Pairings: WAAAYpre- Castiel/Dean. So it's all friendship okay… still.

Rating: PG-13 / K+

Words Count: 3200 or so.

Spoilers: AU so no.

Summary: A year after.

Notes/Warnings: In my mind the Winchester's house is just how it looked like in the 2.20 - What Is and What Should Never Be. Unbeta'ed.

Thursday, February 14th 2013. Sioux Fall Elementary – First Grade, after school.

"I hate you, Cas!" spat Dean full of hurt, holding his tear back.

"Dean, wait!" But Dean won't hear any of it. He already ran away through the school's gate back to home. "…please?"

SPNSPNSPN

Mary Winchester was humming to herself while arranging beautiful flowers which she just freshly picked from their front garden unto the vas. She almost dropped the vas in scared when Dean rudely slammed the kitchen's side door shut on his way in. Words of reprimand already built in her open mouth, but one look on Dean's rarely distraught face held her action. She watched him threw his bag on the table and sat tersely in a way that Mary fluently translated as Dean's way of holding back a cry.

"Hey Honey, nice to see you too. How's your day?"

As if been pull back from another world, Dean jerked his head to really saw his mother and realized her presence. "Uh, sorry Mom. It… it's good." answered Dean, averted his head not daring to see Mary on the eyes.

Mary sighed. "I'll be honest with you, and I hope you do so too. 'Good' is not what I see."

Dean didn't make any response. He just sat there looking down to his fingers wrinkling his pants' fabric.

She softly moved to sat across Dean, "Was it really something I may not know?"

"Uuh… Not exactly."

"Then, what's holding you?"

After a more moment that Mary patiently gave Dean to not said anything, he lifted his head, "I, I had a fight with Cas."

On Dean's glassy green eyes, she could see hurt, anger and feeling of been betrayed. But underneath them all she could see pain. Pain of – no matter the reasons – a fight with Castiel itself always saddened Dean more than anything. He totally loathed it.

"Why?"

"He, He broke our promise!" Dean finally broke. The last word had been said with higher and broken pitch of voice. Tears ran down freely on Dean's freckled cheeks, but Mary couldn't see it with how Dean hastily buried his face in his crossed arms on the table.

She gave her boy another time to let himself go, lovingly caressed his golden hair while his body shook with sobs and wail. She lost track of the time. Maybe 10 minutes had passed, maybe less, maybe more. At last Dean calmed himself, the wail gone, the sobs become far apart, his body still shook but in gentler way, only some hiccups remain.

Another minute then Dean once again lifted his head, ashamed and furiously rubbed his tear track cheeks and eyes. But Mary already ready with softer piece of kerchief, stopped Dean's hands and rubbed his face with more care.

When she thought that Dean had calmed enough that it saved to continue the conversation, she asked "Which promise?"

Really. She didn't need to asked 'what' instead of 'which', because apparently the pair of best friend had a lot of their not-so-secret little promises which interestingly both of them always hold their end of the deal. Well… until now it seemed.

"That he will come and watched my softball match last Sunday." Ah. She got it now. "But he didn't! He didn't even go to school for the last three days, Monday to Wednesday. He didn't even call!" Well, the sadness did pass by his early crying, but apparently the pent up of anger and betrayed had left behind just need to be out too by his rant. Mary couldn't help herself but smile; that regrettably Dean saw. "Why are you smiling? This is not funny, Mom!"

Oops big mistake there, "I know honey, I know." She quickly held his arm, tapped and rubbed it gently to placate him. No need to make him more upset than needed when she knew it was all just misunderstanding… or miscommunication; dealer's choice. "But did you ever wonder why he did that? There had to be a reason, right?"

"I'm, I'm afraid he's trying to avoided me." the little blond head was once again faced down.

"C'mon. You're not really making yourself to believe that, are you? With how you two going, I completely couldn't see he had any reason to avoided you. Beside think about this, will his parent let him not went to school for 3 days just to avoid someone?" She held his chin to raise his head, looking at him in the eyes again.

Dean's eyes shifted around before he decided, "No …and no. But why then?"

"Did you asked him that yourself?"

"Er… no. Actually today, he's back at school but I'm the one who avoiding him. Because I'm…" guilt started shining through the green eyes.

"So you didn't give him even a bit of chance to explain himself? You didn't try to listen at all?"

Dean, wait! ...please?

"N,no. Mom, I…" Dean's eyes get wider and wider by his sad comprehension. "Oh Mom, what had I done?"

"I got it honey. You were hurt, you tried to defense yourself and let your emotions got the better hold of yourself, which is something I want you to learn to control it, okay?" She moved her hand that was holding his chin to stroke his hair then to hold his hand.

"He was sick, you know." He didn't ask, but Mary felt that she needed to tell him that. If only she realized more quickly that since his match Dean had a sour mood and related it to Cas' absence, so she could tried to find out what happened more faster. But Fate said different things, she just hope this experience could be a good teacher for her boy.

"Si..sick?" The guilt started to eaten Dean's expression more and more.

"Unfortunately yes. I coincidently met Castiel's mother this late morning in the store. She told me what happened. She said Castiel was so excited to watch your match that you would think he was the one that going to do the match. He had full confident that you would won. But unfortunately a high fever suddenly attacked him at Saturday night. His parents quickly brought him to the hospital and he had to spend two nights in there. She said, he kept bailing with weak hoarse voice for them to let him go to your match, but we all know that was quite impossible right?"

The news struck Dean's nerve like a bolt of lightning, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom,…" He repeatedly calling his mom liked a chant even though she was right in front of him. His head kept shaking, as if he wanted to deny everything that happened since Saturday night; Castiel's sickness, his hurt and anger, their fight, his mistake, Castiel's pain. The guilt had full blown that he already in the verge of another cry.

This time Mary swiftly got up from her chair and hugged Dean firmly. Stroking his back and let him buried his still shaking head on her shoulder. "Hush hush honey. It's okay. It's okay. You know what you had to do when you made mistake right? I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Dean raised his gloomy head, "But I, I said terrible thing to him, Mom. I don't think just a 'Sorry' would do it."

"Terrible thing?"

"I said…" I hate you, Cas!

Mary smile, "Then all you have to do is to say and show him how much you actually don't feel that way."

"How?"

She chuckled, "I believe it's something you should try to think by yourself." Mary got up from her crouch next to Dean and started rummaging in the kitchen, thinking it was a high time to made lunch now.

Dean immediately pouted to the prospect of not getting help. But he knew, his doing of a wrong should be his doing to make it right again. His Mom told him to go washed himself clean, so he did just that. In his way he realized something important was missing in the house, that if it was another time he would slapped himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Mom, where's Sammy?" asked Dean when he went back to the kitchen with a fresher look.

"Went out with your Dad."

"Dad? Shouldn't he be at the Garage?"

"Hmm'mm, he should. But Sam threw quite a tantrum asking Dad to come home and pick him out just for a moment. I don't know why but he strictly didn't want to go with me." In hindsight it actually a good thing that she was at home when Dean come home in distraught condition. She didn't want to imagine what would happened if she was not at home at that time. Did Sam somehow already know that beforehand? Naaah… "So I finally had to call your Dad and ask him just that. Fortunately, the Garage was kinda in the slow phase. So he agreed."

"Go where?"

There's a discreet smile on Mary's face "I don't know." Right at that moment the front door opened, and both of them could hear cheery babble of three years old boy. "Oh speak of the handsome Devils."

"We're home!" bellowed John to the occupants of the house.

"Wi 'om!" mimic Sam.

"Ahr ahr.. Rrrrrrrr" tried John to taught Sam to pronounce a better R.

"Lalalalala…." Mistakenly singsong Sam.

"Well, happy to have you two back home." Greet Mary to the newest entrants.

"Hello Dad, Hi Sam."

"Hey Dear." John kissed his wife then ruffled Dean's hair, "Heiya there Champ."

"Dean! Dean!" Sam enthusiastly went on running to Dean, shoving something to his hand, "Happy Valentine, love you!" which apparently a half part of a chocolate bar that already loss some of its wrappers.

"Sammy really get ambitious to get you a chocolate on this particular day, you know Dean. Well, me and your Mom too but especially you." explained John. "Saying something that you did it last year, then it his turn this year, anyway dear this is your share, I meant half of it, another half is mine."

Mary took the chocolate bar that been offered to her, this time it still a fully intact chocolate bar. She realized the other half of Dean's share must already go to Sam's stomach by the way how his face full of chocolate's blotch.

"So you think it will be better to bought two bars then snapped each of them half-half, than to actually bought four bars?" She raised a questioning eyebrow to her husband.

"Hey! You'll gnaw my head if I gave the boys too many sweets. And the smaller size was just… too small. It won't satisfy them. So two 6 inches bars is a better solution, and all of us got 3 inches. That's adequate!" protested John for the accusation.

"Men. What would I do without them?" Mary just shook her head, smile amusingly. She look down when she felt her skirt been jerk around.

"Happy Valentine, Mom. Love you." Sam's grin was so chocolaty wide.

"Yes honey." Mary bent down to clean Sam's stained face gently. "Happy Valentine, and I love you too. Thank you so much for the chocolate." She kissed Sam's cleaned cheek whom responded by beaming with self-satisfy.

"Considering I'm the one that actually paid those chocolates, you could try to thanks me in a different way later. Privately. " whispered John to Mary careful so none of the boys would hear. "PS, chocolate's involvement would be completely approved."

Her respond was just by flicking her husband's nose.

The parents' antic was loss to the children. Sam was busy looking at Dean expectantly, he got a very satisfying respond from her mother, but ever since he said Happy Valentine to Dean, his brother was just stood there staring at the chocolate in his hand with a faraway look.

In Dean's mind, the gear was turning more rapid than ever. Valentine, 14th February. He forgot it, but now, thanks to Sam he remembered it, remembered what Ms Ellen said.

"Because today is the day when we show our love by giving them, dumderudumdum..." she raises a big colorful bag from behind her desk, "...Chocolates!"

"Dean? You don't like it?"

Sam timid-worried voice calling his name woke Dean from his trance. "Oh no Sam! I'm sorry. I like it. Like it so completely that it made me loss at words." A little bit of lie, but with how it made Sam's face shinning so bright he knew it worth it. "Thank you buddy, you're really made me happy. Happy Valentine, love you too." Dean hugged Sam tightly.

Totally satisfy; Sam skipped joyfully to his room. Leaving Dean so he could start what he needed to do. "Mom, I already know what I'm gonna do. I'll be out for a moment." He hurriedly ran out the door and would be if Mary had not stopped him.

"Wait Dean." When Dean turned around to faced her again, knowing that Dean will wait, she went to the flower vas she just arranged before. Fully understanding in what Dean would do, she pick a steam of flower and handed it to Dean. "Here, I'm sure Castiel will appreciated this too."

"Thank you Mom!" grinning wide he continued his track running out his house to a certain blue-eyed boy's house.

"Did you…" start John wonderingly "…just told my son to give a flower to another boy?"

Mary just smiled and continued cooked the lunch.

SPNSPNSPN

Dean stood nervously on the front porch of the Novak's resident. Worry of Castiel now truly didn't want to meet him gnawed on him. But he couldn't back out, he had to do this, and with the hand that holding the flower he pushed the bell button.

A moment later Castiel's mother opened the door to saw a fidgeting Dean holding a flower. She already knew what happened at the school, Castiel went home feeling pretty dejectedly that it took some times to calmed him down. She could guess what Dean came here for. "Hello Dean. How can I help you?"

"G,good day Mrs. Novak. Is, is Castiel home? May I see him?"

She smiled; it's not an everyday thing to see a Dean Winchester nervous. "Yes you may. Wait while I call him please." With that she went inside and upstairs most definitely to Castiel's room.

The time to wait was quite a torture for Dean. Unwanted thought of how Castiel truly angry at him now and rejected to meet him was plaguing his mind like crazy. That's why, the sound of rushing steps running down the stairs, the cry of Mrs. Novak of to be careful, and the face adorned with happiness, glad, impatient and excitement of Castiel coming down to him on the speed of light had truly surprised him.

"Dean. You're here!"

"Hi Ca-UGH!" Breath was rushing out of Dean instantly the moment Castiel unceremoniously glomped Dean, a smile quickly adorned Dean's face. "Glad to see you."

When Castiel let go of him, Dean started to mention what he was coming here for. But Cas interrupted him. Grabbed his upper arm and dragging him upstairs. "C'mon, let's go to my room."

SPNSPNSPN

Then there Dean was, standing in the center of Castiel's room, exchanging long stare with the room's owner. Dean gave a one look over at Castiel and couldn't see a single trace of he ever had a fever so high that it need to be hospitalized, "Are you completely healthy now?"

At first Castiel was surprised that Dean knew he was ever sick before the question brought a contented smile to Castiel's face. Always happy whenever Dean cared about him, "Yes, I am. Thank you."

"Good." a relieved sigh, "Really good."

A moment of more silence. Cas stood still staring at Dean deep while Dean got his nervous attack back and not realizing that he almost twisted the flower stem in his hand snapped.

"Dean, I—"

"Cas, I—"

They both snickered; eyes lightened up gleefully, tension relaxing. Thinking that he didn't give Castiel any chance to saying anything back at school, Dean gave the talk-first-privilege to Castiel.

"Dean, I truly owe you an apology. It was never my intention to break our promise. I was suddenly sick and—" Castiel stopped talking when Dean suddenly made a shushing noises.

"Shshsh, no Cas, no. I already knew. Your Mom told mine then she told me. There's nothing that you need to apologize for. If anything I'm the one who should say sorry. I was being a jerk with how I act, with how I—" a gulp, "How I ever doubted you. I shouldn't ever doubt you!" Dean was quite pissed with himself. Doubting Castiel's friendship was a dumb-silly thing to do. Just look how Castiel still treated him just then, happily invited Dean to play over in his room even after…, "And for, for what I said. It's completely wrong Cas. It's a lie! I would never ever hate you. I'm so sorry I hurt you. Please forgive me for all these mistakes."

Dean's green eyes look deep into Castiel's blue orbs, full of regret and hope of forgiveness. Castiel was thinking that a person who really angry at Dean will had a hard time to not forgive him when they saw the way his eyes looked like, like… somehow the neighbor-next-door's whining dog sprung to Castiel's mind. Don't tell Dean that.

However Castiel was never mad at Dean, he just smiled gently. "Yes Dean. I understand. You are forgiven. Although I'm really sorry I had missed your match."

Feeling glad and more relaxed, Dean couldn't wipe the grin out of his face. "Nah... Don't worry about that. Dad made sure to record the match. I could ask him to make a copy of it for you, so you could indulge in my glorification anytime you want."

With that both of them start chortling that grown into a full blown laughter.

"Seriously though," said Dean after he catch his breath back, breathless from the laughs. "Like I said, I would never hate you. On the contrary… " Dean hold out the flower to Castiel, "…I love you. Happy Valentine."

Chuckling Castiel took the flower from Dean's hand, "I already thought this was not meant for me." Unconsciously Castiel sniffed the petals, smiling just wider. "You appeared you would never hand it over and just holding it forever—wait! Valentine?" Recognition dawned on Castiel's expression. "Oh! It is February the 14th."

"Yap it is, hence the flower."

"But, but I don't prepared anything to give you back." Castiel looked downright remorseful.

"That's okay. Your forgiveness is completely what I need. And hey, don't forget, a Valentine without chocolate is completely not-OH CRUMBS!"

"What is it, Dean?" asked Castiel worriedly for Dean sudden exclamation.

"Was planned to share to you the same chocolate like we did last year but the chocolate…" Dean raised his other hand that had been gripping the partly-wrapped half piece of chocolate bar ever since Sam shoved it to his hand, "…already messily melting."

And yes, he could see Dean's hand full of chocolate's smudge, his fingers, and his palm, even down to his wrist and below. What left of the supposedly bar shape was completely in unrecognizable small shape. How Dean not realizing a melting chocolate dripping from his hand until now was anyone's guess.

"Oh man. Not just I had thoroughly dirtied my hand, now we don't have any chocolate to share too." A pout couldn't be stop to shaped Dean's already pouty lips while inspecting his chocolaty hand. "Isn't this count as a worst Valentine ever?"

"Not really." Castiel took Dean's chocolaty hand, "I believe it's still a great Valentine and we do still have some chocolate." and proceeded to innocently lick a part of the chocolate cleaned from Dean's palm. "Hmm… this is a yummy chocolate." Commented Cas genuinely.

To say Dean's face suddenly boiled was an understatement.

Completely oblivious to what he just did to Dean, Castiel exclaimed "Oh, I had not answered you yet." Still holding Dean's hand tight, blue eyes gazed straight and deep to the green ones, "Happy Valentine, and I love you too Dean."

Okay correction. spontaneously-combusted could be a better metaphor.

SPNSPNSPN

Well, and that's concluded it. This year's Valentine was tasted bittersweet. The taste of the Chocolate was saltysweet. Although the taste of the Memory still as sweet if not more. It's still a Happy Valentine Day in the Sioux Fall neighborhood indeed.

+6B+