Dean is not jealous of a book.

They had been at some hobby store while investigating a case, and while Dean was talking to some of the clerks, Cas had spotted it. A red faux-leather-bound book with the words "The Brother's Grimm 101 Fairy Tales" stamped into the cover in gold, with pieces of some of the different tales stamped in dark red around the title decoratively.

When Dean caught him staring at the book, thumb running over the indented letters, Cas jumped in surprise, then went still, staring at the book with longing for a long minute before resignedly setting the book back on its shelf.

"You okay there, Cas?" Dean asked, turning to him.

"Yes." he lied, tearing his gaze away from the red book. "Did you discover anything?"

"Nope. Jack squat. Let's split, grab a burger or something and do a little more digging." Dean stopped when Cas hesitated, casting a glance at the book he seemed so fascinated with. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes." Cas answered a little too quickly. Dean looked at the book a little more closely as Cas stole another quick look at it.

"Cas, do you want that?" it was more of a question than an offer, but hope lit up Cas' eyes for a split second before he seemed to mentally remind himself of whatever had made him put it down in the first place, and Dean felt a pang in his chest.

"It is not a necessity." he hedged, forcing himself to stare down at his feet.

"Cas, we rarely want the things we need." Dean told him, wondering if the Angel was ever going to take something he wanted for himself again after all the crap the last few years had put them through. After all the last time Cas had been selfish, it let out the Leviathan, who nearly turned the world into a giant farm with humans as the livestock, and he and Dean has ended up getting tossed into Purgatory.

"So." He moved to Cas' side and snatched the book from the shelf, tilting his head to the side to give the book room as he rested the spine on his shoulder and placed his other hand on his hip. "You want it or not?" Cas' eyes went wide and he gaped at Dean, the question of if this was reality or not clear on his face. Dean's lips twitched into a smirk, but it soon switched out for Dean's teeth worrying his bottom lip when Cas remained still for a growing expanse of time. Dean was starting to realize the implications of this favor he was about to grant Cas, of getting the Angel something he had wanted so badly, and it scared him a little.

Still, he wasn't cruel enough to take back an offer that had made Cas' eyes light up like that. But the silence was getting uncomfortable, so…

"Offer ends in five, four, three-" That snapped Cas out of it.

"Yes!" he said quickly, glancing at the book as if it would disappear, then back at Dean. "Yes, I would very much like that book." Dean smiled, the warmth in his chest at Cas' excitement and gratitude kicking those crap feelings from earlier in the ass and shoving them to the back of his mind.

On the way to the car, Cas clutched the book to his chest, and in the car during Dean's search for a diner, he just stared at the book, running the tips of his fingers over the impressions and up the spine and caressing the thing in a very similar manner to the way Dean sometimes runs his hand over his baby's steering wheel. He's not getting jealous of a book. No he is not.

During the drive to the motel, Cas actually starts sniffing the book. Dean just stares at him for a minute as they sit at a red light, at the way Cas has his eyes closed, his nose literally in the book, taking long sniffs like he's savoring the smell of a five star meal.

"Cas, what are you doing?" it comes out a little harsher than Dean meant for it to be, but Cas doesn't seem to mind.

"It smells nice." he says simply. "I believe some of the artificial scent from those pinecones on display next to it seeped into the pages. I think many would say this smell reminds them of Christmas."

"Hunh." is all Dean has to say on the matter. Thankfully Cas doesn't keep up the creepy sniffing much longer, instead gingerly flipping through the first few pages, going back and fourth between four pages that contain what looks like the table of contents. "Now what are you doing?" he asks a little exasperatedly.
"Memorizing." Okay, then.

Cas is still memorizing the table of contents when they arrive at the motel, and Dean has to yank Cas out of the way of an asshole in a hybrid as he speeds past and nearly creams the Angel.

"Dammit, Cas. Look where you're going!" Dean growls, letting go of Cas' arm harshly. "You can read that once we're inside."

"You're right." Dean blinks, and Cas is gone.

"God dammit! Freaking Angels!" Dean snaps, stomping to the room he rented.

Cas is laying on one of the beds, book laid out in front of him, looking like the child Dean has many times thought him to be despite being 'older than you could imagine, Dean'.

Dean sighs and sets the food down on the table, taking his bacon cheeseburger out of its bag and chowing down while making a point of ignoring Cas. If that dumbass wants to get run over because he's too busy reading the book that Dean bought him, then he can go right ahead and do that. Because if he doesn't get why that may have very nearly given Dean a heart attack, then Dean doesn't even know why he's still putting up with the immortal asshat. Dick hasn't even thanked him for the book yet…

After he finishes his burger and polishes off the fries, Dean tosses the wrappers and moves to the bed, forcing Cas to scoot over so he can sit. He sits heavily, earning a curious glance from the Angel before he returns to his stupid book. He could sit on the other bed, Dean supposes, but he's too pissed at Cas to listen to reason.

He grabs the remote from the bedside table and switches on the TV, all thoughts of research gone, and flips through the channels before landing on one that's showing a Dr. Sexy M.D. marathon. He doesn't really pay much attention, though - he's too busy watching Cas without actually looking at him.

Somehow Cas, who spent a half hour at least memorizing the table of contents, has read through all the tales just a few hours later.

He closes the book, sitting up, and stares at it for a long moment, apparently trying to decide what to do with it.

Finally he stands and moves to Dean's bag, carefully arranging the things inside before pressing his lips gently against the book's cover and setting it amongst them the way a mother would place her child into its crib. Dean grits his teeth. He is not jealous of a book.

"Cas," he says as calmly as he can manage. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to lose it." he says, looking at Dean as though that were obvious. "I know you'll take good care of it." And Cas is looking at Dean with so much trust and - god dammit, Cas - affection in his eyes that Dean just can't stay mad at the idiot.

"Yeah. I will." it comes out more like a promise than Dean meant it to be - means more than he meant it to - and he looks quickly back at the TV, face suddenly heating up.

Dean doesn't hear him, but Cas sits next to him on the bed, close enough to remind Dean that Cas knows little to nothing about personal space. Dean notices that Cas is twiddling his thumbs nervously, and starts to have the sinking suspicion that he's in the middle of a chick flick.

His thoughts are confirmed, and yet thrown out the window when Cas out of the blue leans up and presses a kiss to Dean's jaw.

"Thank you for the book." he says, staring straight ahead at the TV.

"Uh… sure thing." Dean mumbles, swallowing down the sudden urge to touch Cas, to hold him. Cas seems to sense this, because he leans against Dean without a word.

He soon shifts restlessly, however, and gets up to fetch his book from Dean's bag. He settles back down at Dean's side, leaning against him again as he rereads the book from the beginning.

Dean isn't jealous of a book. Not of the way Cas treats it so gently, caressing each page as he turns it, as if it'll rip if he's even the slightest bit rough with it. Not of the way Cas holds it securely in his hand, the way he cradles it in one as the other flips the page worked down to a science. Not of the way Cas' vibrant eyes dance over the pages, expressing his joy and sorrow and fear and everything else the stories make him feel as he engrosses himself fully in the tales. And certainly not of the smile Cas gives, pure and joyful, when someone finds a happy ending.

Okay, maybe he's just slightly jealous of a book.

Cas notices that Dean isn't watching the show about the sexually promiscuous medical physician anymore, and looks up at him curiously.

"Dean?" Dean starts at his name, face heating up at the realization of being caught. Cas sits straight to look at Dean properly.

"Yeah?" he asks, swallowing nervously.

"Are you jealous of this book?"
"I thought I told you not to read my mind anymore."

"You did. I'm sorry for breaking my promise." He pauses for a moment before asking again, "Are you jealous of this book, Dean?"

"No." Cas just blinks, but Dean can tell he doesn't believe him.

"You bought this for me."

"Yeah."

"And yet you are jealous of it." Cas tilts his head curiously to the side. "Why?"

"I'm not jealous." Dean insists.

"I see." Somehow Dean doesn't think that means Cas believes him. But he stops talking for the moment and returns to his book.

"You have no reason to be jealous, Dean." Cas finally says, eyes still on the book.

"I know." Dean grumbles.

"If anything, the book should be jealous of you."

"What?"

"There are things I cannot do with a book." Cas says simply, smiling softly as though that explains everything.

"Cas, I don't understand what you're saying." Dean says, frowning. Cas lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Dean Winchester, I keep forgetting how little you understand." Dean opens his mouth, with every intention of telling Cas that it's the other way around, of proving his point with a reference that Cas won't understand because, as long as he's been around, he's apparently never paid attention to anything, ever, but Cas cuts him off by catching his lips in a kiss.

Dean splutters as Cas pulls away, his witty comeback completely forgotten.

"See? Can't do that with a book." he sighs, smiling contently as he looks back down at the book in his lap. Dean makes a low growling noise, and Cas looks over at him, shock and fear and the question 'did that upset you so badly?' clear in his eyes.

But Dean tackles him playfully, hands grabbing Cas' wrists and holding them to the bed with minimal pressure. He presses his lips to Cas', and after a little awkward fumbling, they're moving in synch, lips working together in terrific harmony, and Dean finds himself unable to recall why he hadn't done this so, so much sooner.

"Better not do this with that damned book." Dean mutters, panting hard as he pulls away slightly to look at Cas. "Or anyone else, for that matter." he adds, feeling a surge of possessiveness. "Only me, you hear?"

"Only you." Cas mirrors, nodding slightly. Dean smirks and kisses Cas again, relaxing on top of him as Cas kisses him back.

Tomorrow Dean will realize what he did, and, unable to admit how much it doesn't bother him,he will avoid Cas' gaze, and almost certainly there will be some misunderstanding, and instead of clearing the air by admitting what he really thinks of all this, Dean will let Cas storm off with his misunderstanding, and they won't talk for a while, maybe months, if ever, and if they do see each other again, Dean most likely won't have the courage to man up and admit to the things he feels when Cas is near, and nothing will ever get fixed.

But Dean decides not to care about that for now, instead focusing on Cas' warmth pressed against him, the smoothness of how their mouths move together even though both of their lips are rough and chapped, the faint weight on Dean's back that he's almost certain are Cas' wings, wrapped around him in an embrace that his arms can't currently make. He focuses on all of this, intertwining his fingers with Cas' and pushing tomorrow out of his thoughts. Right now Cas is his, and that's all that matters.

Well, that, and the fact that he is definitely not jealous of a book.