Their kisses had become a lot more frequent after the first one.
Cas was no longer holding back as much, and their kisses had deepened. However, Dean was still very careful about where he put his hands while they kissed. He was okay with it going slowly. He had never really been in an actual relationship before – only a very few which didn't last more than a few weeks – and this slow development gave him a better insight into who Cas was. It was so much more than just the physical between them, which was all new to Dean. For him, it had always been about the sex whenever he hooked up with someone, but now it was different. Now, he felt things he had never felt before, like how being together with another person could make you happy.
Kisses had never held as much meaning with anyone as they did with Cas.
They colleagues had started sensing that something was more different now, and they had started talking behind Dean's back. Jo defended them; telling the others it was none of their business and to back off. Dean was grateful for her support, though she was always nagging into their relationship. Dean waved her off; she didn't need to know everything about him and Cas.
After a successful case, involving Dean getting smacked into a wall by a monster clown (which totally hurt his ego), he and Castiel were leaving work for the day.
When they stepped outside, Sam was waiting by the Impala, flashing Dean a bright grin when he saw him. Dean glanced behind his brother and saw that Jess was there as well.
"Dean! I was waiting for you to get off work," Sam smiled and hugged his brother.
Dean hugged him back before stepping back and allowing Jess to hug him as well. He was faintly aware of Cas standing somewhere behind him, looking between them curiously.
"What? No comments about my shirt this time, Dean? I'm surprised," Jess grinned when they pulled back from the hug. She was referring to the times Dean had said that her shirt was nice, even though she knew exactly that he was referring to her breasts and not the shirt.
"What? Oh! Nah, can't do that when I'm taken," Dean smirked, reaching over and pulling his arm around Cas' waist. The angel tensed briefly because of being in public, but soon he relaxed, leaning into Dean's touch.
Sam's jaw almost dropped. "Seriously, the two of you are finally together? Wow."
"Dude, we were that last time, too," Dean pointed out.
"Yeah, but not this… obvious," Sam said, looking between them.
"Wow, I never thought Dean would ever actually date someone," Jess smiled, earning a snort from Dean. Jess looked over at the angel and reached out her hand. "I'm Jess, Sam's girlfriend."
Once again, Castiel stared at the outstretched hand warily before he shook it quickly, introducing himself.
Jess seemed a little puzzled by the strange behavior, but didn't comment on it.
"So, why are you here?" Dean finally asked, tightening his hold around the angel who seemed uncomfortable. He knew Cas hated shaking hands with strangers because he avoided physical contact with pretty much anyone but Dean. Castiel relaxed when he stepped closer to him.
"Well, we come because we have good news," Sam said, grinning at Jess who leaned into his side, her hand on his chest as she smiled up at him.
"We're getting married," Jess said, looking at Dean, whose jaw almost dropped. Castiel's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? Married? How? When?" Dean asked, shocked.
"Don't act so shocked, we were already engaged," Jess chuckled.
"Yeah, but… Isn't this a bit soon?"
"Dude, we've been dating for four years, it's not that soon," Sam said, giving him a bitch-face.
"Bitch," Dean mumbled.
"Jerk," Sam grinned.
"Boys," Jess scowled, while Castiel seemed to have gotten lost in their conversation.
"Anyway, congrats to you both, hope there's pie at the wedding," Dean grinned.
"Not with you there – no one else will get a chance at tasting any before you eat it all away," Sam said, giving him another bitch-face.
"Hey!" Dean protested. "I'm not such a glutton."
"Yes you are," Sam grinned.
Castiel tried to hide a smile but Dean noticed him and poked him playfully with his elbow.
"So, I think we'll be going. We have a wedding to plan after all," Sam said, pulling an arm around Jess' waist, before he looked over at Cas. "You're invited too, Cas, if you want."
Castiel's stared back at him in surprise. "Thank you, Sam," he said.
They said goodbye to Sam and Jess before they took off to go to Castiel's apartment to spend the evening together. They took turns at whose apartment they were at, and they'd usually make dinner together. Two people eating the same meal was cheaper than two people preparing their own meals.
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They ended up watching cartoons later that night. It seemed that Dean would have to sleep over again. He'd done that a few times, usually sleeping on the couch because Castiel wasn't comfortable sharing his bed with him yet. Which was totally fine with Dean, he didn't blame the angel.
Castiel had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt so he'd be more comfortable on the couch. Dean liked seeing him in different clothes than just his suit and trench coat. However, the t-shirt was a little too big, covering most of his form and figure. Dean figured Cas was just more comfortable that way, not showing too much of his form.
While they were watching some cartoon the door was being unlocked and someone stepped in. It took Dean a moment to realize it was just Gabriel with his house key.
"Cassie, the landlord wants to speak with you," the elder angel said as he entered the apartment. "Something about the bathroom, I dunno."
Castiel frowned, but moved up from the couch and into his bedroom to change his clothes. Dean glanced after him but remained sitting on the couch.
Castiel reemerged from the bedroom soon after. "I will, um, be right back, Dean," he said, moving over to the door.
"Sure, take your time," Dean said from the couch and stretched his limbs.
Castiel disappeared out the door and Gabriel walked over, sitting down on the chair beside from the couch. Dean glanced at him and noticed the brown-winged angel was staring at him. "What?" he asked, annoyed.
"You and bro have been making out, haven't you?" Gabriel asked, still staring intensely at him.
"So?" Dean said, trying to sound casual.
"So, I wasn't expecting that to ever happen," Gabriel said, leaning back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. His wings had taken on their intangible form, going right through the chair, and it creeped Dean out a little. The elder angel must have more stamina than Castiel, who almost never did this.
"In fact, I thought my little bro would never accept someone into his life. Not after all the crap that happened," Gabriel muttered. He glanced over at Dean and said, "You really are something, Dean. I've never seen my brother as happy as he's been lately. You better fucking not screw this up."
"I'm not intending to," Dean assured him, taken a little aback by the angel's words. "He… means a lot to me," he said, staring into his lap, awkwardly.
Gabriel smiled. "Good, then I trust you not to hurt him. You know what happens if you do."
Dean winced as he remembered the threat Gabriel had given him the first time he came there.
"How far how you… taken it?" Gabriel suddenly asked, turning to stare at him, suspiciously.
"We haven't gone to the last step, if that's what you fear," Dean assured him. He had the feeling the brown-winged angel didn't like him much. And he couldn't blame him – he was Cas' older brother, and he was being very protective of him. Especially given Castiel's past.
"I didn't think so. Castiel's history with sex isn't exactly positive," Gabriel said, bitterly.
Dean nodded and looked into his lap. Then he looked up at Gabriel and asked, "Where were you, while Cas was… you know. Were you a slave also?"
Gabriel seemed to be taken a little aback by that question, but he soon collected himself again. He sighed and leaned forwards; elbows resting on his knees and he stared at the floor. "No. I was sent to one those 'institutions', as they called them," he explained. "You know, where they test and probe you, and then otherwise just leave you in a cell to rot. Real nasty," he said, lips curling into a smile that wasn't real.
When Dean waited for him to continue, he sighed and went on.
"Castiel and I were separated when we were small, after our parents died. Cas was no more than ten years old when he was sold to that bastard," he spat the word. "He was there until he was nineteen. He wasn't the same after that, and neither was I, but with Cas it was worse. He didn't trust anyone anymore, didn't want anyone to touch him. He had horrible nightmares and was basically just one big mess. Even his feathers started falling out."
Dean winced.
"He stayed with me after he was freed. But when I could no longer provide for him, he joined the angel forces – those who fight the Creatures and bring peace to the world. There wasn't much else he could do if he wanted to make a living," Gabriel shrugged. "I feared the worst when his boss had him transferred to your department," he said, giving Dean a weak smile.
"You feared he'd get worse," Dean said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah…" Gabriel confirmed. "He was finally getting better and they were sending him right back to the beings that made him worse in the first place. I hadn't expected him to actually get even better from it. I guess I have you to thank for that."
"Well, I didn't treat him nicely at the beginning, so…" Dean rubbed the back of his neck in guilt.
Gabriel laughed. "And he didn't treat you well, either, did he? My baby brother can be a real ass sometimes," he said, fondly.
Dean chuckled.
The apartment door opened and Castiel walked back in. The closed and locked the door, sighing.
"What's up, bro?" Gabriel asked as his brother walked over to them and sat down on the edge of the couch next to Dean; his wings spread awkwardly over the couch and over the edge to the floor.
"The landlord said that the others in the building have reported problems with the plumbing in the sink in the bathroom. They decided to replace all the pipes in the building sometime next month."
"Ow, means you can't use it for a week, that sucks," Gabriel winced.
"You can stay at my place then," Dean offered. "I'll just sleep on the couch."
"Dean, I couldn't—"
"Yes you can, Cas, and you will, otherwise I'll drag your ass there myself," Dean said, grinning.
Castiel's stared at him in surprise before his lips curled into a small smile. "Thank you, Dean. I'm very grateful."
"No problem."
"Aww, you're like husband and wife already. Isn't that cute," Gabriel said, smiling mockingly.
"Shut up, Gabriel," Dean scowled, while Castiel glared at his brother.
Gabriel laughed and stood up from the chair. "Well, I'll be going now. Just came by to see how you were doing, Cassie," he said, smiling fondly at the younger angel. His love for Castiel was clearly visible in his eyes, and Dean found himself smiling. It was good that his angel had a supporting brother who cared for him so much.
"Thank you, Gabriel," Castiel smiled before standing up and leading his brother to the door.
After Gabriel left, they went back to watching TV and then went to bed. Dean took the couch, as usual, and leaned in to kiss Cas goodnight. The angel accepted the kiss and kissed him back, and Dean grinned.
The improvements were good, though the angel still had a long way to go. He still seemed slightly unsure with physical contact, though not as much as before.
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The next day, Dean was sitting alone in the office after they had returned from a case. Castiel's wings had gotten blood all over them, so he was using the department's shower to clean his feathers before the blood got stuck too much. The shower was in a remote place in the building, no one ever really used it, and the doors could be locked so it was safe for him to shower there. Still, Dean had insisted that the angel took his phone with him – just in case anything should happen.
Now Dean was sitting in his office chair, going over the last few things of the case.
He yawned, wishing Cas would be finished soon so they could go home.
He thought back to yesterday and his conversation with Gabriel. It relieved him that the elder angel hadn't been enslaved as well, but he knew that he'd still seen hell where he had been. Anger filled Dean when he thought about the way humans had treated Creatures throughout history. Well, the Creatures hadn't always been nice either, but even the nice and peaceful Creatures had been enslaved by humans. That was just wrong.
Dean found himself wondering what had happened to those who had had slaves. Had they been prosecuted for the unspeakable things they'd put their slaves through, or had they gone unpunished?
He thought about Bradley Hammond – Castiel's old 'owner'.
He hated the word 'owner'. The bastard hadn't owned Castiel in any way; he was just a bastard who had paid for him and used him for whatever he pleased.
But where was he now? Had he been punished for the things he'd done to the angel? Was he even still alive? And where did he live?
Cold shivers went through Dean at the thought that the bastard might actually live somewhere nearby. What if Castiel saw him somewhere again, by accident? It would totally destroy all the confidence and trust the angel had built up recently.
Dean bit his lip.
No, he couldn't let that happen.
Castiel could never see him again.
Dean opened his computer and starting searching through the company systems.
He had to find out where that Bradley-guy was and what had happened to him.
It didn't take long before the computer found the results. The case was in the department's system. He opened it and was met with the image of the guy; an overweight guy in his late-forties, almost bald and with dark hair. He looked like an ordinary rich man, but something in his eyes creeped the shit out of Dean. They were cold as ice.
"Fucking bastard," Dean growled to himself, and started scrolling down the page to see more info.
He carefully avoided personal information on Castiel as he looked through the site.
It turned out that Mr. Hammond had not been prosecuted or put in jail for anything he'd done to Castiel. It had been perfectly legal to have slaves at that time, after all, so no one could put him to jail for it. He had, however, been forbidden to live in the same state as Castiel did, and was not allowed to approach the angel in any way without his consent.
Anger rose inside Dean and he grit his teeth.
The guy was living in the state of Washington. That was far away, but not far enough.
Dean growled and hit the screen, hard. He didn't care about the pain in his hand or that the screen had almost been thrown over the edge of the table. He was just angry. He cursed and stalked out the room in anger; needing to somewhere else to cool off for a while.
Dean returned twenty minutes later, after listening to the cars driving by and enjoying the soft breeze against his skin. He brushed off Jo, who had been concerned as he left in such a hurry. He wasn't in the mood for talking to her now.
When he opened the door to his office, he saw that Castiel had returned from his shower.
And he was looking in horror at Dean's PC screen.
Shit, he hadn't exited the site, had he?
Dean froze in horror and stared at the angel, who stood frozen and shocked in front of the screen.
"Cas, it's not what you think—"
Dean didn't manage to finish his sentence before Castiel let out a sound close to a sob and stormed past Dean and out of the building.
Dean stood frozen for a moment, totally mortified, before he ran after him.
"Dean, what's going on?" Jo asked, worried, as he ran past the cubicles and after his angel. He didn't answer her; he only had Cas on his mind.
How could he have been so stupid to let him see that?
'Stupid!' Dean cursed at himself, and ran out the building, hoping to catch up to Castiel soon.
To be continued…
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I know, cliffhanger, sorry. But I needed some drama in this, so… I ended the chapter here XD Don't worry, I will update the next chapter soon. And this won't completely destroy Cas' progress, in case you're fearing it, but I won't say more ;)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review ^_^