Day Three - Eskimo Kisses
They get inside the house, Dean slamming the door against the harsh wind. Cas looks utterly miserable. It’s his first winter as a human and he hates it. His eyes are blurry and he can’t stop crying even though he’s not sad. The tips of his fingers feel disconnected from his hands. Whenever he forgets to clench his jaw together, his teeth chatter. Worst of all? His nose. Now that he’s human, his nose is ALWAYS cold. Always. Dean played a mean joke on him once, telling him he needed to buy a nose sock. After much research and a very embarrassing talk with a woman at the clothing store, Cas realized nose socks don’t exist.
He hangs his coat up next to Dean’s and all but runs into the living room where he knows Sam will have the fire lit. Laughing, Dean goes up to his room and quickly grabs the thick knitted sweater that Ellen made him one year for Christmas. It’s lined inside with a soft fleece-like fabric and it’s always perfect on nights like tonight.
Cas is sitting on the rug in front of the fire with his arms wrapped around his legs. Dean makes two mugs of hot chocolate, putting extra whipped cream on Cas’, and heads in to join him. He places a mug in front of Cas and hands him the sweater. “Put this on.”
Cas looks up at him with wide, blue eyes. “But.. but, this is yours, Dean.”
“Yeah. I’m not cold. Put it on.”
“But-”
“Cas, just put the damn thing on.”
He waits until the ex-angel listens, then grabs a blanket from the couch and drapes it over his shoulders. Then he finally sits down beside him and starts drinking his own hot chocolate.
After a few minutes, Cas shifts a little closer to Dean and smiles at him. “Thank you, Dean. For the sweater.”
“No problem, Cas.” He feels himself starting to blush so he quickly looks away from those big blue eyes and that handsome face. Ever since Castiel turned human, Dean’s been struggling more and more to keep space between them. His defense mechanism before had been that a relationship between a human and an angel would never happen. Now? Now Dean’s excuses are thin and wavering.
When Cas shivers beside him, Dean gets concerned again. This is his first snow storm in his first winter. It must be overwhelming for him.
“Hey,” Dean whispers, looking over at him. “You still cold?”
“I’m warming up.”
“Good.”
Cas stares at him for a moment, licking his lips free of chocolate and whipped cream. Then he shakes his head like he’s trying to get rid of an idea and looks at the fire. “My nose is still cold, though.”
“Your nose is always cold.”
“I know.” The ex-angel pouts. “I hate it.”
That’s when Dean gets an idea. A great idea. A dangerous idea. He puts his mug down and gets up on his knees so he’s hovering over Cas. Cupping both of his cheeks, he tilts his head back so they’re face to face. Just a few inches separate them now. “Let me show you a trick. To help your nose warm up.”
“Okay,” Cas whispers, his sweet breath filling Dean’s nose.
“They’re called eskimo kisses. You go like this.” Carefully, so Cas knows what’s happening, he leans down that extra bit and places the tip of his nose against Cas’. He moves his head side to side so they’re rubbing noses. After a few seconds, he feels Cas start to move with him. By the time he pulls away, Cas is grinning ear to ear.
“I think I like eskimo kisses.”
“I think I like them too.”
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For the next month, Dean is forced to give countless eskimo kisses. Cas will lean over at the breakfast table, or in the middle of grocery shopping. He’ll sneak into his room at night, crawling beneath his blankets, and wake him up. He’ll demand a very groggy Dean to give him eskimo kisses. Sometimes, he ends up just staying in his bed after that for the night.
One day, after giving him eskimo kisses in the middle of baking Christmas cookies, Dean doesn’t fully pull away. Instead, he sucks in a breath and dives in for a real kiss. Their lips do a delicate dance against each other, trying to figure the other out. Then they’re kissing like they’ve been doing it all their lives. Right there in the kitchen, covered in flour and frosting.
After that, every eskimo kiss is followed up with a real one. Both still make Dean’s heart race. Both still make Cas feel safe.
After that, winter is Cas’ favorite season.