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Both of their breaths are coming out in misty puffs in the cold mountain air, and Dean can’t help but notice that his are smaller and more frequent. Hoofing around this mountain at his age can take the wind right out of you, but the sight of Castiel’s bright blue eyes and the rosy color high on his cheeks more than makes up for the respiratory distress. Dean had suggested a hike this morning and Castiel was ecstatic to take him up on it, making sure his camera battery was charged and his memory card was loaded. They both have walking sticks, and Dean was suspicious that Castiel had insisted on one only to make Dean feel like less of a geezer. The crunch of the slushy, melting remnants of snow under their feet and the slicing sound those sticks make as they spear their next few feet of progress are practically the only sounds they can hear. The thick, low pine trees tend to dampen any ambient noise and hiking this trail is one of Dean’s favorite forms of solitude.
It niggles at Dean that he continues to invite Cas into these various solitary endeavors. He finds his own behavior curious. He had always sought solitude to achieve true peacefulness. Once he had found it up here in these mountains, he felt truly content. When he wanted company, he sought it out, but always away from his sacred explorations. So what was compelling him to include Castiel in things such as hikes and cooking in his cabin and working on his car in the garage? And why was he just as fulfilled sharing these emprises with this beguiling man half his age as he was alone?
Dean is pulled from his introspection by the sight of Castiel dropping to his knees in the middle of the path and uncapping the lens of the camera around his neck. Dean follows Castiel’s line of sight to a small rabbit at the mouth of a warren and smiles. The muted clicks of Castiel’s shutter makes the animal freeze and cock its ear. Seemingly satisfied, Castiel rises from his knees (without groaning, a remarkable feat to Dean these days) and smiles at the digital display.
“That’s a good one,” He says, turning the camera back towards Dean so he can see the image.
“Yeah, you got him right before he noticed you,” Dean agrees. “Want to keep going or turn back?”
“Let’s keep going,” Cas says, looking down the mountain trail with its patches of wan snow from sparse foot traffic and brightly colored posts every few feet. Dean knows that, higher up, the snow never melts and there aren’t laid paths, but he hasn’t braved those in years. Maybe though, with Cas by his side, they could explore it together.
They walk along for a few dozen yards before they come to a seeming fork in the path. Castiel stops to examine it. The laid path with the markers takes what appears to be an unnecessary bend but there is what looks like a shortcut that cuts off the largest part of the bend. There are no markers on the shortcut but it appears to be free from any pitfalls.
“I wonder why they put two paths here,” Castiel muses.
“This looks like a desire path,” Dean huffs, catching up with him.
“A desire path?” Castiel smirks. “Is that like a ‘happy trail?’”
Dean laughs. “Something like that.”
“Is this one of those things that explains the greater meaning of life or the nature of man that is just up there in that jam-packed brain of yours?”
“You know what,” Dean scoffs with a chuckle, “I was going to explain it but forget it now!”
“No!” Castiel laughs and throws his arms around Dean, puffy polyester slipping over puffy polyester in muted high-pitched rustling. “You know I love listening to you,” Castiel purrs and kisses him in the center of his forehead. “Your brain is one of the sexiest things about you.”
“Yeah yeah,” Dean smiles and leans in for a real kiss. Both of their lips are slightly chapped from the frigid breeze but quickly Dean’s tongue finds Castiel’s and the warm metal of his piercing clicks onto Dean’s teeth gently. With their breaths mingling, the fog around their heads creates a sense of complete privacy–not even the bunny could interrupt them now.
They continue to kiss deeply until Dean hisses sharply. Castiel has managed to wriggle his cold hands up into Dean’s coat to touch his skin. “Hey now,” Dean chuckles, pushing Castiel’s hands down and out of his puffy jacket. “Don’t go stealing my heat, I don’t have enough of it to go around.”
“I don’t know, Dean,” Castiel smirks, “you look pretty hot to me.”
Dean just laughs, shaking his head and walks up to the fork.
“So, this is a desire path,” Castiel proclaims, joining him.
“Yep,” Dean says, “Do you desire we take it?”
“I desire you to tell me what it is, professor,” Castiel says, standing firm.
Dean chuckles and takes Castiel’s hand to lead him down the small shortcut.
“A desire path is an unplanned small trail created as a consequence of mechanical erosion caused by human or animal traffic. It’s a term created in the field of wayfinding to explain shortcuts and game trails, essentially.”
“Wayfinding?”
“Wayfinding encompasses all of the ways in which people–and animals–orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place.”
“That term is a bit on the nose, don’t you think? Literally how things find their way?”
“Yeah, it has the creativity of the same caliber as the word ‘fireplace,’” Dean chuckles.
They’ve reached the end of the desire path and joined the marked trail proper, so Castiel turns around to admire it.
“I like it,” he proclaims. “I’m a man of many desires, and sometimes I desire to be somewhere quicker.”
“Well I desire some lunch so let’s head back, okay?”
***
Castiel smiles gently when he looks into the bedroom from the bathroom where he just showered. Dean is enjoying a post-hike, post-lunch nap, curled onto his side and snoring softly. He looks so peaceful. He also looks lonely. Castiel doesn’t know what keeps drawing him to this man. Sure, he’s hot as hell, smart as fuck and funny as shit. But Castiel’s never stuck around for this long for anyone. There is just something about Dean Winchester.
Castiel climbs into the bed, careful not to wake him too much. His now-warm hands find Dean’s skin under the blankets and he nuzzles his forehead into Dean’s neck, kissing his shoulder. Dean hums contentedly and ducks his chin down to kiss Castiel gently on the forehead.
Castiel continues to explore Dean with his hands rubbing his chest and tucking one leg over Dean’s thigh. He starts kissing Dean’s neck and initiates a slow grind of a slightly hard cock against Dean’s hip. Groggy but getting with the program, Dean reaches for Castiel’s face to pull him up for a deep kiss. They lie there for a while, side by side, enjoying each other’s mouths and bodies. Finally, Castiel starts to pull away and eventually breaks the kiss. His head is pillowed on Dean’s bicep and he looks over at the older man fondly and sighs.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Dean asks, running his hands lightly through Castiel’s still-damp hair.
“It’s just so puzzling to me,” Castiel starts with a sigh, “That I don’t feel like moving on. That I feel like I’ll never feel like moving on. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it's the best few weeks I’ve probably ever had.”
Even though his heart is in his throat, Castiel gets the words out he had been wanting to say to Dean. If the man is getting tired of him invading his space, better to find out now and figure out a way to move on. He busies himself by rubbing his nose on Dean’s skin and lightly kissing his bicep.
“I don’t want you to move on, either,” Dean confesses. Castiel’s heart unclenches and he looks up into Dean’s eyes.
“Really?” Castiel checks.
“Really,” Dean confirms and leans over to kiss him softly. Castiel surges forward to deepen the kiss and ends up half laying on the older man as they make out, Castiel clenching Dean’s snowy locks and Dean rubbing Castiel’s shoulders. Dean breaks the kiss and stares into Castiel’s icy blue eyes that have a distinct lack of eyeliner since they haven’t had a reason to go to town for over a week. “I’m so lucky that you found your way to me.”
***
After a while, Dean rolls them over and straddles Castiel.
“The basic process of wayfinding involves four stages.” Dean says, pulling off Castiel’s shirt. Castiel lifts up and raises his arms to assist before settling back on the bed. “The first step is orientation. The attempt to determine one’s location, in relation to objects that may be nearby,” Dean’s eyes trail languidly down Castiel’s abs and down to the bulge in his pants, “and the desired destination.”
“The second step is route decision,” Dean says, setting his fingertips onto Castiel’s shoulders, the large tattoo of angel wings on his back just barely peeking over his shoulders. “It’s the selection of a course of direction to the destination,” he murmurs as he starts running his fingers lightly down Castiel’s tattooed torso. He can feel Castiel’s muscles tense under him and Castiel’s breath puffs against his cheek. He moves in, kissing Castiel’s neck and starts moving his lips down the line of his throat, further down to his collarbones, and down to his chest. Dean settles himself onto Castiel’s left pec, sucking and licking his nipple and the delightful little freckle next to it.
“The third step,” he continues, finally moving off his nipple and kissing a determined downward path with his lips, “is route monitoring.” Dean doesn’t stray from his path and only pauses for the shortest of dips into Castiel’s belly button with his tongue before moving down and lightly biting the slightest bit of softness of his lower belly. He moves even lower while feeling Castiel’s trapped cock nudge against the underside of his chin. Dean can feel the ball of his cock piercing through the thin fabric of his borrowed pajama pants and it makes him shiver. “That is checking to make sure that the selected route is heading towards the destination.”
“Eyes on the prize,” Castiel rasps, running his hands through Dean’s snowy hair and tugging slightly.
“Exactly,” Dean says as he teases his finger under the waistband of Castiel’s pants and frees his cock into the cool air. “The last step is called destination recognition,” he says, and then he licks from the bottom of Castiel’s shaft to the bottom piercing at his frenulum in one long stripe before swallowing his cock completely. He bobs up and down a few times, and then pulls off with a slurp. “That is when,” he smiles a dopey, cock drunk smile, “the destination is recognized.”
“Oh my god , Dean, do that again,” Castiel gasps out.
Dean obliges, humming happily, and uses his hands to massage Castiel’s balls.
“Dean, your fucking mouth,” Castiel groans as he starts to thrust lightly.
“Fuck my face, Cas” Dean commands, voice ragged after he slurps off of his cock.
Castiel tightens his fingers in Dean’s hair and starts to thrust a little harder, tagging the back of Dean’s throat with the spongy head of his cock. His eyes water to keep from gagging, but Dean’s no quitter.
He feels Castiel’s balls draw up and his cock is getting impossibly harder so he knows he’s close. Dean starts to move his head forward to meet Castiel’s thrusts and pushes further until Castiel’s cock is fully down Dean’s throat.
It’s good that gagging is the point at the moment, because Dean can’t stop it if he tries. His constricting throat is making Castiel moan in the most pleasing way, and he has Dean’s hair in a death grip. Castiel gives two more weak thrusts until he’s coming directly down Dean’s throat with hitching moans and tight abs, curling him inward, gasping and grunting.
***
Feeling like his brain was just sucked out of his dick, Castiel flops back on the bed, trying to catch his breath. Dean crawls back up the bed and smiles at him dopily, trying to calm his own breathing. The tightness in his chest finally easing, Cas reaches over to wipe a tear that has settled into one of the many wrinkles around Dean’s eyes, and that gesture turns into a caress that leads him to guide Dean’s mouth to his for some gentle kisses.
Castiel can feel Dean’s hard cock pressed against his hip and Dean starts to gently rut against him but stops, wincing, and reaches behind himself to massage his lower back.
“You okay?” Castiel asks, reaching himself to also rub along with Dean at the offending muscles.
“Yeah, my back’s just giving me trouble,” Dean grouses.
“Roll onto your front, I’ll see if I can work out the knot,” Castiel commands. He reaches for the nightstand drawer where the massage oil is kept and rummages. In the meantime, Dean strips off his undershirt and gets comfy on the bed, face down. Coming back with the bottle, he straddles Dean’s thighs and settles in, warming a handful of oil in his palm.
The pleasant vanilla scent starting to permeate the air, Castiel begins broad strokes around Dean’s back. Dean moans quietly into the pillow at the sure motions of Castiel’s large hands. For a while, Castiel focuses on Dean’s lower back, working out the knots and soothing his aches.
“That’s feels so fucking good,” Dean moans.
“I’m glad I can help,” Castiel murmurs, his cock deciding to wake a little bit at the sensual motions and being nestled right at Dean’s ass.
Dean seems to notice his semi hard length because he pushes his ass back a little to catch Castiel’s hardness between his cheeks.
Castiel starts making large, winding motions all over Dean’s back, rocking into him, driving Dean’s cock into the mattress with every push until they are both panting and rock hard.
“So,” Castiel says as he leans over to plant a kiss at the base of Dean’s neck. “I think I should create a path here to where I want to go.” Cas says before running his tongue directly down Dean’s spine.
“Doing some wayfinding yourself, Cas?” Dean pants as the ball of Castiel’s tongue ring hits the knobs of Dean’s spine on the way down.
“Hmmmm, I definitely think I need to create a desire path here,” Cas says, stopping halfway down. Slowly, Castiel resumes licking a downward path while also peeling Dean’s pants down to expose his ass. Dean lifts up to assist, which just helps Castiel reach his destination a little faster.
Castiel reaches Dean’s hole and starts licking and sucking his rim, making him sloppy and wet while Dean gasps above him. His tongue starts making circles, Castiel’s piercing providing just the right amount of texture difference for the best stimulation on Dean’s very sensitive pucker.
Once Dean is writhing in the sheets and dripping wet, Castiel adds a slick finger to breach Dean’s hole. Dean starts pushing back while Castiel tries his best to shove his tongue and his finger into Dean’s tight hole at the same time.
Once Castiel feels like he can, he adds another finger, and another, until he’s pumping three fingers out of Dean’s hole and massaging his prostate lightly with every other thrust.
“Fuck me, Cas,” Dean pants. “Please fuck me.”
Castiel bites the globe of Dean’s ass and commands in a deep rasp, “Roll over, Dean.”
Dean does as he is bid, face red from his arousal and exertion in the sheets. Castiel groans and surges up to kiss Dean deeply.
“You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” Castiel moans, shifting between Dean’s legs and pumping his hard cock with his oiled hands. He places the head of his cock at Dean’s entrance and swirls the head around his rim a few times, Dean hissing at the pleasure that the cock piercing is bringing him. Castiel leaves his cock resting at Dean’s hole and reaches for Dean’s cock, slicking it with an expert pump and twist of his wrist.
“Oh god, please,” Dean begs, choking on his words “I need your cock in me now. Give me your cock, Cas.”
“You beg so prettily for me,” Castiel croons. He uses the hand wrapped around Dean’s cock and pulls Dean towards him, entering him slowly.
“More!” Dean pants and Castiel continues to pull Dean onto his cock, using Dean’s own cock as a handle until he’s fitted snugly inside, Castiel’s balls resting against Dean’s cheeks.
“Oh, god, that’s so fucking hot. Now fuck me,” Dean commands. “Hard.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Castiel grins and strokes Dean a few more times while he eases into a thrusting rhythm.
Picking up speed, Dean reaches down to hold his own legs under his knees so Castiel can really go at him. The delicious, slippery slapping sounds make Castiel feel like he’s going to come any minute.
Castiel slows a little to reach for Dean’s cock again, stroking in time with his thrusts.
“I’m going to come soon, Dean,” Castiel pants. “Come with me.”
“Almost there, sweetheart,” Dean moans. “Oh god, fuck me. Give me that fucking gorgeous cock. Tell me you’re going to fill me up with your fucking come, baby.”
“Yes,” Castiel continues. “Oh god, I’m gonna fill you up so full. It’s going to be fucking dripping out of you and I’ll clean you up with my tongue, baby.”
“Yeah,” Dean agrees. “Fill me up, full me up right now, Cas.”
Dean’s toes curl and Castiel gives him a few more pumps until he’s shooting ropes of cum all over his stomach and chest, his ass clenching onto Castiel’s thrusting cock.
Castiel redoubles his efforts in Dean’ tight hole, smacking into Dean’s ass with every hard thrust until he’s gasping with his own climax. He pushes in as much as he can to fill Dean’s ass with his hot cum.
“Oh, fuck yes, fill me up,” Dean cries as Castiel collapses onto him, trying to kiss him but really just panting into his mouth, trying to regain control of his body as the waves of orgasm subside.
Later that night, after they’ve spent the evening making dinner, doing responsible, domestic things like cleaning up and changing the sheets and some light reading by the fire, Castiel once again watches a sleeping Dean. This time, he doesn’t try to wake him. He just stares his fill in the moonlight-lit room as Dean snores softly next to him. His entire life, he wandered, searching for something. He didn’t know what he was looking for, and he wasn’t exactly certain he had found it. But this felt as close to finding “it” as he could ever imagine. Whatever long, meandering path his years of wandering sent him on, it may have just been a path he had to travel to end up here. Whatever it was, he didn’t need to wander anymore. He had found his desire path. And it led straight to Dean Winchester.