A/N: Hello. Do not even look at me, what have I written. It is almost 3,500 words. Help, I am stuck in destiel and I cannot escape.
Well, here is a Valentine's Day thingy I wrote. It takes place in season 10, technically right after "Halt & Catch Fire."
When Sam Winchester looks at the calendar on the bunker wall to check the date, he discovers two things. First, that it has only been three days since Dean has last left the bunker, which is surprising, since he spent weeks before then just re-reading lore books to find a cure for the Mark; Sam reflects that Dean is doing well, but he is still worried about him, worried that he has given up or resigned himself to his fate. In an unrelated note, the second thing Sam notices that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. He has not thought about Valentine's Day in a long time (not that it has ever really meant much to him), especially after discovering the unpleasant nature of meeting a cupid; Sam shudders slightly at the thought. Now, however, he lets himself ponder the holiday for a moment.
Sam's eyes scan the main living space of the bunker to find Dean sitting at the table, staring into his laptop at the recent news, presumably looking for new cases. A bottle of beer sits on the table beside him, along with a cup of coffee. He watches Dean stare at the beer for a moment before taking a sip of the coffee, and then returning to the laptop screen. He can see the Mark of Cain, as clear as it has always been, on Dean's forearm as he scrolls through the news headings, since the sleeve of his red plaid shirt is rolled up.
As the idea of Valentine's Day circles around Sam's mind, and he stares absently at the Mark on Dean's arm, his mind connects them together. He thinks of Cain, and how he must have been able to control the mark in some way. Then he thinks of Collette, and how Cain still thought of her after he became a demon, how much he still cared for her after all this time, how she must have kept him human, helped him be himself.
As these thoughts roll around Sam's mind, Castiel walks through the door of the bunkers.
"Hello, Dean," the angel says, noticing the elder Winchester first.
Sam watches Dean look up from his laptop, and smile. Crinkles appear around his eyes as he smiles, his eyes never leaving the angel's bright blue eyes. "Hey, Cas. What's up?" Dean says.
Sam's mind suddenly goes into overdrive, his previous thoughts catching on to this new event. He thinks of the few other times that Dean has smiled like that since the Mark of Cain, when he had seen Castiel again. He remembers other times, before all that, when Cas was lost in Purgatory, how Dean prayed to Cas, how depressed he was that the angel was gone, how he wouldn't talk about it no matter what Sam said, how Sam had thought he was hallucinating Cas when Dean woke him up in the middle of the night. He thinks of all that Cas had given up for them. He notices that Cas has been worried for Dean so much recently, has given up trying to save himself to save Dean. He remembers that Castiel had raised Dean from Hell, and had shown up just in time to help Sam cure Dean after he became a demon. Then, oddly, he remembers the play that Siobhan and those girls had created about their lives; he remembers the way Dean became defensive as Sam teased him about 'destiel.' He thinks about Collette and Cain again. Sam is staring intently at the way Dean and Castiel are looking at each other and talking to each other now, their eyes locked onto each other's faces, and he wonders why he has not thought about this before. He feels as though the universe has slapped him in the face, and barely notices when Castiel speaks to him.
"Sam?" the angel is saying, his brows furrowed, "Are you alright?"
Sam blinks, jolted out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah," he says intelligently, "Hi, Cas… I'm fine… sorry, I was just….thinking."
He looks around the room to find that Dean has left, and wonders how long he has been staring into space (at Dean and Castiel).
"Where's Dean?" Sam asks.
"He has gone to look up a spell that may be useful in locating Cain."
"Oh." Sam's brain barely processes the information. He worries he may never be able to think straight again.
Cas' eyebrows seem to furrow further as he looks at the calendar behind Sam. "What are you thinking about?"
Sam blinks again. "Oh, I was just…" he looks back at the calendar, too, his brain churning slowly through his new mindset. He points at the square marking tomorrow. "I just noticed that tomorrow is Valentine's Day."
Castiel stares at the square marked Valentine's Day. "Yes, it is. Are you… doing something for this holiday?"
"Well… Dean and I don't usually do much. Flowers and chocolates were never really our thing, and we haven't considered it for a while… I was just thinking about it, since… well, since everything."
Cas nods like he understands Sam's poor explanation. "I have never considered it much before either, beyond appreciating the good that Cupids do… besides their unfortunate greetings."
Sam nods back. "Yeah. I'm just worried about Dean, even though he seems to be controlling the Mark better… he just seems… resigned to his fate or something. I've been thinking he could use someone to give him more hope… or at least some happiness…" Sam can feel the gears turning in his head again, as he stares straight at the angel, hoping that Cas would catch his train of thought.
Cas was still staring at the square on the calendar silently. He has to say it then.
"Anyways, he doesn't really want to listen to me anymore, but…you…" Sam says, "He's always happy to see you., and I know he doesn't really show it, and he's not really great with feelings and all that, but… I think he misses you when you're not there, and I know you've been trying so hard to help him, like you always do."
Cas is looking at him now.
Sam takes a deep breath. "He really cares about you, Cas."
Cas stares at Sam in silence for a moment.
Then, "I care about him, too." It's spoken quietly, but with conviction.
Sam nods. "I know."
Castiel furrows his brows again. "Are you saying I should do something for Dean for Valentine's Day? Give him… chocolates and flowers?"
"Well… If you want to… I'm just saying that you should let him know… Whether you get him something or not… You just got to tell him."
Cas frowns now. "Sam… I—I do not know much about how to tell him that… I am not sure he would appreciate it."
"Cas, whatever you do, I promise he will feel the same way."
Castiel is still frowning, but he agrees. "Alright, I will get Dean something for Valentine's Day. Thank you, Sam."
"No problem," Sam says as Cas walks towards the door, a newly determined look on his face.
Sam feels that he has won his first victory. Dean is next, he thinks, walking off towards Dean's room.
The mall was crowded when Castiel walks in to search for something to buy for Dean the night before Valentine's Day. He watches as men and women rush in and out of varying shops clutching mounds of heart-shaped boxes and bunches of flowers. He watches them go by with interest, in the hope that they will clue him in on what he should get for Dean.
As he reaches a florist shop, he begins to stare carefully at some bright red roses, trying to imagine Dean's reaction to them. He remembers Sam telling him that the Winchesters were never fond of giving flowers, but Cas thinks that the roses are rather beautiful, and his heart warms at the simple thought of humans giving them to each other to represent their care for each other. He likes to think that the flowers were created for this very reason.
"Can I help you?"
Cas looks up to find a woman smiling at him expectantly.
"Oh, uhh, I was just looking at these here," Cas points to the roses, "I am not sure if my… uhh… my friend, Dean would like them."
The woman's smile seems to deepen. "Oh, well for romantic gestures, I would say red roses are classic, really the best option… or, if you are looking for a more friendship-oriented holiday, we do have some lovely lilies, or even some yellow roses." The woman points to the other flowers in the shop. "Flowers are a great way to make anyone happy."
Cas stares at the red roses again, leaning in to inhale their scent. The smell is fresh and strong, and Cas looks to the woman again, thinking. He is unsure about the red roses. He tries to imagine himself giving them to Dean, giving him a sinking feeling of apprehension in his chest. What if Dean doesn't like the roses?, he thinks, What if this sends too much of a romantic gesture, like the woman mentioned, to Dean? He looks briefly at the other flowers in the shop, for a more suitable bunch to match his friendship with Dean, but none are as beautiful as the red roses that he had spotted first.
"I'll take the red roses," Cas finds himself saying, despite his worried thoughts. Perhaps red roses are the correct way for him to express his feeling to Dean, like Sam had told him he should do. He could always just keep them and not give them to Dean, if he decides differently later, he thinks. It is better to buy them anyways, just in case.
"That's great!" the woman from the shop exclaims, as she wraps the roses in a bundle safely, "I'm sure Dean will love them." She looks at Castiel reassuringly, as if she can read his thoughts, as she hands the bunch to Cas.
"Thank you very much, I hope so, too." Cas carefully takes the roses in his right hand, and pays the woman with money the Winchesters had given him.
The next shop Cas visits at the mall is a candy shop. He is confident in his decision this time, knowing that Dean would appreciate a food product. He carefully examines the various heart-shaped pink and red boxes, confused as to the difference between twelve different-looking packages saying "Variety Pack."
After looking through all of the options, Cas is still not sure what sort of chocolates to get Dean, until a man walks up behind him, grabbing a package off the shelf.
"Excuse me," Cas says, looking at the man's chocolates. "I am sorry to disturb you, but I would like to ask, what makes you choose those chocolates over the others?"
The man looks at Cas for a moment, and then down at the box in his hand. "Oh, well, these are Lindt chocolates. I get them for my wife every Valentine's and Christmas," He says, shrugging, "They are really good and she always likes them."
"Thank you very much, I shall get some," Cas tells the man, cautiously picking out a box.
"No problem, man," the man replies, looking at the red roses Cas is holding. "Hey, those are really nice flowers, do you know where I can get some?"
"At the florist over there," Cas points to their right.
"Thanks, I think my wife would really love some roses like that. I hope the chocolates work out well."
"You're welcome," Cas says, smiling at the man as he leaves, and going to the checkout counter before he leaves.
As Cas walks out of the candy shop he notices a pet store on the other side. He walks over to it curiously, looking at small guinea pig in front of the shop. The guinea pig has bright green eyes that look gleefully into Cas' eyes, and it squeaks quietly at him.
"Do you think Dean will appreciate my gifts?" he asks the animal, and it squeaks loudly, moving closer to Cas' chocolates.
Cas smiles at the small furry creature, reaching through the bars with his fingers to stroke it. "You don't know, you just want some chocolate."
After a while, Cas reluctantly has to leave the guinea pig with the bright green eyes. He holds the chocolates and roses tightly in his hands, thinking of the similarly green eyes of a hunter.
Dean Winchester frowns at the small package he holds in his hand, as he sits up in his bed. He thinks that buying it was a ridiculous idea. Sam must really be getting to his head. Was he supposed to just walk up to Cas, and say, 'Hey, man, what's up? Want to be my valentine? I got you a gift because I have been thinking about you a lot, but definitely not in a creepy way. You really mean a lot to me, but don't worry, if you don't feel the same way we can probably be friends and everything. I'll be fine, don't even worry about it, you won't break my heart or anything.'?
He sighs, mentally chastising himself. He has other issues to worry about, like the Mark of Cain that he can still feel in his skin through the fabric of his shirt. He thinks that that is a more pressing issue, but still, as he gets up to brush his teeth, all he can think about are blue eyes and trench coats. He is really glad Sam can't read his thoughts because he defiantly doesn't imagine Cas' face as he hands him his gift as he eats breakfast on Valentine's Day morning. He doesn't even worry about it all day (except when he does… all the time), until Cas appears.
Dean is sitting on his bed, mindlessly surfing for cases on Sam's laptop (which may be becoming his laptop at this rate) when it happens. He hears a quiet knock at the door that jolts him from his thoughts, and he stands up from his bed, glancing over at the red package on his bedside table, nervousness pooling into his stomach. He thinks it might be Sam, though he knows it's not (Sam would just barge right in like the great little brother he is).
He hears the knock again, along with a quiet, "Dean."
The voice is low and gravelly, despite its quiet tone, and there is no denying it now. Dean walks over to the door slowly, and taking a deep breath, opens it.
"Cas," Dean says, looking at him.
The angel stands in the doorway of Dean's room, his blue eyes staring nervously into Dean's. His right hand is held behind his back.
"Hello, Dean," Cas says, and then he pauses for a moment, taking a breath, and Dean feels like time has been frozen. "Happy Valentine's Day."
Cas holds out his right hand to Dean, a bunch of red roses held in tightly in his grasp. Dean stares at the roses and blinks a few times. They are bright red and Dean thinks that he has never seen more beautiful flowers in his life. He looks into Cas' eyes again. Dean thinks that no one has ever given flowers before, out of all the people that he has ever met, until now.
"I—I hope you like them," Cas is saying now, "I wasn't sure if you would…so, if you don't, I also got you chocolates…"
Cas puts his left hand inside his trench coat and produces a small heart-shaped box of chocolates. Dean wants to laugh at the sight of the angel holding right red roses and heart chocolates, but Cas is looking at him expectantly. 'Say something, Dean,' the look is saying.
Dean reaches his hand out to touch the petals of the roses. They are soft. "They're very soft," Dean says intelligently.
A moment of silence stretches on indefinitely, before Dean says something more meaningful.
"Thanks, Cas… I love them." You, something whispers in the back of Dean's minds, I love you. He takes the roses and chocolates out of Cas' hands. "And, hey, I could always use some chocolate."
Castiel nods at him, and Dean suddenly moves to the side of the door. "Umm, why don't you come in… you don't have to just stand outside my door all day."
"Umm, yes, thank you, Dean," the angel says, walking slowly into the room.
Dean awkwardly takes a seat on his bed, and pats the spot next to him. He carefully places the chocolates and flowers on the end table, as Cas sits next to him.
"Well," Dean says, picking up the red package on the end table, and turning to Cas to hold it out to him. "I—I, uhh, got you something, too… for… Valentine's Day… and stuff. I don't really know… I just thought you should have it…" Dean really wishes he would stop talking.
Now, Castiel takes the package out of Dean's hands, and he cautiously unwraps it, pulls out the red tissue paper, and a blue tie. It is like his old one, only the blue is not faded and it is brighter, more the color of the angel's eyes.
"I know you had one before, and I thought that you would like one again. I know it was never really yours to begin with… so I don't really know if you ever liked having one before, but I think you'd look… nice with it, you know? Or maybe it would help you feel normal again, like it used to be… You probably don't want it, I don't know what I was thinking…" Dean is rambling again, but he stops when Cas looks at him.
"I—it is perfect, Dean, thank you," Cas says, holding the tie, and Dean does something suddenly after that.
The sudden thing that he does is to move his right hand to grab Cas' left. He feels the angel's fingers hold onto his hand gently, and he might slightly forget how breathing works.
Then, Cas is looking at him with certainty and is leaning towards Dean's face. When the angel kisses him on the lips, Dean holds his hand tightly, grasping onto reality. He thinks that this is really real, as he kisses Cas back, and Cas tastes like nature, cinnamon, and maybe even a bit of heaven (Dean is going to slap himself for thinking this, only maybe not right now).
When they finally part, Dean is smiling and he finds that Cas is smiling back at him. Then, Dean laughs.
"What?" Cas asks.
"I think this is the most romantic moment that I have ever had."
Cas turns slightly red at that and Dean smiles more broadly, happy. Then, Dean kisses Cas again, more slowly, because he can now. This time he holds the side of Cas' face with his left hand as he kisses him, the tips of his fingers brushing the side of his dark hair, which Dean thinks is soft.
After they part the second time, they are still holding hands, and Dean reluctantly lets go to pick up the blue tie. Cas is looking at him as Dean unfolds the tie and throws it around the back of Castiel's neck. His hands work on knotting the tie carefully, and he gently pulls it up into place. He looks at Cas' face again.
"See, I told you it would look nice," Dean tells Cas, with a surge of confidence.
Cas reaches to hold Dean's hand tightly again, and as Dean gets up from the bed he pulls the angel up with him, grabbing the chocolates and roses with his other hand.
"I should find a vase to out the roses in," Dean says, and Cas nods back.
After the two walk out of the room and into the hallway hand-in-hand, they stop suddenly when they find Sam there, standing in the middle of the hall.
"Umm…hey, Sammy," Dean says, feeling the color rise to his face. He is still holding Cas' hand and he has the roses and heart-shaped chocolate box in his other hand.
"It's…nice to see you, Sam," Cas says awkwardly.
"Hey, Cas, Dean." Sam smiles at the two smugly, as if he has personally ensured the happiness of the whole world. Dean will have a talk to him later. Defiantly later.
Right now he says, "Happy Valentine's Day, Sammy, I'll make us some burgers," and he leads Cas past his brother and into the kitchen.
Here, he finds a vase for the roses, and stuffs a few chocolates into his face, before obtaining the ground beef from the refrigerator. He wonders if Cas will enjoy his burgers, as he watches said angel almost knock the salt and pepper shakers over, while retrieving the hamburger buns.
A/N: So, there is the thing, I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading! And if you are wondering, Castiel tastes like cinnamon because many have said that is what Misha smells like, and who am I to argue about that.