A/N: Iknow it's been forever, sometimes the muse just isn't there... as ironic as that is for this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Clouds way up high

Dark, fluffy, stormy, light

My kind of guy

Cas doesn't say anything as he examines the board, recalling all the strategies he's learned over the millennia. His soldier's knowledge, tactical, frontal, assault, subtle, and every other iteration of this game since humanity's creation of board games. He surveys the board, takes one look up at Coy, brain shuffling through the thousand and one possibilities of what or who this man could be, then Castiel drops his eyes back to the board. His fingers carefully grasp the fifth pawn and move it forward two spaces. Dean pats him on the back once and Cas casts him a sidelong glance, they have no idea what they've gotten into.

The moves go quickly after that, Cas doesn't take much time to think, just pure confidence in each slide of black pieces across a dichromatic board. Coy moves his knight. Cas moves another pawn. Coy moves a pawn. Cas moves yet another pawn, trying to stack up his frontal offense. Coy matches his moves with two pawns face to face at an impasse. Cas knows that this game isn't just about winning, however. The longer Dean is knowingly apart from Sam, the more irrational he will become. Not only must he checkmate their opponent so they can escape, he must also contain the sensibilities of his teammate. Chess is an interesting game though, just like war, sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to secure the more important win. So Cas moves the knight and feels Dean tense beside him.

Coy gives a smile as his bishop slides over and captures the black knight, then claps his hands together.

"Finally things are starting to get interesting." Coy tells them. "I'm picturing something a bit easier for your first go. Something… physical? However, say goodbye to your thought privacy boys." Dean looks at Cas with worry and questions in his eyes.

"Sometimes you lose a battle to win the war." Cas assures him. Dean nods at Cas, I'll always trust Cas with the important stuff, even if I question the little stuff. Cas looks at Dean alarmed. "I heard that."

"You what?" Dean asks, as Coy starts to laugh.

"You boys hide too many silly things from each other, it's time to be a bit more… open." Coy wiggles his eyebrows. Assbutt, Cas thinks and Dean whips his head to him.

"Shit. I heard that." Dean says, alarmed.

"Have fun boys." Coy tells them and everything fades to black.

It's about nine in the morning when Dean slides into a coffee shop in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. He's got his duffle bag slung over his shoulder with all of his supplies and his nerves are through the roof, so he doesn't know why he's getting the coffee… other than it sounds comforting. Today's the day Dean is going to be testing the qualifiers course for American Ninja Warrior. He wasn't selected to actually be on the show unfortunately, but he is allowed to be a tester which might be a backdoor way onto the show. He'll be hanging around the course for the day, just waiting for his chance to get up there and show them what he's made of. Producers and designers for the course will be watching the whole time. That's why he's so nervous.

He places his order and while he's waiting he feels eyes on him. He turns subtly, pulling out his phone to appear casual, but there's nothing casual about when he finds those electric blue eyes on him.

Fuck, he thinks to himself while at the same time the word Wow, enters his brain in a strange gravelly tone. The eye contact is so intense, he doesn't think much, just stares at his dark tousled hair, stubbled chin, and business attire.

"Mocha for Dean!" Dean finally has to look away to accept his drink.

Fitting. That voice again, he ignores it, blaming his overactive imagination and thanks the worker. He can still feel those eyes on him and he can't bring himself to look back. They're obviously not a good match. The man is clearly a local business man, whereas Dean is just a bit of a wanderer. Currently dressed in his grey Led Zeppelin t-shirt and black sport shorts, perfect for various ninja activities because of the breeziness of the clothing.

Just as he's about to leave he chances a glance back at the man and is surprised to see him smile and wave.

Goodbye Dean, says the same gravelly voice in his head, confusing the shit out of him.

Am I hearing things now? He thinks to himself, shaking his head as he walks out, completely missing the equally confused look on the business man's face.

Dean is lounging on the bleachers, the hard metal pressing into his back but he doesn't care. Sweat is dripping down his face, the sun is beating down as he attempts to relax after the workout with the other ANW hopefuls. Some of them had decided to do a group warm up, and although Dean was grateful it had kicked his fucking ass. Now though, the rest of the participants who hadn't decided to join in the masochism were trickling over to them. He sees a few of the girls with bags slung over their shoulders, some of them with yoga mats. Then there's also a guy with them, lagging just behind. He has dark hair with a bright blue yoga mat of his own.

Dean gets the yoga craze, really he does, stretch extra well, you're bendier, better at sex… etc. Lots of advantages. It's just not for me. He thinks to himself as he picks up his water bottle, starting to drink.

Well, maybe you should give it a try. Dean promptly drops the water bottle on his face in shock. A few of the guys laugh at him, telling him to slow down but he can't focus on them right now.

What? He thinks, rather loudly. It was that same gravelly voice from this morning. Dean scans the crowd and sure enough… blue yoga mat dude is.. Well he's the 'business man'. No fucking way. I've gone fucking clinical. He rubs his forehead and splashes some of the water on his face.

And to think you couldn't get more attractive. Dean laughs out loud at that, it's just too ridiculous. He needs some space. The testing doesn't start for another 20 mins, he can take some time to clear his head of these ridiculous things. He needs to keep his head in the game, this is too important. Dean stands up and hops down the bleachers two at a time, he hits the gravel and walks calmly down towards the finish line and the inverted wall.

Just breathe. He thinks to himself, stretching his arms up, locking one hand around the wrist. Be calm. Be zen. He hears a laugh behind him, a low chuckle, and flips around startled. It's 'business man', with a shy smile. He's wearing a white tank top with the RedBull logo on it, and black leggings with electric blue geometric designs on them. Oh, fuck me. The man laughs again and Dean's distracted by the way the skin around his eyes crinkles and just how beautiful that is. So blue. Yeah, I'd let you obliterate me. This time the man coughs and rubs his neck, then he clears his throat.

"Hi, I'm Castiel. Are you one of the testers?" Castiel extends his hand and Dean freezes, that voice sounding eerily familiar to the one in his head that wasn't his own. It's a moment before Dean remembers what he's supposed to do and grasps Castiel's hand firmly.

"Oh, uh, yeah. That's me. Tester. Uh, Dean. I'm Dean." Then he inwardly rolls his eyes. I sound like a fucking idiot.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I just saw you in the coffee shop this morning and I thought, 'what a coincidence'! So I can't blow my chance twice in one day." Castiel explains, also a bit awkward with his words which makes Dean feel marginally better, but he just stares at Castiel dumbly otherwise.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that." Dean adds in, uselessly. God, what is it with me and guys like this? They're just so everything and I'm so… nothing. "So, are you also a tester?" Castiel looks at him with a slight furrow to his brow, he almost looks… sad.

"No, I'm a competitor actually. But I wanted to come watch the show." And now I'm really looking forward to it. Dean's head tilts slightly… it was like… Castiel kept talking except, his lips didn't move. It was just in Dean's head. To hell with it, he may as well ask.

"Have you noticed anything… weird lately?" Dean asks as casually as possible, which is totally not casual at all when you're basically trying to ask someone you just met if they're hearing voices.

"What do you mean?" Castiel asks, but Dean just shakes his head. Already deciding to abort the mission.

"Nevermind." Behind Cas an air horn sounds signalling the start of testing in five minutes. "Uh… talk to you later?"

"Yeah sure." Definitely

"Cool. Me too." Dean responds, then rolls his eyes at himself again. The fuck is wrong with me. He thinks as he turns to jog off towards the starting point

Be kind to yourself, Dean. Okay now that time, it almost seemed like Castiel's voice in his head was answering Dean's own thoughts. He shakes his head vigorously, blowing out his lips and making a weird noise. Time to move on time to focus.

Dean's sixth in line for testing, and really quite happy not to be the first three. There's always something wrong, or something that's too sticky during those first runs. And even though production always gives them a second go if there was a malfunction on their end, it still doesn't help your nerves. This time it turns out only the first guy has trouble, the bottom of the board for the ramp slide is not greased quite enough, and after about twenty minutes of production fixing that, they're back on track. This course is also surprisingly balanced for different muscle groups. Most courses tend to be upper body strength heavy, but this one has a solid mix of both. Dean's not especially worried about any part of this course.

Nobody has completed the course yet, which means Dean can be the first to do it. And if his time is good enough, they might even send him on to the live show. Dean does a quick shakedown as he's waiting at the starting platform, about ten feet up in the air. The small crowd gives a cheer as the ten second timer pops on and Dean catches a glimpse of dark hair down near the end of the course. Not even giving himself a moment to think or get distracted, Dean zones in just as the timer finishes its countdown and Dean launches off. The quintuple steps are a nice warm up, he springs between them easily and without sliding or losing his footing. After that it's right into the downhill jump. Which is one of the weirder activities Dean has witnessed. Hopping on a skateboard without wheels to slide down a hill, then jumping to a rope swing. Dean barely even registers the landing, then he's running across a platform and ramp to the next obstacle. One of the only chances he has of potentially getting some attention for his performance is if he completes all the obstacles AND has an impressive time.

The next obstacle is the tilting prism, which a couple of the guys failed at because their balance is shit and their leg muscles are underdeveloped compared to their overdeveloped upper bodies. But Dean isn't worried about the evenness of his muscle development, he knows he just needs to keep his pace and he'll be over it before he blinks or tilts very much. Sure enough, that's exactly what happens. The swing into a cargo net is child's play, Dean just has to remember to not hook his legs into it. It's the next obstacle that will be the biggest challenge for him.

It's kinda gymnastics looking, three metal hoops, hooked into stiff metal hangings, but the hoops themselves can move along the metal from side to side with body momentum. And next to two of the hoops is a rope, for balance and even more momentum to propel you to the next ones. Dean uses the ropes to swing between the rings, keeps his biceps clenched and arms bent so they can't lock in the wrong way. He only stumbles slightly as he lands on the platform, then he's off for the final challenge. Warped wall. Something he's only been dreaming about getting to, because the button is at the top. Dean runs up more than half, grips the edge, and flings himself upwards with a surprising amount of grace.

Hitting the button is surreal. The gate swings open but the smoke doesn't go off, since this isn't an official run, but the small crowd still goes wild. He desperately wants to know his time, he knows he cruised through that, but he hopes it was impressive enough. If it is then just maybe they'll let him through. He's the first tester through the course, and he didn't hesitate at all, there's really a chance. The other testers congratulate him wholeheartedly, they're all really decent people. But he's distracted by the sight of 'business man'. Castiel, Dean reminds himself, jogging up to him from the beginning of the course. He's panting when he stops in front of Dean.

"51.67" Castiel says and Dean blinks for only a moment before grabbing Castiel's shoulders and bouncing from foot to foot.

"Really?!" Dean asks and Castiel nods at him excitedly, smiling.

"You were amazing! I only hope I can do as well later tonight." Dean's riding off the high of the adrenaline, which is his only explanation for why he laughs and pulls Castiel into a joyous hug. Castiel only hesitates for a moment before hugging Dean back and also laughing.

God, and he smells good too. Dean pulls back and makes eye contact with Cas before realizing just how weird it is to hug someone you barely know. He laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck.

"Thanks Cas. I can't wait to watch your run." Dean tells him and then looks up again to see Castiel smirking at him. Dean only just realizes that his celebratory crowd has dispersed for the most part.

"Cas?" He asks. I'm gonna need to hear you say that again. Dean lets out a startled laugh at the return of the voice in his head.

"Yeah, Cas. If that's okay?"

"More than okay." Cas tells him, smiling at him again in a way that makes Dean's chest ache.

He's like fucking sunshine.

"Winchester, Dean!" Calls out a guy with a headset walkie on, causing both Dean and Cas to turn towards the newcomer. Dean raises his hand to get the guys attention, and he comes trotting over to them.

"Yeah, what's up?" Dean asks.

"We'd like to offer you a place on tonight's show. Do you want it?" The guy raises his eyebrows like he'll be shocked if Dean refuses.

"Hell yeah I want it!" Dean smiles and the guy laughs, scribbling something down on the clipboard attached to his side.

"So you'll need to be ready by seven, and we'll figure out our filming order based on who shows up. Making it to the next round depends on how good the other people do, whether they finish the course, and if they have a better time than you. But if you can do exactly as you just did, you have a really good chance." The guy gives him a nice smile then starts walking away. "Good luck!" He calls over his shoulder.

Dean lets out a relieved sort of breathless laugh and turns back to Cas who just smiles at him. Dean gets another impulse, which he is definitely gonna blame on the adrenaline too.

"Wanna go grab dinner with me?" Dean asks and Cas' eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

As a date? The voice in his head asks just as Cas speaks.

"Yes." Cas nods his head and looks back toward the course for a moment, then back to Dean. "Nothing too heavy though. I still gotta do the course later." He smirks and Dean practically gushes.

Dear voice in my head, if you're still there… I hope this is a date too. Cas laughs out loud and Dean is once again left to question his sanity.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Dean brushes at his mouth, wiping away imaginary crumbs.

No Dean, there's nothing on your face. Dean freezes what he was doing and looks at Cas, the gears in his head turning furiously.

Nuh uh, no way.

"It is quite strange." Cas says out loud and Dean practically jumps out of his skin. Even his thoughts just feel like white noise. Should I say it out loud? The voice asks again, the one that sounds distinctly like Cas, the guy he just met today. Which is when all this freaky head voice thing started.

"I…uhh… what?!" Dean says eloquently.

"Dean, I think we're hearing some of each other's thoughts." Cas says absolutely nonsensically. Automatically Dean starts shaking his head.

No way, definitely not possible.

The evidence would point to the contrary.

Gosh, and now the voice in my head is all logical. Fuck.

Dean, I'm pretty sure the voice in your head is just me.

Oh my GOD. How long have we just been standing here staring at each other? People are gonna think we're insane.

You do look a bit fish-like right now. People may assume we're having a staring contest?

"A staring contest? Are you for real, Cas?" Dean asks out loud for the first time in a while. Cas' eyes crinkle with mirth.

"That was just the first thing I could come up with." Cas explains and Dean scoffs, turning away and rubbing a hand down his face in frustration.

I can't believe this is happening.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Did you just quote Sherlock?

I can't even begin to tell you how attractive it is that you know that. Dean blushes fiercely at this, his frustration getting the better of him.

I came here to compete, not have some freaky mindmeld with a virtual stranger. Cas frowns at that, a line creasing his face between his brows.

"I can't do this. I'm gonna go." Dean says and before Cas can even get a word in otherwise, Dean takes off. Literally jogging away back towards where he left his stuff. It's not his proudest moment, that's for sure.

They don't end up meeting up for dinner.

Dean's a coward, he knows he's a big freaking scaredy cat. Dealing with guys has always been that way for him, so adding this just makes it worse. Doesn't matter how much of a 'connection' he thought he had with Cas, this is just too weird. Plus he gets to compete tonight, one of his dreams! He's not letting himself get distracted or giving that up for anything.

He shows up at 6:30 and they send him to the green room. There's snacks, protein drinks, and everyone gets a goodybag with ANW merch. Dean's like a kid in a candy store. He snacks a little bit but the moment he sees a head of dark tousled hair he heads outside for the bleachers where the competitors await their turn. His instincts tell him to find a nice secluded corner where hopefully Cas will ignore him, but instead Dean sits with a group of rowdy guys. All comparing stats and being in general loud and obnoxious. He lets himself be surrounded by them and their preshow primitive behaviour. It's fun, at the expense of no one but themselves.

The guys plus Dean start to settle as they begin announcing the run groups. Since Dean was added onto the roster last, he'll be in the last one, Group E. He doesn't hear what group Castiel is in, and that's probably for the best. Except for when things start going and he falls into the noise that is the crowd supporting each runner, it's impossible to miss him.

He's third up in Group B. He's changed since this afternoon, a skin tight long sleeve black athletic shirt on top makes him look amazing… He looks like a superhero. Cas' eyes find Dean as he waves at the crowd, and get caught on him for a moment making Dean lose his breath. I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. Dean thinks at Cas and sees him glance back his way for just a moment.

Stop distracting me. Comes the stern thought into Dean's head and he feels thoroughly chagrined.

You'll do good, I know it. Dean thinks he catches Cas smirking for just a moment, then he shakes it off. So Dean just starts cheering with the crowd hoping the mindless activity will keep his head from directing anymore thoughts Castiel's way. Then Cas is off, running the course with the most graceful moves Dean has ever seen on a guy. It's like watching some kind of jungle cat. All that power and precision matched perfectly to make it look easy. But he also takes his time to look at each obstacle before he goes, cautiously careful. His time is just over a minute and he's the first to finish the whole thing. He passes through the gate where the fog pours out as congratulations and the whole crowd goes berserk.

Dean doesn't see Cas again until he's already lined up waiting for his turn, third out of five in the final group. He strolls so casually by the on deck pen, towel around his neck, not looking towards Dean's group, but Dean hopes it's on purpose. That he's here, so close to Dean's run time. He runs up to the edge of the chain link fencing that hits just at his hips.

Hey. Dean thinks before he gets a chance to figure out what to say, the effect on Cas is electric, turning to Dean like he's been shocked, eyes wide.

Hi. Cas' voice says a bit timidly in Dean's head and Dean can't help but smile at how adorable that is.

"You were… awesome." Dean tells him with a genuine smile, and Cas smiles back at him shyly, not saying anything. "Seriously," Dean continues, "You're a natural at all of this, you could've been a panther or a puma in a previous life."

"Thank you, Dean." Cas says. "Now just do what you did this afternoon and you'll be through again. Maybe I'll see you at semi-finals." Then he turns to go, and Dean can't stand it.

"Cas, wait. Please." Dean calls after him and Castiel does stop, though he doesn't quite turn around.

What do you want from me, Dean? Cas' voice in Dean's head sounds dejected and it makes Dean's chest ache.

I'm sorry. Really… I didn't think something like this was possible. I don't believe in any of that supernatural or magic stuff. Cas does turn back to look at Dean after that.

Is that what this is, Dean? Magic? Cas raises a singular eyebrow that seems to question Dean's entire existence. Dean rubs the back of his neck.

"I never know what I'm doing, Cas. So I'm definitely just gonna continue to make a fool of myself."

"Winchester! You're next! Get up here!" The handler calls causing both men to jump.

"You gotta go, Dean." Cas smiles. "Go be amazing."

"But Cas-"

"I'll go meet you on the other side, okay?" Cas interrupts him and Dean can only nod. Desperately hoping as he jogs up the ramp that Cas will be there. Also that he'll let him continue to apologize.

So Dean runs the course and feels almost identical to last time except he wobbles slightly more on the snowboard/slide obstacle thing. And when he gets to the end, the fog exploding, the air horn blowing… he's happy, of course he's happy, but he just wants to finish that conversation. Maybe fix exactly whatever it is he fucked up. Also maybe get to the bottom of the weird two way psychic thing they have going on. Maybe a regular psychic could help them? Not like Dean knows how to find those, geez.. His adrenaline rush has his thoughts running at light speed.

He turns around on his platform amid the fog taking a moment to yell with victory. He waves down at the crowd, smiling widely now that he's got the leading score. He catches Cas' eye and his smile gets even wider if possible, cause Cas is smiling back and giving him a thumbs up.

The sound of cheering crowds fades into absolute silence as everything goes black.

Cas' vision clears to once again find himself in the chess room, the illuminated chess board directly in front of him in the room lit by only one hanging light. His head still feels muddled with everything that just happened as he comes back to himself.

"Agh. What the fuck? That was some freaky dream." Dean groans out next to him, their opponent chuckles across from them causing Cas' to tense. He'd forgotten.

"Dean, I don't think that was a dream." Cas adjusts his stance slightly so he can make eye contact with Dean, and immediately blushes thinking about everything that just happened. The way he'd blatantly objectified Dean without the clutter of all his angelic thoughts and millions of years in experience. Dean looks confused still, just how he does early in the morning, still coming back to himself, but Cas knows the exact moment Dean's brain catches up with what's going on. From sleepy confusion to flaming embarrassment because, afterall, Dean had asked Cas to grab dinner with him, and they'd both been hoping it was a date. In Cas' recent memory the conversation he'd had with Charlie only earlier that day, floats to the front.

You guys aren't very subtle.

"What the hell did you do to us? Huh?" Dean turns, anger flaring out of him towards their opponent. Cas puts a hand on his arm to keep him next to him. Best not attack the supernatural being with unknown powers. However, one with the capability to construct an entire world…

"You're a type of trickster." Cas realizes, his eyes leveling with Coy, who smirks at him.

"Sure. You could say that." Coy responds, not breaking Cas' eye contact despite Dean fuming next to him.

"A trickster… like Gabriel? Like the freaky tv show realm he sent us to?! You've got to be kidding. So that's what you did. Sent us in there to play out your little gay fantasy, cause it helps you get your rocks off?" Dean fumes, Cas just barely restraining him. However the words coming out of Dean's mouth sting. Coy is making that clucking noise with his tongue again.

"Delicious Denial with Dean." Coy chuckles. "Besides, it's not really a gay fantasy. You two aren't gay, per say."

"No, we're not." Dean returns with venom in his voice that makes Cas' stomach sink.

"Dean-" Cas tries to interject but his voice comes out small.

"Internalized homophobia is bred into you by society and those that raise us." Coy says factually, examining his fingers in disinterest. "John Winchester wasn't too fond of queers, was he?" Cas watches the shadow crossover Dean's face.

"What the fuck are you trying to say?" Dean's voice comes out low, it cracks a bit maintaining the dangerously soft tone.

"Hmm… I think you'll get there eventually on your own. Among all your other big shameful secrets. You hate yourself so much, all because of that man." Coy says flippantly but Cas can feel the moment all restraint leaves Dean's body. Cas has to physically put his entire self in front of Dean and push him backward.

"I'm gonna eat you alive, you son of bitch!" Dean shouts and Cas shoves him hard.

"Enough Dean!" Cas yells back, he's got Dean against the wall, an arm across his collarbone. Even though he's human he's still just strong enough. Dean's eyes land on him and they're a wild mix of pain and fury.

"Let me go." Dean says through gritted teeth, still struggling against Cas' grip.

"No." Cas answers firmly and then speaks more softly. "Listen to me, please." Dean stops at that, meeting Cas' eyes.

"He's being an asshole, Cas." Dean grunts out like the caveman he can be and Cas rolls his eyes.

"I'm aware. He's trying to get to you, and you're letting him." Cas sighs, his eyes straying to the wall next to Dean's head. "Besides, he's not wrong."

"What do you mean?" Dean asks, surprisingly soft. Cas' jaw tenses.

"I'm not a cisgender heterosexual." Cas drops his arm from Dean but doesn't back away, only meeting his friend's eyes briefly.

"What does that mean, Cas?" Dean asks quietly, his tone is kind and Cas dares meet his eyes, something familiar that Cas can't quite name is looking back at him.

"As an angel I have no gender. I've been in both male and female vessels. And as a human that feeling hasn't changed." Cas looks at Dean who nods and grabs his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Okay, yeah. Junkless on a metaphysical level, not actually. Got it." Dean surmises and Cas laughs at that.

"But that also means I don't consider gender if I'm attracted to someone." Cas glances off to the side and just laughs drily. "This is the weirdest situation to be having this conversation in." Dean chuckles lowly in response. "Are you okay?" Cas asks, looking at Dean scrutinizingly.

"No. I want Sam and Charlie back. But I'm fine to keep going." Dean tells him and Cas nods soberly, promptly pulling away from Dean and walking back to their chess game knowing Dean will follow.

"Done with your meeting?" Coy asks and stands from a chair that he vanishes with a snap.

"You're not from any christian diocese, are you Coy?" Cas tilts his head, eyes narrowing dangerously. Something shifts in Coy's gaze, though Cas can't quite discern what.

"Time for the next round boys. Continue the game Castiel."

A/N: Anyone who wants to be a beta or even co-author on this story is welcome to comment and I'll message you! I love writing but what takes me the longest is that I have horrible internal motivation. Thank you so much for reading! Share your thoughts below if you feel inclined.