Author's note: This is a little oneshot request I got a few days ago! I think this is an 'everything is kind of alright AU' and we can assume it's set around s8-9. Toddler!Cas. Hope you all like it!

Rated M for language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters in it. I just like writing fics.

"Dean, I think we've got a case." Sam's voice called from the other room.

Dean sighed, stretched and got out of his seat, walking out of the kitchen and leaning over Sam's shoulder to glimpse whatever it was he was looking at on his laptop.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Well, it seems like someone's been messing around with other people's ages. Look, five people in the last month have been reported to have suffered either sudden age loss or gain. Three people have been aged by as much as forty years – one guy went from being thirty seven to around seventy – one has been turned into a teenager, and another into a baby."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"We've seen this before right? With that witch – Patrick?"

"Yeah, we have."

"So it's another witch, then? Someone is stealing people's years again?"

"I guess." Sam shrugged.

Dean scanned through the article on the screen again. "It's not that far from here. Only upstate. We could get going now."

"We could." Sam agreed. "You wanna call Cas?" He looked up at Dean from where he was sitting – and was it just Dean imagining it, or was Sam smirking at him?

"Alright." Dean nodded, avoiding Sam's eye, a muscle in his jaw clenching unconsciously. "Yeah, I'll call him."

It didn't take the three of them long to reach their destination – although Sam had admittedly complained about Dean's choice of music for the entire length of the drive, which had managed to make the journey seem considerably longer.

Cas, as usual, had not said much, staring out the window and making awkward comments every now and then. Dean had glanced back at him a few times and smiled, and Castiel had politely returned it every time, shifting in his trench coat each moment it happened – managing to be at the strange balance between uncomfortable and adorable. Adorable? Dean shook his head quickly when the thought crossed his mind, pushing the word from his attention and returning his eyes to the road. He felt his stomach twist into a knot.

Cas was not adorable – he was funny and awkward and never understood any of Dean's references; always coming when Dean called him and giving him a cute smile and tilt of the head. Cute?!

Dean swore quietly under his breath. He couldn't continue thinking about Cas that way. Dean was a self-confessed ladies' man, and Cas was – well, Cas was Cas. Dean actually had no idea what Cas was. Did Cas even like guys? Did Cas like Dean? Dean bit his lip and attempted to shun this line of thought out of his head, too. His grip on the steering wheel tightened considerably.

"Dean, are you alright?" Sam asked from the passenger seat next to him.

Dean blinked hard and glanced over to Sam, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

"I know how you feel." Sam laughed. Dean bit his lip again and looked over to his brother, a worried line forming on his forehead.

"I was joking, Dean." Sam smiled, looking forcedly reassuring, and Dean returned an equally fake smile.

"What time will we be arriving?" Cas' voice from the back of the car interrupted the silent worries crossing Dean's mind.

Dean's smile became a little more genuine. "Any time now, Cas. How many times have you asked in the past ten minutes?"

"I haven't been monitoring it." Cas shrugged, looking a little confused and returning his gaze out the window. Dean felt himself smirk and heard Sam chuckle next to him.

"It's like being in the same car as a toddler." Sam laughed, and Dean snorted into his hand as he drove.

"Alright, we're here." Dean stated after a little while. Cas straightened up and looked somewhat relieved.

"Good. I find human modes of transport very tedious."

Dean attempted to supress an affectionate smile.

"So, this is the bar that all of the victims went to, just before their ages were, um… adjusted?" Sam winced at his awkward phrasing, making Dean cough out a laugh.

"So, we walk in, give the place the subtle once over, and try to work out who it is who's been doing all this shit, then stop them?" Dean asked, choosing not to comment on his brother's technical terms.

"Yeah, basically." Sam shrugged.

"You two should probably wait in the car." Cas stated. "After the abysmal way things turned out the last time you two tried to handle a witch like this, I think it's for the best that I am left to handle the situation."

"You wish." Dean snorted, pushing the door of the bar open anyway.

The place was dark and not particularly busy, although a more than a few people sat in its musky corners and stood by the bar, talking quietly with the barkeeper. The large room was decorated mainly in green, and the barkeep looked up and smiled at the trio as they entered. Dean walked over to him, abandoning Cas and Sam and ordering himself a drink.

"Hey, do you guys want anything?" He called over to them.

"Dean, we're on a case." Sam stated through gritted teeth, frustration filling his voice.

"Yeah, and I'm thirsty. What, a guy can't drink anymore?" He grinned over to Sam, who rolled his eyes and strolled over to another corner of the bar, inevitably to question a few customers as discretely as possible.

Cas was left standing there, looking lost and unsure of what to do, his hand shoved as deep into his trench coat pockets as they would go. Dean looked over to him, raising his eyebrows at the uncertain manner with which Castiel was standing. Cas stared at Dean questioningly, and Dean made a gesture that he hoped Cas would understand as: 'Well, what are you waiting for?'

Cas seemed to pick up the signal, and he made his way over to another corner of the room, glancing around the place as hesitantly as he had when they first entered.

Dean grinned at his surroundings.

"Screw the case" Dean whispered to were a few admittedly very attractive women standing at the bar, which would hopefully be the perfect distraction from all and any thoughts of Cas – just what Dean needed.

After a few hours of lop-sided smiles and undeniably very clichéd chat up lines, Sam approached Dean, tapping him on his shoulder quickly, his face looking panicked and tense.

"What's up?" Dean asked, attempting not to feel annoyed at his brother for interrupting him mid-conversation with a pretty brunette. After all, his brother was ignoring his blatant flirting whilst on a case.

"It's Cas." Sam said, his voice nearly a whisper.

"What about him?" Dean asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Sam hesitated for a moment. "Just…" He trailed off. "Come see."

Dean followed Sam into a back room, feeling worry and uncertainty gnaw at his gut. Sam opened another door, and Dean looked about, unsure of what it was that had happened.

"Where's Cas?" He asked, turning back to Sam.

"There." Sam pointed, and Dean followed his line of sight to a small, dark haired figure, sitting in a heap of clothing and fiddling with a shoe next to him. Dean blinked hard.

"Cas?" He asked, his eyes widening.

"Apparently." Sam shrugged, looking just as lost as Dean. The very short figure looked up, and a beam instantly set upon his features.

"Dean!" He called, waving his arms and dropping the shoe.

Dean turned to Sam, who was smirking slightly. "Well, it seems like he remembers you at least." Sam laughed.

Dean narrowed his eyes accusingly at his brother. "Don't laugh! Why weren't you keeping an eye on him, Sam?!"

"Why weren't you, if you care so much?" Sam snapped back, making Dean falter for a moment and sigh deeply.

He shook his head slowly. "So, the witch got him, then? And the spell works on angels, too?" He asked, choosing to change the subject.

"Well, obviously."

"Dean?" The young form of Cas called again, tilting his head up to Dean.

"How old do you think he is?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. He looks like a toddler. Around one or two, probably. Two at the oldest"

"Right." Dean gritted his teeth.

"Does he remember anything?"

"He clearly remembers you." Sam smirked.

"You know what I mean." Dean rolled his eyes. "Do you think he remembers who he is? What we were doing?"

Sam paused. "It doesn't really look like it. To an extent, I guess, 'cause he remembers his name, and me and you –well, you especially; but it looks like he's basically got the mentality of a very small child."

Cas seemed to have got tired of calling Dean's name and was now attempting to clamber over his piles of clothing, towards the lighter haired man.

"We're gonna need to get him some baby clothes until we get this figured out." Dean stated.

"Yep." Sam agreed.

Cas had clambered over the clothes and wrapped his arms around Dean's leg, grinning up at the green eyed man, looking very pleased with himself.

"Hello, Dean!" He called up, and Sam snorted from next to Dean.

Dean gritted his teeth and ignored his brother's mockery as best he could.

"How are we gonna get him out of here without anyone noticing the guy we came in with has become a two year old?"

Sam pressed his mouth into a thin line, a look of grim determination settling on his features.

"We'll figure something out."

The two had decided that Sam should go out and buy some clothing for baby-Cas, while Dean waited with him in the back room of the bar; (as per constant request of Cas, who clung onto Dean's leg in what seemed to be fevered admiration and attachment for the lighter haired man) in an attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible. Dean had taken a seat next to Cas, crossing his legs and attempting to calm himself.

Cas seemed a lot less withdrawn as a toddler, although he was understandably far more clumsy, tripping over things and falling into Dean's lap – which managed to make Dean supress a grin each time it occurred.

Sam arrived again after not too long, carrying bags of clothes for Cas, and another for his old ones to be stuffed into.

"How's he been?" Sam asked Dean, eyeing the toddler anxiously.

"Pretty hilarious." Dean found himself smiling. "You got the clothes, then?"

"Yep." Sam said, lifting up the bags. "I even got socks." He picked out a small pair of socks, decorated with blue aeroplanes. Dean grinned despite himself.

"Hey, those are kind of adorable." He said, as Cas clambered back onto his lap attempted to give Dean a hug. Sam raised his eyebrows, a smirk forming at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, Shut up." Dean muttered, which made Sam immediately burst out in laughter.

They made their way back out to the impala, Dean carrying Cas, who had wrapped his arms tightly around Dean's neck as he held on. Dean opened the back seat of the car, attempting to slide Cas in and close the door, at which both Sam and Cas immediately protested.

"Dean, stay!" Cas exclaimed, reaching his arms out to Dean again. Dean withdrew, feeling surprised and unsure of how to react.

"Dude, seriously?!" Sam protested. "You're gonna leave a toddler in the back of your car, without a kid's seat or anything?!"

"Um-yeah?" Dean replied. "What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Sam repeated incredulously. "He's a kid, Dean. What if you crash? You need to sit with him, at least."

"I won't crash." Dean scowled. "And why do I have to sit with him, anyway?"

"He wants to sit with you. You certainly seem to have made a lasting impression." Sam smirked and indicated to Cas, still craning his neck in an attempt to reach Dean. "I'll drive, you sit with Cas in the back."

Dean mumbled a few profanities under his breath and picked Cas up again, moving him along a seat so Dean could sit down too.

"Dean?" Cas asked, his blue eyes peering intently at Dean.

"Yeah, Cas?" Dean sighed, ignoring his brother's snort.

"Can I sit on your lap?" His voice was quiet, the words coming slowly out of his small mouth, the consonants being pronounced oddly due to Cas' new found youth.

"Hey, he's pretty smart, for a what - one year old?" Sam observed.

"He's not one. He's older than you, Sam, remember?"

"He looks about one to me." Sam smirked.

Dean ignored him and turned back to Cas, who was gazing at him with a look of adorable innocence. Fuck. He was even cuter as a kid.

"Fine." Dean conceded, pulling Cas onto his lap and doing his seatbelt over the two of them.

"Thank you." Cas smiled, pressing his head into Dean's shirt. Sam laughed again and turned the ignition.

"Sam, I swear, the next time you laugh at me because of this, I'm going to climb over there and-"

"Woah, Dean." Sam interrupted, a wicked grin set on his face. "Careful of what you say in front of Cas. He's only a kid, after all."

"Just freaking drive, would you?"

"Alright." Sam grinned, raising his hands in mock defeat and reversing out of the space they had parked in.

When they finally arrived back at the bunker, Dean set Cas down on a chair and kneeled down to face him.

"Okay, Cas, we need you to tell us if you remember anything about what happened before you became like-" He indicated to Cas' current state. "-This. Do you understand?"

Cas tilted his head to the side, not saying anything.

Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Cas, can you remember what happened to you?"

Cas bit at his lip and shook his head slowly. "No."

"Can you remember anything?"

Cas was silent for a moment, his small hands squeezing the arms of the chair. "A man." He said quietly.

"A man?" Dean repeated. "Can you remember what he looked like, Cas?"

Cas bit his lip again.

"Cas, you need to tell us." Sam interjected. "So we can get you back to normal."

Cas looked even more confused than before. He looked worriedly between Dean and Sam, his big, azure eyes staring both intently and fearfully. Dean narrowed his eyes for a moment, then knelt further down so that he and Cas were at eye level.

"You don't need to be scared, Cas. You haven't done anything wrong. Just tell us whatever you can."

Cas smiled and patted at the seat of the chair. "Dean sit with me?" He asked. Dean avoided looking at Sam.

"Um-sure." He said, picking Cas up and sitting himself on the chair, placing Cas on top of him.

"What can you remember?" He asked again, trying to sound as calm and gentle as possible – which was difficult, considering how embarrassed and concerned he was feeling.

"The man." Cas repeated, nodding his head.

"And what did he look like?" Dean asked cautiously. "Like, can you remember his hair colour?" He suggested.

The toddler was silent for another moment. "Black hair."

"Well done, Cas." Dean beamed, and Cas returned the smile proudly. "Anything else?"

Another pause. "Blue shirt."

Dean turned to his brother. "Sam, if you get all of the descriptions of him, you could go back to the bar, get some DNA of his and we can use it in the spell to turn Cas back."

"Right." Sam nodded. "Can you remember what colour his eyes were, Cas?"

Cas shook his head softly. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"That's fine, Cas." Dean comforted, perhaps a little too quickly. "Would you be able to point him out to us if you saw him again?"

Cas nodded thoughtfully. "Yes."

"Great. I guess we should grab what we need for the spell and head back to the bar, then?" He asked Sam, turning to face him again.

"Yeah, we probably should."

"We need the jaw bone of a murderer." Dean recalled.

"Yeah – I guess it's time to dig up some more graves." Sam said with feigned enthusiasm. "Do you think the guy who did this to Cas will still be there when we get back to the bar?"

"I hope so." Dean pressed his lips together, subconsciously pulling Cas closer towards him and hugging him tighter. Cas seemed to lean into the affectionate hug appreciatively. "If he's been doing this age-spell shit at the same bar for as long as he has, he probably hangs out there quite a lot."

"True." Sam nodded. "We'd better get a move on, then."

Dean sat with Cas on his lap again on the way back to the bar. Cas was giggly and made Sam and Dean both laugh until their mouths hurt – despite all the annoyances of a younger, child version of Cas, he was especially cute. Dean let Cas play with his hair, who bunched it in his fingers happily, Dean ignoring the amused side glances it earned him from his brother.

They arrived at the bar, Dean carrying Cas in, who gripped his shirt tightly.

"Okay;" Dean said as they entered for the second time that day, the trio looking starkly different on their second arrival in contrast to their first. "Can you see the guy who did this to you?" He asked gently. Cas pulled himself closer to Dean and examined the faces in his surroundings carefully, his guiltless eyes roaming the room cautiously.

"There." He pointed to a man sitting in the corner of the room, shuffling some cards.

"That's the guy?" Dean asked Cas, looking for confirmation.

"Yes." Cas nodded.

"Okay, how are we gonna do this?" Dean asked Sam, realising this was an issue they should have discussed before arrival.

Sam was silent for a moment. "We need his DNA." He spoke slowly. "I'll buy him a drink. We can get it from his glass after that."

"That's brilliant, Sammy." Dean grinned, patting his brother on the shoulder with his free hand.

Sam smiled and shrugged in mock modesty. "It's nothing. You and Cas should probably hide, though. We can't risk him seeing Cas and recognizing him."

"Good point." Dean nodded. "Do you know what you're doing?" He asked apprehensively.

"Of course." Sam grinned. Dean gave him a determined smile and made his way over to the back room again as Sam approached the dark haired man in the corner of the bar.

Dean and Cas sat down on the floor again, Cas opposite Dean, imitating the way Dean crossed his legs as he took a seat on the dull green carpet. The room had chairs stacked up against the walls, with a few small round tables near the door, and Dean wondered if the room was used for private events or hired out for parties.

Cas yawned, stretching his arms and legs out as his eyes fluttered closed. It made Dean smile and reach out to ruffle Cas' hair affectionately.

"You sure are cute as a little kid, Cas."

Cas peered up at him, looking a little confused.

"Of course, you were always cute anyway." Dean smiled.

"Cute?" Cas asked, and the way he said the word made Dean think he didn't fully understand it's meaning or use.

"Yep." He confirmed. "You look a little tired, Cas. You wanna sleep?" Cas nodded and yawned again, rubbing his eyes with his tiny hands.

"Very tired." He confirmed, still yawning.

"Come here." Dean pulled Cas onto his lap, moving Cas' head so it was resting on Dean's chest, and so that Cas was using it as a pillow. "I'm gonna miss this, when you're back to normal."

Cas peeked up at him questioningly.

"We probably won't get to hug like this when you're all grown up again. Of course, if we did hug like this it would kind of be a little creepy – well, more than a little creepy. We probably won't hug at all when you're back to normal though, not even in a different way. Like-" His voice faltered. "I don't know." He muttered, conceding and biting his tongue. Cas wouldn't understand any of that anyway. "I'm just being stupid."

"Dean." Cas said firmly, his childish voice as loud as it would go.

"Yes?" Dean asked.

"Not stupid."

"Huh?"

"Not stupid." Cas repeated. "You're not stupid." He spoke the words a little slowly, as though they were difficult for his suddenly small mouth to say, yet they were just as firm as before.

"Thanks, Cas." Dean smiled despite himself. He squeezed Cas tighter. "Yep, I'm definitely going to miss this. Cuddling you feels pretty good. I just wish it was when you were an adult – and, y'know. It was more of a romantic one, instead of helping a sleepy kid get some rest." He laughed hollowly. Dean had no idea why he was being so honest. It was probably because there was a strange comfort in knowing Cas couldn't understand him, and wouldn't remember any of what Dean was saying anyway.

"Truth is, Cas." He mumbled quietly against the top of Cas' dark hair, "I'm completely in love with grown-up you. And that's really scary to admit. But at the same time, I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life." He smiled sadly against Cas and drew a deep breath, feeling pretty exhausted himself. It had, after all, been a pretty hectic day.

Cas had begun to snooze on his chest by the time Sam returned, a triumphant smile fixed on his face. "I've got the DNA." He grinned, holding up a slightly crumpled tissue in his hand.

"Ew, you got his snot?" Dean grimaced.

"No, Dean." Sam sighed. "I wiped this around the edge of his empty glass when he wasn't looking. So now this has his saliva on it – the point being, we now have his DNA for the spell."

"That's great, Sam!" Dean smiled.

"Where should we do it?" Sam asked, looking around the room. "Should we do it in here, or get out of this place to get it done?"

"Here is probably fine." Dean shrugged. "Have you got Cas' regular clothes?" He asked Sam.

"Yep. They're in the impala, and so is all the stuff for the spell. I'll go get it now."

Sam returned with Cas' normal attire in one bag, and all that was needed for the spell in the other.

"Everyone who the guy did this to will get put back to normal after we do this, won't they?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, they will." Sam confirmed.

The two of them repeated the spell, Dean glancing at the tiny Cas for the last time, feeling almost sad to know the small figure would be going, before there was a bright light, and Dean was left in a daze because of this for what could've been anything between a few second to a few minutes. When he turned back to Cas, he felt an odd twinge of both relief and sadness to see that he had returned to normal.

"Cas!" He exclaimed, a smile that felt equally fake and genuine spread across his face. He passed Cas' trenchcoat over to him, attempting to ignore the fact that the clothes which Cas had previously been wearing – which had of course been for toddlers – had been torn off Cas as he had returned to his normal size – and that Cas was now wonderfully uncovered. Cas took the trenchcoat awkwardly.

"Thank you." He mumbled. "I think I may have blacked out for a second, could either of you explain what happened?"

Sam snorted, still staring away from Cas, clearly even more uncomfortable than Dean was. "You – erm – you got turned into a toddler."

"Right." Cas nodded slowly. "I think I can recall it now."

Dean felt his stomach twist into a knot. "Wait – you can remember?" He asked, panic rising in the pit of his belly.

"That is what I just said, Dean." Cas nodded, his tone flat and as per usual, and fairly expressionless. "May I have the rest of my clothing back, please?" He asked Sam.

"Sure." Sam said, passing the bag over to Cas.

"Exactly how much do you remember, Cas?" Dean asked, attempting to keep his tone even.

"I'm not sure. Most of what happened, although it does feel rather blurry." Cas shrugged. "I can't feel any gaps in my memory, so we can assume nothing vital is missing." He smiled at Dean at this point, and Dean feigned a smile back, despite the worry gnawing at his gut.

Cas leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Dean, pulling him in for a hug. Dean made an uncomfortable and startled noise of surprise.

"Woah, Cas, what the fuck?"

"I thought this was something we did, now." Cas said in a perplexed and innocent tone.

"Only when you were under that spell, Cas." Dean winced, hating the way Sam was in silent and uncontrollable fits of laughter opposite him.

"Oh." Cas said a little sadly, letting go of Dean. "Sorry."

"Um – that's alright, I guess, Cas. Just… don't do it again. Okay?" Dean raised his eyebrows at Cas, checking that he understood.

"Okay." Cas nodded. "I suppose we should make our way back to the bunker?" Dean winced at the unhappy tone and sensed that this was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, probably."

The three of them walked back to the impala, Dean assuming his rightful position at the driver's seat once they reached the car.

"Oh." Cas said. "You're not sitting with me, this time."

"Well… No…" Dean hesitated. "You're not exactly a kid any more, Cas. You don't need me to sit with you, do you?"

Cas glanced down, looking a little more awkward than usual, which was saying something. "No…" He mumbled.

Sam was smirking from the seat next to Dean and Dean whacked the back of his head, earning him an annoyed shout from his younger brother as he started up the car.

"So, Cas, you feeling alright?" Sam asked, turning round to get a better view of Cas, sitting quietly in the back seat.

"Yes, I am feeling quite alright, thank you, Sam." Cas replied, giving Sam a small and rare smile. "Thank you for returning me back to normal."

"That's alright." Sam grinned.

It was fairly dark outside when they reached the bunker for the last time that day, the sun had all but set completely and the sky was becoming filled with the shadows of night.

"It's pretty late." Dean observed, as they all made their way down.

"Yeah, it is." Sam yawned. "If you two don't mind, I'm gonna get to bed – it's been a hell of a day."

Dean made a noise of agreement and made his way into the kitchen, pulling a beer out of the fridge as Sam sleepily plodded into his bedroom.

"Well, Cas, it looks like it's just me and you."

Cas said nothing, standing awkwardly in the centre of the room and fixing Dean with a steady eye. Dean smiled uncomfortably and walked into the other room, pulling out a seat for himself. Cas followed in behind Dean.

"Do you want to sit down again?"

Cas was silent for a moment. "I know you said I shouldn't, but could we please hug again?"

Dean choked on his beer. "Um – what?"

"You know, like we did earlier today."

"You were a toddler, Cas."

"I don't understand why that would make a difference." Cas tilted his head to the side.

"That's what you do with little kids – with babies. You give them hugs when they're tired and stuff."

"You look very tired now." Cas pointed out – and was he smiling as he said that?

Dean shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "But I'm not a baby, Cas. I'm an adult."

Cas looked down at the ground, looking a little melancholy. "I understand." There was a pause for a few seconds. "I suppose asking to sit on your lap again would be out of the question."

Dean gave Cas a double take. Was the angel joking? It would be a first, if he was – but then, he couldn't be serious, could he?

"I think you're kind of a bit too big for that, now, Cas. Sorry. I'd probably get a little crushed." He attempted to smile humorously at Cas, who did not return the smile, and instead fixed him with same steady gaze.

"Do you want to sit down?" Dean asked again, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

Cas pulled out a chair. "So why can't I hug you like earlier, Dean?" He repeated his question, more insistently this time.

Dean sighed. It looked like there was no getting out of this.

"Because, Cas;" He rubbed his eyes. "There are certain connotations around some things. You're not a kid any more – which feels fucking weird to say, by the way – so it'd just be different."

"Why?"

"Usually when a grown dude hugs another grown guy – or girl, or whatever – it's in a romantic way. Or a platonic way. You hug a kid when they feel sad or tired, or something like that. Just to comfort them. Nothing else."

"So why can't you hug me like you would an adult, then?"

Dean bit his lip.

"Dean, you said you still wanted to hug me when I was back to normal, when we were in the back room of the bar."

Dean's gut twisted. How much did Cas remember of that conversation? Well, conversation was a little bit of a generous word. It had been more of a monologue on Dean's part – but the point still stood, had Cas heard and understood everything?

"What do adults do when they hug, then?" Cas asked suddenly, and Dean felt incredibly relieved at the change in direction of the conversation.

"Um – well, like I said, it's usually either platonic – y'know; friends and family, like I'd hug Sam – or romantic. When it's romantic – well, couples kiss, too. Stuff like that. Listen Cas, I'm sorry but I'm not really in the mood-"

"Can I kiss you, then?" Cas asked.

Dean spluttered. "Wait, what?" He asked, attempting to recover from nearly joking on his beer.

"Can I kiss you?"

Butterflies filled Dean's stomach. "You really want to?"

"Of course." Cas stated, as though this was one of the most obvious things imaginable.

"You know what kissing is, right, Cas?"

"Of course I do. And you said that people do it when they're in a romantic relationship with someone. And I would very much like to be in a romantic relationship with you."

Dean blinked hard.

"What?"

"I said I'd like to be in a romantic relationship with you. What do you not understand about that?"

"Um – nothing…" Dean stammered. He frowned suddenly. "What's brought this on, Cas?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was it what I said when we were in the back of the bar?"

"I don't remember you saying much, at that point, Dean. I fell asleep if you remember."

"Yeah, I remember."

"So what's the problem?"

"Nothing." Dean said honestly. "Are you sure you want to kiss me, though, Cas?" He asked in disbelief. "It's just-" His train of thought was stopped short when Cas moved closer towards him, his lips only inches away from Dean's. Taken out of context, Dean would have felt the need to have another conversation with Cas about 'Personal space' again, but considering the conversation they had just been having, nothing could be further down on his list of priorities.

"You talk too much." Cas said quietly, his eyes studying every area of Dean's face. Dean glanced down at Cas' lips, licking his own subconsciously. His gaze returned back into those pretty blue eyes of Cas', to find Cas staring into his own eyes intently. Slowly, painfully so, the two found themselves drifting closer together, their lips brushing for only a second, barely touching. It was unbelievably gentle and understated, and Dean saw Cas' eyes flutter closed, feeling a small smile settle on his features, before he pressed himself against Cas again, firmer this time. Cas' breath hitched, and Dean felt Cas' hands press softly to the back of his neck. He slid his arms round Cas' waist, and had completely lost track of how long it had been that they had been kissing like this. Everything seemed to have reached a standstill – he gasped for breath at odd moments, his eyes still squeezed tightly shut.

They pulled apart after what seemed an age, Cas panting slightly. His lips were red and swollen, and Dean bit his tongue at the image.

He stroked his hand up the back of Cas' neck, loving the way the angel leaned into the touch.

"So, we're together now, then?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"I would like that very much." Cas smiled.

Dean grinned and pulled Cas towards him for another kiss.

"I'm seriously glad you're all back to normal, now, Cas." Dean beamed.

"As am I, Dean."

"You realise you said you could handle the entire situation today, right?" Dean laughed. "You were pretty fucking wrong." He chuckled.

"Shut up, Dean." Cas grumbled.