"So this is it? E.T. goes home." asks Dean Winchester, as he shifts on the bar stool. Cas gives him that trademark confused face and Dean has the profound and sudden realization that he will never hear "I don't get that reference" spoken in that baffled, gruff voice again.
And it makes him angry. Furious even. He wants to take the angel's shoulders and shake him. To shout, "You idiot, we're never going to see each other after this! Doesn't that bother you?"
But that would be, well, a bit drastic. And rather whiny. And not at all like Dean Winchester. So instead, Dean rolls his eyes at Cas' classic Cas-iness, and tries to think up of some more bantering small talk to exchange with his best friend. The best friend he will never see again after today.
Cas will go back, lock the pearly gates, and then undoubtedly be killed by the combined hosts of heaven. Dean wants to argue with him that it was a lost cause and that Cas doesn't need them anymore. You have me and Sammy now. We're your family, not them.
There will be no more "Hey Cas! Get your feathery ass down here!" followed by the familiar whoosh of folding wings. No more drives in the Impala or getting chased out of brothels. No more late night talks on all subjects from the metaphysical to the mundane.
Five years. Five years of battling heaven, hell, purgatory and everything else in between. They have fought together, fought against each other, betrayed others and betrayed each other. How sad that so many years of friendship were going to end with them sitting at a bar, waiting to jump a cupid for it's stupid bow.
And he almost tells Cas all of this. That he has been the best friend, really the only friend, he has ever had. That, aside from the obvious raising out of perdition thing, he probably wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for Cas. That despite all the horror and pain and down right awful things he has been through, just knowing Cas, just having met the angel, made it all a little bit better. A little more worth it.
But then a woman enters the bar and Dean announces "Show time." He is grateful he has kept his mouth shut. He almost had a chick flick moment with his best friend.
He smiles as the scene unfolds in front of them. "Holy crud, this is like the first five minutes of every porno I've ever seen," he quips, wanting to share just one more laugh with Castiel, but Cas focuses on the trio. But when the woman leaves, Dean is momentarily confused. And then as the other two friends at the end of the bar stare at one another, he is really grateful he has kept his mouth shut.
Now Castiel is on the move and Dean stands and follows him. Here they are, one last time, acting together. Not always in sync, often directly opposed, but always together.
Today is their last today. And Dean wouldn't have it any other way.
Author's Note: I've never really written in present tense, so I apologize if this reads poorly. I realized I was writing present tense and tried to go back and change it, but then it sounded odder, so I changed it back. The dialogue quotes come from .com and the transcript for Episode 8.23 because I am OCD about quoting things, canon, etc. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!