Fic: A Long Time Coming
Title: A Long Time Coming
Author: discreetmath
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 1500
Summary: Dean and Cas have been friends for as long as they can remember. It might be the slowest love story in history.
A/N: Betaed by haughtymelodic. Written for lizzstomania's word prompt for a Dean/Cas AU. I picked the words "apple" and "barbecue."
Disclaimer: Characters and anything else recognizable do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them.
The first time Castiel kissed Dean Winchester, he was eight years old.
The Novaks, along with several other neighborhood families, were in the Winchesters' backyard for their twice-monthly barbecue. Castiel's family had only lived in Lawrence for a few months, but they'd been welcomed by their neighbors almost immediately. It was that sort of neighborhood. Gabriel had started looking bored a few minutes before, and Castiel had no desire to be the target of his pranks, so he'd waited until no one was paying attention before going around to the side of the house. He sat down in the grass to wait for Dean to get home from practice.
He was very intently watching a ladybug make its way up a long blade of grass when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Dean in his Little League uniform, squinting down at Castiel from under the brim of his hat.
"Whatcha doing hiding over here, Cas?" Dean asked. Castiel blushed.
"I was waiting for you. Gabriel was being a jerk, and I don't really know anyone else here besides Sam, and he's taking a nap."
"Well, I'm here now, so come on. No more hiding, dude." At ten years old, Dean was way cooler than Castiel, so he was usually content just to go along with him. He grabbed Dean's outstretched hand and let the other boy pull him to his feet. His stomach growled loudly, and he ducked his head at Dean's laugh.
"Why haven't you eaten? You didn't have to wait for me, you know."
"I know, but…" Cas trailed off, staring at the ground.
"Come on, Cas, spit it out," Dean prodded.
"I'm a vegetarian now," Castiel said, his shoulders stiff, "I decided I don't want to eat animals anymore." He was ready for Dean to mock him like his sister Anna had, or roll his eyes like his parents had.
For some reason, Dean was the first person he'd met who didn't think he was weird -- or if he did, he didn't seem to mind -- but Castiel knew that couldn't last forever. Surprisingly, Dean just looked confused for a minute before nodding his head firmly.
"Wait right here," he said, putting his hands on Castiel's shoulders to make his point, then he took off running into the house. Castiel felt kind of dumb just standing in one spot in the yard, but Dean had asked. He'd stand there all afternoon if he had to. Luckily, it was only a minute or two before Dean came clattering back down the back steps, one hand tucked behind his back. When he reached Castiel, he thrust his hand out to reveal a large green apple.
"I know it's not much, but I figured you were pretty hungry and we can always try to find something else later."
Castiel stared at Dean for a long moment. He suddenly remembered the one time he'd caught his older brother Gabriel kissing somebody. He hadn't understood why he would do it, but Gabriel had explained it was what you did when you really, really liked somebody. He told Castiel that he'd just know when it was time. Back then, Castiel hadn't believed that would ever happen. But looking at Dean, with his big heart and his tough attitude, Dean who had befriended him immediately and without question when he'd moved to the neighborhood two months ago… he got it.
He leaned forward before he could think too much about it and pressed his lips to Dean's. He wasn't quite sure what to do, so they stood their with their lips touching for a few seconds. Dean put his hand on Castiel's shoulder, squeezing it once, before pulling away and looking at Castiel with wide eyes.
Then he grinned, and so did Castiel. When Dean's mom called him to go help clean up a few minutes later, they were still smiling.
---
By the time he graduates high school, Cas is extremely frustrated. It should be an exciting time, but he's so relieved to be finished with finals and college interviews that he just feels tired. And that tiredness only feeds his annoyance with Dean.
Dean and Cas have been best friends since the Novaks moved to Lawrence ten years ago. It's a widely-accepted fact that the two of them are a package deal, so they've shared the same group of friends since elementary school. Even the people who would normally bully someone like Cas know to back off unless they want to get on Dean's bad side, and nobody really wants to do that.
So with all of that in mind, it hurts even more that Dean has barely spoken to Cas in months. Between his job at Singer's Garage and how hard he's been working to finish his two-year program at the local community college, it makes sense that he'd be busy. But Cas has known him long enough to know what it looks like when Dean avoids somebody, and every attempt to have more than a brief conversation with him has been rebuffed.
He's fed up, which is why he's currently on the Winchesters' front porch, being waved inside by Sam. He's apparently not the only person who thinks Dean's behavior has been odd lately, because Sam had been more than willing to help Cas corner him in his own house. Sam also thinks that Cas has been in love with Dean since they were kids, though, so you can't really trust his opinion on anything.
Denial has been a good friend to Cas over the past decade.
After being let inside, he quietly makes his way up the stairs and down the hall. When he reaches Dean's room, he raises his hand to knock before thinking better of it and pushing the door open slowly. Dean is reclining on the bed, biting his lip and frowning down at his book. Cas leans over a bit to see the cover, ah, Breakfast of Champions again, and that's when Dean sees him. He slams the book shut and sits up quickly.
"What the hell, Cas? Don't you know how to knock? Who let you in here, anyway?"
"Hello, Dean. Nice to see you too," Cas snaps. Dean just scowls and crosses his arms, so Cas presses on. "I figured the only way to find out what was going on with you was to get you somewhere that you couldn't run away."
"I don't know what you're talking about, man," Dean says, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in a show of practiced nonchalance.
"Oh, don't you? So, I'm the only one who's noticed that we haven't had an actual conversation in months, and we've hardly spent any time together all year?" Cas is raising his voice, but he can't help it. These past few months have been harder than he likes to admit.
"Look, dude. I'm sorry if you can't handle it, but people grow up," Dean grits out. "They move on. I can't be hanging out with the neighbor kid forever. I'm twenty goddamn years old, I think it's time to make some new friends."
The words sting, but Cas isn't done. He knows that Dean does this, that he's at his meanest when trying to deflect attention from himself.
"Why don't you stop acting like a pussy," and the word feels foreign in his mouth but the shocked look on Dean's face makes it worth it, "and tell me what your problem really is?"
"What's the goddamn point, Cas?" Dean explodes, and though Cas flinches he knows he's got him. "Why bother talking about anything? My mom told me you got accepted to the University of fucking Chicago, so I think it's pretty obvious that you don't actually give a shit."
Cas opens his mouth to interrupt, but Dean raises a hand to stop him.
"I just figured it would be easier to deal with this now than to have to watch you take off and forget about me in August, okay?" Dean still sounds mad, but he's gotten quieter and his shoulders are slumped in defeat.
"Dean Winchester, you are the biggest idiot I have ever met."
Dean jerks his head back.
"All right, Cas, no need to be a dick about it. Not all of us can get into fancy private colleges."
Castiel makes a frustrated noise and shakes his head.
"No, Dean. You're an idiot because I've been trying to have this conversation with you for months. I want to go to Chicago, but I don't want to go alone. You'll be done with your courses by then, and the credits should transfer, and Gabriel said he could get you an internship if you wanted, and…"
"Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?" There's a faint blush over Dean's cheeks, and he looks… hopeful, maybe?
Cas reaches forward, grabbing Dean's shoulders firmly.
"Come with me, Dean. I want you to come to Chicago. It's not worth going if you're not there."
The first time Dean kisses Castiel Novak, he's twenty years old. He doesn't know what took him so long.
Author: discreetmath
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 1500
Summary: Dean and Cas have been friends for as long as they can remember. It might be the slowest love story in history.
A/N: Betaed by haughtymelodic. Written for lizzstomania's word prompt for a Dean/Cas AU. I picked the words "apple" and "barbecue."
Disclaimer: Characters and anything else recognizable do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them.
The first time Castiel kissed Dean Winchester, he was eight years old.
The Novaks, along with several other neighborhood families, were in the Winchesters' backyard for their twice-monthly barbecue. Castiel's family had only lived in Lawrence for a few months, but they'd been welcomed by their neighbors almost immediately. It was that sort of neighborhood. Gabriel had started looking bored a few minutes before, and Castiel had no desire to be the target of his pranks, so he'd waited until no one was paying attention before going around to the side of the house. He sat down in the grass to wait for Dean to get home from practice.
He was very intently watching a ladybug make its way up a long blade of grass when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Dean in his Little League uniform, squinting down at Castiel from under the brim of his hat.
"Whatcha doing hiding over here, Cas?" Dean asked. Castiel blushed.
"I was waiting for you. Gabriel was being a jerk, and I don't really know anyone else here besides Sam, and he's taking a nap."
"Well, I'm here now, so come on. No more hiding, dude." At ten years old, Dean was way cooler than Castiel, so he was usually content just to go along with him. He grabbed Dean's outstretched hand and let the other boy pull him to his feet. His stomach growled loudly, and he ducked his head at Dean's laugh.
"Why haven't you eaten? You didn't have to wait for me, you know."
"I know, but…" Cas trailed off, staring at the ground.
"Come on, Cas, spit it out," Dean prodded.
"I'm a vegetarian now," Castiel said, his shoulders stiff, "I decided I don't want to eat animals anymore." He was ready for Dean to mock him like his sister Anna had, or roll his eyes like his parents had.
For some reason, Dean was the first person he'd met who didn't think he was weird -- or if he did, he didn't seem to mind -- but Castiel knew that couldn't last forever. Surprisingly, Dean just looked confused for a minute before nodding his head firmly.
"Wait right here," he said, putting his hands on Castiel's shoulders to make his point, then he took off running into the house. Castiel felt kind of dumb just standing in one spot in the yard, but Dean had asked. He'd stand there all afternoon if he had to. Luckily, it was only a minute or two before Dean came clattering back down the back steps, one hand tucked behind his back. When he reached Castiel, he thrust his hand out to reveal a large green apple.
"I know it's not much, but I figured you were pretty hungry and we can always try to find something else later."
Castiel stared at Dean for a long moment. He suddenly remembered the one time he'd caught his older brother Gabriel kissing somebody. He hadn't understood why he would do it, but Gabriel had explained it was what you did when you really, really liked somebody. He told Castiel that he'd just know when it was time. Back then, Castiel hadn't believed that would ever happen. But looking at Dean, with his big heart and his tough attitude, Dean who had befriended him immediately and without question when he'd moved to the neighborhood two months ago… he got it.
He leaned forward before he could think too much about it and pressed his lips to Dean's. He wasn't quite sure what to do, so they stood their with their lips touching for a few seconds. Dean put his hand on Castiel's shoulder, squeezing it once, before pulling away and looking at Castiel with wide eyes.
Then he grinned, and so did Castiel. When Dean's mom called him to go help clean up a few minutes later, they were still smiling.
---
By the time he graduates high school, Cas is extremely frustrated. It should be an exciting time, but he's so relieved to be finished with finals and college interviews that he just feels tired. And that tiredness only feeds his annoyance with Dean.
Dean and Cas have been best friends since the Novaks moved to Lawrence ten years ago. It's a widely-accepted fact that the two of them are a package deal, so they've shared the same group of friends since elementary school. Even the people who would normally bully someone like Cas know to back off unless they want to get on Dean's bad side, and nobody really wants to do that.
So with all of that in mind, it hurts even more that Dean has barely spoken to Cas in months. Between his job at Singer's Garage and how hard he's been working to finish his two-year program at the local community college, it makes sense that he'd be busy. But Cas has known him long enough to know what it looks like when Dean avoids somebody, and every attempt to have more than a brief conversation with him has been rebuffed.
He's fed up, which is why he's currently on the Winchesters' front porch, being waved inside by Sam. He's apparently not the only person who thinks Dean's behavior has been odd lately, because Sam had been more than willing to help Cas corner him in his own house. Sam also thinks that Cas has been in love with Dean since they were kids, though, so you can't really trust his opinion on anything.
Denial has been a good friend to Cas over the past decade.
After being let inside, he quietly makes his way up the stairs and down the hall. When he reaches Dean's room, he raises his hand to knock before thinking better of it and pushing the door open slowly. Dean is reclining on the bed, biting his lip and frowning down at his book. Cas leans over a bit to see the cover, ah, Breakfast of Champions again, and that's when Dean sees him. He slams the book shut and sits up quickly.
"What the hell, Cas? Don't you know how to knock? Who let you in here, anyway?"
"Hello, Dean. Nice to see you too," Cas snaps. Dean just scowls and crosses his arms, so Cas presses on. "I figured the only way to find out what was going on with you was to get you somewhere that you couldn't run away."
"I don't know what you're talking about, man," Dean says, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in a show of practiced nonchalance.
"Oh, don't you? So, I'm the only one who's noticed that we haven't had an actual conversation in months, and we've hardly spent any time together all year?" Cas is raising his voice, but he can't help it. These past few months have been harder than he likes to admit.
"Look, dude. I'm sorry if you can't handle it, but people grow up," Dean grits out. "They move on. I can't be hanging out with the neighbor kid forever. I'm twenty goddamn years old, I think it's time to make some new friends."
The words sting, but Cas isn't done. He knows that Dean does this, that he's at his meanest when trying to deflect attention from himself.
"Why don't you stop acting like a pussy," and the word feels foreign in his mouth but the shocked look on Dean's face makes it worth it, "and tell me what your problem really is?"
"What's the goddamn point, Cas?" Dean explodes, and though Cas flinches he knows he's got him. "Why bother talking about anything? My mom told me you got accepted to the University of fucking Chicago, so I think it's pretty obvious that you don't actually give a shit."
Cas opens his mouth to interrupt, but Dean raises a hand to stop him.
"I just figured it would be easier to deal with this now than to have to watch you take off and forget about me in August, okay?" Dean still sounds mad, but he's gotten quieter and his shoulders are slumped in defeat.
"Dean Winchester, you are the biggest idiot I have ever met."
Dean jerks his head back.
"All right, Cas, no need to be a dick about it. Not all of us can get into fancy private colleges."
Castiel makes a frustrated noise and shakes his head.
"No, Dean. You're an idiot because I've been trying to have this conversation with you for months. I want to go to Chicago, but I don't want to go alone. You'll be done with your courses by then, and the credits should transfer, and Gabriel said he could get you an internship if you wanted, and…"
"Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?" There's a faint blush over Dean's cheeks, and he looks… hopeful, maybe?
Cas reaches forward, grabbing Dean's shoulders firmly.
"Come with me, Dean. I want you to come to Chicago. It's not worth going if you're not there."
The first time Dean kisses Castiel Novak, he's twenty years old. He doesn't know what took him so long.