Archive of Our Own

Tick tock tick tock tick tock…

The second hand is clearly moving, but the clock might as well be stopped, it’s going so slowly. The ticking and tocking of the second hand driving her crazy. It’s the last day of classes before spring break and Charlie is fairly confident it might actually be going backwards at this point. The energy in the room is radiating the same restlessness that she’s feeling. Her whole week is planned out (LARPing camping trip next weekend, a truly epic D&D campaign she’s been working on for the last three months, lots and lots of sleep, and best of all, her first date with Dorothy tonight!) and sitting here during this reading period is driving her up the wall. Even Ms. Hanscum, their English teacher, seems to be eager to go. Charlie has seen her glance at the clock over her shoulder several times while grading. Taking a quick look around the room, it doesn't look like anyone is reading like they're supposed to be.

“Ugh, this is the worst!” Charlie exclaims. “I can't sit still anymore! Ms. Hanscum, please let us go! The ticking of the clock is driving me bananas! I just want break to start already!”

Ms. Hanscum startles at the sudden sound, but bursts into laughter, “I know whatcha mean. Usually, I can tune it out when I'm working on essays, but I'm ready for break to start, too.”

“So, does that mean we can leave early?” Aaron pipes in from the back, hopeful look on his face.

“No can do, mister,” Ms. Hanscum tsks at Aaron. “Especially with you. I know you're still on thin ice from being caught smoking behind the bleachers two weeks ago by Ms. Mills. You're lucky she only let you go with a warning.”

Aaron groans in response. “You know about that?”

“You betcha. You think us teachers don't talk about you guys? We know you talk about us, so it's only fair, right? Plus, everyone is talking about that right now. It’ll blow over soon though,” she adds as an afterthought.

“You talk about us?” Kevin asks. He looks slightly terrified at the very possibility.

“Big time. Sometimes it's the most exciting part of the day,” she pauses to think. “Well, except when someone brings in donuts or makes the fancy coffee.”

Garth sits up straighter, chair scraping the floor, book forgotten on his desk, “What d’y’all talk about?”

“Oh, just funny little things that happen. Some of the stranger test answers we get. Oh, and definitely how we can tell when students are TEXTING when they're not supposed to be. That means you, Krissy.”

Krissy jumps at her name and looks up, red in the face. “Sorry, Ms. Hanscum,” she says meekly, as she slips her phone into her backpack.

“Do you guys ship students?” Charlie can't help but ask, absolutely fascinated.

Ms. Hanscum gives a small, confused frown, “Ship? What on Earth does that mean?”

“It's short for relationship. So like, having two students that you think would be a cute couple and being excited if you find out they are dating,” Charlie explains, “I mean, I ship teachers, so you must ship us, too, right?”

Ms. Hanscum continues to look confused for a moment and Charlie could swear she saw the gears turning in her head and the exact moment it all clicks. She throws her head back and laughs, “Oh, that's the most popular topic. I didn't know people called it ‘shipping.’ We just call it regular ol’ gossip.”

Charlie is positively bouncing in her seat. This just got about a million times more interesting. “So, who's your favorite couple out of everyone?”

“I don't think that would be the most appropriate topic for us, kiddo,” Ms. Hanscum says apologetically. Charlie pouts and Ms. Hanscum can't help but feel bad. “Okay, but how about I tell you about my favorite couple? They're older, so you won't know them. They just got married last year.” Charlie perks up, and so do some other students.

“Well, it was about twenty years ago now, when I was teaching grade school. Mid-way through November, there was a new student…”

***

“Good morning, everyone!” Donna projected over the commotion of her twenty-odd students as they came into her classroom. They clamored to their seats and garbled out “Good morning, Ms. Hanscum,” before they settled down.

“What did everyone do this weekend? Anything exciting?” she asked them. Three hands shot up right away. “Okay…How about you, Asa?”

“We went camping!”

“Camping? In November! I bet you were cold,” Donna said.

“It was so cold,” Asa agreed readily, “But we got to see a bear and two foxes, so it was worth it.” He seemed to be finished, so Donna looked for the next student.

“Victor? You had your hand up. What did you get up to?”

Victor took a big breath before starting. “Dean slept over and we watched all the Star Wars movies and ate popcorn and candy and we ate so much Dean almost puked but he still fell asleep first.”

“Nu-uh, you almost puked,” Dean cried out, offended.

“Dean, it’s not your turn,” Donna chided, “And you didn’t raise your hand either, so—” She stopped when she heard someone knocking on the door. “Oh, good morning!” she said warmly. At the door stood Principal Jody Mills and a young boy. “You must be Castiel.”

Jody put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. “This is Ms. Hanscum. She’s your teacher. I’m sure she’ll help you get settled in.” She gave him an encouraging pat and a nod and smiled to Donna before leaving.

“Come on over, Castiel,” Donna said, waving him over. “I was expecting you today. Everyone,” she spoke up to recapture everyone’s attention, “We have a new student joining us. His name is Castiel and he just moved here with his family. Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?”

Donna regretted asking him to do that almost immediately. He walked over to her desk at the front of the room, but she could see the way his features pinched at the question. Oh, he’s a shy one, she thought.

“My name is Castiel and…I like to read books and watch bees.” He turned back to look at Donna and she nodded to let him know that that was enough.

“We have a desk over here for you.” Donna gestured to the one she had placed on the right side of the room before the bell rang that morning. “I’ve already put all your textbooks in it.” Castiel walked to his desk and sat down before pulling out his pencil case, ready to start. Donna already liked him for the simple reason that he seemed ready to learn all on his own.

“This morning we’re going to start with our spelling.” There was a collective groan. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s still happening.”

***

Poor little Castiel. Donna was right when she pinpointed him as a shy one. He was slow to make friends, would only participate in class if called on, and read quietly by the door at recess. And sue her. She had a soft spot for kids like that.

It was two weeks before she had an opportunity to really help out.

“Now that we're done that unit, we're going to be starting the independent study project.” A loud groan erupted from the class. “You guys always complain, but that doesn't change things. I think you're going to like this one, though. I want everyone to choose their favorite books. You're going to be writing book reports.” A louder groan. “Really? You're choosing your favourite book.” Pause. “I guess you guys can see right through me, huh? There is more to it. You’re working in pairs and your partner has to read your favourite book.” She heard a shocked WHAT? from somewhere in the back of the room. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit before she continued. “Reports will be in the same format as last time, but two pages instead of five because…you and your partner will be discussing your favourite scenes from both books and choosing one to turn into a diorama.” A few faces perked up at the new information. “See, I thought you’d like that a bit more. One last surprise, though…I’m choosing partners.” More groans, of course, that she ignored as she started reading names off her list.

She had put together the list of partners last night. With a slight change to her usual lesson plan, she was sure there would be a positive outcome for all of her students. They would get to read a book important to a classmate and she could guarantee Castiel would make a new friend.

“Castiel and Dean.”

She looked up at that and saw Dean give Castiel a small wave and smile; Castiel looked a little less nervous than before, and he returned the wave.

***

Donna had hoped that pairing the two boys together would be a good way for Castiel to open up. Dean was very nurturing for a ten year old, and she knew he would take Castiel under his wing once they had a chance to spend some time together. She never expected the immediate bond they would form so quickly. Donna was not the type to pat herself on the back—usually—but she felt pretty confident in saying that she knocked it out of the park this time. If this didn't earn her a cheat day, nothing could.

Last week, they had spent an hour in the school library looking at books to choose. This week they were spending class time dedicated to the assignment.

From her desk, she could see Dean and Cas reading from the same book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, giggling at funny passages they made sure the other didn't miss, sometimes reading them aloud to each other while their classmates did the same.

“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, like knocking out a twelve-foot troll is one of them.”

“Whoa,” Dean said when Castiel finished the passage. “Just POW, KO’d from a club to the head.”

“There's going to be another one, too,” Castiel told him. “My Uncle Balthazar sent me this one from England. I could ask him to send a copy for you, too…if you want.”

Dean lit up at the suggestion, “Really? That would be awesome!”

“And then we wouldn't have to share the same copy.”

Dean looked confused at the thought. “But I like sharing with you. That's what friends do!”

“We're friends?” Castiel asked in surprise.

“Of course, we are!” Dean said, just as surprised. “Just like Harry and Ron! You're Harry because you're the new kid and I'm Ron because I'm showing you around. And I have a brother.”

Castiel blushed. “I like being your friend,” he said shyly.

Dean smiled.  “Let's keep reading!” he said.

Donna hid her grin behind her cup of coffee.

***

She was really not a fan of supervising at recess when the weather got too cold out, but seeing the kids bundled up and playing was enough to keep Donna warm when it was her turn. That and her travel mug of fresh coffee. She was circling the field where she could see Dean trying to convince Castiel that soccer was fun.

“It’s like tag, but you get to kick a ball with your friends,” he explained.

It was really the first time Donna had seen Castiel at recess with a friend, not a book (though she would normally be excited to see kids reading for fun. That was not a weak spot for Castiel, really), and her heart soared.

“I don’t know if the other kids will want to play with me,” Castiel replied, looking at his shoes.

“They’re your friends, too! Of course they’ll want to play with you! Vic, get over here!” Dean bellowed the last part. “Cas can play, too, right?”

Victor jogged over. “’Course! But are you going to be on my team or Losechester’s team? That’s the only real question here,” he said welcomingly, giving Casiel a light punch to the shoulder.

Even from her distance she could see Castiel’s face brighten at the acceptance. “Losechester?” he asked. “I guess that means I should be on your team, Victor. Unless you want me to be on yours,” he added quickly, looking at Dean for his reaction.

Dean smiled before saying, “I guess I can be okay with that. Victor is a pretty good guy to be friends with, too.”

“And Dean can be a pretty good loser! He’s used to it, anyway,” Victor teased.

Dean looked intensely offended at the slight against him. “Oh, it. Is. On, Henrickson. You better be ready—” With a flourish, Dean whipped off his tearaway track pants to reveal his shorts underneath. “—because those are fighting words.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed what Dean had just done, before Victor, Castiel, and the other kids nearby burst into laughter.

“Okay, come on! Let's go kick his ass!” Victor said, still laughing, and raised his hand for a high five. Castiel returned it with a grin. Donna rolled her eyes at their tomfoolery and the cuss, but she could let one swear word go this time. The kids took off flying towards the field to start the game and she kept walking the perimeter.

***

“So Frank, Joe, and their dad learn that the thieves are targeting the DeGraw collection and will rob six more museums so they stand guard at one of the museums, but when the thieves show up, they use sleeping gas and knock them out.”

“Wow, what happens next?” Castiel asked in rapt attention, chin resting on his fists as he leaned across his desk.

It was another work period, and the two boys were talking about Dean’s book this time.

“Then they track down the Yellow Parrot and they take jobs to sneak around,” Dean continued. His battered copy of The Twisted Claw was held slack in his hand while he summarized the story. “You have to finish reading it.”

“But I like it better when you talk about it,” Castiel complained.

“You’re going to have to read it anyway for the report,” Dean countered, grinning. “But we could read it together. Do you want to come over after school today? You could meet my mom and dad and my little brother Sammy. I could read it you and Sam. He loves the Hardy Boys, too! And I have more that you could borrow if you want. They all used to belong to my dad when he was little.”

Castiel looked positively taken aback at the suggestion. “I can’t borrow that from you. It’s too special.”

“Cas,” Dean said to him, completely serious, “Of course you can. You’re my friend. I know you’ll take care of it because it’s important.”

Castiel looked equally serious when he replied, “I would take the best care of it.”

“And you love books,” Dean added jokingly. “More than me even.”

“Maybe,” Castiel said with a smile.

Donna tidied her recent pile of graded papers. She was not usually so interested in who was friends with who, but she really lucked out with this group. She didn’t think she had had a more amicable group of ten year olds before. She couldn’t quite pinpoint why, but she was fairly certain that some of that could be attributed to the influence of one Dean Winchester.

Yes, he could be a bit of a class clown and could rile up the whole classroom in no time when he was in the mood, but he was never malicious or spiteful, and he was well liked. She had seen him swoop in to protect his brother Sam in the first grade when he had been pushed over on the playground, but was pleasantly surprised when he backed off after it turned out to be a genuine accident. There was a level of maturity to this ten year old boy that she had not expected. She was not sure where it came from, but she would love the chance to find out one day.

And it was definitely why she thought he’d be good with Castiel.

***

The day her students were scheduled to present their work was always an anxious one for them. She could feel the apprehension when they came in from recess.

The first few went without a hitch, if you didn’t include the hemming and hawing and muttered hesitation. She thought it was an easy presentation for this group, that she was going easy on them: they just had to describe the scene they chose to create and talk about why they chose it. Donna knew that many of her students didn’t like to present publicly like this, so she graded more leniently than she probably should.

When it was Dean and Castiel’s turn, they each grabbed an end and walked their diorama to the front. They chose the part where Harry, Ron, and Hermione have gone through the trapdoor and get caught in the devil’s snare. They used a box turned on its side. On the top, they had Fluffy the three-headed dog beside the trap door. In the middle of the box they had a mess of vines with Harry and Ron struggling, their frowny faces painted on. Their Hermione figure was underneath the vines looking up. The door to the next room glimmered just behind her.

Dean did most of the talking, starting with a description of the scene. He pointed to the bottom of the diorama when he told the class about how the characters struggled in the vines until Hermione remembered they had to stay calm and still to be released, which is why she got free first.

Castiel took over and told the class about the materials they used to make the vines of the plant (green wire and yarn) and that Dean made Fluffy out of plasticine and he made Harry, Ron, and Hermione out of cardboard and construction paper. Dean picked up again and told them they chose the scene because they liked how a plant tricked them, and that they needed to calm down to get free.

“Plus, Hermione’s flames are pretty cool,” Dean added.

With the ease that Dean presented, one might have been concerned with him overshadowing the quiet Castiel, but Dean had a natural knack for knowing when to stop talking because Castiel had something to add. Donna couldn’t quite tell if it was because Dean was a natural at presenting or if it was the affinity he had developed with Castiel.

***

With concern for Castiel settling into the class dynamic gone, the school year seemed to pass in a flash. Before she knew it, the days were sticky, hot, and long, all she really wanted was an iced coffee with all the whipped cream, and the last day of school was fast approaching.

Dean and Castiel were closer than ever and Donna could barely remember a time when Dean was without Castiel. They may as well had been joined at the hip. They were found at recess playing soccer and tag with the others, their classmates embracing Castiel fully, though Castiel now always played on Dean’s team.

When they were not running around with their friends, Donna knew she’d be able to find them sprawled out on the bleachers. Sometimes they read, back-to-back; other times they shared comics, with Dean turning the pages because Cas read more quickly.

Most of the time, though, they drew. They had binders and binders of drawings, all neatly organized in page protectors, wherever they went. When she asked them what they were working on, they cheerfully explained that they were writing their own comic books. Castiel’s Uncle Balthazar had sent them a collection of books that seemed to have been their plot inspiration. They were books on mythology, King Arthur and his knights, European folklore, as well as Asterix and Tin-Tin. Their stories were vivid, full of the kind of adventure and mystery you would expect from ten year old boys and naturally, they were the main characters.

“I’m a wizard and I can teleport and cast spells,” Castiel showed her excitedly when she asked. The page he had flipped to showed a boy in a black cape with stars over it. He was holding a wand with a bright blue light coming from it. “And lightning. I can make lightning, too,” he added to explain the drawing.

“And I’m a Princeknight,” Dean boasted, flipping to a drawing of himself. Seeing the question on Donna’s face, he continued, “I wanted to be both, and a Prince can do that. Look.” On this page, there was Prince Dean, wearing a helmet that was half crown, and looking regal on his black horse. “My horse is named Impala. That’s after my Dad’s car. It’s also black.”

“And together we fight dragons to save Prince Sam because they kidnapped him. That’s Dean’s little brother,” Castiel explained. He opened the book to another drawing of a boy being carried by a green dragon that looked very evil. There were several others in the background with the same sinister smile.

“But they also have to solve the mystery of how the dragons got to Sam, Prince Sam, in the first place,” Dean picked up.

“And in the end, I show Dean how to do magic, too, and he uses it to become the best King ever.”

Dean showed her one more drawing of the two of them. This time they both had wands that were pointing at glasses filled with brown. “We can turn water into chocolate milk. It’s both of our favourite drinks!” Dean told her. The two boys smiled at each other.

“And we stay friends forever, because I still need Cas’ help.”

“Wow, guys! That sounds like a great story you’ve put together!” Donna felt warm inside at how passionate they were about their creation and this time definitely patted herself on the back a little bit for putting them together.

***

“I was sad for that year to end,” Ms. Hanscum tells the class. “Even thinking back on it now, the way their friendship flourished…It can still bring a smile to my face, twenty years later,” she sighs in recollection. “And it reminds me of why I became a teacher.”

“Okay, but when does it get good?” Charlie asks in frustration. “You said they got married, but you’re talking about them at ten years old.”

“Charlie, I know you love a good story and you know you can’t rush those. Now keep your shirt on,” Ms. Hanscum admonishes, hands on her hips. “Let me tell you this story.”

***

They normally had history right now with Mr. Devereaux, who could make anything in the textbook a hundred times more interesting, but he was off sick today. You knew it must be really bad if he didn’t come in on a school day. It was a particularly slow class today.

Donna was supposed to have a free period right now, but the district couldn’t find a sub, so in a scramble the staff were filling in with their prep time. She had lucked out on her assigned period because they had a test coming up and they had been directed to have a study period. The only real sounds were the turning of pages, the scratching of pencils, and the scuffing of feet. If they were passing notes, they were at least being quiet.

She didn’t like to admit it, but she was happy when she found out that Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak would be in this class. She was able to observe them from a distance for the past couple of years, in the halls and at lunch time, and she was pleased to see that they were still friends and seated right beside each other.

And she could overlook them passing notes back and forth as long as they were doing it quietly.

It wasn’t until the last fifteen minutes that things started getting rowdy. The whole class had slowly been starting to quietly chat with each other but the volume increased gradually over the period. She had shushed them a few times and they’d gone back to studying, but with class coming to an end, she was having a harder time getting them in line. It's not until Dean bursted out in a full belly laugh that she could really do anything since he had been the loudest. She could see the notes open on his desk.

“Well, Dean. Don't keep us waiting. Why don't you share with the class what's so funny?’ she asked him.

He muttered an apology under his breath and turned beet red. Castiel was looking anywhere but at the two of them. Donna was, of course, fascinated. She walked over and took the notes. Neither of the boys even attempted to stop her—they looked so embarrassed.

Sometimes you give me butterflies, read Dean's messy scrawl with a lopsided heart underneath.

You're a sap, said Castiel's tidy print.

You wouldn't say that if you knew what I know.

What do you think you know?

Haven't I told you that I'm psychic? I have seen our future and we get married.

Liar.

I bet you $20 that we get married one day.

Okay, it's not going to happen, so fine.

And that must have been why Dean laughed.

She glanced at both boys one more time. They were both still red in the face and pointedly looking away from anyone else. And who was she to stop young love? She hadn’t seen evidence of their puppy love, but she was not their teacher anymore and didn’t see them every day. She couldn’t help but wonder when this had started and how it would continue.

Donna let them keep the notes and Castiel scooped them all up and slipped them into his backpack.

“Let's keep it down, okay?” she told them. They both nodded and looked back down at their textbooks, giving some semblance of studying. She returned to her desk at the front of the room and looked back at her papers. This wasn’t something she had expected to discover when she read their notes. She had been expecting jokes about butts or boobs or whatever thirteen year old boys talked about.

When the bell rang and the class ended, the students filed out to leave and it is Dean and Castiel that were first out of there.

When the end of the year came and she saw her class off, it was always a bittersweet time. She was definitely looking forward to relaxing, but she knew she would miss having a group of kids to smile at her every day.

It wasn’t until September that Donna found out that Castiel’s family had moved away during the summer. She heard through the grapevine of administration that his father got a transfer due to a promotion and that they moved out of state.

When she saw Dean that day in the halls, his side looked empty without Castiel there, and he didn’t seem to have the same spring in his step as he once had.

***

“So you remember that they got married last year, right?” Ms. Hanscum asks.

“What? Yeah, of course,” Charlie says.

“You just looked concerned,” she looks genuinely worried that she might have distressed Charlie and the other students.

“Well, it’d be silly to not be a little worried at least,” Charlie reasons. “Please keep going!” Charlie hasn’t even noticed that she hasn’t checked the clock the whole time Donna’s been speaking.

“If you’re sure…” she surveys the room and sees many of them nodding before continuing.

***

Donna had overheard him talking to Victor and other friends in the schoolyard when they asked about Castiel in passing. They tried to stay in touch at the beginning. They tried letters, the occasional phone call, and an email here and there, but it just wasn’t the same.

It was months before Dean seemed to get back to being normal again, though Donna was not sure what normal meant without Castiel anymore. He spent time with Victor and the boys on the soccer team but she never saw him drawing anymore and it upset her greatly. She couldn’t help but hope he was still working in private and hadn’t just stopped completely.

***

“And that’s as much of the story I can tell you,” Ms. Hanscum tells the class.

Krissy speaks up from the back, phone forgotten on her desk. “You mean you can’t finish it?”

“Those are just the parts I was there for,” she explains. “There’s actually someone else that knows them. Hang on a sec.” She runs from the room. She probably should have gotten her when the story first started, but she’ll have to be okay jumping in half way.

When Ms. Hanscum returns to the class, she has Ms. Alex Jones in tow. Ms. Jones is a student teacher that’s been shadowing the cantankerous Mr. Devereaux with aspirations to teach history one day, and fortunately, he’s okay with Donna stealing Alex away. Grudgingly okay. Once Donna had told Alex what she was dragging her away for, Alex is thrilled. Dean and Cas are good friends of hers and she loves the opportunity to tell others of their love story.

“Ms. Jones here was in college with Dean and Castiel and she can pick up where I can’t.”

“It’s been a while now, but I can still remember everything,” Ms. Jones starts, “I was studying physical therapy at the time, before I decided to become a teacher. Dean and his friend Jo were studying the same thing, so we had classes together and shared textbooks to save some money. One night we were hanging out with Jo getting ready to watch a movie…”

***

Jo and Dean were sitting on the loveseat in front of the TV. Alex was in the kitchen making some popcorn, watching Dean and Jo bicker over the island counter that separated the two rooms. Tonight they were at Dean's apartment. He lived alone in a sparsely decorated one-bedroom apartment. He had never been one for knick-knacks, but his walls were covered in posters. Movies, bands, TV shows, he had them all. At his favourite comic book store, he was able to find extra large prints of his favourites. And who needed to paint when you could tack up a poster? He didn't have much in terms of furniture, but he had enough to fill the small space and seat the three of them comfortably when they marathoned movies, though one of them usually wound up on the floor with the pillows from his bed.

The bickering continued and Alex decided then that next time, she was picking the movie alone and they could just deal with it. They seemed to have finally chosen one just as she was finishing up in the kitchen.

“Yo, Winchester,” Jo poked at Dean’s stomach.

Dean frowned at her. “What, Joanna Beth?”

Jo scowled at him. “Well, I was gonna tell you about someone I think you’d get along with, but now I’m not gonna.”

“What am I gonna do with new friends? The ones I got drive me crazy enough as it is,” Dean retorted as he shoved Jo off the couch with a thud. She righted herself, but stayed seated on the floor.

“Dean, stop being so mean to Jo,” Alex scolded, while gracefully sitting herself down in Jo’s newly vacated seat, setting the popcorn on the coffee table. “She’s trying to make you social, and have more than us and your boyfriend. Where is Cole anyway?” she asked.

She turned to face Dean and watched his face as she lifted her bottle to her lips. His eyebrows furrowed, “I’ve told you, he’s not my boyfriend. And he’s busy. I’m not his keeper.”

“No, he’s only your not-a-boyfriend,” Jo said sarcastically, “Don’t you care where he is?”

“I don’t know why it matters right now. We’re not actually dating. Are we watching this movie or what?” he grumbled at them.

Alex shot Jo a look to leave him alone about this. Jo just rolled her eyes.

“Well, we’re actually waiting for one more person,” Jo told him.

“What? Who?” he demanded. “I thought it was just us hanging out because we’ve all been so busy lately.”

“It’s this guy I met in my elective. You know the world religions class I’m taking? I met him there. He’s an art major, studying illustration,” Jo explained. “He’s definitely a dork, but I think you two could be good friends.”

“Can’t stand the ones I have,” he muttered into his bottle of beer.

Jo reached behind herself without looking and pinched Dean on the thigh just enough to shock him. “You will be nice to him!” she reproached.

“Yeah, yeah,” was all she got in response.

There was a tentative knock on the door. Jo was up in a flash to get it and Dean got one last eye roll in before she could see it.

“Hey!” she greeted warmly.

“Thank you for inviting me over,” came a deep, rumbly voice from behind him. “I didn’t know what to bring, so I bought several flavours of chips.”

“I told you you didn’t have to bring anything,” Jo laughed lightly. When was the last time Dean had ever heard her use that placating tone? He didn’t think he’d ever heard her use it before. She must be really concerned about scaring this guy off. Maybe he should play nice for the evening. Maybe.

Dean finished off his beer and stood to get another one. He could at least admit to himself that he was excited to get into all the chips this stranger brought. He turned to peek at this new guy on his way to the kitchen and he felt his heart stop.

“Cas?”

The man was in the middle of taking his second shoe off when he looked up at Dean, eyes wide. “Dean?”

“Oh my god, you two already know each other?” Jo asked. “And after all that whining…” Alex peeked around the corner to see what the commotion was.

“We were in grade school together,” Castiel told her, eyes not leaving Dean. “My family had to move away one summer and we…lost touch.”

“We were best friends then,” Dean added, grin wide on his face. “How’ve you been, man?” he held out his hand and Castiel looked at it for a moment before pushing it aside and hugging him instead.

Alex awws at the scene while Jo rolled her eyes, “And he was making such a fuss about me inviting a stranger over.”

They moved things to the living room area and everyone settled down. Jo and Alex insisted on sitting on cushions on the floor so Dean and Castiel could sit together. (“New people don't get the floor. Dean gets a pass today.” “It's my apartment.” “That's why the pass is only good for today.”)

After all the chips had been opened and sampled, they hit play on their movie.

They didn't speak excessively during the movie, but Dean didn't care even though his choice won. Castiel was sitting beside him. Someone he didn't think he would ever get to meet again. Their thighs touched on the loveseat and Dean felt downright giddy.

When the movie ended, the girls called it a night. Alex had an early class the next day and Jo had to work.

“Do you mind if I stay a bit longer?” Cas asked after they left.

“‘Course you can stay,” Dean told him. “We gotta catch up.” He headed into the kitchen to grab two more beers. He gave one to Cas and sat back down on the couch. “Tell me everything.”

Castiel laughed at him. “Yes, I'll just summarize the last seven or so years of my life for you. Well, we moved a few more times. Everywhere looks the same. High school is terrible everywhere you go. And now I study illustration. How's that?” he watched Dean while sipping his beer.

“Succinct,” Dean said with a grin. “Why illustration?”

Castiel smiled a little bashfully, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “It's uh, actually because of the comics we used to draw as kids. I kept it up after then. Being able to draw helped me through all those hard teenage years,” he ended with a small laugh.

Dean was simply ecstatic to hear this news. “Really? Because of that? That's amazing, Cas! Really, it is. You were always better at drawing than me, so it makes sense.” He could feel himself rambling, but wow!

His grin must have been contagious because it was mirrored on Castiel's face, too. “My goal is to be a full-time comic book artist one day. For now, I run a webcomic that updates weekly. It's small and just things about my day to day life, but it's fun.”

“Cas, man, that's just awesome. It's so awesome. I never woulda guessed something we did to pass the time could…inspire your career choice.”

Cas took a moment to think before he spoke. “Really, it's because it makes me happy. I needed to do something that made me happy for a change,” he smiled serenely at Dean before changing the topic. “How about you? What program are you in?”

Cas could see the excitement light up Dean's face. “I'm studying to be a physical therapist. I want to focus on sports injuries.”

It was Cas's turn to be impressed by his friend. “That is, well, exactly what I had hoped for.”

“You hoped I would wind up a physical therapist for sports injuries?” Dean asked, confused.

“Maybe not specifically that, but I'd hoped you would be helping people. You always cared so deeply for others, I couldn't see you doing something selfish,” Castiel told him solemnly.

“Jeez, Cas, lighten up. It's just a job,” but Dean couldn't help the flush in his cheeks at the compliment.

“And just as modest as ever,” Cas teased. “Let me give you a compliment.”

“Okay, that's it. Enough of this garbage. Let's watch something else.” He picked up the controller and went back to Netflix's main menu.

They didn’t wind up watching anything else, instead scrolling the categories endlessly trying to choose something and getting distracted by the summaries and trailers.

When Cas headed home for the evening, it was with Dean's number in his phone and firm plans to see each other again in a few days.

***

“So I shouldn’t be jealous?” Bartholomew asked, eyebrow raised high. He unwrapped his scarf and shrugged out of his coat.

Six months ago, Castiel had been taking a break from school, his home, and most importantly, his annoying roommate. He'd taken a copy of Interview with the Vampire out from the library. He'd caught the movie on TV a few years ago and had enjoyed it, so when he came across it on the shelf, he'd wanted to get the full experience. Sitting alone with his coffee and book, Bartholomew had approached him.

***

“Mythological creatures?”

Castiel startled from his focus. “Sorry?”

Bartholomew held up a book. He could see that they were reading the same book, though different editions. “Yes, vampires are mythological creatures…?” Cas trailed off, unsure of what this stranger was talking about.

“Are you in the mythological creatures elective?” he clarified, tapping the cover. “We're reading this next.”

“Oh, I'm just reading this for fun. The movie was great, but the book is always better,” Castiel told him.

“Ahhh, that would be why I don't remember seeing you in the class. I thought there might be a second class. I know I'd remember your face if you were in mine.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. He was usually bad at detecting it, but that sounded like a flirtation.

But the stranger didn't continue with it. “So how does the book compare?” he asked instead.

They talked about the book versus the movie, only stopping when Castiel realized they'd somehow been chatting for two hours and he needed to leave.

Castiel checked his watch and gasped. “Oh god. I'm so sorry, but I've gotta run. My next class starts in twenty minutes. But this has been great…” he trailed off only just recalling that they had never exchanged names.

“Bartholomew,” the other student said. “That's a real shame you have to go. I couldn't convince you to skip, could I?”

Castiel laughed. “You don't know me well enough. Last year I was so sick I almost wound up in the ER with pneumonia when I ignored my symptoms and continued going to classes.” He scooped up his belongings and shoved everything haphazardly into his backpack.

Bartholomew whistled. “That’s dedication right there. Well, I couldn’t convince you to meet with me again later? Maybe after I put a dent in Interview?”

“All right,” Castiel agreed quickly, putting his backpack on.

“Can I get your number?” Bartholomew continued quickly, whipping out his phone and unlocking it. He handed it to Castiel and read it aloud when it was handed back to him. “Well, it's been nice talking to you…Castiel. I'll text you and we can set a date.”

“Great! We'll talk then!” Castiel threw a quick wave to Bartholomew and booked it out of the café. It was only two days later before he received two messages in a row from Bartholomew.

I hope you weren't late the other day

This is Bartholomew btw

Castiel barely had a chance to think about a reply before a third text came through.

I havent put interview down since the other day and im ready to over analyse it. Wanna grab dinner sometime in the next couple days? Like on a date

His eyebrows rose in shock. So he hadn’t been imagining flirting the other day. Did he want to go on a date with Bartholomew? Castiel started mentally weighing the pros and cons, but cut himself off. He wasn’t sure when exactly his last date was and Bartholomew was nice enough.

Sure. how’s fri night? I’m free after 8. :)

Their date was nice and they’d wound up at Bartholomew’s watching the film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire on the couch and when Bartholomew asked him to be his boyfriend (so formal!) Castiel said yes. They’d clicked, and though Castiel wasn’t sure he’d felt that spark he’d heard so much about, he could give it a try.

For the rest of the semester, they were nearly inseparable, all free time spent together. Their schedules were nearly identical though Castiel was in Illustration and Bartholomew was in Business. When the semester ended and they’d received their winter schedules, they were both disappointed at how different they were.

Before heading home for the winter break, Bartholomew complained to Castiel. “We’ll never see each other. Not one of our classes line up!”

“Of course we will!” Castiel rolled his eyes. “We still go to the same school, on the same campus. We can make the time to meet.”

“You’re right,” he conceded. “We’ll make it work.”

“And even if we can’t hang out, we can still talk on the phone.” Castiel leaned over and pecked Bartholomew on the cheek. “It’ll be okay.”

“Okay. It’ll be okay.”

***

Castiel was genuinely confused and asked, “No? Why should you be jealous of all things?” This was the first time in three weeks they were in the same room. Bartholomew had just walked in the door for movie night, and this is what they were spending time talking about?

“You’ve re-encountered your long lost childhood boyfriend. Why shouldn’t I be jealous?” Bart pointed out.

Castiel rolled his eyes. “You’re being dramatic again, Bart. He was never my boyfriend. We were just best friends. And we were children. Besides,” Cas stepped into Bart’s personal space, hands on his chest, and gave him a quick peck on his mouth, “you are my boyfriend and I’m telling you, there’s no reason to be jealous.”

Bart wrapped his arms around Cas’s waist, pulling him even closer. “I believe you.”

“Good. I’m meeting him later this week,” Cas sighed contentedly. “I’m so happy that we met again.”

Bart smiled in response and if Castiel hadn’t been so blissful, he might have seen that Bart still looked uncertain. Instead, Cas took his hand and pulled him to the couch for their planned evening of Netflix and junk food.

***

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey, Cole. What’s going on?” Dean said into his phone.

“Just wanted to see if you’re free tomorrow night. Someone recommended this military history museum just outside of town. Wanna go with me?” Dean rolled his eyes, thankful this was a phone call, but Cole sounded really eager to go.

Dean had originally met Cole in their first year of the physiotherapy program. They were only acquaintances through their first two years, but as the program became more intensive, everyone became more united in studying and assignments. After participating in the same study sessions a few times, they happened to sit beside each other and struck up a conversation and were friends in no time. Dean invited Cole to the casual study-session-that-usually-turns-into-netflix-marathons he had with Jo and Alex every Friday night.

It was three months ago when their friendship changed.

***

“This assignment is bullshit.”

“I know, man,” Dean said, still scribbling furiously on his page. “You've said that already.”

“Just. Presentations. I'd take ten more essays over one presentation,” Cole shuddered. “We're never gonna need presentation skills in the field.”

“This university is the top in the state for physiotherapy,” Dean said, not looking up. “That should mean everything is in the curriculum for a reason. Now are you going to help?” Dean finally looked up at Cole. Cole's laptop was open, but Dean could see the screensaver. He wished he could be upset, but Dean was not that fond of presentations either; however, there was also no way he would let Cole get out of doing his share.

“Listen,” Cole started. Dean already knew where this was going after studying with him in the past. “We've been at this for a while now. Wanna get a snack or something? Drink? Dinner?”

“It's been fifteen minutes, bucko. Let's get more than 'opening the textbook’ done and we can think about it.”

To the rest of the class, Dean might have seemed to not take it seriously (he had a hard time sitting in lecture halls for long periods of time), but Jo, Alex, and Cole knew exactly how important completing this program and getting his degree was. It had come out drunkenly one night that Dean's uncle Bobby had loaned the money to him to pay for his tuition, to be paid back TBD with no interest. Jo and Alex had never seen Dean cry, but they thought this occasion may have been the closest. Though now, they just felt mean when teasing Dean about his organization (they may have seen his colour-coded planner once) and how he liked handing in assignments ahead of time.

“How about we finish the outline of all the areas we want to hit, then we can crack a beer while we divvy up who does what?” Dean suggested. Cole nodded petulantly and they actually got a little bit done. For the next five minutes. Dean did, at least. Cole moved his mouse and deactivated his screensaver.

“Okay, I've finished the outline,” Dean told Cole. Other people might have been upset at Cole's lack of work, but Dean knew he just needed a bit of direction and he would dive right in. Cole would choose the areas he wanted to work on and Dean would do the rest.

They might have been okay for the rest of the night.

“Are we done now?” Cole asked.

Maybe not.

“Cole,” Dean said sternly, “We need to get more done first. We only have three weeks to get this done,” he glanced at his planner, “and with the paper for Neur Phys, and having to start looking for internships, I don't know when--”

Cole cut him off with a kiss.

Dean had not been expecting that to happen. At all. He pulled back sharply. “Okay, but that's not going to help us get work done,” Dean told him.

Cole shrugged, “But it's a hell of a lot more fun,” he drawled, running a finger down Dean's jaw.

Dean was reluctant. He had been really focused on school lately. When was the last time he'd just had some fun? On the other hand, he needed to do well in school to get a good job, and pay back Bobby as soon as possible (and then some), and help Sam get through school, too…

But.

Cole looked at him with warm, inviting eyes.

Thirty minutes wouldn't throw off his weekly schedule…

Neither would an hour…

***

They never established what exactly their relationship was, but if Dean had to categorize it, he'd say “friends with benefits” was closest. The most they had discussed was that they were exclusive and that Cole couldn’t always use making out as a way to get out of work. Just some of the time.

It was far from a passionate love affair, but they usually reached out to the other to go to things that might be considered date-like.

“No can do. Jo introduced me to a guy from her class. Turns out we went to middle school together. We’re gonna be catching up tomorrow night, seeing as it's been so long.”

“Alright, babe. I'll see ya then. Later.” Click.

“Okay, bye then.” Dean sighed in relief. He knew he should probably feel worse about being so indifferent to his not-a-boyfriend's interests or even that Cole didn't make any effort to make plans to see each other soon, but he was just still on Cloud Nine having Cas back in his life.

***

Cas couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so happy. It had been a month since Dean was back in his life and it was like they were never apart. It helped that they spent nearly all their free time together. Cas had become a fixture for the Friday night not-a-study-session movie marathons with Jo and Alex and he was happy to count the two women as friends as well.

Castiel knew he should probably feel a little guilty that he had been spending more time with Dean than with Bartholomew lately, but that wasn’t completely his fault. Bart's class schedule had not lined up that well with his and now that it was later in the semester, neither of them had that much free time with the constant assignments and tests.

Castiel might have not even noticed the imbalance of his time if Bart hadn't brought it up himself.

“Cassie, it's been forever since I last saw you,” he whined on the phone.

“Don't be ridiculous, it hasn't been that long.” Cas glanced at his calendar. “It's only been…a week and a half.” Okay, that might be a little bit too long. “I'm free tonight,” Castiel offered. “You could come over now.”

“Nope, I'm cramming tonight. I have a test on five chapters tomorrow. Remember, I said at the beginning of this call I was taking a breather?”

“Oh, right, I forgot. Sorry Bart.”

Castiel might have left out the part where he wasn't paying complete attention at the beginning of their call because he was messaging Dean, but Bartholomew sometimes seemed to have a sixth sense about things. “So, how's Dean?”

“He's good. I let him take a look at my work from the last few years the other day.”

“Oh?” is all Bartholomew says.

“A lot of the themes I work with now come from the stories we started creating when we were ten. I thought he'd like to see how they’ve changed over the years.” He was flipping through a sketchbook from a couple of years ago while he talked. “We used to pass drawings back and forth in class, taking turns adding bits here and there. We could spend whole classes just adding to our comics.”

“What kinds of stories did you two write?” Bart asked.

“At the time when we started, we were reading the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter, so there were a lot of mysteries and magic with strong friendships. My comic is based on them. You’d know that if you read it...” Cas trailed off, letting the sentence dangle.  

“Well, it sounds like you two have a lot to catch up on, huh?” Bart said, ignoring Castiel’s implication. He rolled his eyes.

Cas hmms in agreement. “It’s nice to know him again. We’re hanging out on Saturday night.”

“I thought we might go out on Saturday night,” Bart moaned. His tone changed quickly to something more flirtatious. “It’s been so long, Cassie. I miss you.”

Cas couldn’t help but cringe. “I miss you, too. Are you free on Sunday, maybe?”

Bart sighed. “I can’t. Remember I told you that I’m going to visit family on Sunday?”

“Oops, I forgot about that. Sorry, Bart,” Castiel apologized. “Raincheck for next week?”

“I suppose that’ll have to do,” Bart grumbled. “I’ll see if I can find the time.”

They chatted a little bit longer before Bart ended the call to go back to studying. Castiel felt a little guilty for the sigh of relief he exhaled when he put his phone down. He couldn’t pinpoint what had him on edge, so instead he opened his current sketchbook to a blank page and began a few warm-up sketches.

***

“Prince Sam was taken hostage by dragons and his brother, Prince Dean, knows he needs to save him. The Kingdom is caught up in the bureaucracy of how to save Sam, and they’re still not ready to take action. Dean, frantic about Sam's well-being, decides to do it himself. The Kingdom’s Wizarding apprentice, Castiel, joins him and together they venture to rescue the Prince.”

“That was our story!” Dean exclaimed. They were at Dean’s apartment for the evening just hanging out on the couch. He was on his laptop looking at Castiel’s webcomic. Castiel blushed slightly and nodded. “I thought you said your comic was about your everyday life. I can’t believe you’re still working on this…”

“I didn't want to tell you right away that it was about our stories. I thought it might be weird that I was dwelling on it for so many years. But, we had so much fun coming up with the story. I’ve just been...refining it over the years,” he explained.

Dean chuckled. “And I still get to be a Princeknight?”

“Of course,” Cas said, shaking his head in amusement. “You always insisted when we were kids, so how could I just make him a prince or a knight? Prince Dean steals what he needs from the armory before sneaking out of the kingdom dressed as a knight.”

“And a horse?”

“Naturally. And before you can ask, yes, she’s still named Impala,” Cas teased. Dean fist-pumped the air in excitement. “Maybe I should have rethought the names, but it didn’t feel right at the end of the day.”

Dean couldn’t help himself from asking. “So when does Prince Dean meet Castiel?”

“You should just read it yourself,” Cas laughed. “Castiel notices him as he’s leaving the Kingdom. He tries to stop the Prince, but ends up tagging along to make sure he stays safe.”

“That makes sense,” Dean said gravely, “That Prince Dean is a real firecracker. Someone to keep him in line is a good idea.”

“Oh, I know. You seem to be less of a little shit now, though. Maybe you don’t need a babysitter present anymore.”

Dean gasped in mock offense. “I will always need a babysitter. Especially the sexy kind.” He waggled his eyebrows, which just set Cas off on a laughing fit.

“I guess that rules me out,” he said when he’s caught his breath.

Dean frowned. “Not necessarily. You’ve got nice eyes, tousled hair, and a great ass. I think you’d fall into the sexy category.” Castiel’s eyes widened. “Objectively speaking,” Dean tacked on hastily. “So, earlier you said there was a surprise twist? What is it?”

Dean was trying to change the topic, so Castiel let it happen, the awkward moment left behind. “I can’t just tell you the surprise twist.”

“Why not?” Dean whined. “You can’t just tell me there’s a twist. I’ll spend the whole time reading it trying to guess what it is!” Castiel shot him a look that plainly said ‘are you serious?’ and Dean shrugged. “I don’t make the rules. I just make sure they’re enforced.”

“Maybe you’re not less of a little shit…” Castiel contemplated. “I guess you will forever need a babysitter.”

“You volunteering?” Dean waggled his eyebrows again.

“Hard pass,” Cas said flatly.

“How about you just tell me the twist then? I’ll call it even then.”

“You’re a real piece of work,” Castiel told him, shaking his head. “Fine, you pest. We find out later on that dragons can transform into people, and it’s almost impossible to tell a dragon from a person. The kingdom has been rounding them up when they find a confirmed dragon and slaughtering them, so the dragons have kidnapped Sam in ransom.”

Dean’s jaw dropped. “That’s a dark turn from our childhood comics.”

“The important parts are the same at the end of the day. It’s still about friendship and family.”

Dean continued to scroll on the website, looking at it in awe. “And it’s all because of our drawings as kids. I’m going to read everything you’ve got posted tonight. I’m excited to see what else you’ve changed.”

“Well, I hope it holds up to your expectations,” Cas told him, all joking aside.

“Cas, no matter what, I’m going to love it,” Dean reassured.

“Whatever you say, Dean,” was all Cas passively said. “Are we gonna watch this movie or not?”

***

The next time movie night rolled around, Dean couldn’t attend. Cole snagged them tickets to some show for the night so the three of them were in Jo’s dorm, crowded together on her single bed, Arrested Development playing on the TV in the background. It was the perfect opportunity for Castiel. Jo passed him the bowl of popcorn during a lull in their conversation and he decided to dive right in with his concern.

“I need some advice from you guys. Relationship advice,” he clarified. As much as he might enjoy spending time with Bart, something had been…off. He knew he could trust Jo to be upfront and Alex to be unbiased.

“I am ready for this,” Alex said as she crowded in close and shot Jo a knowing look.

“Shoot. What’s the problem?” Jo asked as she paused the show.

“Well,” Cas started, “I’m not sure what the problem is exactly.”

“Just tell us everything,” Alex coaxed as she put her hand on his arm.

Castiel sighed and said, “Bart’s been complaining lately that I spend all my time with Dean, but I can’t see Bart. Our schedules are just out of sync, but we knew that going into this semester. With his part-time job, we see each other maybe every three weeks. It’s putting a strain on the relationship, but…I don’t know how to make it better other than, I don’t know, just waiting it out.”

“Have you been trying to make the time to see him?” Alex questioned.

“Yes,” he said, but paused a moment to think before he continued. “Sort of. The last time he suggested a time, I already had plans with Dean. I didn’t want to cancel on him.” Cas frowned.

“What about Bart? Has he been trying to make the time?” Jo prompted him to keep talking.

“I mean, I think he has been? Maybe as much as I have been?” Cas shrugged. “We used to see each other all the time. It’s was so easy then!” he lamented and put his head on Alex’s shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him in comfort.

“They might just be growing pains. All relationships go through bumps,” she suggested. He nodded into her shoulder.

“Or, it could just mean it’s not working,” Jo said. “If neither of you are trying very hard to make the time to see each other, maybe neither of you are that into each other.” Cas could feel Alex nodding in agreement.

“There’s just not enough time in a day,” Cas rationalized to the women.

“Cas,” Jo said firmly, “That’s just an excuse. If he really wanted to see you, he would see you. There’s always an opportunity. He could come over after work, spend the night at yours, get breakfast. Whatever. You could, too.” He frowned again. “Do you want to make that effort?”

“I…I’m not sure. I like it when we spend time together. But I don’t…I don’t think I miss him when it’s been a long time since we last saw each other,” he told them.

“You ‘don’t think’?” Jo urged.

“No, I don’t miss him,” Cas concluded. “And I feel bad for admitting it, but I don’t. I should miss my boyfriend, shouldn’t I?”

Alex spoke up then. “Well, not always. Some people are more independent and like having their space. When you make plans with him, are you excited to see him?”

“I do look forward to when we spend time together, but lately I’m more excited to see Dean. We’re still catching up, so I’m sure that will wear off and when that does, I’ll probably start being more excited about seeing Bart again.” Jo and Alex shared another meaningful look. “What?” he asked, “What is that look for?”

“So, what if it doesn’t?” Alex asked. “What if you’re always just excited to see Dean?”

Castiel sat up and crossed his arms at that. “What’s the implication here? Dean is my friend. It makes sense that I’d be looking forward to spend time with him. I look forward to spending time with you two also.”

“It’s a different kind of looking forward to, though, isn’t it?” Jo persisted, eyebrow raised.

“I don’t have the same kind of history with you two, though,” he reasoned. “It feels like, like I’ve found my favourite childhood book and I’m rereading it after all this time, and it’s just as amazing as the first time.” He glanced between the two women and saw twin looks of surprise on their faces.

“Hmm,” Alex said as she considered what Cas just said. “That sounds kind of, well, romantic, don’t you think?”

“Oh, totally,” Jo agreed.

“Romantic?” Cas asked in shock. This was not where he thought this conversation would go. “There’s nothing romantic there. We’re friends and it doesn’t matter anyway because I’m with Bart. Bart is my boyfriend. I don’t even know why we’re talking about Dean!”

“Hey Cas, there’s no reason to get upset,” Alex said soothingly. “It’s okay. You have a lot of emotions going on right now and you’re right. Maybe things will go back to the way they were before. Dean’s just new to the equation and you need to adjust.” Cas just grumbled under his breath. “But you might have to think about what to do if they don’t go back.”

“You’re right,” Cas sighed.

“Also, you got really defensive really fast about Dean,” Jo pointed out. “Maybe you should think about that and what that might mean, too.”

“I got defensive about you two putting romantic feelings where they don’t exist,” Cas told her crossly.

“Sure.” “Okay.” said Jo and Alex at the same time.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Cas moaned in annoyance. “I’ve had enough truth for one night. Can we go back to rewatching Arrested Development now? I’m sorry for being a downer.”

Alex leaned over and gave Castiel a hug. “You don’t need to apologize for that, kiddo. You can always come to us about your problems.” Jo nodded with a smile from where she was sitting.

They hit play and the show continued as they settled back to their spots on Jo’s bed. Alex’s arm wraps around Cas’ shoulders and Jo’s warmth was pressed against his other side; he felt calm again. He was glad to have them in his life, as glad as he was to have Dean in it again.

Well. Maybe not quite as much.

The conversation left him lots to think about, at least.

***

“I was wondering something,” Dean started.

It was Saturday night and Dean and Cas were in front of the TV, Dr. Sexy marathon in progress on channel 35. Castiel had never seen it before, which Dean thought was an absolute crime, so he'd been showing him the best episodes over the past few weeks. It was at a commercial when Dean broke their comfortable silence.

Castiel had just finished shoveling a handful of popcorn into his mouth when Dean started speaking, so he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

Dean continued, “Do you remember that day in History class when we were passing notes? Mr. Singer wasn't there and that was why we were. We never woulda gotten away with it if he was there,” Dean chuckled. “I wonder whatever happened to that old coot…”

“Is that what you were wondering?” Cas turned thoughtful. “He’s probably still teaching. He loved it, even if he pretended to hate it. Maybe he finally decided to try writing his own textbook, seeing as he was always correcting the one we had to use.”

Dean looked at his lap. “Yeah, he probably is still teaching…” He lingered before continuing, “That’s not where I was going, though. Do you remember what those notes said?”

Cas pondered for a moment. “Only vaguely…”

Dean turned to face Cas. “‘Cause I remember. I told you that I’m psychic, could see us getting married. We bet twenty dollars on it. Do you remember?”

Cas laughed and said, “Yes, I do remember. I still think I’m going to win.” He glanced at Dean and was confused to see that he looked almost disappointed to hear that. He recovered and grinned up at Cas.

“Well, I’m not so sure. There’s still time.” There was a degree of conviction in his tone that threw Cas off for a moment.

The commercial break ended at that moment and Cas just scoffed, “Okay, Miss Cleo. The show’s starting again. Time to be quiet,” and he settled further into the couch cushions. Dean leaned back and let Cas’ body heat warm him.

***

It was the next day when Dean made his decision official. To be honest, Dean couldn’t even feel bad about it as he dialed Cole’s number.

He knew there was nothing, no spark, no butterflies. And maybe he had been watching too much Dr. Sexy (is that possible?), but that was not what he wanted in a relationship.

Cole answered on the fourth ring. “Hey, Deano. I was just thinkin’ about you.”

“Hey, Cole.” Dean took a deep breath and just went for it. “Listen man, I’m sorry, but this thing we have  isn’t working for me.”

“What?”

Dean pushed forward. “I think we’re better as just friends. There just isn’t a connection.”

There was silence on the other end before Cole responded. “Nah, you’re right…It was nice, but I didn’t feel it either.” He sighed. “I do like ya, man. We coulda gotten there given enough time, I think.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Dean told him, “I don’t think I coulda waited that long.”

“Hmm, maybe not,” Cole conceded. “So wanna hang out sometime soon? As just friends again?” he added after.

“I’d like that, Cole.”

They finished their conversation with plans for next week and Dean hung up, feeling lighter. Yes, it was the end of a relationship, but it wasn’t right, and Dean was done with that. He didn't want to be with Cole. He didn’t want to be with anyone else either: he wanted to be with Castiel, and he could wait for Castiel to be single and ready for Dean.

After all, Dean knew he was going to win this bet.

***

Time felt like it was breezing by. Castiel saw Dean nearly every day and he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so inspired with his art. He knew he was prioritizing his time with Dean over Bartholomew, but with how much work he was been producing, he couldn’t bring himself to be too upset. He let Dean have artistic license with his comic’s upcoming story arc and was thinking about asking him to contribute more for the next one. It was his creation, too, after all.

Everything might have been okay if Bart had just left it all alone. It was another two weeks before their schedules lined up and they were able to spend time together.

They were cuddling on the couch watching a nature documentary at Cas’ request. It was nice, but he couldn’t quite seem to get comfortable and Bart had already commented twice on how fidgety he was tonight. “So Dean broke up with his boyfriend, and I’ve felt bad. I like that I’m able to help him take his mind off it, but he seems to be okay,” Cas told Bart.

Bart looked unimpressed. “Cassie, it’s been almost a month since we last were in the same room. I’m glad you’re helping your friend, but can we not talk about Dean for five minutes?” He leaned into Castiel’s personal space. “I can think of lots of other fun things we could do to catch up…” he let the statement dangle, the implication apparent.

“Sorry,” Cas said, rolling his eyes. There was something about Bart’s attitude tonight that had Cas completely put off. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with him the past few weeks, so of course I’d talk about him.”

Bart leaned away, a slight scowl on his face. “Maybe you’re talking about him too much. What am I supposed to think?”

Castiel leaned further away from Bart on the couch. “Well, I don’t know, Bartholomew. What do you think?”

“Well, I think you’ve been spending too much time with Dean, for one.” Bart crossed his arms with a frown and Castiel couldn’t help but think he looked like a child.

“I’m catching up with an old friend.” He was completely baffled by Bart’s reaction to this. “He was such a big part of my life. It broke my heart when we had to move and he wasn’t part of it anymore. You’re always busy. Who am I supposed to spend my time with? Am I just supposed to stay alone in my room in my spare time? Why are you making such a big deal about this?”

Bart stood in frustration and started pacing. “Because you talk about him like you’re in love with him or something. You don’t make any effort with me anymore and all your time is spent with Dean.” Castiel didn’t know what to say and Bart took it as a chance to continue. “I know we’ve both been busy, but you never call me or message me anymore, it’s always me reaching for you.”

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Bart. We’ve only been together for six months. I don’t know if I can handle you being this jealous of my friends.” Castiel told him, really proud of how steady he sounds.

Bart stopped pacing and spun around to face Castiel. “Cas. It’s not your friends. It’s just Dean. You only talk about him now. It’s “Dean this” and “Dean that.” I’m just tired of it, Cassie.”

“I’m not about to shut him out of my life again to make you feel better, so I don’t know what you want me to do about this. I’m just not making that choice.”

Bart looked to Castiel sadly. “Maybe there’s nothing that can be done.”

“Wait, are you…breaking up with me over this?” Castiel was stunned. He didn’t think that would have been the outcome of this evening. And as upsetting as a break up was…he didn’t feel anger at Bart for saying it.

“Yeah, I think I am,” Bart told him and Castiel felt almost buoyant with the confirmation.

“Well,” Castiel started, “if that’s what you want…I guess that’s it.”

“Then I guess that’s it,” Bart repeated, “I’ll just head out then…”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Bart nodded and headed to the door, gathering his coat. “Good luck with Dean,” Bart said before shutting the door.

It clicked shut and Cas sighed, flopping back on the couch, TV still on in the background. He felt around on the coffee table without looking for his phone. He might have been happy that his relationship with Bart had run its course, but a breakup was still a breakup. He turned it on aimlessly and went to Messenger without noticing. His last message was from Dean, but he couldn’t talk to him right now. Instead, he scrolled down to Jo and sent her a quick message.

Bart’s done with. Can you come over? Preferably with all the ice cream?

He didn’t expect an immediate response, but she must have been online.

Of course. Be there in 20.

God, he did have some amazing friends.

Jo was there in 18 minutes with five tubs of expensive, name-brand ice cream—not that he was counting the minutes.

“I wish I could tell you I’m surprised, but I’m not,” she told him directly.

“Yeah, I know you didn’t like him,” he grumbled.

“You weren’t that excited when he first asked you out. Do you remember?” Cas didn’t want to remember, but he knew he asked Jo over for a reason. She was blunt and this is what he needed.

“Yeah, you asked me if he tricked me because you couldn’t see it happening any other way.”

“He was whiney. I didn’t like him.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t your number one fan either,” he laughed.

Jo gasped in horror. “And you dated him for six months knowing that? Castiel!” She shook her head in mock offense. “That should have been your first clue he wasn’t right.”

They headed into the kitchen for spoons before dropping to the couch together and opening all the ice cream tubs.

“So tell me what happened,” Jo said after a few spoonfuls.

“He ended it,” Cas replied shortly.

“And why?” Jo pressed. Instead of answering, Castiel flushed and ate more ice cream. Unfortunately for him, Jo has gotten to know him very well in the short time they’ve known each other. “It’s because of Dean, isn’t it?”

Castiel gaped at her. “How could you possibly know that?” he asked.

“It’s all body language. Bart might not be able to understand it, but even he could tell. You’ve been so different since you met Dean. It’s like someone turned on a light inside of you. You’re not the Castiel we knew before,” she explained.

“He’s just…I don’t know,” Cas struggled to tell her.

“It’s okay, kiddo. You don’t need to be able to explain it.” She put their ice cream and spoons down and pulled him into a hug. Jo could be rough at times, but she knew when to be soft. “I think right now, you should think about what you want. What do you want, Castiel?”

“I…I want to talk to Dean,” he rubbed at his eyes and laughed. “And take a nap.”

Jo laughed too. “And which do you want to do first?”

“I think I want to talk to Dean. Do you mind?”

“Very much so, I’m very offended,” she teased. “Of course not! Text him now. I’ll clean up.” He nodded and went for his phone. He sent off a quick text asking Dean if he was free to come over now. By the time Dean replied saying he could be over in an hour, Jo had put all the ice cream away.

“You’re going to be okay, Cas,” she told him on her way out.

“I know. Just…break ups are never easy. Even when you knew the relationship wasn’t going anywhere.”

“No, they’re not. But they will lead you on to better things.” Jo smiled and left.

By the time Dean got there, Cas was feeling much more at peace with Bart ending things.

“Hello, Dean.” Cas greeted him with a soft smile.

“Hey, how’re you?” the other man asked in return.

“Where should I start? Take a seat.” Cas gestured to the couch.

“Is everything okay?” Dean asked, concern evident as he entered the living room and headed right to the couch.

Cas hesitated, taking his time to sit down as well. “Well, um, Bart broke up with me.”

Dean’s mouth opened slightly in shock, but it slowly turned into a smile. “That’s too bad. I didn’t even have a chance to meet the guy,” he said mildly.

Cas scowled. “You’re smiling at my sad news?” Dean sputtered, but Cas laughed. “I’m kidding, I knew it wasn’t going to work with him. I just…wanted to let it run its course, I suppose.”

Dean nodded in agreement which coaxed Cas to continue. “We never spent time with each other. Our schedules didn’t work that well together. But, if I’m being honest, I didn’t try very hard either. I stopped trying after a certain point.”

“Oh?” Dean said. “What point was that?”

Castiel froze.

He was not ready for this. This conversation, this moment, this anything. He wasn’t ready for his family to move away after the eighth grade, he wasn’t ready for Dean to be out of his life when he was only thirteen. He wasn’t ready for Dean to be back in his life when he never expected it to even happen. He wasn’t ready for Bart to break up with him even if the feelings weren’t there. He wasn’t ready to be out of school and in the real world, but that was a different crisis to deal with later.

He was just not ready.

...But he was tired, too: tired of having no spark with Bart. Tired of looking at his art and feeling like there was no heart in it. Tired of feeling like something was missing in his life. Tired of being incomplete.

And he was tired of passively letting his life happen and not making his time on this earth count.

He grit his teeth and braced himself. “It was when we met again. It was getting you back in my life. And I’m going to make it count,” he added, almost to himself.

“Make what count?” Dean asked, confused.

“I think that I’ve been waiting this whole time for you. I’ve been waiting for you to come back into my life. And I didn’t even realize.”

“Then how could you have been waiting for me?” Dean couldn’t help but ask.

“I’ve felt like something has been missing since I moved away all those years ago. And I didn’t feel complete until I walked into your apartment and realized it was actually you.”

“Cas…” Dean said softly, but Cas didn’t let him say more. “I don’t think I would have said I felt like my life was missing anything until you came back into it. Now when we’re not together, there’s a hole in my heart until you’re back by my side.”

Dean turned to face Castiel on the couch. He lifted his arms to Cas’ shoulders and turned him as well so that they were facing each other. “Cas,” he said more firmly, “Please look at me.”

Cas looked from his lap into Dean’s eyes. “What?”

“That’s…Cas, I…” he trailed off. Words just weren’t cutting it right now. So instead, he pulled Cas closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was gentle and over too quickly, but there was hesitation behind it. “Is this okay?” he asked reluctantly. Cas nodded slightly and pulled Dean back to him.

Tonight definitely counted as living.

***

“And they’ve been together ever since,” Ms. Jones tells them.

“That’s so sweet,” Charlie sighs happily.

“They spent the rest of the night talking things out, figuring out where their relationship was going. Dean was never one to talk about feelings, but being friends before helped.”

“I doubt there was much talking…” Aaron says in a false whisper to Garth.

“Oi. Can it, Mister,” Ms. Hanscum calls on him. “Don’t sully this lovely story,” she teases.

“Tell us about the wedding!” Becky pitches in, “Weddings are the best.”

Charlie rolls her eyes. She knows Becky has several wedding scrapbooks.

Ms. Jones and Ms. Hanscum both laugh. “Those boys have a real sense of humour,” Ms. Hansum says.

“I think it was all Cas. You were on the other side of the room, you didn’t see Dean’s reaction,” Ms. Jones says.

***

“I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss,” said their officiant, Missouri Moseley.

Dean stepped forward and dipped Cas. Castiel laughed as Dean kissed him. They stood upright again and smiled at their friends and family as they cheered.

Their witnesses were Jo and Alex, so they both walked over to Missouri to sign the papers. Jo was talking to Missouri when Alex saw Castiel reach into his pocket. He slipped something to Dean. She was just close enough to hear what they were saying.

“Well, you win,” Cas told Dean.

“You remembered that?” Dean asked in surprise.

“Of course,” Cas told him, “I had to make sure you got your payment.” He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it over. “Besides, I’ve never been happier to lose a bet.”

Dean looked at the bill and just laughed. He pulled Cas close again, arms behind Cas’ neck and they kissed. From where she was, Alex could see the note. It simply said, “You won.”

***

“Wow, that's so cheesy,” Charlie says, with a grin. “But pretty cute, so I guess they get a pass.”

“They're expecting their first child in four months,” Ms Jones gushes, “Jo agreed to be their surrogate.” She turns thoughtful. “I'm not sure she was the best choice though. I've never seen her crabbier than she is right now.”

“And they're happy,” Ms. Hanscum says with conviction. Ms. Jones nods with a grin.

She stays another few minutes to chat before heading back to Mr. Devereaux’s class. They've nearly made it through the day and Charlie is surprised to see there's only two minutes left before the bell.

“Charlie, hang on. You said you ‘shipped’ teachers earlier?” Ms. Hanscum remembers.

Charlie feels herself flush. “Ohh, that. Yeah, but it's no big deal…”

Ms. Hanscum raises an eyebrow. “Why don't I believe that? I told you a story, I think it's only fair you tell me who you ship.”

“It's nothing really,” Charlie says casually. “But maybe youandMsMills.”

Charlie speeds through her words and it takes a moment for Ms. Hanscum to realize what she's just said. When she figures it out, she just laughs. “Well, I dunno where you came up with that one, Charlie.”

“Uhh, nowhere in particular,” she explains. “It's really just seeing you two together…You're obviously friends. It's not that hard to see more,” Charlie drops her chin to her chest. “I'm sorry if that weirds you out or offends you. I didn't mean for that.”

“Hey, kiddo,” Ms. Hanscum says softly. “I don't mind. It's okay. You can think what you'd like and it won't bother me.”

Charlie looks up to Ms. Hanscum, slight confusion apparent in her face, and Donna just smiles at her.

The bell finally sounds, startling Ms. Hanscum, Charlie and a few others.

“Finally!” Aaron cheers, cramming all his belongings into his bag. Everyone else follows suit and the class is a flurry of motion.

“Don't forget that when you're back, you need to have finished reading the book! We're diving right into discussion first day back, so be ready!” She nearly has to yell over the commotion and she's not sure they've all even heard her.

It only takes two minutes for everyone to leave and Donna is left alone in the room. She sighs in relief. Boy, she does love teaching, but she sure is ready for a break right now. And maybe a milkshake. She leans back in her chair and shuts her eyes for a moment.

She must lose track of the time because the next thing she notices is her classroom door being shut. She opens her eyes in surprise, but calms down immediately.

“Well, hello there, Ms. Mills,” she greets with a grin. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Donna, what're you still doing in here?”

Donna glances at the clock behind her. She might have drifted off for a few minutes because fifteen minutes have already passed since the bell rang.

“Yikes. I was just reflecting on some stuff. I told the kids about Dean and Cas and their grand love story today. I musta lost track of the time.”

Jody comes closer with a look of concern and walks behind the desk to Donna, “You okay? How was your day?”

“I'm fine, Jodes. Got me thinkin’ of love, is all. And I’m just ready for my vacation with you.” She pulls herself from her chair and closes the distance between herself and Jody. It's just a quick kiss, they are still at school after all—but it leaves her wanting more.

“Did you know the kids talk about us sometimes? Charlie Bradbury thinks we're a couple or at least wants us to be. They call it ‘shipping.’”

“Yeah, I've heard. Everything gets 'em talking. We could be on opposite sides of the room and it'd still mean something to them.”

“I think it's sweet,” Donna tells her.

“You always were a sap,” Jody deadpans.

“Okay there, Jodes. Whatever you say. I know you love it.”

“You got me there,” Jody grins. “But can we go now? The last hour of the day inched by and, not to jinx it, but I'm ahead on all my paperwork right now.”

“Please. I'm so ready to get home.”

They leave the room, Donna getting the lights, and they leave for the night side by side.

***

Epilogue

Dean stretches when he wakes up. He yawns widely before turning over and burrowing further into the covers. He throws an arm over Cas, who doesn’t budge in the slightest. He can tell it’s still early from the dim sunlight streaming through their bedroom window. He doesn’t need to know the exact time. It’s Saturday and they have no real plans. Dean brushes his lips against Cas’ shoulder and he’s rewarded with a squirm. He kisses again with the same response. Kiss, squirm. Kiss, arm flail. Kiss, little grumble. Kiss, leg twitch. One last kiss gets him a loud annoyed groan.

“What.” It’s not a question, just a statement from the growly, sleep-filled voice of his husband. Kiss. “Stop.” Kiss. “Stubble.” Kiss. “It’s sandpaper.” Kiss. “I’m soft.” Dean laughs and gives Cas’ shoulder one final kiss. He scootches higher up on the bed to be closer to Cas’ face.

“Morning,” he says to Cas’ shut eyes. Cas just squints in the light.

“Sleep.” is all Cas says.

“Lazy, lazy, lazy,” Dean tsks.

He leaves Cas be for now.

Instead he gets out of bed and makes coffee. When he returns, it’s with two steaming cups. Cas has rolled over and taken all the blankets like a burrito. He sets the mugs down and gets back on the bed, too. He wraps his arms around his burritoed husband. “Good morning!” he says, rocking Cas back and forth gently but just enough to bug Cas awake. “Nooo,” Cas says into his pillow.

“But, it’s our anniversary, dear,” Dean says. “You don’t want to sleep through it.”

“Don’t call me dear,” Cas says into his pillow again. Dean’s guessing, anyway. He knows Cas hates it when Dean calls him dear, so Dean makes sure to do it when he needs a reaction.

“What’s that, dear?”

“Ugh. Don’t call me dear!” Cas says clearly now that he’s turned his face.

“Sorry, Huggy Bear.”

“You know I still don’t understand that reference,” Cas complains.

“That’s okay, it’s not important. But hey! You’re awake! I brought you coffee.”

Cas sighs in relief. “I guess that gives you a pass. But it’s not in my hand yet, so...” His hand appears from the depths of his blanket and makes a grabby motion.

Dean laughs at him. “You wanna sit up for that one, babe?”

“I don’t want to, but I will for coffee,” he says, as he moves to an upright position.

“I’m really feeling the love this morning,” Dean cheeks, as he surrenders the cup to his husband.

After a healthy swig, Cas says, “Well, I do love you. Do I need to remind you of that?”

“It might be nice if you did today. It is our anniversary today after all.”

“Is it?” Cas asks, confused. “It’s not our wedding anniversary. That’s months away.”

“No, you’re right.”

Castiel continues to look confused.

“It’s a different anniversary. It’s the anniversary of when we first met.”

“When we were ten?”

“Yep. Today’s the day. I knew it was coming up, so I looked up the exact day on a 1997 calendar,” Dean feels really pleased for thinking of this. “It felt like a day to celebrate.”

Cas takes another sip of his coffee, watching Dean affectionately over the rim of the mug. “It is a day to celebrate. It’s sweet that you thought of this...If only everyone knew what a secret sap you are,” he laughs.

“Well, that’s for you to know only,” Dean says in a fake whisper with a wink.

“So what made you feel so sentimental the other day?” Cas can’t help but ask.

Dean lays back down on the bed. “I was thinking about our first kiss. I couldn’t even tell you how happy I was at the time, but I couldn’t help but wish it had happened earlier. Where would our lives be now if we’d been better at staying in touch when we were kids? Would we have chosen the same university together instead of it happening by chance? Would we have started dating earlier? Would we have broken up because we were too immature for that serious of a relationship so young? There were a lot of times when we first started dating that I wished we had been together earlier. Like we’d wasted so much time not being together.”

“So you were getting very introspective the other day. Hmm, does that mean you were listening to Taylor Swift again?” Cas teases.

“She makes me feel things,” Dean asserts. Cas shakes his head affectionately. “So I was thinking about these things and I realized that it doesn’t matter that we didn’t get together earlier. We starting dating when we did and it was the right time for us.” He shrugs before continuing. “It makes no difference. We’re together now, still, and we’re happy.”

Cas yawns and snuggles up close, resting his head on Dean’s chest. Dean automatically wraps his arm around Cas’ shoulders.  “We’re very happy now.” Dean presses a kiss to the top of Cas’ head. “Happy Anniversary. Now back to sleep.”

Dean chuckles at his silly husband and shuts his eyes. “Happy anniversary to you too…Dear.” He gets a light swat on the arm.

Maybe he can go back to sleep, too.