Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. Duh. A. N. Hope you enjoy!
Someone's knocking, and it startles Dean out of his make out session. Look, when he's kissing Cas - finally - it's too easy to lose his sense of...everything, except the angel.
"I swear, people can't read a closed sign," Clara huffs, but goes to answer anyway, if only to turn whoever it is away for good. Dean follows her, because nobody gets in the middle of that without getting at the very least a piece of his mind. (He won't shoot the idiot...probably.)
Clara opens the door, already stern, and Dean huffs, "How the fuck are you already here, Benny?"
He'd said no to Cas giving him a ride. Vampires can be damn quick, sure, but they emphatically do not teleport. Things would have been much more complicated if they could. If Jack had decided to pop by again and bring him along, he'd be here, wouldn't he?
"Dean Winchester! Exactly who I was hoping to see," a voice he knows says from around the corner. Still sassy as ever.
"Not from there, you don't see me, Balthazar. Why shy now?"
"Ssshh! I needed to ask. Did you all agree on the guest list? Because last time, well..." The angel shrugs.
Dean wasn't there, last time, but he rolls his eyes anyway. "It was his idea in the first place. Cas! There's Balthazar for you!"
"And Benny, " the vampire announces, letting himself in with a grumble. "I swear, like I'm invisible."
Clara grins at him, and Dean replies, "Sorry. Just - how did you meet in the first place?".
"Jack thought he might need some help to adjust back, and I was the obvious choice." Benny shrugs. "He wasn't keen on taking it slow, so - here we are."
Balthazar has come in too - kind of pointless to hide when his presence has been revealed anyway. When Cas appears, both angels say, "I owe you an apology," at the same time. It's kinda funny.
"What?" Cas sounds shocked. Dean notices Clara politely making herself scarce, and Benny points, letting him know he'll find Sam. Really, if Dean was a better person, he'd leave too and let them sort inter-angel (or inter-friends) affairs on their own. But he's curious, and besides, his boyfriend sounds like he might need support. That's the excuse he goes for, even while his brain chides him that he's pants at anything more complicated than kicking ass (which isn't what they want here) or, at best, making soup.
"Here you are, getting married," Balthazar says, a gentle tease in his tone, "clearly my worries had been misplaced. I'm sorry I didn't trust you."
"No, you were right. More than right. I didn't die, it's true. Or perhaps I didn't stay dead, it's hard to say sometimes. But I couldn't handle that. In fact, I made it everyone's problem for...way too long. I should have listened to you. I was blind and deaf in my arrogance. I have regretted many things about that time. All the damage I inflicted, all the angels I ended up killing, thinking I was justified. And losing you - no, murdering you - has long been near the top of the list of my regrets. "
Oops. Sure, Dean hadn't seen Balthazar for a while, and he hadn't been surprised when Cas put him on the resurrection list. But he didn't know the details. It's his fault, isn't it? Balthazar told him where to find Cas, and got killed for his trouble. And even with that info, Dean had been useless at the time. Things have eventually worked out for the best, but maybe he owes the angel an apology, too.
"Oh. Well, no harm done, is there? Not lasting, anyway. The world is still standing, so you can't have messed up too bad. Do I wish you'd have listened to me? Yeah. Do I wish I could have helped you through? Sure. But I'm here now, and I was promised celebrations, so. No reason to keep moping. We have much more important tasks at hand." Balthazar smiles.
"Like what?" Cas sounds a bit baffled.
"Well, catch me up. Where are we at, organizing this event? I mean, for one, I can trust your...well, not your friend anymore, and thank God heartily for that, you were so embarrassing to watch, on the music, right?" Balthazar asks.
"Nothing after 1979, so yeah, you're in luck. No Céline Dion," Dean assures him.
"Oh. You're still here." The angel still has that asshole veneer, like he couldn't possibly be expected to keep track of Dean, since humans are too puny to bother with.
Now, Dean's wondering how much of that is a front. To see how he'll react, to tease, or maybe because the old footing is most comfortable to start with, before finding a new one.
"Haven't you heard? You can't get Cas without me anymore." Dean smirks.
"Ah, no. I'll have to object," the angel retorts.
"What?" Cas asks angrily, stealing the sentence right from Dean's mouth. He did seem enthused about the wedding if anything, so what's his problem?
"Not the day of, don't be silly. If I know you, Castiel, and I do - that would only lead to a rather embarrassing repeat of what you've just finished apologizing about. But you're not tying the knot today, and really, who else is there with more credentials or...expertise to organize your bachelor party? And inviting your husband is just not how it works." The look he sends Dean's way dares him to deny it.
"Didn't know we were having those," he replies instead, shrugging. One more item on his to-do list...and frankly, he doesn't know if he wants Cas anywhere near Balthazar's idea of a party. Not like Cas is a virgin anymore, by any definition of the word, but...okay, maybe Dean feels a little possessive. Maybe.
"Oh, come on! I understand your life has been mostly sad and frankly rather pitiable, but even you should have a few friends to have fun with for a night. Or will when God's done with his resurrection spree, at least."
"First of all, fuck you." Balthazar has the gall to look shocked at his reaction, but with angels, you always have to make clear you're not going to take any shit. Otherwise, might as well consider the world already destroyed. Okay, Balthazar is not on the Apocalypse train, but the point stands.
From Cas' grin, his - fiancé (Dean isn't sure he'll ever get used to the concept, not by the time he'll have to get used to the concept of husband, which is crazy) agrees with his attitude anyway.
"Second, of course I could, but we have a lot of wasted time to make up for, so." He gets in between the two angels, because fuck it, that's why.
"Oh, come on. What's your problem, seriously? One night. What are you, a chihuahua?"
Ok, that actually weirds him out. He might not be Sam-sized, but he's taller than both angels' vessels, thank you very much. Dimensions when unbound to humanity don't count.
"Anxious attachment style," Balthazar explains, with the smug smile that says he knows Dean was too dumb to figure it out.
"Do you want to be nicknamed Balto? Because you're on your way to it." Which, really, is too good for him. Balto was a great boy. Balthazar...isn't bad, really. Can't be, if he's Cas' actual friend, not just a colleague or fanboy or whatever else. He just makes a sport of getting on people's last nerves.
"You wouldn't let him," the angel tells Cas.
"Nobody lets Dean do anything, and hey, some people had it worse. Samandriel got Alfie," Cas replies, sneaking an arm around Dean's waist.
Balthazar laughs, "Okay, how the hell did you arrive at that?"
"He wore a name tag, what did he expect? His vessel's, I assume, but well, I couldn't very well call him Sammy, could I?"
"Need something?" Aaand Sam's here, of course.
"Nope, you already made my point." Dean grins.
Sam shrugs. "Oh, hello, Balthazar."
"Nice to see you. Please, can you talk sense into your brother? Cas isn't helping," the angel replies.
"What's the matter?" A little frown. Seriously, Dean's not the anxious one. Not the only one, at least.
"He started it with the dog comparisons, so his new name is Balto."
"You said I was on the way to that!" Balto's indignant.
"And you keep trying to get other people to change my mind instead of the obvious reaction, so you definitely earned it."
Sam laughs. "Sounds fair to me."
"That wasn't the issue I wanted your brother's backup for, though," Balto complains.
Dean doesn't believe him.
"What then?" Sam asks.
"Bachelor parties. Cas is mine then."
"I'm not," Cas retorts immediately. See? There. No need to discuss the matter further.
Balto sighs deeply. "My bad, Castiel. It's been so long, I forgot exactly how literal you could be sometimes. Of course I don't mean to steal you from your boyfriend."
"Fiancé," Cas corrects, once again saying what Dean's thinking.
"Right, how silly of me. All I'm saying is, traditions become such for a reason, and one night of fun without your future husband is not going to harm anyone."
"You know, brother, he's got a point." It's not Sam, who knows better. Benny trailed back in too, the traitor. He's spent what, five minutes with the angel? He doesn't know what could happen. (Ok, it's not like Cas would actually betray him, of course not. But he hasn't forgotten that the angel's near-first words, when he met him, were about a ménage à 12.)
Dean glares at the vampire.
"Why the hell do you want bachelor parties? It's not like you can even get drunk. " Unless...whatever the Leviathans put in people affected vampires, so could they get a buzz from feeding on drunks, maybe?
"What got you so stressed, anyway?" Balto asks.
"What doesn't, actually?" Dean retorts, shrugging. He can't admit the truth. Even he has enough sense to realize that it's not something he can admit without sounding like an idiot. Or, worse, offending Cas.
"And you're making his point even more. Fun is something everyone is in dire need of. If you don't unwind at some point, you'll snap," Benny insists. "And getting drunk isn't a requirement."
"Or sometimes, a possibility. Your wise friend aside, can you imagine how much alcohol would be required to get a few angels drunk?"
"And one, possibly two archangels... probably." Cas adds. OK, he's got a point. They might have to drain the continent dry , if not more.
Dean nods.
"Besides, any event I organize will be tasteful. You can trust me on that one," Balto says with a grin.
This time, Dean scoffs.
"No, he really has good taste, Dean. Balthazar was one of the classiest in the garrison," Cas interjects.
"That says something about your garrison." That's Sam, actually, and Dean barely restrains the impulse to high-five his brother. "Then again, you worked with Uriel."
Mmm yeah, it doesn't take much to be more refined than that flaming asshole.
"Very funny. I think I liked you better asleep," Balto retorts. Dean's glare towards him goes beyond the 'you traitor' Benny got and straight into 'make any rash move and you'll have to be resurrected again' territory.
Enough that the angel raises both hands in surrender. "Hey. I don't actually bite, you know that."
"Of course you don't, Balthazar. There'd be no reason to," Cas agrees, looking even more befuddled (and isn't that adorable).
"He better not," Dean growls, and he isn't even embarrassed the tiniest bit.
"Seriously, Castiel. What kind of olive branch will make your fiancé stop guarding everyone and their mom from me for at least a few hours? I have been nothing but helpful, so I don't know where all this animosity comes from."
"Yes, well, I wasn't at my best back then. Actually, possibly at my worst. And even if you tried to rein me in, all Dean has seen was the both of us going too far." Cas shrugs.
Balto laughs. "Maybe you've got a point. So, huh, how do we convince him that we won't fuck over past, present and future if we have a boys night out? Who else is coming, anyway? You said archangels?"
"Gabriel, possibly Michael, Samandriel, Hannah, Jack," Cas lists, "and I thought you might help me decide which names to add."
"Wait, Jack? Like, God?" Balthazar asks.
"Of course. If your idea is to keep me separate from Dean, well, Jack should be on the angelic side of the family. I bet he'll agree," Cas replies.
"Yeah, you should. I mean, nevermind he's a literal toddler and god. Jack needs some better socialization. And the fun kind of interaction will help," Dean adds. He's found his solution. If Jack's there, Balthazar won't dare do anything that Dean would be concerned about, would he? And hopefully, not even Gabriel. (How has he forgotten Gabriel? That party would have gone past wild into insane in three seconds.) The boy's not ready for an orgy yet, not even with auntie at the back of his mind.
Balthazar sighs. "There's no escaping it, is there?"
"Why don't you like Jack?" Cas asks, frowning.
"Oh, I do. I'm grateful, believe me. I just wasn't thinking of a party for toddlers. But I guess everyone's gotta start at some point." Balto smiles.
That is...not exactly reassuring. But he can't actually keep antagonizing Cas' friend, either. He's a better fiancé than that. And one night with friends...with god there, what could happen?
Balto gives him a searching look, then says, "Are we on the same page, then? We invite the kid, and we're having this party?"
"Since it seems so important to you. Guess I can concede, for one night," Dean replies. Then drops a kiss on Cas' neck, just because he can.
Balthazar chuckles. "You two are so cute." Dean glares back, because of course he does. They're not cute. Puppies are cute. Some chicks are cute. Cas and he are absolutely awesome together, and that's that.
"By the way, I don't know if I should be honored or concerned about your sanity that you're worried about me, when Gabriel was one of the options," Balto remarks, and - okay, he's not wrong.
"Gabriel has grown a lot from what you'll remember," Cas says.
"Really? I can't imagine he outgrew parties, though. If he did, you should really check you weren't talking to a shifter of some sort." Balto smirks, and - even Dean knows he's got a point.
"You'll see for yourself. Hopefully soon," Cas smiles back, and frankly, no matter how much trouble the archangel might stir up, Dean's all for anything that makes his beloved happy.