Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – your support was amazing and I really appreciate the feedback! Dean loves you all. I hope that this chapter lives up to your expectations – once again, please please review, no matter how much you say I really do love hearing your comments, they give me the inspiration to keep writing.
Once again, an enormous thank-you to my beta rdmnss!
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters. If I did, Destiel would be canon, Gabriel would be alive, and Metatron would never have gotten away with banishing all of the angels from Heaven... *sob*
Castiel sighed as he looked over the photo edit he was doing of Dean, moving the mouse to highlight his eyes a little more. He couldn't stop thinking about yesterday – everything that had happened had seared itself into his brain and was refusing to leave. It was impossible to think about anything else, especially when that 'something else' still involved Dean. Sitting back in his chair, Castiel folded his arms and glanced around the small ICT suite he was in, giving himself a break to calm his thoughts.
It had, quite undoubtedly, been one of the best evenings of his life. When Castiel had first arrived, it had seemed somewhat awkward and stilted – Dean had obviously been uncomfortable about something and Castiel had had no idea how to remedy that. However, once conversation had started they had both felt very comfortable, and he had ended up telling Dean much more than he ever told anyone – and he had only known him for a few days! Nonetheless, once they had both spilled their family problems, Castiel had found Dean one of the most sympathetic people he had ever met – and then Dean had embraced him, and that had caused one of the most pleasurable sensations he had ever felt.
Castiel smiled as he remembered that feeling. It had stayed with him for the entire evening; even once the food arrived and Dean moved away to eat, Castiel had still felt that sense of happiness and the pull of something that he couldn't quite define yet. It was a feeling that he wanted to explore more, although he hadn't brought up that subject with Dean yet. He wasn't entirely sure what the conventions around arranging a second meeting were – he didn't have experience in these matters. Perhaps he should ask Gabriel about it. In fact, he should probably talk to Gabriel anyway – Castiel hadn't talked to his brother in weeks, and he normally emailed him more regularly than that. Not that Gabriel was likely to have noticed.
"Are you alright, Castiel?" A concerned noise sounded, and Castiel glanced around to see Jess standing over him with a look of concern on her tired face. She had been looking more and more worn down recently – he still had no idea of the reason why.
"Yes, thank you Miss." He replied, smiling, before turning back to his computer. He really ought to do some more work and stop getting so distracted – this was why he hadn't attempted to make friends before.
She smiled back at him, before looking at the edit he was doing. "What style are you trying to do here, then?" She queried.
"I'm trying to turn it into a more old-fashioned black and white photograph with a vintage style, editing in an appropriate background and changing his clothing. However, I need to work on maintaining the defining features from the original photograph – some of his facial features are becoming less noticeable due to the background, and it's difficult to fix. His eyes especially should stand out more."
Jess raised her eyebrows slightly and continued to look over the picture.
"You're very passionate about this, aren't you? You're always an excellent worker, but this level of enthusiasm is lovely to see."
"Dean makes excellent subject matter." Castiel replied, selecting a new filter tone and examining the effects on the image.
Jess looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she just smiled again before moving on.
Castiel shrugged to himself, not really understanding her reaction, before continuing to edit the photograph. There were only a few hours of school to go, and then he could go home and email Dean to arrange a second meeting. Once that was off his mind he should be able to work better, and ensure himself that becoming friends with Dean wasn't detrimental to his artwork.
/ / / / / / / /
When the bell finally rang to indicate the end of the day, Castiel saved his work and shut down the computer much more quickly than he usually would, joining the throng of students all attempting to get home as fast as possible. He got a few strange looks from his classmates, who knew him as the sort of person to stay behind and perfect his work, but no-one said anything – most people knew better than to try and talk to Castiel. He was just making his way downstairs when he noticed Dean standing at the bottom, looking at Castiel with a smile. A shocked expression making its way onto his face, he continued down until he reached Dean and stood there in confusion.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
Dean shrugged. "Sammy needed to see Jess – or rather, I forced him to go and talk to her because he's being an idiot about it. I figured driving him here was the best way to make him actually do it. Plus, I get the added bonus of seeing you."
"Why would Sam need to see Miss Moore? He doesn't go here." Castiel frowned, before his eyebrows rose as he realised what Dean had ended with. "You enjoy spending time with me?"
"Um, Sammy and Jess are dating. Well, I think they still are, they're havin' problems because Sammy can be a bit of an idiot – he's my brother and I love him, but when it comes to girls the guy's clueless. Honestly. And of course I enjoy spendin' time with you, Cas, you're awesome. Last night was great."
Was it just Castiel, or did Dean's breath hitch slightly when he said that?
"They're dating? Is that appropriate? While Miss Moore doesn't teach your brother, he is still a student while she is a teacher." Castiel paused. "I don't think I'm very 'awesome', as you put it, but last night was very enjoyable. We should do that again soon."
Dean laughed. "Of course it's appropriate – they're both sensible about it, I think, and if they're not I don't want to know. And you really want to do something with me again?"
"Yes." Castiel blinked – he had thought that his wording was perfectly clear.
Dean grinned. "Great! Let's see – are you free Friday? There's this great restaurant I know if you want to go there, the food is the best in the county and they give me a special deal because I'm friends with the manager."
Castiel thought for a moment. "That sounds nice. I do not know how I will get there though; I am not able to drive."
Dean's mouth practically fell open. "You don't know how to drive? Dude! I am so teaching you how to drive! You don't know what you're missin', man! It's amazing. Sometime I'm takin' you down to the garage at college and lettin' you drive one of the cars there. Maybe even baby if you're good enough."
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of driving."
Dean looked Castiel directly in the eyes and put his hand on his shoulder. "Dude, trust me, when you get behind the wheel for the first time, you'll understand. You have to love it."
Castiel stared back into Dean's eyes, taking in all the emotion there. They were so beautiful, deep pools of green that you could get lost in if you looked for too long. Castiel felt like he could stare into them forever. It was only Dean's hand still on his shoulder that kept him grounded to reality, the pressure and heat feeling amazing. He found himself instinctively moving closer, seeking the warmth that Dean offered. The feeling from last night was back – that happiness and safety and the other, indescribable thing that lurked at the back, not obvious enough to be identified but still always there.
Dean's arm tensed, the hand on Castiel's shoulder clenching slightly, before Dean went to move it away. Not really thinking, Castiel moved his hand up and placed it on top of Dean's, keeping it on his shoulder. He didn't want it removed just yet. Dean's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, before flickering from Castiel's eyes to his lips. He felt the gaze like a physical touch, beckoning to him. Slowly, Castiel let his eyes drift close and moved in, following his instincts.
"Hey, Jerk!"
The voice sounded from overhead and as soon as he heard it Dean tensed, moving away from Castiel. Castiel frowned, stepping backwards as well and looking up to see a tall, gangly teenager that he didn't recognise standing at the top of the stairs, one arm around Miss Moore's waist. He couldn't help but feel a spike of irritation directed at this boy – presumably Dean's brother Sam – for interrupting whatever had been happening between himself and Dean. He wasn't entirely sure what had been about to happen, but the anticipation had felt good, and Castiel was sure the actual thing would have felt amazing.
Castiel glanced at Dean to see that his cheeks had gone slightly red with embarrassment, and he was determinedly not looking at Castiel.
"Bitch!" He called up, and his voice contained the same level of irritation that Castiel was feeling. "You two idiots made up then?"
Sam and Jess started to make their way down the stairs, Jess glancing at Sam with an expression which made Castiel feel a strange sense of longing – she seemed very taken with him, and Castiel couldn't help but want that sort of connection with someone himself.
"Shut up!" Sam called back, his voice light and happy.
The pair reached Dean and Castiel and stopped, Sam looking at Castiel with interest.
"So this is Cas?" Sam asked.
"Yes, I'm Castiel. You must be Dean's brother Sam." Castiel replied.
Sam smiled, his dimples deepening. "Yeah. My brother keeps talking about you."
Dean gave Sam a warning glare that went unseen by Castiel, who simply titled his head to one side in confusion.
"He talks about me?"
Sam laughed, glancing at Dean. "You're both oblivious idiots. Figures."
Castiel frowned, having absolutely no idea what Sam was talking about. He glanced over at Dean to see that his cheeks had gone even redder – presumably from embarrassment – but he had no idea what he was embarrassed about. Even more confused, he looked away and shuffled his feet awkwardly.
The silence was broken by Jess turning to Sam and putting her hands on his hips, before speaking.
"I'd better be off – I have some work to grade before I meet you again this evening. I'll see you later, yeah?"
Sam leaned in and gave Jess a quick kiss, smiling down at her. Castiel felt a slight pang as he did that – he wasn't sure why, but the gesture reminded him of something similar that had happened earlier, although he couldn't think what.
"You don't need to pick me up; I'm going back with Dean. Have fun grading." Sam kissed her again, before slowly releasing her hips and stepping back.
Jess waved, walking towards the door. "I will. Bye Dean, bye Castiel. Love you Sam!"
"Love you too!" Sam called, causing Dean to chuckle slightly and smile to himself.
"What?" Sam turned to Dean accusingly.
"Nothing." Dean stared down his younger brother.
Castiel felt like he was intruding on a family moment. "I should be going too. I have homework to complete. I will email you about Friday, Dean."
"Wait!" Dean called, as Sam whispered "Friday?" under his breath.
"Yes Dean?" Castiel replied, standing still.
"Um, I just..." Dean seemed slightly embarrassed. "I wanted to give a proper goodbye."
"Oh." Castiel paused. "Goodbye then, Dean."
"No, I mean..." Dean seemed to hesitate, almost like he was debating something, before muttering "Screw it."
Slowly, Dean placed his hands on Castiel's hips just like Sam had done to Jess earlier, looking him directly in the eyes, before his eyes fluttered closed and he moved in like before. Castiel stood very still, before he suddenly felt a pair of soft lips against his own.
Closing his eyes at the sensation, Castiel opened his mouth slightly and kissed back, enjoying the sensation. He had no idea why Dean was doing this, but it felt amazing, igniting something within him that he had never felt before. The sensation was even better than the one he had felt last night – and Castiel hadn't previously thought that was possible.
Sooner than Castiel wanted, Dean broke the kiss and stepped away, looking slightly flustered.
"So, um, I'll pick you up at maybe 6 on Friday then? If you email me your address?"
Castiel nodded, not entirely sure what to say, a smile dancing across his face.
"Well, um, I'll see you then." Dean awkwardly moved one hand behind his head to scratch his neck.
"Goodbye, Dean." Castiel's voice was lower and more gravelly than normal, and he noticed Dean swallow before he turned away to leave.
Behind him, Dean turned back to his brother and flushed red again at the triumphant, 'I knew it' expression on his face.
Their first kiss! I hope that didn't happen too soon in their relationship – they'll move very slowly from here I expect, but I wanted that to happen (and I think you all deserve it!) As I said before, please do review and feel free to leave any suggestions for me, I appreciate all your comments and thoughts!