Not much overlap between this chapter and the last, but... that just means all new content? :D Sorry it took so long to get this out. We'll blame the holidays (and certainly not me, oh goodness no).

Also, thank you to pharocomics for being a lovely beta, as always!

He'd been worried. Dean had been honest-to-God worried about Cas's health. He'd felt fucking bad for being a shitty friend all summer. He'd planned on doing everything in his power to get Cas to forgive him, and instead, Cas wasn't even sick. Instead, he'd been off gallivanting with some arrogant douche bag! And that is just wrong on so many levels!

"Dean!"

He continues storming down the silent hallway, steadfastly ignoring Anna's call of his name.

"Dean, wait!"

He only stops when she grabs his arm, huffing and puffing from the exertion of catching up with him.

Anna gazes up at him, clear concern and confusion written all over her face. "Dean, what was that?"

Rage wells up in him white and hot, and then he's ripping his arm out of his girlfriend's grasp, rounding on her like a wild, wounded animal. "What was that!? I don't know, Anna, you tell me! What the fuck was that!?"

Anna doesn't cower in the face of his wrath, instead she stares up at him, blue eyes like steel as her own anger swells up. "Dean Winchester," her voice is cold and hard, and this suddenly isn't the Anna he knows. This is a whole different Anna, someone strong and fierce, where his Anna has always been soft and collected. "You will under no circumstances speak to me like that." He opens his mouth to protest, apologize, say anything, but she cuts him off. "I don't know what the hell just got into you, but it's unacceptable. You really think you can just go around talking to strangers that way? Talking to your friends that way? Charlie and Castiel were about in tears." She never once raises her voice, but he would almost prefer she had, the ice of her tone is far worse than angry shouting could ever be. It's enough to cool him off, to make him start actually taking in what happened.

Dean hangs his head in shame. Meekly, he says, "I just don't get why he'd lie to me."

"That I don't know. You'll have to ask him yourself." Her voice is soft as she answers, hand going to rest on his forearm.

He never returns to the lunch room. In fact, he doesn't approach anyone at all. It's Charlie who comes up to him at the end of the day as he's at his locker.

"So you done hating everyone?" she asks, and he about jumps out of his skin because she did that thing where she kind of just appears, face hovering near his after he closes his locker (he's pretty sure Cas taught her when they were kids because he swears she wasn't always this sneaky).

"I don't hate anyone," he grumbles, shouldering his backpack and heading to the parking lot.

"Yeah, right, because that was an outburst of love earlier," Charlie says sardonically, following closely at his heels.

Dean sighs in exhaustion. "What do you want me to say, Charlie? That my feelings were fucking hurt and I blew up? Well there, I said it."

Charlie whistles lowly before tsking, "Touchy!"

They reach the Impala, and he throws his bag in the backseat before turning to face his best friend. "Look, was there something you wanted? I need to go pick up Sam."

Charlie frowns, and Dean immediately feels like crap again.

"I was just trying to see how you were," she mumbles, eyes downcast.

Dean sighs again, eyes casting up to the sky before returning to look at Charlie. "Look, I'm sorry I've been such an ass. Would you like to come over?"

She smiles brightly. "Yup!"

As she's trotting around to the passenger side of the car, Dean calls after her, "Not in the front seat! That's Sammy's spot, and you know it!"

"Aw maaaan," she whines, and it brings a genuine smile to his face for the first time that day.

"So legit, what's up with you?" Charlie asks when they're sitting in Dean's room, stuffing potato chips into her mouth.

"Nothing, I'm peachy keen," is his response, immediately followed by a sharp, "Ow! What the hell was that for!?" as Charlie slaps him across his shoulder. It didn't really hurt, but it's the principle of the matter!

"Don't you lie to me, Dean Winchester!"

"I'm not lying!"

Charlie rolls her eyes. "Right, of course, do forgive me. I forget shouting at your friends in the middle of the cafeteria and then storming off is the thing you do when you're happy."

He scowls. "What do you want me to say, huh?"

"How about that something is bothering you? Is it really that hard?" she asks in exasperation.

Dean groans in his own exasperation, raking his fingers through his hair as he throws himself back against his bed. "I don't know, okay!?"

Charlie regards him skeptically. "Does it by chance have something to do with a certain blue-eyed, dark-haired, genius boy?"

"No! ...Yes... Maybe... I don't know, Charlie!"

Her expression turns pitying. "Dean, it's okay to be upset that you guys are fighting, you know. You've been best friends since we were four, and I can probably count on one hand the number of fights you guys have been in since then."

His arms flop down beside him as he stares miserably up at the ceiling, feeling completely and utterly lost. "But that's the thing, Charlie. We aren't even fighting. We're just... not talking. I don't get it. I mean... I know I screwed up this summer, but fuck, Charlie! Why didn't he call me out on it?"

"I told you, he wants to see you and Anna happy."

"Bull shit! I don't buy that! Something's up with him, I know it. This isn't like him."

"Does this have something to do with a certain new student that showed up during lunch today?"

Dean narrows his eyes at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She shrugs. "I'm just saying that you kind of lost it when you found out he and Cas were talking, that's all."

"He fucking lied to me, Charlie!"

Charlie holds her hand up in a placating manner. "No, I know that, and that was super lame of him. But... are you mad because he lied to you about being sick this weekend or..." She trails off meaningfully, and Dean just stares at her suspiciously.

"Or what?" he challenges.

Charlie frowns. "Or are you mad that he never told you he batted for the other team?"

Dean full on glares at her. "I'm not a fucking homophobe, Charlie."

She waves her arms back and forth violently in a nixing manner. "No, no, I'm not saying that. I know you aren't, but... I'm just saying... maybe you're feeling hurt because he kept that from you?"

He holds up his glare a moment longer before he finally deflates back against his bed. "Why wouldn't he tell me that, Charlie?"

She frowns in sympathy, sidling up next to him, shoulders brushing. "He didn't tell any of us. Maybe he didn't know?"

Dean blinks up at the ceiling, staring up sightlessly. "Maybe..."

Silence falls between them for a few beats before, softly, Charlie says, "You should talk to him, you know."

Dean bristles. "Why should I talk to him? He's the one that lied."

Charlie gives a minute shrug. "I know, but... he thinks you hate him, Dean."

He feels so tired, staring at the ceiling of his room as though it holds all the answers to the universe. Or maybe he just wishes it held the answers to this situation. He doesn't know how things got this bad, and he doesn't really know how to fix them. He doesn't get why Cas would lie or omit things. Aren't they best friends? Aren't they brothers? It drains him to think about too much because he doesn't know if he knows the right answers anymore. But Charlie is right- they do need to talk.

His lips turn up in a small, melancholic smile. "Ya know, for being so smart, Cas sure is an idiot sometimes."

Charlie just smiles in return and bumps her shoulder softly against his.

Dean gets to school early the next day, hoping to catch Castiel before class starts. They may not be able to hash out their problems in that time, but maybe they can talk enough to get the ball rolling and not make lunch awkward as hell.

Of course, despite it only being the second day of school, Cas is sitting in the library and studying. Dean really doesn't know how Cas and Anna do it, but then again, that's probably why they're top of the class, and he's squarely in the middle.

Dean slides into the seat across from Cas, who seems completely oblivious to the world around him. Only when Dean places a hand over the guy's papers does he startle and look up. Castiel inhales sharply, not quite a gasp, but definitely an expression of surprise.

Dean offers a shaky smile, suddenly really wishing he'd had the foresight to plan something out. Fuck, he needed damn notecards for something like this, which only made him feel worse. This was his best friend sitting across from him, and he had no clue how to even start a conversation.

Castiel squints at him, a pensive expression, and Dean feels the bottom of his stomach fall out.

"This is the library, Dean," Castiel whispers, and Dean is torn between wanting to punch Cas because he fucking knows it's the library and wanting to cry because of course Cas doesn't want to hear it.

Dean swallows the lump in his throat and pushes back from the table. "Right. Well, my bad. I'll leave you alone then." He does a pretty fantastic job of keeping the emotion out of his voice, if he does say so himself.

"Wait!" Cas calls, and Dean about jumps out of his skin at the volume of his friend's voice versus the relative silence of the library. Castiel obviously noticed it too if the blush staining his cheeks is anything to go by. Dean raises an eyebrow, a silent gesture of go on.

Cas clears his throat, glancing down at his papers and then back up at Dean, the red on his cheeks not abating. "I just... I just mean... Give me a minute to gather my things, and then we can talk outside?" He stares up at Dean, blue eyes wide and questioning and so unsure, just like Dean himself feels. It gives him hope.

This time, when he smiles at Cas, it isn't quite as shaky. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll wait just outside the door."

Castiel smiles, as well, offering a small nod in agreement before Dean walks out of the library, hands stuffed in his pockets and feeling about ten pounds lighter already.

When Castiel comes out of the library not two minutes later, Dean smiles brightly at him, can't help it, he's so relieved. A part of him had been worried Cas might blow him off, go hide in some other corner of the library.

When Cas sees him, he looks like he might cry, eyes all shiny and watery. "I thought... I thought you hated me," he croaks out, "and I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

If that isn't an arrow straight through Dean's heart, he doesn't know what is. "Dude, no! No way! I don't hate you. Besides, we uh... We both kind of fucked up." He rubs the back of his neck, feeling completely like he's floundering in foreign waters. He's never been the best at the apology thing.

"I'm so sorry for lying to you, Dean,"Castiel says so earnestly, Dean could never think he means the apology any less than 200%.

"And I'm sorry that I blew you off over the summer. I really had no clue. I was an idiot. You need to start calling me on this shit, man. Don't let me get away with crap like that."

Cas nods, smile finally starting to look more parts genuine than nerves. "I will."

They fall into silence, but for once it isn't awkward. Dean feels a warmth in his chest to finally offset the cold loneliness that had settled there late Friday night and remained until just moments ago.

Scuffing the toe of his shoe against the linoleum floor, Castiel finally breaks the silence. "I should probably get back to studying."

Dean blinks, startled out of silence. "Oh! Yeah! Definitely. Go study."

Cas turns to go back into the library, but then stops to look at Dean over his shoulder. His smile sends Dean's heart to skipping beats. "Thank you for coming to talk to me this morning. I hated that we weren't talking."

Dean feels his face heat up, and a kind of dopey smile spreads across his face. "Yeah, same."

Castiel turns back to walk into the library, but Dean's call of, "Hey, Cas!" has him stopping and turning around one more time.

"Yes, Dean?"

"Wanna come hang out after school? Make up for some lost time."

Castiel's smile is brilliant, reaching up and turning on a light in his eyes. "Definitely."

Dean stands there staring after Cas for untold moments before he shakes himself out of his daze and heads to the cafeteria. Maybe someone else he knows came in early too.

"You seem in a better mood today," Charlie says as she plops down in the seat next to Dean during first period.

Dean can't stop the triumphant grin from spreading over his face. "Sure am!"

Charlie is smiling back knowingly. "Talked to Cas, I take it?"

He nods. "Yep. We're all good. Hanging out this afternoon and everything."

"See!" Charlie exclaims happily, delivering a friendly punch to his arm. "I told you it would all work out."

Dean's smile turns slightly shy as he meets Charlie's eyes. "Thanks. I don't think you realize how much you keep us all together."

Charlie's blush clashes adorably with her hair as she sticks her nose up in the air. "Well, someone has to keep you guys in line. God knows what you'd do without me."

"Fall apart," Dean offers, tone light and joking.

"At the least," Charlie responds primly. When her blush finally fades, she looks back over at Dean, wearing a slightly concerned, slightly serious expression. "Did you guys talk about Balthazar at all?"

He looks back at her in confusion. "No?"

She frowns. "Well... That's okay, I guess?"

Dean lifts his brow speculatively. "You guess?"

"I just... I mean, I kind of thought it might come up?"

"Why would it come up?" Dean's tone is challenging, bordering on confrontational.

Charlie makes a sad attempt at a casual shrug. "Just... I don't know. Considering how lunch went yesterday, I thought maybe it would come up?"

"I wasn't mad about Balthazar, Charlie. I was mad that he lied," Dean responds through gritted teeth, all but spitting out the other boys name as though it leaves a foul taste in his mouth.

"If you say so," Charlie says, giving Dean a look and using a tone that indicates she really doesn't believe he means it.

"I say so," Dean grumbles back, slouching a little lower in his seat in an act of juvenile petulance. After all, he really wasn't mad about Balthazar. That doesn't mean he has to like the guy though.

The rest of the day goes well, other than a minor hiccup during lunch where Dean had to bite his tongue lest he say something rude to Balthazar. Something about the way the guy just sauntered up, say next to Cas, and wrapped his arm around him made Dean's blood boil. Obviously, it was best friend instinct. Balthazar wasn't right for Cas, and it bothered Dean that his best friend didn't see he deserved better. Still, he made it through, and now he found himself in the parking lot, waiting on Cas.

When he finally shows up, Dean goes around to the driver's side. "Way to keep a guy waiting," he jokes.

"Sorry, sorry, had to get the homework for Calculas," Castiel puffs, sliding into the passenger side.

"You damn smart kids and your crazy homework on the second day," Dean chides, wry smile on his face.

"Hey, we don't ask for it," Castiel counters in a reasonable tone.

"I don't know about that. You're the ones crazy enough to sign up for AP courses, after all," Dean says with a shrug and a smirk, watching Cas out of the corner of his eye.

"Shut up and drive, Winchester," Castiel grouses, but Dean can see the shadow of a smile on his face.

"Aye, aye," Dean laughs.

He turns up the music and they drive the rest of the way to Sam's school without a word spoken between them.

"You guys are gonna go deaf, you know that?" is Sam's greeting as he gets into the car.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean grumbles, but he turns down the music all the same.

Leaning up and bracing his arms on the backs of the front seats, Sam grins at Dean and Castiel. "Hey Cas! I haven't seen you in awhile!"

Castiel smiles warmly back. "It's good to see you too, Sam. It looks like you've grown a little?"

"Yep! Hit a growth spurt over the summer!" Sam is beaming as he say it, expression as happy as a puppy with a wagging tail.

Castiel turns to Dean. "Look out, Dean, pretty soon he'll be taller than you."

Dean scoffs. "Yeah right. Don't go giving him delusions of grandeur, Cas." He knows Cas is right now. Sam is already taller than Dean was at that age.

Dean zones into watching the road in front of him as his brother and best friend fall into conversation, and everything finally just feels right