Dean entered the steakhouse and found it was crowded with passengers awaiting their reservations. Some were in line, a few sat on the decorative benches. Dean spotted Cas already seated at a table against the far wall of the dining room. Waiters and waitresses of all different nationalities bustled around serving meals and scribbling down passengers' orders. The sounds of dishes clanging and the collective chatter of people filled the room. And Dean could smell steak. His stomach rumbled as he sat down at the white cloth table across from Castiel.

"Hello, Dean."

"Hey," Dean replied, picking up the menu. "How long was the wait?"

"Several minutes."

"Not bad," Dean said absentmindedly as he scanned over the menu. After a moment he placed it on the table, already knowing what he was going to order. It took a while for the waiter to get around to taking their orders. "So..." Dean began, and Cas looked into his eyes. "So, this is our, uh...third date, right?" Cas nodded. "Guess I should start callin' you my boyfriend then, huh?" He asked nervously, watching Castiel's face for his reaction. Cas blushed and his gaze faltered, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.

"Yes, I believe so. And if you don't mind, I will call you 'boyfriend' as well." Dean grinned, looking down at the neatly folded cloth napkin on the table in front of him. He had secretly brought up the subject to test the waters, and he was glad to find out that Cas was on board, so to speak. Their food was served faster than they expected, considering how busy the dining room was. Dean almost drooled at the sight of the two large slabs of steak placed before him along with a side of mac&cheese. Cas had ordered just one steak with a side of mac&cheese as well. Dean calmly cut his steak into bite sized pieces and ate them two at a time. Cas wondered why Dean's shovel-and-slurp eating habits had suddenly changed. He observed the hunter eating until Dean paused mid-chew and stared back at him.

'Cas, you alright?"

"Yes. Are...you?"

"Yeah, fine. Why?" He asked after swallowing.

"Well, you are not trying to inhale your meal."

"Hey, this is probably the last good meal I'll have for a while. Don't judge me for savoring it." Dean replied, pointing his fork at the angel as he spoke. The truth was, however, that he was semi-consciously trying to use his manners and impress Cas. He figured if everything went well later that night, he didn't want the dinner portion of the memory to be clouded by the image of him stuffing his face.

"I wasn't judging you," Cas replied quietly as he went back to his mac&cheese.

"Sorry...Think I'm just going through steak withdrawal already," Dean covered in a softer voice. He did eat the mac&cheese by the forkful though, because it was really good.

A short while later, the waiter came by and cleared the dishes away before returning with dessert menus.

"Apple pie for me," Dean ordered, handing over his menu. Cas ordered the cheesecake. Dean devoured the tiny slice of pie he was served, and stole a forkful of Cas's cheesecake.

"You may have it, Dean." Cas offered, pushing the plate across the table to him.

"Thanks, boyfriend. You're the best." Dean winked at him and finished off the cake.

Dean's nerves increased and his heart picked up pace a bit as they left the dining room. He patted his shorts pocket, feeling the square corners of the box underneath the fabric. They walked through the atrium which was also crowded with guests viewing the photo gallery and making last minute arrangements at the Guest Services desk. They took the stairs up the several flights to the pool deck. Dean took a deep breath as they walked through the sliding door to get outside on the deck. The warm, ocean air filled his lungs and he exhaled audibly as he took hold of Cas's hand.

"Come with me," he said somewhat quietly. "I, uh..." He trailed off and started walking across the deck, Cas following and holding his hand. He led them up the outdoor steps to the private tanning area just above the pool deck where they had watched the stars together on the first night of the cruise. The many lounge chairs that had crowded the area had all been neatly stacked along the side, leaving the space open. There were no other passengers in sight. They were all busy packing or eating or doing some last minute onboard shopping.

Dean and Cas stood in the center of the small tanning deck, an easy silence between them. The warm night air breezed past them, and all they could hear were the endless waves of the dark ocean water surrounding the ship. Billions of stars and constellations Dean didn't know the names of twinkled above them in the night sky. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, and held both of Cas's hands in his. Cas stood there, patient eyes squinting slightly. The small outdoor lights mounted along the back wall made it look as though Cas was glowing.

"Cas..." Dean looked into Cas's shining crystal blue eyes, and nearly forgot everything he was about to say. Cas stayed silent, waiting for Dean to continue. Dean glanced down at the floor for a moment, desperately trying to collect his thoughts and calm his nerves. He had been in countless nerve-wracking situations so much worse than this one before. And he had for the most part stayed calm and gotten through it, doing what he had to do. But for some reason, this was so much more...intense. Maybe it was because it was a positive situation, where nothing was out to get him – the man he loved was holding his hands and waiting patiently for him to speak. He could do this. He's Dean-fucking-Winchester. He could do this. He could overcome the monster called love that attacked him with nerves and uncertainty, making him feel anxious and short of breath. He could defeat it just like everything else. He looked back up into Castiel's eyes.

"Cas, I know I'm gonna mess this up, but, uh...Look, we – we've known each other for years, and, well, like you said the other day, we know each other a lot. And we've been through hell and back...literally. And I want you to know that I feel like a complete idiot for not realizing any of this sooner. Ever since I met you in that barn, I – I felt something. You call it a bond, but I think it's something people call "love at first sight'…" He paused, looking down briefly. "And I know you don't think I noticed everything you did...everything you've done, for me, for Sam, for the world. But I did notice. And I'm sorry I never really thanked you until now. But... Enough chick flick moment." He sighed, gathering the last of his thoughts before looking into the angel's eyes. "What I'm trying to get at here is...I love you. I love you a lot. I know I said I wanna call you my boyfriend...But I want you to be more than that." Cas squinted slightly at this. He wanted to tell Dean that he understood why it took him some time to realize his true feelings, and that he forgave him. But he knew Dean was about to say something important, so instead he smiled, looking into Dean's nervous green eyes. Dean let go of Cas's hands, and reached into his shorts pocket, taking out a small box.

Dean got down on one knee in front of the angel, and pulled the lid off the box as he spoke.

"I want you to be my husband. Castiel, will you marry me?"

Dean looked up at Cas hesitantly, awaiting his reaction. Cas didn't squint. He didn't shake his head. Instead, he smiled beautifully, blushing furiously as a tear ran down his face. He knelt down facing Dean and cupped his face with both hands.

"Yes, Dean Winchester, I will marry you." He kissed Dean's lips which were slightly parted in surprise. As the kiss deepened, Cas could feel Dean's tears of joy mix with his own where their faces touched. After a beautiful moment, Dean pulled back and stood up, reaching out his hands and helping Cas to stand as well. He held out the box, and Cas took it to get a closer look. "This is...a ring," he asked aloud, and Dean nodded. "It is a symbol that represents our love, correct?"

Dean nodded again. "Yeah, you wear it. Like this..." Dean took the ring out and shoved the box in his pocket. He held Cas's left hand, and slowly slid the ring onto his ring finger. It fit perfectly. "It also means that we're gonna get married." Dean added happily, the new word still feeling foreign in his mouth. Cas spun the ring around his finger to read the tiny, fancy cursive engraving:

More than just a profound bond

Cas grinned, "thank you, Dean." Dean smiled and kissed his fiance passionately. He wrapped his arms around Cas's waist, and Cas hugged him back tight. Standing like that reminded Dean of something.

"You still wanna go to the all white party?"

"Yes, I would like to dance with the man I am going to marry." Cas replied, taking Dean by the hand. Dean blushed and smiled so big, his face hurt.

They took the stairs down to the Spinnaker Lounge. The lounge had dim lighting except for the disco ball and colorful stage lights flashing around the crowded dance floor. Everyone was wearing all white, including the cruise staff. Dean and Cas made their way to the dance floor and found a small space on the outside edge. They moved to the heavy-bass beat of the Reggaeton music that pounded through the speakers. In Spanish, Daddy Yankee was singing:

"Todo el mundo se puede enamorar. Esto que sentimos no es ilegal."

{Everyone can love. What we feel is not a crime.}

They couldn't understand the lyrics, but if they could, Dean would smirk at the ironic coincidence. The DJ played several more new, upbeat songs. Strobe lights flashed, and stage fog clouded the dance floor as the crowd of dancing passengers cheered. Dean pulled Cas back against him, and they grinded to the music. Everyone dancing did their own thing, not paying any attention to the two of them. Dean was pretty much new at this, but he was both surprised and relieved at the amount of acceptance on board the ship. Guess they don't call it 'Freestyle Cruising' for nothing, he thought to himself amusingly. He was almost glad that the upbeat music ended when it did; Cas was making it difficult to keep his arousal under control. A slow love song played, and he pulled Cas to face him. They put their arms around each other and gently swayed back and forth to the music. Dean got lost in thought as they slow danced. He was sad the cruise was ending. As much as he wanted to see Sam, he was really going to miss everything about this ship. Especially the food. And the positive atmosphere. He hoped maybe they could take another vacation or a case on board a cruise ship in the near future, and take Sam along. The song ended, and Dean kissed Cas's forehead as he stepped back. Danza Kuduro played through the speakers, a popular cruise song, and the dance floor cheered. Dean spun Cas around and they started grinding again. Dean gripped Cas's hips and Cas rocked his hips from side to side. By the time the song was over, Dean's temples were beaded with sweat, and Cas's bangs stuck to his forehead. Dean took a step back and glanced towards the bar. The wall clock read quarter of ten.

"Would you like to go to bed?" Cas asked, out of breath.

"I would love to take you to bed," Dean replied playfully with a grin, putting his hands on the angel's forearms.