AN: I finally wrote a Purgatory fic! It's kind of short but I had a bit of a block I had to work past, so, y'know. Now back to trying to crank out the next Kiss fic.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."
Dean had nearly been asleep in the high branches of a non-living tree when Cas's voice roused him. He lifted his head from the angel's shoulder, not even bothering to fake embarrassment anymore, he'd rather lose his claim to manliness than become separated from his only tie to reality.
"Are you quoting poetry at me while I sleep?" he asked, attempting to stretch his limbs without falling from the branches.
Cas turned his face to Dean's, his eyes luminous in the everlasting moonlight. "I have promises to keep, Dean. And miles and miles to go before I sleep."
Dean rubbed his face. "Is this one of your 'follow the bees' things?" he asked warily. Since they'd landed in Purgatory Cas had mostly been back to his old self, but he occasionally lapsed back into the mental case that spouted nonsense. Dean carefully pulled himself up, surveying the area to make sure nothing had approached. If Cas was going to have an episode he had to make sure they were safe.
"I'm not crazy again if that's what you're asking," Cas replied curtly. "I recalled the poem and the lines spoke to me. They ring true for me, Dean."
Dean raised his eyebrows at him, going over the lines Cas had spoken. "Ok, I wouldn't really call this nightmare of a forest lovely, but it's definitely dark and deep. I don't know what you're talking about with the rest of it though, what promises, Cas?"
"My promise to you of course. That I would redeem myself to you."
Dean's mouth opened and closed again as he searched for something to say. They should be on equal footing now, Cas had fought with him even when he hadn't wanted to, even knowing that the odds were stacked against their survival. And they'd won. Granted, they'd ended up in this hellhole but they were alive, Sam was alive, and Dick Roman was dead.
As if he could sense Dean's thoughts, Cas shook his head. "Miles to go, Dean," he said softly a small, sad smile on his face.
"Ok Cas, cut the Robert Frost crap. You don't have miles to go. You came through for us big time, you fixed Sam at the expense of your own sanity, and you helped me kill Dick."
"None of which would've been necessary had I not gone behind your back and worked with Crowley. I betrayed your trust, Dean, the only person in all of existence whose trust truly mattered to me, and I betrayed it."
Dean took a deep breath, watching his fingers pull at a loose thread on his jeans for a moment before replying. "I understand why you did what you did," he said. "You were just trying to keep us safe, to make sure there wasn't another apocalypse."
"That doesn't make it ok-"
"No, it doesn't," Dean agreed quickly. "But understanding does make it easier for me to forgive you. And… Well, I pretty much already have forgiven you. I know that I'm at fault too, I wasn't there for you like I should have been. It's easy for someone like me to forget that someone who isn't blood can still matter as much as family. That they are family. We could've found a better way together, but I didn't give you that option." He licked his lips at met Cas's gaze. "We're on equal ground here, Cas. You don't have to redeem yourself anymore."
"It shouldn't be that easy," Cas protested half-heartedly.
"Cas, Sam broke the last seal and started the Apocalypse and I forgave him. He forgave me for breaking the first seal in Hell. It's what family does, we do horrible shit and forgive each other."
They're both quiet for a long moment before Cas finally said "Thank you," in a small voice. He cleared his throat. "I don't deserve it," he said louder. "But thank you."
Dean studied him under the moonlight. Cas really was a Winchester, forgiven by everyone but himself. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Cas's, the kiss little more than a dry pressure for a few short seconds before he pulled away. He couldn't help but grin when Cas followed for a moment before allowing Dean's lips to leave his own.
Cas's hand flew to his mouth, two fingers lightly touching his lips. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you do deserve it. And you deserve to know that you matter to me. A lot," he said. It was the closest Dean would ever get to an admission of feelings, and they both knew it. Before Cas could open his mouth to say something sappy Dean leaned back in to steal another kiss. Cas parted his lips obediently when Dean urged him too, their tongues meeting hesitantly.
Cas pulled back abruptly, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Do you always kiss your family this way?"
Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Say what now?"
"Earlier you implied that you think of me as family, but now you are kissing me in a way that I am certain most people do not kiss their family. Do you kiss Sam in this manner?"
Dean blinked rapidly at him. "Cas," he said slowly, making sure the angel understood every word, "I do not kiss Sam at all. I think of you as kissable family." He made a face at himself. "Wow, that's not really any better. Just shut up, you know what I mean." Cas's lip quirked and realization hit Dean like a brick over the head. The angel had been fucking with him. "Asshole!" he exclaimed, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.
The smile was wiped off Dean's face when a sudden burst of flame shot through the tree tops half a mile away. "Shit, it's a dragon," he swore. Every creature in Purgatory looked like it's monstrous soul, and dragons were no exception. They'd come across a sleeping one once before, an eighty feet long nightmare straight out of the fairy tales only a dozen times scarier. And Cas had told him it was a small one.
"Time to run," Cas said. Dean sighed, it looked like the rare lighthearted moment was over for now, and as they made their escape from the dragon's territory he had to wonder if they'd get the chance to have another in this hellish place.