#actor cas

Thank you! Fire On Fire is such a beautiful song :)

The world gets the first inkling that something has changed when Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak step out of their limousine and onto the red carpet of the Academy Awards hand in hand.

Immediately, every single camera on the red carpet is turned towards them, word spreading like wildfire about this new development, as the pair pause at the end of the red carpet and Dean stops to adjust Castiel’s lapels.

“Do you think they’ve noticed?” Cas whispers, leaning in close to Dean’s ear. The chuckle he gets in response is rich and warm, and grounds Cas even as the media reporters gather nearby and start to clamor for their attention.

“Surely not,” Dean jokes back. His fingers smooth over the front of Castiel’s jacket, lingering there for a moment, and it feels like they’re in a little bubble of calm where the two of them can simply exist together, just for a second.

“You good to go?”

Making their romantic debut tonight had been a decision that both of them had made together, but it’s still more than a little daunting when Castiel can feel the pressure of the public eye already descending upon them. He’ll be okay, though. Especially with Dean by his side.

“I’m good,” Cas confirms, turning his head to press a quick kiss to Dean’s cheek—on the side facing away from the reporters, thankfully. “I love you,” he breathes, quiet enough that only Dean can hear.

He feels Dean soften more than he sees it, and the gently murmured, “Love you too,” is exactly what Castiel needs to bolster his courage and give him the confidence he needs to face the world.

“Let’s do this,” he says, straightening his back and turning to face the red carpet.

Beside him, Dean grins.

There are people shouting questions at them from all directions as they make their way along the carpet, and they get pulled aside for an interview almost immediately. Castiel can’t hide his amusement as the interviewer frantically looks through her cue cards, then seems to give up and tosses them aside with a slightly nervous laugh.

“Well,” she says, holding her microphone up to the two of them, “you’ve certainly made a statement here tonight. Many people have been speculating, but I suppose we can see from your entrance that there’s some substance to the rumors, and that the two of you are dating. Can you confirm that?”

Castiel gives Dean an almost-imperceptible nudge—he’s always been the smooth talker, the one who’s better at answering questions than Cas.

Dean, surely having predicted that Castiel would throw this one to him, takes it in his stride with a smile. “We sure are. It’s been… what, seven months, now?” He pauses and waits for Castiel to nod in confirmation, then continues. “It’s been really tough keeping it a secret, but… you know how it is, when you’re in the public eye. We wanted to make sure it was solid and that we would be able to support each other when we finally went public with it.”

“And what better time to do that than the Oscars, right?” Castiel chimes in with a joking tone and a smile.

The interviewer laughs and nods her agreement, gesturing briefly to the myriad of other media outlets hovering and waiting to speak with them. “It’s certainly got everyone flustered in the best possible way, that’s for sure. I won’t keep you long, gentlemen, since I’m surely not the only one who wants to talk to you, but before I let you go, I just want to ask one more question. I assume the spark began when you were filming for the movie you’ve both been nominated for tonight, Profound?”

She waits for them to nod their confirmation before continuing.

“Castiel, in the past, you’ve always said you’re a bit of a romantic. What was it that drew you to Dean?”

Cas blows out a breath, taking a second to turn the question over in his mind. There’s a lot he could talk about—little moments, starting on set and continuing outside of work, all the pieces of Dean that come together to make him the man that Castiel is hopelessly in love with.

But that’s far too intimate, and far too much detail, so instead, he says;

“It was like a—a spark. He’s so magnetic to be around. Ironically enough, it was like something out of a movie. Maybe not exactly love at first sight,” he says with a chuckle, and feels Dean lean reassuringly against his side, “but it was like… everything just fell into place. And now I couldn’t imagine where I’d be without him.”

The interviewer says something in response, probably making some closing remarks for the cameras, but Castiel doesn’t really pay attention to any of it. Instead, his focus is on Dean—the steady solidness of his presence, the quick squeeze of his hand, the smile that curls his lips when Castiel looks over at him, that feels like it’s just for him.

“You’re nailing it, babe,” Dean says quietly, lifting their entwined hands and pressing a kiss to Castiel’s knuckles. “Just a couple more, right?”

There’s a cheeky, teasing spark in his eyes, and Castiel gives him an affectionate eyeroll. “Just a few,” he says sarcastically, even as a new interviewer closes in on them.

It’s going to be a long night, but it’ll be worth it to not have to hide their relationship any longer.

And besides—as long as he has Dean by his side…