The rest of the week passed by quickly. School was about the same, though the teachers and staff were buzzing about college applications and how the students needed to focus on spicing them up with extracurricular activities. Castiel didn't pay them much mind, considering he had already submitted his applications to his chosen colleges, but that didn't stop his teachers from talking to him about college anyways.

Castiel was tired of talking about college. The anticipation of waiting for a response from his top schools was too much for him. He just wanted to focus on high school homework and drawing...and Dean Winchester.

The two boys had been talking nonstop, which only made them grow closer. Dean started sitting with Castiel in art class everyday, and they even talked about him potentially joining Castiel and Garth at their lunch table. Castiel was surprised at how much he was liking Dean.

It was Sunday now, the night of their family dinner. Dean was coming, just as promised, and Castiel was excited to see him. But he was also worried about Dean meeting his siblings. They could be pretty overbearing when it came to him, and sometimes he hated it. He knew they meant well, but it still was stressful.

It was getting close to five o'clock, and Castiel was getting ready. He dug through his closet, looking for the right outfit to wear. He knew it didn't matter, but he wanted to look nice. After trying on several shirts and tossing them to the floor, he settled on a blue sweater and a pair of jeans. Not too fancy, but nice enough.

As he was checking himself out in the mirror, he felt his phone buzz on his desk. He picked it up and opened it to find a text from Dean: I don't know what to wear. Help? Castiel chuckled and sent a response: What options do you have?

A few seconds later he got a selfie from Dean. He was wearing a dark blue button up, no tie, and black slacks. Simple, yet nice. I like that one, what else do you have? Castiel typed.

A few more seconds passed and he got another selfie, only this one featured a shirtless Dean. He was smiling coyly in the picture, and wearing nothing but the black slacks. Castiel's face turned red and he covered it. Dean, what the fuck.

C: I like the first one.

D: What? Not even going to mention the second one?

C: I figured it was better to not even engage.

D: Wow, that speechless, huh?

C: No, I just feel like sometimes that's the best way to deal with your shenanigans.

D: "Shenanigans"? You're calling my very obvious interest in you "shenanigans"? I'm offended.

C: You just have a way of choosing the worst times for it.

D: Oh, are you busy? Sorry, didn't realize.

C: I'm not, but the last thing I need is to be thinking about you being half naked.

D: Oh, so you do think about me naked? Duly noted.

C: Very funny. Please don't come to my house shirtless.

D: First outfit. Got it.

Castiel set his phone down, trying to regain his composure. Of course Dean would. He let out a long sigh and cleared his throat, trying not to let his mind wander and think about Dean's naked body. When he finally calmed down, he grabbed his phone and headed downstairs.

Michael was in the kitchen making dinner when Castiel walked in. "Hey, need any help?"

Michael looked over at him. "Yeah, can you start cutting the carrots?"

"Sure," Castiel replied, and searched for the knife and cutting board.

"You're looking nice, I wonder why," Michael said, teasingly.

"Michael, please don't embarrass me," Castiel said with a roll of his eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just happy for you, Castiel."

Castiel pulled out the cutting board and set it down on the counter. He looked over at Michael. "I know, and thank you. I just don't want you guys making it weird."

Michael nodded. "Okay, I'll try my best. I can't say the same for Gabe and Anna, though."

Castiel sighed. "Well, one is better than none."

The two continued prepping dinner for an hour before the doorbell. Castiel wiped off his hands and went to answer the door. Dean stood on his front steps, dressed in the first outfit he had sent Castiel a picture of earlier. Thank God.

"Hey, Cas," Dean said with a smirk.

"Hi, Dean."

Castiel let the other boy inside and shut the door. The two then returned to the kitchen where Michael was finishing up dinner.

"Hello Dean," Michael greeted, holding out his hand.

Dean took it and they shook. "Hello, Michael. Need any help with dinner?"

"Nah," Michael replied with a wave of his hand. "Castiel and I have it covered. It's just about done, actually."

At that moment, they heard the front door close and heard a, "Hellooooo?" Gabriel and Anna were there. Castiel let out a heavy sigh. Here we go.

The three of them made their way into the dinning room to find Anna, Gabriel, and Jared in the front entranceway, pulling off their coats. "Jared!" Castiel exclaimed, running over and hugging the taller man.

"Hey, bud!" Jared said, ruffling Castiel's already messy hair.

"Wow, no love for us?" Gabriel asked.

"Sorry," Castiel replied, and he hugged his siblings.

"I brought a casserole," Anna said with a smile. She walked forward and handed it to Michael.

"So, this must be the boy our little Castiel is infatuated with."

"Gabe," Castiel groaned.

Dean chuckled and held out a hand. "Dean Winchester."

Gabe took it and shook. "Gabriel Mars. This is my fiancé, Jared Campbell."

"Wait," Castiel interrupted. "Fiancé?"

Gabriel smiled. "I was going to wait until dinner but..." He lifted his left hand to show an engagement ring on his ring finger. "Jared and I are engaged now."

"Congrats!" Michael cheered, clapping Jared on the shoulder. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you," Jared said with a smile and a dip of his head.

"Finally," Anna teased, a smile forming on her face. "I'm Anna Milton, by the way." She turned to Dean and smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Dean replied.

"Alright, we should probably eat dinner before it gets cold," Michael said, gesturing for everyone to follow him into the dinning room.

X

Ten minutes later they were all sitting around the dinner table. The food had been passed around, and there was nothing but the sounds of chewing and silverware clinking as they ate. Castiel tried to steady his breathing, still nervous about what his siblings would say. He hoped that they wouldn't say something to scare Dean away.

Gabriel swallowed a mouthful of food and said. "So, Dean-o. How'd you and my brother meet?"

Castiel swallowed carefully as Dean said, "School. We're in the same art class."

"Yes, I started tutoring him," Castiel mumbled.

"Ah, okay. You used the thing my brother loves the most to get his attention. Got it," Gabriel said with a wink.

Castiel shot his brother a look and said, "No, he just needed some help."

"Sure..." Gabriel replied, obviously not buying it.

Castiel rolled his eyes. "You're a pain, Gabe."

"Castiel," Michael warned. "Relax. You too, Gabriel."

Gabriel returned to his food with a shrug. "Relax, bro, I'm just trying to get to know him."

"You need some new methods," Jared piped in, and Castiel giggled.

"What's wrong with my methods?" Gabriel asked incredulously.

Jared shook his head. "Oh nothing, you just tend to be...what's the word? Oh, abrasive."

"Me? Abrasive?" Gabriel looked over at Jared, his hand on his chest.

Jared laughed in response. "Yes, you."

"Well, I'm offended," Gabe replied, picking up a forkful of food.

"You'll get over it."

The whole table broke out into a fit of giggles as Gabriel scoffed and crossed his arms. Jared saw this and leaned over, kissing Gabe on the cheek. "Don't worry, we still love you. Just, learn when to tone it down," he said.

Gabriel pursed his lips. "Fine, you're right. Sorry, Castiel."

"Always am," Jared muttered, returning back to his meal.

Anna looked over at Castiel and Dean with a smile. "So Dean, tell us about yourself. Tell us about your family," she said.

Castiel froze briefly. He didn't want Dean to reveal his home situation because he knew how the others would react. If the way they treated Castiel after the abuse said anything, it's that they would be overly sympathetic, and maybe even overprotective.

"Maybe some other time-"

"No, Cas, it's okay," Dean interrupted. "I'm a baseball player, hoping to go into auto mechanics after high school. I have a little brother named Sam, and I live with my Uncle Bobby."

"That's nice, Dean. Are you a good player?" Anna asked.

"Well, I don't wanna brag or nothing, but, I'm probably the best," Dean replied, a sly smile on his face.

"Who knew our baby brother would be into an athlete?" Anna beamed at them.

"Anna," Castiel groaned. His face was turning a light shade of pink.

"Sorry," she replied. "I'm just happy for you, Castiel."

"It's okay Cas," Dean interjected. "They care about you, and they mean well." He placed his hand on Castiel's leg under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. Castiel squeaked softly and nodded, his face turning even more pink. Dean turned his attention back to the rest of the table, smiling as if nothing happened. Dammit, Dean Winchester.

"Right," Michael agreed. "We just want to make sure Castiel is happy."

Castiel cleared his throat. "I am." He looked over at his older brother and saw a flash of concern on his face. "Really, I am," Castiel repeated. "I'd tell you if I wasn't."

The two held each other's gaze for a moment. Finally Michael nodded, the concern clearly gone now. "Good."

"So Gabriel," Castiel said, looking at his brother. "Tell us how the engagement went."

X

The six of them were gathered around the front door as Anna, Gabriel, and Jared prepared to leave. They'd finished their meal hours ago and migrated to the living room to talk and play board games. Castiel was worried, but he had begun to relax as the night went on. His siblings seemed to like Dean, and Dean seemed to like them too.

They stopped grilling Dean on his home life, thankfully, and moved on to asking him about his future. What he wanted to do with his life, where he wanted to go to college, things like that. Castiel wished they wouldn't ask, but Dean didn't seem to mind. They stopped asking questions after a while and focused on playing the board game anyways. When they realized it was almost nine o'clock, they decided it was time to pack up and head home.

Gabriel, Anna, and Jared were putting on their coats and saying their goodbyes, as they hugged their two other siblings.

"We'll see you next month?" Michael asked, patting Gabriel on the back.

"Maybe sooner for some wedding arrangements," Gabriel replied. "Dean, you're invited to the wedding too."

Dean - who had been leaning against the wall opposite the door with his arms crossed - chuckled. "Thanks, Gabe. I appreciate it."

Gabriel walked over and shook Dean's hand. "Of course. Any boyfriend of Castiel's is part of the family."

Castiel rolled his eyes at the mention of "boyfriend", but didn't say anything else. After they said their goodbyes, Gabriel, Anna, and Jared headed home. Castiel let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"So, what'd you think?" He asked, turning to Dean.

"They're really nice," Dean replied. "They seem to care about you a lot."

"Yeah," Castiel said with a half-shrug. "They do. Sometimes a little too much. Sorry they asked so many questions."

Dean shook his head and waved his hand. "It's expected when you meet someone's family for the first time. No sweat."

Castiel looked at Dean, a smile crossing his face. Dean smiled back. After a few moments, Michael cleared his throat. "So, I'm gonna start the clean up. I'll give you guys a few minutes to say your goodbyes. When you're ready Castiel, you can come join me."

Castiel looked away, having forgotten that Michael was still standing there. He nodded, a blush forming on his cheeks.

Michael turned to Dean and extended his hand. "It was nice seeing you, Dean. You're welcome back anytime."

Dean took Michael's hand and shook it, smiling. "Thank you, sir. It was nice seeing you too."

Michael smiled back and then headed out into the kitchen, giving the boys some privacy.

As soon as Michael was gone, Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean and hugged him tightly. He buried his face into Dean's neck and breathed deeply. Dean laughed, surprised at the sudden action, but returned the hug. "You were waiting to do that, weren't you?"

"Mmhmm," Castiel mumbled. "All night."

Dean chuckled and ran his fingers through Castiel's hair. Castiel sighed, practically melting in Dean's arms.

"I do have to go home, you know," Dean said after a while. "Sam and Bobby are probably worried about me."

"I know," Castiel replied. "I just need a couple minutes."

Castiel lifted his head to look at the other boy. Dean was watching him, a soft smile on his face. They locked eyes for a moment, and then Dean turned his head and kissed him. Castiel's eyes closed and he sighed. They kissed for a while before pulling apart, Castiel's breath now ragged. He cleared his throat and looked away, blushing.

"Getting a little excited there, Cas?" Dean asked, chuckling.

"Shut up," Castiel replied, blushing harder.

"There's no need to be ashamed, Cas. It's a natural reaction when you're around someone this attractive."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "A little bit full of yourself now, aren't you, Dean?"

"Are you saying you're not attracted to me?"

Castiel shrugged. "I'm not. Or am I?" He said with a smirk.

Dean's mouth dropped open. "Wow. I called you a stud a couple weeks ago, and you tell me you don't find me attractive at all? I'm offended."

"You'll be fine," Castiel said with a laugh.

"I guess I'll just go then," Dean said, pulling away and turning towards the door.

"No," Castiel said, grabbing Dean's arm. Dean turned to look at him and Castiel leaned forward, kissing him. After a few seconds he pulled away and said, "I was kidding."

"I know," Dean replied with a wink. "Goodnight, Cas."

"Goodnight, Dean."

The Winchester boy smirked and turned, heading out the front door. Castiel watched as he headed down the front steps and got in his car, driving away. When Dean was out of sight, Castiel closed the front door and headed back to the kitchen to find Michael putting away leftovers.

"Dean head home?" He asked, not looking up from his container.

"Yes," Castiel replied. He walked over to the counter and started gathering dishes and bringing them to the sink. "What do you think of him?"

Michael stopped what he was doing and looked over. "I think he's a good kid. I'm happy for you."

"Are you sure?" Castiel asked. "Because at dinner you looked a little worried."

Michael chuckled. "Yeah, cause I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to be worried. I just want what's best for you."

"Don't you trust me? Don't you trust my decisions?" Castiel's voice was stern now.

A silence hung in the air between them before Michael said, "I do trust you."

"Then trust me when I say that I'm happy and that this is what I want."

Michael sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry." He walked over to his younger brother. "I just worry because you're my little brother, I'm supposed to worry. And I'm going to, especially after what happened with Dad."

Castiel looked up at his brother. "I know. But please trust me. You know I will come to you if anything happens."

Michael nodded. "You're right. You're a tough kid, I shouldn't worry so much." He opened his arms and hugged Castiel. "I love you, bud."

"I love you too, Michael," Castiel replied, returning the hug. "Thank you."

They broke apart the hug and looked at each other, smiling. "Alright, we've got some cleaning to do," Michael said.