CHAPTER 1

Castiel looks at Dean texting Sammy by the doorway. He remembers an old human custom he read about while doing some research, and casually slides behind the hunter. Dean doesn't pay him any attention since the angel is always doing something weird… until he suddenly feels arms slipping around him.

Dean stiffens, "Cas what are—".

Before the hunter can finish his sentence, he is suddenly being held up in the angel's warm embrace, bridal style. Realizing what's happening, Dean starts to thrash and squirm in the angel's arms.

"CAS, WHAT THE FUCK! PUT ME DOWN!"

The angel, ignoring all of the green-eyed human's cursing and thrashing, starts walking towards the doorway. Cas blinked, feeling as if he was forgetting something about the old tradition, but shrugged it off while continuing his task. When they both finally made it through the doorway, Castiel's face lit up with a hidden smile that would put the sun to shame with its warmth and intensity. Dean—who up until then was fighting violently—stilled. Though it was small, his hunting skills were too great to miss anything. He lay quietly in the hold, looking almost in awe at the breathtaking sight of the brief smile. Cas gently put the hunter down, causing Dean to be at a loss for words.

"…Cas," he finally says after a moment, "what the hell was that?"

The angel blinked, tilting his head in an iconic cat-way, "Is that not typically what humans do?"

Dean sighed, exasperated, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And that means what exactly?"

"In my research, I discovered that it is customary for someone to carry the one they love across a threshold as a sign of devotion in order to make that person yours." He smiled softly with pride, then, his usual confused look slid back onto his face. "Is that wrong? Did I perform the task incorrectly, Dean?"

Dean stood in utter shock, unable to think or say anything for a few minutes. Eventually he stutters out a, "W-What…?" A faint blush paints the hunter's face lightly, "Cas, do you mean a Bridal Carry? That's when you marry someone you idiot."

"Oh, I see," now it was the angel's turn to blush, and he turned his face away.

Dean cleared his throat, "Um…dude did you...uh…mean what you said? …Is that really why you did it?"

Cas turned back and looked into his eyes; bright green met shining, sincere blue. "Of course, Dean. I wouldn't have done it otherwise. After all, isn't it a human saying that 'actions speak louder than words'? So I did, I 'proved it'." Cas practically beamed, "are you impressed?"

Dean stood shocked for a moment, then, a smile slowly overtook his face without him realizing it. "Yes, Cas," he chuckled and tried to smirk, "Sure thing Angel Cake." The hunter played it off as one of his usual wit-filled and flirty comments as a joke, but the smile on his face couldn't be hidden. Not that he'd want Cas to see that, of course, so he did his best to keep his emotions under control and not act like some smiling high school girl who got noticed by her crush. He very quickly hid his smile, controlling his facial expressions almost instantly, but not fast enough for Cas to see the genuine joy behind it.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, not really looking at the other man, and cleared his throat with a forced cough wanting to get out of the emotionally awkward situation. "Ahem so… enough of this chick flick moment…" he laughed, "let's get back to work."

The fallen angel chuckled softly, "Sure thing, Dean."

He knew what Dean had just said was meant to be a joke but Castiel took it anyway knowing Dean, and beamed happily to himself. After all no one knew the hunter better then Cas, except for maybe Sam. He could feel the real sentiment and feelings behind the playoff. He knew what Dean had really meant behind those words, the hidden message within. Just that one little term of endearment,—which Dean never really used normally for anyone—even if not meant to be taken serious, spoke volumes. He kept this knowledge to himself though, as a different kind of smile crept on his face, due to being secretly happy. He knew the truth; his hunter had feelings for him, too, even if just a little.

Dean looked back at Castiel, seeing a different kind of smile on his face he chuckled and asked, "And what are you smiling about over there, Weirdo? It's a bit creepy seeing an angel smile so much in such a short amount of time." Dean laughed again.

Dean's chuckling voice snapped Cas of his dreamy thoughts, "Hmmm… heh," he gave a small chuckling sound, "it is nothing, I was just thinking to myself for a moment. So we were going to dig deeper into the case and do some research I believe?" The angel thought for a moment, then said with his usual dead pan serious expression sliding back onto his face, "Should we meet back up with Sam and see what he's learned? Combine our intel tighter? It would prove to be more efficient."

Dean shrugged, "Sure, why not."

Then the fluttering sound of wings and the once occupied motel room was now completely empty.