Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dean was the type of guy to toss nicknames and general terms of endearment around without really thinking about it. It was second nature to call a girl 'sweetheart' at a bar or restaurant, and he'd been calling Sam 'Sammy' ever since he could remember, regardless of whether his brother liked it or not. He'd started calling Castiel 'Cas' before he even really knew the angel, let alone before he actually liked him, but it had been instinct. He just did it out of habit. He'd never had a special name for anyone he'd been in a relationship with though. It just wasn't really his thing.

Dean wasn't the type of guy to be referred to with terms of endearment. It just didn't really suit him, or so he thought, and he'd always found it made him uncomfortable. Sam didn't really have any nicknames for him, and he'd never really been in a steady relationship long enough for a girl to pin him with a particular name either.

That was before Castiel.

Dean and Castiel had progressed from staring to kissing in such a natural move that Dean couldn't even find it in himself to freak out about it. Part of him wanted to, but the other part of him was entirely focused on Castiel, and his attention on the angel won out. They had progressed from kissing to sex just as easily, and aside from having to get another room to save Sam the mental trauma of walking in on them, there was no real discussion or grand change in their relationship to indicate the shift. Where once there was Dean, and there was Castiel, suddenly they were Dean and Castiel, in a far more bonded manner than they had ever been before.

To hear Sam tell it, they'd finally woken up and realized what was clear to everyone else. Dean had told Sam to shut up, not wanting his apparently obvious relationship to be the topic of conversation. It was something important, something precious, but Dean really didn't do things like that, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk about it.

Talking became important when Castiel figured out exactly what Dean wanted, because it was necessary for Castiel to communicate exactly how on board he was with the idea. Dean would never have asked for Castiel to become the dominant partner, even though the angel nearly always took the lead anyway. Dean would never have asked for Castiel to take on the role of his master, no matter how much he may have subconsciously desired that very thing. The idea, though dormant, was nearly constantly present in every single touch and word that passed between them. Likewise, Castiel would never have asked for Dean's submission, no matter how much he may have craved it. Were it not for Castiel's impeccable observational skills, neither of them may have realized what they brought out in the other.

Fortunately for them both, Castiel was not oblivious. As a result, talking became necessary. Castiel made his move on a night when no danger loomed, and no important work had to be done in the morning. He ensured they were both fully rational, and led Dean to take a seat at the table in the motel room, moving to sit across from him.

"What's this about, Cas?" Dean asked, curious.

"We need to talk, beloved," Castiel murmured.

Dean squirmed slightly, but nodded his agreement. The name Castiel had bestowed upon him made him uncomfortable, but at the same time it made him feel cherished, which was never in a thousand years a feeling Dean would have expected to desire. It made him uncomfortable because he did not feel he deserved it, which was precisely why Castiel used it in the first place.

"I believe we have kept from each other an important element of our desires," Castiel began, cryptically in Dean's opinion.

"Okay...?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"You desire to submit," Castiel stated frankly, raising an eyebrow as if challenging Dean to argue with him.

Dean gaped for a moment, not sure how to respond. "Not exactly," was all he managed to reply with.

"I apologize," Castiel offered. "Allow me to amend that statement. You desire to submit..." He paused for affect, "...to me."

That was something Dean did not have any kind of rebuttal for, because it was completely true. Rather than talk about it, he simply nodded.

"It is a shame you never asked, beloved," Castiel said softly, "for your submission is something I have long craved."

That seemed even more shocking than Castiel's ability to see what Dean had hidden from him, but Dean suddenly wondered how he could find that surprising. Castiel was a powerful being that had been in control of armies, and easily had the ability to overpower Dean in whatever way he chose. Yet, Castiel had always let Dean take the lead, and had put up with the way in which Dean addressed him, rarely choosing to remind him that Castiel was the superior being in the equation that they were a part of. Yes, Castiel was more powerful, but he would never take anything from Dean. That was why he had never said anything - he wanted Dean to offer his submission. If he took it, it was worth nothing.

In the pause while Dean had been processing, Castiel had been watching him, observing. "Your contemplation must be fascinating," he murmured.

Dean started slightly, having forgotten that he was presumably expected to respond. "I'm not good at asking for stuff," he finally replied. "Especially not...well, you know."

"Things you need?" Castiel finished, raising an eyebrow.

Dean nodded. "Yeah." There really wasn't anything more to be said.

"I believe there are arrangements to be made, for such a relationship to succeed," Castiel mused, examining Dean like he was relearning the man's face.

Dean blew out a slow breath, nodding again. "What do you want?" He asked, finally. Expectant.

"We can do the formalities later," Castiel decided. "We can transcribe a contract together, to ensure all is in order. For now, all I want is you."

"Just me?" Dean managed to reply, locked in Castiel's stare. That had always been a part of their relationship - Castiel's ability to fix Dean in place with his gaze alone.

"One thing in addition, I think," Castiel said gently, standing to moved behind Dean, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I would like you to address me a particular way, in this new arrangement of ours."

"Yeah, of course," Dean agreed quickly. "What do you prefer?" Obviously his name would be too informal, let alone Dean's nickname for the angel. Dean had long been imagining how he might address Castiel in this type of scenario.

"I would prefer," Castiel whispered, his lips just a kiss away from Dean's ear, "for you to address me as 'my love,' rather than any simple term of authority."

At first, Dean felt like objecting. It wasn't the kind of thing he said or did. It just wasn't. However, the more he thought about it, the more he grew to appreciate what it meant. Anyone could be an authority figure worthy of a term of respect. If Dean could call anyone 'sir' with the intent to be respectful, then what significance did the word have? In contrast, 'my love' was something special, and clearly only deserved by Castiel. In fact, it fully represented this new element of their relationship they were entering. To no other authority figure would Dean have ever considered offering his submission willingly. Only Castiel. Only his love. To that end, it was a perfect representation.

"Well?" Castiel prompted softly, having not moved from his position next to Dean.

With a decisive mindset and an open heart, Dean nodded once and turned slightly to face the angel, his eyes lowered. "Yes, my love."

Castiel thanked him with a kiss, then again, many more times, until they were both equally spent in the single bed the room contained.