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It figures that the friggin’ corn maze is actually haunted , Dean thought as he ran through the tall stalks of corn on either side of him. First time out of the bunker with the kid and some weird crap happens. Just their freaking luck.
It had all started off so promising. With Jack reverted back to his chronological age after the Winchesters had defeated Chuck, Dean, Sam, and Castiel had been attempting to catch him up on normal childhood milestones. Well, as normal as it could get with the Winchesters. Castiel was determined to teach Jack about his angelic side, and with his own powers restored, there were daily flying lessons as Jack learned to control his wings. He’d even taught Jack how to build a small nest of his own within Castiel’s own, using various items from the bunker. Dean thought it was freaking adorable. Sam had bought all the fancy child rearing books, the big nerd, and was looking into home school options for when Jack was a little older. Dean had decided he would definitely be the fun parent. As he reminded Sam, Dean had raised him already (and had done a fantastic job, he might add). He was entitled to be silly with Jack, let Cas and Sam do the hard stuff.
And boy, had they had fun. Dean taught Jack his greatest prank hits, and Jack was proving to be a natural. Dean couldn’t stop laughing when he taught Jack how to cover the sensor on the remote control with a tiny piece of tape, frustrating Cas as he tried to turn on one of his nature documentaries. He’d replaced the batteries three times, convinced some creature was sucking all the juice from them. Dean loved the way Castiel’s head tilted to the side when he was confused. He loved a lot of things about the angel, actually, and it was nice to be able to show it for a change.
Sam and Castiel tolerated Dean and Jack’s reign of terror, but Sam had started mumbling something about “fresh air” and “sunshine” and “burning off energy” after Jack had covered all the door knobs in Vaseline without Dean’s prompting. Dean had never been more proud of the kid, but he made sure to make the appropriate somber facial expressions as Sam explained to Jack how important it was to make sure they were always able to exit the bunker quickly and easily. So Dean and Castiel began researching something fun to do with Jack, which wasn’t easy considering Lebanon, Kansas was possibly the most boring place on Earth for a kid. But after a few days of searching, Castiel found the perfect outing for their family via a flyer at the farmer’s market.
“Dean,” Castiel said as he placed the ad on the bunker table, “It has occurred to me that we have not celebrated very many holidays during my time on Earth. Perhaps this activity would be of interest for Jack?”
Dean glanced at the poster. “HALLOWEEN HARVEST FESTIVAL THIS FRIDAY!” it proclaimed. “CORN MAZE! FACE PAINTING! HAUNTED HAYRIDE! FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!”
Dean smiled. He’d never gotten to go to one of these. Before Mom died he’d been too young, and after, the real shit that went bump in the night kinda made a corn maze seem like a walk in the park. But with a kid who could actually enjoy it, this could be fun. And if he and Cas got to sit together on the haunted hayride, hey, it would be a nice bonus.
Dean nodded. “Sounds perfect, Cas.”
Castiel gave Dean a wide smile in response. “I’m glad you think so! I believe it will be a lovely evening.” Castiel practically skipped away, and Dean’s smile turned soft.
For the next few days, all Jack could talk about was the festival. Sam had been telling him bedtime stories about the various harvest traditions around the world while Dean had blasted Rob Zombie as a counter to Jack’s “nerdification.” Castiel’s contribution was watching various kid-friendly Halloween movies with Jack, though both had a hard time with certain factual inaccuracies.
“That is not what trolls look like, Dean. For a movie about building understanding between creatures and humans, they could have done more research.” Castiel’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in the sight of a bright pink troll on the screen.
“Cas, it’s Halloweentown High , live a little,” Dean chuckled, finishing the last of the popcorn. Castiel didn’t look convinced.
Soon, the big day arrived, and Dean was excited for their first big trip outside the bunker with Jack. They’d given him a stern lecture about keeping his wings hidden away in public, with Jack nodding seriously. Sam and Castiel were definitely more excited than Dean was, though. He’d caught them planning their route through the corn maze using a map of the fairgrounds they’d found online.
As Sam got Jack loaded into the car while Dean “supervised,” Castiel snuck beside Dean and grasped his hand. Dean’s heart lurched. Even after all this time, he still wasn’t used to the idea that he could just … hold Castiel’s hand … whenever he wanted. He gave a tentative squeeze back, and Castiel held fast.
“This is nice,” Castiel said. “I’m so grateful we have our little family. I wasn’t sure we ever would, but …” Cas turned to face Dean, his big blue eyes trained on his face. “Now that we have, I wouldn’t let it go for the world.”
Dean coughed awkwardly. No matter how often the angel made it clear that he loved Dean and the life they’d created, Dean had a hard time just accepting Castiel’s love. It was too precious, and he felt too unworthy of it. But if his angel wanted to hold his hand and say those words over and over, then he was holding his goddamn hand and suffering through a million “I love you’s.”
Dean kissed Castiel’s forehead. “I am too, sweetheart, believe me.”
Sam cleared his throat from the passenger side of the Impala. “Um, guys? Save it for the hayride.”
Dean gave Castiel a fond smile before they both got in the car. A short drive later, and they arrived at the carnival, which was just as fun as promised. Jack loved the face painting, and Dean couldn’t stop laughing at the goo all over Sam’s face as Jack gleefully decided he should be the one to apply the paint to his dad’s cheek. Dean absolutely annihilated the competition at the bobbing for apples contest as Castiel wandered away to the 4-H tent to greet the livestock.
As the sky turned shades of orange, they found themselves at the corn maze, with Jack pulling on Castiel’s trench coat to get him to the entrance. Two separate gaps in the corn indicated that two separate mazes lay inside. “Papa, we need to go innnnnnn! Can I go with you? And Sam can go with Daddy? And we can race?”
Castiel smiled indulgently. “Of course, Jack. But you are not allowed to fly above the maze to figure out the correct route to the exit.”
Jack pouted. “Well, that’s no FUN.”
Dean chuckled. “Sorry kid, looks like you’re stuck playing as a mere mortal.” He turned to Sam. “Whaddya say, Sammy? Think we can beat a couple angels?”
Sam laughed. “Bring it on.”
Castiel and Jack went in one entrance while Dean and Sam took the other. They purposely took their time at first, wanting to let Jack win (over Dean’s objections. Winchesters play to win, dammit.) But soon they genuinely found themselves turned around. Sam tried using math to logic his way through the twists and turns while Dean took the more practical approach of barreling through the corn itself, path be damned. As it got darker and darker, yellow lights turned on above the maze, bathing everything in an eerie glow while keeping visibility fairly low. Dean had the creeps. He’d never been a fan of the dark, and he hated not knowing where the exits were.
“Jeez, Sam,” Dean muttered. “Thought this was supposed to be a kiddie maze.” When he didn’t hear an answer from Sam, he turned to find that he was alone amongst the corn stalks. The night breeze rustled them gently as Dean whipped around, trying to tamp down his sense of panic.
“Sammy?” Dean called, tentatively taking a few steps forward. No answer. Shit.
He tried not to panic. Sam had probably gone to try another path and forgotten to check if Dean was behind him. All Dean could do was keep going and hope they both made it to the exit. Even so, Dean made sure his pocket knife was still in his back pocket. You never know , he reasoned as he pushed forward.
He was sure Castiel and Jack were probably laughing at the Winchester brothers at this point. No way they hadn’t solved it in two seconds with Castiel’s impeccable sense of direction. He wished Cas was beside him right now, calmly reassuring him that the high pitched whistle he just heard was simply the wind or some weird ass bird. Or that the snapping sound he heard was definitely a twig.
As Dean stepped into the next clearing, confronted with three separate paths he could take, he paused to decide which way to go. But before he could ponder his choices too much, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a voice whispered, “Boo,” directly into his ear.
Dean ran like hell. “Son of a BITCH,” he shouted as he sprinted down the nearest path, plowing through the corn in his way. Blessedly, he could see the lights of the carnival ahead. He stumbled out of the corn, landing flat on his ass as he tripped over his own shoelaces.
He scrambled to his feet and pulled out the pocketknife, ready to fight whatever was behind him. But to his surprise, Castiel, Jack, and Cas were there.
Sam was convulsing with laughter as Castiel chuckled. Dean’s face twisted in confusion.
Jack was ecstatic. “We got you, Daddy! We got you sooooo good,” Jack giggled.
Sam managed to collect himself long enough to explain. “What, you thought I wasn’t going to get my revenge? You’ve been pranking us for months , Dean!” He smirked. “I’ll have you know that Cas was the mastermind. The second he brought home that flyer we started planning.”
Dean turned to Cas, betrayed. “You set me up?”
Castiel tried very hard not to smile. “I may have noticed that the maze presented an opportunity to win back some territory in the prank war.” He shrugged. “Jack’s getting much better control of his flight now. It was a simple matter to have him fly behind you and rustle some corn stalks.”
“It was my idea to go boo!” Jack stated proudly.
Dean shook his head, pretending to be annoyed, but he couldn’t stay mad for long. Jack was so pleased with himself, and even Cas looked satisfied. As the four walked away from the maze and towards the hayride, Sam kept re-enacting Dean’s face coming out of the maze as Jack laughed hysterically. Sam swung Jack onto his shoulders for a piggyback ride as they went ahead to get seats near the front of the trailer. Dean put his arm around Castiel as they walked.
“Okay, trickster in training,” Dean teased, “Message received. I’ll lay off the practical jokes for a bit.”
Castiel’s cheeks were pink, and Dean couldn’t tell if it was from the glow of the fairy lights lining the path to the hayride or if Castiel was blushing. “Yes, Dean, I would appreciate being able to take a shower in the morning without worrying about whether you’ve replaced my shampoo with Nair.”
Dean patted Castiel’s shoulder affectionately. “Never! I love your hair too much to get rid of it.” He winked. “Sammy’s, on the other hand …”
Castiel sighed, and Dean squeezed him in for a sideways hug. They boarded the truck for the hayride, with Sam on Jack-duty as the kid asked the farmer at the wheel a million questions. Dean and Castiel settled in the back, and as the truck pulled away from the loading area, Dean sighed contentedly as he leaned into Castiel’s embrace.
Castiel looked at Dean in surprise. Dean had been better lately about holding Castiel’s hand in public, knowing that the angel liked to know that Dean wanted him near. But Dean resisted most public displays of affection, saving it for the bunker. Dean smiled at Castiel. “What,” he said, “It’s getting chilly, and you’re warm. I’m just making use of the angel furnace I have next to me.”
Castiel’s eyes were full of love as he pulled Dean closer. “There, now you certainly won’t be cold.”
They watched the night stars as the hayride passed through the fields, which were decorated with a variety of fairy lights for the kids. Dean could hear Jack pointing out each color as they drove on, with Sam encouraging him to spell the colors he could remember. His heart swelled. This feeling, this is what he’d fought Chuck and dragged Cas back out of the Empty for. He’d never felt like this, like everything was meant to be.
When he looked back at Castiel, the angel was staring at him, as usual. Dean gave a shy smile. “What, do I have something on my face?” he gently teased.
Castiel shook his head. “No, I was just thinking about how beautiful you are. How lucky I am. How happy I am,” he corrected. “I thought this was something I could never have. But now I have Sam, I have Jack … I have you, Dean, and that means more to me than you will ever know.”
Dean could feel himself blush. But in the dark, alone in the back of this hayride, Dean found his courage. “I love you, Cas,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to Castiel’s jaw, just under his earlobe. He could feel Castiel’s smile.
“And I love you too, Dean,” Castiel said, returning the kiss to Dean’s lips. The stars twinkled above, and for the first time, Dean Winchester felt whole.