for them for a few years now. Also having to hardly ever deal directly with Roman is a huge plus in his books. Most of the work falls onto his assistance’s shoulders. Who also happens to be Castiel’s best friend. He can see the redhead enter the room directly behind Roman and take her seat by the door. She sends him a quick wink before turning her attention to the tablet in her lap.

“Alright as you should know we are in the middle of December now. The peak of our holiday season,” Roman states. Castiel rolls his eyes inwardly (he wouldn’t dare to actually roll them in front of his boss). Roman has absolutely no idea what the peak of the holiday season is or anything that has to do with the magazine beyond the profits. He doesn’t care about anything except the money coming in. It drives Castiel crazy sometimes with how little his boss cares about their work; he’s not even sure Roman knows his name. The only names he knows are Charlie, his assistant, and… 

Just then the door to the room opens interrupting Roman’s speech and Castiel’s inner thoughts. Castiel actually rolls his eyes for real, knowing exactly who would show up to the meeting late. Sure enough, Dean Winchester pulls a chair from the side and sits directly next to Castiel. The man shoves his jacket and bag underneath the table acting as if he didn't just disrupt everything happening around him. Dean then has the audacity to turn his full attention to Roman, acting like the perfect little worker he most definitely is not. In doing so, however,  he blocks part of Castiel’s view. With a slight slap to his arm and a death glare, Dean gets the message and scoots back slightly.

“Ah, Winchester, how nice of you to join us. Let me guess, another pregnant woman needed your help?” Roman asks sarcastically with a sneer firmly placed on his face. At least his boss doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of Dean either.

“No sir, it was a litter of kittens this time,” Dean answers with a cheeky grin. Castiel just rolls his eyes again. 

“I see. As I was saying, we are in the middle of our most popular season. Unfortunately, our numbers are down this year. I am expecting the best work on this next issue. Which shouldn't be an issue, as jobs are on the line if our expectations are not met.”

Protests sound from around the room, Dean and Castiel included. A raise of Roman’s hand quickly quiets everyone.

“I don’t want to hear your complaints. Just know that if you do your job correctly then you have nothing to worry about,” Roman continues with that same sneer. “With that, I leave you Charlie’s hands for assignment distribution for the next issue. Remember, this may be our last meeting with everyone present. Oh, and happy holidays or whatever.”

Roman walks out of the office with everyone’s eyes following him out. Once the door closes, all eyes snap directly to Charlie, who is now standing at the head of the table with a sheepish look on her face. 

“Are our jobs really on the line?” Someone across the table asks.

“Yes and no,” Charlie answers with a heavy sigh. She pulls something up on her tablet before turning her attention back to the group. “Our numbers are down. Yes, we are making cuts but not all of your jobs are on the line! Just some of them…”

More protests fill the air as Charlie trails off. Everyone is talking over each other trying to prove that they deserve their jobs more than their neighbor. 

“Okay enough!” Charlie’s voice rises above the noise. “It's not up to me who gets to keep their job! Just do yours and you will most likely keep it, got it? Unless a Christmas miracle helps us to work all these things out.”

When people grumble in response instead of more yelling, Charlie lets go of another heavy sigh before transforming into her normal cheery self. “Now who wants to know their assignments?”

Next to Castiel, Dean raises his hand, “Who got the Aspen assignment?”

Charlie gives him a bright smile that causes Castiel’s gut to clench. “You did!”

Dean fist pumps next to him as Castiel stares at Charlie in shock. “Him?! Why does he get the biggest assignment?”

“Now hold on a minute Castiel,” Charlie replies with a slight hesitation. “You are also on the Aspen assignment.”

“What!?” Dean and Castiel both exclaim looking between each other and Charlie. 

“I’ll talk to you two after,” Charlie says, proceeding to pass out the rest of the assignments to the other writers in the room.

Before Charlie can even exit the door, both Dean and Castiel are shoving their things into their bags and following the redhead out. They instantly start talking over the other pleading their case on why they are better than the other.

“Wait, we have two completely different writing styles!”

“Agreed! Clean and professional is optimal-”

“Readers prefer fun and interesting-”

“Whereas, messy and disorganized writing-”

“They’re just so boring and wordy!”

“Really? Boring and wordy?”

“Okay enough!” Charlie yells, causing the two men to stop in shock. Other people around stop to look at the trio, confusion marring their faces. “Listen to me, I am only going to say this once so you both better shut up and pay attention okay?”

They both nod their heads obediently. The redhead is a firey grudge-holder, and everyone knows to not get on her bad side.

“You two are going on this trip because you both are amazing writers. In fact, you two are the best writers we have here. We really need to get our numbers up and figure out what our audience wants. We do know that they don't want all of the hipster new age stuff anymore. Instead, we think they want stories about love and hope and they need the proof that the Christmas magic still exists! We want to know what they want. You two are so skilled in such different ways we thought it would be a good idea to pair you up for the same assignment. We need to see if the readers want the soft, warm, and historic, or do they want the fast, bold, and straight to the point?” Castiel scoffs at her words, but otherwise keeps quiet. “Which is why we are sending the both of you. Whoever brings in the most reader traffic is our most valuable writer!”

“And what happens to the person that doesn’t get the most traffic?” Dean asks hesitantly. For once Castiel is grateful for the other man's presence, asking the question that he doesn't want to ask.

“As I said, we all need a Christmas miracle,” Charlie states before turning on her heel and walking away. “Flight leaves at 1:00 PM sharp! Winchester, I don’t care how many kittens need saving, please don’t be late!”

“Yes ma’am!” Dean calls after her. 

Castiel rolls his eyes. Smartass, he thinks to himself.

“Novak!” Charlie’s voice carries from around the corner drawing Castiel’s attention. “I need to speak to you.”

With a slight huff, he ignores Dean’s curious look before walking after Charlie. When they reach her office, Castiel instantly starts to protest again.

“This is supposed to be my piece. Why am I getting sent to Aspen with the class clown?” 

“Will you stop it?” Charlie hisses at him. He grumbles but ultimately listens to his friend. Seeing the chair across from Charlie, he collapses in it letting out a long groan.

“Castiel? How are you?” Castiel squints at her confused. “I know this time of the year is tough for you.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, really I need to know Castiel. It's only been what?  A month or so since you and Ketch broke up? I know you were looking forward to meeting his family this year at Christmas.”

He debates whether to play it off as everything is fine or to give in and tell Charlie how miserable he actually has been the last few weeks. Knowing the fact that his job is on the line with this Aspen piece and that if he told her the truth she would most likely take him off of it, he decides to play the part of a “not completely heartbroken writer who is very excited for the holiday season”.

“Charlie, I’m serious, I’m fine. This is never the best time of the year for me, but I think that is why I need to go out and do this Aspen piece. It’ll take my mind off things for a while,” He says, somewhat convincingly he feels like. If Charlie's suspicious stare is anything to go off of though, maybe it wasn’t as convincing a play as he thought it’d be.

She must decide on something because her face lights up with an idea. “You know what I think? I think it’ll be good for you to meet someone new! Maybe someone in Colorado.” She does a little eyebrow wiggle that totally does not suit her in the slightest. “You need to be open to try new things! Let your hair down and enjoy life for once!”

Castiel looks at her, confused, and dryly states, “Charlie, I don’t have hair that I can let down.”

“Oh, you know I meant that figuratively! Now get out of here, I have to do Roman’s work for him,” Charlie shoos him out of her office, already turning her full attention to the screen in front of her.

With a huff, Castiel walks out and around the corner where he immediately runs into Dean Winchester. Literally runs into him. Castiel stumbles back until a strong hand grips his elbow pulling him in slightly. He finds himself chest to chest with Dean and his eyes fixed on his lips. Quickly realizing what he’s doing Castiel steps back and clears his throat before sending a death glare to the man in front of him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to affect Dean at all since the man is still standing there staring at him. 

“What was that about?” He asks, and Castiel doesn’t know if he’s talking about what just happened between them or something else. “What did Charlie have to say to you?”

Ah good, Castiel relaxes slightly before remembering that Dean is his competition and is just fishing for information. 

“Regrettably, we are still sharing this article and going to Aspen together,” Castiel grumbles. 

“Regrettably? Who even talks like that?” Dean scoffs. 

Bristling at the comment, Castiel starts striding down the hallway towards the elevator. Dean, of course, decides to follow, which just causes Castiel to bristle more. 

“Wait! Aspen’s a big place, plus I will probably be on the slopes the whole time anyway, how about we just agree to stay out of each other’s way, and then there won’t be any issues. Sounds good?” Dean offers. 

Surprisingly, that actually doesn’t sound too bad. “Deal. The less time we are forced together, the better,” Castiel answers. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go home and pack.”

“Pack? We don’t leave until tomorrow!” Dean protests.

How is he even my competition? Castiel wonders to himself as the elevator doors close between them.

The next morning Castiel finds himself wandering around his apartment triple-checking his list. Just as he’s satisfied he has everything, there’s a knock on his door. He checks his watch; he has four hours until his flight takes off. Perfect. His ride has arrived. Castiel walks over with his suitcase rolling behind him and a smile on his face. 

That smile fades instantly when he opens the door and comes face to face with his ex, Arthur Ketch. 

“Ah, good, Castiel you’re here!” Ketch says with a big smile on his face. He walks into the apartment without waiting for an invitation and Castiel stands there watching him confused. When Ketch notices Castiel’s bags he asks, “Going somewhere?”

“Yes. To the airport,” Castiel replies automatically. “Um, why are you here?”

“Ah yes! I seem to be missing my lucky tie and am hoping it’s here! I need it for the big family and friends Christmas dinner this year,” Ketch explains, clapping his hands together. 

Castiel immediately curses himself for even having an ounce of hope that Ketch actually came back for him and not some dumb tie. 

“Second drawer on the left,” he replies with a heavy sigh. 

Ketch smiles wide and heads off to the bedroom in search of his precious tie. Castiel stands by the still-open door, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He can feel a headache already forming and he hasn’t even left his apartment yet. It’s going to be a very long day. Attempting to distract himself, Castiel takes in the apartment around him. The two of them used to live there together. During that time the apartment was very bland and impersonal. Ketch didn’t like any personal touches or family pictures or anything of that kind. They kept the generic furniture and artwork that came with the place. 

When Ketch broke it off between them, he was the one to move out. This worked in Castiel’s favor. He’s not sure what he would have done if he had to search for a completely new place on his own. Instead, he took the opportunity of living on his own to decorate the apartment exactly how he wanted to decorate it. Since it was the holiday season, that meant Christmas decorations. He strung up lights over the windows, festive plates in the kitchen on display, and even salt and pepper shakers in the shape of a jolly Santa. It made him happier at the time and it helps a little bit now to know that this is his place and his place only. 

“Ah perfect! The pocket square is here too!” Ketch exclaims from the other room bringing Castiel back to the present and causing him to roll his eyes. The other man walks out of the room still smiling as if this is completely normal and not awkward at all. He frowns slightly when he looks at Castiel then opens his mouth again. “Going somewhere?”

Castiel looks at him in disbelief. Didn’t he literally just say he was going to the airport? Apparently, Castiel took too long to reply or Ketch really doesn’t care at all, because Ketch waltzed right out the door with a slight wave and a half-hearted thanks before Castiel could answer. 

Taking a few minutes to get himself back under control, Castiel takes one last look at his festive apartment and goes through one of his breathing exercises. Once he feels calmer and is absolutely sure Ketch would be gone, he walks out his door and locks it behind him. His cab is waiting for him when he reaches the street, and then he’s off to the airport at last. 

— — — 

“He shoots! And he scores!” Dean exclaims as he tosses a shirt into his duffle bag. He wanders around his cramped apartment sniffing shirts as he goes trying to find something clean. Normally he’s not this bad, he used to pride himself on a clean and neat apartment. When he first moved into the place it was a complete dump but living in New York is expensive as hell and it was all he could afford at the time. Eventually, he put in the time and money (when he had it) into making it look halfway decent and now he's pretty proud of the place he lives. For how much he pays rent, Dean’s got quite a large apartment which he absolutely loves. Although right now you wouldn’t be able to tell with all the junk and trash laying around. Unfortunately, work has gotten more and more hectic the last couple of years and he has slacked off on his organization skills. Something he regrets immensely right now since it's hard to distinguish between his clean and dirty laundry. On the bright side, there is always some kind of take out leftovers to be found in his fridge!

Finally, with his bag fully packed, Dean checks the time to see he has exactly an hour and a half until his flight takes off. Perfect timing. He grabs an apple (don’t tell Sammy) and heads out the door to call for a taxi. He would give anything to drive his Baby, but there is no way in hell he is leaving his beauty of a car in the airport parking lot for a week. Making a promise to himself to take her for a long drive when he gets back to the city Dean hops into the first cab he finds and is off to the airport.

He checks in and gets through security without a hitch, soon finding himself staring at the gate for his flight. People have already started to board, but he still has some time. Looking around he spots one of those cheesy gift stores all airports have and he heads over immediately. Dean rifles through some magazines, coming across a Busty Asian Beauties his attention is piqued, but then he remembers he's about to get on a plane with no privacy whatsoever... Instead, he grabs a magazine featuring classic cars, figuring that is the safer option. Something else catches his attention and he makes sure to handle that before checking out. 

A few minutes later Dean boards the very small plane and searches for his seat. He spies Castiel sitting already, dude has probably been waiting at the airport for a few hours, and notices his spot is right next to him. Just his luck. And it's the window seat, even better. Dean tosses his jacket in his seat before stuffing his duffel into the overhead compartments. He then squeezes between his coworker and the chair in front (they seriously give you no room in these things) accidentally shoving his butt in Castiel’s face.

“Seriously? Of course, she put our seats together,” Castiel grumbles. Dean, being the much more mature one out of the two, decides to ignore the rude comment and settle into his seat instead. He stares out the window before promptly shutting the cover. “This flight takes off in less than five minutes, are you seriously just getting here?”

Dean glances over at Castiel and takes in the pristine white button-down and pressed slacks paired with his typical blue tie, which is never tied correctly, today is no different. One would think the guy was going to a very important meeting, not sitting on a plane for a couple hours heading to a luxury resort in Colorado.

“I ran into a cute girl at the gift shop,” Dean answers with a smirk.

Castiel rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath, “Unbelievable.”

Dean chuckles, “She wanted a piece of my chocolate bar! And trust me it takes a lot of charm for me to be willing to share my chocolate with someone.”

“Oh I bet, did you get her number?” Castiel sasses back, taking Dean by surprise. He didn’t think the man had it in him with always being so stuffy and uptight around the office.

“You think you know me, don’t you?” Dean asks, slightly offended.

“You’re really not that complicated,” Castiel replies with one of those ‘all-knowing’ looks the guy has mastered.

Just then movement in the aisle draws their attention and a young girl around the age of six and missing one of her front teeth is looking at him with a big smile, “Thanks for sharing your chocolate with me mister.”

The sight melts Dean’s heart and, with a genuine smile of his own, he replies, “No problem sweetheart! Have a good flight.”

The girl continues down the aisle with her parents giving him a grateful look as they pass. Dean smirks at the bewildered look on Castiel’s face before settling back down into his seat and ignoring the other man's questioning looks. The captain's voice comes through the speakers announcing they will be taking off in a few minutes. Dean’s hands grip the armrest at the thought and he tries to calm his heart rate. He has done this countless times before and nothing bad has ever happened, so there is no reason to freak out.

Except the fact that he will be hurtling through the sky in a flying metal deathtrap in just a few minutes.

Dean can feel someone’s gaze on him but he refuses to take his eyes off the seat in front of him. He starts counting his breathing. In for six, hold for four, out for six. He repeats the motions as the engines turn on and the plane starts to move. His eyes squeeze shut and his grip tightens on the armrest.

“Are you afraid of flying?” Castiel’s gravely voice sounds from next to him.

“Cas, now is really not the time,” Dean replies through gritted teeth not even registering the nickname. Thankfully Castiel doesn’t comment further and Dean can suffer through takeoff in a somewhat peaceful manner. Once the plane has leveled out and is flying smoothly through the air, Dean relaxes minutely. He opens his eyes, squinting at the harsh light. 

“Are you alright?” Cas asks from his side. Dean can hear genuine concern in the man’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine as long as there is no turbulence.”

“The captain did say that we are in for a bumpy flight due to some weather,” Castiel (un)helpfully provides. Dean’s glare is his only response.

To distract himself further from his impending doom of falling out of the sky Dean takes out his old, seriously this thing is ancient, football video game. He plays the game ignoring the continuous beeping and the annoyed glances from his coworker. 

“Do you seriously have to play that right now?” Cas asks, agitated.

“It's keeping me distracted so yes I do seriously have to play this right now,” Dean replies with equal agitation in his voice. Can’t the guy just leave him and his misery alone?

“What are you even doing?”

“You ever heard of football before, Cas?” Dean asks, his tone dripping in sarcasm.

“It's Castiel. And yes I have heard of football before.” Dean can hear the eye-roll he knows Castiel just did. The game does its job of distracting him for a while but then the whole cabin shakes and Dean drops the game to his lap before gripping the armrests in another death grip. A literary of curse words slip out of his mouth while the plane continues getting blown side to side by powerful bursts of wind. 

A sensation on his hand draws his attention and he opens his eyes he didn't realize were clenched shut and sees Castiel’s hand covering his own. Once he registers that his other senses come back online. Dean can start to make out quiet words next to him and he tries to focus on what the voice is saying.

“It’s alright Dean. Breath with me. In for six… Out for six… Good, now do it again,” Castiel’s gravelly voice encourages. Dean forces himself to breathe in deep listening to Cas’ instructions and soon he finds himself calming down enough to loosen his hold on the armrests. Castiel's hand remains on his and surprisingly Dean finds it comforting.

“Better?”

Dean looks over and finds genuine concern in Castiel's blue (holy cow those are really blue) eyes. There’s no pity or disgust that Dean normally finds with people he sits next to on planes. Usually, the person sitting next to him ends up looking at him like he's a complete freak and can’t wait to get off the plane once it lands. Castiel doesn’t look like that though. Dean takes a few seconds to study the other man. He takes in the blue eyes paired with the messy dark hair. For how put together Cas always tries to be his hair is always a mess as if he can’t keep his fingers from running through it. Dean struggles at that moment to not do just that himself. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. Thanks, man,” Dean says genuinely.

Castiel must believe him because he removes his hand from Dean’s, and Dean does not immediately miss the small comfort that provided thank you very much. They return to silence, Castiel listening to something on his phone, probably a podcast or audiobook, and Dean staring at the seat in front of him still unable to do much else. It doesn’t take long for the plane to hit another patch of turbulence and Dean immediately locks up again.

“Alright tell me how to play this dumb game,” Castiel says next to him, picking up the discarded videogame from Dean’s lap. Dean stares at him in confusion not quite knowing what to do. “Come on! What do I do?”

Figuring out Castiel is being serious about learning how to play the game Dean gives him a quick rundown of the basic controls and pretty soon Cas figures it out. Surprising Dean, the dude is actually pretty good and gets the hang of it pretty quickly. He also gets very cocky pretty quickly. Soon enough Castiel is cheering himself on and celebrating each time he gets a touchdown. Dean sits there in shock as he watches his high score (that he has held since he was twelve) disappear right before his eyes. How the hell did Cas just do that?

“Hello ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking and I wanted to inform all of you that the storm we are passing through is much worse than we originally intended and are going to have to make an emergency landing in Santa Claus, Indiana immediately. Please stay calm and fasten your seatbelts, we will be on the ground in fifteen minutes.”

Dean looks up in a panic. Bad storm? Emergency landing? He looks up at the ceiling where he believes the oxygen masks are supposed to fall down, but they aren’t falling! Why aren’t they falling? Oh god, he can’t breathe. He needs that oxygen mask. Dean starts hitting the ceiling hoping the damn masks will fall eventually. 

Strong hands grip his wrists and pin his arms to his lap. Still in a panic Dean turns his head to see what is stopping him. He comes face to face with big blue eyes and plush pink lips mouthing something. Dean focuses all of his attention on the pair of lips trying to make out what they're trying to say.

“Dean?”

Dean. That's his name.

“Can you hear me?” 

No. Dean shakes his head, still focused on the lips.

“Can you breathe?”

No. Dean shakes his head again.

“In for six… Out for six…”

Deep breath in. One, two, three, four, five, six. Deep breath out. One, two, three, four, five, six.

“Good, Dean, that's good.”

Dean does it again. In… and out… 

“Good, Dean, that's very good. Can you hear me now?”

Yes. Dean nods his head. Finally able to take in his surroundings again Dean forces his eyes away from the pair of lips and instead focuses on a pair of bright blue eyes. 

“There you are,” Cas says smiling. “Everythings okay, I promise.”

“Captain said emergency though,” Dean protests when he finally finds his voice.

“Emergency landing. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with the plane, it just means they are being forced to land somewhere they weren’t intending to,” Castiel explains in a patient voice.

“Where?”

“I think he said Santa Claus, Indiana.”

“Indiana?” Dean parrots. He feels another burst of panic start to creep in, but this time it has absolutely nothing to do with the plane.

“Really Dean? I tell you we are landing in a town literally called Santa Claus and you focus on the Indiana part?” Castiel asks, disbelief clear on his face. Dean chooses to ignore the question and focus back on the seat in front of him. Soon he will be back on solid ground and he can deal with everything else later.

— — —

Castiel had no idea that Dean was afraid of flying. The man always seems so fearless in all the things he does. Seeing him in such a panic and so vulnerable kind of broke Castiel’s heart. He did everything he could to help. Going through breathing exercises and trying to distract Dean by playing his stupid video game, which Castiel did actually enjoy, just don’t tell the other man. After the captain announced the emergency landing it took every ounce of willpower Castiel had to not just pull Dean into his arms like his instincts were telling him to do. Instead, he tried the breathing again and focused on Dean’s eyes. Bright green eyes that are usually so full of mischief and amusement, now filled with fear. Eventually, they cleared up and Dean’s panic seemed to lessen. 

By the time they landed, Dean seemed to be doing okay. He still practically sprinted off the plane and just about kissed the ground but that was better than having another panic attack on the plane. The two men follow the rest of the crowd into the small airport and make their way to the service desk. The wait takes forever and Castiel swears it takes them at least ten minutes to move just one spot forward. Castiel can feel Dean getting restless behind him and he just hopes they can get on the next flight out to Aspen. The sooner the better. No matter what happened between the two of them earlier on the plane doesn’t matter, they still have an article to write and are each other's competition. They don't even like each other! 

Or at least they didn’t like each other.

Castiel isn’t sure how to feel about Dean anymore. He surprised him by giving his chocolate to the sweet young girl on the plane and then they had some kind of moment back on the plane. No, Dean was having a panic attack and Castiel helped him through it. That's all it was. There was no moment. Castiel scowls inwardly. He forces himself to remember they have work to do and they are not friends.

When they reach the front of the line Castiel lets Dean do the talking since he is better with people and hopefully the lady at the desk will fall for his charm. No such luck. When Dean strikes out Cas pushes forward to speak to the lady himself.

“Hello, we really need to get on the next flight to Aspen. We have work to do and our jobs are on the line, so it is imperative we get there immediately,” Castiel states with what he hopes is a friendly smile. His people skills are rusty though so he's not quite sure what he looks like. Apparently, it didn’t work though because the lady behind the counter gives him a flat look.

“Like I already told your buddy here, all flights in and out are canceled until the storm lets up, so I suggest you find somewhere to stay for the night and try again tomorrow,” She replies with one of those smiles that customer service workers have mastered. The one that looks friendly but you just know they are ready to flip any second now. Castiel knows since he used to have that smile memorized when he used to have to work at the local gas-and-sip when he was in college.

Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel sees Dean reach across the counter with a twenty dollar bill under his hand. Dean winks at the employee and gives one of his winning smiles as one last-ditch effort to get on a flight out of this place.

“Yeah no,” she says and her smile fades. Castiel recognizes it as the dismissal it is and gives her a tight smile. Dean doesn’t take it that way though. The other man starts to protest but is cut off when she turns a death glare on him. “I suggest you find somewhere to stay or wish for a Christmas miracle.”

Finally accepting defeat, Dean and Castiel leave the counter.

“Christmas miracle my ass,” Dean mumbles under his breath. Castiel can’t help but chuckle slightly. Yeah, a Christmas miracle would be real nice right about now.

They find a couple chairs to sit and set their stuff on. Castiel immediately goes on his phone and starts looking up places they can stay. The first few places he calls tell him they are completely booked for that night. With a frustrated huff, Castiel falls into the chair next to Dean. 

“Nothing?”

“Everyone is full,” Castiel sighs. He closes his eyes at the early prickles of a headache starting to form. “Maybe we really do need a…”

“Cas I swear if you or one more person says anything about a stupid Christmas miracle I am going to lose it,” Dean cuts him off. Castiel can’t blame the other man for his frustrations, so he lets it go. They’re both too busy stewing in their own thoughts to notice the sweet elderly woman walking their way.

“Oh I don’t think I’ve seen such sad faces since the Christmas without snow,” she says quietly. “What seems to be the matter?”

Castiel snaps his head up at the voice, but Dean is the one to answer. “We’re supposed to be flying to Colorado, but all flights are canceled so now we're stuck here with nowhere to stay.”

“Oh my, that is a bummer. Here, have a candy cane to make things a little better.” 

Dean happily accepts and his mood brightens immediately. Sometimes Castiel wishes a simple candy cane would make everything better again. He accepts one anyway and puts it in his pocket to save for later.

“You wouldn’t happen to know of any place with an open room would you?” Castiel asks. The woman looks local so maybe she knows of a small motel that will have a vacancy.

The way her face lights up gives Castiel hope. 

“Yes, I do! My husband and I run a small inn and we definitely have room for you two,” She says with a smile on her face. Relief rushes through Castiel and he finally feels like he can relax for a minute. They have a place to stay, this is good. “There he is now! Chris! These two gentlemen need a place to stay for the night and I thought they could stay at the inn!”

“Oh, that is a wonderful idea!” An older gentleman says when he joins them. Castiel takes in the snow-white beard and the red coat covering a bit of a belly. Paired with the friendly smile and rosy cheeks Castiel likes him immediately. 

“I didn’t even catch your names!” The woman says again looking at them apologetically.

“Castiel Novak,” he states while holding out a hand for them both to shake.

“Hi, I’m Dean,” Dean says, extending his own hand.

“Dean and Castiel so nice to meet you two. My name is Carol Winters and this is my husband Chris!” 

“I’ll go get Rudolph and we can take them to the inn,” Mr. Winters says happily before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

“Rudolph?” Dean asks, confused. “Like the reindeer?”

“No silly, Rudolph is our car!” Mrs. Winters points out the window towards what appears to be an old Volkswagen painted bright red.

“Awesome!” Dean says excitedly grabbing his bags and hurrying out of the small airport. With a heavy sigh, Castiel grabs his bags and follows the others outside.

Half an hour later, they pull up to a beautiful historic inn that captures Castiel’s heart immediately. With the fresh layer of snow covering the surrounding area, the inn looks festive and cozy. When they walk inside it's like they have entered an alternate universe. Castiel can count at least ten Christmas trees just in the entrance. There are lights and garland hung all over the grand staircase and windows. The sight is breathtaking, a little overwhelming, but truly amazing.

Mr. and Mrs. Winters lead them up the stairs giving them a few fun facts about the building that has been there since the early 1800s. Castiel even sees two more trees at the top of the stairs. The sight makes him smile.

“Luckily for you two, we have the Mistletoe Suite available!” Mrs. Winters exclaims, clapping her hands together happily.

“Wait, suite?” Dean asks. “We’re not together.”

Castiel doesn’t know why a pang of hurt shoots through him at those words. They're true after all. Dean and him aren’t even friends.

“Is it possible to get two separate rooms?” Castiel asks, refusing to look at Dean. Mr. and Mrs. Winters share a look causing Castiel’s stomach to drop.

“I’m sorry, boys, this is the only room we have available tonight.” Mrs. Winters explains. She looks so worried that Castiel accepts his fate of sharing a room with Dean. Dean must come to the same conclusion because he sighs then offers a small smile to the Winters. 

“That's alright Carol,” Dean says. “We can make it work, right Cas?”

“Um, yes we can make it work.”

“We have a roll away cot I can bring in for you guys, if that'll make it better?” Mrs. Winters suggests with a hopeful smile.

The two men share a look then nod their heads knowing that will be best.

“That’ll be great, thank you,” Castiel says before walking into the room they were brought to.

It’s a beautiful room. The floors are covered in a light shade carpet with dark hardwood furniture and a king-sized bed taking up the majority of the space. The walls are painted a calming blue-gray that matches well with everything. There are Christmas decorations throughout the room and, of course, another tree is in the corner strung up with lights. Castiel hears Dean behind him and the panic starts to set in. How is he supposed to share a room with Dean Winchester? Before either men can say anything, Mr. Winters appears in the doorway with a small roll-away mattress that doesn’t look comfortable at all. 

“Here you go, gentlemen. It’s late, so I'll leave you two to get settled in for the night, breakfast is around 8:00 but you have free access to the kitchen at any time,” He says with a jolly smile before backing out of the room, closing the door on his way out. 

With the door closed and silence falling over the room Castiel waits for something, anything, to happen. Luckily Dean takes action by moving the roll away to an empty space. He sets it up then sets his bag on it which confuses Castiel. Wouldn’t Dean want the bed?

“You can take the bed, I don’t mind taking the roll away.” Dean explains basically reading Castiel’s mind.

“Are you sure?” Castiel really doesn’t want to sleep on the roll away but it would be rude of him to force it on Dean.

“Yeah, not a problem. I’ve slept on worse and it's only one night. Not a big deal.” He sounds convincing enough so Castiel doesn't argue anymore and sets his own bag on the king sized bed. Dean grabs his toiletries and heads into the attached bath shutting the door behind him. Castiel uses the time alone to sit on the bed and take in the events of the day. As much as he loves the small inn they’re staying at he really wants to get to Aspen so he can write his article. There is only so much time before Charlie wants it posted on Christmas day and they’ve already lost a whole day. Not having things go to his plan is one of Castiel’s greatest pet peeves. He likes things organized and planned out to the very last detail. 

Before his thoughts spiral any more the bathroom door opens and Dean steps out wearing the most ridiculous pair of pajamas he has ever seen. It's a matching set, collared shirt and pants, with green and red stripes running down.

“What are you wearing?” Castiel can’t help but ask. When he thinks of what Dean sleeps in (which he never actually thinks about!) it most certainly isn’t whatever he has on now.

“What? You don't like it?” Dean asks incredulously. “Yours are waiting for you in the bathroom.”

That confuses Castiel. Did Dean bring them matching pajamas? “What do you mean?”

“Complementary pajamas Cas! And let me tell you, they are the most comfy things I have ever had. It’s like I’m wearing nothing when really I am!” Dean replies with one of his winning smiles. 

“Yeah no I’m not wearing that.”

Dean shrugs as he sets up his bed, “Suit yourself man, but you're really missing out.”

Castiel rolls his eyes and grabs his own toiletries and change of clothes before moving into the bathroom. He shuts the door and sure enough hanging on the back of the door is his own set of green and red striped pajamas. Shaking his head Castiel decides to take a quick shower to rinse off the stale airplane scent. He goes through the rest of his normal nightly routine and then returns to the main room. Dean is curled up on his side facing the wall and appears to already be asleep. Castiel crawls into the bed which feels way too big compared to his full back at his apartment. Sleep takes a while to come, but eventually he falls into a dreamless sleep.

 — — —

Dean slept like crap.

It took him forever to get comfortable on the small mattress, so different from his amazing memory foam mattress he has back at his apartment. The bed creaked everytime he moved causing him to flinch hoping he didn't wake up Cas. Cas. The way the man had looked at the thing when Chris rolled it in told Dean that the man really didn't want to sleep on the old thing, probably as old as the buildings itself, so Dean just took it upon himself to claim the roll away. Honestly it was the least he could do after Cas helped him calm down on the plane. When Cas had come out of the bathroom the night before, Dean pretended to be asleep so that Cas wouldn’t ask if he was okay. 

The bed may have not been comfortable but damn those complementary pajamas are the most comfortable things he has ever worn. 

By the time seven o’clock rolled around Dean was ready to give up any pretext of sleeping so he rolled off the roll away and straight into the bathroom. He took a quick shower, which he regretted not doing the night before, then changed into a comfy pair of jeans and a henley. When he walked back out he saw Castiel still fast asleep on the amazing king sized bed. Dean took a minute to take in the other man.

He looked so peaceful in his sleep. All of the stress lines Dean is used to seeing on his forehead are smoothed out. Cas looks five years younger. Don't even get Dean started on the messy bed head. Cas’ hair is always a mess but it is never this much of a mess. It really makes Dean wonder how much effort he puts into taming his hair. It's only then that Dean realizes how much of a creep he is being. Shaking himself out of it with a slight scowl on his face Dean makes his way quietly out of the suite. 

Walking down the stairs he takes in the countless Christmas decorations. Last night he was completely overwhelmed and felt like he had just walked into a Christmas store that had exploded. There were trees everywhere. Lights hanging off of every available surface. Dean wouldn’t be surprised if he started hearing “All I Want For Christmas” any minute now. Instead Dean hears people moving around in one of the great rooms and he follows the noise.

There are people everywhere, way more than he thought could fit in the small inn. Some are sitting on the comfy looking couches reading the paper or a book. Others are in the small dining room already eating breakfast. Dean sees most of them with coffee and immediately perks up. He goes in search and almost jumps for joy when he finds the heavenly beverage. There are several different flavors available so he chooses a dark roast and adds a splash of creamer. 

“Holy mother that is good,” Dean moans when he takes his first sip. Maybe Carol will tell him where she got it so that he can take some home with him. It's seriously the best coffee he has ever tasted. 

“Good morning Dean!” Carol says from behind him.

Dean turns around and greets the elderly lady with his most charming smile. “Good morning Carol! I gotta ask, where did you get this coffee? It's amazing.”

“It's from a local shop here in town! I’ll give you the address later and you can go pick some up if you would like.”

“Yes please!” he exclaims, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Carol goes around to the other guests wishing them all a good morning and asking if they need anything. A quiet soothing bell sound comes from the next room over and Dean wanders over to figure out what's going on. He is greeted with one of the most beautiful sights he has ever seen. Tables filled with all the different kinds of breakfast foods you can think of, and not the cheap flavorless stuff you find at normal hotels. No this stuff is real and smells delicious. If it tastes half as good as it smells Dean is going to be in for a world of hurt. He can’t wait to eat everything.

Other guests make their way into the room grabbing plates as they go. Dean files into line behind them and starts planning on what he is going to eat first. Bacon. Bacon is first. He also spoons some potato cubes onto his plate then the french toast catches his eyes and he grabs a couple pieces. He notices some people in line for what looks like a made to order omelet station and he knows he will need one of those too. But there are also waffles and pancakes and cinnamon rolls and there are just too many options for him to choose from. 

Sensing his distraught Carol finds him again. “Oh Dean sweetie, the food isn’t going anywhere and you can have seconds if you'd like.”

He smiles at her gratefully before he takes his full plate to a nearby table. Not even a minute later and Carol brings by a fresh cup of coffee for him. When he takes a sip he is shocked to discover it is made perfectly. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Dean digs in and enjoys the best breakfast he has had in a very very long time.

By the time Castiel joins him Dean is working on his second plate. This one is filled with pancakes, some fruit, and yes, more bacon. Dean takes in the other man's appearance. He looks as put together as he normally does, no tie this morning and his hair is slightly more tame than when Dean saw him earlier. Cas also looks well rested unlike Dean who is still trying to get the krink out of his neck from sleeping on the roll away.

“Good morning sleeping beauty!” Dean greets only wincing slightly at the name.

“Morning,” Cas grumbles. Dean chuckles but quickly tries to cover it with a cough when Castiel sends him a look like he would smiteh him right then and there if he could.

“Not a morning person I take it?” Dean asks with a small smile playing on his lips.

“Coffee,” the other man all but demands.

Dean lights up, “Oh you are in for a treat! This is the best damn coffee I have ever had. How do you like it? I’ll get you some.”

“Two sugars,” Cas says and then as an afterthought. “Please?”

“You got it,” Dean gets up and heads to the coffee station. He adds the two sugars as requested and stirs until it dissolves. Careful not to spill any of the liquid gold, Dean makes his way back to the table where Cas appears to be waking up a little bit more.

“One coffee with two sugars!” Dean presents sitting back down in his seat. He watches Cas eagerly waiting to see his reaction. When Cas just starts chugging the drink down without appreciating any of the flavor Dean stares at him in disgust. 

“Thank you Dean,” Cas has the audacity to say as if he even put in any effort in enjoying the masterpiece Dean gave him.

“What is wrong with you?” He asks.

Castiel peers at him through narrowed eyes and tilts his head to the side slightly (which is not adorable in any way). “What do you mean?”

“I just gave you the best coffee this world has to offer and you just chugged it! Without appreciating any of it!” Dean exclaims, his voice a little louder than it needs to be.

“Oh.”

Dean waits for him to continue but all Cas does is stare at his now empty cup. With a frustrated huff Dean gets up and grabs the cup from Cas’ hand before heading back to the coffee station. When he returns with a fresh cup made the exact same way he sets it in front of Castiel. 

“Enjoy it this time instead of just inhaling it,” Dean grumbles.

“Thank you Dean,” Cas replies and actually takes a sip this time. He closes his eyes and hums in satisfaction. Dean smirks, satisfied himself, and returns his attention to the delicious meal sitting in front of him. The two men sit in silence, Dean eating and Castiel sipping his coffee. At some point Carol comes over with a plate of crepes topped with strawberries and whipped cream and some bacon for Castiel. He looks up and gives her a gummy smile in thanks before taking a bite of bacon. Just as Dean is about to take his own bite of bacon Chris comes their way with a concerned look on his face which causes Dean to pause.

This can’t be good.

“Good morning gentlemen,” he greets. “I have some bad news for you fellas. The storm moved South and is hitting Colorado quite hard right now so they aren’t allowing in flights anytime soon. It sounds like you two are snowed in and may be stuck here for some time longer. On the bright side, all this fresh snow is perfect for a sleigh ride!”

Dean’s stomach drops at the news, not the sleigh ride part that actually sounds pretty awesome.  How is he supposed to write the article that will literally make or break his career if he can't even get to the destination he's supposed to reach? With his appetite officially gone Dean pushes his plate away. Castiel must feel the same since he also pushes his half finished breakfast further away from himself.

“Thank you Mr. Winters,” Castiel replies with a sad smile. 

“This may not be a luxury resort in Aspen, but the Winters inn is the place to be if you need to be somewhere, you’ll see.” Carol says with a wink. “You’re lucky you’re here for our last year too.”

Castiel frowns slughty, “What do you mean your last year? Are you shutting it down?”

“Not by choice, dear.” Carol continues. “Developers have been after this place for years, but since this place is considered a historical landmark they haven't been able to touch it.”

“What changed?” Dean asks.

“They made a case that since the inn was founded by a fictional character that the license isn’t valid so they got permission to tear it down.” 

Fictional character? Dean thinks confused. Cas must also be confused because they share a look before Dean nods his head slightly to the unasked question.

“Who founded the inn?” Castiel asks. Dean is impressed he is able to keep any disbelief or anything else that may come across hurtful from his tone. He himself would have scoffed and probably hurt Carol’s feelings.

“Well old St. Nick of course!” She exclaims like it's obvious. And maybe it should have been with the town being called Santa Claus after all and this place looks like Christmas threw up everywhere. “Back in 1832 St. Nick founded this place and declared it a historical landmark. Ever since then the building has been standing proud and strong.”

“I’m sorry to hear about the inn closing down Mrs. Winters,” Castiel says sincerely. Dean nods his head in agreement. Even if he doesn’t believe her completely it is sad to see the inn go down so that a new more modern hotel can take its place. 

She leaves them be to finish their breakfast but neither make a move to continue eating. Dean knows what they need to do next but he is really dreading doing it. The two writers look at each other and Dean can tell they’re on the same page. They need to call Charlie.

Well Charlie is no help whatsoever. 

During their phone call they informed her that they can’t make it to Aspen due to a blizzard and are stuck in Indiana. When Castiel informed her that they were in fact in Santa Claus, Indiana Charlie literally squealed. She is so excited for them and truly believes that there is a story for them to write in this little Christmas town. Charlie tells them they have to stay there for the next week or until they get their articles done. With her typical “Peace out Bitches” she ends the call leaving Dean and Castiel staring at each other in shock. 

“Now what?” Dean asks dumbly. 

“We write our articles,” Cas states. 

Well duh. 

“Yeah okay,” Dean turns on his heels and walks out of the inn needing to find something to do before he goes stir crazy. Luckily the inn isn’t too far out of the downtown area so Dean stuffs his hands in his pockets and sets off into the brisk winter air. 

 — — —

Castiel finds himself hunkering down in the small library the inn offers. There are several books about the history of the town and the inn itself. He’s hoping something will strike his interest and give him an idea of what he wants to write for his article. The origin of the town is fascinating, but he has no idea how he could turn the information he has found into an interesting article for their readers. Then there is what Mrs. Winters told them at breakfast about the founding of the inn and honestly the more he reads the more it seems to be more possible. He has to remind himself that Santa isn’t really real and he has absolutely nothing to write about.

With a frustrated huff Castiel shoves the book away. He removes his thick dark framed glasses and rubs at his eyes trying to get his headache to disappear. Normally he tries to avoid wearing his glasses but his contacts were irritating him earlier. Of course, that is the moment Dean chooses to come back to the inn. Castiel sees him pause in the entryway holding a to go coffee cup staring at him. So he stares back thankful he took off his glasses, he doesn’t need another thing Dean will make fun of him for. 

“Please tell me you’re not just sitting here reading about this place when you could be out there experiencing it?” Dean finally says walking into the cozy sitting room Castiel has been in for the last few hours. 

“I’m doing research for the article. You know the one we both have to write or we lose our jobs?” Castiel snarks back. 

“Yeah I know what’s on the line here, but seriously there is a whole town out there to explore and you haven’t even left the inn!” Dean argues. He’s not wrong. Castiel hasn’t even stepped foot outside but there are so many books in the inn for him to read and it’s easier to do his research and write in the same place at the same time. Apparently getting impatient of waiting for an answer Dean continues. “Alright I’ll bite. Tell me one interesting fact that you’ve learned from reading your stupid books.”

Castiel rolls his eyes, “No. Go do your own research.”

“What do you think this is?” Dean asks holding up his to go cup. 

“Coffee.”

“Not just coffee Cas. The best damn coffee ever, this stuff is magical.”

“I thought you said the coffee here is the best,” Castiel says with narrowed eyes and a slightly raised eyebrow. 

“It’s the same coffee. Carol gets it from a local shop that roast their own beans right in house,” Dean explains with so much passion that it takes Castiel by surprise. 

“Are you going to write your article about the best coffee then?”

“Maybe!” Dean agrees. “At least it's something the majority of the population will relate too and can actually experience.”

Castiel huffs in disbelief. Charlie would never accept an article written only about coffee. This article is supposed to be about the Christmas spirit and joy of the holidays. Not an every day beverage. 

“Don’t believe me huh? Alright fine, tell me that fact that you’ve learned from your stupid books.”

“Ok first of all, books are not stupid,” Dean rolls his eyes which Castiel ignores and continues. “And second, I don’t have to tell you anything!”

“That’s because you haven’t found anything.”

Castiel knows the other man is goading him and dammit he knows he is going to fall for it.

“Fine. There is an old legend that back in the early 1800s Santa crashed his sleigh in this very spot. He fell in love with the town and surrounding areas so he decided to make this place his home. Every year, at midnight, when Christmas Eve changes to Christmas day if you look up into the sky you’ll see a good streak of light flying through the air which is Santa on his sleigh heading out to deliver all the presents to the good boys and girls of the world. The catch is, that only those who truly believe will see the light in the sky”

The smile on Castiel’s face when he finishes is wistful. He knows it's just a legend but the history behind it is fascinating. When he looks back at Dean he finds disbelief written all over the other man’s face. Dean opens his mouth to speak, but Castiel cuts him off, “I know you’re going to say its just some dumb rumor and Santa isn’t real, but its part of the towns history and a lot of people love legends like this.”

Thankfully Dean just holds his hands up in surrender and doesn’t say a word. They study each other for  who knows how long, it could be minutes or hours, Castiel has no idea. Then a slow smile starts to spread across Dean’s face which confuses Castiel. He tilts his head in question waiting for Dean to speak.

“Put the book away, I want to show you something.”

“What? Why?” Castiel says automatically setting the book aside.

“Just come on,” Dean replies heading towards the door he just came in not too long ago. With a frown Castiel gets up to follow grabbing his trench coat from the back of the coach on his way. The cold winter air hits him hard and he instantly starts to shiver. Dean hands him his surprisingly still full and hot coffee cup. He takes it gratefully letting the heat seep through to his hands and brings the cup up to his face to relish in the delicious smell of coffee. “You can drink it too, you know?”

Castiel turns and sees a smirk on Dean’s lips, but he does as he is told and takes a sip. The sweet liquid hits his tongue and he realizes it is made exactly how he likes it. Confused, he looks back at Dean as they walk. “You drink your coffee with two sugars too?”

“What? No. I do a splash of cream.”

“Then why does this taste like it's made with sugar?” Castiel asks.

“That's because it is,” Dean answers simply. Castiel tilts his head in question. “I brought that back for you dumbass. It's how you like it right?”

“Yes,” he replies, still confused. Why would Dean bring him back coffee? And why does that make him so happy? The fact that Dean already knows his coffee order surprises him. Maybe he just remembers it from the morning and will forget tomorrow but still. Even after dating Ketch for two years the man never knew how to make Castiel's coffee right. They walk in silence for a while, Castiel lost in his own thoughts until he notices Dean stopping. He takes in what's around him and finds they are at an ice skating rink filled with people going around in circles.

“What are we doing here?” Castiel asks.

“What does it look like?” Dean opens his arms gesturing to the rink.

“You want to ice skate?”

“Um yeah! Come on it’ll be fun!” the other man says grabbing onto Castiel’s arm and leading him to a small building at the edge of the rink.

“Dean I don't know how to ice skate,” Castiel protests, really not wanting to go on a sheet of ice just to fall on his ass.

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.” Dean replies with an easy smile.

“Dean…”

“Cas, trust me alright?” Green eyes bore into his blue ones. Castiel gets lost in the sunny forest for a moment before nodding his head and letting Dean pull him to the rental counter.

It only takes fives seconds for Castiel to fall right on his ass and have Dean laughing at him. He glowers at the other man refusing to get up, honestly he doesn’t even think he could if he wanted to, and Dean just laughs harder. So Castiel does the only thing he can think of that will make the situation better. He pouts. 

“Aw Cas man don’t be like that! It happens to everyone,” Dean tries to be comforting and reassuring but he’s still laughing so the effect is ruined. He does reach a hand out to help Castiel up though. Castiel, still being butthurt (literally), decides to have some fun and pulls Dean down to the ice with him. Luckily Dean just continues laughing which causes Castiel to laugh and he can’t even remember the last time he genuinely laughed at something. 

“Yeah I probably deserved that!” Dean exclaims once they calm down a bit. “Come on big guy, let's get you up and skating.”

Surprising himself, Castiel manages to get up and stay on his skates for a while. Dean is right there to grip on to if Castiel ever feels unsteady and the man never complains. Sometimes Dean will skate backwards or go in circles around Castiel but he never leaves him to go faster. Castiel is very thankful for that. He doesn’t know if he would feel the little sliver of confidence he has on the ice if Dean wasn’t right there to catch him before he fell. 

“Where did you learn to skate?” He asks when his curiosity gets the best of him.

“My mom taught me when I was a kid,” Dean replies easily. “We used to go every winter back in Kansas. She loved the feeling being on the ice gave her. It was like a whole different world and she was so happy whenever we went.”

“That's beautiful Dean.”

“Yeah… I miss her,” Dean says with a sad smile. 

“What happened?” Castiel asks before he can stop himself.

“She died when I was fifteen. Cancer. It happened quick which i guess I’m thankful for since she didn't suffer long but damn it was hard,” The green-eyed man says and Castiel can hear the pain in his voice. Without second-guessing himself, Castiel reaches out a hand and grabs hold of Dean’s. He gives a tight squeeze which gets a squeeze back in return so he knows he didn't make a mistake here. Words didn't seem to have a place at that moment so the two of them stayed silent and skated in slow circles around the rink with their hands still clasped together.

When soft white snowflakes start to fall from the dark sky above the two men decide to call it a night and head back to the inn. Castiel misses the warmth of Dean’s hand in his immediately. He really doesn't want to look at that too closely so he ignores it for now and shoves his hands into his pockets. Dean gets them both a cup of hot chocolate. They sip their drinks while they walk silently back to the inn. There is a bit of awkwardness hanging in the air between them but neither seem eager to address it yet.

They reach the inn and Dean immediately goes up the stairs to their room. Thinking Dean probably wants to be alone for a while, Castiel settles back onto the couch he was on earlier. He finds the book he was reading still sitting on the coffee table so he picks it up and continues his research. His thoughts drift back to the green-eyed man just upstairs and how much more complex he is than Castiel originally thought.

 — — —

Dean reaches the room and slams the door behind him. With a silent apology to the door he leans against it and slides down until he's sitting on the floor. Pulling one knee towards his chest and the other leg splayed out he rests his head in his hands. He has no idea what causes him to open up to Cas about his mom. Dean doesn’t talk to anyone about his mom, that's just something he never brings up. Something about Cas though made him want to. Which is crazy! They don't even know each other! And he's pretty sure Cas hates him. Or did…

The guy did grab Dean’s hand which was way more of a comfort than Dean will ever admit out loud. It was just like back on the plane when Cas calmed him down from his panic attack. Cas somehow just knows the best way to comfort Dean. The best part was that Cas didn't force him to talk more. They were perfectly content to skate and walk in silence. For a while it was good and then Dean started overthinking everything . God it has been years since he has felt any kind of intimacy like simply holding hands. He's not a saint by any means. There are one night stands every once and awhile when he has the time. 

Holding hands though? Sharing personal stories? 

Those are not things Dean is used to.

His day of wandering around the town searching for inspiration paired with the emotional rollercoaster from when he was with Cas has him feeling exhausted. It’s only 9:00, but he is going to justify going to bed early by the fact that he slept awful the night before. Which reminds him that he’s on the rollaway. For the rest of the week. Dean looks longingly at the king-sized bed from his place on the floor and then with a tired sigh he heaves himself up and moves to get ready for bed. He changes into the comfy pajamas again before curling up on his side on the roll away. 

Dean has no idea how much time passes before Castiel creeps back into the room. The guy is silent and if Dean were actually asleep he would’ve had no idea Cas even came back to the room. He feels eyes staring at him, but refuses to acknowledge the other man. Castiel goes about his nightly routine and when the lamp goes out it doesn’t take long for Dean to hear the soft even breathing coming from the other bed signalling Cas is asleep. Dean rolls over and stares at the ceiling. Eventually, sleep comes to him.

The next morning finds Dean sitting in one of the rooms downstairs with warm sunlight filtering in through the curtains. He has his amazing breakfast and is working on his second cup of coffee. His laptop sits on his lap as he tries to think of something to write about. A lot caught his interests the day before, but nothing that he feels he could write a compelling article about. So the blank word document sits there with his cursor blinking at him and no words come to mind.

He sees Chris walk to the main entrance and greet someone. They hand him a few letters and then a giant sack. His curiosity peaked Dean watches as Chris brings the giant sack to the table in front of him and dump it out. Hundreds and hundreds of letters come pouring out of the sack. Dean catches a few addressed to Santa Claus.

“Chris, what are these?” Dean asks.

“We’re the only town in the whole world with the name of Santa Claus. The post office gets thousands of letters each year and no one knew what to do with them so I offered to take them,” Chris explains. He holds out a letter to Dean. “Here, read one.”

Dean takes it and opens it up to find a letter written in crayon on blue construction paper. 

“Dear Santa, It's me Oscar. This year I would really like a mega star scooter in blue. I promise to share with my brother, Colby, even though he doesn’t share his candy with me.” Dean reads aloud. The letter makes him smile. He remembers a time when he and Sammy would write letters to Santa when they were kids. 

“Do you ever respond to any of these?” Dean asks curiously.

“Every single one,” Chris states. He's so sincere that Dean believes him. The two of them continue rifling through the letters. Some of them make Dean laugh with what kids are asking for nowadays. One little girl, Emma, wants a purple and pink unicorn named Sparkles. Jake wants a different puppy for every day of the week and Abby wants an actual samurai sword. Dean would also love an actual samurai sword, but doesn’t think those are very easy to come by.

Other letters kids write that all they want are for their parents to stop fighting. Or a little bit of extra cash so that their family could have a real meal for once. It breaks Dean’s heart and forces him to remember how lucky he is and was growing up. His life wasn’t perfect but he never had to worry about where his next meal would come from or if he would never have a roof over his head. Dean reads through a few more letters before he reads one and it hits way too close to home for him and he is forced to stop. 

“May I ask a question?” Chirs asks, dragging Dean out of his thoughts. He nods his head, thankful for the interruption, and the older man continues. “Why are you here?”

The question confuses Dean, “What do you mean?”

“Why aren’t you with your family celebrating Christmas?” He asks. Dean could lie, but he feels like he owes him the truth for some reason.

“I don’t celebrate Christmas. I haven’t for a very long time and my brother finds that hard to accept so I have just made it a habit of avoiding my family during this time of year. I’ll see them for the New Year though so it’s not really a huge deal.”

Chris must see something in Dean’s face or his tone was harsher than what was required because the older man accepts the answer and doesn’t push for more information. For that Dean is grateful, he doesn’t like talking about it or even thinking about it.

“Well I hope someday you will be able to get the Christmas spirit back,” Chris says while standing up and leaving the sitting room. Dean stares after him then shakes his head and returns to his laptop. Unfortunately he has as much inspiration as he does Christmas spirit.

 — — —

Castiel has been staring at books on and off for the last four hours trying to come up with something, anything, to write this article about. And has come up with nothing. He knows he is over thinking this and that there are so many interesting things he could write about but knowing the fact that his job is very much on the line with this? It puts a lot of pressure on finding the right topic. Nothing seems big enough. Nothing is filled with the hope and love and Christmas magic that Charlie and the rest of Roman Magazines is looking for.

Mrs. Winters finds him lying defeated on one of the couches in one of the many sitting rooms the inn has to offer. 

“Is everything alright dear?” She asks in a quiet tone that Castiel appreciates. 

“Yes everything is fine,” Castiel replies. “I just haven’t found something to write my article on.”

“Can I help in any way?”

Actually that’s not a bad idea. Castiel sits up and slides his glasses back into their place. He looks at the elderly woman sitting in the chair across from him. Instantly he goes into his journalist slash researcher mode. 

“You might be able to. Are there any traditions or special events that go on in this town during this time of year?” He asks in his professional voice. 

“Well I suppose there is the Christmas Eve festival we host here at the inn each year. The whole town attends and we have food and drinks and music and dancing. It really is a wonderful time,” Mrs. Winters describes the party. 

“That sounds amazing,” Castiel says. It really does sound pretty fun. 

“It’s the party of the year! I’m so sad that this will be the last one,” she trails off looking out the window at the snow covered trees. 

“Oh that’s right,” Castiel had almost forgotten that the inn will be torn down within the next year. It’s so unfortunate that this beautiful historic inn will be replaced by a generic motel with none of this charm or history. 

“It would sure take a Christmas miracle now to save it,” Carol says offhandedly with a sad chuckle. She still smiles though as if she has accepted the inn's fate and is okay with it. 

A Christmas miracle?

The light bulb in his mind goes off and the gears start turning. 

“I know what I’m going to write about!” He exclaims excitedly. 

“Oh?” 

“I’m going to write an article about saving the inn!” Castiel smiles and gets a small smile in return. “Is there any information you have about why they are tearing this place down and what would be needed to stop that process?”

“I’m sure I could find something for you, although it’ll be hard to find any real proof. I’ll check with Chris, though, to see if we have any documents or anything that’ll help you.”

“Thank you Mrs. Winters, really, I appreciate it,” he says honestly with a gentle hand on her arm. 

“Oh Castiel you can just call me Carol,” she laughs before gently patting his hand and standing. 

Castiel watches her go already thinking about what kind of research he will need to do for this article. He feels a weight lift off his shoulders at finally finding a topic to write about and can relax a little. That doesn’t stop him from grabbing his tablet and immediately google any information he can find. A couple hours later he decides he deserves a break and might head into town. Last night when he went out with Dean it was too dark to truly take in everything so another walk during the day would be good for him. 

Speaking of Dean, Castiel hasn’t seen the other writer all day. When they got back The previous night Dean immediately went up to the room and never came back out. The man was asleep on the rollaway by the time Castiel made his own way to the room and was still there when he got up this morning. 

Castiel puts his tablet safely away and shrugs in his trench coat before leaving the inn. The air is cold and brisk but feels good against his heated skin. The sky is clear with a few white clouds sprinkled about. The sun shines big down warming the air slightly when not in the cover of the trees and it truly looks like a winter wonderland out here. Sparkling snow is covering every surface which brings a smile to Castiel’s face the whole walk to town. 

He is still smiling when he feels a presence next to him. Dean appears at his side with a small smile playing on his lips when their eyes meet. 

“Hey there Cas.”

“Hello Dean, what brings you to town? More research?” Castiel asks with a slight teasing tone to his voice. 

“Absolutely!” Dean agrees with an easy smile. “What about you? I thought you would be stuck inside some book by now.” 

Slightly offended, Castiel scoffs at the remark. “I’ll have you know I don’t spend all my time doing research and reading!”

“You’ve been reading all day haven’t you?” Dean asks cheekily. 

“Maybe,” Castiel grumbles under his breath causing Dean to throw his head back in laughter. The sight is mesmerizing. And the sound is musical. Castiel tried to savor the moment for as long as he possibly can. 

“Oh man Cas,” Dean finally says when he catches his breath. “Don’t ever change man.” 

Not sure what the other man means by that Castiel continues walking down the pathway taking in all of the different shops lining the street. He sees chocolate shops and souvenir shops and probably the coffee shop Dean was talking about. 

“Are you just wandering around town or looking for something in particular?” Dean asks from his side. “I know my way around pretty well now so I could probably help you out.”

Instead of answering Castiel keeps walking until a sign catches his attention. With a gummy smile on his face he turns to Dean and says, “I’m going to go meet Santa.”

He enters the building on their left and is instantly hit with Christmas joy. There are decorations everywhere, even more than at the inn which Castiel didn’t think was possible. Kids are running around everywhere with parents chasing after them. Fake snow litters the ground and covers the trees. Castiel spins in a slight circle raking everything in and sees Dean has followed him into the shop. They continue further into the building, following the crowd, until the big red throne comes into view and Castiel sees who is sitting on top. 

He reaches out a hand to stop Dean and ends up placing his hand on the man's chest, the man's very firm chest. Trying to play it off Castiel leaves his hand there and points to the giant chair with his other hand. 

“Of course he is the town Santa.”

Mr. Winters is sitting on the chair with a little boy on his lap while Mrs. Winters is down below interacting with the kids in line. They are both dressed up in their parts. Chris in the full Santa suit and Carol in a beautiful red dress and her own Santa hat. She is passing out candy canes to each kid which reminds Castiel of the candy canes she gave them at the airport. He is too busy taking in the elderly couple to notice a kid standing outside the bigger group with what appears to be his mom. They catch Deans attention though because the next thing Castiel knows is Dean pushing past him telling him to wait a minute. Castiel lets his eyes follow Dean over to the young boy. 

“Hey buddy, how’s it going?” He hears Dean ask. 

“Oh I’m sorry he’s deaf and can’t hear you,” the mom answers. What Dean does next shocks Castiel. 

The man kneels down onto one knee and greets the boy. Then he starts moving his hands in shapes and movements that Castiel doesn’t recognize, but apparently the boy does because he responds with his own hand movements. Castiel realizes they are speaking in sign language and is once again surprised by the complexity that is Dean Winchester. 

“Thank you,” a woman’s voice draws Castiel’s attention and he sees Dean walking back his way. 

“You know sign language?”

“A little,” Dean answers his attention back on the kid he was just talking to. What Castiel saw looked a lot more than just a little so he shoots Dean a questioning glance. “My brother's wife lost her hearing when she was a kid. She can read lips really well but it’s not fair to her to have to do all the extra work just to communicate so Sammy and I learned how to sign so we could all talk easier. Plus they were cheating during charades before I learned and there was no way I was going to let that fly once I figured it out.”

Castiel barks out a laugh at the admission and it shocks him just as much as it seems to shock Dean. Bright green eyes stare at him with amazement sparkling in them, which Castiel doesn’t understand. He gets lost wandering in the swirls of green and gold not paying any attention to their surroundings. Time loses its meaning as they can’t seem to look away from each other. It’s only the sound of a crying child nearby that breaks the spell. Both men blink a couple times coming back to themselves before promptly looking away and avoiding eye contact all together. 

Awkwardness rolls over them like waves crashing into the cliff side. Desperate for anything to break it Castiel looks up to where Chris still sits on his chair. He sees the little boy Dean was talking, or signing, to up on his lap. 

“What did you say to him?” Castiel risks saying. 

“What?” Dean asks, confused. Pointing to the boy dean follows his fingers and understanding dawns on him. “Oh, he was afraid Santa wouldn’t know what he was saying and that the other kids would laugh at him so I told him that I knew Santa personally and would make sure he knew exactly what he wanted.”

“And what does he want?” 

“A video game,” Dean answers with a bright lopsided smile.

“Of course he does, maybe he will keep his for a couple decades like you did!” Castiel teases before turning around and walking out the store. He hears Dean huff a laugh behind him and feels the man fall into step next to him. Castiel tries to hide his smile, but gives up after a few seconds. He’s happy, like truly happy, for the first time in a long time and he’s going to relish that for as long as he can. 

 — — —

Dean shifts on the mattress for what is like the eighth time that night attempting to find some kind of comfort. He had a long day of wandering the town and struggling to find something to write about. That blank document from that morning? Yeah still blank. Now he’s laying on the stupid roll away thinking about his article and failing to get any sleep for the third night in a row. Doesn’t seem like Castiel is faring any better tonight either if the constant movement coming from the bed is anything to go off of. 

Suddenly soft footsteps can be heard around the room and the bathroom light flicks on before the door closes quietly. Dean waits motionless for Castiel to do whatever he has to do in the middle of the night. A few minutes go by and the bathroom door opens, bright light spilling into the room before Cas turns it off. Expecting Cas to get back into bed it surprises Dean when the bedroom door opens and Cas slips out into the hallway. 

Curious, Dean sits up and stares at the door halfway expecting Cas to come right back in. When what feels like an hour but is probably only a couple minutes go by Dean's curiosity beats down the desire for sleep (it’s not like he was getting any anyways) and he crawls out of bed. Trying to be as quiet as he can since there are other guests at the inn he creeps down the stairs in search of his coworker. 

Coworker doesn’t even seem like the right word to describe Cas anymore. Their friends now right? Dean has found himself actually enjoying the time they have shared together the past couple days and is actually kind of pissed at himself for not attempting to talk to the guy before this trip. He has even told Cas somethings he hasn’t told most of his friends that have been in his life for years. Yeah he would consider Cas a friend now and just hopes the other man feels the same.

A noise from the kitchen draws his attention and sure enough there is Cas with his face buried for once not in a book but actually in the fridge. The guy is even wearing the complementary pajamas that match his perfectly! Dean’s gotta admit Cas’ ass looks amazing in them too. Does Deans look that good? The way he’s bent over right now with the fabric pulled tight over a thick muscled butt and thighs. Frowning at himself Dean forces his attention back on Castiel. Since Cas hasn’t heard him yet Dean sneaks over to the other side of the fridge door and waits for him to close it. When it happens he is so not disappointed. 

“Jesus Christ!” Cas hisses through clenched teeth. One hand covers his chest while the other clenches… 

“Is that celery?” Dean asks affronted. 

Castiel glares at him and damn Dean should really not find that look hot. “No it’s a potato.”

Dean snorts. He likes seeing this side of Cas. Who knew the man could be so snarky and sassy? 

“Who the hell eats celery as a midnight snack?” 

“I was hungry and it was there so I ate it,” Cas grumbles with a slight pout. Then he quickly takes a bite while he continues to pout. Dean finds it oddly adorable to see the grown man pout over eating celery.  

Dean opens the fridge and peers inside before turning back to look at Cas. “Want me to make you something?” 

“Really?” Cas asks, hope shining in his eyes. It’s only then that Dean notices the glasses and it truly is a crime that he didn’t notice them before. 

Thick black frames perch on the bridge of Castiel’s nose marking his eyes bigger and bluer. Something Dean didn’t think was possible. He always knew Castiel’s eyes were blue, they’re really freaking hard to not notice. Now though, they are a mix of dark blues from the ocean and light blues from the sky. Coming together to form a burst of color that draws you in and drowns you until you don't know which way is up. 

If Dean were to ever admit he had a specific type it would be Cas. Messy dark hair that Dean would give just about anything to run his fingers through to see if it feels as soft as it looks. Bright blue eyes that he could get lost staring into for hours on end. That’s happened a few times now and Dean can’t wait for the next time. A lean but muscular and strong body type that he knows Cas has. When they were ice skating Dean could feel the man's arms and was shocked by how much muscle he felt. And Cas has that one pair of jeans he wears sometimes on casual Fridays that fit him just right and Dean always has to force himself not to stare at those same thick thighs and ass from earlier. Now add in the glasses and Deans a goner. 

That’s not even taking into account any of the other many attributes Cas has. The man is wicked smart and has this sarcasm and sense of humor that Dean just absolutely loves. And his smile. God don’t even get Dean started on how mesmerizing Cas’ smile is. The man has a few that come out at different occasions. There’s the polite one that he uses with strangers, there’s the smirk that comes out when he makes one of his sarcastic remarks, and then there’s Deans favorite. The gummy smile that only comes out when Cas is really happy. His nose scrunches up and all of his perfect straight white teeth show. That one is rare but Dean has made it his goal to make it appear as much as possible. 

With all these thoughts flying through his head Dean really should have seen it coming, but it hits him like a freight train and he realizes he likes Castiel. Not in a just friends kind of way but in a I want to spend more time with you to get to know you better kind of way. Or if he really wants to be honest with himself, he’s already halfway to falling in love with the guy. 

“Dean?” Castiel’s low gravelly voice brings him back to the present. 

“Yeah?” He asks, all prior thoughts of what was going on lost. 

“You said you were going to make something?” 

“Oh yes!” Dean turns back the fridge searching for something to make. He’s not really feeling a full meal and definitely not feeling anything healthy. “How do cookies sound?”

Castiel shrugs in response, “Sounds good to me.”

“Great! See if you can find the sugar and flour,” Dean says as he goes in search for the other required ingredients. A flyer hanging on the fridge catches his attention though. “Hey what is this?”

Castiel comes up to his side and peers at the flyer, “Oh! That's the Christmas Eve festival they hold here at the inn every Christmas Eve. Carol said there's dancing, singing, some good drinks, and a lot of food.”

“Huh, cool,” Dean says before looking for the rest of the ingredients.

“Aren’t you going to make fun of it?” Cas asks from somewhere behind him. There is a little bit of snark and defensiveness that Dean can detect and normally he would make fun of the festival but not tonight.

“Nah, I'm hanging up my Scrooge hat for the night,” he replies with an easy smile. Cas seems to accept that and they move on.

The two of them fall into an easy rhythm. It's clear that Cas spends at least some time in the kitchen like Dean. The way he easily cracks the eggs with one hand is pretty impressive and Dean will have to have Cas teach him that trick sometime. While Cas is mixing in the flour Dean takes the opportunity to flick some flour from the bowl into his face. The resulting murderous glare is completely ruined by the splattering of flour in his hair and on his face. Dean bursts into quiet laughter, mindful of the other sleeping guests still, and clutches at his stomach when it starts to hurt. Cas’ lips start to twitch and it only takes a couple more seconds until he too is laughing. 

That’s the second time in the same day that Dean has seen Cas laugh. Probably the second time he has ever seen him actually genuinely laugh. The sight is breathtaking. His nose scrunches up like when he has that really big gummy smile and the corner of his eyes scrunch up too. It makes Dean's smile turn from teasing to something more soft and adoring. Cas is adorable, and hot at as hell somehow at the same time. Some of the flour got in his hair giving him a salt and pepper look that the guy can pull off real well. It also gives Dean thoughts of what Cas would look like ten years down the road and how much he would love to see that which is very sobering. 

Instead of commenting on Dean's abrupt mood change, Castiel continues mixing the dough as Dean struggles to get himself together. They continue in a semi comfortable silence working together until it’s time to roll out the dough and cut them into fun shapes. Cas managed to find a candy cane, reindeer, and Christmas tree cutout for them to use. Dean lets Castiel do most of the work while he preheats the oven and gets the cooking sheets ready. Twenty minutes later Cas pulls the first batch out of the oven and sets it on the counter to cool. 

Dean, being the absolute genius that he is, goes right for the fresh cookies and takes a giant bite only to regret  it seconds later. His entire mouth is on fire. He prances around the small kitchen with his mouth open trying to get it to cool off. Castiel is looking at him like he's an idiot, which is fair, and has amusement dancing in his eyes. The guy doesn't even bother to help him by getting a glass of water or milk! Dean is forced to get his own glass and promptly chugs it down, relishing in the cooling sensation. When he can finally breathe right he turns to Cas with murder in his eyes. Which dies the instant he lays eyes on the handsome man across from him. 

Castiel’s nose is scrunched up along with the corners of his eyes and he has the biggest smile Dean has ever seen on him before. He’s beautiful. There's not a single fiber in his body strong enough to stay mad at him. All of the anger, which there wasn’t much to begin with since it was Dean’s fault in the first place, leaves him. A smile replaces his scowl and then Castiel is giggling. Full on giggling! It's the cutest thing Dean has ever heard and he thinks it's really unfair how Cas can be so beautiful and adorable all at the same time. The two men finish baking the rest of the cookies trading secret smiles and quiet laughs. When all the cookies are made they find themselves sitting on one of the comfortable couches watching the snow fall gently from the sky outside the window.

“Why did you want the Aspen job so badly?” Castiel asks, breaking the silence.

“What do you mean? It's a big piece and could really help my career,” Dean answers, hoping Cas will accept it and move in. Of course, that's not the case though.

“Is that the only reason? From the little bits I’ve heard it sounds like you have a great relationship with your brother, wouldn’t you want to spend the holidays with him?” 

“Sammy does his own thing for Christmas, I’ll see them for New Years which works perfectly for me this year since we were supposed to be in Aspen.” It’s a half lie which Dean thinks is better than a whole lie. Castiel seems to accept the answer, but now Dean is curious. “What about you? Do you have any family you usually spend the holidays with?”

“Me? No,” Cas replies without looking away from the window.

“How come?” Dean knows he shouldn’t pry since he, himself, didn’t tell Cas everything. 

With a heavy sigh Castiel finally looks at Dean and he can see hints of sadness swirling in the blue seas. “I was supposed to spend the holidays with Arthur and his family this year.”

“Arthur?”

“Arthur Ketch. My boyfriend. Or I guess ex-boyfriend now. He broke up with me about a month ago,” Castiel says quietly.

Boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend??

“I’m sorry to hear that, you don't have to tell me, but what happened?” Dean asks his curiosity piqued.

Cas looks at him for a moment with his brows pinched together as if he's trying to figure something out. Dean squirms under the intense gaze, but refuses to look away since he still wants to know more. 

“You’re okay with me being gay?” Castiel asks.

The question shocks Dean so much that he can't help the bark of laughter that escapes him. “Cas, buddy, if I had a problem with you being gay then I would have a major problem with myself.”

“What do you mean?” Cas asks with that adorable head tilt.

“Well, I’m also gay, so that would be very hypocritical of me to judge you for who you’re attracted to,” Dean states simply.

“You’re gay?” Cas almost shouts. Dean quickly shushes him making sure they didn't wake up any of the other guests. “Sorry, but you’re gay?”

“Um yeah,” Dean replies confused now as to why this is so difficult for Castiel to grasp.

“But you are always flirting with the women in the office!” 

“Yeah, cause it's fun,” Dean says with a shrug. “Plus it is so much easier to flirt with women than with men! I mean I could charm a woman without even trying since we both know it won’t go anywhere, but put me in front of an attractive guy and I turn into a blubbering mess.”

“I don't believe you,” Castiel is smiling now.

“Why do you think I didn't talk to you for the first six months you were at the office?”

Cas’ smile fades and he looks at Dean in shock. “What do you mean?”

“Dude! You’re like the most attractive man I’ve come across in a long time, maybe ever! With your sexy hair and bright blue eyes and the five oclock shadow that you always seem to have. That's not even mentioning your jaw line! And then you add in those glasses on top of everything which makes those gorgeous eyes even more amazing,” Dean realizes he's rambling and forces himself to stop. “It’s not fair!”

“You? Dean Winchester, the Adonis himself, finds me attractive? You're messing with me right?” Castiel squints at him, disbelief all over his face. 

“Um yeah, have you looked in a mirror lately? Or like ever?” Dean asks deflecting from the fact that Cas also finds him attractive.

“No one has ever complimented me like that before,” Cas says looking away and it breaks Dean’s heart. How dare people not appreciate how beautiful of a person Castiel is? Inside and out.

“What about Andrew? Or whatever his name is.”

“Arthur,” Cas corrects. “Sure every now and then if we were going out he would tell me I look nice but he hated my glasses. Told me it made me look like a nerd and that I should stick to just wearing my contacts. Ketch and my relationship was never very physical, it was more business than anything. We both work in the publishing industry and on paper we were perfect for eachother. Which is honestly all I was looking for. I had everything planned out and it was going perfect until he broke up with me and the whole plan went up in flames.”

“Can you really plan out something like a relationship?” Dean asks.

“I thought so. It made the most sense to me,” Cas replies quietly, still not looking at him. Taking a risk Dean reaches out a hand and gently places it on Cas’ knee. Blue eyes meet green and Dean can practically see the insecurities floating through Cas’ head. 

“Castiel, you are one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever seen. You deserve something much more than something that just looks good planned out on paper,” Dean says honestly.

“Thank you, Dean.”

“Do you miss him?” Dean asks, and immediately regrets it.

Castiel thinks about it for a moment then responds, “Sometimes. Honestly, since we’ve been here I haven't thought of him very much. Which has been a bit refreshing. Back in New York, there were constant reminders of our life together and I always missed him then. Looking back on it though I think I really only missed the idea of him. The idea of a partner to come home to after a long day at work you know?”

“Yeah, I get that,” Dean replies feeling a little lighter. 

Dean realizes his hand is still on Cas’ knee and reluctantly moves it back to his own body before they go back to staring out the window in silence. Time passes but neither seem to notice or care. Castiel is a solid presence beside him that he takes comfort in. For the first time since this whole thing started Dean is incredibly grateful that Castiel is the one that is on this trip with him.

“Have you ever been in love?” Castiel's rough voice breaks the silence surrounding them.

“Does Harrison Ford count?” Dean deflects with his normal humor. Cas huffs in response which brings a small smile to Dean’s face. “No I have not. There's not many things I’m afraid of, besides flying obviously, but falling in love is definitely pretty high on the list.”

It's the most honest Dean has been all night and it leaves him feeling vulnerable. He felt like he owned Castiel that answer though. 

“What else are you afraid of?” 

Dean is grateful for the topic change away from love but he’s not sure if this is any better.

“I tend to write about what I’m afraid of to help me get over my fears. I tried skydiving once to get over the fear of flying, but honestly it just made it much worse,” Dean answers with a self deprecating laugh. 

“I remember that article!” Cas exclaims with a smile. “It was so thrilling and terrifying, like I was up in the air with you. I remember feeling my own heartbeat pounding and not being able to finish the article right away. It was so well written that I read it two more times after that though. I think my favorite one is when you went diving with the sharks. The imagery you used painted the picture so well. It was beautiful.”

Dean is shocked into silence by the fact that Castiel read his articles. “Well what about your article about saving the great barrier reef? That one inspired me to actually do the deep sea diving in hopes that I could see what you wrote about.”

“You’ve read one of my articles?” Cas asks in awe.

“Well yeah, I’ve read them all. You're a really good writer Cas. Why do you think I was being such a baby about being paired up with you on this trip?” 

“Me? You’re the one who writes the fun and interesting articles that everyone loves!” Cas argues.They both seem to realize that they’re really arguing over nothing at this point and they end up just smiling dumbly at the other. With the fight out of them they finish the cookies they’re eating and agree it's probably time for them to head back to bed. Laying back down on the roll away is definitely not something Dean is looking forward to, but it will probably be best to get at least a couple more hours of sleep. 

They reach the room and with an unhappy groan Dean flops back onto the uncomfortable mattress. Castiel moves around the room as Dean tries to get comfortable and fails. Not a single position he tries works. If he lays in the center there is a spring that digs into his back but the mattress is old and caves into the middle causing Dean to end up there no matter what. 

“Dean are you alright?” Castiel asks from the king sized bed after Dean hasn’t stopped shifting around the last couple minutes.

“Yeah I’m fine. Just trying to get comfortable,” Dean replies grumpily.

“Is that bed not comfortable?” There's something in Cas’ voice that Dean cant pick out.

Dean lets out a sarcastic laugh. “No, no it is not.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Dean can now hear the anger clear in Cas’ tone. “Have you slept at all since we’ve been here?”

“Um not really?” Dean’s answer is more of a question since he can’t quite seem to figure out where Cas is going with this and why he is all of a sudden angry.

“I can’t believe you. Get over here.” 

“What?” Dean asks, confused.

“We can share the bed. It’s large enough for the both of us and I will not let you go another night without any rest! It's already almost three a.m. so get your butt over here so that we can go to bed.” Cas’ tone leaves no room for argument so Dean gets up as he's told and moves to the opposite side of the bed. Pulling the covers back Dean crawls in and immediately melts into the mattress.

“Sweet jesus this mattress is incredible,” he nearly moans. It doesn't take him long at all to find a comfortable position. The lamp flicks off and the mattress shifts as Cas gets comfortable and what really should be an awkward situation it doesn't feel that way at all. Cas was right, there is plenty of space for them to share without any wayward limbs touching. Silence surrounds them once more and it only takes a few minutes for Dean to drift off into the best sleep he has had all week. 

 — — —

Castiel wakes up with a heavy weight slung across his waist and a warm body pressed against his back. Without thinking he arches back and savors the warmth for a moment longer. He’s missed this. The intimacies of sharing a bed with another and curling around each other. Except there should be no reason why he has this right now considering he is stranded at a little Christmas inn in some little town in the middle of Indiana and is single. 

The previous night's events come back to him and he shifts slightly to look over his shoulder. The sight that greets him is absolutely breathtaking. Early morning sunlight filters through the open curtains and lands perfectly on Dean. His hair appearing more golden with the light and his freckles standing out against his slightly tanned skin. Dean looks so peaceful sleeping that Castiel really doesn't want to disturb him but he knows that if he doesn't move now then he never will. He’s not sure what Dean’s reaction would be waking up to them tangled together and Cas isn’t sure he wants to find out. 

As carefully as he can he starts to shift away from Dean and he almost succeeds in escaping when a tired groan sounds from behind him causing him to freeze. Dean grumbles, but doesnt wake up, instead he reaches for the pillow Castiel was using and hugs it to his chest. Castiel almost melts at the sight of the adorable man clutching the pillow to himself. He forces himself to look away and return to the task at hand. If he takes one more long look at the gorgeous sleeping man in the bed before he walks out the door no one needs to know.

Cas makes his way to the breakfast room and settles at a table with his tablet ready to work on his article. The research he has gotten done the day before has given him an idea of where to start, he just needs to talk to the Winters to see if they have any more information. As if his thoughts summon them Carol comes over to the table carrying a plate stacked high with waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream for Castiel. 

“Good morning Carol, thank you for breakfast.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome Castiel dear! How did you sleep?” The sweet elderly lady asks.

Cas flushes slightly. “I slept very well thank you.”

“That's good to hear!” Chris says behind Castiel as he makes his way over to his wife for a chaste kiss. 

“I’m glad you’re both here, I have a question for you two regarding the inn.” Castiel starts and makes sure they are both paying attention. “There's this certificate that was given to the inn back in the 1920’s and everything i have read says it was lost somewhere in the inn a while back. Do either of you have any idea where I might be able to find it? That certificate really would be the key to my article and to saving the inn!”

“Ah yes I remember hearing about that, but unfortunately i have no idea what has become of it,” Chris answers sadly. Castiel deflates a bit but knows he still has time and will search the entire inn that day if he has too. He knows this is really the only chance he has at saving the inn and saving his job.

“Good morning everybody!” Dean’s cherry voice echoes around the room. The man makes his way to their table and Castiel quickly shuts his tablet down. Him and Dean might have made progress in their relationship but they are still competitors when it comes to the article.

“Good morning Dean, how did you sleep?” Carol asks with a sweet smile.

To Castiel’s great pleasure, Dean also flushes at the question before answering. “Not too bad Carol, thank you for asking.” 

Dean steals a strawberry off of Castiel’s plate and plops it right into his mouth with a teasing wink sent in his direction. In response Castiel glares and drags his plate closer to himself. Dean chuckles quietly before turning his attention to Chris.

“Do you know where I can rent a car around here?” Dean asks. 

“A car? Where are you going? Charlie told us to stay here.” Cas protests slightly confused as to where Dean is planning on going. The town is small and within walking distance of the inn so a car isn’t really needed. “Is this for research?”

“No, it's not for research,” Dean scoffs. “I was actually hoping you could come with me. I want to show you something.”

Already shaking his head Castiel protests. “I need to stay here and do more research.”

“Oh, Castiel darling, don't be silly! You have plenty of time and I think this will be good for you both!” Carol interjects. “You can take Rudolph.”

Dean smiles triumphantly and Castiel glares. He has no idea what Dean has planned, but he does know it is going to be a very long day. Against his better judgment, Castiel ends up in the car with Dean going to who knows where with Christmas music blasting through the speakers. Dean sings along offkey to every song he knows and Cas can’t tell if he's doing it on purpose or if Dean really can't sing. Knowing how perfect Dean is at everything else it wouldn’t surprise Cas if the man could also sing perfectly. It's an hour into the drive when Cas can’t hold out any longer.

“Okay we have been driving for an hour will you please tell me where we are going?”

Dean glances at him out of the corner of his eye. The joyful singing man is now gone, replaced by someone much more serious. Castiel almost regrets asking the question and being the cause of Dean's mood change. 

“Were going to see my family,” Dean replies after a long minute of tense silence.

“Your family?” Cas asks confused. “What kind of family?”

“My brother. And his wife and kids. And my uncle.” 

“Your family?” Cas asks now in disbelief. “We have been here for almost a week now and you didn't even think about mentioning that your family lives close by?”

“I didn’t think it mattered okay!” Dean argues, a little bit of anger creeping into his voice that tells Castiel to back off. “I'm sorry.”

“Me too,” Cas says quietly then hesitantly adds. “Why now?”

“We were talking last night and it got me thinking. I have a great relationship with my brother and I shouldn’t let what happened in the past take away time from him,” Dean explains. Cas knows there's more to the story and he really wants to ask what happened in the past but he knows it's not his place. Luckily, Dean answers his unasked questions without prompting. 

“My mom was amazing in every way. I told you what happened to her but what I didn't tell you was that she died the week before Christmas that year. It destroyed our family. My dad was a mess and ended up spending the holiday drowning in booze at some bar while Sammy and I sat at home. We refused to celebrate that year because it just didn't seem right. The next year though we were doing better, Dad was still a bit of a mess, but he was at least somewhat present. Bobby, my dad’s best friend and basically our uncle, came and spent the holidays with us. 

“It got easier each year that passed and eventually I was looking forward to the holidays. I was a sophomore in college when I met this guy. His name was Aaron and we clicked right away. We started dating a month after we met and I was so excited to bring him home to meet the family for Christmas. What I didn’t realize was that my dad thought Aaron was a girl. That’s when I discovered how much of a homophobic asshole my dad really was. 

“He told me how disgusting it is to be with another man and that my mom would be so disappointed in me. That's the part that hurt the most you know? Using my mom against me like that. Said it was disrespectful to prance around holding another man’s hand on the anniversary of my moms death and around her favorite holiday. He kicked me out right then and there. All I had was my car and a duffle full of some clothes from my apartment. I didn’t even get to see Sammy that year.”

Dean’s grip on the steering wheel increases with each statement until his knuckles are bone-white against the black leather. Castiel reaches out hesitantly and places his hand over Dean’s. He pries Dean’s hand away and brings it to his lap where he holds it rubbing gently circles along the back with his thumb. Slowly Dean starts to relax and his hold on the steering wheel loosens. Castiel knows the story isn’t finished, so he waits patiently for Dean to continue.

“I tried to contact Sammy after I left, but I never managed to get a hold of him. So I went back to my apartment alone, since Aaron broke up with me too, and spent my first Christmas entirely alone. Ever since then I haven’t had any desire to celebrate so I avoid it at all costs. Which is why I avoid my family at all costs around this time of year. Each year, without fail, Sam will call and ask me to join them and I turn him down each time. This year I had the perfect excuse of the Aspen piece.”

Dean chuckles darkly, “But by some Christmas miracle, instead of being down in Colorado we end up being less than two hours away from my family.”

“We don’t have to go if you don't want to,” Cas says. “We can turn around right now.”

“No I need to do this, thank you though,” Dean shoots him a grateful look. Castiel nods and they sit in silence with soft Christmas music surrounding them for the rest of the drive. When they stop in front of a modest two-story home Castiel turns back to Dean.

“What should I know about your family?”

“Well Sammy is a nerd so you two will get along just fine,” Dean teases, causing Castiel to glower at him when really he's just happy to see Dean feeling better. “Eileen, his wife, is deaf but can read lips really well, Sammy and I can also translate anything that gets lost. They have two little girls, Mary and Liz, and they are the most adorable little four-year-olds ever. Then there's my uncle Bobby. He's a bit gruff but really is just a giant teddy bear.”

“Okay, let's do this.” Castiel takes a deep breath and then lets it out. He has never been good with meeting new people. His people skills are rusty and small talk is not his forte. Dean must sense his anxiety spike because suddenly there is a hand gripping his chin and turning his face. The hand moves to cup his cheek and Castiel leans into it slightly taking any comfort he can from the small gesture. 

“Thank you for coming with me. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without you here,” Dean says and Castiel can feel the honesty in those words. He knows this is important to Dean so he will do his absolute best to make sure this goes well for him. They both take a deep breath before Dean looks at him with determination set in his face. “Ready?”

With a nod from Cas, they climb out of the car and make their way up the snowy walkway. Dean rings the doorbell and they wait patiently for the door to open. Castiel can see Dean is still nervous by the way he shifts his weight and clenches his hands into fists. He places his hand lightly in the small of his back hoping to offer some comfort and is glad when Dean shoots him a grateful smile. Just then the door opens and a giant of a man stands in the open doorway looking at them confused. 

“Dean?” the tall man asks.

“Sammy!” Dean lights up at the sight of his little brother. Although little is certainly not the word Castiel would use to describe the man. 

“It's Sam,” he replies automatically with a slight scowl that is instantly washed away with another wave of confusion. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Aspen.”

“Surprise!” Dean exclaims before pulling his brother in for a hug. Sam’s arms automatically wrap around him in response and Castiel can see the tension leaving both brothers shoulders. It's clear the amount of love between them and it brings a smile to Cas’ face. When the brothers pull apart Sam turns his attention to Castiel, surprise clear in his eyes.

“Sam, this is Castiel. Cas, this is Sammy,” Dean introduces the two.

“It's Sam, nice to meet you Castiel,” Sam says with a fond eye roll in his brother's direction. 

“Pleasures all mine, I’ve heard a bit about you,” Cas replies, shaking Sam’s extended hand.

“Oh really? Can’t say the same about you, how do you two know each other?” Sam asks, looking at his brother suspiciously.

“Are you going to invite us in Sammy? It's cold out here,” Dean deflects. Sam steps aside and lets them into the much warmer house. Castiel didn’t realize how cold it was until the warm air hit his cheeks.

“Hey girls, come see who's here!” Sam shouts into the house and suddenly footsteps can be heard rushing their way.

“Uncle Dee!” Two girls scream when they come into view. With a happy laugh Dean kneels down and gathers both girls into his arms as they crash into him. They wrap their little arms around his neck and he squeezes them tight to his body. Cas knew Dean was good with kids, the little girl at the airport and the boy from the other day showed that. Seeing him now with his nieces trying to listen to all the information the girls are telling him it's clear to anyone with eyes that Dean is a family man. It makes Castiel wonder if Dean would ever want kids of his own someday. He can picture a little blonde girl with bright green eyes running around in their apartment and maybe a little boy with dark hair and blue eyes like Cas’.

With his thoughts running wild about a future with a guy he’s not even with, Castiel is incredibly grateful when a beautiful young woman walks around the corner to see what's going on.

“Surprise!” Dean says and signs when he catches sight of her. Castiel assumes the woman must be Eileen, Sam’s wife, that Dean was telling him about. 

“Dean,” She replies, her voice sounding a little off but clear nevertheless. Dean embraces her in a warm hug just like he has done with the rest of his family. When they break apart Eileen looks at Dean expectantly before looking at Cas and back again.

“Oh right, Eileen, girls this is Castiel,” Dean says, signing out each letter of his name. “Cas this is Eileen, Mary, and Liz.”

“Hello,” Castiel says awkwardly. He knows Dean said Eileen can read lips, but he feels bad for not knowing how to communicate with her through sign. 

“Welcome!” Eileen says with a kind smile that instantly puts Cas at ease. 

“Are you Uncle Dee’s boyfriend?” One of the girls, Mary he thinks, asks. Dean and Cas both blush at the question while the others look at them expectedly.

Dean recovers first and answers, “Um, no. Cas and I work together in New York and got sent on this trip together.”

“Yeah about that, I thought you were in Aspen,” Sam cuts in finally having the chance to ask his question again.

“Umm…” Dean trails off not sure how to answer and he rubs at the back of his neck awkwardly. Another one of his nervous gestures that Cas has picked up on the last few days.

“Our plane got re-routed due to a big storm and we ended up having to emergency land at an airport a couple hours from here,” Castiel explains. Dean shoots him a grateful smile as he signs what Cas said for Eileen. 

“When did that happen?” Sam asks.

“Four days ago?” Dean replies looking at Castiel for confirmation. Has it really only been four days since they’ve been there?

“Four days and you didn't think to call?” Eileen demands with anger and worry lacing her tone. Dean cowers back a step which Castiel finds oddly endearing. This grown man is scared of a woman easily a head shorter than him. Probably for good reason too because when she turns her angry eyes onto Cas for an explanation he also takes a step back closer to Dean.

“I didn’t know you guys were here until an hour ago, so this is all his fault!” Cas exclaims pointing at Dean.

“Wow, really Cas? Throwing me under the bus like that?” Dean asks affronted. Everyone else around them bursts into laughter at Dean's offended face and Castiel’s shrug. 

“What's all this raucous I hear?” a different voice comes from the hallway. Castiel turns in time to see an older man round the corner in a wheelchair with a scowl firmly set on his face. “What the hell are ya doin’ here, ya idjit?”

Castiel isn’t sure how to respond mostly because he has no idea what an idjit is. Luckily Dean laughs and pats the older man on the shoulder. “It's good to see you too Bobby.”

“‘Bout damn time you got here, lunch is almost ready.” Bobby turns his attention to Castiel then and squints. “Who are you?”

“Castiel, good to meet you sir?” Cas holds out his hand but Bobby just stares at him before turning his chair around and rolling down the hallway he came.

“I don't need any of that sir stuff, ya idjit, Bobby will do just fine. Now come on in so we can eat!” He says over his shoulder. Castiel's own shoulders drop a bit not knowing what to make of that last interaction. He wants to make a good impression with Dean’s family and somehow he feels like he messed up with one of the most important people in Dean’s life. Sam and the girls follow Bobby down the hall and a hand on his lower back shocks Castiel. He turns to see Dean looking at him with happiness in his eyes.

“Don't worry he likes you,” He whispers softly. 

“How can you tell?” Cas asks just as softly.

“He didn't tell you to get lost and he called you an idjit you're practically family now!” Dean laughs and Castiel pointedly ignores the flutter in his stomach.

“What is an idjit?”

“Hell if I know, he has always called us that though and we just go with it. Come one let's go get some food, I’m starving.” Dean says and gently leads Castiel down the hall with his hand still on his back.

“How are you starving? We ate breakfast a few hours ago.”

Sam's laughter surprises him when they enter the kitchen. “I swear Dean is never not starving.”

“Oh shut up Sasquatch,” Dean glowers at his brother but there is no heat behind his words. They join the rest of the family and serve up their plates. Cas was worried there wouldn’t be enough food since they are technically unexpected guests but Eileen assures him they have plenty to go around even with Dean there. Her comment earns another half hearted protest on Dean’s part but the second he bites into the homemade bun all is forgiven.

Castiel has never spent a Christmas surrounded by family like this before. Being surrounded by laughter and happiness makes him smile. Even if it's not his family he can still feel the love in the air. He loves seeing Dean interact with his family. Cas has never seen him so relaxed and enjoying what's around him. Their usual interactions revolve around work and are usually in the conference room. Castiel regrets never actually getting to know the guy in the three years that they worked together but honestly he always thought Dean didn't know who he was. Also Dean is so far out of his league that it wouldn’t have mattered anyways and the fact that he always thought Dean was straight. The only way Cas was able to form words around the other man was if he pretended he hated him. Eventually that's just how Cas started to see Dean. Castiel has never regretted something more. 

Dean is one of the most loving human beings he has ever met and the man has so much happiness that just radiates off of him when he's surrounded by those he loves. Cas feels honored to be able to witness this side of Dean and bask in the pure sunshine that is Dean Winchester. It's clear to see that everyone loves Dean in return. The two little girls never leave him alone and listen intently when Dean tells them stories. When it's their turn to tell their stories Dean is all ears and gives all of his attention to them. Mary shows them her favorite Christmas story and practically begs Bobby to read it for them. 

It seems no one is able to deny the girls anything because the next thing Cas knows is they are all gathered in the living room with Mary in Bobby’s lap holding the book open and everyone else spread around the room. Castiel finds himself sharing the couch with Eileen sitting comfortably with one leg tucked under him and the other resting on the ground. Dean sits in front of him leaning against the couch and slightly against his leg. The warmth from Dean radiates up his leg and warms his whole being. Cas sees Dean and Sam exchanging some hands signals between them but can’t understand any of what they're saying. They're both smiling though so everything must be okay.

The hours go by and eventually it is time for them to head back to the inn. Dean promised Cas that they would get back early enough for Castiel to do some more research. After spending time with Dean’s family though Castiel really doesn’t want to leave. They say their goodbyes with hugs all around and then the two men climb back into Rudolph to head back.

A comfortable silence hangs around them and Castiel is perfectly content to watch the snow swirl around them in the wind. He likes it here. It's quiet and peaceful. No annoying New York traffic at all hours of the day. Cas never thought he would move out of the city but now he's craving a life in a smaller town in a nice house and a family of his own. It's those comforting thoughts that turn into sweet dreams as Castiel drifts off into a light sleep the remainder of the drive back.

Gentle hands shake him awake and Castiel blinks his eyes open to find Dean smiling at him softly.

“Hey sleeping beauty, we're back,” he says quietly. Castiel looks around and sure enough they are back at the inn. The sky is considerably darker now than it was when they left Sam’s and Cas wonders what time it is. “We can still make it in time for dinner if you hurry.”

With the motivation of food Cas gets out of the car and follows Dean back into the inn. They find many of the guests still enjoying their dinners and they find an empty table near the back. It doesn’t take long for Carol to find them and bring out two plates full of delicious food. Even after eating a ton at Sam’s Castiel still finishes his plate. Dean excuses himself saying he's going to go work on his article up in the room which reminds Cas that he has more research to do.

Cas makes his way up into the attic to see if he can find the certificate that can save the inn. There are dozens of boxes filled with old decorations and pictures and papers. It's so overwhelming that Castiel has no idea where to start. The first box he sees is as good as it's going to get and he resigns himself to a long night of research. 

He's not sure how many hours have gone by or how many boxes he has gone through but he has found absolutely nothing. There's not a single piece of evidence in any of the boxes that will help his case in saving the inn. Castiel did find several creepy dolls and other decorations that he quickly shoved back into their box and placed on the other side of the room. He is about to give up for the night after he goes through one more box but pauses when he comes across something interesting. It's a picture. A very old picture if the clothing and the state of the photo itself is anything to go by. But what really catches his attention are the people in the picture.

It's Carol and Chris.

They look the exact same as if they haven’t aged a day since that picture was taken. Which doesn’t make any sense because the picture looks to be at least a century old. Castiel flips the picture around and sees the date in the bottom right corner.

“December 23rd 1842,” Castiel reads out loud. “1842?”

Castiel has got to be going crazy right? Right?

There's no way a picture from 1842 with the Winters in it can be the same Mr. and Mrs. Winters. That doesn’t make any sense. But it has to be them! It looks exactly like them. Maybe the date is wrong? Castiel studies the picture again. He takes in the clothes and jewelry that matches with the 19th century style. Also the picture itself appears to be very old. Shocked Castiel puts the boxes back but holds onto the picture and rushes back down the stairs. He needs to find Dean.

When he reaches the room all the lights are off and Dean is passed out in the bed. Castiel looks at a clock for the first time since dinner and sees it's almost midnight. Resigned to talk to Dean about the picture tomorrow Cas gets ready for bed and crawls in next to Dean. If he leaves less space between them then he did the night before its just because it's colder and Dean is really warm.

 — — —

Dean wakes up to something tickling his nose. He blinks his eyes open, glaring at the bright sunlight filtering in through the curtains. Looking down he sees a mess of dark hair laying on his chest, the sight makes him smile and he leans in a little bit more to nuzzle against the soft strands. The scent of honey and vanilla that he has come to enjoy so much the last few days makes him hum in contentment. Waking up to the real thing instead of a pillow like the morning before is so much better.

Cas is pressed all along his side with an arm and leg thrown over Dean to keep him in place. Dean has one arm wrapped around Cas and moves his hand to gently run through his hair. He loves this. Loves the presence of a warm solid body next to his and the way it makes him feel  safe and comfortable. It's been a very long time since Dean has had any kind of intimacy and he never realized how much he missed it until now. He could be perfectly content to stay here wrapped together with Castiel, but he knows his stomach will start protesting in a matter of minutes.

With a heavy sigh Dean starts to inch his way out from underneath Cas, trying his best to not wake the other man. After what seems like an hour, but was only probably a few minutes, Dean succeeds and makes his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When he comes back out Cas is still asleep with his face smushed into the pillow Dean was using. The sight is adorable and Dean can’t help but take a picture. He knows it's a little weird and really creepy but damn he wants to remember this for a really long time. If all goes according to his plan then maybe he could have this more often too. 

Just as he predicted Dean’s stomach starts to grumble signaling to Dean it's time for food. With one last glance at Cas, Dean forces himself to walk away and out the door. The breakfast room is teeming with people like it always is and the delicious smells of breakfast foods fill the air. He’s really going to miss this in a few days when they have to leave. Carol brings over a plate stacked high with his favorite for him, how she always knows exactly what he wants he will never know. She also brings over a mug of that delicious coffee that Dean loves made perfectly to his liking. 

“How’s your article coming along dear?” She asks sitting in the chair across from him. 

Dean can’t help the smile that spreads across his face, “It’s going really really great, I started on it yesterday and should finish it before tonight.”

“Oh that’s wonderful! Just in time for the festival! You are planning on going yes?” Carol looks at him expectantly, like he really doesn’t get a choice in the matter. 

“Yes, I was planning on attending,” Dean chuckles before taking a sip of his heavenly beverage. Carol pats his cheek then stands up to attend to the other guests. He finishes his breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon before moving to one of the sitting rooms and the spot he has claimed as his. Just as he is pulling out his laptop Castiel appears in front of him holding his own cup of coffee. He’s wearing his glasses again, which is not fair, and looks like he didn’t bother to fix his hair at all. Dean loves it. 

“Morning Cas!” Dean greets with a bright smile. Cas responds with a grunt before downing half his cup. Dean loves how grumpy Castiel is in the morning before he has his coffee, he reminds Dean of a cat that got woken up before he was ready. It really is adorable. Not wanting to show Castiel his article, Dean waits for Cas to wake up enough to say what he came over to say before Dean gets back to work. 

It only takes a few minutes for the coffee to kick in which Dean uses to study the man in front of him. Dean doesn’t remember the last time he was this comfortable with and didn’t mind sitting in a silence. Usually Dean is the one to fill the space with noise when it gets to be too quiet. But with Cas he is perfectly content to sit next to him for hours without a word said between the two. Dean has also never introduced anybody to his family but spending the day with them yesterday with Cas by his side was a dream come true. Everyone accepted Cas immediately and Dean could tell how much it meant to Cas to be surrounded by people this time of year. 

Sam had even asked if they were together at one point. He pointed out he has never seen Dean so happy before and the little touches that Dean didn’t even realize he was doing showed Sam how comfortable they were around each other. It got Dean thinking more and more about the interactions they have shared the last few days and Dean had to agree with Sam. The more he thought about it the more it made sense when Sam asked him if he liked Cas and without hesitation Dean said yes. 

Dean thinks back to the drive home when he was telling Cas about how much he enjoyed having him there with his family. How he made it that much easier for Dean to enjoy the holidays for the first time in who knows how long. How much it would mean to him if Cas would go back with him on Christmas Day. When he was met with silence he looked over to find Cas leaning against the car door passed out asleep. He had a slight frown pulling at his lips and his brows pinched together but he still looked so handsome. Dean had to force himself to look away before he sent them both over the side of the road for being distracted. 

Now the man sits in front of him the perfect conurbation of sexy and adorable drinking his coffee with a frown on his face. And Dean couldn’t think of a single thing he would rather be looking at. 

“Here,” Cas finally says, thrusting a piece of paper in Dean's direction. Only it’s not a piece of paper but a really old photograph. Dean studies the picture confused why Cas would give him this. 

“That’s Carol and Chris,” Dean states. 

Cas looks almost relieved. “Ok good I’m not crazy then!” 

“Cas, I’m confused.”

“Turn it over,” there’s a hesitancy in his voice that sets Dean's suspicions climbing. He turns it over as told and sees faded writing at the bottom. 

“December 23rd, 1842? That doesn’t make any sense,” Dean says looking up at Cas. 

“Right? That’s what I thought too. And then the more I looked at it the less sense it made. I mean look at the clothes and jewelry, they match perfect with that time period,” Cas explains. Dean wouldn’t know, he’s not a history person like Cas is. “And the picture itself is clearly well over a century old.”

That Dean can agree on. It still doesn’t make any sense though and he can tell Cas is trying to convince him or himself of something. “What are you trying to say Cas?”

“What if it is them?” Cas asks in a quiet voice, hope and vulnerability in his eyes. 

“Okay, then the date is wrong,” Dean says simply. 

“What if it’s not?”

“Cas that’s not possible. You and I both know that.”

“But what if Chris is really…” Cas trails off and Dean can tell this is hard for him to say. “Santa Claus?” 

“Santa Claus?” Dean looks at Cas trying to figure out if he’s basing serious or not. “You’re kidding right? You know Santa doesn’t exist right?”

“Yes I know that!” Cas huffs in frustration burying his face in his hands. Dean doesn’t know what to do. All he knows is he wants to comfort his friend but doesn’t know if he is able to do it the way he wants. Instead he reaches out and gently places his hand in Cas’ knee, his thumb rubbing soothing circles trying to get his attention. Finally those bright blue eyes look up at him through slightly crooked glasses that Dean quickly straightens. 

“Why don’t you focus on finding that certificate you’re looking for instead, so you can finish your article and save the inn?” Dean suggests trying to find something to distract Cas from the photo. 

“Yeah you’re probably right,” Cas nods before freezing. He looks up at Dean through narrowed eyes. “How do you know what I am writing my article about?”

Oh shit… wasn’t supposed to know that. 

“Um, I overheard you talking to the Winters yesterday at breakfast,” Dean admits. 

Dean can tell Cas wants to be mad but something is stopping him and Dean is very grateful for that. He didn't mean to overhear the conversation, it just kind of happened when he walked into the breakfast room. Cas just sighs and looks away from Dean which breaks his heart a little bit if he's being honest.

“I’m sorry Cas,” Dean says honestly, looking down at his hands, now in his lap.

“It's fine Dean,” Cas replies but his tone is tense so Dean doesn't know if it's actually fine. “I’m more upset about the fact that finding that certificate is nearly impossible and I won't have anything for my article.”

Dean perks up a little bit and tries for an encouraging smile when their eyes meet again. “If anyone can find that certificate it would be you. You're Castiel freaking Novak for crying out loud! I believe in you.”

He gets a genuine smile in return and his heart starts beating a mile a minute. “Thank you Dean.”

Cas stands up and starts to walk away before Dean remembers he was going to ask Castiel something.

“Hey Cas!” Dean calls. Cas stops in the doorway and turns to look back at him. Suddenly Dean’s throat runs dry and the words aren’t coming out when he opens his mouth.

“Everything alright?” 

He clears his throat and tries again. “Yes, I was just wondering if you want to go to the festival tonight?”

“I was planning on going yes,” Cas replies looking at Dean with his head tilted slightly to the side.

“No I mean would you want to go with me?” Dean asks, unable to look Cas in the eye any longer. Silence meets his question though so he risks a glance up and finds Castiel smiling at him softly. 

“I would love to, Dean.”

“Really?” Dean exclaims a bit too enthusiastically. “I mean, great that sounds great.”

Cas chuckles, sending a wave of flutters through Dean’s stomach. “I’ll see you later Dean.”

And then he's gone. Leaving Dean smiling at his laptop. He pulls up his half-finished article and sets to work. There's a lot to get done before the Christmas Eve festival later that night. The words flow out of him and before he knows it the article is complete. Dean reads through it one more time to make sure he caught all of his errors and makes sure he doesn’t sound like a complete idiot. Once he’s satisfied he saves the file. The title stares back at him and it makes him smile to himself. People probably think he's crazy smiling at his computer like it's the greatest thing he's ever seen but he doesn't care. He's happy. 

“How falling in love made me believe in Christmas magic again. By Dean Winchester,” he says out loud quietly. Honestly, Dean isn’t sure when it happened but he really did go and fall in love with Cas. His smile never leaves his face and his heart skips a beat at the idea of Cas reading his article. Which reminds him he has to get Cas to read it first in case he doesn’t return his feelings and Dean doesn’t embarrass himself in front of everyone. Cas feels the same right? It's not all in Dean’s head? There's only one way to find out, so Dean goes in search of the man he has come to love.

He wanders through the inn until he hears Cas’ gravely voice coming from a room he has never been in before. It's a big open room with high ceilings and walls covered in several clocks all set at different times. Underneath are plaques with a cities name and Dean realizes they are the different time zones. What really catches his eye though is the magnificent red sleigh sitting in the middle of the room. Cas and Chris are sitting in the seat looking at a piece of paper that Dean recognizes as the picture Cas showed him earlier.

“Wow Chris, this is quite the man cave you've got here!” Dean announces himself. 

“Thank you Dean! I’m quite proud of it, especially around this time of the year it can get quite busy.” Chris says with a chuckle.

“Cas, are you busy? I wanted to ask you something,” Dean turns his attention to the dark-haired man.

“Sure,” he replies, climbing out of the sleigh. Dean offers a hand to help him down and to his great joy Cas accepts. Their hands clasped together as Cas steps down and they're about to exit when Chris pulls their attention back.

“Are you two gentlemen going to the festival tonight?” he asks.

“Yes, we are,” Cas replies with a small smile that warms Dean’s heart. “Is it a fancy event? I don’t have anything fancy other than my normal suit which I dont think will work.”

Dean didn't even think about what he would wear tonight. Panic starts to set in. How is he going to find something to wear on such short notice?

“Oh don’t worry about that! Carol found a couple of my old suits for the two of you. They should be up in your room and tailored to fit you as well,” Chris explains happily. Relief floods Dean until he starts to wonder what Carol managed to find for them. Knowing Chris and his normal wardrobe choices, the suits are probably a bright red. Red is really not Dean's color unless it’s a darker shade like his favorite over shirt. He’s been told he looks very sexy whenever he wears it and starts to wonder what Cas would think. Dean really should’ve packed that shirt for this trip! Then again he had no idea he would go and fall in love with Cas and want to impress him every second of the day. 

“Dean?” Cas asks, bringing Dean back to the present. It’s clear by the worry etched into Cas’ face that this isn’t the first time he’s tried to catch Dean’s attention. “You wanted to ask me something?”

“Oh yes! I was wondering if you wanted to read my article tonight after the festival?” Dean asks with a slight blush coloring his cheeks. He would never admit it out loud but he really is nervous about Castiel not returning his feelings. But then there are moments like right now where Cas is looking at him like he’s the only person in the room and the only one that matters and their hands are still pressed together. 

Cas wouldn’t do any of that if he didn’t return Dean’s feelings right? Cas doesn’t have to be in love with him back right away, Dean isn’t expecting that. But if Cas would give him a chance? A chance to prove that Dean can be a good partner and treat Castiel right like he deserves then Dean would be the happiest person in the world. 

“You’re giving me special inside access to the next great Dean Winchester article?” There's a teasing tone to Cas’ voice but the genuine smile he gives Dean calms him down. 

“You should feel very honored to be given this opportunity,” Dean replies, keeping his tone light.

“I would love to,” Cas says softly squeezing Dean’s hand slightly. “Did you finish yours?” 

“I did yeah.”

“You found your inspiration!” Cas exclaims, one of Dean’s favorite gummy smiles spreads across his face. “Are you going to give me a hint?”

Dean laughs, “Nope! You’re just going to have to wait and see! I’ll even offer to read yours for all of your spelling errors too.”

Cas scoffs in response before his expression changes to something more somber. Dean notices the change immediately and can take a guess at what is bothering Cas.

“You haven't found the certificate have you?” He asks quietly. Cas just shakes his head then removes his hand from Dean’s and walks out the room without another word. Dean watches him go, his heart clenching in his chest. He wishes there was something he could do to help Cas but he doesn't know what he could do besides find the certificate. Which frankly at this point would literally take a Christmas miracle. Dean was fortunate enough to have one Christmas miracle happen to him already; he doesn’t know the chances of another happening are very high.

To think that less than a week ago Dean wanted absolutely nothing to do with the holidays and didn't believe in such a thing as a Christmas miracle. Now here he stands in what literally looks like Santa’s workshop with a man who looks like Santa himself in a little town called Santa Claus. He reconnected with his family during the holidays, something he never thought would happen, and he fell in love with the one man he never thought he stood a chance with. There's also the possibility that said man might like him back which would really just be the ice cream on top of the pie for him. Yeah, it really did have to be a Christmas miracle for all of that to happen to Dean.

Letting a heavy sigh go Dean looks around the room and his attention catches on Chris studying the picture from earlier. Dean watches the man look at the picture with a fond expression and with something that looks like reminiscence which doesn't make any sense at all considering the picture is from 1842. Chirs takes the picture and safely secures it in one of his jacket's inner pockets before turning his attention back to one of his helpers.

Dean shakes his head and decides he should take one more walk around town since they probably won't have time before they leave. He heads back up to the room to see if Cas would want to join him but the other man is nowhere to be found. With a slight frown on his face, Dean grabs his jacket and heads out into the snowy streets. He stops at the coffee shop for one to go and a couple bags to take back with him. The owner is also nice enough to give him information on how he can order some all the way from New York which Dean is incredibly grateful for since all other coffee is officially ruined for him.

He stops in a few stores buying a couple gifts for his family. The girls he already has gifts for but he has to keep the reputation of cool uncle so he buys a few more gifts to spoil them. For Eileen he thinks one of the bags of coffee beans would be good since she needs her coffee as much as Dean does in the morning and he feels like she could keep the secret of this amazing coffee. Sam and Bobby are easy to shop for since they both love books so much. Dean gets his brother a vegan cooking book and for Bobby he finds a cool book about the local lore and legends of the area, which includes the legend Cas first told him about. With the reminder of the possible golden streak through the sky at midnight, Dean sets an alarm on his phone to remind him at 11:59. Just in case.

By the time Dean makes it back to the inn the sky has darkened considerably and it's almost time for the festival to begin. He can see people running around getting the place ready and if he thought the place looked like Christmas exploded in it before, it is nothing compared to what it is now. Christmas lights are hung up everywhere. More decorated trees are placed inside and out. Candles, which smell absolutely amazing, are lit on every surface giving a warm and cozy feel to the already welcoming inn. A week ago Dean would’ve hated everything about this, but now it brings a smile to his face and he takes in the holiday joy surrounding him.

Dean heads up to the room to deposit the gifts and to get ready for the party. When he gets there he only sees one suit laid out on the bed with a little not with his name on it. Surprisingly it's not red! The suit is a bright blue color (which kind of reminds him of Cas’ eyes) with a checkered pattern in darker blue. Honestly, he loves it and paired with the only fancy shirt he brought, a plain black button-down, he thinks it'll look pretty good as long as it fits. 

Taking a quick shower, Dean spends more time than he would like to admit styling his hair. He wants to look good, sue him. He decides to leave the little bit of scruff that has grown out liking it a lot more than his usual clean-shaven self. When he puts the suit on he is shocked to see just how well it fits. He leaves the top couple buttons of his shirt unbuttoned and he's gotta admit he looks damn good. It gives him the boost of confidence he needs to settle his nerves just enough to head down to the party in search of Cas. He finds Chris and Carol right away greeting their guests and their faces light up when they catch sight of him.

“Oh look at you all dressed up!” Carol gushes at him while running her hands down his arms and giving him an approving look. Dean sends her a wink paired with his trademark smirk and is overjoyed with the elderly women blushes.

“Hey now son, she's taken,” Chris laughs beside him.

“I don’t know Chris, I’ve kinda taken a liking to her,” Dean teases while pulling Carol into a big hug. Carol giggles as she wraps her arms around his waist.

“Can’t really blame her, you clean up well Dean and you wear that suit better than I ever did.”

“Thank you Chris,” Dean says honestly. He looks around the room in search of a familiar head of dark hair but he can’t seem to find Cas anywhere within the crowd. “Have you guys seen Cas yet?”

“There he is now,” Chris replies, looking over Dean's shoulder.

Dean turns and his breath leaves him quicker than he thought possible. Cas always comes to work in a suit without fail, but this feels like so much more for some reason. Castiel stands in the doorway pulling on the sleeves nervously as he looks around the room. When he catches sight of Dean his face brightens with a smile that just about brings Dean to his knees right then and there. The suit Cas is wearing looks similar to Deans except instead of blues it is in shades of gray and blak. Castiel went with a crisp white button-down and a deep red tie that pulls the whole look together. Before Dean can recover enough to close his mouth and stop gaping at the other man, Cas starts to make his way over.

“Hello Dean,” Cas greets and Dean is speechless. Up close Dean can see how the dark charcoal of the suit causes Cas’ vibrant blue eyes to pop just that much more. He also decided it would be great night to torture Dean because framing those beautiful blue orbs are the thick frame glasses Cas has taken to wearing more often. 

“Castiel dear, you look wonderful!” Carol exclaims next to Dean breaking him out of his trance. 

“Thank you Carol,” Cas blushes. He blushes! As if Dean didn’t need another thing to distract him and cease all brain functions. “Are you alright Dean?”

Dean lets out a sound somewhere between a whimper and a squeak which he tries to cover up by clearing his throat. “Yep. Yep I’m great Cas. And you’re great too. I mean you look great! You are great too don't get me wrong but I was talking about how great you look because you look great. Like really great. And I’m going to shut up now.”

Someone please shoot him right now. God could he have been any more embarrassing? Rambling on about how great Cas is?

Castiel just looks at him. His face full of a mixture of amusement and fondness. “Thank you, Dean, you also look great.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean mumbles, not trusting himself to say anything more.

“Alright fellas, I got to head out but enjoy the party!” Chris announces giving Carol a chaste kiss in farewell.

“Where are you going? The party is just starting,” Cas asks curiously.

“A lot of work to be done tonight!” The elderly man says cryptically before he's off wandering through the crowd. Carol also disappears probably to greet more guests which leaves Dean and Castiel standing together. Alone. Silence falls over them and Dean fidgets, his suit suddenly too hot as he pulls at the collar. He needs to say something, anything , to break the awkwardness now surrounding them.

“Would you like to dance?” Dean blurts. He can hear soft music coming from the other room and can see some people moving around. Talking he struggles with, but dancing he can do.

“I would love to,” Cas says with a bright smile. Dean returns the smile and relaxes immediately. This is just Cas. He can do this. Dean offers his arm and Cas happily accepts with a light laugh that makes Dean feel like he's floating on air. Together they walk into what has transformed into a beautiful ballroom with a live band playing in the corner. They join the other couples dancing around the room and Dean leads them into a simple waltz. He pulls Cas close wanting to feel the other man and Cas goes willingly bringing his hand to Dean's shoulder. Dean wraps an arm around Cas’ waist resting his hand on the small of his back while their other hands are clasped together.

“Where did you learn to dance?” Castiel asks.

“My mom taught me when I was a kid and told me the way to a person's heart is either through food or music,” Dean says quietly. His mom taught him to cook, bake, and dance. Dean’s singing isn’t too bad either. 

Cas chuckles in response. “She taught you well.”

Dean beams at Cas’ comment and they continue around the room with twin smiles on their faces.

“They really made this place beautiful,” Dean whispers in the space between them. Cas takes a moment to look around and take everything in before returning his gaze to Dean’s. There's a sadness in his blue eyes now that wasn’t there before. “Hey, what's wrong?”

“I couldn’t find the certificate. I couldn’t save the inn. And I couldn’t finish my article,” Cas mumbles looking down at their feet. Their dance has changed to more of a slow sway than the waltz Dean was leading earlier.

“I’m sorry Cas, I know how much you wanted to find that certificate.” Dean’s heart breaks for the guy. Cas had put so much time and energy into researching how to save the inn and the one thing that could have done it just had to be lost for over fifty years. 

“Well at least you get to keep your job now,” Cas says bitterly. There's a bite to his tone that hits Dean deep even though he knows Cas isn’t mad at him, just the situation.

“Cas, look at me,” Dean gently says moving his hand to Cas’ chin tilting it up slightly so their eyes meet. “I don’t give a crap about my job right now okay? You’re still a freaking amazing writer Castiel and I promise you Charlie would not let Roman fire you because of one stupid article. You’re too valuable for that to happen. Trust me, you are the best writer Roman Magazines has.”

Cas’ blue eyes fill with unshed tears and he hastily wipes beneath his glasses before they fall. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes, Cas I really mean that,” Dean says with a soft smile. He moves his hand to slide through Cas’ hair before settling on the back of his neck. The two men get lost in each other’s gazes, the rest of the world falling away around them. 

“Castiel.” 

The sound startles both Dean and Cas. They look around until Cas’ gaze stops on a man walking their way. Dean takes a moment to take in the man's dark hair perfectly styled and the perfectly tailored gray suit. The man eyes Dean through icy blue eyes and there's a challenge there that Dean doesn’t quite understand. 

“Ketch?” Cas asks, moving away from Dean. The warmth leaves him fast making Dean feel suddenly lost. “What are you doing here?”

“I called your office and your boss told me you were here so I had to come surprise you,” Ketch explains with a smirk on his face. His eyes travel up and down Cas’ body with a predatory look which sets Dean on edge instantly. “And who is this?”

Cas’ eyes flick back and forth between the other two men and Dean can see how uncomfortable he is. “Um Ketch this is Dean, Dean this is Arthur Ketch.”

Dean’s blood runs cold. Arthur Ketch. As in Cas’ ex-boyfriend.

“Mind if I cut in?” Ketch asks in his smarmy British accent. Dean is so in shock from the turn of events he can't do anything, but watch as Ketch grabs Castiel’s hand and pulls him away from Dean. Ketch pulls Castiel into his arms and they start dancing similarly to what Dean and him were doing only moments before. Castiel looks at Dean with something in his eyes that Dean can’t make out clearly. Not able to watch them anymore Dean turns away and finds the closest source of alcohol.

He finds the open bar and downs the first two shots the bartender places in front of him. Dean orders another whiskey for him to sip on as his gaze travels around the room again. It only takes seconds for him to lock onto a pair of men dancing slowly together. The two look like they are deep in conversation and anger rushes through Dean. It leaves him as quickly as it comes through, and he is left feeling empty. He watches the man he loves dance with another and there's nothing he can do about it. Instead of sipping at his whiskey like he was planning Dean downs it in one go and places the empty glass on the bar. He needs out.

Dean pushes his way through the crowd towards the front door, desperately in need of some fresh air. Before he gets there though he hears his name being called in the familiar deep gravelly voice that sends shivers down his spine. Against his better judgment hope starts to fill his stomach as he turns around to see Cas heading his way. The little bit of hope that got built up comes crashing right back down when he sees Cas pulling Ketch behind him by his hand. The sight makes Dean feel sick to his stomach but he puts on his brave face and smiles at the two men.

“Hey guys, I was just going to step outside for a breath of fresh air real quick,” He says through clenched teeth praying to whatever god is out there that he doesn't look as sick as he feels. Cas stares at him and Dean can see him searching for the right words to say. Dean’s not sure how Cas is feeling exactly, but it's obvious there's an internal argument going on by the way Cas’ eye keeps flicking back and forth between Deans. Not wanting to make this any harder on any of them Dean makes the decision for them. “It's okay. You can go.”

Cas looks like wants to argue but an impatient clearing of a throat behind him cuts him off. Dean gives him one last smile then turns and walks out the door. The cold burst of air prickles at his face and causes his eyes to water slightly. At least that's what Dean tells himself since he doesn’t want to admit he just got his heart broken and all he wants to do is sit down and cry. He takes a deep breath and walks around the property. It was obvious Ketch and Cas weren't planning on staying at the inn and there's no way Dean can go back up to the room yet if Cas is gathering his stuff. So Dean spends the next hour wandering with no destination in mind. 

The air is cold and snow falls from the sky in soft white flakes covering the path in front of him. He really should've grabbed a jacket but the only thing he could think about at the time was getting the hell out of there. When he is finally confident enough time has gone by for Castiel to be gone Dean heads back into the inn. He bypasses the party and walks right up the stairs to his room. Dean stands frozen in the doorway taking in the sight before him. Cas’ bag is gone and there is no trace left of the man. 

“I’m sorry honey,” a sweet voice comes from behind Dean. He turns and sees Carol standing there with a sad look in her eyes. Dean feels a tear run down his face and drip off his chin. When did he start crying? He looks up at the ceiling and blinks back the rest of the tears refusing to let them fall. It’s stupid to cry over something you lost when you didn’t even have it in the first place. 

“Shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up huh?” Dean says with a self-deprecating laugh. “God I’m such an idiot.”

“Oh Dean dear that's not true!” Carol protests coming closer and rubbing his arm comfortingly. 

Dean hangs his head in defeat. Cas is gone. There's nothing he can do about it.

“Thanks, Carol, but I think I’m just going to turn in for the night. The party was great though! You guys did an amazing job,” Dean forces a smile onto his face but he knows it's more of a grimace than anything else. 

“Alright dear, let me know if you need anything alright?” Carol says and with one last pat on his arm, she turns to join the rest of her guests downstairs. 

Dean walks into the room and shuts the door behind him. He leans against it taking in deep breaths to try to calm himself down. Eventually, Dean steps forward and removes his suit jacket leaving it on the bed before walking into the bathroom. He needs another shower to wash the night's events away. A nice hot shower then changing into comfortable pajamas sounds like the best way to spend the rest of the night. So he does just that.

He's about to crawl into the way too big bed for one person when his alarm on his phone goes off. Confused Dean picks it up and sees that it's 11:59 with the reminder of the golden streak. Dean debates for almost the entire minute whether it's worth checking out the window for. It's the thought of how happy and excited Cas was when he first told him the legend that convinced Dean to just peek out the window. He's about to give up and head back to the bed when he sees it. A bright golden streak lights up the sky as it swirls around the stars in the night sky. 

“No way,” Dean breaths into the empty room. The sight is mesmerizing and he can’t look away. Cas was right. It's impossible to miss the bright light traveling through the air. Dean watches it move through the night sky until it disappears completely a few minutes later. He still can't believe that he actually saw the golden streak. Dean really hopes that wherever Cas is that he was able to look up into the night sky and see the golden streak there.

Dean shakes his head in amazement. No matter how the rest of the day went, seeing that streak still gave him hope that there is Christmas magic somewhere around. He turns back to the bed when something catches his eye. The suit jacket is still laying there but there is something in the inner pocket that Dean didn’t notice before. Curious he walks over and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He nearly drops in in surprise when he sees that it is the official certificate that Cas has spent the last three days searching for. 

“Oh shit,” Dean’s mind is going a mile a minute trying to think of what he should do. He could call Cas and tell him, but realizes he doesn’t even have Cas’ phone number. “Dumb idiot! Alright, I got this.”

Without wasting another moment Dean pulls out his laptop and sits down at the small desk in the room. He checks his email and is shocked to see one from Cas with his unfinished article. Dean quickly scans through the doc and finds all of the research and facts he needs to complete his goal. There's a lot of work in front of him and not much time so Dean puts his head down and starts writing.

 — — —

“Ketch?” Cas asks, completely confused on why his ex is in the middle of nowhere Indiana instead of New York. He instinctively takes a step away from Dean and regrets it immediately. He misses the comfort just being in Dean’s arms offered. “What are you doing here?”

“I called your office and your boss told me you were here so I had to surprise you,” Ketch explains. He has that smile on his face that Castiel used to love, but now it gives him a sour taste in his mouth. Cas watches Ketch’s eyes travel up and down his body in an appreciative way and it feels so different than when Dean did the same thing earlier. “And who is this?”

Cas flicks his eyes back and forth between the two men not having a single idea of what to do. “Um Ketch this is Dean, Dean this is Arthur Ketch.”

He can see Dean’s jaw tighten and Cas would give anything to be able to comfort the beautiful man but something is holding him back. That something turns out to be Ketch’s hand when he takes hold of Castiels. 

“Mind if I cut in?” Ketch asks looking at Dean. Cas screams internally at Dean to not let Ketch take him away, but Dean just stands there, making Cas’ heart ache. Ketch takes the silence as a yes and moves in close to Castiel. He allows himself to be pulled into a slow sway that doesn’t give him the same warm feelings that dancing with Dean did. 

“Ketch what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in New York,” Cas says when he finally finds his voice again.

“I know but I missed you so much and I couldn't go another day without seeing you,” Ketch replies in his charming British accent.

“But you said you didn't want a relationship,” he argues.

“I was so very wrong darling.”

“Don't call me that,” Cas snaps. 

Ketch gives him the same unimpressed look he does when Cas does something he doesn’t approve of, but luckily he doesn't push the issue this time and moves on.

“Castiel I’ve been so lost without you and I really want to give us another shot,” Ketch says and Cas can even detect a hint of pleading in his voice that shocks him. The Arthur Ketch he knows never begs or pleads for anything unless he really wants it. “Come home with me.”

“Home?”

“Yes home,” The British man continues. “I want you to come meet my parents back in New York and we can have the big family Christmas we were planning on. What do you say?”

“I don't…” Castiel hesitates. This is everything he wanted. He frantically looks around for Dean hoping for some clarity in the other man but he’s nowhere to be seen. 

“Come on Castiel. I got us a room at a hotel near the airport so we’re not stuck here dancing in this old inn like some weird old movie.”

Ketch’s words cut Cas deep. He loves it here and he was really enjoying dancing with Dean. But Ketch is offering him everything he has ever wanted. A big family Christmas holiday celebration. He knows Dean will be going to spend the day with his family and Cas will stay at the inn where he would be alone so really going with Ketch would be the best option. They’ve made their relationship work before and if what Ketch is saying is really true that he does want to give them another chance then who is Castiel to deny that? 

“Okay,” he hears himself say. 

“Okay? Great, let’s get out of here!” Ketch says instantly, pulling him towards the door. Cas catches sight of Dean up ahead and knows he needs to say goodbye. 

“Dean!” Luckily the man stops and turns around with a smile on his face. It looks all wrong though. There is none of his usual friendliness anywhere and his smile doesn’t meet his usually bright green eyes. His eyes. They seem so dull now for some reason when just an hour ago they were sparkling with so much joy that Cas couldn’t look away. 

“Hey guys, I was just going to step outside for a breath of fresh air real quick,” Dean says and his voice is off too. Somethings wrong but Cas doesn’t know what it is. He wants to stay and figure it out, make sure Dean is okay. Ketch has different plans though because Cas can feel him getting agitated and impatient. Dean's face softens slightly and his shoulders drop from where they were held tight with tension. “It’s okay. You can go.”

Dean wants him to go? It hurts hearing those words and Castiel can feel his brows pinching together in confusion. He thought the two of them were friends but by the way Dean is acting, he’s not so sure. Before he can ask or say anything though Dean is out the door and Castiel is left standing in the walkway with Ketch. Taking a deep breath trying to center himself, Castiel turns his attention back to his ex (current?) boyfriend. 

“Let me go grab my stuff and I’ll be right back down,” Castiel says hurriedly before rushing up the stairs. As soon as he reaches the room he slams the door and sinks down to the floor. Everything hurts inside and he doesn’t understand why. Deans rejection should not have hurt that much. It’s not like Cas was expecting Dean to beg him to stay even though he knows he would’ve if Dean has just asked. Something about the way Dean was acting worries him but it was clear that Dean didn’t want to fall about it so Cas has to let it go. 

He drags himself up off the floor and makes his way to the bathroom. Changing out of the borrowed suit quickly Castiel changes into his normal navy suit. His bag is nearly already packed so he just throws the rest of his toiletries in before zipping it up. Cas grabs his tablet from the desk and remembers the half-finished article sitting there. Taking an extra minute he sends the unfinished draft to Dean for no reason other than just to have someone read the hours of research he did for nothing. Who knows, maybe Dean will find something interesting in it? That just reminds Cas that he was supposed to read Dean's article tonight after the festival. Guess that will just have to wait for tomorrow when it gets published in the newest issue of Doman Magazines. 

Grabbing his bags Castiel makes his way out of the room. He takes one last look before shutting the door and turning towards the stairs only to find Carol standing there, confusion clear on her face. 

“Are you leaving dear?” She asks.

“Um yes. My boyfriend surprised me here and we are flying out early tomorrow to go meet his family for Christmas so he got us a room near the airport,” Castiel explains. Every word coming out of his mouth feels so wrong though. 

“I thought Dean's family lived a couple hours away,” Carol says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Cas’ heart clenches in his chest. Dean. 

“Dean and I are not together. Arthur, my boyfriend from New York is here.”

“Oh I see,” there is something in her tone that sets Castiel on edge but he can’t think about it for too long. Ketch is waiting for him. 

“Thank you so much for everything Carol. This inn is amazing and I really hope you find that certificate someday so you can save it. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to,” Castiel says honestly and he really hopes she can hear it in his voice. 

“It’s quite alright Castiel, we have accepted our fate long ago,” she says quietly. “You go and have a merry Christmas now.”

“You too,” Castiel replies before stepping around her and down the stairs. Ketch is standing by the door looking at his watch and tapping his foot in irritation. When he catches sight of Castiel he makes a hurry-up gesture and walks out the door. With a heavy sigh, Castiel follows behind him to the shiny rental car sitting in the parking lot. 

An hour later finds Castiel sitting in an uncomfortable hotel chair staring out the window at the night sky. The hotel room Ketch managed to get near the hotel is so stark and cold compared to the warm feeling the room at the Winters inn always gave Castiel. He even manages to complain about everything even though he was the one to pick it. The room is painted a boring beige color, the typical cheap hotel furniture you can find anywhere, and not a single Christmas decoration to be seen anywhere. It reminds Castiel of his apartment from when he was living with Ketch and he hates it. Not for the first time, Castiel starts to wonder if he made the wrong decision of going with Ketch.

“Seriously they couldn't splurge on a better quality shampoo and conditioner?” Ketch complains from the bathroom. Castiel rolls his eyes not bothering to acknowledge the other man with anything more. For what feels like the hundredth time in the last five minutes Castiel checks his phone for the time. 11:59. One more minute. He glances out the window back at the night sky waiting for something to happen. 

Just as the clock strikes midnight a golden light appears in the sky. It swirls around the clouds leaving a tail in its wake creating a bright streak through the night sky. Castiel is in awe as he watches the streak move through the stars. It’s the most beautiful thing he has ever seen, well second most beautiful behind Dean. He’s not sure how long the golden light travels through the air and he only comes back down to earth when it fades away leaving no trace. 

“What are you looking at?” Ketch’s voice spooks him from where the man stands next to him looking out the window frowning at the dark sky. 

“You didn’t see that?” Castiel asks curiously. If what the legend told him was true and that only those that truly believe in the Christmas spirit can see the light then he wouldn’t be very surprised if Ketch didn’t see it. 

“See what?”

And that answers that for Castiel. 

“The shooting star,” he lies easily, not wanting to go into the legend he knows Ketch would make fun of him for believing in. Luckily Ketch accepts the answer and moves across the room to the bed. The only bed. They obviously have shared a bed before from when they were living together but now for some reason, Castiel feels like it is wrong to share the bed with the other man. It’s not like he can sleep in the chair or on the ground though. He sucks it up and swallows his pride before climbing into the other side of the bed. They don’t touch thankfully. Ketch doesn’t even say goodnight before he turns out the light and promptly falls asleep 

Castiel lays awake unable to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. His whole body is strung right with tension and he misses the easy comfort he had when sharing a bed with Dean. Even if it was only for two days, Castiel’s not sure if he will ever get a good night's sleep again. At least not for a whole. He turns over into his side looking through the cheap blinds at the bright street light outside the window. Ketch snores quietly behind him and he finds it annoying instead of endearing as he did with Dean. 

Did he ever enjoy sleeping with Ketch? He can’t even remember what their relationship was like even though it has only been a month since the break-up. They were together for two years. You would think Castiel would have some kind of happy memory with the man he thought he loved. Now the only happy memories he can think of are from the past week alone. All the times he had a quiet moment with Dean. Or a moment where Dean was laughing at something Cas said. Those are the memories that bring a smile to Cas’ face. Eventually, Cas is able to drift into a restless sleep with thoughts of Dean circulating through his mind. 

The sound of water running brings Castiel back into awareness. For a minute he thinks he is back at the Winters Inn and Dean is the one in the shower but when he rolls over and buries his face in the pillow expecting the smell of cedar that he has come to associate with Dean he is very disappointed when it smells like plain laundry detergent. Cas sits up with a frown on his face and takes in his surroundings. Even through his blurry vision, he doesn't see any Christmas tree in the corner, or warm sunlight filtering in through soft curtains, or beautiful custom dark wood furniture. It leaves his stomach in knots not having the familiarity of the inn or the comfort of knowing Dean is nearby.

Arthur comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and Castiel immediately averts his eyes. It feels wrong. Everything feels wrong. Without looking up, Cas gathers his stuff and locks himself into the bathroom. He takes several moments to just breathe. When he finally feels calmed down enough to function properly he turns on the water in the shower and steps into the scalding heat. It feels good on his skin and allows him to relax further. Castiel uses the time he has to think about the last 24 hours. The stress and panic of not finishing his article to the rush of feelings he had while dancing with Dean and the different wave of emotions when Ketch surprised him.

All Ketch asked for was another chance. Castiel can give him that. They worked well together before so they can work well together again. Whatever little crush Cas has on Dean will fade when they get back to New York since Cas will probably be fired and never see Dean again. There's no reason to dwell on something that will never be. With his mind made up, Castiel quickly finishes his shower and gets dressed for the day. Their flight leaves at eight so they can make it back to New York in time for the big family dinner with Ketch’s family.

“Ready to go?” Ketch asks when Castiel steps out of the bathroom. He nods his head in response quickly packing the rest of these things into his suitcase. “Really Castiel? Why are you wearing those dumb glasses?”

Castiel flushes because he forgot about how Ketch feels about his glasses since he got so comfortable with wearing them around the inn. “The airplane air irritates my contacts so my glasses are more comfortable for flying. I’ll change into my contacts as soon as we are back in New York though.”

“Fine, let's just go.”

Ketch doesn’t wait for a response and is already out the door before he finishes talking. Huffing in slight irritation Castiel follows behind and shuts the door to the bland hotel room. They make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and find a couple seats by their gate to wait until they board. Ketch immediately starts tapping his foot impatiently and keeps glancing down at his watch as if that will make time go faster. Rolling his eyes Castiel takes in the rest of the people around them. There are not many, which doesn't surprise him as it is Christmas day after all and most people are already at home with their families celebrating. 

He takes a sip of his coffee he picked up from one of the many stands in the airport. The taste causes him to wince and pout as he stares at the plain cup. Castiel would do just about anything for the coffee from the inn. He misses the coffee Dean made him each morning. He misses Dean.

“I cannot wait to be back in the city,” Ketch groans. “Indiana is so boring.”

Castiel chooses to ignore the comments and instead tries to distract Ketch until they can board. “What should I expect for this big family Christmas dinner? Any special traditions?”

“Special traditions? No, of course not. Christmas isn’t really a big deal for my family. It’s just an excuse to all meet up and eat food,” he explains with an air of indifference around him. 

“Do you decorate at all? Or have a tree?” Cas pushes hoping for something.

“Sure, the maid brings out the tree every year and sets it up.”

“Alright, you said food, what kind of food do you guys make? Are we supposed to bring something? I have this amazing apple pie recipe! If we stop by the store I can get the ingredients and we will probably have time to bake it before we head over,” Castiel says with a big smile already thinking about how yummy the apple pie will taste.

“Castiel, we just order from the Chinese place around the corner. Super easy. No need for the pie or whatever,” Ketch waves his hand around before turning his attention back to his phone. Cas stares at him in shock. That sounds like the absolute worst way to spend Christmas.

This time of the year you should be surrounded by the people you love. Trading stories and sharing laughs around the fire while drinking hot chocolate. A big giant feast with all kinds of homemade delicious treats. It should be a time to celebrate, not just an excuse to get the family together.

Castiel thinks about what Dean and his family would be up to. Dean probably already drank three cups of coffee and they are all probably sitting around the gorgeous tree while Mary and Liz open their presents from Santa. They probably will have a homemade breakfast and then sit in front of the fire watching Christmas movies. It’s everything Castiel has always dreamed of Christmas being. Plus he knows Dean would absolutely love his apple pie.

A phone ringing breaks the quiet around Castiel and the glare Ketch sends him tells him it’s his phone going off. He searches through his pockets until he finally finds it. His stomach drops when he sees who’s calling. Accepting his fate Castiel answers the call and holds the phone up to his ear. 

“Charlie?”

“Castiel, I am so proud of you!” Charlie squeals from the other end of the line. 

“You are?” Cas asks, completely confused. 

“Your idea to save the inn and how you managed to do it by finding the certificate and what Dean wrote was beautiful and who knew he had that in him I mean the article was perfect! People are already booking their next vacation at the historical Winters inn for next year all because of you and Dean. Man, I never would’ve thought the two of you would think of pairing up together for this article but it worked perfectly! You brought in the historical side that appeals to some and he brought in the experiences that appeals to others and the way it merged! Ugh, I love it! And our readers do too! Congratulations Castiel you did it! Now go spend Christmas with your new man and I’ll see you soon! Peace out Bitches!”

The line goes dead. 

Castiel stares at his phone in shock. What the hell?

“Castiel, it's time to board. Come on,” Ketch says not noticing the crisis Cas is going through. 

“Hang on, Charlie said my article got posted,” he mumbles quickly pulling up the magazine sight on his phone. 

“I thought you said you didn’t finish it.”

“I didn’t…” Cas trails off as the headline pops up. “How two writers found Christmas magic just in time to save a historic inn. By Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester.”

Castiel quickly scans through the article and sees that Dean managed to find the certificate in Chris’ jacket. 

“I never believed that Christmas miracles existed until I was snowed in with the one person that embodied everything that Christmas should be about,” reading Dean’s word Cas smiles softly to himself. “Thanks to the Winters Inn…”

Cas trails off not able to read the next part out loud yet. He can feel tears prickling at the back of his eyes and he blinks them back the best he can. 

“Thanks to the Winters Inn, falling in love was the greatest Christmas miracle I could’ve ever asked for.”

Dean loves him?

Cas thinks back to all of the time they spent together the last week. All of the soft touches. The shy smiles. The laughter. The happiness. The love. Dean loves him. And Castiel is pretty sure he loves him too. 

“Castiel we really have to go, they're waiting for us,” Ketch’s voice breaks through Castiel’s thoughts causing a wave of irritation to wash over him.

“Hang on,” Cas takes a moment to study the man in front of him. The man he thought he loved but is now realizing he never even felt a fraction of what he feels for Dean when he was with Ketch. “What was your favorite article I’ve written?”

“What?” Ketch looks at him confused. “Um all of them were amazing! You're an amazing writer.”

“No really, name one of my articles. Just one,” Cas urges with a self-satisfied grin. He watches Ketch flounder and it brings him a lot more joy than he thought it would.

“In my defense, you never asked me to read any of them,” he finally relents. “I’ll read them all when we get back but right now we really have to board the plane.”

Castiel smiles at him before grabbing his suitcase and walking right out of the airport ignoring the protests and questions yelled his way. He has somewhere more important to be.

 — — —

Dean sits on the floors in front of the fireplace with a giant fluffy pink tutu around his waist. Mary and Liz sit around him in their matching tutus playing with their new dolls. He loves his nieces, he really does, but they're really pushing their limits of what he can handle right now. There is glitter everywhere . Glitter in his hair, on his shirt, in his mouth. It's a disaster! When Liz finds the princess tiara her eyes light up and Dean starts protesting immediately. One look into those damn puppy dog eyes that they learned from their father has him caving in a matter of moments. So now Dean sits on the floor in a giant fluffy pink tutu, covered in glitter, and wearing a tiara.

Thank God Cas isn’t there to see him like this.

The thought of Castiel sends a pang through Dean's heart. Cas made his choice and went back to New York with his ex. Dean is just going to have to accept that. He stayed up until three AM finishing up the article for them after finding the certificate. If he put that last line in there in hopes of possibly changing Cas’ mind well no one needs to know but him. For now, he is happy enough to spend Christmas with his family for the first time in over a decade. 

“This is Steve!” Mary exclaims holding up a unicorn plushie Bobby got her. Dean stares the unicorn in the eye through narrowed eyes. He doesn't trust it. 

“Breakfast time!” Sam calls from the kitchen.

“Thank God,” Dean breathes out while standing. His knees pop and he groans as he stretches out. The tutu comes off immediately and the tiara soon follows. Getting the glitter off is a lost cause at the moment so Dean chooses to pretend it's not there. When he reaches the kitchen the girls give him twin pouts which he promptly ignores knowing he will cave if he takes one look at them.

“Any word from Cas?” Eileen asks. Dean gives her a sad smile and shakes his head. He refuses to get his hopes up. It's most likely that Cas is already on a plane heading back to New York and away from Dean. Cas also chose to go back with Ketch, so he probably wants nothing to do with Dean anyway.

“Well your article was amazing,” Sam says honestly.

“Thanks, Sammy.”

Just then the doorbell rings, and everyone pauses in their eating. 

“It's probably carollers,” Bobby grumbles. Dean gets up and heads to the door expecting to see a few of the neighborhood members. Instead, when he opens the door he is shocked into silence by the sight of Cas standing on the doorstep smiling at him.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Cas? What are you doing here?” Dean asks, still in shock.

“I read the article,” Cas explains and Dean instantly flushes.

“What did you think?” He asks cautiously.

“I think I love you too,” Cas smiles so big Dean can see his gums and the crinkles around his eyes. He is so freaking beautiful and all Dean can do is smile back. He steps out onto the porch right into Cas’ personal space and brings a hand up to cup Cas’ cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” Dean wipers in the space between them. Instead of getting a reply, Cas surges up and their lips meet in a burst of emotions. 

Dean feels himself melt into the kiss and presses closer to Castiel wanting, needing , to feel more. He moves his hand to the back of Cas’ head to hold him close and run his fingers through the soft strands. Cas moans into his mouth sending sparks through Dean's entire body. Pulling back just slightly, so they can catch their breath, green eyes lock on blue and twin grins spread their way across their faces. The next time their lips meet they’re smiling too much but it is still perfect all at the same time. Deans not sure how long they stand there trading soft kisses back and forth and he really doesn't care.

With one last chaste kiss, Dean pulls back and stares into Cas’ eyes. “Merry Christmas, Cas.”

“Merry Christmas, Dean,” Cas replies with a soft smile.

“Okay, great, now that we got that out of the way do the two of you want to come in so we can play charades?” Sam’s voice interrupts their moment, which earns him twin glares. Sam smiles in response before turning and walking back inside. Cas laces their fingers together earning him a bright smile from Dean as they follow Sammy into the house.

“No cheating this time!” Dean yells, causing Cas to chuckle quietly next to him.

Best Christmas ever.

 — — —

Carol and Chris stand in front of the fireplace admiring the newly framed picture of the two of them. It had been lost for so long and they are so thankful Castiel was able to find it.

“Another magical year!” Carol tells her husband with a smile.

“Yes, it was, my dear,” He replies with a chuckle. “Did they find the certificate?”

“You know they did, silly,” Carol laughs, swatting at his arm playfully.

“Merry Christmas, my love,” Chris says.

“Merry Christmas, Santa,” Carol whispers.