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“Um…”
The further the silence stretched, the more painful it became, and the more agitated both Dean and their waitress got.
It was another “um” and another twenty seconds of excruciating silence later when Dean finally turned to the woman with an exasperated sigh. “Look, do you think you guys have something like a cheeseburger?”
The waitress gave him an incredulous look. “Sir, I’m not sure…” But Dean could feel the desperation roll off Cas in waves, and the poor guy wasn’t even looking at him. Finally she seemed to crack. “I’ll go talk to the chef and see what I can do.”
As she walked away, Dean let out a groan. “Jesus, you’d think I was the Antichrist, the way she looked at me.” He chuckled at his own joke, but the sound quickly died as he felt Cas’ hand on his own. He froze under the sensation, and when he looked up, the angel’s eyes were sincere.
“Thank you for that, Dean,” he spoke. “You’re right, she seemed very upset with your request. I am grateful that you took that risk to help me.”
Dean swallowed harshly as he looked at their hands, Cas’ still draped over his, before looking up again. He felt a muscle in his palm twitch, and he could see in the angel’s eyes that he had noticed too.
“Eh, yeah, you’re welcome,” he rasped before clearing his throat. He pulled at his tie a little. His damn suit was way too warm for this place. Damn fancy restaurants and their damn ability to heat the place… “I mean, it wasn’t that big of a risk though –”
But then the waitress was back, her attitude towards them clearly not exactly having warmed up yet. “The chef thinks he might be able to make you something,” she said. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“Just a cheeseburger, thanks,” Cas answered calmly. “And my friend here will have the roast beef.”
The waitress let her gaze drop to their hands, quirking an eyebrow at the sight, then gave one curt nod. “Of course. Will that be all?”
Dean felt like he was cringing so hard from it all that he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t look all shrunk and wrinkled like a raisin. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he answered, dismissing the waitress with those words.
Once she was out of hearing distance, he looked up at the angel.
“Eh, Cas…”
“Yes, Dean?”
He carefully pulled his hand away from under Cas’ loose grip and rubbed his neck with it. His heart was beating fast, and if he was being honest, it kind of hurt. A lot.
Maybe it didn’t have to do as much with his heartrate as he’d like to admit.
“So, friends, huh?” And now he was avoiding Cas’ gaze too. This was getting worse by the minute.
“I would have called you my partner, but I didn’t think you’d want that. You have so far showed no desire to be what human society would label as a ‘couple’. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Now Dean did look up to meet Cas’ honest gaze with incredulousness. “Cas, you were holding my hand. Women do that with their friends, but when men do that, they’re more than friends, and being kinda public about it too.”
This made the angel tilt his head. “Why?” he asked. “It doesn’t make sense for that difference to exist between genders.”
“It’s… a society thing, okay?” Dean answered, dragging his hand down his face with a sigh.
“A human antic?”
“If you like.”
Another silence settled between them after that, stretching until it was clear that even Cas was feeling uncomfortable. “Okay look…” Dean finally attempted, but before he could even bring out anything else, Cas already interrupted him.
“Do you want me to call you my partner?”
Now if that wasn’t something to blow Dean off his feet.
“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” he sniggered, even though his heart was beating so loud he was sure the waitress could hear it from the kitchen. When he looked up to meet Cas’ gaze though, he cringed under it.
The look in Cas’ eyes was pained, more pained than Dean could ever bear.
“I am very sorry if this sentiment is not returned,” the angel snapped, pulling his hand back off the table. Before Dean was entirely sure of what he was doing though, he grabbed that hand and kept it firmly in place.
“I’m sorry, Cas. I just…” Another sigh, another rub of his hand over his neck. He should really stop doing that. “Children ask each other to be boyfriend and girlfriend, you know?”
Cas tilted his head again at that. “No, I don’t know.”
“Jesus, how do I…” Dean was seriously starting to feel a little desperate. How do you tell an angel with no concept of social norms that you badly want to be with him without losing any dignity?
His train of thought was stopped however by a little cough that could only be described as posh. Irritated, he looked up to see a short but very indignant-looking woman in her fifties stand next to their table. “What?” he snapped. Couldn’t these people see he was in the middle of a crisis?
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the woman said, clearly not sorry at all, “but there are children in this establishment.”
“Indeed there are, though I don’t understand your need to point that out,” Cas said as Dean looked down incredulously at their entwined hands.
“You’re kidding, right?” he asked the woman. She raised an eyebrow.
“I do not find your behaviour a laughing matter,” she replied. “Think of the children! What if they see you? We wouldn’t want them to find your blatant…” Her nose scrunched up in disgust as she fought to bring out the words. “…homosexuality acceptable.”
The silence was actually palpable.
Dean was blown away. How fucking dare she!? They were holding hands, for Christ’s sakes!
But then he felt Cas’ wrist twitch under his grip, and his mind went into overdrive.
Oh no. What if the guy was going to dismiss whatever it was between him and Dean again? Or worse, pick a fight? No, actually, Dean loved seeing Cas fight, it was a real sight to behold; the angel dismissing their relationship was way worse.
“Ma’am,” Cas spoke up, and Dean couldn’t let it happen. Fuck dignity, he thought before he surged over the table, grabbing the angel by the lapels of his suit jacket and pulling him in for a searing kiss.
He could hear the woman’s horrified gasp, along with some clinks of cutlery being put down and conversations falling silent around them, but he didn’t care. He could feel Cas’ soft lips working against his, initially slack in surprise but then all too happy to reciprocate. And god, it was exactly what Dean had needed. A sign that Cas wanted him as much as he wanted Cas.
He pulled back a little, panting slightly, still ignoring the indignant spluttering of the woman next to them. “Fuck yes, I want to be your boyfriend,” he growled before standing up. “Come on, Cas, let’s get out of here, find a proper diner. With pie.”
As he led the angel out of the restaurant, he could see from the corner of his eye how smug Cas looked. Pride sparked up inside him at the sight, and once they were outside he turned around and kissed the angel – his boyfriend – again, feeling slightly giddy with the thought.
Who the fuck even cared what was going on between the two of them? Sam accepted it, even seemed happy for them, and that was all Dean needed. Though he was never going to ask his little brother for advice on dates again. The fancy-ass restaurant behind them could go up in flames for all he cared.
Although, it was a very nice support against his back while Cas’ hands roamed his sides, their mouths working against each other until Dean was drunk on the feeling.
It was exactly then that an icy drop of water hit him square on the ear, and he let out a little yelp. Cas pulled back with a worried look, probably wondering if he’d hurt Dean, but then the sky burst open and a wall of rain fell down on them, soaking them to the bone in seconds.
Both men looked up, Cas’ expression full of wonder, Dean’s face scrunched up to prevent the water from pouring into his eyes. But then he let out a laugh, startling the angel. He pulled Cas in for another kiss, cold, wet and squelching this time, and let out another burst of laughter at the sound. This time, Cas smiled too, the smile where his eyes crinkled in that way that meant he was actually laughing in his own angelic way. Dean took his hand again and pulled him to the Impala.
“Come on. Let’s just go back to the Bunker.”
Cas nodded, still smiling. “Alright, Dean.”
“Oh, and Cas? I know I said boyfriend, but… Let’s just call each it partners, okay? It’s a bit more mature.”
“Alright, Dean.”
~End~