Bath bubbles caused an interesting sensation.

Eating while naked and wet and soapy with bubbles floating around you and sliding against you was an interesting sensation too.

And trying to balance plates of food on the edge of the tub without dropping it in was … well, that was just plain fucking hard.

Might have been easier if Cas would stop fucking brushing every part of his body that could reach across the tub against Dean's dick completely fucking subtly without even acknowledging he was doing it, but that fucker knew he was doing it, and Dean knew that Cas knew that Dean knew exactly what he was fucking doing.

Dean was very fucking glad when Cas finally finished his food having eaten painfully slowly where Dean sped up the second he felt that first brush. Dean practically tore Cas's plate out of his hands once it was cleared and put it by the sink with his own.

'Stop it, he demanded.

'Stop what?' Castiel asked, always playing it innocent although his smirk told otherwise.

'Quit messing with my dick!' Dean snapped, feeling Cas brush up against it.

'In that case, I'm not quite sure of what I'm here for,' Castiel frowned, wrapping his arms around his knees to stop his legs sliding forward and kicking Dean. 'Maybe I should just go –'

Castiel made to move, one hand on the edge of the tub as if he were about to push himself up; Dean lunged forward and grabbed hold of both of his wrists, making Cas's smirk go from naughty to wicked.

'If that's how you want it …'

Cas pulled his wrists free and made to move again, onto his knees rather than standing up. The tub was hard under them, but he didn't care, scooting forward to land between Dean's legs while Dean pulled himself into a better sitting position.

'Much better,' Dean grinned, hands on Cas's shoulders and using the slickness of the water to let them slide off straight away, down his arms, past them, and onto his thighs.

'You think?' Castiel smirked, one hand on Dan's shoulder and the other reaching down into the water and grabbing hold of the first thing he found. 'Better?'

'Oh, yeah,' Dean breathed, 'much better.'

Castiel grinned an evil grin, slowly stroking Dean up and down under the water. His other hand on Dean's shoulder slid down over Dean's chest, making sure it slid just right so his fingers traced over one of his nipples, continuing sliding down to Dean's stomach so he could feel the muscles there tighten and hitch when he used his other hand to rub his thumb over the underside of the head of his dick a few times. Then he removed his hand from his stomach and put it back on his shoulder, for balance and leverage now, as he leaned downwards how hoping he wouldn't slip and managed to get an angle where he could get his own dick in the same hand as Dean's was in and start jerking them together, slowly at first, but gradually speeding up until he was almost certain that if he went a second longer he'd pass the point of no return.

He let go them both and could practically feel Dean's whimper.

'This could go horribly,' Castiel muttered, 'but I'm going to try something.'

And then he took a breath and put his face in the water. Dean, eager to help, pushed his hips upwards, and then the warm, moist feeling around him wasn't just the water.

Cas had great breath control, coming up when needed but diving right back in again straight away. Dean tried to keep his own breath steady; he didn't want to risk coming too soon. They had, unconsciously, got more planned. There were towels unfolded on the floor and some folded up on the toilet seat and the lube had made it from their bag to the counter next to the sink … for some reason … no reason in particular, it just … looked good there.

Dean was painfully hard now, and he could feel pressure right in the pit of his stomach, almost like a burn, a need, so next time Cas came up for air he pulled him towards him and kissed him roughly. Cas's hands grabbed at his back an them used his shoulders to push himself up, away from Dean, and he stepped, dripping, out of the tub and onto the towels on the floor. Dean stood up, Castiel helping him follow him out, and then they were together again, wet and slippery and clinging to each other. Dean was rubbing himself against Cas's hip bone, and there was no way there were going to get dried up and make their way to the bedroom like civilised people.

They crashed to the floor, Cas grabbing the lube as he went down, Dean cushioning his blow. As soon as he landed it was as if his lips landed directly on Dean's neck, kissing along his throat and down to his chest, sucking on the skin around his nipples like it was all he needed in life, dragging his tongue over each one as if the act would grant him life eternal, feeling Dean writhe and claw at his sides where he was likely to leave bruises.

The bruises would heal. On his sides, on his knees, wherever he got them.

He pressed a dry finger up against Dean's waiting hole and Dean groaned as he dragged it around and took it away.

'Cas,' Dean moaned. 'Cas, please.'

Castiel repeated the action, this time pressing the tip of his finger in dry, feeling the tightness of just small portion of the way.

Dean looked as though he was about to cry.

'Please,' he begged, grabbing Cas's arm, the other grabbing and squeezing Cas's dick which did more than begging ever would.

Cas didn't think he'd ever lubed up his fingers and got them inside Dean so fast. The satisfied little yelp Dean made at the sudden presence of Cas's index finger in him only egged Cas on, running his finger in a circle around the inside. He felt Dean's reaction to him finding his prostate before he felt it under his finger tip, and pressed down on it, rubbing side to side marvelling in the joy the noises Dean made brought him, staring at the beauty of the screwed up eyes, the half open mouth, the quivering jaw. The chest that rose up and down with every laboured pant.

Another finger in and he felt Dean clench, squeezing around him, pushing Cas's fingers together as he tried to force them apart, scissoring Dean wide while pumping them in slowly and as deeply as possible, almost right up to the knuckle. It felt like Dean was trying to force him in deeper with his clenching and bucking his hips so, cruelly, slowly, he pulled out while being sucked in and saw Dean relax under him.

Dean's hand, that was still on Cas's dick, palmed at the head, causing Cas to desperately grab Dean's hand, saturate it in lubrication and put the hand back in place and Dean did the rest, pumping it up and down so it was covered, base to tip.

Castiel pushed his hand away, positioned himself perfectly between Dean's gloriously open and inviting legs, pressing right up against the hole and then in; just the head. Dean's mouth fell open, whatever sound he was going to make caught in his throat, this time making it Cas's turn to groan as he pulled back out. He waited a moment and pushed back in again, deeper this time and gradually deeper and deeper with each pump, until he was buried in Dean and pulling out again, the warmth and the tightness and the pressure he felt around him making it hard to stay up right, driving him insane to go in and out, again and again, picking up speed as he chased the feeling he craved, his balls slapping against Dean's ass and his mouth leaving a trail of dark purple marks along Dean's collarbone.

Dean wrapped his legs around Cas's lower body, his ankles locked together, wishing he could force Cas inside so deep it tore him apart. Wishing he didn't have to pull out. Thanking all that was holy that he did have to, so he could push back in roughly, slickly, gloriously, hitting and sliding against the right spot over and over again.

Dean somehow in his blissful high managed to register that the lube was in reach and as an idea struck him he grabbed it, covering his index finger before reaching around and pressing it into Cas's hole without moving it, so that every time Cas moved forward Dean's finger slid some of the way out, and when he moved back it slid back in, moving in perfect synchronization, Dean wondering if Cas's walls crushing Dean's finger was anything compared to what he must have been doing to Cas down there. Probably didn't even come close, and he liked that.

Castiel came first, inside Dean, and rode it out, slowing down like an engine powering down, reaching for Dean's dick as he did and pumping it, falling back from his knees onto his ass. Dean's legs were jelly, but he forced his way onto his knees, scooting up along Cas's body as Cas lay back, letting Cas jerk him over his chest. When he came, he spurted on Cas's chest and neck and the lower half of his face and he even saw a speck of it on his eyebrow. Castiel licked his lips like it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted and kept his hand moving until Dean was all tapped out and began to soften.

Dean lowered himself forward, letting his legs collapse, his head falling into a resting position on Cas's chest. He didn't care that his cheek was now sticky with his own come. He kissed Cas's chest, getting it on his lips too, and he licked them clean, wanting to know the appeal and why Cas had seemed to find the stuff so intoxicating.

They stayed still for some time. It had been a long day of driving and they were both fighting sleep. Castiel trailed his fingers up and down Dean's spine, occasionally stopping to make some circular motions. Dean let out a sigh against him and Castiel seriously contemplated just letting himself fall asleep like this, but then he remembered the floor was hard and cold and they were both covered in sticky-drying white goo.

'Dean,' Castiel mumbled, increasing the relaxing spine-trailing to a gentle run of encouragement. 'Come on. We need to clean this up.'

Dean groaned.

'Do I have to?' he asked, as if it were the most awful sounding thing in the world.

Castiel chuckled.

'No,' he decided. 'You just have to sit still and I'll clean everything up.'

'Deal,' Dean sighed, pushing himself up. He really had gotten very tired very fast and wandered over to the toilet, sitting on the closed lid once he'd moved the towels and wincing slightly. Cas had really done him good. He tried to avoid moving too much as he sat, elbow on knee, forehead in palm. He didn't watch Cas, but heard him moving around.

Castiel, first of all, picked up the lube and put it back on the counter by the sink, and then he drained the tub. He picked up one of the towels from the floor and dampened it in the decreasing level of water and used it to wipe off his chest and face. He was vaguely impressed when he saw the spot of white above his eyebrow.

Next, he used the other side of the same towel to do Dean, tilting his head up with a finger under his chin. He tossed the towel onto the ground behind him and kissed Dean's cheek, right where he'd cleaned it and gathered up the rest of the towels they'd been on and shoved them into the corner of the room. One of them could put them in a laundry pile or something in the morning, or whatever the hotel did for used towels.

Luckily enough, he didn't need to use another towel, since he and Dean had air dried and the slick sheen of sweat they'd developed while air drying had gone too while they lay unmoving. He stopped in front of the sink to wash his hands, a must-do if you've just had your fingers all the way into a man's ass, and looked into the mirror, then at Dean. He studied Dean, and then his reflections, and it was one of those moments where it really hit him and he wondered how his life had become this when so recently it had been something else completely. It just seemed to travel farther and farther from how things used to be, and instead of not understanding it like the old, unaware Cas would have, he wished it would continue moving away and never stop. Change was a good thing. Change was necessary.

He tore his eyes away from his tired face and continued cleaning up, using some toilet tissue to get rid of extra slickness and lube that still remained around his dick. He tossed it into the toilet which Dean had vacated as he was now standing, cleaning off his ass the same way Cas had just cleaned off his dick, occasionally wincing which gave Castiel a satisfied smirk, despite not liking seeing Dean in any kind of pain.

Two men, in a bathroom, cleaning themselves off as casually as if they were just standing in a kitchen doing dishes together. Existing together without a care, without shame or embarrassment, everything open and all the cards laid own on the table in even rows. A former impossibility come to life.

They continued existing together. Cas went to get their bathroom stuff like toothbrushes and shaving things and put them on the counter. He took the plates out of the bathroom and brought them over to the table by the small window. He returned to the bathroom and started to brush his teeth, Dean joining him at the sink moments later to wash his hands, once he was done his own cleanup and anything else he'd needed to do. They didn't need to talk, they didn't need to hide, not for anything. Their openness seemed now like a severe contrast to the rest of the years of their lives, hiding as much as they could from each other.

Castiel was the first to leave for bed, while Dean was still brushing his teeth. He didn't bother with putting anything on, he slipped beneath the covers which was one of the most satisfactory feelings there was. They felt clean, smooth and cool against his skin which was still flushed and warm and it was a struggle to stay awake to wait for Dean to join him, who, after plugging in his phone next to them and setting an alarm, settled into his arms wordlessly.

They didn't talk at all before they fell asleep.

Castiel was the first to be woken by the alarm and noticed Dean was sprawled out with his limbs in a certain way that made him look like a princess that had fallen from a tower, but the illusion was ruined when Dean jerked awake a moment later.

'Hey,' Castiel greeted Dean when he looked at him after shutting off the alarm.

'Hey,' Dean grinned, looking giddy without a single sign of morning grogginess. 'Happy wedding day.'

'You too,' Castiel grinned right back, giving Dean a kiss so sweet that if it had had a real sugary taste it would have made his tongue curl.

'No time for laying around in bed,' Dean decided at once, more alert than he usually was all day, 'we've got a wedding license to obtain and some fancy clothes to buy. So let's go. Shower. Now.'

Castiel grinned at him and kicked off the covers. They joined hands on their way to the bathroom, more ready to start this day than any other.

As soon as Dean was done in the bathroom, he ordered room service for breakfast, because literally why the hell not. Dean hadn't even had time to get dressed before it arrived, instead attempting to straighten up the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist, which he quickly exchanged for his grey robe from home which he'd taken with him to accept the food and bring it in.

Castiel left the bathroom towel drying his hair but otherwise still completely naked when Dean was halfway done getting dressed and was about to pull on a t-shirt.

'I like having the bathroom and bedroom attached to each other,' Dean commented, openly looking Cas up and down as he walked towards their luggage on a clothes hunt. 'The view is really something.'

Castiel laughed as he bent, hauling one bag up onto the bed and pulling out things at random. He didn't feel like being fussy about what he wore today, so threw on the black jeans and the blue tie-dye hoodie without a care and wandered over to the table as soon as he spied the food, still pulling up one sock as he did. He lifted the lid on one of the trays and surveyed the food.

'I didn't know what you wanted,' Dean told him, going over to join him, 'but the pancakes looked good on the menu so I got some for us both and a pot of coffee.'

'Excellent,' Castiel decided, already stabbing his fork into a piece pancake, dipping it in the side of golden syrup and shoving it into his mouth.

'Dude, you ever heard of waiting until everyone's seated before you start?' Dean laughed, straightening his seat and making to pour them both coffee.

'Courtesy is for people who didn't burn off their dinner as soon as they consumed it,' Castiel muttered as soon as he'd swallowed, quickly moving on to his next bite.

'Okay,' Dean agreed, 'you make a good point.'

The table being right by the window gave them the opportunity to look out over Las Vegas as they ate. It was a clear morning and now that late January would soon morph into the early signs of a February spring, the weather was beginning to brighten.

'So the place I looked up on the drive yesterday,' Dean informed Cas as they ate at a steady pace, 'is twenty minutes away. We get the license, then we have the day free until four. That's when our appointment is.'

'Married at four,' Castiel noted, without looking up from his food. 'Got it.'

'And I got us a reservation for an early evening meal at the restaurant here at four thirty.'

Castiel looked up, his eyebrows raised.

'When did you do that?'

'While you were in the bathroom at our second rest stop yesterday.'

A slow smile spread out across Cas's face.

'You're amazing, you know that?'

Dean shrugged, trying to look modest despite his reply being the opposite of that.

'Yeah, kinda.'

'So what do we do until four?' Castiel asked, back to giving his pancakes his almost undivided attention.

'Well, buy our shit to married in for one,' Dean told him, 'then I figured we could park somewhere and walk around a little. Check out some shops.'

'Clothes shops?' Castiel suggested. 'I'm starting to be over the whole sweater thing. It was nice around Christmas, but now I prefer button-up type shirts. A lot of the reasoning behind that is because of how you look at me when I wear them. And so I can unbutton some of the buttons like you advised me a few years ago and watch you almost start drooling like I recall you seemed to almost do then.'

'Did not,' Dean muttered defensively. 'But yeah, okay. We can do that. You might need a jacket or something too though – it gets kinda cold, even in spring.'

'Okay,' Cas replied. 'I'd also like to get some new underwear that doesn't roll up to the tops of my thighs and look like panties. It gets uncomfortable.'

'Poor you,' Dean said with false sympathy. 'Poor you and your super-thick thighs.'

'If you make fun of me again I won't suggest we have lunch afterwards and I'll let you starve, this being the first and last thing you eat today before the reservations you made at the restaurant.'

'Okay. I'll stop.'

'Thank you.'

'Just one more question.'

'Go ahead.

'Would you rather be marrying the pancakes?'

Castiel stopped eating and put his fork down. Dean raised his eyebrows, considering that Cas really seemed to like those pancakes and the fact that he had the ability to tear himself away from them was surprising. It was even more surprising when he stood up, walked around the table, got on his knees on front of Dean, pulled Dean's face down to his level and kissed him.

So it was a no, then.

'Dean, I'm sorry,' Castiel said quietly, 'but yes.'

Cas had gotten back to his feet by the time Dean registered what he'd said an flung out an arm to grab his wrist and pull him back so that he half-fell onto Dean's lap.

'How dare you,' Dean stated.

'They taste really good.'

'And I don't?'

Castiel checked, kissing him.

'You taste like pancakes.'

'Get off of me,' Dean grumbled, completely falsely of course, and shoved Cas away from him.

Laughing, Castiel returned to his seat and his food.

They headed downstairs after breakfast, the lobby busier than it had been last night. Dean briefly approached the front desk, someone different there to last night, and inquired about the cleaning services, thinking of the growing dish and towel pile, and he was informed that someone would be sent up to their room within the next hour or two to clean up and replace the towels and make the beds. Dean didn't know why she said beds, assuming the sofa bed had been used.

'Do we not seem … together enough?' Dean asked Cas after telling him of the little plural incident.

'Maybe it's because we're both men,' Castiel presumed. 'But there's lube on the sink in the bathroom. I think the cleaner will get the hint, at least.'

'The laundry people will probably figure it out too, unless they presume it's just one lonely guy using those towels,' Dean pointed out.

'What do you mean?'

'Dried jizz.'

'The towels are white.'

'Oh yeah,' Dean muttered. 'Damn it. We need to do something gay.'

'What?'

'Kiss me.'

'Dean, her saying "beds" is not a big deal.'

'Kiss. Me.'

'Will it shut you up?'

'Yes.'

Castiel stopped, grabbed Dean's face, kissed him in one harsh movement and pushed him away, continuing walking in that same movement. Dean caught up the two steps he was behind and put his arms around one of Cas's, clinging to his side as they walked.

'That'll teach 'em.'

'You're very proud of your relationship, aren't you?'

'Prouder than I've been about anything else.'

Castiel smiled, using his free arm to pull himself even closer to Dean as he clung to his arm and they left the building.

'Me too,' he said quietly.

They stayed joined like that until they found the car in the parking lot – it was a difficult job, the place was crowded and the two of them seemed to have different recollections of where they had parked within the place. But luckily they found it and climbed in, nerve endings tingling with excitement.

'Ready to get a marriage license?'

'No, Dean, I'm backing out.'

'Sarcastic fucker,' Dean muttered, grinning, and pulled out of their parking space.

And then they were on the road to getting a marriage license. Their spur of the moment decision the other day was about to become a reality.

Getting a license proved to be almost alarmingly easy. All they had to do was fill out some forms, wait a few minutes and bam. There it was. All theirs for the using. And they were getting married at four. Literally married. Like, husband and husband married.

'Yes Dean, you've said that multiple times now,' Castiel replied with a laugh as Dean voiced that thought on the way back.

'Dude, we need rings,' Dean realized suddenly.

'Oh yeah,' Castiel realized with him. 'People wear wedding rings, don't they?'

'I'm sure there's a store somewhere,' Dean said confidently. 'We can find something while we're shopping.'

'Something simple,' Castiel warned. 'I don't want you to spend too much money on this.'

'Oh, here we go,' Dean joked, 'not even married and already on my ass about money. Calm down, we'll just get some plain gold bands or something. Nothing twenty four carrot. Happy?'

'Yes,' Castiel smiled, satisfied. 'And maybe … get them engraved?'

'Yeah,' Dean nodded. 'Let's do that.'

They drove back to the hotel and parked there, and then ventured out into the great unknown on foot. Well, only a little unknown for Dean who'd never been in this specific place before, but had been to Vegas before. He'd never been shopping in Vegas, though, so it was gonna be a hunt to find somewhere that sold what they were looking for. They did however find a jewelry store relatively quickly, and picked out two plain rings, left their messages to be engraved into them with the people there and said they'd pick them up after lunch.

It was a busy, cool day with a slight wind that blew at them as they walked the busy streets. They were hand in hand – not because they had anything to prove like back at the hotel, but because it was habit, and they enjoyed it and it made them feel more connected to each other. It also kept them together throughout the hustle and bustle of people coming at them from all directions, trying to get here and trying to get there.

They entered the first store they saw with suits in the window. It was weird, their first time shopping for clothes together, but not their first time shopping together. The last time it had just been for Cas. Now it was for the two of them, and it was a completely different category of clothing.

It was strangely difficult to choose between all the similar looking pants and jackets and shirts. They ended up with similar outfits, both with sleek black pants, casual shirts and jackets with buttons on the wrists, but Cas's shirt was light blue where Dean's was white, and Cas's jacket was a darker blue while Dean's was black. They approved of each others' final choices, helping each other decide the entire time.

They left the shop happy, bag swinging from Dean's free hand, as they headed out in search of another place that sold casual clothing, which again could be found easily enough. Castiel didn't bother trying on things here like last time, he knew what size to get, so he picked out anything he thought looked good and anything he saw Dean eyeing up. It mostly included plaid shirts and some plain casual button ups, and a few t-shirts, some plain and some with designs on them. Seeing what Castiel picked out made Dean think of the kind of things he'd picked out last shopping trip and he realized just how much Cas had changed and learned about his own opinions on things that extended past "this looks nice" in the time they'd been together.

He tried out multiple kinds of jackets, too, but ultimately it came down to a denim vs leather, which also meant what he liked vs what gave Dean what looked like a heart attack. He decided to get both the plain, dark blue denim jacket and the well-fitting black leather one, at Dean's suggestion.

When it came to buying the new underwear he wanted due to comfort, he tried those on. He decided to go with the boxer brief style he'd been wearing, but he tried a couple of bigger sizes in the hopes they would be looser on his legs and not roll upwards as soon as he put pants on. That seemed to work, with the legs fitting well and the rest being slightly too loose but not fall-down level loose.

And then they were finished with shopping and on a hunt for a lunch venue.

They found a diner that served 50s style food and milkshakes and Cas liked the look of it so much that they had to eat there. It was very close to their hotel too, so convenient if they ever wanted to go back to it, which judging by the menu, they would.

It was called Roxy's Diner.

The ordered Roxy's Platter and they also got Cheese Fries, two different starters, but they'd be good for a whole lunch. They were sharing both of them, both of them seeming mouth wateringly delicious on the menu. As their drinks, they ordered from the "Shakes and Malts" which was part of the "From The Fountain" section of the menu, ordering a hot fudge and an Oreo Cookie, again both of them to share.

'I want to order the whole menu,' Castiel declared, practically drooling over it.

'I want to order the whole menu every day for every meal for the rest of my life,' Dean added to his statement. 'This is what I need to take away from Vegas. I need to leave here married to you, with a lifetime's supply of everything on the menu.'

'Which is your priority?' Castiel asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

'Well, it's been a few hours since breakfast and shopping can take a lot out of you but … still you.'

Castiel blushed, looking away, but having to look back up soon as they waitress arrived and they placed the orders they'd decided on.

Cas found himself questioning Dean's priorities when he saw how much Dean was enjoying the food when it came. Hell, he found himself questioning his own. And the drinks … a sip from one, a sip from the other, a sip from both straws at the same time …

He was dead and this was heaven, a better heaven than the one he'd ever experienced. They'd been holding out on him, the bastards.

But then he remembered Dean was there, and Dean couldn't be dead because there was no world without Dean in it, so this must not be heaven after all.

This was reality, and he had Dean, and Dean was his, and they were eating this fucking godly meal together and they were living for it.

And straight afterwards … they were going to pick up their wedding rings. Because they were getting married. This was their last meal as two unmarried men. The next time they ate it would be in a revolving restaurant at the top of the world, after they got married in the clouds.

Just like they'd always been meant to.

When God had said his plans for everything ended with the whole Darkness thing or whatever it was he'd said along those lines, he must have been lying.

This is where his plan had ended, it had been destined since a time before the world even existed. Dean, Castiel, together.

They were almost there.

Not long left now.

Cas knew they were in public and public displays of affection were generally not the best way to go, but he couldn't help putting down his fork, waiting for Dean to put down his, then standing and leaning across the table and kissing Dean. He tasted like mozzarella and Oreos.

'What was that for?' Dean asked.

'Do I need a reason?' Castiel asked.

'Suppose not,' Dean grinned. 'By the way, you've got food on your chin.'

Castiel rolled his eyes and wiped his chin with a napkin. He didn't care about the food. All he cared about was gazing across at Dean and there being no end to his presence.

He wanted to stay with him, to be with him, for the rest of his human life. He wanted to fall asleep with Dean and wake up with Dean and share his food with Dean. He wanted to drive with Dean and sit inside doing nothing all day with Dean and hunt with Dean and not hunt with Dean. He wanted to live with Dean and do everything humans did with Dean, until they were old and all they could do was sit in matching rocking chairs, side by side and had in hand, so old that they were just grateful to see the sun rise another day, because for all he knew they wouldn't live to see the next dawn.

He wanted to run with Dean and walk with Dean and get covered in blood and dirt with Dean if that's what they ended up doing, and he wanted to sit down and relax with Dean and wipe away the blood and dirt and sit and watch some TV, because that's just what they did.

He needed Dean.

And he could tell, just by looking at the way Dean was looking at him, that Dean needed him too.

Yeah, he'd heard Dean say it a thousand times and for five hundred of them he'd struggled to believe it.

But he could see it now.

He could feel it now.

And everything was different.

He nudged Dean's foot under the table with his own, and he knew before Dean even moved that he'd nudge him back.

He finally believed.

And it was about damn time.

He could see Dean having the same realization across from him, every time they looked at each other, it was there.

Last meal.

Last time they would doubt anything, ever again.

They were reluctant to leave the diner when lunch was over, almost tempted to get seconds of what they'd had, or try out something else. But they had rings to pick up, with inscriptions in them, and now those inscriptions seemed to mean more than ever. The rings fit perfectly when tested and they fit perfectly in the ring box too, a box which was secure in Dean's pocket as they walked back to the hotel, arms and bags swinging.

By the time they got back to their room it was 2:30pm, with only an hour and a half left until they were to be married. There wasn't much to be done between the time they got back and the time they were to leave for their private balcony, other than pulling out all of Cas's new clothes, Cas trying on all of the shirts he hadn't tried on in store, and changing into a pair of his new and better fitting underwear, leading to several minutes of procrastination where Castiel had yet to put his jeans back on and Dean stood with his hands on his thighs, their faces practically melded together, until Castiel pulled back and insisted they don't get distracted.

'Oh, come on,' Dean whined, as Cas pulled his jeans back on.

'What would it say about us if we showed up late to our own wedding ceremony because we were having sex?' Castiel demanded.

'That we're awesome?' Dean asked.

Castiel shook his head, looking away, trying not to laugh.

'We can have sex later,' Castiel promised him, dodging him as he reached out and heading back to the clothes bag, to try on both of his jackets. 'After we get back from dinner.'

'Burn calories.'

'Exactly.

Dean sighed, folding his arms like a sulky child, but accepted his fate. Castiel looked in the mirror at the denim jacket and turned back to Dean.

'Does this look better over this shirt than it did over the hoodie I was wearing?'

'Definitely,' Dean nodded approvingly, taking a few steps towards Cas and slipping his hands under the sides of the jacket, onto Cas. 'It'd look better without a shirt. Or pants.'

Castiel looked down, as if shy, then back up. He allowed Dean to lean in and kiss him again, slid his hands up Dean's chest, under Dean's shirt …

And pushed away.

'Later,' he insisted.

'But we have an hour,' Dean pleaded.

'Enough time to watch one episode of Grey's Anatomy,' Castiel grinned. 'Besides, I don't know why you seem so desperate. Don't you remember last night?'

'I can't stop thinking about it,' Dean explained, 'that's why I'm so desperate.'

'But last night was our last time before us being married,' Castiel stressed, taking hold of both of Dean's hands, holding them in front of him and squeezing. 'It was the perfect way to end our last day of not being married.'

Dean let the words wash over him and they started to make sense as they sunk in.

'Alright,' he decided, 'Grey's Anatomy it is.'

Cas shrugged off his jacket and tossed it lightly onto the bed while Dean set up his laptop, getting up Netflix once it was turned on. Castiel switched on the TV and looked through it, having seen Dean connect his laptop to the TV many times before, and then they were off, sitting on the couch, casually watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy before marriage at four.

Dean put his feet up on the couch and put his arms around Cas's waist, head in his shoulder, just needing to be close to him. Castiel's hand rested on the top of his back, stretching across the back of the couch around him. He kissed the top of his head briefly and felt Dean's cheek against his upper chest shift, so he knew he was smiling without even having to look down.

It was like they were already married, like they'd been married for years, even though the years they'd spent avoiding contact, staring intensely, casually touching shoulders and suffering, apart, had shaped them into what they were now.

They were hyper-aware of their surroundings as the show played to start, but by halfway it was as if they were in any room in the bunker just watching the scenes play out before them from their bed or the moldy old couch in the living room.

They were on the first episode of season nine, which was less horrifying than the season eight finale had been, but was still pretty traumatizing. Maybe Cas would have been more upset about Mark, or Dean more upset about reliving seeing Mark's fate, if they weren't getting married not long after the episode was to finish.

Despite their current situation, so much shit happened in that first episode of the season that it took several minutes to recover from it. By the time they had, it was a quarter to four.

'That was … fast,' Castiel commented, staring at the time on Dean's phone when he pointed it out to him. 'Are you sure?'

'Certain.'

'But that means we're getting married in fifteen minutes.'

'Yeah,' Dean laughed. 'I guess it does.'

They began to change out of their normal clothes with no distractions this time. Dean fumbled with his shirt buttons and got them messed up so Cas stepped in to help him, but Cas forgot to tuck in the back of his shirt which is where Dean came in handy. Castiel attempted to fix his hair once fully dressed but it was a losing battle, so Dean stepped in. It was still pretty much a losing battle – like it mattered. At the end of the day, it didn't matter what they looked like.

It mattered that there was a ring box in Dean's jacket pocket with both of their rings in it and a mutual thumping in their hearts as they joined hands and left their hotel room, on route to a private balcony for a private ceremony where they would be married.

The hotel wasn't as deserted as it had been last night, or even this morning. There were people swarming around everywhere, almost like the outside, and not one of them paid attention to the pair in smart clothing walking determinedly toward the elevator that would take them above the clouds and into a whole other world they couldn't even imagine the feeling of, despite already living there.

They were lucky enough to be the only two in the elevator as they ascended towards their floor. They stood side by side in the elevator, Dean shifting his feet side to side.

'Nervous?' Castiel asked.

'I think,' Dean muttered. 'I don't know. Why would I be?'

'I don't know either,' Cas replied, grabbing hold of Dean's hand again, 'but I am too.'

'You are?'

'Yes,' he nodded, other hand reaching for Dean's other hand. 'I know this is the last chance we have to back out. But I'm not going to.'

'Neither am I,' Dean promised. 'I'm nervous – hell, I'm terrified – but I've never been more sure of anything in my life.'

'Isn't that how it's supposed to be?'

It was. Castiel always knew the right thing to say to him now, he'd always known the right thing to say in the past, too, for years, but Dean had been stupid enough not to listen. All of a sudden, he felt like crying, but he let no tears escape. Instead, he stepped closer, their hands pressed between them, and kissed Cas just as the doors were sliding open.

They pulled apart and stepped out, half expecting to be stepping into a whole other world, but everything stared the same around them as they headed towards the right balcony. The room preceding it was closed off and someone stood outside, waiting for them, and so it began.

They had to show their license and their IDs inside the room, but that was it. It was that easy. There was someone taking pictures, someone filming, and they walked out to the balcony and so it truly began.

It was a regular and short ceremony. Some words, no vows, and an 'I do' from Dean.

When Castiel was asked if he took Dean to be his husband, he replied, 'of course,' as if it was the most insulting thing in the world that he needed to be asked, that it wasn't obvious from a single glance.

Their rings read I need him. and I need him, too.

Their rings fit perfectly, just like their lips as they came crashing together and their hands clung to each other.

That was it.

Really, it was all a little underwhelming, but it was official. And they were together. And they didn't have to say anything because they'd already said it all.

Transitioning from a mindset where they'd just gotten married to one where they arranged a photo and video pickup time was one of the oddest things in the world – they were congratulated well, of course, but it was as if the world had stayed the same, like no one else was effected by the new union that was made – no, not made. Solidified. Surely, with them feeling like this, like the world had only just begun, someone must have been feeling the same thing somewhere?

It was almost a disappointment to head up to the Top of the World restaurant.

'So, we did it,' Dean commented, the two of them really talking for the first time since the elevator before their actual literal wedding. 'We're married.'

'A real married couple,' Castiel confirmed, nodding along at his side, squeezing his fingers. 'We're a real. Married. Couple.'

They stopped walking in the middle of a hallway to grip each other so tightly it was like they would explode. Fists clenched, arms like vices they wrapped around each other, and suddenly they were giddy. People were staring, but they didn't care.

'We just got married,' Dean offered onlookers, by way of an explanation.

There were some congratulations given, but the pair were still looked at strangely.

They arrived five minutes before their reservation time, and they couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't exactly their busiest hour though many tables were still filled, so they were let in and led to their table for two and given menus, champagne and deep congratulations from their waiter and from the person who seated them.

'I might have mentioned it when I was making the reservation,' Dean grinned slightly guiltily.

'Good,' Castiel declared. 'Everyone should know that you and I just got married. Like normal people do. Dean, I can't stop saying it.'

'Neither can I,' Dean laughed, throwing his whole body into it as he stared at Cas. The excitement hadn't really worn off yet, but Dean tried his best to act normally. 'So, are you going to take my name?' he joked.

'Well, since I don't exactly have a last name of my own,' Cas replied, 'I think I should. Besides, didn't you offer it to be once before?'

'I believe I did,' Dean grinned, a twinkle in his eye, a twinkle in his very being. 'Castiel Winchester. Imagine that.'

'It's difficult to. It sounds unusual.'

'But fitting.'

'Yes, that too.' He paused, picking up his menu, but put it right back down again. 'Dean …'

'Yeah?'

'Nothing,' Castiel replied, shaking his head and looking down at his menu. He couldn't concentrate on the words, all of them blurring into lines of black with no letters until he looked back up. 'It's just that if you'd have asked me a year ago from today where I thought I'd be now … it was likely that I would have replied with "dead," or worse.'

'What's worse than death?' Dean asked, although he could think of many things. 'To you, I mean.'

'Losing you,' Castiel replied quietly. 'And Sam, of course. And for a long time, every day, I really thought I would.'

'And … now?'

'Now,' Castiel declared, reaching across the table and putting his hand on top of Dean's, squeezing it softly, 'I know I'll never lose you. Either of you. Despite the dangers of the world and the jobs we do, I know it's just not possible, because a world without you in it just doesn't exist here, or in any alternate reality or dimension or parallel universe that could be thought up. You're the only constant in my life, and the only constant in the survival of the universe.'

'And you're the only constant in the survival of my universe,' Dean told him. 'No, our universe. The one that's just you and me, forget all the other stuff that's always been around for me for a second. Without you, there's no me. You're one of the few things that made it maybe worth staying alive. And now you're the thing that makes me sure staying alive is worth it.'

'I'm glad to have been one of those things,' Castiel smiled at him, a whole new world to be seen in his eyes. A new beginning. A life he had never had, never thought he could have, but deep down had always wanted.

'Let's order,' Dean decided. 'We've got years to talk about this. We only have one shot at eating in a revolving restaurant unless we decide to come back one day.'

'I'm starving,' Castiel declared, looking back down at the menu he'd been neglecting.

'You're always starving,' Dean grinned at him, rolling his eyes, feeling a swarming sense of pride in the fact that he could say something so casual yet have it be so true, because he had Cas, he was with Cas, Cas was his to know that about.

The menu was almost confusing, with how fancy it was, but they weren't going to cut any corners here. Apart from salads. Because gross. They drank their Champagne and they got appetizers and mains and dessert, and conversation flowed easily. They managed to stay out of the territory of the deep and meaningful, instead discussing casual, near meaningless things, as if nothing had changed. What did Cas think the rest of season nine of Grey's would entail, now he'd seen the first episode? How was Dean coping with rewatching all of the shit that went down? When were they going to watch the rest of American Horror Story, or Friends, or the other stuff Dean had promised to show him?

As they ate, Dean decided he was going to teach Cas to cook, rather than just telling him what to do, which Cas was up for. He also decided he was going to help Cas train up and improve on his hunting skills, something Cas had asked him about once or twice. Castiel greatly looked forward to learning about various types of guns and how to shoot them. More importantly, he looked forward to having Dean behind him and positioning his hands on them, helping him aim at targets, the two of them pressed together and acting as one …

'It's gonna be weird going back to just … hunting,' Dean frowned as he thought about it. 'For so long we'd just come across a normal case or two in a month while researching on some … thing. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to just be a normal hunter.'

'I've yet to experience being a normal hunter,' Castiel mused. 'I can count the amount of actual cases I've been on easily. I'd like to get into it like you and Sam back before the mess of demons and angels fell into your laps. One angel and one lap being quite literal.'

Dean smirked but it quickly broke into a goofy grin and he laughed, ducking his head to hide his blush, acting like he was concentrating on cutting some of his food.

'You'll make a great hunter,' Dean promised him, when he finally looked back up. 'Things will be better than they ever were before, you'll see.'

'I trust you,' Castiel replied, his smile brighter than a sunrise. 'You're always right.'

They left the restaurant right after paying, hand in hand back towards their room. It was a less surreal experience than the daze they'd been in on their way up there, they were returning to Earth, remembering the normality of things, grounding themselves but without kissing the tarmac. Before, it had felt like they'd been light headed, the world shimmering and speeding by, but now everything had slowed down again and their heads had cleared and the world's turning had resumed it's normal pace.

'There's things we'll have to talk about,' Dean commented, on the journey back to their room. 'And we'll have to talk to Sam. And Aroura. Things are changing, Cas.'

'I know,' Castiel nodded. 'I, for one, would be perfectly happy resuming with how things were when I first moved in, the three of us in casual harmony, apart from the fact that you and I are together now and married with a fish. But Sam and Aroura …'

'They're pretty serious, man. I talked to Sam about her before – he's head over heels. Like she's got him under some kind of spell. They're almost … like we are. Except nowhere near as awesome.'

'Part of me thinks it's impossible for them to be so serious so quickly after such a long absence from each other,' Castiel frowned, leaning against the side of the elevator. 'But part of me remembers seeing their souls brightening for each other, remembers seeing them when they were reconnecting, souls aside, seeing how they look at each other …'

'I have a feeling they won't be as easy going as us about things,' Dean agreed with what he was getting at. 'Aroura didn't grow up with what we did … I think. I mean she's got grandparents on the East coast, she's got a whole life even if she is … y'know, The Savior … a life Sam's getting involved in, the kind of life Sam always wanted … I think they're gonna leave, Cas.'

'So do I,' Castiel replied quietly.

'But it's not like we'll never see Sam again,' Dean assured both of them. 'That's not gonna happen after everything we've been through. But he'll get drawn in by the … normal stuff. Who knows if he'll even stay hunting, if there's no big threat hanging over our heads? He told me once that he'd accepted that was his life now, but … if it doesn't have to be …'

'He almost got a college degree,' Castiel recalled, as they walked out of the elevator together. 'That must count for something, in the real world.'

'Hell, decent grades in high school and being a graduate counts for a hell of a lot in the real world,' Dean told him. 'Even being a high school dropout can get you somewhere if you've got skills in the right areas. Sam could damn well get a real job and live that apple pie life he's always wanted. And years ago I would have felt weird about it but now …'

'You're okay with it?'

'Yeah,' Dean nodded. 'I am. Even at the start of last month the whole idea would have freaked me out. But now I've got something … away from him, y'know? It's not just the two of us against the world, featuring the other people in our life occasionally, some more than others … it's me, it's him, it's me and you, it's him and Aroura, it's like we're finally free of being dependent on each other for everything all the time.'

'I know,' Castiel confirmed. 'It's obvious that things have changed. And for the better. It would be obvious to anyone.'

'I'm just afraid that if we step too far away from what we're used to that I won't be me anymore,' Dean admitted in a small voice. 'I know I could have that too, everything he'll probably have, you and me could have something … but … I feel like if I ever stop, stop hunting or whatever … I won't be me anymore.'

'You won't stop,' Castiel told him. It wasn't assurance, it was just a fact. 'Even if you do, you won't. You could stop and do that whole thing. We could do that whole thing, from the bunker, from that imaginary house with the dogs and the ribbons, but if something creeps up what seems like a case, or if you read about something in the paper … we both know you're going to take that case. And I'm going to be there by your side, and I'll help you kill the monster, and then like we said we can go visit Sam and visit Aroura and laugh about the case while we do something mundane and normal like everyone else in the world … and it won't be a bad thing.'

'You make it sound like it won't be a bad thing,' Dean said quietly, as they reached their door and lingered outside of it. 'You make it sound like that's where we've been headed all along. Like no matter how different our lives could be … we'll always be the same. We'll always be us. We'll always be a hunter and an angel, an angel who just so happens to be human and a hunter now too.'

Castiel smiled, almost sadly.

'Dean, as long as you've got the Impala and I still have my trenchcoat, we'll always be us.'

'You think so?' Dean asked, raising his eyebrows and shifting his weight from foot to foot, smiling the tiniest of hopeful smiles.

'I know so,' Castiel promised, putting his hands on the side of his face and kissing him as further proof. Always steady, always constant, never changing in how he always made him feel so much better about everything, always Cas no matter how he dressed or how he'd learned to free himself up and adapt to humanity.

'Come on,' Dean mumbled against Cas's lips when he'd barely pulled away. 'Let's go inside.'

'Maybe we'll make it to the bed this time,' Castiel replied optimistically as Dean pulled out their room key, 'or at least maybe we won't just settle for the bathroom floor.'

Dean opened the door and they slid through, shutting it behind them and turning on the lights. As soon as the key was out of his hand, Cas was on him, one hand grabbing at his hair and the other trying to push off his jacket.

'Still going for the bed?' Dean mumbled, barely audible through ferocious kisses attacking his lips.

'Maybe the couch,' Castiel mumbled, backing up, pulling Dean with him and leaving a trail of clothes behind them.