So the bed scene may be a bit triggering. I wouldn't think so, honestly, but just... be warned.

"I've only got one class today," Castiel said, pulling Dean's jacket on. "Do you want to do something after?"

Dean grinned, swallowing a bite of donut. "Sure. What do you want to do?"

A shrug. "I don't know. We can figure it out when I get back home?"

"Do you want me to just meet you at your school?"

"No, don't bother. I'll text you if I think of anything, though, then you can come."

Dean nodded, and moved to Castiel, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, pulling him in to a kiss. Castiel broke away. "You taste like sugar."

"That bad?"

Castiel shook his head and grinned, kissing Dean again before waving goodbye, hopping out into the hall. Dean clicked the door shut behind him, and laid down on Castiel's couch, flipping on the TV. It was still on that god-awful movie channel, but the movie playing at the moment wasn't horrible, and he figured it could tide him over until Castiel returned.

Castiel was plenty distracted during class. His eyes were drawn to the windows on his side, his mind blocking out whatever his professor was droning on and on about. Some author or something. Who cared? Castiel didn't. He was more enamored with the action going on on the quad. It looked as if they were setting up a… a stage. Castiel shifted in his seat, nudging the girl in the seat beside him. She looked at him.

"Do you know what's going on out there?" he whispered, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

She nodded. "Mmm oh yeah. It's this, like, 4 or 5 day festival that goes on. It's to celebrate spring or whatever. They haven't had one in a few years, but I guess the weather was clear enough for it."

"Have they got a band coming?"

She nodded again. "Hold on." She held her finger up as she bent down to rifle through her bag. She pulled out a folded blue square. "Here's the list of stuff going on over the festival. It can change though, so just… keep an eye open."

Castiel nodded and thanked her before unfolding the paper. Sure enough, there was a band playing. It was a cover band of some sort, the only description of them being 'we play covers'.

Helpful.

Castiel smiled, however, pulling out his phone. He snapped a picture of the flyer, sending it to Dean.

Cas:

They're not Bruno Mars or Elvis, but it still seems fun. You want to go?

James had been lounging on his couch at the hotel, feet dangling over the armrest, aimlessly flipping through channels when he heard the faint buzzing. He sat up and reached over for his phone, clicking it on. Nothing. He frowned. "What the hell…" Another buzz.

Oh.

James stood, discarding the remote and his own phone on the couch as he retrieved Dean's from inside one of the dresser drawers, clicking it on.

Cas: 2 new messages

James grinned.

Cas:

Picture message 11:57a.m.

They're not Bruno Mars or Elvis, but it still seems fun. You want to go? 11:58a.m.

Dean:

That sounds good. 12:00p.m.

Cas:

Great! Want me to head home, or do you want to meet me here? It's on campus, if you're wondering. 12:02p.m.

Dean:

I'll meet you there. When? 12:03p.m.

Cas:

I get out of class in about 20 minutes. 12:03p.m.

Dean:

I'll see you in about 20 minutes then. 12:05p.m.

Castiel returned around 3:00, blowing straight passed Dean and into his room. Dean frowned. That's weird. He got up and followed Castiel back. The other was already stationed at his desk, hand aggressively writing across a fresh page of his notebook. "I'm not even going to bother figuring out how you got that out so fast," Dean commented, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm more concerned as to why you're so… angry."

"Why the fuck do you think, Dean?" Castiel replied, hand still furiously writing.

Dean narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Had a bad time?"

"No, actually. I had a lot of fun with Nona and Robert when they showed up. That band wasn't half-bad, by the way. The covered one of your songs."

The fuck? Dean furrowed his brow. "I have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

Castiel set his pencil down, turning to look at Dean, face hard. "Seriously, Dean? You can just tell me if you fell asleep. Or if you just didn't want to go. Would've been a lot less hurtful than me sitting there, constantly waiting for you to show up."

"Cas, I have no idea what you're talking about. At all."

"I text you about the little concert-slash-spring festival thing. You said you'd meet me there. That was at noon. It's three."

"I seriously never got a text from you, and I certainly didn't reply to it."

"Stop acting like a jackass!" Castiel reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "I sent you these messages. You replied. That's your number, isn't it?"

Dean walked into the room, taking Castiel's phone from him. It was his number, but it wasn't him. "Cas, I didn't send these."

"So, what? You're phone's possessed?"

"Want me to prove I didn't send those?" Castiel raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Fine." Dean shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling around for his phone. He frowned, ripping his hands out to feel in his back pockets. "I… I don't have it…" he trailed off, exiting Castiel's room to go check the couch. Castiel followed suit, arms still crossed. Dean shoved his hands in and around the couch and its cushions, dropping to his knees to check under the couch. He brushed passed Castiel on the way back into his room to check the bed. Nothing.

"I don't have it."

"Convenient."

"No, really. I don't have it."

"At all?"

Dean shook his head. "No, it must've fallen out back at the hotel or when I was in the cab yesterday."

Castiel uncrossed his arms. "So the person with your phone was the one talking to me?"

Dean shrugged. "Must've been. Maybe someone found it in the cab, and decided to have some fun with it."

Castiel walked over to Dean. "So you didn't stand me up?" Dean shook his head, and Castiel pulled him in, kissing him softly. "I'm sorry."

Dean shrugged. "I'd be mad too."

"So what're you going to do?"

"About the phone?" A nod. "Probably search for it a bit more, and if it doesn't come up, I'll just get a new one."

Castiel nodded, and pulled Dean in, kissing him again. Dean smiled. "I don't suppose that festival's still going on, is it?"

"That depends. Are you asking me out to it?"

"That depends. Do you want to go with me?"

Castiel smiled, stepping back from Dean, grabbing his hand. He turned, pulling him with him "Another band starts at 6."

Dean followed after him. "That's three hours from now."

Castiel paused, turning around to face Dean. "It's a festival. You can win me a stuffed bear."

"You better let me," Dean replied, dragging Castiel out the door.

James was flicking through Dean's pictures on his phone, scowling at every one involving Castiel. He deleted as many of them as he could before Dean's phone died. He pulled a face. He'd have to charge it on his laptop later, but it wasn't necessary now. It wasn't time for his plan to start.

He tossed the object onto the other side of the couch as he sat up, standing to go fix himself a drink. He stole a few bottles from the mini-fridge, dumping them into a glass filled with ice. He returned to the couch after, sipping the bitter concoction as he glanced at Dean's phone. He smiled to himself.

It was all just a matter of time.

Dean did win Castiel a stuffed bear. Four of them, to be exact. All from different booths. Castiel's favorite was the largest one, who had on a faux-leather jacket and squishy sun glasses.

"Why do you like that one so much?" Dean question, tugging Castiel to sit with him in the grass. It was about fifteen minutes before the next band came on, but the soundcheck was always amusing to watch. Dean set the other three bears down.

"It reminds me of you," Castiel smiled, eyes lingering on the bear for another moment before turning his attention to Dean.

"I remind you of a punk-rocker?" He held out his arm. Castiel scooted closer to him, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around him, fingers resting on his hip.

Castiel's fingers linked together around the bear, holding it loosely on his lap as he relaxed. "Just the rockstar part of it."

Dean pressed a kiss to Castiel's hair, hand rubbing up and down his side, shirt bunching up with each stroke. A few people gave him a look, but none complained. College students just didn't seem to care. He slid his fingers across Castiel's bare hip, holding on to it as his shirt slid back down, covering a portion of his hand. Castiel squirmed and pressed harder into Dean.

The concert started a few minutes late, but it wasn't a big deal. Their music was unfamiliar to almost everybody, but they were good.

A slower song had begun to play. Dean pulled away from Castiel and stood much to the other's confusion. He held his hand out to him, however, and Castiel took it, a confused expression on his face. Dean had just smiled, and pulled Castiel to him once he was up, his hand remaining in Castiel's, the other dropping to the small of his back, holding him close.

Castiel still looked confused until Dean began to move. Dancing. Oh. He raised his arm, draping it over Dean's shoulder and around his neck as he rested his head on his chest. They moved in slow circles, swaying to the beat of the song, their eyes closed. They stopped as the song did, but they didn't move from each other, the two of them wrapped up together.

They mutually slid away as the next song started, and smiled at each other as they sat back down. Castiel immediately shifted to lean against Dean, kissing his cheek as they settled.

The mini-concert didn't end for another hour, and by the time they were all done, it was dark out. Dean walked Castiel back to his apartment after, their pace slow as they enjoyed the night. It was cold out, sure, but it didn't matter to them. Castiel continually turned his vision upwards to the stars, and Dean couldn't help but to watch him as he did, taking note of the way his eyes seemed to light up with awe as he did.

"Castiel you're gorgeous," Dean said as they stepped into the building and the elevator. Castiel hit the button for his floor before turning to Dean.

"You say that nearly daily."

"It's true." Dean stepped forward, pressing the three bears he was carrying into one hand, stroking the fingers on the other gently down Castiel's cheek. "I just can't get over it." He flattened his palm against his cheek, and Castiel leaned into it, closing his eyes.

"Dean," he started after a moment, voice quiet and raspy. "Dean, what are we going to do? We have less than a week before you leave."

"I know," Dean muttered in response as the doors dinged open. He dropped his hand as they stepped out, letting Castiel fish out his key before continuing. He unlocked the door, and Dean closed it behind them once inside. They both toed off their shoes, Castiel slipping off Dean's jacket as well. He sat on the couch, setting his bear down, and Dean joined him, doing the same. He pulled Castiel's legs up and over his own, and Castiel curled into him to remain upright. Dean grabbed his hands, picking up the conversation from earlier. "I don't want to leave you."

"And I don't want you to leave. But we'll move on, yeah? Remember the awesome two weeks we shared, but have someone else to come home to at night."

"I don't want that. I want you."

Castiel let out a quiet huff of a laugh. "You've known me for eight days. We might not even have a connection beyond this spark we've been feeding."

"But I want to see what we could be, what this could turn in to."

"Why?"

Dean swallowed. "Because you mean more to me than anybody else I've ever met. I've known you for eight days, and those have been the best eight days I've ever had in a long time. Cas, you know more about me than most, and there's still so much more for me to show you, and so much more for me to learn about you. I don't… I don't want that to stop."

Castiel shifted closer to Dean, curling tighter and closer in to him. "You could find someone else like me, Dean. You're a rockstar."

"But I don't want to find somebody else." Castiel fell silent. "…Cas?"

"I don't want you to find someone else either."

Dean simply held Castiel closer, letting his head rest on his chest. He kissed his temple, his lips resting there after. "Come with me," he mumbled a few minutes later.

Castiel looked up. "What?"

"Come with me. On tour, come with me."

Castiel looked back down. "I have school, Dean."

"Drop out."

Castiel shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Then I'll cancel the rest of my tour."

"Don't you dare."

"What do you want me to do then, Cas?"

"… Let me go."

"Not gonna happen."

Castiel shifted. "Then you go on tour, and come back to me when you're done."

"That's six months!"

"Then you'll see me in six months."

Dean's voice fell. "I don't want to have to wait that long."

"I'll see you at every show around here, and you can call me, and we can skype. Dean, if you want this, we can make it work."

Dean nodded. "Then we'll make it work. But until I leave, let's make the most of our time."

"Let's take this to my bed," Castiel said, unfurling as he slid away from Dean to stand. He shut off the only light on in the apartment, and continued to his room, Dean following shortly after.

Castiel was standing in the center of the room, right in front of his bed. Dean ambled over, stopping directly in front of him. The smaller man reached forward, sliding his fingers up and under Dean's shirt, gliding over the skin as he pulled it up. He stopped over his waist, and pulled Dean in, kissing him. He placed his hands on his hips after a moment, but Castiel shook them off, breaking the kiss to mutter "No. Just… let me do this."

Dean complied, and Castiel pulled him back in, hands sliding higher on Dean's body until he couldn't anymore. Then he broke away, tugging Dean's shirt up and off his body. He stepped away, taking hold of Dean's arms, turning him around before shoving him on to the bed. Dean stumbled back, falling on to the mattress. He crawled farther up on it, supporting himself on his elbows.

Castiel leaned over part of the bed, unhooking Dean's belt and unbuttoning his jeans, sliding them off with a bit of help from Dean, doing the same to himself. He crawled over Dean, straddling his hips as his hands came to rest on his chest. It was new to be straddling Dean with so little between them, Castiel actually over his hips instead of his thighs, but it wasn't sexual, not yet. And it wouldn't last long enough to become so.

Castiel walked himself forward and down with his hands, lowering himself enough to kiss Dean. "I'm want to show you something," he mumbled against his lips. "Can I trust you?"

"Of course."

Castiel pressed his lips to Dean's once more before sitting back up. He took a deep breath before pulling off his shirt. "Dean, you're always telling me how beautiful I am, how gorgeous, inside and out, but it's not true. Not really." Dean furrowed his brow, but Castiel continued. "I've been with a number of men before this, though not often sexually, and I hope this will explain why."

When I first had sex, I was in high school. No one had ever payed attention to me, not really. But this guy was… older. In his twenties. He was… mature. Treated me better than anyone ever had before. He made me feel special, and I liked that. We had been together for a month before we had sex. And it was good, in all honesty. At first, at least. We couldn't stop after the first, and I continually snuck out to go see him, to mess around.

After a while, we began exploring… kinks. He just so happened to like submissive dominant sex. Guess who was the submissive?" Castiel shrugged. "It wasn't bad, just new. But after a while, he started treating me less like a lover, and more like a slave. And it kept getting worse. He wasn't just harsh, he was violent. He… hit me, is the simplest way to put it. I wanted to get out when it got to that point, but I couldn't. He was obsessive, possessive, domineering, in all honesty. And it got worse, day by day. More violent, more controlling… It finally stopped when he got arrested. He was out with some friends, doing god only knows what. They must've looked suspicious, because a cop came over. They freaked out, and when the cop searched them, he found drugs. He was sent to prison, and I was free. But he damaged me, Dean, in more ways than one."

Castiel took a deep breath before straightening his body, his hips a bit forward as he slid down his boxers, exposing one of his thighs. A deep purple scar marred from the inside of his thigh, curling up and around the back. Dean's eyes widened, and Castiel shrugged, unstraddling Dean's hips. "It looks almost the same on the other side."

He turned himself around, and sat on the bed, back facing Dean. He bent forward, the bumps of his spine protruding outward. "Dean, you'll have to sit up to see it."

Dean nodded and sat up, scooting forward to see. As he leaned in, numerous small, thin stripes littered across Castiel's spine came in to focus, the silvery color of the scars illuminated by the moonlight. Dean brought a hand up, brushing his fingers down the line of them. Castiel shivered.

"Did he do this?"

Castiel nodded. "Some are from a whip he used too hard, specifically the ones farther down. The others are from a knife he used. Pain for pleasure, he always said. Funny how it was never him getting hurt."

Dean stared at the scars, his fingers running across each individual one as he tried to envision the hell Castiel must have gone through to garner so many of them across his back. He was working his vision back up when he spotted two different looking ones. They were wider than the others, and running vertically, right beside his shoulder blades. The scars were darker, though certainly faded. New, but not fresh. He touched them. "And these?"

Castiel swallowed. "I met him when I came here. He caught my attention the first time I saw him in a lecture, and he kept hold of it for a long time. He was nice. Sweet. He treated me like an angel- that's what he called me. His perfect little angel. I found out he was with someone else. It… well, pissed me off. I hadn't had sex with him yet, but I needed to talk to him. Was he that desperate for it? That he couldn't wait for me to open myself up to that sort of thing again?

Well, I did go to talk to him, at his house. It had started mature, and he admitted to sleeping around. I said that we should break it off, and he… he didn't like that. He threatened me, said he would ruin me, destroy whatever decency my reputation held. Perks of dating a CEO's son," he laughed humorously. "And so I stayed, and he demanded sex. I gave it. That lasted about four months before I grew tired of it, and tried once again to break it off. I chose a bad time, he was… on something, as far as I could tell. He really didn't take it so well. He attacked me, telling me I wasn't his angel anymore, his perfect, perfect little angel. He tackled me down and ripped off my shirt. 'You're not my angel anymore. You're no one's angel if you can't be mine.' I guess that's where he decided my wings were."

Dean was quiet behind him, and Castiel's mind began to race. You said too much. This was too fucking soon for him to know. You've freaked him out. He doesn't need this. He doesn't need you. He can find someone better, without all this fucking baggage. He could find someone who would please him withou- what?

Dean had pressed his lips against one of the scars, his warm mouth creating a wave of heat that rolled over his cool skin. He shivered. Dean lifted his lips, and pressed them down over the other scar, letting them linger for a moment. "Lay down, baby," he whispered in his ear a moment later, pressing a kiss to shell. Castiel flushed at the variation on his pet-name, but complied, laying on his stomach, and Dean straddled the back of his thighs. Castiel stiffened, but Dean's lips were pressing against one of the scars across his spine, and he relaxed.

He continued down his back, lips lingering on every mark. He slid off of him as he got farther down, allowing him to kiss through the small of his back, up to the waistband of his boxers. His hand covered where his lips had just been, and he ran it up his back, laying down beside Castiel, pressing in to his side.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, baby." Dean lightly rubbed Castiel's shoulder. "No one deserves that, especially not you."

Castiel just looked at Dean, worming his hand up between their bodies. His fingers grazed over his jaw and neck, and Dean's eyes drifted shut. "Thank you, Dean."

"For what?"

"For not running."

Dean sat up then, flopping himself onto his back, head resting on a pillow. Castiel crawled up to him a moment later, resting his head on the same pillow. Dean smiled, rolling on his side. Castiel followed suit. Dean brought a hand up, cupping Castiel's face, fingers in his hair as his palm covered his cheek. "Can I kiss you?" A nod.

They met in the middle, their lips locking softly, easily, the kiss soft and unrushed, the motive nonsexual, used to connect to each other instead, trying to provide and find comfort in each other. Their lips shifted slightly every few moments, Dean's touch keeping Castiel grounded.

He's staying. He's staying. He staying with me. Staying despite it all. How did this happen? How did I get him?

They broke apart a few minutes later, both of them sending faint smiles at each other. Castiel was the first to break their gaze, shifting and wiggling around to get himself under the blankets, which Dean joined him under a moment later. Their feet tangled together, their arms sliding up under their pillow, linking together as their other ones draped over their bodies, Dean's over Castiel's waist, Castiel's over Dean's hips. They smiled at each other.

"Goodnight, Cas."

"Goodnight, Dean."

Oh yessssssssssssssssss

Okay so to make up for the crap the last chapter was, I made this longer, and perhaps added some sustenance for the characters, yes? *turns into italian pizza guy*

So, yeah. A word of warning, I have ~~~~plans for the next chapter, and from what I can see, it may take me a bit longer to write, so I'm sorry if there's no chapter up tomorrow. I'll try to have what I have planned done by tomorrow, but I promise there will definitely be one Saturday.

Also, y'all heard of My Darkest Days? One time, this lady gave my friend and I free tickets to go see Hinder, and they were one of the openers, and Sal, the lead singer, was totes flirting with us and he let me touch his mowhawk it was so great you guys, so great.

Also the song Bend Me, Shape Me by American Breed? Yeah. Makes me want the D, you feeeeeeeeeeeel?

...

It's like, 10:40a.m. and I still haven't gone to sleep oops sorry not sorry.

...

So, thanks for reading! And, as always, let me know what you think! I love hearing about your reactions to this. It makes me SO HAPPY

:)