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With an affirmative nod out the window, Dean turned around to face Castiel. “Yep, storm’s coming.”
Castiel grinned at the gratuitous flakes of snow blanketing the yard outside his window as he rested against the far wall where his phone was charging. “I can’t wait!”
Dean shrugged passively, unwilling to kill Cas’s glow. “I can. I gotta drive home in this shit, you know.”
Castiel laughed, jerking his shoulders a bit with each chuckle. “Exactly!” Dean rolled his eyes and pursed his lips together, giving Castiel’s alarm clock a sidelong glance.
“Well… No point in going home now. If I drive in the snow, then I could crash and die!” He reasoned humorously.
Castiel nodded, “Yes, far too dangerous. I can’t have you dying because God decided to scratch His head over this town.”
“I’ll text my mom.” Dean tapped at the keyboard of his phone. He never turned the keyboard sound off; which annoyed Castiel.
“Tap,tap tappity tap tap tip…” Castiel sang along with the monotonous beep. Without looking up, Dean joined him with less rhythm.
“Taptap tap tap tapp tap… Sent.”
“Hell yeah,” Cas growled Dean’s typical reply. Dean furrowed his brow and pouted his lips like a macho guy and tried not to smile. Cas did the same. They held eye contact until Dean burst out laughing. Cas blushed and giggled along. “What do you want to do?” He pondered after the laughter died, admiring the view out the window. God, he loves snow. Dean likes summer more.
“We can play a video game or watch a movie?” Dean suggested. He usually did. Cas asked the questions, even if he was in his own home.
“I’m not particularly in the mood to be brutally stabbed with my own sword a billion times, mind you-” Castiel began, smiling at what he knew would be Dean’s next objection.
“Hey, you were the one who was threatening me the whole time, you dick.”
Castiel laughed at himself. “True, true. I also don’t want to miss watching the snow for a movie we could watch any time.” Dean acknowledged Cas with a nod of his head. They both thought for a moment. Cas looked out the window. Dean noticed the small curve in Cas's lips.
“Do you have any hot chocolate?”
Cas’s eyes widened. He looked like a child who just won the lottery. How does he do that so quickly? “Yes! We do! Oh my goodness I forgot!” He stood up suddenly and waited for Dean to drag himself off the floor while shifting his weight to each foot impatiently.
They made their way to the kitchen according to their usual routine. The floorboards creaked under Dean’s feet like a clumsy song while Castiel maneuvered on his tiptoes so he hardly made a sound, a technique he perfected during his rebellious years of sneaking past his family members and out at night, Dean remembered.
Castiel hugged the bulk can of hot chocolate powder like a beloved friend and set it slowly on the counter. Dean grabbed cups from the cupboard- second from the left of the sink- a light blue one with a white cat for Castiel. He always used that one. He likes the weight of it in his hands. Dean grabbed a red and orange one with a wide mouth for himself. It reminded him of fall and pie from the grocery store.
Water went in the blue- that’s right, Castiel was getting over a cold. Milk went into the red. Dean poured as Cas heated and Dean heated as Cas stirred and so on. It was like a rehearsed dance between the two as they wound their way around each other.
Dean visibly makes an effort to be careful with the silverware, as not to stir the quiet with loud clanking. Cas hopes it’s only because Dean respects his love for quiet. Dean just likes seeing Cas do things Cas likes to do without interruption.
By now the roofs of the houses surrounding Cas’s were powdered white while the grass remained yellow and patchy. Cas and Dean retreated back into Cas’s bedroom before either of them were pulled into conversation with a meandering family member.
They resumed their seats beside their phones but neither picked them up. Castiel squinted through the window as steam plumed from his drink into each breath he took. Dean watched Castiel’s cheeks become progressively blushed as the hot drink lingered on Cas's tongue and puffed his cheeks out a bit as he savored it like he was drinking nectar from the Gods.
“Have you studied for that test on Monday?” Dean fractured the quiet, but the stillness remained in the air. Cas didn't shift. His eyes flicked towards Dean, whose cheeks were also red. He smiled because it looked like Dean was blushing and that didn't happen often.
“Nope. Science, right?”
Dean gave a curt nod and focused his gaze on Castiel’s wall. He wrinkled his nose like it had an itch. “If you want to I can give you my notes. I already know the stuff.” He rolled his shoulders forward and crossed his legs uncomfortably. It wasn't the steam that tinged his cheeks anymore; generosity wasn't a practiced act among either of them.
Castiel watched Dean struggle and was touched. But he couldn't- “N-no, that’s fine. I already know the stuff enough and if I don’t then writing the notes would be good practi-”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.” Dean gave a huff of laughter with a weak smile. Castiel mirrored him.
“But-uh thanks for offering!” Panic blurred all thought as he spoke. Castiel looked into his cooling cup for answers and bit his lip.
“Dean?” He murmured after searching.
“Yeah?” Dean asked coolly.
“Actually I might need to use your notes, considering my handwriting is shit.”
Dean perked up and looked at Castiel hopefully. “Really?” Like a puppy dog. Dean loved to give and gave to show love, but didn’t trust many people. Castiel didn’t like to accept because it made him feel spoiled. They both knew that about each other but an early friendship didn’t need accusations or unrealistic promises, only reliability and deliverance from bad people.
“Yes.” Castiel smiled warmly.
“I’ll get them in a sec. But what’d you wanna do?” Dean glanced around in case his backpack was a close enough distance to make him appear obnoxiously lazy.
Castiel gazed at the falling snow once more. It seemed sluggish and the color was blinding... It wasn't going anywhere. “Do you want to nap?” He answered a question with another. Dean shrugged and squinted out the window too. Everyone was probably cozied up inside their homes.
“Sure, Cas.” Castiel gave a relieved smile and crawled across his bed nearest to the wall, on top of his blankets. He curled up into a tight ball against the wall, taking two pillows for himself; one for his head to rest on and one to embrace and bury his face into for lack of a lover. Dean sprawled across the remaining two thirds of the bed, easily having the opportunity to crawl closer to Castiel.
Typically the warm weight of the other person gave them solace enough to sleep happily but this time Dean faced Cas and tucked his elbow closer to his body as he scooted just close enough to see the rise and fall of Cas's shoulders with each breath.
Dean then stuck out his knee and rested it against Castiel’s lower back, as casual as if he’d been doing it for years. Castiel took a deep breath and relaxed his grip on the pillow, shrugging away from the wall a bit and closer to Dean. They fell asleep with the blinds drawn while fat snowflakes crept down to the earth as steadily as their breathing. There wasn't anyone or anything else, only the blankets and pillows they rested on and the other they shared the bed with. They were happy.