Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first few weeks of their engagement are a whirlwind.

The first person Dean tells is Bobby - by sending a simple text with the words 'he said yes'. He honestly wasn't prepared for the tearful phone call with the man that came afterwards.

"Did you give him the ring?"

"I did."

"Did he love it?"

"He did," Dean couldn't stop the grin forming on his lips.

"I'm so proud of you," Bobby repeated several times during the call. "Cas is a lucky guy."

"Thanks Bobby. But I'm the lucky one."

The second person he tells is Sam. Even two thousand miles away Dean can feel the emotion emanating off of his little brother when he tells him how proud of him he is that he'd finally worked up the courage to commit to the guy already. Hey, he never claimed to be the smart one of the two of them.

"It is funny, you know," Sam said to him.

"What's funny?"

"Here you'd been idolizing Chuck Shurley for most of your life, wanting to know everything about him and now you're marrying his kid."

Dean chuckles. "Yeah, I have to admit I fangirled a little the first time I met him but now he's just Chuck, or maybe Dad? I don't know I haven't exactly tried that one on yet. Seemed a little weird since me an Cas were just dating. But now that we're engaged … I just …"

"You just what?"

"I dunno. Seems wrong since Dad is still around somewhere, maybe, who knows. But I just feel like I'm betraying him. Like I shouldn't -"

"Dean," Sam says softly on the other end of the line. "Don't do that. Don't feel bad because you love someone else like a father. You love Bobby and you don't think twice about him loving us the way Dad couldn't."

"True."

"So, now you have two men in your life that you look up to like that. I mean, it's the same with Jess's dad. I see him as my father now. We go out and do things together, go golfing, see a movie, all kinds of stuff."

Dean sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right Dean."

Dean stays quiet on the other end of the line.

"Look. Just think about all the major things both of us have been through in our lives since Dad left. He hasn't been here for us for any of it. So why should either of us feel bad that he's missing out on our lives? That's on him Dean. That's his loss."

"Yeah," Dean says quietly as he wipes the tear running down his cheek.

"I love you Dean."

"Love you too."

Dean calls Charlie on Monday morning on his way into work. He's pretty sure he'll have permanent hearing loss from the squeal she lets out on the other end of the line when the words 'well, looks like I'm getting married' leaves his lips.

"Dean Winchester is finally settling down!"

"Yep."

"I don't know, Winchester. To be honest, I didn't think you'd have the balls to do it."

"What?" Dean chuckles.

"I mean, I know that you guys have been living together for what feels like forever but even when you showed me the ring I have to admit I thought that never in a million years would you actually do it. I thought it would just sit in your sock drawer while you made every excuse in the book to not do it yet."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Shut up," Charlie laughs. "So when is all this going down?"

"Don't know yet Charles. We're still basking in the glow if you get what I mean."

"Ew. Gross."

Dean chuckles again. "I promise as soon as we figure it out, you'll be one of the first ones to know."

"Thanks dude."

"Welcome."

"And congrats."

"Thanks."

"I love you."

"I know."

"Alright, let me see this thing," Meg says the next Saturday morning when Castiel is finished with his Pilates class and they're walking to breakfast down the street.

Cas holds out his left hand and wiggles his fingers, the gold band on his fourth finger simmering in the sunlight. He watches as Meg comes to a full stop and puts her water bottle between her thighs to hold it so she can take his hand in both of hers.

"Holy shit Clarence, this thing is beautiful," she says as she turns his hand from side to side, inspecting the design on the band.

"I know," Cas nods, a small smile hanging on the corner of his lips. "It was Bobby's."

"Damn. He must really like you," she says as she drops his hand and grabs her water bottle before she starts walking again.

Cas lets out a laugh. "Who? Dean or Bobby?"

Meg shrugs. "Either. Both."

"Meg," he says as he blows out a breath that's half laugh, half exasperation.

When they arrive at the restaurant, Cas opens the door for Meg and follows her inside. They each order a coffee and something to eat, Meg a muffin and Cas a breakfast sandwich, before they find a table to sit and wait.

"You ever think about the fact that if you didn't go to Charlie's party that night that you wouldn't be getting married right now?"

"What, like a butterfly effect thing?"

"No," Meg shakes her head. "Just that had I not pushed for you to come out with us that night that you probably would've never met Dean - which means you never would've fallen in love with him - which means you wouldn't be sitting here with this goofy-ass grin that you haven't been able to keep off your face all morning."

"I can't help it. I'm just so fucking happy."

"And I'm happy for you Clarence."

"You sure you really want the two of us spearheading this?" Charlie asks when Dean and Castiel sit her and Meg down at their kitchen table on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks later and tell them what they have in mind for their wedding day -  a binder full of ideas sitting in the middle of the table between the four of them.

"Yeah," Dean nods as Cas gets up to clear away the dishes.

"Have you been smoking with Aaron again? Because there are way more qualified people you could enlist instead of the two of us," Charlie returns before looking at Meg who's sitting beside her. "I mean, no offense or anything."

"None taken," Meg smiles as she holds up her hands in defense. "I think I might have to agree with the queen on this one fellas. We aren't exactly the most reliable."

"Yeah, I mean, you put me in charge of the simple task of getting a phone number and I couldn't even do that right," Charlie laughs nervously as she looks back at Dean sitting across from her.

"Hey, you weren't alone in that situation," Meg comments as she picks her Coke up off the table and takes a sip. "'Cause it was totally my fault Dean got Feathers' phone number and not Cassie's."

"True," Charlie agrees.

“And if you didn’t fuck that up we wouldn’t be sitting here making wedding plans,” Dean offers. "I trust you," Dean shrugs before he turns to Castiel. "We both do."

"Yeah," Cas nods, finally joining them after getting the rest of the lunch plates into the sink. "We really do. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know. We forget to get a caterer or we book everything for the wrong date, or we put the wrong information on the invites  … there are a million and one things that could go wrong."

"But you won't let them," Dean says confidently as he reaches across the table and takes Charlie's hand in his.

Meg reaches for the binder and opens it to the first page. On it is a picture of Dean and Castiel sitting at their table in the corner of 3.14 from their engagement photoshoot. They each have a slice of pie sitting in front of them and they’re both laughing - Dean with his head thrown back and Cas with his nose all scrunched up. It’s a great picture and really captures what the two of them are like together.  

They watch as Meg thumbs through the rest of the pages - organized like a scrapbook with pictures from magazines, samples of fabrics and trimmings, along with a color palette and ideas for centerpiece arrangements and a song list for a DJ.

"I think we can handle this Red," Meg comments as she slides an open page towards her new partner in crime.

Charlie pulls the binder over and looks through what Meg has already seen. “Oh wow,” she sighs. “You guys have really put some thought into this.”

“Not me,” Dean shakes his head. "That’s all this guy,” he says as he motions to Castiel.

Charlie spends a few more minutes looking over the pages before she finally looks up at her tablemates. "Okay," she sighs wearily. "Looks like you guys have yourselves some wedding planners."

Leaving a lot of the wedding planning to Charlie and Meg wasn't that hard of a decision for Dean. Hell, they were the two that ultimately were the reason that he and Cas were together in the first place, so why not let them have a hand in creating something else wonderful for the two of them. If everything goes to shit, then they have a funny story to tell their kids and grandkids later on. Win - win.

"You think they're excited?" Cas asked from the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth as they got ready for bed later that night.

"I do," Dean grinned as he pulled down the comforter to their bed. "I thought Charlie was going to have a heart attack when she looked through your portfolio though."

Castiel chuckles as he spits into the sink one last time. "Yeah, I guess there is such a thing as watching too many episodes of Four Weddings and Say Yes to the Dress.

"Ya think?" Dean quips as he climbs into bed and pulls the covers up over his legs.

"Are we taking bets as to what we think they'll pick?" Cas asks as he dries his hands and face.

Dean pauses. "I don't think so. If Charlie gets her way, I hope you know we're getting married somewhere in the realm of Moondoor."

"Yeah," Cas chuckles as he comes into the bedroom and moves Jack from where he's laying on his side of the bed. "I kinda figured that one."

"Do you think she'll hire a band of merry men to follow me around all day and tell me how good looking I am?"

"Because you don't already get that in your normal day to day life?" Cas asks as he slides under the blankets.

"True." Dean comments as he lays back and puts his arms behind his head. "All I gotta say is I hope you look good in chainmail. Because I know I do."

"I think I'll keep that mental image ingrained in my ‘for later’ file in my head."

"Oh yeah?" Dean smiles smugly before turning to his fiancé. "Why do that when you can put it to good use right now?"

"You know, that might be the best idea you've had all day," Castiel smiles as he rolls over and kisses Dean deeply.

"Dude, we're getting married."

Cas chuckles against Dean's lips. "Yes we are."

"Can you believe they're actually letting us do this?" Charlie grins as she and Meg walk the trails of the LARPing grounds of Moondoor looking for the perfect place to have Dean and Cas's ceremony.

"I think they were bigger idiots allowing Gabe to plan Dean's bachelor party if I'm being completely honest," Meg answers as she looks up into the trees. "Whoever ends up doing Cas's will probably do a decent job, but Gabriel will probably have them all needing bail money."

Charlie laughs. "True. But you'll probably end up planning Cas's, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Meg shakes her head. "He's pretty close with his dad and brother. My money is on them."

"Oh," Charlie nods.

"And let's be honest, Cas isn't exactly all about the party so they'll probably end up at a bookstore or something."

Charlie laughs.

"So what are you thinking your majesty?" Meg asks when they stop under a particularly perfect canopy of trees. “Think this would be a good place for our boys to get hitched?”

Charlie looks around for a moment. "This could work. We could do seating here," she says motioning to each side of the path they're on. "This could be the aisle for one of them to walk down, it'll be Dean if I'm being completely honest. He’s the diva."

It's Meg's turn to laugh.

"And we can set up an altar here," she says, moving her arms in a big circle where there's a flat space before the ground moves downhill towards the lake below.

"Are you thinking rental?"

Charlie shakes her head. "No, I'm thinking we build that bad boy. I don't think it would be too hard. Some long sticks and some screws? I'm sure we can find a tutorial on YouTube. Benny's good with his hands. I'm sure he'd be willing to help."

"We could cover it with flowers," Meg offers. "Maybe use their signature blue and green from their giant-ass portfolio?"

"That could be cool," Charlie nods as she looks around some more. "Plus, it would hide any imperfections in the altar."

"Yep," Meg nods. "Okay, so we have the place for the ceremony, what are you thinking for the reception?"

"It's gotta be someplace with electric so we can get a DJ."

"Orrr, we could hire some live music."

"Either way, we're still going to need electric. And a kitchen. Or at least someplace to keep food warm. Which also means we have to figure out a menu and a drink pairing Ugh. Remind me if Dorothy ever divorces me that the next time I get married it should be at town hall. Or in Vegas."

“I think I could do that for you,” Meg chuckles. “Take one for the team so-to-speak.”

“Right,” Charlie nods. “Is it bad that I’m worried about making this perfect for them more than I was for my own wedding?”

“Nah,” Meg shakes her head. “Those are our boys. They deserve everything to be perfect.”

They walk the grounds for a little longer searching for a place for the reception.

“Okay, so, one of them can use my tent as a staging area to get ready and we can use one of the other tents nearby for the other. If we erect a large enough tent for the reception, we could put tables and chairs underneath and then we could either rent or build a dance floor.”

“Sounds good,” Meg nods. “What about bathrooms?”

“We can rent a couple of those trailers. They’re nice. They look like real bathrooms on the inside.”

“Okay.”

“So all we have left is to figure out the food.” 

"We could bring in food trucks," Meg offers.

"Food trucks?"

"Yeah," she nods. "Think about when you go to the Ren Faire. It's all food trucks."

Charlie thinks for a minute. "You know Meg, you might really be onto something here. We could get two or three trucks, make sure we get burgers for Dean and whatever Cas really loves, and then an extra one just in case."

Meg nods with a smile. "At least we know the cake is taken care of. Or, well, the pie is."

"Yeah," Charlie laughs. "One less thing we have to worry about."

"Exactly," Meg agrees.

Once a few more things are checked off their list they head to Charlie’s car so they can grab a bite to eat.

"You know, it's a shame we couldn't do this on a ranch somewhere," Meg says as she looks at the space around them.

"Why's that?"

"Because then we could’ve made them both wear assless chaps."

"Aren't all chaps assless?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

Charlie laughs. "Yeah, I do. And all I have to say is I don't want to see any dude's naked ass but especially not my best friend's."

"You're no fun," Meg grumbles as they begin their walk back towards the entrance to Moondoor. “I bet Clarence has a great ass.”

"How's the wedding planning going?" Bobby asks as they're cleaning up the garage to go home a few weeks before the big day.

"Good," Dean nods. "I mean, as far as I know it's good. I hope it's good."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Cas and I know when and where to show up, we have a vague idea of what we're wearing and the rest of it is up to the girls."

"What girls?"

"Charlie and Meg."

Bobby shakes his head.

"What?"

"Dunno," Bobby says as he closes a drawer on his toolbox. "I guess I just took you for more of a … hands-on bride."

"Shut up old man," Dean chuckles.

"You gonna tell me you're not?"

"I'm not," Dean shakes his head. "I don't care about the flowers or the clothes - as long as Cas is waiting for me at the altar and there's pie; I'm a happy guy."

"And a poet apparently," Bobby grumbles as he adjusts his hat.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You still comin' to the party tomorrow night Bobby?" Benny asks as he comes out of the break room with they keys to his truck in his hand.

"Wouldn't miss it," Bobby says looking from Benny to Dean.

"Awesome," Dean beams.

"Do we have a game plan?"

"So, I'll be at your place around six. Sound good to you?" Benny questions as he watches Dean grab the large black bag he has leaning up against the wall and then slings it over his shoulder.

"Good enough," Bobby nods. "Just as long as one a ya idjits is able to drive me home so I don't have to take one of them self-driving Ubers."

"Noted, but I don't think they have those here," Dean laughs as he checks his watch before he reaches over and switches off the lights to his station. "I'm running late. I'll see you guys tomorrow night."

Cas watches Dean out of the corner of his eye as they both get ready for their separate bachelor parties and hopes that his surprise will go over well. All Dean had been talking about was how he couldn't wait to see Sam again in a few weeks and knowing that there would be only a few busy days between Sam's flight in on the Wednesday before the wedding, then the wedding on Saturday, and them leaving on Sunday for their honeymoon, Cas knew that he had to do something special for Dean to get some quality time with the brother that he hardly gets to see.

Sam had told Dean a while ago that he wouldn't be able to make it back for his bachelor party because he was working on a big case that he couldn't get away from without jeopardizing the outcome. Dean had told him that he understood, but Cas had seen the hurt on Dean's face. It was heartbreaking. So, when Dean was out one night he took it upon himself to call Sam to see if there was any way someone else could be brought on to help with the case so that he could fly in for a few days to spend some quality time with his brother for the bachelor party. Two days later he called back to say that he had it all figured out.

Cas told him exactly what was planned and Sam made sure to book a flight that even with some unforeseen delays would make it in on time. Dean has no idea that Sam is at Bobby's house right now, and that he'll be here for the better part of a week. He's sad that he won't get to see it in person, but he made Benny promise to take a video so that he could see Dean's reaction when he sees that Sam is in Kansas and not in California.

It's funny, tonight is his bachelor party too - if you want to call going to a small venue to watch local bands for a few hours a bachelor party - he can't wait to hear how things go tonight for Dean. He had been so upset that his brother was going to be missing a huge milestone of his but he wasn't about to say it out loud. That isn't who Dean is.

"You okay?" Dean asks when he catches him deep in thought.

"What? Oh, yeah," he nods. "Sorry, just thinking about this arrangement for one of my students. It's kicking my ass."

"Well, you'll get it," Dean smiles at him before he gives him a quick kiss. "You always do."

"Yeah," Cas nods.

"So how do I look?" Dean asks as he gives an exaggerated spin at the foot of the bed.

"Fuckable."

"Good," Dean nods as he leans in to give Cas a peck on the lips. " 'Cause 'fuckable' was exactly what I was going for tonight."

"Well then, good luck," Cas grins.

"Thanks," Dean beams for a moment before he laughs.

"You look good, Dean. Really good. Like really really good."

"You too babe," Dean returns as he wraps his arms around Cas's waist. "You know, we could always blow these guys off and have a nice night in."

"Dean," Cas laughs. "It's our bachelor parties, we can't do that."

"Why not? No one would miss us. They just need us there for an excuse to go out and drink."

"Dean," Cas shakes his head and pulls out of Dean's arms. "You're impossible."

"I think I'm adorable."

"Adorable, yes. Impossible, also yes. You need to get going and so do I so we're not late."

"Ugh," Dean complains. "Fine."

"Okay. So, we both remember the rules, if either of us is too blitzed to make it home we call the other one for a ride and if we're both too blitzed then we're crashing out on someone's couch until we sleep it off. Deal?"

"Deal," Dean returns as he leans in to kiss his fiancé.

Dean pulls into the parking lot of the Roadhouse and drives Baby around to the back. He knows Ellen will make sure that she'll be safe back here if he isn't able to get her home tonight.

"Hey Ellen," he smiles as he walks through the front door and heads to the bar.

"Hey sweetie. What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to leave these here," he says as he places his keys on the counter.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot it was stag night tonight!"

"Stag night? How old are you anyway Ellen? Didn't they say that shit back when the Romans ruled the earth?"

"You hush," she scolds as she reaches out and slides the keys off the bar.

"Awe, you know I'm just fucking with you Ellen. You can't be a day over thirty-five."

"Yeah," she huffs out a laugh. "Thirty-five with a thirty-year-old daughter."

"Eh," Dean shrugs. "Just don't think too much about it."

"Easy for you to say. So where you boys heading tonight?"

Dean shrugs. "Don't know. I was just told to be here to drop off my car and someone would be here to pick me up. All other details have not been disclosed."

"You're a brave one, Dean Winchester," Ellen says before her eyes flicker to the door. She tries to keep a neutral face when she sees who's just walked it. "Well, I'm no expert, but I think your ride just walked through the door."

"Oh yeah?" he questions as he turns around and stops dead in his tracks when he sees Benny holding up his phone like he's filming him and then he sees his not-so little brother standing beside him. "Sammy?"

"Hey Dean," Sam grins as he goes in for a hug.

"Wh - how?" Dean stammers after they break apart and Sam steps back into his previous space. "I thought you were working on a big case? What are you doing here?"

"Cas."

"Cas? What do you mean Cas?"

"Cas called me and told me in not so many words that I was a dumbass if I missed this."

"Sam -"

"No," his brother holds up a hand. "He was right Dean. You're hopefully only going to do this once, and I should be here to see it. All of it."

"Thanks Sammy," Dean smiles before he hugs his brother again. "Now, where are we headed?"

The music is blaring when they walk through the doors of Bi-Curious, Lawrence's first and only adult entertainment establishment that caters to both men and women - which for Dean - is perfect.

"There he is!" Gabriel exclaims as he greets Dean with a purple drink when they take a few steps inside.

"Uh -"

"Here. We got you this," Gabriel says quickly as he puts a rainbow 'Groom-To-Be' sash over Dean's shoulder. "Hope you brought singles," he says and then starts leading Dean towards a group of tables close to the action before he can protest.

Dean looks over at the few tables in the general direction and is surprised to see so many people there for him. To the left Garth is sitting with an open seat next to him, presumably for Benny and then there's Vic, Aaron and Ronald. Bobby is at the table to the right with his best friend Rufus, and Jo and Ash and the table in the middle has a place for him and Sam, as well as Gabriel, as well as Charlie and Dorothy.

"Sup bitches," Charlie grins as she jumps up from her seat and moves around to hug him and then Sam. "Glad to see that you made it," she says to him as she backs up. "What?" she asks when Dean gives her a weird look.

"Nothing," he shakes his head. "Just didn't think it was customary for women to be at bachelor parties.

"Hey, if there's a chance to see boobs, I'm in," Charlie says sincerely.

"Whatever you say your majesty," Dean laughs.

He makes sure to say hello to the rest of his guests and then he takes as seat at his table. He picks up a small back of colorful candy from the pile sitting in the center of the table and brings it close to inspect it.

"What?" he questions when he sees the little penises inside.

"They're bags of dicks," Gabriel says. "Get it? Now I can tell you to eat a bag of dicks and you can!" he says as he begins cackling.

"That's fucked up."

"Hey, you probably had a dick in your mouth earlier today anyway so you can't complain," he returns.

Dean sees a look on Sam's face out of the corner of his eye, so he grins. "Well, I can't fight you on that one Gabe."

A server in a tiny pair of hot pink shorts that leave nothing to the imagination comes around and takes drink orders - most of them order beer, except for Rufus who orders their top shelf whiskey and tells them to 'keep 'em comin' and Dorothy who quietly orders a Shirley Temple but asks if they can make it look 'adult'. Dean's suspicious but now's not the time so he will have to look into that later.

Dean hardly notices as the mostly-naked server as he walks past and disappears into the crowd because his eyes are glued to the stage where a very busty blonde in a sliver sequined g-string is finishing her set.

"See something you like there Dean?" Ash calls over to him.

I do, he thinks. I wonder if I'd freak her out if I ask her where she got her panties. Yeah. That's a total creeper move. Let's not do that.

"Nah," he answers as he turns away.

Their server returns and hands out their drinks and Bobby stands and tries to make a heartfelt toast but Benny Garth and Ash start making noise and giving him shit about 'ruining the vibe' so he gives up and takes a drink after calling them all assholes which causes all three tables to erupt into laughter.

"And next up," a woman's voice says over the speakers, "for your viewing pleasure … Jesse James!"

At first Dean doesn't respond when the announcement starts but then the name catches his ear. Jesse James? Dean flicks his eyes up in front of them just as a completely jacked bearded guy dressed in western gear, complete with gloves, vest, chaps, lasso and cowboy hat, struts onto the stage.

The man finds his mark and poses, his body stiff, his left hand fisted hand down on his hip holding the lasso, the other on the brim of his hat that's tipped down as he looks at the floor. Dean is in complete awe as the familiar saxophone intro to Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" starts blaring over the sound system.

Hot guy - Jesse - starts swaying his hips to the music, running his right hand across his chest, down his thigh, and then up to his mouth so that he can pull off his glove with his teeth. The glove hits the floor and then Jesse grabs the lasso and stretches it out over his head, gyrating to the beat.

Baby take off your coat

"Awe shit, Cas is in trouble now!" Aaron says loudly. "Dean's gonna have him dressing up like a cowboy on their wedding night!"

And take off your shoes

"They're gonna Brokeback Mountain that shit!" Ash chimes in. "Dean is the horse and Cas is gonna ride him into town!"

"No! It'll be Tombstone!" Garth says as Benny turns to him and smiles before he adds 'I'm your huckleberry' in a husky voice.

"Guys, shut up," Charlie says as she watches Dean's face as he stares at the man on stage. "Can't you see he's not even listening to you guys. It's like he's at the Red Wedding and he can't tear his eyes away."

Everyone turns to look at Charlie.

"What? They ride horses too."

You can leave your hat on

You can leave your hat on

You can leave your hat on

Jesse has worked himself across the stage leaving his gloves and lasso behind. He's now leaning his back against the pole, working his shoulders as he slowly pulls his vest off and tosses it towards the back of the stage. He turns to the crowd and his eyes find Dean's. He gives a slight smirk and a wink before he reaches for his belt and with a quick motion the chaps fall away leaving him in only his boots, hat and a navy blue jockstrap covers just enough.

He then holds onto the pole with his left hand above his head and rolls his hips while his right hand runs down his chest to the thin fabric covering his dick. He closes his eyes and sucks in his bottom lip as he rolls his hips against his hand.

Dean is so entranced he doesn't even know if he's taken a breath.

You give me reason to live

You give me reason to live

You give me reason to live

You give me reason to live

Jesse moves towards the front of the stage, right up to Dean's group of tables and turns, showing his bare ass to the crowd. Dean slips a few bills in the waist of his jock just before Jesse bends over and sways his hips in a wide circle, prompting screams and cheers from the crowd.

Jesse moves back towards the center of the stage and does a few final moves as he picks up the cash tossed onto the stage before he hits his final pose - similar to the one he started in - now only in his boots, the tiny pieces of fabric covering his essentials and his cowboy hat.

You can leave your hat on.

The crowd erupts as Jesse picks up the last few bills that are littered around the stage and then he makes his exit.

Holy shit.

Castiel is enjoying his bachelor party. He is. He's had a few drinks and the first few bands have been good - several of them have real potential to go somewhere. Right now an all-girl indie punk band called The Sirens are on stage screaming about fighting the patriarchy but all he can think about is Dean and can't stop wondering how his surprise turned out. Benny hasn't texted him yet and he knows it's probably because they're having a good time and he forgot but it's driving him a little insane.

"I'm sure it went great," Meg tells him as she comes up to him with another drink. This one is pink and he's not sure what's in it.

"You think so?" he asks as he takes a sip.

"It's his brother, Clarence. Of course it did. They're probably too busy catching up to think about anything else right now."

"Yeah," Cas nods. "You're probably right."

"Okay. Then stop worrying and enjoy your night!"

Fifteen minutes later, The Sirens have left the stage, and the crew is busy with set-up for the next band, something called Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - whatever the fuck that will be - when Castiel's phone finally buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and looks at the screen. He's surprised to see that his text isn't from Benny but from Sam.

S: Going great! If you don't mind, I think he's gonna be sleeping it off at Bobby's.

He doesn't have a chance to respond before a flood of pictures and videos start coming through. He clicks on the first one and sees Dean wearing a sash in between Vic and Ronald, his cheeks flushed. The next is a video of him and Rufus doing a line of shots and then a few pictures of Dean posing with everyone else. He particularly likes one of Bobby with both of the brothers, all of them smiling widely, Dean with a beer in one hand and … a bag of dicks?? … in the other.

Castiel can't help but relax. Dean is fine. He's having a great time.

Halfway through Dead Men's set his phone buzzes in his pocket again. He pulls it out and sees that Benny has sent him a video. He makes sure that his volume is turned all the way down and hits play. What he sees makes his heart momentarily drop. It's Dean but he's with a dancer from the club. They're in a private area and he can see the guy really close to Dean as Dean watches him closely as he dances.

B: DON'T TELL HIM I SHOWED YOU THIS.

"What's wrong?" Meg asks when she notices Cas on his phone.

He spins the screen around and Meg's eyes go wide when she sees the clip.

"Okay, well, his hands aren't on him and they're a few feet apart. It's probably innocent Clarence. For all you know someone bought that dance for him."

"Maybe," Cas returns as he worries his lip.

"Oh, wait. You just got another text."

Cas spins the phone and doesn't see anything from Benny. He clicks back to the messages screen and sees that both Sam and Charlie have also sent him videos. He watches Sam's first and sees much of the same from the first and then he goes to Charlie's.

C: This is so bad. We're all dying.

Cas clicks play and watches as Dean tries to recreate the moves the dancer is doing. Except he's really drunk and really, really uncoordinated.

C: Charlie. What is happening?

C: …

C: He's getting lessons.

C: For your wedding night 🤣👰🏼

"Oh. My. God." Cas hears from behind him.

"What?" he asks as he looks at Meg who's reading around him.

"Gimme that!" she says as she grabs his phone out of his hand and makes a run for the exit.

"Meg!" he calls out to her as he follows behind. "Meg! Give me my phone!"

As soon as they're out into the night Meg turns up the volume and hits play and watches the video Benny sent him.

"See how I'm rolling my hips like this but my arms can do whatever they want?" the dancer is telling Dean as Dean watches closely. "You could hold onto him or you could be pulling off a tie or something."

"He's learning from this guy," Meg says as she looks up to Cas and grins. "He's so in love with you he's drunk off his ass in a private area with an exotic dancer and he's getting lessons instead of a lap dance."

"Looks like it," Cas nods.

"Well, I don't know about you Clarence, but that looks like true love to me."

Dean's head is pounding when he wakes up on Bobby's couch the next morning. The sun is bright shining through the windows and the smell of breakfast cooking makes him want to puke.

"Uggghhh," he groans has he rolls over and throws his arm over his face to save himself from the offending sensory inputs.

"How ya feelin' there Dean?" Sam jokes as he comes into the living room with a glass of water and a couple Ibuprofen. "Here," he says as he holds out his offerings. "This should make you feel a little better."

Dean slowly props himself up on his forearm and takes the small round pills out of his brother's hand. He then takes the water and downs it all in two gulps. He then flops back down on his back with a sigh.

"What time is it?"

"Just a little after ten."

"Fuck. I need to text Cas and let him know -"

"Already done," Sam tells him. "He was going to have Meg take him to the Roadhouse to get your car and then he'll be here to pick you up later."

"Later? How much later?"

Sam shrugs. "Whenever. He said he wanted to make sure we got to spend some time together while I was in town."

"Yeah, speaking of - when are you headed back?"

"Thursday."

Dean perks up. "Thursday? Really?"

"Yeah," Sam chuckles. "That future husband of yours can be pretty persistent."

"Sam, if this is going to hurt your case then -" Dean says as he perches on his arm again.

Sam holds up his hand. "I got everything handled, Dean. Cas was right. You're my brother and this is important and I should be here for it."

"You idjits ready to eat or are you still having your girly heart to heart in here?" Bobby asks as he pokes his head into the room.

"Weren't you crying last night and giving us a speech about how being young and in love is so beautiful and that you wished that Tori and Dean would've stayed together? Or was that another sappy old man in a truckers cap and I'm getting the two of you mixed up?" Sam teases.

"Just shut up and get in here and eat before it gets cold," Bobby grumbles as he turns and heads back to the kitchen.

Sam and Dean share a look before they both start laughing - until the action reminds Dean that his head is fucking killing him and he groans before he lays back again.

Cas gets to Bobby's around two and the four of them hang out for a while before they leave to get ready for work the next day.

"You look like you feel like shit," Cas says when Dean slides into the passenger seat.

"Dude. I'm so fucking hung over," Dean laughs as he drops his head back.

"Well, as long as it was worth it."

"I'm not so sure that it was," Dean returns. "I'm not young enough to bounce back anymore."

Cas chuckles. "I feel that one."

"So, how was your night?" Dean asks as they pull out of Bobby's driveway.

"It was good. Several of the bands have real potential."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"So you had fun?"

"I had fun," Cas nods. "But my night definitely wasn't as exciting as yours."

"What does that mean exactly?"

Cas smirks. "Let's just say I've had several people fill me in. I've also seen several videos. You've got moves I've never seen before Dean."

"Oh god," Dean groans as flashes of the night before start coming back to him.

After Jesse had gotten off stage, he'd come over and introduced himself. One thing lead to another and the next thing Dean knew, he was in a private booth with the guy and things were getting interesting.

"Can you show me that thing with the hips where you're leaning back?"

"Like this?" the man asked as he did the motion.

"Yes! Oh my god. Cas would love that. Especially if he was on his knees sucking my di- … I mean, I -"

"Relax Dean," Jesse had told him. "I have a husband of my own and I know exactly what you're envisioning right now. What you would want to do is angle your hips like this," he says as he moves into the position, waiting for Dean to follow.

"Like this?"

"Exactly like that. Cesar loves it."

"Cesar? That your husband?"

"Yeah," Jesse smiles. "He's a cowboy. We raise horses outside of town."

"Is your last name really James? … Wait. Sorry. I shouldn't be asking that."

Jesse laughs. "No. It's not. But my first name is Jesse. Not a lot of people know that but considering you're getting married, and you've been nothing but respectful, I don't think I'll have a problem. And if I do, just remember that Cesar is a strong motherfucker and he wouldn't hesitate to cut a bitch."

Dean laughs. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Look. If you've already been together this long and he hasn't complained, I don't think you're gonna need some new moves to impress him."

"No?"

"No," Jesse shakes his head. "Just get something fun for the bedroom. Some sexy underwear or a cock ring if you're into it. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Maybe," Dean returned thoughtfully.

Dean sits beside his fiancé while he drives him home and thinks about what he could get that would be fun for their wedding night. He should probably check out a few websites when he gets the time.

"Dean? You okay?" Castiel asks as he looks over at Dean with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah," Dean nods. "Just thinkin."

"About?"

"How much I really hate being hung over."

He winces when Cas laughs just a little too loud.

"Nervous?" Meg asks as she looks at Castiel standing in front of the mirror in his tent messing with his tie for the third time in as many minutes.

"No," he answers.

Meg gives him a hard look in the reflection as she stands behind him dressed and ready to go. "You sure about that?"

His shoulders sag and he drops his arms to his sides. "Maybe."

"Clarence," she scolds as she moves behind him and reaches over to help him fix his tie. "You know you can't lie to me. I can sense your bullshit from a mile away."

"Okay, fine. Yes. I'm scared shitless."

"As a gay man it's probably good to be shitless on your wedding night, you know, if you're on that end of the relationship," she returns as she winks at him.

"Meg," Cas complains as he blows a hard breath through his nose and tries not to laugh. He fails miserably. "What if it rains? Maybe we should've picked something indoors. What if one of the food trucks didn't show up or the pies didn't arrive or -"

"It's all taken care of," she smiles.

"What about the altar?"

"Charlie and I inspected it ourselves. It's perfect. The flowers you both picked go really well together with the green and the blue fabric. It looks beautiful."

"What if he changed his mind? What if he isn't here? What if -"

Meg holds up a hand and stops him. "Dean is here Clarence. He's next door practically just as nervous as you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Meg stares at her best friend for a moment, his eyes brighter than usual in his blue tux, his hair somewhat tamed, he looks tanned and toned and confident but somehow his nerves have him looking smaller.

"It's going to be fine Cas. I promise," she says as she finishes with the tie and slides her arms down his jacket straightening the fit.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. And you want to know why?"

"Yes."

She looks at him seriously. "Because you have the love of a man named Dean."

"Meg," Castiel says as he tries to fight the smile forming on his lips.

"A man who, when he walked into your Pilates class at my studio the other day said to me, 'I can't believe he picked me. I can't believe I'm marrying the most handsome guy on the planet with the thickest thighs.' "

"Meg," he repeats, his smile wider.

"And you know what that tells me Clarence? That tells me that this marriage of yours is not only gonna work … it's gonna last forever."

"Did you seriously just quote The Wedding Planner to me?" Cas laughs, his eyes shining.

"I believe I did, yes," she grins back at him. "Now. Feel better?"

"Much," Cas says as he turns and pulls her in for a hug. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I love you," he says as he kisses the top of her head.

"Yeah, well, I love you more."

"Would you stand still?" Charlie scolds as Dean fidgets with his vest.

"I can't," Dean returns. "I'm so fucking nervous. I swear I feel like I swallowed ants and they're running around in there."

"Well, that's vivid," Charlie says as she makes a face. "And I believe it's supposed to be butterflies. Not ants."

"Well, whatever. All I know is I got 'em. I feel like I'm gonna puke."

"Dude. It's going to be fine," Sam says from where he sits on the queen's bed and watches as Charlie tries and fails to fix the cuff of Dean's pants.

"Thank you," she says as she turns to Sam before she gets back to the pants. "Now, everything is in order. Seating is perfect, the pies arrived about fifteen minutes ago …"

"Pies?" Sam asks. "Plural?"

"Yep," Charlie nods. "Your brother insisted on pie instead of cake."

"Of course he did."

"Hey!" Dean protests. "I'm right here ya know. And yes, one of my only requirements was that we have pie instead of cake. Missouri's is where me an Cas went on our first date, it's where I proposed and where we had our engagement photos taken. Sue me if I wanted it included in our big day."

Charlie shoots Sam a look that means 'can it' and Sam nods.

"No Dean, I think it's a great idea. Different. Unique. People will remember it."

"What? Because getting married in the middle of the woods to someone playing the lute wasn't unique enough?"

Sam chuckles. "Touché."

"Alright," Charlie says as she stands and gives both of them a once-over. "Dean, I'll send Bobby over when it's time. Sam you remember where to go?"

"Yep."

"Okay," she nods before she turns to Dean. "I'll see you on the other side?"

"You know it."

Charlie nods. "My best friend is getting hitched," she says before she moves to hug him, tears in her eyes. "I love you."

"I know."

"Dude," she scoffs. "I'm trying to be sentimental here."

Dean chuckles. "I love you too."

The brothers watch as Charlie makes her exit through the opening in the tent before Dean turns to his brother and shakes his head. "I don't know where we picked her up but man, I really like her."

Sam laughs. "I believe that was a little place called high school, Dean."

Dean smiles. "Yeah, you're right."

"So are you sure you want to go through with this Dean? Cause I know where the Impala is parked, we could cut through the field and be there in no time," Sam says as he stands and walks towards his brother.

"Nah. I'm good. I'm nervous but I'm not stupid. Cas is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I'm not fucking that up."

"Good," Sam nods as he reaches Dean and claps him on the shoulder. "That was the correct answer."

"Boys?"

"In here Bobby!" Sam calls out.

Bobby walks into the tent and almost loses it when he looks from Sam to Dean. Dean sees the tears welling up in his eyes and the struggle on his face to keep his composure.

"Bobby -"

The man holds a hand up for Dean to wait. Dean nods and closes his mouth.

After a few moments, Bobby clears his throat. He walks over to Dean looks him square in the eyes. "I am so proud of you," he begins. "You an Castiel have made a life together that most people dream about. I have to admit that I was skeptical when you came to work that Monday after your first date with him and told me that he was the one, but I'll admit right here and now that I was wrong. The two 'a you are made for each other - like there was some cosmic force that brought you two together and I'll thank my lucky stars that you two met until the day that I die."

"Whoa, that's a little morbid, don'tcha think Bobby?"

"Shut up boy, I'm tryna tell ya that I love ya."

Dean can't help the laugh that comes out of him.

"I love you too Bobby. You've been the best thing to come into my life - to our lives," he corrects with a glance over at his brother. "You're like a father to both of us and I have no idea where we would be if it weren't for you."

"I second that," Sam says quietly.

"C'mere you two," Bobby says as he grabs Sam and pulls him close so he can hug them both at the same time. "You two are the best kids anyone coulda asked for. John Winchester doesn't know what he's missing."

Dean has done so good keeping his composure but now he's really struggling to fight back tears when he hears Bobby's muffled sniffle against his shoulder.

"Dammit Bobby," Dean chuckles as he pulls back and wipes his eyes. "I've been doing so good too."

The three of them share a small laugh until they hear a voice behind them.

"It's almost time fellas," Jody, half of their photography team tells them as she pokes her head in, camera in hand. "Sam, Charlie said it's time to head down."

"Okay," Sam returns before he looks at his brother. "I love you Dean and I'm so happy for both of you. Like Charlie said, I'll see you on the other side."

Dean swallows hard and jerks his head in a tight nod, the words he wants to say to his little brother stuck in his throat. He knows Sammy understands.

He watches as Sam leaves the tent and then he turns to his adoptive father. "Ready to give me away old man?"

"Absolutely," Bobby answers. "Been tryin' to do it for years but no one would take ya."

The laugh that leaves Deans mouth is cathartic. Whatever nerves he had are now long gone as he and Bobby make their way out of the tent and head in the direction of the staging tent.

Cas didn't know he would be such a crier on his wedding day, but the minute the music starts, and he knows Dean is on his way to him, it takes everything he has to hold back the tears. When he finally sees Dean appear at the end of the aisle under the trees with Bobby standing next to him ready to give him away, the levee breaks and it's Niagara Falls.

All he can think about in that moment is how amazing Dean looks in his suit and how bad the pictures are going to turn out because when he's super emotional, he's an ugly crier. Hopefully Dean won't be too upset when they get the proofs.

The two men slowly make it to him, walking side by side, as Dean locks eyes with him and doesn't look away. When they're a few feet away Bobby offers him a hand and shakes it before he gives him a clap on the shoulder with tears in his eyes and whispers 'Be good to my boy'. Cas nods, tears streaming down his face. "I promise," he whispers back.

Bobby gives his shoulder a small squeeze before he turns and goes to his seat in the front row. Cas then turns his attention to the man standing in front of him looking as handsome as ever in his light pants, crisp white button down, light vest and the little blue flower pinned to it.

"Hello Dean," Cas says softly as he takes Dean's hands in his.

"Heya Sweetheart," Dean whispers with tears in his eyes.

"You look …" Cas trails off.

"Yeah," Dean breathes. "You too."

After a moment of standing and staring at each other the music dies down and all that can be heard is the sound of the birds in the trees and an occasional sniffle that Cas thinks might be coming from his mom. Or his dad. He's a crier too.

"Welcome bitches," Charlie interrupts the moment from where she stands in front of them, her red robes and gold accents glistening in the sun. "I would like to welcome everyone to my queendom for the magical union of between two of the best people you will ever meet, my handmaiden Dean and his angel, Castiel."

Charlie looks lovingly between both men before she continues.

"Some would say that love is fate. Others say it's about timing, or chance, or the right swipe. But I think the best love stories - the real ones - are about choice.

"I'm sure many of you here are familiar with the story of how these two found each other - how a simple mistake - mine - lead Dean to Castiel's door instead of someone else's."

Charlie takes a moment to look around.

"That could've easily been the end of this story, but it wasn't. Because what could've ended up being the most humiliating moment for both of them was saved by choice. Dean chose in that moment to ask out the man standing in front of him and Cas chose to say yes.

"They chose each other. Not just once. But every day. In a world where anything could go wrong, and usually does, their love still found a way to be epic.

"A dude who spins wrenches and a guy who teaches music. One with calloused hands and a toolbox full of sarcasm and the other with callused fingers and playlists for every emotion. One knows engines, the other knows sonatas. From the outside, they don't look like they would fit, but they both know this: how to love fiercely, patiently, and without reservation.

"While I was trying to come up with a speech that would withstand the test of time, and make me look cool for their future kids, an idea came to me. Dean has always been the guy who loves movies and quotes them at every opportunity that he gets so today I have some quotes for him and his lovely groom. Some of you here with us today will recognize some of my source material.

"First, from The Lord of the Rings, because Tolkien understood loyalty better than most fantasy writers ever dreamed, I can’t carry it for you ... but I can carry you.

"Dean and Cas - you’re not here to fix each other. You’re here to carry each other. Through late nights and broken cars. Through lesson plans and quiet dinners and all the small, golden moments in between. When you're sitting on your couch with a beer in your hand and a cat on your lap watching the worst television shows known to man and just spending time venting about your day - those are the moments to treasure.

"Second, from Tombstone, because, even in the days of the Wild West, with guns and tuberculosis, cowboys got it right sometimes, I’m your huckleberry.

"A line that I have personally heard whispered between the two of you when you think no one is paying attention. That line is not just a flirtation. It's devotion. It's I’m here, I’ve got your back. It's I’ll be the one who stays when the music fades and the engine won’t turn over. It's love. The love that I see in each of your eyes when you look at each other when you're two feet apart or across the room.

"And lastly, from Brokeback Mountain, the gayest cowboy flick known to man, literally, through lust-fueled lubeless nights and an all-bean diet, I wish I knew how to quit you.

"There’s something about that line, right? It’s raw, it’s tragic, but today, for the two of you, it’s a promise. Because this love isn’t something you walk away from. It’s something you run toward. Even when it’s hard. Even when it scares you. You keep coming back for more."

Charlie takes a moment to pull a handkerchief out of her sleeve, and she dabs her eyes before she huffs out a laugh and hands it over to Castiel who opens it and presses it to his face to dry it. Once he hands it back to her, she continues.

"Dean and Castiel have chosen to write their own vows so be prepared," Charlie says as smirks. "Dean, I'm going to let you have the floor first."

Dean nods and Cas watches as he pulls a folded piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and clears his throat as he unfolds it.

"Cas," he begins as he tries to keep his voice even. "You weren't the person I was expecting when you answered your door three years ago. I was expecting dark eyes to be staring back at me, but when I looked into your blue, I was completely mesmerized. I don't think I've ever told you this, but there wasn't a single thought in my head when I asked if you still wanted to go out with me once you figured out that I was there to pick up someone else. All I knew was that I felt an immediate connection to you and I didn't want you to shut the door in my face knowing I'd never see you again unless we ran into each other at another one of Charlie's parties.

"After I got to know you a little bit, I didn’t think someone like you - gentle, patient, always humming some tune in the kitchen when you were making breakfast - would ever see something in someone like me. I’ve spent most of my life fixing broken things. My dad, my brother … Baby. But I didn’t know how to fix myself. Granted, I thought I was doing just fine until you came along and just ... saw me for me. Not as a project, not as some guy with daddy issues that you could fix. Just as me.

"You bring music into places I didn’t even know were silent. You’ve taught me to slow down, to sit still, to feel things I never thought I could feel before. I'm not the type of guy to sit down an write you a poem or anything but I knew I had to come up with something for today, so here it is - no poetry, no metaphors that I can’t pull off, just this: I love you. I’m yours. And you can have me because I choose this. I choose us. Every morning, even before coffee, and every night, even on the days when we argue over the thermostat or why the cat has to sleep in bed with us - usually on top of me."

Laughter ripples through the crowd where before there were tears.

"You’re my home, Cas, and I love you more than anything. Maybe even more than Sammy."

More laughter.

"Or my car," he says as an afterthought as he uses the heels of his palms to wipe the tears tracking down his cheeks, his eyes shining as they stare into Castiel's.

"That's it?" Charlie questions as she looks at Dean, unsure if there's more to his speech.

"Yeah," Dean smiles.

"Oookay," Charlie answers with a grin. "So that was Dean's vows. Now it's time for Castiel to try to top that."

"Doesn't he already?" someone from the crowd calls out, Cas's money is on Gabriel, and another ripple of laughter makes its way through the trees.

Cas looks at Dean and shakes his head. Dean shrugs like hey, it's true and Cas can't help but grin. This right here is why he's marrying this man.

"Dean," Cas begins without pulling out any notes. "When I first saw you at Charlie's party, I thought you were the most beautiful person that I had ever laid eyes on. You seemed so confident and sure, like the world owed you for something and you were far too big and boisterous for the quiet corners that I was used to living in. But then I got to know you and found out that you’re so much more than your looks and your cocky charm and sense of humor. You’re a song. And I’ve memorized every part of it.

"You bring warmth to the cold mornings; you make me laugh when I'm so stressed out that I forget how to and you’ve given me something I didn't know that I was missing - companionship. I realized that the morning after our first date when I was making you breakfast after you stayed over, that even though I had Jack, I was still missing a partner.

"You have made my life complete, and I know now that my heartbreak - my moving back here - was because of you. I was waiting for you. We just needed the right time and the right place, and I would've waited forever.

"You are the most beautiful person that I have ever known, and I can't believe that I get to call you mine."

Cas stares into Dean's green eyes as he tries not to cry again. In the few moments of silence, he can hear birds chirping and the near-silent shutter of Jody's camera.

"Well, that much better," Charlie comments as she looks between the both of them. "So now that the sappy part is over - it's time for the fun part," she says before she turns to Dean.

"Dean if you have that gorgeous ring for Cas, now would be the time to whip it out."

A murmur of laughter ripples through the crowd as Dean turns to his brother and takes the ring he's holding on his index finger.

"Okay Dean, you're gonna place that on the fourth finger of Castiel's left hand and repeat after me," she pauses for a moment for him to acknowledge that he's ready.

"I promise to love you."

Dean stares into Cas's eyes as he slowly slides the ring back onto his finger. "I promise to love you."

"To watch terrible TV with you."

Dean smirks. "To watch terrible TV with you."

"To listen to your music."

"To listen to your music."

"And to be bonded to you until the end of time."

"A little ominous there Charlie," Cas hears Dean murmur before he continues. "And to be profoundly bonded to you until the end of time."

"Alright, Cas, your turn," Charlie smiles before Cas turns to his best friend and takes the ring he picked out for Dean from her hand. It's nothing fancy, just a simple gold band since Dean will take it off most days while he's working.

"Place the ring on the fourth finger of Dean's left hand and repeat after me."

Cas looks down and slides the ring on the tip of Dean's finger before he looks up and almost gets lost in Dean's eyes, so full of emotion, like he's just now realizing that he, too, gets a ring to wear to show their commitment to each other.

"I promise to love you."

Cas takes a breath. "I promise to love you."

"To let you eat bacon for every meal."

"Really?" Cas laughs as he gives Dean a look. Dean only gives a small shrug.

"Thems the rules," Charlie answers. "Say it."

He shakes his head. "To let you eat bacon for every meal."

"To watch alllll the cowboy movies that come out."

"To watch all the cowboy movies that come out."

"And to ride shotgun through wherever life takes us."

"And to ride shotgun through wherever life takes us."

Cas takes a moment after Dean's ring is solidly on his finger to watch as he glances down to see it glinting in the sunlight. The smile on his face is something Cas wants to remember forever.

Charlie looks out over at the somewhat large crowd of friends and family that have gathered in their small space in the woods.

"Dean and Castiel have exchanged rings and pledged their love and unwavering support for each other. They have a promised to love each other, and their quirks, and to invite me and Dorothy over once a month for dinner. It was a quiet part so you probably didn't hear it, but it was there."

Another murmur of quiet laughter moves through the crowd.

"And so, by the power vested in me, by me, the inter-webs and the state of Kansas, I now happily pronounce you married! Gentlemen, you may kiss!"

Cas doesn't even have time to think before Dean is on him, on hand on each side of his face, kissing him like it's the last time he'll ever get a chance to do it, hard and passionate and filled with emotion.

After a moment, and a wolf whistle from somewhere in the crowd, they come to their senses and break apart.

Dean rests his forehead on Cas's and Cas feels his breath on his lips as Dean whispers, "Holy shit, we're married."

"Yes, we are."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Charlie calls over the noise of the crowd. "I would like to introduce to you all - Mister and Mister Novak-Winchester! Don't blame me guys, I told them to pick one and stick with it."

Cas takes Dean's hand in his and leads him back down the aisle through the sea of beaming guests offering their congratulations as the make it to the end where Jody and her partner Donna are waiting to take pictures of the grooms and their wedding party.

"So, what's next?" Dean asks as he looks from the women to Castiel.

"Forever," Cas says simply.

The girls absolutely knocked it out of the park with the food trucks if Dean does say so himself - and he does. Watching everyone happily walking away with plates in their hands stacked with burgers and fries or pizza or whatever offending salad options the trucks had is a trip.

Halfway through the meal, Sam stands up and clears his throat. "Hello everyone," he begins. "As I'm sure many of you already know, I'm Sam, Dean's younger brother, and I just wanted to say thank you all for coming to celebrate the union of my brother and Castiel.

"The first time I heard the name 'Cas' come out of my brother's mouth was the Sunday after their first date. He'd told me about how he was supposed to be picking up a girl named Cassie that he had seen at Charlie's party but somehow wires were crossed when he tried to get her number, and he ended up with Castiel's instead - but he didn't know.

"So, when he showed up at Cas's door expecting there to be a pretty woman standing behind it and found this six-foot tall dark haired, blue-eyed guy instead - normally that would've been something to throw my brother for a loop and would've sent him packing. So imagine my surprise when he tells me that he's just gotten home from his date - that started on Saturday evening and here it is almost ten pm on Sunday - not here in Kansas, but where I live in California.

"He wanted to tell me all about his date, and I had to beg him not to give too many explicit details that he was surprisingly very happy to give if I wanted them."

Sam pauses as people laugh.

"So, Dean tells me a very watered-down version of events - the mix-up, the date, the night and the … afterglow. The one thing that repeatedly stood out to me the whole time he's telling me this story is how much Cas did for him. How he cooked him breakfast the next morning and wanted him to stay on Sunday - how they quickly made plans to see each other again on Tuesday. And then when I talk to him a week later, he's telling me about how Cas had showed up to Bobby's shop on Thursday with lunch because, and I quote, 'it had been too long since they'd seen each other' - even though they had just seen each other on Tuesday.

"I'm sure plenty of you here today know that things weren't always the best for Dean and me growing up. Our dad wasn't around much, and Dean took on a lot of the responsibilities of a parent for me and until Bobby stepped in, Dean never had anyone to take care of him."

Sam swallows hard.

"So, when I heard that Cas was taking care of him in ways that basically no one else had for Dean's entire life … I felt it in my core that he was the one for Dean. So, I just want to say to Cas, thank you for taking care of my brother, for being that person that he can lean on whenever he needs to, and for that reason, I will always love you like a brother."

Sam raises his beer as he looks straight at him.

"To Dean and Cas."

"To Dean and Cas," everyone repeats as they take a drink.

"Here here!" Gabriel chants before he takes a swig of whatever is in his flask.

Dean raises his beer and toasts to his brother before looks at his new husband and then takes a drink.

"That was incredible," Cas whispers from beside him.

Dean softly nods in agreement.

"Alright," Meg sighs as she stands. "I guess that means it's my turn. I, too, would like to thank everyone for coming tonight," she starts out strong. "For those of you who don't know who I am, I'm Meg Masters and Clarence, or Castiel as you all know him, is my best friend and I am so happy that so many people are gathered here to celebrate the nuptials of these two idiots. And I say that in the most loving way possible because I can't begin to express how much I love these two and how much I love them together.

"You've heard from Charlie and Sam that there was this huge mix-up when it came to Dean thinking that he was going on a date with someone else and how Charlie was the one who got the phone number for him but what you don't know is that I was on the other end of that accidental exchange. I was the one who gave Charlie the wrong number so you can see how trustworthy the two of us were - and then what did these two idiots go and do? They put us in charge of the wedding planning! So, when you go home tonight and think about today's events - if there's anything you didn't like - take it up with Charlie."

Meg pauses for a minute until the laughter dies down.

"But anyway, enough stalling. Clarence, I am so happy that you found your person. I hope that the two of you have a long, loving, happy life together. Like Sam said, as soon as you told me about how the two of you hit it off, I knew that this was going to be it for you. And to Dean. The only thing that I have to say is please take care of him, because they don't make 'em like him anymore - and if you hurt him in any way, you don't want to see the demon that I can become if I need to."

Everyone is silent for a moment.

"I'm just fucking with you," Meg laughs. "Cheers guys!!"

Everyone drinks again and Dean turns and gives Cas a worried look, but Cas just rolls his eyes and laughs. "You know she's harmless."

"God, I hope so," Dean laughs.

Out of the corner of Dean's eye he catches Benny making his way over to them. "Ready boss?' he asks quietly when he's right behind him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Dean returns as he goes to stand.

"Where are you going?" Cas asks, a look of concern on his face.

"Not far," Dean answers as he gives his husband a quick peck on the lips and then follows Benny out of the open-air tent.

"Fuck," Dean sighs when Benny stops around the corner and goes to hand him an acoustic guitar. "I cannot believe I'm doing this," he says as he plays a few chords to make sure it's in tune.

"Oh, I can," Donna says from behind them just as Benny says, "You could always back out."

"And no, he can't," Donna says in her thick northern accent as she holds up her camera. "I've been waiting to capture this all night."

Dean lets out a nervous laugh. "Well, you heard her. I can't back out now."

Dean walks back into the tent and makes his way over to where the stage is set up for the band and he takes a seat on a stool that's been brought to the middle of the dance floor, along with a microphone.

"Hey everybody," he says into the mic, gaining everyone's attention at once. "So, I just wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight. We will be getting to pie in a few minutes but first, I have a surprise for my husband. Man, that feels awesome to say," Dean huffs a laugh as he gets the guitar situated in his lap.

"A few months ago, I was racking my brain trying to come up with something that would be the perfect wedding gift for Cas, because I wanted to do something special for him, and I decided that I wanted to dabble in Cas's world and play some music for him. One night I was talking to his dad about it and trying to figure out how to go about it to where Cas wouldn't find out and Chuck suggested that I get in touch with this guy named Billy who's an old friend from when they played in a band together when they were younger.

"So, I called Billy the next day and he was super cool and invited me to his studio to meet him and we hit it off, and he's been working with me for the past few months after work and on weekends while Cas has been teaching and, uh, this is what we came up with.' Dean pauses for a moment. "I hope you like it."

Dean finds the chords that he needs, and he begins to play the intro to Van Morrison's "Crazy Love".

His heart is pounding, and he closes his eyes for a moment before the muscle memory takes over. He then opens his eyes and finds Cas's in the crowd just before he starts to sing.

"I can hear his heart beat from a thousand miles

Yeah, the heavens open every time he smiles

When I come to him, that's where I belong

And I run to him like a river song

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down

Yeah, when I come to him when the sun goes down

Take away my trouble, take away my grief

Take away my heartache in the night like a thief

Gimme love, love, love, love, crazy love

Gimme love, love, love, love, crazy love

Yeah, when I'm returning from so far away

He give me some sweet loving to brighten up my day

Yeah, and it make me righteous, it make me whole

Yeah, and it make me mellow down into my soul

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

And when I felt like an old cardigan

Under someone's bed

He put me on

And said I was his favorite …

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He's the reason I live

And the reason I die

He's the reason I give when I break down and cry

'Cause he's my angel …

And he give me love, love, love, love, crazy love

He give me love, love, love, love, crazy love ….

When the last note ends, Dean relaxes his shoulders and leans back from the mic. He's worried that he sounded bad, and that his song choices were terrible but then he hears someone says 'holy shit' and the room erupts. He looks around at everyone wiping tears or clapping and he finds his husband who is now out of his chair and making his way through the crowd to him.

"Dean, oh my god, Dean," Cas says as his hands find his face and he kisses him tenderly.

"Did you like it or was it terrible?"

"No! It was amazing!" he returns, a look of such love and wonder on his face. "I had no idea you could sing like that!"

Dean blushes. "What can I say? I guess I'm just full of surprises."

Cas stands with Dean at the table where Missouri has set up all of her pies and he has to admit that they look incredible, although he's worried there won't be enough for Dean to have seconds, or thirds.

"Can you believe this?" Dean whispers as they pose for pictures and videos before they ceremoniously feed each other from the Dutch apple that they both agreed would be 'their' pie.

"Believe what?"

"That all these people are here for us," Dean answers as he nods to all the people looking at them and smiling.

Cas smiles. It is pretty cool. "Yeah, Dean, I actually can."

When Charlie signals, they both pick up their forks and cut a smallish piece of pie and carefully feed each other. Before Dean gets any ideas, they announce that it's time for the first dance and Castiel grabs his hand and leads him to the dance floor.

"So, what song do you think they picked?" Dean asks as he wraps his arms around Cas's waist, Cas's arms over his shoulders.

Before Cas can answer the soft piano intro to "In Your Love" begins playing.

"Oh my god," Dean breathes. "They picked one that has the saddest fucking music video."

"But at least it's gay," Cas grins as they begin to sway to the music.

"Yeah," Dean chuckles. "Really fucking gay and really really fucking sad."

As they sway to the music Cas puts his head on Dean's shoulder and he closes his eyes. He wants to remember everything that's happening right now, the smell of Dean's skin, the touch of his clothes, the feeling of his strong arms around him. Heaven, he decides. Right here, right now, this feels like Heaven.

Dean had a drink or two. Okay, maybe he's had a few drinks - but who cares? He's now married to the hottest guy on the planet and they're hot and sweaty and grinding on the dance floor like nobody’s watching and he’s happy. Like really fucking happy.

He knows they have to leave soon if they want to make it home in time to take care of Jack and get cleaned up and try to get a decent night's sleep before they're up and at it in the am to get to the airport to catch their flight for their secret destination honeymoon that Cas was adamant about booking himself. If it was up to him, they'd be holed up at home for the week with their phones turned off and spending every waking moment naked and in bed. And it has nothing to do with the fact that him and airplanes just don't seem to get along.

Oh, and they're supposed to fuck somewhere in there too. No pressure or anything.

He's deep in thought trying to come up with a way to see if their destination is within reasonable driving distance - ie: anywhere that doesn't have an ocean between them and it.

"Hey!" Charlie says as she comes up to them, bringing him out of his thoughts. She's out of her red ensemble and is now in something a lot more comfortable. "This place is hopping."

"Yeah, it is," Dean nods as they walk a few feet towards a quieter area. "You and Meg really did a great job here."

"Thanks," she beams. "Listen, we're about to head home. Dorothy is beat. Cooking a little one seems to do that to ya."

Dean grins. "She told you?"

"Yeah," Charlie smiles. "I've known for a while I just didn't want to take away from all of your festivities."

"Charlie. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes. I did. And wait - how did you know?"

"I figured it out at the strip club," he shrugs.

Charlie's eyes go wide. "It was that damned Shirley Temple!"

Dean laughs. "Yes, it was."

"Shit," she sighs. 

"Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone. But congratulations. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks," she smiles meekly. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that we're really happy for you both. And your paperwork will be safe with me until you get back but take the card box home with you. I'm sure you have a ton of money in there to blow on your vacation."

"Okay," Dean laughs.

"Dude. You're married."

"Yes I am," he grins. "And you're gonna be a mom."

There's a quiet moment between them before he pulls her in for a hug. "Thanks for everything," he says as he kisses the top of her head. "I love you."

"I know," she smirks before she pulls out of his hug, waves bye to Castiel and then turns to take Dorothy's hand so they can leave.

"Charlie leaving?" Cas asks as he comes up beside Dean.

"Yeah," he nods.

"It's almost time for us to go too."

"Yes, it is," Dean agrees.

"We should probably find Meg and see what our next steps are."

They find Meg sitting at a table with a Coke in her hand. "Well, you two look rode hard and put away wet," she grins when she gets a good look at them.

"Yeah," Dean laughs as he runs a hand through his sweaty hair. "We were just checking to see if there was anything we're supposed to be doing before we head home. Six am is going to come early."

"Nope, you're all set," she says as she stands and moves towards them. "Charlie told me to make sure you get this," she puts a large clear plastic box full of cards in Dean's hands. "And I wanted to give you this," she tells Cas as she lays a sealed envelope in his hands.

"Meg wha-"

Meg holds up her hand. "It's just a little something that I think you two might like. Open it when you get home. Or tomorrow on the plane. Or, hell, wait until you get wherever it is that you're going."

"Should we be worried?" Dean asks.

Meg's face is unreadable. "Depends."

"Did you rob a bank?"

"No."

"Did you kill someone?"

"Nope."

"Is there money in here?"

Meg shrugs. "I guess you'll find out soon enough."

The newlyweds make it out of their reception around midnight. It was a long process of good-byes before they finally make it to the parking lot and climb into Baby. They're both so relieved for silence that they sit for a few minutes in the dark before Cas puts the key into the ignition and cranks the engine.

They make it home in good time and by the time they're out of their formal wear, showered and in bed with comfy clothes on, it's tickling two am.

"I'm so wired I don't even know if I can sleep," Dean says as he scratches Jack behind the ears as they lay in bed together.

"Me too," Cas agrees. "So, what should we do?"

Dean smirks. "I have an idea." He climbs out of bed and heads downstairs. He comes back with the box of cards and places it on the bed between them.

"You want to open these now?"

"Why not? Charlie said we should take the money on our honeymoon."

"Charlie is a wise woman," Cas grins.

Dean dumps the pile of envelopes between them and then goes to reach for one before he stops. "Maybe we should have a system - like split them evenly or something before we open them."

"Okay," Cas agrees.

They spend a minute or two divvying the cards and by the time they get to the last one, they realize that someone is going to have one more than the other.

"Oh! Wait!" Cas exclaims before he jumps out of bed and reaches for the envelope sitting unopened on the dresser. "I forgot about Meg's."

"Should we wait to open hers until later like she asked?"

Cas shrugs. "I don't see the point."

"Okay," Dean nods.

They take turns opening cards and by the time they're down to their final two - one in a blue envelope for Dean and Meg's white envelope for Cas - they're up almost two grand. Friends in high places indeed.

"Okay, so who wants to go first?" Dean asks, looking back and forth between them.

"Why don't you go first, and I'll go second?"

"Sounds like a plan," Dean nods.

Dean slips his finger in the flap of his card while Cas watches intently. Dean quickly looks over whatever it is in his card and then he looks at Cas with a weird look on his face.

"What is it?" Cas asks, a little concerned.

"It's from Bobby," he says quietly. "He wants me to become his partner. He's offering me half the company."

"Wow," Cas smiles. "That's amazing Dean."

"Yeah, it is," he returns sounding stunned.

"My husband is going to be a business owner," Cas says as he leans in and kisses Dean softly.

"Say it again," Dean returns against his lips.

"What? That you're going to be a business owner?"

"No," Dean says as he kisses Cas again. "The first part."

"Oh, my husband?"

"Yeah, that part," Dean grins as he moves to the bolt of Castiel's jaw.

"My husband," Cas whispers.

"Fuck," Dean sighs as he latches onto Cas's neck and sucks a mark while his hands explore under his shirt. "Say it again."

"I like where this is going," Cas grins. "You're my husband, you're my husband, you're my husband."

Dean groans. "That voice of yours, man. It goes straight to my dick."

"Mmmm," Cas nods as he slides his hand up Dean's thigh. "Would you like me to help you with that Mr. Novak-Winchester?"

"Oh, god, would I."

"Then let me take care of you."

"You're so fuckin hot Cas," Dean whispers as he pulls Cas's shirt over his head. "But you know that, right? Like you have to kn-"

Cas places a finger on Dean's lips. "Dean. Stop talking."

Dean wakes slowly to the sound of their alarm. He's naked in bed with Cas's head on his chest and something sharp poking him in his back. It's still dark out and he wants to go back to sleep but they have a plane to catch.

"Cas," he whispers as he lightly shakes the sleeping lump on his chest. "Sunshine, c'mon we gotta get up."

"Mmmph," Cas complains.

"Dude. You're the one who thought it would be a good idea to leave at the ass-crack of dawn. C'mon."

"Honeymoon?" Cas mumbles.

"Honeymoon."

Castiel peels himself off of Dean's body and heads to the bathroom with a groan while Dean moves to figure out what's stabbing him in the back. He can't help but laugh when he grabs his stack of cards that he had opened the night before. Turns out, money can hurt.

"What's so funny?" Cas asks as he peeks his head in the bedroom, a blue toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Nothin'," Dean shakes his head. "We forgot to clean off the bed before we got dirty. I slept on a stack of cards, and they left a huge-ass indent in my side."

"Oh," Cas says as he moves back into the bathroom to spit.

Dean stands up and stretches and then gathers the cards from the bed and moves to place them on his nightstand, the white envelope from Meg sitting on top unopened.

"Hey sweetheart?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't open Meg's thing last night."

"I didn't?"

"Nope," Dean shakes his head.

"Oh. Well, can you toss it in my carry on? I'll open it on the plane."

"Okay."

Dean grabs Meg's envelope and the cash from the night before and puts it all in the front zippered pocket of Castiel's carry on and then he goes to get dressed. They do one final sweep of the house to make sure that everything if off and unplugged, and they give Jack extra scratches before they head out the door with their luggage.

"He'll be okay, won't he?" Dean asks as he locks the door.

"Dean. Meg will be here in about an hour. He'll be fine."

"If you say so."

They make it to the airport in decent time and get their bags checked quickly. They even manage to get though security fairly easily. Dean tries to figure out where they're going as he watches Cas look at the flights on the board, but he doesn't give any clues as to where they're going. He's nervous as fuck but he's trying to keep it together for Cas.

When they finally reach their gate Cas turns to Dean and grins.

"Maui?" Dean asks.

"Had to get your toes in the sand somehow."

"Oh my god I love you," Dean say as he pulls Cas in for a quick kiss.

"You might not be saying that when we land there in 17 hours."

Dean stops dead in his tracks. "What?"

Cas chuckles. "It'll be fine Dean. I'll keep you distracted," he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Mile high club?"

"I'd rather not be put on the no-fly list - but I'll come up with something."

He got him on the plane.

After horror stories from Bobby and Sam about a trip to Disney World once, Cas thought that he was never going to be able to get Dean on a plane - especially a 16-hour direct flight from Kansas City to Maui - but here they are.

Dean has been relaxing in the comfy seat beside him, watching movies and eating anything brought to him. He seems content. It might have something to do with the hand job he gave him in the airport bathroom, but hey, if it works - it works.

They're halfway through their flight when Castiel remembers Meg's envelope. He asks Dean where he put and then stands to pull it out of his bag. He sits back down and carefully works open the flap.

He reads the two-page, handwritten letter.

"No fucking way," he breathes.

"What?" Dean perks up beside him.

Without saying a word Cas hands his husband the letter. He watches intently as Dean reads it and then goes back and rereads it.

"Do you think this is true?" he asks as he turns to Cas, a look on his face that's unreadable.

"I don't see why it's not."

Cas waits as Dean reads the letter one more time before he finally hands it back to him.

"Dean? Are you okay?"

Dean's quiet for a moment. "I think we should send her some flowers when we land."