Sunday is cloudy from an incoming cold front, and Cas stares at it from his kitchen window and thinks that it's fitting that the day he runs out of coffee is the day he runs out of sunshine, too. He's still in his pajama pants at 11am, too morose to go to the store, or answer his phone (or find his phone…he thinks it ended up in a pile of clothes after he texted an apology to Sam on Friday night). He twists and cracks his back.

He really wants to kiss Dean again.

Finally, Cas sighs and tears himself away from the window. He putters around his house for a slow hour, rearranging books in no particular order, throwing out old newspapers, and moving dirty dishes to the sink. He starts the radio because in the silence, he can think too much. It's a song by a girl with a pretty voice, saying what I wouldn't do if I had you, babe. He shuts it off quickly.

He really, really wants to kiss Dean again.

He's wondering if he ought to try to do laundry when a knock on the door interrupts his thoughts.

It's Dean. He's got a coffee cup in one hand and an unlit cigarette clenched in his teeth. He doesn't look like he's slept recently. Cas crosses his arms across his chest and tries to look casual as he leans against the doorframe.

"Yes?"

Dean removes the cigarette, swallows like it's taking effort. Clears his throat, scuffs his foot along the ground. Looks back up at Cas.

"Benny and I broke up," he blurts out. "On Friday."

Cas doesn't move. His heart is trying to beat its way out of his chest. "…I'm sorry," he says.

"Don't be." Dean looks at him with his sad eyes and shakes his head. "It was never gonna work. We, uh. Too many outside forces."

Cas doesn't speak.

Dean breathes in heavily and presses on. "You remember what I asked you, after the movie?" Cas nods once. "I like you, Cas. I like you a lot. I like your dumb hair and your trench coat and your eyes and your half-caf lattes and the way you read Vonnegut like a goddamn Bible."

Cas clenches his jaw. When he speaks, his voice is rough. "Then why did you date Benny?"

Dean laughs hollowly. "Because I don't know how to handle rejection? Because I'm a mess and I don't know how to deal with – life – and when you said no, I just needed someone, and he was there." He looks away and breathes in again. "And it was stupid, and I wished I hadn't, every time I saw you. And I'm scared of what I did, and I'm scared of being alone, and I'm scared of walking away and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."

Cas cracks a smile despite the very manly tears in his eyes. "Is that from Dirty Dancing?"

"What? No. Yes. Shut up."

"How much time did you spend planning that speech?"

Dean glares at him. "Do you want me to make this confession or not, man?"

Cas laughs and rubs his hands over his eyes. "Yes, Dean."

Dean shuffles in place, and then holds out the coffee cup. "This is for you," he says.

Cas reaches out and takes it. His fingertips brush against Dean's.

"I like you, too," he says, and Dean's eyes don't look sad anymore.

He wants to keep it that way.

Sam and Jess get engaged three weeks later. They tell Dean and Cas over dinner one Friday at a funky Italian place near Sam's apartment, and while Dean slaps Sam on the back, Cas hugs Jessica and whispers finally. She laughs.

After that, Fridays become what Dean calls special date nights, because Cas doesn't understand why they need to be different from every other night they spend together, even though Dean has explained multiple times that eating popcorn and making me make you coffee is not a date even if there is sex, Cas, we have to go somewhere sometimes, and Saturdays become lazy days after Dean convinces Jo to switch shifts with him. Cas suspects there was more bribing than convincing, but he doesn't complain, not while he's laying on top of Dean on the couch watching the Hoarders marathon. Dean's wearing a v-neck shirt and Cas sneaks his fingers under the neckline to trace the lines of the tattoo underneath. Dean growls. Cas smirks.

"I think I may have a job at that garage up on Holland Street," Dean says during a commercial break. "Turns out my Uncle Bobby had a thing with the lady who runs it." He makes a face.

"Uncle Bobby who threatened to make you work at his garage for free until you cleaned up your act?"

Dean snorts into Cas's hair. "The one and only. I'm sure you'll have the pleasure of meeting him at Sammy's wedding." He goes silent for a moment, brooding.

Cas pushes up on his elbows. "Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm proud of you."

The corner of Dean's mouth twitches. "Okay."

Cas leans down and kisses the corner of his mouth that smiled. Then his phone rings, and when he reaches to get it, Dean swats at him. "I can't see," he whines, so Cas leaves his elbow in his face when he answers.

"Hello?" Dean shoves at him again.

"Hey, Cas."

Oh geez. Cas sits up abruptly and knocks Dean's bowl of popcorn over with his knee. Dean makes an annoyed sound. "Hi, Benny," Cas says, raising his eyebrows meaningfully. Dean frowns.

"I hope this isn't awkward."

Dean makes grabby hands for the phone. Cas shakes his head. "Uh, I mean, it kind of is."

Benny laughs. "Yeah, I guess it is." Dean sits up and in the process dislodges Cas from his lap. He grunts when he hits the floor. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm not sore about anything. Dean and I parted friends."

Cas is brushing popcorn off of himself. "You missed one," Dean whispers, and smacks his ass.

"Thank you," Cas says. "I'm glad to hear that. And…I'm not sore about anything either."

"You could be," Dean says from where he's stretched out on the couch again. Cas blushes and kicks him.

"I haven't been coming around the shop because I didn't know how you'd feel about it. But I miss it. It's just one of those places, you know what I mean?"

Cas knows exactly what Benny means. He smiles and sits on Dean's stomach. Dean wheezes. "I think you should come over whenever you want, then."

There's a pause where Cas imagines Benny is smiling. "Thanks, brother," Benny says. "Tell Dean hey."

"Sure." The phone clicks off.

"Benny says hey," Cas says. Dean grimaces.

"Get off."

"Don't be an ass."

"I can't breathe!"

With a resigned sigh, Cas shifts until they're comfortably squished together again. He looks up at his boyfriend – jesus, Dean Winchester is his boyfriend now – and thinks about just how fantastically happy he is that the coffee shop below his office got a new barista.

(And then Dean yells at the TV right in his ear.)

aaaand we've reached the end! this is another chapter that was originally two chapters, but i ended up combining them so everything can be happy and fluffy and skldjfklsd BOYS. anyway. i love you all for reading!

and...

(there may or may not be a sequel in my word document...shhhhHHHH)