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"Dean, you have my vows on you, right?" Sam asked, for the hundredth time.
They were in one of the youth rooms getting Sam ready for his big day. Jess and her bridal party were in the bridal suite. Which Dean had no clue churches had those. Guess he really didn't pay attention when he was a pup.
He had no clue what the bridal suite was like, but it had to be so much better than what it was here. Sam and the rest of them were shoved into one of the youth rooms. They had to change and use the mirrors in a nearby bathroom.
The carpet was the greatest shade of puke orange. The wall was white with a few posters and a chalkboard. Dean hadn't been to church since he was four or five. He didn't remember what the youth rooms looked like, but the posters freaked him out.
One was of a cross on a mountain with light shining behind it, and okay, that one wasn't bad at all. But the poster of Jesus's face? Looking all sad and bloodied? It was like Jesus was judging him cause Dean was a sinner and proud of it.
Why was there a bloodied Jesus in a room for kids? Dean didn’t know, but could he talk? He let Jack watch horror movies.
The worst poster of all was the Faithbook poster. A poster that was supposed to look like a Facebook page, but was not Facebook, it was Faithbook and there was a friend request from Jesus.
The last thing Dean needed was Jesus trying to send him invites to play Farmville.
Dean patted his pocket and grinned at his brother. "Yes, Sammy. I got it right here. Safe and sound."
"Dude! Don't pat it! You're going to wrinkle it!" Sam said like Dean had just murdered someone. Dean frowned, but he let it go.
He knew his brother, he wasn’t surprised. So, he couldn't smack Sammy on the back of his head.
Sam turned to Brady, who was sitting at the desk, flipping through the Sunday school textbook. "You have the ring? Right?"
Brady looked up and if he was annoyed with Sam's repetitive questions, he didn't show it. Just flashed Sam a smile. "Of course I have the ring! I'm the best man and I am holding the ring, so I have the ring."
Sam let out a sigh of relief before looking over to John, who was fidgeting with his bowtie. "Dad?"
John hummed and looked over at him. "Yeah?"
"You remembered no embarrassing stories in your speech, right?"
"Yeah, yeah." John said, turning his attention back to his bowtie. Dean walked over and got to fixing it for him.
"I'm serious, dad. No embarrassing kid stories. Not about the time I got mad at you and ran away and you found me crying down the street." Sam said.
"Not in it." John said, silently thanking Dean for fixing his bowtie.
"Not even the time you had to pick me up from a Halloween party because I puked all over my crushed and cried the whole ride home." Sam warned. Eyeing their dad like he would throw hands if John dared.
Dean got it. John decided that his speech at Dean's mating ceremony needed to include the time he snuck into a club. John told them how he had to track Dean down and drag him out of there. Half drunk and half drugged.
"I promise. I didn't include any embarrassing stories. My public speaking will be embarrassing enough." John grumbled.
Dean chuckled and patted John's shoulder. "You got this dad!"
"Dean!" Sam suddenly gasped. Like he had just had a vision of the world ending.
"What?" Dean asked. Prepared for anything. He had the vows, Brady had the ring, and John wasn't going to say anything embarrassing. Dean and Cas helped Sam and Jess, and the rest of the wedding party, set up the tables earlier.
What else could his brother be freaking out about?
"You didn't add the time I walked in on you and Cassie doing it in your speech, did you? Please tell me you didn't?!" Sam asked with wide, fearful eyes.
"That happened?!" Brady and John asked at the same time.
Dean's face scrunched up. "Dude! No! Cassie's dating our cousin now! Why the hell would I mention that in front of them?!"
But Sam didn't look relieved. His brow raised and he stared at Dean like he was trying to see what loophole the omega found. "You didn't mention the time I heard you and Cas going at it?"
Zach, who was standing in the corner, scrolling through his phone, snickered, and Brady barked out a laugh. "You heard your brother and his husband do it?!"
"It was the night Dean conceived Claire." John felt the need to add for whatever damn reason.
Dean threw his hands in the air. "No! I didn't mention my sex life in my speech!"
Brady laughed so hard, the damn fool had tears in his eyes. "Best freaking day every!"
Dean shook his head. "Look, I'm not gonna talk about my sex life in front of Jess' family and a bunch of pups? Okay? I'm gonna go check to see what’s taking Cas and Claire so long."
Dean didn't even make it three steps before Brady shoved himself up from the desk. "I'll go with you!"
Dean huffed. "Dude! Full offense, but my daughter might still be naked and I don't want you to see that."
Brady held up his hands, trying to show he meant no harm. "I'll stay out of the bathroom! O-or use the women's room! I just gotta pee!"
Dean eyed him, trying to figure out his game. But then Brady shot him with a pleading look and bounced his knee.
Dean sighed before walking out of the room with Brady trailing behind him. Brady closed the door and followed Dean down the hall. Before he could make it to the bathroom, where Cas was trying to get Claire into her flower dress, he was grabbed.
"What the—" Dean blurted before he was pulled across the hall and forced into the women's bathroom. The second Brady let go, Dean growled at him. "Seriously?! What the hell—"
"Dean!" Brady cried. His hands grabbed Dean's shoulders like a lifeline. His voice was filled with panic and Dean did not like that.
Dean let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Brady, I thought we had this settled. We're wearing suspenders. We're already in them—"
"I lost the ring!" Brady blurted.
Dean didn't blink, he just stared for the right amount of seconds to make it uncomfortable. He waited for Brady to break out laughing and tell him that he was just joking.
Instead, Brady looked at Dean with wide, pitiful eyes like hell was about to break loose, and Dean was the only one who could save them all.
"You WHAT?!" Dean shouted when he realized Brady wasn't fucking around. His voice echoed off the walls, and he knew they could be heard from the youth room.
"Ssssh!" Brady hissed, his grip tightening.
"Damn it, Brady!" Dean snapped. "What the actually fuck, man?!"
"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" Brady shouted.
He let go of Dean and started to pace around the room. "I swear it was in my pocket and then—"
"Dean?" Cas asked. He was standing there, with the door open with one hand on the knob and Claire in his arm. She was fussing and squirming and still dressed in her daytime clothes. Before Dean could ask about that, Cas asked the question he hoped he wouldn't. "Why are you both in the women's bathroom?"
"Why isn't Clarie in her dress?" Dean countered, so he didn't have to answer the question.
"She says she doesn't want to wear it." Cas looked at Dean, his big blue eyes begging him to help.
But Dean couldn't because Brady was a dumbass!
"I can't help right now, babe. Brady and I are… Checking out the toilet paper situation to make sure no one is stranded during Sam's mating ceremony." Dean said with too big of a grin.
"Yeah! That!" Brady helpfully added.
"But Dean…" Those blue eyes became even pitiful and it broke Dean's heart.
"I'm sorry, babe. But you know how my brother is! He's already neurotic and it's even worse today! If we don't do this, he's gonna have a total meltdown!" Dean flashed Cas an apologetic smile.
"I understand…" Cas sounded so damn defeated and Dean couldn't take it.
He might have bigger problems to deal with right now, but he wouldn't leave Cas hanging. "Go find Rowena. She can help you."
Cas gave him a thankful smile and a small nod. He closed the door behind him and now Dean had to face the worst possible thing that could happen today.
"Where was the last place you remember having it?" Dean tried to keep the anger out of his voice, he failed.
"Uhh…" Brady's eyes darted up to the ceiling as he tried to remember.
This was torture.
If Hell were real, it couldn't be worse than this moment.
"Umm… After we got everything set up and we got into the groom's room." Brady finally answered.
Dean gritted his teeth, his eye twitching. "Are you telling me you had the ring before you got changed for the ceremony?"
"Yeah! Cause I was still wearing jeans!" Brady answered with a smile and Dean had to pinch the bridge of his nose.
If he didn't calm down, he would punch Brady in the face.
"Brady… For the love of god, please tell me you didn't change in a stall." Dean didn't want to hear the answer because he already knew what it would be.
"Of course I did!"
"Son of a bitch!" Dean cried, tossing his hands into the air.
Brady frowned. "What?"
Dean bared his teeth at him and jabbed his finger into the alpha's chest. "I swear to god, Brady, if that ring ended up in the toilet, I'm snapping your damn neck!"
Brady's eyes doubled in size. "Oh shit.."
"Oh shit is right!" Dean snapped. "Go check the pockets of your jeans! I'm going to check the men's bathroom!"
Dean ran out of the women’s bathroom and into the men’s while Brady ran back to the youth room where their clothes were. Dean's knees hit the tiles of the bathroom and he instantly regretted.
His leg didn't hurt for the most part now, but when he did something stupid like this, he felt a jolt of pain.
Dean ignored it and got on his hands and knees. He checked every inch of the floor and then more. He looked behind toilets, on toilets, and in toilets, but found nothing.
“Damn it, Brady…" Dean gritted through his teeth.
If he had to call a plumber, the mating ceremony would have to be postponed while the Mario bros dug through pipes. If the ring was even recovered, Jess wouldn't want to wear a toilet ring and there would be no ceremony and Sam's heart would break.
Nope! No way in hell! Dean wouldn't let that happen.
Dean checked the sinks, even though he knew it wouldn't be there. But hey, he was really desperate right now. His only hope was that Brady found it in his jeans. Dean walked back to the youth room, hoping to find Brady there with a stupid smile and a thumbs up.
What he found instead was Sam at the desk, blocking the access to the clothing because, of course, they had to store their clothes under the desk. He was rocking back and forth while John held his hand and Zach fanned him with a sheet of paper.
"I don't get it! I want to mate Jess! So why am I so nervous?!" Sam asked.
Brady flashed Dean a nervous glance.
"Son, if you weren't nervous, I'd be worried." John said with a gentle look. "The day I mated your mother, I was shaking in my shoes. I knew she was the omega for me, but I still got nervous. Mating someone is a huge step. Seems bigger than what it really is, but you're already committed to Jess. You're just here to announce to everyone."
“What your dad said.” Zach piped in. “You love her so much, it just seems huge and that feeling is finally catching up.”
"Sam, you survived finals!" Brady interjected. "Bro, if you can do that, you can do anything!"
Dean rolled his eyes. Poor bastards had no idea how to deal with this.
Dean walked over to them before looking over at their dad. "Can I borrow him for a second?"
John stepped back and Dean grabbed Sam's hands. "Hey! Sam! Follow me right fast."
Sam's brows furrowed, but he let himself be pulled up when Dean tugged. Dean led him away from the desk. "Okay, first thing we gotta do is jump.”
"What?" Sam asked.
"Come on! Jump with me!" Dean started to hop up and down on his feet. He smiled when Sam did as well. "That's it! Shake off those extra nerves! Feeling better?"
"Feel kind of stupid." Sam admitted.
"Great! That means it's working! You feel something besides nerves! Now—" Dean let go of Sam's hands so he could slap his brother on the shoulder. "It's plainly clear what has your nerves so rattled."
Sam's brows shot up. "It is?"
"Yeah, is so obvious!"
"It is?" Brady asked. Gawking at Dean like he didn't trust him.
Dean didn't have time for Brady's crap.
"Of course I do!" Dean answered. "You're not nervous about mating Jess, you love her!"
"With all my heart!" Sam swore. Sounding like he was trying to convince everyone of something they all knew.
"Duh! What you're nervous about is standing in front of all those people." Dean explained and he watched a bit of color drain from Sam's face. "I mean, you'll be in front of everyone! Your family and friends, your colleagues too. And think about it. You're standing in front of people you work with. You're always trying to make an impression with them."
"Dean." John warned. Sam looked like he was seasick right now. "Maybe you should—"
"But even bigger than making a fool of yourself in front of them, Jess's family will be there." Dean shrugged. "Anything could happen. You could fart, trip over your words or pull a Ross and call Jess by another name."
"Oh god…" Sam stumbled back, worry etched on his face.
"But you're not gonna do any of that!" Dean quickly assured. “Cause you're the most prepared guy I know! Now, how about you dad, and Zach go get some fresh air? That will help you!"
Sam nodded as he stumbled over to John, their dad, and Zach helped him out of the room. Dean and Brady looked at each other and then rushed towards the desk. Dean stood nearby as Brady ducked his head under, and within seconds, he was tossing a plastic bag filled with his clothes onto the desk.
They wasted no time ripping it open and pulling his clothes out. Brady searched through his jeans while Dean searched through the pockets of his shirt.
"It's not here!" Brady's panicked voice cried out.
"Give it to me!" Dean jerked the jeans out of Brady's hands. He hoped the ring was in there because he came out empty-handed on his end. He doubled, then tripled checked the pockets and his heart sank when there was nothing in there besides a wallet, a phone, and a pack of gum. Dean huffed, throwing the jeans down on the desk with force. "Damn it Brady! The fuckin' ring is in the toilet!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Brady took a step back from Dean with his hands held out. "I'm remembering something else!"
"What?!" Dean snapped.
"I stepped outside to chew some gum! What if I had the ring in my pocket when I grabbed my pack?"
"How many packs do you have?!" Dean gestured to the pack on the desk.
"That's my regular pack! I have nicotine gum in my pocket now! I carry the other pack because I can’t chew this as often as I feel like I need!"
"You smoke?!"
"I used to! Been smoke free for about three months!"
"Good for you! That's really impressive and I'm proud of you!" Dean was still yelling cause he was pissed, but he meant it.
A small smile spread across Brady's face. "Thank you! One day, I wanna be a dad, but I don't wanna smoke around my pups."
"That's very responsible of you! Now come on! Take me to the place you went and I swear to Christ, that ring better be there!" Dean and Brady rushed out of the room and power walked down the hall. Dean shook his head. "I can't believe I agreed to let you hold the ring!"
"I'm sorry!"
"I should have just let you bug Sam while I told him that it was his mating ceremony and he could pick anything he wanted!"
"Ugh!" Brady's hands flew to his hair, carding his fingers through it. "Look, I know I fucked up, but—"
They both came to a halt when the doors pushed open. Pastor Jim walked in and smiled at them. Dean and Brady flashed him a smile, but they probably looked like guilty pups.
"Ah, I know you from the rehearsal. You’re Dean, right? Sam's brother?" Pastor Jim asked.
"Yup, that's me!" Dean answered, hoping this would be it because they didn't have time to chit-chat.
"And I'm Brady! Sam's best friend!" Brady added, because, of course, the guy did. He could not read a damn room.
"So, Sam tells me you don't have a church." Pastor Jim said and Dean had to bite down a groan.
They
Did
Not
Have
Time!
"Nope, I don't own a church." And damn it, Dean shouldn't be sassing Sam's Pastor.
"Well, just so you know, we have plenty of room here. All are welcome." He smiled at Dean like he was offering him the greatest gift.
"Thanks!" Dean grabbed Brady's arm, ready to bolt. "I'll think about it."
“If you don’t mind me asking.” Pastor Jim said, his tone soft but steady. “How would you describe your spiritual life these days?”
Dean froze. His mouth twitched, unsure what to say. Brady looked like he was going to answer for him, and Dean snapped a hand over his mouth before he could.
“My spiritual life?” Dean echoed, his voice cracking slightly. “Uh. Well, Led Zep is still touring, so I haven't lost all hope yet!" Pastor Jim looked dumbfounded, unsure of what to say, and Dean took his chance. "Hate to run on ya, but we're on an important mission from the groom! I'm sure you understand!"
"Nice seeing you!" Brady waved as Dean tugged him towards the door.
"Umm! Same to both of you! Glad you still have hope, Dean!" Pastor Jim called out, but he sounded confused.
Dean didn't stop until they were down the stairs. He let go of Brady and turned to face him. "Where did you chew your anti-smoking gum?"
"By my car." Brady answered, pointing at the church's parking lot.
"Let's go!"
Dean and Brady ran over to his Black Audi S5, which was parked near a patch of grass. The two dropped to their knees and started to rake their fingers through the grass blades, praying that the ring was there.
It had to be.
If it wasn't, it meant the ring was in the toilet, and there wouldn't be a mating ceremony.
"How far did you pace?" Dean asked when he came up with nothing.
Brady flashed him a guilty smile. "Um… All over this area?"
""Son of a bitch!" Dean snapped.
The grass medium was eight feet! How the hell were they going to search the whole damn thing before the mating ceremony began? Dean ordered Brady to take one end and he would take the other.
They searched, slowly checking every inch of the medium. They were growing closer together during their search and neither of them found the damn ring so far.
"Dean?" Cas called out and Dean clenched his teeth. He watched Cas walk closer to them. Claire's hand in his and still dressed in her daytime clothes. "What are you two doing?"
Brady looked at Dean with wide eyes, silently begging him not to spill the beans.
"Looking for Brady's contact!" Dean quickly answered.
Cas's brows furrowed together and his head tilted. "You wear contacts?"
"That I do!" Brady answered with a charming smile.
"Oh." Cas simply said.
"Claire? Sweetie?" Dean sweetly asked, turning his body to her. "Why aren't you in your dress?"
"I don't like it!" Claire huffed, stomping her little foot.
"O-okay? Is it because it's a dress? Would you rather wear a suit?" Dean asked because at this point, he would send Cas to find something for her. They rented suits for pups, right?
"No." Claire answered, surprising him.
Dean scooted closer. "Then tell me, what's the problem?"
There was too much going on and he never felt more desperate.
"There's no leather jacket." Claire whined and Dean blinked.
"That's the only problem?" He asked and Claire nodded her head.
"I tell you what, if you wear the dress, I'll get you that Tiffany doll you wanted!"
Cas gave him that disapproving husband look. It all started when Claire was supposed to be sleeping and Dean and Jack were watching The Bride of Chucky. Claire had woken up and stunk into the room. She had seen Tiffany and thought she looked cool. She had been begging for one, but Cas had put his foot down. He didn't want her owning a horror doll.
Dean didn't see a big deal, but he couldn't agree to it if Cas didn't; they were a team.
Dean didn't even mean to make the offer. It was just what he knew Claire wanted and it just… Kind of slipped out… Dean didn't even like using bribes to get his pups to behave, but right now, he was too stressed to think clearly.
He'd make it up to Cas later.
"Yay!" Claire shouted, jumping up and down like she was just told Christmas came early. She tugged on Cas's hand. "Come on, papa!"
Dean smiled apologetically to Cas. His husband arched one brow and his lips were pressed into a thin line. Dean knew that look. That wasn't an angry look, but a disapproving look. One that said they would talk about this later and that Dean better be ready to make it up in a sexy way.
Dean tried not to think about it right now. The last thing he needed was to get a boner while looking for Sam's ring. He watched Cas and Claire walk back to the church. Then he and Brady started their search again.
There wasn't a ring in sight.
They even checked every inch of his car, but it wasn't there. By the time it was over, Dean and Brady were sitting on the pavement, leaning on his car. Brady's knees were drawn up, his head was in his hands, with his fingers through his hair.
"I ruined everything…" Brady mumbled.
"Yup…" Dean agreed. A part of him wanted to get into the Impala and drive away and never stop. Instead, he was here, trying to figure out what the hell he would tell his brother.
He didn't even want to think about Sam's reaction when they came clean.
"I should have just let you hold the ring. You never would have lost it…" Brady grumbled.
"Nope." Dean agreed.
Brady sighed and dropped his hands so he could wrap his arms around his legs. "It's just that, you're always going to be Sam's best-best friend. That's why I wanted to hold the damn ring. I'm probably never going to be someone else's best man again."
Dean looked over at him, his brow cocked. "What?"
Brady huffed. "Well, it's true! Everyone likes you! You've got so many friends and when they get mated or married, you're probably gonna be their best man. This was my only shot and I fucked it up!"
Dean twisted his body so he could face Brady fully, but the alpha refused to look at him. "Brady? What the hell are you talking about? You got friends! A ton of them!"
Brady shrugged. "Yeah, but… I'm just that friend, you know? Sure, I got included in spring break or parties, but… I wasn't that friend. They all had their own close friends and I was a friend, but I was never the best friend. Not until Sam, but you're also his best friend too, and that means... So, yeah. Like, I just wanted to be that best friend for once."
A smile tugged at Dean's lips. "Sammy really said that? That I was his best friend?"
Brady huffed and rolled his eyes. "Duh." The alpha sighed and ducked his head. "Thanks for tryin' to help me, Dean… You're a good friend. I'll.. I'll tell Sam what happened. And don't worry. I won't mention that you knew. I don't want him getting angry at you cause I told you what happened. He’d get mad if you knew and didn’t tell him cause you were too busy helping me.”
"Nope." Dean sighed. Pushing himself up before offering his hand to Brady. The alpha stared up at him, his brows furrowed. "This isn't how it works. We were in this together, we'll tell Sam together."
A small, thankful smile graced Brady's lips and he took Dean's hand. The walk back to the church and down the halls felt like walking the green mile. At the end, Dean would have to break his brother's heart. While Sammy was worried about centerpieces and stumbling over his words during the ceremony, Dean would have to deliver the worst news.
Jess's ring was swimming through the pipes of the toilets.
Dean didn't know what to expect. Yelling, for sure, but Sammy crying would be even worse.
The air was heavy between the two of them. Neither one wanted to do this, but they had to face the music.
As the youth room became closer, Dean's heart rate spiked. His chest hurt, his stomach was in knots, and—
Dean and Brady flinched with the men's bathroom opened. Cas stepped out and a smile spread across his face. "She's in the flower dress."
"That's awesome! I can't wait to see her." Dean didn't have the heart to tell Cas that there might be a mating ceremony.
But…
Sam and Jess were crazy for each other. Maybe there was still a chance. Their love meant more than a ring, right?
"Oh." Cas said, digging through his pockets. "This dropped out of Claire's pocket." Cas turned his hand over and Dean's eyes almost popped out of his skull. In his husband's hand was Jess's ring. "Did you give it to her to hold?"
“Yes!” Dean and Brady answered in unison.
“Here you go.”
Cas handed the ring to Brady, and Dean told him they would meet him in the room soon. They waited until Cas closed the door behind him before the two looked at each other.
Then smiles broke out across their faces and the two embraced in a tight hug. Jumping up and down as they laughed. When they pulled away, Dean raised his hand and Brady slapped it.
"Oh thank fuck!" Dean shouted before he let out a sigh of relief.
"Right? How do you think she ended up with it?" Brady asked, looking at the ring like he could hardly believe it was in his hands.
"You must have dropped it on the bathroom floor. Then, when Cas took her to get changed, she found it."
"I guess you're right." Brady's face softened and he held out his hand. "Here."
Dean glanced at the ring, then back at Brady. "What?"
"You could have thrown me under the bus. You could have left me to deal with this mess on my own. But you helped me, no questions asked. You should hold the ring for Sam."
Dean's arm twitched, ready to grab it, but… Dean had a lot of friends, friends who were family. This would hardly be his last mating ceremony. He didn't know what Brady's life was like. Dean didn't know if he had a brother or if he did, if they were close like he was to Sam. Brady had friends, but from the sounds of it, they weren't as close as Sam was to they guy.
Dean's hand lifted, closing Brady's hand, wrapping it around the ring. "Nah, man. A promise is a promise. You hold the ring."
Brady's brows shot up. "W-what? But—"
"He's your best friend, too." Dean smiled. "I know it'll make him happy knowing you're keeping the ring safe."
"You still trust me?" Brady asked.
"I guess I do." Dean threw his arm over his shoulder. "You know? You aren't half bad, man. Now let's get cleaned up before Sam freaks out about the grass stains on our knees."
"You're a good guy too, Dean." Brady said as the two headed to the bathrooms.
"Lose that damn ring again, and I'm kicking your ass to next Wesdenday." Dean warned, but Brady threw his head back and laughed.
They lightly dampened a paper towel and patted their knees until it didn't look like they were crawling around in grass. They quickly fixed their bow ties and hair and returned to the youth room.
Cas and Claire were dancing, her little hands in his and her shoes on his. She looked so cute in her flower dress and it made Dean's heart melt.
Sam, John, and Zach were talking, and his brother looked more relaxed than he had before. Until he looked over at them, like they were two guilty pups.
"Where have you two been? It's almost time! Oh god, tell me you two didn't get into it again."
"Nope." Brady answered and looked over at Dean with a smile on his face. "Just two friends catching up."
Sam's brow raised. "Really?"
"Yup." Dean answered. "You picked the best other best man."
"Huh." Sam said. "And there wasn't anything wrong?"
"Everything is in order. Dean and I checked it." Brady replied.
"Oh, then, I guess we can head out then."
"Let's get ya mated!" Dean said, slapping Sam's shoulder.
Together, they all headed out of the church to where the altar was, set up outside in the garden. All ready for what would be the second-best mating ceremony.
What could Dean say?
No one would top his and Cas's.