Dean stands at the stove in Sam's tiny kitchen, stirring a large pot of sauce and meatballs. Sam sits on the counter behind him, and reaches out with his foot to lighlty kick Dean's ass.
"So guess what?" he asks, setting his empty beer can next to him in the sink.
"Hmm?" Dean replies, turning towards him with a spoonful of sauce. He comes to stand between Sam's legs and offers him a taste. As Sam bends his neck, Dean leans back and takes the mouthful for himself. Sam laughs, then pouts, and Dean kisses him, nibbling on his lower lip.
"Tastes good," Sam tells him with a wink. "Are you going to guess?"
"Ah, you got drafted by the NBA to hold up the net?" Dean guesses playfully. "No wait, they've asked you to report for channel four how the weather really is up there?" Dean cackles at his own jokes. "Oh, no I've got it. You found a little nest of baby bird eggs in that mop of yours, and you've decided to raise them as your own?"
Dean bends over laughing, slapping his knee, his face turning red as he struggles to breathe. Sam kicks out with his feet, wrapping them around Dean's waist and pulling him between his knees. Sam winds his arm around Dean's neck to hold him steady, then runs his hands through Dean's perfectly gelled hair.
"Oh man, not the hair!" Dean laughs out, holding onto Sam's knees as he struggles to maintain upright. Sam wraps his other arm around Dean's chest and holds him up, biting at the back of Dean's neck and ears.
"Okay, really, what's up?" Dean asks as he regains his composure, leaning back against Sam's chest.
"My parents are coming to visit."
Dean turns around in Sam's arms. "When?"
"This weekend."
"That's great!"
"And I want you to meet them," Sam says, meeting Dean's gaze.
"Oh okay. Awesome. I'd like that," Dean agrees, rubbing his hands along Sam's calves, which are still wrapped around his hips. "I have that game Saturday though."
"I thought maybe we could all get an early dinner, and then we'll come watch you play?" Sam replies against the side of Dean's neck. Shivers run up Dean's spine at the tickling of Sam's lips on his skin.
"Perfect. Now let me go before we end up eating Ragu from a jar," Dean admonishes, slapping Sam's shins. Sam laughs as he releases his hold. Dean goes back to stirring the pasta sauce as Sam jumps down from the counter to get them both another beer.
The door to the apartment opens wide, and Garth and Adam walk in, still dressed in dirty t-shirts and shorts from practice. They drop their bags by the couch and sniff the air appreciatively.
"Hey guys," Sam greets his roommates.
"What's up, hey Dean!" Garth and Adam reply, and Garth comes into the kitchen to look over Dean's shoulder. "What's for dinner?"
"Who said you were invited, you caveman?" Sam asks, whacking Garth playfully on the back of his head.
"I'm making spaghetti and meatballs, and anyone can have some," Dean adds, giving Sam a look. Sam laughs before hopping up onto the counter to re-establish his role as supervisor extraordinaire.
"Sounds great," Adam tells Dean as he heads down the hall towards the bathroom. "Do I have time to shower?"
"Yes, please," Dean replies, wrinkling his nose.
"Yeah, you stink like a dirty jockstrap," Garth bursts into laughter, following Adam down the hall and turning into his own room. "Hurry up though, so do I."
Sam laughs as the guys duck into their rooms to clean up. Dean dumps a bag of raw spaghetti into a big pot of boiling water.

Soon they are gathered around the table, twirling spaghetti on their forks before shoving mouthfuls of pasta into their mouths. Garth has a meatball speared on the end of his fork, which he is using to gesticulate as they talk about sports and recent movies they'd seen.
Dean smiles as the conversation flows. He isn't sure why he was so nervous to hang out with Sam's roommates. Both Adam and Garth treat Dean like one of the guys, and there doesn't seem to be any awkwardness because he and Sam are together.
After dinner Garth pops in the latest James Bond movie, and the guys lounge on the couches. Sam leans against Dean's side, his legs kicked over the armrest of the couch. His left arm lays between Dean's legs, his hand stroking lazily from Dean's knee to his ankle and back up again. Adam sits on Dean's other side, on the other couch, his feet up on the coffee table. Garth sits next to him, his posture the same, with a beer balanced with one hand on his thigh. The atmosphere between the four of them is that of friends, no weird boyfriend treatment. Dean grins down at Sam, feeling completely at ease.

"How do I look?" Dean asks, checking his hair in Sam's bathroom mirror.
"You look fine, stop worrying," Sam replies nonchalantly from his lounging position on the bed, his nose buried in a Charles Dickens novel. Dean gives an exasperated sigh, and Sam holds his finger to mark his place before he looks up. "Dean, seriously. You don't need to worry. They're going to love you."
Dean turns back to the mirror and adjusts his red plaid shirt, making sure the sleeves are rolled up neatly and the wrinkles smoothed out. He runs his hands through his hair again, checking for misplaced spikes, then smooths out his jeans.
"Relax, babe," Sam whispers in his ear, suddenly appearing in the mirror behind him. He wraps his arms around Dean's middle and kisses the sensitive skin behind his ear. Dean leans back against him momentarily, but pulls away when Sam sucks lightly on his earlobe.
"Don't give me a boner, you're parents are gonna be here any minute!" Dean admonishes, pressing down against the crotch of his pants to remove any invisible evidence of his arousal. The buzzer sounds, indicating his parents are in the lobby of the apartment building. "Shit."
"You'll be fine. I won't let my dad beat on you too hard." Sam winks at Dean's annoyed expression on his way to the door. He buzzes his parents up, then pulls open the apartment door to wait for them to come up the elevator.
Dean comes down the hallway to stand awkwardly in the middle of the living room, digging his hands into his pockets before remembering his mother telling him what bad manners that was. He sighs again, shifting his weight from foot to foot and trying not to fidget. Sam gives him a soft smile over his shoulder as the elevator pings open down the hall.
A moment later, Sam is nearly knocked backwards as a head full of blonde hair buries itself in his chest. He laughs, wrapping his arms around the woman, who barely comes up to his shoulders.
"Hi, Mom." She pulls back and gives Sam the stereotypical Mom once-over, cupping his face in her hands and looking up at him.
"Hi, baby!" She stands on her tiptoes to give Sam a kiss on his increasingly red cheek.
"Mom, stop that. Hey, Dad," he adds, wrapping his Dad in a bear hug. His father is built strong, Dean notices, though not as tall as Sam, he guessed him to be around 6'3. With a scruffy black beard to match his black hair, and huge muscles straining his Army Strong t-shirt, Dean decides he's never going to get on this guy's bad side. Sam's mother is a strong looking woman as well, her blue short-sleeved t-shirt showing off lean, muscled arms. Her long blonde hair waved past her shoulders. She wore nice jeans and small, tan work boots.
Sam steps back and gestures for Dean to come closer. Smiling politely, Dean comes over to stand next to Sam.
"Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Dean Smith," Sam introduces, and Sam's father looks unfazed as he reaches forward to shake Dean's hand. "Dean, these are my parents, John and Mary Wesson." Mary smiles brightly, throwing her arms around Dean and hugging him.
"It's so nice to finally meet you!" Mary exclaimed, releasing Dean and stepping back to smile up at him.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Dean grinned at both her and John. Dean could tell that Sam got his lean build from Mary, but he definitely got his height from John. Sam's eyes were a mix between Mary's bright blue, and John's hazel brown and green. John beamed at Sam before turning to Dean.
"So you've got a big game tonight?" he asked as Sam closed the door behind them and they all moved further into the apartment.
"Sam, sweetie, let me see your room!" Mary asked, then followed Sam down the hall, leaving Dean and John in the living room.
"Uh, yeah, it's the regional championship, to determine who goes to the National playoffs," Dean tells John, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously.
"You think y'all have a chance at National Champs?"
"I sure hope so. We won last year, and we're hoping to get there again this year. We only lost two players from last year's roster to graduation, so we've still got a pretty strong team." John and Dean both sit on opposite couches, John relaxing back into the cushions and crossing one ankle over the opposite knee. Dean sits forward, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him, and he hopes he doesn't look too nervous as John evaluates him.
"So how long have you and Sam been dating?" John asks, although Dean is sure he knows the answer. He knows that Sam calls Mary at least once a week to chat.
"Since the beginning of the year. A couple weeks now, officially."
"Well that's great. He sure seems to like you."
"I like him, too, sir."
"You don't have to call me sir. I'm not in the Army anymore," John tells Dean, laughing to himself as Dean blushes. "But remember, I know my way around a gun."
"I wouldn't dare forget," Dean admits, and John laughs harder.
"John, don't be an ass," Mary scolds as she walks back into the living room, Sam behind her. "Let's go get something to eat? It's nearly five, and Sam said your game is at seven?"
"Yes, ma'am," Dean replies, both he and John standing from the couch. "I have to be at the rink by six-thirty to get ready."
"There's a burger place a couple blocks from here?" Sam asks, and everyone nods. "Alright, let's hit it."

Dean sits in the locker room tying his skates. Dinner had gone surprisingly well. At least, better than Dean had expected. Sam was right, he had nothing to worry about. John and Mary seemed very accepting of their son's sexuality, and of Dean. Much more accepting than Dean's parents had been. His father still blatantly ignored any indication that Dean was gay. He wasn't mean or rude, but pretended to be completely oblivious, which hurt Dean's feelings just as much. His little sister, Joanna, was the most accepting.
"Hey man, how was dinner?" Cas asks, looking over from down the bench where he had just finished lacing up his skates.
"Right, Meet the Parents dinner, I almost forgot," Gabe adds, coming over to sit beside Dean as he pulls his jersey over his pads.
"Yeah, it was good. His mom's great, she's really nice."
"And his dad?" Cas asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Terrifying as hell. But he seems nice enough, too," Dean replies with a shrug. "They're both totally cool with the whole gay kid thing."
"Better than your parents," Cas scoffs, rolling his eyes. "I still can't believe they thought I was your boyfriend."
"Yeah that was pretty nuts," Dean admits, pulling his laces taught.
"Like you could ever get a guy as hot as me," Cas sighs, making both Dean and Gabe choke with laughter. "What? I'm a total catch!"
"Of course you are, Cas," Dean tells him, still laughing as he reaches for his jersey.
"Hey, you guys still having people over tonight?"
"Yeah, if we win. If we lose, I'll be too busy consoling Cas as he cries on my shoulder," Dean tells Gabe.
"Hey, Hunters, you hear that?!" Cas shouts as the guys all head for the door. "We better not lose then!" he yells, and the locker room erupts into chants and shouting as they get pumped for their game. Dean leads the team down the hallway and onto the ice for warm-ups. The crowd is already packed into the arena, and the cheering begins and the team circles their end of the ice.
Thanks to Dean needing to be early, Sam and his parents managed to get great seats, just behind the Hunters bench. Mary waves as Dean circles past, and he grins, raising his glove.
The game is intense. Coach Singer has to yell at as twice after he gets penalties for roughing. With six minutes left in the game, the Hunters are tied with the New Mexico State Aggies with 4 goals each.
The crowd is screaming as the Hunters take the puck. Cas checks one of the defensemen out of Gabe's way and they tear down the ice. Gabe passes to Dean, who knocks it back to Zeke. Dodging another defenseman, he passes to Cas. They skate furiously towards the net, and Cas passes up to Dean. Seeing his opportunity, Dean maneuvers his way past the last defenseman, and manages to flip the puck up into the net over the goalie's right shoulder.
Pumping his stick in the air as he circles around behind the net, he near goes deaf with the noise from the crowd. Cas suddenly appears in front of him and slams him into a hug, followed closely by Gabe, Zeke, and the rests of the team as they swarm out of the bench and onto the ice.
Queen's We Are the Champions blared from the sound system, and Dean catches a glimpse of Sam and his parents cheering from the stands. He laughs as Meg runs down from higher in the stands and wraps Sam in a hug, both of them cheering. Sam turns to introduce his parents as the team swallows Dean in again, chanting 'PLAYOFFS' at the tops of their lungs.

Half an hour later, the team straggles out of the locker room. Dean hoists his bag over his shoulder, seemingly unable to wipe the huge grin off his face. His team is heading to playoffs, with him as captain, his best friends beside him, and his boyfriend in the stands. He wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and pulls at the front of his soaked t-shirt. Exiting the locker room, he sees Sam standing at the end of the hallway. Sam beams at him before wrapping him in a hug.
"That was amazing! Great game, babe!" Sam pulls away slightly, pushing a hand through his hair and looking around, slapping Cas's high five as he passes. Dean bites his lip, then reaches up to grasp the back of Sam's neck and pulls him in for a kiss. Sam doesn't mind the sweat as he kisses him back, tasting the salt on his lips. "Playoffs!" Sam exclaims excitedly.
"Damn right!" Dean replies just as enthusiastically, laughing.
"Does that mean it's playoff beard time?" Sam asks, scratching at the scruff on Dean's cheek.
"Yeah, it's tradition. No more shaving until we win."
"Good, I like it." Sam admits, giving Dean another chaste kiss on the corner of his smile. "We gotta say goodbye to my parents, they're heading back to the hotel."
"Do you want to raincheck on tonight? It's cool if you want to go hang with them."
"No it's okay, they're just going to sleep. I'm having breakfast with them tomorrow before they leave," Sam tells him, taking Dean's stick and leaning against it. "Besides, I can't miss my boyfriend's celebration. He is the MVP, you know."

Dean has never seen so many people in such a small apartment. Every guy from the team, most of their girlfriends or boyfriends, and a large number of friends are packed into Dean and Cas's apartment. Two kegs in buckets of ice are on the balcony, and an assortment of liquor bottles are scattered across the kitchen counter. Red Solo cups decorate every available surface.
Dean notices Sam and Meg on the balcony, Sam leaning against the railing as Meg fills her cup. Before he can meet Sam's eye, Cas invades his line of sight.
"Dude, I gotta talk to you."
"Umm, okay?" Dean replies, following as Cas heads towards his bedroom. In his head, he goes over the possible scenarios, thinking 'oh shit' over and over as his imagination runs rampant.
"What's going on? What happened?" Cas shoves him further into the room before closing the door and locking it. "Are you okay?"
"Dude I'm fine, I need your help." Cas rummages through his underwear drawer.
"Woah, dude, I think Meg can help you with that," Dean tells him, laughing. Cas ignores him, still rummaging through the drawer, digging deep into the back.
Finally he turns to Dean and holds out his hand. In his palm is a small teal ring box.
"Holy shit, really? Oh yes, Cas, yes!" Dean teases, clutching his heart and batting his eyelashes at Castiel's scowl. "I'm fucking with you. Dude, that's awesome! When are you going to ask her?"
"I was thinking tonight. I mean, why not? All our friends are here. You and Sam. So, yeah, fuck it. Let's do it."
"Let's?" Dean asks, curiously.
"Okay, so here's what I was thinking…"

Dean lets out an ear-piercing whistle and the entire party goes quiet. He nods at Cas, then begins to play. Cas gives him a nervous grimace, then starts to sing, leading the way as Dean follows with his guitar.
"Ooo. you make me live
whatever this world can give to me
It's you, you're all I see
Ooo, you make me live now honey
Ooo, you make me live"
Everyone stares as Cas emerges from the hallway, and they part to let him through as we winds his way towards the balcony.
"You're the best friend
that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You're my best friend"
Dean strum quietly as he follows Cas. Looking up, he sees Sam standing behind Meg, beaming. Dean meets his eye and winks, and Sam tilts his head, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. Meg is standing in front of him, hands covering her mouth and tears running silently down her face. She waits patiently as Cas makes his way towards her.
"You're the first one
When things turn out bad-"
Cas's voice cuts out as he becomes overwhelmed with emotion, and Dean picks up where he left off, singing quietly as Cas slides open the balcony door and steps outside. Sam backs away slightly, standing in the corner of the small area to give Cas and Meg space.
"You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love
The things that you do
You're my best friend"
Dean trails off at the end of the verse, but continues to strum quietly. Cas gets down on one knee, and reaches for Meg's hand. She's crying even harder, but she's beaming, her face turning red. Cas speaks to her quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. But she can hear him, and she nods along through his speech. Dean glances up and meets Sam's eye and smiles before they both turn back to Meg and Cas's moment.
Finally, Meg says 'yes!' and Cas stands to wrap her in his arms. They kiss for a long moment, then Cas slides the ring on her finger. Meg wipes her eyes and Cas does too. Dean finds himself getting a little misty and sniffles a bit as he continues to play. The song comes to an end, and everyone bursts into applause, the guys cheering loudly and pumping their fists in the air.
Cas and Meg stand on the balcony, oblivious to it all, their hands holding each other's faces, their foreheads pressed together as they whisper. They stand like that for a long time, looking into each other's eyes, kissing between words.
Sam sneaks around them and comes over to Dean as he sets down the guitar.
"Wow," he says breathlessly, and Dean nods, taking his hand. "You knew?"
"Not until about ten minutes ago. He just told me."
"Wow," Sam repeats, making Dean laugh. He bends his head down and presses a kiss onto Dean's laugh. "That's so exciting for them."
"Yeah, absolutely. I couldn't be happier for them. They deserve to be happy," Dean adds, watching his best friend and his fiance. He reaches over and closes the sliding door, giving them some privacy. The party was back in full swing, everyone chattering happily about the engagement. Sam and Dean head over to the kitchen and lean against the counter, sipping their beers. Not a minute later, Meg comes rushing up.
"Oh my god, can you believe it?"
"Of course, Meg! It's about time that idiot proposed!" Dean says as Meg throws her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek.
"Thanks for playing for him, that was so beautiful!"
"Anytime," Dean blushes as he squeezes Meg.
Meg lets go of him before jumping up to hug Sam. He laughs and catches her, squeezing her tightly. He beams over her shoulder at Dean.
"Oh my god, Sammy, Im just so freaking happy!"
"Good! You should be! And I'm happy for you!" he replies, setting her down gently. She holds her hand out and he takes it to get a better look at the ring. "Damn, Cas, that's a rock!" he admires as Cas saunters over, a grin threatening to crack his face in two.
"Damn right, I saved up for two years for that ring. Only the best for my best," he adds, swooping in to give Meg another kiss. She giggles as he pulls away.
"Hang on baby, I've got to go ask Lydia! LYDIA!" she yells across the room, rushing off to find her friend.
"Ask her what?" Dean asks Cas.
"Maid of Honor," Cas says around the lip of his cup. "Speaking of," he starts, setting down his cup on the counter behind him, "you know I want you to be my Best Man, obviously…"
"And obviously, of course I will…" Dean finishes for him. Cas smiles, but continues.
"We're going to elope. Before you protest," Cas says, holding up his hand as Dean opens his mouth, "we already decided. I'm not close with my family, you know Meg's parents are gone, so we just want it to be the two of us. And you two, and Lydia and Gabe. I'm gonna fly us all out to Vegas and we'll spend the night and have a great time. And we'll get married, of course."
Dean smiles at his best friend.
"That sounds amazing, Cas. Really, I'm so fucking happy for you, dude," he wraps Cas in a huge and squeezes until Cas protests.
"Sam, you'll come too, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Cas." Sam hugs Cas as well before hopping up to take a seat on the counter. "When?"
"Uh," Cas starts, and takes a step away. "Next weekend. Bye." He turns and darts into the crowd before Dean can grab him.
"Shit, next weekend? Coach is going to shit a brick when he hears we're all going to Vegas two weeks before playoffs!" Dean says, pacing back and forth in the little kitchen space.
"Dean. Deaaan." Sam says, trying to catch Dean with each pass he makes. Finally he manages to snag the sleeve of Dean's plaid. "Come here."
He pulls Dean between his knees, and Dean looks up at him, resting his hands on Sam's thighs.
"This will be good for you. You should relax and have some fun before all the stress of playoffs. Plus, how many times do you get to see your best friend get married? And we get to dress up again!" Sam says, trying to coax some tension out of Dean's face. After a moment, Dean smiles, visibly relaxing.
"Yeah, you're right. This is gonna be great. One weekend of fun before playoff prep."
Sam lifts Dean's chin and kisses him full on the lips. "That's my man."