Special thanks to Tumblr user frightencas for encouraging me to write this and just being an awesome friend in general.

Castiel was confused, and not the good kind of confusion he seemed to feel around Dean, which made him feel flustered and caused a strange sensation in his stomach; it made him feel like he just didn't know what to do around the hunter. But no, this confusion was not the same; it was worse, so much worse, and strangely intermingled with frustration. Cas hadn't even known there were different types of confusion until now.

Castiel's strong, wide hands and nimble fingers seemed utterly useless as he struggled to tie the simple piece of human clothing known as a tie. He really didn't understand the need for this piece of fabric around his neck, but Dean said it was for looking professional, so Cas supposed it was necessary.

However, he just couldn't get the blasted thing to tie properly.

Since Sam was still weak from his experience during the trials, Castiel was the only person who could accompany Dean on this hunt. He had been kind enough to let him sleep in his bed every time he had nightmares, which was almost every night since the first one a few weeks ago. And Cas knew that since he lost his 'angelic mojo', as Dean so aptly put it, he was as good as useless, but he wanted to be there for Dean anyways, and help in whatever way he could.

This presented him with so many problems he didn't know how to deal with, each one slowly chipping away his resolve. First was the fact that neither Sam nor Dean's suits would fit him; they were both quite a bit bigger than he was. The suit he was forced to borrow from Dean was a few sizes too big, the jacket sleeves hanging to his knuckles and the pants completely covering his feet. The felt strangely...itchy to his skin, almost like a bunch of bugs were crawling all over him. Castiel still wasn't used to such sensations, so this sudden sensory overload was completely overwhelming. All Cas wanted to do was curl up in a ball in his room in the bunker and just block out the onslaught of constant noise and smells and sights and tastes and touches and- but he couldn't. He had to prove that he wasn't worthless without his powers, both to himself and to Dean.

So he continued desperately trying to tie his tie, but to no avail. Little did the fallen angel know, Dean had been watching him for several minutes now, trying hard not to just burst out laughing. After another ten minutes or so of him watching Castiel's slowly building frustration with the strip of fabric, Dean chuckled, batted Cas' hands away, and began tying it up himself. "Here, let me help you out, dumbass," he muttered with a teasing smirk.

Castiel stared at Dean for a long time, guilt eating away at his insides. Cas messed up again, and Dean had to do his work for him...again. As Cas continued staring at Dean, his head began tilting in thought and his eyes became narrow slits of ocean blue. That good kind of confusion he spoke of earlier was slowly coming back; the kind of confusion that made Cas feel like he was flying without his wings yet at the same time nervous and out of his depth.

Or at least, he thought that was confusion...he wasn't really sure. Human emotions were such strange things.

Dean's hands slowed midway through untying the various knots Castiel made, and Cas realized with a start just how close they were standing together in that moment. A small voice at the back of his mind told him to just back away Castiel, you know that Dean doesn't like it when you invade his personal space. He's told you many times.

The rest of his mind, however, immediately crushed this thought. After all, Castiel felt happy and safe for the first time he could remember. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he knew that what he was feeling was thanks to the presence of Dean.

Castiel leaned forward slightly until their faces were inches apart, dark blue never leaving forest green. "Dean?" Cas asked, uncertain and apprehensive.

Dean grinned and yanked hard on his tie, bringing the angel's face closer until their lips met. Castiel's eyes went huge and he let out a surprised gasp before quickly giving into the kiss.

It wasn't like the kiss he shared with Meg- no, this one was slow and sweet, neither party wanting to rush through the moment. Dean's lips were rough and dry against his, much like the hunter who possessed them. Castiel allowed instinct to overcome him, and his arms came up, almost of their own accord, to wrap themselves languidly around Dean, and the hunter took a step forward, quickly deepening the kiss until their bodies had all but melted against each other. It was soft and chaste, but the kiss felt like it was electrifying every cell in Cas' body, which only made him want more. Finally they parted, and both were breathing heavily, their foreheads pressed together and their noses barely brushing against each other. Castiel's brow furrowed in confusion as he stared into Dean's eyes. "I do not think that was the correct way to kiss, Dean."

Dean's eyebrows shot upwards. "Oh, really?" he asked teasingly, his lips tugging into a playful smile.

"Yes. It is not what I saw the pizza man do." the fallen angel replied.

Dean blinked, then he smiled. "Then why don't you show me how it's done?" he replied with a smile Cas saw him use a lot in bars around beautiful women.

Castiel was confused. Why was Dean using that specific smile? He, after all, wasn't a woman, nor was he attractive...or at least, he assumed he wasn't. Human standards of beauty were so fluid; they seemed to change every day, and they differed so much from person to person that Cas chose not to pay attention to such things. But Dean's smile seemed to have strange effects on his felt the same way he did when he was watching the strange television show with the pizza man...how peculiar.

The feeling was so overwhelming, however, that Cas couldn't seem to control himself.

Dean's back hit the wall behind him, and the Winchester let out a surprised gasp as Castiel's lips crashed into his. The electrifying sensation he felt earlier came back full force, leaving him breathless and desperate for more.

Wait. Something was wrong.

Castiel froze, anxiety suddenly beginning to claw at his insides; Dean wasn't reacting. Had he done something incorrectly? Had he somehow offended the hunter? Was Dean disgusted with him?

The fallen angel was about to take a step away from Dean and apologize for messing up again, but then the hunter's lips finally began moving against his. Cas' anxiety seemed to melt away, leaving him feeling even bolder than the first time he kissed Meg.

Dean moaned into the kiss as Castiel shoved his tongue into his mouth and pushed him further into the wall behind him. Their tongues began an intricate, erotic battle for dominance as both chose this moment to explore each other's mouths thoroughly.

The hunter's hands came up and began slowly undoing the buttons on Cas' shirt, his fingers sure and steady after years of unbuttoning women's (and a few men's) shirts every night. The thought of the other man's numerous ex-lovers made Castiel strangely possessive, and he released a low, feral growl, almost sounding like a wild beast as his lips left a fiery trail down Dean's jaw line.

"Did you learn to do that from the pizza man?" Dean groaned as he ran his hands over Cas' chest, as if he were trying to memorize every inch of it.

Castiel looked away shyly as he burrowed his face in the crook of the Dean's shoulder. "No," he replied, "I learned it from Meg. She seemed to like it."

He took a deep breath as he peered timidly up at the hunter, inhaling the intoxicating scent of leather, musk, and faint cologne that made Cas feel like he was safe for the first time in a long, long time.

The fear of rejection clenched at Castiel's heart once again as he stared at Dean, waiting for him to push him away or look disgusted or insult him or something...but he didn't. Miraculously, Dean's mouth split into a huge grin, which made his green eyes light up. "Well she's not the only one who likes it."

With that, Cas went back to kissing his neck, sucking gently at the pulse point as the hunter moaned, threading one of his hands through Castiel's tousled black hair and grind his pelvis against his. The movement caused a strange sensation in Cas' body, every nerve ending in his nether regions sending bolts of pleasure through his body. The fallen angel moaned and began grinding back into him, lifting his head so he could kiss the other man's lips once more. Dean's hands came down to Castiel's hips and began unzipping the pants of his suit, tortuously slow and steady even as Cas threaded his hands through his hair and once again shoved his tongue into the hunter's mouth. It was hot, and desperate, and needy, and so many other adjectives Castiel wasn't able to think of because Dean's mouth was on his and the sensations from their hips grinding together had him moaning in pleasure and he had to have more, more, more-

"Hey Dean, you and Cas gonna head out anytime soon or- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?" Sam interrupted as he entered the room, stumbling backwards as he saw what was going on. Dean immediately pushed him away, his face red as he quickly straightened out his crumpled suit.

Castiel stared between the two Winchester brothers, confusion showing clearly in his wide blue eyes. Why was Dean so embarrassed to be caught kissing someone? Was it a human custom, to be embarrassed when someone caught you kissing? How strange, Cas thought as he brought his fingers up to his lips, which were swollen slightly from kissing Dean, that humans would be embarrassed over something that brings them such pleasure and joy.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean said with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his neck. It was a nervous tic Castiel had observed before in the hunter.

Sam stared at them open-mouthed for what seemed like a decade, though in reality it was mere minutes. "You couldn't have waited, could you?" the youngest Winchester asked exasperatedly, throwing his hands into the air in defeat as he walked back into the bunker.

"What happened, Sam? I heard yelling." they heard Kevin question, sounding concerned.

There was silence for a few moments as Dean and Cas waited for Sam's reply. "Here," the youngest Winchester finally said, and they heard the sound of a crumbled piece of paper being passed between hands.

Kevin let out an overjoyed whoop. "Sweet! I knew they'd get together before New Year's!"

"Yeah, whatever Short Stop," Sam grumbled.

Dean and Cas stared at each other, shell-shocked. "You guys bet on when we'd get together?" the hunter asked.

"Well, yeah…" Sam replied with a shrug as he walked back into the room Castiel and Dean were in, "Kevin and I had this bet on for a while. I thought that since Dean refused to admit to himself that he's bi, it'd happen after New Year's. Kevin figured that with all the eye sex you two do, it wouldn't be that long. You guys lost me a hundred bucks, thanks a lot."

Everyone stared at each other for a long time, before Dean finally burst out laughing. Everyone was quick to follow; they could even hear Kevin giggling in the other room.

Castiel was completely bewildered now. Why are they laughing? He couldn't see what was so funny, but...he began chuckling along with them.

It felt good to laugh with Dean.