86. Chapter 86

They ended up sitting on one of the benches outside. It was cool out, but not so cold that Dean wouldn’t be comfortable sitting between him and Gabriel. Castiel made sure to keep his wings wrapped around Dean just in case, which Dean seemed all too happy with. He snuggled happily into Castiel’s arms and wings and laid his head on Castiel’s shoulder, apparently content to watch the happy shoppers around them.

Gabriel showed up holding some bags from the bookstore and, of course, a milkshake. He grinned when Castiel rolled his eyes and sat down on the other side of Dean, automatically angling his wings so as to shield both Castiel and Dean from the worst of the wind. That level of care made Castiel feel very warm indeed. It was hard to believe that Gabriel was the same archangel who had once sworn that he wouldn’t get involved with a hatchling.

“So, who else is on your list of people to shop for, Dean-o?” Gabriel asked after a few pleasant minutes had passed.

Dean shifted between them, saying nothing. Sometimes he got like that, not wanting to talk, and it was always best to let him find his way back to words in his own time. So Castiel spoke up for him.

“He mentioned that he wanted to buy something for Jody and Anael, but that he wasn’t sure what to buy for women. And unfortunately, I didn’t know what to suggest either,” Castiel said.

“Women, huh?” Gabriel paused for a moment, sucking obnoxiously loud on his straw. Castiel refrained from rolling his eyes again and looked around at the stores. There were a lot of them, but nothing jumped out at him as being appropriate for Anael or for Jody.

“What about a sweater?” Castiel suggested, finding himself looking at a department store. They had been in there once before, but Castiel hadn’t paid much attention to the woman’s clothing section. He’d been completely focused on finding something for Dean.

Gabriel shook his head. “Yeah, no. That’s not a good idea. I’m sure Dean has no idea what size they wear and buying someone the wrong size clothing can be considered quite the insult.”

Castiel looked at Dean for confirmation and found that Dean was vigorously nodding along to what Gabriel had said. So that was out.

“You could go for perfume,” Gabriel said finally. “Most human women like to wear that too.”

“But aren’t there a lot of different kinds?” Castiel said doubtfully. “How would we know which one Jody and Anael like to wear?”

“Hmm, good point. I’d suggest soap or bath products, but you’d have the same problem.” Gabriel leaned back against the bench, staring at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

Dean was beginning to look downcast. It was clear that he had been hoping that Gabriel would have a magical answer and was disappointed that Gabriel seemed to be at as much of a loss as the rest of them. Castiel hugged him a little tighter, hoping to reassure him. He was certain that they would find the right thing; they only had to think a little bit harder.

“Oh!” Gabriel said suddenly, making Castiel and Dean jump. “What about jewelry?”

“Jewelry?” Castiel repeated. He mentally conjured up a picture of Jody and Anael and realized that both of them did have the tendency to wear some jewelry. Anael more so than Jody, but even Jody had always been wearing earrings and her wedding rings.

“Most women like jewelry. I know that Anael does for a fact. I can’t believe it’s not the first thing I thought of,” Gabriel said. He sucked hard, finishing off his milkshake.

“What do you think, Dean?” Castiel asked.

Dean smiled and nodded. The emotions rolling off of him had turned a lot more hopeful now. Castiel smiled back and stood up, lifting Dean into his arms. Gabriel tossed out his milkshake container and then joined them. They made their way to the very end of the cluster of stores, where there was a high-end jewelry store that Castiel had never been into before.

He noticed immediately that this store had a different feel to it than the others. Whereas the other stores were chaotic, with shoppers rushing all over, this one was calm and quiet. The music being piped in was classical instead of loud Christmas music. Instead of harsh overhead lighting, each display was softly lit. It was weird, but Castiel found that he liked the ambience.

Gabriel put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder and jerked his head towards a display of earrings. Castiel followed him over so that Dean could see the display. All of the jewelry was beautiful: various semi-precious and precious gemstones of different colors, all set into delicate gold, silver, and white gold creations. There was so much that it was almost overwhelming to look at.

Surprisingly, Dean squirmed to get down. Castiel set him down and took Dean’s hand instead, which meant Dean could stick his face as close to the display as he wanted. Which he did, hovering so close that the glass started to fog up a little. Castiel smiled to himself and let him look.

Finally, after several minutes, Dean whispered, “I like these ones.”

“Which ones, baby?” Castiel asked, pleased to hear Dean’s voice again. He bent down.

“There. The blue ones?” Dean said shyly. “For Jody?”

Castiel silently took in the earrings. They were very pretty, but very simple: round, deep blue sapphires set into white gold studs. The earrings were something that Jody would be able to wear during the day if she wanted to, since they weren’t dangly or ostentatious and therefore wouldn’t interfere with her job as the sheriff. But they were also dressy enough that Jody could wear out to a nice dinner if she wanted to.

“They’re lovely, Dean,” Castiel said approvingly. “Jody will think that they’re beautiful.”

Dean flushed but smiled. His green eyes were so bright as he soaked in Castiel’s praise. But then he said, “How much are they?”

“Um…” Castiel looked at the display, belatedly realizing that there were no prices listed. That probably meant that the jewelry here was expensive, which made sense. He didn’t want Dean worrying about prices, though. He hadn’t been kidding when he told Dean that he and Gabriel could afford just about anything.

“I don’t want to get something too expensive,” Dean said, his smile fading.

“Hey, don’t worry about that. What I said before still counts,” Castiel told him. “Focus more on picking something out for Anael. Do you see anything she would like?”

Momentarily distracted, Dean looked at the display again but shook his head. “She wears a lot of necklaces,” he offered timidly.

“That she does. Let’s look over here, then.” Castiel wrapped a wing around Dean and gently steered him towards another display.

At first Dean looked a bit bewildered by all the colors and styles and designs, but pretty quickly he zeroed in on a long necklace that had several purple stones hanging from it. Castiel considered the kind of jewelry that Anael usually wore and realized that it would be perfect for her.

“She likes purple,” Dean said, noticing that Castiel was looking at the same necklace that he was. “Charlie told me that.”

“Okay. We’ll get the necklace and those earrings, and then that’s Jody and Anael off your list. You’re doing really good with your Christmas shopping,” Castiel said. “Who’s next?”

A little part of him hoped that Dean would say that Castiel was next, or even Gabriel.

But Dean titled his head consideringly and then said, “Bobby? Or Balthazar.”

“Right,” Castiel said, taking care not to let his mixed emotions show on his face. “Do you have any ideas for what you’d like to get them?”

“I don’t know Balthazar that well,” Dean admitted. “And I have no idea what to get for Bobby… he doesn’t get out much and he doesn’t have any hobbies. I don’t think I’ve ever bought him anything for Christmas.” He frowned at that, like he was suddenly realizing that didn’t sit right with him.

“How about a watch?” Gabriel said from behind them.

Dean jumped, moving instinctively towards Castiel at the sudden voice. Castiel couldn’t help feeling warm from head to toe as he caught Dean up in a hug. At one time, Dean’s instincts would have been to turn and meet whatever perceived danger was close by. It seemed like they were finally getting to the point where Dean’s first instinct was to seek out protection from his daddy or his uncle.

“Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, kiddo,” Gabriel said apologetically, moving closer so that he could pat Dean’s shoulder comfortingly.

“You didn’t scare me,” Dean said immediately, pulling away from Castiel and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh really,” Gabriel said, exchanging an amused look with Castiel.

“No! I knew that it was you the whole time,” Dean lied.

“Right. My mistake,” Gabriel said, winking at Castiel. “So, what do you think? Would a watch do for Bobby?”

Dean screwed his face up, thinking, before he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. That’s not really Bobby. I want to get him like… a really cool weapon of some kind…”

Gabriel tapped his chin. “A really cool weapon…” he repeated. “I might know of a store that could work, but it’s not around here. We’d have to travel to it.”

“Oh,” Dean said slowly. Castiel watched him closely. Up until now, the only places that Dean had been was the shopping center where there were tons of other Littles, out looking for a Christmas tree which was similar in that there were plenty of other Littles around, and Bobby’s house. He hadn’t been out in public. Castiel hadn’t pushed the issue, because he knew that Dean had to take things at his own pace and at a level that Dean was comfortable with.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want,” Gabriel said quickly, clearly catching on. “I could go look, or Castiel could. He’s familiar with Bobby’s tastes.”

They both looked at Castiel, who blinked.

“Certainly, I could do that,” he said, only somewhat awkwardly. He hadn’t spent a ton of time around Bobby, but he thought that he could probably pick something out that Bobby would enjoy.

Dean smiled. “No, it’s okay. I’d rather go myself.”

“Are you sure?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah. Can’t hide away forever, right?” Dean said, his smile fading. “I really want to get Bobby something good, and I’m not going to find it here.”

“Then we can make that our last stop for the day,” Castiel said, feeling proud. Dean had really come a long way.

“So in the meantime, then you need something for Balthazar and Cassie?” Gabriel said, clapping his hands together.

Castiel couldn’t help tensing when he heard his name. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to chastise Gabriel for bringing it up or watch Dean carefully to see what Dean’s answer would be. Truthfully, he felt a little foolish for his reaction so far. He and Gabriel had never celebrated Christmas before now, and both of them had been very clear to Dean that their love did not need to be bought, so what did it matter if Dean got either of them a gift?

But it did matter. It really did.

“Oh. I already have a gift for you and Daddy,” Dean said shyly, dropping his head. His wings lowered slightly, a sign of his embarrassment, as he played with the hem of his shirt. It was an adorable sight that made Castiel melt internally.

“You do?” Gabriel said in surprise. “When did you get those?”

“Anael helped me. I wanted it to be a surprise,” Dean admitted.

“That sneaky…” Gabriel trailed off, shaking his head. He caught Castiel’s eye, and Castiel saw the same relief that he was currently experiencing reflected there.

They were both happy that Dean hadn’t forgotten them.

“I hope you’ll like them. It’s not really as nice as what I picked out for Anael and Jody,” Dean went on, scuffing his toe against the ground.

“Whatever you got us, Dean, we will love,” Castiel said gently. There was no doubt in his mind that he would treasure whatever Dean gave him, and he knew that Gabriel was the same way.

“Maybe,” Dean said, not sounding convinced.

There wasn’t much more reassurance that Castiel could give without knowing what Dean had gotten them, and Jody had been pretty clear that part of the gift-giving process was the anticipation. He didn’t want to make Dean feel pressured into telling them. So, he decided that distraction would work as a better method.

“Gabriel can take you to start looking at things for Balthazar. I’ll get Anael’s and Jody’s gifts and meet you outside,” he said, nodding at Gabriel. Gabriel nodded back and quickly hustled Dean outside.