In Love

"Dean, have you ever been in love?"
Dean and Cas were crouching in the cold snow behind a shed. They were on a hunt in North Dakota, tracking a vampire back to his nest, and had decided to split up. Sam was investigating the big barn, and Cas and Dean were covering him up from behind the shed, keeping an eye on the driveway. It was almost December and even though it was only 7 PM, it was already dark. The air was cold and it had been snowing all afternoon. Both their cheeks and the tips of their noses were red from the extreme temperatures. When Cas had asked Dean the question, his breath had been clearly visible in the cold winter air, forming a little cloud when the words left his lips.
Dean looked up. He'd been scanning their surroundings like the trained hunter he was, gun ready, but Cas' question distracted him.

"Uhm, yeah. Couple of times." He looked into the night again. "Can't really have a long lasting relationship with the job- and that isn't really my thing anyways-" He let out a soft laugh. "But, yeah. Real love? Couple of times."

Cas nodded, a small frown on his face, and looked into the distance too, scanning for any danger. He was quiet.
Dean looked at him.
"Why are you asking?"
Cas looked back at Dean. They both had a serious look on their face. Cas was still learning about humanity, and normally Dean didn't question his questions, but this one felt different. Personal.
"I don't know." Cas said slowly, avoiding Dean's eyes. "Out of curiosity, I suppose. It's so…" He sighed. "Human."
Dean nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. I guess it is."

Silence fell again, and the snow started falling more consistently.
"Cas?" Dean heard himself asking, not looking at the former angel.
"Yes?"
"Have you been in love?"
It got very quiet.
"I… don't know." Cas answered finally. "I haven't got any… comparative material."
Dean grinned.
"But… I don't know. I think so," Cas said thoughtfully.
The answer surprised Dean a little, but also made him feel something in his stomach he hadn't felt for a long time, something that made him feel like a boy instead of a man. He didn't answer, he wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to ask "with who," of course, but something about what that answer might imply made him nervous, and he didn't want to scare Cas away.
Somehow, the air between them had become static, and Dean would've sworn he heard the molecules crackle when he moved.
"I think…" Cas started, voice drifting off. "I think I was in love when I was an angel too, but I didn't… comprehend it, back then, with angels having no emotions whatsoever."
Dean realised he was holding his breath.
"But, when I got human, everything hit me- well, like a train, I suppose." Cas smiled, still not used to those human sayings.
"It's a nice feeling," Dean said.
"Yeah. It's nice." Cas looked at Dean and saw that the hunter's eyes had softened, showing some form of vulnerability he didn't show that often, and if he did, only around family. They moved closer to each other, without really mentioning it. They knew.

Deans phone beeped, and he picked it up to read the message Sam had sent him.
"Seems like we're not the only hunters in town. Nest's empty. They're all dead." His voice still sounded soft, not his harsh and gravely self.
"That's good, right?" Cas asked.
"Yeah. We're done here," Dean said, looking at his friend. They both got up.
"Okay," Cas answered.
They were standing so close together now that Dean could feel Cas' breath on his cheeks. He moved his head slowly, and looked his friend in the eyes. He felt safer here than anywhere else, and safety was a good thing to feel, for once.
Dean leaned in to close the small space between them, not entirely sure what he was doing, but it seemed the right thing to do. Cas stopped breathing, drifting his blue eyes from Dean's green ones to the hunter's lips.
Dean brushed his cold, rough lips over Cas', eyes closed, holding his breath. Cas didn't respond, and Dean felt panic rise in his throat, afraid Cas had been talking about someone else, afraid he'd just ruined everything they had. He opened his eyes.
Cas was staring at Dean, wide eyed, his soft lips parted a little bit. He looked shocked, but also pleased, a little smug, even.
Dean let out a laugh and pulled Cas in again, and this time he responded by kissing back. Dean cupped Cas' face in his hand, and Cas placed one hand on Deans back, holding himself steady.
It was so quiet in that dark December night. The silence was only interrupted by the sound of their breath and sighs, the sound of lips on lips and the soft rushing of clothing against each other.

Cas wasn't as experienced as Dean, (there were probably only a few people who were, only a few people who were seeking so desperately to be loved), but he'd learned some things from the pizza man. With Dean things felt so natural, so unforced, that Cas forgot, even if it was just for this moment, about all their problems.
Their kiss deepened, making up for so much lost time, the two boys now leaning against the shed. Dean pushed his cold hands in Cas' coat, wrapping his arms around his warm body. Cas shivered, and then did the same with Dean's leather jacket.
Dean held back for a moment, to whisper, "Jeez, Cas, you're freezing!"
"Sorry," Cas answered, but Dean didn't let him answer and pressed his lips on Cas' again.
Even though it was still snowing, they were held comfortable by each other's warmth.

Dean pressed his hips closer to Castiel's, letting out a soft sigh. Cas pulled him in tighter, and their bodies were pressed together tightly as the snow kept falling.

After a while they were interrupted by Dean's ringtone. 'Smoke on the Water' was blasting through the snowy air. They pulled away, eyes shining, lips swollen, both out of breath. They stared at each other in wonder, because neither one of them had ever expected it to be this nice. They both had snow in their hair, and Dean would rather die than admit it, but damn- Cas sure looked adorable like that.
Slowly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and pressed 'answer', while not letting go of Cas.
"Yeah?" He asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse, making Cas smile.
"Where are you?" Sam sounded worried. "I'm waiting at the car for you guys. Everything alright?"
"We're fine, Sammy," Dean answered, not moving his eyes from Cas' face. "We're on our way. Got stuck in the snow."
"Oh, okay, well- get this. I figured we might take a stop at-" Dean had hung up on Sam.
"Let's go."

They let go of their embraces, and suddenly it all felt a little awkward. Dean brushed some snow of his shoulders and then did the same to Castiel's.
"Yes. Let's go," the angel said.
They started walking towards the ditch in the road where they'd parked the Impala. Suddenly Cas felt Deans fingers brushing over his, and he grabbed them, so they were holding hands.
It felt a little cheesy, Dean thought, more like something out of a chick-flick movie than something he'd do, but in all fairness- it also felt good. Warm.
He shot a look at Castiel as they worked their way through the snow, wondering if things were going to change from now on. They probably were, but when Cas caught his gaze and have him a big, happy smile, Dean knew that it were going to be good changes.
"I love you, Dean," Cas said, with a skip in his step that made Dean laugh.
"Yeah. I love you too, Cas," Dean answered, squeezing his hand. They smiled at each other.
They didn't let go when they reached the Impala, where Sam could see them. And when Dean opened the door to the passenger seat to let Cas in, and he brushed his lips quickly over his hair, Sam just smiled, and muttered something that sounded like "finally."
Cas and Dean.
Finally.

_

I really enjoyed writing this one!
A lot of thanks to my awesome beta-reader LauraJenCC, who helped me out big time by checking this before publishing. Bad grammar won't stand a chance with you.
Let me know what you think, and please review! :)