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Castiel had been complaining the whole hike. The sun was too bright and too warm, the birds too loud and the sky too blue. He hadn’t even been sure why Dean had suggested a Sunday hike, Dean never wanted to go on hikes. They had plans for the evening anyway, so why spend the whole day exhausting themselves before Sam and Eileen’s barbecue? But there was something in Dean’s eyes when he’d suggested a trip to the national park that Castiel just couldn’t say no to. So here he was, sweaty and panting, and feeling his irritation grow with each step.
“Dean,” he pleaded, “Can’t we just go back to the car?”
“We’re almost there, babe,” Dean answered, smiling brightly at his grumpy boyfriend over his shoulder. “Just a few more minutes!”
Castiel wanted to reply with something snarky about their decent once they reach the peak, but Dean’s genuine smile stopped him. Dean seemed happier today than he had been in a long time, Castiel realized, so he trudged on, and smiled back at Dean when their eyes met.
It was only a few minutes until they reached the end of the trail and the summit. It wasn’t the tallest peak in the area even, but Castiel gasped when he saw the landscape open up underneath them. It was still early September but fall colors had begun to seep into the foliage below them, red, yellows and oranges fighting the green leaves for dominance. The sun still sat high in the sky, just an hour past noon. He turned around to smile at Dean.
“Dean, it’s beauti-,” he started before stopping, the words caught in his throat. Behind him, Dean was waiting on one knee, his right hand holding up a deep blue velvet box. Castiel could only stare. His perfect boyfriend had dragged him here, to the most beautiful place and Castiel had complained the whole way, probably making the hike miserable for Dean. He felt tears slowly rising, overcome with a thousand emotions at once.
“You’re right, Cas,” Dean said, his eyes locking confidently with Castiel’s. “Beautiful.”
“Dean,” Castiel breathed, taking a step closer.
“Cas, I-,” Dean suddenly looked nervous, the hand holding the blue box slightly shaking. “Cas, angel, meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’ve spent every single day since trying to make you happy. If you want to, I want to spend the rest of my days making sure you feel happy and loved and that you feel like you can be yourself-“
Dean stopped to catch his breath, and Castiel kneeled in front of him, feeling a wide, gummy smile spread across his face.
“Marry me, Cas?”
“Of course, Dean,” Castiel whispered against Dean’s lips, his hand coming up to softly wipe away a stray tear threatening to fall down Dean’s freckled cheeks. “You make me feel like I’m on the top of the world, and I hope I can show you how much I love you, forever.”
Dean smiled through the kiss, and Castiel felt the salty taste of their mixed tears and the warmth from Dean’s face. He buried his face in Dean’s neck, whispering quiet declarations of love over and over again into the plaid shirt.
“Hey, Cas,” Dean finally mumbled, his left hand coming up to gently cup Castiel’s cheek, turning his head so their eyes met again. “I love you so, so much.”
The rest of the world, the reds, yellows and oranges of the valley below disappeared, their world only green and blue, rolling hills and endless sky. A soft breeze ruffled Castiel’s hair, his hair falling across his forehead. As Dean lifted his hand to brush it away, Castiel’s eye caught the ring box once more. Inside sat two small silver bands, with a tiny emerald beside a tiny sapphire embedded into the front of each ring.
“They’re perfect, Dean,” Castiel breathed, and watched in wonder as Dean picked up one of the rings and slid it on Castiel’s left ring finger smoothly. Castiel picked up the other ring and silently lifted Dean’s left hand to mirror the action.
They rose from where they had ended up on the ground, still standing impossibly close, noses almost touching. Dean leaned in to kiss him again, and Castiel thought to himself that a hike maybe wasn’t such a bad idea after all.