{Word Count: 958}
A soft knock on his bedroom door broke Cas out of his agonizing train of thought. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and stood from his bed. It was dark out and he had no clue how long he had been just laying there thinking. He opened the door just enough to see Gabriel standing there looking almost morbid compared to his usual sly smirk and joy filled eyes. "Cas, let me in." He voice was soft. It reminded Cas of when their mom died and Gabriel went up to Cas's room where he was doing homework to tell him. Cas let him in and sat on his bed. Gabriel shut the door behind him and Cas knew he was in for a talk.
"You wanna tell me what happened last night?" He asked as he sat down beside Cas. Cas sighed and stared at his hands. He told Gabriel about how he had forgotten about Raphael's visit, how Dean had invited him to the party, how Dean helped him sneak out of the house, how he had gotten drunk, and how Dean had taken care of him the whole night. He didn't even bother to leave out the part about falling asleep with Dean on the bed. "Did you tell any of that to Michael?" He asked when Cas was done speaking. "He didn't give me a chance," he sighed. "He's totally freaking down there, you know. He thinks he failed you and drove you into some delinquent's arms," Gabriel told him. "I tried to tell him that going to parties is what normal teenagers do, but everything about his teenage years seems to have been wiped from his memory," Gabriel added with a roll of his eyes.
"He'll never let me see Dean again. He probably made Dean regret ever meeting me," Cas said into his hands. A heavy weight sat in Cas's chest. "Dean seems like a pretty decent guy. I'm sure he understands. Plus, Michael can't stop you from seeing him at school," Gabriel pointed out. Cas stared at his hands. "I suppose so. I just really enjoyed spending time with Dean, just the two of us," he admitted with pink cheeks. "It's obvious Dean really cares for you, Cas. You shouldn't let Michael get in the way of that. He'll get over it, just give him a few days. If you ever need me to cover for you just give me a call, alright?" Cas nodded. "Thank you, Gabe." Gabriel pulled Cas into a hug. "No problem, bro." Gabe left and Cas flopped back down on his bed, the possible outcomes for Monday racing through his mind.
Michael didn't say a word when he dropped Cas off at school on Monday. In fact, he hadn't said a word to Cas since Saturday. Cas could tell he was exhausted and he felt guilty for adding on extra stress. There was no way he couldn't notice all the eyes on him as he walked up to the door. It was as if he had suddenly sprouted wings and everyone was gawking. He couldn't not hear the whispers as he walked to homeroom. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he heard them. By the time he made it to homeroom he was practically running. He sat in his seat and put his head down in his arms. He didn't want to see everyone staring and whispering as they walked in. Had he don't something at the party he couldn't remember? He almost fell out of his seat when something poked his shoulder. He looked up and met familiar green eyes that seemed to grab his heart and squeeze it.
Cas looked around the room thinking he must've fallen asleep for some time, but he and Dean were the only ones in there beside . Dean was way earlier than usual. "How're things with Michael?" He asked quietly so their teacher wouldn't over hear. "He isn't talking to me currently," Cas replied in the same hushed tone. Dean instantly looked guilty. "Man, I am so sorry. It's all my fault. You told me you couldn't come. I shouldn't have forced that on you." Cas suddenly felt a bit offended. He wasn't some child that couldn't make his own decisions. "Dean, you didn't make me do anything. I wanted to go. I wanted to spend that time with you, it wasn't forced upon me," he said indignantly. Dean blinked, surprised by Cas's sudden confidence. "I guess we won't be going to Angel Radio any time soon then," he said testing the waters to make sure Cas wasn't angry with him now too. "Actually, Gabriel offered to cover for us if we wanted to spend time together before is Michael cooled down, if you still wanted to. If you don't I understand," he was quick to add the last part. He didn't want Dean to feel obligated to see him or anything.
Dean looked at him confused. "Of course I do. I meant what I said at the party, Cas. You're the best friend I've ever had. None of my other friends give half the shit you do about me and Sammy." Cas had to fight down the blush as a small smile grew on his lips. "I meant what I said too, you're the only friend I've ever had," he told him. "Yeah, well, let's hope it stays that way. I don't need you seeing how shitty of a person I am in comparison to others." Cas didn't have time to reply because started class. He didn't even notice all of the people arrive and glance and whisper at his and Dean's hushed conversation. Honestly, with Dean beside him, he didn't really care.