Author's Note: Another heart-to-heart between Dean and Cas. Happy reading!

Chapter 11: We're Family

Castiel went about his day as per usual, avoiding his family at all costs. After his discussion with Anna, he knew that any attempt at civility would be fruitless- at least, as long as everyone still thought of Jimmy Novak as some sort of saint.

So he stayed in his room, doing homework assignments that he had been unable to complete the night before and making origami. After hours of trying to distract himself, Castiel finally gave into his longing and did something he had never done for anyone before.

He texted Dean first.

To: Dean Winchester
How much longer must we wait until 'later,' would you say? –Cas

Castiel waited anxiously for a response, wondering if he had gone overboard by using Dean's nickname to sign his message. After a few minutes (although it felt like forever), his phone buzzed.

From: Dean Winchester
I'd say we've waited long enough. Meet park? –Dean

Castiel quickly replied, forcing himself not to grin.

To: Dean Winchester
Yes. Say, 10 minutes? –Cas

Seconds after Castiel hit send, he received an answer from Dean.

From: Dean Winchester
Ya. See u in 10 -Dean

Castiel smiled as he raced up the stairs, grabbing his coat and slipping out the door unnoticed.

Dean cut the engine of his Baby in front of the park he and Cas had gone to almost a month ago. He smiled slightly at the sight of Castiel in his trench coat, sitting peacefully on the swing. Dean stepped out of the Impala and headed towards his friend, his heart soaring as Cas noticed him and smiled a real smile. A smile that was as bright as a thousand suns. A smile that Dean hadn't known existed until the previous night. A smile that Dean would do anything to see again.

"Hey, Cas," he said nonchalantly, plopping down in the swing next to him. "Long time, no see."

Cas chuckled. "Yes, it feels as though it's been ages," he quipped, his eyes glittering with amusement. Castiel started twisting in the swing so that the chains crossed, and continued to twist until the two chains were one. He lifted his feet and the swing started to untangle itself, spinning faster and faster as Cas held on tightly, child-like joy in his expression. Dean watched the younger boy quietly, trying to mask the adoration he felt as he witnessed Castiel's carefree side. When Castiel slowed to a stop, Dean quickly looked down so as not to be caught staring.

Dean cleared his throat. "So," he broke the silence. "How was your morning?"

Castiel sighed. "I had a rather… upsetting dispute with my sister," he said as he looked towards the meadow next to the playground. "What about you?"

Dean shrugged. "Sammy called me out on being gone all night," he replied. "Luckily, he's still small enough that I can scare him into keeping his mouth shut."

"Did he ask where you were?" Castiel asked, still looking at the meadow. But this was different from all the other times Castiel had avoided looking at him. It wasn't like he didn't want to see Dean- it was as if he felt comfortable enough to let his guard down and just gaze at the nature around him, unworried about what Dean would do.

"Ya," Dean said as he gazed at Cas. "He asked me if I was on a date."

Castiel turned to Dean at these words. "And what did you say?" he asked, his blue eyes swirling with emotions Dean couldn't read.

Dean stared at Cas's eyes, hypnotized. "Nothing," Dean managed to get out. "I just walked away." Dean felt guilty about the small lie, but he was still a little worried about scaring Cas off. After all, it had only been a month since Castiel's freak-out.

Castiel nodded. "That was smart. Now he'll just assume he was right, therefore keeping you from lying."

Dean felt a swarm of butterflies in his stomach, but he mustered up all his courage and blurted out the question he had been wondering ever since he woke up. "Was he? Right, I mean." He tried to swallow the anxiety building inside of him as he waited for Castiel's response.

Castiel blinked- his version of showing astonishment. "I…" Cas trailed off, suddenly looking almost as nervous as Dean felt. "What do you mean?" he finally replied.

"Well," Dean said, looking at Cas's shoes. "Was Sam right? Was last night a date?" He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at Castiel through his eyelashes, eager to hear the blue-eyed angel's answer, but also dreading what it might be.

"Oh." Castiel seemed at a loss for words, his cheeks turning red as he started to fidget. He ran a hand through his hair and avoided Dean's question, instead declaring tensely, "I'm not gay."

Dean felt his heat deflate slightly at the younger boy's uneasy words. "That's what I used to say," he said with a weak smile, trying his best to make a joke out of it.

Castiel froze. "You're…" he trailed off as he looked up questioningly at Dean.

"Gay?" Dean finished for him. "Ya. Bisexual, actually. How do you think I met Charlie?" he grinned, although it was still slightly dampened by his heartache.

"Oh," Cas said softly, his voice tight. "Alright."

Dean raised an eyebrow at Castiel's tone. "Is that going to be a problem?" he asked, worried his crush was actually a homophobic dickhead. That's not possible. Even if Cas is homophobic, he could never be a dickhead.

"No!" Cas answered hastily, his eyes wide. "No, not a problem! I just… wasn't expecting to hear that."

Dean relaxed and felt the corner of his mouth turn up. "Good," he said. "For a second there, I was worried I'd have to end our friendship."

Castiel hurriedly shook his head. Dean smiled and stood up, brushing off his jeans. "Want to watch the bees?" he suggested, remembering the last time they had been to the park.

Cas's eyes lit up, that child-like joy returning to his features. He nodded eagerly, and followed Dean to the meadow, dropping to the ground among the flowers. Dean laid down next to him- albeit closer than necessary.

"So," Dean said as they gazed at the sky, bumblebees buzzing around their heads. "You and your family aren't very close, I'm guessing?"

Cas sighed, closing his eyes. "We used to be. But after Claire's death…" he trailed off. "We all dealt with it in our own ways." He finally said, keeping his eyes closed.

"How did you deal with it?" Dean asked quietly, turning towards Cas.

Castiel didn't answer, squeezing his eyes tighter as if to block something out. Several minutes passed, and Dean was about to change the subject when Cas opened his eyes and whispered, "I didn't."

Dean shut his mouth, returning his gaze to the bees. They laid like that for some time before Cas broke the silence.

"What about your family?" he questioned. "You said your parents are always busy. What about your brother?"

Dean shrugged. "Sammy's a pest," he chuckled. "But I couldn't imagine a life without him."

Cas nodded. "Is that all?" he inquired.

"Well, I don't have a lot of extended family. My grandparents all died before I was born, so it's pretty much just the four of us. Unless you count my friends," he added.

"You consider the people you sit with at lunch to be your family?" Cas asked in surprise.

"Of course. I'd do anything for them. Just because they aren't blood, doesn't mean they aren't family."

Cas looked thoughtfully at the sky. "The blood of the convent is thicker than the water of the womb." he said softly.

Dean turned back towards Cas. "What was that?" he asked as he furrowed his brow.

Cas turned and met Dean's gaze. "Have you ever heard the saying 'blood is thicker than water'?" At Dean's nod of affirmation, he continued. "That's actually the shortened version. The original saying is 'the blood of the convent is thicker than the water of the womb.' Basically, it means that the bonds we form throughout our lives are stronger than that of biological connections. So really, people use the shortened version as a way of saying the opposite of the real axiom."

Dean smiled in amazement. "How is it possible that one person can be so smart?" he asked, astonished once again by his friend's vast knowledge.

Castiel blushed, turning away from Dean in embarrassment. "I just read a lot of books."

Dean scooted closer to Cas- only a little, so that the younger boy wouldn't notice. "No," he said softly. "You're a genius, Cas. Honestly, I've never met someone who knows as many things as you do."

Castiel looked into Dean's eyes, trying to read his expression. "My siblings are far more intelligent."

Dean shook his head. "Your siblings are assholes."

"So am I," Cas argued.

Dean laughed. "You are many things, Castiel Novak, but an asshole is not one of them." Dean leaned forward, just the slightest bit, so that his lips were mere inches from Cas's. He could feel Castiel's breath on his cheek, each exhale sending shivers down his spine. Just a little closer…

Castiel broke Dean out of his treacherous thoughts. "You barely know me, Dean Winchester," he said softly as he stared into Dean's eyes. "I'm not a good person. I've done terrible things."

"Cas, you're nothing but good. So you've made a few mistakes- who hasn't? That doesn't make you an asshole," Dean countered.

Cas looked at Dean's lips. "I'm afraid the price for my mistakes was far too high for me to ever come back from," he mumbled. "I could do penance for the rest of my life, and it would still never make up for all I have done." Cas's eyes flitted back to Dean's.

"What did you do, Cas?" Dean asked gently. "You can tell me."

Castiel hesitated. "I can't" he said, turning back to watch the bees. Dean was disappointed by the space between them once again- both literally and figuratively.

"Why not?" he questioned, silently begging Castiel to look at him again.

Cas ran a hand through his hair. "Because I'm not ready to lose you, too," he answered softly, following the path of one bee with his eyes.

Dean furrowed his brow in confusion. "You won't lose me, Cas," he assured his neighbor. "We're family."

Cas turned to Dean, bewilderment written all over his face. "We're family?" he asked, his blue eyes wide.

Dean smiled at him. "I said my friends are my family, didn't I? And you're one of my best friends."

Castiel beamed, returning Dean's grin with one of his own. "Thank you, Dean," he said, his eyes filled with sincerity. "That means more than you will ever know."

They watched the bumblebees for another 40 minutes before Dean sat up and stretched. "How do you do that?" he asked, yawning.

"Do what?" Castiel questioned distractedly as he tried to determine if the bumblebee above him was Felix or not.

"Just stare at bees." Dean explained. "I almost fell asleep."

"You did fall asleep," Castiel pointed out as he decided it was not Felix- the wings were a millimeter too short.

Dean grinned. "Exactly. How can you not get bored?"

Castiel shrugged, pushing himself up so he was sitting next to Dean. "I love bees," he answered.

Dean shook his head, laughing under his breath. "What?" Castiel asked defensively.

"Don't ever change, Cas," Dean said, smiling slightly as he met Castiel's questioning gaze.

Castiel tilted his head. "I wasn't planning on it," he said with raised eyebrows.

Dean stood up and held out a hand to Castiel. Castiel took it, accepting Dean's silent offer to help him up. Dean pulled Castiel onto his feet, which resulted in him being pulled extremely close to Dean. Castiel froze, acutely aware of the 6 inches of space between them. Just a little closer…

No! You are not gay, Castiel. You are not going to ruin this. Dean is the best friend you have ever had- you will NOT screw this up.

"You want to get something to eat?" Dean offered, seemingly unaffected by the distance- or rather, lack of- between them.

Castiel took a step back, feeling his mind clear slightly as he stepped far enough away that he could no longer smell Dean's aftershave. "No, thank you," he declined. "I neglected to bring money with me."

"Come on. My treat," Dean offered generously.

Castiel smiled at Dean's kindness. "I appreciate the offer, but perhaps another time," he said, unwilling to allow Dean to pay for him.

Dean's shoulders slumped slightly. "Alright," he relented. "Can I at least give you a ride home?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

On the ride home, Dean played his favorite music, which happened to be Castiel's least favorite. As Dean sang along to AC/DC, Castiel watched the scenery outside the window as they drove down the gravel road that led to the main road. One thing Castiel loved about the park was that it was somewhat secluded, located in a meadow in the forest. He had discovered it over the summer, when he was exploring the woods behind his house. Castiel could just cut through his backyard and walk among the trees, reaching the park in 5 minutes flat. In a car, they had to drive down a little gravel road that connected the main roads to the park, which resulted in a slight detour.

Neither of the boys talked, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They just enjoyed each other's presence, Dean listening to his favorite music while Castiel stared out the window.

When they reached the house, Dean cut the engine and sat silently, neither boy making a move to leave.

"This was fun," Dean finally said, turning his body towards Castiel.

Castiel smiled. "It was," he agreed. "I quite enjoyed watching the bees with you."

Dean laughed. "You would like that even if I wasn't there."

"True," Castiel admitted. "But your company was appreciated."

A small smile appeared on Dean's face. "I'm glad," he said.

Castiel gazed into Dean's eyes, trying for the millionth time to read the emotions swirling in them with no success.

Dean leaned forward slightly, once again decreasing the gap between them. Why does he keep doing that? What's the purpose?

Castiel forced himself to turn away from Dean, opening the door and stepping out. He leaned down. "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, Dean" he said.

Dean smiled at him. "Anytime, Cas," he replied.

Castiel shut the door and walked up to his house, leaving Dean behind in the Impala.

Dean sighed in frustration. That boy is most definitely gay, he thought as he leaned back against the head rest. Any straight guy would have stayed at least a foot away at all times. I repeatedly closed the gap between us, and he took his sweet time moving away.

Or maybe you're seeing signs where there aren't any, he argued with himself. After all, it's a known fact that Castiel doesn't have a lot of guy friends. Maybe he just doesn't know what the appropriate behavior is for platonic friends. Besides, he specifically told you he's not gay.

Or maybe he hasn't realized he's gay yet. He could be in denial- God knows I was at first.

Dean sighed again, irritated at his own uncertainty.

Either way, it doesn't change how I feel about him. I am totally screwed if it turns out I'm wrong.

Dean looked towards the Novak house, thinking about all the things he loved about Cas. His smile. His eyes. His fashion sense. His chapped lips. The way he tilted his head when he was confused. The way he seemed to know everything about everything. His fascination with bees. The way he talked about his little sister. The way he felt in Dean's arms…

Yes, the list went on and on. And as Dean Winchester realized how completely infatuated with Castiel he was, he started to pray he wasn't wrong.

Author's Note: Reviews are greatly appreciated! Also thank you to all the people who have been following this story, it means so much to me :)