Content: In which there are books and milkshakes.
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Author's Note: So guys, we're here!
It's been an awesome ride and one last time I have to thank every single one of you, YOU'RE AMAZING! I'm thrilled about your lovely and enthusiastic feedback and it's been a pleasure to entertain you with my little story :D
There will definitely be more of my fics very soon (at least one even longer than this one [also almost finished] and a bunch of fluffy oneshots), so if you're interested just follow/subscribe me ;)
And now, without further ado, have fun with the epilogue :D
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Castiel leans back in his armchair and sighs, contentment filling his whole being.
The scent of books – newly published and decades-old alike – is humming in the air and Castiel can't help letting his gaze roam over the countless shelves around him once again. He's always loved spending time in their public library (which is conveniently stationed right next to his animal clinic) and now they have it all for themselves. For the entire evening.
Castiel still can't believe they managed to achieve that.
It's probably only due to the head librarian's huge crush on Dean that they were able to persuade her to allow such a thing for a change. As well as the fact that she has known Castiel for a long time, certain he wouldn't burn down the whole building or – far worse – get water stains on the books.
Castiel chuckles as he watches the people scattered around the large room, each and every one careful with the books in their care, just like Castiel made them promise in the beginning. Balthazar even brought a pair of gloves (though Castiel isn't entirely sure if it's to protect the paper or prevent contact with theoretical cooties) and he looks almost sophisticated turning the pages.
Castiel glances at Emma who is sitting on the floor right in front of his armchair. She made herself comfortable with about a hundred pillows surrounding her, a large book about wolf pack dynamics balancing on her knees.
Castiel hadn't been overly surprised by her choice. She had shown a knack for animals right from the start and it only grew in the two years since he's known her. She accompanied him to work more often than not, eager to learn all the different things about cats, dogs and so on, and for seven years old she's actually quite the little expert by now. Furthermore, she took riding lessons as soon as Dean's financial situation allowed it and she's constantly keen to visit her "Uncle Gabe" at his estate to say hello all his horses.
And of course she became instantly attached to Mojo and Grace from the moment she met them (and vice versa – it's been love at first sight all around) and since then dogs are her most favorite topic (which she always loves to discuss in great detail with Sam). So it's seriously no wonder she grabbed the book about wolves first thing when they entered the library.
Castiel smiles softly and finds himself petting her hair briefly, an instinctual thing by now as soon as they're close to each other. Emma raises her head and grins at him before immediately turning back to her book.
Warmth spreads within Castiel's chest as he studies her being enthralled by the written words, wondering whether this feeling of awe at having such a wonderful person in his life will ever fade.
Probably not.
He's seriously lucky.
Castiel smiles at himself when he pays attention to the book in front of him once more, quickly getting lost in the story and the silence encircling them. His muscles relax, his mind begins to feel open and free.
It promises to become a truly wonderful night.
Until there is a loud groan coming from the Geography section.
"God, Cassie!" Gabriel complains melodramatically, like he's in actual pain. "This is the lamest bachelor party ever!"
Castiel finds himself smiling despite his brother's disapproving tone. Gabriel has been saying the exact same thing for weeks now, trying to bring his brother around to do "something more fun, with naked skin … or at least some booze" all the time, but Castiel didn't care back then and he sure as hell doesn't care now.
"This is my bachelor party!" Castiel states. "And I'm enjoying it rather immensely."
Emma stifles a laugh. As soon as Castiel had voiced his plan to spend time in the local library rather than getting drunk in a bar somewhere she has been more than eager to be part of it. She even put on Castiel's favorite outfit – the blue summer dress which matches both Dean and Emma's eyes perfectly and made Castiel fall in love with it for that specific reason – to look extra beautiful today.
"I wasn't allowed to plan your bachelor party two years ago," Castiel reminds him. "So what makes you think I'd allow you to plan mine now?"
Gabriel staggers to his feet quite gracelessly. "I get that," he concedes. "It's only fair and all that. But –" He sighs deeply. "I mean, we can't even talk about inappropriate stuff since there are minors present." He nods at Emma. "And I can't even do my usual 'end-of-your-freedom-marriage-is-a-prison' jokes 'cause my wife is here, too!"
Kali, who has been sitting in an armchair right next to Castiel the whole time, rises her gaze and shoots an unimpressed look at Gabriel that says "You're a moron" louder than any voice ever could.
"You don't want me here, Uncle Gabe?" Emma suddenly pipes in, a hurt note in her tone, though Castiel detects a gleam in her eyes which always shows when she decides to play people like fiddles.
It happens way too often.
Gabriel's face falls instantly. "Oh no, of course I want you here, sweetheart," he assures her right away, dropping beside her on the ground and ruffling her hair. "You're my favorite person in this room, believe me. I'm just messing a bit with your dad."
Emma grins. "Like Daddy and Uncle Sammy do it with each other all the time?"
Gabriel pats her head. "Exactly like them. That's what brothers do. So your Dad over there and I, we love to bicker."
While Emma mulls those words over in her head like they're a valuable life advice she has to savor for all eternity, Castiel's heart can't help jumping excitedly hearing people calling him Emma's father.
It's not a new development (it's been way over a year since Dean almost casually told the new neighbor that Emma was "their" daughter like it's been the most normal thing in the world), but Castiel still feels so blessed being reminded of it over and over again. It reached even new levels when Emma, shortly after Dean's proposal, started to call Castiel "Dad" more often than not. Castiel actually got teary eyed the very first time and had to flee to the bathroom to find himself outright crying and eventually being coddled by Dean who understood the gravity of the moment better than anyone else.
It's not a frequent occurrence yet – sometimes Castiel is "Dad", sometimes he's simply "Cas" –, but it's getting more and more numerous and Dean seems confident that it'll be a full transition in no time at all.
And it's hard to say who's happier about it: Castiel or Dean.
"It's a nice bachelor party," Emma says, obviously in an effort to support Castiel's choice. "I like it."
"Only because you've never been to one before," Gabriel jokes. "Believe me –"
"Did you know that wolf packs have alphas and betas?" Emma suddenly cuts in. She sounds innocent enough, like a child who got bored with the conversation at hand and tries to focus it on a more interesting topic instead, but Castiel knows her more than well by now. She's doing it on purpose, being quite aware that Gabriel won't wave her off in favor of continuing to nag about the party.
And she's absolutely right in the end. Instead of brushing her off by announcing that he knows about pack dynamics, thank you very much, Gabriel's features soften and he says, "Actually I really don't know that much about alphas and betas. Would you like to explain it to me?"
Emma nods with a smile, expecting nothing less from the man who's got so taken with her in no time at all that it's now outrageously easy for her to play him like a puppet. It's always fascinating to watch.
Emma starts a thorough description of wolves and their ranks which even seems to pique Balthazar's interest who stayed fairly quiet so far, enraptured in a book Castiel doesn't exactly want to know the contents about, as Castiel feels his heart swell at the picture in front of him.
It is the perfect bachelor party, no questions asked!
From the corners of his eyes he notices Kali watching her husband being besotted with Emma with a soft expression, most likely a thousand different things on her mind right now.
"When are you gonna tell Gabriel that you're pregnant?" Castiel whispers to her, making extra sure that no one would be able to overhear him. "He'll be thrilled."
Kali didn't mean to spill the beans to her brother-in-law first, but Castiel witnessed her morning sickness the other day quite by accident and it didn't take him long to connect the dots.
"I'm gonna wait til after the wedding," Kali breaths back. "He's so stressed out with all the preparations, I don't wanna see him explode because of the news."
Castiel snorts. "He's making too big of a deal out of it, to be honest. There are not that much 'preparations' to begin with."
Both Dean and Castiel agreed on a small and intimate wedding right from the start. A nice ceremony, a get-together in their backyard, a few normal sized cakes and pies instead of a huge wedding cake (Dean had been very insistent about the pie part) – all in all, nothing fancy.
It's never been a money issue, though. Castiel's animal clinic still runs smoothly – especially since a very favorable article in a popular magazine which got him a significant new set of patients – and Dean is quite successful in his job as well. He proposed the idea to expand the garage and add restoration of old timers to their business to Bobby quite soon after Gabriel's and Kali's wedding and soon enough they worked out some plan to test the idea. And thanks to Dean's amazing skills and some quite influential clients word got around rather quickly, so it didn't take long for new requests to pile up. By now they actually have a waiting list and Dean, who's more or less running the garage on its own since a few months, is currently looking for new mechanics to lessen the workload.
So yes, money hasn't been an issue as they began to plan the wedding.
But they both agreed to use their earnings for more important things than a one time party. Like expanding Castiel's house (which actually became home to all three of them over a year ago), so they would have more space. So far it's efficient enough – plenty of room for Castiel, Dean and Emma as well as Mojo and Grace –, but Dean always would have liked a bigger kitchen and Castiel wouldn't say no to a study and maybe an additional bathroom with a bathtub, and so somewhere along the way they found themselves talking and planning.
About larger kitchens, studies and some extra rooms which could or could not be used as future nurseries someday.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
"You should tell him before the wedding," Castiel encourages his sister-in-law. "There's more or less everything set in place anyway and it would distract Gabriel perfectly from all the unnecessary fuss he's making."
Kali rolls her eyes at him. "So instead of having him focus on you, you want him focused on me."
"Sure. You're the one who married him after all."
Kali sighs deeply. "Sometimes I wonder why."
However, the fondness in her voice belies her words. Even after two years of marriage they are still this hurricane of unpredictability and chaos, infused with earnest adoration for one another.
Castiel can't wait to see them as parents.
It's gonna be a wild ride, that's for sure.
Just as he's about to picture his brother changing some diapers and snickering at the image of Gabriel failing miserably, a commotion at the door suddenly grasps his attention and he turns around to look at the newcomers making a beeline to the main area.
Castiel immediately spots Dean between them, his face probably lighting up like a Christmas tree at the sight of his fiancé. Even after all this time he gets stupidly excited just being in the same room with him, as though it's still the beginning of their relationship, back then when they tentatively tried to know each other without trying to blush every single time their gazes met.
However, Dean doesn't seem very far behind. He always brightens when his eyes fall on Castiel and it appears to become more intense as time goes by, not the other way around. Like Castiel is the best thing that ever happened to him and it doesn't matter how many days, months, years passed by, it's still the same.
Castiel still isn't used to someone looking at him like that and he doubts that he ever will be.
"Cas!" Dean exclaims excitedly and instantly walks straight toward him, his only mission in life obviously to get close to him as fast as possible. He drops onto the armchair and though it's a tight fit, Dean doesn't appear to mind. "I've missed you."
Castiel chuckles. "We've seen each other just two hours ago."
"Too long," Dean whispers as he leans in, his lips so soft and perfect on Castiel's it must be Heaven itself. Castiel rakes his hand through Dean's hair and enjoys the content noises he makes. He always sounds like a happy cat and Castiel can't get enough of it.
Other people, however, apparently can.
"Seriously?" Gabriel groans. "Now we have to watch this, too?"
"Believe me, it's better that way," Sam chimes in. "Dean was moping and pining the whole time, it's been ridiculous. It's like they haven't seen each other in months or whatever."
Dean shoots him a glare. "I wasn't moping. Or pining."
Sam grins as he walks fully into the room, followed by Jo and Benny and a few others of Dean's friends who look just as fondly exasperated. "Seriously? It's your freaking bachelor party and all you did was describing Cas' 'deep blue eyes' to the bartender. You used words like 'ocean' and 'night sky', man."
Dean pouts adorably, apparently ready for a comeback, but before they're about to start a sibling squabble which most likely would've lasted half an hour at the least Castiel hastily jumps in and asks, "What are you doing here, if I may ask? Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course."
Dean offers him a dazzling smile. "I wanted your bachelor party to be perfect."
The grinding of Gabriel's teeth is echoing throughout the whole room. "By making out like horny teenagers?"
Dean snorts. "Yes," he agrees. "And by bringing some food."
He points at his entourage and Castiel suddenly registers that all of them carry distinctive paper bags, obviously filled with something deliciously smelling. Gabriel perks up right away and scrambles to his feet like a newborn gazelle.
"We got some burgers from The Roadhouse," Dean announces and, leaning back closer to Castiel, he adds, "Just like you wanted."
Castiel arches a brow. When they planned this special gathering he certainly didn't voice his desire for some sustenance. Granted, it's highly appreciated, however, he can't recall ever saying something like this.
Dean obviously seems to know exactly what's going on in his head. "Remember, back at Gabe and Kali's wedding? When we were sitting in that kitchen at 3 AM and we talked about your hypothetical bachelor party?"
Castiel has to admit there's a lot he remembers about that specific night. How his heart soared when he saw Dean and Emma interact, how special he felt when Dean opened up about his father and his less than glamorous childhood.
And yes, he recalls talking about bachelor parties.
How Dean joked – or maybe half-joked – about Castiel renting a library and using his precious time to snuggle up, read a few good books and have interesting conversations about literature. And there had been some food mentioned as well, that's true. Burgers and fries and ...
"Milkshakes," Castiel finds himself saying with a wide grin on his face.
Dean nods joyfully as he points at Jo who's indeed carrying a big box of beverages. "Happy bachelor party!" she exclaims, then instantly halts and frowns at her own wording. "Wait, is that right? Is that a thing people say?"
Dean rolls his eyes. "Just put the milkshakes down, Harvelle, and shut your cakehole."
Jo sticks out her tongue, obviously not giving a damn that she appears like a toddler. "Thank God I dropped you like a hot potato when I still got the chance. Imagine having to marry you. Dodged a bullet there."
"Well, Cas doesn't seem to have a problem with that." Dean's chest swells as he flashes his fiancé a quick smile.
"Cas is somehow immune to your bullshit," Jo counters good-naturedly. "He's seriously an angel for putting up with you."
Some time ago Dean probably would've agreed with her, at least on the inside, his own self-esteem still a fragile thing more often than not, but thankfully somewhere along the way he got more confident about his worth and his cocky grin became real instead of a mask.
Castiel loved to witness this transition firsthand.
"He is an angel," Dean confirms. "But damn, woman, I'm a joy to be around! You're probably weeping in your room every single night that you only got three days of fake-dating with me and that's all she wrote."
"You wish, Winchester –"
They continue their bickering, obviously enjoying themselves immensely, while Sam sighs so deeply most likely even the people a few towns over are able to hear it, grabs one of the milkshakes and offers it to Castiel next to a bag with burgers and fries.
"Here, man," he says. "They'll take a while and I don't want it to be cold."
Castiel chuckles as he accepts the items. "You should have seen them last week watching Jeopardy together. It got ugly."
Sam shakes his head in fond exasperation. "Are you really sure you wanna marry into this crazy family? There will be no escape, buddy."
"I've never been so sure about anything in my life."
Sam's lips tug upwards while he drops onto the floor next to Emma. He was merely joking, of course, but he still seems happy hearing those words from Castiel.
"I need some food, too," Gabriel suddenly pipes in, reaching out his arms in a clear gimme gesture. "Share your gifts, Sasquatch!"
Sam snorts. "You're as charming and delightful as ever."
Castiel studies Sam pensively as he starts to bicker with Gabriel – and Balthazar jumps in as well at some point –, absolutely at ease with the whole situation. Castiel remembers how nervous he's been to meet Sam back then the first time around, when his and Dean's bond was this new and blooming thing and Castiel couldn't help worrying more often than not that everything would collapse like a house of cards sooner or later. He simply couldn't believe that he got so freaking lucky. And Sam was - and still is - one of the most important persons in Dean's life and Castiel feared his judgment more than anything. If Sam wouldn't have approved of him, Dean probably wouldn't have been fairly willing to continue their relationship.
But of course he shouldn't have been concerned (as Dean reassured him beforehand over and over again). Sam had been kind and welcoming and soon enough they found themselves talking about the most random things while Dean beamed in the background, obviously thrilled that his brother and his boyfriend got along so well.
It didn't take long for Sam to invite Castiel to the farmer's market and some morning runs and soon enough they called each other 'friend'.
So yes, Castiel would take this crazy family anytime.
Jo and her sometimes brusque attitude. Bobby and his ability to communicate in grunts and declare his affection by using terms like 'idjit'. Ellen and her motherly need to feed Castiel whenever she sees him, apparently figuring he would starve otherwise.
Even John. Dean's father had reacted surprised and a bit reluctant at first after hearing the news of his son dating a man, but in the end John certainly valued his slowly rekindling relationship with his kids much more than anything else. He didn't dare risking to destroy everything by maybe voicing some ill-timed thoughts. So far John hasn't fully warmed up to Castiel yet, but they get along just fine, even when they're alone in a room for longer than two minutes, and for now Castiel is satisfied with this. Maybe they'll become closer in the future, maybe not – Castiel decided to just let it come his way instead of forcing it and see how it might turn out. At least John seems rather mellowed by Emma adoring the hell out of Castiel, so no hope is lost there.
"What's on your mind, babe?" Dean's soft voice jerks him out of his thoughts. "You look like you're a bit lost in your head."
Castiel's stomach flutters pleasantly as he notices how close Dean moved, barely an inch between them. "I'm just thinking about how lucky I am."
"Oh yeah?" Dean smirks. "So you were picturing me naked?"
Castiel flushes, thankful for the fact that Dean dropped his voice so low nobody was apparently able to listen in. "You're impossible!"
"Don't be shy, Cas," Dean says amused. "I know I'm irresistible."
He's most certainly right about that, there's no denying that, but Castiel doesn't want to give him that victory on a silver platter. "You're not as compelling as you think."
Dean, however, isn't fooled by that. "Liar, liar, pants on fire," he sings, laughing quietly. "How about we send everyone home and you can have your wicked way with me right here, right now? I bet you've been fantasizing about getting real dirty in a library since forever."
He's clearly frolicking, but Castiel can't help imaging the scenario very vividly all of a sudden and blushes fiercely.
Dean blinks a few times before he outright beams at Castiel. "Oh my God, am I right?" He sounds absolutely delighted. "Dammit, Cas, you're so kinky sometimes. I love it."
Castiel tries to look disapproving, but the red on his cheeks probably belies his actions. "You're seriously impossible."
Dean drops a light kiss underneath Castiel's ear. "And you love me anyway, so who's the impossible one here?"
Castiel scoffs, though the fondness in his features is most likely plain visible. He adores moments like this, just the two of them, sitting close to each other, sharing gentle touches and affections, not bothered by anything. It's simple and easy and so wonderful Castiel can't wait to have this until his dying day.
"You should eat your food, babe," Deans says, poking the paper bag in Castiel's lap. "It'll get cold and you're gonna need your energy for later."
Castiel chews his bottom lip. "Dean –"
"I don't mean sex in the library, Cas!" Dean promises with a snicker in his tone. "Although, if you're available, I wouldn't mind –"
"Dean!"
"All right, all right." Dean chuckles. "I'm just saying that it's gonna be a long night and I wanna talk literature with you. And Sammy, too, of course. I think he's quite happy that I dragged him here. He never liked bars."
Castiel frowns. "So you don't want to return to your own bachelor party?"
Dean looks at him like he's the most adorable idiot in existence. "I can barhop anytime I want. But having a whole library just to ourselves – that's not happening very often."
Castiel can't argue with him on that one, it's truly a unique experience.
"Unless you don't want me here," Dean continues. "Then we'll get out of your hair –"
Castiel rolls his eyes before grabbing Dean's collar and pulling him into a searing kiss. Dean makes a pleased sound as he gives back tenfold without any kind of hesitation and soon enough they get lost in each other, just the feeling of warmth and safety and pleasure filling their senses.
When they eventually have to break apart to catch their breath, Castiel whispers, "Of course I want you here."
His eyes still a bit dazed, Dean smiles crookedly at him. "Good," he breathes back. "And now eat your food, man."
"You're taking such good care of me," Castiel says in a low voice as he snuggles closer to Dean. "Thank you for bringing some nourishment."
Dean lets his lips brush over Castiel's temples. "I'm just being selfish. I wanted to see you. Badly."
Castiel can't help a flush at the emotion wavering in Dean's tone. "It's not like we're not sleeping in the same bed tonight. Or the nights after that."
Dean smiles into Castiel's skin, the words clearly making him happy. "Still. I can't wait to get married and call you 'Mr. Winchester' all the freaking time."
It hasn't been a hardship to decide to take Dean's surname. Castiel's own last name is merely a reminder of his absent father while 'Winchester' holds so much more. It's not only Dean's name but Emma's as well, the two people he loves more than anything. There's hasn't been even a single doubt that Castiel wants to share a name with them.
And Dean's bright smile and enthusiastic excitement when Castiel told him had been the cherry on top.
"Just one more week," Castiel whispers. He kisses Dean gently, making the other man hum in contentment. "Then you can call me your husband all the time."
And Castiel will gladly do the same.
He's been so thrilled and equally shocked when just a few months ago Dean suddenly dropped to his knee, right there in the middle of the kitchen first thing in the morning, with Castiel glaring at the slow coffeemaker and grumbling underneath his breath, as if this scene right in front of him had been the most beautiful thing Dean ever witnessed and he couldn't hold back his desire to marry this man and make him truly his any longer. For the first time in his adult life Castiel totally forgot about caffeine as he tackled Dean to the floor and kissed him senseless, whispering, "Yes, yes, yes" over and over between breaths.
"Can you actually believe we're here?" Dean wonders, awe in his voice. "I mean, just not so long ago I truly thought I'd never see you again. That I missed my chance back in school. I hated myself for being so stupid."
Castiel lets his fingers skid over Dean's forearm. "Don't dwell on that. Everything is perfect the way it is. We have a wonderful daughter –" and Castiel revels in the sight of Dean brimming with happiness at his fiancé's phrasing, "– we have a house, good jobs which make us happy, two dogs, a huge and sometimes obnoxious family. Even a white picket fence."
Dean's whole demeanor gentles as he peppers Castiel's cheeks with tender kisses like he can't help himself. "Lucky me."
"Lucky us," Castiel corrects.
He lets his gaze wander over the people surrounding them – Jo and Kali speaking in hushed voices, most likely about the baby, Sam and Gabriel squabbling about something while Balthazar films their interaction, probably hoping for some spontaneous action that would get him famous on the internet, and Emma frowning at the grown-ups as if she can't believe she is supposed the immature one here – and yes, they're very lucky indeed.