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"What do you mean, we're staying with your parents?"
Both men looked at their partner, confused and, at least in Dean's case, angry, which made Cas swallow.
In the two years they had been together, Cas had seen Dean angry in many occasions. At the school, when Cas's job had been endangered because Cas had suspended the son of the president of the parent's board because the kid had been bullying and harassing a girl from his class, Dean had practically single handedly organized a demonstration outside the school. When clients were particularly difficult at Singer's Garage, where Dean worked. Whenever something happened to hi s brother Sam. Usually after a phone conversation with his father. When a jerk barista refused to serve Cas because of his discrete rainbow pin on the lapel of his trenchcoat, Dean had come to his rescue, making the barista end up almost in tears.
Cas remembered that time very well. After all, it had been when they had met.
But Cas couldn't remember seeing Dean angry at him. Not once, in 24 months, three weeks, four days and 15 hours of knowing the other man.
Not that he was counting.
"Cas... what do you mean, we're spending Christmas with your parents?" Dean asked again, rough and angry. Even the nickname that Cas had once found annoying sounded like a threat.
"Well... you said... your family had no plans... and Father... he called and said he wanted to meet you, have the whole family together for Christmas... I... I'm sorry, I should have asked," Cas started apologizing, then frowned. "Wait. You... also said that we're staying with your parents? With John and Mary?"
"Dad called me yesterday. He and mom got an RV... they want to travel all over the states next year and this is going to be their first stop. They are going to stay with us Christmas and New Year's... and Sammy and Sarah are coming too."
Cas tilted his head, confused. Last he heard, Sam and his father were not on speaking terms.
"I know," Dean interrupted his thoughts, as if he had read them. "Dad... wants to patch up things with Sam. Mom says that, after his accident, Dad has been rethinking a lot of things."
Cas nodded. He had only met John Winchester once, and the meeting had not been particularly pleasant. John was not precisely homophobic, but he had made it clear to Cas that he had hoped that Dean would settle with 'that nice girl Lisa from the yoga class'. Mary had been nicer, only once mentioning that she would have to count on Sam for grandkids.
They had seemed a very... traditional couple to Cas. So different from his own family that they could be perfect opposites. There were days in which he wished his father had been more like John Winchester, just so that Cas had been better prepared to deal with life outside the family protection. Other days, like when Dean tried to pretend that it didn't hurt that his father hadn't called him to wish him a happy birthday, he was glad that Father had always been indifferent to things like sexual preferences.
"Father has never had the whole family under the same roof, Dean," he ventured. It was true. And it was also true that he had never really spoken with Dean about his family. Dean knew that Cas's father wanted his children to be as free as possible, that Cas had a ton of uncles, aunts, cousins and brothers so it could become confusing as to who was related to whom, and that Cas had been homeschooled all the way up until college.
He didn't know about Michael and Lucifer's feud, or about Anna...or that Father had just remarried and he wanted everyone to meet his new wife.
Truth was... Dean didn't know anything about Cas's past, and that was how Cas liked it most of the time.
"I can't let my dad down, Cas," Dean answered, as if that was the final word.
And it was, for the next two days.
* * *
"Fine, we'll spend Christmas with your parents!"
It was a weird sense of Deja vú, Dean thought, as he and Cas said the exact same thing at the same time, after two days of not talking to each other. Two days of grumbling, of avoiding the room where the other was, of grunting to pass the salt at dinner, and Dean had had enough.
He hadn't let his father's prejudices make him ruin the best thing that had happened to his life before, and he was ready to give up, to tell John they'd see each other after Christmas... and now Cas was surprising him with the exact opposite news.
"Dean... I thought you wanted to spend Christmas with John, Mary and Sam... I can call Father and tell him we will be home after Christmas, for New Year's."
Dean took a deep breath at that. Truth was, he was a bit curious about Cas's family. Since they had met at Hell's Coffee -Great coffee, terrible service, to be truthful - Cas had been completely silent about his family. All Dean knew was that they were a huge family and that at some point, Cas's father had been going through a really religious phase since most if not all of Cas's brothers were named after angels. Including one named Lucifer, which to Dean always have sounded as looking for trouble because the guy must have been bullied to hell and back in school.
Maybe that's why Cas had been homeschooled.
"You told me that your family has never been together under the same roof in years... even before you left," Dean started, feeling ashamed. He hadn't wanted to make Cas feel as if they had to stay home to wait for John and Mary. He knew that his Dad wasn't exactly Cas's number one fan, and Mom...
As much as he loved his mom, he really didn't want to think a lot about how sometimes all her conversations on the phone circled around Sam, Jess, and 'do you think they will make good parents?'.
"We can be there for New Year's. As far as I understood, most of the family will still be there. It'll be just aunt Naomí and her children... and maybe Lucifer who will be gone after Christmas' morning."
Dean shook his head, that was not good enough for him. In fact, it sounded once again as if Cas was giving up just because he thought it'd make Dean happy. And that was not a good way for this Christmas. Or for their relationship. Dean hated that Cas gave up so easily when it was something that was obviously important to him.
"Dad and Mom can come after Christmas' morning, it will be fine."
"No, Dean, it'd be easier if we stay here," Cas insisted.
Apparently, he had decided to stand his ground on the one thing Dean didn't want him to give up.
* * *
At the end, it was Jess the one who broke the stalemate. She and Sam arrived on the 21st, ready to help Cas and Dean to fix the house for Christmas's Dinner and to take John's RV, when she heard that they were still fighting.
"So... why don't we all go to Cas's family home?"
It had been a very innocent question, one that had never crossed Dean's or Cas's mind, so they both looked at each other, as Sam kissed Jess' forehead.
"You're a genius, Jess," Sam muttered, just as Dean started voicing his only objection.
"Wait, Cas... your Father won't mind? I mean.. I know you say your family is big but... he wouldn't mind having the whole Winchester clan there too?"
"We are... a lot of brothers and sisters, Dean... I'm sure Father won't mind six more mouths.... " Cas seemed to be considering the possibilities. "I could call him... to be sure."
"Dad said that his RV has space for four people, so Jess and I would've covered," Sam added. It was a bit obvious to Dean that his brother was jumping at the chance of not spending the whole holidays alone with Dad, but it was a good point. "Didn't you and Cas said that you wanted to take a trip on the Impala? have some days in the road?"
"Well, yeah, but..." Dean tried to protest, only to be interrupted by Jess' cheerful suggestion.
"You could take a nice vacation on the way back, didn't Bobby say that you had a lot of free days saved?"
"It'd be a nice change in our routine, yes," Cas was nodding. Of course, Cas could work wherever he wanted, being a writer. All he needed was his laptop.
"Fine," Dean finally gave in. it was true that he wanted to get away from everything in the city, spend some days in the road just with Cas. After New Year sounded like the perfect time, really. And he really wanted to spend the rest of his life with his lover, so sooner or later, their families would have to meet. Sooner sounded like a good plan. "Call your dad. Tell him we're all spending the holidays with them."
* * *
Of course, no one expected John Winchester's reaction.
"What do you mean, we're spending Christmas with his parents?!"