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"Dean, I don't understand. Why are we doing this?" Cas said, his head tilted slightly in confusion.
"Because it's fun. More fun than just watching the train go by." Dean said, picking up another small stone from beside the road. "Sammy and I used to do this all the time." He smiled remembering how Sam used to whoop and laugh whenever his rock actually hit the train cars.
"Just try it!"
He pulled his arm back and chucked the rock. It hit the side of the train with a satisfying plunk and bounced off into the gravel. Dean clapped and bent over for a few more stones. He handed some to Cas, reared back and let another two fly. The first one fell short but the second one hit and pinged off. Dean laughed.
Cas looked down at the stones in his hand and back up at the lumbering train. The cars weren't going by very fast, probably only twenty to thirty miles an hour, and they were big. He wasn't sure how this was a challenge exactly. He shrugged to himself, watching Deans face light up as another stone smacked into the side of one of the cars, this time landing right on the letter G in a graffiti tag. He took one stone in hand, feeling the subtle warmth it had absorbed from his palm, pulled back and threw it. The stone just barely grazed the car. He took another stone, fumbling it in his palm until he found the best way to hold it before letting it go as well. This time it hit and thunked against the side.
Dean clapped him on the back. "There you go Angel, you got it!" He smiled.
He threw another and another, each one hitting its target. Dean showered the cars with small pebbles, making it sound like rain for an instant. Cas laughed. The cars trundled past. The last few were in sight now, still a ways off. Dean loaded up with rocks, making a pouch out of the turned up edge of his shirt. Cas swallowed when he saw the small sliver of skin showing under the bundle of rocks.
"Get ready Cas. This is the grand finale!"
Dutifully, Cas bent and collected several stones. He filled his trench coat pockets with them, until the coat felt weighed down and thoughts of Virginia Woolf floated through his mind. Dean took up position next to him, shoulder to shoulder.
"Ready." He said.
Cas wasn't sure what was about to happen but he still said, "Yes, Dean." Dean smiled at him, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Cas smiled back. They both took stones in their hands.
"Count how many you get, honor system." Dean said, "don't cheat" he added.
Cas just nodded. When the last car came into view they both pulled back. As it passed by they threw and threw and threw. Dean laughed and whooped as the stones flew, most hitting the mark. Once the car passed, he clapped and pulled Cas in for a hug.
Breaking away he said, "ok what was your count?"
"Twenty three"
"Bullshit"
Cas just titled his head again.
"Ok, ok. Twenty three. That's awesome, man. I got-" he paused, a huge grin breaking out on his face, "twenty five!"
Cas smiled and raised his hand for a high five (a gesture Dean had taught him). Dean's palm slapped, warm and rough, against his. Cas did not mention that he had been counting Dean's stones as well as his own. Dean had only gotten twenty one hits. Cas just smiled indulgently as they both climbed back into the car.
"Hey Sammy, guess what Cas and I just did?" Dean said into the phone. He squeezed Cas' hand across the bench seat before turning the key.