I don't usually write from Dean's perspective in my Destiel stories, simply because I feel I'm more like Castiel and can portray him better. In this case I'm making an acceptation, let's see how it goes.

Enjoy!

Dean sat as still as he could in the hard plastic chair, hands clasping his knees tightly. The audiologist had attached the wires to his implants, the ones that connected them to the computer. He could see windows and graphs, but they didn't make any since to him. Castiel sat in a chair identical to his own across the small room, only about five feet away. His mate was as excited as he was, though he managed it better, cobalt blue eyes locked onto the screen in fascination.

It had been exactly four weeks since he'd had the surgery, the one where they had put in the interior parts of the cochlear implants. It had been a relief when they'd cleared him for this next step, well within the 3-6 week healing window. Dean would have gladly done this right away, but then again the procedure had been just short of brain surgery. Besides, the exterior part of the device would connect to the interior part via magnet, and he could see how having the area fully healed before he did that would be a good thing.

In truth he'd been eligible for this for years, he'd just never wanted to do it. Hearing aids didn't do much for him, and they were expensive. The idea of coughing up so much for not one but two cochlear implants hadn't had much appeal, and he hadn't liked the idea of someone surgically putting things in his head. He'd actually heard just fine, with only a mild hearing loss, until he was ten. The bacterial meningitis had hardly been fun, particularly when he came out of it with hearing loss that had gone from mild to profound. He'd learned to cope all the same, and while annoying at times life went on. He learned to sign, so did Sam, he managed to finish high school, and had gone to trade school. He'd gone from working at a mechanic shop to owning it, which was how he'd met his now mate.

Initially Dean had been surprised when the CPA they'd had to bring in turned out to be an Omega, particularly when only his scent gave it away. Castiel stood only a few inches shy of his own height of six two, his shoulders broad but his hips had the subtle flare of an Omega, a breed meant to carry children rather than sire them. Fair skin, vividly blue eyes, dark hair, and a full mouth the Alpha loved to kiss.

While Dean had taken notice of the Omega, he hadn't done anything, not at first. Why bother? It was his experience that Omegas didn't easily take to Alphas who were lacking, and Dean was fully aware he was missing something crucial. Only after Gabriel, Sam's trickster of a mate, had elicited a drunken dare had Dean actually asked him out. The first date hadn't gone very well, and Dean had planned on returning to bachelorhood and beers. One week later, Castiel had reappeared at his shop and asked in careful sign, "Want to try again?"

That was two years ago. Yes it was Castiel who had brought this option to the table, but only because of one crucial factor. One Dean had agreed on.

On the day of the operation, the nurse who was giving him the IV and attaching him to monitors had asked him something. From the way she asked, apparently it was something everyone had wondered and had just not had the guts to bring up. "If you don't mind my saying so, we don't get a lot of Alphas for this procedure. What made you decide to do it?"

Reading lips is something a lot harder to do than one might think, and but even Dean had managed to catch most of it before Castiel signed it to him. He'd let Castiel answer it, too. He could speak, but over the last fifteen years his accent had gotten worse and worse. Instead he leaned back, closing his eyes as the nurse put the IV into his arm. Truthfully? Maybe his Alpha pride had been holding him back, or at least it had helped. For him, there were two reasons Dean had finally decided to do this. One reason was more immediate: a car had almost fallen on him. Yes it had been a freak accident, one of the hydraulics giving out, but he'd been working under it at the time, and hadn't heard the shouts as the workers tried to warn him. Only sheer luck had ensured he hadn't died that day.

Reason number two was driven by emotion rather than survival. He and Castiel wanted to try for kids, they'd agreed on that much already. But Dean wanted to hear them. He wanted to hear their baby gurgling and giggling, their first words, even their squalling as they refused to sleep for a full night after they came home. He wanted to be able to hear them if they got into trouble, if they were hurt and needed help, wanted to hear them argue and complain and laugh and chatter.

Dean looked down at his hands, callused from work, gone a bit pink from gripping his knees so tight. She had said this might take a minute, he needed to relax. He'd heard once before, right? They'd assured him this would do wonders for his chances of success, and it was why things had gone so smoothly up to this point.

Castiel waved a hand, getting his attention. Dean glanced over at the doctor, realizing she was speaking. He kept one eye on her, the other on his mate as he translated. "We're going to turn them on one at a time, okay? You're going to hear a series of beeps first. Things might start off monotone, but it shouldn't stay that way for long."

Dean twitched when the first beeps came through, despite the warning. It had been so long since he'd heard anything, much less the series of beeps he was getting now. His breath caught in his throat, waiting as they went through a series of frequency and loudness levels in first his right ear, then his left.

Castiel leaned forward, staring into Dean's face intently. The Alpha was vaguely aware of the doctor turning towards him when the beeps finally stopped. His mate licked his lips then asked, "Dean?"

At first he couldn't even answer. His throat went tight, his nose starting to burn as he stared at the Omega. Rough, low, uncertain. He'd never heard Castiel speak before. It was amazing.

Eyes crinkling in a relieved smile, the Omega kept talking. "What do you think?"

"How do we sound?"

Dean had to clear his throat before he could answer. "Very different." Monotone his ass, her voice sounded about right, so that meant Castiel really sounded just like this.

"How do I sound to you?" his mate inquired, cocking his head.

"I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if you gargled glass this morning."

The Omega smiled. Then, getting to his feet, Castiel pulled his chair over until he could plop down next to Dean, reaching out to take one of his hands. With the other, he reached up to press a hand to Dean's cheek. It wasn't until a thumb brushed under one of his eyes the Alpha realized he was crying.

"Are you that happy with this?" he asked in a low voice, tone gentle.

"I can hear you," Dean whispered, voice breaking. "Can you keep talking?"

Castiel hesitated. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"Anything," the Alpha admitted, mouth twisting in a wry smile.

"Um, Gabriel texted me while I was parking the car. He and Sam are at the bar already. He made pie, cherry. Ellen's making lunch and threatened to skin you if we don't go there directly after this. Jo made a similar threat."

Even deaf Dean had known Castiel hadn't been one for talking for the sake of talking, yet as the doctor made the last tests, mapping out different settings for the implant, Castiel rambled on. He only silenced when it was time to leave, pressing Baby's keys into his hand as they went out into the parking lot. Dean felt his throat going tight again as he wrapped his fingers around them. He'd been able to drive, he had been deaf not blind, but he remembered the Impala's growl from before he'd gotten sick, remembered the roar as she accelerated, the creak as her doors open and shut. He could feel her rumbling around him, nothing else.

He started a little when he slammed her door shut, in spite of himself. He'd noticed it when they were still in the office, how loud everything seemed after so long in silence. Castiel got in the passenger side door, eyes still glued to him. Slowly, trying to ignore the faint shakiness to his fingers, Dean lifted the keys and slipped them into the ignition.

Baby rumbled to life, the Alpha gripping the steering wheel tightly. Oh gods it felt so good to hear her again. Dean was getting himself under control, kicking himself for getting so emotional about it all, when he noticed Castiel flipping through the dusty cassettes he'd still kept.

"What are you doing?"

Castiel sat back again, showing him one of the tapes. Led Zeppelin. "Sam said these two were your favorites. 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues'."

Dean decided it was too risky to comment, instead watching as Castiel put the tape in. He closed his eyes, leaning back in the seat as Zep's music came through the speaker's, loud and clear and beautiful. It smarted a little, but he didn't turn the volume down. It was as good as he remembered. Better even.

The doctor had insisted that he keep them on all waking hours, that the uncomfortableness and sharp sounds that seemed far too loud would get better the more he wore them. His ears and brain just had to adjust to the new input, that was all. It wouldn't be the same as it once was, the tech wasn't that good, but it was a hell of a lot better than nothing.

"Dean? Do you want me to drive?"

The Alpha opened his eyes, realizing he'd just sat through almost three songs without moving. He shook his head, reaching for the gear shift. "I'm fine, I've got it."

The Impala rumbled even louder as he pulled out of the parking lot. As soon they were on the main road he gave it the gas, a wide smile spreading across his face as she roared down the street. He could see Castiel out of the corner of his eye, sitting quietly in the passenger seat, the wind from the open window ruffling his hair. His mate was smiling, one eye on him and the other on the road, just enjoying the moment as they sped down the road.

Sam and the others were waiting at Ellen's bar. They'd insisted on celebrating after he "got his ears back", as they put it. It occurred to him that the last time he'd heard Sam the kid hadn't even hit puberty yet. If the scrawny little kid had turned into a six foot four sasquatch, how much had his voice changed?

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