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“You really shouldn’t be doing this,” Scylla said. The dæmon was in the form of a house cat, black with dark brown eyes, and she was walking along the wall behind Dean.
The wall was several feet off the ground, tall enough that to seven year old Dean it was more than a little daunting, but Dean was brave. He was a big boy, like his dad said, and he was a protector of the household.
He’d scaled a tree to get up here, hauling himself up branch after branch until he could walk along a high one and get to the top of the wall surrounding the park. Below him, he could see people walking along, chatting to each other or to their dæmons. The sun in the sky was blinding, beating down on the Earth and scaring all the clouds away.
“You’re doing it too,” Dean reminded her, sticking his tongue out in concentration. His arms were spread wide either side of him and he was only wobbling a little as he walked, one foot firmly in front of the other.
“I’m a cat. I have nine lives.”
“You’re a dæmon and no you don’t.”
Scylla glanced down and quickly looked back up again, feeling a little dizzy.
“I can transform into a bird if I fall,” she said. “You can’t. You should get down, Dean.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Dean asked. “Dad would be upset with you.”
Scylla groaned. “Mom’s going to kill us for this.”
“Only if she finds out,” Dean said, “which she won’t because you’re not going to tell her.”
Scylla whined quietly. She jumped off the wall, shifting into a jackdaw and swooping ahead of Dean, landing in front of him.
“Get down,” she said.
“No,” Dean replied. “Get out of the way, Scylla.”
Scylla shook her head, eyes glinting. “Dean, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I’ll kick you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Dean glared at her and she glared right back. He kicked at her and she jumped out of the way into the air, landing on his shoulder.
“Poophead,” she muttered.
Dean grinned but the kick had left him more than a little off balance and, before he could open his mouth to say something, he came tumbling off the wall, landing with a thud on the grass.
“Ow!” he yelled.
“I told you!” Scylla said, transforming into a pine marten and nosing at his twisted leg. “I think it’s broken.”
Dean winced as she touched it, batting her away with the hand that wasn’t throbbing.
“I think I did something to my wrist too,” he said. “And the rest of me is itchy.”
“You landed in a pile of nettles.”
Dean startled, whirling around. In front of him stood a boy, about Dean’s age with a bright yellow jumper and red jeans and his shoelaces untied. His hair was the darkest black, curling at the ends, and his eyes were the brightest blue Dean had ever seen. His dæmon was a mantis on his shoulder, watching Dean intently.
“Who are you?” Scylla asked.
“Castiel and this is Aletheia,” the boy said. “Why were you on that wall?”
“I thought it would be fun,” Dean said, frowning. “Why were you watching me?”
“I wasn’t. I was watching the birds. Did you know that there are over nine hundred species of birds in North America?”
Dean got to his feet. His hands were already starting to become red and blotchy and he couldn’t stand on his left leg.
“I need you to go find my mom,” he said, choosing to ignore the bird fact. “She’s on one of the benches. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and a butterfly dæmon.”
Castiel nodded. “Okay.”
“He’s weird,” Scylla commented as they watched him walk away.
“Yeah,” Dean said. “He’s got pretty eyes.”
Scylla snorted. “You’re weird.”
Castiel came back a minute later with Mary and Achaikos in tow. Mary’s eyes widened when she saw her son.
“Oh, Dean,” she said, “what on Earth were you thinking?”
“I was having fun,” Dean said, “but I think I broke my leg.”
“We need to get you to the hospital,” Mary said, turning to Castiel. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“Of course,” Castiel said. “I hope you get better, Dean.”
He turned and left.
“He seems nice,” Mary said.
“He’s weird,” Dean said. Mary looked like she was going to scold him but Dean tried to put weight on his leg and felt a sharp burst of pain and it was forgotten.
Castiel was odd but at least Dean would never see him again.
–
“Sammy, give it back!” Dean complained, trying to grab the TV remote off his brother. Scylla was a rottweiler, snapping at Polyxena, who’d assumed the form of a small leopard, hissing and batting at the air between them.
“Mine!” Sam said. Dean hated this phase. His brother was newly four years old and, being twice his age, Dean was told by his father to just put up with him constantly taking things and running off with them.
“I want to watch cartoons!” Dean complained. “Mom!”
“Mom’s not home,” John said, entering the room. “She’s visiting the new neighbours. What’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” Sam said quickly, hiding the remote behind his back.
“He stole the remote!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Samuel,” John said sternly. Sam stomped his foot.
“You’re stupid!” he yelled at Dean, throwing the remote across the room and storming off to his bedroom with Polyxena shifting into a bird and flying after him.
John sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him to indicate that Dean should sit there. Dean did.
“We’ve talked about this, Dean,” John began.
“It’s not fair!” Dean snapped, folding his arms.
John’s Ophira spoke up, her large rhodesian ridgeback form towering over Scylla’s small rottweiler.
“I know it’s not fair,” she said, “but he’s learning. We’ll talk to him. In the meantime, why don’t you go help your mother welcome the new neighbours?”
“Fine,” Dean said.
“Good boy,” John said, ruffling Dean’s hair.
Scylla and Dean left the house, running along the street over to the recently sold house on the right. The sign stood proudly in the garden with the name of some random company scrawled across it. The garden itself was beautiful with flowers of every colour and hedges reaching high up to the sky.
Dean knocked on the light blue front door using the lion door knocker, marvelling at the carving of the teeth, which glinted gold in the sunlight.
The door was opened by a friendly looking man, scruffy and wearing his pyjamas. Dean thought he looked silly but he also envied the man for not having to get dressed. A ring-tailed lemur dæmon stood by his side, looking equally unkempt.
“Oh dear,” the man said, “who are you?”
“Dean Winchester, sir” Dean said, holding out a hand like his dad had taught him. “And this is Scylla.”
“Ah, you must be Mary’s son,” the man said, shaking Dean’s hand. “Come inside. Your mother’s in the kitchen.”
Dean went through the house, stepping carefully around the towers of cardboard boxes, all labeled with scribbles. When he entered the kitchen, he found his mother sitting among the boxes sipping a cup of tea with an unopened box of chocolates in front of her that she must have hastily bought when she heard the neighbours were moving in today.
“Dean,” Mary said. “What are you doing here?”
“Dad said to come. He’s telling Sammy off.”
Mary sighed.
“Siblings,” she said, looking at the man as if to say ‘what can you do’. “Dean, this is Chuck. He and his kids live here.”
“Kids?” Dean asked, looking around. He was always happy to meet potential playmates.
“You won’t meet most of them,” Chuck said. “Michael and Lucifer are at college, Gabriel’s out with his friends and Anna’s a bit young for you. Castiel’s here though. Castiel!”
Castiel? Dean thought. He’d only heard that name once before. Oh no.
Sure enough, a boy walked down the stairs and into the room, his dæmon bounding after him in the form of a cockapoo. Castiel had shot up an inch since Dean had last seen him, although he was still shorter than Dean. He tilted his head and frowned when he saw Dean.
“I know you from somewhere,” he said.
“I’m Dean,” Dean said.
Aletheia nudged Castiel and he leaned down to listen to her whisper something in his ear.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, straightening. “Humpty Dumpty!”
“Humpty Dumpty?” Dean asked.
“You fell off a wall,” Castiel explained as if it was the most innocent thing in the world.
Dean folded his arms. “I walked on it first.”
He glared at his mother, who was chuckling.
“It’s nice to see you again, Castiel,” Mary said.
“Did your leg heal well?” Castiel asked, ignoring Mary. His gaze was scrutanising. Dean shifted under its weight.
“Yeah,” he said. “And my wrist.”
“Good,” Castiel said.
“Sorry about him,” Chuck said. “He’s got a fixation on healing at the moment. And bees.”
“Bees?” Dean repeated.
Castiel lit up. “I have some outside! I can show you!”
Dean looked at Mary. She nodded encouragingly. Achaikos fluttered from her hair down to her finger as she spoke.
“Go ahead, Dean.”
Scylla started following Castiel out of the house so Dean did too. The garden in the yard was the same size as Dean’s but it looked smaller as it was filled with trinkets.
There were statues and flowers and bushes and a large pond and, in the centre of it all, was a wooden beehive.
“There’s only a few bees in it right now,” Castiel said as Aletheia transformed into a bee herself and flew over to land on the hive, “but I want to have lots and lots.”
Dean wrinkled his nose. “But bees are scary.”
Castiel shook his head, smiling. “Of course they’re not. They won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt them. Did you know only female bees have stingers?”
When Dean didn’t say anything, Scylla spoke up. “We didn’t know that. What else do you know about bees?”
Castiel brightened even further, starting to rattle off bee facts quicker than Dean could listen.
Eventually, Mary came to tell them it was time for them to go home.
“I had fun with you,” Castiel said.
Dean refrained from saying ‘really’.
“That’s great,” Mary said. “Come over any time.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Winchester,” Castiel said. Aletheia flew over and perched on his shoulder, watching Dean even as Castiel looked at Mary.
Scylla and Dean walked quietly back to their house, trailing after Mary and Achaikos.
“What did you think of Castiel, honey?” Mary asked.
“He’s weird,” Dean said. “He talked about bees.”
Mary slapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“Dean,” she scolded. “That’s not nice. Castiel is just different.”
“Different how?” Scylla asked.
Mary bit her lip. “What do you know about autism?”
–
From then on, Dean made a point to get over his initial doubts and become friends with Castiel, or, as he started calling him, Cas. They became best friends quickly and Dean soon discovered that yes Cas was weird but there were far worse things in the world to be.
“What do you think Scylla will settle as?” Cas asked one day out of the blue. Dean didn’t mind. He was used to Cas asking random questions.
They were sitting on the roof outside Dean’s bedroom window in the twilight, their legs hanging over the side of the roof and their dæmons inside on Dean’s bed, curled together as cats.
“A dog,” Dean said decisively. “All the men in our family have dog dæmons. What about Aletheia?”
Castiel hummed. “I’d like her to settle as an insect. Something small so I can put her in my pocket and no one would even know she was there.”
Dean grinned. “You’re weird.”
“You love it,” Cas retorted and there, at fourteen years old, watching Cas just existing and being himself, Dean realised he did love it.
He realised he loved Castiel.
It hit him like a freight train.
“You need to go,” he blurted out. Cas frowned.
“Why?” he asked.
“I have homework I need to do,” Dean said, thinking up the lie on the spot, “and it needs to be done by tomorrow. Sorry, dude.”
“That’s okay,” Cas said, getting up and climbing back inside. “I get it. Good luck with your homework.”
“Thanks,” Dean said and he couldn’t help himself. Before Cas could leave the room, Dean pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of Castiel’s neck.
“What’s this for?” Cas asked as he hugged back.
“Just appreciate you,” Dean said, pulling back and clapping Cas on the shoulder. “Alright, I really need to get this homework done.”
They headed downstairs, Scylla and Aletheia hot on their heels. Dean said one last goodbye to Cas and Aletheia at the door and shut it with a sigh.
Mary appeared from around the corner, arms crossed and a weird look on her face, Achaikos perched on her shoulder.
“What’s up with Cas?” she asked. “I thought he was staying longer.”
“I have homework,” Dean said.
“No you don’t,” Mary replied. “What’s going on?”
Dean walked over to the sofa and flopped down onto it.
“Mom, I have a problem. I think I’m in love with Cas.”
“You know we’re in love with Cas,” Scylla corrected gently, taking the form of a golden retriever and letting Dean hug her tightly.
“Oh, Dean,” Mary said, sitting down beside him. “How long have you known?”
“You don’t sound very surprised,” Dean said accusingly.
“Honey, I’ve been waiting for this conversation for six years,” Mary said.
“Wow, tell me how you really feel.”
“It was a little obvious.”
“Well, why didn’t you tell me?” Dean demanded. “I didn’t realise I’d fallen for my best friend. It’s such a cliche. What am I going to do?”
Mary leaned over, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I think you should tell him.”
“Are you crazy?” Dean asked. “That’s, like, the one thing I know I shouldn’t do. I don’t want to ruin anything I have with him.”
“You won’t ruin anything,” Mary promised. “At worst, he doesn’t feel the same way but he still loves you as a friend. At best, you get a boyfriend.”
Dean glared at her suspiciously. “And you’re okay with me having a boyfriend?”
“Dean, I’ve had girlfriends before your dad. I’m okay with it.”
“Oh fuck, what’s Dad going to say? What’s Sammy going to think?”
“That’s a later problem,” Mary assured him. “I’ll handle your dad and Sam adores you. It’s going to be okay, Dean. You should say how you feel.”
Dean nodded. “Okay. Okay, I will.”
–
The long story short of it is that he didn’t. He meant to. There were so many times when he meant to but he kept chickening out. Two years later and nothing had happened.
Dean was pretty used to being in love with Cas by now. He’d gotten over the weirdness of it at first and he’d had his sexuality freakout. He’d yet to come out to Cas as bisexual but that was irrelevant. He was also yet to come out to his dad as bisexual, which was even more irrelevant.
“I’m gonna do it,” he announced to Scylla one day. She was lazing on his bed in her settled form: a german shepherd. She’d settled last year, a few months after his fifteen birthday. Dean had been so proud he was right about her being a dog and John was even prouder.
“You’re a man, son,” he’d said, slapping him on the back. “A proper Winchester man.”
“Do what?” Scylla asked, yanking Dean back from his reminiscing.
“Tell Cas,” Dean said.
“That you’re in love with him or that you’re bi?”
“Both, preferably. I’ll lead with the bi thing then segue into the whole love.”
“And you’re sure?” Scylla asked.
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Dean pouted.
“I am,” Scylla said. “I’m just… I’m worried, Dean. I don’t want to lose Cas and Aletheia. They’re everything.”
“I know,” he said, sitting beside her and resting a hand in her fur. “I know. It’s going to be okay. It’s Cas.”
He invited Cas round the following evening, spending most of the day nervous and picking at his fingernails.
Cas arrived early as he always did (either that or an hour late if he got distracted by bees or something). Dean hadn’t told anyone what he was going to do, not even his mom. He loved her but she’d been so impatient about the whole thing and he’d really rather not deal with the excitement beforehand if it turned out Cas wanted nothing to do with him ever again afterwards.
“Hello, Dean” Cas said, beaming. Aletheia had settled as a diamond python a month ago and she was wrapped around his neck like a scarf.
“Heya, Cas,” Dean said.
“Is that Cas?” he heard from upstairs.
The problem with this household was that everybody loved Cas. There wasn’t nearly enough Cas to go around, especially not if Dean had any say about it. So, when Sammy and Polyxena came bounding down the stairs, Dean shouldn’t have been surprised at the interruption.
“Hello, Sam,” Cas said. “I heard Polyxena settled last week.”
“Mhm,” Sam said. “I’m a man now.”
“You settled early,” Dean corrected him, eyeing Polyxena. “You’re not a man. You’re twelve. Besides, you didn’t even get a dog dæmon.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Cas said. “A cougar is a lovely dæmon. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Cas,” Sam said. “Are you and Dean going to hang out?”
“Yeah,” Dean said. “You can have him later.”
Sam frowned. “He’s not a piece of meat, Dean. But yes I’ll have him later. If you’re okay with that, Cas?”
“What’s going on?” Mary called from the kitchen. “You boys better not be dividing Castiel up again!”
“We’re not!” Dean and Sam chorused.
“Besides, he was mine first anyway,” Dean muttered, grabbing Castiel’s hand and dragging him up the stairs to his bedroom.
Cas just tossed his head back and laughed and all Dean could think about was how beautiful he looked.
“I’m glad your family likes me,” Cas said.
“You’re very likeable,” Scylla stated as Aletheia slithered down Castiel’s arm and onto the floor beside her. They bumped heads affectionately and Aletheia wrapped herself around Scylla’s body, resting her head atop Scylla’s.
“I don’t know about that,” Cas said.
“It’s true,” Dean said firmly. “I know because I’m right about everything.”
“Not everything.”
“Yes, everything!”
“The first time we met you fell off a wall. You weren’t right about that.”
“Scylla knew we’d fall off and she’s me and I’m her so there. I was technically right. My soul knew.”
Cas rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, hon.”
Somehow, over the years, Humpty Dumpty had gotten shortened to Humpty, which then got shortened to Hum, which then changed to hon. Dean wasn’t sure quite how it had happened but he didn’t complain because the result eight years later was that he, on rare occasions, got to have Cas call him a pet name.
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean said, trying to hide his flushed face. “Listen, Cas, we’ve got something to talk to you about.”
“Yes?” Cas asked. “What is it?”
Dean glanced over at Scylla, knowing she could read the fear in his eyes.
“The thing is…” he started. “I… Do you want to go to prom with me?”
He froze. That wasn’t at all what he meant to say. Well, it also wasn’t not what he meant to say. It was in the spirit of it.
Cas blinked at him. “You want to go to prom with… me. What about Lisa?”
“Lisa?” Dean asked.
“The pretty girl with the red panda dæmon,” Cas reminded him. “She has a crush on you. Do you really want to go with your friend?”
“I don’t like Lisa,” Dean said. “Well, I do, but not like that. I… I like… Benny.”
“Benny?” Cas repeated and, if it wasn’t Dean’s imagination, he seemed a little crestfallen.
“Yeah. I’m bi,” Dean said. Scylla shot him a look with the heat of a thousand suns. “Him and Arathusa are… they’re cute.”
He winced. It wasn’t technically false. Benny was kind of cute. He just didn’t hold a candle to Cas in Dean’s eyes.
“Oh,” Cas said. “You know I support you, Dean. You’re my best friend, no matter what.”
“Yeah,” Dean said, letting himself be pulled in for a hug. “No matter what.”
–
“So you want me to go to prom with you?” Benny asked, brow furrowed.
“As a friend,” Dean said, “but if anyone asks I have the biggest crush on you and… well, you don’t have to say you like me back but it would be great for my reputation if you did.”
“Dean, I’ve known you’re not straight but this seems like a step too far to prove it,” Benny said, leaning down and picking up Arathusa. The prairie dog dæmon settled in his arms, closing her eyes.
“It’s not about that,” Dean said. “It’s… It’s about Cas. I told him I have a crush on you.”
“But you don’t.”
“No. No offence but no.”
“So why lie?”
“Dude, if you’ve ever liked me platonically even a little bit will you please just go with this? I know it’s nuts.”
“Alright,” Benny said, “but you owe me an explanation afterwards.”
Dean nodded eagerly. “Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver.”
He and Scylla walked off to find Cas, who was chatting to Charlie and Aether, her otter dæmon.
“So, what did he say?” Cas asked.
“He said yes,” Dean said, trying to look relieved.
“That’s great!” Charlie said, punching his arm. “Proud of you, my gay padawan.”
Dean grinned. “Thanks.”
His mom was less thrilled.
“What about Cas?” she asked.
Dean shrugged. “What about Cas?”
Mary shot him a look. “Come on, Dean. Don’t bullshit me.”
“Mom!”
“Why not ask him?”
“I tried, okay? He thought I was asking as a friend and I couldn’t correct him. Besides, you’ll like Benny. He’s nice. I’ve thought about asking him out before.”
“Yes, but it’s not fair to the boy when you’re already in love.”
“He’s in love with someone else too! It works out great for the both of us.”
Mary sighed. “I will never understand you boys.”
Scylla laughed. “Me neither.”
–
The prom day was full of nerves. Dean dressed in his best suit (ie. his only suit) with a flower tucked into the pocket square. He wasn’t sure what kind of flower it was but it was yellow and Cas had given it to him, stating that he needed something to brighten up his otherwise dark outfit.
Dean cherished it.
“Looking sharp,” John said as Dean walked down the stairs.
“I wish I was going to prom,” Sam complained.
“Four more years, honey,” Mary said. There was a knock at the door. “Ah, that’ll be Castiel.”
Cas and Dean were going to the prom together, kind of, in that they were walking to their school together. Benny was going to meet Dean there and Cas was going with Meg and her magpie dæmon, Stamatis.
Dean was sure she would look beautiful. It made his heart pang.
When Dean saw Cas, his jaw dropped. He was wearing a light green suit with a blue handkerchief that perfectly matched his eyes. His hair was artfully messy, curls in all the right places, falling over his face so that he looked like a renaissance painting. Aletheia was wrapped around his arm, the lighter greens of her scales matching the colour of the outfit. Castiel was utterly handsome and drop dead gorgeous and Dean had a hard time not confessing his love right then and there.
“You clean up nice,” he choked out, laying a hand on Scylla’s head for balance.
“So do you,” Cas said and there was something hungry behind his eyes. He blinked and it was gone. “Let’s go.”
They arrived at the prom and Dean had a hard time peeling himself away from Castiel’s side to go and see Benny.
Benny looked good. His suit was light grey and his beard was carefully shaved. He was handsome. Arathusa sat by his side, watching Andrea, the girl he was in love with, dancing with another man.
Dean watched as Cas and Meg met up, Meg leaning up to kiss his cheek, their dæmons greeting with a polite fuss over each other.
“We’re a couple of lovesick fools,” Benny said.
Dean looked at him in shock.
“Don’t be so surprised that I figured it out,” Benny continued. “It was pretty obvious.”
Dean sighed. “Not to him.”
“No,” Benny agreed. “Want to dance, cher?”
Dean nodded. “Sure.”
Arathusa and Scylla stood to the side as they danced, mostly watching their beloveds. Dean wished Scylla wasn’t quite as obvious but Cas didn’t seem to have noticed. If anything, Aletheia was staring right back at Scylla and that made Dean’s heart skip a beat.
“When did you realise?” Benny asked him.
“Two years ago,” Dean said. “I was going to tell him.”
“But?”
“Still working up the courage. You?”
“First I saw her,” Benny replied, getting a far away look in his eyes. A slow song started playing and they came closer together, Dean looping his arms around Benny’s neck.
Dean hummed. “I always thought Cas was beautiful. I just didn’t realise what it meant until then. Andrea’s pretty hot.”
“She’s the most gorgeous person in the world,” Benny said and Dean disagreed with him there but didn’t say anything. Benny looked Dean in the eyes for a moment.
“What’s up?” Dean asked.
Benny didn’t respond. Instead he leaned down and kissed Dean. Objectively, it was a good kiss. Not too harsh, not too hesitant, not too dry, not too wet. Dean even kissed back for a few seconds but then he pulled away.
“We shouldn’t,” he said.
“They don’t want us,” Benny said. “Give me one reason why not.”
Dean almost gave in at that but he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Benny. I can’t.”
“Dean,” Scylla said, approaching them and jerking her head towards where Cas was leaving the room, leaving Meg sipping her drink and smiling at something.
“I have to go,” Dean said. “Thanks though.”
“You know where to find me if you change your mind,” Benny said and let him go.
Dean followed after Cas, his heart pounding. He turned the corner and saw Cas sitting on one of the outdoor benches. Prom raged on inside but the outside was calm and still. The stars were hanging in the sky, surrounding them like a baby’s mobile.
“Cas,” Dean said. “What are you doing out here?”
“Why would I be inside?” Cas replied.
“Uh, because Meg’s there?”
Cas shook his head. “I came with Meg as friends.”
“Oh,” Dean said, taking a seat beside his best friend. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why did you come with Benny?” Cas asked abruptly. He was looking at the sky, hands stroking along Aletheia’s back in the motion he made to soothe himself. Dean recognised it and wanted to hug him but he wasn’t sure if touch was okay at the moment so he didn’t.
“That’s a topic change and a half,” he said.
“Answer the question, Dean.”
Dean shrugged, looking to Scylla for help.
“We couldn’t go with the person we wanted to go with,” she said.
“I find that hard to believe,” Cas said. “I thought you had a crush on Benny anyway.”
Dean coughed. “Um, we lied.”
“Why?”
“You’re in one of those moods, huh?”
“Dean. Why did you come with Benny?”
Dean sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Because we couldn’t come with you, Cas, okay?”
Finally, Cas looked at him, a frown etched onto his face.
“It’s stupid,” Dean said, breaking their gaze. “I have… I have this thing for you, Cas. It eats me alive. I just… You’re difficult to get over is all.”
For a few painful seconds, there was silence.
“Then don’t,” Cas said.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t get over me.”
“Well, I’ve been doing a stellar job at that so far so–”
Dean was cut off by Cas cupping his face, an intent look on his face, searching for something. He must have found it because he kissed Dean.
Dean blinked when Castiel pulled away. Aletheia slithered off Castiel’s arm and down to encircle Scylla in a tight hug. Scylla nuzzled her back.
“I love you,” Cas said.
“What?” Dean muttered.
Cas tilted his head. “I said I love you.”
“No, I heard you. I’m just…” He shook his head. “I love you too, Cas. So much.”
Cas grinned. “Good.”
And they kissed again.
–
“It’ll be fine,” Cas promised, kissing Dean gently. “Your family loves me.”
“They love best friend you,” Dean said. “I don’t know how Dad and Sammy are going to take the news of boyfriend you.”
Cas grinned. “Am I your boyfriend?”
Dean shoved him. “Shut up. You know you are.”
“At least we know your mom supports you hopelessly pining after me,” Cas teased.
“Shut up!” Dean tackled Cas on Dean’s bed, pushing him into the pillows. They fought for a while and Cas ended up wriggling his way on top of Dean, staring down at him with those blue, blue eyes.
“I rather like being on top of you,” Cas mused.
Dean flushed furiously and pushed him away, sitting up.
“Dean?” Cas asked. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” Dean said. “Anxious.”
Cas rubbed his back soothingly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Boys?” Mary called. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Coming,” Cas called back, helping Dean to his feet. They walked down the stairs side by side, shoulders bumping and their dæmons following.
Mary had made lasagna. Dean sat down and started tucking in immediately.
“Slow down,” Cas said, smiling. “It’s not going to disappear.”
“It might,” Dean spoke with his mouth full. Sam pulled a face.
“Gross, Dean,” he said.
Dean opened his mouth wider.
“Dean!” Mary scolded. “What must Castiel think?”
“He loves me,” Dean said, going white when he realised what he’d said. Luckily, or unluckily, no one seemed to have picked up on the sincerity of his words.
“I don’t,” Sam muttered. “Not when you do that.”
“That’s not true,” John said. “You love your brother.”
“Speaking of love,” Dean said and, oh God, this was the worst segue in history, “I’ve, uh, got something to tell you.”
“Have you finally got a girlfriend?” Sam asked.
“Something like that,” Dean said, swallowing. His dad looked up.
“Really?” he asked. “What’s her name?”
“It’s,” Dean hesitated, “it’s Cas, Dad.”
Cas squeezed his hand under the table.
“Oh, thank the Lord!” Mary exclaimed, getting out of her seat and bringing both Dean and Cas in for a tight hug. “That’s amazing, boys!”
Dean closed his eyes and hugged her back. “Thanks, Mom.”
When he opened them, Sam was folding his arms.
“I’ll never get any Cas time now!” he whined. “You hog him, Dean!”
“I promise I’ll still spend plenty of time with you,” Cas said sincerely. Sam relaxed.
“Okay then. You can date.”
“I don’t need your permission,” Dean said, even though he would have been devastated if Sam hadn’t approved. Sam stuck out his tongue.
“John?” Mary said. John had gone very still. He jumped minutely when Mary said his name and nodded.
“Good for you, boys.”
“Wait,” Dean said, “you’re okay with it?”
“I’ve known for a while. I’ve had time to come to terms with it.”
Dean frowned. “You’ve known for a while? We only started dating a month ago!”
John pulled a face. “Really?”
“Yes, really!”
“Oh,” John said and burst out laughing.
Cas and the others started laughing too and, as Dean watched them, he felt so grateful for his family that he could have cried, but instead he joined in.