Standing Together

Chapter 146

The doorbell rings later that evening, while Dean and Castiel are still celebrating Dean's birthday with Lucifer and Co. Dean looks to Castiel for an explanation, as if he would have any idea who would be visiting right now, but Castiel just shrugs. They both turn their attention to Lucifer next, partially because it's his house but mostly because he knows everything.

"It's time!" Lucifer says with a grin, skipping out of the room.

"Time for what?" Dean and Castiel ask in unison, but Lucifer is already long gone.

"Don't worry," Claire says, mostly directed towards Dean. "It won't be completely awful."

"You say 'don't worry,' but I'm actually worried more than I was before you said anything," Dean remarks.

Claire just grins.

It takes a few moments, but Lucifer returns with none other than Adam and Samandriel in tow, both working together to carry a large cardboard box. In all honesty, Castiel had forgotten they were even in town. When he thinks of Sioux Falls, he just thinks of Lucifer, Claire, and Alex. It only now occurs to him that Anna and Cain are also somewhere nearby, and that Michael's only a single town over by the hospital. Maybe they should have planned a bigger get-together for Dean's birthday...

"Oh no," Dean says quietly, looking at the two newcomers warily.

"Happy birthday!" Adam and Samandriel say in unison.

"Thanks, guys," Dean says warily. "But, uh... What's in the box?"

Adam and Samandriel drop the box on the floor, and, for its size, it doesn't make a very loud thump. It must not be as heavy as it looks, though Lucifer's the one that usually has the unnecessarily large boxes containing small items, so it's a bit strange to see these two do the same.

"It's your not-gift," Adam says. "You know, since you said no gifts."

"Thus why it's not wrapped," Samandriel adds. "Because it can't be a gift if it's unwrapped."

"Do I even want to open it?" Dean asks.

"Obviously," Adam says.

"But not 'til Lucifer's ready," Samandriel adds, glancing over at his brother.

Lucifer grabs his camera from the kitchen table and trains it on Dean. "And... action!"

Dean eyes the box for a brief moment. "I don't know, man. It was bad enough when those two walked in here with a suspiciously large box, but if you're in on it, too..."

"You better open it," Castiel says. "Because I am very interested in what this could be."

Dean hesitates, then pulls out a pocket knife — does he always have a pocket knife with him? — and tears open the tape on top. It definitely looks like it's been repackaged, so whatever was in here originally is not the gift. He opens the flaps, one at a time, and looks inside blankly.

"What is it?" Castiel asks eagerly.

"I could be wrong," Dean says, "but it appears to be an arsonist starter pack."

"What?"

Dean slips his pocket knife back in his pocket and starts pulling things out of the box, leaving them on the floor beside it. "Cooking spray, marshmallows, metal sticks that are probably meant to roast marshmallows on, a whole bunch of chocolate, more marshmallows, graham crackers, and some matches." After a brief glance at Alex, Dean opts to put the matches back in the box and not on the floor. He looks up at Adam and Samandriel expectantly. "I don't get it."