Light It Up
Summary –
When you meet your soul mate for the first time, your heart lights up, everyone knows that. Dean is just surprised when his lights up.
Everyone knows that when you meet your soul mate for the first time, your heart lights up so brightly that it can be seen from outside your body. And it stays lit up until you and your soul mate establish a bond. The most common way to form the bond is to kiss. Dean had seen it happen to plenty of people, but it had never happened to him. God forbid it did. He wasn't made for the soul mate, touchy-feely, settling down kind of guy.
But then…then he had come back from Hell. And lo and behold, his chest had lit up like a Christmas tree. What the hell? Had he met his soul mate in Hell? That was so messed up. And then he discovered the handprint on his shoulder. What was going on? He made sure he kept plenty of dark clothing and lots of layers on to hide it from Sam. The last thing he needed was his little brother asking him more questions he had no intention of answering.
Over the next couple of years, his chest stayed lit up. It was driving him nuts. What the hell was he supposed to do? It was a miracle that he had managed to keep it a secret from Sam so long. Castiel, too. They never would have let it go if they knew. But, he soon found out, nothing stays hidden for very long.
It happened when he was coming out of the shower. He checked the hallway to make sure Sam wasn't there, and then sprinted down the hall to his bedroom. Once safe inside, he sighed. It was getting old, hiding from everyone. He pulled on a pair of boxers and then some jeans. He couldn't hold in the second sigh. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked down at his chest, which glowed faintly pink. He threw his hands up in frustration.
"Dude, you ever gonna stop?" he complained at his heart. Of course, he got no answer.
"This is stupid," he uttered and started to dig in his closet for a shirt.
"Dean? Why is your chest glowing?"
With a startled yell, Dean whipped around, drawing his gun at the same time. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Castiel. But then he tensed again, realizing that his glowing chest was on display.
"Damn it, Cas," he whined. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"
"Yes, I have heard of it. I apologize."
Dean sighed and hoped that Cas would drop it, but knew he wouldn't.
"Dean, why is your chest glowing? Do you need medical attention?"
"No, Cas, I do not need…will you just get out of my room?" Dean could hear the exasperation in his own voice.
But Castiel just stood there, looking at Dean with his head tilted to the side adorably. Dean was going to have to tell him eventually, might as well get it over with.
"I just…It's something that happens to human when they meet their soul mates. Our hearts glow."
Castiel froze. His face was carefully devoid of any emotion. When he spoke, his voice was tense.
"So you've found your soul mate? When?"
"That's the thing," Dean shifted uncomfortably, "It happened while I was in Hell."
Castiel jerked around to look at him. "That's not possible."
"I know," said Dean miserably.
Dean stared at his feet while Castiel stared at him. He wasn't sure how to ask what was weighing on his mind. He decided to just go for it.
"Hey, Cas?" Cas didn't answer, just looked at him. "Do…do angels have souls?"
Castiel blinked in surprise. "Not in the same way that humans do. Our grace acts as our soul."
"So.." Dean took a step closer. "It could be you."
"What could be me?"
"My soul mate."
"Dean-"
He was cut off when Dean's lips were suddenly pressed against his. They were soft and warm, and Castiel couldn't help but melt against Dean. He felt Dean's strong arms wrap around him and reciprocated. This was better than he had imagined, better than anything he had ever experienced. This was…this was…This was Dean!
Castiel pushed away from Dean, staring at the hunter with wide eyes and gaping mouth. He couldn't believe…
"What's wrong, Cas?" Dean sounded so confused.
"You…you…"
Dean suddenly remembered his problem and looked down at his chest. It was no longer glowing. A smile crept across his face and he looked up at Castiel with a strange look in his eyes. He moved closer to Cas until he had forced the angel to stand with his back against the door. He placed his hands on either sides of Castiel's head and leaned in.
"It looks like you're stuck with me now, Angel."