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you and me babe, how about it?

Summary:

"So, date night, huh? Where's Dean taking you?"

A blush spread across Cas’s cheeks, and he fiddled with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “I don’t actually know, to be honest. He said he wanted to surprise me.”

aka Dean and Cas go on a date, and it's not what either of them expect it to be.

Notes:

hi yall!!! i have so much schoolwork to do but zero motivation so i produced this instead :D it's the third story in my i love him series, hope yall enjoy!!

title from romeo and juliet by indigo girls <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

 

((Cas ☕️))

 

Can you watch Jack tonight? 👼

Dean wants to take me on a date 💌💘🙊

 

yeah dude ofc!! 

what time should i come over

 

Is 5:30 amenable? 🕠

We should be back by 11 at the latest 🌌🌘

 

sounds good :D

 

Actually, could you come a little earlier?

I need your help choosing what to wear 🧦

This is our first official “date” 😳🌹🎉

I want to look good☺️🤩

 

cas. babe. u live with the guy

i think it's safe to say ur past the “need to impress” stage 

and wtf how has he not taken u on a date yet???

 

We do movie nights together and stuff like that 🎬💞

But you know neither of us go out very often

And I know, I know… just humor me? 🥺

 

🙄🙄🙄 fineeeee

only for u man

 

Thank you, Erin 🥰😘🥰😘🥰😘🥰😘

 

That’s how Erin found herself pulling into Cas’s driveway, just past five on a Friday night. She parked and walked up to the porch, taking a second to check out Cas’s gardening as she passed. Over the last few months he’d really gotten into growing his own stuff—vegetables, berries, flowers. Sometimes Cas would show up at Starbucks and surprise Erin with a container of cherry tomatoes, or a bundle of roses (Cas only brought roses once though; Erin's coworkers had been both jealous and scandalized, which didn't really bode well for Erin), or a handful of raw carrots and cucumbers. 

 

Currently, the frosty near-December chill sweeping through the Midwest was killing most of Cas’s flowerbeds. They’d bloomed brilliantly during the summer and into the fall, a vivid display of bright oranges and yellows, scarlets and purples. A few clusters of tangerine chrysanthemums were still going strong, an impressive feat given the time of the year. Truthfully, Erin had never seen anyone with a green thumb quite like Cas's—if she didn't know any better, she'd say he had some kinda ex-angel gardening magic leftover.

 

Planks of wood creaked under Erin's weight as she stepped on the porch stairs, bending dangerously with age and rot. Cas wasn't exaggerating when he called the house a fixer-upper; he and Dean had already lived there for months, and they were still finding something new every week in need of repairing. 

 

Erin dug around her pockets for the spare key Cas had given her. Before she could fumble the key into the lock, the door swung open, and she was met by her two favorite people. 

 

"Hello, Erin." Cas smiled, Jack propped against his hip. The baby squealed and clapped his chubby hands when he realized it was Erin in the doorway. 

 

"Hey, Cas.” She bent down a little, tugging on Jack’s footie-clad toe, to which he giggled happily. “Hi, sweetpea. I’ve missed you.”

 

“He misses you, too,” Cas said, fondly watching the two interact. “I can tell sometimes, when he gets all fussy. He behaves better for you than he does for either me or Dean at this point.”

 

“Yeah?” Erin smiled, feeling a little surge of pride. Jack cooed and grabbed her pointer finger, squeezing it tight in his itty bitty fist. “I swear, you get bigger every time I see you.” She looked up at Cas. “He’s growing too fast, dude. Make him stop.”

 

Cas sighed. “You’re telling me. He’s been crawling everywhere recently, and he can even walk if I hold his hands. And he’ll fly places too, every so often. Just a few feet, or one room to the next,  but still—” He shrugged helplessly. “Scares me half to death.” 

 

“Has he picked up any new words yet?” Erin was there the first time Jack called Cas “Da,” just a few weeks ago. Seriously one of the cutest things she’d ever seen.

 

“On Monday, he pointed to Dean and said, ‘Dee!’ which is new.” Cas smiled mischievously. “He’d kill me if he knew I told you this,” he said quietly, “but Dean cried for what was probably a good ten minutes afterwards.”

 

“Honestly? I’m not surprised.” Dean could try to pretend he was all tough guy and whatever, but she knew that deep down, he was just a big softie. 

 

Cas grinned, then stepped back in the doorway, allowing room for Erin to walk in. “Ready to go to my room? I need you to help me with my closet.” 

 

“Hell yeah.” She kept playing with Jack as they traveled down the hall, letting him tug on her fingers.

 

“Are you gonna help me pick out an outfit for your daddy? Yeah? Gonna make him look smokin' hot for your other dad?" Jack replied with a happy shriek, waving his fists in front of Erin’s face. She laughed when Cas rolled his eyes, smiling but a little exasperated.

 

“Don’t get your expectations too high. You’ve seen my wardrobe, you already know there’s not that much there to choose from. I am under no illusion that I’ll be anywhere near 'smoking hot' tonight, but I do want to wear something nicer than my usual sweats.” He opened the door to his room, laying Jack down in the play area on the floor before turning back to Erin. 

 

“Okay, well, first things first,” Erin said, reaching for his dresser. “Where’s Dean taking you for date night?”

 

A blush spread across Cas’s cheeks, and he fiddled with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. “I don’t actually know, to be honest. He said he wanted to surprise me.”

 

“Oh?” Erin raised her eyebrows. Personally, she wasn’t the biggest fan of surprises, and Dean already seemed like such a wild card, she had no idea where he might take Cas. “Do you have any guesses?” 

 

Cas shrugged. “I mean, I doubt it will be anything fancy, just because that’s not really Dean’s style. My best bet? Probably just a dinner date at a local diner. Which sounds boring, I know,” he added, noticing Erin’s utterly unimpressed expression (because seriously, a diner date?), “but I really don’t mind. I just like spending time with Dean.”

 

“Cas, I love you, but wow do you need to get some higher standards.” Erin exhaled incredulously. “I mean, come on. Dean can easily do better than taking you to some greasy spoon. Don’t you want something more?”

 

“Honestly? Not really.” The scary thing was that Cas genuinely sounded serious, too. “I’m happy to take whatever he wants to give me.” 

 

“Man, I still just can’t believe he’s never taken you on a real date before.”

 

“It is rather funny, isn’t it?” Cas smiled. “We’ve talked about having more kids and we’ve never even had our first date.”

 

Wait. Hold up. Erin’s brain took a second to process what he said, then her jaw dropped. “You’re thinking of adopting another kid? Holy crap, Cas, that’s awesome!”

 

Cas blushed again. “I mean, we’re going to wait until Jack’s a little older, of course, and nothing’s set in stone. But yes, it’s something me and Dean are considering.” 

 

“Dude, that’s so cool! You better let me be the kid’s godmother or something like that.” She rifled through his pants drawer a little more before finally fishing out the pair of jeans she was looking for. “Aha! These have always looked good on you.”

 

Cas raised his eyebrow, apprehensive. “Jeans? Are you sure?” 

 

“Hey, you can never go wrong with jeans. Especially knowing Dean.” She smirked. “Don’t go thinking I haven’t heard about his cowboy kink.”

 

“Okay, okay, fair point,” Cas said quickly, cheeks flushing. Man, it was really easy to get him flustered. And fun. Although Erin would never tell him that, of course. 

 

The thing about dressing Cas was that at this point, he’d told Erin a lot about his time on Earth as angel. How he never needed to eat, or go to the bathroom, or shower. Therefore, Erin knew he’d spent most of his life with Dean wearing the same outfit—slacks, a suit and tie, and various renditions of Thee Trenchcoat. So while most people going on a date would dress up, she figured Dean would honestly rather see Cas dressed down a bit. Maybe not all the way to sweats and old t-shirts, but jeans and a nice button-up, or even just a plain shirt, paired with one of Dean’s jackets. Even though he’d been wearing more than one outfit for the past year or so, Erin was pretty sure the novelty of Cas outside of his patent Angel Getup still hadn’t worn off for Dean. 

 

“So, how do we feel about black on top?” Erin took a nice plain black shirt off the metal hanger, handing it to Cas. He shrugged.

 

“Fine by me.”

 

“Great. It’s kinda cold outside too, I think, so maybe a jacket?” Before Erin could even say anything else, Cas was already reaching for his trenchcoat, hanging on a hook by the door. She swatted his hand away immediately.

 

“Nuh uh. New dress rule—no trenchcoat on date nights.”

 

“But you just said it’s going to be cold!” 

 

“Nope. I’m vetoing it.”

 

Cas sighed. “I suppose I should’ve seen that coming.”

 

“Dude. It hides your butt. Of course I’m nixing it for date night. I mean, it would negate the point of wearing these incredible ass-accentuating jeans, right?”

 

“I guess.”

 

“Thank you. Trust me, I’m sure Dean will be very appreciative.” She winked, pushing Cas playfully in the direction of the bathroom. “Now go change, and I’ll find you one of Dean’s jackets to wear. He’ll think it’s cute.” 

 

Cas grumbled something incoherently under his breath but went to the bathroom obediently anyways, shutting the door with an audible click! Time for Erin to check out Dean’s side of the closet. 

 

By the time Cas came out, Erin had changed her mind about the outfit, shoving a gray shirt and black jacket into Cas’s empty arms. “Sorry, change of plans. I love this jacket but you can’t wear black-on-black, so go change and see how this looks instead.”

 

“Fine,” Cas huffed, shuffling back into the bathroom reluctantly. Erin smiled, rehanging the rejected shirt. While waiting for Cas to come back out, she crossed over the bed so she could sit with Jack, where he’d been lying on the floor, entertaining himself. When he finally reopened the bathroom door, Erin was criss-cross applesauce with Jack laughing in her lap.

 

“Ooo, isn’t your dad just the cutest?” she said, in her sing-songy-just-for-Jack voice. He babbled and pointed at Cas, waving his arms around. Clear approval. She knew Jack would have good taste. 

 

“So what do you think?” Cas asked gruffly, giving Erin a little spin. Bingo. This was the outfit.

 

“Yeah, this is perfect, Cas. Brings out your eyes real nice.” She put Jack back on the ground and stood up, stepping forward to adjust the collar on Cas's jacket. He smiled softly.

 

“Thank you, Erin. I mean it.”

 

“Hey, this was fun for me too. You’re like my own little dress-up doll.” 

 

A faint ding-dong! interrupted the conversation, ringing through the walls of the room. Jack yelled and slapped the floor in excitement, and suddenly Cas looked nervous.

 

“That Dean?”

 

“Yes, I think so. He told me he’d pick me up at the front door, like a ‘proper’ date, whatever that means.”

 

Aw. Erin couldn’t deny that it was pretty cute, all the effort both Dean and Cas were putting into their first date ever. Frickin’ adorable. 

 

“Well, me and Jack will see you out. C’mon baby,” she muttered, bending down to scoop Jack into her arms. “Let’s go see your dads be stupid in love, yeah?” 

 

Cas led the way to the front door, opening it to reveal Dean standing on the front steps, with a smile and some kind of flower in his hands.

 

“Hey, sweetheart.”

 

“Hello, Dean.”

 

They both spent a good couple seconds just staring across the threshold, raking their eyes over each other. Erin snorted—it was like they were both paralyzed by how much they wanted to just keep looking at the other. 

 

“Okay, let’s get a move on, boys,” Erin said brightly, snapping her fingers. Cas and Dean startled and turned to look at her, then looked away, both slightly pinker than before.

 

Dean cleared his throat, shuffling side-to-side a little. “I, uh, I got you something.”

 

“I noticed.” Cas smiled and reached out to take the plant. “Is that an orchid?”

 

“Uh, yeah.” Dean blushed and looked at his feet. “I was gonna get you like a bouquet, but you already grow your own flowers ‘n stuff, so I thought maybe I could get you something for indoors? So it’ll stay alive in the winter? And I thought an orchid might be nice, since they’re not really ever in bouquets so they’re kinda unique and—”

 

“Dean, I love it,” Cas said softly. “Thank you. I’m going to put it inside before we leave, okay?”

 

“Alright.” The relief Dean exhaled was palpable as Cas turned and went back inside, searching for a place to put the plant. Erin leaned against the side of the doorway, Jack at her hip. 

 

“So, got anything special planned for tonight?”

 

A couple seconds, then Dean smirked. “Maybe.”

 

“You better. I did not just spend the past twenty minutes arguing with Cas over outfits just for this to not be a special occasion.”

 

Dean laughed. “Yeah, okay. Duly noted.” He smiled at Erin, easy, maybe a little mischievous. “Don’t worry, I think Cas will be happy with what we’re doin’ tonight.”

 

“Alright. If he’s not—”

 

“He will be. Promise.”

 

“I will be what?” Cas reappeared, surprising both Erin and Dean.

 

“Nothing,” Dean said quickly, shooting Erin a look that obviously meant you keep your damn mouth shut or I swear to God you will regret it later. She rolled her eyes, because yeah, she might be kind of a bitch sometimes, but she’d never do anything to ruin Cas’s night. Even if she got to annoy Dean in the process (which was always fun, and something she generally tried to take advantage of whenever she could).

 

“Okay.” Cas looked back and forth between Dean and Erin, eyebrows scrunched suspiciously. “Well, I’m ready to go when you are, Dean.”

 

“Alright. Let’s get this show on the road then. Erin, you good?” 

 

“Yup.” She flashed the couple a thumbs-up. “Go have some fun, you crazy kids.” 

 

Cas returned her gesture with a smile and a wave before letting himself into the Impala. Dean started the car, and Erin watched as they turned out of the neighborhood, disappearing into the oncoming night. 

 

***

 

“So, you’re pretty excited for our date, huh? Erin told me you guys spent a while getting ready.”

 

Cas hummed. He hadn’t been lying when he told Erin he was nervous for tonight—he knew it was silly, and nonsensical, and purely a product of his own insecurities, but he really wanted everything to go well. He was human now, and he wanted to be good at normal human things, like dates and romance and relationships. 

 

“Yes, I am very excited. But, Dean, you do realize that I—I’m just happy to spend time with you, right? In any capacity. I appreciate all this, of course, but it’s not necessary.”

 

The look Dean gave him from the driver’s seat was some mix between amused, confused, and touched. “Yeah, I know. But you deserve to get treated special, and I like doing this kinda stuff for you. If I’m gonna take you out on a real date, least I can do is do it right.”

 

“Oh.” Cas looked down and smiled, suddenly shy. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure you knew I don’t have any expectations for you. I love you the way you are, fancy date or no.”

 

“Fuckin’ sap,” Dean teased, no real bite behind it. “How the hell did I get this lucky, huh?”

 

And Cas found it funny, the way Dean still thought he was the lucky one, and not the other way around. He didn’t say that, of course, because Dean would deny it and then Cas would have to refute him and it’d turn into a whole argument, but Cas knew the truth. He was the luckiest being in the universe, to be able to call Dean Winchester his. 

 

“So I know I said earlier this is a dinner date, but I was thinkin’ we could do something first, then grab a bite?” Underlying Dean's words was the anxious tap-tap-tap of his fingers on the steering wheel, and that’s when Cas realized—this was just as nerve-wracking for Dean as it was for Cas. 

 

He smiled, leaning slightly so he could rest his hand on the top of Dean's thigh. Soft, comforting, grounding. “That sounds great, Dean.”

 

“Alright. Good.”

 

They drive for another few minutes in comfortable silence, riding through Lebanon’s streets to the sound of one of Cas’s tapes—this one was his 80’s mix, with lots of Tears for Fears and Wham! and Madonna.

 

Eventually, they pulled into the mostly empty parking lot of the local outdoor ice rink. Dean cut the engine and turned to face Cas, who was more than a little confused.

 

“Ice-skating? Is that what we’re, um, doing for date night?”

 

“Yeah. I, uh, remembered this one time we were passing through town, and you pointed out their sign and mentioned how you’d never ice-skated before, but you’d like to learn how one day. Somethin’ about you being interested in the aerodynamics of it all, I think?”

 

“You remember that?” Cas asked softly, probably more touched than he should’ve been.

 

“Well, yeah, ‘course I remembered.” He laughed, maybe a little self-deprecating. “I know it don’t always seem like it, but I do actually listen when you talk, and I try to remember the important stuff. And things you wanna do but never had the chance to before are important. You’re important, period.” 

 

Cas didn’t even know what to say. Unfortunately, Dean totally misinterpreted the silence and began nervously backtracking. 

 

“We don’t have to skate, obviously, if you don’t want to anymore. We can turn around and eat instead, I shouldn’t have assumed this was still something you wanted to do, y’know. It was kind of a stupid idea anyways, we should just get dinner and go ho—”

 

“Dean.” Cas reached over, unwrapping Dean’s hand from where it was tensely clutching the steering wheel. He tangled their fingers together, waiting for Dean to relax. “How many times am I going to have to tell you that I love whatever it is you have planned for tonight? I loved the orchids, and I would love to go skating with you. Stop doubting yourself.” 

 

The blush on Dean’s face spread all the way from his nose to his ears. “M’kay,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “You ready to go in?” 



“Yes, please.” They exited the car, rejoining hands after Dean locked Baby and walked over to Cas’s side. 

 

“So, I’m assuming you know how to ice-skate, then?”

 

Dean shrugged. “I mean, I ain’t great at it, but I can at least stay on my feet. S’close enough to roller-skating that I pick it up pretty easy.”

                               

“You know how to roller-skate?”

 

“Yup, sure do.” The expression on Cas’s face must’ve been pretty incredulous, because Dean sighed and said, “When me ‘n Sammy were kids, we had this one pair of rollerskates we had to share. Saw it one day in a Goodwill and thought, why the fuck not? Couldn’t have a bike or a scooter or a board like other kids, y’know, that stuff’s all too bulky for the road, but skates—” Dean smiled fondly. “Skates we could just cram into the bottom of our bags and carry with us. I’m pretty sure we hung onto that one pair for years before we both outgrew ‘em.” 

 

“Dad never liked them, ‘course. Thought it was all girly and shit.” Dean snorted bitterly. “Wasting our time, he’d tell us, just extra dead weight in Baby’s trunk.”

 

“Well, it doesn’t sound like it was a waste of time to me. And I’m sure Sam really appreciated it too.” Cas squeezed Dean’s hand, and Dean turned, something unreadable in his eyes. 

 

“He’d hate you, y’know.”

 

Cas stiffened. He was not particularly fond of John Winchester either. 

 

“The feeling’s mutual. Sorry if that disappoints you.”

 

“Whoa, when did I ever say that was a bad thing?” He grabbed both of Cas’s hands, looking him in the eyes. “Sweetheart, I love that about you. I don’t want you to be the kinda man my dad would’ve approved of.”

 

"Good. I’m very proud to be someone he would look down on. No offense.”

 

The tension still lingering in Cas’s body from Dean’s earlier comment began to dissipate as he waited, watching as Dean talked to someone behind the counter, paying for entry and telling them their shoe sizes. The worker disappeared into the rows of shoes behind them, coming back a second later with two pairs of used skates. “Try these on for size. If they don’t work, just let me know and we’ll get you a new pair.”

 

“Alright, thanks.” Dean took the skates and led Cas over to the metal benches where they were supposed to put them on. 

 

“I don’t think I did this right,” Cas muttered, still struggling to get his left skate on tight enough. Lord help him, he hadn’t even started tying the other one. 

 

“Yeah, skates are kinda tough. You really gotta tug on the laces, get ‘em real snug to your foot.” Dean slid off the bench, his own skates already put on perfectly, and began retying Cas’s skates for him. “Might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll be fine once you’re on the ice.”

 

“If you say so.” Cas winced as Dean yanked particularly hard on one of the laces, crossing it back and forth again and again before finally tying it up for good. “Are we, um, just expected to walk to the ice?” 

 

Dean laughed. “Well, yeah. Did you think someone was gonna come pick us up, carry us the ten feet it takes to get from the bench to the rink?”

 

“Oh, shut up.” The floor felt wobbly and unstable underneath Cas’s feet as he pushed off the bench, leaning on Dean for support. “You know I’ve never done this before.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” Dean gave Cas a light kiss on the nose. “Sorry babe. Just teasing.” 

 

Cas smiled, gripping Dean’s hand like his life depended on it as they slowly waddled over to the edge of the rink. It looked so easy, the way Dean just stepped across the barrier and onto the ice with perfect balance. He waited, arms stretched out as he remained connected to Cas, who was still standing on the carpet. 

 

“Dean…” He looked at him a little helplessly, like a bird about to leave the nest for the first time. “How am I supposed to not slip? I already feel very unstable on carpet, and the ice is so much slicker, and—”

 

“Babe,” Dean laughed. “Sweetheart. Trust me, you’ll be fine. I’ll be right here the whole time, okay? I’ve told you a million times—I’m not gonna let you fall. C’mon.”

 

After a moment of hesitation, Cas nodded and finally set foot on the ice, wobbling through the transition. Just like he said, Dean was steady as a pillar the whole time, his hold on Cas as strong as steel. When Cas had both feet solidly in the rink, Dean began to pull him forward, taking blind baby steps backwards.

 

“You can skate backwards?”

 

“Just a little. Enough to help you learn how to skate in the right direction.” Cas huffed, but let himself be moved nonetheless, sliding smoothly across the ice.

 

They stayed on the outer perimeter of the rink, close to the wall both for support and to avoid the few other skaters out on the ice. In a few minutes, they were picking up speed, Cas holding onto Dean for dear life, while Dean just grinned and relaxed, like this was where he was born to be. 

 

“Just hold onto me, okay? You don’t even gotta move your feet. Just let yourself glide, and I’ll tug you along. Easy peasy.”

 

“I feel ridiculous,” Cas grumbled. “I must look like an idiot.”

 

“I think you look cute as fuck.” Little particles of ice powder flew on the ice as Dean slowed them down, pulling Cas in closer for a kiss. “Y’know I really fuckin’ love you, right?”

 

No matter how many times Cas heard Dean say it, his heart still fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird at the words I love you. “And I love you too,” he breathed, leaning heavily against Dean’s front. Dean smiled and ruffled his hair.

 

“Plus, there’s barely anyone else here. You don’t look stupid, promise, but even if you did, who cares? It’s basically just us and a handful of kids on the ice.”

 

It was perfectly ironic, looking back at the timing of the collision. Literally the second Dean finished talking, Cas felt something barrelling in between them, splitting them apart and knocking them to the ground in opposite directions. Instinctively, he stuck out his hands to break the fall, instantly regretting it once he actually hit the ice, crushing his wrist under his body weight. Thankfully, he’d gotten pushed in the direction of the rink’s walls, so it was relatively easy to push himself up until he was sitting in an upright position, back against the barrier. 

 

“Crap! Crappity crap, are you okay?” Suddenly there was a little boy in Cas’s face, staring at him with big, worried, nearly tear-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, I was just going too fast and I was trying to stop but I couldn’t slow down and—”

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Cas interrupted softly. “Accidents happen. I’m not— ow —mad. Did you, uh, happen to see where Dean landed, though?” 

 

“Over here.” Cas turned to the left, following the sound of Dean’s voice. He was also sitting up—a good sign—although he had a wince on his face, rubbing his elbow gingerly. Damn. Cas really hoped he hadn’t seriously hurt himself.

 

“You alright?”

 

Dean grunted in response. “Think so. Gimme a sec and I’ll come over to you.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Cas saw something still slowly skidding across the ice, sliding a few feet in his direction like a mini hockey puck before coming to rest by his hip. He rubbed his eyes with his good hand, still a little dazed from the fall. It looked like… a box? Yeah, a tiny, fuzzy black box. 

 

Oh. 

 

Oh no. 

 

Was that what he thought it was?

 

“Dean,” he squeaked, voice coming out rather strangled. “Is—is this?”

 

“Ah, goddammit, you weren’t supposed to see that.” Dean waddled over to where Cas had landed, flaky ice soaking through the knees of his jeans. He grabbed the box, looked down at it, looked back up at Cas, and took a deep breath. 

 

“I was waiting for a better moment, but I guess it’s now or never, huh?” Dean laughed nervously. “At least I’m already on my knees, right?”

 

Between the shock and the pain, Cas was rendered physically incapable of responding to Dean. He just stared, open-mouthed, cradling his wrist in his right hand.

 

“Alright. Alright, let’s do this,” Dean muttered to himself. He exhaled shakily, then fixed his gaze on Cas. 

 

“Cas. Baby. I know we did this all outta order. Hell, you died for me, years before either of us ever even said I love you. Probably before we even knew we loved each other. We basically had a kid together before we got into a relationship. We’ve been through the fuckin’ ringer, more times than I could ever count, and somehow we still made it out together, every time. Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, the Empty, not even God could keep us apart for long.”

 

“So I know giving you a ring and all that ain’t gonna really change much. Married or not, I’m spending the rest of my life by your side. I’m yours, and you’re mine. I know that. But I think I’m ready for the rest of the world to know, too.”

 

“No one has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. You’ve made me angry as fuck, you’ve put me through stages of grief I didn’t even know fucking existed, but above all, you make me so happy. You make me feel loved, make me feel special. And I wanna make you feel the same way.”

 

“Cas, I love you. Make an honest man outta me and let me put a ring on it?” 

 

There were already a few tears streaming down Cas’s face from the pain, but he got hit with a fresh wave as he watched Dean flip open the little ring box, revealing a plain, simple gold band with a silver stripe running through the middle. He could only nod, throat far too tight for any words to escape. Dean beamed.

 

“Can I, uh, y’know?” He tilted the box towards Cas’s hand, eyebrows raised. 

 

Cas nodded again, sniffling once or twice before clenching his jaw and trying to extend his left hand. New, sharp pain shot through him, and something between a gasp and a cry slipped through his lips before he could stop himself. 

 

“Aw, sweetheart, don’t cry.” Then Dean’s face fell when he realized they weren’t all happy tears. “Cas? Cas, what’s wrong?” 

 

“I can’t move my fingers.”

 

A beat. Dean stared at Cas, then blinked. “The fuck you mean you can’t move your fingers?”

 

“It hurts too much, it—” He groaned when he tried to make his hand move, proving his point. “My wrist. It really fucking hurts. I, um, I landed on it funny when we fell.”

 

Dean paled. “Shit. Fuck, Cas, why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

 

“Didn’t want to interrupt.”

 

“Jesus. You’re a fuckin’ idiot, you know that? Real fuckin’ dumbass here I’m about to marry,” he mumbled, leaning in closer to look at the damage. Despite the insult, Cas still felt his heart do backflips at Dean’s words, thumping in his chest as Dean gently handled his wrist. Nothing was bleeding or obviously bent out of shape, but the wrist area was starting to visibly swell, hot to the touch. “Can you move it at all?”

 

Cas winced. “Not really.”

 

“Fuck. It might be broken. C’mon, we need to get you off the ice.” He pulled Cas to his feet by the shoulder, careful to not jostle the bad wrist. The little boy who’d run into them was still standing a couple feet away, jaw open wide enough to hit the floor. Dean just blew right past him, ignoring the few other bystanders who were giving him and Cas similar gaping looks. 

 

“Alright,” Dean said, sitting Cas down on the metal bench again. “How bad does it hurt?” 

 

“Um. Pretty bad. I think we should maybe go to the hospital.” He exhaled slowly, watching as Dean expertly undid his laces, slipping his normal shoes back on with ease. 

 

“Fuck.” The metal blades of Dean’s skates clattered together as he quickly took them off, rushing to drop them off at the counter before pulling Cas back to his feet, leading him out the door and across the parking lot. Cas could just barely see his face in the light of the lot’s flickering lamp, pale and worried.

 

“Okay. Okay, we’ll get you to the ER and see what they have to say.” He opened Cas’s door, gently pushing him in as Cas all but collapsed onto his seat. Dean had to reach way far over from the driver’s seat to grab Cas’s good hand, squeezing it softly as he got the car started. 

 

“You’re gonna be alright, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” 

 

***

 

For all the hospital soaps Dean loved to watch, he really hated going to the doctor. 

 

Hated being poked and prodded, talked down to like he was an idiot. He’d been taking care of his own injuries since he was a kid. He knew how to stitch up a flesh wound before he learned how to ride a bike. 

 

Only thing worse than seeing a doctor himself was having to take someone else, having to watch them get poked and prodded and measured and judged.

 

Cas didn’t seem to mind—he sat on the exam table patiently, a little pale but otherwise looking okay.

 

Dean, on the other hand, was a bit of an anxious mess. His leg bounced up and down compulsively as they waited for the doctor to come back in with Cas’s x-rays. He was still lost in his thoughts when he felt something nudging him.

 

“Dean,” Cas said softly, reaching his fingers out towards Dean’s fidgety hand, “it’s okay. I’m going to be fine.”

 

“Yeah, I know, I know.” He took Cas’s hand, began rubbing the back of his knuckles with his thumb. “I just don’t like doctors.”

 

“Besides Dr. Sexy, you mean.” Cas’s whole body looked tense with pain and exhaustion, but he still smiled weakly at Dean, a teasing lilt to his hoarse voice. God, Dean really fucking loved him.

 

Before Dean could tell Cas to shut his stupid, dorky, attractive mouth, their conversation was interrupted by the doctor’s arrival. Her steps echoed from the hallway into the room, stopping once she was standing in front of Cas. She smiled brightly at him, clipboard and pen in hand. 

 

“Alright, Mr. Winchester, I have good news and bad news. Bad news,” she said as she pulled out a chair and sat down, “your wrist is fractured, not sprained. Good news, you won’t need surgery to fix it. I’ll set your wrist and put it in a splint, and as long as you continue to take care of it properly, the bone should heal on its own in a couple months.”

 

“So what’s next, then?” Dean asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

 

“I’m going to realign the bones, closed reduction, then we’ll get you in that splint, okay? I’ll get you some pain meds first, though.”

 

“Alright,” Cas said quietly. He held onto Dean’s hand while the doctor reset his wrist, squeezing so hard Dean’s pretty sure he let out an involuntary whimper at one point. When they finally left, Dean had to guide Cas out by the arm, wobbly from both pain levels and pain medication.

 

“You know,” Cas slurred, pressed against Dean’s side, “I liked the way that sounded.”

 

“What?”

 

“Mr. Winchester. Me, Mr. Winchester. Castiel Winchester, husband of Dean Winchester, father of Jack Kline-Winchester.” He giggled, poking Dean’s chest as they walked past the ER’s sliding doors. “I’m gonna marry you. I get to marry Dean. My beloved, my darling, my heart. My Dean.”

 

Jesus Christ. 

 

That did sound really fucking nice, actually. Cas’s Dean. Dean’s Cas. It made Dean feel funny, like that weightless feeling right before the drop in a rollercoaster. He tightened his grip on Cas’s arm, using his free hand to wipe his face.

 

If Dean was about to start crying in the ER parking lot, it wasn’t like anyone else had to know. 

 

***

 

“Erin!” 

 

Cas’s voice rang through the otherwise silent house, pulling Erin up from the couch where she’d been waiting for the guys to come home. 

 

“Shh, Jack’s sleeping. What are you…” She trailed off as she noticed a brace on Cas’s wrist that most definitely hadn’t been there when he left earlier. He was slumped against Dean, who was shutting the garage door behind them.

 

“Guys,” she said slowly, suspiciously, “what the hell happened?”

 

“Guess what?” 

 

“Uh, what, Cas?”

 

“I’m getting married!” 

 

“Oh?” She turned to Dean incredulously. “Dean. Don’t tell me you proposed on the first date.”

 

“Wasn’t supposed to happen like this, but, uh, yeah. It was kinda an accident, actually.”

 

“How the hell do you accidentally propose?”

 

“He saw the ring when he wasn’t supposed to,” Dean snapped. “I took him ice-skating, at that one rink like twenty minutes away, and some fuckwad ran into us and knocked us both to the ground. Damn thing fell outta my pocket, right in front of Cas.” 

 

“Why the hell was it in your pocket anyways?”

 

“I dunno!” Dean’s voice was steadily rising, getting more and more elevated. “I just—you never know when the right moment’s gonna happen, y’know? I just wanted to be prepared!”

 

“And his wrist?”

 

“Fractured it when he fell. We just got back from the ER. He’s still kinda woozy from the drugs and the pain, so—”

 

“Erin.” Cas lurched forward, grabbing her wrist. “Erin, you have to be my maid of honor. That’s what they’re called, right? Maid of honor? Or maybe you’re my, uh, my best man. Dean can be the bride instead.” He hummed happily, turning to Dean with big, lovey-dovey eyes. “I think you would look very nice in a wedding dress.” 

 

Dean snorted. “See, Erin? Case in point. The man is delirious.”

 

“No, I’m serious, Dean,” Cas whined, tugging his sleeve. “You are beautiful. You are the most exquisite thing to ever exist on God’s Earth. When I rescued you in Hell, I could barely speak, I was so mesmerized by your glory.”

 

“Okay, Casanova, I think it’s time for you to go to bed.” He rolled his eyes, casually shaking off the comment, but Erin could see the tips of Dean’s ears burning red. Aww. 

 

“Erin, you’ll be at the wedding, right?” Suddenly Cas was all up in Erin’s face again, looking extremely worried. “You’ll be my best maid? Or my—my man of honor? Pinky promise please? You have to be there, you have to—” 

 

“Hey,” she said softly, putting her hand over where his had gone back to, wrapped tight around her wrist. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Cas.”

 

“Okay. Okay, good.” He nodded decisively, apparently reassured. “You’re my favorite, y’know. Besides my babies. Baby Jack and—” he turned back towards Dean, surprising him by pinching his cheek, “—my baby Dean.”

 

“Jesus,” Dean whispered, turning even redder than before. Erin literally had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. 

 

“Well, you’re my favorite too, Cas.” Erin smiled, and he smiled back, leaning forward to give her a clumsy hug. Of course, Dean had to hold him back a little, arms wrapped around his waist to keep him from completely falling over onto Erin. 

 

“Thanks, Erin. Dunno what we’d do without you,” he slurred, right by her ear. This time she couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling in her chest. 

 

“Alright, alright, I think it really is your bedtime.” She pushed Cas off gently, back into Dean’s waiting body. He immediately melted back into Dean’s chest, sighing happily. 

 

“M’kay.” Cas’s eyes began to droop, and Dean looked up from him to meet Erin’s gaze again.

 

“Jack’s okay?” he whispered, clearly not wanting to get Cas involved in the conversation again.

 

“Yep. Put him to bed a couple hours ago.”

 

“Good. Thanks, Erin. You really are the best.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” she said with a teasing smile. Dean smiled back, genuinely grateful. “You sure you got everything here under control?”

 

Dean grunted. “I’ll be fine. You go on home, get some sleep. It’s pretty late.”

 

“Alright. I’m expecting to hear more details about this wedding in the morning though, okay?”

 

“Of course. Can’t plan a wedding without keeping our, uh, best maid in the loop, right?”

 

Erin snorted. Man, Cas really had been out of it tonight. “Exactly.” She grabbed her keys, giving Dean one last smile as she watched him stumble down the hallway, tugging a nearly-unconscious Cas along.

 

It was only once she sat down in her car that Erin stopped to take a breath, process everything she’d just heard. Dean and Cas were actually getting married. They got engaged on their first fuckin’ date ever. Honestly though, she couldn’t say it wasn’t on brand for them to pull some crazy shit like that. The more she thought about it, the more she started getting legitimately excited for the wedding planning. And Erin couldn’t lie—

 

She really did think ‘best maid’ and ‘man of honor’ had a nice ring to them. 

 

Notes:

hey guys!! thank u for reading, hope u enjoyed the story <3 feedback is always v v appreciated should u feel so inclined to comment they make my day!! also no promises but there’s a decent chance i’ll add a second chapter where they actually get married lol so. um. if u are interested stay tuned! and there’s definitely still a couple more stories coming out for this verse so dw this is not the last yall will be seeing of erin and the fambly :D

also if there's any ideas/suggestions u have for this verse don't be afraid to share them! i am always open to suggestion n would love to hear yalls input <3

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