Clipped Wings

[ELEVEN] Happy Holidays

"I'm on the highway to Hell! On the highway to Hell! High way to Hell..."

"Change your ring tone..." Cas murmured in his sleep. He yawned and shifted closer to Dean's side, who was still sound asleep.

"No stop signs, speed limit, nobody's gonna slow me down..."

"Deaaann," Cas whined, forcing his eyes open. "Make it stop?"

Dean simply groaned and kept his eyes shut. Cas sighed in annoyance.

"Like a wheel, gonna spin it, nobody's gonna mess me around..."

"Fine, I'll answer it," Cas grumbled, forcing himself away from Dean. He immediately regretted it. Cas tiptoed his cold feet to the kitchen, rubbing his arms to keep warm.

He glanced at the phone on the table. It was Sam Winchester. Cas picked up the phone and hesitantly opened it, abruptly silencing the music. 

"Merry Christmas!" Sam greeted through the phone.

"Merry... Christmas," Cas responded. He wasn't sure what to say. He's never spoken to Dean's brother before.

"... Dean?"

"No, my apologies, this is Castiel," Cas said, glancing at Dean from the kitchen.

Sam was silent for a moment before answering. "Who? Where's Dean?"

Cas turned back and peered out the window. It stopped snowing.

"Dean is sleeping on the couch. And, I'm Castiel, an ang—"

"—Cas?"

He spun around and met face to face with Dean. "It's Sam," Cas said, clearing his throat.

Dean's eyes widened, panic replacing his confusion. "Shit," he swore, grabbing the phone from Cas's hand.

"Ah, hiya Sammy."

Cas stood by with his hands limp at his sides. Maybe he wasn't suppose to answer that? He scratched his arm and shifted on the cold tile floor.

"Uh, yeah, Merry Christmas, Sam. No, Jesus Christ, dude, I'm not—" Dean groaned, tightening his jaw. "Yeah. I'll explain it to you when you get here... don't worry about it. Have a safe flight," Dean said, turning to face Cas. Dean flipped his phone shut and tossed it back on the table. He roughly rubbed his hands over his face, clearing the sleep from his eyes.

"Great. So now my brother thinks I have a boyfriend and sleeping with you," Dean explained, flustered.

"Didn't we technically sleep together on the couch last night?" Cas asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, God, no," Dean yipped, taking a second to glance at the apartment door. "Sam means slept together as in we had sex— which we didn't. I'm not sure why he thinks that."

Dean whispered the last part. To say the least, he was embarrassed. He's not suppose to be having these thoughts again. And now that Sam has found out about Cas— it only means a serious conversation with his brother ahead of him. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Oh," Cas said, shifting again on his feet. "I'm sorry that I answered your phone. It wouldn't stop ringing."

Dean shook his head and pulled a chair out at the table. "It's fine, Cas. Sam would have found out you were staying with me by tomorrow anyways."

He sat down at the table and gestured for Cas to sit as well. Dean cleared his throat, resting his hands in front of him. Cas nodded and sat down across from Dean, sensing tension in the air.

"But, Cas," Dean began, forcing his eyes to meet Cas's blue ones. "I've just kind of realized, well, I've always thought about this but now it's a serious question— how long are you going to stay here?"

Dean raised his eyebrows in anticipation. He felt himself holding his breath until Cas answered. 

Cas frowned, letting his eyes fall to the table. How long was he going to stay here? Cas never really gave it much thought. As long as he wasn't living in an alley way and stealing from a grocery store— he never really thought about it. He was happy. He really enjoyed sleeping next to Dean and wearing his clothes and having a friend.

Cas didn't want to leave.

"I— I don't know," Cas admitted, shaking his head. "I don't have anywhere to go. I've been praying to Father almost every day and I still haven't heard anything."

"Cas, that's fine. We can work something out, actually," Dean said, letting himself breathe.

"Really?" Cas asked, his eyes widening.

"I mean, yeah. I could help you find a job and you could save up some money and help pay rent— it's not very much, don't worry— and then when you have enough money you can rent your own apartment," Dean explained, smiling slightly.

Cas liked every part of his plan except the last part. He didn't want his own apartment, he wanted to live with Dean.

He decided to smile, anyways. "That sounds perfect. Thank you, Dean, for everything. It means a lot," Cas said, truly thankful for his kindness. He got to live with Dean for now, at least.

Dean felt thrilled that Cas was staying with him a while longer. Not only did this give a non-gay excuse to Sam for why another man was living with him, but because Dean actually enjoyed his company. It was a pleasant Christmas gift.

Dean smiled, ducking his head. "It's no problem. And it's nice to have someone around— especially if they make the place look like this," Dean praised, gesturing at the Christmas decorations.

Cas smiled, feeling useful. "Thank you. I really enjoyed it."

"Oh," Dean said, raising his eyebrows in realization. "Merry Christmas, Cas."

"Merry Christmas, Dean."

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Marry Crystal Eve 🎄☃️