Roommates

Untitled Part 6

They found Mary in the kitchen cooking dinner when they went back downstairs, and she was happy to serve them both some pie. Castiel raved over the pie and they were enjoying a second piece, this one they were sharing, when Adam came home.

"Sit still for a minute, I have to talk to my brother, remind him that you're here." Dean set his fork down and stood up. Castiel watched him walk out of the kitchen before turning back to the pie still on the plate in front of him.

"Dean tells me you have Asperger's too. Does your family understand it well?" Mary asked him.

"Yes and no. They mostly walk on eggshells around me. My brother still thinks I'm just shy and awkward," he replied.

"How old were you when you were diagnosed?" She sat down in the seat Dean had left.

"I was eighteen. My parents were in denial and wouldn't let me be tested. They ignored my panic attacks for all of my life, and they told me to focus on my schoolwork. Teachers either thought I was acting up or they thought I was overly shy. They suggested to my parents that I had ADHD, which my parents refused to admit to the possibility. So before I left for college, I went to the doctor on my own dime and got diagnosed. I had done a lot of research since I was a kid. I knew I was different but I didn't know why. It was a mystery I wanted to solve, so I went to the doctor and asked them what was wrong with me. They did for me what my parents refused to do, and I finally got diagnosed. I got the help and medication that I needed to get my anxiety and depression under control, and I...got on with my life. I did therapy for a couple of years, but after I graduated and transferred out here, I haven't been able to do much more than call my therapist. I'm not under my parents' insurance anymore, so all of my meds I pay for myself. I have to set aside money from my grants and I submit some stories that have gotten published, and they earned me a couple hundred dollars each time. I just got another story published last month, actually, and I submitted a new one right before we drove out here. So I have a couple hundred saved up for my next batch of meds. I'm covered for another couple of months."

"That's good, and I'm very impressed that you are taking such good care of yourself." Mary patted his hand and Castiel smiled. Dean had been right, his mom was an extremely nice person.

Dean came back, sneaking up behind Castiel and wrapping his arms around him.

"Hey, I want you to meet my baby brother, Adam."

He stepped back and let Castiel get up from his chair. A boy with blonde hair almost the same color as Mary's was standing next to Dean. Castiel looked to Dean for the right prompt.

"Adam, I want you to meet Castiel, my boyfriend. Castiel, meet my baby brother, Adam."

The blonde boy nodded. "Nice to meet you, Castiel."

"It's very nice to meet you too." Castiel looked to Dean again, not sure what the proper etiquette would be.

"Hey Cas, Adam here likes videogames too," Dean said. Both his brother and his boyfriend perked up hearing that.

"Yeah? What kind of games?" Adam asked.

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Castiel followed Adam into the living room where they proceeded to look through all of Adam's games while Dean stayed in the kitchen to help his mother clean up and finish making dinner. Around six they heard the front door open again.

"Dad's home," Dean said, more out of habit than anything.

"I'm guessing from the car in the drive, Dean's home." John called out from the front foyer. Dean walked out to meet his father.

"Hey ya, Dad." He hugged his father.

"Hey, kiddo. Is your boyfriend here with you?" John asked.

"Yeah, he's in the living room playing games with Adam," Dean replied.

"So, they're getting along are they?"

"They found common ground," Dean said with a laugh. John chuckled.

"Ah, videogames."

"Yep, videogames." Dean grinned as he led his dad into the living room. "Hey, Cas?"

Castiel paused the racing game he was playing with Adam and turned to look at Dean. Seeing the man with him he jumped to his feet.

"Calm down, babe. I just want you to meet my dad. Dad, this is Castiel. Cas, this is my dad, John."

John smiled as he shook Castiel's hand. "Nice to meet you, Castiel. Glad you could come spend time with us this Christmas."

"Thank you for having me," Castiel told him.

"Can we finish the game now?" Adam asked.

"Go on. I'm going to steal Dean for a while, so you boys go on now and play your game," John said. Adam immediately went back to the game while Castiel nodded politely before rejoining. Dean smiled as he headed out to the garage with his dad. So far Castiel was fitting right in with his family.