Dean was nervous to say the least as he and Castiel drove to their date destination. His hands clutched the wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white, but if Castiel noticed, he didn't say anything as they pulled into the parking lot of the Rose and Crown, earning a curious look from Castiel.

"A date where I work?" Castiel asked teasingly, easing Dean's nerves just the slightest bit as Dean rolled his eyes, smiling over at Castiel before pecking his nose.

"Oh, shush. There's a method for my madness." Dean replied before opening the door of the Impala, getting out. Castiel followed suit, an amused smirk on his face as Dean opened the door to the restaurant for him.

"I hope so." Castiel responded, walking in past Dean with a smile. Dean shook his head in amusement, following after him and trying to ignore the rush of his beating heart.

They were taken to the booth in the back, the waitress giving Dean a knowing smile as she set down the menus before leaving with the order of their drinks. The sat across from each other, giving each other a small smile.

"So, been here often?" Dean asked, earning a laugh followed by an eye roll from Castiel. He gave him a cheeky grin before opening the menu.

"Just get a cheeseburger. They're good and I know how much you like them." Castiel suggested, not even opening his menu. Dean nodded, closing the menu and resting his arms on the table before looking around.

"Are you alright, Dean?" CAstiel asked, pulling Dean's gaze back to him. Dean nodded, giving a reassuring smile as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm perfect."

As the waitress brought them their drinks, they fell into an easy conversation about the ducks they had seen at the park on the way there. It kept Dean's nerves at bay as sipped his drink.

About halfway through the mean, he worked up his courage and cleared his throat, gaining Castiel's attention. "Cas, I really love you." Dean began, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "You've made me so happy, even in the darkest of times. You comfort me even now with Sam's condition and you understand me. You're...you're my saving grace, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Dean moved from the booth, getting down on one knee in front of Castiel. He could hear the gasps from the other customers, his heart jumping to his throat. "What I'm asking is will you marry me?" He pulled out the small velvet box from his pocket, opening it and revealing a simple silver band with a line of black in the middle.

The tears that sprang into Castiel's eyes didn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He nodded, speechless as he let Dean slip the ring onto his finger, cheers erupting across the crowd. Neither of them noticed though as Castiel flung himself into Dean's arms, laughing as the bartender pulled him close and peppered his face with kisses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean let off a soft sigh as he took a seat in that familiar blue chair he had sat in everyday for nine months now. He slid his hand into the cool flesh of his brother's hand, poking the inside of his palm before waiting for a response.

He didn't get discouraged when Sam didn't respond, but sat back, tears already stinging the back of his eyes as he watched his comatose brother. His stomach twisted at the sight of the tube sticking out of his mouth, trying not to gag at the thought of it down his own throat.

"I finally did it." Dean said, smiling as he let his thin jacket slide off his shoulders. It was a quite a bit warmer in this room than it was outside.

"You'd kill me for asking him at the bar, but that was my happy place when everything was going to hell and the fact that I met him there just added to it." Dean explained, speaking a bit louder int the chance that Sam could actually hear him.

He stopped, taking a soft breath as tears began falling. He let out a soft smile, his throat burning as he brushed that messy tangle of hair from Sam's face. "And don't you worry about a thing. I'll make sure not to have the wedding without you. Can't do anything without my best man, can I?"

Dean looked towards the wall, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face as they slid down his neck. A nurse opening the door, poking her head in with eyes full of sympathy.

"Do you need anything, Dea?" She asked, her voice soft. Dean shook his head, and hastily wiped his tears away.

"No, ma'am. Thank you though." Dean mumbled, turning his eyes back to his brother, running his hand over his mouth.

"I don't know if the doctor told you, but his heart rate rose this morning." The nurse said, walking to the bed and adjusting Sam's blanket so it wasn't bunching at his legs. Dean looked at her in surprise, furrowing his brows.

"Does that mean..." Dean stopped, not wanting to get his hopes up. The nurse only smiled, taking a step back.

"It means he's starting to improve. You were right in holding out as long as you did." The nurse commented, patting Dean gently on the back before leaving the room.

Dean smiled softly, looking at his brother with hope. "Did you hear that, Sammy? You're finally getting that stick out of your ass and waking up." He said, his heart pushing with happiness at the thought.