Two weeks and ten shows later, they were back in South Dakota playing a show. Castiel loved every minute of being with Dean on tour. He loved being able to crawl into bed with Dean every night after having a few beers with their friends after another amazing show or even just having a great night of talking about random topics and taking a trip down memory lane. He had learned so much about Dean from these three people and everything they told him just made him love the man more.
Each show seemed to get better and better. Castiel had watched in awe as the band played show after show and the crowds grew bigger and bigger. Some nights he would join the crowd but most nights he would find himself side of stage just because the fans had started to recognise him. It wouldn't have been an issue except Sam had annoyingly posted a photo on Twitter of the two of them curled up in bed together asleep with the tweet "Aren't they just adorable" attached.
Luckily, they had cleaned themselves off after their shenanigans and both had been covered with the comforter. Dean hadn't been happy about it to say the least as he yelled at Sam about abusing their privacy but Castiel didn't exactly mind. Dean had told all the fans that they were an item and it wasn't exactly a revealing photo so Castiel brushed it off as a prank and laughed which calmed Dean down enough to not kill his brother. Dean did admit he did love the photo though he would never tell that to Sam.
Castiel just sat back and enjoyed the ride. He had absorbed everything that had happened while they were on the road like sponge and every night Dean would surprise him with something new whether it was just a simple gesture towards a fan or just something he would say while he performed. With every motion, Castiel just slipped more and more in love with Dean that he didn't think he'd ever be able to be apart from him again. Not ever.
When they had first arrived back in town, they had approached The Roadhouse with Castiel going in first to be greeted by Ellen in a huge bear hug before she stepped over towards Dean and slapped him hard across the cheek. Castiel had to bite his lip to stop from laughing as she ripped into Dean about what he had done to Castiel and if he ever did it again she was going to drive to wherever the hell he was and beat his ass. Dean had just nodded dumbly in agreement before he promised he would never hurt Castiel like that again.
Dean had wrapped Castiel in his arms after that and vowed to Castiel the exactly the same thing he had just promised Ellen which lead Castiel to just kiss him deeply as he accepted the apology for what it was as he knew deep down Dean wouldn't go back to how he was.
They had all gathered around for lunch quickly after that as Jo filled her mother in with all the details of the tour and Sam and Dean did the same with Bobby. Jess had turned up shortly after they arrived and Sam and she had disappeared quite soon after that with a quick goodbye to the rest of the group. Castiel really didn't know how Sam had survived so long without Jess. She had flown out for the odd show but had never stuck around for long due to the call of her work needing her back as soon as possible and according to Dean, Sam would just close up for a bit before he threw himself into practice and the technical side of things with Jo. Castiel had a chuckle to himself at how alike the brothers were.
They were at The Roadhouse for drinks after another great show with Castiel sat on a stool next to Dean with his arm draped over Dean's shoulder while he trailed his hand through Dean's hair affectionately. As much as they would have liked to do their set at The Roadhouse, it just wasn't viably possible and was relocated to a bigger venue that could hold the thousands of fans that wanted to turn out. As a consolation, they had agreed to have their first and only after-party of the tour at The Roadhouse. Most of the time they had been too tired after interacting with their fans to do anything other than crawl into their hotel suite and sleep or they had to be at the airport as soon as they were done but tonight with the added excitement of performing in their home town, they were amped and wanted to have a few drinks with their support crew that had been there from the start.
Castiel wasn't really listening to the current conversation. He had been tired all day with the amount of travelling they had done in the past two weeks. He wasn't able to sleep on the plane most of the time due to Dean and his freak outs. Castiel had ended up having to look after Dean on all their flights and made sure that he was calm and distracted during take-off and landing or he would freak. It was a tedious task as he tried to keep him unfocused and soothed but soon enough Castiel learned a trick or two and found Dean would be most relaxed if he was exhausted just before take-off. He was surprised they hadn't been kicked off any flights yet. He really didn't know how the band had coped with this for so long. Castiel didn't need to perform every night like the band did and he still didn't have much energy at the end of the night. He guessed that they were just used to the long hours and travel time.
Castiel was snapped out of his thoughts by Dean speaking to him "You in?" he asked
"In what?" Castiel replied
Dean chuckled before he spoke "Drinking game. Russian Roulette. It was Jo's idea. Bobby and Ellen are out apparently they're too old for this. You want to play?"
Castiel just nodded. He'd never played it before but when Dean explained the rules it seemed fun enough. He just hoped he didn't get the shot with vodka in it because he knew he'd already had enough tonight which was a feat in itself as he had such a high tolerance but he would get sloppy if he didn't stop soon. He voiced this much to Dean who just told him to suck it up and was then lifted by his hips and sat atop the bar.
"Dean what are you doing?" Castiel asked as he looked around the bar to see if anyone paid them any mind. They weren't, but he still felt vulnerable. Dean soothed his worry with a kiss from where he was stood between Castiel's legs and Castiel sunk into it as he let Dean explore his mouth. He tasted of beer and liquor but Castiel could still taste the lingering flavour of Dean through it all.
"Alright" Jo announced which forced Dean and Castiel to break their kiss "Everyone clear on the rules? One shot has vodka, the rest have water. Whoever gets the vodka shot has to perform a dare decided by everyone else. Happy?" When everyone nodded their agreement, Jo poured the shots and had Sam mix them all up so no one knew which was which.
Once they had all thrown their shots back, everyone looked around at each other to see who had taken the vodka shot. If the look on Dean's face didn't give it away, the coughing certainly did.
"Geeze Jo, how strong is this stuff?" Dean said once he had regained his composure. Castiel giggled behind his hand at Dean's reaction but soon stopped at the glare he received.
"That's for me to know and you to feel drunk by" Jo teased "So boys and girls, what's the dare going to be?"
"Make him take his shirt off" Castiel whined. The alcohol had affected him more than he realised and he had always been a bit of a sexual drunk. Castiel didn't really wait for anyone to answer him instead he leaned down and slid his hands under Dean's shirt and explored the toned skin as best he could.
"Cas," Sam said with amusement in his tone "That's only going to benefit you"
"Exactly" Castiel declared happily with a grin. Dean just rolled his eyes at Castiel but he let Castiel's roaming hands continue.
"Oh just let him" Jess cooed. Castiel looked over to her with a grin. He knew he liked her for a reason. He must have said that out loud because Jess just laughed and said he's welcome.
"Fine" Jo sighed "Dean take off your shirt" Castiel was into action straight away as he grabbed the hem of Dean's navy blue Henley and lifted it over his head. He tossed the shirt aside unworried of where the shirt landed while his hands roamed the newly exposed skin. Dean was like a furnace under Castiel's hands and he couldn't help himself as he leant into Dean's torso and absorbed the warmth.
"If you get the vodka, I'm definitely returning the favour" Dean joked while Castiel just giggled.
Castiel was soon distracted while they poured the next round of shots and looked around the bar to see how many patrons were around to see them get sloppy in their drinking game. He observed Ellen and Bobby in a conversation near the other end of the bar to them before he turned his attention to the pub door only to see a tall man with short, dark brown hair that had been shaped to the side. He had a short beard and his hair seemed to be greyed slightly with age but still seemed rather young. He had broad shoulders and looked like he could definitely hold himself in a fight. Castiel didn't pay him too much notice as he knew first hand that people passed through here all the time from when he had worked here for the short amount of time.
He ignored the man and Castiel returned his attention to the group as they started the next round. Castiel once again didn't get the vodka shot which he was extremely grateful for. This time, Ash was the one who received it and was ordered to stand on the stage and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' in his underwear.
As everyone laughed, Castiel turned slightly on the bar and spied the man who had recently arrived sat in a booth nursing a glass of water someone must have bought over to him which struck Castiel as odd. Who comes to a bar and orders water? He stared over at Dean and Sam as if he had wanted to come over but Castiel had no idea why the man just didn't come over. They weren't exactly unapproachable.
Dean must have noticed Castiel's unease because he turned to him and spoke softly in his ear.
"You alright, Sweetheart?" Dean's voice snapped his gaze away from the strange gentleman in the corner and back to Dean. Castiel smiled softly at Dean's concern before he leant down and gave him a gentle kiss.
"Yeah" he spoke as he leant back again "I'm fine. It's just there's this guy over there that keeps looking over here. I think he might be a fan but too scared to approach or something. I don't know though"
Dean turned his head in the direction that Castiel was looking and froze. He went stock still under Castiel's touch and Castiel began to worry.
"Dean?" he tried to shake him but Dean didn't react "Dean? What's wrong?" It was then that Castiel noticed Dean's face. His eyes were welled up with tears and his face was hard with his fists clenched on his thighs as he stared over at the man Castiel had spoke about.
-
Dean never thought that having Cas on tour would be this amazing. He was just so much fun to have around and so understanding when Dean needed time with the band. If that was the case, Cas would just kiss Dean goodbye, tell him to have fun and head off to do his own thing which was normally reading a book or doing something online. Dean didn't know what Cas actually did online but he knew he looked at the tabloids and some social media sites seeing what they thought of the band. Sometimes Cas would give them feedback and tell them what the fans were saying about them. Most of it was good, however, sometimes it wasn't and Cas would have to just get away for a while as he was so worked up. Dean had told him multiple times to not look but apparently Cas didn't get the message.
The tour was gradually taking its toll on everyone. They had done ten shows in two weeks and Dean started to feel the strain along with Sam and Ash but spirits were high and they weren't at each other's throats. Dean put it down to the fact that they had been together so long and with Dean and Sam being brothers and living together for so long, it wasn't much of a difference being on tour. They got along like they always had and knew when to take a step back and give each other some space.
The best part about Cas being there though would have to be the long flights. Dean hated flying, he always had and more than likely always will but with Cas there to help him, the flights became a little more bearable. Cas knew just how to get him to calm down before the flight with a session in the departure lounge restrooms and sometimes if he was lucky, Cas would order whiskey on the flight and pretend it was his before he handed it over to Dean when he had been cut off. Cas was great like that.
Spirits were high as they arrived in South Dakota. It was like a reprieve from the pressure of the tour to return to their home town and play for their support crew from the start. Dean had caught up with friends that he had not really spoken to since he had left for LA and it was great. He had kind of missed them and it was good to hear what they had been doing as well as letting them know how great it had been in LA. He skipped over the part about he and Cas breaking up as they probably knew a lot about that already with how Cas had returned and worked at The Roadhouse.
Returning to The Roadhouse had been interesting to say the least. Ellen had greeted him the way he deserved slapping him in the face. He still felt the sting a while after it had happened but all was forgiven and it was great to catch up with his makeshift family face to face after so long.
Lunch had gone smoothly with the usual banter going back and forth between the boys and Bobby telling him he better hurry up and take Ellen on another decent vacation before his arthritis kicks in and Bobby retorting with his usual taunts about how they better be nice seeing he had bought them their first instruments and all. Dean was grateful for Bobby taking them in. If he hadn't, who knows where he and Sam would be right now.
The show had been, in Dean's opinion, fantastic. He believed it had been by far the best show they had done to date and Sam, Ash, Jo, and Cas had agreed. They were amped when they were backstage getting ready and the vibe just carried with them onto the stage and throughout the performance. Their spirits had been high and they were so proud of themselves that they had put on such a great show for their home town.
With the after party now in full flight, Dean really couldn't believe how handsy Cas had got. He knew Cas had a high tolerance for alcohol and Dean hadn't seen him totalled but by the feel of things, Cas was definitely on his way. They had sat on separate stools but Cas' had slowly made its way closer and closer until there was barely any space between them and Cas was all over Dean. Dean definitely didn't mind though. He loved Cas and he loved that he was all over him.
When Jo suggested a drinking game, Dean was excited. They hadn't played too many on the tour due to the fact that they usually needed to be up and to the airport first thing but they didn't need to be anywhere tomorrow so Dean was up for getting trashed. Cas seemed to have zoned out for a bit so Dean had to explain what was going on and decided he wanted Cas to sit on the bar so Dean could keep a better eye on him.
Of course, Dean had to get the first vodka shot in the game and had to take a dare first. He soon changed his mind however when Cas just wanted him to remove his shirt. He had done a lot worse in this bar so he didn't mind too much. With Cas' hands roaming on his body the way they were, Dean really didn't mind at all. He did want Cas to get the next shot just so they were on level ground and he knew if Dean dared him to remove his shirt, Cas would blush and damn did he love that blush.
Unfortunately, Ash ended up with the shot and Jo came up with the ingenious idea of stripping him to his underwear and made him sing a nursery rhyme on stage. Sadly, as like Dean, that is not the worst Ash had done in the bar either. They really had had an exciting few years when they were just getting started. The bar was in hysterics by the end of Ash's performance but Dean was distracted by Cas who seemed to be focussed on something else. When Dean asked what was up, he turned to see who Cas was talking about.
As he stared over at the figure, Dean felt a wave of emotions flood over him. He felt the anger and the hurt rush through his veins along with elation and confusion. His hands clenched, knuckles white by his side as the tears started to well up in his eyes as the person he had wanted to see and have answers from for so long stood before him.
"Dad?" He croaked out and as he spoke, everyone that was gathered around, Cas, Sam, Jess, Ellen, Jo, Ash and, Bobby spun their heads around to where he was looking only to have their mouths gape in shock. Dean paid them no mind as he only looked over to Sam who seemed to look exactly how Dean felt. Dean turned his head back over to where his father was tucked away in the corner and eyed nervously as he slowly stood and made his way over to the bar where they were situated.
His Dad's lips turned up into a small smile as he looked over at Dean and then to Sam before he spoke "Hey boys"