Too Young To Be In Love (Destiel Highschool Au)

i wanna cry, i wanna cry on your shoulder

Castiel sits at the dinner table with his family on one of those rare nights that they're all here together. The table is otherwise silent accept for the clinking of forks and plates, and the sound of aluminum cans landing on the wooden table every time someone takes a sip of their drink.

Castiel thinks the silence is awkward, if not rather suspicious compared to the usual chatter between his parents. He can tell his brothers notice it as well, giving each other weird glances and waiting for someone to speak up.

Finally, Balthazar decides to be the one to do so. "I can't stand this," he says, "Will somebody please say something?" The room stays quiet. "Anything!" More silence. "Cas," Balthazar turns to him. "You never talk. How's life?"

Castiel wishes he had taken his food to his bedroom when he'd had the idea. "Um, life is good, thanks for asking."

"Details, Cas! We want details!"

"Okay, well, Dean and I will have been dating for four months by Friday of next week," Castiel says, mentally slapping himself afterwards. Why couldn't the first thing that comes to his mind have been something about school?

"Really? What are you guys doing?" His mother asks, sounding interested. Over the span of three months she has grown way more tolerant and has even started asking about Dean more often.

"I've been planning something that I think he'll like. I was also going to ask him to prom which is in two weeks."

"Seriously! My little brother has a date to prom but not me!" Gabriel says, crossing his arms with a hmph.

Castiel was about to mention Sam but he figures if Gabe wanted the whole table to know about his boy crush, he would have said something himself. "I guess I'm just better looking."

"Yeah, your boyfriend makes that very clear."

"Don't worry, honey," their mother speaks again, "You'll find someone."

"It's in two weeks! I have no one."

"You'll always have me!"

"That's the nice way of telling me I'm going to die alone, isn't it."

Balthazar seems pleased to have initiated conversation, even if it meant Gabe being upset about his perpetual availability.

After dinner, Cas goes to his bedroom and starts studying for his exams. It's almost time for summer, which means he will have four exams to complete before school lets out.

At around midnight, Cas is practically falling asleep on top of his work when he hears the front door of his house open without a knock. A familiar voice exchanges hello's with his mother and then footsteps can be heard coming toward his room. The door opens and closes and without a word, Dean flops down face first on Castiel's bed.

"Dean?"

Dean heaves a long, muffled groan.

"Are you okay?" Cas asks tentatively, placing a shy hand in between Dean's shoulder blades.

Dean turns his head so he can breathe and is facing Cas. "No," he replies groggily.

Cas lies down next to him so that he can brush his fingers through Dean's hair while he talks. "You wanna talk about it?"

Dean sighs shakily. "My uncle is in a coma."

"Bobby?"

Dean nods his head and closes his eyes before wrapping his arms around Cas' waist and breathing heavily - as if trying not to cry - into his shoulder. "It's bad, Cas. He's in the hospital and they don't know if he'll make it." Dean's voice cracks and he stops talking to calm himself down, but not before a lone tear cascades down his cheek and soaks itself into Castiel's shirt.

"It'll be okay," Cas consoles, running his fingers gently along Dean's spine to calm him. "I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean sniffles. "I found out this morning and we went to see him today. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't make it. He's like a father to Sam and me."

Castiel isn't sure what to say, so he whispers reassuring words into his boyfriends ear and continues to rub soothing circles into his back until Dean falls asleep. Cas takes his shoes off for him and pulls the comforter over Dean's shoulders. He contemplates sleeping on the couch to give Dean the whole bed, but decides he might need more comfort when he wakes up.

At around three thirty in the morning, a disturbance in Dean's sleep wakes Castiel. He looks around the room with confusion, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He stares down at Dean, who continues to aggressively kick and groan in his sleep.

Suddenly, Dean jolts to life, almost giving Cas a heart attack. The moon light hits Dean's face in such a way that Castiel can now see streaks of moisture on his cheeks and thin bubbles of sweat collecting at his hairline.

Without speaking, Castiel wraps his arms strongly around Dean. Dean hugs him back and slows his breathing.

"Cas," he says, his voice unsteady and breaking. "I need you."

Castiel kisses Dean's temple sweetly. "I love you too," he whispers.