WARNINGS / NOTES:

- This chapter does contain a little Destiel action! It's not sex, and it's not extremely graphic, but I feel the need to warn you regardless.

- Also, if you play "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith when you see the " (****) " you will understand what is happening in the scene much better.

- Enjoy!

Chapter: 04

Dean respected Castiel's wishes to the best of his ability as they tried to make their messy relationship work. Sam was the only one who truly knew what was going on between the two boys, but others in the community had their suspicions. Castiel was careful to cover his tracks, though- to make sure no one could capture proof and provide it to his mother.

Because of Castiel's cautious nature, and Lucifer and Michael's constant presence at school, the boys were limited to brief displays of affection. Dean put up with these rules, understanding of the situation, but when Thanksgiving break rolled around near the two month marker of their relationship Dean demanded that he and Castiel spend at least one day of the break alone together.

Since Castiel was trying his best to keep Dean hidden from his mother, he agreed to go over to Dean's house the day before Thanksgiving. It was because of this agreement that Castiel was now standing at the end of his driveway in the middle of blizzard-like conditions, his nose tucked into the collar of his turtle-neck as he waited for Dean to arrive.

His cold was long gone, his bruises fading and his ankle only problematic if he moved too quickly. The cut on his jaw would scar, but he didn't mind; he didn't know how many times Dean had traced his fingers over the tender skin in the past two weeks, or how many times his stomach had made happy knots thinking about the light touch on his face.

Castiel huffed out a breath of relief as the rumble of an engine sounded in the distance, fumbling to tug his beanie down over his ears with numb fingers. The sound grew louder until Castiel could finally make out the shape of a slow-moving car in the distance.

If his face wasn't so cold, he would have smiled. The Impala was just as beautiful as Dean had described it, the engine purring as the sleek black car came to a slow stop beside Castiel and the passenger door was thrown open from inside. Stumbling, Castiel slid into the warm exterior of the car and slammed the door shut behind him. Dean was sitting behind the wheel, chuckling as he took in Castiel's frozen appearance.

"How long have you been standing there?" He smiled, pulling Castiel's snow-damp beanie off his head and combing his fingers through the younger boy's hair. Castiel shrugged out of his coat, throwing the damp article of clothing in back with his beanie and slipping his feet out of his boots. Leaning forward, he held his hands out in front of the vent and let the heat warm his numb fingers.

"About ten minutes," He managed to answer through the slowly dying chatter of his teeth.

"You poor thing," Dean chuckled, reaching out to Castiel in the small space. Castiel immediately fell into Dean's embrace, burying his face in the older boy's neck and enjoying the warmth. Dean kept one arm wrapped securely around the figure curled into his side, using the other to turn the car around and direct them back towards his house.

Castiel was curious to see where the Winchester boys lived, and even more curious to see Dean's bedroom. Though expressing this desire out loud could be taken very badly, Castiel wanted to see it because it would give him a better idea of Dean's interests- not because he wanted to have Dean do things to his body that no one else would… That idea wasn't distasteful, either, though.

"How's your day been?" Dean asked conversationally as they drove, shaking Castiel from his thoughts.

"Fine," Castiel shrugged, playing with the zipper of Dean's jacket. He realized that he'd never seen Dean without the leather article. "My mother is trying to arrange a community party for Christmas,"

"I think I'll pass on that one," Dean muttered, making a face.

"I agree," Castiel chuckled. "What about you? Have you had a good day?"

"It's been great since you got in the car," Dean smiled, squeezing the younger boy gently against his side.

"You're a flirt, Dean Winchester." Castiel rolled his eyes, fighting a blush as he pressed his still-cold nose against the column of Dean's throat. The older boy retaliated with nothing more than a smile and a shrug.

The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence, Dean's thumb rubbing over the material of Castiel's sweater thoughtfully as he drove. Castiel found himself drifting off, the warmth of Dean's body providing a comfortable resting place, but before he could fall asleep the car turned onto a gravel road. Castiel sat up as Dean turned the car off and pocketed the keys.

"Better put your boots on," Dean warned, opening his door and stepping out. Castiel shuddered against the cool blast of air as it brushed past him, doing as Dean said and slipping his boots on over his socks. He didn't bother to grab his coat- he didn't think he'd need it. Opening his own door, he stepped out into the snow and severely regretted his choice to leave the coat behind. Squinting against the wind, he shuffled forward unsurely.

"You're going the wrong way," He jumped as Dean appeared beside him, his hand sliding into Castiel's as if it belonged there. Their fingers slid together easily, and Castiel was glad that he could blame the cold on his flaming cheeks.

Tugging on Castiel's hand gently, Dean turned him in the right direction and the two moved quickly on to a rickety porch. Castiel kept close to Dean's side, afraid the wooden structure might collapse under their weight as Dean fumbled to unlock the front door, finally managing to bring Castiel inside.

The small house was warm and quiet, barley any living room to speak of as Dean closed and locked the door behind them. He smiled shyly as Castiel hovered in the small room, unsure how to go about this; he'd never truly been alone with Dean. The older boy bent down to unlace his boots, and Castiel followed his example; slipping out of his wet snow-boots, he set them neatly by the door and turned to find Dean standing in the doorway of what looked to be the kitchen.

"Hot-chocolate sound good?" The older boy offered, and Castiel nodded. Dean turned, disappearing into the kitchen area, and Castiel looked awkwardly around him. There was a worn sofa pressed against one wall and a television on mute in the corner. On the small coffee table between the two laid a discarded deck of cards, and two empty bottles of beer.

There wasn't room for much more in the small space, and Castiel frowned as he looked at the barren walls; there was no family photos, no paintings… Just peeling wall paper. Burying his hands in his pockets, he perched himself on the edge of the couch and contented himself while watching the silent fishing show on the television.

"Are you seriously watching that?" Dean asked some time later, and Castiel startled as the couch sank under Dean's weight. The older boy held out a mug of whipped-cream topped hot chocolate and Castiel accepted it with a smile.

"It's interesting," Castiel shrugged, watching as Dean stretched out on the couch, his feet lying in Castiel's lap. Grinning, Castiel pinched one of Dean's toes where it was hidden under his sock and Dean made a sound of protest as he licked whipped-cream off his top lip.

"My dad leaves the TV running all the time," Dean shrugged, and Castiel sipped tentatively at the liquid in his cup. He found that Dean had done a surprisingly good job with the drink. "There's always some kind of fishing or hunting show on."

"I thought you were a tough guy," Castiel teased, picking at the leg of Dean's jeans. "Don't tough guys like fishing and hunting?"

"Depends on what I'm hunting." Dean answered, setting his now empty cup on the table next to the beers. Castiel set his cup aside as well, though it wasn't empty.

"I'm Dean Winchester," Castiel imitated his boyfriend, his voice coming out somewhat deeper. "I wrestle wild grizzlies and kill them with my bare hands." Dean laughed, a noise Castiel had learned to love, and shoved lightly at Castiel's stomach with his foot.

"I don't wrestle them," Dean winked. "I just look at them and they fall over dead."

"Oh, you wish," Castiel chuckled as Dean sat up, swinging his legs off Castiel's lap and unzipping his jacket. Castiel watched, fascinated, as Dean slipped his arms out of the leather article and dropped it on the arm of the couch. Underneath it he was wearing a simple green shirt, the long sleeves hanging off his thin arms. A small gold pendant sat in the center of his chest, held up by a leather cord, and Castiel stared at it for a moment before Dean's voice drew his attention away.

"All it takes is one look, and you get light headed. What makes you think I can't do it to a grizzly?"

"Charming, Dean," Castiel blushed, rolling his eyes. "But I don't get light headed."

"You do blush," Dean pointed out as he moved down the hall, motioning Castiel to follow in the narrow space. There were two bedrooms and a miniscule bathroom, each door cracked just enough to give a glimpse at its purpose. Dean pushed open the door to the bedroom at the very end of the hall and Castiel followed him, stepping into a room just big enough to fit two twin beds and a dresser.

Both beds were made to perfection, one with navy blue sheets and the other with plain white. A pile of boxes laid at the foot of the navy bed, whereas the area around the white one was devoid of anything but stacks of books and messily tacked posters.

"You and Sam share a room?" Castiel questioned as he picked up a hardback that was lying to the side of the otherwise neat pile of books; it was a copy of Great Expectations.

"Yeah," Dean nodded, sitting down on the navy bed. He didn't look right on the small piece of furniture; he looked too large, too grown. Setting the book down on top of the stack of Sam's belongings, he took a seat beside Dean and glanced at the boxes at the end of his bed.

"You haven't unpacked your things?" He asked, opening one of the boxes and peeking inside. He smiled when he saw the mass of cassette tapes messily tossed together.

"Guess I just haven't gotten to it," Dean shrugged, and when Castiel glanced at him he saw something sad flicker in Dean's eyes before it disappeared. "What're you looking at?" He asked, more cheerful this time as he strained his neck to see the inside of the box Castiel was examining.

"You've got quite the cassette tape collection," He smiled, reaching a hand in and selecting a random one. Glancing at the label, he found that he was holding an Aerosmith tape.

"A lot of them are Dad's," Dean shrugged as Castiel plopped down on the bed beside him, the tape still in his hands.

"What about this one? Is it yours or your dad's?" He asked, holding the tape out to Dean. The older boy took it, stretching out on the bed and reaching under his pillow. He pulled out what Castiel recognized to be an old walkman and quickly traded the tape that was currently in the device for the one Castiel had given him.

"Only one way to find out," He shrugged, patting the bed beside himself. Castiel laid down, careful not to crowd Dean against the wall, and turned on his side to face the other boy. Dean offered one headphone to Castiel and the younger boy placed it in his ear as Dean did the same with the other one, hitting play and closing his eyes as the music began to play.

"Mine," He announced less than two minutes into the first song, opening his eyes and smiling at Castiel. "Came out sometime in seventy five; it was a bitch to find a copy still on cassette,"

Castiel nodded, picking at the blanket beneath him. Though he wasn't a large fan of anything outside the acoustic genre, he was trying to enjoy this for Dean's sake. He was so focused on the music that he jumped when Dean sat up beside him, letting his ear bud fall out, and leaned over the edge of the bed to riffle through the box. Castiel watched curiously until he found what he was looking for with a triumphant grunt, and returned to his spot between Castiel and the wall.

(****)

The tape was simply labeled "Armageddon", and Castiel sat silently as Dean placed it in the walkman and tossed the Aerosmith tape into the box. Dean then settled down and hit play, returning his ear bud to its place in his left ear. Castiel smiled as a soft symphonic sound began; this was more his speed.

When the singing began, Dean wound his arms around Castiel's waist and pulled him closer. Dean's eyes never left the younger boy's face, his expression soft as Castiel chewed on his bottom lip and listened carefully to the words.

And, to Castiel's surprise, Dean Winchester did something romantic.

At the songs direction, Dean pulled Castiel closer and rested a hand gently over the younger boy's frantically beating heart. They stayed like this for some time, simply staring at one and other as the singer explained his desire to never miss a moment of his lover.

Then, still in time with the singers instructions, Dean slowly moved forward and kissed the skin around Castiel's eyes until they fell closed in silent pleasure, at which point he gently touched his lips to the sensitive skin of his eyelids.

Castiel smiled as Dean continued to plant soft kisses across his temple and jaw until he reached the corner of Castiel's mouth; uncharted territory. He hesitated there, mouthing a few words of the song, and Castiel's stomach fluttered nervously when the singer mentioned smiles and kisses. Dean brushed his lips softly over Castiel's, a tentative and shy kiss, before following the singer's instructions and pulling Castiel closer.

He continued through this cycle several times, the light touches of his lips to Castiel's skin falling in time with the music until it slowly faded out to silence and he paused with his lips against Castiel's chin.

Castiel's eyes slowly fluttered open to find that Dean had been watching him the whole time, the gold in his eyes particularly vibrant. He leaned away from Castiel just enough so that the younger boy could see his whole face, the next song playing in their ears going unbeknownst to them both. All that existed in Castiel's universe right now was the boy lying beside him, and the distance between that that needed to be eliminated.

Dean seemed to read his mind, pulling the earbuds gently from both their ears and reaching over Castiel to rest the Walkman on the floor beside the bed. The music was still playing, though too quietly for either boy to hear or care. Castiel stared up at Dean where the boy was now hovering over him, smiling shyly. Dean returned the smile, moving Castiel so that he was centered on the bed and one of Dean's knees was resting between his legs, the other on the outside of his left thigh.

Castiel was unfamiliar with every sense of the bedroom – he'd only ever pecked Balthazar on the lips once or twice,- whereas Dean had more experience than Castiel cared to think about. So he let Dean lead the situation with his usual air of confidence, believing that things wouldn't get further than a few heated kisses. After all; that brief brush of lips a few moments before was the closest thing to a kiss that the couple had shared in their still-young relationship.

Dean's thought process was much different than Castiel's, however. Though he had been with plenty of women – and a few select men – he had never been with someone like Cas. He had never looked at someone and thought about taking them out to dinner, or taking drives with them just for fun. He had never been nervous to screw things up, or to kiss the person lying beneath him in a bed. And had had never done something as ridiculously sappy as kissing someone in time with an Aerosmith song.

Dean knew Castiel Novak was special from the start, but as time went on he was slowly realizing just how special the boy really was.

Castiel watched the conflicting emotions cross Dean's face and frowned, reaching up to play with the amulet dangling between their bodies. This seemed to shake Dean from his stupor as he glanced down at Castiel's long fingers toying with the golden charm.

"Sam gave it to me," Dean said, regaining his bravery and leaning down to press a soft kiss to the point where Castiel's jaw met his neck. Cas' fingers closed gently around the trinket.

"That's nice," He sighed, letting his eyes close as Dean's lips drifted over his skin, distracting him.

"Mhmm," Dean agreed.

Their conversation went no further, for at that moment Dean chose to press his lips to Castiel's.

Instinctually, Castiel made a pleased sound in the back of his throat and locked his arms around Dean's neck. That one sound changed everything; Dean's mind left its tender mode and switched over to sexual auto-pilot, Castiel's brain function failing him as the older man growled softly against his mouth and deepened the kiss.

After years of perfecting his kissing methods, it didn't take long for Dean to teach the inexperienced Castiel just how many different ways there was to kiss a person. Castiel learned that it was alright to nip at Dean's bottom lip, and to fight against the dominance Dean's tongue tried to assert within his mouth; these little actions of rebellion actually seemed to please Dean, drawing soft chuckles or growls from him.

For some time, Dean hovered over Castiel and tried his best not to do anything that might startle the boy beneath him. He didn't mind kissing – Castiel tasted like a delicious mix of mint and hot chocolate – but his body was quickly growing warmer as his mind processed the ingredients laid out before it and started to bake its sexual cake.

"Cas," He sighed against the younger mans mouth, groaning softly as Castiel looked up at him with blown pupils and swollen lips.

Castiel looked up into Dean's lust clouded eyes and fought the urge to sit up and swallow the words spilling from his lips. His hormones were raging, his body more than interested in joining his lips in exploring what Dean had to offer.

"Yeah?" He breathed, his fingers running through the shorts hairs at the base of Dean's neck. Dean groaned softly at the action, his eyes falling closed; if ever there was a direct link to Dean's arousal, it was his hair- or, rather, his overly sensitive scalp.

"Nothing," He shook his head, diving back down to catch Castiel's lips against his once more. The younger man made no attempt to push him away, instead sliding his hands slowly over the sensitive hairs on his neck, briefly exploring each knot of his spine, before they came to a rest on Dean's hips.

Lust overruling common-sense, Castiel gently pulled at the hem of Dean's shirt. He half expected Dean to still above him- to climb out of the bed and walk away – but instead he grinned against Castiel's mouth. Slowly pulling away from the kiss, Dean sat up. He let his weight rest on Castiel's thighs, not missing Castiel's groan as he did so, and quickly pulled the shirt over his head before slotting his body over Castiel's once more.

Castiel whimpered at the foreign feel of skin under his fingertips, his nails biting into the small of Dean's back. Dean groaned at the small hint of pain, only making his attempts at going slow seem more futile, and bit down gently on Castiel's bottom lip without thought; the younger man gasped, instinctually sucking his lower lip into his mouth and sucking tenderly on it.

Dean whispered a soft apology before moving down to brush his lips over the curve of Castiel's neck, his fingers sneaking under Castiel's sweater and helping him to pull it off. Things seemed to speed up then, Dean's lips exploring the pale planes of Castiel's neck and chest as the younger man whimpered and squirmed, unable to do anything else until his hands found the button of Dean's jeans on accident.

The older man hissed at the sudden contact and heard the distinct sound of his zipper before glancing down to discover his jeans were riding low on his hips, the black fabric of his boxers peeking out. He looked to Castiel and grinned when he saw the boy was blushing, seeming dazed.

"I-I didn't," He stuttered, looking from the newly exposed fabric and back to Dean. "I'm not sure why I,"

"Oh, hush," Dean chuckled, pressing his hips down into Castiel's and receiving an aroused squeak of surprise for his efforts. He smiled, ducking down and kissing Castiel with a new ferocity as their hips began to move in sync.

Dean's body was just beginning to hum pleasantly, Castiel making small noises of desperation against his mouth, when the door to the bedroom suddenly swung open.

"Hey, De- Oh, shit,"