Thank you all for being patient on this chapter. I must warn you, I'm the queen of plot twists when it comes to this fic. Also, my favorite sentence in the entire thing is towards the end of this chapter, see if you can spot it ;-)

I do NOT own Supernatural, the only thing I own is the plot of this fanfiction. Castiel and Dean are not my characters, and any parts of the plot that may have likeness to people or events in the real life is entirely coincidental. Except for Cas and Dean, they're supposed to be... Well, them.

UPDATE: The first time I uploaded this it came out as a bunch of weird symbols and crap, hopefully this works this time! I'm so sorry!

Chapter 5
He Dreams Of Flying

It was the Friday night after that. Castiel had been too busy with homework to ride home with Dean, so they hadn't gotten to spend much time together. Castiel sighed as he doodled on his notebook, having finished his homework and looking for something to do.

The sun had sat just over the horizon and the sky was still pink, and he looked back to the small cartoon dragon he was drawing. It was missing a little something, he just couldn't put his finger on it...

He added in some texture for the scales, and he smiled down at it. There, that was better.
After a moment, he turned the page and started doodling little hearts, just out of boredom. It was stupid and girly, but hey, he had nothing better to do. He wrote his name a few times, 'Castiel Novak' in big, fancy letters before he realized that something felt off about that, too.

Was he really still 'Novak'? That didn't feel like his last name. His dad was never there for him, always drunk or on some kind of new fix, and he wasn't going to be a part of that legacy. Sure, his grandma was his family, but she wasn't really what gave him his last name. But if he wasn't a Novak, then what was he?

He thought back to his friends. Who had been the most like family to him? Who was he closest to? Who did he want to be associated with, a part of his family?

So, he slowly wrote 'Castiel Winchester' on the page, tilting his head just a bit. It had a nice ring to it, that was for sure.

BAM!

Castiel flinched, looking around worriedly for the source of the noise. It came again, just a little softer this time, from the right side of his room. He rose from his chair, weary of the noise, and he slowly stepped over. He flinched at the sounds of his own footsteps, and jumped as he heard the sound again.

He lifted up some blankets and his eyes scanned the room in an almost panic.

BAM!

This time, the sound echoed a little bit, as if something had bounced off of something else. He narrowed his eyes and he approached his window, throwing open the curtain and peering down into the half-light of twilight.

Dean was standing about ten feet away from his house, a dopey smile on his face. Sat down in the grass beside him was the projector and his toolbox, along with what looked like candy and snack food. Castiel reached down to open up his window before Dean threw another rock and woke his dad up. He was currently passed out on the couch in the living room, and Cas would very much prefer to keep it that way.

"What are you doing?" He hissed as soon as his window was open. Dean picked up his things and walked over, leaning against the railing.

"Well, I came to see you. I missed your company when you didn't ride home with me today." Dean teased. Castiel put his face in his hands, shaking his head vigorously.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He asked, moving aside. Dean slung his leg over the window rail and then the rest of him followed, almost falling over on top of his stuff.

"What's all this?" Castiel asked, gesturing towards everything. Dean shrugged, walking over and setting it down in the middle of the floor.

"It's the stuff to fix the projector. I figured we could get it fixed and watch the thing on stars, find a good place to pause it for when we have it going in class. What do you say?"

"Well, it's not like I had anything else I was going to do." Castiel quipped, sitting down on the floor by the projector. Dean smiled and sat down next to him, picking up a screwdriver and opening the top of the case. When he did finally get it open, a puff of dust came out of the hole, and Dean coughed.

"Well, this thing hasn't been used in awhile." Dean commented, blowing softly down onto it. Even more dust arose, and he looked down into the blackness, shining a flashlight.

After about five minutes of looking around in it, his face lit up.

"Well, I can already see the first problem." He said. "Cas, hand me the socket wrench." Dean said. Castiel opened the tool box, peering down at all the different kinds of tools. He tilted his head in confusion.

"I have no clue which one is the socket wrench." He admitted sheepishly, looking around. Dean reached over and grabbed it, holding it up for a moment to let Castiel see it.

He nodded his head, memorizing what it looked like for future reference.

Dean stuck it into the projector, positioning it under something for a moment before he passed it back.

"That's too large. Let's try a flat head screwdriver." He said, gesturing towards the tools. Castiel moved some of them around until he found the screwdrivers, and he studied them carefully. He picket up one that had a thin piece of metal as its head, figuring that it was probably what Dean was referring to. If memory served him correct from before his grandpa died, (he had let Castiel work with him a few times when he was younger) then he had the right tool.

"Here." He mumbled, handing it over toDean. Dean nodded his head and grabbed it, placing it in the same position that the wrench was in earlier. He paused though, his eyes flickering up to meet Castiel's.

"So, do you want to help?" He asked, gesturing towards the thing. Castiel shook his head yes tentatively, afraid that he'd mess things up but not wanting to leave Dean to do the job alone.

"Okay, come over here and put your hand on the screwdriver, we're trying to pull up that gear." He said, gesturing towards it. Castiel crawled over to him, placing his hand on the screwdriver. Dean wrapped a hand around Castiel's to help keep him steady, and together they pulled the gear up. It popped up with a satisfying sound, and Castiel sat up a little straighter in pride. He hadn't done much, but hey, he helped.

"See that?" Dean asked, gesturing to a pile of goo. Castiel nodded his head yes, intrigued by it. That didn't look like it belonged in a projector.

"Somebody spilled something on this, the gear is broken. Can you go and get me a wash rag with warm water and a dry one?" Dean asked. Castiel nodded.

"Just remember that I'm not your slave. If you knew your way around my house, I'd make you do it yourself." He threatened. Dean smirked as he got up, watching him walk out the door.

Dean really, really liked Castiel. A lot. He loved it when Castiel smiled and when he laughed, and Cas was the first person that Dean had ever really felt serious about. The only problem was, Dean wasn't quite sure that Castiel felt the same way.

Dean stood up, his legs starting to fall asleep from where he had remained crouched. He looked over at Castiel's chair, deciding that it would be the best place to sit down and relax while Cas was getting the stuff. He plopped himself down in the chair, leaning forward as he did. His eyes scanned the room out of boredom.

Soon, they rested on the notebook in front of him. He recognized that, it was the one that Castiel was constantly drawing in! He grabbed it and opened up the cover, smiling at the small Egyptian doodles all over the page. He knew that he probably shouldn't be looking at it, but he couldn't resist the temptation. Hey, Dean wasn't perfect, and one of his flaws was that he would do anything to stop his insatiable curiosity sometimes.

He flipped trough the pages, skipping about ten so he could get to the more recent drawings. He admired a dragon on one page, enjoying the scale texture the most. Castiel was good with detail. Dean couldn't draw at all, so looking at Castiel's stuff was really fun to him.

He flipped the page yet again.

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the page in shock.

Scrawled all over it in neat handwriting was Castiel's full name. The penmanship was swooping and beautiful, leaving waves and swirls all over. It sort of reminded Dean of what a scribe wrote in the Middle Ages.

That wasn't the part that shocked him, though. No, that would be the fact that at the very bottom of the page, larger than all the others, the name tagged on at the end of Castiel wasn't Novak. It was Winchester.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and before e even had time to process what he had just read, he slammed the book shut, pushing it back across the table to where it sat before. He put his head on his hand and acted like nothing had happened, trying his best to look bored.

Castiel came into the room with the rags in hand, his head tilting in confusion when Dean wasn't crouched by the projector. He scanned the room and found him sitting in his chair, and he looked sort of jumpy. Castiel walked over and tilted his head just a bit, wondering what he had gotten worked up over.

"Is everything okay?" He questioned, frowning a bit. Dean nodded his head for a moment, glancing up to meet Castiel's eyes before he looked away quickly, blushing just the slightest bit.

"Actually, probably better than okay." He said, smiling just a bit. Castiel paused, confused, but he decided that he probably just didn't want to know why Dean was acting so strange all of a sudden. It might be something that was going to bother him.

"Okay then. Here's the rags." He said, lifting them up and giving them a small shake. Dean seemed to snap out of his thoughts, standing up and walking over to get the rags before crouching down by the projector again, and beginning the long process of removing the sticky goo from all over the inside workings.

It took what seemed like forever. He would clean a spot only to find another one that was stuck or find out that one had busted, (hot glue that Castiel had fixed that problem) and it felt to him like he was constantly making no progress whatsoever. Finally though, after a good two hours of working, he was done.

He dusted off his hands and put the cover back on, giving a deep sigh.

"Well even if it doesn't work yet, I need to take a break." He laughed, smiling. He reached over to some of the candy that he had brought, opening the bag of licorice and getting a piece out, sticking it into his mouth before he reached in again and handed a second piece to Castiel.

Castiel took it, taking a small bite. He'd never had licorice before, so he wasn't sure what to expect out of it. He actually found that he quite liked it though, so he took another bite.

Dean stood up and stretched, and his eyes met Castiel's. he walked over close to him before slowly putting a hand around his waist.

"Hey, have you figured out much more about your sexuality?" Dean asked slowly, and he looked a little reserved. "Like, do you know what you like?"

"I still have no clue." Castiel said, giving a sigh. "It doesn't really matter anyways, I'm not going to be with anyone." He said. Dean looked appalled by the idea.

"What? Of course you will, don't talk like that. You're an amazing, funny, handsome guy. You could get whoever you wanted." Dean said, hoping that Castiel would catch on. Castiel, of course, didn't.

"Well thank you. Why don't we see how that projector works now?" He offered, gesturing towards it. Dean nodded his head and grabbed Castiel's chair, propping it up against the wall and placing the projector on it tenderly.

"Hand me that film reel." Dean said gently, reaching out. Their hands brushed as Castiel did as he was told, eager to see if the thing was going to work or not.

"Okay now, let's light this puppy up." Dean mumbled, inserting the disk. He angled it so that it was facing the large, empty wall across from the bed, so that they could lay on the mattress and watch it together if it worked. He took a shaky and hopeful breath and pushed the button, breathing out a sigh of relief as the lights flickered.

It took a few minutes to warm up, but soon a large picture was on Castiel's wall, a scientist pointing to a star diagram. He was smiling broadly and Dean found his dorky glasses to be both ridiculous and stereotypical. He beamed with pride, turning to Castiel. "Am I good, or am I good?" He asked.

"I think you did satisfactory." Castiel allowed. "That is, if it keeps working."

Dean let his shoulders sag, annoyed. "It'll work." He retaliated. Castiel rolled his eyes, the same eyes that were quickly attracted back towards the screen as the scratchy audio came through.

"Let's sit down and watch this." Dean said, sitting onto Castiel's bed. Castiel nodded his head and mimicked Dean's actions, sliding casually onto the mattress and fidgeting a bit.

The video was fairly educational. It seemed like they probably knew more about stars than they did back then, but Castiel couldn't complain about lack of information. There were plenty of interesting facts that could be used for a report.

Soon, the room was lit up with stars as a picture of the sky came across the screen. Dean reached over and paused the video, smiling to himself at the scene. It was just like that night on the hood of the impala, and he could appreciate that. It was where he realized just how serious about Castiel he really was.

"Okay, so, this is perfect for the project." He said, nodding. "We'll leave it paused here, and we'll just start it up for class when we give our project." Dean said, nodding his head in agreement with his own idea. Castiel was looking up at the stars in fascination, and Dean stopped talking once he realized that he wasn't really being listened to.

Castiel felt a hand softly on his own, gently set down on top. He slowly turned to look at Dean, a small smile tugging at his lips. He tilted his head in question, just a bit.

Dean leaned forward and hugged Castiel. It took all of his will power not to kiss him, but the moment didn't quite feel right. It was coming, though. He could feel it deep in his bones that the time was coming, and coming fast. Dean felt a nervous anticipation swirl in his stomach; the first time he'd ever been nervous about kissing someone.

"You're crushing me." Castiel teased. Dean took it as a challenge.

"Oh yeah?" He said. He swung his feet up onto the bed and pushed Castiel down, causing the young boy's eyes to widen in surprise. He chuckled deep in his throat. Castiel was pinned under him for a couple more seconds before Dean simply fell to the side, wrapping his arms around Castiel's waist and pulling him close, their chests pressing together.

Castiel absorbs the affection and heat like a sponge, snuggling closer to Dean. The bedroom feels like its not even there. It feels like it's just the two of them in their own little world, where anything that happens can be hidden. Castiel feels his pupils dilate and he finds himself staring at Dean's lips. Off in his own fantasy, he doesn't even think to blush. He just knows that despite the confusion he's had on the subject lately, in this moment, he wants those lips pressed against his own.

Dean senses it, too. He's been waiting for this moment, and Cas looking at his mouth like its a piece of candy is enough of a sign for him. Castiel's eyes finally drift away from his lips and up to his eyes, and both of them feel like, for a second, they're thinking with the same mind.

Castiel's breath catches in his throat when he feels Dean shifts a little closer, their lips mere inches apart. He wants to keep staring into Dean's eyes and preserve the intense connection that they were sharing, but he can't help his eyes fluttering shut on an instinct. He half expects to be wrong, for Dean to turn away and act like nothing ever happened. He half expects to feel the sting of rejection that seems to come from almost everyone else.

Instead, he feels a soft pair of lips gently nudge his own, slightly parted. He can taste Dean's breath as it ghosts , not a real kiss yet but certainly on its way there. Dean's arms tighten around Castiel's waist and Castiel can't help but to lean forward a little, firming the connection between their lips.

He felt like he could melt into Dean, like they could just fuse and become one and never part again, Dean's lips slide against his own ever so teasingly before pressing down for kiss after kiss. This pattern repeats a good four times before he breaks away, both of them panting.

Dean and Castiel look into each other's eyes for a moment, and Castiel's one thought is, 'I'm glad that my first kiss was with him. Even if things don't work out, I'll always remember this.'

The silence stretches on for awhile, not necessarily uncomfortable, but enough to make breaking the silence a must.

"I'll go turn off the projector." Dean mumbled, leaning over to do so. Once he's done, he knows that he should probably go. Castiel might have a lot to think about with everything that had just happened. He didn't want to go, though.

So, he set his body back down in the same position and hugged Castiel tightly, nuzzling his hair affectionately.

"I could just stay over here if you'd like." Dean offered, still nuzzling Castiel ever so slightly. Castiel nodded his head eagerly, smiling. Dean gave a yawn, shifting a little bit, and he closed his eyes. Castiel closed his eyes too, his last thought being about how nice Dean smelled.

In the morning, he slowly opened his eyes, wondering vaguely why he was up against something firm and warm. His eyes fully opened and he looked up at Dean, his memories from what happened last night came crashing down on him.

He honestly wasn't sure how to feel. He hadn't gotten that close to someone before in his entire life, and that was certainly a hindrance in how he would approach this. Were they supposed to talk about it now, or...? Furthermore, did him liking the kiss mean that he liked Dean?

He had rules for himself. He wasn't supposed to get this close to anyone. He was supposed to stay away from this at least as long as possible, and he'd broken every rule in the book when Dean had come along. The worst part? He couldn't even bring himself to care.

He knew that he was getting much, much too close to mr. Dean Winchester.

His thoughts derailed as soon as a pair of bright green eyes groggily opened in front of him, eyeing him up and down, spending a larger amount of time looking at his bed hair than probably necessary. Castiel smiled a bit, unable to help himself.

He should be afraid right now. He should feel scared and helpless and so afraid because Dean could hurt him now, Dean could reject him...

But all he could feel looking into those bright green eyes was happy.

"Good morning, beautiful." Dean teased, leaning down to place a peck on Castiel's forehead. Castiel leaned into it, mumbling a little before yawning an restarting his sentence.

"You want to have some breakfast and then go? You should probably get back to Sam." Castiel said, stretching. He didn't want to leave Dean's arms, but he swung his feet out of the bed and stood up anyways, knowing that the course of action was inevitable.

He walked over to the projector and patted it fondly before turning back to Dean and stretching his hands up over his head, his wings twitching through his shirt. He quickly ended the stretch before Dean could notice, but he was still nervous as hell right then.

"Uh, let's go." He said, not waiting for Dean's answer. He walked briskly out of his door.

He strode into his kitchen, hearing clumsy and tired footsteps that most certainly belonged to Dean behind him. He stopped being nervous, relaxing now that it was over. He was all done with the worry, and he had his wings under control now.

He rounded the corner and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"D-dad?" He stuttered.

His father was standing dressed full in regular clothes, pouring a cup of coffee. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, but he actually looked pretty sober. He had a toasted bagel in one hand and he slowly set the coffee cup down before turning back to Castiel.

"Castiel, hey." He greeted. Castiel heard footsteps come into the kitchen and his father's eyes shifted, seemingly getting an eyefull of Dean. Surprise was etched faintly on his features. "Who's this?"

"This is Dean." He said immediately, probably talking too fast. "He and I are working on a project together and he fell asleep last night." He explained, before his dad could jump to conclusions.

"Really? Well, okay. You two have fun working on that project, I have to head out. I got a really good job concerning some electric stuff at the motel down the street. Just... If you're going to have friends come over from now on let me know, okay?" He asked. He looked at Dean again, and it looked like he approved. Castiel was stunned speechless.

"Okay then." He said. His dad nodded.

"By the way, there are a couple of cinnamon roles in the cabinet. Your grandma stopped by earlier." He explained, gesturing towards the wooden cabinet. "You might have to put them in the microwave for awhile."

"Okay then, dad." He agreed, nodding his head in understanding. His dad put the coffee pot down and grabbed his cup, straightening up and heading out the door. Castiel watched, wordless, as he left. Well, at least he wasn't passed out drunk and half naked on the couch. That would have probably been a little more embarrassing.

He snapped out of it when Dean tapped his shoulder lightly, concern flickering across his features.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. That was just a little unusual." He said, laughing a bit. Dean slowly nodded, not pushing for more information despite still being a little curious. "I'm gonna get the cinnamon rolls."

Castiel walked over to the cabinet and open fled it up, locating the rolls and busying himself by putting them in the microwave for half a minute and looking for the plates while they cooked. The sweet and buttery smell filled the air as the timer went off and he grabbed them out of the microwave, setting one on each plate and handing one of the plates to Dean.

Dean took a bite first, nodding his head a bit as he chewed.

"These are like heaven." He said, nodding his head in approval. Castiel smiled a bit, taking a bite out of his own and finding the statement to be true. They were pretty darn tasty. Then again, so was everything that his grandmother cooked.

They ate in silence after that, and Castiel decided that they worked better in silence. He wasn't a huge fan of talk in the first place, so it was better that they had things to think about.

Dean was done and he placed his plate carefully into the sink, stopping by and giving Castiel a kiss on the forehead. He started to walk towards the door, and Castiel felt disappointment flow through him.

"You really have to go now?" He asked quietly. Dean sighed and paused his steps, turning back to look to Castiel with sadness in his eyes.

"My brother didn't know I was staying last night, he's probably worried sick." Dean said, sighing. Castiel nodded, trying to understand. He didn't have a brother though, so it was sort of hard. He thought he could picture it, though. Having somebody to care for you your entire life must be nice.

"Okay then. I'll see you at school on Monday." Castiel said, waving at Dean. Dean nodded and walked out the door, towards his car and his little brother.

It was then that Castiel thought about what an idiot he was.

Why did he have to let Dean kiss him? Dean didn't kiss him again before leaving, so that meant he didn't want to, right? Castiel shook his head, trying to quel the disappointment that was prominently eating at his soul. He put down his plate and gave a long sigh, shaking his head. How could he ever think that Dean wanted that too? It was just a one time thing.

But Dean had been so eager and tasted so good against his lips...

Why didn't he just mention it before he left?! Castiel was so confused, he had so many thoughts and emotions running through his head that he could hardly comprehend any of it, and he decide that he needed to lay down.

So lay down he did.

They didn't talk about the kiss for almost a week afterwards. Things were awkward, conversation lagged, and both of them were wondering why the other didn't bring it up.

Castiel felt like he was going to explode from pressure if Dean didn't say something soon. He didn't even care what at this point. He just wanted Dean to admit that it was a mistake so they could both move on with their lives, but he certainly didn't want to be the one to bring it up. He could feel the tension slowly mounting though, like the elephant in the room was slowly getting louder and louder and bigger and bigger, and he knew that if something wasn't said soon that both of them were going to get too overwhelmed to continue this all. He hated the thought, but he just couldn't bring himself to bring it up.

So, they started to avoid each other. Just little things like not walking to class together or not passing notes, until suddenly, on day five, they weren't even talking anymore. It was probably the worst day of Castiel's life, and he'd felt like crying the entire time. He was caught in between running and crying and losing his mind, and he wasn't sure which would come first. The bus ride home felt especially bumpy and boisterous.

That Friday, though, things changed.

The bell had just torn through the air as it always did, offering the typical relief of the end of the day. Castiel three his stuff in his locker, mumbling to himself. He felt Dean's presence beside him, but he ignored it, picking up his books. There was a light patter of footsteps as somebody approached them, and a small disturbance in the air. Castiel turned to find Anna standing and looking at them wearily.

"So, umm... Did you guys break up or something?" She asked. Castiel wasn't sure what to say, and Dean remained silent at his side. He knew that Dean was waiting for him to answer, but he honestly didn't know how. So he just stood there with his mouth sealed as things became more and more awkward by the second. "Because it just seems like there's something between you now, it's kinda awkward." She said, clearly trying to elaborate to get one of them to respond. Both of them remained silent, and the tension in the air was practically visible.

Finally, Dean decided to take it upon himself to answer. "No." He mumbled.

"Okay, good. I hope you two work through whatever it is, you were kinda cute together." She commented before turning on her heel and walking away, back to her group of friends.

Castiel slowly turned to Dean, a question burning in his eyes. Dean was already back at his locker though, putting in books mechanically and stooping down to organize some things. Castiel gave a sigh and decided that knowing why he said yes wasn't really worth asking, and he swung his backpack into his locker and shut it, having completed his homework in class. He nervously fidgeted with his tie as he started to walk towards his bus, not really wanting to go there.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped his shoulder and spun him around. Dean's intense eyes were staring into Castiel's own, and Castiel suddenly felt like the room between them was either not enough or all too much.

"We need to talk. Meet me out front, I'm driving you home." Dean said firmly. Castiel nodded his consent, too overwhelmed to think clearly about what he should do concerning the subject. Dean slowly move the hand off of his shoulder, turning and walking away and out the door, fiddling with his keys on the way out. Castiel felt himself slowly let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding before, and he waited until Dean was completely out of sight before walking after him.

Castiel sat on the steps to the school, the warm sun shining down on his face as he did. He slowly shrugged off his trench coat, feeling his ocean blue wings starting to heat up as they were confined under layers of clothing. He was still in a thick sweater, but it was much better than compared to what it was before.

Dean pulled up in the impala, and he looked out at Castiel expectantly as he revved the engine. Castiel took a shaky breath to calm his nerves before he stood, walking over to the car and slowly climbing in, throwing his trench coat in the back. He could smell the interior and the scent of Dean mingling, and he could honestly say that it was probably the most relieving scent in the world to someone who was afraid that they had lost someone. He shook his head to clear it as Dean reached out and started up some music, classic rock starting to flow through the speakers just like it was the nineteen hundreds.

Castiel had never felt more at home.

There were no words at first. Dean drove and Castiel kept his mouth shut, trusting that Dean would explain himself when he needed to and taking comfort in the familiarity of the scene. He thought that they were going to the roadhouse for awhile, but Dean sped on by that place like he did every other. Castiel still didn't comment, not willing to lose the silent connection that he felt he had with Dean in this moment. Things just wouldn't feel right with actual words.

They drove and drove, the scene slowly becoming familiar to Castiel again as they approached the levy. They were soon at the cliff where they had gone the first time he accepted a ride from Dean, and he knew that his eyes were lit up as he saw the sun begin to slowly set on the horizon. Dean was silent only for a few moments, both of them watching the sun's colors slowly caressing the waves as sea foam sprayed from the constant turmoil of the water.

"Why haven't we talked about it?" Dean finally asked, turning towards Castiel. "I mean, I understand if you didn't like it, but I don't want to have to lose my friend over something as stupid as a bad kiss."
Dean said, swallowing thickly. Castiel had to take a moment to gather his thoughts, tilting his head to the side.

"You... You think that I didn't like it?" He finally questioned, unsure of what to think. Dean turned back towards him, and he was confused too.

"Well yeah. Why else do you think I hadn't done it again?" He asked, looking at Castiel as if he was dumb. Suddenly, Castiel did feel just a little bit stupid.

"Well, I thought that you didn't like it." Castiel mumbled, feeling a little sheepish. Dean's eyebrows raised, and his voice dropped a bit.

"So you're telling me that we haven't kissed again because both of us was afraid that the other didn't like it?" He asked. Castiel thought it over for a moment before he slowly nodded, shrugging his shoulders a little bit.

"I suppose so." He said. Dean looked stunned.

"So we didn't talk for a week because we're literally both idiots?" He asked. Castiel made a face.

"I'm very smart, you're just hard to read." He defended, not entirely getting that Dean was joking to a certain degree. That was Castiel for you.

"Well, that's just peachy." Dean said, taking it as a yes. He laughed for a moment, looking down. Castiel felt relieved that all of this was finally out in the open. Now, at least things could get back to normal. "So wait... You, you liked it?" Dean asked, his voice turning serious again.

"I... It was a very memorable experience. I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy it." He said, shifting uncomfortably. He knew where this conversation was going, and he wasn't sure that he knew what he was going to do about it. Everything just seemed so surreal.

"So, does... Does that mean you wanna, I don't know, do it again?" Dean suggested, shrugging a bit to himself and looking away. Castiel paused, trying to sort through the sudden onslaught of emotions.

He had spent his entire life pushing and pushing people away, never letting anybody get too close for fear of what they might find out. But how could somebody find something out without you telling them? He was sick of pushing people away, sick of not having anybody close because of his stupid and irrational fear. So, for once, he wasn't going to push somebody away. He was going to pull him closer, and just let himself be himself for once.

"Oh god yes." He hissed. Dean smiled a bit and Castiel leaned forward to press their lips together heatedly, feeling like their souls themselves were merging. Dean blushed at how sudden it was, but he leaned into the kiss anyways, his lips working slowly on Castiel's in a way that felt absolutely wonderful. The heat sparking between them seemed to fill the car quicker than expected, and Dean soon found himself leaning over the console, body pressing Castiel's to the window as light and gentle touches were exchanged, fingers were threaded in hair and lips continued to work.

Things slowed down after that, kisses becoming slower and more meaningful, touches firmer as they found themselves wanting to take things slowly. Castiel's shirt came up a couple of inches, but he was too blissed out on Dean's lips to really care or even notice.

Dean broke away and both of them were panting, his eyes burned intensely into Castiel's.

"You're the most serious I've been about anyone. This does mean we're going out now, right?" He clarified, panting a little. Castiel's eyes were still trained on his kiss-swollen lips, and he licked his in anticipation of returning to their activities. His eyes soon drifted upwards though, taking in Dean's flushed appearance and his tousled up hair, before finally coming to his eyes, which were shining with love and affection.

Castiel decided that it was probably the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"Of course." He confirmed, nodding his head. Dean lazily smiled before he leaned down again, pressing their lips together again in the haze of emotion and heat. Castiel eagerly leaned up into it, barely even noticing that the window roller thing was pushing into his spine.

One of Dean's hands traced the bare skin of his stomach and he shivered a little, humming his appreciation against his partner's lips.

Then, suddenly, he felt the brush of feathers against his skin.

Dean pulled back, his eyes looking down curiously as he stroked over the soft feather's of Castiel's wings. Castiel stopped breathing, dread rising in his stomach and fear coursing through him. He shut his eyes tightly for a second and opened them again just in time to see realization dawn on Dean's face.

"Cas, those are feathers." He said slowly, his mind calculating and his eyes scanning Castiel's face for an explanation. "Do you... Do... Are those... Yours?" He whispered.

Castiel felt shame and humiliation wash through him. He closed his eyes tightly. Dean knew, and now he was going to leave him, just like his mother did. His lungs felt too tight and heavy and his chest felt like it was going to explode. He couldn't bring himself to answer, the small space of the car suddenly seeming like too much for him. He needed out, and he needed out now.

He brought his hands up and shoved Dean off of him, his eyes filling with tears. He barely heard a muffled, "Cas, wait!" Before he was out the door, the cold air hitting his skin like a slap in the face. He started working his legs, moving, needing to be anywhere but here.

The wind howled in his ears as he ran as fast as he could, not listening to the calling out of his name behind him as it was shouted. He just ran and ran, his muscles burning and eyes watering, dodging through the trees in the mostly darkness. He ran until he couldn't run anymore, until his legs and lungs were burning and he collapsed against a tree, leaning back against it and clinging for support like it was the one thing keeping him weighted down to earth.

He didn't know how long he had been there, sobs racking his body, hands covering his face as he cried into them. It felt like hours. Eventually, his tears subsided and all that he was left with was a mind numbingly terrible grief.

That was his chance at love, his one chance to get a taste of normalcy, and he blew it.
He didn't even hear the crunching of leaves along the forest floor as Dean approached him, slowly and then knelt down beside him.

"Castiel baby, talk to me." He said quietly. Castiel heard the shifting of leaves and Dean sighed again, putting his fingers up to his nose and pinching it a moment. He thought for a second before he knew what to do, the one thing that wouldn't need words.

Castiel's curiosity was intrigued when Dean's shirt hit the forest floor beside him, but he didn't look up. "Cas, look." Dean commanded. "Please, just do it." He whispered brokenly.

Castiel couldn't say no. He was too tired, too drained, just wanted to get this over with and get home. His eyes drifted upwards and out of his hands, and his mouth dropped open in shock.
On Dean's shoulders rested a mighty pair of wings, probably a foot longer than his own. His feather's looked soft to the touch and glistened in the low light, glossy and shiny and perfect. Then, there was the color, oh, the color.

If Castiel's wings were the ocean, then Dean's wings were the midnight sky reaching out to touch it.
Castiel took a moment to process all of this, before suddenly, he was standing. He wasn't sure how it happened after that, but somehow, he was crying into Dean's bare shoulder, happiness coming through him in waves.

Dean was just like him, Dean understood.

He would never have to be alone again.