It's Sad to Eat Pie Alone

Eleven

Cas slept through the whole rest of the afternoon, and he woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Dean talking on the phone.

"Yes, Dad. Yes, I'm coming home for Thanksgiving. I know, Dad. Sam's fine, he's with you. I wanted to come to college, Dad, why can't you just be happy for me?" Dean was starting to sound choked up. He sighed and continued talking, but Cas wasn't paying much attention. He was to busy trying to puzzle through what he'd just heard. After a few more seconds, Dean hung up the phone and turned around. Cas shut his eyes quickly, he doubted Dean would be happy if he saw that Cas was awake. He heard Dean step forward and sit at his desk.

"God, why is my life so damn complicated, Novak? Why do I feel like I can only really talk to you when you're asleep? All you do is listen anyway. Maybe that's why I feel like I can talk to you at all. You know, some days I can hardly think, knowing Sammy's alone with that bastard. I hate it. Sometimes I wish I'd never come to college. It was so selfish. Leaving Sam alone... I'll never forgive myself for that. Do you know what that feels like, Novak? Has any of your family made you regret coming to college?" Cas was almost crying by now. Dean continued to talk to Cas for a long time, and Cas eventually fell back asleep to the sound of Dean's voice.

Cas tried to act normal over the next few days, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had heard. He felt like he had trespassed somehow. He was starting to wonder how he had ended up in the middle of so much drama. He had just wanted to come to college, go to his classes, avoid the other students, and get out as fast as possible. But then all of a sudden his roommate was Dean Winchester and that plan turned upside down. Cas had friends, he went out and did things. It was kind of exciting.

"Okay, tonight, my friends, I have an amazing event," Charlie said one day at lunch.

"This is either really good or really bad," Meg said.

"It's really good! It's karaoke!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Really, Charlie?" Abbadon rolled her eyes.

"It's a party! Lots of people are going to be there, there's just karaoke involved! Cas, you're coming, right?" Charlie begged.

"I... Maybe," Cas said.

"Oh please, you're coming. Dean's going to be there, if anyone can convince you, it's him," Charlie said, winking. Cas tried not to blush, but he wasn't sure if it worked.

Charlie turned out to be right, Dean was able to convince Cas to come, and they very much enjoyed making fun of everyone who sang.

"He sounds like a whale trying to sing opera," Dean said about one guy.

"Does she even know what a tune is?" Charlie said about another. Cas didn't criticize anyone himself, but he enjoyed listening to everyone else complain. Then Dean had to go and mess it up.

"What about you, Novak? I've heard you sing in the shower a lot, you're not that bad," Dean said. Cas blushed and shook his head.

"I... Don't think so, Dean, I'm not that good," he said. Dean snorted.

"Oh please, you're great, you should sing," he said. Cas shook his head again, looking down at the untouched beer Dean had given him when they first got there.

"Come on, Cas, I wanna hear you sing now," Charlie said, looking interested.

"I'm not going to," Cas said, looking scared.

"Come on," Dean said, grabbing Cas' arm and pulling him towards the stage. Cas stumbled after him, distracted by Dean's touch.

"I don't want to do this, Dean," he stammered.

"Relax, you're a great singer!" Dean said, "Now, which one do you want to sing?"

Cas picked the only one of the five songs Dean was pointing to that he'd ever heard before - Eye of the Tiger by Foreigner.

"Do I have to do this, Dean?" He asked.

"Aw, c'mon, Novak!" Dean exclaimed. Cas reluctantly walked up onto the stage, very aware of everyone's eyes watching him, but mostly aware of Dean's. The song started, and he tried to sing, but it came out as a strangled squeak. Everyone laughed and Cas blushed, embarrassed. He tried to keep singing, but he couldn't make his voice work, not in front of this many people. Everyone was laughing, laughing at him. Tears filled his eyes and he rushed off the stage before the song was done.

"Hey Novak, what's wrong?" Dean asked as Cas rushed by him and sat down in his seat again, his face beet red.

"I would very much appreciate it if you never made me do that again," Cas mumbled, staring at his beer again.

"It's okay, Cas, no one really cares. And it wasn't that bad anyway," Charlie said. Cas shrugged. He didn't speak for the rest of the night.