A/N: So, it turns out I got a little more time for my project, so I managed to write up a chapter for you guys. This one might be totally unrealistic, but bear with me, alright?
Dean took a deep breath and felt that familiar scent of sun and coconut tickle his senses, so he sighed happily and pressed a kiss to the patch of exposed skin. He felt the body next to him shiver slightly, so without thinking, he kissed the neck again, moving his hips forward and pressing against the curve of that ass. He was still dazed from his sleep, so it took him a moment to realize he had a morning situation.
Dean bolted out of bed so fast, stumbling over as a sheet got tangled with his foot, causing him to fall backwards and land in a chair with an undignifying yelp. Cas moved, turning around and squinting. "Dean?"
Fuck, his voice was even rougher than usual and it did absolutely nothing to calm Dean's raging hard-on. In fact, it had the opposite effect.
"I'm alright, Cas, go back to sleep, just gotta use the bathroom, everything's fine, go back to sleep, just gotta go over there, yeah, all good," Dean mumbled all the way to the bathroom. Once inside, he sighed deeply, and took a moment to just clear his mind. Nothing happened. Cas was asleep and Dean was half-asleep too and he just happened to move a little closer, that's it. Nothing more to it. Nothing happened.
He was still muttering the same mantra at breakfast and even afterwards as they changed and headed over to the beach. It wasn't until Hannah announced the next challenge that Dean finally snapped out of it. A treasure hunt didn't seem like such a difficult task, they had to follow a map that would lead them to their first clue, and they would have to go through three clues to get to the treasure. And apparently, they would all have different tasks and maps and clues so that's another plus.
But then, of course, something had to go wrong, just because it could. That was Murphy's law afterall.
The entire challenge had to be done while they were snorkeling!
Snorkeling! Not diving, not with an oxygen tank strapped to their bodies, but with a freaking snorkel and a mask and fins. Shit. Of course, Dean didn't really havethatbig of a problem with this; it was because of Cas. He was just starting to get comfortable in the water and there was no way he would be okay about going under.
The angel had gone pale but he was taking deep, calming breaths, clearly trying to compose himself.
"Cas. We don't have to do it. We can just forfeit. You… You don't have to go underwater, okay?" Dean offered him a way out, but Cas took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, a look of determination forming in his eyes.
"No. If this is really Gabriel's doing, we have to play our part. I can do this.Wecan do this."
"If you're sure. I'll be there every step of the way, okay? All you gotta do is tap me three times anywhere and we're surfacing, okay? I don't care if we lose this challenge. You're more important than this crap," Dean said and Cas looked at him slightly surprised, but his expression soon softened and he even smiled a little.
"Thank you, Dean. For everything. And I trust you. I know you won't let anything happen."
The soft smile and that damn twinkle in his eye, it was a mesmerizing sight and Dean found himself staring at the angel a few seconds too long. But Cas didn't seem to mind, so Dean didn't make a big deal out of it. Instead, he pushed on. They got the equipment and Dean described every piece in great detail, how it was to be put on, how it was to be used, the whole thing. And then he repeated it all.
Only after he was done did he notice that Hannah and the others were waiting for them, waiting for Dean to assure Cas of everything. Earl and Eve had a very annoyed expression, Brandon was disinterested, while Hannah, Jin and Rosemary were smiling at them, probably finding them to be adorable or some other thing like that. Good. That meant their cover was working.
They were given a map in a container, only to be opened once they were submerged. They got into the water, Cas walking funny with the fins on, but Dean tried not to laugh. He made sure Cas was okay going under and once they were completely in the water, he gave him a few moments to adjust. Then he opened the map.
It was this 'piratey' thing, complete with a number of 'paces' and the X that marked the spot for the next clue. It took them about twenty minutes, slow and steady and coming up for air frequently, but they finally managed to get to a reef. It was beautiful, covered in corral and with seagrass and some other cool looking plants Dean couldn't name. Amongst it all, they found a small treasure chest.
Opening the treasure chest caused some of the trapped bubbles to escape, lifting towards the surface. Dean smiled as the bubbles passed by Cas' hand, probably tickling him as he made this surprised face. Dean removed his snorkel from his mouth and swallowed a bubble, making Cas smile and making his eyes spark up again.
Inside the chest was a note:"Just keep swimming and follow the current"
Dean scratched his head a few times, not sure what this meant, did they forget a word? Current what? But then suddenly, he spotted some turtles and he remembered the movieNemo, remembered Dory, and just knew they had to follow them.
Coming up for air frequently was a good way to stave off any possible panic attack and honestly, Dean was amazed how well Cas was doing. This whole case messed with their heads but also brought them closer and Dean wondered if there was a chance they ever might cross that line. How would Dean even know if Cas would want that?
A quote from Crash the Turtle came to mind. "Well, you never really know. But when they'll know, you'll know, you know?"
They went past a whole bunch of jellyfish and as beautiful as they were, Dean made sure they didn't touch them. Just as they left the jellyfish behind, there was a small reef filled with crabs and Cas pointed at a small shell that stood upside down on a pole, almost like a flag. Or like a freaking Krusty Krab restaurant. It even had the restaurant immigration for a treasure chest. The note they found within was inside a bottle, like Mr. Crab's recipe.
The note said:"Use your legs, do not flounder and come find Ariel's Trident"
Cas looked so adorable with the mask and the snorkel and the confused expression. Dean reminded him it was a fork by showing him motions of eating and combing long hair, just like Ariel did in the Little Mermaid. They were supposed to go back to the bay.
It took them a while, but ultimately they managed to circle back to the beach, both heaving big breaths of relief as soon as they could remove the masks and the snorkels.
"Where do we find the last piece, the fork?" Cas' voice had a note of urgency in it, reminding Dean they were still on the clock. He glanced around, noticing Hannah and Jin standing to the side, smiling, before his eyes fell to the refreshments bar.
Dean scurried off, Cas right behind him. He reached the bar and glanced around, spotting a fork amongst some utensils.
"Aha!" He exclaimed, lifting it to the sky, clenching it with both hands. Together, they rushed over and presented the fork to Hannah. Her smile widened, she was positively beaming at them.
"Congratulations!!! You won the challenge!!"
They won? Dean didn't really notice it at first, but none of the other couples were present, which meant they were still in the water, looking for clues.
"Oh my god, we won!?" Dean exclaimed at the same time as Cas squealed, smiling and clearly thrilled.
"We won, Dean, we really won!!" He shouted, jumping up and down and Dean grinned back at him, feeling his excitement as he reached for his hand.
But Cas reached for him too, stepping close at the same time Dean did and the next thing he knew, Cas had his face between his hands and was pressing his lips against Dean's. It was a second, one too freaking short, but so incredibly sweet that Dean almost whimpered when Cas abruptly pulled back, clearly surprised by his own action.
They started at one another for only a moment before Hannah was squealing too, congratulating them again and telling them all about the points they won and how they were most likely to win the grand prize after this.
But Dean already had his grand prize. And just knew he would have to try and win it again.