Castiel's skin did not feel right.
This was the thought that had haunted him since the moment he woke up human. At first he thought it was simply because he had been an angel, an entirely different species, for an ungodly amount of time and that would explain the discomfort in him. His explanation was shattered after months passed and the feeling only grew worse. Every glimpse he caught of his reflection fed this frustration and rage until one day the mirror shattered.
"Come again?" Dean asked, eyebrows raised.
"I broke the mirror. I do not like the way I look, Dean."
The man stared up at Castiel for a moment before snatching his hand up to pull out the shards of glass. He shook his head, muttering about the need for stitches, then stood to grab his first aid kit. Castiel quickly grabbed his arm, making Dean flinch in surprise at the sudden ferocity and spin back around to face his friend.
"You don't understand. I do not feel normal."
"You're human now, right? It's understandable that you don't feel 'normal'. Don't go breaking our mirrors over that crap."
"No, that is not the problem. My vessel's gender feels wrong."
Sam, who always made a point to stay out of their conversations, looked up from his spot on the couch to stare at his brother and friend. The pair sat together in awkward silence, the glass momentarily forgotten. Dean nodded, pulled out the remaining pieces, then looked to his younger brother with terror etched in his expression. This conversation was beyond a man who couldn't even grasp his own sexuality and barely accepted others for theirs. Sam nodded back to him and looked at Castiel.
"Cas, how long have you been feeling this way?" he asked gently, motioning for Castiel to join him on the couch so Dean could quickly escape to the kitchen.
"It has plagued me ever since I became a human."
"You should've come to me sooner."
Being empathetic had always been Sam Winchester's greatest attribute and unlike Dean, he didn't shy away from people who were "different". Running off to college had given him a perspective on the world. He saw that it was filled to the brim with people that didn't fit into the boxes he had been taught to shove others into. The world was not black and white as his father described.
Fueled by confidence and a third of Dean's abandoned beer, Sam pulled his laptop off the coffee table and began to type in the open browser. This random course of action confused Castiel but he made no move to openly question it. Sam would never push aside another away just because he didn't know the solution. Castiel settled into his faith for his friend as Sam shoved the laptop onto his legs.
"Pick a few and I'll get them for you. I think there's a few boutiques around here that are dying for some business, so we'll hit them up tomorrow."
The web page stared patiently up at Castiel's dumbfounded face as he looked at the frilly skirts and dresses that were modeled by women of all sizes. A string of swears that would make a sailor cringe rested on Castiel's tongue as he felt embarrassment bubble in his stomach. He began to doubt his friend's motives until he spotted a spotted a striped dress that he couldn't turn away from.
Sam caught the stare, quietly clicked 'Add to Cart', and scrolled down the page, only pausing when Castiel's breath hitched. No words were exchanged, not even after they had successfully put together three outfits complete with accessories and a bumblebee tote bag. Sam only smiled and waved away the silent gratitude in Castiel's eyes as they parted to go to their respective rooms.
It was difficult at first to explain to Dean what was going on.
"He's a transformer?"
"No, you ass! A transgender!"
"Well how do we cure it?"
"You can't be this stupid. There's no cure because he's not sick. He- well, actually Cas might be a 'they' instead of one or the other.."
Dean blanched at the sudden pronoun change. Charlie was a lesbian and he's met gay men on their hunts, but Castiel was an entirely different beast to deal with. He shook these thoughts from his head and settled on what he knew. Castiel is an important part of his life. The one person who stood up for him and his little brother even though everyone else was against them. Dean would stay loyal and attempt to understand what was happening to his best friend.
x
"We're going where?!
"Calm down, Dean. It's just a strip mall."
"The hell is wrong with going to Wal-Mart? Is that name-brand chick shit too good for you, hippie?"
Sam ducked when Dean threw a dirty Styrofoam cup at his head, letting it fly past him and out the passenger window. It had been agreed between the two brothers that searching through the vintage shops with Castiel in tow hadn't been the best plan, especially since a few dresses costed more than filling up the Impala, but Sam refused taking their friend to a supermarket. Castiel didn't seem to mind the commotion, content with smiling cheerfully at the porcelain angel Dean bought for them after they stared at it with such longing.
"We are NOT taking Cas to a place where you can buy eggs, garden tools, and clothes all in one trip!"
"You're gonna turn Cas into a freakin' tree-hugger! Pretty soon you're gonna have him eating tofu and going to yoga!"
"Cas is a them, and yoga is very beneficial for your health-"
"MY FOOT IN YOUR ASS IS BENEFICIAL TO HUMANITY"
The bickering continued on for the remainder of the ride but Castiel only smiled fondly, listening to the ridiculous comebacks, dodging any objects that strayed from the intended path. When they pulled into the parking lot full of vendors, Castiel handed the angel to Sam for safe keeping and stuck their head out the window. The shoppers were noisy with laughter and discussion, dressed in homemade clothing much to Dean's displeasure.
"I still think this is a shit idea, Sammy."
"I'm sure the angels said the same thing about you being born, Dean, but accidents happen."
Castiel quickly walked ahead of them, narrowly dodging the onslaught of flying fists, and took their time in searching for the perfect clothing. They wanted to feel that spark that they felt the previous night and they knew it would take a bit longer without the internet. Sam noticed Castiel's excitement and smiled to himself, falling into the constant flutter he felt around this particular person unabashedly. In this moment he didn't care if Dean noticed his cheeks turning red as Castiel grinned cheekily at them, Sam just wanted to enjoy that he was the one who made their friend happy.
A young woman at one of the stands waved them down, holding out a gown that immediately snatched Castiel's attention. They made a beeline through the crowd, never once taking their eyes off the beautiful fabric, leaving the brothers to trail after them. The woman was laughing, letting the the trio gape at the gown as she spoke with another customer that seemed to be in a rush.
"The colors match the eyes of your boyfriends'." she beamed as her Louisiana accent brought them out of their trances.
Castiel looked down at the comforting blend of colors that he had come to associate with home over the year and began cradling the dress. Sam squeezed Castiel's shoulder as Dean quickly fished out his wallet before they could even try the dress on. The brothers knew that they could have it refitted if need be and leaving without it was out of the question.
"We ain't Cas's boyfriends." Dean grumbled and handed the vendor a twenty. "We're just just his friends."
Sam shot Dean a glare after making sure Castiel didn't hear the sudden slip in pronoun use.
"My apologies! By the way you two look at your 'friend', I thought at least one of you had been courting this lovely person."
The two stood frozen, mouths agape and faces red, as Castiel held the dress to their body, patiently waiting for their friends to cease conversation. They were too lost in this new bout of self discovery to be bothered by trivial matters. Unfortunately for the Winchesters, they had plenty of time to reflect on the vendor's words. The bits of dialogue floated around them as they walked from booth to booth, numbly handing money over to Castiel so that they could buy whatever they liked. Although the sudden apathy worked in Castiel's favor, this didn't stop them from being concerned.
During the trip back to the bunker, the shortest member wriggled in their seat and coughed awkwardly, unsure of how to cope with the tension. Dean flicked his eyes to the rearview window every now and again when hearing the cough, just to make sure that Castiel was still okay. Sick of the silence, Sam reached over and turned up the radio's volume, ignoring that it was on a rock station. He pressed his cheek against the window and let the cool glass calm his nerves as unholy thoughts shook through him.
x
"I don't see why we have to wait for him to get out. Can't they just get dressed on his own?" Dean groaned, flopping down in one of the main room chairs.
"They really want to show us how they look in their new clothes." Sam answered, lightly smacking Dean's shoulder with a book before sitting next to him. "We're their only friends down here so we should be supportive. You know, like saying their right pronouns?"
"You know we've got work to do, man. We don't have time for playing dress up or calling him such vague terms!"
"Don't be such an ass, Dean."
"Should we continue this at a different time?"
At the sound of Castiel's voice, the brothers turned and stared at their friend who was standing awkwardly in the doorway. They had made no change to their hair or face but the clothing had made all the difference. The dress was puffed out in a similar fashion to a hoop-skirt and seemed to be split in two pieces due to the thick, black ribbon wrapped around the abdomen. The sleeves hung off the shoulders but didn't reach halfway past the bicep, giving it a somewhat regal look. Most impressive of all were the colors; the mixture of untamed grass swimming in creamed coffee blended enough to make someone think they were staring at hazel eyes.
"You look amazing, Cas." Sam laughed out, standing in awe.
"Do I?" they asked shyly "This attire should feel unnatural but I feel as I did as an angel."
"I'm really happy we could help you with this."
Sam began circling his friend, making notes on what should be altered, as Dean sat dumbfounded. This was Castiel in a dress. The sight should make him laugh or think them to be absolutely insane, but it looked... right. He couldn't describe it in any other way than that. Castiel in the Winchester's colors made him shudder, but it wasn't out of disgust.
"What do you think, Dean?" Castiel asked, tilting their head.
"You look like you in a dress." Dean shrugged nonchalantly despite his heart pounding angrily.
The wide smile he received for the half-assed compliment made him choke and flush ten different shades of red that made his freckles stand out. Sam smiled at the exchange, tightening the ribbon to compensate for Castiel's lack of a chest. Strangely, he never felt jealous of his brother's strong bond with their friend, it comforted him. He knew if one of them finally went after Castiel, the other wouldn't fall to spite. It was an ideal set up. Sam stopped with his fussing at that thought. He looked between the staring duo then grinned as rather crazy ideas formed in his head. An ideal set up like this needed to be official.
X
It was after dinner that Sam decided to bring up his thoughts to his older brother. They had been washing dishes together and Dean was rattling off ideas for the next night's dinner, taking in account that they hadn't bought any groceries for the week. Since Dean was in a good mood, Sam thought it to be perfect timing.
"Why is that every time we talk you've got something freaking crazy to say?"
"It's not crazy if you think about it logically."
"We're not Mormons, Sammy!"
"I'm not saying for all three of us to run off to Vegas and get hitched. I'm just saying that this thing we have with Cas is great for the both of us. When has any of other relationships lasted this long before?"
Dean wiped his hands off with a stray dish towel, distracting himself so that he wouldn't strangle his only living brother. Throwing away social norms and logic, yes, having all three of them in a romantic relationship was brilliant. It had been the trio against the world for six years now and there wasn't an end to it in sight. Castiel had provided the Winchesters with emotional support, keeping their mental states in check and vice versa. Never complaining when things got hard to handle.
"Cas has enough to deal with right now. They're trying to figure out their gender or whatever. Playing house with their best friends would probably mess 'em up even more!"
"You don't know that. They'll eventually start craving affection. Who better than the two guys they've known for a long time?"
"Dude, you're my brother." Dean groaned, trying to cling to anything that kept his argument alive.
"I'm not saying we need to start acting out Flowers in the Attic, that's just not right. We both care a lot about Cas right? And you're the only person I've got to call family. It's not that weird if you think about it like that."
"No one would ever-"
"I agree with Sam."
Castiel's sudden input startled their friends into a shocked silence once again. They had pulled their trench coat over the new dress, somehow not clashing despite the opposing styles. Dean let a cool wave of affection sting his skin as he took in the sight. Sam had a point, the three of them, even in color scheme, were perfect altogether.
"I care deeply for the both of you. You are my friends and have been teaching me all that I need to know. Even now as I try to adapt to human life, you accept me without judgement. I can never repay you fully for this, but if you wish to change our arrangement then I will not argue. I do not want to be separated from either of you."
A smug grin broke through Sam's usually humble expression as Dean floundered under Castiel's determined gaze. The younger held his laughter when Dean finally faced him in defeat and held out his fist. They both positioned their hands and settled the problem like they usually did. With rock, paper, scissors.
Two rounds later and Sam was scooping Castiel up in an embrace, laughing victoriously as they spun. Dean leaned against a wall rolling his eyes, not wanting to admit that seeing the two most important people in his life happy filled him. He simply closed his eyes and buried his smile in Castiel's hair as the two decided to include Dean in the hug. Maybe they did have a good thing going.