originally posted in response to this post: blue-eyes-and-apple-pies . tumblr post / 60433345641 / i-can-just-see-a-destiel-au-with-dean-and-cas (without spaces)
Dean regrets introducing Cas to the internet.
Within an hour, he found an article about the largest ball of twine in America and is reading it with wide eyes.
After five hours, he finally leaves Sam's laptop along to present Dean with a list.
It starts with 'Petrified Wood Park in South Dakota' and ends with 'Lucy the Elephant in New Jersey'.
Dean wants to reject it instantly, laugh and say they're tourist traps, they're not worth it, I can show you some truly good sights, Cas, but with one look at the former angel's bashful smile and he's muttering that he'll talk to Sam.
Surprisingly, Sam's all for it. He says he hasn't seen any hunts recently and it would be nice to take a break, really, so why not go on an actual road trip, it'll be fun, Dean.
So Dean finds himself packing a duffle bag with a few shirts and a stick of deodorant and trying to figure out the most logical route through Cas' task list.
When they're finally ready – Cas didn't know how to pack, let alone what he should – Dean insists on driving, and Cas slips into shotgun before Sam knows what's happening, so the trip starts off with laughter and astounded half-glares, the way it should.
The closest 'landmark' to them is the Carhenge in Nebraska. Dean laughs, I didn't think cars were your thing, Cas, and Cas turns pink whilst saying he thought Dean would enjoy it, so Dean smiles and turns away before the others will see him turn pink.
Dean thinks the petrified wood looks like what it is – a lot of wood. Cas looks utterly transfixed. Dean stays quiet.
They spend days in Olney, Illinois trying to find an elusive albino squirrel. They look like something out of a horror film, but Cas somehow manages to coax it towards him and feed it, looking absolutely ecstatic to have achieved such a thing.
Dean figures whilst they're in the state, they should see the world's largest catsup bottle – we need to do this thing properly, Cas, I can't believe you don't even want to see the world's largest ball of twine! – and Sam says he's taking over the driving for now.
Cas' list gets lost somewhere between Indiana and Nebraska, so Dean and Cas both take turns instructing Sam on which road signs to follow until Sam says he needs some vegetables and some aspirin, thanks guys, and Cas tells Dean he wants to learn to drive with the smiling face he said he wanted to learn to hunt with, and though it's his baby, Dean just says yes.
For a multi-dimensional wavelength of celestial intent, Cas is a pretty good driver. But when Dean admits this, it leads to him being voted out of rotation for driving at all, you're too fast, your music sucks, we're gonna get pulled over and have to stop this roadtrip, Dean don't be a killjoy, so to stop the boredom, he makes Sam buy him a video camera.
Since when have you been interested in videoing things?
Since you took away my only other hobby, thanks, guys.
Cas and Sam swap between driver's seat and shotgun, so Dean sits in the back. He records landscapes and birds Cas hasn't seen before and trees Sam wants to put names to when they're back in the bunker.
They reach Oregon, and Dean sees a flyer advertising the 'Oregon Vortex', something ridiculously similar to the Mystery Spot they saw so many years ago, so he whispers to Cas that they have to go there and could you please drive and not tell Sam where we're going, he'll suck the fun out of it and Cas says of course, Dean, and his smile isn't as innocent as it would have been before the trip.
Sam gets suspicious when Cas refuses to leave the driver's seat after a few hours' drive, and even more so when Dean fixes the camera solidly on him, but laughs along with all the jokes and visual tricks, and if he glances back at Dean a few times to check he's not dying then no one mentions it.
Then Sam says Dean should start narrating their road trip for more than just visual memories so you can remember it when you're in your eighties with Alzheimer's, and for once Dean doesn't roll his eyes and say he'll never make it that far because it kind of feels like this road trip won't ever end.
So Dean starts speaking into his camera and asking Cas and Sam stupid questions and shoving the camera in their faces because if there's one thing he knows he wants to remember, it's them as they are, whilst everything's okay and no one's dying and everyone's friendly and bitching at each other and joking and laughing and living for once, just for once.
"So it's the one-year anniversary of our road trips. Not even a single ghost. How about that, huh?"
"Dude! You're ruining our chances of being internet sensations! No one will watch, they'll just send us back to an institution." Sam yells, but he's driving, so Dean has to lean forward to get his favourite kind of close-up.
"Nope, Sammy, I think that's you, tryin' to get me to take videos of trees."
"Trees are interesting." Sam is adamant, but it's a well-worn argument.
"Cas, back me up here," Dean turns the camera to Cas, who has weeks-old stubble and mud on his face, because he doesn't understand how to keep clean and doesn't really care, and who grins whenever Dean talks to him; a cheesy grin, not the real one, but a good one nonetheless. "Trees are not interesting."
"Trees bear the tale of millions of years, Dean. They tell you of the soil, and the farming habits of hundreds of years ago, and the climate…"
"Hah!" The car swerves slightly with the force of Sam's fist pump.
"But no, videos of them would not appeal to the majority of the population."
"Hah." Dean grins back.
Cas then takes the camera out of Dean's hand, and turns the lens on its owner. "Dean. The public wants to know…" Dean laughs and leans back, suddenly realising he's happier than he's been in a long time. "What would you say was the best part of this trip for you?" And that smile is reserved and sweet and, well, angelic.
And Dean heaves a huge breath in, because he knows he can't say something flippant, not now, not after such a good year, not even while he thinks that when they get back to Lebanon all the good this year has gone will evaporate. So, before he can lose his nerve, he says "doing things to make me happy. Spending time with my brother without killing things. Spending time with you without the world ending." He laughs. "What about you?"
Cas' smile is only getting sweeter, and all Dean wants is to get it on camera, but he thinks he can handle being the one filmed for a while – his eighty-year-old self is gonna want to see some beauty, isn't he? "I've very much enjoyed spending some 'quality time' with you, too." He hesitates. "And the albino squirrels. I liked them."
"We only saw one!"
"No, Dean, you only saw one."
"And that was enough. They had red eyes, Cas."
"Yes, albinism commonly causes that in-"
And before Dean can stop himself, he says "oh, shut up," leans forward, grabs Cas' face and kisses him.
The camera drops in his lap, and the kiss can only last a second because Sam swerves much further this time.
"Guys! I don't need to see it!"