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The smoke machines were on blowing thick smoke throughout the bar. Michael Jackson’s Thriller pumped through the speakers over the sounds of laughter and others talking. Harvelle’s annual Halloween party was officially in full swing.
Everyone who lived within a fifty-mile radius of The Roadhouse knew that the owner Ellen Harvelle would shut down the bar and grill for only two reasons: a family event and Halloween. It was a tradition she had been doing since her daughter Jo was six years old.
What had sparked the first party was her good friend, now husband, Bobby Singer became the legal guardian of two boys. The oldest of Bobby’s boys, Dean, had been having a hard time adjusting to life without his father and through the help of little brother Sam, Bobby and Ellen learned that Dean’s favorite holiday was Halloween. The boys had been with Bobby over a month at the time of the first party and that night was the first time either adult had seen Dean smile.
Every year since then, Ellen worked with the kids to come up with themes for the party. One year they did Star Wars , Dean’s pick. Another year Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for Jo. And in recent years they did The Wizarding World of Harry Potter . Sam was the most excited for that theme and as much as Dean teased his little brother, he loved every minute of the planning.
This year, Ellen’s invitations were clear: come as your alter ego but you can only be DC or Marvel. There were so many versions of Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, and even Groot, that your head could spin. But everyone was in costume, whether they were a villain or a hero. It was the first time you could easily see Marvel and DC friendly together. After all The Winter Soldier was dancing with The Enchantress. To be fair, Sam would dance with his fiancee Eileen, regardless of which side she chose.
No one was really surprised when Dean walked in wearing the Michael Keaton era Batman costume. As long as everyone had known the now thirty-seven-year-old man, he had been claiming to be The Dark Knight to anyone that would listen. The surprise though was seeing his best friend of the last twenty years come as Superman. Many had thought that Castiel would come as John Constantine, given his love of his tan trenchcoat.
Castiel was one of those people you were pretty sure came from another planet, which is what made the Superman idea work. He wasn’t, in fact, from another planet, just another way of life as he was raised in a fundamentalist compound. The youngest of ten children, Castiel was the third of his siblings to leave the only world he had known to come to college. That’s the time he and Dean met. Immediately Dean decided he needed to teach the “dorky little guy” what it was like to be a human and not a religious robot.
No one was surprised by the quick friendship the two had. After all, Dean was a caregiver by nature. A trait he developed at a young age before Bobby became the man he and Sam would eventually call father. Dean was even there for Castiel when Castiel had come out to his friends as pansexual. Dean didn’t quite understand how that differed from being bisexual but he knew that no matter what, Castiel would always be his best friend.
Those close to the two men would often look at Castiel with pity, especially when Dean left the bar with a random hook up or found his way back to his ex, Lisa Braeden. They knew that Castiel had cared for his friend in much more than a friendly way, but he would never make a move on Dean. And as far as everyone knew, Dean was hetero, overcompensating so.
But regardless of how Castiel felt, he would always shove his feelings to the side and be there for Dean when the pieces of his heart were shattered along the floor. After all, that’s what friends were for.
“Whoa! Look at you, Cas!” Castiel and Dean both looked in the direction of the voice to see a red-headed Robin smiling at them.
“Charlie! You did it!” Dean hugged her and lifted her up off the floor.
“Easy there, Winchester!” Charlie laughed. She punched Dean in the arm when he put her down. “Why didn’t you tell us that Cas was stacked under his holy tax accountant get up?”
Castiel scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment as he watched his friends check him out.
“Well, yeah… I mean Cas does know what manual labor is and we go to the gym— wait, why do you care? He’s not even on your team!” Dean quickly pointed out.
“True, Cas doesn’t identify as the gender I am attracted to, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the man’s sex appeal.” Charlie teased, winking at Castiel.
“What?!” Dean asked incredulously.
Castiel laughed and shook his head as Charlie grinned. This kind of banter was nothing new amongst the three as Charlie always had this theory that the two men were actually destined to be together, they were just too stubborn to see it.
“Oh, come on, Dean! You can’t seriously sit there and tell me that you haven’t looked at Cas and thought, “yep, I’d hit that.”
“No,” Dean laughed nervously, suddenly avoiding any eye contact with Castiel.
Castiel shook his head again. “I don’t want to hear her explanation for that comment,” he said, pulling Charlie in for a hug and kissing the top of her head in a brotherly way. “I’m gonna get us some drinks.”
“My explanation is sound!” Charlie called out before turning her warm brown eyes on Dean.
“What?” He asked clearly uncomfortable with the scrutiny of his other best friend.
“I’m not blind Winchester. I know you would totally tap.” She gestured over to where Castiel stood at the bar talking to The Black Widow, Jo Harvelle. “That is, if you weren’t internally having a big gay panic.”
“I’m not having a big gay panic, because I’m not gay,” he hissed at her. “I believe the term is pining and you shut your face. He’s my best friend. I’m not gonna screw that up.”
Charlie rolled her eyes and thwacked Dean upside his head. “You, my darling friend, are denser than pound cake. Cas is in love with you!” She pulled Dean’s arm and pulled him off into a corner to talk better. “Seriously, think about it will you?”
“Of course he loves me, we’re like family, Red.” Charlie rolled her eyes at the use of the nickname, but Dean didn’t stop. “Besides, if he loved me like you claimed then why does he encourage me to go see other people? Why doesn’t he just tell me to stop?”
“Because you play mister macho ‘I like pussy’ around him and he just wants you to be happy!” Charlie threw her hands up in the air. “Seriously, Dean. I know I’m seeing things. I know you feel for him too. I just wish you would do something about it before it's too late.”
~*~*~
Later that night as the party was in full swing, Castiel made his way through the partygoers, saying hi to friends and commenting on costumes. Dean had distanced himself from Cas, something Castiel was prepared for, given that Lisa was here. What surprised Castiel wasn’t the fact that Dean seemed quiet and brooding, but that when Lisa flirted with Dean—obvious even to Castiel who was across the room—Dean had pushed her advances away. Castiel watched the whole exchange and thought it odd, especially when Dean looked over at him, before moving away from her.
Castiel refused to allow himself to hope that maybe Dean was finally taking his words about doing better than Lisa and lettering her continuously break his heart to heart. He learned quickly that when it came to matters of the heart, it was best not to push with Dean. Dean, while open with Cas about so many things, was closed off when it came to his romantic encounters.
Castiel shook the thoughts from his head and continued his conversation with Benny. The New Orleans native was a stocky man, with a dazzling smile and mischievous blue eyes. He had come dressed as The Incredible Hulk, and like Cas, didn’t need the foam muscles of a costume. The two men laughed and shared stories of their previous Halloween fails when suddenly Castiel was being pulled away.
Before he could ask what was going on, he realized that Dean was the one grabbing him and pulling him close. His eyes went wide with shock when his brain also registered the fact that Dean’s lips were on his. Something that Castiel had longed for, dreamt of even but never allowed himself to hope for and here it was, happening to him. And he was frozen in the spot like an idiot.
When Dean started to pull away, Castiel could see the worry on Dean’s face. He knew his best friend enough to know that he was internally kicking his own ass for such an impulsive move and Castiel had to act fast.
He placed his hand on Dean’s bicep, pulling him back to him and bringing their lips together again. Applying a bit of pressure, he felt Dean physically relax under his touch. As their mouths opened slightly and Cas slowly deepened the kiss, the hand fisting Castiel’s costume loosened. Dean’s hand spread out on Castiel’s chest as the smallest whimper escaped Dean’s mouth. That was all the encouragement Castiel needed.
He pulled himself flush against Dean, Dean quickly moved his hands to hold Castiel’s jaw and twist into Castiel’s dark locks as Castiel’s own hands held tight to Dean’s waist. What had started as a tentative thing became full of passion and yearning. A longing that both men had held back for years. Words and desires were shared in this kiss as their lips moved together and their tongues explored and learned the taste of each other.
There was a silence that fell over the room and it spooked Castiel enough that he slowly pulled away. His heart soared when he noticed that Dean, whose eyes were still closed, was trying to chase after his lips. Slowly, Castiel looked around to see that they had an audience.
“Uh… Dean.”
“Mmhmm,” Dean hummed.
“We’ve attracted some attention.” Castiel watched as Dean peeked one eye open and looked over to see that they were, in fact, being watched. “Do you think if we just close our eyes they’ll disappear?” Dean asked quietly.
“I don’t think so.”
“Shit.”
Castiel chuckled at Dean’s response. He moved to say something but Ellen came to the rescue.
“Alright, move it along. This ain’t a damn peep show!” She called out pushing the crowd back onto the dance floor and away from the two men. “What you just witnessed was a Halloween treat. And it’s about damn time!”
“Damn idjits,” Bobby added, sounding every bit a gruff as he always did but the small smile on his face was enough to know that he meant it with love.
“Hey!” Dean called out indignantly then chuckled, turning his attention back to Cas “I think we should talk… about what this all means.”
“Agreed. To the Batmobile?”
Dean grinned and kissed Cas quickly again. “To the Batmobile.”
~*~*~
Two years later, The Roadhouse was closed for Halloween weekend. There were whispers that there was a death in Ellen’s family, prompting her to close the bar and grill for such a long period of time. But in truth, they were celebrating something much bigger.
“You ready for this?” Sam asked as he helped Dean adjust his tie.
“Of course, Sammy!” Dean grinned.
“You’re nervous aren’t you?”
“What’s to be nervous about? He’s my best friend. I’ve already spent a third of my life with him.”
“Yeah but this is a huge step for you guys.” Sam pointed out.
“Yes, it is. But it’s a natural step for us.”
There was a knock and the Winchester brothers looked over to see Castiel poking his head through the door.
“Everything okay?” He asked, stepping through the door. He was dressed as the Phantom of the Opera and Dean couldn’t help but admire the way he looked in the thxedo and cape.
“Yeah, Cas. We’re fine.” Dean smiled.
“Good,” Cas smiled in return, kissing Dean’s cheek. “He’s awake from his nap, by the way. Charlie just helped me with his make-up. You ready to introduce the newest member of our family to the gang?”
Dean grinned at his husband. “Hell yeah, let’s go show them the pumpkin king.”
Sam watched his brother’s eyes light in excitement over the prospect of showing off their son, Jack. That was the purpose of The Roadhouse being closed. They were using this weekend to introduce Jack Robert Winchester to their friends and family and introducing their son to the long-standing Halloween tradition. They were also celebrating their first wedding anniversary at the place they met, first kissed, and married.
A Halloween treat indeed.