As wealthy and influential as Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester are, it's not always power plays and drama.


A neatly folded piece of notebook paper lands on the open book on Castiel's desk, interrupting the assigned reading he was rather enjoying. He sighs heavily. Only one of his friends is ridiculous and archaic enough to be passing notes in class.

Cassie, u and ur boitoi at Lafitte's 2nite 8p?

Castiel stems his irritation and writes a quick reply under his desk, paper pressed to his leg, before folding the note back up and waiting until the professor's back is turned to drop it onto Balthazar's desk next to his own.

We'll be there, you illiterate Luddite.


He should have known that Dean would notice.

"What were you and Bal gossiping about?" Dean asks casually as he flings his arm around Cas' shoulders on their way through the hallway. More and more lately, Cas has started to feel strange when he isn't walking next to Dean.

He frowns. "I do not 'gossip,' and if I did, it certainly wouldn't be with Balthazar."

"All right, then. What were you and Balthazar very seriously discussing by passing notes?"

Damn Balthazar. "We're going to Lafitte's tonight at eight," he says primly.

Dean hums. "Pick you up at seven-thirty?"

"Of course."


Lafitte's is a classic-style diner that's been owned by Benny's family for generations. It's all silver and chrome bar and booths, and all of the seating is covered in red leather. Dean likes it because of the working jukebox in the corner. Cas likes it because the cheeseburgers are to die for.

Their group has taken over 3 of the booths in the back of the restaurant. Benny's dad doesn't mind, he says it keeps them out of trouble. Dean loves it here, at the center of the action with Cas, it makes him feel like a king.

Cas is having a conversation with Charlie sitting across the booth from them while Dean returns from the counter and slides into the seat next to him, slinging his arm across the back. When Dean places a milkshake in front of Cas, he expects the flat look that he gets. It's a vanilla shake in a tall glass, with two cherries resting on a mountain of whipped cream and two straws poking out from the top.

Cas cocks an eyebrow. "What is this?"

Dean gives him what he knows is a dazzling smile. "C'mn, share a milkshake with me, gorgeous. It'll be like the fifties."

"We would have been lynched for sharing a milkshake in the fifties," Cas says dryly.

"You're a ray of sunshine, Cas."

"Is that why I don't warrant my own milkshake now?"

Dean grins again. "Maybe I'm watching my girlish figure."

Cas stares at him for a long moment, but Dean just stares right back. He's not scared of Cas, and besides, it's good for his boyfriend to unclench every once in a while and do something that's less than perfectly coiffed.

"Fine, but your figure had better stay above reproach," Cas says, a small smile on his lips.

Dean grins. "You won't love me if I get fat?"

"I'll love you no matter what," Cas says casually, "but if I'm sacrificing half a milkshake for it, I expect to see results."

Dean laughs again and leans forward to press a kiss to Cas' cheek. Sam, sitting next to Charlie across from them, gags, and Charlie whips out her phone and snaps a picture before either of them can object.

Dean gets her to send it to him and he sets it as his phone's background.


A few days later, they're sitting in Dean's bedroom on his bed, studying for a physics test coming up later in the week. Dean likes this, he likes the way Cas' pressed, snazzy slacks look alongside his own worn, torn up jeans.

Dean's mom comes to the door, drying her hands on a towel. Dean knows very well what she does for a living, but dressed in ratty jeans and one of his dad's old flannels, it's hard to think of her as anything but "mom."

"How's it going up here?" she asks.

"Very well, thank you," Cas answers politely.

She smiles. "Good. You boys hungry?"

"God yes," Dean says fervently. "Grilled cheese?" When Cas elbows him hard in the side, he grunts and adds, "please?"

She laughs. "All right. Four grilled cheese sandwiches coming right up."

Cas frowns as she walks away, then sighs. "Grilled cheese. There goes my girlish figure."


Castiel just smiles when Dean hits the doors to the physics classroom so hard they bounce off the wall and rebound back at him. Dean catches them so they don't hit Cas, then drops them and puts his arm around Cas to take them out of the room. He seems uncaring about the yelp from the student behind them.

"Finally!" Dean crows. "Jesus, that took forever."

Cas rolls his eyes. "The test hardly took you forty minutes."

"Longest forty minutes of my life," Dean bitches, even as he smoothly takes Cas' books from him and carries them on his other arm.

"You'll find a way to live," Cas says dryly. He's given up the fight about the book thing.

"We got a free half an hour," Dean says, apropos of nothing.

"Mhm." Cas thinks he might drag Dean to the library. There's an essay due in one of their literature classes in a couple of weeks, and he wants to get a head start on it.

Dean leers at him, and Cas' thoughts derail neatly and with finality. "Wanna make out in the back of Baby? Maybe be even a little late to Calculus?"

Cas doesn't even stop to consider it. "Yes."

They're more than a little late to Calculus.


As wealthy and influential as Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester are, they're mostly just high school students.