Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dean woke up with a slight headache before his alarm went off. He smiled, however, as the memories from the previous evening flooded his mind. He couldn’t remember the last time he had jumped through the fences and drunk liquor straight from the bottle in the middle of the night. He couldn’t remember being this absurd and carefree, just straight-up happy.

He glanced towards Cas’s cabin. The guy was still asleep, snoring gently. Dean propped himself up on his elbows and looked around, stopping his gaze at the clock on the wall. It was 4:40 AM.

He was obviously well-rested, since Cas had let him sleep yesterday for fuck knows how long. He could at least return the favor now and let the guy sleep a little bit longer. He quietly stood up and found his sailing trousers, a shirt, and a new pair of underwear. He noticed he was running short of clean clothes, so he should probably do some laundry in the next harbor.

He took his time to apply the ointment again. His face looked better already, he decided.

When he was dressed and ready, he put on his fleece jacket and a life jacket, then moved to the navigation station and turned on the electronics, starting the VHF radio too. Finally, he opened the Impala’s door and stepped outside. The morning, fresh air welcomed him. The sun was already up and the mist was rising over the water. Few other crew members were on their decks, clearly preparing to pass the Kiel Canal as well. Dean shot the door behind him, so he wouldn’t disturb Cas’s rest and marched to the deck to prepare the lines. When everything was ready, he went back to the cockpit and turned the engine on. The sweet sound of Baby waking up to life filled his ears. Dean grinned. It was going to be a good day.

He had read in Ystad about entering the canal - the idea of the passage was to drive inside the locking area, berth, and wait with the other ships until the water level would rise. Only then, all the vessels could move forward into the canal.

Dean took off smoothly and maneuvered the Impala from the marina. He left the fenders on his hull and moved Baby until he could clearly see the signal indicating he could enter the locking area. It usually took a few hours to pass the canal itself, which was over 60 miles long, so starting early in the morning was crucial if he wanted to get to the other side the same day. When he saw a white, flashing light, he put the shifter ahead and entered the area slowly, berthing port side to the hull of another boat. He handed his lines to a nice, German captain to his left, who kindly knotted them on his cleat.

Dean turned the engine off.

There was nothing else to do but wait, and it could take up to even a few hours, so he decided to check on his friend below the deck. When he opened the door and took a few steps inside, he saw Cas’s eyes slowly blinking at him from under his covers.

“Hello, sunshine. Want some coffee?” He asked, bending down a little to see his friend better. He saw a faint nod in response.

“Alright. One coffee, coming right up!” Dean turned to the kitchen area, filled the Moka pot with water, and ground coffee beans, then put it on one of his burner hobs. He glanced at Cas, who hadn’t moved at all, his eyes now closed. Dean chuckled and shook his head. The guy was a true mystery when it came to waking up.

When the pot started to gurgle, Dean took it away from the fire and filled two mugs with the freshly brewed beverage. He took one and approached Cas, putting the mug on the table, so the guy could reach for it when he was ready. 

“Hey, you okay?”

A single nod in response.

“Okay. I’m gonna see if everything is good outside. We’re entering the canal.”

Another nod. Dean chuckled again and stood up, taking his coffee with him and marching back on the deck.

When he stepped out, he saw a few more boats had entered the area behind him. A cute lady was currently standing on the bow of the sailboat berthed right at Baby’s stern. He waved to her and sat down on his bench, taking a sip from the mug.

“Hello,” she said. Dean smiled politely and nodded in her direction. “Beautiful boat,” she continued.

“Thank you,” Dean replied. He could see that she was not only admiring Baby but also checking him out. Why was it so obvious for him when it came to women, but he had no fucking clue what was Cas thinking? He took another sip of the coffee, pondering on the injustice of the world.

His phone buzzed unexpectedly, so Dean pulled it out. Sam seemed to be trying to contact him again, sending him new messages. He unlocked the screen and decided to call his brother, who, for some crazy reason, was awake at 5:45 in the morning.

“Hello, little brother. Why do you seek my wisdom?”

“I… don’t?” he heard Sam’s tired voice.

“What do you mean ‘you don’t’?”

“You’re hilarious,” Sam deadpanned. “How’s the trip back going?”

“So you do miss me, after all? I’m getting some mixed signals here.”

“Dean,” Sam huffed. ”You don’t check your messages, and you call, well, sometimes. Half of the time I’m not sure you’re even alive.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I be? You’re just really annoying with all the messages, man. I have to actually sail and sleep sometimes, you know that, right?” 

He loved his brother, but sometimes he had an urge to strangle him. He heard Sam sighing loudly. Dean wasn’t the only one agitated, at least.

“You said you would update me. You didn’t. I have to check the AIS signal to know you didn't drown,” Sam said frustrated. 

“Well, I didn’t drown, as you can clearly tell by now. I’m entering the Kiel Canal. I’m on my way to see Bobby. And I have a friend helping me until then.”

Sam hesitated for a moment. “A friend? Who?”

“Remember I told you about a guy who showed me around a city in Gotland? That’s the friend, his name is Cas. When he finished with the boat delivery two days ago, he joined me on the Impala.”

“That's really nice of him.” Sam sounded like he wanted to say more and Dean suspected it wasn't pleasant.

“Okay, spit it out.”

“I'm just wondering, isn't it a bit unusual to randomly offer to join another person on their boat?”

The thing was, everything that had happened involving Cas had been unusual so far. That was the whole point. He was unique, handsome as fuck, a little bit strange, but at the same time incredibly funny. He was a walking encyclopedia, a skillful sailor, and a loving dad. And he couldn't get up without his coffee in the morning, apparently. All of it made Dean want to keep Cas close, but he sure as hell didn’t know how to explain it to his brother over the phone. Instead, he decided to just calm Sam down with some logical arguments that his brother loved so much.

“Well Sammy, I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth now, am I? He hasn’t stabbed me and got rid of the body yet, and believe me, he had plenty of opportunities. He knows what he’s doing, the guy is experienced, so at least you don’t need to worry I’ll drown anymore.”

“Okay, Dean, if you say so. When will Bobby join you again?”

“Tomorrow.” Dean glanced at the companionway, where he saw Cas’s messy hair, then his whole, sleepy face emerging from below the deck. “Listen, Sammy, I’ve gotta go. I’m gonna send you a message when Bobby’s here, alright?”

“Right. But this time, really do it, Dean.”

“Yeah, okay. Bye.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Dean rolled his eyes, then hung up, watching Cas taking place on the bench next to him. He had his sailing, black trousers, and a long-sleeved, orange shirt on. He was barely awake, pressing his coffee mug to his chest like his life depended on it.

“Hello,” he heard from the other direction. Dean turned his head at the lady from before, who once again stood near to their stern, looking at Cas this time.

Cas looked up at her and smiled politely. “Hello,” he responded in his gravelly voice. The lady smiled sweetly. Dean suddenly felt irritated by her presence.

“I didn’t see you earlier,” she said, twirling her hair. She clearly changed the objects of her affection, forgetting about Dean's existence. 

“That’s quite understandable. I was below the deck,” Cas replied, then sipped from his mug.

“Right,” she giggled, Dean made a face. “I’m Katrin.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Castiel.” Katrin’s eyes sparkled with interest. Dean wondered if he could throw her into the water by mistake. Cas glanced at Dean, lifting his eyebrow. Katrin must’ve realized she had to raise her game because she cleared her throat and tossed her hair back, capturing Cas's attention once more.

“Where are you sailing, Castiel?”

“Um,” Cas furrowed his brow, “we are sailing to Cuxhaven.” 

“Really? That’s interesting. Would you like some coffee?” Dean could be invisible at this point. Cas looked at Katrin strangely, then glanced at his mug and back at Dean, clearly looking for answers. Then, he squinted his eyes at Katrin.

“No, thank you. I’ve got one already.”

Dean coughed, holding back a laugh.

Katrin threw him a glare but quickly schooled her expression with a smile. “That’s a shame. If you want another one, you know where to find me,” she bit her lower lip and looked down, then back up. Finally, she turned around and waved at Cas right before she disappeared below her deck. Dean sighed, then turned his eyes at Cas, who was already looking back at him, his head tilted to the side. A smile flickered across his face.

“What?” Dean asked, suddenly nervous.

“I’m not sure yet,” Cas replied quietly and lifted his mug a little. “Thank you for the coffee, Dean. And for letting me sleep a bit longer.” He broke the intense eye contact and looked around. ”I can see we’re in the locking area already. How long ago did you drive us here?”

Dean glanced at his watch. “About 30 minutes, give or take?”

“Alright. We've got at least 30 more minutes. Let me prepare some breakfast then,” Cas smiled at him, then stood up and went below the deck. Dean discretely ogled his ass, since Cas couldn’t see him anyway.

When Cas disappeared into the kitchen area, Dean finished his coffee and unlocked his phone. He sent quick messages to Benny and Charlie, then started reading the notifications on his social media apps. Some girl had DM’ed him on Instagram, but Dean ignored it. Then, he moved on to his Facebook account, where he saw an interesting article about finding the right weather window. He was deep into it when he heard Cas calling him for the meal. Dean put his phone back in his pocket and marched below the deck. On both plates, he saw something suspiciously resembling scrambled eggs, with chives and everything. It smelled nice.

He glanced at Cas, deeply puzzled. “Why does it look like eggs?”

“It’s a disguise so you would eat it, Dean,” said Cas, his eyes amused. Dean frowned. “It’s tofu. You won’t die from it, I promise,” Cas assured him and hurried Dean to sit down. When he looked at the table, he saw hummus, neatly cut tomatoes, cucumbers, and green paste that could be guacamole. Dean waited for Cas to sit down too, then he took his fork and decided to start with a non-egg thingy. It turned out quite tasty, to his utter surprise. He had tried tofu once before (Sam’s idea), but it had tasted like an eraser. This, however, was rich in flavor and even resembled eggs a little. He looked up at Cas again, chewing through his bite.

“It’s called Tofu Scramble. I added nutritional yeast and black salt to it. Do you like it?”

Dean nodded, then swallowed and said, “I didn’t know you could cook something like this. You have to teach me how to do it.”

Cas smiled at him, then took his fork and focused on his plate. Dean tried the guacamole next. Cas had apparently made it from scratch, and it was delicious. He began to suspect that his brother might've been right about plants being not only edible, but also tasty.

Dean obviously couldn’t tell Sam that he had been right all along.

When they finished eating, Cas took care of their plates and Dean started putting everything back in the fridge and into the lockers. After a minute or two, he heard a noise from outside, so he left Cas with the dishes and went on the deck. Apparently, the water level had risen and they were allowed to enter the canal soon. He took a step back and put his head under the deck so Cas could hear him. “Will you help me sail out from here?” He asked.

“Alright,” Cas responded, then left the rest of the dirty dishes in the sink, wiped his hands with a kitchen towel, and hung it on the hook. Dean marched to the steering wheel and turned the engine on again, while Cas approached the German captain to get their lines. Dean glanced behind them, where Katrin already stood behind her steering wheel, and observed Cas’s movements like a hawk. He felt an unpleasant pang of jealousy. He looked at his hands, placed on the steering wheel.

What if Cas was straight? He didn’t seem interested in Katrin, but maybe Dean was wrong? Or maybe he had a girlfriend waiting for him in Visby. Would Dean be able to stay friends with him even if Cas had a partner?

What if he wanted to take that girl to Porto with him? What would Dean do then?

He looked up at Cas, who was currently preparing a looped spring line on the stern. Maybe he should just ask him if he had someone special in his life, after all? 

Cas turned his eyes at Dean and lifted his brow, taking Dean by surprise. Was he mind-reading again? Dean turned his gaze away, spooked.

“Dean, everything’s ready. We can move,” Cas said, narrowing his eyes.

Right. They were casting off. Dean nodded, then told Cas to drop the bow and stern lines and he put the shifter astern. The bow pointed in the direction of the canal.

“Remove the spring line, Cas.”

After it was dropped, Dean put the shifter ahead, causing Baby to drive forward. He had to focus on their surroundings since many vessels started moving at the same time and the area was currently quite crowded. Cas moved to the fenders, hiding them methodically into the lockers, then took care of the lines, tying them neatly.

Once they entered the canal, Dean tried to stay on the right side, letting the faster vessels overtake them. Meanwhile, Cas finished with the lines and sat back on the bench near Dean.

He looked up. “Something is troubling you,” he stated. “What is it, Dean?”

Dean glanced at Cas, then at the route again, his hands sweating. Worst case scenario, Cas was happily married to a beautiful woman and Dean was about to stay single, gloomy, and depressed. No big deal. He swallowed down a gulp.

“Dean, you look pale. Maybe you should sit down for a moment and let me drive?”

Grow a pair, Winchester. 

“Are you married?” The words came quickly out of Dean’s mouth.

“What?” Cas looked like he didn’t quite understand what Dean had said. He squinted his eyes at him and cocked his head to the side.

“I’m asking if you’re married, Cas.”

“I’m… what? Why do you think I’m married?” Cas asked, puzzled.

“I don’t, I just wanted to know.”

“Why?”

Yeah, why? Go on, tell him. 

“Well…” Dean began, frantically searching for any logical explanation that didn't involve his crush on Cas.

“Are you married?” Cas asked without waiting for a response, his eyebrow raised. 

“N-no! Why would I be?” Dean stuttered.

Cas started to smirk. “I don’t know, Dean. You asked me first.”

“That’s… well, yeah, I did. I was just curious,” he ended weakly. He was, once again, incredibly eloquent.

“Alright, then. I’m single.” 

Dean felt his heart pounding in excitement. Single. Cas was not only not married, but single. 

“What about you?” Cas asked, now visibly amused by Dean’s behavior. 

“I’m single, too,” Dean glanced nervously at Cas, who was openly grinning. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Cas replied, playful sparks flickering in his eyes.

“Yeah, but you were thinking something.”

“As were you, Dean. Do you wish to share your thoughts with me?”

Dean very much didn’t, so he tightened his grasp on the steering wheel and shot his mouth, shaking his head. Cas snorted.

Okay, so at least there was no wife or girlfriend waiting for Castiel at home, which was, well…Something. Dean, however, still didn’t know if Cas was into men.

Baby steps, Dean. 

Truth be told, Dean wasn’t ready to even begin thinking about dating a guy. He would have absolutely no clue of what to do or how to behave, so the unclear situation wasn’t exactly the worst thing that could happen right now. On the other hand, waiting meant that someone could just snatch Cas away from him, and that was a truly disturbing thought.

He looked at Cas, who closed his eyes and basked in the morning sun. Dean didn’t even blame Katrin for trying to hit on the dude - if he wasn’t so hopeless and inexperienced, Dean would probably do the same. How was it even possible that with a face and body like that, Castiel was still single?

“I'm going to finish with the dishes. Do you want another coffee?” Cas’s voice once again snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, thanks, Cas,” Dean said, trying to think of something other than Cas's love life. 

Fifteen minutes later, his friend reemerged on the deck with two mugs.

“Let's switch. I can steer for a bit now,” Cas said, passing one of the coffees to him. Dean nodded while taking the mug, then handed over the steering wheel and sat on the bench. Cas put his mug into a holder and looked around.

Along the canal, they could see mostly trees, but from time to time they passed a marina, a city, or a high bridge. It was an interesting experience to observe the Impala's mast fitting under all of the constructions. From below it looked quite scary, but since all the bridges had a clearance of 42 meters and Baby’s mast was much shorter, there was no real danger of hitting the underside of the bridge.

Dean observed a few sailboats that had entered the canal at the same time when they had. One in particular caught his attention. It seemed that Katrin tried very hard to catch up with them, torturing her engine mercilessly in the process. Dean eyed the crazy lady for a while, then glanced at Cas. 

“It seems you’ve got some company.”

Castiel frowned, then turned his head to the left, where Katrin’s boat started to close the gap on the Impala. 

When she saw that Cas was steering Baby, she immediately started talking, evidently excited. She had to almost shout over the sound of the working engines.

“Castiel! I didn’t get to tell you that I will stay at Cuxhaven marina too. You can come and find me there.”

Cas’s mouth formed a nervous smile.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice a little too high, “...but I think I’ll pass.”

Katrin frowned but quickly smiled again. “If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting. Until later,” and then she winked and overtook them, straining her engine again. She once again didn't pay any attention to Dean. He winced, listening to the pitiful sounds made by the poor machine.

Cas sighed.

“She’s pretty and willing, you know,” said Dean. Why was he poking the bear, he was not sure.

“I know Dean, I have eyes and she’s quite obvious. I'm not interested.” 

“Why?” 

Cas looked at him again, irritation evident on his face. “She’s not my type,” he said dryly.

“Oh… okay,” Dean said quietly and took a sip from his mug.

Okay, so maybe Cas wasn’t interested in her specifically? Maybe he liked brunettes or whatever. 

Or maybe, just maybe, Cas liked men, just like Dean did. But that was just a guess, nothing more. Dean sighed, lost in thought again. 

“Dean?” Castiel said after a moment.

“Yeah?”

“If you didn't have to get back home so fast, where would you go next?”

“I'm not sure,” Dean looked at the sky thinking.” Maybe I’d sail to the North?” He looked back at Cas. “I've always wanted to see the northern lights.”

Cas nodded and smiled a little. “They are truly spectacular.”

“Have you seen them?”

Cas nodded again, then said, “do you think you'll be able to take another time off from work in the near future?”

“It might be impossible this year,” Dean started, looking at the water. “But I guess I could think of something for next summer.” He had basically abused his vacation days this year, and he wanted to take even more time off when Cas and Jack would visit him. Sailing like this in the near future was sadly not possible.

“I see. And the next year…” Cas hesitated, “would you be interested in a crew member? We could see the northern lights together.”

Dean looked at Cas with widened eyes. “Seriously? That would be awesome, Cas! But I thought you’re normally busy in the summer.”

Castiel smiled and nodded, then looked at Dean. “I could alter my plans. I can plan my work time differently. I would only need to know a few months prior when you would like to sail out.” 

Dean's heart started beating a little bit faster. “Does it mean you would sail with me from Porto, then?” 

“If you'd like.”

Dean smiled. “Yeah, man! I didn't think that was possible. We could see so many places together.” He frowned. “But what about Jack? Can we like, take him with us?”

Cas looked at him, surprised. “You want to take my son with us?”

“Well, duh? You can’t just leave him with his grandparents for that long, man.”

A warm smile lit up Cas's features. He glanced ahead, then back at Dean.

“I would have to ask him, but I’d love to take him with me.”

Dean nodded, satisfied. He imagined being on the boat with Cas and Jack for at least a month, cooking and eating with them, and just coexisting in Baby's enclosed space. It sounded like the best vacation ever. “We could go so much faster if we were together, and I really could use your help up North. I don't even have the charts for Norway yet,” he stopped, thinking. “Is it cold? I need to buy some clothes.”

Cas chuckled, a spark of excitement danced in his eyes. “It's a bit cold, but it's worth it. We only need to figure out when to start, then.” He glanced at Dean again. “Do you have clothes for skiing?” 

Dean shook his head.

“Clothes made for snow would be enough on a boat as well since normally they are warm and waterproof. A jacket, pants, and gloves would be sufficient, I think.”

“Wait, do you have clothes for skiing?” Dean asked, frowning.

“Yes, and the equipment. We ski every winter with Jack.”

Dean snorted, looking at Cas. “Is there something you cannot do, man?”

“I’ve been told before that I'm not great at social interactions.” 

Dean huffed. “By who?”

“My previous... partner.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “What a douchebag. You're fine, don't worry about it.” 

Cas gave him a sweet, small smile in return, then focused on their route again.

+

An hour later, Dean was sitting on the deck with his book. The clouds were lazily traveling through the sky and it started to get pretty hot, so both of them had stripped to their T-shirts. Dean glanced at Cas, who decided to wear another bee-themed one.

“What’s with you and the bees?” Dean finally asked.

Cas turned his gaze at him, one of his hands in his pocket, the other on the steering wheel. “I really like them. And they are essential to our survival. They're pollinators, so they allow plants to reproduce. Without them, the whole planet would die.”

Well of course Cas would be a bee nerd guy.

Dean had never really paid much attention to bees, but Cas was right - the little guys sounded important. Besides, Dean was pretty sure he’d be willing to listen to Cas while the guy read the vacuum cleaner user’s manual, and Dean would still be interested.

“Okay, fair enough,” Dean said, making Cas smile. “What?” He asked.

“You didn’t think it’s strange for a guy to like bees,” Cas stated.

“Why would I think it’s strange?” Dean asked, then suddenly became irritated. ”Wait, did somebody tell you that before?”

“You are correct.”

“Was it the same person who told you you’re bad at interacting with people?”

Cas shook his head slightly, amused by Dean's sudden fury.

“Dude, what kind of people do you actually hang out with?! You’ve gotta find some new friends!”

Cas smirked, then said, “I believe I’m currently working on it.”

Dean felt a blush creeping into his cheeks. He looked down. “Right, well. I don’t think it’s weird. You do you, man,” Dean said quietly.

“That’s very kind of you Dean, thank you.”

“S’nothing.”

Dean spent at least the next five minutes trying to deal with a warm, fuzzy feeling that was overwhelming him from the inside.

They methodically moved forward through the canal, leaving the next cities behind. After a while, Cas asked Dean to switch, then he marched below the deck, reemerging with a pair of sunglasses, a bowl full of apple pieces, and two bottles of water, handing one to Dean.

“Here. You need to stay hydrated,” he said, then sat on the bench with his legs up, sipping the water from time to time. Dean put his bottle into the holder and reached for an apple. It was juicy and sweet.

He was pretty sure he had never eaten so many plants in a row in his life.

Around 11 AM, they passed under an exceptionally tall bridge and the canal seemed to split in two. Dean had to ask Cas for help with navigating because he wasn't sure which route he should take. Cas only glanced at the canal from behind his book (he was reading some Swedish novel, Dean didn’t even know how to pronounce the name of it), and waved to the port side. 

It was starting to get really hot and Dean sipped from his water bottle from time to time. 

“I’d like us to video call Jack in a moment if that’s okay with you?” Cas asked after a while.

“Yeah, sure.”

Cas stood up, took his sunglasses off, and hung them on the front of his T-shirt, then placed himself next to Dean in the confined space behind the steering wheel. He then pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped on it a few times, searching for Jack’s name on the list of his contacts. He extended his hand before them so Jack could see them both. Their shoulders were pressed together and Dean felt Cas’s body heat on his arm.

Finally, the boy with dark blond hair and impossibly blue eyes appeared on the screen.

“Dad!” He shouted, then looked to his left. “Is that Dean?”

“Hello, Jack. We wanted to see how you were doing. And yes, this is Dean,” Cas said with a smile. Jack moved closer to the screen so that only his blue eyes were visible. 

“Hi, bud!” Dean waved and chuckled, then glanced at their route again. “I think you need to move away from your phone a little.” 

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Jack repositioned himself so they could see his whole face again. “What happened to your cheeks?” He asked, tilting his head in a manner strikingly similar to Cas's own gesture.

Right, Jack could see his bruises. “Long story short, I had a problem at the sea. Your Dad came here to help me.”

“How are you, Jack?” Cas asked, getting his son’s attention.

“I’m good, but I’d like you to come home already. When will you come back, Dad?” 

Dean felt his stomach twist. Poor little guy missed his dad, and it was all because of Dean. “Listen, Jack, that’s actually all my fault Castiel is not home yet, I’m really sorry. But I have an idea how to repay you.” He glanced at Cas, seeking his permission. Cas nodded, smiling gently. “Would you like to visit me with your Dad in Portugal at the end of the summer?”

“Really?” Jack asked, grinning from ear to ear. “Can we go, Dad?”

Cas chuckled. “Yes, Jack. I think a little vacation would be good for both of us.”

“Yay! Do you have an animal, Dean?” 

Dean glanced at the screen. “No, sorry, kid. But uh, my brother has got a guinea pig, we can visit him and see the little furball if you want.”

Jack’s eyes went wide. “Woah! What’s it's name?”

“Uh, it’s Kate.”

“I’d like that, very much. You know, I’ve got a snake. His name is Felix.”

Dean gulped. He was not super fond of snakes. “That’s- that’s great. Is uh… Is Felix gonna travel with you guys?”

Cas snorted. Dean sent him an annoyed look.

“No, Dean, Felix stays with Jack’s grandparents when we travel,” Cas explained with a smirk.

“Right. Good. I mean, good for him,” Dean nodded with relief.

“What should I pack with me to Portugal, Dean?” Jack interjected.

“Um, a swimsuit, I guess? Maybe some games, if you’d like?”

“Do you have a PlayStation?”

Dean chuckled. “I do. You can play on it if you want, of course.”

Jack gasped. “This is awesome. Dad, when are we going?”

“I need to check the flights, Jack. I promise we’ll do it when I get back home, alright?”

“Okay. I can’t wait.”

“Jack, what's your favorite food? I’d like to be prepared before you guys arrive in a few weeks,” Dean said, trying to focus both on Jack and Impala’s safety.

“Um, I like cereal and nougat the most, but Dad doesn’t like it when I eat it.” 

Cas shook his head, smiling, then said to Dean “I told you he eats mainly sugar.”

“He’s a kid, give him a break,” Dean said quietly.

“But I eat vegetables and fruits too because I know it’s healthy,” Jack said, his voice a little sad.

"Okay, we'll make it work, Jack, you have my word," Dean said. Cas gave him a suspicious look. Dean shrugged. “I’m not going to poison him, relax dude.”

“Alright. Jack, are you behaving well?” Cas turned his attention back to his son.

“Of course, Dad, what did you expect?” Jack said bluntly. Dean chuckled. He was undoubtedly his father's son. And a growing, sassy teenager, for that matter. 

“Be nice. We’ll talk more when I get back, okay? Say hi to Grandma and Grandpa from me.”

“Okay Dad, see you later! Bye, Dean!”

“Bye, Jack.”

Cas disconnected the call, then glanced at Dean. “So you’re afraid of snakes?” 

Dean groaned. “You caught that, huh?”

Cas snorted. “It was hard not to.”

“I mean,” Dean started, “they don’t have legs, that’s disturbing. Who buys his kid a snake for a pet, anyway?” He finished, frowning.

“We didn’t buy Felix. He’s a rescue. Someone abandoned him on the street. Jack and his friend found him. The snake is quite old, actually.”

“Oh shit, dude. That’s fucked up. Who leaves their pet like that?” Even if it was a snake, leaving it to die alone was truly horrible.

“I don’t know, I don’t understand that either. Anyway, Felix has been with us for three years now, but I’m afraid he’s going to die soon. I’m not sure how Jack will take it.”

“Being a parent is not easy, huh?” Dean asked.

Cas sighed. “Not at all. Jack is actually begging me to get a cat, but I’m not sure about that. I don’t want it to just sit alone in the apartment all day while I have to work.”

“Yeah, I get that. I really wanted a dog but didn’t have the heart to leave it at home alone every day.” Cas nodded. Dean suddenly realized they were still standing really close to each other, neither of them moved since they ended the call with Jack. Dean cleared his throat, looking a the green bushes they were passing. 

“I can steer her now, Dean. You can rest for a moment,” Cas finally said. 

Dean nodded, then let his friend grab the steering wheel.

After a moment of silence, Dean, now sitting on the bench, said, “I assume the grandparents Jack stays with are not your mother and father?”

Cas turned his head in Dean’s direction. “No, they’re Kelly’s parents - that's Jack's mom. They offered to stay with him while I work.” 

Dean nodded, then asked, “So you’re spending all of the holidays with them?”

“Not really. Sometimes we do, but usually we just travel. Gabriel and the rest of my siblings visit us sometimes, too. What about you?”

“Well, Bobby usually visits us and we go to Sam’s and Eileen’s. She’s pregnant with their third child, so it’s kinda crowded there. It’s family and I love them. Even if sometimes they try to arrange my life to their liking.”

Cas chuckled. “I think I know what you mean.”

+

Two hours later, Cas asked if Dean wanted to switch or make lunch. “We need to establish who takes care of the eggplant, Dean,” Cas said with a smile flickering across his face. What was with this dude and eggplants, Dean wasn’t sure, but earlier he had found a recipe he'd wanted to check out, so they eventually switched.

He marched below the deck, leaving Cas in charge of steering the boat, then found all of the ingredients he needed and put them on the table. No waves in the canal meant cooking would be exceptionally easy. The day before, Dean'd had to constantly stabilize himself and fight with the boat movements to even stay vertical.

He peeled some potatoes, washed them, and placed them in a pot with a little water and salt to boil. Then, he chopped the eggplant and zucchini, salted them and sautéed in a frying pan, along with a few cloves of garlic. Following the instructions, he peeled the tomatoes, cut them into cubes, and added them to the mixture. As everything cooked, he seasoned the dish, tasting it from time to time. Once he was satisfied with the flavor, he turned off the burner and settled on the couch, patiently waiting for the potatoes. He pulled out his phone and checked the last message from Bobby, who had informed him that he should arrive in Cuxhaven the next day at 2:00 PM. He had also asked Dean about the leaks that Benny had reported, so Dean wrote him everything he knew so far. Then, he opened his weather app and started planning the next stages of the journey. He was pleased to discover that the wind should remain steady for at least a few more days.

With the potatoes finally ready, he divided the dish into two plates and went outside. He passed one of the plates to Cas, but his friend shook his head and said, "Eat first, please. We’ll switch in a moment.“ Dean nodded, then began eating, chewing happily.

“You've figured out what to do with an eggplant, I assume?” Cas asked, amused.

“I mean, It’s tasty, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best vegetable in the world,” Dean responded, not sure what was going on again. 

Cas snorted, “I don’t know, Dean. Maybe some day you’ll change your mind,” he said. Dean sent him a suspicious look, but eventually returned to his meal. When he finished, he stood up and went to the steering wheel, so Cas could eat too.

Castiel took his plate and sat down. “Well, it sure smells wonderful,” he said and put the first bite into his mouth. He groaned, closing his eyes, almost giving Dean a heart attack. After a moment he opened his eyes, smiled, and started nodding, “It’s great.”

“Glad you like it,” Dean said, smiling back, then focused on the route. “So um. Bobby said he’s gonna be in Cuxhaven tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon. I’m pretty sure I need to do some laundry before that,” he said. 

Cas nodded, then said, “I checked the flights from Hamburg, it seems I need to leave early in the morning to get there on time.” 

Although he had known it would eventually happen, Dean couldn’t help but feel a little bummed. He wouldn’t see Cas for a few weeks. On top of that, he had to get back to the office soon. He sighed, looking at the calm water around them.

“Dean?” Cas's voice brought him back from his misery.

“Yeah, Cas?”

“I’m really happy you decided to sail to Visby. That we could meet.”

Dean looked at Cas again, who was already smiling at him. So many things could have happened, one different decision during his trip and Dean wouldn't have met Cas at all. He was so close to turning back in Copenhagen, but for some reason, he didn’t. 

He smiled. “Yeah, me too,” he finally said, wondering if the warmth spreading through his bones, that had come with meeting his new friend, would still be present once Cas would come and visit him in a few weeks.

Eventually, Dean had to look back at the route, but he discovered he was in a much better mood than a moment ago.

+

When they finally reached the end of the Kiel Canal, the sun was already on the other side of the sky. It was Cas’s turn behind the steering wheel, so he was the one berthing in the locking area this time, while Dean took care of the fenders and lines. Fortunately, Katrin was nowhere to be seen.

The wait turned out to be much shorter than before, so half an hour later they finally left the canal behind them and pointed Baby’s bow towards the Wadden Sea. Once the trees were gone, it got a little colder, so Dean brought Cas and himself their fleece jackets from below the deck. 

By 7 PM they were finally ready to hoist the sails. The wind was blowing from the north at about 15 knots. Cas turned the Impala into the wind, then turned the autopilot on, while Dean moved to the lines of the mainsail, putting the halyard on the winch. Cas soon joined him, grabbing the line and pulling it with all his might. Operating the winch handle was a lot easier when somebody pulled the halyard, so very soon the whole mainsail went up, flapping in the wind. Dean moved to the jib sheet next, while Cas prepared to manage the furling line.

"Alright, let's go," Dean said, then tried to pull the jib sheet, but with no success. “Shit, not again,” he muttered, then let go of the line and attached himself to the jackstay. He turned his face to his friend. “Cas, I need to go to the bow, fucking furling drum is jammed. Can you pull the jib sheet when I give you a sign?”

Cas nodded, tossing the furling line down and moving to the jib sheet. Dean started to walk slowly towards the bow, clutching the guard rails for support. When he reached the furling drum, he grabbed it tightly, trying to rotate it. Finally, with some effort, he managed to move it. When he saw it was working again, he waved, giving Cas the signal to pull the sheet. The genoa unfurled itself and started flapping with the mainsail. Dean watched it for a moment, then moved in the direction of the cockpit again, while Cas directed Baby back on route, turned the engine off, and trimmed the sails. Baby heeled slightly and gained some speed.

“I need to repair it when I get back home,” Dean said when he finally reached the cockpit.

“Did it happen before?” Cas asked.

“Yeah, when I was sailing to Gotland. I tried to fix it once, but as you can see, it’s still broken.”

“Well, it’s quite common for furling drums to jam, but it can be dangerous, especially if you're sailing alone.”

Dean nodded, then sat on the bench, observing the sails for a while, then turned his head to Cas again. 

“It’s quiet without the engine. We could listen to some music. Do you know ‘Led Zeppelin’, Cas?”

“I know one or two of their songs.”

Dean winced. “That is unacceptable! It’s the best band in the whole world and you tell me you know two songs?” Cas snorted. “Don’t you dare laugh now, this is serious,” Dean said firmly, then stood up and went below the deck to plug his phone into the radio.

He probably knows ‘Black Dog’ or ‘Stairway to Heaven’, so let’s try something else. 

Dean tapped on the screen a few times, looking for the right playlist, then put the phone down and listened to the first chords of ‘Bron-Y-Aur Stomp’ flowing from the cockpit. He smiled, then turned around and went back outside.

When he sat down and started listening to the lyrics, he suddenly realized it was basically a love song, and he had just played it for Cas. He glanced at the guy nervously, but he didn’t see any signs of possible consternation on his friend’s face. After a moment, Dean relaxed and started tapping to the rhythm, then humming with the music, unable to sit still. When he heard the chorus, he couldn’t help but sing it out loud. He fucking loved that band. 

Cas smiled at Dean, entertained by his performance. When the song finished and ‘Whole Lotta Love’ started to play in the background, Cas said, “You should sing more, Dean. I really like listening to you.”

Dean smiled back, fighting the blush that had crept onto his face again. “Thanks, but that wasn't the point! Hush, I want you to know more of Zepp's songs.”

“Yes, I can see this is important. I’ll shut up now.”

They listened to the next few songs until the sun started to set right in front of them. The sky turned a beautiful orange, illuminating the water below. The Impala's sails were lit red, and the whole deck bathed in a warm glow. It was truly breathtaking. As Dean tried to take a photo, he heard the first chords of ‘The Rain Song’ coming from the speakers. He glanced at Cas, who was smiling softly at him, standing behind the steering wheel, one hand in his pocket. He looked stunning, with his eyes slightly crinkled and his hair messy. Dean felt his heart beating faster in his chest. 

He suddenly realized he was in deep trouble. There was a bond between him and Cas that had started forming when they had met and Dean had absolutely no way to stop it now. With every moment they spent together, Dean felt their connection spreading and taking root inside of his ribcage. He normally didn’t open up to other people so fast, but Cas had broken yet another of Dean’s ‘normals’. He wasn’t just some dude he had known for a few days. He was someone Dean wanted to spend more evenings like this with.

He turned back to the bow, unable to maintain intense eye contact any longer. The sun was now touching the horizon, slowly melting in the water.

“I think I’m starting to like Led Zeppelin, Dean,” Cas’s voice rumbled through the deck.

Dean smiled to himself. “Told you it’s the best band in the world.”

“I believe you.”

“Good.”

Dean remembered feeling lonely and lost during his sail to Copenhagen, not so many days ago. Now, he felt like the hole in his chest finally began to fill, drop by drop. He couldn’t say what the future would bring, but he hoped he would experience at least some of it with Cas, currently standing behind him and steering his beloved boat.