this fic is part of my series called 'Vows' and follows the events of the first two parts, 'No Different' and 'Dig Deep,' although all three parts can be read as standalones. more info on this in my profile description
Dean kicks off his shoes by the door with a tired sigh, Cas following close behind and doing the same in a much neater fashion and even going back to rearrange Dean's shoes, because he's a dork. "Gonna make the executive decision to just order a pizza."
"Long day at work?" Cas asks, making sure his coat is hanging neatly by the front door of their apartment; Dean's told him again and again that he doesn't have to be overly neat in their little home, but his aunt's long since instilled those types of habits in him unfortunately. Dean tries not to think about it too much, since it almost seems to make Cas happy at this point.
"Mhm. Had to put a new engine in that pickup I told you about. Thing's still rusted to Hell and back. The guy really should just get a new car." Dean shudders just thinking about the possibility of the guy coming back for all the extensive bodywork the truck needs. "What toppings are we thinking?"
"I could try cooking something if you'd like, Dean." Dean shudders again, remembering how Cas nearly burnt down the whole apartment building the last time he tried to make cheeseburgers, and Cas just rolls his eyes and sits beside him. "Nevermind. Banana pepper rings. Oh, and black olives, please."
"I'm adding sausage to that," Dean whispers, wiggling his eyebrows just to make Cas roll his eyes again. "C'mon, pepperoni at least. I'm a warrior. I can't live on green stuff."
"The olives are black, and I'm sure you'd manage."
Dean just grins and picks up his phone. A couple decades ago, he never thought he could have this, never thought he'd amount to much of anything just like his dad always predicted. Now, he's been living with Cas since they finished high school, has a decent paying job at Bobby's auto shop, and a cute boyfriend to spoil.
Cas still works at the same Gas-N-Sip he'd worked at one summer in high school, despite it not paying all that well. He'd gone to college for a while, but only for general stuff and never ended up getting a degree due in part to lack of funds. Honestly at thirty-five, everybody keeps expecting Cas to get a good job or start getting his life together, but Dean doesn't really see the need to push him.
As long as Cas is happy restocking shelves and cleaning up the slushie machine, Dean'll support him and make sure to go to that station specifically to get gas when he picks Cas up after his shift. All the employees there know his name and face and know not to attend to him when Cas is working there, and half of them tease them mercilessly about how gooey they are, just like everybody down at the auto shop does whenever he brings Cas there on the days where Cas doesn't have to work and doesn't want to be alone.
Cas also started volunteering at the local animal shelter. Dean now lives in constant fear that he'll come home one day to find a box full of orphaned kittens sitting in their living room. He knows damn well he wouldn't be able to say no if Cas started giving him the puppy-dog eyes he must've picked up from Sam, but he'd really rather not have to take medication every morning just to be able to breathe in his own home.
Either way, Dean's still working at Bobby's garage like he has been since 11th grade, so he can't really judge Cas' choice in careers. They're both happy with their jobs, and even if they aren't getting any younger, they don't really have the need to make a ton of money when it's just the two of them in a one-bedroom apartment.
(Just the two of them for now, at least, though since Cas often babysits his boss' infant daughter, Tanya, Dean can only wonder how long it'll be before Cas gets baby fever and starts wanting to expand their home. Given the extreme discrimination against non-heterosexual couples with the adoption process and the fact that it was only two years ago in 2013 that Kansas let the non-biologically related partner of a kid's parent have even a glimpse of parental rights, Dean hopes it'll be a while before those urges start, if only to save them both some hurt over the injustice justice system.)
On that note, they're still waiting for some nieces and nephews to spoil over on Sam's end, now that he's married to Eileen. It had taken many painful years of watching Sam jump from relationship to relationship (most of which ended very, very badly, between Madison and Ruby and then Jess' untimely death that just about crushed him) before he met Eileen, but they do seem good for each other, so Dean can't complain.
Over on the Novak half of the household, Dean's pretty sure they're not gonna get any new additions any time soon. Cas is only in contact with Gabriel and Anna since his oldest two brothers hate his guts or something, but Gabriel's living it up with the bachelor life and is starring in pornos last Dean heard (eugh), and Anna's off in Canada and changed her name for whatever reason. So yeah, they're gonna have to rely on Sammy for that, it seems.
It's not a bad life. Even with Dean pushing thirty-six and only making a little more than he was as a high school student, he's happy with where his life is now, even if the most exciting thing they do is hit the pool table on Friday nights (Cas is still terrible after eight years of playing) and watch Doctor Sexy, M.D. on the weekdays. But hey, simple isn't all bad when it tastes like melty cheese and banana peppers.
That's something that surprised Dean at first. Before, he would jump from one activity to the next like a nervous tick just to try to keep busy and enjoy what little bit of life he could reach past his dad and grab. Nowadays, he happens to enjoy doing nothing with Cas more than half of the activities he does with the guys at the auto shop, and most of that's just so people can't accuse him of never socializing.
Really, it's not his fault he'd rather watch crappy reality shows over an array of takeout boxes and watch Cas fumble with the chopsticks (which Dean always abandons in favor of a fork like a regular person) than go hit the bar with Benny or watch Sammy walk on air whenever Eileen's within fifteen feet of him (he says, as if he hasn't probably been like that with Cas for decades now).
It just…doesn't feel like decades. He feels like he's known Cas forever, yeah, but at the same time, like what they have is still new and tender and everything, like they're still getting to know each other even after all this time. Honestly, Dean's not sure how much better they can get to know each other at this point. He knows everything about Cas, from his favorite animal (bees) to his least favorite fork out of all the forks (the one Dean tried to open a can with once, like, thirteen years ago and accidentally ended up bending one of the tines, though for whatever reason, it's still in the silverware drawer despite its nonconformity).
There's a sort of familiarity in everything they do, like in how they work around each other during the rare occasions Dean lets Cas in the kitchen and how they tackle chores (usually together, though Dean does like watching Cas dust the shelves or fold their laundry with an expression like he's performing open heart surgery). Dean nearly cried the first time Cas cuddled against him on the couch without asking first, which took entirely too many years thanks to his aunt and uncle giving him a mountain of self-worth issues that rival the pile Dean's dad heaped on him.
Now look at him, a little cuddle whore the second they're both sitting or lying down anywhere, jumping at the first sign of snuggling on the horizon… Not that Dean minds…at all… Okay, so maybe he's a bit of a cuddle whore himself. It's not like it's his fault Cas is so…cuddly. Dude's like an overgrown puppy or kitten or something, seriously.
Point is, they're still getting over some issues even after all these years, but really, that's kind of okay. It's the progress that counts, not how long it takes to get there and all that, and if progress means spending tons of time together and making all their friends either squeal or puke? Well, Dean can't say he minds that.
For once, he's content with how his life is. It's not perfect, maybe, but it's what he's got, and he can't really complain. How can he with Cas squished against him and Sam and Bobby and a bunch of their friends just a short car ride away?
"Oh, hey, I saw the news. Congrats, brother," one of the mechanics, Benny, says during lunch break, clapping him on the shoulder. The two of them (and Cas too of course, though Cas and Benny have never been all that close) went to school together for a while there until Benny moved away.
Benny's back in town for the time being, and Bobby was happy to get him a job to plan out his and his fiancee Andrea's upcoming wedding, which has been in the works for two years and shows no signs of getting off the ground anytime soon. How anybody can take two whole years to plan a wedding is beyond Dean, and to his knowledge, they still haven't even figured out what kind of cake they might want.
"Uh, congrats on what?"
Benny frowns, pausing mid-bite to look at him. "Didn't you hear? They just legalized gay marriage for the whole country. Tons of people are getting married this week alone so Andrea and me decided to wait a little and give these people a chance before Congress snatches it all away again."
Dean feels like his head is a balloon floating way up off the floor. Gay marriage. They legalized it? Benny wouldn't joke about something like that, not after suffering through all of Dean's drunken ramblings about wanting to put a ring on it, but Dean's had his hopes up so many times before as different states thought over different rulings on how homosexuality should be treated and what rights should be given, and he's just been ignoring anything the news has to say about it for so long…
"I…I gotta talk to Charlie."
Dean checks his phone, which he always turns off for his shifts even if he is the boss' unofficial kind of adopted nephew, and finds about fifty messages from Charlie and two from Cas. Cas just sends a reminder to pick up more milk on the way home and a smiley face, and a second text correcting a grammatical error Dean didn't even notice. Charlie is predictably overjoyed by the news, all her texts in capital letters and filled to the brim with more spelling errors than should be possible.
She sends three more just as he's looking at her old messages, and Dean finally replies with, 'Help me pick out rings tomorrow,' to which Charlie enthusiastically agrees, making sure to express her joy at the fact that 'Destiel' is becoming 'even more canon' (Dean's learned not to ask).
The whole day, Dean's practically buzzing in anticipation. He's thought of marrying Cas so many times it's not even funny and borders kind of sad. Sammy's wedding last year really put a candle on that well-iced cake as Dean began really wondering if he'd ever be able to legally call Cas his husband. But all that's gonna change soon.
When he picks Cas up from his shift later that day, he asks how his day was, trying his hardest not to give anything away in his tone, though apparently, he has nothing to worry about. "The slushie machine broke again," Cas says with a frown. "I'm not sure why we still have that when all it ever does is break and make a mess."
"Kind of like kids, huh?" he quips before he can stop himself, blaming the remark on his brain wondering when they're gonna legalize that.
Cas just squints at him. "Yes, I suppose so. How about you, Dean? How was your day?"
"Good, it was good…" Dean swallows, torn between spilling everything and keeping the news a secret. He ends up choosing the latter as they pull up to Walmart to do a little grocery shopping, Dean watching as Cas starts pulling out the reusable bags perpetually piled up in the backseat. "Hey, you're off tomorrow, right?"
"Yes. Would you like to do something?"
"Uh, I actually have something I gotta take care of. Boring car stuff, y'know. Maintenance and oil changes and stuff." Cas' face falls a little, and Dean tries his hardest not to feel guilty. "I can drop you off at the animal shelter if you want, though. Tomorrow. You really should get your own car, by the way."
"There are enough carbon emissions in the air without me adding to the problem, Dean. If we can reduce that just a little by sharing a vehicle, I'd rather do that. And I…like you driving me. It reminds me of school." Cas always talks about school fondly, and it would normally be strange to hear anyone talk about school fondly, except Dean kinda remembers that fondly too, no matter the reason of why Dean always drove him even back then. "In any case, I think I'd like that. Thank you, Dean."
Dean smiles and nods, trying not to feel like he's lying to Cas. He is a little, but it's not like he can go and tell Cas he's thinking of proposing. No, Cas deserves a fancy (but not too fancy—their income isn't that spectacular and they both like simpler things nowadays, anyway) dinner at a real restaurant and flowers and all that crap and a real proposal, unlike the other two silly ones he'd done as a kid.
No, this one's gonna be great, and Dean spends so much time fantasizing about it that night since it's actually all he can think about. He just keeps looking over at Cas as he does the dishes with a far too serious look on his squinty little face while Dean dries them off and thinks, 'I'm gonna marry this dork. This idiot has no idea that I'm gonna drop down and propose to him.'
And it's really just like Cas to have no clue what's going on, since he avoids the news like the plague due to basically all of it being bad news. Dean's a little surprised his coworkers at the gas station haven't mentioned it, but then again, they're all painfully straight, so they probably don't even know. Well, they're gonna get a big, fat wake-up call when Cas walks in there with a ring—a real one, too, not a plastic one or a Ring Pop this time.
He's not even exaggerating when he says he's been thinking about officially, legally marrying Cas for decades. Some people around them might've thought their high school sweetheart romance would shrivel up and die the second that college was on the horizon and one or both of them left, but since Dean never bothered with college and Cas just went to the community college for a couple of courses, that never happened.
After that, people started off with how dissimilar he and Cas are and how their hobbies are more fitting for twenty-something year old bachelors than those in a committed relationship, leading some to suggest that they're actually just long-term roommates who sometimes kiss. They're just pissed they can't get anybody to tolerate them for more than a couple months, Dean figures.
(Bobby actually alluded to there being almost a Stockholm syndrome thing going on between them since they both grew up in crappy homes and Cas only ever had Dean to really talk to. Dean didn't talk to Bobby for a month after that, which was pretty hard to pull off since he's working for the guy. It just reminded him far too much of Zachariah and Naomi saying Cas couldn't actually love him because he's autistic, and the very thought makes Dean wanna punch someone. Two someones, really.)
Through everything, it really has been the two of them, through thick and thin and everything in between. When Dean's dad all but disowned them, when Bobby took them in, when Sam got his first girlfriend, when Cas' aunt and uncle gave him the boot on his eighteenth birthday and Cas promptly moved in with him and Sam, when Sam started going to proms and getting into bad relationships with people that never came close to deserving him, when Sam started thinking about colleges halfway across the country (though he's since moved back to Kansas), when Sam met Eileen and got married…
Point is, he's been through a lot with Cas, and if anybody thinks they're just together because of some mutual Stockholm syndrome or autism or anything else, he doesn't know where they've been for the past few decades, because he and Cas have been like this since they were ten and that little boy with the dark hair and the blue eyes first walked into that classroom and refused to say hello, had sat with Dean at lunch and traded some of his sandwich for a juice box, and had let Dean borrow his yo-yo.
Poor little Dean and little Cas didn't have a clue what would happen to them. They just wanted to exchange bee-themed Valentine's Day cards and misshapen heart cookies and couldn't understand why everybody kept calling them gay, because ten year olds are jerks. And look at them now, very possibly about to get married—for real this time.
It never made sense to Dean as a kid why two people of the same gender weren't allowed to get married, and it definitely bothered him when he was in his twenties once he started getting really comfortable in the routine he and Cas had going on. And now, they're finally legally allowed to marry, and Dean can't wait.
The first thing Dean sees every morning is a mess of dark hair that's obstructing his breathing more often than not, because Cas is an octopus cuddle whore and loves to sleep on top of him. Dean can't say he really minds this view every time he wakes up, but his favorite sight is when he shakes Cas awake and kisses whatever parts of Cas he can reach until Cas squints up at him, blue eyes all narrow and soft with sleep. (On the rare occasions Cas actually wakes up before him, he'll get to see those big blue eyes immediately, boring into his very soul.)
Most of the time, Cas will flop right back on top of him and mumble about it being too early, because Cas is usually pretty grumpy when he first wakes up, but it's actually surprisingly easy to actually coax him out of bed once promises of coffee and kisses are thrown around and Cas remembers he has a job to get to.
There's a few more steps thrown in there when Cas doesn't have to work that day, but Cas seems to be in a particularly snuggly mood this morning and only pushes his face into Dean's neck, his stubbly face giving Dean goosebumps. He allows it for a few seconds before poking Cas in the side, making the smaller man squirm but not enough to dislodge him from his human pillow. What a dork.
Just for that, Dean shoots both hands right to his armpits, making Cas shriek and roll away in a pathetic attempt at escaping. Unluckily for him, Dean's not finished and follows him, straddling his hips just to really make him squirm. See, Dean works on cars all day, and Cas works at a gas station and volunteers at animal shelters, so it's clear who has the advantage when it comes to spontaneous tickle fights (not even counting Dean having had a little brother to tickle the snot out of for years while Cas is the youngest and had no such experience), and Dean has no intention of letting Cas go, not when it's so rare to see such a big gummy smile from his long-time boyfriend.
"No! No, no, no no no no—" Dean ignores him and yanks Cas' (and by Cas', he means his own, because he's pretty sure Cas isn't into Led Zeppelin last time he checked) shirt up to give him a big, wet raspberry on his bare stomach, sending him hurtling into a new peal of laughter as he jackknifes violently on the bed, kicking the comforter to the floor. "Dean!"
"Yeah?" he hums innocently, taking his assault to Cas' neck to give him a taste of his own medicine, rubbing his overnight stubble against the exposed skin and listening to Cas lose his mind over it and try to push him away, the noise only increasing when Dean starts placing soft kisses on his neck, making Dean himself chuckle. "Honestly, Cas, the neighbors are gonna think I'm killing you or something."
Cas doesn't respond—probably can't at this point, really—and just keeps twisting and turning on the messy sheets until Dean finally relents and stops his attack (after one more scream-inducing raspberry, of course). Even when Dean's hands go from tickling to just resting on Cas' skin, the smaller man keeps laughing quietly, smiling so big it probably hurts a little by now. Dean just takes a minute to look at him, letting it sink in a little more.
He's gonna marry this idiot. He's gonna be able to call this dork his husband pretty soon and it'll be true.
At that thought, Dean leans down to drop kisses on Cas' face, wherever he can reach, making Cas' smile go a little softer at the edges. "What was that for?" Cas asks when Dean's done with his shower of kisses, probably trying to sound upset, though he doesn't look the part. Dean goes to his neck until Cas squirms away, muscles tensing. "Dean…"
"All right, all right. I'll stop…for now." Cas sends him a warning glare that morphs into a cute little smile when Dean kisses his nose, just like it had when they were kids and Dean did that. "What's got you all cuddly today, anyway? Trying to butter me up so you can ask for a cat again?"
Cas does shift closer, though he still seems cautious, probably worried about another tickle attack. Dean wiggles his fingers threateningly, and Cas abruptly scoots away, making Dean laugh. "I just wanted to enjoy this morning with you before you leave."
Okay, that's kind of sweet, actually. Cas always has been a dork like that… "You saying you didn't enjoy that?"
"No," Cas replies, all grumpy and grumbly like he suddenly remembered he hasn't had his coffee yet.
"Yeah, well, your face says otherwise."
"My face is irrelevant. Assbutt." Yeah, he definitely needs the snot tickled out of him again. Dean's fingers inch in his direction before he pauses and reroutes, instead standing up so he can lift Cas up into his arms, startling the smaller man, who's quick to grab at Dean's neck and shoulders. "Dean? What are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself!"
Dean only barely bites back a comment about practicing and thresholds and bridal carries, instead replying, "Only if you keep squirming." Admittedly, Cas is a little heavier than Dean thought, but then again, it's been a while since he tried to lift him since he's usually being smushed into the nearest soft surface by Cas instead. Finally, he carries Cas all the way to the couch and drops him, laughing at how wide Cas' eyes get. "You like your taxi service?"
Instead of continuing his grumpy tirade, Cas just looks at him warily, worried. "Did you hurt yourself? You've already been complaining of back pain recently—"
"Geez, Cas, you're not that heavy. And I'm not that old, either, before you say anything." Deciding to delay breakfast, Dean settles in beside him and Cas wastes exactly zero seconds before wrapping his arms around Dean's stomach. Dean smiles down at his cute boyfriend and rubs at his back, muttering affectionately, "You're such a cuddle whore."
"Not a cuddle whore," Cas grumbles, clinging closer still.
Dean settles a hand in his hair and combs through the disaster he calls hair and listens as Cas all but purrs. "Cuddleholic, then."
Breakfast is extremely delayed that morning since they both wake up at noon, Dean with a sore neck from how he had his head while Cas enjoyed laying on his stomach like it's a pillow (maybe it is and he should lay off the pie). Dean still manages to get out the door before two in the afternoon, so he's satisfied, hoping that he can get everything he needs done in time to pick Cas up before the animal shelter closes.
Dean's all smiles by the time he gets to the mall, and even if he schools his expression, 'lovesick' must still be written across his forehead in big, thick letters with some little arrows pointing to it for emphasis. It's pretty telling that it takes Charlie all of fifteen seconds to see that, and it only took more than five because she's not wearing her glasses.
"Wow. You are really giddy about this, aren't you? You're practically glowing!"
"Shut up," he grumbles, but his good mood floats right back over like it's tied to a string seconds later. Charlie just keeps grinning up at him from where she's keeping step at his side all the way to the jewelry store. "I'm allowed to be excited, okay? Not every day I get to actually marry Cas…"
Even now, just the thought of standing next to Cas, both in suits (hopefully without an ugly but beloved trench coat in sight), of seeing their names on an official marriage license stating that they're legally married, of holding Cas' hand the whole way home and feeling their wedding bands knock together, of referring to Cas as his husband from then on and being referred to as such in return…
"Oh, Dean, please. We all know what you're looking forward to is the honeymoon," Charlie jabs with a wicked smile. Dean shifts uncomfortably and shoots her a look, but doesn't reply either way.
He's not ashamed of Cas' asexuality, but Dean's the only one he told other than his one brother, Gabriel. That's just not information Cas wants to share with the world, so Dean follows along and doesn't mention it. That doesn't mean his friends don't all make jokes about sex around them, with Charlie even sending them a huge, like, industrial-sized bottle of lube for Christmas one year (which Dean has used solo before to get a better slide going, but that's beside the point).
That being said, they have…experimented over the years a little, and Cas does like to watch him (no surprises there; it'd almost be weird if Cas didn't, really) on rare occasions, but he usually ranges from just a general disinterest to something more like disgust, so their experiments are few and far between. And they're both okay with that; Dean meant it when he told Cas all those years ago that it's only gonna happen if they're both having fun and that never doing anything is okay, too.
Once they get in the store, it takes an enthusiastic Charlie all of thirty seconds to flag somebody down to help them and to loudly announce that Dean's shopping for his soon-to-be husband. The guy at the counter smiles awkwardly, and while Dean's definitely not ashamed, he is somewhat embarrassed, because it's not like he wants some random stranger's opinion on what he does with his life.
Still, the guy shows them a few things but lets them browse on their own for the most part in favor of helping some plainly straight dude in a backwards baseball cap that comes in after them. Dean doesn't say anything, but his fingers twitch into the beginnings of a fist he determinedly doesn't follow through on, since the last thing he needs is to be arrested or something.
Instead, he looks at the rings displayed in front of him and tries to come up with Cas' ring size. How big are his hands compared to Dean's? Aren't Dean's a bit bigger? His fingers seem thicker, but that might just be calluses from working on cars all the time; the most noteworthy thing Cas does with his hands beyond petting cute animals and bagging things at the gas station is his little crocheting thing where he makes itchy scarves that Dean will wear until they disintegrate.
"Y'know, there's something almost poetic about me being here to help you get a proper ring for Cas after all these years." Dean glances at her, and Charlie continues, "I mean, first the plastic ring, then the Ring Pop…" She suddenly gasps and spins around on her heel, nearly tripping over her own shoe. "Wait, am I gonna be your best man? Er, well, woman, I guess."
"I was kinda picturing Sam would do that, since I was his best man…"
"Hm… What about the ring bearer?"
Dean eyes her strangely. "Isn't that to give kids something to do besides twiddle their thumbs?"
"Okay, who made you the wedding expert? You act like you were watching cringey MTV wedding shows all night." Dean rolls his eyes and focuses on the display on the other side of the room. "No…tell me it isn't so! Tell me you didn't watch cringey wedding shows all night."
"I did some reading online, okay?" he finally admits. "Wanted to know what to expect…" Charlie coos at him like he's a particularly endearing puppy, so he quickly changes the subject. "Which ones do you think Cas would like?"
"Please. Why are you asking me? It's not like I've been dating him for the best, like, twenty years." A pause. "Oh my god, you've been dating him for twenty years. Oh, that's so sweet I'm gonna implode!"
Dean doesn't even dignify that with a response. "I'm thinking something…simple. Silver, maybe?"
"Twenty years. Twenty," Charlie mumbles to herself. "This thing has been two decades in the making. That's over half your age!"
Now people are starting to look, and Dean doesn't really like all the attention, having already gotten enough of it when they immediately went over to the men's ring area. "Y'know, on second thought, maybe ring bearer is the perfect role for you…"
Charlie ends up being no help at all between her constant jabs at Dean's enthusiasm and her obsession over the idea that they're been dating longer than they haven't when compared to how long they've both been alive, leaving Dean to pick out the rings all by himself. He ends up mentally deciding on simple matching silver (in color, though the rings themselves have some copper and junk mixed in to make them more durable) ones with a 'c' and a 'd' carved on the inside (for him and Cas respectively), but holds off on actually getting any rings, to the irritatingly obvious relief of the guy running the place.
He also has lots of questions regarding rings and proposals. From what he's read, engagement rings are the ones he's supposed to propose with and then a wedding ring is added on top of that. But Cas has had sensory issues with jewelry before (he's worn some of Eileen's bracelets before, but within half an hour, he couldn't wait to take them off), so would he even want to wear a ring, let alone two? Maybe if he got a substitute that Cas could take off afterwards…?
If it were Dean, he sure wouldn't want to wear two all the time, but maybe Cas does? Or maybe he'd rather wear his ring as a necklace than on his finger, like Dean will probably have to do to continue working as a mechanic, at least while he's in the shop elbow-deep in engines… It's a lot to think about through the traffic jam sitting between him and Cas, but he pushes it away for a while as excitement creeps back in.
Dean only just manages to make it to the animal shelter before closing, and even then, he's afraid what he's just done probably shows on his face. Cas does pause when he gets in and asks after a moment, "Is everything all right? You seem…"
He smiles fondly; though he can read him like a book, Cas never has gotten any better at actually naming any of the emotions he sees or feels. "Yeah, just a little, uh, sneezy."
Big blue eyes bore into him, suddenly intense and remorseful, looking like the kicked puppies he probably deals with all day. "I can stop volunteering if it bothers your allergies that much."
"Nah, it's fine. Just change your shirt when we get home, huh?"
"Of course, Dean."
Dean's nose always kind of itches whenever Cas volunteers at the animal shelter. They've figured out that Cas showering and changing clothes when he gets home helps, but the car ride back home certainly makes his sinuses start to drain and his eyes water a little. Not enough to need to pop a pill or anything, but enough that he's faced with a constant reminder of why they can't get a cat. Cas loves animals and was naturally disappointed, since he's been talking about wanting a pet or five since he was a kid, but there's not much they can really do. Maybe a pet bird or something to avoid the hair and dander?
Either way, it's a great excuse for Dean's behavior and can explain the ways that he's on-edge or excited or whatever he is in Cas' eyes (which is probably just a reflection of exactly how he feels, since it's kinda hard to live with someone for twenty years and not know them a little bit). He still feels bad for using that as an excuse though, knowing Cas already feels kind of guilty about setting off Dean's allergies, no matter how minor, even though Dean has assured him a thousand times that he's fine with it and that Cas should get to do what he enjoys, even if it does make Dean's nose run a little for the fifteen minute drive home no matter how low he cranks the windows.
Dean's still scratching his head about engagement rings all the way through their movie night (Netflix is always an amusing affair when they scroll through their account to find anything, since it ends up being split between generic action movies and boring documentaries, along with the occasional awful sitcom they both end up somehow enjoying, if only because it grants them more inside jokes) and afterwards when Cas is back to his octopus self in bed, still-damp hair tickling Dean's chin.
The answer doesn't come to him until three days later when their landlord decides to fumigate the entire apartment building and kicks everybody out. Sam and Eileen allow them to stay with them, since they're less than half an hour apart, and as Dean's packing up his and Cas' possessions, he finds a box with old stuff from their childhood.
The first thing that catches his attention is that card he made Cas, dotted in little bees that had matched Cas' pencil case and simplistic yellow flowers and covered with glitter that's coating all kinds of things underneath, because glitter really is impossible to keep contained. He can't help but cringe a little when he sees his own signature, complete with a huge capital 'd' with a sheriff's star on the inside, and the text inside is huge and nearly illegible with all its typos as it rambles on about how Cas is his best friend and how he's glad they met.
He remembers being proud of it when he was little, but it's pretty embarrassing now. He sets it aside to show Cas later anyway, because he could always stand to see one of Cas' soft smiles and softer eyes. Beneath the card are all sorts of things from used blue and green popsicle sticks (gross) to two two-decade old (thankfully empty) Ring Pop bags to some of Cas' fidget toys that had broken over the years. Old Pokemon cards they'd exchanged, a handful of tokens from an arcade in South Dakota from the summer of '94, the rainbow slinky Cas had given him for his birthday when he was ten that his dad always despised, the plastic corsage he'd given Cas for their prom, an old deck of cards from when Dean was seventeen and watched a guy on TV shuffle the things in a cool way he tried and failed to mimic…
Dozens of pictures are spread around near the bottom, including the one of him and Cas kissing in their Han Solo and Princess Leia Halloween costumes, a Fruit Roll Up shared between them. On top of one of the pictures are the plastic cosplay rings Charlie had given him so long ago, when he proposed to Cas when they were little. Dean picks one up carefully and tries it on, and to his surprise, it actually fits, though it is a little tight. The rings must've been way too big when they wore them before, but they were too young and dumb to realize.
Now, though… Now, it could be the perfect replacement for an engagement ring until he talks to Cas about everything once the secret is revealed. With that in mind, he carefully lifts both rings like they're something sacred instead of just a couple of ancient pieces of plastic now more dull grey than silver as the cheap paint peels off.
Carefully depositing both rings into his pocket, he heads back out into the other room to help Cas keep packing. After that, it's kind of a waiting game where Dean feels constantly on-edge, waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question. It doesn't help that Charlie messages him basically hourly and asks for updates, and it certainly doesn't help when Sam finds his phone buzzing away on the table while Dean was in the shower one time and now Sam knows which means, by extension, Eileen also knows.
So there are now three people that know which means there are three people breathing down his neck, waiting for him to get his act together and propose already now that he's finally allowed to, and that puts more than a little pressure on him.
Still, he tries his best to get the ball rolling and plans out three separate fancy dates with Cas, one of which ends up accidentally becoming a double date when, entirely by chance, Sam and Eileen just so happen to be there. He doesn't end up getting the nerve to actually propose on any of the dates, which might in part be because of the unfamiliar atmosphere in the fancy restaurants that are just so far from their usual style.
After the third date…well, not fails since it was still enjoyable despite his nerves and despite him having yet to propose, Dean reevaluates some things and tries to develop a new strategy. After putting way too much thought into it, Dean concludes the best way to go about this is probably to just go with the flow and not to try to plan anything.
When the opportunity finally presents itself, they're not in a movie theater or a park or a fancy restaurant with menus as thick as a textbook with the prices to match. No, he just comes home early reeking of oil after a messy oil change to find Cas, who'd messaged him earlier to say Kelly was driving him home, in the kitchen, looking like a combination of everything he could've ever wanted.
As soon as he walks through the door, he smells it. Delicious and unmistakable, the smell leads him right to the kitchen, where there's a fresh pie waiting. Apple, it looks like, and judging by the misshaped crust not unlike the cookies Cas had made for him so long ago that Valentine's Day when they were both so young, Cas made it himself. Cas may be a total lost cause with cooking, but he really shines in baking once he finds a good recipe to follow. Or maybe Dean's just biased, since a majority of Cas' baked goods have fruit filling and crust.
"Oh. Hello, Dean. I didn't think you'd be home yet, or I would've baked the pie earlier." There's a patch of flour on Cas' face and it's all Dean can look at, certain his face is contorted into a particularly soupy smile. "It's apple," the dork adds needlessly, like Dean doesn't have a sixth sense when it comes to pie. "We just got a new batch of them at the Gas-N-Sip and I was inspired to attempt to recreate one."
"I've been waiting to do this for a long time," Dean finally mutters, walking over to him slowly, hands sweating as one hand slips into his pocket and feels for the plastic rings, only just now realizing he'd never gotten a ring box. Still, this moment…it feels…like them. It feels right.
Cas looks at him, head tilted like a confused puppy. "You mean to eat the pie? I don't think it's done cooling yet. It's typically better once the filling has gelled a little."
"Always excited for pie, you know that," he mumbles, a little unnerved as Cas stares into his soul but still managing to fish one of the plastic rings from his pocket and conceal it in his fist before he kneels down, wincing when his bad knee creaks. Cas steps closer, as if to help him up, but Dean stops him with a hand and a pleading look. "Cas…"
At the worst possible moment, all thoughts leave his brain and all words leave him completely. He'd practiced in the mirror every morning since he first learned about gay marriage being legalized, but now that the real thing is happening, he can't come up with a single thing to say, and it becomes more and more awkward (and painful, thanks to his knee) by the minute as he just kneels there and Cas stands in front of him, still covered in flour.
"I…I love you," Dean eventually says.
"I love you, too," Cas replies simply, still so obviously confused even as he slowly kneels to mirror Dean (and probably to look into his eyes, because this is Cas). "Is everything all right?"
"I…uh, yeah." Damnit, why does it seem so much easier on TV? Stupid wikiHow was useless. "I wanted to…give you this." He opens his fist to show Cas the ring and can tell the exact second Cas recognizes it. "It's from when we were little. Traded three whole candy bars for this bad boy."
"I remember," Cas says softly, reaching out not to take it, but just to touch it, though most of his hand ends up just touching Dean's. "I didn't know it was still around. Do you have the other one, too?"
"Yeah. I…found them when we were packing up to go to Sammy's house so that guy could fumigate." They just keep silently staring at each other, and Dean's not as young as he was the first time he 'proposed' to Cas when he was ten, and his body reminds him of this in the form of his knee aching even more. "Can we…stand up?"
"Oh. Of course." They stand together and then keep on staring, faces just a few inches apart. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, kind of," he admits with a forced laugh. "Proposed to you twice already, so you'd think I'd be half decent at it this time around."
"Propose?" Cas repeats, surprise written all over his face, and Dean only just then realizes what he'd said. Before he can say a word to either cover up what he'd said or move forward, Cas then just looks kind of sad. "But Dean, we-we can't actually marry. Unless you mean repeating what we did as children, or when we were teenagers…"
"No, I-I mean the real thing. It's legal now, Cas." Dean's voice breaks a little on Cas' name and his eyes are definitely embarrassingly wet, but he doesn't even think about it as he reaches to take one of Cas' hands into his own. "It's finally legal. Two dudes can get married now."
"Really?" Now Cas looks like he might cry, so Dean brings him closer into a hug as he nods, resting their foreheads together. "I…I never thought they'd ever finally…"
Cas trails off, and Dean holds him tighter, sure that he's thinking about his aunt and uncle, who'd used the fact that gay marriage wasn't legal against Cas so many times basically from the moment they found out that he's gay. Hell, Dean had thought of his own dad once he allowed the fact to sink in a little more, had wondered where he is and if he's pissed at the entire American government or what because of this.
"It's legal," Dean repeats, looking into watery blue eyes that are only tentatively beginning to accept his words. "It can be real this time, Cas. It'll finally be real. So…will you marry me?"
Cas lets out a watery sort of chuckle. "Of course." They keep hugging for a few minutes, lightly swaying back and forth and just enjoying the closeness before Dean pulls away just enough to slip the ring onto Cas' finger. "Can you wear the other one?"
"Yeah. Yeah, whatever you want, baby." Dean digs around in his pocket for the other plastic ring, and Cas gently takes it from him to wiggle it onto Dean's finger. "Doesn't really fit, huh?"
"It is a little small," Cas admits.
"Wanted to pick out real ones with you. Also, uh, didn't wanna screw up on the sizing." They share a shy sort of smile until Dean confesses in a whisper, "This ring is really cutting off blood flow to my finger and I really don't wanna end up being like those people that get a ring so stuck that they end up in the ER."
"We could…wear them on chains. Until we get ones that fit properly."
"Sounds like a plan."
Dean finally releases Cas from his hug-prison to go to their bedroom, digging through some of the cosplay stuff the Queen of Moondoor and her bad influence had encouraged him to get, since he is her handmaiden. Cas joins the cosplaying sometimes, usually taking on the role of a minor footsoldier so that he can hang in the background, although he does seem to enjoy the nonhuman roles Charlie offers, favoring dressing up as a fairy because it allows him to distance himself from the group and just watch the bees or whatever he does.
It's not difficult to find two chains, though wiggling his slightly swollen finger from the ring isn't nearly as easy. Still, the joy that comes from feeling the ring land somewhere over his heart and looking over to see Cas' ring in the same place is enough to make up for any and all failed proposal attempts, and more than enough cause to bring Cas into another hug.
The pie they dig into afterwards as both of their phones explode with congratulations after Dean gave Charlie a three word update ('he said yes') definitely makes up for all the stress he'd put himself through trying to plan this thing, and by the end of it, they even have a wedding date in mind: November 5th.
What could go wrong?
Okay, so maybe Dean shouldn't have had as much faith in…well, anything as he did, since the universe loves to see confidence as a red cape waving two inches from its face, taunting it to destroy something. Not that anything's really getting destroyed, per say, but this is definitely a disaster in the making.
Even with all the crappy wedding shows he'd been unabashedly binging, Dean never thought actually planning a wedding would be this much work. He'd helped plan Sammy's after his and Eileen's two year engagement period, so he thought planning his own would be just as simple if not more, since it's for them.
Instead, he and Cas and every other unfortunate soul dragged into this mess gets to learn why engagement periods go on for such a long time and why planning a wedding in four months is just asking for trouble. They can't get a caterer to save their souls, decorations are a nightmare, getting a place to host the wedding on such short notice (since four months is apparently short) is impossible, and getting everybody fitted in suits and dresses is enough to bring a grown man to his knees.
All he can really say is thank God for Sammy and Charlie pulling their weight as best men and pulling things together. Also thank God that they don't have many friends to invite in the first place, since that greatly reduces the amount of food and drinks as well as clothes everyone needs. Eileen has a friend that's apparently a florist, which takes care of some of the decorations at least, and since they can't find a decent place to have a wedding, they decide to have one outside.
Sam helps them get all the legal documents required to apply for a marriage license and uses his lawyer powers to at least make that part all work out, so even if their ceremony is a total train wreck, at least they'll still be married. Charlie helps out on the rings and makes sure they're measured correctly and everything, though she does squeal loud enough to break glass when she sees them using the old plastic cosplay rings she'd given them when they were ten.
Deciding the roles everyone will have in the wedding gets a little messy when they really start thinking it through. Sam will give the rings out just as Dean had given him his rings during his own marriage last year, but Dean has no idea which of them would walk down the aisle or anything, or if that's even a thing in a gay marriage.
They flip a coin in the end, and Cas ends up getting that particular honor with Bobby walking beside him, filling the father role since they don't actually have a dad between them. Bobby grumbles and bitches when he hears about his role, but Dean can tell he's secretly pleased, the old softie.
Originally, he'd thought there'd be something of a fight for who gets which last name. "We can do a hyphenated one if you want," Dean offers, frowning at the article he's reading. "Would that be Winchester-Novak, or Novak-Winchester?"
Cas peeks up at him from where he's draped across Dean's shoulder like the cuddle whore that he is. "I'd rather just take your name, actually."
"Wait, really?" Dean narrows his eyes, poking Cas in the ribs just to get him to squirm. "I don't mind hyphenated if you'd rather do that, y'know. Don't have to try to make me happy or something."
"I'm not. Novak holds no particular significance to me, that's all. It's just a name, not a family. Besides," Cas' smile turns soft, almost shy, "I like the idea of finally becoming a Winchester."
Dean can't help but smile at that himself, remembering all the times in the past when he'd jokingly (and often not-so-jokingly) told Cas he was basically a Winchester with all the time he spent with them growing up. Throughout high school, Cas had actually lived with them more than he lived with his aunt and uncle, and said dicks masquerading as guardians officially kicking him out on his eighteenth birthday really just solidified that and gave him cause to move into Bobby's place for good.
Dean's really lucky to have someone like Bobby, who not only was willing to all but adopt him and Sam, but Cas too once he caught wind of Cas' crappy situation. Bobby always has loved taking in strays, though, so it wasn't really surprising how quickly he opened his home to Cas once he caught sight of some of the more obvious signs of just what Cas' home life was like and how it wasn't all that dissimilar to Sam and Dean's own situation before Bobby took over as their guardian.
"You've always been a Winchester," Dean says, kissing his forehead. "Now we just get to make it official." Cas smiles at him, and Dean smiles back, using the bubble of joy to ask something he's been wanting to bring up for a while: "So, how are we feeling about a wedding pie instead of a cake?"
"Are you certain you'd be able to share it with the guests?"
"Uh…both, then?"
"Maybe…"
Yeah, wedding planning is both a lot of fun and a form of torture that even the most wicked creatures of Hell couldn't endure.
Picking out flowers that they'd like at their wedding is fun, but being shut down due to the short notice of the order sure isn't. Eileen helps them work out a compromise of sorts that results in…not very many flowers (much to Cas' dismay, as he'd been hoping the flowers would attract some bees to the ceremony), but since they're having an outdoor wedding anyway, they just…move the location to a flowery sort of field that'll hopefully still be blooming by the time November rolls around.
Trying to plan out food is not in any way fun, but it does bring forth a pleasant surprise in the form of Gabriel not being a complete dick for once and actually stepping up to the plate, helping them take care of catering through some frankly sleazy catering company nobody's ever heard of, alongside some food their friends help make themselves. It's not the best food out there, but on such short notice, it's probably the best they're gonna get, so Dean can't really complain (too much).
(Besides, the fact that Gabriel agreed to come at all made Cas so happy when he found out, so even though Dean doesn't really like the guy too much…well, he's glad Gabriel's filling in the role of big brother after all but ditching Cas in favor of leaving their abusive household just a little sooner. Cas doesn't seem to hold it against him at all, but Dean can't even imagine how anybody could leave their baby brother all alone in a situation like that.)
Rehearsing for the wedding itself makes everything seem a little more real, even if they practice with the plastic cosplay rings. That doesn't mean they're not both total disasters and stumble over their lines, or that Anna, who decided to show up basically at the last minute, doesn't nearly bring the prop refreshments table down when she trips over the too-big dress that was originally meant for one of Cas' coworkers that had gotten sick at the actual last minute, but it…it's perfect. It's them.
(They have to skip any bachelor party ideas for the sake of time, though Dean doesn't really mind. He's not sure how that would've worked with both of them technically being the bachelor, anyway.)
The day of their wedding approaches quickly, and it's increasingly difficult to think about literally anything else, which is definitely affecting his job performance. If he weren't the boss' unofficial kind of adopted nephew, he'd probably be fired by now, but he really can't help it because after twenty years, he's finally getting to marry Cas—for real this time.
The day before, Dean's not even freaking out. He and Cas just have a Doctor Sexy, M.D. marathon and eat junk food basically all day. At some point, Cas does decide to give him a pair of crocheted socks that he must've been working on for weeks, stating very seriously that they're to prevent his feet from getting cold; Dean has no idea who might've told him about getting cold feet, but this does wonders to keep him relaxed, and the socks are pretty warm, and they're even his favorite color: the same color as Cas' eyes (or a similar shade at least, since nothing can truly capture the depths of Cas' eyes). He has the dorkiest fiance on the planet.
And then it happens, and the calendar finally announces that it's November 5th.
It turns out to be kind of a chilly day—only barely above 50 degrees outside—but Dean's so full of nerves looking at the nonexistent doors Cas won't walk through to even feel it, even in the ill-fitting suit Sammy managed to nab for the wedding. They've rehearsed everything enough times that Dean basically has the whole thing memorized, but there's still a huge difference between practicing this and actually getting to have it.
"Relax. Everything'll be fine," Sam murmurs from where he's standing beside him on the makeshift altar. "It'll be just like we practiced, but you get a different title by the end."
Right. Just like they practiced. Dean forces himself to take a few deep breaths, ignoring the looks the officiant (unfortunately, they couldn't find any friends to fill the role, so they made do with this guy, who's definitely at his first gay wedding) is giving him. Just like they practiced. He can do this.
Then Cas shows up dressed in his suit with his deep green tie, Bobby at his elbow, and Dean forgets how to breathe all over again despite being in a matching suit with a blue tie. He can't do this he can't do this he's gonna choke is it getting warmer in here or is that just a side effect of him actually imploding—
"Hello, Dean," Cas whispers once Bobby walks him all the way up, a small, dorky smile on his face that relaxes Dean in an instant. No matter what, this is still Cas at his side.
"Hey, Cas."
He can do this.
"We are gathered here today…"
Dean zones out faster than he ever has in even the most boring of history classes in favor of staring at Cas, who stares right back. He forgets what's even happening until Sam nudges him gently, and doesn't waste a second before gently cupping Cas' face and pulling him into a kiss, which makes half the crowd cheer and the other half groan.
He ignores all of them and deepens the kiss, pushing against his mouth desperately and yanking him into a tight embrace before finally pulling away for air to press their foreheads together, gently brushing a strand of hair from Cas' temple and internally melting at the soft, loving expression that spreads across Cas' face as he gazes back adoringly.
After a few long seconds, Sam clears his throat quietly. "Uh, Dean? You're supposed to exchange vows, not kisses."
Oh. "Uh…" Dean turns back to look at his friends and family that are attending the wedding, feeling caught even as he keeps holding Cas' face. "Oops?"
"Idjits," Bobby grumps from the front row, crossing his arms for effect. They hadn't managed to get him to take off his hat, just like they couldn't for Sam's wedding, but Dean's glad he's at least waiting before tearing off the tie this time.
"I'll go first, then. Castiel, the moment you walked in that classroom, I was just nine years old and I knew there was something about you. 'Course, little me just thought your backpack was cool and that it was awesome how you blew off a teacher, but I knew immediately that I wanted more than anything to be your friend." He smiles a little, adding, "Obviously, I missed the mark a little, but, uh…I don't mind. I'd rather be your husband, anyway. I promise to keep on being there for you and thinking you're awesome—even if you think eating pickles straight from the jar is okay."
That earns Dean a few laughs from the audience, but Dean's not paying attention to them. No, his eyes are locked on Cas. Kind, smart, beautiful Cas who's standing in front of him and staring right at him. Cas might have trouble meeting most people's eyes for more than a few seconds he forces himself to endure, but for whatever reason, it has never been an issue between the two of them, which means Dean gets to look into those beautiful blues all the time.
"Dean, I've…always had a difficult time making friends. I was always the strange one in a room, the one no one wanted to befriend, but you…you never made me feel strange. Since the first time we met, you've done everything to include me and protect me and make me feel like maybe…maybe I'm not so weird, after all." Cas licks his lips, and it takes everything in Dean not to jump the gun and kiss him. "The moment you first reached out to me, I wasn't lost, I was found, and I'd be honored to finally make that official. I can only promise to give you my…my best…"
"Want your worst, too," Dean mutters without thinking when Cas' sentence seems to stutter to a stop. "Everything."
Cas blinks before amending with a soupy sort of smile, clearly grateful for the help, "Of course. Then you can have everything. The best and the worst and everything in between."
"Me too, Cas. All of it."
They keep staring until it gets awkward, and the officiant fumbles over what exactly to pronounce them, but Dean just waits for the greenlight before pulling Cas into another kiss, dipping him down to deepen it in a way that they didn't practice and forcing himself to stop when people clapped or cheered or whatever they did—it's hard to pay attention to much of anything with Cas in front of him, looking like an flustered little angel.
"All right, let's dig into this food already, huh?" Gabriel contributes, which is the only reason Dean doesn't dive in for another kiss; Gabriel has that sort of off-putting effect on people, even if he is a decent guy deep, deep down. "C'mon, where'd you guys put the booze? And let's get some music on already!"
The catered food is… Well, it's definitely not what Dean's used to, but luckily, they get to fall back on the food made by everybody else, including Benny's big pot of whatever the hell gumbo is, some of Dean's own homemade burgers, and some of the misshapen pies Cas had made for the event. Sam and Eileen also brought some weird hippie veggie mix crap for anyone who can stomach it, though Dean mostly steers clear of that.
He knows it's not exactly traditional for the guests to make food for the wedding, but in a way, that just makes everything more personal. Besides, who wants some fancy food or a wedding cake when burgers and Cas' crumbly homemade pies are on the menu?
The only thing that could make this wedding better would be if Dean could grab the cowboy hats from the trunk, but he's not so sure he'd want to see the side-eye Sam gives him, so he refrains. Maybe on their honeymoon, they'll do nothing but sit around in cowboy hats and eat pie and watch spaghetti westerns (and whatever new whale documentaries Cas finds, because Dean is incapable of saying no to Cas).
Until then, they have an after-wedding ceremony to enjoy, starting with the food. They go from folding plastic table to table and start tasting what everybody brought together, hand in hand. Cas barely leaves his side for a second until Gabriel throws an arm around his shoulders. "Cassie, you have got to see this weird dick-shaped rock I found!"
Cas really doesn't have any choice but to be led away, though adorably, he does glance over his shoulder a few times at Dean like he wants to run back. Dean's pretty sure there's no weird rocks to look at, especially since Anna wastes no time in joining the little group, but he doesn't interfere, instead going to get more gumbo and finding Benny there like he's standing guard to make sure nobody takes sevenths.
"Hey, man. Thanks again for the soup."
"Been perfecting the recipe ever since I heard they legalized gay marriage. Knew it'd only be a matter of time." Benny chuckles slightly. "'Course, I thought it'd be more of a 'congrats on the engagement' present, but I should've known with you two."
"Hey, we've been waiting for this for a long time."
"And you still didn't plan a single thing," Charlie chirps as she sneaks in to get another bowl of gumbo, though she's promptly flipped off by both of them before she scurries away to continue flirting with Nora, Cas' boss at the gas station who he occasionally babysits for, said baby currently perched on her hip.
As funny as the fallout will be, Dean hopes Charlie figures out pretty soon that she's putting her game face on for a straight woman, if only to prevent Cas' role as Nora's go-to babysitter from being compromised. It's actually pretty cool of Nora to let a gay guy babysit for her, since most people would be weird about that sort of thing; Dean's thankful for it in any case, and not just because he has entire folders filled with heart-melting pictures of Cas and little Tanya together.
"I don't know how you even resembled pulling this off, brother, but you sure did make a memorable wedding," Benny says, shaking his head, eyes drifting over to where Andrea, his fiancee, is talking to Eileen and Kelly, who volunteers at the animal shelter with Cas despite being three months pregnant now and looking more worn out by the day. Kelly and Cas are pretty good friends and last Dean heard, she wants to make Cas the godfather of her kid when they're born, which is pretty cool, though probably bad for any impending baby fever. "Andrea and I, we're still trying to figure out what flowers we want everywhere, and it's been two years now."
"Giving her time to change her mind?"
"…you just lost your gumbo privileges."
Okay, maybe that's fair. Still, Dean takes that as his sign to leave and goes to find Cas, trying to ignore the way Gabriel's leering at him from the distance, probably either planning to give him a box of condoms or another round of shovel talk like he'd done when he and Cas were in high school. Maybe he's planning on another bit on how everyone (everyone being Anna and now Cas) is trying to ditch the Novak name.
It doesn't take him long to find Cas, since he knows Cas well enough to know where to look for him: off near the flowers, avoiding people and looking for bees, because he's Cas. As he predicted, Cas is sitting down in the grass, still holding the bundle of flowers Eileen's friend had put together for them as a bouquet Cas didn't end up throwing.
There are no bees in sight, and Cas' eyes are closed as he just enjoys…something, be it the chilly November air or the music that's a lot quieter way over here or something else entirely. He's holding his squishy rubber bee in one hand, lightly squeezing it; Cas has had that thing since they were kids and Dean can't believe it's still around, but seeing as how it's always been Cas' favorite, he's glad that it's so freakishly durable.
"Hey, baby." He kneels down beside Cas, though his suit pants don't make the move easy. For his effort, Cas looks up at him and smiles, but doesn't say anything. "You okay?"
"Yes. Just…wanted some quiet for a while."
Dean nods and commits to ruining his pants by sitting on the grass beside his husband—his husband!—having suspected all the noise and people, despite it being a rather small wedding already, might eventually get to him. "Too much?"
"No. I'm okay now. I'm just admiring the scenery." At his words, Dean glances around, too, not finding anything particularly noteworthy in the field bordered by trees dressed up in their November best beyond the tables set up a distance away where everybody's going at the food like a bunch of vultures. "The leaves are beautiful this time of year."
"Yeah…" On second thought, the trees do look pretty nice… "Little cold for an outdoor wedding, though. With any luck, the temperature'll force everybody home early."
"That does sound nice. I'd rather be home before it gets too cold or dark."
"Advantage of a fall wedding, I guess." They sit in silence for a few minutes before Dean asks, "What did Gabe want?"
"He wanted to congratulate me and say that if you try to start acting like my aunt or uncle, he's just a phone call away."
At that, Dean can't help but scowl. "He thinks I'm gonna hurt you?" Cas just blinks at him, frowning. "Dude, what the hell? Did he forget we've been together for twenty years already, or does he just not give a crap?"
"I think he's trying to offer the support he stopped giving twenty years ago. He did seem…remorseful, though he was trying not to show it." Cas looks down at the rubber bee in his hand, continuing, "I don't blame him, though. I know why he left. They didn't kick him out but between the scathing remarks and the violence, they did want him to leave. I just don't want him to feel guilty about it anymore. It was a long time ago…"
"Did you tell him that?"
"Yes. Anna, too." There's a moment of silence before Cas says suddenly, "Gabriel asked me to leave with him more than a few times, just before he left. I thought about it, but I…I didn't want to leave you behind, even though we were just friends at the time."
Dean's not sure how to respond to that, so he gently takes Cas' unoccupied hand and squeezes it. "I'm glad you stayed, Cas. Sorry you had to go through what you did, but I'm…I'm real glad you stayed here, with me."
Cas just smiles. "Me too."
They hang out alone for quite a while until the air cools even further before finally rejoining the party together, hand in hand. By then, most of the food is wiped out except for the awful catered crap Gabriel had pulled together, and there's not a single drop of anything alcoholic left, which is a shame; Cas is a cute drunk that gets tipsy off of one beer then gets all clingy, the epitome of a cuddle whore.
Just before the sun goes down, Jo, who had read up on the ideal time to take pictures and soft lighting and all kinds of crap, jumps them and shoves a camera she'd rented in their faces. "Hey, guys! Smile for the camera!"
Unable to really find anybody since they'd all dropped the ball and only remembered the role a couple of weeks before the wedding, they'd had to skip on a wedding photographer, leaving them with little choice but to use Jo as their fill-in. She'd taken more than a few photography classes back in high school, so her stuff won't be perfect, but it'll be decent, at least. Still, Dean wishes they could've booked a professional, if only to avoid anything being blurry from shaking hands.
Jo rearranges them multiple times and has them stand under some trees for a few of the pictures before making sure to grab some pictures of the other guests, too. By the time she lets everyone off the hook for the time being, the sun is going down, not leaving them much time to dance before the temperature really starts to drop.
This is when Dean learns that the newlyweds are supposed to be the first on the dance floor (or dance…field in this case), leaving him and Cas to fumble through some awful…something as everyone gathers in a circle to watch. It's nerve wracking and they continuously step on each other's feet despite the practice they'd had beforehand to various songs from Dean's slower playlists, but when it's everyone else's turn to join in, most of them are too drunk to be any more coordinated than they were, anyway.
It's easier to dance after that, when everyone's eyes aren't all on them. Dean sees Jo recording video after video, but can't even get embarrassed when he's slow dancing with Cas, just swaying back and forth for the sake of both of their feet. Cas stops at some point to check on Kelly, who's sitting down in one of the nearby chairs looking exhausted, and Dean takes the opportunity to check up on Benny's fancy soup to weigh out whether it's worth licking the pot or not.
Once it becomes dark enough that the few lights they set up do nothing to prevent dancing from becoming a hazard, they dig into the wedding pies to tie off the event, having decided that letting everyone leave with a full stomach will only increase their chances of having everyone look back on the wedding fondly no matter how messy everything is.
Everyone stands around to catch up while they eat and for a while afterwards. Dean gets to properly talk to Nora while Cas entertains Tanya with some of the leaves that had fallen to the ground and Jo takes a million more pictures and makes jabs about when they're getting their own baby, which…hurts because Dean knows the process will be a pain in the ass if they ever get there, though Jo doesn't know the ins and outs of gay couples and adoption.
Bobby's the first one to leave, because he's a crotchety old man. Kelly leaves because she's thoroughly wiped out, and Nora leaves when Tanya falls asleep on Cas shortly afterwards. From there, everyone slowly leaves the area one by one until enough people are gone for Dean to decide it's cold enough to warrant being allowed to head home.
He guides Cas by the hand to the Impala while Sam, Eileen, and Charlie follow behind them, Gabriel having lost a bet that means he gets to be the one to clean stuff up (along with anyone generous enough to lend a hand), though since everybody that brought food already took their stuff with them, it's not as big of a job as it sounds.
Dean only managed to get his hands on one beer earlier and given his high alcohol tolerance, he (maybe stupidly, though he's driven home far drunker than this before) decides he's good to drive home and opens the passenger side door, already dreaming of raiding a 7-Eleven to grab snacks and Slurpees or something on the way home.
For now, he dramatically gestures inside the open door, adding a stupid bow for effect. "After you, Mr. Winchester."
"Thank you, Mr. Winchester," Cas returns, voice purposefully prim and proper.
They look at each other with matching stupid grins until Sam clears his throat and Charlie sighs dreamily, "You guys are so gay."
"We sure are," Dean replies, looking at Cas fondly before guiding him into another kiss that makes Charlie squeak out something about ships becoming canon.
Anybody can say whatever they want, but it'll never change the fact that from this day forward, he can now, after twenty long years of dreaming of this day, officially, legally call Castiel Winchester his husband, and nobody can refute a damn thing because this time, their marriage isn't sealed by plastic cosplay rings or Ring Pops.
This time, it's sealed by twenty years' worth of love and adoration now finally tied off with matching silver (and copper and stuff for durability) wedding rings, and the promise of more love to come.