Dean and Castiel were lying on the cab of the Impala, the black of night filling in the spaces around them. It seemed to struggle with the dark displaced by their bodies, too much life to be covered again. Too much love. The light that glowed between them almost cancelled out the soft beacons of the stars above. Their fingers were intertwined loosely, but strong in their connection.
Cas asked Dean, "Dean…are you in love with my vessel, or me?"
Dean was shaken from his reverie, gripping Cas' hand tighter and lifting it to his lips.
"Cas—Castiel, I love your entire being. Your smile is you, your awkwardness is you, and your funny little head tilt is you. You shine through this vessel. If some other angel was inside here, well, I'm pretty sure it would be different." Dean felt the angel relax a bit.
"I know I'm an energy—a raw, pure power, and sometimes it's nice to be seen as something as harmless as a human. Does that scare you?"
"At first, I guess. But you're not the kind to hurt, Cas. I know it, I can see it." Dean pressed a kiss to the knuckles on his hand. Blue eyes flicked over their joined hands. For once, the angel felt like he wasn't a part of something bigger, up there in the heavens. He didn't feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility, but an equality. He felt like he was part of the whole world; the sky, the grass, the ocean. Something bigger, but something grounded in what he could feel and appreciate. Something as close as the warm body beside him and the deep caress of sleep.