Notes:

I am so sorry about the late update guys. Work has been killing me and we're in the process of trying to move.

Ya'll are probably going to love and hate me this chapter. Love me because I finally updated again. Hate me because, well, you're just have to read and find out.

:)

EDIT: A few people mentioned how unrealistic the ending of this chapter was. After rereading it, I completely agreed with them. I ended up reading farther back and noticed that a lot of it was really poorly written, so I've spent all day at my dad's rewriting about half of this. It flows a lot better now and it doesn't do that time jump thingy when talking about classes. If you've already read this, then just skip to after NYE. If not, then I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 14: Save that for the black and white (part3)

When Dean woke up, it was to a naked Castiel draped on top of him.

The Impala's windows were still steamed up. The blanket and all their clothes were scattered everywhere. A pair of jeans draped across the head rest of the passenger seat, one pant leg on either side. There was also an ache in his ass that took only a few seconds for Dean to comprehend.

He looked down at his angels peaceful face. The sun was up now, but still low enough on the horizon. It glowed softly on top of Cas' head. A halo to complete his angels' look.

From the front of the car, the radio played on low. It was a song from one of those modern day boy bands, and while Dean didn't know the words to it, and if anyone asked, he would deny it until the day he died, but the tune was rather catchy.

His hands carded through Cas' hair as he hummed along to the song. "I'll give you every thing I can. I'll build your dreams with these two hands. We'll hang some memories on the wall. And when (and when) just the two of us are there, you won't have to ask if I still care. 'Cause as time turns the page, my love won't ever age at all. And I swear (I swear) by the moon and the stars in the sky, I'll be there (I'll be there). I swear (and I swear) like the shadow that's by your side, I'll be there (I'll be there). For better or worse, till death do us part, I'll love you with every single beat of my heart, and I swear."

The body on top of him shifted awake as the last notes of the song faded. Dean stopped moving his fingers and looked down. Sleepy blue eyes fluttered opened and looked up at him.

"How are you feeling?" Cas mumbled out, before sitting up and stretching his back as much as possible, given the tight space the two teens occupied.

"A little sore, but I've had worst." He sent a little smirk Cas' way before sitting up as well.

They dressed, exchanging kisses every few seconds, and slid back into the front seat.

Dean started the car and made sure to change the station, before backing onto the road once again. The ride to their next destination was mostly held in silence, the low hum of the radio the only noise. Every time they caught each others eye, Dean redden. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, he was just... Ok, maybe he was a little embarrassed.

They were five minutes away before the silence was broken.

"Hey, Cas?" Dean said, voice a little more than a whisper.

"Mmm. Yes, Dean," Cas said, voice still gravelly from a combination of sleep and sex.

Deans' dick twitched a little in interest. "Um," he cleared his throat as a light dusting a pink spread over his cheeks. "I, um. I need you to close your eyes for the next part of your gift."

Dean saw Cas' eyes curiously squint to the side. A slight shrug of a shoulder, and Cas did as he was asked, keeping whatever comment Dean saw in the blue to himself.

A minute later, Dean pulled in front of a small brick building with big windows. Peeling green lettering across the top said, "Caleb's tattoos". With a flick of his wrist, the car turned off and the music stopped. His fingers curled around the door handle. He looked at Cas, who still had his eyes closed. After making a decision, Dean released the handle and turned his body so that he could face his boyfriend.

"You can open your eyes now," Dean said. When Cas did, he took one look at the building before turning shocked eyes to Dean.

"Dean?"

He raised his hands in a defensive stance, palms forward as if Cas was a frighten animal who was about to take off... or attack. "Ok, before you say anything, you still have the right to say yes or no." He waited until he saw Cas nod his head, then took a deep breath. "The guy who owns the shop is an old family friend of Bobby and Ellen's," he continued, deliberately leaving out John's name. "His name is Caleb... and he's a tattoo artist." He gave Cas a worried look and bit his lip.

Cas' face was one of shock. His mouth formed a small 'o', his blue eyes shined like crystals. He was quiet. Suddenly, he blinked rapidly. He squinted his eyes as they grew dark with suspicion, brows furrowed downward. Then he huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "Dean, you can't be serious. We only just talked about tattoos, what, five days ago? There's no way you have enough money for this."

He felt his cheeks heat up and spread to the tips of his ears. His hand found its way to the back of his neck, eyes focused on something outside his driver side window. "Look, without going uber chick-flick right now. I've had this planned for weeks. I picked the design and everything. You don't have to make a decision now. At least look at the picture first, please?" he asked, voice coming out like a whine as he locked green on blue.

He waited, staring into the blue eyes he loved so much, for what felt like hours. Cas' eyes closed and he watched as the other teen took a deep breath. When they opened again, there was a determination in them that sent a shock through Deans' body. "Ok." The corners of Cas' soft lips twitched.

"Ok?"

The smile he was granted lit up Cas' face. Blue eyes shone brightly in the low sunlight. He watched Cas' head nod, eyes crinkled at the sides. "Ok."

After walking into the shop, Dean did the necessary introductions, purposely leaving out the boyfriend part of his and Cas' relationship. The three of them looked at the image Dean picked. The warm feeling in Deans' chest grew tenfold when he saw Cas' eyes light up at the wings.

The tattooing process lasted just under two hours. Dean stayed by Cas' side the whole time, hand available if Cas needed it. With last minute care instructions, and a firm reminder not to do any exercise until it heals (which worked well, considering there weren't any track practices for the next week and a half as a result of the holidays), Dean and Cas finally made their way home, hand in hand.

It was around noon when they pulled in front of Ellens' house. Snow started flurrying half way home from Calebs' shop. The windshield wipers moved slowly, collecting the cold clumps of icicles on either side of the window. The heat was blasting just enough to keep them warm without causing unnecessary sweat. Cas sat on the edge of his seat, breathing slowly in hopes of not agitating his back. Deans' jacket hung loose on the smaller man's frame, front opened to prevent any extra restrictions it may cause. In a bag on the floor of the Impala, Cas' shirt and jacket were folded neatly. He turned the car off, grabbed the bag of clothes, and as one, the two teenagers opened their doors.

The trek towards the house was rather slow, with Cas moving ridiculously slow. Walking up the front steps, Dean could see faces peeking out of the living room window. His hand was inches away from the door handle when it swung opened, revealing the curious face of Ellen. In the doorway leading to the living room, Sam and Jo stood with equal amounts of curiosity shining in their eyes. Bobby leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, opened cold beer in hand and looking like he wanted to punch something.

"Are you two idjits gonna just stand there and look stupid, or are you gonna get inside so we don't all die of pneumonia?" Bobby's gruff voice said, breaking Dean out of his trance. He nodded, and the two of them walked in, Ellen closing the door behind them.

The atmosphere in the house was thick. He looked over at Sam and Jo. Beyond their curiosity, Dean could make out something else. Some other emotion that they tried to hide.

Next to him, Dean could feel Cas' tense walking, as he slowly got used to the scabbing on his back. In the middle of the room, the two teens stopped. Cas' bag of clothes slipped out of Deans' hand and landed with a soft thump on the hardwood flooring beneath their feet.

It was quiet. Almost too quiet. All eyes were on Dean and Cas. And then he felt it. The tiny needles digging into his skin. The pricks that climbed up his leg. His face twisted in pain, but the pain didn't stop there. As it traveled up, the previous pain disappeared. His jeans pulled down in time to the pricks. Before he could glance down, however, the pain traveled up the front of his chest, pulling down his loose shirt. And then he saw it. The white fur and blue eyes of Angel.

In the kittens defense, she just missed her owner. Dean knew that. It was the logical explanation. But that didn't mean he had to be happy. Those nails hurt after all. So he sent her a glare. In return, a soft white paw batted his nose, the nails, thankfully, retracted back into the skin. In way of an apology, Angel mewled softly. It was only then that Dean heard it. The laughter.

He grabbed Angel and held her close. Looking up, he met Sam and Jo's faces and stuck his tongue out, causing yet another round of laughter to pass through the room. This time Dean joined in, reveling in the lack of tension that surrounded them only a minute ago.

When the laughter died down, and everyone had control of themselves once again, they all wordlessly made their way into the living room. It didn't take long for Sams' voice to meet his ears from across the room.

"Dean," his voiced squeaked. You gotta love puberty, seriously. "Why is Cas wearing your jacket?"

For the second time in so many minutes, all eyes were on the pair. He was about to answer, mouth partially opened and everything, when Jo's squeal from next to Sam caused all eyes to land on her instead.

"It's because of your Christmas present to Cas, isn't it? Oooo! What did you get him?"

Cas, with help from Dean, slowly slid the jacket off his arms and turned around. For the next half hour, everyone praised the detail of the wings. Sam and Jo had a hard time coming up with words to express their feelings. Their vocabulary seemed to have fried, with the only words escaping their mouths being a mix of 'wow's, and 'oh my god's, and 'holy cow's.

This gave Dean the chance to just ogle at Cas. His eyes traced the pattern of the feathers. The shading inside each stem of feather. The boldness of the black outline. The way the lowest tips sat just above Cas' hips. The curve of the top feathers, and the straightness of the bottom ones.

His fingers twitch with the want, the need, to trace the inked skin.

For the first few nights after getting the tattoo, Cas had to lay on his stomach to sleep. For starters, Cas despises sleeping on his stomach. If that weren't bad enough, throw in the fact that Angel decided that jumping on Cas' back at two in the morning was a good idea.

Dean made sure to stay out of Cas' way for those first few days.

It was New Years Eve's eve. Cas' back already started to shed scabs. This gave Dean and Jo amusement, in being able to slap Cas' back as hard as they wanted in order to ward off the itchiness, which Cas couldn't go a half hour without complaining about. He was now able to sleep on his back once more, which meant that everyone was in the clear to talk to him without getting their heads chewed off.

Dean was sitting in the kitchen when Ellen walked in. It was around noon, and by this point in the day Ellen would usually have a list of food needed for the next day in her hands, checking and double checking that everything was there before sending Dean and Jo to the store. But there was no list in her hand. There was no mention of shopping from her mouth. Dean knew this had something to do with the day after Christmas, when he and Cas walked in to the tense atmosphere.

He held his breath and braced himself for what ever news he was about to ask for. "So," he started. He waited until he knew he had Ellen's attention, before continuing. "Are we not eating anything tomorrow night to ring in the new year, or am I just missing something?" He cocked an eyebrow, daring Ellen to lie to him.

She sighed heavily. Taking her time by means of pouring a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table across from Dean, sent alarm bells to ring in his head. This couldn't mean good news.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to say, Dean," she said.

Well that's just great, he thought.

"Does this have something to do with how everyone was acting when me and Cas got back from Calebs' last week?" he asked, refusing to beat around the bush and opting to dive straight in.

Her defeated sigh and adverting eyes was all the answer he needed. He crossed his arms, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Your father came by while the two of you were out that day."

"Oh, yeah? And what did the good for nothing bastard want?" he snapped back.

"Instead of having the party here this ye-"

She didn't finish. Dean didn't give her time to. He pushed himself away from the table and stomped out the room, not caring if he was acting like a little kid who didn't get what he wanted.

Stomping up the stairs and down the hall, he barged into his and Cas' bedroom (which under any normal circumstance usually had him fighting off a blush at the thought). Cas, the angel that he was, was lounging on the bed, book opened midway. He didn't give Cas a chance to react. His body flopped down next to the blue eyed man. Arms wrapped just this close to being painful, around the others body, and held him close.

He felt shaking, and realized too late that it was coming from him. Cas didn't say a word. He turned in the embrace and held Dean back, fingers carding through his short blonde hair every so often. Angel, already noticeably bigger after only a week, hoped onto the bed with her fathers, as Dean and Cas would call each other when talking to the ball of white fur. She curled up on top of their hips, softly purring. With the lack in her ability, as an animal, to form words, the soft purrs was her way of consolation.

With the combined vibrations from his kitten, the slow rise and fall of Cas' body as he breathed, and the fingers that idly moved through his hair, Dean fell asleep, fully clothed, just after one in the afternoon.

The house was packed, which was saying something, considering it was a little bigger than Ellens'. Music streamed out of the television from the living room. The "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" show was on, rather loud, to accommodate the already drunk twenty-one and older guests. It was still another thirty minutes until the ball dropped, but KISS was going strong. The crowd loved them.

If this were any other year, or if the party was held anywhere other than at the Winchester house, Dean would have loved it. KISS was one of those rock god bands that defined Dean to the 'T'. But he couldn't. He couldn't enjoy the music, or the happy atmosphere, or even the company of Cas, and Jo, and Sam. The fact that he was under John's supervision, his watchful eye, had him jumpy.

Jo, of course, noticed straight away, but he wouldn't let her corner him. She gave up not long after noticing, and opted to send him concern glances every now and then.

It was now ten minutes until the ball drop. Dean was hiding in the kitchen, eating little wiener dogs with barbeque sauce, when he heard Ellen and Jo's voices over the music from the living room.

He shoved away from the table and shuffled forward, head bent low. When he entered the living room, the volume on the tv had been turned down and Ellen and Jo were directing people.

"Ok, so we can all see the tv now, right?" Jo hollered out bossily. There were various nods all around the room.

"Does -hiccup- everyone have -hiccup- someone to kiss when -hiccup- the ball drops?" Ellen asked. Dean wanted to facepalm himself. If Ellen was hiccuping, then she was far gone on the sober ladder.

Again, various head nods in the two blondes direction.

Ellen seemed satisfied by the silent answer, nodding her head in agreement. Jo was staring at Dean. "Who are you going to kiss, Dean?" she asked.

Dean shrugged. The only person he wanted to kiss, he couldn't.

Jo wasn't satisfied with his answer. "Well, you have to kiss someone," she pointed out. Then, literally using her finger, she pointed to each pair of people. "Your dad is kissing Miss Milligan. Sam has Jess. Anna is with Ash tonight (when and how the hell did that happen?). Gabe is with Kali. My mom is apparently kissing Uncle Bobby tonight (ew). I'm kissing Alfie. So that just leaves you with..." She trailed off as several people, mainly the sober teenagers, all stared at Cas. And shit, if that wasn't the worst thing ever.

Dean could feel a pair of eyes burning into the back of his skull. He didn't have to, and wouldn't dream of, turning around to see that it was John.

"No. HELL no! My son ain't kissing no boy!" he drunkenly exclaimed.

"But he needs someone to kiss, uncle John!" Jo said, trying to sound innocent to the drunk man.

"NO!"

"Oh, hush, John," Bobby said. He waved his hand at the slightly younger man in dismissal. "It's just an innocent kiss. They'll kiss for like a second and then when they're done they can both wipe their lips and pretend it never happened."

"TEN!"

John crossed his arms, but said no more on the topic.

"NINE!"

"Dean, hurry up and stand next to Cas!" Jo exclaimed.

"EIGHT!"

Dean walked over to the blue eyed angel, who was standing next to an unoccupied couch.

"SEVEN!"

He grabbed Cas' arm and pulled him down to sit next to him. If he had to do this under his father's eye, then he could at least be comfortably sitting.

"SIX!"

"You don't have a problem being my New Year's kiss, do you, Dean?" Cas asked, cocking his head to the side.

"FIVE!"

Staring into the deep blue eyes, he answered quietly, so no one else could hear. "Never, Angel."

"FOUR!"

He was lost. Lost in the blueness of those eyes. Lost in the heat that was burning into his skin from the body inches away from him. He was just so lost.

"THREE!"

They started leaning into each other, inch by inch. Dean realized then, that this was the first time he acted some what normal around Cas all day.

"TWO!"

He could feel the heated glare from behind him. He knew, without looking, that John was practically wishing death on the two of them right then and there. But he didn't care. Because for once, he could kiss his boyfriend in front of his family, and not have to worry about judgment from any of them. John didn't count.

"ONE!"

Blood flowed hot through his veins. His head felt like it was on fire, ready to burst at any given moment. Yet they continued to get closer, until...

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The sound of the cheering crowd didn't penetrate his hearing. Skin on skin, stubble against stubble. The kiss was chaste. Too quick for either of their liking, but slightly longer than everyone expected. But no one noticed. They were too wrapped up in their own kisses.

They didn't hear the faint click of a camera from feet away.

When they pulled away, eyes slowly fluttering opened, they just stared.

"Happy New Year, Dean."

"Happy New Year, Angel."

His hands twitched. He wanted nothing more than to be able to lock his fingers around the soft, silky smooth black locks, and pull Cas forward. To show him how much he meant to Dean.

But he didn't.

The following Monday school resumed. Stress levels skyrocketed as everyone began preparing for exams at the end of the month. The work load grew bigger, teachers snapped more than usual, and each day was a mixture of various fast and slow paced lessons.

In Dean and Cas' first block, Mr. Merritt announced the classes final project. Everyone, regardless of graduation year, had three weeks to write, edit, and revise a commencement speech, despite their obvious displeasure. During exam week, each student will then deliver their speech. If all the speeches were delivered before the next semester started at the end of that week, the remaining days would be used as study time, in which Merritt expected them to work on their classes and study in small groups for any remaining exams.

For the underclassmen, this gave them at least a year to edit their speeches, giving them time to make it perfect for their graduation, if they so chose to submit their speech.

For Dean, Cas, and the handful of seniors in the class, however, they only had five months left to go until they were free of the school. It is not a requirement for most students to submit a speech at the end of the year, though it is highly recommended. As senior president and vice president, Dean and Cas will, at the most, have to say a few words before the selected speeches are delivered.

The remainder of the class was spent with heads down, mouths shut, and pens to paper. When the bell rang, Dean and Cas headed their separate ways. Not long after he walked into Maldonado's room and plopped into a seat, the bell rang again. He continued brainstorming ideas for the speech on a piece of notebook paper. About half way through the block, Dean had a sudden brain fart. Multiple ideas were down on the page, including personal anecdotes from his time in high school, but he didn't know how he wanted to even begin the speech. Merritt said they could use quotes from movies, or books, or even music. But nothing seemed to come to his mind. At a lost of what to write, he began elaborating the stories he wanted to use. He was halfway through writing a brief, yet elaborated, summary of freshman year when the bell signaling lunch rang.

Lunch was spent rather normal, though each of the three friends knew it would change. With the extra work thrown at them, they would soon be emerged in nothing but books and ink. Dean knew from experience that by the end of exams, Jo's hair would be so abused by her frantic hands that it would take a week to tame it back to normal. He also knew that within the first week of constant studying, his lunch tray would temporarily be replaced by school books. If it weren't for that fact that the next day was the first of many pt days for him, he would lose about ten pounds from lack of food.

Health class was boring as ever. STDs, sex, drugs. It was the same shit every year and yet at least a quarter of the class struggled. Dean's life was surrounded by the alcohol and sex Levitsky's class discussed. Worksheet after worksheet, Dean knew that this class would be the slowest part of the day for the next month.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the last block of the day. Mrs. Hudock was Dean and Cas' only teacher to begin a new segment of the course, explaining that everyone will start reviewing for the final at the beginning of the next week. Whatever new information Hudock gave them that Dean didn't grasp, Cas more than willing to explain while they worked on practice problems.

The first few weeks of January stayed in a repetitive cycle. The four teenagers would wake up, go to school, then after school they went their separate ways.

After the first day back to school, Dean went to the garage. It was midway through his shift when he remembered. It took a lot of convincing and, though he would deny it, begging to get Bobby to agree, but by the end of the shift, Dean's schedule was changed. He now worked overtime on the weekends and had Tuesday and Thursday off. Though Bobby kept asking, Dean was adamant not to spoil the surprise. He couldn't exactly tell Bobby that he forged John's signature to enlist into the Army, now could he? When the pestering got too much, Dean resigned and told Bobby that he needed the days off because he had something important to do, but he couldn't say anything more until his birthday. Bobby let the subject drop after that, with the knowledge that he wouldn't be out of the loop for much longer.

So Dean's days after school was an every other day schedule of work and pt. His recruiters were polite, yet strict. Sergeant Zee lead Tuesday sessions, while Sergeant Dee lead Thursday's. Every other pt session, one of the future soldiers had to lead the group, whether it was by giving orders, such as about face, or leading in the exercises. Dean's pride soared the first time he was leading. Sergeant Dee complimented Dean on his strength in his confidence and orders by making an example out of him, telling the others to pay attention to how Dean held himself when barking out orders or walking.

On pt days, Dean would stop by the Roadhouse early and pick Jess and Sam up. On work days, it was later in the evening when he would get there. When he wasn't working, doing pt, or studying/writing his commencement speech, Dean was catching up on sleep and food.

Jo's schedule was much the same as Deans'. After school she would stop by the middle school to pick Jess and Sam up. The three would then drive to the Roadhouse. Sam and Jess would study in the backroom where it wasn't as noisy, while Jo waited tables. During her free time, which she luckily had more of than Dean, she would hang out with Alfie.

Cas, Dean knew, stayed after school every day for track practice. But with how busy he's been and with how little time he's had to himself since the beginning of the month, Dean didn't know nor had much of a chance to ask Cas what he does with the rest of his time.

The only time the three friends have spent with each other, outside of school that is, is during the weekends. Dean and Sam would stay the night on Friday's and Saturday's, Angel and Garfield tagging along. On those days, to Dean's knowledge, Cas would study with Sam while Ellen, Jo, and himself was at work. By the time Dean got back to the house, he had enough energy to eat dinner and pass out on the bed, only to have to wake up early to go back to the garage despite wanting nothing more than to snuggle up closer to Cas.

That is the most interaction the two of them have for the majority of three weeks.

Dean didn't like it.

Throughout all the hustle and bustle the month brought them, the Harvelle/Winchester/Singer family still made time to go out and support Cas' track meets. They have recently been moved from only Saturdays, to any day of the week that the weather allowed.

Which is why, on Thursday, January 23rd, the day before Dean's birthday and the end of the week before exams, the group was at the Winchester household celebrating yet another win for Cas.

The day started off like any other day. The teens went to school and Bobby spent the morning with John at the garage. Because of the upcoming track meet later that day, Ellen closed the Roadhouse. She spent the whole morning making party food, which she then transported to the Winchester house and stored in the fridge until after the meet.

With Dean's birthday party being held at the Roadhouse after Cas' practice the next day, the group decided this celebration should be more private. It would have taken place at Ellen's, just like any other get together they had, but Ellen and Jo refused to let Dean anywhere near the house. Dean had a tendency to guess presents without seeing them and thus couldn't be trusted in the house.

With Bobby taking any chance he could to get out of his house, the celebration couldn't be held there. This was partly due to Bobby wanting to get away, and partly with the fact that the house was just big enough for the man in question to live comfortably with his various books and tools.

With no where else the get together could take place, Sam and Dean offered the Winchester house for the day. They hadn't seen nor heard from their father for days. The only way they knew he was alive was because Bobby has him on morning shift while Dean is in school. They figured John was passed out drunk on the couch at the Milligans house.

After school, the group, minus Dean, went to the indoor track field to watch the meet. This was the first meet that Dean would miss since that last football game. Luckily, though, pt only lasts an hour and by the time Dean made it back to the school, Cas' segment was just about to start.

Dean found Sam and the rest of the group and sat on the bleachers just before the runners started. Alfie and Cas' names could be heard loud above the cheers in the huge gym like building. Dean watched, eyes glued to the black wings that were only partially covered by the wife beater type top the track team had to wear.

Cas crossed the finish line first, Alfie right behind him, and the group stood in their spots. Loud cheers echoed around the room.

A half hour later, the meet finished, the group hopped in their appropriate vehicles, and they made their way to the Winchester house. Once there, Ellen and Jo headed straight for the kitchen, pulling out the food prepared earlier in the day. Thirty minutes later, meatballs, chips and dip, and just about any party food you could think of, were spread out and displayed on the dining room table. Music played in the background, loud enough to be heard, yet not so loud as to make it hard to hear what the person in front of you said.

After two hours of celebrating, eating, and just enjoying each others presence, the group was winding down. Yawns filled the air every few minutes. Ellen and Jo were cleaning up the kitchen, putting away any left over food and washing the dishes. Bobby and Sam were in the living room, deep in a discussion about Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'. At least, that was the book they were talking about when Dean and Cas went upstairs to visit Angel.

Dean sat cross legged on his bed, watching. Cas laid on his stomach, face mushed into the pillow, as the white fur ball of Angel attacked his head excitedly. Her claws tangled into the black locks, knotting the strands more and more with every second that passed by. She pulled one paw away, and Dean watched as the short hair wrapped around her wrist. A soft hissing sound came from the pillow. Taking that as his cue, Dean gently untangled the kitten from Cas' head and pulled her close, cradling her against his shoulder as if she was a baby. Tiny purrs vibrated into his chest.

When he heard shuffling sheets in front of him, he looked up. Cas mimicked him and sat up across from Dean. He felt a smile lift the corners of his lips. Green eyes stared into gentle blue. It rushed through him how much he loved Cas. From the gentle touches they shared, to the fierce anger the man could let loose then control as if nothing had happened. His body was on fire. Heat overcame him, and on top of the heat, cold. His body shiver uncontrollably. Blue eyes narrowed. Cas leaned towards the end of the bed and grabbed the extra blanket Dean kept folded there.

Dean watched as Cas dragged the blanket towards him. He watched as Cas leaned against his pillows and reached his hand out towards him. Dean willingly situated himself next to the blue eyed teen. The blanket was wrapped around them as Cas snuggled into his side, mindful of the kitten sleeping on Dean's shoulder, still purring silently as gentle breathes left her body.

Dean looked down, green eyes gazing at the content look on both his angels faces. As sleepiness over took him, he thought about Cas and his birthday tomorrow. And most importantly, he made the decision that tomorrow, he would tell Cas he loved him.

The click of a camera woke the two teens up from their short nap. Angel laid in the middle of them, mindlessly pawing at their sprawled out fingers. At the foot of the bed, camera still held up to her face, was Jo.

"What the hell, Jo?" Dean nearly shouted. Angel hopped over Cas and ran away at the loudness that now filled the room. Next to him, Cas sat up, rubbing at his eyes sleepily.

"I'm making a photo album!" Jo exclaimed happily, making the camera click once again at their sleepy and grumpy faces.

"A photo album of what?" Cas grumbled out, blue eyes set in a tired glare.

"It's your senior year! I'm making a memory!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "What are you even doing in here, Jo?"

Jo huffed and finally lowered the camera. She crossed her arms. "Waking you up. Mom and Uncle Bobby are ready to go." She paused for a moment, a look of unease falling across her face. A moment later she forced the look away.

Dean noticed it though. "What is it, Jo?" he asked in a concerned filled voice.

"You're dad's downstairs."

Shit.

Dean turned to Cas, only to see that blue eyes were already looking at him. They didn't need words to know that they were each thinking the same thing. Surely, there was only one reason in John's eyes that would explain why Dean was up here, alone, with another male.

Dean heaved a sigh before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. As he was about to stand, Angel jumped into his lap, blue eyes looking up at him curiously. He pet her head once before lifting her up and placing her next to him on the comforter. She pawed at his hand as he pulled away from her, before he stood and headed to the door. Cas and Jo followed behind him.

Making his way down the stairs, he heard voices coming from the living room. Based on the few words here and there that Dean caught, Bobby, Ellen, and John were talking freely about a customer that visited the garage earlier today.

Right before he made it to the bottom step, Sam's voice rang through the air.

"Dad. Can I go to Aunt Ellen's tonight? I forgot to wrap Dean's birthday present," he said.

When Dean heard John say yes, his blood ran cold. He knew this act all to well. John knew Dean wasn't allowed at Ellen's right now, Dean knew he knew.

Ten minutes later, Dean was saying good bye to everyone. Promising to see Jo and Cas at school tomorrow and giving Sam a hug good night, Dean watched as the five most important people in his life left the house.

John was still in the living room, now nursing a beer he grabbed from the fridge a few minutes ago. Dean, in hopes to avoid his father, walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, peeking inside to see what was left food wise.

He didn't hear the footsteps behind him or the sound of glass being placed on the table.

A hand gripped his shoulder tightly and yanked him backwards. His light grip on the refrigerator door did nothing to prevent him from descending to the ground.

He looked up and saw the glare on his fathers' rage contorted face. "I come home to find out you're upstairs alone with the fairy?" John spat. A foot connected with Dean's ribs. A hand twisted in his short blonde hair and tugged, pulling his face towards John's. "You fucking him, boy?" he asked. Dean whimpered. A hand smacked across his face, leaving it red. "You fucking in love with the boy?" John asked, dangerously low. The smell of alcohol on his fathers breath send a wave a nausea through his stomach.

"N-n-no," he gasped out. The hand in his hair tightened.

"Don't. Lie. To me. I heard you, boy." Dean's eyes went wide. He didn't remember saying those words out loud, not even to himself. "At the fucking cemetery."

Then he remembered. The memory, sharp in his minds eye.

"Cas joined the track team," he said. "His first meet was today." A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "He won. I wish I could have seen it. Wish I could have seen him." He sighed softly this time. Thinking about Cas warmed his chest. His eyes glazed over as an image of a sweaty Cas running ahead of other faceless people formed in his mind. "I've never felt like this before." He paused. A moment later, "I think I love him, Mom. But I don't know what love feels like. At least not this type." He stared down at the angel still in his hand. Instead of the pale blue he was expecting, electric blue stared up at him. The light brown hair turned into messy dark brown. The soft closed mouth smile was instead a wide, full mouth and teeth baring grin. Soft crows feet formed around the wide eyes.

Dean didn't realize how hard he was smiling until his face was hurting from it. His body hummed with the warmth thinking of Cas caused. He looked at the gravestone again. Fresh tears slid down his face. "Yeah," he said, "I love him, Mom." He placed the statue on the gravestone again. "I promise my next visit will be on time." He leaned forward and kissed Mary's name before standing up and walking to the exit.

A blow to his stomach brought him out of the memory. "You think it's funny? Fucking a boy?" John asked. Dean couldn't talk. Ice cold fear ran down his back. "Answer me!" he yelled.

"No, sir."

John released his grip on Dean's head and stood up. "You end this tomorrow. Do you hear me, boy!"

Dean nodded, the words stuck in his throat.

"You end this, or else."

Rage replaced the fear. "Or else what?" he asked, sounding pitiful even to his own ears.

"Or else you're not the only one who will get the sense beat into him. I'm sure lover boy and Sammy would love to receive this message as well," John sneered.

No. That's why I let him do this, to protect Sammy.

"You end this tomorrow, boy. Understood!"

Dean gulped. He forced the words stuck in his throat. "Yes, sir."

With one last kick to the ribs, he stormed out the front door, beer forgotten on the table. Dean curled into the pain. He gave himself a few minutes to try and steady his breathing, before lifting his heavy body off the ground and crawling up the stairs.

Angel curled up to him after he plopped on the bed, wincing as another wave of pain coursed through his body. He curled his body around Angels, shielding her from a non-existent enemy. He fell asleep thinking about blue eyes and soft touches, with tears streaming down his face.

Notes:

Please don't hate me too much... Let me know what ya'll thought in the comments! They make my day!

(Cas' angel wings)