A/N: Woohoo look a new chapter! I had an insane amount of fun writing this one, just as I have with all the others, and once again quite a few more fluffy things popped up that I hadn't even planned on. Hope you enjoy it!

They ended up holding hands.

Charlie let out a high-pitched squeal when Cas shared the news with the group later that night as they snacked on the fresh strawberries and carrots he's bought earlier that day. Sam clapped him on the back with a huge smile, and Kevin flailed so wildly he bounced right off his bed. Then they of course demanded a full-length, in-depth recap of the adventure to the farmer's market, and Cas was only too happy to comply.

Cas and Benvolio hadn't counted on the heavy rainclouds and ominous thunder in the distance when they'd concocted their plan to reel Dean into a grocery shopping date.

The dark and dreary pre-storm atmosphere didn't make for the best outdoor shopping weather, but Dean insisted that they make the trip anyway; there was no way he was going to let little Benvolio starve because of a few water droplets. Cas tried and failed to keep from beaming in delight at how admirably dedicated Dean was to looking after Benvolio's wellbeing.

And so the two climbed into the Impala, Cas quickly pulling on his dress shoes as they headed out the door to keep the fabric footies of his onesie from getting soaked and soppy.

As they drove, Dean found his eyes gaze wandering to where Cas's hands were folded in his lap. Dean's attention was entirely focused on how it had felt to have the other man's hands cup his; warm palms pressed against his knuckles, soft fingers gently moving against his.

Cas led the way once they arrived at the farmer's market, making a beeline for the produce.

Dean slowed as they passed by the florist's section, and he momentarily considered purchasing a small bouquet and presenting it to Cas like the lovesick teenage boy he really was. Maybe if it went wrong he could even brush it off as an incredibly strange and uncomfortable joke. On second thought, there was no way he could pass off an offering of flowers as anything other than romantic at this point in their very precariously balanced friendship-on-the-brink-of-romance.

He suddenly realized he'd been left behind when he looked up and spotted Cas a few yards away. Dean felt a huge grin spread across his face at the sight of Cas enthusiastically waving at him from down the aisle. One or two people glanced at the angel's get-up in surprise or confusion, but most of the shoppers who frequented the market seemed to have seen much stranger in their days, and didn't even look twice.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Cas asked once he'd doubled-back to join Dean among the flowers. He cupped the blossoming petals of a large pink rose in his hands and brought the flower to his face, his eyes falling shut as he inhaled deeply through his nose.

Dean looked on in silence as Cas continued to inspect the flowers, dragging his fingers along soft petals and savoring various aromas, and he was actually caught off-guard by how serenely at peace Cas looked among the bright colors and sweet smells. Ridiculous as it was, Cas almost seemed to be at one with nature, like some kind of literal flowerchild surrounded by his kin, with his face turned up towards the sky awaiting life-giving drops of rain.

"Do you want to buy one?" Dean blurted without even thinking, and the smile of pure elation Cas gave him in response ensured that Dean didn't regret it.

"I would enjoy that immensely, Dean," Cas told him, and Dean figured he might as well give up on hiding his ridiculous grin as Cas began searching for the perfect specimen.

"You can buy more than one if you want," he told him, half out of a selfish desire to keep watching Cas peruse the flora, and half out of an insatiable need to make this unbelievably pure and gentle creature happy in whatever way he could.

Cas's eyes lit up at the prospect of purchasing multiple flowers, and within a few minutes he was holding an armful of some dozen multicolored roses. Dean fought the urge to peck an impromptu kiss on Cas's cheek once he'd paid for the flowers, and his need to engage in unprovoked acts of affection increased tenfold when he glanced over a few minutes later and saw what Cas had done with the flowers.

"For you," Cas announced, holding out the flower crown he'd crafted in Dean's direction.

Dean stared in surprise, entirely dumbstruck by the gesture, and it took him a moment to regain enough control of his motor skills to reach out and take hold of the gift.

"Thanks, buddy," Dean told him after clearing his throat, still in a state of awe as Cas's hands brushed against his once again.

"Do you like it?" Cas asked timidly, and Dean felt his cheeks redden beyond belief when a group of teenage girls passed by them giggling and whispering about "the most adorable couple they'd ever seen" and how they "wished their boyfriends were that cute".

"It's great, man. I love it," Dean told him honestly, and he wanted to repeat his answer a million times over if only to ensure that Cas never stopped looking at him like that.

The two made their way away from the florist's stand and towards the food section of the farmers market, the sky continuing to grow darker by the minute as thunder rumbled nearby. As they walked among carts of carrots and cabbage and Cas selected the finest crops, Dean followed behind and tried to make sense of his muddled thoughts.

He couldn't be sure if he was just confusing his desire for Cas's actions to be flirtatious with the reality of their very unique and intimate friendship. But either way, no matter Cas's motivations for flower crowns, Cas's sudden forwardness was making Dean shy and squirmy and awkward in the best way possible.

All he could think was that he desperately wanted to impress Cas. He wasn't quite sure how he could thrill a being who'd been alive since the earth's creation and witness the entirety of human history from the very beginning.

But when it came down to the wire, whether Cas was interested in him or not, Dean just desperately didn't want to screw this up. Their relationship, friendly or romantic, meant more to him than anything. And even if he couldn't have Cas, he wasn't willing to risk losing him.

Dean continued along behind Cas, hefting the basket he'd snagged when it had become clear that Cas wouldn't be able to carry the produce in his arms. But only some ten minutes into shopping, a flash of lightning signaled the storm finally breaking. Rain fell fast and heavy, thick droplets plopping down almost immediately, and a collective squeal rang out through the crowd as shoppers swarmed towards the tarp-covered section of the area.

Cas, on the other hand, closed his eyes and tilted his head back, his arms spread wide as if he were about to take flight. Dean instinctively shrugged off his jacket and stepped forward to drape it over Cas's shoulders, and only after he'd made the movement did his mind provide the logical explanation of "leather is more waterproof than wool".

"Let's get under that awning over there," Dean suggested, squinting through the water dripping into his eyes, and Cas looked over at him like he had no idea why Dean would want to shield himself from the rain.

"You'll catch a cold," Dean elaborated, although a moment later the hunter recalled that he'd be much more likely to get sick than the angel. But before he could resend his argument and concede to an every man for himself mentality, Cas reached down and took his hand in his.

And then they were running, hand-in-hand, two grown men in a onesie and a flower crown splashing through puddles and maneuvering around carts of vegetables.

They stood squished close together amongst the rest of the damp crowd once they'd made it to their destination, the entire market's population all huddled together under a single tarp awning.

Cas fought the urge to look down and visually verify that Dean was, in fact, still holding his hand. Because it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to have completely imagined this entire adventure, from Dean accepting his flowering token of affection to Dean's warm calloused hand currently wrapped around his own.

But Cas was thankful he hadn't averted his gaze when another member of the crowd shifted and Dean was jostled forward, the hunter stumbling into Cas and reaching out for his shoulder with his free hand to steady himself.

"Sorry," Dean muttered, shifting even closer to find his balance, and there was no force on earth strong enough to make Cas hold the movement against him. Cas found himself unable to respond as he looked up at Dean, entirely distracted by the water droplets that had turned his blonde lashes into spiky brown stars framing the most breathtaking green Cashad seen in all his millennia of existence. He wanted to smooth the pad of his thumb along Dean's damp brow, drag his fingers along the freckles sprinkled on the bridge of his nose and cheeks, press a gentle kiss against the strong cut of his jaw.

It took all of Dean's self control to keep his hand placed on Cas's shoulder instead of sliding his fingers into the damp hair at the nape of the angel's neck, pulling him closer and finally closing the gaping chasm of physical distance that seemed to ceaselessly linger between them. All he could think about was how natural it would feel to just lean in and kiss him, lacing their fingers together and running his thumb back and forth over Cas's hand as his tongue grazed the angel's bottom lip and gently pleaded for entrance into his mouth.

But a cheer went up through the crowd and the spell was broken, Cas and Dean both stumbling out of their trance. Cas looked around in confusion before he realized that the rain had ceased, and a moment later the crowd began to move back towards the open area of the market. Cas and Dean followed the flow of bodies, their hands pulled apart by shifting strangers.

Cas offered Dean his jacket back once they returned to their shopping, but the hunter shook his head with a small smile and told him to keep it.

"It looks good on you," Dean told him, and Cas couldn't help but think there was some sort of social significance behind wearing the jacket of the man you'd just held hands with. But despite all that had happened, Cas was still too hesitant to label his relationship with Dean as anything more than friendly; the last thing he wanted was to imagine they had something more if Dean didn't feel the same way.

The two finished their shopping and returned home, Cas sorting his fruit and vegetables in their proper homes of the refrigerator as Dean pulled out a dish towel and began to dry off in the bunker's main living room.

Cas let out a laugh upon re-entering the living room, and Dean paused in his toweling to look over at the angel.

"What's so funny?" he asked, and Cas gestured to the top of his head.

"I failed to notice it before, but the rain has left your hair in quite an amusing state," Cas laughed, and Dean self-consciously reached up to inspect his hair. It had been quite a while since he'd cut his hair, and he just hadn't gotten around to it now that he rarely left the domestic utopia of the bunker. He knew it was prone to misbehaving if he didn't make an effort to keep it styled, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of wacky state it was currently in based on Cas's reaction.

Dean attempted to pat his hair down without disrupting the flower crown that had now become his second most prized possession, but Cas only laughed harder in response.

"If it's so damn hilarious why don't you fix it then?" Dean grumbled, not even partially annoyed and entirely unable to keep the laughter out of his own voice. He didn't even quite realize what he'd said until Cas was stepping forward to carefully lift the flower crown from his head. Cas now stood close in front of him with his arms lifted almost as if to wrap them around Dean's neck in a loving embrace.

Once the crown was removed, Cas made his own very valiant attempt at patting down Dean's hair, but to no avail. When that method proved ineffective, Cas impulsively ran his fingers through Dean's hair instead, brushing through soft short blond locks. He watched in fascination as Dean's eyes drifted shut, and Cas couldn't fathom why on earth he'd never tried this before when Dean let out a soft hum and lightly bit down on his lower lip.

"You very strongly resemble a puppy whose stomach is being rubbed," Cas said softly, not even sure he'd uttered the words aloud until Dean let out a soft grunt of acknowledgement. Cas continued to comb his fingers through his hair, and although he desperately didn't want this sensation to end, his arms were beginning to ache. And so he pulled his hands away but remained standing close to the still damp hunter.

Cas knew his face was on fire when Dean's eyes slowly blinked open, the two of them staring at each other in silence, both waiting for something to happen but unwilling to light the spark that would set them both ablaze.

After a few more moments of tense silence, Dean abruptly announced that they'd forgotten the entire purpose of their mission: Benvolio!

"The little dude must be starving by now," Dean said as he widened the distance between them and went to retrieve some lettuce and a few small carrots from the refrigerator. The two then made their way to Cas's room, where Cas showed Dean how to feed Benvolio. And like the good friend he was, the guinea pig followed through with their plot and ate despite not being particularly hungry.

"Do you, uh, think I could tag along next time you need more munchies for the little guy?" Dean asked, clearing his throat in a vain attempt to clear his mind when Cas looked over at him with those unfairly bright blue eyes.

"I would like it very much if you accompanied me again, Dean," Cas told him, and Dean had never in his life struggled so hard to keep his breathing steady.

"It also, uhm, it'd be cool if you could maybe, I don't know, show me more about taking care of him. Just to, you know…" "just to be around you more," Dean finished in his head because there was no way he could bring himself to admit his true motivations aloud.

"I would love to have more of your company," Cas beamed. "And Benvolio would as well," he agreed with a glance down at the guinea pig he still held cupped in his hands.

Dean didn't know what to do with himself at this point. The mission had been accomplished; what now?

But Dean did know that if he stuck around any longer, he'd end up kissing Cas full on the mouth.

And so he blurted a quick goodbye and vacated the room before he could do anything stupid and potentially catastrophic.

"Oh come on!" Sam exploded once Cas had finished relaying the day's events, and the large moose-man's agitated outburst provoked a startled jump from Kevin.

And while under any other circumstances Sam would surely have apologized, he was currently far too annoyed with his idiot brother to think about anything else. His brother had always had a knack for not-so-logical decisions, but this was getting out of hand; Dean was so close but for some godforsaken reason he refused to let himself be happy.

And at this point Sam honestly just couldn't take it anymore.

He rose to his feet without warning, and Charlie looked up at him in surprise as he headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" she called in mild concern, clearly a bit worried by his sudden change in mood.

"To talk some sense into my big brother," Sam told her, and Kevin let out an alarmed grunt.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Kevin admitted, and even Cas looked more than a bit unsettled.

"Cas, do you trust me?" Sam asked, focusing his attention on the angel.

"With my life," the other man responded without hesitation, his words filled with honesty. But there was something in his expression that made Sam hesitate.

"But what?" he inquired, and Cas looked down at his hands folded in his lap. He'd changed out of his damp batman onesie and into a wonderwoman one, having proclaimed her as his favorite superhero and personal idol after learning about her from Kevin. And despite his current appearance, Sam had no trouble taking Cas's next words seriously.

"I know you'll find this juvenile and perhaps a bit naive, but there are times when I feel as if this is far more important than my life. I have existed for eons and never has anything meant more to me than your brother," he admitted.

Sam could only blink in stunned surprise when Cas looked up at him and he saw nothing but the determined honesty of a battle-weary soldier ready for his hard-earned fairytale ending.

Sam had known Dean and Cas were into each other, but this was some next-level shit right here. Because there was no doubt in his mind that his brother felt the same way; these two needed and wanted and cared for each other like nothing in nature Sam had ever encountered before, and it was high fucking time they admitted it to each other.

"Right then. I'll be back," Sam announced, then turned and left the room without another word.

He knocked on Dean's door firmly and repeatedly, pounding until he heard a familiar annoyed groan and the door clicked open.

"What do you want?" Dean grumbled, looking quite a bit peeved. It clearly wasn't an emergency since Sam had knocked rather than busting the door down. But in Dean's opinion, nothing short of an emergency was a good enough reason to wake him up.

"It's Cas," Sam said simply, and Dean was immediately alert.

"What about Cas? Is he alright? Where is he?" Dean demanded in a rush, questions flooding out of him as his mind raced at a million miles a minute.

But Sam only smiled.

"What? What about this is funny?" Dean insisted, and Sam chuckled with a shake of his head.

"How stupidly blind you are. Or maybe you aren't blind," Sam admitted a second later as he pondered his previous statement. "I tried giving you the benefit of the doubt for the past few years, but it's getting ridiculous now."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, but he knew his voice betrayed the fact that he'd begun to catch on.

"Still talking about Cas," Sam told him with another smile, this one infused with quite a bit more sass.

"What about him?" Dean wondered in what was perhaps the most unconvincing voice he'd ever used. Sam gave him a look that clearly said "might as well just give up now, you ain't fooling nobody, son."

With a heavy sigh, Dean pulled Sam into his room, turning on the lights and closing the door behind him.

"I need you to come right out and say whatever it is you're hinting at. Just spit it out," Dean said seriously, and Sam outright laughed in his face.

"That is exactly what I want from you!" he cried, clearly exasperated. Dean crossed his arms in defiance, silently insisting that he was still waiting on a proper answer, and so Sam continued. "I want you to admit that you're in love with Cas."

Dean knew it was coming. He'd known it would happen eventually. How could it not? But it still threw him, hearing someone else say it aloud. He'd never openly told Sam or the others, but he hadn't exactly worked to keep it hidden, either. Maybe stifle or subdue the feelings within himself in the beginning, but never conceal them from others once he'd finally come to terms with them.

"Why?" Dean blurted, ever on the defensive. "Why do you need to hear me say it?" "If you know it's already true?" he finished to himself.

Sam paused for a moment before answering.

"You're right. I don't need to know," Sam began.

And, for a split second, Dean thought he'd managed to weasel his way out of this.

"But Cas does," Sam finished.

And Dean knew then and there who'd really won this round.

Sam returned to Charlie and Kevin's room with Dean in tow. And as a result the three slumber party partners, for lack of a better term, completely lost their shit.

Charlie and Kevin let out elated shrieks, while Cas looked like embarrassment incarnate; Sam was confident that if given the power to choose a superhuman ability, Cas would request chameleon powers so that he might fade into the background for all eternity.

Dean shouted over the shouting to request that Charlie and Kevin give him a minute alone with Cas, and the two roommates looked at each other as if they'd just discovered Santa's true existence and couldn't quite believe it. They scrambled off their beds and out the door in a flurry of excited squeals, elated giggles, Gandalf blankets, and frog pillow pets.

Sam let out a sigh that strongly resembled that of a slightly overworked babysitter who couldn't help but still adore the children in his charge. He watched Charlie and Kevin sprint down the hall letting out hoots of celebration, then turned to see Dean take a seat beside Cas on the bed. His work done for now, Sam pulled the bedroom door shut.

He then made his way down the hall and called after his more envigorated partners in crime that it wasn't quite time to rejoice yet; in fact, the hardest part had just begun.

A/N: I feel like you guys should know that the buying flowers thing was totally an on the spot idea. And I'm citing the flower crown aspect specifically as divine inspiration. Like come on, Dean in a flower crown is just too great to have come from the mind of lil old me!

This next chapter will probably/possibly be the last one just because it'd be a good conclusion to this story arc. But I'm not dead-set on that, so if you guys have any ideas on how you think it could/should progress, please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!

Honestly I might just continue with little bits of fluffy oneshot chapters in this universe because I really like this little world I've created...

Either way let me know!