It Was a Very Good Year

Summary: Crowley fills Sam in on how he and Dean got together. Descriptions of sex, angst, fluff. Dean/Crowley.

A/N: This is AU after 'Swan Song', as in Dean didn't go to Lisa.

-x-

"God, could Jennifer Lopez's arse get any bigger?"

Sam Winchester sighed, rolling his eyes. He'd know that annoying British drawl anywhere. He turned to see the demon Crowley sitting at the table by the window, gossip magazine in hand (note: Sam Winchester does not read gossip magazines; Dean Winchester does on occasion), flicking through the pages, his feet resting up on the table.

"What do you want?" Sam asked; well, more like snapped, looking up from his laptop. "Dean's not here right now." Crowley's eyes finally fell on Sam, closing the magazine and sighing dramatically.

"Oh, bugger. Whatever will I do?" Crowley mocked. "Oh well, looks like I'll have to speak to you then, love." Sam narrowed his eyes at the demon.

"You're a dick ..." the younger Winchester said.

"Sam, you wound me ..." Crowley said, his hand going dramatically to his heart.

"What do you want?" Sam repeated, getting annoyed with the demon's presence. Crowley stood from the chair he was in and moved towards Sam a little.

"I was looking for Dean, okay. Can I not spend some time with my love monkey ..." Crowley said, smirking when Sam grimaced. "Is that alright with you, mother?"

"You know what, screw you. If you weren't in Dean's life, I'd have so much fun killing you ..." Sam said, getting up from his seat forcefully, knocking the chair back. Crowley laughed.

"Now, Sam. You are the reason Dean and I are together ..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Crowley sighed. He knew he had dropped himself in it. He moved over to Sam's bed and he sat down, taking out a silver flask, no doubt filled with his preferred poison. He took a drink before looking back at Sam.

"Dean and I didn't get together after I saved you from the Wendigo a few months back. Dean and I have been sleeping together since you went to Hell, Sam." Sam stared at Crowley.

"W-what?"

"We've been together for over a year."

"How? Dean's not gay, Crowley."

"If you want to know what happened, I'll tell you. I've got time.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because ..." Crowley said, leaning forward to look Sam in the eye. "... When it comes to Dean, I don't lie."

"I don't want gory details."

"No promises there, darling."

-x-

Dean Winchester spent most of his life in crummy motel rooms, moving for one hole of a city to the next, spending more money on rooms that he carried. This night was no different. Only this time, there was no case. Only this time he was alone. No Castiel, no Bobby, and no Sam. Dean felt a stabbing pain in his gut as he thought of his baby brother, down there in the pit; on a rack, possibly, hooks and chains penetrating his skin, his skin glowing crimson with blood. Dean brought his hands to his head, grabbing his hair, the feeling of wanting to pull it out to rid him of the images etched in his brain overpowering. The need to hurt himself, to drink himself into oblivion, was strong.

Sam had told Dean to live the life he never had. An apple pie life, he had said. Go have a family. A job. Someone who loved him. But Lisa didn't love him. Not as much as he loved her. But he couldn't go back there. He couldn't dump his problems on her, not on her perfect life.

But now here he was, sitting in a cheap motel room, drowning his sorrows in a bottle of Jack that had seen better days. Castiel had fucked off without even so much as a 'see ya later', back to Heaven. To tell the truth, Dean didn't want him to leave him, but he knew it was wishful thinking on his part. And Sam? Dean sighed. Sam was never coming back. He was now officially alone.

"Well, aren't you a vision?" came a voice he knew very well, but at the moment Dean didn't know whether to welcome it or loathe it. He turned his head slowly, his eyes flicking up to see the King of the Crossroads sitting on a chair in the corner, watching the elder Winchester.

"What are you doing here, Crowley?" Dean asked."Shouldn't you be celebrating you ain't got the devil on your ass anymore?" He knocked back another shot of Jack, his face contorting at the flavour and the burn as it went down his throat.

"Well I was celebrating, love, until I sensed a damsel in distress ... or should I say despair?" the demon said. Dean just simply scoffed.

"Wouldn't you be in despair if the only decent thing, your best friend, had just vanished from your life?" Dean snapped before launching the almost empty bottle in his hand in Crowley's direction, narrowly missing the demon, who didn't even flinch, and hitting the wall behind him, coating the white wall in the amber liquid.

"Throwing is more a woman's thing. Not really your style, Winchester ..." Crowley said, watching the hunter break down in front of his very eyes. He'd never felt so uncomfortable in his life, and he'd seen many uncomfortable things. "Dean, this isn't helping."

"What the fuck do you, a demon, know about this? You heartless son of a bitch. You come here as if nothing has happened, as if Sam's just popped out and he'd be back later. Sam's not coming back, you dick ..."Dean yelled. In the midst of his yelling, he'd grabbed Crowley by the lapels of his coat and pinned him against the wall. He suddenly broke down into tears, letting Crowley go before slinking down into a heap on the floor, sobbing until he was almost vomiting. When he looked back up again, the demon was gone.

-x-

"You just left him?" Sam asked, dumbfounded.

"Hey! I can barely deal with crying women, never mind a Winchester ..." Crowley snapped. "Now, as I was saying ..."

-x-

Two days later, Dean had a fever. He had deprived himself of food, survived off of alcohol and hadn't slept. Now he was ill. He lay under the thin sheets of motel bed, shivering in his t-shirt and boxers which were sticking to his sweating skin. He reached over for his cell phone, but his hand caught it and it fell off the table and under the bed. Dean had no strength to go after it. Who would he have called? There was no one in this state that he knew. Bobby was hundreds of miles away. He suddenly let out a chesty cough, making him taste blood at how rough it was. He found himself contemplating summoning Crowley back, but he had no energy to even round up the things for the spell. Luckily there was no need.

"Jesus, Winchester. Look at the state of you ..." the demon said, walking over to the side of the bed and laying the back of his hand over Dean's forehead. It was red hot and the sweat was pouring off the hunter. Dean's hand came up to grab Crowley's coat.

"Don't leave me ..." he begged. "It hurts, Crowley." The demon watched the hunter for a moment before he took off his jacket. He threw it over a nearby chair before going to the bathroom for a basin of water and a cloth, before bringing it back to the bed.

"You won't ever catch me playing nurse maid again, Dean. Consider yourself lucky ..." he said, dipping the cloth in the water and folding it gently across the hunter's head, Dean relaxing a little at how cool it was against his hot skin. He placed a second cloth in the water and left it there while he pulled the sheets down. He grabbed the hem of Dean's t-shirt.

"Off with it, Winchester ..." he said, and Dean sat up a little to let Crowley take off the offending item before he grabbed the cloth again, wringing it out and dabbing Dean's face, neck and chest with it, ignoring the reaction his body was having to the hunter's toned torso.

"Why are you doing this ...?" Dean breathed out as the shivering and sweating seemed to calm.

"Because, Dean, believe it or not, I'm not the heartless son of a bitch you made me out to be. I could have left you here to die of some fever, but I'm not going to, darling. Because that's just not me anymore ... and I like you ..." he said, making Dean scoff.

"Didn't know demons could like ..." he said, before coughing again. Crowley put a hand against Dean's chest and pushed him back onto the pillow.

"Go to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning, love ..." he said, sounding almost caring, but Dean was grateful as he fell into a peaceful slumber with Crowley by his side. Crowley watched the young hunter, who was slowly falling apart after the sacrifice of Sam. The demon also wasn't sure if he would be there in the morning, he just said it to calm the hunter down. But something deep inside made him want to stay with the elder Winchester. He sighed. When did he start becoming soft?

-x-

Dean woke the next morning, the fever having calmed, but he still felt like shit. His eyes adjusted to the light of the room, even though the curtains were still closed. He turned over in his bed, his shoulder suddenly colliding with something. His eyes opened fully, only to see Crowley dozing next to him. Dean sat up, turning to look at the demon fully. He hadn't expected him to stay at all, but it was a comfort. He was so alone, so knowing the demon was here made his stomach do somersaults. Dean shook the demon, who shifted gently before opening his eyes.

"Oh look, its Sleeping Beauty ..." the demon said, easing himself off the bed.

"You stayed?" Dean asked. Crowley stretched and yawned, something he wouldn't normally do, but taking care of a sick Winchester had taken it out of him.

"I told you I would ..." Crowley said, gently. "Just because I'm a demon it doesn't mean I go back on my word." Dean looked away from Crowley for a moment.

"You could have left me to die." Crowley smirked.

"I could have. But I didn't," he said, clicking his fingers, which made his clothes straighten and the knot on his tie tighten as he pulled on his suit jacket.

"Where are you going?" Dean found himself asking, not really wanting to be alone again.

"Relax, darling. I'm going to the diner to get you some food. You need to eat. You, frankly, look like shit, love ..." he said. Dean scoffed.

"I feel like it too ..." he said, rubbing his eyes. Crowley smirked.

"Get showered and cleaned up. I'll be back ..." he said, before he disappeared. Dean stared at the spot that Crowley had been standing in. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? He shouldn't really complain. He could hardly move to go to the diner himself. He eased himself out of bed and moved to shower, grabbing a scratchy motel towel as he headed into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he contemplated his options. He could go back to hunting alone. He could go to Lisa, beg her to take him in. He could ask Crowley to stay with him, hunt with him. Now he knew that was a stupid idea, but now Castiel was big angel on campus upstairs, he knew that he wouldn't be there for him all the time, not even a portion of the time. Asking Crowley to hunt with him would be the best option, the only option to stop him hurtling the Impala into an oncoming truck and killing himself to get over Sam's death. He climbed into the shower, letting the scaling water cleanse his skin. It was painful yet felt so good.

-x-

"I can't believe he didn't go to Lisa like I told him too. Did he ask you to go hunting with him right away?" Sam asked. Crowley ran a hand over his chin, watching the younger Winchester.

"Not exactly. I knew something was wrong. He went all silent on my ass and kept acting weird. But he did ask me eventually. And I laughed, admittedly, at first, because I thought a demon hunting demons was hilarious. But then I realised he was serious ... so I agreed," Crowley said. Sam looked away from the demon for a moment.

"So what happened then?"

"Well ..."

-x-

They had been on the road for a couple of weeks together officially as a team. They worked well together. They responded well to each other's witty banter, to each other's insults and quips. It had been five days into their 'road trip' that Crowley had finally made Dean smile, which made Crowley himself smile.

They were in a new motel room a few states across after an encounter with a werewolf. Dean had been slashed with its claws and was bleeding freely onto the motel room floor. Crowley was fishing the first aid box from Dean's backpack, moving to clean him up. He pulled out antiseptic wipes and began to clean the wound, Dean washing off the blood with toilet paper and a wet cloth. Crowley managed to finish cleaning it without a peep from Dean before he put the bandage on it. He then stepped back to admire his handiwork.

"There that should stay put. But I'll just tighten it a bit more," he said, moving back into the elder Winchester's personal space. That was when soft lips suddenly came to land upon his own, making Crowley's eyes widen in sudden surprise before they were gone again.

"Sorry ... I ..." Dean stuttered. "I ... I don't know why I did that." Crowley cleared his throat, noting the embarrassment that the hunter had thought he had caused himself. Crowley thought for a moment before he spoke.

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to do it again ..." he said, quietly. Dean's head snapped up, his cheeks red from blushing. He stood up to his full height, making him look down on the smaller man. Dean lowered his head to press his lips to Crowley's once more, this time more confident because he knew he wanted this and Crowley wanted this. He'd never done anything with a guy since high school experimental blowjobs and handjobs, but right now this felt right. Crowley grabbed Dean's t-shirt, pulling him in close as their lips worked each others, more passion and fire searing through their veins. Crowley's coat and suit jacket ended up on the floor together along with Dean's shirt. Once more, Crowley peeked at Dean's toned torso, running his hands up his chest and back down again, Dean moaning at the touch. Crowley's tie was next to go, undoing the knot slowly before dropping it and attacking his shirt buttons. Crowley pushed him back towards the bed, Dean's legs catching against the mattress and making him fall backwards, Crowley climbing on top and straddling his lap.

-x-

"Whoa, dude. What did I tell you?" Sam said. Crowley sighed.

"You wanted to hear the story, Gigantor," the demon said. Sam slapped his palm to his forehead.

"I don't want to hear details about your sex life with my older brother. Something subtle would have been nice," the younger Winchester complained. Crowley sighed.

"Okay then. We fucked like bunnies, several times, that night, for the whole night," he said, making Sam look like he was about to vomit. "Happy?"

"Not really. But what happened afterwards?" Sam asked, curious as to why the demon was still in Dean's life.

-x-

Dean lay, completely satisfied, in bed with Crowley lying on his chest, his eyes closed even though he wasn't asleep. Dean's hand was clasped with the demon's on his own chest, which was rising and falling gently with every breath he took. He had honestly never been so happy.

"Thank you," he whispered. This made Crowley open his eyes and prop himself up on his elbow to look at the elder Winchester.

"What for?" he asked, pressing a kiss to Dean's chest.

"You saved my life. I don't do chick flick moments but if you hadn't come that night I was sick, I would have died and we wouldn't be here like this now," Dean said. Crowley nodded. That was very true. "So I guess I owe you."

"You don't have to owe me, love. I only did it because two dead Winchester's would have fucked the world right up. Who knows if God or Castiel or whoever would have brought you back again ..." Crowley said. "But if you really feel like you have to owe me something, I could go for round five."

"Crowley, you are a machine," Dean said, laughing.

"You better believe it, baby," Crowley replied, settling himself on top of the hunter.

-x-

"He thanked me for saving him. If I'd left him, you would have had a brother who died of a stupid little thing like a fever when he's lived so long with such a dangerous job," Crowley said. Sam was staring at the demon, who stood from his seat taking another swig from his flask. Sam stood too and he wrapped his arms around Crowley in a hug, much to Crowley's surprise and disgust.

"Gigantor, this is not really my thing ..." he said, trying to push the young hunter off him, but his height and his strength were his advantage.

"Thank you for being there for him when I wasn't ..." Sam said, knowing how cheesy and girly it sounded. But right now, he didn't care.

"Yes, no problem. Now get off me ..." Crowley complained, just as the motel door swung open. Dean stood there with an amused face on.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asked, smirking.

"Dean, please help. I have a moose hanging on to me that I don't want ..." Crowley said, just as Sam let go. Crowley straightened his jacket and tie before turning to Dean.

"Darling ..." he said, moving into his lover's personal space. Dean grinned.

"Hey, baby," he said, pulling Crowley in for a kiss, their bodies pressing together intimately. Sam made a noise of disgust.

"You know, it's bad enough I had to listen to a story about it without getting a live porn show," he said, before leaving. Dean pulled back from Crowley.

"What's wrong with Samantha?" Dean asked, running a hand through Crowley's hair.

"He wanted to know how we got together, I told him and now he's scarred for life ..." Crowley said, simply. Dean nodded his understanding. They stood in silence for a few moments before Dean broke it.

"Wanna go have sex?"

"Darling, I thought you'd never ask."

Hope you guys liked. XD