Chapter Text
"Shhh, baby boy. Shhh hush your tears." Mary told her son. "It's time I told you the secret. You're really a cursed prince."
Dean sniffled and looked at his mom.
She kissed his brow. "It's true I swear. Cross my heart and hope to die." This time a kiss on his nose.
"You see your dad and I are actually king and queen of a magical realm, but a cruel wizard forced us to flee. And just when we thought we had gotten away, he hit me with a curse. My son, the goodly prince, would be silent until true love's kiss awoke his voice."
Dean shook his head.
Mary smiled and kissed his lips. "I am not fooling. You are a cursed prince forced mute until one day you meet your true love and you'll kiss and then, then we will all hear your beautiful voice." Mary tucked him into bed and started to sing Hey Jude. Just as he drifted off she said, "Goodnight my prince."
Dean stopped believing in fairy tales a few months later when she died.
Their dad though tried to keep up the pretense, he called their road trip a magical quest and they traveled for years a vagabond king and his two heirs. Only there was never an end to the quest, they just kept travelling. Dean began to draw, first with crayons and then pencils. Rough dragons, knights on horse back, mermaids who gain legs. Sammy would look at the drawings and make up these amazing stories for them. Hours they would do this in the back seat, Dean drawing and Sammy weaving tales.
When Dean was 14 John met Kate. When Dean was 15 he gained a new brother Adam. John decorated the nursery with the fantastical creature alphabet that Dean drew. Sam grew too old and too busy to make up stories of cursed princes and dragons but he always praised Dean's art.
That year Dean also fell hard for a beautiful girl Cassie Robinson.
"Don't worry that you can't talk. I talk enough for both of us." She said with a wink. Dean was enraptured and drew her a picture of a diner with them at the counter eating burgers. "Is this you asking me for a date?" Dean nodded and Cassie said yes. They had a good time, Cassie talking about wanting to be a journalist, Dean sketching on napkins. He paid and walked her home. They stopped on her porch and she leaned in. Dean kissed her softly. His very first kiss.
She pulled away and smiled and twisted a curl of hair around her finger. "This was fun, do you want to do it again?"
Dean opened his mouth but no words came out. Dean kissed her cheek and shook his head no and left her standing there. He knew it was horrible, but he had held a little hope, just a little. But it looked like his mom had been wrong. He was just cursed, not magically cursed, just cursed.
Dean grew tired of school, he just wanted to draw. He skipped and spent hours in the woods filling book after book, hundreds of fairy tale drawings. The queens always looked a little like his mom. One day he got home and there was his dad sitting at the table. There was a pile of GED books.
"You still need that degree. You swear to study and I'll pull you out of school. Mornings you prep, and three days a week you come to the garage with me. The other two afternoons are yours to do what you want with. Deal?"
Dean hugged his dad for the first time in years. They weren't the touching sort.
Dean got his GED and worked at the garage and on his drawings. He ended up being commissioned to do a mural at a bakery. There was a boy there who was home schooled. Cas.
Cas noticed the sketch books. "If I gave you one of my notebooks would you do some drawings for me? I'd give you free pie." Dean shrugged. He took the notebook home and was up until three am reading the fantasy story that Cas had written. He drew only going to sleep when the sun lightened the sky. He slept for 3 hours and woke and drew some more.
Cas cried when he saw the illustrations. "These are perfect."
Dean just shoveled more pie into his mouth and gave it a thumbs up. It was a perfect pie.
Cas and Dean went away to college together. They even shared a dorm. Cas was taking english literature and Dean art. They studied and drank and wrote and one time fell into bed together. It was great and Dean loved his best friend. When they kissed, Dean didn't gain his voice. But he had mostly gotten over that dream a long time ago.
Dean now thought about how silly it had been to believe that and one day when he and Cas were talking, because Cas had learned sign language so Dean wouldn't have to write everything out, Dean told Cas about what his mom had told him. Dean laughed his silent chuckle and shook his head at what a silly child he had been.
That summer Cas presented Dean with a story. A children's story of a forgotten king and queen and their cursed son. Dean hugged his friend tight. He illustrated it for his senior art thesis. And received an A and the name of an editor.
The story ended up winning the Newbury.
Cas and Dean moved to Chicago and shared an apartment and wrote and drew and were very happy. They went on book tours to children's libraries and were even on Sesame Street. Eventually they bought a house together. They weren't in love, they didn't sleep together, but they just couldn't imagine living without the other.
Even when Cas met and fell in love with horror writer Meg Masters, she just moved into the house. Her book covers significantly improved thanks to bribing Dean.
Suffice it to say, all the kids loved visiting their house at Halloween.
Dean dated a nice woman Lisa for almost two years. He never told her about true love's kiss, that their first story was about him. As much as he liked her, as comfortable as he was with her - he knew his voice wouldn't be found in her arms.
And then one day Meg killed the ancient circuit breakers in their house and an electrician had to be called.
Dean was the one home when he arrived. All Dean could think was, all future hunters or woodsman he drew would be based on the guy. He was so thick in the shoulders with a scruffy beard and suspenders. He looked like he could pull off yelling fe fi fo fum. Dean felt small beside him even though Dean was actually taller.
"Hey chief, hear you got no power?" The guy had a silky drawl. Dean nodded. "Well, I'm Benny let's see if we can get it fixed. Lead the way."
Dean lead him to the basement and Benny whistled. "Yup this all needs replacing. Jesus haven't seen wiring this ancient in awhile. You all are lucky you ain't dead." The guy whistled as he put down his toolbox.
Dean sat on the basement steps and Benny kept up a running commentary about the work, the weather, this year being the Cubs year. Dean just listened to that beautiful voice.
"Hey chief, I'm a little parched, don't suppose I could have a glass of water or a soda?" Dean nodded and stood. He looked at the guy and sort of shrugged. "What not a big talker?" Benny asked.
Dean tapped his throat and shook his head.
"Huh, guess definitely not a big talker." Benny scratched his beard. Thought about it. "You want to know what I would prefer."
Dean nodded and smiled.
"Just water will do for now."
Dean brought him a glass and watched Benny's throat as he drained the cup dry.
It took Benny a week to get their wiring properly sorted. Dean spent most of the time following Benny around, listening to him ramble and sketching the whole time. Dean couldn't stop sketching his hands. When Meg had seen the book she called him a stalker. Cas said he should ask the man out.
Dean ignored them both.
On Benny's last day, Dean had made pie. He offered it to the electrician who ate it down happily. "Well chief that's some of the best I've ever had. Thank you. Have to say I've enjoyed this job more than most." Benny stood. "I was, uh, wondering if I could call you sometime." Dean just looked at him and Benny winced. "Right. Right. Maybe I could text you sometime?"
Dean smiled and gave Benny his number.
They texted back and forth for a few weeks. Snarky things, silly things, and even some sexy things.
Cas and Dean were on a book tour for a new teen series they were doing that was being very well received. Their last stop was their favourite bookstore near home. Dean grinned when he saw Benny standing in line with the sea of teenagers around him.
Cas signed it and drew a little picture inside.
Benny flushed a little. "Maybe I could take you to dinner when you are done here?" Benny went even more red as a group of girls giggled. Dean just grinned and held up 1 finger. "Sure chief I can kill an hour."
They went for pizza and Benny tried a little signing.
Dean beamed at him, a little pizza sauce on his chin.
Benny shrugged."You said your housemates learned so you don't have to write everything. There's lots you can pick up online if you look."
Dean signed thank you and Benny grinned. He knew that one.
They went on a few more dates and Dean was more and more charmed. But they hadn't done more than hug or hold hands.
Finally Benny offered to cook for Dean. Meg threw a box of condoms at Dean's head on his way out.
Dinner was great, Benny telling a story about a camping trip when he was a kid. Dean was in stitches, not embarrassed at all by his silent laugh.
They moved into the living room and snuggled on the couch. Dean noticed all his and Cas's books on the shelf. He fell from charmed into enamoured.
But he wondered why after months they had never done anything.
Dean slowly signed "Why haven't you kissed me?"
Benny looked at Dean carefully, with such a soft gaze. "Been waiting."
Dean rolled his eyes and held his hands up. The for what didn't need to be said.
Benny looked at the shelf where the books were. "For it to be true love's kiss."
And Dean's heart was Benny's.
They kissed and it was perfect. It was love.
Dean opened his mouth but Benny just kissed him again.
"Don't worry chief. I can hear you just fine."
Dean's eyes were swimming. Maybe his mom had been a little right about the magic of true love's kiss.