Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Being free is not doing what you want, but wanting what you do." - Jean Paul Sartre.

Seattle, August 17, 2008...

Dear Diary, today I'm only a month away from my 16th birthday, and I'm scared about it since they say that's when changes happen when you realize that life is more than going to school and making friends.

Although I guess my only concern today , would have to be speaking correctly in the debate against April Kelly, the prettiest and most popular girl in my class and a star cheerleader, but well that's another story ...

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

"Castiel! It's time to go to school. Stop daydreaming or you'll be late... Again" my father shouted , so I closed my diary, which was an old planner that my father never used, and came down from my room , to find him in the kitchen "Do you feel confident?"

"Not really, not much."

"Son, don't forget when you give your speech, don't look at people, pick a spot on the opposite wall, don't take your eyes off it." He handed me my breakfast, and just before leaving he added, "And speak loud."

"Bye, Dad." With that I closed the door, only to hear one last...

"Good luck." And with that, I took my skateboard and started my way, but not before crashing into the garbage dumpster of my neighbor Metatron Armstrong , a grumpy old writer, who was never okay with anything... or anyone...

But for now, we'll leave that aside because my only concern today is the debate and ...

Could this be more pathetic? Having to speak in front of a class next to the love of your life while embarrassing yourself because what you hate the most is speaking in front of a crowd while they stare with those analytical eyes that bare the soul.

I don't think so...

⚜️*⚜️

High school was ... unique, and it wasn't for me if I was honest, I was practically invisible to anyone, and that didn't bother me, not always at least, but when idiots sat on me because they didn't see me it stopped being fun.

That's when I went to Meg, a 16-year-old brunette woman, with a look that could eat someone alive, and my best friend, well my only friend but making friends was never my thing.

I went to tell her about my experience, now that benches weren't a good option.

"They sat on me... again " I said with disappointment to the brunette.

"Oh my poor Clarence" I try to say with compassion, but then his gaze shifted to a spot behind me, while contempt colored his features "Dumb and dumber all three"

This caught my attention so I turned around and then I saw them... Ishim Tracey and April Kelly, the most popular couple in the entire high school, the kings of this school, are totally awesome.

As I watched them kiss I could imagine it ... I could imagine it was me and April kissing in the middle of the hallways like the hormonal teenagers we were, but an alpha with glasses and messy hair like me ... well, it wasn't to the liking of omegas as pretty as her.

But that didn't make it any less magical to imagine it and smile silly about it...

"What?" My fantasies were interrupted by Meg who looked at me with confusion, but without seeming any less upset "Have you never seen a couple of morons kissing in public?"

"Yeah, it's just so gross" I pretended, making a face.

"Yeah?" She asked almost mockingly "Because for a second it seemed like you wanted to be the idiot"

"Not at all Meg" I assured the shorter beta, although my insides said how much I was lying to her "I just remembered something funny from a few days ago"

"Well... it doesn't matter now, are you ready for the debate?" She asked, not looking very convinced by what she had said, but able to let it go for now.

"I'll never be ready for a debate Meg" I answered while shrugging because it was completely true.

⚜️*⚜️

My hands were sweating and my breathing was getting more and more agitated , it was almost my turn , one reason why I didn't want April to stop talking , the other reason was her beautiful voice.

"High school should allow us to wear casual clothes on Fridays, and that's not a debate, it's a matter of control" the omega explained as she just left the uniform aside and showed a white dress that was somewhat simple but beautiful "They control our minds with what they teach us, but they're not satisfied with that, I say that Tapping eliminates uniforms, and we have to wear casual clothes all year round" The class applauded in agreement with what she said, more for the idea of ​​not wearing uniforms one day a week than for her arguments, but with how pretty she was that didn't matter much.

"Alright, everyone calms down " said Professor Benjamin Laffite, calming the class down in seconds "This is a debate, and when it's over you'll wear your uniform again" He finished by staring at April.

"Yes... professor " She answered half mocking the teacher, but so subtly that he didn't seem to notice.

"Okay, now that we've all heard April Kelly, for the negative," the teacher continued, but I soon stopped listening, lost in other matters not far from his class.

"What was my point, Meg?" I asked, looking with some terror at my friend.

"We like uniforms , they make us equal." I nodded at this , but I was very unconvinced and with nerves filling my being .

"Now you will hear the counterpart with Castiel Novak who will present the Negative argument against Miss Kelly's proposal." I stood up with my legs shaking, while the group booed.

"I..." I started to speak, but my thoughts were scrambling "Mmm" And I felt it...

"Say something" one of them shouted, before the discomfort won , so I left the classroom as quickly as possible towards the bathrooms where I emptied my stomach with the laughter of my mocking class resonating in my ears.

⚜️*⚜️

The day ended without any rush, not even a bit despite how much I wanted to go home, I ended up at the big gym ten minutes from home where he works every afternoon with my father, something that even though not many believed it, I was good at due to my natural alpha strength and how much I enjoyed heights and that adrenaline that didn't involve... talking.

"So you threw up?" My father began, half-mocking me.

"I'm trying to forget it, you know?" I said, looking at my hands, as I remembered that horrible feeling that to my regret I would probably have to live more times than I would like.

"I would still like to go to school and be able to talk to your teacher Mr. Laffite and clear everything up," he replied, a little more to himself.

"Dad... I know I'm never going to be a great speaker or anything, so I just want you to talk to him and tell him I'm going to be a mime from now on" I recommended hoping this wouldn't end up worse for me.

"Fine" He laughed, before his smile faded , and looking a bit embarrassed he said "By the way..."

"Yeah?" I asked now confused as my father rarely sounded so shy. "Your grandfather called" This left me...stunned because well, I only had two grandfathers and unless Grandpa Novak rose from the grave, there was no other alternative than...

"What?" I blurted out unable to avoid the familiarity in my voice, now looking at my father with wide eyes.

"The one that isn't six meters underground" He clarified with a giggle.

"Yeah, I figured that " I said ignoring his sarcasm.

"He lives in Heaven, a somewhat small European kingdom from what I've heard, his name is Gabriel"

"There... wow, this is the first time he's contacted us, what does he want?"

"Well... apparently he's in town and wants to have tea with us" If what happened before didn't surprise me, this did.

"Tea? He crossed the sea to drink... tea"

"And eat cookies... but yeah, fine I'll go climbing for a while" Oh great, my lost grandfather came here to drink tea and lots of sugar, as if that didn't scream strange.

But I couldn't say much more right away because while I was processing this my father was already on the other side of the gym with whitewashed hands and ready to climb.

I caught up with him in a flash, because I had many doubts "Did Grandpa get you guys divorced?" I knew the question wasn't exactly nice but it wasn't the time for that stuff.

"Well...indeed I didn't have his approval, but the decision was Jimmy's and mine, there were no third parties involved in that decision"

"And why should I see that presumptuous man who always ignored us?" I asked now since my previous conversation had no more arguments, and I wasn't lying about that man because what person who is not even minimally presumptuous can ignore his grandson for almost sixteen years?

"Cas... he's your father's father... just see the morning" But I ignored him as he began to slowly go down "He just said that your father hoped they would meet one day" He tried again, and he had nothing to lose, although nothing to gain either.

"Fine... I'll go, but I don't promise anything good " I said, although not much more convinced than when I started this.

At least I hoped that something good could come out of here...

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

It was Tuesday afternoon when I headed to the address Dad wrote for me when I got there I thought I was confused and impressed by the big mansion before my eyes, which was gorgeous if I do say so myself , but I guess someone who came from another continent to have tea with me had to live in a place like that.

I carefully rang the bell, which made one of the cameras turn towards me which scared me quite a bit "School tours are on Saturdays sir" said the voice over the speaker , that confused me but I answered anyway.

"I'm here to see my grandfather " I said carefully, afraid of saying something wrong.

"Name?" He asked again , I didn't know if it was my name or Grandpa's, but just in case I said his instead.

"Umm, Gabriel Lokingson."

"Very well, you may come in."

The large doors opened, and I carefully made my way to the main entrance which was opened shortly after by a large man with dark hair and blue eyes but he looked as if something bad was happening in his life constantly with that long face he showed.

"Good morning Mr. Novak, we were waiting for you." He said as he took my backpack and led me to a beautiful reception area although a bit too elegant for me with its green and white tones filling the space.

A man even taller than the other soon arrived next to me, as unlikely as it seemed to me , but I was only fifteen years old so anyone over five feet five inches tall would seem tall to me.

The man seemed to be busy talking to someone important through a headset, but seeing that I was there, I suppose uncomfortable, he respectfully hung up with the person and kindly approached me smiling.

"Good afternoon Mr. Novak, I'm Samuel, I'm in Heaven's technical team, it's a pleasure to finally meet you " he said, and despite his great height, this made him look like just a big giant puppy with great manners.

"Hello, and how are you Samuel, it's a pleasure" I answered with the best manners I could, but without being able to really do much because I had never been with people like that or places like that in any case , and I was now somewhat nervous about the man in front of me.

"You can call me Sam, it will be easier for both of us" His smile made me feel less uncomfortable, as if I was actually dealing with a giant teddy bear.

Then we were interrupted by a short man, he was dressed in purple and linen or so it seemed, he smelled like freshly baked cookies and... pears, unlike the other man who had a strong smell of books and gunpowder, the man managed to make Sam stand up even straighter and something, giving me the feeling that he was someone important, like the owner of the place or something.

Then my head connected the dots and I realized it was my grandfather, an omega grandfather. I gaped, a little at least "Castiel, a pleasure" the man said with a big smile "I'm glad you came"

"A pleasure too " I said with a slight bow trying to show respect to the older man , but failing when I stumbled slightly making me let out an awkward laugh that seemed to amuse Sam while my grandfather just looked at me as if analyzing me, which was really awkward.

"But let me look at you" I stood there awkwardly after that, taking off my glasses in case they got in the way, at least according to what my grandfather's signs made me understand "Well you look so..."

"So what?" I asked now less happy, seeing his condescending attitude.

"So...young" Grandpa replied, not knowing what else to say. He was sure, and it's not that he didn't know that my appearance wasn't exactly pleasant, but it still hurt to hear him say that ... or rather, it hurt what wasn't said.

"Well...thank you " I said, growing more and more uncomfortable, moving my feet because this situation was beginning to stress me out and I just wanted to go home already.

"Sam, could you have tea served in the garden and some cookies?"

"Yes, Mr. Lokingson" The young man replied with a soft laugh as he walked away.

"And...my dad told me that you wanted us to talk." I tried to at least not stay in this strange, awkward silence that seemed to form.

"Yes, we need to talk " He said with a sigh, as he seemed to continue analyzing me, before shaking his head and walking to a display case behind me "But first, I have a gift for you" And so he took out a beautiful little silver box full of appliqués, he carefully handed it to me which could only indicate two things, either it was very special to him, or it was just that 'refined', inside it was a ring with beautiful wings carved into it "They are the wings of the archangel, a symbol of Heaven, it was mine when I was young"

So it really was something important to him, this made me feel less... despised by him.

"It's beautiful " I said as I placed the little box on the table as I had no place to keep it now that they had taken my backpack, I put the ring on , it was heavy but not in the wrong way "So now I do , what did you want to tell me?"

"Well, you see, this is going to be something huge that will probably have a huge impact on your life" He started, as if it was really going to change my life so in an attempt at humor I replied...

"Don't worry, I already had braces"

"It's bigger than orthodontics I'm sure" He replied, but he seemed less worried now , and just when it seemed like he was ready to tell me what he seemed to want to tell me since I arrived he was interrupted by Sam.

"Sir, tea is already served " He said before we were led to a huge garden where two cups of tea and piles of cookies were already served.

We sat down at the already prepared table, leaving us again in an awkward silence where neither of us seemed to know how to proceed so I once again ventured to try to find out what it was that Grandpa wanted to tell me so much.

"Well... then" I began simply hoping that this would remind him of the other and with a somewhat nervous look he looked at me and my eyes and after letting out a sigh he left his spoon on the plate and answered.

"Yeah... Well, have you ever heard of James Nicholas Dimitri Lokingson?"

"Ummm... no." I don't know if he expected me to really know anything about that, because although I was good at things like history, he couldn't expect me to know the name of every apparent relative of his especially when I just met him.

"He was the... Crown Prince of Heaven"

"Wow... so... what about that?" Because yes a crown prince and all that, but what did that have to do with the news that would impact my life?

"Well, James Lokingson... he was your father too." This made me laugh because this man couldn't be serious. It was one thing for the man to never take the time to get to know me in the almost sixteen years I had, and another thing for him to take me for a fool and think he could play a joke like that on me.

"Yeah right, my father was the prince of Heaven." I scoffed, but for once since I met the man he didn't laugh, much less smile, which caught me off guard.

"Why would I joke about something like that? If I wanted to do something like that, I would do it with aliens or TV shows, not with status."

"No, it can't be, because if is true, it means that..." My head began to spin at the conclusion that I could be...

"Exactly, and it's that you're not just Castiel Novak, you're Castiel Dimitri Novak Lokingson, prince of Heaven " He said smiling, which didn't make me laugh because... I mean in other circumstances it would be a dream, but not being... me.

"Excuse me?" I said breathlessly "A... prince?, shut up" I finished, hoping not to offend him, but what he was saying to me couldn't be real, in any way.

"What?" He said, now without the smile on his face looking at me as if he didn't understand my refusal.

And I know that this would be reasonable thinking that any other boy of my age no matter if they were alphas or omegas, even betas, would want to be in my place, but I just couldn't accept not only that I wasn't who I thought I was these past few years, but also that my father had never really been honest with me ever...

"Well..." I began trying not only to process the information, but also to mend my previous shock, which hadn't disappeared, but was less great now... a little.

"Anyway, you're the prince and I'm King Gabriel Lokingson for now, there's not much science to it " He said, as if what he was telling me wasn't so... surprising now.

"And why do you want me to be the prince now?" I asked, because in my head I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that this man ignored me practically all my life, and now he had come up with something, what did he want from me? It was the question that never left a simple but deep-rooted thought.

"Well...since your father died you are the natural heir to the throne of Heaven, and also the only direct one." This still had me speechless "I belong by marriage, you do it by blood, therefore when the time comes you will reign."

"Reign? Or not, I think you were wrong and it's that I've never been a good leader, I wasn't one in the scouts and much less now in school." I said, because, my God, I'm only fifteen, does anyone really expect me to do anything more than graduate from high school, it's a bit exaggerated.

"Castiel..." He tried again, but I was already so fed up with all this, so I got a little closer to him, and looking into his eyes hoping he would understand me a little, I said...

"King Gabriel, my hope in this life was to be invisible and I'm fantastic at it."

"Listen Castiel, you have to understand that I didn't want this either, not even in my wildest fantasies, and believe me I've had some pretty crazy ones." And wow, because that makes it all right as if I wasn't asking him to lead a nation or something.

"What?" I replied quite offended, but who cares how I feel, right?

"But you are the legitimate heir, and the only heir actually to the throne of Heaven, and therefore everyone here is willing to help you become someone more than worthy of that, we will teach you to dance, history, commerce, how to speak and dress, and in no time you will discover that living in the palace of Heaven is wonderful" He continued, as if he wasn't paying attention to me at all.

"Living in Heaven?" Okay, that makes sense, you can't run a country from across the sea, but that didn't stop my head from spinning, it only made it worse. "Wow, while living in a palace would be lovely if it wasn't across the Atlantic, I'm not a prince, I refuse to move, much less run a nation and if you want another reason, I don't want to be a prince, as strange as that may seem." And with that I asked for my backpack and began to walk away as quickly as possible, getting out of there, and hoping to wake up next to my cat and very warm in my blankets.

While I was escaping without knowing more about them, a man with green eyes carefully approached the grandfather, while looking at him amused. "You know Gabe, he probably needs time ." He said in a casual tone as if he wasn't talking to a king.

"Are you going to help me?" Gabriel replied, not very amused to the taller omega, who just looked at him now not so amused, because he knew what the other wanted.

"I'm your head of security, and you want me to be a driver and a nanny as well?"

"And a tutoring assistant for his lessons, please," Gabriel said to the other man.

"Why don't you do it?"

"You know he needs protection, and he's almost your age, you'll do him good, maybe he'll find that not everything about this is as bad as you made me believe." The man just sighed before nodding and walking away from the king, trying to prepare himself for what was to come.

"You know he needs protection, and he's almost your age, you'll do him good, maybe he'll find that not everything about this is as bad as you made me believe." The man just sighed before nodding and walking away from the king, trying to prepare himself for what was to come.

Chapter Text

"In sixteen years, you couldn't find a minute to tell me my other father was royalty?!" I yelled at my father, knowing it wasn't right, but knowing he'd lied to me about something so important had broken me.

"I thought it was the right thing to do, Castiel," he replied, following me to my room, already in my pajamas, but I couldn't sleep with all this.

"Oh... The right thing for whom, Dad?" I replied mockingly, because seriously, who thought it was the best thing for me to not only be ignored for 15 years but also deceived?

"For everyone!" Dad yelled, "Look, if we divorced secretly, he could find another omega to keep Heaven and give him whatever heirs he wanted, and then I could be free to live my life with you." He explained, "And please! We met in college. I was young and all I wanted was to paint and drink good wine, and seriously, can you imagine me walking one step behind someone for the rest of my life? With all those rules and obligations, I was so scared!" I exclaimed, almost shouting the last words. It wasn't a bad explanation, but I don't think any actual words would calm me down.

"Well, living with a father who lied to me my whole life scares me," I yelled now, looking him in the eyes.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked as he stormed out of the kitchen toward my room.

"I'll go fix the royal chamber, Father." I could feel his gaze. I didn't know what expression was on it or how he felt, but I didn't care, not for now.

A while later, we both ended up in my room, while Dad tried to explain everything to me in more detail, without any shouting involved, at least .

"After the divorce, your father, grandfather, and I sat down. We agreed to keep our distance so you could have a normal life, without so many emotional complications. We were supposed to tell you on your eighteenth birthday, but when your father died, everything changed, Cas... we just wanted to protect you."

"Right... you know something? I don't feel protected. Try living fifteen years thinking you're a person, and in five minutes you're already a prince. So if you think I haven't been teased enough, add a crown."

"Fine, I'll leave your dinner," he replied, standing up, not seeming to know what else to do.

"I'm not hungry," I whispered as I looked at the ring on my right hand, reminding myself that my life would never be the same again. "Crowley... you're so lucky not to know who your parents are," I said to my cat.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

I came down from my room, ready for another day of high school, or at least as ready as you can be when I'm... me when I saw it... my grandfather sitting with my father, what a sight...

"Oh, excellent, you're here... I think I'll go back to bed." I was probably being childish, but sue me, I'm only fifteen!

"Cas! The three of us need to talk!" My father shouted as he stood up from the living room and ran to stop me. As he grabbed my arm, I snorted and slowly turned to the other two men in the room. Smiling as fake as possible, I used my best sarcasm and said...

"Oh, I know. Do you have anything else about my life that I need to know about? Or... no, you're just waiting for me to come along and tell me that I have a twin brother who's a duke."

"Well... a cousin of yours is an earl... his name is Bartholomew, but we all call him Barth." This left me speechless, hoping my grandfather didn't mean it and was just joining in on my pathetic joke.

"Yesterday didn't go well, son, so would you listen to your grandfather?" My father interrupted, seeing that things wouldn't move forward without him interceding a little.

"Fine..." I replied, collapsing onto the couch in front of them.

"Castiel, we have a big ball in a couple of weeks, and I was hoping... I'm hoping to be able to introduce you there to the press and the public, but before that, you'd need some lessons, and I speak for the entire Parliament and the royal family."

"And I speak for this family, Cas." That left me staring at them, because they couldn't be serious, could they?

"Well, you see... I don't have a family with any of them, because one of them ignored me for fifteen years, and you're a liar... families don't do things like that." I walked away after that, quickly climbing the stairs.

"Where is he going?" I heard my grandfather ask, but I didn't want to stop there.

"To the tower."

"Do you have a tower?" His voice sounded confused, but I didn't really care to clarify anything, and neither did my father.

"Please, Cas, come down from there!" my father yelled from the other side of the study hatch. "

You know, most people expect a car when they turn sixteen, not a nation." He opened it slightly, only to close it again and lean his head against it, as it was starting to feel very heavy.

"This won't get us anywhere. Please, let's talk." He shouted again, now seeming even more desperate. "This won't get us anywhere. Please, let's talk," he shouted again, now sounding more desperate.

"I can't. It's late, and I have to talk to the school counselor," I replied, but I really didn't want to get up. "

And I'm with the ambassadors of Spain and Portugal," my grandfather said, who seemed to have walked over after we'd mindlessly left him alone in the living room.

"Well... I have an idea. Cas promises to take his royal lessons until the day of his dance," my father began, though he didn't know who he wanted to convince more, making me open the hatch beneath me.

"But it's not my dance, it's Heaven's annual Independence Day dance," my grandfather clarified, pouting.

"Excuse me... so Castiel promises not to reject your offer to become royal until the day of the big dance, and then he'll make his decision . Can you both live with that?" he corrected, looking between the two of us.

"Fine..." My grandfather and I said at the same time , although neither of us seemed truly convinced.

"But I don't want a word of this until the dance, understood?" Grandpa warned, seeming unsure of who he was dealing with.

"Duh," I replied, finally coming out of the study.

"Fine, let's not keep Spain and Portugal waiting," Dad finished, letting out a sigh of relief.

⚜️*⚜️

"I'm turning 16 this year, and Dad sold two of his paintings to buy me a 1966 Mustang... You know what that is, right?" I explained to Grandpa as we went downstairs to get a ride to school because it was getting a little late.

"Please, I raise 'Mustangs,' and it's not a good car for a prince." He seemed to be judging me with the car, although this time I couldn't blame him.

"It's not really a good car for anyone..." I replied, shrugging and quickening my pace a little, because despite that, it was what I had, and it was better than nothing.

"Well, I guess I can donate to the guy for that vehicle," he said, although he still didn't seem entirely convinced. That was worth more than anything I'd done before, no matter how small.

"Good morning, Mr. Armstrong." I greeted my neighbor before we left, but my grandfather stopped me only to whisper...

"Who is this gentleman?"

"He's my neighbor, but I don't think you'd like him because he has terrible manners." And it was true; he was rude and had some kind of superiority complex I never understood, but it made him unbearable.

"Good morning," Grandpa said before walking away with me. "But Castiel, I want you to meet someone." The change of subject was pleasant, although the "meet someone" part was especially surprising .

In front of me were two large limousines, and outside them were two large men, although smaller than Sam, but I don't think anyone could be taller than Sam. He's practically a moose or something.

One of them looked young, almost my age, actually, but I could be wrong. He was handsome, very handsome, with a suit that was almost tailor-made, very pretty green eyes, and were those freckles? Well, they looked adorable, and he had full lips... Could he be an omega?

He couldn't, because omegas don't work as chauffeurs and bodyguards. They usually had more sheltered jobs, such as educators, chefs in high-ranking positions, artists, maybe. But maybe Heaven was different here.

The man was truly splendid, like an angel, but I was being too exaggerated because I couldn't possibly like him; I already liked April.

"Wow, you have two limousines?" I said, trying to shift my train of thought to the two black-clad women in front of me.

"We have more, but these are the ones we'll need for now," he replied proudly, which I'm glad for because it meant everything that was going through my head stayed there.

"Why?" I turned to look at him, catching his words, because I understood a limousine would take me to school, but why two? Couldn't we all fit in one?

"Well, one's yours." This surprised me; I looked at him like he was some kind of alien.

"Do you also raise limousines?"

"No," he replied, laughing, as we approached the youngest, which is what I would call him from now on to keep my mind off other things. "Castiel, this is Dean. He'll be your driver from now on, as well as your bodyguard and tutor." Well, Dean... he's better than the youngest, or the pretty boy.

"Hello," I said simply , and tried to smile to ease the discomfort my body felt, but it came out more like a grimace.

"Hello, Prince Castiel," he said, and I felt like a jolt of electricity had run through my body and his smile... What was I feeling? It wasn't something I'd ever experienced, not even April, and I loved her, or at least I thought I did.

"You know what? Call me Cas, I prefer it" I said, my face red, but trying to look as confident as possible.

"Fine, Cas." That sounded... very good.

⚜️*⚜️

He ended up driving me to Meg's house where we would pick her up like we did every morning, except with the slight difference of traveling in a luxurious limo that probably cost more than my house.

Meg's mouth was open...it seemed this surprised her more than she had originally thought. "Is this a joke, or are we going to a wedding now?" she asked, sarcasm high.

"Um, no, we'll go to school, and Dean will drive us," I said as simply as I could because this situation didn't warrant modesty or simplicity in the slightest .

"Who's Dean?" One of his eyebrows was raised, clearly questioning me, but I didn't get to say anything when Dean himself came up behind me protectively, things I didn't think I needed because it was Meg, but I didn't dare say this to the taller man.

"Dean, this is Meg." His gaze was fixed on her, so I felt there was much more to point out, not if I wanted this to turn into chaos. "Meg, this is Dean, my driver."

"Nice to meet you, sweetheart," the beta said, approaching with a flirtatious smile, which was met with another smile, but Dean seemed more like mocking her.

"It's a pleasure, but betas aren't my thing," she winked as she walked away from us, making Meg burst out laughing as she analyzed the situation, fascinated, which didn't sit well with me, although I don't know why.

"I like this Clarence." Her gaze remained fixed on where Dean had been, while thousands of unhealthy thoughts seemed to run through her head as if her bulging eyes were saying anything.

"Do you want a ride?" I asked after seeing that she wasn't going to get out of there alone.

"Who wouldn't want to?" She replied, almost purring, as she let me open the door and got into the car with me following her.

I couldn't blame her for that. Even though I liked April, I couldn't deny that the man was extremely attractive , with that chiseled jaw and long eyelashes.

I also knew nothing about him—not his designation, not his full name... nothing. But this didn't make him any less attractive. On the contrary, the mystery made him even more so...

"Does your father have any sugar or something?" Her question snapped me out of my reverie, making me realize that the direction I was taking wasn't very good .

"Um, no, my missing grandfather showed up and wants me to use it," I replied, hoping I hadn't misheard her question.

"So... Why?" What was this, the 20 Questions game?

"I think he wants to be nice, so I'll like him" I replied, already a little tired, especially since I really didn't want to explain this whole mess to Meg. So before she could ask another question, I looked ahead and asked,

"Dean...?"

"Yeah, Cas?" I asked in return in the rearview mirror with a small smile.

"Do they use nicknames now?" Meg murmured beside me. I couldn't see his expression, not because I couldn't, but because I didn't want to.

"I asked him to," I replied, despite not turning to look at her because it wasn't as if Dean had decided on his own.

"Sir?" This was interrupted by Dean, who looked at me expectantly , reminding me that I had spoken to him first. "

Oh, yeah... can you drop us off a block from school? I don't want to get there in this carriage?" That made Dean snort, more in amusement than annoyance, but he eventually nodded.

"It's not a carriage, sir, because if it were, everything would be quiet back there," he replied afterward, which was funny because Meg didn't stop laughing the rest of the way. I just smiled, although I still hadn't figured out why.

⚜️*⚜️

After school, I arrived at my grandfather's house. This time, the other man who had been there the day I was introduced to Dean picked me up, which confused me, but I didn't think it was too big a deal.

Samuel was already waiting for me at the front desk. "Good morning, Castiel," he greeted politely.

"Good morning, Samuel," I replied, following him through the hallways, so I'm sure I'd still get lost.

"Call me Sam, I like it much better," he said pleasantly. "Go straight ahead and then left down this hallway. Dean is waiting for you in the library." He pointed me in the direction before starting to walk away through another of the rooms.

"And my grandfather?" I asked before he stopped listening, as it seemed odd to me not to hear that we'd be seeing each other today.

"Oh, he'll see you in a bit." This confused me greatly, because I had heard Grandpa say that Dean would be my tutor, but would Grandpa leave me completely alone with this man?

I don't know if I can do it...not with...that.

I headed toward the place, hoping above all not to get lost. The door was opened by one of my grandfather's men as if they were already waiting for me to do just that, which actually made sense. I didn't know the names of any other men who worked for my grandfather, but I don't think anyone can judge me for that.

In the middle of the large library, Dean sat at a table with a book in his hands. Upon hearing the door open, he looked up from his book and greeted me with a smile, a beautiful one at that.

"Castiel, I'm glad to know you're here," he said with a chuckle. "

Have you been waiting for me a long time?" I asked the blond, somewhat embarrassed.

"Not really, but with all the work we have to do, it doesn't hurt to make the most of every minute," he replied, now more serious, as he jumped down from the table and started walking toward me.

"What do you mean, a lot of work?" This didn't make me feel embarrassed but scared me because, of course, I'd read magazines about royalty and the occasional protocol that was shown on television, but was there really that much to do?

"Well, you have to learn at least half of what most princes learn from the age of 12 in a few weeks, which won't be easy for either of us." His expression was getting less amused, but I couldn't judge him for that.

"Why doesn't Grandpa do it himself?" I asked, noticing I hadn't heard from the man since the day he practically threw Dean at me.

"Well, your grandfather rules an entire nation, and not to be rude, but his affairs extend to more than just teaching his 15-year-old grandson." He replied, even less happy than when I'd arrived, but at least his smile had returned to his face.

"Almost 16," I whispered, because it was true and, well, it made me seem not so small compared to the people around me.

"I know," he said, surprising me since I hadn't expected him to hear me.

"How much do you know about me?" I questioned because he seemed to know more about me than I did about myself.

"Pretty much the same thing you don't know about me," he replied, still smiling. "But we're wasting a lot of time here. For now, I need you to stand up straight and do some laps for me." That only made my doubts about this man grow even stronger, but I didn't say anything else because I knew he was right: time would eat us alive if we didn't get started, and my doubts wouldn't really help.

"Sam, take notes." Then I looked behind me, and there was Sam. When had I gotten here?

"Yes, Dean," Sam replied, somewhat annoyed , and it made me wonder , how well did the two men know each other ? My curiosity only grew with each second, especially toward Dean ...

"His posture is... it needs work. I like his hair, but it'll need some styling for events, and a trim wouldn't hurt. I like his muscles, although yoga wouldn't hurt. His eyes... lovely, but I don't like the glasses," Dean assessed, which I couldn't tell if it offended me or flattered me; it was all so weird.

"What's wrong with my glasses?" I asked the man, frowning since I'd picked them out myself.

"They'll tell you later," he said simply as if that would settle anything. Could this man ever give a clear answer? "And we'll renew his uniform." How were they planning that? And I'm not complaining ... my uniform isn't the best , but can you change the uniform?

"But it's what you have to wear," I said, trying to subtly get them to see my point of view .

"I know, but a well-ironed shirt and less hideous shoes would change everything," he replied, not taking his eyes off my shoes... which weren't that ugly, were they?

⚜️*⚜️

"When you walk among people, they'll always be watching you, so we don't slouch like that. Our shoulders are back. You have to feel tall... like Sam."

Watching him shrug and slouch was funny if a little offensive, but the moment he stopped doing it, his hands on my shoulders were a combination of strength and sophistication. It was so... magical.

And his comment about Sam had me laughing for a while that day.

⚜️*⚜️

"No, Cas, a gentleman never crosses his leg in public. Keep your legs slightly apart and straight. If your hands aren't being used, put them on your thighs." It was something I could do. I was still struggling with that whole back thing, but not too much, not anymore.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

"Dean?" I asked, unable to stop the surprise on my face after seeing the other man's calmness.

"Yes?" He said, sipping a sip of water as he looked up from some papers while taking off his glasses. Something that didn't make sense for me to be disappointed in, although it's fair to say he looked pretty good in them.

"Is it customary in Haven to tie guests to chairs with Hermiz scarves?" I questioned now, lightly trying to loosen the strong knot of the scarf that tied me to the chair, which for no reason made me wonder how many abilities Dean had that I didn't even know about.

"It's Hermes, and it's just for training your posture," he replied, returning his gaze to the papers in his hands. "Eventually, you'll learn to sit and eat properly without him." Wonderful, simply wonderful.

And yet my head still couldn't understand how this man could be so irritating, and so...magnificent, even though I still didn't know anything about him.

"Dean... if I promise to put more effort into my lessons... can you tell me something about yourself?" I asked hopefully.

"Nice try... but no, we haven't gotten to that point." A smile had appeared on his face, almost amused, which I wasn't sure if it suited me or not.

"And how can I get there?"

"That, my dear little prince, only time will tell." What a hopeless answer, but I know that one day I'll manage to get something more out of him.

Chapter Text

"Tell me... How can a parent, or anyone really, go to a parent-teacher conference and meet the teacher and go out on a date?" I asked my dad incredulously after getting home and discovering he'd come out with news that had nothing to do with my school performance, but rather a date.

"Well, Mr. Laffite isn't married, he lives alone, and he doesn't have piercings, tattoos, or hair transplants. Do you know how hard that is to find in San Francisco?" He replied with an almost dreamy look, which didn't really sit well with me, but it didn't seem like anything I could do about it either.

"And did it ever occur to you that if you go out with a teacher, it would give my classmates the opportunity to make fun of me for the rest of my life?" I tried to keep my dismay under wraps, which only made me feel worse after the sad look Dad gave me.

"You're right, I didn't think about it. It's just that... Benny, Mr. Laffite is so nice and such a gentleman, and I haven't met one in a long time."

"Yeah... I understand, all right." And I walked away to my room, no less unfortunate given the situation, but I also didn't want to ruin the night even further for the man who gave me everything in this life.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

"The fastest way to reach certain cultures is through dance." Dean approached me slowly. He was wearing a black suit that seemed perfectly tailored to him... he looked so good.

"You're not asking for what I think you're asking for, are you?" He just smiled, all teeth and dreams, while seeming to laugh at me, which didn't sit well with me because it only seemed to confirm what he just said. "

Tell me, Cas... How can you dance?" I held my breath as his smile seemed to dazzle me, and after a sigh, I looked down at my feet.

"Well, the usual, like..." I moved from side to side as if following an invisible song, moving my hands and shaking my head slightly, but this only seemed to amuse Dean more, so I stopped.

"I... see, well in Heaven we have an alternative, much more... calm, with fixed hips and a head that doesn't move—it's not a car decoration, after all—and upright." He took my hands and brought me closer to him, and I felt like I was getting less and less able to breathe, or at least that's what I felt like.

"Your left hand on my waist and your right hand going to take mine, it's a combination of a waltz and a tango." My breath seemed stagnant, so I did what came to mind: use humor.

"A wango?" I asked, which didn't really help, because the laughter that greeted me only made me more shocked... because as a man he could be so wonderful... as hard as it was to admit.

"No, but I like the combination." His answer made me smile; at least for someone, I wasn't that bad.

We danced like that for a while, back and forth, which wasn't as difficult as I might have thought; on the contrary, it felt almost perfect.

We were almost in sync, which made me feel things I hadn't felt before, and that confused me more and more with each second.

"Turn away and come back toward me." I followed his instructions without thinking twice, which made me trip over Dean in less than a blink of an eye, which sent him tumbling straight to the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Dean, I'm so stupid, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" I knew I was blushing too much, but I felt so stupid, and I hoped I hadn't hurt him.

But he just stood up, brushed off his shirt a little, and flashed me an even funnier smile than the one he'd had a moment before.

"Again." His hands took mine again. Now I was more nervous than before, so I approached Dean more slowly. I swallowed a little, took a shaky breath, and turned around again.

"Turn around and slowly come back to me." His hand held mine as he slowly turned around.

"Why do I have to turn around? Am I not the alpha?" I asked, still staring into Dean's green eyes as if he were hypnotized.

"We always have to learn how to do everything, and don't worry, we'll do it the other way around tomorrow." That made me smile. It was that one time I hadn't left, and I was already waiting to see him again. "For now, you can go. We're done for today."

"Thanks! See you tomorrow," I said, somewhat disappointed, but life had to go on. Besides, I'd see him tomorrow...

But I shouldn't be so excited... or should I?

⚜️*⚜️

"Hello, it's late!" I shouted, rushing into the house where my grandfather and Sam were waiting for me, while Dean just followed, amused by my situation, so I thought it best to ignore him for now.

"Too late," my grandfather pointed out with a sigh from his chair where he seemed quite engaged in reading. "Let Rowena come in." The woman who entered was nothing short of...striking, to say the least. She had red hair tied back in a kind of bun, and was wearing an extravagant, very long purple dress, which made it impossible not to notice her. Although she didn't seem to be looking at me, she was an alpha, if her posture and her strong scent of ginger and fire didn't lie.

"My king, good day. May I present my assistants, Oskar and Ella." Her smile was almost predatory as she approached my grandfather, while a strong accent appeared, perhaps Irish or Scottish, I wasn't sure, but I was never good at it.

"Good afternoon, we're glad you found the time to come." Her response was warm despite Grandpa's clear discomfort.

"Your Majesty." She kissed his hand, but it was quickly pushed away.

"But let's not waste time," he said, clearing his throat and taking a step back, though he still held a smile, which I assumed was more out of politeness.

"Where's the handsome young man?" I just smiled behind her, my hair fluffed up and my glasses slightly drooping, in my haste to arrive, but still hoping to make a good first impression.

"This is my grandson, Castiel." Grandpa pointed at me, causing Rowena to turn around.

"Ahhh!" She squealed, her eyes widening in apparent surprise. "He's quite a hunk." The grimace on his face seemed to tell me otherwise, but for my own emotional well-being, I didn't say anything. "I'll check him out." He began circling me, his expression growing increasingly bewildered.

"We only have a few days for this, Rowena," the king exclaimed, causing Rowena to stop and look at him for a second before returning to my hair.

"Tangled, shaggy, in the best way." I was starting to think that nothing she could say was going to be true.

"And I'd like you to sign the confidentiality agreement." That definitely gave her pause for a moment.

"I wouldn't say anything, my king."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, Heaven's press secretary awaits your orders." Sam's words apparently distracted Grandpa enough, as he stood up in less than a second.

"Oh yes, of course, I'm afraid I'll have to go... but Dean, watch him like a hawk." He hurried out of the room, leaving me without a clue what to do.

I ended up being dragged into a chair where three pairs of eyes examined me before the real madness passed.

My glasses ended up broken, so I'd have to wear the contact lenses I hated, and my hair was messed up first, though not before Rowena lost a brush.

I was styled and relaxed for a while. My eyebrows hurt from having removed a couple of hairs that apparently weren't needed.

My nails received something called a manicure, which in my experience was only for Omegas or Beta women, but it wasn't as bad as the other one, and my nails ended up shiny.

By the end of the day, I couldn't tell who was more exhausted, Rowena and her boys or me—certainly not Dean, who had read a couple of magazines the whole time. My face was covered, and I was soon introduced to Grandpa, at least the "new" me.

"Rowena took this and this." I assumed she was referring to the two large photographs they took of me before we started, which, by the way, covered my face. "And we turned him..."

"...Into a real prince," Oskar and Elle finished for her, as the photographs were being removed. Grandpa's face when he saw me was so hopeful. It made me feel a little bad, if I'm honest, but that didn't mean the pride on his face didn't make my heart leap for joy.

⚜️*⚜️

The next morning, Dean picked me up just in time to head to Meg's house to pick her up. This made me very nervous because I didn't know how she would react.

No wonder, when I got out of the car to greet her, she stared at me, stunned, her eyes slightly bulging.

"Wow, who destroyed you?" Her question surprised me as a small part of me broke in two, her grimace of disgust even worse than Rowena's face the day before.

"Umm... do you think it looks bad?" She snorted, as if my question didn't make sense to her.

"Well, you look ridiculous. I'd sue them if I were you." And that hurt, because she was supposed to support me through everything, and I know I've changed a lot, but like this?

"It's just... I know it's shorter and I don't have glasses now, but..." I looked fine, or at least that's how I felt when I looked in the mirror this morning...

"Weird," she mumbled. I didn't know if it was so I wouldn't hear her, but if it was, it didn't work, and that hurt even more.

"I'd say attractive," a voice whispered behind me, Dean, but it must have been an illusion because Dean didn't see me that way.

However, this momentary illusion was shattered by Meg, who, after we got in the car and it started moving, continued, "What I can't understand is that you ditched me again yesterday when I needed you for the Greenpeace petition." I ranted, and each word made me more excited to just cry, but an alpha and a future prince shouldn't do that... so I held back, "and then there's this backpack. With what it costs, you could feed an entire country."

The car was moving, but my gaze remained fixed on a point outside the window. I didn't know what, but the last thing I wanted was for someone to see how much this hurt me.

She continued as if her words didn't hurt me. "You were more interested in what was in your head than in this." But I hadn't changed, not like this, of that I was sure. "Come on, Castiel, confess. I don't know where you've been, and now you're turning into some kind of pretty boy. You're becoming one of them, and who knows, next week you might come by and throw a ball in my face like Ishim and his boys. You've sold out!" I shouted this last part, leaving me in the car with small wet spots from the few tears I couldn't stop from coming out.

The car stopped, and Dean pulled us out where he always did, but before he did, he stopped me. "I don't know if my rearview mirror fogged up, but it looked like I saw someone crying." So he did see me.

"I'm okay," I affirmed, even though I felt like I didn't even believe my words.

"Right, then I'll leave you here." He started to walk away, but before he could do that, he stopped abruptly and turned to look at me with those green eyes, which for a moment made me feel like everything was fine. "But you should know that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Eleanor Roosevelt said so."

"Yes, another special alpha, just like you, I'll be back at 3:00." And he simply left. I didn't know if that was better or worse, but at least I knew that for now everything would be okay, at least while he was here.

"Thank you," I whispered, even though he couldn't hear me anymore.

⚜️*⚜️

"Ahhh, he's wearing a hat! Do you really think that'll keep the entire student body from seeing your new look? The students here may not have values, but they're not blind," Meg mocked, starting to quicken her pace.

"Meg, shut up already! Okay?" I yelled back, already fed up. "Just because your hair sucks, don't criticize mine." That definitely stopped her.

"What did you say?" Her voice cracked, but now I really didn't care.

"You heard me. I'm tired of you always criticizing me, always telling me what to do." They weren't a friend, not because of what I was starting to learn. "I've had enough with my mother and grandmother, all that's missing is you."

"Well, three is one factor. Haven't you considered that you're the problem?" She sounded very annoyed, and of course she had a point, but I wasn't the one offending people just for the hell of it.

"And haven't you considered that things aren't always the way you want them to be?" I really hoped she could pick up on my frustration.

"What does that mean?" she yelled back.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Meg. You have to let people live their lives. And yes, you're my best friend, but what I do with my life is none of your business," I said, trying to control myself as best I could.

"Fine, if that's how you want things," she replied, though she didn't sound entirely convinced, but it was a start. "But at least tell me; what the heck is wrong with you?" Everything. "Because in a second your grandfather comes along, and that giant Ken doll, and you'll completely change." She wasn't wrong about that, but I think what Dean and my grandfather want to do isn't so bad...although I'd never admit it out loud.

And...yes, now that I think about it, Dean does look like a giant Ken.

"Maybe this was always me, and I was just too cowardly to show it. Weren't you the one encouraging me to let loose a little more?" That's how our friendship began. She always supported me in my quest to improve and grow, and I reminded her when I needed to stop, like a perfect balance, an angel and a demon...although now the angel thing was ironic. "

Of course! But not by leaving me aside."

"Do you really want to know what the heck is wrong with me?" I asked, hoping this wouldn't blow up in my face later.

"Yes, Castiel, very much so." Her eyes were almost pleading with me, so with a sigh, I took her arm and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Fine, but if you ever tell anyone about this, I'll make sure you suffer." My voice was calm, but I hoped it wouldn't blurt out what I wanted to say...without sounding too threatening, of course.

"Fine..." I almost dragged her behind some trees in the schoolyard, where it seemed no one would pass by and hear us, and whispered.

"My grandfather is the current king of a small country called Heaven... and therefore..." Her eyes and mouth opened wide.

"You're a Prince!" she finished, almost shouting, with a smile.

"Yes, but don't scream it" I whispered, giggling at her attitude... sometimes she reminded me of a little girl.

"Well... Oh my God, this is so exciting!" She exclaimed, laughing too. "By the way, Clarence..."

"Yes, Meg?" I turned to look at her as we began walking, now yes, toward the classroom.

"I'm sorry... about before, you actually look fine."

"It's okay, Meg. Maybe we needed this."

"Maybe," she said, looking at the floor before an almost evil smile spread across her features. "Although your hair will never look as good as my messed-up head." This made me laugh.

"I know, Meg." I put on my hat to try and hide my new look a little.

⚜️*⚜️

One less problem. Now there was only like a whole high school left.

"Oh, Mr. Laffite," Ishim began, raising his hand. "Isn't there a school rule against wearing hats in the classroom?" Her words made me shrink back in my seat, knowing what she meant.

"Yes, Ishim," the teacher replied with a sigh. "Sorry, Castiel, those are the rules."

I carefully took off my hat, leaving my classmates in shock. They were all shouting and pointing at me while the teacher just looked at me with empathy.

That didn't make me feel better, not one bit.

Meanwhile, the lessons with Dean and a bit of Grandpa continued, becoming simpler, though that didn't stop me from being a little more normal with my dad from time to time.

"Is this considered an art form?" I asked my father, while throwing a dart at the paint-filled balloons on the tapestry on the wall.

"Well, my parents did it in the sixties," he replied, joining me. "They had an exhibit at Woodstone and everything."

"And you're trying to get back into it?" Not that I was complaining; it was fun, but weird.

"Well...it's better than homework," he laughed.

"Yeah, parents do homework with their kids, and you do this." I joined him, laughing for a while. It was good to be normal, even if only a little.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

Life got a little better from then on, at least for a brief moment...

Monday came again, and there was an immense crowd of reporters and strangers crowding the school entrance.

"What's going on?" I asked, extremely confused, only for Ishim to point at me and shout...

"There he is! This is Castiel Novak!" And suddenly, thousands of flashbulbs and cameras would attack me, and I felt my world come crashing down as I realized that my secret was no longer...a secret, no longer normal.

"Meg, did you say something?" I asked the brunette, horrified, as she shook her head.

"I didn't do anything, not this time."

But they kept going, until the academic staff dragged me barely inside the school, where they locked me in the vice principal's office.

"He's everywhere, Mr. Novak," Vice Principal Hanna said, looking at me sadly.

"What?" I exclaimed in surprise as I took the newspaper from her hands.

"Castiel, your father is coming," Benny interrupted, which calmed me for a second.

"Mr. Novak, the king is coming to school." A very brief second, as anxiety washed over me when she hung up the phone.

What was I going to say to Grandpa? How was this going to be resolved?

Who betrayed me like this?

Chapter Text

"I don't really know who revealed this," I said, as my grandfather read the newspaper furiously, his cup of tea in his hand and a half-eaten cookie. If he weren't so angry, it would have been almost funny.

"We'll sort this out," his voice was barely a whisper, his gaze still fixed on the pages in front of him, before a soft knock sounded on the door, causing my grandfather to drop the newspaper.

"Dean, you may come in." He walked slowly with Rowena behind him, his step sure but his breathing less so, like someone who knows they've done something wrong but doesn't regret it.

"Your Majesty, it was I who told the press everything." His voice was tense, but it didn't tremble or anything, as he looked at the king with those feline eyes. "And don't think it was for money. There wasn't any money... well, there was money, but a woman like me with my dresses and everything... well," she smiled, giggling.

"Shut up," Dean growled from the corner, earning an annoyed look from the redhead, who just rolled her eyes at him.

"What I'm getting at," she continued more calmly. "It was mostly out of pride and my ego, because how could I let royalty not know that he's my creation? He was all mine, all Rowena McCloud!" Her smile was somewhat creepy, like that cat in the Alice in Wonderland movie I saw a few years ago.

"Shut up," Dean growled again, eliciting an almost sarcastic snort from her. He only took her arm and started to lead her out of the room.

"Fine," she said, offended, as Dean led her out.

"Don't you think it's horrible? No one respects royalty anymore," the deputy headmistress sounded disappointed as she joined us with another plate of cookies, since the first one had been quickly devoured by my grandfather.

"Dean, could you take this fine educator and tell her the plans to protect Castiel?" This made the blond man's face scrunch up in confusion as he looked between Grandpa and the woman.

"What?" His voice echoed the confusion on his face, until he seemed to understand that the king simply wanted the vice-principal gone. With a nod, he gently took Hanna's hand and they left the office.

"A week ago, Cas was a normal boy," my father rebuked, staring into Grandpa's eyes, as if demanding an explanation for all this, but only receiving a tired look from the old man.

"He never was, nor will he ever be, normal. He comes from royalty. We'll soon settle with the press and do it again, but this time, oh, our way." His voice, despite being calm, seemed strained, like when a rubber band is stretched further than its natural form can stretch. This didn't sit well with me at all, as if it weren't enough that my life had completely changed in just a few moments.

"You don't have to do this," my father said, looking at me. "You can get out of this right now." And I knew that technically I was doing it, but as strange as it was, I didn't want to do it, not like this; it didn't feel right.

"He's right, after all, we made a deal." Grandpa's response definitely surprised me, but I was relieved to think I had other options, and that he respected that.

"Right, I'll think about it and give you my decision soon," I said, as calmly as possible despite the situation, which was greeted by a big smile from Grandpa... he almost looked like a kid with a new lollipop.

"Fine, a diplomatic response."

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

Castiel Novak is the son of a local artist, Baltazar Novak, who currently lives in a converted firehouse south of Marquet Street.

Castiel is also the only grandson of King Gabriel Lokingson, whose wife, Queen Kalliope, passed away a year ago.

News like this were starting to become normal to me, though no less annoying.

⚜️*⚜️

"Cas, you popular gentleman who everyone wants to be friends with, but look, I made a list of reasons why being a prince isn't good for you," Meg began, approaching me quickly with a notebook in hand, several things written on it, after chasing her ball, which had rolled down the court.

"Hey Meg," I waved, amused, but she seemed to ignore this, deeply focused on her list.

"Number one: no privacy, two: you always have to look good, three: you can't do anything crazy." The words tumbled out one after the other, like a raging river.

"Meg, I just don't want to talk about it," I replied, less amused now, which apparently got her to spill her list, almost hiding it.

"Yeah, sure, but one last question. Are you still going to be on my show Saturday night?" she asked with hope in her voice.

"Sure, I'll be there." That definitely cheered me up, though it also reminded me that I now had another responsibility.

"I love you, Clarence," she said as she ran off because it was a little late for her to come home.

"Dean!" I yelled at the man, who also seemed quite entertained playing with an old basketball I found at home.

"Yeah, Cas?" I loved how attentive he was to me. He made me feel important, even loved.

"What if I don't want to have my own nation, and my only goal is to pass the grade? What if I tell everyone to quit?" I asked, looking at my shoes with feigned interest.

"Well, no one can deny who they are, not even a prince." His answer wasn't what I expected, or what I wanted, but I knew he was right.

"I just don't know if I'll make it, Dean." My voice sounded uncertain; it wasn't something I could hide.

"You can try at least. You go to that fancy dinner coming up. Your grandfather thinks you're ready, and so do I. Plus, I'll always be there for you." And there he was, always there for me.

"How will you do that?" I asked, since the dinner was supposed to be for important people like senators, regents, maybe a duke, well, besides the waiters, so how would Dean get in?

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he replied with a big smile, before walking away with the ball and taking a shot.

⚜️*⚜️

"Smile, because everyone is happy to see you." Those were the last words Dean said to me before the big dinner, which terrified me, because how could anyone be happy to see me without even knowing me?

But I guess it didn't matter much now. I was here, and Dean, just as he'd promised, was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me like my very own Prince Charming, which was actually ironic.

He was wearing an all-black suit, except for the blue bow around his neck. It was simple, but he looked so good in it.

"Well done, Cas. The worst is over," he began, taking my hand and leading us toward the rest of the guests.

"Oh, this is..." I complained, but was interrupted when Dean brought us too close to a couple with a small child. They were all dark-skinned, but they seemed friendly, if not very smiling.

"This is our dutiful Prime Minister, Raphael Finnerman." Mr. Finnerman nodded, greeting me. Though he still wasn't smiling, it was actually quite chilling.

"Good morning."

"And your wife, Lanette," Dean continued. His wife seemed just as cold as the man, as if they were the same person.

"Nice to meet you."

"Also your precious son, Demore," Dean finished, waving his hand to the child between them. Unlike the parents, Demore smiled, and was pleasant in comparison, almost making me feel relieved amidst all this spectacle.

"Dinner is served," a man shouted from the doorway, inviting us all to sit.

"His Majesty King Gabriel Lockingson." My grandfather stalked past, wearing a beautiful white or beige suit. I didn't actually know what color it was, but based on my research a few hours later, it was pearly white. For now, all I knew was that it was pretty and very expensive.

He sat quite far away from me; luckily, Dean was still next to me, something I still didn't understand since my grandfather's bodyguard, Mr. Lucas, was standing there with the rest of the staff.

Dinner was boring, well, at least for a few minutes while I remembered which spoon went with which, something Dean was helping me with quite a bit.

But of course, I was... me, so no matter how much I pretended to be Castiel Dimitri... I don't know what else, in the end, I was just Castiel Novak, a gifted boy, but extremely clumsy, which is why everything that could have gone wrong happened, at least for me.

While I was reviewing one of the papers in front of me, it caught fire from the candles in front of our glasses. I opened my eyes, unable to stop staring at the flame in front of me, very scared, but grateful that no one seemed to notice.

I tried to remain unnoticed and hoped Dean wouldn't see me. I put the paper aside, but the jacket of the man standing there started to catch fire.

If I wasn't scared before, now I definitely am. Luckily for me, one of the waiters was passing by with a large container of water and ice where they kept the wines and such.

I firmly grabbed the arm of the man, who didn't seem to realize his arm was on fire, and pulled it into the container, putting out the fire, but also making everyone look at me.

My bad luck didn't seem to end there, as one of the servers tripped over the container, sending the soup flying off his tray. It ended up landing right on the Spanish Prime Minister's chest, completely staining him. The hotness of the soup left him standing up, knocking another server into the air.

The glasses ended up broken, and so did my lack of confidence. I wanted to cry so badly, especially when a man at the table started laughing nonstop after an awkward silence.

For my part, my only recourse was to hide under the table while trying to avoid Dean.

⚜️*⚜️

"Aren't you upset, Dean?" I asked a few days after the whole party fiasco, when I finally returned to my lessons with Dean.

"Not one bit," he said calmly as he walked in front of me, a book in hand, but he didn't seem to be reading it at all.

"How can you say that?" I asked, somewhat astonished by his words, but especially by his calmness. It made no sense to me at the moment.

"Well, first dinners are always that... disastrous, and I can say that from experience." By this point, the book had been forgotten, causing him to turn around and look at me with amusement.

"Experience? Can you tell me about it?" I was hoping to finally find out something about Dean, and it's not like the mystery and all this intrigue he caused me didn't make him more attractive, but I was starting to like Dean a lot, not more than April, but a lot, and knowing a thing or two about him wouldn't be bad at all.

"I'd rather remain a mystery," he said with a laugh. This disappointed me a little, but I was convinced he'd tell me something more sooner or later.

"Well, then I don't have to believe you." This was partly true, but mostly to try to dissuade him from telling me anything.

"Well, to prove it to you, how about you and I go out for a while and ignore the lessons just for today?" His question surprised me, especially given what he'd told me not long ago that we should take advantage of every moment to prepare.

"But you said we had to do a lot because time was short," I said, letting him know my uncertainty about the matter.

"Well, yes, but one day won't matter. Besides, you've been working hard, and that gives us a bit of an advantage." His words relieved me more than he could believe, because after recent events, I really needed to relax.

"Thanks, Dean." He just smiled at me as he took my hand and led us outside.

A little while later, we were in my new car, which Grandpa had financed. It had made me more than anything happy, so I'd spent a whole week thanking my grandfather. And well, our relationship was slowly improving. The car wasn't perfect, but it was what I'd always dreamed of.

"Where are you taking me, Cas?" Dean asked with a smile.

"I can only give you a hint." This seemed to interest him, if his expression wasn't lying.

"And that it?"

"Cotton candy and dreams." That made Dean chuckle, as if he imagined it, but he also seemed somewhat confused, which made me wonder if he knew what I was talking about.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

I think the closest I've come to the surprise I got when I found out he was royalty was discovering that Dean had never been to a fair.

"How is that even possible?" I asked, staring at the other man in awe.

"I never had the chance. Too many responsibilities and all." His gaze hadn't left all the lights and attractions; he seemed so surprised, so happy, like a kid at Christmas.

After laughing at him for a while, I took his hand, which seemed to snap him out of his daze, and dragged him into the room.

"What do you want to try first?" I asked, still amused by the other man, as he continued to scan the room, as if he didn't know what was more interesting.

"I don't know," he said almost in a whisper, his eyes lighting up with the possibilities.

"You don't know?" It was all a little amusing. For once, I felt less like an oddball, as if I wasn't the only one who was disconnected from a certain part of the world, as Meg often pointed out.

"No, you're the expert here." The simplicity and innocence of his comment, and indeed of the entire conversation, made me wonder what Dean's childhood had been like. Had he really grown up so wrapped up in all this royal stuff that he didn't know the simple things in life?

"Okay" I replied, not knowing what else to say, as I led him to the bumper cars (which he turned out to be surprisingly good at).

We spent the rest of the afternoon running around, Dean constantly amazed by each new thing I showed him, although I can say he found a new love for cotton candy...or anything sweet, really.

I think he spends a lot of time with Grandpa...

We ended the day on the Ferris wheel. It was a bit of a classic ride, almost a stereotype, but I was showing him the great experience of fairs, and there's no good fair without riding one of those.

"I really don't like heights, Cas," Dean began, a hint of terror in his voice as he couldn't seem to stop staring at his hands.

"What are you afraid of?" I asked, amused to see the big, bad bodyguard terrified of a Ferris wheel.

"Well..."

"Oh my God! Are you really afraid of a little height?" I scoffed, which resulted in a deep blush from Dean.

"We all have a low point, this is mine," he shrugged, his gaze still on his hands, a little less smiling than the rest of the day, as if he were truly embarrassed by this.

Meanwhile, I felt like a complete idiot, on par with Ishim and the boys. I just didn't believe someone like Dean could have fears. He seemed so powerful despite looking so young.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, now more self-conscious than before, not really knowing how to proceed after I'd messed up.

"And what's yours?" he asked after a few seconds of awkward silence. This took me by surprise, thinking that maybe I hadn't been so wrong.

"I'll tell you, but only if you tell me something about yourself." I had tried everything these past few weeks to get Dean to tell me even the tiniest thing about himself, even his name or whatever; at this point, it didn't matter.

"Maybe later." His answer didn't really help me, so I decided I didn't really need to say anything back.

"Then maybe I'll tell you my low point later," I replied quite confidently.

"Oh come on, please!" How could a man be so adorable and so annoying at the same time, with that pout and those big green eyes looking at me like his life depended on it?

"Fine, but only because you're too adorable." He just smiled at me, like I'd won the lottery, which annoyed me, but also made me think I wanted to see that smile every day of my life.

"I tell people that a lot, but they don't seem to believe me."

"How modest," I replied, after being speechless for a few seconds.

"Thanks, but you have something to tell me." Right, my fear, how embarrassing!

"Well... I've always been afraid of dogs," I said, not wanting to look at him.

"But they're adorable!" He yelled back, almost offended.

"Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't like them. Besides, you're not one to judge, sir. I'm afraid of heights." This seemed to offend him for a second before he seemed to compose himself and looked at me with another big pout.

"Fine, I won't criticize your fear of animals that are clearly adorable, but just because you told me this, besides, I'm not just afraid of heights, I'm afraid of airplanes too," he replied, now looking quite proud of himself, which I couldn't really understand.

"Thank you for your understanding," I said sarcastically. "But since you managed to get to the other side of the world, I guess they used a plane."

"Yes, but they put me to sleep the whole trip." I laughed a lot at that, trying to imagine how they had to almost drug him so he could cross the continent, just to take care of me. "You know, you were right, this is fantastic," he continued after I stopped laughing, while looking at the night view of San Francisco in front of us.

"Maybe you should believe me more often," I said smugly. "I think it's a good idea, but what else should I believe you about?" He whispered, a little closer than before, maybe too close. "Well... I've never had my first kiss, that's true," I replied, unable to stop myself from swallowing a large amount of saliva I had accumulated.

"Are you serious?" he asked, pulling away a little, while being quite surprised, which didn't please me very much.

"Well, I only have 15, so I don't see how this can be surprising."

"True, well in your case," he conceded, chuckling.

"So you've kissed, Mr. Expert?" This puzzled me somewhat, as my stomach lurched, almost with disappointment.

"A little, yes. I had a girlfriend. It was short-lived, but she taught me things." So, the past, I could live with that... but why did it matter so much to me? I liked April, didn't I?

"Like what?" I asked, staring at the other man's lips, while trying to remember how to breathe.

"Do you really want to know?" he whispered again, getting closer.

"Yeah, I think so." He leaned even closer to me, and just as it seemed he was about to kiss me, our position in the circle began to drop, and we were pulled out.

Something in me felt... so disappointed...

But for some reason, a part of me still didn't want to accept why...

Chapter Text

Going back to high school was tedious to say the least, everyone was here and there trying to talk to me, it was chaos.

But then the unexpected happened to me...

"Castiel!" a sweet voice said behind me, causing me to turn around quickly, and the sight in front of me left me pleasantly surprised.

April Kelly, standing right in front of me, the love of my young life, talking to me—to me! Do you know what that means? If she had died at that moment, I would have thought it was all worth it.

"Hi," I replied after putting my things in my locker, trying not to look too uncomfortable or awkward, which was usually what happened when she was around.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, gesturing for me to sit next to a fountain in the middle of the courtyard where my locker was.

"Of course!" Maybe it was a lot of enthusiasm, but she was...her, beautiful, sweet, kind, outgoing, and everything I could have ever dreamed of in a partner.

I followed her carefully, sitting next to her, as she ran her fingers over my knuckles, I was completely frozen at this, but not in a bad way.

"Hey, I hope all that Ishim is saying about their friendship and all that isn't bothering you," she began, still moving her hands, but her gaze was now on me, which took my breath away.

"No." It was almost a whisper, but this didn't seem to bother her, because she just kept talking while I felt so relieved and so much emotion running through my body.

"Excellent, because I broke up with him because of that, you know?" This definitely surprised me, since they seemed inseparable, but it gave me so much hope that now she and I could finally have something. "And it's that I hate all those fake people so much who only seek fame through others."

She looked furious, this was definitely something I wasn't expecting because I wasn't going to deny that it was annoying that now Ishim wanted to be my friend just for fame, but I didn't think it was that big a deal, although I was so surprised by her presence next to me that I didn't dare say anything.

"But anyway, what I was saying is... the beach party is in three days, and I'd love for us to be fair, and I know that an omega almost never invites an alpha, but I'd really like for us to go together. What do you say?"

"Yes" I said without hesitation for a second, maybe it was too fast, but I didn't care, and even less when she smiled at me before giving me a kiss on the cheek and getting up to go to class.

"So see you in the waves," she said goodbye while I was speechless.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

"God, I look like the Hulk!" I said, looking at myself in the mirror, wearing a green swimsuit with small black details.

"I think you look good," my father replied after laughing for a while at my comment. "Are you nervous about the beach party? I would be nervous because I hate the beach." Now I laughed at his comment, while I continued trying to convince myself of this suit.

"I never understood why you hate beaches so much."

"In general what I hate are docks and the sea, they remind me so much of the Titanic and I hate the Titanic, with that cheap Celine Dion song" That definitely had me laughing for a while "But let's stop talking about my hatred, and talk more about your nervousness my dear Cassie" This stopped my laughter, as I looked at myself in the mirror again now with flushed cheeks.

"Something like that...but I think I might finally get my first real kiss." I smiled at the man, almost dreamily, but no one could blame me, I was only fifteen and had a lot of dreams, this one being one of them, and of course I had almost achieved them with Dean the other day, but April had been the one I had always wanted so this was my perfect opportunity.

"Who?" Dad asked excitedly, as he put down the magazine he was reading to focus his full attention on me.

"April Kelly," she replied, but she didn't expect her smile and excitement to fade, leaving a frown, more out of confusion than anything else.

"That cheap Shannon Lucio knockoff?" I didn't like his comment in the least, although I didn't really know who he was talking about.

"Who is Shannon Lucio?"

"An actress," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

"Well, she's not a cheap copy of an actress, she's a beautiful and very cute girl," I rebutted, hoping he understood my point of view.

"She'd never been nice to you." Apparently I did remember her, and it was true, April had never spoken to me, at least not without making fun of me a little, but that was a long time ago, and she's better now, plus I'm sure it was only because of differences of opinion.

"Well, now she does... And I'm hoping that if she kisses me I'll go Pop," I replied somewhat dreamily.

"Pop?"

"Yeah, well it's like in old movies when a person is kissed their foot goes pop." My answer didn't seem to convince him much since he looked at me strangely before leaving me alone in my room with a single comment from him.

"Yeah...sure." But I'd prove him right, and my foot would pop.

⚜️*⚜️

That afternoon I stopped by April and she looked so beautiful, she was wearing a simple green dress that highlighted her red hair, she was simply spectacular.

We arrived at the beach in a few minutes where she took my hand and led me to her friends, introducing me and including me in their conversations. It was so nice, I felt like I was in a complete dream.

But like every good dream, at some point it ends and one wakes up full of disappointments hoping to continue dreaming.

Dusk fell, and April and I were standing on the seashore, her leaning on my shoulder, everything was peaceful, when suddenly a huge helicopter flew overhead with dozens of cameras and screams, blinking at me.

Why couldn't things just work out for me for once?

I ran with April to a small storage area that the lifeguards used to store their equipment, trying to stay safe from the journalists.

"I'm so sorry about this. I was really hoping we could have some fun today, just you and me," she began, after sitting down next to the spot where I had collapsed after feeling like I couldn't take this whole journalistic charade anymore.

"It's not your fault that those vermin ruin everything I do, if anything, it's me who owes you an apology." She just stared at me for a few seconds with those compassionate eyes and that smile that could fix all my problems.

We stayed here inside talking for a few minutes, she seemed to have a lot of questions about what this whole royal thing was like, when suddenly everything went silent outside.

"I think they've left, Castiel," she said with a smile, looking at the door, and for a moment I wished I could hear Dean's voice calming me as he called me Cas. "

Are you sure?" I asked somewhat uncertainly, because this sounded more like a ruse than anything real.

"Well, no, but don't worry, I'll go see first," she replied, jumping up and running towards the door.

She carefully opened it and after a few seconds of sticking his head out, he looked back at me with a smile and shook his head.

"There's no one there." Relieved, I got up too and walked out the door with her, only to find a dozen paparazzi standing in front of us with their hundreds of questions and their cameras pointed at us, to which April just clung to me, giving me a kiss on the lips while I was still stunned and began to answer some of them.

I went there in the midst of my humiliation, with tears running down my cheeks that finally after years of fantasizing about April, that I opened my eyes to see who she really was and I ran trying to find refuge from all these people.

Suddenly I was interceded by Ishim, Karim and Kim, who took me by the arms, while they handed me the rest of my things.

"Come on Castiel, let's find this tent where you'll be safe for now," Ishim said, to which I followed them in desperation, getting into a small cubicle made of fabric.

I started to get dressed, when suddenly the tent collapsed leaving me half naked in the middle of the cameras, then I realized it was just someone else who had used me.

I don't remember how the rest of the day happened. I don't know how I got out of there, or how I got home. I only remember a couple of green lights I clung to, and how I found myself, broken, in my father's arms at the end of it all.

The worst part is my foot didn't even pop with April...

I had failed everyone, I had failed myself... I had failed Dean.

⚜️*⚜️

"Tell me something," I said after a few awkward minutes in front of my grandfather, who was still holding his newspaper tightly, which seemed almost torn, and I just wanted Grandpa to look me in the eyes again.

"Well, I don't have much to say," he began coldly, sending shivers down my spine. "These photos seem to say more than a thousand words." His disappointment was clear, but I couldn't judge him by that. "And you have two photographs."

"I embarrassed the family, didn't I?" I whispered, now not wanting to look at him, so I focused my gaze on my shoes for a moment before deciding that that really wasn't going to help me at all.

"Without being too specific, yes." He took off his glasses, and looking at me for the first time since I arrived at his office, he snorted before running a hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly. "And I think you've made an excellent decision by abstaining from accepting the position, so there's not much more to say."

"Of course I won't go to the dance," I assumed, somewhat disappointed, because of course I hadn't wanted to go at first, but all my friends were coming, and my dad, even Professor Lafitte.

Dean would be there...

"Of course you're going" He seemed almost offended by my comment "You're still family and just because you don't want to be a prince means you're going into exile, plus your father plans on attending with all of your guests, except for your friend from the beach of course" Well I guess that was obvious now "And in the meantime I'll watch the press to see how much of this I can cushion" Without another word I left the room as I watched Dean walk in which made me curious so I didn't stray too far.

"I don't think that went very well," he said simply, as he seemed to get closer to the king.

"Well, that's not how a prince should act," he mocked, letting out a small snort at the end.

"Well, I'm informed that the young lady only used him, and that the kiss was just to get her five minutes of fame." He was defending me, Dean...was he doing this for me? What more could I ask for? "And well, his friends didn't help either, a certain Ishim, and Tintin, or I don't know what else." That really could have made me laugh at another time, since I had never stopped to think about how ridiculous their names sounded together.

"But why didn't he have any common sense?" I asked, still very disappointed, which made me feel smaller and smaller.

"Because he's only fifteen, Gabriel," Dean said in response, which seemed to leave the king speechless for a moment, before he cleared his throat.

"That's no way to call your king." His voice sounded clipped now, as if he had answered just for the sake of it.

"No, not as his head of security, but as a friend who is almost the age of your grandson." And there was Dean, who ah despite everything would always be there for me, or at least that's what it seemed like now, for the moment it made me wonder how old Dean really was, I always thought he was young, but not like this.

"And you're much more mature." That comment hurt me more than I could have accepted it later.

"For now, but I've made mistakes and I'll make mistakes, and I grew up in parliament, unlike him."

What would that have been like, growing up within hundreds of parliamentary rules and an entire governmental system? Because I think it would be boring.

"Also, today your grandson acted with maturity, accepting every criticism with honor." And there I was, after this whole fiasco, crying again, but at least this time I didn't feel like my heart was shattering into pieces, but quite the opposite.

"Are you saying that as king I was too harsh on him?" Grandfather's voice sounded almost mocking; he certainly seemed indignant. "Well, I was just critical of the young man who could become the next ruler of my nation."

"And I completely agree with you on that, because that's not what I'm talking about." So what could it be? "All I'm saying is that as a grandfather, you were tough on him...and I'm not talking about politics here, Gabriel. I'm talking about family."

"Do you think he'll make it?" Grandpa's question surprised me, not so much because of what he said, but because of how he said it, his softer voice still cracking, but now it seemed like it was for a completely different reason.

"I don't have a single doubt" Well at least someone did, someone believed in me, because I definitely didn't.

"I think so too, Dean." That made me smile so hard, even though I found it hard to believe.

⚜️*⚜️

The days at school got better, despite everything. I ended up hitting April in the stomach with a ball while we were playing baseball. The good part is that since it wasn't intentional, as satisfying as it was, I didn't receive any punishment.

And after another criticism from Ishim, I managed to gather my courage, approached him in his soccer uniform, and with a smile I asked.

"Hey, that's a nice uniform! I bet it goes with everything!" And with that, I poured my ice cream on him, making him scream...it felt so good.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

I didn't actually see Grandpa for a few days, something about sorting out matters with the press, when he suddenly appeared in front of my door looking strangely sorry and with a gift in his hands.

Surprised, I led him to my room where we ended up sitting on my bed, somewhat awkwardly, but after our last conversation, we can't be blamed.

"It's a gift from your father for your 16th birthday." He broke the awkward silence as he handed me the little box, and gestured for me to open it.

"But my birthday is in two weeks," I replied, somewhat confused, holding the little box in my hands.

"I know, but I wanted you to have it in your hands before we left." And then I remembered, how it was part of the plan for them to leave after the dance, how it was my decision to go with them or not...and apparently it wasn't, now it didn't sound as good as it did back then.

"Leave?" I said anyway, trying to act clueless, maybe it would hurt less.

"We'll be back in Heaven in two days." But it only hurt more, so I could only nod with a small smile while inside I wanted to cry.

"Thank you," I whispered, still smiling, as I took the time to open it.

Inside was a journal, covered in red leather and carved with wings on its edges, in the center of it there seemed to be a lock with another large pair of wings engraved on it, I tried to open it in case it was just my illusion but the journal was clearly closed.

"But you need a key." Grandpa just laughed at my comment while pointing at my hand, I just looked at it in surprise, which only seemed to make him laugh even more. "

The wings on your ring are the key, Castiel." I looked at the laughing man in front of me in surprise as he placed the wings in the center. I turned them over, and the journal opened up, with hundreds of pages ready for the next adventure.

"Thanks for bringing him here," I said, smiling more now, at least for real.

"I...also came to apologize for the way I spoke to you, about the incident at the beach, I judged you without checking the facts." His words were clear, but his head was lowered as if he was truly sorry.

"Its okay, Grandpa." He looked up at my words, but he still didn't look entirely convinced.

"Yes, I've thought about this a lot, and the truth is that I think you would make a great prince... and I know that people think that a prince should only wear a crown, save the princess and live happily ever after, but the truth is that it's much more than that, it's a real job." He smiled at me, and made me feel so understood, since I met him I didn't feel like he judged me.

"You're an extraordinary man, Grandpa, but I don't think that's my thing. I'd be so... afraid of disappointing the people of Heaven, and I couldn't bear to disappoint them again, to disappoint you."

"Well, like I said, I have faith in you," he said as he stood up to leave. "But if you really don't want it, I'd like you to give a speech to the press in which you formally renounce your title." This last thing made me quickly get out of bed, not knowing what to say at the idea of ​​having to speak in front of dozens of people, some of them recording me so that another crowd of thousands could also see me...what if I vomit in front of everyone?

"Public speech?" I stammered, hoping my ears had failed me by now, and he didn't really mean what I thought he meant.

"Yes" Was his simple response, while his face began to show concern for my attitude "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, of course." I hoped I didn't start hyperventilating. "But don't you think that...considering my history with the press, it would be better if you did it yourself." I gulped, hoping her answer would be yes, and that I wouldn't have to simply confront my senior media member in front of the entire press, and Grandpa...and Dean.

"Oh Cassie... You wouldn't leave your Mustang abandoned just because a couple of mosquitoes crashed into it, oh yeah?" I ask, although I don't really know what she meant by that. "Besides, you've made a lot of progress in your lessons with Dean, and I'll be right there."

"Fine..." Not that his words really made me feel better, but I decided there would be another way to get rid of this.

"Then Dean will pick you up at..." He began, before I hurriedly interrupted him, because if this happened, what I was planning at that moment would be ruined.

"No, it's just that he promises Papa that he'll let him take me, he wants to take me to my first dance or something," I said, fingers crossed behind my back, knowing that wasn't the plan, not the real one, but hoping my words sounded convincing.

"I understand...then I'll see you there," he replied, seemingly somewhat disappointed.

"Grandpa..." I tried to explain my point of view, but he smiled at me.

"I know, Cassie." He smiled as he started to approach me. "The most important thing here is that you are my grandson." And he ran to hug me, but I couldn't think about that now, my head was occupied with other concerns right now, now all I was thinking about was how I was going to escape successfully.

Chapter Text

The hours passed, my mind still racing, but then less tense when Dad left for the dance, which really only gave me a couple of hours to escape.

I packed my bags and knew that not everything was essential, but it was my life, so I took a lot of clothes and all the valuables I had in my possession, closed everything and started throwing things into the car... with the only hope that one day they could forgive me for doing this and failing them. 

"Thanks Dad, but I can't be a prince, I can't give a speech and I'm not Gabriel Lokingson or Dean...whatever that is, and I just can't do it, plus I'm terrified" I whispered before closing the trunk and climbing in for the last of my things.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

Meanwhile, (and this is something I heard later), Sam, after receiving my father and Mr. Laffite but not meeting them, rushed to find Dean, only to find him very casually drinking while talking to another member of security.

"Why are you drinking champagne instead of going for the prince?" he whispered a little loudly to Dean, who turned to look at him, very confused, with a frown.

"Well, Gabriel said his father would bring him," he replied, trying to stay calm, but starting to suspect something was wrong.

"Well, his father came and said that Castiel was home waiting for him." That definitely alerted Dean, who after thinking about it for a few seconds realized what was going through my head.

"He wants to run away." And with that he quickly ran towards the car hoping to find me.

⚜️*.👑.*⚜️

I had already found Crowley in his box when I stumbled across the journal my father had given me. A sort of letter emerged from it, which puzzled me because I hadn't seen it the night before when I checked it.

Surprised and curious, I picked it up and opened it carefully before sitting down to read it quickly at first, but then I simply had to read it with all my attention.

My dear Castiel...

Today you turn sixteen, congratulations my boy!

Today I give you this journal so you can fill it with special thoughts, those of your wonderful life.   It's a tradition in my family to pass on a bit of wisdom when someone reaches this age, so I can pass it on to you as my father did to me.

And what I want to tell you is that:

 My Castiel, courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination that there are other things more important than fear.   The brave may not live forever, but the most cautious never truly live. 

From now on, you'll be traveling between who you think you are and who you can be. And the only key is allowing yourself to take the journey.

I also want you to know that I came to love your dad very much and that I still think about him a lot.

Happy Birthday, my Cassie, with much love, your Father.

His words brought me to tears, and most of all, they made me make a decision.

I unpacked my things in a hurry, released the Crowley and without a second thought, even with the rain thundering outside, I grabbed a jacket and headed out to my car.

I drove for about 5 minutes, when suddenly the car stopped completely halfway.

I was frustrated for a while, until I told myself there wasn't much I could do, not now, leaving me sad and alone for a while and making me think about everything.

As I sat in my own sea of ​​frustration and tears, the sound of Heaven's royal march made me jump up as I watched one of their big limos pull up next to my stranded car.

Dean got out of it, under an umbrella, running towards me in an instant, while worriedly he pulled me out of the car and headed inside the limo.

"You weren't planning on running away, were you?" he asked sarcastically, but I could tell it was just a cover for the deep concern I made him feel.

"Dressed like that? No, I was going to the dance!" I replied with a laugh muffled by my own tears and the sound of rain outside, as we began to move.

We arrived very quickly, barely preventing my grandfather from resigning his position for me, I hurried to interrupt him as I stood in front of the large, packed hall, with everyone staring at me and with my clothes and shoes soaked.

"Umm... I'm Cas, Castiel, and... the good news is it's not raining anymore," I started, which seemed about right since most people laughed, and I just hoped I didn't screw this up. "And the thing is, I'm terrible at speeches. So far, I've fainted, and run away, and even thrown up, all in different orders." That made everyone take a step back and the reporters snapped to attention. "And I know what I just said was unnecessary, but that's because I'm not actually that scared anymore, and my dad actually helped me." I could see the confusion on Dad's face as Mr. Lafitte took his hand.

"But a few hours ago I was planning on giving up my right to the throne, and my dad helped me by saying that he would support me no matter what, just like he has my whole life." My father stood across the room with a huge pout on his face as he tried not to cry, which made me want to cry too. 

"But then I thought about what I would feel when I resigned from my position as Prince of Heaven. Would I feel relieved or sad? And that's when I realized that most of the day was about me, and that lately I only thought about myself, and it's not that I'm wrong from time to time, but it's kind of pathetic when there are like 7 billion humans and everything was about me all the time." Everyone looked at me in astonishment.

"Sorry if I'm going too fast... Then I thought that if I really cared about those 7 billion I would be using my time better, and that is, if I were the prince of Heaven, my ideas, and those of people with more brains than me could be heard and so maybe, those ideas could be something more than ideas, they could be actions" The crowd looked at me moved, but I only expected to see the green eyes of someone I had not yet met.

"And it finally hit me, that this morning I was just Cas Novak, but now I choose to change that name forever to Castiel Dimitri Novak Lokingson, Prince of Heaven." Everyone applauded as I was led out of the room by Grandpa's security detail to a room where Rowena was waiting for me.

I was showered, groomed, and changed in less than thirty minutes, which I actually consider a record.

I ended up standing alone while my grandfather danced with the other man who was with Dean the day we were introduced, I ended up finding out that he was my grandfather's bodyguard, his name was Luck, or at least that's what I was told, although I considered it strange because I was starting to discover that people in Heaven had names of angels or at least ending in 'el', except for el and Dean... I hoped and soon someone would be able to answer all my questions.

I was there for just a moment, when suddenly, Dean in a beautiful blue and gold suit approached me, smiled sweetly and bowed asking me for a dance, which I gladly accepted.

He took my hand and dragged me along the dance floor to the beat of the music, and I could only accept that I had definitely fallen head over heels for a man whose name I only knew, but I wanted to know everything about him.

We danced for a while, until Dean let go of me slightly, but still holding my hand, and led me to the backyard, where we stargazed for a moment.

"Thanks Dean...for everything" I whispered looking at the other man

"I don't need a thank you Cas, you're worth the entire universe." And that's when I knew there was no turning back from what I felt for him.

He approached me carefully, his eyes on my lips, while I could only see his. With a quick but gentle movement, he brought our lips together once and for all. And I felt it, that promising spark in the pit of my stomach, and without thinking twice, I raised my foot and made a "pop."

Life went on, I ended up moving with my mom to Heaven after the year was up, where I started school, which also included Dean Dean who turned out to be only one year above me, which surprised me, but apparently he had taken a year off homeschooling so he could help my grandfather with the whole missing grandson thing.

Life was amazing, wonderful in fact, until...

Well that's a story for another page...