Dean awoke when Cas stirred in his sleep. He pressed lazy kisses to Cas's temple and messy black hair. Cas's eyes fluttered open and Dean smiled at him.
"Morning, angel."
"Hello, Dean," he replied, blushing at the pet name. He snuggled closer against Dean's warm torso, and Dean tightened his arms around the angel. Dean was so comfortable, he almost fell back asleep. But Cas slid one of his hands into Dean's, and he suddenly remembered about the ring. He kissed Cas's forehead before getting out of bed and pulling on some shorts and a t-shirt.
"I'm gonna go get some breakfast," he said quickly, hoping Cas wouldn't sense the white lie. "Want to, uh...wanna meet at the pool in a bit?" Cas nodded as he stretched out in the bed, reclaiming the two pillows and getting comfy.
"I will meet you at our lounge chairs."
"Yeah, ok. Ok, see you there," he replied as he left the cabin. He spotted a wall clock in the corridor. It was nearly 12:00 in the afternoon. He jogged up the three flights of stairs to get to the atrium.
Dean felt anxious as he walked into the jewelry store. The same lady was behind the counter, and smiled as he approached.
"Your ring is ready for pick-up, sir." She reached down behind the counter and handed him the box. Dean popped open the top to see the ring. He scanned over the tiny cursive words engraved on it and his mouth twitched into a smile.
"Thank you. It's perfect." He handed over his key-card to pay for the ring, and then he headed up to the buffet with the box in his shorts pocket. He realized that he wasn't very hungry so he just grabbed a carton of chocolate milk and chugged it on his way back down to the cabin. He felt anxious as he opened the cabin door, but took a deep breath when he saw Cas had already left for the pool. He opened the closet door, and tucked the ring box safely inside the pocket of his suit jacket. Then he changed into his swim trunks and a tank top, grabbed his aviators, and went upstairs to the top deck. The pool area was crowded with passengers trying to get their last chance at a sun tan before the cruise was over. He walked over to the lounge chairs Cas had referred to earlier. "Our lounge chairs," he had said. Dean liked the sound of that. Cas was laying down on his chair, his eyes closed. Dean sat on the chair beside him and leaned down and kissed Cas's lips. Cas snapped his eyes open and stared up at who was kissing him. He smiled and pressed back when he saw it was just Dean. Dean pulled back and laid down on his chair beside the angel smiling, and Cas lay there blushing.
"Did you have a nice breakfast?" Cas asked, squinting over at him in the bright sun. Dean's heart beat faster.
"Y-yeah, it was...good."
"That is good. What would you like to do today? We arrive back in the United States tomorrow."
"We can do whatever. But, uh, we have to have dinner at the steakhouse at 7:30 tonight. It was a pain in the ass to make a reservation. I guess everyone wants to get in there since it's the last night. And hell if I'm gonna pass up that steak."
"Alright. Perhaps we can find some activity to do before then."
"I don't mind laying in the sun for a while," Dean replied, putting his arms behind his head.
"Your body has become a beautiful tan color because of the sun's rays." Cas commented, making Dean blush slightly at the compliment.
"Thanks, Cas. You're not too bad looking yourself," he flirted, giving Cas a wink. It was Cas's turn to blush, and he smiled as he closed his eyes again, letting the heat of the sun envelope his skin. Since Cas was alone in his vessel, he could really use his five senses. He could actually feel everything and it was wonderful. His favorite thing to feel was Dean's smooth, soft skin underneath his fingertips, and the feel of his lips against his own. Cas laid still for a good twenty minutes, going over in his mind all of his new favorite things. Dean as well was lost in thought, but he was thinking about much different things. Like what was he going to tell Sam? How would he tell him? He had a feeling that Sam had predicted it would happen, and that this whole vacation had been a set up all along. But it was still going to be awkward. Of course, Dean was proud to have Cas and love him. He was very happy about everything that had happened over the past week. He just hoped that Sam was proud of them, too. Several more minutes passed before Dean sat up on his chair and nudged Cas's leg. His skin was warm from the sun, and Dean squeezed the angel's thigh. Cas blushed and opened his eyes, putting his hand on top of Dean's.
"Wanna jump in the pool? It's getting hot out." Cas nodded in response while Dean pulled his shirt off. Cas pulled of his own, placing it next to the hunter's on the chair beside him. They walked towards the pool. The water sloshed from side to side, corresponding to the rocking ship. Cas admired the pretty blues and aquas of the pool area tiles. He watched Dean climb down the short ladder and dive under the refreshingly cool water. Cas carefully took a seat on the edge beside the ladder, his legs dangling in the water. Dean popped up in front of him and grabbed his ankles.
"Dean!" Cas exclaimed, wriggling his legs out Dean's grasp. Dean chuckled, blinking water out of his eyes. He reached up and took Cas's hands in his and gently tugged him forward into the shallow end. They stood facing each other, the water rising higher up their abdomens and then falling away with each sway of the boat. Cas observed some small humans jumping into the pool and some riding the waterslide at the other end. "I wish to try that."
"You, uh, you want to go down the waterslide?"
Cas squinted at him. "I'm extremely old, I think I'm entitled."
Dean laughed and shook his head. "I think you have to be twelve and under to go on it."
Cas just sort of pouted, and a moment passed before a cruise director began speaking on the stage with a microphone.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gents!" The Australian man said enthusiastically. "How is everyone enjoying the sun?" A majority of the passengers cheered from their lounge chairs and the hot tubs. "Alright, well at this time I'd like to welcome the Jamaican reggae band to the stage. They're going to play some tunes for you. And in just a few minutes, we'll be setting up the poolside barbeque for lunch. So relax and enjoy this last day aboard the beautiful Norwegian Dawn." The mic clicked off, and the director stepped off the stage. A group of Jamaican men took his place, one carrying drum sticks and another with a bass guitar. They set up quickly, and soon the familiar notes on the steel drum of popular reggae songs were playing across the pool deck.
"You know what barbeque means?" Dean asked Cas. The angel shook his head. "Burgers!" Dean said excitedly. He gave Cas a quick kiss on his face before diving under the water again. Cas turned to look behind him to where the cruise staff were setting up the giant grill and tables. Dean came up behind him and wrapped his arms around the angel's waist. "I'm gonna go get in line."
"Alright. I will accompany you," Cas replied, speaking over the live music. He followed Dean out of the pool and across the deck to where the buffet line had begun to form. They had to wait about ten minutes before the chefs started placing cooked patties out on the table for grabs. Beside the burgers, there were platters of condiments and deli cheeses. Hot dogs, fries, and fried chicken wings were also being served hot off the grill. Dean grabbed one of each as they shuffled through the line. Cas took a burger. The two of them returned to their lounge chairs with their lunch. Dean sat on top of his shirt, not bothering to put it on. He inhaled half of the food on his plate before Cas even managed to take two bites of his burger. Cas set his plate down beside him, and reached over and took one of Dean's fries. Dean paused chewing and looked up at him.
"Cas? I love you, but if you steal another fry off my plate..."
"I love you as well, Dean." Cas grinned, popping another fry into his mouth. Dean glared at him, feigning anger. He grabbed the angel's hand before he could take another fry. "Ok, come with me." Dean said as they stood up. He led Cas into the barbeque line and handed him a plate. "Here, how much do you want?" Dean asked as he scooped two serving spoonfuls of fries onto the plate.
"That is a generous amount, thank you."
"Yeah, no problem. Now you can stop stealing mine." Dean replied as they walked back to their chairs.
"But it will not be as amusing as taking them from you." Cas grinned at Dean's playful scowl as they sat down facing each other. Cas stuck a fry halfway in his mouth.
"You're really something, you know that?" Dean said, leaning forward and biting off the end of the fry sticking out of Cas's mouth, their lips brushing in the process. Cas stared at him, swallowing the remaining part of the fry in his mouth, and Dean burst out laughing. The angel's lips twitched into a smile. He enjoyed the sound of Dean's laugh – it was warm and rich, and he didn't hear it too often. Dean finished the rest of his lunch without anymore fry incidents, and Cas ate the rest of his burger and French fries. Now dry from the hot sun, Dean pulled on his shirt. "Hey, what's up there?" He asked, pointing to the uppermost outdoor deck above them.
"I believe that is where the sporting arenas are located."
"Wanna check it out?" He asked, standing up.
"Yes, I have yet to see how humans in this era implement sporting events," Cas replied, pulling on his tank top as they walked up the nearest outdoor staircase. They walked around the jogging track, passing by a basketball/volleyball court surrounded by netting. Beyond that was a small tennis and batting cage, and finally, there was a small mini golf course at the very back of the ship.
"Wanna play?" Dean asked, picking a golf club off the rack and grabbing a golf ball out of the bin. There was nobody on the course, he noticed, which was nice. Cas nodded. "Grab one of these and a ball." Cas complied, and followed Dean over to the first section. He set the ball down and gave it a whack in the direction of the hole. The ball landed beside it, and rolled slightly when the boat rocked. "That doesn't count, that's boat interference," he pointed out. Cas placed his ball on the green turf by his feet as Dean had done, and swung his club at it. The ball rolled fast and landed beside Dean's. Then the ball inexplicably rolled itself forward into the hole. "Hey, hey, no angel mojo allowed. 'S cheating." He complained, walking over and picking up his ball.
"I was not aware there were rules to this game." Cas leaned over and retrieved his own ball, and they walked across to the next section.
"Yeah, no mojo."
The hot Caribbean breeze swirled around them, and they could hear the waves being overturned by the back of the boat. Dean set his ball down and took a good swing. The ball rolled right into the hole two yards away.
"It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" Dean exclaimed, jumping around.
Cas squinted at him. "Does this call for celebration?"
Dean paused and stared at him. "Not you, too," he complained, frustrated that not even someone centuries older than him understood the reference. "Alright, take a swing. And no cheating this time." Cas hit the ball with the club, and it rolled right past the hole. "Looks like we have a tie."
"This game involves articles of clothing? I'm afraid my tie is somewhere in the bunker along with my trench coat."
Dean facepalmed, shaking his head. "You know what, I'm just gonna stop talking." Castiel surprised him by laughing. "What's so f- did you just make a joke?" He asked, grinning.
"Yes. Did it amuse you?"
Dean chuckled in response. "Yeah, that was pretty good," Cas grinned, and they crossed to one of the final sections of the course.
Cas won in the end, even though Dean blamed his losing on the boat rocking too much. They returned the golf balls and clubs to the rack, and walked along the jogging track back to the stairs. Dean paused and looked out at the vast ocean surrounding them, taking in the different shades of blue and noticing there were no clouds in the sky. He took a deep breath, and glanced over at Cas, who was also enjoying the scenery. He thought for a moment about what he was planning to do later that night. God, I hope I don't mess up. Cas turned to look into his eyes, and he swallowed. Even though he had come a long way with opening up to Castiel this past week, he still felt nervous around him sometimes. His gaze faltered, and he looked down, trying to think of something to say.
"Any, uh, anything good in the newsletter today?" He asked, looking back up into the angel's blue eyes.
"Yes," Cas replied. "It mentioned a comedian is performing in the theater at four this afternoon."
"That's, like, now. You want to go?"
"Yes, I'm interested in what a comedian does."
"Guess you'll find out." They headed down the stairs and across the deck to the elevators. They got off on Deck 6, and found their way into the theater. Dean was surprised at how big and fancy the theater was, with a humongous stage curtain decorated with gold and purple designs. They sat in two very comfortable theater seats towards the back, since the rest were all occupied. The lights went dim and the cruise director appeared on stage to welcome the comedian. An elderly white man in a Hawaiian shirt walked out on stage holding a mic and greeted the audience.
An hour, and about a hundred jokes Cas didn't understand later, the show was over. Dean stretched before standing up, waiting for the crowds of passengers to exit the theater in front of him. He was glad Cas hadn't asked him to explain every time the audience laughed, but it was entertaining to watch him squint for an hour. "That was most enjoyable," Cas said as they left the crowds behind and took the stairs down to their deck. "There is something uplifting about human laughter, it emanates positivity," he mused.
"Yeah, it's always nice to be around that." Dean agreed, not being able to remember a time where he had been surrounded by happiness. They entered their cabin, and picked up the daily newsletter.
"Dean, tonight there will be a party in the Spinnaker Lounge on Deck 7 late this evening. It is called a 'White Hot Party.'"
"The hell does that mean?" Dean asked, rummaging through his bag for some shorts.
"It says passenger must wear all white clothing, and there will be dancing all evening."
"Well, guess I'm not wearing these then," Dean replied, dropping the black shorts back in his bag. He dug around for the white cargo shorts, and set them down on the bed. He went over to the closet and pulled his white button up shirt off the hanger. "Alright, I'm gonna jump in the shower first,"he announced, taking his white outfit into the bathroom with him and shutting the door. Cas busied himself with finding white clothes of his own. He came up with a similar outfit to Dean's, and read the rest of the newsletter while waiting for the hunter to finish in the bathroom. Forty-five minutes later, Dean stepped out of the bathroom, the steam flowing out behind him. He took his time getting ready and also running through his plan in his mind over and over again. He wore his white clothes, and he had shaved and gelled his hair. Cas gaped at him, making him smirk. "Your turn, angel." Cas grinned at the pet name, and took his clothes into the bathroom with him. Dean sighed once he was alone, and laid back on his bed. He once again let thoughts consume his mind, and he wondered how he was gonna pull off what he had planned. "Come on, man. You're Dean f-ing Winchester," he figured Sam would tell him if he were there. That calmed his nerves a bit, thinking about his brother. He was sure Sam was relaxing in the bunker right then, drinking a beer and smirking at the fact that the whole cruise was a set up to get the two of them together and it had all gone as planned right under Dean's nose. He thought he should be upset about that, but he couldn't be even if he tried. He had never been happier in his entire life, and it was all thanks to Sam. Well, Sam and Cas, of course. He wondered what he had done to deserve all this happiness. Yeah, sure, he had saved the world – a dozen times – but he didn't quite think of himself as a super-hero. It was just his job, after all. The weight of the world had forever been on his shoulders, and he had just about gotten used to it. Now that the evil in the world was taking a leave of absence, Dean could sit back and think about what was to come, what he wanted, That was another thing he didn't do much – think about himself. It had gotten him into trouble many times, but he always thought about others first. So when the time came for him to start thinking about himself, he had realized that he wanted Castiel. Not as a friend, not as a brother, not as a fellow hunter. He wanted Castiel to live with him, to be his lover, his boyfriend, his h -
Dean sat up in bed, his heart beating faster at his thoughts. He felt nervous, and he still had to get through the next two hours before his plan could unfurl. He padded over to the ship phone on the bureau. The display screen said it was quarter of six. Why was Cas taking so long? he wondered. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Cas? You ok?"
"Yes," came the echoed response on the other side of the door. Dean shrugged and sat on his bed again. A few minutes passed, and Dean caught himself continuously glancing over at the closed door. He relaxed when it finally opened, and Cas emerged, also dressed all in white. He had managed to shave his face as well, and he gelled his own hair. Dean's breath caught as he stared at Cas in awe.
"Cas...you look amazing."
"Thank you," Cas blushed, "I thought perhaps I could groom myself the way you had." He sat on his bed, facing where Dean sat on his. Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas's full lips. Dean cupped the angel's face in his hands, marveling at how soft and smooth it now was. He deepened the kiss, running his tongue along the angel's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Cas's tongue met his, and he made a small noise of approval as he pushed the angel to lie back on the bed. He refrained from running his hands through Cas's hair, not wanting to mess with the gel. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean's neck, and kissed him back. Dean felt warmth wash over him as he kissed his angel, and he was filled with confidence and self-esteem. He smiled against the angel's lips before pulling back.
"You wanna head up to the steakhouse? I have to, uh, use the bathroom...Think all that teleporting's finally caught up to me." Dean winked sarcastically. Cas nodded and adjusted his shirt as he got up. "See you up there," he kissed the angel's soft face as he headed to the bathroom.
"Ok, I will see you at the steak house." Cas left the cabin and took the stairs to the specialty dining room. Dean made sure he was gone, and then opened the closet to take the ring box out of his jacket. He opened it to make sure the ring was in place. The silver band with fancy cursive writing was sitting there staring back at him, and he sighed and closed the lid again. He sat on the closed toilet seat and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He thought he looked ok, better than he had in the past – always covered with wounds and bruises.
He looked down at the tiled floor. "Cas..." He said aloud, barely above a whisper. "Cas," he said a bit louder. "Cas, will you-" he shook his head, and looked up at his reflection again. "Cas, we've known each other for a long time, and...and...ugh" Dean groaned in frustration. He put the box on the counter and put his hand to his forehead. There was no way he would get through this. He could battle demons and unspeakable creatures of darkness, and he could save the world again and again, but there was no way Dean Winchester was going to find the right words to say to the love of his life within the next two hours. He stood up and angrily pushed the bathroom door out of the way. He took a seat at the bureau and took a deep breath. He saw their professional photos were resting there underneath a t-shirt, and he pulled one out and stared at Castiel's face. "Cas..." he began. And the rest of the words seemed to just flow out of his mouth. He spent a good twenty minutes staring at Cas's reassuring blue eyes looking back at him from the photograph, and he spilled his heart out. When he decided he had a good grip on things, he took another deep breath and got up. He grabbed the ring box and shoved it deep in his shorts pocket, and then he left the room and jogged up the stairs to the steakhouse.