Chapter 58
Castiel’s eyes widened in pure panic as he stared at Sam and Jane.
“No! No, you can’t be saying we just lost the only way we have to bring them back!” he practically yelled, unable to keep his distress in any longer. “You said that it will last for ten minutes and maybe fifteen! It barely lasted for five minutes! That wasn’t enough!”
He and Natasha were the only ones in the room with Sam and Jane, the others are still in the other room, unaware that the machines just crashed too soon.
“The frequency was too high.” Jane explained miserably. “There was nothing we could do. The old machines couldn’t handle it and crashed way too soon than we expected.”
Castiel’s knees suddenly felt too weak and he collapsed on the closest chair to him as he felt his world falling apart around him.
Sam was just staring at the ground. His face frozen like he still couldn’t believe that he failed his brother.
“Why don’t we get more advanced machines?” Natasha asked desperately.
“This will need at least three months.” Jane answered, her shoulders dropping in defeat.
“Three whole months!” Natasha repeated in panic.
“Three months won’t matter in this! Time doesn’t really matter to them right now! We can get back to work so we will be prepared the next time!”
“Three months.” Castiel repeated miserably. “We will leave them facing dangers for three months? Who knows what could happen in all that time.”
“Who knows? Maybe it will be only a day for them!”
“It won’t be a day for us!” Castiel snapped anxiously.
“I know but we-“
“This is Dean Winchester, can anyone hear me?”
The message suddenly sounded in the comms, making everyone freeze and silence fell on them as they stared at each other with wide eyes.
“From Dean to the team, is anyone there?”
Sam and Castiel’s eyes met and they stared at each other, too afraid to move or even breathe. Still not believing what they were hearing.
“Guys, come on, you are scaring me here.” Dean’s voice became more anxious.
That positively broke them out of their shock.
“Dean!” Castiel exclaimed in joy as he felt an overwhelming wave of relief rushing through. “Dean, you-you’re back!”
Natasha collapsed on a chair and held her head between her hands. “Thank god. Thank god.” She kept repeating under her breath in pure relief.
“God, it is so good to hear your voice babe.” Dean let out a relived, affectionate laugh. “Apparently, Syd here is a genius. She managed to track the hole that was sending us the signal and darted towards it expertly.”
“Where are you? Dean, where are you now?” Sam asked frantically, needing to see his brother with his own eyes.
“I’m here, Sammy. I’m here.” just then, the radar caught the ship entering the Earth and tracked down its landing location.
***
Tony was the last one to get out of the ship. He watched with a small smile as Dean stared up at the sky anxiously with a huge grin on his face as he waited for their team to come to them while Sydney and Brigitte were laughing in affectionate amusement at the boyish glee on his face.
Tony wished he could feel the same joy as Dean, but worry was clawing at his heart it was making it impossible to even hope.
To hope that Steve was still here too. But the fact that he didn’t even hear his voice when Dean made the call was giving him a sinking feeling in his stomach.
He was scared that he might just have ruined his own life and Steve’s like Dean said.
“Tony! Your ring!” Dean exclaimed suddenly while looking at him with a huge smile. Tony snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at him in confusion. “Your wedding ring, you idiot! It is still there!”
Tony’s eyes widened as he stared down at his hand, where the wedding ring Steve had given him was definitely still there. How didn’t he notice before? Maybe because he just got really used to the feeling of it in his finger.
But then when he noticed the ring’s existence, he felt another thing.
A heartbeat.
Not his own. It was another’s. A heartbeat that helped him sleep so many times after intense nightmares. His lover’s heartbeat.
Steve’s heartbeat.
His eyes widened and before he could really think about the discovery, Sydney suddenly pointed at the sky.
“They’re here.” she announced with a grin as Brigitte stared with wide eyes at the approaching Quinjet.
***
The Quinjet landed gracefully a few meters away from them.
Dean stared at it with his heart beating loudly in his chest and waited impatiently for the doors to open.
The moment the doors opened, he was barely surprised to see that Castiel was the very first one to jump from it followed closely behind by Sam, then they raced towards him with huge eager smiles on their faces.
Dean’s face splits open in a huge smile as he rushed to meet them half way and opened his arms wide when they reached him.
Sam and Cas practically threw themselves in his arms at the same time. Sam burying his face in his brother’s shoulder and cried into it, while Castiel hid his face in Dean’s neck and the hunter could feel his smile being pressed to his neck. They both clinged to him like they were afraid that he will disappear any second.
Dean just smiled happily and pulled them closer and pressed his face to Cas’ neck and kissed everywhere he could reach, letting his own tears of joy slide down his face.
“You’re here. You’re back.” Castiel whispered wetly into his neck and Dean’s heart ached at the sound of his voice. God, he missed that voice so much. The voice he thought he will never be able to hear again.
“I’m here, Babe. I am back and not going anywhere.” He pulled Castiel’s face away gently and kissed him with all the longing he was feeling for the past days for the beautiful angel in his arms. Kissing him felt like coming home as he felt their bond practically singing in relief at their closeness again. That amazing tingling he felt through his whole body every time they touched was back full force and was exactly what Dean needed. The feeling of loneliness he felt just disappeared into thin air only by the angel’s touch.
“Gross, Dean. I’m still in the same hug.” Sam muttered in his shoulder but Dean could feel the smile he was hiding there.
“Oh, you’re still here? I definitely didn’t notice that huge Sasquatch bear hugging me.” Dean teased while ruffling Sam’s hair affectionately. Sam’s just grunted and tightened his hold on Dean.
“I missed you, Dean.” Sam murmured into his shoulder and Dean’s smile softened.
“Missed you too, Bitch.” He whispered and pulled his husband and brother closer again, clinging to them as tight as he could.
The moment was brutally shattered as suddenly someone broke into their hug and pushed both Sam and Cas away who stumbled back with wide shocked eyes while Dean was attacked into a rather violent hug by an excited redhead.
Dean looked down, expecting to see Charlie, only to be shocked by the fact that he was being violently bear hugged by none other than Natasha Romanov.
He felt a grin taking a place on his face and was about to tease her but she cut him off.
“Don’t you fucking dare to say anything, just shut up and hug back, Asshole.” She muttered dangerously and her hold tightened.
Dean’s grin turned soft as he looked up at Cas and Sam from over Natasha’s head.
Sam just shrugged with a chuckle while Castiel smiled warmly at him.
Dean wrapped his arms around Natasha just as tightly. “I knew I will grow on you.”
“I said shut up!”
Dean laughed at the same moment the rest of the team finally reached them.
***
Tony watched as Castiel and Sam raced to Dean in happiness.
He couldn’t help but smile at the look of pure joy written on dean’s face as he embraced the two most important people in his life tightly. Dean had a constant look of pain and loss on his face for the past days and it was great to see such joy and happiness brought back to his face.
Then, Tony’s smile froze on his face as his eyes landed on the third person jumping from the Quinjet, who probably was planning to jump first but looked a little tired so that was probably what slowed him down.
Tony froze completely. Too afraid to even breathe in case it turned out a dream or something, since he couldn’t really let himself hope that what he was seeing was real.
Because running towards him right now, was none other than Steve Rogers with a huge grin on his face and certainly not a ninety year old man.
His husband was still here. He couldn’t believe it.
Steve finally reached him and Tony found himself with an armful of excited Super soldier who hugged him as tightly as he could without breaking Tony into two halves.
Tony was still frozen in place while Steve nuzzled into his neck and Tony could feel his smile pressed against his skin.
“Hey, Tony.” Steve murmured against his neck and Tony finally melted into him and sagged in pure relief and joy in his husband’s arms and wrapped around him tightly.
“Steve. You-you’re here.” he breathed in awe, still trying to believe it. “You’re actually here! Still here! Still mine.”
“Well of course I’m here. Where else should I be?” Steve answered with a chuckle and Tony heard the teasing tone in his voice.
“You got on the plane anyway, didn’t you?” Tony murmured while pressing his face to his husband’s chest.
“Believe it or not, I could literally sense your self-loathing even back then.” Steve chuckled as he pulled back a little to look at Tony’s face. “So, when you warned me about a plane, I figured it was something related to how we will meet. Then, when I finally understood what plane you were talking about and understood that it will somehow take me to you, I totally ignored your warning and got on it anyway.”
“You mean you chose to come for me?” Tony stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“Yes, Tony. I chose the way that will take me to you.” Steve’s grin softened to a sweet smile as he cupped Tony’s face gently. “And I didn’t regret it.”
“My God, you are an idiot.” Tony let out a sound that was both a chuckle and a sob as he stared up at his husband in joy and relief.
“I’m your idiot, Sweetheart.” Steve murmured softly before pressing his lips to Tony’s, and the genius felt complete and at home again when the familiar electricity of their touch filled his body again.
What was he thinking when he thought he could let go of this? Let go of this beautiful man who kept choosing him over and over again?
They pulled apart and were standing there, just grinning at each other in joy, when suddenly Steve got pulled from behind and Tony found himself being squished between Rhodey and Clint who were arguing on who should hug him first.
“I jumped from the jet first!”
“I’m his best friend!”
“I don’t c-“
They were interrupted by Thor pushing both of them away to grab Tony into a bone crushing hug and raised him from the ground while he struggled to breathe.
“Anthony! Welcome back, my friend! Your absence brought sadness to all our hearts!” Thor thundered jovially into Tony’s ears, making him temporarily deaf.
“Thanks, Thor. Missed you too, big guy!” Tony answered loudly since his ears weren’t working anymore and struggled to take a breath.
His eyes caught Steve’s, who watched him with a fond, beautiful smile and his heart started to beat fast in his chest from that smile alone.
He was home. They were finally home.