They clung to each other like their lives depended on it. Rarely had Dean ever let his emotions take hold like this. But after everything he'd been through, he felt like he deserved it. No one said a word about it. It felt like an eternity before he finally let go of Cas, yet it still wasn't long enough. Then he hugged Sam, then Jack, then Mom. Even Charlie and Bobby let him give them quick hugs. They knew he had given a lot for their Alternate Reality. Even though they weren't his Charlie and Bobby, he let himself pretend one last time before he had to say Goodbye to them for good.

What hurt the most was when Mom decided to go with them. It seemed like he was always losing someone. Deep down he knew she didn't belong with him and Sam. In her head she was still in heaven with her loving husband and two adoring little sons. It hurt her to see them so grown up and broken. They were everything she never wanted them to be. He was just a disappointment all around. At least this way she would be helping people like she wanted. Maybe she would even get another shot at life, though it made his stomach boil at the thought it could be with Ketch. Just because they had come to a mutual understanding, didn't mean he wanted him as a new Step-Dad.

Jack had regained his powers, opened the rift, and saw everyone through safe and sound. With the power coursing through his veins, he was getting pretty good at it. Maybe in time he would open the rift again so Sam and Dean could see their Mother. In fact he was counting on it or he never would've let her leave. Not for good. Along with his rapidly developing powers, the Angels thought he was their best shot at creating new Angels. Heaven depended on it. For once, Dean had faith.

All that was left was Dean, Sam, and Cas. Even with everything he lost, he felt like he still had so much. This time he wasn't about to let it go. For a long time he had been struggling with his feelings, for obvious reasons. For one, he was the ultimate playboy. Or at least he had been, once upon a time. Now the only thing he wanted was to settle down, and he couldn't think of a better person to do it with than his best friend. Another problem was that Cas was a man. Well, at least he was in a man's body. He was a celestial being. A wavelength. He had no true gender, which was a mind-boggling thought itself. But over the years, he realized that Cas could be in any body, and they would still be where they were right now. With Dean head over heels, hoping his Angel felt the same way.

All the times he died, all the times Cas died, everything they'd been through together. 'We need you. I need you.' He meant it as much back then as he did now, even if he hadn't been as willing to admit it. It had been such a slow build that Dean didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late. He lost Cas over and over again. Then every time he got him back, there was too much on his plate to do anything about it. But the truth was that he was scared. He didn't want to be afraid anymore. The world was always on the verge of an apocalypse… He wanted to make the most out of his life now, before the next one started. Dean had already given up so much, he deserved to get a little in return.

Both Cas and Sam noticed the difference in how he was acting, but neither of them said anything about it. They didn't need to, he could see it on their faces. They seemed so happy, and to him that was more important than his own happiness. He was drinking less, laughing more. Finally, he worked up the courage to start trying to show Cas just how much he meant to him.

The first time he touched Cas was out in public. The three of them sat at a table in some half-decent diner. While Cas didn't need to eat, and didn't particularly enjoy the taste of food anymore, he still ate with them. He claimed it was to 'fit in' and 'appear normal', but Dean suspected otherwise when Cas ordered a burger medium rare. His vessel still loved meat. As they ate and talked, Dean couldn't keep his eyes off Cas. It was like he was noticing everything for the first time and really, truly appreciating it. The dazzling blue eyes, the way his lips turned up in a smile. Even the stubble on his face made Dean's heart throb.

Sam had been talking about something happening in the news. It wasn't important enough for Dean to care that he was missing it. He watched Cas bring the mildly bloody burger to his lips and take a big bite. When he pulled it away, there was a smidge of mayo on his cheek. Before Sam could even point to it to tell Cas to wipe it off, Dean's hand was already on the move. He swiped it off the Angel's stubble, which was much softer than he had expected it to be, and brought it to his mouth to lick his finger clean. It took all his willpower not to laugh at how Sam choked on his drink or the wide-eyed look plastered to Cas's face.

"Not bad. But everyone knows ketchup goes on burgers, not mayo." Dean said before shoving his face full of food. Cas still looked confused. He started to think he overstepped his boundaries.

"Dean I've seen some of the things you put on your food, you can't complain about a little mayonnaise." Sam quickly filled the silence.

"Wasn't complaining. Just stating facts. If he's going to eat, he might as well do it right. Who knows more about food than me? Not you. Just sit there and eat your rabbit food."

"Jerk."

"Bitch." It felt good to laugh again.

The second time he touched Cas was nearly a week later. It took longer to work his courage back up than he thought it would. For the entire week Sam had been eyeing them intensely. As if he expected the two of them to start making out at any second. Dean wished that were the case. The silent support was nice though.

They were in the kitchen, Dean's favorite hangout spot. As soon as Dean walked in the room, Sam started fidgeting in his chair, like he had been doing all week. It was moderately annoying, but also kind of funny. It was also the last bit of encouragement he needed to make another move on Cas.

"No food? Why are you guys in my kitchen if you're not making me food?" He asked as he strolled across the room, wrapped tightly in his favorite robe.

"I'm not your chef, Dean." Sam rolled his eyes. It was an argument they had a lot, but that was only because Sam was so good at cooking. Sam also hated cooking.

"You should be. I'd pay you."

"With what money? All you have is fake credit cards and stolen money." Sam had his ultimate bitch face on. He hadn't realized he missed it that much until it was in front of him once again.

"Hey, I earned that money fair and square. I'm not a thief. As for the cards…Well they'll either learn or I'll keep getting free money."

Dean stopped in front of Cas, giving him a once over. His hair was out of place and trench coat rested at an odd angle. He looked sexy like this. Flustered, vulnerable. As much as Dean wanted to keep seeing him like that, he took the opportunity to get physical again instead. Reaching out, he grabbed the collar of Cas's overcoat to straighten and flatten it out, making sure to spend a little more time than necessary just to enjoy the closeness. Ignoring the deer in headlights look on his friends face, Dean reached up to fix Cas's hair next. It was the softest hair he ever had the pleasure of touching. Again, he spent way too long trying to put his hair back in place.

When it finally did what Dean wanted it to do, his heart was pounding in his chest. They were close enough to kiss, and as much as Dean wanted it, he turned and walked to the fridge instead. He rummaged for a few seconds before grabbing two hardboiled eggs and closing the door. When he turned around, he had to bite his inner cheek to keep from laughing. Cas looked like the worlds most confused puppy. It was utterly adorable. Sam on the other hand looked like he was about to open a flood gate of questions and accusations, which he took as his cue to leave.

The rest of his day was spent in his room, planning on what to do next. He knew he couldn't keep sending subtle hints Cas's way. Cas wasn't one for subtlety, he never had been. Dean was sure he could keep doing what he was doing for a very, very long time before the Angel caught on. The only problem was that if he was direct about it, that opened up the possibility of rejection. It wasn't something he could handle. Not from Cas.

The worst part was that he didn't even know how Cas felt about him. He was always saying things like He and Dean had a more profound bond than he and Sam have, but that was back when they were friends. Back before Dean really came to terms with how he truly felt. The feelings just kind of snuck up on him one day, but he wasn't sure if the same had happened with Cas. He wished it did. On one hand, he told himself that Cas was an Angel, he might not even have the capability of feeling the same way Dean did, ever. But on the other hand, his brain screamed at him that Cas gave up everything he had for Dean. How is that not the biggest act of love? The only other person who cared for him like that was Sammy, and that was brotherly love. There was a possibility that Cas's feelings for Dean were purely brotherly, too. Dean thought that was probably worse than Cas feeling nothing for him at all. Brotherly love wasn't something he could ever change into romantic love.

So he decided that safest thing to do would be to hint around with Cas a little bit more. Cas had come a long way, maybe he would realize what Dean was trying to do. Either that or Dean would do something stupid like kiss his beautiful Angel.