Set in AU

Cas and Dean Winchester couldn't have been happier. They had jobs they liked (Cas was a fourth grade teacher, and Dean was a mechanic), they lived in a nice house, and they had been happily married for two years.

Two years exactly, as of September 18th.

But somehow, they managed to forget that fact.

It was a Friday, so Cas woke up super early in order to get to his job on time. 

"Nooooo," Dean whined as Cas untangled himself from his husband's hold. Cas smiled.

"I have to go to work," He explained, leaning over and kissing Dean's cheek.

"Screw work, you're comfy." Dean retorted. Cas laughed.

"I'll see you later, and then we can cuddle all you want."

"I hate cuddling."

"Oh yeah, and I'm straight."

"Straight as a pride flag."

"Exactly." Dean sighed and let Cas go, not before snagging another kiss or two first, of course. Cas drove to school and got ready for his class, just like any old day.

Until around noon, it was a normal day, nothing special about it.

"Mr. Novak!" Charlie's hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Charlie?" Cas asked.

"You forgot to change the date on the board!" Cas looked over at the whiteboard and sure enough, she was right. So he walked over and changed the date to Friday, September 18-

"FUCK." Cas swore suddenly, staring wide eyed at the date.

His students gasped. Bad words were forbidden in class, and even without that rule, Cas never swore. Cas whirled around to face them, realizing his mistake, and his students stared back, an equal amount of fear on all of their faces.

"It's my anniversary." He explained. "I forgot." He had COMPLETELY forgotten- how could he have been so stupid?! He didn't have anything for Dean- not even so much as a crummy bouquet of flowers.

"Oh no!" Charlie shrieked, like this was a major crime.

"Anybody got an idea as to what I can buy my husband on the way home?" He asked randomly. Yes, his students knew that he was married to another man. Nobody cared though. If they could put up with wacky Garth in kindergarten, then a gay fourth grade teacher was nothing.

"Flowers!" Anna declared.

"CHOCOLATE!" Gabriel screeched.

"Jewelry! That's what my Dad always gets for my mom!" Benny insisted.

"A knife!" Meg called out. "Guys like knives!"

"A BIG BOAT WITH YOUR SHIP NAME ON IT SO YOU CAN TELL HIM YOU'RE CANON!" Charlie screamed.

"Sex!" another kid called out. The class turned to look at him, and he shrugged. "That's what my dad says he wants on his anniversary."

"Well....those are all nice ideas," Cas insisted. But when would have time to buy them? Dean knew when school let out, and Cas was a very punctual person. If he showed up late, Dean would know he probably forgot and ran out to get a last minute gift, and that wouldn't end well. What was he supposed to do?

"I know!" Charlie proclaimed. "We could make him a gift!" 

"Like what?" Jo questioned.

"I know how to make a paper flower- we could make him a bouquet!" They all looked at Cas, who slowly started to grin. A paper flower bouquet, made by his students? That would make it look like he put thought and planning into his gift, and then he wouldn't be late, and Dean would never know he forgot.

It was perfect!

"Charlie, you're a genius." He announced. "I'll go get some construction paper."

He was definitely going to owe Charlie for this one. That little girl had just saved his forgetful ass.

*****

Dean was on his lunch break at work when his phone rang.

"Sup Sammy?"He asked, his brother having called.

"Hey Dean!" Sam replied. "What's new?"

"Nothing. Working, sleeping, eating pie, kissing Cas, what else do I need?"

"Speaking of Cas, do you guys have any special plans tonight?"

"No." Dean frowned, confused. "Why would we?"

"....Dean, it's the 18th."

"So?"

"Of September." Dean was completely lost.

"......And that's important becaaaaaause?" 

"Oh my god, you did not."

"I did what?"

"IT'S YOUR ANNIVERSARY, STUPID. Do NOT tell me you forgot your own wedding anniversary." Dean froze. It wasn't his anniversary, was it? September 18th.... Crap, Sam was right.

Dean had totally forgotten.

"Son of a bitch, I completely forgot!" He admitted. "What do I do?"

"You go out, buy him a gift, and pray like hell he never finds out!" Sam declared. "And you're in it deep, Dean, because this is Cas we're talking about. He can list the date of every important milestone in your relationship, and he's got the memory of an elephant. If you forget your anniversary, he'll never forget it or let you live it down."

"Oh my god, I'm screwed."

"No you're not, we can save this."

"No we can't- Sammy, I can't LIE to Cas and pretend I knew it was our anniversary the whole time!"

"Sure you can, you lie to me all the time."

"But this is CAS. He's impossible to lie to- have you seen his freaking face? Adorable. Impossible to lie too. He's a perfect little lie detector; he should work in interrogation for the CIA or something!"

"Which would you rather have, Dean? Lie to Cas and have him be happy on your anniversary, or tell him you forgot and watch his 'adorable' face crumple with sadness that you didn't care enough to remember?"

"Oh my god, this is a cruel game of would you rather."

"JUST BUY HIM SOMETHING AND TRY NOT TO SCREW ANYTHING ELSE UP."

"Okay! I'll try." Dean paused. "Crap, what the hell do I get him?"

*****

"You got this," Cas whispered to himself as he walked towards the front door of his house. The paper flower bouquet was clutched behind his back. "Dean will never know." It was one little white lie. He could handle that....right?

"You got this," Dean told himself, slipping food into the oven. "Cas will never know." All he had to do was act happy and natural. That was easy enough....right?

But then Cas walked in the house and Dean's thoughts of acting natural went out the window, his head suddenly filled with swear words.

"Hello Dean," Cas smiled.

"Hey Cas," Dean smiled back. "Happy anniversary." 

Shit he remembered. Cas swore mentally. 

"Happy anniversary," He replied, his smile wider.

FUCK HE REMEMBERED, Dean yelled in his head.

"I got you something." Cas went on. Dean froze. He had forgotten to buy something for Cas.

CrapCrapCrapCrapCrap.

"Oh really?" He teased, trying to stay casual as Cas handed him the paper flowers. 

"My students made them for you," he explained. Dean grinned.

"They're beautiful." He commented, taking them. But then he made the mistake of looking Cas dead in the eye, and a pound of guilt crashed down on him. There was no way he could even pretend. Cas was just impossible to even fib around. This is why they never played poker together- Dean couldn't keep a neutral face around him.

"What?" Cas frowned, noting the guilty look on his husband's face. Dean let out a sigh.

"I can't lie to you," Dean burst out. "Cas, I'm so sorry, but I completely forgot it was our anniversary- Sam literally had to tell me and I was gonna try and play it off like I remembered but it's impossible to because you can see right through me and I forgot to get you a present and-"

"You forgot our anniversary?" Cas repeated, a strange look on his face. Dean looked miserable.

"Yes." He admitted. And then Cas did the last thing Dean expected him too.

He burst out laughing.

"I forgot too!" Cas insisted. "I was writing the date on the board and then I remembered and swore in front of my entire class! They made the flowers to help me save my ass so that you'd never know I forgot!"

"You forgot?!" Dean echoed, surprised. Cas never forgot anything.

"We both forgot our anniversary!" Cas laughed. Dean snorted. It was kinda funny. 

"That's why we make such a good pair." He declared, grinning and pulling Cas close to him.

"We're a pair of anniversary-forgetting idiots." Cas agreed, smiling.

"Happy anniversary, Cas."

"Happy anniversary, Dean." They leaned in for a kiss and their smiles widened.

"Best anniversary ever." Dean proclaimed.