Chapter 5:

"Alright, boys, there's a list right here with partners. Everyone is paired up based on weight class, and you'll have three rounds to show me what you've got. You impress me, I'll see you again tomorrow."

Dean looked around at all of the boys. Only maybe a quarter of them would make it on the team, he figured. Still, he liked his chances. He didn't exactly have formal wrestling experience, but he knew how to pin a guy twice his size and barely break a sweat. How hard could high school wrestling be?

Cas looked at the list of partners in disbelief. He didn't even know Dean was trying out, and now they were partners. Figures.

"So, looks like we're partners, huh?" Dean asked with a nervous laugh as he approached Cas. "Look, Cas, I know-"

"Dean, I-"

They both stopped, having spoken at the same time. They both laughed softly and Dean looked down at his feet. "Look, how 'bout this. If you pin me in three minutes or less, you never have to talk to me again. If I pin you… Well, we get coffee or something."

Cas eyed him, trying to decide how he wanted to answer that. On the one hand, Dean's agreement that they wouldn't talk would sure make this a whole lot easier. On the other hand, though… The thought of Dean giving up and never talking to him again made Cas's stomach twist painfully.

"Deal," Cas said after a moment, sticking his hand out. Dean forced a smile and shook his hand. "Let's see what you can do."

About 30 seconds later, Dean was on his back with a soft thud. Cas didn't hold him there, though, giving him a chance to collect himself. Dean grunted and looked at Cas, grinning. "Alright. I can take a challenge."

He pulled himself to his feet with Cas's offered hand, giving him a sly smile. He wouldn't let his guard down so easily again. He dodged, ducked, grabbed Cas by the arm and had him on the mat a few seconds later, holding him there with an arm across his chest.

"Not bad," Cas mused. "But there's a reason I'm undefeated."

Turning the tables once more, Cas broke free and spun Dean around by his arm, sending him back to the mat.

Dean grunted, trying to break free of Cas's hold but he couldn't. "Yield. Dammit, I yield," he said with a defeated sigh.

Cas let him go, then held out his hand for Dean again as he stood up. He studied Dean's expression, something like a kicked puppy, and he made his decision. He didn't know what changed exactly. Maybe he was just tired of lying to himself every day. "So, how about we get that coffee?"

Dean looked up at him, shocked. "But I thought-"

"I changed my mind," Cas told him, smiling a bit and helping Dean to his feet. "If we're going to be living in the same house, in the same room no less, I suppose there's really no point trying so hard to avoid talking."

"I… What changed?" Dean stared at him, baffled.

Cas hesitated. He didn't really know what to say that wouldn't make him sound crazy. "I… I guess you're just too charming to resist," he said at last, a teasing glint in his eyes. Dean grinned

"Well alright. Where's the best place to get coffee and pie around here?"

…

After try-outs were finished, Dean and Cas walked together to a little diner a few blocks from the school. Technically speaking, Cas knew that Robin's family's diner had the best pie in town, but it felt wrong to take Dean there. He wasn't sure if Robin was working or not, but he didn't want to risk that awkward interaction. Mostly, he just didn't want to watch the two of them flirting again.

"So you won the team the tournament last year," Dean said with a laugh, nudging Cas teasingly. "That would've been nice to know before I made that little deal."

Cas shrugged, smiling. "It's called a hustle, Dean."

Dean busted out laughing. "Yeah, fair point. Well I'm glad you took pity on my sorry ass."

"It wasn't pity," Cas told Dean, holding open the door for him as they entered the diner. "I just got tired of lying to myself."

"What do you mean?" Dean looked at him curiously. Yet another mystery.

Cas paused, hesitant to say too much. He didn't speak until they were seated at a booth across from each other. "Well… I just mean you were so nice to me and you stood up to Gordon and I didn't properly thank you for that. I didn't want to admit it but that meant a lot."

It wasn't entirely untruthful. It just wasn't the full story. Cas wasn't ready for Dean to know the full story. He didn't know if he ever would be.

Dean nodded. "It's honestly no trouble. Gordon's a dick, and you didn't deserve that."

"I'm just sorry he decided to target you," Cas said quietly, struggling to meet Dean's eyes.

Dean just shrugged. "I have a habit of getting into trouble. I'm sure he would've found a reason to come at me one way or another. Not your fault."

Cas looked at Dean then, wondering what exactly he meant by that. He suspected it went beyond stealing food for his brother and punching cops. There was definitely more to Dean Winchester than he let on, and Cas found himself wanting to know all of it.

"Why'd you try to leave?" Cas asked, something that had been bothering him since that first night.

Dean scratched the back of his head nervously, huffing out a shaky laugh. "Well, uh… I told you about my brother. I just didn't like the idea of leaving him alone with our dad." He was surprised at himself for being so honest, but it felt good.

"Why's that? Is he in danger or something?" Cas looked at Dean with concern. If there was anything he understood, it was looking out for a little sibling.

"Not exactly," Dean said. "Not because of my dad. It's just… I was supposed to look after him. I was supposed to be there to protect him no matter what. And I failed. I couldn't even get food for him. Dad was right to be disappointed, honestly."

Cas eyed him sadly. "Dean," he said earnestly. "It sounds to me like you've spent your whole life being more of a father than a big brother. I think maybe it's time you thought of yourself."

"Well, that's why I stayed," Dean told him quietly. "Because… Because I wanted to."

Cas smiled at him. "Well I'm glad you did."

They went silent for a few moments except to thank the waitress when she brought them their coffee and apple pie. Dean was so relieved to finally be talking to Cas. He wasn't really sure why, but Cas made him want to open up about every dark and evil bit of his past. He made him want to tell him all of it and then leave it all behind to start fresh. He made Dean wish he never had to go back. Maybe I don't, he thought hopefully.

"Dean."

"Huh?"

Cas smiled. "You were kind of just staring into space. What are you thinking?"

Dean froze for a moment. "Uh…" He shook his head and smiled at Cas. "I, uh… I told you about my brother. What about you? Got any siblings?"

Cas shifted uncomfortably and glanced away. "Yeah, I… I do. Three brothers and a sister."

Dean's eyes widened. He thought one brother was a lot to handle. "Damn. How was that growing up?" Suddenly, he noticed Cas seemed uncomfortable with this topic and he frowned. "What's wrong? I'm sorry if that was too personal-"

"No, it's alright," Cas stopped him, offering a small smile. "It's just… family isn't easy for me to talk about. I'm surprised you don't know already."

Dean smiled sheepishly. "Well, Benny might have mentioned something about your dad…"

Cas nodded sadly. "He, uh… he kicked me out. Sonny took me in, no questions asked."

"Do you mind if I ask why?" Dean hedged. "I mean… you don't exactly seem like a troublemaker."

"Well, when your father's a pastor, having a thing for a guy doesn't really go over too well," Cas said quietly, offering Dean a small smile like that was all there was to it. Dean gaped at him.

"That's… that's fucked up," he said, shaking his head. He was only mildly surprised to hear Cas tell him that he was gay, but he was more focused on being pissed off about dads abandoning their kids. "So he kicked you out because you like dudes?"

Cas shrugged. "Not exactly. That was a nail in the coffin but not really what sealed the deal. I told you that Gordon was part of the reason I ended up at Sonny's." He paused, studying Dean's expression. It was a mix of outrage and intrigue, he thought. "There was a party, and Gordon was being his usual self, and I kinda lost it on him… and one of his friends."

Dean frowned. He only ever saw Gordon by himself. "What happened?"

"I beat the guy up pretty bad," Cas admitted quietly, staring at Dean to gauge his reaction. "He's in a coma, I… The doctors don't think he's going to wake up."

Dean's eyes widened in shock. He stared at Cas, his mouth moving wordlessly as he tried to think of what to say. He was surprised, no question, but he didn't want Cas to think he was judging him. If he knew about some of the things Dean had done…

"Cas, I get it," he said, and shook his head. "I mean, I don't get it, but I figure you had your reasons. Doesn't make you a bad person or anything."

Cas frowned at Dean, confused. "But… you… you don't think I'm a monster? You're not afraid of me?"

Dean scrunched his chin and squinted his eyes, shaking his head a bit. "No. No way. When Gordon started kicking the shit out of me that night, you put him in his place. Sure it might have gotten out of hand, but I figure you were just protecting… someone."

Cas stared at him silently, and he felt tears come to his eyes. He wiped them away and shook his head. "Dean…"

Dean smiled softly. "You're not scarin' me away that easy, Cas."

Cas didn't say anything else. Dean understood. He didn't run screaming. He didn't hate him. He… didn't know the full truth, but he knew the worst of it. And he was still looking at Cas with that same endearing smile he wore on that first day. Cas didn't really understand it, but he was so relieved it didn't really matter.

Dean was touched that Cas had opened up to him like that. He wasn't expecting so much honesty so soon but he wasn't complaining. He only wanted to learn more. And Dean had a feeling that there was something more to Cas's story. He wouldn't push, not just yet, but he could tell Cas wasn't telling him everything.

Cas loved sleep, so he didn't appreciate being woken up at almost midnight. He groaned into his pillow, faintly remembering the sound of a door closing and cursing his neighbors.

Well, now that he was awake, he was thirsty.

It took him a minute or two to find the will to get up. He climbed out of bed, rubbing his eyes and putting on his sweats and a t-shirt. He walked down the hall and frowned when he noticed Anna's door was open. He peeked inside and felt his heart drop when her bed was empty. Shit.

He hurried as quietly as he could downstairs and grabbed the phone from the kitchen. He dialed Balthazar's number. "Please pick up, please pick up…"

"Cassie?" Balthazar answered, groggy. "Cas, this better be a booty call 'cuz it is way too late-"

"Anna," Cas cut in. "It's Anna, she's not home, I think she snuck out."

"Well, would you look at that, at least one of you is embracing my rebellious lifestyle!"

"Bal, this is serious!" Cas whispered frantically. "If my dad finds out he'll be so pissed. And I don't even know where she's going!"

"Alright, alright, calm down," Balthazar said in an easier voice. "When we were walking her to school this morning she was going on and on about how unfair it was that she couldn't go to Hannah's party tonight. She's probably there."

"Hanna lives on Elkanah Street, right?"

"Before I tell you and you storm off, just chill," Balthazar told him. "We're going to go check on her but I'm sure she's fine, alright? Yes, she lives on Elkanah."

Immediately, Cas hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket before hurrying out the front door.

His heart was racing.

Even if, and that was if, Anna was okay, they would still get in so much trouble with their father for this.

Despite Balthazar's assurances, Cas figured there would be alcohol at this party. Hannah was a nice girl, but a house party with no parents meant alcohol and alcohol plus minors meant illegal. Cas couldn't imagine how his father would react if Anna got arrested. Not to mention that she was fourteen and high school boys were disgusting.

He basically sprinted down the street.

When Cas finally got to the house he stopped running, catching his breath for a moment. He saw some girls sitting on the porch steps, and he approached them. They were very drunk, and that only worried Cas more.

"Have you seen my sister, Anna?" Cas asked.

One girl shrugged and shook her head. "Nope."

The girl next to her spoke up. "Anna's the cute little redhead, right? I saw her earlier. She's inside!"

Cas pushed past them and went inside.

He was immediately met with the pungent mixture of pizza, sweat, and-dammit-alcohol.

"Has anyone seen my sister? Short red-headed girl, way too young to be drinking? Anyone?" Cas pushed through the crowd.

"Cas!"

He looked to his right and saw Hannah waving and smiling at him.
"Hannah!" he gasped, running over to her. "Have you seen my sister?"

"Well thanks for the happy birthday," she laughed. "But no I haven't."

A girl Cas recognized piped up, "I did! She was over there. She grabbed a drink and then I think she had to go to the bathroom."

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Upstairs," Hannah answered, pointing.

Cas pushed through the crowd again and rushed up the stairs. The bathroom was the first room to the left, and it was empty.

Fuck.

A sickening thought occurred to him and he hoped he was wrong. He started checking all the bedrooms, and as he reached the end of the hall he heard it.

"Don't be like that, beautiful, I just wanna see you."

"No," Anna whimpered. "Please, I don't want to…"

"Come on, darlin', I can make you feel so good."

Cas almost puked. Seeing red, he shoved through the door.

"Cassie?"

Cas heard the fear in Anna's voice, saw her jeans around her ankles and Alastair's fingers tucked into her cotton underwear while Gordon held her wrists above her head, and he lost it.

"You son of a bitch!" Cas cried, lunging at Alastair and knocking him to the ground. He started punching him in the face, over and over and over again. "Don't you touch my sister!"

"Whoa, back off dude-"

When Gordon tried to pull him off of Alastair, Cas grabbed his arm and twisted it hard. "Get the fuck away from my sister, you son of a bitch!"

He shoved Gordon back into the dresser-as Gordon fell back, he held his arm and cried out in pain-and turned back to Alastair as the older boy tried to pull himself to his feet.

"What?" Alastair taunted, spitting out blood. "Come on, she liked it."

Cas let out a shout and jumped on him again, hitting him and hitting him and hitting him.

"Cas!" Anna cried, pulling her legs to her chest where she sat on the bed. "Cassie, wait, stop!"

Cas paused and looked up at Anna, eyes wide. He shook his head and brought himself to his feet, the realization of what he'd just done hitting him like a ton of bricks. Alastair was unconscious, Gordon had run out, and Anna had tears streaming down her face. Cas stumbled back a few feet, looking at his bloodied hands and then at Alastair. He was in deep shit.

"Anna, get out of here," he said, staring at his trembling hands. "Please, go home. I'll take care of this."

"Cas-"

"Go!"

She let out a shaky sob and pulled her pants up, grabbing her jacket and heading towards the door.

"Anna!" Balthazar yelled, appearing from the hallway and running into her as she was leaving.

She sobbed and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Balthazar," she whimpered, and he hugged her tight as he looked around the room.

"Cas," he choked out. "What…"

"Get Anna out of here," Cas said, not looking up. "Please."

Balthazar could hear the way his voice shook and it was terrifying. He swallowed hard and nodded. "I called Charlie," he told Cas. "She's going to take her home. Come on, kid."

He shielded Anna as they walked down the stairs. Gordon was in the middle of a crowd of people, and everyone was talking frantically to each other. Thankfully, nobody noticed them slip out.

"Is he gonna be in trouble?" Anna asked, wiping the tears from her face as they walked outside. "They were taking my clothes off, I thought…" she trailed off, choking out a sob. Balthazar felt anger surge through him and he wrapped his arm around her tightly.

"Try not to think about it, okay? You're safe, that's all that matters," he whispered, leading her to Charlie's sister's car.

Before letting go of him, Anna glanced back up to the house.

"It's gonna be okay," he told her. "I promise. Just go home."

She nodded and climbed in the front seat of the car. Charlie shot Balthazar a worried look and he shook his head. She bit her lip and glanced at Anna before driving away.

Balthazar made his way back into the house. Hannah noticed him walk in and intercepted him before he could get to the stairs.

"Balthazar, Gordon said we had to call the cops," she told him frantically. "You gotta help us get rid of the alcohol. If my parents know there was drinking I'll be in so much trouble."

"I'm sorry," he said, already heading up the stairs. "I'll be down in a second."

Running back into the room, he found Cas exactly as he'd left him, staring wide-eyed at his trembling hands.

"Cas, we gotta go," he told him, trying to keep his voice calm as he approached Cas. "Cassie?"

"Balthazar, I-" The words got caught in his throat and he slowly turned to look at Balthazar. Balthazar swallowed hard when he saw how much blood was on his hands. Shit.

"It's gonna be okay," he said, and his voice trembled. He took Cas into his arms. "Anna, she-"

"No one can know," Cas said, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I can't… I have to keep her safe. No one can know she was involved. This is on me."

"Cas, no-"

"Balthazar," Cas pleaded. "Promise me."

He hesitated, but looking into Cas's eyes he could never deny him. "I promise."

…

Dean felt good. As he walked back to Sonny's with Cas, he couldn't help but think that this was how he was supposed to feel, where he was supposed to be. Cas was finally talking to him, for real, and Dean felt like he meant it this time. He didn't feel like Cas was going to push him away again. He really hoped he wouldn't.

By the time they got back to Sonny's, it was nearly dark. The other boys had already had dinner and they were gathered in the living room playing a board game. In the entryway, Dean paused, looking at Cas and not knowing what to say. He didn't want to make things weird, but he also didn't really want to call it a night just yet.

"You can go play with the others if you want to," Cas said with a light smile.

"Oh," Dean said dumbly, laughing softly at himself. "I, uh… Do you want to? I mean, we can…"

Cas felt his stomach flip and he grinned. "I'm going to go upstairs," he said, pausing and tilting his head at Dean. "You're welcome to join me," he added, and he could've sworn Dean's shoulders sank a little, relieved.

"I guess it's gettin' kinda late," Dean said, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. "I could turn in." Playing it cool.

Cas bit his lip. "Alright then."

Dean followed Cas up the stairs, and he definitely didn't notice the way his ass looked in those jeans, goddamn-

Dean cleared his throat, shaking his head once, twice. Cas glanced at him over his shoulder, furrowing his brow.

"You okay, Dean?"

Dean coughed. "Yeah, I… I'm good." He offered Cas a dopey grin and held his hand out. "After you."

Dean followed Cas to the bedroom, his face heating up. He must have caught some sort of bug. That had to be it.

As they made themselves comfortable in their respective beds, Dean couldn't help but think of when he held Cas after a nightmare. He didn't think Cas had any idea what that had meant to him. Without Sam… he didn't have anyone left to take care of. No one that needed him. Not that he thought Cas needed him or anything, but in that moment he needed someone and Dean was there. Dean found himself wishing he could always be there when Cas needed comforting.

"Dean?"

"Huh?" Dean looked up, pulled from his thoughts by Cas's voice.

Cas laughed softly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Dean smiled. "'Course I'm okay." He hesitated, unsure if he wanted to say what he was about to say. "Cas, I…"

Cas frowned when Dean didn't continue. "Yes?"

"I… Well, I'm glad you're talking to me," Dean admitted, clearing his throat and not meeting Cas's eyes. "It sucked when you wouldn't," he mumbled.

Cas bit his lip, staring at Dean for a long while. He wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't easy to explain why he had ignored Dean.

He couldn't very well tell Dean that every time they spoke he wished Dean was closer, touching, more. Sure, Dean knew he was gay now and he hadn't flipped out, but if he knew the extent of Cas's feelings he might change his mind. Cas didn't have a clue what he was doing. He was still trying to come to terms with the whole thing, and then Dean Winchester dropped into his life and it was all too much at once. It had taken him so long to accept that he was attracted to boys, but now he had feelings, deeper feelings, for a very specific boy and it was all new.

Besides, he definitely didn't think Dean was gay. He was not that lucky.

"I'm sorry," he eventually said, quiet. "I guess I was just afraid you'd think I was some sort of freak. Everyone else does."

Dean met his eyes again. Cas had no idea how perfectly Dean understood exactly what that felt like. "I've met some pretty freaky folks," Dean said, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a half smile. "And you don't really strike me as the type."

Cas stared at him, baffled. Who was this Dean Winchester boy and where the hell did he come from? Cas decided he desperately wanted to find out.

"So you told me about your brother," Cas said tentatively, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his jeans as Dean laid down on his side, propped up on his arm and facing Cas. "I take it you two are close?"

Dean smiled, a little sad. "Yeah, like this," he said, holding his hand up and twisting two fingers together. "He's just about all I've got for family."

"What about your parents?"

Dean's gaze shifted around and he looked just past Cas's eyes. "My dad is, uh… It's complicated. He does the best he can but… He's not around much. I can't really explain it."

"What about your mom?"

Dean met Cas's gaze and swallowed thickly, mouth falling open slightly. "She… She died when I was four."

Cas felt his gut clench. "I… I'm so sorry." After a brief pause, he said quietly, "My mom died when I was eight. Cancer." Dean looked away, a slightly bitter smile gracing his face. Cas didn't really know what to make of his expression. "How did your mom die?" he asked gently.

"Not cancer," Dean said, closing his eyes and turning to lie on his back. He definitely couldn't tell Cas the truth. He would never believe him anyways. Still, the way Cas was looking at him, so kind and so sad, he wanted to give him some sort of answer that wasn't a lie. "She, uh… There was a fire. In my brother's nursery. I got Sammy out of there, but she…" Dean trailed off, the words getting caught in his throat. He felt a single tear trail onto his cheek. He cleared his throat and wiped the salty line away. "She didn't make it."

"So that's why you feel like you've gotta protect him," Cas said softly, understanding even though he didn't even know the half of it. Dean looked back at him, and he couldn't say a word. He simply nodded, swallowed hard, watched as Cas looked at him. Dean didn't recognize that look. He couldn't quite place it.

They both went quiet for a bit, not really sure where to go from there. After a while, Dean couldn't take the silence anymore. He sat up with a grunt and smiled at Cas. "Alright, enough of this depressing crap. Wanna play some cards?"

Cas returned the smile. "Uh, sure. I haven't played in quite some time."

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," Dean told him, slapping on a cocky grin and grabbing a deck of cards (courtesy of Sonny) from his nightstand. "I'll deal."

…

Cas went to school smiling the next day, something he didn't usually do. He was talking to Dean and Dean was talking to him, and he couldn't help but kick himself for wasting so much effort pushing Dean away. It was good, and Cas was happy.

Just so long as he didn't think about it too much.

He didn't think about it when he found an empty seat next to Dean in their first class of the day. He usually sat with Balthazar and Charlie but this thing with Dean was new and exciting and all he could think about was being close to him.

"Uh, hey Cas," Dean greeted. He smiled, surprised, and stared at Cas for a minute before speaking again. "Something wrong with you usual seat?"

Cas shook his head, smiling. "Nope. Just thought I'd sit next to my new friend." A beat, and then, panicked, "That is, if that's okay, I mean."

Dean chuckled lightly. "'Course it's okay, Cas. Hell, I'm sure not complainin'."

Cas's face flushed against his will and he laughed softly, a little breathless. "Well alright then."

After class was over, Dean even walked him to his next class before heading to his own. Cas's heart skipped a beat when Dean laid a hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly before he was on his way.

Cas shared his last class before lunch with Charlie, a fact that he was beyond grateful for. If it wasn't for her, he would spend a lot more time completely lost, especially since their computer tech teacher was 60 years old and could barely turn her computer on. But Charlie was a natural. She was so good that, in 8th grade, she was nearly expelled when she wrote her final paper on how it was actually super easy to hack into the school records system. Of course, she had to provide a demonstration to prove her point.

The only reason she wasn't expelled was because the essay won some sort of scholarly award and the school didn't want a controversy on their hands. She was given a very stern warning and that was that.

Not to mention Charlie made class about a thousand times more entertaining.

"Cas, click this button," Charlie whispered to him, nudging his shoulder and grinning mischievously.

Hey eyed her warily but clicked the button. A very loud sound erupted from the teacher's desk, something like a game show "INCORRECT" buzzer. Charlie covered her mouth to stifle her giggles and Cas couldn't help but join her.

"How did you do that?"

"I have no idea what on earth you could be referring to, Cassie," she shrugged innocently.

"Miss Bradbury!"

"Yes, Ms. Carter?" Charlie called sweetly.

"What did you do to my computer?" Ms. Carter asked in a shrill tone, clicking random buttons in an effort to make it stop. Charlie discreetly tapped a button on her keyboard and the computer went back to normal.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied, smiling back at the teacher.

Ms. Carter huffed. "Oh, I'll never understand these contraptions," she muttered under her breath.

Charlie looked at Cas and smiled slyly. "And that's the perfect cover."

A few minutes later the bell rang to dismiss them and Charlie grabbed Cas by the arm as they walked to lunch together. He kept glancing over his shoulder, and Charlie nudged him. "What are ya lookin' for?"

Cas looked back at her and shook his head. "Uh, nothing. No one. I wasn't looking."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're thinking about Dean." It wasn't a question.

Cas didn't say anything. She saw right through him and he knew it. Of course he was thinking about Dean, how could he not? It was impossible not to think about the way Dean's green eyes sparkled and lit up when he smiled, or the way he laughed with his entire being, or the way he touched Cas so gently when he was concerned…

This was exactly why Cas didn't like thinking about it too hard. He got carried away and it was hard to come back down.

"It's okay, Cas," Charlie told him with a light-hearted laugh. "You like him. That's not a crime."

Cas shrugged. "I don't know how I feel," he said, and he knew it didn't sound very convincing. "Besides, we're just now becoming friends. And I seriously doubt he sees me like that. I saw him flirting with Robin a lot the past couple days."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Well, first of all, it's Robin and you know she still has a thing for you. And second of all, I didn't see him flirting with anyone but you during class today."

Cas flushed. "He wasn't-"

"Believe what you want, but I can see it," Charlie cut him off. "He likes you. He probably doesn't even realize it yet but he does. And you like him."

Cas really hated that she was right all the time.

"Shit, incoming," Charlie said, her tone shifting immediately. "Masters on your right."

Cas tensed and instinctively looked to where Charlie was nodding to. He accidentally met eyes with the one and only Meg Masters and his heart clenched painfully. Meg glared daggers at him and Cas looked away,

"Cas."

He startled and looked back at Charlie. He didn't even realize they had stopped walking. He was leaning against a wall for support and his breathing was shaky.

"Cas, are you alright?" Charlie was looking at him worriedly and Cas closed his eyes, trying to stop his hands from shaking. Meg still hated him. He already knew that, sure, but every time he was reminded of it the guilt hit him all over again. Sometimes he forgot that Anna wasn't the only one to lose a brother that night…

"Cas?"

His eyes flew open when he heard that gruff, concerned voice approaching him, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He leaned into it just a bit.

"Cas, you okay?" Dean asked, his forehead wrinkling up with worry.

"Dean-"

"Just a dizzy spell," Charlie spoke up, smiling tightly.

Cas nodded. "Yeah. Dizzy spell. I'm alright."

Dean looked skeptical but nodded once. "Okay. You need to go to the nurse or something?"

Cas smiled a bit. He was touched that Dean was so concerned, but he didn't really know how to explain that he almost passed out because someone looked at him funny.

"I'm alright, Dean," he promised, steadying himself and standing up straight. "I'm hungry."

"I'm, uh, gonna go find Balthazar," Charlie said, giving Cas a knowing look. Cas went bright red but before he had time to protest Charlie was gone and he was alone with Dean. Well, alone in the middle of a busy school hallway, but still.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Dean asked once more, and Cas laughed softly. It actually felt really good to have Dean worrying about him.

"I promise, I'm fine," he said. As they continued towards the lunch room, Cas felt Dean place a steadying, worried hand on his back between his shoulder blades. It was nice.

Dean walked with Cas all the way through the lunch line as they got their food. He didn't totally believe Cas when he said he was fine, so he wanted to keep an eye on him just in case.

He faltered, however, when he saw Cas was walking towards Balthazar and Charlie. He wasn't stupid. He could tell Balthazar was protective and he could tell he didn't like Dean. "Cas, maybe I should-"

"It's fine, you can sit with us," Cas told him, smiling. Dean's hand was resting on his elbow. He hadn't stopped touching him, in some way or another, since he'd found him in the hallway. Cas wasn't sure why that was, but he wasn't complaining. "Come on, they won't bite."

Dean mumbled something about how he'd heard that one before but followed Cas anyway. He sat down awkwardly between Cas and Charlie, and Balthazar was on the other side of Cas.

"Hey guys!" Robin joined them a moment later, and Dean was grateful to her for breaking the silence. "Coach Bell posted the list for the wrestling team," she said excitedly, looking at Cas and Dean. "You guys made it!"

Cas grinned and looked at Dean. "Well, I guess you're not bad for a rookie."

Dean made a face at him. "Maybe if I'd known I was up against the reigning champ," he laughed. "I wasn't ready."

"Excuses, excuses," Cas shook his head.

"God, get a room," Balthazar mumbled, and Charlie kicked him under the table. "Ow!"

Cas looked at Balthazar, confused. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Balthazar told him, slipping into a cool smile. "Happy for you, Cassie."

Cas grinned. "Thanks, Bal."

Dean didn't miss the way Balthazar glared at him coldly. He didn't think he was even meant to see it, but he did. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Hey, uh, Benny mentioned he had a few questions about an assignment," Dean told Cas, smiling apologetically. "I forgot I told him I'd help him out at lunch."

Cas couldn't help but feel disappointed, but he smiled at Dean. "Okay. I'll see you later."

"Sure thing," Dean said, smiling at him as he stood up. As he turned and headed towards where Benny was sitting, Cas didn't realize he was staring.

"What're ya lookin at, Cas?" Charlie teased with a knowing smirk.

Cas shook out of his daze and looked at Charlie like a deer in headlights. "Uh, nothing. Not looking at anything."

"Whatever you say, Cas," she drawled, rolling her eyes.

Okay so maybe Cas was staring at Dean's… Well, everything. But honestly, could anyone really blame him for that? Dean was unfairly handsome, and everything about him left Cas breathless. Maybe he wasn't ready to admit that his feelings for Dean were something more than that, but he could only deny his attraction to Dean for so long. Whatever else he may or may not have felt for Dean, he knew one thing for sure.

If Dean kept touching him all the time like he just had, Cas was going to lose his fucking mind.