Chapter Text
Unlike the previous year, Sam and Cas ate alone at lunch. Dean’s friends had either graduated or drifted away without him, but that suited the boys just fine. They’d always been loners, and it meant they could talk a little more freely about their summer vacation and future plans.
One Wednesday, as Sam returned from throwing out their trash, he suddenly remembered. “Hey, after practice, I’m going home with Jess, we’ve got a history project we’re partners on. Shouldn’t be home much later than 8:30, if something comes up I’ll call. Can you let Dean know?”
“Fine,” Cas said, a little disgruntled. “Will you be eating with her?”
“Yeah, her mom’s making some casserole or other. Thanks, Cas.” Sam leaned over and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek, ignoring the stares from some of the others in the area.
Cas picked up his bag. “If you’re going with Jess, then I’m gonna go home right after school. That way I can get some serious work done on Anna’s painting.”
Cas had insisted on coming to watch Sam’s soccer practice since school started. He got his homework done, or sketched, while he sat in the stands. So Sam felt a little stung by this – and then guilty about feeling stung by Cas doing what Sam had said he should for the past two weeks. “Sounds good to me,” he forced himself to say with a smile. The bell rang, and Cas took off without a word.
Dean looked up at the sound of the door closing. “Cas? What are you doing home?”
“I live here. This is where I go after school.” Cas tossed his bag into a corner and stormed upstairs. He returned after a couple minutes. “Sam’s going to work on a history project and will be eating dinner at his partner’s house. He said he’d call if it’s going to be later than 8:30.”
Most people would have left it there. Most people weren’t Dean. “You okay, Cas?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” Cas said.
Obviously, Cas was not okay. Dean started with his first clue. “Well, for one, you’re not at soccer practice.”
Cas rolled his eyes. “Sam’s been telling me not to go for two weeks. Now I’m getting interrogated because I listened to him? If I’m just going to walk home alone anyway, I don’t see the point in sitting in the wind and sun when I can be here.”
“Whoa. Okay, Cas, what’s really going on here?” If Cas was fine, then Dean was Elvis. And there was no way Dean could pull off a rhinestoned jumpsuit. Cas tried to leave, but Dean caught his arm. “Come on, Cas. Talk to me.”
Cas stopped and let out a sigh of frustration. “What are we doing Friday night?”
“Well, I figured I’d call Starla while you and Sam celebrate your birthday, and then I’m taking you out to lunch on Saturday after Sam’s match,” Dean said. It seemed pretty obvious. “Why, has Sam not told you anything about what he’s planning?”
“Sam hasn’t said a word about Friday, even to talk about our standing Friday night date,” Cas said.
Dean was starting to get a sense of what was happening. “Are you worried he’s forgotten?”
“He’s Sam,” Cas snapped. “When has he ever forgotten anything that was important to him?”
This was even worse than Dean had thought. “Cas. C’mere.” He led Cas to the living room and shoved him into a seat on the couch before sitting beside him. “Cas, you’re important to Sam.”
“Of course you say that,” Cas said.
“Because it’s true,” Dean said. Then it hit him what Cas meant. “Cas… yeah, until recently, Sam was my top priority, even over you. But it’s not like that anymore. You’re my brother as long as you wanna be my brother. You and Sam break up, I’m not gonna automatically take his side. I can ship him to Dad. Only reason I’m more likely to go with him is that I trust Gabriel with you a lot more than I trust Dad with Sammy. Even so, unless you pull some flagrant foul like you start beating on him or he catches you in bed with some guy…” Dean cut off at the look on Cas’s face. “Oh, is that what this is all about?”
“I am not cheating on Sam!” Cas protested, eyes going wide.
“No shit,” Dean said. He’d know. “Pretty sure he’s not cheating on you either, but sometimes I want to smack him when he starts going on about Jess. That’s his history partner, right?” Cas nodded. “I was just as bad about you those first couple weeks. He’s not gonna dump you for her, I promise. If it’s bugging you this much, you should talk to him.”
“And come off as a jealous, controlling boyfriend? No thanks,” Cas said, and Dean was glad to hear that even if that wasn’t what he was saying. “I know perfectly well that Sam’s not doing anything wrong and that he’s allowed to have friends.”
“Yeah, he is, but this isn’t about him having friends, even one he’s getting pretty close to,” Dean said. “There’s a huge difference between telling Sam you’re worried that he’s taking you for granted and that you could use some reassurance, and being jealous and controlling. You two are normally so good about talking things out before they blow up, and that’s all I’m saying you should do.”
Cas hesitated, but finally deflated and sagged back against the couch. “Fine. I’ll talk to him when he gets home. You really don’t think I’m being unreasonable?”
“To tell Sam that you’re bothered and could use some reassurance that he knows how goddamn lucky he is? Hell no. Skipping soccer practice because he went to Jess’s to do homework? That’s a little…” Dean chuckled and shook his head.
“I really do want to get some painting done,” Cas said, but he smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, Dean. You’re a good brother.”
“Correction,” Dean said with his best cocky grin. “I am an awesome brother.”