#deancas high school au

[archervale]

Maybe I've been watching too much teen drama stuff lately but now I'm wondering about deancas in high school/college AUs and thinking would either of them be popular like some fics claim lol so I am putting it up to a vote

[angelsdean]

au deancas absolutely would pull a naley getting married as juniors in high school after only knowing each other for mere months

[spn-destiel-enthusiast]

Tutoring: Epilogue

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14

Well everyone, this is it. It’s officially over. I am crying over the fact that this story has come to an end. I’ve enjoyed writing it. Thank you for sticking with it. Maybe I’ll come back to them one day. Stay tuned for a college au. And thanks to my awesome beta for helping me with this fic. Idk what I would have done without you @super-powerful-queen-slayyna

4 years later

They did it. They graduated college. Dean majored in Mechanical Engineering and minored in Business and Cas majored in Business and minored in Accounting.

They both graduated with 4.0 GPAs and couldn’t be more proud of each other. They’ll admit the past four years haven’t been a walk in the park, but they can finally say they did it.

Over the past four years Dean and Cas have been through hell and back. They have gotten in their fair share of fights, they’ve almost broken up numerous times, but they’ve come out of it stronger then ever.

When Dean exits the field, Cas it waiting by the gates for him. He tackles Dean to the ground, smothering him in kisses. “We did it!” he shouts in his ear.

Dean chuckles and kisses Cas’s cheek. “Yeah, we did it.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of you Dean Winchester.”

“And I couldn’t be more proud of you Castiel Novak,” he kisses him.

“Okay guys, get a room!” Sam shouts from above them.

They break apart and see their family staring at them teary eyed. Dean stands up and holds out his hand to Cas, he takes it and Dean pulls him up.

Their family attacks them both with hugs and kisses and Dean can’t help the smile on his face. They did it. They graduated college together. They are finally going to build their lives here in New York.

That was a long talk that they both had with their families. New York had been a city that Dean and Cas both fell in love with, as much as they would love to move back home, they both agreed New York is the place for them. But, when they both decide it’s time to start a family, they’ll move back to Kansas, because they decided they don’t want to raise kids in a city.

They both want their kids to be able to go outside and play in the yard instead of being trapped inside an apartment all day. But until then, New York is their home.

“I am so proud of you boys,” Mary beams at them.

“Thanks mom,” Dean says all choked up.

“Let’s go take pictures over by that gorgeous tree,” she points and they all agree.

When they reach the tree and Mary tells Dean and Cas to pose together, his heart starts to bear really fast. This is the most nerve-racking feeling he has ever experienced.

What if he says no? What if he says we're too young? What if he tells me it’s the wrong time?

“Dean? Are you okay?” Cas asks searching Dean’s face for an answer.

He swallows and nods. Cas arches his eyebrow and tilts his head. He knows Dean is lying, but lets it go. When Dean is ready to talk, he’ll talk.

Mary suggests they pose with their backs together and put their fingers into a gun, so she can caption it, partners in crime.

Cas beams at that idea and instantly turns his back to Dean. Dean poses and Mary clicks her camera.

Cas goes to turn around, but Mary stops him.

“Cas, hold on. It’s all blurry,” she tells him.

Cas stays put and Gabe gives him a curt nod and Dean gets down on one knee. Mary snaps her camera and he can see her hands shaking and her eyes starting to water.

“Cas, can you turn around?” Dean manages to blurt.

Cas turns around and Mary’s camera clicks non stop. Cas looks down, gasping, taking a step back when he sees Dean on one knee and a ring box in his hand.

The ring is a simple, black, tungsten band, and the inside is inscribed with, “Be my Angel.”

Deans throat goes dry and everything he planned to say, doesn’t come to him at once. “Castiel Novak, you are my best friend, my other half, my lover, my rock. We have been through so much in the past five years that I can’t thank you enough for continuing to stand by my side. I knew when my dad died and you didn’t leave me, that this was going to be a forever thing. It’s like I sad when I gave you that promise ring. I don’t see myself with anyone else. When I see my future, it’s you. I see us in a big house, with a white picket fence, and a couple of kids running through the house. I see us growing old together and drinking iced tea in rocking chairs on our porch. It’s time I turn that promise ring into a real ring, don't you think? So Castiel Novak, will you do me the honor of being my husband?”

Cas falls to his knees and grabs Dean’s face. “Yes! Yes, Dean! Yes, yes, yes,” he says over and over.

Dean kisses Cas and their family cheers. They break apart and wipe their faces. “Take off your promise ring,” Dean whispers.

Cas slides it off his ring finger and holds his hand out to Dean. Dean pulls the ring out and starts to slide it on Cas’s finger. “Wait, what does the inside say?”

“It says, Be my Angel.”

Cas beams at Dean and nods for him to continue sliding the ring on his finger. Once it’s in place Cas can’t take take his eyes off of it.

“Dean, I want you to wear my promise ring until our wedding day,” Cas says.

“Really?”

“Really,” Cas says, holding out his hand.

Dean places his left hand in Cas’s and Cas slides the ring onto his finger.

“Dean Winchester, I love you with all my heart. I can’t thank you enough for offering to tutor me back in high school. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today. I fell in love with you and it was the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. I am so incredibly lucky to have my best friend by my side. You are so kind and patient with me. You make me laugh when I don’t even want to smile, and you ground me when I feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath my feet. You are my rock. Honor me with your company for the rest of our lives?” He asks, eyes sparkling.

“Yes,” Dean says proudly.

Cas flashes him and gummy smile and attacks him with a kiss.

Today has turned out to be the best damn day of their lives. Dean thanks his lucky stars everyday for bringing Castiel into his life five years ago.

Tagging: @casafrass @ohparis @bellatheskeleton @alwaysbringabananatoapartyrose @bookish711 @supernaturally-obsessive @samismybae @starnatural0667 @daniebr97 @thelibrarianjesser @olvidaminombrebye @severelypsychotic @krazyperson @freedomcraziness @destielsangel @babyinthetrench @unicorns-and-metal @starbentone @twistandtom @seventeenandlost @destielwinchester09 @fangirlingislife30 @azlinh @tacolovingchick @silver-rayne @ultrablonde @empala1967 @wonderless-screwup @mishalovin666 @flamerush101 @elaspn @19agbrown @samikitten @misha-ackles-subtext @annoyingcoffeephantom @castiel-former-angel-of-the-lord @legit-trash-man

[deancaspinefest]

It's Only Teenage Wasteland  |  Mature |  56,578 words

Author: FollowingButterflies Artist: avalonlights

At 30 years old, journalist Dean Winchester has carved out a life for himself in New York. He’s happy, he has friends and a job he loves. He hadn’t given Angel Creek, Texas a single thought for over a decade, right? Ok, he’s lying to himself. Over the years he’s thought non-stop about the town and the boy he left behind.

Everything changes when he sees Castiel Milton again for the first time in twelve years.

Link to fic  |  Link to art

Pairings: Dean/Cas, Sam/Eileen, (Dean/Lisa), (Sam/Jessica)

Warnings:  Mentions of Homophobia, Brief mention of minor character death

[sspeedgelb]

Destiel Month Day 4: Snack

A a short destiel l High School AU for destiel month!

Castiel felt a little a embarrassed sitting all alone in that enormous cafeteria. Being the new kid was never easy on anybody, but for a socially awkward child of extremely religious parents it was pretty much hell.

Not physical torture kind of hell, but rather a silent hell where everyone from cleaning ladies to teachers ignore you and you’re too shy to actually make conversation with anyone.

And so, with his brother Gabriel off somewhere, Castiel found himself with a table all to himself, dreading the PE class he’d be forced to participate once the bell rang. Both the isolation and the anticipation shrunk his apetite and so the boy’s organic chicken nuggets from Costco seemed utterly unappetising

Looking to his own feet while standing up from the chair and going towards the trash cans, Castiel heard screams and suddenly there were two guys throwing punches at each other right in front of him. It happened fast, barely in the blink of an eye, and the blond one was throw at Castiel with full force and the 2 of them fell hard on the dirty cafeteria floor.

The boy under him was no older than a junior, but he had an allure that could only be described as adult like.His face was square and his deep-set eyes had dreamy mixture of hazel and green. His beauty could not be destroyed by the bruises nor by the sauce from Cass’s nuggets.

Castiel turned a deep shade of red, realising that he was not only starring but also was making no effort in moving, and so got up as quick as possible.

“unm…I’m so so sorry, i really didn’t mean to block you,i just, felt shocked i guess”

“Look buddy no problem, im kinda the one who should be apologising and all. I got to go now before the teachers come, but see ya around. I’m Dean Winchester by the way.”

“Chill, i mean cool. I’m Castiel, good luck with your escape from the authorities.”

Then, Dean smiled at him and it was like Castiel just looked straight into the sun in all its greatness. But then, Dean was gone, and all that was left were cool dirty nuggets splattered on the floor.

However, that was not the last Castiel’d hear of Dean Winchester.

In the following weeks the boy seemed to be everywhere, but nowhere. They had no common classes or extracurricular, but the Novak always could count on a distant shadow of a tall, broad boy. It became almost comforting, and Castiel liked to think of what they had as an almost friendship.

Whenever Dean saw him at the cafeteria, the boy waved at him. When Castiel hid under bleachers and Dean did laps with the other football players, the green eyed boy gave the Novak a knowing smile.

It was almost ticklish, receiving the attention of someone so handsome and out of his league, even if they never actually talked.

Then comes November, and the little interactions remained just that. Castiel then felt silly, and played with, and stupid because he read too much into a few exchanged smiles and waves. They weren’t friends, and he was still widely considered weird by his peers, but Castiel had genuinely hoped he and Dean would form something. It was silly, but every time he glanced at those green eyes something good happened in his mind.

But no. Here he was the same as September, all alone in a cafeteria table. This time his mom had packed him baby carrots, celery and tuna sandwiches (on gluten free bread, of course), and Castiel ate it slowly, hoping to prolongue this lunch as much as he could. The cafeteria was loud and buzzing, but he found the noise to be not that much of a bother.

But then, the sound of a tray being laid on the table startled him. It was Dean Winchester, no smile on his face. He eyed Castiel with uncertainty and almost shyness, and the blu eyed boy could swear there was a hint of blush in Deans ears.

“hum, hey Cass. Can i call you that?”

“YES,if you want to i mean of course.”

“Great, i,um, was thinking if you want to share this chocolate bar with me? It’s like limited edition and its finger-licking. I /did/ splatter your lunch that time in September. And um no offence but those carrot don’t look like the most joyous meal.”

Castiel blushed at the thought. He did like carrots, but sharing an allegedly delicious bar of chocolate with Dean sounded way nicer.

“that’d be delightful, actually i mean it’d be nice, thank you for offering.”

Dean did open his smile at that, and oh his teeth were white enough to illuminate Castiel’s entire world.

“Yeah haha. But now let me part it, I’m a professional at meticulously dividing things. Younger siblings are little devils.”

“ Well i do know it, my little brother Uriel is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, i admit he has set me up more than a few times.”

“Well Sammy never does anything outright mean, but pops say he has more energy than he should.”

Cass laughed out loud and ate the chocolate dean was offering.

He hummed. It really was finger-licking.

“ We should go by the roadhouse someday, i bought them there.Together.”

“I’d like that, Dean”.

[plush-froggo]

my take on a Destiel High School AU

Content Warning: language, and a slur

I feel like everyone expects for Cas to be the loner and Dean to be this really popular jock kid? But it would actually be like, the other way around? Like, yeah, Dean’s popular, but at the same time he knows he won’t be there for any longer than like, two months max because he’s in a military family and they’re constantly on the move, so Dean has basically said ‘fuck it’ to making any connections with anyone. He does get on the football team though, and he’s doing tryouts and stuff and that’s when he first meets Cas, because the coach put them head to head to test Dean’s skills. And Dean’s pretty damn good at the game, but Cas is better and Dean’s kinda just like “holy shit, this kid is hot AND he’s kicking my ass? holy fuck” 

Cas is only on the football team because it’s what his father is expecting from him, and he could really care less about playing sports and doing all that normal high school bullshit. Cas would prefer to go lounge about in the library, reading dramatic novels and going out to animal shelters to play with the cats, but instead he’s here on the football team because he’s still living the life his father always wanted for him. And then he’s face to face with Dean Winchester, some new kid who just moved into town and goddamn he’s pretty, but Cas isn’t about to let that make him put his guard down

Dean has made a friend, Benny, who knows a lot about the Novak family; he’s in the same grade as Castiel’s older brother Balthazar, and they talk together a lot. Cas and Benny aren’t close; in fact, Cas doesn’t really seem close with anyone other than his family—and even then, they don’t really seem all that close. Dean manages to get on the team(because he held his own against one of the team’s best players, and he damn near won a few times too)and afterwards, Dean chases Cas down just before they can get to the locker rooms and Dean asks Cas for a few pointers, because he’s never met anyone who could play like Cas before. Cas kind of hesitantly agrees and suggests they meet up later in a park where they can practice in peace and Dean agrees

When they get there, Dean’s dressed in a band shirt, a flannel, and some ripped jeans, meanwhile Cas is wearing like, this full on nerdy-ass striped sweater and Dean almost doesn’t recognize him for a minute. Dean’s like “dude, are you seriously about to play football wearing a sweater when it’s like, 80 degrees out” and Cas is like ��ofc not” and takes off the sweater(he’s got a tank top on underneath)and he’s kinda fucking ripped and Dean’s kinda just bi panicking for a bit until Cas is like “are you going to fucking focus here or what” and Dean snaps out of it

Dean starts practicing with Cas like this every day, and they start talking a bit more in school too. It’s by doing this that Dean learns that Cas has basically no idea how to interact with other people; he’s the most social awkward dorky little guy anyone could ever meet. The only people who’ve ever really bothered to talk and get to know him are his family, and they’re all just as fucking weird. One time, after they’re finished practicing in the park for the day, Dean notices an ice cream stand and gets lowkey hyped before remembering he didn’t bring his wallet, and Cas just goes up and buys them both an ice cream. 

And they sit down and start talking. About anything and everything and nothing at all. And it’s around this point in time that Dean thinks he may be starting to fall in love with this weirdo kid and he ends up being way more honest than he ever meant to be with Cas—but how can you not, it’s almost like the guy can read Dean’s mind for Christ’s sake. Dean admits that he hates moving from town to town like this, that he hates never having any connections with people, no real friends. That he hates having to get up and move around over and over again, that he’s always the new kid and that he knows high school is never going to get better for him because of all this. And Cas does his best to comfort Dean, even though he’s not very good at it, but it doesn’t matter that he’s not very good at it—it means the world to Dean just the same

And it’s silent for a few minutes before Cas finally admits that he’s only playing football and on the honor roll and all that stuff because it’s what his father wants from him. He’s expected to be the perfect son, just like his siblings, and he’s scared of rebelling because of the way his brothers were treated when they rebelled, but at the same time he’s sick of not being able to live his own life. “These moments with you—they’re all I have,” Cas admits, and at this point their ice cream is gone and they’re sitting under the shade of a tree in 84 degree weather and they’re both still covered in sweat and a layer of dirt from their practice. “I wouldn’t…give them up for the world.” And it’s almost like Cas wanted to say something different, but he won’t tell Dean that. Not just yet. 

They never act on their feelings for one another, because they both know that Dean’s leaving and it’s only a matter of time before he’s packing up and sent away to another school, but they’re enjoying their time together as much as they can. During football practice, Cas cracks jokes that only Dean can hear, and Dean gets in trouble for laughing so hard, and Dean tries to explain himself but no one can believe that serious, stoic Cas would make a joke—a dick joke, no less—and Cas has the slightest of smirks on his face while Dean, still laughing, calls him a dick. Dean gets benched for disrupting practice, and Cas immediately follows him over despite the coach yelling for Cas to get back there. Cas and Dean crack jokes and laugh together on the benches as the other students practice drills, and they both realize that they’ve never had anything like this and that they’ll likely never have anything like this again once Dean is gone

A few students start talking about how close Dean and Cas are getting these days, and one is bold enough(stupid enough) to call them ‘fags’ as they’re walking down the halls together. Dean is ready to bash the guy’s face in, but he can’t even do anything before Cas throws his bag at the fucker and starts raining hell down upon this kid, who can hardly fight back due to the shock. It’s the first time Cas has ever gotten detention and everyone’s staring at him in shock, then he turns back to Dean who grins and says “That was awesome!”

Later, while Cas is in detention, Dean begs Benny to help him get Cas out. So Benny grabs Balthazar and says ‘hey, your kid brother is in detention and his boyfriend wants help bailing him out’ and Balthazar’s like ‘Cas never mentioned anything about a boyfriend’ and Dean’s all flustered and stuff, but then Benny asks “Wasn’t that what the whole fight was about? Whether or not you and Cas are dating?” And Dean says ‘no, it wasn’t, the kid called us a slur’ and Benny and Balthazar kinda just share a look

While Cas is sitting in detention, he’s bored out of his mind, and then all of a sudden, Balthazar comes in and starts absolutely berating the teacher like “how dare you put my brother in detention! don’t you know he’d never do anything wrong in his life! cas could never hurt a fly!” and the teacher’s sitting there arguing with him like “he broke another student’s nose!” and Balthazar just adamantly denies all of this. Benny comes in and starts the argument that if Cas was in detention, the other kid should be too, because he was the one who started in by throwing slurs around and the teacher can’t find any room to argue and Cas is all confused by all this until he feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks up and Dean is grinning down at him

Dean grins down at Cas and asks “Wanna get out of here?” and Cas takes a moment to register that Dean’s here, and he’s grinning down at Cas in this way that makes Cas’ heart flutter and he gives Dean a soft smile and nods. Dean grabs Cas by the shoulder and stands him up and then they run out of the room while the teacher is still distracted, and they keep running until they make it to the park and they’re both panting and laughing and they just barely manage to collapse under a tree(the same tree they shared ice cream under)and they just lay there in the grass and laugh for a little while longer. “I just saved your ass, Cas,” Dean says with a bright grin, and Cas smiles this smile that has Dean grinning even wider as his stomach does flips

“Thank you,” Cas says, before giving another laugh. “You saved me from perdition.” And Dean laughs as well, because of course Cas would say some weird, dorky shit like that. Cas just stares at him and that’s when he realizes just how in love he is with Dean Winchester, and he realizes how much more it’s going to hurt when Dean has to leave. The one he loves is so close to him and yet Cas can only have him for a little while before he’ll be ripped away, and Cas will be alone all over again. This is the one person other than his family who has gotten to really know Cas for who he really is, and Cas desperately doesn’t want to lose that, but he knows there’s no other option. And he silently resigns himself to that, not knowing that Dean is doing the same thing

They knew each other for a week before they fully fell in love, and everyone says that Dean Winchester is a bad influence on Castiel Novak, but Cas thinks he’s the best influence and he’d follow Dean to the ends of the earth if it just meant that they could be who they really are. They’re both aware of the feelings they harbor towards one another, and in some aspect, they’re aware that the other harbors feelings towards them, but neither one of them act on it. They’re both content to just be in each other’s presence for now

And then comes the day when Dean has to leave. 

Dean practically begs his mother to let them stay here, to even just let Dean stay there. He begs her day and night, he begs his father over the phone to let them stay, he screams into his pillow at night and Sam is the only one there who sort of understands what’s made Dean start acting this way. Sam might be Dean’s kid brother, but he’s also the only one who knows exactly what Dean’s going through, and he’s the only one who Dean talks to anymore—other than Cas, of course. The one thing he’s never told Sam about is Cas—so even though Sam understands, there’s still this disconnect between them. But Mary and John refuse to leave Dean there, and Mary tells them that they need to be packed up by morning because they’re leaving out by lunchtime. Dean locks himself in his room and calls Cas and starts ranting over the phone, but before he can really do anything Cas hangs up and Dean just stares at the phone, his heart hurting. Dean takes to throwing about the things in his room in his emotions, and he does this for a good few minutes before finally sitting down and he slowly just starts crying because now the one person who he so desperately wants to talk to just hung up on him and he feels so truly alone in that moment. 

Then he realizes that someone’s opening up his window and before he even has time to register what’s going on, Cas is in his room, wearing sweatpants, a loose band shirt, and tennis shoes, and his hair is a mess like he had just gotten out of bed, and he’s panting so hard and Dean realizes that Cas ran to get here. Dean doesn’t even have time to ask Cas what he’s doing there when Cas grabs him by the shoulders and hugs him. Dean hugs back and breaks down into tears, telling Cas he doesn’t want to leave this town, he doesn’t want to just up and move again. Cas holds him while he cries, and it isn’t until something warm and wet falls onto Dean’s shoulder that he finally realizes that Cas has been crying too. 

When Dean’s finally done ranting and crying, Cas holds on for a bit longer, before he pulls away. “Dean,” he starts, his voice raspy and his eyes ringed with red but still so vibrantly blue, “I told you that I wouldn’t trade the moments we shared together for the world, right?” Dean nods, a bit confused. “I told you I wouldn’t give them up for the world. I wouldn’t give you up for the world either.” Dean’s eyes begin watering up again and so do Cas’. “I know it’s probably too late to say this, but-” 

“Don’t,” Dean cuts him off, a tear sliding down his cheek. “Don’t do this, Cas. Not now. Please.” 

“I love you, Dean,” Cas continues anyways. He’s crying again, but he’s wearing this smile as he looks Dean dead in the eyes. “I love you, and I always have from the second I saw you. And no matter what happens, no matter where you go, I will wait for you.” Dean breaks down again, because he loves Cas too and that’s what hurts so much about leaving. He doesn’t give a shit about the town, and yeah he’ll miss Benny but he’s lost friends before, but with Cas, it’s different. He may have been able to convince himself before that Cas was just another friend, someone he could get over, but now he can’t. And then Cas kisses him and they’re both still crying, and the window’s open letting in cold air and Dean’s room is a mess and he still hasn’t started packing, and he feels like his world is falling apart around him. But Cas pulls away, and he’s still holding onto Dean, keeping him held together. The smile on Cas’ face shudders a bit as he looks Dean in the eyes, and begs “Tell me you love me too.” 

“I love you, Cas,” Dean croaks. And that’s why it hurts so much. To know that tomorrow morning, Dean will never see Cas again. To know that he’ll never know what it’s like to hold hands with Cas as they walk down the street looking through stores, to know that he’ll never know what it’s like to hear Cas’ laugh again, to know that he’ll never be there to ask Cas to Prom and that there’s no chance they’ll get to dance together like idiots because Dean has no idea how to dance. Dean tells this to Cas and more, and that’s when Cas stands up. He pulls Dean up with him and looks over to the stereo in Dean’s room. 

“So we dance here,” Cas decides. “We can’t have a Prom night? Fine. We can dance together here. One last hurrah before our worlds fall apart.” And Cas walks over and puts in a Led Zeppelin mixtape into the stereo and presses play, before turning the volume up. He turns to Dean, his eyes still red and puffy, but he smiles and holds his hand out. Dean stares at Cas for a minute, before he starts laughing. Cas stares at him in confusion before Dean takes Cas’ hand and pulls him in closely. 

“I was gonna give you this mixtape,” Dean says. They start dancing—swaying, really—and moving about the wreckage of Dean’s room. Dean laughs again as he looks into Cas’ eyes. “My dad, he, uh, he gave my mom a Zeppelin mixtape. So, I thought, uh-” 

“You’d make one for me?” Cas asks, a smile forming on his face once again. And with that they’re both laughing. “I hope you know you’re a sap.” Dean leans his forehead against Cas’ forehead, staring into those brilliant blue eyes. 

“I’m your sap,” he mutters, and Cas’ smile widens. 

“That you are,” Cas muses. “And I’m yours.” 

When the mixtape is over, they stop dancing, but they still hold each other for a few minutes longer. Finally, Dean pulls away and begins looking around at his room. “I guess I need to pack up,” Dean mumbles, and all at once he’s reminded that he’ll never get to have a moment like this with Cas ever again. 

Cas moves one hand from Dean’s shoulder and takes Dean’s hand into his own. He squeezes it tightly, getting Dean’s attention. “Let me help,” Cas offers. It’s more of a beg than either of them realize, a desperate plea to eke out as much time together as they can manage; even if it’s a reminder of the fact that Dean’s about to leave. 

Cas helps Dean pack, and they put on other mixtapes and sing along badly to the music. More than once, they catch the other with tears in their eyes as they pack away Dean’s belongings into a suitcase and a duffel bag. They finally get everything packed up and sit down on Dean’s bed in silence. Dean grabs Cas’ hand and holds onto it, trying to remember what it feels like so he doesn’t forget. 

Then Dean gets up and he takes the Zeppelin mixtape. He stares down at it for a minute before returning to Cas’ side and handing it to him. Cas takes it, staring down at the tape for a bit. Then he reaches up to the back of his neck and unclasps a chain. He pulls a necklace out of his shirt, before handing it to Dean. It’s a pair of wings, Dean realizes. “This is something that’s passed down in my family,” Cas says. “Your family has Led Zeppelin and mine has wings. So if you’re giving me what’s yours, I’ll give you mine.” And Dean nods a little, before putting on the necklace. 

They sit and talk until long past midnight. Long past time for the both of them to be in bed and sleeping away for their big days tomorrow. “You gotta promise me something,” Dean says. 

“Of course, Dean. Anything.” 

“You gotta promise me that you’ll stop living the life your dad wants you to live. You do what makes you happy, Cas. Don’t let anyone tell you how you should live your life other than you. I won’t be around to break you out of detention anymore, and I won’t be around to drag you out to the park for ice cream. You gotta do what makes you happy, not what makes him happy, you understand me?” Cas nods. 

“I understand.” There’s a bit of a silence after that. “Thank you, Dean. For everything.” 

They finally realize how late it’s getting and they’re both exhausted but neither one wants to leave, because leaving now means you’ll never see him again and they both so desperately want to stay—Dean, in this town, and Cas, in Dean’s room—but they know that can’t happen. It’s 3 AM when Cas finally sneaks out of Dean’s window, not before they tell each other “I love you” again, and not before a parting kiss, and Dean watches as Cas begrudgingly walks away from Dean’s house. Dean wants nothing more than to chase after Cas, to run out after him and away from his family, just to stay here with Cas. But instead, he closes his window and shuts off his light and curls up in bed and just cries, wanting Cas by his side. 

They’re gone before lunchtime. Cas quits the football team the same day. He skips the rest of school and instead goes to the park where he and Dean would practice, where they would talk and eat ice cream together, where they were free to be honest with each other. Where he realized he had fallen for Dean so hard, he wasn’t sure he could ever recover from it. And he just cries. For hours. Balthazar’s the one to find him and bring him home well after dark, when Cas is just mentally and emotionally exhausted. Chuck berates Cas for quitting the football team, for getting a detention, for skipping school, but Cas just walks past him and upstairs to his room. He gets out an old stereo—one he hardly ever used anymore—and he puts in the mixtape. Cas listens to it on repeat for hours on end until he finally cries himself to sleep. 

Dean never removes the necklace. Not to shower, not for football practice at another school, not to sleep. He keeps Cas’ wings just over his heart, always. They promised not to forget about each other, and they don’t. But they move on. Over time, they move on, and they don’t even realize it. 

Dean moves out at 20, when he’s saved up enough money for a decent house and he’s got a stable job. Cas is kicked out at 17, for causing problems in school and getting into constant fights with Chuck. He moves in with his older brothers, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Balthazar, who willingly welcome him in. Dean becomes a mechanic. Cas doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life, so he begins working at various jobs while he attempts to discover himself. They’d never admit it, but they both think of their first love every day—Dean, when he notices the silver wings in the mirror just before he goes to shower, and Cas, when he plays an old mixtape on his way to and from work. 

Dean’s 22 when he gets a new girlfriend. She’s beautiful and loves baking, but her eyes are such a vibrant shade of blue that Dean thinks of someone else before he thinks of her. They last a month before they break up. Dean tries again with another woman, and another, and another. 

When Dean’s 26, his brother is in college and Dean considers stopping by for a visit. He drops into town, stops by Stanford, and meets Jessica, who he really likes. She’s sassy, she’s a sweetheart, and she’s gorgeous; perfect for Sam. He’s sitting down with Jess and Sam for dinner one day, and he doesn’t even realize that the necklace is showing when Jess asks about it. Dean is silent for a bit. He runs his hand down his face as he thinks of a dark-haired, blue eyed boy who gave him this necklace ten years ago, and a somber smile grows on his face. “My first love gave me this necklace,” he tells her, and he’s not lying. And Jess smiles with him and asks about it. But he can’t bring himself to talk about Cas. To share what made Cas so goddamn special to him with anyone else, because no one could really get what made Cas so…Cas.

Dean and Sam get drunk later that night. “What was her name?” Sam asks. 

“Cas,” Dean says, and the name is somehow sweet on his tongue. “His name was Cas.” 

And Sam gets this look on his face. And Dean recognizes it, he thinks he does anyways. It’s the same look that was on his father’s face when Dean first considered the fact that he might be bisexual. A look of disgust. But that’s not the look on Sam’s face. “What was he like?” Sam asks. And Dean breaks down crying again, for the first time in 10 years he breaks down sobbing just like he did that night with Cas, back when he would have to leave Cas for good. 

All the while Dean tells Sam about Cas, Sam has this odd little smile on his face. One that Dean can’t really place. He can’t really figure if Sam is being condescending or not either, but he continues. He doesn’t share his and Cas’ more intimate moments, like the moment Cas gave his wings to Dean and when Dean gave a mixtape to Cas, but he tells Sam enough. Enough so that Sam gets an idea of who Castiel is—was. 

In the morning, Dean is very much hungover. Sam still manages to get up at the ass-crack of dawn, and he takes great joy in blaring Metallica right in Dean’s ear to get him to wake up. Jess leaves out for work not too long after Dean was rudely awoken, and he hardly has time to process the mind-numbing headache he has before Sam is throwing clothes at him. “We’re going out to get some coffee,” Sam tells him. 

“What, you don’t have coffee here?” Dean asks. Sam just shrugs on a jacket, giving Dean a small grin. Dean begrudgingly gets dressed and follows Sam out into the daylight. He follows him into a small cafe that’s practically empty save for the barista. Dean goes to collapse in one of the booths while Sam orders two coffees. Dean can hear Sam chatting with the barista as the coffee is brewed, although he hardly pays attention to it. He’s got one hand pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes screwed shut as he attempts to deal with this hangover. 

It takes a few minutes before Dean hears Sam telling the barista “Why don’t you join us? There’s no one else around right now; you’ve got nothing better to do.” Dean internally groans to himself—he was in no mood to meet one of Sam’s friends, especially when it felt like his skull was splitting open. 

A quiet but deep voice responds, low enough that Dean can’t hear it over the sounds of the coffee machines. Sam continues trying to convince the barista to join them, while Dean rubs the rest of the sleep from his eyes. Finally, the barista seems to mumble out an agreement, which seems to please Sam. 

Sam joins Dean at the booth, setting down a plain black coffee in front of Dean. Rather than sitting across from Dean however, he sits next to Dean. Dean doesn’t have time to question it before a dark haired, blue eyed man sits down across from him. “I wanted you to meet my brother, Cas,” Sam says, smiling. Dean’s heart thumps loudly in his chest as familiar vibrant blue eyes swivel over to him, before lighting up in recognition. 

“Hello, Dean,” the man, Castiel, greets. Dean swallows thickly, and all at once, his hangover seems to be gone. 

“H-Hey, Cas,” Dean replies. 

“Oh, you know what?” Sam bursts. “I just remembered, I have to talk with one of my professors about something. I have to go if I want to make it in time for his office hours.” Sam stands up, taking his coffee with him. “I’ll see you later, guys!” Sam leaves, and Dean and Cas stare at each other. 

It’s a bit awkward at first. Dean hardly knows what to say. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you here,” Cas finally admits. 

“Yeah, me either,” Dean mumbles. He clears his throat. “So uh, what uh, what happened to you?” 

Cas tells him. About quitting the football team, about getting kicked out, and moving in with his brothers. About searching for himself and for what he wanted, and about wondering if he should ever try to find Dean again. But he had figured that it would be pointless. “Ten years had passed by—what happened with us was a long time ago. I figured that you would’ve forgotten about me, or moved on.” 

“How could I forget?” Dean asks, pulling the chain out from underneath his shirt. The wings sparkle in the sunlight, reflecting in Cas’ eyes. “You left me with a part of you, after all.” And Cas smiles, and Dean finds his heart fluttering again just like it had all those years ago. They talk, and it’s easier to slide into conversation than Dean first thought it would be. It’s only interrupted when someone enters the cafe again, and Cas is forced to go back to work. He tells Dean when he gets off work, though. 

Dean is waiting outside the cafe for Cas, and once Cas is out the door, Dean drives them to a park. They find a tree and sit under it and talk about anything and everything and nothing at all. Before Dean realizes it, it’s getting dark and he’s driving Cas back home. Cas moves to get out of the car when Dean stops him. “I’m leaving town tomorrow,” Dean says. He reaches over to the glove box and pulls out a notepad and a pen. “But I’m not leaving here until I can make sure we’ve got some way to get back in contact again.” He writes down his phone number, tears the paper from the notepad and hands it to Cas. 

Cas turns to him with a smile. “Thank you, Dean,” he says. “It’s been…wonderful to see you again.” Dean nods a bit. 

“Yeah, you too,” he says, unable to keep a smile off his own face. 

Dean leaves town, and Cas calls almost as soon as Dean arrives home. Dean saves Cas’ number in his phone immediately, and soon enough, they’re talking on the phone for hours on end after their work is done. It becomes a routine of theirs. 

When Dean goes up to visit Sam again, he visits Cas just as, if not more often. Sam teases him about it relentlessly, but he’s just happy that his brother is happy. It isn’t too much longer before Dean is reminded of why he fell in love with Cas in the first place, and it just so happens to slip out one night when he’s dropping Cas off at home. He blurts it out on instinct, and then immediately realizes how stupid it was to say that. But Cas just smiles and says “I love you too,” before shutting the car door and walking back into his house. Dean stares after him for a moment, before finally pulling out of the driveway. 

Cas finds the time to visit Dean down in Kansas, and eventually Dean convinces him that it would be a good idea for him to move in with Dean. Sam teases Dean even more about this. Dean finally realizes just how happy is he to have Cas by his side again. They dance to the Zeppelin mixtape Dean made so many years ago, and this time they don’t have to worry about the other one leaving. They fall into a routine together, although nothing is really specified until they’re out shopping for groceries one day and someone asks them if they’re together. Cas is a bit hesitant to reply at first, and so is Dean. Sure, they live together, they occasionally share the same bed and they kiss each other, but they haven’t really said anything about establishing a relationship. So Dean decides he’ll do it then and there, by grabbing Cas’ hand and intertwining their fingers and he tells the person “Yes, we are.” And he certainly doesn’t miss the smile on Cas’ face, because it’s mirrored on his own. 

Dean and Cas are invited to Sam’s wedding, although Cas is initially hesitant. “I’m not sure your father would want me there,” Cas says to Dean. 

“Fuck him,” Dean replies, before leaning over and kissing the tip of Cas’ nose. “You were invited, and no way in hell I’m missing my baby brother’s wedding. No way in hell I’m leaving you behind again, either. Besides, Sam wants you as a groomsman. How can you say no to that?” 

They attend the wedding, and they avoid John. Dean is Sam’s best man, and he gives a speech that makes almost everyone laugh(and Sam bury his head in his hands). Cas congratulates Sam and Jess, and Sam hugs Cas tightly. Cas is a bit taken aback at first, until Sam pulls away with tears in his eyes. “I want you to know that you’re like a brother to me, Cas,” Sam says. “And I’m so happy for you and Dean.” 

Dean gets a bit too buzzed on the margaritas at the bar, and Cas is dragging him away from the reception sooner than they thought. They make sure to pass by Sam and congratulate him one last time before returning to their motel though. Cas drives back to the motel and helps Dean into bed. He considers getting a coffee for himself when Dean sits up and grabs him by the sleeve. “Cas, I’ve been wanting to ask you a question,” Dean says. His tone is serious, and when Cas looks back at him, he looks dead sober. 

“Of course. What is it, Dean?” Cas asks. 

“We’ve been through a lot together. Hell, we’ve been through a lot apart, too. But ever since I ran into you again, I’ve been thinking about how much I want to spend time with you. I don’t want to risk letting you go again. The moments we have together, I wouldn’t give them up for the world.” Cas cracks a small smile and sits down next to Dean on the bed. “I’m just saying, you know…I love you, Cas. Leaving you was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do. I want you by my side, now and forever. This question has been on my mind almost since the day we met at that cafe, I’ve just been waiting for…I dunno, the perfect moment, I guess.” 

Cas’ eyes widen as Dean talks. “There’s so many things I love about you,” Dean continues. He goes on to list them; the way Cas smiles, the color of his eyes, his bedhead, the careful way he tends to the flowers in the yard, the sound of his laugh, the sound of his voice, the way his eyes light up when he sees Dean, the way he wraps his arms around Dean so tightly when they hug, the way he’s learned to stand up for himself, the way he sasses off characters in the soap operas they watch, the way he falls asleep on Dean’s shoulder, the way he looks when he listens to Dean talk, the way he’s always willing to help even if he has no idea what to do, the way he always does his best to do the right thing, the way he broke out of his shell and carved his own path as a person, and so much more. Dean barely has the ring box out of his pocket and the words “Will you-” out of his mouth before Cas is kissing him. He pulls away briefly to say ‘Yes’ before he smashes his lips onto Dean’s again. 

They fall asleep in each other’s arms, like they had wanted to do so many years ago. They plan to dance to a Zeppelin song at their wedding, and their rings have wings engraved in them. Dean asks if they can have a pie replace their wedding cake, and Cas suggests they can have both. Dean considers inviting John, if it’s alright with Cas. Cas says it’s fine. Cas considers inviting his family, and his father. Dean persuades him to send the invites. 

All of Castiel’s brothers arrive to attend the wedding, even those who had seemingly disowned him. John does not attend the wedding, and neither does Chuck. But to Dean and Cas, it doesn’t matter. They have each other, and the family that really matters was already there. Sam is Dean’s best man of course. It’s Dean’s first time meeting Cas’ family, and all of them threaten to kill him if he ends up hurting Cas. Cas barges in between them, defending Dean from their threats, and growing exasperated when Gabriel ruffles his hair, saying “We’re just trying to make sure he treats our little brother alright!” 

A little while later, Balthazar and Dean are alone. “You’ve always made him happy, since the day you first met him,” Balthazar remarks to Dean. “I trust in you to keep doing that.” 

“I’ll do my best,” Dean replies. Balthazar smiles at Dean, patting him on the shoulder. 

“Good. It’s in your best interests.” 

Dean and Cas’ honeymoon is what anyone would expect. Steamy and hot, yes; but afterwards, they spent the whole night cuddled together in bed, talking. Talking about anything and everything and nothing at all. They’re both happy. They’re both free. They know they’ll never leave the other ever again. They fall asleep in each other’s arms, a Zeppelin song playing quietly on the stereo, a pair of wings over Dean’s heart, and a ring on their fingers. They’re at peace. And they’re happy. And it’s good.

[im-some-lionheart]

So Much for Summer Love

Read on AO3: here

Excerpt:

Dean exhales loudly through his nose, looking up at the night sky that seems to fascinate Cas so much.

“So. Two months and you’re gone?”

“Yeah… Sorry I can’t offer you more than that.”

“Nah, it’s okay, man. It’s actually like… meant to be or something. I'm also leaving town after the summer, anyway, ya know?”

A cricket (or a grasshopper, or something) chirps away in the lukewarm night, and a thin layer of sweat starts to form on Dean’s skin.

“I guess we can't make any promises, now, can we?"

"Guess not…”

“But…” Castiel starts and Dean drags his eyes down to look back at him, “I can make you another drink?" he offers, shaking his own empty glass.

"Sure. Why not."

Summary:

After a perfect summer together and thinking they'll never see each other again, Dean and Cas run into each other at school.

The only problem?

Cas (25) is a teacher and Dean (20), a student. Oh, and Cas' dad is the school principal. What could possibly go wrong.

And can they make it right?

Spotify Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/somuchforsummerlove

Tags: Sumer Love, Private School, Secret Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teacher Castiel, Student Dean, BUT THEY'RE BOTH CONSENTING ADULTS OK???, Based on Taylor Swift Songs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Falling In Love, Breaking Up & Making Up, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Gay Castiel, Military Veteran Castiel

READ ON AO3

[plotbunniesattack]

Not Okay

Dear Diary,

Go fuck yourself. Just kidding. I don't know what to write in this stupid thing...

My name is Castiel Novak. I’m a pretty average 16-year-old white dude, and if I'm being perfectly honest- I’m 100% okay with that.

My family relocated to Kansas, two years ago, abandoning city life for corn as far as the eye can see… My dad always liked to move around a lot. He was a writer, but he’d get really jittery if we ever settled down somewhere long enough to get too much mail.

Ms Barnes, the school psychologist, thinks keeping a diary will help me get better at controlling my moods. Ever since my dad died last year, I can't seem to keep my temper under control. I mean, I try to, like all the time- I try. But anger always seems to find me at the most inopportune moments, despite any of my attempts- even when everyone else around is just chilling out, minding their own business or whatever.

My best friend, Dean, is a total badass. Normally, I don't think he would have chosen me as a friend, but we met in the principal's office on a serendipitously awful Monday morning when we were both under duress. I was late that day because… I sometimes just lose giant chunks of time. And while this is understandably inconvenient for scheduled activities such as high school, it's how I’ve always been, so I’m less than motivated to ‌change.

Dean was late too, but for him it was because he’d gotten into some kind of mysterious altercation. He had noticeably purple bruising all down his left side. Although the bodily trauma was only visible around his chin, based on how he was standing there- shoulders angled and kind of cradling himself, it was obvious that his discomfort was more centrally located somewhere under his clothes.

To this day I’m not sure which was more painful- me bearing witness to the extent of Dean’s unexplainable injuries or the unpleasantness of overhearing a teacher berate a student over something so clearly beyond their own control. In the hallway afterwards, I cried from seeing him cry and we sort of had a moment.

Then later on Dean was with me the day I found out about my dad- He hugged me real tight, and then kept holding onto me when I couldn't manage to stop myself from getting low key hysterical. Other guys probably would have gotten weirded out by all of my emotions- but not Dean. Anyway, since then, he always seems to know how to keep me laughing even when all I want to do is fade out of existence.

***

My mom works at a diner, so Dean, and I usually hang out there after school. His younger brother is friends with mine and they do homework there together sometimes. Dean and I mostly talk about horror movies, stupid comic books and whatever's been on TV. His dad is a raging alcoholic, but I think it helps Dean to have someplace safe to be when he doesn't know what he’ll find at home. From what both he and Sam had already let slip in the car on the ride from school, today seemed like more of the same.

“So she walks into the garage to pay and I'm like, ‘Hey, I'm Dean, I think we go to the same school?’” Dean says, around an overfull mouth of fries.

“Wait, this is Lisa...Braeden?” I ask, feeling suddenly panicked.

I guess I must've zoned out because I was definitely clueless ‌how our once easy going conversation had abruptly morphed onto the topic of girls.

“Yeah, she’s on the cheer squad and get this, she asked me to homecoming.”

“Wait, and... and you accepted?”

“Yep!” Dean said, over articulating the ‘P’ sound before licking his lips and winking suggestively.

Over the summer, Dean had traded in the last of his boyish puppy fat for endlessly toned muscles and several new inches of height. So it wasn't a huge surprise that people, like busty pom-poms for brains, Lisa Braeden, were going to take notice, eventually.

“So, are you guys, like, together now or something?” I asked, trying to sound innocent.

“I mean, we haven't put a label on it yet, but… I really like her, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Sure- yeah, I get it.” I said unsuccessfully, trying to hide my awkwardness and general disgust with the subject.

“Could you just give her a chance, Cas? Anyway, there's gotta be someone at school that you like, too, right?”

“I don't know. I haven't really thought about it.” I said honestly.

“Well, think about it dude, then we could all go to homecoming together, like an awesome double date thing.”

‘An awesome double date thing’? Who the fuck was this guy sitting across from me and what the hell has he done with the real Dean Winchester? My mind began to spiral then, and I didn't even notice until the lady of the hour herself was flinging her arms around Dean’s shoulders, having invited herself into our booth.

“Hey, babe.” Dean said in a sappy voice that I was wholly unfamiliar with.

“Hey! Sorry I'm late, cheer practice ran overtime today.” Lisa said, running her fingers lustfully through Dean’s hair while ignoring me completely.

“No worries, it's all good, babe.” Dean said again with the stupid voice before kissing Lisa on the cheek for a little bit too long.

Fortunately, they were able to stop themselves and remember that I was still there long enough to stave off my gag reflex, even if only temporarily.

“Hey, there Cas.” Lisa says like we were all good friends.

I nodded back at her because it was the polite, socially acceptable thing to do. All the while ignoring how my insides felt heavy with a steadily growing sensation of white hot rage.

“Hey, I've got some cash. You want a burger or something, Lisa?” Dean asked, effectively ending my angry trance.

“Yeah, sure, that would be awesome, babe. Thanks,” Lisa said blowing Dean stupid air kisses as he walked away from us to get food.

“Dean’s so great, isn't he?” Lisa said, adjusting her cleavage absentmindedly.

“Hey, like, don’t take this the wrong way, Cas, but do you ever smile?”

Jesus fucking Christ, who does Lisa think she is? ‘Do you ever smile’ what kind of archaic bullshit question is that? What kind of person can’t read the room and take a freaking hint! I wish she would just stop talking and wipe that smug ass smile off her perfect, stupid face.

“Not today, I guess.”

Just then, as Dean returned with a full tray of food, Lisa’s nose spontaneously gushed red and then there was blood everywhere.

“Oh, fuck.” Lisa says, grabbing her nose.

“Are you okay?” Dean says, handing Lisa a mass of napkins while also looking like a scared baby deer caught in oncoming headlights.

“Yeah, fine. Give me a minute, okay. I probably just hit my head during cheer practice or something?”

Shockingly, Lisa’s impromptu nose hemorrhage ended our food adjacent gathering. Dean offered to drive Lisa home, she accepted and before I could blink I was all alone again.

***

Dear Diary,

Today, I almost convinced myself that I made Lisa Braeden's nose bleed with my mind. What the fuck is even wrong with me? I seriously need to chill the hell out because I am definitely not losing my best friend just because he’s dating a cheerleader. I'm happy for Dean, he only deserves good things and if dating Lisa Braeden makes him happy, then I guess I’ll just find a way to be okay with it…

My walk back home wasn't nearly as eventful as what had transpired at the diner, but I was grateful for the quiet contemplation time all the same.

“Oh, hey there, Cas!” said a voice behind me.

Looking up from my thoughts, I found myself face to face with Charlie Bradbury.

“Umm, hey.” I said.

Charlie is about the same age as me and lives a couple of houses away on the same street. Her parents had been homeschooling right up until the beginning of the current school year, when her mom dramatically served her dad with divorce papers. After a brief hostage situation and intervention from several local police officers, Charlie’s dad agreed to surrender and, to the best of my knowledge, hadn't been back since.

The cool thing about Charlie is that despite our whole town knowing everything about the sensitive inner workings of her home situation, she has somehow remained the master of zero fucks. Whereas, comparatively, I overthink everything and default towards feeling shitty about myself most of the time.

“Can I walk with you?” Charlie asked, reaching behind her head to twist her fiercely red hair into a flawless bun.

“Sure. Why not?” I said, because really, why the fuck not.

We walk quietly for a couple paces as I wrack my brain for something- anything cool to say and come up with nothing. Just as it hits me how horribly lame, boring and unprepared for basic everyday shit like conversations I am, Charlie saves the day with random small talk.

“Uh... so, Louden Swain, am I right?”

Tilting my head to gawk at her, my cluelessness becoming palatable until Charlie explains herself without needing to be prompted.

“Louden Swain. Do you like their music?” Charlie asks.

“That's a... terrible name for a band.” I say without stopping to think about how potentially offensive I sound.

“Nah. It's kind of perfect, actually.” Charlie says.

She pauses walking and stares up at me point blank, like she’s searching my soul for something that I already know doesn't exist.

“Well, I have 'em on vinyl... limited edition, if you wanna... come over, and we can listen sometime.”

Oh, wow, is this what it feels like to be asked out on a date?

“Also, we could get high.” Charlie adds with a smile.

“Uh yeah, maybe.” I say, already sensing an unwelcome warmth flushing my face as panic gathers beneath my ribs simultaneously .

“I mean, you don't have to. We just live so close to each other, and we've never really hung out before.”

“Uh, no… we haven't hung out together. But um, we totally should. Do that.” I say in the most convoluted way possible. But it ends up being okay because Charlie smiles at me again. Then she nods like she actually understands whatever the hell I was babbling about and casually heads back home, sparing me any additional embarrassment.

***

Home has been pretty stressful lately because Mom and I haven't been getting along at all. Without fail, every interaction between us has become increasingly frustrating, so I don’t know why I always expect things to somehow magically change by themselves.

“Castiel, is that you?” Mom asks as I shut our front door, and I'm already aware of all the unspoken tensions in her voice.

“Nope. I’m a serial killer. Good thing you asked.”

“That’s hilarious, Castiel- Hey. So apparently, Karen's dog got run over and she had to go to an emergency vet. I'm going to pick up her shift tonight, which is fine 'cause I owe her two shifts from the time Gabriel ate all that candy.” Mom says in a hurried breath while also revisiting that time I’d accidentally given my brother so much sugar that he’d made himself sick.

“Well, thanks for telling me your life story, Mom.” I say, struggling to conceal all of my angst beneath countless layers of curated teenage snark.

“No. Wait, come back here. I'm not done yet, Castiel! You need to promise me ‌ you'll make sure Gabe does his homework and gets dinner?”

“Isn't he old enough to get himself dinner?” I say, feeling anger rise into my throat and threaten everything.

“Castiel, could you please, just this once, help me out without questioning every little thing?” Mom says as though she is baiting me and offering me an out at the same time.

“Yes, fine, whatever you want.”

***

Dear Diary,

I think mom and I could sit in silence for the rest of our lives, and she'd still find a way to annoy the living crap out of me. The thing about mom is that she’s really good at being a total bitch sometimes. It comes on with no warning at all and I never get the feeling, at least as it concerns me, that she’s even trying all that hard on her end to stop it.

Dad would have without a doubt understood me better than mom does. But since he went and hung himself, I guess I'm on my own now. Frequently, I wonder why he did it, and why we never talk about it… and what the hell is going on with me. Why sometimes I feel like I'm boiling inside. Maybe this is all just me being way more fucked up than either mom or dad could have ever imagined…

[thekingslover]

Cas has a crush on the bad boy who shows up late for class. Dean Winchester, the one with the leather jacket and smart mouth, who Cas’s ultra-conservative parents would absolutely detest.

Cas waits for the end of class before he approaches Dean. He’s in the back of the room with his feet kicked up on top of the desk. He’s smirking at the teacher. The teacher is glaring at him.

Cas steps in front of Dean’s desk, directly into their staring match. Dean slow blinks, then looks up at Cas through long lashes. His smirk softens into a wider smile, though is no less devilish, like he’d eat Cas up if he let him.

And, well, Cas intends to let him.

“I have a proposition,” Cas says.

Dean’s eyes widen marginally, before cool indifference slides back on. Cas saw it though. He knows the good boy persona he has. He cultivates it.

“I’m listening,” Dean says.

“My parents pissed me off.” Cas crosses his arms. He lets his gaze trail down the length of Dean’s body all the way to his boots, then back up again, taking his time.  “I want to get back at them.”

Dean visibly swallows. “Where do I fit in?”

Cas plucks a piece of fuzz from the cuff of his sweater, pretending like he couldn’t care either way if Dean agrees, like he hasn’t been dying to kiss those plump lips since Dean transferred here at the beginning of the school year.

“You. Me. Making out in your car in my driveway.” Cas looks at Dean again, who does little to hide the surprise on his face now. “Are you willing?”

Dean nods.

“Good. Drive me home after school.” Cas turns and heads for the door. On the way, the teacher stops him.

“You steer clear of that boy, Castiel,” the teacher says. “He might corrupt you.”

“Who’s corrupting who?” Dean asks later, between hasty, sloppy kisses. Cas clutches Dean’s jacket, tugging roughly, dragging him closer. They’re out front of Cas’s house, in the driveway. One of Dean’s hands is on Cas’s hip. The other is on the back of the seat, holding himself upright. Barely.

“You aren’t going to crush me,” Cas says. He touches Dean’s wrist, and coaxes that hand towards Cas’s face. Dean cups his cheek. His thumb brushes over Cas’s cheekbone with a soft, feather light touch. Too tender for the moment they are in, but somehow perfect.

“Dean,” Cas whispers, once they’ve been out there for a while, kissing and holding each other. The sun’s going down. There’s no sign of Cas’s parents, but then Cas had always known there wouldn’t be. “I have a confession.”

“Hm.” Dean’s on top of him, ear to Cas’s chest. They kissed until their lips hurt then rested like this. This closeness - this warmth - is just as nice as the kissing. Cas wishes, however fool-hearty, that he could stay in this moment forever.

“My parents are out of town,” Cas says.

“They...” Dean lifts his head. “Huh?”

Cas, who admittedly approached this whole idea rather shamelessly, feels sheepish now. He glances away as his cheeks burn. “I... I wanted to give you an adventure.”

Dean snorts. “You wanted to make out with me.”

Okay, yes. “I won’t deny that. But... I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

Cas’s brow draws together. “Don’t you feel... put upon?”

“Cas,” Dean says. He glances away now too. “I could tell that house was empty as soon as we got here.”

Cas blinks. He brings out an accusatory finger. “You wanted to make out with me too.”

Dean shrugs. “Hell yeah.”

Cas nods. Okay. He can work with this. “Maybe we should try again another night.”

“Or,” Dean says. “You could just be my boyfriend. Seems simpler. Plus, your parents would probably hate it more if I was around all the time.”

“That makes sense,” Cas says. He pretends to think. “Yes, we should do that.”

“Great,” Dean says, and they seal it with another kiss or ten.

[babygirlwolverine]

high school!deancas would have snuck around and kissed next to vending machines and tucked around the corner of lockers and outside classroom doors and out in the parking lot against the impala when everyone else was eating lunch or already in class

[altuhighschool]

Theater Nerd!Dean & Endverse!Cas

[wormstacheangel]

Quick high school!AU idea cause thats on my dash right now.

Dean is a jock lol yeah he is. He’s a jock cause he needs the scholarship money for college, which is why a lot of teens go into sports btw so it makes sense for him to do that. He is charismatic and charming by nature so he is popular. He is the ‘everybody’s friend’ type of person who everyone feels comfortable saying hi too. He’s smart and gets good grades. Teachers also love him but he’s not an asshole. He’s patient and tutors when he can but doesn’t let anybody copy his homework. He is a great flirt but he never dates because of his home life and he is always too busy, also sometimes gay panic. He enjoys hanging out with his friends doing absolutely nothing while they walk around or go to eat somewhere. He got in a fight once with a rival team before a game and got benched for it. He had to chew on his cheek to not let tears fall because he was forced to watch his team lose. 

Cas is the nerd, yes I am using the cliché things cause that’s what is fun about these hs!au’s, he’s not rich cause he’s in public school duh. But he is well off and doesn’t have a lot of friends but he has a tight small circle of them. He is in clubs, track, and on weekends he has a job because he is saving money for college. Hopefully one that is far away. He’s the quiet type but his friends think he’s funny and he has a lot of classmate friends along with close friends. He likes to mutter how stupid things are and get’s detention a lot for falling asleep in class. Sometimes he ditches and hides out somewhere to take a nap. Very impatient and short tempered and almost get’s into fights cause he always just says the first thing that pops out of his head.

Both of them always make it to each other’s home games cause Cas’s were always in the morning and Dean’s were in the afternoon. 

Both Dean and Cas meet cause they are close to their english teacher, true queer experience, and sometimes hide from their responsibilities inside that classroom where their teacher lets them just hang out. Both of them have early dismissal senior year but never go home instead they hang around the school where Cas would take Dean to the library so they could finish their homework because they don’t have a lot of time to do it any other time. Neither of them come out until summer after graduation when they both decided they are going to the same college and want to be roommates. 

[adsdragonlover]

destiel prompt: meet cute at an aquarium

Ask and you shall receive

Destiel Human!AU Aquarium meet cute

900 ish words

Tags: fluff, meet cute, a tiny dash of angst, high school (kinda?) they graduated. They do be baby adults at this point, random octopus facts

Will eventually be posted to my AO3 account

“Dean! Dean look!” Sam exclaimed, dragging Dean by the hand to the seahorses.

His brother’s eyes were wide in excitement. Dean smiled but rolled his eyes. What a nerd. “Dean did you know that seahorses- that they mate for life?” Sam breathed excitedly.

Dean sighed. “No, Sammy, I didn’t know that.”

“Can you imagine?” Sam whispered dreamily.

“Oh Jesus fucking Christ,” Dean muttered under his breath.

“A seahorse? Finding another seahorse? And then making it work?”

Dean sighed. “You’ve been reading too many YA romances, Sam.”

Sam wrinkled his nose. “You’re a jerk, Dean.”

Dean laughed. “Says the bitch,” he teased. “What else do you know about seahorses?”

Sam perked up. “Seahorses are actually the slowest fish in the sea. They can actually die during storms, cause they can’t swim fast enough and will eventually die of exhaustion.”

Dean made a face. “Fun.”

Sam groaned and turned around. His gaze landed on the octopus tank and he lit up, dragging Dean towards it. “Look Dean! Octopi!”

Dean followed dutifully, rolling his eyes internally. “Yeah, Sam. Octopi are cool.”

“Um, actually,” said a deep voice to the side.

Dean turned to look and holy shit. It was a boy, about Dean’s age. He was a little shorter than Dean, with messy black hair, very light stubble, and big blue eyes that looked both tired and excited. He was dressed in the aquarium worker uniform and he was really fucking cute. There was also something kind of familiar about him, but Dean couldn’t place it.

“It’s actually ‘octopuses’,” the boy, Castiel, according to his name tag, said. “That’s because the word ‘octopus’ is actually based on the Greek word ‘octopous’, and because it’s Greek, not Latin, the plural isn’t octopi.”

“Wow,” Sam said, impressed.

Dean didn’t know why either of them cared, but the boy was really cute so whatever. “Yeah, I knew that.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow, and well, now Dean was screwed. His pride was on the line here, and he had to impress him. “So you know a lot about octopuses?” Castiel asked Dean.

Sam grinned, the bitch. “Oh yeah. Dean knows tons about octopuses, don’t you, Dean?”

Traitor, Dean thought bitterly. But he grinned anyway and nodded. “Yep. A lot.”

“Alright,” Cas said. “How long do octopuses usually live?”

Dean’s grin faltered for a moment. “Not super long,” he said, completely bullshiting and hoping he’d be right.

Castiel smirked. It was hot. “Technically true.”

“Very specific,” Sam said with a shit-eating grin.

“Shut up,” Dean hissed.

“What does the term autophagy refer to in octopuses?”

“Uhh,” Dean said eloquently. “It’s when octopuses know how to drive cars,” he responded dumbly, thinking of Finding Dory.

Castiel laughed, and Dean’s grin returned. He had a really pretty laugh.

“You’re drooling,” Sam murmured.

Dean was going to strangle him.

“Actually,” Castiel said, “autophagy is when an octopus eats one of its own arms in boredom.”

Sam and Dean stared at him.

“Cool!” Came Sam’s response.

“What the actual fuck?”

“Additionally, you don’t need to lie about octopus knowledge to impress me, Dean.”

Dean blinked. “How did you know my name?”

Castiel’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Well if I hadn’t already known your name, your brother Sam saying it would’ve given it away.”

Dean’s own eyes widened. “How did you know Sam’s name?”

Castiel’s expression turned to one that was almost wounded. “Dean,” he said slowly. “Sam, your car, and your music are all you ever talk about.” Dean blinked, still confused. “We went to the same high school for four years. I just graduated with you. We had homeroom together in sophomore and senior year. We had English together all four years of high school, and I’m pretty sure you copied off one of my tests in biology freshman year.”

Dean’s mouth went dry. “Seriously?”

The wounded expression worsened. “I know I didn’t talk much in high school, but I didn’t think I was that forgettable.”

Dean blanched. “What? No, you’re not,” he said quickly. “I swear to god, I definitely would’ve remembered someone as pretty as you.”

Castiel looked like he wasn’t sure how to respond to that. But his face went red and eventually he managed to respond with “You think I’m pretty?”

Now it was Dean’s turn to blush. “I- uh.”

“Oh he totally does,” Sam butted in.

Dean glared at him before looking back to Castiel. “Yeah, uh. I do, and I did kind of recognize you, when I saw you. I just wasn’t sure why you looked familiar.”

Castiel’s expression softened somewhat. “It’s probably the facial hair.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, probably.” He paused. “Sorry. I feel like a jackass now, but uh- you are really attractive. And super smart about octopi- octopuses.” His face was burning but he pushed through. “When do you get off?”

Castiel’s blush darkened. “Are you trying to ask me out, Dean?”

Dean grinned sheepishly. “Yeah? If you want to, Cas.”

Cas smiled. “I’d love to. I’ve actually been crushing on you since freshman year.”

Dean’s grin shifted into a more natural one. “Oh really?”

Cas laughed. “Yes, Dean. I get off in about an hour.” Cas smiled at him, and Dean felt butterflies in his stomach. “In the meantime, let me give the Winchester brothers a guided tour.”

Sam cheered and winked at Dean.

And if he and Cas held hands during the second part of the tour, well that was their business. Sam didn’t comment on it.

I take requests! Just shoot me an ask!

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@fanguuuuuurl @dreamnovak @rambleoncas @bluebell-24 @destielfactory @tearsofgrace

[astralisworld]

“ ‘Cause we were just kids when we fell in love, not knowing what it was.” 💙💚

Destiel High School!AU because why not?? (*˘︶˘*).｡*♡

[stillwinchester]

Now, stickers are available on my etsy!

[im-some-lionheart]

Just updated my Summer Love-turned-Teacher/student Destiel AU set to Taylor Swift songs, in case you want to check it out 👇🏻

(they're both consenting adults before you ask)

Playlist: on Spotify

Summary:

“Dean exhales loudly through his nose, looking up at the night sky that seems to fascinate Cas so much.

“So. Two months and you’re gone?”

“Yeah… Sorry I can’t offer you more than that.”

“Nah, it’s okay, man. It’s actually like… meant to be or something. I'm also leaving town after the summer, anyway, ya know?”

A cricket (or a grasshopper, or something) chirps away in the lukewarm night, and a thin layer of sweat starts to form on Dean’s skin.

“I guess we can't make any promises, now, can we?"

"Guess not…”

“But…” Castiel starts and Dean drags his eyes down to look back at him, “I can make you another drink?" he offers, shaking his own empty glass.

"Sure. Why not."

-----

After a perfect summer together and thinking they'll never see each other again, Dean and Cas run into each other at school. The only problem?

Cas (25) is a teacher and Dean (20), a student. Oh, and Cas' dad is the school principal. What could possibly go wrong.

And can they make it right?”