Week 8

…

Dean had been staring at the same news article for the past ten minutes, tapping his pen nervously. Cas rolled his eyes at the telltale behavior.

They'd flown back to the U.S. three days ago, and Chris had set them up in a condo again. He'd said that normally, people that left the show would stay around three weeks in whatever city they happened to be eliminated, but due to their "special circumstances", and since Dean had wanted to talk to Sam in person, they were allowed to spend their second and third weeks in Topeka, Kansas, just half an hour from Dean's hometown.

But Dean hadn't even called Sam yet.

Cas reached a hand across the table and closed his fingers over the end of Dean's pen, stopping its motion. The green-eyed man looked up at him.

"Dean, I'm sure everything will turn out all right. Just call him."

"What?"

"You're feeling guilty that you haven't talked to Sam yet, but you're too nervous to just do it," Cas said, interpreting Dean's behavior perfectly. "You shouldn't be, though. I haven't met him, but from what you've said, I don't think he'll react badly. You should just call him. You'll have to eventually."

Dean sighed. "Yeah…" he admitted slowly, drawing the word out while he thought. Apparently, he had no good reasons not to call, so after a brief pause, he asked simply, "Do you know where my phone is?"

Cas grinned and spring up to retrieve the old Nokia from the end table in the living room.

He handed the device off to Dean and said, "I think I'll go take a walk, give you some privacy."

But as he turned to go, Dean's hand shot out and grabbed Cas's wrist.

"Stay," he beckoned. "Please."

Cas's heart stuttered, and a sense of belonging flooded him. He was wanted here.

He was loved.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but nonetheless welcomed.

As you wish," he said, tenderness evident in his words.

He sat down next to Dean again, but not before giving the man a quick peck on the lips. Dean took Cas's hand, threading their fingers together, and Cas gave him an encouraging smile.

And Dean typed Sam's number into the phone.

…

Dean's heart thumped harshly as he pushed Sam's doorbell. Despite Cas's reassurances, he was still extremely nervous about telling Sam all that had happened.

Sam's wife Jess answered the door. Sam had proposed to her the day they graduated from law school, and they were married six months later. That was a little over a year ago.

"Dean! So good to see you!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.

Dean grinned back. "Hey, Jess. You been taking good care of my little brother?"

"Of course."

Dean stepped inside while she called out, "Sam! Dean's here!"

"Be right there!" Sam called bac from somewhere else in the house.

Dean plopped down on the couch, and Sam walked in a moment later, slinging an arm over his wife. He pecked her on the cheek and asked, "You headed out?"

"Yeah. I need to get some groceries and I wanted to let you guys have some brother time."

She ruffled Sam's hair and bid Dean goodbye before heading out the door.

Admittedly, Dean was glad to be able to talk to Sam alone first. He had no problem with Jess knowing, it was just that this seemed like it should be a one-on-one conversation.

Sam clapped Dean on the shoulder and sat down across from him. "It's good to see you, man. How've you been?"

"I've been… good, I guess. It's been pretty crazy." Dean paused, collecting his thoughts. "I didn't end up with Atara. And I'm okay with that. I actually chose to leave. See, there's… there's something that I learned about myself when I was on the show."

Sam looked interested, and raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for Dean to continue.

Dean swallowed roughly, and decided to get it over with.

"I'm bisexual," he stated bluntly, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Sam opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he simply said, "Oh." His face was a mixture of surprise, confusion, and curiosity.

There was a long pause after that where Dean waited to see how Sam would process this information. Finally, Sam asked, "How do you know? I mean, what made you realize?"

Dean bit his lip, and a blush crept into his cheeks. "His… his name is Cas. Er… Castiel," he murmured, a small smile spreading despite his attempts to stop it. "I met him on the show."

A look of understanding crossed Sam's features, and a sly smile overtook his features. "Ooooohhhh," he remarked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Dean remembered that look. Sam used to do this when they were kids and Dean had a crush on a girl.

"So what's he like?" Sam prodded.

Dean blushed again, and his heart fluttered. "He's… god, he's amazing. He's been through a lot, you know? He gets what it's like to feel alone. He was a foster kid, and never got adopted. Never had a real family. But he doesn't let it get him down. He's a really good person. Kind. Understanding. Honest. Easy to talk to. And he's bi too. We sort of became friends, and then…"

Dean bit his lip again, thinking about Cas and his lips and his blue blue eyes and how soft his hair was and how much he cared about him.

He pulled himself out of the daydream and finished, "We left the show together. Told Atara what happened, and she was really cool about it. Chris set us up in a condo together for now."

Sam was grinning like crazy now, and Dean gave him a confused look.

"What?" he asked.

Sam laughed. "Nothing. It's just... I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. Do you…" he hesitated, then continued, "Do you love him?"

Dean was taken aback at the question.

"I… I don't really know. But…" he blushed. "I've fallen for him pretty hard."

Sam grinned again.

"So," Dean asked, "You're… okay? About all of this?"

"Of course," Sam said, "Why wouldn't I be? You're my brother, and I want you to be happy. And you are. That's all there is to it."

A relieved smile split Dean's features. "Thanks. I'm really glad you're so… you. And, by the way, it's okay if you tell Jess."

Sam nodded, then asked, "Will we get to meet him? Castiel?"

"I don't see why not," Dean answered.

…

"What if they don't like me?" Cas asked nervously.

Dean laughed. "Cas, we are five minutes away from their house. It's a little late to bail. And they'll love you. You've got nothing to worry about."

Cas let out a nervous sigh and looked out the taxi window, trying to settle his nerves. He felt Dean put a hand on his thigh reassuringly.

They reached Sam's house shortly, and Cas got out of the car. The taxi pulled away, and Dean closed the distance between the two of them, kissing Cas so fiercely that his worries were forgotten. For a moment, Cas forgot where they were at all, lost in the joy of Dean, aware only of Dean's mouth on his and Dean's arms around him, holding him tight.

Then Dean pulled away and took Cas's hand, leading him to the door.

Dean rung the doorbell, and Cas looked at their entwined fingers, deciding that to be so open with the display of affection, Dean must be pretty sure that Sam and his wife would be accepting.

A surprisingly tall man with long, shaggy brown hair answered the door.

"You must be Castiel," he remarked with a smile, looking at Cas. His eyes flicked down to Dean and Cas's hands and his smile grew.

"Call me Cas."

"Of course," Sam said with a nod. "Come on in, Cas."

Dean and Cas stepped into the house, hands still linked.

A smiling blonde woman greeted the two of them inside, and introduced herself as Sam's wife, Jess. She led them to the kitchen, where she'd put together a small meal.

They ate dinner together and chatted, and Sam and Jess were very welcoming. They were amazingly kind toward Cas, and he already began to feel like a part of the family.

When it was time to leave, Cas thanked them for having him, and Jess told him, "You're basically family now. You are always welcome here."

There was so much love behind the statement that Cas was rendered nearly speechless. Finally, he managed to reply, "Thank you. I would be proud to be part of your family."

Dean squeezed his hand and Cas felt his heart burst with warmth and happiness.

He remembered something that Dean had said once.

Family don't end with blood.

And in that moment, he felt he understood it more than he ever had before.

…

Four bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and one of them left at the end of it, leaving three men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart.

Those remaining were:

Benji Columbus

Dustin Total

Edmund Jonathan

…

REVIEW!