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“Anything?”
“Nothing.” Dean kicked at the ground and sighed. The air was growing thick with heat. It was just after noon and already almost ninety degrees. Dean never enjoyed Kansas summers.
“It will come, Dean.” Castiel was clutching his novel to his chest. He looked so calm and quiet. Dean’s favorite pastime was watching him with that book. It brought him peace. How could someone like that get a fricken snow leopard for his beast?
“Most people get them around their sixteenth birthday.” Dean grumbled. He had turned seventeen last week. He had been patient up until then, but now he’s annoyed.
“Not everyone gets it then. Some people don’t get it until college.”
“Whatever.” Dean grabbed the book from Castiel and started flipping through it. “It just better be cool. It better be worth the fricken wait.”
“It will be.” Castiel whispered, watching Dean with his book. The two things he loved most. Literature and Dean Winchester.
------
It showed up the last weekend before their Senior year. They day after Castiel and Dean’s first kiss. He woke up with it wrapped around his wrist, a fairly common spot. He sat up straight in bed when he noticed the purple mark. Then he wished he had never woken up at all.
“A fucking bunny?” He whispered harshly in the dim light of the sunrise. He turned his lamp on and rubbed at his skin. “A bunny?”
When he met Castiel for lunch he made sure to wear a long sleeve shirt. He grabbed the fabric in his hands and squeezed, making sure not an inch of skin was showing. Castiel noticed immediately.
“It’s boiling out. Why are you wearing that?”
“I, um.” Dean shifted in his seat and looked around the restaurant.
“Oh my god!” Castiel leaned forward and reached out for Dean’s arm. He pulled away like the boy would burn him.
“I don’t want to show you.” His cheeks burned bright red as he stared at the table. Castiel felt hurt. They had been best friends for years, and after the kiss yesterday he thought they’d get to be more. Why wouldn’t Dean trust him with something so important?
“Just tell me then. What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” He crossed his arms tight against his chest and huffed. “Can we just eat?”
“Dean.”
“It’s a lion. But it’s weird. Lopsided. I think it’ll be fine after a few days. It’s probably just swollen or something.” Castiel could tell he was lying. Dean always rambled, always gave too much information, when he was lying. He sat down in the chair across from Dean and frowned. He didn’t call him out though. He would wait until they were alone.
“Well, then. Want to split a strawberry lemonade?”
------
He finally got to see it that night. They were lying in the double hammock set up in Castiel’s back yard, tangled in each other. They swung back and forth gently, almost as if the breeze was moving them. It was always safer at Castiel’s house. His older sister was his guardian and she was way cooler than John and Mary Winchester. I mean, John and Mary were alright, but they had nothing on Anna.
Castiel was reading his book out loud while Dean softly played with his hair. It was something they did often. It seemed so much more intimate now that they had kissed. Castiel only wished Dean trusted that intimacy enough to show him his beast.
“Laughter is sunshine; it chases winter from the human face.”
“Mmm,” Dean interrupted. “I like that.”
“Hugo is a great author. You should really read some of his stuff.” Castiel said matter-of-factly, running a finger down the edge of the page. Dean scoffed.
“Right. I’ll just read Les Mis as a bit of light summer reading, Cas.”
“You’re very sarcastic.”
“You say that like you didn’t already know. Like you’re surprised.” Dean kept playing with his hair, the tips of his fingers massaging his scalp. “I’m not a new person now, just because of this stupid mark.”
“I know that.” Castiel closed his book and bit his lip. “Dean. Please tell me what your beast is. I won’t be upset.”
“Just drop it.”
“No. I won’t.” Castiel tried sitting up but Dean held him back. He figured it was a good sign. When Dean was upset he usually let Castiel storm away.
“I’ll show you. But you can’t laugh.”
“I won’t laugh.”
“Okay.” Dean didn’t move so Castiel did it for him. He carefully lifted Dean’s sweatshirt sleeve until the mark was exposed. He stared for a full twenty seconds before smiling.
“Oh, Dean.”
“Don’t.”
“It’s not a bad thing, Dean.” Castiel turned in his arms and smiled. Dean was blushing. “I love it.”
“Shut up.” Castiel opened his mouth to speak but Dean put a finger over it. “If you’re about to say that it’s cute, or use any weird word like that, I’ll be upset.”
“Dean, a rabbit isn’t a bad thing.”
“It’s a fucking bunny.”
“Oh, stop it. Rabbits are fast. They’re resourceful.”
“They’re fluffy and they eat grass. And they’re low on the food chain. Unlike snow leopards.”
“Dean.”
“You should be with someone that’s as fierce as you are. Someone who has the same kind of spirit as you.”
“Dean Winchester.” Castiel took his face in his hands and kissed him. He rubbed the tip of his nose against Dean’s before offering him a small smile. “I don’t care about these stupid beasts. They barely mean anything in today’s society. When was the last time you met a couple that matched?”
“Never.” Dean grumbled.
“Exactly.” Castiel kissed him again. “At least you aren’t an endangered species. What does that say about me?”
“It says that you’re special.” Dean leaned forward and kissed him. It was slow and intimate. Castiel hummed in appreciation. “You know I googled it. Snow leopards sometimes eat rabbits.”
Castiel growled low in his throat. It was his best attempt at being rough and sexy, Dean’s usual role. “I just might eat you.” Dean barked out a laugh, his hand resting on his forehead. Then he looked at Castiel with an incredible hunger in his eyes.
“I dare you.” After that, Dean didn’t care about his beast anymore. He just cared about the boy nibbling on his earlobe.