Epilogue: Happiness

A Year and a Half Later

"Hey, Cas. You in there?"

"I- yes. Dean-" Cas rolled his eyes as the door creaked open. "You know it's bad luck to see the person you're going to marry until the wedding, right?" He turned around.

Dean was dressed in a tux, minus the jacket, which he had pulled off. His eyes were bright and his smile vibrant.

Dean grinned at him. "Pretty sure that's only for brides." He crossed the room and huffed. "Let me help you with that."

"It's fine," Cas insisted, but he didn't stop Dean from fiddling with his tie.

"All those hours I spent teaching you how to tie a tie and you still can't do it."

"I was a bit distracted," Cas said.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"By what?"

"You."

Dean finished fixing his tie. "What can I say? I'm pretty distracting."

"Dean? Dean, where are you?"

"Shit." Dean glanced toward the door. "Sam. I gotta go. See you up there?" He looked back to Cas.

Cas smiled. "Of course, Dean." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. "For good luck."

Dean leaned back in.

"Dean, come on! Dean?"

"Love you." With a last smile at Cas, Dean disappeared.

"I know," Cas called after him.

Dean poked his head back inside the room and stared incredulously at him. "Did- did you just Han Solo me?"

Cas hid his smile. "Maybe."

"I could kiss you," Dean said.

"Save it for the altar," Sam said, appearing in the doorway. "Come on." He offered a quick, amused nod to Cas, then dragged Dean away.

Cas stared at the door. When he turned away, it was to glance at the clock hung on the far wall.

Half an hour until he was getting married. Half an hour until he was getting married to Dean.

Cas was almost giddy with excitement.

"Little bro, when I get married, I'm not forcing anyone to wear a suit," Gabriel grumbled, coming in. "These things are itchy."

"It's only for a few hours, Gabriel," Cas said.

"A few hours that I'm not going to have sugar for! These pockets are all sewn shut!"

"Somehow, I think you'll manage."

Gabriel looked him up and down. "You ready?"

Cas nodded solemnly.

Gabriel grinned and- were his eyes wet? "My little Cassie, all grown up."

Cas squinted at him. "I've been a legal adult for years."

Gabriel laughed. "True. Here, I'll help you finish getting ready."

Dean's face hurt from smiling so much. The thing was, he couldn't stop. He didn't really want to stop. He was getting married to Castiel fucking Novak.

He was marrying Cas. For real. It wasn't just a fantasy or something to file as a dream.

According to the clock, he'd be a married man in about twenty minutes.

Holy shit.

"Sam-"

Sam cut him off right away. "It's going to be fine, Dean. Seriously."

"Right. Yeah."

Don't get Dean wrong, he couldn't remember ever being this happy, except for maybe when Cas had proposed, but he wanted to make sure this wedding was everything Cas deserved.

The minutes crawled by. Dean paced, unable to stop moving, until Sam gently grabbed his arm and said, "Come on. You've got a guy to marry."

Not just a guy, Dean thought. Cas.

With that, he took a breath, then let Sam guide him down the hall and to the aisle.

Dean wasn't religious, but even he had to admit that the chapel was stunning. It had a high vaulted ceiling. On either side of the aisle, the pews were made of sturdy wood that almost gleamed with varnish. The stained glass windows were colorful and luminous.

The beauty of the church was forgotten when he saw Cas.

Despite having tried to tame his hair, it still stuck up in a few places. The navy tie Dean had fixed for him had somehow gotten flipped back around.

God, he was adorable. And he was Dean's.

Dean met his eyes and beamed.

Cas smiled radiantly back.

This was it. The two of them. Dean and Cas, Cas and Dean. Even as the ceremony began, Dean couldn't quite believe it. Not until after they had rings to match and had left the church. Not until the reception at the Roadhouse, when Gabriel made a point of congratulating "Castiel Winchester."

Then and there, Dean leaned over and kissed his husband long and hard. Cas kissed back. The guests applauded, and there were a few whistles. All of it was forgotten. In that moment, it was just them. Dean and Cas Winchester.

So this was what happiness was.