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Chuck is gone, so Dean and Cas are free.
After Dean saves Das from the empty, tears in his eyes and heart on his sleeve, Das knows this is how he wants his life to be.
They kiss under the streetlight on a Tuesday night. Dean's cheeks are flushed from the drinks they shared at the bar with the neon sign. Cas thinks he’s never been more beautiful. The kiss is soft and tender, so unlike every other thing that has happened to Dean Winchester. Cas has to hold back tears.
They live in moments of late-night fireplace readings and socked sunrise kitchen dances. Dean sleeps on the left side of the bed, Cas watches him. He's still an angel, of course. Jack had restored his powers. Part of him wished to be human- that soft vulnerability coupled with the belly forming below dean's chest.
Dean is insecure about it, so Cas lays his hands there while they watch a movie and kisses him slow. He loves this new belly. It shows that Dean can finally rest.
They attend Sam and Eileen's wedding, matching tuxedos. Out of her bouquet, Cas weaves the flowers together to make a crown and places it on her head. She signs a thank you, and Cas is happy. After the ceremony, she returns it to him and he places it on his head. Dean compliments him, and it surprises Cas still that such a thing can take his breath away.
He misses Jack, sometimes. When Sam and Eileen have their first daughter, that’s when it really hits him. So Cas prays to his son in heaven- tells him he loves him and misses him. Part of him wants to have another child to raise with Dean, but the man’s heart is already taken with his niece. It’s more than enough.
They are alike, Dean and Sophie. Especially as she grows. Dean plays her records and shows her old movies. They spend hours together every day, but Cas doesn’t mind. He is happy to have Dean in the quiet of the night when the bunker is dark and the scent of apple conditioner wafts from their shower. They hold each other under the covers and Cas is so happy.
Dean ages. It starts with a strand of grey hair. Cas loves this too. It means that Dean has lived longer than he ever thought he deserved. When he starts to get small aches, Cas heals them secretly while he sleeps, stroking the grey hair from his wrinkling face. Dean never says anything about them, but Cas knows when he feels one. He did build this body, himself, after all.
On the fifteenth anniversary of their first kiss, Dean asks Cas to marry him. They are leaning on the impala and watching the sunset, lips edged with vanilla iced cream and smiles. Cas cries and accepts the ring- the old one Dean used to wear years ago. The metal is warm on his skin held between Dean’s dangerous but gentle hands.
Dean opens a bar. He radiates joy with every drink he pours, and Cas stands next to his side as he serves new starry-eyed customers that don’t eye him hungrily like they used to. Cas is quite okay with that, he does enough himself to make up for it. To these strangers, Dean Winchester is the nice old man who owns the bar on the corner of West street. They don’t know who he is or what he has done. Every day, Dean gets a little less guarded. Cas is honored to be the knight guarding that gate.
The aging becomes more obvious. Sometimes Dean needs help going up the stairs. He has trouble picking up his baby nephew. Cas remains the same as always- unaged. It doesn't bother him that Dean is getting older. It never will. He gets in the habit of making breakfast alone and bringing it to the man he loves instead. He quietly mourns the time they shared in the kitchen so often but is grateful for the few times they still do.
Dean hands the bar off to Sophie when he retires. He gives her the impala too. Cas is glad to have him home all the time. They cuddle on the couch and watch the same old westerns, Dean smiling broadly every time Cas remembers a quote. He remembers all of them, of course, but he picks the ones Dean cares about most to recite. The lines in his face no longer show worry, but soft ripples from pleasant smiles. Cas loves kissing them.
When Dean turns 70, Cas dies his hair. The woman at the salon is kind and gentle with him. He explains that his husband has gone grey early and he wishes to match. She smiles at him over the mirror, and he likes the way it makes him look. He likes that he matches with Dean. Two souls separated.
Dean finds it hilarious, laughing deeply and running his hands through it in lazy tugs. Cas thinks while he does this- even though Dean's flesh has aged, his eyes are just as striking.
Cas can only heal so much. He does what he can, but human aging is inevitable. He helps Dean walk to separate parts of the bunker. Dean hates needing the help, but Cas reassures him it’s fine. It's normal. He's just grateful to be there. He wants nothing more than to take care of him.
Sam dies first, and that’s something they didn’t expect. The funeral is filled with his children and grandchildren. A real funeral- not a hunter's one. Dean grips his hand the whole service. He shuts down, and Cas knows he won’t be far behind his brother.
He spends his days in bed, but Cas is there. He brings Dean water and his medicine. Heals the minor aches and soothes his arthritis. Cas prays to Jack- asks to just have a little longer.
On a Saturday night, when Cas is making them dinner in the kitchen, Dean shows up in the doorway. Cas doesn’t really know how he managed to do it, but he’s dressed in the tux from Sam’s wedding. In his hand is the mixtape from all those years ago.
He puts it in the old cassette player and limps over to Cas. Dean takes his hands and they dance quietly, holding each other and exchanging lazy kisses. They mumble stories and affections while the moon rises higher into the sky. Cas thinks, if he just holds Dean a little tighter, they might have forever. The ring is heavy on his finger.
That night, Cas crawls into bed with him and feels Dean Winchester's soul leave his body. It’s painless- the shallow breaths slowly fading from his chest. Cas mumbles ‘I love you’ into his temple, and Dean grips onto his hand as he goes. Tears fall on the pillow.
Cas is still physically the same angel, but he is no longer really such. He sends the text to Sophia, wraps his arms around the man he had rebuilt atom by atom. The man who taught him to love. Even in death, Cas thinks, he is still beautiful. Still Dean Winchester. Cas makes one final prayer to Jack and knows it will be granted.
Dean is standing there when he shows up, looking like he did the day they met. Cas feels the tears pooling in his eyes.
“Oh, Cas,” he says, and Cas places his hands on Dean’s face and kisses him for a long time. They fought for so long. They had a beautiful life. Dean Winchester, the man who was supposed to die young, had defied his own expectations.
“It's good to see you, Dean,” he says wetly when they pull apart.
Dean wipes the tear from his eye and chuckles, “angel, huh? Was worried you wouldn’t join me here.”
“The moment I met you, Dean, I became human in every way that mattered.”
They hug once more as Sam and Eileen come out of the roadhouse. Looking around at his family, Cas is truly happy.
Still Beautiful. Still Dean Winchester.