I Fell For You // Destiel: High School AU

Chapter 17

For a second, Castiel almost didn't reach for the tan jacket that was in a mess on the floor somewhere. But habit got the better of him as he threw it on over a new white shirt and blue tie.

Cass ignored Lucian when he came back down the stairs and walked out the door immediately. He didn't want a lecture from his older brother and he didn't want his younger one tagging along.

Dean had been right, he really did only live a couple streets down. He'd been hoping the walk would be longer, which would've given him time to think about what'd he say. But it wasn't a long walk and he didn't know what to say.

He checked his phone one last time for and advice if from Charlie if she'd pick up her goddamn phone. But nothing. Only a black screen with 11:01 typed evenly at the top.

Dean would be up by now... if he was even home.

Still not having a clue about what he'd say, Cass's fist hovered in front of the door, and just as he was about to knock his phone buzzed in his pocket.

To Cass: hey sorry it took so long what's up??

Castiel could only stare at the poorly timed text. Was he supposed to just sit on the front steps and tell Charlie everything or could he just knock on the door like he'd planned to.

To Charlie: sorry I'll tell u later...

Without waiting for a response he rapped his knuckles on the door. He waited for a few seconds before the door opened.

Inside the house as Castiel had knocked, Sam was asleep on the couch, John was still out on the bed and Dean was nursing a cup of orange juice, trying to escape the massive headache he had.

When the knock came he assumed it to be salespeople of Mormons, something he wasn't in the mood for hearing. But Sam was still napping and his dad was better asleep than awake.

Opening the door, he saw maybe the last person he wanted to.

"What do you want, Castiel?" He wouldn't let himself say 'Cass' today. Only the Castiel's friends called him 'Cass'.

"I..." Castiel stared into Dean's beautifully green eyes, he got lost in them. In those eyes he saw a soul that was too tired to hate anyone but himself, he saw someone so hurt and broken that all he wanted to do was hold him together and keep him strong. If he didn't know what to say before, he was even more lost now.

Dean shook his head after Cass's silence and began to close the door.

"I'm sorry!" Cass yelled at the crack of a barley open door. "I'm sorry Dean."

Dean didn't close the door, but he didn't open it either. He held it there, barley open, just wide enough to hear Cass's voice but not see his eyes that would bare right through him.

"Dean?" Cass leaned in, pushing the door open slightly and Dean gave no resistance.

"Sorry for what, Cass?" Dean hated how much he sounded like John when he said that sentence. And he would hate the next one even more. "Sorry for breaking my heart or being a shitty friend?" And he almost cried when the words left his mouth.

Because he did love Castiel and that was all there was to it.

"I- I don't know...both?" Cass could see Sam stirring on the couch inside. "Do you wanna talk outside?"

Dean looked behind him at his sleeping brother. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have, but one he needed to. And he had to do it before anyone else woke up.

He closed the door and joined Cass on the front step. They both sat down in silence for a minute before Dean spoke.

"You know what, I'm sorry to." He didn't look at Cass but at his hands instead. "You aren't being a shitty friend, I am. And..." even if he had to lie, it would be easier to go on with his own life letting Cass believe it, "can we both just forget what I said last night? I don't think I was in the right mindset."

"Oh." Was all Cass said as he felt his heart disintegrating inside him. It had only been broken before but now he felt as though it could never be pieced back together.

Dean looked at him this time. "I am truly sorry, Castiel. I'm sorry I put you in that position last night and I do really want to be friends."

Cass was still staring at a small patch of grass growing between the cement. This was not how he had planned this morning to go, he had planned on mending his heart not destroying it forever.

"Can we be friends?" Dean asked, scared almost at Castiel's silence.

"Yes, Dean. We can always be friends." Cass turned toward him, hoping he couldn't see his eyes water. He'd cried to this boy enough already. So they both stood and as Dean turned towards the door Cass's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He quickly pulled it out to see Charlie was calling him.

"Who's that?" Dean asked turning back towards Cass, who immediately brought it closer to his chest.

"It's Charlie. I needed her help with something earlier I should probably answer." His finger hovered above the answer button.

"Put her on speaker, I want to talk to her to." Dean smiled, trying to push this not awkward friend thing into play. He looked at Cass who smiled and pressed the speaker button.

"Hey Charlie!" Dean called into the phone.

"Cass did your voice get deeper?" At that Dean laughed as Castiel rolled his eyes.

"No, Charlie that's just Dean. This is me though." He heard her laugh over the phone before asking if she was in fact on speaker. "Yeah you're on speaker. It's just Dean though and I think I figured everything out already. If you still want to know later though I'll tell you the whole story."

Dean looked at Cass.

Had he been the whole story that Cass had to tell Charlie about? Why the hell had he just suggested they only be friends!?

They both said goodbye to Charlie before Cass re-pocketed the phone.

"Whole story?" Dean asked.

"Uh yeah, I thought I needed some advice... I guess." Cass looked sheepishly at Dean.

"Can I help?" Neither of them said anything, only confirming what Cass had been referring to on the phone to Charlie.

"What did you really come over here to talk about, Cass?" Dean wanted to take back every word he'd said this morning regarding just being friends. If Cass truly felt for him then they could be something.

"I..." he couldn't find the words to what needed to be said. But actions always speak louder than words.

Without even thinking, he pressed Dean up against the wall beside the door and kissed him. Nearly the exact same action that had caused the mess before, but Dean had to know how he felt.

With Dean against the wall, and Cass's hands against the wall above Dean's head, they barley even breathed as Dean ran his hands through Cass's hair.

Cass pulled away only to say. "You left before I got the chance to kiss you back."

Dean pulled Cass back towards them and they were too lost in each other to notice John opening the door.

"Dean!" His voice tore through the two boys as Dean stared at his dad.

"Cass, run."

A/N: ...