Dean ran a hand through his thin hair as he walked through the cold air. The freckled hunter pulled his leather jacket more tightly around him, watching as his breath condensed in front of him. There were few people around, only a family who were presumably walking home from a restaurant. A little girl ran ahead of the two parents, who were laughing loudly at what she was saying. The woman was pushing a stroller in front of her, and the baby inside began crying. Dean jumped at the noise, his mind going back to that vivid dream place.
Dean had never thought that he would be a good father. Hell, half the time he thought he would never be a father at all. He had been good to Ben, sure, but he his own father had been awful. He didn't want to be the same parent John had been. So one late night, as Dean and Sam sat amidst stacks of papers required for adoption, the ex-hunter sat back. "Maybe we shouldn't do this."
Cas looked up, surprised. "Dean, you were the one who wanted to adopt in the first place. This was your idea. We are so close to having a child."
"I'm not saying I don't want one," he snapped; Cas sat back, his blue eyes wide. "I'm sorry." Dean ran a hand over his face and sighed. "I just...I never had the parental guidance that I needed. Since I can remember I was on the road. I just...what if I'm a horrible father?"
Cas' heart melted. Dean had never opened himself up like this; not to Sammy, not to Bobby, and never to him. Now, sitting there in near tears, he had never looked more delicate. The angel stood, knocking into a stack of papers. He used his mojo to fix it, then rested his hands on Dean's shoulders, kissing the top of his head. "Dean, you will make an excellent father. You will be nothing like John. I had a horrible father, too," he joked, trying to make his fiancée smile. They were set to get married in two weeks. "We'll know exactly what not to do. We'll get through this."
"So much for that," Dean muttered to himself, wiping away tears. He kicked a stone on the side of the road into a gutter and sighed. "What happened to forever?" He murmured, looking up at the sky. Stars twinkled above him. It was all so peaceful. He smiled, a calm feeling blanketing him, and looked back in front of him, his heart stopping as he heard the flutter of wings. Goddammit, Cas, can't you just leave me alone? He moaned softly to himself as Cas tilted his head, exposing the soft flesh that Dean once bit...he shook his head. "Cas, what do you want?"
"I talked to Gabriel."
Silence.
"He told me where you were."
Dean's heart froze. He knew. Of course he knew; Gabriel was his brother, and Dean knew that there was always an easy way to get information out of a brother. Dean sat down on the curb, holding his head in his hands. Soft footsteps sounded behind him and he looked up. A rough hand landed on his cheek, Cas' head tilting oh-so-slightly. Quietly, almost nervously, the angel reached down and pressed his lips against Dean's soft forehead. "You never asked," he whispered into the hunter's ear, disappearing with those words.
Dean stood there, mouth hanging open. "W...dammit, Cas! You can't DO that!" He yelled, kicking the street with the heel of his boot. He smiled, though; Cas words resonated through his ears as he stood up, his head spinning dizzily.
Walking back to the motel that night, Dean Winchester floated five feet off the ground. He grinned as he walked into the room, swinging the door shut with a loud bang. "Jesus, Dean," Sam mumbled, his face buried in the pillows. "I know you're drunk, man, but you don't have to wake everybody in existence up."
"Sorry bro," he said cheerily, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm not drunk, surprisingly."
Sam sat up, interested now. "Really?"
"Yep, Sammy. See? Just needed some time." He grinned and flopped back onto the bed he was in front of. His brother kept staring at him with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe somebody could get over something that had traumatized him so much so quickly. He didn't say anything else, though, and allowed Dean to fall into a peaceful sleep.