It was a while before Dean came out of the bathroom. He sat on the toilet seat and went over every thought in his head. He was torn between telling Cas what was going on with him, and keeping it a secret to avoid rejection and awkwardness between them for the rest of the week. He finally decided on the latter, and stepped out of the bathroom. The cold air of the air conditioning irritated his hot skin and he shivered.
"Would you like me to heal your burn?" Cas asked from where he sat on the edge of his bed, newsletter in his lap.
"What? You're telling me you spent ten minutes putting all that crap on me, and you could've healed me the whole time?" Dean asked angrily.
"Yes."
"Why- never mind. Just- heal this, please." Castiel stood up and took a step towards him. He pressed two fingers to Dean's chest, and in a moment his skin felt normal again. No fire, no cold air, just-normal. He sighed in relief. "Thanks."
"We must begin searching for the spirit," Cas reminded the hunter.
"Cas, we can't just gank this thing with two-thousand people on board. We have to wait until everyone gets off."
"We will arrive at the first destination, San Juan, by this time tomorrow. Oh, and there will be a Caribbean Dance Party on the pool deck this evening." Cas replied, reading from the daily newsletter.
"Cas...focus," Dean said irritably.
"My apologies...We shall stay on board while the rest of the passengers disembark. And then we shall rid this vessel of the spirit that haunts it."
"Great idea, except we don't have any weapons. Or iron. And we don't have jack on what this thing's attached to."
"I believe we will be able to find a solution," Cas replied. "But for now, we should go to this dance party."
"Nah, I'm good. Besides, this says it doesn't start until nine." Dean replied, snatching the newsletter out of Cas's hands. "Let's hit the steakhouse before we miss the reservation," he suggested. Castiel nodded. Dean went back into the bathroom and changed into a button up shirt and dress pants, and slicked some gel through his short, spiky hair. When he came out, Cas was still wearing shorts and a tank top. "Cas, buddy, you gotta dress up to get into this steakhouse. They have rules." Cas tilted his head to the side with his signature squint.
"Why must there be rules, if this is 'free style cruising?'" He asked, quoting with his fingers. Dean chuckled.
"I dunno, man. Here," He said, handing Cas an extra pair of black dress pants and a white button up shirt. "Put these on." Cas obeyed, and stepped into the bathroom to change his outfit. When he opened the door, Dean stepped into the bathroom as well. He globbed some gel onto his fingers and fixed up Cas's hair.
"Thank you, Dean."
"Yeah, no problem. Let's go, I'm starving," he replied, rinsing off his hand and wiping it dry on one of the hanging hand towels. They walked up the stairs to the eighth deck, and entered the steakhouse. A European waiter showed them to their table and handed them each a menu. Dean was almost drooling just by reading the delicious words on the page. "I think I'm gonna order one of everything." He said, half-jokingly.
"Dean, I do not advise doing such a thing. I don't believe that your body is prepared to digest that much food at one time."
"Relax, Cas. I'm just gonna order a steak. What are you gonna have?"
"I will order whatever you order." Dean nodded just as the waiter returned to take their orders.
After their dinner, Dean was convinced that the cruise ship was heaven on earth – to which Castiel replied was untrue. Dean trudged down the stairs with a full stomach, having had to eat both his and Cas's steaks. Back in the cabin, Dean changed into a black tank top and denim shorts. He checked himself over in the bureau mirror while Cas was in the bathroom. Damn he looked good. Maybe the ladies would like him more now that he shaved and had gelled hair.
"Hey, Cas." Dean called. "I'm gonna go hit the bar. I'll meet ya up there,ok?"
"Alright," Cas said from the bathroom. Dean left the room and started the tedious climb to the top deck. He stopped by the buffet, but it was closed for the night.
Meanwhile, Castiel was changing into lighter clothing in the bathroom. He had rummaged through what Sam had packed for him, and found a nice, solid blue short sleeve button up and some tan cargo shorts. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He wasn't one to fuss over his appearance, but he admired the way his hair now looked thanks to Dean's gel. He smiled thinking about Dean as he left the room and walked to the top deck.
Dean walked through the sliding doors of the buffet, headed outside to the pool deck. The upbeat Caribbean music got louder as he got closer. The lounge chairs were all stacked and pushed aside, and there were many people dancing in front of the stage. He glanced around until he spotted Cas sitting on a bar stool wearing a turquoise lei around his neck. Dean couldn't help but smile, and he took the seat next to the angel.
"You gonna dance?" He asked, making eye contact.
Cas shook his head. :I do not know how."
Dean shrugged. "Me neither." He took a hold of Cas's hand. That's what makes it fun-"
"Picture?" An Australian woman asked, holding one of the professional cameras. Dean leaned his face in next to Cas's, and smiled as the camera flashed.
"What was that?" Cas asked, blinking dramatically. Dean had forgotten he was still holding Cas's hand, and blushed as he let go.
"A photo," he answered simply. "Now let's go tear it up." He took Cas by the hand again, and led him onto the dance floor. Dean moved subtly to the beat while Cas stood there awkwardly, observing the dancing people around him. He noticed some college students off to the side who were grinding. He stepped in front of Dean and pressed his back against him. "Cas- what are you doing?" Dean asked, trying to take a step back. He was afraid Cas couldn't hear him over the music.
"Is this not what dancing is? That young female over there is doing so."
"That's um... That's special dancing. It's not-" He shouted over the music so Cas could hear. "It's not what we do." Regardless, Cas began moving, copying the college student, and moving his hips back and forth. Some other girls just joining the dance party with drinks in their hands cheered and gave Dean a thumbs up. Dean rolled his eyes and tried once again to move away. Dean put his hands firmly on Cas's waist, intending to push him away out of embarrassment. But it was then that Cas pushed his behind back against Dean and truly started grinding with him. Dean paused in trying to push him away for a minute, and instinctively pressed forward against Cas and grinded back before realizing what he had done. He let go of Cas's hips and turned away abruptly, blush burning on his cheeks. He took a few strides to reach the bar, and returned to his stool. He ordered a drink and was happy about the fast service. He downed half of it in one take, and then he scanned the dance floor for Cas. The two girls who had been cheering were saying something into Cas's ear so they could be heard over the music. Dean took another sip of beer as he thought about what had just occurred. He knew that the angel's naivety was what led him to thinking that grinding was just a normal type of dance that everyone did with their friends. He was just trying to fit in, and copying those around him. What unnerved him was the fact that he enjoyed the brief moment more than he should have. It had just been one thing after another that day. First the deal with all the lotions, and then his embarrassing reaction in the hot tub, and now this. If more incidents like those kept happening, Dean didn't know how easy it would be to keep his secret to himself.
A moment later, Cas was walking towards Dean with a huge smile on his face, turquoise flowers fluttering in his stride. Dean suddenly wondered when Castiel had gotten so damn cute, and then downed the rest of his drink.
"Is everything alright?" The angel asked as he took a seat.
"Yeah, fine." Dean answered, looking at the empty glass in his hand.
"Those two females complimented the way I was dancing with you. However, I apologize for not dancing in a way that you like."
"It was, uh, interesting. Never danced like that before."
"Would you like to return to the cabin? Or we could attend the comedy show which is being presented in the theater." Cas read off of the newsletter he had retrieved from his pocket.
"That's alright, Cas. I'm gonna go look for some possible weapons we can use against this spirit tomorrow." Dean stood up, then felt a hand on his left shoulder, the touch on his bare skin electrifying. He looked at it, and then into Cas's eyes, remembering it was the spot where the angel's handprint had once been.
"I will go with you," Cas insisted. "I believe there may be a source of iron below the decks in which passengers have no access." Dean sighed.
"Alright, let's go." They stood and walked through the sliding doors, the cool air conditioning inviting after being outside in the hot, humid air. They took the stars down to their deck; deck four. They snuck through the Staff Only door at the end of the hall, and found themselves behind the scenes of the cruise ship. White walls, tiled floors, and many white staircases. And no workers. Cas stalked right over to a utility room, and came back with two short iron poles. Dean nodded, and held the door open for him as they left. They walked quickly down the hall and around the corner to their cabin. "Good work, Cas," Dean praised, once they were inside their room. Cas smiled and leaned the poles against the wall inside the closet before closing the doors. Dean laid back on his bed, one arm behind his head. Cas found himself staring at Dean's muscular arms. Dean noticed the angel shamelessly staring at him."Cas, you alright?"
Cas's gaze faltered under his. "Y-yes. I am fine."
"Alright, well I'm in need of dessert." He replied, rolling over and standing up. Cas sat on his bed and studied the newsletter for the following day while Dean left the room. Once he was alone, Cas sighed and thought back to their brief moments of dancing. He wondered why those two females had been cheering, but then he realized that they were most likely under the influence of the alcoholic beverages they had been holding. Regardless, Cas had loved dancing with Dean, even if he hadn't done it properly. He felt heat rise in his cheeks when he remembered Dean's firm, strong grip on his hips. And had he felt Dean press forward against him? He had liked that feeling. A lot. He hoped they could dance again – and then that could happen again. He scanned the newsletter for another dance party. There would be one the following night during the chocolate buffet. Perfect. The party could be in celebration of defeating the spirit, and Dean would be happy about the chocolate. Cas grinned and laid down on his bed. He pulled Dean's shirt out from under his pillow and hugged it to his chest as he closed his eyes.
A while later, the heavy cabin door opened with a click of the key-card. Cas opened his eyes and tensed up when he realized he wa still hugging Dean's shirt.
"Oh, man, Cas, you won't believe what I found! They have p- Cas? Is that...my shirt?" Dean exclaimed as he put his plate on the bureau. Cas let go of the shirt and sat up.
"I was...cold," he stammered. "...What did you find?"
"Ok...They have pie, Cas! And it's soooo good!" He grabbed his overflowing plate and hopped onto his bed and shoved a forkful of pie into his mouth. "Ahh- so good-" he said with his mouthful. "Forget what I said about the steak and everything else. This-" he pointed to the pie with his fork. "This is what makes this place heaven on earth!"
"That is wonderful news," Cas replied.
"Dude, you gotta try this!" Dean pinched off a piece of his second piece of pie and popped it into the angel's mouth. His fingers brushed Cas's lips ashe took them back, and his gaze faltered. Cas swallowed the pie with a smile.
"That is delightful!" He agreed. Dean was too busy shoveling the rest of the dessert into his mouth to reply. He put the now empty plate on the bedside table and then collapsed back on the bed.
"Ah, that was way overdue, I want to go get some more, but I'm too lazy."
"Maybe you should get some rest, Dean. We need to remove the spirit so that the passengers may enjoy the rest of their vacation."
"What about me? And you?"
"It seems as though we have been enjoying this hunt, more than working on it so far," Cas replied.
"Yeah, you really enjoyed dancing," Dean teased, and Cas blushed.
"I – I will dance properly next time so that you will enjoy it as well." Cas retorted.
"Goodnight, Cas!" Dean said as he rolled over on his side to face the wall. He felt his cheeks warm ashe closed his had enjoyed it too much the first time they danced. He didn't think he could handle that again.