Author's Note: Sorry, loves. It's been a bit hard for me to find my groove lately and churn out anything worth reading. I tried. I have another chapter about this length I'll post after New Year's but I have company over tonight and I'd be rude to stay up typing fic... right? Or would it… ;-p


Dorothy shows up in her school uniform just as they're finding a spot on the graffiti wall where Dean had deposited them. After a wave to him and a quick kiss in greeting for Charlie, she notes, "Well this is different."

"Different is good," Castiel says distractedly, trying to steal a covert glance at one skater in particular. He was waiting at the precipice of a ledge at the top of a steep ramp, balancing, just waiting to lean forward and start that race downward.

"Wise words," she agrees, leaning forward to ruffle his hair. He immediately ducks out from under her and raises his hands to fix it before he remembers it's supposed to be messy.

Charlie leans in and stage whispers to her. "Cas just wants to ogle Dean."

He huffs and crosses his arms. "Actually, for your information, I was invited by Jo. Who is…" He frowns, checking the groups of people watching the skaters. "..not here."

But worrying about where Jo soon takes a backseat when he catches sight of Dean in action. He's never seen him like this but he has to admit, there's a beauty in his fluid movements. Dean grabs his board on the upswings, making it look easy as he holds the position midair a moment before gravity does its work plunging him downward again. Castiel's stomach tightens in worry several times but it becomes clear Dean's graceful in this. Surprising considering his build but he maneuvers the skateboard like it's glued to his feet. Pride and unexpected longing washes through him at the little show.

Dory snort laughs. "Wow if you could see yourself."

"What?" he asks defensively. After a second he can even tear his eyes away to look back at her.

Grinning, she illustrates by clasping both hands over her heart and sighing over-dramatically at Charlie. "Oh Dean."

"Stop." He rolls his eyes, then promptly goes back to watching.

"Gosh, you're dreamy."

"I have ceased listening to you."

"But Dean, I just love the way you-"

Charlie grabs her girlfriend's hand and yanks her away, abruptly cutting off her teasing. "We'll be on the swings!" she yells as they run towards the set of recently vacated swings in the distance.

Leaning against the cold artfully defaced cement, it only takes a minute or two before Castiel begins to feel self-conscious. Just sitting there all alone, it feels like a few of the bystanders are watching him. Maybe they're wondering why he's there. He probably sticks out like a sore thumb. There's nothing to rub or fidget with at his wrists so he folds his arms. Then hops up to shift onto the lip of the wall and hold his knee. Turning to the side, he finds it too uncomfortable on the ledge to cross his legs. There's a burst of laughter from one cluster of teens and for a brief moment he's sure it's directed at him. Castiel's skin crawls with hyperawareness of his every movement. Why was he here anyway? Finally he notices the taco truck a lot over and almost immediately heads off in that direction. He wasn't hungry but it was something to do.

He buys the same chicken burritos Dean got the last time he was here. One for Dean and one for each of the girls should they ever tear themselves away from the wonder that is the swings long enough.

Too quickly, he's back at his perch. After another round of uncomfortable shifting, Castiel pulls out his copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. He can at least pretend to read it to have something to do with his hands. They're about to get to it in English so he kept it with him to brush up on, not that it seemed likely he'd be able to focus on it long enough here. He steals a glance back towards the skaters and sees Dean talking to a few unfamiliar girls circling him. A twinge of annoyance flickers without his permission. Of course Dean can talk to whomever he wants, female or otherwise, but it bugged him how easily he navigated his social circle. Not to mention the annoying fawning of his admirers. These girls obviously weren't here to skate but to giggle and stand too close to the boy who kissed him up against a bathroom door this morning. Castiel quickly ducks his head and lowers his eyes to the page he'd randomly turned to when Dean breaks away with a wave over his shoulder at them.

"Hey, Nerd Angel." Dean drops his board on the ground next to Castiel's bag and pulls himself up on the wall beside him. He's still breathing in slightly labored puffs but his green eyes are bright. "Catch any of my sweet flips?"

Castiel barely squashes the stupid smile that's trying to pop up. It's a little pathetic but he's instantly relieved to see him back. "Yes. You were very impressive," he allows.

Dean smirks and pretends to start teetering on the wall's edge. "A compliment. Think I might faint. Help, I'm getting' lightheaded!"

"It must be from all the air in it."

Dean straightens, whacking him lightly on the arm with a wider grin. "Whatcha reading?

He lifts the cover to show him. At least the damn book wasn't upside down or anything.

Nodding with pressed lips, he offers a sarcastic, "Fun."

Castiel ignores that. "Would you like a burrito?"

"Yeah, I'll go grab one. You?"

He blushes slightly. Maybe it had been presumptuous. Setting his book down, he twists around behind him to pick one, bundled in a white paper wrapping. "I .. um.. thought maybe you'd.. is chicken okay?"

Dean's eyes light up. "Thanks." He takes it, keeping eye contact the whole time. Around a big bite, he casually says, "Been thinking about you all day."

"Really?" Castiel's voice sounds just as casual but he's flushed with pleasure.

"Yeah... 'specially with your hair all roughed up like that. Glad you kept it."

Castiel averts his eyes to watch the remaining skaters because he can't stand the compliment even though it makes him tingle. "Well I..." he clears his throat, and worries his lip. "I have been preoccupied as well."

"Oh really." Dean's face goes smug.

Rolling his eyes, Castiel's lips curve up despite himself. "Yes, someone ambushed me right before my first class this morning and made it very difficult to concentrate."

"Ambushed, huh? Sounds hot."

"Oh it was sufficiently warm," he puffs out a breath, drawing up a knee to hug in an attempt to hide his face. Just thinking of it now was doing awful wonderful things for him. Trapped with Dean aggressively kissing him… Trig couldn't compare.

Fingers slip under his pant leg at his ankle, to touch bare skin. He doesn't jump, just downcasts his eyes to watch, then meet's Dean's suddenly darker gaze. It's right about the spot where his scars are and he wonders if Dean remembers that or if it's just a coincidence.

"Well, I'd say I was sorry but I'd be lyin'."

Getting increasingly distracted by the little circles Dean is rubbing just above his sock, Castiel says, "When can we… do you want to come over tomorrow after school or…" He wanted to be alone again so they could maybe kiss some more but didn't know a decent way to just say it.

"Yeah I really do but I gotta work this week. I could drive you home though."

"Won't you have to pick up Sam?"

"Nah he's at Jess' pretty much every day lately. Ya know, studying."

Castiel nods before Dean prompts him. "So…"

He fiddles with the strap of his bag in his lap. "You don't have to. I can take the bus."

Dean pinches him lightly on the calf and he looks up, frowning.

"I want to." He raises an eyebrow leaning forward a little and Castiel finally gets the idea. They'd be alone for a few minutes for the only time in the day.

"Oh. Then yes. That'd be very considerate of you, Dean." He tries for calm and maybe coy but probably looks more jumpy than anything.

Dean's quiet a minute, watching his own fingers rub up and down in a maddening way underneath his pant leg. It's not really all that intimate of a touch except it makes him wonder if he would go higher if they were alone. If they were at his house or Castiel's, would those finger sneak up his leg, over his knee, and beyond? Would he let him?

"So… think Charlie's right?"

"What?" He shakes out his momentary daydream.

"Think I can bribe you into sayin' Warlocks?" He's teasing but there's still a heat in those greens eyes that makes his stomach flip. Maybe Dean's mind hadn't been too far off from where his own had been a moment ago. "Wonder what it'd take…"

Castiel licks his suddenly dry lips making those eyes drop to follow the movement. Suddenly, Dean casually pulls his hand away from his leg and shifts back a little more. A second later he realizes why.

"Hey," Charlie runs up leaving Dory hanging back by her bike in the parking lot. "So we're gonna go do… anything other than this. You guys good?"

"Yeah, think we can manage without our lesbo dynamic duo," Dean snarks.

"Cas?" She gives him a wide-eyed meaningful look that is supposed to signify something he's sure.

"I'll be fine. Here." He hands over the food he'd bought for them.

"Oo yum! Well we'll just be going then. Have fun." Winking at him, Charlie spins away and jogs back to her girlfriend. Apparently, she thinks she's being sly, trying to push them together and force him into Dean's lap or something. That really was perfect with him.

After watching her go, Dean smiles back at him waggling his eyebrows. "Wanna ride home?"


In front of his house, the engine cuts out all too soon. After impatiently waiting the entire day for this moment, now Castiel presses into the side of the door like he might phase through it.

"Well, we're here," Dean says the obvious.

"Right."

He feels Dean looking at him out of his peripheral but he can't will himself to turn and meet his eyes. So instead they sit in tense silence with expectation making the air heavy between them. He wants Dean to kiss him but he has a feeling he's waiting for him to give a green light or something and that's just not going to happen. Even after kissing on Sunday and that morning in the bathroom (which to his mind was pretty much making out)… all Castiel can do is sit there so awkward it's painful.

"Cas?"

When he'd been blind-sided by Dean, it had been easy to get swept up in it. No time to freak out or over-analyze every inch between them. Now he can hear his blood roaring in his ears and his heart is hammering so quick- this must be what having a heartattack feels like.

"Cas, look at me."

There was so much expectation. So much build up. He'd wanted this moment alone with Dean, anticipated it. Why was it terrifying now?

"Yes?" He glances up and sees the worry in Dean's features.

Do it. Do something. Talk to him. Kiss him. Something! Stop being a scared little idiot.

"You kinda look like you're freakin' out."

He furrows his eyebrows and Dean gestures to him clutching his slacks in fistfuls. "Sorry." He smoothes his pants and tries to appear calm.

"Look I'm not gonna jump you or anything. We can go slow. If I uh surprised you this morning, like, not in a good way… I can back off."

"No!" He grimaces at how loud that came out. "No. I just… this is all a little new for me and you um…"

"I, what?"

You're going to ruin this. Stop talking.

"Nevermind."

"Come on, Cas. This ain't gonna work if you shut down on me."

He sighs and blurts out, "you make me a little nervous."

Dean screws his face up in a frown. "I didn't use to make you nervous." True. When they were arguing or Castiel was telling him off, his voice never shook once.

"Well that was before." Before he knew what it was like to be kissed good enough to get dizzy.

Rubbing his fingertip over his eyebrow in consideration, Dean finally looks up and says, "Okay well, how 'bout this. I'll let you make any moves from now on till you get over those nerves, kay?"

Oh god. That was probably supposed to be comforting and it was in a way except that meant they'd probably be sitting there next to each other every day, both waiting on him to make a move until Dean had to leave.

Speaking of, Dean checks his watch. "Alright, I gotta go, but this doesn't have to be some scary thing, alright? It's just like when we were friends... just now we can uh kiss and stuff. When you want. If you want, whatever."

Feeling like an idiot virgin, Castiel nods and opens the car door. Annoyed at himself, he turns back, slides across the seat to bumps their mouths together in a quick clumsy kiss and rushes out of the car without looking back.


The following day after school, Castiel dutifully waits by the Impala practically vibrating with nerves. There hadn't been a moment alone for Dean to sneak kisses like the previous day, even if Castiel had lingered a little longer than necessary at lunch, and as a result it had him mentally pep-talking his way through the rest of the day. They would not have a repeat of yesterday with him being a skittish freak when he was dropped off. Sometime between conjugating French verbs, he settled on surprising Dean by grabbing his face and just going for it like one of those grand dramatic moments in a romance. Music-swelling in the background, optional. Yes, that's what he'd do, damnit… if only Dean would hurry up before he lost his courage.

He waits and fidgets for over ten minutes until the student parking lot mostly empties out. School buses leave in a line hisses and jerky movements, like a noisy yellow parade.

When Dean finally saunters in his line of vision, Castiel gasps and starts walking forward to meet him. He has a growing bruise on his cheek with slash of dried blood in the middle. And he's smiling.

"What- what happened to you?!"

"Should see the other guy," he says as he steps around him to open the Impala's backdoor and toss his skateboard and bookbag in.

Castiel catches his arm to make him turn around. "Who?"

Dean's scrunches his mouth like he's mulling the answer over. "Don't worry about it. Someone thought they could sucker punch me and get away with it. Now they know different."

He climbs into the driver's seat and turns the key while Castiel's still spluttering. "But-" Crossing to the passenger door, he gets in to continue the conversation. "What happened?"

Pulling out into traffic, Dean blows out a slow breath. It makes his cheek look even more stark. "Your ex flame."

"What? Michael did that?" He scowls at the dashboard. "You should tell someone. Go back." He whirls in his seatbelt looking back the way they came over the seat then back at Dean. "We have to-"

Dean laughs, shaking his head. "You're friggin' adorable, you know that?"

"Excuse me?" It didn't sound like a compliment.

"It was a fight, Cas. Two guys throwin' a few punches to settle their differences. You want me to go cryin' to the principle or something?"

Narrowing his eyes, Castiel says, "Well 'two guys throwing a few punches' could get you suspended, Dean." There was a no tolerance policy for fighting at their school and his cavalier attitude was just typical but Castiel quickly loses whatever annoyance he has when that nasty bruise catches the afternoon light.

"Yeah well it was nothin'. Think he was just trying to save face in front of his jockstrap buddies. I can handle myself."

"Apparently." Tilting his head, Castiel asks, "Why are you smiling?"

Dean shrugs. "It was fun?"

"Fighitng is fun to you?" His voice raises an octave in incredulity.

"Well... I dunno. There's something kinda satisfying about getting one in on the douche you were losing your shit over for months."

Castiel just looks at him

"Hey I waited till he hit me first."

"You are insane." And with that he slumps down in his seat with folded arms.

Pulling onto his street, Dean drives past his house, instead coming to a stop several houses down outside to one that's for sale. He assumes it was because had once again come out to check her mail while they were parked outside his house last time, but nosy neighbors are the last thing on Castiel's mind at the moment.

As soon as the engine is off, he unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to see Dean still smiling.

"What?"

Leaning over, he suddenly wraps his hands around Castiel's waist and tugs him closer, making his eyes go wide as he braces a hand on the seat behind him so he doesn't fall into the other boys lap.

"C'mon. Aren't you a little turned on? I practically defended your honor."

Sighing at the absurdity of Dean's good mood right now, he admits, "Maybe a little. Not that I condone your actions." Eyebrows wedged together in concern, he cup his face to examine the cut cheek with his thumb while Dean winces.

"Ow! Dude, you'd make a crappy nurse."

Castiel squints at him but his features soften when he realizes how close they are and how intimately he was holding Dean's face. Swallowing once almost imperceptibly, he leans forward to kiss his lips softly then his cheek just below the cut.

"Would you like me to apologize?" he breathes shallowly, trying to sound as if he knew what he was doing.

"Nah." Dean clears his throat and smiling at the radio. "Think I'll survive." It wasn't all that scary after all. It feels natural to kiss him gently, lingeringly. Dropping his hands to his sides, Castiel pulls back, catching Dean's half-lidded eyes and smiling small in return.

They have a little more time so with the windows cracked to let in the cooling air, they each talk about their day; Dean being miserable about what to write his history paper on, Castiel hating . While describing the poor confused sub for 2nd period Biology that the students convinced was in the wrong classroom, he looks up to see Dean staring. He trails off and stares back, long enough that he plucks up the courage to lean across the space and take the kiss. Sweet. He tastes something sweet in Dean's mouth when he does that slip of tongue. Catching on, Castiel meets his tongue and tilts his head without Dean having to lead him. Too soon, Dean is leaning back, grinning like he knew exactly how much Castiel wanted to continue and saying goodbye. He's amazed to realize he was hardly nervous at all this time. Each time was a little less scary than the last.

In Trig the following day, Michael indeed has a nasty black eye. He expects a confrontation and is upset enough about Dean to almost want one but instead Michael spends the class glaring at his desk. As the bell rings and they all get up to leave, Castiel steals another cautious glance over at his side of the room in time to see the Michael's jock buddy who sits behind him poke him in the shoulder and gesture to his own eye. Michael shoves him away so hard the guy trips and falls on his butt, much to the delight of the class and .

In third period it's Kickball day. He's not particularly skilled at any sport and Kickball is no exception. Castiel's strategy is to try to be as far left as possible where the ball hardly ever goes in the outfield. The ball only comes towards him once near the end of the game and he quickly throws it at someone who actually wants it.

They switch and it's his teams turn to sit on the bench. Crackling his knuckles, he waits for that undoubtedly awkward moment where he will have to kick a stupid red ball. While watching the next player take their turn, he looks down the bench full of kids and tries to estimate if he'll have to kick this turn. A boy with short blond hair looking sweaty but in his element leans forward past the row of people separating them into his line of sight and waves. He looks around and when he realizes it's at him, Castiel slowly puts up his own in answer.

His eyes drift past the boy to the line of jocks coming out of the locker room to the other side of the field. They're early. The coach set it up so they have 4th period Phys Ed just so they can get another practice in but 3rd's only half over. They must get special passes in preparation for upcoming games. Lawrence was very proud of their champions.

"Nice legs, Novak!" One of the far off jock yells and snickers to his pal who claps and wolf whistles.

Castiel sighs and tugs at the bottom of his gym shorts as if he could turn them back into his slacks by will alone.

After the Phys Ed teacher finally has enough of torturing them, they all head back into the gym's small student locker room with a few shower stalls, and a wall of cubby holes to store their clothes. Once restored to his carefully dishelved new self, he heads to his locker to grab the History book for 4th period.

"Hi. Castiel, right?"

He frowns over his shoulder to see the boy who waved at him in 3rd period.

"Yes.. Alfie?" he ventures.

"Yes!" He smiles big, then after a moment where he seems to flounder he adds, "Oh, um.. here." He holds up a green and purple pamphlet out to him. "I wanted to invite you to GSA. I've been trying to get more people involved. Hoping if a few join we can get more to come."

"GSA…" Castiel repeats unenthusiastically. Gay Straight Alliance. That he did not need. He already got enough attention from "admirers" like the jock in Phys Ed.

"Yeah. I know you're out, I saw you last week getting hassled in the gym with… that uh guy Michael," he hesitates over the name briefly before quickly continuing, "and well I don't know. I wanted to say Hi.""

"Oh are you..."

"Yep." Aflie smiles proudly.

"Well… thank you." Castiel folds the flyer in half and turns to shut his locker. Seeing Alfie not leaving he holds the flyer up and says, "I'll consider it," hoping to indicate he can go now.

There's a pause where the other boy almost turns away then hesitates and comes right back. His smile looks almost like a wince. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Barely managing not to sigh in impatience, Castiel says, "I have a feeling you're going to regardless of my consent."

"I didn't just come over here to ask you about GSA."

"Okay. Then why did you come over here?"

Alfie smiles in that charming self-deprecating way he's starting to recognize. He's seen it from Dean, though admittedly Dean's usually has a touch of arrogance around the edges.

"Oh." Castiel's eyes widen in surprise and he blushes a little despite himself.

"I know we've never really talked before but… maybe we could go to a movie sometime?"

"Well, I… " he was about to say he had a boyfriend if that's what he and Dean were but he remembers he can't. "I'm really flattered but..."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"No. It's not that. I mean, I..."

"Seriously, it's okay." His cheeks are getting to be an unflattering beet red as he backtracks so fast he trips and drops several flyers on the ground. Castiel crouches down to help him pick them up but Alfie just walks on leaving them behind as causalities to his embarrassment.

Damnit.


The lingering unease over having seemingly rejecting Alfie for no reason persists through 4th and on to Lunch. It must have taken bravery to just ask another boy out on a date. He should have tried harder to stop him from leaving but it had taken him completely off guard.

Dean's next to him but it doesn't feel like it. He's wrapped up in some story of Benny's of the beefy jock, named Greg apparently, who missed a pass and ate the dirt when he stumbled at practice. Everyone in the immediate area laughs except Dean. In fact now that Castiel is really focusing on him, it doesn't look like Dean's even listening. His head was bent so he was staring at a spot between his knees, his shoulders were rigid and jaw tight.

"Are you okay?" he asks quietly to which he receives a grunt of acknowledgment before Dean goes back to pretending to listen to Benny.

Castiel eyes his profile, hating the blossoming bruise across his cheek. Everyone had already had their turn cracking jokes about it to which Dean smiled indulgently and joked back but it sounded a tad hollow. Actually all day, Dean had seemed a little off, kind of going through the motions. Maybe he was just having an off day? Lord knew, Castiel had enough of his own.

He glances around, feeling disconnected in the small group around him like he sometimes did. Charlie was smiling down at her phone so he goes back to looking at his… whatever Dean was. He couldn't wait to be alone with him later. It was quickly becoming his favorite part of the day, those few stolen minutes before he had to go to work. What would happen when he didn't have to leave? Right now he felt a small measure of safety because he knew they had a time limit so it couldn't go too far. Would he be ready for it if it went further?

Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel sees Andrea smiling at him with a raised eyebrow. He lowers his eyes to his plate of limp french fries. Why should he be embarrassed to be caught looking at Dean? So what if she assumed correctly he was thinking blush-inducing thoughts about him. Why did he feel like he had to hide it?

He nibbles a fry for something to do, sneaking peaks at Dean's hand. What would he do if he grabbed it? He wasn't even looking at him. Come to think of it, he hadn't really looked at him all day. Well that's not true. He looked but he didn't do any of those flirty once overs that he always pretended to be annoyed with. Castiel tries to catch Dean's eyes, reaching forward for his bag for no particular reason and when Dean does he looks almost angry; that bruise, yellowish with outer purple hue, only making him seem all the more standoffish.

The bell rings and Charlie comes up behind him to sling an arm over his shoulders pulling him along. "You okay?"

"Yes," he says, looking over his shoulder towards Dean. He has his eyes closed as if in pain for a second before stomping away in the opposite direction without even a goodbye.

Trying to put his odd sullen mood out of his mind, Castiel turns back. "Have you ever been to a GSA meeting?"

"Uh, no? Do we even have one of those?"

He opens his messenger bag and digs out one of Alfie's abandoned pamphlets.

"Shouldn't it be called LGBT or LGBTQ or LGBTQAI-"

"I doubt the schoolboard knows what half of those letters represent but the pamphlet explains it's just a blanket term and anyone's welcome.

"You, Mister Avoids-Social-Interaction-At-All-Costs, actually wants to join a club?"

"Not join," he quickly clarifies. "Just maybe attend a meeting."

After staring at Dean's hand like a lunatic half of lunch because he'd been fantasizing about proudly hold it, going to GSA sounded kind of nice. And maybe he could make up their earlier exchange to Alfie. If Charlie hadn't even heard of it, he doubted many people went to club meetings.

After school, he meets at Dean's car, hoping whatever his weird mood was had dissipated, but right away it's apparent something's still off. Dean barely flicks his eyes up at him as he gets in and turns the key. Bristling at the cold welcome, Castiel folds his arms and keeps his eyes focused on the passing cars. Surprisingly, they drive to Sam's school to pick him up for once, the younger boy getting in without a word. A few minutes later, he's dropped off at the Winchester house without either of them saying a goodbye.

"Dean?" he asks quietly as they pull away and toward his neighborhood. "What's wrong?"

Dean doesn't answer him, but does lay on his horn and flip someone off when they pull out in front of him. Sighing, Castiel looks back out the windshield to see they've reached his road. At this rate he should have taken the bus. If Dean wasn't going to talk to him he needn't have bothered driving him.

The Impala lurches to a stop a house away from his. Castiel pries his fingers free of the door handle and straightens in his seat.

"Well goodbye," he mutters without looking at Dean. He gets the heavy passenger door open an inch before he's yanked back, a mouth colliding harshly against his. It's unexpected and almost scary in how rough he's being. Apparently Dean wasn't waiting for Castiel to give him a go ahead today but clutching him close so he's barely able to do much more than sit there and take it. The fingers clasped behind his neck squeeze painfully hard.

Dean kisses him and kisses him until he's fisting his t- shirt and shoving him away to see his face. Dean lets him go but only to lay his forehead on Castiel's with his eyes closed. They both pant, trying to get catch their breath.

After several seconds, Castiel licks his dry lips and asks, "Dean?"

He doesn't move.

"Dean, please tell me what's wrong."

"Nothin'. Sorry," he gruffly answers, still with his head bent.

When Castiel cautiously cups his face to make him meet his eyes, Dean sighs, "Just really needed that and never got a chance alone with you."

"You were upset. What happened?"

He's quiet again for too long before a short bitter, "My dad."

"Your dad what?"

"Saw my face. Knew I'd been fighting." Dean glares off past his shoulder leaving the rest unsaid.

"But it wasn't your fault." Even though he himself had been annoyed at Dean for fighting yesterday, now he was whole-heartedly ready to defend him. "I'll go home with you. I could tell him-"

Dean laughs a little harsh chuckle then checks his face, "You're serious too aren't you? You'd go tell my old man like it is huh?"

"Yes," he bunches his eyebrows in confusion. "Absolutely."

Dean smiles and cuffs his neck to kiss him slower. Sweeter.

"Nah just needed this. I'm good."

"You know…" He peaks up at him. "You could have just kissed me at school."

Dean tenses a little but he presses on anyway. Later he was going over to Charlie's and if he had to endure anymore well-meant advice on how to "hook a Winchester", he might break a tooth from grinding them.

"I believe a few might have guessed anyway." Benny had been casually asking things before Trig like if he and Dean had been hanging out a lot and Jo had acted weird that one day. Andrea caught him staring.

Dean busies himself with checking his busted cheek in the rearview mirror.

"I wanted to kiss you today too. Very much." Castiel admits, trying to push a little.

"Cas, It's not like I'm… it's just-" Dean's forehead wrinkles like he has no idea what he was trying to say. "Look I never expected to be…" He sighs, watching himself pick at his cuticles. "-I can't really talk about this right-"

Slightly annoyed, he cuts him off mid-sentence with an impatient, "Dean?"

When he looks up a little defeated, Castiel decides to just go for it. Whether to make up for when they couldn't earlier or to wipe that lost look off Dean's face, Castiel rally's his courage and crosses the distance that last inch, bumping their lips together so their teeth click. It's too abrupt and Dean laughs into his mouth.

"Sorry," Castiel breathes.

"S'alright. Eager's good." Dean angles his head, catches his lips. "I like it," he gruffly whispers, as Castiel surges forward again, this time keeping his lips soft and pliant. Dean groans in a way that makes his pants tight. As he shifts a little more into his space, a loud chirp of the horn makes them gasp and pull apart. Dean's elbow must have hit it. They laugh a little out of breath before meeting each other's eyes again. Dean doesn't wait for him, just immediately loops an arm around his lower back and pulls him back close.

Castiel's mind blanks to a pleasant glow; it feels like he's going to burn up as he presses firmly into the kiss. Sometime during long minutes of only catching short gasps of air they must have moved because his back is suddenly pressed against the door. It's awkward for his neck but his body was telling him to shut the hell up about something as trivial as a kinked neck right now. At least it's a bench seat.

Dean cushions his head with his hand, trying to make it more comfortable without moving their position or stopping his very talented mouth. It feels so damn good. A hand dances up his back, up his arm. He tentatively, brings his own up to Dean's broad shoulder, the other bracing on the door behind him for support.

"I've gotcha, Cas. You can let go," he murmurs, wrapping an arm more firmly behind his back to take his weight.

Castiel gasps at the words. In his fantasy, Dean had said that to coax him into …

"What?" He frowns down at him with slightly glazed eyes.

"Nothing." Castiel quickly says, grabbing a fist full of Dean's tshirt and tugging his mouth back, sinking into his hold. Dean has him.

When they finally pull apart it's obvious they're both hard. They take turns breathily laughing, looking away, smiling shyly and it seemed like the bad day never happened.

And they definitely made up for not being able to kiss at school.

Slightly embarrassed of his enthusiasm now, Castiel reaches down for his bag to pull it over his lap. "Um, h-have a good day at work."

"I will now." Dean winks, brushing his thumb over his own mouth to wipe away some of their shared saliva. "Text me later?"

"You're supposed to be working."

"Yeah but if I get a text from my boyf- you, then it'll go by a helluva lot quicker."

Castiel's heart stops over the word but he makes himself smile and get out of the car. He doesn't know whether to be pleased it popped into his sentence or crushed he covered it up.


Author's Note: I hope you had a lovely Christmas. I'm sorry for anyone who doesn't have a comfortable family environment during this time. Or anytime for that matter. Just try to remember you're not alone and there are people out there willing to listen. Me for one. If you need to talk or vent, find me at my tumblr (zombeeblackcat) or email Juniper4884 on gmail. *Eskimo kisses*