Castiel has to keep a conversation going with Mr Winchester, and it's not easy. John has concerns about Ianto and Jack. The surprises are not over for Sam. His dad has more up his sleeve. Jack and Ianto communicate via texts, and Dean finally gets a chance to be alone with Castiel.

Songs in this chapter

Brain Damage - Pink Floyd - M/L: Roger Waters

Wonderwall - Oasis - M/L: Noel Gallagher

"Yeah. We rehearse together, and sometimes we just chill and listen to music." Castiel was talking to John Winchester about Dean, and Jo had to look over at Sam to see if he was just as surprised as her.

Dean was currently at the counter to pick up their orders, and Mr Winchester had asked Cas about his friendship with his son. Sam pinched her gently as he shook his head clandestinely. Jo got the point; she wasn't supposed to say anything about it, but her curiosity was not stilled.

She didn't even know that Dean and Cas hung out outside the choir room. She had been pretty sure they didn't, but Cas sounded honest enough. "Dean hasn't made many friends over the years, and I take the blame for that. I have dragged him along from city to city not even thinking about what he'd lost." Sam's dad looked sad for a moment, but then he smiled widely. "I'm a shitty dad, but I'm going to make it right."

They had decided to go to a fast food place because they didn't have time for the anything else. Dean, Castiel and Jo had to get back to the school in less than an hour for the curfew, and Sam and his dad had to hit the road to get back to Lima as fast as possible.

When Dean gestured for someone to help him carry the trays, Cas excused himself and hurried over there. She could see that they were talking a little bit, and Dean smiled and nodded before the two of them came back with the food.

"So, Jo, short for Joanna I guess, so you are Sam's girlfriend?" John Winchester stared right at her, and she threw a quick peek at Sam before she replied. "Yes, Sir. I am." Sam squeezed her hand under the table and she couldn't help smiling.

Cas and Dean were back handing out burgers and fries, making everybody focus on the food. Jo knew that she had to ask Sam about what was going on between Dean and Cas, and why Cas was lying about their friendship. It would have to wait though, she knew that she wouldn't get an answers until they were back home.

-o-o-o-o-o-

John had noticed that Jack had been totally unable to keep his paws off Ianto. He was thoroughly pissed about it, but there was nothing he could do at the moment without making a scene. It would be impossible for the two of them to hook up right now, and with the limited time in the morning, Ianto was safe for the time being.

Graduation was just a few days away, and Jack would leave soon after. If he could just keep them apart over the weekend, everything would be fine. So maybe there would be heartbreak involved, but not as bad as it could be if Jack managed to get into Ianto's pants before he left him hanging.

John didn't even know why he was so adamant about this. He did have a crush on Ianto when they first became friends, but it faded away as he realized that the friendship was more important. He also had to admit that he been quite taken by Jack from the moment the guy joined Glee-club, but that was also a thing of the past.

The infamous hook up at New Year's eve was something he really regretted. Not that he remembered much about it - he was seriously drunk - but at least they hadn't gone all the way.

After singing themselves hoarse, most of the guys started to turn in. They had an early start in the morning, and there was no point in postponing it. Dean, Jo and Cas were still missing, but Gwen had gotten a text from the girl that they were on their way.

Nobody really knew where they were or what they were doing. Sam and his dad had showed up unexpectedly and whisked them away from the venue before any of the other got an explanation.

It was quite interesting that Cas went with them, and John wondered if he and Dean were a couple now. Nothing they had said or done lately gave anything away, but John hadn't really payed much attention.

Introducing Cas to the dad was still a big step; especially for a guy like Dean who tried to make people believe that he was completely straight.

The conversation the two of them had after the new year's party came to mind. John had been both stoned and drunk, so it wasn't easy to recollect every word of it, but even if Dean had made it completely clear that he was not in love, John remembered clearly that he didn't believe it for one second. The rest of their intoxicated talk was just a big blur.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They made it back only seconds before the curfew. A superintendent or something was hanging around by the front door as they dived out of the car and ran over. The guy did not look happy when they explained who they were, but he did believe them and let them in before he locked the doors behind them.

Castiel took the lead through the halls; he was good with direction, and managed to find the way to their room quickly.

"The lunatic is on the grass

The lunatic is on the grass

Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs…"

They could hear the soft strumming of a guitar, and - Dean wasn't sure - Ianto singing quietly along. As they turned the last corner they could see the guy sitting on the floor outside their room with a guitar on his lap.

"The lunatic is in the hall

The lunatics are…"

He shut up immediately when they approached, and then he started to get up. "Oh. You're back. Most of the others are in bed so be quiet." He was about to walk away, and Dean grabbed his arm. "Where did you get the guitar? Can i try it?"

Ianto looked down at it, and shrugged. "I should have put it away already, but I was kind of, kind of… I just needed a moment." He huffed silently as he handed the instrument to Dean. "I guess it's okay. But no Rock'n Roll. People are sleeping."

Jo had already entered the room, and before the door closed behind her, Ianto hurried to follow her. He turned around just as he was about to get inside. "Don't leave it there, I can put it back in the morning."

Suddenly, Dean was alone with Castiel. He had wanted this for so long, but when it happened he was not prepared.

It soon became obvious that Castiel wasn't prepared for it either. "Um, are you going to play? I mean. That's cool. I can sit here listening." The guy scooted back a little before he slumped down on the floor several feet away.

There was no plan behind this. Dean just missed his guitar, and got a little envious when he saw Ianto with one. He plucked the strings absentmindedly, as he thought about what to do.

The instrument was well tuned, although it lacked the depth of a really good guitar. It didn't matter; this was not a performance, and he didn't have to make an impression.

He didn't put full pressure on the strings as he started playing. The surroundings called for a more subtle sound.

"Today is gonna be the day

That they're gonna throw it back to you

By now you should've somehow

Realized what you gotta do…

I don't believe that anybody

Feels the way I do, about you now…"

Dean kept his voice down, and he dared to throw a peek at Castiel as he leaned his back to the wall. Cas wasn't even looking at him, but he could hear that he was humming along.

"And all the roads we have to walk are winding

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

There are many things that I

Would like to say to you but I don't know how

Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me

And after all, you're my wonderwall."

Castiel was still staring into the floor and Dean felt slightly uncomfortable about it. The thing the two of them had started was about to be spoiled because Dean wanted to play the guitar. Cas was there for him, but it didn't look like he enjoied the performance.

"And all the roads that lead you there are winding

And all the lights that light the way are blinding…"

Dean moved a little closer and sat down on the floor next to Cas. He was still strumming the guitar, and he kept singing.

"I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me

And after all, you're my wonderwall."

He got a smile. A small one, but still a smile.

"I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me

And after all, you're my wonderwall."

When Cas lifted his hand and stroke his cheek, Dean stopped playing and let the guitar slide down on the floor.

They stared at each other for a moment. "Why is there always something in the way. We can never be alone. Are you avoiding me?" Cas was holding onto Dean's shoulder but evaded his gaze as he spoke.

"What? I'm not… You're the one who's busy all the time." Dean sighed heavily. "We planned to watch a movie, but you never had time. I tried. I really tried."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The return trip was way more enjoyable than the ride to Orlando. Sam was so happy that their dad would let him and Dean stay in Lima, that he didn't feel tired even if it was quite late.

"How long are you going to stay in Lima? Are you gonna help us find a new place? I can possibly stay with Ianto and his family, and then we only have to look for a small apartment for Dean." Sam was already planning how to do this, but needed input from his dad.

John Winchester chuckled a little as he shook his head. "We have the whole summer. I mean, I have to take off for a while, but there is still plenty of time to sort this out." He focused on the road again, and Sam got a little disappointed. He was so hyped about this that he couldn't just leave it.

"I see, but, I mean… We can always still stay at that place for a couple of months, but really…" Sam was more than ready to move out, and he knew that Ianto's family would take him in anytime, but he really preferred staying with his brother.

Dean would probably be quite laidback about it, and expect that things would solve themselves in due time. Sam knew better. If they didn't act on it now, their dad could so easily postpone everything until school started, and quite possibly change his mind about the whole thing before it became a reality.

"Relax, son." John sighed heavily. "I wasn't going to tell you yet, but I guess you won't stop nagging me about it until we're in Ohio." He rubbed his chin before he threw a peek at Sam. "I sold the land. I'm thinking of buying a place."

Sam didn't at first understand what the guy was talking about. "What land?" Then it dawned on him. After the fire, his dad had wanted to rebuild the house, but the guy was a notorious procrastinator when it came to these things, and years had passed without any progress in the matter.

"The old house, erm, the land where…" He paused and looked at Sam. Sam nodded to show that he understood. "I'm never going to move back there regardless. I saw no point in keeping it any longer."

It was kind of sad, but Sam didn't remember much of it. He'd been too young to actually have any memories of living in the house, but they had been there a few times over the years. Back in the days when his dad was still adamant about rebuilding, he had taken them there from time to time, and explained what he wanted to do when he got around to it.

"I got a very good deal, and I decided to take it. I knew that you guys wanted to stay in Lima, so I thought it would be better to put the money into a house there. If you later want to move away, we can sell it."

After a moment of silence, while Sam did his best to digest the news, John continued. "I've already looked at properties, and I found a few affordable listings. It will be nice for me to have a real home to come to when I visit you guys."

For a moment, Sam wondered if their dad had been abducted by aliens and replaced by a clone. He had never heard the man talk like this before. Everytime he came up with an idea for the future, it always had to be executed later. 'Later' normally never came, and Sam wasn't very old when he learned not to take it seriously.

"When you visit? So you're not going to live there?" Sam was partially disappointed, but at the same time he was strangely relieved. There had been a few times that he and Dean didn't quite see eye to eye, and sometimes they didn't even know if they would have money for food the next week. The crappy housing was a whole sob-story in itself, but all in all, this year living with his brother had been the best year of his life.

He had missed his dad; probably not as much as one was supposed to miss their only parent. and even if Dean wasn't the most responsible adult he could think of, Sam had been happy about the arrangement.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll settle down, but I don't want to promise anything." John Winchester shrugged a little. "You know me, son." With a humourless chuckle he looked over before he continued. "Let's get you two a home, then we'll see." He turned on the radio, and Sam took it as a cue to not ask any more questions at the moment.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ianto was trying not to make much noise as he was twisting and turning to get comfortable. John, whom he shared the mattress with, had passed out completely, and didn't seem to be bothered by it.

The rest of the guys in there were probably sleeping as well; there were no sounds to indicate anything else. He wasn't sure if Cas and Dean were in bed yet; he'd been too busy feeling sorry for himself.

Time was running out for him. He had really hoped that Jack would have followed him out in the hall when he went to put the guitar back. The teacher who let him borrow it had told him that he could just leave it in the room, but he made up that excuse in hopes that Jack would take the bait.

That did not happen. Instead, Ianto sat there on the floor outside their room for the longest time, pining away.

It wasn't easy to understand Jack. The guy had been very subtle with the flirting lately; everything had been clandestined, but at the same time very direct. Ianto felt teased, and he didn't like the feeling.

In only a few days, Jack would leave Lima for good, and being only 'facebook'-friends wasn't going to give Ianto the satisfaction that he craved. A general promise of keeping in touch wasn't really good enough.

He could feel the buzz from his cell-phone as he turned for the umpteenth time. He hurried to dig it out from the pocket of his sweatpants.

"Jack: you awake?"

Ianto threw a quick peek over to where Jack was lying, but there was no movement. He looked at the text again and wondered what to do about it. He didn't spend many seconds pondering.

"Sure"

It took a couple of minutes before the phone buzzed again.

"Jack: I need a ride home on tuesday, can you help me?"

After a moment of fighting to not start hyperventilating, Ianto managed to collect himself enough to imagine what Jack was thinking. There was no doubt about it. Ianto would volunteer for this task at any time, but he wanted to know if there was any hidden agenda.

"possibly?"

Three minutes later, he had still not gotten a reply. Staring at the phone was not going to help, so Ianto tucked it back into his pocket trying not to be too excited. Maybe it was just that; Jack needed a ride, and he was asking around.

He was extremely tired, but if it had been hard to fall asleep before the short 'text-exchange', it was even harder now.

Ianto looked over at the shadow that was Jack, The guy didn't move, and there were no glare of light that could have come from a phone. Maybe Jack was completely satisfied with the answer, and would bring it up at a later time.

When the buzz came again, Ianto startled a little, and trying to not get his hopes up, he moved the phone up enough to read the text.

"Jack: If you want, you can stay with me and my folks for a couple of days, and maybe help me pack for NY."

The buzzes from the phone could not compare with the buzz in Ianto's head as he read the message. Jack wanted to hang out with him after school was over. He wanted him to come to his house and spend a night - two nights - before he took off to New York.

Ianto could almost not believe it. Was it possible that Jack had asked around? Maybe this was just a friendly request? His dick was convinced it wasn't, but that body part was not very reliable.

"That could be fun. Sure."

He had sent the text without a single brain-cell functioning. It was amazing that it was even possible. Regretting it wasn't an option; the words were already inside Jack's phone.

Fantasies about what could happen when they were alone in Jack's room took over completely, and Ianto had to cover up a moan when the pictures in his head got too vivid.

"Jack: Thanks. We shouldn't tell anyone. Sleep tight."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Cas was sweating like a pig. He wondered if he was stinky, but didn't really think so. The only thing he could smell at the moment was the faint scent of Dean's deodorant.

Sitting there on the floor arguing about who was to blame for their lack of interaction was just silly. Cas knew that he'd been tied up with a few things outside of school during the last few weeks, and he could so easily cop to that, but Dean had been busy with his job, and also with his dad showing up unexpectedly. That they both had the rehearsals screwing up everything didn't help much either.

Castiel was still holding onto Dean's shoulder, but when Dean - in a mocking way - started excusing himself for wanting to spend time with his dad, Cas let go. He folded his hands and let them rest on his lap.

"I want to go to bed." He didn't make a move to get up, he only wanted Dean to shut up. "Maybe we should just…" He never finished the sentence. Dean did shut up, and then he grabbed Castiel's folded hands with one of his and squeezed gently.

Sitting on the hard tiled floor started to get a little uncomfortable; leaning on a row of lockers was probably leaving ridges in his back from the vents, and Cas knew that he should get up regardless, but he stayed put.

"I'm sorry. I'm just, erm. Can we start over? Things happened and we couldn't hang out, but we have time." Dean was still holding onto Castiel's hands, but didn't look at him as he spoke. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his gaze slightly, but still without meeting Castiel's eyes. "I'm scared. This scares and confuses me."

Cas could so easily relate. He was terrified himself, but he wasn't confused about his own feelings. He'd kept his sexuality hidden from his friends and family, but to himself he'd been honest for a while.

Dean was still struggling to come to terms with this, and pushing him would not help. "I'm scared too, but… and I'm sorry." Cas swallowed hard. "I might have made up a few excuses, but it's because I, I didn't know…"

He lifted his arm and wrapped it over Dean's shoulders pulling him closer. "This is not the time and place, but I'm free the whole weekend. We could…" His speech got cut short when Dean suddenly kissed him on the lips, and before he knew it they were clinging to each other. Dean nuzzled his face into the crook of Castiel's neck. "Yeah…" He sounded a bit short winded. "Yeah, let's make it a date."

They untangled themselves and started to get up from the floor. After stretching a bit to loosen up, Cas took Dean's hand and started to walk towards the door to the classroom. Dean held back for a moment. "The guitar." He leaned down and picked it up before they snuck inside holding hands.