Dean and Cas sat together in the garage staring at the broken mess that was the Impala. Dean held a small notepad. His meticulous script lined the topmost page in bullet points. Cas scooted closer on his overturned Home Depot bucket. The scraping sound that it made, snapped Dean out of his quiet thoughts. Cas reached over and angled the notepad so that he could read it.
"This will take a long time to fix." Cas spoke quietly. His words were soothing though in the empty room.
"Yeah. it will." Dean jotted down headlights. He let his eyes glide over the front of the car and down her side. "Not everything is broken though." He got up.
"True. You were able to drive her back home." Cas got up and followed him around the side.
Dean ran his fingers along her finish. He traced out the trim around the driver's side window. Dean rounded the car to the other side. He glanced at the spot where the door was now misshapen. Cas leaned down and looked at it too. "Turns out decapitation does wonders for doors." Dean smiled, but it slipped away quickly.
"You used the door to decapitate your werepire?" Cas stood up as he asked it.
Dean smiled again. "Yeah, didn't have a machete on me at the time, so I used what I had. The door worked." He reached out to the frame and thought that he might start by repairing the door. He was surprised that it could even close. "Stupid werepire."
"I'll help you with the repairs. You don't have to do it alone." Cas was standing close to him. His arm was resting comfortably against Dean's own. Dean opened the door and sat down. He looked at the dash for a moment. There were some dings and divots that would need fixing.
He threw a glance at Cas standing in the open door, leaning a little into the frame. "I'll take the help. Lord knows, you might need to know how to do some general repairs on your own vehicle when we get it back from Metadouche." Cas smiled at him. The world didn't feel like it was ending. It was weird not feeling like everything was careening out of control. Dean ran his hand along the dash. Sam's words trickled into his thoughts. Someone who understands the life.
Cas leaned his head down into the doorframe a little, resting his head on the edge of it. "So you will let me help you fix this?"
"Yeah. At least the inside isn't so bad. Stereo still works." He reached over and turned the key in the ignition to give the stereo a little power. There was a tape hanging out of the mouth of the deck. He pushed it in and a little John Mellencamp poured out. He slipped out of the car, and Cas moved aside to let him stand again. "Hurt So Good" was playing. It wasn't a slow song. It was more of an in between song. He moved his hands out to Cas' waist.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. You ever dance before?" Cas shook his head. Dean moved his hands up around Cas' back, slowly like he was testing the waters a little.
Cas let Dean move his hips a little. They swayed a little to the song. Sometimes love don't feel like it should... Dean laughed a little. It was more like a low rumble of noise that slipped past his lips. Cas moved his hands up to Dean's upper arms. "Am I doing this right?"
"You could put your hands up on my shoulders or near my neck." Dean moved them out a little from the open door. He spread his fingers out a bit on Cas' back. His hands were covered by the trenchcoat. The warmth of Cas' body radiated into his palms. The song came to an end and a slower song kicked up. Cas' hands slid up to Dean's shoulders. They traveled slowly, and Dean concentrated on their journey.
"Better?" Cas' hands rested warm on the skin that was uncovered at Dean's collar.
"Much." Dean smiled and pulled Cas closer. "Is this okay?"
"Yes." Cas smiled and leaned ever closer. "I'm glad you are home in one piece."
"Thanks to you. You fixed us up good." Cas looked away and Dean wondered what had upset him. "What's wrong?"
"What if one day I couldn't fix things anymore? What if I weren't an angel?" Cas looked at him with such intensity and Dean wondered where this was coming from.
"Then we would spend more time recuperating here at the bunker, and you would make us soup. Maybe we'd watch Netflix and chill," Dean said while smiling at his subtle attempt at lightening the mood. "And if you weren't an angel, I'd do whatever was necessary to get you your grace back."
"What if I didn't want it?"
"What do you mean?"
Cas let Dean pull him impossibly closer. Their chests rested against each other now. Dean's heartbeat playing out a tune against Cas. The song changed again. This time it was slow enough to match their movements which were like their relationship.
Cas spoke his answer quietly. "The angels and even Metatron have asked me who I am and who's side I will choose. They know, all of them know. I have always chosen the Winchesters. I've always chosen you. They keep asking though. I told them that I was an angel of the Lord. I called them brothers, but even as I said it, I knew that it wasn't an accurate representation of who I am."
"So, what would be accurate?" Dean leaned down, and their faces were quite close.
"I'm an angel, for now. However, I am an angel of the Winchesters. More specifically, I am your angel, Dean, until I am no longer an angel."
Dean felt worry creep up into him. "You've got me worried. Why wouldn't you be an angel? Are you hurt?" Dean leaned back to get a better look at Cas' face as he answered.
"What if I choose to fall? What if I choose to be human? What if I choose to live out my days as a hunter, fighting at your side?" Cas looked serious, his brows coming together in concentration. "I understand the life. I could be of use even without my grace, couldn't I?"
"Don't go falling just yet. You are more important than your grace, but I don't want you making any big decisions too quickly." He leaned back down and brushed a kiss on top of his head. Dean breathed in a deep breath of Cas before moving back to just look at him. "Just so you know, I'd be happy to have you around, angel or not. It isn't about being useful; it's about just wanting you around. You're important."
Cas stared back at him and seemed to be processing the words. "Thank you Dean." He moved his thumbs in long strokes along Dean's neck. They swayed to the music until the song ended and then they slipped away from each other just a little to go back into the bunker. Sam was on dinner duty, so there would be salad or some other roughage. As they left the garage, Dean flicked off the light and rested a hand on Cas' shoulder. They walked in together feeling connected and maybe a little at peace with what the future might hold for them, because they each knew that they would not have to go through it alone.