A/N: A long chapter because I had a lot to fit in, I hope you guys like it. Thank you for the lovely response to my previous chapters, I hope you like this one. Let me know if you want Jess/Sam or Sam/Gabriel - I haven't made up my mind. Please review! Enjoy.
The next morning Sam noticed his brother was unusually chipper and eager to get to school on time.
"Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean said as he bobbed along to a song he was playing far too loudly on the radio downstairs.
"Dude, Asia?" Sam queried as he took in Dean's smile and bouncy attitude.
"Aw, you love this song and you know it! Now, come on, we gotta' go in ten minutes." And with that he hopped up, taking a minute to sing along to the song playing before disappearing out of Sam's room. By this point Sam really was worried, Dean was never ready for school early. Maybe the school had said he was one late mark from expulsion or something.
He blearily got ready, eyeing his brother warily as he moved around the kitchen, getting Sam's lunch ready.
"Dean, what's going on?" He asked cautiously. Maybe he was high, Sam thought absent-mindedly.
"What, I'm not allowed to be in a good mood?" He asked with a smile and it was infectious. Sam loved it when Dean was happy, he so rarely got time to be just happy in himself what with constantly having to worry about Sam, the house, hunts, Dad...
"Yeah. No, that's great, Dean." He said with a questioning smile. Dean frisbeed Sam a slice of toast and lobbed a banana at him which Sam promptly caught one after the other.
"Nice catch." Dean said and Sam luaghed. It was little things like making Sam's breakfast but none for himself that Sam sometimes took for granted. His brother really did look out for him.
"Okay, let's get going. By the way, should be coming out after school to the Road House with me so I might be in late." He said a tad too casually and Sam zoned in.
"Who's Cas?" He asked noncomittantly.
"Just a friend, he's new in town, well, out of town apparently. Just joined yesterday." Sam's eyebrows shot up.
"And you're gonna' hang out with him after school?" Sam asked increduously, it took a lot to get Dean's attention and respect. To accept someone so quickly was unusual for Dean, they usually had to prove themselves or something.
"Yeah. What's up, Sammy? You jealous?" He said with a wink and Sam rolled his eyes.
"I've got debate club on after school and, uh..." Dean honed in on his brother's expression and immediately knew what was going through his mind.
"What d'you need, Sammy?" He asked calmly and Sam smiled awkwardly, knowing Dean could read him in a heart beat.
"I was wondering if I could have a friend over for dinner tonight."
"Sure, I can manage that. You need a lift too?" Dean said without blinking. It was stuff like this that Sam was glad Dean was so laid back and reasonable.
"Yeah, that'd be great." Dean smiled.
"Spaghetti okay for tonight?" He asked, packing Sam's lunch into his bag.
"Yeah, thanks."
"So who's your friend?" Dean asked, not really concentrating. Sam shifted uncomfortably and tried to speak as casually as he could.
"She's called Jess. She's the deputy chair of the debate club." Dean's head snapped up at this statement and a grin split over his face.
"So, its a girl?" He walked over to Sam and ruffled his hair. Sam smiled sheepishly.
"You like this girl, Sammy?" Dean asked seriously with a light smile on his face. Sam's smile grew at the thought of Jess.
"Yeah, Dean. I really do." Dean grinned and rolled up his sleeves.
"So I'd better make some damn good spaghetti then, huh?" He winked and threw Sam's bag to him.
"Go and get the girl, little brother." Sam flushed slightly, rolling his eyes and walking out of the door.
XXXXXXX
He opened his locker and smiled at the picture of his car stuck in the door. He grabbed his books and when he closed his locker he was shocked to see Castiel on his left, opening his own locker.
"Cas!" Dean jumped and Castiel laughed apologetically.
"Sorry, did I startle you?" He asked, embarrassed.
"Oh no, not at all, just let me restart my heart. You sure know how to sneak up on people, Cas." He joked and Castel flushed.
"Cas?" He queried and Dean blanched for a second before throwing on a coy smile and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, er, yeah. Sorry, it was just a nickname. Kind of easier to say, if you don't like it I won't, I mean-"
"I like it." Castiel beamed and Dean joined him. Castiel liked that Dean felt it so natural to give him a nickname after only a day of knowing him. As he shut his locker he walked to class with Dean.
"So you still up for coming out tonight. Since as you're new in town I guess I'd better show you some of the best spots." Castiel smiled.
"I'd like that, I don't get much time to go out with my family."
Entering the classroom the entire class went quiet seeing Dean walk in on time for the first time since... since ever. Castiel blushed at all eyes being on him and Dean, but Dean grinned and took a bow. After a couple of hours of Castiel helping Dean with calculus, and Dean answering Cas' questions about Sam and his friends it was time for lunch. They all sat down, taking more notice of Castiel today and waited for Dean to introduce him. Castiel noted that it seemed Dean was the sort of leader in the group.
"Hey, guys, this is Cas. Cas, this is Chuck and Becky, Jo and Adam, Balthazar and Bella, Ash and Garth." Dean said, pointing them out as he went around. Castiel noticed how he coupled people together and noticed how they seemed closer than the others. Some looked like couples, others were clearly on the brink of being couples and others were less obvious but it seemed Dean had made his mind up about who was with who. It struck Castiel that only Dean was on his own with this system and wondered if Dean had noticed this.
There was a collective greeting from the group and several started asking questions about where he'd come from and if he liked it here. All in all Dean was relieved that Cas was being well received, probably more relieved than he should be but he chose to ingore that fact.
Bella chose this moment to make her famous, 'I'll go for anything that looks tasty' routine and Cas was a new toy, in her opinion. Of course after she'd had her way with him she'd probably never really look at him again.
"What's a handsome looking guy like yourself doing without a girl on your arm then, hm?" She said suggestively and Castiel stood frozen, extremely uncomfortable as she leaned all over him shamelessly. Balthazar looked away feeling his stomach turn and proceeded to get to his feet. Dean felt for the guy he really did. Liking Bella was the harshest fate he could imagine for any guy with her reputation. Moreover, Balthazar was the only guy whom Bella hadn't had her way with, no one knew why, she'd just missed him out. Balthazar had merely taken it as another blow to the ego.
"If you'll excuse me guys, I've got a thing." He said quietly and Dean shot him a sorry look which he replied to with a simple shake of his head and a sad smile and walking out of the hall. Bella missed this entire exchange but Castiel didn't.
"Does Balthazar like Bella?" He inquired out of pure curiosity and everyone looked at him, wide-eyed. He glanced around panicked, clearly having struck some kind of nerve. Bella scoffed and looked around now, awaiting Balthazar's denial and frowned when she couldn't spot him.
"Where is Balth?" She asked, to which everyone averted their eyes. For someone quite sharp it seemed Bella was oblivious to Balthazar a lot of the time. She narrowed her eyes and went to look for him, much to Castiel's relief.
"Woah, dude, call it as you see it." Ash said, putting down his smuggled beer to hold out his fist to Cas, who reluctantly bumped it earning a laugh from Dean.
"Was I not supposed to say anything?" He asked confused and the group all regarded Castiel differently. Jo laughed musically.
"Castiel, you're adorable." She said with a friendly smile. Castiel was unsure as to how he'd acheived this title with a mere question and tilted his head in question which made Dean's stomah flip for some reason he couldnt placed. Jo laughed more. Adam sat stoic and indifferent, watching Jo until he couldn't anymore and gave himself some relief, distracting himself with his mobile.
Dean was watching Adam, Adam was trying not to watch Jo, Jo was watching Dean and Castiel was watching them all, trying to keep up with the dizzying complexity of the group. He'd never really had any friends before, he'd always been too weird to fit in. The stark contrast between being alone all the time and now being surrounded by a diverse group of people was disorientating. He still remembered to keep a firm handle on his powers, letting nothing slip.
This was all very new to Castiel, he hadn't expected to have such trouble keeping a lid on his powers. Every time he was distrated, or startled, or excited, or happy, or scared, it all took away from his self control and it frightened him. He wondered how his siblings were so good at it.
After the afternoon had slipped away in a blur of literature studies and and history it was finally time to go home and Castiel felt the butterflies in his stomach as he wondered where he and Dean would go.
The crisp fall air chased Castiel's hair and tousled it as the sun began to set earlier, losing hold of summer's long evening glow ad edging towards winter's companionship with darkness. As Dean walked out from the school's left wing he caught sight of Castiel waiting by the entrance to the main lobby and it seemed to wind him momentarily. Cas' hair was blowing wildly in the wind and his lean body was wrapping around itself as his hands tangled themselves in his scarf, desperately trying to preserve heat. He felt a knot tie in his stomach and was suddenly anxious and excited to show Castiel around.
"Hey, Cas." He called as he walked over. Castiel shot him a smile and Dean willed himself not to trip on his own feet as he felt unstable all of a sudden.
"Hello, Dean." He said happily as Dean approached him, looking all too inviting in his leather jacket and jeans in the light of the retreating sun.
"So, shall we get going? I'm in your hands." Castiel said with a smile as he turned and walked towards the car Dean had motioned to. Dean liked that thought far too much and gripped the edge of his Baby to keep himself steady.
"Hey, Baby. D'ya miss me?" He said with a smile, stroking a hand down the side of his beloved Impala. As they both sat in the car Dean noticeably relaxed.
"You're car is very impressive." Castiel said, absently admiring it and when he looked back he saw Dean smiling at him in a way that made him thankful he was sitting down through fear that his knees might've buckled.
"You wanna' pick a tape? They're all down by your feet."
"A tape?" Castiel smiled, quirking an eyebrow at the old fashioned nature of it and Dean gave him a gentle shove.
"Shut up and pick a tape." Dean said with a grin and started the car and exited the school car park driving down the highway. Castiel blew the dust off of an old AC/DC tape and regretted it when dust was sprayed everywhere, mainly directly into his eye and he cried out in pain.
"Crap, sorry, they kinda' live with dust. You okay, man?" Dean asked.
"Yes, I think I have something trapped in my eye. Oh my gosh, I genuinely can't see out of one eye." He said with a pained chuckle and Dean sighed, pulling over into a little path on the side of the road.
"What're you doing?" Castiel asked, noticing him stop the car.
"Come here, genius." Castiel's heart stopped for all of two seconds before he realised what Dean was actually referring to. Dean pulled Castiel's face close to his and looked into his eye, trying to see the offending piece of dust stuck there.
With his eye watering like a fountain, Dean holding his face close to him, staring into Dean's emerald eyes, feeling Dean's breath, smelling his aftershave, it was intoxicating. All he wanted was to inch further and close the distance. Dean's heart was racing for some reason and the lump in his throat wouldn't disappear as he stared into those ocean blue eyes and they stared right back, seemingly into his soul. He breathed out shakily as he gently captured the speck in Cas' eye. He then smoothed his thumb over Cas' face, swiping away the tears that had spilled over.
"You're okay now, Cas." Dean said softly and it was at that moment that Castiel completely lost himself in Dean and CRASH! Thunder slammed in the sky and it began to rain wildly. Castiel snapped back, shocked that he'd allowed himself to lose control of his powers and that they'd had such a dramatic effect. Dean sat bolt upright as thunder slammed in the sky, coming to his senses.
"Woah, what the hell..?" He said more to himself as he observed the sudden change in the weather. Castiel tried to slow his heart beat as he regained control and tried to ignore the fact that he could still feel Dean's hand on the side of his face, his thumb on against his cheek.
"Oh, crap!" Dean slammed a hand to his head.
"Dean?" Castiel asked, concerned. Dean turned to him, an apologetic look on his face.
"Crap, Im sorry, Cas. I just remembered my brother has a kind of date tonight, the kid's totally psyched and I promised I'd take him and his girl home and cook dinner for them. Would it be totally douchey of me if I cancelled on showing you around and we stayed in, or do you wanna' go home?" Castiel couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. Not only was Dean proving himself to be one of the nicest guys Castiel had ever met, he was now inviting Castiel round to his house. Considering he'd only known him two days, he felt happier around Dean than he had with anyone in a long time.
"That'd be fine. Besides, we have an assignment to work on and I'd like to meet your brother." Castiel said happily and Dean breathed out in relief.
"Thanks, Cas."
"Will your Mom be home?" He asked conversationally and saw the colour drain from Dean's face.
"She... No." He didn't know why he didn't tell Cas the truth. Partly because it meant he'd have to make something up about how she died and he didn't want to lie to Cas, and partly because he just couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want the judgemental eyes, the doubts towards his father, the sympathy. No, the pity. He couldn't bare the thought of Cas looking at him differently, like he was a poor little orphan who needed donations or something. No, he kept schtum. Castiel didn't push the issue.
They picked up Sam and Jess, who was pretty and polite, and drove home, Sam too busy with Jess to spy on his brother and his mysterious new friend. When they arrived home both Sam and Dean were slightly apprehensive of first impressions, but both Jess and Cas were extremely polite and complimented their home. Dean let Sam and Jess have the living room and watch some television and do whatever whilst Dean and Cas stayed in the kitchen. Castiel watched Dean with fascination as he began to make dinner.
He moved lithly and grabbed ingredients as he found them, adding them to the mixture, not following a recipe. He appeared to light up as he made dinner, enjoying the task, which was unusual for a boy his age. He caught Castiel staring at him.
"What?" He queried with a smile.
"You clearly care a lot for your brother. He seems nice." He added and Dean swelled with pride.
"Yeah, he's a good kid. I practically raised him but..." He trailed off, realising he may have said too much. He could see Castiel calculating all of his comments inside his head, realising they didn't add up, but prayed he would just let it lie.
As dinner simmered Castiel and Dean worked on their history assignment and finished up in time to set the table for Jess and Sam. Dean called them in.
"Hey, I'm gonna' drop Cas back. What're your plans?" Dean asked Sam.
"Uh, well we were gonna' eat and then catch a lift with Jess' Dad up to Jess' place and hang out there for a bit." Sam replied and Dean nodded, grabbing his jacket.
"Okay, cool. In by ten, it's a school night." Dean said, his voice tinted with a slight of authority and Sam nodded easily.
"It was great to meet you, Jess. Later, Sam. You kids have fun." Dean called as he walked out of the kitchen.
"It was nice to meet you both." Castiel said with a polite smile as he followed Dean.
They both went and climbed into Dean's car again. Castiel regarded Dean with a small smile, he was like a Father to Sam and their relationship intrigued him. He appreciated how such a bond could form as he felt the same way about Michael, who'd always been at the head of the family as a Father figure.
"They're adorable." Dean said happily as they began the drive to Cas' house, getting directions from him as they went.
"What do you think will happen?" Castiel asked with a smile, seeing that Dean probably knew his brother inside out.
"Well, Sam will be the perfect gentlemen and if Jess wants a kiss she'll have to get it herself because God knows Sam's too damn shy to on the first date." Castiel laughed lightly.
"Are you the same?" He asked curiously and Dean's face coloured slightly.
"Who, me? Nah, I'm way more smooth than that." And he took a second to give Cas a cheeky grin which made his blood race and the rain fall harder. Snap out of it, Castiel, he scolded himself.
When they arrived Castiel thanked Dean for letting him come over and Dean reciprocated the thanks and for some reason walked Cas to his door. When the door opened and Dean was ready to go back to his car to his surprise he was grabbed by his collar and yanked inside. Castiel was white as a sheet as one of his brothers man-handled Dean.
"Cassy's home!" The stranger cried.
"And he's brought a friend!" He added and Castiel glowered at his brother.
"Gabriel, let him go." He ordered and with a laugh Gabriel allowed Dean to extricate himself from Gabriel's arms.
"Hi, I'm Gabriel, your resident comedy genius and Cassy's brother. You are?" He asked.
"Dean Winchester. Hi." He said easily and Castiel breathed out, if Dean could take Gabriel in his stride like that, there may still be hope. However, then the rest of his siblings appeared.
"Castiel, you've brought a friend home." Anna said, delighted, giving him a squeeze and smiling eagerly at Dean who smiled politely in return.
Raphael and Uriel leaned over the banister at the top of their hardwood stairs in an intimidating fashion, saying nothing. Lucifer skipped slightly down the stairs.
"So, who do we have here, Cassie?" He said with an unnerving smile.
"Guys, you're all being impolite, the idea is to make a guest feel welcome, not crowd him. Go on, all of you." A tall, smiling character with a calm aura about him walked down the stairs and the crowd dispersed.
"Hi, sorry, it can be intimidating having us all peer in on you. I'm Michael, Castiel's brother." He held out a hand which Dean didn't hesitate to shake with vigour, much to Michael's approval. Castiel sighed in relief, applauding Dean's candor to be able to stand tall faced with Castiel's six over bearing siblings for the first time, all at once and not get overwhelmed.
"I'm Dean. A friend of Cas' from school. I was actually heading off, but it was a pleasure to meet you." Dean said calmly. Michael smiled warmly.
"Of course, well it was lovely to meet you. Any friend of Castiel's is welcome here. Feel free to drop by for dinner some time."
"Sure. Okay, later, Cas." He said with a smile which Castiel returned whole-heartedly.
"Bye, Dean." As soon as he was gone Castiel turned to face Michael, and saw a happy look on his face.
"I like him." Was all Michael said, and all he needed to say to show his approval and Castiel beamed and hugged him, feeling ecstatic after such a great evening. After he'd walked away it took 1.5 seconds for the rest of his siblings to charge down around him, asking question after question and Castiel laughed loudly as he ran to his room. He closed the door and slid down behind it, laughing again at the voices prying at his door. He didn't care that his family was bat shit crazy, because Dean didn't care. He didn't care that he'd probably be teased endlessly about Dean because he'd had the nicest evening he'd ever had just spending time with Dean. He'd even gotten close to a kiss. Well, in his own mind. He sighed gently, collapsing on his bed.
He was well and truly falling for Dean Winchester.
A/N: Let me know what you thought/liked/didn't like in a review, it helps me so much and inspires me to write! Please let me know what you want to see in future chapters. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! Izzie.
