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‘’Catch!’’ Dean said, blowing softly on his own hand toward the other side of the room.
Charlie shook her head behind her computer, but still raised her arm in the air and closed her fist around something impalpable. She smiled and pressed her hand to her cheek before returning to her researches.
Dean smirked while settling down in front of one of the books Sam had given him earlier that day. He opened the one labeled ‘’Norse mythology and deities’’ and began searching for information on elves. A certain archangel who was passed out on the couch had pissed one off and now, they needed to help him get rid of it. Gabriel really was a dick.
‘’What was that?’’
‘’Jesus, Cas!’’ Dean said, his right hand over his chest. ‘’Learn to warn a guy, man.’’
Charlie laughed.
‘’My apologies. I did not mean to scare you.’’ Castiel said, settling down in the chair next to Dean’s.
The latter made a dismissive move with his hand before looking up toward the angel. Cas’ gaze was focused on him, eyes blue and clouded with incomprehension. His head was inclined on the side, a habit he had when he was confused about something new. Dean closed the book he had been reading - if looking at the pages was considered reading - and turned to face Cas.
‘’So, what’s what, buddy?’’ he asked, rubbing his palms against one another.
The angel blinked before looking toward Charlie, then Dean to finally stop his eyes on his own hands.
‘’That thing you and Charlie did. The-’’ Castiel frowned and small crow-feets appeared at the corner of his eyes. He then proceeded to put one of his hands in front of his face and blew a gentle breath on it, toward his friend. ‘’And then Charlie just-’’ Cas raised the same hand up in the air and closed it around nothing. His frown deepened as Charlie snorted behind him before laughing out loud. He looked at Dean, cocking his head on the side.
Dean looked like he might explode, his face red from trying to keep his laughter bottled up. He stared at the still laughing Charlie and, being a bit more calm than before, gestured toward a confused Cas with his head. He and Charlie had a moment of sibling telepathy, both shaking their heads or shrugging, asking a simple question; Who’s going to tell him?
When Charlie picked her laptop from her lap and got up, Dean stared at her wide-eyed.
‘’You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, right?’’ he asked, tracking her every movement.
She passed in front of the still unconscious Gabriel sprawled on the couch, smiled and headed toward the hallway.
‘’If you think I’m letting you handle the matter, and Gabriel if he wakes up, all by yourself, then yes. Yes, I’m exactly doing what you think I’m doing. I’mma go help Sam out. Smell ya later, bro.’’
And she was gone.
Dean let out an annoyed huffed, but a small smile had taken place on his lips. He turned back to Cas to find him even more confused, his eyes darting back and forth between the doorway and Dean.
Dean cleared his throat and placed his hands on the table between him and Cas.
‘’Alright, Cas. Time for your new lesson of Human Behavior 101.’’ Dean clapped his hands and licked his lips, preparing for what’s to come next. He knew that Castiel wasn’t human and that he hadn’t spent much time on Earth with them, but it still felt weird to have to explain something everybody knew of already.
So, he took a breath and started talking.
‘’Well, you know what kisses are, right?’’
‘’Yes.’’
‘’Cool, nice. So, what Charlie and I did, it’s exactly that; A kiss.’’
Castiel nodded, but still seemed confused.
‘’But, you are not in a romantic relationship with her. Why ‘’kiss’’ her?’’ he said, finger quotes still hanging in the air.
Dean really did laugh then. He took Castiel’s wrists in his hands and pushed the angel’s arms back down along his body. After what would be considered a too long lasting physical contact in the bro code, Dean spoke again.
‘’No, of course we’re not a couple! Come on, Cas. Charlie literally introduced us to her girlfriend last week. You know, Kara?’’
Cas nodded. The young woman, Kara, had been really nice and charming. She was funny and Castiel saw that her soul was pure and it was comfortable to be around. Sadly, she hadn't stayed too long because of her shift starting soon. They had said their goodbyes and promised to see each other again. Dean had teased him about the fact that he just had made a ‘’new friend’’ all by himself, like he was some sort of insocial kid on his first kindergarten day.
‘’She was a very sweet young woman. Her presence felt calming.’’ he said.
Dean chuckled next to him and agreed.
‘’Yep. Anyway, you still want me to tell you about Air Kisses or you’re still stuck on the ‘’Charlie and I aren’t a couple’’ part?’’
‘’Air Kisses?’’ Cas asked, his head returning to its inclined position.
‘’He looks so much like a bird, like that.’’ Dean thought to himself, smiling.
‘’Yeah, Air Kisses. That’s what they’re called. See, you can give a kiss to anybody you like. Romantic kisses, like you thought Charlie and mine was, are sometimes on the mouth, sometimes on, hum, other parts of your body. Family or friendship kisses are usually on the cheek, forehead or crown of your head.’’ he said, shrugging.
‘’But I don’t have a crown, Dean. Neither do you.’’ Cas said, placing a hand atop of his head. He frowned, again, eyes narrowed.
‘’Cute.’’
The hunter shook his head, chuckling lightly. He really needed to teach his angel some stuff about humans.
‘’Not a real crown, Cas. It’s a part of your head. Right, here.’’
Dean leaned forward and placed his hand on top of Cas’ own, the warmth of their skin meeting. Castiel’s skin was soft against Dean’s calloused hands, so damn soft. Without thinking, the hunter’s thumb started slowly stroking the side of Cas’ hand, the tip of it touching the end of Cas’ hair. Dean inhaled sharply when Castiel’s other hand covered his own that was still on the table and literally stopped breathing when their fingers interlocked. He looked down at Cas’ face, green meeting blue.
Goddammit! Why were his eyes so fucking blue?
Dean’s face flushed, his freckles now hidden by a pink dust.
Cas leaned closer to Dean, their faces now less than a breath apart. His eyes darted between Dean’s eyes and his mouth while the hand that was atop of his head made its way to his cheek. Dean’s hand settled on the side of Cas’ face and his thumb started doing that stroking thing again. This time though, it wasn’t smooth skin and soft hair that he felt under his fingertip, but the rough and prickly feeling of a recently shaved beard.
Cas let out a shaky breath as Dean’s thumb touched the corner of his lips and he tightened his grip on Dean’s hand that is still linked with his own on the table. None of them moved for a brief moment, eyes locked together and lips a whisper apart.
‘’Dean…’’
‘’Cas…’’
And their lips met. It was a light, slow and peaceful kiss. It felt like a subtle breeze, just strong enough for you to feel it, but not powerful enough to make you stumble. This was a kiss of years lost to incertitude, a kiss of pure and powerful love. A kiss that had been long awaited.
Cas felt like he was flying again.
Dean felt like he was alive for the first time.
It didn’t last long, maybe less than 5 seconds, but it was enough for both of them. Dean pulled away first and he chuckled.
Cas pressed their foreheads together, and he smiled. It was one of those small, sincere and private smiles he didn’t present often. Most of them were reserved for Dean and Dean only. They looked into each other’s eyes again, and bursted out laughing. It was a delighted laugh, a carefree and loving one. It was a laugh neither of them had ever used, had never felt like using. It felt, relieving to say the least. It was warm and comfortable and safe and loving. It was everything they were to one another, a shelter, a home, a family.
Dean’s laughter stopped slowly, being rapidly replaced by a loving, caring and real smile. Not a cocky grin or a ‘’bitch smirk’’, but a full on toothy smile. Cas loved that rare smile, it suited Dean so well. His own widened and, without warning, he took Dean’s face between his palms and planted a tender kiss on Dean’s forehead. Dean leaned into it and pulled Cas into a hug after it. His head in the crook of his angel’s neck, he could smell the atrocious aftershave Cas used, but it didn’t bother him.
What mattered was that Cas was happy, he was happy and they were with each other.
After what felt like hours of hugging, Castiel pulled back and looked fondly at his hunter who was still smiling.
‘’That’s the longest I’ve ever seen him smile.’’ he thought.
Dean opened his mouth to say something, but he was abruptly cut off by yelling from across the room.
‘’Samsquatch! Get your ass in here!’’
The yell was answered by a loud and fast set of footsteps, and seconds after that, Sam’s head was poking around the corner, his face contorted in a scowl.
‘’What the hell do you want, screaming like that?!’’ he said, his tone somehow sounding calm and irritated at the same time.
Dean and Castiel moved away from each other, but Cas still kept Dean’s left hand in his right under the table. They turned toward Gabriel, who had been awake for Chuck knows how long, and glared at him. He just grinned at them before turning back toward Sam and the now arriving Charlie.
His grin turned into a smirk as he casted a side-glance toward Dean and Cas. Sam turned toward them too and his eyebrows drew closer together. He glanced between them and Gabriel while Charlie tried to hide her own smile behind her hand.
‘’Nothing, just to tell you that I saw it happen, and you didn’t.’’ he tilted his head and winked.
Dean’s face flushed.
‘’You were Watching?! How much did you see, you pervert?’’ Dean said angrily standing up, but Cas tugged on his hand and made him sit down again. When Dean looked at him, he shook his head.
It’s not worth it.
So Dean sat back down and squeezed Castiel’s hand back.
Sam just stared at his brother, mouth agape and pointed between Dean and Cas, his finger moving between them. At last, he said one word.
‘’Finally!’’
***
After a couple of days and a lot of ‘’Shut up, Sam’’ from Dean’s part, Sam dropped the subject and left their blossoming relationship alone.
After a couple of weeks, Dean learned that Cas was the type to show love through physical affection, like coffee kisses in the morning and hugs from behind during their alone time.
After a month, Gabriel stopped being an annoying piece of shit because they reminded him that they were helping him take care of his vengeful elf problem. It was also one of the conditions he had to agree to if he was going to start living with them.
***
‘’Catch!’’ Charlie said from her seat at the dining table.
Dean catched it and pressed it to his cheek.
‘’Catch!’’ he whispered-yelled from the couch, Cas sleeping against him, toward the doorway where Charlie was standing.
She lifted her hand and pressed it to her forehead.
‘’Catch!’’ they said at the same time while separating for their current hunt.
They catched one each and pressed them to their heart.
***
The time it happened, Sam and Gabriel were pressed against each other on the couch, Charlie was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of their new coffee table and Dean was slumped in a pile of cushions on the opposite side of them all. Cas was crouched in front of the DVD player, putting in a newly bought copy of ‘’Django’’, a cowboy movie Dean was obsessed with and, since it was his turn to choose what they were going to watch that night, he had picked that one.
As Cas rose back to his feet to go sit next to Dean, the latter blew a kiss toward Charlie, but it never got to her.
Dean looked at Cas, who was standing still in the middle of the room, hiding Charlie from his line of sight. The angel had his hand closed in a fist in front of him and he was looking down at it like it was the most precious and beautiful thing in the world. He slowly lifted his closed fist in front of him, opened it slowly, and pressed the tip of his fingers against his lips.
The angel looked up at Dean and a question was written all over his face; Did I do it right?
Dean gulped, dazed by what he just saw and nodded. Cas smiled fondly at him before joining him in the cushion pile, still smiling. He put his head against Dean’s chest and nuzzled closer to him in a way that reminded him of a cat asking for belly rubs.
The hunter looked down lovingly toward his angel and smiled too. He was a really lucky man, maybe the luckiest to be alive at the moment. He kissed the top of Cas’ head and pressed his cheek against the side of it, soft hair tickling his jaw. When he looked at Charlie, she grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
Yes, Dean really was lucky.
The intro of the movie started and Cas sunk deeper onto Dean’s chest, sighing with contentment. Dean’s mouth quirked slightly and his eyes crinkled. A big cat in a trenchcoat.
A beat after that thought, he heard soft chuckling from the couch and the sound of a weak slap. When he looked toward the source of it, he found his brother and Gabriel throwing what looked like m&m at each other. In the middle of a small wrestling session in which Gabriel was trying to tousle Sam’s hair, the brothers’ gazes met.
They didn’t say anything, but the message came across. They were both happy for each other, happy to be feeling this brief happiness and peace. Even if Dean still was wary of Gabriel.
Sam broke their eye contact because Gabriel had reached over and slidded his fingers in Sam’s locks, ruffling and disaranging them. Their little wrestling started again while Charlie tried to shush them.
Yeah, everything was amazing.
About five minutes in the story, Cas lifted his head from Dean’s chest and looked him dead in the eyes before whispering.
‘’Did I do it right? The Air Kiss thing.’’ he asked.
Dean smiled down at him and kissed his cheek.
‘’You did perfect.’’
Cas smiled back and settled down on Dean’s shoulder, his hair touching Dean’s neck.
‘’I love you.’’ he said in a voice so low that Dean almost didn’t hear it.
‘’Love you too, Cas.’’ he answered, sliding his arms around Cas’ waist.
They watched the movie.