I Think I Deserve Something

Sam stalked in to the kitchen, slumping down at the kitchen table, dropping his bag at his feet. Dean smirked and turned to look at his younger brother.

"So? How was your first day back?"

Sam shrugged; "painful. Hectic. Generally shit. How's your day been?"

"Same old. Is pasta ok?"

Sam grunted and pulled his bag on to the table, emptying it's contents. Dean chuckled.

"Homework already?"

"You have no idea! Mr Adler set us a two page essay! And we have a new Religion teacher, he wants us to look up five misconceptions of the Bible... Fun fun!"

"Bible misconceptions? Sounds like a blast."

"He's not that bad, a bit nervous I think, playing by the rules. He's new to teaching."

Dean shrugged; "whatever. Keep an eye on the sauce, I need to take a shower before I head to work."

Sam nodded and made a start on his homework. Dean hurried up the stairs, making a mental list of things that needed to be done; the fridge needed to be restocked, Sam needed some new clothes seeing as he'd shot up over summer, the boiler needed seeing to, the front porch steps needed to be fixed before some hapless neighbour put their foot through and sued... The list was endless. Over summer, he'd managed to get most things seen to, with Sam's help, but now he was back at school he was back to working three jobs, looking after a house and 17-year-old by himself. Their father had skipped town, leaving his sons behind two years ago, Dean tried his best to provide for Sammy and himself, having to rely on the help of Ellen and Bobby, family friends and bosses. Bobby Singer owned the garage Dean worked at six days of the week, and also put Sam up during the times Dean found money hard to come by. Ellen Harvelle owned The Roadhouse, local watering-hole where Dean worked 4 nights of the week, and was like a surrogate mother to the boys, forcing them to hers for home-cooked meals and a wame home in the winter. The other three nights of the week, Dean worked at as a waiter at a pretty swanky restaurant; most of the money he earned there went straight to Sam, either for clothes, food, books, or just pocket money so he could go out.
After his shower, Dean threw on his jeans and 'Roadhouse' shirt and went to serve up Sam's dinner. Sam frowned when he noticed only he was being fed.

"You're not eating?"

Dean shook his head, rushing around the kitchen, making a list of food needed; "no time, and not enough food, you eat up. And be in bed before eleven tonight please, I can't spend all my morning waking you up because you sat up till three reading!"

Sam sighed; "ok. What time will you be home?"

"Shouldn't be later than two. See you later."

Sam swapped his books from his bag with the ones in his locker, listening to Chuck Shurley explain the plot of his latest screenplay when Gordon Walker shoved Chuck in to the lockers as he walked past with his gang of thugs. Sam growled.

"Will you guys just quit it?"

Gordon laughed; "what's up, Lose-chester? Did we hurt your boyfriend?"

"Oh, gay jokes, very original."

"Look, smartass, you'd better shut the fuck up."

Sam rolled his eyes and slammed his locker door shut; "or what? I'm sure I can take whatever you women feel like dishing out. Why don't you ladies just, move on and find new ways to cover up your flagrant homosexuality instead of resorting to acting like a Neanderthal?"

The corridor went silent, everyone within hearing distance had stopped to watch the scene unfold. Gordon stood, rooted to the spot, glaring at Sam, his friends stood behind him doing the same. Sam thought he'd almost won when out of nowhere Gordon's fist connected with his jaw. He threw a punch back on instinct, and Gordon's friends jumped in too. It didn't take long for teachers to rush over and intervene. A rough hand grabbed the collar of Sam's shirt, pulling him away from Gordon, whilst Mr Henricksen - the Principle - and Mr Adler - the English teacher - pulled off Gordon and his cronies. Sam spun round, Mr Novak - the new Religion teacher - looked down at Sam with a mixture of confusion and pity.

"Novak, take Mr Winchester to the nurse please? I need to have words with Mr Walker and his friends."

The dark haired teacher nodded, letting go of Sam's shirt, ushering his through the gathered crowd and up the corridor to the nurses office. He stood silent, watching Sam analytically as the nurse cleaned up Sam's injuries.

"What happened this time?" Nurse-"please call me Pam"-Barnes asked, dabbing antiseptic to a cut on his face. Sam sighed.

"Gordon, being a dick, again."

"Mmm? What did he say this time?"

"He shoved Chuck, and then was just-"

"-A dick, I get it baby... He really did a number on you, huh?"

Sam chuckled; "five against one? Not really a fair fight."

"Well, I hope you had no important classes this afternoon, you won't be able to see out of that eye for a while, and I think you're a little concussed."

Sam's smile instantly fell; "what? Do I have to go home?"

"Afraid so, baby."

"Right, I'll ring Dean."

Mr Novak finally cleared his throat; "actually, Samuel, do you mind if I ring your father?"

Sam shared a worried look with Pam before shrugging; "um, ok? I don't think he'll be in though..."

Mr Novak nodded and left the office, quickly going to ring 'John's' number. Sam knew Dean would be home, so didn't worry too much. Pam sighed and finished cleaning up Sam.

"I take it you haven't told him?"

Sam shook his head; "he's new, and seems pretty... Strict, y'know? I don't want him ratting us out to Social Services."

"Don't worry about it, kid, you've got people here who want to look after you. Not long until you're legally an adult."

A few moments later, Mr Novak returned, a slight look of bewilderment playing on his face; "your brother's coming to pick you up."

Sam nodded and slid off the cot, pulling his jacket on. Pam gave Sam's shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving the room, going to attend to other students. Sam and Mr Novak stood staring at each other awkwardly; Sam felt unnerved by his teacher's penetrating stare, it was almost as if he could see right through his affectation and knew what was really going on.

"Sam. Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

Sam frowned; "huh?"

"You don't strike me as the type to get in to fights, especially ones started by immature bullies."

"Not usually, but Gordon, I've had to put up with him for three years, so, anything he does makes me want to punch him..."

"You think that will solve your problems?"

Sam snorted; "obviously not. But... It provides relief? I only have to deal with him until graduation."

Mr Novak frowned; "relief?"

Sam bit his lip, choosing his words carefully, knowing his teacher was trying to dig things out of him; "just... Dicks like him make me so angry! They have these perfect lives and think it's fine to kick people who are already down. They need bringing down a peg or two."

"Ok."

Dean eventually turned up, barging in to the nurses' office, and past Mr Novak, grabbing Sam by the shoulders; "fuck, Sammy! What did he do to you?"

Sam smirked; "knocked seven shades of shit out of me, clearly."

"I'm going to kill that little shit."

"Nah, Dean, don't."

Dean turned round, not expecting to meet the stern stare of Mr Novak; "...Can I help you?"

Mr Novak cleared his throat; "I'm Mr Novak, we spoke on the phone."

"Oh, yeah."

"Could I have a word?"

"Um. Yeah. Sammy, go wait outside, yeah?"

Sam nodded, pulling his bag on to his shoulder and slipped out of the room, leaving Dean to Mr Novak's creepy stares.

"So teach, you want to talk?"

"You're Sam's brother?"

"Yeah, Dean, hi."

Dean stared back at the teacher, not feeling at all unnerved, almost challenging the blue-eyed teacher with his own stares.

"Where is your father?"

"Oh him, he's at work. He works, a lot. I'm really the one who looks after Sam. If you ring him I'll probably be the one answering."

"Oh... Well, I'm just concerned for Sam."

Dean scoffed; "he's fine! This isn't his first fight, won't be his last, so long as scumbags like Walker are still here."

"I see."

"...Have you got something you need to say? I sort of need to get back to work."

"Yes, of course, I apologise for keeping you."

"It's no bother, Bobby'll understand."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr Winchester."

Dean looked at Mr Novak's out-stretched hand before taking it; "yeah, you too."

He hurried out of the office, grabbing Sam's shoulder and dragging him down the corridor. Mr Novak could hear their conversation as they hurried away.

"Fuck, Sam, keep your nose clean, man! We don't need guys like him snooping around!"

"Sorry, Dean."

"Sorry won't cut it when they take you from me!"

"...Sorry."

Dean leant on the bar, grinning down at his co-worker Gabriel who was cleaning glasses. Gabriel grinned back.

"Someone's happy?"

"Table four, dude. Cougar totally came on to me, slipped a fifty in my back pocket."

Gabriel laughed; "you slut, Winchester!"

"Hey, I'm getting paid."

"Illegally! Besides, since when did you get it up for the ladies?"

Dean laughed; "hey, at the moment, I'll get it up for anyone who feels like paying me."

Gabriel smirked; "you whore! ...Money that tight though, dude?"

"Yeah, Sammy's got a trip to Topeka for his Government and Politics class."

"Couldn't he not go?"

Dean snorted; "he wouldn't let me live it down. He can do without stupid trips to the City for English and Drama, but he needs this trip apparently."

"Fair enough. Hey, heads up."

Gabriel nodded to the entrance, Dean spun round to see who his latest customers were. His jaw almost dropped when he saw Mr Novak and another well dressed man. He grabbed two menus and went over to greet them.

"Evening gentlemen."

Mr Novak recognised Dean and almost hid behind his date. The date cleared his throat and smirked up at Dean.

"Reservation for two, MacLeod?"

Dean almost laughed at the man's cockney accent, but managed to remain professional. He looked down at the register and nodded, crossing out the name.

"Certainly, follow me."

He led the two to a table, taking their coats and handing them their menus. He read out the list of specials before sauntering back over to the bar, hanging up the coats on his way.

"Well, that looks awkward," Gabriel laughed, still cleaning glasses.

"First date I'm guessing... That's Sammy's teacher too."

Gabriel grinned; "yeah? Which one?"

"The stiff with the sex-hair and blue-eyes."

"Nice. What's he teach?"

"Religion. He's the one that started poking his nose about that time."

Gabriel nodded; "oh? Damn. Pity though, he looks... Nice."

Dean laughed and picked up his notepad; "don't go there, Gabe."

He went back over to their table, putting on his fake smile; "what would you like to drink?"

Mr Novak awkwardly looked up from his menu, refusing to meet Dean's eyes, instead looking at the man sitting across from him. The cockney smirked up at him.

"We'd like a bottle of your finest red, please. And some water."

Dean nodded, quickly writing it down, glancing at Novak before going back to the bar.

Work at the restaurant was slow, especially with it being a Tuesday, so Dean got to stand and chat with Gabriel at the bar for most of the evening. The two of them spent most of their time laughing at some of the patrons, guessing what was being said, poking fun at how awkward they looked. Mr Novak's date didn't look to be going too well from Dean's perspective; there were prolonged silences, awkward stares and a disagreement on whether or not he should order the steak. Dean had stood awkwardly listening to Mr Novak tell his date he didn't want the salmon, whilst the date insisted that steak was boring and would probably be done wrong. Gabriel left early, leaving Dean and Anna to look after the front of house by themselves. He didn't talk much to Anna; she dealt more with ferrying food to and from customers, standing at the back, whilst Dean dealt with drinks and taking orders, staying put at the front.
He watched Mr Novak excuse himself to the bathroom, whilst his date called for the bill. He slid across his card, quickly paying and leaving. Dean frowned, retreating back to the bar to finish his jobs. Mr Novak returned, seemingly unphased by the fact his date had left and wandered over to the bar, slipping up on one of the stools.

"Bourbon, please, straight."

Dean nodded and prepared the man's drink; "bad date?"

"Terrible. I'm never letting my brother set me up on a blind date ever, again."

"So what was the problem?" Dean asked, sliding the drink over to him. He took a quick gulp, wincing at the burn before shrugging.

"Where do I begin? Crowley isn't too-"

"-Wait, Crowley?"

"Yes."

"Well there's your problem. Douchebag name, douchebag guy."

Mr Novak smiled; "funny, but I don't see the logic."

Dean shrugged; "there was no logic."

"Dean, right?"

"Yeah... Do you have a name? I don't really want to be calling you Mr Novak."

The man chuckled; "Castiel, or, Cas."

"Castiel? That's-"

"-I know, weird. It's the name of an angel."

Dean smirked; "nice, kind of suitable, I guess."

"Why?"

"You teach religion, don't you?"

Cas smiled sheepishly; "oh, yeah... So how long have you worked here?"

"Just over two years."

Cas quickly finished his drink and pushed it back over to Dean, motioning for another. Dean smirked and poured another, pouring himself a glass of water too.

"Any other jobs?"

"What's with the 21 questions?"

Cas took another large gulp of his drink; "I don't wish to talk about myself, I've already been made to feel obsolete today, tell me about you."

"I work two other jobs."

"What? And why?"

"I'm a mechanic, and bar tender. And because we need the money?"

Cas frowned; "doesn't your father work?"

"And spends," Dean lied; "I have to work three jobs to keep Sammy alive."

"What about yourself?"

Dean shrugged; "I don't matter, I'm not destined for greatness. Sam's, amazing. He's planning to study law, become a big hot-shot lawyer, I'll just, toil away here until I die of, something."

Cas managed a slight smile; "your devotion reminds me of my brother."

"The one who set you up with that creep?"

"Nah, that was Jimmy, full of good intentions. I have another brother, Balthazar. He looked after us when our father left us."

Dean's eyes widened; "wow, really? You have a dead-beat dad?"

Cas snorted; "dead-beat doesn't even cover it. Abuser turned alcoholic turned MIA, turned dead."

"Shit man. How'd you cope?"

"Books. I vowed to make something of myself. Of course, underpaid teacher at some high school full of insubordinate children isn't really what I had in mind. I teach religion, not Christianity, they all think I'm some priest, there to lecture them about the Bible."

Dean chuckled; "kids today."

"You have no idea."

"So how're you getting home? There's no way you're driving with whiskey in your blood system."

"I'll call a cab."

"You want me to? We've got them on speed dial."

"After another drink."

Dean laughed; "man, was it really that bad?"

"...I've had a pretty bad week. Tonight was just the icing on the cake. I'm going to fall in to alcoholism at some point, may as well start now."

"Right, dude, I'm officially cutting you off."

Cas frowned; "Sam spoke so highly of you, I don't think I trust his judgement."

"I'm calling you a cab."

The next day, when Sam came home, Dean was cooking him some dinner before work. Like usual, Sam slumped down at the kitchen table, making a start on his homework.

"Mr Novak said he saw you at work last night," he chirped, opening his maths textbook. Dean chuckled.

"Yeah, he had a really bad date."

"Oh? Who with? Was it Miss Wilson? I see her making eyes at him in the cafeteria."

Dean laughed; "oh God no! He um, doesn't swing that way, Sammy."

Sam gaped; "he's gay? No way!"

"Yup, some real creep last night, tried to crawl in to a bottle, I called him a cab."

"Yeah, he said you were a good guy."

"I'm a saint, Sam!"

"Whatever. What's for eating tonight?"

"Chilli."

"Cool..."

Dean smirked and turned back to the stove, for once not thinking about jobs that needed doing, instead thinking of how adorable Cas had been slumped over the bar, complaining about his life. His type usually consisted of muscles, blonde hair and tanned skin; Cas was the opposite of that. Dean decided it was the eyes; the big shiny ones that looked up at him with such sadness and reverence. The only thing holding him back from propositioning him was the fact he was Sam's teacher, and he didn't feel like sitting down with Sam, having to explain how he was having regular - and probably fantastic - sex with his teacher. He let out a long sigh, mourning his non-existent sex-life. He wasn't too bothered about not being able to get in to a serious relationship, he had more important things to focus on, but he hadn't had sex in over a year, which in his opinion was frankly pathetic.

"What's eating you up?"

"Nothing, Samantha. You do your work, I've got to shower."

Sam laughed; "you take a lot of showers, dude."

"Yeah, I work with cars for nine hours a day! People don't want motor oil in their drinks."

"How would you even get the oil in to their drinks? Do you mix it with your fingers?"

Dean laughed; "for certain people, like that dick, Walker's dad!"

"Really, Dean?"

"...Maybe. Now watch your dinner whilst I go spruce up."

On Friday, Dean was taking a few minutes to himself for lunch when a red Honda pulled in to the garage. Dean jumped to attention when Mr Novak climbed out. He quickly set his coffee down on a work bench and hurried over, grinning.

"Castiel, we meet again. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were stalking me."

Cas smiled and played with his keys; "it's all coincidence, I assure you."

"So, what's up?"

"Honestly? I don't know. It's just, crap. Fix it?"

Dean laughed; "sure, you want a drink? I can get Bobby to make you a coffee?"

Castiel glanced over to the office, noticing a gruff looking man glaring at the wall in front of him. Grimacing, he shook his head; "I'm fine, thank you."

"Ok then..."

Dean began tinkering with the car, checking out what was wrong before turning to Cas, frowning; "your clutch has gone, dude."

"Damn. Knew I should have gotten an automatic."

Dean laughed; "it's fine, if I can find the part I can fix it here, otherwise, you might need a cab back."

"Oh... Do you think you have the part?"

"Can't see why not, I'll ask Bobby."

Whilst Bobby searched for the part needed, Dean leant back on Cas' car, smirking.

"Are you working tonight?" Cas asked, playing with his tie.

"Yeah, restaurant tonight, bar tomorrow."

"Do you ever get any time off?"

"Sunday, well, until six."

Castiel frowned; "you really work all those hours?"

"Yeah, money's not easy to come by."

"And I complain about my job, at least I only have one, and I work measly hours really."

Dean smirked; "hey, your job's important! Any dick can pour beer, you're moulding young minds!"

Castiel laughed; "please! It's easier squeezing blood from a stone than trying to get kids to understand that most religious texts aren't to be taken literally."

"You really hate your job, huh?"

"...Not really. It has it's perks... Holidays for example."

Dean chuckled. The two of them shared small talk about themselves until Bobby turned up with the part necessary. Dean managed to fix the car as quick as possible whilst Castiel watched, asking questions occasionally.

"Say uh, Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you uh, fancy getting a drink some time?"

Dean smirked and turned to look at Cas; "you want to get a drink with me?"

A slight tint of pink filled Cas' cheeks; "that's what I asked."

"...Yeah, sure. Tomorrow?"

"You aren't working?"

"I can get time off... You know the Roadhouse?"

Castiel nodded; "yes."

"Meet in there? Say, eight?"

"Ok."

Dean grinned; "awesome, well, it's fixed. You'll have to ask Bobby about payment, I just fix the stuff."

Cas smiled; "thanks Dean."

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

"Bye..."

Dean sauntered in to The Roadhouse, an hour before it technically opened to the public to help set up. There were one or two people already sat by the bar drinking. Ash, who pretty much lived at the bar, sleeping on the pool table, and Andy, who just had nowhere else to be and hung out with Ash.

"Afternoon boys!"

Ash spun round and grinned; "Dean! My man!"

"Where's Ellen?"

"Stock room."

Nodding, Dean went to find his boss to ask for the evening off from eight. Ellen laughed and shook Dean gently.

"Dean, you can have the week off!"

"Nah, just the night please."

"Any reason?"

Dean smirked; "just got asked for a drink."

Ellen almost squealed; "what's his name?"

"Cas, and don't jump to conclusions, he's just a friend. Fuck knows I need a goddamn friend!"

"Well, good luck, Dean."

"Good luck with what? Drinking? You know I'm damn good at that!"

"Anyway, get working, you're not off yet!"

Dean gave her a salute and went back to the front, cleaning up and helping restock the fridges. Time flew once the bar opened, the usual patrons piling in plus extras looking to have a good time on a Saturday night. Dean didn't notice Cas enter the bar, too busy serving Bobby and Rufus, discussing work.

"Your guy from yesterday is here," Bobby said gruffly, pointing. Dean spun round and saw Cas. Grinning he went over.

"Evening."

Cas' face twisted, happy to see Dean, but not too happy to see him working; "you work here, too?"

"Yeah, what would you like?"

"Just a beer... This isn't what I had in mind you know."

"Hold on..."

He opened a beer and put it in front of Cas before scanning the bar for Ellen. She finally appeared, carrying a tray of empty glasses.

"Hey Ellen, it's eight."

She grinned and looked at Cas; "sure hun, enjoy yourself."

Dean grinned back and took off his apron, grabbed himself a drink and hopped over the bar, sitting next to Cas; "not working now, better?"

Castiel managed a smile; "yes... How much do you work?"

Dean paused, doing the math in his head; "um... 117 hours."

"Out of 168 in the week? ...If my math is right, you're not getting enough sleep at night... How do you find time to do anything?"

Dean shrugged; "I'm lucky if I get six hours a night, and I don't have anything to do. Now Sam's back at school I don't have to watch him so I can focus on work..."

Cas frowned; "you're going to work yourself to death!"

"It's worth it. So long as Sam gets the life he deserves."

"Please, Dean, you need to stop this!"

"Look, Cas, can we, not? I get a night off, I'd rather not talk about work."

Castiel sighed; "ok..."

"So uh... How'd you get in to teaching?"

Dean enjoyed listening to Castiel talk about his job, how the majority of the kids he taught were brats, but how some were amazing. His eyes lit up when Sam was described as a joy to teach. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by Ellen.

"Dean, I'm so sorry, but, we're just swamped and, Jo's throwing a tantrum, it's just me, you couldn't...?"

Dean smiled meekly; "sure Ellen, it's fine."

"You're sure? I promise you a paid holiday! I shouldn't be asking but-"

"-Ellen, please, it's fine!"

Castiel frowned as Dean jumped back over the bar and straight in to work. He stared down at his beer, playing with the label whilst Dean hurried back and forth. Every now and then Dean would get a few minutes to talk to Cas before having to go serve someone else. After an hour of not really talking to Dean, Castiel bid him goodbye and left.

When his shift ended, Ellen pulled him in to a tight hug; "thanks, Dean. I seriously owe you. Jo too. Stupid girl."

Dean smiled and hugged Ellen back; "it's all right, I should have known better than to try to get Saturday night off."

"No, Dean, come on. It's been, what, two years since you last had a date?"

Dean snorted; "two years? Way longer than that! ...And I don't think Cas was a date."

"Darling, please, that boy was mooning over you so hard!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... Organise another date, I'll give you the night off, paid!"

"Ellen no-"

"Don't worry, it'll be Jo's wages."

Dean laughed; "she'll kill us both."

"Well, maybe she'll learn some respect!"

"Thanks, Ellen. I'd best get home anyway, check Sammy isn't still up."

"Give him my love."

"Will do."

Dean didn't see or hear from Cas for another two weeks until he received a message on his answer machine. Unfortunately, it wasn't him asking for another night out together, it wasn't even addressed to Dean. Sam had gotten in to another fight, and Cas wanted to talk to John. Sighing, Dean had a quick shower, rang his boss to say he'd be late and drove to school. Sam was sitting outside Cas' office, scowling at his shoes, arms folded across his chest.

"Sam! Hey, what happened?"

Sam looked up, still scowling; "Gordon Walker happened, stupid dick."

Dean sighed; "seriously, Sam! I told you-"

Dean was interrupted by the office door opening; Castiel stood in front of him, frowning.

"Dean? What are you doing here?"

"You, left a message?"

"I wanted to speak to your father."

"Yeah, look, he can't come, can't you just speak to me?"

Castiel looked between the two brothers, they both looked like they were hiding something; "I'd rather talk to him."

Dean sighed and rubbed his face; "Sammy, go sit in the car," he threw his keys to his brother and turned to Cas; "please, just talk to me."

Before Castiel could disagree, Sam pulled his bag on to his shoulder and hurried down the corridor. Castiel sighed and let Dean in to his office, taking a seat behind his desk.

"Dean, please, why are you here?"

"I told you!"

"Yes, but I really need to insist I speak to your father."

Dean scowled; "well, you can't."

"Can you just tell me the truth, please?"

"Just, Cas, please! Whatever you've got to say, say it to me! I'm the one who looks after Sam, makes sure he comes to school, makes sure he's fed, clothed. Our father doesn't give a shit!"

Cas sighed and leant forward on his desk; "Dean, if you'd just-"

"-No! You had no fucking clue what Sam and I go through! You see how many hours I put in just to keep us alive, to keep a roof over our heads! You want the truth, I have no fucking clue where my dad is! He just upped sticks and left! If you find him tell him to go Hell. I've worked so hard to keep Sammy and I together! Everyone understands! People who don't, understand to keep their nose out, but you don't! Why couldn't you just leave well alone? Sam's a good kid, who gets in to fights with stuck up pricks like Walker. Just give him a slap on the wrists and send him home like everyone else! Stop trying to get involved! I don't work my ass off, for two years just so social services can come in and drag Sam away from me! Just, fuck you!"

Dean stormed out of the office and down the corridor, leaving Castiel rooted to his seat, shocked and appalled. He thought about what Dean had said, and how angry he'd been. It took him at least ten minutes to be able to move from the position he'd been left in; he quickly found the paper with the Winchester's number on it and phoned, leaving a message.

Sam and Dean both stormed in to their house, both in a bad mood, namely with each other. Sam slumped down in the living room, noticing the answer machine flashing. Sighing, he hit play.

"Dean, it's Cas. I didn't mean to, upset and anger you earlier, I was just worried about Sam. I wish you'd realise I was just trying to help. You know I know what it's like having an absent father, just, please Dean, can we meet up and talk? Preferably not whilst either of us are working? Just... Call me, please."

Scowling even more, Sam stormed in to the kitchen where Dean had started cooking; "are you screwing my teacher?"

Dean spun round, eyes widened; "what the Hell?"

"'Cas' just called! Since when were you on first name terms!"

"Since we ran in to each other a lot and he insisted I called him Cas, what the Hell is the matter with you?"

"He wants to meet up, he wants you to call him! Goddamnit, Dean! The last thing I need is you having sex with my teacher and ditching him!"

"Sam! I'm not sleeping with your teacher!"

"...Do you want to?"

Dean paused, not prepared for that question. He didn't know if he wanted to.

"Dean! Do you have any plans to screw my teacher in the near future?"

"Uh, I-"

"-Oh my God! Dean! He's my teacher!"

"I haven't done anything, Sam!"

"Yet!"

"What? You know what, make your own dinner! I'm already late for work - late for one of my three jobs I work, for you! So you can have a half decent life! Whilst I do nothing but work! So you can be ungrateful and shout at me for not even sleeping with your fucking teacher! Seriously Sam, screw you! We're supposed to be in this together!"

Before Sam could reply, Dean stomped up the stairs to get ready for work, his hands shaking from being so angry. He'd already had an explosive argument with Cas, and now Sam was on his back for no reason. He didn't feel like waiting tables for snobs who complained about the lack of proper utensils. If Gabriel wasn't in to potentially cheer him up, he feared he might stab someone with a fish knife. Luckily, Gabriel was in, and the restaurant was slow, so Dean was able to sulk behind the bar whilst Gabe tried his best to cheer him up.

"So you went out with him?"

Dean snorted; "we went out for drinks. Well, he came to the Roadhouse, we got like, five minutes to talk then I had to go back to work... It wasn't ideal."

"Well, would you like to go on a date with him? Properly?"

"I don't know... He's a nice guy, I suppose, but, he's Sam's teacher, and-"

"-Ignore that. Think of the guy himself! You like him, right?"

"Yeah? But, I work too much, and-"

"-Doesn't matter, man. Love will find a way and all that."

"Dude, I barely know the guy!"

Gabriel laughed; "so? You still like him, like-like him, why not love him?"

"...Because I barely know the guy!"

"So get to know him!"

Dean sighed; "how? I mean, even if I did go on a date with him or something, what about the fact he's Sam's teacher? Sam would kill me!"

"Dude, he's nearly 18, if he doesn't like it he needs to grow up. And Cas would never flunk him if you broke up, just, go for it, man!"

"...I don't know."

"Well look. Either go for it, ask the guy on a date, or shut the fuck up!"

Dean frowned; "...Ok."

That evening, Sam was still up when Dean returned from work. Dean frowned and folded his arms across his chest.

"Why aren't you in bed? It's nearly two!"

Sam jumped up from the sofa; "Dean, I just, wanted to apologise."

"And it couldn't wait until morning?"

"Not really... I can't sleep knowing we've had a fight. A pretty stupid one too."

Dean sighed; "all right."

"I'm sorry I accused you of sleeping with Mr Novak, I should have believed you. But... Please don't, he's my teacher! It'd be more than just weird, I don't know, please?"

"Ok."

"And I'm sorry for being ungrateful. I know how much you do for me and I am kind of throwing it back in your face getting in to fights... I promise I'll try to be better."

Dean smiled meekly; "it's all right, Sam. I was just angry, I didn't mean it... Come here."

He grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him in to a tight hug, Sam smiled and hugged him back, grumbling when he was sent to bed.

Dean wiped the bar down, sighing at the lack of people drinking. Bobby, Rufus, Ash and Andy were sat around a table playing cards and drinking heavily for a Thursday night, and there were a couple more people dotted around. Jo was playing pool with a middle aged man, whilst Ellen sat at a table by herself reading. Dean threw his rag down on to the bar and wandered over to his friends, watching their game of cards.

"Hey guys."

Ash smirked; "hey Dean. Check this out."

Ash lay out his cards, grinning. Bobby and Rufus shared a knowing look, waiting for Andy to put his cards down. Dean laughed as Bobby lay out his flush. Ash gaped.

"What? How the Hell?"

"Seriously Ash, you haven't learned? Bobby and Rufus are poker veterans! They were around when it was invented!"

Rufus laughed and punched Dean's shoulder; "watch it, boy. We may be getting on but we can still kick your little white ass."

"Point taken..."

Andy nodded at Dean; "isn't that the guy from the other night?"

Dean spun round; Mr Novak was cautiously looking around as he walked towards the bar. Dean sighed loudly.

"What's he doing here?"

"Go find out, man!" Ash replied, shoving Dean in the direction of the bar. Rolling his eyes, Dean went over, leaning bodily on the bar in front of Castiel.

"What are you doing here?"

Cas jumped slightly when Dean flopped in front of him; "Dean! ...You've not been returning my calls."

"I thought you'd get the hint."

"Dean please, I'm really sorry. It wasn't my intention to anger you, nor was it my intention to get involved, I just want to help! Sam's a good kid, he doesn't deserve all the crap he gets."

"Damn straight he doesn't deserve it! But you can't just stick your damn nose in! It's not your business."

Castiel sighed; "yes, I know, and the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but please Dean, let me try to make it right."

Dean frowned; "you say please a lot."

"I'm pretty much begging here."

"...How do you plan on making it up to me?"

Castiel cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at Dean; "I was hoping, uh, I could take you out to dinner?"

A small smirk tugged at the corners of Dean's lips; "oh yeah? ...A date kind of dinner?"

"Well, uh, not necessarily."

"All right... But I have conditions. 1: not at the restaurant where I work, just, no thank you. 2: Sammy can not find out, don't tell him we went out, even just as friends or acquaintances, he doesn't like the idea. And 3: we don't spend the evening talking about work or fucked up family lives... Deal?"

Castiel smiled; "deal."

"I mean it! Sam went up the wall at me after you called the first time."

"I'm sorry, however I don't understand, did I say something to imply we were seeing each other?"

Dean shrugged; "I think he read too much in to it, but I think I see where he came from..."

"Well, I apologise, I didn't mean to cause more problems."

"It's fine, man, really... So, can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, no, I only came to talk."

"One drink, Cas. Doesn't even have to be alcoholic, let's finish off the other night, the bar's pretty dead, I have the time."

Cas smiled and pulled himself up on to one of the stools as Dean got him a drink; "so, can I ask you about work now? Save conversation for dinner?"

Dean grinned and leant on the bar; "fine, but don't get preachy."

"Very well... Do you ever want to take time off? You seem quite happy working ridiculous hours."

"I don't know; after two years you learn to just, accept it. I work with good people, they've become my friends... I've never wanted a social life. I lived my life in high school, now I need to make sure Sam can have the same luxury."

"But... Money isn't everything Dean. Would Sam not prefer to have enough money to scrape by and a big brother who was there for him?"

"Well, that's kind of the problem. I work all these hours and we barely have enough money to scrape by..."

Castiel frowned; "oh. Where does all your money go?"

"The house, food, Sam in general - he grows like, two inches every six months - and he needs all these books because the school can't fucking provide resources, and, I don't even know, at the end of the day we're not left with much. We don't really have any luxuries - he needs a laptop, so we're saving up for that, his college tuition, money to get here and there... It's not fun."

"Wow. How old are you?"

"23."

"You're so young, and so jaded!"

"Yeah, I've heard that happens when your dad skips out on you and your kid brother."

Castiel reached out, putting his hand on top of Dean's; "I want you to know you can talk to me. I mean, I've been there..."

Dean smiled; "yeah, thanks Cas."

Dean grabbed some clothes and stuffed them in to his bag, before throwing on his 'Roadhouse' t-shirt. He quickly ran down to the kitchen to check Sam's dinner was ready.

"Shouldn't be back too late tonight, hopefully," he grinned, serving up the food. Sam nodded.

"Oh, you need to sign something."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Just, something."

Dean folded his arms, leaning against the worktop; "tell me what it is, Sam, or I'm not signing."

"I failed a Religion test, you need to sign it."

"You failed? Sam, that's not like you!"

"If it's any consolation, most of the class failed, and, I only failed because I fell asleep."

"You fell asleep? Since when did you fall asleep in classes?"

"I was feeling rough, ok, it's just one stupid test, all right? I'll do better."

"Damn right you'll do better! ...I've got to go, this isn't over Sammy! We'll talk about this in the morning."

Sam groaned, watching Dean march out of the house. Dean sighed, making a mental note to ask Cas about it when they met before driving to the Roadhouse. Ellen greeted him when he walked in.

"Dean! ...I thought I gave you the night off."

Dean laughed and dropped his bag on to a table; "you did, but I didn't tell Sam."

"Why?"

"...Because, I'm going out with his teacher, and he forbade it, so, I'm lying, obviously."

He pulled a shirt out of his bag, quickly pulling the one he was wearing off, replacing it. Ellen laughed and pat Dean on the shoulder.

"I don't like to hear you're lying, Dean, but, you're going on a date?"

"Yeah, with that guy."

"Oh sweetie, you are telling me everything tomorrow!"

"Yeah, sure, in the meantime, I could use a drink."

Dean sat by the bar, chatting to Ellen for a while, until Castiel walked in, a slight smile on his face. Dean grinned and turned to face him.

"You came!"

Cas' smile grew; "of course I did..."

"Right, well, shall we go?"

"Yes. Shall I drive?"

"...It's probably best."

Dean waved to Ellen as he followed Cas out to his car, climbing in to the passenger side. Castiel was still smiling as he got the vehicle in motion.

"...Hey, before our evening officially starts; Sam failed his test?"

Castiel chewed on his lip; "in honesty, the entire class failed."

"Well, I suppose that's better."

"Sam's very capable! From what I understand, he'd had a hard day, and he did fall asleep."

"All right."

"You just need to sign the test, it's routine, he's not failing the class or anything."

"Good."

Cas smiled; "you were concerned?"

"It's not like him to fail, anything."

"I understand, but he is a model student, and even model students have bad days, get bad results... It's stressful."

Dean snorted; "I wouldn't know, I coasted until I dropped out."

"You dropped out?"

"I got my GED, but yeah."

"Didn't you have any aspirations?"

Dean shrugged; "not really. I was happy just, partying, living... Which is why I'm fine with being a working stiff now. I had my fun years."

"What do you plan to do when Sam leaves for college?"

"No idea... Might cut back on hours, might work more... I don't really have any reason to not work. Like I said, no friends, I haven't been on a date in over 2 years; though that is partly due to the lack of gay guys in town."

Cas chuckled; "I noticed."

"Lawrence, Kansas has to be the straightest town in America!"

"It's probably just repressed... When did you know?"

"Know, that I was gay? I was... 14? I had a girlfriend, Lisa, she was a Junior cheerleader, gorgeous, and she didn't do it for me, y'know? She dumped me for this guy, Jake, he did it for me..."

Cas laughed; "when did you come out?"

"To Sam, when he was old enough to understand, but, I think when I was 16, officially... What about you?"

"Oh I always knew, I was under no illusion I might like girls... I came out when I was 15."

"How'd that go down?"

"Mixed reaction, but on the whole, my brothers accepted me, so, that was all I could ask really."

"Your dad?"

Castiel frowned; "what do you think?"

"Yeah, mine too."

They shared a meek smile, not sharing another word until Castiel pulled in to an all-night diner. Dean laughed and climbed out of the car.

"Really?"

Cas smiled; "nothing too fancy. And I'm really in the mood for a burger."

"Wow, you read my mind! Come one!"

Dean held the door open for Castiel, following him in to the diner, sitting opposite in a booth. After quickly ordering the burger and fries and a beer each, the two men sat staring at each other, as if trying to figure the other out. Dean took their silence to check out the teacher; his dark hair was endearingly messy, as if there wasn't enough product on the Earth that could tame it, his eyes were hauntingly blue and a nice contrast with his dark hair. His clothes seemed to hang off his wiry frame, giving no hint as to what hid beneath. He was dragged out of his thoughts by the waitress returning with their drinks. Cas thanked her and pulled his close to his body, leaning on the table. Dean smirked.

"So... Cas..."

"If I'm honest I have no idea how to proceed."

Dean chuckled and took a quick gulp of his beer; "yeah, me neither, I'm a bit rusty after two years of nothing."

"Any date I've been on, ever was terrible."

"Fine... What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue."

"Red."

"...Favourite band?"

"Zeppelin."

"The Beatles."

They took it in turn asking and answering questions until their food came, before finding a topic of conversation and sticking to it. Dean found himself actually having a good time, the fact he was with Sam's teacher didn't seem to cross his mind at all. They discussed colleagues, things they had done, places they had been until the waitress came back over, asking if they'd like anything else, and reminding them they'd been there for nearly three hours. Castiel paid the bill and the two of them left, laughing.

"Three hours? Time flies, huh?"

Cas smiled; "it does indeed."

"I don't feel like going home yet."

"Neither do I..."

"To the Roadhouse?"

"So long as you don't get called to work."

"I'll just say no."

"Let's go then."

The drive back to the bar seemed shorter as they chatted the entire drive, laughing about some of Cas' students, the things they came out with in lessons. They found a dark corner in the bar, and sat sharing stories over a couple of beers until the bar closed and Ellen threw them out. Dean backed himself in to his Imapala, Castiel only a couple of paces away.

"You know, Dean, thank you, for this. I've genuinely had fun for once."

Dean grinned; "yeah, me too..."

Cas slowly stepped a little closer, invading Dean's personal space; "we should uh, do this again."

"We should..."

Without thinking, Dean hooked his fingers in to Cas' belt loops, pulling his body flush against his, crushing their lips together. Cas moaned in surprise, quickly reciprocating as he slid his arms up around Dean's neck. Dean's arms snaked around Castiel's waist, pulling him even closer as he deepened the kiss, forcing his tongue in to his mouth. Cas responded with gusto, pushing his tongue forward to meet Dean's, whilst pressing a leg in between Dean's legs, grinding their hips together softly. Dean groaned, pulling away slightly, quickly grabbing the lapels of Cas' jacket and spinning them around, forcing Cas against the car before beginning another assault on his mouth. The older man fisted his hands in Dean's hair, trying his best to stop his hips bucking up. Smirking, Dean pinned Cas' body to the car with his own, fisting his own hands in Cas' shirt. After what felt like hours of fierce kissing, they pulled away, panting heavily in to each others' mouths.

"Dean-"

"-Cas..."

They stood slumped against each other until their breathing returned to normal; Dean finally moved off Castiel so he wasn't still pinned to the Impala. He instantly began straightening his shirt and tie, clearing his throat.

"Well, um..."

Dean smirked and swooped in for another kiss, this one soft and full of promise; "we should get together again some time."

All Castiel could do was nod.

"You've got my number, I've got yours somewhere... You know where I work."

Cas nodded again; "I'll um, keep in touch."

"See that you do."

"Yes... Um... I won't say anything to Sam."

"Yeah, thanks..."

"I'll, see you around then."

Dean nodded, quickly grabbing Cas' hand before he went out of reach, pulling him in for another kiss; "see-ya, Cas."

Cas blushed, smiling sheepishly as he walked over to his car, climbing in and driving off. Dean let out a large sigh, punching the air in triumph before climbing in to his car. He quickly switched shirts and drove home, humming happily to himself. Luckily, Sam was in bed when he got home; so without having to face a bout of questions, he checked everything was off before heading up to bed, a grin plastered on his face.

Dean continued to see Cas at least once a week, usually at the Roadhouse, or on Sundays when Sam was over at a friends. One Sunday, when Sam was over at Chuck's, Cas and Dean arranged to meet at a café around the corner from where Castiel lived. When Dean sauntered in, five minutes late, he instantly spotted the teacher in a booth, reading, with two steaming cups of coffee in front of him. He grinned and slid opposite, pulling the drink he assumed was his closer. Cas looked up, a mock frown on his face.

"You're late."

Dean smirked; "sorry sir, do you want me to fill in a tardy slip?"

Cas chuckled and put his book down; "I'll let you off, just once."

"Thanks. Couldn't find my keys... What are you reading?"

"Dramas of Euripides."

Dean nodded, slowly lifting his cup to his mouth; "what's it about?"

Cas smiled; "he was a writer, it's a collection of his works."

"Oh..."

Dipping his head, Dean took a prolonged sip of drink, attempting to think away his embarrassment.

"Is your coffee ok?"

"Yeah, great..."

"Oh, before I forget..." Castiel pulled his bag on to his knee and began rifling through before pulling out a thick book, pushing it in front of Dean; "for Sam."

Dean picked up the book hesitantly, looking over the cover. It was a deep shade of green with a pentagram in the middle. Dean looked up at Cas sceptically.

"I thought you were a teacher, are you luring Sammy in to some kind of cult?"

Cas laughed; "no, we're starting a new topic on Tuesday."

"Devil worship?"

"Wicca... Paganism."

Dean nodded sceptically; "and the pentagram?"

"Symbol of the goddess Venus."

"Right... Whatever... Why are you giving this to me?"

"To pass on to Sam. New topic means new resources... I handed out a list of literature for the students to obtain if they could. This was top of the list, and most expensive... I thought your brother would benefit... And before you object, it's not charity! It's my book. I'm... Lending it, if you'd rather."

Dean sighed; "for Sammy?"

"For Sam. You want him to do well?"

"Of course!"

"Well, please accept my act of kindness. If you'd like, I can follow up with being a real prick for the rest of the day."

Dean laughed and reached across the table, covering Cas' hand with his own; "nah, you're all right Cas."

The two men sat chatting a laughing over several cups of coffee, before deciding to go on a walk through the park, enjoying the autumn-turning-winter scenery. They didn't hold hands, but walked close enough their shoulders bumped together and their hands brushed against each others'. They were both in a state of denial - they were seeing each other, but weren't boyfriends, they weren't exclusive, but they didn't see other people on the side. Dean thought if they became "official" he'd be obliged to tell Sam, and there was no way he was breaking it to his brother that he was dating his teacher. Right now they were just two guys who enjoyed each others company, and kissed, and touched, and had filthy sex in the back of the Impala in the Roadhouse parking lot after closing time.

After deciding to call it a day, Dean said goodbye to Castiel - as well as spending a good five minutes with pinning him to a tree and assaulting his mouth with his tongue - and headed home. Sam was already there, half watching TV, half doing an algebra worksheet. Dean ruffled his hair and slumped on the sofa next to him, throwing the book from Cas on to his knee.

"Here."

Sam frowned; "what's this?"

"A book."

"Yeah, no kidding. Why have you got me a book?"

Dean rolled his eyes; "you need new reading materials, right?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well, there. Bumped in to your teacher, suggested that one."

Sam frowned even more, picking the book up; "but this one's crazy expensive!"

"Hence why I only got you one! I've got the receipt, I can take it back when you're done."

"You shouldn't have, Dean."

"Well, I did, so deal with it princess."

Sam shrugged and went back to his homework; "so where were you all day?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Just out."

Sam grumbled something unintelligible, deciding to just ignore his brother.

Just before Christmas, Sam went on a school trip from Thursday to Monday, allowing Dean to spend the Sunday at Castiel's. Castiel only lived in a small-ish apartment - the kitchen, living room and dining room were one large open space, his bedroom and bathroom were behind a door on the opposite side. He hadn't seen much of it the night before, having been picked up from work by Cas and ushered through to the bedroom in the dark, his attention solely on Cas and his wandering hands. He'd also spent most of the morning curled up in bed with Castiel, swapping passionate kisses and slowly making love. Until Dean's stomach growled loudly. Castiel chuckled, pecked Dean on the cheek and rolled out of bed, pulling on his boxers and a pair of jeans.

"Any requests before you get burnt toast?"

Dean smirked and sat up, stretching; "what have you got in?"

"Not much unfortunately... Come take a look."

Dean hurriedly pulled on his jeans and let himself be pushed through to the kitchen. He paused, looking around and taking in the sight of Cas' apartment as Cas marched over to the kitchen area, opening the fridge. After getting a good look around, Dean walked up behind Castiel, slipping his arms around a waist, pressing kisses in to his neck. Cas chuckled.

"I'm not on the menu."

"You should be."

"Sweet, Dean, really... But if you want feeding, you'd better decide."

Dean huffed out a deep beath and rest his chin on Cas' shoulder, peering in to the fridge. After a lot of stalling, they finally agreed on something to eat, quickly making and eating it before returning back to the bedroom. Cas lay on his side, facing Dean, his hand on his chest. Dean had a lazy grin on his face and an arm wrapped around his lover's shoulders.

"Can't wait till Sammy graduates."

Cas smiled; "oh?"

"Then I'm not doing his teacher any more and he can suck it up."

Cas' smile grew in to a grin; "you see us together in six months?"

Dean began chewing his lip awkwardly; "um... Yeah..."

Castiel paused to look over Dean's face, smiling affectionately; "so do I..." He swooped down and pressed a soft kiss to Dean's lips; "but I think we'll have to work on a better term than 'doing the teacher', yeah?"

Dean chuckled; "like?"

"Well... I know this isn't a traditional relationship... But it's a relationship nonetheless... Is boyfriend too obvious a word?"

"I don't know. Boyfriend seems so... Definite."

"...You make no sense, Dean Winchester. You want us to be together, you can see us together in the future... But aren't ready to call me your boyfriend?"

Dean sighed, sitting up; "I just... If I call you my boyfriend, I feel like I have to tell everyone, when people ask... I know there's nothing wrong with being in love but, I just-"

"-Love?"

"...I-I didn't say-"

"-Yes you did!"

"No, Cas, I didn't!"

"You did Dean! ...Do you love me?"

"Cas, why are you-"

"-Do you love me Dean?"

"Yes! Ok!"

Cas grinned.

"...What are you grinning for?"

"You love me."

"For fuck's sake, Cas. You going to mock me now?"

"Of course not! ...I love you too."

"...Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Dean grinned too, pulling Cas in to his arms; "you're something else, Cas."

"I hope that's a good thing."

"Of course it is!"

Without realising, five months flew by; Sam got a scholarship in to Standford, which meant Dean could begin to ease up off the work hours. Sam graduated high school and took on some of Dean's hours at the Roadhouse and restaurant. One Sunday, Dean took Sam out to the local café, to have a 'few words'.

"Quit stalling, Dean," Sam sighed in to his coffee. Dean sighed, rubbing his face.

"All right... It's several things really."

"Yeah?"

"Ok... We're moving out."

"What?"

Dean held his hands up in defence; "look, you'll be skipping off to law school, and that house is just too much for just me. So, I'm getting an apartment - two bedrooms, I'm not stupid, you'll need somewhere to stay... It'll be cheaper, and easier and... I'll have a room-mate."

Sam was taken aback at the last bit of information; "room-mate!"

Dean grimaced, chewing on his lip; "well... Less, room-mate, more... Boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah... See, that's the other thing... I've been seeing someone."

"Well, that's good right?"

"Eh... I'm not too sure..."

Sam frowned; "how long have you been together?"

"...Nine months."

"Nine? Nice fucking months? Why haven't I met him!"

"Didn't want to jinx it? Look, you'll meet him soon, ok?"

Sam sighed loudly; "fine... Will I like him?"

"God I hope so! ...He's late."

The two Winchesters sat in an awkward silence for another ten minutes, until Sam's head snapped up. Mr Novak marched in to the café a little out of breath, looking around before spotting him. He forced a smile, which instantly turned in to a large frown when Dean jumped up, pulling his ex-teacher in to his arms.

"Sorry I'm late, I underestimated Sunday lunch-time traffic."

Dean smiled; "it's fine... Sam... Um, you know, Cas."

Sam scowled - if looks could kill, Dean would be six feet under; "I'm sure I asked you not to sleep with my teacher."

"Yeah... Sorry but... Kind of... Couldn't help it."

The two met sat down opposite Sam, looking extremely guilty.

"But Dean!"

"I know! But look, it wasn't awkward for you! We didn't tell you, he didn't treat you any different!"

Castiel took Dean's hand in his; "Sam, please don't be angry. Clearly this isn't some five-minute fling. Your brother and I have been together for nine months. We're moving in together in a few weeks... We love each other and, it'd be great if you could, accept it."

Sam sighed; "really?"

Dean frowned; "really what?"

"You love him?"

"Yeah, I do. Look Sam, this is kind of a big deal! I haven't been with someone for over two years! Mainly because I've been looking after you, and, Cas and I managed to make it work! You see someone once a week for a few hours, you really start to appreciate them! And just... I'm doing this for me! Especially now you're moving on to bigger and better things. You'll only see him, what, for a month and a bit every year? Can't I just have this one thing?"

Sam looked down at the table, thinking over his brother's words; "of course Dean, it's just... Weird! But... I suppose... Especially hearing you're planning a future with him, I'd be pretty selfish to stop you, especially after all you've done for me... Just... For now, can we pretend you're just friends?"

Cas smiled; "of course."

EPILOGUE - 15 months later

Castiel sighed, picking up Dean's mess from around his place on the sofa, whilst Dean watched TV. Cas let out a deep sigh and stood in front of the TV, his hands on his hips. Dean groaned.

"Cas! Out of the way!"

"No Dean, you're helping!"

"With what?"

"Tidying the place up!"

Dean looked around and shrugged; "looks all right."

"That's because I've spent the last hour cleaning! Your brother is coming home for the weekend, bringing Jess - who we've yet to meet - and, I don't want the place to be disgusting!"

"Well, maybe we can break down a few stereotypes. Gay guys aren't all clean freaks."

Cas sighed; "no Dean, you put straight men to shame! If you're not going to help, at least go grab a shower! They'll be here soon!"

"Fine... By the way."

"What?"

Dean smirked, pulling Cas in to his arms, pressing a quick kiss to his lips; "happy two year anniversary."

Castiel couldn't help but smile; "hmm, same to you... Now go, you stink."