Dean flopped lazily on the couch, staring up at the ceiling and knowing that he needed to get himself motivated. He and Mikael hadn’t bothered to do much of anything since they returned to the farm. As a matter of fact, they had spent most of their time in bed. It hadn’t been all about sleeping, and Dean was pleasantly sore as a reminder. There had been the trips to the kitchen for food of course, but they hadn’t done a single, productive thing since returning.

His coming into the living room rather than returning to the bedroom had been Dean’s attempt at motivating himself to do something. It hadn’t worked too well once he sat on the couch and laid himself out. He knew full well there was still plenty of work to do on the farm, but it didn’t seem all that important at the moment. The farm grew well enough without his help, since apparently being a druid meant that everything grew spectacularly. It was a bad idea to rely on that in the long-term, but he couldn’t be bothered to worry over it right now.

The other downside to being on the couch rather than either working or crawling back into bed next to a sleeping Mikael was that he was left alone with his thoughts. Their last adventure had left him with more questions than he’d had before. Despite how angry Samuel had seemed about it, he didn’t regret leaving Silun behind, and it was the one thing he was sure of. He didn’t know if waiting to find the other crystal and leaving the one they had intact was such a good idea. Then again, he didn’t have a good idea of where to even begin searching, and that was something else praying on his mind.

He couldn’t call their mission a failure. They had gained more knowledge about what had happened in the past and had walked away with possible tools to help them in the future. He didn’t know if that was going to be enough, though. Mikael had been a nice distraction, drawing him into the present rather than worrying about the future. It meant that as he lay alone, everything he had been putting off simply rushed in to antagonize him.

A soft knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He heaved himself up off the couch and padded toward the front door. Dean was glad that Jax was such a heavy sleeper when he curled up in bed with them, otherwise the dog’s barking would have woken Mikael up. Dean might have to deal with his own worries, but he didn’t see the point in waking Mikael up when he was sleeping so peacefully.

When Dean swung the door open, to his surprise, he saw Apollo standing on his porch. No one else was with him and Apollo didn’t seem anxious or worried. If anything, Dean thought he looked more well-rested and content than Dean had ever seen him, especially after Artemis had died.

“Apollo?” Dean asked, opening the door wider and gesturing for the scout to come in.

“Did I wake you?” Apollo asked as he stepped in.

“No, was just being lazy on the couch, thinking about what we still have to do. So, you kind of saved me from myself. Everything alright?”

Apollo wandered into the living room. “Hm? Oh, yes, everything is fine. Everyone has been taking the time to relax and get their strength back and I thought I should check on you two. Where’s Mikael?”

Dean pointed up as he sat. “Sleeping. It’s kind of all we’ve been doing.”

Apollo raised a brow slightly, but said nothing. Dean waved at him dismissively, knowing the gesture for what it was. If it had been Dante, it would have been a crude and overt joke about how they had been doing a lot more than sleeping. Apollo didn’t even need to say it, as Dean could see the joke shimmering behind his almost impish expression.

“Don’t start,” Dean warned him, earning him an innocent expression.

“You said you were thinking about everything. Do you need to talk about it?” Apollo asked.

Dean shook his head. “No, not yet. I need to think about it alone for a bit before I talk to anyone about it. Thank you, though.”

Apollo nodded in understanding and lapsed into his familiar silence. After the man had stayed with them, Dean had become adept at reading him. There was an uneasiness in Apollo that hadn’t been there before. Dean had the sense that Apollo wanted to say something, but had to work himself up to speaking the words aloud.

Dean decided to help him along a little. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

Apollo shifted in his seat slightly. “Me? What makes you ask?”

Dean snorted at the evasion. “Okay, well how about I help you? Because I think I know what’s on your mind.”

“You do?”

“Probably the same thing that had you on my front porch looking more peaceful and happy than I think I’ve ever seen you. Let me guess, you and Dante?”

Apollo looked startled, the open emotion looking strange on his face. “You know?”

“I wondered for awhile now, if something was going on. But it hit me that something really was going on after we met with Samuel and Matalina back at the Grove.”

Apollo frowned. “What could have given it away?”

Dean shrugged. “Nothing big that I could point at and say ‘there, that is what made me know.’ It was a bunch of little things that have built up over time. You guys have been so close for so long, so that’s what started it. You act differently around him than you do us, and I think Silun knows too, by the way. He’s part of the reason I suspected.”

Apollo smiled a little at that. “He’s very perceptive, isn’t he?”

“Knows more than he lets on, kind of like you. Since I’m pretty sure you noticed how Silun was about Dante, too.”

The werewolf nodded. “I think Silun was aware that I knew, and I think it made him feel uncomfortable around me. It wasn’t necessary, but I understood.”

Dean chuckled. “I bet you did, since you both had a thing for the same guy.”

Apollo looked away. “It wasn’t anything I planned to happen.”

Dean dropped his amusement when he saw how uncomfortable Apollo was. “Hey. I’m not saying you went into this with a plan, alright? But that’s how things work out sometimes, especially between friends. Same thing happened with Mikael and I. Why do you sound like you’re trying to place blame on yourself over this?”

Apollo raised one shoulder and let it drop. “I just worry that I might be ruining a friendship.”

Dean shook his head. “Or, you might be bringing something wonderful into your life. Look, Dante might be a bit of an asshole. Okay, a lot of an asshole, but if being with him makes you happy, why worry about it?”

Apollo tried not to smile. “He can be a bit…difficult at times.”

Dean waved a hand at him. “And then some, but that’s not important. I’ve seen how he is with you and that whole ‘My name is Dante and I’m a total hard ass’ thing of his goes right out the window when he’s dealing with you. I don’t feel the slightest twinge of worry about the two of you being an item. I’ve seen how he is. If he softens up that much with you, even when other people are around, I can only imagine what he’s like when you two are alone.”

For the first time since the start of the conversation, Apollo brightened up. “He’s completely different to the way you know him, I promise.”

“Good, then what’s the problem? Just because you two were friends before this? I knew someone who swore up and down that was the only way to have a good relationship. You two have been close for years, so that’s a really solid foundation.”

Apollo looked down at his clasped hands. “And if it goes wrong? What happens to our friendship, then? I worry what it might result in if things don’t go well.”

Dean snorted. “Look me in the face and tell me you believe you two would really stop being friends if this didn’t work out? Do you really think he would turn his back on you?”

Apollo looked up, still uncertain. “You speak as if you know him well enough to ask that.”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t, but you do.”

Apollo nodded, letting that sink in and going silent once more. Dean could see he was still undecided as to whether it was a good idea or not. He could understand that. It had to be a scary situation, becoming romantically involved with your best friend. Dean didn’t want to push him to continue if Apollo thought it would truly be a bad idea for he and Dante to carry on. Yet, he could see the happiness that Apollo was feeling because of it, even if it was mingled with anxiety.

“Okay, look, here’s a few simple questions you need to answer. Does he make you happy? Does he treat you well? Can you see a future with him like you guys are now?” Dean asked.

Apollo took a moment to look up and meet Dean’s eyes. “Yes, to all of them.”

Dean threw his hands out before him. “Then why worry? Just feel happy instead.”

“I am happy,” Apollo said, sounding like he meant it.

That admission took away most of the worry lines forming on Apollo’s face. Dean could see the happiness Apollo was feeling more clearly now, mingling with a hope that probably scared him. Dean knew all too well what it was like to be so hopeful for something you felt could be wonderful, while fearing what would happen if it crashed and burned. It wasn’t easy to put yourself on the line like that, and Apollo had been through a lot lately. Dean thought maybe more love in his life would do wonders for the scout, especially after having lost so much.

“So,” Dean began, grinning a little evilly. “How’s the sex?”

At that, Apollo straightened and for a moment, Dean thought he had upset his friend. It wasn’t until he saw the beginnings of color in Apollo’s cheeks that he realized he had embarrassed him instead. He couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled up out of him as he realized Apollo was apparently a little shy when it came to sex. Well, his own sex life anyway, since the man had no such reaction when it came to living with Mikael and him, and dealing with their sex life.

“I’m guessing that it’s really good,” Dean pushed.

Apollo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I don’t think that’s really an appropriate conversation, do you?”

Dean laughed again. “Oh come on, Apollo! You got to know everything about Mikael and my personal life while you were here, so let me have a little peek at yours now!”

“You say that as if I intentionally sought out the knowledge that you two are like teenagers, teenage rabbits at that.”

Dean couldn’t argue with what he felt was an accurate, if crude description. He also knew that Apollo was just deflecting so he was no longer the focus of the topic of conversation. Dean grinned wickedly, leaning forward and refusing to let Apollo escape so easily.

“Is he hung?” He asked, going for the jugular.

“Dean!” Apollo protested, sounding so mortified that Dean felt a little bad for embarrassing him so easily.

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry,” Dean sighed, flopping back into the couch once more.

“I really do not want to talk about him like that,” Apollo said, sounding a little huffy.

“Okay, I won’t ask about his size or skill, or anything like that. I do want to know if it’s good for you, though.”

“Why?”

“Because whether people want to admit it or not, that’s a big part of a happy relationship between two sexual people. Chemistry is a big deal,” Dean answered honestly.

Apollo sighed, bending slightly before Dean’s logic. “Alright. Yes, the sex is…good.”

“Good?”

“It’s wonderful,” Apollo amended, looking pained to have to even speak the words aloud.

Dean grinned wide at the admission. “So, you got with your best friend? Even had sex and…wait a minute, is that what the tribespeople found so funny when they found you? Were you guys…?”

Apollo’s cheeks colored even darker. “I don’t want to talk about that. Bad enough that we were surprised.”

Dean couldn’t help his chuckle, covering his mouth so he didn’t embarrass Apollo too much more. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just…that’s awful. They saw you guys?”

Apollo’s jaw tightened, and Dean realized he was pushing him too far. Apollo had come here to talk about something that had been preying on his mind, and Dean was taking too much amusement out of it. He straightened his features immediately and reached forward to take Apollo’s hand in his own.

“I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not trying to make fun of you, really I’m not. I’m genuinely happy for you and I’m glad he makes you happy. I’ve been a little worried about you for so long, you know that?”

“I’ve been better,” Apollo said quietly.

“I know. You really have. You’re tough, and you’ve been doing really well, but it doesn’t mean that you’ve been as happy as you deserve to be. If you being with Dante helps you be that way, then I’m all for it, okay?”

Apollo smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Dean. I appreciate that. I didn’t realize when you came into Mikael’s life that you would be such a big part of mine as well. I consider you my friend and I’m proud to call you that.”

Warmth flooded Dean. “I’m glad we feel the same way, Apollo. You all have become both family and friends to me, and it’s great to see you getting what you deserve, finally.”

A thought seemed to occur to Apollo and he looked up at the ceiling. There was a nervousness in his eyes that Dean noticed immediately. He squeezed Apollo’s fingers reassuringly, shaking his head when Apollo looked at him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to anyone about what we just talked about,” he told him.

Apollo sagged in relief. “Thank you. I don’t want everyone to know until…Dante and I are a little more sure of everything. I don’t think he’s talked to anyone about it, but I think I just had to tell someone.”

“For someone who doesn’t say a whole lot most of the time, that’s a pretty big deal. That you came to me over it is a big deal. thank you.”

“It feels good that someone else besides us knows about it. After everything that has happened, and what lays before us, it’s been…wonderful to have something like this in my life. Even if it does worry me at times,” Apollo admitted.

For a moment, Dean’s mind pinged back to the thoughts he had been having before Apollo showed up. There was still a lot to worry about, especially if the lost crystal turned out to be in the wrong hands. They still didn’t have a solid plan for how to deal with that, and Dean knew that he wouldn’t know any peace until it was settled. That he now had to think about the Watcher’s words about the Darkness returning wasn’t helping, either.

He brought himself back to the present, grinning wickedly at Apollo. “True, but at least now you have really hot sex to distract yourself from all that other stuff.”

“Dean!”

Dean laughed at that, forgetting his worries for the moment as he shared in his friend’s happiness. The world might be headed towards some dark catastrophe in the near future, but he had so much to think about right now. Everything else would have to wait, because he had his mate and his new family to surround himself with. That would be enough for the present. The future could wait.