Happiness Is(n't) In The Having

Chapter Twenty-One - Rings And Candles And Other Prospects

I'm baaaack once more! Sorry guys, but daily life is being a little crazy right now. Real-life getting in the way of Destiel. It's outrageous.

Anyway, we finally have a resolution for the bad cliffhanger of last time, prepare for 3.5k of pure silly, cheesy fluff. It's fluff and happiness and more fluff and more happiness and yeah, you get my drift. We're really entering the sappy end-phase now, my dears.

Speaking of it, with this chapter we cross the 80k line which makes this officially the longest fic I've ever written, wahoo to me and to all of you who keep me motivated! Seriously, I couldn't have done it without all of you, you're so awesome.

But I don't wanna keep you any longer, just a quick mention that there's a Downton Abbey reference somewhere for no reason whatsoever and the end of this chapter was inspired by one of Misha's cameos:)
That's all, I hope you enjoy this and if you'd like to let me know your thoughts, I would be thrilled!!

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Marry me.

Cas' breath hitches in his throat. He'd been almost asleep a second ago, comfortably cuddled to Dean's side, their bodies warm and sated. Now his eyes snap open, and for a moment he's sure he must have misheard, if it weren't for Dean's heart suddenly beating away furiously under his palm where it's placed on Dean's chest, mirroring tact and intensity of Cas' own.

"C-Come again?"

He shifts slightly, still half lying down but turns enough to look at Dean. He watches how the hunter's expression takes on a doubtful shadow, insecurity nagging at the hopeful shimmer in his eyes and making him nervously bite his lip.

"Shit." Dean smiles wryly, drives a hand over his face. "Sorry, I- I didn't mean to do it like that, but..." He trails off, lowers his eyes to where Cas' fingers are still splayed out over his chest, absentmindedly starts stroking the back of each one so he has an excuse not to meet Cas' eye.

"Okay, look, I- I know it's too soon, we only just really found each other and it's stupid because we can't even have a legal one anyway. I mean neither of us even exists on paper, but..."

He glances up at Cas, too quick to catch the smile that the angel can feel spreading across his face before he's already looking down again, shaking his head to himself.

"I'm sorry. It was probably stupid. I shouldn't have-"

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean's head snaps up so fast Cas feels like bursting with fondness.

"It's not stupid", Cas says, the smile widening at the impossible amount of barely concealed hope that lights up in Dean's eyes.

"It's not?"

"No. Not at all."

"Oookay...?" Dean raises an expectant eyebrow, the hint of an insecure but promising smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"So if you are genuine about it, then yes."

Cas is surprised himself how calm he sounds, quite the contrast to the giddy feeling in his stomach that only keeps growing the longer Dean stares at him, apparently trying to grasp the full meaning behind that simple phrase.

"You serious?", he finally says once it seems to settle, and the dumbfounded expression on his face might have been funny if it wasn't so adorable.

"Yes."

Cas smiles and Dean's eyes somehow manage to widen even more.

"You'll..." He swallows. "...marry me."