Thank you

Author's note:

So, the story behind this is I was listening to 'Thank You' by Led Zeppelin (Which is a really lovely song, and anybody who hasn't heard it should totally listen to it;)) And I just couldn't stop thinking about how Dean would sing it to Cas. I kind of formed this idea of the two of them dancing together to this song, and Dean would whisper the lyrics in Castiel's ear, and it would just be kind of adorable. I kind of squealed over the idea.

This fic is an AU, and I'm rating it M because of language and also to be on the safe side (Wink wink)

Please be nice in reviews, as this is my first fic! That said, reviews would be great, with positive or negative comments. I'd love to know if I should continue with this idea, so please do tell me what you think! (I'm going to stop being a beg now and get on with the story, hahaha)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own supernatural or any of the characters in it. I also do not own the song (or the band who wrote it) this story is named after.

Thank You-Led Zeppelin

"If the sun refused to shine

I would still be loving you

When mountains crumble to the sea

There would still be you and me

Kind woman, I give you my all

Kind woman, nothing more

Little drops of rain

Whisper of the pain

Tears of loves lost in the days gone by

Our love is strong

With you there is no wrong

Together we shall go until we die. My, my, my

Inspiration's what you are to me

Inspiration, look and see

(Solo)

And so today, my world it smiles

Your hand in mine, we walk the miles

Thanks to you it will be done

For you to me are the only one

Happiness, no more be sad

Happiness... I'm glad

If the sun refused to shine

I would still be loving you

Mountains crumble to the sea

There will still be you and me"

Chapter 1

Castiel Novak looked himself up and down in the full length mirror of his bedroom, then sighed to himself and began to button up his shirt for his brother, Gabriel's thirtieth birthday celebrations. It was going to be a big event, Castiel knew; because he had been forced into helping to organise the whole ordeal. He had also had to listen to his brother's endless childish chatter on how excited he was about the affair. Gabriel had been bubbling with anticipation for the party for around three months-which Castiel found strangely ridiculous, seeing as the event would only take place on one night, and Gabriel had somehow managed to spend a quarter of the year in crazed party planning madness. Then again, Gabriel was a both strange and ridiculous individual; loud and extroverted with a bizarre sense of humour as well as suffering from constant hyperactivity.

The party was going to be held in the local bar. They had hired out the whole thing for private use for the entire night, which; according to Gabriel, would be well worth the shockingly high price they had paid for the venue. Castiel was uneasy about all of it. And then again, that was Castiel. He had never been a particularly outgoing individual; he had always been relatively introverted and quiet, especially around people he didn't know well. He wasn't loud or self-assured. Least of all, he wasn't a party person. Gabriel, however, was the complete opposite.

Castiel ran a hand through his hair; feeling defeated by its continuous messiness, and gave up on taming it for the evening. It wasn't like the party was going to be a formal celebration, anyway. He glanced down at his watch. He was supposed to be there in thirty minutes, and he began to wonder to himself how late he could arrive to his brother's party without feeling rude. But of course, Castiel would end up arriving on time, a fake grin plastered to his face the entire night, drinking his way through the misery alone, in the corner or the club. It was what he always did at things like this. Castiel grabbed his keys and his jacket, and made his way out of his apartment, wishing the night to end as soon as possible.

"Cassie, why are you looking so glum? Come have a dance! Have you had anything to drink yet?" Gabriel's playful tone snapped Castiel back into reality, and into the party.

"I'd love to Gabe, but you know I can't dance."

"Exactly! It'd be hilarious!" His brother laughed immaturely as Cas rolled his eyes.

"No thank you, Gabriel. This is your party; you should be the one making a spectacle of yourself."

Gabriel sighed and shook his head disappointedly. "You're no fun, you know."

"It's been said." Castiel deadpanned.

Gabriel pulled out a chair and sat at the table, next to Castiel, who shifted his chair a little to make space for his older brother.

"Hey, have you met Sam? He's over there with the blond chick." Gabriel said, pointing to a tall, brown haired guy who looked a few years younger than Cas. He was sitting on one of the stools at the bar, talking animatedly to a young blond girl about his age.

"No, I don't believe I have. How do you know him?"

"Oh, we met at work. He's a pretty funny guy. Smart, like you. You'd probably like him-you could talk about books and all that shit together."

"I'm sure we could."

"That's his brother, over there. Dean, I think." Gabriel said, pointing over to a man with light brown hair and a muscled frame, standing in the corner of the dance floor with a beer in his hand. "I've never met the guy, but Sam asked if he could invite him along, so I said he could come."

"I see."

It was at that moment that Dean looked over the crowd and made eye contact with Castiel. It made Cas' stomach knot, and his heart rate increase. The man had beautiful jade eyes, and a very handsome face-even through the crowd and in the poor lighting of the party Castiel could notice this. He quickly looked away, but felt the man's gaze still upon him.

"Are you enjoying your celebrations?" Cas asked Gabriel, quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah, thanks Cassie, I am. It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" Castiel's brother said, grinning absently at the scene in front of him.

Castiel wasn't sure if he agreed. It was too busy, the lights were too bright-he was surprised he was the only one who seemed to be feeling nauseous because of them, and everything was too loud. But Gabriel seemed happy, and that was what mattered.

"It is pretty great." Castiel lied, smiling at his brother.

"Thanks for helping to put this all together. Hey, how about I make it up to by getting you laid tonight?" Gabriel asked, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"I'm alright, thanks." Castiel responded, shaking his head awkwardly.

"Suit yourself." Gabriel laughed at how uncomfortable Cas looked. "I'm going to go mingle. We're not all as sexually awkward as you, Cassie." And with that, Gabriel walked away, leaving Castiel on his own once again. He shifted in his seat, passing his drink from his right hand into his left and taking a sip. He glanced over to see if the green eyed man was still there, and was shocked to see him still staring at him; the brilliant jade eyes still on his own. Castiel felt himself blushing furiously and looked away once again. Why was the guy staring at him? Castiel had never met him before, and it was beginning to make him feel uneasy. Did 'Dean' have a problem with Cas or something?

Castiel looked at the floor as he felt his face heat from the man's glare. The bar was too hot, and he'd been at the party for two hours. He could probably leave if he wanted to, couldn't he? He glanced over to the corner of the room again, but Dean had disappeared into the crowd. He shook his head resignedly and took another sip from his glass, sighing hopelessly to himself.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" A gruff voice asked, making him jump a little and nearly spill his drink. Castiel looked up in the direction of the voice and he felt his heart drop.

"Um-no. Go ahead." He stammered, feeling his face heating once more.

"Thanks. My names Dean, by the way. Dean Winchester." Dean pulled out the chair and sat down next to Cas, and their feet brushed gently for just a second. It made electricity run through Cas' body.

"Castiel." He replied.

"Castiel." Dean repeated, nodding at the name slowly like he was seeing what it tasted like; what it felt like to speak. "You got any nicknames, or do you shorten it or something?" Dean looked up at the dark haired man, who made sure his face was still fairly unreadable, and didn't respond. "Nope? You got a last name, then?" He asked, and Cas felt himself frown at the slightly odd question.

"Yes." He replied, perplexed. "Of course." At this, Dean smirked, and Castiel felt himself beginning to tense up, his face heating.

"You want to tell me this fabled name, or not?" Castiel watched as the man's smirk grew even wider, and Cas felt his head tilting to one side as he attempted to figure out what kind of game Dean was playing.

"My surname is Novak, but I'm unsure of why that would be of any consequence to you." The man let out a little laugh at Castiel's response, and Cas felt his frustration growing even further. "Would you mind telling me what you find so amusing?"

"Nothing, really. Just you." Dean replied, then seeing the look on Cas' face, he quickly added: "Not like that-I didn't mean to offend you. I just don't think I've ever really met anybody like you."

"You've only just started talking to me. You can't know me that well, surely."

"True enough. I'd like to get to know you though."

"What?"

"Was that your boyfriend I saw you talking with earlier?" He growled out quickly, ignoring Castiel's last question and changing the subject. Cas couldn't make out if Dean was trying to be homophobic or if he was trying to work out if Castiel was single. He cursed the part of him that sincerely hoped for the latter. His head kept reminding him that Dean seemed like a complete ass, but it was hard to pay attention to when Cas stared into those wonderful eyes, or when Cas focussed on the stubble he could now see on Dean's face, highlighting his masculine jawline.

"No." Castiel finally responded. "Gabriel is my brother."

"Gabriel? This is his party isn't it?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Right." Dean nodded.

There was silence for a moment, and Dean began to regard Castiel in the light, a small smile growing on his face. Or was he just starting to smirk once more? Cas wasn't entirely certain.

"So do you have a girlfriend?" Dean enquired, breaking the silence once more. Castiel was slightly taken aback by how forward he was.

"No, I do not."

"A boyfriend, then?"

"No, I don't have a boyfriend either."

Dean let out a small "Hm" and then his face began to form into what was this time definitely a smirk, as he drummed his fingers confidently on the table, in the most arrogant manner possible. Castiel's jaw clenched.

"Sorry, but what-" Castiel began to ask, but Dean cut him off.

"Do you want to dance?" Castiel froze for a moment, and Dean continued. "Normally I wouldn't-you know. It's not really for me. But I really want to dance with you." The smirk had disappeared, the cocky and frustrating air had vanished from Dean's tone, and now his facial expression was a genuine one of nervous anticipation for Cas' answer, like the face of an self-conscious teenage boy asking his high school crush on a date.

"Dance?" Castiel repeated.

"Yeah. Y'know. Dance." Dean replied, rather ineloquently. Cas couldn't tell in the light, but he could have sworn Dean's cheeks were beginning to tint with red.

"Alright."

Dean looked up, seeming happily surprised by Cas' answer. A smile spread across his face.

"Really?"

"Why not."

Dean grinned and got up from his chair, pushing it back in after him. He bounced on the balls of is feet and took a step forward, holding out his hand for Castiel to take.

"Calm down. They're not exactly playing ballroom music" Castiel stated.

Dean chuckled and said "Just give me this one, okay?" Castiel wasn't a particularly big fan of dancing, especially in a club, which would usually have loud repetitive tunes playing. But, despite all Gabriel's flaws, he had at least made sure that the music playing wouldn't be completely crappy; so Castiel didn't feel too awkward getting up and swaying with Dean to the songs playing. The two weren't in the crowd with everyone else, but stood a distance away from the other guests, in a pleasant isolation together. Dean smiled and placed his hands on Cas' hips, looking him in the eye and giving him a stare that made Cas duck his head and look at the floor. Dean chuckled lightly again, as Cas clumsily put his hands on Dean's shoulders. The music playing was a slower number, and Dean rocked them both gently along to it; swaying them softly as he looked down at Castiel with an emotion that was hard for Castiel to place.

"What kind of music do you like, Cas?" Dean asked suddenly, breaking the quiet that had fallen.

"Cas?"

"Cas-as in 'Castiel'. But shorter. It's a nickname."

"Oh, right."

There was silence for another moment, and then Dean repeated; "What music do you like? What kind of stuff do you listen to?"

"Um…Why?"

"Because I want to get to know you, that's why." Dean laughed, as if the answer to Cas' question was stupidly obvious.

"But why?"

Dean paused for a moment, still looking intently right at Castiel, as if he was chewing over the answer; attempting to find the right words to explain himself.

"I'm not usually like this. Normally I wouldn't do this, if I met someone I liked at a party. I'd probably just hook up with them and then never call them back, and pray I never ran into them in the store or anything." He stopped, finally looking away from Castiel, embarrassed at this last confession. But he bit his lip for a moment and then looked back up, the unrecognisable expression returning to his face. "But you…I know I've only just met you, I know it sounds ridiculous. But…You're quite something. Do you know what I mean?"

"Not particularly" Castiel faltered, feeling his cheeks heat. Another smirk spread across Dean's face, and he rubbed Cas' sides through his shirt, making prickles run up Cas once again, and he felt goose bumps forming on his forearms. Mortified, he silently prayed that Dean wouldn't notice, but he supposed that Dean didn't, because he ignored it anyway and pulled Cas a little closer, his hands gently sliding up to Castiel's back.

"Hey, do you want to get out of here?" Dean asked seriously. He looked down at Castiel's surprised expression, and added quickly: "In the most innocent way possible. I told you, I'm usually like that, but I don't think I want to be with you. I do want to go and get a drink with you, though. Do you want to go to a coffee place or something? I know a really good one not too far from here."

"Would it still be open?" Cas asked anxiously.

"This one? Yeah, I think it would be. What do you say?"

"Um…Yes. I would like that very much." Dean's face instantly lit up, sending flutters through Castiel's stomach, and they looked at each other for another moment before Dean removed his hands from Cas' lower back. Cas felt a sudden loss and need for more contact, but Dean had already stepped away.

"Great." He grinned. "Let's go." And, grabbing Castiel's hand, Dean led him out of the party and into the cool, dark night air.

The sky above them was a rich navy, its velvet colours melting into the city's yellow lights. Cas could hear the sounds of the party behind them, the music still playing; and the sound of drunk, loud chatter from the guests inside. Gabriel would probably end up wondering where Castiel was, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Dean grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street, a childish beam forming on his face. The two of them began to laugh, and Dean led Cas down the street and round some corners, until they arrived at the place Dean must have been talking about. It looked familiar; Cas figured he must have passed it a few times while walking about town, perhaps on his way to work.

Dean pushed on the door and held it open for Cas as he walked in. The coffee shop was brightly lit and much warmer than the street outside, and had only one waitress clearing up one of the tables in the booth nearest them. She looked up and gave a wide, friendly smile when she saw Dean.

"Dean, how are you? Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah, thanks Ellen. I'll have a coffee, and Cas'll have…" Dean turned to Cas- "What will you have?"

"I'll have a coffee too, thank you."

"Two coffees. Anything else?"

"No I think that's it."

"Great. You two boys take a seat; I'll get your coffee."

"Thanks, Ellen."

Ellen disappeared through a faded blue door at the back of the café into what Castiel guessed was the kitchen, and Dean indicated to the table nearest them. "Shall we?" He questioned, and Cas nodded his head. Dean smiled and pulled out a chair for Cas, before taking his own and sitting down. Their knees touched under the small table, but neither moved away.

"So, Cas. Tell me about yourself."

"What?" Castiel asked, frowning a little.

"Tell me about yourself. You know, like you were going to at the party, before we left."

"Oh. Right."

"I asked you what kind of music you liked?"

"Yeah; you did. Well, all kinds of stuff really. I don't like most of the stuff they play on the radio now, but I like songs that remind me of things. Songs that hold memories, you know? That sounds really stupid." He blushed and looked down.

Dean touched his hand gently and gave what appeared to be an unintentional smile. "No, I get it. So what songs are they, then?"

"Well, my mom always used to listen to the Beatles, so they really remind me of her. I always listen to them when I miss her…"

"That's weird." Dean said slowly, smiling. "My mom loved the Beatles too. She used to sing me 'Hey Jude', as a lullaby when I couldn't sleep, 'cause that was her favourite song."

"Huh."

"She died when I was four, so I get where you're coming from with listening to them to remind you of her"

"I'm sorry to hear that. My mother also died when I was young." Castiel said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How old were you when it happened? You know… if that's not too personal…"

"No, it's fine." Castiel reassured. "She died when I was ten-my father was very busy with his work, so my siblings essentially raised me from that point onwards."

"Wow. So how many brothers and sisters do you have? I know about Gabriel, but what about the others?"

"I have one sister, Anna; and two brothers, Michael and Gabriel, who you already know about. Michael is the oldest of us, Then Gabriel, then Anna, and I was the youngest child."

"Pretty big family."

"Yes, it was fairly large."

"So what does your dad do?"

"Well, he died when I was seventeen. But he used to have to travel about quite a bit for his work, so I didn't get to see him much. He loved us very much; I believe. But after my mother's death, he became distant-I think it hit him really hard. He tried very hard to support us without my mother, but that meant travelling about a lot, which meant he was very absent for many of the years of my life."

"That sucks, man. My dad was pretty absent too. He was a more dead-beat kind of absent though. I doubt much of what he did was in an attempt to support me and my brother, Sammy. I had to raise him myself, like your brothers and sister did for you."

"Oh. That must have been very hard."

"It was a bit. But it was worth it; Sammy's a really smart kid, much smarter than I ever was. I worked really hard so I could help him pay his way through law school, and he graduated top of his class. Like I said, he's the smartest guy I know."

Castiel couldn't help but smile at the way Dean's face lit up while he spoke about his brother; and Dean suddenly snapped out of his daze and looked back up at Cas, the distant look in his eyes fading.

"You must love him very much."

"I do. But don't tell him that." Dean winked and Castiel laughed a little at this. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment; their knee's touching under the table, gazing contently into each other's eyes. They were interrupted by Ellen laying their drinks on the table. She also placed down an apple pie and two plates.

"Here's your coffee, boys. I also got you some pie we had leftover, Dean. I know how much you like it." The two thanked her; and she gave them both a pleasant smile and walked off.

"Where were we?" Dean asked, turning back to Cas and giving a confident, lop-sided grin. "Oh yeah, you were giving me dewy eyes because I said I loved my brother."

Cas didn't get it. One minute Dean was this thoughtful, sensitive person, and the next he'd turn into a complete ass and say something frustrating and impossibly cocky. "You're very arrogant. Do you know that?"

At this, Dean let out a sudden burst of laughter. "Yeah, it's been said. A lot of people find it attractive, you know."

"I certainly don't. I'm not a lot of people, Dean."

"No, you're definitely not." Dean almost growled out, a hungry look appearing in his eyes as he smirked at Cas and looked him up and down.

"Why did you invite me here, Dean? Was it simply so that you could mock me then eye me up like a piece of steak?"

Dean seemed a little surprised by the way that Castiel had so suddenly lashed out, and it was clear that he wasn't used to that kind of response to his flirtations.

"I-I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He blushed. "I'm not very good at this. I'm great at picking people up for a one night stand, but this?" He made a small gesture, indicating at the two of them, "I'm not so good at this. I want to be, though. I never used to want to, but now I think I really do."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Dean began to blush a little, and it made Castiel's insides squirm. "Do you believe in fate? Destiny? Love at first sight? Any of that stuff?"

"Not particularly. In fact, not at all."

"Why not?"

"All of those ideas are just myths that people created to feel significant in this world. They're all very illogical theories."

"Ouch. Well, I do. Definitely."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just believe that somewhere, out there, there is the perfect person for every one of us, and it's sort of like, our fate or whatever, to meet them."

"Why do you think that?"

"For starters, because of how happy my parents were together when my mom was still alive. That made me believe in true love. When she died, my dad changed completely, and nothing could replace her. He tried to replace her with booze and shit, but all that did was make him a drunk dick. I think I just want to believe in that kind of love because it gives me a hope, or something, you know? Like there's somebody out there for all of us. All we need to do is find them."

"What do you do with them once you've found them?"

"Stay together until the end." Dean stated; and Castiel was suddenly very conscious of how close their hands were, and of their legs touching, and of how in the light of the café, he could now see that Dean had a wonderful scattering of freckles across his face. Castiel ran a hand uneasily through his hair, and Dean did the same, mirroring his action subconsciously.

The two drank their coffee and ate some of the pie-(although Dean was the one who ate most of it) and they both paid and exited the small café. Once they were outside again, Dean turned to Castiel and asked him awkwardly:

"Listen, I know we only met a couple of hours ago, but I really, really like you. Would you ever want to do this again, or am I too much of a dick? It's fine if you don't want to see me after tonight, I'll get it. I can be an infuriating jerk, I know. But if you would ever want to do this another time, I'd be more than happy."

"Okay then."

Dean glanced up to check that Castiel was being genuine, then smiled when he felt it was confirmed he was. "Cool. Great, in fact. Can I drive you home? My car's parked just around the corner."

Castiel paused for a moment before asking; "This was a date, wasn't it Dean?"

Dean blushed furiously and scoffed simultaneously in spite of himself. "Yeah, it was, Cas."

"Right. I was just making certain. So you want to drive me home?"

"Well, yeah. If that's alright with you…"

"I think I'd like that."

Dean beamed and his whole body relaxed, making Castiel crack a small smile too.

"Awesome. My car's this way." He said, indicating down the street. Cas walked beside him and was a little surprised when Dean took hold of his hand, but didn't pull away, and felt his face heat when Dean gave it a gentle squeeze as he grinned at Castiel.

They listened to music on Dean's tape player for the whole ride back, talking about their families and the schools they had gone to and their favourite foods. Cas wasn't used to conversation flowing so well with a person he had only recently met, but he felt strangely comfortable and at-ease around Dean, and he wasn't quite sure why. Dean parked his car on a street just round the corner from Castiel's apartment, which was on the edge of town. They got out of the car, and Castiel couldn't help but gaze at the night sky, which, now that they were away from the lights of the town centre that drowned out its beauty, was filled with stars, strewn across its navy surface.

"It's a beautiful night, huh?"

"Yes, it is."

The sound of the music from Dean's car filtered through the night air, and Dean smiled when he heard the song playing. "I love this song." He said, beaming at Castiel as the intro continued to play.

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's just really great. It's by led zep so of course I'm gonna like it. But it's a love song-it's really beautiful, but it's not cheesy or anything. It's just nice… I'm not really sure why."

The words to the song leaked out from the car;

'If the sun refused to shine

I would still be loving you

When mountains crumble to the sea

There would still be you and me'

Castiel smiled and held out his hand for Dean. "Do you want to dance?" He felt a little ridiculous, and was a little concerned Dean would simply laugh at the preposterous request and decline, but was quickly relieved when Dean smiled and pulled Cas closer; his hands on Castiel's hips once more. They were so close, now, and Cas could feel Dean's warm breath against him, his hands around his waist, and his hips; which would occasionally brush against Castiel's.

They gazed into each other's eyes; not saying anything. Dean was looking at Cas with a look of hungry adoration, and something Cas couldn't make out, and he could feel heat pooling in his stomach because of it.

"Tell me again what you said about love at first sight?" Castiel croaked, and Dean chuckled gently, moving one of his hands to brush a few strands of Cas' hair out of his face.

"I said I absolutely believed in it" He whispered softly. "And I think I do even more, now I've met you." Castiel felt a smile forming on his face, but before it could properly set, Dean was leaning his head in towards Cas, and his breath hitched and his eyes fluttered closed as Dean pressed his lips against Castiel's. Cas felt Dean smile into the kiss, pressing their hips together as he continued to sway the two of them to the song. He felt Dean's tongue brush over his lips, and Castiel parted them as Dean slipped his tongue inside Castiel's mouth. He let out a soft moan as their hands ran all over each other; Dean's stopping to rest on his back and in his hair, ruffling it as he tugged at it. Dean let out a low growl as the two battled for dominance with their tongues, and he pushed Cas against the Chevy, grinding their hips together once more. Castiel was losing himself to Dean's touch, the song still playing from inside the impala. They broke apart after what seemed like an eternity, both of them panting slightly, grinning at each other giddily. Cas sensed Dean swaying them once more along to the calm flow of the music, and he felt his whole body melt comfortably into Dean's. Dean pulled him close and smiled into his neck.

"If the sun refused to shine," Dean sung tenderly into Cas' ear, and Cas found himself leaning into the gorgeous sound of Dean's voice,

"I would still be loving you" Dean continued. "Mountains crumble to the sea, There will still be you and me" he finished delicately, sending tingles through Cas' body.

They continued to slowly sway in that way, leisurely kissing each other as the song ended. When they finally broke apart, Dean smiled down at Cas with a look he had never seen before, It made his insides squirm a little again.

"When can I see you again?" Dean asked, clutching Castiel's hand.

"I'm free on Sunday. Can you wait that long?"

"I'm not too sure" Dean laughed out honestly. "I guess I'll try. Where's your apartment, so I can pick you up?"

"You can walk me back there if you like." Dean smirked and Cas quickly added "Not like that- don't get any ideas. Only to the door, I don't want to be another one of you one night stands"

"I wouldn't dream of making you one of those" Dean replied jokingly, but Castiel could also sense the honesty in his voice. He smiled gently, and; clutching Dean's hand, showed him the way to his apartment.