There's a string of yarn connecting soulmates. Castiel seems to be the only person who can see it. Then again, he's never asked anyone if they could see it too. Dean and Castiel are tied together, but Dean doesn't know. Castiel has no idea what the string means, especially since Dean and Castiel haven't even spoken a word to each other in their lives. What happens when they get paired for a project?

Wednesday

*Castiel's POV*

"Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak," Mr. Shurley says.

"Who?" Dean asks.

I roll my eyes and make my way to my new seat. Mr. Shurley continues on giving the new seats/partners for the project as we talk.

"Hello, Dean," I say.

"Castiel, right?" He asks.

"Yeah," I sigh.

I stare at the string of yarn attaching the two of us. It's a deep turquoise color, yet it seems to sparkle a tiny bit. Why is the string connecting us? We couldn't be more opposite. I'm a nerd, he's a popular jock. I don't even know him. Why are we connected? Does he see it too?

"Castiel? Are you there?" Dean asks.

"Huh?" I ask. "Yeah, sorry. I was thinking. What were you saying?"

"I was talking about the project. Whose house do you want to do it at?" He asks.

"Just give it to me, I'll have it done by the due date," I tell him.

"What? It's a partner project," he says.

I scrunch my face up and tilt my head. "You want to do it together? I assumed I was doing it by myself."

"Why would you say that?" Dean asks.

"Because I'm me, Dean," I say.

"I didn't even know who you were until now, so you're gonna have to elaborate," Dean says.

"I'm a nerd, I spend my lunches in the library, I have no friends. The popular people don't like me. That's me, the odd one out. I'd rather spend my time studying than out at a party. I figured, you know, since you're you, I'd have to do it by myself. Which I have no problem with, but–"

"Woah, slow down. I get it," Dean laughs. "We can do it together. I do my work, I just don't spend all my time on it or study. I don't care if you're a nerd, I'm not like the others. I get it, some people can be real douches."

"Sorry," I sigh. "So about the project. We have to get to know each other, then write a poem about them."

"Okay, whose house?" Dean asks.

"Is yours okay?" I ask.

"Sure. Meet me at my locker at the end of the day," Dean tells me.

"What number is it?" I ask.

He picks up a pen before grabbing my hand and writing it down. The spots that are in contact with him burn like a dull flame. It tingles, with a pinch of pain. After he writes it down I pull away quickly. I wince as Dean stares at me in confusion.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, it hurts," I half-lie.

"All I did was write my locker number on your hand, how could that possibly hurt?" Dean asks.

"I don't know," I lie.

I study my hand as if it was a complicated math equation. Why did that hurt so much? Is it because of the yarn? It's never happened before. Does that mean we're enemies or something? That doesn't make sense, though. Some people with the string hold hands or are best friends. What the hell does it mean?

"Cass, snap out of it," Dean says.

"Huh?" I ask. "Sorry, thinking again. Cass?"

"Uh, yeah. Castiel seems too long to say every time. Sorry," Dean says.

"No, it's okay. Sorry I keep spacing out. I'll see you after school," I say.

Dean nods. The bell rings, so we get up and leave. I walk to my next class, but Gabe stops me. "Hey, Cassie!"

"Hello, Gabriel. What are you doing?" I ask.

"I saw you, so I came over. You look a little dazed, what's up?" He asks.

"Nothing, Gabe. I spaced out a couple times. I'm okay," I tell him.

"Whatever, Cass. You got assigned a project today, right? You were telling me about it yesterday," Gabe says, in which I nod. "Who's your partner?"

"Dean Winchester," I tell him.

"The Dean Winchester? The most popular person in this entire school Dean Winchester?" He asks.

"The one and only," I say. "I'm going to his after school, so I'll be home late."

"You're going to his house? Holy hell, Cass. I can't believe you're going to his house, let alone be his partner. Wait, what's that on your hand?" Gabe asks.

"It's his locker number. I've gotta get to class. I'll talk to you when I get home," I tell him.

•••

I walk out of my classroom and quickly put my stuff from my locker into my bag. I make my way to Dean's locker and lean against it. While I wait, I pull out my phone.

"Ew, what are you doing at Dean's locker?" Bela snickers.

"I'm waiting," I reply, rolling my eyes.

"He's taken, by me. He's not gay either. Just go on home, freak," Lisa says.

"He's my partner, Lisa. You ready, Cass?" Dean asks, walking up to me.

"Yeah," I say, shoving my phone into my trench coat.

"Don't let him make a move on you," Lisa says.

"I'm not gay," I reply. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Lisa, you have nothing to worry about. You should treat him nicer. Even if he was gay, that's no reason to treat him like shit," Dean tells her. "Let's just go, Sammy's waiting at the car."

Before Lisa could get out another word, we walk towards the exit of the building. I follow Dean towards a black '67 Impala. A boy who looks to be about Gabe's age leans against it. Dean unlocks it before getting in the drivers seat and slamming the door shut. I get in the back seat while the boy gets in the passenger side.

"You okay, Dean?" The boy asks.

"It's nothing, Sammy," Dean says. He takes a deep breath. "This is Castiel, we're working on a project for a class."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sam, Dean's little brother."

"You too," I say. "Didn't know he had a little brother."

"You don't know anything about me, Cass," Dean points out.

"Well, I know a little bit. I mean, you're the most popular guy in the whole school, Dean. Things go around. I don't believe rumors, but some stuff are easy to figure out," I say.

"Like what?" He asks.

"Not my place to say," I tell him.

I focus on the string of yarn again. It flops back and forth as the car moves down the street. The color changes to a light blue, startling me. It's never changed before. What's going on?

"Cass!" Dean yells.

I jump in shock. "Shit, don't scare me like that!"

"You keep spacing out, man. What's up with you?" He asks.

I can't tell him. We're connected, whatever that means. What am I gonna say? 'We're connected by a string of yarn, that apparently nobody but me can see'? Yeah, no thanks.

"Is he okay?" Sam asks.

"I'm fine," I lie. "Can we just drop it? I don't like talking about it." The color of the string changes back to turquoise, so I let out a sigh of relief.

My phone buzzes, so I pull it out. Gabe, of course.

Gabe

Gabe: How's it going?

Me: You know me, I space out

Gabe: Ugh, Cass! How many times?

Me: Around five

Gabe: Good job

Me: It's not like I'm trying to space out. It just happens

Gabe: When are you going to tell me why?

Me: Probably never

Gabe: That's unfair!!

"We're here," Dean says.

Me: Gtg

Gabe: Don't you dare leave!!

I slip my phone into my pocket before laughing and hopping out of the car. We walk up the steps and Dean unlocks the front door. We walk in and I see an older man lounging on the couch. Sam locks the door, then walks to what I assume is his room.

"We can work in my room," Dean tells me. I nod, so he leads me there. He takes a seat on his bed, with me just standing there awkwardly. "What are you doing? Sit down."

I laugh softly before sitting down next him. We begin working on the project.

•••

Around two hours later, we decide to stop. I follow him out to his car and get in the passenger seat. I tell him to drop me off a block from my house. He starts the car and drives off.

"Thanks for taking me home, Dean," I say.

"It's no problem. You know, people really need to stop judging you. You're actually a lot better than most of those people," he tells me.

"Thanks," I say.

I watch the yarn change to light blue once again. My face scrunches up and I tilt my head, studying the yarn. It keeps changing colors.

"Cass!" Dean yells.

"Dammit, Dean! Don't blame me for staring at the yarn!" I say, without thinking. I put my hands over my face in embarrassment.

"Yarn? That's why you keep zoning out? Why yarn?" Dean asks.

I look at him with confusion. "Wait, you don't see it?" I ask.

"Uh, no?"

"I see strings of yarn, connecting two people. How do you not see it?" I ask.

"You what? How is that even possible?" He asks.

"You really don't see it?" I ask. He shakes his head no. "Then drop it, forget I said anything." I pick up the turquoise string and hold it in my hand.

"You're probably zoning out because you're being too focused on it. Maybe it'll help to talk about it," he says.

"I guess, but you can't tell anyone," I say.

"You've got my word. So, who are you connected to?" Dean asks.

I look up at him in shock. I turn back to the string in my hand. "That's too personal. I don't even know what it means," I tell him.

"Okay, so you know two people are connected. Who are the people connected?" He asks.

"Well, some are couples. Some are best friends. Then there's complete polar opposites who have never spoken in their entire life. Majority are couples or best friends," I tell him.

"Hmm, maybe they're soulmates?"

I grip the string of yarn in my hand tightly, thinking about what he said. It can't be. Him and I can't be more opposite. He's straight, too. I'm bi, but that doesn't work with a straight guy. I look up to him and see his mouth moving, but no words are coming out. I study his facial features. Freckles, deep green eyes, brown hair.

"It can't be soulmates," I tell him, cutting off his talking.

"How do you know?" He asks.

"I just do," I lie. We pull up to the block. "Sorry, Dean."

"Wait, hand me your phone," he says. I hand it to him after signing into it. Dean hands it back to me a minute later. "Text me when you get home so I know you're okay."

I look at him with confusion before nodding. "Goodbye, Dean," I say.

"Bye, Castiel," Dean says.

•••

"What are you doing home so late, boy?" Uriel asks.

"I had a project that I was working on," I tell him.

"Why didn't I see their car then?" He asks.

"Because I had him drop me off down the block. Sure, I'll just tell Dean Winchester that I live in an orphanage. That'll go really well," I say sarcastically.

"Dean Winchester?" Raphael asks from behind. I turn around and see him and Michael standing there.

"Yeah, he's my partner," I tell him.

Raphael scoffs. He grabs my arm and drags me up to my room. I brace myself for a blow, which hits me in the eye. He continues hitting me until my phone goes off. He leaves the room and slams the door shut, locking it from the outside. "We don't tolerate lying, or gay boys," he tells me. Then I hear footsteps walking away from the door.

Dean

Dean: You get home okay? It's been an hour

Me: I'm fine, Dean. Sorry for worrying you

•••

Thursday

I walk up to my locker, keeping my head down low. I take out what I need and someone slams my locker shut. I jump and turn to face the culprit.

"Sorry, Cass. Didn't mean to scare you," Dean says. I quickly put my head down, but it's too late. "Cass, what happened?" I turn around and try to walk to my class. Dean grabs my arm lightly, so I can't leave. "What happened to you?"

"I fell, okay?" I lie. "I gotta get to class."

"We don't have class for half an hour. What happened?" Dean asks.

"Cassie!" Gabe yells. I groan in frustration as Gabe runs over to me. "You ran out before you could get breakfast. Here."

"I'm not hungry, Gabe," I lie.

"You didn't have dinner, you're having breakfast," Gabe tells me. Dean clears his throat, and Gabe finally notices him. His eyes blow up wide. "Uh, sorry."

"Gabe, right?" Dean asks. Gabe nods. "What happened to Cass? He won't tell me."

"I, uh, I've gotta go. Bye!" Gabe scurries off in another direction.

"Dean, drop it," I sigh. I look down and see the string of yarn is now a very bright blue. "It changed again," I whisper to myself.

"What did? The yarn? It changes?" He asks.

"It changes colors. It's never happened before until yesterday," I tell him.

"Hey, babe," Lisa says, wrapping her arms around Dean. "Ew, what happened to him? He's uglier now."

I roll my eyes and look back down at the floor. The color changes to a deep purple, startling me. I keep my gaze fixated onto it.

"He has a name, you know," Dean says.

"Doesn't make a difference to me," Lisa says.

My phone buzzes, getting their attention, along with mine. I pull it out, seeing Raphael texted me.

Raphael

Raphael: Uriel wants to meet Dean, since you clearly care about him. You're even with him right now

I look around and see Raphael standing at his locker, on his phone.

Me: Wth is that supposed to mean? I met him yesterday

Raphael: So? You can't even look at Dean if Lisa is around. You're jealous

Me: I'm not jealous. He's bugging me about my eye that you decided to punch

Raphael: Just bring him over after school. You can do your project there

I shove my phone into my trench coat and sigh. "You okay, Cass?"

"Your locker, end of the day. Going to class," I tell him before walking off.

•••

We sit down in the Impala and I tell him that we have to go to mine today. "Can Sammy come? I don't want to drop him off first," Dean tells me.

"Don't think it matters," I say. The rest of the car ride is spent in silence. We pull up at the orphanage and I sigh.

"You live here?" Dean asks hesitantly.

"Yup, you'll have to excuse my brothers. And Uriel too," I tell them.

We get out of the Impala and walk to the front door. I lead them inside, to the living room where they're all sitting. I stop, seeing something I didn't notice before. Gabe and Sam. They're connected. Shit, this is awkward.

"The Winchester's," Raphael says. "Go to your room, Castiel. Bring Gabe. We'll send them up when we're done talking."

I nod my head and look down to the floor. Gabe walks over to me and we slowly walk up the steps. I can feel people staring at me, but I'm too scared to see who. We get to my small room and sit down on my bed.

"Cass, it's gonna be okay. They're not gonna do anything with the Winchester's here. Raphael and Michael know how popular they are. You're gonna be okay," Gabe tells me.

Someone clears their throat, so we look over to see Sam standing at the door. "Are you okay, Cass?" He asks. I look down at the floor, not responding. Sam walks closer to me and sits down next to Gabe. I look down at my string and see it's a deep purple again.

Gabe and Sam talk as I wait for Dean to arrive. After a couple minutes, Dean walks in. He takes a seat next to me and starts to whisper. "Are you okay?" I shrug my shoulders in response. "So the string changes colors?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking it's depending on the mood. I can't quite determine everything about it," I tell him.

"Okay, so you say two people are connected?" I nod. "Name two people that are connected."

"Sam and Gabe," I tell him.

"Wait what?" He asks. "Are you sure?" I nod. "What color is their string?"

Gabe starts to laugh loudly along with Sam. "It changed, to light green. It changed again. Mine frequently turns light blue when someone notices I space out," I say.

"Okay, so light blue could be concern?" Dean asks.

"I guess. Doesn't quite make sense with my string, though. Mine is usually turquoise, but so far I've seen light blue, and deep purple," I tell him.

"Have you seen who I'm connected to?" He asks.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna tell you who. You know how distracted I am by it. Don't want that to happen to you. You could jeopardize how things play out," I say.

"What's that supposed to mean? Cass, just tell me one thing. Is it Lisa?" Dean asks.

"What? No. I would've told you if it was," I tell him.

He sighs. "Who, then? Why can't you tell me who it is?"

"Because it's complicated, Dean!" I groan in frustration. "Just drop it, okay?"

"No, I want to know," Dean persists.

"I'll tell you, but not today. I'll tell you when I'm ready. I shouldn't even have told you about Sam and Gabe," I sigh.

"Fine," Dean sighs.

"Deep purple, I think it's...protectiveness. It's the only thing that makes sense, considering the last times it changed," I tell him.

"Light green, happiness?" Dean asks.

"Wait," I start. I get off of my bed and walk across the room. Sam and Gabe are too engrossed in their conversation to notice. "The string, I understand something. When my other half, the person at the other end, started talking to me, that's when my string of yarn started changing. I was never able to tell their emotions until I had contact."

"So it only changes when you two are connecting?" He asks. He stands up and walks over to me. "Cass, I'm gonna give you one chance to tell me who it is. I have a feeling I know."

"You know?" I whisper. "You can't. I don't know what it means yet. You can't know." I grab onto the doorknob and quickly exit the room. The yarn changes colors again. Pink? I pick up the string in my hand, examining it carefully.

"Cass," Dean says softly. "That's why you couldn't tell me. Because it's me, isn't it?"

"Dean," I whisper. I turn around to see him standing in the doorway. Sam and Gabe are now watching us intently. Dean starts to walk to me, but I walk back. "Don't. You saw what happened last time."

"When I wrote my locker number on your hand? Yeah, I remember. We can work through it, Cass," Dean tells me.

"This is wrong," I whisper, voice cracking. "I-I've gotta go."

"It's your house," he points out.

I turn around and walk down the steps. "I'm sorry," I tell him. I walk out the front door and decide to walk to the nearby park. My phone buzzes.

Dean

Dean: I'm sorry, Cass. Come back

Me: No, Dean. I need time to think. This is wrong

Dean: We're connected, Cass. That has to mean something to you

Me: I don't know what it means, Dean. That's the problem

Dean: Would it be so bad if we were soulmates?

Me: You're straight. You're with Lisa. If you think my torment right now is bad, imagine what that would be like if I was actually with you

Dean: You seriously think a couple people saying shit to you is gonna stop that? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you

Me: You don't know me. You're with Lisa. We're too different. Not to mention, you're straight

Dean: I'm bi, thanks for asking

Me: Wait, what? But you're with Lisa

Dean: If being with Lisa is such a big problem right now, which it's not, I'll go over to hers and end it right now. I'm not saying we have to be together right now, because like you said, we know nothing about each other. We just started talking yesterday. All I'm saying is, we're connected. Stop trying to fight what's happening

Me: I get it. Don't leave Lisa because of me. God, don't do that. It'll only get worse. Nothing's even happened yet

Dean: So, what? We're connected, quite literally, and I'm supposed to stay with her?

Me: Well you care about her, don't you? It's obvious

Dean: Thats not the point, Cass

Me: It kinda is. Like you said, nothing's gonna happen yet. Listen, I agreed not to fight it. I'll do that if you agree to stay with Lisa, until we both decide it's a good time

Dean: Fine. Uriel and Raphael are pissed, by the way. Gabe is freaking out that you just left like that. Sam is calming him down. Michael is trying to calm down Raphael and Uriel

Me: Fuck. Get Gabe out of there. Right now. I'm on my way. Go to your house. Be gone by the time I get back

Dean: What? Why?

Me: Dammit, Dean! Just do as I say. I'll see you tomorrow. Please, get Sam and Gabe out. You too

•••

Friday

I open my locker and sigh. Please, can Dean be sick today? I'm aching from head to toe. Shakily, I grab a book from my locker. It slips out of my grasp and falls to the ground.

"Here you go," Dean says, picking up my book.

I block my face with the locker. "Thank you, Dean. For getting them out. For leaving," I say quietly.

"I don't get why I had to get them out, but you're welcome. Want to hang out before class? Maybe we can talk about that yarn thing some more," Dean suggests.

"No, Dean. Lisa, go," I tell him.

He huffs in annoyance. "Cass, come on. I'll be with her at lunch."

"And what if she sees you, huh? You're not outed as bi, so her saying something could really affect you. Because you weren't ready to come out," I say.

"Why won't you close your locker?" Dean asks.

"Because I'm getting my books," I lie.

"You haven't touched anything since I walked up. What's going on?" He asks.

"Dean," I sigh. We fight to keep the locker still, him winning. He opens it all the way and I look down at the floor. "Dean, don't."

"What the hell happened?" He asks.

The string turns to deep purple. "Calm down," I laugh softly. "This string can actually be useful." I put the purple yarn in my hand before turning back to Dean. "You're being protective, angry about what happened to me. I'm okay, Dean. I've endured worse."

"You've what?" Dean asks, stepping closer.

"Dean," I warn, stepping back. "Don't. Something happened last time, I don't know what. It was like a dull flame. It hurt, but tingled. I can't describe it. It wasn't the pen, it was the skin-to-skin contact."

Dean takes a deep breath. The yarn turns back to turquoise. I sigh in relief. "Cass, we'll work through it. We have to. We're connected."

"You say that likes it some sort of cure-all," I say. "This is more complicated than just a string of yarn, Dean. If you're right about this, then that means Sam and Gabe will be together. And so will many people in this town. It's different, Dean. I'm different. I can see 'soulmates', as you call it. That's not normal, okay?"

"It means no matter what shit we're put through, we're supposed to be together," Dean says quietly.

"Let's just get the project done, then we can go from there," I tell him.

"Hey, baby," Lisa says. Dean rolls his eyes in annoyance. "What are you doing with him?"

The string turns purple again. "We're talking about the project. Nothing to worry about, Lisa."

Dean takes a deep breath. "Hey, babe," he tells her. I clench my jaw and look down to the floor as he leans in to give her a kiss. I take deep breaths, trying not to let the jealousy seep through.

"Woah, what's up with him?" Lisa asks.

"Cass?" Dean asks. "Lisa, go. I'll talk to you later."

"What? No, leave him," Lisa tells him.

"Go!" Dean says sternly. Lisa scurries off, getting people's attention. "Cass, hey, calm down. I'm here."

He walks over to me as I look up at him. "How'd you know something was wrong?" I ask.

"I felt something. Strong. It was like I could feel your jealousy or something. I pulled away, because I had no clue what that feeling was," Dean says quietly.

"Why does it only seem to affect us?" I ask.

"Because you're the one who can see all the yarn. That's gotta be it," Dean says. "You're okay now, right?"

"Well," I sigh. "Never really got like that before we started talking, like with the string. Certainly never felt like I was going to pass out because you were kissing Lisa."

"Cass, are you okay? We'll talk about the situation later," Dean tells me.

"Dean, it's light blue again," I sigh. "There's no need for your concern. I'm just sore."

"I meant what I said two days ago. You're different from them, from the others. I didn't know why then, but we both know why now. It's like this attraction that I can't fight," he says softly, then sighs.

"Attraction?" I ask. The bell rings, making me sigh. I grab my books, fumbling with them in my grip. Dean rearranges the books so they're balanced properly. "Thanks. Just text me whenever you want to talk about it."

"Lunch, okay?" Dean asks.

"Goodbye, Dean," I tell him.

"Bye, Cass," Dean says.

•••

"Hey, Cassie," Gabe says. "Going to the library?"

"Yeah, Dean's supposed to text me in a couple minutes," I tell him.

"Cass, why did you tell him to leave? Sam and I could've left. You would've been safe because Dean cares about you. Which, I mean, holy crap. He's the most popular guy in school. Fit too, can probably knock Raphael and Uriel out with a couple punches. Not much. He could've protected you," Gabe says.

"Because it's not his job, Gabe. I've been dealing with this since we moved there," I tell him. I look down and see purple yarn. Dammit, Dean. "I'll talk to you later, Gabe." I walk to the library and take my seat.

Dean

Dean: Why are people so judgmental over you?

Me: I told you the first day we met. I'm a nerd

Dean: A bi nerd. They keep calling you gay and saying shit about you. I'm trying not to freak out on them

Me: Calm down. I'm not leaving because of what they say. Let them say shit. You know the truth

*Dean's POV*

Castiel

Me: That doesn't excuse what they're saying

"Hey, babe," Lisa says. "Has the gay freak made a move on you yet?"

I sigh, looking up at my friends. "First off, he's not gay or a freak. Secondly, he's not going to make a move on me."

"Think what you want. We've talked to him before and he seems pretty weak. Want to come with us to interrogate the little nerd?" Lisa asks.

Castiel: Let them be, Dean

"How do you even know where he is?" I ask.

"The library. Where he always spends his lunch," Bela tells me.

Me: They're coming to the library. Get out of there

"I'll come. I doubt he's even there," I sigh.

Castiel: What? No. Let them come

Me: Dammit, Cass! I left last night, leave now

Castiel: I'm packing up my stuff now

We walk into the library, and I sigh. We walk to his supposed spot.

Me: It's too late

Castiel: I don't know if I can take anymore hits, Dean. I might pass out

Me: I'll talk to them

We see Cass sitting against a bookcase with his hands on his face. I resist to just run over to him and protect him.

"What do you want?" He asks quietly.

"Stay away from Dean," Lisa tells him.

"Wait, what? We have a project," I tell her.

"Ditch it. Let him do it by himself," Ketch says.

"How's that supposed to work? You know what the project is," I tell him.

"Write down stuff about you that he can use to write. He can do yours. Easy," Bela says.

"I don't understand the big issue here. It's just a project," I tell them.

"Dean, stop. They're right," Cass tells me. I stare at him as he pulls out a notebook. He has a new bruise on his cheek.

"What the hell happened to him?" Bela asks.

"It's none of your business," Cass tells her.

Bela starts to walk towards him, but I grab onto her. "Stop. Can't you see he's already hurt?"

"Maybe you should lay off," Ketch suggests. "For now, at least."

I look down at Castiel, getting a weird feeling in my chest. Is he...afraid? Why can I feel that? Bela pulls out of my grasp and walks to Lisa, Ketch, and Amelia. I take a seat opposite of Cass on the floor and pull out my phone.

"What are you doing?" Amelia asks.

Me: There's a new bruise, Cass. Who hit you?

"Texting, what else?" Castiel pulls out his phone, getting a look from the three. "I'm not hungry. Go back to lunch. I like the quietness."

Castiel: Don't worry about it, Dean. I'm fine

"Hey, Dean," I hear Sammy say. "Ketch, Amelia, Lisa." He scrunches up his face in disgust. Then he turns to Castiel and smiles. "Hey, Cass. You okay?"

"Cass? Why is your brother giving the nerd a nickname?" Lisa asks.

Something inside me breaks. I have to protect him. Tell them the truth, somewhat. He's not going to be hurt anymore. "What's so wrong with him, huh?" I ask, walking over to the three. "His sexuality doesn't matter, nor does what he do with his spare time. If you guys bothered to talk to him without bullying him, you'd see how he actually is. There's nothing wrong with him. Maybe there's something wrong with you three."

"Dean, don't leave me," Lisa cries. "I need you."

"You need my popularity. Before we dated, people didn't even know you. Except me. I don't care who's popular and who's not. Now unless you have an apology to Castiel, there's nothing for me to want with you three."

"You're breaking up with Lisa because of one nerd?" Amelia asks.

"I'm breaking up with her because I'm tired of her belittling people, along with the rest of you. There's no reason for it," I tell her.

People in the library start clapping softly. I turn to see the librarian not in here, and people with smiles on their faces. Amelia, Ketch, and Lisa huff before walking out the room. I smile and turn back to Sam and Cass.

"Good job, Dean. Finally got rid of her," Sam says.

"Thanks, Sammy. You okay, Cass?" I ask, kneeling down next to him.

"Thank you, Dean. Really, you didn't have to do that," he tells me.

*Castiel's POV*

"That's the thing, Cass. I felt like I had to. Had to protect you," Dean whispers.

"So you get the urges that show emotions and I get colors? That's nice. Just us, too," I say.

"What was that all about anyway?" Sam asks.

"I get bullied. Dean helped," I tell him.

"Cassie!" Gabe calls.

"Is this some sort of party or meeting I don't know about?" I ask.

Dean chuckles. He stands up and holds his hand out for me to grab onto. I look at him skeptically before grabbing onto it. He swiftly helps me up in one motion. We both pull away and look at our hand.

"I get what you were talking about, Cass," Dean tells me.

"What?" Gabe asks, walking up to us.

"It's nothing," I tell him.

"Want to go get some lunch?" Dean asks me. "It's Friday, after all."

"You're buying," I tell him. "Sorry, Gabe. Sorry, Sam. See you after school."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Dean laughs softly. We walk out of the library, people staring at me in shock.

"People really look up to you, huh?" I ask.

"I guess. It sounds better than what it actually is," Dean shrugs.

We walk up to the cafeteria doors. He opens it for me, making me roll my eyes and laugh. The chatter stops and all eyes turn to us.

"Dean, I'm uncomfortable," I say quietly.

"They're not gonna touch you," Dean tells me.

"Nice standing up for him, Dean," Garth tells him as he walks up to us.

"Thanks, Garth. It's not right to bully anyone," he responds.

"Castiel, right?" He asks. I nod.

"Cass, he's not gonna hurt you," Dean tells me. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I nod.

"You two seem close," Garth points out. A small smirk spreads across his face.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Dean sighs.

"Well, no need for standing up. You wanna sit with us?" Garth asks. I look to Dean to see his reaction, only to see he's already looking at me. I tilt my head in confusion, making Dean laugh.

"Sure, not as many looks then," Dean tells him. We follow Garth to his seat, where a red haired girl and one guy sits.

"Charlie, Benny. This is Dean and Castiel. They'll be sitting with us," Garth tells them.

Charlie and Benny exchange glances of shock and confusion. I sit down next to Garth, Dean on my other side.

"Dean," I start. All eyes turn to me. "You said you'd buy me lunch."

"Right," he laughs. "I'll be back." Dean gets up and walks to the line of food.

"So, how'd you two meet?" Garth asks.

"A project. Two days ago," I tell them.

"That close and you only known each other for two days?" Benny asks. "It's Dean Winchester, man. It took Lisa two months for them to get close before dating."

"It's, uh, special circumstances," I tell them.

"How so?" Charlie asks.

I look back at Dean, seeing him fill up the tray. A small laugh escapes my lips. "What is he doing?" I ask.

"Looks like he's getting stuff for the both of you," Benny tells me.

Dean turns back to us, so I quickly turn back around. The three of them are staring at me. I tilt my head and narrow my eyebrows. Dean places his tray down next to me.

"You're confusing him," Dean tells them. "Let him be."

"Dean," I sigh. "They're curious." I take the burger off his tray, getting looks from the three again. "What?"

"He doesn't share," Charlie tells me.

"You don't?" I ask him.

"It's not a big deal, Cass. Here," he hands me one of the two pies from his tray. "Eat up."

"Thanks, Dean," I say. The three watch me as I open the pie. "Why are they staring at me?"

"Come on, cool it with the staring. It's creeping us out," Dean tells them. They avert their eyes to their trays. "Is it good?"

"Burger and pie. Yes," I tell him. I glance around the room curiously. "I've never been in here before." My eyes stop on Lisa. She's staring at me. "Dean."

"What?" He asks. I gesture for him to look. "Don't worry about her, Cass. She can't touch you."

"Why do you have to be so popular? This would be much easier if you weren't," I say.

"Sorry," Dean laughs. "Can't control that. Hey, who's house we going to tonight?"

"I-I can't go, Dean," I tell him.

"Because of last night? Cass, that wasn't your fault. I should've stayed," Dean tells me.

"Gabe told me the same thing," I sigh. "I don't want you caught up in the mix of everything. I've been dealing with it for years. Rather me than Gabe. I'm used to it."

"Cass, that's not a good thing. You shouldn't even be in there. Why can't someone just adopt you?"

"Because I won't go without Gabe, Dean. It's not right. He's my brother," I tell him. "Can we please talk about this later?"

"I'm driving you home. Gabe too," Dean says.

"Dean, no," I sigh. "You can't. Just, text me when you're home. They won't take my phone."

The bell rings, cutting the conversation short. "Fine, but you owe me. Deal?" He asks.

"Fine," I sigh. "Bye, Dean. Thanks for letting me sit here, guys."

•••

Dean

Dean: I'm home. Sammy kept asking to see Gabe

Me: Cute

Dean: You home yet?

Me: In my room, yeah

Dean: How'd you get home so quick?

Me: Shortcut in the woods

Dean: You're serious?

Me: Yeah, why?

Dean: If I would've known I wouldn't have let you go

Me: Gabe was with me. What's the big issue?

Dean: I don't like the idea of you two alone in the woods. A bunch of kids go there after school

Me: I saw Amelia

Dean: What'd she do?

Me: Nothing. Wouldn't even look our way. You must've scared her

Dean: Weird. Anyway, we gonna talk about the yarn?

•••

Thursday

It's been a month since then. Dean and I are still close, but I now have feelings towards him that I can't control. A little flirting sometimes, which he just plays along. It's getting harder and harder not to just kiss him on the spot. I won't, though, because I'm pretty sure he just thinks of us as friends. We've been hanging out a lot more since then. We're walking through a forest right now, Dean leading me who-knows-where.

"Dean, where are we going?" I ask. "We've been walking for a half an hour."

"Just hold on," Dean laughs. "We're almost there." He walks behind me and puts his hands over my eyes. We continue walking like this for a couple more minutes. We eventually stop walking, and he drops his hands. "Okay, open your eyes."

Opening them, I gasp. Dean and I are on top of a cliff, looking over the town. I walk closer to the edge and sit down.

"What are we doing here?" I ask.

Dean walks over to me and sits down, knees touching mine. He takes one of my hands in his, making me look at him in shock.

"Cass, I know it's only been a month or two since we've started talking, but I can't help the feelings I have towards you. Whether it be because of the yarn, or just my attraction to every little thing about you, it doesn't matter. I like you for who you are," Dean says.

"You're not one for words, Dean. What's going on?" I ask.

He takes a deep breath, squeezing my hand gently. I softly squeeze back, hoping to give him some comfort.

"I want to be with you, Castiel. For real, with labels. Anyone wants to bully you, they'll have to talk to me. I don't want to ruin what we have between us so far, though. I get it if you don't want to be with me," Dean says.

"Dean, I want to be with you. Don't you see that? I'm just afraid of how Uriel and Raphael will react," I reply honestly.

"I think I have a solution to that," Dean says, smiling. I look at him with confusion, making him chuckle softly. "I was talking to my dad, and he told me about one of his friends. They're looking to adopt, my dad gave him the name of the orphanage and his friend is going to check it out."

"Dean, are you being serious?" I ask, a big smile across my face.

"He's looking for brothers, too. He was looking all over to find the ones he thought would fit perfectly. No joke, Castiel. I'm being serious," Dean says.

I pull him into a tight hug, crying tears of joy. "Your dad's friend, does he live around here?" I ask.

"Yeah, he does," Dean says softly. "Cass, does this mean you're saying yes?"

"To being with you? Of course," I reply happily. Dean lets out a breathy chuckle, clearly very happy. "Dean Winchester, my boyfriend. Has a nice ring to it."

Dean laughs, pulling away from me. "Castiel Novak, my boyfriend. Sounds perfect to me," Dean says.

My phone buzzes, pulling me out of the moment. I take my phone out and see a text from Uriel.

Uriel

Uriel: Someone wants to adopt you and Gabe. Clean out your room and get out

Me: Give me 45 minutes and I'll be there

"We gotta get back, I need to clean out my room," I tell Dean.

•••

Dean and I enter the orphanage and head to my room. He helps me pack everything up and carry it. We walk out of my room, seeing Gabriel and Sam by the door with someone else. Dean and I walk over, then realize who it is.

"Mr. Shurley?" We ask at the same time.

"Dean, Castiel. Didn't know you two talked outside of class," he says.

"You're adopting me and Gabe?" I ask. He nods.

"My car is in the driveway," Mr. Shurley says. The five of us walk outside, putting our bags in the trunk. Mr. Shurley gets in the car, letting us say our goodbyes. It's only until tomorrow, but still.

Dean leads me back to the Impala, so we're standing by the trunk of the car. He opens it and pulls out a small gift bag. I stare at him confusingly as he hands me the bag. He gestures for me to open it, so I do. I see it's a honeybee shirt pin, so I smile. I hook it onto my trench coat, then look up at Dean.

"Thank you, I love it," I tell him.

"I was going to give it to you when I asked you out, but I left it in the car," he laughs softly.

"Well I said yes either way," I reply.

He gazes down at my lips, then looks into my eyes for permission. I nod, fluttering my eyes closed as he leans in. His lips softly touch mine and my lips curl into a smile. We kiss for a couple seconds before pulling away.

"Text me when you get there, okay? Let me know the address and I'll pick you up for school tomorrow," Dean tells me.

I nod, quickly giving him a peck on the lips before walking back to the car. I turn back and see Dean staring at me in shock. "I'll text you, Dean," I say, laughing softly.

Then I enter the car and we drive off. "Call me Chuck when we're not in school, okay?" Gabe and I nod. "So you and Dean, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," I reply, looking out the side window.

"Well you two look cute together, so I don't mind it," Chuck says.

"You and Dean are together?" Gabe asks.

"He asked me out like an hour ago, Gabe," I reply.

"Cute," Gabe snickers, laughing to himself. I look in the rear view mirror, seeing nothing but a big smile on his face. He looks really happy that I found someone.

•••

Friday

Dean and I entered school together, one of his arms around my shoulders. People keep staring at us in shock until we get to my locker. Lisa, Amelia, and Ketch, stand there together. When they spot us their faces turn into complete utter shock. Their faces were priceless.

"Can you move away from his locker?" Dean asks them.

"Dean, come back to me. We can be happy together, without the ugly and gay Castiel to bother us," Lisa says.

"No, Lisa, I'm happy with Castiel. You don't want me back, you want the people to look up to you because we were the power couple of the school," Dean says. Lisa looks taken aback, but stays quiet. "For the record, we're both bisexual. Can you move now?"

Reluctantly, the three of them move away. They still stand nearby, though. I walk to my locker and open it, not letting anyone else see the combo. I grab my books I'll need and shut the locker. As Dean goes to pick up my books, Lisa shoves them out of my grip. Dean glares at her, making the three of them scurry off. He helps me pick them off the floor before carrying them.

"I can carry my books, Dean," I reply.

"But I want to carry yours," Dean says. I chuckle softly, following Dean to his locker.

"Hey, Garth, Charlie, Benny," I say.

"Benny, hold onto these for a bit, would you?" Dean asks. Benny takes my books into his grip as Dean opens his locker.

"Who's books are these?" Benny asks.

"Mine," I reply. The three of them look at me in shock and confusion. "Dean won't let me carry them."

"Well what kind of boyfriend would I be if I did?" Dean asks. Charlie squeals, the boys gasping.

"You two are finally going out?!" Charlie asks loudly.

"Finally?" Dean and I ask.

"It took Lisa a month to become friends with you and two months after that to date you. Two days after you two meet and you were already closer than you ever were with her," Garth points out.

"I've...never thought about it like that. Cass and I just got real close, we became friends. Then it developed. It didn't take as long because I didn't realize I was bi, but whatever," Dean says.

He shuts his locker, putting my books on top of his. "We heading to class, Dean?" I ask. He nods. "Bye, guys. See you at lunch."

Dean and I head to Chuck's room, sitting down in our seats. "Castiel, can I talk to you real quick?" Chuck asks.

I get up, walking over to him. "Yes, Mr. Shurley?" I ask.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've got to stay behind at school today for a couple meetings. Can you two make yourselves dinner? I'll bring dessert on my way home."

"Of course. Do you mind if Dean comes over, and possibly Sam?" I ask him.

"No, of course not. It's now your house as much as mine," Chuck says. I nod. "That'll be all."

I turn around, walking back to my seat. I see Lindsey, a popular girl who usually stayed away from Dean, in my seat. She's all over his side, with her chair pressed against his. Dean's face scrunches in disgust as Lindsey leans in to whisper.

I clear my throat, so Lindsey moves back a bit. "Lindsey, can you move? That's my seat."

"My seat now, find your own," Lindsey says.

"Lindsey, get off of me. I'm not single, okay? I don't want you," Dean says, lightly pushing her off.

"Break up with her, then. I'm a lot better," Lindsey tells him.

"Him. And no," Dean says. Lindsey breaks apart and stares at Dean in shock. "Babe, come here." He pats his lap, making me roll my eyes and chuckle. I walk over to him and sit on his lap.

"You serious?" I ask, trying to contain my laughter.

"Well is it so bad to want to sit with my boyfriend?" Dean asks.

"You two? He's a freak!" Lindsey exclaims.

"Lindsey!" Chuck says loudly. Lindsey falls off her chair and I break out in laughter. I slide off of Dean's lap into my own seat. "Would you like to say that again and go to the principals office, or go to your seat?"

"My seat," Lindsey mutters.

She gets up off the ground as Dean wraps an arm around me. I pull out my notes and we get started on the lesson.

•••

And that's how it ended up. Dean and I stayed together, even though there were a lot of people who didn't want us to. We were happy though, so no one could break us up. Sam and Gabe ended up getting together, as I predicted. Dean's family would come over a lot and we'd all sit together as one big family. We'd have movie nights and game nights. Turns out, Chuck adopting us helped the two parents become closer. Dean and I concluded that the string of yarn did in fact connect soulmates, which turned out better for us all.

THE END

•~•~•~•~•~•

Thanks so much for reading another Destiel fan fiction. Hope you enjoyed this one. Must've been one of the longest yet. I really loved writing this. I have more stories lined up that I need to complete, so be on the lookout for more updates (probably in February). Let me know what you thought!