Take Care of My Baby

Dean knows of a particular way that he can drive into the clearing in the woods and not have to walk the distance. It's a little out of their way, but it's definitely worth it when they get there.

"Whattya say we watch the stars for a while?" Dean asks with a grin.

"I'd love to." It's a clear night, and there's no way that Cas will turn down something like that.

The thing about the Coupe is that the hood really isn't that big. It's not designed for two people to be sharing a hood side by side, but that doesn't dissuade them. Instead, it just encourages some creative cuddling. Dean crawls up onto the hood first and leans against the windshield while Cas takes his place between Dean's legs, pressing his back against the man's chest. Dean wraps his arms around Cas's waist.

"Hi," Dean grins when they get settled. Cas looks up at him.

"Hello," he smiles back, and then they find their lips pressing against one another's. They don't stay like that for very long, because, frankly, it's rather uncomfortable. Instead, they opt for Cas to just lean back against Dean's chest with his head resting just beneath Dean's.

They watch as the stars begin to come out and twinkle against the backdrop of the browning leaves.

Much of Castiel's family focuses on the big picture, on where they want to be in ten years and how they can make their way there. They define success as being monetarily well-off, following the dream that they think they should follow, not the one that they want to. Cas, on the other hand, has always cared for the little things: the feel of a warm summer breeze, a well-written novel, the feel of a solid body pressed against him while the stars shine above. Such things have always given him a sense of contentment that he doesn't imagine can be reached through any other means.

"Me an' Sammy used to watch the stars all the time," Dean murmurs softly. "No matter where we were, we'd always find some little clearing like this one and hide out from the rest of the world."

He distinctly remembers those moments, and they're some of the best memories he has. As soon as he could drive, he and Sam would take off and just enjoy life every once in a while. That usually just involved the two of them talking on the hood of their dad's car, but any time was welcome.

"That sounds like it was nice," Cas comments.

"Yeah, it was." Dean runs his fingers through Castiel's hair. "Be weird not havin' him around anymore." It's a fact that he can't stop worrying over, but for once in his life, he doesn't want to be negative. So, he turns to the man in his lap and smiles, "But I'll have you."

It's an incredibly sweet notion, and Castiel doesn't know what to say, so he does what he's learned Dean responds to best: he turns around and pulls the man into a gentle liplock.

Dean smiles into the kiss. It's easier for him to deal with physicality. He can control it, can respond to it, can understand it. It's not confusing like dealing with putting his emotions into words and hoping that someone will understand what he means. Why bother when he can sum up thousands of words in one kiss?

Castiel shifts so that he's turned sideways, making it more comfortable for both him and Dean. As soon as he stops fidgeting, he brings his hands up to cup the other man's face.

Dean loses himself in the curving sweeps of Castiel's tongue and wonders the man got so damn good at this. It wasn't so long ago that Cas was fumbling into every touch like the adorable novice he was. He is, however, a pretty damn fast learner. He's picked up all of Dean's little tricks and has adapted them in the ways he finds work best for his situation, and Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to all of the things that their experience would bring them.

Soon enough, he's pulled Cas into his lap, allowing the man to straddle him. Their actions are slow and gentle, but that doesn't mean that they aren't as passionate as they usually are. In fact, the careful drag of their fingertips and lips makes everything that much more intense.

"Fuckin' perfect, Cas. Baby, you're so perfect," Dean gasps out when their lips part for a moment. It's something that Cas loves, the strings of words that come out of Dean's mouth. At one point he may have marked them down as being senseless, but he knows better now. Dean gets lost in the moment, in the touch of skin-on-skin, and his emotions slips through in the form of hushed praises.

Dean begins the slow process of moving them down the hood of the car. Neither of them like the idea of pulling their bodies apart for longer than is absolutely necessary, and even in the heat of the moment, they're both aware of the car beneath them, because neither of them want to damage her in any way.

"I got you," Dean murmurs against Castiel's lips as he lowers their feet to the ground. As soon as they're steady, he turns their bodies around and presses him against the hood of the car.

The older man gets lost in the rhythmic motion of grinding hips and stolen breaths. Cas is beneath him, pressing them together with a fervor. Their actions speed up just slightly when dean pushes the younger man down on his back and settles himself between Cas's spread thighs.

"Please," Cas gasps quiet in a moment when their lips part.

"Please what?"

"Fuck me, Dean, please."

Dean chuckles quietly and makes to pull Cas's shirt off. However, Cas shoves his hands away.

"No messing around," he growls. Then, he drags Dean over to him and grinds their hips together. "I want you to fuck me right now."

"Never woulda pegged you as a guy who likes it rough," Dean purrs. The thought turns him on so much that he can do nothing more than start working their jeans open.

"'S that a problem?"

"Definitely not a problem."

Cas kisses him one last time before flipping around. It never fails to amaze Dean how their encounters can turn from intimate to kinky as hell in a matter of moments, but he can't complain, not when a ridiculously attractive man is spread out on the hood of his car.

"Gonna make you come so hard," Dean promises him as he kisses the back of Cas's neck. He wastes no time in pulling Cas's jeans down to his knees and follows suit himself. Then, he fumbles his lube out of his pocket and starts to use it to prep Cas, only to find the man swatting his hands away again.

"Just fuck me, Dean," he groans.

"Don't wanna hurt you." However, Dean is already slicking up his cock.

"You aren't going to break me," Cas states forcefully.

And really, who is Dean to disagree?

Still, he moves slowly when he slides into Cas. He relishes the long, quiet groan that the younger man emits from somewhere low in his throat. It could make Dean come right then and there.

"So fuckin' perfect, Cas. Love hearin' you." Dean drops his forehead against the back of Castiel's neck again. His hand slides up Cas's body until it reaches the man's own and their fingers intertwine.

"Dean?"

He can feel the sound in Cas's throat.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to move."

Dean's chuckle is breathless. "Just gimme a sec." Castiel whines, but Dean adds, "You're so damn hot, Cas, and I'm gonna come right now if I move."

"Oh," Cas huffs with a smile.

They stay there for a few short moments before Castiel lets out another quiet white and starts to move his hips. The motions are slow, but goddammit, he needs something.

"So eager. Fuckin' love it," Dean grins. He takes his free hand and places it on Cas's hip for stability. His slow, measured movements disintegrate into animalistic thrusts when the man beneath him lets out a soft, breathy moan. For as much as he wants to savor the moment, he can't find the composure to keep from moving faster and harder. And besides, Cas is meeting each one of Dean's thrusts with just as much force, and there's no way the both of them are capable of stopping.

"Dean," Cas moans, drawing the name out to linger in the air for a few seconds.

"What is it, baby?" the man in question asks. He bends down so that he can nip at Cas's earlobe.

"I, I -" The words are cut off in a loud moan, an arching of the back, and a clench of all the muscles that brings out a sense of divine pleasure in Dean. "Right - right there! Don't you dare stop!"

The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

Dean takes care to position his hips to cater to that one spot that'll bring Cas to his knees. Cas, for his part, can't do a whole lot aside from ride out the white-hot paradise he feels within him. He doesn't realize he's moaning out a constant stream of encouragements until his pauses for a breath.

"Fuck, Cas," Dean groans as he drops his forehead into the crook of Cas's neck. Their thrusts slow steadily until all that's left are the occasional pointed thrusts that take at least four times as long to get from point A to point B. Cas drags Dean in for a kiss. Granted, it's mostly just a lot of licking tongues and biting lips, but it's enough for the both of them. Cas even unclenches his hand from the corner of the hood to pull Dean in closer to him.

They pull back and hold eye contact for a few moments. Cas looks utterly wrecked. His messy hair sticks up even more than usual where it isn't plastered to his forehead with sweat, and those big blue eyes are blown wide with pleasure. It seems like the man lets go of his composure more and more every time they fuck, and it drives Dean crazy.

And Dean... God, Cas doesn't know how he got so lucky. He finds himself constantly mesmerized by the green-eyed God who decided to give him the time of day. It doesn't matter that they're in the middle of fucking on the hood of a hot rod; he just gets lost in the depths of those emerald oceans, and it dredges up so much goddamn love that he doesn't know what to do with it all.

The older man's lip quirks up at the corner, and for a moment he looks almost innocent; it's not the kind of smile you give in the middle of sex.

Dean doesn't seem to notice that, however, and he opts instead to bring Cas in for another liplock. It doesn't last long due to the fact that their hips unconsciously begin meeting at a faster pace, and Cas's jaw drops open almost immediately as he starts sucking in deeper breaths again.

"Dean..."

"I got you, Cas. I got you."

Castiel drops his head to the hood of the car with a soft groan at those words, and Dean can't help the smirk that takes over his features at that. He considers it almost an honor to be able to bring such emotions into the man.

"Dean, I'm gonna come," Cas warns him breathlessly.

The man nips gently at the soft skin behind Cas's ear. "Come for me."

Cas slips one hand between his thighs and begins to stroke himself while Dean continues his frantic thrusts. He's about at his wit's end as well.

"Dean!" Cas cries out, his voice hoarse and needy. The sound goes straight to his groin, and it's all he needs to make him come.

Both men collapse for a few moments on top of the car, Dean trying to be as gentle as possible so as to not squish Castiel beneath him. His face is buried in Cas's hair and their fingers are still connected, and it's such an affectionate action that he can't help be almost overwhelmed by it all.

The moment, however, ends when Cas mumbles, "Dean, I think I came on your car."

It's the last thing that he expected to hear, and it makes Dean dissolve into a fit of laughter with Castiel following quickly in his footsteps.

"S'okay, Cas," he says, pressing a chaste kiss against the man's cheek. "Just don't let it dry there."

They disentangle themselves from one another, and Dean uses his shirt to wipe at the front of the car. Both men clothe themselves as best they can in the dark and fumble around until they're hand in hand and body against body.

"Don't think I can drive home," Dean mumbles into Cas's shoulder.

"I don't think we can fit in the Coupe."

"Feel free to tell me I'm a bird-brained idiot, but how about we camp out here tonight," Dean suggests. "We've got blankets and..."

"I'd like that," Cas agrees, and Dean can practically hear the grin in his voice.

They do their best to make a halfway decent bed out of Dean's blankets. It's not spectacular, but the grass in the clearing is still soft, and they're really not in the mood to complain. They just wrap themselves up in one another's arms. Dean can bury his face in Castiel's hair and feel the man's warm breath against his chest. It's a nice assurance that this living, breathing creature is there next to him.

"G'night, Dean," Castiel mumbles.

"'Night, Cas."

"I love you."

Dean's heart stutters in his chest at the words. Sure, he's said them before, but they still scare him shitless, because love isn't something that lasts. Love is fleeting. It worms its way into your life and then destroys it from the inside like a cancerous disease. And he doesn't want to bring that kind of ache down on Castiel.

Castiel is asleep almost immediately, however, and Dean breathes a sigh of relief at not having to make that commitment.

_________

The two of them roll into their home in the morning well into the morning. Sam is already awake and nursing a cup of coffee on the couch as he reads the newspaper. He glances up at them as they stumble in with messy hair, rumpled clothes, and content expressions.

"Should I even ask where you two were last night?" he asks through a sigh.

Dean turns and gives a sly smile to Dean before saying, "We, uh, went on a camping trip."

"A spontaneous one," Castiel adds. However, the fact that they're still wrapped up in one another speaks to something a little more risque.

Sam purses his lips and nods, though his expression says, 'yeah right'. "I hope you two are being careful about where you screw around at."

Dean stops for a moment and looks back at his younger brother with an undefinable expression. "We are, Sammy."

"Just wanna make sure."

The serious moment doesn't defer Dean and Castiel for long. Within moments, they're kissing again and heading toward the showers to wash off the sweat and dirt from the night before.

It's only when they've finished and wander out into the living room hand and hand that they seem to have come down from the high they were riding on. Sam joins the both of them in the kitchen as they go about cooking breakfast together. He sits back and just admires it, because for the first time in a long time, there's a light shining in Dean's eyes, and there's a happiness that radiates off of him in waves. He thinks that there's a very distant familiarity within Dean's gaze, and he can't quite put his finger on it.

Dean squeezes Castiel's hand, and that's when Sam places it.

That's the same expression that Dean has on his face in the old photographs of their family that hang on the walls. Namely, in the one where Sam has just been born, and their mom was still alive.

It almost breaks Sam's heart that it's been so long since Dean has been so happy.

"Hey, Sammy. You want somethin', too?" Dean asks absently.

"Hm? Oh, no. I'm good."

Dean looks over and flicks a shred of cheese at his brother before returning his attention to the food before him. They're only making scrambled eggs, so they're finished a few minutes later and find themselves joining Sam at the kitchen table.

Nobody is talking much when Sam sees his chance. There's no eloquent way he can put it, so he suddenly blurts out, "I'm gonna ask Jess to marry me this weekend."