"Come on, Cas. You can't hide here forever," Samandriel said, pulling Castiel's covers off him as he lay in bed.

Castiel groaned and buried his face in his pillow, not wanting to leave his bed. "Just let me sleep. It's not like I'm missing out on anything…"

Samandriel sighed, knowing that Castiel just wanted to avoid Tyler and his homophobic friends. Today was Friday and Castiel had History with Tyler and the others. Again. So that meant he wouldn't be able to avoid them if he tried.

"Well, people have already started leaving you alone about what happened…"

"But not Tyler and his asshole friends," Castiel muttered into his pillow.

"I thought you said that homophobes didn't bother you anymore and that you had learned to ignore them? That's what you said in high school, after your psychologist helped out and such."

"They don't… But sometimes they do. Especially Tyler."

"And you're gonna let him win by staying away? That's not like you! Get your butt up!" Samandriel pulled Castiel's blanket all the way off and threw it to the floor before reaching for his pillow. Castiel protested and tried to hold on to it, but Samandriel managed to grab it and throw it away too, leaving Castiel on a bed with only sheets on.

Castiel scowled at his now laughing friend, shivering at the slight cold after his source of warmth was removed, leaving him in just his thin pajama. He knew that Samandriel was right, though. He shouldn't let Tyler get to him and make him feel miserable anymore. As much as it hurt to be humiliated for what he was, he was proud of being gay and being open about it, and the people who had a problem with it could just go fuck themselves. That included Dean. Castiel still hated the guy for having brought the news to Tyler in the first place. He was such an asshole.

Finally Castiel got up and got dressed, leaving the dorm room with Samandriel to go have breakfast in the cafeteria with Anna. They always met up there at around 8:45am when their classes started at 9:30. He was grateful that Samandriel was always there to make him find his spirit again, but he still hated having his blanket removed from him like that.

They walked there together, and Castiel was glad that most of the people who had heard about the incident with Bartholomew didn't seem to spare him a second glance as they passed him. He had come to notice that it was actually Bartholomew who got the worst treatment, especially from the girls. They'd had enough of him taking advantage of drunk girls and now also Castiel, and Castiel didn't feel sorry for the guy at all that he got sneered at by angry girls. He had run into Bartholomew once the other day, but he quickly changed his direction before Bartholomew could approach him. He didn't want to face that guy again, ever. At least Castiel had managed to get away from Bartholomew before the experience got too traumatizing, so he didn't have a big panic attack when seeing him; he just felt nauseous and very uncomfortable.

The cafeteria was crowded and loud as usual, and Castiel and Samandriel quickly found Anna at one of the tables. She beamed when she saw them, and together they shared breakfast and chatted a bit.

Castiel enjoyed the social time with his friends and laughed at the funny stories they told from their classes. He ignored Tyler and his friends, who sat a few tables away and snickered in his direction sometimes. Dean didn't sit with them though, which briefly surprised Castiel, but he didn't think much about it.

"I'm glad you're more cheerful now," Anna said, smiling at Castiel as they took the final bites of their breakfast.

"Well, he was ready to stay in bed all day, though," Samandriel spoke, scowling a bit at Cas.

Castiel glared lightly at Samandriel and at Anna for giggling. "Well, the rumors aren't that bad anymore…"

"You gotta be more careful around people," Anna told him with a worried look on her face. "You always said you don't sleep with a guy unless you know him well, and I think you should stay with that. Also, you can never know which people tell gossip about you…" She sent a pointed glare in Dean's direction and Castiel followed her gaze.

Dean was sitting with the two friends Cas had seen him hanging around with the most, and they were laughing about something. Castiel glared at Dean before looking away, feeling new anger swell up inside him.

"Just take care of yourself, okay?" Anna spoke, putting a friendly hand on Castiel's shoulder.

Castiel looked at her and nodded. "I will," he smiled.

Anna smiled back and they continued talking again, switching the topic to Samandriel's crush and advice on how he could win her over.

After ten minutes, Castiel and his friends got up to leave and get ready for their classes. They got rid of their trash and headed towards the exit, passing by Tyler's table on the way out.

"Hey, Fag Boy! Flash us that ass in class again, will ya?" Tyler slurred, a malicious grin on his face. His friends all burst out laughing.

Castiel's cheeks flushed a bit, but he quickly regained his posture. "Not for you, I won't," he retorted, glaring at Tyler.

Anna and Samandriel stopped, watching the interaction anxiously, and made it clear to the boys that they had Cas' back.

"Aww, you hurt me," Tyler said, acting offended before snickering. "Well, I don't want your gay ass anyway – you've probably got diseases – but your little lesbian friend's… What was her name? Charlie? Damn, she has a nice ass."

For some reason that comment made Castiel even angrier than when it had been about his own ass. He didn't want Charlie to be dragged into this; she hadn't deserved that. He was about to say something when someone beat him to it.

"Hey!"

They looked up, and Castiel was surprised to see Dean coming over and glaring Tyler down as he approached.

"Just leave the guy alone, will you? I think everyone had enough of your childish, homophobic jokes already," Dean sneered, keeping his glare directly on Tyler.

Tyler and his friends sat there, dumbfounded. Never before had Dean turned against them and they looked very confused about it now.

"What? You're defending that dick-fucker now?" Tyler blurted, a low growl in his chest. He glanced between Dean and Castiel with contempt in his eyes.

"I've just had enough of you not respecting others," Dean growled back.

Benny came over and placed himself next to Dean, crossing his arms and glaring Tyler and the others down. Dean's posture seemed to relax when he got backup from his friend.

Castiel stared at Dean in bewilderment, not understanding anything at all. What was Dean playing at? Was he trying to score points with Castiel to fool him, or was he actually being genuine?

Tyler continued to look very upset by Dean's betrayal, as did his buddies. Angrily, they got up from their table, and Tyler glared right at Dean before stalking out of the cafeteria with his friends, making people have to jump to get out of their way.

"Love when that smug asshole gets upset," Anna smirked, seemingly very pleased that Tyler didn't get the upper hand this time.

Castiel turned to look at Dean, squinting his eyes a bit. Dean looked back at him, and Castiel stared at him with a hard look until he turned to leave with his friends. Anna and Samandriel followed him out of there, and Castiel didn't glance back at Dean as he left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

History class was in the third period, and Castiel didn't look at Tyler and his buddies as they walked past him up the steps to sit down on the sixth row behind him. Some other people were occupying the seats in the back lately, so Tyler and his friends sometimes moved closer to Castiel. It wasn't on all days that they did that, but lately they had done it a lot; probably because they wanted to harass Castiel. Dean came in a few moments later, and Castiel noticed that he seated himself in front now, away from Tyler and the others. Ash sat down next to him and leaned over the table as if going to sleep, like he often did in History.

Castiel didn't look at Dean. He didn't trust him and he was still mad at him, and he just couldn't figure the guy out.

Tyler and his buddies talked about Dean behind his back, loud enough for him to hear, but Dean didn't pay them any attention. A few others heard it, and Castiel was surprised that Dean didn't speak up for himself. Perhaps he didn't want to start a fight in class. Tyler said some pretty nasty stuff about Dean probably being a fag too and telling his buddies that he thought that Dean still slept with a teddy bear on his bed. He was trying to attack Dean's manliness in every way he could, but Dean wasn't paying attention at all. He just sat there, looking straight ahead, talking a bit with Ash and clenching his fists on the table.

The class quieted down when Miss Jody entered, and Castiel felt more relaxed when she was there.

"So, as you all know, you have a big project coming up," Jody said, smiling around at all the students and ignoring their loud groans. "You gotta write a 32,000 character assignment on the Roman ages – details can be seen in the History folder on the intranet – and you must work in groups; either as three people or two. And unfortunately you don't get to decide who your partners will be… I will do that."

Everyone in class protested loudly at that, as no one liked to be paired up with a random person.

Castiel was mortified by the news. Getting a random project partner was the worst thing he knew and he couldn't believe that Jody would do this to them. He swallowed nervously when the thought struck him that he could be paired up with Tyler or one of his buddies. Oh god, please no.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you don't like the idea, but that's how it's gotta be!" Jody said out loud to overpower the noise. "You guys need to mingle a bit more and not always work with the same people. This is also an experiment I'm trying out, so please stop complaining. I have put out a list of project partners on the intranet so you can go see who your partners will be. There will be no switching!"

Everyone quickly went on their laptops to check who their partner would be, and Castiel couldn't get on the site fast enough. His foot bounced impatiently on the floor when the internet was too damn slow, and he quickly clicked his way to the right folder when the page finally loaded. The list popped up and he looked through it fast, trying to spot his name somewhere. There it was. Castiel's eyes widened in horror when he saw that Jody had paired him up with Dean. And they were a two-person group, so Castiel would be all alone with him.

Hesitantly, he glanced towards Dean on the first row and saw him glancing back, looking just as nervous as himself about it. Great. Of all people it had to be the asshole who had gossiped about him.

"Damn, you got paired with Dean," Charlie whispered, looking at Cas in sympathy. "Will you be okay?"

Castiel chewed on his lower lip, looking away from Dean again and ignoring him. "I guess I don't have a choice."

"Well, I got paired with a hot girl. How lucky can you be?" Charlie grinned.

Castiel chuckled, happy for her that she hadn't ended up with someone bad. He still didn't look forward to working with Dean though, but it was better than working with Tyler. At least Dean hadn't called him nasty names to his face before. Yet.

Class continued and Jody went through the formalities for the project. Luckily she spent a lot of time on that, so when she finally told the partners to find each other and get the basics worked out, there was only twenty minutes left of the class.

Students shifted seats to find their project partners and there was a lot of complaining among some of them. Some didn't know their partners because they had never met before, but the list had had photos of each student so they could see the face of their project partners.

Castiel saw Dean moving up to sit on the chair on the second row in front of him so he could turn around and face him. Castiel clenched his jaw and acted cold as Dean sat down slowly, avoiding looking the other boy in the face.

"Um, hi," Dean said dumbly, staring at him.

Castiel's eyes flickered up to look at his face. He didn't reply.

Dean sighed heavily, picking up on Castiel's tense mood. "Look, I know you don't wanna work with me and that's fine, but we gotta make this project anyway."

"Fine. But if I hear any stupid comments from you, I'm doing this project by myself."

Dean glared at him as if he was offended. "Hey, I'm not here to be mean, okay? I never said a goddamn word against you."

"No, you only told everyone about my encounter with Bartholomew and humiliated me publically, that's all." Castiel glared right back at Dean, not hiding how pissed he was.

Dean clenched his jaw in agitation. "I only did that because it was better than the alternative!" he hissed out, voice low so that no else could hear him.

Castiel frowned in confusion. What did he mean by 'alternative'? He was tempted to ask, but he really didn't want to argue anymore with Dean. "Let's just work on this and get it over with."

"Yeah, okay."

Dean still seemed a little irritated and tense, but he got right down to the subject. They discussed some stuff together about how to go about the project and which problems to work with, and Castiel was a little surprised when Dean came up with some good problems. He seemed intelligent, but in Castiel's book he was still an ass. Yet, there was something about him. Something that Castiel couldn't quite put his finger on. Dean seemed almost… familiar.

As they sat there and talked, Castiel felt himself relax a little. Dean was actually talking to him in a polite tone now and with respect. Castiel had never experienced that with a homophobe before. When he realized how relaxed he had gotten, he quickly snapped out of it, not wanting to allow himself to let his guard down around Dean. This was a guy who had told Castiel's worst enemy about something very private and had caused him public humiliation. The school didn't need to know who he slept with or tried to sleep with, and he was still furious that Dean had gone out and told people about it. Dean wouldn't have done that unless he wanted to hurt him, so Castiel didn't trust him one bit.

Class ended and people started making arrangements about when to meet up with their project partners and finish the project. They wouldn't have any class time for it anymore, so it had to be done in their spare time.

"So, shall we meet up somewhere next weekend and finish it together?" Dean asked while everyone was packing their stuff around them. They had just agreed to write some parts on their own, but they would need to meet up and put the project together, as well as writing the conclusion and stuff.

Castiel chewed on his lip. "No, I can't. I promised my parents to come home next weekend because my mother has a birthday next Sunday."

"Oh. Shit, and I'm all booked up next week…"

Castiel pondered for a bit before reluctantly making a suggestion. "I guess you will have to come over to my house then. It's in the other end of town, and we can work on it there. It's not like I want you as a guest, but it seems to be the only option."

Something flickered across Dean's face then. Whether it was panic, nervousness, surprise, excitement, or a mixture of them all, Castiel wasn't sure.

"Okay, sounds good to me. Do you have an address?" Dean asked.

Castiel reached into his bag and pulled out a pen and some paper. He quickly scribbled the address down and shoved it into Dean's hands before beginning to pack his stuff.

"Cool. I'll, uh, see you then," Dean said, awkwardly. He got up to return to his seat again, but looked up as Tyler came walking down the steps from his seat behind them.

"Ohh, Fag Boy's got an appointment with Dean-o here," Tyler grinned, looking at them mockingly. "Remember the lube and condoms. Fag Boy is contagious," he told Dean. His friends cracked up behind them and stared at Dean and Castiel with malicious smirks.

Castiel stared into his desk, feeling humiliated and angry.

Dean grit his teeth angrily. "Just shut your face," he growled at Tyler.

Tyler sneered at him before leaving with his friends, leaving Castiel, Dean, and Ash as the only people left in the classroom, as well as a few girls who were headed towards the back exit. Charlie had left because she had some appointment, but she had waved at Castiel before leaving.

Castiel got up and pulled his bag over his shoulder, turning to look at Dean. "This doesn't change a thing between us. You're still an asshole," he said, glaring at the taller boy.

"Oh, damn," Ash murmured from the first row, snickering at the way Dean was being talked to.

Dean stared back at him, holding back a flinch. "And you still don't even know why I did it." With those words he turned around to leave, gesturing at Ash to follow.

Castiel frowned and watched Dean leave the room.

What had Dean meant by that?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dean returned to his dorm room after History class was over, dropping himself down on his bed with a deep sigh. Having Cas be mad at him was not something he liked, but he couldn't blame the other boy. Cas didn't know about the first rumor that Bartholomew had created, so he had no idea what Dean had done for him by telling Tyler about what had really happened. Dean wasn't worried that Tyler would think that Dean had just made that story up to protect Cas, after he had now suddenly turned against him. Bartholomew hadn't denied it when he heard about it, so everyone knew that the first rumor had just been bullshit that he had made up.

Finally standing up to Tyler felt good. Dean had never liked him in the first place, but Tyler was on the football team with him and Benny, and Dean shared two classes with the guy. Tyler was the one who had started talking to him and Benny, and they hadn't stopped talking to him because they needed to get along when playing football. Dean knew he'd have some social problems now because surely Tyler would talk shit about him, but he honestly didn't care. It was better than hanging out with such a hateful asshole anyway.

When Benny returned to their dorm room, he eyed Dean warily as Dean sat on the bed with his laptop in his lap, getting started on that stupid History project.

"Did you stand up to Tyler to protect that gay boy?" Benny suddenly asked, his calculating eyes still resting on Dean as he stood a few feet away from him.

Dean looked up at him, blinking. "What?"

"I mean, I'm glad that one of us finally said something to that asshole – he was getting on my nerves; teammate or not – but the fact that you did it when he was making insults to that Cas boy made me wonder."

Dean's eyes widened and he quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "Um, well, he was being an asshole, so I called him out for it. That's it." He shrugged his shoulders causally and looked back at his laptop again.

Benny wasn't convinced. "You know, I've seen the way you look at that boy…"

Dean looked up at him again, trying not to look panicked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Ever since you spotted him at the Halloween Party you've been staring at him like you're staring at a girl," Benny explained. There was no judgment or disgust in his voice; he just sounded matter-of-factly. "Don't get me wrong – I'm not judging you – but if you swing for the other team, there's no shame in admitting it. I'm totally okay with it if you are."

Dean stared back at Benny in surprise. It felt like a stone had dropped from his heart to hear his friend say that. "Y-You don't have a problem with that?" he asked, still not completely sure if Benny was serious or if he was screwing with him.

Benny laughed. "Of course I don't, dude. Love and attractiveness come in all genders and sizes. You didn't think I was a homophobe, did you?"

"Well, I actually never really knew…" Dean was still staring at Benny in surprise, processing what his friend had said.

"Actually, I thought you were the homophobe until I saw you checking out Cas' ass," Benny chuckled. "So, did you get a piece of it, or what? Or did he get a piece of yours?"

"Dude, I don't take it in the ass!" Dean blurted, grimacing.

Benny just laughed. "Oh, but he does? Aren't you a stallion."

Dean blushed and shifted on the bed, trying to hold his chin up to make up for the blushing with some manliness.

Having Benny's approval really meant a lot to Dean. That meant that he wouldn't lose his friend if he ever decided to come out of the closest for real. He was pretty sure that Ash wouldn't have anything against it either, but Benny was his best friend, so his support meant the most.

Still, how would Dean even get out the closet for Cas when the other boy hated him like the plague at the moment? Having to go to Cas' house next weekend made Dean kind of nervous, but he also saw it was an opportunity to finally let Cas know why he had told Tyler about Bartholomew. He just wanted Cas to understand why he did what he did. It was agonizing to be hated by him, and he wanted a chance to get along with Castiel.

Either way, he knew he'd have to reveal himself sooner or later as being the stranger Cas had met at the Halloween Party if he ever hoped to get a chance to be with him and be forgiven. He just really hoped that Castiel would still like him once he knew who that masked person was.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Castiel wasn't pleased to have Dean coming over as a guest in his house the weekend after.

He kept thinking about it all week, dreading the upcoming Saturday where Dean would come over. Luckily, Gabriel would be home too, so if Dean acted like an asshole Castiel would have his brother's help to get rid of him. Inviting a guy over to his house whom he barely knew and who had done something to hurt him wasn't something Castiel had ever done before and he hated having to do it. But the project was more important than what Castiel would or would not have preferred.

It was Saturday afternoon and Castiel was at his parents' house, waiting for Dean to arrive. His parents had gone out to visit his aunt and uncle before his mother's birthday the next day, leaving just him and Gabriel at home.

"So, is that guy hot?" Gabriel asked Castiel as he followed him around in the kitchen, licking on a lollipop.

"Will you stop being so enthusiastic about it?" Castiel snapped, annoyed that his brother had shown a curious interest the moment Castiel had mentioned that Dean was coming over. "I told you already that the guy is an asshole."

"And yet you say there's something about him," Gabriel pointed out. He took his lollipop out of his mouth, pointing it at Castiel while he spoke before putting it back into his mouth again.

"Well, he's still an asshole," Castiel murmured, doing some dishes in the sink to keep his mind off things. He was very nervous about Dean coming over and his body trembled a bit in anxiety. He just wanted it over with.

"But when you say there's something about a guy, it's usually a good thing."

Castiel groaned when Gabriel just wouldn't drop the topic. "I just said that he didn't seem like that much of an asshole the other day, or all week…"

Castiel had quickly noticed that things between Tyler and Dean and his friends were very different now. They didn't hang out anymore and they'd glare in each other's direction whenever they were near one another. Tyler harassed Dean more than he harassed Castiel now, and Dean had retaliated a few times by saying something to humiliate Tyler. That had made Tyler shut up for a while, and Castiel had snickered when he had witnessed the scene in the cafeteria the other day. Dean hadn't spoken to him, though. He had looked at Castiel a few times – sometimes for quite long – but he hadn't said anything. One time, he had even smiled at Castiel when they passed each other in the corridor. Castiel was very confused about that, but he still didn't trust him.

Gabriel stared at him, sucking on his lollipop and not looking away from him. Castiel ignored him until suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Ohh, that must be your procreate partner! Sorry – project partner," Gabriel corrected himself, snickering uncontrollably when Cas scowled at him.

"Shut up," Castiel growled, throwing the kitchen towel away and went to get the door. "We can't procreate with each other anyway," he muttered, making his way into the entrance hall.

"Aw, but you are such a girl sometimes, Cassie!"

Castiel groaned and ignored his brother. He rubbed his sweaty hands in his dark pants before finally unlocking and opening the front door.

Dean looked up when the door was opened. He stood there in a warm jacket, jeans, gloves, and had his laptop bag hanging by his side. "Um, hi." He raised one hand to wave at Castiel.

"Hello," Castiel said, feeling awkward and tense. He stepped aside. "Come in."

Dean murmured a small 'thanks' and entered the house, and Castiel closed the door after him. Dean glanced around the place until Gabriel appeared.

"Ohh, so he is hot!" Gabriel grinned, coming over to greet Dean. "So that's why you wouldn't comment on it, Cassie." He grinned teasingly at Castiel before reaching out his hand to shake Dean's. "I'm Gabe, Cas' brother."

Castiel scowled at Gabriel for being so embarrassing, and watched as Dean chuckled and shook his brother's hand.

"I'm Dean."

"Well, Dean, if you hurt my brother while you're in his room, I'll come up and kick your ass so hard you'll be shitting hedgehogs for the rest of your life."

Fear and caution flickered across Dean's eyes before he pulled his hand back. "Gotcha. I won't."

"Good." Gabriel sucked on his lollipop again, glancing between Dean and Castiel with a small smirk.

Castiel shifted and let Dean take off his shoes and jacket. He really hated this and he didn't want Dean at his house, but what choice did he have? It was all just bad timing that it had to be at his house and not at college.

"So, shall we get it done?" Dean asked afterwards, looking at Castiel.

Castiel nodded. "Yes. My room is upstairs." He went over to the stairs to show Dean the way and the other boy followed.

Gabriel smirked at them around his lollipop, and Castiel glared at him over his shoulder, warning him not to speak another word. Dean was right behind him so he noticed what Cas was doing. It made Castiel blush and hurry up the steps – especially because Dean's face was almost level with his ass as they walked on the stairs.

Castiel reluctantly led Dean to his room and showed him inside. He had wanted to be downstairs with him, but his father was working on project at work lately and had put a lot of stuff on the living room table, so Castiel had to take Dean up to his own room instead.

Castiel's room wasn't much. It was a normal teenage room. It had a large bed in the middle of the room, a desk with lots of pencils, papers, and souvenirs, there was a closet and some drawers, and some posters from his favorite movies on the walls. The walls were painted in a green-shaded color with white frames around the single window in there. The floor was made of wood, but the floor heating made it feel warm when they walked inside, only wearing socks on their feet.

It was very awkward and boundary-breaking to have Dean look around in his room, and Castiel lingered by the door and bit his lip nervously as Dean took it all in.

"So, uh, should we get started?" Dean asked, turning to look at him.

Castiel nodded. "I'll go get an extra chair." He left the room to get another chair and when he returned they sat down at his desk together. He let Dean have the more comfortable chair, and he swore he saw reluctance on the other man's face when he was forced to sit on it, almost as if he didn't think he was worthy of it.

They pulled out their laptops and opened their documents. They didn't speak much and there was a kind of unpleasant tension between them. Castiel was still pissed at Dean for what he did, and he knew that Dean knew that. Castiel had never tried to hide it. Still, Dean just seemed to accept it, and he even seemed a little bothered by it.

They had sent what they had written so far to each other during the week so they could read it beforehand, so now they began discussing things they didn't agree on or things that could be improved. Castiel had been surprised when Dean had sent him stuff that was well-written and interesting to read. Castiel had the feeling that Dean had actually made great efforts to make sure that their project would turn out well.

They discussed things back and forth and changed a few things. They made the introduction together too.

Castiel tried to be friendly, as he didn't want to end up in a fight, but he had a hard time keeping his anger for Dean out of his posture and his voice. Dean picked up on in it, especially since Castiel wouldn't look at him much.

They had worked for a little over an hour before Dean suddenly put his laptop aside and turned to look at him with a serious, slightly irritated expression on his face. "Okay, what's up? You keep not looking me in the face, your voice gets a little snappy sometimes, and I've even caught you glaring at me."

Castiel looked up at him, gritting his teeth. "Can you blame me?" he asked, anger in his voice. "After what you did, you don't honestly expect me to treat you like a goddamn king, do you?"

"After what I did? You haven't even let me explain what really happened!"

"Because I don't want to hear your excuse and made-up stories!"

"You're so… Goddamn it," Dean cursed. He took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face to relax himself. "Look, I didn't tell Tyler about that thing to hurt you or have them harass you. I did it to kill the first rumor that Bartholomew had spread about you."

Castiel frowned. "What rumor?" He had never heard about a second rumor and he wondered if Dean was even telling the truth to him right now. Dean sounded and looked sincere though, making Castiel perplexed about what to believe.

"He said that he had seen you have sex with several guys behind the dorm building and that you were a, um, slut," Dean said, somewhat cautiously. "Now, obviously that wasn't what happened, but Tyler and his stupid buddies bought it. They were gonna tell the whole damn school about that, so I had to stop them. If I hadn't said what really happened, everyone would be calling you a slut at college right now, and Tyler would have been a worse jerk to you. At least the truth is that you were a victim of that twisted guy's and not someone who was into public gangbanging. Not that it would be anyone's business if you were, but still…"

Castiel stared back at Dean. Things started to make sense in his head, but it could also just be that Dean was screwing with him. How could he know if Dean was telling the truth or not?

"And you expect me to believe that?" Castiel asked, coldly. "You could just be saying this to manipulate me. I don't even know you! But as far as I know, you're just as bad as the other homophobes at the college."

"I'm not a homophobe, damn it," Dean denied, growling in frustration. "And you can ask around at college if you want. Just ask Benny, Tyler, and everyone who lives on the same floor as Bartholomew. You can call your friends right now and have them ask around to confirm it for you."

Castiel got up from his chair, glaring down at Dean. "I think I will! And if they say you're wrong, you're getting out of my house!" he growled, clenching his fists angrily.

"Alright," Dean said, looking up at Castiel calmly.

Dean didn't look like a man that had just told a lie, or that he'd think that if Castiel called his friends they would tell him something else. It made Castiel look at him and study him intensely. Perhaps Dean was telling the truth? But why would he protect Cas from that rumor in the first place? It didn't make sense.

Castiel pulled out his phone to send Anna a text message, asking her to ask around and see if that rumor was true.

Meanwhile, Dean watched him from his seat. He seemed a little nervous, but not about being proven wrong, more like he was impatient to be proven right.

Dean reached into the front of his shirt and pulled out a necklace, absently playing with it by running the attached item along the black leather string while he waited for Cas to send that message.

Castiel quickly typed the message and sent it off before looking at Dean again. There were several moments of silence between them as Castiel waited for Anna to reply, and it felt a little awkward. Suddenly, Castiel's eyes landed on the amulet that Dean was playing absently with. His eyes widened when he saw it.

No way. It couldn't be.

"What's that?" Castiel demanded, pointing at Dean's amulet. His eyes were wide in shock, because that thing couldn't be what he thought it was. It just couldn't.

Dean's followed his gaze to his amulet, his eyes widening in horror when he noticed that he had been playing with it in front of Cas. He quickly shoved it back under his shirt. "N-Nothing. It's nothing," he said, flashing Castiel a fake smile. "Did your friend reply yet?"

Dean tried to change the topic, but Castiel was certain of what he had seen.

"Let me see that." Castiel sat down on his chair next to Dean and reached out to pull the amulet into sight again.

"Hey!" Dean protested, trying to push Castiel's hands away, but Castiel was stubborn.

Castiel grabbed a hold of the necklace and pulled it out into his view, ignoring all Dean's protests. His eyes widened in disbelief and horror when he recognized the amulet. It was the same amulet that the masked stranger had worn when they…

Oh god. That could only mean one thing.

Slowly, Castiel lifted his shocked gaze to meet Dean's eyes. All his disbelief and doubts disappeared when he for the first time ever really looked into those eyes and saw the familiar, green eyes of that stranger staring back at him.

Castiel reeled back in shock, staring at Dean with wide eyes. "Y-You're…"

Dean looked back at him before lowering his gaze a bit, awkwardly. He moved his hand up to rub the back of his neck a little, just like he had done when he was wearing that Batman costume. It seemed to be a habit of his when he got nervous or shy. "Um, yeah. That would be me. Without a mask on… But still a closet case."

Castiel shot up from his chair, still unable to believe this was actually happening. He stared back at Dean, who now looked straight back at him, and they stared into each other's faces until Castiel's phone buzzed on his desk. He flinched in surprise and saw Dean flinch a bit too. Anna was calling him. Quickly he grabbed his phone to hear what Anna had to say. She confirmed that others in the dorm had indeed heard Bartholomew telling that rumor about Castiel before it had come out that Bartholomew had actually taken advantage of Cas while he was drunk. The rumors had slowly spread out on Sunday evening already, Anna said, but Dean's new information had killed the rumor before it could spread properly through Tyler.

Relief washed over Castiel.

So Dean had been right after all. Bartholomew had spread an untrue rumor about him and Dean had had to tell the truth to kill that rumor, because Bartholomew couldn't escape the fact that he had done the same thing to others as he had done to Castiel. Others would believe Dean's story over Bartholomew's.

Dean watched as realization flickered across Castiel's face. He waited for Castiel to hang up the phone before talking. "So… Has my innocence been proven yet?" he asked slowly and with caution.

Castiel put his phone away and blinked down at Dean. "I… Yes. Anna said it was true. She asked several people who all confirmed it."

Dean nodded, looking pleased and relieved. "Good. I didn't want Bartholomew to get away with what he had done to you or what he had said, or have Tyler harass the shit out of you because of it. I know he hasn't been nice to you anyway, but it would be a lot worse if Bartholomew had gotten away with his rumor… I didn't really have a choice. I'm still sorry that I told him, though. I just didn't know what else to do."

Dean glanced up at him with such sincerity that it made Castiel swallow guiltily for ever having been mad at him.

"I… I guess I owe you an apology then," Castiel spoke, staring at the floor. "I shouldn't have treated you like that." Now he felt kind of ashamed for having treated Dean like shit when the other man had only wanted to help him. He still couldn't quite believe that it was Dean who was his mystery guy from the Halloween Party, but it explained why he had felt kind of relaxed around him last week when they had begun working on their project.

Dean just smiled at him and shrugged. Slowly, he got up from his chair and stood in front of Castiel. "That's fine. You just thought that I was an asshole, which I kind of was. But I did have my reasons to tell Tyler about your encounter with Bartholomew…"

Castiel blushed furiously, remembering the night when he had run into Dean with his pants hanging around his hips. How embarrassing. "I should have let you explain yourself earlier… I'm sorry."

"No problem. Glad we got that that figured out now."

Castiel agreed. He glanced between the floor and Dean, shifting shyly and awkwardly. This was the guy he had allowed to bend him over a teacher's desk and fuck him breathless just one and a half months ago. He and Dean had had sex. Oh god, it was almost unreal. And so embarrassing.

"So, uh, you're not mad at me anymore?" Dean asked, trying to meet Castiel's eyes. "I mean, not just about what I told Tyler, but also… you know."

"About you not telling me that you were the guy in the Batman suit who I met at the party?"

"Well, yeah…"

"No, I'm not mad. Just kinda… It's awkward." Castiel blushed furiously and stared down at his feet, wishing the floor would just swallow him.

Dean grinned. "I thought it was nice. That night."

Castiel blushed more and had to look away from Dean so that his head wouldn't explode. "M-Me too. I can't believe I didn't, um, recognize you sooner."

"Well, I didn't give you many leads to go by. I just wasn't ready to come out about it yet," Dean spoke, chuckling softly at Castiel's red face.

"I don't blame you. Just look at how they treat me."

"Tyler is just an asshole. I don't care about anything he says and neither should you. You're perfect the way you are," Dean said, smiling as Castiel lowered his gaze in embarrassment. Dean stepped a little closer to him, invading his personal space and leaned in so he could whisper at him. "And you have a nice ass," he smirked.

Castiel was dying from embarrassment now, and he pushed Dean hard in the chest and shoved him away. "Well, you would know, you asshole!"

Dean laughed at him and seemed relieved that Castiel was talking in a more playful and embarrassed tone now instead of that angry tone he had used earlier.

Suddenly everything between them had changed. It was like they were once again sitting at that Halloween Party, having a few drinks and talking together like they had known each other for a long time. Except this time Castiel could actually see Dean's face and wasn't just staring back at a Batman mask.

When they both noticed the sudden change in tone and atmosphere between them, they shared a small smile.

"I'm glad I can talk properly to you again. You're first person I've met whom I can talk so easily with," Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck again, almost shyly.

Castiel smiled sheepishly. "Same. That's what I liked about you at the, um, party."

Dean just smiled at him and Castiel smiled back, until suddenly there was a rumbling noise coming from Dean's stomach.

Castiel's eyes widened. "Oh god, I didn't even ask if you were hungry! I'm so sorry."

Dean laughed at him. "No problem. Up until about five minutes ago, I was an asshole anyway."

"Well, you're still somewhat of an asshole," Castiel told him, glaring at him. His cheeks were still flushed from all the embarrassment earlier, so his glare was softened by that. "You just left me in that classroom without giving me your number…"

Dean flashed him a cocky smirk – the same kind of smirk that Cas had seen on his lips when they had met at the party. Castiel felt a small shiver of arousal run up his spine when he saw it.

"Oh, was I that good? You can have my number now if you want seconds."

Once again Castiel's face went red like a tomato, and he lashed out and slapped Dean's arm in embarrassment. "Shut up!" he groused, blushing so hard. He shivered when he felt his hand touch Dean's muscles on his upper arm when he had slapped him. Oh god. A few minutes ago he had hated Dean like the plague, but now that everything had been cleared out between them and Castiel knew who he was, it was like everything about Dean turned him on. Sure, he had thought that Dean was attractive even when he had been mad at him, but his anger had kept him from being properly attracted to him. Plus, now that he knew that Dean was his mystery stranger, all those memories of their heated encounter flashed back to him. He still remembered so well what Dean's hands had felt like on his naked hips, how he had kissed him and sucked bruises on his neck, and what his cock had felt like inside him. The memories made his dick twitch and his body shudder in arousal, but he didn't let Dean see that.

Dean just laughed at him, rubbing the spot he had hit.

"I'll go make us a sandwich," Castiel announced, turning to leave the room. Dean followed him, appearing to be quite happy about getting some food into his stomach. Castiel was quite hungry as well, actually.

They walked closer to each other than they had done before, and Dean told him about having been scared half to death when he had almost tripped over a cat when he got out of his car in front of Castiel's house earlier, which made Castiel laugh because he could picture it so well. Dean seemed like a pretty manly guy, and picturing him yelping like a girl because of a cat was pretty funny to Castiel.

They walked into the kitchen, where Gabriel was busy grabbing snacks from the cupboards. Gabriel spun around when he heard them enter the room, looking like a kid caught with his hands down the cookie jar.

Castiel groaned and crossed his arms at his brother. "Are you looking for candy again?"

"You got no right to judge me! I'm sugar addicted!" Gabriel said defensively, holding his chin up high and closing the cupboard behind him. Behind his back he tried to hide a Twix bar that he had managed to find, but both Dean and Castiel had already seen it in his hands.

Dean snickered as Castiel glared at his brother, which finally made Gabriel look at him.

Gabriel glanced between the two of them before smirking knowingly. "So, you two seem to be having fun together now. Heard Cassie laughing when you came in here. And earlier he was busy telling me how much of an asshole you are, Dean… He sure changed his mind fast."

Castiel shifted awkwardly, feeling a little stupid about everything now. "Well, he explained himself to me. I'm not mad anymore…"

"Did you have nice make-up sex with him since you look so happy about it?"

"Gabriel!" Castiel chided, glaring daggers at his brother for being so embarrassing.

Dean laughed at them, seemingly amused by their sibling quarrels.

Castiel shot his brother a warning glare before going over to the fridge to find some stuff they could put in a sandwich. He bent over forward to get something from in there, making both Dean and Gabriel stare at his ass.

"Cassie, don't flash your ass at your man visitor. That's indecent," Gabriel groused, opening the bar of Twix that he had found in the cupboard and took a bite from it.

Castiel quickly straightened up. He hadn't even noticed that his ass had been facing directly at Dean. He glanced over his shoulder at Dean, who just chuckled and continued to check him out. Castiel found himself not minding that Dean checked him out at all. He was really flattered by it, actually.

This was really not how he had expected the day to turn out.

Castiel proceeded with making them a sandwich and asked Dean what he wanted in his. They both wanted the same; some ham, cheese, a bit of iceberg salad, yellow peppers, and some mayonnaise to not make it too dry.

"So," Gabriel began while Cas worked on the sandwiches. "How's the project going? Unless you didn't even get started on that yet because my brother's ass is so distracting."

"I'm warning you, Gabriel," Castiel growled from where he was fixing the sandwiches, not even looking at his brother as he spoke.

Dean looked at them in amusement before replying. "We did work on it. Just missing the conclusion, putting it all together, and making a cover. Should be done in about an hour."

"Wow, you got that far already? Either you're just as good as Cas or he did the whole thing. He often disagrees with his project partners on certain things. He's such a perfectionist," Gabriel murmured, glancing in Cas' direction. Castiel groaned irritably at him but didn't make a comment.

"Actually we each did about half of it. He did correct me on some stuff, but I corrected him as well."

"Wow, and he accepted your criticism?" Gabriel sound very amazed by that, which only agitated Castiel more.

"He had good points, and I'm not closed about other people's ideas, Gabriel," Castiel groused.

"But you always criticize what I do! Like you did earlier when I looked for candy."

Castiel sighed heavily, deciding not to bother with his brother anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They went up to Castiel's room afterwards to eat their sandwiches and drink their cokes while working on the last pieces of their project.

This time they sat closer to one another. It was nice that the tension was gone, but it had left a bit of awkwardness behind. After all, both of them remembered their one-night stand pretty well, and it was awkward for Castiel to sit next to the guy who had fucked him over a table once and now suddenly work on a history project with him like nothing had happened. They weren't even a couple or anything.

They concentrated mostly on the project, but also found themselves smiling at each other and making small jokes about the content they had written. Dean was so easy to talk to now that Castiel had softened up about him, and Castiel couldn't stop staring at him whenever Dean wasn't looking. He hadn't been able to see the other man's freckles at the party because of the mask, but now he could see them. They were beautiful and entrancing, and Castiel almost wanted to count them.

After an hour their project was done, like Dean had predicted.

They each saved a version on their own computer, and sat around for a few moments afterwards, in silence.

"So, uh, thanks for the sandwich. It was very good," Dean said, turning to look at Cas with a sincere smile.

Castiel smiled back shyly. "You're welcome."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck when there was silence between them again. "I guess I should head home." He was about to get up from his chair when Castiel suddenly spoke.

"You know, you never did give me your number."

Dean blinked. "Right. Still want it?" he asked, again with that cocky smile.

"Well, you did offer seconds…" Castiel pointed out. He reached out to grab his phone, blushing hard after the words had left his mouth. He was flirting with Dean, he knew that, but he just couldn't help it.

Dean grinned. "That I did." He let Castiel open his contact list before telling him his number, and afterwards he grabbed his own phone to get Castiel's number as well.

When the numbers had been exchanged, Dean slowly got up from his chair. Castiel got up as well, standing in front of Dean and shifting awkwardly. He kind of didn't want Dean to leave, though. He felt like he was just getting to know him properly.

"Man, it's already 6pm…" Dean said, glancing at the clock.

"Yeah… Do you have to be somewhere?" Castiel asked, raising his gaze to look at him.

Dean shrugged. "Nah. I'm thinking of dropping by my parents' place tonight. Haven't seen them for a while, and I kinda miss Sammy…"

"Sammy?" Castiel frowned.

"My brother," Dean explained. "The one who gave me this." He reached up to touch his amulet, running his thumb across its shiny surface. "He's four years younger than me, so he's 15 now. And still such a brat."

The way Dean smiled when he spoke about his brother made Castiel smile too. "You sound like you're very close."

"We are. Always have been. I'm not all that close with my dad, though… He's kind of old-fashioned and he's one of the reasons why I haven't, um, jumped out of the bi closet yet."

"I see…"

"Well, it's not like I'm attracted to all guys. I only find myself being attracted to a few types," Dean explained, keeping his eyes on Castiel. "But, uh, when I saw you it felt different… There's just something about you."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments until Castiel smirked. "Last time you told me that, things got pretty heated…"

Dean laughed, stepping a little closer to Castiel and stared down at him. "Mm. I don't mind when things get heated…"

Castiel shuddered and closed his eyes when Dean brushed his cheek gently with his hand. He slowly opened his eyes again and stared right back into Dean's green ones, seeing the same desire in them as he felt inside his own body. They were so close, and slowly they leaned their faces closer to one another. Castiel closed his eyes as their lips brushed. Shivers ran up his spine and it felt so right. This was what he had been missing that night with Bartholomew; that spark. A spark that only felt right with Dean. Not even with Balthazar had it felt this right.

Their lips connected more in a soft, exploring kiss. Dean slowly moved his hand up and cupped Castiel's cheek, deepening the kiss in the process. Their lips touched and played, and Dean's tongue came out to lick Castiel's lower lip, making him shiver. It was intimate, nice, and so right. Castiel couldn't suppress the needy moan that escaped his mouth as Dean licked his tongue across his lips.

From then on things got wilder and more desperate.

Dean moved his hand into Castiel's hair and grasped it like he had done that night, making Cas lean his head back so he could plunge his tongue into his mouth. Castiel mewled in reply and grasped at Dean's shirt, moaning into the other man's mouth.

"Fuck, you still taste so good," Dean moaned when they pulled apart to breathe. His lust-dilated eyes stared right back into Castiel's, and Castiel could feel the bulge of Dean's erection against this own. "Dreamed about this. About having you again."

"Mm, me too," Castiel hummed before grabbing Dean by the back of his head and crushing their mouths together again.

Dean let out a pleased growl and tightened his hand in Cas' hair, bending him backwards a bit while he devoured his mouth. His other hand moved over Castiel's clothed body, feeling his shape and figure, like he wanted to map it in his mind.

This was not what Castiel had expected them to be doing when he had invited Dean over, but oh, how things had changed.

Every time Dean touched him he felt shivers of arousal running up his spine and into every pore in his body. He had never felt this attracted to someone before, and he was desperate to have Dean fuck him again.

Dean's hand suddenly found its way to Castiel's ass, squeezing it tightly. Castiel let out a needy whimper into Dean's mouth, bucking forward and making their erections rub together. They both let out a long groan of approval at that, and Dean pressed Castiel against his own body so that their erections stayed in touch through their clothes.

Castiel was so turned on he could come right now, but he didn't want to yet. Impatiently, he grabbed at Dean's shirt, trying to yank it off him.

Dean got the hint and stepped back so that he could throw his shirt off. He now stood in front of Castiel with his chest naked, and Castiel stared at the exposed skin. It was exactly what he had imagined Dean would look like under his shirt, only better. He was lean and muscled, and a tiny bit more tan than Castiel was. Castiel did have a thing for lean, muscled chests and broad shoulders, and Dean was like a fucking model. It was a gorgeous sight that made Cas' dick twitch painfully in his pants.

He barely had time to look at Dean before Dean came over and started pulling his shirt off too. Castiel let him, and he watched as Dean's hungry eyes took in the sight of him without a shirt on. He wasn't as muscled as Dean, but he wasn't a girl either. He had muscles, but not much since he never cared to do anything about them like Dean did.

Next were the pants, and Castiel bit his lip to control his arousal as Dean opened his pants for him and rubbed his erection through his briefs to tease him.

"You look like you're about to come. Do I turn you on that much, Cas?" Dean teased, saying the words right into Castiel's ear as he rubbed his hand gently over Castiel's member, trying to get an idea of its size and shape. Castiel wasn't as well-endowed as Dean was; he was an average size, and personally he liked the way his dick looked.

"Yes. So much," Castiel admitted, moaning softly as Dean's hand rubbed him so nicely.

Dean hummed in approval and leaned in to kiss Castiel's bared neck. "You turn me on too. Every time I saw you after that night at the Halloween Party, I got so hard I had to look away from you."

Castiel closed his eyes and shivered at Dean's words. He had always liked to think that his mystery guy would look at him in the corridors afterwards, and it seemed like he had.

"Fuck, stop teasing. I want you," Castiel breathed, whining softly as he bucked forward into Dean's hand.

Dean grinned against Castiel's neck and nibbled at his jaw. "I was hoping I'd get to hear you say that again." He then pulled down Castiel's pants and his underwear and let him step out of them.

Castiel was a little embarrassed when Dean licked his lips when he saw his dick for the first time, but then Dean hastily began undoing his own pants. Castiel pulled Dean down for another kiss again, desperate to feel his lips against his own, and used his other hand to help Dean undo his pants.

Swiftly Dean got out of his jeans and boxers, and they took off their socks as well before they moved over to the bed. Castiel pushed Dean back on the bed and climbed up on top of him. He heard Dean growl a bit, since it was quite obvious that he liked to be the one in charge in bed, which Castiel didn't mind, but Castiel wanted to do something first.

Castiel quickly settled himself between Dean's legs, looking up at Dean's face as he grabbed a hold of Dean's cock and licked a stripe up its underside. He loved the size and weight of it. It was perfect and gorgeous, and he shivered in anticipation when thinking of having it inside him again soon.

Still keeping his eyes locked with Dean's, Castiel licked Dean's cock in exploration and swirled his tongue teasingly over the head before taking it into his mouth.

"Fuck," Dean cursed, his hand jumping down to grasp Castiel's hair again.

Castiel mewled around the thick member as Dean pulled his hair a bit and kept it in a tight grasp. He loved when Dean did that and it made his own cock twitch painfully between his legs. He sucked on Dean's cock, taking in its taste and size, loving how his hand didn't even fit around it. It tasted good. Far better than Balthazar's, and Castiel hummed as it filled his mouth.

Dean moaned under Castiel's ministrations, keeping his hand in Cas' hair to have some control. "Shit. You're so good at that. Mmm."

Castiel smirked proudly, sucking Dean extra harder to please him.

Dean's hitched breathing told him that he liked it, and Castiel could keep sucking his cock forever, if only he wasn't so impatient to feel that cock inside his ass again.

With an obscene pop, Castiel pulled off. As soon as Dean's cock left his mouth, he was being pushed down on his back on the bed so that their positions were switched, and then Dean's tongue plunged into his mouth in a desperate kiss. Castiel kissed him back eagerly, bringing both his hands up to bury them in Dean's short hair and moaned shamelessly as their dicks rubbed together. Dean seemed to be incredibly horny and out of it from arousal, which only turned on Castiel more. Fuck, this was so hot.

Dean kissed him hard until he pulled away to speak. "You got lube this time?"

Castiel nodded and clumsily reached out his hand towards the nightstand next to his bed. He opened the drawer and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for.

Dean took the lube from his hands and opened it. Meanwhile Castiel got up and settled himself on his hands and knees in front of Dean to make it easier for him to prep him.

"Mm, so eager for it, aren't you?" Dean teased, amusement in his voice.

Castiel leaned down on his elbows and wiggled his ass in front of Dean. "Please just do it. Been so long…"

"Mm, too long," Dean agreed. He put one hand on Cas' ass, rubbing it and feeling it, until he gently parted his cheeks to reveal the pink hole between them.

Castiel was blushing so hard, always feeling self-conscious when someone stared at his ass like that, but at the same time it turned him on a lot.

"Fuck, it's so pink and pretty. There wasn't enough light around for me to enjoy the sight last time," Dean spoke, watching as Castiel's hole twitched when he rubbed it gently with his thumb.

Castiel shuddered and rested his forehead on the sheets while leaning on his elbows. "God, stop staring. So embarrassing…"

Dean smirked and slapped his ass gently. "I think you like it when I stare, don't you?"

Castiel blushed hard, glad that Dean couldn't see his face. He waited impatiently for Dean to stop staring at him and finally start stretching him so they could have sex. When Dean gently put a lubed finger inside him, he shivered at the cold temperature the lube had. Dean's other hand patted his butt to soothe him, and Castiel closed his eyes and moaned at the feeling of Dean stretching him and his fingers twisting around inside him.

Dean took his time, not wanting Castiel to feel uncomfortable when he finally pushed into him.

Castiel pushed back onto the fingers inside him until he was finally ready. "Dean. I'm ready now."

"You better be, 'cause I'm tired of waiting." Dean slapped Castiel's ass playfully after pulling his fingers out, making Castiel jump in surprise and blush. Dean just chuckled at him before gently nudging Castiel and gesturing for him to roll over on his back instead.

Castiel quickly did so, even though he felt kind of reluctant about it. Facing each other was more intimate, but as Dean settled himself on top of his body and looked at him with those gentle, green eyes, Castiel felt relaxed. He placed his hands on Dean's strong shoulders and spread his legs to frame Dean's hips as the other man got into position. Dean guided his cock into Castiel's entrance, going slow at first until he pushed up into him hard, making Castiel cry out in pleasure.

"Ah god!" Castiel cried out, feeling Dean's cock slide along his inner walls and hit his prostate with the very first thrust. The stretch was amazing, like it had been last time, but in this position Dean felt even bigger. He held onto Dean's shoulders and back as Dean started moving and began pounding him into the mattress.

"Fuck, you feel so good," Dean moaned, kissing Castiel's jaw and held him tight as they fucked. "Don't hold those noises back. I wanna hear you."

"B-But my brother is—"

"Listening to loud music in his room. I can hear it from here," Dean cut him off, grunting every time he thrust into Castiel. "Don't hold back," he said again, like an order.

Castiel nodded. Fuck, this was driving him insane with arousal. Dean seemed to know what turned him on; the dirty talk, the orders, the teasing, the kissing, and the hard pounding he was giving him. All Castiel could do was to hold on to him and moan at all the pleasure he felt as Dean moved inside him and squeezed his dick between their bodies. He dug his nails into Dean's back and shoulders, making the other man hiss, but Castiel could tell that Dean liked it.

"Fuck," Dean grunted, panting and grunting above Castiel. "You're just taking it. Such a good boy…"

Castiel whimpered, so close to coming already that it was agonizing. "Dean, please…"

He knew that Dean knew what he was begging for. Dean was avoiding his prostate on purpose and he wanted Dean to stimulate it. But Dean was such a tease that he wouldn't give him what he needed right away.

Instead, Dean kissed him again, moaning into his mouth as he tasted him. His hand grasped Castiel's hair like he had before, drawing mewls from him. He made sure that his cock didn't strike Castiel's prostate, but that his dick got stimulated between them as he thrust into Castiel hard and steady.

"Hard enough for you?" Dean asked, panting as he kept up the fast, hard pace.

Castiel nodded. "Yes. So good."

"Mmm." Dean hummed and nibbled at Castiel's jaw. He could without doubt feel Castiel's muscles tightening as his orgasm approached. "Gonna come soon?"

Castiel nodded again, moaning shamelessly under him. "Y-Yes. Fuck! Please!"

Dean let out a pleased hum at the begging before adjusting his hips a bit. Castiel tried to shift as well to help Dean find what he was looking for, until suddenly his prostate was struck just perfectly inside him, making Castiel cry out and arch his back.

"Found it," Dean smirked. "So hot…" He purred and leaned in to suck bruises into the skin on Castiel's neck, his hand still gripping his hair tightly.

Castiel shuddered. Dean's cock struck his prostate with every single thrust now, and the way Dean was kissing and sucking on his neck like he owned him drove him insane with arousal. His orgasm pooled in his abdomen, delicious and strong, until he finally dropped over the edge. He cried out as he came, jerking under Dean's body and shot his release between them. It was like reaching the stars, and he couldn't believe the mind-blowing orgasms he had with Dean. All he could do was hold on to Dean and enjoy every second of his release while his body jerked helplessly under the other man's larger frame.

Dean soothed him through it and kissed his neck almost tenderly until he came too, driving into Castiel's body hard. He growled out his release, shooting his load deep inside Castiel. He continued to fuck into him hard and slow until it was over, and Castiel moaned at the warm feeling of Dean's seed inside him.

Panting, they went limp on the bed, trying to catch their breaths again.

Dean pulled out of Cas when his dick went soft, and Castiel whimpered a bit at the emptiness.

Castiel's heart was beating so fast in his chest, and his body felt nice and sated after his orgasm. It was just as good as the first time they had sex, if not better. Dean was a bit heavy on top of him, but he kind of liked it. He listened to the other man trying to catch his breath and rubbed Dean's back a bit in a soothing gesture as they both calmed down from their high.

"Fuck, that was awesome," Dean then grinned, leaning up on his elbows and looked down at Castiel.

Castiel chuckled and moved his hand up to touch Dean's small stubble curiously. "Yes, it was."

Dean smiled, looking into Castiel's eyes as Castiel ran his hand across his slightly stubbled cheek. "Can I keep you?" he asked, voice like a whisper.

Castiel stared back at him with a small frown. "Are you asking to be fuckbuddies or are you asking for something more?"

"Well, preferably something more… Unless you still think I'm an asshole?"

Castiel snorted. "If I still thought you were an asshole, you wouldn't be in my bed."

"Point taken…"

Castiel stared up at Dean's face, biting his lower lip softly. "Um, are you sure you're ready to, um, be something more with me and have everyone know about it?"

Dean grinned. "So that means you do wanna be something more?"

Castiel blushed. "Yes. I like you. I've never felt this connection with someone before, and this feels right. I'm just worried that you'll change your mind…"

"I won't. Tyler and his asshole friends can go fuck themselves if they have a problem with us, and so can everyone else. I've wanted you since I first saw you, and they're not gonna keep me away from you," Dean said, sounding very determined and sincere.

Castiel couldn't help but grin, feeling so happy that he could burst with it. "Same here."

Dean grinned at him before capturing his lips in another kiss, grasping his hair. Castiel kissed him back, wrapping his legs around Dean's waist and pressing him tighter against him. Their softened dicks touched, making them moan and feel a little oversensitive.

Suddenly the door burst open and Gabriel entered, sounding very excited. "Holy crap! Kali just agreed to go on a date with me, can you believe— Jesus fucking Christ! Why are you naked?!"

"GET OUT!" Castiel yelled at him, grabbing his second pillow and throwing it at Gabriel's face before his brother could leave.

Gabriel quickly ran out the door and shut it behind him, and they could hear him running away down the hallway and cursing in disgust.

Castiel was absolutely mortified. He was pretty sure that Gabriel hadn't seen his private parts because he was lying under Dean, but he had without doubt seen the glory of Dean's naked ass and perhaps some of his balls as well. And he would have seen the way Castiel's legs were wrapped around Dean's hips. That was so embarrassing and Castiel never wanted to face his brother ever again.

Dean laughed as Castiel groaned and hid his face behind his hands. "What's wrong? It wasn't your ass he saw, and I don't care that he saw mine."

"But I don't really want my brother seeing my boyfriend's ass while I'm in bed with him," Castiel groaned, still hiding behind his hands. He froze when he realized he had used the word 'boyfriend'. They had just agreed to be something more, and that would make them boyfriends, but it was the first time that either of them had used that word. He swallowed and slowly removed his hands from his face, looking up at Dean who just had a happy smile on his face.

"Well, your boyfriend has a nice ass, so Gabe won't go blind," Dean said, moving his hand through Castiel's hair affectionately. "But yours is much nicer. And sexier."

Castiel blushed a bit as he chuckled at Dean's comment. "And it's sore."

"Good sore, I hope?"

"Of course."

Dean smiled and caressed Castiel's cheek with his hand, staring into his face and eyes. "You know, I never did think we'd end up as boyfriends this soon."

"I don't usually form a couple with someone this fast either, but you're… different."

"So are you," Dean smiled, leaning down to kiss him briefly on the lips. "I promise I won't do anything to deserve to be called an asshole by you again."

"Mm, good. I will keep you to that promise. And then I can hang out with you at college without being ashamed of dating an asshole." Castiel gave Dean a wicked smirk, his hand moving up to cup Dean's cheek again and rub the stubble absently.

Dean snorted and chuckled at him. "No. Instead, you'll be dating the hottest guy in town. How about that?"

Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean's cocky smirk and chuckled at him, before pulling Dean down for another kiss to make him shut up.

They melted into the kiss, happy that they had ended up with each other after all.

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On Monday the two of them walked proudly down the crowded corridors, holding hands for everyone to see. For Dean, this was a very important moment, as he would finally be coming out of the closet in public. He had been little nervous about that since it was a big step for him, but with Castiel's and his friends' support it was a lot easier than he had first thought.

Some of the people they knew stopped and stared in disbelief as they passed them, while others either didn't react or started cheering at them.

People's opinions didn't matter much to the new couple, and Castiel had never felt happier as he held his boyfriend's hand and entered the cafeteria with him. Their friends greeted them with happy cheers and hugs, and Benny and Ash were proud that Dean was finally coming out and being content with his attraction to Castiel.

Tyler and his buddies were gaping at them in disbelief, but they ignored the homophobic comments they got from them. The comments were overpowered by their classmates' smiles as they looked happy for them, and Castiel squeezed Dean's hand in joy as their friends congratulated them. Even Charlie came over and threw her arms around them, happy that their gay love was finally seeing the light.

They both knew that it would be tough to deal with the homophobes in the next three and a half years at college, but they were both certain they could pull through it. As long as Dean had the support of his friends, he'd survive, and so would Castiel.

As Castiel stood in the cafeteria with his and Dean's friends gathered around them and supporting them, and him and Dean holding hands proudly, he had never felt happier. He had found his masked stranger, but now there were no more masks or costumes in their way. They were face to face and out in the open in front of everyone and each other.

The masquerade was finally over.

The end.

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Author's notes: I hope you enjoyed this story :) I don't have plans to continue it, even though it was a lot of fun writing it.

The title for the story was inspired by lyrics of the song "Speak Out Now" by Oh Land; it's also what kind of inspired some of the storyline. I heard it a lot on the radio at some point.

Thank you very much for reading! I love your feedback so far, thank you :)