A/N: I wanted this out earlier but the time of year kind of kept me sidetracked. Guess this is now some kind of an early Christmas present, and extra long at nearly 10000 words. I hope you're going to enjoy the penultimate chapter. I'm just so happy I managed to get our boys this far. They have a few issues to face as their relationship hits the real world but surely nothing they can't overcome.
Also, I used a great deal of poetic licence for anything college relates (as I have no idea about the American system and had only Google to help) and might have been flexible and vague with a few issues regarding application deadlines, loans and the like just to fit with the story and so as to not prolong the posting of the chapter any longer.
Castiel was well above the speed limit as he raced down the I-90 but wasn't even surprised that he couldn't get himself to care. He was normally such a stickler for highway code regulations but he had places to be, Dean's school for his graduation to be precise. A speeding ticket would be nothing compared to the possibility of missing the ceremony. He knew Dean would understand, he had told him as much earlier over the phone, urging him to take it easy. But Castiel would never forgive himself for not being there and support the teen during such a pivotal moment in his life.
The two hour delay just outside Rochester had really messed with his schedule. Maybe he should have taken a flight after all, Castiel contemplated as he changed lane, overtaking a nauseatingly slow going truck. But somehow he had let Dean talk him into taking the car. The fear of flying had been evident in his partner's voice as he'd enticed Cas to take to the road. Partner was the term Castiel had settled on to describe Dean, he found it more fitting than the, in his opinion, juvenile sounding 'boyfriend' (quite possibly due to his hang-up on the 'boy' part of said word) much to Dean's amusement. Dean, unsurprisingly, thought it made him sound all high and mighty and now used 'boyfriend' at every possible opportunity, just to mess with him, Castiel was convinced, but he took the ribbing in his stride. Dean had sweetened his plea with the promise of the two of them taking off for a few days after graduation in said car. And how could Castiel say not to an offer like that. Their time together always seemed so few and far between, and this was something unlikely to change in the near future, so they needed to make the most of every opportunity they got.
Castiel had been lucky enough to be able to wiggle a week off work despite summer term starting next week. But this was kind of a family affair, although he had been sparse on the actual details when he put in his request for time off. Explicitly acknowledging his relationship with someone who just finished high school to his colleagues was a fight Castiel had decided to leave for another day. It was not that he was ashamed of Dean or their relationship and wouldn't deny it if outright asked, but he just wasn't quite emotionally ready for the inevitable backlash, the questions and judgmental looks that inevitably would come his way, not to even mention the behind-his-back whispers. Even while overall a fairly open minded faculty, Castiel was well aware that his relationship with Dean was pushing the boundaries of what would be considered acceptable. Thankfully, a colleague owed him a favor and promised to cover his first two lectures without asking too many questions.
The man checked the time, gulped in shock and prayed he wouldn't encounter any more problems as he weaved his way through traffic, pressing the gas pedal just that bit harder. Who would have thought that even with allowing himself extra time, having left his home and an ungodly hour, he might still end up being late. Thank god for small mercies in the form of Dean's last name, but despite the bonus of the teen not getting called till the very end, Castiel would rather not miss any of it. He generally was not a great believer in modern technology, but he had to admit that a GPS had its advantages as he finally reached his exit. He navigated the outskirts of Sioux Falls, following the mechanical female voice's instructions, turning left, weaving right and carrying on straight for the next 3.2 miles.
He pulled into the school parking lot with minutes to spare, thankful for the helpers in their high-vis vests, pointing him to an available space at the far end. Not bothering with anything else than grabbing his wallet and phone- and he almost forgot, the ticket - he made his way across the lot and round the side of the school to the field. Castiel could hear the hustle and bustle before he even turned the corner. People were everywhere and he had no idea how on earth he was going to find Dean's family in this sea of people.
The sudden noise of the band starting to play startled him. Everyone was murmuring with excitement as they all looked off to the side where soon enough the throng of graduates was starting to filter out onto the center of the field. He looked around awkwardly, trying to make out any familiar faces somewhere on the bleachers, but they all blurred into one. He sighed and decided to instead focus on the students still coming in to the music of the band. He scanned the crowd of gowns for a sign of Dean as students shuffled around, trying to find their seats, but from this far they pretty much all looked the same. He scrutinized the bleachers once more to see if he could make out any of Dean's family, but with no luck. He might as well resign himself to just stand at the back and take comfort in the fact that at least he made it, when his cell buzzed. Right, he should have thought of that himself, he grumbled as he pulled it out of his pockets.
"Cas, where are you? It's starting."
"Hello Sam. I am here, at the back. I just have trouble locating you."
"Look to the left of the stage."
Castiel turned, eyes roaming over endless faces, then he saw him. He couldn't help the smile as his eyes settled on a frantically waving Sam. God, the boy had grown since they last met. Even from back here he could tell that the younger Winchester was all awkward gangly limbs these days. He might actually grow to be taller than Dean. Cas chuckled, imagining the inevitable 'fit' his other half would doubtlessly throw if that came to pass. He raised his hand and waved back.
"Come on. Hurry up, we saved you a seat."
"Yes- thanks. I am going to hang up now." Castiel said, before disconnecting the call to a chuckling Sam.
"He's here." Sam whispered to Bobby and Jody, and by extension John, who looked around, eyebrows furrowed.
"Who is- hell no, what is he doing here?" John completely forgot to keep his voice down, glaring at people behind him as they made some 'shushing' noises. His eyes grew wide for a split second before narrowing at the approaching form of Castiel.
"John." Bobby snapped, trying his best to keep his voice down so as to not garner too much attention from the people around them. "Ya better not be start anythin'! You're damn lucky Dean even wanted you here and ya know it!" He gave John a meaningful stare to underline his point. "So, unless ya really wanna flush anything you have achieved over these last months down the crapper… better find a way to deal. Ever think there might have been a reason he didn't mention Cas' coming to ya?"
John visibly swallowed back the protest forming. The father son relationship between him and Dean was fragile at best, and he could admit these days that he only had himself to blame. With sobriety and counseling came an uncomfortable amount of time one could use for insight and he had had plenty of that lately. He knew he fucked up massively. He was still convinced that he only had his son's best interests at heart, but he could see now how basically all his actions had just made things worse, not only for Dean, but for both his sons, and for them as a family unit. And as much as he had hoped that this particular part of Dean's life was over, had let himself believe that the lack of mention of a certain name had meant the end of this unfortunate affair, John had to begrudgingly concede that Dean, in fact, had good reason for having left him in the dark about Castiel's attendance. The last time the man had been mentioned between them, John had lost it and ended up hurting Dean. Of course his son would not be eager to talk to him.
"Don't worry, I'll behave." He grumbled after a moment.
"Good." Bobby replied.
John resolutely stared at his hands, trying to reign in his temper, taking in some deep, timed breaths, just as he had learned in his anger management group, as he gathered his thoughts. He had no idea if he could ever be ok with Dean being with someone who he still believed had taken advantage of him. The 'his son liking guys' thing, he was slowly coming to terms with, (although he still held out hope that one day Dean might meet a nice girl to settle down with; after all Dean had said in the past that he still liked girls), but why did it have to be this man? The guy was hardly ten years younger than John, and that thought alone made his insides turn. And he would most likely never find out how long this thing had really been going on between them. But whatever it was Dean and this man had, John had learned the hard way that he couldn't stop it, and as it now appeared, everyone else was suddenly ok with this relationship. He sighed in resignation, daring a quick glance at the man in question out of the corner of his eyes. He would just have to face the fact that Castiel, old as he was in comparison to Dean, was the person his son had chosen- and wow, that was an interesting and new thought. Did Dean really chose this out of his own free will? Was he really old enough to do so?
"Hey Cas! Here, sit next to me!" Sam bounced out of his chair, throwing himself at the man to more grumbling from the people behind them, which he completely ignored as he clung to Cas, laughing excitedly. Cas lifted him up in a quick embrace and a pat on the back before setting him back down, not wanting to overstretch the clearly waning patience of people around them.
John watched the scene unfold, a pang of guilt and regret hitting him. For all that he disliked, at times had even hated, this man, seeing the way Sam acted around him, it was hard to ignore the fact that this person had been there for his children when he hadn't. When he had been too far stuck in his own head or at the bottom of a bottle to see the damage his own grief, which he had never managed to address, had caused his children. He was just now starting to properly put the broken pieces back together and with sudden clarity John realized that he would not only have to tolerate this Castiel, but would have to learn to be agreeable to having him around as clearly he meant something to both his sons. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions.
John looked on as Bobby and Jody briefly engulfed the man in a hug before urging him to sit down as people around them were throwing them annoyed glances, and when Castiel's gaze flickered in his direction, he nodded his head, acknowledging the man's presence. Castiel returned the gesture, but John noticed the coldness in the man's eyes, and he guessed after everything he had done, he deserved that. He couldn't even find it in him to get angry over it.
Castiel sat down and exhaled slowly. This might prove to be a long afternoon. Despite the elation of being here, he had not been prepared for just how much laying eyes on the man who had hurt Dean so much would get to him, despite the teen having warned him about John's presence at the ceremony. He was not a violent person by any standard but there was a primal part of him that just wanted to lash out, hurt this man, this poor excuse for a father, just as much as he had hurt Dean, and also Sam.
He allowed himself a split second to imagine what it might feel like to let his fist connect with John Winchester's face, eliciting a memory from a long time long ago, where just such an altercation had taken place for real, making him shiver at the memory. His right had twinged in phantom pain, or maybe it was just one of those days where it suddenly would hurt for seemingly no apparent reason. While fully functioning, sometimes it was tender and sore, and really a reminder to Castiel that violence in the end didn't solve anything no matter how satisfying it might feel in the moment. Plus, he had promised Dean to not do any such thing, said he would do his best not to aggravate what no doubt would end up being an already charged situation.
Castiel sighed, as he inconspicuously looked across at John. Sometimes it was hard to take the high road. Still, he was more than glad for the three people buffer zone between him and Dean's father. And in the end, they were all here for Dean. It would be selfish not to acknowledge that. He was reminded of that fact but a second later, when the music stopped and the headmaster tapped his finger against the microphone, gathering everyone's attention before enthusiastically launching into a long welcome speech. And just like that Castiel's gloomy thoughts were replaced by his earlier giddy feeling of excitement. He couldn't even put into words how proud he was of Dean for having made it this far, against all the odds and for pulling himself out of the downward spiral life had him in not even a year ago.
#
Dean thought he looked ridiculous in his attire as he waited (not so patiently) with all the other 269 students for their moment to shine. He'd much rather be anywhere but here, looking like something out of a bad high school movie, but he knew how excited everyone in his little extended family was for today. Sammy especially had been a ball of excited pain in his ass little brother for literally days, not shutting up about how proud he was of him, and that alone kind of made this all worth it. It wasn't often that he made people proud, in fact these last few years he appeared to have done anything but, so the knowledge that the ones he cared about most in his life were all here and happy for him made even the pointless speeches and stupid caps tolerable.
Well, he hoped they all were here, that Cas made it. Dean had last heard from him around noon while he was stuck in traffic, thanks to a jack-knifed truck. The normally fairly collected man had sounded so frantic and frustrated, Dean had to resort to promising him a relaxing massage later, which according to Cas hadn't helped in calming him down. He just wanted to get there that little bit more desperately, Dean remembered him saying, remembered the teasing lilt with which the line had been delivered. That thought brought a stupid grin to his face, one of those he just couldn't wipe off no matter how hard he tried. Thankfully no one was paying him any particular attention, all too wrapped up with their own thoughts or actually listening what was being said on stage.
Dean shuffled and fidgeted in his chair as the voices droned on. He had never been one for sitting still any amount of time. He wished that some of the people he had come to call friends over these last few months would sit with him, but the alphabetical seating order had him sit next to students he really couldn't care less for. He was BORED. This weird pomp and circumstance, band playing and speeches about how wonderful this whole experience had been (haha, if only) were not really his thing, yet at the same time, as the first students started their walk up onto the stage, an ever increasing thrum of nerves worked his way through his system, and maybe, just maybe, a tiny little bit of pride. He actually made it, he still had no idea how he pulled this one out of his ass but somehow he managed to graduate. Not that his grades were anything to write home about. But who gave a crap. It was a large cry from where he saw his life going a little over a year ago.
Dean fidgeted some more. He just wanted to get up there already. He kind of hated his last name right now, as he had to sit and watch kid after kid go up on stage, receiving their diploma and the obligatory handshake. But no matter how long he perceived this whole ordeal to take, when it finally was his turn, Dean suddenly felt self-conscious as all those eyes rested on him as he walked onto the stage to accept his diploma.
The rest was all a blur, and before he knew it, everyone was cheering and shouting and caps were being thrown into the air and Dean just had to go and find his family. He just hoped he would find them all in one piece. He knew he had been a coward not telling his father about Cas coming but it wasn't like they were exactly on speaking terms about these issues. They were more like tip-toeing around each other, feeling each other out, almost like getting to know each other again for the first time. He could appreciate his father's efforts at straightening himself out, finally, but that didn't just suddenly erase all the bad blood that had built up between them over the years and especially this last year.
The fact that the ceremony hadn't been interrupted by any great shouting matches could only be a good sign, Dean tried to console himself as he squeezed his way through the crowd.
He hadn't even worked his way up all the way to the bleachers when he was accustomed by his brother, who flung himself at him at full force.
"Dean, oh my god! I'm so proud of you." Sam screeched at full force, his voice doing some serious acrobatics thanks to his recent brush with puberty. Dean laughed, grabbing him around the waist and twirling his not quite so little brother anymore around.
"Thanks squirt. Where's the rest of them?" Dean asked putting Sam back on the ground, ruffling the young Winchester's way too long hair in that way he just knew would annoy his baby brother. Sam batted his hand away with pointed glare, which quickly replaced again by that creepy, all-too happy smile, as he continued to bounce excitedly.
"They're still making their way through the crowd. Come on." Sam grabbed Dean by the sleeve and pulled him towards the rest of his family.
Dean hadn't expected his grin could get any bigger, to feel any more excited than when Sam had accustomed him and infected him with all his happiness, but when he set eyes on Cas, his face literally split in two. The man stood next to Bobby and Jody and looked at Dean like he was the most precious being on the whole planet, smiling at him in that adorable lopsided way that Dean had come to love so much. The teen could feel his face heat up. The other people around him were temporarily forgotten as he bee-lined straight towards the man and planted a big kiss on his lips, not giving a single fuck about what anyone might have to say about this display of affection.
The kiss only lasted for a second and then Cas pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug, managing to lift Dean up on the floor.
"I am so happy for you." Cas whispered against Dean's ear, goosepumps forming where the teenager felt the delicate brush of air against his skin.
Bobby and Jody also smiled like kids at a Christmas party as they demanded their turn, pulling him in for a hug each. And then it was the turn of his old man, who looked like he was at a loss at what to say or do, never having been one for big emotional displays, well definitely not of the sentimental variety. He eventually settled on holding out his hand with a "Well done, son," and giving him a pat on the shoulder with his other, as Dean took his hand in a firm shake.
Dean beamed at them all in turn, not really knowing where to focus on exactly as everybody talked at the same time, Sam demanding for all of them to pose so he could take pictures for posterity. Dean smiled and posed with everyone of his little family unit but inevitably his gaze was always drawn back to Cas. And then he remembered-
"Excuse us for a minute," Dean addressed the small assembly of people around him. "I promised someone to introduce them to Cas." He took Cas' hand and tugged, the man following willingly as Dean tried to navigate his way through the throng of people.
It took him a few minutes, and a couple of shoulder pats and hugs as he ran into friends along to way, to locate Aaron and his parents.
"Hey man!" Dean smirked pulling the smaller teen in for a hug, before remembering his manners and greeting his parents with a smile.
"Simon, this is the nice young man who took our Aaron to Prom." Mrs. Bass introduced Dean. Dean was glad that for all the crap his friend had to endure at school, his parents seemed to be totally cool with his sexuality. It was refreshing to see.
"Ah Dean, I take it."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Sir."
"Call me Simon, please."
Dean smiled and nodded, but was quick to focus his attention back on his friend who all but outright stared at the man next to him.
"So," Dean smiled, placing his hand in Cas' again. "This is Cas."
Aaron smiled, holding out his hand. "Hi Cas. Heard a lot about you."
"And I about you. Nice to finally meet you." Cas shook the teen's hand. Aaron's parents looked a bit confused between the three of them.
"This is Dean's boyfriend." Aaron informed them.
Dean didn't say anything but he noticed the short moment, the blip of a calculating glance as the parents looked between them, clearly noticing the age gap and probably a multitude of questions forming on their lips. Dean held his tongue, despite instinctively wanting to go on the defensive and telling them his relationship was none of their business. But both he and Cas were well aware that they would (at least for quite some time) be met with that kind of reaction, and they couldn't always just jump down people's throats over it. So instead of talking or coming up with some kind of weird stories or excuses, they both just smiled at them, hands still clutched together. And then, just like that, the moment passed as Mrs. Bass extended her hand to Cas, who took it with a smile as she told him how nice it was to meet him and what an extraordinary young man Dean was. God, Aarons parents really were cool, and Dean did totally not blush at being called extraordinary.
They exchanged a few more words before they excused themselves. It was a day to spend with family after all and they had a reservation at Dean's favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate. Dean felt eyes on them as they walked back towards the others, some curious but more than a few judgmental but he just needed to learn to let it roll of his back. Almost in defiance, he kept holding on to Cas' hands, broadcasting in no uncertain terms that 'yes, they were together together'.
Despite an initial impulse to let go of the teen's hand, Cas held on. He wasn't one for extensive PDA, as Dean called it, at the best of times and right now, he had one of those moments where he felt put on the spot, felt the judgment of people around him, not just for being gay, but for being with someone so much younger. But his feeling of discomfort was not enough for him to let go of Dean's hand. They had fought too hard for this to just let some people who knew nothing about them, ruin this moment. He knew how much this meant for Dean and he was just so incredibly proud and happy.
And they almost would have made it through without incident, few stares aside. It was as they were all headed back to their respective cars, Dean intending to give up a ride in his baby to join Cas' in atrocity, as he lovingly called it, that their little bubble burst.
"Do you guys mind? There's kids here." Some dude yelled from two cars over, looking like he actually wanted to do a hell of a lot more if he had the chance.
Dean could feel Cas go rigid beside him, he could feel his own fight or flight instincts kick in. They exchanged a quick look, Cas giving Dean a small shake with his head, indicating that he thought they should leave well enough alone. He probably saw the fury in Dean's eyes, he really knew him well. As much as Dean was aware he should stay out of trouble, he felt his hackles rise. What was this asshole's problem? They were only holding hands, by far not the worst that was going on around here.
"What, this?" Dean shouted back, bringing his and Cas' clutched hands up for everyone to see. "Last I checked hand-holding was not a crime, Plus, you do have eyes don't you? There are in fact people kissing just over there, not gonna cuss them out?"
The dude looked furious. "You can't compare the two! That is normal- what you-"
"So you're saying hand holding is wrong but blatant affection is fine?" So it would totally okay for me to do this?" Dean had that glint in his eyes and before Cas could do any damage limitation, Dean planted a big kiss on his cheek.
"I'm saying that it is not normal for two men to be like that and that we don't want to have it paraded around our kids in plain sight." The guy was actually starting to walk towards them now.
"Hold on, son." Bobby snuck up beside them, staring the guy down angrily.
"And who gets to decide that it's oh so wrong?" Dean held the guy's angry stare.
"It is written that a man should not lie with another man like with a woman." And oh, he did not just say that, the poor sucker. Dean could feel Cas' hand slip out of his own and saw the man pulling himself up to his full height shoulder back and chest out, making him look rather menacing as the stared the guy down like he wanted to smite him right there. Cas didn't have many buttons to press, but mercy on the poor soul who happened find one of them, and oh did the guy just press the wrong one. Cas had come too far in his quest to unite his sexuality and his religions beliefs, had endured too much crap from hypocrites just like this dick, to take this lying down. Dean was 200% sure of that and also strangely proud of his boyfriend for standing up for himself.
Dean would almost feel sorry for the dick, only he did not as he watched Cas taking two decisive strides towards the man in question, before launching into a lecture as to why his interpretation of the bible was faulty at best, then pointing to his wife, asking if she enjoyed wearing what looked like a polyester/cotton blend top because clearly, by the dude's reasoning, she was destined to go to hell for this, and ending in an exposition on different meanings and translations of certain core passages 'dickheads' like him would always come to quote or take out of context without probably ever having taken the trouble at looking at the original texts and discovering their meanings and oh- he actually spent his last year doing exactly that and was in the process of writing a book about this, which obviously would be lost on Neanderthals like him.
The guy's face matched an angry tomato by the end of Castiel's lecture and he looked like he was one second away from physically attacking Cas, as clearly he was totally outmatched on the intellectual front. Dean readied himself just in case he had to jump in. But thankfully, the ass must have come to the conclusion that he would not win in a fight with Dean, Bobby and Sam standing beside Cas and Jody having put on her best cop-face which alone would make most people quake. Even John looked like he would jump into the fray if need be. The jerk gave Cas one last disgusted look as he huffed some profanities under his breath before storming back to his wife and 2.4 kids, ushering them inside the car.
Dean didn't think he had ever been prouder of his boyfriend. He knew how much of a sore topic this whole religion issue always had been for him and for Cas to just come out and face one of those zealots head on, yeah, Dean had to kiss him again, right here an then, plus Cas looked like he needed a hug, desperately, as all the fight left his body and he actually started to shake a bit as the reality of what he had just done set in.
"That- was awesome!" Sammy piped in, having avidly watched the whole exchange and Bobby slapped Cas on the shoulder. "Boy, you did good there. Never let no-one tell ya who you can and can't love." Dean was sure he saw a distinct shimmer in Castiel's eyes as he nodded, clearly lost for words. Dean could only assume what those words coming from Bobby, after all the drama over these last few years, must mean to him. He felt his own eyes sting in sympathy and quickly covered it up with a cough.
"Now can we please go and get some food, us old folks have a bedtime to keep." Bobby grumbled as he made his way over to his car.
#
"What a day." Castiel heaved a sigh as he fell back onto Dean's bed. The long day, with all its excitement and drama finally was catching up with him.
Dean shuffled, apparently aimlessly, in the center of the small room, a tad anxious of sharing this less than luxurious living space with Cas. Then again, Cas had seen the way the Winchester brothers lived at close quarters before, back in Chicago, what felt like a lifetime ago now. Based on that knowledge, Cas was definitely not one to judge. Plus, right now the man looked like any horizontal surface would do him just fine.
Dean chuckled as he walked over, perching on the bed next to Cas. "Yeah, the dinner was something else." Tense wouldn't even begin to cover it. Cas and John had mainly just politely ignored each other but Dean counted it as a win that they all at least managed to sit at the same table for nearly two hours.
"Mhhh." Castiel hummed eyes closed and arm flung over his face.
"Tired?"
"And sore." Castiel rolled his right shoulder to emphasize the point.
"Must be getting old." Dean ribbed fondly, nudging Cas' leg.
"Fuck you, too." Cas grumbled, but it didn't hold any venom. They might still have their moments but overall they were getting more comfortable at poking fun at what had been an issue for them for so long.
"Oh, such colorful language from such an educated mouth." Dean continued his tease.
"I have it on good authority that you are, in fact, rather fond of this educated mouth." Castiel mumbled into his arm.
Dean snorted, a witty reply on the tip of his tongue when Castiel groaned again as he shifted.
"Is it really that sore?" Dean enquired, voice gone soft.
"Mhh. Nothing a good night's rest won't fix." Cas answered.
The teenager was just about to agree and suggest they get ready for bed when he remembered. "That reminds me, turn over." Dean instructed.
Castiel gave the teen a quizzical peek with one eye from under his arm but then did as he was asked. A second later he let out a contented sigh when he felt the palm of Dean's hand press gently into the muscles of his shoulder.
"I almost forgot, I promised to help you relax." Dean explained further as he went to work and dug into Cas' shoulder muscles with his knuckles.
"Ouch, that actually hurts! That's not relaxing!" Cas squirmed, trying to flinch away from Dean's suddenly rather firm touch.
"Shut up, and put up. Your muscles are as hard as a rock on this side." Dean gently pressed Cas back down onto the mattress.
"Ok, ok, just ease up a bit please."
"Alright, just try and relax. Cas, you're strung tighter than a bow. Also, taking this…" he tugged at Cas' shirt, "off, would be helpful."
"You just want to get me out of my clothes." Cas mumbled, but regardless pulled up to sitting, unbuttoning and taking off his shirt.
"Guilty as charged!" Dean chuckled. "Now lie back and lemme work on those muscles."
Dean dug his fingers in again. He was determined to make good on his earlier promise.
"Mhhh, nice." Cas started to feel the knot in his left shoulder loosen, finally it didn't feel like Dean was torturing him anymore. He supposed, he really had been rather stressed and tense, after the long drive and the excitement of the day.
Dean worked on both of Cas' shoulders before turning his attention to his spine, working his knuckles and fingers up and down, feathering out towards the side along the ribs. He could feel Cas start to go slack under him, arms out by his side and face pressed into the pillow. He looked so relaxed and kind of hot there on his bed that Dean couldn't' help himself, he just had to bring his mouth down and nip along the man's shoulder, earning him a moan.
"Dean-" Cas whined, before suddenly moving into action, bucking Dean off and flipping them over on the bed, almost pushing the teen off in the process, when he slightly misjudged the dimensions of the bed.
"Hey, I wasn't fini-" Dean's protest got lost when Cas' lips covered his mouth, gently biting his bottom lip.
Dean groaned. Castiel chuckled into the kiss, then deepening it, pushing Dean down into the mattress, before pulling back with a gasp.
"Thought you were tired?" The teen mumbled, his voice clearly portraying his flirtatious intent.
"Second wind, I guess. Shame we can't really do much, with everyone around." Cas said the words but his eyes held a sparkle to the contrary that did things to Dean.
"I can be very quiet-" Dean turned on his charm, all thoughts of an early, quiet night wiped from his mind. He didn't much care about everyone in the house right now. Sammy had kindly volunteered to sleep on the couch, giving Dean and Cas some privacy in their shared room and John was across the hall, probably sulking but thankfully he hadn't put up a fight about Cas staying here. Small mercies, Dean had to remind himself. All in all, this was as private as they would get until they set off and it had been too damn long since they had been together.
"Not in my experience." Cas nibbled along the teen's jawline, making Dean groan, a sound which he quickly swallowed back, looking at Cas defiantly, his gaze holding the glint of a challenge.
"Well, there is one way to shut me up." Dean teased, pushing at the older man's chest, urging him to get off him and stand up. Cas did so without question and Dean followed, walking Cas back a few steps until his back hit the wall. He sank to his knees in front of him, and this time it was Cas who had to hold back a moan.
Dean's hand roamed up and down Cas' strong muscular, jeans clad legs before making quick work of the button and zipper, pulling Cas out. He tantalizingly mouthed at the man's erection, before looking up, green eyes locking on blue, as he took him in. At that, Cas' head fell back against the wall with a thud, and Dean squeezed his thighs in a silent reminder that they needed to keep it down. Cas let out a quiet, desperate half-laugh, half-whimper as Dean continued his ministrations.
Within minutes, Cas was a trembling mess. Judging by the state of the man, Dean concluded that he was getting rather good at this as the licked and sucked and teased the hard length with his tongue. He bobbed his head, engulfing Cas' erection before sliding off again. These days, he managed to get almost all of Cas inside his mouth without chocking. It was work in progress but Dean was determined that one day he would be able to swallow down all of him.
"Dean- I" Cas let out a broken sob, only to be shushed by the teenager.
"There might be a way for both of us to stay quiet." Castiel said, still panting, yanking at Dean's hair and making him pull off. He ushered Dean onto the bed, urging him to lie down. Dean looked up at him, curiosity and desire written all over his face, as Cas quickly stepped out of his trousers, pulling his boxers off and disposing of his socks before climbing up on the bed.
Dean let out a surprised squawk, not quite in line with their whole 'let's keep it down' plan, but while he expected Cas' mouth on his, instead he found himself with a full-frontal view of Cas' stiff cock dangling over his face, as the man straddled him around his head, bracketing Dean's hips with his arms.
"This ok?" Cas asked, looking at Dean from over his shoulder where his face was inches away from Dean's, unfortunately still clothed, erection.
It took Dean a second to process what was going on but then he gave Cas a feral grin and an enthusiastic nod. "More than ok!" and with that he reattached his mouth to Cas' cock, moaning around it a moment later when he felt the man undoing his jeans, pulling him out and licking a long wet stripe along the length of his erection.
This was kind of awesome, Dean concluded as his senses were flooded on both ends, from having Cas thrust into his mouth and from Cas' mouth on him at the same time. He grabbed around Cas' waist, urging the man on while bucking his own hips and god, his toes were already curling and he could feel his balls draw up. He garbled 'Cas' around the hard flesh in his mouth as he came, shaking from the release but sucking that little bit harder and feeling the man's own release flooding his mouth a moment later.
They rolled off each other, panting hard. Cas took a few well needed breaths before turning and climbing back up to face Dean before collapsing next to him, both grinning stupidly at each other.
"So gotta do that again." Dean pointed out and Cas mhh'ed in the affirmative, pulling Dean close to him.
They reached the stage of silent contentedness and were about to drift off when Cas just had to remind Dean that he technically was still fully clothed and should really rectify that. Dean grumbled but complied, cuddling up naked to Cas was incentive enough to get him moving. They actually should go and brush their teeth, especially after their earlier activities, but neither seemed to be bothered by the prospect of horrendous morning breath.
They fell asleep to quiet conversations about Dean's plans for the next few months until his course would start, both very keen on trying to carve out some time for them, and definitely to celebrate Dean's eighteen's birthday in style.
#
Their impromptu road trip was a total of three days and took them west as far as Black Hills National Forest. Dean never would have expected he would enjoy seemingly aimless trekking around in woods but he couldn't deny that the scenery was stunning. And in the end it was time spent with Cas, which was always awesome. A lot of times it was just the two of them on some trail or other, sweaty from the heat, and more than once they managed to fit in an extended make-out session. Dean never appreciated the quiet of nature more.
They spent two nights at a hotel near Rapid City, in a room with two queen size beds. Not that the second bed saw much action but they both agreed that because of the obvious age gap and Dean not being eighteen for another few weeks, they would keep it simple and not give cause for too many questions. They just didn't want anything to complicate their few precious days together. But at least the hotel they stayed at was LGBT positive (according to Cas' good friend Google).
If it hadn't been for the incident at the restaurant where they decided to go for lunch on their last day, it would have been near perfect. Dean and Cas had been a bit cozier than might have been advisable but it was a nice day, the sun was shining overhead and the atmosphere in general was very relaxed. They were laughing and flirting, Dean not really holding back on his juvenile charm as he enjoyed how he could make Cas smile, and the world just seemed right.
As Cas got the check, Dean excused himself to go to the restroom. If you'd ask him after, he would swear blind that he never saw the guy following him. Dean used to pride himself on his good self-preservation skills (a skill borne out of necessity) but maybe it was because he was just so happy and relaxed that he had let his defenses slide.
He honestly never believed that people actually did that kind of thing, trying to pick someone up randomly in a restroom, but he didn't even get a chance to pull himself out do his business, before a guy, about forty by the looks of it, cornered him with a leer, giving him a once over that made Dean feel sick. Going rigid, body suddenly on high alert, Dean pulled himself up in an attempt to look taller, still the guy seemed to tower over him.
"Do you mind?" Dean asked, trying to keep his voice level.
"In fact I don't, gorgeous." The man stated with a wink, completely ignoring Dean's discomfort.
Dean looked confused for a second. "What?"
"Ah come on, don' play coy. I saw you batting those pretty lashes as that guy." The man leaned in, making Dean want to fade into the wall.
"What's you're damage?" He gritted out.
"I've been watching you. It appears like you are very appreciative of the more mature men. But believe me, honey." The guy's eyes raked over Dean again, making him feel like just a piece of meat." You look like you need someone who knows how to handle you, bet you have a right mouth on you when you want to." And the guy's leer briefly flicked to Dean's lips, like he was imagining just what those lips could do. It made Dean want to hurl. "And that guy, just doesn't look the type who could handle you. Lucky for you, I like a challenge. I know how to put you in your place, and I can give you stuff the other guy will never be able to. You're such a pretty little thing, I bet you just need a nice Daddy to tell you what a good boy you are."
Dean had no idea whether to be sick or just punch the guy.
"Get the fuck off of me." He tried to push against about 250 pounds of muscle and flesh.
"Playing hard to get? You were not so shy a few minutes ago, all but climbing into that guy's lap. Gives a man ideas, you know. He probably has no idea how special you are, how to treat you right and make you moan."
It must have been the sudden rage he felt, that gave Dean the strength to actually move the guy back a few inches, staring him down. "You know fuck all about our relationship. You think this is some sick game we're playing? That I'm just with Cas because it gives me some weird kick or because he can give me stuff? Fuck you. Someone like you will never understand what we have. And I'm sure as hell not responsible for your twisted mind. So if you don't fuck off right now, I'm gonna kick you in the balls so hard, you won't be able to get it up for at least a month, and believe me I know how to get you where it hurts!" Dean actually managed to wedge his leg into such a position that made it quite clear he was going to follow through on his threat.
The guy finally seemed to get the message and stepped away holding his hands up in surrender, giving Dean a disdainful look, like he suddenly sprouted a contagious disease.
"Suit yourself. You're probably not worth the hassle, just some high maintenance little cocksucker." He gritted out before leaving Dean perched against the wall, breathing hard.
To say the rest of the day was ruined for Dean was putting it mildly. Cas shot him continuous perturbed glances as they made their way back to Sioux Falls, but Dean just didn't feel up for sharing. Call it embarrassment, feeling like shit for what they guy had called him, or maybe it was some niggling worry that if he told his boyfriend, it would trigger a spiral of doubt and self-consciousness about their relationship that they had just started to get past. Dean hated this, that people just judged them based on outward appearance. Just some old dude keeping himself a boy toy, or countless variation thereof. They should all just mind their own fucking business.
Cas, of course, could just tell something was off about Dean. One minute they were all smiles and banter and a few minutes later it was like Dean had caved in on himself. Oh he still made conversation, still tried to smile but it was forced, the easiness had disappeared. But Cas knew pushing too hard would sent the teen flying in the opposite direction. These last few days had been the best he had in years (company of a certain parent aside, but Cas would just have to learn to live with that) and to end it on a bitter note, without knowing if or what he might have done wrong to have Dean withdraw like that, killed the man.
It took Cas until they headed to bed that night, lying next to each other but nor really with each other, to finally coax it out of the boy. Cas was furious, not at Dean for not telling him sooner, but at that asshole who had Dean diminished to some kind of sex toy that was available to the highest bidder. He could understand Dean's hesitance to tell him, for one Cas was not sure if he would have tried to go after the guy but also because to some extent the guy's perception of them did brush on issues Cas had in the past wrestled with, and it was not easy to just brush those off, no matter how far fetched. It was definitely something he still needed to wrestle with but it was not for Dean to wrestle them for him. If anything, they needed to address these together. And despite having an agonizing long drive back to Chicago to look forward to the next day, they talked deep into the night, until Cas just conked out mid-sentence.
#
"That's the last of 'em." Dean panted, dropping the box to the floor. Apparently heaving a couple of them up three flights of stairs was all it took to get him out of breath (maybe he should look into doing some cardio). Who thought owning so little still translated in multiple bags and boxes that needed shifting from the car to the room that he would be calling home for at least the next year.
A multitude of other students and parents were populating the corridors of the dorms and for the first time the reality of the situation hit Dean. He would spent his next couple of years with these people, having to make new friends, not to mention the sheer amount of coursework he would have to get through while trying to hold down a part-time job. A job he only got because Bobby knew a guy who knew a guy. And while Dean still was not the best at accepting help, he was getting better, accepting the offer after only minimal grumbling that he would be able to find a job on his own. And, of course, there was the fact that he still felt kind of guilty for leaving Sam behind. No matter that he could be back in Sioux Falls in a matter of hours if need be. That was one of the reasons he settled on Minneapolis out of the pathetically few choices that had been open to him, but right now that knowledge didn't help much.
He looked wistfully at his brother who was bouncing on the bed, testing out the strength of the mattress, while Cas stood by, shaking his head with a chuckle at the younger' Winchester's exuberance. Dean shifted his gaze to focus fully on Cas. He was so happy the man had found the time to accompany him. Cas drove all the way to Sioux Falls to pick him and his brother up. Sammy had insisted on coming and seeing Dean's new 'digs'. And after dropping Dean off, he would drive Sam back to Sioux Falls, stay the night at Jody and Bobby's before heading back home. Talk about one big road trip for his boyfriend.
Yet, Dean knew Cas wouldn't want it any other way. He had been there for Dean while figuring out what course to go for and all through the grueling application process. He helped him to apply for his student loans, and he damn well wanted to be there to help Dean settle in. Dean smiled to himself. God he already missed him and they haven't even said goodbye yet. But after spending a considerable amount of time together over the summer, he kind of got used to having Cas around. Again, he didn't' live a world away, but they both would be rather busy during term-time, so it would have to be the occasional weekend visit, at least until Thanksgiving which they planned on spending with Sam and the rest of his extended family. Dean had even suggested to invite Gabriel along, as he was now very much wife-less and also not keen on spending it with their other siblings, and probably would have hung out with Cas anyway.
Dean was pulled from his thoughts by a decidedly unhealthy noise from his bed frame.
"Hey, I gotta pay for that if you break it." He scolded his brother.
"Just making sure it can take your big-ass weight." Sam teased.
"Watch it squirt!" Dean took out a pair of socks from the duffle he had just opened and flung it at his brother. Cas couldn't hide his snort of amusement.
"Got anything to add on the topics of beds?" Dean raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend. "Or, for that matter, on the size of my ass?" This time it was Sam who nearly chocked on his saliva as he tried to hold back the laughter. "Ew, gross."
Cas ignored Sam's protests and focused his piercing blue eyes on Dean, smirking at him. "In fact I do, but I am afraid it would not be suitable for younger ears."
"Caaaas,"Sammy whined.
"You insisted on coming, now shut up and let me'n Cas talk this out." Dean scolded his brother while he had his eyes locked on Cas. "Because I am rather interested in his opinion." He dropped the shirt he was holding and took a step towards the older man.
Sam sighed in the background, mumbling something about stupid ass brothers as Cas opened his mouth to reply. There was a god after all, Sam decided as it was at that moment that another guy stepped into the room.
"Hey, you must be the room-mate." A big burly guy with a southern twang garnered everyone's attention.
Dean wanted to snort, 'stating the obvious, dude' ready on his tongue but the guy just smiled warmly and stretched out his hand.
"The name is Benny, got here yesterday."
"Dean." Dean took the offered hand. "Just moving in." And d'oh, who was stating the obvious now?
"You guys mind if I hang here while you get yourself sorted. I was gonna explore Campus but not really a big fan of the whole 'end of the world' downpour going on right now."
"Yeah, sure, it's your room as much as mine." Dean said. As much as he would have loved some more time to just get acclimatized, he couldn't just throw this guy out. Probably wouldn't be a smart move if he wanted to get along with him and the dude seemed easy going enough as he propped himself up on his bed and buried himself behind a book.
The rest of the packing, for reasons, went a lot quieter, hushed conversations and a distinct lack of ribbing of little brothers or flirting with Cas.
And then, before Dean was ready for it, it was time for Sammy and Cas to leave. Dean knew it was silly, this hollow feeling like this was the end, it would at most be a few weeks before he would see them again but right now it was monumental. He felt like he was being left behind, not like this was the beginning of the rest of his life. He pulled Sammy into a one armed hug, urging him to call and Skype him every day and to let him know the second something might go wrong back home. Sam clung to him for a long moment, really not making this easier but Dean kept a brave face. He could hide in the bathroom and cry later.
But if he might have just about been able to convince Sammy that he was a-okay, he knew he couldn't fool Cas. The man must have seen the emotions written all over his face. He didn't even bother with any platitudes, just pulled Dean in, hugging him like his life dependent on it, and it was just what Dean needed. He buried his face in Cas' neck, taking all the time he needed to compose himself, because damn it, he wouldn't cry in front of his new roomie.
Only when he felt emotionally stable enough did Dean re-emerge from where he hid his face and placed both his hands on Cas' cheeks, leaning in and giving him a deep slow kiss.
"Gonna see you soon."
"Of course." Cas smiled, tracing his thumb over Dean's cheek.
"Drive carefully and call me."
"As soon as I'm back in Sioux Falls."
"Good." They both were lingering now, just trying to stretch out this moment as long as they could.
"Hey Cas, if we wanna get back while it still is today, we really need to move." Sam hated to interrupt Dean and Cas' moment but there really was only so long two people could gaze at each other before things became somewhat awkward for the unlucky bystanders.
"Of course. I hope you settle in. Nice to meet you Benny." Cas said, and Benny looked up from his book, where he clearly had tried to give the other people some privacy.
"You too."
"I walk you to the car." Dean said, and Cas smiled, offering his hand for Dean to take and together the three of them disappeared from the room.
Dean came back in ten minutes later, another goodbye had turned into another kiss and in the end he and Cas had to have mercy on Sam and say good-bye for real.
He smiled at this Benny person, as he went to work, putting sheets onto his bed.
"Younger brother?" The deep voice from across the room interrupted after a few minutes.
"Yeah, you got any siblings?" Dean asked as he continued to sift through his stuff.
"Nah, only child. Always wanted one though."
"Right pain in the ass, but yeah wouldn't wanna be without him."
"And the other dude?" The questions was delivered a bit more cautiously.
Dean felt himself tense slightly Ah well, nothing like coming out to your roommate on your first day. Also, how could the guy have missed them kissing earlier? Must be a good book.
"Boyfriend." He turned to look at Benny, trying to gauge his reaction.
Benny simply nodded. "So, you're gay?"
"Bi actually, but not that it matters, I'm taken."
Benny raised one eyebrow. "Guy seems kind of old for- you know." Ah, there it was. Dean, of course, had already anticipated the questions and would have gotten defensive but the guy really just seemed to appear curious, not holding any obvious judgment in his gaze.
"Not to me, plus- he's awesome and we're good together." He could give Benny their tragic life-story another day.
"In the end that's all that matters." Benny replied, and with that the discussion was over and he turned back to his book, giving Dean some privacy.
Dean smiled, he had the feeling that he might get along well with his roommate and as for the rest, if the last years had taught him anything, it was that if you didn't give up and fought for what you wanted, somehow things had a tendency to work themselves out. He would still be there for Sam in one capacity or another, being his big brother and looking out for him wouldn't just stop because he was a few hours away and he and Cas would just have to keep finding ways of making this relationship work, and Dean was certain they would manage. After all, life had pretty much already thrown all it had at them and they had come out the other end.
He shot a quick text to Cas, just saying that he would miss him tonight, before going about finding places for all his belongings and turning this into a place he could call home for the foreseeable future and grinning goofily at the reply he received about half an hour later.
Dean gazed at the simple 'I love you' for a long moment, and this time there was no need to delete or hide it from anyone's sight.
Wow, I honestly can't believe there is only the Epilogue left now. I can't make any promises, but with me being off work for the next week and a half, I'm going to try my damn hardest to get this out by the New Year.