Dean drove to pick Cas up Sunday at three. The skies were thick with dark clouds and a low grumble of thunder far in the distance made Dean hope Cas would be quick, or else they' be caught in a torrent. He leaned forward to peer out the windshield, whistling to himself. It looked pretty bad up there. Maybe they could sleep together tonight. Not sex, not yet, but just… maybe have them be close all night. He needed it. He needed arms around him; he had felt so lost this weekend. The first time he'd been away from Cas had been quiet, but… empty. He knew it would be. They both did. But Dean was tough, he could handle it. And Cas had his family.

He had driven around: he saw the sights, drank a few beers, sat by a creek, and found a few hollows he really liked in the woods alongside the back roads. The weather had been perfect for it Saturday. But today, Dean had driven around the town three times waiting for three to hit. He'd grabbed breakfast, then lunch, then he'd driven to the college and back before it was close enough to three for him to head over. He was antsy, tense in anticipation for some reason. Maybe it had to do with yesterday morning. He'd woken up alone, but clutching his pillow instead of sleeping on it, as if… as if it were someone. As if it were Cas. Of course, he brushed it off, and went about his day, but… It had been disconcerting. Maybe Cas felt it, too.

He pulled down into the steep driveway just as it began to drizzle. Shutting off the car, he popped open the door. The air was cold, and the wind whipped his jacket as he climbed out of the Impala and strode to the side door to the house where Cas had vanished inside last time. He ducked into the cover of their garage, sliding passed a Hundai, and rapped his knuckles on the door eagerly.

What if his folks answered? He hadn't thought about that. He paled, Adam's apple bobbing as he stepped back from the door, considering bolting. But it was too late, the door knob behind the screened door, and as it creaked open he stared into the face of a tired but smiling woman he only assumed was Cas's mother. She had his eyes. He blinked, in shock, and opened his mouth a bit as if to speak. He managed a nervous smile to cover up his awkward reaction, holding out his hands. "Is Cas home?" He managed. "I'm his roommate, come to bus him back."

"You're Dean!" The woman exclaimed, and her happiness was jaded but genuine. "I'm sorry, I'm Castiel's mother. Of course he's home-"

"Dean." Came Cas's voice, and Dean lit up, looking eagerly around the kind woman to see the soft eyes of Castiel draw up behind her. His mom smiled and stepped back, letting Cas step out into the garage to embrace Dean. "Right on time." He said into Dean's neck, which pricked the nerves in the other boy's heart. What was he doing? In front of his mother?

"Of course, man," he smiled into Cas's face as he drew back and Cas noticed the terror in his eyes. His own widened.

"Mind if I talk to him for a minute?" He asked, turning to his mother. She waved her hands and nodded, teasingly, shutting the door. When her footsteps had retreated, Cas turned back to Dean with a smile that made his knees weak. "I told them."

"You… you did what?" Dean stammered, staring at him.

"I told them about… us. Sort of. What we started." He explained.

Dean took this in, nodding, and glanced around. He happened to notice Cas was wearing a simple light blue t-shirt torn at the collar, pajama pants – which turned him on – and was barefoot. He did not look ready to leave. Dean looked at him. "Am I meeting your folks?" He choked.

Castiel reached out and took Dean's face in one of his hands, drawing him in warmly, and it calmed the other at once. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he said gently. "They want to meet you. But they can wait. Next week. The week after. The month after. Whenever you're comfortable, Dean."

Nodding, Dean drew Cas against him, hands on his waist. "All right. Ok." He looked up at him. "I can do it. Now. But, let me just get something first." He leaned to kiss Cas warmly, and found arms thrown around his neck. He flushed with heat as Castiel sank into him with deep, passionate kissing, and wrapped his own arms tightly around Cas's waist. They just stood there, their warmth seeping out and mixing with each other's, exchanging how much they'd missed each other, until Dean pulled away. He held Cas's body against his own and took a deep breath. "Ok, let's do this."

They untangled, Cas grinning nervously, and he led the way inside the house. In the living room both of Castiel's parents were on armchairs. There was a big plush couch and an old TV and it all smelled like cleaning products and candles. Dean liked it at once. It felt like a home. Cas's mother was modestly built and looked very much like she had just recovered from depression. His father was a spitting image of him – only taller, more laid-back. He smiled at both people as they rose, and he shook their hands.

"This is Dean," Cas said to them. "Dean, this is my father, Byron Novak, and my mother, Cassandra Novak."

"It's a pleasure, you two," Dean said genuinely. "Really. Cas is a real good guy, you did something right with him."

"It took some effort, but not much," his dad winked, and they laughed. "Please, come on in. Take a seat."

Dean and Cas sat close on the couch, and his folks sat back down in their separate chairs. Rubbing his chin, Dean glanced at Cas, smiling, and then at his dad. The same posture hung there. The same motion of his arms and legs. Cas was more uptight, more flighty, like Cassandra seemed to be, and his dad was casual. Cool. Full of warm contentment.

"So, kiddo," the older man said in his friendly tone, looking him over. "Tell us what you're studying, what your parents do." He waved his hand. "Anything you wanna mention."

A chuckle escaped Dean's lips. He shrugged, holding out his hands. "Well, ah, I'm studying American History, actually – I never thought it'd be my thing, but hey. Cowboys and Indians. My mom died when I was a kid, and dad was in pest control for a long time. Well… more like all my life. But he went, ah… missing… before my brother made me decide to stop traveling and go to school."

"Missing?" Cas's mom asked worriedly, to which Dean nodded, smiling a bit bitterly.

"Yeah. He went out on a job and never came home. I helped him out for years, even when my brother Sam left to go to college, and he just… took off. I haven't seen him since."

Cas's dad sat back in his chair in shock. "No parents. Wow, kiddo, that's rough."

Dean nodded. "Without my brother, I don't know what I'd have done with myself. I couldn't work alone. I wasn't… certified." He laughed a bit. "But without Cas here, I don't know where I'd be after Sammy dropped me off. I probably would have bolted." He said honestly, and he saw both their eyes soften. "He just kind of anchored me down, made sure I knew I had somebody to help me, and he got me to stay, you know? I was lost after my dad left, and he just… he got to me. Just like that."

They exchanged a smile, and Cassandra folded her hands in her lap. "We can tell you're a good guy, Dean," she began, "you might be a bit afraid of us, but honestly we've never seen Castiel happier. Not in a long time. So we're just going to welcome you into the family – all the more important now knowing you don't have parents of your own around – and say that you're welcome here, in our house, at any time. If Cas is happy, we are happy. And if Cas loves you, so will we." Her kindness struck Dean, who sat looking surprised until Cas nudged him gently.

"I – I am?" He stammered. "I mean, I just… Thank you." Open mouth, insert foot, he thought helplessly. Parents, man. He looked them both in the eye and clasped his hands together. They were so lacking in the judgment he'd expected – so calm in the face of a gay son and his boyfriend (he cringed at the word). It was admirable. A breath of fresh air. "Thank you both," he said warmly. "I've never had a… home. Not like this. You two, and Cas, you've got a good thing here. So thank you for letting me be with him – and letting me be a part of all this." He smiled, they smiled, Cas teared up, and Dean felt like his heart was filling up to the brim, and spilling out all of the jagged cracks and tears beaten into it over the years.

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