Dean and Castiel were at breakfast the next morning, sharing a single egg over crispy potatoes, when Dean announced he would be going to town.

"Why?" Castiel asked softly, forking a large chunk of potato. "Did ya forget somethin'?" Dean shook his head, finishing off his meal. "No, nothin' like that. I tried to get the seed for plantin' last time but the shipment hadn't come in. The man said they'd have it in by today, and since plantin's already a week overdue, I'd like to get somethin' in the ground as soon as possible." Castiel nodded, rising to clear the dishes. "Do ya need me to go with ya?"

"Not unless you need somethin'." Dean replied, stretching leisurely before getting up. "I'll take the wagon and get it loaded up. Won't be a long trip, I'll be back a little after dinner.". Castiel gave Dean another nod of confirmation and smiled. "I'll make dinner a little later, then. I've got to do the laundry, too, so if ya have clothes to bring out I'll get 'em washed."

Dean returned Castiel's smile and ducked into his room for a moment, grabbing all his dirty clothing, which wasn't much now they'd lost half of what they had previously due to the tornado. "Do ya think we can pull through 'till fall with these clothes?" He asked once he dumped his armful unceremoniously on one of the kitchen chairs. "Yeah, I don't see why not." Castiel replied, scrubbing at a stubborn spot on the pan he had used.

Dean, with the confirmation, crossed the room to Castiel and snaked an arm around his waist. "I'll be back soon," he said softly, pressing his lips to Castiel's cheek. Castiel leaned into the gesture, a smile flitting over his features. "Don't be too long, now," he answered, abandoning his dish washing for a moment to turn to Dean and give him a soft, chaste kiss. "And be safe." Dean reached up and stroked his thumb along Castiel's cheek for a moment, marveling silently at the perfection that seemed to surround them now. "I always am," he replied gently, "'cause it means I can get back to you." Castiel felt a blush creep up the back of his neck and smiled, patting Dean's chest. "Go on, now, no time like today." Dean gave Castiel another quick kiss before complying, turning to make his way to the front door, donning his hat. "I'll be back," he called over his shoulder, waiting for Castiel's small hum of confirmation before he exited.

Heading out to the barn, Dean's heart felt lighter than he could ever remember it. For, he thought while hitching the horses up to the wagon, he had never known such happiness as this. Being beside Castiel, being able to finally show the other man how much he cared, it was liberating. It was as if all the pain of his past was erased, as if nothing could ever shatter their perfect world together. The feeling of joy didn't fade as he drove to town, the comforting normalcy of a dusty breeze on his face only adding to the goodness around him.

Soon, he arrived in town, steering his wagon to park near the seed store. Again, he ignored the strange glances he got from people around him in the now busy time of day, opting to get in, get his supplies, and leave. There was no reason why people's judgment of his physical appearance should affect him, he decided as he entered the cool store. However, being in town this time was different. He wasn't simply getting open stares of curiosity and pity at the lack of his arm, the looks were filled with anger. This puzzled the farmer, but was nothing he couldn't brush off, seeing as it was only a few people. But, as he was buying the seed he needed for the year's crops, the looks only grew in number, the clerk at the counter even acting rude towards him.

"What on earth?" Dean muttered to himself, loading up his purchase when the same clerk came out of the store and approached him. "Excuse me?" The man asked, keeping a slight distance. Dean turned after hefting the last bag up onto the wagon, now thoroughly puzzled by the actions of everyone in town. "Yeah?"

The clerk hesitated for a moment on his words, sizing Dean up before he spoke again. "We're afraid we're gonna have to ask you not to come back to our store," he said slowly, almost speaking in a tone that suggested Dean was stupid. "What do ya mean? I've always bought my seed here, have been for years." Dean defended, not deterred by the man's tone. The clerk nodded. "We know," he replied patronizingly, "but we just can't be showin' we're a business that serves your kind.".

Dean, feeling anger and confusion battle for recognition within him, looked to the man incredulously. "My kind?" He asked, appalled at the fact he would be denied service simply because of what he assumed was his absent arm. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" The clerk shook his head. "I won't get into it. Personally, I don't even wanna think about it," he said with a grimace of utter disgust, turning to head back into the store. "Wait, then where am I gonna get my seed for plantin'? You're the only store in town." Dean called, shocked anger coloring his words.

The clerk turned for a but a second, shrugging. "You'll have to order it privately by means of the postal office. There isn't anythin' else I can offer ya. Just, please, don't come back." Then, with that, the rude man went back into the store, leaving Dean utterly floored.

"What the hell!" Dean suddenly burst out, his anger coming to a head at the unfair treatment he was receiving. Turning back to his wagon, he strode quickly to the front, beginning to untie the horse's reigns from a post when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he was met with the sight of Gabriel, his expression hesitant.

"Dean? Can I talk to ya?" He asked carefully. Dean, taking a deep breath to calm his anger, looked to his friend of many years and nodded. "Yeah, no problem." "So, uh," Gabriel began, eyes flicking to the feed store before returning to Dean, "what just happened right there, what do ya think caused that?". Dean, confused now more than ever, frowned. "My arm," he answered, voice clipped in anger.

Gabriel, too, frowned and shook his head, stepping closer to lower his voice so their conversation would be somewhat private. "It wasn't." He replied, trepidation clear in his whiskey-golden eyes. "Look, I'm just gonna be straight up with ya here. There have been rumors spreadin' around town since you were last here, rumors about you and Castiel. Apparently someone saw you two holdin' hands or somethin'," he explained, words getting awkward and fumbled. "Anyway, that's how the rumors started, rumors you two are, uh, ya know," he continued, clearing his throat, "homosexuals," he finished, whispering the word in disgust, as if saying it any louder would kill him. "Most of the stores here said they wouldn't serve you or Castiel."

Dean, at the information, felt all the color drain from his face, felt his stomach drop to his toes. He opened his mouth to respond, but found no words coming, and could only stand there looking to Gabriel with an expression of utter horror.

Gabriel, at Dean's reaction, nodded. "I know, disgustin' thing to rumor about, right? Not that I believe it. It's a shame people gotta spread lies around like that. But, I mean," he rambled, not knowing what else he could say at Dean's lack of response, "I can see why it picked up wind like it did, you two bein' out there all alone, no wives for either of ya. Seems kinda unnatural, ya know? 'Cause you've never had a wife and all and Castiel hasn't been lookin' for a new one-"

Dean held up his hand, stopping Gabriel's words to let them hang, unspoken, in the warm air between them. "Stop," he ground out, anger consuming every other emotion for the moment. "How dare ya try and justify their rumors," he said flatly. Gabriel floundered for an answer, shaking his head. "Dean, I didn't mean it like tha-" "No." Dean interrupted, voice low and quiet in anger. "I don't give a damn how ya meant it. You and everyone else in this damn town don't know anythin' about what's goin' on at my farm. Castiel not lookin' for a wife? How. Dare. Ya," he continued, voice nearly a whisper as his now cold green eyes trained on Gabriel.

"His wife drowned in front of him a year ago and y'all expect him to go chasin' after another one so soon just 'cause it's what's normal? And ever stop to think about my situation? You know what happened, Gabe, Sammy died. I sunk all my savin's in that boy-" he paused, trying to control the tremble in his voice, "and afterwards nearly lost my farm. I was poor as all hell and could barely afford to feed myself, let alone keep the farm runnin'. Castiel came 'round and gave me help and now I'm back on my feet, but I've still got no savin's for a wife. So you can tell anyone in this god forsaken town who believes those rumors," he said, pausing to consider carefully his next words, "that they can fuck right on off," he ground out, not waiting for a response before he turned, untied the reigns, climbed up into his wagon and headed out of town.

"Dean!" Gabriel called after the quick-moving wagon, shocked at the curse he never imagined Dean would ever use. "Come on, we can fix this!" Dean simply ignored Gabriel's words and urged Dan and Charlie on quicker, angry tears blurring his vision.

All throughout the ride back to the farm, he was fuming, not bothering to reprimand himself for the curse he had uttered at the end of his small speech. However, when he began to pull up to the barn, the anger suddenly melted to give way to panic and sadness, the two emotions combining to cause chaos within his mind. Putting on a neutral expression to get his work done, Dean got down from the wagon and unhitched the horses, putting them away numbly along with the wagon and seed bags. Soon, he was on his way back to the cabin, hand shaky as he opened the door, entered, and placed his hat on the peg.

Castiel smiled at the sound of Dean entering the cabin and dried his hands on a rag, finally done with the laundry. Happy to share with the farmer the news the hens were now settled and laying more eggs, he entered the cabin from the back door, halting when he caught sight of Dean. There he stood, a blank, horrifying expression on his pale face as he stared at the table absently.

"Dean, my god, what happened?" Castiel said, panic rising in him as he rushed over to the other man, putting a hand on his arm. Dean looked to Castiel carefully, about to answer when he felt his comforting, strong hand on his arm. And suddenly, that was it, was all he could handle. Almost as if he was watching himself from an outside perspective, Dean suddenly broke down, tears filling his eyes to accompany the sinking of his heart. "Cas, it's all my fault," he managed out.

Castiel, taken aback and utterly worried by Dean's sudden outburst, guided the man to a chair at the kitchen table, sitting him down. "Dean, breathe, alright? C'mon, deep breaths, you can explain in a minute," he murmured, pulling up a chair to sit right beside the farmer, holding his hand gently. Dean did as he was instructed, each pull of oxygen clearing his panicked brain. "I'm so sorry," he said, looking to Castiel's worried blue eyes.

Castiel shook his head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Dean, sorry for what?" Dean took another shaky breath, closing his damp eyes to collect himself before speaking. "People in town, they know." Castiel's stomach, too, dropped at the words, somehow already knowing what exactly Dean meant. "How?" He asked calmly despite feeling as dizzy, if he was about to pass out. "Someone saw, the other day, when I held your hand. Rumor spread." Dean deadpanned, simply trying to get all the information out. "Most of the shops are refusin' now to serve you or me, they said most supplies I'll have to private order at the postal office, and hell if I've got money for that."

Castiel wanted, in that very moment, to stop everything, if just to have a minute to process everything. But, knowing this was impossible, took a deep breath to calm himself and licked nervously at his lips. "But they're just rumors, right?" He said, fingers now trembling as they curled around Dean's. "They can't do anythin' to us, they can't come arrest us?"

Dean shook his head, closing his eyes again against more tears at the fact they were fearing for their very lives simply for loving each other. "Yeah, they're just rumors. They won't come for us without hard evidence." He replied, opening his eyes to look at Castiel. "Then it's fine." Castiel began, trying to rationalize the situation to prevent himself from panicking as well. "It's all fine, we can still function. It might be a little difficult, but it's-"

"Function? What kinda life is that?" Dean said desperately, no anger towards Castiel in his words, only an incomprehensible sadness. "I don't wanna just function, I wanna live," he continued, moving his hand to cup Castiel's cheek as a sudden idea, one borne of desperation and sorrow, came into his mind. "Why don't we just move? We can go a couple'a towns over, find somewhere new to start a farm, we can just go, please let's just go," he begged, words picking up speed as the burden now on his shoulders became too suddenly heavy to bear. "Why do they even care, anyway, we don't affect them, they shouldn't care," he rambled, surging forward to capture Castiel's lips in a desperate kiss. "Let's just go," he murmured between their lips, deepening the kiss quickly as tears began to once again trek down his cheeks in the realization what he was saying was impossible and unrealistic.

Castiel, surprised by Dean's actions and sadly seeing the reason why the farmer was reacting so strongly, gently took his hand and wrapped it around the other's, pulling it away from his cheek to gently guide Dean away from kissing him. "Dean," he said softly, pulling the farmer in without hesitation as he began to weep. "We can figure this out."

Dean could do nothing in response but let his face burn in shame at the sudden break down he was having and at Castiel pulling him in, nearly buried his face in his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered after a long while, feeling foolish and utterly broken. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't have grabbed your hand, we could still be fine."

Castiel shook his head, not only telling Dean it wasn't his fault, but truly believing it in his heart. "Don't blame yourself," he murmured, letting his hand stroke away the wet tear streaks along Dean's cheeks. "This isn't your fault, or my fault, or our fault, it's their fault for thinkin' what we have is a bad thing," he said gently, trying to keep his own sadness at bay in order to comfort the other man. "Besides, no matter what happens," he continued, pressing a kiss to Dean's hat-matted hair, "we've always got each other."

Dean nodded at Castiel's words, knowing they were true. Sitting up, he wiped at his face and took a deep breath, looking up to the other man. "I know," he replied, forcing a smile. "Dean," Castiel said softly, reaching over to take the farmer's hand once more, "we'll get through this, alright? I love ya, and we'll get through this," he repeated, trying to convince both himself and the farmer of the fact.

The two men went to sleep early that night, opting for a light supper before they curled up together in Dean's bed, neither wanting to go to separate beds although Castiel's room was now fixed and ready to live in once more. It had been a difficult afternoon to deal with for both, although Dean had caught the brunt of the situation as he was the one who had to face it head on in town. But, despite the farmer's break down, despite the fear that still swirled in Castiel's stomach as he kissed Dean's cheek goodnight after the other man was asleep, everything was still somehow okay. For although most everyone in town considered them depraved criminals, although their lives had suddenly grown far more difficult in the way of getting supplies and simply facing the community around them, they still had each other. After all, wasn't that all that mattered?