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Dean looked at the paper that had the room number on it, making sure that he was in the right place before he entered, walking into a normal classroom, but he could immediately tell that something was wrong. There was a large glass wall that was see through, and he knew that he would be going into the room that the wall showed.
Inside the room, there was another man, probably Dean’s age as well, and he was facing the opposite way of him, and he was close to nude, wearing only a white pair of pants, but no shirt.
Hang on. Wasn’t this study about attraction? The guy in there was a dude. How was that gonna work?
“Uh, hi. I’m here for the study.” Dean called out, and one of the students in the classroom nodded, pointing at the wall.
“There’s a door right there, please remove your shirt and put the pants on that are provided for you.” The student requested, and Dean shrugged and he grabbed the pants and stripped down, putting on the white cotton pants. He was sent into the room, and he looked up at the man standing across from him. He’d been told they had the freedom to speak however they wanted, but they had to answer a few questions that were on the table. Apparently, there were 35 of them.
“Hey, I’m Dean.” Dean held out his hand to the man, and the other man shook his hand with a warm smile.
“I’m Castiel. I’m in my second year.” The man said back, sitting down in the chairs offered. Dean looked at the paper on the table between them and grabbed it, clearing his throat.
“I’m in my fourth. So, let’s get started then. First question. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? Ooh, that’s a good one. Uh… I guess for me… it’d be Robert Plant.” Dean chuckled. Castiel looked at him in confusion.
“Who’s that?”
“Who’s Robert Plant?! He’s the lead singer of Led Zeppelin! They’re my favorite band, and I know that he’s got some great stories to tell.” Dean shrugged, and Castiel nodded.
“I can see that. I think mine would be,” he paused for a moment before continuing, “I think it would be the Dali Lama.” Castiel decided. “Before you ask why, he’s a really amazing person who’s done wonderful things and he’s got so much to say. I’d love to be able to talk to him and ask about what he will do in the future.” Castiel said as Dean started laughing.
“Wow, man. No offense, but that’s pretty damn nerdy. I don’t even know what the Dali Lama does anyway, let alone want to talk to him about anything.” Dean looked over Castiel and noticed a few things he hadn’t before. Like how Castiel’s hair was super messy, almost like it was purposefully tousled to look like he rolled out of bed. Or how blue his eyes were. They reminded Dean of the ocean, like when the sun reflected through the water just right and made it really bright.
“Let’s move on,” Castiel rolled his eyes as he grabbed the paper to read the next question. “Would you like to be famous? In what way?” Castiel read, and he put the paper down, showing that he was thinking. “I mean, I’m an English major, so I’d love to be a famous author.”
“Oh really? Yeah, I think I was right about that nerdy thing. What do you write?”
“Mostly science fiction, though I’ve written a few historical fiction novels that are on the back burners for now.” Castiel explained, and Dean smiled at that. That sounded about right. Historical novels for the geek. But Dean had always liked sci fi, so that was pretty cool.
“That’s great. Personally, I’d love to be famous. I’m in mechanical engineering, but maybe someday I could be a car designer. That’s the dream. I love cars, and I love putting them together and deconstructing them. I’ve got my own car that is my pride and joy. She’s fifty years old and runs like brand new.” He said, pride evident in his voice as Castiel whistled.
“Never been a car guy, but that sounds pretty damn awesome. I’d love to see something like that.”
“Maybe you could come see it after this? It’s parked not too far.”
“Great. Well, let’s get on to the next question.” Castiel glanced down at the paper again. “Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?” Castiel groaned and nodded. “Yesss, of course I do. Doesn’t everyone?” Castiel asked, before looking at Deans confused face.
“Uh, no. I don’t. Why would you? If you know what you’re calling people for, why rehearse? If I rehearsed, then I’d totally mess up.” Dean insisted, and Castiel shook his head.
“Oh no way, not for me. I definitely rehearse. I get stutter-y when I’m on the phone. If I don’t rehearse beforehand to remember what I was going to say, then it’s all downhill. I especially do it for work calls and stuff.”
“Huh, that’s interesting. I’ve never heard of people who do that.”
“Maybe not everyone has your confidence, Mr. Macho.” Castiel stuck out his tongue at Dean, making Dean laugh out loud.
“Oh, just shut up and read the next question.”
“Fine. What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you? That’s interesting. I need to think for a sec. You go first.”
“Alright, then my perfect day would be sleeping in until 11, having a big pancake and bacon breakfast, going for a ride with my little brother, having a huge cheeseburger for lunch, find a good chick at a bar, having some fun with her before finishing off the night with a big apple pie and a shot of whiskey.” Dean smirked, please with his day. Castiel wasn’t so impressed.
“It sounds really…empty. Besides your brother, it’s all just food, alcohol and women. My perfect day would be waking up early, having a big cup of tea so I can work on one of my novels, maybe go out for lunch with a friend, then go home to work some more on my book.” Castiel smiled at his own day, seeming as though he was daydreaming about that.
Dean noticed that Castiel was strange. He wasn’t like anyone he knew. Maybe that was because he normally hung out with other people in his major, and other people who had his interests. But this was nice, to meet someone who’s interests were something that Dean didn’t know about.
“That’s just what I like. It’s not a bad thing. I’m a material person, so sue me if I like material things.” Dean said, snatching the paper so he could read the next question. “When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else? Well that’s easy. I last sang to myself in the car on the way here. I sang Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin On a Prayer’. The last time I sang to someone else? Probably my little brother. When he was little, he cried a lot, so I would sing the same song my mom sang to me. ‘Hey Jude’. It always calmed us both down.” Dean shrugged. “It’s probably been at least ten years since I sang to him, maybe even longer.”
“That’s wonderful.” Castiel smiled. “I knew there would be more to you than that tough guy look.” Castiel thought for a moment. “I think I sang to myself about a month ago when I heard a song I knew come on at Target. But to someone else? I used to be in a choir, so probably then.”
“What song?”
“Excuse me?” Castiel asked in confusion.
“What song came on in Target?” Dean watched as Castiel squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.
“Uh… ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ by Justin Timberlake.” He said, obviously embarrassed.
Dean erupted in laughter; it was a full-on snorting, hooting, knee slapping laughter, too. It just made Castiel turn redder.
“Oh, come on, it’s catchy! And I’ve always liked Justin Timberlake. Even when he had ramen noodle hair in NSYNC.” Castiel sighed, and Dean wiped his eyes, shaking his head.
“I can’t believe that you’re into pop music. It just seems like you’d be more of an ‘Ode to Joy’ kinda guy.”
“I enjoy all types of music. My most listened to on Spotify go in this order: Drake, Beethoven, Ed Sheeran, and Ke$ha.” Castiel said, making Dean snort.
“Spotify is for hipsters and shit. I just listen to my dad’s old tapes in my car. Let’s get on with the questions. If you could live to the age of 90, would you rather keep the mind or the body of your 30-year-old self for the rest of your 60 years? I know I’d keep this smoking body.” Dean smirked. “I’d be getting chicks into my eighties.”
“Or you could look like that and be drooling into your soup because of your dementia.” Castiel responded. “I’d keep my mind. Because no matter how bad my body looked or felt, I’d rather have access to my memories and my thoughts.” Dean had to admit that he didn’t think of it that way.
“Oh yeah, huh? I guess you’re right then. I’d keep my mind. Plus, I know I’ll get enough tail while I’m yo- “
“Is that all that matters to you? Sleeping with women? Because it seems as though you have reminded me every question that you’re straight.” Castiel snapped in an angry tone. Dean frowned and furrowed his brow.
“I’m just answering the questions like I’m supposed to, okay? And why are you so against it, huh? What are you gay or something?”
“Yes, I am actually.”
Dean stopped and looked at Castiel, who was just about ready to either walk out or punch Dean. Maybe he would do both.
“Oh, uh I didn’t meant it like that, I-I’m so-”
“Whatever. Let’s just fucking answer the questions so we can leave.” Castiel’s voice was ice cold. He grabbed the paper back so he could read the next question. “Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? I think I have a hunch on how you will die.” Castiel muttered under his breath before answering the question. “I think I’m gonna die from some kind of brain problem. My family has had Alzheimer’s in the past as well as brain cancer and tumors, so I think that’s how I’d die.”
“I think I’m gonna die from liver failure.” Dean said simply. There was no joking or anything behind it like before. “I’m twenty-three and I already have the liver of a damn fifty-year-old. It’ll either be that or a coronary from all the fats I eat.” Dean gave a heavy sigh and Castiel glanced at him, feeling a little sorry for snapping at him, but he didn’t apologize.
“That got fun, fast. Next question is: Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.” Castiel went back to that annoyed tone. “Uh, we’re guys, we both don’t have a shirt on, and we’re both college students.” He listed off the first few things he could think of.
Dean took a little longer to think before he responded. “We’re both passionate about what we do, we both seem to want success in our fields, and we are both not completely straight.” Dean said, grabbing the paper from Castiel to read on before Castiel could say anything. “For what in your life do you feel most grateful? Oh, that’s easy. My brother Sam. For sure.”
“Uh… I guess I’m most grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given by my father.” Castiel said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, still thinking about the last question. “Dean, do you want to ta- “
“Nope, and if you bring it up again, I’m leaving. Next. If you could change anything about how you were raised, what would it be?”
Castiel responded first, since it looked like Dean was thinking or at least trying to figure out what to pick. “I would change how homophobic my step-mother was. She tried to kick me out while my father was away. I was alone for about five days before he found me again.” Castiel rubbed his arm. “He loved me, but he would go away for work a lot. And my step-mother wasn’t exactly kind. When I came out to my dad, he was happy for me, but she just waited until he was gone. I’ve still got one of the scars she gave me.” Castiel turned his arm to show four long scars on his bicep. They looked like nail marks.
“Wow, that…really sucks. If I could change anything…I’d bring back my mom. Cause she was an amazing woman, and after she died, my dad was never the same. He drank a lot and could get pretty bad.” Dean said softly. “But he tried his best, which is all I could have hoped for.”
“How did your mother die?”
“She died after a house fire. They said it was some kind of electrical problem. It was an old house. But my dad went on for years that something killed her. It wasn’t until just recently that he finally stopped saying it.”
“That must have been so hard on you and your brother. Sam, was it? My mother passed away right after I was born. I never knew her.”
“That sucks, man. Sam was only six months when she died, but I was four, so I remember her pretty well.”
“Let’s move on. It’s getting a bit sentimental, as you may say. What’s next?”
“Let’s see… Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible. Oh boy. So…who wants to go first?”
“I will.” Castiel decided. He cleared his throat before beginning.
“I was born September 9th, 1996 to Chuck and Becky Novak. My mother died shortly after the birth and my father remarried to a woman named Naomi when I was five. Naomi wasn’t bad at first, but she got worse. And her children didn’t like me either. I have one full brother who’s older than me. His name is Gabriel, but Naomi’s kids were younger than me, and one was even my half-sibling. One was Lucifer, the older one. My half-brother was named Raphael and they both never liked me. Naomi always treated them better than me. Gabriel tried to help, but by the time he got to college, he ran as quickly as possible to get away from Naomi. I came out in high school and she beat me when she found out from one of her friends. After that she kicked me out and once my dad found me, he divorced her and even got a restraining order so we wouldn’t be hurt by her again. But... he passed away right before I went into college and he left me with every cent he ever had to make sure I could go here. My half-brother has tried to take it from me for the last two years, but even court cases have been unsuccessful, since it was my dad’s will. I-”
“Time.” One of the moderators said through a loud speaker.
“Damn, okay your turn.”
“I guess I get to just go without any comments? Okay? Okay. I was born January 24th, 1994 to John and Mary Winchester. My brother Sam was born in November 1998, and that next year my mom died in an electrical fire. I actually carried my little brother out of the fire that night and waited for my mom and dad to come out and get me. Only my dad did. After that, we moved up to Lebanon, Kansas instead of Lawrence and pretty much just moved around. We’d have an apartment for a few months before we’d be evicted and crash with some of dad’s friends. Dad couldn’t hold down a job anymore since he was always heavy on the booze. I basically had to raise my brother the best I could for most of his life. I got a job at fifteen to support him and I wasn’t even sure I was gonna graduate for a while, but I ended up getting a scholarship here when some people saw me in the garage. I patched up the Admission Officer’s car so well that he offered me a position in mechanical engineering. When I said I couldn’t pay, he just told me to apply for some of the scholarships. I ended up coming here on one where I took apart a car and rebuilt it from scratch. I broke the record for the VW Bug and the old Mustang.” Dean said that part with pride in his voice. “Now I’m here and my brother has a scholarship to Stanford for law and I’m really excited for him but also kinda nervous-”
“Time.” The voice said again.
“Well, I think that was pretty detailed.” Dean smirked. “That was cool. And honestly I wouldn’t think that you had three siblings just by looking at you.”
“And I wouldn’t think that you were so smart.” Castiel said before he realized what he’d said. “Oh, no! That’s not what I meant. I meant that I didn’t think you were… I mean I guess you coulda been, but-”
Dean stopped him by putting up his hand. “We’re even. We both assumed about each other.” He smirked, and Castiel relaxed visibly, a smile blooming on his face.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, huh?”
“Let’s move on. I wanna get done with this. Plus, you still gotta see my baby, right?”
“You have a child?”
“No, Cas I meant my car. I call my car ‘Baby’.”
“Did you just call me… Cas?”
“Uh…yeah, I guess I did. What’s wrong with that? Do you not like it?”
“No…” Castiel smiled even wider than before. “It’s nice. My dad used to call me Cas.”
Dean paused for a moment before he looked back down at the paper again. “If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?” Dean read aloud. “Hmm, well I know I would want the ability to make food appear when I wanted. When I was growing up, I didn’t have much food security. I was lucky if I got a meal every two days sometimes. I still kinda eat whenever I can, so I would love that. So, I would never have to worry about things.” It was clear that the conversation about Dean’s shallow answers had gotten to him. He was now being much more honest not only with Castiel, but with himself as well.
“That would be a great power. Imagine just making a salad appear in front of you whenever you wanted it.” Castiel grinned, and Dean just groaned.
“That would be the one thing I would not make happen. I do not like that rabbit food. I am a man! I need meat and potatoes, not leafy vegetables!” Dean made an exaggerated gross face.
Castiel laughed at him, rolling his eyes at Dean before thinking for a quick moment. “I think I would gain the ability to fly. I think wings would be super cool to have, and I think that I would love them.” Castiel said with a dreamy look. “Either that or the ability to teleport. So, I could go between places as quickly as possible.”
“Sounds practical. I like it.” Dean glanced at the paper and noticed it said break before the next questions. He sat back in the chair with a sigh. “We can take a two-minute break.” Dean said as he got up quickly to stretch out. He walked around the room while Castiel took the paper from the table. “What’cha doing with the paper? We still have some time.” Dean stretched his arms up over his head, hearing his ribs crack as he leaned from side to side to get the kinks out of his spine.
“I want to look ahead and see what the questions are, so I can get my questions thought about before- “
“Do not look at the questions before hand.” The student said, startling Castiel into dropping the paper. His shocked reaction made Dean chuckle as he made his way back to the chairs.
“Oooh, you’re in trouble.” He teased with a grin on his face.
Castiel rolled his eyes and flipped Dean off as he reclined in his seat to relax for the break.
The two minutes passed quickly, and the “Time” declaration came seemingly too fast. Dean took the paper from the table where it had been dropped, and read off the first question in the second part. “If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you like to know?”
“I think… I’d like to know what my Dad thinks of me now. I want to know if he’s proud of me, or if he’d want me to do something else with my life.” Castiel decided with a sigh, touching a cloth bracelet around his left wrist that Dean hadn’t noticed before. It was thin and well-worn. It was a dull orange color with words that Dean couldn’t make out. Dean wanted to ask about it, but Castiel was looking at him with curiosity, waiting for him to answer the question.
“Oh? I… I think I would want to see how I turn out. If I turn out the way I think I will.” Dean decided, and Castiel looked even more puzzled by Dean. “I’m going to college for engineering, but I focus a lot on cars. I don’t know how much that can be applied to engineering beyond a garage or something.”
“What do you mean? You could design cars! You could build cars for companies, or fix cars for companies. You could be rich! Hell, richer than I’d ever be with my profession.” Castiel chuckled, “I have to be good at writing before I’d make money. It seems like you’re already great.” He smiled.
“Oh please, you’re probably a better writer than I could ever dream of being. Eh, let’s move on before we get stuck on this.” He cleared his throat and continued, “Is there anything you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?”
Castiel immediately nodded at the question, even before Dean was finished talking. “Yes! I’ve wanted to go to Hollywood all my life and see the Chinese Theater and all the people who have been in that square.” Castiel smiled at the idea, but it fell when he was reminded of why he hadn’t been yet. “I had been planning the trip before my Dad died, we were going to go together. But… he passed away and I couldn’t bring myself to go.” Castiel sighed and he sank lower in the chair. “It really sucked. I don’t know if I’d go there without him.”
“That’s terrible. I’m sorry about that.” Dean said with a certain delicacy in his voice. “I’d want to go to the Grand Canyon with my brother. But after he decided to go to Stanford and it’s so far away. He’d have to fly down here, and I’m afraid of planes so I couldn’t fly there… it’s just not practical anymore.” Dean shrugged. “That wasn’t a fun question, let’s move on. What is the greatest accomplishment in your life?”
Both men fell silent as they thought about the question. Dean opened his mouth, then closed it again. Neither really knew what to say in that, but finally Dean decided he knew what it was.
“My greatest accomplishment is getting into a four-year university for engineering with a C average in high school.” Dean nodded. “I never knew if I was going to be able to even graduate high school with a GED, but I’m so happy that I did.” Dean’s face melted into a smile for the first time in a few questions. Castiel tilted his head and looked at Dean curiously. This man was unfolding before his very eyes, and it was fascinating to watch. Castiel was still wondering what Dean meant about problems with sexuality. Perhaps… Dean had to hide his own sexuality from his father? Or from his brother? Though the latter seemed not true, since Dean revered his brother greatly. Castiel was lost in his own thoughts and almost didn’t hear Dean clear his throat to get his attention.
“Yoo-hoo, Cas? You in there?” Dean laughed as he waved his hand, and Castiel blinked away his daydreams and nodded.
“Oh, yeah sorry. I was just thinking. My greatest accomplishment was getting away from my step-mom. She wanted me to live near her for whatever reason, but I decided to live on campus and live here. I think she only wanted that for the money I had.” Castiel decided. “Getting away from abuse is always important.”
“Yeah, I definitely agree.” Dean nodded, looking down at the paper. “Let’s see, what’s next? What do you value most in a friendship?”
“I know that I value trust in a friendship. I believe that everyone needs to have their trust in one another or it’s not really friendship.” Castiel looked at Dean, who was giving a nod of affirmation.
“I definitely agree. Although I think laughter is important in friendship. I don’t like people who don’t laugh. It’s just not… I dunno, I just don’t like it. Laughter is such an important part of life that no friendship is complete without it.” Dean decided, while Castiel pursed his lips in thought, but nodded back at him.
“I can see that. Perhaps you need trust to have laughter, or vice versa.” He proposed, and Dean just waved his hand.
“We’re getting too deep here. Let’s just keep going. What is your most treasured memory?” Dean asked aloud, then he smiled a bit. “Oh, I know that one.” He had a smile on his face as he remembered. “When I was about 16, Sam… my brother, and me stole some fireworks on Fourth of July and I drove us out into a field in the middle of nowhere. We set them off and just watched them all night.” Dean sighed as he sank into the chair. His face looked like he was experiencing that again, his face smoothing out to show a much younger looking man. Castiel just smiled at Dean, a little lost in his own thoughts to notice Dean nudging him to go.
“Oh… well I think my favorite memory would be when I was five years old, and my Dad took me to Texas to go to a real beach once. We decided to do a weekend road trip to Houston. We drove all day and found a little motel, then the next day we spent it at the beach, but it rained in the afternoon. We didn’t care because we still had too much fun. We drove back home, but I was late going back to school the next day and almost got in trouble, but Dad told the teacher I had a dentist appointment.” Castiel laughed to himself. “When I think about that…it makes me happy to remember what he used to be like, and how we used to be together.” Castiel had a certain sadness in his eyes, but a smile on his face. He wiped his eyes and he looked at the paper in Dean’s hands. “Can I read for a little bit? I need the distraction.”
“Yeah, of course. Here you go.” Dean responded, handing over the paper for Castiel to read.
“Okay, next. What is your most terrible memory? Should have guessed that would have been next.” Castiel chuckled a bit. “Well I mean, my worst memory is probably when my Dad passed away.” Castiel sighed. “I remember when he first went into the hospital, and we found out he was sick with stage three lung cancer. That moment, the moment that I realized he was going to die, was worse than the day he actually died. The worst part was when I saw my Dad’s face… and I knew that he knew he was going to die. Seeing the resignation in a person’s face before death it’s… beyond heartbreaking. It’s terrifying.” Castiel wiped his eyes and tried to calm himself down before he lost it. “Sorry, sorry. I-I’m still a little sensitive about it.”
Dean leaned across the space between them and put his hand on Castiel’s. “It’s okay. If you need to cry, then it’s okay.” He assured him, and Castiel felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He never broke down, but he let his tears fall without wiping them away this time.
“Thank you.” Castiel sniffled and nodded at Dean, allowing him to say his piece.
“Well, my most terrible memory is probably when I was about nine. My dad left Sam and I in a motel for about two weeks with only 50 dollars for food. We had no idea he was going to be gone for so long, so after the first week, the money was gone. I gave Sam all the food we had left… but I starved. I didn’t have food for four days, only water. That last day… that is my worst memory. It felt like I was going to die, and Sam was only five, so he couldn’t do anything about it. I finally stole some bread and peanut butter from a store and ate it to stay alive. My dad came home a few days later. I never told him. He never talked about it.” Dean looked down at his lap. “I still think about food insecurity a lot. I try to eat as much as I can when I get it, in case I don’t get more.”
So that’s what Dean was talking about earlier. The whole thing about making food appear when he wanted was because he almost starved to death when he was a kid. He couldn’t imagine how traumatizing that much have been. Castiel reached out and he put his hand on Dean’s knee.
“That’s all over now.” Castiel insisted. “And if you ever come across any of those problems, you have a friend who can help, okay?” Castiel smiled at him kindly, and it made Dean chuckle and finally look up. His eyes were a little puffy from unshed tears, but he smiled right back.
“We’re friends now?”
“I think so. I enjoy your company, and I’d like to hang out with you after this too. I mean, if you’d like to do that too.” Castiel offered, and Dean nodded.
“Yeah, I think I’d like that.” He agreed, his smile growing even more. “C’mon, let’s move on with things.”
Castiel gave a nod of affirmation, then read the next question. “If you knew that in a year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why? Oh, I can answer this right away. I think I am on the right track, but if I knew absolutely that I would die in exactly one year, I would drop out of school and work full time on my book and have it published by the time I die. I want to leave something behind before I pass, and I figure that I can put out something that might make the world a little less serious and scary. Even if it’s just for me.” Castiel shrugged, and Dean pursed his lips, thinking about not only the question but also Castiel and how he just seemed so genuine. He had nothing but good intentions with almost anything he seemed to do. He wanted people to remember him through books and writing while Dean would probably be glad to be remembered by his brother after he died.
“That’s cool. I think that would be awesome if you could publish your book. I think I’m on the right track too, but I would try and fulfill my bucket list to the best of my ability. I’d go to the Grand Canyon, I’d fly on a plane even just for a short flight, I’d do anything and everything. I want to get the most out of life.” Dean explained with a slight smile. It tugged at the sides of his lips and he wasn’t sure if it was Castiel he was smiling at or himself.
“That sounds about right. Makes sense too.” Castiel agreed. “For me, getting the most out of life would be my book, but yours makes sense too. Alright, next: What does friendship mean to you? Oooh, a toughie. I might need a second.” Castiel said, and Dean nodded to show that he agreed with Castiel. Both were silent for a long minute, then Dean spoke up.
“Friendship is someone who will be with you through thick and thin, and someone who will love you based on who you are at your core, not a false picture you put out.” Dean decided. “I had a lot of fake friends for a long time and it was only recently that I began to really figure that out.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Well, I think friendship means someone who will not care if there is something wrong with you, because they like you for you.” Castiel sighed. “I have clinical depression and it took a long time for me to get help for it. All my friends left me because they saw me as either broken or too much work. But one person, one girl I was friends with… she stayed my friend despite all that I was going through. I would have bad months and she would just talk with me about it, not trying to fix it, just listening. I still suffer from it, but I have it mostly under control. I take anti-depressants and go to therapy whenever I can, but it never really goes completely away.” Castiel said softly, looking up to meet Dean’s eyes. Dean had a sympathetic look in his eye and reached to take Castiel’s hand on the arm of the chair.
“I understand. I’m not super happy, but I’ve never been depressed. I’ve mostly just been told to get over it and stop being dramatic by my dad. He wasn’t bad… just sure that I wasn’t as bad as he thought. But I’m glad it’s under control.” He said sincerely. He offered a hand to take the paper and Castiel willingly gave it to him. “What roles do love and affection play in your life? Not a huge role to be completely honest. I can count on one hand the amount of times I have told someone in my life that I loved them, and that includes when I was younger. Affection? I… normally show affection by helping people. Like, Sam knows I love him because I help him with homework. Dad knows I love him cause I make sure he doesn’t drink too much. I don’t tell people, and I don’t show it physically.” Dean explained in length, sighing at the “repression” that the counselor he saw sometimes talked about. He told the counselor about this kind of stuff and she always told him that he should try to actually show his affection, but he just brushed it off.
Castiel looked at Dean curiously as his response came to light. Dean was growing more and more interesting the more information he discovered about the other man. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about someone so in depth and in such a raw fashion. He remembered seeing 36 questions, but how many had they done already? Were they near the end? They must be.
“For me, I don’t have many people to show love or affection too. I’ve never been a lovey-dovey type of person, but I was very affectionate to my father. We spent a lot of time together and we used that time to talk with one another about just about anything we wanted. I just wished I could have spent more time with him telling him how much I did love him.” Castiel sighed, but he brushed off the encroaching sadness that was filling him up. “Let’s move on.”
“Alternate sharing something you consider positive about the other person. Share a total of five each. Psh, easy. Your eyes are absolutely amazing.” Dean said immediately, a grin growing on his face. Castiel found his cheeks heating up ever so slightly at the rapid speed of Dean’s response.
“You took mine. I was going to say the same. Your eyes are seriously cool. I mean, how many people have green eyes? I think I saw something that was like 2% of the world. Insane how lucky you got, man.” Castiel enthused, and Dean smiled even wider, if possible, and nodded.
“I hear that a lot. I think it is 2%. Uh… you’re really smart, genuinely and generally smart. You don’t have a niche of knowledge, you seem like you know just about everything about anything.” Dean decided.
“That’s not fair to compare your smarts to mine. They’re different and I wouldn’t expect them to be the same. I know books. You know cars. I could never do what you do with a car. Speaking of cars, I think it’s nice that you can build cars. Before today I didn’t really think that was something people did for fun.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, it’s definitely fun when I do it, cause you never know what’s gonna happen.” Dean smirked, then continued. “You’re sincere whenever you talk. You aren’t afraid of some repercussion that might hinder you or make you stop talking. You’re also confident when you speak. Makes me wish I was the same way.”
“Are you kidding? I wish I had your raw confidence. That’s the next thing I like about you. You are so confident in everything you say and do. You never have to stop and think.” Castiel insisted, thinking about how strange it was that both of them thought the same thing.
“I gotta say the next thing on the list are your arms. Those biceps are freaking insane.” Dean admired the blush that made Castiel’s neck and chest turn red. “Seriously. Has anyone ever told you that you’re ripped?”
“I work out when I can. People always think I’m skinny and weak just because a wear a lot of sweaters. I… like your tattoo.” Castiel pointed at some ink over Dean’s heart. It was all black and looked like a sun around a star. He was a bit too nervous to mention that he too liked Dean’s body.
“Oh, this thing? Got that when I graduated school. Sam and I got them to match. It’s a protective symbol. We wanted to get them so we would always be connected and safe somehow.” Dean smiled, remembering the day he and Sam got them. “The last thing I like about you is… your smile.” Dean decided. “It’s really nice and it makes the corners of your eyes crinkle up when it’s a genuine smile.”
That made Castiel’s face split into a grin. He had never been complimented on his smile before. A previous boyfriend had once told him it didn’t look right when he smiled with teeth, just for that reason: it made his eyes crinkle up. The fact that Dean, without prompting, said it was what looked nicest was really important to him.
“Thank you so much. That… that one really meant a lot to me. The last thing I like about you is your loyalty. This entire time that we have been talking, you have gushed about how much you are dedicated to your brother and father. You have been talking about how much you really loved them without ever having to say that word. It is absolutely heartwarming to see how much you care about them no matter what happens, even if your father wasn’t a great man to you. You still seem to love him despite his shortcomings.” Castiel said. Dean smiled back at Castiel, his face heating up but dammit he would not be caught blushing. Dean Winchester did not blush.
“Thanks Cas. I don’t get to hear that often, so… that was really nice of you to say.” Dean insisted, and they both paused for a long time, just sort of smiling and absorbing the compliments that had just been made. Dean finally cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Let’s move on before we get stuck talking to each other outside of the questions too much.” Dean looked down at the paper again and noticed they were only two questions away from another break. “Alright, after this we have one more, then some instructions. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?” Dean read it aloud, only to look up at Castiel. They were both holding back laughter.
“I don’t exactly think that question was written with the two of us in mind.” Castiel said, his face scrunching up as he fought giggles. “I mean… my family was just about the warmest of all time. Rivaled only by your father.” Castiel joked, and Dean snorted.
“Why have a wonderful childhood when you can be abused by your parents?” Dean laughed, but it was oddly hollow.
“My… dad abused me.” He said quietly, as if it was a realization. “He didn’t try his best, he… he did abuse me. Holy shit, he abused me.” Dean said, looking up at Castiel. “He did, didn’t he?” Dean asked Castiel desperately, needing to know now. He had denied that his father abused him, because he always thought John tried his best. But he could have done so much better. Dean almost died because of John, and he never said anything about it.
Castiel looked at Dean sadly, only giving a simple nod.
“Yeah… I thought so.” He muttered, not shedding a single tear. He would do that in the comfort of his own home. “We should keep going, otherwise we’re gonna get stuck in this whole pity party. Can you read the next one?” Dean asked, wiping his face a bit as he handed the paper over to Castiel. Castiel nodded and took it willingly.
“Do you need a second to get composed?” Castiel asked softly, but Dean immediately shook his head.
“If I take a second, I’ll end up worse off.” Dean said quickly, and while Castiel sighed, he began reading the next question.
“How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?” Castiel read, and he decided to go first. “Well, we both know how I feel about my step-mother. I wasn’t exactly able to meet my mother before she passed away. I feel like my relationship with Naomi is characterized simply by her homophobia.” Castiel shrugged. “I’ve kind of gotten over it, though. I know that she doesn’t like me, so I won’t speak to her willingly. I don’t even go home for holidays.”
“What? Really? I always celebrate with Sammy. Even if its just exchanging gifts.” Dean explained, then he thought about the question. “My relationship with my mom was great, but she passed away when I was young. So, it was great, but it ended too early. I guess we have a similar mom story, huh?” Dean asked, beginning to feel a little better about what had happened before.
They then had a break of a few minutes, so Dean got up and stretched again. “That round was… a little harder than the last one.” Dean said as he walked around the room. Castiel yawned and looked at his wrist before he realized he had given his watch to the students. Castiel huffed and got up too.
“Do you have any idea how long we’ve been here? I don’t have my watch right now. I know we came in close to noon, but it feels like it could have been twenty minutes or an hour.” Castiel said, and Dean shrugged.
“I don’t know, honestly. I feel the same. I mean, I really like talking to you, man. You’re a cool guy.” Dean smiled at Castiel warmly, still a bit messed up from before, but just talking about something else was making the dark cloud over his emotional state drift away. It was also something about Castiel that made him want to get it all out. Castiel was so willing to listen to him that it made Dean willing to actually talk.
“Thank you.” Castiel smiled back, looking at Dean, hesitating, then taking Dean’s hand and squeezing it. “I appreciate that you spoke to me in such honest terms. I genuinely think that talking about your past with anyone can help you get it off your mind. Once I talked to the school counselor about Naomi’s hatred of me, it made me feel a lot better. I can give you her number. Dr. Barnes is just about one of the best people I know. She can help anyone, and the school covers ten sessions for free.” Castiel explained.
Dean was about to argue, but he thought about it for a few more seconds. What if he did it? He could go talk to a therapist about what had happened when he was young, and maybe it would make him feel better about his new discovery about his past. “Thank you. I’ll take the number when we’re done here. Also…” Dean thought about what he was going to say, then soldiered on, “I’ll take your number too. I think I’d like to hang out with you after this is all over.”
Castiel’s smile went from just a regular smile to a full on grin, his eyes crinkling with the width of it. “Yeah, I’d like that, Dean. I would really like that.”
Dean grinned back at Castiel. He was so glad he said yes. It would have been awkward had he said no. Within a few more moments, they were signaled to continue with the questions. Dean took the paper and he sat down.
“Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling…” What?” Dean read the question, then frowned. “What does this mean?” He asked.
“Well, let me try. We are both in this room feeling cold because we don’t have shirts on.” Castiel suggested, and when he didn’t hear anything from the researchers, he shrugged.
“Alright.” Dean decided. “I’ll try. We are both in this room feeling happy?” Dean said, lilting the end of the statement up into a slight question. Castiel nodded back at him in agreement. “And we are both attracted to men.” Dean said firmly, finally letting Castiel know for sure that he was not straight. Castiel put his hands over his heart and smiled at Dean. He appreciated that so much, that Dean trusted him enough to tell him.
“We are both feeling strange, as we are realizing things from our pasts. And we are… “ Castiel scratched his chin and thought about another thing that he could say. “Uh, well we are both participating in a research study.” Castiel decided. He looked up at Dean and waited for the next question.
“Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share…’” Dean read out the next question, and he smiled a bit. “I wish I had someone with whom I could share my real feelings about people. I mean, I can talk to my brother about stuff, but not everything. He doesn’t know I’m bi, so we can’t really talk about it. I wish we could talk about that, or that I had someone to talk with about it.” Dean explained. Dean looked down a little at his hands, then clenched his fist. “Yeah, it just sucks that I can’t talk about what I really want to talk about.”
“I understand that. I mean, who else could understand that more? Someone who knows what its like to hide secrets about sexuality from their family and friends?” Castiel asked with a soft, understanding smile. “If you ever want to talk, you can always talk to me.” He assured him. “For me, I wish I had someone with whom I could share my past. My siblings… I don’t really talk with them, and I don’t have any family members to reminisce with. I wish I had someone to share… my dad, really.” Castiel explained. “I’m not in contact with anyone who could talk about it with me.”
There was a silence for a few moments.
“You could… always share with me?”
Castiel looked up at Dean suddenly.
“What?”
“I mean, I don’t know much about your dad, but I would like to learn about him. I’d like to listen to you.” Dean offered. “I mean, you were willing to hear about my drama with my brother and stuff. I can at least give you someone you can talk to.” Dean smiled.
Who was this man? Who was this young man that Castiel had been thrust upon in this experiment? Dean was so kind, so sweet to him upon the first meeting. Dean was just nice to talk to as well. Sure he was prickly at first, but the more they talked, the more Castiel realized that Dean typically puts up a wall to bar is true self from people he didn’t trust. It made Castiel feel warm inside that Dean was willing to break down the wall for a moment and let Castiel in.
“Let’s keep going then. The next one is... If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know?” Castiel asked, tapping his leg as he thought about the question. “I think the most important thing for you to know if we were going to become good friends is that I sometimes have lulls in text conversation that last days. I just forget about responding to texts, then once I realized I forgot, I don’t want to respond and make it weird and apologize.” Castiel explained, making Dean laugh.
“I do the same thing!” Dean said, a warm smile on his face. “I wanna say everyone does that.” Dean assured him. “Well, mine is that I love eating good food, so I will take you to just about any place I’ve ever been to eat to make sure you experience the same thing. When I met my current best friend, we basically spent almost every weekend of the first few months we knew each other in a food coma.” The memory seemed fond, as Dean smiled throughout his explanation with a look that said he had many good memories with this friend.
“I do love food.” Castiel noted. “So I would appreciate knowing some places to go for food. Maybe you can take me to one or two of those places? I mean, we are becoming friends, right?” Castiel asked, and the smile Dean had went from fond to blinding. It was like Castiel had just offered a little kid ice cream.
“Of course! Yes, yes I would love to take you! There is this place nearby that has the best barbeque I’ve ever had, then there’s a place in downtown that just opened that serves ramen that is to die for.” Dean enthused, already trying to think of where he wanted to take Castiel to eat, but he quickly realized how he sounded. “Oh. Uh, sorry. I just got really excited. I think you’re super cool, and I didn’t expect you to ask me that. But yeah, I think it could be fun, hanging out like that.” Dean was now a little embarrassed by his outburst. “Should… we continue? Next question, then. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.
“I feel like we were pretty honest before, but okay. Mine is pretty easy. You are the easiest person to talk to. I feel like when you look at me, you are really listening to exactly what I am saying and what I mean. It might be your eyes or something, because just looking into your eyes, I can feel like they are saying I’m here, you’re so interesting, keep talking please.” By the time he finished explaining, Dean’s cheeks were ever so slightly red, as he had never given a compliment so intense right to someone’s face.
Those big blue eyes that Dean has just been praising were looking at him like Dean was the sun. Dean swore he could stare at them all day, and honestly, he wouldn’t mind getting lost in them. Or those lips. Wait, what? Sure Castiel was attractive, but was Dean attracted to him? Another look at those eyes with a darting glance at the pink, slightly chapped lips had him firmly saying yes, yes I am attracted to him.
“Dean, that was incredibly kind of you. Thank you. And on the topic of kindness, I believe that is your best trait based on what I know of you. You seem to care so deeply, and feel so genuinely for the people around you. In the short time since I have met you, I know that you care about your brother more than anything in the world, that you love keeping people fed and happy, and you could so easily not be like that. You had a childhood that was less than desirable, and you even were abused as a child, which you now realize. No one would blame you if you were bitter about that. But no, you took all that pain, and it just made you kindhearted.” Castiel took a deep breath as he finished, and watched a single tear fall from Dean’s eye.
“Castiel, that was truly the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me. It has been so hard… not to let bitterness get to me, to not let what was done to me happen to others. I guess it just feels good to be validated. To know that I am succeeding.” Dean said, wiping his face and looking back down at the paper. “It looks like we are almost done. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.” Dean read aloud.
“Embarrassing? How embarrassing is embarrassing? I feel like its different for different people. I think one embarrassing thing that happened to me recently is that I was practically asleep in class recently and I completely missed a question and answered it as wrong as could be.” Castiel commented, recalling the event with a sigh.
“That’s it? You got a question wrong?” Dean asked with a huff of laughter. “Last time I got really drunk, I rode a mechanical bull in front of people and when I got off, I ripped my pants and never changed ‘em.” Dean said, almost proud that his embarrassing moment was more embarrassing than Castiel’s. Castiel rolled his eyes and gestured for Dean to continue with the questions.
“Yeah yeah, okay next question. When did you last cry in front of another person? While alone?” Dean’s smile quickly faded. “Oh.”
Both men were quiet for a few moments, whether they were thinking about the question or did not want to speak yet.
“Well, the last time I cried in front of someone was… well, you.”
Dean’s head snapped up as he looked at Castiel.
“The last time I cried in front of someone was just a little bit ago.” Castiel recalled. “When I was talking about my father. Before that, I don’t think I can remember when I let myself cry in front of someone like that.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever cried in front of someone. As least, not that I know of. I’m not exactly someone who likes crying, or who even does it in the first place. I like keeping things to myself. If I’m gonna cry, then I’ll cry on my own. But technically, if you count crying at a movie theater as crying in front of someone, then I cried in the theater watching Avengers: Endgame when Iron Man died.” Dean decided to stick with that. “And alone? I think last year on the anniversary of my mom’s death, I got really drunk and I cried about it.”
“Same here. Not my mom obviously, but I found this bracelet that my dad gave to me once.” Castiel touched the orange bracelet on his wrist, showing it to Dean. “Right before he passed, my dad and I went to Yosemite national park. He was really sick, but he didn’t want to stay in bed all the time, so we went even though his doctors suggested against it.” Castiel rubbed the cloth a few times. “While we were on a little hike, I lost him because he got really tied and had to sit. I panicked a little and finally found him. He told me that he wasn’t worried, because he knew I’d always find him. After he died, I found this bracelet that he had gotten me but never given me that said “You’ll always find me” and I just burst into tears. I haven’t taken it off since.” Castiel explained. “I have no idea how he got it or if he had it made, but clearly it had come right before he passed so he wasn’t able to give it to me.”
Castiel’s heartfelt story had Dean certain that there was something going on here. Castiel was a wonderful young man that Dean was slowly feeling more and more attracted to. Not only that, Dean felt like the more he spoke to him, the lower his guard went. He didn’t worry about what to say to Castiel, he didn’t worry about censoring himself, he just spoke and listened. No one, not even his brother, had ever elicited such a reaction from him.
“Wow. I know that it must have been painful to find that but thank you for sharing that with me. It couldn’t have been easy to tell me, so thank you.” Dean said gently, and Castiel gave a nod. His eyes were shiny with tears, but they never fell. Castiel seemed determined not to cry again.
“Let’s finish this thing.” Castiel nodded once more. He looked over the paper and read out the next question. “Tell your partner something that you like about them already.”
“Didn’t we already do one like this?” Dean wondered but answered anyway. “Your honesty has been really refreshing, and I think its something that I like the most about you.” Before Dean could finish, Castiel was vigorously nodding in agreement.
“I was going to say the same thing! It’s strange. I don’t normally tell people that I just met so much detail about my life, and yet you likely know more about me than some of my other friends do. We just seem to be “vibing” as some people might say.” Castiel’s use of finger quotes had Dean giving a solid belly laugh, putting his hands over his stomach to hold it as he laughed. Castiel’s confused face just kept him going.
“Oh Cas, those finger quotes really got me. Why on earth would you use finger quotes when you could have just kept it at “vibing” without the finger quotes?” Dean said, finally calming down enough to talk.
“Well, because… I don’t know. I just do that sometimes. My friend Samandriel said its weird but I just keep doing it anyway.”
“I think its cute.”
Castiel’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and Dean’s laughter quickly stopped.
“I mean, yeah it’s a cute thing. Cute like manly cute. I…. man, I am not explaining this well.” Dean said, scratching the back of his neck with a huff.
Castiel stopped Dean from continuing to talk with a raise of his hand and a warm smile. “I get it.” He assured him before reading the next question. “If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?” Castiel thought for a moment, even as Dean seemed to know what to say, Castiel decided to go first, since Dean was hesitant about his answer.
“I would regret not telling my step-mother to go fuck herself, pardon my language.” Castiel decided. “She deserves to know that she is a massive bitch and that I wish she never came into my life. I haven’t told her because I was too young when I left to tell her without consequence and now? I just don’t care enough about her to go back to her house to tell her what I think.”
“Hell yeah!” Dean exclaimed for Castiel’s answer. “Yeah, fuck Naomi! Well, mine isn’t as… triumphant as yours as I bet you could guess. I’d be upset that I never told Sam that I was bi. I keep meaning to tell him, but every time I get close, it just never comes out. I’ve gotten to saying the whole “I’m” part, but as soon as I try to say “bisexual” I end up changing the subject and not talking about it at all. I’m not afraid that he won’t love me… but I’m afraid that if my dad knows, he’d be upset. I’ve spent so much of my life keeping that bastard happy, but if he was upset at me? I don’t know how I could take that.” Dean’s answer went from passionately talking about his brother and sexuality to sounding hollow. It was like mention of his father had carved out Dean’s passion and replaced it with echoes of fear. If Dean noticed, he didn’t say anything.
“Three more questions, Dean. We can do this.” Castiel said, reaching out, now for the second time, for Dean’s hand to squeeze it for comfort. This time, though, he did not immediately let go, instead holding it as he read the next question. “Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?” Castiel sympathetically looked at Dean.
“Come the fuck on!” Dean snapped as he rose from the chair and looked at the one way glass separating them from the researchers. “Fuck you guys!” Dean shouted at them. “Fuck. You! I don’t need to answer this shit! I’m fucking done with this!” Dean’s voice cracked on the last word as he sank back into his chair, his head cradled in his hands.
Castiel had recoiled from Dean’s outburst originally, watching him walk around the room, yelling at people he couldn’t see. Castiel put the paper down and got up from his chair, quickly closing the small distance between them and wrapping his arms around Dean. Dean fought the hug for a moment, pulling away only to be pulled back in by Castiel.
Dean’s shoulders sagged, his rage draining away as he allowed himself to be held by Castiel. Dean didn’t cry. He didn’t let the tears that threatened fall.
It could have been seconds, minutes, or even an hour when Dean finally gave a stiff nod, prompting Castiel to let go of him and sit back down in the chair. Dean gave a second nod, and Castiel took a deep breath.
“My one item I would save would be a scrapbook I made with my father. It has all the pictures of the two of us I’ve ever taken in it, and its all of our trips. Without it, I would feel so lost, because I wouldn’t have him anymore.” Castiel explained.
Dean kept quiet for a little bit longer.
“I’d save my childhood.”
Castiel just nodded back to Dean and kept going.
“Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?” Castiel asked. Both of them had intimate knowledge of close family dying. He wondered if they were even vetted at all before being put in here with these questions.
“I’m sure you can figure this out, but my brother. I saved him from the fire all those years ago, and if I were to see him die? Or even just know he died? God, I don’t know if I would ever recover from that.” Dean sighed. “I’d do anything for Sammy.”
“That makes sense. I could go easy and say my dad, but he’s already gone. I’m going to go with my brother, Gabriel. I told you he took off once he was old enough, but we still keep in touch. He has always been a bright spot in a cloudy day for me. He knows how to make me laugh all the time, and he keeps me company whenever I need it. Without him, things would be a lot more serious and a lot harder than they are now.” Castiel explained, to which Dean hummed. They both understood what it was like to lose a parent, but losing a sibling seemed to be something they agreed on 100%.
“This is the last one, right?” Dean asked, to which Castiel nodded.
“Yeah, it is. You ready?” Castiel took a deep breath and read out the final question. “Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.”
“Oh. Okay. I can do that. You seem really good at advice. Plus, my problem is sort of something you have experience in: how can I tell my brother that I’m bi? You might have been forced out to your family, but you still have more experience being out than me. How would you have wanted to come out?” Dean asked.
“Yes, I was forced out to my step-mother, but my dad knew far before I told him. My guess is that you are far less straight-passing than you think. I mean, my dad told me I was very obvious when I was making eyes at the pilots of planes rather than the flight attendants when we traveled. Your brother honestly might know about you already. I know that sounds scary, but being yourself is such a relief. Not having to worry about constantly outing yourself is a huge sigh of relief and you can actually talk about the details of your life. You don’t have to keep things secret anymore.” Castiel’s suggestions spilled out of him, already moving to the next ideas by the time Dean absorbed the last. “Plus I think that a great way to come out would be to find someone to date. I mean, you’re drop dead gorgeous and funny and kind and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, so it’s gotta be easy.” Why wasn’t Castiel stopping? Both Dean and Castiel himself wondered that. “I mean I’d definitely date you. I’ve been thinking about it since you started being honest with me and I thinkwewouldbeareallycutecouple.” The last phrase rushed out of Castiel like air out of a tire, and only after it was out did he truly realized what he had just said.
Dean blinked at Castiel, the brunet’s mouth gaped open at his own admissions and how freely they had poured from his mouth.
“Cas?”
“What I think I was trying to say… was that you should find someone to date. If you are already happy with someone, it is easier for your family to see that you are happy as you are.” Castiel said much slower this time. “And while I didn’t intend on saying I would date you, it was not a lie. You are one of the most interesting people I have ever met, and I would absolutely love to go on a date with you.” Castiel finally got out.
Dean was quiet. No, he wasn’t just quiet, he was thinking.
Castiel couldn’t read the expression on his face, he just knew that Dean was thinking.
“I… have never been in a real relationship with a guy. I’ve fooled around a little bit, and I’ve had a fling here or there. I’ve never actually taken a guy out on a date with the intention of becoming boyfriends.” Dean shared. “But… I think the same thing about you. You are so much different than anyone I’ve ever met. I would really love to keep getting to know you, and to keep seeing you. Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.” Dean’s face broke into that same grin that he had before, that grin that could have put the sun to shame.
It made Castiel give his own crinkle eyed, toothy grin.
“Yeah? What about now? I mean, I’m not doing anything after this. We can go on a lunch date?” Castiel suggested quickly, to which Dean nodded, standing up.
“Let’s go now. I don’t give a shit about whatever other question is on that paper.” Dean said, and Castiel stood as well.
Dean hesitated for a brief moment before offering Castiel his hand. Castiel gladly took it and they walked to the door and opened it, a researcher or two telling them they still had to finish. Dean had already put his shirt on and was walking out, Castiel apologizing but laughing the entire time.
“Well, I guess those questions do have some power. What is it about them that makes people fall in love? I haven’t seen any other pairs that were affected so greatly.”
“The questions? Oh, yeah. No, those are just things for people to get to know each other. They were the control group. At least, they were supposed to be. The group with the real questions is tomorrow."