Work Text:
“You know what the best part of this plan is?” Sam asked Castiel as they both stared at the closet.
Castiel paused his contemplation of a blue sweater he was staring at to look at Sam. “You mean other than having a date with someone I care about very much and who I know cares about me just as much, so even if it doesn’t work romantically, there’s no reason why we can’t still be close friends? So there’s very little pressure to put forth a perfect image tonight?”
“Well, sure, if you want to be all sweet and romantic about it,” Sam said with a huge smile. “But I was thinking how nice it was not to have to worry about showing up in something wildly different from what you’re wearing, like you wearing a suit and tie and me wearing jeans and flannel.” Castiel raised an eyebrow, and Sam had to acknowledge, “We might do that anyway, but it’s because that’s who we are instead of some kind of miscommunication.”
“Being back in school seems to have infected me with the desire to live in sweatpants and hoodies. I could get out the suit if you want me to, but I was thinking sweater and jeans would be fancy enough.” Castiel tossed the blue sweater over onto his bed. “Of course, working from home where I can wear pajamas or sweatpants to get my work done and no one cares is not helping. Dad would be so ashamed of me.”
“So would that asshole drill sergeant who kept telling you off for perceived sloppiness in your uniform during inspections!” Sam walked away from the closet. Deciding between the good flannel and the striped button-down Dean insisted looked like rusty bacon could wait while he found his jeans. He glanced at Castiel’s laptop, open on his bed. “Uh, Cas?”
Castiel didn’t look away from the closet at all while answering. “Yes?”
“Wasn’t this ad due, like, yesterday?”
“What?” Castiel dropped the shirt he was looking at and ran for the bed. “Oh, right, I talked to them on Thursday and got an extension to Monday, since that one lab ran so far over and the asshole composition professor told us that he’d made a typo and that essay was actually due yesterday, not next Friday.”
Sam scowled. He hated that professor. That professor sucked, and not just in his disorganization with regard to due dates. “You know he can’t do that, right? It was on the syllabus, you and your classmates should be able to turn it in as long as you’re before that date?”
“I know that’s how it’s supposed to work, but I didn’t want to chance it if I could get an extension on the ad. They were perfectly understanding, and I’ve worked with them before, so they know my work is good.” Cas headed back to the closet. “It helped when I told them I was taking my husband on our first date tonight.”
Sam paused, one leg half in his jeans. “You said husband?”
“Well, I’d hate for it to get back to Becky that you lied to her, so I stuck to the story. Since we were long-distance for the entire duration of our courtship, this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to take you on a proper date.” Castiel winked at Sam. “Don’t ask why we haven’t done this since I’ve been back since July. I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
“Because we were busy getting married, getting you enrolled in school, moving in, through your first semester, the holidays… and neither of us is much for going out anyway. Weird things happen when we do, like girls who don’t understand the word no.”
“And this is why I married you, the quick thinking on your feet… when you’re not panicking, anyway.” Sam stuck his tongue out at Cas.
Sam decided to go with the rusty bacon shirt. First stop was dinner, at an actual restaurant instead of a bar for once. When the waiter brought the check, he smiled at them. “Okay, so this is probably going to sound weird, but my coworker and I have a bet. She thinks you two are on your first date, but I think you guys have been together for years. Who’s right?”
Sam buried his face in his hands. This was not the first time he’d gotten this question. At least this time, it was with his boyfriend instead of his brother. Castiel reached over and gently tugged one of Sam’s hands away to hold. “You both are. Long-distance sucks, but it’s over now.”
“Awwww. Congratulations!” The waiter headed off to inform his coworker.
Castiel reached for the check at the same time as Sam. “I asked you out, I’m paying,” Castiel said. “You’re paying Tuesday.”
“Fair enough.” Sam pulled his hand back. “Speaking of Tuesday. Dean’s going to expect us to drop the act once Becky gets the hint and flounces off to plan your grisly death so she can swoop in and comfort me. I haven’t told him we’re dating for real. I want to see how long it takes him to realize we’re not just putting on a show for Becky.”
Castiel nodded, face lighting up in a smile. “I cannot wait to see the look on Dean’s face. He’s going to be so pissed at us for not telling him.”
After dinner, they went to a movie, and then Castiel drove the two of them to the countryside to watch the stars. The entire way out there, Castiel kept glancing over at Sam like he wanted to say something or ask a question, but never did. Once they’d found their spot and set up their chairs and telescope, Castiel still didn’t speak up, so Sam did. “What’s on your mind, Cas?”
“I told Gabriel about this, and he brought up a very good question. If we’re married, where are our rings?”
Sam opened his mouth, closed it, and let his head flop back against the chair. “And Becky would have looked for a ring, so I can’t just say it’s been there all along. Shit. Did Gabriel have an answer?”
“Yes, actually.” Castiel reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. “This ring belonged to my grandfather, and in his will, he left it to whichever grandchild who wanted it was the first to get a husband. Gabriel talked it over with the others, and they agreed that with Anna being lesbian and Naomi thinking that reusing wedding rings is tacky and none of the other boys being gay, it would probably end up going to me to give to you anyway. As for why you haven’t been wearing it, it took some time to find what Michael did with it, then we had to get it resized and that ended up being a nightmare, and we finally got it back this week.” Castiel opened the box, and Sam gasped in shock at the ring inside. He’d been expecting the traditional plain gold band. This was not. It was some sort of silvery metal – Sam couldn’t tell in the low light whether it was white gold, platinum, silver, or something else entirely – with a ring of tiny sapphires in the middle. “The weirdest part is that all of this is true. They had this discussion after I told them I was moving in with you to go to school here. Michael had trouble finding the ring…”
“Is that why Anna called Dean asking about my ring size last October,” Sam realized. “Wow. Becky was even there when Dean asked me about that phone call! Dean was quick to reassure her that no, Anna was not looking to marry me, but he didn’t say anything else about why Anna called. Easy to explain Dean’s amusement at the thought of Anna marrying me as because I was already married to her little brother.” Sam held out his hand for Castiel to put the ring on. “What about your ring? I don’t have one for you. I could probably get one tomorrow or Monday…”
“No need.” Castiel pulled out another box, which he handed to Sam. “You might recognize that one.”
Sam opened it. He recognized John’s ring instantly. “When did Dean give this to you?”
“Yesterday, when I showed him your ring and explained the situation. He figures he’s the one more likely to end up using your mother’s ring to give to his wife, so it’s only fair that you give your father’s ring to your husband. We were unlikely to find a good match for your ring, so going with family heirlooms explains why.”
Sam took the ring and slid it on Castiel’s hand. It looked perfect there, although the plain regular gold was an odd match with Sam’s fancy ring. “I feel like I should kiss you now. Is that okay?”
“Yes, please.” Sam stepped toward Castiel, bending his head to kiss his boyfriend. He’d intended to keep it short, but Castiel had other ideas, holding him in place for a nice long time. When he finally let go, he looked at the telescope. “I know we came out here to look at the stars, but would you be opposed to skipping that and just going straight home and spending the rest of the date in bed?”
It took a minute, but when Sam figured out what Castiel was saying, he choked. “Cas, you know you don’t…”
“If I thought I had to do anything, I’d tell you to go to hell. I know you better than that. I want to do this. If you don’t want to or prefer to wait until our real relationship is more than one date old, that’s fine, but don’t hold back on my account.”
Sam hesitated, but only for a second. If Cas said he was good, he’d trust him. “In that case, the stars will still be there other nights. Let’s go celebrate our new rings.”