The box was opened and the tablet was revealed without much fanfare. Dean passed the text to Castiel, who eyed it carefully for a moment before deducing that he couldn't read it. Sam quickly left the war room in search of some translation papers that the brothers had previously used on the angel and demon tablets.

"This'll probably take a while," Dean told Cas. "We're supposed to tell Rowena and Death about this little discovery, but..." he trailed off and frowned at the floor. "Well, as you can probably imagine, I don't trust Death. And even though Rowena is our friend... I think we should wait to tell anyone until we know what the tablet actually says."

"I agree," Cas said.

"Are you sure you're okay, Cas?" Dean questioned, eyeing the angel closely.

"Yes, Dean, I'm fine," Cas replied, though he sounded a bit tired. "I just... I'm sick of being hunted down by my own kind. I thought this would all be over by now since Chuck is gone, but I guess angels will be dicks regardless of who's in charge."

"Not all angels," Dean said, smiling just a little bit.

Cas rolled his eyes at the human but Dean could tell he was suppressing a grin of his own.

Eventually Sam returned with several journals full of notes and also his laptop. He stated that, without a prophet of the Lord to assist in translating the tablet, it could possibly take months. This led into a somewhat lengthy argument about what actions to take next. Ultimately, no real conclusions were made. Instead, Sam started his research with vague promises of having the text translated as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Dean decided to head out and get lunch for himself and his brother.

"I'd ask if you wanna come with, but you should probably lay low for a while," Dean said to Cas. "Raphael might not be able to track me, but he probably won't have a very hard time finding you."

"You're probably right," the angel said, his shoulders drooping in disappointment.

"Hey, man, I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone. We can watch a movie or something this afternoon," Dean added with a smile, trying to cheer Cas up.

"Okay," he said, and he did look a little happier.

Dean gave Cas a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the bunker in search of food. He ended up at a diner he and Sam regularly frequented. After placing a to-go order, he waited outside by his Impala. It was nice out, with a cloudless sky and a moderate seventy degrees hanging in the air. Dean admittedly did feel a bit overdressed in his flannel, though, so he shrugged it off and tied it around his waist over the gray t-shirt he was wearing.

As he was about to head back inside the restaurant to check on his order, he noticed a woman walking toward him from across this street. She caught his eye and waved, like she recognized him. Dean had no idea who she was, though.

"Dean," the woman said, looking pleasantly surprised. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Um..." Dean didn't know what he should say.

He didn't want to seem rude, but he really didn't know who this lady was.

"Oh, right. You wouldn't recognize me in this body, I'm sure. Sorry about that. It's me, Anna. I know this is probably really weird for you—it's weird for me as well—but I just wanted to say hi I guess."

Dean blinked. "Anna?" he repeated stupidly. "The Anna? The angel Anna? I thought... You're supposed to be dead."

He didn't mean for his words to sound so harsh, but he was a bit in shock. How was Anna alive again? She'd been dead for over a decade.

"Yeah, well, I was. For a while, anyway. But then Jack resurrected several of us from the Empty," Anna explained.

"Right... How did you find me, exactly? Aren't I still hidden from all angels?"

"Oh... yeah..." Anna gave a nervous laugh and looked away for a moment. "Jack didn't, uh, do as good of a job as he thought he had, I guess. He woke me up, but I was still in the Empty. I had to... make some sacrifices to get here."

"Your grace," Dean realized. "You're... human now?"

Anna nodded, "Yep. I have to admit that I prefer this life much more than my angelic one. Especially now that Chuck's gone."

"Oh, you have no idea," Dean muttered under his breath. "So, uh, the last time we saw each other... That was..." he chuckled a little, trying to not make the situation awkward but probably failing miserably.

"I know it was just a one-time thing, Dean," Anna said with a reassuring smile. "You have a reputation—or, at least you did back then. I'm cut off from angel radio now, but while I was awake in the Empty, I heard some of the other angels that Jack had also woken up. Castiel was one of them."

"Oh?" Dean said, suddenly not liking where this conversation might be heading.

"I was surprised that he was dead, and I was even more surprised to hear what he was saying. He just kept repeating your name and asking for help. I figured you two must've gotten a lot closer after I... died."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Dean said awkwardly.

He wasn't ashamed of his relationship with Cas. He really wasn't. He just didn't really feel like explaining it to the ex-angel who used to technically be Cas's sister. And also just so happened to be someone he'd slept with.

"I saw how he used to look at you, Dean," Anna said, and she didn't sound upset or surprised in the slightest. "And how he'd talk about you. Practically all of Heaven could see what was happening... Maybe that's part of why they got so mad," she mused.

"You think we're dating," Dean said, his voice far more accusatory than he'd intended.

And why was he being accusatory at all? He was dating Cas... wasn't he?

"Are you... not?" Anna asked, now confused.

"I..." Dean trailed off and shook his head. "Uh, yeah. We are, actually. I just... It's still really new and I'm trying to get used to it, that's all."

"Ah," Anna said. "Hm. I would've thought you'd have gotten together sooner, but," she shrugged and then gave a small smile. "Well, I'm glad you're happy, Dean. You deserve it."

Dean let out a relieved sigh, happy to steer the conversation away from his relationship with Cas. It was still so new despite them being in love for quite a while now. He just didn't want to do anything to accidentally mess it up.

"I'm glad you're happy being human," Dean said, returning her smile with one of his own. "We should hang out sometime, maybe. I can catch you up with everything you've missed in the decade you've been gone."

Anna nodded, "I think I'd like that."

Dean parted ways with the newly human version of Anna and finally retrieved his to-go order. By the time he got back to the bunker, Sam was snoozing on a textbook and Cas was filling out a crossword puzzle from a daily newspaper.

"You guys are so lame," Dean said, setting the bag of food down on the table next to Sam.

"Huh?" his younger brother said, lifting his head up from the book and discreetly wiping drool off his chin. "Ooh, food."

"Was there a long wait for the food?" Cas asked, setting the newspaper down on a side table and standing up. "Usually you don't take this long to make food runs."

Cas didn't sound suspicious, only curious. Still, though, Dean weirdly felt like he was being called out for doing something he shouldn't. But why?

"Ah, I guess so," he said, and it was only kind of a lie.

"Hm. Well, I was thinking of movies we could watch and there's this one about a bank heist that I think you'll quite enjoy. Lots of explosions and guns and stuff."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "Your taste in movies is somehow worse than mine—and that's saying a lot."

But Dean did sit down in the movie room (DeanCave) to enjoy the afternoon sitting next to Cas. Maybe a little too close. Cas didn't seem to mind, though, and at some point during the movie he leaned his head against Dean's shoulder. It was very cute, though the human would never admit so aloud.

He wanted to tell Cas about Anna, but every time he tried he just felt weird about it. There was really no reason for him to feel this way, and yet... He didn't know why he couldn't say it. Maybe because Cas ended up getting Anna killed all those years ago. Maybe because Dean had slept with her during a time period when Cas might've already had romantic feelings for him. It would just be... too awkward.

"Let's watch another movie," Cas suggested once the first one had finished. "You can pick it if you wanna."

Dean felt like he should be out helping Sam with research, but at the same time he enjoyed hanging out with Cas. Sure, things weren't totally back to normal—what with the mysterious tablet and threats from apparently recently resurrected angels—but at least there wasn't any oncoming apocalypse to have to worry about.

Surely that counted for something.

"Sure," Dean said. "How about you get us some drinks while I find a movie?"

Cas obliged and got up from the couch. He looked better than when he'd first shown up at the bunker earlier in the day. He tossed his trench-coat in to be washed, along with his white undershirt. Now he was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. Seeing him in casual attire still weirded Dean out just a little bit, but he was starting to get used to the change.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Dean and Cas watched another movie while each sipping on a beer and when dinner time rolled around Dean dragged his brother from researching to help him make a pizza. Cas sat at the kitchen table with them as they ate and once dinner was over and all the dishes had been washed and dried, Sam suggested that maybe they should all play a board game.

"Board games are for children," Dean protested.

"Board games are fun," Sam argued. "When was the last time we played a board game, Dean? Oh yeah, never!"

Dean rolled his eyes, "Ugh, fine, whatever. What do you wanna play?"

"I think we should play Monopoly," Cas chimed in, grinning. "I played it with Jack once and it was very fun."

"Great! I'll go find it!" Sam said with too much enthusiasm for Dean's liking.

Ten-ish minutes later, Dean, Sam and Cas were sitting at a table in the library playing Monopoly. Both Dean and Sam were being quite competitive and each seemed determined to win; meanwhile, Cas just looked like he was enjoying himself and not really caring about winning or losing.

"Dude, you took all the houses," Sam complained to his older brother. "How did you even get that much money?"

Dean smirked and looked over at Cas, who kept landing on Dean's property and therefore had to keep paying him. The angel had a small frown on his face now, seemingly unhappy with the five properties he'd managed to obtain.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong," Cas said, looking confused. "It wasn't like this when I played with Jack."

"That's because you don't know how to play to win," Dean said, giving him a pointed look. "What's the point if you don't win?"

"I thought the point was to have fun," Cas said with furrowed eyebrows. "Is that... not correct?"

"Dean's just being a jerk," Sam said. "He's a sore loser."

"Hey! You're being way more competitive than me!" the older Winchester argued. "You've got multiple hotels!"

Near the end of the game, it looked like Dean was going to win. While he was quite proud of himself, Sam looked about ready to blow a fuse. Of course Dean cherished any moment to—lovingly—torment his younger brother, so he was ecstatic.

"It seems that either of you could very well win at this point," Cas said, drawing Dean's attention to the angel for the first time in several minutes. "Maybe we should call it a tie."

"Uh-uh," Dean protested, wagging a finger disapprovingly at Cas. "I ain't gonna lose to Sammy—no offense, Sammy."

Dean caught Cas rolling his eyes in his periphery, but chose to ignore it. Cas wasn't human, after all. He simply didn't understand the importance of winning a board game.

And so, Dean won the game. Sam didn't look too upset about it, much to his older brother's disappointment. Cas chose to stay at the table and put the board game away, being the infuriatingly polite angel he was. Meanwhile, Dean stepped into the kitchen to grab a drink—water this time—and paused in the middle of the room when his phone pinged with a new message.

He wondered who might be texting him at eleven o'clock at night. Maybe a hunter needing help on a case?

He tapped his phone screen to see the message. It was from an unknown number, but he remembered it very well from earlier in the day. He quickly added it to his contacts list before opening the text in his messaging app.

ANNA: Sorry to bother you so late like this, but I can't sleep. I thought being human would make things easier, but I just feel... lost and confused.

Dean frowned for a moment and then typed a reply.

ME: Don't worry about it. It'll take some time to get used to. You'll get through it.

Anna replied a minute later with a smiling emoji and a pink heart emoji. Dean smiled to himself a little and sent a thumbs-up emoji back.

"Hey," Cas said from behind Dean, startling him a bit. "I figured you'd be going to bed soon and I was wondering if you'd be okay with me... sitting next to you. I know I don't sleep but I have some crossword puzzles I've been working on and I quite enjoy your presence. If you're okay with that, of course."

Dean knew he shouldn't freak out about the text messages. He knew that Cas probably wouldn't even care or ask about them at all. He knew this, he really did, and yet he was still frantically shoving his phone back in his pocket and swiveling around to face a now puzzled angel.

"Are you okay, Dean?" Cas asked, tilting his head in that way he sometimes did.

"Yeah, yeah. Yep. I just, um, yeah. You just surprised me, is all. Um, yeah, sure. You can chill in my room if you wanna."

That's not quite what Dean meant to say, but he was nervous. He hoped Cas would overlook this or be too socially inept to pick up on it. Of course, though, it was Cas. And beside Sam, Cas knew him better than anyone else.

"Dean," Cas repeated, pitching his voice lower in that I mean serious business here type of way.

"I just..." Dean hesitated, not quite able to say what he wanted to. "Um, I actually kind of lied to you earlier today about something," he eventually said.

Cas narrowed his eyes, "About what?"

"I saw someone while I was waiting to pick up the food for lunch. That's why it took me a while longer than usual to get back," Dean explained, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh," Cas said, looking a little confused. "Who was it?"

"Well, that's the thing. I know you already know that Jack resurrected more angels from the Empty than just you and Raphael, and, um... Well, Anna was one of them."

"Anna?" Cas echoed. "Hmm... okay. Is she... all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. She's human now, apparently. We only talked for a few minutes."

"Hmm," Cas hummed, seemingly pondering something. "Why were you afraid to tell me about this?"

"I wasn't afraid, per se," Dean replied, only slightly defensive. "I just... thought it might be a bit awkward, I guess."

"Why?"

"Because I, y'know, slept with her," Dean answered.

He felt his face heat up and knew his embarrassment was completely unnecessary, though his body didn't seem to be getting that memo.

"Oh," Cas said, suddenly seeming to understand. "That was a long time ago, Dean. We barely knew each other back then. You're not... you're not worried about me being jealous, are you?"

Dean's eyes widened, surprised at Cas's perception. "I... I guess so, actually. Yeah."

"Well, don't be," the angel said, his gaze softening. "I trust you, Dean. I value our relationship greatly and I know you do as well."

"I—" Dean started to protest, though he didn't even know exactly why he was protesting.

"I've seen your soul," Cas reminded him. "I could see all the love and affection you have for me. It's more than I deserve, of course, but I accept it and try to reciprocate it as best as I know how."

Dean managed a watery smile, feeling tears suddenly spring up in his field of vision. "Dammit, Cas. You're so amazing."

The angel blushed, "Now you're just embarrassing me."

Dean pulled Cas in for a hug and kiss, which the angel appeared to enjoy quite a lot. Dean moved back first but Cas reeled him in once more, kissing the human deeply and even biting down on his lower lip a little. Very soon tongues were involved in the mix. The two only stopped long enough to move to Dean's bedroom before resuming their make-out session.

Without much thought Dean tugged Cas's t-shirt over his head and began to leave a trail of kisses along his jawline down to his collarbone. The angel was breathing hard enough for Dean to feel his heartbeat and after glancing up at him the human saw how flushed his face was.

"Dean..." Cas breathed out.

"Too much?" Dean asked, pulling back slightly to wait for a response.

Cas shook his head, then nodded, then shook his head again. "I don't know, but I don't want you to stop."

That was all Dean needed to hear. He continued peppering Cas's body with light, delicate kisses as the angel stood there mostly motionless. When Dean's hands found Cas's belt, he once again hesitated.

"Do you... are you okay with this?" he asked, looking into the angel's bright blue eyes.

Cas nodded, seeming eager.

So Dean carefully took off Cas's belt and tossed it somewhere on the floor. Then he unzipped the angel's jeans and paused yet again, feeling suddenly out of his depth. He hadn't done something like this with a man—or with anyone, for that matter—in several years. What if he made things awkward? What if he messed up somehow? Would Cas notice?

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Cas said softly, misreading Dean's hesitation. "I am content with only the kissing, if that's what you prefer."

"No, I want to do this," Dean assured him. "I just... Sorry. I'm overthinking things."

Cas kissed Dean's forehead and wrapped his arms around the human's waist. "There is no need to rush into things, Dean," he said gently. "I promise you that we will have the rest of our lives together to experience this."

"How can you be so sure?" Dean countered, his voice wavering a little more than he'd like it to.

Cas smiled, "Because we always end up together, no matter what. And now that we're actually together together, I don't plan on ever leaving you again."

"You can't really promise that," Dean whispered, feeling something like a sob coming on.

"I can try," Cas said quietly.

Dean waited a few moments until he knew for sure that he wasn't going to cry before he said, "I'm not trying to rush into things, Cas. I just—I wanna show you how much I love you."

"I know how much you love me," Cas insisted, adoration clear in his tone.

"Let me show you anyway," Dean said—pleaded, almost.

Cas hummed a little and nodded, seeing that Dean wouldn't be deterred. "All right. I'm certainly not going to stop you."

Dean gave Cas one more kiss before fully extricating the angel from his jeans. Standing naked aside from his boxes now, it was quite obvious how Cas seemed to respond to Dean's touch. His wings flared out behind him and the feathers all puffed up with every brush of skin-on-skin contact that was made.

At some point Cas's boxers came off and then he really was naked. Dean was still fully clothed—a fact that the angel disputed with a few annoyed words among the many whimpers of pleasure that were tumbling out of his kiss-swollen mouth.

"That wasn't fair," Cas complained afterward, his pupils still very dilated and his face still flushed. "Why was I the only one unclothed?"

"Because this wasn't about me," Dean answered with a little smirk. "The point was to make you feel good."

"Looking at you would've made me feel good," Cas retorted. "I've only seen you naked once, and that was when I rebuilt your body after I saved you from Hell. Of course I found you to be objectively attractive even then, but I did not yet have any... sexual feelings for you."

"Right," Dean said, feeling his face heat up without his permission. "Well, I won't lie, Cas, I may have thought about you a few times while I, um, y'know."

Cas frowned for a moment before understanding what Dean meant. "Oh. Well, um, I'm flattered, I suppose."

Dean rolled his eyes and clapped Cas lightly on the shoulder. "You should get cleaned up, buddy. Maybe take a shower."

Cas nodded, then smirked. "Maybe you should join me."

Dean's eyes widened and Cas laughed. "Jackass," the human muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, but I'm your jackass," the angel responded with a grin as he put on one of Dean's robes before heading back to his own room to get a set of clean clothing.

That night, after Cas had gotten a shower and changed into a loose-fitting t-shirt and sweatpants, he crawled into bed beside Dean and hummed quietly to himself as he worked on a crossword puzzle. Dean sat up briefly to give the angel a goodnight kiss before he quickly drifted off into a pleasant, dreamless slumber.