Their sleepovers were the best by far.
As soon as they finished kindergarten on a Friday afternoon Mary would pick them up and bring them back to the Winchesters. Castiel's parents didn't mind, it gave them a chance to go out for much needed dates whilst their eldest children didn't need a babysitter.
John worked late into the evenings so he would only really wish them good night and kiss their foreheads as they snuggled in under deans duvet covers.
Tonight they were playing superheroes, dean wore his makeshift batman cape while castiel wore his favourite checked shirt of deans around his neck while they ran back and forth down the hallway stopping all the bad guys standing in their path.
Once the upstairs was clear of villains the pair decided to search the rest Winchester house for more.
"Common cas! The bad guys will get away" dean shouted excitedly, tugging on castiel's arm to lead him down the stairs.
Bounding rather loud and disgracefully down the stairs, they spotted little baby Sammy sitting up in his playpen.
"Quick dean they gunna get sam!" castiel shouted pointing towards deans baby brother, who always watched them with rapid interest as they played.
"Sammy no!" dean yelled with childish excitement he bound off across the room, castiel not far behind him.
Together they battled the villains who were trying to get into Sam's playpen, shooting beams of light and fireballs out of their hands, of course they succeeded.
Celebrating their victory with a legendary high five, the boys couldn't help but notice the strange orange glow that illuminated in through the living room window.
"What's that dean?" castiel asked fiddling with the sleeves of dean's shirt/ make shift cape.
"I don't know, let's check it out cas" dean said climbing up onto the sofa and stretching out his hand for castiel to grab, helping him up with ease.
Together they looked out of the large glass window, faces pressed close to the glass. The sight they saw was both confusing and frightening at the same time.
"That's a …." Castiel started in shock eyes widening as he looked toward his friend.
"Fire!" Dean finished in a shouted panic.
After being taught fire safety in class, dean knew just how dangerous it could be if a fire was not dealt with so with great urgency he leapt from the couch to go find his mum. She would know what to do.
He quickly found her in the laundry room folding a pile of newly washed clothing.
"Mama, theirs a…. a "he said struggling for breath; after his round of spirited playing and his mad dash to find his mother in order to get help.
Mary saw her son's obvious distress so she set the t-shirt currently in her hands on top of the dryer in order to see what was bothering her eldest son.
"Dean, honey slow down what's wrong?" she asked crouching down and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Willing him to calm down enough to tell her what was troubling him.
"A … f-fire mama" he breathed as he let out a gust of air from his lungs.
"What?!" she asked suddenly panicked, looking towards the room her son had just appeared from she couldn't not make out any smoke, there were no flames.
"Where?" she asked.
"cross the street…. house is on fire, the flames are soooo big mama" he answered looking up to his mother with worry stricken eyes no five year old should ever have.
Mary sprang into action immediately, holstering dean up on to her hip and holding him close she ran to the kitchen to grab the hand set kept nearby.
Standing in front of the large and open windows that lined the front of her home she called 911 and asked for the fire service and quick.
Throughout the ordeal she kept an eye on the children. Making sure they were ok and that they were not frightened by the current situation in anyway. They were safe.
Sammy had thankfully fell into a deep nap in between all the chaos, so she stood at the windows with a rather fascinated dean and timid castiel. Looking down at the boys she ran her hand sweetly through their short locks in a comforting way as they watched the firemen and women go about their job.
Mary wished she could have helped in anyway, even just minorly but she couldn't, she had a house full of boys that needed her to protect them from those dangers.
After a long and terrifying hour, the fire was gone. Vanquished. Mary decided to put the boys to bed early tonight they had been through a lot and nights rest was surely needed. After being bathed and dressed the boys were soon ready for bed, Mary lovingly tucking them in under deans batman bed covers.
Mary left the room with a gentle kiss to their foreheads and the wish of 'sweet dreams darlings'.
After lying in the darkness for quite some time dean decided he wanted to tell cas something that was on him mind.
Rolling over he found castiel with his eyes closed.
"cas" he whispered into the darkness of the bedroom "are you awake?" he didn't want to be too loud in case he really was asleep but wanted to know either way.
He was soon met with a quick answer as castiel opened his eyes and turned towards him. "Yes dean"
"Were you scared of the fire cas?" dean asked curiously.
"A little… weren't you?" castiel questioned looking into his friends wide green eyes.
"Course I was … but can I tell you a secret cas" dean said hesitantly.
"Of course" came the blue eyed boy's hushed reply.
"I wanna be a firefighter when I grow up"
"I can't believe it's you" castiel exclaimed in awe.
"Cas…. Shit is that really you?" came dean's stunned reply.
His parents were constantly arguing all the time and it was starting to worry castiel that they would end up getting a divorce.
High school was stressful enough on its own without the need for added drama at home as well.
This often led to castiel struggling to cope, considering him being the only one out of his siblings still living with his parents.
It was lonely.
So most of the time castiel always found himself over at the Winchesters chilling out in his best friend dean's childhood bedroom listening to music and on occasion passing a bottle of Mr Winchester's whisky back and forth between them.
Today was one of those days. Castiel had returned home from school to find his parents tearing at one and others' throats. Again. They hadn't even realised he had come home let alone up and left again. He turned up at the Winchesters door, dean didn't even question it just lead the way up to his bedroom so he could look after his best friend.
It was an hour or so before they pulled out the liquor, the whisky burned their throats but the lightened feeling that came after was what they were looking for. Dean's parents were out on a date and sam was staying at a friend's house so they had the house to their selves. They wouldn't get caught.
Rock music filtered out from dean's room, the bottle, half empty sat between the pair as they both belted out the lyrics to the current song out of tune and obnoxiously loud. Laughing and grinning at each other whenever they forgot a verse.
As the evening progressed and the booze was passed freely between the pair they gradually managed to drift closer together. Looking dopily into each other's eyes, laughing and enjoying one and others company.
Cas was feeling great, hanging out with dean; away from his parents who were causing such destruction in his life, he just wanted to forget his parent's problems…. His own problems for the evening. Just for once.
He plucked the bottle from deans loosely held grasp, taking a hefty swig, then another… and another.
"Hey don't hog it all asshat, give it back!" dean bellowed voice higher and louder in his inebriated state.
"Make me" castiel countered, voice muffled around the lip of the bottle.
"Oh don't be like that c-cas" dean hiccupped reaching across cas's warm body to reach for the bottle. Which failed miserably when castiel moved the bottle out of his grasp, his body colliding into castiel side with a soft grunt.
The both stared wide eyed at each other neither breaking the contact in that moment.
Castiel sucked in a shaky breath, wetting his lips on reflex.
Dean's eyes tracked the movement, his mouth going dry as he continued to stare hypnotised. Flicking his eyes upwards he was met with the wide vibrant eyes of his best friend, he looked just as lost as dean felt.
He saw those eye's travel south, down toward his mouth.
They both leaned into to each other's space, drawn by some unknown force towards each other. The bottle soon forgotten by the pair. Ultimately causing it to come tumbling to the ground from within castiel loose grip.
They both jumped apart. Now suddenly alert.
Dean grabbed the bottle from the now soggy carpet, as castiel checked his phone. Shit 11 o'clock. 9 missed calls.
"I've got to go" was all he said as he grabbed his coat and fled the house.
Dean's week had been shit, his football team had lost their annual match against Hell saint's high, those slimy bastards.
He failed his algebra test and had to resist it again and to top it off castiel had ignored him. Gone a whole week, without even one word not since he fled dean's room in a shame, after they…. after they nearly kissed.
During lunch period dean decided to take a walk around campus clear his head a little before his next class, that when he saw him.
Sitting on a bench near the parking lot, all by himself. Nose in a history book as always, lunch forgotten by his side.
This was it this was his chance, to confront him.
Ask his what his damn problem was.
Why the hell he had avoided his friends for the whole week, even that one drew in everyone's attention, Charlie Jo and Benny constantly asking him where cas was. What had happened between the pair.
Furiously striding towards his friend, a weeks' worth of anger fuelling his every movement.
"The hells your problem Novak!" he demanded stopping promptly in front of his friend, the tips of their shoes making contact at the distance. "You can't just ignore me… your friends for a week without even an explanation, what is it… what have I done?!" he commanded voice raising as he crossed his arms in font of himself, eyes trained on his friends now sheepish face.
"Dean-"castiel started.
"Cas what was it? Was it that night? Do you hate me that much, im sorry we were drunk for Christ sakes!" he yelled voice drawing in attention from the lunch time crowd.
Castiel stayed silent, staring at deans shoes refusing to make eye contact.
"You know what screw you cas, I can't believe you – you of all people could be that shallow-"dean scoffed turning his back ready to leave. Storm inside, to scream for all he cared as long as he could get his anger out in some way.
"I'm moving!" castiel yelled voice like thunder.
"I'm moving" he sighed voice breaking ever so slightly as he rose to his feet, finally meeting the eyes of his friend.
It was sudden the move, one week he was fine; going day by day through school, today he was moving, away from everything he'd ever loved. Who he'd ever loved.
The last box was waiting to be piled into the van, he stood in his old room; now an empty hollow shell of what it used to be.
He'd already said goodbye to his friends. The last day of school had been tough practically heart-breaking for all that he hated the place.
It wasn't goodbye.
Never good bye, he would see them again.
Taking a slow walk down the stairs, he walked out of the door for the last time.
A hand gripped him by the elbow, dragging him off to the side. Dean.
They had spent every last moment they had with each other over of the course of castiel's last week. Of course he would show up today to say his final goodbye.
"Dean what are you doing" castiel laughed, practically forced out of him as he was dragged around to the side of his garage.
"I just wanted to say goodbye" dean smiled, eyes a little teary as they bore into castiel's own.
"I still can't believe this is happening, that I won't see your dorky little f-face every d-day" dean chocked unshed tears threating to fall down his cheeks.
Castiel dropped his box to the ground and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Breath stuttering as he tried to keep control on his emotions, this wouldn't be the end. They would see each other again. They held each other for a long time, each huffing out painful breaths against each other's necks.
When they eventually parted they laughed slightly taking in the state of each other.
"This isn't the end you know" castiel smiled tearfully.
"Course it's not ... im gunna be hounding your ass with texts till you get sick of me" dean laughed gripping his shoulder tightly.
"That's a promise I expect you to stick to Winchester" castiel warned half-heartedly in a non-threatening manner, as he bent down to collect the last of his belongings.
Dean's arm finally slipping from his shoulder.