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Dean was preparing food in the kitchen. They were having everyone around the bunker for a reunion, the Mark of Cain had been removed and the world hadn’t imploded. They were on holiday, and damn was it nice to be able to breathe for once. He still woke up feeling guilty for what he’d done with the Mark, how many lives he’d crushed, how many friends he’d hurt… but he was learning to not feel guilty, to instead mourn the damage he’d done and make up for it to the people he’d hurt that were… still alive.
Namely - Sam, Claire, Charlie and Cas.
He was letting go of the co-dependent thing with Sam, slowly. They were still close, just not so erotically dependant or whatever shit Zachariah said they were. He was slowly making up for what he’d done with Gadreel, for neglecting Sam’s agency.
Dean had apologised and helped Claire through the loss of who she’d thought was her family. She’d come to realize that their intentions weren’t good, motivated mostly by self-gain and ambition. She still had nightmares about him covered in their blood, though. He wasn’t sure if that’d go away without therapy, but her time with Donna, Jody, Alex and Krissy seemed to help. Claire could now actually look him in the eye.
Charlie had been weird with him once the Mark had been removed, but he’d figured out why and she’d forgiven him after Dean had… dealt with a ‘big issue’. With Cas.
God, he’d been at his worst when he’d beat the shit out of his best friend, out of Cas, the angel, the man who’d given everything for him. His grace, his powers, his home, for Dean and for Sam and for humanity. Cas was more than Dean deserved and Dean had nearly killed him, and he’d meant to.
Cas had ignored him for weeks, but he’d slowly become less frosty with him when Dean kept apologising, offering Cas keys to the bunker, getting up early to make him fresh coffee and breakfast, and ever servicing his pimp car. Dean was bad with emotions, bad with words, but little gestures he could do. That’s when Charlie had intervened with a, “Dude, seriously? Just freaking apologize. And don’t hold back, you’re more comfortable with yourself now and honestly? Cas needs to hear it.”
So he’d come out, haha, and got straight (well…) to the point.
“I know this doesn’t make it better, honestly it kind of makes it worse, it’s so fucked up… But you were the only thing that the Mark didn’t want to harm, and something just… It was like it was sentient, it was in my mind. I saw you and all I could see was red. All I could think of was the bad you’d ever done when I know you’re so much more than that. You’re more than I deserve, but I just… lashed out. It made me want to hurt you more, because all that was on my mind was how I wanted to really… not hurt you. Fuck it, I really wanted to kiss you but I ended up… beating the shit out of you. It’s entirely my fault though, I can understand if you won’t forgive me – I don’t deserve it, and I ain’t saying that because of some self-loathing thing, it’s because you’re so full of goodness, so kind. You don’t deserve anything bad in your life, and what I did to you? It was unforgivable, so I understand-“
Cas had been more to-the-point though, shutting Dean off mid-sentence with a kiss. When they finally broke apart, Dean had been dazed and Cas had just rolled his eyes, murmuring, “Sometimes, you’re incredibly obtuse, Dean.”
In his reverie, Dean had stopped slicing the salad he’d promised for Sam. He started cutting up the vegetables when Cas wandered into the kitchen, surrounded by their guests, who were all snickering.
“Dean?” Cas questioned.
Dean turned around curiously, knife still in hand.
“What is this?”
Dean looked at what Cas was holding in his hands, a book entitled; How to: Buttsex.
Dean blinked approximately three times before intelligently muttering, “Wuh?”
Cas tilted his head like a confused pigeon. “I found it our room, on the bed.”
Kevin and Claire was sending each other grossed-out looks, Alex was rolling her eyes, Donna was raising her eyebrows suggestively and Jody sighed. Krissy sent him a suspicious grin.
“Dean, if you were curious, you could have asked me.” Jody pointed out.
Dean felt suddenly nauseous. “What do you know about… about…?”
Jody shrugged, “It’s my job to pass on the knowledge.”
“What?” Dean was horrified.
“As the mother-figure of the girls, they have questions that I’d rather they didn’t Google,” Jody supplied. “Also, Donna is adventurous.”
Kevin and Krissy snickered, Claire and Alex looked mildly ill.
“Aw, gross… Hey, that isn’t even my book!” Dean complained.
Cas gave him an understanding look, “I understand if it is, Dean. You’ve been… ‘closeted’,” Dean could hear the quotation marks Cas was clearly mentally using, Dean was also going to freaking tickle Charlie to death, “-For a while. Curiosity is natural and especially on that subject, as we’ve been quite heated but not to the point of-“
“I know how to do it!” Dean insisted. “That book… it’s not mine!”
“Dean,” Cas said gently. “I don’t mind if you don’t know what you’re doing, I’ve only had sex-“
“Cas!” Dean begged, feeling his face heat up. “I know how to do it with a dude, I swear! Actually, can we not have this conversation?”
It was when Sam wandered into the kitchen, looking down at his tablet but very clearly not reading that Dean realized… he’d been had.
“Sam,” He growled. Sam looked up, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Yes, Dean?” He asked innocently.
Dean waved the knife at him, “I’m going to freaking kill you.”
Sam’s eyes widened comically and he fled, and Dean pursued.
“I thought he was a pacifist now…?” Kevin mumbled.
“Well, that was short-lived.” Krissy snorted.
“Did we really expect him to last longer than a week?” Jody wondered.
“I can hear you!” Dean yelled. They could hear the knife clatter to the floor and hear Sam grunt when Dean tackled him and the squeal when Dean started tickling him.
“This is how I plan on dealing with anyone from now on, no more violence… just tickling.” Dean shouted as a warning to anyone who tried to prank him again.
“I surrender!” Sam wheezed.
That was when Charlie walked in, carrying pizza, “What did I miss, bitches?”
Dean groaned, “Aw, c’mon, I was cooking!”