Rain was pelting the roof of the motel room when Dean woke up from his alcohol-induced slumber. It was a dreary day outside and the digital clock beside Dean's bedside read four in the afternoon. Dean attempted to prop himself up in bed on his elbows and almost immediately regretted doing so, feeling a wave of nausea coming on.

His head was killing him and he had an extremely strong urge to take a piss.

After trudging to the bathroom and relieving himself, Dean caught sigh of his face in the mirror above the sink. He looked worse for wear, what with his under-eye circles and hair that was standing up in all directions. He could also probably use a shave.

Dean washed his hands and then splashed some water on his face in an attempt to look slightly more alive. He combed through his hair, but it still didn't look quite right. Not caring enough to try and fix it, he plodded back into the main room and chugged down half a bottle of water.

His memories of the previous night were a bit foggy. He remembered going to dinner with Sam and Cas and Eileen, and then he and Cas had some drinks at the bar.

A lot of drinks.

After that things got a little fuzzy. He recalled hugging Cas for some reason and then blacking out. Cas must've brought him back here.

Dean checked his phone and saw a few texts from his brother. Sam spent the night with Eileen and went with her to start looking for the mysterious box that Rowena and Death wanted so badly. He mentioned that Cas told him about Dean's alcohol excursion and suggested that he should probably take the day off to get over the "massive hangover" he had.

Massive hangover was an understatement. Dean felt like there was a freight train trying to burst through his skull.

He glanced over at a small table near the door and saw a note.

Went with Sam and Eileen to look for the box. I'll text you our coordinates if you decide to catch up with us. — Cas

Dean was in no shape to help look for anything. Well, maybe some Aspirin.

He ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and night lying in bed, wishing for death. This was, by far, the worst hangover he'd ever had. And that was really saying something. Around nine he figured he should probably venture out into the living world to find something to eat.

He changed out of the previous day's clothes and traded them for a clean pair of black jeans and matching t-shirt with a gray and black flannel overtop. Since it was still raining outside he added a black raincoat to the look. He slipped on his favorite combat boots and grabbed his phone, car keys and wallet before leaving.

Dean picked up a pizza and a bottle of pop and ate his food in the Impala. The rain provided a surprisingly peaceful ambience that helped clear Dean's mind a bit. In the middle of a bite of pizza, he remembered something from the previous night.

He remembered what he said to Cas before passing out.

Dean dropped his slice of pizza back into the box and set the food aside while he fished around for his phone. Once he found it he dialed Sam's number and waited anxiously for his brother to pick up.

"Hey, Dean," Sam answered on the fourth ring. "We didn't find anything so we're all back at Eileen's place now. How are you feeling? Still hungover from your little party of one last night?"

"Is Cas there?" Dean asked, ignoring Sam's question.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Um, I need to talk to you but where he can't hear."

"Okay... is something wrong?"

"No. I don't know. Just—just get your ass back to the motel room. Now. Actually, no. I'll text you where I am right now. Just meet me here. Tell Cas you gotta pick something up at the store for me."

Sam seemed a little confused but showed up nonetheless. He hopped into the passenger's side of Baby and slapped his hands against his legs.

"Okay, I'm here. What's so urgent and secretive that you can't tell Cas about it?"

"Last night, at the bar, I..." Dean trailed off. "I told Cas that I loved him."

Sam stared at his brother, wide-eyed. He didn't hide his shock at Dean's statement.

"You... I mean... Wow. That's good... right?" Sam said, furrowing his eyebrows. "You know he loves you and now he knows you love him. So... that's a good thing, right?"

"I guess? I mean... I don't know, Sam. I had to be blackout drunk to even say it because that's how scared I was," Dean said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"But you do love him, though? Right?"

"I think so, yeah. I just... It feels weird to admit it after trying to ignore it for so long."

Sam nodded. "How long have you known?"

"Remember when Cas and I had to go to Purgatory to get that flower thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that was when I knew, I think. There was this moment when I just thought to myself how much I needed Cas, how much he meant to me. And even though I couldn't admit it to myself at the time, I knew it was on a level deeper than friendship," Dean explained, feeling a weight lift off his chest at finally being able to tell all of this to someone.

"I see," Sam said. "I know you haven't spoken to Cas since last night, so... what are you gonna say when you see him again?"

"I'm not sure," Dean answered honestly. "This is still such a new thing for me and I don't wanna be weird around him. I also don't want him to misinterpret any awkwardness as me regretting what I said last night, because I don't."

"I'm sure he'll understand if you explain what you're feeling to him," Sam said, giving his brother a reassuring smile. "I've seen the way he looks at you, Dean. Trust me, the hardest part of all this is over."

Dean wasn't so sure about that, but he tried to think positively. He drove back to the motel and was brushing his teeth when he got a new text message from Cas.

Sam is staying over at Eileen's again tonight. Do you mind if I stay at the motel with you? I promise I won't watch you sleep.

Dean smiled to himself and responded, saying that he didn't mind the angel's company. A few minutes later he heard a whoosh of wings and saw said angel waiting awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"You can watch TV or something," Dean said, stepping out of the bathroom.

Cas still just stood there, looking like he wanted to say something but wouldn't or didn't know how.

"Okay," Dean sighed, sensing that they wouldn't be able to move forward without addressing the obvious elephant in the room. "Let's talk about last night."

"I know you were pretty drunk, so I get it if you didn't really mean those things you said," Cas replied timidly.

Dean took several steps closer to the angel, to the point where they were only a couple feet apart.

"I meant what I said," Dean responded softly. "I love you, Cas. I've loved you for a long time now but I was always too afraid to tell you."

This statement seemed to momentarily stun the angel. Cas opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again, then finally said, "Why were you afraid to tell me?"

"For a lot of reasons," Dean answered. "I didn't know how you might react... I didn't know how other people might react... I..." he trailed off for a moment and felt unwanted tears spring up in his eyes. "I guess I've always had this idea of who I was supposed to be. I always thought I had to act a certain way and say certain things. I thought that if I tried to break away from that something bad might happen... because I guess that's what I learned from my childhood."

Dean wiped away a few stray tears with the heel of his hand and cleared his throat. "You changed my mind about that, though," he continued. "I know we've had our ups and downs, but I've always considered you a force of good in my life, Cas. The reason why I've gotten so pissed at you in the past is because of how much I care about you. The thought of losing you or seeing you be corrupted just... I couldn't handle it. You've been kind of a light in the darkness to me, I guess."

"Dean..." Cas said, tilting his head slightly. "I had no idea you felt that way."

"It's not something I like to talk about," Dean said with a shrug. "I just... I thought you needed to know."

"Thank you," Cas replied. "For telling me."

Dean allowed himself a small smile. "It feels kinda good, honestly. Getting it out in the open... it feels nice."

Cas returned the smile and then pulled Dean in for a hug. He felt the angel's wings wrap around him and held onto Cas even tighter. For the first time in a very long time, Dean felt like he could really be himself.

The two eventually pulled away from each other, but Dean made the split-second decision to pull Cas against him again and kiss him. He figured that now was as good a time as ever for their first kiss. Cas seemed a little shocked at first but quickly reciprocated. Dean tried to put everything he felt into that kiss. All the affection and love he had for the angel.

When it ended, both Dean and Cas were a little breathless. Neither of them said anything for a few beats, instead embracing again, this time with Cas burying his face in Dean's shoulder.

Nothing else happened between them that night, but Dean caught the angel staring at him several times. His expression was filled with nothing but love for the human, though, and that, in turn, filled Dean with even more love for Cas.

To feel wanted and cherished by someone was something Dean never truly thought he'd get to experience. But here he was now, in a relationship with a celestial being.

"Um, you can sit in bed with me, if you wanna," Dean said, trying and failing to sound casual. "I know you don't sleep, but... maybe we could... cuddle?"

It felt a bit stupid to say those words aloud, but Cas seemed pleased by the request. He sat down next to Dean atop the covers and wrapped an arm around him. Despite the angel's wings not being fully corporeal, Dean felt a bit warmer with them tucked around him.

"I love you, Cas," Dean mumbled as he drifted off to sleep several minutes later.

"I love you too, Dean," the angel responded quietly. "Sleep well."

And Dean did. He slept soundly and felt safe under the protection of the angel. For once, the thought of Cas watching over him while he slept didn't creep him out.

He actually felt pretty lucky to have an angel as a protector and lover and best friend.

Castiel leaned his head on Dean's chest and listened to the human's steady heartbeats as he slept peacefully. Time passed by, though the angel wasn't paying much attention to that. When the morning sun rose in the sky several hours later, Cas was still seated in the same position.

Dean's phone beeped sometime later, causing the human to jolt awake. He blearily looked around, and, seeing Cas next to him, smiled a little.

"You're still here," he said groggily.

Cas smiled back and kissed Dean's forehead lightly. "Where else would I be?"

"Agh, it's too early for this sentimental shit," the human said, rolling his eyes. "I should probably see who texted me."

Cas pulled away so Dean could fish his phone out of his jacket pocket and check the new message.

"It's just Sam," he said. "He's asking if we wanna meet him and Eileen for breakfast in town."

"Ah," Cas said. "Does he...?" the angel trailed off and gave Dean a nervous look.

"Know about this? Yeah. That's where he ran off to last night, to talk to me," Dean explained. "He was actually the one who suggested I should tell you about... well, everything."

"So he's okay with us?" Cas asked.

He didn't think Sam would mind, but still. He didn't want his new relationship with Dean to change the friendship he had with Sam.

"Yes," Dean reassured him. "He's okay with this."

Cas smiled, "Good, I'm glad."

The angel waited while Dean took a shower and got ready for the day. A knock sounded on the motel room door and Cas was about to answer it when he decided it might be safer to check through the peep-hole first, just in case. A quick glance showed a slender woman with brown hair wearing a black trench coat and carrying an angel blade.

Cas frowned and opened the door.

"Castiel," the woman said with a single nod.

"Uh... who are you?" Cas asked.

"One of the new angels Jack created," the woman responded. "I have been put in charge of a new faction of angels and I've come here to request your immediate presence in Heaven."

"Why?" Cas questioned, skeptical.

"Well, it's been getting some significant renovations and we could use some help with rebuilding," the angel explained.

"Can't you find someone else?"

"Even with the new angels Jack made, we're still stretched pretty thin. We would greatly appreciate your assistance, Castiel."

"Generally speaking, I'm more likely to say yes to people who don't introduce themselves with a weapon in hand," Cas said pointedly, his gaze flicking to the metal blade.

"It was a precaution," the woman said defensively. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but has your relationship with Heaven not been tumultuous over the past several years?"

"I was dealing with the end of the world," Cas answered with a tired sigh. "I know you weren't there, but I'm sure you've heard about it."

"Ah, yes. Your complicated relationship with the Winchester brothers. How are they now, by the way?"

"Why do you care?" Cas asked instead of answering the question.

"Just trying to make conversation," the angel replied with a shrug.

"Okay, well conversation time is over. I'm done with Heaven. I have other priorities now."

"Is that so?"

Cas didn't trust the angel one bit, so he decided it was probably best if he held his tongue. As he was about to tell the woman to leave, Dean sauntered out of the bathroom. Seeing the unfamiliar face and angel blade in her hand, the human instinctively reached for his own blade he'd tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

"I see we have a guest," Dean commented, stepping slightly in front of Cas. "I assume we're telling her to leave now?"

"Dean Winchester," the woman said, raising an eyebrow. "Playing house with an angel, hmm. That's interesting."

"Do I know you?" Dean said sarcastically, ignoring her comment.

"No. But everyone knows about you."

"So I've been told. I guess that's what happens after saving the world from an oncoming apocalypse three times in one decade."

Castiel could see the angel getting progressively more irritated and figured he should probably diffuse the situation before Dean did anything impulsive.

"You should go," he said to the female angel.

The woman rolled her eyes and made an exasperated noise but ultimately left. As soon as Cas shut the door again Dean was asking questions.

"Who was that?"

"A new angel, apparently," Cas answered, running a hand down his face. "She wanted me to help her and some other angels with 'renovating Heaven', whatever that means."

"But you said no?"

"I don't belong up there anymore," Cas said. "There's nothing for me up there now. I have everything I want—and need—here on Earth."

He wasn't trying to be sappy, but nonetheless Dean's gaze softened and he took the angel's hands in his. "Everything you've done for me and Sam over the years, it's more than we could ever repay you for. It means a lot to me that you chose us over... them."

Cas thought about saying how he'd always chosen Dean over pretty much anything else but figured the human should've realized that by now on his own.

"As I said, Earth is just a better fit for me," Cas smiled.

Dean smiled back and then pressed a light kiss on the angel's cheek. "You ready for breakfast? Because I sure am!"

"I don't eat, Dean," Cas reminded him.

"Right, right. That's too bad, really. You'll be missing out on some great waffles and bacon."

Cas gave a playful eye-roll to the human and didn't object when Dean grabbed his wrist to lead them to his car. On the way to town Cas kept stealing glances at Dean. His emerald-colored eyes and sandy brown hair... His defined jawline and kissable lips. His freckles...

Dean Winchester was a beautiful human being and Castiel was starting to wonder how such a man could fall in love with someone like him.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, catching Cas's suddenly melancholic expression.

"You're one of the most beautiful human beings I've ever met and I just... I feel lucky to have you," the angel answered honestly.

Dean gave a lazy grin, "Y'know, that's what all my exes used to say."

Cas shook his head and gave a playful pout. "You wound me, Dean. Truly."

"Ah, come on. What we've got is so much more than anything I've had in past relationships. Surely you know that by now, Cas."

"Until a couple nights ago I wasn't even sure you had any romantic feelings for me," the angel pointed out. "I'm still trying to get used to... all of this."

Dean nodded understandingly. "Me too, Cas. I'm just as new at this as you are."

The breakfast establishment chosen by Sam was a restaurant claiming to have "the best waffles" in the entire state. Cas thought how that was an awfully bold claim to make, given how many places probably had waffles on their menus. As always, though, Dean was practically drooling as he stepped through the front door. The man truly loved waffles.

Sam and Eileen were already inside, seated in a booth by the window. Sam had his laptop out and was typing away on it while Eileen was scrolling through something on an iPad.

"We may have found a lead on the box," Sam announced as Dean took a seat across from him. "There's an antique store a couple hours away that's known for selling especially rare items."

"Hmm," Dean said, grabbing a laminated menu from a stand at the edge of the table. "You know that thing could be anywhere in the entire country, though, right? It may not even be in North America at all."

"I know that," Sam said a little defensively. "But we have to start somewhere."

"He has a point, Dean," Cas interjected.

The angel was sitting next to the human, acutely aware of their close proximity. Cas had never overthought such a trivial thing in the past, but now he was wondering if they were sitting too close or if he was making Dean uncomfortable. The angel didn't really care what other people might think of their relationship, but he knew Dean probably would. Telling Sam was one thing, but he figured the human might not be so keen on showcasing their relationship in public.

And Cas respected that.

"Fine," Dean said. "After this little detour, though, I say we head back to the bunker and regroup. We're going off of virtually no information. We didn't even get a description of what the box looks like."

"I've been looking online for antique boxes," Eileen chimed in. "There's one that supposedly dates back three-hundred years."

"Where is it?" Sam asked.

"The seller is from New York. They're auctioning the box off at a charity event next week."

"Are there any pictures of it?" Dean asked.

"Here," Eileen said, handing the iPad to him.

Dean scrolled through the pictures put on the webpage by the seller.

"Can I see?" Cas asked him.

Dean handed him the device and watched as the angel's expression turned from one of intrigue to one of concern. There were symbols on the object that looked vaguely familiar. They weren't in Enochian, but something similar. Maybe a variation of the language.

"This is some archaic form of Enochian," Cas said aloud. "I recognize some of the symbols but not enough to get a full sentence."

"Wait, there's a message on the box?" Dean said, confused.

"Or a warning, maybe. From what I can piece together, it says something about the contents of the box being dangerous. It's the equivalent of a giant neon sign that says, 'do not open under any circumstance'."

"Wow," Sam commented. "Do you think it might be the box we're looking for?"

Cas shrugged, "There's a chance, I suppose. At the very least, it's an object that should probably be kept from humans."

Dean shot Cas a look, to which the angel shrugged again and added, "It's true. Whatever's in there probably predates humanity. It could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands."

"So we have to get it," Sam cuts in. "Whether it's what we're looking for or not, we have to get it, right?"

Cas sighed, "I suppose so. Listen, I can just go to New York and get it for you guys. After everything you've all been through you deserve an actual vacation—not just a day at Disneyland."

"And how exactly do you plan to get the box?" Dean questioned, sounding skeptical.

"I'll steal it," Cas answered plainly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked just as Dean said, "No."

"No?" Cas repeated, snapping his gaze to Dean. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"It's too dangerous," the human said as if this was obvious. "You have no idea what you might be going up against."

"I'll be fine, Dean," Cas insisted. "I can smuggle out a box without anyone even noticing before I'm gone."

Dean did not look happy about Cas's proposal but was cut off from any potential argument when a waitress stopped by the table to get everyone's order.

"Hey, hot stuff," the waitress, a middle-aged blonde-haired woman with a busty figure and cat-eye sharper glasses, said to Cas with a wink. "What'll you be having?"

The angel in question was bad with human interaction on a good day, let alone one that was overtly flirting with him. He felt extremely uncomfortable and out of his depth.

"Um... just a water please," he managed.

"You got it," the waitress replied, giving him a bright smile.

Cas felt like sinking underneath the table to escape from the oncoming awkwardness. In the past when random people had flirted with him, he'd be uncomfortable, sure, but Sam and Dean would just laugh it off, amused at their socially inept friend. Now, though...

Dean looked particularly annoyed. Well, maybe annoyed wasn't the right term. Was he... jealous? That thought made Cas feel a little better, mostly because of how absurd it was. Why would Dean be jealous of the waitress? Didn't he know that Cas had everything he wanted sitting right next to him?

Sensing the human's inner turmoil, Cas laced his fingers with Dean's underneath the table. Dean tensed up for a beat and then relaxed, squeezing Cas's hand lightly as if to say, "thanks".

This whole exchange was largely missed by Sam and Eileen, who were talking about something Cas had completely tuned out.

"We should go back to Disneyland," Sam was now saying. "I missed out on a lot of the rides because the lines were too long."

Dean sighed loudly and rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "You're a grown ass man, Sammy. If I learned anything from Disneyland it's that the target demographic seems to largely be screaming toddlers."

Sam gave Dean a dirty look and then resumed his conversation with Eileen. After everyone—well, everyone aside from Cas—got their food and finished eating it, the four of them decided to go to the beach since it was a nice day out and the ocean was only a few miles away.

Cas had never actually been to a beach. He wondered if the sand was really as smooth and soft as people said it was. He'd also never gone swimming. He was excited both because going to the beach would be a new experience for him and also because he'd get to spend the day with Dean. Hopefully it'd be an enjoyable time.

(Author's Note: I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking of this story so far! I always appreciate feedback!)