Always with you - Chapter 6
Title: Always with you
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural AU/Romance
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky, Sam/Sarah
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 46400
Warnings: some angst, mentions of violence, implied character death (disappearance)
Previous chapter: Chapter 5
Chapter six - More than I deserve
After the masquerade their days became a little calmer, the after-event excitement of the ball slowly fading away. During the weekend, Fiamma stopped rutting, so Dean brought Ben Hur and Spartacus back to the stables. They were the biggest horses Castiel had ever seen. It wasn’t like he had seen a lot of them but when he mentioned his observations to Dean, he was reassured that they were in fact huge.
With each passing day, Dean and Castiel spent more and more time together. The only times Castiel wasn’t near Dean was when he had horses around him. Castiel was still a little intimidated by them, but he was slowly getting used to them, especially because Dean kept nagging him to be friendlier with the hoofed beasts, and he even offered free riding lessons to him. Every time Dean did that, he had so much hope in his eyes, that it got harder and harder to say no, until one day Castiel finally gave in.
“Okay, let’s do it,” he said, rolling his eyes. Dean’s answering smile was so bright and genuine; Castiel had to forcibly stop himself from grabbing him and kissing him senseless.
“We can start in an hour, if it’s okay with you. Jeans and sport shoes will do for now, we can get you proper gear later if you start getting the hang of it, and enjoying it, which I’m sure you will.”
Castiel nodded hesitantly, and he walked off to prepare himself for what was about to come. Almost an hour later he was no calmer, and he cursed himself for saying yes in the first place, but he decided not to disappoint Dean by canceling, so he showed up for his first horse-riding lesson despite his nerves.
“So, you ready?” Dean asked, looking at Castiel, who seemed to be everything but ready.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Castiel’s voice made his nervousness obvious. Usually it was deep and gravelly, but in that moment it was like a scared foal’s whinny: soft, and high-pitched.
“Come on, you spent two and a half weeks here on a horse ranch. You’re intending to stay at least three more, and you haven’t actually been near the horses for more than those five minutes when I introduced them to you.”
“I’m not that into horses.”
“I know… Up front they bite, in the back they kick, and in the middle they’re merely uncomfortable, right?’ Dean joked, quoting Castiel from the day he first met them.
“Exactly,” Castiel grinned shyly, eyeing the horse tied to the pole with so much uncertainty in his eyes that Dean almost gave up his idea of teaching Castiel how to ride a horse.
“I’m gonna prove it to you that you’re generally wrong there. Come on, do you trust me?” Dean flashed a teasing smile at Castiel, trying to use the least psychotic one he had.
“It’s the beast I don’t trust.”
“Gigette’s hardly a beast. Here, hold these,” Dean said, thrusting three apples into Castiel’s hand, before clicking his tongue. Gigette raised her head, and for a moment she actually grinned at Dean, before trotting as close to them as the rope on her bridle let her. “Castiel, you met Gigette before. She’s the oldest, most experienced horse in our stable. Also, she’s the one we use with kids who want to ride a horse and she hasn’t ever caused an accident. Give me back those apples, and hold out your hand under her nose, let her sniff it.”
“Okay…” Castiel said, and - although a little reluctantly - he held his hand out. It didn’t take more than a second for Gigette to sniff at it before she started licking at it. For a moment Castiel looked like he was going to pass out, but a few seconds later he gave a little laugh. “It tickles.”
“She can smell the apples on your hand. Here’s an apple, put it on your palm, and hold it out for her. Don’t worry, she’s not gonna bite you, I raised her better than that,” Dean said with a grin, and Castiel did as he was told. Gigette looked questioningly at Dean, and she only took the offered fruit after he nodded. She munched happily on the apple, and after she was finished with it, she kept licking the juice of it off of Castiel’s hand. “Okay, now try petting her nose. She’ll let you do that now.”
“Yeah, because I bribed her with apples,” Castiel said, rolling his eyes.
“It’s just a precaution, she’d probably let you anyway. Horses are in a lot of regards just like dogs. They can feel the intention of us; they know whether or not we want to hurt them. And you don’t want to hurt her, right? So, no worries.”
“Okay, but if she bites my hand off, you’re so gonna pay my hospital bills.”
“You know what? If she does, I will. Okay?” Dean grinned, and patted Castiel’s shoulder. Castiel took a deep breath, and touched Gigette’s nose. He let out a small yelp when the horse actually took a step closer to him, and leaned into his touch.
“Wow. She feels so nice… warm, and soft,” he whispered with the littlest hint of awe in his eyes.
“She does, doesn’t she?” Dean felt his smile grow wider and wider. “Now try sliding your hand up on her muzzle. If she lets you touch her between her eyes, you’re good to go. Horses have a blind spot in front of their foreheads, which means, they can’t see if something is there or not. They don’t see your hand under their noses either, but they can smell you, so they know you’re there,” he explained, but he wasn’t sure Castiel actually heard any of that, he was too busy caressing Gigette’s forehead and nose. She whickered, and pushed her head into the touch, making Castiel smile.
“Can I give her another apple?” He asked, a child’s innocent delight on his face.
“Of course, that’s why I brought more than one. But the last one is for after the lesson.”
While Castiel fed the apple to Gigette, Dean went to get a helmet for him and a saddle for her. By the time he got back, Castiel was hugging the horse’s neck, and Gigette was lovingly mouthing at his shoulder.
“That’s what I call love at first sniff.” Dean grinned, and with quick movements he harnessed the horse. “Okay, I think you’ll be good to go with the same stirrup-length I go with… You’ll have to learn how to do that later, but for now you’ll get to have just the enjoyable parts.” He told Castiel, giving him the helmet.
“Do I really have to wear that?”
“Yes. While I don’t think anything is gonna go wrong with you and Gigette, better safe than sorry. So, put it on.” Castiel pouted for a moment, but he glanced at Gigette, and decided to put the hat on anyway.
“I know, I look ridiculous.”
“Not necessarily the word I’d use,” Dean answered, and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from telling Castiel how non-ridiculous he actually looked. “Come on, let’s get you onto Gigette’s back.” That seemed to push Castiel over his distress caused by the helmet, and he smiled at Dean.
“Show me how.”
“Look at that, all of a sudden you’re in a hurry. Okay, watch. You put your hands here and here.” He pointed to the horse’s neck with one hand and to the edge of the saddle with the other. “You place your left foot into the stirrup, I’ll give you a little push. You just hold on, and try to swing your leg over her back.”
“That doesn’t sound too complicated,” Castiel chuckled, and did as he was told. Dean felt a little hot when he leaned down to give him a push, he hadn’t thought about how close that action would get him to Castiel’s backside, but he managed to keep himself from touching in inappropriate places, even though he desperately wanted to. He swallowed, and tried to get the blush he was no doubt sporting back under control. He smiled up at Castiel, who looked mighty proud sitting in the saddle.
“Okay, hold onto the saddlebow, we’re on the move!” Dean announced, and taking the reins into his hands, slowly he led Gigette down to the small practice track. He kept glancing back at Castiel, who looked a little spooked now that he was holding onto the saddlebow for dear life. “Castiel, I know that it is a little scary that she’s moving under you, but man, for God’s sake, don’t look THAT scared, you’re safe up there.”
“Easy to say, you’re on the ground!” Castiel answered, his voice a little panicked, but he seemed to try to pull himself together. When they reached the track, Dean stopped the horse, and turned his attention onto Castiel.
“Now I’m gonna teach you how to sit on a horse, ‘cause what you’re doing now is about as enthralling and right, as a drunk man’s sprawl on a bar stool. First of all, sit straight. You’re not the Hunchback of Notre Dame, are you? Then don’t sit like you were, you’re too good-looking to be Quasimodo anyway,” he grinned, and Castiel immediately straightened his spine. “Okay, that looks better, but if you can, try to push your shoulders back a little too. That’s it. The only way you can actually stay on the horse is if you hold on with your legs… well, your thighs and knees, to be exact. Wait, it looks like the stirrup is way too low for you, let me just quickly adjust that,” he said, and without thinking, he grabbed Castiel’s ankle, pulling his foot out of the stirrup. “Pull up your leg a little, please.”
When Castiel didn’t react, Dean put his hand onto the other man’s thigh, and pushed it up a little, using his other hand to adjust the strap that held the stirrup in place. At his touch Castiel let out a small chuckle, but Dean didn’t notice. He pushed Castiel’s foot back into the stirrup, and took two steps back to see if it was better or worse.
“Hey, man. What did I just say about not being Quasimodo?” He scolded Castiel, who had hunched over again while Dean was busy. “Should I get a wooden board and tie it onto your back to keep it straight?” he joked. Castiel shot him a clearly disapproving look, and even Gigette snorted. “Okay, no wooden board then. Let me adjust the other strap too, and you’re good to go,” Dean said, and a few seconds later he was ready. Quickly, he ran his hands over Castiel’s thighs to make sure he was holding on, before he clicked with his tongue, and slowly, Gigette started walking.
“Dean, I…” Castiel began, once again sounding a little panicked.
“Calm down. Hold onto her with your legs. Push your heels down, so that your toes point towards the sky. Try to angle your feet so that the inner rim of your soles is a little higher than the outer, that will make your work easier if you have to nudge her. Your knees and thighs should be connected to the horse at any given time, that’s how you’ll keep yourself on their back, by holding onto them tight.”
“How am I supposed to remember all that?!” Castiel asked, voice rising higher than ever. Gigette was still walking, round after round, not really caring about her rider’s distress.
“So far you’re doing just fine, and if you would stop worrying, you would do it perfectly. Try to enjoy it.”
“Dean, in case you didn’t notice, I have a huge beast between my legs and…” Castiel began to complain, but then he realized what he just said, and blushed. Dean chuckled, and stopped Gigette.
“Would you feel any safer if I sit behind you for a while?” Dean asked. He was sure that he wouldn’t make this offer to anyone else, but he just couldn’t stand the scared look Castiel had on his face the whole time. For a second he contemplated telling him to get off the horse and leave it be, but somehow he was sure Castiel would love riding if he knew how to. After some thinking Castiel nodded, and in the next moment he found himself with his back pressed tightly against Dean’s chest.
“Better?” Dean inquired. His mouth was so close to Castiel’s ear that his breath tickled him, making him shiver a little.
“Yeah.”
“Okay then. Reach forward, and grab the reins, please.” Castiel did, as he was asked. Once he had them securely in his hands, Dean clicked
his tongue again, and Gigette started walking, a little quicker than before. “Castiel, calm down. Let the rein hang a little loose, but not too much, you may have to hold her back eventually. Hold it with both hands, between the index and middle fingers, this way it can slide freely if you have to pull it tighter, or let it looser,” Dean explained, and he reached forward, taking Castiel’s right hand, gently forcing it into the right position, before doing the same to his left hand, his fingers lingering only a little longer than necessary. “Perfect,” he whispered, and then without warning, he put his arms around Castiel’s shoulders, pulling him a little upwards, and a little more towards him. Castiel’s mouth went dry from the sudden touch, Dean’s proximity was starting to make him really dizzy, but he was too surprised to do anything, so he just stayed in the position Dean held him in.
“I told you to sit straight. It makes holding onto the horse easier. Less work for your thigh muscles. Also, when you’re completely in balance on their backs, that makes it easier for them too,” Dean explained. “Now, I’m gonna let go of your shoulders. Try to stay in the same position. Press your back against me, try to get used to it,” he said, and he let go, slowly sliding his hands down onto Castiel’s hips, his skin hot against his fingers even through his jeans. He felt the muscles twitching in effort, and that made him grin. It only showed that Castiel was in fact trying to do his best.
“You know what? It’s not that bad,” Castiel said a little later. Dean felt like his grin was going to split his face in half.
“I knew you would like it,” he answered. They made a few more rounds, before Dean thought that they had tortured Gigette enough already with having to carry two persons at once. He got off of her back, but when Castiel tried to do the same, he shook his head. “Nope, not yet, my friend. Stay up there and we’ll see how you do on your own. Give me the reins. Keep your hands free, you can hold onto the saddle if you want to, though I’m pretty sure you won’t have to,” he said, and once again, he nudged Gigette into gear. This time Castiel managed to maintain the perfect position, without even having to hold onto the saddle.
“This is quite pleasurable,” Castiel confessed five laps later, even though the reason he said it was more to make Dean finally let him get off the horse than to express his enjoyment, but apparently Dean didn’t exactly get it.
“Told you so!” Dean grinned proudly. “How do you feel about some balance exercises?”
“Balance exercises?” Castiel furrowed his brows. That didn’t sound too much like getting off the horse…
“Yeah. Try to lean forward, and scratch Gigette’s ears. She likes that.”
“Scratch Gigette’s ears?” He echoed, staring at the mentioned body parts dangling quite far away from him. He swallowed, and leaned forward. To his biggest surprise so far he felt comfortable enough to lift his rear from the saddle while the horse kept walking under him. His chest touched the curve of Gigette’s neck, and finally, he managed to scratch her ears, for which she thanked him by softly whickering.
“Good job,” Dean congratulated him. “One more thing, and you’re done for today, okay? I don’t want to completely overwhelm you.”
“Thank God!” Castiel exclaimed, looking straight up at the sky for a moment, before turning to stare at Dean instead.
“Lay back as far as you can. If you manage that without falling, you’re maybe not completely helpless up there,” Dean teased, and Castiel shot him a dark look, before huffing, and arching his back. Two seconds later he was laying on Gigette’s back, his spine against hers. Seeing Castiel’s flexibility, a few impure thoughts ran through Dean’s mind, effectively making him blush.
“You’re done. Do you want to go a few more rounds, or are you aching to feel solid ground under your feet?”
“I am aching. You can’t imagine how much I am aching.” Castiel rolled his eyes, and sighed.
“Believe me, I can. You know, there was a first time for me too. You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.” Dean smiled sympathetically, and he helped Castiel off of the horse’s back. For a short moment he held him in his arms, before quickly releasing him.
“Thank you.”
“I thought I’d ask you… I mean, if you have no other plans, I’d be really happy if you would go out with me tonight. I know this really great Italian place, Becky always said it’s the perfect place for a first date, and I… oh shit.” Dean babbled and then stopped himself, suddenly terrified of Castiel saying no.
“Dean, are you asking me out? Like, on an official date?” He asked, his eyes wide as saucers.
“Yeah, I guess I am. So, do you want to go on a date with me?”
“Yes, Dean. I would love to.”
“Is eight o’clock okay for you?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect, I’m going to pick you up at eight then.”
Next chapter: Chapter 7
Fandom/Genre: Supernatural AU/Romance
Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel, Chuck/Becky, Sam/Sarah
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 46400
Warnings: some angst, mentions of violence, implied character death (disappearance)
Previous chapter: Chapter 5
Chapter six - More than I deserve
After the masquerade their days became a little calmer, the after-event excitement of the ball slowly fading away. During the weekend, Fiamma stopped rutting, so Dean brought Ben Hur and Spartacus back to the stables. They were the biggest horses Castiel had ever seen. It wasn’t like he had seen a lot of them but when he mentioned his observations to Dean, he was reassured that they were in fact huge.
With each passing day, Dean and Castiel spent more and more time together. The only times Castiel wasn’t near Dean was when he had horses around him. Castiel was still a little intimidated by them, but he was slowly getting used to them, especially because Dean kept nagging him to be friendlier with the hoofed beasts, and he even offered free riding lessons to him. Every time Dean did that, he had so much hope in his eyes, that it got harder and harder to say no, until one day Castiel finally gave in.
“Okay, let’s do it,” he said, rolling his eyes. Dean’s answering smile was so bright and genuine; Castiel had to forcibly stop himself from grabbing him and kissing him senseless.
“We can start in an hour, if it’s okay with you. Jeans and sport shoes will do for now, we can get you proper gear later if you start getting the hang of it, and enjoying it, which I’m sure you will.”
Castiel nodded hesitantly, and he walked off to prepare himself for what was about to come. Almost an hour later he was no calmer, and he cursed himself for saying yes in the first place, but he decided not to disappoint Dean by canceling, so he showed up for his first horse-riding lesson despite his nerves.
“So, you ready?” Dean asked, looking at Castiel, who seemed to be everything but ready.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Castiel’s voice made his nervousness obvious. Usually it was deep and gravelly, but in that moment it was like a scared foal’s whinny: soft, and high-pitched.
“Come on, you spent two and a half weeks here on a horse ranch. You’re intending to stay at least three more, and you haven’t actually been near the horses for more than those five minutes when I introduced them to you.”
“I’m not that into horses.”
“I know… Up front they bite, in the back they kick, and in the middle they’re merely uncomfortable, right?’ Dean joked, quoting Castiel from the day he first met them.
“Exactly,” Castiel grinned shyly, eyeing the horse tied to the pole with so much uncertainty in his eyes that Dean almost gave up his idea of teaching Castiel how to ride a horse.
“I’m gonna prove it to you that you’re generally wrong there. Come on, do you trust me?” Dean flashed a teasing smile at Castiel, trying to use the least psychotic one he had.
“It’s the beast I don’t trust.”
“Gigette’s hardly a beast. Here, hold these,” Dean said, thrusting three apples into Castiel’s hand, before clicking his tongue. Gigette raised her head, and for a moment she actually grinned at Dean, before trotting as close to them as the rope on her bridle let her. “Castiel, you met Gigette before. She’s the oldest, most experienced horse in our stable. Also, she’s the one we use with kids who want to ride a horse and she hasn’t ever caused an accident. Give me back those apples, and hold out your hand under her nose, let her sniff it.”
“Okay…” Castiel said, and - although a little reluctantly - he held his hand out. It didn’t take more than a second for Gigette to sniff at it before she started licking at it. For a moment Castiel looked like he was going to pass out, but a few seconds later he gave a little laugh. “It tickles.”
“She can smell the apples on your hand. Here’s an apple, put it on your palm, and hold it out for her. Don’t worry, she’s not gonna bite you, I raised her better than that,” Dean said with a grin, and Castiel did as he was told. Gigette looked questioningly at Dean, and she only took the offered fruit after he nodded. She munched happily on the apple, and after she was finished with it, she kept licking the juice of it off of Castiel’s hand. “Okay, now try petting her nose. She’ll let you do that now.”
“Yeah, because I bribed her with apples,” Castiel said, rolling his eyes.
“It’s just a precaution, she’d probably let you anyway. Horses are in a lot of regards just like dogs. They can feel the intention of us; they know whether or not we want to hurt them. And you don’t want to hurt her, right? So, no worries.”
“Okay, but if she bites my hand off, you’re so gonna pay my hospital bills.”
“You know what? If she does, I will. Okay?” Dean grinned, and patted Castiel’s shoulder. Castiel took a deep breath, and touched Gigette’s nose. He let out a small yelp when the horse actually took a step closer to him, and leaned into his touch.
“Wow. She feels so nice… warm, and soft,” he whispered with the littlest hint of awe in his eyes.
“She does, doesn’t she?” Dean felt his smile grow wider and wider. “Now try sliding your hand up on her muzzle. If she lets you touch her between her eyes, you’re good to go. Horses have a blind spot in front of their foreheads, which means, they can’t see if something is there or not. They don’t see your hand under their noses either, but they can smell you, so they know you’re there,” he explained, but he wasn’t sure Castiel actually heard any of that, he was too busy caressing Gigette’s forehead and nose. She whickered, and pushed her head into the touch, making Castiel smile.
“Can I give her another apple?” He asked, a child’s innocent delight on his face.
“Of course, that’s why I brought more than one. But the last one is for after the lesson.”
While Castiel fed the apple to Gigette, Dean went to get a helmet for him and a saddle for her. By the time he got back, Castiel was hugging the horse’s neck, and Gigette was lovingly mouthing at his shoulder.
“That’s what I call love at first sniff.” Dean grinned, and with quick movements he harnessed the horse. “Okay, I think you’ll be good to go with the same stirrup-length I go with… You’ll have to learn how to do that later, but for now you’ll get to have just the enjoyable parts.” He told Castiel, giving him the helmet.
“Do I really have to wear that?”
“Yes. While I don’t think anything is gonna go wrong with you and Gigette, better safe than sorry. So, put it on.” Castiel pouted for a moment, but he glanced at Gigette, and decided to put the hat on anyway.
“I know, I look ridiculous.”
“Not necessarily the word I’d use,” Dean answered, and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from telling Castiel how non-ridiculous he actually looked. “Come on, let’s get you onto Gigette’s back.” That seemed to push Castiel over his distress caused by the helmet, and he smiled at Dean.
“Show me how.”
“Look at that, all of a sudden you’re in a hurry. Okay, watch. You put your hands here and here.” He pointed to the horse’s neck with one hand and to the edge of the saddle with the other. “You place your left foot into the stirrup, I’ll give you a little push. You just hold on, and try to swing your leg over her back.”
“That doesn’t sound too complicated,” Castiel chuckled, and did as he was told. Dean felt a little hot when he leaned down to give him a push, he hadn’t thought about how close that action would get him to Castiel’s backside, but he managed to keep himself from touching in inappropriate places, even though he desperately wanted to. He swallowed, and tried to get the blush he was no doubt sporting back under control. He smiled up at Castiel, who looked mighty proud sitting in the saddle.
“Okay, hold onto the saddlebow, we’re on the move!” Dean announced, and taking the reins into his hands, slowly he led Gigette down to the small practice track. He kept glancing back at Castiel, who looked a little spooked now that he was holding onto the saddlebow for dear life. “Castiel, I know that it is a little scary that she’s moving under you, but man, for God’s sake, don’t look THAT scared, you’re safe up there.”
“Easy to say, you’re on the ground!” Castiel answered, his voice a little panicked, but he seemed to try to pull himself together. When they reached the track, Dean stopped the horse, and turned his attention onto Castiel.
“Now I’m gonna teach you how to sit on a horse, ‘cause what you’re doing now is about as enthralling and right, as a drunk man’s sprawl on a bar stool. First of all, sit straight. You’re not the Hunchback of Notre Dame, are you? Then don’t sit like you were, you’re too good-looking to be Quasimodo anyway,” he grinned, and Castiel immediately straightened his spine. “Okay, that looks better, but if you can, try to push your shoulders back a little too. That’s it. The only way you can actually stay on the horse is if you hold on with your legs… well, your thighs and knees, to be exact. Wait, it looks like the stirrup is way too low for you, let me just quickly adjust that,” he said, and without thinking, he grabbed Castiel’s ankle, pulling his foot out of the stirrup. “Pull up your leg a little, please.”
When Castiel didn’t react, Dean put his hand onto the other man’s thigh, and pushed it up a little, using his other hand to adjust the strap that held the stirrup in place. At his touch Castiel let out a small chuckle, but Dean didn’t notice. He pushed Castiel’s foot back into the stirrup, and took two steps back to see if it was better or worse.
“Hey, man. What did I just say about not being Quasimodo?” He scolded Castiel, who had hunched over again while Dean was busy. “Should I get a wooden board and tie it onto your back to keep it straight?” he joked. Castiel shot him a clearly disapproving look, and even Gigette snorted. “Okay, no wooden board then. Let me adjust the other strap too, and you’re good to go,” Dean said, and a few seconds later he was ready. Quickly, he ran his hands over Castiel’s thighs to make sure he was holding on, before he clicked with his tongue, and slowly, Gigette started walking.
“Dean, I…” Castiel began, once again sounding a little panicked.
“Calm down. Hold onto her with your legs. Push your heels down, so that your toes point towards the sky. Try to angle your feet so that the inner rim of your soles is a little higher than the outer, that will make your work easier if you have to nudge her. Your knees and thighs should be connected to the horse at any given time, that’s how you’ll keep yourself on their back, by holding onto them tight.”
“How am I supposed to remember all that?!” Castiel asked, voice rising higher than ever. Gigette was still walking, round after round, not really caring about her rider’s distress.
“So far you’re doing just fine, and if you would stop worrying, you would do it perfectly. Try to enjoy it.”
“Dean, in case you didn’t notice, I have a huge beast between my legs and…” Castiel began to complain, but then he realized what he just said, and blushed. Dean chuckled, and stopped Gigette.
“Would you feel any safer if I sit behind you for a while?” Dean asked. He was sure that he wouldn’t make this offer to anyone else, but he just couldn’t stand the scared look Castiel had on his face the whole time. For a second he contemplated telling him to get off the horse and leave it be, but somehow he was sure Castiel would love riding if he knew how to. After some thinking Castiel nodded, and in the next moment he found himself with his back pressed tightly against Dean’s chest.
“Better?” Dean inquired. His mouth was so close to Castiel’s ear that his breath tickled him, making him shiver a little.
“Yeah.”
“Okay then. Reach forward, and grab the reins, please.” Castiel did, as he was asked. Once he had them securely in his hands, Dean clicked
his tongue again, and Gigette started walking, a little quicker than before. “Castiel, calm down. Let the rein hang a little loose, but not too much, you may have to hold her back eventually. Hold it with both hands, between the index and middle fingers, this way it can slide freely if you have to pull it tighter, or let it looser,” Dean explained, and he reached forward, taking Castiel’s right hand, gently forcing it into the right position, before doing the same to his left hand, his fingers lingering only a little longer than necessary. “Perfect,” he whispered, and then without warning, he put his arms around Castiel’s shoulders, pulling him a little upwards, and a little more towards him. Castiel’s mouth went dry from the sudden touch, Dean’s proximity was starting to make him really dizzy, but he was too surprised to do anything, so he just stayed in the position Dean held him in.
“I told you to sit straight. It makes holding onto the horse easier. Less work for your thigh muscles. Also, when you’re completely in balance on their backs, that makes it easier for them too,” Dean explained. “Now, I’m gonna let go of your shoulders. Try to stay in the same position. Press your back against me, try to get used to it,” he said, and he let go, slowly sliding his hands down onto Castiel’s hips, his skin hot against his fingers even through his jeans. He felt the muscles twitching in effort, and that made him grin. It only showed that Castiel was in fact trying to do his best.
“You know what? It’s not that bad,” Castiel said a little later. Dean felt like his grin was going to split his face in half.
“I knew you would like it,” he answered. They made a few more rounds, before Dean thought that they had tortured Gigette enough already with having to carry two persons at once. He got off of her back, but when Castiel tried to do the same, he shook his head. “Nope, not yet, my friend. Stay up there and we’ll see how you do on your own. Give me the reins. Keep your hands free, you can hold onto the saddle if you want to, though I’m pretty sure you won’t have to,” he said, and once again, he nudged Gigette into gear. This time Castiel managed to maintain the perfect position, without even having to hold onto the saddle.
“This is quite pleasurable,” Castiel confessed five laps later, even though the reason he said it was more to make Dean finally let him get off the horse than to express his enjoyment, but apparently Dean didn’t exactly get it.
“Told you so!” Dean grinned proudly. “How do you feel about some balance exercises?”
“Balance exercises?” Castiel furrowed his brows. That didn’t sound too much like getting off the horse…
“Yeah. Try to lean forward, and scratch Gigette’s ears. She likes that.”
“Scratch Gigette’s ears?” He echoed, staring at the mentioned body parts dangling quite far away from him. He swallowed, and leaned forward. To his biggest surprise so far he felt comfortable enough to lift his rear from the saddle while the horse kept walking under him. His chest touched the curve of Gigette’s neck, and finally, he managed to scratch her ears, for which she thanked him by softly whickering.
“Good job,” Dean congratulated him. “One more thing, and you’re done for today, okay? I don’t want to completely overwhelm you.”
“Thank God!” Castiel exclaimed, looking straight up at the sky for a moment, before turning to stare at Dean instead.
“Lay back as far as you can. If you manage that without falling, you’re maybe not completely helpless up there,” Dean teased, and Castiel shot him a dark look, before huffing, and arching his back. Two seconds later he was laying on Gigette’s back, his spine against hers. Seeing Castiel’s flexibility, a few impure thoughts ran through Dean’s mind, effectively making him blush.
“You’re done. Do you want to go a few more rounds, or are you aching to feel solid ground under your feet?”
“I am aching. You can’t imagine how much I am aching.” Castiel rolled his eyes, and sighed.
“Believe me, I can. You know, there was a first time for me too. You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.” Dean smiled sympathetically, and he helped Castiel off of the horse’s back. For a short moment he held him in his arms, before quickly releasing him.
“Thank you.”
“I thought I’d ask you… I mean, if you have no other plans, I’d be really happy if you would go out with me tonight. I know this really great Italian place, Becky always said it’s the perfect place for a first date, and I… oh shit.” Dean babbled and then stopped himself, suddenly terrified of Castiel saying no.
“Dean, are you asking me out? Like, on an official date?” He asked, his eyes wide as saucers.
“Yeah, I guess I am. So, do you want to go on a date with me?”
“Yes, Dean. I would love to.”
“Is eight o’clock okay for you?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect, I’m going to pick you up at eight then.”
Next chapter: Chapter 7