Chapter Text
It’s a silly game they play. One tries to make the other smile, and the other tries to hold out as long as possible. It’s never really been clear how it became a game or what defines winning, but nobody really loses, either.
They have yet to get through a round without cheating.
Cas is sitting up against the headboard and turns to Dean with a hopeful expression. “I love your smile.” The hunter partially propped up on the pillows next to him scowls down at the laptop on his stomach.
“No.”
Cas pouts. “Please?”
“Last time, you told me translated Enochian jokes for an hour. It was excruciating. You always end up cheating, anyway.”
“Not my fault your species has an underdeveloped sense of humor. You drive me to cheat.”
“That’s called victim-blaming, you insensitive asshole.”
“I never knew you to willingly take the label of ‘victim.’”
“Well, you’re gonna take it in a minute if you don’t let me finish this tonight.” Dean clicks half a dozen times in rapid succession, grumbling under his breath about slow connections.
Refusing to be denied, Cas rolls up onto his knees and crawls to the foot of the bed before flopping himself over the hunter’s legs.
Dean can feel him scooting upward over his shins, bit by tiny bit. He focuses entirely on his computer and resists casting a disapproving glare around the edge of the screen. His brain still processes the stalking advancement, though, and helpfully provides him with a mental replay of the Jaws theme. His lips almost twitch.
The pressure of Cas’ body reaches his knees, and his eyes flick up to a spike of dark hair poking up behind his screen. It’s rising steadily, followed by its messy bretheren, a forehead slightly wrinkled by raised eyebrows, and finally two huge blue eyes staring unblinkingly. Cas goes still, and Dean is reminded of a “Kilroy was here” doodle. He quirks one eyebrow and stares the angel down for a moment before returning his attention to the screen.
Castiel is doing something to adjust his arms, remaining propped up on his elbows so he can still stare over the laptop. Dean feels something worming under the edges of his thighs. He shoots a warning glare over the top of his screen, then has to bite his own tongue to keep the rest of his face in line when fingers start curling deliberately into his hamstrings. Cas definitely caught the movement of Dean’s jaw, though, judging by the way the angel’s eyes are narrowing slightly and wrinkling at the corners.
“Do you want to be known as a perpetual cheater?” Dean grouches. “Because if that’s not your life’s goal recently, you’ve sure got me fooled.”
No audible reply comes, but there’s a more emphatic wriggling at the backs of his thighs. Dean clears his throat and shifts his weight.
Then Cas is sliding back down the hunter’s legs a little, dropping out of view behind the laptop. The hands beneath Dean’s thighs follow the movement and come to rest under his knees. Dean manages to grind out, “You’re immoral,” before breaking into a grimace (it’s definitely not a smile) and hitching up when the backs of his knees are tickled mercilessly. He screws his eyes shut and groans out a frustrated sound that breaks in the middle.
Cas peeks around the edge of the screen to evaluate his progress. So close, but Dean is nothing if not stubborn. He spiders up over the hunter’s kneecaps and down to the inside of his knees, noting with satisfaction how Dean’s chin tilts up to accompany a choked snorting noise.
The legs jerk under Cas’ chest, and he chases that small victory with skittering fingers up the inner thighs. Dean yelps, and the laptop is slammed closed and shoved aside to make room for a ploy of defense.
Castiel grins and fights for position atop four flailing limbs. Dean has his bottom lip clamped between his teeth, growling unspoken threats. But he’s gradually losing the tussle to the angel’s superior strength. Cas breaks through with one hand and claws into his tensed stomach. Both of Dean’s hands are instantly wrapped around the angel’s wrist and he’s lost the game, he knows it.
“CahahaHAHAHAAAS!” The angel’s other hand is joining the attack on his stomach, and he collapses in a fit of laughter. “Cheaheheheaterher!”
“I love your smile,” Cas announces proudly. He drops his hands and leans in for a kiss.