Chapter Text
“What the hell.” Dean said looking at Sam’s laptop screen, his brother had eventually told him he’d given Chuck permission to keep writing the Supernatural books. So Dean had taken it upon himself to find out what the writer had decided to include about his life.
What he had found didn’t give him much hope, from what he could make sense of Chuck had included the whole angels, demons, apocalypse fiasco, but that wasn’t what had caught his attention. The fans had a new pairing, or ship as they apparently called it, if Dean remembered correctly from the convention this must be some of that ‘homoerotic subtext of supernatural’, and this site, tumblr, was full of it amongst other things.
“Sam!” Dean called but before he could even regret his decision to show his brother Sam was at his shoulder looking at the screen. “These people have no lives. I mean where do they even get this stuff?”
Sam was quiet for a moment as he read the post and took in some of the less ‘graphic’ pieces of fan art, he started to laugh. “You sound defensive, Dean.” He winked at his brother and patted him on the shoulder before moving away, “honestly man I’m happy for you, you make a lovely couple.”
“Don’t make me hurt you, Sammy.” Dean said looking at another post and shaking his head, if he was honest he preferred it a hell of a lot more to when they were pairing Sam and Dean together.
He ignored the empty threat. “I mean I should have guessed. It’s pretty obvious.” Sam said raising an eyebrow at his brother.
Dean paused in his scrolling and looked up, “What are you talking about?”
Sam just smiled walking over to the table where their case information was and flicking through the pages. “I just mean that it’s obvious that you both care about each other,” his smile turning to a sly grin as he continued “you know with that profound bond and everything.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m in love with the guy. Jesus.” Dean’s expression only encouraging Sam’s pestering.
“Nope it’s Castiel. You think you’d remember your own boyfriend’s name.” He looked over his shoulder at Dean and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Honestly Dean, I’m your brother and I love you I know you better than anyone and apparently a little better than you know yourself at the minute. I don’t care who you screw.”
“Stop being a girl. And stop implying that I’m gay I think I know myself well enough to know that.” Though he’d never actually given it much thought, he’d always gone for the girls the pretty ones, blondes, brunettes, redheads whatever, but Cas was different he was his friend. The only real one he’d had and yes that meant Dean cared about him more than most other people but he’d never thought that that was anything but ordinary. And he wasn’t going to let Sam put all sorts of crazy ideas into his head.
One of Dean’s cell phones hit the back of Sam’s head. “Hey!”
“Are you ok?” a voice said from behind Dean causing him to jump.
“God Cas, don’t do that!” Dean shouted eyes wide in surprise, the laptop on his knee momentarily forgotten.
“The voice said that I had no minutes remaining and so I couldn’t call ahead.” Castiel said looking at Sam’s highly amused expression with confusion.
“Castiel! What a pleasant surprise, what brings you here?” Sam said cheerfully, further confusing Castiel with his sudden change in character.
“Social call,” he said unconvincingly, his eyes landing on the laptop on Dean’s lap, he started reading the screen over Dean’s shoulder as he spoke. “Dean, is your brother intoxicated?” Dean gave a short chuckle as he looked up at his brother.
Sam noticed what Castiel was doing and paused not wanting to alert Dean who was watching him and not the angel at his shoulder, “You’re just in time. Dean has been doing some…” he paused searching for an appropriate word “… interesting research.”
“I don’t understand.” Castiel said looking at Dean as he slammed the laptop shut. “I do not remember ‘moving my lips up your neck to your lips where we kissed with a passion unknown to both heaven and hell’.”
Dean groaned, his head in his hands, while Sam fell onto his bed in fits of laughter. “Wow. Just wow.” Sam said wiping tears from his eyes.
“I didn’t happen and it is not going to happen,” the last part being said for his brother’s benefit more than Castiel’s. “Cas back me up here, tell him.” Dean’s face was becoming redder, from embarrassment or annoyance Sam neither knew nor cared.
“I am an Angel Dean not a Prophet.” Castiel stated, expression showing no hint of a joke. Dean just looked at his friend with wide eyed confusion, while Sam just grinned at them from his bed. When no one spoke Castiel attempted to explain himself. “I cannot see the future but it is always possible that a path could be taken that would lead to this outcome, I believe it is why some humans have the saying ‘anything is possible’.”
“Sam.” Dean didn’t look at his brother as he spoke, “can you give us a minute?”
“You don’t-” Castiel started but Dean raised his hand towards him in a gesture to stop him from saying anymore.
“Yeah of course you two need some time alone.” Sam said as he stepped out of the motel room door, pointing at Castiel and giving his brother an exaggerated wink. A beer bottle smashed against the door as it shut quickly behind Sam.
After the noise of the shattering glass there was silence as Angel and Hunter looked at each other, Castiel waiting for Dean to speak and Dean not knowing where to start. He put the laptop aside and walked around the bed to stand facing his friend, he leaned against the closet door in an attempt to act casual.
“Cas saying stuff like that might give people the wrong idea.” Dean was struggling with his words, he didn’t actually know why he felt the need to say this, maybe Sam was right he was getting defensive about the subject.
“About what? What did I say that was wrong?” Castiel asked his blue eyes unblinking, in a way that if it was anyone else Dean may have felt uncomfortable.
“About us. You and I, we’re friends Cas and friends don’t do that kind of thing. Ok?” He was trying to avoid eye contact because he didn’t trust himself when speaking to Castiel, he always felt completely at ease to spill his soul to the Angel. Which was probably not the best idea as he didn’t know what he would end up saying during the current conversation. “Honestly you’re probably, no you are the best friend I’ve had, I trust you and that’s-”
Castiel interrupted him “I’m honoured Dean, truly but” he sighed and managed to catch Dean’s eye again “ever since I came to Earth, to you, I’ve been changing, becoming more human.” Dean was silent as his friend continued. “I still have my grace, I am still an Angel but I’m different. Angels do have emotions” Dean raised his eyebrow at that, Castiel saw the expression, “they do they’re just assbuts about expressing them.” Despite himself Dean’s lips curled up at the edges.
“Unless it’s anger or something, Zachariah had that one to a tee. And don’t even get me started on Lucifer.” Dean interrupted not being able to help the spiteful comment that came from his mouth.
“I cared for my brothers.” He paused shortly as if in thought, “we can love. I can love, like humans can. I am still trying to understand but it is something I believe my father could not even comprehend, a humans capacity for love has the ability to overcome most else.” With each word he seemed to become more relaxed, his tense manor dissolving as he believed he was getting his point across, though Dean was having trouble seeing what it was his friend was trying to tell him.
“Why are you telling me this? Are you leaving or something? Is that it? Giving the whole ‘I must love you and leave you’ crap.” He didn’t know where the sudden anger had come from but he managed to reel in his temper before it ran away with him, he was jumping to conclusions.
Castiel was unfazed by Dean’s outburst, “Just promise me something?” he pleaded taking a step forwards.
“Cas-”
“Promise me,” he paused looking into Dean’s eyes as he asked, “that you you’ll forgive me. For what I’ve done, for what I’m about to do.”
“What have you done? Dude you’re starting to scare me.”
“Dean?” Dean had never heard Castiel so desperate.
The look in the Angel’s eyes melted Dean’s resolve, “Alright, yeah I promise. Of course I promise but wh-” his words caught in his throat. Castiel leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching his hands flat on the wardrobe either side of Dean’s head. Dean didn’t move, he didn’t think he could even if he wanted to and he didn’t want to.
Dean’s eyes never left Castiel’s, he could feel the Angel’s breath mingling with his own. Then it happened Castiel’s lips grazed Dean’s, so light and fleeting that for a second he doubted it had actually happened. It left him wanting more, his hand moved up to the back of Castiel’s neck only to have him ripped from his grasp and thrown backwards. The look of shock across the Angel’s face the last thing Dean saw of him before his Angel disappeared in midair. Dean stood paralysed the echo of Castiel calling out to him as he was taken resonating through his mind.
“Cas,” his voice cracked, he tried again stronger this time. “Castiel!”
He stepped forward looking around the room, now empty of Angelic presence. Dean sat on the edge of his bed running a hand through his hair, trying to piece together what had happened if Cas had been trying to warn him about something. “Son of a bitch.”