Chapter Text
“Cas!” Dean shouted from the living room. “I can’t find the damn hole puncher!”
“Office supplies are in the box by the TV!” Cas called back, grinning when the sound of a large thud echoed through the rooms. His fiance’s curses quickly followed.
Cas chuckled and closed the lid of the now empty kitchen box, glancing around to make sure everything was in order.
It was still so strange to him, even after so much time had passed. College had passed by in what felt like moments. Classes took up nearly all their time, but every moment in between was special and held close in Castiel’s heart.
He remembered getting the chance to meet Dean’s family in person again, for the first time in over a decade. Mary was just as beautiful as Castiel remembered, Dean’s father just as gruff and skeptical. Sam had hugged him till he could barely breathe, only lessened when Dean softened it with a hug of his own.
Over the years, he’d grown to truly know all of Dean’s family again. Now, it was four years later, and they were both working hard to achieve their dreams of teaching. Halfway through his schooling, Castiel had decided to take a step back and teach elementary classes instead of his own college courses. Something about the idea of shaping young minds while they were still in their early stages stuck out to Cas, made him want to apply more of his focus to children and their innocence. There was so much for them to learn, and he was thrilled with the idea and privilege of being allowed to teach them.
Dean, on the other hand, was still enrolled in his classes, working hard to become a professor of mathematics.
Sam and Cas teased him about becoming a robot scientist. Dean would promptly roll his eyes and go back to his textbook.
“You say that like robots are lame,” he’d often grumble. But Castiel could see the smile on Dean’s face, only amplified by a kiss to the corner of his lips.
Castiel couldn’t understand numbers. But he loved Dean’s passion for them. He had the mind of an engineer. He could do anything he set his mind to. It was only a matter of time.
And now, they’d bought their first home and had a wedding scheduled for March. When they’d talked about where they would hold the ceremony, Dean blushed and mumbled, “You remember that field we used to play in? Near the church our parents used to go too?”
“Yes?” Castiel had replied. It’d been one of the bad days, and it was late, far past both of their bedtimes. “Why?”
“Do you… think we could get married there?”
Even in the darkness, partially hidden by sheets and blankets, Castiel could see Dean blushing scarlet. Castiel had grinned and pulled Dean close, kissing him soundly before replying, “That sounds perfect.”
Now they were set up in a neighborhood not far from that same field. Castiel had the privilege of seeing it every morning on his way to the school he’d be working at, come fall.
The thought warmed his heart, even as he heard Dean cursing more from their living room.
“Cas,” Dean almost whined, making Cas laugh. “Help!”
“Just hold on.”
He set the now empty box on the floor and wandered back to the living room, watching in amusement as Dean fruitlessly tried to shove half of the fallen office supplies back in their boxes. Somehow, he’d managed to knock over three of them in his search for the one by the TV, which also happened to be buried beneath several stacks of textbooks and folders.
“I thought we put all these in the trunk!” Dean complained, drawing his attention back to his fiance kneeling on the floor.
The man was pouting, eyes bright in a poor attempt to get Castiel’s sympathies. Cas shook his head and chuckled. Dean really didn’t have to try at all.
“We did, and then you took them out.”
“Why the hell would I do that?!”
“You were looking for your class notes. You forgot to punch them into your binder. That’s why you’re looking for the hole punch.”
Dean glared at him and sighed. “Sorry,” he grumbled. “I don’t like moving.”
“You’ve only ever moved once in your life, if I’m remembering correctly,” Cas reminded. He sat down in front of Dean, crossing his legs so he could help put the supplies away. “It’s understandable to be frazzled.”
“Hey!” Dean snapped, but his grin was returning. “For your information, I’ve moved twice. This counts.”
“Again, understandable that you are frazzled, Dean.”
Dean’s face flushed, but he didn’t correct him. Castiel counted it as a win.
They put away Dean’s things until Dean finally spotted the hole punch in the midst of the disaster.
“Found it!” He exclaimed, holding it up triumphantly. “Sam’s packing skills can kiss my ass!”
“At least Sam let all of us help him move into his dorm.”
Dean grinned and winked as Castiel pulled down Dean’s binders.
Just as he was handing them over, they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. Dean sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Probably the neighbors,” he mumbled. “You want me to talk to them?”
“I got it,” Castiel replied. He leaned forward and kissed Dean, making sure not to hold it too long before Dean pulled him down and decided the neighbors weren’t worth answering. He got up and moved to the door, opening it to find three kids staring up at him with wide eyes.
“Can I help you?” Castiel asked in amusement, watching the way their gazes turned from him to each other.
“Uh,” the first one, a tall little girl, spoke first. “We just wanted ta’ see if the story was true.”
“Story?” Castiel asked. He heard movement to his left, and soon, Dean stood behind him, chin hooked over his shoulder.
“Who are you?” Dean asked curiously, grinning when the girl blushed. The two boys simply stared.
“We live across the street,” the first boy responded. “Uh… Momma’ said you were gonna’ be teaching at our school next year.”
“That’s right,” Castiel replied slowly, still uncertain why the children were staring. It wasn’t like he was dressed unusually… today. “Is that the story?”
The girl shook her head hard, pigtails flying. “No,” she rushed, “we just thought--”
“You’re not dressed funny!” The youngest boy, also the smallest, suddenly interrupted.
Dean raised an eyebrow. Castiel felt it was his turn to stare now.
Ah. So he was right. He wondered how many of the neighbors had seen him when they first came to check out the property, and how many of them knew about him and Dean. It seemed more than a few people had noticed.
“Why’s that?” The youngest continued, unaware of his blushing and stammering siblings.
Dean glanced at Cas, clearly unsure of how to treat the situation.
Castiel laughed. It seemed to catch the children off guard, so he knelt down in front of them and looked them in the eyes.
“Because I like to wear things that make me happy,” Castiel replied seriously. “Today, this is what makes me happy.”
“Daddy says you dress like a girl sometimes. But that some people like to do that,” the older boy mumbled.
“Your daddy’s not wrong,” Dean replied. Castiel nodded in agreement.
“The most important thing is that you’re happy just the way you are,” Castiel said simply. “Don’t you agree?”
The youngest and the girl nodded quickly, but the older boy seemed unconvinced. “So… it’s okay?”
“Very,” Castiel smiled. “Now, is that all you wanted to know? Or would you like to take some treats back to your parents?”
Their eyes lit up in unison and they quickly nodded. Dean laughed and clapped Castiel on the shoulder, walking back into the house to dig out one of the welcome pies he and Cas had made together. It wasn’t the biggest and grandest they’d ever made, but it would do for saying hello to their neighbors. Including the three children Castiel expected to see more of in the future.
“Okay, you think you can balance this?” Dean asked, handing out the cool tray. The oldest girl held out her arms and nodded. Castiel was certain she was old enough to hold big things safely.
“Okay. Say hello to your parents for us!” Dean ordered with a smile. The three nodded and quickly rushed back across the street, not waiting to shout at each other about their new neighbors.
“Well, they were cute,” Dean shrugged. Castiel smiled and closed the door, turning back to put his hands around Dean’s hips.
“Yes, I think so too,” he smiled. “Now, maybe if we’re lucky they might even learn about the number of genders out there.”
“Why?” Dean raised his eyebrows, leaning in close to peck Castiel’s lips. “Looking to change the world, Mr. Novak?”
“That’ll be Winchester soon.”
“You better believe it.”