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Castiel ignored Miss Hannah as she called for everyone’s attention. He was busy playing with his favorite toys. He had been trying to play with Meg but she kept stealing his favorites. He had growled at her and she’d run away.

Castiel was in a Kindergarten class for Supernatural kids. The school was created by Castiel’s Daddy, Chuck, as a way to socialize his children. It was also a way to teach Supernaturals about other Supernaturals. The school had been going for about 50 years and had a great reputation among the supernatural Community. Before the school had been created any creature that wanted to go to school had to go through the human school system. For some creatures it was fine, but for others who had a harder time hiding who they were it meant being forced out of education.

Castiel was a dragon, a species known for being antisocial and possessive. Other children in his class included werewolves, fairies, witches, demons, and at least one vampire. Castiel was the only dragon and Miss Hannah was working extra hard to help him make friends and learn to share. It wasn't going great but school had only been in session for a month.

“Castiel,” Miss Hannah said sternly from across the room.

Castiel turned to glare at her, how dare she interrupt his play, but his eyes caught on the prettiest thing he had ever seen. Standing next to Miss Hannah was a small boy with golden hair and eyes like emeralds.

Green was Castiel’s favourite colour. In his small hoard at home most of the toys, rocks, and other precious items were green. For his last birthday his daddy had given him an emerald and it was his most prized possession.

“Class, this is Dean,” Miss Hannah announced, interrupting Castiel's thoughts. “He's an elf. Be sure to make him feel welcome.”

As soon as she was done talking the other kids in the class swarmed the new boy, asking him questions. Castiel thought he looked overwhelmed and about to cry.

Castiel stood up and silently made his way over to the boy. The other kids backed up when Castiel got close. He stopped right in front of the boy and stared into his watery eyes for several minutes. Green eyes stared right back into his without fear then without saying a word Castiel took the boy's hand and let him over to where Castiel had been playing. He carefully chose one of his favourite toys and held it out. The boy took it with a small smile

Castiel felt a happy bubbly feeling in his belly and smiled back at the boy. He extended his hand the way his daddy had taught him and introduced himself. “My name is Castiel. What's yours?”

The boy slowly put his hand in Castiel's. He didn't shake it like Castiel had been taught but just held it. Castiel decided he liked that better.

“Dean,” came the pretty boy's response. He didn't pull his hand away but sat there facing Castiel as he tried saying Castiel's name. “Cassie-l, Cast-el, Cas,” he nodded his head decisively at the name “Cas.”

Normally Castiel would correct anyone who said his name wrong or tried to shorten it. He hated being called Cassie but when Dean called him Cas it seemed right. It gave him that warm bubbly feeling again.

Through the day Castiel played with Dean. He shared all his toys, even his most favourite ones and when snack time came he even shared his cookies. At nap time Castiel led Dean over to a corner and set him up with lots of blankets and pillows. Castiel slept next to him so that Castiel was between Dean and the other kids. He was feeling protective of his new friend.

When school ended Castiel stayed by Dean's side while they waited for Dean's family to come get him. Castiel could have left at any time, he normally waited for his daddy in the principal's office; he didn't want to leave his new friend though. All the other kids had left before anyone came to pick up Dean. Castiel had noticed Dean was getting sad so he lent him his favourite stuffy to hug and also held Dean's hand as they waited. They waited so long Castiel started to think no one was coming.

Suddenly a big man appeared in the door. He had dark hair and eyes and looked scary. Castiel tried to stand in front of Dean but Dean pushed forward yelling "Daddy! Sammy!"

When he said Sammy Castiel noticed that the man was carrying a small boy who started squirming at his name. The man, Dean's daddy, set Sammy down and he tottled over to give Dean a big hug. Dean let go of Castiel's hand to hug his brother back.

Dean's daddy seemed to notice Castiel then. He smiled at him and asked "And who are you?"

Castiel straightened as tall as he could, stuck his hand out and said, "my name is Castiel."

Dean's Daddy shook Castiel's hand with a smile and said, "I am John and that little one with Dean is Sam. are you in the same class as Dean?"

Castiel nodded even as Dean, who had been so quiet all day, started to chatter excitedly at his daddy. "Cas is my friend. We played all day and he even shared his snacks with me. He's nice."

Castiel blushed. The other kids normally called him mean because he wasn't good at sharing. But Dean thought he was nice. That made Castiel very happy.

Dean's daddy scooped Sammy into his arms. the little boy squealed in delight. Then Dean's daddy took Dean's hand and said "it's time to go. say goodbye to Castiel. you will see him tomorrow."

Dean waved bye to Castiel and went with his family. Castiel was sad to see him go. He was excited to see his new friends the next day though.

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After weeks of asking Castiel was finally allowed to have Dean come over for sleepover. His parents had been surprised when he had asked. Dragons were naturally territorial and barely could stand other dragons in their space let alone any other of the supernatural or humankind.

Normally when Castiel and Dean play together outside of school it was at the park or at Dean's house. Dean's house was actually the home of a dwarf named Bobby and it was so cool! There were lots of cool and shiny things around. Bobby even let Castiel take home some shiny things to add to his horde. Castiel liked Bobby.

Dean had told Castiel that he and Sammy stayed with Bobby because their daddy had to leave a lot. He was a hunter, which Castiel's daddy had explained was like a policeman for the supernatural community. Dean was really proud of his daddy and wanted to be a hunter just like him when he grew up. Castiel thought that was very brave of Dean but secretly he didn't like it. It sounded scary and he didn't want Dean to get hurt.

Castiel was very protective of his friend. He always made sure the other kids were nice to him, which wasn't a problem because Dean was very popular. Dean was so popular that the other kids even played with Castiel when they were playing together. Castiel still preferred it when it was just him and Dean playing, which was why he was so excited for the sleepover.

As soon as he had gotten home from school the day before Castiel had been cleaning his room and organized his horde. His mommy and daddy had helped a bit and his big brother Gabriel had hung pretty sparkly lights from the ceiling. They look like stars.

He also gathered blankets in his favourite colours, blue and green, and added them to his hoard. Castiel didn't usually use blankets at home cuz he normally slept in his dragon form. But Dean was an elf and would need blankets to sleep. Castiel made sure the blankets he grabbed were the softest and best in the house.

He was just putting the final touches on his hoard, putting his favourite stuffies front and centre and putting his emerald, his most prized possession so that it caught the light, when the doorbell rang. He quickly finished and ran down the stairs to get the door.

Castiel's daddy was already there, holding the door open for Dean and his daddy. Castiel ran forward and gave Dean a hug, then he grabbed his hand and tried to drag Dean further inside. Dean was willing to follow but they both stopped when Dean's daddy called his name. They turned and listened as Dean's daddy told him that he'd be back the next morning and if there were any problems Castiel's parents would call him. Dean gave his daddy a hug and he left.

"Castiel," Castiel's daddy said in a friendly voice. "Why don't you show Dean around before you go play? We will call you both down when it's dinner time."

Castiel nodded and took Dean's hand again. He quickly showed Dean the kitchen, family room, bathrooms, and at least the general locations of the other bedrooms before leading Dean to his room. He suddenly felt nervous but he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"So cool," Dean breathes softly. His eyes were large as he looked around the room.

Castiel felt his nerves leave and his pride grow. Dean liked his horde! He pulled Dean into the room and started showing him all his favourites.

They played for hours, only stopping to go to the bathroom and get snacks. When Castiel's mommy called them down for dinner, they were happy to see pizza. They all ate together including Gabriel, who teased Castiel the whole time. It was okay though because he snuck them candy after.

Castiel's mommy told them they could watch a movie before bed so Castiel and Dean went to change into their pyjamas. Dean's pyjamas with Batman ones and he told Cassie all about how Batman was the coolest ever. Castiel's pyjamas had dragons on them. Dean thought it was really funny for a dragon to wear dragon pyjamas. Castiel guessed that Gabriel had helped pick them out.

They watch Lego Batman. Dean loved it. Castiel thought it was funny but he mostly liked it because Dean did. They sat close together sharing a bowl of popcorn. Castiel was so happy he barely knew what to do.

By the time the movie ended it was past his normal bedtime, so he and Dean quickly brushed their teeth and headed to Castiel's room. Castiel didn't have a bed (he normally slept as a dragon) but they piled the blankets to make it comfortable and climbed in. Castiel's mommy read them a couple stories about brave dragons and elves before saying goodnight and turning out the lights.

Castiel couldn't sleep, though. He was too excited about having Dean over. He fidgeted but kept quiet because he didn't want to wake Dean up if he fell asleep.

"Cas? Are you awake?" Dean asked quietly.

"Yes," Castiel replied. "I'm too excited to sleep."

"Me too," Dean paused so long Castiel thought he had gone to sleep, then he said, "want to play?"

They played quietly, only talking in whispers. Every time they thought they heard someone they would jump back into bed and pretend to be asleep. Castiel's mommy and daddy did check on them a couple of times.

Castiel was starting to get sleepy when he heard Dean say "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Castiel was pretty sure he knew what Dean was talking about but just in case he said, "okay, you first."

Dean nodded and after a deep breath he let his glamour drop. Glamour was one of the first things most Supernaturals learned as kids. It helped them pass for humans. Some didn't need it at all but Dean as an elf and Castiel as a dragon did.

Dean didn't look much different without his glamour. His ears were pointy and his eyes sparkled even more like Castiel's prized emerald. But he still had the same short blonde hair and freckles. Castiel thought he was beautiful.

"So pretty," he said out loud.

Dean blushed then said "your turn."

Castiel let his glamour drop. Dragons had two forms; their human-like ones which they use glamour with to look normal and their full Dragon form. Without his glamour Castiel knew he looked almost the same. The difference was he had small wings and horns (his mommy and daddy promised they'd grow) and his eyes shone bright blue.

"So cool!" Dean whispered excitedly. He walked around Castiel to look at his wings. After looking him over for several minutes he asked, "can you be a full Dragon?" Castiel nodded and Dean asked "Can I see?"

Castiel hesitated. True forms were private, for family and mates. But Dean was his best friend and Castiel loved him. He nodded again and took off his pajamas. Then he changed.

As a dragon he came up to about Dean's chest but one day he was going to be a lot bigger.
Dean stared in awe. He circled Castiel whispering things like "so cool. I wish I could do that."

They played a little longer, Castiel staying in his dragon form. After a while Dean could barely keep his eyes open anymore and climbed black into the blanket. Castiel helped arrange them around him then he added a couple of his favourite toys to the display. Finally Castiel was satisfied and curled his dragon form around his best treasures.

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"So we go in to wake them up for breakfast and what do we see? Castiel in full dragon glory wrapped around Dean. That's when we realized he was trying to add him to his horde." Gabriel retold the story of Cas and Dean's first sleepover to the great amusement of everyone in the room. Cas just rolled his eyes affectionately.

"Now here we are 20 years later and he's finally doing something to keep his greatest treasure forever," Gabe continued his speech, his glass raised for the toast he was giving. "Congratulations Castiel and Dean. And Dean, welcome to the family."

Everyone cheered and took sips from their own glasses.

Sam was the next one to give a speech. "I can't actually remember a time before Cas came into our lives. It was always Dean and Cas, never just Dean or just Cas. So imagine my surprise when I found out they weren't a couple when I was about 12 and they were 16. Nothing could separate them though, despite the best attempts of both guys and girls of the human and supernatural variety. I was just very happy when they finally realized what the rest of us already knew; they belong together. I'm so happy for you two and wish you both a long happy life together." He raised his glass.

While everyone cheered and drank again, Cas looked over at the man sitting next to him. Dean had his glamour down and positively glowed. He was wearing a green shirt that made his eyes seem even brighter. On his finger was a silver ring set with Cas's prize emerald that he'd been given just before he met Dean. Not long after the sleepover Gabe had mentioned, Cas had given it to Dean. Neither of them had really understood the significance of the action until years later when they finally had confessed their feelings for each other. Even as young as six Castiel had tried to claim Dean as his mate.

Dean caught him staring and leaned over to give him a kiss. They held hands as they listened to their friends and family recount their friendship and awkward courtship.

Castiel didn't care about any of it. He was just so happy Dean, the boy who had been his greatest treasure from the first day they met, was now his forever.

He gave Dean another kiss and settled in to wait until they could head home to their hoard where they belonged.