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Dean is inside, paying for gas and grabbing armloads of snacks. Castiel can see his sandy hair and the top of his shoulders— clad in brown leather—over the low shelves of the convenience mart.
Sitting in the front seat of the Impala, parked at pump number 3, he eyes Dean's recently acquired ipod. Picking it up, he flips through the playlists. The top one says 'Top Secret, Stay Out—that means you Cas!' Castiel smiles slightly and sneaks a look through the driver's side window.
Dean is still in line. A sign on the counter reads "Back in 15 min." Castiel plugs in the cassette tape bluetooth adapter Dean uses sometimes and presses play.
The display reads 'Good Good Things –The Descendants .'
The lyrics begin, "I know a place up in the air
It's not very far, I've been there before
I know a place, cool and warm
Cooling my blood, warming my heart
So come on down and walk with me, and tell me I'm your man…."
Not Dean's usual style. Is that why it was labeled secret?
The next song is even more out of sync with Dean's usual taste in music: 'Supernatural Love – Donna Summer.'
"We were strangers
Who once were lovers
We've been everlasting friends…
I was shattered
When you walked out, boy
I was walking off the edge…"
A suspicion begins to form in his mind. These are very clearly…love songs. Is Dean in love? A fist slams through the wall of his chest and squeezes his heart. Or that is how it feels, anyway.
"...Friends, said I looked so down-hearted
When you left
Now my broken heart is stable
I'm starting to mend
Got you back and I'm living again
Oh, this must be love
That sets my soul on fire
A supernatural love…"
Castiel swallows over the lump in his throat. Dean is very much in love. By the theme, he guesses it's an old flame. Someone who had foolishly left him, someone who he desperately wants back.
Castiel glances through the window. The line is moving slowly, thankfully. It appears the elderly man behind the counter is having trouble keeping up.
Next up, Bad Company begins Ready for Love. Castiel has heard this one before. He thought of Dean when it played on a jukebox at a dive bar.
"Walkin' down this rocky road, wonderin' where my life is leading
Rollin' on to the bitter end
Finding out along the way what it takes to keep love living…"
Castiel blinks hard and grits his teeth.
"You should know how it feels my friend
Ooh
I want you to stay
Ooh
I want you today
I'm ready for love
Oh baby I'm ready for love…"
Castiel goes to hit stop when Air Supply begins I'm All Out of Love
"… I'm lying alone with my head on the phone
Thinking of you 'til it hurts…"
He had thought of Dean until it hurt. Many times.
"...I'm all out of love, what am I without you?
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong…"
Yes. So wrong. His confession of love before the Empty took him was so…misplaced. If Dean feels these emotions for someone else, there is less than zero chance he could ever belong to Castiel. He had held onto hope, foolishly. Recklessly.
Checking the line, he sees that Dean is heading for the exit. He tries to turn off the playlist but he ends up just skipping a song and winds up with something called, 'Untitled - VoiceRecorder.mp3.'
What plays makes him go blank. He can't move, he can't even think. It's Dean…singing a Taylor Swift song.
Taylor Swift is his favorite artist. Dean knows this and often mocks him for it. Claims his ears bleed every time he hears it.
Dean's smooth voice fills the car.
"He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
And said, "Marry me, Castiel
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know…"
Is he dreaming? Can he really have just heard what the thought he heard?
Dean is at his window now, holding a paper bag in one hand and a cheap silver-colored ring in the other.
Castiel rolls down the window as rapidly as he can. "Dean…what…"
"Knew you couldn't resist that title. You know I'm not good with words. So I borrowed some."
He grins crookedly and tosses the paper bag in the backseat before he opens Castiel's door and drops to one knee. Castiel's brain can't seem to compute what's happening.
Dean takes his hand and slides the ring on his finger as he says, "It's a love story, baby. Just say yes."
Castiel can see right through his bluster to his very soul. Dean is terrified. His hand trembles slightly under Castiel's.
"Yes."