First Time Brushing Teeth
Dean woke up to the harsh morning light filtering through Bobby's windows, casting light into his tightly closed eyes. Groaning, thinking he was in a bed, he tossed himself over. Unfortunately, Dean happened to be on a couch. He tumbled off the couch, landing hard on the cold floor with a muffled 'Oof!'
Dean opened his eyes slowly to the light as Bobby snickered. "Mornin' sunshine."
The older hunter was flipping eggs in the kitchen and their mouthwatering aroma made Dean forget all about his little incident and he happily trooped to the kitchen.
"Go wake that friend o' yours, and get him down for his breakfast will ya?"Bobby called, wiping greasy fingers on his favourite apron. Dean would have teased him about it if not for the fact that Bobby could most definitely tear him apart with just one look. Instead, Dean hid a smile and hurried up the stairs to where Castiel snoozed in bed.
"Come on Cas, wakey wakey," Dean grinned.
Castiel sat up in bed, his bleary eyes taking in Dean's bright smile.
"Good morning Dean." Castiel scrutinized him. "You appear to be in a good mood." Castiel stated, a small smile brightening his features.
"You should smile more Cas." Dean told him, feeling vaguely embarrassed, "It looks good on you."
"I shall try," Castiel promised solemnly. A frown pulled down at the corners of his lips. "I do not feel very clean Dean."
Dean smothered a laugh at the seriousness of his tone. "C'mon Cas, follow me." Dean led to way to the bathroom, where the two stood in front of the mirror, elbow to elbow. Dean passed him a new toothbrush which Castiel took in, with the kind of fascinated horror that people normally reserved for anal probes. Dean smiled, fondly, and squeezed a small worm of toothpaste out of a new tube and onto his own brush. Then he passed the tube to Castiel to imitate.
Castiel looked down at it and with the look of utmost concentration pressed down lightly on the tube. Nothing came out. The look of pure exasperation Castiel gave Dean made his heart flutter with happiness.
"Little harder Cas." Dean tried to get his urge to laugh under control, his voice sounding slightly high-pitched and wobbly.
The former angel frowned and pressed his fingers down on the middle of the tube, hard. A fat string of white paste flew out of the tube and landed on Castiel's face. Dean could have kept his laughter in check. He could have. If only Castiel hadn't opened his eyes wide and gave the tube of toothpaste such a doe-eyed, wounded look that made Dean erupt in giggles. Then laughs. Then full-on guffaws.
At first, Castiel did not get what made Dean laugh. Then he looked in the mirror, and saw the paste slowly inching its way down his face, and gave Dean an adorable, lopsided smile. Tenderness caught Dean completely off guard, quieting his chuckling.
He reached for the towel and gently wiped the toothpaste off Castiel's face, taking in the details of his features; things he had never really noticed before. The way his stubble had grown. His perfect, pink lips. His slight cleft chin. Most of all, the brilliance in his blue eyes that had never quite faded even after he became human. Beautiful, Dean thought before he could stop himself. Dean pushed the thought away. It wasn't important right now.
Castiel was oblivious to all this, his eyes following Dean's every movement. Finally, Dean squeezed the paste out on Castiel's brush himself, beginning to brush his teeth, gesturing for Cas to emulate him. Castiel hesitantly began to brush his teeth, copying Dean's actions to the letter.
Dean noted with no small amount of amusement that Cas wasn't very good at brushing his teeth. He was getting foam all over himself and his face, and it made him look like a rabid dog. After a while, though, he seemed to get the hang of things and stopped watching Dean. Dean spat into the sink and gargled with water. After spitting that too and cleaning himself up, he turned to see Castiel wiping his mouth with a towel.
"Uh, Cas?"
"Dean." Castiel cocked his head at Dean.
"Did you, uh, swallow that?"
"Was I not supposed to?" Castiel asked, bemused.
Dean succumbed to another fit of laughter, and once it died down, he grinned at his angel, "You're supposed to spit it out Cas." Wait, did he just say his angel? His? Dean swallowed, nervously, and watched as Castiel gave him yet another tiny smile, unable to resist the urge to smile back. He reached out and wiped a smear of foam away from Castiel's chin, then gently let his fingers trace up the other man's jawbone before he let his fingers drop. Castiel's smile got bigger, changing his face almost entirely. It made him seem younger, more open and innocent.
Dean's stomach flipped and his heart soared. When did he even begin feeling this way? Sam had always teased him about the way he and Castiel behaved with each other, but surely he didn't mean it? Dean liked women! Dean had always liked women! Castiel doesn't have a gender, a small voice in his head interjected. Dean ignored it. If anything, what he was feeling was pity, and a paternal instinct towards the angel that had sacrificed everything for him. He was just returning a favour that was all.
Dean's eyes hardened and he walked past Castiel, and out of the bathroom, trying to ignore the confused look on his friend's face at his sudden change in attitude.
"C'mon Cas. Time for breakfast." He called gruffly, as he waited for the former angel to join him.