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Staring out the car window, Cas’ thoughts drifted away as he watched the loose leaves of early summer fly past; the sleek black Chevy Impala raced down the calm residential streets like an unstoppable force as some hairband rocked over the radio.
At the sound of Dean’s voice booming from the driver’s seat beside him, Cas couldn’t help but jump. He wasn’t sure how long Dean had been talking, trying to get his attention, but judging from his tone and heavily furrowed brow, Dean was clearly annoyed. “Dude, I’ve been talking to you for the last five minutes.” He paused for a moment, as though to let the guilt sink in. “What’s the last thing you heard?”
Dean wasn’t trying to hide his irritation, but even if he did try, it wouldn’t have mattered; he and Cas had been together long enough that Cas could pick up on the telltale signs of Dean’s frustration, no matter how subtle they may have seemed to anyone else.
“Sorry, Dean.” Cas watched as Dean shot him quick glances while trying to keep his attention on the road until Cas eventually allowed his gaze to drift back out the passenger window. He was met with the reflection of his own blue eyes staring back at him as the houses and trees rushed past in a blur. The silence between them was deafening, but what more did he need to say?
“Dude, where’s your head?” Although Cas continued to stare out the window, he could hear that Dean’s tone had changed and he imagined the furrowed brow relaxing.
They had driven another few blocks as Cas tried to figure out what he wanted to say. It wasn’t until he felt the car slow and finally stop that he turned his gaze back toward the driver’s seat.
Turning off the car, Dean removed the keys from the ignition and dropped them into the pocket of his worn leather jacket before turning on the bench seat to give Cas his full attention; Cas felt a wave of appreciation wash over him at such a small gesture.
Taking a slow breath through his nose, holding it in his lungs for a few calculated seconds, Cas exhaled and began to put his thoughts to words. “I’m worried,” he began as he repositioned himself to face Dean, “that this is just going to be one big mistake.” Dropping his eyes to the steering wheel gripped tightly in Dean’s hands, Cas began to worry his bottom lip between his teeth. It was a nervous habit of his, something that he’d started doing when he was a highly anxious little kid, but he had stopped doing it after he and Dean finally got together. Well, stopped doing more or less.
Dean’s voice was sympathetic and soft in his reply. “What do you mean ‘one big mistake’?”
Cas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the foolishness of Dean’s question. “Dean, the whole meet-the-parents thing is absolutely terrifying and it’s making me feel all kinds of queasy.” Cas was whining, his voice that of a petulant child, and he was unashamed to admit that. “I’ve never brought anybody home to meet my parents before, and I sure as heck haven’t been brought to meet any, either! What if your parents don’t like me?”
Dean and Cas had begun dating during their freshman year of college, shortly after moving into the dorm that they shared. Being roommates, they were well aware of all the possible risks that went with dating and what it would mean if they ended on less-than-favorable terms, but their connection was unquestionable. And yeah, part of that connection was the undeniable physical attraction between them. Even before they got together, Cas would stare endearingly at Dean with his chiseled jaw, emerald eyes, and aura of confidence as though he hung the moon, no matter how much their friends teased him for it; and between Cas’ unkempt hair, infectious smile, and the thick black glasses that framed his own sparkling blue eyes, the ever-suave Dean Winchester was left weak in the knees at the mere mention of his roommate. But even more than the physical attraction, the two seemed to achieve some level of balance and harmony that was unparalleled. Beyond the few interests that they shared or the silly jokes that no one else knew or understood, the level of ease and calm with which they existed together was truly remarkable, and in the end, it didn’t take long for them to agree that it was simply a risk they were willing to take.
And that risk paid off.
Many of their friends around campus could attest that Cas and Dean just went well together. They worked. The two shared a language all their own, a language most often spoken through shifting eyebrows, head tilts, and overexaggerated winks. In fact, they would have lunches together in the caf, just the two of them, where neither uttered a word, and yet they exuded nothing but love and happiness.
But as much as the two just seemed to fit together, they were also very, very, very different. Cas was an introvert who enjoyed watching people and nature (fuck, Dean would even argue that Cas would love to watch paint dry, but Cas’d probably say that was going too far), but Dean was much more of a people kinda person. He loved being surrounded by noise and chaos, whether that meant playing video games or a hand of cards (he was even known to play D&D, but he liked trying to deny that despite the photographic evidence to the contrary), enjoying a night out somewhere on campus, or sitting in the bleachers at a baseball game. Dean loved being part of things, and although Cas was always happy to attend (never once forced or coerced to do so), it was clear that he was there for Dean and Dean alone.
So there they were, outwardly affectionate and social butterfly Dean Winchester, and quiet, contemplative Castiel Novak, driving in the Impala and going home together after three joyous years of dating, finally ready and able to introduce the boyfriend to the parents.
As Cas and Dean sat side-by-side pulled over on the side of the road, Dean started to giggle, and Cas’ already pink cheeks began to burn as he slouched further down in his seat.
“No, no, Cas!” Dean laughed as he tugged on his boyfriend’s shirt sleeve. “Come on, babe. Sit up.” If his pleas were not intermingled with barely-stifled giggles, Cas would have felt more reassured, but instead, he slouched down even more, adding to the already existing feeling of petulance.
“You’re the worst,” he mumbled to his chest, bringing about a further storm of laughter from the driver’s side.
“You know I’m not. Now, sit up and let’s talk about this.”
Although it took him a couple moments to drop his sulk and dig himself out of the foot space that he had wedged himself into, Cas righted himself back on the seat and turned to stare at Dean who fought back smiles in a (poor) attempt at seriousness.
“This isn’t funny, Dean. I worry that I’m not going to meet their standards. I don’t know if you know this, but even on the phone, your mother and father are fairly intimidating.”
Dean scoffed in agreement, but before he responded further, he looked at Cas thoughtfully for a moment. “What do you think my brother thinks of you?”
With that, Cas sat up a little straighter. Sam Winchester had made several trips to visit his older brother at school over the years, giving him and Cas an opportunity to get to know one another more, and the three had even spent a few long weekends away on roadtrips. “I feel confident in saying that your brother likes me.”
“Oh, that’s an understatement. He absolutely fucking loves you, Cas. Dude, whenever I come home, all he does is talk about how cool and funny you are, and how much you’ve helped him understand all his physics stuff.” Cas smiled to himself at that. As a high school junior that previous year, Sam had taken an advanced physics class, but found it a bit confusing and overwhelming, so he and Cas had weekly scheduled video calls where they’d go over Sam’s material. In doing so, Sam had an opportunity to verbalize the things that he was struggling with, and Cas would help him walk through the steps until it all made sense.
“So, if you’ve already got Sam loving you, and—this may be a surprise, I know—but you already have me loving you—” Cas rolled his eyes as Dean smiled and lightly squeezed his boyfriend’s elbow “—then I have no clue why you think my parents wouldn’t think you’re anything less than the amazing boyfriend that you are.”
Cas didn’t like being the center of conversations and on the receiving end of praise, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t feeling a little bit better due to Dean’s kind words.
“Besides,” Dean began again as the outright giggles started once more. The soft, reassured expression on Cas’ face hardened instantly back to that of the petulant, pouting child. “You and I practically lived at each other’s houses when we were little. For fuck’s sake, our parents are two blocks away from each other! My mom and dad used to call you their third kid when we were growing up!” Dean was practically yelling as jovial tears streamed down his cheeks and he smacked his fist against the steering wheel.
“We weren’t dating then, Dean !” Cas yelled in reply, his cheeks burning as red as ever before. “This is the first time I’m seeing them as their son’s boyfriend!”
Cas knew that he was making strong, logical sense, so Dean’s increased roar of laughter brought him scrunching back down into the foot space on the passenger side of the Impala.
Boyfriends. They think they’re so funny.