A/N: I love the way this turned out.
The diner is crowded, the food is greasy, but Cas wants to get this off his chest. Cas wants to get a lot of things off his chest, but he isn't sure how to word them. Cas doesn't really understand that saying. There is nothing actually atop his chest, but Dean has used the expression a few times, as has Sam, so Cas has learned it by now.
Anyways. Yes, Cas is getting this off his chest.
Earlier that evening
Dean wasn't sure when he truly knew. It was probably sometime between Castiel's Leviathan-induced death and the point when Castiel became human. Maybe it had happened before that. Maybe he had really known it all along. It didn't really matter when he should have known; when he saw the signs and felt the emotions. He had his revelation and now he realized it; that's what really mattered.
Now what the hell was he going to do?
Dean had been through a lot of shit; no one doubted that. He'd handled it as best as he could. Most of it should have been catastrophic to his mental state, but it wasn't. So, yeah. He'd been through a lot of shit. But none of it was like this. He had never felt like this about someone so consistently close to him.
Shit.
He'd just have to hold it in. Dean would get over it, eventually. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it. Castiel was human now, so it wasn't too forbidden, but that had nothing to do with it.
In reality, Dean wasn't nervous for what a relationship could do to his mind. He didn't give a shit about that. In fact, it would probably help him. Dean's problem was that Castiel was innocent. Castiel was damaged, but not as damaged as Dean. Castiel had enough problems on his own. Plus, he carried a lot of Sam and Dean's own baggage. But he didn't carry all of Dean's problems and concerns, and Dean wasn't going to cause Cas anymore pain than he had to.
So, Dean would stuff it all down. He had subconsciously been doing it before, what was the difference now?
Dean was wrong. It was very different now. Now, he knew. Dean knew what it meant when his stomach flipped whenever Castiel's eyes caught his own. He knew why he was always so fidgety around the ex-angel. He started to realize how much he touched Castiel; whether it was a pat on the shoulder or what he once thought to be 'accidental' nudging as they walked side by side. His breath hitched more than he thought it did, and now he knew the explanation to why that is.
"Dean? Earth to Dean, come in Dean." Sam had been in the middle of his sentence when Dean had zoned out. Dean blinked, looking at his brother.
"Sorry, long day," Dean muttered. Sam raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah, uh-huh. I'm believing that one. You just completely blanked on me while I was talking about getting some food. That happens once in a lifetime." Sam smirked.
"Oh, ha-ha, you're fucking hilar-" Dean cut his own sentence short as his mouth ran dry.
Castiel had walked into the room, hair soaked and appearance no short of disheveled. His hair fell limply against his face and Dean fought the urge to move it out of his eyes. His hand moved up instinctually, but he disguised the action by itching his neck. Dean could feel his brother staring at him in confusion, and his neck and face grew hot. Dean stuttered a little, but chose to forget what he was about to say and ignore Sam. Castiel hadn't noticed the silence as he tentatively sifted through the skim amount of food that was in their small refrigerator.
"We're going out to eat," said Sam, who had apparently given up the hope of Dean finishing his sentence. Castiel nodded.
"Well, we might go out to eat if Dean ever finishes his sentences." Sam added, raising his eyebrows for the millionth time at his brother. Okay, so, maybe he didn't give up. Dean groaned.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get this over with."
Dean had driven to the diner and, to his dismay, Sam had told Cas that he could sit in the passenger seat, which meant that Castiel's arms bumped with his own almost the entire ride, causing his skin to flare up. Basically, the ride was very pleasant in the most unpleasant of ways.
"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked as Dean slammed the door to the Impala. Dean shrugged, pushing it all down again, and tried loosening up a bit. He didn't want Sam to get worried or, god forbid, suspicious. No, that would only lead to bad things.
Sam knew what was going on with his brother. It was obvious, really. It had started to become obvious a week ago, but today, his suspicions were confirmed.
Sure, he could confront Dean or wink at him or tell his brother that he knew, but that wouldn't work too well. Plus, Sam enjoyed the satisfaction of making Dean uncomfortable or awkward in situations where Dean thought Sam was doing it without reason. There was always a reason.
There was a reason why he told Castiel that he could ride in the passenger seat, just like there was a reason why Sam had taken it upon himself to sit at the edge of the booth, which he had picked because of the fact that it was smaller, making the ex-angel and his brother squish together on the other side of the table.
It wasn't like Sam was just doing this to see Dean squirm. He wanted his brother to be happy. He knew that Cas liked Dean back; Cas had been blatantly obvious with his emotions kicking into high gear because of all the human mumbo jumbo that was getting to him. Dean hadn't caught on yet, but Sam wasn't sure he ever would.
So, like the wonderful brother he was, Sam was taking the matter into his own hands.
Seeing Dean squirm was just an added bonus.
"My favorite color is green." Cas announces. Dean is in the middle of a bite of his burger and Sam is looking out the window, appearing to be deep in thought.
This statement only causes an absent nod from Sam and a distracted grunt from Dean. Castiel is puzzled. They don't understand the significance of that sentence. Cas thought they would understand everything he was trying to say with those simple words. But they don't understand, so Cas needs to try again.
"Do either of you know what I just said? I know you heard me, but you haven't seemed to comprehend the importance of that." Castiel says.
Dean nods as he looks down at his sandwich, obviously still not truly listening, but Sam's gaze snaps to Cas, and he seems to be absorbed in thought for a few short moments before a wide smirk spreads across his face. It's gone in a flash, replaced by his indifferent glance, although Cas can still see hints of the smile in Sam's eyes.
"Dean, did you hear him?" Sam asks his brother, and Castiel doesn't bother to comment that, of course Dean heard him, he responded to the question. Dean's eyes flicker between Cas and Sam and Castiel lets a smile spread across his face at the sight of the sparkly orbs.
"What happened?" Dean asks, and Sam chuckles before quoting what Castiel had said.
"Okay?" Dean's expression is one of confusion, and his eyes turn to Cas for an explanation.
"Exactly!" Castiel exclaims, pointing at Dean's face. Dean is more baffled by this, so Castiel realizes that he has to put his thoughts into words.
"My favorite color is green because your eyes are green." Castiel says, and Dean's neck turns pink, which causes Castiel to change his mind.
"Actually, I prefer red. You turn red often and it looks quite attractive on you. Or maybe my favorite color is the color of your hair..." Castiel trails off. After a moment of brief silence, Cas speaks up again, his voice disappointed.
"I can't decide. Never mind."
"I'm confused, why is all of this about Dean?" Sam asks, but the tone of voice he uses tells Cas that he already knows. Castiel wrinkles his nose, but decides that Sam is trying to help him out, so he elaborates.
"I have always said that I have a profound bond with Dean, so it's natural that I'm magnetized towards him. Now that I'm human, that urge to be near him has grown infinitely. I'm not really sure what that means for me, but I know that the side affects of the urge are that I appreciate everything about Dean." Cas starts. Dean is making a strange face that Castiel has never seen before, but it looks nice on him, so Cas keeps talking.
"I appreciate the faces that he makes even more and I really appreciate everything about him. The colors that paint Dean are magnificent and I have declared them my favorites. The way he acts and the mannerisms he uses are attractive and I gravitate towards his leadership skills and his determination." Cas goes on, feeling like, yes, his chest did feel lighter, maybe that term was correct after all.
"I appreciate Dean much more as a person and as a friend. As of lately, I appreciate his strange behavior and his new quirks. I wish to be close to him and I wish to study him. Everything about him makes me very happy, happier than those hamburgers did when famine had taken over my vessel. I do not know what you would call that urge to be near him, but it's growing." Castiel finishes. Sam is smiling slightly and Dean is staring at Cas with some deep seeded emotion that resembles his own, but before he can comment on it, he catches a glimpse of Dean's eyes and speaks again.
"Actually, yes, green is my favorite color. I've decided that your eyes are my favorite thing about your physical appearance."
Sam claps loudly, which seems to pull Dean out of his gaze. Before Castiel or Sam can say anything, Dean blurts out the first thing that comes into his mind.
"I love you, too."
The stunned silence from Sam goes unnoticed and Castiel smiles, happy that he has a word for all of his feelings and even more-so that Dean reciprocates those feelings.
Dinner goes on. Dean is chipper, Castiel is still euphoric, and Sam is proud that his brother is finally happy.
Dean doesn't let go of Castiel's hand until they are in bed, only to kiss the ex-angel softly and to hold him tightly to his body as they drift off to sleep.
Castiel's favorite color is green for the rest of his life and he never refrains from getting anything off of his chest from that day forward.