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Going to New York City for Christmas was an easy decision for Dean and Castiel.They arrived earlier this time, Dean wanting to get the full effect of New York City’s magic before Christmas. Dean was received warmly by Gabriel, Charlotte, Hannah, Samandriel, and Duma. Christmas with the added presence of Charlie, Balthazar, and Meg was a breeze, Dean still utterly surprised at how easy it was to be around Cas’s family.————Dean found himself alone with Charlotte. He sat across from her and plastered on a smile. “Hi. I have to ask you about something.”Charlotte, at only seven years old, could cut quite an intimidating figure. She was a product of one of the toughest and roughest cities in America; what else would he expect? Charlotte asked warily, “yes?”Dean thought of putting on a softer voice, but Charlotte was not a delicate child. Sweet, but not delicate. He asked, “are you okay with me marrying your uncle?”As if not expecting to be asked, Charlotte thought. Dean waited patiently, knowing that he got brownie points just for asking considerately. Finally, Charlotte replied, “you’re nice. You make Uncle Cas very happy. He smiles more.” Charlotte fixed the strings of her ballet shoes — which she wore often, even when she wasn’t dancing — and asked, “if I say yes, do I get to be the flower girl?”Dean held back a smile upon imagining Charlotte in a poofy dress scattering flower petals at their wedding. He said, “I don’t want that to be the reason you say yes.”To Dean’s surprise, Charlotte understood. She was smarter than she let on. “I told you. You make my Uncle Cas happy. I’m okay with it.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Don’t mess it up.”Dean nodded and said resolutely, “I won’t. It’s my number one priority to make Uncle Cas happy.”Charlotte looked into his very soul and said, “I believe you. Now do I get to be flower girl or not?”“Of course.”Charlotte jumped up, a sweet and kind little girl again. “Yes!”————Dean shouldn’t keep his guard down when speaking to Gabriel.They had engaged in so many conversations that Dean wasn’t expecting Gabriel to grow serious at the flick of a switch.Gabriel bore his amber eyes into Dean’s when they were alone, crossing his arms and trying to look as terrifying as possible. Dean went on the defensive, refusing to start anything. He could probably guess what was about to happen. Dean would do the same for Sam.“Okay, listen,” Gabriel said, “Cassie is my little brother. If I didn’t have this talk with you, I wouldn’t be a very good brother. So. Before I had my daughter, Cassie was everything to me. Everything. I changed his diapers at age three and worked ridiculous hours to get him through fashion school at eighteen.” Dean didn’t know that, but he concealed his shock. “I’ve given twenty-two years of my life to him. I would do anything to make sure he is never hurt again, or feels a single sliver of pain. I don’t care if you’re a famous actor. My brother has been through too much in his life before age thirty to deserve anything else bad to happen to him. If you do anything to mess this up, you’d better watch out.”Dean let it all sink in, then said, “we have the same goal. I just want Cas to be happy. I swear.”Gabriel read Dean’s soul like a book — clearly Charlotte got the talent from him — and said, “I believe you.” Gabriel smiled. “Good. We’re on the same page.”Cas entered the room with Charlotte again, and everything was back to normal.————“Did he give you the talk?”Dean blinked as Samandriel, Hannah, and Duma appeared in the room. “Gabriel? Yeah.”Samandriel raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you seem fine,” he said suspiciously.“Because it is fine,” Dean said.“He didn’t have you running,” Hannah mused. She cracked a grin. “Wow. You really do love Cas.”“He really didn’t scare you?” Duma asked in disbelief.Dean shook his head. “I had to protect my younger brother from an alcoholic father. It’s understandable.”Samandriel, Hannah, and Duma hid their surprise rather well. Dean’s past was nothing compared to theirs, anyway.Before anything else could be said, Cas and Charlie arrived babbling about some fashion thing or another.————Dean was making coffee when Balthazar appeared in pajamas. Balthazar grabbed a mug and took a bag of tea instead, boiling water.Balthazar said hello to Dean, then poured lukewarm water into the mug a moment later. He said, “I heard Gabe gave you the talk. I can’t believe you’re still here.”Dean rolled his eyes and focused on his brewing coffee. “We have a lot in common. And it was totally fine.”Balthazar studied him. “Wow. I almost don’t buy this. Gabe is terrifying sometimes.” Balthazar took the tea bag out of his mug. “Cassie and I may be incompatible gays,” Dean bit his lip to stifle a laugh, “but I care about him. Be good to him.”Dean figured this was Balthazar’s form of a light warning. Dean poured his coffee and promised, “I will.”————When they got to the hotel room on their last night in New York, Castiel said to Dean, “you’ve seemed a little...different the past three days.”Three days ago was Gabriel’s warning. Despite Dean being fine with the matter, Gabriel’s words rattled through his head. Perhaps that was his intention. He wanted to remind Dean that, despite being a successful actor, he was a lucky bastard. Dean replied truthfully, “I got the talk from Gabriel.”Cas sighed deeply and plopped on the mattress. “Dammit. I thought he didn’t do that.”Dean sat next to him. “It was fine. Really.” “Yeah?”“That wasn’t the issue.” Dean put a finger on what bothered him about Gabriel’s speech. He said somberly, “I didn’t know that Gabe dedicated his life to you, that’s all.”Cas pursed his lips, staring at his lap.“Those are some big shoes to fill,” Dean said softly, “but I can do my best.”Cas blinked rapidly, looking at Dean incredulously. Something clicked in Cas’s mind. In answer to it, Cas was suddenly straddling Dean’s thighs. Dean glanced up in surprise, Cas cupping Dean’s cheeks with his calloused hands. Cas’s eyes were vibrant as he murmured, “I can’t believe you didn’t run. And the thing you’re worried about is,” his tone grew softer, “if you can take care of me as well as my brother did.” Cas smiled wobbly. “You have been. You are. And you will,” Cas said resolutely. “Gabe will always worry, but you’ve given me what he couldn’t.” The kiss Cas initiated was soft and sweet and healing. Cas whispered into Dean’s cheek, “you. All of you.” Cas kissed Dean lightly to make his point. “This has made me love you more.”“Has it now?”Cas smirked. “You know the one thing I don’t like about holiday vacations?”Dean raised an eyebrow in question.Cas caressed Dean’s jaw. “We don’t get to have sex as often.”Dean matched his smirk. “Wanna change that?”Cas pushed Dean against the mattress in answer.————At the airport, Charlotte leapt into both Cas and Dean’s arms.Everyone was surprised when Charlotte went to Dean. He easily caught her and secured her in his arms. Charlotte muffled, “be good to Uncle Cas.”Dean murmured an “I will” and waited a beat to release her. He set her on the ground carefully. Charlotte smiled and went to Gabriel’s side. Everyone finally recovered from the shock of the last moment. The group continued their goodbyes.————Since they returned from Los Angeles the day before New Year’s Eve, Dean and Castiel chose to spend the holiday at home.Neither of them felt like going to a crazy party that ended in unpleasant hangovers. So they tangled their limbs together while waiting for the ball to drop on the television, the house mostly encompassed in darkness. When it neared midnight, Dean started to debate an idea that had hatched in his head a long time ago. It was incredibly bold, and he wasn’t sure Cas would go for it. But they tried and failed at shower sex, so Cas was open to experimenting, anyway. Dean said to Cas, “I have something I wanna do.”Dean stared at his lap, his face heating up. Maybe he shouldn’t say it aloud. It was silly. Cas would say no. With every passing second he thought about it, he knew he shouldn’t have opened his mouth.Cas studied him carefully. His forehead creased, sensing the gears overworking in Dean’s head. “Tell me,” Cas ordered. Dean exhaled through his nose, and forced out, “I wanna make love into the New Year.”There was a silence that lasted a lifetime to Dean, but was probably no more than three seconds.Then, Cas laughed breathily. Dean blushed fire truck red, feeling ridiculously embarrassed.Cas got ahold of himself at the shift in Dean’s demeanor and said, “I’m not laughing at you. I promise.” Cas leaned closer to Dean. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Listen.” Cas grasped Dean’s hand, their engagement rings shining in the bright television lights. Cas said gently, “that is the sweetest and most romantic proposition I’ve ever heard.”Dean studied Cas’s dark blue eyes and upturned lips. He asked hesitantly, “so, would you?”Cas moved into Dean’s lap effortlessly. Dean looked up at the beautiful man perched on his thighs, his lips parted in awe. Cas’s eyes pierced through his as he said, “I would love that. Couch or bed?”Dean’s eyes widened, his brain short circuiting. He knew Cas was testing him, toying with him by dangling the option in the air between them.The answer? There was only one option.Dean delighted in their temporary contact, only a layer away from nakedness. One side of his mouth quirked upwards. He answered, “a king deserves nothing less than a bed.”Cas withdrew from their embrace, encompassing Dean’s vision as he stood up from the couch. He held out his hand and said, “correct answer.”Dean grinned, took Cas’s hand, and hauled himself up.As Cas lead them to the bedroom, Dean fought the urge to jump up and down and screech victoriously.————“Five!” The television counted down.Dean moaned as Cas timed his thrusts perfectly.“Four!”Dean rode the wave of pleasure, saying Cas’s name in between hitched breaths.“Three!”Dean knew from Cas’s sapphire eyes that he was going to-“Two!”Cas looked into Dean’s eyes reverently, expressing an incredible amount of control. The next second lasted a lifetime to Dean.“One!”Cas let himself go, collapsing on top of Dean. They hardly heard “Happy New Year!” as they steadied their breaths.Dean tilted Cas’s chin up, pouring his love into each lazy kiss. Cas was more than willing to keep pace with him, their bodies pressing together deliciously. The clock read 12:05 AM by the time their kissing ceased. The afterglow remained, neither of them able to stop touching each other. Cas had one hand on Dean’s chest, the other tangled in Dean’s hair. Dean kept one hand on Cas’s jaw, the other venturing down, down, down-Cas growled as Dean’s hand grabbed his ass. Dean smirked in the dim lights. The sounds Cas made were enough to get Dean’s blood boiling.Dean wanted more.“You’re so hot,” Dean murmured.Cas’s voice was low and thick when he said, “am I now?”“Oh, yes,” Dean breathed. “The way you waited for a second. That was hot.” Dean held onto Cas’s sides, then rolled them over until he was on top. Cas went with him without protest, both of them aligning together perfectly. Cas observed Dean above him, a question formulating in his eyes. Dean managed, “I want you to know what that just felt like. If you’ll let me.”Cas batted his eyelashes, Dean getting caught up in the rare motion, observing the length of his long lashes. It was a coy little move, one that Dean enjoyed seeing. It always lead to good things.Cas looked into Dean’s eyes again, and parted his legs in answer.————It was around one in the morning when Dean collapsed on top of Cas.That was...yeah.Dean calmed his pounding heartbeat, putting all of his focus on Cas. He looked a mess, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his jet black hair sticking up in all directions, his tan skin glowing in what light was left in their bedroom.Cas’s eyes glistened when he opened them, his skin flushing a baby pink upon noticing Dean’s intense gaze. His eyelashes fluttered bashfully as he ran a hand through his thoroughly mussed sex hair. He declared it a hopeless cause with a single glance before gaining control of his breathing. Cas finally looked up at Dean again, obviously still flustered with Dean hovering above him.Dean had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.He thought that every time they made love, and this was no exception.Dean took pride in knowing that he caused this. Cas was utterly debauched, and Dean Winchester caused it.“You’re beautiful, baby,” Dean said roughly.“That was…” Cas exhaled a laugh, grinning — uncharacteristically — like a sated idiot. The look Cas sent Dean’s way made Dean’s heart skip a beat. It was full of so much love and softness that disappeared so quickly that Dean thought he’d imagined it. Cas laughed again, thinking about what just transpired. “Yeah. That was hot.”“That’s what I like to hear.” Dean kissed Cas senseless, both of them melting into each other, not wanting to part yet.————Castiel woke up on Dean’s chest, Dean’s slow heartbeat pounding in his ears. Once he regained some awareness, he realized how achingly close together they were. Cas’s torso was pressed bruisingly against Dean’s right side, his arm tossed around Dean’s toned stomach, his fingers tracing the lines of Dean’s abs. He heard Dean exhale deeply, a telltale sign that he was waking up. Cas kept his eyes closed, not ready to open them yet.He felt Dean’s hand resting on the small of his back move to his hip. He left his hand there, tracing hearts absentmindedly with his fingertips.Castiel smiled despite himself, Dean catching the motion and chuckling. He moved his hand to the small of Cas’s back again, tracing shapes as it moved up Cas’s spine. Cas shivered, exhaling deeply at how easily Dean affected him. “C’mon, baby,” Dean rumbled.Cas opened his eyes at last, pressing a kiss to Dean’s chest. “Morning,” he said into Dean’s skin.“Good mornin’, fiancé,” Dean drawled, his Kansas accent coming out naturally. “And a happy new year.”Cas hummed and rolled on top of Dean. He rested his chin above Dean’s pounding heartbeat and murmured, “we’re gonna get married this year. Now’s the time to back out.”Dean smiled sweetly. “I would never, gorgeous. That would be the biggest mistake of my life. Take last night, for example.” Dean trailed his hands up Cas’s back. “I would never have mind-blowing sex like that again.” Dean worried his bottom lip. “I would never have such a beautiful naked man in my bed like you again.”Cas blushed profusely. “I think you just want some more of last night this morning.”“That wasn’t my intention,” Dean said, “but I wouldn’t be opposed.”Castiel smirked. “Well, in that case.” He kissed Dean searingly, Dean keeping pace with him and going with the flow.————London Fashion Week arrived quicker than expected. Before Castiel and Charlie knew it, they were preparing for their second year at the venue. Cas had plenty of weeks to prepare, and he was incredibly excited to debut new clothing.Since Dean normally didn’t take acting jobs around the holidays, he offered his services and tagged along to London.They worked together to prepare for the fashion show. When Valentine’s Day came along, Dean and Cas kept it simple. Everything went well, thankfully.The day before the fashion show, Dean formally met the leader of the venue, Raphael Smith. His secretary, Dorothy, was there too. Charlie was clearly attracted to the woman, but Cas kept her in check. It wouldn’t do to have Charlie go out with Raphael Smith’s secretary. Deep down, Charlie knew that too. Dean and Cas felt sympathetic for her plight.For her own good, Charlie kept away from Dorothy, only speaking to her if Cas was there to have her back. Every time Dorothy walked away to report to Raphael, Cas would catch Charlie’s pained expression before she plastered on a smile. On one such occasion, just two hours before their fashion show, Cas pulled Charlie into his arms, holding her tightly. Charlie rested her chin on Cas’s shoulder, her long red hair covering the tears that were probably ruining her makeup and Cas’s dress shirt. Cas didn’t mind, though. His best friend was in pain, the worst possible kind.Castiel said into her hair, “we have three years left on our contract. If she doesn’t ask you first, you can then.”Charlie sniffled and pulled away, wiping away some tears. “This is so stupid. I feel like an idiot.”Cas handed Charlie a handkerchief, which she took gratefully. “You’re not an idiot. And hey, think about this: if she asks you out, then you’re not at fault if Raphael digs.”Charlie sniffled again, using up his handkerchief. “You really think she’ll ask me out?”“I’ve noticed...looks, when your back is turned,” Cas divulged. Charlie’s eyes glittered with hope at the prospect. “I think she might.”Charlie hugged Cas tightly. “You’re the best friend ever.”“I know. Now fix your makeup.”Charlie punched his arm. Cas laughed.Dean, who had been eavesdropping from afar, fell even more in love with his betrothed.————The fashion show was added to Bradbury & Novak’s list of hits.————“Oh. My. Gay.” Balthazar clapped a hand over his mouth dramatically.Castiel followed his friend’s line of sight and almost spilled his martini.Across the bar, Charlie and Dorothy were chatting animatedly, their drinks untouched, both completely wrapped up in their conversation.“Yes!” Cas pumped his fist quickly enough that only Dean and Balthazar noticed it. “Is she why the boss lady has been acting,” Balthazar produced, “like a woman drenched in days-long rain without an umbrella?”“Yes,” Dean answered. “I hope they kiss.”Cas swatted Dean’s arm. “Don’t be gross.” A beat. “I hope they make out.”Balthazar and Dean laughed and drank their fruity alcohol.————Dean cut himself off at his third cocktail, giggling as he twirled a mini pink umbrella between his fingers. Making a snap decision, Dean tucked the pink umbrella behind Cas’s ear. The umbrella stayed in place due to Cas’s hair gel, resulting in another eruption of giggles from both Dean and Balthazar.Cas just pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, “fucking blondes.”————Balthazar gasped overdramatically about an hour later.Charlie and Dorothy were kissing.Castiel and Dean gasped loudly upon seeing it.Balthazar forked over five dollars to Dean.Cas furrowed his eyebrows. “When did you make a bet?”“When you went to the bathroom,” Dean replied.Cas sighed. “I can’t leave you two alone ever.”Dean and Balthazar grinned.————...Your eyes whispered, “Have we met?”. Across the room your silhouette starts to make its way to me... Castiel was suddenly wide awake when he heard the unmistakable sound of Charlie singing in the hotel hallway. He glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. He and Dean had left two hours ago. Did she stay at the bar with Dorothy all night?...The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy... Did they really talk at the bar until midnight? Whoa. This was about to become a complicated relationship. Cas felt a pang of sympathy for his friend....And it was enchanting to meet you. All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you...Charlie didn’t care about that now, though. Cas didn’t want to ruin her happiness. The reality of the situation would kick in by the morning....This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go. I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home... Cas heard Dean sit up in bed. Cas pointed to his ear before he could ask what was going on. Dean listened to Charlie sing. He whispered, “you were telling the truth about that?” Cas nodded in answer, — Charlie really did sing “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift whenever she met a pretty girl — then slipped out of bed....I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew. I was enchanted to meet you...Castiel opened the hotel room door, Dean a step behind him. Charlie was a couple doors away, but halted upon seeing the bleary-eyed couple.“Oh,” Charlie grinned, “hi, guys.”“Hi, sweetie,” Cas said, padding over to Charlie, “let’s get you to your room. You’ll wake people.”Charlie put a hand over her mouth. She whispered, “sorry, I’m sorry.” She giggled quietly, Cas guiding her to her hotel room. Cas shared a look with Dean, who gave the best friends their space and shut himself inside their hotel room.Once Castiel and Charlie were in her hotel room, Cas sat her on the couch. “Now, sweetie, are you drunk?”Charlie giggled loudly. “No!” Cas sat next to Charlie, and waited for Charlie’s fit of giggles to subside. Once they did, Charlie said happily, “I’m love drunk!”Cas couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t seen Charlie this happy in a long time. “I told you she would take more than a professional interest in you. Now come on.” Cas lifted Charlie from the couch and lead her to the bedroom. “It’s time to sleep.”“But I’m so happy! I can’t!” Charlie whined.“Just try, please.” Cas set Charlie on the bed. Charlie pouted but complied, tucking herself under the covers. “There you go. Try and sleep, okay? I’ll turn off the lights on the way out.” Cas moved to turn the light switch off, but he heard Charlie say, “Cas?”Cas turned to look at Charlie. “Yeah?”“You’re a really good friend,” Charlie said genuinely.Cas turned off the lights so that she wouldn’t see Cas’s uneasy smile. He closed and locked the front door, returning to his hotel room. He padded to the bedroom and found Dean in bed, trying to go to sleep. Cas slipped next to him gracefully. They curled into each other’s embrace naturally. Dean murmured, “everything okay?”Cas exhaled deeply. “We’ll see.”————Charlie and Dorothy made it work.————Dean and Castiel went back to their rhythm.Dean chose to star in a heist movie with some actor friends he had made over the years. He had a rollicking good time making a comedy with his favorite actors. Dean even introduced Kevin, Garth, Eileen, and Billie to Cas. They gave Cas the seal of approval one minute into their first conversation with him. After that production regretfully wrapped, Dean did cameo roles, running into Claire for the third time on one of them.Castiel worked at his fashion company, taking longer hours when Dean was away to compensate for Charlie’s occasional visits to see Dorothy. They held low key spring and summer fashion shows, Dean making time out of his busy schedule to support Cas at them.Despite the insanity of their lives, they also made plenty of time for each other. They did what engaged couples did: prepared for the wedding, making all the necessary calls, as well as spending their weekends almost exclusively in bed. ————At the end of summer, Dean and Cas went on a quick vacation.Dean chose the same beach house by the cove they rented the previous year. A tropical getaway was exactly what they needed before wedding preparations took up most of their time. The couple felt better the second they entered the beach house and dropped their luggage down.They felt like they could breathe again.————Dean and Cas walked along the shorefront at sunset, shafts of red and pink and orange and yellow casting their world in beauty. They let their toes dig into the sand, their intertwined hands swaying as they moved.Dean was glad no one was around. If there were, they would see Cas shirtless, and Dean wasn’t completely okay with that.Call him possessive, but that body was his to admire. If Cas wanted to parade around shirtless in front of other people, Dean wouldn’t stop him; it was ultimately Cas’s body. But if Dean could help it, he wouldn’t let anyone else lay their eyes on it. That physique was Dean’s to covet. He put a ring on it and everything.“This place really is paradise,” Cas mused, observing the sparkling ocean, a calm wave reaching their feet and caressing them. The way the sunset cast light on Cas’s skin nearly made Dean stop in his tracks. Cas’s natural beauty struck him at the strangest times.Dean said, “everything seems...louder, when we’re in the city.”“It does,” Cas agreed. “If there’s a Heaven, I want this to be it.”“Me too.” Dean paused. “I wonder if we can share a Heaven.”“That’s a deep philosophical question,” Cas said. “Let’s just say yes.”Dean chuckled. “Anyway. Sunset. Right.”The couple halted in the middle of their private shoreline, putting on their sunglasses as the sunset quickly receded into the ocean. Dean had rarely seen such an incredible sight. The simple beauty of a sunset surrounded by nature was often overlooked. Having Cas next to him to share the moment with made it all the better.Hands interlocked, the couple watched the sunset in companionable silence.————Dean found Cas one morning on their borrowed porch swing, a book perched on his stomach as he read.Dean glanced at the rising sun, then at his beautiful fiancé in silk pajamas, unaware of his presence just yet.Dean leaned against the door and watched. Cas often expressed his love for reading, though he rarely had the time to sit idly and complete a novel. Dean was glad he had time now.Cas turned a page. “You gonna stare at me all morning or what?”Dean blushed. “Sorry.”Cas scanned the page. “You should make breakfast for me.”“I will,” Dean promised. “What are you reading?” He leaned forward a little and smirked. “Is that Fifty Shades of Grey?”Cas closed the book and narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Maybe.”Dean grinned widely. “Getting any ideas?”Cas rolled his eyes. “I’m reading it because it’s hilarious and poorly written,” he said factually.“I see.” Dean paused. “You sure you ain’t gettin’ any ideas?”“I think it’s kinda sad, actually,” Cas said. “They need BDSM and a freaking sex torture chamber to get off. We just need each other.”Dean hummed. “And lube.”Cas snorted. “Can you make breakfast now? I’ll be your cheerleader.”“Of course, sweetheart.”————Later that day, Dean found Cas on the hammock reading a crime novel.“Finished the sex book already?” Dean prompted.Cas hummed in affirmation. “I thought reading about murder at a beach house was more apt.”“You tryna get us murdered?”“No,” Cas replied, turning the page, “but it’s kinda spooky reading this at an actual beach house. I like it.”Dean dropped into the hammock, Cas making a noise of protest. They squeezed together, the hammock rocking back and forth as they adjusted. Once they were settled a moment later, Dean rested his head on Cas’s shoulder and said, “read to me.”“The detective is having sex with one of his three mistresses,” Cas summarized.Dean laughed. “Those books are insane.”“If he actually spent his time solving the murder of a teenage girl,” Cas said, “this book would only be half its length.”“A novella,” Dean supplied. “So, read me some hetero porn.”“No. It’s not even good hetero porn.”Dean sighed. “That’s a shame. Read silently to yourself while I take a nap on you, then.”“My shirt fabric isn’t comfortable to lay on. But here.” Cas unbuttoned his papery shirt, Dean’s heart pounding as Cas exposed his torso. Dean laid on Cas’s chest and murmured, “teenage me would fucking die if he saw me right now.” Cas’s chest rumbled as he laughed. “That makes two of us. Now hush.”Dean closed his eyes and dozed off to the sound of pages turning.————When Dean’s consciousness crept back into awareness, it was almost dusk. There was a light shade of darkness mingled with the blood orange atmosphere. Dean exhaled and opened his eyes.As far as Dean could tell, Cas hadn’t moved a muscle throughout the afternoon. Dean looked up, and saw that Cas was almost done with his crime novel. “Hey, baby,” Cas murmured, turning the page. “You were out for quite a while there.” “Sorry,” Dean rumbled.Cas looked down at Dean. “Don’t be sorry. Your little snores are cute.”“I snore?”“It’s a cute snore. Not annoying like most snores.”Dean sighed in relief. “Thank God.”Cas chuckled. “Sleep alright?”“Yeah,” Dean said. “Want me to figure out dinner?”As if in answer, Cas’s stomach grumbled. The couple laughed. Dean slipped out of the hammock, pecked Cas’s lips, and moved to open the door.“I’ll be there when my book’s done,” Cas promised.————“Did that smarmy detective solve the murder?” Dean asked over dinner.“Somehow,” Cas said disapprovingly. “He would’ve solved it faster if the writer wasn’t so dissatisfied with his love life and had to create multiple women for his character to fuck.”It took Dean a long moment to stop laughing uproariously. “I love you.”————Dean and Castiel awoke the next morning to their only working phone ringing.Cas regretfully slipped out of their lovemaking haze from the previous night, Dean giving him a long parting kiss. Dean said, “hurry up” as Cas padded over to the wall phone, pulling on Dean’s boxers as he went.Cas picked up the phone and answered, “hello?”“That you, Cassie?” Gabriel asked.“Oh, hey. What’s up?”“I tried calling your phone, but it said there was no connection.”“I told you I was going on vacation.”“But where are you that you can’t get a phone signal?”“The Hawaiian islands,” Cas answered.There was a beat. Cas heard some static due to the sketchy landline.“What?!” Gabriel said incredulously.“Yeah. So what’s up?”Gabriel sputtered for a moment, then said, “I just wanted to see how you were. I mean, you’re getting married in less than two months. How do you feel?”“Good. Really good,” Cas said honestly. “Were you hoping to swoop in and take Dean for yourself?”Gabriel laughed. “Never, little brother. I have integrity.”Cas heard a pair of footsteps approaching him from behind. Dean’s groggy head rested on his opposite shoulder, his arms wrapping around Cas’s stomach. “So, the connection is bad here. Do you have any news?” Cas was surprised at how normal his tone was with Dean pressing kisses into his neck.“Charlotte made third place in her dance recital.”Cas gasped. “That’s wonderful! Tell her I’m really proud of her.”“She’s upset she got bronze,” Gabriel said. “You know how kids are. They need to be number one.”“Yeah, I remember those times,” Cas said. Dean traced the line of his boxer waistband, growing impatient. “Anyway, I’ll let you go. You gotta get back to Mr. Sexy, right?”Cas chuckled as Dean’s lips trailed across his shoulders and collarbone. “I do.”“Alright. Have a nice rest of your sex vacation. Bye.”“Bye.” As soon as Cas hung up the phone, Dean murmured into Cas’s neck, “come back to bed, baby.” Dean rested his hands over Cas’s boxers. “I thought I said no clothes today. Nudity only.”“Forgot,” Cas said with a laugh. “But I love it when you take my clothes off.”“Actually,” Dean snapped the boxer waistband lightly, “these are mine. You look sexy in ‘em, though, so I’ll allow it.”“But I’d look sexier with them off?” Cas prompted.Dean chuckled into Cas’s shoulder. “You look sexy all the time, no matter what. It’s infuriating.”“You’re pretty hot, too. That’s also infuriating.”Dean hummed. “Come back to bed.”“Of course, babe.”————“Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove.” Dean didn’t know what made him blurt out a recitation of a poem. Maybe it was because Cas looked so ravishing sitting on the mattress, his silk black robe rippling around his back and shoulders.“O no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; it is the star to every wand’ring bark, whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”Cas stood up, running a hand through his messy hair, his robe — unfortunately — covering up his glorious backside. Cas glanced over his shoulder and listened to Dean’s soft recitation curiously.“Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle’s compass come; love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom.”Cas absentmindedly tied his robe together, brushing out the fabric so that it would get the rippling water effect that hypnotized Dean. Cas listened intently as Dean concluded.“If this be error and upon me prov’d, I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.”After a beat, Cas turned around, the fabric swishing as he moved. Dean raked his eyes over Cas’s form appreciatively. “Wordsworth?” Cas guessed.“Shakespeare,” Dean amended. “Sonnet 116 out of 154.”Cas bit his lip, untying his robe and slipping it off again. His irises were dark, eyeing Dean like a predator stalks its prey. “I suddenly feel like another round.”Dean made a come-hither motion, tearing off the covers to expose his body. Cas crawled on top of him, Dean covering them both as Cas kissed him with new purpose.————Dean laughed like a madman when he found Cas sitting near the shoreline building a sandcastle.Cas took off his sunglasses, exposing narrowed eyes. He asked dangerously, “what’s so funny?”Dean sobered up relatively quickly and said, “nothing, sweetheart.” He sat next to Cas on the sand and examined his truly incredible sandcastle. “What’s got you bored enough to make a sandcastle?”“First of all,” Cas held up a finger, “it’s a sand fortress. It’s a fucking masterful feat of architecture, okay?” Dean laughed as Cas held up a second finger. “Also, it’s a fantastic day for sand palace building.” Cas held up a third finger. “And finally, I read all the books I packed and there’s nothing else to do.”“Aw,” Dean pouted, “my poor nerd. If only there were other things you could,” Dean sent Cas a pointed look, “do.”Castiel rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this,” he said honestly, “but you’ve tired me out. I need time to recover.”Dean raised an eyebrow.Before Dean’s classic lovesick grin could form, Cas said, “I don’t need your ego inflating, so don’t say a goddamn word.”Dean’s eyes sparkled, but he didn’t speak, as Cas requested.Cas laid on the sand, not caring about particles sticking to the back of his unbuttoned shirt. He put his sunglasses back on and watched the sun slowly inch lower on the horizon. He glanced at the sky and the sun and the sand and his sand fortress and the palm trees and the ocean, and finally, Dean. Cas said, “I don’t feel like myself when I’m with you. But I do feel like myself at the same time.” “What?”Cas saw that Dean had grown a tad pale. Cas pinched his eyebrows. “It came out wrong. Um.” Castiel rebooted his brain, grasping at straws for the words. Dean waited patiently, a trick he had learned early on in their relationship. Cas’s inability to express himself at times used to make other men run away after a one night stand. Other men gave up on Cas easily. But not Dean. Never Dean. Then, Cas finally discovered the words. He said, “when I’m with you, I’m not a fashion designer. I’m just me. I feel like myself. I don’t have to put on a facade with you. I never have.” He added jokingly, “you should feel privileged.”Dean’s mouth quirked upwards. “I don’t feel like an actor when I’m with you, either. I don’t feel like a guy whose name is on posters and billboards.” Dean chose to lay on his side in the sand, Cas tilting his head to look at him. “I feel like myself, a country boy who fell in love with a city boy.”“Men,” Cas corrected. “Here, we’re just two men who love each other.” A realization flashed in his blue eyes. “That’s it!” Cas moved so that his side position mirrored Dean’s. “That’s what I love about this place!” Dean couldn’t help but match Cas’s joyful expression. “I love that,” Cas placed a hand on Dean’s cheek, “when we come here and strip everything away, all our titles, all our responsibilities, and we’re just us, nothing changes.” Cas’s grin was so bright that Dean’s heart nearly stopped. “The love remains. Absolutely nothing changes.” Cas cupped both of Dean’s cheeks, his eyes watering. “I’m gonna marry the fuck outta you.”Dean smiled. “Our wedding is gonna be the best fucking wedding ever.”“Yes! People’s heads will explode at how fucking awesome it’ll be,” Cas boasted.“Our kiss is gonna be so mind-blowing that people’s minds won’t be able to compute it,” Dean added.“There’ll be so much love in the air that everyone will vomit,” Cas countered.Dean thought for a few beats, then giggled. “I can’t top that one. Now kiss me already.”Castiel held Dean’s cheeks and placed his lips on Dean’s.A particularly large wave skirted up to their waistlines, wetting their swim trunks and reducing Cas’s sand palace into a soggy hill.“Oh, man,” Cas whined upon surveying the damage. “Goddamn ocean.”Dean chuckled at Cas’s little pout, and kissed him repeatedly, not stopping until Cas pressed a smile into his lips. Cas laughed as they parted, Dean murmuring, “it’ll be alright. We have our own palace awaiting our return tomorrow.”“I suppose you’re right.” Cas kissed Dean again, neither of them caring that wet sand was everywhere. Cas said, his grip tightening around Dean’s neck, “I really love you.”His grip around Cas’s waist, Dean said, “I really love you too.”