Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Charlie does her best to coax Dean into attending the end of the summer party that she throws every year at her house, but he’s really not in the mood. He had just broken up with Cassie and he wasn’t up for partying. He just wanted to wallow in self pity, but his friend wasn't letting him.

“Come on, Dean, it will be fun. Everyone is going to be there. This is the last party we will get to have before we become grown-ups. We start senior year in a couple weeks.”

“I’m just not going to be any fun, Charlie. I thought Cassie was really into me and we were just having fun, but I was wrong. What if I run into her there?”

“She’s not going to be there. You’re my ride or die. I didn’t even invite her. Pleeeeeease.”

Dean rolls his eyes and faces the fact that he’s not going to win this. His red headed best friend always got her way no matter how many times Dean protested.

“Fine.” She nearly busts his ear drum when she squeals her excitement and he kicks her out of his house so that he can get some sleep in preparation for the not fun time that he is going to have to force himself to get through tomorrow.

Tomorrow ends up coming too soon and he starts to dread ever agreeing to go to Charlie’s stupid party where there will be a bunch of stupid people who are stupidly in love, and he will be there wallowing in pity over some girl who broke up with him because he had commitment issues. It’s not that he had commitment issues. It's just that he’s only 17. He’s too young to be talking about forever. He still wanted to sow his wild oats. Now, he has to worry about being able to find a date to homecoming once school starts. He doesn't want to be the only loser without a date.

Once he has the right outfit picked out, just his usual flannel, he yells goodbye to Bobby and Sam and drives his favorite girl, his 67 Chevy Impala he fixed up after his dad wrecked her drinking and driving, over to Charlie’s house. It appears many of the students were getting an early start. He thought for sure he would be the first one here, but the driveway is full of cars already. Maybe he could pop in unnoticed.

“Deeeean!!!” So much for going unnoticed as he greets his friend at the door. She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and drags him into the house.

“Hold up Charlie, let me grab a drink first before you drag me around, pulling my arm out of socket.”

She gives him an apologetic grin. “Sorry, I just wanted to introduce you to my girlfriend. We just met a couple hours ago.”

Dean raises his eyebrow. “Really, a couple hours ago? Will I be getting the invitation for your wedding soon?”

“Very funny.”

Dean grabs a soda out of the fridge and joins her in the living room where his favorite people are gathered. The jury is still out about Meg being included in the group of his favorite people, but since she’s here, he might as well socialize with her.

He’s assuming that the other redhead whose throat has Charlie’s tongue shoved down it, must be her girlfriend that she’s known all of two hours.

“Yo, Charles, mind keeping it G rated for all the youngsters who still haven’t lost their virginity, like Benny over here?”

“Speak for yourself, brother. Andrea can vouch that I ain’t no virgin. I lost my virginity a few times the other night.”

Before Dean can think of an appropriate or non appropriate come back based on their current topic of discussion, the brown haired blue eyed guy sitting in the corner who Dean just now noticed was there, speaks up.

“I can assure you that nobody is more uncomfortable about this situation than I am.”

Holy fuck, what is up with his voice? Was he really a high school student?

“Who are you and why would you be uncomfortable?”

Before the guy has a chance to say anything, Charlie removes her tongue from her girlfriend’s throat and speaks up.

“He’s probably uncomfortable because I’m groping his sister.” Charlie proceeds to introduce them. “Dean, this is Anna and Castiel Milton. They just moved in across the street a few weeks ago. They’re twins. I’ve never met twins in real life.” She proclaims as if being born at the same time made them some sort of roadside attraction.

“How the fuck are you guys twins? You don’t even look alike.”

Castiel tilts his head to the side and raises his eyebrow.

“Well, obviously we aren’t identical. You do know that twins are no different than any other siblings. They don’t always look alike, especially when they are different genders.”

Seeing that the situation is about to get worse, Charlie goes around the group to introduce the newcomers to their friend group.

“You already met Dean; he takes some getting used to sometimes.” Dean sticks his tongue out like the mature 17-year-old he is.

“That there is Benny, then Meg, Garth, Jody, Donna, and Ash. Jo is around here somewhere probably seeing how many guys she can beat at knife throwing.”

Anna and Castiel wave to everyone and say hi.

Anna speaks first, “It’s nice to meet you all. Castiel and I are the only children our parents have, but we live with our cousin, Gabriel who should be around here somewhere.”

She looks around and then smiles as Dean suspects that she is laying eyes on her cousin.

“Anna, Cassie, there you are.”

Dean gives Charlie his bitch face. She had promised him that Cassie wouldn’t be here, but she shrugs and seems just as confused as him.

“Gabe, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

Dean eases up. Evidently that’s Gabe’s nickname for Castiel. Dean looks back and sees a short guy with sandy brown hair walking their way. Sammy was only 13 and was already taller than this guy.

“Gabe, come meet all the friends we just made.” Anna calls him over. He sits next to Ash on the arm of the couch as they all introduce themselves again. Dean finds out that Gabe is the same age as Castiel and Anna. His mom, who is their mom’s sister, died in childbirth due to complications and he was raised with them. Even though they are cousins they are basically just triplets with two different parents is how they describe it.

“O.k. bitches, how about a game of truth or dare?”

“I’m offended by your vulgar language, Charlie. What the fuck?”

“You think you’re funny don’t you Dean?”

“No, I think I’m adorable.” He gives her his biggest cheesy grin he can manage.

The group sits in a circle and Charlie calls on Benny first.

“Truth or dare, Benny?”

“Truth.”

Dean rolls his eyes. Of course, Benny would be a big wuss and pick truth. It’s not like she would make him run around the house in nothing but his birthday suit. She reserves those types of dares for Dean.

The rest of the game goes pretty much the same way. Charlie goes through the group and everyone chooses truth. They must have played this game with her before and learned how brutal she can be with her dares. When it gets to Castiel, Dean is interested to know which option he will pick. He goes with truth as well.

“What is your sexual orientation?”

“I’m utterly indifferent to sexual orientation, but I myself identify as straight.”

“Dean, truth or dare?”

Dean decides to be brave, unlike everyone else. “Dare.”

Charlie gives him an evil grin and he is about ready to change his option when she finally speaks.

“Have you ever heard of gay chicken?”

Fuck, he’s screwed.

“Yes, what about it?”

“Well, your dare is to play gay chicken with Castiel.”

Castiel looks at her. “I chose truth. Why am I being sucked into this?”

“Because you’re the only guy here that Dean doesn’t consider a brother and Gabe is too short. It would be awkward.”

“Hey.” Gabe proclaims.

“Sorry, but it’s true.”

“O.k. red, what are the rules?”

Castiel looks over at Dean. “Why should that matter? I’m not agreeing to this.”

Charlie speaks up. “I’ll give you 200.00 if you do this. I have been trying to pick the perfect dare for Dean for years now and I know I can finally get him to cave with this one.”

“Fine, what do we have to do?”

“The rules are simple. You have to pretend to be gay for each other, like actual relationship type gay and the first one to give up loses. Loser owes me 200.00 and will escort me to the next Gay pride parade wearing a pink tutu.”

“Well, if Dean loses, he won’t have to go shopping. He already has a tutu buried in the back of his closet.” Garth thinks he’s funny, but Dean flips him the bird.

“Fine, Charlie.” Dean looks over at Castiel as Charlie hands him 200.00. “Don’t get too attached to the money, Milton. I’m stubborn and I won’t cave. You’re just going to have to give it right back to her.”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “We’ll see about that Winchester. I can also be stubborn.”

Dean stands up and holds out his hand. “Challenge accepted. Follow me.”

Castiel grabs his hand and Dean leads him to one of the empty bedrooms, both boys ignoring the whistles from all their friends. Dean shuts the door and sits down on the bed. Castiel looks at him with fear in his eyes.

“I figure if we’re going to be in a “relationship” we might as well get to know each other.” He pats the bed next to him. “Here, sit. I don’t bite.”

Castiel sits next to him and starts to relax a little.

“O.k. what do you want to know?”

“For starters, where did you guys come from?”

“We moved here from Ohio. My dad was offered the position of Dean at the local university, so we moved here last month. What about you? Have you always lived here?”

“Yep, born and raised here in Lawrence. My mom died when I was 4 in a fire in my brother’s nursery. Sam was only 6 months.” Dean still gets choked up when he tells the story. He still sometimes has nightmares of seeing the fire around her. He didn’t realize that he had tears in his eyes until he feels Castiel’s hand on his knee.

“It’s o.k. Dean, you don’t have to talk about it.”

Dean wipes away the tears. “No, it’s o.k. It still just hurts thinking about her sometimes, that’s all. My dad couldn’t deal with it. We moved in with my uncle Bobby, but dad blew the insurance money from the fire at the bar, so we weren’t able to rebuild. My dad comes and goes sometimes, but he forgets about us most days. We were raised by Bobby and sometimes I wish he was my dad. He does a better job at it then John.”

“That sucks. I feel bad that my parents seem to have their shit together. I sometimes forget that not everyone has it as good as we do.”

The two of them talked for a couple more hours and Dean knows they are going to become good friends, and hopefully Castiel won’t hold it against Dean when he beats him at this dare. He may be the straightest guy here, but he wasn’t going to let Charlie think she found a dare that he couldn’t handle. Before people start to talk about what they might be doing in the bedroom, Dean tells Castiel it might be a good idea to head back out to the party.

They are greeted by a bunch of immature giggly teenagers who think they are too funny for their own good in Dean’s opinion.

“Oooohhh, what were you two doing?” Charlie teases.

“We were talking. Ever hear of it?”

“Sure.” Charlie gives Dean a wink like she is trying to speak in some secret code he doesn’t know about. He just ignores her. He looks to Castiel.

“Come on Cas. Do you want me to drive you home?”

Before Castiel can accept or decline his offer, everyone starts chanting.

“Kiss,kiss,kiss,kiss.”

Castiel speaks up this time. “I don’t kiss in front of other people. I’ve never been much for PDA.”

“You have to give us something, otherwise, you’re just two guys hanging out with each other. Defeats the purpose of the whole gay chicken scenario. You’re going to have to get used to PDA if this dare is going to work, otherwise you both lose and can owe me 400.00.”

Both boys roll their eyes and Dean knows he’s going to win. No girl or boy, in this case, has ever been able to resist his charm. He looks at Castiel.

“You can back out at anytime you know. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“You sure do talk a big game, but I think you are the one who is going to lose this dare.”

Both boys close the gap between them and suddenly Castiel’s lips are on his. Dean wasn’t prepared for the use of tongue, but Castiel is pushing his tongue inside Dean’s mouth and he figures he might as well go along with it. The room falls silent and Dean is suddenly very aware that everyone is staring at them. They don’t break apart though and Dean isn’t sure why. He has never had someone kiss him like this before. Their tongues glide together as the kiss is deepened and his hands find their way to Castiel’s hips to pull him closer while the other boy cards his fingers through Dean’s hair and then rests them on the nape of his neck.

They finally manage to pull apart from each other and Dean’s eyes are searching the blue of Castiel’s eyes for a sign that he is going to break, but he doesn’t see one. Everyone is staring at them with mouths open as if they are shocked at what they just witnessed. Without giving them any more satisfaction, Castiel interlocks his fingers with Dean and they are making their way to the front of the house to where his baby is parked.

Castiel lets go of his hand when they are outside and Dean leads the way to the Impala so he can drive the other boy home. He has a strange feeling in his stomach and his knees feel a little weaker with each step and he isn’t quite sure what that is all about.

Chapter Text

Castiel gets into the passenger seat of Dean’s car and, even though he has never shown much excitement for muscle cars before, he must like this one. He feels more relaxed than he did at the beginning of the evening when his sister and cousin drug him to a party he didn’t want to attend. Being in the presence of such a beautiful car must be having a relaxing effect on him.

He was saving money for his own car, which was the only reason he accepted this stupid dare. He wasn’t going to turn down a quick 200 bucks. Although, he thinks he might have his work cut out for him. He had just met Dean, but he spent his entire life being told how mesmerizing his blue eyes are. He thought surely, he would be able to make Dean fold with just one look, but apparently the boy was just as stubborn as he is. He hasn’t lost a dare yet, which is something he purposely failed to mention. He figures his odds of winning are better if Dean doesn’t know about his past as the dare king.

Dean looks over at him from the passenger seat and he must have been talking to him because he looks like he is waiting for Castiel to respond.

“Cas, are you with me?”

“I’m sorry. I must have been lost in my thoughts. What did you say?”

“I asked if there was anywhere you wanted to go or if you just wanted me to take you home.”

“Oh, no, you can just take me home.”

Castiel gives Dean the address. Honestly, he could have just walked home, it’s so close, but it was dark, so he thought it best that he get a ride. He thanked Dean for the ride and walked into his house to be greeted by his dad and mom.

“Hey, Cas, back already? Where’s Anna and Gabe?” his father asks.

“They are still at the party. It wasn’t really my thing, so I had my new friend drive me home.”

“O.k., we were just getting ready to watch a movie. Did you want to join us?”

He looked at his mom and dad snuggled together on the couch, and he hoped that someday he can have that. He tries to forget about the nightmare couple months he spent dating April before they moved here. She was a huge psycho.

“No, I’m fine. I’m just going to relax in my room for a little bit before I go to bed. Love you guys.”

He takes the steps two at a time up to his room. He hadn’t really had much of a chance to get his daily run in since they moved, so he gets the exercise when he can. He flicks the light on in his room and shuts the door behind him. After he puts on his honeybee sweats and a comfy t-shirt, his bladder reminds him that he needs to use the bathroom.

He ends up bumping into Gabriel in the hall on the way.

“Hey, cuz. Are you hiding Dean in your room?”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “Why would I be hiding Dean? I barely know him. Why would I have him in my room?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just that it was a fiery kiss you guys shared earlier.”

“Well, it wasn’t by choice. I’m not going to let Dean cost me 200.00. I had to do what I had to do for the dare.”

“If you say so.” Gabriel walks to the end of the hall to his room before Castiel has a chance to ask him what he’s talking about. He does his business in the bathroom and calls it a night, turning off his light and settling into his bed.

The next few weeks seem to go by fast and then he’s starting his senior year of high school, already forgetting about the dare and hoping his sister’s new girlfriend forgot about it as well. It’s not like Castiel would ever go back on his word, he just wasn’t really into spending who knows how long pretending to be gay with a guy he only just met.

The three Milton children wake up bright and early on August 31 to start their last year of school as strangers in a new school district. They are tough though, Castiel knows they’ll be fine.  When the bus picks them up at their house, Castiel is surprised to see Dean on it. He thought for sure he would drive his own car to school. He’s even more surprised to see him sitting with a kid that looks like he isn’t even in high school yet.

He quickly exits the bus once they arrive at school and he, Anna, and Gabriel walk towards the office to get their schedules. They compare schedules and notice that none of them have a single class together. Their parents must have alerted the school that they should be separated thanks to all of Gabriel’s antics at their last school and Anna and Castiel getting in trouble by association.

Castiel was taking all honors and advanced placement classes this year in preparation for college next year. He was somewhat surprised to see Dean in his AP Calculus course. It isn’t that he thought Dean wasn’t smart when they met. He just didn’t think he had the patience for a class like this. Charlie was there as well, and she kept looking over at Dean scowling every time she saw him brush up against the beautiful brunette sitting next to him. He thinks her name is Lisa, if he remembers correctly from when Mr. Henrickson took attendance.

At lunchtime, Cas didn’t see Anna or Gabriel. They must be running late or have a different lunch period than him. He pays for his food and finds the nearest table he can that’s empty. The table he’s at gives him a good view of Dean flirting with and getting cozy with Lisa. Without realizing what was happening, some random girl with bronzed skin and long dark brown hair is standing next to him.

“Is this seat taken?”

He still hadn’t seen his siblings, so he says, “No, help yourself.”

She sits down and smiles as she introduces herself. “I’m Valerie. Are you new here? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yes, my name is Castiel. We just moved here over the summer.”

They are having an interesting conversation and Castiel thinks she might be into him, which he doesn’t mind. He could see himself dating her if he was reading the room right and she really was interested in getting to know him better. Before they can get any further into their discussion, he hears a commotion coming from the other side of the lunch room and then hears Dean’s voice.

“Charlie, let go. You’re hurting me.”

He looks over to see Charlie walking towards them dragging Dean by the arm. When she reaches their table, he can see the pissed off expression she’s wearing.

“Beat it, Valerie.”

Valerie must know Charlie well because she doesn’t even protest. She just leaves. Charlie and an annoyed looking Dean sit down with Castiel.

“O.k. I’m going to explain this only one more time to you bitches.”

“Explain what Charlie?” Castiel asks, unsure of how he made his sister’s girlfriend so upset when he hasn’t even been spending much time with her.

“Gay chicken is pretending to be gay until someone finally gives up and admits defeat. Has one of you called it quits already?”

They both shake their heads.

“O.k. so what that means is that you two are a couple. That doesn’t mean that you will flirt with whatever skirt will talk to you hoping that Charlie won’t notice. You two are an item. You will do whatever couples do and you are both off the market until one of you gives in, therefore losing the dare and owing Moi 200.00. Have I made myself clear?”

They both nod and say in unison. “Yes, Charlie.”

“O.k. I’m glad that’s settled.”

With that she walks back over to her table, leaving Dean and Castiel dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. Dean speaks first.

“So, it looks like we’re dating.”

“I guess so. I guess we should have read the fine print first.”

They both smile and continue to sit there not really saying much until the bell rings. They walk out of the lunchroom holding hands and Dean kisses Castiel on the cheek before they go their separate ways. Castiel didn’t want this to put a damper on his chances of meeting a nice girl and getting laid, so he really hopes that Dean bows out soon, especially since he can’t help but notice the grin on Gabe’s face after he watches Dean walk away. He would have to ask him what that was all about when he sees him later.

For the next month, Dean and Castiel hold hands in the hall and do the sort of things that any straight couple would do when they are at school, but they haven’t gone on any dates outside of school until the Homecoming dance. Since they are supposed to be dating, it only makes sense that they go to Homecoming together. No point in missing out.

Castiel is getting dressed when he hears a knock on his door.

“Cas, are you in there?” he hears his mom’s voice ask.

“Yes, mom, come in.” Castiel was just finishing putting on his dress shoes when she opened the door. She smiled and put her hand on her mouth.

“Oh, sweetie. Look at you. You look so handsome.”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just homecoming.”

“Well, you are going to make some lady very happy.”

“Yea, about that. I think I should probably come clean. I’m going with a guy. I hope that’s o.k.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m just surprised to hear that. I didn’t know you were even interested in guys.”

“I’m not, but we were both dared to a game of gay chicken, and it’s been going on longer than I would have expected it to. I refuse to be the first one to admit defeat, so I will just have to wait for him to cave. I don’t want to miss out on all the important stuff just because he’s being stubborn in the meantime.”

His mom gives him a look that tells him she doesn’t quite believe him, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Well, just don’t let it go on too long. You don’t want to miss out on a real relationship because of a silly dare.”

“I’ll be fine.” He gives her a peck on the cheek and walks downstairs to meet his siblings in the living room to wait for their dates. He and Dean along with Anna and Charlie and Gabe and his girlfriend Kali, whom he treats like a goddess sometimes, all rented a limo, so they are just waiting for their dates to show up with said limo.

Once the limo announces its arrival, the self-proclaimed triplets say good bye to their parents and meet their dates in their vehicle. They comment on how nice it is and then Anna and Charlie start sucking face while Gabe and Kali do the same. Dean looks at Castiel.

“Well, while in Rome.”

The two boys start making out and even though Castiel wishes this was a girl that he was dating on the other side of the kiss, he isn’t exactly complaining. There could be a million other people he could have been stuck doing this dare with. At least he gets to spend his time with Dean, who has turned out to become a good friend. He doesn’t mind being with him and when he eventually ends up winning, hopefully Dean won’t hold it against him, and they can still remain friends.

They break apart from the kiss and ignore the stares and smiles of the other passengers in the car. Castiel is feeling a little lightheaded. Perhaps he should be drinking more water. He doesn’t think he is getting dehydrated, but he doesn’t know what would be causing him to feel so odd suddenly if not the fact that he hasn’t been staying hydrated. He doesn’t put much more thought to it once the limo arrives at the school and he and Dean are forced to walk into the dance as a couple, just a little more than friends thanks to Charlie.

Chapter Text

Dean grabs hold of Castiel’s hand as they walk into the dance together. He wishes he could be here with Lisa, but he had to break the news to her that until Castiel cried uncle, they would be dating. She said that she would wait for him to finish with his stupid dare, but her lips currently attached to Cole’s right now tell him otherwise. Oh well, she probably would have ended up breaking his heart anyway. At least he isn’t alone. He doesn’t mind hanging out with Castiel. They have become good friends since the dare started.

He leans in so that Castiel can hear him over the loud music. “Do you want to dance?”

Castiel shrugs, “Might as well. Everyone else is doing it. While in Rome, right?”

Dean throws his head back and laughs. Thank goodness he didn’t get stuck doing this dare with someone else. He really does enjoy the other boy’s company. They make their way to the dance floor, but as soon as they get there, the music changes from the loud upbeat song it was playing to a slow melody and Dean wishes that he would have waited to ask him to dance. They are out here now, so they might as well dance. Dean places his hand on Castiel’s waist, being a few inches taller, and Castiel interlocks his fingers behind Dean’s head, resting his arms on his shoulders.

They start dancing, Castiel letting Dean lead. As they get into the slow rhythm of the music, they are staring at each other, and Dean never really paid attention to how blue Castiel’s eyes are. Someone could get lost in them and he knows that when they are done with this silly dare, he will probably make some girl very happy. Dean isn’t sure if it is the slowness of the song or the beauty of his dance partner’s eyes or the fact that he secretly wishes that he was dancing with his hands on Lisa’s hips, but something possesses Dean to close the gap between them and kiss Castiel.

The thing that takes Dean by surprise the most is that this isn’t like any of the other kisses the two have shared over the past month. This one has more fire to it. His tongue makes its way into Castiel’s mouth as his hands wrap tighter around Castiel’s waist, pulling him closer until their bodies are flush as they dance. Castiel’s tongue finds Dean’s as well while his hands are carding through his hair, sending chill’s up Dean’s spine. Just as he can feel Castiel’s erection against his own and he thinks the other boy is going to cry uncle, they are interrupted by Charlie.

“Hey, lovebirds, the song is over. Let’s go sit down.”

They break apart from their kiss and Dean doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what it’s going to take to get Castiel to break. He really wants him to give in so he can have a real relationship. They join their party at the table they reserved, and they catch up on their plans for after graduation.

“So, any aspirations for what you’re going to do once we graduate, Dean?”, Gabe asked him.

“I was wanting to attend KSU and pursue a degree in business. I was planning on opening an auto shop someday and wanted to have the means to keep it from going under. What about you guys?”

Anna speaks first, “I haven’t really put much thought to it. Cas has always been the academic one. I guess wherever Charlie leads, I’ll follow.”

“Aww, babe.” Charlie kisses her and Dean knows that they are out of the conversation for a while.

“I plan on opening up a porn studio, so maybe I’ll join you in the business degree program.”

Dean laughs at that.

“Porn, really?”

“Yea, maybe you and Cas can be my stars. It’s not like either one of you is giving up on this “gay chicken” schtick."

“What the hell were the bunny ears for? I’m not going to be the one to have to owe Charlie 200 bucks. You need to have a chat with your bro-cousin about that one.”

Before they can get around to Castiel sharing what his after high school plans are, the rest of their group comes strolling up behind them and they are pushing more tables together so that everyone fits. They try not to get too rowdy as they discuss their plans for senior prank this year which seems to be Gabe’s specialty. Dean also ignores the smirk pulling at the corners of Gabe’s mouth when he notices that Dean and Castiel have been holding hands for the last 10 minutes. Dean won’t apologize for it. It’s something normal couples would do, except he notices that none of the real couples at their table are currently holding hands, but that doesn’t matter. It’s something he does when he’s in a relationship and Castiel doesn’t seem to mind.

The dance is starting to wind down and they all decide to meet up at the Roadhouse before they go home. Ellen, who owns the bar/restaurant is like a second mom to Dean, so he is excited to see her. She is also Jo’s mom who is like a little sister to him. When they arrive, they can’t get a table together, so they squeeze into a few booths. Ellen comes over and Dean stands up to give her a hug.

“Boy, you get taller every time I see you.” Dean sits back down, and she places her hand on his shoulder. “Who’s the handsome fella you brought with you?”

“This is Cas, my uh…. Well, I guess he’s kind of my boyfriend.” Ellen raises her eyebrow. “We were dared to play gay chicken and neither one of us has given in yet, so we are basically dating even though we’re just friends.”

Ellen doesn’t seem like she believes him, but she doesn’t ask any more questions. Honestly, Dean just wishes everyone would spread the story around town so they wouldn’t have to explain it anymore. He feels a little more foolish each time he has to tell someone. Oh well, it’s not his fault if people don’t understand how truth or dare works. The dare is sacred, and you have to do what is asked of you. That’s just how the game works and who are Dean and Castiel to question that. The lot of them finish their burgers and the limo takes the twins and their bro-cousin home first and Dean and Castiel share a quick kiss before the rest of them are taken home.

When Dean walks through the door of his house, Bobby and Sam are on the couch ready to grill him.

“It’s about time you got home boy. And why didn’t you bring this girl of yours by so we could meet her?”

Dean doesn’t want to have this discussion again, so he quickly explains the gay chicken dare before heading to the back of the house to his room. He can hear Sam’s laugh carry down the hall along with Bobby calling him an idjit. He falls asleep that night wondering if he should just suck it up and give in just to be done with it, but he doesn’t want to listen to Charlie gloat about finally finding a dare that he couldn’t finish nor did he want to owe her 200.00, so he’ll keep with it and wait for Castiel to give up. It’s time to strap on the Winchester charm full force. Castiel will never know what hit him.

Castiel must be immune to his charm because nothing he throws at him seems to get him to budge. They keep holding hands and kissing and Dean has even upped the game to grabbing his ass a few times, but nothing he does makes him give in. They’ve even been spending time together at each other’s houses and Chuck and Becky have basically accepted that he and their son are an item, much the same as Bobby has done with Castiel. Sam keeps laughing and teasing Dean about it like the immature kid that he is.

One night about a week after Dean’s 18^th birthday in March, when they were getting close to the finish line of their high school career, he and Castiel are studying in his room when he has an epiphany.

He looks from where he’s lying on his bed over to Castiel who looks entranced in whatever book he has his nose stuffed in.

“O.k. are you planning on giving up anytime soon?”

“Not yet, I’m only about halfway through with what I’m reading.”

“No, not that. I mean with the dare.”

“Oh, no. I haven’t lost a dare yet, so I’m not going to start now. Why? Are you planning on giving up soon?”

“No, it’s just that I’m horny and my hand isn’t doing it for me anymore.”

Castiel puts his book down and focuses his attention on Dean.

“I’ve been a little horny myself, but we aren’t allowed to fool around with anyone unless we want to forfeit the dare.”

Dean will look back on this moment for many years to come and still not understand what possessed him to say the words that are about to come out of his mouth. “Well, then why don’t we fool around with each other?”

Castiel raises his eyebrow and tilts his head to the side. “Like, fool around, fool around?”

“Yes, like you know, give each other head and stuff. We’ll just close our eyes and pretend it’s a girl doing it.”

“O.k. but what is the one giving head going to pretend they are doing?”

Dean hadn’t really thought about that part of it. He was still stuck on the part about being horny and wanting a blowjob.

“I don’t know, Cas. Just pretend you’re sucking on a big lollipop. Whatever floats your boat.”

Castiel doesn’t seem like he needs much more convincing when he shrugs and walks over and sits next to Dean on the bed.

“O.k. but you do me first since it was your idea and I’m older.”

“What do you mean you’re older? We’re the same age.”

“Yea, but I turned 18 in September. You just turned 18 last week.”

Shit, Dean was running out of excuses.

“How about we rock, paper, scissors it.”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “Fine.”

They do rock, paper, scissors and of course Dean picks paper while Castiel chooses scissors.

“O.k. looks like you have to go first.” Castiel seems a little too pleased with himself for Dean’s taste. He lies down on Dean’s bed and Dean grabs a towel and hands it to Castiel.

“That’s to clean yourself off with when you come. I’m not swallowing that shit, so you’re going to warn me before you do it.”

“Alright.”

“O.k.” Dean just stares at him for a minute. “Well, are you going to take your pants off? It won’t work otherwise.”

“Oh, right.”

Castiel lifts his hips and quickly pulls down his pants and boxers and kicks them off. Then Dean is left staring at his dick.

“Dude, you’re already hard.”

“I’m 18 and we were talking about me getting my dick sucked. Don’t tell me you’re not hard too.”

Dean can’t argue with that because he most certainly is, but he won’t give Castiel the satisfaction of knowing that. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as he grabs hold of Castiel’s dick. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t feel weird, but he is looking forward to his turn, so he just goes with it.

He wraps his mouth around him and just starts bobbing up and down. He remembers Charlie telling him one time that lesbians are so good at pleasuring each other because they know what they want. So, that’s what Dean does. He tries to give Castiel what he would want, and it must be working because as soon as he licks up the underside of his dick, Castiel is moaning and burying his fingers in Dean’s hair.

“Yes, Dean, so good.”

O.k. he was not expecting that. It’s one thing to get each other off because they are horny. It’s another thing to be vocal about it, but it gives him the motivation to keep going. He ends up gagging himself a few times unsure of how far back a dick could go in a person’s mouth, but he tries to keep a steady rhythm. He keeps bobbing up and down, licking and sucking, giving a lot of attention to the tip where he knows it’s most sensitive. He feels Castiel tap him on his arm, and he pulls away just in time to see his semen shooting out of his dick in thick spurts.

Castiel jerks himself off until it's all out and then he wipes himself off and then he looks at Dean.

“That was pretty good for your first time. I guess it’s your turn now.”

He puts his pants back on while Dean grabs a clean towel and lays down on the bed where Castiel was. He kicks off his pants quickly and Castiel’s smirk doesn’t go unnoticed as he looks at Dean’s dick which is also hard.

“You were saying earlier?”

Dean smiles. “Shut up. Your statement applies to me too.”

Dean lays his head back and was totally not ready for the sensation of Castiel’s warm mouth wrapped around his dick. He bobs up and down much the same way that Dean did, and he can see why Castiel was getting all worked up.

“Cas, so good, man.”

Dean could get used to this. Not that he wants to make a comparison, but this was ten times better than when Cassie did it. She didn’t push all the right buttons like Castiel is doing as his tongue is licking a stripe up his length and then sucking him down again. He grabs tight to Castiel’s hair, and he knows he’s not going to last much longer. He starts to see stars and he knows he’s getting ready to come. He taps Castiel on the shoulder to warn him and once Castiel has removed his mouth, Dean is stroking himself to completion, trying to breath normally through his orgasm.

He cleans himself up and puts his pants back on. Now comes the awkward part where they have to talk.

“So……that just happened.” He says.

“Yea, why don’t we keep this between us. We’ve been acting gay in front of Charlie to keep her satisfied about the dare. She doesn’t need to know what we do behind closed doors.”

“I agree.” Dean wants to make sure they are on the same page though. “We are going to do this again though, right.”

Castiel smiles at him and kisses him on the cheek. “Definitely. That was like the best stress relief I’ve had in a long time.” He gets up from the bed and puts his book in his book bag before walking towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yep, see you tomorrow.” After Castiel leaves, Dean gets ready for bed and lies in his bed with a smile on his face knowing he didn’t have to go without sex now and Charlie doesn’t get the satisfaction of thinking she is torturing Dean with this dare. He knows he can hold out as long as he’s getting some. Castiel was definitely going to break before him. It’s just a matter of time.

Chapter Text

When Castiel left Dean’s house, he felt like a weight had been lifted. He had been carrying around so much stress because he couldn’t be in a relationship thanks to this stupid dare he had stupidly agreed to, but now that he and Dean had this arrangement, there was nothing to worry about anymore. He could feel that it was just a matter of time before Dean would break and end up owing Charlie 200.00. Castiel heard the rumors around the school, so he knew how much of a player Dean was and how difficult it was for him to commit to someone. He also knew how inherently straight Dean was. He would either admit defeat and forfeit the dare, so he could hop in the sack with Lisa, or he would get caught by Charlie groping Lisa behind the bleachers and Castiel would be crowned the dare king once again. So, he went to bed with a smile on his face that night because he knew he was going to win.

Castiel may have gotten ahead of himself though. It turns out Dean is more stubborn than he initially thought. He seems happier since they had decided to become each other’s stress relief. He hadn’t noticed before that Dean was a bit withdrawn, but now he seems more upbeat.

“What’s gotten into you?” Charlie asks Dean as they find their way to their seats in AP Calculus.

Dean winks at Castiel as if he knows. “Nothing. Just had a good dream, is all.”

Charlie doesn’t respond as she looks from Dean to Castiel, Castiel shrugging, pretending he doesn’t know what is going on with Dean either. Right before Mr. Henrickson steps into the room to take attendance, Dean passes Castiel a note. Castiel reads it and it says: Is it o.k. if I come over to your house tonight? Castiel looks at Dean, who is wearing a big grin on his face, and Castiel nods to let him know that’s o.k.

When Castiel gets home after school, he says hello to his parents and runs up to his room to make sure everything is in order and his room is clean. He really hopes Dean isn’t planning on trying to have sex as in the penetrative type. He really wasn’t ready to do that, and he is keeping his fingers crossed that the dare would be over with before that would become a topic of discussion anyway. When he hears the doorbell ring a little later, he runs downstairs to answer it before his mom even had a chance to stand up.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Heya, Cas.”

Castiel drags Dean upstairs after letting his parents know they would be in his room studying. Once they are in the safety of his room, Castiel locks the door just in case someone gets the idea to walk in without knocking. Then, it gets awkward. He watches as Dean rubs the back of his head, a sign that Castiel has picked up on, that means Dean is nervous about something. Castiel steps closer to hopefully ease his nerves.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to Dean. I do know that I feel a weight lifted after last night. I feel more relaxed now.”

“Yea, me too. It just seems weird that this isn’t weird.”

“Well, until one of us is willing to admit defeat, we might as well make the best of our situation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to remain abstinent for however long this lasts.”

With that being said, they find themselves naked and lying on Castiel’s bed, Castiel straddling Dean with his hand wrapped around both of their cocks, jerking them slowly trying to get a feel for it, having never done this before. He realizes as he starts to speed up that he probably should have grabbed more lube. He’s beginning to feel the friction. He doesn’t want to stop though and, by the look on Dean’s face staring up at him, he’s enjoying it too. Dean must be thinking the same thing he’s thinking.

“Cas, fuck, don’t stop. Keep going.”

Castiel improvises and reaches for the lube with the hand that is not currently jerking them off and just squirts. They both jump because it’s cold. He didn’t think about having to warm it up first.

“Sorry.” He chuckles.

“S’okay.” Dean pulls Castiel’s head down towards him and then they kiss. It seems super intimate, but he doesn’t mind because it’s increasing his pleasure.

“Dean.”

“Cas.”

Castiel thinks he is going to black out as he moves his hand even faster to chase his orgasm.

“Cas, so good.”

“Dean, I’m gonna….fuck, I’m coming.”

“Cas!!”

Dean arches his back and digs his fingers into Castiel’s thighs as they both spill all over Dean’s stomach. Castiel isn’t even sure if they are both done as he collapses on Dean. He’s too overstimulated to even care that he is now lying in a glob of cum, both his and Dean’s all mixed together.

“Dean that was…. I don’t even have words.”

“I know Cas, me too.”

Dean is running his hand up and down Castiel’s back as if to comfort him and he kisses his forehead.

“We should probably get cleaned up and then try to study a little.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.”

Castiel is content with where he’s at, but still he gets up and gets a washcloth so they can clean off and get some work done. Thankfully, they hadn’t made enough noise to alert anyone to what they were doing. They don’t sit in awkward silence like last night, but Castiel can feel something changing between them. It’s like the first time you go to the bathroom when you have been drinking a lot. You suddenly have to keep going to the bathroom multiple times. It turns out that something similar happens when you are playing gay chicken with another guy, and you are trying to get him to chicken out first. You just keep having sex.

The two of them seem to have a hard time keeping their hands and dicks to themselves anymore and it’s driving Castiel crazy that no matter what he does, Dean just won’t cave.  Just about every night for the next two months leading up to high school graduation they are either dry humping in the back of the Impala or giving each other blowjobs in between studying. They’ve gone so far as jerking each other off in the back of the movie theater which they probably won’t do again because it’s no fun sitting trying to watch a movie with dried come in your underwear. In hindsight, they should have waited until the end of the movie, but as soon as the lights went down their libidos got the best of them and their hands were in each other’s pants.

The week before graduation, Castiel is talking with his family at dinner about his plans for college. He had already received his acceptance letter from KSU just like Dean. They were going to attend together, and Charlie had hacked into the computer system to ensure that they were roommates. He would obviously leave that part out of his story.

“So, when we are done with our annual summer trip abroad, Dean and I are going to drive together to get set up in our dorm at KSU.” He just blurts out.

“So, you two have really become serious I see.” His dad comments.

“No, it’s not like that, remember? He just hasn’t chickened out yet, so now we have to live together at college until he does.”

Anna places her fork down on her plate rather loudly for Castiel’s liking. “Oh, for the love of all things holy, Castiel, will you just give it a rest. I’m actually gay and I don’t spend as much time making out and fondling Charlie as you and Dean do with each other.  You can’t possibly be this clueless that you don’t realize the two of you are in a relationship and it has nothing to do with the dare.” She pushes her plate away as if she finds it offensive and rests her arms on the table. “Are you two having sex?”

“Anna!”

“Sorry, mom, but I don’t see how they can spend so much time together and give each other googly eyes and they aren’t having sex.”

Castiel doesn’t appreciate what his sister is implying. “Not, that it’s any of your business, but we have not had penetrative sex, no. We just hang out.” He’s not completely lying.

“Whatever, Castiel. Just keep living in your dream world.”

She gets up from the table without waiting to be excused and storms off loudly to her room.

“Anywho, is anyone interested in what I plan on doing after graduation?”

“No!!” Castiel and his parents say in unison. They already know what Gabe’s plans are. They certainly don’t need to hear it again.

 He doesn’t see Dean again until the day of graduation. They were both too busy finishing up with their final assignments and preparing to walk across the stage, so they didn’t have time for each other. They are nowhere near each other in the alphabet either, so they aren’t sitting together while they wait to get their diploma. He’s stuck in the middle of his sister, who is still annoyed with him, and his cousin, who still thinks the whole thing is extremely amusing. Castiel just gives him the stink eye since he thinks he’s so funny.

Castiel hopes nobody pokes an eye out as they throw their caps in the air. They were officially high school graduates, and he was looking forward to the future. He still just needs to find a way to freak Dean out enough to make him lose the dare. Lately, though, it doesn’t seem like there is anything Dean isn’t willing to try. It’s progressively getting harder and harder (Castiel laughs internally at the use of the pun) to get him to say no to anything.

Everyone he has befriended this past school year meets up at the Roadhouse before they go their separate ways. Benny is going off to culinary school to become a chef. He and Andrea plan on getting married once he opens his first restaurant. Charlie and Anna ended up breaking things off. They just have different paths they are taking, and neither is willing to sacrifice for the sake of their relationship. They both agree they are too young to commit without seeing where their lives take them. The breakup is at least amicable, and they decide to stay friends. Gabriel and Kali are heading to California after the annual Milton summer trip abroad. Gabe really is determined to start a porn business, and nobody has been able to talk him out of it. Donna and Jody are joining the police academy. The two of them will make great police officers, Castiel thinks, and he lets them know how proud he is of them. Garth has plans of becoming a dentist, so he’s going to be attending KSU along with Castiel and Dean. Jo was never one for school, so she plans on staying to help with the Roadhouse which Ellen has already told her will be hers when Ellen is ready to retire. Nobody really knows what Meg’s plans are and she isn’t disclosing. She’s probably going to join up with Gabe to be part of his porn empire for all Castiel knows.

Once the sun starts to set, they all go their separate ways and promise to keep in touch. Before Castiel has a chance to walk out to the car with his family, Dean is dragging him over to the Impala, letting his parents know that he will drop him off in a couple hours. Castiel doesn’t miss the I told you so scowl resting on his sister’s face.

Dean drives them out to the popular make out spot and they find the most secluded area to park. Dean turns the car off and turns to face Castiel.

“So, are you planning on letting Charlie know that you are giving up on the dare before you go?”

“No, why would I do that?”

“Dude, you’re going to be gone all summer. That’s almost three whole months without sex. I’m not going to risk getting caught with a girl by Charlie just to get my rocks off while you’re gone.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you have two hands then.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey, I’m going to have to do the same thing while I’m gone, except it will be more difficult for me because I’ll be in a tiny house with my family. Not much room for privacy where we will be.”

Dean hops in the back seat, dragging Castiel with him. They learned previously that it’s a bit cramped for them, but they make do.

“I guess we better make this count until you get back then.”

They rip each other’s clothes off and exchange blowjobs as quickly and efficiently as they can. They started swallowing after the first couple times they gave each other a blowjob a couple months ago. They decided that it was just less messy that way and the taste wasn’t as bad as they both had expected it to be initially.

They lie in the backseat trying to come down from their post orgasm high and as Dean is kissing and sucking on his neck which is sending tingles up his spine, Castiel asks, “So, do you think we’re gay?”

Dean stops kissing him and Castiel immediately regrets the question because he was really enjoying that. He looks at Castiel and smiles.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m still as straight as an arrow. No interest in guys whatsoever. Why do you ask?”

“Well, everyone thinks we’re being delusional with what we’re doing. I know I’m still straight. It just seems like they don’t take us seriously when we tell them we have to pretend to be gay for a dare.”

“We don’t need to worry what other people think. We only have to worry what we think.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Dean sits up. “Come on. Let me get you home, so you can get ready for your grand adventure.”

Dean drops him off at home and Castiel once again ignores the stare from his sister when he walks into the house with a hickey on his neck. He’s not sure if he’s going to survive this summer with all the judgement. Maybe Dean will give in, and he won’t have to worry much longer.

Chapter Text

“You two are a couple of idjits, you know that, boy?” Bobby scolds Dean as he’s packing for his trip to the dorms. He’s been impatiently waiting for Castiel’s return from his summer abroad.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Bobby. Cas and I are just fine.”

“That’s Uncle Bobby to you and you watch your tone with me boy. The two of you have basically been in a relationship for a year now and you are still trying to tell me that you’re just friends?”

“It’s called a dare, Uncle Bobby. Didn’t they have truth or dare when you were young?”

Dean throws the last of his clothes in his duffel and walks out to the living room with Bobby on his heels. Sam looks like he’s stifling a laugh as he eats his cereal at the kitchen table, Dean throwing him a bitch face. Bobby has caught up to him by now.

“Of course, I know what truth or dare is, but if me and Rufus had been playing gay chicken as long as you, we would have been gay. You two are just in denial.”

Dean is still ignoring the giggle coming from the kitchen table.

“We are not in denial Uncle Bobby. We are just both really stubborn and I keep trying to get him to chicken out and he keeps calling my bluffs. I have to up my game is all. I’m as straight as they come. See.”

Then he stands at attention like his father showed him that he had to do when he was in the Marines. There is the distinct sound of Sam spitting food out of his mouth, and he breaks out into a fit of laughter. Dean also doesn’t miss the raised eyebrow Bobby is giving him as he is looking down towards the floor. Dean looks down to see what the problem is. He knew his bowed legs would get him in trouble someday.

“You know what I mean.”

He doesn’t have time for this right now. He smacks Sam upside the head on his way back to his room and sits on his bed to pout. None of them knew what they were talking about. He and Castiel are just really good at playing truth or dare and everyone else is just jealous of their stamina. There is no doubt in his mind that both he and Castiel are still straight. He has no problem checking out the female form and he knows Castiel still likes girls as well.

His thoughts are interrupted by a knock on his door.

“Your fella is here if you want to see him.”

Dean nearly knocks Bobby over as he darts out the door and meets Castiel at the front door. Bobby yelling, “You were saying?” right as he shuts the front door and pulls Castiel in for a kiss. He didn’t realize how much he missed the other boy until just now. They were still friends after all.  His lips are soft and tender as they deepen their kiss, Dean pulling a moan out of Castiel or was he the one moaning. He couldn’t really tell. He was too focused on what was going on in his and Castiel’s pants right now. He pulls away to look at the other boy.

“Fuck, I missed this, Cas.”

“Me, too. Do you think we could go somewhere for a little bit?”

“Yea, let me just grab my keys.”

He walks into the house and quickly grabs his keys off the counter where he left them and thankfully Bobby is watching t.v. so he doesn’t notice the obscene gesture that Sam is making as he pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek repeatedly. Little brothers are annoying sometimes.

“Bitch.” He yells as he gets ready to walk out the door.

“Jerk.”

He meets Castiel at the car and drives them to the secluded area of make out point and it doesn’t take them long to get into the backseat. It’s been two and a half months since their dicks have made contact and it’s long overdue. They fumble while trying to take off their pants and Dean thinks this would probably go a lot smoother if they weren’t trying to rush it. He doesn’t care though. He needs Castiel’s hands on him as of yesterday. They finally manage to loosen their pants enough to pull them down and off. He pushes Castiel onto his back and he starts rutting against him, almost enjoying the bliss when he realizes that they need more lubrication.

“Hold up, let me grab the lube.”

“Alright.”

He reaches into the dash where he remembers putting a bottle a couple weeks ago. He knew Castiel would be back soon, and he thought he might need it. He squirts some in his hand to warm it up and awkwardly takes them both in hand. He isn’t sure how Castiel did this the last time. He can’t keep a good rhythm because he’s just too overstimulated. They were both about ready to explode anyway, because it only takes a few more strokes before they are both erupting like a damn volcano. He didn’t expect to be so turned on when he saw Castiel, but little Dean (well not too little) knows what he wants, so he was ready for it apparently.

They lie there trying to catch their breath and it feels nice. He knows they should probably be leaving soon, but his heart melts as Castiel massages his scalp and quite honestly, he doesn’t want to move, but they eventually do. Dean drives Castiel home so that he can pack. They plan on leaving in the morning for the dorms and Dean can hardly wait. He has been looking forward to college for a few years now and now he gets to live with his best friend. It doesn’t get better than that.

He wakes up the next morning with an idea of how to get Castiel to chicken out. That way he and Castiel can enjoy their college career attending all the sorority parties instead of telling people they are taken because they are playing gay chicken. He takes his shower and gets dressed and calls Castiel to tell him he’ll be over in a little bit to pick him up.

Once baby is packed for the 1 ½ hour trip to KSU, he goes back in the house to say his goodbyes. He hugs Bobby and tells him how much he’s going to miss him. Bobby calls him an idjit again and goes back to staring at the t.v. to watch his Telanovela that Dean and Sam only know about. He wasn’t into chick flick moments either. Then he turns to Sam, his not so little brother anymore.

“I won’t be far away Sammy so I can visit often. Since you’ll be starting high school next year, make sure everyone knows you’re Dean Winchester’s brother. That should keep the bullies away.”

Sam smirks at him. “You mean you want me to tell everyone that my big brother is the guy who has been playing gay chicken with another guy for a year and still thinks he’s straight and expect that to keep the bullies away?”

Dean gives him his best bitch face.

“Just keep your chin up and you’ll be fine.”

He hugs tight to his little bro and hops in the car to get Castiel. Evidently all brothers are annoying because Dean catches a glimpse of Gabe making the same obscene gesture that Sam made yesterday. They all just need to mind their business. Once they get on the road, Dean smacks Castiel’s hand as he tries to mess with the radio.

“Hands off the radio, unless you want to walk.”

He gives him a quick smile to let him know he won’t make him walk, but he should also know he will cause him bodily harm if he touches the radio again. They didn’t have to make any stops along the way, so they made it to the dorm right before lunch. They decide to put their stuff in their room and walk around campus and get something to eat. Neither of them had much to carry, so they make it easily in one trip. Dean opens the door and is suddenly caught off guard when he only sees one bed. He looks at Castiel and they both drop their stuff on the floor. Dean is going to kill her. She’s his friend, but she had better have life insurance because she may just need it soon.

“Charlie.” He doesn’t even bother waiting for her to say hello. He just says her name as soon as she picks up the phone and he can sense that she may be trying to hold in a laugh on the other end.

“Hey, Dean, what’s up?”

At this point, they had shut the door and both men are now sitting on the very comfy double bed, the only one in their room.

“Do you want to tell me why our room only has one bed?”

“My bad, I thought I told you. While I was able to hack into the system to make sure you two were in the same room, but the only one left was a married couples room. I saw the schematics. It looks like you can fit another bed in there if you want.”

“We don’t have the money for another bed Charlie.”

“Well, you guys can figure it out. You’re supposed to be dating anyway. Does it matter?”

“We don’t have to be dating in private, though. I need my space when I sleep.”

He rolls his eyes and hangs up with her before he has a coronary. He looks at Castiel who is wearing a blank expression. He wishes he knew what he was thinking right now.

“What did Charlie say?”

“She basically said that we are stuck sleeping in one bed.” Dean raises an eyebrow having just had a thought. “Unless you don’t think you can. Unless you want to chicken out.”

Castiel says, “I’m fine Dean. I can suck it up for the sake of the dare.”

“Whatever you say Cas. Let’s get out of here and see what’s going on around campus. We only have a week before classes start and I want to make sure I know my way around.”

They look around the dorm. One good thing about having a married couple’s room is that they have a private bathroom, so kudos to Charlie for that one. Dean hated communal showers. Too many germs, plus too many dicks flapping around. Guys really weren’t shy, and Dean didn’t need to see everyone in their birthday suit while he is trying to shower.

They take a walk around the campus, Dean mainly to find where the food is, and they come across a flyer for a freshman mixer party that’s happening tonight. He gives Castiel a look to tell him that they are definitely attending that, and he keeps his fingers crossed that Castiel meets some hottie that will make him want to lose the dare, so that Dean can also find himself a hottie.

Later on, when it’s time for the mixer, they dress in their party best and find their way to the building that was advertised for the freshman mixer. It was already in full swing by the time they arrived. The music was playing so loud, Dean could barely hear himself think. He yells so that Castiel can hear him.

“Why don’t we go mingle and then we’ll meet back here in an hour?”

Castiel agrees. “O.k. see you then.”

Dean watches as Castiel walks towards the kitchen, probably to get a drink. Dean walks around trying to find some random chick to bang once Castiel gives up on the dare. None of them seem to be his type tonight though. He is a bit disappointed by that. He’s making his way to one of the back rooms when he bumps into Garth.

“Dean, I was wondering if I would see you here.”

“Hey, Garth. How’s it hanging man.”

“Same, are you and Castiel still together?”

“You mean are we still friends playing gay chicken together?”

“Yea, sure, if that’s what you kids are calling it.”

Dean is tired of having this same conversation. “Yes, we’re roommates. He’s around here somewhere.” Dean does a scan of the room to see if he can spot him. He finds him in the corner talking and nodding to some random brunette. She is obviously flirting with him and trying to get into his pants. He points him out to Garth, and he isn’t sure why his voice cracks a bit when he speaks. “See, he’s over there with that chick.”

Castiel must have seen them because he says something to the girl which she didn’t seem to like very much and then Castiel walks towards them. He gives Dean a kiss on the cheek and Dean doesn’t miss the cheeky grin on Garth’s face. Castiel looks at Garth as if he’s just now noticing him.

“Hey, Garth. Long time no see.”

Castiel gives him a quick hug.

“Hey, Castiel. It was nice seeing you guys, but I was talking to this girl named Bess a minute ago and I said I would grab her a drink. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea if I don’t come back. I think we might have a thing.”

“Well, good luck man.”

Dean and Castiel say goodbye to their high school friend and Dean keeps scanning the room trying to see if he can find someone for Castiel. He doesn’t have to go very far. There is a pretty brunette with dark hair falling just below her shoulders and eyes that are possibly a deeper shade of blue than Castiel’s walking towards them. She smiles and holds out her hand to shake.

“Hello, my name is Hannah.”

“Hi, my name is Castiel, and this is Dean, my gay chicken dare.”

She stands there for a minute as if she’s waiting for a punch line and then finally speaks up.

“I’m sorry, your what?”

Since Castiel hasn’t learned how to speak with other people yet, Dean jumps in to clarify.

“What he means is, we are friends, but we were dared to play gay chicken by one of our other friends and are just waiting for one of us to give in.”

She tries to smile, but Dean can tell that it’s forced. “Oh, I see. How long have you two been playing?”

“A year now. One of us is bound to crack eventually.”

Hannah doesn’t seem like she knows what to say to that, so she politely smiles and tells them that she has to meet one of her friends on the other side of the room. Dean watches as she walks away and, the moment he sees everyone whispering and giggling, he comes to the realization that maybe he and Castiel should stop telling everyone their story. It doesn’t seem like anyone understands the sanctity of a dare but them.

He leans in and whispers to Castiel who seems to agree. “Maybe we should just start telling people we are boyfriends. I don’t think college kids are as understanding as our high school friends.”

“I agree. Perhaps we should just go back to our room.”

“Yes, that sounds like a plan.”

They make their way through the crowd, politely smiling as they make their exit. When they get back to their room they lay down on the bed. At least they both fit comfortably on it, so that’s a plus. Dean needs to find some way to get Castiel to chicken out and pay Charlie the money that the loser has to fork over, so that he can find someone to be in a real relationship with. So, for the second time in less than a year, he asks a question that he will maybe regret asking later.

“Should we just start fucking each other?”

Castiel doesn’t answer right away, and Dean thinks that he finally got him. He finally asked the right question. He was wrong though as his friend looked at him and spoke.

“We might as well. It’s not like we’re going to be able to fuck any girls while we’re in the middle of all this. Let me go get the computer.”

Dean lies there regretting his life choices as Castiel grabs his computer for God knows what, but then he realizes that at least he’s going to have sex again, as in more than just a blow job sex, so what’s not to like about it? His dick twitches in his pants a little just thinking about it.

Chapter Text

As Castiel searched in his suitcase for his computer, he was beginning to panic a little, but he would not give Dean the satisfaction of knowing that he was a couple seconds away from cracking. If he played his cards right, he would trick Dean in to going first so that he wouldn’t have to worry too much about the idea of having a dick in his ass anytime soon. It just sounded very painful, and he didn’t understand how people could do that. He takes a few deep breaths to try to calm his nerves and then he gathered himself up and walked back over to the bed to join Dean.

With any luck, Castiel will be able to freak Dean out enough that he will chicken out and save him from going through with this.

“Dude, what is the computer for?”

“I don’t know about you, but I have no clue how to have anal sex with another dude, so I figure we need to do some research.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Castiel places the computer on the table next to the bed so that they both can see it and he types gay anal sex in the search bar and his eyes go wide by all the different options. He ends up clicking on Pornhub and can’t believe his eyes. Not only does this guy have one dick in his ass, but he has two. How is that even possible? Can the rectum even stretch that wide comfortably? He has so many questions.

For the sake of him not chickening out and owing Charlie 200.00, he closes out of the porn site and just looks for a tutorial. There should be one on the web somewhere. There seems to be a tutorial for everything these days.

“This is better.” He tells Dean as he clicks on a you tube video explaining anal sex for beginners.

“I was worried there for a minute, Cas. I thought you were actually going to use gay porn as a starting point for our first time.” Dean laughs, but Castiel can tell that it’s a nervous laugh.

“Just pay attention. You’ll need to know what to do for when it’s your turn.”

“Yes, like as in this turn.”

Castiel looks at Dean. Are they really going to have to argue about this again.

“It was your idea and I’m older. That means you get to go first.”

“No. We are rock, paper, scissoring this bitch.”

So, once again, they play rock, paper, and scissors and once again Dean loses as Castiel’s paper smothers his rock.

“Fuck.”

“You said it. Now, strip.” Castiel tries not to sound too bossy, but he was just thrilled that he wasn’t the first victim.

Dean removes his clothes and gets on his stomach with a pillow under his stomach like the video said. They decided not to do it the missionary way. That is just too personal. It’s not about connecting with someone; it’s just about having an orgasm.

Castiel finishes watching the anal sex 101 tutorial and closes the computer. The video showed multiple ways to “prep” but there was no way his tongue was going anywhere near Dean’s asshole. That’s just disgusting. It’s bad enough that his fingers were going to be up there. He places a condom on the bed next to him along with the lube and squirts a generous amount on his fingers.

“O.k. Dean, just let me know if this hurts at all.”

“You’re about to stick your fingers and then your dick in my ass, of course it’s going to hurt, but I’m just looking forward to my turn, so just hurry.”

Castiel slides his first finger slowly in and doesn’t hear any protest from Dean, so it must not hurt.

“That’s not too bad, just do it slowly.”

“O.k.”

So, that’s what Castiel does, he pushes his finger in and out and he would be lying if he didn’t say it was weird, but he needs to do what he can to hang on to his money. He slowly adds another finger, scissoring like the video said, and when he pushes a third finger in next to the other two, he hooks it just right to try to find Dean’s prostate which he was told was the pleasure spot. Then, Dean twitches and cries out.

“Holy fuck, Cas. Yes, right there.”

“Does that feel good?” Castiel is genuinely curious because he knows his turn is next.

“Shit, yea it feels good. Now, I’m starting to see what the hype is all about. Stick your dick in me now. That would probably make it feel even better.”

Castiel pulls his fingers out and wipes them off on the sheets. They could wash them later. He quickly puts the condom on and slicks it up with the lube. He places his cock against Dean’s hole.

“Remember…”

“Yes, Cas, if it hurts, I’ll tell you. Now just stick it in.”

Dean seems to be a bit impatient, so Castiel slowly pushes his dick in and it’s tight, even tighter than April’s vagina had been, which makes sense because at least that is meant to stretch. Castiel just sits there for a minute giving Dean some time to adjust like the tutorial recommended.

“Let me know when you’re ready Dean. I’ll go slow at first.”

“O.k. Cas, I’m o.k. just go slow and then speed up, I guess. I’ll yell if it hurts.”

So, Castiel does just that. He sets a slow steady pace, trying not to cause Dean any pain, but he underestimated how it would feel. Dean’s muscles wrap around Castiel’s cock increasing his pleasure and he’s fighting against his urge to just fuck him senseless. Then, Dean starts to make noises which Castiel thinks that means he might be enjoying it, so he increases his pace a little, rotating his hips for good measure.

“Yes, Cas. Shit, it feels good. I didn’t….I had no idea…..harder, please, please.”

“Dean, you feel so good. I don’t want to stop.” Castiel grips tight to Dean’s hips and just thrusts in and out as Dean moans underneath him.

“Dean, almost there.”

“Cas, fuuuuuuck.” Then Dean’s ass tightens around Castiel’s cock, pushing him over the edge. They both come at the same time and Castiel thinks he has died and gone to Heaven. When he has finished riding out his orgasm, he pulls out and collapses next to Dean. He pulls off the condom, ties it off and throws it somewhere on the floor next to Dean. He will just pick it up later. He was too content right now to bother.

Dean throws the pillow on the floor looking pleased that he didn’t make a mess on the bed. Both men get comfortable under the covers and Dean breaks the silence first.

“Holy shit, Cas, we are absolutely doing that again. I never had an orgasm like that with Cassie either time I had sex with her.”

Castiel just smiles at him.

“O.k. Dean, but maybe I could have a turn tomorrow, just to see what it’s like. You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

“Sure, Cas. I would be happy to do that for you.”

Castiel turns to face the wall and Dean cuddles up behind him as they both drift off into a peaceful slumber. When Castiel opens his eyes again, he notices it must be morning because it is light outside. The sun seems to be shining through the window at the foot of their bed. It’s a good thing the curtain isn’t wide open because Castiel notices that there is something poking him in the back and Dean is kissing his neck.

“Dean?”

“Hey, Cas. Sorry to wake you up, but I woke up with some serious morning wood and was just wondering if you wanted to take your turn. I can just jerk off in the shower if you don’t want to.”

Castiel is still nervous about having Dean’s dick up his ass, but it’s only fair that he takes a turn since Dean was such a good sport about it last night. He turns to his side to face Dean and kisses him gently on the lips.

“No, I’ll take my turn. I don’t mind. It’s only fair.”

Castiel gets into position on his stomach like Dean did and Dean makes quick work of getting the supplies ready.

“Just like with me Cas, let me know if I hurt you.”

“I will.”

Castiel doesn’t have to tell Dean once that he’s hurting him though. He tries to relax so that he will get a more pleasurable experience out of it, and he does. He didn’t think that he would like this at all. It was just something he would need to endure to keep from losing 200.00, but as he lies here with Dean’s fingers opening him up, he feels like he has gone to Heaven.

Dean must think he’s ready, because Castiel can hear the condom wrapper and Dean squirting the lube. Then, there’s the distinct feel of Dean’s dick pressed up against his anus.

“Remember, Cas, tell me to stop if it hurts at all.”

“I will, Dean, I promise.”

As Dean pushes his way inside Castiel’s body, he can feel his spine tingling. Dean was not kidding. This is like no sensation he has felt before. Dean stops once he’s fully seated, possibly to give Castiel a chance to adjust to having him inside his body.

“Dean, move please.” His voice cracks some and he is then rendered speechless as Dean does just that. His thrusts are slow at first as if he’s trying to get a feel for it.

“Cas, you’re so tight, man. I don’t want to stop.”

Castiel stifles a moan into the pillow because he can’t hold it in anymore and the more noise he makes, the more it seems to make Dean want to speed up. Castiel thought that being rammed repeatedly in the ass would be painful and while there is a small amount of discomfort with this being his first time having something in an area that isn’t meant to have an object in, he finds that he doesn’t want Dean to stop. He could do this all day and it would still not be enough.

“Cas, fuck, almost there.”

Dean gives a few more thrusts and is then shooting his load inside the condom, the throbbing of his cock sending Castiel over the edge and he is suddenly christening the pillow underneath him that Dean christened just the night before which is a bit gross when he thinks about it because he could be laying in Dean’s dried cum and didn’t realize it until now. He feels Dean collapse on top of him trying to get his breathing under control and then he’s lying next to him. Castiel was still trapped in an orgasm coma because he hadn’t noticed Dean remove the condom or the pillow or even cover them back up until Dean was pulling him close to his body.

Finally, he is able to have a coherent thought and utters, “Holy shit Dean. That was awesome.”

Dean smiles the biggest smile that Castiel has seen on his face since they met. “I told ya. Now I know what all the gay guys are raving about.”

Castiel gives him a quick kiss on the lips and lays his head back down on the pillow as Dean stares down at him.

“Well, it looks like we’ve found another form of stress relief. I’m convinced I can outlast you now that I know I don’t have to worry about missing out on sex.”

Dean lies his head down on Castiel’s chest.

“We’ll see about that. You don’t have me convinced yet that you’re going to win this thing. You may be stubborn, but I can be just as stubborn.”

The two of them lie there and end up falling back asleep. When they wake up again, the sun is even brighter. Castiel didn’t want to move. It was comforting having someone else in bed with him. He was going to ask Dean if it was o.k. if they didn’t worry about getting a second bed, but he would just let Dean bring it up first. No point in ruining a good thing if he didn’t have to.

They finally find the motivation to get out of bed and get dressed. They both thought it would be practical to just take a shower together to save on the water bill and it wasn’t until after they had shared hand jobs in between washing each other off very thoroughly that it dawned on them that they weren’t even responsible for the water bill, so it didn’t matter. They laughed at their oversight and decided that it would still save them time in the morning if they had class at the same time, so they still might take a shower together for the practicality of it. It’s just common sense really.

Once they’re dressed, they drive to the local Walmart to pick up supplies that they might need for their room. They have already forgiven Charlie for the whole oversight of there just being one bed, because aside from the private bathroom, they also have a little kitchen area. The married couples really have it made. Castiel pushes that to the back of his mind, but it’s still there in case he needs to use it for ammunition later.

With all the supplies in their cart, they head to the checkout, and they split the cost since the supplies are for both of them. It takes them a few hours once they are back at the dorm to decorate and put everything in its place. They decide the only thing missing is someplace for guests to sit when they make friends that they could invite to their room. Castiel checks on the computer at local furniture stores for a cheap couch.

As he’s looking at the different prices it dawns on him that some of the couches, even the cheap ones, are more expensive than the beds listed.

“Dean, if we are going to buy a couch, don’t you think we should just buy a bed first. You told Charlie we couldn’t afford a bed, yet we are spending money on a couch that costs more than a bed.”

“Yea, but that was before we started having more sex. If we get horny in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, it just makes sense that we are in the same bed already. It kind of kills the mood if one of us has to get up to go to another bed.”

Castiel ponders that for a minute and agrees with his friend. They should invest their money in something that would benefit everyone and buying a couch instead of another bed is more sensible.

“That makes sense. We already know at least one person that attends school here and Garth said he met a girl, so that’s two people who would get to use the couch. That’s why we are such good friends. We’re good at working out problems together.”

“Hopefully we have some of the same classes together, so we can work out our homework together too.”

“We’ll have to compare schedules once we decide on what couch to get.”

It doesn’t take them much longer to find the couch they are interested in, so they quickly open a joint pay pal account and transfer money to it so they can order the couch to have it delivered. It would still be another few weeks before it arrives, but they didn’t plan on throwing any parties that soon anyway.

It turns out they don’t have very many classes together. They have some of the same gen ed classes but have them at different times. Castiel had decided to become a social worker and Dean was taking the business route like he mentioned at Homecoming last year. The only classes they do share together are Introduction to Speech which is Monday and Wednesday mornings and Creative Writing which is in the middle of the day on Tuesday and Thursday. Aside from that they are both just in and out of the dorm at random times and only really see each other at night. Castiel is thankful that their sex life doesn’t suffer. They have some form of sex even if it doesn’t involve anal at least every night and both men are surprised when other couples they know are barely even doing it weekly. Maybe not being in love and only doing it to win a dare makes it easier for them. It’s less complicated that way.

Things continue to progress and right before Thanksgiving break, Castiel gets a facetime call from Gabriel.

“Hey, cuz, what’s up?”

“Nothing much Gabriel. Just trying to make sure I have all my important assignments done before we go back home for Thanksgiving. Are you and Kali going to be able to fly in from California for the holiday?”

“We were planning on it. We already have our flight booked, so barring some major disaster…. holy hell, is Dean naked?”

Castiel hadn’t been paying attention to the portion of the screen that was showing him, so he hadn’t noticed that Dean had indeed walked out of the bathroom completely naked. They usually sleep in the nude, so it was no big deal for him. Castiel turns around just in time to watch Dean quickly cover his lower half with the towel when he notices that Gabriel is on the phone.

“Hey, Gabe.” He gives an awkward smile and wave, and ducks back into the bathroom probably to hide until Castiel gets off the phone.

“Well, I see you two finally admitted you actually have feelings for each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play coy with me Castiel. Dean is walking around naked and you’re going to try to tell me that you two aren’t sleeping together?”

“No, I didn’t say we aren’t sleeping together.”

“So, you two are finally a couple then?”

“We’ve always been a couple, since Charlie’s party.”

Gabe just stares at Castiel and Castiel isn’t sure if he’s supposed to speak next or if Gabriel is going to say something. This is turning out to be a very unusual conversation.

“You know what, Cas, you and Dean keep living in denial ville and I’ll just talk to you at Thanksgiving.”

Gabe hangs up before Castiel has a chance to say goodbye. He’s not sure what Gabe is so annoyed about. Dean’s the one who got caught naked. He should be the one annoyed, not Gabe. Castiel knocks on the bathroom door to let Dean know he is off the phone. Dean opens the door, having abandoned the towel again.

“Is it safe to come out now?”

“Yes, sorry about that. I didn’t know he was going to call. I will face the other way next time.”

“It’s o.k. Cas. Why don’t you get ready for bed, and we can work on some stress relief.”

“O.k. be there shortly.”

Castiel relieves himself in the bathroom, takes a quick shower and then joins Dean in bed. Dean is still somewhat loose from last night, so he doesn’t require much prep. They had gotten tested for STDs after their first time having penetrative sex, so they hadn’t had to use condoms since then. Castiel came almost immediately the first time he didn’t use any protection. He wasn’t prepared for how sensitive and pleasurable the whole experience would be, but the same thing happened when it was Dean’s turn, so he didn’t fret about it too much. It’s been a few months, so they have been able to last longer now.

Both men are lying on their side as Castiel fucks Dean from behind. It only takes a few more thrusts before both men orgasm and they fall asleep cuddling just like every other night since they moved into the dorm.

Thanksgiving break is finally upon them, and they drive home to visit their family, stopping to see Bobby and Sam first and both men think that Sam has grown a foot since the last time they saw him.

“I guess soon I won’t be able to call you my little brother if you keep growing like a weed.” Dean jokes.

“You’re still taller than me Dean. I doubt that I’ll make it to 6 feet, so you don’t have to worry.”

Castiel is sure that Sam will eventually surpass Dean, seeing as how he is only 14 and almost as tall as Dean, but he doesn’t want to say anything in case it will hurt Dean’s feelings. They have a nice visit with them and then they drive over to the Milton household. Castiel is excited to see his family. It’s only been a few months, but it feels like years. He gives them a hug and they catch up, Castiel sharing with them his plan to be a social worker. He hadn’t decided before he left. It had been a last-minute decision and they were all genuinely happy for him. His mother said that he would be good at it. He was very empathetic, which is something you need to work as a social worker most of the time.

The rest of the weekend goes by quickly. They weren’t able to meet up with any of their high school friends this time around, but they would just catch them the next time they visit. On the way back to their dorm, Dean stops at a bookstore.

“I need to try to find a book for English class. They were all out of the one I needed at the bookstore on campus.”

“I’ll come in with you. I finished the story I was reading. I want to see if they have the next one in the series.”

That was a partial truth. Castiel had finished the book he was reading, but he wasn’t planning on getting the next one in the series. He was looking into a book to help him get Dean to chicken out. As Dean makes his way to the literature section, Castiel walks to the opposite side where they keep the X rated books behind the curtain. He finds the section that focuses on gay male sex and tries to find the most risqué book he can. Oddly enough he finds a few titles that seem like they would make Dean want to tap out. He pays for the books before stepping back into the regular part of the store with them safely tucked inside a bag so Dean wouldn’t be able to see them yet.

When they make it back to their dorm room, Castiel makes it a point to place the books on the table in between the couch and the t.v. so that Dean would be able to see them. He had picked out three different books:

Anal Sex for Beginners

101 Ways to Make Your Lover Scream Your Name

Advanced Bondage for the Guy Who Has Tried Everything

Hopefully Castiel wouldn’t have to open the third book. He hopes the title alone would have Dean handing Charlie her well-deserved money. He would soon find that he was wrong in his assessment of just how kinky Dean Winchester could be. When Dean notices the books lying on the table, he picks up the Bondage one, thumbs through a few pages and places it back on the table.

Castiel waits patiently for Dean to start freaking out, but when they climb into bed together, he simply says, “If you think I’m the one being tied to the bed while you fuck me senseless, you have another think coming. We’re going to rock, paper, scissors it when it comes to that.”

Well, shit, that seems to have backfired. Castiel falls asleep having run out of ideas. It looks like he would be partaking in gay BDSM at some point. He can’t wait until he turns 21 because he might have to start drinking soon if Dean continues to call his bluffs.

Chapter Text

Dean falls asleep with a smile on his face. He hopes that he freaked Castiel out enough that he won’t even think about asking him to do some weird kinky shit that probably involved him being tied up while standing on his head or something to that effect. Thankfully Castiel doesn’t bring it up again and neither does Dean.

They go back home for Christmas and Bobby and Sam spend the holiday at Castiel’s house so they can all be together for the holiday. Dean is happy that Castiel’s parents get along so well with Bobby, and they enjoy having Sam around as well. Dean thinks it’s because they miss having their own kids around, so they let Sam come over whenever he wants just to have a kid in their house again.

“How’s school treating you, Sam?” Dean asks him as they all sit around the dinner table.

“It’s good. I have straight A’s and my teachers think I should take all honors classes next year. They think I’m bored with just the regular classes.”

“You probably are.” Dean says as he stuffs another piece of pie in his mouth. “You’ve always been the smart one.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, boy. It’s rude.” Bobby speaks up.

Dean swallows his food before speaking again. “Sorry, Uncle Bobby.”

The conversation shifts and Chuck and Becky ask them how they are doing at college. They leave out the portion where they have been having an insane amount of sex and just stick to the educational part.

“The first semester was fairly easy, and we start the Spring Semester in a few weeks. Only three and a half more years to go.” Castiel states.

“We’re really proud of you; as well as Anna and Gabe.” Becky then looks to Dean. “You too Dean. If you boys are happy, we are happy.”

They finish their meal and then move on to the presents. Dean and Castiel were going to have their own Christmas later at the dorm, so they didn’t have any presents for each other here.

They drive back to the dorm the next day after spending the night in Castiel’s old room. It took a great amount of restraint to not touch each other, but they didn’t want to make too much noise and have to explain anything to Castiel’s parents. They still didn’t understand.

The end of the year came and went, and the seasons began to change until it was summer and the first year of college had ended. Charlie hacked into the computer system like she always does to ensure that Dean and Castiel could keep their same dorm room through the summer and into the next school year. They had discussed going back home, but they enjoyed having the freedom of living on their own and not facing judgement from their family for the dare that is slowly approaching its second year of existence.

They both got a summer job working at the mall in separate department stores. Dean comes home one day to find Castiel lying on their bed reading the anal sex for beginner’s book. He had completely forgotten about it and had hoped Castiel had as well. Obviously not. He can see that he is really focused on what he is reading, which frightens Dean a little because almost anything could be contained in that book.

He lies down next to Castiel who must have just noticed that he came in.

“Oh, Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas. Whatcha reading?”

“Just looking at the book I bought awhile ago. It seems like it would be exhausting to be a gay man. There’s so much to know. We haven’t even done a third of what we would be if we were gay, plus there’s terminology that I don’t even know.” Castiel shows him the page of the book that he’s looking at. “For instance, this is talking about rimming, which is licking a guy’s asshole. Seems gross if you ask me.”

The lightbulb goes off in Dean’s head as he takes the book from Castiel to see what he was reading, and he gives just a slight hint of a smirk.

“I don’t know, Cas, it doesn’t seem that gross. Maybe we should give it a try.”

Castiel looks at Dean like he has two heads, so Dean takes the opening.

“Unless you want me to call Charlie and tell her she’s about to be 200.00 richer.”

Castiel’s voice cracks slightly when he speaks. “No, no need for that. We can try it. Unless you want me to call Charlie for you.”

Dean sighs because he is tired of the stubbornness of this man. “No, let’s do it.” He begins to unbutton his pants before Castiel stops him.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to try it first?”

“Why would you assume that I’m going to do it first?”

“Well, because I’m ol….”

“So help me, if you say older, I will punch you in the face.”

Castiel just stares at Dean, probably biting his tongue because he knows that he was going to say just that.

“We’ll settle this the way we always do.”

Dean’s not sure why Castiel suddenly grins like he knows a secret that Dean doesn’t.

“If you say so Dean.”

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.”

Fuck Dean’s life. He stares at Castiel’s rock smashing Dean’s scissors and just knows that fate is against him. He doesn’t know what he ever did to her.

“I’ll just get ready then.” Castiel smirks as he quickly kicks his pants off and lies down on his stomach with his ass in the air.

“It better at least be clean in there.”

Dean can tell Castiel is rolling his eyes even though he can’t really see his face.

“I’m clean Dean. I know how to wash my ass when I’m in the shower.”

“O.k.” He plugs his nose and gets ready to start the process. “Just let me know way ahead of time if you have to fart.”

Castiel turns his head a little. “Why do you sound nasally?” He looks right at Dean. “Oh, for Pete’s sake Dean. My ass doesn’t stink.”

Dean removes his fingers from his nose. “I don’t know. It might. I was just preparing in case it did.”

Dean moves back a little as Castiel sits up on the bed.

“You know what, you big baby, I’ll just go first. Then, you’ll see it’s not so bad.”

“If you insist.” Dean wasn’t going to argue with the man. He quickly removes his clothes and gets into the position that Castiel was just in a minute ago. He wiggles his butt a little just to be a smart ass. He doesn’t even have to look back to know that Castiel is rolling his eyes all the way to Heaven. “I’m ready. Go ahead and lick away.” Dean might be enjoying skipping his turn a little too much.

Castiel spreads his ass cheeks apart and doesn’t even give Dean a warning as his tongue gives a little swipe against his hole. He should be weirded out, but he’s not. He’s already had Castiel’s dick in his ass. What’s a tongue in the grand scheme of things? Dean can feel himself relaxing more and more as Castiel’s tongue is licking around his hole and then pushing inside. He didn’t mean to moan, it just came out on its own, but he hadn’t imagined it would feel so sensual.

“Duz it fill gud?”

“Shit, Cas, don’t talk with your mouth full, and hell yes, it feels good. Keep going, man.”

So, Castiel licks and sucks at Dean’s entrance and fucks him with his tongue, Dean pushing back, hoping that his tongue will go even deeper. It’s when Castiel licks Dean with a fast up and down motion against his pucker that Dean starts to leak precum from his cock.

“O.k. Cas, shit, just fuck me. Now. I fucking need it.”

Castiel must be as desperate as Dean is because not even a second later, he’s spreading some lube on his dick and pushing inside Dean with no mercy.

“Fuck, Dean, what are you trying to do to me?”

“Cas, yes, just like that. Fuck me harder. Want to feel you all week.”

He thrusts harder and Dean knows he’s exerting a lot of energy because on each thrust, he can hear Castiel exhale. Dean is doing his best to not have his head slammed into the wall as the bed creaks and he can hear and feel Castiel’s balls slapping against his skin. Then, just as Dean thinks he’s about to come, Castiel slows to a snail’s pace. He glides in and out of Dean slowly and effortlessly and then he leans down and nibbles some on Dean’s ear causing Dean’s entire body to tingle.

Castiel lets out a grunt and pushes his body flush with Dean’s, his cock throbbing and releasing his seed deep inside Dean. He then whispers in his ear.

“The reason you keep losing at rock, paper, scissors, Dean, is because you are predictable. You have a pattern and I picked up on it, so I already know which one to choose to beat you before we even start.”

With that, the smug fucker pulls out, leaving Dean feeling empty for some reason and smacks his ass before heading to the bathroom.

“Now, get up so we can go get some ice cream. I’m famished.”

Dean just lies there not really knowing what to think. He guesses they will have to pick a different way to determine a winner or loser from now on. He didn’t realize that he was even doing it. How the hell did Castiel pick up on but nobody else did?

Once they are both dressed, they walk the few blocks to the ice cream shop and decide on a banana split and a hot fudge sundae that they can both share. It’s not too hot out today, so they find a place in the outdoor seating area in the shade. As Dean is eating his banana split, he notices that Castiel has a glob of hot fudge on his cheek, and he isn’t sure how it ended up there. It’s nowhere near his mouth. Dean wipes it off Castiel’s cheek and then licks it off his own fingers. Castiel must enjoy that because then he purposely smears some on his bottom lip. Dean moves from his seat to sit next to him.

“You got a little something…” He swipes his thumb across Castiel’s bottom lip and as he places his thumb in his own mouth to lick it off, he notices there is still some hot fudge on Castiel’s lip, so he decides his tongue is his best option. He licks Castiel’s bottom lip, effectively removing the hot fudge and then they are kissing. They deepen the kiss, licking into each other’s mouths, and they are suddenly reminded that they are in a very public place when some lady walks by and tells them to get a room. They break apart from each other and giggle.

“You gays are always trying to rub it in our face. We aren’t interested in looking at that.” She keeps walking away and Dean yells back at her.

“Jokes on you. We’re not even gay.” He looks at Castiel. “Come on, lets just finish our ice cream and go back to the dorm away from all these judgy people.”

“We could eat our ice cream if you would keep your lips to yourself.”

“Not my fault you’re kissable.”

They both laugh and walk back to their room once they are done with their ice cream.

Their second year of college starts off decent. They don’t share any classes this semester and some of the classes that Dean is taking have him pulling his hair out. He makes it through though thanks to his stress reliever, Castiel. Neither one has given in yet and Garth and Bess have even stopped asking about it. They were probably tired of hearing the same answer just like Dean and Castiel were tired of giving it.

At the end of the spring, they were celebrating the end of another year of school one night at the local sports bar. They were still too young to drink, though. Castiel still had a few months until he was 21 and Dean had a half a year at least. They were still allowed at the sports bar so long as they didn’t sit at the bar itself. The mood was just right and then none other than Lisa herself had to come in to ruin it.

She sits down next to Dean as if they were best friends and not two people who hadn’t seen each other for two years now.

“Hey Dean. Hey Castiel. Fancy seeing you two here.”

Dean looked at her shocked and Castiel looks like he might try to smite her with his eyes.

“Lisa, what are you doing here?”

“I was just visiting my mom and I wanted to grab a bite to eat on my way home.” She looks over at Castiel. “I see you two are still hanging out.”

“Yep, we live in the same dorm.” Dean looks around the room. “Where’s Cole? Weren’t you two like a thing or something?”

“Yea, we broke up right after graduation. Turns out he was a douche.” She pulls out a piece of paper and jots something down, then slides it across the table into Dean’s hand. She leans in as close as she can get to his ear and whispers, “When you’re done with your gay fling over there, give me a call. I’m very bendy.”

Before Dean has a chance to respond, she is already out of the booth and walking away. If Dean had known the response from Castiel that this encounter would elicit, he would have done it a year ago.

When they get back to their dorm room, Dean barely has the door shut when he finds himself being slammed up against it. Castiel is looking at him with a fire in his eyes and he is powerless to move as Castiel’s hands reach into his pants and rubs up and down the length of his cock. His pants are too tight for Castiel to be able to do much more than that, but Dean doesn’t care either way.

“Did you think that was enjoyable for me, Dean, watching Lisa flirt with you like I wasn’t there?”

Dean shakes his head, unable to speak now. All the blood has moved from his brain and is currently flowing to his dick.

As if Castiel can read Dean’s mind, he unbuttons his jeans so that his hand can fit better and then he’s wrapped around Dean’s cock which has been begging to be released for a few minutes now.

“Were you hoping that she would take you home and ride your cock?”

“No, Cas, my cock is only for you. You know that.”

Castiel walks them back towards the bed and guides Dean to lay down on his back. Then he removes his own clothes. Dean isn’t sure how Castiel wants to do this, but he strips anyway and lets Castiel take the lead. Castiel grabs the lube and reaches behind himself to open himself up. He must be good to go because it doesn’t take long. Then Castiel warms the lube in his hand and strokes Dean’s cock a few times with it. When he starts lining himself up Dean stops him.

“Wait, Cas, are you sure you want to do this? We had agreed to not face each other because it’s too personal.”

“I’m sure Dean. I read that it increases the pleasure when you watch as the other person comes screaming your name.”

Castiel doesn’t hesitate as he sinks down on Dean’s cock. He feels like they are crossing a line they can never return from as he watches Castiel ride him with a look of pure pleasure on his face.

“Fuck, Cas, you look so hot doing that.”

Castiel stares down at him, the blue of his eyes barely visible against the darkness of his obvious arousal.

“As long as you know I’m the only one who gets to ride you this way.”

Castiel starts rotating his hips as he bounces up and down and Dean has to curl his toes to keep from coming too soon. He places his hands on Castiel’s hips to aid him with his movements and no more words need to be spoken. It’s just him and his best friend right now and possibly forever. Dean can sense something changing between them and the air is sucked out of his lungs the moment Dean watches Castiel come untouched, spilling onto Dean’s stomach and he screams Castiel’s name as he comes at the same time, thrusting up into Castiel until he has finished.

Castiel collapses on top of Dean completely ignoring the cum that will soon turn to a sticky mess in between them. They kiss and he looks at Castiel who is staring at him smiling.

“I’m sorry Dean. I don’t know what came over me.”

“You don’t need to apologize Cas. I’m always up for a round of hot sex. I am a guy after all, just like you.”

They clean up and lie down in bed with Dean as the big spoon. As he’s drawing patterns into Castiel’s chest, he comes up with the perfect plan. He decides to put the dare aside for a minute and focus on the part where he gets to have even hotter sex then they have been. The key is to flirt with a girl and wait for Castiel to become possessive and fuck him within an inch of his life. Seems like a pretty good arrangement. Even better than the one they already had.

Chapter Text

Castiel has concluded that Dean thinks he is stupid. Castiel, however, is not stupid and can see right through Dean’s scheming. Ever since the night that he went feral (which he still can’t explain himself, he has no idea what came over him) when Lisa was flirting with Dean, Dean has made it a point to smile every time a pretty girl walks by, almost ensuring that she will pass him her number. Castiel decides to call his bluff since he knows that Dean is only doing it for pound him into the mattress type sex from Castiel.

For the entirety of the summer leading up to their junior year of college, there were multiple girls flocking to Dean’s side and Dean did his best to “pretend” he was annoyed, but Castiel knew that Dean was just trying to elicit a response from him. Castiel “pretended” that he was jealous each time and they would go back to their dorm and do things to each other that would make most porn stars blush.

When their third year of college starts, Castiel is excited because he will be turning 21. Dean wanted to take him out to celebrate, but Castiel wanted to wait until Dean turned 21 in March so they could both drink. The flirtations seemed to die down once the semester began, Dean being too busy with schoolwork.

Castiel has a class with Hannah this semester, and they become study partners, him sometimes inviting her to their dorm to do some studying. Dean doesn’t seem to trust her though. He always seems to glare when the two of them are studying together. Castiel takes that as his window of opportunity to tease Dean like he had been doing to Castiel all summer. He does little things, like put his arm on the back of the couch behind Hannah or lean over her to look at what she is reading. He doesn’t do anything that would make her think she has a chance because that wouldn’t be fair to her, but he does enough to drive Dean mad.

His plan must have worked because as soon as Hannah leaves one night in mid-October, Dean is walking over to the couch where Castiel is sitting and straddles his lap out of the blue. Castiel abandons his notebook and pen in favor of whatever Dean has planned. That is much better than studying for a test. Dean is kissing and sucking on Castiel’s neck and speaking in his low seductive voice that gets Castiel hot and bothered.

“Did you think I didn’t notice how you were flirting with Hannah? Were you trying to make me jealous, Cas?”

“No, that was never my intention.”

Dean knows that’s a lie as much as Castiel does.  Dean stands up and pulls down his pants and boxers and Castiel shimmies his off as well. Dean grabs the lube from the coffee table. He must have laid it there when he came over. Castiel hadn’t noticed it there before. Dean warms it on his fingers before slicking Castiel’s cock. Castiel stops him before he climbs onto Castiel’s lap.

“Don’t you need to prep first?”

Dean shakes his head. “I was doing that in the bathroom. I couldn’t wait for her to leave.”

Dean lines himself up and sinks down on Castiel’s cock, taking the breath out of them both. It has been a few nights since they’ve done anything. This semester is taking a toll on their sex life, so they just take what they can get anymore. Dean sounds breathless as he tries to speak.

“You’re mine, Cas, right? Nobody else can have you?”

“Yes, Dean, and you’re mine.”

Dean continues to ride Castiel until they are both sweaty and sated. Neither of them wants to move so they just sit there kissing and try for a round two, but they are both too sensitive for that. It will need to wait until tomorrow.

Before Dean stands up, he says. “You would let me know if you were getting ready to chicken out, right?”

“Of course, Dean, but you don’t have to worry about that. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

They wash up and then settle back down on the couch to watch a movie. The flirting and jealousy seemed to dissipate the closer they got to the end of the semester. Neither of them really had time to commit to teasing each other, so they just went back to focusing on the original dare. Castiel was determined to find a way to get Dean to crack, but alas, he still hadn’t found what it would be.

This year for Christmas when they went home to visit, a special surprise walked through the door that had Anna lighting up with joy.

“What’s up bitches?”

“Charlie!!”

Dean gets to her before Anna does and Castiel didn’t know that her and his sister were dating again. When Charlie finishes with her hug with Dean, she walks over to Anna, and they share a kiss.

“O.k. does someone want to explain what’s going on here?” Castiel feels like he is missing something.

“Sorry, we were keeping it a secret until we knew for sure that we were getting back together, but yea, me and Charlie are dating again and this time I’m not letting her go.”

Castiel is excited to see his sister so happy. He hopes that he can have that someday when the dare is over. He’s sure that he and Dean will remain friends when it’s all over, but he hopes that they can both be happy like his sister and Charlie seem to be.

Charlie catches them up on what she has been doing for the past few years. She is a legal hacker for the local police department. She went to IT school and convinced them that she learned her skills there, but everyone in the room knows better than that She and Anna are moving in together the next town over, so they will be nearby at lease, which is nice.

Just as Castiel had predicted, Sam has surpassed Dean in height and Dean isn’t short by any means, standing at 6’1”. He is in his junior year of high school and Dean keeps teasing him about some girl named Jess that is in most of his classes.

“You might want to stop teasing me considering the ammunition I have on you.” Sam tells Dean.

“What ammunition? I haven’t done anything.”

Sam looks from Dean to Castiel and then back again. “Oh, really? How long have the two of you been not dating. What is it, three years now? You can claim it’s a dare all you want, but everyone in this room knows better.”

“Whatever, Sammy. Cas and I are just friends.”

Chuck moves the conversation on to a different topic, but Castiel can tell that Dean seems upset. He would just ask him about it later. Right now, he is enjoying the visit with his family and he didn’t want to put Dean on the spot if it’s something he doesn’t want everyone to know. He doesn’t live far away, but he doesn’t see his family as much as he would like. When they have finished opening gifts and it is well past 11pm, everyone leaves and Dean and Castiel lie down in his old bed before they make their way back to their dorm in the morning. Dean is resting his head on Castiel’s bare chest, and they have their arms wrapped around one another.

“Dean, you seemed upset earlier after you were talking with Sam. Is everything o.k.?”

“Yea, it just seems like everyone around us is in a relationship and I guess I feel like you and I are missing out. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is great, but I just want us to be happy with someone too.”

“I’m happy Dean. Maybe if you weren’t so stubborn, you could find some girl to settle down with.”

Dean laughs. “Look who’s talking. I think you wrote the book on being stubborn.”

Castiel smiles because he can’t argue with that. They both sleep soundly and have breakfast at the local diner before they make it back to their dorm ready to start another semester in just a few short weeks.

Castiel bangs on the bathroom door to get Dean’s attention. “Dean, what is taking you so long? You don’t have to make yourself pretty just for me.”

“I know.” Dean yells back from the other side of the door. “I just want to look nice. Now that I’m 21 and we can go out and drink legally, I want it to be a special night.”

Dean opens the door, and he looks exactly the same as when he went in there.

“What have you been doing this whole time? That’s what you were wearing when you went in there.”

Dean kisses him on the cheek and then winks. “You’ll find out later.”

Castiel isn’t sure he likes the ambiguity, but he goes along with it just the same. They meet up with Garth and Bess at the club and find a booth that the four of them can fit in. They take turns buying rounds and after about the third shot Castiel is feeling a little tipsy. Looking over at Dean, he can see that he is a little lighter on his feet as well.

“So, Garth, are you planning on opening your own dental practice when you graduate?” Castiel asks to the best of his ability without slurring his words.

“I have to get my foot in the door first. I don’t think it works that way.” He looks over at Bess and takes her hand in his. “Bess and I are planning on getting married when we graduate. I just asked her last night.” He held up her hand to show Dean and Castiel.

“Congrats, you guys. That’s awesome.” Dean says.

“Yes, I’m so excited for you guys.” Castiel adds.

Hopefully, someday he will be able to get married. If he’s lucky, he could find a girl that wouldn’t mind being in a throuple since he and Dean are still going at it with no end in sight. There was that red headed girl Jo in his sociology class that seemed like she would be into anything. He looks over at Dean who seems deep in thought, but he pulls himself out of it when he hears the next song come on.

Dean hops off the chair and grabs Castiel’s arm to drag him on the dance floor. “Come on, let’s go dance.” Castiel reluctantly follows him, and they start dancing. Castiel tries to match Dean’s rhythm, but he’s not very good at dancing. He is thankful when the music changes over to a slow song. Dean pulls him close, and it takes him back to the Homecoming dance just a few years ago, not long after this whole thing started.

Dean whispers in his ear, “You wanna know what I was doing in the bathroom earlier?” He slides Castiel’s hand down to the hem of his jeans, forcing his hand inside his pants right where his ass is. Castiel’s breath hitches and his eyes go wide as he feels the satin that is against Dean’s skin and suddenly his own pants become too small as his dick presses against them.

“Dean..”

Dean kisses his neck. “You ready to go home?”

Castiel doesn’t have to be told twice. They quickly say goodbye to their friends and take an Uber back to their dorm. When they are in their room Castiel sits down on the bed and looks up at Dean, waiting ever so impatiently for him to strip.

“Please, let me see them Dean? Let me see what you look like.”

Dean slowly and painfully (in the sense that Castiel’s dick is pressing hard against his pants in anticipation) removes his shirt and then unbuttons his jeans, wiggling a little until they fall to the floor, and he steps out of them. Castiel cannot believe the sight before him. Dean Winchester is standing in front of him in panties and they are pink, and they are satiny and Castiel needs to touch them.

As if he can control Dean’s movements with his thoughts, Dean steps forward just as Castiel removes his own shirt. The bed is just low enough so that Dean’s height puts his cock in direct proportion with Castiel’s mouth and Castiel takes advantage by mouthing at the bulge that is right in front of him.

“If you thought for a second that this would get me to chicken out, you are sadly mistaken.”

Dean looks down at him with hooded eyes, “No, this is just a freebie. Just consider it a 21^st birthday present for both of us.”

With that, Castiel tosses Dean onto his back on the bed, and he is even surprised at his own strength. He removes his pants in record speed as he grabs the lube out of the drawer. He looks down at Dean and there is a hole in the panties right where his ass is.

“What the…”

Dean gives him his best devilish grin. “I had them specially made so that you can fuck me while I’m wearing them. And…” He grabs Castiel’s hand and guides his finger to reach into Dean’s ass where there is a surprise waiting. “I’ve been wearing a plug all night, so I’m ready to go.”

Castiel’s brain short circuits and he thinks he might come before he even gets started.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything.”

Castiel lubes himself up, removes the plug after teasing Dean with it a little for good measure, and he slides himself inside. Then, he fucks him fast and hard, the front of Dean’s panties getting wetter with every couple of thrusts. Castiel can’t seem to get enough of Dean. He kisses his lips and then moves down to his chest and sucks on each nipple while he keeps thrusting to a fast, calculated pace. Dean has his beautifully bowed legs wrapped around Castiel and is carding his fingers through his hair.

As Castiel works through his orgasm and watches Dean’s panties become even wetter from his own orgasm, he thinks that this should mean more than it does. It seems very domestic even though it’s just two guys who happen to be friends, having sex, while they are waiting for the other to crack. He has it in his head that this can’t possibly go on much longer. How long will they end up together just to keep from having to fork out 200.00 that in the grand scheme of things isn’t really a whole lot, even when you’re broke.

The answer to his previous question is that it will last at least another year. He and Dean have graduated from college and are now signing a lease agreement to their new apartment back in Lawrence where their families still live. They are still going strong and no matter how many panties or assless chaps they wear, nothing seems to break through either of their stubborn shells. Castiel might have to call in an expert. There is only one person he knows that might have an idea so embarrassing, it might just get Dean to chicken out. Sometimes it helps to have a relative in the porn industry, he thinks.

Chapter Text

Dean should be a little more concerned than he is when he sees Gabriel’s name on his phone. Gabe never calls him. It must be some weird request.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dean-o. How’s it hanging?”

“What do you want Gabe?”

“Can’t I just call to say hi? Why do you think I would want something?”

“Just call it instinct.”

There is a slight pause and then Gabe talks again.

“O.k. you got me. I was just calling because I spoke to Castiel earlier about a project I’m currently working on and thought you two would be perfect for the part.”

Dean doesn’t like where this is going. “Don’t you direct porn?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t be directing this one. I’m not really interested in seeing my cousin’s junk.”

“What’s the project?” Dean doesn’t like where this conversation is going.

“I just need a few more extras for my next movie, Straight guys gone wild. I immediately thought of you and Cas, since you two are still straight, no gay bone in your bodies at all, am I right?”

Dean doesn’t really like the insinuation in his tone, but he doesn’t call him out on it.

“Let me talk to Cas, and we’ll get back to you.”

Dean is sitting on their couch when Castiel walks through the door. He looks over as Castiel joins him on the couch.

“So, I received an interesting phone call from Gabe earlier.”

“Oh?”

“Yea, he wants us to star in one of his porn movies. I told him we would talk about it and get back to him.”

Castiel looks at him like a deer caught in headlights. “You…you did? You’re o.k. with starring in a porn movie?”

Dean can tell that Castiel is uncomfortable, so he uses that to his advantage. “Absolutely. You and I are already sleeping together. Why not record it for everyone to see?”

Castiel swallows and his voice seems to crack when he speaks again. “Yea, exactly.” He gives Dean a fake smile.

“So, why don’t you give him a call later and let him know that we are both on board with it and just let me know when filming starts?”

“O,k, yea. I’ll let you know.”

Dean smiles as he walks into the kitchen to start dinner knowing that Castiel would never make that phone call. It was obvious that neither one of them wanted to do it and as long as they didn’t come right out and say it, it doesn’t count as chickening out.  Score one for Winchester.

Dean makes his famous cheeseburgers, and he can’t help but notice the noises that Castiel makes while he eats them.

“Jeez, Cas, should I leave you two alone?”

“I’m sorry Dean, but these are really good. Compliments to the chef.”

“Thank you. It’s my pleasure.”

Their dinner is interrupted by a knock on the door. He isn’t sure who it would be. Their family usually calls first before stopping by. He opens the door and sees his Uncle Bobby standing there looking like his dog just died.

“Uncle Bobby?”

“I’m sorry to just drop in like this. Do you mind if I come in? I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Dean’s heart drops and he feels like he’s been kicked in the gut. He steps aside to let Bobby in.

With a frantic voice, he asks, “Is it Sammy?”

“Oh, no, Sam’s fine. Still doing good at Stanford.”

Dean feels like a weight was lifted. He doesn’t know what he would do if something happened to his brother.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news about your dad, though. I know you haven’t heard from him much in 10 years and he hasn’t stopped by during that time, but I just found out that he died about a month ago, liver crapped out on him account of all his drinking.”

Dean doesn’t know what to think. He feels a hand on his back and turns to see Castiel next to him, sadness in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Dean.”

Dean can feel the tears trying to escape, but he won’t let them. No point in crying over a man who didn’t want to be his dad, not when the only man he ever considered a dad is standing right in front of him. The grief still takes hold of him as Bobby pulls him into a hug and they both cry on each other’s shoulder. John Winchester may have been a self-righteous asshole who was shit for a father, but he was still his father and he was still Uncle Bobby’s brother and it’s o.k. that they cry for a minute over the loss even though they had considered John to be dead years ago. They move over to the couch to sit down and talk. Bobby speaks first.

“The reason I found out that he died is because this came in the mail. It’s addressed to me, but it’s for you.”

Bobby hands Dean a manilla envelope with a bunch of paperwork in it. He opens it up and starts reading it and his brain can’t really comprehend what he’s looking at. It’s the deed to a bed and breakfast in Montpelier, VT.

“What is this, Bobby?”

“Well, from what I could tell, your daddy started a whole new life when he abandoned you boys. He met a woman, and they bought a bed and breakfast together, she died a few years back from a terminal illness, and John signed the property over to you in case he passed on. It’s yours if you want it, or you can sell it.”

Dean didn’t know what to think. He was suddenly upgrading from eventually owning his own car shop to owning a whole damn bed and breakfast. He looked over at Castiel who seemed just as dumbfounded as him.

“Do you mind if Cas and I talk about this, Uncle Bobby? I’ll call you later to check in.”

“Yea, sure. Just let me know if you need anything and I’m sorry again about your old man, for what it’s worth.”

“Thanks, Uncle Bobby.”

Once he’s gone, Dean turns and looks at Castiel who has relocated to the kitchen. He sits across from him.

“So, what do you think, Cas? What should I do?”

“That’s up to you Dean. The property is yours. It’s a long way from our family, but it’s a great business opportunity.”

“That is true. Owning a bed and breakfast sounds less strenuous than an auto shop.” Dean pauses to think about it and a lightbulb goes off in his brain. He hasn’t been able to find anything that will get Castiel to chicken out, but now an opportunity has presented itself even if it was at an awkward time. “We would probably have to get married, though. It just makes sense if we are going to own a business together.”

Castiel pauses and just looks at him and Dean thinks that he finally has him. He finally found the ammunition to make him crack, but then the sneaky fucker smiles at him.

“Well, if you think that’s what’s best, I’m in.”

Well, it looks like he’s getting married and moving to Vermont.

The next day, Dean is on the phone with Sam who’s been away at Stanford for a few years with Jess. Castiel went to talk to his family about the wedding. They figured that they didn’t need to draw it out, so they plan on getting married in a few months. Dean just wanted to make sure Sam would be available to be his best man, so he knew which date to pick. He was not prepared for his brother to start laughing at him, though.

“I don’t know what’s so funny, Samuel.” If he was going to be a smart ass, Dean was going to use his full name.

“I’m sorry, Dean, but do you realize how insane this is? You and Cas are getting married, and you are both still claiming it’s because of some stupid dare that Charlie has probably forgotten about already.”

“Look, are you coming to my wedding or not?”

He can hear Sam sigh and he is certain that he probably rolled his eyes as well. “Of course, I will be there, but I don’t see why you don’t just get married by the Justice of the Peace. It’s not like it’s a real wedding.”

“I’m not getting married by the Justice of the Peace, Sam. It may not be a real wedding, but it’s my first wedding and it deserves to be special.”

“If you say so, Dean. It’s not like you guys are going on a honeymoon or anything. That would just be weird.”

“Um…” Dean doesn’t say anything else, because he and Castiel had already discussed this morning about their honeymoon destination. They were just waiting for an official date for the wedding before they booked a flight.

“I’m hanging up now, Dean. Just text me the details and I’ll be there.”

Dean feels like he is getting a headache. He massages his temples and hopes that the rest of the conversations wouldn’t be this way. He had called a few of their friends from high school, but they weren’t available. It looks like it would just be their family which would make it a small affair. He wonders if they should even bother with a wedding at all. Like Sam said, it’s not even real, but Dean wasn’t lying. This is his first wedding and real or not, he wants it to be special. He finds himself getting emotional about marrying Castiel, but that just comes with the territory. Weddings make everyone feel things they wouldn’t normally feel and that’s all Dean was feeling. Just the excitement of getting married. It doesn’t mean anything more than that.

He must have fallen asleep while he was trying to get rid of his headache because he suddenly feels warm lips on his forehead, and he is horizontal on the couch. He opens his eyes to see Castiel’s eyes staring at him.

“Hey, I didn’t want to disturb you, but I don’t want you to get a crick in your neck.”

Dean sits up and rubs the back of his neck to get rid of the stiffness.

“Thanks.” Castiel sits next to him on the couch. “So, how did your talk go? Was it weird like mine?”

“You can say that. My parents were beyond the moon, although I don’t know why they are so excited about a wedding that isn’t real, but they are being supportive, so that’s all I care about. I called Gabe and he wouldn’t stop laughing long enough for me to go into much detail, but he’ll be there to be my best man. Anna just seems annoyed by the whole thing, but Charlie shut her up with a make out session, so she never had a chance to finish telling me what she really thinks about it.”

Castiel gets up to get them a beer from the fridge and when he rejoins him on the couch, Dean cuddles next to him, and they drink their beer in silence. Hopefully, the wedding will happen without any drama, and they can start their lives as husbands living the dream in Vermont without any objections.

The day of the wedding arrives, and Dean’s stomach is in knots. Butterflies are raging a war with each other in there and he has never felt more nervous in his life. He wants everything to be perfect. No matter who they both eventually end up with, this is their first wedding, and he wants it to be special not just for him, but for Castiel as well. They had struggled with the details of the ceremony, so Charlie and a reluctant Anna jumped at the chance to be their wedding planners.

Sam is helping Dean get ready in his tux and his brother seems genuinely happy for him.

“Nobody out there may understand what is going on here, but I just want you to know that I’m your brother and I will always love and support you no matter what. So, whether this wedding is because you two idiots are in love and just won’t admit it…” Sam holds up his hand to stop Dean from protesting because how dare he think that. That’s just absurd. “Or if it’s still because of some stupid dare that you have this insane need to win, I’m still really happy for you.”

Dean tears up a little because he loves his brother too, but he’s never been good at expressing his emotions, so he just gives him the best bone crushing hug he can which he knows Sam appreciates. Sam leaves to go take his place at the altar. He is Dean’s best man of course and Gabriel is Castiel’s, so he is most likely at the altar as well. Dean takes a deep breath and waits for the music to start playing so he can walk down the aisle.

They have the wedding in Castiel’s parents’ backyard since there are only a few of them in attendance. The more Dean thinks about it, the sillier he feels because it’s only Bobby, Chuck, Becky, Charlie, Anna, Kali, Jess, and of course Gabriel and Sam in attendance and they probably could have saved money on not having a regular wedding, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

He and Castiel had left all the plans to Charlie to the point that they had no idea what it would look like. Dean’s breath is stolen from him as he steps outside and can’t believe the sight before him. There is a red carpet leading from the back door to the altar which is made up of a white canopy resting on four pillars on each corner. There is a bundle of blue violets resting at the top of each corner, with a vine of flowers wrapped around each pillar, making their way to the floor. The few chairs in existence that have people sitting in them are on each side of the red carpet which is separated by gold poles lined with white velvet rope to separate the guests from the carpet. The back of each chair has a bundle of white roses neatly placed in the middle, and at the beginning of the walk, there are tall vases on each side of the aisle filled with different assortments of white and powder blue flowers.

Charlie really spared no expense in her quest to help Dean and Castiel with their dare. He just thought it was odd because the longer it went on, the longer it was until she received her 200.00 prize.

Dean walked down the aisle and joined his brother and waited for Castiel to make an appearance. Once he appeared at the entrance, there was a gasp and Dean wasn’t sure where it came from until everyone looked over at him and he realized that he was the one to gasp. He couldn’t help it though. Charlie should become a personal shopper because the powder blue tux that she had picked out for both him and Castiel had really made Castiel’s blue eyes pop. Dean could see them clearly from here and even though it wasn’t for real, Dean found himself grateful that he got to lay next to him every night. The sex hair that Charlie had styled for him made the whole look come together. Dean noticed her looking at him with that devilish grin of hers. Dean might be straight, but he knew an attractive guy when he saw one and Castiel was all kinds of hot and Dean would not apologize for thinking that.

When Castiel made his way to Dean, they both smiled at each other, and Dean really didn’t hear anything the minister was saying. He was still mesmerized by his almost husband’s eyes. Were they always that blue?

They opted to just go with the traditional wedding vows since they weren’t in love and didn’t need to make up their own. When it came time for the kiss, the entire world faded away as his lips met Castiel’s. There was something to be said about weddings. His stomach was in knots, and he suddenly felt lighter for some odd reason as he continued to lock lips with Castiel. When they broke apart, he could see the joy in Castiel’s eyes just like he no doubt wore in his own eyes. They needed to get out of here, before the spell this wedding had them under had them doing something foolish.

Their reception was basically just a family dinner, and everyone was voicing their excitement for them except for Anna, who had no problem voicing her opinion of this whole charade as she called it, but Charlie placed her finger over her mouth and shook her head and that seemed to shut her up.

The two men said their goodbyes as they got ready to drive to the airport. Dean had explained to Castiel that the only way he would get on a plane was if they became part of the mile high club so he could be distracted from the fact that they would be riding on a metal death tube, and Castiel agreed because he was looking forward to going Paris for a week. Dean still didn’t understand why Gabe seemed to laugh and giggle at them all the time as they were discussing their honeymoon plans. He would have to ask him what he was taking that made him so happy, so he could get in on some of that.

Dean and Castiel make their way to the airport after he parked Baby a couple miles from any other cars and had to listen to Castiel complain about the walk. He would not apologize for trying to keep his favorite girl safe. They make it to the check in counter and are stuck behind an annoying couple making out. They are next in line and don’t hear the lady behind the counter say “Next.”

Dean looks at Castiel. “They’re kissing. Let’s just go around them.”

“Dean, just leave them alone. They probably just got married.”

“I just got married, too, but I’m still not oblivious to the people around me.”

The lady behind the counter says “Next” again and Dean has had enough, so he taps the guy on the shoulder.

“Can you do that and walk, because she said next.”

The couple finally walks up to the counter and the woman says, “Sorry, we didn’t hear you. We’re on our honeymoon.”

The lady behind the ticket counter says, “Aww, let me see what I can do for you.” She makes a few clicks on her computer and says, “There are some first-class seats available.”

Dean’s eyes light up as he hears that, and he looks at Castiel. “Did you hear that? She bumped them up to first class because they are on their honeymoon. Come on, let’s act like we’re on our honeymoon.”

Dean grabs Castiel’s hips to pull him into a kiss and tries to get the attention of the lady behind the counter at the same time.

“We are on our honeymoon.” Castiel says, stating the obvious.

“Grab my ass.” Dean says, forcing Castiel’s hand onto his ass, ignoring the looks of the people behind him.

The lady behind the counter then looks at them and says, “Next.”

Dean walks up to the counter dragging a reluctant Castiel with him.

“Oh, sorry, I almost didn’t hear you because I’m just so in love with my new husband.” He tries to lay it on thick for her. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

“Congratulations.” She makes a few clicks on her computer. “Mr. Milton-Winchester you’ll be in 25J and Mr. Winchester, you’re in 25K.” She hands them their boarding pass.

No, because what the fuck. “No, you see we’re on our honeymoon. So, um, can you do your little thing and bump us up to first class?”

“I’m sorry. All the first-class seats are taken. That couple got the last two.”

Dean looks at Castiel like it’s his fault. “You see, if we’d gone around them like I said, then she would have given us those tickets. Dammit.”

Castiel looks at the lady behind the counter. “25 J and K. Any chance those aren’t together.” Dean gives him a bitch face and ignores the comment that Castiel makes about getting their sooner if he hadn’t parked Baby a mile away from the airport.  As they are walking back to the boarding area, they spot the other couple on their way going into a lounge.

“Look at that, they’re going into the first-class lounge. Do you know what they have in there?”

“No.”

“Me neither. We have to get in.”

Dean opens the door before Castiel has a chance to stop him and Castiel says, “Just act like you belong.”

Dean looks over at the counter and drools.

“Oh my god, pie.”

“Shhh,”

The guy behind the counter looks up and the two men non chalantly walk towards the back room. The worker says, “Excuse me, sirs, may I see your tickets please?”

Castiel pauses before saying, “Yes, of course.” And then shows him their tickets.

“I’m sorry, would you move your thumb? I can’t see the seat number.”

“Oh, that’s alright. I have it memorized. It’s 1A.”

The worker snatches the ticket out of his hand.

“Sir, this is not a first-class ticket. I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Excuse us.” They try to make a dash for the back room but are stopped by the worker before they have a chance.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Dean, feeling defeated, says, “Fine.” He quickly grabs a slice of pie before bolting for the door and yells. “Go, go.” Hopefully Castiel is following him.

Dean doesn’t have much time to pout, because he is gripping tight to the arm rest of his seat as the death tube that he is trapped in takes off. Castiel is holding his hand to try to calm him down and he would like to say it is working, but he just keeps picturing them plummeting to a fiery death into the Atlantic. When the buckle your seatbelt light clicks off Castiel whispers into his ear.

“I’m going to the bathroom, meet me there.”

It was an order and not a request, so Dean gives Castiel a few minutes before he heads back there. The bathroom isn’t very big, but they make it work. Dean sits on the very small sink area as Castiel pulls Dean’s cock out of his pants and wraps his mouth around it. Dean covers his mouth to hold in the sounds he really wants to make as Castiel is sucking him off. Dean is not only turned on by having his husband’s mouth on his cock, but he is also turned on by the possibility of getting caught, a kink he didn’t know he had. As he spills his seed into Castiel’s mouth and watches as he swallows it all down, Dean has never been happier. Castiel kisses him, Dean tasting himself on the other man’s tongue.

“To be continued later.” Castiel steps out of the bathroom and Dean follows a little later, feeling a little more relaxed as they finish their flight and finally reach their destination safe and sound.

When they arrive at their hotel to check in, Dean says, “I can’t believe we’re here.” He really couldn’t. He was certain they would die before they reached their destination.

Dean wasn’t looking at the check in desk, but hears Castiel say. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?”

He looks at the counter and gasps. What are the odds that the same couple would be at their destination. Dean hears the receptionist speaking to them in a French accent.

“As a wedding gift to you, the hotel would like to give you the honeymoon suite.”

Dean has had enough, so he yells. “No, you have been screwing us all day.”

The man looks at them, confused. “Who are you?”

Castiel speaks up, “We’re you; just 10 seconds later.”

“Yea, you already got the first-class tickets, you got the lounge. I mean we should get free stuff too. I mean you’re not the only ones on your honeymoon.” Castiel nods in agreement.

The woman says, “Well, you can have the suite if you want. We don’t care about where we stay. We’re here to celebrate our love for each other, not to get free stuff. We just want to be together.”

Dean and Castiel look at each other and then Castiel says, “We need the stuff.”

Dean nods in agreement. This is a dare after all. It’s not like they are in love or anything. They deserve free stuff for going through with a wedding just to fulfill a dare. When they walk into the suite, they are in awe of how awesome it is and Castiel finishes what he started in the airplane bathroom, making Dean come not once, but twice. If this is what marriage is like, they should have done this years ago, he thinks.

Chapter Text

Castiel still couldn’t believe that he was married. Sure, it was to his best friend and only until one of them chickened out, but it still counted. He still had a ring on his finger, he still had a hyphenated name even though Anna tried to talk him out of it and said that it was only fair that Dean hyphenated his name as well. The inn was in his in Dean’s name though, so it only made sense that Winchester still be the dominant name.

Their honeymoon in Paris was very relaxing and neither man wanted to come back to reality afterwards, but they had a bed and breakfast to get up and running. Dean’s father had let it go for a few years according to the bookkeeping records of when there was a guest last, and it needed some fixing up before they could open the doors. Thankfully, Dean was very handy and Castiel was good with painting. It took them about 6 months to get it to the standards they wanted, and Dean updated the website that his dad had attempted to start. There wasn’t much on it, but Dean was able to get it to where it needed to be thanks to his college degree.

Not even a week later, they had some bookings and Dean was like a kid in a candy store after the first couple checked in. Dean and Castiel slept and lived in a mother-in-law suite built onto the property, so they weren’t technically living with their guests. Their house opened into an office that had a locked door leading to the rest of the house. This way, the guests could check in and out and get service without having access to Dean and Castiel’s living area. If one of them weren’t in the office, there was a bell they could ring that would alert them in their house that someone was in the front.

The bed and breakfast itself had 20 rooms and Castiel heard Dean mutter to himself sometimes about how his dad was able to afford a house this size without bothering to send his children any money. His anger became worse when Dean learned that his new wife had come from money and John had financial freedom while they were together, all the while his own brother was barely scraping by raising his two sons.

There was a pool in the back and Castiel was uncertain if they should keep it considering it would be closed most of the year due to the weather, but Dean figured with the profits they should bring in, it would be worth it when it was able to be used. They made sure to keep the kitchen stocked with enough snacks for their guests and offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner that Dean himself cooked. A few of the rooms were made into a honeymoon suite and there were some options of adjoining rooms for big families who wanted to still have direct access to their children while they were in another room. Castiel thought that Dean was basically living his childhood through the design of the bed and breakfast. He had shared with his husband how he had wanted to vacation a lot when he was little, but never had the chance with his dad being absent and Bobby not being able to afford it.

They made it a point to advertise that the owners were two married men in hopes that it would deter any homophobes from staying there. It didn’t stop everyone though. They did get an occasional guest who procrastinated and was desperate for a place to stay and theirs was the only option. Castiel and Dean just brushed off any glares of disgust that were thrown their way and just tried to live their life. They were best friends after all, and no amount of hatred could take that from them.

They learned early on that they wouldn’t have enough money to get by if they didn’t bring in more money until their business was up and running. Castiel put his degree into action and took a job as a social worker for the local hospital. He mostly dealt with people who were down on their luck, and he brought an idea to Dean and hoped that he would approve. Once they opened, he wanted to reserve two of their rooms to help people who might be out of a home temporarily until they were able to get back on their feet. Dean jumped at the chance, and he genuinely seemed excited that Castiel had thought of it.

Dean seemed upset that Castiel was so surprised.

“Why wouldn’t I support it, Cas? You’re forgetting that if it weren’t for my Uncle Bobby; Sam and I would have basically been homeless. My dad didn’t give a shit about us and I’m grateful that there was someone that did. The fact that you would be surprised that I would be O.K. with this is a bit insulting.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you Dean. It just seems that you are really invested in this, and I didn’t know if you wanted to sacrifice two rooms that wouldn’t be bringing in a profit.”

“Well, if you were a little more involved than just painting the rooms, you would know that with the prices we will be charging even for just a few rooms, it will cover the cost to keep it running plus a little extra. Giving up two rooms to people in need won’t really cost us anything.”

“Again, Dean. I’m sorry for hurting your feelings, but I have done more than just paint and you know it.”

“Really, because it seems like you’re just freeloading. The deed is in my name, remember. If we weren’t married, you wouldn’t even have a say.”

Castiel was a bit thrown by Dean’s outburst. He knows he’s been under a lot of stress, but it seems that he’s trying to pick a fight with Castiel for no reason.

“You know what Dean, when you’re ready to be a grown up, we can continue this conversation. I’m walking away before one of us says something we might regret.”

Castiel turns to leave, but doesn’t make it out of the room before hearing Dean say, “Yea, just walk away like the girl that you are.”

Apparently, Dean didn’t get the memo about saying something they might regret, but neither did Castiel. “I find it funny that you think I’m a girl when you’re the one that bottoms the most.”

Castiel instantly regrets saying it as he watches Dean’s eyes well up and he storms out of the room. They had never had a fight like this before, sure they argued like any friends do, but never had they said anything hurtful. Castiel has known Dean long enough to know that he is either getting drunk or taking a hot shower. These are the two ways he copes the most when he’s upset. When he doesn’t find Dean with a bottle in his hand in the kitchen, he searches for him in their bathroom. Sure enough, he hears the water running. He opens the door, and the room is already filled with steam. He removes his clothes and peeks around the shower curtain.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asks softly as he stares at Dean leaning against the shower with the water cascading down his back. Castiel might not be into men, but he can recognize a hot guy when he sees one and he is thankful as he stares at Dean’s backside that he gets to fall asleep next to him every night.

“It’s a free country.” That is all Dean says and Castiel knows that in Dean speak that means yes.

Castiel steps in and grabs the loofah and suds it up. He takes his time and carefully washes his back and legs and when Dean turns around to wash his front, he is taken back by the tears in his eyes. Something has obviously upset Dean more than just their conversation. He does his best to kiss away the tears.

“Dean, what happened? Please, talk to me.”

“Not here. Let’s just go to bed.”

Castiel turns the water off and he dries them both off and they don’t bother with clothing before they get comfortable under the covers. Dean is lying on his back staring up at the ceiling and Castiel lies on his side next to him with his hand resting on his head to hold himself up.

“I was in town today grabbing some supplies at the Home Depot and I heard some guys in the next aisle over talking about the fa….shit, I can’t even say the word. Let’s just say, they used the not so nice word for homosexual.” Castiel nods because he knows exactly which word they used. It’s not the first time in the span of their 7-year relationship that he heard that word. “Anyway, I don’t think they knew who I was when they saw me and had me join their conversation, but they were talking about the two men who own the new bed and breakfast and how the previous owner would be rolling over in his grave to know that we’re defiling his business, how John Winchester bragged about how he wouldn’t even allow homosexuals on his property and made it a point to let them know how much of an abomination they were.”

The tears flow freely now and Castiel does his best to wipe them away before they flow too far down his face. “My own father would have hated me for being with you and I’m glad he’s dead. I know that makes me an awful person and I know what we have isn’t real, but we’re still two men who have sex and the logistics of it wouldn’t have mattered to my dad. So, fuck John Winchester and I hope he rots in hell.”

Castiel holds tight to Dean and just lets him cry. He remembers how upset his sister was when the first girl she ever had a crush on bullied her and laughed in her face for being gay. If she hadn’t been a girl, Castiel would have punched her in the face for making his sister feel that way.

“You’re not an awful person Dean. There are just people in the world who are hateful and there’s nothing wrong with being angry about that. We know who we are and that’s all that matters.”

Dean nods and they fall asleep peacefully. They haven’t had a fight since then and Dean has grown to accept the things that he cannot change.

When it gets closer to their one-year wedding anniversary and 6 months of the B&B being opened, Castiel approaches Dean with the idea of a little get away. Their business has been thriving and their sex life has been suffering; they only have sex every other night instead of every night like they used to. It takes some coaxing, but Dean agrees to close for a week so they can go on a vacation.

Unfortunately, Dean fell ill with the flu the week before their anniversary. Who gets the flu at the end of summer? They cancel the vacation and just stay in one of the rooms of their business. That still counts as a vacation in Castiel’s book, and the stay is free, so win-win.

Dean ends up getting better right before they were supposed to go away, so they just spend the time while he is recovering trying to find new ways to pleasure each other. Castiel had dug deep into the back of his closet and found the Bondage book that he had bought way back when they still lived in the dorms. When Dean saw it, he panicked for a minute and Castiel used that to his advantage.

“I was thinking that we could try a few things to spice up or sex life, unless…..you want to chicken out.”

“How long have you known me Cas? It’ll take more than that to get me to cave.”

So, that’s how they found themselves incorporating BDSM into their bedroom routine. Castiel found that he enjoyed being dominant and Dean, oddly enough, enjoyed being submissive. It increased their sex life substantially and not only were they back to having sex every night, sometimes they had sex two or three times in one day.

They decided it was not a good idea to do anything in the middle of the day anymore though, after one of their guests rang their bell while they were in the middle of a fairly pleasurable scene. Castiel had Dean’s hands tied to the bed and a gag in his mouth to keep him from screaming so loud. His hand was at the base of Dean’s dick to keep him from coming. He wasn’t allowed until Castiel said it was o.k. and at this moment, Castiel wanted to wait until he himself came so he could enjoy the view he had when Dean finally had an orgasm. It was a beautiful sight, and he didn’t want to miss it if he was coming at the same time. He realized in that moment though that he might be dragging it out too long , so he fucked Dean a little harder and just when he felt the pleasure of his orgasm, the bell alerting them that someone needed assistance rang.

Nobody was due to check in or out, so it must have been a current guest needing something. Castiel cleaned up quickly and promised Dean that he would be right back to let him finish. With Dean still gagged, he couldn’t really make out what Dean said as he left, but it might have been something about Castiel leaving Dean with blue balls and it not being fair that he got to come, and Dean didn’t, and he hopes Castiel doesn’t break anything on the walk to the front office. He was just paraphrasing though since Dean’s words were muffled and he couldn’t be exactly sure of what he said.

It turns out the guest had a complaint about a clogged toilet and after 30 minutes of Castiel fiddling with it until it was fixed, he came back to a very angry looking Dean giving him a bitch face, his cock still very much at attention which tells Castiel that he had been anticipating his turn for 30 minutes and was probably not a happy camper and most certainly over stimulated.

To make it up to him, Castiel’s punishment was to receive the same treatment after Dean came inside him. Needless to say, they still had a lot to learn about the ins and outs of BDSM and decided that they really shouldn’t start a scene if there was the possibility of interruptions, so no more sex during the day unless it was just regular sex between two straight friends who happened to be married.

Time kept moving forward and after celebrating their second year of marriage, they hired a manager to help run the B&B, so they didn’t always have to be available 24/7. Her name was Missouri and she seemed to know things about them that they didn’t remember telling her. If Castiel believed in psychics, he would certainly think she was one, but he just considered her to be very intuitive.

With Missouri taking care of the business Tuesday-Saturday from 9-5, this left more time for Dean and Castiel to relax. Castiel didn’t need to work anymore since they made so much money, but he loved helping people, so he still worked, but only part time. He could barely believe the life that he had now. He went from having a bad sexual encounter with April when he was 17 who nearly choked him to death thinking that would increase his pleasure while orgasming to moving to a new town and meeting his best friend that would eventually become his husband that he has spent the past 8 years sharing a life and a dare with. Even if one of them caved tomorrow and everything changed, he doesn’t regret a single choice that he has made over the years.

It was all about to change though as his very intuitive manager was talking to him about a weird dream she had about his doppleganger.

“What’s a doppleganger?”

“You mean you’ve never been told you look like someone else? Supposedly, everyone has a doppleganger. It’s just someone that’s not related to you that looks exactly like you. I myself have been told that I look like the actress that plays Adele on Grey’s Anatomy.”

Castiel tilts his head and squints as he tries to get a better look at her.

“Oh, yea, I see it now. That’s why it seemed like I knew you when we first met.”

Castiel left for work after the weird conversation with Missouri, still wondering what she meant by she dreamt about his doppleganger. How did she know the dream wasn’t just about him. She didn’t give any specifics about what the dream was about, so unless any names were said, the dream could have been about Castiel.

Castiel is still thinking about their conversation when he is called into the room of a young woman who said she and her husband were experiencing some financial trouble. She was being treated for a broken arm after a mishap trying to do home improvements that they couldn’t afford to hire a handyman for.

Before Castiel has a chance to introduce himself when he walks into the room, he finds himself being attacked by the other woman’s lips on his own. She steps back and Castiel is shocked beyond belief.

“Jimmy, you got my message. I’m surprised you made it here so quickly.”

“I’m sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Castiel. I’m the social worker that was assigned to talk with you about options that might help you financially.”

The woman starts to blush and Castiel can tell that she must be embarrassed.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so embarrassed. It’s just that you look like the spitting image of my husband, but hearing you talk now, I know you can’t be him.” She holds out her hand for Castiel to shake. “Amelia. Amelia Novak.”

Castiel accepts her handshake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Just then, a man walks through the door and, aside from the pitch of his voice when he speaks and the difference in facial expressions between his own, Castiel would swear he was staring at his clone. The three of them laugh it off when they realize that dopplegangers are indeed a thing and Castiel has the feeling that he has made two new friends. He couldn’t wait for Dean to meet them. He knows he would like them too.

Chapter Text

From the moment Dean meets Jimmy and Amelia Novak, he doesn’t trust either one of them. It just seems weird that some dude who looks exactly like Castiel and is almost as hot as Castiel would suddenly walk into his life without an ulterior motive. Who’s to say that the two of them aren’t planning to murder Dean and Castiel in their sleep and run off with the money after Jimmy steps into the role of Castiel, grieving widower. One thing is for sure though, Jimmy might be able to fool other people if he wanted to, but he wouldn’t be able to trick Dean into thinking he is Castiel if that’s what he was planning.

For one, the few times they have interacted with each other, Jimmy touches Dean’s right shoulder. Castiel always touches Dean’s left shoulder, except that one time after they first met, he tapped Dean on the right shoulder to get his attention, but since then, it’s always the left shoulder. It’s kind of their thing, kind of like when couples kiss each other on one side of the cheek instead of the other. Plus, Castiel has this thing he does with his eyes that makes Dean lose track of what’s up or down. Jimmy just has normal looking eyes, even though they are still the same shade of blue, they still are not the same. There’s also the difference in the pitch of their voice. Dean would bet money that if Jimmy tried to speak in the same deep octave as Castiel, he would probably cause some damage to his vocal cords. His husband has that sexy, come hither, “I will send you to hell if you don’t show me some respect” type of voice and Jimmy’s voice is just average, nothing about it that gets Dean’s motor running.

So, these two misfits might be plotting something, but it had better involve getting rid of Dean in the process because there was no way they would ever be able to fool Dean into thinking Jimmy is anything like Castiel.

“Dean, you’re not making any sense.”

Dean kind of wishes he hadn’t shared his suspicions with Castiel after he met Jimmy and Amelia because now, he was looking at him like he was crazy.

“I just don’t trust them. Don’t you think it’s weird that they show up just as our business is successful enough for us to retire on and he just happens to look the same as you.”

“Dean, Jimmy is not going to murder me in my sleep and try to take over my body so that he can make an Army of minions to help him take over the world with the profits from our business.”

“I only said he would murder you in your sleep. You added all the other stuff. That part does make me sound crazy.”

“All of it makes you sound crazy Dean. That’s the point I was trying to make. They are nice people and it’s my job to try to help them out. I offered them a place to stay while I try to find a solution to fix up their house which is not up to code right now.”

“Fine, but when you wake up dead, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Castiel just stares at him with that squinty eye look, and it takes Dean a minute to realize what he said.

“You know what I mean.” Then he walks back to their room to pout because what else is he supposed to do?

Jimmy and Amelia have been staying in one of their rooms at the B&B for a couple months when they start to grow on Dean, but he still gets annoyed at the way Amelia stares at Castiel sometimes. He isn’t sure if it’s because she thinks it’s Jimmy at first because Dean catches her changing her expression when her husband does walk into the room. How can she not tell the difference between the two with just one look? Dean knows they look similar, but they couldn’t be more different.

Dean decides to call a truce and has them over to their house for dinner one night to get to know them better. He makes a meatloaf with pie for dessert of course, because what else is there to eat for dessert? In between bites of his meatloaf, he tries to strike up a conversation with them.

“So, Jim, what do you do for a living?” Dean isn’t sure why he is looking at him like he has two heads. Does he have something on his face? He grabs a napkin and wipes his face to be safe.

Castiel places his hand on top of Dean’s. “You’ll have to excuse my husband. He has a habit of nicknaming people without their permission.”

Oh, so that’s why he was looking at him funny.

“Oh, sorry, Jimmy, what do you for work?”

“That’s alright. I sell ads for radio shows. There hasn’t been much work lately which is why we are having difficulties right now.”

“Well, feel free to stay with us as long as you need.” Dean gives a smile and takes another bite of his food.

Amelia asks, “So, how long have you two been married?”

“We’ve been married for 2 years, together for a total of 8.” Castiel tells her.

“It seems like you two are very happy together. Are you thinking of having children someday?”

This wasn’t really something Dean was comfortable talking about. It’s not like he and Castiel were in a real relationship with love and all that crap. They had stopped telling people about the dare after their freshman year of college. You can only introduce someone as your gay chicken dare so many times before you end up in a strait jacket. Castiel didn’t take the hint after the first few weird looks, so Dean explained to him that maybe they should just be whatever it is people thought they were to each other. So, it’s not unusual for people who don’t really know them to ask these sorts of questions.

Dean has an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He had been trying to avoid this topic, because he does want children, but you can’t have a child with your best friend that you’re trying to beat at a dare. He doesn’t think there is a spot for that on the adoption forms. He has just accepted that he will never get to be a dad, not while he and Castiel are together and that doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon. So, instead of telling the truth, he lies.

“We would like kids someday, but every avenue we have explored has been a dead end. There aren’t many women who are willing to give up their baby to a gay couple and we haven’t found a surrogate who is willing either.” Dean reaches for Castiel’s hand, and he sees the sadness in his eyes. He’s not sure if it’s there because he’s playing along or if Castiel is upset about not being a dad just like Dean. He decides it’s time to lighten the mood a little.

“What about you two, any thought to kids?”

Amelia looks at her husband. “We’ve discussed it. We want a few, but we don’t want to start trying until we are back on our feet.” She looks at Dean. “I’m sorry about the troubles you have had. It’s a shame that people can’t just accept everyone no matter who they love.”

Castiel speaks up. “Thank you for your kind words. We might try again in the future, but it’s too painful right now to keep going.”

Dean is surprised by his words. Was he speaking from his heart or was this still part of the charade? He would have to ask him later. The four of them finish their dinner and dessert and then Jimmy and Amelia walk back over to the B&B. Castiel escapes to their bedroom and Dean finds him sitting on the edge of their bed with his head hanging down. Dean sits on the bed next to him.

“Cas, you o.k. man?”

Castiel looks up and his eyes are welling up. “I know you were only making up a story Dean, but it just hit too close to home for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was in a car accident before we moved to Lawrence. I never said anything because it never seemed important. I wasn’t badly injured and was only in the hospital for observation. They did various blood tests to make sure everything was o.k. with me. For whatever reason, the lab tech switched my orders with someone else’s, and they tested my sperm count, which I was obviously not there for. The tests came back low, which the doctor’s found unusual for my age. Even though the test was run in error, they still did follow up testing and found out that I’m sterile. Some genetic anomaly or something.” Dean swipes at his tears. “It just hurts that I’ll never be able to be a dad biologically. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to find a woman that will want to be with me if I can’t give her kids.”

Dean pulls him into a hug, and he can feel Castiel’s pain, and it hurts like hell. If he had known all that, he would have come up with a different excuse for them not having children.

“Shit, Cas, I’m sorry man. If I would have known that I wouldn’t have used that as a reason we don’t have kids.”

“It’s o.k. Dean. I didn’t tell you. You couldn’t have known. Not your fault.”

He’s not the greatest with comforting people. He’s always been terrible at it but sitting here comforting Castiel seems like the easiest thing in the world.

“Hey, do you want to go eat some ice cream and binge watch Dr. Sexy. I hear it’s what the gay guys do.”

That gets a smile out of his husband as he looks at Dean and wipes his eyes.

“If you think it will help.”

So, they snuggle together on the couch and enjoy each other’s company until they get tired and eventually go to bed.

They received a surprise the next summer from their family who decided to book rooms under false names. Dean and Castiel hadn’t had much of a chance to get back to Kansas to visit everyone. Gabe and Kali even flew in from California to visit. Sam and Jess were back in Kansas from school. Sam was well on his way to being a lawyer and Dean couldn’t be prouder of his little brother.

Dean scolds everyone for charging their own cards for the rooms and he immediately reimburses them.

“You guys aren’t paying to stay here with us. You’re family. We take care of family.”

Bobby gives him a slap on the back.

“You’ve done really good kid. I’m proud of you.”

They didn’t have any other guests booked for the week that everyone was there, so they closed the B&B during that time and gave Missouri a paid week off. By that point in time, Jimmy and Amelia were back on their feet and weren’t staying with them anymore.

 Most of their time was spent by the pool. It was still warm enough outside to use it.  Dean enjoyed listening to how everyone’s life was going. Gabe was doing well with his porn business. He said he was still waiting for Dean’s call and he and Castiel played it off like they had gotten busy with the B&B and just didn’t have the time now. Gabe gave them that look that called them out on their bullshit, but he didn’t press any further.

Charlie and Anna were engaged and didn’t have a date set yet, but they weren’t planning anything anytime soon.

Sam and Jess were preparing for their LSAT’s and were looking for internships. Sam wanted to go into family law, no doubt due to the shitty parenting skills of their biological dad, Dean thinks.

Chuck and Becky sold their house and moved into something smaller since “nobody was giving them any grandkids anytime soon.” Dean was going to protest about that, but Castiel held his finger to his lips to let him know it was o.k. He knew his parents didn’t mean anything by it.

Bobby is still Bobby. He never really has anything to add about his life.

Dean and Castiel received a lot of looks from their family as they sat there in contentment with each other holding hands and kissing on occasion. They didn’t care anymore. They weren’t going to live in celibacy just because they were stubborn and they were done explaining that to everyone, so Dean doesn’t care if they look anymore.

After a week of catching up, everyone has to get back to their regular life. With the fall season approaching, the B&B spends multiple months booked up, keeping Dean and Castiel busy when Missouri isn’t there to help. Awhile back they had hired a chef as well. It became too much for Dean to cook three meals every day for who knows how many guests that might be there at one time.

Dean has enjoyed the time that they have spent in Vermont so far, especially the late-night walks with Castiel. It’s peaceful when they aren’t busy with running the B&B and when Castiel doesn’t have a lot of shifts at the hospital. He was working part time for a while, but since he isn’t needed as much with their business, he started working full time. Dean is content to say the least and if he ends up spending the rest of his life with Castiel, he doesn’t think it would be the worst thing in the world.

Plans have a way of changing though and a phone call one night does just that. 10 years after they said yes to the dare that seems to keep hanging around and 4 years after their wedding, Castiel gets a phone call from an unknown number. He picks it up and by the look on his face, Dean can tell it’s something shocking and possibly awful.

“What is it?” Dean asks after he hangs up.

“That was Amelia. She was calling me from the hospital. Jimmy’s been shot.”

Well, shit, Dean had forgotten about those two. They moved out over a year ago.

“Is he going to be o.k.?”

“He’s in surgery. She wanted to know if I could come sit with her. They don’t have any family in the area.”

“Well, of course, go sit with her. Just keep me updated, o.k.”

“Will do.”

They give each other their usual goodbye kiss on the cheek and Castiel makes his way to the hospital. Dean would be lying if he said he wasn’t panicking a little. He still didn’t understand why Amelia would need Castiel to sit with her even if she didn’t have family. She didn’t keep in touch with him since he helped them out so it’s not like she would have an emotional connection to him. The whole thing just seems weird. He would just have to be patient and wait for his husband to call with an update. He would just have a few beers while he waited.

Chapter Text

Castiel arrives at the hospital not long after he receives the call from Amelia. He had grown to like the couple in the short amount of time that he had known them, so it was natural for him to be upset that Jimmy was hurt. He finds Amelia sitting in the waiting room crying. He walks over to comfort her. As she stands up, he can see that either she has gained quite a bit of weight, or she is pregnant. She gives him a hug as soon as he reaches her.

“Thank you so much for coming, Castiel. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“Well, let’s sit down and you can tell me what happened.”

They sit down and she goes through the story of how she and Jimmy were walking home from the movie theater, and they were mugged. Jimmy, in an effort to save his pregnant wife (well there’s his confirmation), jumped in front of Amelia which spooked the guy, and he shot Jimmy right in the gut. The doctors took him immediately into surgery due to the amount of blood loss and the worry about any vital organs the bullet may have hit.

“I’m so sorry Amelia. I’m sure everything will be o.k. I didn’t know Jimmy very well, but I could see how much he loves you. He will do his best to fight to stay with you.”

“I hope so. I can’t lose him, I just can’t.” She places her hand on her stomach which Castiel had learned from other pregnant women was a comfort thing.

“How far along are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I don’t mind. I’m 6 months. That’s why he needs to live. So, he can meet his baby. We don’t know what we’re having. We wanted it to be a surprise.”

Castiel smiles but feels a moment of grief over never being able to know the feeling of being a dad himself. He is happy for her though. He tries to keep his emotions at bay. Just then, a doctor wearing surgical scrubs walks in and, after working in the hospital as long as he has, he knows by the look on his face, this isn’t good news.

“Mrs. Novak?”

Amelia stands up. “Yes?”

The doctor pauses before he speaks and Castiel prepares himself to pull Amelia in for a hug. He knows the next words out of the doctor’s mouth won’t be good.

“I’m sorry to inform you that your husband didn’t make it. We did everything that we could, but there was just too much damage, and we weren’t able to get his bleeding under control. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Amelia cries on Castiel’s shoulder and he mouths a thank you to the doctor before he leaves. He doesn’t even know what to say to her to comfort her. He can’t even begin to understand what she is going through, being pregnant and her husband dying. Once her crying turns into small sobs, he looks at her to try to talk to her.

“I don’t know what your situation is right now, but you are more than welcome to stay with Dean and I until you figure things out.”

He knows he should probably talk to Dean about this, but he considers Amelia a friend and he knows Dean will want to help if she needs it. Castiel drives them back to his house. He had called Dean to tell him what was going on while Amelia was in the bathroom. Once they get home, Dean greets them at the door. They both walk Amelia to their guest room. They weren’t going to have her stay in the B&B in her condition. This way they can keep an eye on her.

Once it seems she is calm enough to fall asleep, Castiel and Dean sit in the living room to talk.

“What are your plans, Cas?”

“I don’t know Dean. When she can talk, I can see what her plans are. I haven’t had any contact with either of them for over a year. I just can’t imagine what she is going through right now. I don’t know what I would do if…” He stops himself before finishing that sentence, because it’s not like he and Dean are in love, they are just pretending.

They discuss having her stay with them so long as she needs. The next few weeks are rough. Castiel does his best to help Amelia plan Jimmy’s funeral and sell their home. She has an aunt in Pontiac, Illinois that will take her and the baby in. She just has to finish taking care of her affairs here.

Castiel felt odd about attending Jimmy’s funeral especially since they looked alike, but Amelia wanted him there to comfort her if needed, so he went. She seemed to fall into a depression afterwards which was to be expected, and Castiel tried to coax her into at least walking a little and eating a little better. He was concerned not just for her, but also her unborn child. On one of her particularly bad days, Castiel knocks on her door, but doesn’t wait for her to answer. She probably wouldn’t anyway.

“Amelia, you should probably get up and get something to eat. Do you want me to make you something?”

She is just lying on her side on the bed with her hand pressed against her stomach, staring at nothing on the wall.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble at all.”

“I said I’m fine. Please, just leave me alone.”

He does as she asks, but he’s never far from her door. Castiel can sense that Dean is worried about her as well, but Castiel wears his emotions on his sleeve more than Dean does.

A little less than three months after Jimmy’s death, Dean and Castiel are woken up in the middle of the night by a pounding on their bedroom door.

“Castiel, Dean?” Amelia yells from the other side.

Castiel opens the door, trying to force his eyes to adjust to the light and when he sees the frantic look on Amelia’s face, he suspects it might be time. It is confirmed as he hears a dripping on the floor and looks down to see that her water broke.

“Shit. Let me throw some clothes on. I’ll be right out.”

He puts some clothes on, gives Dean a kiss goodbye, and drives Amelia to the hospital as fast as he can without getting a speeding ticket. They get her checked in and up to the maternity ward. She asks Castiel to stay with her, so he does. The labor is long and what seems to be painful and, for a split second, Castiel is thankful that, as a man, he would never have to go through this. Women truly are extraordinary to endure this and be able to walk away. It also made him appreciate his mom that much more for giving birth to two babies at once.

The baby is born 10 hours after they arrive. It’s a girl, but Amelia hasn’t decided on a name yet. There were some complications with the delivery and the baby needed some oxygen, so the doctors want to keep her for observation for a little while.

“Do you want me to stay with you a little while, Amelia? At least until you know your baby is o.k.”

“No, I’m fine, Castiel. Thank you so much for everything that you and Dean have done for me. I’m going to call my aunt to come get me. I’ll stop by with the baby before I leave town so you can see her.”

“O.k. take care of yourself Amelia. Dean and I are always here for you if you need us.”

“I know, thanks again.”

Castiel leaves her with a heavy heart. He knows that he would worry about her, but she is a grown woman and if she says she’s o.k. he will respect that. When he gets back home, Dean is waiting for him with breakfast. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he started eating.

“Oh, my god, you are a lifesaver. This is just what I needed.”

“I knew you married me for a reason.” Dean smiles and Castiel feels more relaxed than he has in a few months. He was happy that he could help Amelia through her grieving, but he was slightly thankful that it was just he and Dean again. He was looking forward to seeing the baby before she left, but as the weeks passed with no visit, that didn’t seem like it was going to happen.

Dean and Castiel’s sex life got back on track so that was a plus. While Amelia was there, they didn’t want to do too much for fear of making too much noise. It just seemed inappropriate. Now, a month after she gave birth, they are back to fucking like rabbits.

Castiel looks over at the clock and sees that it’s 7am. Breakfast for their guests would start being served in 30 minutes, so that was enough time before the possibility of maybe being interrupted by a guest. He looks over to see Dean on his stomach with his head smooshed into the pillow. He woke up with some serious morning wood and he hopes that Dean is in the mood to help him get rid of it. He runs his finger up and down his spine and kisses a trail from his arm up to his neck. Dean moans softly and turns over.

“I’m not a morning person, but if this is the way I get to wake up, I’ll take it.”

Dean pulls Castiel down so that they can kiss and Castiel lies on top of Dean and starts rutting against him. His lips kiss a trail from his mouth to his chest, teasing each nipple with his tongue. As Castiel makes his way further south, he asks. “Are you pitching or catching today?”

He looks up at Dean as he responds. “I’m in the mood to catch.”

Castiel smiles, because he was hoping that would have been the response. He reaches into the drawer next to the bed to grab the lube and opens Dean as slowly as he can, enjoying the noises that are coming from his mouth.

“Fuck, Cas, I’m ready. Just get to it.”

Castiel wears a slight grin on his face. “My, my, someone is needy.” He rubs some lube on his cock and lines himself up with Dean. Dean grabs tight to the headboard in anticipation of what’s to come. With one quick motion, Castiel pushes his way inside and just sits there waiting for his husband to beg. Dean wiggles his hips a little.

“Come on, Cas, move. Please?”

Castiel teases Dean’s lips with his own.

“I love it when you beg.”

Castiel starts with a slow rhythm, pulling out to his head, and then slamming back in, watching as Dean falls apart beneath him. As his thrusts get faster and deeper, so does Dean’s pleas. Dean reaches for his own cock, but Castiel swats his hand away.

“I want you to come on my cock today.”

“Fuck.”

Castiel sits back and grabs Dean by his thighs as he thrusts inside him, watching as his cock rubs against his stomach, the head glistening with his arousal.

“Fuck, Cas, just like that, almost there….almost……fuuuuck.”

Without warning, Dean is shooting cum onto his stomach, it’s leaking out in thick, white spurts. His muscles squeeze Castiel’s cock until he is coming. The sensation is too much. He can’t move. He just sits there buried deep inside Dean as his cock pulses and throbs, releasing his semen deep inside Dean. Once both men have come back to reality, they are lying on their backs staring up at the ceiling. Before they have a chance to say or do anything else, the bell alerting them that a guest is at the front rings. Castiel groans and gets ready to get up, but Dean puts a hand on his arm.

“No, you stay, I’ll go see who it is.”

Dean throws some shorts and a t-shirt on quickly and walks towards the front of the house. Castiel throws some clothes on while he is gone and then he hears Dean yell after him.

“Cas, you want to come here for a second please.”

Castiel meets Dean at the front entrance and is taken back by what he sees. Dean is holding a baby in one arm and a piece of paper is in his other hand which he hands to Castiel.

“Dean, what is this?”

“Just read it.”

Castiel opens the letter and sees that it is from Amelia.

Castiel,

I know this probably won’t win me mom of the year, but I have realized that I am not able to care for my daughter. You have always been there for me, and I wanted to give you and Dean a gift that nobody else has been able to give you. The pain is too deep. I only see Jimmy when I look at her and she deserves someone who can take care of her and love her unconditionally. I have given your information to a woman named Billie at Heavenly adoption services and she is yours if you want to adopt her. If not, Billie will see that she goes to a good home. Please don’t try to contact me. It’s better for everyone if she doesn’t know I exist.

Amelia

P.S. I didn’t give her a name yet. I thought it would be better if her new parents did that.

Castiel looks at Dean and then at the baby. He doesn’t know what to say. If he kept the baby, then that means he and Dean would be dads. Is that something that Dean would want? This is suddenly getting more complicated than he had expected. Their stubbornness to not lose a dare was now affecting another person’s life. The baby would always be part of them even long after one of them eventually gave up. They would still be friends long after, but they would also be bound by a child that would be theirs for the rest of their lives.

Before he could ask Dean if he would be o.k. with this or what that would even look like with their current situation, Dean looks at him with his puppy dog eyes glistening. They weren’t sad though; his eyes were glistening with tears of joy.

“I don’t know about you Cas, but I want to adopt her. I think I already love her. Look at how precious she is.”

Dean places her in his arms and he knows in that moment that his answer was going to be yes. He long ago had concluded that he was powerless to say no to Dean Winchester with his perfect smile and his heart of gold. He also knows that when this little girl in his arms eventually grows up, he would be unable to say no to her either. In just the few seconds that he held her, he had already become attached.

Dean leans in close, placing his hand on the small of Castiel’s back as he looks down at the baby in Castiel’s arms. “What should we name her?”

Castiel had never really put much thought into naming a baby, having assumed he would never get to have one, but somewhere in the back of his mind a name appeared, and he didn’t even know where it came from, but it seemed like it fit.

“What about Claire?” He looks at Dean and he sees a small smile form.

“I like it. Yes, we should name her Claire.”

They took Claire into their house and decided that when Missouri arrived for her shift, they would go to the adoption center to make it official and make a stop at the baby store to buy everything they need for the new addition to their home.

As they sit on the couch with their daughter waiting, Castiel feels a weight being lifted, because, moving forward, no matter what might happen, Dean would always be part of his life and that left him feeling both exhilarated and confused simultaneously.

Chapter Text

When Dean opened the door after hearing the bell, he had no idea that his life was about to change. He had hoped beyond hope that he would be a father someday and now he and Castiel have been gifted with just that. It both excites and terrifies him at the same time. He should have thought a little more about his decision before telling Castiel that they should adopt her, but his heart answered the question before his head even had a chance to weigh in.

They gave Missouri the shortened version of everything that happened when she arrived and noticed the baby in Castiel’s arms. She seemed more excited than surprised and told them that she would hold down the fort while they did what they needed to.

“You boys just take care of what you need to do to make Claire officially yours and I’ll make sure your guests remain happy.”

Dean and Castiel give each other a look because they are certain they haven’t told her Claire’s name yet.

“We didn’t tell you her name yet. How did you know?”

She doesn’t answer them. She just gives them the same smile she always gives them when she says something that she couldn’t possibly know. Maybe she was psychic after all. He doesn’t try to dive any further into it as the two of them head out with Claire in her car seat that Amelia thankfully left her in. They arrive at the adoption agency and ask to speak to Billie. The receptionist walks them over to a desk and they wait patiently for Billie to arrive.

A woman with a dark complexion who looks to be about the same age as Dean and Castiel walk over to them and extends her hand for the two men to shake.

“Hello, my name is Billie. Dean and Castiel, I presume?”

“Yes, that’s us.” Dean says, although he’s not sure why he sounds so nervous.

The three of them sit down and get right to the matter at hand.

“Amelia informed me that you two would be stopping by. Are you here to adopt the child or relinquish her so that she can be put up for adoption by another couple?”

Dean speaks first. “We would like to adopt her.”

“O.k. there is some paperwork that you need to fill out and we will need to do a background check and home visit to ensure everything is in order. Amelia has already filled out the portion signing away her rights and she has already requested a closed adoption which means you will not try to contact her regarding the child.”

“Yes, that was in the letter she left. We would like to get started with the process right away.”

Dean wasn’t aware how much paperwork was involved, but it makes sense considering they were going to become responsible for a tiny human. They were halfway through filling out the forms when Dean noticed that Castiel had checked the box next to heterosexual where it asked for sexual orientation. He pointed out that, even though it was true in both their cases, the fact that they were both men and married, the state might not accept that response, so he erased the check mark and checked the one next to bisexual. If fibbing about their orientation was what they had to do to be able to keep Claire, then that’s what they would do.

Once the paperwork was filled out and a fussy Claire had been fed, changed, and was resting peacefully again, the husbands bought every possible baby item they could think of before heading home. Some of the items wouldn’t fit in Baby and they had to arrange to have them delivered.  

The first few nights were o.k. as the three of them settled into a routine. Claire slept through the night most nights, but there were some nights that she gave them a hard time. Castiel ended up giving notice at work. He told Dean that he didn’t really need to work, and he wanted to devote as much of his time as he could to their daughter. It still felt odd to Dean to think about having a daughter, but he enjoyed every moment of it.

At least he thought he enjoyed it until she ended up with colic for a week strait. He and Castiel took turns trying to sooth her, but nothing seemed to work except when Dean sings Hey Jude like he vaguely remembers his mom singing to him. He was only 4 when she died, so his memories are limited, and he tries to hang on to as many as he can. He looks down at the little girl in his arms as she finally falls asleep, and his heart is at peace.

“I didn’t know you could sing.” Dean looks up to see Castiel standing next to him and then he sits next to him on the couch. “I’ve known you for 10 years. How come I never knew you could sing.”

“I never really had a reason to sing before.”

“I think you should do it more often. Your voice is beautiful.”

Dean can feel the blush spread across his face. “You’re just saying that because we’re married.”

“I’m really not. You really are good. Maybe we should start a band.”

Dean does his best to laugh without waking up Claire at Castiel’s suggestion. “Are you saying you can sing too Cas?”

“No, I was just hoping I could get you to laugh. With this little one keeping us awake at all hours of the night, you haven’t been smiling much lately.” He pauses as if he’s unsure of what to say next. “I missed it.”

Dean, certain that Claire isn’t going to wake up anytime soon, lays her down in her crib and joins Castiel in their bed, both men too exhausted to do anything. Now Dean knows why married couples argue once they add kids to the relationship. It’s probably from all the sexual tension from not getting laid. It’s been about a week since they’ve done anything sexual, and Dean already feels like he’s going to explode.

Once the colic has subsided, they then have to worry about teething. Missouri has a son and will have a granddaughter in a couple months, so she has some experience with babies, and she does her best to try to help Dean and Castiel out when they feel like they don’t have a clue what they are doing. She helps soothe them by letting them know that no first-time parent knows what they are doing, not really. Plus, each child is different, so even second- and third-time parents might struggle. Dean just knows that he owes her a big raise for all the help she has been offering them.

“You don’t owe me a thing, honey.” She tells Dean as she is rocking Claire to sleep for her nap.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I know, but you were thinking it and I’m always happy to help. You pay me enough as it is. I don’t need more.”

He takes Claire from her so that he can lay her down in her pack n play that they use during the day.

“As long as you know how much we appreciate you. We’d be lost without you.”

“I know. Now put that baby down so you can go check on your guests. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Dean does just that. He walks around the property to make sure everyone is doing good. The chef that they hired has just finished preparing lunch and Dean joins the guests, having forgotten to eat at his house. Castiel joins them a few minutes later.

“Wait, if you’re here, who’s with Claire?” Dean asks him.

“Missouri kicked me out. She said she can take care of her and any guests that might need assistance.”

“We don’t deserve her; you know that right?”

“I know, but she says she’s not going anywhere, so I’m not complaining.”

They finish their lunch and grow big heads after listening to their guests compliment them on doing such a good job with their hospitality and upkeep of their property. Dean smiles at that. He has taken such pride in the B&B these past 4 years and it’s nice to hear the guests acknowledge that.

To Dean’s utter amazement, they have survived 6 months of raising a child and only have 17 ½ more years to go, but who’s counting? Claire has been hinting over the past few days that she might start crawling soon and Dean and Castiel are sitting on the couch keeping their fingers crossed that tonight is the night. She’s sitting on her hands and knees rocking back and forth and squealing. This goes on for what seems like an eternity even though it’s only been 5 minutes after Dean checks the time. Then, as if she isn’t going to do anything at all, she slowly starts moving and then she’s crawling.

Dean and Castiel, in all their excitement, start jumping up and down, which must scare their daughter, because she startles. Castiel picks her up and she immediately grabs his face and sucks on his cheek, which they discovered is her way of giving a kiss.

“Good job, Claire. Your dads are so proud of you.”

Before Dean has a chance to get some strange Claire kisses, his phone rings. His brother’s name shows up on the caller id.

“Hey, Sammy, what’s up?”

“Just calling with some news. How are Cas and that niece of mine doing?”

“They’re good. Claire just started crawling a few minutes ago.”

“That’s great Dean. Give her a kiss from her Uncle Sam. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is because you should be getting an invitation in the mail soon for mine and Jess’s wedding. I want you to be my best man.”

Dean is beyond excited for his little brother. “That’s great Sammy. Of course, I’ll be your best man. Just let me know when, so I know what to do with the family business.”

“It’s in three months. The details will be in the invitation. Will you be able to get here a few weeks early to help with everything?”

“Of course, we were thinking of hiring more people to help with the B&B. We’ll just do that now, so we don’t have to worry about closing.”

He hangs up with Sam and shares the good news with Castiel. So, in between their duties taking care of Claire, they put a few ads out there for extra help. They hired enough staff to have the place covered from 6am-midnight. There was really no need for anyone from midnight-6am, but they did have a sign on their door with their phone number to call in case of emergencies during that time.

A week before Sam’s wedding, with 9-month-old Claire in tow, and about a month’s worth of supplies for her even though they would only be gone for a couple weeks, they boarded the airplane and Dean popped an Ativan to help him relax on the plane. They had thought about driving, but they weren’t ready for a road trip that long with a baby. Castiel had given Dean some preflight relaxation while Claire was napping, so he isn’t going to complain a whole lot.

They stop at Chuck and Becky’s house first to drop off Claire so they can meet up with Sam to go over last-minute details for the wedding. There really isn’t much left to do. Dean and Castiel meet Sam at the tuxedo shop to make sure their tuxedos fit. Dean was the best man and a couple of the guy’s Sam went to college with are his groomsmen. Jess, Anna, and Charlie are at the bridal store getting their dresses. Jess was an only child, and she only had a few friends from school, so Anna and Charlie were her bridesmaids.

The night before the wedding, Jess and Sam have a combined bachelor/bachelorette party at the Roadhouse. Dean didn’t fail to notice how close Bobby and Ellen were dancing together and Dean would make sure to tease him about it later. After a few drinks, the details of the evening were getting a little hazy for Dean and he really isn’t sure how they all ended up back at Chuck and Becky’s house. Thankfully they had kept Claire from noticing how wasted her dads had gotten. Not that she would really remember. She isn’t even a year old yet.

The wedding was twice as spectacular as Castiel and Dean’s wedding. It only makes sense. Sam and Jess were getting married for real, so their wedding was more extravagant for one, plus they had more guests in attendance.

At the reception Dean can’t help but notice the side eye that he and Castiel keep getting from Anna.

“Yo, dude, what’s up with your sister staring daggers into our souls?”

“Oh, don’t mind her. She just thinks that we’re in denial about our feelings for each other and it annoys her that we act like we’re in love even though we’re not.”

“That makes sense I suppose. Should we tell her that we’re in love so that she stops staring at us like that?”

“No, that would just make it worse. I just ignore her. It seems to work just fine that way.”

Dean does just that and relaxes for the rest of the evening until Charlie walks over carrying his daughter who doesn’t smell very good.

“Aunty Charlie doesn’t mind spending time with baby Claire here, but I draw the line at changing her shitty diaper when both her fathers are around.”

She hands Claire over and skips back over to Anna. Dean changes Claire and when it’s obvious that she is getting cranky and ready for bed, they say their goodbyes and drive back to Chuck and Becky’s house.

Sam and Jess leave for their honeymoon the next day and Dean and Castiel take Claire back on the metal death tube back to their house. Missouri invites them back with open arms and she gives them a good report about the new staff they had hired, so that puts Dean a little more at ease. Now, he can start taking more vacations since he knows the business will be in good hands while they are gone.

As he attempts to fall asleep cuddling next to his husband, he still can’t get out of his mind the words his brother said to him before he left for his honeymoon with Jess. He told him to listen to his heart and Dean isn’t quite sure what that was supposed to mean. He doesn’t feel like his heart is trying to tell him anything right now, so he isn’t sure he understands what Sam was trying to say and of course his moose of a brother wouldn’t elaborate. He’s happy being a father and as far as a love life goes, he hasn’t really run into anyone that would cause him to give up on the dare. He’s content with what he and Castiel have even if it doesn’t make much sense to anyone else, except Missouri. She already told them that she knows what they mean to each other, and she hasn’t teased them about it. They truly are lucky to have her around because at least she gets it.

He hears Claire stir through the baby monitor and he goes to get her before she starts crying and wakes up Castiel. It’s Castiel’s turn to wake up with her, but he looks too peaceful for Dean to bother him and Dean’s already awake anyway. He gets a strange feeling in the deepest part of his stomach when Castiel reaches for him as he’s getting out of the bed. It must have been a reflex though because the other man is still sound asleep. Once Dean gets Claire back to sleep, he’ll grab something quick to eat. His stomach might be trying to warn him that he’s getting hungry.

Chapter Text

“Claire, give that back right now.”

Castiel did not appreciate having to chase his daughter around the house to get his phone back, the sound of his sister’s voice trying to speak on the other end. He finally catches up to her and puts himself on the other side of the baby gate from where she is so that he can finish his conversation. To his delight, Dean happens to walk into the house at just that moment.

“Can you keep an eye on this devil child of yours please? I’m trying to talk to my sister, and she keeps stealing the phone.” He holds up the phone to show Dean in case he doesn’t believe him. Dean picks Claire up, even though she protests.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Cas. I think she’s an angel.”

“Yea, well so was Lucifer.”

Dean laughs before he walks into the kitchen to probably get a piece of pie or whatever he snacks on while he’s in there.

He returns to his phone call.

“Sorry about that Anna. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that Charlie and I finally set a date for our wedding. We’ll be having it in 6 months.”

“We just attended a wedding. You guys couldn’t spread it a little farther from Sam’s?”

“Sam just celebrated his 1^st wedding anniversary a week ago Cas. Where have you been?”

That can’t be right. Has it been a whole year already?

“Seriously? Has it been that long?”

“Yes, and if you and your gay chicken dare husband actually paid attention to something other than each other, you would know when time passes.”

Castiel rolls his eyes at that.

“Just send me the details and we’ll be there.”

“O.k., texting them to you now.  I love you.”

“Love you too, little sis.”

Castiel can swear he hears her roll her eyes on the other end before they hang up. He will never apologize for calling her his little sister. 5 minutes is 5 minutes after all and he was on this Earth that much longer than her, so that makes him older.

He walks into the kitchen to see what his husband and daughter are up to, and he walks in to the two of them with whipped cream all over their face.

“What is going on here?”

“Nuffin.” Dean attempts to say with his mouth stuffed full of Pumpkin Pie. He quickly swallows what’s in his mouth before speaking again. “What did your sister want?”

“She just wanted to tell me that her and Charlie finally set a date for their wedding.”

“Wait, what? Why didn’t Charlie call me?” Before he has a chance to answer, Dean’s phone rings. “Oh, speak of the devil. You got her?” He points to Claire.

“Yes, go ahead.”

Dean walks out to the living room to talk to Charlie while Castiel cleaned Claire up who was wearing more pie and whipped cream than what made it into her stomach he thinks. He had just finished wiping her off when Dean returned to the kitchen.

“Well, that was close. She tried to get me to be one of her bridesmaids and I had to put my foot down. She’s going to reach out to Jody and Donna. They’ve been keeping in touch over the years.”

Castiel grins. “I don’t know. I think you would make a lovely bridesmaid.” He picks Claire up. “What do you think Claire? Wouldn’t daddy make a pretty bridesmaid?”

“Daddy, pretty.”

“Ok, very funny.” He blows raspberries on her belly while Castiel is still holding her. She starts squirming and squealing and Castiel has to tighten his grip to keep her from falling. He finally puts her down and the three of them take their afternoon stroll around the property. There was a little duck pond not far from the B&B that they had started taking Claire to. They would sit together on the bench that sat not far from it and watch as she looked at the ducks. She was good about not trying to chase them.

Now that Claire was almost three, when they went to Lawrence for Anna and Charlie’s wedding, they drove the Impala instead of flying. The trip was still exhausting, and they had to stop and get a hotel halfway through, but Dean made sure to express how happy he was that they weren’t flying. It was still a long trip to take with a toddler, but she was easier to entertain than when she was a baby.

Dean and Castiel weren’t part of the wedding party this time, so they weren’t required to help with any of the planning. When they arrived in Lawrence, they dropped their bags off at his mom and dad’s house and took Claire to the Roadhouse. Ellen greeted them with open arms. Dean had shared when they were here last year that he thought Ellen and Bobby were hooking up and it was confirmed not long after. They were living together now, and they really complemented each other, Castiel thought.  They were perfect.

Ellen sat them in one of the bigger booths and Jo came to join them for a little bit while she was taking a break. They caught up with everything that was going on in their lives for the past 12 years that they had been gone. Jo begins to tell them about how she has been running the Roadhouse while her mom is semi-retired, when they hear a familiar voice yelling from the door.

“Hey, brotha.”

“Benny.” Dean yells back.

Benny and Andrea had made their way over to the table by the time that Dean and Castiel stood to greet them. Andrea is absolutely glowing, her obvious baby bump is probably the reason, Castiel thinks. They give each other hugs and then Benny and Andrea sit across from Dean and Castiel at the table.

“So, who’s this little cutie?” Andrea asks, looking at Claire.

“This is Claire, our daughter.”

Benny speaks up. “I heard you two got married and now you have a kid. I was wondering when you were going to pull your heads out of your asses, and stop pretending a dare was the only thing keeping you together.”

Castiel sighs and rolls his eyes. “We are only still together because of the dare. Dean won’t chicken out no matter what I throw at him.”

Benny pauses and then a smile pulls at the corner of his mouth as his eyes roam down to Dean and Castiel’s hands intertwined on top of the table.

“If you say so.” He finally says.

Their conversation carries on. The husbands learn that Benny and Andrea were married a few years back and they are expecting their first child next month. Benny owns his own Cajun restaurant on the other side of town and it’s very successful. Castiel promises him that they will stop by before they leave town. He’s always wanted to try Cajun food and he heard that Benny was a good cook. He graduated at the top of his class at college.

Claire yawns and rests her head on top of Dean’s shoulder, so they decide that they should probably get her back for her nap. They say their goodbyes to everyone and make their way back to his parent’s house.

The next morning Anna arrives and steals Castiel away to have lunch together. It’s been forever since he has spent any alone time with his sister, so he was happy that she had thought of it. They find a local diner and settle into a booth in the corner with a window view. They give the waitress their order and Castiel starts the conversation.

“So, you and Charlie seem really happy. I’m excited for the both of you.”

“As do you and Dean, seem happy, I mean.”

Castiel was hoping they could have a decent conversation without him being teased by his sister.

“Can we please not Anna. I just want to have a nice conversation with my sister. I don’t get to see you that much anymore.”

“I’m not trying to give you a hard time, Castiel. I worry about you. That’s all.” She plays with a few strands of her hair which he knows she only does when she’s nervous about something. “Plus, I think I’m a little jealous.”

“What would you be jealous about?”

“You and Dean. It doesn’t matter what you guys want to call yourselves or if you think it’s pretend or not, but the fact is, you two are living as a gay couple and it took no effort at all. I am gay and I couldn’t do that right away. Not since that Josie bitch embarrassed me in front of the whole school.”

He reaches for his sister and takes her hand in his to comfort her. “I’m sorry Anna. I know how hard that was. That’s why I’m thrilled that Charlie treats you so well. You deserve to have someone love you unconditionally.”

“So do you Castiel. Just don’t miss out on it if the opportunity presents itself.” She squeezes his hand a little. “Promise me you’ll always listen to your heart.”

“I promise.”

Their food arrives and their conversation moves to something a little less deep and he feels exhilarated to know that his sister isn’t annoyed with him, she’s just concerned. He returns to his parents’ house after his lunch and feels overjoyed when his daughter runs up to him to give him a big hug. His heart is definitely full. His sister didn’t need to worry about him anymore.

Dean looks like he is going to burst when they walk into Charlie and Anna’s wedding and sees that it is Star Wars themed.

“Cas, why didn’t we do something like this?”

They had made their way to their seats by now and were waiting for both brides to walk down the aisle. Castiel can’t help but laugh as he pictures Dean dressed like Princess Leia.

“I didn’t want to scar anyone by making them stare at you in a bikini the whole time.” He pauses as he thinks about what his sister and Charlie might be wearing. “As long as Charlie is the one dressed like princess Leia, I won’t be scarred for life.”

Just then, the music plays and Castiel turns around and sure enough Anna is walking down the aisle in a gold bikini with her hair in buns against her ears. He will never be able to jerk off to Princess Leia again. Charlie follows immediately after, also dressed as Princess Leia, but the outfit that she wore with the Ewoks. Castiel will have to talk to his sister about choice of outfits later. He found himself getting a little teary eyed when they said I do and kissed. It brought him back to his and Dean’s wedding which seemed so long ago. He held tight to Dean’s hand and could see that his eyes were welling up just like his were. Weddings are always such emotional events.

Later, at the reception, Claire kept Dean and Castiel busy chasing after her to keep her from annoying everyone with her bubbly personality and never-ending stories. By the time the night was over, the husbands were ready to pass out in their bed and thankfully Claire had worn herself out enough to go to sleep right away.

They bid farewell to the ginger duo as they set off to go on their honeymoon and Dean and Castiel returned to their life in Vermont. As usual, Missouri welcomed them back with a big smile and open arms. Over the years she had become a surrogate mom to both men, and they loved her just as much as she loves them.

Castiel didn’t like how quickly Claire seemed to be growing. He and Dean doted on her, and Missouri told them that they were spoiling her, but they didn’t care. She was their only child and would perhaps always be their only child. Castiel would find a way to give her the moon if she asked for it. She was worth it.

Dean and Castiel are settled on the couch watching reruns of Dr. Sexy the night before Claire starts her first day of kindergarten and they both comment that they don’t know where the time has gone. It has been 5 years since she became theirs and it only seems like yesterday.

“I don’t know if I will be able to let her go, Dean. I’m so used to having her with us all day. It will be hard to have her gone.”

“I know, Cas, same here. I will miss her too.” Dean brushes his fingers across the back of Castiel’s neck. “On the upside though, we will have more time during the day to fool around.”

Castiel looks over at Dean and can see the lust in the other man’s eyes. He knows that there is no way they are finishing the episode they are watching. Dean gets on his knees on the floor in between Castiel’s legs. He unzips his pants and Castiel lifts his hips so that Dean can pull his pants down just enough to pull his length out of his boxers. Castiel fights back a moan as he feels the warmth of his husband’s mouth sink down on his cock. Dean is sucking him slowly and thoroughly, his tongue licking up and down his shaft, Castiel’s hands rest on Dean’s head as he leans his own head back on the couch.

“Dean, yes, just like that.”

A few moments later, Castiel is spilling down Dean’s throat and he covers his mouth to stifle the noise he wants to make. Dean’s lips find his and he tastes himself in his husband’s mouth.

“Let’s go to bed, Cas. I’m not quite done with you yet.”

He follows Dean to the bedroom after tucking himself back into his pants and is excited for Claire to start school if this is what he gets to look forward to every day.

Claire’s first few years of elementary school speed by and Dean and Castiel have difficulty keeping up with all her activities. She makes friends easily and between sleepovers and bake sales and girl scout meetings and everything else that comes with being a little girl, Castiel isn’t sure how couples have more than one child. He is exhausted just trying to keep the one they have alive and happy.

For her ninth birthday party, Dean and Castiel have a special gathering for her at the house. They had a cruise planned for her 10^th birthday that would just be the three of them, so they wanted her to celebrate with her friends before that. She has a decent number of friends in her little circle. Dean and Castiel used a party planner because they don’t know the first thing about planning a birthday party for a 9-year-old girl.

The party ended up being a success and Claire was over the moon thrilled about the drawing tablet and computer that her dads bought her. They learned over the years that nothing was too expensive for their little girl and with how successful the business had been since they started running it 13 years ago, they could afford to splurge when it came to their blue-eyed daughter. Once the guests left for the evening, the three of them sat themselves in front of the tv to start their annual Harry Potter/Star Wars marathon. They started with Harry Potter and Claire situated herself between her two dads.

“I love you guys.” She told them as she took their hands into hers.

“We love you too sweetie.” The men said in unison.

They made it to about 30 minutes left in the movie before Claire dozed off. Castiel carried her up to her room. She was not as light as she used to be, but he managed, and then he made his way to his bedroom to join his husband who was already in bed.

They quench their thirst with Dean’s hand stroking them both to completion and when they are cleaned up with Dean’s head resting against Castiel’s chest, he begins to feel lightheaded. Dean’s faint breaths alert him that he is sleeping and Castiel can’t shake this feeling that he has. He can’t put his finger on what is going on as he stares at the ceiling. As he’s stroking Dean’s back, it finally dawns on him what the feeling is, the thing that he has been ignoring for years now. Castiel knows now that he is without a doubt in love with Dean Winchester and that is the most terrifying and happy feeling he has ever experienced in his life.

Chapter Text

Dean woke up alone the morning after Claire’s 9^th birthday party. He wasn’t sure at first what woke him up after looking at the clock and seeing that it was only 7am, but the distinct smell of bacon reached his nostrils, and he doesn’t need much coaxing to get out of bed for that. After relieving himself in the bathroom and a quick brush of his teeth to rid himself of any morning breath he might have, he stumbles into the kitchen to the sight of his husband preparing bacon and eggs in his adorable bumble bee pajamas he bought him last year for Christmas. He sneaks up behind Castiel and wraps his arms around him, placing a tiny kiss on his neck.

Before he had a chance to say good morning, Castiel startled and pulled away from Dean’s embrace. Dean stepped back, unsure of why Castiel had reacted that way. Maybe he was in deep thought and he took him by surprise.

“Shit, Dean, you scared me.”

“Sorry, Cas, I didn’t mean to.” Dean catches a glimpse of Castiel’s face, noticing how red rimmed his eyes are. “Are you o.k. Cas? You look like you’ve been crying.”

Castiel pauses before answering, wiping his eyes. “Oh, no, it must just be allergies. I’ve been sneezing all morning.” Dean has known Castiel long enough to be able to tell when he is lying through his teeth, but he also knows that Castiel won’t tell him anything if he keeps pushing, so he lets it go.

Just as Castiel makes a plate of eggs for himself and Dean, Claire emerges from her room with a serious case of bed head, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

“I smell bacon.”

Dean pulls out a chair for her to sit on. “Yep, you’re just in time, sweetie. Your papa is making eggs and bacon for us.”

“Ooohh, my favorite.”

She sits down and waits at the table with her legs swinging impatiently for Castiel to give her a plate full of eggs and bacon. The three of them sit mostly in silence and Dean can’t shake the feeling he has that maybe he did something to piss off his husband. They had a pleasant evening last night he thought and Castiel had seemed happier than usual, so Dean isn’t sure why he is melancholy this morning. With the way he is acting, he would be able to win the audition for Eeyore in a live version of Winnie the Poo with no competition at all. Dean lets it go though and doesn’t press any further because that’s what Dean does. He avoids his problems instead of facing them head on. It’s gotten him this far in life, why change the routine now?

This thing with Castiel doesn’t seem to get better with time though and Dean doesn’t know what to think of it. They still enjoy adult time together, even though Dean has noticed Castiel looking at him differently and he seems more withdrawn after. He ignores the fact that there are times when Castiel must think Dean is asleep and he goes into the bathroom for longer than it should take to pee, and he comes back sniffling like he is trying to get over a cold. He should probably ask Castiel why he is so upset and why he is trying to cover up his sadness, but Dean doesn’t want to pry. If it has something to do with Claire, he knows Castiel would talk to him about it. She is their number one priority, and he knows Castiel wouldn’t keep a secret from him that involves their daughter.

The months pass and Dean feels that too much time has gone by to say anything now about Castiel’s behavior, so he pushes his feelings down and locks them up into a box in the back of his mind and ignores them because that’s what a normal person does, right? They ignore their feelings instead of just talking about them. This theory would come back to bite him in the ass the night they attend Claire’s parent teacher conference.

“Cas, hurry up so we aren’t late.”

“I’m coming Dean.”

Castiel mopes out into the living room, his hair looking a little more disheveled than normal, but Dean doesn’t mind. He’s always liked that look. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t sad when Castiel had started combing it and using product to keep it flat and free from flying out in all directions. He preferred this look better. They wait for their babysitter, Krissy, to arrive to watch Claire and then they drive to the school to meet with her teacher. They get there with 10 minutes to spare so they sit in the little seats in the hall that were certainly not designed for two men right below and above 6 feet.

Mrs. Jones calls them in when it’s their turn and thankfully they are sitting at a desk for normal-sized people.

“Please have a seat.”

She directs both men to sit across from her at the table and she slides a folder across to them which contains papers that Claire has done so far this school year.

“All in all, Claire is doing exceptionally well in my class, and I have no doubt in my mind that she will also do well next year in 5^th grade in preparation for middle school.” She shows them the various papers that are in the folder that have an A or exceptional grade. Then she places a drawing in front of them. It looks like a picture of two men holding a chicken. “I wasn’t sure if you two would know what Claire was trying to say in this drawing though. When I asked Claire about it, she told me it was a picture of the two of you with your gay chicken. I honestly didn’t know birds had a sexual orientation, but Claire seems to think that they do.”

Dean looks over at Castiel who seems mortified by the whole thing even though Dean starts to laugh. He can’t help it. The whole thing is funny.

“It’s not funny, Dean.” Dean looks to see his husband giving him his death stare.

“You have to admit, Cas, it’s a bit funny.” Dean looks at Mrs. Jones to give her an explanation. “I think I can explain this. You see, Cas and I are together because of a dare back in high school. We’ve been playing gay chicken and until now, we weren’t aware of Claire knowing that. I’m guessing that’s what the picture is about. We don’t own any chickens.”

Mrs. Jones lets out a little laugh. “Oh, my. That certainly is the best meet cute story I’ve heard about a couple getting together and I’ve heard many over the years. How long did it take for you two to realize that you were in love?”

“Oh, we aren’t. We’re still waiting for someone to chicken out.” Dean says.

Just then, Castiel stands up and reaches out to shake Mrs. Jones hand.

“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Jones. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

He walks towards the door without waiting for Dean. Dean stands up, thanks Mrs. Jones for her report about Claire, and follows Castiel out to the car after scooping up the folder with Claire’s papers in it. He ends up cutting Castiel off before he can open the car door though.

“Do you mind telling me what that was all about? Why the need to leave in such a hurry?”

Castiel sighs, not trying one bit to hide his annoyance from Dean. “Weren’t you the one to always tell me that we need to stop telling people about the dare because they will think we are crazy?”

“Yea, but this is different. This is Claire’s teacher, and she was asking when we knew we loved each other. Did you want me to lie and tell her that we’re in love, because we’re not? We’re just two stubborn assholes trying to live the American Dream.”

“You’re right Dean. We’re not in love.” His voice sounds more bitter than it usually does and Dean doesn’t understand what is causing his hostility about this whole thing.

Castiel pushes Dean aside and climbs into the car. Dean isn’t sure what he did to upset Castiel, but they don’t talk the entire way home. They pay Krissy for watching Claire, and, after Claire goes to bed for the night, Dean decides that he’s going to have a talk with his husband. His moping has gone on long enough and Dean can’t continue to wait for him to talk about what’s bothering him. He doesn’t have a chance though because when he walks out into the living room from changing in the bedroom, he witnesses Castiel grabbing his keys and heading for the door.

“Are you going for a walk?”

Castiel turns and looks at him with those sad eyes again. “No, I think I’m just going to sleep at the B&B tonight. I’m not feeling well and just think it’s for the best.”

Dean won’t admit that he’s upset about that, but Castiel is his own person. “I can walk you over if you want.”

“No, it’s o.k. I’ll be fine. It’s not far.”

“O.k. Cas see you tomorrow.”

“Goodbye Dean.”

Dean goes to bed that night with an ache in his chest that he can’t explain nor get rid of. He is wondering if maybe Castiel has grown tired of being with Dean. Maybe Castiel met someone and is afraid to tell Dean. That would be the only explanation as to why he has been so distant. They have an understanding that they are exclusive since they are married, otherwise the dare becomes null and void. Maybe Castiel has feelings for someone and is worried that he will lose the dare if he acts on his feelings.

They had been together so long at this point that Dean thought if either of them would find someone else, they would have done it by now. He doesn’t want to lose Castiel as a friend and he hopes that if he has found someone, he’ll still want to see Dean and be friends. He feels like a piece of his heart would be missing if he didn’t get to have Castiel in his life in some capacity for eternity. He falls asleep after a couple hours, but it’s a restless sleep. Dean wakes up at 6am to the sound of the bedroom door opening and closing. The bed dips and he looks over just as an arm wraps around his waist and lips find his own.

“Cas?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you’re apologizing for man. You didn’t even tell me what was wrong.”

“I’ve just been going through something and trying to work it out on my own. I’ll let you know if it becomes too much for me to handle.”

“Did you…did you meet someone?”

“No, Dean. I haven’t met anyone.” He grabs Dean’s hand and kisses his finger. “I’m not giving up my 200.00 that easily.” He smiles at Dean, but he doesn’t have the same fire behind his words that he usually does when they tease each other with the dare.

Dean is happy to hear that he gets to hang on to Castiel a little longer. After a few make out sessions, they fall asleep and the weight on Dean’s chest is lifted once he knows he won’t have to watch Castiel be happy with someone else. He knows it’s selfish and foolish since they aren’t in love with each other, but he couldn’t imagine not having him next to him every night anymore.

Dean opens his eyes to the sun assaulting him on a supersonic level. He usually closes the curtains before falling asleep, but he must have forgotten last night. He was otherwise preoccupied. Per usual, Castiel is already out of bed. He will never understand the need for someone to be a morning person. Morning shouldn’t even begin until noon. Then and only then would Dean consider himself a morning person.

He walks out to the kitchen to find Claire and Castiel sitting at the table enjoying their bagels, looking at the mail. He kisses the top of Claire’s head before grabbing his own bagel and smothering it with cream cheese; clear arteries be damned.

“Oh, Dad, guess what? Papa, said you guys got something special in the mail today.”

“Really, what could that be?” Dean was a bit worried. Had he forgotten that he ordered his special lingerie again? What if Claire opened it and was suddenly scarred for life? Castiel slides an envelope across to Dean and he looks at the contents inside. It was an invitation to their high school reunion.

“Has it been 20 years already? I feel so old.” He looks at the date on the invitation. “This is a couple weeks after our cruise. Do you want to go? We would just have to extend our vacation a little.”

Castiel shrugs. “I’m fine either way. I was only there for a year, and you grew up with everyone, so if you want to go I’ll go.”

Dean smiles. “Yeah; let’s do it. I’ll just let the staff know that we’ll be gone longer than planned.”

A few years back, Missouri had just started staying in Dean and Castiel’s guest room if they would be gone longer than a few days. That way she could be there if an emergency happened when she was off shift. Her son had taken her grand daughter out of town after his wife died, so she didn’t have any other family nearby and it wasn’t an inconvenience for her to stay at their house. Dean still didn’t understand why Missouri’s son blamed her for his wife’s death. There was nothing she could have done to help her. She contracted an incurable illness. There’s no way to see that coming.

Missouri said she would absolutely hold down the fort for the month that the husbands and their daughter would be gone. She told them to just have fun and not worry about anything going on back here. She would have it covered. So, that’s just what they did. The day of the cruise, they drove to the port and boarded the cruise ship with enough clothes to last a month even though their cruise was only for a week. They were just going to drive straight to Lawrence once the cruise was over, so they brought enough for that trip as well.

Dean had never been on a cruise before, so he was probably just as excited as his 9 (almost 10) year old daughter was. They had booked this trip specifically for her birthday, so he wanted everything to be special for her. How many kids can say they went on a cruise as a birthday gift? The three of them were sharing a room, so no sexy time for Dean and Castiel, but it wasn’t the first time in their life together that they had to abstain for a little while, so he would survive. They would just have to get a hotel room once they get to Lawrence and leave Claire with Castiel’s parents so they could make up for lost time.

There were tons of activities to do while they were aboard the cruise and Dean tried to fit every single one of them in. The night of Claire’s 10^th birthday, they had a special dinner in the ship’s ballroom. Dean had paid a little extra to have the staff make a special birthday cake for Claire and her happy squeal was all the thanks Dean needed. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and did the same for Castiel.

“I love you guys so much. You’re the best dads ever.”

That put a smile on both their faces.

“We love you too, Claire bear.” Castiel said with a hint of a tear forming in his eyes.

“Yes, sweetie. You’re the best thing that ever happened to us.” Dean adds.

The festivities for the last day of the cruise were the best of the whole week. There was a little dance party on the deck and Claire had entirely too much fun laughing at her dads as they attempted to do all the hip dances that kids nowadays try to do. Dean can’t remember the last time he had so much fun with it just being the three of them and he didn’t want it to ever end. He knew it would someday though. They couldn’t go on like this forever, not when it’s not real, can they? He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to that.

Once the ship docked back at the harbor, they stuffed their suitcases into Baby’s trunk and took the highway that would lead them back to Lawrence. Every time they went back home to where it all started, something seemed to change. Dean would be the cause of the change this time and it had been hurting him a little every day knowing what he needed to do. He didn’t know why it was hurting so much though. It’s not like he was in love with his husband or anything. They were just friends.

He would have to talk to Charlie when he sees her. Maybe she would agree to call a truce about the dare. There is probably a 20-year clause written somewhere in the truth or dare contract. He felt like he was holding Castiel back from being with someone he truly loved, and he didn’t want that for his friend. He wanted him to be happy. As much as it pained him to say it to himself, it was time for him to admit defeat. It may have taken 20 years for Castiel to become the champion, but Dean owed it to his husband to let him go. He knows it would tear him up inside and he would never be as happy with anyone as he is with Castiel, but letting his husband live the life he should have with someone he deserves is the best thing to do, right?

Chapter Text

Castiel woke up the morning after he realized that he was in love with Dean and sat out on the couch waiting for it to become closer to a normal time before he made Dean breakfast. He searched his memories trying to pinpoint the exact moment he realized that he was in love. Over the years it had just been a game. The two of them constantly did things to try to get the other one to chicken out. The only thing he knows for sure is that he doesn’t want to be without Dean. He doesn’t even know how to tell him that he loves him. Should he tell him? If Dean finds out that he isn’t in this anymore just because of the dare, wouldn’t he feel betrayed? He couldn’t imagine his life without Dean. What if he hated Castiel for lying for who knows how long and he doesn’t ever want to see him again? He doesn’t know if he would be able to live without his husband.

He wipes at his eyes trying to fight back the tears as he makes his way to the kitchen to start breakfast. He starts frying the bacon knowing the smell will eventually wake Dean up. He doesn’t have the strength to go into the room and look at him laid out on the bed. His feelings are too strong right now. He needs to get them under control first.

Castiel doesn’t notice Dean walk into the kitchen until he feels his strong arms wrap around his waist and his lips graze his neck. Why does it feel so good? He loves this man so much, but he knows he can’t have Dean the way he wants him. Dean doesn’t feel the same way for him. Before Dean has a chance to do anything more, Castiel pulls away and comes up with the only excuse he can think of, so it doesn’t seem like he wants more.

“Shit, Dean, you scared me.”

“Sorry, Cas, I didn’t mean to.” Castiel had tried his best to keep Dean from seeing his eyes, which he is sure still have the evidence of his crying written all over them. “Are you o.k. Cas? You look like you’ve been crying.”

He wipes his eyes before replying. “Oh, no, it must just be allergies. I’ve been sneezing all morning.” He’s certain that Dean won’t believe that excuse, but he can’t give him a decent explanation. Not yet.

Right on cue, their daughter emerges from her bedroom to save Castiel from anymore awkward conversation. Castiel makes a plate of eggs and bacon for the three of them and they sit in silence for most of the meal, Castiel trying his best to not think of a future that he won’t be able to have because of his unrequited love for his husband. He hopes that Dean won’t notice his obvious sadness, so he can avoid a conversation that might cost him one of the two people he can’t imagine living his life without.

Castiel thought it would get easier to work through what was going on with him. He was in love with Dean Winchester, no big deal, right? It wasn’t just him loving Dean that has him questioning everything. Being with Dean, he hadn’t really noticed the changes because he wasn’t looking, but in all his outings within a few months of his revelation helped open his eyes to something else about him. He no longer found himself attracted to women like he did in high school or even a few years back. In the early days of the dare, he was still turned on by the female form, but he never acted on it since he was with Dean. Now, he has to struggle to even get it up by looking at a woman and, most of the time, his mind just twists the image into a female Dean with all his masculine qualities. Could he even classify himself as being straight anymore?

Unless they had company or Claire wasn’t asleep yet, they still had sex every night and it broke Castiel’s heart a little more each time. He longed for Dean to love him back so much that he had to struggle to keep his emotions buried deep. He enjoyed the feel of Dean’s lips on his body, the sensation of the skin to skin contact, and no matter which one of them bottomed, when they came together, it was the most exhilarating feeling Castiel experienced. As he stared into the green eyes looking back at him, he knew it was hopeless. He was in too deep and there was no backing down because he loved this man too much.

This only made him hate himself more. So, every night, once Dean was asleep, Castiel would slip away to the bathroom to cry. He cried because he would never hear Dean say he loved him, he cried because he knew he was deceiving Dean by not telling him the truth and he knows how wrong that is, and he cried because he didn’t want Claire to get hurt if she realized only one of her dads was in this for love.

Missouri must have picked up on his melancholy mood because she would often pull him into a hug and tell him everything would be o.k. and to just be patient since all good things just take time. He really was lucky to have her around. She always knew the right thing to say even if it didn’t always make sense to him and Dean.

The night of Claire’s parent teacher conference at the end of November, Castiel did his best to make himself presentable, but his hair wasn’t doing what he wanted it to, so he just decided to let it go.

“Cas, hurry up so we aren’t late.” He heard Dean yell from the living room.

“I’m coming Dean.” He called back.

Castiel mopes out into the living room, noticing the pitiful look that Dean is giving his hair. He probably should have tried harder to make it more presentable, but he didn’t want to waste any more of their time. They wait for their babysitter, Krissy, to arrive to watch Claire and then they drive to the school to meet with her teacher. They get there with 10 minutes to spare so they sit in the little seats in the hall that were certainly not designed for two men right below and above 6 feet.

Mrs. Jones calls them in when it’s their turn and thankfully they are sitting at a desk for normal-sized people.

“Please have a seat.”

She directs both men to sit across from her at the table and she slides a folder across to them which contains papers that Claire has done so far this school year.

“All in all, Claire is doing exceptionally well in my class, and I have no doubt in my mind that she will also do well next year in 5th grade in preparation for middle school.” She shows them the various papers that are in the folder that have an A or exceptional grade. Then she places a drawing in front of them. It looks like a picture of two men holding a chicken. “I wasn’t sure if you two would know what Claire was trying to say in this drawing though. When I asked Claire about it, she told me it was a picture of the two of you with your gay chicken. I honestly didn’t know birds had a sexual orientation, but Claire seems to think that they do.”

Castiel is completely mortified by what he is looking at. His daughter must know that he has been hiding his secret that he thinks he’s gay. He always knew that kids were intuitive, but he had no idea that she could see right through him. Then, Dean has the nerve to laugh. Of course, he would laugh. It’s not his sexuality being called into question.

“It’s not funny, Dean.” He gives him the best bitch face he can manage to let him know how serious he is about this.

“You have to admit, Cas, it’s a bit funny.” Dean looks at Mrs. Jones to give her an explanation. “I think I can explain this. You see, Cas and I are together because of a dare back in high school. We’ve been playing gay chicken and until now, we weren’t aware of Claire knowing that. I’m guessing that’s what the picture is about. We don’t own any chickens.”

Mrs. Jones lets out a little laugh. “Oh, my. That certainly is the best meet cute story I’ve heard about a couple getting together and I’ve heard many over the years. How long did it take for you two to realize that you were in love?”

“Oh, we aren’t. We’re still waiting for someone to chicken out.” Dean says.

Of course, that would be Dean’s response. He knew Dean wasn’t in love with him. Hearing it from his mouth, though, didn’t help to ease his pain. Castiel needs to get out of here before he loses the last bit of strength that he has. He stands up and offers his hand to her to shake.

“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Jones. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

He walks towards the door without waiting for Dean and begins his walk out to the car. Dean steps in front of him and blocks him from being able to open the car door.

“Do you mind telling me what that was all about? Why the need to leave in such a hurry?”

Castiel sighs, not trying one bit to hide his annoyance from Dean. “Weren’t you the one to always tell me that we need to stop telling people about the dare because they will think we are crazy?”

“Yea, but this is different. This is Claire’s teacher, and she was asking when we knew we loved each other. Did you want me to lie and tell her that we’re in love, because we’re not? We’re just two stubborn assholes trying to live the American Dream.”

“You’re right Dean. We’re not in love.” He didn’t mean to sound so bitter, but his heart can’t take much more of the realization that his true love will never love him back.

Castiel pushes Dean aside and climbs into the car. They don’t talk the entire way home. They pay Krissy for babysitting Claire, and, as Dean heads back to their bedroom to change once Claire is in bed, Castiel decides that he can’t sleep here tonight. He needs some distance to think about his options. He was going to leave Dean a note, but Dean catches him grabbing his keys and heading for the door before he has the chance.

“Are you going for a walk?” Dean asks.

Castiel turns and looks at him trying his best not to look very upset. “No, I think I’m just going to sleep at the B&B tonight. I’m not feeling well and just think it’s for the best.”

 “I can walk you over if you want.”

“No, it’s o.k. I’ll be fine. It’s not far.”

“O.k. Cas see you tomorrow.”

“Goodbye Dean.”

Castiel walks the entire way to the B&B unable to hold back his tears. He uses the master key to gain entrance to one of their free rooms and collapses onto the bed not even bothering to cover himself up. He doesn’t know what to do. He wants to be honest with Dean, but he also doesn’t want him to think he has been lying to him all these years. He ends up crying himself to sleep and wakes up at 5:45 am. He decides then and there that he will just call his sister tomorrow. She would know what to do. He walks back to the house to rejoin his husband.

He tries not to wake Dean, but he must have heard him come in because Dean turns to face him just as Castiel wraps his arm around him and kisses him, knowing that it means more to him than it does Dean.

“Cas?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you’re apologizing for man. You didn’t even tell me what was wrong.”

“I’ve just been going through something and trying to work it out on my own. I’ll let you know if it becomes too much for me to handle.”

“Did you…did you meet someone?”

Now Castiel feels like crap. He has been distant to the point that Dean thought he was interested in someone else. If Dean only knew how far from the truth that was.

“No, Dean. I haven’t met anyone.” He grabs Dean’s hand and kisses his fingers. “I’m not giving up my 200.00 that easily.” He smiles at Dean, but he doesn’t know if his answer comes across in the same teasing manner it usually does. Dean doesn’t say anything to question it.

After a few make out sessions, they fall asleep and the weight on Castiel’s chest is lifted since he now knows that he has a plan. He just hopes his sister won’t judge him too harshly.

Per usual, Castiel wakes up before Dean the next morning. He will never understand how someone can sleep until noon or later, but Dean has a gift.

He walks out to the kitchen and Claire is already there with the mail sitting on the table. They forgot to look at it yesterday. He looks at the one that is addressed from their high school in Lawrence. It’s their 20-year reunion invitation. He doesn’t mind going. He would see what Dean thinks about it when he wakes up. Claire and Castiel are enjoying their bagels when Dean finally wakes up to join them. He’s going to send himself to an early grave with how much cream cheese he slathers on his bagel.

“Oh, Dad, guess what? Papa, said you guys got something special in the mail today.”

“Really, what could that be?” Castiel slides the envelope across to Dean and he looks at the contents inside.  

“Has it been 20 years already? I feel so old.” Dean looks at the date on the invitation. “This is a couple weeks after our cruise. Do you want to go? We would just have to extend our vacation a little.”

Castiel shrugs. “I’m fine either way. I was only there for a year, and you grew up with everyone, so if you want to go, I’ll go.”

Dean smiles. “Yeah; let’s do it. I’ll just let the staff know that we’ll be gone longer than planned.”

It’s settled then. Castiel will just wait until the reunion to talk to Anna. It’s better to do it in person anyway. He falls asleep in Dean’s arms that night with a new outlook and hopeful for the future.

When you’re trying to hide secret feelings for your husband, 8 months seem to drag on, but the month for their cruise finally arrived. Missouri stayed at their house, so she could be reached if there was an emergency while they were gone.

The cruise was everything Castiel imagined, and he was pleased that he and Dean could give their daughter the best birthday gift ever. It warmed his heart when she told them how much she loved them, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

 As they were driving towards Lawrence, Castiel had his mind made up that he would talk to Charlie after he talked to his sister. Dean deserved to win the dare. Castiel has been deceiving him for the past year if not more and Dean deserves to be with someone that he loves. Castiel loved him too much to hold him back from finding his true love.

When they make it to Lawrence, they end up getting a hotel, so they didn’t impose on any of their family. They drop Claire off with Castiel’s parents and make up for lost time as Dean puts it. Castiel would be lying if he said he was upset about that. Sex with Dean will never be a bad thing for him. It will always bring him joy.

There never seems to be a good time for Castiel to talk to his sister or Charlie during the two weeks before the reunion. The two of them are attached at the hip, more so than him and Dean. The night of the reunion arrives and Castiel decides that come hell or high water, he will talk to his sister before the night is over.

It was a bit nostalgic running in to everyone they haven’t seen for 20 years. Everyone congratulated them on still being together and the two of them made sure to inform everyone that they were not really together, they were still just together because of the dare. That just earned them a bunch of strange looks, so nothing has really changed since high school.

A slow song comes on and Castiel drags Dean out on the dance floor for a final dance. The right thing to do is to let him go, but he wanted to hold him just one more time before that happened. The entire room seems to fade away as he sways to the music wrapped in Dean’s arms. Their lips meet and it feels like something final, like they are saying goodbye. The song ends and Castiel decides to face the music.

“I’m going to hang out with Anna for a little bit. Will you be o.k. on your own?”

Dean seems sad for some reason, but he answers him with a smile anyway. “Yea, that’s fine. I wanted to see Charlie about something anyway.”

With great difficulty, Castiel leaves Dean on the dance floor and joins his sister at her table while Charlie trots off to talk to Dean who waved her over.

“Anna, can I talk to you for a second?”

“What’s wrong Castiel? You seem upset about something.”

If anyone is going to understand what is going on with him, he knows it is his sister. She went through something similar when she discovered her sexual orientation, so he trusts her completely. He doesn’t want to put it off any longer, so he looks her in the eyes and takes a deep breath before he just blurts it out.

“Anna, I think I’m gay and I’m in love with Dean.”

She pauses for a minute as if she’s trying to process what he just said.

“Well, it’s about fucking time. Took you long enough.”

Well, he certainly wasn’t expecting that response.

Chapter Text

Dean watches as Castiel walks over to the table to talk to his sister. He motions for Charlie to come join him on the dance floor.

“Hey red, do you want to dance?”

“Sure, so long as you don’t try to feel me up. I’m taken and you’re not my type.”

Dean rolls his eyes.

“Ewww, that’s gross, you’re like a little sister to me. Trust me. I only have good intentions.”

They start dancing and Charlie keeps trying to lead. Dean gives in and eventually just lets her. No point in arguing with her. They aren’t dancing long before Charlie’s phone makes a sound notifying her of a text and he watches as Castiel and Anna get up to leave.

“Anna and your hubby are going to our house for a bit. Do you want to blow this joint and go get some drinks with me?”

“Sure, why not? There’s something I needed to talk to you about anyway.”

Dean drives them over to the Roadhouse. They find a booth at the back. Since Jo went to the reunion, she isn’t working tonight, so they are waited on by someone Dean has never met. They weren’t hungry so they just ordered a few drinks.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

He doesn’t even know where to begin. After their cruise he didn’t suspect Castiel of being interested in someone else anymore. Castiel was more affectionate, and he had more fire in his eyes when they were together. If anyone knew what Dean should do, it would be Charlie.

“I don’t know how to say this. I’ve been noticing something about Cas lately and I don’t know what to do about it.” He takes a deep breath. The best thing to do in this situation is to just rip off the band aid. “I think Cas is gay.”

Before he has a chance to react, Dean watches as Charlie splashes water in his face.

“What the hell, Charles. What was that for?”

He grabs a couple napkins and starts wiping the water off his face.

“I was just trying to wake your ass up.” She crosses her arms and shakes her leg which is crossed over her other leg. “Of course, Cas is gay. You both are. Everybody and their brother know it.”

“What do you mean we’re both gay? I’m not gay Charlie. I still like chicks. I had a fantasy about Princess Leia the other night.”

“O.k. then you’re bi. Whatever you want to call it, you’re at least gay for one guy and that’s Cas.”

Dean starts to shake his head to protest, but she stops him.

“Dean, you spent 5,000.00 on a wedding to save yourself from paying me 200.00 for losing the dare, the two of you have been running a bed and breakfast in another state for the past 14 years, you adopted a daughter 10 years ago for Pete’s sake. You two are raising a child together as a married couple.” She leans forward and speaks softer. “Are you two having sex?”

“Well, duh. I mean we weren’t going to go all this time, being abstinent. We have needs you know.”

“Yea, and if me and a gay guy were dared to play straight chicken, I guarantee you we would both be purchasing some toys. No dare is going to make me have sex with a guy.”

“I bet if you got horny you would. That’s why me and Cas started having sex.”

“No, Dean, that’s not how it works. You started having sex with Cas because you were attracted to each other, and you both were using the dare as a reason to be together.”

Dean can’t believe what he’s hearing. It doesn’t make any sense. If he were bi, wouldn’t he have figured it out sooner? He can’t be that dense.

“It just doesn’t…it doesn’t make any sense Charlie.”

She reaches across the table and takes his hand in hers.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Anna and I saw the way you and Cas looked at each other the first day you met. I could have picked any other dare to have you do, but I chose that one so that you would finally stop hiding who you were. I just wanted you to be happy.”

Dean can’t believe what he’s hearing. His best friend set him up.

“I can’t believe you would do that Charlie. I wasn’t hiding anything about myself.”

“Dean, you fantasize over Han Solo as much as you do Princess Leia. Tell me I’m wrong.”

He can’t tell her she’s wrong. Unfortunately, she’s right. Son of a bitch. Why did he never see it? He lets go of her hand and looks down at the table.

“Shit, Charlie, what am I going to tell Cas? He’s going to think I’ve been lying to him all these years.”

“Do you love him?”

Butterflies start flapping in his stomach.

“I think I do.”

“Then you need to tell him. I’m certain he loves you too, but you won’t know if you don’t talk to him.”

She picks up her phone and starts typing into it and then she puts it away.

“O.k. so Cas is staying at our house tonight. Something about twin bonding or some shit like that. Why don’t you go back to Chuck and Becky’s house and spend some time with Claire and then you and Cas can get this all sorted out tomorrow.”

Dean tries to fight back a tear.

“What if he doesn’t love me back, Charlie? I don’t want to lose him. He’s my life.”

“Even if he doesn’t love you back Dean, you two are still friends, but just have faith that he feels the same way about you.”

She gets up to sit next to him and she wraps him in a hug. He lays his head on her shoulder.

“I just love him so much Charlie. I didn’t know I did, but I know now. I can’t lose him.”

She comforts him and tells him that it will all work out.

They pay for their drinks, and he drops her off at her house before driving back to Chuck and Becky’s house. Claire is already asleep and Castiel had already called ahead to let them know he was staying with Anna. Dean makes his way to the guest room and gets ready for bed. He doesn’t know what to do with the realization that he is in love with his husband and that he isn’t as straight as he thought he was.

He searches his memories to try to figure out when he should have noticed that he was in love. He knew he cared about Castiel. They were friends no matter what and you care about your friends. He should have figured it out sooner with all the times they were intimate with one another. It had become about more than sex years ago. He was just too blind to see it until now. Dean just wanted to be with Castiel and not just to satisfy his needs. You only do that with someone you’re attracted to.

Damn Charlie and all her wisdom for making Dean see the truth. He eventually fell asleep, but he didn’t wake up like he rested very well. He makes his way out to the kitchen in the morning and Claire is already there.

“Hey, Dad. Where’s papa?”

“He’s staying with Aunt Anna and Aunt Charlie. It’s been a while since he’s been able to spend time with his sister, so he’s making up for old time sake.”

“Can we do something today? Like go bowling or something?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not. It’s been a while since you and I did something just the two of us.”

They both get dressed and Dean looks online to see what bowling alleys are open and how much they cost. He picks the closest one and they bowl a few games and Claire ends up kicking his butt. She’s a natural. Right before they leave, he gets a text from Castiel telling him that he is staying at Anna’s house for another night.

He tries not to read too much into it. He doesn’t want to think that Castiel is thinking about leaving him. Maybe he really does just want to spend time with his sister. He distracts himself from thinking the worst by spending more time with his daughter. They end up seeing a movie and he takes her out to eat dinner.

Before he falls asleep that night, he realizes how much he misses living in Lawrence with all his friends and family nearby. He likes living in Vermont and running the B&B, but Missouri has been doing most of the work especially when they are on vacation. They could still own it and just have her manage it if they move back here.

No matter what happens between him and Castiel, he would consider moving back here so long as Castiel is on board with it. They have lived the American Dream long enough. It’s time for them to come back home.

The next morning, he receives a text from Castiel that he wants to meet him at the hotel they have been paying for but not staying in. This is it; Dean thinks. This is going to be the talk where Castiel says he never wants to see him again. Dean’s heart is going to break tonight, and he doesn’t know if he will be able to take it.

Dean is tense the rest of the day and at 6pm, he drives over to the hotel. When he opens the door to the room, Castiel is already there, staring out the window. He turns when he hears Dean shut the door.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Heya, Cas.”

Dean decides that now is the time. He needs to do this before he chickens out. He was going to be honest, and he was going to accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

“Cas, there’s something I have to tell you and I hope you won’t get mad at me.”

Castiel just stares at him waiting for him to finish what he needs to say.

“I love you. I’m so in love with you, I can’t even see straight.”

Without hesitation, Castiel starts walking towards him and Dean isn’t sure if he’s going to punch him or kiss him. He really hopes it’s the latter, because that would really suck if his husband sucker punched him after declaring his love.

Chapter Text

Castiel can’t believe what his sister is saying.

“What do you mean it took me long enough?”

“Castiel, you can’t be that naïve. I have been telling you for years that you are gay. You just haven’t been listening.”

He just thought that the whole time she was just annoyed with him because of the dare. She had even complained about how easy it was for him to pretend to be gay when she struggled with it. Had he been gay this whole time and she was able to pick up on it and she was just trying to get him to see that? Was Dean able to see it too?

“Do you think Dean knows that I’m gay?”

“No, that boy is just as clueless as you are. He wouldn’t be able to tell that you’re gay even if you were wearing a neon sign on your head stating that you’re gay.”

He wants to finish this conversation, but he wants to do it in a less public place.

“Do you think we can go somewhere private to talk? I don’t need everyone listening in on our conversation.”

“Yes, let me just let Charlie know that we’re leaving.”

Anna sends Charlie a text. She’s on the dance floor with Dean and, if it weren’t for the fact that Charlie was very lesbian and married to his sister, he might be a little jealous at their closeness. They are just friends and it’s not like he has any claim on Dean, so he shouldn’t be jealous seeing him dance with someone else. They’re only married because of the dare. It’s not like Dean loves him back.

“Earth to Castiel.” He must have been in a daze because Anna was now trying to get his attention.

“Oh, sorry, were you talking?”

“Yes, come on. Let’s go back to my house. Charlie is going to keep Dean occupied while we talk. You can stay at my house tonight. It’s been a while since it’s just been the two of us anyway.”

They climb into Anna’s car and drive over to her house. He calls his mom and dad on the way there to let them know what’s up and he says good night to Claire. He hopes that nothing will change when it comes to her. He had never meant for this to get so far, and he really hopes she doesn’t get hurt in the process. If him and Dean don’t end up staying together, he hopes that they will both be civil enough to share custody of her. She deserves the best.

Anna grabs them a few beers out of her fridge and hands one to Castiel once they get settled on to the couch. Castiel isn’t sure what to say exactly, so he just starts talking.

“I figured it out about a year ago. I was just lying in bed one night with Dean, and realized I was in love with him. Then, I wasn’t sure if it was just because it was him or if I was only attracted to men now, but I started noticing that I wasn’t attracted to women anymore when I really paid close attention to other women. That’s how I figured out I was gay.” He stares at his beer bottle, too upset to even take a drink. “I’m just so scared that Dean will hate me if I tell him the truth. I’ve basically been deceiving him for a year. I should have told him that I loved him when I realized it, but I think I was afraid of losing him.”

Anna grabs his beer and puts both his and her beer on the table. She grabs his hands and forces him to look at her.

“Cas, you can’t keep this bottled up. You need to tell Dean the truth. I have a feeling that you won’t be disappointed by his response. Charlie even told me that the reason she picked the dare was because of how Dean was looking at you. I saw the way you were looking at him too. It’s like you two were destined to be together. Plus, I have noticed how happy the two of you are when you’re together. You can’t fake that.”

Castiel doesn’t want to give himself false hope. He knows that Dean cares about him. They have been together this whole time, so he at least likes him. But caring about someone enough to be with them and loving them are two different things and Castiel doesn’t want to get his hopes up just to have his heart broken.

He hugs his sister. “I just don’t want to lose him. Next to Claire, he’s my entire world. I’m just not sure I can risk it.”

Anna holds him tight, comforting him the best she can. “You’ll never know how great it will be unless you try Castiel. Just have faith that Dean will make the right decision. He’s put up with you this long. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”

They both giggle. She does have a point. Castiel isn’t the easiest person to live with. Dean must be a saint. They move the conversation to a different topic, Castiel not wanting to dwell on it much longer. She tells him everything her and Charlie have been doing. They have been talking about looking into a sperm donor so they can have a baby. If they were open to it, he wouldn’t be opposed to being the donor if Charlie was carrying the baby. With him being Anna’s twin, it would be the closest thing to Anna and Charlie basically having a biological child together. When he brings it up to her, she seems thrilled with the idea, and she tells him that she will talk to Charlie about it. They hadn’t decided which one would be carrying the baby yet, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

 Castiel didn’t realize until this moment how much he misses his family and friends here in Lawrence. No matter what happens between him and Dean, he is considering moving back. They would have to figure out custody of Claire if Dean didn’t want to come, but he has been getting homesick lately and would really like to relocate. First, he would need to confess his love, then he can worry about uprooting their entire life back home.

Castiel went to sleep that night with a heavy heart. He wanted Dean to know how much he loved him, but the guilt and worry about Dean not returning his feelings was weighing too heavily on him. He needs some more time to think about it before he makes a life altering confession. The next day, he tells Charlie and Anna that he’s going to go for a walk. He wanted to take a stroll down memory lane, and he needed some time to think.

He stops by the local mall and just watches the people go by. He sees just about every combination of couple and family dynamic he can think of. He thinks back to all the outings he and Dean and Claire have had over the years. The three of them have always been happy together and even if it wasn’t because of love, they at least fit together well. He texts Dean to let him know that he will be staying with Anna and Charlie for the rest of the day. He doesn’t wait for a response before he turns off his phone. He doesn’t want to have to face Dean until tomorrow.

Before heading back to Anna’s house, he decides to go to the theater to see a movie. He decides to sit in the back of the theater and notices Dean and Claire towards the front. He crouches down in hopes that they won’t turn around and notice that he’s sitting back there. Before the movie starts, he just watches them. They are both happy and smiling and laughing. Castiel never really took the time to appreciate just how infectious Dean’s laugh is. He puts his whole body into it, and he makes everyone around him light up. Castiel doesn’t want to let go of that. He can find a way to coexist with Dean and Claire without admitting his feelings. He’s not going to risk losing what they have just because he is in love.

He leaves the theater before the movie even starts and makes his way back to Anna’s house. Her and Charlie are watching t.v. so he joins them on the couch. He catches a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye and he can see how in love they are as they sit on the couch sharing each other’s space. He wants that for him and Dean. He wishes he would make up his mind about what he wants to do. He’ll text Dean in the morning for them to meet up. He just needs to rip off the band aid and get it over with.

He sends his text to Dean in the morning telling him to meet him at the hotel they are paying for, but not staying in around 6pm. He would probably show up a little early if for no other reason than to see Dean walk through the door and hope that it isn’t the last time he will be seeing him. He just spends the day hanging out with his sister and sister-in-law learning about something called Larping. He’s not sure what that is even after they spent a few hours explaining it to him. His mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t help watching the clock the entire day, anxious for his meeting with Dean.  

Right before 6pm, he says goodbye to the red headed duo, and they wish him luck as he takes an Uber to the hotel. He makes it there before Dean, so he just stares out the window going over in his head exactly what he’s going to say to Dean. He will probably just blurt it out as soon as he sees him and keep his fingers crossed that Dean won’t punch him in the face and walk out of his life forever. He hears the door open, and he turns to face Dean as soon as the door is shut.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Heya, Cas.”

Just as Castiel was getting ready to speak up, Dean started to talk.

“Cas, there’s something I have to tell you and I hope you won’t get mad at me.”

Castiel just stares at him waiting for him to finish what he needs to say, his heart pitter pattering in his chest, hoping that this isn’t the end of their relationship.

“I love you. I’m so in love with you, I can’t even see straight.”

Without hesitation, Castiel starts walking towards Dean and notices the look of terror on Dean’s face, probably unsure of what Castiel’s intentions are.

Castiel pulls Dean into a kiss, and when he lets him go, he looks into those beautiful green eyes.

“I love you too Dean. I love you with all my heart.”

The two men stand there just staring at each other and Castiel has never felt happier. The love of his life loves him back and they would get to live a life of love together. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect story.

Chapter Text

Dean can’t believe it. Castiel loves him back. He pulls Castiel back into a kiss and it’s like he is in a freaking rom com. His heart is beating faster, and he feels like it is going to explode. They have kissed a million times before, but this was different. This was…. perfect. He breaks apart from the kiss and rests his forehead against Castiel’s.

“Not that I don’t mind what we’re doing, but I think we should talk.”

Castiel nods his head. “Yes, we probably should.”

They walk over to the bed and sit down facing each other. Dean doesn’t even know where to begin.

“I talked to Charlie, and she helped me realize that I’ve probably been in love with you for a long time. I feel so stupid that I didn’t figure it out sooner.”

“You’re not the only one Dean. I hope you can forgive me, but I realized a year ago that I loved you. I was trying to figure out the best way to tell you and it just kind of never happened.”

“Shit, Cas, that whole time I thought you were interested in someone else. The thing is, I was sad thinking that you might leave me. I guess that should have been a clue that I was in love with you. I was so worried about losing you.”

“That whole time I was so worried that you were going to hate me if you found out that I was in love and didn’t tell you. That’s why I was distant.”

“So, basically what you’re saying is we’re both a couple of dumbasses.”

“I prefer the word clueless. Less dumb. Less ass.”

This is why Dean loves Castiel so much. He always knows how to make him laugh.

“So, does this mean we’re o.k. Because I have to tell you man; I was freaking out thinking we wouldn’t make it.”

“Yes, Dean, we’re o.k. More than o.k. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good, because I plan on hanging on to you.”

He leans in and locks his lips with Castiel’s pushing on him until they are both lying on the bed. Their tongues begin to play a game of tag in each other’s mouth and hands roam each other’s bodies. As Castiel begins to remove Dean’s shirt, he suddenly remembers something.

“Oh, shit, we used the last of the lube the other night and I forgot to get more.”

Castiel looks up at him and a thought must cross his mind as he reaches for his phone. Dean is confused about what could be so important on his phone for him to be on it while they are having a lube emergency. He puts the phone down after typing a few things on it.

“It’s taken care of. We should have some in about 20 minutes.”

“What are you talking about?”

Castiel holds the phone up so that Dean can see the screen.

“Dude, you door dashed Astroglide?”

“Yea, you can use door dash for anything.”

Dean puts the phone down and smiles.

“See, this is why I love you Castiel Milton. You never cease to amaze me.”

Castiel flips them over, so that Dean is now on his back.

“There are a few things we can do while we’re waiting.”

They make quick work of removing each other’s clothing and then they are lying there naked. It’s odd that this feels like their first time even though it’s not. They’ve been having sex for 20 years now, but this is different. Sex with love is something special and this is the first time they are doing this while knowing they love each other.

Castiel kisses along Dean’s neckline causing a sensation to go straight to his dick.

“Cas, I need you.”

“I’m here Dean. I’ll take care of you.”

Dean lies there motionless as Castiel’s lips roam down his body, his tongue exploring as he goes. Dean rests his hands on his husband’s head as his mouth wraps around his length, swallowing him down.

“Cas, fuuuuck.”

Dean looks down at Castiel as Castiel meets his eyes while he bobs up and down on Dean’s cock. Dean feels like he’s going to burst any moment when Castiel stops and moves further south. He spreads Dean’s legs further apart and his tongue licks at his pucker. Dean grips tight to the bed sheets as Castiel continues to lick him open, his tongue making its way inside. When Castiel pushes a finger inside next to his tongue, his phone makes the sound that he received a notification. Dean is somehow able to gather the wherewithal to check his phone as Castiel keeps fucking into him with his tongue.

“The door, Cas, the lube is at the door.” He says impatiently. He can’t wait much longer. Castiel stops his tongue magic and places a pillow over his cock as he opens the door slightly to grab the lube that was just delivered.

“Now, we’re ready.” Castiel slathers some lube on his fingers and slowly opens Dean up. It doesn’t take much, and Dean is anxious to have his husband inside of him. He wants him so bad that he starts fucking himself on Castiel’s fingers.

“Cas, I’m ready. I want to feel you.”

“Dean, you’re so beautiful like this.”

Dean looks at Castiel who is glaring at him with lust in his eyes. He rubs lube on his cock and teases at Dean’s entrance, Dean thinking he is going to crawl out of his skin until finally Castiel slips inside. He feels so full with Castiel’s cock buried inside him.

When he starts moving, it’s even better.

“I love you so much, Cas.”

“I love you too Dean.”

Dean wraps his legs around Castiel and holds tight as Castiel slowly moves inside Dean. Neither of them needs to speak. They are lost in each other’s eyes and Dean wants to stay like this forever. Castiel reaches between them and strokes Dean’s cock as he continues thrusting inside him, his movements getting faster and more pronounced.

“Dean, so close.”

Castiel hits Dean’s prostate and he arches his back off the bed.

“Faster, Cas, please.”

Castiel thrusts faster and harder and Dean cries out as he spills his cum between him and Castiel who is still stroking his dick. He tries to slow his breathing waiting for Castiel to orgasm. It doesn’t take long for him to feel Castiel’s dick throbbing inside him and the heat of his cum spilling inside. Castiel collapses on top of Dean; breathless, and Dean runs his hands up and down the other man’s back. Castiel rolls onto his back next to Dean.

“That was good, like really good.”

“I know. You’d think we never did that before.”

Castiel looks over at Dean and the mess on his stomach. “Let me get a washcloth to clean you off with.” Castiel disappears to the bathroom and comes back with a washcloth. When they are both clean of bodily fluids, they snuggle under the covers together and Dean has never felt more relaxed. Castiel is resting his head on Dean’s chest and has his arm wrapped around him.

“We should probably let everyone know that we figured things out. Charlie and Anna are freaking out no doubt.” Dean says.

Castiel grabs his phone. “We could send them a group text.” He takes a selfie of the two of them cuddling and smiling and sends the picture to everyone with the caption that says, “Just two idiots finally in love.”

It doesn’t take long for Castiel’s phone to start blowing up.

Charlie: It’s about time you got your shit together.

Anna: I knew it would work out.

Mom: Please tell me you two are wearing clothes.

Dad: I’m happy you two figured things out.

Sam: Well, duh.

Jess: Yay!!

Bobby: Idjits

Kali: Aww

Gabe: So, does this mean you two will be in the porno now. I still haven’t heard anything about that.

Cas: Gabe☹

Dean: Seriously Gabe? You’re lucky Claire isn’t on the group text.

Dean puts the phone down. Leave it up to Gabe to be a douche. If he was going to star in any pornos, it was going to be in the comfort of his bedroom and only him and his husband would be viewing it.

Dean straddles Castiel’s lap, his dick perking up again already.

“You know, Cas, Gabe has a point. We never did make that porn like we said we would.”

“Well, how do you think we should remedy that?”

Dean props Castiel’s phone up on the bedside table and presses record. He slicks up Castiel’s cock and lines himself up before sinking down.

“We’ll call it ‘Ride Em Cowboy’. Just make sure to be as vocal as you like. I hear the viewers love that.”

Dean sets a slow and steady pace and the faster he goes, the more noise they both do indeed make. They end up having to pay an extra fee for a noise complaint when they check out the next day, but as Dean walks a little more bow legged than usual, he thinks it was totally worth it.

Dean and Castiel meet up with their high school friends at the Roadhouse after they check out of the hotel and Benny is smiling with a pile of money stacked in front of him. Dean probably doesn’t want to know the answer, but he asks anyway.

“What’s with all the money?”

“I won the bet, brotha.”

“What bet?” Castiel asks.

“I bet everyone 100.00 that you two fools wouldn’t figure out you love each other before our 20-year reunion.”

Dean looks at everyone sitting around the table. Meg is still in California with Gabe and Kali, so it’s the usual crew of Garth, Ash, Jo, Benny, Donna, Jody, Charlie, Anna plus everyone’s significant others.

“Dude, that’s like close to 1000.00.”

“I know. That’s the longest I had to wait for a grand, but it was worth it just to be right about you two.”

Dean and Castiel laugh at that. Apparently, everyone was involved in their dumbassary. Oh well, he was happy with the love of his life, so it didn’t matter anymore. They finish catching up with their friends and then they go to Sam and Jess’s house to visit where Bobby is already hanging out.

Jess greets them at the door and does her best to give them a group hug.

“I’m so happy for you guys. Come in.”

Claire looks at Dean. “What happened, Dad, why is everyone suddenly so happy for you guys?”

“Nothing that you need to worry about Claire Bear. Your Papa and I are just really happy.”

She lets it go thankfully. He didn’t want to have to explain to her what was going on. She doesn’t seem interested enough to question further.

They catch up on old times while they have their dinner, and they promise they will visit more often. Dean hadn’t discussed it with Castiel yet because they hadn’t had the time yet. As soon as they make it back home, Dean promises himself that he will talk to Castiel about possibly moving back here.

They spend another night in Lawrence, and they begin their long journey back to Vermont. Dean spends the entire trip thinking about how lucky he is to have his daughter and husband in his life. Missouri greets them at the door when they arrive and pulls the three of them into a hug.

“Oh, I knew you boys would figure it out someday.”

No, because seriously, how does she know this stuff?

“Do you have a spy following us around or something?”

“No, Dad, Ms. Missouri is a psychic. I thought you knew that.”

They had suspected over the years, but the fact that his daughter has just accepted it so willingly is a bit of a shock. Kids really do know more than adults sometimes. Missouri laughs at Claire’s admission.

“You have a special gift of being able to read people Claire. Don’t let anyone take that from you.”

Claire gives Missouri a big hug.

“I love you Ms. Missouri.”

“I love you too, baby.”

“Claire, why don’t you go with Ms. Missouri to check on the guests. Your dad and I needed to talk about a few things.”

“O.k. Papa. Love you guys.” She grabs Missouri’s hand and practically drags her out the door. “Come on Ms. Missouri. Dad and Papa want to have some grown up time.”

As they’re walking out the door, Dean yells after them.

“That’s not what he meant.” All they hear is Claire giggling as she walks towards the B&B with Missouri close behind. Dean and Castiel walk towards the couch and have a seat, not respecting personal space at all, but Dean doesn’t mind.

“What did you want to talk about Cas?”

“I was thinking while we were in Lawrence how much I miss everyone, and I didn’t know if you might be interested in moving back.”

Great minds really do think alike. “I was thinking the same thing while we were there Cas. I would like for Missouri to be our partner 50/50 if she is willing and she can take care of the business while we move back home.”

“That would be fantastic Dean. We can talk to her about it and, if she agrees, we can work on moving back home. I’m sure the housing market there is better than here. We should be able to find a place near everyone.”

Dean leans in to kiss Castiel.

“It’s settled then. We’re heading back home.”

When Missouri and Claire make it back, Dean and Castiel don’t even have to mention anything. She somehow already knows, of course.

“You boys go back and be with your family and I will be happy to keep this place running for you.”

Castiel looks at her. “Are you sure Missouri? We consider you family too, you know. That’s why we’re going to give you 50% of the business. We’ll have the papers drawn up as soon as possible.”

She gives them both a hug and Dean and Castiel both reach out to their families back in Lawrence to give them the good news. Charlie is beyond ecstatic, and she said something about not being able to wait to have a baby with Castiel. There were a few things that his husband forgot to mention about his conversation with Anna. Castiel clears it up later while they are in bed and Dean thinks it’s awesome that he would do that, but he remembers the conversation that he and Castiel had before Claire was born.

“Not to be a downer, Cas, but I thought you said you couldn’t have kids.”

“Oh, shit, I was so upset because I thought I was losing you and then I was excited for Anna and Charlie, it completely escaped my mind. I don’t think Anna was thinking about it either.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot to try though, if you’re willing. I think that’s an awesome gift for you to give your sister and her wife.”

It takes them two months to get things in order for Missouri to take over the B&B and Dean and Castiel to basically be silent partners and shop for a house online. Once everything is in settled, they wish Missouri luck and they pile into the U-Haul with Baby attached to the back. Claire is beyond giddy, and the husbands have a difficult time keeping her contained during the trip. She talks nonstop, but at least it makes the trip go by faster. After an overnight rest in a motel on the way, the three of them pull into their new home ready to start their new life as idiots in love raising their daughter.

Chapter Text

Epilogue

8 years later

Castiel can’t imagine his life turning out any different. When he and Dean moved back to Lawrence 8 years ago, he wasn’t sure how things would go. Claire ended up making friends right away. Her best friend ended up being another little girl her age that also moved to the area recently, Kaia. They became inseparable and are still friends to this day. Surprisingly enough, she also made friends with a girl named Patience who just happens to be Missouri’s granddaughter. Dean and Castiel know it can’t be a coincidence that she is in Lawrence and Missouri didn’t put up a fight about them moving back here. She and her son are still estranged, so they secretly keep her updated about Patience.

Lisa married some doctor, and they had a son together that they named Ben, Dean and Castiel’s neighbor’s Nick and Kelly have a son named Jack, and Jody adopted a girl she arrested for shoplifting a few years back named Alex. These are the group of friends that Claire has made over the past 8 years and the 6 of them are about to enter their senior year of high school.

The first thing that Castiel did when they moved back was get tested to see if he indeed was sterile or not since he was hoping that he could help Charlie and Anna have a baby. The doctor said the chances were slim, especially with his age of 38, but not impossible. It took a few tries, but it worked, and with Castiel’s sperm and Charlie’s egg, she carried a healthy baby girl to term that they named Hermoine. As she grew, she had some of Castiel’s characteristics that were also Anna’s characteristics, and he couldn’t be happier for his sister and her wife.

Dean was very understanding of the whole thing considering they were a gay couple as well but didn’t have a biological child of their own. Dean told Castiel that family don’t end in blood and even though Claire doesn’t have their DNA, she is still their daughter and that’s all that matters to him. Castiel agreed 1000%.

Gabe and Kali stayed in California but came to visit twice a year. Jess and Sam had a baby of their own, a little boy named Bobby, that would be turning 6 in a few weeks, and they are partners at Lawrence’s most successful law firm that deals with family law. Bobby and Ellen didn’t tie the knot, but they are still together, and Dean likes to tease Jo that they are basically in-laws now.

Castiel and Dean are hosting an end of the year party for Claire and her friends, and they think they are having a moment of temporary insanity because of it. At least there wouldn’t be close to as many kids as there were at Charlie’s when this whole thing started 28 years ago.

“Dean; are you sure we should be doing this. I know there are only 6 of them, but they are all very rowdy. I don’t know if I can handle that in my old age.”

“We’re only 46, Cas. We’re not even that old.”

“Yes, but it took me a very long time to get out of bed this morning.”

“That was just because you didn’t want to leave your hot husband that was lying next to you.” Dean teases as he gives him a quick kiss.

It wasn’t quick enough though as they hear Claire protest behind them.

“Ewww, get a room.”

Castiel speaks up. “You complain when we go to our room, too.”

“That’s because you are very loud. I had to buy noise cancelling headphones.”

Castiel had told Dean a thousand times that he needed to learn to be quieter, but he never listened.

“My friends will be over in a couple hours. Try not to embarrass me. This is the last summer we get to hang out before we start our last year of high school. I want it to be special.”

“Us, embarrass you, never.” Dean said in his not so innocent tone.

Once her friends arrived, Dean prepared the snacks and they all piled in front of the t.v. playing on their phones.

“They’re worse than our generation. At least we talked to each other on occasion.” Dean said.

Castiel told them that they needed to put the phones away and talk to each other. They should maybe try playing some games.

“Ooh, I know. How about truth or dare?” Alex said.

Dean and Castiel stand in the kitchen which has a clear view of the living room to see how this whole thing is going to go down. So far, everyone has picked truth and then when it’s Claire’s turn, she picks dare. Like father, like daughter Castiel thinks.

“Have you ever heard of gay chicken?”

“Yes, but isn’t that supposed to be for guys?”

“Girls can play too if they are both straight.”

“O.k. I’m game.”

“Alright, you and Kaia have to play gay chicken and the first one to chicken out has to carry my books at school for a month. Don’t forget I’m taking all honors classes this year, so the books will be bulky.”

“O.k. fair enough.”

Dean and Castiel look at each other and Castiel says, “Do you think we should tell her?”

“No, if she’s as smart as her parents, she’ll figure it out in 20 years.” Dean laughs and wraps his arms around Castiel, kissing him softly.

The kids start walking towards the door and Claire tells them that they are going to the park. Castiel hopes that Claire fares better than they did at her age.

They are sitting on the couch cuddling when Claire walks through the door a couple hours later.

“Well, I lost the dare. Turns out I’m gay and me and Kaia are dating now. I’m going to my room. Love you guys.”

She’s already walking back to her room before either of them can say anything to her. They look at each other and break out into a hysterical laugh.

“Well, it looks like she is smarter than us.” Dean says.

Castiel rests his head on his husband’s shoulder thankful every day that he let his sister’s girlfriend talk him into a dare that he didn’t really want to participate in. Other than maybe realizing his love sooner, he wouldn’t change anything about the last 28 years of his life.