Huge thanks to my beta, pharocomics!

That evening when Castiel gets home and finally checks his phone, he has a text from Balthazar.

"hope u had fun with your friend beautiful"

It brings a smile to his face, and as he types out "i did. I'm glad he and I worked it out" he thinks maybe this can all work out, after all.

Friday comes quickly, the first week of school finally on its last day, and Cas couldn't be more grateful. Even barring the excessive amounts of personal drama, school itself has been exhausting. All the AP classes are already starting to wear on him just a week in, and Cas finds himself hoping he'll even manage to graduate at all. He should probably see if Anna wants to get together soon and study.

"Good morning, beautiful," a lilting voice says, and Cas can't help the smile or the blush that rise up on his face as he turns from the books in his locker to face Balthazar.

"Good morning, Balthazar."

Balthazar shoots him a winning grin, leaning casually against the locker next to Castiel's. "So, what are your plans this weekend?"

Castiel shrugs, reaching for his English book. "Besides homework? Nothing. Was going to see if Anna wanted to study together at some point."

"Ah, yes, a study date. Why don't you also plan on an actual date?"

Castiel stalls his movements, looking back up at Balthazar. "What?"

Balthazar is still smiling charmingly, staring at Cas in a way that makes the other boy's blush deepen. "I'm asking you on a date, Cassie."

"Oh..."

Balthazar's smile falls. "'Oh?' That's it?"

Castiel flounders for words. "I just... I mean..."

Balthazar's brow creases. "I'm sorry, I thought we had something. Perhaps I shouldn't have assumed."

"No!" Cas blushes even more, which he didn't even think was possible, as his volume makes Balthazar jump and draws the attention of a couple of other people at near by lockers. "No... We are, you just took me by surprise, is all."

The smile returns to Balthazar's face. "So is that a yes, then?"

Cas gives a small, almost bashful nod. "It's a yes."

"Great! Tomorrow work for you?"

"It does."

"Then we'll work out the details this afternoon." Balthazar pushes off the locker and places a kiss to Cas's cheek. "I'll see you at lunch."

Cas can't even bring himself to care that people are staring as he watches Balthazar walk off.

"Good morning, Anna!" Castiel greets cheerfully as he slides into his seat.

Anna raises an amused eyebrow. "Well someone's in a good mood this morning."

He can't keep the smile off his face as he says, "I really, really am. Life is good."

She rests her chin on her hand. "Is it now?"

He nods. "Dean and I are on good terms once more, it's Friday, and I have a date this weekend."

Anna's eyes widen slightly, a smile playing on her own lips. "Really? So you and Balthazar are officially going out?"

"We are."

Anna leans back in her seat. "Well I'm happy for you. You deserve it."

He directs a shy smile at his desk. "Thank you, Anna."

"So your hot date mean you'll be too busy to get some studying done this weekend?" she asks.

"I thought you'd never ask," he answers.

"We should do something this weekend!" Charlie announces at lunch.

Everyone looks at her with differing shades of expectancy.

"I'm just saying, it's been a really long time since we all hung out, you know? And Lisa's party so does not count, considering Cas and Dean both left early." She shoots her aforementioned friends dirty looks.

"I'd like that, only, uh..." Cas trails off.

"Only...?" Charlie prompts

He averts his eyes, cheeks turning pink. "Only it would have to be tonight."

Dean raises an eyebrow. "Cas, I know you're busy and all, but come on, you can take a break from studying long enough to hang with your friends."

"Don't be such a neanderthal," Balthazar butts in, wrapping an arm around Cas, whose blush spreads all the way up to his ears. "Castiel and I have a date tomorrow."

Charlie oooooo's in approval, while Dean clenches his jaw.

Castiel nods. "Yes, and Anna and I are spending Sunday studying."

"Well, that's fine then, we'll make it tonight!" Charlie says.

"I have family bonding night," Anna says apologetically.

"Same," says Dorothy. "Dad's coming into town from his book tour tonight. We're having this big welcome home dinner for him."

"Alas, I have plans as well," says Balthazar, who then glances at Dean. "Though I think I would probably be the odd one out as the only significant other."

Charlie huffs out a pout. "Dean Winchester, I swear to God that if you tell me you're busy tonight, I will make your life hell, and I'll recruit Sam to help for when I'm not around."

"I'm not busy, geeze."

"Good!" Charlie chirps. "Then it'll just be the three of us, just like old times. We'll all meet at your car?"

Dean nods. "Sounds good to me."

"Charlie," Anna begins, "If you're interested, and if you and Dorothy are free tomorrow, maybe you two, Dean, and I could all go on a double date while Balthazar and Cas enjoy their first?"

Charlie makes puppy eyes at her girlfriend.

Dorothy shrugs. "Sounds good to me."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Dean asks.

"Don't you want to see me this weekend?" Anna simpers playfully.

Dean heaves a put-upon sign. "Fiiiine. I guess that works."

"Awesome!" Charlie exclaims.

"I thought that was Sam's seat," Charlie huffs from the back of the car.

Dean glances back at her in the rear-view mirror. "What?"

"The front passenger side! Every time I try to sit there, you tell me it's Sam's spot. Yet there Cas is, up front with you."

Cas looks at Dean expectantly, knowing Charlie is doing the same. He can actually see the gears in his friend's head turning, trying to come up with a logical excuse.

Finally, Dean says, "Driver picks the seating arrangement, backseat shuts her cakehole."

He turns up the music as Charlie slumps in the backseat and Cas shoots her a pitying (though no less smug) look.

Luke Skywalker has just been saved by old Ben Kenobi when Dean pauses the movie, Charlie and Cas looking up from their whispers and snickering like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"You guys want to share with the class?"

Charlie and Cas exchange another quick look before Charlie says, aiming for casual, "Was just asking Cas what he and Balthazar are planning to do tomorrow."

Cas feels his stomach start to tie itself into anxious knots, waiting for Dean's response, but before his friend can say anything, Sam pops up and splays himself over the back of the couch.

"Who's Balthazar?" he asks.

"Cas's new boyfriend," Charlie singsongs in response.

Sam pulls a skeptical face, turning to look at Cas. "You're gay?"

Cas bites his lip, the knots growing tighter. He loves Sam like a brother and doesn't want this to negatively impact their relationship. It may all be pointless worrying; after all, Sam has never treated Charlie any differently, but this is different. Castiel isn't a woman, after all.

He swallows around the lump in his throat and nods mutely.

Sam regards him for a moment more before breaking out into an adorable grin. "That's awesome! Congrats, man!"

Castiel feels relief wash through him. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam's expression turns deadly serious just as quickly as it had become ecstatic, which throws Cas for a moment, until the kid says, "He better treat you right, though, otherwise he'll have to face some Winchester wrath." A sudden laugh that's the product of too many nerves and relief rips out of him, which has Sam grinning again.

"Hey! Don't forget Bradbury wrath!" Charlie says, wrapping an arm around Cas's shoulders and ruffling his hair.

And Cas just can't stop laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mary asks as she walks in the room, just getting home from work.

"We're gonna kick Cas's boyfriend's ass if he messes with him," Sam answers.

Mary scowls at her son. "Sam, watch your language." She then turns a kind smile on Castiel. "Congratulations, dear. Sam's right, though, he better watch his step." She winks.

Castiel manages to calm his laughter enough to say, "Thank you, Mary."

"Any time, sweetie. Now, are you and Charlie staying the night?"

"I'll ask my mom!" Charlie exclaims enthusiastically, jumping over the back of the couch to go make a call to her mother.

"I'm sure Grandmother won't mind, but I'll call and let her know," Cas answers, exiting the room at a much more sedate pace than Charlie.

Later that night, the three of them are sprawled all across Dean's room, lights turned off so that they can at least give the illusion they're trying to go to sleep.

"Charlie, stop it!" Cas complains gruffly.

"I'm not doing anything!" she protests.

Silence holds for a minute before, "Dean, I swear to god if you don't get your foot off my crotch..."

"It isn't me, man."

Castiel stealthily reaches under his blankets and pinches the top of the foot that is currently lewdly rubbing against him.

The foot it quickly withdrawn "Ow! Shit, Cas! What the hell!"

"You're an awful liar, Dean."

Charlie just snickers.

Silence falls again, and just as Cas is about to fall asleep, his phone lights up and starts vibrating.

"Who the hell is calling you this late?" Dean gripes.

Cas checks his phone and his heart flutters in his chest as he sees Balthazar's name light up on the screen. He'd almost completely forgotten that he'd never heard from his- could he even really call Balthazar his boyfriend? They hadn't really discussed it.

He quickly hits Accept and answers, "Hold on just a second," disentangling himself from the cocoon of blankets on the floor and rushing out of the room, Charlie's tittering singsong of, "Is that your boyfriend?" following him down the hall.

When he steps out onto the front porch, the door shut behind him, he finally lifts the phone back up to his ear. "Sorry about that. It ended up turning into a sleep over."

The sound of Balthazar's chuckling in Cas's ear makes a warm flush go through his whole body, settling in the pit of his stomach. "Not a problem. I should be the one apologizing, anyway."

"It's okay, really," Castiel promises, taking a seat on the porch swing, starting to rock slowly back and forth.

"If you say so, beautiful. Now, about tomorrow, I was thinking we hit up that nature center, that sound good to you?"

A smile spreads across Castiel's face, unbidden, as he's completely unable to contain his excitement. "Yes. Yes, that sounds great."

"Wonderful." Maybe it's just wishful thinking or transference, but Cas is fairly certain he can hear the smile in Balthazar's voice from across the line.

They fall into silence, and it makes Castiel antsy. Not the bad kind of antsy, like he wishes someone would do something, but the excited kind of antsy that comes from wanting to do something himself.

Finally, he says, "I want to ask about your day, but I'm afraid that then we won't have anything to talk about tomorrow."

Balthazar chuckles warmly. "Then I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Go enjoy your sleep over, and I'll pick you up at eleven tomorrow."

"Alright." There's an almost awkward pause where Cas isn't exactly sure how to say goodbye.

Balthazar solves the problem for him by finally saying, "Good night, Cassie."

"Good night," says Cas before finally hanging up the phone.

He sits for a few more moments, enjoying the quiet of the night, wondering how he's ever going to get to sleep with all the butterflies that have now made a home in his stomach flying around.. He allows himself one more completely dopey grin before going back in.

The house is silent as he creeps back up to Dean's room, which is completely silent, as well.

Which is why he about jumps out of his skin when Dean whispers, "Charlie fell asleep. Was about to come check on you."

"Sorry," Cas whispers back.

"S'cool."

The room falls back into silence, and Cas is almost certain Dean is asleep until he hears his best friend ask, "You really like him, huh?"

Cas smiles to himself in the dark, curling into the blankets and pillows. "Yeah," he answers, "I think I really do."