Unexpected Destinies Chapter 181
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,296
Summary: Raphael drops by for a visit while Dean's in the shower.
PRESENT
Dean was just finishing up a quick shower when the sound of wings reached him over the noise of the water and his own soft humming. He smiled, washed the remaining shampoo from his hair and opened his eyes to look at his angel.
"Hey, C-" Dean began and then broke off abruptly with a startled sound as he realized that it was not, in fact, his husband standing there but rather one of his bond brothers.
"Raph! What the hell?"
Silently Dean cursed the fact that this particular shower had the clear plastic sides instead of an opaque curtain like most motels had. It meant that he had to open the shower door and actually move closer to the archangel in order to be able to grab his towel so that he could cover himself. The whole time he was acutely aware of Raphael's eyes on him despite the fact that this particular bond brother of his should already know to look away. Why the archangel wasn't doing it he didn't know and, to make matters worse, he got the impression that Raphael was actually deliberately copping a peek.
It was amazing how uncomfortable it made Dean seeing as he'd never been at all shy about his body. It really was kinda amazing how differences in someone else's attitude could affect his own.
"I still fail to understand," Raphael stated, looking up at him in confusion when Dean was sure that his towel would stay put.
It confirmed his suspicion that the archangel's eyes had been trained lower before, but Dean was still completely mystified as to what had triggered this strange behavior. "Understand what? What's going on here, Raph? What are you doing here?"
"Attempting to understand."
"Yeah, that much I got. But what is it that you want to understand?"
"Sexual attraction."
Dean sputtered, eyes widening in shock. Sexual attraction? It was even further confirmation of his earlier suspicions about his bond brother's wandering eyes and he really should have known better than to just dismiss the thought. Sure, none of the angels other than Castiel or Gabriel had shown an interest in sex but they were still angels. Which meant that they had little to no concept of what was proper or was an acceptable human behavior and so if they'd ever gotten an idea like this in their heads, of course they'd act just like Raphael had done here. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose and reminded himself that his bond brother hadn't been moved by the looked he'd copped. It really was no different than having been viewed by a doctor.
"Why are you trying to understand sexual attraction?" Dean asked as soon as he was sure that his voice would come out steady.
"Because you and Castiel are so happy," Raphael replied.
The response made Dean blink. Oh, he had to admit that he hadn't seen that one coming. "That's because we're in love, Raph, not because we're sexually attracted to each other."
"I know, but Kelly said that love is often preluded by sexual attraction."
Okay, Dean could definitely see that, but he still made a mental note to give Kelly a call. Telling angels about humanity or answering their questions was one thing, but it had to be done carefully or it would result in precisely this type of scenario. He shuddered to think about what might have happened if his bond brother had chosen some random human to test his new knowledge on. The thought that the archangel could have popped in on Sam, though, made him smile. That particular image was quite pleasing indeed.
"So what, you decided to see if you found me arousing?" Dean asked, more amused now than anything else.
"Kelly said that I should try it with people that I knew well already as I might not realize my existing feelings for them," Raphael explained.
Yeah, Dean was so having a chat with Kelly. He was sure that she hadn't intended for the archangel to seek out him or any bond brother, but at the same time what she'd said should never have been suggested. Not to an angel whose grasp on the acceptable as far as human privacy went was still tenuous at the very best.
"Look, Raph, Kelly didn't mean me."
"But I don't know anyone else but you and Kelly."
"Which is why it's good you came to me instead of someone random, but you still can't do this, Raph."
Raphael frowned. "Because it violates your privacy?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"So why did Kelly say that I had to see someone naked?"
"Because she doesn't understand how angels think and didn't know that you'd take it this way. She probably meant for you to ask someone that you know or to go out and pick up a girl or guy and see them naked that way."
"But I wouldn't know them."
"For humans that doesn't always matter."
"Why not?"
"Because we like sex and in those instances, sex is the point, not the emotional relationship."
"You used to do this."
"Yeah."
That seemed to give his bond brother something to think about and Dean couldn't help but wonder what kind of conversation Raphael and Kelly had been having to lead to the whole discussion about sexual attraction. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know.
"I don't understand that," Raphael stated.
"That's because you're an angel and it's not in your nature to do that naturally."
"Gabriel did it. Or so I've been told."
"From what I saw, you're definitely right, but I have no idea how long it took him to get there. It could have been centuries."
As his bond brother pondered that, Dean considered his own situation. He'd really like to get dressed but it didn't seem like Raphael was going to leave any time soon and he felt that the archangel had already seen enough of him for one day as far as he was concerned.
"Hey, Raph, do you mind mojoing me dry and into my clothes?" Dean asked, indicating the boxers, jeans and shirt that he'd put out on the closed toilet lid before he'd gotten into the shower.
Raphael blinked, glanced at him and then the clothes, and the next thing that Dean knew, he was dried and dressed.
"Thanks," Dean said, grabbing his hair gel and moving to stand before the mirror.
There was a time when Raphael's silence and unwavering attention as he quickly did his hair would have annoyed him, but now Dean found it companionable. It was actually a really good thing that angelic vessels were essentially frozen in time when they were taken by their angel because otherwise he dreaded to think what state that they'd be in. His bond brother's fascination with such a simple act said all that was necessary as far as the archangel's knowledge of human hygiene was concerned.
"Dean?" Bobby called from the bedroom. "You here, boy?"
"Yeah, just a minute," Dean replied.
Pleased with his hair, Dean left the bathroom, his bond brother right on his heels. He didn't think of how that looked until Bobby did a double take, looking from him to Raphael and back before raising an eyebrow in question.
"Don't ask," Dean said, before elaborating when the older hunter kept looking pointedly at him. "Angels."
"Oh, right," Bobby responded, pulling a face.
Dean could tell from his friend's expression that Bobby was thinking something along the lines of better you than me. Yet somehow, despite his earlier embarrassment, he found that he wouldn't give it up for anything. For all of his little oddities, Raphael was family and he'd take all of his, or Michael's, quirks any day over more normal or human in-laws. They were his angels and that made it all okay even if they flew in on him naked in the shower because it wasn't done out of any maliciousness or desire to embarrass him but rather out of a genuine, if misguided, attempt to learn and understand.
"Did you need something, Bobby?" Dean questioned, grabbing an over shirt and pulling it on.
"I've been thinking about that hunt in Arizona."
"The one with the ra-ra?"
"What's a ra-ra?" Raphael inquired with a frown.
"It's Dean nickname for the creature we hunted as he can't pronounce it's real name," Bobby explained. "He means a rakjvora."
"You encountered a rakjvora? Those are extremely rare and almost impossible to kill."
"I know, we had a hell of a time finding anything on it. Luckily we weren't trying to kill it but rather put it back into the jewel it had been imprisoned in before."
"You should have called us," Raphael stated, turning to Dean. "We would gladly have helped."
"Trust me, if we'd needed you I wouldn't have hesitated to call," Dean replied.
"Before you needed the help or once you'd realized that you were in danger?"
Bobby laughed at the question and Dean glared at his friend, but it was tempered with the knowledge that his bond brother had hit the nail on the head so to speak. Didn't mean he had to admit to it though.
"We were aware of the danger," Dean countered. "One of the two hunters who'd gone after it originally was already dead and the other in the hospital. We'd taken precautions accordingly, not that they were necessary."
That seemed to disturb the archangel and Dean couldn't help but wonder what the ra-ra would have been like if it had chosen to fight.
"It didn't attack you?" Raphael questioned in disbelief.
"No, he took one look at Dean here and voluntarily ran at the jewel," Bobby explained.
"Well, it wasn't quite that easy," Dean argued. "He didn't run until he caught my scent. At first he just stood there and looked at me."
The shock on Raphael's face startled Dean but before he could ask about it, Michael and Castiel were suddenly in the room.
"What's wrong, Brother?" Michael asked.
"A rakjvora ran from Dean," Raphael responded. "And Dean could see it well enough to detect what it was doing."
"What? Why didn't you tell me, Dean?" Castiel demanded.
Dean blinked, surprised at his husband's fierceness. "I didn't really think anything of it."
"I did," Bobby stated. "I've had a look at some more books and I can't find any other kind of precedent for this."
"That is because there isn't one," Michael said.
"You know why it reacted like this?" Dean inquired.
"I can guess enough. It would have run because of Castiel's scent on you as we hunted down most of the rakjvoras shortly after they were first created by one of our fallen sisters."
"Castiel's scent?" Bobby questioned, voice going surprisingly high.
"Yeah, from the wing oil which is a critical component of angelic relationships," Dean supplied helpfully.
"No, no details! I don't want to know. I'm sorry I asked."
Only the fact that he really didn't want the older hunter thinking about him and Castiel too much kept Dean quiet. Otherwise it would have been far too tempting to keep going as an uncomfortable Bobby was far too much fun to leave alone under normal circumstances.
"Okay, that explains why the damn thing ran," Bobby continued, looking back at Michael. "But how was Dean able to see it? Sam and I most definitely couldn't and nor could my friend who'd hunted it first."
"That is less clear," Michael admitted. "Dean's bond with Castiel should not account for this type of effect."
"No, but Death's influence could," Castiel stated just before Dean felt an arm slip around his waist, pulling him close to his husband.
"Death?" Dean demanded, a flicker of fear coming to life within him. "What do you mean?"
"Hm, that is an interesting theory," Raphael commented.
"And entirely possible," Michael agreed.
"Guys?" Dean pushed. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember what I said about your soul after Death saved you?" Castiel asked.
Dean frowned at the reminder but forced himself to focus on the aftermath of the incident rather than what had happened itself. "Yeah, sure, you said that it resonated on a different frequency than before."
"What?" Bobby thundered. "He changed you?"
"Death is not God," Michael informed the older hunter calmly. "As such his work would be slightly different to Father's. Dean's soul is the same as before, but it couldn't have come through the ordeal without some slight change. I hadn't thought that it would result in any observable changes, but it would appear that it has allowed Dean to peer beyond the veil more than a normal human can. Rakjvoras are no longer entirely of this world and so are not visible to those restricted solely to this plane like humans are."
"But it's not going to have any bad effects, right?" Dean checked.
"No, Little One, not for someone already aware of the supernatural and who is knowledgeable of what is out there and therefore knows what it is that they are seeing."
Oh, that was a good point. Dean couldn't imagine what this would do to someone who didn't have a clue of what went bump in the night. It was a surprising insight for his bond brother to have and he was quite proud of Michael for having it and he tried shoving that feeling at the bond he shared with the archangel, not sure if it would work or not. The shift of his bond brother's stance and the way Michael looked at him told him that it had.
"Awesome," Dean replied. "Now, Mike, I don't suppose that you've gotten any further cracking that code, have you?"
As he said it, Dean reached out to his bond brother. It was an unconscious gesture that he did all the time with each of his brothers so he wouldn't have thought anything of it even if he had realized that he was doing it. As it was, though, it wasn't until he heard Bobby's gasp and noticed that his friend was looking at his hand that he became aware of doing it. Once he did, he realized that he'd done it with his left hand, thus making his new wedding band quite visible.
"You did it," Bobby whispered, looking at Castiel. "You got the rings."
Dean's eyes widened in surprise before he realized that he really should have guessed. His husband had said that the issue of the wedding bands had been brought to his attention and the only two people who Castiel knew that could have realized what wedding rings symbolized to him were Bobby and Sam. Somehow he couldn't picture his brother having had that particular insight, let alone having it now or telling his angel about it. Sam still seemed far too uncomfortable about the whole him and Cas thing for that. Which was kinda sad as he really wanted to be able to have both of his families at once instead of having to choose between them. Perhaps it was time for another intervention with Sam now that his brother'd had some time coming to terms with the fact that he was inherently like Lucifer on some level.
Personally Dean could understand why it was hard to come to grips with and his own mind still rebelled on some level to the idea. This was Sam after all, the little brother who he'd carried out of one burning building, dragged out of another one and all but raised. So, yeah, if there was one thing that he didn't want to do, it was to admit that his Sammy could be like the devil. It was part of why he'd shot Gabriel down so hard and fast the first time the archangel had tried to make them see that essential truth. After all of the time that he'd spent with Michael, though, and the evidence his little brother had so unwittingly provided himself, it was just no longer possible to deny it not matter how much he wanted to. Well that and his own new inability to deceive himself seemed to extend to being unable to excuse away all of Sam's actions as he'd done as a matter of course in the past.
"Yes," Castiel confirmed needlessly, drawing Dean out of his thoughts.
"Let me see," Bobby demanded.
For a moment, Dean felt a flash of doubt, the wording on the rings almost too personal to share, but then he remembered that it was all written in Enochian and while the older hunter had learned some of the basics of the angelic language, he was pretty sure that 'beloved' was not part of that. Which left him experiencing a kind of giddy excitement that made him feel a bit like a school girl before her first date. He ignored it, though, as part of the whole point of getting wedding rings was so that others would see them. None of which meant that he couldn't try and hide his feelings, however from the amusement that he detected coming from Michael, he knew that he wasn't succeeding very well.
"Only from me and Castiel, Little One," Michael whispered directly into his mind. "For the others your macho image is preserved."
"Bite me, Mike," Dean retorted, wondering where the hell his friend had picked up the word macho. He might just have to have a talk with Gwen as well as Kelly, since it definitely sounded like one of his cousin's words.
"No, that's my job," Castiel mock protested.
"Funny, you two are freaking hilarious. And shouldn't Mike really not be able to do this? I want a way to keep him out."
"We have had other research priorities," Michael replied.
Right, as if Dean was going to believe that. The archangel still had a ways to go if his friend thought that he'd fall for it while knowing how unprecedented this type of connection was between an angel and their vessel.
"Is that Enochian?" Bobby inquired, completely oblivious to the other conversation taking place on a level he couldn't hear.
"Yeah," Dean confirmed, throat dry as he looked at the writing himself.
His husband really had managed to pick the perfect words.
"Good choice," Bobby said, looking at Castiel with suspiciously wet eyes. "Now I've got to get back to the research, unlike some idjits."
"Hey, I've done more reading on this subject than you!" Dean protested.
Bobby huffed but didn't complain, looking instead back at the rings. "You going to tell Sam? It would be better than letting him discover it by seeing the wedding bands."
Crap, that was a very good point and one that Dean hadn't even thought of yet. The thing was, though the rings were new and meant more to him than he could say, he didn't consider his relationship with Castiel now any different from before. They were already bonded and the wedding bands were merely a symbol of that, not some new and deeper meaning or anything. But his brother might not see it that way as this brought the whole thing down to a human level that might be more understandable to Sam. He was pretty sure that his brother had been thinking, or at least starting to think, of asking Jess to marry him, so there was that whole issue to complicate things as well. He was the first person to understand just how greatly bad memories could impact one's perspective on things.
"Yes, we'll tell him," Castiel said.
"Actually, that's probably something I should be do alone," Dean stated. "Sam would take it better coming from me and besides, I think it's high time Sam and I talked about a few things we've danced about so far."
A.N.: Up next: Sam & Dean...
Chapter 182
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,296
Summary: Raphael drops by for a visit while Dean's in the shower.
PRESENT
Dean was just finishing up a quick shower when the sound of wings reached him over the noise of the water and his own soft humming. He smiled, washed the remaining shampoo from his hair and opened his eyes to look at his angel.
"Hey, C-" Dean began and then broke off abruptly with a startled sound as he realized that it was not, in fact, his husband standing there but rather one of his bond brothers.
"Raph! What the hell?"
Silently Dean cursed the fact that this particular shower had the clear plastic sides instead of an opaque curtain like most motels had. It meant that he had to open the shower door and actually move closer to the archangel in order to be able to grab his towel so that he could cover himself. The whole time he was acutely aware of Raphael's eyes on him despite the fact that this particular bond brother of his should already know to look away. Why the archangel wasn't doing it he didn't know and, to make matters worse, he got the impression that Raphael was actually deliberately copping a peek.
It was amazing how uncomfortable it made Dean seeing as he'd never been at all shy about his body. It really was kinda amazing how differences in someone else's attitude could affect his own.
"I still fail to understand," Raphael stated, looking up at him in confusion when Dean was sure that his towel would stay put.
It confirmed his suspicion that the archangel's eyes had been trained lower before, but Dean was still completely mystified as to what had triggered this strange behavior. "Understand what? What's going on here, Raph? What are you doing here?"
"Attempting to understand."
"Yeah, that much I got. But what is it that you want to understand?"
"Sexual attraction."
Dean sputtered, eyes widening in shock. Sexual attraction? It was even further confirmation of his earlier suspicions about his bond brother's wandering eyes and he really should have known better than to just dismiss the thought. Sure, none of the angels other than Castiel or Gabriel had shown an interest in sex but they were still angels. Which meant that they had little to no concept of what was proper or was an acceptable human behavior and so if they'd ever gotten an idea like this in their heads, of course they'd act just like Raphael had done here. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose and reminded himself that his bond brother hadn't been moved by the looked he'd copped. It really was no different than having been viewed by a doctor.
"Why are you trying to understand sexual attraction?" Dean asked as soon as he was sure that his voice would come out steady.
"Because you and Castiel are so happy," Raphael replied.
The response made Dean blink. Oh, he had to admit that he hadn't seen that one coming. "That's because we're in love, Raph, not because we're sexually attracted to each other."
"I know, but Kelly said that love is often preluded by sexual attraction."
Okay, Dean could definitely see that, but he still made a mental note to give Kelly a call. Telling angels about humanity or answering their questions was one thing, but it had to be done carefully or it would result in precisely this type of scenario. He shuddered to think about what might have happened if his bond brother had chosen some random human to test his new knowledge on. The thought that the archangel could have popped in on Sam, though, made him smile. That particular image was quite pleasing indeed.
"So what, you decided to see if you found me arousing?" Dean asked, more amused now than anything else.
"Kelly said that I should try it with people that I knew well already as I might not realize my existing feelings for them," Raphael explained.
Yeah, Dean was so having a chat with Kelly. He was sure that she hadn't intended for the archangel to seek out him or any bond brother, but at the same time what she'd said should never have been suggested. Not to an angel whose grasp on the acceptable as far as human privacy went was still tenuous at the very best.
"Look, Raph, Kelly didn't mean me."
"But I don't know anyone else but you and Kelly."
"Which is why it's good you came to me instead of someone random, but you still can't do this, Raph."
Raphael frowned. "Because it violates your privacy?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"So why did Kelly say that I had to see someone naked?"
"Because she doesn't understand how angels think and didn't know that you'd take it this way. She probably meant for you to ask someone that you know or to go out and pick up a girl or guy and see them naked that way."
"But I wouldn't know them."
"For humans that doesn't always matter."
"Why not?"
"Because we like sex and in those instances, sex is the point, not the emotional relationship."
"You used to do this."
"Yeah."
That seemed to give his bond brother something to think about and Dean couldn't help but wonder what kind of conversation Raphael and Kelly had been having to lead to the whole discussion about sexual attraction. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know.
"I don't understand that," Raphael stated.
"That's because you're an angel and it's not in your nature to do that naturally."
"Gabriel did it. Or so I've been told."
"From what I saw, you're definitely right, but I have no idea how long it took him to get there. It could have been centuries."
As his bond brother pondered that, Dean considered his own situation. He'd really like to get dressed but it didn't seem like Raphael was going to leave any time soon and he felt that the archangel had already seen enough of him for one day as far as he was concerned.
"Hey, Raph, do you mind mojoing me dry and into my clothes?" Dean asked, indicating the boxers, jeans and shirt that he'd put out on the closed toilet lid before he'd gotten into the shower.
Raphael blinked, glanced at him and then the clothes, and the next thing that Dean knew, he was dried and dressed.
"Thanks," Dean said, grabbing his hair gel and moving to stand before the mirror.
There was a time when Raphael's silence and unwavering attention as he quickly did his hair would have annoyed him, but now Dean found it companionable. It was actually a really good thing that angelic vessels were essentially frozen in time when they were taken by their angel because otherwise he dreaded to think what state that they'd be in. His bond brother's fascination with such a simple act said all that was necessary as far as the archangel's knowledge of human hygiene was concerned.
"Dean?" Bobby called from the bedroom. "You here, boy?"
"Yeah, just a minute," Dean replied.
Pleased with his hair, Dean left the bathroom, his bond brother right on his heels. He didn't think of how that looked until Bobby did a double take, looking from him to Raphael and back before raising an eyebrow in question.
"Don't ask," Dean said, before elaborating when the older hunter kept looking pointedly at him. "Angels."
"Oh, right," Bobby responded, pulling a face.
Dean could tell from his friend's expression that Bobby was thinking something along the lines of better you than me. Yet somehow, despite his earlier embarrassment, he found that he wouldn't give it up for anything. For all of his little oddities, Raphael was family and he'd take all of his, or Michael's, quirks any day over more normal or human in-laws. They were his angels and that made it all okay even if they flew in on him naked in the shower because it wasn't done out of any maliciousness or desire to embarrass him but rather out of a genuine, if misguided, attempt to learn and understand.
"Did you need something, Bobby?" Dean questioned, grabbing an over shirt and pulling it on.
"I've been thinking about that hunt in Arizona."
"The one with the ra-ra?"
"What's a ra-ra?" Raphael inquired with a frown.
"It's Dean nickname for the creature we hunted as he can't pronounce it's real name," Bobby explained. "He means a rakjvora."
"You encountered a rakjvora? Those are extremely rare and almost impossible to kill."
"I know, we had a hell of a time finding anything on it. Luckily we weren't trying to kill it but rather put it back into the jewel it had been imprisoned in before."
"You should have called us," Raphael stated, turning to Dean. "We would gladly have helped."
"Trust me, if we'd needed you I wouldn't have hesitated to call," Dean replied.
"Before you needed the help or once you'd realized that you were in danger?"
Bobby laughed at the question and Dean glared at his friend, but it was tempered with the knowledge that his bond brother had hit the nail on the head so to speak. Didn't mean he had to admit to it though.
"We were aware of the danger," Dean countered. "One of the two hunters who'd gone after it originally was already dead and the other in the hospital. We'd taken precautions accordingly, not that they were necessary."
That seemed to disturb the archangel and Dean couldn't help but wonder what the ra-ra would have been like if it had chosen to fight.
"It didn't attack you?" Raphael questioned in disbelief.
"No, he took one look at Dean here and voluntarily ran at the jewel," Bobby explained.
"Well, it wasn't quite that easy," Dean argued. "He didn't run until he caught my scent. At first he just stood there and looked at me."
The shock on Raphael's face startled Dean but before he could ask about it, Michael and Castiel were suddenly in the room.
"What's wrong, Brother?" Michael asked.
"A rakjvora ran from Dean," Raphael responded. "And Dean could see it well enough to detect what it was doing."
"What? Why didn't you tell me, Dean?" Castiel demanded.
Dean blinked, surprised at his husband's fierceness. "I didn't really think anything of it."
"I did," Bobby stated. "I've had a look at some more books and I can't find any other kind of precedent for this."
"That is because there isn't one," Michael said.
"You know why it reacted like this?" Dean inquired.
"I can guess enough. It would have run because of Castiel's scent on you as we hunted down most of the rakjvoras shortly after they were first created by one of our fallen sisters."
"Castiel's scent?" Bobby questioned, voice going surprisingly high.
"Yeah, from the wing oil which is a critical component of angelic relationships," Dean supplied helpfully.
"No, no details! I don't want to know. I'm sorry I asked."
Only the fact that he really didn't want the older hunter thinking about him and Castiel too much kept Dean quiet. Otherwise it would have been far too tempting to keep going as an uncomfortable Bobby was far too much fun to leave alone under normal circumstances.
"Okay, that explains why the damn thing ran," Bobby continued, looking back at Michael. "But how was Dean able to see it? Sam and I most definitely couldn't and nor could my friend who'd hunted it first."
"That is less clear," Michael admitted. "Dean's bond with Castiel should not account for this type of effect."
"No, but Death's influence could," Castiel stated just before Dean felt an arm slip around his waist, pulling him close to his husband.
"Death?" Dean demanded, a flicker of fear coming to life within him. "What do you mean?"
"Hm, that is an interesting theory," Raphael commented.
"And entirely possible," Michael agreed.
"Guys?" Dean pushed. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember what I said about your soul after Death saved you?" Castiel asked.
Dean frowned at the reminder but forced himself to focus on the aftermath of the incident rather than what had happened itself. "Yeah, sure, you said that it resonated on a different frequency than before."
"What?" Bobby thundered. "He changed you?"
"Death is not God," Michael informed the older hunter calmly. "As such his work would be slightly different to Father's. Dean's soul is the same as before, but it couldn't have come through the ordeal without some slight change. I hadn't thought that it would result in any observable changes, but it would appear that it has allowed Dean to peer beyond the veil more than a normal human can. Rakjvoras are no longer entirely of this world and so are not visible to those restricted solely to this plane like humans are."
"But it's not going to have any bad effects, right?" Dean checked.
"No, Little One, not for someone already aware of the supernatural and who is knowledgeable of what is out there and therefore knows what it is that they are seeing."
Oh, that was a good point. Dean couldn't imagine what this would do to someone who didn't have a clue of what went bump in the night. It was a surprising insight for his bond brother to have and he was quite proud of Michael for having it and he tried shoving that feeling at the bond he shared with the archangel, not sure if it would work or not. The shift of his bond brother's stance and the way Michael looked at him told him that it had.
"Awesome," Dean replied. "Now, Mike, I don't suppose that you've gotten any further cracking that code, have you?"
As he said it, Dean reached out to his bond brother. It was an unconscious gesture that he did all the time with each of his brothers so he wouldn't have thought anything of it even if he had realized that he was doing it. As it was, though, it wasn't until he heard Bobby's gasp and noticed that his friend was looking at his hand that he became aware of doing it. Once he did, he realized that he'd done it with his left hand, thus making his new wedding band quite visible.
"You did it," Bobby whispered, looking at Castiel. "You got the rings."
Dean's eyes widened in surprise before he realized that he really should have guessed. His husband had said that the issue of the wedding bands had been brought to his attention and the only two people who Castiel knew that could have realized what wedding rings symbolized to him were Bobby and Sam. Somehow he couldn't picture his brother having had that particular insight, let alone having it now or telling his angel about it. Sam still seemed far too uncomfortable about the whole him and Cas thing for that. Which was kinda sad as he really wanted to be able to have both of his families at once instead of having to choose between them. Perhaps it was time for another intervention with Sam now that his brother'd had some time coming to terms with the fact that he was inherently like Lucifer on some level.
Personally Dean could understand why it was hard to come to grips with and his own mind still rebelled on some level to the idea. This was Sam after all, the little brother who he'd carried out of one burning building, dragged out of another one and all but raised. So, yeah, if there was one thing that he didn't want to do, it was to admit that his Sammy could be like the devil. It was part of why he'd shot Gabriel down so hard and fast the first time the archangel had tried to make them see that essential truth. After all of the time that he'd spent with Michael, though, and the evidence his little brother had so unwittingly provided himself, it was just no longer possible to deny it not matter how much he wanted to. Well that and his own new inability to deceive himself seemed to extend to being unable to excuse away all of Sam's actions as he'd done as a matter of course in the past.
"Yes," Castiel confirmed needlessly, drawing Dean out of his thoughts.
"Let me see," Bobby demanded.
For a moment, Dean felt a flash of doubt, the wording on the rings almost too personal to share, but then he remembered that it was all written in Enochian and while the older hunter had learned some of the basics of the angelic language, he was pretty sure that 'beloved' was not part of that. Which left him experiencing a kind of giddy excitement that made him feel a bit like a school girl before her first date. He ignored it, though, as part of the whole point of getting wedding rings was so that others would see them. None of which meant that he couldn't try and hide his feelings, however from the amusement that he detected coming from Michael, he knew that he wasn't succeeding very well.
"Only from me and Castiel, Little One," Michael whispered directly into his mind. "For the others your macho image is preserved."
"Bite me, Mike," Dean retorted, wondering where the hell his friend had picked up the word macho. He might just have to have a talk with Gwen as well as Kelly, since it definitely sounded like one of his cousin's words.
"No, that's my job," Castiel mock protested.
"Funny, you two are freaking hilarious. And shouldn't Mike really not be able to do this? I want a way to keep him out."
"We have had other research priorities," Michael replied.
Right, as if Dean was going to believe that. The archangel still had a ways to go if his friend thought that he'd fall for it while knowing how unprecedented this type of connection was between an angel and their vessel.
"Is that Enochian?" Bobby inquired, completely oblivious to the other conversation taking place on a level he couldn't hear.
"Yeah," Dean confirmed, throat dry as he looked at the writing himself.
His husband really had managed to pick the perfect words.
"Good choice," Bobby said, looking at Castiel with suspiciously wet eyes. "Now I've got to get back to the research, unlike some idjits."
"Hey, I've done more reading on this subject than you!" Dean protested.
Bobby huffed but didn't complain, looking instead back at the rings. "You going to tell Sam? It would be better than letting him discover it by seeing the wedding bands."
Crap, that was a very good point and one that Dean hadn't even thought of yet. The thing was, though the rings were new and meant more to him than he could say, he didn't consider his relationship with Castiel now any different from before. They were already bonded and the wedding bands were merely a symbol of that, not some new and deeper meaning or anything. But his brother might not see it that way as this brought the whole thing down to a human level that might be more understandable to Sam. He was pretty sure that his brother had been thinking, or at least starting to think, of asking Jess to marry him, so there was that whole issue to complicate things as well. He was the first person to understand just how greatly bad memories could impact one's perspective on things.
"Yes, we'll tell him," Castiel said.
"Actually, that's probably something I should be do alone," Dean stated. "Sam would take it better coming from me and besides, I think it's high time Sam and I talked about a few things we've danced about so far."
A.N.: Up next: Sam & Dean...
Chapter 182