Chapter Text
When Dean opened his eyes, he was only half surprised to find himself in his bed. The one in the bunker that had been his, then his and Castiel’s, then only his again. For a second, he feared it was all a dream so he shut his eyes and sent a prayer to the angel. If it was indeed a dream, he would come to him.
He opened his eyes to find the room empty still. So, maybe he was back and Castiel had kept his promise and left Jimmy alone. His heart sank at the realization that he had, in fact, lost the love of his life. This time, when he closed his eyes, it was in the hope the memories would fade already.
“Dean,” the hunter heard, making his eyes fly open.
Standing at the door was the Castiel he had known and loved, still wearing Jimmy’s body. Mouth agape, he could only watch as he came to sit on the bed with him.
“Are you feeling okay?”
His mouth too dry to speak, Dean nodded before grabbing Castiel in a hug. As he did, a piercing pain shot through his brain.
He wakes up at Bobby’s, not remembering how he got there. Bobby doesn’t explain, instead tells him his Dad has died. But at least, he took the demon who killed his mom with him.
He let out a pained moan as Castiel held him tighter.
“Don’t fight it, baby. You’ll be okay.”
“What?” he said through the gravel in his throat.
“The whole process should take about an hour, but it’ll hurt less and less. Or you’ll just get used to it… I’m not sure…”
“What are– ” Dean tried to say but another acute spasm erupted in his skull.
Sam and Jessica are both wearing their Academic dresses when Sammy asks her to marry him. They’re beaming and crying as she says yes. Dean, along with Bobby, Ellen, and Jo applause… and laugh… and cry.
For a moment, Dean wondered if he had lost consciousness because he couldn’t remember when his head had landed on Castiel’s lap. The angel, or man, had a hand in his hair, softly massaging the scalp.
“Human or angel?” he asked between ragged breaths.
“It’ll all come to you, Dean… don’t speak, all right?”
“I… I wanna… I need…” Another whine. “Please…”
“Human.”
“Where’s Jimmm– aaaaaah!”
Dean and Jo look at each other, trying to keep a straight face as Bobby tells them angels are actually a thing. Except they don’t find it funny anymore when a dishevelled man in a trenchcoat appears in the room. The first thing Dean notices is how his eyes are blue, and how kind they are, and… loving?
“You… you… promised.”
“Jimmy’s fine, Dean. This is my own body, a favor Gabriel has granted me with.”
Dean nodded, too tired to try and do anything else. He kept his eyes closed, Castiel’s somewhat cool palm soft on his sweaty forehead. When a new wave of memories washed over him, he let out a pained moaned.
Dean is sobbing in his brother’s arms. Ellen is doing the same in Jessica’s. Bobby isn’t doing any better as he lights up the pyre. Goodbye Joanna Beth Harvelle.
“Jo,” Dean croaked, his face now damp with tears. But he didn’t have time to linger on his grief because it felt like a dam had broken in his mind.
Jessica is magnificent in her white dress, her seven-month belly protruding in front of her. Dean can’t hold a tear when he sees his brother’s awestruck expression. His heart swells with pride when he thinks of Sam and how he’s made it out of the life. Dean would rather die than let him come back to it.
It takes Dean a while to realize he has been poisoned by a djinn. Not only are his parents alive but he himself is in what looks like a committed relationship. With a dude… and not any dude… Castiel, the angel Bobby introduced him to a while back. And even though it’s weird, it’s also comforting, feels right. So right in fact that dream-Castiel is almost successful at convincing him to stay.
Since the djinn, seeing Castiel in the flesh is making Dean’s heart flutter. Would it be anyone else, he’d be telling them to just get out of his space, but he doesn’t. Instead he makes sure they’re never more than a few inches apart. And even though he misses Jo a great deal, he couldn’t be more glad to have the angel at his side when he hunts.
It’s Dean who makes the first move one night after a particularly gruesome hunt. He’s covered in blood and guts, just like Castiel, but all he can think of is how the angel looks beautiful. Without a word, he pushes the trenchcoat off of his friend’s shoulder. A minute later, they’re both naked and heading for the shower.
Their first real fight happens when Castiel chooses to become human without consulting with Dean. Mostly because Dean believes the angel shouldn’t give up power and eternity on his account. It takes a teary-eyed Castiel to explain how he can’t entertain the thought of living after Dean’s gone for him to accept it. For the first time in maybe forever, Dean tells someone he loves them.
Henry Winchester tumbles out of the closet in Dean’s bedroom. Bobby seems to know how this is happening and he’s ready for whatever comes out next. He traps and cuts up the cute redhead that follows, but not without casualties. She’s buried somewhere in the salvage yard. As for Henry, he gets the hunter’s funeral he very well deserved.
Dean and Bobby are introduced to the Men of Letters. Bobby is excited but it’s Dean who feels like he belongs in that place, even without being much of a literary person. He thinks about Sam and how he would probably fit in this place too. But it’s Castiel he takes with him to live in the Bunker.
On June 26, 2015, the very minute after the news break, Dean is on a conference call with Bobby, and Ellen, and Sam, and Jess. ‘We’ll be getting married in Sioux Falls,’ he announces, holding Castiel’s hand tightly in his.
Jody Mills is officiating the ceremony while her husband is playing Led Zeppelin’s Thank you on his acoustic guitar. Dean only has eyes for Castiel, so handsome in his rented tux. He’s used to seeing him in a suit, something he likes to wear for some reason, but this one looks much better.
“How are you holding on, baby?” Castiel’s voice was soothing, like the hands he rubbed on his back.
Dean didn’t get to wonder how they came to be lying on the bed before a new set of memories made him whimper.
The man in front of him says he’s named Crowley. Insists in the fact that they were friends once. Dean knows he’s lying, the stench of sulfur so strong it almost makes him gag. He could never associate himself with a demon. With his angel blade raised – a wedding gift from Gabriel – he has to see Cas come to stand between him and Crowley. “Don’t,” he just says. “He’s on our side.”
Makeup sex is, in Dean’s opinion, the best sex he and his husband can ever have. Not that he’d want to fight with him on purpose to get it. But after the whole Crowley debacle, finding each other again is like the sweetest thing ever. Most of all, Dean loves when Cas plays it as if he wants to teach him a lesson. So the sex is hard, and raw, animalistic. Nobody gets hurt, not really… And when they’re done, all Dean wants is more.
As the new memories flowed in, the previous ones were erased. At some point, Dean started to wonder why his head hurt so much. The erratic beating of his heart almost convinced him he was having a heart attack. But the more scared he was, the more his husband held him tight, rocking him as he hummed some sweet melody.
“Shhh, baby, it’s almost over,” Castiel whispered, his lips brushing on the shell of Dean’s ear.
“What… what’s wrong with me?” the hunter said around the lump in his throat.
“Nothing… just a bit of fever. You’ll be better soon.”
Dean nodded, keeping his eyes closed. The throb in his head was too intense to keep them open, even if the room was on the darker side. Castiel’s hand rubbing his back helped his heart and breathing come down to a more regular rhythm. When he finally fell asleep, it was to the ephemeral image of an old man lying on the floor with a bloody knife in his heart.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
“What’s for breakfast?” Dean asked as he entered the kitchen.
Sitting at the table, Castiel huffed and shrugged. “Breakfast was hours ago, Dean.”
“I’d think waiting for me to have breakfast should be a highlight of your day.”
This time, Castiel took his eyes off of the tablet he’d been reading on and smiled. “Everyday with you is a highlight in itself, baby. I don’t need anything more than that.”
Dean laughed as he leaned down to kiss his husband. “Good morning,” he said with hooded eyes. “Found something interesting for us?”
“There seems to be something ghost related in Bridgeport, NY. It’s worth checking out, I think.”
“New York, huh?” Dean sat next to Castiel, leaning on him to take a look at the screen. “Maybe we could stop by Sam and Jess’ on our way back. Haven’t seen the kids in too long.”
“Dean, we see them online pretty much everyday.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same. I’m not worried for Matt to remember us, he’s old enough… but Mary’s barely two. We gotta see her as much as we can.”
Castiel laughed, Dean’s breath tickling his neck. “You know I’ll be glad to see them too. But… I thought we could use this case to take some time for ourselves.”
“Ah yeah?”
Castiel nodded, a cheeky smile on his lips. “I sort of already went ahead and booked us a room in this hotel in Bridgeport. It’s directly on the beach, I thought you’d like that.”
Realization dawned on Dean as Castiel spoke. “Oh shit… it’s gonna be six years now, won’t it?”
“Almost to the date.” Castiel turned to kiss his husband on the lips. “The best six years of my life.”
“What about the three before that?”
“All right… the best nine years of my life.”
“And the best nine years of mine…” Dean said before kissing his husband back. “I was made for lovin’ you, baby,” he then sang, quite awfully, making Castiel laugh again.
“And I was made for loving you,” Castiel sang even though he knew the words weren’t right.
Except that, all things considered, they really were right.
The End