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The roar of the crowd intensified as the lights flashed in multicolor. Arms were raised high and voices raised higher. The entire stadium was beginning to come together as one group of people, dancing and cheering and singing as one. The unity of the room moved Dean as he ran back and forth hi-fiving people standing in the pit as he nodded his head to the beat of the final guitar chord ringing out.
“How are we doing tonight, San Fransisco?!” Dean yelled into the microphone. The audience screamed and waved flashing lights and neon colored merchandise into the dark sky. “I CAN’T HEAR YOU CALIFORNIA!” An uproar louder than before burst across the crowd. “Y’all have been so amazing tonight! Today’s a special day, isn’t it?” More cheers. The band began to play a soft melody in the background.
“I just want to bring it in for a second,” Dean continued with a low voice. “Honestly, I am so proud and so relieved.” He smiled before shouting, “We have achieved marriage equality in the United States!” Roars and whistles echoed throughout the large arena, extra lights flashed throughout the dark distance of the audience. “Yeah!”
Dean placed his mic into the stand and grabbed the acoustic guitar beside it. He took a sip of water from the bottle sitting on the stool; then, he raised the guitar strap over his head as he donned the instrument. The crowd’s anticipation was climbing as they applauded and wolf whistled at the scene.
Strumming a simple G chord, Dean adjusted and leaned into the microphone.
“Not many of you know this, but Castiel, our main pianist for the band,” Dean threw his hand in the direction of a dark haired, blue eyed man sitting on the left corner of the stage. “Has a beautiful singing voice.” A spot light trailed over to where Cas sat against the brown upright piano and perpendicular electric keyboard. His blue eyes widened at the spontaneous attention, but he waved shyly to the crowd.
The drummer continued a quiet, constant beat as Dean beckoned Castiel to the front of the stage.
“Six years—no,” Dean looked up to the right and counted on his fingers, “Seven years ago—is that right, babe?”
Cas had finally approached Dean to center stage and crossed his arms gently across his chest.
“That is correct, Dean,” he stated with a single nod.
Dean smiled triumphantly at the crowd and raised his eyebrows with a smirk that gained a few sweet sighs and giggles. He laughed too.
“But, wow, yeah, seven years ago. Whew, I had the hots for you, Cas,” he chuckled. “Still do, of course.”
Cas smiled as Dean winked at him.
“Sorry, y’all, I’m just so excited!” Dean laughed. “Anyway, I remember when we first started dating, and I caught him singing in the shower. He really impressed me. Cas,” he giggled again, “Ahh, Cas, made the most hilarious squeal when he found out I was listening.”
Cas reached for the mic, “Do you have a point to this story, Dean? I’m sure our audience would like to hear some more songs.” He side eyed his lover with a lop-sided grin before letting Dean take the mic back.
“Okay, okay,” Dean cleared his throat. “After months and months of begging him to sing a duet with me—” The crowd erupted into a mass of screams and ecstatic jumping. Dean laughed as he nudged Cas’ arm. “Well, he finally made a promise to me: he would sing with me only if we win marriage equality!”
Shaking his head slightly, Cas smiled at the ground.
“I think what he really meant was ‘when pigs fly’—” They laughed. “So, Castiel, will you honor your word? Will you sing with me?”
With a sincere smile, Cas joked, “Kinda putting me on the spot, hun?
Dean smiled as he leaned into the mic again, never taking his eyes of his boyfriend, “CAS-TI-EL, CAS-TI-EL!” The crowd bellowed and began chanting, CAS-TI-EL, CAS-TI-EL, CAS-TI-EL!
Shifting his feet slightly, Cas’ smile widened, and he nodded slightly. He leaned in and pressed a shy kiss to Dean’s cheek.
“Okay, okay,” Cas soothed to the crowd. “What shall we sing, darling?”
Leaning in, Dean whispered in Cas’ ear. Stepping back, Cas smiled but shook his head.
“I don’t think the audience wants to hear a country song.”
Dean narrowed his eyes at the crowd. “Do you guys trust me with just ONE country song?” He laughed as the audience had a subtly forced woo in reply. He strummed the G chord again. “I’ll be playing the guitar though! It’ll totally be worth it.”
The crowd seemed to give in and Cas shook his head but continued to smile.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered as he took a sip of water from Dean’s water bottle.
Slowly, Dean strummed the first chord. “Okay, here we go.”
The guitar twanged at the change of chords and strum patterns before Dean began the first verse of the song.
“Well, I’m shameless,” Dean sang sweetly. He looked at Cas as the crowd cheered before them, “When it comes to loving you, I’ll do anything you want me to, I’ll do anything at all.”
Taking a deep breath, Cas smiled. “And I’m standing,” the audience gasped and applauded as Cas’ deep voice resonated over the crowd. “Here for all the world to see. Oh, baby, that’s what’s left of me, don’t have very far to fall.”
A huge smile lit Dean’s face up as the stage lights softened to a cool blue color around them. “You know now I’m not a man who’s ever been insecure about the world I’ve been living in.”
Cas joined in as they harmonized. “I don’t break easy, I have my pride!” They smiled at each other as the crowd screamed again. “But if you need to be satisfied, I’m shameless.”
“Oh honey, I don’t have a prayer,” Cas sang sweetly as Dean turned to face him completely.
The green-eyed musician grinned as he strummed the next chords.
“Every time I see you standing there, I go down upon my knees.”
Gently, Dean held the chord as he slowly knelt to the ground. The back up pianist took over the next chord as Dean reached into his jean’s pocket. Cas stood still and in complete awe as Dean pulled a simple silver band and presented it to Castiel.
Dean was smiling, and shaking slightly, but Cas couldn’t contain his joy, reaching a hand out to hold Dean’s left shoulder, he knelt down too.
“I knew from the first time I caught you singing this song in the shower, and every second with you since. I love you, and now that anyone can marry their partner of choice,” Dean sighed and smiled nervously. “I would love to have the honor of shamelessly calling you my husband. Castiel, will you marry me?”
Castiel smiled and nodded. Both of the men choked back tears as Dean slid the ring onto Castiel’s fourth finger.
“I love you, Dean,” Castiel said before he surged into his future husband and kissed him like thousands of people weren’t watching. Applause rang in their ears, but seemed to fade out as they clutched to each other and stood back up. Dean kissed Cas on the cheek as he picked the song back up again.
“I have never let anything have this much control over me, I work too hard to call my life my own,” Dean continued. With a wide smile, Cas joined in. “And I’ve made myself a world and it’s worked so perfectly, but it’s your world now, I can’t refuse, I’ve never had so much to lose.”
“Oh, I’m shameless!” they belted out. “Oh, I’m shameless, shameless as a man can be. You make a total fool of me, I just wanted you to know.”
Dean and Cas looked at each other as the song came to an end, “Oh, I’m shameless.”
The cheers and screams were deafening and full of love as Dean and Cas held hands and raised them high in the air.