Castiel picked up the black feather from outside the bunker. He couldn't tell whose it was, but he knew it was from an angel. The edges were scorched and jagged from the Fall. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned.
"Hey, man. Are you okay?" Sam asked with concern. Cas nodded, slipping the feather into his jean's pocket. "Dean says he needs to talk to you. He's in the library."
"Thank you, Sam," he said as he followed him inside the bunker. He passed through the main room to the library. Dean sat in one of the chairs. The open laptop was on the table in front of him.
"Come here," Dean said without looking up from the screen. Cas couldn't tell whether the tone he was using was angry or just bored. He took slow steps to the hunter.
"Yes?"
"I noticed something this morning," he said. He still wouldn't look at him. "I was getting dressed and I couldn't find my Zeppelin shirt." He finally turned around. There was a smirk he was trying to mask. "You haven't seen it, have you?"
"Yes," Cas answered. He looked down at the black t-shirt he'd grabbed at random from Dean's closet. "I'm sorry. I'll go put it back."
"Don't worry about it," Dean said. He tugged at the hem of the shirt. "It looks good on you. Anyways, it doesn't really matter. Practically everything you wear is mine."
"I don't have any clothes," he defended. "And all of Sam's are too big for me."
"Yeah, you need to go shopping. Take Sam with you, though. Shopping is gay." Dean turned back to the laptop.
"What?" Cas asked. "Going clothes shopping?" Dean nodded. Cas felt anger flare in the pit of his stomach. "Dean, you practically mauled me yesterday in front of a crowd of people."
"What's your point?"
"Gay? Really?" Cas spun on his heel and stalked to his bedroom. He could hear Dean's footsteps behind him.
"Wait, Cas, hold up!" he yelled. Cas slammed and locked the door behind him. "C'mon, Castiel," he pleaded through the wood. "It's just an expression, alright? I didn't mean it."
"Then what did you mean?" Cas hated to fight with Dean, but he truly didn't understand.
"I just don't want to go, okay? It's not my thing." Cas ripped open the door and glared at Dean.
"That isn't the point," he said. "I want you to stop using 'gay' to describe things you don't like. 'Gay' describes you and me now. So, calling something undesirable gay is almost the same as saying you don't like me."
"Cas," Dean whispered. He pulled the former angel to him and held him. "I love you. And if you ever think…" he trailed off, burying his face into Cas's messy, dark hair. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I shouldn't have reacted like that," Cas said. He returned the embrace. "It's not you."
"Then what is it?" Dean asked. "What else is wrong?"He pulled back, his jade eyes boring into Cas's sapphire ones. Cas produced the feather from his pocket and held it up to show Dean. "The Fall?"
"When I'm with you, I feel nothing but joy and happiness and love. But, then I think of how I seem to destroy everything. How I've destroyed Heaven."
"No. You gave it to me," Dean said. Cas tilted his head in confusion. "Look, you were tricked. You made a mistake. None of it was your fault. But something good came out of it; if you hadn't become human, we would never have been together."
"You're wrong, Dean. I would have been with you one way or another. I can't live without you," Cas told him. He kissed Dean softly on the neck while Dean pressed his lips to the side of Cas's head. "I love you, Dean."
"I know," he breathed. "Trust me, I know."
