"Hey, Cas?" Dean asked from the opposite end of the couch. The boys were upstairs working on homework while Sam and Jess played video games downstairs. It was a Monday night, but neither Dean nor Jess' parents minded Sam and Jess spending time together.

"Yeah, Dean?"

Castiel looked up from the math homework he was working on, giving Dean his attention instead.

"You remember the night my parents died, right?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked sincerely, placing his own math book on the floor. He hadn't been paying attention to it for the last half-hour; he'd been lost in memories.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Cas asked, head tilted and eyes narrowed in confusion. Dean ignored the way the gesture made his heart flutter.

"When I got there you seemed super pissed. But then when the cops came, you looked ready to apologize."

Cas shrugged and turned back to his work. "Yeah. I wanted to, but I didn't."

"You could've saved us years of hell if you'd just told me what was going on." Dean said after a moment. Cas looked up with his eyes narrowed.

"I know that. I just wasn't ready to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because, my mom flipped her shit when I told her I was gay. I didn't want to see you do the same." Cas looked back down at his notebook, but his pencil was frozen in his hand. Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he got up and crossed the short distance to lean over Cas.

"I wouldn't have."

"Really?" Cas didn't hide his skepticism from his voice. Dean took a moment to consider. He had, of course, known that Cas was gay at the time. In fact, he'd known for a few years prior. It was just a part of who Castiel Novak was. It hadn't really ever bothered Dean that Cas had never told him. It wasn't necessarily his business to know, even though they were best friends. If Cas had told him that night what was really going on, Dean knew the only thing that would've surprised him would be Naomi's involvement.

"Really. My reaction would've been the same as it was when you actually did tell me."

"Oh."

Dean grinned, then leaned in and gave Cas a quick kiss on his forehead.

"That's all you got? 'Oh'?" He mocked, making Cas pout.

"Yeah, well..."

Dean laughed as Cas floundered for some kind of defense. Then he thought of another question that had been teasing his mind.

"Cas?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have you, ya know, liked me?"

Cas blushed then, and Dean grinned at that response. "A while."

"Come on, Cas. Tell me. Then...I'll tell you." Dean said, and it was his turn to blush. He didn't stop smiling though, especially when Cas squirmed.

"Sometime during seventh grade."

"Wow. Same." Dean grunted without hesitation.

"Yeah. Wait, so, let me get this straight. You, Dean Winchester, a.k.a. The school's very own womanizer, have had a crush on me since seventh grade?"

Dean ducked his head. "Yeah."

"How is that even possible?"

"Have you even met you? Cas, you're awesome. Totally crush-worthy." He smirked at Cas, who rolled his eyes.

"You're cute when you're blushing." Cas observed, and Dean pushed himself away from Cas and sat back on his end of the couch.

"Shut up. Sap." He said as he picked up his math book.

Cas giggled, and Dean gave him a strangled look.

"You're horrible."

"And you are dating horrible." Cas shot back. Dean rolled his eyes and groaned. He dropped his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, only to start when the doorbell rang. They froze as Luci started barking, then rushed into action. Cas raced into Dean's parents' room after shoving his homework underneath the couch. Dean waited until the door had closed before he went over to Luci and hushed her. He looked through the peephole and felt a spear of dread before he opened the door.

Naomi looked like she had just rolled out of bed, despite the pantsuit she was wearing. Her dark hair was tousled into a messy, knotted bun, and her eyes looked puffy and red as if she'd been crying a lot. Her face looked haunted. She had her arms hugging her sides when Dean opened the door, and she gave him a kind smile.

"Hello, Dean. Listen, Castiel has run away from home. It's been weeks, and I can't find him anywhere. I know you two had a falling out, but I was wondering if you've heard from him at all?" She asked. It took her time to get the words out, and Dean could tell that she was trying to seem put together. Seeing Cas' mother like this made Dean feel a bit guilty. Naomi was still Cas' mom. He was still her son. Yes, she treated him like shit, but she was still a parent. For a brief moment, Dean thought of ways to try and relieve her misery, but he couldn't think of anything solid, so he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Novak. I haven't heard anything. Mr. Henriksen told me that he ran away, but that was weeks ago, when you came to the school. I haven't heard anything since."

He watched as Naomi steeled herself, then she nodded briskly.

"Thank you anyway, Dean. If you do hear anything, would you please call? I'm so worried."

Dean nodded. He honestly believed her. Of course she's worried, I would be!

"Absolutely. Goodnight, Mrs. Novak." He gave her a smile and a wave, which she returned.

"Goodnight, Dean." She said before walking down the drive and getting back into her car. Dean closed the door and watched her go through a crack in the blinds before going to find Cas.

"How is she?" The words are out of Cas' mouth before Dean can even properly shut the door.

"She didn't look so great. Maybe you should at least call her?" Dean suggested as he sat next to him on the bed. Cas' shoulders sagged and he dropped his head in his hands.

"I don't know what I would want to say to her."

"Hi, bye? Just so she knows you're okay." Dean pressed. He really had felt bad for Naomi.

Cas sighed. "Alright. Hand me a phone."

"What kind of house do you think we live in? Get your lazy ass to a corded phone." Dean said, bouncing off the bed with a forced chuckle. Cas rolled his eyes and followed Dean into the kitchen, where there was a phone hanging on the wall.

"I forgot how old school your parents were." Cas commented as he unhooked the phone and dialed in his house number. He and Dean made faces at each other from opposite ends of the dining table while it rang.

"Mom. This is Castiel."

Dean gave him one last smile of encouragement before Cas focused on his mother.

"Yes. I'm safe."

"I'm not going to tell you where I am."

"Because...I don't trust you, mom."

"How could I? The last time I trusted you with something important, you ruined my entire life."

"No, I'm not having some teenage phase, Naomi." Cas snapped, shooting Dean an apologetic look. Dean waved it off. Cas had every right to be pissed.

"The last time I trusted you was when I told you about my sexuality, and you threw that trust right back in my face. So no, I am not going to tell you where I am."

"I don't care if you go to the police. I'll tell them that you're an abusive mother."

"Because you are!"

"Why the hell should I be grateful for...Bullshit. That's bullshit and you know it. I'm happy just the way I am."

"Well I don't want to come home. Ever."

"No. We can't. You're too shoved up in your own head to give a damn about me. You're so worried about–SHUT UP." Cas shouted, causing Dean to start and look up from where he'd been fiddling with his pant leg. Cas was glaring at the wall. Wonder what she said?

"Leave Dean out of this, mom. It is not his fault that I'm gay! It's no one's fault. It's who I am and I honestly don't understand why you have such a fucking problem with it!"

"Did I not just tell you–."

"Yes, we are friends again."

"I don't care!"

"Yes, I was there when you said that."

"You can't choose who I'm friends with."

"You can't choose who I love, either. You're not my puppet-master."

"Look, all I wanted to say was that I'm alive. I'm safe. Stop pretending to give a shit about me and just go away."

Cas stood and slammed the phone back into it's hook against the wall. Then he retook his seat and dropped his head to the table. Dean kept fiddling with the strings of his pant leg.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean looked up and felt his heart flutter at the squinty-look Cas was giving him. That was the second time today, and this time Dean couldn't ignore it. The answer to why is my heart doing that flitted across his thoughts before he shoved it away and focused on Cas.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"Nah. It's no big." He said easily. It really wasn't. Cas had needed to assure Naomi of his safety. They both knew she would start arguing with him again.

They fell into a comfortable silence, merely watching each others' eyes. Dean observed that Cas was thinking critically about something, and it made him curious. Eventually he asked.

"What'cha thinkin'?"

Cas hesitated mere seconds before narrowed his eyes again. "How many guys have you dated?"

"None. I've done stuff with some guys, though."

"Who?"

"Cas, I'm not going to share my naughty deeds with you." Dean said, flashing him a smile before winking. Cas didn't react.

"Yes you are."

"No."

"Yep."

"You can't make me tell you anything." Dean leaned back in the chair and crossed him arms over his chest. Cas finally grinned.

"I'm an actor, Dean. I know how to get around your walls. Consider it my objective."

"Are you seriously trying to give me an acting lesson right now?"

Cas' grin didn't falter. He got up from his chair and crossed the room to Dean. He pulled Dean's chair out and turned it so that it was facing him.

"I'm seriously giving you all sorts of lessons."

Dean felt his heart skip a beat. Stop that. He thought at it. Now was so not the time for heart palpitations.

"Please tell me that means what I think it does." Dean said, ignoring the way his voice sounded breathy. Cas just winked. Then he held out a hand to Dean.

"We should probably relocate to your room. Ya know, since Sam and Jess are here."

"Good idea. And, Cas?"

Cas turned his head slightly to catch Dean's words as he lead him down the hallway. "Hmm?"

"It's our room."

A/N: Are you guys ready for sauciness? I should probably change the rating. We'll see. Hopefully I won't take as long to update. I apologize for the hiatus. ~Tharesa