A couple of months later, it was a Sunday evening. Dean had just taken Castiel to dinner at the fancy restaurant they'd gone to at their first date. Now, he was driving them to that hill he'd taken him that same day. Nothing too suspicious, or so he hoped. His stomach was in butterflies, and he felt like he was going to pass out, from excitement or nervousness he didn't know. 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica played on low volume on the radio of Dean's peak condition '67 Impala. As well as the event going on today, there was a game going on tomorrow between Dean's team and Aaron's.
Aaron and Dean had become good friends over the last couple of months. But this game was very important-it was the finale, the end of the season, the championship game. Whoever won it took home the trophy.
Castiel was in a better mood than he usually was tonight. Dean had taken them out to dinner and right now also back at the hill where they picked their stars out for each other. It was a good day. Plus, Dean's championship game was tonight as well. His partner's new friend, Aaron, was a good guy, and he and Dean had become fast friends. Cas knew no matter whose team won, they would be happy for one another. The former officer really wanted their home team to win, of course. He had planned on making Dean a fresh apple pie after the game as a reward for all his hard work with the season.
When they got to the hill, Dean waited until the sun had disappeared under the horizon and the stars made their appearance, and the city lights came on. With a smile, he turned to face Castiel.
"How to say this...okay. Castiel, we've been together for a couple months now. It's been a rocky road, but we've gotten through it together. You made me the person I stand before today. And we escaped near death. We've proved to each other that we are loyal to each other through and through. We've been through Hell and back. So...I suppose I should ask..." Dean spoke, getting down on one knee, his eyes shining as he looked up at Castiel. He drew from a coat pocket a dark velvet box, and he opened it. Inside, resting in a seam, was a diamond ring, and on one side was a sapphire, on the other an emerald. Next to the sapphire was a ruby, and next to the emerald was a sapphire. "Castiel Novak, will you marry me?"
Cas listened carefully to Dean's words and smiled at each sentence. They were significant and sweet. He didn't realize right away what was happening until Dean got down on one knee and proposed to him. He was in shock for a bit and then patted his cheeks a little, noticing he wasn't saying anything st first. "Sorry! Yes! Yes! Of course, I'll marry you, Dean. I can say with confidence that you are the love of my life. Haha, I always thought I would be the one to ask the question, but you beat me to it." He chuckled and smiled brightly, looking Dean in the eyes and carefully stuck out his left hand for him to have the ring placed on.
Any traces of nervousness or worry immediately left him as the answer came to be a yes. Happy tears sprang to his eyes as he gently took Castiel's hand and put the ring on his ring finger. Thankfully, it fit. Still holding his hand, Dean stood to his feet and pulled Castiel into a tight hug, swaying a little with it.
The biggest, warmest smile appeared on the former officers' face as he embraced Dean into his arms, nuzzling into his neck, humming contentedly. His heart soared as he felt a few tears start to form in his eyes. "The ring is wonderful. Did you customize it yourself? I'll have to figure out what yours would be. Unless you want matching ones."
"Yeah, I customized it myself. I got the sapphire and emerald for our eye colors, the ruby and the other sapphire for our elemental powers, and the diamond to symbolize the bond we share. I'd be interested to see what you come up with for me." Dean explained. He pulled back a little to look into Castiel's eyes again, smiling so much his jaw ached. But he didn't care. "The other question is, who's going to take whose last name?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. Tears were streaking down his cheeks, but he didn't bother with wiping them away.
The blue-eyed man allowed some tears to fall once he saw Dean's eyes were watery. He paused for a moment. "Castiel Novak Winchester sounds the best to me. I feel it has a nice ring to it. Actually, I think it sounds perfect." Castiel rested his hands on Dean's shoulders. He had already thought about a ring for Dean. It was going to be a black ring with a silver band wrapped around it with a diamond in the center. On the silver part of the band would be emerald and sapphire gemstones. He hadn't thought about their elements, more so their eye colors.
His fiancée's words caused his smile to get a little wider. Dean reached forward and cupped Castiel's face. "One more thing before we have to head to the stadium," Dean spoke. He had put on his uniform under his main clothes, and Castiel already had a ticket. Leaning forward, he pressed a passionate kiss to the other man's lips, putting in everything he felt.
Castiel melted into the kiss and showed Dean how much he truly meant to him through the kiss he gave to the man. He wanted Dean to know that he would do absolutely anything for him and supported him no matter what. He couldn't love Dean Winchester more even he tried to.
He smiled lightly into the kiss, one hand going up to curl fingers into dark hair. After a few more moments, Dean gently broke the kiss, catching his breath. He pecked Castiel's forehead quickly before saying, "We should head off now." With that, he led Cas to his car and got in on the driver's side, starting her up and driving off. While driving, he stole a look of pride at Castiel. His forest green eyes gleamed with love and happiness. He could try to love him more, but he knew he wouldn't be able to.
Castiel smiled and chuckled a bit as they drove to the stadium. "You gave me a similar look when we were driving up the hill the first time. I asked if you always stole glances at me...I'm kind of happy you decided to propose up here instead of at the stadium with tons of people watching us. That would have been too dramatic. This was very personal to both of us. I would've said yes either way, though."
Dean chuckled at that. "I thought you wouldn't really like it if I did it in front of hundreds of people, haha." He explained. "So I decided something a little more meaningful was in place. And I remembered us choosing our stars for each other on that hill...and yeah. It fit."
Smiling, Dean continued driving. A few minutes later, they were in the stadium parking lot. Turning off the ignition, Dean rubbed his hands together before getting out and waving goodbye to Castiel before going to the locker room straight away. This game was bound to be good.
He waved to Dean before walking and heading off to where his usual seat was in the stadium. Packs of people were already filing in. Must have been because it was a championship game after all. Taking his chair with a bottle of water he had brought in, he exhaled a breath and looked around the large room. This was where fate was decided for two opposing teams. Cas had faith that Dean's team would come out victorious with how well they were doing.
Five minutes later, both opposing teams walked out onto the court. Dean and Aaron were the starters. The ball was tossed up, and Dean got it by a mere inch and cast it back to one of his teammates. He barked out a play, and the players knew what they were doing. The person with the ball got past his defender and shot-only to have the basketball go off the rim. Dean was right at it, catching the rebound high in the air and dunking it into the hoop, scoring and causing cheering to go around the stadium. He hung on the rim for a second before dropping off and beginning to the other side of the court.
Castiel smiled brightly and clapped his hands with the crowd. He was a little more energetic than usual during the game. Maybe it was because everyone else's energy was hyping him up, or perhaps it was because they just got engaged, and he was still joyful over it. Either way, he was happy and cheering for all of Dean's teammates.
The first half went by in a flash. The two teams were currently tied, as they were of the same skill set and had brought their determination to take home the trophy with them. Dean sat down on the bench, breathing heavily. Catching his breath, he looked up at the scoreboard and took a drink of water. His gaze went to Castiel, and he raised an eyebrow at him slightly.
Once the first half was over, and the score was tied, Cas sighed a bit, knowing all they really needed was just one point above them to win against the opposing team. He felt a familiar pair of eyes on him, and he looked towards the benches spotting Dean looking in his direction. Castiel flashed him a smile and made the same thumbs-up motion he did when he had watched him play basketball in the prison yard.
Seeing the smile appear on Castiel's face and the thumbs up, Dean smiled back and nodded slightly. He knew what he was going to do now. The second half began, and the scores went up and down. For a few minutes, the opposing team would be winning, then his side, and this would repeat itself. It was the final fifteen seconds of the fourth quarter, and Dean's team was losing by three. The opposing team had called a time out, and Dean sat in a chair. His left foot tapped rapidly on the floor, and he looked stressed. They weren't going to win this, were they?
Watching this championship game was a bit stressful even though Castiel wasn't playing it. He could only imagine how Dean felt and looked over to see his assumption was right. Stressed out. He knew this win was essential to his fiancee. Besides giving a thumbs up and a smile like he did earlier, there wasn't much he could do to offer encouragement.
Closing his eyes, he remembered shooting the full-court shot at the prison. And then doing the same thing on this very court. His eyes snapped open. That could save them, it could get them the win! Almost jumping from his chair, Dean explained what was to happen to his teammates. They nodded, and the time out was over. Luckily, their team had the ball. The fifteen seconds remaining began to tick down. His team passed the ball down the court and lastly gave it to Dean. The other teammates ran to the other end of the court.
The crowd started to chant, "Ten! Nine! Eight!" and that put pressure on Dean. Shaking it off, he tensed his body and jumped, shooting form going perfect as the ball escaped his hands. Time seemed to slow down, and all Dean could hear was his feet going back to the floor, his own breathing, and the crowd shouting out the remaining seconds on the clock.
Seeing what was about to happen, Castiel couldn't believe that Dean was attempting to make another full-court shot. This would be his third one ever. Two in official basketball games. Cas could've sworn his heart stopped for a minute once he saw the ball fly out of Dean's hands. He stared with unblinking eyes and closed them right before he heard a satisfying swishing sound.
"And he does it again! Unbelievable! Dean Winchester has made his second full-court shot of his career to win the championship!" The announcer spoke. The stadium broke into cheering, and Dean was stunned, disbelief crossing his face. He'd done it again. He'd actually done it for the third time. He raised his hands to the ceiling, and confetti in his team's colors rained down.
Approaching his teammates, he hugged them all, and members of the two teams hugged each other as well. Aaron approached him. "Looks like you did it again, legend." He spoke while smiling.
Dean laughed, and they hugged too. The prior opposing team watched from nearby as Dean was given the trophy. It weighed about 15.5 pounds, considering it was mostly made from silver with a twenty-four karat gold overlay. Two of Dean's teammates helped him lift it up until he could hold it himself. Indeed, some tears were staining Dean's cheeks. It felt like a dream to him.
Castiel was in disbelief that Dean had just succeeded another full-court shot. He would surely be in some type of hall of fame soon after what he's been accomplishing in his rookie basketball career. He was sure all the scouts and managers would fight over him if he ever decided to switch teams. Cas' face turned into a bright grin once he saw how happy Dean was. He truly deserved this moment after everything he's personally gone through. After he was done clapping, Castiel had the urge to run onto the court and envelop Dean into a hug but stopped himself from moving any more forward. He wasn't sure if that an appropriate thing to do in this scenario, so he stood on the edge of the court and continued clapping for Dean.
Of course, Dean had an interview on camera, like all famous sports players did after playing a game. Teams were led to their locker rooms, and people started to file out of the stadium. Before disappearing into his team's locker room, Dean, still carrying the trophy, turned to Castiel and mouthed, 'Go wait for me by the car!' before going inside. He hoped he would understand. Inside the locker room, the team was given much praise by their coach, and Dean was given recognition by both the coach and the team.
Seeing Dean turn and mouth something to him, he understood what he was trying to say to him. He nodded and waved him off as he headed back out of the stadium and walked towards the Impala. Of course, Cas had almost forgotten that Dean could have been interviewed. It was a massive moment in sports, after all. He always wondered if that part got tiring for him when the people were firing off questions that he had to answer on the spot.
Five minutes passed before Dean finally got out of the locker room. The trophy had been set up on a stand in the locker room. He walked to the Impala, practically glowing with pride. The fresh night air made the sweat on his body feel colder, even though it had already dried. He saw Castiel waiting for him, surprisingly right outside the driver's side door. Dean smiled softly as he approached him.
Once he heard Dean's footsteps, Castiel looked up and smiled as he saw Dean standing in front of him. "I know it was worse for you, but I was about to have a heart attack with all of the tension in there. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm so proud of you, though. You really, truly deserve that win for the championship." He smiled brightly.
A smile spread across his face. A hand reached out to cup one side of Castiel's face as Dean looked at him. "You know I couldn't have done it without you, right? The full-court shots, winning the championship?" He asked, his smile growing a little. In truth, yes, he couldn't have done it without his partner at his side every step of the way. He'd just be known as another newbie without Castiel. In fact, he'd still be back there, at the prison, without Castiel. Honestly, he was Dean's whole world.
The former officer leaned into Dean's hand as he always did. "Haha, I think you're giving me a little too much credit. But thank you, Dean. You know I'll always encourage you. You already had the experienced skills, I think you just needed someone who believed in you." He smiled and used his sleeve to wipe off some sweat off of Dean's forehead.
He gave a chuckle. "I suppose you're right. Now, we should get home so I can take a shower and then properly hug you." Dean joked lightly, leading Castiel to the passenger's side door and opening it for him. When he was inside, Dean closed the door and got in on his own side, starting the ignition. He began to drive away from the stadium once both he and Castiel had gotten their seatbelts buckled.
The blue-eyed man sighed as he relaxed in the passenger side once they drove off. He noticed the small gemstones on his engagement ring were flickering every once in a while when the moonlight when hit them just right. Cas smiled and thoroughly admired the ring that Dean had chosen. He enjoyed every little part of it. Castiel never planned on taking it off even if he would pass away when they were older.
Keeping his gaze mostly on the road, green eyes snuck a glance at Castiel every now and then. Deciding he could drive with one hand, Dean rested a hand over Castiel's, a wordless gesture. The touch simply brought a smile to the basketball player's face. He wouldn't have it any other way, wouldn't want another person at his side as his fiancée except for Castiel Novak. Dean wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him.
Soft blush showed up on Cas' cheeks as Dean touched their hands together. He gently intertwined their fingers together as Dean was driving them back home. Today had been an excellent day for both of them in many ways. They had a nice dinner, went back to a great location, got engaged, and then Dean won the championship for his team. Cas smiled and looked at their hands. "Love you, Dean."
That dumbass smile Dean always had when he and Castiel were close showed up again, gracing his features. He couldn't stop the light dusting of blush from showing up on his cheeks. As he drove along, he thought about all they had been through.
Just these last few months, they'd gone to the wedding of Sam and Tom. There, they'd been apologized to by Luke, and Dean, at least, had forgiven him. Everything seemed to be alright in their lives, and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. Of course, there would be disagreements and some arguments and loss, but that was normal. The point they couldn't forget was that they loved each other. It would be that way for the rest of their lives.
"I love you too, Cas."