The Shield aside, Dean has never been a big believer of many things, least of all coincidence or even fate. With Seth, though, he likes to think he believes in something. He's not sure what it is exactly, but details have never been important around Seth, anyway. Perhaps it was chance, or maybe it was destiny. In Dean's book, it doesn't matter. Of all the different paths both he and Seth could have taken, they'd ended up on two paths that eventually converged.

The fact may not mean much to anyone else, but it means more to Dean than he'll ever care to admit out loud. People have come and gone in his life, some significant and others unimportant, but each individual's presence, or lack thereof, has never inspired him to look at everything from an entirely different perspective. Seth had been the first. Almost instantly, Dean had recognized their meeting for what it was: a blessing.

For years, Dean had wandered aimlessly, like a vagrant traveling light and preferring to lurk in the shadows of the night. Seth, on the other hand, had been pure light, eyes shining bright with a wild glint that drove, and still drives, Dean mad. Like most opposites, they'd attracted. Dean had known, from the very first spark he'd felt when they'd touched for the first time, that it was the beginning of something beautiful. Their chemistry had been undeniable, and it remains undeniable.

"I thought I'd find you out here."

The silhouette is easily recognizable, Dean more than just familiar with Seth's height and build, even with just the stars illuminating and mildly penetrating the blackness around them. Seth takes a seat beside him on the park bench, peering up at the brilliant night sky before turning his attention to Dean. Wordlessly, he gets the message across to Dean just fine. What are you doing out here?

Dean shrugs. "I needed to think."

"Okay, Captain Vague, you wanna tell me what you were thinking about, then, or am I going to have to force you into a game of Twenty Questions?"

"You," Dean replies honestly. "Us. The universe." He gestures around them. "Shit, I don't know. Everything, I guess."

From out of the corner of his eye, Dean can see Seth worrying his bottom lip. "That's some pretty deep thinking for two o'clock in the morning."

"Hey," Dean says. "Don't do that. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I just mean... well, fuck, I don't know what I mean. It's like we're inevitable or some shit, okay? It's hard to put into words. You're gonna have to give me a sec, yeah?"

A laugh is the only response he gets, before Seth says, "I thought you were supposed to be outspoken."

Dean punches him in the arm, but it's halfhearted at best and they both know it―especially when Seth easily catches Dean's hand, wrapping his fingers around Dean's wrist with a soft smile and too-gentle touch. Something swells deep inside Dean's gut, familiar but infinitely stronger this time around, prompting him to turn over his hand before entwining their fingers together.

"Sometimes you meet someone," Dean says, lips turning a fraction upward at the look of genuine surprise on Seth's face, "and it's so clear that the two of you, on some level, belong together. As lovers, or as friends, or as family, or as something entirely different. You just work, whether you understand one another or you're in love or you're partners in crime. You meet these people throughout your life, out of nowhere, under the strangest circumstances, and they help you feel alive. I don't know if that makes me believe in coincidence, or fate, or sheer blind luck, but it definitely makes me believe in something."

Seth blinks―once, twice―before actually saying something. "Who are you and what the hell have you done with Ambrose?"

Dean rolls his eyes, but sends an easy smile Seth's way. "I'm trying to be romantic, you asshole. You just ruined the moment."

"You had more to say," is what Seth says in return, the very meaning of a hopeful shot in the dark.

"I did," Dean agrees, "but that was before you ruined the moment with that mouth of yours." Briefly, he glances up at Seth's face and immediately feels the urge to kiss him senseless. Seth's eyes are shining bright with the emotion he'd struggled to put his finger on for so long, more likely out of fear of the word than anything else. "You and me, Seth? It's the best thing to ever happen to me. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I wasn't shitting you about that 'making me feel alive' part. Jesus, you're just so goddamn exhilarating. I'm crazy about you."

It's not the L-word, not by a long shot, but Seth seems to appreciate it all the same. "You are unbelievable," he says, throwing his arms around Dean and pulling him into an eager kiss. Moments pass before Seth pulls away for air, though he remains in close proximity. "I can't believe Dean Ambrose is actually a hopeless romantic."

"This is the last time I talk about feelings and shit with you."

Dean's grinning as he says it, so the point is probably lost on Seth, who merely laughs at him, delighted, before tugging him forward once more and shutting him up with a kiss. "I'm crazy about you, too, you asshole."

Notes: The first part of the speech Dean gives is actually a quote floating around Tumblr from an unknown author. Out of the blue, the thought of Dean mentioning as much during a rare but intimate moment occurred to me before the idea began to eat away at my brain. Now, here we are. The end.