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Castiel Novak and his family moved into the neighborhood when he was only twelve years old.
They’re a city family; tired of the fast-paced life they lived in New York City and looking to settle in a calm environment. They ventured out west, hoping to settle in Colorado but picked Kansas instead. Mr. and Mrs. Novak still aren’t sure why. But they found a small and quiet neighborhood that had small kids running around and thought it was perfect.
On Castiel’s first day of seventh grade in this new school, he was nervous. He knew that he was different from all the other kids and, even at his school back in New York, he didn’t fit in. Luckily, a little pudgy kid named Gadreel didn’t seem to mind how different Castiel was and they became instant friends. They always played together and sat with each other during lunch. Castiel even made a few more friends through Gadreel and suddenly, he didn’t feel so left out anymore.
But here, in Lawrence, leaving Gadreel and the rest of his friends behind, he finds himself feeling alone again.
He holds onto his backpack straps as he walks to his first class, staying small and out of the way of the much larger eighth graders when someone shoves him from behind, hard.
Castiel hits the hallway floor on his knees and his glasses fall off his face from the force of it. He hears giggling and laughing from behind him, but he doesn’t want to look back. It’s a crowded hallway and kids are walking around everywhere, not really minding that he was there on the ground.
He hears a loud yell coming from somewhere in front of him, “Back off, Alistair!”
His bullies from behind laugh even more and taunt until a teacher comes out, telling the boys to get to class.
Castiel’s bullies retreat with laughter and then finally, a warm hand is on his shoulder, helping him stand. He looks up, confused, at who is helping him and he’s greeted with a warm smile and freckles. Dang.
“I need my glasses,” Castiel finally speaks out.
“Oh, here,” the boy looks down at his hand and hands Castiel his glasses, “I saved them right before someone smushed them,” he smiles again.
“Thank you,” he smiles softly as he puts them on his face.
“I’m Dean,” the boy says.
“I’m Castiel,” he answers.
“We should get to class but, I’ll see you around, Cas,” he smiles and runs down the now-empty hallway.
Dean was always there whenever Alistair and his friends were picking on Cas. Dean would always walk up to Cas with a smile and pull him away just to walk with him down the hallway like nothing even happened.
“Sometimes you gotta just walk away from idiots like that and stand up for yourself,” he would simply say.
The rest of the year goes by without much interaction with Dean. Every now and then he will see him in the hallway and Dean will smile and wave. But not much else.
The beginning of eighth grade rolls around and Cas doesn’t feel so alone anymore. He made a couple friends last year, including Dean, but much like last year, they don’t speak much.
As if on queue, Alistair and his friends gang up on Cas as he’s digging through his locker.
“Whatcha got for me today, Novak?” Alistair peers into his locker, “Ohh. Cool. I needed a notebook.” He pulls out a notebook and Castiel’s eyes widen, that’s not just any notebook. It’s his journal and he would be dammed if he let Alistair take it away. Considering all the things he’s written in it over the last year, it would be best if he didn't.
“Give it back, Alistair,” Cas says, reaching for the notebook
“No way,” he giggles as he begins flipping through it.
Cas reaches out once more but it’s pulled away and then Alistair starts laughing, “Oh my god, Novak, this is so great. Thank you so much for this wonderful present. I’ll take good care of it, I promise,” he smiles and walks away, laughing, notebook in hand. “Oh, and I’ll make sure to say hi to Dean for you,” he yells through the hallway and his friends and a few other kids around him laugh.
Dean’s advice from last year echoes through his head and he thinks that it’s now or never. He walks up to Alistair and shoves him down. The kids around them gasping and laughing as he hits the pavement. His notebook goes flying and he scurries over to it and picks it up before Alistair can get to it.
“I would suggest that you leave me alone now,” he says and then walks away before any more damage is dealt.
“Cas!” He hears a few hours later while sitting at lunch.
He looks up and sees Dean walking towards him.
“Hello, Dean.”
Dean sits down with him, smiling, “Is what I’m hearing true?”
“That...depends...” Cas thinks that there could be a couple rumors about him going around now. One being that he stood up to Alistair and he would be okay if that was the one Dean was referring to. The other, well, it’s a lot more embarrassing. Alistair saw was Cas had written in his notebook about Dean and, no doubt, has spread the word.
“You pushed down Alistair?”
“Yes, I did,” he smiles softly, relieved.
“That’s awesome, man. I’m proud of you,” he pats him on the shoulder.
Cas smiles and they sit for the rest of lunch together, talking about anything and everything.
At the beginning of high school, Cas wasn’t alone. He had Dean standing beside him as they try and navigate the much larger and more confusing hallways. They’re late to their first class because they were in the wrong building entirely and they giggle as they run towards the correct one.
They become inseparable after this. Everyone knew the two freshman that did literally everything together. They had all but one class together (Cas was taking art as an elective and Dean was in auto shop). There was even a point during that class where they would text each other and see if the other was willing to leave the class and “go to the bathroom”. Obviously, they spent their bathroom break walking around campus, talking.
As high school went on, Cas’ feelings for Dean only got stronger. Yes, Dean is his best friend and he loves him. But he’s also very much in love with him.
Mid-way through their junior year, Dean would always talk to Cas about how much he liked this girl, Lisa. It’s all Dean would talk about and Cas would just smile and give the best advice he could. He would give the normal “you should ask her out” or “I think she likes you, Dean” kind of advice that a normal best friend, who wasn’t head over heels in love, would give.
So, Cas isn’t surprised when Dean asks Lisa to their junior prom and she says yes. He is surprised by how much it hurts him even though he was expecting this to happen.
Dean tries to get Cas a date as well but Cas just tells him to go on and have fun and that they’ll hang out the next day.
Throughout the night while Dean was with Lisa at prom, it made Cas happy to see that Dean was texting him. He would send little things like, “Wish you were here, Cas.” and “Dude, that one song you really like is playing.”, and his favorite text was a selfie of Dean frowning at the camera saying, “I wish my best friend was here.”
Dean and Lisa began dating after that and once summer rolled around, Dean wasn't around as much as he used to be. Cas understands, sure. Dean’s got a girlfriend now and he wants to spend more time with her. It’s as easy as that.
Cas finds himself a summer job mowing people’s lawns to keep himself busy.
Dean and Lisa stay together throughout their senior year, too.
Cas sees less and less of Dean and it shouldn’t bother him as much as it does. He’s very happy to see his best friend happy. He just wishes that he could be the reason that Dean is happy like that, is all.
When Dean found out that Lisa was accepted into KSU, he applied as well, hoping to get in.
“You should apply, too. Think of how awesome it would be if we all got in,” Dean smiles at him.
“It would be fun,” Cas halfheartedly says.
As fate would have it, they all three get into KSU and Dean couldn't be more happy.
Dean and Cas decide to be roommates and everything was good. Lisa is always over and hanging out with Dean on their couch watching movies, playing video games, or cooking dinners. Cas likes Lisa and knows that she is the perfect girl for Dean.
Everything was good until it wasn’t.
One night, he bursts into Cas’ room, flopping down on his bed, groaning into the pillow.
Cas smiles at the pathetic site that is his friend, “What’s wrong, Dean?”
Dean sits up in the bed, “Lisa, umm, broke up with me today.”
Cas’ eyes widen, “Seriously? What happened?” Cas moves to sit next to Dean on the bed.
“She, umm, said that I wasn’t as into her as I thought I was. Which, I thought was a really shitty excuse to end it with someone but then I thought about it and...I mean, I guess she was right. I like the idea of her because she was someone I thought was hot in high school and then I asked her to prom and then we ended up staying together. It was easy, I guess,” Dean lies back on the bed.
Cas doesn’t know how to respond. He knows that Dean doesn’t expect him to, so he just listens and waits if Dean is willing to say more.
“She is such a great girl and I love her but I guess I was never in love with her,” he scoffs, “Such a cliché thing to say, I know,” he laughs softly.
“Yeah, it is but, I think it’s valid,” Cas says softly.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, Cas. I appreciate it,” he sits up and smiles at him.
“Of course, Dean. Do you want me to order a pizza and watch a movie?”
Dean smiles even bigger, “And that’s why you’re my best friend.”
Dean is still a little mopey after his break up with Lisa and he still talks with Cas about it every now and then. The biggest issue for Dean is having to adjust to a life without Lisa. He would always be with her, doing whatever she wanted, and he was okay with that.
But now, he has a lot of free time and, of course, he spends it all with Cas.
Things are good again.
The next couple years go by and Dean and Cas move out of the dorms and into their own apartment.
Benny and Charlie bring the beer over to celebrate the end of finals week and things are great. They’re all a little buzzed and Dean and Charlie settle in to play Mario Kart. There’s a lot of yelling coming from them as they each battle for 1st place. Cas and Benny both are content with sitting back and watching them battle it out.
After Charlies comes out victorious over Dean in Mario Kart, they all settle in and watch a movie.
Charlie claims the recliner and Benny lays out on the big couch, leaving only the smaller couch for Dean and Cas.
Cas retreats to his room and changes into his flannel pants and a t-shirt. When he comes back out, Dean smiles at him.
“What?” Cas asks, amused.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” he giggles and flops onto the couch, “’s cool. You look good in it.” He pats the seat next to him, “Come sit with me, best friend who looks good in my shirt,” he grins again.
Cas laughs, “And you’re drunk.” He moves and sits next to Dean.
Dean shakes his head, smiling, “Not really. I’m just...feeling good right now and thought I should tell you.”
“Well, thank you,” he blushes and starts the movie.
Dean ends up asleep and resting his head on Cas’ shoulder and when the movie ends, Charlie and Benny see themselves out.
The sound of their front door closing wakes Dean up. He sits up with a groan, “Sorry, Cas.”
“It’s okay, Dean. I don’t mind,” he says softly. “It’s late, we should go to sleep.”
When he moves to stand up, Dean grabs his wrist and pulls him back down on the couch, “Just...wait.”
Cas looks at him, confused, but listens.
“I’ve been thinking. A lot, actually.”
“That’s a first,” Cas jokes and Dean shoves him playfully.
“I’m trying to be serious here, Cas,” he smiles softly. He moves his hand and hesitantly rests it on Cas’ thigh. “I just want to say that I love having you as my best friend. You...you’re so amazing and dorky and smart and I just...I finally figured it out.”
“Figured what out?” Cas asks softly.
Dean responds by leaning in and kissing him.
Cas’ eyes widen then flutter closed and he leans into the kiss, resting a hand on Dean’s thigh. He opens his mouth and lets Dean in, moaning when their tongues meet and he moves in to deepen the kiss. They continue kissing for a few minutes until Dean pulls away, smiling.
“I finally figured out that it’s been you this whole time. It’s always been you. It’s why I couldn't give everything to Lisa. Because it kept me tied to you and that I’ve realized that you’re all that I’ve ever wanted.”
Cas looks down at Dean’s hand on his thigh and takes it into his own with a smile, “I have loved you since the first day of seventh grade, when you picked me up off the floor and saved my glasses from being stepped on.”
“Really? Damn, Cas, I’m sorry. I didn’t-I wish I-”
Cas leans in and kisses him, “Please don’t. How were you supposed to know? I never told you because I didn’t want to lose you. I wasn’t sure how you would react.”
Dean runs a hand through Cas’ hair and pulls him in for another kiss, “I love you, too.”