Prompt: Sam figuring out that Cas has feelings for Dean and vice versa!
(I might have got carried away with this one)
Thereās no eureka moment, the understanding doesnāt fall from the sky. It starts like a little song playing on the back of Samās head, quiet, unobtrusive, that gets louder and louder every day, up to the point he canāt ignore it anymore.
First, there are looks, few words ringing not quite right. There is the accidental brushing of sleeves and knuckles. Thereās healing with the usually not required touch. Thereās a hug, when Castiel comes back from the dead once again, that lasts just a moment longer to be casual. Then thereās āItās Casā, as if it explains everything, and thereās āHeās coming with usā and finally thereās āCas is familyā, which ends the argument.
There are movie nights with one bowl of popcorn for two of them and half voice midnight conversations with beer, loud laughs at breakfasts and some more looks.Ā
All the āAre you coming?ā are met with āOf courseā, but Dean just keeps asking. He doesnāt have to, he knows it, Cas knows it, Sam knows it, too, but he still does it every time.
Dean stares, when Cas seems to be too deep in the book to notice. Castiel stares back, when Dean throws himself at the burger after the long and exhausting hunt. Sam smiles, when the angel blushes and averts his eyes being caught.
Itās not his goddamn business, so he doesnāt get any farther then a knowing smile and an occasional joke, but he knows. Sam has no idea when it has changed, when the tectonic plates in his brotherās mind shifted and initiated the imminent collapse of the walls heās been raising within himself for so long. They go down crushing, eventually freeing him.Ā
Dean feels lighter, he looks lighter, the green in his eyes starts to shine with renewed vigour. He smiles more often, and his smiles are not bitter and they donāt stay only on his lips anymore. His whole face lights up and his eyes get framed with tiny wrinkles, them being the only implication of the years that have passed. Thatās a good look on him.Ā
One night Dean shoves himself on the couch right between Sam and Cas, as if there was no perfectly good armchair next to the TV. In the old days, theyād be fighting over such a perfect spot for the movie night, but now? After some fidgeting and wriggling, Dean finally settles in, takes the bowl of popcorn from the table and puts it down onto his knees.
āAāright.ā Dean nudges Cas with his elbow. āReady for a little hike through Middle-earth?ā
Deanās face is ridiculous, he canāt bring himself to stop smiling. Cas, on other hand, looks at the still image on the screen with a confused frown.Ā
āI thought it was supposed to be a movie night,ā he glances at Dean.
Sam chuckles. Cas might have lost his alien tilt of head along with his grace, gained some normal habits, started to wear hoodies and t-shirts, rediscovered his love for PB&J, even caught a cold once, but he still was not fully human.Ā
āNo, thatās notā¦Iā¦oh, come on.ā Dean bursts with laughter, as if it was the funniest thing ever happened in the bunker. Cas eyes soften, they always do when he hears Dean laughing, especially, when he is the reason for that. āMiddle-Earth? Shire? Weāve talked about it, man, cāmon.āĀ
Cas nods, lips puckered, eyes fixed on Deanās hand now resting on top of his thigh. Dean does not notice, or acts like doesnāt, stuffing his face with popcorn using his other hand. Neither is bothered by the touch, so why should Sam be?Ā
The movie is so goddamn long, and for the most part Dean keeps narrating everything thatās happening on screen. He explains what Cas doesnāt get, he points out some important details, he talks and he talks and he talks. And Castiel listens, silent, content, eyes bright and shiny in the dim lights. He looks like a kid seeing a Christmas tree for the first time in his life. Cas looks at Dean, and he doesnāt see a man in his forties with silver already touching his temples, he sees a miracle. Sam looks away, finding the scene too sacred for him to witness.
Cas straightens up his legs at some point, which have started to fall asleep with not much going on for the last two hours. It has itās downhill, meaning Dean taking away his hand. The deep shadow of disappointment lays across Casā face, as his thigh starts to cool off. He sighs. Right away, with a little smile, Dean, eyes on TV through the whole action, casually throws his hand against the back of the couch. It just happens to be around Casā shoulders, too.
Sam smiles softly at the imagery. The way Cas instantly cozies closer to Deanās side and grabs a handful of popcorn to munch on, makes his heart skip a beat. He might have suspected it for a long time, he might have even known it deep inside, but seeing it with his own two eyesā¦Ā
Sam gets his stuff, yawns theatrically, making sure Dean notices the gesture and doesnāt think his hand around Casā shoulders has anything to do with him leaving, and heads out.
āNight, Sammy,ā Dean rasps behind his back.Ā
āGood night, you two.āĀ
Sam glances at them, before shutting the door. Cas is slowly drifting off, head resting atop Deanās shoulder, and Dean, with one of his softest smiles on, is gently stroking Casā side. He might be still looking at the screen, but his mind is definitely not in Shire anymore. Thereās something in his eyes Sam has never seen before.
He catches Sam looking, but instead of interrupting the mindless movement of his hand, he just pulls Cas closer. Instead of getting embarrassed and looking away, he gives Sam one of those expressions screaming āI know, right? How lucky am I?ā
Sam chuckles and nods. Yes, you are.
The door shuts with a quiet thud, leaving Sam alone in the darkness of the corridor. He stays there for a moment, just listening to the rambling of TV and a single little squeak of the couch, probably just Dean leaning back, so Cas could snooze while still in his arms.Ā
Sam walks back to his room thinking that life is not as bad.
Good things do happen. And sometimes to Winchesters, too.
