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„We need to stop meeting like this, your Highness,” Dean says, when he curls up on the conveniently placed rock not that far from the shore, pressing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.
Charlie laughs from where she is leaning against the rock, her chin pressed to her forearms.
“And why is that, Mr. Winchester?” she asks, amused.
Dean rolls his eyes at her. “Maybe because that stupid shark tries to eat me every time I swim here.”
Charlie winks at him. “Meghan would never hurt you; she merely wants to cuddle. She knows you are welcome here. Anyway, I want the dirt. What’s new?”
Now it is Dean’s turn to wink. “New where?” he asks, innocently, making Charlie splash water on him.
“Maybe I should let Meghan cuddle some more with you. New with the ship? New on land? More importantly, new between you and that poor lost soul I pulled from the sea, and that you rescued?”
Dean ignores the blush he can feel covering his cheeks.
“Baby is in perfect state, I assure you. And the land is… full of British soldiers, as is the sea, after all.”
Charlie snorts. “Yes. I do believe they are everywhere these days. But. Back to the Tall, Handsome and Breathing Again. Spill, Winchester.”
“Castiel is doing quite alright,” Dean says slowly, and he curses when it makes Charlie smirk.
“Oh, so it’s Castiel, now? Are you on the first name basis?”
“… Maybe,” he admits.
“I knew it! There was just that something between you when I saw you! Oh, I can’t wait till I tell Gilda! She is going to love it.”
Dean smiles. He could tell her that Castiel and he are a lot more than just on the first name basis, could mention kissing on the deck of Dean’s baby, or the way Castiel holds him at night that makes Dean feel a lot safer than he ever has before, or the long talks in the moonlight, or Castiel telling him, asking him, to be able stay and the warm feeling that spread all inside Dean at that.
He doesn’t, not now. There is going to be enough time to tell her, later. If he plays his cards right, he is going to spend his entire life with Castiel in his life. Now, he just winks at her.
“A true gentleman will never share the details,” he says and then he coughs as Charlie splashes some more water on him.
“Fine,” she mutters, pouting, even though the corners or her lips are trembling from her attempt not to smile. “Keep your secrets, I’ll just send Meghan to check on you sometime.”
The threat of it is almost enough to make Dean share all the details but he decides to resist. He isn't ashamed of Cas. He just wants what they have to be only theirs for the moment.
“Have fun,” he answers. “And speaking of Gilda, how is she?”
It’s almost ridiculous how quickly Charlie can go from tell me all your secrets to I love my wife and I want to spend the rest of eternity with her.
“She’s great,” Charlie tells him. “She’s just finished redecorating the palace and we were thinking we might visit her cousins near Norway. The cold doesn’t sound that good, but I think I’ll risk it.”
Dean shudders at the mere mention of cold; he’s had enough of that during those few ugly months when Baby got into Alastair’s hands after John’s death and Alastair treated John’s sons accordingly. Charlie hums in sympathy; after all, it was her who pulled him to the shore when he decided he just couldn’t do it anymore and it was her who helped him get rid of Alastair forever. Dude was a literal demon, who would have thought that. And who would have thought that mermaids know spells that even humans can use against demons.
“Enjoy the trip,” Dean says anyway, because Charlie is his best friend and he adores her, and if someone deserves a vacation, then it’s her.
The queen laughs.
“I won’t, Gilda’s family isn't pleased with her mingling with the Southerners, but what can I do?”
“They are going to love you,” Dean assures her, and she leans forward and squeezes his hand in a silent thank you.
Together, they watch as the sun starts slowly setting down and Dean realizes, with a startle, how much time he has spent here, with Charlie. He is definitely not complaining; he loves that Charlie manages to prevent him from feeling like he should be taking care of everything, that she manages to make him be selfish for a moment. It just reminds him that these days she is no longer the only one who cares about his well-being. (Not counting Sam, of course, but Sam doesn’t care.)
“Ehm,” Dean says. “I should probably go now.” He aims for casual but judging from Charlie’s pointed look he’s failing terribly.
The mermaid smiles. “Better plans for the evening?”
Dean finds himself smiling back. “There’s nothing better than the Queen,” he assures her. “But Cas said he wants to tell me about the constellations.” He half-expects Charlie to comment on the nickname. She doesn’t, thank God. Dean isn't sure how he would even survive it if she did.
“You two are disgustingly sweet,” Charlie tells him. “I’ll allow it.” She offers him her hand to help him slide into the sea. Dean doesn’t even protest when she hugs him, her skin unnaturally warm against his, considering she lives in the ocean.
He sighs, bracing himself to swimming back to Baby; the training is useful, and he doesn’t really want his crew to know about Charlie, Gilda, and the other mermaids.
Charlie lets go of him. “Next time bring your beloved as well,” she tells him.
He is too busy trying not to drown after that comment to really answer her. And if he finds out he doesn’t mind the term beloved as much as he thinks he should, well, there’s no reason for Charlie to know, just now.
-
“How was your swim?” Cas asks him when he finds Dean in his cabin, dried and dressed up in clean, dry, clothes.
“Cold,” Dean admits. “But nice. Thank you.”
He expects Cas to question him further, maybe even to call Dean out on lying to him, or keeping secrets from him, since he is sure Castiel knows something, because, these days, it seems Castiel knows a whole lot about Dean, not that Dean exactly minds it.
However, Cas doesn’t say anything at all. He just hums and then he crosses the distance between them and pulls Dean into his arms and Dean relaxes into his touch and lets himself be held, nuzzling into Cas’s neck, and taking deep, comforting, breaths. Cas smells like sea and like freedom and like a sunny day on the deck of Dean’s Baby. Like home, no matter how disgustingly sweet that sounds. Dean has never had that, before. He shudders at that thought, and Cas must interpret that as him being cold, because he reaches for a blanket and wraps it around Dean’s shoulders, still holding him.
“Do you wish to watch the stars tonight? We could also stay here and keep you warm, if you so wish,” Cas tells him and Dean smiles at the innuendo, even though he is fairly certain Cas isn't aware of making one.
“I’m sure you can keep me warm while we are watching the stars,” he suggests, and Cas preens and kisses the back of Dean’s hand before steering him from the cabin with all the gentleness of the world, and Dean doesn’t even feel like complaining or pointing out that he is no blushing lady who should be handled with care, because Castiel somehow manages to make him feel cared for without making him feel weak.
The curl up on a blanket on the upper deck (Dean is definitely going to shout at his crew a little in the morning because you just don’t abandon an entire deck completely, but right now he is too thankful for it to complain) and Dean presses into Cas, resting his head on his shoulder, his face half-pressed into Cas’s chest, as Cas points out the constellations to him.
“And that one? That is Pegasus. According to the Greek mythology, he was born of Medusa's blood when Perseus killed her,” Cas says, pointing to the sky once again. “The brightest star of the constellation is Enif. Already Claudius Ptolemy listed Pegasus among constellations.”
Dean sighs, calmed and relaxed by the Cas's gentle and deep voice. “You are so smart, sometimes I wonder why you waste your time with me,” he admits quietly, and he realizes his mistake almost immediately when Cas rolls them so that he is on top of Dean (and it sends shivers of excitement through him) and he stares down at him with all the love and sincerity of the world.
“You are the most brilliant person I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Cas says, his voice soft and unfairly deep and Dean shudders at the praise. “The most compassionate, and the kindest, and the most beautiful. And you are incredibly smart, no matter how much you believe it’s not true.”
Dean wishes he could just look away. He wishes he could push Cas from him, and shout and argue, and tell him all the ugly things that live inside his head. He wishes Cas would see those things, because then he wouldn’t want to be around Dean at all and it would all be easier than this. Easier than being looked at as though he matters.
Castiel understands. Of course he does; somehow, he seems to understand everything about Dean.
“Dean,” he says. “I have seen things, marvellous things. I have seen most of what this world has to offer. And yet, you are the most incredible thing of it all. You don’t want to believe me, I know. But I will do my best to show you that I’m telling you the truth. I want to spend the rest of my life telling you how stunning you are.”
It isn't I love you, and that it good, Dean would be running if it was. Since it isn't I love you, he manages to nod, blush heating up his face.
Cas smiles at him, bright and happy and like Dean really is the most precious thing in the world (he knows he isn't, but the way Cas keeps looking at him like that is almost making him believe it, at least a little) and Dean decides he wants Cas to be the one who will stay. He isn't certain if he can trust Cas about not going anywhere, but for once he finds out he isn't worried he might.
That trust should scare him, he knows. People are not permanent, which is a lesson Dean Winchester learnt years ago.
Dean decides he doesn’t care. Cas says he is here to stay, and Dean has trusted him dozen times with his life. He is willing to trust him with his heart. And there is no better way to start than by telling him the truth about where he is disappearing every week. He has Charlie’s blessing, after all.
“Hey, Cas, what do you know about mermaids?”