Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/589741.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Supernatural
  Relationship:
      Castiel/Dean_Winchester, Gabriel/Sam_Winchester
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_High_School, nerdy!dean, bad_boy!cas, Homophobia,
      Bullying
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-12-11 Completed: 2013-03-14 Chapters: 10/10 Words: 22606
****** Upside Down ******
by magequisition
Summary
     Castiel Novak is the school's stereotypical bad boy - always skipping
     class and making a big deal about his motorcycle. So when he starts
     paying attention to quiet nerd Dean Winchester, Dean doesn't quite
     know what to do about it. When he agrees to tutor Castiel in
     Calculus, he starts to wonder if he's made the biggest mistake of his
     life, but it's not long before he realises things aren't always what
     they seem.
***** Chapter 1 *****
            Dean Winchester sat at the same table every day. It was in the back
corner, and he sat at the far side of it, his back to the wall, nose in one
book or another while he ate his lunch. He took his sandwich out of his
backpack, taking an idle bite of it while he turned the page in his novel. He
was so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn't hear the chair across
from him scoot noisily across the floor.
            "Hi, Dean." The voice that startled him out of his concentration
was deep and strangely familiar. Dean sighed and looked up.
            "Hi, Cas," he said resignedly, placing his bookmark in the book and
setting it to the side.
            "How're you?" Cas asked.
            "I'm okay, Cas, just trying to eat my lunch." Cas grinned and
leaned over the table.
            "What are you reading?" he asked, grabbing Dean's book and
inspecting the cover. Dean waved his arm half-heartedly to try and get it.
"Harry Potter, huh? My sister Anna's reading that. She's in your grade, do you
know her?"
            Dean nodded. "Cas, you know I know who Anna is." Cas grinned.
            "Yeah, guess I did know that. Hey, you're taking advanced calculus,
right? So you're probably working on the same stuff I'm doing. Want to get
together this weekend? I'm not doing so well in the class."
            "You'd do fine in the class if you'd actually go," Dean said. Cas
cocked his head slightly to the side in acknowledgement.
            "True enough. But it's boring. I'd rather be out on my bike." Dean
rolled his eyes. Cas' motorbike was loud and obnoxious, and he made sure
everyone saw him pull into school on it every morning.
            "Look, Cas, this has been great, but now that we've determined that
I'm not going to do…whatever it is you're using calculus as a cover for, can I
please finish my lunch and get back to reading my book?" Cas smirked.
            "Sure, Dean. Whatever you say," he said, pushing the chair back
from the table and standing up and leaving. Dean sighed and picked up his book
again, opening it briefly before dropping it back on the table.
             Castiel Novak. Dean had become vaguely acquainted with him when
he'd been in the same study group the year before as Castiel's sister Anna.
Castiel was a senior, two years older than Dean, and Dean had never quite been
able to understand him. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't find Cas,
as he preferred to be called, attractive, but he was so unpredictable that Dean
couldn't bring himself to trust him. He was the standard "bad boy" of the
school, constantly cutting classes, riding his motorcycle around, and loudly
discussing his partying; and yet towards Dean he had typically displayed an odd
sort of interest that Dean couldn't place, although he assumed it was some sort
of power trip for him. Corrupting the innocent little nerd boy, and all that.
It wasn’t as though he had anything else to offer a guy like Castiel. Cas was
bold, fearless, and extroverted. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, with no
fear of what other people thought. Dean, on the other hand, was shy, studious,
and just this side of awkward; preferring to not talk to people he didn't know
well and not always knowing what to say in situations where he wasn’t
comfortable. He had several acquaintances but few friends, preferring instead
to live through his books and his studies.
            So, it didn't matter that Cas had a great smile and that his eyes
seemed to shine out from behind his often-messy, slightly long mop of dark
hair. Dean was definitely not going to hang out with him. He glanced at the
clock on the wall and with a sigh shoved his mostly-uneaten sandwich back into
his bag before swinging it up onto his shoulders to go to his next class.
                                     *****
            A week after Castiel had first suggested Dean could "help him with
calculus", Dean was in the library studying for a physics exam. Cas had managed
to find him every single day that week - at his locker, in the cafeteria,
walking between classes, waiting for the bus. And always, the same requests for
help with calculus. Dean hoped that by hiding himself in the back corner of the
library, he might be able to avoid Cas today.
            He wasn't sure how many more requests he could take before he
finally lost his willpower and gave in.
            He should have known he couldn't avoid Castiel if Cas wanted to
find him.
            "Hi Dean," the other boy's gravelly voice said as he sat down
across from him. "What are you doing today?" he asked.
            "Studying for my physics midterm tomorrow, Cas," Dean said. "I
really need to work. Is there something you wanted?" He tried to ignore the
slight smirk that crossed Cas' face.
            "Dean. Will you please help me with calculus?" Cas' voice was
taking on a more concerned note than Dean was used to. "We can do it right here
right now if you're concerned about my motives." Dean sighed and closed his
eyes.
            "I can't right now, Cas. I have to study for physics. But…" Dean
said, feeling his willpower fading. "If you meet me here tomorrow at lunch I
can help you. Or try, anyway."
            A bright smile crossed Castiel's face. "You're great, Dean. Thanks.
See ya tomorrow!" he said, standing up quickly and disappearing around the
corner. Dean took off his glasses and dropped his face into his hands. He hoped
he wasn't making a huge mistake, but giving in to his crushes had never ended
well for him before.
            And he'd never let himself crush on a guy like Castiel until now.
            The next day, as soon as the lunch bell rang, Dean dropped off his
books in his locker and headed to the library, anxiety pooling in the pit of
his stomach. When he arrived at the table from the day before, he found Cas
already there, legs stretched out under the table and feet resting on a chair.
            "Um, hey, Cas," Dean said as he approached.
            "Hello, Dean," Cas said, grinning. "Ready to teach me something?"
Dean rolled his eyes.
            "Sure, Cas." For some reason, this seemed to delight Castiel, who
laughed as he pulled a notebook out of his rarely-used bag. He slid it across
the table to Dean as he sat down.
            "I haven't been to class in a couple of weeks. But apparently
that's what we got assigned this week. Midterm tomorrow, so I figure I should
know if I'm totally off base." Dean flipped open the notebook and skimmed
through the pages until he found the most recent work. He read over the
equations carefully before looking up at Cas in confusion.
            "Cas?" he asked. "Why are you acting like you don't understand
calculus? There's no way you're not doing well in the class." Castiel blinked
at him silently.
            "Cas, these equations are perfect and I'm pretty sure you know
that. So why have you been after me for over a week to tutor you?" Dean shifted
in his seat nervously. Cas smirked.
            "Maybe I wanted to see you," he said. "Maybe there was a reason I
was trying to get you to come over on the weekend instead." Dean shifted in his
seat again.
            "Cas, I can't," he said, hating himself for the desperation he
could hear in his voice.
            "Why not?" Cas asked him in response.
            "I just…can't, Cas. Okay?" Dean stood up and turned quickly, trying
to get out of the library as fast as he could. He didn't know what Cas' end
goal was, but he was pretty sure it wasn't good. And anyways,Dean thought to
himself. You've once again got it way too bad for a straight guy to even think
about being friends with him. Even if you had anything in common.
            He walked to his locker and pulled out his backpack just as the
bell rang. Slamming the metal door shut harder than was strictly necessary, he
pulled his bag onto his shoulders and started walking to his next class. 
***** Chapter 2 *****
A couple of weeks had passed since the mock-tutoring session that had almost
occurred in the library, and there had been no sign of Cas since. Dean was
finally allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that whatever
bizarre ideas Cas had gotten into his head had finally passed and Dean could
get back to focusing on school and getting rid of his crush.
            He definitely didn't spend an inordinate amount of time thinking
about how blue Cas' eyes were. And his head definitely didn't whip around
whenever he thought he heard Castiel's distinctively rough voice.
 
            Dean was waiting for Anna in the library so they could work on
their physics lab report. As he leaned over to dig his notes out of his bag, he
heard the chair on the other side of the table get pulled out.
            "Hey, Anna, just getting my notes," he said. He sat up a moment
later, notes in hand, and jumped when he was met by bright blue eyes and dark
hair.
            "Hi, Cas. Uh. I'm just waiting for Anna. We're supposed to work on
our physics lab."
            "I know," Cas said. "She wanted me to tell you she's home sick.
She's got the stomach flu."
            "Why didn't she just text me?" Dean asked. "She's got my cell
number." Castiel rolled his eyes.
            "Because she came home from school today puking everywhere, mumbled
at me to tell you she wouldn't be here, and then took some medicine and fell
asleep. Okay? So I drove in to the school, found your favourite little table
here, and passed on the message. And now I'm going to go." Cas said sharply.
Dean sat back slightly in his chair, stunned by the shortness in Castiel's
voice.
            "I…I'm sorry?" Dean said softy. "Does…does Anna need notes or
anything from this morning? We, uh, have English together…"
            "Don't know. I'll get her to text you when she's feeling better,"
Cas said, standing up. As Dean watched him walk away, he stood up himself.
            "Cas," he said. Cas stopped and turned.
            "Is…everything okay?" Dean asked, his brow furrowing.
            "Yeah. Super." Cas shook his head. "Any other brilliant questions?"
Dean took a step backwards.
            "Sorry. Please tell Anna I hope she feels better. I'll bring her
notes if she needs them." Dean sat back down at the table and watched Cas' back
retreat. When he turned the corner, Dean dropped his head onto his arms on the
table.
                                     *****
            Dean stood in front of the door the next day nervously, trying to
gather the courage to knock. He tugged at the hem of his sweater with the hand
not holding the small stack of notes he'd brought. At last, he took a deep
breath and raised a fist, knocking quietly on the door.
            Please don't answer, please don't answer,he thought to himself. The
door swung open in front of him and he froze, but relaxed when he was met by a
shock of red hair and friendly brown eyes.
            "Hi, Dean." Anna said. "Thanks for coming by." Dean smiled.
            "No problem, Anna. How're you feeling?" Anna shrugged.
            "A little better, I guess. I'm really weak though because I
couldn't eat anything yesterday or most of today. Oh," she said suddenly,
stepping back. "Come on in. Sorry. I blanked out there."
            "No worries. I totally get it," Dean said as he stepped inside.
"I'm glad you're starting to feel better." He glanced around. "Your house is
nice," he said. Anna blushed.
            "It's small. It's home, though, I guess. It's just me and Cas, so
we don't need much. Come on, the dining room's this way," she said, changing
the subject quickly. Dean nodded and followed behind her.
            They'd gone over Dean's notes from English and were starting to
work on reviewing the Physics lesson from that day - Dean repeating a joke
their teacher had told - when the door slammed shut.
            "Hey, Anna!" Cas' voice rang out through the small house. Dean's
laugh died on his lips and his face fell. Anna looked at him, confusion clear
on her face.
            "Yeah, Cas, we're in here!" Anna replied.
            "Oh, hey. I brought you that tea you…" Cas trailed off. "Dean.
Hey." Dean stared at his notes.
            "Hi Cas," he mumbled.
            "I brought you that tea you like, Anna," Cas continued his sentence
from before and handing her a steaming paper cup. "I know it helps when you're
not feeling well."
            "Thanks, Cas," Anna said, grinning at her older brother.
            "No problem." Cas grinned suddenly. "You okay still, then?" he
asked.
            "Yeah, no more throwing up or anything. You going to go out on your
bike for awhile?" she asked. Cas nodded.
            "I was thinking about it," he said.
            "Go on. Dean's just going over what I missed in school with me.  I
don't want to fall behind." Cas' smile lit up his face again.
            "Where did you get all these studious genes from?" he asked
teasingly. "What happened to taking full advantage of sick days?" Anna just
rolled her eyes at him.
            "Get out. I'll see you later." Cas waved over his shoulder as he
left.
            Dean's eyes had remained steadfastly glued to his paper the entire
time Cas was in the room. When he left, he looked up slowly.
            "Okay, spill it." It was a command rather than a question. "The
hell was that about when my brother came in? The both of you acted like you'd
been slapped." Dean's eyes dropped to his notes again.
            "I don't know, Anna. He was paying attention to me a lot and kept
asking me to tutor him in calculus. But I saw his work; he doesn't need me to
tutor him. And I asked him about it and I don't really know what happened. I
think he might have asked me out or something. But…I got overwhelmed and took
off. That was a couple of weeks ago. Then I saw him yesterday and he seemed
really pissed off." Anna's eyes widened in understanding.
            "It's you?" she asked questioningly. Dean raised an eyebrow at her.
            "Huh? What's me?" he asked. Anna slapped her forehead.
            "It all makes so much sense now. He has no idea you…oh my GOD my
brother is such an idiot!"
            "Anna…I'm…really not following you right now." Dean said, staring
blankly at his friend.
            "Two weeks ago, my brother came home really pissed off, mumbling
something about straight guys and how it always happened to him. He was fine
the next day, but then yesterday, when I asked him to go in to school - where
he should have been anyways, by the way, but he insisted on staying home to
take care of me - to talk to you for me, he got really grumpy again." Dean
continued to stare at her blankly.
            "Anna, I'm not following."
            "Dean. My brother's got a thing for you, and he thinks you're
straight. But I know you, Dean. I know you're not, and I also know you're
really freaking bad at hiding this massive crush you've got on my brother."
Dean turned bright red.
            "I don't…I mean, it's not like…" he stammered. Anna shot him her
best bitchface, and Dean stopped.
            "I don't want to like him, Anna. I'm sure we have nothing in
common. I've got nothing to offer him. I just like to read and study and watch
TV." His voice was quiet as he made the admission. "I've been spending the last
two weeks trying to convince myself that I don't have a crush on your brother.
Honestly, I thought hewas straight." He sighed. "Apparently I've been really
successful." Anna took a sip of her tea and stood up slowly, moving behind Dean
and leaning down to hug him.
            "Well, he's not, and you're both idiots." she said as she squeezed
him tightly. Dean brought his hands up to her forearms and squeezed them in an
attempt to return her hug.
            Things had suddenly gotten a little bit more complicated. 
***** Chapter 3 *****
            It was two more weeks before Dean saw Cas again. It was the last
day of school before Christmas break, and he was shuffling things around in his
locker. He was trying to decide what he needed to take home for the break and
what he could leave behind, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
            "Hey Dean." Dean whipped his head up and spun around so fast he hit
his shoulder on his locker door. He winced and felt a blush rise to his face as
he rubbed it.
            Oh, good work, Dean, he thought crankily to himself. What he said
aloud was a simple
            "Hi."
            "Um," Cas started, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets and
shifting from one foot to the other, looking more uncomfortable than Dean ever
remembered seeing the usually-cocky senior.  "Anna might have pointed out that
I was…kind of a jerk…well actually, her words were total asshole but who needs
specifics? Um. I just wanted to say I was sorry. No hard feelings?" he asked
hesitantly. Dean nodded.
            "Yeah, everything's fine, Cas." Cas' face lit up in a smile before
he could stop it, and he quickly schooled his features into something more
calm.
            "Great," he said. Dean couldn't stop himself from smiling in return
as he shoved the last book he needed into his backpack and pushed his locker
door shut.
            "So…um…have a good break, okay? Anna said something about hanging
out sometime so…I guess I'll see you around." Suddenly finding his shoes
fascinating, Dean started to turn away, pulling his backpack onto his shoulders
as he headed for the exit.
            "Dean!" Cas' voice rang out in the crowded hallway and stopped Dean
dead in his tracks. He didn't turn around, preferring to keep his gaze on his
sneakers, but a moment later he felt someone standing beside him. Dean took a
deep breath.
            "Can we go outside first?" he asked as he shot a sideways glance at
Cas. He could tell  Cas had something more to say. He started to walk slowly
towards the door, Cas following him until they were outside and away from the
crowds. When they were outside, Dean swallowed a lump of nervousness that had
risen in his throat and turned to face Cas.
            "What is it, Cas?" he asked. A look of nervousness crossed Cas'
face briefly before he masked it.
            "I'm only going to suggest…ask…whatever…this once more. Then I
swear I'll leave you alone. Do you wanna hang out this weekend, Dean? " There
was a note of hope in Castiel's voice.
            My brother's got a thing for you. You're both idiots. Anna's words
to him from a couple of weeks before rang in his head. He struggled against his
own thoughts for a minute before he responded.
            "Yeah, okay," Dean said quietly. "I've, uh, got to catch my bus,
though…Anna has my number…can you text me or something?" Cas nodded. "Okay. Um.
Great. I'll talk to you soon, then?" he asked before he turned towards the bus
stop and began to walk quickly away, anxiety suddenly making his stomach churn.
            He was absolutely certain he was going to regret agreeing to this.
                                     *****
            The next morning, Dean was laying on the couch reading when his
phone beeped. He picked it up and looked at the screen, but didn't recognise
the number, so he opened the message.
            Hey. It's Cas. Still want to hang out? Dean's heart sped up as he
read the message. He hit the reply button.
            Okay. Did you have something in mind?He sent the message and stared
at the screen as he waited for a response, jumping a minute later when the
reply popped up.
            You busy this afternoon? Could come over and watch a movie or
something.Dean's hand shook slightly as he carefully tapped out a reply.
            Sure. 2:00?He took a deep breath and hit send before he could
rethink his decision.
            Yeah ok. See you then,came the quick response. Dean set his phone
down and looked at the time. 10:00. Four hours. He sank back down into the
couch and picked up his book, staring blankly at the page and absorbing
nothing.
                                     *****
            Four hours later, Dean stood nervously in front of Castiel and
Anna's house, shifting from one foot to the other as he ran his fingers through
his hair once more. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock. Just as
his knuckles grazed the worn blue door, it swung open.
            "Oh! Dean!" Anna said. "I didn't realise you were here. Cas is just
inside. He's still in his room, I think, first door on your left. I'm just
heading out," she grinned. "I'm hanging out with Ruby today." She gave him a
quick hug as she sidled past him through the door. "Have fun," she said with a
wink. Dean's stomach dropped as Anna walked away, waving behind her as she
went. He'd been counting on having her there as a buffer, moving the
conversation along when he doubtlessly said something awkward or worse -
couldn't think of anything to say at all. He stepped inside and closed the door
behind him, slipping off his shoes before stepping further into the house. He
tugged at the hem of his white and blue plaid shirt and adjusted his glasses
before going to the door Anna had indicated and knocking quietly. There was no
answer, and he could hear music playing inside the room, so for a moment he
wondered if Cas could hear him. He was debating knocking again when suddenly
the door swung open, and Cas was standing in front of him.
            In a towel.
            "Dean! Hi! Is it two already?" Castiel asked, glancing over his
shoulder and looking at the clock. "Whoops. Sorry. I guess Anna's gone?" he
asked. Dean nodded, feeling the blush rising in his cheeks.
            "I, uh, passed her on the way in. She let me in, I mean, while she
was going out. I didn't just come in. I mean-" he stammered. Cas grinned.
            "Relax. Give me two minutes, okay? I'll be right out. Unless you
wanna come in while I get dressed," Cas said, winking at him.
            "No!" Dean exclaimed, more forcefully than he'd intended. "I mean,
um. I'll wait out here. Take your time. I'm fine here." Cas smiled again.
            "Whatever you like," he said, shutting the door. Dean leaned
against the wall across from Cas' room, breathing deeply and trying to ignore
the tightness in his pants.
            By the time Cas opened the door a couple of minutes later, he had
managed to mostly regain control of himself, although his cheeks were still
hot. He took another deep breath as Castiel stepped out of his room. Cas was
wearing jeans and a dark blue t-shirt with the X-Men logo on it that drew just
enough of Dean's attention to the lean muscles in Cas' arms that he couldn't
speak at first. Cas smirked.
            "Hey, Dean. You with me?" he asked teasingly. Dean nodded and
coughed slightly to clear his throat.
            "Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out,"  Dean said. "So…um…did you have a movie
in mind?" he asked quietly.
            "Well, I'm not really sure what you're into yet," Cas said. Dean
tried to ignore the little jolt of excitement that went through him at
Castiel's use of the word yet,as though he intended to find out just what Dean
was into. "But I thought we could watch the first Lord of the Rings movie. If
you feel like it we can keep going after that, or if you want…or need…to go, we
can always continue another time." Dean swallowed hard. So apparently he hadn't
freaked Cas out yet. Assuming, of course, that Cas wasn't just messing with
him. Dean still hadn't ruled that possibility out, regardless of what Anna had
said.
            "Sounds great," was what he said.
                                     *****
            Three and a half hours later, Dean felt more relaxed than he would
have expected. There was an empty popcorn bowl abandoned on the floor in front
of the couch, and Dean and Cas were sitting directly next to each other, their
forearms unintentionally grazing each other.  As the credits rolled, Dean
glanced over at Cas to find that the other boy was already looking directly at
him. Suddenly self-conscious again, Dean pulled his arm back and began
fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Cas smiled at him.
            "You like that movie, huh?" he asked. Dean nodded quietly.
            "It's one of my favourites," he replied. Cas' smile grew wider.
            "I'm glad. I kinda figured you'd like it. Do you want to watch the
next one?" Dean pulled out his phone and checked the time, his face falling.
            "I do…but…I promised I'd be home for dinner today," he said,
surprised at the disappointment he felt. He still thought he was completely
awkward, but he was surprised at how much more comfortable he'd become already.
The smile disappeared from Castiel's face, as well.
            "Oh," he said, sounding disappointed for a moment before his face
brightened again. "We could always continue another time…maybe even tomorrow?"
he asked, his voice hopeful. Dean nodded slowly.
            "I think I could do that." Cas' smile widened.
            "Around the same time?" he asked. "If your parents are okay with
it, you could stay for dinner…we could watch both of the others." Dean looked
down at his hands, trying to stem the rush of pleasure he felt at the words.
            "I'll ask…it should be okay, I think," he said quietly. He stood up
and started to walk towards the door, Castiel following behind him.
            "I hope so. Let me know."
            "I will," Dean replied as he bent over beside the front door to
pull his shoes on. He stood up and turned to say goodbye to Cas, only to find
the older boy immediately behind him. Dean was younger than Cas, but he was
slightly taller and when he turned, their faces were only inches apart.
            "Awesome," Cas said, his voice a bit deeper than normal. Dean
swallowed deeply and nodded, trying to focus anywhere but Castiel's lips. When
Cas' tongue darted out briefly to dampen them a second later, Dean quickly
turned towards the door.
            "Yeah. Okay. So, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" he said quickly,
praying his heart didn't pull some Looney Tunes prank on him and burst directly
out of his chest.
            "Yeah. Tomorrow," Cas said. "Text me in the morning and let me know
if you can stay longer." Dean nodded.
            "Thanks for the movie, Cas. I…I had fun," he said as he opened the
door and stepped outside, not waiting for an answer as he began walking up the
path and turning towards his house. 
***** Chapter 4 *****
            "Hey, mom?" Dean asked. It was the next morning and he'd decided to
finally broach the topic of staying later at Cas' that night.
            "Yeah, honey?"
            "Well, yesterday, when I was at my friend's house? We, uh, started
watching Lord of the Rings and we were kinda hoping we could watch the last two
movies today. I was invited to stay for dinner so that we could have more time.
Is it alright if I'm home a little later tonight?" Dean asked. He shifted
nervously, not sure what her reaction would be. It was rare that he asked to
stay out, since he preferred to be by himself anyway. To his relief, his mother
smiled at him.
            "Of course, Dean, that's fine. I'm glad you're making more friends.
It's not a school night or anything, so just be home by eleven, okay?" she
said. Dean nodded.
            "Thanks, mom," he said, leaning over to give her a hug. Just then,
his younger brother came out of the kitchen.
            "You going over to Castiel's place again?" he asked, a teasing note
to his voice. Dean's cheeks reddened.
            "Shut up, Sammy," he grumbled. Their mother did a double take.
            "Dean? Is this someone in particular?" she asked, her voice now
holding a hint of interest that wasn’t there before. Dean's blush darkened.
            "No mom. Just a guy I know from school. Anna's brother - you know
Anna."
            "The nice red-haired girl you studied with last year, right?" she
asked. Dean nodded.
            "Cas is her brother. He's a senior. I helped him with calculus a
little," Dean fibbed. He had originally spent time with Castiel because he
claimed to need help with calculus, after all. "He's a nice guy," he said,
surprising himself with the truth of the statement.
            "And Dean's got a major crush on him," Sam interjected.
            "Shut up, you little bitch!" Dean snapped.
            "No way, jerk!" Sam responded.
            "Both of you watch your language. I’m right here, you know," their
mother said. Dean glared at Sam.  "Dean, curfew still stands. Sam, stop teasing
your brother. It's nice that he's finally found someone he's interested in. I
am getting back to my baking. If you must battle, do it outside, I don't want
you destroying the house." Mary Winchester turned away from her sons and walked
back into the kitchen to continue her annual Christmas baking.
            "Not a word, Sammy," Dean growled as he headed upstairs so he could
shower. He heard Sam laughing behind him and whisper something about a crush.
                                     *****
            It was precisely two o'clock when Dean knocked on Castiel's door
that afternoon. It wasn't long before the door swung open and Cas was there,
smiling at him.
            "You're punctual," he said.
            "I try," Dean replied quietly. Cas' smile widened as he opened the
door further.
            "C'mon in," he invited, stepping aside slightly to give Dean room
to enter. "I'm glad your mom was okay with you staying."
            "Me too," Dean said, allowing a small smile to cross his face as he
entered. He shed his shoes and jacket and they walked into the living room,
where Cas had already set up the movie and set out a bowl of popcorn.
            "You want a drink?" he called behind him as he went into the
kitchen.
            "Sure, thanks," Dean said. "Whatever you're having is fine."
Castiel came out of the kitchen a moment later carrying two cans of coke. He
handed one to Dean as they sat down on the couch.
            "So, you ready, then?" Cas asked. Dean turned his head to look at
Cas as he nodded. Castiel grinned as he pressed play on the DVD remote.
                                     *****
            "Did you really make this, Cas?" Dean asked incredulously as he
swallowed his last bite. They'd taken a break in between the two movies to heat
up a pizza Castiel had made earlier that day. Cas grinned proudly.
            "Don't tell anyone. You'll ruin my reputation." Dean laughed. Over
the course of the second movie, he'd found himself feeling more and more
comfortable with Cas.  He leaned over and set his plate on the floor before
pulling his legs back up on the couch.
            "Your secret is safe with me," Dean said, still laughing a little.
"Who knew that bad-boy Castiel was really master-chef Castiel?" Cas rolled his
eyes and threw a small piece of sauce-laden crust at Dean, who tried to dodge
it. Castiel's aim was worse than it looked, however, and when Dean ducked he
found himself smacked in the cheek by the bit of food, which had been headed
for his shoulder. Sauce smeared across Dean's skin as the crust bounced to the
floor. Dean leaned over and picked the crust up off the carpet and tossed it on
to his plate before reaching blindly for a napkin to wipe off his cheek, but
his hand came up empty. He glanced over to see Cas crouched on the floor beside
him, holding the stack of napkins.
            "C'mon, Cas, gimme one," he complained. "I promise not to tell. Let
me wipe my face off?" he asked. Cas grinned.
            "I gotcha," he said quietly. Much quieter than Dean was used to.
Castiel took one napkin off the top of the stack and set the rest aside. Dean
reached out for the napkin but Cas dodged his grasp easily and scooted closer
towards the couch. With his free hand he grabbed Dean's outstretched wrist and
lowered it, hanging on to it loosely before reaching forward with the hand
holding the napkin and using it to wipe the sauce off Dean's cheek. Dean
swallowed hard at both the contact and the sudden realisation that Cas was
right there, that it would only take a short movement on his part and he could
press his lips against Castiel's.
            No no shit no stop thinking about it stop looking at his mouth no
damn it Dean what are you doing stop stop stop
           His frantic thoughts were interrupted when Cas pulled the napkin
away from his face and dropped it on the table in a crumpled ball. His eyes
never left Dean's and his hand was still holding Dean's wrist.
            "C…Cas…I…" Dean started weakly. Castiel didn't respond for a
moment, but then his grip on Dean's wrist tightened slightly and he leaned
forward, kissing Dean firmly. Dean froze briefly in shock before allowing
himself to relax and return the kiss, surprising himself with how easy it was.
His tongue slid along Cas' lower lip and Cas parted his lips, allowing Dean's
searching tongue to enter his mouth. Dean lifted his hand and ran it once
through Cas' scruffy hair before Cas pulled away slowly, a smile on his face.
They sat there for a moment unmoving, both with satisfied expressions. Dean
found his voice, albeit shaky, first.
            "So…now what?" he asked slowly.
            "I dunno," Cas said quietly before leaning forwards to kiss Dean
again.
                                     *****
            They spent the entirety of the third movie of the series with their
arms wrapped around each other. Anna came home partway through it, but neither
boy noticed. She poked her head into the living room and upon seeing them,
covered her mouth to contain her giggle of joy before running silently to her
bedroom to text Ruby.
            After the movie ended and the credits rolled, Dean and Castiel
stayed curled up together for several minutes before Dean felt his eyes
starting to drift closed.
            "Crap…" he mumbled. "I should probably get going before I fall
asleep…" he said. Castiel sighed.
            "I guess you can't stay?" he asked. Dean shook his head as he
unwrapped his arms from around Cas' torso.
            "I have to be home by eleven…and…I don't think it would be a good
idea for me to stay now, anyway." Cas' face fell.
            "I'm sorry," he said. "I hope I didn't cross a line." Dean shook
his head again.
            "No, it's not that," he said quickly. "I just…what is this, Cas?
What's going on with us?" Castiel shrugged in response.
            "I don't know, Dean," he said. "I like you. You're a deceptively
good kisser," he winked and Dean blushed. "Who would have thought? But even
before I knew you were a good kisser, I knew I liked you. You're smart. You're
funny. You're goddamn gorgeous. And I'm a mess, but for some reason it seems
like maybe you like me, too. So…whatever's going on, I want to give it a shot."
Dean's stomach flipped violently as he listened to Cas' admissions.
            "I…" he paused and took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'd like
that too, Cas. I mean, I guess, if that's where this is going…oh, shit, I don't
know how to do this…" he mumbled the last bit to himself, blushing furiously.
Cas waited patiently as Dean tried to sort out his thoughts.
            "Fuck it," Dean said. "Cas, this is going to sound completely lame,
but I can't think of another way of saying it. I don't really know what I’m
doing. I don't know if this is what you're looking for. But…do you want to be
my boyfriend?" His voice was shaking slightly despite his attempts to sound
confident. Cas grinned.
            "Until now, I've never been able to answer that question like
this," he replied before leaning forward to kiss Dean soundly. It was a long,
slow, lazy kiss, and when they broke apart a few minutes later they both had
wide grins on their faces. Dean's fell slightly when he caught sight of the
clock on the DVD player.
            "I gotta go," he said sadly. "I'm going to miss curfew." Cas slid a
hand down Dean's arm and grabbed his hand.
            "Can I walk you?" he asked, sounding almost shy. Dean grinned and
leaned forward to press a quick, chaste kiss to Cas' lips.
            "I was hoping you'd ask," he said simply before standing up and
walking towards the front door, hand in hand with his boyfriend. 
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
     Minor warning for underage drinking in this chapter.
     Man, getting this done was a bit of an ordeal. But it's done,
     finally! Thanks to Robin, as always, who salvaged it into something
     readable lol.
Winter break began to pass by faster than it ever had before. Two days after
Christmas Dean was sitting on his bed reading when his phone beeped loudly from
the desk.  He reached over and picked it up, a grin splitting his face when he
saw a message from Cas on the screen. He slid his thumb across the bottom of
the display to open it.
            Want to come over for new years? Thinking of having a party.
Nothing major. Sam can   come if you want. Probably just you guys, Anna, and
Ruby.
Dean grinned.
            Sounds good to me. Let me check but I'm sure mom will be glad to
get rid of me for once.
He sent the message then headed downstairs to talk to his mom.
                                     *****
            Four days later, Dean stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom,
running his fingers carefully through his short hair.  Suddenly, Sam threw open
the door.
            "Sam! What if I was taking a leak or something?" Dean asked
angrily.
            "You've been in here for twenty minutes. I knew you weren't on the
toilet, jerk. God, what are you so worried about, anyway? He's already your
boyfriend, it's not like you've got to impress him or something. Get out. I
want to get ready."
            "Oh yeah? Who do you have to get ready for?" Dean asked, his voice
grouchy. Sam's face turned pink.
            "I need to shower, okay? It's not like I'm going to be in here
forever putting on makeup or whatever it is you were doing," he said
defensively. Dean smirked.
            "Yeah, sure…it's Ruby, isn't it?" he asked. Sam's blush darkened.
            "Shut up."
            "I knew it!" Dean crowed. "Watch out, Sammy, Ruby'll eat you alive
if you're not careful…though I guess that's what you're hoping for…" he left
the bathroom laughing.
            "Jerk," Sam muttered again as Dean closed the door on him.
           
            A couple of hours later, they were knocking on Castiel and Anna's
door. Anna swung the door open with a smile on her face.
            "Hi, Dean! Hi Sam," she said, stepping aside to let them in. "C'mon
in! Cas is in the living room and Ruby should be here any time."
            "Hey, Anna," Dean said as he pulled off his shoes. Sam followed
suit and the three teenagers walked towards the living room.
            "By the way Sam, Ruby's super excited that you're here tonight,"
Anna said offhandedly. Dean burst out laughing when Sam started to cough
violently.
            "Hey, you," Cas said, smiling as they walked into the living room.
He stood up and crossed the room to wrap his arms around Dean. "You okay, Sam?"
He asked with a grin after he had hugged Dean tightly. Sam nodded.
            "All I did was mention that Ruby was looking forward to seeing him
tonight," Anna said innocently. Cas grinned.
            "Geez Anna, poor Sam never even had a chance," he said, winking at
Sam. Sam blushed and sank down onto the couch, clearly regretting his decision
to come to the party. Just then, the doorbell rang again.
            "That's Ruby. I'll get it," Anna said, heading towards the front
door while Dean and Cas moved to sit beside Sam on the couch, Cas' arm wrapped
around Dean. They sat in silence for a minute, waiting for Anna and Ruby to
come back. As they sat, Dean felt Cas tense up as his eyes shot towards the
door when there was none of the usual teen girl squealing to be heard.
            "Cas? What's wrong?" he asked nervously. Cas shook his head.
            "Nothing. Wait here. I'll be right back," Cas said as he stood up
and walked down the hallway towards the front door.
            "What in the hell are you doing here?" Dean heard Cas' voice, loud
and irritated, from the front door. He and Sam glanced at each other nervously,
but didn't hear anything else until the front door slammed and Cas, Anna, and a
guy they didn't recognise came into the living room.
            "Looks like we've got an extra party guest tonight," Anna said,
clearly trying to keep her voice cheerful. "Dean, Sam…this is our cousin,
Gabriel."  The boy with the floppy light brown hair grinned.
            "Hey there, boys!" he said enthusiastically. "Nice to meet ya."
Dean sank down slightly into the couch while Sam smiled widely.
            "So, Gabe, what are you doing here, exactly?" Anna asked as Cas
collapsed on the couch beside Dean again. Gabriel shrugged.
            "Like I said. Balthazar had to go out of the country again. Nobody
else could take me, so he dropped me off here and left. I guess he didn't want
to risk you saying no." Cas groaned.
            "Fan-fucking-tastic," he grumbled. "I mean, it's not your fault
Balthazar's an idiot, Gabe, and you're welcome to stay, but, damn, it'd be nice
if your brother would call first or something."
            "Um, Cas?" Dean said quietly. After spending most of his winter
break with Cas, he'd almost completely gotten rid of the nervousness that came
with being around him, but now it was creeping back into his voice. "D'you want
Sam and I to go home? I mean, it seems like things are getting kind of
complicated here..." he mumbled.
            "No way," Cas said definitively. "It's New  Year's Eve and this is
a party. It's not like there isn't room for one more."
            The doorbell rang again, and Anna sprang up from the armchair she'd
been sitting in. Gabriel took advantage of her absence to steal her spot.
            "Okay, this time that has to be Ruby. Be right back!" she said,
dashing down the hallway. This time, the expected squeals of Happy New Year
were quickly heard. In his corner of the couch, Sam sat up a little straighter
while trying to create room between himself and Dean. He brushed a hand through
his hair, trying to get it out of his face. Dean snorted.
            "Be a little more obvious, could you, Sammy?" he muttered. Sam
blushed, his cheeks turning pinker as Anna and Ruby entered the room.
            "Hey Ruby," Dean said as he settled in closer to Cas' side. He knew
Ruby, but not well, mainly through association as Anna's best friend. Sam, of
course, had developed an instant crush on the pretty brunette on his first day
at the high school. Ruby smiled brightly.
            "Hey guys!" she said. Sam edged himself closer to the arm of the
couch, trying to draw attention to the admittedly small gap between himself and
Dean. Ruby smirked and walked over to the couch, settling in between the
brothers.
            "You're Sam, right?" she asked, turning to face him. "Dean's
brother?" Sam's usual cool composure failed him.
            "Uh, yeah, um, hi!" he stammered. Dean rolled his eyes and tried to
stifle a laugh.
                                     *****
            Three hours and several beers later (nobody knew exactly how Cas
had gotten his hands on it and they didn't bother to ask), Sam was passed out
on the floor and everyone else was clustered around the TV loudly watching the
ball drop.
            "5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they all shouted in unison.
Cas was standing behind Dean with his hands on Dean's hips. He turned Dean
around quickly, wrapping his arms around Dean's waist and kissing him solidly
on the lips. Dean grinned as he returned the kiss, lifting his arms to wrap
around Castiel's neck.
            "Happy New Year, babe," Cas said quietly, still sober enough to
regulate his volume. "I'm really glad you're here." Dean nuzzled against Cas'
neck gently.
            "Me too," he said, placing a soft kiss at the join between Cas'
neck and shoulder.
            "Ugh, would you two get a room?" Anna teased. "I don't care what
you get up to but pants stay on in front of me, okay?" Dean blushed and buried
his face in Cas' shoulder.
            "Ahh, shut up, Anna," Cas said without even a hint of anger in his
voice, his hand splayed across Dean's back. He glanced over to the side and saw
Gabriel looking quizzically at Sam sprawled across the floor, one eyebrow
raised.
            "So, who wants to help me get the moose into bed?" he asked. Cas
shot him a glare.
            "Jesus, Gabe, you just met him. And he's drunk. You can't take
advantage of a poor innocent freshman like that." Gabriel glared.
            "First of all, no way is gigantor a freshman. He's like, twice my
size. Second of all, could you have a little faith in me, cuz? Pretty sure
kiddo here is going to be hurting in the morning if he sleeps like that. Well,
more than he's gonna be hurting already," Gabriel added as he remembered how
much Sam had drank.
            "Sam's a freshman, Gabriel," Dean said, not lifting his head from
Cas' shoulder. "He's a year younger than me."
            "What the hell kinda growth hormones did your mother feed him?"
Gabriel asked incredulously. Cas rolled his eyes at his cousin.
            "I'm gonna go pull out the air mattress for you, Gabe, then I'll
help you get Sam onto the couch after I do." He kissed the top of Dean's head.
"Tired?" he asked quietly. Dean nodded. "C'mon," Cas said. Dean lifted his head
and let Cas guide him towards his room. Once there, Dean pulled off his shirt
and dropped it to the floor before collapsing on Cas' bed. Cas swallowed hard
at the sight of Dean lying half-naked in his bed before leaning forward to pull
the black quilt over him.
            "I'll be right back," he said softly as Dean's eyes drifted closed.
Cas moved to the closet to pull out the air mattress - he hadn't deflated it
the last time it had been used, thankfully, he'd been too lazy - and a couple
of spare blankets to bring out to Gabriel and Sam. He disappeared from the room
and entered the living room again. He and Gabriel woke up Sam enough to get him
moved to the couch and covered in a blanket before he fell asleep again. Cas
stuck a trash can beside the couch, having the foresight to assume Sam would
need it in the morning and probably wouldn't make it to the bathroom on the
other side of the house.
            "Behave yourself," Cas hissed at Gabriel. His cousin was a year
younger than he was and although he was a generally decent guy, his flirtatious
ways had gotten him into trouble more than once. Gabriel glared at him.
            "I can occasionally do that on my own, you know," he replied. His
eyes grazed over the sleeping form of Sam as he tossed his own blanket over the
air mattress. Cas rolled his eyes in response as he retreated back to his own
bedroom. He found Dean wrapped around one of his pillows and grinned. Cas
ditched his own shirt, slipped into the bed behind Dean and tugged the boy
tight to his chest, dropping a light kiss to Dean's shoulder.
            "Night Dean. Happy new year," he whispered, feeling so content that
he couldn't even bring himself to hate the cheesiness of the entire situation.
                                     *****
            "I hate everything and want to die," Sam announced, wincing at the
sound of his own voice.
            "That's what happens, Samsquatch. You gotta pace yourself." Gabriel
said cheerfully. He'd unearthed a bag of Starburst candies from somewhere and
was eating them one by one. He tossed a wrapped candy in Sam's direction,
hitting him in the forehead.
            "Eat shit, Gabriel," Sam muttered, turning his head to bury his
face in his arms.
            "Such language!" Gabriel said, voice full of mock-offense.
            "How come you don't feel like crap, anyway?" Sam asked. "You drank
just as much as I did."
            "This ain't exactly my first rodeo, Sammy. Plus, I drank water
before I went to bed."
            "Don't call me that," Sam grumbled before pushing himself upright
on the couch. "Water. That's a good idea," he said as he slowly tried to stand
up. Once he got to his feet, he  wobbled slightly then ran in the direction of
the bathroom rather than the kitchen.  Gabriel smirked before standing up from
his chair and going to the kitchen himself, grabbing a bottle of water and
taking it into the bathroom for Sam.
            Dean woke up slowly, snuggled tightly against Cas.  He opened his
eyes, wincing slightly as the bright sunlight streaming through the window sent
a shot of pain through his throbbing head. He wiggled himself around in Cas'
arms so he could face his boyfriend, and realised Cas was already awake.
            "Morning," Dean said quietly. Cas grinned.
            "Morning," he replied. "How are you feeling?"
            "Head's aching a bit...but I think I'm okay." Cas nodded.
            "Well, that's better than it could have been. Although you weren't
as bad as Sam last night." Dean shot upright when Cas mentioned his brother.
            "Awe crap, Sammy! Is he okay?" Dean asked, pressing his fingers to
his forehead to try and stop the dizziness that had hit him when he'd sat up so
suddenly. Cas rubbed Dean's lower back lightly.
            "He's alright. I heard him puking a few minutes ago, but he'll be
fine. I made sure he got up on the couch and everything last night."  Cas
smirked. "Plus, I think Gabe crashed on the floor right next to him. He'll make
sure Sam's okay." Dean nodded and lay back down.
            "Gabriel seems...interesting," he said cautiously.
            "Gabe's a good guy, really. He's a little out there, but he's a
good guy. I guess I need to figure out the house arrangement today," Cas said,
groaning slightly. "Good thing I can hold my alcohol better than you can," he
said, leaning forward to kiss Dean's forehead.
            "I'd better go check on Sam, maybe try and get him home," Dean
said. Cas nodded.
            "I hope you don't have to go yet...but check on Sam. I'm going to
call Michael." Dean nodded as he climbed slowly out of the bed. Cas smiled as
he watched Dean walk out of the room towards the bathroom and couldn't help
thinking that it was a sight he wouldn't mind seeing again.
                                     *****
            "Okay, okay, I've got it. Yeah, okay. Thanks, Uncle Michael,"
Castiel said with a sigh. He hung up his cell phone and dropped it, falling
backwards onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. He heard a soft knock at the
open door and turned his head.
            "Dean," he said. "You don't have to knock." Dean entered the room
and sat on the edge of the bed beside Cas.
            "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. Cas smiled and reached out to
wrap his hand around Dean's.
            "Looks like Gabe's going to be here awhile. I just got off the
phone with my uncle, Gabriel and Balthazar's dad. He's technically mine and
Anna's legal guardian, actually. He got custody of us after our parents died,
but we never lived with him and rarely see him. He owns this house and puts
money in my bank account every week so that I can get the stuff Anna and I
need. He's some huge executive and spends most of his time in Europe. I'm okay,
though. It's just going to take some getting used to. Apparently he already
knew Gabriel was here. Balthazar couldn't be bothered to call me, but he called
their dad." Dean squeezed his hand lightly.
            "I'm sorry, Cas. You shouldn't have to deal with all that. You're
only seventeen," he said quietly. Cas grinned.
            "Ah, it's okay. I'm used to it by now. It was rough at first; I did
some things I'm not proud of. I guess that's where my reputation comes from,"
Cas smirked.  "But hey, I think it's turning out okay." Dean smiled.
            "Well, you don't have to deal with it all  by yourself anymore," he
said shyly. Cas leaned forward, placing a hand on the back of Dean's head and
kissing him firmly. They broke apart a minute later.
            "So, how's Sam doing?" Cas asked, changing the subject.
            "You were right, Gabriel's watching out for him. He threw up a
couple of times earlier but Gabe's pouring water into him. He seems to be okay.
My, uh, mom's kind of pissed, though. She wasn't expecting us to be here so
late today, I don't think. I've gotta get Sam home." Dean shifted uncomfortably
and stared at his lap. Cas nodded.
            "Sure," he said. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's neck.
            "I really did have fun last night," he said.
            "Me too," Cas agreed.
            "I can't wait until next time."
            "Me neither," Cas smiled.
            Twenty minutes later, Dean and Sam were finally leaving. Sam was
blinking from the harsh sunlight as they walked outside and Dean promised to
call Cas later that evening.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     This chapter contains a small amount of homophobic behaviour from an
     anonymous source.
            Dean didn't see Cas again until the first day of school. He and Sam
had both gotten into a fair bit of trouble for Sam coming home hungover, and
they'd both been grounded for the rest of the break. Dean hadn't really cared -
there was only a couple of days between New Years' and the start of school, and
he spent them sprawled out on his bed, reading and texting with Cas. Dean
suspected the punishment was mostly for show, since his only real restriction
was that he couldn't go out anywhere. Despite that, he got up early on the
first day of school to give himself extra time to get ready. After spending way
too long (as Sam loudly told him when he left the bathroom) on his hair, he
went back to his bedroom to get dressed. He pulled on jeans and a long sleeved
black shirt, pulling a light green button up shirt on over top. After carefully
inspecting his reflection in the mirror and deeming it satisfactory, he walked
downstairs to have breakfast before he left the house with Sam.
                                     *****
            Dean arrived at school early. He checked the parking lot as he
walked towards the building from the bus stop and grinned when he saw Cas
already leaning against his motorcycle. Dean shifted his backpack more evenly
onto his shoulders and sped up slightly as he walked towards Cas.
            "Hey you," Cas said, an easy smile crossing his face as Dean
approached.
            "Hi," Dean said. He glanced around out of habit and, noticing the
parking lot was essentially empty, wrapped his arms around Cas' shoulders in a
tight hug. Cas' arms slid around his waist, hugging him in return and kissing
his jaw softly just below his ear. Dean's face flushed as he stepped back
slightly.
            "You ready for today?" Cas asked. Dean nodded. They'd decided not
to hide their relationship at school, although they weren't planning to flaunt
it either. Cas wrapped his hand around Dean's and they walked towards the
building.
            The morning passed without incident. Anna had grinned widely  at
Dean when she'd come into the classroom, and his first three classes had been a
breeze. When his lunch period arrived, Dean headed to his locker, happy -
though confused - to see Cas leaning against it.
            "Hi," Dean said, smiling. "How'd you get here so fast?" Cas winked
at him.
            "Magic," he said.  Dean raised an eyebrow.
            "Did you even go to third period?" he asked, smirking.
            "The world may never know," Cas deadpanned. Dean shook his head and
laughed.
            "Let's go eat," he said, twisting his fingers into Cas' as they
started to walk towards the cafeteria.
            A few minutes later they were sitting at a table, lunches in front
of them. Dean couldn't stop himself from looking around nervously every few
seconds.
            "You okay, babe?" Cas asked him. Dean's jaw clenched.
            "Yeah," he said, his voice tight. Cas glanced around.
            "You're a liar. What's wrong?" he asked. Dean shook his head.
            "Nothing. Just saw some assholes staring at us as we came in, and I
can't shake the feeling they're still staring." He took a deep breath in an
attempt to steady himself. Cas reached across the table and grabbed Dean's hand
again.
            "Fuck 'em," Cas said. "We're not doing anything wrong. If anyone
gives you crap and I'm not there, tell me." Dean nodded. "I mean it, Dean.
Promise me."
            "I will, Cas. I promise," he said quietly. Just then, Sam, Anna,
and Ruby came up to their table.
            "Mind if we join you boys?" Ruby asked. "We wouldn't want
to...interrupt anything." Dean rolled his eyes.
            "Ruby, we're in the middle of the cafeteria. What could you
possibly be interrupting?" Dean asked. Ruby smirked in response. "Ugh. Just sit
down, would you?" he said irritably.
            "Alright, alright, jeez. Somebody's on edge," Ruby said, sitting in
the chair beside Dean. Sam quickly sat in the open seat next to Ruby and Anna
took a seat across the table, next to Cas.
            "Oh, Cas," Dean said. "I was wondering - is Gabriel around today? I
haven't seen him anywhere." Castiel rolled his eyes.
            "Ugh, there's a whole huge mess with Gabe's schooling. He was in
school when he lived with Balthazar, but it was some weird alternate program
and not everything is transferring properly. He's in meetings all day with the
guidance counselor to try and figure out what he can register in." Dean
grimaced.
            "That sucks." Just as he took a bite of his sandwich, a loud voice
suddenly boomed from behind him.
            "Heyyy, cousins and assorted friends!"
            "Speak of the devil," Cas said as he laughed.
            "Hey now. I'm not that bad," Gabriel said. He moved around the
table and reached over Cas' shoulder, grabbing a small handful of chips from
the bag in front of him before sitting beside Anna.
            "So how are the meetings going, Gabe?" Sam asked. Gabriel shrugged.
            "So far I'm registered in English  and US History, I'm on track for
both of those. I still have to do a progress test or something to figure out
what math class I can register in.  Other than that they haven't really told
me. It's so boring,though. Just constant discussion on what I've done and
never-ending questions. What do you want to do, Gabriel? What do you want to
be? Where do you want to go to college? Ugh. I'm sixteen, I don't freakin'
know!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of skittles, ripping
into it enthusiastically. Sam cringed.
            "Sorry I asked," he said. Gabriel shrugged.
            "I guess it'll be over soon, anyway. I have to go back after lunch
period is over to write the stupid math assessment." As if on cue, the bell
rang, signifying the end of their break. Gabriel groaned. "Well, I guess it's
back to being made to feel guilty that I haven't got my thirties planned out
yet. Catch you guys after school." He stood up, stretched, and left the
cafeteria slowly. The others threw their belongings back in their bags before
standing up themselves and splitting off to go to their respective classes.
Dean and Cas were the last to leave.
            "I guess I should really go to chem, huh?" Cas asked, one side of
his mouth quirking up as he looked at Dean, who looked at him skeptically.
            "Are you seriously asking me that?" he asked. Cas laughed.
            "Nah. I just wanted to see what your expression would be." He
leaned forward to brush a light kiss across Dean's lips, bringing a smile out
of the younger boy. " That means I've gotta go the opposite way from you
though. Text me after school?" Dean nodded in response, squeezing Cas' hand as
they left the cafeteria together before turning to head to their respective
classes.
                                     *****
            The rest of the day passed much slower than Dean had hoped.  He had
to stay late after his English class to review his essay topic with his
teacher, and by the time he was done he was more than ready to go home. He
walked back to his locker slowly, digging his phone out of his pocket to text
Cas. As he slid his thumb across the screen to unlock it, he was shoved hard
from the side. He crashed hard into a locker and fell to the ground. His head
snapped up and he looked around, but he couldn't see who had pushed him.
Assuming they'd run down the adjacent corridor, he straightened his glasses and
stood up slowly, while stretching his limbs to make sure he wasn't hurt.
Satisfied that there was no permanent damage, he glanced around once more to
make sure there was nobody nearby. As he scanned the hall, he noticed a piece
of paper on the ground beside him. He bent down to pick it up. There was one
word scrawled on it.
            Abomination.
Shaking, Dean turned and headed out the nearest door, forgetting entirely about
going to his locker.
                                     *****
            Later that evening, Dean's phone buzzed for the fifth time. He
picked it up and slowly unlocked it again.
            Dean. What's wrong. You aren't answering my texts. I'm worried.
Dean blinked back tears. After what had happened at the school that afternoon,
he hadn't been able to bring himself to text Cas, despite his promise at the
lunch table. He felt badly for making his boyfriend worry, though, so he
finally began to tap out a response.
            I'm ok. Sorry. Just had a bad afternoon.
He sent the message, hoping it would be enough for Cas to stop asking. He'd
noticed a bruise forming on his hip where it had struck the locker earlierand
he was hoping it wouldn't get big enough to spread past the waistband of his
jeans. He rubbed at it gingerly while he waited for Cas' response. His phone
buzzed in his hand.
            Come over?
Dean sighed. He'd expected something like that.
            Can't. School night and it's already 8. I'm okay, Cas. I'm tired
though. I think I'll go to sleep. See you tomorrow?
He swallowed hard as he sent the message, hoping it would deter any further
questions. The next message came very quickly.
            Ok. Don't take the bus tomorrow. I'll walk with you. Night Dean.
            Night Cas.
Dean dropped his phone on his desk with a clatter. Standing up from his bed, he
went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He ran into Sam on the way out of the
bathroom.
            "Dean? Did something happen at school today?" he asked. "I've
hardly seen you at all except for lunch, and you didn't come down for dinner.
Mom made burgers." Dean sighed.
            "Nothing, Sammy. Just not feeling well. I'm going to bed early,
okay?" Sam shot him his best bitchface.
            "Cas is worried too, you know. You're a really bad liar." Dean's
eyes drifted shut for a minute.
            "It's nothing, Sam!" he snapped. "Just drop it, okay?" He pushed
past his younger brother and went back down the hall to his room. He shut the
door with more force than was necessary and dropped himself back on his bed,
trying to avoid putting pressure on his bruised hip.
                                     *****
            Dean woke up late the next morning. He dressed quickly, breathing a
sigh of relief when his jeans fully covered the purple bruise on his hip. He
pulled on a slightly longer than normal top to make sure it would remain
covered and ran down the stairs quickly. As he reached the bottom, there was a
knock at the door.
            "That's Cas," he shouted. "I'll see you later, mom!" He picked up
his backpack and swung it over his shoulders before opening the door.
            "Hey," Cas said, his eyes searching Dean's.
            "Hi Cas," Dean said quietly.
            "You ready to go?" Cas asked. Dean nodded and stepped outside,
closing the door behind him. Cas slipped an arm around Dean's waist, underneath
his backpack, and Dean winced as Cas' hand grazed his bruised hip. Cas stopped
instantly.
            "Dean, what's wrong." It wasn't a question.
            "Nothing Cas, can we just go? I really don't want to be late for
bio, Mrs. Milton is a nightmare when you're late..." he trailed off. Cas stayed
rooted in place, turning his head so that he was looking directly at Dean.
            "Dean, talk to me." Cas said, his voice pleading. Dean felt what he
was sure was all of the air escape from his body as he sagged against Cas'
steady frame and explained what had happened after school the day before.
            "It fucking said WHAT?" Cas raged. "And you didn't see who it was?"
he asked. Dean shook his head slowly.
            "No. I looked but I think they took off down the other hall. I
don't have any idea who it was. I'm sure it was just a one-off, Cas. Let's just
leave it." Cas clenched the hand that was not around Dean's waist (now well
above his injured hip) into a fist.
            "I guess I can't do anything," he grumbled, "since the coward took
off and wouldn't even show their damn face." He pressed a kiss to the top of
Dean's head. "But if I ever find out who it was, they're toast." His voice was
determined as he turned Dean and pulled him into a tight hug. He coughed to
clear his throat before continuing.
            "C'mon. Can't have you late for Mrs. Milton's class." They pulled
apart slightly, still holding hands as they started to walk in the direction of
the school. 
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Notes
     As with the previous chapter, there is a small amount of homophobic
     language and bullying in this chapter.
            The next couple of weeks passed without incident. Dean came and
went to classes as usual, and if he was a little bit more wary of his
surroundings and tried a little harder not to stay late after class, well, that
was his only concession to what had happened. He was determined not to let it
affect him living his life.
            A couple of days before Dean's birthday, he was hanging out at Cas'
house after school. They were lounging sideways on the couch watching a movie.
Dean was sitting in front of Cas and leaning casually against his chest, the
older boy's arms wrapped around his waist.  As the credits started to roll, Cas
kissed the back of Dean's head before speaking.
            "So. What do you want to do for your birthday?" he asked. "You
haven't really said." Dean shrugged.
            "Nothing, I guess. I've never really been a huge party person. Oh,
but my mom wanted me to invite you, Gabriel, and Anna over for dinner. There's
going to be cake." Cas smiled.
            "Sounds great. We'll definitely be there. But c'mon, there's gotta
be something special you want to do. Don't make me get creative, it'll ruin my
rep," Cas joked. Dean tipped his head back to give an upside-down glance at Cas
before grinning.
            "Pretty sure you've already done a good job of that yourself. I
mean, you even go to class sometimes now!" Dean said. Cas laughed.
            "Hmm, good point," he replied before leaning forward to drop a kiss
on Dean's forehead. "Seriously though, Dean. We should do something. Even if we
just go see a movie or something, I want to do something with you for your
birthday." Dean snuggled back into Cas' chest.
            "I'll think about it. I promise," he said. "It won't be until this
weekend anyway, so I've got time, right?" Cas nodded against the top of Dean's
head.
            "Yeah, you've got time," he said.
                                     *****
            Two days later it was Wednesday and also Dean's birthday. He
arrived at school at the usual time and went to his locker. He took a long sip
of coffee before setting his travel mug on the floor and starting to spin out
the combination on his locker. When he opened it, he jumped as a few balloons
drifted out and a large sign reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAN!" had been taped to
the inside of his locker door. He heard laughter behind him as he spun around
to find Sam, Cas, Gabriel, and Anna all standing there.
            "Happy birthday, Dean," Sam said through his giggles. Cas stepped
towards Dean and wrapped his arms around the other boy. Dean buried his face
into Cas' shoulder.
            "I'm going to kill you jerks. How'd you even pull this off?" he
mumbled.
            "Me and Sam made the sign," Anna started with a grin. "Gabe brought
the balloons and got into your locker to set it all up this morning. Sam
watched you open your locker for the combination yesterday. Happy birthday!"
Dean glanced up, face bright red, and noticed a few people looking at the small
group standing around his locker. He pressed his face back into Cas' shoulder.
            "I hate you all," Dean said as he wrapped hsi arms around Cas'
waist. Cas just laughed and hugged him tighter.
            "Yeah, I can tell," he said. "Wanna close up your locker? Should
get you to class." Dean fumbled behind himself blindly before sighing in
frustration and pulling away from Cas reluctantly. He slid his hand along Cas'
hip before grabbing his hand. Dean shut the locker with a hard push and locked
it before picking up his bag and swinging it over one shoulder.
            The rest of the school day passed uneventfully and before Dean knew
it, the final bell was ringing. He clapped his binder shut and stuck it in his
bag. He left the classroom, unsurprised to find Cas already standing outside
the door.
            "Cutting last period again?" Dean teased before leaning forward to
kiss Cas lightly. Cas smiled as he twisted his fingers between Dean's and they
turned to walk out the main doors, heading for the parking lot.
            "Eh, I didn't miss anything," he replied with a wink. Dean rolled
his eyes, grinning widely. 
            "Are you going to come straight over to my place?" he asked.
            "Actually, I've got to head home for a few minutes first. I've got
my bike, and I'm going to walk with Anna to your place so she doesn't have to
walk home alone tonight. Because let's face it, Gabe's not the most reliable
sometimes. Plus, I need to grab something before I come over." Dean nodded as
they stopped next to the aforementioned motorcycle.
            "See you in a little while, then?" he asked.
            "I'll be there in an hour, tops," Castiel said, running a hand over
Dean's hair and kissing him once more before stepping back reluctantly.
            "Can't wait," he said, squeezing Castiel's hand lightly before
turning and walking towards the bus stop.
            "Dean," Cas called from behind him. Dean turned to face him and Cas
walked towards him, putting his hands on Dean's shoulders and kissing him hard.
Dean stiffened slightly in surprise before relaxing into the kiss. Aware of the
fact that they were still in the parking lot, they kept the kiss short.
            "Happy birthday babe," Cas said with a wink. "I'll see you soon."
Dean smiled and licked over his lips once before biting at his lower lip, a
blush rising in his cheeks.
            "See you soon," he said softly before heading to the bus stop for
real this time.
                                     *****
            Dean's bus was late, so he'd been home barely fifteen minutes
before there was a knock at the door.
            "I got it!" he shouted, remembering his mother's earlier words of
"excited to finallymeet this boy," and "he seems to be doing really good things
for you." Dean was determined not to let his mother's over-excitement be the
first thing that greeted Cas at the door. He dashed down the stairs and pulled
open the door, stepping aside to let Anna, Gabriel, and Cas come inside.
            "Hi guys," he said.
            "Hey, Dean!" Gabriel said enthusiastically. "Where's that moose
brother of yours? I've gotta show him something." Dean raised an eyebrow
suspiciously.
            "Upstairs, Gabe. First door on your right." Gabriel kicked off his
shoes and dashed up the stairs, leaving the other three teenagers standing in
an amused silence for a minute. Dean shook his head, a grin on his face, and
turned towards Cas and Anna.
            "So, uh, come on in," he said. He led them into the living room. "I
figured we could watch a movie or something," he said.
            "Sounds good," Cas said, sitting on the floor in front of the couch
and reclining against it while Anna sat on the opposite end from where Cas was
leaning.
            "What do you want to watch?" Dean asked, bending over to inspect
the shelf of DVDs. Cas smirked.
            "This is good," he said. Dean glanced back over his shoulder, a
questioning expression on his face. The teasing expression on Cas' face told
him exactly what he needed to know and he flushed bright red before turning
back to face the shelf again. He adjusted his position so he was crouching
instead, but it left him slightly off balance. He wobbled a bit, tried to reach
out to steady himself, but missed the shelf. He crashed into a sitting
position, and with a sigh fell backward so he was lying flat.
            "Might as well go all out if I'm going to make a fool of myself,"
he groaned. Cas chuckled and crawled towards the younger boy, the teasing
expression on his face softening into one of fondness before he bent down and
kissed Dean's forehead.
            "We'll watch whatever you want, babe. It's your birthday, after
all." He helped Dean sit up and sat beside him while Dean searched through the
movies, finally pulling a random action movie off the shelf.
            "I don't really care, honestly," Dean said as he pushed the DVD
into the player. They moved back towards the couch and Cas settled himself to
lean against it again, spreading his legs slightly so Dean could sit between
them, his back pressed against Cas' chest.
            Sam and Gabriel joined them a few minutes into the movie, and about
an hour later, Mary called to the group from the kitchen.
            "Dinner's ready, everyone." There was a general stampede as five
teenagers headed towards the kitchen, Dean and Cas lingering slightly behind
the others. By the time they got to the kitchen, Sam had introduced Gabriel to
John and Mary, and Anna had re-introduced herself, having met Dean and Sam's
parents the year before. Feeling Dean tense up slightly, Cas squeezed his
fingers gently between his own as they stepped into the kitchen.
            "So, Dean, are you going to introduce us at any point this
evening?" Mary asked lightly, smiling as she finally caught sight of the boy
that had been occupying so much of her oldest son's time.
            "Uh, yeah, sorry. Mom, Dad, this is Castiel. Cas, these are...my
parents," Dean's voice held a note of nervousness that he could neither explain
nor hide.
            "Nice to meet you, Castiel," John said, stepping forward and
extending his hand to shake Cas'. Cas released Dean's hand from his grip and
reached forward to return the gesture.
            "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Winchester," he replied. "You as
well, Mrs. Winchester. Thanks for inviting us over for Dean's birthday dinner."
Mary smiled widely.
            "You can call me Mary, Castiel. And he's John. He's just pretending
to be intimidating right now. We're happy you're here."  Cas smiled and seemed,
for the first time since Dean had met him, to be unable to think of a response.
            Dinner was loud and busy, and it passed quickly with much praise
for Mary's pasta. After they had finished the cake, Sam suggested that they go
play on the Wii. Gabriel and Anna agreed right away and the three scrambled
off, but Dean shrugged.
            " I don't really feel like playing right now." Cas nodded in
agreement.
            "Yeah, me neither."
            "Want to hang out upstairs?"
            "Sure," Cas replied.
            "Dean, your door stays open," Mary said. Dean rolled his eyes.
            "Yes mom," he mumbled, his cheeks turning pink again before he
stood up quickly and headed towards the staircase. Cas grinned sheepishly.
            "Dinner was really good Mrs.- I mean, Mary," he said, nodding
slightly at her before he followed Dean up the stairs to his bedroom.
            A few minutes later, Dean and Cas were on Dean's bed. Cas was
leaning on the headboard and Dean was beside him, his head resting on Cas'
chest and his arm slung over Cas' torso.
            "Your parents are great," Cas said.
            "Yeah, they're alright," Dean replied with a smile. "They're pretty
laid back. I think they're just happy I'm actually being social now." Cas
kissed the top of his head.
            "Hey, I've got something for you," he said, leaning over the side
of the bed. "I snuck it up here when I went to use the bathroom earlier." Dean
glared at him half-seriously.
            "Cas, I told you, you didn't need to get me anything."
            "And I'm pretty sure I told you I didn't care," Cas said teasingly,
tipping his head down to kiss Dean. "It's nothing big. I swear." He handed Dean
a wrapped square, and Dean began to tear the paper off carefully. There was a
CD inside.
            "Bob Dylan?" Dean said.
            "I did tell you I was going to make you listen to him eventually.
You can't listen to Zeppelin all the time," Cas teased. Dean grinned.
            "Thanks, Cas," he said, leaning up to kiss his boyfriend before
setting the CD on the small dresser beside his bed. Turning back to lean on
Cas' chest again, he sat there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of Cas' arms
around him, hands rubbing lightly at his lower back before he reached up to
kiss Cas again. The kiss was more insistent this time as Dean brought a hand up
to the back of Cas' head, swiping his tongue along the other boy's lower lip
and pressing inside when his lips parted. Feeling slightly off balance, Dean
put his free hand on Cas' shoulder for support and shifted his position so that
he was sitting on Cas' lap, using the increased stability to take the
opportunity to deepen the kiss. He smiled against Cas' lips when he felt his
boyfriend's hands tighten their hold on his lower back, pressing him tightly to
Cas' chest. Dean gasped lightly as his hips pressed into Cas' and he broke off
the kiss reluctantly, resting his forehead on Castiel's.
            "Ughh..." he groaned. "Gotta stop now before I can't. Parents.
Door," he mumbled, trying to arrange his thoughts into a coherent order as he
slid off Cas' lap. Cas groaned.
            "Yeah, yeah, you're right. This is a bad idea," he said quietly.
            "Oh no, it's a good idea. A really good idea. Just...a really good
idea for another time," Dean said, his voice full of regret. Cas chuckled.
            "Didn't know you had it in you, Dean," he said, leaning over to
kiss Dean more gently this time. Dean smirked.
            "Bet there's a few things you don't know about me," he said. Cas
grinned broadly.
            "Looks like my boyfriend's not quite the bashful nerd he would seem
to be at first," he said, winking at Dean.
            "Ah, you knew thatalready," Dean said, taking a deep breath in an
attempt to calm his still-racing heart. "How about I put on that CD you got
me?" he asked, rolling off the bed to go to the CD player on his dresser. He
hoped that a minute or two of separation from Cas might help some other parts
of his body to calm down as well.
            That week at school, Cas finally convinced Dean to let him take him
to a movie over the weekend. They decided to go on Saturday night, with Dean
spending the night at Cas' afterwards. His parents hadn't been absolutely
thrilled with the idea, but when he reminded them that he had stayed there on
New Years' without causing trouble, they had reluctantly agreed. Dean was
shoving a few necessities into his bag when Sam came into his room.
            "Jeez, Sam, don't you knock?" Dean asked without much venom behind
his words.
            "Yeah, whatever, Dean. It's not like you're doing anything
important. But look. You've got to tell me about it tomorrow, okay?"
            "About what, Sammy? We're not seeing anything you're interested
in."
            "Not the movie, dumbass. The..." Sam paused for a minute before
dropping his voice to a whisper. "The sex." Dean turned bright red as his head
shot up to look out his unfortunately open door to make sure his parents were
nowhere in earshot.
            "Sam!" he hissed. "You can't just saycrap like that, mom or dad
could hear you! And besides, I don't even know if that'll happen. There willbe
several other people in the house, and even if it does, I'm not spilling the
details to my baby brother! Not like it would help you anyway, in case you
haven't noticed, Ruby's got decidedly different plumbing than Cas." Sam's
cheeks turned slightly pink and he mumbled something Dean couldn't hear.
            "What?" Dean asked.
            "Ruby's going out with some other guy. I like someone else now,
okay?" Sam replied.
            "That was fast. Who is it?" Sam pressed his lips together and shook
his head. Dean grinned. "C'mon, Sammy. You can tell me."
            "You'll laugh." The smile fell from Dean's face.
            "It's pretty serious, huh?" he asked. "Who's got my little brother
so torn up? Oh, God, it's not Anna, is it? Because that might be a little
weird, you dating my boyfriend's sister."
            "Not Anna." Sam replied, the blush in his cheeks darkening. Dean
stopped for a minute to think about who he'd seen Sam hanging out with
recently. Suddenly, the hairbrush in his hand fell to the floor with a clunk.
            "Sam..." he started. Sam's head dropped slightly. "Sam, do you have
a thing for Gabriel?" he asked incredulously.
            "He's really nice, Dean, okay?" Sam burst out suddenly. "And he's
funny and he helps me with my English homework. Plus, he's got like some candy
stash and he always shares with me, even when he won't share with anyone else."
Dean grinned.
            "Sam, chill, okay? I think it's cool. I mean, I'm kinda surprised,
I figured you were just into girls, but come on, you should know you can trust
me on something like this, of all things," he said.
            "Well, I thought I was too, until Gabe. I dunno. It probably won't
even come to anything. He's a junior and I'm just a freshman. Don't tell
anyone, okay?" Sam's voice was pleading.
            "Yeah, of course, Sammy. Not a word, I promise." Dean picked up his
hairbrush from where he'd dropped it and shoved it into his backpack before
doing up the zipper. "Look, I've gotta go. Want me to say hi to Gabriel for
you? I'm sure I'll see him later." Sam blushed.
            "That's okay..." he said.
            "Nah, I will," Dean replied, grinning. "Don't worry. It'll be a
hundred percent casual."
            "Thanks, Dean..." Sam said quietly.
            "Hey, what are brothers for?" Dean asked as he stood up and pulled
his backpack onto his shoulders. "See you in the morning, Sam," he said as he
left the room and ran downstairs.
            A few hours later, Dean and Cas were walking out of the movie
theatre, hands clasped together. They hadn't gotten far from the theatre when 
they heard a loud voice behind them.
            "Hey, assholes!" Cas spun around, instinctively pushing Dean
slightly behind him. A guy Dean vaguely recognised as a member of the school
football team was walking towards them.
            "Got a problem, Billy?" Cas said. "I don't think either of us has
done anything to warrant being called names."
            "You're disgusting, that's what you've done. You're abominations."
Cas stepped towards the boy, who was shorter than Cas but stocky.
            "Was it you that shoved Dean at school, Billy?" he asked in a low
voice.
            "Maybe it was. What're you going to do about it?" Billy taunted.
Dean bit his lip.
            "Cas, don't," he whispered, hoping he was quiet enough not to
provoke Dylan further.
            "Cas, don't,"  Billy mocked. Before Dean knew what was happening,
Cas had pulled his arm back and punched Billy hard in the cheek.
            "You little fucker," Billy said, preparing to punch him back.
Suddenly, a large figure stepped in between the fighting teenagers.
            "Problem, boys?" It was a security guard from the theatre.
            "Not at all, Sir," Cas said with forced politeness. "Billy here was
just leaving my boyfriend and I alone, wasn't he?" Billy glared at him before
walking over to his car, parked at the curb, and drove off.
            "You okay, boy?" The guard asked. Cas swallowed.
            "Fine, thanks. Pretty sure that asshole attacked my boyfriend at
school, and he was being an asshat to us both just now."
            "That's my nephew," the man said.
            Of fucking course.Cas thought to himself as Dean stepped forward to
take his hand again, squeezing it tightly with his own.
            "Sorry I punched your asshole nephew," he said aloud as he squeezed
Dean's hand in return.
            "Sounds to me like he deserved it. He's not gonna bother you
anymore," said the man. He was an older man with a greying beard and a nametag
that read 'Bobby, Head of Security". Cas' mouth dropped open slightly.
            "Um, thanks, Bobby..." he said.
            "No nephew of mine's going to be an intolerant ass. You weren't
doin' anything wrong. I'll knock some sense into him." Dean and Cas both
started laughing nervously.
            "Thank you, sir, really," Dean said. Bobby nodded at him.
            "Enjoy the rest of your night, boys," he said. Dean and Cas turned,
still holding hands, to continue their walk back to Cas' house. The rest of
their trip passed without incident, but Dean had been nervous until they'd
arrived. They locked the door and went into Cas' room without bothering to tell
Anna and Gabriel they were home, collapsing on his bed and holding each other
in silence as they both tried to process what had just happened. 
***** Chapter 8 *****
After the incident at the movie theatre, Dean was left alone at school. The
next few weeks were uneventful, his days filled with school, homework, spending
time with Cas, and making fun of Sam about his massive crush on Gabriel. Sam
was making it too easy, really. Any time they hung out as a group, Sam spent
the majority of the time making big moony eyes at the older boy, hanging on to
his every word. As a responsible older brother, Dean couldn't possibly let that
slide.
As the middle of February approached, Dean knocked on Sam's door one evening
after he'd finished his homework.
“Come in,” Sam called from inside. Dean opened the door and entered, shutting
the door behind him.
“So, Cas tells me Gabriel's birthday is coming up,” he started. “Cas wants to
give him a surprise party.” Sam's face lit up.
“That's a great idea! Gabe told me he's never really had a birthday party
before – he said he wasn't allowed. He'll love a party.”
“I thought you might be on board. So look, here's what we need you to do.
Somehow, Gabe seems to have gotten closer to you than anyone else.” Sam's face
flushed, and Dean grinned. “So, day of the party, you've got to distract him
after school. Get him to help you with English or something.” Sam nodded.
“I can do that. When is it going to be?” he asked.
“A week from Friday. It's a couple of days after his actual birthday, but we
figured it was better not to do it on a school night, that way we can all just
crash at Cas' place and not have to worry about getting up the next day.” Dean
couldn't help but smile at the look of excitement on his brother's face. “What
do you think, little brother? Gonna ask him out?” Sam's face quickly morphed
into an expression of terror.
“No way. No. Way. And you aren't going to tell him. Got it, Dean?” Sam's words
were quick and panicked. Dean raised his hands in an innocent gesture.
“Hey, Sammy, I wasn't gonna say anything. Relax, okay?” Sam eyed him with an
expression of mild distrust. “Not a word, I swear,” Dean said before turning to
leave Sam's room. “I'm gonna crash. I have a test tomorrow,” he said before
opening the door and leaving, closing it quietly behind him.
                                     *****
When the day of the party arrived, Dean pulled Sam aside at lunch.
“Did you figure something out for after school?” he asked. Sam nodded.
“I've got an essay due next week. Gabe's going to help me edit my rough draft.
I made it bad intentionally, so you guys'll have a couple of hours.” Dean
grinned at Sam's response.
“You taking lessons in deviousness from Cas or something?” he asked. Sam smiled
and rolled his eyes.
“Just text me when you guys are ready for Gabe and I, okay?” he said. Dean
nodded and the two split off again as the bell rang, trying not to seem
conspicuous. Dean jogged ahead to catch up with Cas, who was waiting for him
beside the cafeteria doors.
                                     *****
“Samsquatch, I don't get this,” Gabriel laughed. “You've never written anything
this atrocious before. This is a really, really bad essay.” Sam forced an
exaggerated frown and shrugged his shoulders.
“I dunno, Gabe,” he said weakly. “Just...not a big poetry analyst, I guess,” he
said. Gabriel stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He was clearly not buying it.
“Ye-eah...” Gabriel replied, stretching out the word into two syllables. “Sure,
Sam.” Sam was fumbling desperately for a response when his phone buzzed on the
table. He reached for it quickly, making sure he got to it before Gabriel could
see anything on the screen.
Ready when you are.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure he would have cracked if Gabriel had
asked him many more questions about the really terrible first draft he'd
brought to their study session. He wasn't a great liar at the best of times,
and the fact that he kept getting distracted by Gabriel's...well, existence
wasn't helping matters. He slid his phone into his pocket.
“Ugh, I give up for today. C'mon, let's get out of here,” he said, slamming his
binder shut and pulling it off the table to put it in his bag. Unfazed as
always, Gabriel leaned back in his chair.
“Sure, kiddo. You wanna keep hanging out?” he asked. Sam's heart beat a little
faster as he noted (or at least hoped he noted) a touch of hopefulness in
Gabriel's voice.
“Yeah, Gabe, definitely,” he replied, trying to sound casual. “That was Dean
anyway, said he and Cas were gonna have a Star Wars marathon and we should stop
studying and come hang out. And if Dean is saying I should stop studying, you
know he means business,” he joked, encouraging a wide grin out of Gabriel.
“Yeah, alright. Let's get outta here then.” Gabriel pulled a package of
skittles out of his jacket pocket. “Want some?” he asked as he ripped open the
bag and held it out towards Sam. Sam grinned and held out his palm as they
started to walk out of the library.
                                     *****
The walk back to Castiel, Anna, and Gabriel's house from the school passed
quickly, with Sam and Gabriel joking the whole way and Sam hoping that he
wasn't laughing too loudly at Gabriel's jokes or smiling too widely when
Gabriel laughed at his. Sam dropped back a half-step as they walked up to the
front door, waiting for Gabe to open the door and go in first. When he pushed
open the door and stepped inside, he was greeted with a chorus of shouts.
“Surprise!” Anna, Dean, and Cas jumped out in front of the door, and Sam
shouted from behind. Sam could smell pizza, and he noticed a few balloons
scattered around. Dean's doing, he was sure – his older brother had this weird
obsession with balloons. Gabriel spun around, a grin threatening to split his
face in two.
“Sammy, you little shit, you were just trying to keep me away from the house
with that shitty essay!” he laughed and stepped forward, wrapping his arms
around Sam in a hug. Sam grinned and tried not to read too much into it as he
wrapped his arms in return around the shorter boy.
A few hours later, the five teenagers were sprawled across the living room, the
pizza long devoured and an excellent dent made in the beer that Cas had once
again managed to procure for the party. Dean was sitting between Cas' legs on
the floor, lounging against his chest; Anna was curled in the armchair, one arm
looped around her knees, and Sam and Gabriel were seated next to each other on
the couch. Sam glanced down at the bottle in his hand and noticed it was empty.
“Gonna go grab another one. And chips. Hey Gabe, come help me get some chips,”
he said cheerfully. Gabriel grinned and stood up.
“Sure, Samsquatch,” he said, offering his hand to Sam to pull him up from the
couch. Sam placed his hand on Gabriel's palm and grinned as the older boy
wrapped his fingers around Sam's hand, pulling him up and forwards and
squeezing his hand slightly. He tried not to be disappointed when Gabriel
released his hand only a moment after he was upright, not registering that
Gabriel had actually kept hold of his hand for a few beats longer than had been
strictly necessary.
“Anyone else want anything while I'm up?” Sam asked. There was a general mumble
of negative response, the other three still engrossed in Return of the Jedi.
“Alrighty then,” he said, walking towards the kitchen with Gabriel close
behind.
“So Gabriel,” Sam said as they entered the kitchen. “Enjoying your party?”
Gabriel grinned.
“Hell yeah,” he said. “You pull this together, Sammich?” he asked. Sam shook
his head as he bent down to take a large bowl out of the cupboard.
“Nah,” he said, standing up and turning around. “Wish I could take credit for
that smile on your face, though.” Gabriel smirked.
“You flirting with me, Sam?” he asked. Sam's cheeks turned pink instantly as he
realised what he'd said.
“No,” Sam scoffed. “'Course not, Gabe, why would you-” he started. Gabriel
stepped within an inch of him, effectively cutting him off.
“What if I want you to flirt with me?” Gabriel asked, looking up at Sam and
running his index finger down the much taller boy's chest. Sam's breath
stuttered slightly and his mouth dropped open briefly, but before he could
answer, there was a series of loud stomps as Dean entered the kitchen.
“Changed my mind, I need a-” he started, stopping himself suddenly as Gabriel
jumped back from Sam. “Oh,” Dean said. “Never mind. I'll uh...come back in
awhile.” He turned and left the kitchen quickly, but Sam had already turned to
face the counter again, face flushing hot as he dumped the open bag of chips
into the bowl and brushed past Gabriel to head back into the living room.
                                     *****
The next morning was, thankfully, a less hungover affair than the last party
they'd had at the Novak household. Everybody woke up with few complaints other
than minor headaches and, in Sam's case, crippling embarrassment. He spent the
majority of the morning avoiding Gabriel as best as he could.
The group had been up for a couple of hours when Anna decided to go on her
morning run. She left the house with a wave and a promise to be back in an
hour. She'd been gone less than ten minutes when Cas remembered something he'd
wanted to show Dean on his computer and dragged Dean to the other side of the
house. Sam glanced around, positive the panic he felt was radiating from his
eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Maybe Gabriel
didn't remember their conversation the night before. That hope was dashed,
however, when Gabriel sat on the couch directly beside Sam.
“Heya Samsquatch,” he said, his voice much quieter than usual.
“Hi Gabe,” Sam replied, staring at his hands.
“You feeling okay this morning?” Gabriel asked. Sam nodded. “You've just been
kinda avoiding me, ya know, gonna hurt a guy's feelings.” Sam blushed.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to,” he said.
“Sam...” Gabriel said, his voice trailing off as though he was contemplating
his next words. Sam chanced a glance up at Gabriel. He caught Gabriel's hazel
eyes in his own and before he knew what was happening, Gabriel had leaned
forward and pressed his lips to Sam's own. Startled, Sam didn't move, and
Gabriel pulled back.
“Is this okay?” he asked. “I mean, last night, I kind of got the idea we
might've been on the edge of something if your oaf of a nerd brother hadn't
stumbled in. If I'm wrong, tell me and I'll stop right now.” Sam swallowed
hard.
“You...you weren't wrong,” he said. A grin split Gabriel's face as he leaned
forward and ran a hand lightly through Sam's long hair before cupping his cheek
and kissing him almost tenderly, Sam responding more readily this time. He
shifted his position so that he was sideways on the couch, his legs spread
slightly to allow Gabriel somewhere to sit with more stability.
“Good,” Gabriel mumbled against Sam's lips. “I hate being wrong, and God knows
I've been thinking about this since the New Year's party.” Sam's only response
was to slide his arms around Gabriel's waist, pulling him closer.
They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't hear Castiel enter the
living room. When he realised what was happening, he abandoned the idea of
getting his backpack and retreated back to his bedroom, where Dean was waiting
for him.
“Did you get your bag?” Dean asked. Cas shook his head. “What's wrong, babe?
You look kinda shell-shocked,” Dean said.
“Uh, Dean? I dunno how to tell you this...” Cas said. Dean's face paled.
“What's wrong, Cas?” he asked. “Is Sammy okay?” He stood up quickly. Cas rested
a hand lightly on his chest.
“Oh, Sam looked perfectly happy,” Cas said. “He was, uh, making out with
Gabriel on the couch. I didn't want to interrupt them, so I, well, backed out
of the room. Slowly.” Dean chuckled slightly. He'd never seen Cas so stunned.
“So he finally did it,” Dean mused. “Or at least one of them did.” Cas tilted
his head to one side and looked at Dean quizzically. “Sammy's been harbouring a
crush on Gabriel for awhile now. I guess they hit it off pretty fast after Gabe
got here.” Dean shrugged. “I dunno if I'm totally stoked about it, but it's
really only because I don't want Sammy to get hurt,” he said. “I don't care if
he's your cousin, if I see one unhappy look on Sam's face, I'll kill him.” Cas
grinned.
“I'm rubbing off on you, huh?” he asked Dean, reaching out to circle the
younger boy's wrist with his fingers and pull him closer before wrapping his
arms around him. “I believe Gabriel's intentions are good. He really is a good
guy, Dean. He's just not had...a lot of stability, before. You know what his
living arrangements were like. He has that stability now, with us. I mean, I
guess Anna and I aren't exactly a conventional family, but...” he trailed off
and shrugged. “I like to think we do okay.”
Dean smiled at Castiel before leaning forward to drop a light kiss on his
forehead. “You do better than okay. You're amazing. If people only knew,
Cas...” he said. Cas smiled at him.
“Nah, I like it better when people are terrified of me. Makes things easier,”
he replied. Dean shook his head slightly and bent down to kiss Castiel again,
both boys stumbling slightly as Cas pushed Dean towards the bed and sat him
down before sitting himself on his boyfriend's lap.
“I just hope Sammy'll be as happy as I am,” Dean whispered against Cas' lips
before he slipped his tongue into Castiel's mouth, deepening the kiss.


***** Chapter 9 *****
 The weeks flew by and before anyone could believe it, Spring Break had
arrived. The Friday afternoon before it started was sunny and beautiful despite
the predicted rain. Sam, Gabriel, Dean, and Cas decided to go to the park after
school. They collapsed on the grass, all four boys laying on their backs and
staring at the sky.
“So, what d'you feel like doing this week?” Gabriel said finally, breaking the
unusual silence after a couple of minutes.
“Nothing,” Sam said, reaching over to twine his fingers through the older
boy's. “Absolutely nothing. I want to sleep and watch TV and hang out and I
want to do absolutely nothing productive.”
Gabriel grinned. “Sounds good to me, kiddo,” he said.
Sam rolled his eyes. “I hate it when you call me that, Gabe,” he whined as he
squeezed Gabriel's hand. Gabriel laughed.
“I was thinking about starting to arrange my notes from earlier in the semester
to get ready for studying for finals...” Dean said slowly.
“No way. Not happening,” Cas said laughing. He rolled onto his side and leaned
over to kiss Dean. “Sam's plan sounds way better. You're going to relax this
break.” Dean smiled up at him.
“If you insist,” he said. Cas winked.
“You're getting easy to convince as the semester goes on, you know that?” he
laughed. “What happened to the stubborn little nerd who wanted me to leave him
alone so he could study for physics?” Dean grinned at him.
“He got corrupted by this stupidly hot guy, he's got no work ethic anymore,
geez,” he said, laughing as he pulled Cas' head down for another kiss.
“Geez you two, get a room,” Sam said loudly.
“Ah, shut up, Sammy,” Dean said without any actual malice in his voice. “You've
got your boyfriend there, you don't have to be jealous.” They all fell quiet
again for a moment before the silence was broken by the sharp ringtone of Cas'
phone. He groaned and pulled it out of his pocket.
“Ugh, I really have to get this,” he said, sitting upright before sliding his
thumb across the screen to pick up the call. Putting the phone to his ear, he
answered,
“Hi, Uncle Michael. What's up?” Sam, Dean, and Gabriel all shot each other
looks. Cas hadn't heard from Michael since New Years', when Gabriel had shown
up at their door. Dean's stomach rolled as a wave of anxiety washed over him.
He watched his boyfriend's face carefully as he listened to the person on the
other end of the line. Dean saw Cas' expression harden and he moved over to sit
closer to him, cupping his hand around Cas' hip and squeezing lightly.
“No.” Cas' voice was determined. He paused again, obviously listening to a
response, before continuing. “No, Uncle Michael. Things are going really well.
We're all settled and-” he stopped again, clearly cut off. His face grew harder
as he answered once more. “It's not happening. I won't let it,” he said firmly
as he hung up the phone. He looked around at the others, who were staring at
him now with questioning looks on their faces. He just shook his head.
“I...I gotta go. I gotta deal with some stuff, guys. I'll see you at home
later,” he said, looking at Gabriel. Dean assumed Cas knew that he and Sam
would be close behind. Cas stood up and walked away quickly.
“What the fuck is going on?” Dean asked, voicing the question he knew they were
all thinking. He started to stand up, obviously about to chase after Cas, but
Sam grabbed his wrist and held him down, shaking his head. The three boys
looked at each other in confusion before standing up in unison and walking in
the direction of Cas and Gabriel's house. They walked much slower than Cas had,
hoping to allow him the time he clearly needed to sort through his thoughts.
They arrived at the Novak house not too long later. Gabriel opened the door
slowly and they entered quietly. They headed into the living room and found it
empty. Sam and Gabriel sat on the couch, but Dean remained standing.
“I'm going to go see if I can find him,” he said quietly. “You guys wait here?”
Sam and Gabriel nodded, making a comical picture as Sam curled up into his much
smaller boyfriend's side. Dean smirked.
“Stay out of trouble, kids,” he said. Gabriel glared at him.
“I'm older than you, idiot,” he said to Dean's back as Dean left the room,
heading in the direction of Cas' bedroom. When he got there, he tapped lightly
on the door with a single knuckle. When there was no response, he opened the
door slowly to peek inside. Cas was sitting on his bed, his back against the
headboard, staring into space. His phone lay on the bed beside him. Dean
stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“Cas?” he said softly as he moved towards the bed. Cas didn't respond. Dean put
his hands lightly on the bed and crawled onto it, sitting close to Cas and
wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's waist. “Cas, babe, what happened?”
“That was Michael on the phone,” Cas finally replied. “Balthazar's going to be
here in two days. He's taking Gabriel back. I don't know why it's hitting me so
hard. He hasn't been here that long, but...I don't want Michael to take him.
Shit was finally going right for once, you know? I have you, and somehow
Gabriel just fits in with Anna and I, and I'm actually going to graduate this
year, which I never expected with my attendance record, and...it won't be right
if Gabriel's not here.” The words came out in a rush that Dean wasn't
expecting. He wrapped his free arm around Cas' chest, pulling his boyfriend
closer to him.
“Cas, I'm so sorry...” he said. The words felt empty to him, but he didn't know
what else to say. He leaned forwards to kiss Cas gently on the cheek. “We won't
let this happen, Cas. I'm not going to let Michael break you like this. We'll
figure out a way around it, I swear.” Cas wrapped his arms around Dean, tugging
the younger boy onto his lap and holding him tightly.
“Thanks, Dean,” he said, his voice rougher than usual. Dean snuggled into Cas'
chest, placing small kisses from his collarbone up along his neck and jaw. Cas
smirked slightly. “Keep that up and you'll certainly distract me, if nothing
else,” he said. Dean grinned.
“Why, Castiel,” he said in a mock-shocked voice. “Are you insinuating you'd
like to infringe upon my virtue?” Cas snorted as he began to laugh.
“You,” he said, kissing Dean hard, “are the weirdest little shit I have ever
met.” He crushed his lips to Dean's again, kissing him deeply before resting
his forehead on Dean's. “And I love you.” Dean's eyes shot open and he
swallowed hard as he moved his gaze to meet Cas'. Cas' eyes didn't waver, but
he chewed on his lip nervously. Dean leaned forward to kiss Cas softly, working
the other boy's lower lip out from between his teeth.
“I love you too,” he whispered as he pulled back slightly. “And we'll get
through this. I promise. But...” Dean paused, reluctant to continue. “We should
tell Gabriel and Sam what's going on. They deserve to know.” Cas nodded.
“In a few minutes?” he asked, bright blue eyes looking hopefully at Dean. Dean
grinned.
“I can't resist that look and you know it. Yeah, we'll go talk to them in a few
minutes,” he replied, twining his fingers in Castiel's hair as he kissed him
again.
                                     *****
“No he fucking won't!” Gabriel shouted.
“I know, Gabriel. Okay? I know. We are going to do everything we can. We don't
want you to go,” Castiel said, squeezing Dean's hand tightly. For all of Cas'
tough exterior, Dean knew he still didn't deal well with people yelling at him,
even if he knew logically that they weren't angry at him specifically. Sam's
face was pressed into Gabriel's hair as he held his boyfriend tightly. He
kissed the top of Gabriel's head and the angry expression on Gabriel's face
faded until he simply looked upset and scared. To everyone's shock, his eyes
filled with tears.
“I'm happy for the first time since I can remember, Cas. I've got Sammy,” he
said, nuzzling against Sam's shoulder, “I'm fucking rocking at school, which I
never thought I could do since Balthazar moved me around so much that I was
always homeschooled or whatever, and I just...” his voice broke as he trailed
off. “I like it here.” Cas nodded.
“I know, Gabe. I'm going to try calling Michael again, and if it doesn't work
I'm going to fight Balthazar on it when he gets here. He's not getting you
without a fight. Okay?” Gabriel nodded.
“Thanks, Cas,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Cas let out a deep breath. “Anytime, Gabe. You're stuck with us now,” he said.
“I'm gonna go call Michael.”
“You want me to come sit with you?” Dean asked, squeezing his hand.
“Do you mind?” Cas asked him.
Dean shot him a half-hearted glare. “Clearly,” he said, sarcasm dripping from
his voice.
Cas grinned. “Okay, okay, dumb question,” he said as they turned to leave the
room, heading back towards Cas' bedroom where they could be guaranteed quiet.
Just as they arrived at the doorway to the living room, Cas glanced back. “Hey,
Gabe? If Anna gets back before I'm done talking to Michael, fill her in, okay?
She was hanging with Ruby but I think she said she'd be home around dinner so
she'll probably be here soon.” Gabriel nodded.
“Yeah, will do. Thanks, Cas,” he said again.
                                     *****
“Uncle Michael, please, listen to me,” Cas said desperately into the phone.
He'd been talking to his legal guardian for twenty minutes already, and Michael
didn't seem keen on listening to Cas' argument. Cas paused, clearly listening
to his uncle speak.
“Yes, I know I wasn't too happy when he first got here. But it's working out
really well. Call Balthazar. Call him off. Please. Gabriel's happy here, and
he's doing amazing in school and everything. Being here is good for him,” Cas
pleaded. He waited for a moment before his face contorted in anger and he threw
his phone to the bed.
“The fucker hung up on me!” Cas exclaimed. Dean shifted instantly, tugging Cas
into his lap and holding him close. “Damn it, Dean, I just want him to listen
to me,” he said, his voice ragged.
“I know, baby,” Dean said, rubbing Cas' back. “We'll keep fighting this until
the absolute end, okay? I'm here.” Cas clung to him, feeling more helpless in
Dean's arms than Dean could ever remember. They sat like that for several
minutes, holding each other tightly.
When Cas finally began to relax, he leaned over and picked up his phone. “I've
got one last idea,” he said. He tapped quickly at the screen. From his position
directly behind Cas, Dean could see him typing out a text message.
Balthazar. Don't come. Please. I'm begging you. -Cas.
With a last sigh of defeat, Cas dropped his phone to the bed and turned to kiss
Dean again.
“That's my last hope,” he said. “I guess we'll see if I've appealed to
Balthazar's last scrap of humanity.” Dean's only response was to run his hands
slowly along Cas' back as he kissed him hard, his tongue slipping lightly along
Cas' lips.
                                     *****
The next two days passed more quickly than any of the Winchesters or Novaks
were comfortable with. The boys were inseparable, save for one night when Mary
insisted Dean and Sam come home for the night. Gabriel made no move to pack any
of his things, insisting that Balthazar would have to drag him from the house
kicking and screaming if he wanted him to go. Anna had spent most of the
weekend fluttering around anxiously, making a concerted effort to take care of
the four boys who were refusing to take proper care of themselves. The day
Balthazar was set to arrive, the minutes began to drag as they all started to
stare at the clock anxiously. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, there was
a loud knock at the door. Castiel swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
“I'll get it,” he said. Dean jumped up.
“I'm coming with you. You're not doing this alone,” he said. Cas stood up
slowly and looked at Dean with a half smile on his face. He looked for a moment
like he wanted to protest, but he didn't.
“Thanks, babe,” he said quietly. Dean took his hand and squeezed it as they
walked towards the door. When they reached it, Cas swallowed again and reached
out to open it.
“Cassie!” The blonde man at the door greeted him enthusiastically, arms spread
wide.
“Hello, Balthazar,” Castiel said formally.
“Why so serious, little cousin?” Balthazar asked. “And who's this?” he added,
looking at Dean. “Did Cassie finally get his little nerd boyfriend he'd been
pining over for a year? I didn't think it possible.” Castiel flushed slightly
and glared at the older man.
“Shut up, Balthazar,” he spat. “You're not taking Gabriel. I won't let you.”
Balthazar's forehead furrowed in confusion.
“Gabri-” he started. “Oh, Cassie, no wonder you're so unhappy to see me. I must
have forgotten to reply to that text message you sent me,” he said, a smirk
crossing his face. “I really don't care what we do with Gabriel, to be honest
with you, I was only picking him up under Michael's orders. If you want him to
stay here, it's all the better for me, really. I won't tell Michael if you
won't. I've simply got a few of Gabriel's things here,” he said, gesturing
behind him at a bag sitting on the step. Castiel's eyes narrowed.
“You ass. You knew you hadn't replied, you knew what I would think when you got
here, you absolute-” He stopped when Dean looked at him.
“Cas, babe, whatever. He's an ass but we're getting Gabriel. Let's just take
the bag and then Balthazar can get lost, okay?” Dean said quietly, shooting a
glare at Balthazar when he was done. Balthazar winked at him and Dean rolled
his eyes. Balthazar bent down and picked up the bag from the step, tossing it
towards Cas. It landed with a thump at Cas' feet.
“Lovely talking to you cousin, we must do it again soon,” Balthazar said before
turning and sweeping down the stairs, walking towards a taxi waiting at the
curb. Dean kicked the bag out of the way of the door and shut it quickly. When
it was closed fully, Castiel sagged backwards against it and pulled Dean to
him.
“I can't believe that fucker's nerve,” he mumbled into Dean's shoulder “He is
such an absolute asshole.”
“Yeah Cas. I know. But hey. It's okay now. He's gone, and Gabriel's still here,
and Jesus we need to go tell him and Sam and Anna!” Dean said, laughing. “You
did it, Cas. You kept him here. It was all you,” he said, kissing Cas briefly.
Cas looked at him, his blue eyes brightening as he smiled.
“Only because of you,” he said quietly as he kissed Dean again before threading
their fingers together. Dean blushed and tugged on Cas' hand, pulling him
towards the living room to tell the others the good news. 
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update this. I had midterms and
     then some health problems and I wasn't able to write, but here it is,
     finally finished! I hope you've enjoyed this, thanks for sticking
     around!
The year continued on. In April, posters advertising the senior prom started to
go up around the school. Dean eyed them warily. He didn't have a problem with
prom exactly – although he wasn't sure if Cas wanted to go, Dean was kind of
hoping he did – but the posters were a stark reminder that the end of the year
was coming up and that, after summer vacation, Cas would be going to college.
He'd managed to send late applications to a few schools, at Dean's
encouragement, and had already received preliminary acceptance (pending his
final grades) to at least one of them. Dean knew that September was still
several months away, but things were finally going smoothly for them. He was
dreading being apart from him when Cas inevitably went out of town for college
while Dean was stuck at home, finishing high school. He tried to keep the
thought shoved to the back of his mind as much as he could, but every so often
it surfaced, rendering him totally miserable.
They were doing homework in Cas' room one day when the subject of prom finally
came up. Cas was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard reading, and
Dean was lying on his stomach on the floor working on algebra problems when he
heard a slight thump as Cas dropped his textbook to the bed. When Dean glanced
up, Cas had rolled to his stomach, his head peeking over the edge of the bed.
“Are you done your book already?” Dean asked him before turning back to his
algebra problems.
“Nope,” Cas replied, not moving from where he lay.
Dean shot him a slightly amused look. “Mmkay... So how do you plan on passing
English?” He asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose.
“Good looks, charm, and a healthy dose of bullshit?” Cas offered lightly. Dean
laughed. “C'mon, Dean. We've been working all afternoon,” Cas whined. “We can
take a break for a while.”
Dean tossed his pencil down onto his binder and sat up, swivelling around to
face the bed. “Oh? And what'd you have in mind? Better be something good if
you're interrupting my absolutely riveting algebra homework,” he winked.
Cas reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging on it a bit awkwardly. “Come
here, I'll tell you all about my plan,” he said, laughing. Dean stood up and
stepped towards the bed as Cas sat upright. Suddenly, Cas tugged sharply on
Dean's hand and Dean tumbled forward, landing on Cas who fell onto his back,
laughing even more. He slid his hands up Dean's back and placed one of them on
the back of the younger boy's head, tugging him down so that he could kiss him.
“You jerk,” Dean mumbled against Cas' lips with a smile on his face.
“You love it,” Cas said, kissing him hard. Dean just kissed him back in
response, sliding his tongue in between Castiel's lips. They kissed lazily for
a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of their lips on the other's and their
hands sliding over each other's bodies. Cas' lips trailed along Dean's jaw and
down his neck, and he bit and sucked at Dean's pulse point. Dean moaned softly
and ground his hips down against Castiel's, causing Cas to chuckle and slide
one hand down to cup Dean's ass.
“You like that too, huh?” Cas asked, his breath hot against Dean's ear. He
licked quickly at Dean's earlobe before kissing down his jaw again, his lips
finding Dean's as they kissed more intensely. Dean rolled his hips against
Castiel's, his erection steadily growing in his jeans and rubbing against Cas'
thigh. “Take that as a yes,” Cas muttered. He held Dean tight and braced his
feet against the bed, leveraging them around so Dean's head was on the pillow
and Cas was leaning over him, one knee on either side of Dean's hips. He bent
down and kissed Dean softly, his lips just brushing Dean's. He lifted one hand
and swept it lightly over Dean's cheek.
“Hey... Open your eyes Dean,” he said quietly. When Dean's eyes fluttered open,
Cas rest his forehead lightly against the younger boy's. “You sure about this?”
He asked, looking straight into Dean's eyes. Dean responded by reaching up to
cup Castiel's ass, pulling him down to press their hips flush against each
other.
“God, yes,” Dean said in a half-whine. Cas smirked and chuckled softly, easing
his hips back up and sliding one hand down Dean's chest and over his waist to
cup his erection through his jeans. Dean gasped and bucked his hips upward
against Cas' palm. Cas slid his hand over to Dean's hip and held him down to
the bed lightly.
“Easy, baby,” he said, smiling down at Dean as he bent his head and kissed him
again. Cas sat back on his knees and tugged off his own shirt before leaning
forward and pulling Dean up slightly so his shirt could also be removed. Cas
tossed both shirts to the side and lay Dean back down, running his hands
lightly over Dean's chest. “Jesus, you're hot,” Cas murmured, running his
fingertips over Dean's nipples and eliciting a shudder out of him.
“Says you,” Dean said, trying to reach forward to touch Cas, who was just out
of reach. His fingertips could only graze over Cas' stomach, but it was enough
to send sparks of pleasure straight to Cas' cock. Cas' hands continued their
exploration of Dean's chest before sliding down Dean's stomach to flick open
the button on his jeans. Cas bent down to kiss Dean's belly button softly
before circling it once with his tongue and then dragging his tongue slowly
downwards. He teased it over the patch of skin that was now exposed above
Dean's boxers where the button of his jeans was open. Dean let out a soft moan,
which was all the encouragement Cas needed. He moved his hands to Dean's hips
and hooked his fingers over the waistband of Dean's jeans, tugging them down
over his hips and legs and tossing them to the side. Straddling Dean's thighs
again, Cas stopped for a moment to stare at his boyfriend. He ran his hands
over Dean's thighs, scratching his nails over the sensitive skin on Dean's
inner thighs before leaning down and kissing along the waistband of Dean's
boxers. Dean whimpered as Castiel's lips moved slowly lower, beginning to mouth
at Dean's cock through the soft blue cotton.
“Cas, please,” Dean moaned, moving his hands to his own hips to try and shove
his boxers out of the way. Cas smiled against him and gave in, lifting his
mouth from Dean for a moment to tug the boxers out of the way before bending
down again and placing a soft, almost chaste kiss to Dean's shaft. Dean
whimpered at the feeling of Cas' slightly chapped lips brushing against his
erection. Cas kissed slowly along Dean's cock before licking a slow stripe
along the underside from base to tip, then swiping his tongue over the tip to
collect the precome that was already collecting there. Dean moaned, loudly this
time, as Cas wrapped his lips around the tip of Dean's cock and began to slide
down it slowly, working around it with his tongue. He pressed his fingertips
into Dean's thighs, revelling in the feeling of Dean tensing beneath him and
thrusting his hips hard against the bed to try and get some friction, anything,
against his own straining erection.
“Cas, god, you feel so good,” Dean moaned, gasping as Cas began to suck hard,
his cheeks hollowing as he moved along Dean's cock. “Cas...Cas!” He shouted,
taken by surprise as his orgasm overwhelmed him and he came hard into Cas'
mouth, shaking. Cas swallowed, licking slowly and gently over Dean's cock to
clean up the few drops of come that he'd missed before sliding up Dean's body
and laying beside him, pulling Dean into his arms.
“I'm sorry,” Dean whispered as his trembling subsided. Cas looked at him in
disbelief.
“For what?” He asked.
“For....” Dean paused as his cheeks reddened, clearly embarrassed. “For coming
so fast.”
Cas' face softened as he ran a hand over Dean's hair. “Dean, you don't have to
apologise for that,” he said, leaning over to kiss Dean softly before
continuing. “It was your first time, babe. It's expected. God, you lasted
longer than I did my first time. I came in my pants for fucks' sakes,” Cas
said, chuckling at the memory. Dean smiled weakly, clearly still embarrassed,
but his smile grew stronger as he leaned over to kiss Cas, his slightly shaky
hands coming up to stroke over his boyfriend's shoulders and arms before
resting on his hips. He slid his fingertips underneath the waistband of Cas'
jeans, running his fingertips along Cas' hipbones.
“Dean, you don't have to...” Cas said, not wanting Dean to think that he was
expecting anything in return.
Dean looked up from watching his fingers tracing over Cas' hipbones. “But can
I?” he asked softly. Cas nodded and Dean wasted no time in ridding the other
boy of his jeans and boxers, staring in awe once he was fully naked.
“What?” Cas asked, laughing nervously.
“You're beautiful,” Dean said honestly, his eyes locking with Cas' as he
wrapped his hand around Castiel's cock and began to slowly stroke it from base
to tip. Cas hissed as Dean began to vary the pressure, occasionally twisting
his wrist slightly as he reached the tip of Cas' cock.
“Dean,” Cas whimpered as pleasure shot through him. Dean released Cas' cock
briefly so that he could turn around and lean against the headboard of Cas'
bed, tugging his boyfriend into a sitting position between his legs and
wrapping his arms around Cas' waist to take hold of him again. His strokes were
faster this time, encouraged by Castiel's moans and whimpers. Dean rest his
chin just behind Cas' shoulder so that he could watch while placing soft kisses
to the spot where it met his neck.
“Tighter, Dean, please,” Cas moaned. “Just a little...” Dean tightened his grip
around Cas' cock and kept up his speed, bringing his other hand down over Cas'
hip to stroke a finger lightly over his balls. Cas gasped and Dean did it
again.
“Dean, fuck, baby, I'm...” Cas moaned as he came, spilling over Dean's fist and
his own stomach. Dean kept stroking him and kissing his neck through his
orgasm, only slowing down slightly. When Cas sagged against him, finished, Dean
kissed him one last time and held him tightly around the waist with one hand
while bringing the hand that had been on Cas' cock slowly to his mouth and
flicking out his tongue to taste the milky white liquid on his fingers. When he
slipped a finger into his mouth, licking it clean, Cas moaned again.
“Jesus, baby, you trying to get me going again already?” He said, laughing
slightly. Dean pulled his finger from his mouth with a wet pop and bit at
Castiel's neck.
“You got to taste, why don't I?” Dean asked, smiling as he continued to lick
his fingers clean. Cas twisted around to kiss the corner of Dean's mouth.
Sweaty, sticky, and extremely satiated, the two boys sank down lower on the bed
until they were laying on the pillows, wrapped in each other's arms.
“I love you,” Dean said, one finger tracing slow patterns over Cas' chest.
“I love you too,” Cas said, his voice slightly distant, as though he was
thinking about something else. “Dean?” he asked.
“Mmhmm?” Dean replied drowsily
“D'you....” Cas started, seeming nervous. “I never thought in a million years
I'd ask this, but do you want to go to prom with me?”
Dean's eyes snapped open as he looked up at Castiel. “You want to go?” He asked
in disbelief.
“I didn't think I did, but...yeah. Only if you'll go with me though. We can
bring younger students as our dates, and I just think I want to experience it.
With you. Come with me?”
Dean grinned and nodded. “Yeah, Cas. Of course I want to go to prom with you.”
Cas' face split into a wide grin and he leaned down and kissed Dean hard before
tugging him in tightly to his chest again. Limbs wrapped around each other,
they fell asleep.
                                     *****
April faded into May and May into June, and before anyone could believe it the
end of the school year arrived. Finals were stressed over and written, and then
it was time for prom. The night of the dance, Dean was in his room, struggling
to get his tie on correctly.
“Ugh, stupid thing!” He shouted, kicking at the wall as he glared at his
reflection in the mirror. There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he sighed.
Sam opened the door. “Want some help?”
Dean rolled his eyes. “What, you think you can make sense of this stupid
thing?” He grumbled. Sam lifted his hands to Dean's neck and tied the knot
quickly and easily. Dean stared at his younger brother in disbelief. “Where'd
you learn how to do that?”
“Youtube,” Sam answered simply.
“Nerd,” Dean said.
“You're one to talk,” Sam retorted. Dean grinned as he reached over to the end
of his bed to pick up his suit jacket and pull it on.
“So...how do I look?” He asked nervously.
“You look great, Dean. That tie was a good choice. Cas isn't going to know what
to do with himself when he sees you.” Dean fingered the tie, a dark green one
that his mom had said “set off his eyes,” whatever that meant, just as the
doorbell rang. He grinned.
“That's Cas,” he said, heading out of his bedroom to answer the door. He pulled
it open and found Cas standing there, with Anna and Gabriel behind him bouncing
excitedly. Dean froze as he took in his boyfriend's appearance, his jaw
dropping slightly.
“Hey,” Cas said, his voice slightly rougher than usual. “You look great,” he
said quietly.
“Cas, you look fucking amazing,” Dean said quietly, taking in Cas' simple black
suit and blue-grey tie. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Cas'
waist, hugging him tightly. “C'mon in. I think my mom wants to take about a
million pictures before we leave,” he said, rolling his eyes. Cas grinned and
Dean stepped back, letting Cas and the others in.
A couple of hours later, dinner was over and the dancing had begun. Dean and
Cas were mostly sitting in their seats, holding hands and talking, but Dean
couldn't resist tugging Cas up to dance when You Found Me by The Fray came on.
“I know it's lame,” he whispered in Cas' ear, “but humour me?” Cas grinned at
him as he wrapped his arms around Dean's waist.
“You're lucky you're cute,” he said, kissing Dean softly. Dean just grinned and
pulled Cas closer in response.
Two days after prom was the convocation ceremony. Dean sat as close to the
front as he could, with Gabriel and Anna flanking him. When Cas' name was
called, the three of them started whooping and cheering, causing a commotion
above the rustle of contained applause around them. After taking his diploma,
Cas looked out at them, grinning widely, and moved the tassel on his cap to the
other side. The three sat impatiently through the rest of the ceremony,
grateful that the graduating class wasn't particularly big. When it finally
ended and the new graduates filed off the stage and into the lobby, Dean was
leading the pack of people storming the doors to meet them. He found Cas
quickly and wrapped his arms around him, kissing him enthusiastically.
“Congratulations babe. I knew you could do it. I knew it,” he said, nuzzling
against Cas' neck.
“I didn't,” Cas said. “Not until you came along and kicked me into shape.” Dean
blushed and shook his head. Just then, Anna and Gabriel caught up to them from
behind.
“Get outta the way so I can hug my brother, Dean,” Anna laughed. Dean complied,
grinning, and Anna wrapped her arms around Castiel. Gabriel jumped behind her
and attempted to wrap his arms around both of them, squeezing tightly and
causing all four of them to laugh.
After Cas returned the graduation gown to the gym, he met up again with Dean
who was leaning against the wall just outside the gym door.
“You ready to go for lunch?” Dean asked him. He'd told Cas he wanted to take
him out for lunch to celebrate his graduation. Cas nodded enthusiastically and
they left the school, fingers intertwined as they walked to their favourite
diner.
Half an hour later, burgers and fries in front of them, Cas noticed Dean
staring at his food slightly wistfully as he dragged a french fry through a
puddle of ketchup.
“What's wrong, Dean?” He asked in concern.
“Nothing,” Dean said quickly, his head snapping up and a smile coming to his
face. “So what do you want to do this summer?” He asked.
“Don't change the subject, Dean. C'mon. I can see something's bugging you.”
Dean sighed. “It's your graduation day, Cas. I don't want to bring it up.”
Cas rolled his eyes. “You're not. I am. I'm graduated, I'm done. Come on.
What's wrong?”
Dean bit his lip and thought out his words carefully before he began to speak.
“I'm just...I can't stop thinking about how much I'm going to miss you this
fall,” he said quietly. “I'm so proud of you for getting into college but I
just...I'm going to miss you.”
Cas reached forward and took Dean's hand from across the table. “Dean, look at
me,” he said. Dean's eyes lifted slowly. “You don't have to miss me.”
Dean's eyes narrowed in confusion. “Why not?” he asked.
Cas grinned. “I accepted the offer I was given, it's true. But I deferred my
attendance for a year. I didn't want to be apart from you for two years. So, I
deferred for a year. I'll work, save up some money, and next year...I dunno.
Maybe I'll go. Maybe I'll find something better close to home.” He stroked his
thumb over the back of Dean's hand. “I've only just gotten you, really. You
think I was going to be pulled away from you that easily?”
Dean's eyes filled with tears that he scrubbed away quickly with his free hand,
embarrassed. “You deferred going to college...for me?” He asked incredulously.
“Baby, until you, I didn't even think I had a chance at college,” Cas said
quietly. “I couldn't bear the thought of being there without you.” Dean bit his
lip to fight back the tears that were pricking at his eyes again and swallowed
hard before picking up a french fry and popping it into his mouth, chewing
furiously.
“Thank you,” was all he could think to say after he swallowed, his voice low.
Cas chuckled and leaned over the small table to kiss him softly. When he sat
back down, he released Dean's hand and they both began to eat. Dean sighed
happily, suddenly eager for the summer to bring on all it could. 
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!