Last chapter, and it's extra long :D This chapter is mostly in third person but then it switches back to MooseVision (Sam's POV) for the last part.

Thanks for the response to this story and for the reviews!

The time when it actually was a moose

Rain lashed against the windshield and the wipers squeaked furiously trying to keep up, almost drowning out the music on the radio. Castiel sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching the pattern of water on the glass and smiling as he listened to Dean sing along.

Victim of love, I see a broken heart

I could be wrong but I'm not, no I'm not

Victim of love, we're not so far apart

Show me, what kind of love have you got?

Dean was drumming on the steering wheel as he sung half under his breath, face relaxed despite the stormy night outside. He glanced across at his companion and broke out of the song to speak.

"Hey Cas, has Sam texted you?"

"Dean, it's just a sprained ankle." But Castiel checked his phone as he spoke. "Ah... I've run out of battery. But I'm sure he's absolutely fine, and he didn't miss much. It was just a salt 'n' burn."

Dean smiled smugly at the casual use of hunting jargon by his best friend. He'd never say it, partly because he was deeply afraid that Cas would disagree, but he thought that the angel becoming human was one of the best things that had ever happened to them all. Having Castiel around as a fellow hunter, living with them, sharing their lives, made Dean the most content he had ever been.

Lightning forked the sky and Dean slowed slightly as he took a corner, still going too fast for a rainy night, but he'd never been a cautious driver. He opened his mouth to comment on the Colorado weather to Castiel, but the words turned to a yell of alarm as a dark shape loomed in front of the car-

Next thing Dean was aware of was the slow drip of blood from his nose onto his hand. He groaned as he leaned his head back, tensing in case of neck injury. He seemed fine though, except for the bruised eye socket and bloodied nose from smacking his face into the steering wheel. Opening his eyes and dragging his sleeve across his upper lip, he fumbled for his seatbelt and unfastened it.

"Cas?" he mumbled, peering next to him in the dark. Another flash of lightning illuminated an unconscious Castiel, face battered like Dean's. Heart thumping, Dean scrambled onto his knees in his seat and leaned over his friend, cupping his cheek. "Shit, Cas, baby, come on, wake up..."

Dean barely had time to pause and wonder where the fuck 'baby' had come from before Castiel stirred, mumbling Dean's name. Dean sighed in relief, quickly removing his hand.

"Cas! You're OK, buddy, just got knocked out. How's your neck?"

The ex-angel shifted in his seat and Dean heard him hiss with pain, but the next flash of lightning revealed that he was just touching his bruised and cut forehead.

"I'm alright, Dean. Are you? What happened?"

"Fine, fine, blood nose and a black eye, ain't the first time. Uh, I think we almost hit an animal. A fucking moose, actually."

Castiel chuckled in the dark, the sound blending in with the hammering of rain on the car roof. "I guess Sam is with us after all."

"Ha, very funny. I swerved and we ran off the road. Hang on..."

Dean fumbled for the keys and tried the engine hopefully, but there was no response. Even the headlights were out. The whole car was dead; they must have gone over some rocks that really messed up her undercarriage, and he couldn't see much through the rain and dark but he thought they might have crashed into a tree. He swore under his breath and felt in his pocket for his phone. It wasn't there. He swore again, louder, remembering suddenly that he'd left it on charge in the motel. He'd never ever done that before. What the hell were the chances?

"Cas, did you say your phone's dead?"

"Yes..."

"Great. Just fucking great. Well, I don't have mine and the Impala isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

"Oh... right. Well, what should we do?"

Dean craned his neck to look up towards the road, or where he assumed the road would be if he could see anything through the mud-splashed windows and the rain-swept dark. It was a quiet back road in the middle of the night, no one would be coming past for hours. He swore again, this time in defeat.

"We can't really do anything. We should just stay here, I guess, wait until the weather clears up and we can start walking to find help."

He felt rather than saw Cas nod in agreement and he prickled with guilt. He'd been driving too fast. What if he'd gotten his friend hurt? Killed? He was mortal now.

"I'm sorry, Cas."

Castiel's jacket rustled against the leather seat as he shifted. "Don't be. It was the moose's fault."

Dean laughed. He crossed his arms, feeling chilly. It was a cold night and without the heating on in the dead car, he was feeling it. Cas would be too. He leaned his head back and listened to the rain for a minute, finding it oddly soothing even though it was trapping them in the car. Castiel spoke up suddenly.

"Dean, we're probably going to be here for a matter of hours. Should we move into the back seat and be more comfortable?"

Dean agreed and grunted as he hauled himself through the gap between the front seats. Finally settling down on the back seat with a grumble, he rubbed his shoulder where he'd yanked it. Well, he wasn't as young as he used to be, plus he'd just been in a fucking car crash. He watched the dim shape of Castiel squeezing through the gap too. He was just thinking that the ex-angel was doing a far more elegant job of it than him when Cas gave an undignified squawk and toppled into Dean's lap.

"Sorry," came his muffled voice from Dean's shoulder, but Dean barely heard him. He had a mouthful of soft hair and armfuls of a warm, firm body, as well as a noseful of a familiar scent. Castiel, by some twist of chance, had landed straddling Dean perfectly, no knees or elbows in unfortunate places. His weight felt oddly satisfying on Dean's legs and his back muscles twitched as Dean gripped his jacket instinctively.

"Cas," Dean mumbled stupidly as the man in question raised his head and tried to shift backwards. Without planning to, Dean tightened his arm around Castiel's waist and placed the other high on his thigh, keeping him in place. There was a moment of stillness as they both froze and stared at each other, inches apart in the almost-total blackness. The tiny amount of light that Dean could see was reflected dully in Castiel's eyes, shining at him.

"Cas," Dean said again in a whisper, feeling dizzy and very much like he'd sustained a head injury, which he had, come to think of it, but that still didn't mean he ought to be breathing his friend's name in a pleading tone and leaning towards him and-

Castiel gasped sharply against blood-flecked lips as Dean kissed him gently, almost timidly. The moment hung still and thick between them and for a horrible moment, Dean thought that he'd just ruined everything. But then Cas's hands were sliding against his shoulders and neck, long fingers curling into short hair. His mouth opened hungrily and Dean moaned as the kiss deepened, digging his blunt nails in where his hands rested.

Dean felt as though he was in one of his rushed, shame-drenched fantasies, as though he'd open his eyes and find the shower tiles or his bedroom ceiling looking back at him, but Castiel's cold fingers on his skin and warm tongue on his lips were definitely real. Never one for shyness, Dean dropped his other hand and ran both of them firmly up Castiel's thighs, revelling in the way it made his angel arch into him, chest heaving against chest.

Part of Dean was wondering why he didn't feel more like he'd somehow failed by giving into his most secret desire like this. He didn't really feel as though he was doing anything wrong, though. Hell, judging by the soft groans Cas was offering into his mouth, he was doing everything right. He'd known that Castiel wanted him. He'd known that for years, really, although it had become blatantly obvious once the angel turned human. He'd also known, for almost as long, that he himself returned the attraction. It just felt safer to ignore it. Cas seemed content to remain friends and Dean was terrified of testing such dangerous, unknown waters.

Well, caution had been thrown out the window, and Dean wasn't about to ruin a fucking amazing make-out session by having some kind of emotional crisis. Now the only problem was that Castiel's knees against the backrest were preventing him from grinding against Dean to full effect. Wrapping eager arms around the man on his lap, Dean broke away from the kiss and nuzzled Cas's throat instead, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of stubble against his lips. It felt good. Sucking a red mark into Castiel's thudding pulse point, Dean awkwardly maneuvered them so that Cas was laid back on the seat and Dean was straddling him lightly.

"Dean, are you... are... are you sure?"

Castiel's voice was throaty and breathless and Dean immediately decided that he needed to hear more of it, preferably moaning his name. He pressed a line of kisses down Cas's neck, tugging his collar aside to reach his clavicle.

"Shit, yes," he mumbled against it, other hand pushing Castiel's shirt up to run cool fingers across his jumping stomach. "Are you?"

He pulled back suddenly, bracing one hand beside the ex-angel's head, stilling the other on his bare side. "Cas, you're in charge here, I want you to know that. You can tell me to stop any ti-"

He was cut off with a surprised noise as Cas grabbed his collar and pulled him back down for a fierce kiss, sinking his teeth into Dean's lower lip before soothing it with his tongue.

"Please don't stop," came the muffled reply, and Dean actually fucking whimpered. He was so done for.

I eased myself out of my chair as my brother and his best friend arrived home from their latest hunting trip, bags slung over their shoulders. I'd been secretly fine with staying home due to my injury. Any excuse to get Dean and Castiel to spend some time together; besides, I rather appreciated the time to just relax with Kevin and have less of a damn queue for the bathroom.

This trip had been a dramatic one, though, due to the crash. I'd been shocked to receive a text from Castiel the previous day informing me that they'd crashed the car overnight and they were getting it towed back to the bunker, and that they'd have some rest and then rent a car to come back. The Impala had been a fucking wreck when she'd made it home, but I knew that Dean would fix her as always. Now, looking at the two tired, bruised men standing in front of me, I realised that I'd really missed them both. I grinned and got up, hobbling towards them.

"Hey, Dean, Cas, you made it back!" I exclaimed happily, pulling them both into the same hug. They both grunted in surprise and I let go quickly.

"Hello, Sam. How's your ankle?" Cas asked in his calm, friendly tone. Dean was looking a little off, busying himself with the strap of his bag and avoiding eye contact. I frowned at him before answering Castiel.

"Yeah, much better, thanks. And you? You weren't injured? You look a bit beat up."

Cas raised his fingertips to his yellowing forehead and smiled ruefully. "It could have been much worse. The crash ended up being very helpful, actually-"

"Where's Kevin?" Dean interrupted loudly, unmistakable panic in his eyes, one of which was slightly puffy. Cas shot him a mildly impatient look and I raised my eyebrows. Something was going on here. Like, more than usual.

"He's in his room," I replied slowly. "You wanna go see him?"

Dean glanced at Cas and as their eyes met, mine narrowed suspiciously. I watched their usual silent communication with rapt focus and I didn't miss the odd little smile that Cas gave my brother as he turned back to me. It looked almost reassuring. He fixed serious blue eyes on me as he spoke.

"I'm going to go and see Kevin, Sam. You and Dean stay here."

Without another word, he hefted his bag and strode out of the room. I turned back to Dean as soon as he'd left.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded. Dean winced and looked away, gesturing towards a chair and settling down in the adjacent one. I sat and stared at him, waiting. He sighed and raised his gaze to mine with something that looked like dread. What the fuck? I started to wonder if someone had died. Jody? Garth? Kevin's Mom? My heart rate picked up as I went through the possibilities-

"I had sex with Cas."

Dean blurted out the words as though they were burning his mouth and then instantly looked horrified at himself. "Well, no, that's not what I mean. Although we did. Have sex. Yeah. But what I mean is-"

"You had sex with Cas?" I repeated, leaning forward in sudden excitement. Dean gulped and nodded slowly, eyes pleading. His expression turned to shocked relief as the biggest, smuggest grin I had ever worn spread across my face. I clapped Dean on the shoulder heartily, giving a victory whoop. "Holy shit, dude!"

He frowned at me, clearly bemused, but let out a slow breath and seemed slightly less tense, though still nowhere near calm. "Right, well, I'm glad that you, uh... approve. Thanks. Anyway, it's not just that. We're a thing now. Like, a thing. We're a thing, Sammy."

Dean rambled, looking increasingly terrified, and I rolled my eyes. "Dean, please, you and Castiel have been a 'thing' since you met."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket as I spoke and Dean paused his hyperventilating to frown anxiously at me. "What are you doing?"

"I have to tell Charlie."

"What? Why?"

"She ships it."

"What?"

"Sshhh, it's fine. So how did it happen? Not the sex, holy shit, I do not want to know about that. But you getting together?" I leaned forward again and Dean twisted his face up as though trying to decide what to say. I waited for several seconds while he pondered my question.

"Well... it was the sex..." he eventually replied, shrugging and blushing. I closed my eyes in exasperation. "That's how we... I mean, we just sort of... and then we were a thing. Are a thing."

"For fuck's sake, Dean," I groaned, but just then my phone started ringing. It was Charlie. I pressed 'answer' and smirked as her screeching echoed out of the speaker, making Dean flinch.

I passed her over to him silently and settled back to watch him try to explain himself between her bouts of delighted babbling. Despite his eye-rolling and head-shaking, I could see a pleased smile playing around his mouth, which grew into an irrepressible grin as he spotted Cas sidling back into the room, an amused Kevin in tow. I glanced between my brother and his angel and breathed a long sigh of relief. Maybe it wasn't always going to be easy, and maybe there would need to be some serious adjustments, but against all odds... they were a thing.

Finally.

The End. Thanks for reading! Please review!