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Romance is hard. Especially for Dean Winchester, who saw no real models for a healthy romance growing up - or even now, as an adult. But goddammit, he wants to try.
This thing with Cas, it’s new. They’d confessed to each other in the Impala on a long drive home. It had been Dean who couldn’t take it anymore. He’d blurted it out twenty minutes into their four hour car ride. It had gone a hell of a lot better than he’d expected, but now he didn’t really know what to do.
He wasn’t big on romantic gestures. For the most part, he didn’t know what constituted a romantic gesture. Not only was he completely clueless in operating in a serious adult relationship, Cas was an angel. Part of him knows that makes everything easier - Cas has a lack of expectation other people don’t. If he puts any sort of effort in, Cas appreciates it enthusiastically.
Ideas to surprise Cas don’t come easy, though. Pretty much all of Cas’s experiences come from Sam and Dean. Dean used a lot of his best moves on him before they were even really together. But, as the sky opened up above him, he had an idea.
Giant rain droplets fall onto the windshield. There are groceries in the back, but it isn’t hot enough for anything to spoil, so instead of pulling into the garage, he pulls the Impala outside of the bunker’s entrance.
The rain is steady as he flips through the box of tapes he keeps under the bench. He finds what he’s looking for and sets it aside. He pauses for a moment, going over the plan he’d made in the ten minutes since the rain had started. When he’s a little more confident in himself he pulls out his phone and dials Cas’s number. He picks up on the third ring.
“Dean?”
“Hey, Cas,” Dean says, feeling a little more nervous now that Cas was actually on the line. “Can you come outside?”
“Are you okay?” He hears rustling on the other end, signifying Cas is getting up.
He chuckles. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just something I want to show you. I’ll see you when you get out here.”
He hangs up the phone and pops the mixtape he made Cas into the cassette player. Once he’s got the volume all the way up, he mumbles an apology to Baby and rolls the windows down. As he’s getting out, he hears the bunker’s front door open. He smiles at Cas as he exits.
“What’s going on?” Cas asks. He’s squinting through the rain at Dean. After a few moments, Cas turns his attention to the car. “Your windows are down.”
“Yeah, I know,” Dean mutters. He steels himself and holds his hand out toward Cas. “Dance with me?”
Cas’s head tilts but he steps into the rain and grabs Dean’s hand, allowing himself to be pulled flush against Dean. Dean settles his hands against Cas’s waist and feels a tremor of relief when Cas drapes his arms around his neck.
“I don’t know how to dance.”
Dean laughs. “I don’t, either.” He takes a little step and starts swaying them in time with the music coming through his speakers.
“Then why are we doing this?”
It’s endearing, really, the way things like this confuse Castiel. He wants to change that, though. Cas deserves to get these stupid little surprises all the time.
“It’s fun,” Dean begins. He leans in, knowing he won’t be able to repeat himself after this. “It’s supposed to be romantic. And I just thought you deserved romance.” Cas doesn’t reply immediately and Dean starts to get a little worried, so he adds, “We can stop if you wanna.”
That gets a reply from Cas, but it isn’t verbal. Instead, Cas’s arms wind their way around Dean’s waist. Cas tightens his grip and lays his head on Dean’s shoulder. His stomach swoops and he can’t stop himself from pressing a kiss into Cas’s hair.
“I don’t want to stop,” Cas says softly, his voice muffled by Dean’s neck. His breath is coming in little puffs that warm the rain on Dean’s skin.
Dean tightens his arms and closes his eyes. He rocks them, making a small circle where they stand. Cas is clinging to him, but he doesn’t mind. It’s the first time Cas has ever danced in the rain. Hell, the first time he’s ever danced, period. This needs to be wholly enjoyable for him. Plus, he likes having Cas close. It’s only been a few weeks since Dean spilled his guts; he’s still trying to get his footing. All he wants to do is hold onto the guy and keep him safe, but that’s hard to ask for.
Cas starts to rub small circles into his lower back and Dean can’t stop the sigh that falls from his lips. He wants to be embarrassed, but Cas only stops to tighten his grip a little before resuming.
“There’s another thing I was thinking we could do.”
“What’s that, Dean?”
“Kissing in the rain is supposed to be really romantic.”
Cas wastes no time in putting his lips on Dean’s. He misses at first, landing somewhere around the corner of Dean’s mouth. It’s soft and gentle, but a little chaste. Cas pulls away with what could be a blush on his face.
“Sorry,” he mutters before surging back forward and catching Dean in a bruising kiss.
Dean follows him, letting himself be kissed. His skin is wet, but his senses are overwhelmed by Cas. He sighs into Cas’s mouth, and Cas takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. They kiss until Dean’s breathless, breathing harshly through his nose. He doesn’t want it to stop.
Finally, it’s Cas that pulls away and the world slowly comes back into focus. It’s quiet, all he can hear is the rain.
“The music stopped,” Cas says by way of explanation.
Dean nods, too overwhelmed by anything that isn’t Cas. Cas doesn’t push him to talk, instead he starts swaying them again with his head back against Dean’s shoulder.
“I love you,” Dean finally says.
Cas hums before lazily muttering, “I love you, too.”
Dean wants to stay like this, he does, but he realizes now he’s soaked through to the skin. He’s not too cold yet, but he does feel the beginnings of a chill. So he places a final kiss into Castiel’s hair and pulls himself away.
“Sorry. Kinda cold,” he says, feeling too exposed and a little embarrassed. But when he looks at Cas, that melts away. He’s safe and it’s okay to just dance in the rain with the person he’s in love with. “I-,” he begins, but cuts himself off.
“What, Dean?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”
Cas taps Dean on the back to make sure he’s paying attention. “I won’t think it’s stupid.”
“Okay,” Dean says. “Okay. Uh, I was just thinking.” He looks down, unable to meet Cas’s eyes. “I was just thinking that I’ve never felt so loved. It’s stupid.”
“Dean.” It’s gentle and dripping in something Dean can’t quite identify. “It’s not stupid.” There’s a pause and Dean finally meets Cas’s eyes. There’s nothing but love there and he can’t look away. “You make me-” Cas draws his eyes away this time. Dean can see tears forming there.
“Hey,” he says gently, “it’s okay.”
Cas smiles and shakes his head. “You make me feel so much, Dean,” he settles on. “Most of all, you make me feel loved.”
Dean doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t have a response and he’s in over his head. So, he kisses Cas again, hard, hoping it conveys everything he doesn’t know how to say yet.
“I really want to keep kissing you,” he says, finally stepping out of Cas’s embrace. “But we gotta take these groceries in.” He glances into his car. “And I need to dry these seats off.”
Cas is already opening the back door and loading his arms with groceries. “I’ll take these in. You should just pull the car into the garage. I’ll tell Sam you’re back.”
Dean nods, struck by the normalcy of it all. He pulls the Impala into the garage. Sam is already there, smiling at him.
“You danced with Cas in the rain?” he asks, stepping up to the Impala to get the groceries.
“Shut up.”
“I think it’s nice.” Sam gathers the last of the bags and straightens himself out as Dean’s getting out of the car. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cas look so happy, man. You look happy too, you know?”
Dean looks at him, hoping he looks anything but embarrassed. “I was just trying something.”
“Well it worked.” Sam steps around him and walks toward the door. “I brought some towels out, by the way.” He gestures to a pile of towels on the ground. “For you, not the Impala. Dry off before you come inside. Cas left a puddle in the kitchen.”
He waits for Sam to get fully inside before he dries himself off as best he can. Eventually he elects to strip down to his boxers. The only people inside to see him were his brother and Cas so it’s not like it’s a big deal anyway.
He tosses his clothes into the laundry room and makes his way to his room. When he steps inside, Cas is already there, dressed in dry clothes, rooting through Dean’s drawers. Dean leans in the doorway and Cas looks up at him.
“I was going to bring you dry clothes.”
“I appreciate that,” Dean says. He steps into Cas’s space and plucks a shirt from the open drawer. There are boxers and sweatpants on the bed, so he steps into them.
Cas is staring at him when he’s done. There’s a ghost of a smile on his face and his eyes are warm.
“Thank you for tonight,” Cas says and Dean can tell he’s blushing.
“Hey, thank you for tonight.”
Cas hums and steps forward, placing his hands on Dean’s waist.
“I, uh,” Dean says. He steals himself, knowing that Cas isn’t going to make fun of him. “I really liked it. Dancing in the rain with you.”
“I did as well.” Cas leans in and presses a kiss to Dean’s lips. “We should go dry the Impala’s seats, though. I’d like to thank you properly afterward.”
Dean smiles and grips Cas’s hand, pulling him out of the room towards the garage. He hadn’t done all of that just for sexual favors, but he certainly wasn’t going to say no.