Archive of Our Own ^beta

“There’s no other way to get this case solved?”

It wasn’t often that Sam got to hear that “voice” from Dean, the one where he almost reverted back to being a little boy. He probably could count the moments from their past on one hand. But this case apparently brought that aspect back.

“Hate to tell you that, Deano, but no,” Balthazar chimed in from the doorway to the card room at the Bunker, whiskey glass in hand and a smile on his face. They still were unsure on the exact how and when, but one fine day, the angel, more or less, popped up right outside the bunker, back for good. Dean only let him being around if he kept his hands away from the older Winchester’s personal liquor stock.

“But… do we really all have to go to the party itself?” Dean was close to whining, and somehow, Sam found it endearing. Well, almost, cause they still had a case to solve and only a couple of days left before their current foe would vanish again, for the next 100 years or so, according to Rowena. It was one of the “old world” monsters, with such a complicated name that Sam (or any other human for that matter) didn’t even try to say it out loud. Even Cas had some troubles with the name.

Speaking of “their” angel: apparently, the good man had already spent too much time with them, if his first reaction to the idea of a party night was anything to count for. Sure, Cas never was the first person to come to mind in combination with a party, but still, his reaction was short of comedy gold, if Sam was honest. Like his brother, Cas almost pleaded with him and Charlie and Balthazar to leave him behind for that evening, but to no avail. They needed every hand on deck, so to speak, and both Cas’ and Balthazar’s powers might be the one thing to stop this thing for good.

Anyhow, in the end, both Cas and Dean agreed to put on “the monkey suits” (as Dean called them), though both very grudgingly. Once he saw them in their tuxes, Sam couldn’t quite understand why they were so adamant about it. Cause let’s be real, both Dean and Cas looked downright delectable at the moment, and if the appraising looks they both got from Charlie, Rowena and Balthazar were anything to count for, Sam wasn’t the only one with this opinion.

Once they were at the location, they spread out, intend on ending that whole “masquerade” as quick as possible. Rowena took to the main floor like a regular queen, and surprisingly, Charlie kept up to her, charming most of the attending guys in no time. Dean and Cas made a quick sweep of the rest of the house, coming up empty. So, they concluded at the bar, their guy had to be among the guests.

Right that moment, a scream pierced the air, causing everyone around them to flinch. Both Sam and Dean, on the other hand, had to suppress a grin – if nothing else, their resident witch was a damn fine actress.

Like once upon a time the Red Sea did, the crowd in front of them parted, only to reveal both Charlie and Rowena in a dead grip by the monster’s minions. The brothers exchange a look that only could be interpreted as worried by an outsider. Everyone on the team though knows that the worry is just a mask for the real reason – annoyance about the ignorance of the bad guys. When will they ever learn that you don’t piss off a bonafide witch?

But before they could focus on anything at all, a man stepped out between the goons, and Dean had to take a deep breath, cause this man was, for the lack of a better word, downright gorgeous. And bore an annoying resemblance to Cas. Which was… so totally not good right now.

“Of course it’s the Winchesters trying to sneak up on me!” he exclaimed. “Can’t a guy throw a party these days without you guys showing up?”

“Not when there’s innocent people dying around you,” Dean threw back, which caused the man only to laugh out loud.

“Of all the people saying this, you, Dean, should know better! Nobody these days is really innocent!” He turned back to the goons holding the women. “Especially not these two!” He got close to Rowena. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Winchesters. Taking the last witch who managed to take me down with you was a big mistake.”

“You think so?” Sam fired back. “Maybe…”

But he didn’t get any farther, cause right this moment, the guy went up in flame and smoke, along with his goons. Instinctively, Charlie and Rowena threw themselves to the floor, while most of the party goers fled the room. Once the literal dust had settled, the Winchesters were greeted with the rare sight of both Cas and Balthazar fully powered up, the air around them crackling with static. And try as he might, Dean just couldn’t tear his eyes away from Castiel.

He saw from the corner of his eyes that Sam and Balthazar were helping the girls up, checking them for any possible injuries, but he himself was still transfixed on the sight in front of him. Cas in the dark blue, almost black tux Rowena had picked for him, his equally dark wings raising up behind him.

“Gosh, Cas, your wings…” Dean finally got out – only to be met with the already familiar confused expression on the angel’s face.

“You… you can see them?” Cas asked, while Balthazar’s “Oh boy” could be heard from the side.

“Yeah, why? Does that have some special meaning, or what?”

Dean didn’t like to be in the unknown in general, it was like speeding towards an abyss without knowing it is there in the first place. And right now, this abyss was fast approaching.

“Yes, it has a special meaning,” Balthazar began while coming up to them, “one that for a very long time no human got to know at all.”

“Which is?”

“Plain and simple – you’re Cassie’s soulmate. Only soulmates would share the profound bond necessary to make you see an angel’s wings.”

“What?” Dean exclaimed, his green eyes blown wide. “There’s no such thing…”

“…as soulmates?” Rowena cut in, causing Dean to give her a stare. To which she didn’t react at all. “Yes, lad, there is such a thing as soulmates. It just got very, very seldom these days. Back in the day when I was naturally young, almost everyone had a soulmate. I really thought it had died over the time, but seeing the strong bond between you and the angel gives me hope that it’s still out there.”

With that, she went over to the abandoned bar, grabbed a bottle of champagne, two glasses and motioned to Charlie to follow her. Which the former hacker did, but not before she gave Dean a cheeky wink.

“Why me?” Dean finally got out, seeking Sam out at last.

“Dean, I know, you’re the big brother, and I love you for that, but please, for once, just enjoy the ride,” Sam advised before grabbing Balthazar and leaving the room as well, leaving Cas and Dean alone in the big ball room.

“Cas? You got something to say about that at all?”

“Y… yes, Dean, I have.” Cas stopped and pulled himself visible together, though he didn’t do anything about his wings, much to Dean’s inner joy. “And I frankly would love to see you following Sam’s advice, for once.” Seeing Dean taking a breath, probably to counter him, Cas held up a hand. “Hear me out.” He got a nod from the hunter. “As Rowena said, back in the day, soulmates were a common thing, happening among humans as well as between humans and angels. And if you remember, I told you and Sam a couple of years back that we two share a more profound bond.”

“So you gave me a hint?”

“Yeah, but I honestly chalked it up to you being straight, as you humans call the preference of a man for women, for getting no reaction from you. Not on the fact that you probably haven’t heard about soulmates before.” Out of the blue, Cas smiled, making his whole being light up. “Though both you and Sam were actually born from a pair of soulmates.”

“What?” Dean once more got out, his mind whirring with everything.

“Yeah, your parents were soulmates,” Cas stated matter-of-factly.

“I… I thought Cupid helped them along?”

“He did, in a certain way, but if you break it down to the basics, they were soulmates and already seeking out each other before Cupid got involved. Long story short, Mary and John would have ended up together anyway, no matter if Heaven would have wanted it or not.”

For the next few minutes, both men were silent. Cas was trying to give Dean some time to wrap his mind around this new fact, and frankly, he himself also needed the time. Sure, he always felt a pull towards the hunter, but he always thought it was because of him pulling Dean’s soul from the depths of Hell.

“So…,” Dean began, a soft blush creeping up on his cheeks, “what are we gonna do now?”

“Whatever you want, Dean. I won’t pressure you into anything you’re not comfortable with, and if you want to be just friends for the rest of your life, I’ll be your friend.”

“But there’s more, right?”

“Yes, there is, even the possibility of an equivalent to marriage – a soulbond. Not really common between angels and humans, since it’s a bit dangerous.”

“To whom? The human or the angel?”

“Both. A soulbond makes you feel every pain the other experiences…”

“Oh…,” Dean said, but right in that moment, he also came to a conclusion. A conclusion about him and Cas and what he wanted for his future. “You know what, Cas?”

“What, Dean?”

“Call me crazy or whatever, but for once in my life, I’m gonna be impulsive and say, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Which show?” Cas was confused. He got somewhat better over the years to understand humans in general and Dean in particular, but still, the hunter managed to throw him once in a while.

“The show between the two of us. I… I can’t promise you anything, Cas, but I really hope we can be more than just friends.”

“I do hope the same,” Cas gave back, and before Dean could even say more, the angel closed the distance between them, hid them behind his wings and kissed “his” hunter. None of them noticed the high fives going round in the doorway before Sam ushered the others out of the house and into the Impala.