Dean softens so quickly in season 8 though and it just makes me SO. He starts off the season so on edge, so rough around the edges from Purgatory, and he and Sam are prickly around each other for tons of reasons, but Cas shows up and Dean has this haunted vulnerability behind his eyes because Cas is back and Dean’s so relieved but so confused and so worried about what that means he’s nearly in tears several times. Cas snaps at him in the hotel and instead of snapping back, Dean calmly walks over, sits down on the opposite bed, puts his full attention on Cas and just says “talk to me”. He tells Sam to go back to Amelia because “at least one of us should get to be happy” in the same episode where Sam makes ultimatums about Benny. He sadly asks Kevin why he kicked his mom out when he finds him alone. He dresses up in costumes for his birthday and he loves it. Cas starts beating him to a bloody pulp and Dean just knows it isn’t him and tells him he forgives him and they’re family, calling out for him to return to himself and to Dean. He gets a home and he settles into it and he loves his real kitchen and he finds out there are soo many kinds of tomatoes.
Anyway what I’m saying is Dean Winchester is the embodiment of love even after a year of 360 degree violence. His love adapts overcomes perseveres.
