"Remember when you called Michael an assbutt?"
Castiel chuckled. "I didn't know what to say. I was just trying to buy you some time."
Dean laughed, nodding. "Yeah...and then you, uh, exploded."
"That was unpleasant."
"For you and me both."
The corner of Cas' mouth quirked up a bit. He looked over at Dean as he took a sip of his beer. The apocalypse had passed five years ago, but Dean's shoulders still sagged with the weight of losing his brother to Lucifer. Castiel sometimes noticed Dean looking at Sam with a sort of surprised look, as if Dean were shocked that his brother was there.
Cas sighed. When he first met Dean, he hated everything about himself. Now, he caught Dean praising himself occasionally. A job well done on a hunt, a well-cooked hamburger... Dean didn't hate himself as much anymore.
"Dean?" Cas suddenly asked. "When you're done with hunting, what would you like to do?"
Dean laughed, taking another sip of his beer. "There's no such thing as 'done with hunting,' Cas. Look at Bobby, Rufus, Ellen...they were all older than I am, and still getting out there and taking care of business. And they're the lucky ones. Guys like us don't live too long. I've got probably five years, if I'm lucky."
Cas shook his head. "I'll continue to save you."
The hunter smiled bitterly, leaning back on his Baby. "I can always count on you, Cas."
Cas smiled at him. "Of course."
"What about you?"
"Same as always, I suppose. Crossing the like between helping you and helping Heaven."
"If you had your choice what would you do?"
Cas didn't answer. What would he do?
In truth, he knew. It was something he had thought about many times in moments of solitude.
"If I had it my way, I would fall from grace. I want to be human."
Dean looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"So I can spend the rest of my life with you," Cas elaborated.
Dean blinked and looked down. "With me?" He asked, looking back up at Cas.
Castiel nodded.
"With me how?"
Cas shrugged. "However you'd like."
"Like...like a relationship or whatever?"
"If you want."
Dean smiled and drank more beer. "I might take you up on that, Cas."