Standing Together

Chapter 93

A/N I was going to spend the long weekend writing and then fucking Taylor Swift had to get political on Instagram for the first time ever (we stan a woman who brings facts to back up her political choices and stands for equality for everyone regardless of gender, race, and sexual orientation) and the 40-year-old white men on Twitter got mad so I've been defending her all day and basically in conclusion I got no writing done this weekend because I'm great at managing my responsibilities!

"'Remember' won the award," Dean says the next day, not taking his eyes off his phone. "And Jack won the breakout artist one, too."

"Wait, Jack was nominated for breakout artist?" He never mentioned that one.

"Apparently," Dean says. "I don't know. I haven't been paying much attention."

"Did Jack give an acceptance speech?" Castiel asks. "And if so, is it online?"

"Lemme see..." There's a pause as Dean scrolls through the app, then he hands the phone to Castiel. "Here's the breakout artist one. I haven't seen it yet, but here ya go."

Jack beams at the audience as they cheer, waiting for them to quiet down before he speaks.

"Hi, guys!"

And the cheering resumes.

After a few moments, Jack decides to continue despite the screams. "I'm not sure if you guys know this, but today's my birthday!"

And the cheering gets louder — so loud, in fact, that Jack has to wait a few moments for them to stop.

"And I have to say, in my 17 years of living, this has to be the best birthday present I've ever gotten," Jack says, earning more applause. "So thank you to everyone who's bought my albums or streamed my songs or listened to them on the radio. I wouldn't be here without you, so thank you so much, and I love you!"

"He's adorable," Castiel says.

"I can't believe he's 17," Dean says. "He seems so much younger."

"I know, right?" Castiel agrees. "I've never met such an innocent teenager before."

He exits the video and searches "Jack remember" on Twitter, finding the video of his other speech — accepting the award for the most streamed song of the year — with very little difficulty.

"Hey, guys!" Jack says with a grin. "Long time, no see, huh?"

The audience cheers at that.

"Making music has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember," he says. "And a lot of your favorite artists are people I've looked up to since I was little. And I don't know about you, but when I listen to music, it's the lyrics that resonate with me the most, and I think that's why so many of the biggest artists out there have written some of the deepest lyrics, like Adele and Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.

"As I'm sure a lot of you know already, Castiel wrote this whole song himself when he was about my age. All the lyrics are 100 percent his, so if you view music the same I do, you know it's Castiel that really deserves this award. Unfortunately, he's not here today, so you're kinda stuck with me.

"So thank you to everyone who's streamed this song, and I can't believe there were so many of you. I'm glad I was given the chance to get this song out there, and I can't even try to explain how much it means to me that you guys liked it just as much as I do."

"Aw, I love him," Castiel says, smiling fondly as he hands the phone back.

"Honestly, the fact that there are people that don't love him amazes me," Dean says. "But how did he win breakout artist? He's not exactly new anymore."

"He's relatively new," Castiel says. "It doesn't measure from when you start making music, though. It's more about when you start getting big hits, and 'Remember' was definitely a big hit. His newest album debuted in the top five, which was a first for him. I don't really know what else he's been up to lately, but I think he's getting his name out there."

"Your little brother is so successful," Dean says, wiping away a fake tear.

"Are you still doing the 'we're related' thing?" Castiel says in disbelief.

"Dude, everybody is still doing the 'you're related' thing," Dean says.

"Wait, seriously?" Castiel scoffs. "That was ages ago, wasn't it? I thought everyone would be bored of it by now."

"Not your fans," Dean says. "You haven't given them anything else to talk about lately. And Jack's fans think it's cute — except the annoying teenage girls that think they're better than everyone. They think you, like everyone else who isn't Jack, don't deserve to breathe the same air as he does."

"That's typically how stan Twitter goes," Castiel says. "Do you think Jack knows people think we're related?"

"I have no idea," Dean says. "Next time you see him, you have to ask."

"I don't know if there will be a next time," Castiel says.

"Bitch what?"

"I mean, I'm not going to any more awards shows," Castiel says. "Concerts are pretty much off limits for the same reason. I definitely don't see us running into each other at Disney again. I'm not making any new music after my next album, so I won't see him for another collab." He shrugs. "I don't know. I don't think we'd ever really run into each other."

"I won't allow that," Dean says. "I like Jack, and I will get to see him again if it kills us both."

"Why are you wagering my life on this?" Castiel asks.

"Because you're my only connection to him," Dean says. "You're already involved." He grins. "Wait, what if you invite him to your birthday party in a few months?"

"I don't really want a birthday party," Castiel says.

Dean scoffs. "How do you not want a birthday party?"

Castiel shrugs. "I don't know. I just don't want the crowd. I mean, my family and yours is already, like, 10 people. I'd have to invite Charlie, and probably Donna and Garth, and if I invited Jack, I'd have to invite Kelly, too; it's just a lot of people."

"Where's the problem, though?" Dean asks. "You love all those people."

"Yeah, but it's just..." Castiel sighs. "I don't know. I don't have a good track record when it comes to crowds."

"Cas, you can trust our friends," Dean says. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I know, I just..." He shakes his head. "I don't want a birthday party."

"Would it bother you if I had a birthday party next year?" Dean asks. "If I invited all those people over, would that be too much for you? I mean, I kinda want to see them again, but if you can't..."

"No, I think I'd be fine," Castiel says.

"Then the problem isn't the crowd, is it?" Dean asks. "So why don't you want a birthday party?"

Castiel sighs. "I don't know. I just don't."

"Do you at least want to go up to Sioux Falls and just visit for your birthday?" Dean asks.

"I don't know," Castiel says again. "I want to go up eventually, yeah, but I don't really want to celebrate anything."

Dean frowns. "Okay, well, it's your birthday. Can I at least celebrate it here, just you and me?"

Castiel hesitates, then nods. "If you keep it kinda small like last year, then sure."

"Awesome." Dean presses a kiss to his lips. "Love you."