Okay, so this is not perfect by any means. There is not a clear point of view, sorry. I got the first half written out like I wanted, but I could not figure out the ending. Whatever. I realized yesterday that I have not said this yet. I obviously do not own anything but the plot line. (If I did, Destiel would be openly cannon by now.) Thanks for sticking with this fic! The plan is for there to be 4-6 more chapters depending on how I decide to break things up. I hope to keep them on time each Sunday. They will all be long chapters, hopefully. (I consider the length of this chapter to be long.) PS- I am working on an AU one-shot when my writer's block is acting up on this, so be on the lookout for that in the near future.

Chapter Rating: T (Language and Homophobic Jerks)

"What's this, an intervention?" Dean asked. He had walked into the kitchen of the ranch house to a kitchen full of his family, each man's eyes instantly directed at him.

Sam cleared him throat and looked away awkwardly. John fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. Bobby was the only one that met Dean's eye. Cas seemed just as uncomfortable in the silence and shifted a little more behind his parter.

"We came in 'cause we didn't see you outside, Dad. Weren't we supposed to start practice now?" Dean asked, trying to break the tension.

"Sure, um, yeah. Got distracted, son. I'll just go and, uh-"

"We know, Dean," Bobby interrupted, exasperated. "If no one else is going to come out and say it, no pun intended. We know you and Castiel are a little closer than just partners."

Cas looked at Dean with a shocked and slightly scared expression. Dean gave him a reassuring smile, just as much for Dean himself as Cas. He looked back towards the men in the kitchen.

"Okay, so I admit it. Cas and I are, uh, boyfriends? That sounds so lame. Whatever. We like each other," Dean's voice was hesitant, a bit unsure. His family meant so much to him, and any rejection from them would hurt. A lot.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say we don't mind. You like who you like, Dean. Doesn't matter the gender of who. Cas seems like a good fellow. These two over here are just a little bit surprised is all," Bobby provided. Cas relaxed, but only slightly. Dean, on the other hand, started beaming. Bobby was always the hardest to please, but when he said something on behalf of the Winchester men, it was honored.

"Yeah, well, stop looking like I just grew a third arm," Dean directed at Sam and John.

"Sorry, Dean. I just have a hard time thinking about the fact that you go your whole life condemning chick-flick moments, and then you turn out gay. It sound like the best irony kind of irony to me!" Sam quipped with a laugh.

"Bitch," Dean shot back happily.

"Jerk," Sam replied.

"I just want you to be happy, son," John said. He got up and gave Dean the old-fashioned Winchester hug, which was a pat on the back. He shook hands with Cas, who still seemed tongue-tied. "This won't interfere with roping, will it?"

"No, sir," Cas replied. "We can be professional."

"'Yeah, well, it's not only that. We don't necessarily live in a place known for acceptance and grace. It might be best if the rodeo community thinks you guys are just roping partners."

"We understand," Dean said, grabbing Cas's hand. It felt strange, but a good kind of strange. Like when you kiss for the first time in public. It felt just as intimate.

"Well, boys, the sun waits for no man. We have practice to do," and with that, the most undramatic coming out story in history was finished. Well, not quite. There was still a little more to go.

Three weeks later...

"Dean, I am not sure if I can do this," Cas whispered to Dean. The Texas heat was already causing sweat to pore down his back.

"Sure you can. You did it a month ago," Dean tried to sound encouraging. Cas appreciated the attempt. The Novak had only gotten more and more unnerved as the day of the District Rodeo approached. At the last competition, Cas had been on a high. The adrenaline of helping Dean, and meeting Dean in general, had given him an edge. He had been training hard with John Winchester, but the young man was just not sure he could match his previous performance.

Cas and Dean were riding together in Dean's truck, hands linked over the separation. Cas could feel his hand become more sweaty, but his boyfriend did not seem to mind.

The last three weeks had been fantastic for the two men. On the Winchester Ranch, Dean and Cas were free to be themselves. While they never did anything more than kissing, their relationship only seemed to grow brighter. Dean could almost finish Cas's sentences, and the Novak was beginning to learn the secret Winchester Language of Silent Glances, much to Bobby's amusement. Cas spent the day and ate dinner with the family most days, only returning to his own home after the sun had set. His brothers never ceased to accost him with questions, but he had always managed to divert them.

That was another concern Cas had about the rodeo. Gabriel and Michael would both be there to support him, which was great, but it also meant they would meet Dean. Cas knew that he could keep his relationship with Dean a secret from strangers, but one look at the pair from the Novak brothers would be all it took for them to know.

Cas decided to push all worries to the back of his mind. Barrel racing was not until later, so his brothers would not be around to see Dean and him roping.

They pulled into the trailer lot next to the large, outdoor arena that was being used for the District Rodeo. The partners began the slow process of taking Anna and Baby from the trailer and saddling the two ladies. They completed that task in near silence, only speaking to each other when it was necessary. It was not until they began making their way to the smaller warm-up arena that they spoke again.

"It will be fine, Cas. Whatever happens," Dean comforted. He did not want to show Cas his own nerves.

"I just don't want to disappoint. And, I really don't want this to end," Cas said self-consciously, gesturing between Dean and himself.

"You couldn't get rid 'a me if you tried," Dean smiled and patted Cas on the back, even though what he really wanted to do was hold his hand.

"I'll count on that," Cas replied, trying to sound more lighthearted than he was.

The minutes until their run continued to count down as the partners warmed up their mounts. Cas worked Anna the best he could, praying in vain that she would not pick up on his nerves. Finally their number was called and they were told to wait by the large arena. As the team waited for the previous riders to complete their run, they swung their lassos and tried to loosen up their arms. Dean reached over and gave Cas a reassuring squeeze on the knee. The momentary connection was enough to help the younger man release some of the tension coiling in the small of his back.

At last they were introduced by the announcer. Dean gave one last smile to Cas as his partner entered the arena ahead of him. Cas got into place to the right of the shoot, Dean his place on the right. The voice booming over the audio speakers told a shortened version of the accident that lead to Sam being replaced by Castiel. Dean was too focused on the steer in the shoot to pay the voice any attention. He listened for the sound of the release.

The steer rocketed out of the shoot. Cas let his loop fly at just the right moment, and Dean did the same. They stretched the steer in 8.04 seconds, the second best time so far that night. Dean patted Cas on the back once they were riding out of the arena. The other man looked like he was ready to faint.

"We did it, Cas!" Dean exclaimed.

"We won't know how we did until the last seven teams ride."

"Our time is fantastic. I think you could at least be confident."

"I think I might throw up."

"Do you not get nervous when you race?"

"Not really. I do not have any idea why not."

"Well, I look forward to seeing you run. I'm gonna go tie Baby to the trailer. I'll tell you how we measure up after the barrel racing. You need to go and get Anna's brain switched over."

"I will, Dean. Thank you for everything."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"It just seems appropriate."

"Well, welcome, Cas. And thank you."

Dean left Cas to get Anna ready for the barrel pattern. He trotted over to the trailer and dismounted, taking off the saddle and pad so Baby's skin could breathe. He was very happy with the time that he and Cas had been able to achieve. Just thinking about it made Dean smile brightly. Cas had been so nervous, but Dean had known everything would be alright.

John had not come with the men to the rodeo, preferring to stay home with Sam. Dean was by himself as he found a seat in the stands. He had missed four runs while he unsaddled Baby, but he and Cas were still holding on to the second spot. The remaining three teams went roping, and Dean whooped for joy when it was officially announced that they were going to the Regional Rodeo. The euphoria could not be matched. He could not believe that they were doing so well as such a fresh team. Dean laughed at a thought. They were probably such a great team because of their chemistry.

Barrel racing was the last event, so Dean settled down in preparation for the long wait. The other events passed by slowly. The man was eager to see his boyfriend race, so time crawled. As the night wore on, the bleachers around Dean became more crowded as men from the other events unsaddled and joined the audience. After nearly two hours, the announcer called for the first barrel racer.

Dean watched the succession of women make their laps around the pattern, the same triangle over and over and over and over... He did not understand why he had always enjoyed watching so much. If you were not there for the women, barrel racing was boring as hell.

The announcer called out Cas's name, and Dean straightened up in his seat. Unfortunately, the booming voice also said that the arena needed to be tilled again, so the next rider would have to wait for that to get done. Since Dean was more alert, he picked up on a conversation going on just behind him.

"God, that faggot made it?" a gruff voice asked.

"Yeah, had a good time, too. For a poof, that is," another voice responded.

"Loser, man. I don't even want to be in the same arena with him."

"Don't worry, there is no way he is making it to Regionals."

"We don't have to worry if he does, though. My sister is twice the racer he is with her eyes closed. No threat."

Dean felt his blood boil. They were talking about Cas, and he did not like it. He turned around and caught sight of a small cluster of cowboys. They each looked like the kind of unsavory characters that seemed to, unfairly, do well at these events.

One of the men noticed his stare, "Got a problem?"

"No, you? I heard you talkin' bad about my partner?" Dean responded, letting his anger drip into his tone.

"Novak? You two boyfriends or something?" the group burst out laughing.

"He's my partner for team roping. We're going to Regionals."

"Really?" the leader of the group chimed in. He had been silent until now, his dark eyes glinting in calculation.

"Yeah, really," Dean spat. He tried to calm himself down by clenching and unclenching his fist.

"It would seem that my friends Azazel and Alastair have also qualified for Regionals. They have departed, but I am sure they look forward to competing again …."

"Dean Winchester."

"Winchester? My name is Lucifer. I am much obliged."

Dean was unnerved by the man's sudden good behavior. He turned back around on the bench and focussed on the machine that was finishing its rounds around the arena. Finally, Cas came out to make his run.

The Novak captivated Dean. He was just as beautiful riding now as he had been every time before. He and Anna were one unit, turning around each of the barrels with grace. When he crossed the threshold of the shoot, he had an impressive fourteen second time. By the end of the runs, Cas had the fastest time of the night.

Dean walked back to the trailer, beating Cas by just a few minutes. The younger man was beaming as he tied Anna's halter to the trailer to start unsaddling.

"Great job, Cas," Dean congratulated with a pat to Cas's back.

"Thank you, Dean. I think Anna and I did very well."

"You were beautiful."

That earned a deep blush from Cas. Dean smiled at his boyfriend's embarrassment and helped him load up the tack.

"We qualified for Regions in team roping, too!" Dean finally let loose after losing hope that his partner would ask.

"That's great! How long to we have to practice?"

"Another month. Dad's gonna be working us to the bone."

"Definitely, your father seems to have a knack for wearing us out. Or maybe it is just me. He seems to enjoy causing me suffering," Cas joked.

"It's because he likes you. He wants us to be a great team. We've already gone farther than I thought. Honestly, I thought our run would end here."

"Me, too. But, I guess that is not the master plan."

"I guess not."

Dean smiled at Cas as they entered the truck. The Winchester was driving with the Novak in the passenger seat. They linked hands in much the same way as they had earlier. Dean leaned over their connected hands and planted a short, sweet kiss to Cas's lips. Cas gasped, and Dean took the opportunity to taste his boyfriend's mouth. Cas could feel his body start to spark with electricity as his other hand went to cup Dean's face. Dean mirrored Cas's movements. They stayed that way, passionately exploring each other's mouths, for a long while. Finally, Dean pulled away.

"You're wonderful, Cas."

"As are you, Dean."

They smiled for what seemed like the thousandth time as Dean began to drive off. Cas turned on the radio and put a tape into the old-fashioned tape player Dean had installed there. The rifts of Metallica's "Through the Never" pumped their way through the worn out speakers. They drove off into the night, excited to see what the future had in store.

Back at the rodeo, a certain man was sitting in his truck. He was looking curiously at the place where the Winchester trailer had just been. It had taken him a few minutes to figure out what he was seeing, but after a bit, even the tinted windows could not hide the fact that the team roping partners were in fact more than just that. It provided a very unique opportunity to the man, who always loved a good game. With a chuckle the man pulled out of the lot, dialing on his cell phone as he went. He heard the click as someone picked up on the other end of the line. He smiled as he was greeted.

"Hey, Lucifer, what's up?"

*EDIT*

Ick. My life is crazy right now with exams coming up. I am going to work on this in my free time and then just put the last chapters up as I get them done. I'll try to be as expedient as possible. Sorry. Also, thanks for everyone that has stuck with this fic and given me nice reviews. You are the demon blood that keeps me strong enough to keep writing. ;)