Nev and Max leave to give Dean time to get ready. He is not sure what he needs to do with himself. Does he want to shower and look nice for this guy who has been playing with his heart for the past year? Carver is a teacher, well a substitute teacher, and he has made Dean fall in love with him. What bothers Dean more are the conversations they have with each other. Not only do they talk about normal things, they talk about things, that at times, get dirty. He has been having dirty conversations with an older man on the internet. How fucking cliché is his life?
Dean finally decides on a shower. Not for Carver but for himself. He can present himself in a nice fashion, he is on camera after all. He does not need to look like a dirty slob, though that is how he spends the majority of his summers. He showers, but basketball shorts and t-shirts are pretty much his life this time of year.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Charlie asks Dean as she watches him do his hair in the mirror. "I can beat him up if things get out of control."
"That is exactly why I don't want you to go," Dean can not help but laugh. Though Charlie will not just randomly attack someone, Dean knows the girl can hold her own. Someone had been picking on Sammy a few years back and Charlie jumped them. No one has picked on Sammy since. She was very proud of herself for that and to be honest, Dean is proud of her as well.
"You promise to tell me everything?" she follows up. She knows that he will, outside of C.J. or Carver, Charlie is the person who knows the most about Dean. Sam is close behind but he is still a little young to know everything that Dean needs to talk about.
"I promise," Dean pulls her into a hug and then holds himself back from her. "Do I look okay."
"You look amazeballs," Charlie winks at him and then uses her hands to make a fashion camera. Dean strikes a couple of poses before there is a knock at the door. "Go get 'em."
The drive to the park only takes a few minutes but it feels like hours have passed by. Dean knows that he wants to do this, or needs to do this, but he is still scared as hell. The man that he has been in love with is possibly this old guy. What is Dean supposed to do with that information? This can end up being the reason that he has kept himself hidden. He is scared that Dean will leave if he knows the truth. Is Dean going to leave or give him a chance?
"Shit," Dean whispers under his breath. His mind is running a million miles a minute. Of course he is not going to give this guy the time of day after this. He is old and has lied to Dean for the past year. If he is not a teenager, then everything that he has told Dean is a lie.
"On the bright side," Max tries to cheer Dean up but it is not working. "You will no longer have to wonder about the truth after this."
"Yeah," Dean nods, looking around at the cameras that are in the car. The entire world is going to watch his heart break into a million pieces on television.
"It is 2:02," Nev checks his watch. "We will give him some time."
"Is that him?" Max points toward the parking lot as a white car pulls into a parking spot. Dean knows the car. He has seen it at school many times. He has seen it more times than Carver has subbed there.
"Someone is getting out and headed this way," Nev confirms. Dean watches until the mystery man is in eye shot and his heart all but stops. It's Castiel Novak.
"C.J.?" Nev holds out his hand to shake Castiel's.
"Yeah," Castiel takes his hand but Dean can tell that he is just as nervous as Dean is.
"And your real name is?" Max asks.
"Castiel," Dean answers for him.
"Hello, Dean." Castiel pulls his hand away from shaking Max's and shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"So you two know each other?" Nev questions.
"Yeah," Dean answers. "We know each other."
Dean looks Castiel over, so many questions running through his mind. Why has Castiel hid who he is from Dean. They have known each other since they were in kindergarten. What is he trying to hide? Is this all a game and that is why he did not share who he is?
"I just...," Castiel starts to explain himself but then gets quiet.
"How about we give you guys a few minutes to talk," Nev suggests.
Though there are still camera's around them, Nev, Max and the crew step away, leaving them alone with one another. Dean sits himself down on a nearby park bench, trying to find out exactly what is happening?
"Who is Carver Edlund to you?" Dean finally asks. Castiel is obviously confused by the question by the look on his face.
"He's my uh…" Castiel pauses, running his hands up and down his thighs. "He's my dad."
"Oh," Dean smiles, unable to hold it back. "That makes sense now."
"Why would you want to know about my dad?" Castiel questions Dean.
"That is who we thought you were," Dean laughs, slightly embarrassed that he actually considered what he would do had it been Carver Edlund. "Your phone number traced back to him."
"Oh," Castiel laughs, the tension he is showing slowly fading away. This helps make Dean become slightly more comfortable.
"So," Dean runs his hand through his hair. "Why exactly did you not want to meet me?"
"I didn't think you would like who I was," Castiel admits, the tension coming back. Dean wants him to be comfortable but he can not change how Castiel feels. "That you would no longer love me if you knew it was me."
"Why would you think that?" Dean is confused. Does he seem so shallow that he could not love Castiel? There is nothing about Castiel that would cause Dean to not want to be with him.
"Third grade," Castiel states, leaving Dean even more confused.
"What?" Dean does not even try to figure out what Castiel means.
"In third grade," Castiel's body tenses a little more and that worries Dean. "I was walking home from school and passed you and some of your friends, Gordon and some other boy. I said hi to you and you ignored me."
"I don't," Dean is going to lie but he remembers the event clearly, it is one he has not thought about in years. It does not end with him in good lighting.
"When I was walking away," Castiel continues, "you said. 'Don't ever talk to me again freak.'"
Dean's mouth turns into a frown and his heart sinks. He remembers saying the words. He had wanted so badly to hang out with Gordon that he was willing to do or say anything that he was told. When Castiel tried to talk to him, Gordon asked 'why would you let that freak talk to you?' Dean made a mistake, never knowing that it was going to follow him for so long.
"I am so sorry," Dean tries to apologize, but how do you apologize for something like that?
"I am not angry at you Dean," Castiel tries his hardest to reassure Dean but Dean knows that he is an ass and this is not something someone can just overlook. "I just thought that if you knew it was me, you would make me go away again. So I hid who I was, so I wouldn't have to lose you."
"You would not have lost me." Dean promises and it's true. Dean is head over heels in love and he would not have cared who Castiel wis. Okay, so he would have been freaked out if it was Castiel's dad but beyond that, he would not have cared. "I love you Cas."
Castiel looks up at Dean with bright blue eyes on the verge of tears. Dean can not help himself and he reaches out, pulling Castiel into his side. Dean runs his hand up and down the side of Castiel's arm and lets him cry.
"Are we interrupting?" Nev and Max make their way back over to them.
"No," Dean smiles at them, this time a real smile. "We are good right now."
Dean is not sure if they are good but he wants to get this over with. He wants the show gone and he wants to try and work things out with Castiel. Dean explains the situation to them and they understand. It is finally over.