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Dr. Castiel Novak was tired but also relieved as he got rid of his bloody gloves. Emergency surgeries were difficult, but when the patients were kids from car accidents his own history came crashing back to him and that always made it worse. His parents’ deaths fueled his desire to be a doctor since he was eight years old; today, he was able to save the life of a little girl because of it. Maybe Fate was cruel sometimes, but Castiel truly believed there was a reason for everything.
Just like it was probably Fate that he wasn’t able to switch his shift today. Not that he thought Garth wouldn’t have done as much of an amazing job as he did, but still. Castiel had saved a small life, and that was worth not being able to spend Valentine’s Day with his boyfriend.
Thinking of Dean made him smile as he washed up and changed into a clean pair of scrubs. It had been almost six months since Dean Winchester and his band Purgatory had come to Monterey for a concert; a concert that had changed Castiel’s life forever. Three days later the secret of Dean Winchester’s first love came to light, and the fact they wanted to give their love a second chance made incredible headlines. Castiel was still surprised and happy about all the support Dean received after coming out as bisexual and openly dating a man now. Sure, there had been some homophobic hate and lots of fangirls crying about Dean Winchester being unavailable, but the two of them faced it all together, and neither of them would have it any other way.
Even their busy schedules hadn’t killed their love so far. Hell, ten years of separation and radio silence didn’t damper their love; this was a walk in the park compared to that, and Dean’s teasing about today wouldn’t change anything either. “You have to work?” he’d asked Cas. “Ah, never mind. I’ll just keep up my tradition of celebrating Unattached Drifter Christmas then.” That night, there had been no sex for Dean Winchester no matter how hard he begged.
Cas knew his boyfriend was only joking, after all the man was the most faithful soul there was. And while apologizing for his stupid joke, he’d revealed that in reality, he would just use the time in the studio.
All cleaned up and ready for the rest of his evening, Castiel decided to check on some of his long-term patients. Little Ava wasn’t doing so well lately, and Lily had a setback last week. As he opened the door to the girls’ room he was met with unusual silence. Upon further investigation he found the room empty. It wasn’t unusual for long-term patients to walk around more and all the kids in this ward had formed a strong friendship and often visited each other. But ever since her setback, Lily was too weak to walk on her own. Her wheelchair was gone, maybe Ava had helped her get to one of the other rooms?
Moving on, Castiel first checked Scott and Max’s room – empty – then brothers Andrew and Ansem’s – empty as well.
“What the …?”
He was about to check the next room when a door down the hall opened. It was the one to the community room where people such as clowns or special guests from the Make-A-Wish-Foundation or puppies visited to brighten the children’s day. Anything really to make the dull routine in the hospital a bit more bearable. As far as Castiel knew, however, nothing special was planned for today.
Apparently, the squealing and giggling he heard as soon as the door opened proved him wrong, as did Hannah’s smile the moment she stepped out and caught sight of him.
“Castiel, there you are,” she said, waving him over. “Just in time. You better hurry, it’s almost over.”
“Over? What is over? I didn’t know we were expecting anyone today.”
As he got closer, he heard the strum of a guitar and an excited voice – Amara? – followed by booming laughter that surprised Cas into almost stumbling. Hannah only grinned wider and stepped aside to let Cas go inside first.
And there he was.
Sitting on a simple chair, guitar on his knees and aimlessly strumming, Dean was completely surrounded by excited little ones. A quick, almost automatic headcount told Cas that, yes, all of his long-term patients were here and even some from the short-term ward. The room was packed and, as expected with so many kids in one place, there was an excited buzz in the air. It was clear that Dean was the center of everyone’s attention.
The singer was completely invested in whatever the kids were telling him. Amara seemed to have just finished her story and Dean smiled at her as if she was the most precious thing, before giving the same attention to her brother, Chuck. Although Cas loved all his patients, kids like those siblings that had suffered the same tragedy as him – losing their parents in a car accident – had a special place in his heart. Now all Chuck and Amara had was each other, so seeing the two young teenagers smiling again simply because someone like Dean paid attention to them touched Cas on a very profound level. If he wasn’t already completely gone on the man, this would be the moment he’d lose his heart to him.
“Dr. Cas!” a high pitched voice squealed. Before Cas figured out who it was, all his kids welcomed him with a similar shout and he smiled at all of them. “Look, your boyfriend is here.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Cas commented, still smiling at the kids in front of him before he caught Dean’s gaze. “I’m just wondering what he’s doing here.”
“He sang for us.”
“He waited for you.”
“He promised one more song.”
“He has a surprise for you.”
There were so many answers shouted at him all at once, but everyone shushed the boy that yelled out the last one. There were even reprimands of “We’re not supposed to say that,” and “Don’t give it away.” This whole time, Dean only smiled and it was the cutest thing Cas had seen in a long time.
He chose to ignore the last comment. “One more song you say? Well, let’s hear it then.”
“Alright,” Dean finally spoke up. “Have you decided by now what you want?”
Many different titles were shouted – some of them songs from Purgatory, some not – but in the end, with a little nudging from Dean in the right direction, they settled on “Hey Jude”.
While the soft melody from the guitar combined with Dean’s raspy voice washed over them, Cas leaned back against the wall next to Hannah and simply enjoyed the show. Once Dean got the kids to join in on the easier parts, it got a bit messy, but it was still the best version Cas had ever heard.
After a while, he couldn’t help himself and whispered to Hannah, “How long has he been here?”
“About an hour.”
His eyes widened for a second as he looked at his colleague, before looking back at his boyfriend.
“You have a good man there, Castiel. He’s been nothing but adorable with each of them.”
“Yeah, I know,” Cas replied, unable to stop his smiling. “Wish I could’ve seen it.”
“Oh trust me, the kids have taken enough videos. You should be able to see it all over the internet by now.”
Chuckling, Cas didn’t reply. He hardly ever searched the internet anymore for Dean or himself, not since the first time they did it together after their press conference. He was still happy about all the responses to that, he had no desire to taint it with negativity by accidentally stumbling over bad news or hate or anything of the likes. But he might just make an exception for this one.
As the intimate concert came to an end, none of the kids wanted to let Dean go. They begged for more songs or just for him to stay longer. Sweet as he was, Dean was powerless to say no. Cas could see his boyfriend almost giving in when Donna stepped into the room. The child psychologist sought eye contact with Dean, winking at him before raising her voice just enough to be heard over the little ones.
“Okay everybody, remember what Mr. Dean said in the beginning?”
“Yeeeees.” The voices were so disappointed it almost broke Cas’ heart. And apparently Dean’s as well.
“Awww, kiddos, don’t be sad. I promise I’ll be back very soon.”
“Tomorrow?” Ava spoke up, looking so hopeful Dean could only huff a laugh and let his head hang in defeat.
“Alright, alright. Yeah, tomorrow.”
The cheers were deafening, but Dean used the distraction to get up and walk over to where the three adults stood beside the entrance. He handed Donna the guitar and winked at her – what the hell was it with the winking?
Cas had no time to think about it before Dean was in front of him. “Hey, Angel.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“You need to kiss,” little Ava yelled and before Cas could react, a chorus of “kiss, kiss, kiss” erupted.
Dean calmed them down after a few seconds. “Hang on there, kids. Today is Valentine’s Day, which means I can only kiss him if he agrees to be my Valentine.”
The tension in the room was palpable as countless little eyes were trained on them and when exactly did his love life become some kind of public attraction?
Dean, used to fans and their weird requests after almost ten years, only turned back to him and grinned. “Angel. Will you be my Valentine?”
Rolling his eyes but still smiling fondly about how childish his boyfriend could be sometimes, he leaned in and gave Dean a very chaste kiss. The cheering grew louder when Dean took his hand, waved at the kids, and pulled Cas after him.
“Guess I’m getting my surprise now,” he whispered into Dean’s ear, following as close as possible as he let himself be dragged along the corridors in the direction of the staff’s break room.
Dean turned his head just enough to steal a kiss. “You weren’t supposed to know that.”
“Well, you should’ve known better than to trust a horde of kids with it.”
“Meh, true,” Dean replied, letting the topic drop.
They were still huddled close and holding hands like lovesick teenagers when they entered the break room. Three of Cas’ co-workers looked up, stunned, but Dean only nodded at them as he kept moving. Ah, so not the break room but the doctor's lounge. What exactly had Dean planned?
Opening the door to the little room in which doctors and nurses could get a few minutes of much needed shut eye, Dean stepped inside and held the door open for Cas. The view melted Cas’ heart.
“Oh, Dean,” he sighed before pulling his man closer and giving him a sweet kiss.
A table from the break room stood in the middle of the small space, along with two chairs. There were two candles burning, fixed on two saucers in lieu of real candlesticks. A single red rose stood in a glass that was clearly from their break room. Two plates stood ready with still steaming Chinese takeout, Cas’ favorite.
“How did you prepare all this? Hannah said you were with the kids for over an hour.”
“Well, I had some help,” Dean replied, only winking while shutting the door and walking over to pull out a chair for Cas. Suddenly, Donna’s behavior made so much more sense. Dean earned himself another kiss before Cas sat down to enjoy their romantic Valentine’s dinner.
They finished all too soon, but just as Cas was about to get up to help clean up, Dean took the plate out of his hand.
“Nope, you stay here. This isn’t over yet.”
“But –”
“Stay. Or better yet: get comfortable on the bed.”
The wink Dean gave him was way too suggestive, and Cas rolled his eyes as he got up and stretched before crawling on the small cot. It wasn’t the first time Dean visited him in the hospital and they both knew there was no way to really start anything. True, Cas had managed it a few times back when he had something going on with Michael, but that was purely about getting each other’s rocks off. With Dean, he really didn’t fancy sinking so low as to have a quickie on a cot the whole hospital staff had used at some point.
Neither of them wanted someone to walk in on them either; Dean’s naked ass would be online with a scandalous caption way too quickly. So sex in the hospital? Not going to happen.
Cas got comfortable on the cot, waiting for Dean to come back. A minute later, the singer walked through the door again and kicked it shut with his foot, one hand holding a spoon, the other one holding –
“Is that lemon sorbet?”
Grinning, Dean sat down next to Cas and got comfortable. “Of course it is,” he replied, clearly satisfied with Cas’ reaction. Cas pulled him close and gave him a slow kiss. If there was one dessert he could eat for the rest of his life, it would be lemon sorbet.
Sitting cross-legged and facing each other, Dean began to spoon-feed Cas, only taking a bite himself now and then. In between bites they traded stories about the last few days and shared lazy kisses, just enjoying being together.
“Do you really have the time to come back tomorrow? To play for the kids again, I mean.”
“Of course,” Dean replied instantly. “I wouldn’t have agreed if it wasn’t the case.”
Cas accepted another spoonful of sorbet before continuing. “You’ve got no idea how sweet that was.”
“Oh yeah? So you liked it, Dr. Cas?”
For that, Dean earned himself a quick tweak in the side, which he tried to evade by squirming away. It was still so cute how ticklish he was.
“The name’s totally your fault.”
“How?” Dean protested, almost letting the spoon full of delicious sorbet fall down.
Cas quickly caught it and put it in Dean’s mouth to shut him up. “Well, before we met again, I was the very well-respected Dr. Novak. Ever since the fact that you call me Cas got all over the media, the kids started to as well. At least I got them to add the Dr. again.”
“Awww,” Dean teased, spoon sitting crooked in his mouth. He was quick enough to evade another tweaking and caught Cas’ hands. “Admit it: you love it.” Thanks to the spoon his words were slurred but clear enough for Cas to understand.
Smiling softly and playing with Dean’s hands, he leaned in to give Dean a peck on the corner of his sticky mouth. “Yeah, actually. It’s kinda cute.”
“Totally,” Dean replied, messing the word up thanks to the spoon. Cas chuckled as he let go of one hand and pulled the spoon out. Deciding that they’ve both had enough, he put the lid back on the sorbet tub and got up.
“Hey, you’re not supposed –”
The most effective way to shut up Dean Winchester had always been with a kiss, which was exactly what Cas did.
“I’ll be right back,” he replied, pushing Dean to lie down as he strolled out into the break room.
“Having fun with your boyfriend in there?” Cas looked over his shoulder while putting the sorbet back in the freezer, catching Michael staring at him. Absolutely not in the mood for any childish power play or drama, he ignored him and went straight back, shutting the door to the doctor's lounge without acknowledging Michael’s death glares. That man seriously needed to get a life.
He was back in Dean’s arms in seconds, just cuddling close and soaking in the warmth radiating from his boyfriend. He knew he needed to get up soon, make his last rounds for the day and get prepared should another emergency come up, but right now, all he wanted was to be here in Dean’s arms in this little room.
Dean’s hand was idly wandering up and down his back as they lay in comfortable silence. His boyfriend was the first to break it. “The kids you have here are all so amazing. I know you can’t tell me much about them, but they did today. And I know how much they mean to you and how you suffer with every single one of them.” The hand on his back stopped, Dean’s arms circled around him, holding him tight. “I think people don’t understand how much of yourself you give to these kids.”
“Well, it’s my job.”
“No, Cas. It’s not just your job and we both know it. You’re an amazing doctor, yes, but it’s so much more. Did you know some of the kids won’t call me anything but ‘Dr. Cas’ boyfriend’?”
Chuckling, Cas moved just enough to rest a hand on Dean’s chest and glanced up at Dean. “Really now?”
“Yeah. I mean I think they still know who I am, but man it was nice to not be Dean Winchester for once, just Dr. Cas’ boyfriend.”
They both chuckled as Cas lay back down, enjoying the feel of Dean’s chest moving up and down with each breath.
“You were good with them. Really sweet.”
“I did nothing but to listen to them and sing some songs.”
“Exactly, Dean. Sometimes that’s all these children need: someone that actually takes the time to listen.”
There was silence between them once more as they were lost in their own thoughts.
“They fascinate me, you know,” Dean spoke after a while. “The way they’re still able to embrace life, even with everything they have to suffer through.” It was clear in his voice how in wonder he was of the kids.
Cas nodded. “Yeah, they’re all fighters.”
“I really think I wanna do this more often from now on.”
Moving his head once more, Cas looked back up at his boyfriend. “What?”
“Visiting kids in hospitals. Singing for them, spending time with them. I had no idea how rewarding it can be. I mean,” he amended just as Cas opened his mouth to speak. “I know it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. I’m not stupid and I’ve been with you long enough to know it from first-hand experience. But …” He let the sentence drop, unfinished, and shrugged.
Studying Dean’s face a moment longer, Cas finally leaned in for a tender kiss. It was a long while before he pulled back. “You, Dean Winchester,” he stated, gazing right into those green eyes so full of love, “are the most remarkable man I’ve ever met.”
“Well, having met you, I’d beg to diff–”
Dean was cut off by an even longer kiss that only stopped once both of them realized they were going to break the “no sex in the hospital” rule if they continued. Sighing in content, Cas lay back down on his boyfriend’s chest and let himself be held for just a few minutes longer.