AN: First a giant apology for the glitch in the last chapter. I had tried to marry up three chapters and totally put in repeat paragraphs. Thanks to Mummabro, the problem is now fixed. If you read it with the error, it might be worth a revisit to see it in its corrected form. Thanks also Master's daughter for the complement; although, I'm sorry for making you cry. Also, thanks to taytay127 for the review. I think that it is worth mentioning that I have been doing a lot of reading up on concepts that end up in the story. I have read entirely too much on the ebola virus now, and conversion therapy. I also decided on the name Mirov when I discovered that it was a prison town in Russia. I liked the connection to cages that it brought up for me. Lastly, Happy Belated Birthday to sheyanne lynn; we were almost born on the same day. My birthday is today. Thanks for reading.
They had spent a fair amount of time just sitting with each other. Eventually, Dean broke away from Cas and headed over to the bike. Cas followed him and busied himself with menial tasks like cleaning up the piles of tools that were spread about the shop. The afternoon had passed on into evening, and Cas spent much of it in silence. The two of them found occupation to be a distraction and so they found ways to focus on the final repairs of the motorcycle. Cas felt like something had been accomplished earlier. He felt that, despite the horrors that plagued Dean's past, Dean had turned a corner. He was talking, something Sam hadn't accomplished over vastly more years of effort.
"Looks like we'll be able to take her out later for a test ride." Dean looked like he was less serious than he had been earlier. Cas decided that this was also a good thing.
"I hope that I am not too rusty for this. I haven't ridden in quite some time."
"Well, you know what they say about riding bikes. This is no different. We'll kick the rust out of ya, and you'll be fine. I'll ride with you the first time."
"I don't really see how that will help. I'll just be worried about crashing with you now." Cas joined him by the bike and looked down at him.
"That's not going to happen. You worry too much." Dean seemed to remember himself then, and it was clear that he remembered that there was a lot worth worrying about.
"Are we about to wrap up and join Bobby for dinner?" Cas asked to deflect the train of Dean's thoughts.
In answer, Dean stood up. "Yes, actually. I think that it is ready for you. Hop on. Let me see how you look on there." Dean smiled at him.
Cas paused for a moment. He never actually thought that this creature would be used again. It felt odd to actually have it successfully fixed. He threw his leg over the seat and gripped the handles. He felt quite comfortable like this. He was trying to recall the last ride that he had taken on it. He was certain that it was brief. Charles had taught him to ride, but all that teaching didn't lead to much actual practice. Cas probably only rode a small handful of times. "This feels comfortable. You did a great job, Dean."
"You look good there." Dean tipped his head to the side in appraisal as he spoke. "Yeah, I think you might just be meant for a motorcycle."
"When can we try it out?" Cas felt a little eager to feel the wind and the evidence of their efforts, well Dean's efforts.
"Let's try her out now. Dinner won't be ready for a good hour. Bobby said something about BBQ, and I don't smell the coals yet. We should tell Bobby, though. Don't want him worrying."
"Where will we go?" Cas asked.
"I have a route in mind. Go get the gear out of the trailer, and I'll go tell Bobby the plan." Dean headed off to the house and Cas gathered their gear.
The bike was running beautifully. Cas felt the purr of the engine between his legs and the warmth of Dean at his back. They were travelling at a decent clip, but they were not speeding. Cas was too lost in thought to step up the pace. Then he heard Dean's shout at the side of his helmet. "Go faster, grandma!"
Cas laughed and sped up. The wind on their faces picked up and Cas felt like he could stay this way forever. He could feel Dean's hands around his waist and the length of his thighs pressed up against his own. It was a little hard to focus on the road. He suddenly felt a little bad about all of the distraction that he provided to Dean during their drive. He felt Dean's hand move off of his waist and looked to it. Dean pointed off to a side road that seemed to stretch out toward the hills.
Cas slowed and took the turn feeling Dean lean with him. The hill that they eventually came to was gentle and the turns were wide and sweeping for being a small road. He wondered where it would lead them. They hit the crest of it and dropped down on the other side. The view was extensive. He could see out beyond the land to the distant ocean. The emerald green fields stretching out between them were dotted in trees. It was so much wide open land. It was odd that this existed so close to the cramped living that was just behind them in the city.
Dean pointed at a real estate sign and seemed to want him to pull over. He pulled into the long winding driveway of the home and cut off the engine. "This is gorgeous. I bet this house won't stay on the market long." Cas looked out at the medium sized ranch house that was set back some distance from the road. The trees in the front yard shielded it from the noise that would come with passing cars. They also kept the house from sight. The house had an inviting charm in its appearance. It was a wide single story with a long side porch overlooking the view that had greeted Cas just a few moments before. No one seemed to be occupying the home, so they wandered around the property.
"Yeah, you would think that a view like that would lead to a bidding war. So far, though, nothing. It has been on the market for about six months."
"Really? Is something wrong with it?" Cas looked up into one of the windows and saw that the house was completely empty, no staging furniture, garbage, or anything, just empty rooms.
"Not that I can tell. I think that the place was lost in a foreclosure and that the real estate agency is just not doing much to promote the sale. Weird, huh?"
"Yeah." They made their way around the back of the property and Dean pointed over to a large out building.
"See that? That would be my shop." Dean smiled at him.
"You might have to get a couple more cars though, that place is huge." Cas smiled back.
"Oh, twist my arm." Dean laughed. "They even have a small vineyard on the other edge of the property. I don't know much about wine, but I bet the old owners were trying to start up a little winery here."
"Hmm." Cas wandered over to the area that Dean had been talking about. He looked at the untended vines that stretched out in neat little rows. They needed attention. Cas wondered if they would survive the winter without someone here to keep an eye on them. "My family has a large winery. We ship to all parts of the world."
"I didn't know that about you. Where is your family now?" Dean stood alongside Cas surveying the vineyard with him.
"They are mostly still up in the Willamette Valley." Cas turned back to the house and Dean followed.
"Where's that?" They climbed the steps up to the back porch and peered in through the windows.
"It's up near Portland, Oregon. They like the climate up there. I'm pretty much the only one to really move away."
"Why did you leave?" Dean was looking into a window when he asked, and Cas peeked into it too.
"This would make a nice office." Cas said before answering. "I left because I didn't feel like I mattered there. Most of the time I felt like I didn't even exist there. My siblings were always involved in one drama or another. My dad dealt with it all by not dealing with it. He adopted an air of disinterest. My mom cared. I go back to visit her every now and then, but not enough. She is a truly gentle and kind woman. The rest though, I can do without. They are all rather self-involved."
Dean reached over to him and took his hand. "I'm glad you found a better place to be then." He pulled him to the next window and showed him the kitchen. there was a long center island and a large range in the middle of it. "Look at that, Cas."
"What?" Cas pressed his face closer to the window to really see inside.
"The range has one of those things like you have. I will make us the best meals on that. We could have burgers every night." Dean looked like he was deep in his own little world that included this home and Cas.
"Um, we might need to eat more than burgers, just saying." Cas laughed at him and squeezed his hand a little. "That office room would be perfect for me. I could work in there and look out at the vineyards. I would even have a little view of the shop, so that I could see you working out there every now and then." Cas could really see the life out here that they could have, and it felt nice.
"It would be nice huh?" Dean seemed to grow somber for a moment.
Cas pulled him closer, then ran his hand up Dean's arm to his chest. "Yes, Dean, it would be more than nice. It would be perfect." He kissed him lightly at first. His hands moving to Dean's neck, where he carded his fingers into Dean's hair. He felt Dean's hands move around the small of his back. His fingers spread out slightly kneading at the muscles there. It was almost enough to make Cas forget all that had transpired that morning. He could just stop worrying about the things that he knew and just live in this moment. Couldn't I? He was fully pressed up against Dean who was pressed against the wall of the house. He could feel Dean's desire in his movements and in the firmness of his body. He felt the warm wash of Dean's tongue as it slipped into his mouth. His mind fell away from the worries and focused on the feel of Dean, just Dean. He moved his hands down between them and was pulling at the button of Dean's jeans.
Dean's phone rang. "Damn it, Bobby." Dean muttered before even looking at the phone. Cas stepped back from Dean flushed with the moment. Dean pulled out the phone and answered it. "Yeah, Bobby. We didn't forget." He paused. "Yeah, I know I said an hour." He paused again. "We'll head back now." He paused again, then looked up at Cas with an eye roll. "Yes, we know that you've been slaving away on our dinner. Now stop talking to me, and let Cas and I get on the road." Dean hung up after that and they began walking back to the bike. "We apparently owe him an apology. We are a bit late."
"Has it been about an hour?" Cas actually had no clue how long it had been.
"Oh, yeah, we are late." They mounted the bike again and sped down the driveway and out onto the road. Dean did not have to harass Cas about his speed. Cas felt warm still in spite of the wind whipping his face. At his back he could feel Dean's chest tight against him. His own face broke into a smile at the thought that this man was his. His smile slipped a little though, when he thought of the rest of it all. I can hold onto this. I will hold onto this. He leaned into the turn and felt Dean lean with him. The sunset at their backs casting its glow over their journey.
Review, Fav., Follow. A couple of celebratory things: this story has now been viewed 10k times, it is over 75k words, and it is approaching 100 reviews.