Dean and Cas had to have talked about the men in the loincloths! Right?
âSo, we just killed two guys in loincloths for nothing,â Dean states, pursing his lips and gripping babyâs wheel tightly.
âJust what is your obsession with the loincloth, Dean?â Cas asks, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.
âNothing,â Dean pauses before insisting seriously. âNothing. Just, y'know.â
âNo, Dean,â Cas tells him flatly. âI do not know.â
Dean grunts and throws up a hand, not in a particularly good mood at that moment. Not only did they just kill two men without hearts but now they are no closer to getting to Jack or Mary. Dean frowns when Cas sighs and he rolls his head to look over at him.
âIt is a shame,â Cas allows carefully. âThey seemed to be good men outside of their desire to kill us, of course.â
âOf course,â Dean agrees, his lips twitching in amusement. âWhat weâre they saying anyway? Talking shit about us?â
Thatâs all Cas says and goes silent, leaving it there. Which, that would be cool usually, except Cas is doing that tight lipped, narrow eyed thing that tells Dean heâs upset about something. So, Dean presses on.
âSo, whatâd they say?â
Cas frowns and glances at him, rolling his eyes up to the roof of the car. Dean immediately fought a grin as he recognized embarrassment clouding Casâ face.
âThey called us pretty,â Cas mutters in one quick breath. âThey kept referencing our beauty, apologizing for having to kill me because I was so beautiful, referring to your death as a beautiful one.â
Thereâs a beat of silence and then, Dean laughs. Itâs loud and boisterous, full of disbelief, echoing proud into the space between babyâs four doors. Cas stares at Dean, one eyebrow cocked, until Dean forces all his laughter down and clears his throat.
âIâm sorry,â Dean says, forcing the words out with more gruff than he felt. âThatâs not- Yeah, thatâs not really funny.â
âYouâre ridiculous, Dean Winchester,â Cas informs him seriously but there is a tiny smile flickering over his face.
âTheyâre not wrong, though,â Dean teases, not really thinking about what heâs saying, just happy to be messing with Cas. âYou are pretty, man. Everyone thinks so, y'know.â
âWhat?â Cas blurts, his head snapping over to stare at Dean with rapt attention.
âI can just imagine it,â Dean laughs, reaching out to shove Casâ shoulder. âThose big ass men in loincloths calling you pretty. Hah! Thatâs freaking golden, man!â
âUs,â Cas grumbles. âThey called us pretty, Dean. As in, you as well.â
âWell,â Dean says, giving Cas a fake simpering look. âI am pretty, arenât I, Cas?â
Cas rolls his eyes, fixes Dean with a sarcastic smirk and says softly, âNot as pretty as I, of course, but you are rather beautiful.â
âYeah,â Dean agrees, snorting. âNever as pretty as you, man. But, thanks.â
âI imagine if those men werenât so fixated on killing us, they would have argued over who was prettier,â Cas admits, waving a hand fluidly. âThey were rather argumentative.â
âWell, itâs you obviously,â Dean points out simply, like itâs a no-brainer.
âAnd, why does it have to be me?â Cas argues, fully prepared to let Dean in on the little secret that, shocker, he was pretty himself.
âI mean,â Dean murmurs, suddenly all flustered and wearing red cheeks. âYou got the eyes and the hair, man. Like, with the blue and the messy. And, like, y'know, the lips. I mean, not that I- Just, you have a nice smile. Plus, like, youâre, I dunno, youâre cute.â
Dean cuts himself off, clears his throat, and firmly looks out the windshield. Cas stares at him in silence, watching the blush in his cheeks darken with each passing moment. Of all the things, it takes men in loincloths for Dean to admit to his attraction to Cas. Not that Cas didnât know that already, as obvious as he was with his longing. Wanting someoneâs kiss and embrace was different than just wanting them, but longing was longing no matter how it was done.
Still, this was progress.
âThank you, Dean,â Cas says quietly. âIâll have to disagree. Youâre more beautiful than Iâll ever succeed to be.â
âWhyâs that?â Dean barks, clinging to something new to ignore his earlier mishap.
Cas did not help the situation that Dean had landed himself into.
âYou have the advantage of being beautiful inside and out,â Cas tells him honestly.
Dean goes quiet and clears his throat, his fingers twisting on the steering wheel. And, Cas understands. He truly does, fully understanding just how hard things were for Dean. He was trying, especially after Casâ death, but his progress was slow. Quicker than it was before, but still unbearably slow. Cas waits, as he always does.
âAw, a man after my own heart,â Dean jokes, and itâs weak, so weak, but he tries.
âYes,â Cas agrees simply, his words quiet and sure, getting his point across easily so that Dean canât miss it.
Dean definitely doesnât miss it.
âHey, will you grab my phone and call Sam?â Dean blurts out abruptly, his voice a croak and his words shaky.
Cas smiles and grabs Deanâs phone. Dean clears his throat again and as the phone rings, Cas just smiles because progress was definitely made. All thanks to loincloths.
