Work Text:
I Love You
Castiel bolted upright in bed to the sound of his alarm blaring. He slammed the off button with a sound of disgust. Dean always used his cell phone alarm to wake himself up. It was softer and didn't disturb him, which was nice considering he didn't need to be up until an hour after Dean usually left for work. Today however, Dean had obviously thought it would be hysterical to change the gentle classical music station that usually woke Castiel up, to Dean's preferred classic rock station. Nothing said good morning and Happy Valentine's Day quite like Highway to Hell at 7:30am.
Cas couldn't be too upset about it though, not when he knew that after he took his morning piss, he would stumble into the kitchen and find coffee freshly brewed and breakfast waiting for him in the toaster oven. Of course, he was right. Dean always set the auto brew for 7:25 before he left for work, and made sure that there was something for Castiel to eat, just waiting to be heated up. Cas sighed happily. He really was truly lucky.
Cas opened up the cabinet above the coffee maker and pulled out his oversized bumblebee mug. He smiled widely when he noticed a red construction paper heart cut out taped to the side.
Hey Sweetheart,
Happy Valentine's Day. I left you a breakfast sandwich in the toaster oven.
Don't forget to eat. Think of me in the shower-wink wink.
Love you
Castiel laughed and rolled his eyes. He took the paper heart off of the mug carefully, preserving the tape, and stuck it on the fridge. Cas reheated his sandwich, ham, egg, and cheese on an English muffin today, and drank his coffee. He mindlessly watched E-News as he ate, thoughts more on his and Dean's evening plans than what was happening on the screen. Yet another Kardashian television show paled in comparison to daydreaming about all of the ways he'd like to worship his husband's body that night. They had plans for a quiet night in, take out from their favorite Chinese restaurant, a scary movie so they had an excuse-not they needed one-to cuddle, and brand new bottle of lube. Dean had said he wanted to try cinnamon this time.
Cas shut the tv off as he cleaned up the crumbs he'd left on the coffee table and rinsed out his mug. He went back in the bedroom and pulled a white shirt, black vest and tie out of the closet, and because it was casual Friday, a pair of nicely worn in jeans and red converse sneakers. Cas went into the attached bathroom to start the shower. He opened the linen closet to pull out one of the large fluffy blue towels Dean had insisted on before they got married. "None of those crappy ones that barely wrap around you, dude. If we're registering like chicks, we are going all the way. I'm talking Bed, Bath and Beyond." Cas chuckled out loud at the memory. As he went to shut the door, Cas noticed yet another paper heart, this one pink, taped to the inside. He recognized words from part of his favorite love poem, "I Love You" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
I love your lips when they're wet with wine
And red with a wild desire
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire
Cas brought a trembling hand to his lips as he read the note again. What was his man up to, seducing him with poetry. Because seduce him he was, Castiel thought to himself as he felt a flush of heat rush through his body. He took the note and laid it on the lid of the wicker hamper to put with the other one when he was done. Cas stripped quickly and got under the hot water. As he soaped up, he wondered if Dean had any other surprises for him. Love notes were not his husband's style. He didn't need to give him notes, not when he showed him how much he loved Castiel everyday, just by taking care of him. Little things like making sure he ate, massaging his shoulders while he graded papers. Or how Dean knew without asking, when Cas just needed to be taken out of his own head for awhile and would plan a video game night, complete with sleeping bags, pizza and mountains of pillows like when they were kids. Dean was very vocal in the bedroom about his love for Castiel, but it was the little unspoken things he did outside of the bedroom that really tugged at Cas' heart. He only hoped that Dean felt he did the same for him.
Cas finished showering and got dressed quickly. His musings had left him short on time. He put the pink heart on the fridge next to the other one. He filled a Singer Auto travel mug with the rest of the coffee and grabbed the insulated lunch bag he'd packed the night before and put it in his briefcase. He pulled on his trenchcoat and went out the door, locking it behind him and headed to the T Station.
As usual, Mrs. Tran from the math department had saved him a seat on the train. They chatted amicably, mostly about her son Kevin. He was a senior in advanced placement. Mrs. Tran was a little annoyed that her son had decided to go to Stanford as opposed to coming to B.U. after he graduated.
"What has Stanford got that Boston doesn't have anyway?" She asked, irritated.
"Stanford is a good school," Cas said. "My brother in law got offered a full ride there when he graduated High School."
"And did he like it?" Mrs. Tran asked.
"Um, well, he didn't go."
"Why not?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
Castiel floundered for a minute. "He decided to go to NYU instead."
"Any particular reason?"
"To be closer to Dean." Cas said and Mrs.Tran clapped loudly.
"See! Now that's a good boy! But does my Kevin want to be close to me? Oh no. He wants to go to hippy dippy California with all the vegans and the hoochies in their yoga pants."
Castiel barely managed to smother a laugh and cleared his throat. "Perhaps he just doesn't want his peers to think he got in because of your position as a professor at the university."
Cas was saved from saying more by the automated voice over the loud speaker reminding them that their stop was next. Cas gripped the handle of his briefcase with one hand and reached into the inside pocket with the other, searching for his university security pass card. He pulled it out, and along with it, another red heart. Cas' pulse jumped.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face
"Oooh, what's got you smiling all dopey?" Mrs. Tran asked with a smirk as they stood to get off of the train.
Castiel blushed. "Dean's been leaving me love notes for Valentine's Day. Pieces from my favorite poem."
"You two are gross. Seriously, your sweetness makes me sick."
Castiel threw his head back in laughter as they exited the train.
Castiel's first two lectures of the day seemed to fly by. Or it may just have seemed that way due to the wonderful mood he was in. Balthazar had popped in at the end of the last class and told him to stop flaunting his happiness to all the lonely hearts out there.
"Really Cassie, be sensitive to others," Balthazar said in mock annoyance. "Not everyone gets to be married to a man who could be an underwear model. One who can cook and fix things without having to call someone, at that."
"Shh," Castiel said to him, as a few of his students in the front row giggled. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying."
"Fine. I have a date tonight anyway," Balthazar said haughtily.
Castiel folded his arms across his chest and grinned. "Really?" he asked, dragging out the word. "When did this come about?"
"That blasted Charlie signed me up on match dot bloody com," he said and there was a loud chuckle, again from the front row.
"Shut it, you," Balthazar said sternly, pointing to a blonde boy who was studiously avoiding his gaze.
Cas glanced at the clock. "Alright guys, leave your work on my desk on your way out. Enjoy the weekend, eat drink and be merry and all that jazz."
Giggling calls of Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Novak rang out as the students filed out the door. Castiel just laughed and turned back to his friend. "So, are you nervous?"
"A little. But when Charlie filled out my profile, she made sure to include that I am asexual, so there should be no surprises there. So I guess we'll see then."
Castiel wished Balthazar luck and started to wipe down the blackboard. He went down the hall to the bathroom to wash the chalk dust from his hand and returned to his desk. He had an hour for lunch before his last two classes of the day. He sat at his desk and opened his briefcase to take out his lunch bag that he'd packed with a pb&j and bag of Fritos. He reached into the bag and instead of his sandwich, pulled out an empty plastic vase with an attached pink heart.
"What in the world," he muttered to himself before reading the new love note. Knowing the poem by heart, he could guess what words would be next, but he still felt a thrill inside.
Not for me the cold, calm kiss
Of a virgin's bloodless love;
Not for me the saint's white bliss
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
Cas ran his fingers lovingly over the paper heart and sighed, not even upset about his lack of lunch.
He was startled out of his thoughts when a familiar voice called out. "Mr. Novak-Winchester? I'm looking for a Mr. Novak-Winchester?"
Castiel looked over at the door and laughed. His and Dean's mutual friend Garth stood standing in the doorway, wearing a smile and holding a take-out bag in one hand and a Dunkin Donuts coffee in the other.
"Kind of a mouthful for the students, eh buddy?" Garth asked as he headed over to Cas' desk. Cas smiled.
"They just call me Professor Novak. Easier that way. What have you got for me, Garth?"
"Dean called in an order for you, said to bring it right over. It's your usual," Garth said, referring to the Roadhouse's famous BBQ burger and onion straws.
Cas could smell it and his stomach gurgled in anticipation. "Thanks, Garth, I'm sure you had more important things to do than be a gopher for me and Dean."
Garth worked at The Roadhouse with Sam's girlfriend Jo and her brother Ash. It was a dive bar formerly owned by the siblings' mother, Ellen. She was a widow, who recently passed on her business to her children, to go, as Jo said, 'find herself'. It wasn't much to look at, but their burgers were phenomenal. They'd even been featured on Diners, drive-ins, and dives.
"No problem amigo, always happy to help play cupid for my friends. Here," Garth said, thrusting out his hand with the coffee in it. "Dean said you don't touch the slop in the teacher's lounge."
Cas was slightly embarrassed to feel his eyes get misty. Garth, being the good friend that he was, pretended not to notice. He just said goodbye, promising to bring mini sliders to the next poker night. So Cas took a deep calming breath and settled down to enjoy his lunch, but not before sending an I love you text filled with different sized heart emojis to his husband. A few minutes later his phone pinged back.
I love you too. Dork.
It wasn't until the end of his last class of the day that the mystery of the plastic vase was solved. A gorgeous bouquet was delivered. Pink Peruvian lilies which symbolized friendship, love and devotion and red roses for passion. His class made the indulgent aawwww noises and Hannah offered to go fill the vase with water for him, as she had finished her reading. He pulled the white heart shaped card out of the holder in the bouquet.
But give me the love that so freely gives
And laughs at the whole world's blame,
With your body so young and warm in my arms
It sets my poor heart aflame.
He never held a vase so carefully in his life as he did that one, on the train ride home.
Castiel's stomach jumped with butterflies as he made his way back to the apartment. He carefully adjusted the strap of his briefcase over his shoulder and transferred the vase to his other hand so he could use his right to unlock the door. It didn't matter that Dean was sure to be home, it was the city and they took no chances.
It was dim when Cas walked in. The first thing he noticed was the delicious spicy aroma. General Tso's chicken, pork lo-mien, and egg rolls. Pandora was playing through the Blue-ray player and the sultry sound of Adele softly filled the room. Cas placed the vase of flowers on the half wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. It was littered with candles, as was the coffee table containing the take-out, which had been transferred into serving dishes. There was also what looked like a bottle of red wine. As Cas hung up his trenchcoat he was pleased to also note the huge bumblebee blanket and pillows on the couch and few DVD's stacked on the ottoman. The Ring, which he had yet to see, and What Lies Beneath which Dean really enjoyed because even an evil Harrison Ford was a hot Harrison Ford.
Cas toed off his shoes and wondered where is husband was. Before he could explore the apartment to find out, the music stopped and Dean's voice quietly took over.
"So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth, still fragrant with ruby wine," Dean began, standing in the archway between the hall and the living room. He was wearing a black tee-shirt and black silk pajama pants studded with red hearts, which made Cas smile widely. In his hands was a big red paper heart. "And say with a fervor born of the south, that your body and soul are mine."
Cas slowly made his way over to Dean as he continued to speak.
"Clasp me close in your warm young arms, while the pale stars shine above," he quoted as Castiel lifted his hands, shaking, to cup Dean's face. Still, Dean continued, now whispering.
"And we'll live our whole young lives away, in the joys of a living love."
For a moment they just stood there, Dean clasping a fragile paper heart and Cas clasping his face. Blue stared into green before Castiel surged forward, capturing Dean's mouth with his own. His eager tongue licked into his mouth causing Dean to moan. Cas wound his arms around his neck, hand snaking up to tangle in his hair. Dean's hands let the heart flutter to the floor as he settled them on Cas' hips tugging him closer. Cas had no concept of time, of how long they stood there, tongues entwined. It could have been minutes, it could have been an hour. All he knew was that he needed to show this man how much he loved him. He pulled back to tug on the on the hem of Dean's shirt. He slowly dragged it up his chest, nails scraping on the way up. Dean got the hint and pulled it over his head.
"What about dinner?" he asked with a soft smile.
"It'll keep," he replied and took his husband's hand, leading him down the hallway to their bedroom.
Cas gently pushed Dean down onto the bed. "Lay back, baby," he said and Dean licked his lips in anticipation. He reclined as requested, head propped on a pillow. Cas slowly crawled up his body, still fully clothed. Straddling his waist, he leaned down to take Dean's mouth again. Teasing nips mixed with long sweeps of tongue until Dean was panting. He reached up to unbutton Cas' vest but Cas pushed his hands back down. He laced their fingers together, pressing Dean's hands back into the mattress.
"This is just for you," he whispered. "You're so beautiful," Cas said and began to trail slow, wet kisses onto his neck. Dean turned his head to the side to grant him better access. "You're so perfect for me." Cas murmured as he sucked at his pulse point.
Dean chuckled softly, "Remember that the next time I leave the dishes at the sink."
Blue eyes glittered at him before Cas said darkly, "What have I said about deflecting? You are my everything. Do you understand that? Without you, I am nothing."
Dean swallowed hard as he took in the seriousness of his husband's tone, the steel that was in his eyes. Cas leaned down to lightly bite at his nipple and Dean arched his back on a groan. Cas looked up at him with a raised brow.
"You are my life, don't you see? Tell me that you see." Castiel's voice was pleading.
"Yes, I see," Dean soothed, "You're my life too, sweetheart. My everything, everything," he said, sighing as Cas suckled at his other nipple. Dean had never known that they were such a hot spot for him, before Cas. But Cas knew his every weakness and he was exploiting them without remorse. His mouth slid down lower, kissing Dean's ribs, as his fingers still tugged and pinched, rolling the buds into stiff peaks, riding that thin line between pleasure and pain. Cas kissed at the softness of Dean's belly causing him to laugh softly. He licked at the constellations scattered across his skin.
"I love your freckles," Cas sighed into his skin as he crawled down lower, pulling at Dean's pajama pants as he went. Dean was breathing heavy and his breath caught as Cas began to nibble at his hip bone. "Taste so good, baby."
Dean felt like he was floating as his husband continued to worship his body. He gave an audible sigh as his pants were pulled all the way down. His cock slapped up against his stomach, hard and leaking.
Cas kneaded his hips as he leaned down to lick the drops of precome beading at the head.
"Ah!" Dean couldn't help himself as he arched into the touch. Cas was an expert at the little kitten licks and he knew it drove Dean crazy. Cas took the head into his mouth and gently sucked before swirling his tongue around and teasing at the slit.
Dean was slowly unraveling. "Oh fuck. ah, ah, so good. "
His fingers clenched into the bed sheets as Cas continued to suck, pulling one hand away to cup at his sack. Dean was not ashamed of the whimper that followed. Castiel hummed around him as he began to move his mouth up and down taking him deeper and deeper. The vibrations against Dean's sensitive cock had him babbling.
"God yes, oh Cas. Cas, your mouth, love your fucking mouth," Dean was writhing, but trying not to thrust into Castiel's mouth until he was allowed. When Cas dragged Dean's hand up and placed it on his head, he could have wept. Dean gripped Cas' hair and began to fuck up into his mouth. "Ah, ah, ah, ah," was the steady mantra that left his mouth. Cas urged him on with moans of encouragement.
"Oh fuck, fuck, I'm so close sweetheart. You have to stop, I'm gonna-" Dean moaned obscenely as Cas ignored his words, hollowing his cheeks as he bobbed up and down and letting his fingers sneak down to brush against Dean's hole. When Dean felt that gentle brush against his pucker, he erupted. His release filled Castiel's mouth and Cas swallowed it all down, every last drop, as Dean shook and panted above him.
Dean thought he may have passed out for a minute, as he suddenly became aware of a hand gently stroking his chest. He swallowed hard, mouth dry and still a little out of breath.
"Holy shit, Cas," he managed to get out.
Castiel laughed. "Was that good, baby?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Dean reached over to card his hands through Cas' hair, before trailing down to tug at his tie. "Why the fuck are you still dressed?" Dean used the tie to pull Cas into a filthy kiss. "I wanna return the favor," he said, dragging his hand down Cas' body to cup his erection through his jeans. Cas bit his lip and moaned. "And I wanna try out that new lube. Cinnamon-y goodness," he said with a waggle of eyebrows, causing Cas to snicker.
"Later," he said and pulled away with obvious effort while Dean visibly pouted. "We have all night baby, and I'm hungry."
Dean decided to let that one go, it was too easy.
"Alright, fine. But here," he said, throwing a pair of pajama pants that matched his own. "Put these on first. Shirts are not optional."
Dean left his husband to change, deciding that if he saw Cas' cock there was no way it wouldn't wind up deep in his throat, and went to reheat their dinner.
Cas was opening the wine when Dean came back in with the first few reheated dishes. On the second trip, Cas was sitting down, with an envelope in his hand.
"Oh, is it present time again?" he joked as he sat next to Cas on the couch. Dean reached down and pulled a wrapped rectangular package from underneath the coffee table.
Cas smiled at him cheekily, eyes crinkling in that way that made Dean all warm inside. "Yes, but first a toast," Cas picked up his glass. "Happy Valentine's Day, to my best friend and love of my life. Thank you for showing me every day how much you love me. I thank God everyday that I get to keep you."
Dean blushed. "Cas, you show me every day too, and I am so thankful for that. You always know the right things to say, you make me feel confident and deserving of what we have together. I never thought I would get to keep you too, and I'm not ever letting you go."
Cas pulled him in for a sweet lingering kiss before they clinked glasses in cheers.
Cas sipped. "Hmm, not bad, what do you think?"
Dean swirled the wine around in his mouth before swallowing. "I think it has an oakiness with a dry, but sweet, buttery finish," he said loftily.
Cas threw his head back and laughed. "Wow, that's quite a description. Anything else?"
"No, that's all that the guy at the liquor store told me," Dean said, causing Cas to laugh harder.
Cas picked up an egg roll with one hand and handed Dean the envelope with the other. He opened it up. The cover of the card inside was a naked cartoon cupid shooting out heart-tipped arrows. The inside had couples running in the opposite direction. The caption read "You can't run from love" and on the bottom was written "I'd catch you anyway! love always, your Castiel." Dean whooped joyfully at the pair of tickets tucked into the card. Bruins tickets for the game the following Saturday.
"I'll even go with you this time," Cas managed to say around a mouth full of eggroll. Cas loved his fucking eggrolls.
"Oh yeah?"
Castiel nodded, still chewing.
"Good, maybe you'll be better luck than Benny was. Fucking Penguins kicked our asses that game. Fucking embarrassing," Dean said with a shake of his head, before handing over his package to Castiel and starting on his lo-mien.
Castiel unwrapped the package to find a book. "The Boy Next Door," he murmured aloud. He flipped it over to read the synopsis. "Dean Winchester had never had a serious relationship in his life. That was all about to change after meeting Castiel Novak, the boy next door," Castiel looked at Dean questioningly.
Dean rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "See, they have this website where you can pick a story and have all the characters be people you know. You fill out the form and give names and descriptions and they put it together like a romance novel, you know, like those Harlequin books you think I don't know you read." Dean teased.
Castiel could have cried. "Dean, this is seriously the sweetest, most creative gift ever. This has been the best Valentine's Day, I cannot wait to read it," he reached out and pulled Dean's mouth to his in a tender kiss.
They finished their dinner and decided to watch The Ring since Cas had never seen it. It gave him all the excuses he needed to climb into Dean's lap and bury his face against his collarbone. Before the movie was even half over he was sucking marks into the skin of Dean's neck again, and by the time the credits were rolling, Dean had him spread out on the floor on their bumblebee blanket.
Castiel gasped and whimpered as Dean tongued his pretty pink hole. He used his thumbs to gently widen his entrance, and speared it in and out, licking and sucking at Cas' rim. Alongside his tongue he added lubed up fingers one at a time. He took his time stretching him, enjoying the cacophony of moans and strangled little whimpers it wrung out of his husband. He made sure to rub against that special spot inside and used the fingers of his other hand to firmly stroke Cas' dripping cock. Castiel trembled, little shakes beyond his control as Dean continued to stroke, inside and out. Castiel rode back on Dean's fingers and tongue, utterly coming apart above him. Dean delved further into Cas' furled pucker, licking at the inside with broad stripes and moaning when he felt the walls fluttering around his tongue. It was sloppy and wet and hot as fuck. When Cas bucked up with harsh cries of "Uh, uh, uh, uh, Nnnngh Dean-" and spurted all over Dean's hand, he continued to lick and suck and decided that one: mixed with Cas' deliciously earthy taste, cinnamon was definitely one of his new favorite flavors. And two: Valentine's Day had officially climbed up the list as one of his favorite holidays.
The End