They didn't talk about the almost-kiss. But something had changed in their relationship. They both knew it. Slowly, a mutual attraction between them had built up, without either of them noticing – until the other night where they had almost kissed.

But they don't talk about it, they pretend it didn't happen. However, it did change a lot of things in their relationship.

Over the next few weeks, Castiel started to stand a little closer to Dean than usual, and their hands would touch 'accidentally' when handing the other papers, and sometimes their fingers would linger against the other's for a little longer than necessary. It's only small changes, but Dean knew that they are a huge step for Cas, who has always been afraid of another person's touch.

The progress is small but it's something.

They never address the changes, simply let them happen. It's like they're testing each other and what is going on between them, maybe to confirm their own confusing feelings or just to try and get closer.

Castiel had brushed his wing against Dean recently; letting it touch his side gently, and allowed him to feel the soft feathers against his naked arm. Dean had stood still and hadn't moved a muscle or tried to touch the feathers in any way. He wasn't sure what Cas was doing, but the angel had seemed pleased about his calm reaction.

Sometimes, they would also glance at the other when they thought he wasn't looking, which led to some awkward moments in the office when they caught each other's gazes.

Which they also ignored and didn't talk about. Even though it had been weeks since the almost-kiss, neither of them commented on the changes that were happening between them.

What were they supposed to say, anyway?

Instead, they simply enjoyed the changes and they grew closer to each other, slowly, but surely.

Dean himself was amazed how fast he seemed to have fallen for the angel. He found him attractive, yes, but there was something more in it. Something he had not felt for anyone before.

On a rainy Friday, they left work together.

Dean had started driving Castiel to work and home. They didn't live far from each other, and it took only seven minutes to drive there from work. Castiel didn't like to make his wings intangible for that long, but he did it anyway. Why, Dean wasn't sure, maybe it was for the company. Usually, it was Gabriel who drove him to and from work because he wouldn't let Cas walk the streets alone. It took some weight off Gabriel that he didn't need to drive him anymore.

Dean's car was parked outside the Hunter's Department, right outside the exit, and when they went out they saw Sam standing over by the Impala, waiting.

Sam wasn't staying with Dean anymore because Dean had recovered from his injures, and Sam and his fiancé, Jess, had found a new a place to live in. Dean didn't complain. Now there was no one to wake up him right after his alarm went off in the morning and forbid him to use the snooze button.

"Sammy? What's up?" Dean said, stopping in front of him with Castiel standing behind him.

"Well, I'm free for today, same as you, so I thought I'd drop by here and see if you were free tonight, if you wonna hang out," Sam said. "By hanging out I mean watch or movie or something at your place." He was obviously referring to the fact that he did not feel like going out to bars tonight and get drunk, which was what Dean mostly preferred doing.

"Sure, I'm free tonight," Dean said, smiling at his brother. He glanced back at the angel who was still standing somewhere to his left. "You wonna join us, Cas?" He looked over at Sam and added, "You OK if he joins in?"

"Sure," Sam said, looking a little surprised that Dean would invite the angel over just like that. He knew things were going better between them – Dean had told him – but he had no idea that things were going so well that his brother would invite him home. Dean never invited his buddies or colleagues home, they always went out somewhere. The only person he had ever invited home before was Jim, but that had only been a few times.

The angel's head snapped up and he looked a little uncertain. "I… I don't think I've ever really watched a movie before," he admitted. He blushed a little.

"Seriously? Never?" Dean asked, not believing it. "Oh god, then you have to come! You can't live your life without watching a good movie, Cas," he grinned.

"I- I don't know," Castiel said, uncertainly. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to join them. He had never gone home with anyone before, beside Gabriel.

"Oh c'mon, it'll be fun," Dean said, encouraging. "Sam and I won't eat you, I promise."

Castiel seemed to have an inner fight with himself. He bit his lip and shifted nervously, before he finally gave in. "Fine, I'll go."

"Great," Dean smiled brightly.

They entered the car with Sam on the passenger seat and Cas in the back. Dean told him to lean forward against the front seat, so his wings could fit behind him and lie across the backseat. Castiel did so, but found it pretty uncomfortable sitting there.

Dean and Sam talked about Sam's school in the car. Castiel listened in but didn't comment. He was still feeling shy and afraid around everyone but Dean. Sam still seemed a little puzzled by the angel's behavior – how he seemed to keep for himself except when he's with Dean.

When he looked up into the rearview mirror, Castiel saw that Dean was looking at him. But the human quickly looked away, shifting awkwardly, and Castiel looked away as well, close to blushing. These awkward moments had been happening a lot lately.

They arrived at Dean's apartment a few minutes later, and Castiel was happy to finally stretch his wings again when he exited the car.

When they entered his apartment, Dean noticed how Castiel's wings were folded tighter against his back than usual, and how he hugged his arms around himself as he entered Dean's home. He wouldn't move further than the entrance hall, and glanced up at Dean with eyes full of fear.

The last time he had been in a home with humans was when he had been a slave. Of course he was feeling nervous, Dean thought, and immediately felt guilty for putting him in this situation – he hadn't thought about how Cas would react to being there.

Dean met his eye, silently telling him it was alright, and Cas relaxed a little; his wings less tense behind his back and his shoulders dropped a little. He stepped into the living room, hesitantly, but once he was there he started looking around curiously.

Sam caught the silent communication between the two and frowned. Something was definitely going on there.

"So, any idea which movie to watch?" Dean asked Sam, who was putting down his stuff next to the TV.

"Hmm, well, I brought over a few horrors and actions, I think."

Dean froze. He leaned in and told Sam, "Don't you have anything less… traumatic? We aren't watching this movie alone, ya know." He glanced over at Cas, who was staring curiously at some photos on a table, and Sam followed his gaze.

"Oh," he said. "Hmm, I do have one animation movie, if that works. It only contains light violence and it's a fantasy."

"Okay, that should do," Dean said.

Sam was surprised and confused over the choice of genre, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he prepared the movie while Dean went to the kitchen to find some snacks.

Once they were ready, Dean and Cas shared the couch while Sam took the chair.

It was difficult with his large wings to adjust himself on the couch, so Cas ended up throwing them over the back of the couch; the right wing resting near Dean's head. It looked very awkward and very uncomfortable, too, but it was physically impossible for Cas to lean back on the couch otherwise. The wings were fucking huge, after all.

There was a good distance between them because of the wings, but Dean didn't mind. Actually, he was slightly surprised when the angel placed his right wing near him – all he had to do was reach up and touch it. But he wouldn't. It would be a horrible violation against his friend.

The movie started and they all shared chips and drank soda which Dean provided. Normally he and Sam would drink beer, but he was out of beer, and soda just sometimes tasted better with chips than beer did.

Castiel was watching the movie with curiosity and interest. Though, Dean doubted it was the first time he'd watched TV. He had seen one in the angel's apartment, but apparently he didn't use it to watch movies with.

Dean was relieved that the movie didn't contain any scenes that would have traumatized the angel. Violence and sex would have scared him away.

He couldn't help but glance at Castiel every now and then and see how curious and interested he was about seeing a movie for the first time, and never looked away from the screen. Dean smiled. It was like watching a child do something for the first time.

But at the end of the movie, the male main character grabbed the female character's ass, playfully, making a lewd comment.

Castiel flinched and curled in on himself immediately.

"Hey, it's okay, nothing happened," Dean soothed him; leaning towards him to look at Castiel's face which was frozen in shock. "It's just a movie, and the character was just fooling around a little. It's alright."

He wanted to reach out and touch Castiel to reassure him, but he wasn't sure if he should do that, so he didn't.

Castiel simply nodded in understanding and calmed down.

"You okay?" Dean asked, softly.

Castiel nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. Tell me if you aren't," Dean added.

Dean hadn't expected the movie to contain a such scene. It was for minors! What the hell was wrong with moviemakers nowadays?

Sam observed the interaction silently. He wondered what was going on. He obviously had a lot of questions he had to ask Dean later.

When the movie was over, Sam said he had to go home again – Jess would be worried otherwise. Dean knew it wasn't quite true, as Sam could simply phone her about it, but he didn't say anything.

When he left, Dean sighed and glanced back at Castiel, who seemed a little nervous; he was shifting on his feet and staring at the ground, like he wanted to ask something.

"What is it, Cas? You got to be somewhere?"

"No, that's not…" He trailed off and bit his lip again. It was a nervous habit and Dean thought he looked kind of adorable like that.

'Adorable', seriously? What is wrong with my mind lately, Dean thought.

"What is it?" Dean prompted, suddenly worried when Cas didn't say anything. He stepped a little closer but stopped at a decent distance.

Castiel glanced up at him before quickly looking away. "I was wondering if I may use your shower. They cut off the hot water supply at my apartment because they're replacing the old pipes in the basement, so I can't shower there."

"Oh," Dean said, not knowing if he should feel surprised or relieved. "Um, sure, go ahead. It's the door right behind you, to the left," he said, and pointed behind Cas. There were two doors – one to the bathroom and one to his bedroom.

"Thank you," Castiel said, feeling relieved.

"There are towels, soap and shampoo inside, just use what you need," Dean told him. Then something hit him. "Are you even sure you can shower here? I mean, the stall isn't small but your wings are kinda huge – no offence," he added when Castiel's eyes narrowed, "so isn't it gonna be… troublesome?"

"It is always troublesome to wash them but it needs to be done," Castiel replied. "I may take a while, though – my wings will need some light grooming and… it takes time." He blushed, and Dean briefly wondered why.

"Sure, take your time."

Castiel nodded and went over to the bathroom. "I'll be sure to clean up after myself," he said before going in.

"Don't worry about it," Dean said.

Dean sat down on the couch and waited. After a few minutes he could hear the shower turn on. He could hear him splashing around in there a little, and he suddenly wondered what the angel looked like with his wings all wet and slippery from the shower… He imagined how the feathers would glister from the water, and how Cas' dark hair would be flat and fall over his forehead as water poured down over his body.

His jeans suddenly felt tighter than before…

Dean shook his head, pushing the thoughts and images away.

No! He couldn't think about that. Not now, with Cas right in there, in the shower. What the hell was he thinking?

He groaned and closed his eyes; trying to think of something else.

Anything else.

But it was difficult, knowing what Cas was doing in the room right next to him. But he couldn't allow himself to have such thoughts about the angel – he had been through a hell that Dean could never hope to imagine. He knew that angel slaves had been at the mercy of their owners' sexual desires every day.

Dean felt a sudden anger over what he knew had been done to Castiel once, and he wanted to track down that son of a bitch who did this to him and fucking rip him apart.

The sound of the shower turning off brought Dean out of his thoughts, and he took a deep breath; calming down.

He could hear Castiel fumble around in there; probably trying to groom his wings the best he could. Dean imagined that it must be very difficult for an angel to do on his own – it would be hard to reach every single feather and correct them.

Ten minutes later, Castiel walked out of the bathroom – wearing only his dress shirt and the black pants. His hair was messy, but his feathers were relatively smooth, though they still appeared to be quite wet.

Dean stared at the wings. Cas looked fucking hot like that; wings wet and smooth, his hair all messy, his white shirt and pants appearing at least one size too big on his small frame...

Dean's eyes were so glued to the wings and the slender body that he almost didn't hear Cas speak.

"I will put on the rest of my clothes soon," Castiel quickly said, "but I need my wings to dry first. They… don't dry very fast." He shifted and some droplets fell from the wings to the wooden floor. He looked a little panicked. "I didn't wish to make your floor wet, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Cas, it's fine," Dean smiled, a little amused by how Cas seemed to panic over such a small thing. Then it dawned on him that perhaps his old owner had been very strict about such things.

He stood up and walked over to the angel. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I'll clean it up later."

Castiel simply nodded.

"Did you manage to do some grooming?" Dean asked. He kind of regretted asking it because he could see at Castiel that the question was a little inappropriate.

"The parts I could reach, yes. The rest Gabriel will have to help me with later."

"Gabriel grooms you?" Dean asked, surprised.

"Of course, he's my brother. Only family or mates are allowed to touch or groom our wings," Castiel explained, like it was obvious.

"Oh. But… you let me touch yours after your injury. I don't really fall into either of categories, do I…?"

Castiel's eyes widened and his cheeks reddened somewhat. "I… That was different. It was an emergency. Besides, it doesn't matter if it's not actual family that does it – as long as it is someone the angel trusts."

Dean hesitated. "So you… trust me, a lot?" he asked, uncertainly.

This conversation was getting more awkward than Dean intended.

Castiel also hesitated a little. "I… Yes, I do. You're the person I trust the most, aside from Gabriel. But it is not a full trust." Dean looked a little hurt at that, and he immediately added, "Dean, not like that! I mean— I trust you, but I don't…" He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"It's okay, Cas, I get it," Dean said. "I wasn't expecting you to trust me a hundred percent, anyway – even though I was hoping that the one I like would be able to trust me more…"

The words slipped out before he could stop them, and Castiel heard them. His head snapped up immediately.

"What?" Castiel said; eyes wide as he stared at Dean in shock.

Dean stared back at him in equal shock.

Shit, why did he say that?

"Err," Dean stammered; mouth opening a few times but no words came out. "I don't… I mean… Never mind – I didn't say anything," he quickly said, trying to push the matter away and forget about it, but Castiel wouldn't let it go.

"Dean," Castiel sighed, knowing very well what he had said.

Dean bit lip almost painfully, only wanting to take back his words or get the hell out of there.

"Look, I like you, okay?" He finally said, staring the angel into the eyes who stared back at him with an unreadable expression. "I like you a lot, even though you're an angel and I'm a human. I don't know when these feelings started, I just…" he trailed off, feeling awkward and stupid. "I care for you."

Castiel was silent for a moment, before his wings drooped a little; more water droplets falling to the floor, but neither noticed.

"I- I like you, too," he whispered, staring at the floor. "And it scares me," he said; voice sounding broken, and it made Dean look up in worry. "I shouldn't feel this way… I have never…" He seemed about to panic and that alerted Dean.

"Whoa, hey," Dean said, approaching Castiel slowly until he was right in front of him. Castiel tensed a little when he came closer but he didn't back away. "It's alright, I know it's frightening – I wasn't expecting this, either."

"But—"

"But," Dean interrupted him. "I am not going to force you into anything that you don't want, Cas. I promise. If you don't want to do this, I'll back away, okay? We can just forget about this, if you want."

Castiel seemed unable to form words.

"But I want this," he finally said, looking up and back into Dean's green eyes. "I want to be with you, I like your company a lot, and you make me feel… safe. It's just… I don't want to do anything too physical, I don't think I'm ready for that yet," he said.

They were standing so close…

"That's alright, Cas. I understand. We'll take this slow, okay?"

Castiel nodded, gratefully, and then he slowly leant forward.

Dean froze as Cas suddenly rested his head against his chest; listening to his heartbeat beneath the t-shirt.

Heartbeats were good. They were relaxing, calming. And Dean's chest was warm and comforting unlike other people Castiel knew.

Dean hesitated a little before he brought his hand up, slowly, to the angel's hair. Realizing his intention, Castiel relaxed and let Dean pet his hair gently. The hair was still a little wet but it felt soft, like silk, under Dean's fingers.

They stood there, sharing an intimate moment for what seemed like forever.

Dean just hoped he wouldn't mess this up.

He had finally found the one he was meant to be with, and he'd wait as long as it'd take before Cas was ready.

But for now, this was enough, and Dean melted into the moment.

To be continued…

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This chapter turned out pretty long. And I think things got so awkward between them after the almost-kiss in chapter 7 that they simply chose not to talk about it. Things should get a little more interesting now that they have confessed their feelings ;)

This fic has many more chapters to come, no worries. I'm guessing there will be around 14 chapters in total. But we'll see.

As always, your reviews have been very supportive and motivating! Thanks guys, you are awesome :) I'm hoping to hear more of your opinions!