The next time, Cas woke up first. He had his legs tangled with Dean's, and their loosely entwined fingers rested on Dean's stomach. His head was on Dean's shoulder with Dean's nose nestled in his hair. He loosed his hand from, Dean's and prodded his friend in the stomach.

"Wake up." Dean didn't move so Cas pulled himself free and made his way downstairs. He was the only one given free range to the kitchen besides Mary, so he went in there when he heard her humming to herself as she did the dishes.

"Hello, Cas. Did you have a good sleep?" Cas nodded his agreement and started drying the plates- his willingness to help with the chores was one of the major reasons he was allowed in the kitchen. "I sent Sam to wake you guys up a while ago. He... he didn't have the heart." she smiled and dried her hands, pulling her phone from her pocket. She showed Castiel a picture of himself and Dean passed out on the bed, completely wrapped in one another. Cas blushed, and Mary laughed, putting her phone away. She helped Cas dry and put away the dishes, chatting softly. Once they were finished she handed him a plastic-cover plate of food. "Eat up." They heard muffled thumps slowly making their way down the stairs and Mary handed Cas a second plate of food, which he brought out to Dean. They ate in front of the TV, watching their favorite show, Dr. Sexy MD. Upon request, the elder Winchesters allowed Cas to stay the night, since it was Friday. Unfortunately, the boys had slept all afternoon so they were currently wide awake. Cas suggested they go for a walk. It was after midnight, but Dean agreed.

Cas seemed to have a destination in mind, so Dean let him lead the way. Dean had his arm slung around Cas's shoulder, per usual. They walked silently, enjoying the cool night air and having the other by their side. Cas led them to a park not too far from Dean's house. It was old and hardly ever used anymore. He brought them to the base of a large tree and smiled as he stepped from Dean's grasp. He began climbing the tree. Dean watched for a moment before following. About 10 feet up, the ground was no longer visible through the leaves and Cas stopped.

"This is where I come when I don't want to go home." They both settled comfortably on the large branch.

"It's nice. Oh, by the way, someone called you earlier." Dean handed off the phone tucked into his picket. Cas glanced at the history and groaned.

"My publicist." he explained. "I'll call her back later." he decided after a moment of deliberation. He smiled at the green eyed boy in front of him. "I like your family. They love you- and each other- a lot." Dean smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, they're all pretty great. What about you? What's your family like?" Cas looked away and began playing with his fingers.

"They love each other." Dean waited for more, but Cas seemed inclined to keep his silence.

"And you, I'm sure."

"I'm not." Cas's eyes widened- he hadn't meant to say that. "I mean... it doesn't really seem like it." Cas kept his voice steady as he spoke, as thought telling someone else's story. "They love him." Dean knew Cas was referring to his public persona. "Or at least they's like to use him for their own gain, even if they'd deny any relation to anyone they know. I haven't seen them since I was 15 and my book hit number 1 on the best-sellers list."

"Who do you live with, then?" Cas just shook his head and changed the topic.

"Sam took a picture of us while we slept." Dean momentarily forgot his concern for his friend.

"What?"

"He sent it to your mother. Potentially your father as well." Dean groaned and covered his face with his hands. He could hear the smile in Cas's voice when he spoke next. "I had your mother send it to me as well."

"Let me see." he demanded, scooting closer to Cas. The boy pulled out his phone and obliged. The two boys were facing each other, legs tangled. They were sharing a pillow, faces no more than three inches apart. Their arms rested on each other's waists, their bodies pressed tightly together. Dean was smiling. "You know, if we were going out, we'd look pretty good." Dean noted with a slight blush. Cas turned red as well.

"I guess so." he smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.

"What do you think your publicist will do about the fight?" Cas grimaced.

"I think I know.

"I won't be at school on Wednesday. I've got an interview to explain the fight." Cas grimaced and glanced at Dean's face to gauge his reaction.

"Oh. Uh... okay." he offered a half-hearted smile. They had left the tree at about dawn, having talked the entire night away. They had then proceeded to sleep until three, cuddled on the couch.

"I was wondering... if you might like to come and watch?" Cas was speaking even quieter then usual and looked nervous. He wouldn't meet Dean's eyes. The only reason they were awake at all was Castiel's publicist had called again, and her and Cas had worked out the interview time.

"Really?"

"If you want..."

"Yeah, man!"

"Will your parents allow you to go?" Dean's smile fell for a moment, but then he shrugged, allowing a small grin to dreep back onto his face.

"Probably." Cas finally looked into Dean's eyes, his own smile growing large.

"Good."

Wednesday came fast, and Dean and Cas found themselves sitting in a quiet room. Cas had sent his publicist and security away a few minutes prior, and now Dean felt awkward. Cas sat still, breathing deeply with his eyes closed. He was getting ready to be Castiel Novak for an extended period of time and apparently it took prep. Suddenly the door popped open and a man poked his head in.

"Air in ten, Mr. Novak." Cas opened his eyes and Dean could tell that Cas wasn't Cas anymore- he was Castiel Novak, world-wide best seller. Castiel offered the man a broad grin and looked his right in the eyes.

"Thank you." his voice was ever-so-slightly higher pitched, and he nearly exuded pure confidence. Castiel stood calmly and his eyes flicked to Dean. "You can stay in here or come watch from backstage. Whatever you want to do." Dean didn't hesitate.

"I'm with you." Castiel grinned- Dean thought maybe he looked a little relieved- and nodded.

Vastiel was sitting in a plush chair, talking to some TV host- he didn't really process who. They followed the routine, first talking about his books, and briefly the possibility of a movie deal. Finally-

"Now, Castiel. We get people wanting interviews on my show all the time- they practically beg. Three weeks ago, I was practically begging you, said you could have any day, any time you wanted. You said you were studying for a math test." The audience laughed. Castiel was well known for never studying. "What changed?" Castiel smiled but looked troubled.

"There was... an incident at school. I"m very close with my best friend, who happens to be male. I'm somewhat of a cuddlebug, though if you asked him he's say cuddle-slut. But he doesn't mind. We were laying together at school," he glanced at the large screen on the wall next to him as the security footage appeared- it had been enhanced and zoomed in on Cas and Dean. The audience let out a collective 'aww' upon sight of the pair. Castiel addressed them. "Apparently not everyone thinks so." The three boys walked on screen. "See, I was asleep at this point. I'm not sure about Dean." They watched the video silently. Unlike in the principal's office, the movie played on after the teachers entered the shot. They watched as one of the teachers pulled Dean away- but it took two to remove the furious Cas. The video stopped with only him left on-screen. He looked downright murderous.

"What happened after this?" questioned the host, gesturing to the screen. Castiel frowned.

"We went to the principal's office. He watched the video- the same one we just watched, mind you, and said that Dean and I had clearly instigated the fight. I, uh, I got angry."

"What did you do?" Castiel blushed.

"I threatened to sue unless he did his damned job right." everyone laughed again. "I felt really bad about it. At school I try to be like everybody else. But homophobic pricks like him need a dose of humility every now and agian." The audience cheered loudly for several moments."

"Come on, Castiel! You're gonna sit here and tell me" the host gestured to the screen again- it showed Cas and Dean asleep under the tree once more. "there's nothing going on between you two?" Castiel smiled fondly at the picture.

"I don't think he's interested."