Ready to Fall

Chapter Two

They leave a week later after Castiel works his last shift at Espresso Self and they've both cleaned out their dorms. They set out on the road in the late morning, the sun high and bright in the sky. As Dean drives, he fills Cas in on all the things he thinks the other teen should know about his family. 

Castiel asks questions here and there, but for the most part he absorbs everything quietly with sincere shakes of his head and a thoughtful expression. Dean's pretty sure if Castiel is the devout anthropology major that Dean's always thought him to be, Castiel is logging every single bit of information away and privately analyzing it.

Around the sixth hour of their drive, Castiel falls asleep with his head resting against the window. Dean steals glances of him out of the corner of his eye every now and then, and when he stops for gas, and Castiel blinks awake, Dean can't help but smile. 

"Morning, Mr. Comatose," he jokes as he kills the Impala’s engine. 

Castiel looks around briefly before offering Dean a look of pure guilt. "I'm sorry, Dean. I didn't mean to fall asleep," he states, clicking the button on his seat belt and letting it slither slowly off his chest. 

Dean shakes his head. "It's fine, Cas." 

"Would you like me to drive for awhile so you can rest?" 

"Nope, I'm good." 

Castiel nods. "Alright." 

Dean gases up the car while Castiel stretches his cramped limbs and then the two of them use the restroom before setting out on the road once more.

~

It’s around 10 p.m. when they arrive at the Winchester residence. As soon as his door squeaks open, Dean is hit with the thick Kansas air and the sound of crickets chirping in the front yard. He looks up at his childhood home, set against a velvety, black backdrop of a star littered sky and breathes in deeply. 

It feels good to be home, and even better to have Cas with him. 

Castiel comes to stand at his side and looks up at the house with him. "This is where you grew up?" he asks.

Dean nods. "This is it."

They stand in silence for a few seconds, reveling in the quiet of the night before grabbing their bags and heading inside. 

Mary is the first to greet them. She's already in her nightgown, but her smile is warm and Dean is eager to get his arms around her and hug her tight. Dean Winchester may be a lot of things, but ashamed to admit he's a mama's boy isn't one of them. 

When they pull away Mary's gaze immediately flits to Castiel. "You must be Castiel," she says. 

Castiel nods and offers a quiet "Yes, ma'am." 

Mary opens her arms and pulls Castiel in like he's one of her own; Dean holds his breath for a split second. He's gathered his best friend doesn't come from a home with much affection, Castiel only ever mentioning snippets of the cold atmosphere he grew up in, but when Castiel relaxes into the touch, Dean relaxes too. "Dean has talked nonstop about how wonderful you are," Mary says into Castiel's hair. "We're so glad to finally meet you." 

Dean's cheeks heat with the admission and when Castiel shoots him a small smile, Dean can only shrug his shoulders in response. He hadn't realized he'd talked about Cas that much, but considering the amount of time he’s spent thinking about the guy, it really doesn't come as a surprise. 

Dean is saved any more embarrassment when his younger brother tackles him in a hug. When Dean last saw him over Christmas, Sam was still a gangly 14-year-old with too-long hair. Now he's a strapping 15-year-old who's lost all of his baby fat and is nearly the same height as Dean. His hair is still too long though.