.-.-.-.-.
Fishsticks
.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel stared uneasily over the side of Benny's boat. The water lapped gently at the side, not bringing him any sense of tranquility. 'What the fuck was I thinking?' he mumbled to himself.

They had finished packing up Sam's life a few hours earlier, suitcasing essentials and boxing up his 'eccentricities' for shipping. Gabriel had then decided a celebration was in order, and what better way for a mermaid to celebrate than in the water? When he had made the suggestion, Sam had the biggest grin on his face, leaving no way for Gabriel to change his mind. Even after he had been given the perfect out by Balthazar and Anna taking the rental, he had forced a determined nod and set forth for the Singers' rust bucket.

For a brief moment, he thought he was going to be saved from the excursion when Sam pulled him aside, insisting the entire ordeal wasn't necessary, but Castiel, Dean, and Charlie happened to be passing by on their way to meet up with Benny. Benny and his much larger, much safer boat (at least from how Castiel had described it).

Gabriel pushed off the railing and went to where his and Castiel's air tanks sat and checked them.

'Isn't that the tenth time? Don't think it's gonna change, friend,' Benny said as he dropped anchor.

'Seventh,' Gabriel grumbled in response. 'You never know if these things'll spring a leak! I'm not drowning in the middle of the ocean.'

Benny looked from Gabriel to Castiel, who gave him a look that said not to press the issue. 'Considering your company, I don't think they'd let you drown,' he said instead.

'I might,' Castiel said under his breath, crossing his arms and looking away in annoyance.

Sam clapped Gabriel's shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. 'I'm going to keep you safe. Promise.'

Gabriel nodded as he hugged himself, his eyes drifting back to the water. He'd have to remove his lifejacket and pull on his diving gear in a few moments. He kept telling himself he was ready to get back in the water, but now that he was surrounded by it… His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp whoops and whistles of Dean and Charlie as the pair jumped off the side of the boat, both completely naked.

'You go on,' he said with a wave. 'I'll be there in a sec.'

Sam laughed and ruffled Gabriel's hair before kicking off his shorts and quickly hopping over the railing.

Castiel hefted up an airtank and held it out for Gabriel.

Sighing heavily, Gabriel reluctantly pulled off his lifejacket and slipped on his tank, buckling it into place. He tugged at every strap and had Castiel double check before he slipped on his flippers. He slowly descended the ladder leading into the water and pushed away from the boat. All his movements were careful and meticulous, and he eventually dipped beneath the surface.

Benny turned his attention to Castiel, giving him a half-hearted glare. 'If he drowns…'

'I'll resuscitate him,' Castiel replied. 'But believe me, I'm not that lucky.' He pulled on his gear, quick and practiced, the complete opposite of Gabriel. He ignored the ladder in favor of climbing over the railing and jumping away from the boat.

Once in the water, Castiel spun in a slow circle as he sank, looking for the others. He found them just below, Gabriel being towed along by Sam at a snail's pace. He kicked away and ran his hand along Dean's tail as he caught up. He gave a thumbs up when Dean faced him with a bright smile.

His leg was tugged, bringing him down a few feet, and he sent Charlie a rude gesture in response.

Charlie grinned and shrugged as she clicked at him. She swam past, aiming for a school of fish, scattering them in every direction before herding them toward Sam and Gabriel.

Dean chirped and whistled at Castiel, trailing off as he realized Castiel had no way of understanding him. He flicked his fins in annoyance and crossed his arms, looking away in embarrassment. Castiel touched his cheek, and he looked up in time to see Castiel pull off his respirator. 'You shouldn't do that!' he tried to say, hoping Castiel could at least hear the alarm in his squeaking clicks.

Castiel just smiled and closed the distance, kissing Dean fully before pulling back and replacing his respirator. He was rewarded with Dean making a low, reverberating noise and pulling him tight, pressing his primary fins against Castiel's sides. He made a frustrated noise as Dean jostled his airtank.

Making a quick decision, he gently pushed away from Dean and held up a finger at Dean's confused look. He kicked up and headed to the boat, Dean hot on his trail. He reached the surface and began removing his diving gear and goggles, strapping them to the boat's ladder.

'Watcha doin'?' Dean asked.

'Making this easier,' Castiel replied, giving his gear a rough tug then nodding. He turned to face Dean and smiled. 'I'll have to stick closer to the surface, but we can still have some fun.'

Dean stared for a moment before the implications of what 'fun' could entail caught up to him. He clicked happily and dipped down. After quickly circling Castiel, he resurfaced and tugged at Castiel's collar. 'How do I get this off you?'

'What?'

'How do I get you naked?'

Castiel blushed and sputtered. 'Right now?!'

'Well, yeah. You, me, and no weird metal crap gettin' in the way of our fun.'

For a brief moment, Castiel wished he hadn't removed his tank. 'The most you're getting out of me is the pleasure of giving me a blowjob. And definitely not within any visual range of the people we're with.'

Dean laughed, his laughter devolving into a series of squeaking cackles. 'No, no. I meant I just wanna see you. Like back at the lake. And maybe…' He trailed off with a soft whistle and shrug.

'Oh. Oh! You want to… Right now? Here?'

'We could swim out a little farther.'

Castiel bit his lip in thought. If he went off with Dean, then everyone would notice they were missing and would have a good idea of what was going on. Would he be able to handle the teasing? Then again, after Gabriel's confession of what had been deemed 'the bathtub incident,' Gabriel had no right to tease him for what amounted to an impromptu wedding.

'Cas?'

He sighed as he reached behind himself to fish out his diving suit's zipper. 'I'm fine,' he replied. 'Let's get this done.'

Dean swam back a couple feet with a doubtful expression. 'I don't wanna force you.'

Castiel whipped his head in Dean's direction, momentarily forgetting to tread water and dipped under. He pushed himself back up and swam up to Dean, placing his hands against Dean's chest. 'No! I mean… I want this. I do,' he said. 'I'm just…nervous. And worrying about stupid things.'

'Are you gonna break again?' Dean asked, lightly stroking Castiel's face.

'Not right now, no. Not over this. I…I want this,' Castiel said quietly. 'It's just pre-wedding jitters, if you will.'

Dean smiled and pressed his lips chastely against Castiel's. 'Good. And, uh, you don't have to be naked,' he admitted. 'I just like looking at you.'

Castiel snorted and rolled his eyes as he went back to the task of unzipping and peeling his suit off.

Dean watched as Castiel removed his flippers and suit, somehow keeping his head above water the whole time. 'Have you done this before?' He laughed as Castiel tried to duck his head to obscure the view of his bright blush.

When Castiel finished stripping, he led the way around to the other side of the boat and swam out a ways. He turned around and frowned when there was no sight of Dean. He gasped and nearly kicked out when he felt Dean's hand run up the length of his leg and over his hip to rest on his side. He managed to stifled a groan as Dean kissed his way up his chest. 'You keep this up, and you're gonna have to swim for both of us,' he said before cupping the back of Dean's head and kissing him.

Dean winked and pulled Castiel tightly to his body. He guided Castiel's legs to wrap about him and held him loosely as he brought his tail up to press lightly against Castiel's back and left side. 'I've got no problem with that,' he replied. 'But, uh… Remind me how long you can hold your breath?'

'On average? About two minutes. Too much longer, and I'll be dizzy.'

'Uh… Here. How's about we go down—' He rolled his eyes at Castiel's snort. 'We go underwater, and you let me know when you need to come up.'

Castiel nodded along. 'Very well. Most weddings have dress rehearsals, anyway.'

Dean smirked as he took a shallow breath and gave a quick beat of his fins to bring them a few feet beneath the surface. His spines flexed with excitement. This time, there would be no interruptions. No breakdowns. No worries. Just him and his mate, proving their love and trust for each other. He was pulled from his thoughts when Castiel patted his shoulder and pointed up. He nodded and let them drift back up.

Castiel gasped lightly for air. 'How's that?' he asked with a sheepish smile. 'I can go a little longer, but I figured I'd give you a little leeway to work with.'

'Perfect,' Dean whispered. He licked his lips as Castiel caught his breath. He could have stayed under for about twice as long as Castiel with the small breath he had. He figured he would cut it just a little shorter to be safe. No need to worry Castiel over the possibility of his losing track of time. He lightly kissed Castiel and readjusted his hold. 'Ready? Gonna go deeper this time.'

Castiel chuckled and took a few deep breaths before he wrapped his arms around Dean's neck and nodded. He resisted the urge to moan as Dean softly kissed him. He could feel Dean's tail slowly tracing down his back, and he wondered if he should be doing something similar. He settled on wrapping his legs fully around Dean's waist, crossing his ankles to keep his hold. He was rewarded with a sharp click of surprise and Dean's arms holding him tighter.

As Dean angled his head more, Castiel opened his mouth to him. He could taste a mix of seawater and the pie Dean had for breakfast as he was kissed, Dean's tongue coaxing him into a stilted moan.

Too soon, it was all over. A light breeze ghosted over Castiel's skin as he gasped for breath, pressing his forehead to Dean's chest. He wanted to keep going, staying in that perfect embrace. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying the feel of Dean's fins brushing against his thighs as they bobbed along. He frowned and opened his eyes as he took stock of each appendage touching him.

'Something is touching my ass, and I'm fairly certain it's not a fin,' Castiel said flatly as he tried to hold himself a little higher.

'Sorry,' Dean quickly apologized. He looped his arms under Castiel's thighs and hoisted him higher. He grinned as Castiel's legs pressed tightly against his ribs in an attempt to maintain balance. 'You're just so hot and amazing! And you're all mine! And I'm all yours, and it's just…perfect. My perfect mate. I love you. I'm so glad you got shitfaced, and we got to meet.'

Castiel stared down at Dean in bewilderment. 'That's…not how most people react to my drunken escapades.'

Dean laughed as he lazily spun them. 'Not most people, am I?'

'No. No, you most definitely are not,' Castiel replied. 'For that, I'm glad.' He leaned down and kissed Dean. For the first time since Gabriel stepped into his office, he truly felt at ease with the crazy turn his life had taken. He felt like he could handle anything, including whatever Gabriel's producers had in mind for him.

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel's eyes darted about. If he could forget that he was underwater in the middle of the ocean, then he could almost be having fun. He could almost tolerate the occasional fish Charlie sent their way. Unfortunately, he was hyper aware of his surroundings and the fact that land was nowhere in sight, and he was being dragged farther away from the boat. He blinked in surprise as his head broke the surface.

Sam stroked Gabriel's hair and whistled his support.

Gabriel took off his respirator and tried to smile. 'I'm not having fun,' he admitted. 'Sorry.'

'You wanna go back on the boat?'

'Oh, God, yes.'

Sam laughed and pulled Gabriel's arm over his shoulders. He slowly swam back toward the boat, careful to keep Gabriel's head well above the water. They reached the ladder, and he had to readjust his hold of Gabriel as the other started pulling at the gear that had been left on the ladder.

'This is… What does that dumbass think he's doing?! He's gonna get himself killed!'

Sam sighed as he gave Gabriel a small push up the ladder. 'He'll be fine,' he said. 'He's with Dean, and a much better swimmer than you.'

'But we're in the middle of the ocean!' Gabriel insisted, pausing halfway up the ladder. 'What if a shark pops up and thinks he's a snack?'

'And a scuba suit would prevent that…how?'

Gabriel threw a glare at Sam. 'I don't know! It'd make me feel better!'

'I can go look for them,' Sam reluctantly offered.

Gabriel stared down at Sam and chewed his lip in thought. Out of the water, he had a more rational line of thought and knew Castiel could easily take care of himself—especially with Dean glued to his side. If they had run off to be alone, it was for a reason. He hoped it was for a more innocent reason than some of the thoughts that jumped around in his head (slick and multicolored and oh, so disturbing to his poor mind's eye). He sighed and shook his head in an attempt to chase away the mental images.

'Leave 'em alone for now,' he eventually said. 'If they don't turn up in about thirty minutes, then we…you go look for 'em.'

Sam chuckled as Gabriel tumbled heavily over the railing and onto the deck. A gentle tug on his fin drew his attention to Charlie as she surfaced next to him.

'Caught sight of them,' she quietly whistled. 'It's official.'

Sam gave her a smile, tinged with a bit of sadness. 'That's great,' he replied. It was true, he was happy for his brother and Castiel.

'Don't think you're ever gonna get Gold-Eyes to do that. Uh…sorry,' she said, her clicks and whistles coming hesitantly.

Sam shrugged. 'There's always the human way of doing things,' he replied. He looked up as water splashed atop his head.

Gabriel was leaning over the railing, a suspicious look on his face and a water bottle in his hand. 'You're talking about me. I know it. I'm psychic when it comes to stuff like that.'

Sam chuckled and used his tail to send a large splash of water up toward Gabriel, grinning as the other ducked out of the way with a yelp. 'Just good things! I promise!' He gave a lopsided smile and blew a kiss when Gabriel reappeared. 'I mean it.'