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Dean was incredibly nervous. Cas kept saying that Gabriel didn’t care what he did, that he wasn’t replacing his father, but what Dean was about to propose was kind of huge.
Gabriel swung the door open at Dean’s knock. “Hey, Dean! What can I do for you?” He let his visitor in and poured them both a Coke. “Cas causing problems?”
“What? No!” The thought of Cas causing problems was just ridiculous. “No, Cas has been awesome. In fact, that’s what I’m wanting to talk to you about. Has Cas told you how things are gonna end for him and Sam?”
“Yeah, you and Sam are leaving in June. Actually, I have something I want to run by you. Your dad, too, I guess, but you first,” Gabriel said.
“Okay.” Dean took a sip of Coke. “You wanna go first?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Works for me. I’m sure you’ve noticed this has gone way beyond what I expected.”
“No kidding,” Dean agreed.
“So I was thinking… why does it have to end in June? Cas isn’t gonna end up in summer school, he doesn’t have to stay here this summer, he doesn’t need a summer job to save up for college, and I’m pretty sure I have a better idea than a couple blowoff courses at the community college for how he could spend his summer.”
Dean nearly choked. “You want us to take Cas with us and bring him back in September.”
“Not about what I want, this is Cas’s decision. I’ve always let Cas make his own decisions. He’s a good kid, shows a high degree of responsibility already, and if he does screw something up now, I can help him fix it. It’s not like he’s completely on his own, but he’s getting the independence he’ll need to survive in college.” Gabriel grabbed a bowl of jelly beans and popped a couple in his mouth. “I’m just thinking him and Sam and you are going to be completely heartbroken when you’re pulled apart already, why not let it go another few months?”
“I invited Cas to come with us on Spring Break partly to see how he’d handle the road trip conditions,” Dean admitted. “It’s a lot different. Here, it’s easy to get away from each other when one of us is annoying another. On the road, not so much.”
“And?”
“And I came here today to ask what you thought of us taking him for the summer. We will get him back in time for school, I swear,” Dean said. “I haven’t said anything to them to avoid getting their hopes up.”
“Well, it’s up to Cas. I think he should go, but I won’t make him. It might be best for him to use a fake name in case Michael has spies somewhere I don’t know about or is tracing his credit card,” Gabriel said. “Let me know what you decide and I’ll set up whatever name you guys pick.”
“I might have an idea about that, no problem,” Dean said with a grin.
“Well then, that’s as decided as it can be without talking to others.” Gabriel unwrapped a lollipop and offered one to Dean, who accepted. “So that delays things until September. Any chance your dad parks you here then?”
“Not likely, and even if he does, we’ll probably leave after a month or two, that’s just how Dad works,” Dean said.
“Hmm. Think free, legal housing would make him consider letting you boys stay here?” Gabriel asked.
Dean blinked. That sounded really good to him, but too good to be true. “I don’t know, maybe. Why, what are you thinking?”
“Anna’s leaving for college in August, so I’ll have an empty bedroom by the time you bring Cas back. I’ll leave it to you boys to figure out who sleeps where, I’m not gonna interfere with you at all unless you ask. Offer’s there, talk it over with the boys and your dad. That can buy you until next June assuming things last till then,” Gabriel said.
Dean didn’t know what to say. “That’s… Gabriel, that is really generous of you. If we can get them through next summer, their relationship should be strong enough to handle the long-distance while Cas is at college and Sam’s still in high school.”
Gabriel took a few more jellybeans. “Your dad first, or the boys, do you think?”
“The boys,” Dean said. “At least for summer, because I really don’t care what Dad says about that one.”
Sam looked up from the notebook he was working in, smiling when he saw Dean. “Hey, where’ve you been?”
Dean didn’t answer. “Cas around?”
“Yeah, he’s…” The flush of the toilet made finishing that sentence unnecessary.
“You two in date mode?” Dean asked.
Sam gave him a weird look. “Would I be out here if we were?”
“Just making sure,” Dean said. “I need to talk to the two of you about something serious.”
Sam got up and went to the kitchen table. He stopped with his hand on the back of a chair and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Dean. “If this is about the trouble at the track meet yesterday…”
“From the guy who skips class to make out in a broom closet?” Dean laughed. “Nah, Cas broke the district record, why shouldn’t you congratulate him?” Cas came out, and Dean waved him over. “I went to talk to Gabriel. He’d been wanting to talk to me, too, and as it turns out, about the same thing.”
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“Cas, you seemed happy enough on Spring Break. Did you have fun?” Dean asked.
“Of course I did.” Castiel tilted his head. “What’s going on, Dean?”
Dean broke into a huge smile. “Why June?”
Sam and Cas exchanged baffled looks. “Because that’s when Dad’s going to uproot us?” Sam ventured.
“Yeah. So we take Cas with us, bring him back in September. You get about two and a half more months to be together, and in September, you’ll both have school to distract you from the pain of breaking up,” Dean said.
Sam and Cas stared at each other, both trying and failing to keep the look of hope off their faces. “Do you think Dad will go for it?” Sam asked.
Dean shrugged. “I think it’s not really up to Dad. Can’t see why he’d get a say unless he’s planning on parking the truck somewhere and spending all summer fighting me over who gets to drive, and even then, it just means two in the back instead of one.”
“Well, there is Dad’s pride. We’ve been letting Cas pay for things…” Sam started.
“Which I am perfectly happy to continue doing,” Cas interrupted.
“But I’m not sure Dad will see it the way the three of us do,” Sam finished.
Dean shrugged. “We’ll deal with that if it comes up.”
“You two told him you think of me as family. I hope you both know that goes both ways. I consider Dean the big brother I’ve always wanted and never had. Sam is…” Cas grinned. “Not my brother.”
Sam burst into laughter as Dean smirked. “So does that mean I get to make weird jokes about you now?” Dean asked.
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to be worried here?”
“Well, you know you and I have always shared everything…” Sam swatted at him and Dean chuckled, but then grew serious again. “Cas, I would never do that to Sammy, you know that. I won’t joke about it if it bugs you.”
Cas nodded. “No, it’s okay. Make all the weird jokes you want, that just means I really am accepted.”
“One other thing,” Dean said. “Gabriel said he’d set things up for you to use a fake name in case of Michael. You can do whatever you want, of course, but I’m thinking Michael’s got no reason to look for Cas Winchester.”
A tear escaped Cas’s eye. “Well, if I can be Cas Winchester, how can I say no? Dean, thank you. This is… I thought it was just a dream.”
“Me too,” Sam said. “Dean, you are the best big brother ever.”
Dean smirked. “I know it.”