Sorry this chapter is fairly short as well. I just felt bad for taking so long to update, haha, so I decided to just go ahead and post it since I was at a fairly decent stopping point. In the next chapter, they're back in school. And there's a few visitors, hehe. Anywho, thanks for reading, and thank you all so much for your wonderful, awesome reviews! I really, truly appreciate it! It makes me want to write quicker ;) So thanks!
Also, would you guys like a few one-shots centered around the time between Hear Me Now and Steady Now? I had a few ideas, which are listed on my profile as Hold Me Now and Be Here Now (and if you haven't noticed, this has been called the Now 'verse). Anyway, thanks, and please let me know! Also, let me know if there are any other one-shots you want me to include? And what you want to happen in them? I like this 'verse so I will gladly do it!
Anywho, hopefully the next chapter will be up soon ;) Sorry for the wait.
Onward!
Chapter Three
Castiel rolled over and slipped his arms around the warm body pressed next to him, imagining that it was Dean even though he knew it was only his dog. Dean hadn't been able to stay the night in a while, and Castiel had to admit that he missed having him around. They could still see each other during the day, when they both didn't have to work, but other than that, they were apart. It sucked, really, but at least Castiel didn't have to worry about Justin and his 'friends' being over, like last year. No, he didn't miss those days…except for those times when Dean had snuck over during the night and had stayed with him. He missed those parts.
Now he lay awake in bed, listening to people yelling out in the hallway. It was nearly five in the morning, way too early for anyone to be awake on a Saturday of all days, and all he could think was, Here we go again.
His parents had been fighting on and off for about a month now. At first, it had startled him, and he guessed that maybe it still did, but mostly it just made him want to sigh. He was sure they were going to be getting a divorce soon, and he couldn't deal with them always fighting all the time. It was one of the reasons he couldn't wait to move out and get a place with Dean. He didn't want his parents to get a divorce, but he hated the way they had been fighting recently.
Jimmy had stayed the night at his friend's house last night, and so that left Castiel as the only one here to listen to the argument growing outside his bedroom door. Sighing, he buried his head under his pillow, trying to drown out the sound of them fighting, but it seemed impossible.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was picking up the cordless phone in his room and dialing in that familiar number. A rock tune played while it rang, and just as he was about to hang up because it was stupid calling someone this early anyway, a sleepy voice answered, "Hello?"
"Dean," Castiel murmured, feeling guilty for waking him. Why had he called? He wasn't sure, he just knew that he really wanted some kind of distraction from the sound of his parents fighting. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you-"
"Cas?" Dean interrupted with confusion. "What the…why are you calling? It's like five in the morning."
Castiel sighed. "I know, I'm sorry…I'll hang up now, go back to sleep."
"Wait," Dean said, "what's wrong?" The concern in his voice was touching.
"I just…Mom and Dad."
"Fighting again?" Dean asked sympathetically, and Castiel nodded even though he knew he couldn't see it.
"Yeah…it's loud."
"Want me to come get you?"
"What? Dean, it's early - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," Castiel said, feeling guilt gnaw at him for waking his boyfriend so early. He had just felt like he needed a distraction, like he needed to talk to someone, and Dean always seemed to manage to calm his racing nerves. He seemed to be the only one who could do it so easily, so flawlessly and without even trying. His presence alone was calming.
"It's fine, Cas, I'm awake now. Why don't I come get you and we can go out for a drive? Just get away for a while? Then we can go get breakfast if you want."
Castiel paused. That sounded nice, really, and he felt a little excited as he thought about. After all, he and Dean didn't get to do as much together these days, what with work, school, and life in general. It had gotten a little better since they were on break, but that would be over on Wednesday, which was only a few days away, and then they would be back to how they had been before. Alone time with Dean at the moment sounded wonderful. "Really?" he asked slowly. "Are you sure? You can go back to sleep if-"
"I'm sure," Dean cut in with a chuckle. "I'll be there in about twenty minutes, okay? Let me change into some decent clothes."
Castiel was going to tell him that he could make anything look decent, but he held his tongue. "Alright…thanks, Dean."
"No need to thank me. Be there soon," Dean promised.
"Okay…love you."
"You too, Cassie. See you in a few." Then the line went dead before Castiel could protest the use of that horrible nickname. Oh, if only Dean had never heard it from his family! It was his parents' version of a 'cute' nickname for him, but really it was just annoying as hell. It also managed to make him blush whenever Dean said it, which was also kind of annoying. Damn Dean and his use of words!
Sighing, Castiel crawled out of bed and patted Soldier on the head. Soldier licked his hand and went to the bedroom door, but Castiel ignored him for the time being. He couldn't let him out until Dean was here, otherwise his parents would know he was awake and they would want to 'talk' to him about how they 'weren't fighting, were just in the middle of some misunderstanding', which he totally didn't buy. The two of them had been steadily growing apart for years now, always busy with work.
They must have thought it would get better if they moved out of the city, which was why they had moved here, to Lawrence, but obviously they were wrong. Castiel was glad they had moved, though, otherwise he wouldn't have ever met Dean. Now that he had the green-eyed Winchester in his life, he couldn't imagine life without him.
He quickly slid into a light blue hooded-sweatshirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. Absently, he sat on his bed and fingered the large front pocket of the hooded-sweatshirt, which most people just called a 'hoodie'.
The sound of shouting in the hallway grew louder. Honestly, how his parents thought anyone could sleep through this was beyond him. He couldn't wait to get out of the house, and he silently wished Dean would hurry.
Soldier whined at the door and scratched against the wood. Castiel narrowed his eyes and the dog stopped and marched toward him, sitting next to him on the ground, staring up at him with wide blue eyes. Castiel scratched him behind the ear as he listened to the sounds in the hallway die down a little, probably from the noise Soldier had made, but the shouts quickly came back to their original volume.
He knew both of his parents loved him and Jimmy and wanted what was best for them - honest, he did, but sometimes he just wished they would fight somewhere else. Sometimes he wondered if maybe there was something he should have been doing to make the fighting stop, but every time he wracked his brain for some sort of answer, he could never find one. He didn't know how to make the yelling stop, aside from joining in himself.
It was strange…for so long, he had been silently screaming to be heard, and had wound up finding Dean because his parents had forced him into Drama Club because he was so shy. And now, he was probably going to have to actually scream aloud to be heard in this house, which he hated. All along, he'd had his family and he'd known they were there for him, but now he wasn't so sure. Now, they seemed content to keep fighting and arguing and yelling, and Jimmy was getting out of there every chance he could, which left Castiel alone on most days and nights with them arguing in the hallway or downstairs. It didn't matter where they argued - it was the fact that it was so loud and that Castiel couldn't get away short of walking out of the house, and he felt guilty for doing that. Plus it was freezing outside, a light sheet of snow covering the ground, and his jacket wasn't that thick. He'd freeze if he just walked off.
That was why it was so nice that Dean was doing this for him, that he was coming to get him.
Because for the time being, he just needed and wanted to get away.
And what better way to get away than with his boyfriend?
He heard the sound of the Impala pulling up outside and he practically lunged for the door, eager to get away. He pried the door open and peered into the hallway. His parents were down the hall, in their bedroom, arguing, but they were so loud that he could hear it clearly from where he was. Sighing, he shook his head and left his room. Soldier followed him down the stairs but Castiel ordered him to the kitchen as he moved toward the front door. Soldier did so, thankfully, and Castiel threw the door open to reveal a startled Dean standing there, his fist raised as though to knock.
"Well," Dean drawled, "hello."
Castiel threw his arms around him. "Thanks for coming," he murmured quietly, shivering from the cold of the early morning air. Dean was warm in his grasp, though. One of Dean's arms came around him and kept him close, allowing him to snuggle into that warmth, for which he was grateful.
"No problem," Dean said easily. "Where do you want to go?"
"Can we just…go?"
Dean paused. "Want to get out of here that badly, huh?"
"Yes." Castiel was a little ashamed of this fact but he couldn't help it. He was just so sick of the fighting and he needed to get away for a while. He didn't care where they went so long as they got away.
"Alright, let's just go for a drive, okay?"
"That sounds good," Castiel said as they moved toward the Impala, Dean's beloved car. Dean opened the passenger door for him and allowed him to slide in before he shut it behind him. The inside of the car was warm, the heat blasting from the vents, and Castiel relaxed in his seat, his shivers dying down.
Dean got in and put the car in gear before they pulled away from the curb and away from the house that held all the shouting.
"Sorry for this," Castiel murmured guiltily from the passenger seat, allowing his gaze to wander out the window.
"For what?" Dean asked as though confused.
"For making you come get me."
"Cas…you didn't make me do anything," Dean told him with a heavy sigh. "I wanted to. I'm happy to do it, okay? Stop apologizing all the time. It's not your fault your parents are yelling all the time."
Castiel shrugged and said no more, leaning comfortably in his seat, allowing his eyes heavy eyelids to slide closed. He just needed to rest his eyes for a minute, as he told himself.
Dean hated that Castiel's parents were fighting all the time. He had been there a few times when the shouting had started, and he had to admit that sometimes it got pretty bad. Why they were so angry with each other, he didn't really know. They had always seemed so happy, the perfect married couple, but he supposed nothing was perfect. There was no such thing as the perfect couple - everyone had their problems.
He just hated that Cas had to be around them when they argued, which was why he hadn't minded coming to get him, even though it was so early in the morning and he was tired. Cas came first, after all. He could sleep when he was dead.
Or he could be like Castiel and sleep in his car. Whatever.
He smiled at the peaceful, content expression on Cas's face, allowing himself to reach a hand out and brush aside a stray black strand of hair while they were stopped at a red light. Then the light changed and he pulled his hand back as he coasted through the intersection.
The country seemed like a good idea at the moment. It was peaceful and it would be nice to watch the sun rise from there, he decided. So he started driving out of town, humming quietly to himself.
He liked to hum when he was in the mood. He would have normally had his music on, but Castiel was sleeping and he looked so comfortable that Dean didn't want to chance disturbing him with his music, so he just hummed quietly and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm with the beat in his head.
Dean hoped things at Cas's house would settle down soon. He hated that it was having such an effect on Cas, after all. He seemed more agitated lately, and more tired. Dean didn't like that.
Cas had been there for him when things had been wrong at his home, what with Justin and all, and he was going to return the favor and be there for Cas when he needed him.
Sighing, he continued driving until the lights of the town were long gone, and only the darkness of the open country road opened before him.
Again, sorry it's so short. Also, let me know! Thanks, and please continue to review!
~Muffy the Dough Slayer~