Gabriel appeared in front of the waiting hunter.

"You prayed?" The archangel smiled.

Sam grabbed him by the shoulders. He was at his wit's end. If he had to listen to one more half-assed "No homo!" excuse he was going to die.

With wide eyes, he hissed, "I need your help!"

Gabe held up his hands, trying to calm the distraught moose. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Sammich! What's wrong?"

"It's Dean!" Sam hissed, glancing at the closed door of his room.

The vaguest hint of concern was laced through Gabe's voice. "He okay?"

"No. Well, yeah. He's fine. But he's dumb. Really dumb. And gay." Sam was speaking quickly, words tumbling out of his mouth.

Gabe blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the problem was here.

"...So?"

"So he won't just make out with Cas already and it's driving me insane." Sam said slowly through clenched teeth.

Realization dawned on Gabe. He's witnessed first-hand the stupidity that was their brothers. Nodding, Gabe stepped away from the man.

"Don't worry. I got this." Gabe disappeared without another word. Sam half expected to hear Dean suddenly screaming in horror or anger, but the bunker was silent.

Sam blinked and Gabe appeared again.

"Okay, wait. What's the name of your ginger friend? Gay, dead, likes Harry Potter?" Gabe asked.

"Charlie?" Sam wondered what this had to do with Dean not growing a pair and asking Cas out.

"Sure. What's her last name?"

"Bradbury."

Gabe grinned, snapping his hand, "Cool. Now I got this."

He disappeared again.

Sam eventually found himself suffocating with UST. Not his UST, of course. Dean and Cas's UST. His eye was twitching and he was this close to slamming his head against the wall.

Every time Cas tried to get close, Dean would push him away. His brother was so focused on being "manly" that he wouldn't just kiss Cas already.

Dean was sitting on the couch, with Cas right next to him. The angel left no space at all between the two, their sides pressed together. Cas was staring blankly at the TV, occasionally his eyebrows would twitch in confusion, but he didn't comment. Dean was trying very hard not to squirm. Sam watched as Dean's fists closed tightly, ensuring that he didn't reach out for the angel. Dean glanced over at Cas every two seconds, like a nervous child. Sam was going to scream.

For his health, Sam looked away. It seemed like as soon as his eyes left the scene before him, Cas let out a surprised gasp.

"Dean!?"

Sam looked up to Cas standing in front of the couch, eyes wide. Sam's heart almost stopped in his chest when he realized Dean was nowhere to be found.


Dean opened his eyes to find a familiar pair staring right back at him.

"Oh, thank god." Sam sighed, leaning back. "Are you alright? You just collapsed suddenly!"

Dean groaned and sat up. Nausea ran through him in waves. He blinked rapidly as his vision cleared. Something was...off.

Sam looked normal enough, his brows close in worry and confusion. Dean looked around the room. It was soft. Cushy. And bingo. Dean found what was wrong.

"Where's the bunker?" Dean asked, suddenly on guard.

Sam stared at him, "The...bunker?"

"Yes, Sam, the bunker. Why aren't we in it?" Anger spiked through Dean as he looked around the room. They were just in the living room, relaxing. Dean was watching TV and Sam was reading a book. The last thing he heard before everything going black was Cas yelling his name.

"Cas." Dean said, "He might know-"

"Cas? The landlord?" Sam asked, his eyebrows drawing even closer.

Now it was Dean's turn to be confused. "What? No. Cas the Cas."

"Dean, are you alright? You're starting to worry me. Did you hit your head?" Sam's fingers found the back of Dean's head, trying to find a bump or bruise.

"Alright, screw this." Dean grumbled, pushing away from his brother. He stood up, looking around the room. They were in a livingroom. Pictures of him and Sam and their - dead - friends were hung on the wall. A nice sofa was pushed against the wall and two doors lead to what Dean assumes is their bedrooms. Something pulls at Dean's stomach. Slowly, he makes his way past Sam to the window. With a slightly shaky hand, he pulls back the curtain.

Dean's eyes widened at the sight.

Cars zoomed by far below, the soft hum of it and the occasional horn could be heard. Buildings stretched up to meet the clouds. He was in a city, a city he's never really been in before. Dean looked back at Sam.

"Are we in…?" He didn't even know which of the many busy metropolises he was in. There weren't any distinguishable buildings in sight.

"New York?" Sam said, looking at Dean like he was an idiot, "Where we've been living for three years?"

Dean's feet started rapidly speeding him around the small apartment, looking for a weapon, "What the hell is... I'm not- this isn't a djinn world is it?"

Sam slowly picked up his phone, moving as if Dean was a rabid animal. "You don't drink."

Dean snorted, "Not djinn, then."

Sam started to dial a number, stepping away from him.

"Who are you calling?" Dean asked, pulling open the kitchen drawers until he found a big enough knife.

"Bobby. I'm telling him you're sick; you can't take your shift." Sam said, "And then I'm taking you to the doctor."

Dean fished out his own phone from his pocket. It's shattered screen looked back at him. He jammed his thumb into the power button, giving up when nothing happened.

"Yeah, like hell you are." Dean grumbled, "Where's the nearest library?"

Wracking his mind to figure out what happened, Dean pulled the door open and was greeted with icy blue eyes. He stopped in his tracks, staring at the shorter man.

"Hello, Dean."

Sam called from back in the room, "Hey, Castiel? Can you keep an eye on him? He's been acting… weird."

Cas nodded and Sam smiled his thanks, stepping into what Dean assumes is his bedroom. His 'Hey, Bobby' was cut off as he shut the door behind him.

"Are you feeling alright, Dean?" Cas asked, eyebrows knitting in concern.

Dean looked Cas up and down. He looked so normal. Human, actually. Cas looked comfortable in his own skin, like he wasn't smashed inside a too-small vessel. His trench coat was gone and the sight of it - or lack thereof - made Dean uneasy. Cas reached forward, trying to press his hand against Dean's forehead. Dean leaned back, and he instantly regretted the reaction when he saw the hurt look on Cas's face.

"If this is about last night…" Cas lowered his voice, his eyes pained, but serious.

"What? No. What happened last night?" Dean didn't know what this Cas was thinking.

Cas's expression hardened, "I know you may not ….share my opinions on what happened last night. But that gives you no right to pretend it didn't happen."

Dean stared at the other man, bemused and dumbfounded. He shook his head, figuring to ignore whatever Cas was suggesting. "Tell me, Cas, do you have any mojo in you? Can you help me out with a problem I have?"

Cas's face went through a flurry of expressions that finally ended with confusion, "Are you talking about drugs?"

Dean rolled his eyes, deciding he won't be able to be vague about this.

"So you're not an angel? Do you know what's going on here? Where's the bunker? Why are we in New York? Why doesn't Sam know anything?"

"Sam knows a wide variety of things, Dean. He graduated at the top of his class." And, God, that was such a Cas response, but it's obviously not Cas.

"Hey, bitch!" A voice suddenly cut through his thoughts. Dean looked over Cas's shoulder and felt his heart stutter to a halt.

His mouth went dry and his hands started to shake.

"C-Charlie?" Dean whispered, eyes wide.

The ginger woman stepped forward, standing right behind Cas, she bowed extravagantly, "The one and only!"

Cas glanced behind him, trying to see what Dean was looking so emotional over. He looked back at Dean, he took a deep breath.

"Okay. I think it's time you sat down."

Cas was pushing Dean back into his apartment, leading him to the couch. A firm hand on his shoulder had Dean sinking down into the coushines. He blinked rapidly as Cas went into the kitchen.

"Cool, huh?" A voice next to him made him jump. Dean turned to find Charlie sprawled out on the couch next to him.

Dean looked back at the closed door. Charlie hadn't followed them in. "You're a… ghost?"

"Kind of." Charlie wrinkled her nose. "But considering that this isn't real, I'd go more with helpful spirit from beyond."

Dean leaned closer to her, lowering his voice, "So, you know what's going on?"

Charlie nodded, "Oh, yeah. And let me tell you, it's actually pretty funny."

Cas returned then, holding out a glass of ice water. He sat down next to Dean, Charlie just barely scrambling out of the way. With a soft smile, he handed Dean the glass, "Here."

"So, he can't see or hear me." Charlie said over Cas's shoulder, a sly grin on her face. "And, uh, you're in a different universe, of sorts."

Dean glared at her for a second, but stopped as soon as he saw Cas's upset expression.

"I'm just trying to help, Dean." Cas said, voice low. He shifted away from the hunter slightly, eyes staying trained on the floor.

"I…" Dean mumbled, trying to come up with something to say.

Charlie leaned back on the arm of the sofa, a wide grin on her face. "Remember how Chuck wrote those books about you and Sam?"

Dean kept his eyes on Cas, but he nodded slightly, "I know."

Cas's shoulders lost some of their tension, he asked, almost quietly, "So, are we… alright? Even after… everything that's happened?"

Charlie kept grinning, "Well, people wrote some stories about those books. It's called fanfic. Remember the wincest thing Sam found?"

"Yeah…" Dean glanced at Charlie and then back to Cas. He tried hard to keep his expression from looking too worried. He's anticipating the worst. Anything involving Chuck's books is automatically going to be painful.

Cas looked down again, his hands wringing each other incessantly. "That didn't sound all too convincing."

Dean wanted to swipe that pained look off of Cas's face immediately. He just had no idea how to do it. What was going through this Cas's mind? Dean placed a hand on Cas's knee without thoroughly thinking it through. Cas looked up, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Well, you're stuck in them." Charlie continued to explain. "And the only way to get out-"

"Dean?" Cas was leaning forward now and Dean could feel his nose slide against his own.

Dean's eyes slid shut on their own accord. His hand slid up Cas's knee to his thigh. Dean sighed at the first brush of lips.

"Yeah, basically, that."


Dean gasped suddenly, his back arching off the ground. He groaned as he tried to remember what just happened. He was with Sam in New York? And then he was about to leave. Charlie showed up… And Cas.

Cas.

Shit.

Dean shot up suddenly, eyes wide. He looked around the area. Cas was gone. The little apartment he had apparently owned had disappeared. He was on a dark, empty road in the middle of the forest. An abandoned two-lane. Dean slowly stood up, mind racing.

What just happened? Charlie said… She said he was in a fanfic. Whatever that meant.

"Charlie?" He asked, looking up to the sky.

"Sup, bitch!" The girl said from behind him. Dean turned around, bright lights blinding him for a moment. It was his Baby, and Charlie was sitting on the hood.

"Get down, you'll dent her." Dean muttered as he stepped up to his car. He ran a hand down her smooth black side, checking inside the car to see if Sam was there. He wasn't; the Impala was completely empty. In both occupants and gas. Groaning, Dean turned to his friend. He had a long list of questions for her. But he couldn't bring himself to say any of them. Instead, the first thing that tumbled out of his mouth was a panicked, "I didn't do that!"

"Do what?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow, "Kiss your best friend? Because you did. Well, he kissed you. But you definitely participated."

"That wasn't my fault- I didn't- I mean, I don't-" Dean couldn't even come up with the words to say, his heart was pounding faster than his mind could think. He was leaning against his baby for support because suddenly he couldn't hold himself up anymore.

Charlie jumped off his car, holding her hands up, "Whoa, whoa. Dean, calm down. No one is going to judge you for that. I'm the only one that'll remember it. You're in a different world now."

"What?" Dean gasped.

"Like I said, you're in a fanfic. The only way to get out, is to kiss Cas. You kissed him, so now you're in a different fanfic." Charlie was quiet now, voice calming, "That Cas is gone. He doesn't actually exist."

Dean's eyes flicked back and forth between both of Charlie's trying to figure out what that meant. Finally, all of his thoughts turned back to one sole person. "Gabe."

"Yeah. Gabe." Charlie shrugged. "He came into my heaven and told me this is my mission from God. I gotta help you through all these fics."

"This is bullshit." Dean hissed, anger burning inside him. "I didn't mean to- to- you know and I won't be doing it again!"

Charlie sighed, "You will if you want to get back home."

"Whadda mean? He won't let me out until I kiss his brother? That's sick. This is all sick." Dean was almost spitting now. He couldn't believe- if Sam had seen that, if Dad had seen that-

"Here's what he told me." Charlie said, keeping herself calm in the face of a furious Dean. "One hundred kisses, one hundred fics. Then you can go home. You got one down, ninety-nine to go."

Dean thought for a moment, watching her, "And… when I go home… Sam and Cas won't…?"
"They have no idea what's going on. As far as they know, you could be being tortured right now."

The hunter snorted, "They wouldn't be wrong."

Charlie gave him a disbelieving look. She shook her head and gazed out at the empty, winding road before them. "This fic gets really racy really quick. I'd kiss him and get it over with."

Dean looked down the same road she was, wondering what that meant, "What do you-" When he looked back at Charlie, she was gone. "-mean?"

After a few moments, Dean figured he might as well get to walking. Owls hooted in the trees above him and the cicadas were chirping loudly. The air was thick, having just finished raining. He was lucky his clothes weren't sopping wet. He doesn't know how long he's been walking, but the sound of tires on wet pavement made him stop and look back.

Blue and red lights started flashing and Dean prayed that he hadn't done anything illegal recently in this world. The cop car stopped a little in front of him and soon a man was climbing out, shining a flashlight at him.

"Hello." The cop said, "Dean?"

Dean took a hesitant step forward, "Yeah?"

"Your brother called. You haven't gotten home yet. Is everything alright?" The cop lowered the light slightly so it wasn't glaring into Dean's eyes. Dean sighed softly and walked up to stand next to the cop.

"Yeah, yeah. My car just ran outta gas and then there was that storm…" He was hoping that sounded like a reasonable timeline.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? Your brother said he called over and over."

"It broke." Dean said simply, pulling out the still crumbled phone.

The cop nodded, gesturing with the light, "Was that your Chevy back there?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah, figured I'd just walk the rest of the way."

"Why don't I just give you a ride?" The cop gestured to his car. "I was headed that way anyway. And it's about to storm again soon."

Dean nodded, figuring it was better than walking for another few hours or so. He didn't even know where to find Sam. They each climbed into the cop car, and it was only then did Dean get a good look at the guy.

"I'm Officer Novak." The cop held out his hand and Dean could only stare.

"Cas?" He gasped, awkwardly remembering to shake his hand.

Cas smiled, ducking his head, "Well, yes. When I'm off-duty."

Cas is a police officer. Cas is in a tight uniform with a shiney badge. Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

Dean sat in silence, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Cas was a fucking cop. As they drove down the empty road, small patters of rain plonked down on the windshield. Cas quickly had to turn on the windshield wipers to their fastest setting but it just kept pouring down harder and harder. Dean couldn't even see the lines on the road.

Cas slowly brought the car to a stop. He peered through the glass, trying hopelessly to see past the rain.

"I don't think the bridge up here is passable." He murmured, "It's low and floods easy in the rain."

"Right." Dean said, "I knew that."

He didn't know what made him say that. Something inside him told him to sound smart around Cas. He felt like an idiot anyway. Cas climbed out the car, saying, "I'll be right back," and disappearing into the water.

Dean jumped as a voice from the back said, "When you gonna kiss him?"

"Charlie!" Dean hissed, turning to look at her. "How does this fic end?"

Charlie pouted, "Firstly, don't say 'fic' like it's something bad. Secondly…." She hesitated.

"Charlie…" Dean growled warningly.

"It goes 0 to 100 real fast." Charlie warns, "When he gets back in the car y'all do the frick frack."

Dean choked on his own spit. "What?!"

"It's hot, too." Charlie comments casually. "Cas uses his belt to-"

"Charlie!" Dean was shaking, his heart pounding blood into his bright red face. "That is not going to happen!"

Charlie's trying hard not to laugh, Dean can tell, "Then kiss him and you'll go to the next fic."

Dean makes a frustrated whining noise. He can't kiss Cas again. That's not… He just can't. It's not right.

"It's either that or get caught with your pants down. Literally." Charlie says and then disappears. Dean doesn't have any time to think it over because the next second a sopping wet Castiel is climbing back into the car. His hair is stuck to his face and his clothes are weighed down by the water.

"This storm is biblical." Cas mutters as he throws his hat into the back seat. He glances at Dean and says, "I hope you don't mind, if I stay in these clothes I'll die of hypothermia."

Dean can only watch, eyes wide as Cas starts to unbutton his shirt. Cas threw that into the back as well. Dean blinked rapidly, sucking in a breath. Cas's shirt was white and soaked from the rain. Dean could see Cas's nipples, hard from the cold, and every single bump of his abs. Cas, oblivious to Dean's staring, cranked the heat up and rubbed his hands together.

"If only there was a faster way to get warm…" Cas mumbled, shivering harshly.

Dean's watched plenty-a pornos to know exactly where this was headed. Without thinking twice, he took Charlie's advice. He grabbed Cas's drenched white shirt and pulled him closer. He smashed their mouths together, shuddering at the cold wetness of Cas.


Dean woke to a harsh jab in the side. He jerked upward, rubbing his eyes.

"Dean." Cas was hissing at him. Dean nodded, still confused from being zapped through fictional literature. God, his life was weird. "If you're not going to take this tutoring seriously, then I'm not going to keep wasting my time on you!"

Really? A high school story? Dean didn't even graduate high school. Why would these sick fucks put him back in it and then read about it?

"High school love stories are awesome." Charlie said, appearing on the other side of the table. "It's puppy love. What's better than that?"

"Anything." Dean hissed, glaring at the ghost.

Charlie shrugged, "Kiss him and go to the next one."

Dean sighed, turning to look back at a confused and annoyed Cas. Dean blinked a few times, taking all of the other boy in. He was younger, obviously, to fit the high school setting. His hair was a goddamn mess, even more than the real Cas's is. And, Jesus, his eyes were so clear; like wide gleaming crystals. Dean's heart stuttered as he leaned forward, tilting his head slightly. Cas gasped and Dean found himself behind pushed forcibly back.

Dean lost his balance and tumbled out of his chair. He sucked in a breath, eyes darting up to look at a red-faced Cas. He was breathing hard, and Dean suddenly felt like shit because he could see tears forming in Cas's eyes.

Keeping his voice low, because they were in a library, Cas hissed, "I will not be another tally on Dean Winchester's scoreboard."

Dean's eyes flicked to Charlie who looked almost as heartbroken as Dean felt. "...What?"

"I-I have to go. Please study your notes." Cas grabbed his bag and left quickly, not looking back.

Dean slowly pulled himself up off the floor, watching as Cas disappeared behind the bookshelves. Feeling lost and more confused than ever, he looked over to Charlie. He repeated, "What?"

Charlie sighed, "You're a bit of a slut in this fic. Um… Cas had a crush on you and everyone knew it. He thinks you're just using him."

Dean frowned to himself, "'M not a slut…"

His friend shrugged, "You do sleep around a lot."

"It's not a crime." Dean glared at her.

"I think you're focusing on the wrong thing. You're kiss number three just stormed away from you." Charlie pointed out. "Luckily for you, this fic ends with a kiss, so you just have to-"

"Are these actual stories?"

"Yeah. People actually wrote these. Fans of Chuck's work."

"Why?"

"Dean. Seriously."

"Have you read all of these?"

Charlie bit her lip. "Weeeeell…."

"DUDE!"

The librarian came by and shhh'd at Dean. The hunter sighed and muttered out an apology. Once the librarian left, he turned back to the ghost, "So what do I do now?"

"You see him again tomorrow. At school." Charlie replied casually, "But I don't think you should just go for it again. Cas might actually slap you."

"Then how am I supposed to kiss him?"

"Seduce him."

Dean froze in spot. It took a few minutes for his mind to catch up with that. By the time he opened his mouth to retort 'No!', Charlie was gone. With a huff, Dean grabbed what he figured was his backpack and headed out to the parking lot.

It actually wasn't that hard to fall into step of this world. He found the address of his home scribbled on the back of a scrap of paper in Baby's glove box. There was another address, but it was scribbled out. They must move around another lot in this world.

Dean went back into the library and punched in his address into a computer. With freshly-printed directions, he headed home.

Sam was there, young and chubby-faced. Dean took a moment to just watch his little brother as he diligently worked on his homework.

"Dude." Sam said, no looking up from his homework, "Stop staring. S'weird."

Dean smiled to himself and reached over and ruffled Sam's hair. "You're weird."

"Jerk!" Sam shouted, pushing Dean's hand away. He pouted as Dean laughed. This he could do. This was so familiar, it gave Dean a warm haze in his chest. His mind drifted to late nights on the road, of the cool fall air pushing through rolled down windows, of legos and army men. Sam squirmed under his gaze, "Why'ya smiling like that? Did you finally kiss Cas?"

Dean physically jerked back, mind snapping to the present, "What?!"

"C'mon, Dean. I'm not a kid, and I'm not dumb. I know you love him." Sam was grinning as he added, "Anyone with eyes could see that."

Dean tried to push the words out - 'No I don't!' - but they wouldn't form. Something deep in his gut wouldn't allow him to say those words, because a little part of him doesn't believe their true. He slumped against his chair, letting out a long breath.

"He ran off." Dean admitted, quietly. He rubbed his face with his palm, trying to sooth an oncoming headache, "Pushed me away."

Sam's expression softened considerably, "No," he said quietly, "No he wouldn't do that…"

"Well, he did." Dean grumbled, glaring at his little brother. It struck him with just how real this all felt. If Dean cleared his mind for a moment, he wouldn't think he's in some other dimension because of an asshat archangel. It felt more like he was back in time. Switch Cas for a pretty girl and he's pretty sure this conversation has happened before.

"But he loves you." Sam said, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Dean shrugs, his voice painfully honest as he mumbles, "Not so sure about that one, kid."

The rest of the day went by easily. Dean made them dinner - grilled cheese - and finally dragged Sam to bed. The morning was just as easy to go through. Sam was running around, making sure he had everything, while Dean grinned, relishing in the nostalgia of it all.

"So which way is the school?" He had a pretty good idea from last night, but he wasn't entirely sure.

Sam just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Left, Dean. Turn left."

Dean decided he'd grab Cas the first chance he got. Sam left to meet up with a pretty blonde girl and Dean stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, Sam." He called. His brother turned to look back at him and slowly walked back.

"What?" He looked annoyed at being interrupted. He kept looking back over to the girl, who was waiting patiently.

Dean licked his lips, biting back a grin. "Who's that?"

Sam looked down to hide his pinkening cheeks. "No one. Her name's Jessica."

Dean couldn't hold back his smile now. His eyes flicking over to Jess. God, that's Jess. Actually Jess. These writers - teenage girls, is what they really are, but whatever - have given Sam another chance. Maybe they weren't so bad.

"Awesome." Dean said, feeling almost giddy for his brother.

Sam just gave him an odd look, slowly backing away, "You're being weird, Dean."

"Shut up. Go to class." There was no bite in his voice. How could he, when Sam turned and smiled so shyly at Jess and she tucked her hair behind her ear.

A tuff of messy black hair caught Dean's attention. He started after it, weaving between people. Cas was just about to leave his locker when Dean caught up. He grabbed Cas's arm to keep him in place, out of breath, he stopped just a little too close to Cas. The other boy had to look up to meet his eyes.

"Hello, Dean." He said, cold and detached.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night." Dean said, because he's sure that does deserve an apology. "I didn't mean to, like, offend you or whatever."

Cas looked like he was trying hard not to smile, "That was possibly the worst apology I've ever heard."

Dean smiled sheepishly, "I'm not too good at 'em."

"Maybe I should tutor you in that as well." Cas said, tipping his chin up in a challenge. Dean was grinning widely now, because this Cas was a little shit, wasn't he?

The words spilled out of his mouth on the back of a laugh, riding the joy out into the air, "If it means I get to see you more, then there's a lot I need to learn."

It must've been the wrong thing to say because Cas's muscles stiffened up and he took a small step away. He looked down and his hands drew close to himself.

"I-I have to go." He said, turning to walk away.

Dean was not going to actually go to class in a high school again. He needed that kiss, damn it! So he reached forward and pulled Cas back again.

"Hey, listen, I-" He started, but Cas interrupted him, voice emotional.

"Why did you try to kiss me?"

Dean blinked hard, feeling like the floor just fell out from under him and he was tumbling into the darkness. "I, uh-"

"Because if you- if you heard anything about me, it's not... I don't…" Cas's eyes were shining with unshed tears and he kept chewing his lip. His gaze spaced out slightly as he tried to find the right words to say.

Dean gently placed a hand on Cas's shoulder. The smaller boy flinched ever so slightly and Dean almost pulled it away, if it weren't for the low exhale Cas made at the touch.

"Cas, buddy, I…" He knew what he was supposed to say here. It was the sappy dramatic moment in chick flicks with the warm music and the slow zoom in and all the girls in the audience hold their breath. He was supposed to confess his undying love here. He was supposed to say, "I love you." but he couldn't force that word out, so what stumbled from his lips were, "I… I think I like you."

Cas snorted, brushing off Dean's hand. "No you don't."

"What?"

"You don't like people, Dean. You're the school whore, you take what you want with no regard for what anyone else thinks. You don't like you use." Cas looked genuinely furious at Dean's supposed activities.

Anger swirled inside Dean's heart, he crossed his arms, "Excuse me for having fun."

Cas threw his hands in the air, "Is that what I am, then? Just another way to have fun? How can you say you like me when you don't even know me?"

Dean huffed out an annoyed breath and sincerely hoped that this Cas and his Cas were mostly the same. He refused to look at the boy as he said, "Your favorite color is that pinkish-orange that the sky has during a sunrise. Your favorite food is burgers, specifically ones juicy ones with lettuce and pickles. No mustard. You want a guinea pig and your favorite animal is bees. You're gorgeous when you smile and you should probably wash that trench coat of yours."

When he finished his eyes flicked to meet Cas's silently daring him to say something.

The kiss took him by surprise. Cas pulled him down and smashed their mouths together furiously. Dean could taste his tears and his lip was soft from all the biting Cas had been doing. Dean pulled the boy closer, pouring everything into his kiss because Cas had to understand. There wasn't anyone else, there never was.


"Hello, Dean."

Dean's chest felt empty, like the air was being sucked out of his lungs. But he wasn't panicky about it and it didn't feel painful at all. It was just, weird. His shoulders were weighted down, the muscles pulled tight. He rolled them absentmindedly. Dean looked up to see Cas, sitting cross-legged on a motel bed, surrounded by books and papers.

"Hey, Cas." Dean said, trying to figure out what this world was about.

Cas gestured down to the papers around him. "So, what'd'ya think?"

"About what?" Dean asked, picking up an iphone. The background of it was a picture of him and Cas. He was looking at the camera with a confused scowl and Cas was laughing. Dean was wearing the same thing in the picture as he was now. At Cas's amused raised eyebrow, Dean stepped forward and looked at the papers. He rolled his shoulders.

"I think it's a vampire nest. But the victims' stomachs were missing as well as their blood. I couldn't find anything in my dad's journal about this-" He held up a thick leather book and Dean immediately snatched it out of Cas's hand. "Hey!"

The first page had the name scrawled on it, "Chuck Novak", and the date, "November 6th, 1983". Dean skimmed the first page and it told the story of a monster coming in the night, feeding its blood to a baby and burning the house down. Chuck's wife - Becky, gross - didn't survive.

Dean looked up at Cas, eyes wide. The baby that took Sam's place that night, was Cas.

The angel - no, human - in question squirmed.

"Look, babe, be careful with that, it's all I have left of Dad." Cas said, reaching for it. Dean pulled it back, not breaking eye contact. They stared at each other for a tense solid minute. The door opened then, behind Dean. He turned slightly to see Gabe come into the motel room, holding a bag full of something greasy. Charlie's voice was in his ear, telling Dean that this wasn't the real Gabe, so he shouldn't try to kill him. Dean begrudgingly decided to listen to her.

Gabe stopped when he saw the journal in Dean's hand.

"Hey, whoa! Bad angel! Put that down!" He dropped the dinner and jumped at Dean. Dean barely felt the way Gabe pounded his back angrily. After a moment, Dean handed the journal back to Cas, who took it gratefully.

"Baby, I asked you not to touch that. It's important; you wouldn't understand." Gabe grumbled as he picked up their dinner, checking to make sure nothing was smashed, "What're you doing here anyway, babe? I didn't pray for you."

"I did. I needed help with the hunt." Cas replied, rubbing his tired eyes.

Gabe crossed his arms, "You should have told me he was coming. He still can't be trusted on his own."

"I was here. And don't forget who's handprint you have on your shoulder, Gabe." Cas said from behind his hands. "He did save you from Hell."

Gabe stepped up on his tippy-toes to press a soft kiss to Dean's cheek. "He knows I love him."

He then smacked Dean's ass and winked at him. Dean stared, frozen. His mind was a mantra of 'wrongwrongwrongwrong'.

"He means 'thank you, Dean'." Cas smiled up at him and Dean felt his heart tumble on itself. Now, that, felt right.

"Yeah, no problem." Dean forced the words out of his mouth, eyes flicking low to the floor. He rolled his shoulders again, "So, about this case."

It was vampires, in the end. They were just psycho Satan worshiping vampires that were using the stomachs of their victims as offerings to the devil. Or something. It was actually a lot of fun to fight as an angle alongside Cas. To protect him in ways he couldn't before. To heal him when he was hurt and to smite those that caused that pain.

It was wonderful.

Dean was still feeling the high from the battle when they got to the motel room. He was grinning as Gabe slid into the bathroom to take a shower and Cas slowly pulled his shirt off. He wasn't facing Dean and the hunter - er, angel - could see every ripple of muscle in the angel - crap, hunter's - back. Dean's mouth went dry and he couldn't find the strength to look away.

Cas turned slightly, his mouth quirked up in the beginning of a word, but it fell instantly, "Hey. Are you okay?"

"What?" Dean croaked. He cleared his throat and nodded stiffly, "I mean, yes."

Cas laughed and Dean almost melted at the sound. The hunter shook his head fondly, "Dude, you suck at lying."

And then he stepped forward, still gorgeously shirtless, and tilted his head slightly. "What's wrong? Your wings bugging you again?"

"I-" Dean didn't know what to say. But Cas was stepping closer still, crowding up to him. Dean stepped back, trying to keep some space between them, but Cas kept sliding closer. Dean felt the bed hit the back of his knees and he tumbled onto it, awkwardly sitting on the edge. Cas smirked down at him, his hand splayed out across Dean's chest.

"We better make this fast. Gabe's showers never last long." He whispered, his eyes ghosting across Dean's face, "Imagine how pissed he would be if he saw his angel with his poor, innocent baby brother."

Dean was frozen, he couldn't get his body to react, he couldn't run or push Cas away or scream. He couldn't lean in or pull Cas closer or moan. All he could do was watch it happen, like a movie, his heart pounding as Cas leaned closer.

"A response would be awesome right now, baby." He whispered, just a hint of concern in his eyes.

So Dean did the only thing he could think of. He leaned forward and captured Cas's lips in his, feeling the small sigh of satisfaction against his skin.


There was screaming.

Dean immediately kicked into action, he pushed past some doors, following the sound of the screams. God, it was deafening, so many people, all screaming at once. Dean had no idea what could possibly be happening, but he was already planning ways to help.

His feet led him to a dark, thick curtain. Right as he was about to pull it away, someone grabbed him and he stumbled backwards. Dean twisted in their grip, his arm swinging around, aiming for the person's head.

"Hey!" Someone shouted and there were two more arms on him, grabbing at him.

They ended up restraining him, his arms being pulled behind his back, his head down.

"Let go of me!" He growled. All he could tell was that these guys were big. And wearing all black.

"Whoa, whoa, guys, let him go." Someone was saying, running up to them.

Dean could only see their feet, in bright sneakers that glowed when the person walked.

"What happened?" The person said, their feet shifting and the floor lighting up because of it.

"He tried to grab the curtain, so I stopped him and then he just attacked me." The guy behind him said.

There was a sigh and then the feet were tapping, rhythmically blinking green and yellow lights.

"Let him go, come on. He gets panicky." Dean was starting to recognize the voice as the men behind him let him go. Dean rubbed his wrists and stood up straight, eyes darting around in the semi-dark.

"Go away, go guard some drums or something!" Dean's eyes flicked to who was talking. Gabe, dressed in all black, except for his shoes. He had one of those earphones in one ear and was holding a clipboard. When he finished shooing away the big guys - security guards, Dean realized - he turned to Dean. "You alright? Need some air?"

"There was screaming…" Dean said, pointing vaguely at the curtain.

Gabe grinned, "I know. The crowd is so pumped. And the guys are loving it. They've never performed this well before."

Dean was still breathing hard a little bit and so it took him a moment to put the pieces together. He blinked a few times and then said eloquently, "What?"

"Yeah, exactly. Who knew this lil crappy band would become something people screamed for, right?" Gabe was grinning now, "God, just listen to them!"

The crowd was an audience for a concert, and they were screaming as though they only had seconds left to live. Forgive Dean if he assumed the wrong thing, but no one ever screams for joy in Dean's life. It was only now that Dean could hear the chords of a guitar and the beats of drums over the crowd.

Dean slowly stepped up to the curtain, looking back at Gabe who was smiling at him. Dean gently pulled it back just enough to see the bright lights of the stage. It looked like Balthazar was on guitar, Michael on bass, Lucifer on drums and Cas was singing. In front of them was a sea of people, all screaming and jumping to the beat. Some held signs, others were filming the show on their phones.

Dean pulled away, slipping the curtain closed again. He looked over over at Gabe, who was standing behind him now.

"You gonna go out with them for the encour?" He asked quietly.

"Why would I?" Dean whispered back.

Gabe winked as he said, "Cas would love it." Then he hastily added, "But he knows how you get in front of people, so he doesn't expect you to. There's no pressure."

Dean thought for a second, and a grin slowly spread across his face, "Only if I get to pick the song."

Gabe looked up from his clipboard, "Wait, really?"

"Sure. Why not?" Dean grinned, "Think they know how to play Ramble On?"

It was definitely worth it to see Cas's face when Gabe told him that Dean would sing on stage with them. He opened his mouth to say something, but was rushed off to do a quick change by Gabe.

"Make love eyes later, get naked now!" Gabe yelled. He turned to Dean and pulled his shirt up.

"Hey, whoa, what are you-?" Dean started, eyes wide.

"Relax." Gabe muttered, holding something against his hip. He then had two more hands on him, not a security guard this time, but an assistant. They were taping a little black box to him and running a wire up his side. "It's a mic. So we can hear your pretty voice."

The wire went around his ear and ended on his cheek, where they taped it down. A little nub that must be the mic rested near his mouth.

"You ready? Cas is about to announce you." Gabe was looking out at the stage, where Cas was talking and the others were trying to distract him. The audience laughed every time Cas turned around and snapped at them.

And then Cas was saying, "You guys have been such an amazing audience tonight, you're in for a special treat! Somehow we managed to convince Dean to come out here with us!"

The crowd went wild.

Dean had no idea why they did. He wasn't anything special. He could barely sing, if he was being honest with himself. But he rode that high like no tomorrow. Tonight he was a rock God and he was going to sing.

"Go get 'em tiger. Try not to puke on anyone." Gabe said, patting him on the back roughly.

Dean was grinning as he strode out onto the stage. Somehow, the crowd grew louder. Dean squinted against the bright lights, waving at the crowd.

"You sure about this?" Cas asked, voice quiet. Dean nodded, patting Cas on the shoulder, which, for some reason, caused an uproar among the audience.

"Definitely." Turning to the band members behind him, he asked, "How do you guys feel about Led Zep?"

"I'd love to play some. If you two are done confessing your undying love." Lucifer said into his mic. The crowd screamed behind Dean, which the hunter, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why. When he looked back at Cas, the other man's face was bright red. Dean smiled at it, enjoying the sight. It's not often he gets to see his angel blush.

Dean quickly schooled his expression and the band started to play the opening riffs to Ramble On.

Dean sang out the first lyrics, and was shocked to find that his voice was actually damn good. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he sang along with Cas.

Now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song!

Just for the hell of it, he stripped off his jacket and threw it into the crowd. A laugh bubbled up from in his chest as the girls screamed and clawed at each other to get it.

Cas shook his head fondly, eyes crinkling with joy. Dean nudged him with his shoulder playfully.

This is a dream, he realizes. This will never happen in his real life. And so when the final notes fade out and Cas was saying goodnight to the cheering audience, Dean almost didn't want to go. He could stay here, in this world, for a while. He could sing with Cas over and over again.

But the high of the song and attention made him forget circumstances. He pulled Cas close before he could think twice.

The cheering from the crowd echoed through Dean's mind as Cas's ecstatic kiss captured his attention.


The first thing Dean noticed, was the dull ache that ran through his bones. Not an unfamiliar feeling; one he's known ever since his first hunting trip. Bruises that haven't healed yet, cuts that just finished bleeding. It's so normal feeling that he doesn't give it a second thought. The only reason he noticed it in the first place was because there was a distinct lack of that dull pain in the last world he was in.

"Hello, Dean." The voice was much more serious than the last time Dean heard it. He looked up, finding Cas on the other side of a doorway. He gestured slightly and said, "May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Dean stepped back so Cas could come into his - he's guessing - tiny apartment. Cas looked around Dean, peaking into the unoccupied rooms.

"She's not, uh, here, is she?" He asked, eyes darting up to Dean's.

"No? No." Dean replied, wondering who 'she' was.

Instantly, Cas relaxed. His shoulders lost some of their tension and he rubbed his face warily.

"Look, Dean…" His voice sounded tired, but when he looked up at Dean again, there was a fire in his eyes. "Jo told me about- she knows that- she saw…"

Cas took a deep breath and Dean was surprised to find the other man's body shook slightly. After a tense minute, he said, voice near quiet, "When were you going to tell me?"

Dean just blinked at him. He was seeing this as an outsider, he had no clue what Cas was talking about.

"I'm gonna need a little context about what we're talking about, here, buddy." Dean said as gently as he could. It must've not been gentle enough because Cas fucking growled and yanked Dean forward by his wrist. Although his grip was loose, Dean still winced at the small pressure Cas put on his wrist. Dean didn't have the chance to say anything, as Cas suddenly pulled Dean's shirt up, exposing his chest.

"This is what we're talking about, Dean!" He hissed. Dean glanced down at his chest and saw gross purple-green bruises coloring his body. Cas was rolling up Dean's sleeve now, revealing distinct finger-shaped marks wrapped around each wrist. Like someone made those bruises while holding his arms down. Dean swallowed hard, his eyes finally lifting up to look at Cas.

"The make up on your face. What's it hiding?" Cas asked.

Dean blinked in surprise, "I-I'm not wearing make up."

Cas pulled his closer, hissing between sharp teeth, "You are, Dean. I can't see your freckles. How big of a bruise is under there? Where is it? Your chin? Your cheek? Did you do the make up? Or did she?"

"Cas, I-" Dean didn't know how to respond. He never expected some silly story written by a teenage girl would be this … real.

Cas let go of him then. Like letting the air out of a balloon, he sagged against Dean, eyes closed. "I'm just worried, Dean."

Almost numb by shock, Dean wrapped an arm around Cas and pulled him close to his chest. Dean's unfocused eyes stared at the closed door behind Cas. He rested his chin on Cas's head and whispered, "I know, buddy."

"You think it's not abuse," Cas continued, voice strained, carefully lowering Dean's shirt, "because she's a woman and you're a man. But it is, Dean. It- it is."

Dean didn't know what to say to that. Yeah, his dad hit him when he was growing up. But that was always because he deserved it. He did something wrong; he said the wrong thing; he put Sam in danger; he wasn't fast enough or strong enough or smart enough. Sure, he had a rough life. But he was never put in a situation like this before. He never had someone care like this before. Dean gently placed his hand on the back Cas's neck, brushing his thumb through the other man's soft hair.

"I'm sorry, Cas." He heard himself mumbled, "Shoulda told you."
Cas pulled away slowly, his eyes dangerous. "I'm going to make this better. But it has to start with you."

Dean nodded, letting go of Cas. His hands fell limply at his side, "Yeah, okay."

"You have to break up with her. And you have to move out of here." Cas said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Not that Dean would. At this point, he was just amazed by the fury and emotion in Cas's eyes.

"Sure."

"Not 'sure', Dean. 'Yes'. You have to do this." Cas hissed, then quieter, added, "I hate seeing you hurt."

Dean's own voice softened, as if both were afraid of speaking too loudly. "I know, Cas."

"It's not love, Dean." Cas seemed to choke on the words. He swallowed hard, his eyes falling down to Dean's chest. "What she… you two together… that's not love. I could-"

He cut himself off, shaking himself slightly. Dean reached forward, hope and confusion warring in his chest. "You could what?"

Cas let out a shaky breath, "I could show you… what real love is. What it feels like. It's not, it's not pain and fear, Dean. It's…"

Dean's lips quirked up for just a second, because in his world, Cas would have no idea what love actually is. He'd never know- he'd never feel it. Let alone for Dean. And here's a Cas that's so obviously in love with him, Dean could, if he wanted, take up this Cas on his offer. He could be loved by the angel.

"It's warm. And peaceful. And, and good." Cas was saying, he looked up at Dean again, fingers carefully reaching forward to touch Dean's shirt. Mindlessly, reaching for him, wanting to draw him closer. "I want that for you."

Dean sucked in a breath and Cas drew back slightly, his fingers never once getting the chance to brush against him. The angel looked down and away again.

"O-of course, it doesn't have to be me. I mean, obviously, I'd help you find a nice girl, one that would appreciate you, because, I'm not, um, female and you don't-" Cas's face was growing red and his eyes wouldn't leave the floor. "You couldn't ever, not for me at least, maybe a more feminine guy, i guess, but, what I'm trying to say is-"

Dean stepped forward then, pulling Cas closer by his stupid trenchcoat, "Cas." He hushed him, pressing their foreheads together, his voice was a whisper, an edge of fear still laced in it, as he said, "I'd want you… only you."

They stared at each other for a long, tense moment. The air around them was electrified and neither could quite remember how to breathe. The kiss came slowly, Cas tilting his head up gently, giving Dean every opportunity to pull away.

Dean didn't.


He wished he did.

Because if he didn't kiss Cas, then he'd be back in that world. And, really, how many times would Dean be lucky enough to see Cas look at him like that? Like he's something special and precious? Like he deserves to be protected, and anyone that hurts him should be punished.

A man doesn't get that lucky twice.

"Dean? You okay?" It was Sam's voice, and Dean almost sagged in relief when he saw his brother.

He looked good as always, safe and sound. He was packing up a duffle; paused to give Dean a concerning look.

Dean jolted himself back to reality. Or, well, this new reality. A quick look around told him that he was in the bunker, but Charlie sitting on the table, reading a magazine told him he was still in fanfic-world. He gratefully reached for the open beer in front of him.

"Yeah, fine." Dean said, taking a swig.

"You sure you don't want to go on this hunt with me?" Sam asked, "It can, uh, get your mind off things."

Dean swallowed and shook his head, eyeing Charlie wearily. "Nah, someone's gotta hold down the fort."

"...Alright. I'll call you when I get to the motel. It should be quick and easy, just a salt n' burn. I'll be back in three days, tops. Please eat something. And, Dean." Sam sighed as he zipped up his duffle. "Make it easy on yourself and just stay away from the dungeon."

Dean held up three fingers and smiled his most innocent smile, "Scout's honor."

Sam didn't look like he believed him, but he shook his head and left anyway. As the door to the bunker closed, Dean turned to Charlie and tapped on the table.

"So." Charlie glanced up at him, "What's in the dungeon?"

"You're not gonna like it." Charlie warned, setting the magazine down.

"How bad can it be?"

Bad.

It's very bad.

Dean almost swallowed his tongue when he stepped through the doorway. In a circle of holy fire, with a demon trap painted on the floor, tied up in special handcuffs, was none other than-

"Cas?" His voice cracked slightly. The gnawing pain in his gut made him want to turn around and run.

"Hello, Dean." Cas wouldn't lift his head. He was sitting on the floor, hands in his lap. Dean stepped forward slightly, but couldn't get any closer because of the fire.

"What- why are you-" Dean couldn't fathom there being any reason for Sam to lock up Cas. Not, not Cas. He doesn't ever do anything wrong. Alright, he does, but never on purpose. He's an angel for fuck's sake!

Cas slowly lifted his head, eyes closed. Dean watched as he tilted his head slightly, eyebrows drawing together.

"Oh, Dean…" He practically purred, "How could you forget about this?"

When Cas opened his eyes, Dean stumbled back. In place of Castiel's beautiful ocean blues were black, soul-stealing darkness.

"You're a-a-" Dean couldn't even choke out the word. He stared at black eyes that taunted him.

"What?" Cas asked, batting those horrible eyes, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Dean couldn't help it.

He turned and ran.

Dean found himself in his room, running his fingers through his hair. His heart was pounding and he couldn't sit still. Wearing a trench into his carpet, he kept muttering to himself.

"A demon. Cas is a demon."

Charlie sat on his bed, eyes sympathetic. She didn't say anything as Dean's shaking hands tugged at his scalp. A demon. Everything that's happened, out of everything, Cas being a demon might actually be the worst. He's an angel for fuck's sake. A direct link to God. And now he's tainted with that thick black smoke from Hell.

Dean turned to Charlie, eyes furious, "How did this happen?"

"He died when he was human. Fallen angels don't get to go to Heaven…" Charlie said quietly, not meeting his eyes, "You made a deal with Death, but it, uh, didn't work out how you hoped."

Dean shook his head minutely, taking a staggering step backwards, "I did this to him?"

"Dean…" Charlie sighed, she rubbed her forehead and slowly slid off the bed, "Just, just go and kiss him and leave this world. It isn't a fun story."

The hunter couldn't swallow. Kissing Cas, that's something he's starting to let himself like, but when he's a demon… When he's not really Cas at all…

"I don't think I can." Dean said, "I don't want to see him like that."

Charlie placed a cold hand on his shoulder, washing all the unease from him. "It'll be okay, Dean. He's not real, he's not really Cas."
Dean was starting to think that might be the problem.

Pouring a bottle of water on a part of the fire, Dean stepped into the demon trap. His mouth was dry and this was the last thing he wanted to do. How could he fix this? How could he help Cas? He had no idea.

"Cas…" He said quietly, kneeling down in front of Cas so they were face to face, "I'm so sorry, I… I didn't-"

The demon looked up suddenly, a wicked smile carving his face, "Dean, Dean, Dean… You've done me a favor."

"I… what?" Dean leaned back on his heels, surprised.

"I couldn't say it before, I was too scared." Cas turned his head like a snake, eyes tracking Dean's every movement. He was so sickeningly fluid, like thick black sludge. "Fear is something that left me when you traded my grace for demon blood."

Guilt pounded through Dean's veins, he couldn't look away but he didn't want to see those black eyes on him.

"Unfortunately, so did my love for you." Cas sneered, "How ironic is that? As soon as I have the guts to tell you how I feel… and the feeling's gone."

It was a punch to the gut, his breath was sucked out of him as he saw the pitying look on Cas's face. The demon's eyes flashed blue for just a second, his expression turning soft.

"Oh, Dean…" He cooed, "If only there was someone who loved you."

Dean forced himself to lean forward then, while Cas's eyes were still blue. He winced as Cas bit his lip, laughing into his mouth.


Dean was breathing hard, jerking awake. His eyes darted around the room, but there was nothing to fear. There were no demons. Dean relaxed slowly, letting himself to sink into the couch he was resting on.

Cas was laying against Dean. They were watching Star Wars. Cas's head was tucked under Dean's, his arm draped over Dean's waist. That trench coat was gone. But Dean couldn't care at all. Dean rubbed Cas's side with the arm that was wrapped around him. This, he could live with. Relaxing, Cas asleep on him, no worries, no demons, no pain and no fear.

But, eventually, he knew he'd have to move on. Go to the next place, next world. He needed to get home. Because, yeah, this Cas was Cas, but he wasn't Cas.

They were in a normal house. Dean didn't feel even remotely exhausted. And Cas was so scrawny. This all meant that they weren't hunters. And Cas wasn't an angel. Cas has no idea about their history, their friendship. And he has no idea about this Cas's relation to him. They could be dating, they could be brothers. Anything seems possible at this point.

With this in his mind, Dean gently nudged Cas awake.

Cas moaned in a completely adorable way, and shifted against Dean.

"Whadda want, Dean?" His voice was higher than his Cas's. Dean would miss that deep, throaty tone.

"Hey," Dean whispered, "look at me."

Cas tilted his head up, but kept his eyes closed. "Mmm?"

Dean couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he leaned down and brushed their lips together. It was soft, delicate. Dean sighed happily and Cas froze up.

It wasn't until Cas jerked away, did Dean realize something was wrong.

"What the fuck, Dean?!" Cas screeched, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Cas was standing now. He had catapulted himself off of Dean, forcing distance between them.

"I-" Dean had no idea how to respond. Why wasn't he in a new world? Why was Cas reacting so horribly to this? Did he really not love him here? Was this some punishment for enjoying his time here?

"What the actual fuck?" Cas was saying, still trying to scrap the taste of Dean off his lips. "You- you just kissed me!"

Dean could only squirm. He could feel a deep pull of doubt and shame tug his heart down to his stomach.

When he finally found his voice, it was small, "Cas, I-"

"Cas?" Cas said. Realization crossed his features and he sighed in relief. "Oh, jesus christ."

Dean watched as Cas flopped down on the couch next to him, a tired smile on his face.

"God, you idiot. I'm Jimmy." Cas - not Cas - Jimmy said, throwing an arm over the back of the couch, "How long have we been friends and you still mix us up?"

Twins. Dean realized, they must be twins.

Dean laughed awkwardly, still trying to swallow the hurt of Cas pushing him away again. "Yeah, sorry, man."

There was a long, tense silence. And then Jimmy tilted his head back, grinning at the ceiling, "Sooo…" He looked back at Dean with a lazy smirk, "Cas, huh?"

Dean felt his face heat up, he squirmed under Jimmy's gaze. "I, uh…"

Jimmy laughed, playfully hitting Dean's arm, "Dude, I don't care. I'm your best friend! Of course I want you to be happy."

Dean relaxed slightly, a smile playing on his lips, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jimmy's expression turned deadly serious in a split second, "But if you hurt my baby brother I'm going to kill you without a second thought."

"I'd never-" Dean's voice cut off as the door opened and Cas slid into the room. Dean sucked in a breath, as his gaze raked over Cas's well-toned body. He wasn't wearing a shirt and he has sweat slowly running down his back.

"Speak of the devil." Jimmy smirked.

Cas looked up, his eyes flicking between his brother and his best friend, "Hello, Dean."

"Hey, Cas." Dean said quietly, his eyes not leaving Cas's. They're blue, so gloriously, wondrously blue. He couldn't tear his gaze away from them. God, he missed them. They're so… so blue.

Jimmy cleared his throat, "Welp, I'm gonna go take a shower."

Cas snapped out of his daze, looking to his brother, "But, I need to-"

"Can't hear you over me not caring!" Jimmy called over his shoulder as he slammed the door to the bathroom closed, leaving Dean alone in the room with a shirtless, sweaty Cas.

"Hey, Cas." Dean said.

Cas smiled shyly, looking down at his hands, "Hello, Dean… I do believe we already exchanged greetings?"

Dean blushed again, feeling stupid. "I, yeah, we did."

Cas chuckled and Dean looked up at him, grinning. He could do anything, he could say anything, because this Cas wasn't his Cas. So he could say something incredibly honest and stupid like-

"I love it when you laugh."

Cas's eyes widened comically large. "I- oh, uh-"

Dean stood up, his legs shaking slightly as he walked up to Cas, "I… I really love it when I make you laugh."

"Dean?" Cas gasped as Dean's fingers brushed against his arms. Goosebumps formed under Dean's touch.

The taller boy bumped their noses together, his eyes half-lidded, his breath soft as he mumbled, "I'd do anything to keep that laugh on your lips."
Cas smiled, unsure but hopeful, as he said, "Dean, please don't tease me, if you don't-"

"I mean it, Cas." Dean said, pulling Cas closer to him by his elbows, "I mean it."
"You… you?"

"Yeah…"

They were staring at each other again. Dean was falling into Cas's eyes, absorbing every fleck of blue and sparkle of grey. Warmth filled Dean's heart as he brushed his thumb against Cas's skin, earning a surprised gasp.

The moment was shattered as Jimmy called from behind them, "Just kiss already!"

Cas scowled at his brother over Dean's shoulder.

Dean was determined to kiss that frown away.


The world was black.

Dean blinked repeatedly, but nothing happened. There was no light, no color, no shapes… Nothing.

Panic swirled inside Dean, his eyes darting around to try to find out where he was, but he couldn't fucking see anything.

"Charlie?" His voice was soft, not knowing who was around and if they were dangerous or not.

"I'm here, Dean." A voice to his left said. Dean turned to it, but still found nothing. He knew his eyes were open, his fingers gently brushed against his eyelashes. "In this fic, you're blind."
A shudder ran through Dean's chest, like a cold lightning bolt. "Why?"

"Representation." Charlie replied and he could practically hear her shrug.

"Will you, uh, stay with me? For this one?" He needed his sight, he didn't know how to not have his sight.

A cold hand landed on Dean's shoulder, making him jump slightly, "Yeah, of course. So right now, you're sitting on a couch. Sam is in the kitchen, to your right. He's washing dishes and listening to his ipod."

Dean's fingers felt the soft felt under him, plushy and comfortable. "And… Cas?"

"Works at an ice cream shop down the street." Charlie replied, "You go there almost every day."
A grin couldn't stay off Dean's lips as he said, "Be honest with me, am I fat?"

"You got some cute lil pudge." Charlie pinched his tummy, making Dean jump.

"You ready to go?" Sam's voice came from his right. Dean turned to look at him, before he remembered he couldn't see him. He imagined what Sam looks like in this world. Is he nerdy? Is he super buff? Is he younger? Does he have long hair or longer hair?

Dean nodded. It was only after he did, he wondered if blind people actually nod. Isn't that a visual cue, something learned and shared through sight? Whatever. He was thinking about this too much. "Yeah."

Charlie's voice said, "Your cane sticky-thing is on your lap. I'll help you as much as I can."

The walk to the ice cream shop took forever. Dean was hesitant about every step he took, even though his little cane told him that he wouldn't walk off the side of a cliff. There was a terrifying moment when Dean had to go down stairs. And his legs were shaking slightly as Charlie had her hand on his back, gently coaxing him forward. Sam asked twice if Dean was feeling okay, but once Dean snapped at him to shut up, he didn't ask again.

When they finally made it to the ice cream store, Dean almost stumbled over the door stop. Charlie caught him and gently described to him the room they were in.

"It's a self-serve ice cream place. So in front of you are the machines that give out soft-serve ice cream. To the left is a huge topping bar. And then next to that is the cash register. There's tables lining the walls and in the center of the room."

Sam's voice was ahead of him, saying, "What are you in the mood for today?"

"Chocolate, I guess." Dean doesn't have ice cream often, so he doesn't have a favorite flavor or anything.

Charlie was gently tugging him forward, and after a moment, Dean's cane hit the back of Sam's shoe. Sam turned - he could hear his shoes squeak against the floor - and leaned closer. His breath ghosting against Dean's cheek.

"Do you want me to fill it up today? You seem a little… off."

Charlie was on his other side saying, "Normally you do everything yourself. But if you want Sam to, he'll get you what you want."

He didn't want to seem incapable, but, frankly, he had no idea what to do. With Charlie's help, he might be able to pass as confident. Something inside Dean just really wanted Sam to take over, before Dean made a fool of himself.

"Hello, Dean." A voice says to Dean's left. Dean internally groans, because, great, now Cas is here to watch this. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Dean knew he had sunglasses on, Sam reminded him to grab them before they left, but he still felt his eyes widen and look desperately towards Sam, or where he thought Sam was.

"Actually, Cas." Sam said, "Dean's been feeling a bit sick lately. And it would be really unsanitary if he touched all the spoons and stuff. We wouldn't want you to have to clean everything. Could you, possibly, help him get his ice cream?"

Dean wanted to kiss his brother right then. What a perfect solution. Cas feels helpful, Sam doesn't have to worry, and Dean won't make a mess. Dean knew he was smiling softly as he bit his lip, waiting for Cas's reply.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Cas said. Dean could hear as gently fumbled for one of the little paper bowls. "Um, what would you like?"

Dean's smile grew wider at the nervous, hopeful, hesitancy in Cas's voice. It sounded so sincere, so damn cute.

"Chocolate, please." Dean said. He heard Cas step away and the soft wurrr of the machine as it filled his cup with ice cream. Dean stepped forward slightly, lead by Charlie.

"Is this enough?" Cas asked.

Dean imagined he held out the cup for Dean to see. He snorted as he said, "Well, it certainly looks like enough."

"Oh! Crap! Right! Sorry!" Cas said. The embarrassment in his voice made Dean laugh. "Uh, it's about halfway full, um, like four ounces? It's, um, it's-"

"That's good. Halfway is fine." Dean was smiling as he talked. God. He wished he could see Cas's face right now. It was probably bright red and he was probably looking down at the cup in his hands.

"Ok, ok. Um, would you like some toppings?" Cas asked.

"They got lots of candy, sprinkles, syrups, and fruit." Charlie said. "You want cookie dough or something?"

Dean decided to make it easy on the kid, "How about just some sprinkles and whipped cream?"

Dean was pretty sure Cas just nodded, because he squeaked suddenly and hastily said, "Right, okay."

"I'm glad you're having fun with this." Sam's voice was suddenly in his ear. "When are you going to ask the poor boy out?"

Dean rolled his eyes and pushed him away. It took him two tries to actually find Sam in order to push him away, but he was sure no one noticed. "Maybe I will today."

Sam snorted, "Sure. And I'm the devil's bitch."

Charlie laughed at Dean's horrified expression.

"You know what? I'll do it. He's this way, yeah?" What did Dean have to lose? He walked forward confidently, or as confidently as he could. He heard a gasp and Sam hiss out a sharp, "Dean!" His cane didn't catch it, he didn't know, couldn't tell, that Cas was a lot closer than expected. And when the other boy turned around, Dean practically ran into him and Cas spilt Dean's ice cream down his shirt. Dean gasped at the cold, sticky substance.

Cas was talking, "Oh, crap, I didn't see you- I mean, shit, I didn't know you were- I'm sorry, hold on, sorry!"

Dean just stood there as he was being wiped down with napkins and damp cloths. Slowly, he reached forward and found Cas's wrist.

The other boy stopped instantly, and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Dean."

"Hey, it's alright." Dean smiled, "It's not like I can see how big the stain is, anyway."

"You're wearing a white shirt." Cas groaned, "And now it's a huge chocolate stain on it."

"Doesn't matter. Can I take you on a date?" Dean asked, still determined to shut Sam up. It was silent for a long, long time. Dean's smile slowly fell. He couldn't see Cas's expression, and, really, why would it be a positive one? It's probably a good thing Dean can't see his scowl. He brushed it off, laughing, "So I can spill your drink on your favorite shirt, so it'll be a nice payba-"

"This is your favorite shirt?" Cas sounded miserable at that.

"What? No. Maybe. I don't know." Dean forced himself to smile now, "Would you like to go on a date with me or not?"

"I-I yes, yeah." Cas sounded surprised, "I'd love you- TO! I'd love to."

Dean chuckled as he reached forwards. His fingers sound Cas's shoulder, he slid them up until he felt Cas's jaw.

"You have scruff." Dean mumbled.

Cas's voice was near-silent and a bit squeaky with nerves, "I can shave i-if you want."

"God, no." Dean hummed, rubbing his thumb against Cas's cheek. "Feels great."

He's never really gotten a chance to feel Cas's scruffy five-o'clock shadow. Cas sucked in a shaky breath, and Dean leaned forward so he could feel the exhale.

He didn't see it coming - ha - when Cas leaned forward as well and caught his lips in his.

The last thing he heard was Sam dropping his ice cream in shock.


Dean blinked, happy to see the room before him instead of just darkness. He was in a motel room with cheesy decorations. His knife was in his lap, and he was cleaning it; scrubbing off the dried blood and mud.

Satisfied with his work, he held the knife up in the light and watched it sparkle. The door to the motel opened then and in stepped a busty woman.

Dean held his knife, pointed at her, completely on guard.

The woman barely glanced at him and said, "Chill, De. It's just me."

Dean lowered his knife, taking a better look at the woman. She had dark brown hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. She was taller than any other woman Dean had seen. And she was wearing a familiar plaid flannel. What really made things click was the hazel eyes that looked at him with such familiarity.

"Sammy?" Dean asked. He jumped at the sound of his voice. It was much higher than normal. He looked in the mirror and, sure, he looked masculine enough. His hair was short and gelled up. His skin still had a toughness to it that was grown from years of scars and battle wounds. But he had his ears pierced. And very distinctly had grown two new, uh, attachments in his chesticle area.

"Holy shit." Dean whispered.

"Deanna? Are you okay?" Sam asked, stepping up to her sister. Dean reached up and touched his cheek. His jawline was soft and undefined. "Have you been drinking?"

Dean looked at Sam, eyes wide, "We're girls."

"Well, I am. You're... you sure you're okay?" Sam was giving him a concerned look that, honestly, would be annoying on male-Sam, but just looked enduring on girl-Sam. "Do you want me to call Cas? She can see if you're-"

Dean snapped, turning on her, "She? Dude, yes!"

Sam gave him another weird look but slid out her phone and called Cas. She told her the room number of the hotel they were staying in, and, "please hurry, it's about Dea-"

She didn't finish the sentence before the familiar beat of wings cut her off.

"-nna."

"Hello, Deanna. Sam." Cas said, she still held the phone up to her ear. "What seems to be the problem?"

Her voice, God, her voice, was low and sultry; smooth and sexy like… like a river of slow moving caramel, mixing with a sweet chocolate waterfall to the soundtrack of Casa Erotica.

Cas's vessel looked a lot like Jimmy's, only, you know, a chick. Her hair was long and flowing down and around her shoulders. She was slightly shorter than her male counterpart, but that only made her seem cuter. Her eyes were bright and wide. Dean knew that if this Cas was in his world, he'd never think twice about how he feels about her. It was just so painfully obvious, watching her eyes flick from Sam to him, that she was perfect. His gut swooped in realization and his heart double-timed it's efforts. It all came down to this: Female Cas is wondrously, addictively, perfectly adorable.

Sam's phone rang again and she looked down at it, reading a text. "Hey, I have to, uh, go. Cas, can you make sure De's not gonna die or something?"

"I will do my best." Cas replied seriously and Sam's plush lips quirked up.

Dean glanced at her suspiciously, "Where you going?"

Sam looked down at her phone again, "Just to, uh, get some food."

"Right now?" Dean glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost two in the morning. Sam squirmed under his gaze.

"I believe Samantha was hoping to have sexual advances with the young gentleman from the library." Cas informed him without a hint of awkwardness. "You may go. I can handle the situation here."

Sam's face flushed bright red, "Thanks, Cas."

The door slammed shut before Dean could stop laughing.

Cas turned to look at him, a confused pout on her lips, "Was I incorrect in my deduction?"

More giggles spilled out of Dean's mouth, he wiped a tear from his face as he looked at Cas's adorable expression. "God, you're perfect."

Cas only looked more confused by that, her eyes squinting at him, trying to figure out what she did to possibly earn that praise. Dean stood up from the bed and stepped up to her. There was a bigger height difference between them in this form. Dean brushed a strand of long black hair from Cas's smooth cheek.

"Deanna?" Cas asked, not leaning away, but clearly not understanding what Dean was doing. "Sam said you weren't feeling alright."

Dean shook his head, "I'm fine, Cas. Not as fine as you, though. Damn, Cas, look at you."

The hunter looked Cas up and down appreciatively. Cas's dress pants were switched out for a nice black skirt. Dean wanted to see that blowing in the wind as Cas fought against demons, eyes flashing blue with anger and concentration.

"You… like my vessel?" Cas asked, like the very idea of it was preposterous.

Dean smiled down at her, "Yeah, 'course I do, Cas."

Cas's eyebrows lowered slightly as she said, "You've never showed an interest in my vessel before."
"Well, maybe I'm looking at it with new eyes." Dean shrugged.

Cas's eyes widened suddenly and she said with realization, "Are you attempting to flirt with me, Deanna?"

Dean laughed and he rubbed the back of his neck. Still smiling, he nodded softly, "I guess I am."

"I would like to flirt back." Cas said shyly.

The kiss was much softer than all the previous ones. There was no teeth or stubble scraping along Dean's skin. There were no chapped lips or heavy hands pulling him closer. The faint smell of strawberries made Dean lean in for more. Cas's body was flush against his, smooth and bouncy and beautiful.
Dean sighed into her mouth, melting away from this world with a warm fog in his chest.


Dean being pushed through large wooden doors. Two men in chainmail armor were holding his tied arms behind his back. Dean was scrawnier than he normally was. His leather jacket was replaced with brown rags, held to him by a rope around his waist.

Well. This'll be interesting.

Dean was pushed to his knees; his skin scraping on the bare stone floor. Dean glared up at the Knights next to him. But a sharp inhale stole his attention. He looked before him to find a large throne, elevated above the rest of the room. Sitting in it, wearing the most pompous crown Dean has ever seen, was none other than-

"Chuck?" Dean asked, eyebrows knitting together.

"That's King Charles to you, peasant." Hissed Lucifer, who was standing on one side of the thrown, his own smaller crown resting on his head. He didn't have any of the scars that his actual vessel had. And Dean had to begrudgingly admit, he looked pretty good.

Michael stood next to Lucifer, back rim-rod straight and chin up so he can literally look down on Dean. On the other side of Chuck's throne was Gabriel, who wasn't paying attention in the slightest and Cas. Their eyes locked and Dean realized the earlier gasp came from Cas. He looked terrified for Dean, he kept glancing at his father and the soldiers around the room.

"Calm, Lucifer." Chuck said with an air of exasperation, "Do I not try to reason with my people?"

Lucifer nodded but crossed his arms and glares at Dean.

"Young man." Chuck said, addressing Dean. "Why did my palace guards catch you sneaking into my home last night?"

Dean glanced at Cas who was slowly turning red. Oh. Well, isn't this funny?

Saving Cas face, Dean came up with a believable lie on the spot.

"I'm sorry, uh, sir. But my brother needs food. I was hoping to find some bread." Dean's knees were starting to hurt from being on the ground for so long.

"So you were trying to steal from your king!?" Lucifer accused.

"It was for my brother. He's sick and needs something to eat." Dean said. He got jostled by one of the guards for his trouble.

There was a long moment of silence as everyone waited for Chuck's reaction.

"How old is your brother, young man?" Chuck asked quietly, his fingers stroking his scruffy beard.

"He's just a kid." Dean said. "Please, I was only trying to help him."

He hoped he sounded believable. It wasn't that hard of a stretch, Dean was put in this situation before. Only instead of a king, he was talking to police.

"I do not appreciate thievery." Chuck said gravelly, and Dean felt the guard's hand on his shoulder tighten painfully. "But… I do know when my people are in need. Guards, take this young man to the kitchens. Give him as much bread as he can carry."

"Shall I go with them, Father?" Cas asked, his hands behind his back, a slight tilt to his head. "I believe we should formally apologize to this man for the unfortunate circumstance."

Chuck nodded, "Michael, Lucifer, take note. A king is only as good as his people see him. Castiel has taken it upon himself to righten our name. Good boy! You may steal my throne yet!"

Cas shot Gabriel an alarmed look, who was watching Michael and Lucifer glare at him.

Cas bowed slightly and mumbled, "Thank ypu, sir."

He then stepped down and over to Dean, who was still on the floor. "Hello, good popper. Please, allow me to lead the way to the kitchens."

He helped Dean up, hands gently brushing on Dean's sides. And led the way out of the room and down some endless corridors. The walls were all a dark, dirty stone, occasionally covered up with some fine cloth. Dean saw into one room a large dining table, fit for thirty or so people. And in another a grand fireplace with sculpted dragons. Cas stopped outside a well-used door.

"I can take it from here, guards." Cas said, subtly pulling Dean forward, away from the knights.

"But, your highness-" One of them started.

Cas held up his hand, silencing the man, "Good sirs, is a future king not supposed to trust his people?"

"Well, uh, yes, sir." One mumbled. They both bowed and then turned and stood to the side of the door.

Cas nodded, satisfied and pulled Dean inside.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Cas turned on Dean, his hands working at the ropes restraining Dean's arms.

"I am apologize sincerely, Dean, I thought they wouldn't catch you if you snuck through the great garden, I didn't realize-"

"Hey, hey," Dean said, placing his now-free hands on Cas's, holding them still. The boy was shaking. "It's alright. I'm fine."

"Dean, if you didn't think of your brother, if Father was in a poor mood, Dean, Dean they would've hung you."

Cas looked like a scared child, Dean pulled him close and let him wrap his arms around Dean. The hunter pressed a kiss to the top of Cas's head, "It's alright, Cas, I'm here."

"I can't do this without you, I refuse." Cas said into Dean's chest. After a moment, he pulled away just enough to look Dean in the eyes. His chest was heaving and he looked like he was about to get sick. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Please, Dean, please never leave me?"

"I'll always be by your side, Cas." Dean replied, voice soft.

Cas sighed in relief, the tension leaving his body. With a bitter laugh, he said, "If we're lucky, Father will hang us together."

Dean didn't like the sound of that, but whatever. He ducked down to place a chaste kiss on Cas's lips.


"Hello, Dean." Cas said as he opened the door. Dean blinked twice, because Cas was currently decked out, head to toe, in rainbows. After taking in Dean's surprised look, Cas mumbled, "You don't have to go with me, if you don't want to."

"You kidding?" Dean said, trying to get over the glitter on Cas's eyelids. "I love, uh, Rainbow Town."

Cas rolled his eyes, "It's called Pride, Dean. Really, if you don't want to go, I'll take this off and we can order a pizza."

"Pride…" Dean doesn't really keep up with the news unless it involves something supernatural. But he's not so ignorant that he doesn't know what Pride is. "No, yeah, let's go. To, uh, to Pride."

Cas's face lit up and he looked like he wanted to lean forward and kiss Dean. But something made him stop and look away, still smiling. Dean figured, 'why not?' and did it for him.


"Hello, Dean." Cas said, his fingers twitching and his weight shifting from side to side, "I-is there anything you need … help with?"

Dean looked up from what he was doing. Well, first he had to figure out what he was doing. There was a block of cheese in one hand and a grader in the other. Making dinner, alright. He gathered from the ingredients that it was going to be lasagna. So he smiled at Cas and said, "How about a salad?"

Cas brightened at the simple request and immediately went to the fridge and pulled out various salad fixings.

They worked in compatible silence. Dean smiled to himself as he moved around Cas to grab a spoon, their bodies brushing casually. It was peaceful, with the light warm sun beaming through the curtains and birds chirping happily in the trees.

Sue Dean if he stayed until after they ate dinner. Sue him if he suggested they watch a movie. Sue him if he didn't kiss Cas until early the next morning because he wanted to enjoy this soft quiet they had together.


Dean was standing behind Cas, his arms wrapped around him. It took him a moment to realize that they weren't in a loving embrace, but Dean's hands were on Cas's, showing him the proper way to hold a gun. They were in the bunker's shooting range, and Cas was staring intently at the target.

Dean was quiet for a long moment, and Cas turned his head to look at him, awaiting his next instruction. Being pressed up against Cas so completely; holding Cas's hands to keep his arms steady; and now to see Cas's beautiful eyes up close… well, who could blame Dean for leaning in and tasting the curiosity on Cas's lips?


"Hello, Dean." Cas was sitting across from him in a little booth. Dean smiled and looked down at his menu, a small blush on his cheeks. He'll never get over how gorgeous Cas is, especially in the low candlelight of this restaurant.

"Hey, Cas." Dean mumbled, playing with the napkin in his lap.

He looked back up at Cas shyly from under his lashes, but Cas was looking away from him, extremely concerned. Dean glanced up and did a double-take. In the middle of the fancy restaurant was a man and a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes, beating the shit out of each other.

Dean scrambled to his feet, ready to tear them apart, when someone yelled out, "Cut!" and everyone froze.

The man and woman parted, each looking perfectly fine, if not out of breath, and glared at Dean.

"Winchester. What are you doing?" Someone from behind a row of lights and cameras asked. Jesus, how did Dean not notice those before?

Thinking fast, Dean said, "Shouldn't there be some people scrambling to get out of the way? I was, you know, scrambling."

Cas snorted, and Dean glanced down and him. He winked and watched, amazed, as Cas blushed and looked away.

"I know you think you're the star of the show here, but this isn't your movie. Sit down, wait for your cue. It's a cameo not a goddamn rewrite." The director said.

Dean slumped back in his seat and turned to face Cas, who was grinning at him.

"So then, what's my cue?" Dean whispered, watching as everyone got set up to start the scene over again.

"When Adam says 'A little help over here?' you say, 'Don't get hit!'" Cas whispered back, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Is it true you filmed all of Highway Hunters drunk?"

Dean shrugged, "Depends who you ask."

Cas started laughing, and once he caught his breath, Dean took it away again with a kiss.


Dean was standing outside a door in one of the many halls of the bunker. He knocked on the door and only heard a shuffle and a muffled curse in response. Dean slowly opened the door. He threw it open completely once he saw the horrible condition Cas was in.

The angel's hair was sticking up; evidence that he'd been running his fingers through it. His face was red and blotchy with tears and snot covering most of it. He looked up at Dean with wide eyes, frozen in an aborted move to run.

"Cas?"

"No one cares that I'm broken, Dean." Cas said, uncontrollable tears rolling down his cheeks.

Dean's expression crumbled as he realized Cas was hurting because of him. Dean slid onto the bed next to Cas and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close to his chest. Cas gratefully turned against him, hiding his face.

"I do."

Dean sat down on the bed and pulled Cas into his arms. His fingers brushed up and down Cas's spin soothingly as the angel tried to catch his breath.

After a few long moments of just Cas breathing and holding back choked sobs, the angel pulled away from him, frowning at the mess he made of Dean's shirt.

"I apologize, Dean. I should," he swallowed heavily, Dean could hear the effort in his voice as he said, "I should go."

"No." Dean said quietly, his hand gripping Cas's trenchcoat, keeping him grounded. "Stay. You need some rest, here," Dean scooted over and pulled the blankets back, "I'll watch over you."

Cas hesitated, but slowly, he let himself slide closer to Dean and relax under the covers. Dean wrapped an arm around Cas's waist and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Thank you, Dean." Cas's voice was small, like he still didn't quite believe what was happening. "You don't have to-"

"Shh, Cas, let me make this right." Dean whispered. He caused this, this was his fault. He should make Cas feel better. Dean leaned up on his elbow to watch Cas's face. "I'm so sorry, Cas. You're not worthless. You're important, man. You're my best friend, of course I care."

Cas nodded slowly, "Okay."

"You're precious, Cas." Dean said, leaning down and pressing a long, soft kiss to Cas's lips.


Cas looked up at him with glazed eyes. "Ah, our fearless leader returns!"

Dean glanced around and saw he was at Camp Chitaqua, in the future that never happened. Dean's stomach churned at the memory of it, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

"No. I don't want to relive this." Dean said, he grabbed Cas by the dirty front of his shirt and ended this world with a determined, furious kiss.


"Dean!" Cas gasped, his voice wrecked beyond belief. Dean growled at the hunger and want that sound unfurled in him. But then Cas was pushing him away, his voice slightly more controlled, "Dean, Dean stop. ...Stop."

Dean leaned back, breathing hard. He was on top of Cas, they were on an expensive-looking couch in a fancy living room. Cas was squirming under him, the thick press of his - oh, fuck. That's his dick - against Dean's hip made part of Dean panic and pull away further and the other part of Dean want to reach under Cas's boxers and feel it without the layers between.

Cas was watching him, so Dean forced himself to speak. "What's wrong?"

The man under him gave him a bitchface that would rival Sam's. He sat up and scooted out from under Dean, all the while fixing his hair and straightening his shirt. "What about Lisa? I refuse to be the cause of your break up."

Dean didn't think as he said, "I don't care about Lisa."

Because he kind of didn't. What they had together was a kind of companionship that fell together out of circumstance. If Ben wasn't born, if Dean never ran into Lisa again, if Dean never slept with her in the first place, then that year-ish-long relationship never would've happened. Dean is grateful to her, adores her and Ben, would die for them both without a second thought, but if it came down to her and Cas? Dean wasn't entire sure he'd stick to his hetero ways.

"Dean!" Cas said, appalled. Dean blinked and Charlie appeared behind him.

The ginger gave him a sheepish look, "You just proposed to Lisa last night…"

Ah. That would explain why Cas was now getting up off the couch and pulling on a jacket.

"I-I didn't hear you say that." Cas said, not looking at Dean, "I thought better of you- when I agreed to this- Lisa is my friend!"

Dean jumped up and stumbled to Cas, trying to get him to nor leave, "Cas, wait, I-"

"Lisa loves you, Dean." Cas said, turning on his, furious, "While everyone else saw nothing but piercings and bad intentions, she saw something special and wondrously unique and you're spitting on it by- by- by being with me!"

Dean frowned, taking a slight step back, "Do you not want to…?"

"Jesus, Dean, of course I do!" Cas said, "But you're feancé has put trust in me to not hit on you and I've done far worse than that in this past hour!"

Dean grabbed Cas's hands and pulled them to his chest, he bit his lip and was momentarily distracted by the fact that he had a lip ring. Focusing his attention back on Cas, he cleared his throat and looked into those deep blue eyes.

"Look, I know I'm taken for. But maybe I'm taken with the wrong person." Dean said slowly.

"What- no, Dean, the way she looks at you-" Cas said, his eyes darting back and forth between Dean's.

Dean said in an exhale, "But what if I don't look at her the same way?"

"Then… then why would you propose to her? If front of her parents, no less, which completely contradicts the entire role you and Lisa proclaimed to me; destroying my entire progressive steps to changing her parents' perspectives and making everything I've done these past weeks in vain." Cas pulled his hands out of Dean's grip, raising his voice slightly, "This character you and Lisa created for me has been blown to smithereens, the story we plotted out in the beginning of all this has crumbled and it seems like I'm the only one that doesn't know the new ending! So, tell me, Dean, if I'm not here to be the pretend boyfriend then what, per say, am I doing here? Why am I here, Dean!?"

Dean's mind was racing, he had no idea how this had gone from awesome grinding session to Cas looking like he was about to cry.

Cas was staring at him, waiting for a response, but all Dean could think about was the way Cas looked when he was breathing hard. Dean pulled Cas closer, pressing a hand to the back of his neck.

Dean spoke softly, his lips right next to Cas's ear, "Hey, you're here because you're a thousand times better than Lisa on a bad day. You're here because you're my best friend. You're here because I wouldn't want anyone else in the world right next to me. You're here because…"

He still couldn't force those words out. He could feel them in the middle of his throat, spread out and blocking his airway. It was the only explanation as to why he couldn't breathe suddenly. The words were stuck in the way.

Cas was waiting, watching out of the corner of his eye as Dean struggled to speak.

"B-because I… want you to be here." Dean settled on. It wasn't the three big words, but it was still true, "I'd rather have you, Cas."

Dean leaned back to look at him, holding his breath in anticipation.

"Just to name a few reasons…" Dean said awkwardly.

Cas sighed, his body slouching in exhaustion, "I want this, Dean. I want you. But I'd never betray Lisa in that way."

"You just did?" Dean gestured to the couch.

Cas's face hardened and he stepped away from Dean breaking their contact, "That was an accident. A-a mistake."

Dean stepped closer again, and this awkward tango was starting to get annoying, "Then let's make more mistakes! I'm not married yet!"

"Dean, no!" Cas pushed Dean away, "I-I can't!"

"Please, Cas, I need this. Just once." Dean said, close to begging. "No one has to know, just, please."

Cas studied Dean for a second, finally sighing. "One kiss and then we never do this again. We never speak of it. And you never betray Lisa like this again."

"Yes, sir." Dean grinned, enjoying the way the words fell from his lips.

Dean groaned wantonly when Cas pressed him up against the wall, one hand shoved down his pants, the other tugging on his hair, teeth gently tugging on that lip ring. He hoped the moment never ended.


Dean was in front of a full-body mirror, three woman were fussing with Dean's clothes. One shining his shoes, one pulling a sash around his chest another wrapping a robe around his neck.

A large door opened behind him, Dean watched through the mirror as Sam poked his head into the room.

"Hey, Dean." He said, "I found- wow, you look great! Is that for your crowning?"

Dean turned around, straightening his jacket. The woman stepped away from him, giving him some space.

"Yeah?" Dean said, looking back at himself in the mirror, "Looks alright."

He looked like a pretentious snob, but whatever.

"Yeah, well, did you know that there was a mute naked boy wandering the castle?" Sam said. "I gave him some of my clothes, they don't fit that well, but it's better than nothing."

Dean looked back at Sam, frowning, "What?"

"Yeah. The guards said you knew him. Found him this morning on the beach? I started talking to him. Found out his name's Cas." Sam was saying, casual as ever.

Dean was turning completely now, watching his brother, "Cas?"

"Yeah. Didn't take too long to figure it out. Just asked him yes or no questions until I got it." Sam said, opening the door a little more until Cas as also in view. The boy looked so small in Sam's clothes. He was staring at a large painting of the royal family. Dean took a moment to appreciate how beautiful his mother looked in a crown.

"Cas?" Dean said, the boy turned around and his face lit up in excitement. Dean got about half a second to think before there was an angel in his arms, pressing his face into Dean's chest.

Sam was grinning at them, "Oh! I didn't realize he was naked for a reason. Sorry I slowed down your process, Dean."

Dean blushed furiously but held Cas close to his chest. "Shut up, bitch."

"Jerk." Sam was still grinning, "You should give him a tour of the kingdom. I'll get the horses ready."

The younger prince ran off before Dean could object. He looked down at Cas and shook his head at the boy's clinginess.

"Let's see, show up naked on a beach and you can't talk…" Dean grinned as he finished, "Any chance you're a merman?"

Cas looked up at him in shock and slowly nodded, fear creeping into his expression.

"...Seriously? This is a The Little Mermaid story?" Dean said, more to himself than to Cas. Dean only knew the tale from when it was showing on TV in a motel once. Sam begged him to watch it with him, because Ursula was kinda scary and he didn't want to watch it alone.

Cas gave him a confused look, but nodded anyway.

"So I guess you need me to kiss you, huh? That'll fix both our problems." Dean was grinning again and Cas nodded excitedly, practically bouncing in Dean's arms.

How could he deny such a hopeful expression?


Dean blinked and he was sitting on a bench. Lights were shining down on him and there was a crowd of people seated before him. He was on a stage.

Glancing around, he saw Cas to his left, singing with three back up dancers.

"A little less conversation, a little more action please." He sang and turned towards Dean practically stalking up to him, "Satisfy me! Satisfy me!"

Dean didn't have time to think, Cas yanked him forward and slammed their mouths together as the last chords of the song faded.


"Hello? Dean?"

Dean woke up to the soft sound of floorboards shifting. He looked up, his eyes burning slightly at the light of a phone being shined on him. The phone flipped around to illuminate Cas's face. Dean's stomach fell at how miserable the kid looked. His hair was a complete mess, sticking out randomly and deep purple bags lay under his eyes, making him look much older than he was.

"Hey," Dean's voice was deep with sleep, "What's up, Cas?"

"I, uh," Cas looked down at his phone, blinking hard, "You know, can't sleep. And, um, sometimes it helps if I have a change of scenery. I already tried the couch and, this is dumb, I'm sorry-"

Dean had already pulled his blankets back and slid over to give Cas some space, "Are you done talking or are you gonna fucking cuddle me?"

Why not? He can say anything here, do anything here, the real Cas will never know.

This Cas blushed bright red and stumbled forward, sliding under the sheets next to Dean.

"Thank you." Cas whispered, a yawn breaking off the last half of his sentence.

"Of course, baby." Dean replied, throwing an arm over Cas's waist and smiling when Cas curled closer to himself.

In the morning Cas was gone. Dean tried really hard to not be upset about that. He failed.

Dean yawned as he crawled out of bed and wandered around until he found the kitchen. There was already a pot of coffee made, which Dean drank half of.

He glanced at the clock and mentally groaned when he saw it was just a little past six in the morning. He hoped to God that he didn't have a job to go to in this world. After finishing his coffee, he figured a shower would wake him up. He found a bathroom next to his room and got to work.

His muscles relaxed under the spray. He sighed as the steam fogged over the mirrors and windows. Scratching shampoo through his scalp, he thought about his current situation.

100 kisses, and then he can go home. Counting backwards, he decided he was on kiss number 21. Which meant he had 79 more to go. He groaned and let his head hit the shower wall. 79 more kisses. 80, technically, counting this one. And yeah, Dean didn't exactly, kinda, sorta mind having to kiss his best friend. But 80 more times!? His heart can only take so much. What happens when he gets back home? Is he just supposed to pretend none of this happened? Well, of course he was. Cas can never know about this. About any of this. He had to-

Dean yawned suddenly, ripping up and out from his chest. He felt woozy and he leaned against the wall of the shower a little more. Maybe he was getting too relaxed from the warm water. The world was spinning a bit and he had to fight to stay on his feet.

His eyes slipped shut and he fell into a hazy darkness.

The next thing he knew, Dean was being shaken awake, the water now freezing. His head, arm, and feet hurt from when he apparently slipped. He was now laying on the cold shower floor, blinking away drops of water and leaning into the warm hand pressed against his shoulder.

"Dean! Wake up!" Cas was saying.

Dean groaned, feeling like shit. He slowly sat up with Cas's help. As Dean rubbed his face, Cas turned off the freezing water. His shirt was soaking wet by now, but he didn't seem to care.

"When was the last time you took your medication?" Cas asked, pulling Dean's eyelids up so he can look into his eyes.

Dean swatted him away, his teeth chattering slightly as he said, "W-what med-med-med-"

"Jesus Christ, Dean." Cas grumbled, scooting away to grab a big, fluffy towel. "I was gone for, like, two hours."

He wrapped Dean up in one of the towels, and Dean soaked up the warmth instantly.

"I-I was-s taking a sh-sh-shower…" Dean chattered, eyes staring at Cas's covered chest. He bet that chest would be warm as fuck. "A-and I fell a-asleep."

"Yes, Dean. That happens when you don't take your medications regularly. Your symptoms kick up and you fall asleep." Cas said, like a parent talking to a child. The other man helped Dean stand up and step out if the shower. Somehow, the air was colder the more Dean shuffled by. Cas left Dean by his bed and found the thickest flannel pants Dean had. And a sweater to go with it.

"I f-f-feel really dumb. Does this h-h-happen a lot?" Dean asked.

Cas gave him an odd look and muttered, "Well, not the naked and wet part."

Thankfully, Charlie appeared behind him and stage-whispered "Narcolepsy!"

Oh. Well that sucks.

Dean felt a bit sick again. And that was only partially because Cas was lecturing him about taking care of himself and keep up with his medicine. He got enough nagging from Sam.

Still shivering a bit and only wearing a towel around his hips, Dean pulled Cas close and kissed the warmth from his mouth.


Dean's head hurt and his chest felt foggy. He blinked slowly up at a blurry figure that was clutching him close. Drops of water fell onto his cheeks before slowly rolling off his face.

"I'm so sorry, Dean!"

The voice was unmistakable.

"Cas?"

His friends face was suddenly all he could see. Cas was holding his face, cupping it desperately. Tears. That's the water falling on Dean. They were Cas's tears.

"Dean! Dean, I'm so sorry, I-I wouldn't've- not if I knew, I'm so sorry, Dean!" Cas said in between his sobs. Just a rush of words that Dean really didn't hear most of.

"S'okay, Cas. M'fine." Dean slurred.

Cas gripped him somewhat harder, his nails digging into Dean's cheeks, "You are not, Dean Winchester! I-I did this. Dean, you're dying!"

Dying… yeah, that sounded about right. He hurt in all the wrong places and things were going fuzzy around the edges. That matched dying pretty well from Dean's experience.

"Dean, I never got the chance to explain everything. I'm so sorry, please don't leave me." Cas was rambling, his voice an emotional wreck of wobbles and choked sobs. "I wouldn't have done any of it if I knew, God, I'd never have- you have to know- I never wanted to hurt you!"

Dean was starting to get a headache. It was mostly to get Cas to stop crying when he reached up and shakily pulled Cas down to his level. He barely felt the ghost of a lips against his.


Cas was holding his hand. The cool air of the night and the soft crickets all faded into the background as Dean stared into Cas's eyes.

"I had a great time tonight." Cas said, a shy smile on his lips.

They were on a front porch, illuminated by a single light. Dean smiled back at him, his thumb brushing over his knuckles.

"Me too." Dean replied, and, figuring this was a date, he said, "Thanks for going with me."

Dean leaned forward, tilting his head gently, a smile on his lips. Cas's eyes widened and suddenly Dean's hands were empty.

"Goodnight, Dean!" The door was slammed shut in Dean's face.

"Oh...kay…" Dean slowly stepped away from the closed door and into the night. His Baby was parked at the curb; shining beautifully in the moonlight.

He had to call Sam to ask where they lived. Luckily, the kid was too tired to question him and just mumbled the address into his phone. It took Dean another twenty minutes just to find the damn place. But once he did, he sat and stared in awe. It was a simple white house with a tire swing in the front.

Dean got out of the Impala with shaky knees. He knew this house. Not well, granted, but he knew it. He had nightmares of it going up in flames.

He rang the doorbell, his mouth dry and his heart pounding in his ears. It can't be, it can't be, it can't be…

The door opened and a beautiful smiling face greeted him.

"Dean, did you forget your key?"

He couldn't respond. All that choked out of him was a small, hopeful, "...Mom?"

Concern flooded Mary's face as she pulled Dean inside, closing the door behind him. Her fingers brushed through his hair as she looked over him.

"Are you okay, sweet-?" The rest of her sentence was cut off as a breathless Dean pulled her into a tight hug. A shudder ran down his spine as she held him close. Dean tried hard not to let his emotions take over him; but when she pressed a soft kiss to his temple, he almost broke down.

When he pulled away, he could feel the tear roll down his face. He brushed it away hastily, but Mary still saw it.

"Honey, did something happen with Cas?" Mary asked, rubbing her hands up and down his arms soothingly.

Dean smiled, sucking in a shuddering breath, "No, Mom, no. I'm fine. I just… I love you."
Mary pulled him into another hug, "Aw, I love you, too, Dean." She pulled back to look him in the eyes, "How about some pie? It looks like you might need it."

"Yes, please." Dean relaxed as he followed her into the kitchen. She scooped up a large, gooey slice of mixed berry pie onto a plate and placed it in the microwave. As it heated up, she got out some vanilla ice cream and put some in a bowl for herself. Once the pie was warm, she added some ice cream to that, too.

Dean sat down at the small kitchen table and Mary sat across from him, handing him the plate of pie while she ate a bite of her ice cream. Not one to waste good pie, Dean shoved a huge bite into his mouth. He moaned at the taste of berries and ice cream, hot and cold mixing gloriously on his tongue.

"So, now that I've buttered you up," Mary winked at him, "are you gonna tell me why you were so upset?"

Dean swallowed his mouthful, biting his lip as he looked up at her, "Uh, no. Actually… I'd rather talk about you."

Mary frowned, "Me?"

"Yeah." Dean tried to ignore how his leg was bouncing nervously. "What're you like? What's your favorite color? Favorite memory? Favorite food? What do you do in your free time? How long have you been curling your hair? Do you always have your nails painted that color? Are you-"

Mary held up her hands, a playful smile gracing her lips, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! One question at a time! What's all this about?"

Dean looked away, "I just… want to know as much about you as I can." His mind supplied the 'while I still can' silently.

Mary took a thoughtful bite of ice cream, "...Blue. My favorite color's blue."

He saw a flash of long eyelashes, deep pools of shifting grace and light shining under them. He hummed as he nodded, "Me too."

They talked and laughed long into the night, the stars shined brightly through the kitchen window. Their respective bowl and plate have been licked clean and the crickets chirp softly as a background melody. Dean soaked up every word Mary said, every story she told. He wanted to know everything about her, even if it wasn't the real her.

"...When Sam was born, I had horrible time sleeping, I was constantly getting up to check on him…"

"...Your grandfather actually taught me everything I know about guns. He was a hunter, took me with him sometimes. Shot a deer once."

"...I was on the debate team in high school, I could argue for hours…"

"...I had an imaginary friend. So did Sam, what was his name…?"

It came the inevitable time when Mary yawned and shook her head. Looking at the clock on the wall, she groaned. "Dean, honey, I've enjoyed this, but I have to go to sleep. You should too."

"Okay." Dean smiled as Mary pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Night, mom."

He went upstairs to his room and felt another wave of want and peace wash over him. The room looked so gloriously, wonderfully his. It was messy, yet organized. Loud, but subtle. Comfortable and soft. It was loved and lived in and his.

Dean spent another thirty minutes looking at all the nicknacks and posters in his room. He smiled at a picture of him, Sam and Mary at Niagara Falls. He read all the comic books on his shelf and looked through the videogames by his desk. He approved of the collection of DVDs, full sets of classic movies, extended versions with director's cuts. With a sigh, Dean soaked in the warmth of this world and slowly sank into his pillows as sleep washed over him.

When he woke up, there was a heavy weight on the bed next to him. Dean rolled over and blinked groggily as he saw Cas flipping through one of the comic books Dean left out last night.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked through a yawn.

"Waiting for you." Cas replied without looking up. "Mom let me in. She looked exhausted."

Dean rubbed his eyes with his palm, "Yeah, it was a late night for us."

Cas shifted awkwardly next to him, "I could say the same."

The bigger boy sat up, resting his back against the headboard so their shoulders touched. He looked over at Cas, who was flicking the corner of the comic book page.

"You alright?" Dean asked.

Cas looked up in surprise, "Are you?"

Dean shrugged, "Yeah, why not?"

The hunter watched as Cas's face grew bright red, "B-because of last night and I, uh-"

"Cas, it's no biggie." Dean said, because he wasn't ready to leave this world yet. "I don't mind at all."

Cas stared at him, his shoulders relaxing considerably on an exhale. His mouth fell open slightly, plump lips parting. Eyes widening a fraction as his eyebrows tilt up slightly. Dean watched it all happen in a second and he felt a warmth buzz through his chest at the sight of it.

"Dean, I could kiss you right now." Cas mumbled, rolling his eyes slightly. But then his smile fell slightly and his eyebrows went down with it. He looked down at his hands and then quickly up at Dean.

"Cas?" Dean asked as Cas turned towards him, his head tilting slightly to the side.

A shaky hand landed on Dean's thigh, "L-let me, um, let me try?"

It wasn't fair. Dean didn't get the chance to pull away, he didn't get the chance to disagree. Cas pulled him close, hesitantly and Dean's stupid brain couldn't work in time before their lips connected.


Dean turned around to see Cas looking distraught and Sam looking exasperated. Damn. He already missed the last world. Was there a way to go back?

"Hey, Cas." Dean said, he froze once he realized he couldn't hear himself talk. He felt his lips and tongue move. He could feel the vibrations of his vocal chords. But he couldn't hear his own voice talk.

His panicked eyes darted to Sam, who was giving him an odd look. Neither his brother nor his angel seemed to notice anything wrong. They both looked grumpy and upset, but not like they were worried about Dean. Those dicks.

Sam was talking, but Dean couldn't hear it. He watched his brother's lips form around the words. Growling, he ignored everything and grabbed Cas's tie. He yanked the angel forward; Cas stumbled and landed in his arms. Their mouths fumbled against each other's awkwardly, but Dean honestly couldn't care. He just wanted to get closer to the finish line so he could stop this stupid race.


"Hello, Dean."

It only made sense that the first thing Dean saw when he opened his eyes was Cas's face. But there was definitely something different about it. It looked more carved, less real; more glass and less flesh. That, and there were huge, black words written across his face.

From his cheek to his jaw was the word "PLATONIC" in dark print. Across his forehead there was a thick "STRAIGHT". Just below his eye was a small "BRAVE" and near his ear was "SMART" while trailing just under his lips was "SATISFIED".

Cas frowned at him, pulling out his phone, "What is it? Do I have something in my teeth?"

Dean watched as Cas inspected his reflection and looked up at Dean, confused. Did he really not see all the letters scraped across his face? Dean reached out and let his fingers brush over the "A" in "SATISFIED". Cas gasped softly, but Dean barely registered it. He was too focused on the texture of the letters. They were rough, like sandpaper, but Cas's skin was soft and smooth, poking out in the little spaces between the ink.

"Dean? What are you…?" He doesn't finish his sentence, his voice to breathless to form words.

Dean looked up, they were outside at a park. His eyes darted to the faces of strangers. An old married couple walked hand in hand. The man's face was tainted by a big, ugly "LOYAL" and the wife's was marked with "HEALTHY". A child playing by the swings had a small "HAPPY" on his cheek. And a woman jogging down the path had "BEAUTIFUL" on her forehead. A man walking his dog had "HONEST" running down his nose.

Confusion swirled in Dean's chest and all he wanted to do was escape this world with weird words. A thought popped into Dean's mind. He pulled out his own phone and looked at his reflection in the shattered glass. He couldn't get a good view, the screen was too broken. Grumbling, he plucked Cas's phone out of his hands and looked at himself with that.

Nothing.

He looked like his normal self.

There was no dark words tainting his skin, there was no letters covering his freckles. There was nothing. Just himself.

"I don't understand…" Dean muttered to himself, "Cas, why's there words on your face?"

Cas looked at him like he grew a second head, "There's not? It's just my face?"

"Right there!" Dean said, his finger brushing over each word, "And there, and there, and there!"

Cas swatted his hands away, "I don't know what you're talking about, Dean."

"Whatever." Dean growled and pulled Cas forward with a hand to the back of his neck. The small squeak Cas let out when their lips met was adorable, despite the rough letters scratching his skin.


Dean stopped walking. He was standing in the middle of a long, dusty hallway. The floor had a red rug on it, but it was clearly stone underneath. The walls were grey brick and old wooden beams held the roof up. Large windows featured a bright blue sky, with something that looked like weird birds flying around. There were a few unlit torches on the walls. He must be in a castle, then. Looking down at himself, Dean realized he was in a long black robe thing with a red tie. There was something long and thin in his pocket, which he didn't want to think too much about.

"Holyfuckingshit," Charlie appeared next to him, her eyes wide and a unbreaking smile on her face, "Do you know where we are?"

Dean shrugged and watched as Charlie ran about the hall, point at different paintings and statues.

Excitedly, Charlie turned to Dean and shouted, "We're at Hogwarts!"

"From those five weird magic movies?" Dean said, mostly just to see Charlie's reaction. Yes, he read all the books. He knows what happens and what this place is. But nothing is funnier than an offended fangirl.

Charlie looked like she wanted to strangle him, through clenched teeth she hissed, "Go find your stupid boyfriend and kiss him. I'm gonna go watch some quidditch."

With that, she was gone. Dean huffed and turned to wander through the endless halls.

It was pretty cool to see all the stuff talked about in the books. Except for when Dean was walking up the stairs and they started to move. He definitely did not squeak and drop to the floor and shake like a chicuacua until the stairs stopped.

He found Cas at the library, with his nose stuck in a book. Not literally, although with this world, Dean wouldn't be surprised.

"Oh, hello, Dean." Cas said, he was wearing a Ravenclaw tie and it really brought out his eyes.

"Hey, Cas." Dean said as he sat down next to him.

Cas squeaked suddenly and squirmed in his seat, reaching around himself wildly.

"Cas? You okay?" Dean leaned back to avoid an elbow to the face.

Cas gasped and settled down, his face red, "Yes, I apologize, Dean. Um, I just got a tattoo and it's, it's excited to meet you."

"Riiight." Dean said slowly.

Cas held out his hand, palm up and open. Dean watched as a small little yellow and black blob slowly stepped out from under Cas's sleeve.

"Cas?"

"Yes?"

"Did you get a magical tattoo of a bee?"

"Yes."

Dean just stared at the little bug. It skittered around Cas's hand, a cute little cartoon bug. Dean blinked. The bee blinked back.

"His name is Roger." Cas offered.

"He's… great, Cas." Dean said, poking the skin next to Roger. The bee looked at him curiously before nudging his finger with its head. All Dean could feel was at vague warmth.

Cas's eyes shone in the late afternoon light, a small smile quirking his lips, "I'm glad you like him."

"He's not the only thing I like about you." Dean said, attempting to be smooth as he moved his hand to interlock their fingers.

"D-Dean!?" Cas gasped, eyes locked on their hands. Roger buzzed happily under and around Dean's fingers.

"Hmm?" Dean hummed as he leaned closer to Cas, watching the emotions flicked in those blue crystals.

"DEAN WINCHESTER DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING KISS HIM!"

Dean almost jumped out of his skin at the shout. He looked up over to an row of books and watched as Charlie ran through them.

"Why not?" Dean asked, sitting back, his shoulders tense.

"Because I want to stay here forever. I sat in on a potions class. And I watched a quidditch game. And I met other ghosts. And and and, excuse me for crossing the fandoms but I DON'T WANNA GO!" Charlie whined.

"You're the one that told me to kiss him in the first place." Dean growled.

"Dean?" Cas asked, pulling his hand away, a concerned look crossing his face.

Charlie ran her hands through her hair, "I know, but for me, just stay here until you die because I want to meet Hermione!"

"Charlie, I want to go home." Dean sighed.

The ghost sniffled a little, jutting out her lower lip. "Okay."

Dean turned back to Cas, who was watching him like he was extremely ill. Without wasting another moment, Dean pressed his lips against Cas's, dutifully ignoring Charlie's woeful moaning.


"...Hello, Dean."

Dean looked up from the TV to see a miserable-looking Cas. His eyes were red and his hands were shaking. Dean was on him in an instant.

"Cas? Baby, what's wrong?" Dean touched Cas's face, his arms, his neck, keeping him grounded and trying to stop the violent shaking.

Cas's voice was on the verge of cracking as he said in a hollow whisper, "Balthazar broke up with me."

"What? Why?" Dean asked, brushing Cas's tears away gently with his thumb.

"He-he said that he'd have better chance finding his Third with Michael." Cas said, the words slowly slipping out of his mouth. "S-so he left me. For him."

Dean pulled Cas over to the couch and sat them down together. He ran his hand through Cas's hair soothingly, saying, "Cas, baby, you can do so much better than him."

"I-I thought he was my Second. I thought- I thought he loved me." Cas whispered, visibly shaking.

Cas curled into Dean's chest, hiding his face in his hands. Dean shushed him softly, rubbing his back, "Shh, baby, it's okay, he was an asshole. You don't need him."

When Cas looked up at him, face red and blotchy, Dean knew what he had to do. He brushed his fingers over Cas's cheek slowly. He wasn't thinking about moving to the next fic. He wasn't thinking about the way his stomach tumbles when he does this. He wasn't thinking about how he's grown slightly addicted to the taste of Cas. All he was thinking about was the sweet comfort the kiss would bring his friend.

And based on the soft sigh from his friend, he was right.


"Hey, Dean, I'm going on my break. I'll be back in a bit." Sam said as he walked out the door, a little bell signaling his departure. Dean looked around, mostly confused by the sight of all the books and shelves around him. He was standing behind a cash register and had a small name tag on. With all of his Sherlock-y powers, he decided he worked at a bookstore.

"You got that right." Charlie said, suddenly appearing on the counter next to him. She picked up one of the thick books on the table and started to flip through it.

"Why?" Dean asked, looking at the empty store. Out of all the places to work, why a bookstore?

Charlie shrugged one shoulder and turned the page, "Most fangirls are bookworms. Therefore, bookstores are the best places to write love stories."

Dean rolled his eyes, "I don't see how romantic Moby Dick can be."

The door jingled open and Dean looked up to see, of course, none other than Cas walking through. This Cas apparently wears fuzzy sweaters with too-long sleeves and light skinny jeans. All topped off by black hipster glasses. He smiled shyly when he saw Dean standing behind the counter.

"Hello, Dean." Cas said, stepping up to him.

"Hey, Cas." Dean sighed, not at all looking like he was falling in love for the first time. "W-what uh, what can I do for ya?"

Dean leaned over the counter, placing himself far closer to the other man than strictly necessary. He ignored the huge grin on Charlie's face and focused instead on the soft way Cas's lips curled around his words.

"I was wondering if the next book of Angels Almighty came in." Cas spoke quietly, like he was constantly sharing a secret, "I've been waiting for it for a while now. Do you have it?"

It took Dean a few seconds to respond, because he was lost in thought of the adorableness of Cas in an oversized sweater. He hummed a distracted, "Yeah, think so."

Charlie snorted, "Behind you, lover boy."

Dean glared at her, feeling his skin burn from his ears to his neck. He cleared his throat as he turned around and grabbed one of the shiny, brand-new novels. Cas's eyes lit up as he grabbed it from his hand. Dean watched, amused, as Cas opened the book, brought it to his face and inhaled. He then hugged it to his chest and beamed at Dean.

"The last book ended with a cliffhanger, so I've simply been dying to find out what happens next." Cas said, his fingers tracing around the title.

Dean tilted his head, pretending to look thoughtful, "Don't think I've read that series. What's it about again?"

The poor hunter was not prepared for the excited explanation that came next. He watched as words poured from Cas's mouth, with growing enthusiasm for each sentence. Cas gestured wildly with his hands as he expressed each plot point and character development.

"To which the last book ends with Michael and Lucifer in a standoff against Raphael and God himself and Gabriel stuck in the middle with no idea who's side to turn to and I just have a lot of feelings about these stupid angels right now so honestly if this doesn't end well I might have to die." Cas finished, and Dean was pretty sure during the entire explanation of the five-book series Cas never breathed once.

"Now that is some shit I want to read." Charlie said, eyes wide. She hopped off the counter and headed towards the Angels Almighty display. As she abandoned him, Dean let out a long, low whistle.

"That's, uh, intense." Dean offered.

Cas blushed heavily, still trying to catch his breath. "Sorry, I, uh, just like the series…"

"I can tell." Dean grinned, leaning further against the counter. Cas smiled down at the book in his hands, avoiding eye-contact. The laughter in his voice couldn't be masked as Dean added, "Don't worry, it's cute."

Cas's eyes shot up to stare at Dean, his face blushing even darker than before, "W-what?"

"Yeah, you got all excited and stuff. It's cute." Dean said, feeling his own face heat up a bit. It was a little odd, telling his best friend this. Even if he knew that the real Cas would never know. It still sent a strange shiver of excitement and anxiety through his spine.

The adorable shy smile he received for his efforts would forever be embedded in Dean's memory.

Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was Charlie, over-enunciating as she mouthed out the words "Kiss Him!" Dean rolled his eyes to hide how painfully his heart leaped at the thought. He leaned forward the rest of the way over the counter, his hips pressed painfully into the side of the table. But it was worth it when he heard Cas's surprised squeak and felt the heat of his blush under his fingers.


"Hello, Dean."

This time it was Cas behind a cash register and Dean smiling at his stupid apron.

"Hey, Cas. What's all this?" Dean gestured to the flour in Cas's hair.

The baker blushed and mumbled, "Oh, I was in the middle of baking some pies. You're early today."

Dean perked up at the "p" word, "Yeah? What kind?"

Cas smiled and wiped his hands on his apron nervously, "Oh, just a few different kinds. Um, apple, key lime, chocolate turtle, mixed berry, french-"

Laughing Dean asked, "Is there any kind you didn't make?"

The baker thought for a second. And then replied with a nod, "Pumpkin."

"Pumpkin?" Dean couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Cas whispered, as if sharing a secret, "It's not in season."

"Right." Dean grinned.

With a sigh, Cas said, "Until I finish those, I'm afraid I don't have your usual order ready. Would you like something else? A pastry or donut? A muffin?"

"How bout a kiss?" Dean asked.

Cas frowned, "I don't sell those here, but I melt them occasionally for my cookies. I can see if I have any in the-"

A laugh flew from Dean's mouth, refusing to be subtle. "No, Cas, not a chocolate kiss."

Cas's frown turned far more confused as he worked out what Dean could mean. Realization crossed his face in the blink of an eye before her expression was perfectly blank. Cas looked away and started stacking the napkins, looking like he was about to leave to continue his work.

"I'm sorry, Dean. Anna isn't here at the moment, I'm sure if you come in later she might be able to-"

"I want to kiss you, dumbass." Dean interrupted, a smile still brightening the room. It only lowered slightly when a thought crossed his mind, "Unless, you don't wanna…?"

Cas was frozen, staring at him. He didn't look like he was breathing. He didn't blink.

"...Cas?" Dean asked, his smile completely gone now. "Hey, it's no big deal. It was just a-"

"Don't say it was a joke." Cas croaked. "Don't- just- yes."

And Cas was leaning over the counter, one hand cupping Dean's jaw. A full-body shiver distorted Dean's thoughts as all he could taste was flour and Cas.


"How was the meal?" Cas asked. He was dressed nicely, in mostly black and his hair was slicked down. Dean wanted to run his fingers through it and mess it up.

"It was great, thanks." Sam replied when Dean didn't.

Cas smiled genuinely, "Wonderful! Would we be liking dessert tonight?"

"Are you on the menu?" Dean asked and was delighted to see the dark blush run up Cas's face. Sam kicked him under the table.

Cas cleared his throat and replied, "Um, I'm afraid not for you. But we have a lovely selection of pies."

"I think we'll just head out. Can we get the check, please?" Sam was saying, but Dean didn't hear any if it.

"Wait a minute." He frowned, crossing his arms, "What do you mean 'not for you'?"

If this were the real Cas, he doubted he'd be able to speak right now, let alone call him out. But it wasn't. So he was going to figure out why this incarnation didn't think Dean was worthy enough for him.

"Dean!" Sam hissed, kicking him again.

"I, ah, I didn't think I used difficult vocabulary…" Cas replied nervously, eyes flicking to Sam and back.

"What, you don't like me? You can just say so, Cas, you don't have to be fucking cryptic about it or anything." Dean growled, his chest hurting a bit and his body feeling cold.

"Oh, no, sir, that's not what I-"

"You straight or something?" Dean asked suddenly, "Because, believe me, you're not."

"Dean!" Sam said, his face a furious shade of red. A lot of people in the restaurant were watching now. Dean didn't care. What made this Cas too good for him?

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to keep your voice down." Cas attempted. "I assure you, I meant no disrespect when I said, um, that. But I merely meant-"

"What'd you mean, Cas? Go on!" Dean said, waiting.

Cas flushed again and gestured between Sam and Dean, "Well, uh, isn't this a, uh, date?"

"You're an idiot." Sam said to Dean, giving him his best bitchface.

Dean just grinned, laughing to himself as he stood up and kissed Cas. This one wasn't pretentious or rude or straight. He was just being polite. What an adorable idiot. Dean was mentally thanking God that none of this was real. Otherwise he'd owe Sam and Cas a huge apology.


Cas was standing in a kitchen in just boxers and a t-shirt, cooking what smelled like bacon. Dean watched, leaning against the doorway and just enjoying the view. Cas hummed to himself as he worked, a slow but somehow happy tune. Everything about this scene just screamed 'domestic!', there was no way they weren't boyfriends in this world. Dean slowly padded across the cold tile to stand behind the boy. He wrapped his arms around Cas's waist and laid his chin on Cas's shoulder.

"Hello, Dean." Cas said, his hands stilling.

"Hey, Cas." Dean replied sleepily. He glanced at the small pile of already finished bacon, cooling on a plate on the counter. Nodding to it, he said, "You gonna let me have some of that?"

Cas thought for a moment, "Maybe if you ask nicely."

Dean pressed a kiss to Cas's shoulder, "Thought I just did."

The small boy tsk'd and replied, "That's not gonna be good enough."

So Dean slowly coerced Cas to turn around and smiled down at him, his fingers resting on Cas's hips.

"Can I pretty please have some bacon, baby?" Dean asked in between kisses up and down Cas's jaw.

Weak-kneed, Cas leaned against Dean, he gasped as Dean bit down sharply, "I guess that'd be okay…"

Grinning, Dean took a slice of warm, chewy bacon. "Thanks, babe."

"Ass." Cas muttered, rubbing his neck where Dean bit him.

"You love me." Dean grinned. Surprisingly, Cas looked uncomfortable at Dean's statement. Oh. Maybe they weren't dating in this world. Whatever, he got his bacon. That's all that mattered.

Once he finished it, and snuck a second piece, he gave Cas a quick peck on the lips. The kiss was tainted by the weird look Cas gave him earlier. When Dean closed his eyes, he could see it.


"Best lay I've ever had." Cas was saying as Dean walked into a sandwich store. He looked over his shoulder, a surprised look on his face. "Oh, hello Dean."

Gabriel, who was sitting in front of a computer, snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Cas." Dean said, slowly stepping up to the counter, "Who was the best lay you've ever had?"

Gabe answered for him, "Lover boy over here was talking about the last person he conned into going home with him."

"I don't con people, Gabriel." Cas said, pouting slightly. "I just ask them. You wouldn't understand."

Gabe rolled his eyes, "Right. And when do you ask for your payment? Before or after they come?"

Cas's face turned horrified, "Gabriel!"

"Or is it during? While their still blissed-out? Do you take their whole wallet or just the cash?" Gabe was saying.

Cas turned to Dean, his skin looking ashen, "It's not like that!"

Dean felt bile in the back of his throat, just at the idea of Cas being a prostitute. "Whatever, Cas. I don't need details."

Cas jumped over the counter, surprising Dean and impressing Gabe. He reached out for the hunter, his eyes pleading, "Wait, Dean, it's, I don't, it's just to get some extra cash. I don't steal, it's all consensual. Don't listen to Gabe. He's just angry because his stupid internet friend hasn't been talking to him."
"Hey!" Gabe said from the computer, pouting at the screen, "they're just busy..."

"I don't care, Cas." Dean growled, anger swirling inside his chest, "fuck whoever you want."

Dean refused to look at Cas's heartbroken expression. While grinding his teeth together, Dean forcefully crashed their lips together, only feeling better when he heard Cas whimper in pain.


"I'm sorry, Dean. But I can't afford to crash." Cas said, stepping away from him. "I… I can't fall for you."

Dean frowned at him. This Cas was tall and strong, he had slick black wings that were currently shaking with emotion. Dean stepped forward, and Cas stepped back again; keeping a wide space between them.

"Cas? What do you mean?" He said, utterly confused.

Cas threw his hands up, his wings spreading out dangerously, "My entire career - gone! Just for you! Is that what you want?"

Dean blinked, "Well, no…"

"I can't race if I fall, Dean. So I just, I can't. I'm sorry." Cas said, pain lacing every word. "I didn't realize you would… I'm sorry."

"Cas, shh, shh." Dean said softly, stepping forward to reach out for the angel. Cas's wings wrapped around Dean, pulling him closer.

"I'm sorry, Dean, I'm so sorry, I thought- I'm sorry." Cas kept saying over and over.

Dean rubbed Cas's arms soothingly, keeping his voice soft, "Hey, hey, it's alright Cas. I don't care. You can still race. You don't have to-"

"But Dean, you've already fallen for me!" Cas said, raising his voice, "How can you just say that!? Like it doesn't matter to you?"

The hunter wanted to groan. All these worlds with context and vocabulary and rules he didn't understand. It was getting more than a little annoying. Why couldn't he just be in the simple world of ghosts and demons? Why did he have to be in a made-up world of fucking Narnia?

"Of course it does!" Dean said, "But I'm not going to make you quit your job just for me."

Cas just shook his head. It didn't matter what answer Dean gave him, the angel wasn't satisfied.

"Dean, I just can't. We can't. I'm sorry. You have to… you have to get over me." Cas said quietly.

Dean felt his heart plummet down to his feet, leaving his body feeling cold and empty. He shivered slightly when he mumbled, "That's not possible."

Cas let out a broken sob, "I don't know what you want me to do, Dean! I can't fix this! I don't know how!"

With a small shrug, Dean suggested as casually as he could, "Kiss me?"

Cas shook his head, but slowly leaned forward anyway. Dean felt the soft press of feathers on his back as Cas pulled him closer and kissed him briefly.


"Left hand, blue." Sam said.

Dean groaned as he recognized the game. Twister. Of course the fangirls would love Twister. Cramming two or more people into a tiny space and forcing them to stretch around each other? Typical.

Dean's left hand found the blue circle a second too quick, because as soon as it sat down, Cas's hand landed on top of it.

Dean turned his head to find himself face to face with prince charming.

"Hello, Dean." The angel said, as relaxed as ever.

Meanwhile, Dean was realizing that Cas's leg was between his and their chests were too close for comfort. He could feel his stomach tighten and it wasn't just because his abs were getting a workout.

"Hey, Cas."

"Right foot, red." Sam called, boredom lacing his voice.

This only made Cas's thigh get closer to Dean's crotch. He could feel if he heat radiating off of it.

"Oh, fuck this." Dean muttered, dropping to the floor and pulling Cas with him.

"Guys, what the hell!" Sam screamed as Cas moaned and Dean bit the angel's lower lip, just because he could.


"Hello, Dean."

They were in a motel room, Sam was sat at a tiny table, typing away on his laptop. Dean smiled at Cas, because this one looked exactly like his. Maybe a little shorter than the real one, a little scruffier of a five-o'clock shadow. But it was close enough.

"Hey, Cas."

What happened next, Dean couldn't explain. Cas glanced up, above Dean's head and smirked. Fucking smirked. Dean doesn't think he's seen his Cas ever smirk. And then Cas was the one to push him backward, up against the motel wall. Cas was the one that sucked a spot onto Dean's neck with enthusiasm. Cas was the one who growled into Dean's ear when Dean pressed back against him and their groins connected; showing both men exactly how this sudden turn of events was affecting them. Vaguely, Dean heard Sam's shout and clumsy scramble to get out of the room. But most of his attention was focused on the way Cas kept flicking his eyes up to the space above Dean's head and how his grin grew wider each time.

"C-Cas?" Dean asked, sounding completely wrecked.

"Yes, Dean?" Cas replied, his warm hands slipping under Dean's shirt. His lips reclaimed their spot on Dean's neck.

Dean's knees felt weak as he gasped out, "W-w-what are- are you do-shit-ing?"

Cas hummed against Dean's neck and softly scraped his teeth against the skin there. Dean gasped out, his hands grabbing forward blindly to pull Cas closer. Finally Cas pulled away and looked up at Dean, licking his lips. His eyes flicked up again to just above Dean's head and he replied softly, "Giving you what you want."

Dean could only gasp for his breath like a dying man as Cas slowly slid further down Dean's body. Oh, God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh- Was Cas really going to- He wouldn't- Would he- Holy shit!

"Blasphemy a sin, Dean." Cas commented casually as his fingers worked on Dean's belt.

Something in Dean's stomach jolted violently and he suddenly felt sick. It was one thing to be forced to kiss your guy best friend. It was one thing to think your guy best friend was pretty cute. And to kinda sorta admit that you might really kinda like him in a non-best friend way. It was a completely other thing to get a fucking blow job from your guy best friend. Dean was not ready to cross that line. That was a whole nother realm of gayness he wasn't prepared for.

"W-wait, Cas, Cas, wait." He said in a gasp, using a hand to gently tug on Cas's hair. The angel took the hint and made his way back up Dean's body until he was awkwardly standing in front of him.

"Did I misinterpret…?" Cas asked, eyes flicking up to squint at Dean's hair again.

Dean shook his head, he couldn't voice how he felt, but his body was buzzed and his heart was pounding and he felt a little sick but also really turned on. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and swallowed again. He closed his eyes and mumbled, "Just... kiss me, Cas."
Cas was more than happy to oblige.


Dean was sitting in a chair in the middle of an empty room. He watched as Sam and his father were walking out and Cas slowly walked in. The boy was staring at his feet, his hands in tight fists.

"Cas." Dean said, getting up and closing the gap between them.

Cas fell into his arms and before Dean could ask what was wrong, the other boy started beating on his chest, angry tears flowing down his face.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID FUCKING IDIOT!"

Dean gripped Cas's wrists, holding them still, "Whoa, Cas, hold on-"

"They're going to kill you out there! You're going to die!" Cas was spitting, he was so mad. Tears flew off his face as he pushed Dean away, "Sam would've gotten sponsors, he's smart, he had a chance! You didn't have to- you're so stupid!"

"Cas, Cas, calm down!" Dean said, holding his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry!"

"Did you even stop to think how I'd feel?! I have to watch you die now!" Cas whispered, his body shaking uncontrollably, "I can't do that, Dean, I can't watch you die."

"So I won't." Dean replied.

Cas shook his head furiously, bit his lip, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he was like a whole other person. He stood with his back straight, he looked Dean in the eye.

"You've got great aim. Get a bow early on and you'll be fine. Play it smart; you don't have the luxury of taking risks. Make an alliance, but, God, Dean, don't sacrifice yourself for them." Cas let out a shaky breath and continued, "I-if you don't make it back, I'll take care of Sam."

"Thank you." Dean said, because it was all he could think to say.

Cas was in his arms again. Only this time, instead of attacking him, he pulled him closer than they've ever been. "Please come home alive."

"I will." Dean promised.

The door opened then and a guard in white armor stepped forward, "Times up."

Cas looked wildly at Dean, everything he wants to say flickering in this eyes, too quick to decipher.

Slowly, the words crawled out of Cas's lips, broken, desperate. "I love you, Dean Winchester."

Dean's heart felt like it stopped. He'd never, he didn't…

They were kissing. The guard was yelling at them, but this world was already fading away to the next one.


"Hey, Cas. What's up?" Dean asked as the man slid onto a stool at the bar.

Dean liked the idea of being a bartender. And in this world, Jo and Ellen were alive. Ash, too. Dean was working at the Roadhouse or this world's equivalent. So he wasted a good two hours just joking around with them. He had totally forgotten about getting a kiss from Cas until his angel showed up, looking worse for wear.

"One bourbon, one scotch, one beer." Cas said, slouching against the bar, "Please."

"A man after my own heart." Dean grinned as he started fixing the order. Cas gave him an irritated, confused look. "Be...because of the song…"

"Yes, well, I'm going to get so drunk tonight, you can teach me the lyrics and I may do karaoke of it." Cas grumbled as he started with the beer.

"There's no singing in my bar." Ellen said as she walked by.

"That's cuz there's no fun in her bar." Jo muttered as she walked the opposite way.

Dean grinned and watched her go, loving every second of it.

When Dean looked back at Cas, the man was glaring down at his drinks like they just kicked his puppy. Dean wiped the bar down to make it look like he was doing something.

"So, you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Dean asked.

Cas shrugged, not looking up at him, "Perhaps when I'm drunker."

Dean smiled, "I'll come back then."

"Unless Joanna distracts you." Cas sneered.

Dean raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

"Nothing. Thank you for the alcohol." Cas said, standing up and pulling out his wallet.

"Whoa, whoa, you didn't even finish one of them!" Dean said, "You can't waste good scotch."

"Then you drink it." Cas replied setting down some bills and turning to walk away.

Dean huffed and jumped over the bar, ignoring Ellen shout of "You get back here!" and Jo's rebuttal of "Leave 'im alone, he's finally making a move!"

"Cas," Dean called as he made it outside, catching his friend on the sidewalk.

"I don't even like alcohol, Dean. I come in every night and I don't ever finish a single drink and I've wasted so much money on you and I'm tired of it, okay!?" Cas said in one breath. "I've been flirting with you for weeks now, so just give me an answer already! Is it yes or no?"

Dean watched Cas huff out small clouds of breath in the cold night air. He couldn't believe this man would do such a thing. Would go somewhere he hates time and time again just to see Dean. And then Dean remembered that this was a story. So of course Cas would be head over heals for him. Because it's not real.

"Yes, Cas." Dean said, quietly. "Always yes."

It started to snow softly as they kissed under the streetlight.


"Hey, Dean." Cas said from a couch in the other room.

"...Yeah?" Dean replied, following the sound of his friend's voice.

When he saw Cas, the boy had a blank expression on. Slowly, he tipped his head back, a gesture to come closer. So Dean found himself standing in front of Cas.

"Kiss me." Cas said, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Dean snorted and leaned down, "Alright."

A hand was on his chest, stopping him. Dean looked at Cas, confused.

With a slow smirk, Cas added, "Casually."

Something about the word made Dean grin as well and he leaned the rest of the way down, connecting their lips. Cas's hands landed on Dean's hips, pulling him forward and he slid onto his friend's lap.


"Would you like to have dinner at my place sometime?" Cas asked. His shirt was damp from sweat and he was carrying a small duffle with him. He was quick to add, "I promise it'll be healthy. You can bring your boyfriend if you'd like."

Dean's smile was pulled tighter, "My boyfriend?"

"Sam." Cas said, nodding along, "I've spotted him a few times. He's a great conversationalist."

Dean shook his head. Why did everyone assume-? "Sam's my brother."

"Oh." Cas said, pleasant surprise crossing his face. "Then, um, if that's alright, he's no longer invited."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean grinned, "Imma tell him you said that."

"No, he'll drop weights on me again." Cas whined and bumped his shoulder with Dean's. They chuckled, staring at each other. Cas hesitated and then said, "Um, so about the dinner?"

"Just you and me?"

"Yes."

Dean pretended to think about it, "It'll have to work around my schedule..."

"It was just a suggestion. A friendly thing. Just because, we're, you know," he looked down and definitely pouted, "friends."

Dean laughed and pulled Cas's face up gently. "Sure, I'd love to, amigo."

Cas dropped his duffle bag when Dean kissed him.


"Excuse me, sir?"

Dean looked up from the shelf he was stocking. He smiled when he saw Cas walking up to him, an innocent expression on his face.

"Yeah, how can I help you?" He said, his smile not wavering for a second.

Cas huffed out a soft laugh, looking down at the coffee in his hand. "Um, this is for you."

Dean took the coffee from him. He smiled to himself, because, aw, in this world his boyfriend brought him coffee while he was at work. That's so cute. "Thanks, Cas."

Surprise took over Cas's face, he took a step back, "H-how did you know my name?"

Or not.

"Oh, I asked around." Dean waved vaguely. He took a sip of the coffee and licked his lips, "This is good, thank you."

Cas blushed and shuffled his feet, "No problem."

Dean grinned to himself, "No, it's really good. You should taste it."

"What?" It was a small squeak that barely made it past his lips before Dean's tongue was giving him a nice sample of the coffee.


Dean was in a pet store. He could tell, because the first thing he did was sneeze.

He slowly made his way away from the kittens and wandered around to look at the fish and toys. He wouldn't mind a turtle. Turtles are cool. He could put a balloon on it so it looks like the balloon is walking around. What'd be a good turtle name? ...Skynard.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Dean turned around to see Cas, holding a fluffy, squirming puffball. The poor thing looked like it did not want to be held at the moment and was trying it's best to jump out of Cas's grip.

"Who's this?" Dean asked as he pet the brown cloud of fur.

Cas smiled, "Oh, this is Michael. He's up for adoption, if you're interested."

"Maybe later." Dean said, "I'm not much of a dog man."

Cas nodded, unfazed, "We also have cats."

Dean shook his head, "Allergic."

He could see a small look of confusion cross Cas's eyes, but the man continued nonetheless. "What are you looking for? We have birds, fish, lizards, rabbits, turtles, frogs."

The hunter looked around for a second before humming to himself and looking Cas up and down. He was wearing black slacks, which were now covered in dog hair, and a white shirt with the pet store's logo on it.

"Are you up for adoption?" Dean asked, a playful smirk forming easily.

Cas laughed, god that's a glorious sound, and shook his head, "Afraid not. But maybe I'll let you take me on a walk sometime. There's a nice cafe down the street."

"I'd like that." Dean said softly.
It was at that moment Michael succeeded in his escape. The fluffy puppy ran across the floor, skittering around the corner.

"Michael, no! I just gave you a bath!" Cas shouted as he raced after the dog.

Dean laughed and ran after them. He turned the corner to find Michael had knocked over a display of toys, Cas was on the ground, trying to reach for the puppy. Dean couldn't stop himself and ended up tripping and fumbling to the ground, landing on top of Cas.

"Oof!" Cas gasped, turning under Dean to look at him.

"Woof!" Michael repeated from under a shelf.

Dean laughed as he pushed himself up slightly, "You okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Cas said, breathless.

Dean was still giggling at the stupidity of it all as he pressed his lips to Cas's. Michael barked the entire time at them. Apparently puppies do not appreciate PDA.


Sam and Cas were staring at him. Sam amused and slightly disgusted, while Cas looked furious.

An arm was looped around his waist. Dean looked over to see a lean man in leather grinning at him.

"So if I'm Baby, does that make you Daddy?" The man asked.

Sam snorted and grinned ear to ear. "Yeah, Dean. Are you Daddy now?"

Cas was glaring daggers at the man and Dean was pretty sure if he was given the green light, he would've smote the man within a second.

"Oh, you should hear some of the things he's done in me." The man continued, placing a hand on Dean's bicep. "He has some kinks. The stuff he has people do-"

"Okay, okay." Sam said, throwing his hands up, "That's enough Impala, I don't need to hear about that."

"Impala?" Dean looked the man up and down.

"You can still call me Baby." The Impala winked at him.

Disgust swirled in Dean's stomach. He peeled himself out of the Impala's grip and went to stand by Cas. "Nope. Nope. Nope."

His angel smirked smugly at the Impala. "Dean appears to not accept your advances."

The Impala rolled his eyes, "Dean loves me. Can you say that about you?"
Sam's eyes flew wide, he looked between the angel and the car-turned-human. "Guys, hold on…"
"Dean loves you for material purposes. He sees you as nothing more than a fancy muscle car." Cas said, stepping forward.

"Shows what you know. I've been the only stable factor in Dean's life. Everyone has left him. His father, his brother, and you. The only one that's stayed with him was me. Always me." The Impala hissed back, closing the gap between the two. Cas and he were nearly chest to chest now. Dean could hear a faint rumble of an engine and Cas's eyes were starting to glow blue.

"Alright, this is too weird." Dean muttered. He turned Cas around by his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.


"Don't worry, Mr. Winchester. Your boys will be perfectly fine with me." Cas was saying.

Dean looked at himself and then at Cas. He was obviously older than the boy in this world. Something about that rubbed Dean wrong.

"How old are you?" Dean asked.

"Eighteen, sir." Cas replied, "But I've taken cpr classes and I babysit my younger cousin Alfie all the time. I've never had any problems."
Dean thought for a moment, he looked about twenty-five? Probably. "...Do you know how old I am?"

Cas frowned, "Um, twenty-six, I think?"

"Gross." Dean muttered and pulled Cas into a kiss by the back of his head.


Dean was in a motel by himself. There was only one bed and he wasn't sure where Sam was. But it was three in the morning and, hell, he was tired. So he figured fictional Sam would wait until he gets his four hours.

Even though it was the middle of the night, the world seemed darker than it usually was. Pulling back the curtains, Dean couldn't see the moon; it was hidden behind a sea of dark, angry clouds. He could hear the first low rumbles of thunder in the distance.

Slinking away from the window and pulling off his shirt and pants, Dean crawled into the slightly-above-average bed. He relaxed into the pillows and drifted off.

Being a hunter, Dean wakes up at the slightest noise. Tonight, that noise just so happened to be a loud clap of thunder, and then a small, terrified whimper.

Dean rolled over to find that the other half of his bed was currently occupied by an angel.

"Cas? Man, what's goin' on?" Dean asked groggily.

There was a sharp breath and then Cas was shifting away from him, "Nothing, Dean. I apologize for waking-" There was a loud clap of thunder following a flash of lightening, "YOU!"

Cas jumped away from the window, effectively clinging to Dean.

Dean huffed a laugh and sat up on his elbows, "So you, uh, don't like thunder, huh?"
"I don't prefer it." Cas mumbled, ducking his head under Dean's chin. The hunter tried not to smile at how cute that was and rubbed Cas's back. With every bang of thunder Cas clung tighter to Dean, letting out small whimpers.

Dean hummed softly, a tune he held dear to his heart. Cas shifted, pressing his ear to Dean's chest as the hunter continued the song. Slowly, Cas's shivering stopped and the two just layed together. Dean's skin felt on fire and his heart was skipping as Cas slowly started to trace patterns on Dean's chest.

"Dean?" Cas asked after a long moment.

Dean turned his head slightly to be able to look at Cas, "Hmm?"

"What are you thinking about?" Dean could feel Cas's breath on his chest and it made a shiver run down his spine.

Dean's mouth went dry as the words formed on his lips, "I think I might love you."

Cas looked up at him, his hand stilling on Dean's chest.

"I think I might love you, too." Cas replied quietly.

Dean smiled as Cas leaned up to press their lips together.


"Hello, Dean." Cas said, sitting on the floor in a circle of candles.

Dean lowered the bag he was holding to the floor and stepped into the dark room. "Hey, Cas. Any reason why you've got the witch ceremony going on?"

"The power went out. I'm trying to read." Cas said, holding up a thick book.

"You're gonna start a fire like that." Dean muttered, walking over to sit down next to him. He moved some of the candles further away, giving them some space.

Cas shrugged, "Worth it."

Dean snorted and leaned forward, trying to get a kiss. Cas leaned back, eyes wide.

"Um, Dean?"

"Hmm?" Dean's hand found Cas's messy, curly hair.

Cas stared at Dean, "Are you drunk?"

"No."

The other man slowly pulled Dean's hand out of his hair. Dean intertwined their fingers together and Cas swallowed heavily.

"Then- then why are you…?" Cas's question hung in the air, voice shaking slightly.

Dean carefully took the book out of Cas's hands, and scooted closer, "Cuz why not? I like you and I only got fifty more chances to enjoy it. So let me just…"

Cas's eyes were darting between Dean's, searching him for anything and everything. Hope, confusion and fear interlaced in Cas's eyes and Dean wanted to kiss every part of his skin. So he did.

His mouth found Cas's jaw, sucking soft marks into his skin. Cas gasped as one hand held Dean's head in place and the other gently pushed his chest away. Dean pushed back on the hand and slipped one hand under Cas's shirt.

"D-Dean, I don't understand, y-you like me?" Cas gasped as Dean's tongue dragged down Cas's neck.

"Mmm, love you." Dean hummed, his teeth nipping at the intersection of Cas's neck and shoulder.

Cas gasped and Dean was pretty sure it wasn't at the bite. "Dean!"

The hunter found himself climbing into Cas's lap. His hands cupping Cas's face as he pressed kisses to his forehead and eyelids. Cas's face was bright red and Dean was fairly certain he wasn't breathing correctly.

"Love you, Cas. Think I do." Dean mumbled as his fingers brushed over Cas's lips. "Think I always have. You don't, not the real you, but that's alright."

Confusion stared back up at Dean, "Of course I love you, too." Cas said slowly, "How could I not?"

Dean smiled bittersweetly, "You only do cuz the author wanted you to."

"What?" Cas now looked at Dean like he was insane, "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"Drunk on you." Dean mumbled as he leaned down and pressed their lips together finally.


Dean picked a flower, a red rose, full and beautiful and walked up to Cas with it.

"Are you intending to pay for that?" Castiel asked, his eyes flicking up to Dean, unimpressed.

"It's for you." Dean said, holding it out to him.

Cas raised an eyebrow, "You picked a rose that I grew from my shop to give to me?"

Dean licked his lips, biting the inside of his cheek to keep a straight face. "Yes."
Cas shook his head, "You're a weird one, Mr. Winchester."
"Just Dean." Dean said, nodding to the flower, "So will you take it?"
Cas picked the flower out of his hand and inspected it, "Do you speak flower, Mr. Winchester?"
"No." Dean said, putting his hands in his pockets.

A smile toyed at Cas's lips, "Well, then you don't know what you just said to me. By giving me this."

He bopped Dean on the nose with the rose.

"Means I wanted to give you a flower." Dean said, crinkling his nose.

"Sure, Dean." Cas replied, a fond smile making the world seem so gloriously warm and bright.


Dean and Cas were pressed up against each other, Cas had his hand on Dean's shoulder while the other was clasped with Dean's. There was soft music playing in the background and they were in their socks in the bunker's kitchen. Well, they were wearing other clothes, too. Cas was in his usual trenchcoat. Dean had on a band shirt that he's pretty sure he doesn't actually own.

"Dean?" Cas said, looking at Dean with concern.

"Hm?" Dean blinked at him.

Cas removed his hands, stepping away, "You said you were going to teach me how to dance."

"Right." Dean said, eyes widening. He can't dance. He doesn't know how to dance. How is he supposed to teach fake Cas if he doesn't know how to do it? Taking a deep breath, Dean figured he'd give it the old college-try. "C'mere."

Cas placed his hands back where they originally were and waited for instructions.

"So it's something like a box, I think. So I'll step forward and you'll step back and we probably won't step on each other." Dean said, staring at their feet.

He could hear the amusement in Cas's voice as he said, "Do you know how to dance, Dean?"

"Not in the slightest." Dean muttered, "Ready? Go."

Cas stepped back and Dean stepped forward. With the wrong foot. Already he stepped on Cas's foot and the angel snorted at him.

"Dean-"

"No, wait, let's try again."

They made it three steps before Cas slipped and pulled them to the ground. Dean blinked in surprise when he heard Cas's deep, full body laugh. He sat there, hovering over Castiel and just watched as his friend laughed so hard he cried. He'd never heard something so beautiful before. Once Cas calmed down, Dean did the only thing he could think of.

He kissed him.


"Don't come out for seven minutes!" Gabe said as the door was shut and Dean was effectively locked in a closet with Cas.

"Well, this'll be easy." Dean muttered to himself as he found Cas in the darkness and leaned forward.

Cas let out a shuddering breath on Dean's skin and whispered, "Dean? We don't have to-"

"But I want to…" Dean replied, just as quiet. And he did. Because really, if he was going to be in a closet again might as well make the best of it. He felt his eyelids lower and his hand found Cas's in the dark.

"O-oh. I didn't think you, um…" Cas trailed off and tipped his head up, connecting their lips together.


"Hello, Dean." Cas said, exhausted. "Can I stay here? My roommate kicked me out."

Dean smiled at the other man's messy hair, "Course, Cas. Come on in. You want something to eat? Drink?"

"Some tea, please." Cas replied as he followed Dean to the kitchen. Dean smiled as Cas added, "With honey."
They stayed up late, talking about anything and everything. Cas had drunk four cups of tea and Dean had eaten an entire box of cookies he found. At one point Dean made Cas laugh so hard he spit out his tea, coughing up a lung.

Around one they curled up on the couch and turned on Netflix. Cas started dozing off on Dean's shoulder as Dean played with Cas's hair. He'd never get used to playing with it. It was incredibly soft and thick and addictive. Cas always purred happily when Dean scratched his scalp just right or tugged on a certain chunk of hair.

Dean didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up when Cas slowly crept away from the couch.

"Where'ya goin'?" Dean asked, reaching out for him.

"I-I wasn't sure you'd want to see me, um, with you when you woke up." Cas replied, his ears turning pink.

Dean shook his head, his eyes barely open as he gestured lazily for Cas to come back, "C'mere."
Hesitatingly, Cas stepped up, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, I never meant to-"

"Shuddup," Dean mumbled as he pulled Cas down onto the couch with him. Cas squeaked, but otherwise didn't protest. He wasn't sure when he kissed Cas. Everything seemed a little fuzzy and dream-like. A peaceful zone between awake and asleep where everything was just beautifully, wondrously Cas.


"It's called love, Cas." Sam's voice filtered through the bunker. Dean slowed down his steps until he stopped outside the doorway to the kitchen. He stepped back a bit, so his back was against the wall and he held his breath as he listened.

"I know the term, Sam. I just..." There was a long pause and then Cas said quietly, "Angels were not meant to love. I don't think it's possible. But..."

There was the soft sound of footsteps and then Sam was saying, "Cas, I don't know what you're feeling specifically, but I've seen how you look at him. I've seen that look before. And I'm pretty sure you love him. I'd bet my last dollar on it."

Cas sighed and Dean could hear a chair scratching across the floorboards. "Yes, I think I would as well. But it doesn't matter. He doesn't love me back. He's straight."

The burst of laughter that came from the kitchen would've been insulting in any other situation.

"No, God, no, Cas. He's not." Sam was still laughing as he talked.

"Maybe. But my stance still stands. He would've made romantic advances by now. It's been years..." Cas's voice was getting closer, "Thank you for your help, Sam. I just don't know what to do with this information."

Dean forgot to move because he was too busy thinking about how Cas has apparently been in love with him for years. How the hell did this Dean get so lucky? So it was mostly his fault when Cas walked right into him and they crashed against the wall, Dean pressed between his angel and the cement bricks.

"D-Dean!" Cas gasped in surprise. "I'm so sorry! How- how much did you hear?"

Dean grinned at him, "Enough to do this confidently."

It was only as Cas's tongue was sliding against his did Dean realize that he probably should've confessed his love to this Cas. He wondered vaguely how this story ends. Does this Dean realize what a precious treasure he has before him? Does Cas ever tell Dean? He wanted to know, but not as much as he wanted to explore his angel's mouth.


Dean blinked and he was in a snazzy lounge. He was seated on the plushest couch his ass has ever touched. There was an extravagant fireplace burning in the corner and in front of him was a flatscreen currently playing Game of Thrones.

Charlie appeared next to him, holding a bowl of popcorn.

"Congratulations, Dean. That was your 50th kiss. You're halfway there." Charlie smiled at him, looking just like the Cheshire Cat. "How's that feel?"

There was a mix of longing for this to end; to be back home where he knew what was happening and how to go about his day. But there was also an intense need to stay here, in this endless loop where Cas loved him. Adored him. What could be better than that?

Dean rubbed his forehead, his head throbbing and his eyes heavy. He looked up at Charlie with a sigh.

"I don't know… Um, good? I guess?" He said, just wanting to meet the next Cas and be on his way. With a deep sigh, he rolled his shoulders, hearing the joints pop in a painfully delicious way.

As he rubbed his sore neck, he asked the ghost, "What's next?"

And Charlie just grinned.


Give me some prompts for the next 50 because I was lowkey struggle-bussing towards the end.

Tell me what you think!