My Big Fat Gay Angel Wedding
Author - lafleurdumal85
Rating: R
Length - 9,350
Warnings - sexual references, language
Summary - Written in response to a request by frankwill_21, who wanted AUs based on romantic comedies. Inspired by My Big Fat Greek Wedding, angels have been living amongst humans for years, and Castiel is used to his large, dysfunctional family, who are devoted to keeping tradition alive. But everything changes when Dean Winchester walks into the restaurant Cas works at.
Disclaimer - Not my sandbox, I just play here.
Angels were old news now. As far as Castiel was concerned, that was a good thing - he could remember what it had been like twenty years ago when Heaven had first been vacated, and they hadn’t been able to move for humans taking photographs or asking them to perform miracles, No one cared much now, and the Earthbound angels had lost most of their celestial powers. Castiel was perfectly satisfied with this - all the attention had been somewhat confusing and embarrassing. He hadn’t understood what was so great about being an angel. They were just... different, that was all.
This was not a sentiment shared by his family.
“We have to keep our heritage alive!” Michael insisted. “We are a proud and noble species, and we should never forget it!”
Sometimes Castiel wondered whether this was entirely accurate. He lived with eight of his siblings in the suburbs of Chicago in an old Victorian mansion with ivy growing up the walls. They had once made up Heaven’s finest garrison in the battle against the forces of Hell, and even though the war had been over for almost a century, Lucifer was running a successful anger management course in Hawaii, and God was... well, God knows where, Castiel’s family still felt the need to keep tradition alive.
“Give me any word,” Michael would say to the patrons of the downtown Chicago restaurant the family owned. “Any word you can think of, and I guarantee you that its origins can be found in Enochian.”
Castiel would grimace with embarrassment, and pour the bewildered customers more coffee.
“None of them care,” he regularly told his older brother. “Angels don’t interest people any more; we would do better to adapt to life amongst the humans rather than force our ways upon them.”
Michael would look at Castiel sadly and shake his head. “If we don’t keep the ways of the old world alive, they will be forgotten forever. Castiel, you should show more loyalty to your heritage - you’re five million years old and you haven’t found a bond mate yet. You’re getting so... old!”
Castiel hated when their conversations went down this route. “What about Balthazar?” he would protest. “He doesn’t have a bond mate either!”
“He’s younger than you are! He has plenty of time.”
Castiel would sigh, knowing it would be useless to argue the point any further. Balthazar had always been Michael’s favorite.
Castiel didn’t see the point of trying to change things. He knew that he was a disappointment to his family, and that he would never really fit in amongst humans: his big black wings always set him apart and made blending in impossible. It didn’t help that everything his family did made them stick out even more than they already did. From their house, decorated with murals depicting biblical scenes, to crazy Raphael, who had had to be taken from Heaven by force and still spoke only in Enochian and refused to believe that the war against Hell was over. They frequently received calls from their irate human neighbours, complaining that ‘that psychotic angel’ was on their roof again waving that damn fiery angelic sword and threatening them with eternal damnation unless they turn to The Light. The worst part was that the humans thought they were all the same. They were the angels, beings set apart, and there was no point getting to know them individually. Castiel loved his family very much, but he envied the humans’ ability to forge their own identities, and have relationships with others that were based on shared values and affection. Castiel was expected to find a bond mate who was also an angel, and could possibly forge bonds with another former garrison. Everything was ‘for the good of the family’, and Castiel hated himself for resenting it, but he couldn’t help himself. For once, he wanted something that was his alone, something special to him. He wanted someone who would look at him and see more than just an angel.
“You are who you are,” Rachel, Michael’s bond mate would tell him. “You’re an angel, and you should be proud of that, but it doesn’t make you any less special or unique.”
Castiel appreciated her efforts to make him feel better, but he knew that she didn’t really understand.
Castiel had a job at the family restaurant, called Angels in America. He enjoyed the opportunity to watch the people who came in to eat, and catch glimpses of life outside an angelic garrison. Ideally, he would have liked to work in an environment that was more suited to his sensibilities, but Michael had assigned him to the wait staff at the restaurant, and Castiel knew that what Michael says, goes.
...
It had been Sam’s idea to go to Angels in America for lunch. Dean would have been happy to go to any old diner, but his little brother had developed an obsession lately with themed restaurants. Last week it had been the Rainforest Cafe, the week before that it had been Ye Olde Taverne, where they had been serenaded by a man playing a lute. This week, Sam wanted to go to a restaurant owned and run by angels.
Dean had been reluctant to say the least. It was true that his contact with angels had been limited, but as far as he could tell, they were kind of dicks. He’d grown up listening to the stories of his father and grandfather about how the angels had mostly been more hindrance than help in the war against the forces of Hell. Even now that everything had settled down, Dean still had the distinct impression that the angels thought they were a cut above the rest of them, and it wasn’t like most of them went out of their way to help clean up afterwards. It wasn’t that Dean disliked angels. He was just... wary. Still, Dean had always had a weakness when it came to indulging his little brother’s whims, and so he found himself sitting in a bona fide angel restaurant that Saturday afternoon, impatiently waiting for his crab cakes to arrive.
“This place is amazing!” Sam enthused, gazing up at the high stucco ceiling with its mural of a cherub-filled sky. “It’s like a cathedral!”
“Yeah.” Dean was eyeing the red-headed waitress who was smiling at him flirtatiously from where she was taking orders at the next table. She was cute. She’d be even cuter, Dean decided, if she brought him his crab cakes. Dean had never actually seen an angel up close - it was rare for them to populate urban areas - and he hadn’t really appreciated how beautiful they actually were. With their glossy feathers, and their bright eyes, and their luminescent skin...
“I don’t think I gave angels a fair chance,” Dean said.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Right. Now that you know they can be hot, you’re willing to reassess your opinion.”
Dean was about to protest, when their food arrived. It wasn’t the pretty redhead who brought it though, it was a dishevelled, dark haired male angel with the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen. He was standing by their table, two plates of food in his hands, and he was staring at Dean.
“Uh... hi,” Dean said.
The angel stared.
“Crab cakes?”
The angel blinked. He was, Dean noticed, hot. In a rumpled, just-got-out-of-bed kind of way.
“Um, are you okay?” Sam asked.
The angel started a little, glancing over at Sam as if noticing him for the first time. “Oh. Um, I’m sorry about that. I just... zoned out a little.” He turned his attention back to Dean. “I... you... wanted something?”
Dean smiled. “My lunch?”
The angel’s eyes grew wide. “Oh! I’m so sorry. You must think I’m... That is, I apologize.” He sets their plates down and backed away, knocking into the table behind him.
Sam smiled and shook his head as soon as the angel had hurried out of sight. “I thought they were supposed to be good communicators! Messengers of God, and all that.”
Dean shrugged, feeling a little annoyed. “I guess God doesn’t have much to say to anyone these days.” He took a bite of his crab cakes, and made a noise that he was fairly sure was indecent. “Sweet baby Jesus, these are amazing! Who knew the feathery bastards could cook?”
Sam grinned. “See? I told you this place would be good.”
Dean had to agree. It was more than just the food, though. Dean couldn’t help glancing around, hoping for another look at the weird angel with the dusky wings and the piercing blue eyes. And he couldn’t help be disappointed when the pretty female angel with red hair brought them their dessert.
...
It was a grey day, and it suited Castiel’s mood perfectly.
“What is your problem?” Balthazar had asked him that morning. “You’ve been wafting around the house with that look on your face for days now.”
“I am not wafting around,” Castiel had retorted.
“Whatever you say, darling. Whatever you say.”
Castiel knew what had provoked his escalating feelings of frustration: that beautiful man he’d seen at the restaurant last week. Every time he thought about it, his insides screwed up in embarrassment. He’d made a complete fool of himself. He’d just stood there staring at the guy. He must have thought Castiel was insane. And the worst part was that Castiel used to be important, renowned throughout Heaven for his excellent battle strategies. Okay, so he hadn’t been one of the top warrior angels like Michael or Raphael, but he’d been respected. He’d been needed. He knew that they’d have to adjust now that the angels had come to Earth, but did it really mean that he had to do this job that didn’t interest him, and wasn’t allowed to adapt to this new life? He could have made a good impression on that human, he thought, if he’d had the opportunity to learn their ways.
Rachel came to see him in his bedroom that evening. She sat down beside him on his bed and began to groom his wings. Castiel immediately began to relax and lean into the touch. Grooming was a sign of affection and closeness, reserved only for angels within the same garrison. He appreciated the gesture, her showing him that she cared and she wanted him to feel better.
“I’m sorry you’re not happy,” she said.
Castiel shook his head. “I don’t want you to think I’m not... I love you all so much. You’re my family, and I don’t want to... I just feel trapped. I feel like I could be doing something really useful, like I was before. Or at least something challenging. I don’t know what my purpose is any more. I don’t know where I fit in this world, and I hate that I’ve disappointed you all by my failure to find a bond mate, but I can’t just pick someone unless I feel strongly enough about them to want to be with only them for always, and I can’t possibly do that unless I feel like I’m fully myself, and I... I want to do something. I want to have the chance to learn more about this world and about the humans, but I know that Michael won’t allow it. I know he won’t.”
Rachel ran her fingers through his feathers soothingly. “Shh. Don’t you worry about Michael. I’m his bond mate, remember? What is it that you want to do?”
Castiel looked at her shyly. “Well, I... I’ve been... there’s a community college not far from the restaurant, and I know they run business classes in the evening. I thought that... this if I were allowed to attend, I might be able to better understand how we can fit in amongst the humans, and I might be able to contribute more to our business ventures. I want to feel like I'm doing something useful again.”
Rachel nodded and gave him a smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Castiel was comforted, but he didn’t hold out much hope. He knew that Michael had a will of iron.
It was therefore quite a surprise when Michael approached him the following morning.
“Castiel, I’ve been thinking,” he said. “It might be a good idea if you took a more active role in the running of our businesses. I know you’ve expressed an interest in learning the ways of humans, and perhaps it might be a good idea if you follow up on that. Rachel tells me there’s an evening class in business studies at the community college. I want you to attend. You were our best strategist, and I think it’s time we take advantage of that.”
Castiel noticed Rachel, who was standing behind her bond mate with a satisfied smile.
“As you wish, brother,” Castiel said, stunned.
Michael gave a satisfied nod. “Good. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Once Michael had left, Castiel turned to Rachel. “How did you do it?”
She laughed. “As you said, Michael has a will of iron, and is used to getting his own way. All I had to do was make him think he came up with the idea himself. I’ve gotten quite good at it over the centuries.”
Castiel left the house that day with a renewed admiration for his sister.
Going to college was challenging and exciting, and Castiel soon began to form ideas of how his family could enrich their businesses. He started to make friends with other students, and his confidence grew. He bought himself a couple of new suits, and he cut his hair. He was beginning to feel like his old self again.
About a month after starting the course, Castiel went to Michael with a suggestion.
“I think we should do more to increase our philanthropic activities. We have plenty of money, but we’re not really doing anything to help improve people’s lives. We should make an effort to contribute to charitable organizations. There’s our collection of religious art, for example. I believe it would be of great interest to many people. We’re not using the downtown warehouse we bought - why don’t we convert it into a gallery? We could donate all proceeds to charity.”
To his surprise, Michael agreed to the proposal, and Castiel soon found himself fully occupied with preparing the gallery, liaising with charitable organizations, and promoting the upcoming exhibition. He still thought about the man he’d seen at the restaurant, and wondered who he was. It made him feel strangely wistful to know that he’d probably never see the man again, but Castiel would always be grateful to him for being the catalyst for the changes he’d made. His only regret was that he’d made such a fool of himself. He’d acted like a complete idiot in front of the man, and had spent the next hour hiding in the kitchen because he’d been so embarrassed. There was no way the stranger could have found Castiel remotely attractive. Still, it didn’t matter; it wasn’t as if Castiel’s family would ever approve of him forming a relationship with anyone who wasn’t another angel.
...
Dean really had to stop indulging Sam’s crazy whims. Ever since their meal at Angels in America, Sam had been obsessed with everything angel-related, and when his fiancée Sarah announced that an art gallery owned by angels was about to open, he was determined to go. Which would have been fine, if he hadn’t insisted that Dean come along too. It was true that Dean’s opinion of angels had improved considerably of late, but there was only so much art he could cope with, and with Sarah working at the Art Institute he already felt like he’d filled his quota, thank you very much. But then Sam had given him the puppy eyes, and said that it really would be good to go out somewhere that wasn’t a bar, and he’d refused to shut up about it until Dean had relented.
He managed to last about ten minutes faking interest while Sam and Sarah rhapsodised about the paintings and said things like ‘baroque’ and ‘chiaroscuro’, before he wandered off by himself. He just wasn’t an art gallery sort of person.
But then, a man could change.
There was an angel standing next to a statue of Saint Sebastian, talking to a curator. An angel with black wings and messy hair. He looked good. The curator walked away, and Dean’s angel turned his attention to the Hieronymus Bosch painting behind him. Dean could feel his heart speed up a little. He’d always considered himself to be non-discriminatory when it came to sexual attraction, but he’d never had a serious thing for someone of a different species. Not counting his crush on Daryl Hannah in Splash. Still, maybe it was time to make an exception.
“My brother and I killed one of those once,” he said, coming to stand next to the angel and pointing to a squashed gremlin creature at the bottom of the painting.
The angel looked at him in shock. “It’s you.”
Dean grinned. “You remember me.”
“I... yes. I didn’t think I’d... What are you doing here?”
“My brother made me come. I really should thank him; every time he makes me go places I end up running into you.”
The angel blinked, then smiled slowly. “You... you like running into me?”
“It’s becoming one of my favorite pastimes.”
The angel’s cheeks colored slightly. “I... I wouldn’t have thought you’d remember me.”
“You make quite an impression.”
The angel looked pained. “I... you should know that back then I was... Well, I’m sorry if I acted like an idiot.”
“You didn’t,” Dean said. “I liked you.”
The angel looked like he didn’t know what to say to that, and Dean smiled.
“I’m Dean.”
“Castiel. It’s good to meet you, Dean.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Castiel smiled. “Yes. I would like that very much.”
...
Castiel wondered whether he would ever get used to the strange combination of elation and guilt he’d been experiencing since he’d first agreed to go out with Dean. The longer it went on the harder it got, because Castiel was becoming more and more sure that he was really falling in love with this man. Dean was funny and charming, and he was introducing Castiel to a world he’d never really known had existed. Most importantly, he didn’t give a damn that Castiel was an angel. Dean liked him for who he was, and the things he did, and the thoughts he had. Okay, he was also kind of obsessed with Castiel’s wings, but that was understandable. They were pretty hard to ignore. But Dean didn’t constantly talk religion with him and he didn’t demand that Castiel performed miracles. He asked about what Castiel thought of the film they’d gone to see, or what food he liked, or the places he’d travelled to.
And then there was the kissing. Castiel had never kissed anyone before. He had never really had the occasion, and there had always been something more important to occupy him. He’d never really been attracted to anyone in that way before he met Dean. But when he’d been walking with Dean along the waterfront on the evening of the first date, and Dean had grabbed hold of him and kissed him, slow and languorous, Castiel began to see what all the fuss was about.
It hadn’t gone any further than that yet. Castiel wanted it to - God, did he ever want it to. Dean made him feel things he didn’t even know he was capable of, and every time they were necking furiously in Dean’s car, and Dean would thread his fingers through Castiel’s feathers (and it was completely different from when his family did it), Castiel would almost lose control.
It was the guilt that held him back. The guilt of lying to his family, saying that he had to work late whenever he met with Dean. Hiding the fact that he was finally experiencing those feelings that the bonded members of his family described when they spoke about their partner. Guilt that they would be so disappointed when they found out. Castiel knew that angel/human partnerships, even bondings, were not entirely unheard of, but the angels did not generally look on them with favour. Castiel didn’t know what to do. He knew that this couldn’t go on forever, but he couldn’t see how he could possibly make everyone happy.
To make matters worse, Dean had started to ask questions about Castiel’s home life.
“So how many of you are there?” he asked one evening as they rode the ferris wheel on Navy Pier. “In your... is it a family?”
“Not in the sense that you would think of family, but yes. And... and there are nine of us. I love the lights on the water. Have you ever been sailing on the lake?”
“You always do that! You always try and throw me off topic whenever I ask about your family.”
Castiel shrugged, uncomfortable. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I want to know about you! All of you! I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Cas, but the way you make me feel... I get excited every time I’m about to see you. You’re like no one I’ve ever met, and I... I want to be a part of your life.”
Castiel looked out over the lights of the city. “It’s... complicated. I’m part of this big, extended, crazy family of angels, and... and Gabriel’s always pulling pranks by making images of Jesus appear in people’s food, and Michael thinks that all illnesses can be solved by the application of holy water, and Zachariah and Uriel always regale anyone who will listen with tales of the sinners they have smited, and Raphael will only talk in Enochian... I love them so much, but I’m afraid that if you meet them you won’t want anything more to do with me, because why would you want to be associated with that? And... and I very much doubt that they would approve of us. I’m supposed to find a bond mate who is another angel, and... and...” Castiel stopped, embarrassed.
“Bond mate?” Dean asked.
Castiel swallowed. “Yes. Where one angel’s grace is bound to another’s in a special ceremony. Like a marriage. The bonded pair are connected to one another for all eternity, and they can share... a deeper understanding of one another. It’s hard to explain.”
“And you can only do that with another angel?” Dean’s voice was quiet, and Castiel didn’t want to analyze what it meant.
“No. It is possible for an angel to bond their grace to a human’s soul, but... it isn’t common. It’s not really... the done thing.”
Dean was quiet and pensive after that, and Castiel was sure, horribly sure, that the only thing preventing Dean from running for the hills was the fact that they were strapped into a fairground ride, thirty feet off the ground.
But then Dean took him by surprise. “I love you. I know it’s crazy, and I know it’s gonna be hard, but I... oh, man, you make me feel like anything’s possible. Like I could actually do something with my life. I don’t have an explanation for it, but I’m sure as hell not gonna walk away just because it’s not gonna be an easy ride. And trust me, I know all about crazy families. I’m not gonna get scared off, and I’m not gonna pressurize you, so... so whatever else you’re worried about, you don’t have to worry about me. If you need more time before telling your family about us, that’s fine by me, but... but I’d really like for you to meet mine.”
Castiel didn’t know what to say. All he could do was nod, then kiss Dean until the ferris wheel attendant told them they had to get off because they were keeping people waiting.
...
Castiel met Dean’s family the following week, and he started to understand why his boyfriend had described them as ‘unconventional’. Castiel had known certain things - Dean’s parents were both dead, he was close to his brother, he came from a long line of hunters, and both his parents had died at the hands of malevolent forces, before the battles against the forces of Hell had died down. Sam and Dean still thought of themselves as hunters, and still worked the occasional case, but there was very little for them to do these days. The brothers both had day jobs - Sam as an attorney, Dean as an auto shop teacher at a local high school. While he’d obviously known about hunters, Castiel had never had any direct contact with them before, and when he met everyone for dinner at Sam and Sarah’s house, the experience was a little overwhelming. Beside Sam and Sarah, there was Bobby, an older hunter who had known Sam and Dean’s father, and had helped raise the boys after the death of their mother, and his wife Jody. Then there was Ellen, who Dean said was like a surrogate mother, and her daughter Jo. There was Adam, Dean’s half brother, there was Pam, a psychic who often worked with the brothers, and there was Ash, Ellen’s adopted son, and self-proclaimed computer genius. For the Winchesters, Castiel discovered, family did not end with blood. Everyone was welcoming and friendly, barely able to contain their curiosity about Castiel, and it was all a little overwhelming. Dean had been right to say that they were dysfunctional, but it was an entirely different kind of dysfunctional from what Castiel was accustomed to. There were no rules or guidelines, and people did whatever the hell they wanted.
Castiel liked Dean’s family, but the longer he spent with them the more certain he became that his own family would not take the news of his relationship with Dean very well. They were just so different. Dean had been so accepting, and when it was just the two of them things were perfect, but how much would he actually be able to put up with? And would he ever really want to go through with a bonding ceremony, and everything it would entail? Castiel just couldn’t be sure.
...
Dean had been nervous, but he thought the evening had gone pretty well. He’d warned everyone to tone themselves down a little and to be on their best behaviour for Castiel, and none of them had let him down too badly. Castiel had seemed to get on well with them, although he’d seemed a little overwhelmed, and Dean could tell that something was on his mind.
They went for a walk afterwards, Dean subtly leading the way back to his apartment. They had been together for almost two months now. Almost two months, and Dean still hadn’t gotten laid. That had never happened before. To be fair, he’d never dated anyone for two months before. He was willing to be patient in this case because Castiel was worth it, but at the same time... he was taking sexual frustration to a whole new level. Dean didn’t know how many more times he’d be able cope with making out furiously with Cas, only to have the angel gasp “Goodnight!” and escape into the darkness. It was driving him crazy.
“Thank you for introducing me to your family,” Castiel said.
“I hope they didn’t scare you too much.”
“Not at all. They were wonderful.”
Dean smiled. “Yeah, I think so. It’s... it’s been hard, you know? I mean, the things my parents went through, when we were still trying to clean up after the war... I guess I feel like a disappointment.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because... because my grandpa Samuel was one of the best hunters in the world, back in the day. And my mom and dad were both so strong, and they... they all died fighting for a better world. They were heroes, and me and Sammy were raised to be warriors, but now... well, there isn’t much left to fight. I guess I just feel guilty.”
Castiel grabbed hold of his hand, and turned Dean towards him. “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” he said, his voice low and intense. Castiel always leaned in a little too close when they were talking, and it made Dean want to kiss him. “This is the life your parents wanted for you; this is what they were fighting for. I’m sure they wouldn’t have wanted for you to live and die like they did. When I look at you, I see someone who is brave and strong and loyal, and I’m in love with you.”
Dean’s heart clenched a little, and he didn’t trust himself to say anything for a moment. He swallowed. “You know,” he breathed, “we’re only one block away from my place.”
The corner of Castiel’s mouth twitched a little. “Is that so?”
“Would you like to come up?”
“Yes, Dean. I think I would like that very much.”
Dean had expected a certain amount of preamble, but as soon as the door to his apartment was closed behind them, he found himself pinned to the wall and having the life kissed out of him by a very handsy angel. It would seem that Castiel had wanted this as much as he did.
...
The next day, Castiel went to work in a happy daze. His five million years of virginity had finally come to an end, and it had been amazing. Sex was amazing. Dean was amazing. He was feeling far too cheerful to worry about his family any more, so of course, that was when everything fell apart.
Castiel was just about to take a break for lunch when Gabriel burst into the gallery, Anna right behind him, and dragged Castiel into the back office.
“Well, aren’t you a dark horse?” he said.
“What- what do you mean?”
“We’re talking about your toy-boy!” Anna cut in. “Uriel saw you with him last night, and he told Zachariah, and he told Michael, and now everyone knows.”
Gabriel laughed in spite of the look of horror on Castiel’s face. “Congrats, little bro! You’re finally learning how to be a rebel. You were always such an obedient soldier; I didn’t think you had it in you.” He grinned wickedly and waggled his eyebrows. “Or did you have it in him?”
“This isn’t funny!” Castiel said. “I- I was going to tell everyone when the time was right - I never meant for you to find out like this! What am I going to do? What did Michael say?”
“He’s not happy,” Anna told him grimly. “He wants to talk to you. And he wants to meet the guy.”
Castiel’s eyes grew wide in horror. “He’s... he’s not going to kill Dean, is he?”
Gabriel made a disparaging noise. “Pfft. Doubtful. He wouldn’t do anything to upset our position in society. Even so, I can’t imagine it’ll be a whole lotta fun. Not for you, anyway. As for me and Anna, we’re on our way to go buy popcorn so we can properly enjoy the show! Good luck, kid.”
As soon as they’d gone, Castiel called Dean on his cell.
“Hey, Cas, what’s up?”
“Dean, they know, they all know, someone saw us together, and everyone knows, and they’re not happy about it, and I have to go and talk to them, and they want to meet you, and I’d completely understand if you wanted to leave the country, or-”
“Whoa, slow down! It’s okay, Cas! I mean, they were gonna fine out at some point. You want me to come by after work? I can meet you at the gallery, and then we can go face the music together.”
Castiel drew in a deep, steadying breath. “Thank you. Dean, thank you so much.”
“No problem. Try not to worry, okay? We’ll deal with this. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Castiel hung up, still feeling shaken and nervous, but comforted by the fact that Dean would be at his side.
...
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Michael raged. “You had no right! You are a human, and he is an angel! More to the point, you didn’t even ask my permission to engage in a relationship with one of my younger brothers. You just... conducted this illicit affair behind all of our backs!”
“It was my choice!” Castiel protested. “I have the right to make my own decisions about who I see.” He glanced over at Dean, who was looking surly. He admired the man’s courage - there weren’t many who could face the wrath of Michael without cowering a little.
“That isn’t the point!” Michael said. “You showed an entire lack of respect. The first step in engaging in a romantic relationship with an angel is to win the favour of their garrison, and ask for their permission to proceed, which you completely neglected to do.”
“Fine!” Dean growled. “Can I please date Castiel?”
“No!”
Dean threw up his hands in frustration. “You know what? This is dumb. Cas, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He gave Castiel’s hand a squeeze, shot Michael a resentful glance, and left.
“You had no right to talk to him that way!” Castiel shouted.
“I had every right! Castiel, what were you thinking? He is a human being! No member of this garrison has ever had serious relations with a human! What do you expect from this? They don’t live the way we do; they have no concept of eternity. He’s just going to use you, then move on!”
Castiel shook his head. “You’re wrong. Dean is more than capable of love. If you gave him a chance, you’d see that!”
“And if you were a dutiful brother, you would try to find a partner who was acceptable and would fit in with our family, instead of dallying with humans!”
Castiel thought this was as good a time as any to storm out. He’d known this was going to happen. He’d just known it. Why did Michael think he hadn’t told the family about Dean? It was wretched, and he knew that Michael was going to take it upon himself to make things as awkward as possible for him now.
He wasn’t wrong.
Over the next couple of weeks, Castiel was subjected to a series of awkward family dinners where Michael invited an ‘old friend’ over in a horribly un-subtle attempt to set Castiel up with them. There was Jophiel, who kept stroking Castiel’s leg with her wing tips under the table, then there was Raziel, who was moulting so badly that Castiel ended up with down in his soup, and then Aziraphael, whose only topic of conversation was his book collection, and had hot chocolate stains on his tie.
“It’s so frustrating!” Castiel complained to Dean when they were in bed one night. “He just won’t accept that I’m not going to give up on you.”
Dean curled himself around Castiel, nuzzling his face against the soft feathers at the base of Cas’s wings. “I’m not giving up on you, either. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Castiel smiled softly, pulling Dean closer. “Thank you for putting up with all of this.”
“Cas, let’s get married.”
Castiel was suddenly very awake. “What?”
Dean raised his head. “Let’s just get married. Or bonded, or whatever. I know it’s only been a few months, but I... I don’t want to be without you. You make me feel crazy and fearless, and safe. I don’t wanna lose that.”
“But... Dean, marriage to an angel really does mean forever. No ‘until death do us part’. Forever. Eternity. I go where you go.”
Dean smiled. “Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about losing you, then. I mean, if you want to? If you want to be with me?”
Castiel just smiled and pulled Dean towards him, wrapping his wings around his partner’s back until they were enveloped in soft, velvety darkness.
...
Castiel was lurking. He really hated that he’d been reduced to this, but when he knew he was being talked about, it was very hard to resist.
“Michael, you have to accept that this isn’t going away!” Rachel’s voice was low and insistent.
“Why should I? Don’t I have the right to show concern for my own family? I mean, what do we know about Dean? Who are his family? You know as well as I do that angels and hunters have a troubled past.”
“What does the past matter? Castiel loves this boy, and we should respect that. He’s five million years old - he’s not a child any more!”
Castiel couldn’t listen any more. He quietly slipped away and went up to his bedroom. Part of him just wanted to escape. Go somewhere with Dean, far away from all of this, where they could just be together in peace. It hurt him so much to cause his family pain, but he couldn’t give Dean up. Not now.
There was a knock at his door, and Rachel came in.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Castiel sighed. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t enjoy it because I know it’s causing so much trouble.”
Rachel pulled him into a hug. “Don’t worry, little one. You leave it to me; I’ll take care of it.”
Castiel was feeling too down-hearted to have much faith, but once again he had underestimated his sister. Michael came to visit him at the gallery the next day.
“Castiel, I’ve been thinking. Perhaps I was a little too hasty over this whole... bonding with a human thing. I’ve considered the matter, and I’ve come to realize that it would only be fair to give this Dean a chance. He certainly seems... dedicated. If you are really determined in this, I will allow the two of you to go ahead with the bonding ceremony, but only if Dean agrees to adhere to all the traditions and rituals. We will have a party this weekend so that he can meet everyone.”
Castiel thought that he needed to get Rachel a gift. A very large, expensive gift.
...
Dean thought that all things considered, he had every right to be nervous. He’d held it together admirably so far for the sake of his increasingly stressed fiancée, but the thought of actually meeting, and being evaluated by, a whole garrison of angels was more than a little nerve-wracking. He wasn’t going to let it show, though. If it meant that he got to be with Cas, then it was worth it. It should be scary. Even Sam had asked him whether he was really sure, whether being bonded to someone forever was something Dean was prepared for, but he’d never felt more at peace over anything in his life. All he’d ever wanted was to be sure of someone, know that they wouldn’t stop loving him, wouldn’t walk out on him one day. He had found that in Castiel, and he wasn’t afraid.
The thought of being interrogated by a whole garrison of angels, though, was a little intimidating. He’d even gone as far as renting a suit. Castiel met him in town, and they went back to his house together.
“Don’t worry,” the angel said. “You’ll be fine.”
Dean smiled weakly.
They went together into the large front room.
“Everyone,” Castiel said. “This is Dean, my betrothed.”
The next moment, Dean was surrounded by a host of angels.
“Dean! You’re so tall! You know, humans used to be much shorter.”
“Are you a man of faith, Dean?”
“How many demons have you slain?”
“Would you care for some wine?”
He was fairly sure that the redheaded angel groped his ass.
Dean tried to answer everyone’s questions as best he could, before he was dragged to one side by Michael. “Winchester.”
“Um... Michael?” Dean wasn’t sure of the correct way of formally addressing an angel.
“I hope you realize that I’m not entirely happy about this union.”
“I had my suspicions, yes.”
“Well, I’m allowing it to go ahead, but I expect you to follow all the traditions for an angelic bonding ceremony. And that includes the cleansing process, the Enochian chanting, the tributes to the elementals, and the vigil. Do I make myself clear?”
Dean didn’t have a clue what Michael was talking about. “Crystal clear.”
He was actually grateful to be ambushed by Cas’s brother Balthazar. At least, he was at first. Balthazar had a charming smile, and wore a velvet smoking jacket, which kind of made him look like a modern day Vincent Price.
“Welcome to the family, Dean,” he said.
“Thanks, man.”
“I’m glad that Castiel’s finally found someone he wants to be with. Honestly, we were all thinking that it would never happen. Never. But I guess there really is someone out there for everyone. Now listen, because I’m only going to say this once. Castiel isn’t just my brother - he’s my best friend. His happiness means the world to me. And so if you ever hurt him, or give him any cause to regret his decision to be with you, I will hunt you down, and smite you.” He looked at Dean intently for a moment or too, just enough for Dean to get really uncomfortable, then he broke into a grin. “Psych! Ha, you should have seen your face. No, I wouldn’t really smite you. Or would I? Ha, no, I’m just messing with you.”
“Um... right. Well, I’m not gonna hurt Cas, okay?”
Balthazar nodded affably. “Just make sure that you don’t.” He waved to a tall black angel on the other side of the room. “Hey, Uriel, have you met Dean yet?”
Uriel smiled and waved. “Hi, Dean. We’re gonna smite you!”
Dean didn’t get angel humor.
He thought he’d managed to escape into a corner with a plate of some delicious mini cheese-steak sandwiches that had been prepared for the party, but it was then that the Angel Zachariah found him, and took creepy to a whole new level.
“You’re going to be one of us soon.”
“Um... yeah.”
“Well then, I should tell you something. Back in the nineteenth century, I became a little... overly zealous, some might say.” He was leaning in creepily close, and Dean wondered how far he’d be able to lean back before he fell off his chair.
“I wanted to restore humanity’s faith in Our Lord,” Zachariah continued. “And, you know, this was before the attempted apocalypse, so I was pretty bored. It started off fairly low-key. You know, small scale miracles. Smiting the unholy, that kind of thing. But then I... Well, I thought it would be a good idea to remind people of Christ’s power by restoring life to a member of the deceased, like with Lazarus. Only I... things got a little out of hand. The first one came back wrong, so then I had to keep trying, but I just wasn’t doing it properly, and... well, long story short, Dean, I may have almost accidentally started a zombie infestation. Some hunters took care of it, though, and it was all hushed up nicely. But I feel that you should be warned, as a new member of our family. If not properly supervised I tend to go a little mad with power and fuck shit up bigtime. If it wasn’t for the intervention of Raphael over there, I could have ended up worse than Lucifer.”
He gestured towards an angel sitting in the corner with crazy eyes, rocking back and forth and muttering in a language Dean didn’t understand.
Good God, he thought. What the hell am I marrying into?
But then he looked at Castiel, with his big anxious eyes and his gentle smile, and he remembered.
...
“No, Rachel, we won’t need to release one hundred white doves. It’s not traditional.”
“Dean’s brother is going to be his groomsman, and I’m fairly certain he won’t take kindly to wearing the golden ceremonial headdress.”
“Surely we don’t have to perform the whole ceremony in Enochian? Dean is coming along very well with his classes, but his family are going to be there, and I’m sure they’d like to know what’s going on.”
Castiel was starting to get sick of his family’s constant efforts to monopolize his wedding. There were times when he was tempted to just elope and have a small, private ceremony far, far away from everyone they knew, but Dean talked him out of it.
“It’s not forever, Cas. It’s just for the ceremony, and then things will calm down. I’m fine with it, seriously, and you know your family will never forgive us if we don’t let them organize shit. And my people are all stupidly excited about it. Sammy went into a total geek spiral and started researching angelic traditions. They can’t wait.”
Castiel sighed. “I can’t wait until it’s over.”
He hadn’t told Dean about the outfits they were expected to wear at the ceremony. He thought it would be best to let his fiancée deal with one thing at a time.
...
A week before the date of the bonding ceremony, they had to undergo a cleansing ritual in the angelic temple of worship, which was something like a baptism, only its purpose was to cleanse them of all amorous thoughts that weren’t connected to his bond mate. Castiel went first. Michael gently immersed him in the pool of holy water, and he rose up feeling strangely light and shivery. Michael smiled at him, and helped him out of the pool.
Castiel shook the water from his wings, and started to feel like maybe this whole thing wasn’t going to be the horrific experience he’d anticipated. But then it was Dean’s turn. Cas knew what was coming as soon as he saw the malevolent glint in Michael’s eyes.
“I’ll have to be much more thorough with you,” the Archangel said to Dean. “Unlike Castiel, you haven’t kept yourself pure for your bond mate. I’ll have to make very, very sure that you are properly cleansed.
Dean, already looking uncomfortable in his white ceremonial robes, grew pale.
Castiel looked on in horror as his husband-to-be was dunked repeatedly in the water by a slightly too enthusiastic Michael.
“What have I done to him?” he whispered to Balthazar. “Look at what he has to put up with for me! I wouldn’t be surprised if he looked at me after everything and said ‘Ha, you’re so not worth this.’”
Balthazar gave him a gentle shove. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling. Of course you’re worth it.”
Castiel found Dean after the ceremony, sitting in the back room of the temple wrapped in a large towel.
“Thank you so much for this,” he said, pushing Dean’s damp hair back off his forehead, and wrapping a wing around his shoulder.
Dean leaned into him. “It’s cool. I mean, there were a couple of times when I was sure he wanted to hold me under, but we worked it out.”
“You were amazing. I love you so much.”
Dean laughed softly. “Hey, I love you too. I don’t suppose you want to dry me off, do you?”
Castiel smiled. “I’d love to.”
There were other parts of the ceremony that went less well. One day Castiel came home from work to find Dean in his back garden doing a strange dance that seemed to be a bizarre combination of waving his arms and spinning around on the spot.
“Dean, what are you doing?” he asked.
Dean stopped, and promptly fell over. “Damn! It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“What?”
“I was practicing the dance.”
“Um... what?”
“The traditional angel mating dance! You know, the one I’m supposed to do at the wedding! I wanted to get really good at it, then surprise you.”
“Dean, who told you about this?”
“Gabriel. He taught me all the steps, and he’s going to show me how to do the yodelling later and... and... there is no angelic mating dance, is there.”
“No.”
“Damn it!”
“When I said not to trust a word that comes out of Gabriel’s mouth, I meant it.”
Dean scowled. “Well, at least it didn’t happen at the actual wedding. I guess I should run everything by you from now on.”
“It’s nearly over. Just one more week, then we can just... be together.”
He pulled Dean to his feet and they went into the house together.
...
Castiel was up before dawn on the morning of the wedding. He wanted more than anything to talk to Dean. The past few months had been insane, and he still couldn’t quite believe it had happened. He’d never been so sure of anything as he was of his feelings for Dean, but it all seemed like a dream. A fantastical dream that would melt away as soon as the sun rose. The morning dew clung to his wings, and Castiel breathed deeply, drinking in the silence.
“CASTIEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE HAVE TO LEAVE FOR THE TEMPLE IN THREE HOURS AND YOU NEED TO GET YOUR WINGS GILDED!”
Castiel screwed up his face. Anna always had had an obnoxiously loud voice.
He reluctantly went back inside, where he was subjected to being dressed in ridiculous gold embroidered robes, having his wings waxed and decorated, and being told by Balthazar that his hair ‘would have to do’.
...
“Are you sure you’re okay, dude?” Sam asked again.
“Yes! Yes, I’m fine! Would you shut up? It’s perfectly normal to be nervous on your wedding day, okay? And... and I kind of wish I wasn’t wearing a dress...”
Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s not a dress, it’s a traditional angelic robe. The sigils on the hem represent love and fidelity. Actually, I’m kind of surprised they didn’t want me to wear the traditional groomsman robes. I was kind of looking forward to that.”
“Okay, mister I-read-one-book-about-angels-and-now-I-know-everything!” Dean snapped. “I just want this to be over with. I just want to... to see Cas. I’ll feel better once I’ve seen Cas.”
Sam grabbed hold of Dean’s shoulder. “You’re worried he’s not gonna show?”
Dean laughed hollowly. “It just seems... too good to be true, you know? I mean, he’s this awesome, other-worldly being, and he’s so hot, and he’s... I just don’t know why he’d want to be with me. I mean, forever. What if I let him down?”
“You won’t. Leaving aside the fact that you’ve obviously been crazy about Cas from the word go, it’s in the nature of angels to only love like this once.”
“What do you mean?”
Sam sighed wearily. “If you’d bothered to read the book on angels I had - and you really should, seeing as you’re the one marrying one - you’d know that they have a kind of... mystical, biological impulse when it comes to finding a mate. Angels bond for eternity, right? So it can’t be like a human marriage, where sometimes people make mistakes and end up with someone they’re not really compatible with. There’s no going back. So angels are programmed to only feel... those feelings for someone they’re, you know, meant to be with. There’s no margin for error. And yeah, it’s usually another angel, but there are exceptions. And I guess you’re one of them. Now will you stop panicking and put your shoes on already? Bobby’s waiting to drive us to the temple.”
...
The incense stung Castiel’s eyes a little, and he was starting to feel light-headed. He focused on Dean, standing across from him, looking just as uncomfortable as Cas felt. They exchanged the odd smile, the odd gesture, wanting to reassure each other but unable to touch yet.
Michael, as the senior member of their garrison, was presiding over the ceremony, and Castiel noticed that he no longer looked at Dean with contempt. Perhaps it was the way Dean had mastered all the Enochian responses to the vows. Perhaps it was that Dean had obviously proven himself worthy after putting up with all the various bullshit the angels had thrown at him over the last couple of months. Perhaps Michael had simply realized that it was time to let Castiel make his own choices. Whatever the reason, Castiel was grateful to his brother. Grateful for not making him choose.
The vows over, it was time for the bonding process. This was what Castiel had been the most nervous about. He’d explained to Dean that part of the ceremony involved the mystical bonding of his grace to Dean’s soul, so that they would be truly united. But what if something went wrong? What if it wouldn’t work properly because Dean wasn’t an angel? What if neither of them felt any differently afterwards?
Michael joined their hands, and began to recite. Dean smiled nervously.
Castiel reached out for him. Not physically, but with the essence of his true form. With the silvery, effervescent tendrils of his grace. He found Dean in the darkness, and tried to grab hold. His hands were shaking. Dean’s eyes were wide and a little frightened, and Castiel knew that he was afraid it wouldn’t work too. >Reach out. I love you. Castiel felt something. Something golden and shivery and warm. Dean’s soul. His grace pushed forward again, and Dean drew in a sharp breath. He grabbed hold.
“Oh,” Castiel breathed. “There you are.”
Dean laughed shakily. “Hi. I can... Cas, this is so weird. I can feel you.”
Castiel nodded, reaching out to stroke the side of Dean’s face. He could feel Dean’s heart beating, feel it in himself, and when they touched it was like catching fire.
When they were eventually able to drag their attention away from each other, it was to discover that they were kneeling on the floor of an empty temple.
Castiel laughed. “We may have got a little... wrapped up in each other.”
“I suppose we have to go to the reception, don’t we,” Dean sighed. “I mean, your family’s been planning it, and they’ve spent all that money... we... we can’t blow it off and just go home and have sex. Can we?”
Castiel thought for one agonizing minute. “I... no. No, we can’t. They’d never forgive us.”
It was the most agonizing decision he’d made in a long time.
...
Dean hadn’t been to a whole lot of weddings, but he thought that his had gone pretty well. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t slightly relieved that the whole thing was over. From now on, he and Cas could just relax and enjoy being with each other, and figure out the whole marriage thing together. It was going to be awesome.
Okay, so he’d still have to work hard to earn the approval of Cas’s family. Dean was perfectly well aware that just because they’d sanctioned his relationship with Castiel, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t always going to be the odd one out.
“Hey, everyone!” Balthazar’s voice rung out across the hall. He was standing up on the stage, and next to him was a shorter man wearing a dark, well-cut suit. “I know this isn’t my day, but I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I’ve finally decided to settle down! I want you all to meet my partner, Crowley.”
The man beside Balthazar flashed everyone a wicked grin. Dean couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t have wings.
“Well... it’s nice to meet you, Crowley,” Michael said formally. “I take it that you’re a human! We are quite accommodating of angel-human relationships, as you can see, so we all look forward to getting to know you better.”
“Oh, I’m not a human,” Crowley replied smoothly. “I’m a demon.”
In the shocked silence that followed this announcement, Dean stood up and raised his champagne glass. “Crowley!” he said. “Welcome to the family!”
From now on, he figured, there was no way the angels could have a problem with him.
AN: I'm not entirely happy with this. Real life stuff got in the way and I didn't have time to make it as good as I would have liked. But I finished for the deadline, and I may come back and edit later!
Rating: R
Length - 9,350
Warnings - sexual references, language
Summary - Written in response to a request by frankwill_21, who wanted AUs based on romantic comedies. Inspired by My Big Fat Greek Wedding, angels have been living amongst humans for years, and Castiel is used to his large, dysfunctional family, who are devoted to keeping tradition alive. But everything changes when Dean Winchester walks into the restaurant Cas works at.
Disclaimer - Not my sandbox, I just play here.
Angels were old news now. As far as Castiel was concerned, that was a good thing - he could remember what it had been like twenty years ago when Heaven had first been vacated, and they hadn’t been able to move for humans taking photographs or asking them to perform miracles, No one cared much now, and the Earthbound angels had lost most of their celestial powers. Castiel was perfectly satisfied with this - all the attention had been somewhat confusing and embarrassing. He hadn’t understood what was so great about being an angel. They were just... different, that was all.
This was not a sentiment shared by his family.
“We have to keep our heritage alive!” Michael insisted. “We are a proud and noble species, and we should never forget it!”
Sometimes Castiel wondered whether this was entirely accurate. He lived with eight of his siblings in the suburbs of Chicago in an old Victorian mansion with ivy growing up the walls. They had once made up Heaven’s finest garrison in the battle against the forces of Hell, and even though the war had been over for almost a century, Lucifer was running a successful anger management course in Hawaii, and God was... well, God knows where, Castiel’s family still felt the need to keep tradition alive.
“Give me any word,” Michael would say to the patrons of the downtown Chicago restaurant the family owned. “Any word you can think of, and I guarantee you that its origins can be found in Enochian.”
Castiel would grimace with embarrassment, and pour the bewildered customers more coffee.
“None of them care,” he regularly told his older brother. “Angels don’t interest people any more; we would do better to adapt to life amongst the humans rather than force our ways upon them.”
Michael would look at Castiel sadly and shake his head. “If we don’t keep the ways of the old world alive, they will be forgotten forever. Castiel, you should show more loyalty to your heritage - you’re five million years old and you haven’t found a bond mate yet. You’re getting so... old!”
Castiel hated when their conversations went down this route. “What about Balthazar?” he would protest. “He doesn’t have a bond mate either!”
“He’s younger than you are! He has plenty of time.”
Castiel would sigh, knowing it would be useless to argue the point any further. Balthazar had always been Michael’s favorite.
Castiel didn’t see the point of trying to change things. He knew that he was a disappointment to his family, and that he would never really fit in amongst humans: his big black wings always set him apart and made blending in impossible. It didn’t help that everything his family did made them stick out even more than they already did. From their house, decorated with murals depicting biblical scenes, to crazy Raphael, who had had to be taken from Heaven by force and still spoke only in Enochian and refused to believe that the war against Hell was over. They frequently received calls from their irate human neighbours, complaining that ‘that psychotic angel’ was on their roof again waving that damn fiery angelic sword and threatening them with eternal damnation unless they turn to The Light. The worst part was that the humans thought they were all the same. They were the angels, beings set apart, and there was no point getting to know them individually. Castiel loved his family very much, but he envied the humans’ ability to forge their own identities, and have relationships with others that were based on shared values and affection. Castiel was expected to find a bond mate who was also an angel, and could possibly forge bonds with another former garrison. Everything was ‘for the good of the family’, and Castiel hated himself for resenting it, but he couldn’t help himself. For once, he wanted something that was his alone, something special to him. He wanted someone who would look at him and see more than just an angel.
“You are who you are,” Rachel, Michael’s bond mate would tell him. “You’re an angel, and you should be proud of that, but it doesn’t make you any less special or unique.”
Castiel appreciated her efforts to make him feel better, but he knew that she didn’t really understand.
Castiel had a job at the family restaurant, called Angels in America. He enjoyed the opportunity to watch the people who came in to eat, and catch glimpses of life outside an angelic garrison. Ideally, he would have liked to work in an environment that was more suited to his sensibilities, but Michael had assigned him to the wait staff at the restaurant, and Castiel knew that what Michael says, goes.
...
It had been Sam’s idea to go to Angels in America for lunch. Dean would have been happy to go to any old diner, but his little brother had developed an obsession lately with themed restaurants. Last week it had been the Rainforest Cafe, the week before that it had been Ye Olde Taverne, where they had been serenaded by a man playing a lute. This week, Sam wanted to go to a restaurant owned and run by angels.
Dean had been reluctant to say the least. It was true that his contact with angels had been limited, but as far as he could tell, they were kind of dicks. He’d grown up listening to the stories of his father and grandfather about how the angels had mostly been more hindrance than help in the war against the forces of Hell. Even now that everything had settled down, Dean still had the distinct impression that the angels thought they were a cut above the rest of them, and it wasn’t like most of them went out of their way to help clean up afterwards. It wasn’t that Dean disliked angels. He was just... wary. Still, Dean had always had a weakness when it came to indulging his little brother’s whims, and so he found himself sitting in a bona fide angel restaurant that Saturday afternoon, impatiently waiting for his crab cakes to arrive.
“This place is amazing!” Sam enthused, gazing up at the high stucco ceiling with its mural of a cherub-filled sky. “It’s like a cathedral!”
“Yeah.” Dean was eyeing the red-headed waitress who was smiling at him flirtatiously from where she was taking orders at the next table. She was cute. She’d be even cuter, Dean decided, if she brought him his crab cakes. Dean had never actually seen an angel up close - it was rare for them to populate urban areas - and he hadn’t really appreciated how beautiful they actually were. With their glossy feathers, and their bright eyes, and their luminescent skin...
“I don’t think I gave angels a fair chance,” Dean said.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Right. Now that you know they can be hot, you’re willing to reassess your opinion.”
Dean was about to protest, when their food arrived. It wasn’t the pretty redhead who brought it though, it was a dishevelled, dark haired male angel with the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen. He was standing by their table, two plates of food in his hands, and he was staring at Dean.
“Uh... hi,” Dean said.
The angel stared.
“Crab cakes?”
The angel blinked. He was, Dean noticed, hot. In a rumpled, just-got-out-of-bed kind of way.
“Um, are you okay?” Sam asked.
The angel started a little, glancing over at Sam as if noticing him for the first time. “Oh. Um, I’m sorry about that. I just... zoned out a little.” He turned his attention back to Dean. “I... you... wanted something?”
Dean smiled. “My lunch?”
The angel’s eyes grew wide. “Oh! I’m so sorry. You must think I’m... That is, I apologize.” He sets their plates down and backed away, knocking into the table behind him.
Sam smiled and shook his head as soon as the angel had hurried out of sight. “I thought they were supposed to be good communicators! Messengers of God, and all that.”
Dean shrugged, feeling a little annoyed. “I guess God doesn’t have much to say to anyone these days.” He took a bite of his crab cakes, and made a noise that he was fairly sure was indecent. “Sweet baby Jesus, these are amazing! Who knew the feathery bastards could cook?”
Sam grinned. “See? I told you this place would be good.”
Dean had to agree. It was more than just the food, though. Dean couldn’t help glancing around, hoping for another look at the weird angel with the dusky wings and the piercing blue eyes. And he couldn’t help be disappointed when the pretty female angel with red hair brought them their dessert.
...
It was a grey day, and it suited Castiel’s mood perfectly.
“What is your problem?” Balthazar had asked him that morning. “You’ve been wafting around the house with that look on your face for days now.”
“I am not wafting around,” Castiel had retorted.
“Whatever you say, darling. Whatever you say.”
Castiel knew what had provoked his escalating feelings of frustration: that beautiful man he’d seen at the restaurant last week. Every time he thought about it, his insides screwed up in embarrassment. He’d made a complete fool of himself. He’d just stood there staring at the guy. He must have thought Castiel was insane. And the worst part was that Castiel used to be important, renowned throughout Heaven for his excellent battle strategies. Okay, so he hadn’t been one of the top warrior angels like Michael or Raphael, but he’d been respected. He’d been needed. He knew that they’d have to adjust now that the angels had come to Earth, but did it really mean that he had to do this job that didn’t interest him, and wasn’t allowed to adapt to this new life? He could have made a good impression on that human, he thought, if he’d had the opportunity to learn their ways.
Rachel came to see him in his bedroom that evening. She sat down beside him on his bed and began to groom his wings. Castiel immediately began to relax and lean into the touch. Grooming was a sign of affection and closeness, reserved only for angels within the same garrison. He appreciated the gesture, her showing him that she cared and she wanted him to feel better.
“I’m sorry you’re not happy,” she said.
Castiel shook his head. “I don’t want you to think I’m not... I love you all so much. You’re my family, and I don’t want to... I just feel trapped. I feel like I could be doing something really useful, like I was before. Or at least something challenging. I don’t know what my purpose is any more. I don’t know where I fit in this world, and I hate that I’ve disappointed you all by my failure to find a bond mate, but I can’t just pick someone unless I feel strongly enough about them to want to be with only them for always, and I can’t possibly do that unless I feel like I’m fully myself, and I... I want to do something. I want to have the chance to learn more about this world and about the humans, but I know that Michael won’t allow it. I know he won’t.”
Rachel ran her fingers through his feathers soothingly. “Shh. Don’t you worry about Michael. I’m his bond mate, remember? What is it that you want to do?”
Castiel looked at her shyly. “Well, I... I’ve been... there’s a community college not far from the restaurant, and I know they run business classes in the evening. I thought that... this if I were allowed to attend, I might be able to better understand how we can fit in amongst the humans, and I might be able to contribute more to our business ventures. I want to feel like I'm doing something useful again.”
Rachel nodded and gave him a smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Castiel was comforted, but he didn’t hold out much hope. He knew that Michael had a will of iron.
It was therefore quite a surprise when Michael approached him the following morning.
“Castiel, I’ve been thinking,” he said. “It might be a good idea if you took a more active role in the running of our businesses. I know you’ve expressed an interest in learning the ways of humans, and perhaps it might be a good idea if you follow up on that. Rachel tells me there’s an evening class in business studies at the community college. I want you to attend. You were our best strategist, and I think it’s time we take advantage of that.”
Castiel noticed Rachel, who was standing behind her bond mate with a satisfied smile.
“As you wish, brother,” Castiel said, stunned.
Michael gave a satisfied nod. “Good. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Once Michael had left, Castiel turned to Rachel. “How did you do it?”
She laughed. “As you said, Michael has a will of iron, and is used to getting his own way. All I had to do was make him think he came up with the idea himself. I’ve gotten quite good at it over the centuries.”
Castiel left the house that day with a renewed admiration for his sister.
Going to college was challenging and exciting, and Castiel soon began to form ideas of how his family could enrich their businesses. He started to make friends with other students, and his confidence grew. He bought himself a couple of new suits, and he cut his hair. He was beginning to feel like his old self again.
About a month after starting the course, Castiel went to Michael with a suggestion.
“I think we should do more to increase our philanthropic activities. We have plenty of money, but we’re not really doing anything to help improve people’s lives. We should make an effort to contribute to charitable organizations. There’s our collection of religious art, for example. I believe it would be of great interest to many people. We’re not using the downtown warehouse we bought - why don’t we convert it into a gallery? We could donate all proceeds to charity.”
To his surprise, Michael agreed to the proposal, and Castiel soon found himself fully occupied with preparing the gallery, liaising with charitable organizations, and promoting the upcoming exhibition. He still thought about the man he’d seen at the restaurant, and wondered who he was. It made him feel strangely wistful to know that he’d probably never see the man again, but Castiel would always be grateful to him for being the catalyst for the changes he’d made. His only regret was that he’d made such a fool of himself. He’d acted like a complete idiot in front of the man, and had spent the next hour hiding in the kitchen because he’d been so embarrassed. There was no way the stranger could have found Castiel remotely attractive. Still, it didn’t matter; it wasn’t as if Castiel’s family would ever approve of him forming a relationship with anyone who wasn’t another angel.
...
Dean really had to stop indulging Sam’s crazy whims. Ever since their meal at Angels in America, Sam had been obsessed with everything angel-related, and when his fiancée Sarah announced that an art gallery owned by angels was about to open, he was determined to go. Which would have been fine, if he hadn’t insisted that Dean come along too. It was true that Dean’s opinion of angels had improved considerably of late, but there was only so much art he could cope with, and with Sarah working at the Art Institute he already felt like he’d filled his quota, thank you very much. But then Sam had given him the puppy eyes, and said that it really would be good to go out somewhere that wasn’t a bar, and he’d refused to shut up about it until Dean had relented.
He managed to last about ten minutes faking interest while Sam and Sarah rhapsodised about the paintings and said things like ‘baroque’ and ‘chiaroscuro’, before he wandered off by himself. He just wasn’t an art gallery sort of person.
But then, a man could change.
There was an angel standing next to a statue of Saint Sebastian, talking to a curator. An angel with black wings and messy hair. He looked good. The curator walked away, and Dean’s angel turned his attention to the Hieronymus Bosch painting behind him. Dean could feel his heart speed up a little. He’d always considered himself to be non-discriminatory when it came to sexual attraction, but he’d never had a serious thing for someone of a different species. Not counting his crush on Daryl Hannah in Splash. Still, maybe it was time to make an exception.
“My brother and I killed one of those once,” he said, coming to stand next to the angel and pointing to a squashed gremlin creature at the bottom of the painting.
The angel looked at him in shock. “It’s you.”
Dean grinned. “You remember me.”
“I... yes. I didn’t think I’d... What are you doing here?”
“My brother made me come. I really should thank him; every time he makes me go places I end up running into you.”
The angel blinked, then smiled slowly. “You... you like running into me?”
“It’s becoming one of my favorite pastimes.”
The angel’s cheeks colored slightly. “I... I wouldn’t have thought you’d remember me.”
“You make quite an impression.”
The angel looked pained. “I... you should know that back then I was... Well, I’m sorry if I acted like an idiot.”
“You didn’t,” Dean said. “I liked you.”
The angel looked like he didn’t know what to say to that, and Dean smiled.
“I’m Dean.”
“Castiel. It’s good to meet you, Dean.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Castiel smiled. “Yes. I would like that very much.”
...
Castiel wondered whether he would ever get used to the strange combination of elation and guilt he’d been experiencing since he’d first agreed to go out with Dean. The longer it went on the harder it got, because Castiel was becoming more and more sure that he was really falling in love with this man. Dean was funny and charming, and he was introducing Castiel to a world he’d never really known had existed. Most importantly, he didn’t give a damn that Castiel was an angel. Dean liked him for who he was, and the things he did, and the thoughts he had. Okay, he was also kind of obsessed with Castiel’s wings, but that was understandable. They were pretty hard to ignore. But Dean didn’t constantly talk religion with him and he didn’t demand that Castiel performed miracles. He asked about what Castiel thought of the film they’d gone to see, or what food he liked, or the places he’d travelled to.
And then there was the kissing. Castiel had never kissed anyone before. He had never really had the occasion, and there had always been something more important to occupy him. He’d never really been attracted to anyone in that way before he met Dean. But when he’d been walking with Dean along the waterfront on the evening of the first date, and Dean had grabbed hold of him and kissed him, slow and languorous, Castiel began to see what all the fuss was about.
It hadn’t gone any further than that yet. Castiel wanted it to - God, did he ever want it to. Dean made him feel things he didn’t even know he was capable of, and every time they were necking furiously in Dean’s car, and Dean would thread his fingers through Castiel’s feathers (and it was completely different from when his family did it), Castiel would almost lose control.
It was the guilt that held him back. The guilt of lying to his family, saying that he had to work late whenever he met with Dean. Hiding the fact that he was finally experiencing those feelings that the bonded members of his family described when they spoke about their partner. Guilt that they would be so disappointed when they found out. Castiel knew that angel/human partnerships, even bondings, were not entirely unheard of, but the angels did not generally look on them with favour. Castiel didn’t know what to do. He knew that this couldn’t go on forever, but he couldn’t see how he could possibly make everyone happy.
To make matters worse, Dean had started to ask questions about Castiel’s home life.
“So how many of you are there?” he asked one evening as they rode the ferris wheel on Navy Pier. “In your... is it a family?”
“Not in the sense that you would think of family, but yes. And... and there are nine of us. I love the lights on the water. Have you ever been sailing on the lake?”
“You always do that! You always try and throw me off topic whenever I ask about your family.”
Castiel shrugged, uncomfortable. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I want to know about you! All of you! I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Cas, but the way you make me feel... I get excited every time I’m about to see you. You’re like no one I’ve ever met, and I... I want to be a part of your life.”
Castiel looked out over the lights of the city. “It’s... complicated. I’m part of this big, extended, crazy family of angels, and... and Gabriel’s always pulling pranks by making images of Jesus appear in people’s food, and Michael thinks that all illnesses can be solved by the application of holy water, and Zachariah and Uriel always regale anyone who will listen with tales of the sinners they have smited, and Raphael will only talk in Enochian... I love them so much, but I’m afraid that if you meet them you won’t want anything more to do with me, because why would you want to be associated with that? And... and I very much doubt that they would approve of us. I’m supposed to find a bond mate who is another angel, and... and...” Castiel stopped, embarrassed.
“Bond mate?” Dean asked.
Castiel swallowed. “Yes. Where one angel’s grace is bound to another’s in a special ceremony. Like a marriage. The bonded pair are connected to one another for all eternity, and they can share... a deeper understanding of one another. It’s hard to explain.”
“And you can only do that with another angel?” Dean’s voice was quiet, and Castiel didn’t want to analyze what it meant.
“No. It is possible for an angel to bond their grace to a human’s soul, but... it isn’t common. It’s not really... the done thing.”
Dean was quiet and pensive after that, and Castiel was sure, horribly sure, that the only thing preventing Dean from running for the hills was the fact that they were strapped into a fairground ride, thirty feet off the ground.
But then Dean took him by surprise. “I love you. I know it’s crazy, and I know it’s gonna be hard, but I... oh, man, you make me feel like anything’s possible. Like I could actually do something with my life. I don’t have an explanation for it, but I’m sure as hell not gonna walk away just because it’s not gonna be an easy ride. And trust me, I know all about crazy families. I’m not gonna get scared off, and I’m not gonna pressurize you, so... so whatever else you’re worried about, you don’t have to worry about me. If you need more time before telling your family about us, that’s fine by me, but... but I’d really like for you to meet mine.”
Castiel didn’t know what to say. All he could do was nod, then kiss Dean until the ferris wheel attendant told them they had to get off because they were keeping people waiting.
...
Castiel met Dean’s family the following week, and he started to understand why his boyfriend had described them as ‘unconventional’. Castiel had known certain things - Dean’s parents were both dead, he was close to his brother, he came from a long line of hunters, and both his parents had died at the hands of malevolent forces, before the battles against the forces of Hell had died down. Sam and Dean still thought of themselves as hunters, and still worked the occasional case, but there was very little for them to do these days. The brothers both had day jobs - Sam as an attorney, Dean as an auto shop teacher at a local high school. While he’d obviously known about hunters, Castiel had never had any direct contact with them before, and when he met everyone for dinner at Sam and Sarah’s house, the experience was a little overwhelming. Beside Sam and Sarah, there was Bobby, an older hunter who had known Sam and Dean’s father, and had helped raise the boys after the death of their mother, and his wife Jody. Then there was Ellen, who Dean said was like a surrogate mother, and her daughter Jo. There was Adam, Dean’s half brother, there was Pam, a psychic who often worked with the brothers, and there was Ash, Ellen’s adopted son, and self-proclaimed computer genius. For the Winchesters, Castiel discovered, family did not end with blood. Everyone was welcoming and friendly, barely able to contain their curiosity about Castiel, and it was all a little overwhelming. Dean had been right to say that they were dysfunctional, but it was an entirely different kind of dysfunctional from what Castiel was accustomed to. There were no rules or guidelines, and people did whatever the hell they wanted.
Castiel liked Dean’s family, but the longer he spent with them the more certain he became that his own family would not take the news of his relationship with Dean very well. They were just so different. Dean had been so accepting, and when it was just the two of them things were perfect, but how much would he actually be able to put up with? And would he ever really want to go through with a bonding ceremony, and everything it would entail? Castiel just couldn’t be sure.
...
Dean had been nervous, but he thought the evening had gone pretty well. He’d warned everyone to tone themselves down a little and to be on their best behaviour for Castiel, and none of them had let him down too badly. Castiel had seemed to get on well with them, although he’d seemed a little overwhelmed, and Dean could tell that something was on his mind.
They went for a walk afterwards, Dean subtly leading the way back to his apartment. They had been together for almost two months now. Almost two months, and Dean still hadn’t gotten laid. That had never happened before. To be fair, he’d never dated anyone for two months before. He was willing to be patient in this case because Castiel was worth it, but at the same time... he was taking sexual frustration to a whole new level. Dean didn’t know how many more times he’d be able cope with making out furiously with Cas, only to have the angel gasp “Goodnight!” and escape into the darkness. It was driving him crazy.
“Thank you for introducing me to your family,” Castiel said.
“I hope they didn’t scare you too much.”
“Not at all. They were wonderful.”
Dean smiled. “Yeah, I think so. It’s... it’s been hard, you know? I mean, the things my parents went through, when we were still trying to clean up after the war... I guess I feel like a disappointment.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because... because my grandpa Samuel was one of the best hunters in the world, back in the day. And my mom and dad were both so strong, and they... they all died fighting for a better world. They were heroes, and me and Sammy were raised to be warriors, but now... well, there isn’t much left to fight. I guess I just feel guilty.”
Castiel grabbed hold of his hand, and turned Dean towards him. “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” he said, his voice low and intense. Castiel always leaned in a little too close when they were talking, and it made Dean want to kiss him. “This is the life your parents wanted for you; this is what they were fighting for. I’m sure they wouldn’t have wanted for you to live and die like they did. When I look at you, I see someone who is brave and strong and loyal, and I’m in love with you.”
Dean’s heart clenched a little, and he didn’t trust himself to say anything for a moment. He swallowed. “You know,” he breathed, “we’re only one block away from my place.”
The corner of Castiel’s mouth twitched a little. “Is that so?”
“Would you like to come up?”
“Yes, Dean. I think I would like that very much.”
Dean had expected a certain amount of preamble, but as soon as the door to his apartment was closed behind them, he found himself pinned to the wall and having the life kissed out of him by a very handsy angel. It would seem that Castiel had wanted this as much as he did.
...
The next day, Castiel went to work in a happy daze. His five million years of virginity had finally come to an end, and it had been amazing. Sex was amazing. Dean was amazing. He was feeling far too cheerful to worry about his family any more, so of course, that was when everything fell apart.
Castiel was just about to take a break for lunch when Gabriel burst into the gallery, Anna right behind him, and dragged Castiel into the back office.
“Well, aren’t you a dark horse?” he said.
“What- what do you mean?”
“We’re talking about your toy-boy!” Anna cut in. “Uriel saw you with him last night, and he told Zachariah, and he told Michael, and now everyone knows.”
Gabriel laughed in spite of the look of horror on Castiel’s face. “Congrats, little bro! You’re finally learning how to be a rebel. You were always such an obedient soldier; I didn’t think you had it in you.” He grinned wickedly and waggled his eyebrows. “Or did you have it in him?”
“This isn’t funny!” Castiel said. “I- I was going to tell everyone when the time was right - I never meant for you to find out like this! What am I going to do? What did Michael say?”
“He’s not happy,” Anna told him grimly. “He wants to talk to you. And he wants to meet the guy.”
Castiel’s eyes grew wide in horror. “He’s... he’s not going to kill Dean, is he?”
Gabriel made a disparaging noise. “Pfft. Doubtful. He wouldn’t do anything to upset our position in society. Even so, I can’t imagine it’ll be a whole lotta fun. Not for you, anyway. As for me and Anna, we’re on our way to go buy popcorn so we can properly enjoy the show! Good luck, kid.”
As soon as they’d gone, Castiel called Dean on his cell.
“Hey, Cas, what’s up?”
“Dean, they know, they all know, someone saw us together, and everyone knows, and they’re not happy about it, and I have to go and talk to them, and they want to meet you, and I’d completely understand if you wanted to leave the country, or-”
“Whoa, slow down! It’s okay, Cas! I mean, they were gonna fine out at some point. You want me to come by after work? I can meet you at the gallery, and then we can go face the music together.”
Castiel drew in a deep, steadying breath. “Thank you. Dean, thank you so much.”
“No problem. Try not to worry, okay? We’ll deal with this. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Castiel hung up, still feeling shaken and nervous, but comforted by the fact that Dean would be at his side.
...
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Michael raged. “You had no right! You are a human, and he is an angel! More to the point, you didn’t even ask my permission to engage in a relationship with one of my younger brothers. You just... conducted this illicit affair behind all of our backs!”
“It was my choice!” Castiel protested. “I have the right to make my own decisions about who I see.” He glanced over at Dean, who was looking surly. He admired the man’s courage - there weren’t many who could face the wrath of Michael without cowering a little.
“That isn’t the point!” Michael said. “You showed an entire lack of respect. The first step in engaging in a romantic relationship with an angel is to win the favour of their garrison, and ask for their permission to proceed, which you completely neglected to do.”
“Fine!” Dean growled. “Can I please date Castiel?”
“No!”
Dean threw up his hands in frustration. “You know what? This is dumb. Cas, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He gave Castiel’s hand a squeeze, shot Michael a resentful glance, and left.
“You had no right to talk to him that way!” Castiel shouted.
“I had every right! Castiel, what were you thinking? He is a human being! No member of this garrison has ever had serious relations with a human! What do you expect from this? They don’t live the way we do; they have no concept of eternity. He’s just going to use you, then move on!”
Castiel shook his head. “You’re wrong. Dean is more than capable of love. If you gave him a chance, you’d see that!”
“And if you were a dutiful brother, you would try to find a partner who was acceptable and would fit in with our family, instead of dallying with humans!”
Castiel thought this was as good a time as any to storm out. He’d known this was going to happen. He’d just known it. Why did Michael think he hadn’t told the family about Dean? It was wretched, and he knew that Michael was going to take it upon himself to make things as awkward as possible for him now.
He wasn’t wrong.
Over the next couple of weeks, Castiel was subjected to a series of awkward family dinners where Michael invited an ‘old friend’ over in a horribly un-subtle attempt to set Castiel up with them. There was Jophiel, who kept stroking Castiel’s leg with her wing tips under the table, then there was Raziel, who was moulting so badly that Castiel ended up with down in his soup, and then Aziraphael, whose only topic of conversation was his book collection, and had hot chocolate stains on his tie.
“It’s so frustrating!” Castiel complained to Dean when they were in bed one night. “He just won’t accept that I’m not going to give up on you.”
Dean curled himself around Castiel, nuzzling his face against the soft feathers at the base of Cas’s wings. “I’m not giving up on you, either. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Castiel smiled softly, pulling Dean closer. “Thank you for putting up with all of this.”
“Cas, let’s get married.”
Castiel was suddenly very awake. “What?”
Dean raised his head. “Let’s just get married. Or bonded, or whatever. I know it’s only been a few months, but I... I don’t want to be without you. You make me feel crazy and fearless, and safe. I don’t wanna lose that.”
“But... Dean, marriage to an angel really does mean forever. No ‘until death do us part’. Forever. Eternity. I go where you go.”
Dean smiled. “Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about losing you, then. I mean, if you want to? If you want to be with me?”
Castiel just smiled and pulled Dean towards him, wrapping his wings around his partner’s back until they were enveloped in soft, velvety darkness.
...
Castiel was lurking. He really hated that he’d been reduced to this, but when he knew he was being talked about, it was very hard to resist.
“Michael, you have to accept that this isn’t going away!” Rachel’s voice was low and insistent.
“Why should I? Don’t I have the right to show concern for my own family? I mean, what do we know about Dean? Who are his family? You know as well as I do that angels and hunters have a troubled past.”
“What does the past matter? Castiel loves this boy, and we should respect that. He’s five million years old - he’s not a child any more!”
Castiel couldn’t listen any more. He quietly slipped away and went up to his bedroom. Part of him just wanted to escape. Go somewhere with Dean, far away from all of this, where they could just be together in peace. It hurt him so much to cause his family pain, but he couldn’t give Dean up. Not now.
There was a knock at his door, and Rachel came in.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Castiel sighed. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t enjoy it because I know it’s causing so much trouble.”
Rachel pulled him into a hug. “Don’t worry, little one. You leave it to me; I’ll take care of it.”
Castiel was feeling too down-hearted to have much faith, but once again he had underestimated his sister. Michael came to visit him at the gallery the next day.
“Castiel, I’ve been thinking. Perhaps I was a little too hasty over this whole... bonding with a human thing. I’ve considered the matter, and I’ve come to realize that it would only be fair to give this Dean a chance. He certainly seems... dedicated. If you are really determined in this, I will allow the two of you to go ahead with the bonding ceremony, but only if Dean agrees to adhere to all the traditions and rituals. We will have a party this weekend so that he can meet everyone.”
Castiel thought that he needed to get Rachel a gift. A very large, expensive gift.
...
Dean thought that all things considered, he had every right to be nervous. He’d held it together admirably so far for the sake of his increasingly stressed fiancée, but the thought of actually meeting, and being evaluated by, a whole garrison of angels was more than a little nerve-wracking. He wasn’t going to let it show, though. If it meant that he got to be with Cas, then it was worth it. It should be scary. Even Sam had asked him whether he was really sure, whether being bonded to someone forever was something Dean was prepared for, but he’d never felt more at peace over anything in his life. All he’d ever wanted was to be sure of someone, know that they wouldn’t stop loving him, wouldn’t walk out on him one day. He had found that in Castiel, and he wasn’t afraid.
The thought of being interrogated by a whole garrison of angels, though, was a little intimidating. He’d even gone as far as renting a suit. Castiel met him in town, and they went back to his house together.
“Don’t worry,” the angel said. “You’ll be fine.”
Dean smiled weakly.
They went together into the large front room.
“Everyone,” Castiel said. “This is Dean, my betrothed.”
The next moment, Dean was surrounded by a host of angels.
“Dean! You’re so tall! You know, humans used to be much shorter.”
“Are you a man of faith, Dean?”
“How many demons have you slain?”
“Would you care for some wine?”
He was fairly sure that the redheaded angel groped his ass.
Dean tried to answer everyone’s questions as best he could, before he was dragged to one side by Michael. “Winchester.”
“Um... Michael?” Dean wasn’t sure of the correct way of formally addressing an angel.
“I hope you realize that I’m not entirely happy about this union.”
“I had my suspicions, yes.”
“Well, I’m allowing it to go ahead, but I expect you to follow all the traditions for an angelic bonding ceremony. And that includes the cleansing process, the Enochian chanting, the tributes to the elementals, and the vigil. Do I make myself clear?”
Dean didn’t have a clue what Michael was talking about. “Crystal clear.”
He was actually grateful to be ambushed by Cas’s brother Balthazar. At least, he was at first. Balthazar had a charming smile, and wore a velvet smoking jacket, which kind of made him look like a modern day Vincent Price.
“Welcome to the family, Dean,” he said.
“Thanks, man.”
“I’m glad that Castiel’s finally found someone he wants to be with. Honestly, we were all thinking that it would never happen. Never. But I guess there really is someone out there for everyone. Now listen, because I’m only going to say this once. Castiel isn’t just my brother - he’s my best friend. His happiness means the world to me. And so if you ever hurt him, or give him any cause to regret his decision to be with you, I will hunt you down, and smite you.” He looked at Dean intently for a moment or too, just enough for Dean to get really uncomfortable, then he broke into a grin. “Psych! Ha, you should have seen your face. No, I wouldn’t really smite you. Or would I? Ha, no, I’m just messing with you.”
“Um... right. Well, I’m not gonna hurt Cas, okay?”
Balthazar nodded affably. “Just make sure that you don’t.” He waved to a tall black angel on the other side of the room. “Hey, Uriel, have you met Dean yet?”
Uriel smiled and waved. “Hi, Dean. We’re gonna smite you!”
Dean didn’t get angel humor.
He thought he’d managed to escape into a corner with a plate of some delicious mini cheese-steak sandwiches that had been prepared for the party, but it was then that the Angel Zachariah found him, and took creepy to a whole new level.
“You’re going to be one of us soon.”
“Um... yeah.”
“Well then, I should tell you something. Back in the nineteenth century, I became a little... overly zealous, some might say.” He was leaning in creepily close, and Dean wondered how far he’d be able to lean back before he fell off his chair.
“I wanted to restore humanity’s faith in Our Lord,” Zachariah continued. “And, you know, this was before the attempted apocalypse, so I was pretty bored. It started off fairly low-key. You know, small scale miracles. Smiting the unholy, that kind of thing. But then I... Well, I thought it would be a good idea to remind people of Christ’s power by restoring life to a member of the deceased, like with Lazarus. Only I... things got a little out of hand. The first one came back wrong, so then I had to keep trying, but I just wasn’t doing it properly, and... well, long story short, Dean, I may have almost accidentally started a zombie infestation. Some hunters took care of it, though, and it was all hushed up nicely. But I feel that you should be warned, as a new member of our family. If not properly supervised I tend to go a little mad with power and fuck shit up bigtime. If it wasn’t for the intervention of Raphael over there, I could have ended up worse than Lucifer.”
He gestured towards an angel sitting in the corner with crazy eyes, rocking back and forth and muttering in a language Dean didn’t understand.
Good God, he thought. What the hell am I marrying into?
But then he looked at Castiel, with his big anxious eyes and his gentle smile, and he remembered.
...
“No, Rachel, we won’t need to release one hundred white doves. It’s not traditional.”
“Dean’s brother is going to be his groomsman, and I’m fairly certain he won’t take kindly to wearing the golden ceremonial headdress.”
“Surely we don’t have to perform the whole ceremony in Enochian? Dean is coming along very well with his classes, but his family are going to be there, and I’m sure they’d like to know what’s going on.”
Castiel was starting to get sick of his family’s constant efforts to monopolize his wedding. There were times when he was tempted to just elope and have a small, private ceremony far, far away from everyone they knew, but Dean talked him out of it.
“It’s not forever, Cas. It’s just for the ceremony, and then things will calm down. I’m fine with it, seriously, and you know your family will never forgive us if we don’t let them organize shit. And my people are all stupidly excited about it. Sammy went into a total geek spiral and started researching angelic traditions. They can’t wait.”
Castiel sighed. “I can’t wait until it’s over.”
He hadn’t told Dean about the outfits they were expected to wear at the ceremony. He thought it would be best to let his fiancée deal with one thing at a time.
...
A week before the date of the bonding ceremony, they had to undergo a cleansing ritual in the angelic temple of worship, which was something like a baptism, only its purpose was to cleanse them of all amorous thoughts that weren’t connected to his bond mate. Castiel went first. Michael gently immersed him in the pool of holy water, and he rose up feeling strangely light and shivery. Michael smiled at him, and helped him out of the pool.
Castiel shook the water from his wings, and started to feel like maybe this whole thing wasn’t going to be the horrific experience he’d anticipated. But then it was Dean’s turn. Cas knew what was coming as soon as he saw the malevolent glint in Michael’s eyes.
“I’ll have to be much more thorough with you,” the Archangel said to Dean. “Unlike Castiel, you haven’t kept yourself pure for your bond mate. I’ll have to make very, very sure that you are properly cleansed.
Dean, already looking uncomfortable in his white ceremonial robes, grew pale.
Castiel looked on in horror as his husband-to-be was dunked repeatedly in the water by a slightly too enthusiastic Michael.
“What have I done to him?” he whispered to Balthazar. “Look at what he has to put up with for me! I wouldn’t be surprised if he looked at me after everything and said ‘Ha, you’re so not worth this.’”
Balthazar gave him a gentle shove. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling. Of course you’re worth it.”
Castiel found Dean after the ceremony, sitting in the back room of the temple wrapped in a large towel.
“Thank you so much for this,” he said, pushing Dean’s damp hair back off his forehead, and wrapping a wing around his shoulder.
Dean leaned into him. “It’s cool. I mean, there were a couple of times when I was sure he wanted to hold me under, but we worked it out.”
“You were amazing. I love you so much.”
Dean laughed softly. “Hey, I love you too. I don’t suppose you want to dry me off, do you?”
Castiel smiled. “I’d love to.”
There were other parts of the ceremony that went less well. One day Castiel came home from work to find Dean in his back garden doing a strange dance that seemed to be a bizarre combination of waving his arms and spinning around on the spot.
“Dean, what are you doing?” he asked.
Dean stopped, and promptly fell over. “Damn! It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“What?”
“I was practicing the dance.”
“Um... what?”
“The traditional angel mating dance! You know, the one I’m supposed to do at the wedding! I wanted to get really good at it, then surprise you.”
“Dean, who told you about this?”
“Gabriel. He taught me all the steps, and he’s going to show me how to do the yodelling later and... and... there is no angelic mating dance, is there.”
“No.”
“Damn it!”
“When I said not to trust a word that comes out of Gabriel’s mouth, I meant it.”
Dean scowled. “Well, at least it didn’t happen at the actual wedding. I guess I should run everything by you from now on.”
“It’s nearly over. Just one more week, then we can just... be together.”
He pulled Dean to his feet and they went into the house together.
...
Castiel was up before dawn on the morning of the wedding. He wanted more than anything to talk to Dean. The past few months had been insane, and he still couldn’t quite believe it had happened. He’d never been so sure of anything as he was of his feelings for Dean, but it all seemed like a dream. A fantastical dream that would melt away as soon as the sun rose. The morning dew clung to his wings, and Castiel breathed deeply, drinking in the silence.
“CASTIEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE HAVE TO LEAVE FOR THE TEMPLE IN THREE HOURS AND YOU NEED TO GET YOUR WINGS GILDED!”
Castiel screwed up his face. Anna always had had an obnoxiously loud voice.
He reluctantly went back inside, where he was subjected to being dressed in ridiculous gold embroidered robes, having his wings waxed and decorated, and being told by Balthazar that his hair ‘would have to do’.
...
“Are you sure you’re okay, dude?” Sam asked again.
“Yes! Yes, I’m fine! Would you shut up? It’s perfectly normal to be nervous on your wedding day, okay? And... and I kind of wish I wasn’t wearing a dress...”
Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s not a dress, it’s a traditional angelic robe. The sigils on the hem represent love and fidelity. Actually, I’m kind of surprised they didn’t want me to wear the traditional groomsman robes. I was kind of looking forward to that.”
“Okay, mister I-read-one-book-about-angels-and-now-I-know-everything!” Dean snapped. “I just want this to be over with. I just want to... to see Cas. I’ll feel better once I’ve seen Cas.”
Sam grabbed hold of Dean’s shoulder. “You’re worried he’s not gonna show?”
Dean laughed hollowly. “It just seems... too good to be true, you know? I mean, he’s this awesome, other-worldly being, and he’s so hot, and he’s... I just don’t know why he’d want to be with me. I mean, forever. What if I let him down?”
“You won’t. Leaving aside the fact that you’ve obviously been crazy about Cas from the word go, it’s in the nature of angels to only love like this once.”
“What do you mean?”
Sam sighed wearily. “If you’d bothered to read the book on angels I had - and you really should, seeing as you’re the one marrying one - you’d know that they have a kind of... mystical, biological impulse when it comes to finding a mate. Angels bond for eternity, right? So it can’t be like a human marriage, where sometimes people make mistakes and end up with someone they’re not really compatible with. There’s no going back. So angels are programmed to only feel... those feelings for someone they’re, you know, meant to be with. There’s no margin for error. And yeah, it’s usually another angel, but there are exceptions. And I guess you’re one of them. Now will you stop panicking and put your shoes on already? Bobby’s waiting to drive us to the temple.”
...
The incense stung Castiel’s eyes a little, and he was starting to feel light-headed. He focused on Dean, standing across from him, looking just as uncomfortable as Cas felt. They exchanged the odd smile, the odd gesture, wanting to reassure each other but unable to touch yet.
Michael, as the senior member of their garrison, was presiding over the ceremony, and Castiel noticed that he no longer looked at Dean with contempt. Perhaps it was the way Dean had mastered all the Enochian responses to the vows. Perhaps it was that Dean had obviously proven himself worthy after putting up with all the various bullshit the angels had thrown at him over the last couple of months. Perhaps Michael had simply realized that it was time to let Castiel make his own choices. Whatever the reason, Castiel was grateful to his brother. Grateful for not making him choose.
The vows over, it was time for the bonding process. This was what Castiel had been the most nervous about. He’d explained to Dean that part of the ceremony involved the mystical bonding of his grace to Dean’s soul, so that they would be truly united. But what if something went wrong? What if it wouldn’t work properly because Dean wasn’t an angel? What if neither of them felt any differently afterwards?
Michael joined their hands, and began to recite. Dean smiled nervously.
Castiel reached out for him. Not physically, but with the essence of his true form. With the silvery, effervescent tendrils of his grace. He found Dean in the darkness, and tried to grab hold. His hands were shaking. Dean’s eyes were wide and a little frightened, and Castiel knew that he was afraid it wouldn’t work too. >Reach out. I love you. Castiel felt something. Something golden and shivery and warm. Dean’s soul. His grace pushed forward again, and Dean drew in a sharp breath. He grabbed hold.
“Oh,” Castiel breathed. “There you are.”
Dean laughed shakily. “Hi. I can... Cas, this is so weird. I can feel you.”
Castiel nodded, reaching out to stroke the side of Dean’s face. He could feel Dean’s heart beating, feel it in himself, and when they touched it was like catching fire.
When they were eventually able to drag their attention away from each other, it was to discover that they were kneeling on the floor of an empty temple.
Castiel laughed. “We may have got a little... wrapped up in each other.”
“I suppose we have to go to the reception, don’t we,” Dean sighed. “I mean, your family’s been planning it, and they’ve spent all that money... we... we can’t blow it off and just go home and have sex. Can we?”
Castiel thought for one agonizing minute. “I... no. No, we can’t. They’d never forgive us.”
It was the most agonizing decision he’d made in a long time.
...
Dean hadn’t been to a whole lot of weddings, but he thought that his had gone pretty well. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t slightly relieved that the whole thing was over. From now on, he and Cas could just relax and enjoy being with each other, and figure out the whole marriage thing together. It was going to be awesome.
Okay, so he’d still have to work hard to earn the approval of Cas’s family. Dean was perfectly well aware that just because they’d sanctioned his relationship with Castiel, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t always going to be the odd one out.
“Hey, everyone!” Balthazar’s voice rung out across the hall. He was standing up on the stage, and next to him was a shorter man wearing a dark, well-cut suit. “I know this isn’t my day, but I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that I’ve finally decided to settle down! I want you all to meet my partner, Crowley.”
The man beside Balthazar flashed everyone a wicked grin. Dean couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t have wings.
“Well... it’s nice to meet you, Crowley,” Michael said formally. “I take it that you’re a human! We are quite accommodating of angel-human relationships, as you can see, so we all look forward to getting to know you better.”
“Oh, I’m not a human,” Crowley replied smoothly. “I’m a demon.”
In the shocked silence that followed this announcement, Dean stood up and raised his champagne glass. “Crowley!” he said. “Welcome to the family!”
From now on, he figured, there was no way the angels could have a problem with him.
AN: I'm not entirely happy with this. Real life stuff got in the way and I didn't have time to make it as good as I would have liked. But I finished for the deadline, and I may come back and edit later!