Chapter Text
It was three weeks after Cas' nearly drowning in the bath stunt and things had finally begun to improve. He no longer jumped at every single loud noise, although the occasional slam of a door or ambulance siren would cause his body to stiffen. It had also been a week since he had last had a panic attack, cried or spent an insanely long time in the shower.
He had also been on three successful hunts, a wendigo, a poltergeist and a cursed object had all met their match, team free will as Dean occasionally referred to themselves as, were really getting into the swing of things. In fact, Cas was showing all the signs of being an incredible hunter. He was quick, zapping around the graveyards or woods faster than Dean would have thought humanly possible, he was calm and calculated and he was also dedicated to the team. He had not only been the one to kill the wendigo, he had single handedly been able to wrestle it off Sam, who had been pinned to a tree.
All in all, Dean was incredibly proud of how far his boyfriend had come. And yes, that was what they were now. Sam had now started branding them as Destiel, mocking Dean for going soft and chick-flick. But to be truthful, he was happy for them. Really happy for them.
Dean deserved someone who loved him and understood him. Usually, if he told some blonde chick that he hunted monsters, things wouldn't have gone so well, but in this case, Cas had spent his life battling a monster of his own as well as his inner demons. In a strange way it made their lives easier as a couple.
They knew everything about each other and for once Dean’s relationship was not built on a foundation of lies.
Castiel woke up at seven am in the morning, as he always did, untangled his body from Dean's arms, as he always did, planted a soft kiss on Dean's neck, as he always did and headed to Bobby's kitchen. They had spent nearly a month there now, working local cases, and Dean had finally decided that Cas was ready for a change of scenery now that he was more emotionally stable.
Castiel quickly whipped up some waffle mix, knowing that waffles were Dean's favorite and he placed the mix into a machine that Bobby had bought specifically for the eldest Winchester's visits. Not that he was soppy and willing to put up with any fussy eating crap.
Once he was done he placed the waffles neatly on a plate and slotted them into the oven to keep them warm. Dean wouldn't be up for at least another half hour.
When Dean did finally stir he made his own way downstairs and found Cas pouring over his Dad's journal. He had taken to skimming through it and trying to memorise how to kill different creatures. He did not want to be a liability.
"Hey Cas, you ready?"
"You sure you've had enough beauty sleep?"
"Are you calling me a lazy ass?"
"No, I'm calling you a…a…an Assbut!" Castiel looked incredibly proud of his comeback but Dean just grimaced and rolled his eyes.
"Was that the best you could come up with?"
"Yes, it was."
"You need to spend some time on the road. Anyway, is that waffles I smell?"
"Do you think of anything but food?"
"Yeah, there's always drink and sex to consider."
"Whatever, they're in the oven, and there's syrup on the table."
"Cheers." Dean was halfway through his third waffle when Sam appeared, grabbing an apple from the side and earning himself a disgusted look from Dean.
"Call that breakfast Sammy, no wonder you're so lanky."
"I tend not to eat a thousand calories in one sitting!"
"You should try it some time!"
"How you doing today Cas?" Sam changed the topic, knowing he would never be able to drag Dean away from his waffles, pie or burgers.
"Fine, you?"
"Good as always."
"Apart from when you are busy getting strangled."
"Whatever Dean, who was it that fainted in Oregon a couple of months ago?"
"I did not faint, I tripped."
"And laid on the ground stock still for five minutes."
"I was getting some shut eye."
"Literally."
"D'ya boys ever stop arguin?" Bobby strolled into the room with three books under one arm and his mobile in the other.
"Yes. Occasionally. Who was on the phone?"
"Police asking for the FBI, an old mate needed some covering up doing."
"Nice one Bobby, anyway we'd better head off now. Thanks for everything man."
"No problem, just don't tread blood in the carpet next time." Bobby clapped Dean on the back before giving him, Sam and then Cas a tight hug, the latter only flinching a little at the contact. It was a definite improvement.
"Well, you guys take care of yourselves, I'd like to see you all in one piece next visit."
"You know us Bobby, always careful." Bobby made a tutting noise as he watched the unlikely trio walk out of his door. No matter what, he knew that they would look out for each other.
…
Bobby had not been wrong. It was Cas' twelfth hunt when he was able to save both Dean and Sam single handedly from being turned by a werewolf. They had been tracking it for days, and nights, determined that they would catch the wolf by Friday, otherwise they would have to wait another month. Having finally tracked it to the middle of the woods, because the outskirts would have been too convenient for the hunters, Dean and Sam were knocked to their feet by the monster, both crashing to the ground dazed.
If Cas hadn't have been there they would have both been puppy chow, but he was there and a few weeks with Dean had turned him into a fully fledged hunter. Without a moments hesitation he had stabbed the wolf, tackled it to the ground when it still continued to put up a fight, and shot it in the side with a silver bullet, finally causing the beast to slump to the ground dead.
In one swift motion Cas had pulled the furry body off of himself and had stood up, drenched in blood but smiling softly. The adrenaline was currently counterbalancing his shock and fear and he couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of himself.
Dean was clearly proud to, as he stood up, pulled Cas close and kissed him full on the lips, despite the fact that Sammy was only a few feet away, and frankly it was quite awkward. But Dean didn't care. His boyfriend was officially a badass.
As far as kisses go, that probably wasn't the most romantic one, with Dean and Cas smothered in blood, mud and sweat, but neither man cared. All that mattered was that they were alive to fight another day, and whilst that was the case they were determined to go out together and continue saving people and hunting things, the family business.
After all, that is what they were now.