Sarah had never wanted to sleep in more than when the alarm clock rang in the morning and pulled her awake. She was warm and comfortable. Castiel lied next to her, and her arm was still wrapped around him. Sarah smiled at the comforting feeling it created and hugged Castiel tighter for a few seconds until he shifted, awoken by the noise of the alarm. Sarah tried to sit up, but she realized her other arm had fallen asleep. It was like someone else’s arm had been attached to her shoulder. She couldn’t even move it. Castiel turned off the alarm while Sarah tried to rub life back to her fingers. When the pins and needles started, she gasped. She winced in pain when the feeling equivalent of static on tv took over her entire arm.

She tried to rub her arm when Castiel took her hand and massages it with firm movements. It eased the prickling slightly, and little by little the feeling eased. Sarah let out a deep sigh and flopped back on the bed.

“I hate it when that happens.”

“The only downside of spooning.”

“It was worth it though,” Sarah said and blushed. Sleeping with another person was so much nicer than sleeping alone.

Castiel smiled and pressed a kiss on her temple.

“It was very nice,” he confirmed. “I’d happily do that again.”

“Me too.” The blush deepened on her face. It was so early in the day and yet she already resembled a tomato. “But we should get up now.”

The words instantly dampened the mood. Like the bed had been their comforting bubble, keeping away yesterday’s events. Now they returned to the mind. Both dressed up in silence. Sarah had had her worries about mum picking her clothes, but it was a nice combination of jeans and a simple red sweater. She didn’t really have anything extravagant anyway.

They headed to the kitchen to have breakfast. Sarah took care of toasting bread while Castiel prepared tea and coffee.

“So, are you coming to school today?” Sarah asked, glancing at Castiel.

“No. I’ll stay and prepare things for Ares to come home. I need to prepare a place to stay. He can’t wander around the house freely and definitely can’t go upstairs.”

“True. Bathroom or kitchen would probably be best places?”

“Probably. Maybe kitchen because then he wouldn’t be too isolated. I’d hate to leave him alone on top of not being able to run around and play.”

Castiel squeezed the coffee mug tighter. He hated the idea of restricting Ares’s life so much, but it would be for the best. He already knew the dog would be miserable. The though made his heart ache.

“I can stay help if you want.”

Castiel shook his head.

“Nah, you go to school. If your mum hears you ditched because of me, she won’t be happy.”

“True… But I want to do something to help.”

“You already help by being here. This would be so much harder without you.”

Sarah hid her blush by taking a long sip from her tea.

“I’m just… I haven’t done anything special.”

“Not getting sick of my annoying ass is pretty special.”

“You’re gonna have to try harder than you’ve been if you want to get rid of me.”

Castiel smiled with fondness softening his features. It was weird how right it felt to be with Sarah even though they hadn’t been together for long. She knew how to make him comfortable, and he wanted to think he was able to help Sarah in some ways too. He might’ve just imagined it, but to Castiel it looked like Sarah had come more out of her shell after they started dating. She was different compared to the girl he had seen at school before. And he wanted to think at least a tiny bit of that change was thanks to him.

“I think the problem is that I don’t want to get rid of you since I like you and all.”

Sarah blushed again.

“I like you too.”

She liked him so, so much. Her heart jumped when Castiel smiled to her again. Sometimes the emotions nearly overwhelmed Sarah. But she didn’t mind. The ache in her chest reminded her of how happy she was.

Too soon clock reminded Sarah that she should head to school. Maybe some of Castiel’s influence had rubbed on her since she considered skipping school to stay with him while getting ready to head out. But Castiel made sure she’d get her education. He guided her to the door and pressed a good-bye kiss on her lips. It was hard to go against that, so Sarah headed to school. She hoped Castiel would be fine alone. At least he would just be setting things up and not throwing stuff away.

Sarah ran into Leon and Amanda on the school yard. They noticed her first and waved at her. Sarah waved back when they stopped to wait for her.

“Morning,” Sarah greeted with a smile. It was nice to see them.

“Morning. And congrats. I heard you and Castiel are back together,” Amanda smiled.

Sarah blushed.

“Thanks. Well, we never really broke up. But we managed to talk things through. And everything’s fine between us now.”

“That’s lovely. It would’ve been a shame if you broke up. You two are so cute together.”

“Speaking of Castiel, where is he? I assumed you’d come together since you stayed over at his house.” There was a faint smile on Leon’s lips, and his head was slightly tilted. He was happy as well. Sarah and Castiel were a good match. It would’ve been a shame if their relationship had ended.

Sarah cast her eyes on the ground for a moment, wondering what to say. Maybe the truth would be the best.

“He’s not coming to school today. And probably not in a while.”

“What? Why? Is he sick?”

“Castiel’s fine but Ares… Ares got hit by a car yesterday.”

“Oh no…”

“What happened?”

“Ares slipped outside when Castiel opened the door and ran after me. Someone drove too fast on the street and hit him. Ares got a dislocated a hip and broken bone. But he’s fine otherwise. And he’ll recover.”

Amanda and Leon listened in shock. Leon ran his fingers through his hair.

“I forgot to close the inner door,” he whispered. “I forgot to close it when I left yesterday morning.”

Amanda touched his shoulder.

“Don’t blame yourself,” she said.

“Yeah it’s not your fault,” Sarah assured. “Castiel doesn’t blame you either.”

“But he didn’t tell me when I called. He said Ares is fine. He didn’t want to tell.”

“He just didn’t want to make you worry. It’s not your fault and no one blames you. That could’ve happened to anyone. Ares could’ve opened the door himself.”

Leon opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He looked upset, and Sarah felt guilty for telling him. He should’ve stayed quiet or waited for Castiel to tell.

“I understand that you feel bad. But everything’s going to be fine. Ares will recover.”

“How long it’ll take? Do you know?”

“The vet said six to eight weeks.”

“Christ.”

“But like I said, everything’s gonna be fine.”

Sarah felt like her attempt to cheer up Leon didn’t really work. He tried to smile, but the corners of his mouth barely moved. Amanda took his hand and squeezed it.

They had made their way inside the school and sat on benches near their classroom. Sarah saw Mercedes standing near the windows. She noticed Sarah and turned her head away. Sara in turn got looks from a few students. She couldn’t help feeling a little twitch in her stomach when the students whispered to each other. Were they still talking about her? No one had talked to her directly about it in days, but how long would it take for everyone to forget? Would they ever forget?

“How is Castiel?”

Leon’s question pulled Sarah from her thoughts. She turned to look at him.

“He’s, uhm, better than yesterday. I think. It’s hard for him to see Ares hurt. He was really shocked yesterday. But he’s optimistic that things will go well. He stayed home to clean up and set up stuff for when Ares comes home.”

“It’s good that he has you as support.”

“I don’t really know if I’m helping. I feel like I’m sometimes more trouble for him.”

“You are helping. In a lot of ways. I’ve known Castiel for a good while and seen him with a few different girls. He’s completely different with you than when he was with any of them, even Rachel. He’s smitten with you. You’re a good influence on him, and he cares about you so much.”

Sarah couldn’t help blushing at Leon’s words. The words of Castiel’s best friend carried a lot of impact. He knew Castiel better than probably anyone else.

“You think so?” she still asked.

“I know it.”

Sarah looked at her hands to hide a smile. Her heart fluttered. Maybe she was smitten with Castiel too. Not maybe, she was. She knew it. She already missed him. She wanted to tell him her feelings.

Amanda wrapped her arm around Sarah and pulled her close.

“Castiel and you are adorable together. He’s normally a grouch but with you he smiles so much.”

Sarah chuckled. Amanda had a point. Sarah had seen more smiles from Castiel the past few weeks than probably ever in their time in school together.

“We really need to go on a double-date sometime. It’d be so much fun,” Amanda said.

“It would be,” Sarah smiled. The idea excited her. She wanted to know Amanda and Leon better too. It would be a wonderful opportunity for it. And it’d give a chance to see even more sides of Castiel she hadn’t seen yet.

“And Castiel’s gonna need some cheering up with this Ares situation.”

“True. I doubt he’ll want to go anywhere in a while. But maybe in few weeks when Ares is bit better.”

“Yes. We’ll wait for the perfect opportunity.”

The teacher came soon after and ushered the students in the classroom. Sarah’s thoughts kept wandering to Castiel while she scribbled down notes. Had he already set up everything? Did he need help? Maybe she should go back? Was he fine being alone? Sarah sighed and rubbed her temples. She’d text Castiel on the break to see if everything was fine, and to calm her own nerves.

The hours crawled forward, and even art class didn’t excite Sarah like it usually did. On top of the stress, her drawing had begun to annoy her more each passing lesson. When her phone buzzed in her bag, she sighed in relief and dropped the orange pencil on the table. It was considerably shorter than when Sarah had started to use it two weeks ago, and holding it was getting troublesome. Yet she still had almost one third of the hair to colour.

Arthur glanced at Sarah when she read the text message with a soft smile on her face. He lowered his eyes back to the scenery he still worked on. From the amount of smiling and texting, he assumed Sarah and Castiel had made up. For a while it had looked to Arthur that they had some serious issues in their relationship but apparently, they had been patched. He was happy for Sarah even if he didn’t think Castiel was a good fit for her.

Sarah had been texting Castiel all day, checking up on how he was doing and how much progress he had made on preparing the house for Ares. Castiel had made great progress and had even ordered a cage online so Ares could spend time with people and not be confined in the kitchen all the time. He had gathered chairs and cardboard boxes to work as gates to stop Ares going to other rooms and upstairs. The steps to the porch outside were still something he needed to fix.

the vet called. We can pick up ares any time.

Did they say anything about how he’s doing? And I’ll let mum know and then get back to you.

While Sarah waited for Castiel’s reply, she messaged her mum. Hopefully, she didn’t have any important business, so that they could go get Ares as soon as possible. Sarah had a feeling Castiel was already impatient and ready to go.

Sarah put her phone on her desk, out of Mr Roe’s sight. The teacher wasn’t strict with phones, but she still didn’t want to get caught using it too much. She picked up the pencil again, and then icons of two new messages flashed on the screen.

I’ll come pick you up from school then. Mum messaged.

they said he’s stable but still sore. He’s getting pain medication. Castiel replied.

That’s great. Mum just messaged she’ll come pick us up from school. So, you probably should come here then?

sounds good. I’ll see you then.

Sarah slipped her phone back in her bag and focused on her drawing. A heavy sigh accompanied the continuing colouring progress. Too many strands of hair to go. Sarah propped her chin against her hand while trying not to smudge the colours. Arthur glanced at her again.

“Seems like there’s something on your mind,” he said.

“There’s a lot on my mind,” Sarah replied without moving her eyes from the drawing.

“About the locker and pictures?”

“That too. School and Castiel and other stuff as well.”

“Is he treating you well?”

Sarah straightened herself and looked at Arthur with brow slightly furrowed.

“Yes. He is treating me very well.”

“What is the problem then?”

Sarah sighed. She coloured her drawing a bit before replying.

“Castiel’s dog is sick. It stresses him out a lot. And I want to help but I also feel like I’ll just be a bother since I don’t really know what to do. So, maybe I should let him be alone for a bit.”

“Has he said you’d be a bother?”

“No.”

“I wouldn’t think you’re a bother then. I don’t know Castiel, but he seems like a person who says things like they are.”

“He is.” It was something Sarah admired in Castiel. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, unlike Sarah who always worried what others would think.

“Then I’d say stop worrying. You can always ask him how he feels, right? So, if you start to feel like you’re being a bother, which I doubt you’d be, then ask him.”

“You’re right. It just feels hard to say anything sometimes. I don’t know why though.”

“Maybe you just need some time to get used to it. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The fact that you’re thinking about it means that you’re trying to change things. You don’t need to just suddenly get better. It’s a slow progress.”

Sarah stared at Arthur, taken back by his words. She had tried to remind herself of the same thing but hearing it from another person made the message sink in better.

“Thank you. Your advice is great,” she said and the smile she gave to Arthur was bright enough to make him blush.

“N-no problem,” he muttered and smiled back, lowering his eyes back to his drawing.

They continued to work in silence. Sarah’s worries had eased a bit, and she was grateful for Arthur’s words of advice.

The rest of the day finished somehow, even though Sarah was convinced the clocks had stopped after lunch. She packed her books and hurried downstairs to grab her coat. She ran into Leon and Amanda, and they headed outside together.

Castiel was waiting at the school gates, and when he saw Sarah, a smile rose on his face right away. He walked to her and pulled her in a kiss, drawing in the attention of everyone who was near enough to see them. Sarah’s cheeks flushed, but she leaned to the kiss for a few moments before pulling back.

“Hi.” Sarah’s heart thumped in her chest. She noticed people’s looks as well, but the kiss had made her happy enough to not feel nervous about it. Castiel wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her close.

“Hi,” he replied before turning his attention to Leon and Amanda.

He greeted them with a nod. Leon repeated the gesture. He fiddled with his hands for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

“Look, Sarah told what happened to Ares. And I’m sorry. I think I left the inner door open when I left. So, his accident might be my fault.”

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Castiel was quicker.

“It isn’t your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It was an accident. I blamed myself too, but I realized it’s no use. I could’ve just as well left the door open one day and this same thing could’ve happened. I don’t blame you. I never did and I never would. Ares won’t blame you either. So, don’t blame yourself.” He placed his free hand on Leon’s shoulder.

Leon smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. Sarah felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. Maybe she shouldn’t have told them anything. It would be awful if Leon continued to blame himself for what happened.

“Are you going to pick up Ares?” Amanda asked, trying to move the conversation forward.

“Yes. We’re just waiting on my mum,” Sarah replied and glanced on the street. She didn’t see her car yet.

“Cool. Hopefully, he recovers quickly. I heard you’re gonna skip school then, huh?” Leon gave a pointed look at Castiel.

“Just for a week or two. I don’t want to leave Ares alone yet.”

“What about our practice? The contest is coming soon, and we don’t have a song yet. Sorry, I know I shouldn’t bother you with this right now. But it’d be nice to have a plan.”

“Shit. I completely forgot the contest. Can you give me a few days to figure out this Ares situation and I’ll get back to you?”

“Of course. Don’t stress about it too much.”

“Thanks. I promise I start working on the song. Do you have lyrics?”

“I have a few ideas, but I’d like a melody to know which would fit and what kind of vibe we’re going for.”

“I’ll work it out I promise. We’re not giving up. There’s still time.”

A car parked in front of the school gate. Sarah tugged Castiel’s arm, and he whipped his head to look. His posture straightened before he turned back to Leon.

“We have to go, but I’ll be in contact. See ya later.”

“See you. And many get well wishes to Ares.”

“Thanks.”

Leon and Castiel bumped their fists together before Sarah and Castiel headed to her mum’s car. Castiel dropped his arm from Sarah’s waist, feeling conscious under her mother’s eyes.

“Hello. Thank you for taking time from your day to help,” Castiel said when he settled on the back seat.

“It’s no problem at all. And Sarah wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I didn’t help,” Grace said, glancing at the teens on the backseat from the rear view mirror. She smiled before focusing on the road again.

Sarah’s mother parked the car near the pet hospital’s doors. If they would have to carry Ares, the closer the car was the better. Castiel’s shoulders tensed when they walked inside. Sarah squeezed his hand when they walked to the receptionist. Castiel cleared his throat to get the lady’s attention. She raised her eyes from a folder full of papers and smiled.

“Good afternoon. How can I help you?”

“Castiel Thompson. I’m here to pick up Ares. A rottweiler that was hit by a car yesterday.”

“Just a moment.”

The lady shuffled more papers, called someone over the phone and the waved towards benches.

“Wait for a few moments and a veterinarian will call you for discussion.”

Castiel sat down, back straight and shoulders tense. His eyes wandered to the clock every couple of seconds. Why was the vet taking so long? Did something happen? Where were they?

Sarah touched Castiel’s arm. The tension is his body seemed to ease slightly but he didn’t stop staring at the clock. His leg bounced as he tapped his fingers against his knee.

The automatic doors slid open and three massive dogs walked in with their owner. The dogs were the size of small ponies and covered in shaggy grey fur. Sarah shoulders stiffened when she noticed them. One of the dogs stared at her with its dark eyes when the owner talked with the receptionist. The dog nudged forward but its advance was stopped by the short leash in the owner’s firm grasp. Still, Sarah pressed herself against the backrest of her seat. Her heart thumped somewhere between her chest and throat. Her grip of her knees turned her knuckles white. Sarah’s mum straightened her posture when she noticed anxiety radiating from her daughter. But before she could say anything, Castiel took control of the situation.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Castiel’s voice and a touch on her shoulder made Sarah jerk. Her head whipped towards Castiel. Her emotions must’ve been visible in her eyes because Castiel’s brow furrowed. He glanced at the dogs that had followed their owner to other side of the room and sat at her feet like statues. Castiel wrapped and arm around Sarah’s shoulders.

“There’s no need to worry,” he whispered in her ear. “They won’t do anything to you.”

Sarah leaned closer and closed her eyes. She tried to steady her breathing.

“I know. I just couldn’t help it. T-they’re so big and…”

“You don’t need to explain. It’s fine.”

His fingers brushed Sarah’s arm. She nodded and took another deep breath. The frantic hammering of her heart started to calmed down and with that the anxiety dissipated as well.

“Thank you,” she murmured against Castiel’s shoulder.

Castiel didn’t reply but pressed a kiss on her hair.

They were interrupted by approaching footsteps. Castiel noticed the same vet that had operated Ares approaching them.

“Mr. Thompson?” the vet confirmed, and Castiel nodded.

“If you’d follow me.”

Castiel stood up and looked at Sarah.

“Will you be alright waiting here?” he asked.

“Of course. Go ahead,” Sarah smiled and nodded. The dogs had disappeared somewhere so unless another pack appeared while Castiel was gone, everything should be fine. And her mother was still there, browsing three months old women’s magazines.

Castiel nodded as well. “I’ll be back soon,” he said and then followed the vet.

Sarah slumped in her seat and closed her eyes. She took few deep breaths to calm her nerves.

“So, how was yesterday?”

Mum’s question got Sarah to open her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Did that boy behave?”

“He has a name. And yes, he did.”

“Good.”

“I know you probably don’t like his looks, but I can promise he’s really nice. He’s never pressured me to do anything. He’s thoughtful and considerate. Dad likes him too.”

“Marcus has met him?”

“Um, yes. I ran into Castiel on Saturday and invited him too. He stayed over as well.”

“And Marcus had nothing against it?”

“He suggested it,” Sarah smiled.

“Of course. But if you dad likes him, I suppose I can trust him with you. I will still hold an interrogation at one point.”

“Dad already did one!”

“I’ll ask different questions.”

Sarah sighed. This was probably the best she was going to get from mum for now. At least she didn’t ban Sarah from seeing Castiel.

“So, I could stay over at his place more?”

“Maybe on the weekends. Maybe.”

Sarah sighed again, slightly disappointed this time. She would’ve loved to spend nights at Castiel’s house more than on the weekends, but she wouldn’t push, or she would have even this small privilege taken away. And patience grew character, or at least that what some people said.

Twenty minutes passed before Castiel came back. Ares limped behind him, one leg completely covered in a cast, and a cone around his head. He looked miserable but still his tail wagged when he noticed Sarah.

Sarah moved from the bench and grouched down so Ares could sniff her better. He tried to lick her face, but the cone was always in the way, knocking Sarah on the forehead a few times. Sarah gave him few scritches behind ears and neck, making sure she didn’t touch near any spots covered with bandages

“You’re a good boy. Yes, you are,” Sarah cooed at the dog, who wagged his tail furiously.

It was such a contrast from the anxiety filled situation with the wolfhounds that it surprised Sarah’s mother. She had never seen Sarah this familiar with any dog, but she looked comfortable and relaxed. Castiel could barely hide his smile when he watched her coddle the dog. Sarah noticed it when she stood up and a blush coloured her cheeks right away. She cleared her throat before glancing at the door.

“So, we’re ready to go?”

“Yes. But if we could stop by a pharmacy on the way? I need to pick up some medicine for Ares.”

Castiel looked at Sarah’s mother, who nodded.

“Sure. No problem.”

Castiel smiled and headed to the door Ares following behind. He had bunch of papers and leaflets stuffed in his back pocket; instructions the vet had given him. There was so much to consider Castiel was feeling intimidated just from thinking about it.

They got outside, and Sarah’s mother opened the boot. Ares raised one paw on the edge but Castiel nudged it down.

“You can’t jump,” he said, when Ares put his paw up again.

“Can you lift him?” Sarah asked sounding concerned. Castiel and mum had struggled with carrying him last time, and he hadn’t had an awkward cone or a leg cast.

“Probably. Maybe.”

He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around Ares. And then he moved back, shifting into a different position trying to avoid touching the bandages. Ares wriggled under him when Castiel finally lifted him up and moved him inside the car. Ares scrambled with his cone clattering against the car seats and walls, but he slumped down all parts of him somehow inside.

“Stay there and be nice,” Castiel said before closing the door.

Everyone got in the car, and Sarah’s mum headed to the nearest pharmacy. Castiel grimaced at the thought of how much the medicine would cost. It would be a big dent on his savings.

Finally, Sarah’s mum parked the car in front of Castiel’s house, as close to the porch as possible. Castiel picked up Ares again and moved him to the porch so the dog wouldn’t need to climb the few steps up. Castiel straightened up and cracked his back.

“Are you coming in or heading home?” Castiel asked, eyes jumping from Sarah to her mother. Sarah glanced at her mother as well, pleading look in her eyes, but it didn’t work on Grace.

“I would like you home today,” she said. “Tomorrow is school day.”

“I can’t even stay for a few hours?”

“No.”

Sarah sighed and looked at Castiel. He shrugged his shoulders. Better not argue against mums. It never ended well.

“I’ll come tomorrow. Maybe. If it’s fine.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.

Heart thrumming, Sarah walked to Castiel and pressed a kiss on his lips before heading back to the car. Her cheeks were burning, and she avoided looking at her mother to whole trip back home. She was so happy that Ares was home now. Everything would surely start to get better.