Standing Together

Chapter 76

Castiel gently knocks on the hotel door. Is Dean going to open it? Probably not. He has no reason to think it's him. Hell, Castiel should still be at the Grammys right now. He shouldn't be back for another couple hours.

But sure enough, Dean opens the door for him.

Castiel's initial plan was to talk to him, to explain what happened and maybe ask what to do or for some assurance that it won't change anything. Instead, when he sees his fiancé standing there, he just throws his arms around him, burying his head in the boy's chest.

Dean wraps his arms around the boy, rubbing his back soothingly. "It's okay, Cas," he murmurs. "You're okay."

It's quiet for a few moments, and Castiel clings to Dean like he's his lifeline.

Finally, Jack says an awkward, "Well, I just wanted to make sure he got back okay, so I'm just gonna go."

That brings Castiel back to reality. He steps away from Dean and looks inside the hotel room. Maybe...

"Um, Jack?" Castiel says before he can leave. "I'm sorry for ruining your night. I should have known I wasn't up for that yet."

"Oh, don't worry, it's fine," Jack says with a kind smile. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was really worried for a minute."

"Well, I still feel kinda bad," Castiel says. "Do you maybe want to watch a movie with us instead? You could see if your mom wants to come, too, if you want. I know it's not quite the same as the Grammys, but..."

"Are you sure?" Jack asks. "I don't want to be annoying."

"Personally, I think it would be fun," Dean tells him.

Jack smiles slightly at that. "Then yeah, I'll go call my mom."

~~

About 15 minutes later, there's another knock on the hotel door. Jack gets up immediately to check it out. He looks through the peephole, then opens it to show his mom, who gives him a friendly hug.

"Time to start the party," Dean says with a grin.

"He calls it a party, but to actually just a movie night minus the popcorn," Castiel says. "Come on in. We got chairs and couches and floors and everything."

Kelly laughs. "I really should have bought a bag of chips on the way here, shouldn't I?"

She and Jack sit down on the couch, which is next to the bed Dean and Castiel are lying down on. Castiel decides to take care of the set up, because he's the only one that owns the room with two working legs.

"What movie should we watch?" Castiel asks. "We've got Netflix and Hulu to choose from."

"I don't care," Jack says.

"Up to you," Kelly adds.

Castiel looks at his boyfriend expectantly. "Well? What movie are we watching?"

"So it's basically up to me?" Dean surmises. "I can pick any movie I want?"

Castiel hesitates. "I feel like this is going to end really badly, but yes."

"Hmm..." Dean rubs his hands together in a stereotypically evil way. "How about..."

Everyone looks at him expectantly.

"Aladdin?"

The Klines seems most indifferent to this, but Castiel's thrilled. He leans down and presses a kiss to Dean's forehead before sliding out of bed and looking for the movie. He does manage to find it online, and sets it up to play before lying back down next to his fiancé.

"C'mere," Dean says quietly, gently pulling Castiel closer. He wraps an arm around the boy, holding him tight, and Castiel can't help but smile to himself.

"Thank you for picking Aladdin," Castiel whispers.

"No problem," Dean whispers back.

Of course, after watching the movie so many times, it doesn't hold Dean's interest anymore. He falls asleep pretty close to the beginning, and Castiel finds comfort in the steady rising and falling of his chest.

Jack must not have seen the movie before, because he seems to love every second of it. If Castiel hadn't been enjoying Dean's presence too much, he would have sat up and just watched Jack's face the whole time.

Eventually, the movie comes to an end, and the Klines decide to call it a night.

"Thanks for having us over," Kelly says quietly, careful not to wake Dean up.

"Thanks for coming," Castiel says. "I think if it was just us, we would have just gone to bed early or something, so this was way better."

She chuckles. "Well, I'm glad that worked out."

"I hope you're better soon," Jack says. "But if not, don't pressure yourself into going to another show. I'm sure people will understand."

Castiel gives him a small smile. "Thanks, Jack. It means a lot." He's completely wrong and a lot of people wouldn't understand, but it's cute that he has so much faith.

"Bye," Jack says with a wave. "Next time you're in LA, come stop by, okay? I'm sure Peanut and Tyrion would like to see you again."

Castiel chuckles softly. "Will do. Bye, guys."

They both wave as they leave, and it's only at the closing of the door that Dean seems to wake up, just enough to let out a confused hum.

"You awake?" Castiel asks quietly.

"No," Dean mumbles.

Castiel chuckles. "I'm just gonna get out of my suit, okay?"

He tries to sit up, but Dean just wraps his arms around him tighter and doesn't let go.

"Dean," Castiel says with a sigh. "I gotta take my suit off."

"No you don't," Dean mumbles.

"It's a really expensive suit," Castiel says. "I don't want to ruin it."

"But snuggles," Dean whines softly.

Castiel shakes his head in amusement. "Give me 30 seconds, okay?"

Dean sighs and drops his arms. Castiel quickly gets out of bed and slides his pants off, putting them on a hanger in the closet next to his suit jacket. He takes his dress shirt off and folds it up, putting it on the table with the tv.

As soon as he sits back down on the bed, Dean takes his forearm and pulls him down. He wraps his arms around him and holds him close, all without opening his eyes.

Castiel laughs softly. "You're so cute when you're tired."

"Hmm," Dean humans.

Castiel snuggles up to him and lies down comfortably in bed. This is better than being at the Grammys anyway.