Deanâs the first to finish shopping for Christmas presents, which means he has to wait for Sam and Cas. All the benches in the festively decorated mall are occupied by tired shoppers who need a break, bored men who are waiting for their wives or girlfriends to finish shopping, and parents with children who have sat down for a snack, which leaves Dean to wander around and look at the window displays.
He hasnât stepped foot in a jewelry store since the time he bought Lisa a bracelet, and he doesnât enter the one he ends up in front of now, but he does look at the displays. On the left side of the entrance there are pendants and earrings, and on the right side are rings in all shapes and sizes. Itâs the wedding rings that catch his eye, for some reason; itâs not that heâs in a situation where he needs to be looking at them, but⊠maybe thatâs exactly why he does. Because they remind him of the life he used to want. What he could have had, if Dad hadnât brought him and Sam up to be hunters.
Two of the more untraditional sets have a menâs ring that Dean could easily picture on his own finger â one is a white gold with a darker inlay in the middle, and the other is made of tungsten carbide and has a rope pattern going around it. He canât decide which one he likes best.
âDean.â
A hand touches his shoulder, and Dean turns around to see Cas standing there. âOh, hey. You done too?â
Cas holds up two shopping bags. âAlmost. I only have one gift left to buy.â He glances past Deanâs shoulder, and then pushes into it â softly, but with no regard for personal space as Dean turns to the side to accommodate him, which still leaves precious little room between them. âWedding rings?â Dean expects Cas to look confused, maybe, but his face doesnât give anything away when he looks at Dean.
Dean shrugs in response. Itâs obvious that those were the rings he was looking at; he was standing right in front of them, so he canât deny it. âYeah, I mean⊠I was just looking. âS not like Iâm ever gonna have one, but, y'knowâŠâ He closes his mouth belatedly, shoulders hunching forward as he looks away.
âYou would look good with one,â Cas remarks, which catches Dean off-guard. He wasnât expecting Cas to pick up on the fact that thatâs something he wants, much less make a comment like that.
Cas points to the tungsten ring Dean was admiring earlier. âThat one, maybe. Which one do you prefer?â
Knowing that Cas likes the tungsten one makes it more appealing. Maybe Deanâs more easily influenced than he thought. Or⊠well, if heâs perfectly honest with himself, he knows why Casâs opinion on this matters to him. Not that thatâs a thing thatâs ever going to happen. âUh, yeah. The same one.â
Cas nods thoughtfully. âWould you like me to buy it for you?â
Dean chokes on air. So much for that never happening. But⊠no, Cas doesnât understand what heâs saying. What it means. He canât. âCas, thatâs notââ he forces out, trying to keep his voice even. âThis isnât the kind of ring you just buy as a gift for someone. People give each other these rings when they get married. They, uh, they symboliseââ
âLove,â Cas continues easily, eyes meeting Deanâs. âDevotion. A wish to spend the rest of oneâs life with the other.â
Dean feels like he canât breathe until Cas looks away again.
âBut if you donât wantââ Cas begins, pulling away, his calm expression wavering.
Panicked, Dean grabs the closest part of Cas, which happens to be his hand, pulling him close again. âI, uh. I didnât say that.â His heartâs trying to imitate a jackhammer in his chest. âI just⊠I need to know what youâre really asking, here.â
Casâs smile holds a hint of uncertainty as he looks down at Deanâs hand and squeezes. âIâm asking if you want me to give you a wedding ring, Dean. Iâm not so unaware of human traditions that I donât know what that means.â
âI am,â Dean blurts, before he realises how stupid that sounds. âI mean, my thoughts are all⊠jumbled right now.â He knows what it sounds like Cas is asking, but it seems impossible that Cas is asking him that. Yet his heart hasnât received that memo, beating a wild rhythm against his ribcage. âI need to hear you say it before I can say yes.â He realises too late that heâs given away his answer already, but as humiliating as it is, at least it takes away the uncertainty that was written in Casâs face, replacing it with crinkles around his eyes and a joyous smile.
âDo you need me to get down on one knee as well?â
Dean would have told Cas off for sassing him in a situation like this if it wasnât for the fact that those words are exactly what he needs. He knows, now, what Cas is asking him. Thereâs only one answer he can give to that, and it bursts out of him unbidden as his hand buries itself in Casâs coat, shopping bags dangling between them.
âYes.â
Casâs eyes widen for a moment, and then heâs bending down and Dean realises that heâs actually going down on one knee, and he pulls him back up.
âCome here, you idiot.â Dean knows heâs wearing a stupid, sappy grin, but he doesnât care. If thereâs any kind of situation that calls for it, itâs this one. âThat wasnât what I said yes to.â
âOh?â Cas smiles. âWhat did you say yes to, then?â he goads, but neither of them have even said the word âmarryâ yet, and Dean isnât going to be the first to break. Instead he pulls Cas even closer, public location be damned, and places a soft kiss on his fiancĂ©âs lips, the sounds of the mall fading away in the background as Cas wraps his arms around Dean and they let themselves get lost in each other for a moment.
âCome on,â Dean says when they part, and pulls Cas into the jewelry store by his hand. âLetâs get us some rings.â
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