Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – you're all amazing people! Benny really wasn't nice to poor Cas... please review this chapter, it took a little longer to write than some and I hope you like it! Cas needs your support here. Also – I feel the need to warn you all now, on the 13th I will be going to Madagascar for a month so this story won't be updated for a while. I promise I will continue writing when I get back, but I won't have an internet connection or time to write so this will be on temporary hiatus. Please stay with me and just wait for the update, I'll have a month to think about what to say so it should be good! I should have another chapter or two up before then, but just in case I'm telling you now.

Thanks again to my amazing beta rdmnss!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters. If I did, Destiel would be canon, Gabriel would be alive and Metatron would never have gotten away with expelling all of the angels from Heaven... *sob*

Dean frowned as he scrubbed at the dirty car with a soapy sponge, his tongue poking through his teeth in concentration. This was the one thing he hated about training to be a mechanic – all cars were expected to be returned to their owners in immaculate condition, even if they had arrived absolutely covered in mud and other unmentionable things. Of course, today the car wash had to be broken, so he was being forced to clean the dirtiest 4x4 he had ever encountered by hand – and it was taking hours. His hands felt disgusting and his overalls were soaked through, but the car was still only half clean, and he couldn't stop until it was done. Sighing, Dean used one soapy wrist to wipe at the sweat on his forehead, before returning to vigorously scrubbing the car door.

At least tonight he had seeing Cas to look forward to. Dean had asked Cas if he wanted to go round to his again for a couple of hours, seeing as they hadn't been able to meet up recently, and Cas had agreed – although Dean had noticed he didn't seem as enthusiastic as last time. He hoped that it was just that Cas was feeling overworked from school, and not that he was having doubts – this was the first time that Dean had ever felt serious about someone, and he was really starting to feel strong things for Cas. Possibly even the big L word.

Feeling slightly better at the thought of Cas, Dean moved on to another part of the car, scrubbing determinedly at a particularly muddy patch. He had almost got the area back to its original red shade when he felt eyes on him and paused to glance round. Behind him, where he was working on his own allotted car, Benny was staring at Dean with an unfathomable expression. When he noticed Dean looking, he smiled and glanced away, but the smile seemed somewhat forced and he looked as though he was thinking about something.

Dean's eyebrows knotted in confusion. For the past couple of days, Benny had been looking at Dean differently, almost like he wanted to say something to him but was refraining from doing so. Dean knew that he himself had been acting a little differently recently, refusing to go out to bars and pick up girls so that he could stay home and email Cas, but that still didn't explain all of Benny's behaviour. He was almost acting like Dean had contracted some kind of disease that he was worried about mentioning, but at the same time meant he didn't want to get too close. It was very strange. Still, Dean wasn't too worried – he and Benny had never really been that close, so if they stopped talking entirely it was hardly the end of the world.

Eventually, the car looked clean so Dean stepped back and grabbed the hose, washing the soap off as quickly as he could whilst checking the car for any last specks of dirt. The problem with working in an area full of rich people was that they had extremely high standards and were really good at complaining if those standards weren't met. Dean didn't want to have to stay here any longer than necessary, which meant his work had to be perfect so he didn't need to stay behind to be yelled at by a customer.

Finally finishing, Dean chucked the hose to one side and wiped his soapy hands on his overalls, gathering his things together to leave. He nodded at his college instructor over in the corner to signal that he was finished, before walking to the door. He was just about to exit the garage when he was stopped by Benny.

"So, I don't suppose you'll be comin' to the bar today?" Benny asked, a strange edge to his voice.

Dean frowned. "Sorry mate, I'm busy. Maybe you should ask someone else."

Benny chuckled darkly. "Nah, I'm sure you'll start joining me again before too long." He clapped Dean on the shoulder.

Dean's eyes narrowed in confusion. What was Benny suggesting? Before he could ask, Benny wandered off and Dean was left alone to contemplate the issue.

Shrugging it off, Dean walked out of the garage and crossed the street to head home. He needed to shower and tidy his apartment up a bit before Cas arrived. Starting to hum to himself, Dean allowed his thoughts to wander as he jogged home, his toolbox rattling against his side.

Once he got into his apartment, Dean shrugged off his clothes and practically leapt into the shower, sighing in happiness as the warm water ran down his back. He took his time washing all the mud off his body, ensuring that every bit of grime was gone from under his fingernails, before turning the shower off and just standing there for a few seconds, relaxing. Dean didn't often get chances to just chill out, so it was nice to have one now.

Remembering that he still needed to tidy up before Cas arrived, Dean sighed and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel loosely around his waist before wandering out and starting to gather things together. He shoved his toolbox and dirty overalls into his bedroom before straightening the sofa (he didn't want to think about what Sammy and Jess had done to knock it out of place) and kicking a couple of empty beer bottles under it. He could dispose of them properly later. He had just stacked his mechanic textbooks in a pile in the corner when he heard the intercom buzz, and distractedly wandered over and pressed the button.

"Yo, who is it?"

"Um, hello. It's Castiel."

Dean blinked. "Oh! Cas. Right. Of course. Come on up."

The time had passed much quicker than he expected – perhaps he had spent more time then he thought in the shower. Shaking his head to clear it, Dean waited by the door until a knock indicated that Cas had arrived.

"Hey, Cas!" He greeted, opening the door wide and grinning.

"Hello..." Cas's reply died on his lips as he noticed what Dean was wearing.

Dean followed Cas's eyes and suddenly realised that he was still sopping wet, with a towel tied loosely around his hips and nothing else. Oops.

"Oh god, sorry, I lost track of time... come in, I'll just go and... put some clothes on..."

Blushing awkwardly, Dean darted over to his bedroom door and opened it, knocking over his stack of books in the process, before shutting it again and leaning against the wall, breathing deeply. Normally he wouldn't feel at all awkward about being caught like this, but this was Cas – innocent Cas who had probably never seen a guy in just a towel before. Besides, Dean was slightly worried about what Cas would think of his nearly-naked figure – he was much more insecure than he let on, and he really wanted Cas to like his body. He hoped that wasn't shallow of him. Mind still racing, Dean pulled off the towel and quickly dried himself off, before wandering over to the wardrobe and glancing at his piles of clothes. Not having any time to select an outfit, he grabbed a random t-shirt – a Metallica concert one – and a plaid shirt, before pulling on a random pair of boxers and a tatty, frayed pair of jeans. Satisfied, he ran his hands though his hair to smooth it down before wandering back out. Cas was sitting awkwardly on the sofa, not looking at Dean, clearly deep in thought.

"Sorry about that." Dean apologised again, causing Cas to look up.

"It is fine."

Was it just Dean or was Cas's voice gruffer than normal?

"Right, so... how was meeting Gabriel then?"

Cas visibly tensed, and Dean frowned. He had thought Cas and his brother had a good relationship.

"It went well. Gabriel has a new girlfriend who he is more serious about."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Well, good for him, it's nice that he's found someone." He paused. "Did you tell him about... well, us?"

Cas twiddled his thumbs. "Yes." He reluctantly replied.

Dean grinned, sliding in next to him on the sofa. "Great! So is he supportive?"

Perhaps that was what the problem was – maybe Gabriel was homophobic, or didn't like the sound of Dean.

Cas blinked as though insulted. "Of course. My brother cares deeply for my well-being, he is always supportive of things that make me happy."

"I make you happy, eh?" Dean asked in a teasing tone. Secretly his heart soared at the admission and he tried to avoid breaking out into a cheesy grin.

Cas looked awkward again. "Yes Dean, you make me very happy."

At that Dean did grin. "Aww Cas. You make me very happy too." He reached over and cupped Cas's face, before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. He didn't miss the way Cas instinctively followed him as he pulled away, almost like he was trying to prolong the moment.

They stared into each other's eyes for few seconds longer, before Dean broke away and stood up again. "Right, did you want me to order the same stuff as last time?"

Cas seemed more relaxed now, and he actually smiled. "Yes, that would be nice, thank you."

Dean nodded and grabbed his phone to order, keeping his eyes on Cas the whole time. It was amazing how soothing his presence could be – he was so lucky to have found him. Thank god that Jess forced him to model that day.

Once he had ordered the food, Dean grabbed a couple of beers and made his way back over to the sofa, sitting down and putting one arm around Cas after handing him a beer.

Cas flinched a little at the unexpected contact, then relaxed again and leant into Dean, closing his eyes. For a few minutes they just sat there, Dean taking periodic swings from his beer and enjoying the feel of Cas up against him. These were the moments that he had never had with any of his one-night stands – moments when you could just sit and enjoy someone else's company. It was one of the nicest feelings in the world, in Dean's opinion.

"We should do the proper family introduction thing at some point." Dean commented, swirling his beer around in the bottle. "I mean, you've already seen Sammy, but we should do a proper sit-down meal or somethin'. You could invite Gabriel as well, and maybe he can bring his girlfriend and Sammy can bring Jess."

Cas looked up in surprise. "You want to do that?"

Dean's eyes widened. "Of course I do, Cas! You mean a lot to me, I want to show everyone that we're serious."

Cas's face broke into an enormous smile, then he lurched forward and gave Dean a sloppy, hurried kiss.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Dean chuckled, bemused but happy. "Come on Cas, you should know how important you are to me. I've never felt like this with anyone else before."

Cas looked deep in thought.

"Are you alright?"

Cas looked up at Dean. "Yes. There was just... an incident, after I met Gabriel. It gave me doubts. I was wrong to doubt you, I know that now."

Dean was instantly concerned. "An incident? What kind of incident? Are you ok? Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry Dean, it was nothing of import. There was just a man making false statements about you."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"I believe he was a friend of yours."

"What?" Dean was confused. "I don't really have any other friends, I never made any, I spent all my time carin' for Sammy." Suddenly, everything became clear. "Oh, of course, damn it... Benny. That's why he's been actin' so weird around me the past couple of days."

Cas didn't respond, but Dean was starting to get angry.

"That idiot, I am going to kill him next time I see him... how dare he do anything to you? It's none of his business who I choose to date."

Cas put a soothing hand on Dean's arm. "Dean, it is fine. He did not injure me in any way; you do not need to attack him."

"No, maybe not, but I do need to teach him not to mess with what is mine."

"Yours?" Cas looked confused.

Dean felt awkward again. "Oh, sorry, I just meant..."

"I am not a possession, Dean." Cas reprimanded.

Only Cas would take that so literally. Dean fought the urge to smile.

"I know, Cas. It's a figure of speech."

Cas looked even more confused, and Dean tried to control himself before bursting out laughing. Cas could be so adorable with his social ineptitude and innocence.

Not that Dean would have it any other way.

Thanks for reading and I really hope you liked it – please do review with your comments/ criticism, I really appreciate it!