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Hunting is fucking exhausting, Dean Winchester thought as he pulled his black Impala into the bunker’s spacious garage. He and Castiel had spent nearly two weeks tracking down a vamp nest, and nearly gotten themselves killed in the process. There had been way more vampires than they’d been expecting, and the only reason Dean wasn’t fanged was that Cas’ angel mojo was very, very effective against the bloodsuckers.
Dean parked the Impala in its usual spot and killed the engine, immediately missing the rumbling purr from the car. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, trying to clear his head at least enough to take a shower. When he finally blinked his eyes open, Cas was still in the passenger seat, just watching him. Dean chuckled a little.
“You don’t have to wait for me man, you can head in and shower or eat or whatever,” he said with a lopsided grin. Cas shrugged in reply.
“I’d rather go in with you,” the angel said simply. Dean’s grin widened.
“You’re a big ol’ sap Cas,” he said, opening the door and sliding out of his car. He headed around to the trunk to grab his duffel, nose twitching in distaste when the smell of sweaty, gory clothes wafted up towards him.
“You say that so often, I’m beginning to think it’s a term of endearment,” Cas replied in a deadpan voice. Dean’s head snapped around, afraid that Cas had thought he’d been getting insulted for months, but relaxed at the sight of a grin twitching at the corners of the angel’s mouth.
“Of course it’s a term of endearment,” Dean mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as he opened the door into the bunker with the other. Cas laughed and pecked Dean’s cheek as he slipped past him into the bunker.
“I’m going to take a shower,” the angel tossed over his shoulder as he turned in the direction of his room. Dean moved into the kitchen, dumping his duffel bag just inside the door. There was a note on the counter, and Dean made a beeline for it, assuming it was from Sam.
Dean and Cas,
Glad your hunt went okay. I’m out stocking up on ammo and groceries. I think I’m also gonna check out that old bookshop to see if they’ve got anything about international legends, since we seem to be lacking a lot of info on some of the more ethnic creatures. Not sure when I’ll be back, so keep your pants on unless you’re in a bedroom, please. There’s some leftover pizza in the fridge if you’re hungry. See you guys later.
-Sam
Dean snorted at Sam’s plea for decency; poor kid had seen more of his brother’s ass than either of them was really comfortable with in the past few months. The younger Winchester was grateful that Dean and Cas had finally alleviated the sexual tension, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see how that went down.
Tossing the note back onto the counter, Dean turned to the fridge and dug out a slice of pizza for himself. After a moment’s deliberation, he grabbed a second one before close the refrigerator and heading out of the kitchen, picking up his bag on his way out. The entire first piece of pizza and half of the second were gone by the time he reached his bedroom. Holding the pizza between his teeth, he opened his duffel and dropped all the clothes in the hamper in the corner of his room: laundry was not something to be done right after a hunt.
Dean sat on the end of his bed and finished his slice, happy to lick the grease off of his fingers once it was gone. He toed off his boots and left them standing neatly at the end of his bed while he rose again. Off came his flannel and olive green t-shirt, followed closely by socks and jeans. He moved to his dresser, pulling out a fresh pair of boxers and a t-shirt before making his way to the other shower in the bunker, which he shared with his brother.
Nudging the door closed with his foot, Dean unceremoniously dropped his clean clothes beside the sink and pulled a towel out of the small closet in the bathroom. He moved to the shower and twisted it on, adjusting the temperature until it was hot, hotter than his usual showers. The hunter pulled off his boxers and stepped under the scalding spray, sighing softly as his muscles began to relax instantly. The soothing water swept away the dirt and grime from the hunt, helped by the vigorous scrubbing from Dean’s bar of soap.
As the mix of dirt and gore was washed off of his body, Dean felt himself getting more and more relaxed. As much as he played the macho man, the hunter did love his creature comforts; the shower in the bunker was his second favorite thing in the world, just after Baby and just before his bed. He stayed under the water even longer than usual, just letting it cascade over his head and shoulders as his mind finally began its post-hunt relaxation. While he was on a case, he never relaxed fully; some part of his mind was always picking at the clues, looking for new information, examining and reexamining what he already knew until finally all the puzzle pieces clicked together. But once it was over, the mystery solved, it took time for his brain to realize that the danger was over and he could stop looking for threats around every corner.
Rubbing his hands over his face, Dean waited until all thoughts of monsters and blood and death were gone from his mind – or, as gone as they ever could be, at least. When he finally felt relatively at peace, he shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself quickly and pulled on his t-shirt and boxers. The hunter hung the tower on the back of the bathroom door before pulling it open and stepping out into the hall. He hesitated a moment, torn between going to straight to his room to drown himself in music and going to find Cas. Eventually, his softer side won out and he headed for the kitchen to look for his angel.
As he entered the kitchen, Dean saw that the fridge was open, but didn’t immediately spot Castiel. A clink of glass on glass made him look to his left, where he saw his boyfriend stretching to grab a glass out of an upper cabinet. A grin tugged up the corner of Dean’s mouth as he moved into the kitchen, stepping up behind Cas to wrap his arms around him. Cas started slightly in his arms, but quickly relaxed, putting his glass on the counter to wrap his hands over Dean’s around his stomach.
“Hello Dean,” the angel rumbled softly. Dean could feel his chest vibrating with his boyfriend’s deep, scratchy voice and happily nuzzled into the junction of his neck and shoulder.
“Hey Cas,” he replied without lifting his head. Cas squeezed his hands lightly as Dean’s thumb absently rubbed across the base of his ribs.
“It’s going to be this kind of night then?” Cas said gently. Dean nodded against shoulder, and Cas gently pulled his arms away.
“Let me clean up the kitchen and we can go to my room,” the dark-haired man said, and Dean nodded against his neck in agreement before backing away. Cas quickly replaced his glass and shut the fridge door before turning back to his boyfriend. Dean managed a small, lopsided smile as the angel reached for his hand. The hunter linked their fingers together and let Castiel lead him into his bedroom.
The angel’s bedroom was far less organized than Dean’s, but for once it didn’t bother the hunter at all. There was a pile of books in one corner, a pile of dirty clothes in another, the bed was a messy pile of sheets and blankets, and there was a damp towel thrown over the desk chair. There were only two photos in the whole room; one of Cas with the Winchesters, Bobby, and the Harvelles, and one of Dean and Cas side by side with their arms slung around each other and heads leaning against each other.
Castiel pulled Dean into the room and closed the door behind them. Dean immediately went to the bed, flopping down on it and lifting the covers to encourage the angel to join him.
“Lights on or off?” Cas asked, pausing by the light switch. Dean considered for a moment.
“Off please,” he replied softly. Cas flipped the switch and the room went dark, lit only by a small skylight over the entryway.
Through the gloom, Dean watched his boyfriend move over to the bed and lie down beside him. He immediately shifted over to wrap his arm around Cas’ middle and tuck his head against his neck. Cas made no comment, just wrapped one arm around Dean’s back and the other over Dean’s arm.
In those moments, the only sound was the mixture of the couple’s breathing. Dean let Cas’ deep, even breaths calm him even further, and did his best to match his own breathing to his boyfriend’s. The arm around Dean’s back felt like a solid wall of warmth, protecting him from everything that went bump in the night. He was acutely aware of Cas rubbing gentle circles against his hip, slow and steady and in time with their breathing. Dean nuzzled his head more securely against his boyfriend’s neck, letting out a tiny sigh of contentment. Cas hummed quietly in agreement.
“Do you want to fall asleep like this or would you rather move?” the angel asked, turning to press tiny kisses against Dean’s hairline as he spoke.
“This is good,” the hunter replied, eyes already half-closed. Cas nodded and kept up his little kisses. Each one sent a warm tingle down Dean’s spine, and he shifted to kiss Cas’ jaw in reply. A chuckle rumbled through Cas’ chest, vibrating pleasantly against Dean’s torso.
“Go to sleep love,” Cas said softly. “There will be time for that in the morning.”
Dean mumbled a vague affirmative and pressed another kiss to his boyfriend’s jaw.
“I love you Castiel,” he said. Cas’ arms tightened around him, holding him safe and close.
“And I love you Dean Winchester,” the angel replied with a voice wavering slightly with emotion.
Content, Dean wrapped his arm more securely around Cas’ torso and closed his eyes fully. The last sensations he was aware of before falling asleep were a warm hand rubbing soothing circles on his back, another hand gently rubbing his arm, and soft kisses being pressed into his hair. He had never felt so safe.
Hours later, Sam finally returned to the bunker. He put his groceries away in the kitchen and left the ammo on the table in the great room. Noting the unusual silence, he went to find his brother and best friend. It took some time, but eventually he stumbled upon the mostly-closed door of Castiel’s bedroom.
The younger Winchester gently pushed the door open and immediately smiled widely at the sight. The two men were coiled in bed together, wrapped in each other’s arms so closely that it was hard for Sam to tell who was who from this distance. For a moment, he considered taking a picture to use as blackmail, but after another moment of watching the two sleep, he decided against it. As much as he loved harassing his brother, this was just too sweet to make fun of. Sam stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He’d just have to verbally tease Dean in the morning.