Castiel Novak, brother to Gabriel and Lucifer, is best friends with Dean Winchester. But, that's it: strictly best friends. However, the universe has another idea for them. When Castiel gets Dean as his soulmate, his world crashes into pieces. He hides it from Dean for two weeks: when Dean gets his own. What will happen?

•~•~•~•~•~•

*Castiel's POV*

"Hey, baby," Meg, my girlfriend, says sweetly, kissing my cheek before I could get in a reply.

"Hey, Meg," I reply, faking happiness.

It's quarter to midnight, the day before my birthday. There's 15 minutes until my soulmate engraving places itself on my wrist.

Ever since a couple days ago, my feelings for Meg have severely decreased. Just a couple days ago, I thought I couldn't love anyone as much as I do her. Then, out of the blue, I didn't see her in the same light. It was like she wasn't even my girlfriend, just my close friend.

I had absolutely no explanation for it, so I acted like nothing was wrong. The entire time we were together, I never once let her kiss me. I wanted to have my engraving before it happened, and Megan actually respected that. She settled for kissing my cheek, and I happily obliged.

It wasn't a surprise when she showed up at my doorstep just mere moments before now. Of course she'd want to be there when I get my engraving.

"Can I sit down?" She asks, gesturing to the spot next to me.

"Yeah, of course," I reply happily. As she takes the seat, I continue speaking. "Just warning you: Dean might be coming. I mean, I asked him earlier if he was going to come over. No reply. But he understands how important this is for me, so he'll probably show."

Meg groans. She never liked him. More importantly, she never liked when Dean and I hung out. Apparently, we would act like an in-the-closet couple. Whatever that means.

"Fine, but if he complains when my name shows up on your wrist and I finally kiss you, you're getting rid of him," she replies. I give her a look of disbelief. "For the night," she clarifies.

I laugh softly, nodding. "Fine, it's a deal."

Meg and I chat about random things as we wait for Dean to show up. When it's a minute till midnight, I come to the conclusion that Dean won't show up.

I sigh dejectedly. My wrist starts to glow softly, gaining my attention as well as Megan's. We watch silently as the glow shifts, spelling out incoherent letterings before depositing itself into my wrist. Slowly, black letters start to appear in the same spot.

My eyes blow wide as the name becomes permanently etched into my skin: Dean. I look at Meg with shock, confusion, and panic.

My breathing speeds up and I start to hyperventilate. I shut my eyes tightly, replaying the last few moments on repeat. Oh, god. She's probably so disappointed. She hates me. Well, this explains why I started losing feelings for her. But, Dean? There has to be a mistake.

No, Castiel. Engravings are never a mistake. My mind races, playing over every possible scenario of Dean finding out. And none of them were good. I mean, he's straight. We're both straight.

The only thing remotely un-straight about me is when my gaze lingers on Dean for a split second too long. The way his muscles are defined in those flannels he's always wearing. The way his legs fit in those perfect ass-fitting jeans. The – wait, what?!

I did not just think that! I've never looked at Dean's ass once! Well, maybe accidentally when we were in the locker room together. And when he was asking me what to wear for his first date. And – god dammit!

"Castiel!" Meg yells, snapping me out of my thoughts. My face is coddled between her palms, staring straight into her eyes. A sad, yet a bit annoyed, expression is engraved into her face. I take a deep breath before breathing heavily. Weakly, I pull out of her grasp and lay against the backboard of my bed. My eyelids are drooping, just threatening to close and let sleep envelop my entire being. "Oh, thank God you're okay."

I laugh breathily, giving her a weak smile. "I'm fine. For now, at least. Dean is going to kill me, that's for sure."

At the mention of him, she becomes tense. She spares a quick glance at my still-visible wrist before settling her gaze on me.

"He's you're soulmate, Castiel. He's bound to find out sometime," she reminds me.

I groan softly, shifting a bit to get comfy. "Don't remind me," I tell her. "I'm hoping this is just a bad, sick dream that I can forget as soon as I awake. Please, please tell me I'm sleeping. That none of this is real."

The crestfallen expression is all I need to supply me with an answer. I whine softly, glaring weakly at my wrist.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly. I give her a look of confusion. "For trying to deprive you of your soulmate."

I scoff indignantly. "Send me to hell, for all I care. I just don't want Dean to find out," I reply.

"His birthday is in two weeks. He's going to find out then," she replies softly.

I sigh, giving her a dejected look. Then, an idea pops into my head. "What if it's not my Dean, but another one?"

"What?" She asks incredulously. "That's absurd and you know it!"

"No, think about it!" I pester, suddenly gaining my energy back, but not enough to move. "Are either of us gay?! Well, me, I apparently have to be. Maybe I'm bi, who knows? But, Dean? He's as straight as they come. It'd only make sense if I was with someone else."

She seems to ponder this thought for a couple moments. Then, her lips quirk upwards slightly. "If you don't believe it's your Dean, then go ahead and tell him. You wouldn't have a problem with that, wouldn't you?"

I glare daggers at her. "Assbutt," I say sternly. She chuckles, grinning smugly. I sigh, averting my gaze to my bed. "Meg, you and I both know that Dean will suspect something is up tomorrow."

She reaches over, placing one of her hands atop of mine. "If you want, we can keep dating. That way, Dean won't know until you're ready."

I look up at her with shock and confusion. "Why would you help me? You thought we were soulmates," I point out.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just said you didn't think we're soulmates and answer your question," she says. I give her an apologetic look, which gains an empathetic response. "Besides being my boyfriend, you're my best friend. I still love and care for you, Castiel. Yes, I'm devastated that we're not soulmates, but I enjoyed the time I spent with you. Fake dating will help the both of us. It'll help me deal with my pain and keep Dean from realizing. It benefits the both of us."

I sigh, looking at her with affection. "You're too good for me," I say softly.

She laughs softly. "Listen, I'm gonna head home and get some sleep, but I'll pick you up for school tomorrow. Get whatever sleep you can."

Meg gets up from my bed, going to the door. She spares one last glance at me. "Bye, Meg," I whisper. She smiles weakly at me before disappearing from my field of view.

I groan in frustration. How the hell am I supposed to sleep?

•••

Turns out, I only got an hour of sleep. Like promised, Meg picked me up and drove to school. The entire morning, she never left my side. Right now, it's lunchtime.

Meg meets me at my locker, stopping me from going to the cafeteria. "Take these," she says, handing me a couple bracelets.

"Bracelets? Why?" I ask in confusion.

She groans in frustration, grabbing my wrist and covering the engraving with the bracelets. My heart clenches at the sight. It feels wrong to cover it up, but I ignore the feeling.

"So Dean won't see it," she whispers.

We walk to the cafeteria. We only make it halfway before Dean comes up to me, smiling. "Hey, Cass," he says happily.

Rage courses through my veins. I hate how I can't take my eyes off of him. How happy it makes me seeing him smile at me. How he acts like he didn't ditch me last night.

In a split second, I have him shoved against the lockers. My right arm pushes against his neck as I glare threateningly at him. Thankfully, the bracelets are covered by my trench coat.

"Don't 'hey, Cass' me, Dean," I say sternly. "How could you? You knew how important this was to me! You have no idea what I went through! You can't just pretend like everything's okay when it's not! Stay away from me!"

"Cassie!" Meg yells, gripping my shoulders and tugging. "Let go of him! Forget about it! Forget about him! Come on, let's just go!"

She tugs one more time. I let her pull me away from him. I take a shaky breath, tearing my gaze away from him. My thoughts overwhelm me again.

*Dean's POV*

I watch in horror as Castiel collapses onto the floor, crying in Megan's arms. His breathing is sped up and he's shaking. She whispers something into his ear that I can't quite make out. One of her hands rubs his back soothingly. Suddenly, she looks up and meets my gaze. I'm shocked at the deathly glare I'm met with.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Castiel repeats weakly, as if it's a mantra he can't get out of his head. Megan shushes him, leaning his head on her shoulder.

I take in the sight with bewilderment. What the hell did I miss? My phone buzzes, but I ignore it. Then an idea strikes. If Castiel is so upset about something, he surely would've texted me.

I pull my phone out quickly, screen lighting up. I freeze in place, not even seeing the messages. The date: January 10th, 2020. Oh, god. Everything clicks into place.

He's 18 today. He got his engraving last night and I wasn't there. He's right, I do know how much this meant to him. God dammit! I should've been there.

His words replay in my head. 'You have no idea what I went through! You can't just pretend like everything's okay when it's not!' What he went through? Nothing's okay? How the hell is that possible..?

No.

Meg isn't his soulmate? That's the only explanation why he wouldn't be okay. He's in literal tears about it and I wasn't there. I was supposed to be there for him. How the hell could I do this to him?

He's supposed to be my best friend and I couldn't remember the most important thing about him.

Suddenly, a memory from last night flashes in my mind. And it makes me feel 100x worse.

~ Flashback ~

My phone buzzes, so I pull away from Lisa. She whines in protest, making me chuckle. I look at the screen, seeing Castiel's text.

"Lis, I gotta go," I tell her. "It's Cass' birthday tomorrow and he's turning 18."

She whines kissing me again. I pull away, giving her a stern look. She huffs. "Do you really want to be there when Meg and him make out, then have sex? She's his soulmate, baby. You can be with him tomorrow. Hell, he'll thank you for not showing up."

I roll my eyes. "He wouldn't have sex with her, Lis. He's not like that," I tell her.

"Okay, still," she persists. "When her name shows up on his wrist, do you want to be the one to ruin their moment? Or do you want to stay with me and we can have our own moment."

A feel a small smile tug at my lips. Then I frown. "No, Lis, he's my best friend. I should be there," I tell her.

She whines, kissing me before pulling away and giving me puppy-dog eyes. "Please, baby? He'll be fine without you, I promise," she pleads.

I sigh, smiling a small bit before rolling my eyes. "Fine, you win. But if he's pissed at me, don't blame me for being mad at you," I reply.

"Like he could be mad at you," she scoffs. I give her a look of confusion. "Like you could be mad at me."

I laugh breathily, leaning in to kiss her again.

~ Present ~

My mouth feels dry and bile rises in my throat. I run to the nearest trash bin and empty the contents of my stomach. I feel nauseous, and actually a bit angry. I focus on my anger, pushing the nausea down and covering it up.

I can't think about that right now. I can't think about how if I wasn't so weak, I would've been with Cass, and he would be okay right now.

I take a deep breath, pushing away the guilt. A hand on my shoulder makes me upright immediately. I'm mere seconds from raising my fist and attacking the perpetrator, but I stop myself. It's only Benny. My closest friend after Cass. Well, I don't know if I can even consider Cass my friend anymore. He probably hates me.

"You okay, brother?" Benny asks. I grunt in reply, pushing his hand off my shoulder. "What happened?"

"Nothing, Benny," I reply gruffly. "I'm fine."

"Brother, I think we both know that isn't true," he points out. "Listen, Lisa is coming to find you. Leave now if you want to be alone. I get it, really, I do. Soulmates bring a whole hell of a lot of complications."

I scoff breathily, sounding a bit like a laugh. "Yeah, tell me about it," I reply. I wrap an arm around his shoulder, pulling him with me as I walk towards the exit. "You'll distract her, right? Make sure she doesn't follow me?"

"Of course," Benny answers. "I'd suggest turning your phone off, though."

I laugh, shaking my head. "No thanks," I say, faking happiness. "I'll need it on if Cass texts me."

Benny looks at me solemnly. "You know he won't."

I take a deep breath, removing my arm from around his neck. "See ya Monday, Benny," I tell him, walking ahead.

"Why not tomorrow?" He asks.

"It's Friday," I say, turning around and walking backwards. I chuckle, seeing his confused expression. I wave, turning back around and exiting the school.

I know I'll probably get reprimanded by the school for leaving and not coming back, but I really don't care right now.

Cass was the one who influenced me to do good in school. We both got accepted into the same college, and we already talked to the school about rooming together. It's early for that, but that's how he is. Always worrying about the future and trying to solve it now.

There's no point in going to college when Cass isn't with me. I've fucked up, big time. We've been looking forward to that moment since we were kids and I blew it off. There's no excuse. It's my fault. I don't blame him for telling me to stay away from him. If the roles were reversed, I'd be the same way.

I sigh, walking to my baby and getting in. I need a nap.

*Castiel's POV*

"Meg, what did I just do?" I ask, voice cracking.

We had gotten off the hallway floor and she led me to her car. We both agreed to just drive around until the end of lunch.

"It's gonna be okay, Cassie," she says softly. "We'll get through this."

"I shouldn't have yelled at him, Meg. We agreed to keep up the act. We agreed to make him think everything was normal. I ruined it. How could I do that?" I ask.

"You were upset," she sighs. "It's understandable. Seeing him for the first time after finding out you're soulmates couldn't have been easy for you."

"I told him to stay away from me, Meg," I say in disbelief.

"What's wrong with that?" She asks. "You need to get used to the fact you're meant to be with him. I think it's understandable."

"I don't want him to stay away, Meg," I admit softly. She glances over at me in shock before focusing her gaze on the road ahead. "I'm getting all these new feelings for him. I don't know how to handle it. I was supposed to be with you, not him. Why does life have to screw me over like this?'

She sighs. "Cassie, if you want to talk to him so badly, then do it."

"He probably hates me, Meg," I reply softly, looking out the window. "I shoved him into the lockers. I yelled at him. I should probably wait for him to cool down."

"'Cool down'?" She asks.

"He gets angry if someone shoves, punches, or fights him," I shrug.

"Don't most people?" Meg asks.

I laugh softly, shaking my head. "Not like him. I mean, I'm lucky he didn't knock me into next week," I reply. "He knows how to defend himself, how to win a fight. He could've easily taken me down. Instead, he let me get my anger out. If anything, I should be thanking him for not ruining my favorite outfit."

"Yeah, why did you put that on anyway?" She asks.

I shrug. "It helps me feel better," I admit softly.

She laughs softly. It goes silent for a good three minutes before Meg speaks up.

"You gonna talk to him when we get back?" She asks.

I shake my head. "I'll go over to his house after school," I tell her.

"I'll drop you off," she offers.

"Thanks," I reply.

•••

When I got back to school, I found myself involuntary looking over to where Dean always parks. His car wasn't there. Dean didn't appear in school the rest of the day. Sticking to her word, Meg dropped me off after school ended.

That's where I am now: standing on his front porch, debating on what I'm going to say if and when he answers the door. That is, if I ever man up and knock.

"Hey, Cass!" Sam yells from behind.

I spin around quickly, seeing him walk up the sidewalk. Shortly after, he's standing next to me.

"Uh, hey, Sam," I reply.

"What're you doing just standing out here? I'm sure Dean'll be happy to see you," Sam says, unlocking the front door and stepping inside. Hesitantly, I follow. He closes the door before turning to me. "I would've thought you'd be with Meg. Didn't you get your engraving last night? Happy birthday, by the way."

"Meg isn't my soulmate," I say quietly. Sam stops in his spot. His face shows pure shock and his eyes are locked onto mine.

"What? Then who is it?" He asks.

"I'd, uh, rather not say," I reply softly.

He nods in understanding. "That doesn't explain why you are so hesitant to talk to him..." his voice trails off. Then his eyes widen and he looks between the top of the stairs and me. I look to the top of them, seeing nobody there. "Oh, god. Does he know?"

I avert my gaze to the ground. "No, but that's not why I'm here. I kind of got pissed at him for not coming over last night and I came to apologize," I say quietly.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Sam asks.

I shake my head. "I'll wait till he gets his engraving," I tell him. I meet his gaze and sigh. "You can't tell him, Sam. Promise me."

He shrugs, going towards the stairs. "Only because I know how hard this is for you, okay?"

I follow him up the steps, sighing in relief. "Thank you."

"If you need to talk about it, you have my number," he offers. I nod, even though he can't see me.

Then he disappears into his room. Slowly, I make my way to Dean's and knock.

"Come in, Lis," Dean groans loudly. I feel my heart clench at the mention of her. I take a deep breath before slowly opening the door. "Listen, I appreciate you coming to check on me, but I just want to be –" he cuts himself off at the sight of me.

I take note of the state of his room. It looks trashed, as if he came home and took his anger out on everything here. He probably did. His covers are halfway off his bed, as well as one pillow. His hamper is knocked over, clothes spilled everywhere.

I also note the depressing tone that the room emits. His curtains are closed and no lights are turned on. Dean's hair is disheveled, clothes baggy. He probably woke up minutes ago.

"Cass?" He asks.

Dean's expression is full of emotion. His regret, the pain, the sadness: all of it is on display. Normally, he wouldn't ever show his emotions. But now? I can read him as if we'd been together for years.

Wait, no. Stop it, Castiel. Don't think like that. Take a deep breath and focus on the situation.

"Hey, Dean," I say solemnly. My heart is pounding in my chest. It's as if at any given moment, it'll just explode. I take a deep breath, calming myself down a bit. My left hand subconsciously plays with the bracelets covering my right wrist. Just because I'm not freaking out, it doesn't mean that I can't be nervous as all hell. "I came to apologize for everything I did today."

Dean shifts in his bed, sitting up against the headboard. He looks shocked, and a bit confused.

"You're apologizing?" He asks incredulously. "Cass, we were looking forward to that night ever since I could remember. And I didn't show up. You have every right to be pissed at me."

I sigh, stepping into the room and shutting the door for privacy. "Actually...I'm kind of glad you didn't show," I admit.

He sits up the rest of the way, staring at me in confusion. His elbows rest on his lap as he leans forward. "Why?" He asks.

"Because...she's not my soulmate," I say quietly.

God, saying it out loud only makes it worse. I don't know how I'm going to survive this conversation. And I'm not even telling him!

Dean sighs, pulling me from my thoughts. "I figured. Cass, I'm so sorry," he tells me. "You shouldn't have had to go through that alone. I mean, if I found out Lisa wasn't my soulmate, yeah I'd wish you were there. Speaking of which, are you still gonna be there for mine? I know it's bad timing, but I really don't wanna lose y--"

"Dean, of course," I reply sincerely, cutting him off.

At the mention of Dean thinking Lisa is his soulmate, my heart constricts. I close my eyes tightly, leaning against the wall behind me for support. My breathing is shallow and I try to force away the feelings.

All the feelings I had for Dean were buried under cement; cement that provides sanctuary to every traumatic experience I've been through. I've kept them locked away, never expecting for them to climb through the cracks. But they rose, and once it spreads it'll be a parasite: incurable. It will take over every fiber in my body until it consumes me.

I never knew that I had feelings for Dean. I just thought they were normal.

It's been less than a day and the feelings already broke though. Either I never really loved Meg, or my feelings for Dean trumped that.

No. I can't have feelings for him. Meg and I just broke up earlier today. It's not fair to her that I'm starting to fall for him again.

"Cass?" Dean asks worriedly, breaking me out of my stupor. I hear the bed creak and footsteps get louder.

I take a deep breath, trying to picture Dean as I did just a day ago. Trying to feel the same as I did about him yesterday. No unwanted feelings.

"Get Sam," I say gruffly, breathing heavily.

"Cass–"

"Sam," I repeat sternly.

I hear Dean sigh before a rush of air passes by me: the door opening. Footsteps get softer until I hear Dean knock on Sam's door.

*Sam's POV*

I hear a knock on my door, pulling me away from my homework.

"Sammy, open up," Dean says. "It's Cass, I don't know what's wrong with him. He keeps calling for you."

Almost instantly, I'm out of my seat and crossing the distance to the door. I open it and quickly go over to Dean's room. Glancing around, I see Castiel sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His head is in his knees and his arms are wrapped around his legs.

I kneel in front of him, sighing. "Cass," I say softly. I lay a hand on his arm hesitantly. "Look at me. You're okay. It's okay. Just push through it. Accept it, Cass. That's the only way you'll get through this."

He shakes his head, whimpering softly. "No," he whines. "It's wrong. So so wrong. I just want it to go away."

"Cass, it won't. Trust me, okay? Once you accept it, you won't be in so much pain. Stop fighting it. Please. For all our sakes," I plead.

"How?" He asks, voice cracking.

"Think of the good," I tell him.

It takes a couple moments, but he stops shaking. His cries quiet down, yet he doesn't make a move. I take that as a good sign, deciding not to bother him. I get to my feet, noticing Dean standing in the doorway. I grab his arm and pull him into my room, closing both our doors.

"What's happening to him?" Dean asks softly.

I sigh. "He's battling internally. You have to let him work it out himself. Just let him be for now."

"Is it because of his soulmate?" Dean asks. I nod, taking a seat at my desk but not moving to pick up my pencil. "You know who it is?" Again, I nod. "I saw him playing with bracelets. They covered up his engraving. Why would he cover it up? It doesn't make any sense. I know Meg isn't his soulmate, but is it really that bad that he has to hide it?"

I sigh, spinning my chair to face him. "Dean, can't you see how much torment he's going through right now? He has his reasons. If he didn't tell you, respect that. He'll tell you when he's ready."

Dean groans, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't understand why he can't tell me," he admits.

"You don't have to understand it. Just accept it," I reply. "Like I said, he'll tell you when he's ready."

He takes a deep breath, sitting on the edge of my desk. "And when will that be?"

I don't respond, knowing the question was to himself. Honestly, I feel bad for him. Seeing your best friend torn apart and not being able to do anything about it? It would absolutely suck.

•••

*Castiel's POV*

After Sam and Dean left me alone, I was able to get my thoughts straight. I focused on childhood memories I had of me and Dean. I let them guide me through the pain and eventually accept that this beautiful man is my soulmate.

Almost two full weeks passed by with complete ease. The only problem I had with Dean being my soulmate was the fact that I had to pretend like I wasn't in love with anything and everything he did. And he's my best friend, so there was a lot of time spent together.

The major thing that affected me nowadays wasn't the fact Dean is my soulmate, it was the fact that my soulmate has a girlfriend. He wishes she's his soulmate, and he's deeply in love with her.

He's not into guys at all. Well neither was I before this revelation. Now? I compare every guy I see to Dean. It's an awfully bad habit, but at least I'm not panicking every couple hours.

It's the day before Dean's birthday, and now is the time I start to panic again. There's mere hours left until Dean finds out the name on my wrist: his. There's no telling how he'll react, but I'm guessing it can only go badly.

I had met Dean at his house, bringing along Gabriel as well. The four of us were planning on hanging out all day, up until the appropriate time they need to back off. Well, not all day either. We still had to go to school, despite Dean's protests.

The entire school day went by as normal, although Lisa was being a lot more clingy than normal. After school, Dean managed to get rid of Lisa. Or, at least, convince her not to come with us. I wish he got rid of her.

"So what do you two want to go do?" Dean asks our little brothers, pulling me back to the present.

"Candy store!" Gabriel cheers.

At the same time, Sam shouts, "Bowling!"

Almost instantly, Dean and I share a look of exasperation. "How about we compromise?" I offer. "Candy shopping first, bowling after."

"But –" Sam starts, getting cut off by Dean.

"Suck it up, Sammy," Dean says. Sam huffs, rolling his eyes.

So we went candy shopping. Sam complained the entire time we were there. Gabriel was like a little kid again, trying to persuade me into buying one of everything.

When we went bowling, it was Winchester's against Novak's. Obviously, they won.

Even though we're still on the last game, I know they have us beat.

I got a spare before going to my seat. "This is unfair," I complain, glaring at Dean. "You two have, like, weekly bowling night or something. John and Mary taught you both, while I watched."

Dean chuckles, rolling his eyes. "I offered to help you," he reminds me.

"Yeah, but only if I bought you a pizza," I retort.

"Cassie!" I hear from behind. I turn around almost instantly, smiling at the sight: Meg.

I get to my feet, meeting her halfway and pulling her into a tight hug. "Hey, Meg," I say happily. "Where have you been?"

She glances behind me, presumably at Dean. "I didn't want to hinder your progress with accepting your soulmate," she admits.

"Meg," I start, narrowing my eyes at her. "You would never do that. Besides Dean and Gabriel, you're my best friend. And they don't count because one is my brother and the other is my soulmate."

She laughs softly. "I didn't want to take the chance," she tells me.

"Cass, it's your turn to bowl!" Dean shouts.

I pull away from Meg, entwining our fingers and pulling her to my lane. "I didn't know you could bowl," she says.

I laugh breathily. "I can't," I tell her. I pick up my bowling ball, adjusting it in my grip before walking to the line as I throw it. Slowly, it makes its way down the lane, hitting two pins on the left side.

"That was awful," she laughs. I roll my eyes, spinning around and walking over to her.

"I'm quite aware of that," I retort.

The ball rolls up the gutter before resting with the others. I pick up mine and roll it again. I got 5 pins this time.

"Cassie, can we talk?" Gabriel asks hesitantly.

I sigh, nodding. "Sit down, Meg. Have some of my food," I tell her. She nods, doing just that.

I follow Gabriel to a table nearby that's empty. It's close enough that we can hear when they say it's our turn, but far enough away that we can talk privately.

"Why didn't you tell me Meg isn't your soulmate?" He asks, hurt evident in his tone.

"How did you find out?" I ask.

"Sam and Dean were talking about it," Gabriel says.

I sigh, glancing over to our tables. Dean has his gaze locked on Meg while she ignores him. Sam is bowling.

"Gabriel, I didn't want to explain who is," I admit.

"Why?" He asks.

"Because I don't," I retort.

"Why?" He persists.

"Gabe, no," I say sternly.

"Why didn't you want to tell me?" He asks.

I feel myself become agitated. "Gabe, stop," I say sternly.

"Why?" He repeats.

I take a deep breath in hopes of calming down. It doesn't work. "I'm not talking about it," I tell him.

"Cassie, just tell me!" He says loudly.

I slam my hand on the table, glaring into his eyes. "Because my soulmate is a guy, okay?!" I yell.

I notice the establishment quiet down almost immediately. All eyes are on me. I feel the heat rushing to my face. I glance over at Dean, seeing shock written across his face. And...something else I can't quite make out.

"Cassie, I –"

I don't let him continue. I walk away from the table, towards the exit. I just need some fresh air. I hear footsteps following me, but I don't pay them any attention. I exit the bowling alley, taking a seat on the bench nearby.

I put my hands over my face, elbows on my knees. I scream into the palms of my hands. The sound is muffled by my hands and the sound of rain. I'm drenched, but I really don't care right now.

Dean knows. Well, he knows half of it. God, he's probably disgusted with me. What was I thinking? Why would I let Gabriel pressure me into speaking up? I'm such an idiot!

I take note of the two people on the bench next to me, one on each side. I put my hands down, looking between the two of them: Sam and Meg.

They're the only ones who know who it actually is. The ones who have an understanding of what I'm going through.

"Does he hate me?" I ask them. "That's all I want to know."

Sam sighs. "Of course not. He's mostly just surprised. Confused, too."

"Are you sure?" I ask worriedly.

"Definitely," he assures me.

I nod numbly before turning to Meg. "Can you take me home? I don't want to see him right now," I ask softly.

"Whatever you need, unicorn," she says sweetly. I smile softly at the nickname she used. "I'll go get Gabriel."

She gets to her feet, patting my shoulder and disappearing into the bowling alley. I groan in frustration, shoving my hands back into my face.

"Cass," Sam starts. "I know you wanted to wait till he gets his own engraving, so I'm not going to try to convince you to tell him now. But, I want to remind you that there's only a couple hours till midnight. You can get through it, okay?"

"I know," I sigh. "Just... let me calm down and I'll get better."

•••

The car ride was deadly silent. The radio might've been on, but I'm not sure. I spent the entire ride thinking of different ways to approach Gabriel about the subject. I'm going to worry about Dean later, after I talk to Gabriel.

I just don't know what I'd do if Gabriel doesn't accept me. He's my baby brother. I can't imagine my life without him. Hopefully I won't have to.

We reach my house and hop out. Meg waves before driving off. I unlock the door, entering the empty home.

Both of my parents are absent. I had two brothers who high-tailed it out of here when they turned 18. My mother, as far as I know, is dead. My father is an entirely different story.

He works in Canada as a producer for a television show. He makes a lot of money, and he always puts half of it in my bank account at the beginning of each month.

Before my brothers had moved out, they were the ones who got the money. Balthazar left first, and was persistently telling Lucifer to take care of us. He didn't want to leave, per se, but the college he decided to go to was in California.

Lucifer, of course, didn't listen. He booked it the day he turned 18. I was only 15 at the time, Gabriel 13. We've been on our own since. It was technically illegal for us to live there without a guardian, but nobody had come to pick us up so I think we're good. Now that I'm 18, I can legally live here, and take care of Gabriel.

John and Mary still believe Lucifer lives with us. They would've taken us in, but I felt like I would burden them if we lived there.

Gabriel shuts the door as I head towards my room. "Cassie, can we talk?" He asks. I gesture for him to follow me. We enter my bedroom and sit down on my bed. "Listen, I –"

"Dean is my soulmate," I tell him.

Well, that's one way to do it, I guess.

His mouth is agape, eyes wide in shock. While he's processing, I drift into my own thoughts.

Will he accept me? Will he leave? What if he thinks I'm disgusting? What if he tells Dean?!

No. He would never do that to me. Even if he was disgusted in me, appalled even, he wouldn't release my secret. It's mine to tell. With all the jokes and pranks he does, that's one line he will never cross.

The longer he's frozen in place, the worse my thoughts get. I was in the process of getting up when Gabriel speaks again.

"Are you serious?" He asks.

"I wouldn't lie to you about that," I say nervously.

"No, I meant are you seriously thinking I'm going to hate you?!" He asks loudly and sternly. I look over, seeing disbelief written across his features.

"What?" I ask him.

"Do you know how relieved I am that your soulmate is Dean?" He asks me.

"Again, what?"

"I've always wanted you two to be together," Gabriel informs me. "Why do you think I pestered you so much?"

I roll my eyes, shoving him off the bed. Gabriel laughs. "Assbutt," I reply.

His laughter quiets down. "You haven't told him, have you?" I shake my wanna head. "You have... an hour until he finds out, Cassie."

I sigh, getting up from my bed. "Then we need to get going. I'm sure Sam won't mind the company."

Gabriel quickly gets to his feet, following me out of my bedroom and out of the house.

The drive to Dean's was twenty minutes. I parked the car on the side of the road in front of Dean's house.

Gabriel goes to open his door, but stops once he realizes I haven't unlocked it. "Cassie?" He asks hesitantly.

"Gabriel," I say softly, meeting his gaze with a worried look of my own. "He finds out in like half an hour. And I'm going to be there. What if he hates me?"

"Then I'll make sure Sammy and I kick his butt," he promises.

I smile softly, unlocking the doors. We both get out and slam our doors shut. I lock the car before meeting Gabriel on the sidewalk.

The street lamps illuminate the surrounding areas, giving us enough light to reach the house peacefully.

We step onto the front porch and ring the doorbell. The door opens moments later: Mary, Dean's mother, is standing there. She smiles brightly at us, stepping aside and gesturing for us to come in.

"They're in their rooms," she tells us, closing and locking the door behind us. We nod, going up the steps side by side.

Dean's door is slightly ajar, which I assume is for me. I gesture to Gabriel that I'll be okay before opening Dean's door fully. My heart stops at the sight.

Dean is laying on top of Lisa, kissing her mercilessly. His hands pin hers to the mattress. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. I clear my throat, avoiding my gaze.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Dean pull away from her as if she were poison ivy. He steers clear of her, sitting on the edge of his bed.

I take another deep breath, gaining the courage to speak. "Sorry for interrupting," I tell him.

"No, no, it's okay," Dean replies. Lisa scoffs indignantly. "Lis, he's my best friend. I wasn't there for him because you convinced me he would be okay without me. I need to talk to Cass, now."

My head snaps over to him, gaze locked on his in worry and fear. "Dean –"

"Lisa, privately," Dean says sternly, cutting me off.

She scoffs. "You're my soulmate, Dean. Whatever problem you have with him is something we can work through together."

I find myself fiddling with the bracelets Meg gave me. It soothes and distracts me from the situation going on right now.

I notice Dean's gaze directs to my bracelets in confusion. "Lisa, go. Now. You can come back before it happens, I promise."

She huffs, getting up and leaving the room. The door slams shut behind her. I take a seat at Dean's desk chair, averting my eyesight to the floor.

"Dean, if you're going to make me hate myself for having a guy as a soulmate, you should bring back Lisa. I accepted it. Hell, I accepted it in this room, because of your brother. I'm not going back to the starting point unless this turns very wrong."

"Cass... you think I'll treat you differently because your soulmate isn't a woman? I won't. Quite frankly, it doesn't even matter to me. What matters to me is that you couldn't tell me," Dean says.

"Dean, I can't. You'll find out soon enough, okay? I'll show you at midnight. That way it'll be like you were there with me," I say softly. "But I'm not doing it with Lisa around. She might tell people. And don't you try telling me otherwise. You'll thank me for it."

"Cass, she's my girlfriend. She deserves to be here," he reminds me.

"Dean, I'm begging you. Trust me on this," I beg.

"Cass, I can't do that," he replies.

"Then I guess I'm leaving," I retort, getting to my feet.

Dean instantly follows suit. "You're leaving?" He asks.

I shrug, walking to the door. "You weren't there for mine. I was trying to give you a second chance, but you'd rather have your girlfriend than your childhood best friend. Guess this was one sided." I open the door, stepping through it before turning to face Dean. "Glad to know where we stand, Dean."

My heart breaks piece by piece with every step I take. He can't trust me. After all the time we've known each other, it's as if it means nothing to him. Was I just someone there to help him pass the time?

"Cass, wait!" Dean pleads as I walk away. Hope courses through me, but I don't stop. I have to stand my ground. "That's not true." Sam's door opens, revealing two confused boys. "Our friendship was never one sided, okay? I get it, I fucked up. I was too busy with my girlfriend to be with you on the most important day of your life. Lisa can wait."

I stop in my tracks. "Are you serious?" I ask softly.

"Are you serious?!" Lisa yells, stomping up the steps.

Her whole body is screaming 'rage' right now. She stalks over to me before ripping the bracelets off my wrist. I pull away before she can see a name.

Sam and Gabe take this as their cue to intervene. Gabriel gets in between me and Lisa while Sam drags me off to his room.

"Do you have anything that'll protect it until midnight?' I ask him.

Sam purses his lips, rummaging through his room for anything that'll cover up my engraving.

As Sam looks for it, I can't help but hear the conversation in the hallway.

*Dean's POV*

"What the hell was that?!" I exclaim.

Lisa pushes Gabriel to the side, only fueling my anger. "I'm your soulmate, Dean! I should be there with you when you get your engraving! Not... him!" Lisa yells.

"And what's the matter with him, huh? Maybe you're just jealous that he's closer to me than you ever will be!" I retort loudly.

"I'm your soulmate! Not him! He has no right to stand between us!" She yells. "And it's all because of his engraving! Ever since he got it, he's been different!"

"Well maybe that's because I wasn't there when he needed me! Why do you just assume it's gotta do with the engraving itself?!" I ask loudly.

"Because I've seen the way he--"

"Lisa, it's time for you to go," Gabriel says sternly, covering her mouth.

She narrows her eyes at him. Gabriel looks at the bottom of the steps. "Lisa, I think you've overstayed your welcome," my dad says.

Lisa huffs loudly, turning and walking down the steps. The door slams shut moments later. I sigh, pulling out my phone to check the time: 11:55PM. Five minutes left.

I look up after putting my phone away. Castiel walks out of Sam's room with a big hoodie on. It's one of Sam's. It covers his wrist. Well, actually, it covers his entire hand too. The sleeves are longer than his arm-length.

I gesture silently for him to follow me into my room. We enter and I shut the door. We sit on the bed with our backs against the headboard, side by side.

"Dean," he says hesitantly. "You're my best friend. I know I've been different ever since I've gotten my engraving, but there's reasons for it. And... please excuse if I have another anxiety attack in the next few minutes. I've been waiting two weeks to show you who my soulmate is."

"Wait, do I know who it is?" I ask him.

He chuckles dryly, nodding his head. "Yeah, you definitely do. You know him probably better than anybody I know."

"Wait, is it Benny? Oh, please don't tell me it's Benny," I plead. "Actually, if he is your soulmate, excuse what I just said."

"Dean," he says sternly. "This is how it's gonna work: you get your engraving, you see it, then I show you mine. After that I will answer any questions you may have. Got it?"

Why is Castiel so afraid of his soulmate? It doesn't make sense. You're not supposed to be afraid of your own soulmate.

Castiel clears his throat, narrowing his eyes at me. "Oh, um, got it," I say.

He nods. A minute or two passes by before seeing the light emitting from my wrist.

Both of us hold our breath. Please be Lisa, please be Lisa. The light dims and I let out the breath I was holding. What the actual hell? Why is Castiel's name on my wrist?

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice him pull up the sleeve, revealing my name on his wrist.

"Now you know why I didn't want to tell you," he whispers.

Everything adds up. He said his soulmate is guy. He didn't want Lisa to be here. He got pissed that I wasn't there for his engraving. Wait... why was he beyond pissed? And why did he keep having anxiety attacks?

"Cass," I start hesitantly. "Why were you so angry, and worried?"

He sighs, tipping his head down in shame. "I was angry that it was you," he tells me. Fuck, that hurt. No, it's wrong! He can't be my soulmate! "I was angry that I'm so attracted to you. And I was worried because I hadn't accepted that you're my soulmate. I mean, can you blame me? I used to be straight until I found out. Now all I do is compare you to other guys. I can't help it. I was worried... still am worried that you're gonna leave me."

"Cass," I start sternly, placing my hands on his shoulders. "Look at me. You are never going to lose me. Ever. I promise you that. And these engravings? They're just proof of that." He doesn't look up. I hear his breathing hitch and feel his body go tense. Is he okay? Oh, god. "Cass, breathe."

"I'm not panicking," he says, voice rough. "Move away. I've known for two weeks and you really should not touch me. Please, for both of our sakes, back up."

Almost instantly, I remove my hands. I scoot back a bit so he has some room. He breathes deeply, finally meeting my gaze.

"You okay now?" I ask hesitantly. He nods. "Why'd I have to move away?"

He narrows his eyes at me. "Dean, I told you I'm attracted to you. This is more than just a crush. It's hard enough as it is to resist you on a daily basis. Now that you know, it's only my fear and willpower holding me back. Please, just respect my space."

I clear my throat, nodding and looking away. I take in a sharp breath before exhaling deeply. "You could've told me."

"And say what? You still have a girlfriend," he points out, narrowing his eyes.

Shit. Lisa. She's going to be so pissed. I can't exactly tell her the truth, but I can't lie to her either. She gets jealous easily, as proven by the earlier outburst. If she saw me with my soulmate, who knows what she'll do?

What do I do? Break up with her? No. But Castiel. No. Lisa is my girlfriend. But Castiel is my best friend — soulmate. Oh, god. This is gonna take awhile to get used to.

Lisa or Castiel? I mean, I've never even looked at Cass this way beforehand. Except the time when Gabriel pulled a prank on him and then locked him out of the house so he had to come over. That was a fun day. Besides seeing him in nothing but a towel.

~ Flashback ~

It's a Saturday afternoon. The end of junior year, late May. We've been doing nothing but lounging the entire time. It's about 1:00PM. Sam got up around 7AM, so I inevitably followed soon after.

I'd ask Castiel to come over, but he told me he was hanging out with his family today. I could always call Lisa, but I was with her all day yesterday. Sometimes I just need a break from her.

"Dean, come get your lunch!" My mom says loudly.

"I'm not hungry!" I shout, loud enough for her to hear.

"Well, come down anyway!"

I huff, rolling out of bed. I slide my phone into my pocket and exit my room, descending down the steps.

"Please tell me you got some takeout instead of cooking," I plead as I walk into the kitchen.

"You said you weren't hungry," my mom points out.

"Yeah, well, I lied," I admit, giving her a grin.

She laughs softly, shaking her head. "Well, lucky for you, it is takeout," she replies.

As I'm about to sit down in my chair, the doorbell rings. I sigh, looking over to my mom.

"I'll get it," I tell her. "Sam, don't touch my food." I point accusingly while exiting the kitchen.

"No promises!" Sam shouts in reply.

I make my way to the front door, chuckling. When I reach it, I unlock and open it.

"Cass? What are you doing here? I thought you were with your family," I ask him.

Then I take in his appearance. His entire body is soaking wet, as if he had just been in a torrential downpour. It's not even raining.

I look even closer, noticing a tiny shimmer of pink glitter scattered across his entire body.

How the hell? And why?

"Cass? What the hell happened? Why do you have glitter and why are you soaking wet?" I ask him.

"Gabriel," he mutters. "Then he proceeded to lock me out of the house. I didn't know where to go."

I sigh, stepping to the side to let him in. "Go shower in my room. I think I still have an outfit of yours laying around somewhere."

"Thank you, Dean," he replies.

He enters the house, huddling close to himself in a futile attempt to keep the floor from getting wet.

I shut the door behind him. When I turn around, Castiel is already at the bottom of the steps. He ascend up the stairway and disappears soon after.

I walk back into the kitchen, turning to my mother. "Cass is here," I inform her.

"Oh, good," she says. "Will he be eating with us?"

"Uh, I don't know. He's taking a shower, or is about to. Gabe locked him out of the house, again. I'll ask him when he gets out," I tell her.

"What did Gabe do this time?" Sam asks me.

"Well, I don't know exactly. Cass is covered in glitter and he's soaking wet," I tell him.

Sam sighs. "It was the bucket on top of the door trick. Except there's glitter added to the water."

"How do you know?" I ask him, leaning on the back of a chair.

"Gabriel originally got it for you," he admits.

"Yeah, I would've killed him," I reply.

"That's what I told him!" He exclaims. "Gabe just said that was part of the fun."

"Sounds like him," I say, chuckling softly. "I'll be back in a bit. I gotta find Cass' clothes before he gets out of the shower."

"Ask him if he's hungry," my mom tells me.

I nod, spinning around and exiting the kitchen. I walk up the steps, entering my room and sighing.

Where the hell would his clothes be? I really should give him his own drawer. We practically live together already.

Platonically, of course. He's my best friend.

It takes me two minutes to find Castiel's baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt.

I turn around, now facing the door. My eyes widen and I gawk at the sight. Since when did he start working out? And he's tan? Holy shît.

Castiel's hair is pressed against his forehead with little beads of water falling from the tips every so often. The water follows the curve of his cheek and down his neck. It continues down his pec and glides over every ab underneath it. After that, it cascades the rest of the way to the hem of the towel. The towel hangs low around his waist. The visible, perfect V-shape that every guy wants disappears beneath the top of the towel.

I quickly avert my gaze, clearing my throat. What the hell just happened? Why did I just gawk at his body? No, I admired his body. As a man, it's only natural to compare your body to another's.

"Uh, here," I say, holding out his clothes without meeting his gaze.

The clothing leaves my grasp, so I put my hand down. "Dean, are you okay?" Castiel asks hesitantly.

Act cool. Be cool. Forget about it. Just look at him for God's sake.

I clear my throat, locking our gazes. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answer. My voice doesn't crack or rough up, surprising me. I thought I would at least sound a bit different than normal.

Castiel gives me a skeptical look before sighing. "I'm gonna go change."

"Hey, hold on," I say quickly, taking one step forwards. I ground my feet, cursing my brain for moving on its own accord. "Are you okay? You were shivering in this heat. That can't be good. Or healthy, for that matter."

"I'm okay now, Dean," he replies. I give him a look of disbelief. "I'm fine, really."

I sigh, reluctantly accepting his response.

"My mom wants to know if you want to eat lunch with us," I say.

"Yeah, sure, what're we having?" He asks.

~ Present ~

Fuck, I have to end it with her. God, this is gonna be so awful. She's gonna murder me. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner. How long have I had feelings for Cass?

"Dean," Castiel says softly. "What happens after this?"

I sigh. "I have to break up with Lis," I tell him.

He scoffs, looking at me as if I'm insane. "She's gonna be pissed, Dean. I mean, you kicked her out and then you're gonna break up with her? She's gonna want to know who your soulmate is."

"I won't tell her," I say. "Yet, at least. Cass, we might've been best friends since childhood, but this is a whole new territory."

"I know," he admits. "Trust me, I know."

"Can... we... maybe take this slow?" I ask softly.

"Of course, Dean," he replies. "I'm not going to pressure you into anything. Especially not into telling people."

I smile weakly at him. "Thanks, Cass."

•••

Cass ended up staying the night at my house. We only had a couple hours until school, so we figured it was best. And since Cass was staying, Gabe stayed too. I almost asked Cass to just sleep in my bed with me, like always, but I remembered what happened earlier. Sam and Gabe shared, while Cass got the spare bedroom.

Sam, Gabe, Cass, and I took the Impala to school. We're about half way there when Sam speaks up.

"Are you gonna tell Lisa?" He asks.

"Wait, you know?" I ask, glancing at Castiel, then back at him. Sam turns sheepish, making me huff. "For how long?"

"Ever since the two of you fought?" It comes out as a question, the hesitation changing how he responded.

"So Castiel's birthday," I reword.

"Sorry, Dean," Sam says softly.

"No, I get it," I sigh. "It wasn't your secret to tell."

It's silent for a moment. Then Sam speaks up again. "So, are you going to tell her?"

"Who my soulmate is? No," I say. "But I am going to tell her that she's not it."

"Any idea how?" He asks.

"I'll tell her at lunch, preferably," I reply. "No sense beating 'round the bush."

"You're gonna have to avoid her all day, then," Gabe pipes up.

"Won't be that difficult," I shrug. "She's pissed at me right now. Probably won't talk to me until lunch anyway. Plus, I'm gonna be with Cass all day."

"You are?" Castiel asks.

"Yeah."

At school, people kept asking why Lisa and I weren't attached at the hip. I shrugged them off with no reply. Lunch time comes around rather quickly. Castiel and I walk in, side by side. We walk over to our usual table, but don't sit down.

I clear my throat. "Lis, we need to talk," I say.

I start to panic internally when everyone at the table turns to face me. People at nearby tables 'secretly' watch what's about to happen. Lisa's eyes narrow at me in accusation.

"What could there possibly be to talk about? You kicked me out before you got your engraving," she says harshly.

This gains a lot of attention; unwanted attention. It starts with the nearby tables, then slowly but surely makes its way around the cafeteria. I feel everyone's eyes on me and I start to question myself.

Why am I doing this here? Why did I ever think this was a good idea? Maybe I should just do it later. I'm sure I could last a bit longer with her.

No. It's not just about me anymore. I have a soulmate now. I have Cass now. Sure, I've had him before. But that was as a best friend. It's different now. I know Cass is my soulmate. Before today, I was just speculating. And I realized something: I never loved Lisa. I thought I did. Why the hell did I think it was a good idea to date before I was 18?

Castiel nudges me in the side, bringing me back to reality. Ah, jeez. How long was I having a debate with myself? No. Focus.

I take a deep breath, glancing around the cafeteria. As I expected, majority of the people are looking at me. Instead of panicking, I decide to speak up.

"We're not soulmates," I say bluntly.

People start muttering quietly to one another. Lisa looks at me with confusion, as does everyone at the table. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly to regain control. All my body wants to do is run. Run out of this room and never come back.

"What?" Lisa asks incredulously. "Then who is?"

"Not saying," I reply swiftly. She doesn't need to know. Nobody does.

She narrows her eyes at me. "You and Castiel are both hiding your engravings. Why?"

Shit. She's gonna figure it out. Then what'll happen?

"Maybe we want to tell the person before they hear about it elsewhere," Castiel butts in, cutting me off from my thoughts. "Is that so bad? So wrong?"

"I think that's understandable," Charlie says softly. The only reason I could hear her is the fact that she's sitting right in front of me.

I find myself smiling softly. "Thanks," I reply quietly. She smiles and nods in reply.

I look up to see Lisa's reaction, but all I'm met with is a blank stare. Then she sighs. "No, it's not bad. Or wrong, for that matter."

Castiel and I share the same confused look. "What?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes. "You heard me. I'm not repeating it," she says. "Dean, I'm sorry about last night. You're my boyfriend. Just two days ago we were in love. I know I overreacted, but can you blame me? I love you, Dean. I thought you did too."

"I thought I did," I admit. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I really am."

She sighs. "I know. I understand. You're not my soulmate. We can't change that."

"We cool now?" I ask.

"Of course," she replies, gesturing to the open seats in front of us. Cass and I sit down side by side.

•••

*Castiel's POV*

A couple weeks passed by and it's as if nothing had happened. Of course, Lisa and Dean broke up, but that's the only change. Dean and I have been hanging out any time we get the chance. Though we've never been on one date, and he's never brought it up again. I've been waiting for him to do it himself, but he never does.

Recently, I've started to get fed up with it. I'd make excuses not to see him in and out of school. I get tutoring during lunch to make sure I keep my high grades.

I could tell Dean was getting agitated because he visited my house a couple times. Gabriel had sent him away on my directive.

It's a Tuesday night when I hear the doorbell go off again. I snuggle in bed, trying to pretend like I'm sleeping. I hear indistinct talking from downstairs.

I focus on calming down my heart rate. The door opens and Gabriel sighs.

"Cassie, I know you're awake. It's time you talked about what's going on with you," he says.

"Go away," I mumble.

"Cass," Dean sighs.

I tense in my position, breathing hitched. "What do you want, Dean?"

"I want to know why you've been ignoring me for an entire week," he says.

"Go away," I repeat.

I hear the both of them sigh. "I'll leave you two alone," Gabriel says.

The door shuts moments later. I feel the bed dip, as if Dean is sitting next to me.

"Cass, what's wrong?" He asks softly. "You've been avoiding me. Did something happen? Was it something I did?"

"If you don't know then you don't care," I mutter sadly.

"I do," he insists. "I swear. Just tell me what I did wrong."

"Leave me alone," I tell him.

"I've let you wallow alone for a week. Not anymore. We're fixing this," Dean says sternly.

I sit up abruptly, glaring at him. "Like I said: if you don't know, you don't care."

"Cass, stop being so damn cryptic!" Dean demands. "Just tell me!"

I get out of bed, grabbing my phone and exiting my room. I hear footsteps behind me and walk faster.

"If you're going to be like this then you should get back with Lisa!" I shout, descending the steps.

I quickly put on my trench coat and walk to the door.

"Why would I do that?! She's not my soulmate—" Dean cuts himself off and his footsteps are no longer heard. I pause, my hand on the door handle. "Cass, is that what this is about?"

His voice sounds broken, sad, and guilty. The footsteps appear again and I grip tightly onto the door handle in order to stay in place.

My feet are rooted to the ground. He finally figured it out. It's been almost a month since he said we'd take it slow. By slow, I didn't think he meant a month would pass before he made a move.

A hand places itself on my left shoulder. I tense up. "Dean..." I trail off.

He nudges me so I turn to face him. My back is flush against the wall, inches away from the door. Dean's gaze pierces me, but I refuse to meet it.

"This is about us? About us being soulmates?" He asks softly. I hear the sadness in his tone. I don't respond. "Cass, I'm sorry. I truly am."

"I've been waiting for over a month, Dean. What the hell is wrong with you? You said we'd take it slow, but I guess you meant we'd never be more than best friends. How do you think that makes me feel? Reject--"

And then I can't speak. My eyes close and I find myself smiling. He's kissing me. Finally.

His free hand runs up my side until it rests on my cheek. Dean steps closer, making our bodies press together.

The kiss heats up as his tongue finds its way into my mouth. I dip my head, giving him more access. My arms wrap around his neck and pull him closer.

Dean pulls away, leaning his forehead on mine. We breathe heavily as I smile.

"God, I've wanted to do that for so long," he mutters.

"Why wait?" I ask soft breathlessly.

"I wanted it to be perfect," he admits. "I kept waiting for the right time. But I realized that there was no perfect time. Almost losing you made me realize that I should just do it."

"Oh, Dean," I murmur, trying to give him some comfort. "You could've just told me."

"So could you," Dean retorts.

I chuckle. "True," I reply. "I know we've only been soulmates for a month, but I love you."

A smile grows onto his face. "I love you too, Cass."

•••

Not long after that, the school found out about us. We spent so much time apart that we didn't care people knew we were together.

The school took it quite well, and we instantly turned into the power couple of the school. There was no harassment or judgement, at least not vocally. If there was, I didn't know about it.

Dean proposed as soon as we graduated from high school. By the end of our sophomore year of college, him and I were married. Gabriel was my best man, Sam was Dean's.

Sam and Gabe ended up becoming soulmates. No shocker there. It was a cute couple and I couldn't complain. I knew Sam would treat my little brother right, and vice versa.

It was a happy ending for all parties involved. I knew we were young, but it didn't matter. We loved each other with all of our souls.

And that's all that mattered.

THE END

Hey! I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but here's another oneshot for you all. Hope you enjoyed it!