Dinner Date

Dean was nervous.

It was stupid. He knew that. He'd hung out with Cas at bars or restaurants loads of times, and what, they'd been dating for months and even sorta had a baby and a teenager together. Which was still weird, but whatever. It worked.

A date, though? This was new territory. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been on a real date. Or what a real date was.

The other thing was, in the chaos of their lives--between the hunting and taking care of a baby and the big fucking city that had fallen on the Hub--they hadn't...done much. Some kissing and groping here and there, which was... nice. Obviously. But here was date night and that MEANT some shit and the fact that Dean had porked just about every waitress on I-80 wasn't making him any less jittery about tonight. It wasn't just sex. It was sex with a dude, and with Cas specifically. Maybe. Or maybe that wasn't what date night was about. Who knew how angels did it. Dean took a moment to reflect that maybe this was what Sam meant when he said Dean had communication issues.

Whatever. He checked over his reflection in the chrome of the Impala's bumper, gave his shirt a sniff (motor oil, mostly) then went and headed up the stairs to meet Cas. They were going out to dinner.

@alex

If Dean thought he was the only one experiencing a significant upwards tick of norepinephrine and adrenaline as the time of their excursion neared, he would be truly mistaken. Castiel had changed his suit thirteen times. He wasn't sure what to wear on this 'date.' Would Dean find it strange if Cas worse his trench coat? Would it be more strange for Dean if he didn't? Was a suit even appropriate dress? Or was he supposed to wear something more casual?

It took him an entire twenty four hours to make a decision. A decision that consisted of- A tie was too formal and jeans would suffice for pants. A regular button up and blazer would be fine. And that his trench coat was acceptable to be worn while going in transit but he should take it off once they were seated.

Once that decision was out of the way, Cas was left with the quiet hell which was not knowing what to do with himself. He was clean and showered and his clothes were freshly laundered. He had invested in some relatively pleasant scented cologne- and had gotten help from someone who actually appreciated such types of scent so he knew it couldn't be absolutely terrible. He had a babysitter ready and bottles of formula mixed, just needing to be heated, and he had had resupplied all diapers and wipes so there would be no shortage. He had sat down and rocked his baby girl to sleep with a promise that he wouldn't be back too late.

Following all of that, Cas had defaulted to what he had done many times. Sat and watched the clock, waiting for the time he had been told by Dean Winchester. Perhaps the worst part was that he didn't fully understand why he was so nerve wracked. It was Dean. They had had countless meals together. Plenty of them since they had become a couple even- it was just that they had a third wheel for those. A third wheel that could be counted twice. If the baby Serafina didn't need anything than Cas had to make sure that the young adult Sera didn't need or want anything. He didn't want his daughter to feel forgotten. In favour of his daughter.

And human literature did very little to illuminate the subject. Between all of the countless stories Cas had been told by Metatron, any number of the ones regarding adult first dates ended with... 'coffee.' Cas didn't know if that was what Dean was expecting or hoping for, and certainly Cas was interested. In a way that he still had no good explanation for. Save for the fact that it was Dean, and Cas was in love with him.

Having time to kill waiting may have been a bad idea. He should have... practiced with his weapons. Or something. As it was Cas was now watching the seconds tick by and waiting at the top of the stairs for Dean.

@jasmine

Cas looked...nice. Real nice, actually, in jeans that hugged his ass and a crisp button down and a jacket. Blazer. Thing. Dean licked his lips, then looked down at homeless, feeling suddenly underprepared. He was wearing the same flannel he'd put on this morning to do some research into a possible haunting then work on the car. It was clean...ish... but it wasn't like he was gonna run away now and change. Whatever. Clothes were clothes.

"You look, uh, nice," Dean said profoundly. Then, still feeling about as sure of himself as a middle schooler about to have his first grope under the slide at the playground, he leaned in to kiss Cas on the lips.

That was pretty nice too.

"Sera go down easy?' he asked when he pulled away. Cas was up here and not still trying to coax her to sleep, so that was something, but you never knew. Then he gestured vaguely at the door. "And, uh, ready to go?"

@alex

Dean shouldn't have worried about his clothes- Castiel had spent so much time focused on it for lack of something more productive to do with his time. As well, Cas was inclined to believe that Dean was attractive at all times, not just when he was dressed particularly nicely. Which likely stemmed from the fact that as an angel, he was used to seeing bodies as dressing for souls.

Despite all of that, Cas couldn't help a small twinge of desire at the way Dean was looking at him. It was beyond unfair that the hunter could just lick his lips and Cas was captivated. He blushed lightly at the kiss before stealing a second one quickly. It was something that he didn't think he would ever get used to- being able to kiss Dean. Clearing his throat slightly, Cas gave a small smile as he replied. "Thank you. As do you."

Though he was proud of his ability to form words despite his nerves, Castiel was still frighteningly aware of Dean's presence. The minute the questions left Dean's mouth, the angel found himself replying. "No. I cheated." He blurted without thought before coughing to again clear his throat. "She reached the point of overtired where she wouldn't sleep, so I used my grace to put her to sleep. And yes. I am ready to go." Cas elaborated, carefully reaching out and taking Dean's hand in his before opening the door.

@jasmine

Dean felt his face make a funny expression as Cas kissed him and said he looked nice. The kiss was awesome. Duh. But he wasn't used to anyone complementing him like that, at least outside of demons calling him pretty boy or some shit, and he hadn't quite figured out how to react.

He smiled, though, at Cas's confession. "Hey, man, whatever works. Hell, if I could do the magic sleep thing, I'd use it all the time."

Then Cas's hand was in his, and Dean couldn't help the lock of excitement in his gut because, shit, he still couldn't believe this was happening at all. Man
Sam was gonna have a fucking cow.

"I'll drive," Dean said with a smirk, squeezing Cas's fingers lightly. "What do you think, that burger joint at the edge of town? Or, shit, no, something nicer? Or not. Uh. Help me out here?"

@alex

Cas was frightfully aware of the way Dean's facial muscles twitched. He seemed... disconcerted? By Cas's compliment? Had Cas misread the situation, was he not allowed to say that? They were... boyfriends. Media suggested that it was an appropriate thing for a boyfriend to say, but was that exclusive of boyfriends who had girlfriends instead of boyfriends? The complexity of human relationships was astounding to the angel, even though he was now in one himself.

He bit his lip for a moment before 'going for broke' as his friends might say, leaning forward, pressing another kiss to Dean's lips and smiling. "What I mean to say- is that you look incredible, as you always do. It's still unbelievable to me that you are attracted to me as well." Cas offered quietly.

His smile strengthened at Dean's reply. "I try not to, but sometimes when she gets so tired she starts to manipulate reality, there's only so much you can do." Cas offered in his attempt at humour. He imagined a lot was lost with tone.

Cas didn't know what else Dean was thinking as he linked their hands, but he likely would have agreed. Enough people had referred to Cas as 'Dean's' that he was certain any number of them would feel immensely vindicated to discover they were right. Cas still had a hard time believe Dean was his- but Cas had been Dean's almost from the get go. He had met Dean's eyes, and long long before he had any idea what it meant, Cas had been head over heels for Dean.

Cas chuckled. "Yes I imagined you would. Even with my wings restored, the idea of going somewhere without you driving is strange to me." He offered lightly. Though he had not spent too much time with the Winchesters with his ruined wings- it had been enough. It was comforting. Riding beside Dean. Listening to music with him- that meant more since he had received the tape from him.

"Burgers sound great." He offered simply, comfortable that it would be enough to reassure the incredible man holding his hand.

@jasmine ((so sorry for the wait!))

Cas was kissing him again. Dean returned the kiss, desire rolling through him with the sort of intensity that swamped every other thought that had maybe ever gone through his brain.

"Unbelievable, huh," he echoed as they pulled apart, and stared at Cas for a few seconds. "Yeah. Uh, yeah. You could say that."

As they neared the car, Dean darted in front of Cas and pulled the door open for him. It was date, right? He was pretty sure you were supposed to do that kind of shit.

The comment about wings left him wincing in sympathy. It wasn't that he'd forgotten... exactly... But in the terror/excitement of the upcoming date and the way Cas was looking at him and the way his lips had felt on Dean's, he'd sorta put it out of his mind. For a second.

(Selfish. He was damn selfish. How the hell was he supposed to be any kind of boyfriend when he--)

He cleared his throat, trying to shove down that line of thought before any of it showed on his face, and said, "well, you know me. Rather drive than fly any day," and sat down in the driver's seat, pulling out a tape at random and stuffing it in the tape deck just to give his hands something to do while he waited for Cas to get in. "Burgers it is. Awesome."

@alex

The feeling in Cas was less a swamping of Desire- more just the overwhelming sensation that his feet had left the ground, even though he could confirm that they had not actually done any such thing. Dean sent Cas's grace fluttering, threatening to extend past the limits of his body.

It was almost regrettable that Jimmy was no longer present to explain to Castiel what Dean meant by unbelievable. As it was, the statement went truly over the Angel's head. If Dean was suggesting there was something unbelievable about Cas's feelings... Had Dean not heard of a nephilim? (Sometimes time travel was incredibly confusing as Cas forgot that Dean may not have actually heard of a Nephilim.) Even then, Cas was fully aware that Dean had seen a pornographic video filmed by Castiel's brother. Thus he must know that at the very least, Angels were capable...?

Then Dean was opening Cas's door and his train of thought was truly disrupted. It was very thoughtful of Dean. Made Cas feel oddly special. He knew he was special but he felt more than that when Dean cared for him. He felt... treasured. With a small smile, Cas pushed open Dean's door with his grace.

(He wouldn't care if Dean remembered his wings. He was more than happy to simply be on Dean's mind in the first place.)

Cas hesitated for a moment, but he knew Dean could drive one handed, so once he had started the vehicle, he reached over and took his boyfriend's hand in his own. "How was your day so far?" He asked uncertainly. He was much better at following the lead in conversations than he was at taking it.

@jasmine

Cas's fingers wrapped around his, and for half a second Dean just stopped thinking. Totally. It was just Cas's hand in his like he'd only sorta half allowed himself to imagine for God knew how long, and nothing else. He ran his thumb over the back of Cas's knuckles and in some weird way it was almost as good as the kiss. Cas was his. Then his brain kicked back into gear. If he went to lala land every time Cas touched him, he was gonna have a problem.

"Uh, day. Good. It was a good day," he said. "Worked on the car, a little. Checked out some leads on hunts. The usual. How about, uh, you?"

@alex

Cas could watch the freeze going through Dean's mind. He simply waited it out, squeezing slightly to remind Dean this was real and they were both here. Besides which, the quiet moment gave Castiel a chance to marvel at how well Dean's hand fit with his. It seemed almost fated, save that he knew what fate had had in store and it was nothing like this. Perhaps then it was more accurate to say that it felt like this was his ultimate reward for helping overthrow fate.

If it was, he certainly thought it had been worth it.

He nodded in acknowledgement of Dean's response, an acknowledgement that yes that was the usual day. "I spent the majority of the day chasing down an infant who believes her wings ought to give her free reign." He offered, ruefully. A small smile spread across his lips before he searched his coat with his free hand for the cellphone that he had been suggested to upgrade to by the store clerk.

Pulling it out triumphantly, he reached with his grace to stabilize the wheel just in case before pulling up a video. "She has also begun to try her hand at Anglo-Saxon terms. I was unable to convince her to repeat it after you had returned, however I do have a video of the event." He offered in a soft voice, turning off the music to press play.

A little girl lays on her back playing with her toes. She pulls one of her feet to her mouth, paying little attention to the camera.

"Sera~" Calls Cas, awkward with the attempt at cooing. "I've been told to record this for posterity- if you wouldn't mind looking at the camera and attempting to say 'dada.' Please?"

The baby giggles at her dad's request, switching to playing with her other foot before making noise. "D-Ddddd-Ddddddd." She babbled, trying to get a response out. Small noises of excitement can be heard from Castiel.

"Yes, Dada! Daaaaaaaadaaaaaaaaa." Cas replied, trying to coax her to say the full thing.

Deciding she was ready to speak, Sera took a deep breath and smiled. "Deeee-eeeeeen." She managed finally, filled with pride.

The phone is suddenly plopped down to record the ceiling as Cas swoops in to scoop up his daughter. "You said Dean! Can you say it again?" Can be heard ambiently, combined with the giggles from the little girl.

"Deannnnnn. Dean. Dean dean dean." She babbled excitedly, laughing more as her dad spun her around over top of the table where the camera kept recording.

"Oh my brilliant daughter! You love Dean too, don't you?" Cas offered with a rare laugh.

Sera smiled hugely and just replied- "Dean!"

Lowering his phone with a sly grin, Castiel added on to his previous statement. "I would have liked if her first word was Dada, but I find myself hard pressed to be disappointed."

@jasmine

"She sure does get around," Dean said, thinking of the last time he'd babysat Sera and she'd somehow ended up on the top of a bookshelf when he'd turned his back for 30 seconds to make a bottle.

Of course Cas was gonna show him a video while he was driving. Dean might've rolled his eyes at the fact that Cas wasn't gonna wait until they stopped, if he still hadn't been halfway in lala land, where everything Cas did just seemed like some other flavor of endearing. As it was, he glanced over, seeing Sera's chubby face in the screen and focusing on the audio as he turned back to the road.

No wonder Cas seemed happy. Dean waited, with a half smile, for Sera to say "da da."

When she said Dean, his breath caught in his throat, and he huffed a disbelieving laugh. There weren't tears in his eyes. No way. It wasn't like Sera remembering him let alone saying his name made him feel like he really was part of Cas's life. It sure as hell didn't mean he was finally looking at the kind of family life he'd always wanted, that he'd almost had with Lisa and Ben but had fucked up royally. And not just family but family with Cas.

"That's, uh," he said, and his voice definitely wasn't hoarse with unshed tears either, even as he found himself smiling and unable to stop. "That's pretty great, right? I mean. Smart kid. Wow. That Sera."

@alex

Cas chuckled softly. "I think she does even more so when she knows the person in the room can follow her. She likes to go as far as she can over the hub when I'm caring for her. Have I mentioned that she made friends with a God of Death by landing at his feet and holding her arms out to be picked up?" It was easy talking about Sera. There was no hiding the simple pride, and love that Cas felt for his daughter. He had never wanted to be a father, and yet he knew now that he would never feel complete again without her.

The tears in Dean's eyes were exactly why Cas had his grace latched loosely onto the wheel, helping to keep them going in the right direction as the full video played out. He hesitated for just a second before pulling their twined hands up to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of Dean's.

"It's incredible. She knows exactly who's name she needed to learn first. She can call me through her grace, but she needed some way to get your attention. And she..." Cas took a deep breath, fighting the blush that threatened to rise on his cheeks as he spoke. "She sort of said Dada as her first word. You know. Since you're also her dad. Not necessarily because we're together or anything but you do so much for her, and you're a much better father than I could possibly be without your help so."

Cas bit his tongue to stop rambling. He knew there was such thing as coming on too hard too fast, but he had very little experience with where that line may be, and he wouldn't be surprised if he had just crossed it. Or if he had done so months ago. "She adores you, as Do I." He offered instead, tucking away his phone and watching his boyfriend from the corner of his eye.

@jasmine