A/N: Ok, I'm just gonna post this now, despite not being 100% happy with it, but it's one of those chapters I could edit forever (and have done for the last week and not sure whether I'm actually improving it or making it worse). Also apologies in advance for any mistakes and the slight cliffhanger.
Dean was the first to wake up. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and it took him a moment to piece together where he was as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Judging by the faint light streaming through the curtains, which did a sub-par job at blacking out the room, it was early in the morning. Cas was still lost to the world, back pressed tight against Dean's chest, the man's own rising and falling evenly with the peace of sleep as soft snores escaped him. One of Dean's arms was loosely flung around Cas' waist and he instinctively tightened the hold he had on the warm body, burying his face in the nape of Cas' neck. He closed his eyes again. It was too early to even entertain the idea of getting up, plus he didn't get chances like this often, to just revel in the other man's presence and he always had the urge to make the most of these rare occasions.
The teenager let the rhythmic breathing of Cas soothe him and soon was about to doze off again, when he felt the body next to him start to stir. Dean pressed his lips against the skin on Cas' neck in a silent good morning as he draped himself around the man more fully. Cas hummed in response, his hand finding Dean's and interlacing their fingers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, giving Cas time to wake up, their thumbs absentmindedly rubbing patterns into each others palms. Eventually Cas felt coherent enough and a need to set eyes on Dean unfurled in his stomach. With a grunt and a yawn he turned in the teenager's tight grip until they were face to face. Dean smiled warmly at Cas. A big pillow crease marred one side of his gorgeous scruffy face and Dean brought up his hand tracing the patterns with his fingers, smiling at the older man who still looked at most half-awake.
"Morning." Dean closed the small distance pressing his lips gently against Cas'.
"Morning." Cas replied, voice raspy from sleep, bleary blue eyes fixed on Dean.
"How are you feeling?" Dean enquired while gently brushing his thumb along Cas' jaw.
Cas face pulled up into a frown as he seemed to be taken mental stock of his state of well-being.
"Kind of gross and sticky." He replied after a moment, wriggling as if to prove the point. "I must have been really out of it last night, falling asleep like this."
Dean felt heat rising in his cheeks at the mention of last night, images of what they did coming to him fast, causing an exited flutter in his stomach. Also he internally cursed himself for having forgotten the clean-up duty. He couldn't really have expected Cas to remember. Thankfully, before he could start working himself up over his stupid oversight, he felt the press of dry chapped lips and closed his eyes, melting into the kiss, his hands finding the back of Cas' neck and pulling him in. One of Cas' hands wrapped around Dean in response, his long fingers trailing delicately over Dean's spine, making the teenager shiver.
After a long moment Castiel pulled away with a smacking sound and sat up. Dean opened his eyes at the loss of contact, gazing dazedly at the man next to him. "I really could do with a shower," Castiel said, pulling his arms over his head in a well needed stretch. His muscles and backside were aching from last night's activities but it was a welcome pain. In hindsight, it might have not been the most healthy setting, their sexual relationship was still new and fragile after all, but Castiel couldn't deny that it achieved what he had so desperately needed last night. Distraction and comfort. He hoped Dean had enjoyed it just as much as he had. His mouth curled up into a tiny smile at the memory.
He leaned into Dean's personal space again. "Thank you for last night, it was immensely pleasurable," Cas whispered against Dean's lips and Dean felt a stirring in his gut at the memory of how amazing it had felt being inside of Cas.
Dean wanted to say something snarky in reply, not wanting to let on just how much Cas' word were affecting him, as red spread across his cheeks all the way down his neck, but all that came out was some garbled half sentence, which had Castiel chuckle as he placed a peck on the teenager's cheek before getting off the bed and rolling his shoulders. Dean let his eyes rake over the flexing back muscles, before moving his gaze down Cas' whole body and then up again, licking his lips subconsciously as he unashamedly took in the strong glorious form of the man.
"Coming?" Cas glanced at Dean from over his shoulder.
Dean could only nod as he swallowed, throat feeling too dry, and pulled aside the blanket climbing out of the bed after Cas. He suddenly felt nervous and exposed. Despite them having had sex twice now, it still felt somewhat odd being stark naked in front of another person once not in the throws of passion. Dean was well aware that he wasn't half bad looking, had been told too many times for it not to be true. But compared to Cas he felt like the lanky teenager still growing into his body that he was. After his latest growth spurt he had the height, maybe even was an inch taller than the man, but Dean wished he would gain some body mass already. He self-consciously flapped his hands in front of his midsection, but then Cas turned and gave him that small, barely there lopsided smile Dean had come to love so much and held out a hand which Dean took; the momentary feeling of awkwardness dispelled.
Dean let himself be pulled into the adjoining bathroom where he watched Cas turn on the shower, fiddling with the dials until he thought the water sufficiently hot and steam started to fog up the mirror.
"Why don't you get in, I just fetch the shampoo and shower gel from my suitcase," Cas said. Dean nodded but before he got in, he quickly relieved himself, because doing so with Cas in the room would just be plain awkward and the running water of the shower had reminded his body that he really needed to go sooner rather than later. He hummed happily as he got under the hot stream, letting his skin and muscles soak up the warmth. Cas joined him a minute later, sighing with contentment as he positioned himself under the water.
It was a comfortable fit for two people but still within minutes their bodies were pressed together tight, drawn to each other like two magnets. Dean molded himself against Cas, working his fingers through Cas' wet strands and meeting the man's lips with his own in a slow and lazy kiss. It was sheer and utter bliss and Dean could feel himself harden instantly under Cas' gentle ministrations, tongue licking into his mouth and hands roaming freely over his shoulders and back. Cas on the other hand wasn't even quite at half mast. Dean could tell from where the man's crotch was pressed up against his hips, and appeared to be looking more for comfort than anything sexual.
Dean broke the kiss, trying to calm his body. "Sorry, just-" He shot Cas an apologetic look before moving his gaze down somewhere near his feet , silently reprimanding his teenage hormones for always running rampage.
"Hey." Castiel placed his hand on Dean's chin, thumb tracing along the jaw as he tipped the teenager's head up slightly so he had no choice but to meet his eyes. Droplets of water were dripping deliciously from his long lashes and Cas' gaze followed their paths for a second before looking back up into the teenager's green eyes.
"Never apologize! Not for this." The older man said softly as he pulled Dean in again, kissing him with more fervor than before. "I love how I can make you feel like this," he mumbled, lips so close they brushed against Dean's, their breaths mingling. "Plus I remember what is was like, being young and having hormones go wild," he chuckled. It was a testament to how far Cas had come with regards to their relationship, being able to openly hint at their age difference and only have a very minor internal freak-out, which passed almost as soon as he had uttered the words.
Dean honest to god giggled, pressing his face in the crook of Cas' neck to hide his slight embarrassment at his childish outburst. It didn't take him long to recover his wits tough, having Cas in this close proximity, his hands all over his body, was a surefire way to get Dean going, and the need for more quickly overrode anything else. Dean's lips found Cas' neck and he sucked and nipped at that sensitive spot just below the man's ear who uttered a delicious groan in response that went straight to Dean's already straining erection. Suddenly the teenager felt strong hands at his waist, and found himself swiftly being spun around, Cas pressing his chest against Dean's back and holding him tight with one hand while the other traced teasingly down his chest and abdomen, coming to rest on Dean's hard flesh. Without further hesitation his strong hand engulfed Dean's shaft in a tight grip and Dean couldn't hold back a moan as his head fell back against Cas' shoulder.
"Close you eyes." Castiel whispered against Dean's ear. Dean could feel the low rumble reverberate in Cas' chest, and did as he was told. Cas' hand made quick work of things, and within minutes Dean was a panting mess, one hand pressed against the tile of the shower wall to keep him upright as Cas expertly pushed him close to the edge with well timed strokes. He came with a desperate shout a moment later, turning his head just enough to be able to capture Cas' lips with his own, kiss desperate and messy and wet as the spray of the water hit them square in the face.
Once he could move again, Dean turned in Cas' arms, never breaking the kiss as his arms wrapped around the man in a possessive grip. One hand found its way down towards Cas' crotch, eager to return the favor, but Cas grabbed it with one of his own, placing it on his chest, directly over his heart instead.
"Another time." He uttered against Dean's lips, nibbling at the teenager's bottom lip, and Dean nodded in understanding, instead trying to put all the affection he felt for the older man into the kiss.
After a few minutes of tender kisses and nips, Castiel pulled away and grabbed the shampoo, pouring a general helping into his hand and went on to gently massage it into Dean's hair, then positioning his head under the stream, rising it out with soft strokes through Dean's strands. He continued to wash the teenager's body and Dean be damned, but if Cas continued to touch him like that, with such reverence and care, he might get aroused again rather fast. Dean still struggled with accepting someone lavishing that much attention on him but he held back the protest and tried to take pleasure in the fact that Cas so clearly enjoyed what he was doing.
He eventually got to return the favor, exploring Cas' body in detail as his hands rubbed shower gel all over his skin, from the man's strong shoulders down to his sharp hip bones and further, feeling the strength in Cas' thighs and calves. He finished just in time for the hot water to run out. Shutting the water off, Castiel got out and grabbed two towels, handing one to Dean and drying himself off with the other as he walked back into the bedroom, rummaging through his suitcase for something suitable to wear that wasn't too creased.
Dean was half dressed, just about to pull on a black short sleeved shirt, when out of the blue Cas grabbed him and pulled him onto his lap. Dean followed willingly although not able to hold in a little yelp of surprise, and soon settled comfortably against the man, looking at him inquisitively, resting his arms around Cas' neck.
"I almost forgot. Happy birthday." Cas said with a small smile, looking deep into Dean's eyes. "Sorry it is not how we had planned celebrating it." And suddenly that tired, haunted look was back in Cas' eyes and Dean would have done anything to chase it away again.
"Hey, it's ok. My birthday really doesn't matter that much. It's you that matters right now. I'm here for you, if you need to talk or not- just tell me, alright." Dean implored, giving Cas a small smile.
Cas just gazed back for a long time, taking in everything about the amazing young man in his lap. He felt his eyes well up and couldn't even say why. It was at least half in sheer adoration for Dean and also because of the grief he knew was just there, simmering away under the surface. He didn't really know what he wanted or needed right now but having Dean here definitely helped in some capacity. It stopped him from just crumbling under the weight of it all. Functioning was what he would have to do for the next few days, at least until the funeral, and with Dean here, Castiel felt like he might just be able to do it.
"Ok." Castiel said eventually, swallowing back a lump in his throat and pulling Dean close against him, soaking up the boy's presence for a moment before he let go, and they continued to dress in silence.
When they came downstairs, Gabriel was already sitting at the kitchen table, phone in hand. By the sound of it he was talking to Balthazar, who as the oldest apparently had appointed himself the person in charge of funeral arrangements. Dean and Castiel busied themselves with making breakfast, while trying no to eavesdrop, and Gabriel nodded when the younger Novak asked if he wanted some as well.
Gabriel relayed to them over coffee and pancakes that the family were to gather that afternoon to talk over the plans of who was to do what, and most of all to support their mother through this. He put in a half-hearted protest about not bringing Dean along and Castiel was almost about to agree when Dean brought up the point that all the other spouses (not that Cas and he were married or anything but the point stood regardless) would be there and that Cas had a right to some moral support just like everyone else. After Gabriel sarcastically congratulated his brother on having found himself a 'feisty' one, he implored them to at least hold back on the relationship part of their relationship in front of the Novak family (and half the church congregation that no doubt would show up throughout the next few days to give their condolences). They agreed, Dean begrudgingly so and more for Cas' sake than Gabriel's, not happy at all but knowing a good compromise when it stared him in the face.
#
The next few days until the funeral where emotionally challenging, to say the least, and that was not taking into account all the logistics that had to be dealt with for the funeral. Dean would have never assumed that there were so many calls that needed making and documents and general arrangements that needed taking care of, not to mention the speeches and the actual service and the liturgy.
By the time they dragged their tired bodies back to Gabriel's that first evening, Dean had a pretty good read on all of Cas' family and was under no false allusion that his boyfriend was only tolerated because of the old Novak's wish to see him before he died. His siblings, except for Gabriel, interacted a bare minimum with either of them, although Balthazar oh so gracefully "allowed" Castiel to have input in the flower arrangements and wreaths when he handed out jobs that needed doing. Dean would have rolled his eyes at the asshole's 'generosity' if the occasion hadn't been tragic to begin with.
Castiel's mother was something else entirely. She was a presence to behold, stoic and composed even in her pain, while still managing to give Dean the death glare, communicating very clearly that in her eyes he had no right to be there. She watched Cas and him interact out of the corner of her eyes and at one point pulled her youngest son away into a quiet corner for 'words'. As they had planned, they kept a respectable distance throughout all their dealings with Cas' family, trying their utmost to not allude to anything more than a rather unusual friendship. Yet, Dean couldn't shake the feeling that she saw right through it, knew exactly in what capacity he was here. It probably was some weird intuition or something, and it made him rather uncomfortable, as even if the issue of Castiel's sexuality hadn't been a problem (and they were only too aware that it was), Dean's bare brush with legality certainly would be. He only hoped that whatever Castiel told his mother would be enough to appease her.
To Castiel's surprise, his extended family and friends that dropped by over the days that followed by and large seemed pleased to see him, although they appeared puzzled as to his prolonged absence. It became clear pretty quick that his family hadn't disclosed the actual reason for his disappearance. Castiel grew more and more weary with every hour he had to spent answering questions about his life and why his lovely wife hadn't accompanied him. He had thought about just making a scene and telling everyone he was oh so g.a.y. for about 2.5 seconds, imagining the gasps and look of horror on people's faces. He had not fought so hard to come out of the closet only to be shoved back into it. But no matter how satisfying it might have felt in the moment, it was just not the time and place, he would not add more reason for his family to despise him. Anyway, it wasn't like he could hold the hand of the object of his affection without bringing down literal fire and brimstone, so he kept quiet and smiled, eyes searching out Dean amongst the people, whenever he had a chance.
Dean for his part felt like a rare species on display. Apart from Mrs. Novak's death glares, he more than once had to deal with exactly the kind of nosy probing questions from family and neighbors Cas and he were trying to avoid. He was asked what his relation to the Novaks was and being eyed with suspicion when he pointed to the wayward son in response. Sure, it must seem weird for a grown man to have a teenager for a friend and more, being their person of moral support, but why did people even care? It was none of their business a far as Dean was concerned, but it was the closest to the truth he could answer without giving away too much. It was not his problem if people's minds were too narrow to imagine such a friendship to be possible. The only person he cared for was Cas, he couldn't give a rat's ass about anybody else's opinions. It really took a lot out of him to downplay what exactly Cas meant to him, and by the end of the first day he was exhausted and just craved Cas' closeness, wanted to curl up to him and never let go, while simultaneously trying to be the one to uphold the man through this whole situation.
It was no surprise that that evening and the ones that followed were mainly spent curled up under the blankets, giving physical and emotional support, making up for touches and displays of affection they were not allowed to show around other people during the day but which both were in desperate need of.
Gabriel spent his evenings mostly in the kitchen with a bottle or two of red wine keeping him company. He had disclosed to Castiel and Dean after the second evening of falling asleep drunk and alone on the couch, that his wife had taken herself and the kids to stay at her parents' house as she did not want to expose their children to the 'alternative lifestyle' Castiel was representing. Castiel immediately offered to find a hotel for Dean and himself but Gabriel just let out a bitter huff and said that his wife could 'stick her attitude where the sun don't shine', and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'good riddance' under his breath.
#
The funeral was a rather big affair. The Novaks' local church was one of the larger ones in the area and Dean guess would be that at least 300 people turned up. When they lowered the coffin into the ground, Dean could hear Cas' breathing turning from heavy to erratic, sounding suspiciously like he was fighting back tears, and without thinking he took the man's hand in silent support before he remembered where they were. But as he was about to let go, Cas grabbed back with all his strength and Dean didn't dare to let go after that. He defiantly glared down Balthazar and Raphael who gave them some dirty looks from the other side of the grave, Cas thankfully was completely oblivious to the silent exchange.
All too soon in was time for Castiel to fly back to Chicago. Dean didn't want to let him go on his own, knew that Cas was not alright, but as it was, he needed to go back to Sioux Falls. He was behind in summer school, only got the week off because of the slight white lie that a family relative had died. But he knew he couldn't mess up his education any more than he already had, no matter how much he wanted to stay with Cas. He still had that whole showing everyone that he could be a responsible adult and make wise decisions to work on. He made the man promise to call him at least twice every day though and they agreed that Dean would try and come down to see Cas in Chicago for a weekend before school started up again. With a heavy heart both went their separate ways.
#
"Squirt, you're ready? I have no problems leaving without you." Dean shouted up the stairs. He had been up for the better part of two hours and was just itching to get going already. Why oh why had he agreed to take Sam along with him? Oh right, because the little menace had literally talked his ears off with how much he wanted to see Cas and Amelia again.
"I can't leave without my cell." Sam's muffled yell came back from upstairs and Dean rolled his eyes.
"Try calling it." He suggested, really needing to get out of here now, and regretting the fact that he was the one that had bought his brother that stupid phone in the first place.
"D'uh, it's on silent," Sammy retorted all too cockily.
"Oh for fuck's sake. Sammy I'm leaving." If they don't hit the roads now, they would no doubt get stuck in work traffic and add at least 30 minutes to their trip.
"Found it. Coming." Sam raced down the stairs, almost tripping over his gangly legs, which he still didn't seem to have full control over after his latest growth spurt.
Their old man was around somewhere in the house, hopefully getting ready for work but Dean didn't exactly feel like saying goodbye, not after the fit John threw when he announced that he would be off to Chicago for the weekend. It had been the first time in weeks Dean had actually attempted to talk to his old man, and just like so many times before, it ended in a shouting match, that Sammy had to break up. The actual reason for the trip was not even mentioned, it didn't have to be, John might be a recovering alcoholic but he was not stupid. And just for a moment there, Dean had considered conceding, if only to keep the peace and not wanting to risk pushing his dad over the edge into drinking again. He still blamed himself for his father's latest failure, which almost cost him his life and would have left Sammy and himself without any family, but mostly he was just so tired of it all and wanted some kind of normality, if not for himself then at least for Sammy. But the idea of not seeing Cas until Christmas or possibly even later was not even an option.
Dean knew that really there was not much his dad could do, other than possibly throw him out or go off the rails again. Dean had his age on his side now, so ignoring all his reservations and the nagging voice of guilt, he managed to stand up to him. He still had no idea how Sammy got the go-ahead for the trip, but suspected Bobby or Jody to be behind that.
Taking a road trip with his little brother was nice. With everything that had happened this last year, they really hadn't had a chance to spent much bonding time together and as they were driving down the interstate, windows open and Sammy singing along loudly, albeit off-key, to one of Dean's favorite songs, Dean couldn't keep the grin off his face, things just felt right.
#
Cas felt stupidly giddy as he paced around the house, a bit at a loss of what to do with himself as he waited for the brothers to arrive. The last couple of weeks had been hard. He had to emotionally recover from the backlash of the recent involvement with his family and deal with his grief over having lost his father without having had a chance to say goodbye or to find out why he had wanted to say to Castiel before he died. To his surprise his mother had kept up weekly phone calls. They were nothing out of the ordinary, mainly just small talk and the odd enquiry about his job, but it was something, maybe a start, a willingness to somehow reconnect. Damn that small flicker of hope that had started to take up life in Castiel's heart again. Gabriel had been suspiciously quiet since the funeral and Castiel could only hope that he was doing ok.
He checked the spare bedroom once more. For a short while it used to hold both the brothers' beds. Now it had a brand new double bed and wardrobe in it, a place for Sam to stay (and Dean should he decide that he didn't want to share his room while his brother was here). Castiel checked his watch. It would be at least another hour before he expected the Winchesters to arrive and reluctantly the man padded into his study, trying to focus on his research for his latest project, a book. He didn't quite know yet how he would transform his latest idea into the written form, unsure what angle to approach it from, but he had always been fascinated with the influence time periods and cultures had on meanings of words or even whole scriptures and their translations. Because of his own history, he had an obvious interest in religious texts but he also was aware that those were generally already well documented. But maybe he could put a new spin on the subject. Castiel was already well versed in Latin but this also required him to acquire more ancient language skills, something which he generally enjoyed. He even managed to get lost in an old Hebrew text he had dug up on the internet for a while when the doorbell rang.
As expected, it was the brothers. Dean didn't even get a chance to say more than 'Hi' before a grinning Sammy flung himself at Cas, and almost knocked the man over in the process.
"My god, you have grown." Castiel chuckled as he returned the hug, eyes resting over the boys' shoulder on Dean's smiling face. Castiel felt a warmth spread through his body and one person should not be able to have that effect on him but Dean just did.
"Hey, my turn." The older Winchester protested, but grinned as he shoved his little brother aside, reaching for Cas, and not really paying Sam's annoyed "You just saw him a few weeks ago" any mind. He had missed just being held by those strong arms and as he leaned into his boyfriend, his scent filling his senses, Dean felt like coming home.
Castiel let go after a moment, smiling at the brothers in turn and ruffling Sam's hair before ushering them inside. He had a weird feeling settle in his gut. Finally his house didn't feel empty any longer, there was life in it. Castiel almost chuckled at the thought. He used to be such a stickler for quiet and order but now, with Sammy leaving his bag right there at the bottom of the stairs, bounding around the house, commenting on how little it had changed and 'wow, is that a new TV' and Dean leaving his shoes just there in the hallway, not where Cas would have put them, it was like things just suddenly fell into place.
He told the brothers to leave their bags in the spare room, pulling Dean aside for a second, asking him in a quiet voice whether he'd be staying with Sam and quirking his lips up into a small smile when Dean just rolled his eyes in that endearing way.
"Are you crazy? I share a room with him all the time, plus- I missed you." Dean added with a wink, leaning in to steal a quick kiss while his brother was out of sight.
"Really, Dean?" Sammy said in mock horror but grinned, peeking his head out the door. He had never quite seen his brother and Cas interact in this coupely fashion and it felt a bit weird. Probably he was not used to seeing this side of Dean, but his brother had that peculiar sappy glow about him and Cas was a good guy and in the end Sam was happy for them.
"Shut up." Dean retorted but could feel his face heat up. No matter that Sammy knew and was ok with their relationship, being caught red handed by your kid brother was not cool, but something he would have to get used to, because he had not really planned on holding back his affection for Cas in the few days they were here.
The afternoon was spent with catching up, Sammy telling Cas animatedly about all his latest school projects and friends he made and Cas listening intently. Dean mainly just sat in silence, apart from the odd ribbing when Sam turned too nerdy, and smiled, observing his boyfriend and brother interact like they had never been apart. Finally they all headed out for pizza and Sam was glued to the car window, excitedly pointing out landmarks and shops he remembered. Sam started to droop off around ten, almost too tired to finish his ice-cream, clearly worn out from a day's traveling. Dean insisted that, if anything, he should be the one slacking as he had been the one doing most of the hard work and that Sammy was just a wuss which earned him a kick in the shin from his brother and an amused laugh from Cas. They bundled Sammy up once Cas settled the bill and headed back home. Dean managed to get his brother awake enough to make him get out of his clothes and brush his teeth before he collapsed into his bed.
Cas and Dean too decided that it might be best for them to head to bed and changed into their pajamas, which in Dean's case was a t-shirt and boxers, and although Dean could feel himself grow tired, there was no way he would just go to sleep and miss this opportunity to spend some quality time with Cas.
The pajamas turned out to be somewhat unnecessary as no twenty minutes later they were both naked, clothes having been peeled off layer by layer until it was just warm skin against warm skin, as they reacquainted themselves with each other through touch and quietly whispered words.
Dean at one point begged for Cas to be inside him, driven crazy with want from extended kisses and the man's hands all over his body. And as weird as that request should feel, what with his brother next door and all, he could not get himself to care, even if he sounded needy beyond belief, the overwhelming urge to feel Cas was all consuming.
Cas' eyes grew darker and hungrier the more Dean begged, and then finally with a 'You just gotta keep quiet' he gave Dean what he wanted, craved so desperately. Cas' fingers inside him felt electric, his movements so much more confident than the first time they did this, and Dean had to bite his arm to stop himself from moaning too loud as he was opened up torturously slow, dissolving into a whimpering mess as he clung on to the man's broad shoulders. Dean was just about to shout out in frustration for Cas to get on with it, when fucking finally the man added that extra bit of lube and grabbed the teenager's hips hard as he buried himself deep inside Dean's tight heat in one slow continuous motion. Dean barely managed to suppress a groan and wrapped his arms and legs around the man, needing all of him as close as possible as they slowly, quietly started to move, Dean attaching his lips hungrily to Cas' own.
But no matter how quiet they kept their breathing and moans and kisses, the bed eventually started to squeak in that telltale rhythmic fashion as Cas picked up speed, and made Dean gasp (too loudly) when he hit his prostate. They had to stop after a particularly loud bang of the headboard against the wall, both trying not to just dissolve into an embarrassed fit of giggles as they somehow managed to relocate to the floor. Dean now on his hands and knees and Cas positioned behind him, holding his waist with one hand as he entered him again and reached around with the other, wrapping it around Dean's erection. They didn't hold back after that, thrusts became harder and frantic and within minutes they were curled up on the floor, sated and relaxed and sticky, ignoring the mess for now as they exchanged lazy kisses and it was without a doubt the most natural they had been together so far.
#
The next day started slow with a late breakfast and if Sam had heard anything the night before he managed to keep a straight face, for which Dean was very grateful.
In the afternoon they would meet with Amelia. Dean had mixed emotions about it. It would be the first time he would see her in his capacity as Castiel's boyfriend and he still was not a hundred percent sure what her stance on this relationship was. But he would do his damn hardest to show her, tell her that this was what he wanted, what was right for both of them, and he just prayed that she would see the good thing they had going here. If not, he just hoped for Sam to charm the pants off of her, as these two always had been close. If anything, as he saw Sam's excited face at the prospect of meeting Amelia after all these months, he couldn't help but get excited himself.
They met for a coffee in one of those upmarket city coffee shops, Sammy yet again retelling tales of his school life, beaming at Amelia as he sipped his hot chocolate, her face matching Sam's perfectly, she clearly had missed the brothers, or most definitely Sam, and Dean would forever be grateful for her for giving Sammy even a glance of what it might have been like to have a loving mother.
Dean had found a moment to talk to Amelia, having felt her gaze on him and Cas for most of their time in the coffee shop, like she was trying to gauge what was really going on, feel out the situation. Maybe looking for any signs of a power imbalance or coercion. He didn't really say much just that he knew it was an unconventional situation but there was no need to worry or blame her ex. Dean really cared for Cas and Cas for him and they were good together and wasn't that what it was ultimately all about. Somehow that must have been a good thing to say as she seemed to relax afterwards. Cas sat quietly for the most part, but smiled fondly at everyone, a look that Dean wanted to see more often on the man. After too much coffee and talking they made their way to the cinema, almost like old times, only now Dean and Cas were allowed to openly show their affection for one another, even it that mainly consisted of long glances and stupid grins.
They observed another gay couple being affectionate while in the ticket queue, and Dean and Cas in turn exchanged another of their goofy smiles while subconsciously keeping a small distance between them, like they had gotten used to over these past years. But Dean had one of his 'Screw It' moments because really there was no reason for this any longer. So just before he headed off to grab some snacks for everyone, he closed the distance and placed a peck on Cas' cheek before turning with a wink. Castiel was flabbergasted for a second but then smiled, looking after Dean and wanting nothing more than to return the gesture, and even Amelia couldn't hide the fond expression that flitted across her face. Castiel was surprised but chanced a guess that whatever Dean had said to his ex-wife earlier must have won her over, because he had seen the tension in her face for most of the afternoon. He would have to ask Dean about it later. He didn't really get a chance to dwell on it for long when a familiar voice called out his name.
"Castiel?"
He turned around and came face to face with his (other) ex, whom he hadn't set eyes on since their break-up, having avoided to go back to the group where they had met, even if that had meant losing some of his other friends in the process. But he had just felt too bad for how he had treated him and some of those feelings came now rushing back to him, even as he gave Alan a warm smile, allowing himself to relax a little when the other man smiled at him in return.
"Hello, Alan."
"Hey man, it's been like- it's good to see you, I mean- yeah- not that it was- " Alan stuttered for a bit, taking in a deep breath. "No, it's good to see you. Look, I know we left things in a weird spot, and I was mad for a long time but- you just dropped off the face off the earth. How have you been?" Alan shuffled his feet.
Castiel gulped. He would have to give a very long overdue apology. Thankfully Amelia seemed to have sensed the serious undertone in the conversation and took Sammy aside with the promise of buying some ice-cream.
Castiel looked to his shoes before bringing his eyes back up to meet the other man's. "I have been well, for the most part. But I know I owe you an apology and while I might not be able to fully explain my behavior back then to you, I need you to know that-"
"Water under the bridge." Alan shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a long time ago now, and as they say, time heals."
"Still, you deserved better than that, and I am very, very sorry for having put you through that."
"Thank you." Alan said sincerely after letting the words sink in for a moment. "We're still running that group, you know. And people are still asking about you, so if you want to maybe come along one time."
Castiel allowed himself a small smile. "That would be nice."
"Hey Cas, got you some super sugary toffee, and you and Gabe are definitely related if you like this stuff." Dean appeared seemingly out of nowhere from behind Alan and without turning to look at who Cas was talking to stepped right into his personal bubble and gave his waist an affectionate squeeze while hogging a massive container of popcorn and other sweets with his other. Cas going rigid at his touch was definitely not something Dean expected and he quickly turned his head to follow Castiel's gaze who was staring at a man, oh shit, his ex, whose eyes in turn were glued to where Dean's hands were still rested on Cas' waist. Dean removed it with lighting speed and took a step to the side, trying to recover by giving this dude a beaming smile.
"Hey, I know you, you are-" Dean fished for a name- something with 'A', he was sure.
"Alan." The man stated, even as he raised an eyebrow questioningly at Castiel.
"Alan, you remember Dean." Cas said, sounding much calmer than he felt.
"Yes, yes I do. The neighbor's kid. So are you two here- together?" He placed an awful amount of emphasis on the word 'together' as his eyebrows narrowed in a frown and it had both Cas and Dean flounder. It shouldn't matter what this guy thought, Dean tried to convince himself, only that it did. If Alan even entertained any inkling that there might have been something going on between him and Cas before now, shit might go down.
"Yeah, I mean we're all here, Cas 'n me and Amelia and Sammy, you know, kind of like a family trip." Dean huffed nervously.
"Ah yeah Sammy. How is he doing?" Alan sounded sincerely interested and Dean thanked any gods he could think of for his little brother and his ability to make friends with virtually anyone.
"He's great actually. We moved up to Sioux Falls, just here for a visit, and what can I say, schools great, you might remember what a nerd the guy is."
"Yes, he is very bright. So- things are good, also with your family?" And damn, Dean almost forgot that this guy had been privy to some of their issues. But he just smiled right back at the man.
"Yeah, we're all doing fine. New scenery and all- you know. Just needed the change."
Alan nodded, seemingly mollified by the answer, yet he still had that slight suspicious look in his eyes as he studied Cas and Dean closely even as he abruptly made his goodbyes to go back to his friends as their movie was about to start. Dean hoped, no prayed, they'd done enough damage limitation to not raise any real alarm bells.
Cinema was not as relaxing an experience as they had hoped. Cas felt tense and like he was being watched, and Dean, if he was being honest, felt the same as by some sheer misfortune they ended up watching the same movie as Cas' ex and his friends. Even back home it took them a while to shake the uncomfortable feeling but eventually as they curled up in bed together, the feeling or familiarity and right returned to them.
The weekend was over all too soon and reluctantly they shared a last breakfast before bringing their bags out to the car, Sammy giving Dean and Cas a moment of privacy to say a proper goodbye, probably meaning lots of kissing, which he really didn't need to see, and then they had to make the long trek back to Sioux Falls, where a new school year awaited them. Dean's mind was mainly busy with working out any possible times in which he would be able to meet up with Cas again, because not seeing him for months on end just wasn't an option.
#
Cas had just finished putting his shopping away and felt worn out after a first full day back at the university, when the doorbell rang. Right now someone standing at the door was definitely not welcome and he half wished for whoever it was to just go away. He sighed as the doorbell rang again but as it was obvious that he was home there was no point hiding.
He trudged over to the door and when he opened it, and was met with the sight of two police officers, he nearly swallowed his tongue.
"Mr. Castiel Novak?" The female officer asked.
"Yes, how can I help you?" Castiel's brain was whirring even as he smiled at the two officers.
"We apologize for any inconvenience, just that in light of some recent accusations against your person, we need to ask you a few questions. Now at this stage it is just informal but your cooperation would be greatly appreciated and would most likely help to clear this up faster. As you might appreciate we have an obligations to follow up any serious allegations, even if they turn out to be false."
"Oh, yes of course. But may I enquire what this is about?" Castiel's throat felt tight even as his heart started to beat frantically. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Do you know a Dean Winchester?"