Saving Dean (Destiel AU)

Chapter 9

ONE YEAR LATER

"Are you ready?" Dean asked his boyfriend who was nervously picking at his trenchcoat. "I don't know." That made him smile, and he took Cas' hand in his own. "I'm here for you." Then they knocked on the heavy wooden door with a large wreath. It was quickly opened by Gabriel, who smiled at the two boys. "On time and everything." he remarked then let them in. Just like last year, they were spending Christmas Eve with Cas' family and Christmas day with Dean's. "Come on Cas, let's get this over with." Dean wasn't too pleased to be back here, he knew what they were like to Cas last year. They followed Gabriel into the living room and were greeted with stares of hatred and three smiles.

The three smiles came from Gabriel, Joshua and the second oldest brother who, Dean couldn't believe it, was named Lucifer. Why someone would name their kid that was beyond Dean's imagination. All of Cas' other siblings looked at them with hatred, so did his parents. "Hello Castiel, Dean." they acknowledged, then went back to silently chatting among themselves. Dean and Cas sat next to Lucifer and Gabe, Joshua was stuck with a bunch of his brothers. Joshua was quiet and didn't judge, unlike the rest of his family. He was just happy that Cas was happy after all these years. Lucifer was cool, he had been kicked out by his father a while ago for no particular reason other than he was different and was only allowed back at Christmas. 

At dinner they said a huge prayer, then ate a polite dinner. It wasn't until near the end that Rachel (the know-it-all) perked up. "Castiel, what is it like? Being in a relationship with your once best friend?" Cas looked at Dean, who shrugged. Dean liked it when Cas gave him his confused look. "Interesting, we already know much about each other and now we've simply acknowledged our feelings for each other and grown in love." It was a fair answer, seeing as both of them thought that they wouldn't like to know the exquisite details. Rachel nodded, clearly curious but she shut her mouth when her mother shot her a look. 

After dinner they were quickly escorted out, with Lucifer and Gabriel quickly exchanging gifts with them before they were almost shoved out the door. "Well...that went well." Dean muttered. Cas smiled and quickly kissed him before heading to the impala parked at the boulevard. Dean smiled when he looked up to see Rachel peeking out one window with a perfect view of where they had both been moments before, and the shock on her face had been priceless. And as Dean listened he heard both her tattling to her family and Lucifer's whoop of happiness. Dean chuckled to himself then walked to his car and tossed the keys to Cas. "I trust you." he said with a grin and Cas climbed into the driver's seat.

*************

"Nothing can be more awkward then last night." Dean reassured both himself and Cas. They'd all met before, but only once in this situation, last Christmas. What if his parents weren't happy for him anymore? What if they became more like Cas' parents? "Come on." Cas urged Dean out of the car. They walked up to the door and didn't even have to knock, Sam was waiting. "Sammy!" Dean said with a laugh and gave his brother a hug. He and Cas were ushered in and welcomed with hugs and smiles. John and Mary (Dean's parents) were happy to see the both of them, and Sam whispered to Dean as they came in, "I got the perfect gift for the both of you, you're gonna love it." Then he chuckled and sat down for a nice family evening.

They all exchanged gifts after Dean and Cas had settled in. Gabriel came over too, Sam had invited him. Dean had flashed him a look, but he just gave him a classic bitchface. Cas had given Gabriel a jar of honey and Sam a cookbook with all these healthy recipes. Dean and Sam had joined forces and gotten their mom a necklace with a real emerald and garnet (the boy's birthstones) as well as a real diamond. They'd also tracked down some kind of device for their father that he'd been looking for everywhere. Dean didn't give Cas a gift, saying he was saving his for a special date. Cas gave him a small box but told him to open it later. That gift Sam had promised? A beehive pie dish, Cas had loved it, Dean had secretly liked the thought of Cas baking a pie in general.

After more chatting and fun, Dean found himself once again around a large Christmas dinner. All he could do was pray for no awkwardness. Mary and John talked about Sam and Gabe's school and Dean and Cas' jobs. Dean was working as a mechanic, taking after his father. Cas was working as library assistant. Dean didn't want this night to end, he wished he could just freeze it in time like in Doctor Who when they froze Gallifrey. When it finally did, he and Cas said a fond farewell and got into the impala. "So, when do I get my gift?" Cas asked. "New Year's Eve," then he held up Cas' gift, "can I open this now?" Cas nodded with a smile and Dean hurriedly opened the box. Inside was a small piece of amber with a wolf claw frozen inside it. "As a memory of where we fell in love." Dean smiled and found a leather cord attached to it. He hung it around his neck and kissed Cas with a smile. "Let's get home before the snow gets bad."