Title: College Visit
Author: bballgirl3022
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Sam, Gabriel
Spoilers: None
Warnings: AU
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters in this piece of fiction. And I am most certainly not making a profit from this.
Summary: Dean goes with Castiel on a college visit.
Word Count: 906
Notes: For bourne_parker who requested Dean's driving and got this.

Thanks to moonofblindness for the beta work. All other mistakes are my own.

College Visit

Dean Winchester was cruising down the highway with his boyfriend, Castiel riding shotgun.

It all sounded really awesome and romantic, except for the fact that Dean's younger brother was whining in the back seat.

The three were on their way to visit Castiel's brother at college. Gabriel went to a college upstate and since they were all off for spring break they decided to check out the campus.

It was a sort of dual trip. Castiel got to see his brother and he was visiting a possible future college. Sam, the little snot, was tagging along for the same reason. The kid wasn't even in high school yet and he was already over-achieving.

Dean had no aspirations to attend this university. He planned to attend community college and get into a technical program. He agreed to go on this trip because Dean wanted alone time with Castiel with the door closed and his parents had a lame open door policy.

Castiel was extremely excited about this trip. He didn't outwardly look it, but Dean knew better. Dean could see the tiny smile on his boyfriend's lips and the tight squeeze of Castiel's fingers around his knee.

The ride was nice and Dean was comforted by the rumble of his baby's engine, the warmth of his boyfriend next to him, and the occasional nagging comment from his bored brother.

Dean's first parent free trip was going to be great

It should have only taken them two hours to get there, but by the time they pulled up to the street where Gabriel's apartment was located they had been on the road for four hours. It would have taken much less time if Sam didn't have a bladder the size of a pea.

The fact that they made it at all was the important thing. It proved that Dean was competent enough to go out on his own and now maybe his parents would agree to let him take that road trip he'd been secretly planning.

Their first night was spent catching up and eating some of Gabriel's spectacular cooking. They were all too exhausted to do anything more than lay around, Dean and Castiel squeezed together on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable fit, but it was closer than Dean and Castiel had been in weeks.

The weekend passed in a blissful haze of eating, being shown around a college town, and holding hands. Dean thought it was a bit girly, but Castiel lit up like a tree on Christmas every time their hands were joined, so he let it slide.

Monday rolled around and Castiel and Sam were, in their own ways, excited for the campus tour. Dean opted out because he really has no desire to sit through a philosophy lecture at a school he wasn't planning on attending. So he spent the day watching crappy Soaps instead.

Castiel returned around two. He was alone, which confused Dean, but soon explained that Sam wanted an in depth tour of the political science department and as Castiel already got the tour of the language department he wanted, he left those two to it.

Dean's subsequent question was swallowed by Castiel's mouth and his warm body pressing Dean's into the sofa.

They hadn't moved from that spot a few hours later when Sam and Gabriel returned.

Tuesday and Wednesday passed in a similar fashion,

Gabriel assisted with researching on Thursday, so Dean and Castiel had the apartment to themselves, as Sam was following one of Gabriel's buddies to an introductory psychology course. It was another lazy day on the couch.

"I like it here," Castiel mumbled into the cotton of Dean's shirt sometime that afternoon. His face was stuffed into Dean's neck and they were tangled together in a way that should be uncomfortable, but was decidedly pleasant.

"Yeah? I thought you were all set to go to Williams in the fall."

"I was," he replied, "but now I might want something closer to home."

"Cas, your parents are moving to Washington in two years, and this isn't exactly a short drive from there."

Castiel was silent atop him and Dean ran his fingers through his hair as a gesture of reassurance.

He continued with a "That's not the home I was referring to."

"What are you talking about?" Dean loved the little nerd, but sometimes he just made no sense.

"You, Dean. You're my home."

"Cas, you can't pick a college based on your high school boyfriend," Dean chastised. "Haven't the guidance counselors taught you anything?"

"You know Mrs. Harvelle frightens me," Castiel said his laughter rumbling through Dean's chest. "And I don't believe you're just my high school boyfriend. You're much more than that and you know it." He said it all with so much conviction that Dean couldn't help but believe he was speaking the utter truth.

"You're such a sap," Dean said only half-jokingly.

There was a weight shift and Dean turned from the TV to see Castiel's face hovering above his own.

"You love me though."

Dean's heart pounded, he hardly even told his own brother that he loved him, but here Castiel was asking for a confession.

"I love you," Dean stated, his voice only wobbled slightly.

"I love you too, Dean," his boyfriend stated with more confidence. Castiel was smiling. It was very bright and beautiful and Dean vowed to visit Castiel every weekend while he was away if it was that smile that greeted him.