Dean woke up to the smell of bacon as the door to his room opened. He opened his eyes slowly, a change of pace to the many times he woke up to the sound of a gunshot and the smell of gunpowder close to his face. As far as he knew, there was no danger in here. He was, after all, finally free.
At the door, Cas balanced a tray loaded with food, walking slowly towards their bed.
"What did you do?" Dean asked, sitting up.
"Happy birthday!" Cas said by way of answer.
Dean frowned. "Don't remind me."
Sitting down on the bed, Cas placed the tray between them. "Why? Isn't it beautiful? It's another year we get to grow old together, another year I get to see you change—"
"Another gray hair in the mirror," said Dean as he took in the spread in front of him: fresh orange juice, a cup of Cas' fancy coffee, pancakes covered in syrup, and crispy bacon cooked to perfection.
"It's only the natural way of things," Cas smiled. "Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Just close them."
Dean closed his eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Give me your hand."
Dean put his hand out with a tired sigh. "If you leave a dead thing on my hand, Cas…"
"Why would I do that?" he asked.
"I grew up pranking Sam," Dean said. "There's—"
Cas put a small box in his hand, interrupting him. "You can look now."
Dean opened his eyes one at a time, cautiously eyeing the small bow on top of the box for any wires.
"Dean." Cas sounded exasperated. "It's not a bomb."
"Could be," he shot back.
After a moment of careful inspection, Dean opened the box. Inside, there was a single cassette tape with a piece of masking tape with the words To Dean, with love written on black sharpie.
"What's this?" Dean asked, his stomach tight with anticipation.
"I made you a mixtape," Cas replied.
"You made me a mixtape," Dean echoed, incredulous.
"To remember me by when you're driving on your own somewhere I can't go with you," he explained.
Quietly, Dean thought there was no way he could ever forget Cas. As long as Dean was on this Earth, he would remember Cas. He knew that in the Afterlife, he would fight to come back to him. He did. In Purgatory, Dean looked for him. The world could end and all of Earth could be blown to bits, but as long as Dean's soul lived, so would his love for Cas.
Cas spoke up when Dean didn't say anything for the longest time. "It's just some music I thought you would like, you don't… it's okay if you don't like—"
Before Cas could keep going, Dean leaned in and kissed him, shutting him up.
Cas' surprised gasp was gone as quick as it came, and he kissed Dean back as if his life depended on it. They kissed and kissed and kissed until Dean was dizzy with it, pulling apart to touch his forehead to Cas'.
"You are… something." I love you, he meant.
Smiling, Cas said, "you too."
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