Work Text:
~ 6 ~
On a sunny afternoon in July, Mary Winchester witnessed the start of a new, majorly important chapter in her oldest son’s life.
She didn’t realize it, not right away. And how could she? There was no way to tell how much impact a story was going to have when you were only on the first chapter. Nevertheless, a grin tugged at her lips as she gazed out the kitchen window, observing the two six year old boys in the backyard.
The new neighbors had moved in three days ago, and it would seem that their youngest son, the one with the big blue eyes and the untamed hair, had come to introduce himself to Dean. The firm handshake between the two boys made her laugh quietly, the business-like expressions on both their faces making the exchange even more precious.
Soon enough, the formal introductions were clearly forgotten, and not much later the two boys were running around in the back yard, playing with a ball.
A noise from two year old Sammy -a huff that sounded anything but pleased- forced Mary to take her eyes away from the scene unfolding.
The toddler glared at her from the highchair, face covered in apple sauce, causing Mary to chuckle at her youngest son.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, honey.” She suggested with a playful roll of her eyes as she took away his empty plate.
When checking on Dean and his new friend ten minutes later, watching them from the back door, Mary concluded that they’d already given up on the ball game. Instead, Dean was handing something to the blue eyed boy; a handful of freshly picked cornflowers. The boy blushed, eyes wide, all smiles as he accepted Dean’s present.
It was then that Dean turned around, spotting his mother, his freckled face splitting into a grin.
“Mom! Come meet my new friend!” He called, waving her over. “His name is Castiel.”
Judging by her son’s enthusiasm, Mary vaguely suspected that she’d be hearing that name a lot in the years that would follow. She wasn’t wrong.
~ 11 ~
A Friday night in January, eight pm. Rain was pounding against the kitchen windows, and Mary sipped her cinnamon tea as she graded her students’ papers, enjoying a moment of peace to get the job done. John was working late, Sammy already asleep.
The only sounds to distract her were the faint noises coming from the living room, where Dean and Castiel were watching a movie, every now and then talking to each other in low whispers. Castiel was sleeping over like he often did on Fridays, and Mary usually let the boys stay up a little later because there was no school in the morning.
Tonight was no different, and so she let them be, having no plans to disturb them until she finished grading.
She put away the last stack of papers around ten, yawning as she got up from the less-than-comfortable kitchen chair, deciding that she would need some extra strong coffee if she was going to stay up until her husband got home.
First things first, it was time to play the stern mom and send two adorable eleven year olds to bed.
“Boys?” She asked quietly when she shuffled into the living room and noticed that the screen of the television had gone black, the movie no longer playing.
She paused when her eyes shifted to the couch, where her son and his best friend were fast asleep, curled up under a blanket, Dean’s head resting against Castiel’s shoulder. Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw that they were holding hands, both of them wearing matching smiles on their faces.
When Dean sighed, mumbling some things in his sleep, Mary held her breath. Only one word stood out to her, plain and clear.
“Cas-tiel.”
Castiel. Immediately, Mary thought back to that day in July when the two had first met. Cornflowers, flustered faces, timid smiles…
She had to make sure to remember this moment like she still remembered that one; as if it had only happened yesterday. Before waking them up, she snapped a picture, this time knowing for a fact that another meaningful chapter in Dean’s life had started.
~ 14 ~
A stormy Sunday morning, September 17th. The leaves were starting to change color, and Mary appreciated the beauty of nature, absently staring out of the kitchen window as she stirred her homemade chicken soup.
In the background, she heard her sons arguing. Sam was insisting that something needed ‘more purple’ whereas Dean claimed that it needed ‘more blue’. When Sammy left with a disgruntled “whatever, Dean”, Mary turned to her older son, who was sitting at the kitchen table.
“What are you drawing there, sweetheart?” She asked nonchalantly, looking over Dean’s shoulder, ruffling his sand-colored hair.
“’s nothing.” He replied dismissively, scrunching his nose as he put down his pencil. “Art project for school.”
Upon taking a closer look, Mary realized that it was far from nothing. Her son was drawing cornflowers, and realistic ones at that.
Before Mary could comment on it, John entered the kitchen to get himself another cup of coffee, smiling at his wife and clasping Dean on the back as he passed by.
“Not bad son, I see some talent there. You got that from your grandma Winchester for sure… Whatever you came up with, she could draw it.” He mused before leaving with a fresh dose of caffeine.
Mary let it go then, going back to her soup. She pretended not to notice how Dean worked on the drawing all day. She pretended to not be aware of Castiel’s birthday; Castiel would be turning fifteen tomorrow. She pretended not to see when Dean at last finished the drawing, scribbling a personal message on the back of it.
‘You’re my best friend in the world and these will always remind me of you, happy birthday Cas.’
Mary fondly shook her head as she ordered Dean to clear the table and go find his little brother for dinner. There was no possible way for her to be sure that Dean knew, but she knew.
~ 17 ~
A Thursday night, the beginning of June; prom night. Mary took countless pictures as Dean secured a cornflower to the lapel of Castiel’s jacket. Both boys were wearing tuxes, and Castiel narrowed his eyes, ducking his head as Dean kissed the tip of his nose.
“I look utterly ridiculous, Dean.”
“Oh come on, don’t hide, angel. You look stunning.”
Attempting to not make any inhuman sounds as her son complimented the boy who was undoubtedly the love of his life, Mary lowered her camera, not wanting to ruin the moment.
A brief kiss was shared between the boys, a real one, but it was abruptly put to an end when John Winchester cleared his throat from behind the three of them.
“The car’s ready… You boys are good to go.”
There was a polite “thank you, mister Winchester” from Castiel, and a heartfelt “thanks, dad” from Dean.
As the two teenagers got into the Chevy Impala that John was planning to give to Dean on his eighteenth birthday, Dean climbing behind the steering wheel, Mary could afford to let out a few tears. John was oddly quiet, pulling his wife closer, rubbing her arm to soothe her as they stood there on the front porch.
A chapter was about to end; Dean was closer to being and adult than being a kid. A new chapter, on the other hand, was about to start. Mary smiled through her tears at the knowledge that her son would never have to be alone; he had a best friend, a lover, a soulmate.
She figured that there was no shame in crying at the good parts of a story, especially not when it were happy tears.
~ 28 ~
Dean opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight that was streaming in through the crisp white curtains. He stretched, frowning as he located Castiel not too far away, sitting in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony, a heavy book resting in his lap.
A warm breeze came in through the open door, ruffling Dean’s hair as he slipped out of bed and put on a shirt while he made his way to his boyfriend. No, scratch that, husband. Dean smirked at his own thoughts as he stepped onto the spacious balcony. The view was amazing; Sammy hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that this hotel was truly something.
Without a word, Dean hugged his lover from behind. Cas’ head snapped up, eyes twinkling as he leaned into Dean’s touch.
“Good morning, Dean.”
Dean laughed, briefly admiring his favorite shade of blue before kissing the top of Cas’ head. “Morning, mister Winchester. What are you reading this early? And on your honeymoon nonetheless, huh?”
Castiel made room for Dean on the chair, and Dean gladly took that silent invitation, sitting down beside him.
“It’s a wedding present from your mother, actually. It’s a photo album, I didn’t want to wait another two weeks to take a look at it, so I took it with me.”
“Wait, with wedding pictures? How did she manage to put that together before we left?” Dean questioned, confused as Cas flipped back to the first page.
Castiel shook his head, handing the book to Dean. “Just take a look, I think you’ll like this.”
The picture on the first page made Dean smile. The colors were faded, the quality poor, but it was clear enough; him and Cas, about seven years old, picking flowers in the backyard.
He turned the page, and more pictures followed.
Him and Cas asleep on the couch, holding hands. Him and Cas baking cookies together when they were twelve, both their faces covered in egg and flour as they smiled at each other. A picture of him and Cas with Sammy who was missing a tooth, at the zoo, all three of them grinning. Several pictures of senior prom, a picture of Dean and Cas packing the Impala on the day when they were leaving for college together, many pictures of holidays that they’d celebrated with both their families…
The very last image was a wedding pic of their first dance that was hastily glued in there, not as neat as the other pictures, but making Dean’s heart race all the same.
“Cas…” He whispered, awed, fingertips resting against the paper.
“There’s one more page.” Castiel hinted, voice low but warm, turning to said page as he snuggled into Dean’s side, tenderly kissing Dean’s temple.
Pressed between the last two pages, was a single dried cornflower. At the bottom of the right page, there was a handwritten message from Mary.
‘To Dean and Castiel Winchester,
Thank you for writing my favorite love story.’