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"Oh look who it is," Sam points to the only person in the world who would wear work clothes to the beach in the middle of summer. Dean vaguely looks up, and yep, there he is. There Castiel is sitting against a log on wet sand in his dress shirt and dress pants, he decided to forgo the trenchcoat, so there was always that. He looked pensive or sad, Dean couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Dean figured he would be at the bonfire, which might of been one of the only reasons that Dean agreed to go with Sam to Gabriel's stupid beach day, or whatever he was calling it. It wasn't so much that the bonfire was stupid than Gabriel was. Sam and Gabriel had this feud going on, a feud which was code for sexual tension. Sexual tension that they tried to get Dean involved in all the time, and frankly he was sick of it.
He was happy that Gabriel finally decided to be the bigger man and invite Sam to a gathering. Dean only knew Castiel because he was Gabriel's brother, and what kind of dick wouldn't invite his own brother to a bonfire? Gabriel was a dick, but that was irrelevant.
Dean could vaguely place a few other people. Jo, Anna, Sarah, Ash and Andy were always over the apartment even though Dean only knew Jo. And the rest of the guys Dean figured were Gabriel's family or friends even though he was pretty sure that Sam was Gabriel's only friend.
"Sammy, you promised me some smores," Dean tells his brother after scouting for a second and seeing nothing but a bonfire and a bunch of sleeping bags.
Sam gives Dean a look. "Dude, it's Gabriel. There's going to be smores. Besides, it's like two o clock."
Dean waves him away and suddenly there's a hand on Dean's shoulder and speak of the sweet toothed dwarf...
"Well if it isn't my two favorite people," Gabriel greets and that was new. He was at the bottom of Gabriel's favorite people list, he was sure. And Sam's place depended on how pissed or flirty he was being that day.
"Hi," Dean said.
Sam smiled and great it was a flirty day. "Hey Gabe," he greeted. Dean couldn't stand to be around that much longer.
Gabriel was giving Sam a similar look. Great. "I'm really glad you came, Sam."
Dean stepped away from the two giant girls who were surrounding him. "I'm gonna go find Cas."
Gabriel didn't look away from Sam, nodding towards a vacant part of the beach. "He's been waiting for you. I'm gonna hang out with Sam."
Dean nodded. "You do that," he muttered before heading over to Castiel. Dean looked up at the sky and it was hot for his swim trunks and t-shirt so he figured that Castiel had to be dying in his suit.
Dean fell down onto the sand next to Castiel. Castiel offered him a welcoming smile that made Dean smile in return. "So, Cas, what time's the board meeting?"
Castiel turned to him with a strange look on his face. "Board meeting?" Dean motioned for his ensemble and Castiel nodded, knowingly. "You're making fun of me," he said.
Dean shrugged, he wasn't so much as making fun of him as he was teasing him. There was a distinct difference, one that Castiel obviously didn't get. "Nah, it...it gives you character, man."
"I'm glad you think so, Dean."
Dean nodded. "I do," he said. Dean was left nodding and Castiel was staring at him and he felt weird. That usually happened between them. They were either arguing or having an intense staring contest. Castiel usually won. "So what have you been up to? I've been swamped at the shop so I haven't had a chance to stop in for some coffee."
Castiel shrugged. "Same as usual. Work and school pretty much. But now Gabriel got promoted to manager."
Dean looks over at Gabriel attempting to--and failing, quite miserably--leer at his brother and makes a face. "Remind me not to eat any of the pastries anymore, and that's a damn shame."
"Dean," Castiel chastised. "Gabriel , would never poison the sweets, so you're safe. Personally I would watch the coffee."
Dean knocks Castiel's shoulder, without really knowing why. "I forgot you're from the planet that drinks tea."
Castiel's smile blooms after that. "I believe that planet is still Earth, thank you very much. But you drink your coffee straight from Hell."
"Conviniently found in your little shop, so what does that say about you?"
They continue bickering until Dean gets sick of arguing with Castiel and they watch a game of volleyball try to commence. More people show up, more girls, and it turns into a game of girls versus boys. Gabriel's brother Michael finally ropes Dean into a game because the girls have Sam and that is an unfair advantage even though Sam is a girl. All the while Dean complains of playing such a sissy sport.
They eventually beat the girls and Sammy, but it was a close game. Dean is sweaty and waits until he's next to Castiel to discard his shirt. He looks down at Castiel who is the only person on the beach not getting ready to go into the lake.
"Why aren't you going swimming?"
Castiel shrugs, eyes becoming more focused with the sand. "Don't want to." Dean scoffed. Who went to the beach not wanting to swim? There has to be a solution to this problem.
"Hey! Gabriel!" he calls watching as him and Sam come walking over simeoltaneously which was just weird.
"What's going on, man?" And the buddy buddy shit was creeping Dean out a lot, if he was honest with himself.
"Get your anti-social brother to go swimming."
"He doesn't want to go swimming." Gabriel made a face and what kind of brother was he? If Sam didn't want to go swimming, Dean would throw him with his clothes on if it came down to it. Gabriel had to be strong, he couldn't give in to the little brother games they partook in.
Sam was frowning, too.
"You're his older brother. You make him go. That's what they do. They bitch and whine until you make them."
"Dean, come on, you can't make a guy swim if he doesn't want to."
And that sounded like a challenge if Dean's ever heard one. Dean glared at Sam only being distracted when he heard some mumbling come from down below. He looked down at Castiel and he was frowning, but he just whispered something.
"Hmm?" He asked, bringing his hand to cup over his ear.
Castiel glared at him, standing up to face off with Dean. "I don't know how, okay?" His deep voice making this sound almost threatening.
Dean gaffawed. "You don't. You don't know how to swim? What kind of person doesn't know how to swim?"
Castiel looked down at his feet and Dean felt kind of bad but what kind of person didn't know how to swim for Christ's sake? Gabriel was glaring at him and he had to know that he didn't mean to make the guy feel bad about himself, it was just how Dean was.
Dean crouched down and wrapped his arm around Castiel. "Well, buddy, you sure are glad I'm your friend."
Castiel rolled his eyes and maybe Dean was a bad influence. "Right. Lucky me."
Dean punched him in the arm and Christ that kind of hurt. "You are extremely lucky. Come on get your swim trunks on."
A lip bite later Dean was cursing.
---
("Dean?" Castiel questioned standing ankle deep in the lake. Dean was less than a foot away from him. "Do I really have to?"
Dean sighed and started walking backwards on his heels, letting the waves hit against his back. They were on a completely other side of the beach because Dean wasn't a complete asshole. Sure, he might make Castiel feel bad about his lack of swimming knowledge but he wasn't going to do it in front of everybody.
And maybe just maybe he wanted some alone time with Castiel.
"If you want, Sam has some water wings in the trunk if you want me to grab those."
"You're lying."
Dean smiled. "Am I?"
Castiel looked at his face, trying to gauge if he was lying or not. His face lost all his frustrated anger so for once he was glad he was staring at him. He bit his lip and then cracked a smile. "You are."
Dean smirked at him. "Maybe I am. One way to find out," he told Castiel and maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.
---
Castiel wasn't that bad of a swimmer. Almost as good as Dean, in fact. He could float, hold his breath, practically everything.
"Okay, what gives Mister I-Can't-Swim?"
Castiel shrugs, flipping onto his back and drifting off where the waves were taking him. Dean paddles to follow him. "I can maybe swim." Dean raised an eyebrow dropping to his knees and just letting his nose stay above water. "Okay, I really can."
Dean raised his head above water to take Castiel in. He did have this certain...arrogance about him in response to the swimming. "Why'd you say you couldn't, then? Not that I care that you lied to old Gabey, but you could have told me you could." Instead of making me look like an asshole.
Castiel smlied and it was an evil smile that looked wrong on his face. "I do enjoy partaking in an activity called making Gabriel feel like shit."
Dean looked confused, so Castiel elaborated. "He wasn't around a lot when I was growing up. He left the bird coop without a note or anything. He just left me with my family, you know? So now that he's all I have, I like manipulating him just a little bit."
Dean was shocked. "That's so...cold. I like it," he shot Castiel a smile, and Castiel's own smile turned less evil and more Cas-like. "Here I thought you were this nice little brother type, just like Sam."
Castiel sat straight up again. "Oh, I am. It's just...Gabriel's my brother you know? He tricks everybody I have to get him back somehow."
Dean got it. Gabriel was a grade A asshole, so he deserved at least a little something for his troubles. It was just weird seeing Castiel in this new light.
First he was just Gabriel's kid brother, then he was Castiel Dean' friend who just happened to be Gabriel's brother, then Castiel with the eyes and now he was just as menacing as Gabriel.
It was a weird turn of events.
"Hey, you want to go back to the shore for a bit?"
Castiel nodded, but didn't head back towards the beach with all of their stuff. He went to the beach in front of him. "Do you care if we stay over here? I mean it's all Gabe and Sam's friends. You're kind of the only person I know and I don't want to hang out with my brothers."
Dean snorted. "Me either," Cas cut him a sideways glance and Dean froze. "Not that I wouldn't if given the chance, I mean they're..." Castiel laughed and Dean relaxed. "Kind of dicks."
Castiel rolled his eyes and splashed Dean with water before they headed for the shore.
Dean lost track of how long they were there just talking on the shore of the beach. That's all they were doing. Talking, which was weird because Dean didn't sit on beaches talking to people just to talk. It was all out of his range but he liked talking to Castiel. He took a deeper look at Castiel's face and he noticed how blue his eyes were, how they were entranced with the ocean. He noticed how dry his lips were and how pink his tongue was as he slid it quickly across his lips to unchap them. He noticed how soft his hand was--
He looked down and Castiel's hand was laying on top of his, his eyes an open abyss in front of Dean.
"Is this alright?"
Dean didn't say anything but he nodded and slightly froze as he felt Castiel slide closer to him. He swallowed the giant knot that was forming in his throat and tried to clear it. He chanced another glance at Cas and his hand retreated almost as fast as he put it there. Dean grabbed his hand before he knew what he was doing and now Cas was avoiding his gaze.
"Maybe we should get back," Cas tried to distract him but he just pulled him closer and their lips met mid protest. It was interesting kissing Cas. At first he froze then he tried to put his hands somewhere but he couldn't decide where. Dean didn't mind his kissing partners handsy but this was a little ridiculous. He pulled tighter on the one hand he was holding and placed the other on his neck which instantly deepened the kiss. He wasn't that bad at it once he got the hang of it. Dean nudged Castiel into a laying position and was on top of him giving his lips one last kiss.
He just looked into his eyes with his hair completely fucked from salt water and air and instantly wanted to kiss him again.
Dean grinned down at him. "So did you want to go to that bonfire?"
Cas shut him up with his mouth and that was the last words that were said for a long time.