6 - Camping & Batman's secret identity

There had been two weeks and a half between that New Year's Eve party and their camping trip that Asterius had booked as a Christmas gift for him. It felt like a hell of a long time, but it also didn't feel long enough.

Theseus had been learning a lot of things during those two weeks. First; the video and the website Dean had sent to him had proven to be highly informative, so he had been able to ask his friend many embarrassing (and detailed) questions, before he had hit a specialized store.
He had then embarrassed his own sister in turn when he had sat down for lunch with her and Selena, to talk excitedly about the fact that he had met Selena's brother the night before. He had gone on and on about how glad he had been to be given such specific advice by one of his sellers, who turned out to be his fiancé!
Carleen knew exactly what kind of shop Selena's brother owned, so she had yelled a few times and had probably put headphones on before that conversation went too far for her tastes. It was a miracle she never heard what exactly her brother had been needing advice for in a sex shop.

Thankfully, Theseus didn't bring it up again. Probably thanks to Dean's advice, he kept any questions on his 'personal researches' to either Dean or that very helpful seller who offered customer advice - what a wonderful guy. But since he was by far not ready to offer his newly acquired knowledge to Asterius yet, he just set it aside for now, getting instead overly excited about their week-end together!

He was actually so excited that he had forgotten that their exams' results were being published that Friday afternoon. Oh, but his friends did drag him to the boards excitedly, and it didn't take him long to figure out why! He let out an excited cry and merrily hugged his friends before he looked around for Asterius. And the moment he'd find him, he'd run to leap in his arms, as he always did.

Let's be honest, Selena found Theseus' newfound and sudden interest towards sex to be nothing short of hilarious (and everyone's discomfort never failed to bring a certain degree of delight to her anyway) so she was always happy to listen to him whenever he had received some new information or tip by her brother and his fiancé.
Only listen, though, as of course she couldn't offer any advice of her own. She was a woman, first and foremost, and it was definitely too early to investigate over Theseus' interest towards her particular brand of sexual interactions.

Asterius could hear Theseus before he could see him - as usual, of course. His boyfriend was very loud, after all. He was just out of the cafeteria with a couple of take-away cups of coffee, and was discussing with a couple of classmates (they had just received their own votes as well, and he was quite happy that he had passed with an alright mark) when he heard the loud calling of his name and turned around just in time to see Theseus rushing towards him with the clear intent of jumping into his arms. "Theseus wait no I'm holding coffe-!", he exclaimed, franctically looking around for a place where to put the cups. He luckily found it before his boyfriend arrived, and managed to catch him mid-air as it usually happened. "Hello, Theseus", he said in the end, bashfully waving at his grinning classmates as they walked off.

Theseus had indeed jumped into Asterius' arms, his arms wrapped around his neck. Thankfully his boyfriend had found a place where to lay down his cups of coffee, or he might have simply jumped into his arms anyway.
In lieu of a proper greeting - yelling out Asterius' name while dashing towards him definitely didn't count as a proper greeting - Theseus kissed his boyfriend long and deep, before he grinned at him. "I passed! Asterius, I passed all of those blasted exams!" No lie, he was quite happy he had finally managed to pass them.

Asterius felt a little dizzy after being kissed so thoroughly - he definitely wasn't used to this degree of public affection - and he was still busy keeping Theseus propped up with both his arms around him when his boyfriend delivered the news to him. He beamed, opening up in a genuine smile. "You did? Great job!", he congratulated him, hugging him tighter against his chest. "I'm very proud of you. I knew you could make it."

"Why, thank you love," Theseus replied, still grinning. For once, though, he oddly lowered his voice to its normal level, although they were still in public. "If it weren't for your support, I don't know how today might have gone." He caressed Asterius' cheek, and grinned. "We shall celebrate this over this week-end!"

Asterius chuckled, but he said nothing at first. He just caressed Theseus' cheek as well, resting his forehead against his. "That just means I'll keep on supporting you", he observed then in a lower voice as well. "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about this weekend. I'm excited too." He had already packed his tent - that he had gone all the way back home to retrieve, in his parents' basement.

"Perfect!" Theseus grinned even more. "I just have to get home and finish my bags. And maybe call my parents to let them know about my semester results! Then we can drive away to our romantic week-end." He nuzzled Asterius' snout and gave it a peck. "Put me down?"

Meanwhile, someone else had been feeling less concerned about their semester results, and that someone was Castiel. Now, there were two reasons for that. One: he usually scored great, but this was probably his last year studying history, for his application for the medical faculty had been confirmed. Two... well. Charlie had confirmed to him that his plans to meet with Bruce over a dinner definitely qualified it as a 'date'.
He was a little nervous, but in the good sense of the way. Since he didn't have classes on that afternoon, he had killed his stress by baking a pie, which he had left on the counter with a note to Dean, inviting him to help himself. It felt weird to be dining out alone without his roommate and best friend - but he had felt a little less sorry when he had learned that Dean also had plans on that night.
He tried not to dwell on the way his heart clenched at the thought. He still had his very own Batman, who he had fallen for without even knowing what he looked like. His heart fluttered at the thought that he would finally meet him, and he paused to look at himself in the mirror of the bathroom one last time.
Hair? Wild, per usual. Shirt? Looked great. He had picked a blue one - blue suited him rather well after all. Pants? Clean, no traces of flour from his cooking on the black fabric. Okay. He could do this. He should probably get out a little early and walk around, or even stop by some bookshops on his way to his date, to calm down a little.

Asterius snorted softly. "If I must", he joked lightly before finally putting Theseus down, and getting his two cups of coffee back before offering one to his boyfriend. "There. I got one for you - you almost made me drop them", he added, not too reproachfully though. He didn't have the heart to. He enjoyed being greeted in that over-the-top way too much.

On the other hand, Dean did have some lessons on that afternoon - practical laboratories mostly, and those were his favorites kind of classes. Had it been theory he would have definitely ditched them to chill in the apartment with Castiel before they both headed out for their dates.
He hadn't feel too pleased about the thought of Castiel having a date as well, to be honest - not right away at least. But then he had felt a bit selfish, and guilt had transformed that unpleasant clenching of his stomach into something else. His roommate deserved to go have some fun too, and to get together with people that weren't him, even as a date! Besides, he himself was going on a date with someone he was genuinely interested in, and the thought of finally meeting Robin and see him made his brain float pleasantly.
He probably arrived in the apartment when Castiel had already stepped out - found the pie, took a big slice for himself, and left a thank you note on the back of Castiel's own note. His roommate was too good for this world.
Once he had showered to get the grease and oil of motors away from his skin and the smell of gas from his hair, he dressed up - simply enough, with his favorite flannel shirt and one of his nicer pair of jeans. He preferred not to overdo it for a first date - after all, even if he and Robin knew each other a little already, this would still be a first meeting! They needed to get a genuine feel out of each other.
Soon enough he was out, and perfectly on time walking into the pizzeria.

Theseus took the coffee with a bright smile, and merely scoffed when Asterius kindly chastised him about his habits. "I trust you could have caught me while still holding those coffees in your hands- we should try to rehearse that move someday!"

Castiel had gotten to the pizzeria first. To avoid giving out names until the very last moment, he and 'Batman' had agreed to book a table under the name 'Wayne'. He held back a smile at the thought, and took out his phone, checking the time.
He regretted that they had been given a quiet table, for once - he was quite far away from the door, and would probably only meet his... date at the very last moment, when he would be shown their table.
He was, however, not ready to see Dean of all people being kindly showed the seat in front of him by a very helpful waitress.
He just sat there, his eyes wide in shock. It couldn't be- Or could it?

Asterius scoffed as well. "I'm afraid I would end up just dropping the cups", he answered honestly. "Unless you would just manage to grapple yourself on me without any help." That might have worked out. "Did you hear from your sister already, about your results?"

Judging by Dean's lost expression he had definitely not been ready to see him either. He just stood there, a little distant from the table, frozen in place with eyes wide.
But, as soon as he managed to unfreeze, the first thing he did was burst into laughter. He was still laughing when he sat down in front of his roommate, and his lips were trembling from the effort of keeping all the hilarity in when he forced a neutral expression and offered his hand to Castiel.
"Hello, handsome stranger I've never seen before except for every day of the last two months of my life", he greeted him, still chuckling. "I'm Dean."
Inside, he was feeling both relieved and exploding with some more unknown feeling at the thought that he had been enamoured with the same person for all this time. But at the same time he felt worried - what if Castiel would suddenly react badly to this, now that he knew it was him?

"Not yet! My friends just brought me to the board. You're the first one to know about my success!" Theseus smiled to himself and sipped at his coffee. "In fact, I should go back and take a picture of that board. Mind to come with me?"

Castiel wasn't sure at first, especially when Dean burst out laughing. He did smile, of course, but his doubts hadn't been confirmed verbally yet. So if he did indulge his friend and shake his hand, he was still squinting, but there was a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I have a date with a Batman, not a Dean. Though... you two do seem to share a lot of common traits," he said hesitantly, with a shy smile.

Asterius held back a smile. "Sure." He offered him his hand to hold though, feeling secretly happy that he had been the first Theseus had thought about when reading his exams results.

Dean smiled back at him - and even if he tried to look more confident, he was feeling quite shy as well. "Don't you mean Bruce? I'm not really wearing my batsuit right now", he joked lightly. "But, well - I have a date with a Robin, to be fair, and not a Castiel." He scratched his neck, looking a little hesitant. "So... what now? I mean I'm... pretty alright with dating a Castiel, if you're okay with dating a Dean."

Theseus took a picture of that board, and offered for Asterius to accompany him back to his apartment, since he just needed to throw his bathroom supplies into his bags for the week-end. He smiled to himself on the way there when he got a call, and took it. He laughed through most of it, and acted a little boastful about his results, before he hung up, a pleased smile on his lips.
"My father wants me to bring you over again as soon as possible," he explained to his boyfriend. Not once during his phone call had he let go of Asterius' hand, that he still held in his.

Castiel let out a smile. "I'll be honest. It pained me to have to chose between 'Bruce' or you. But I thought you weren't interested in me, after that talk we had on New Year's Eve." He fidgeted a bit. "Is it really alright to you?" Well. To his own knowledge, Dean had never made a move in that direction with him.
Unless he had been utterly clueless for the whole past two months.

Of course Asterius had agreed to accompany Theseus to the apartment, and had politely kept silent as his boyfriend talked on his phone. He held back a smile when he mentioned that his father wanted him to come back soon to their place, but threw him a questioning glance. "Not that I'm not glad, but why?" Sure, he had encouraged Theseus, but the merit for those results wasn't his.

Dean smiled bashfully. "Well... since we're being honest, it pained me too. Having to choose, I mean. And- well, I've never put a move on you because I wasn't even sure if you might like me, you know? When you asked me how you could be sure if you were attracted to someone, I thought you were still figuring things out. I didn't want to be pressuring you or anything."

Theseus laughed. "Why! Well... " His smile briefly faltered. "We, uhm. Let's say our studying together has been mentioned once or twice over the holidays, and surely my parents think you and I make a great team in that field!"
His parents had actually had a long and awkward talk with him regarding his future, over the holidays. They had been quite relieved to learn that Asterius had been encouraging him to study properly.

Castiel's smile mirrored Dean's. "It's true that sexual attraction is not something I experience as actively as anyone else. But- The way you described it to me back then- wanting to be close, to hold hands, or to kiss- I know those were things I've been feeling for a while around you."

Asterius hummed quietly. "I see", he simply answered, gently squeezing Theseus' hands in his. "Well. They're right, aren't they? We do make a great team." He would keep on encouraging Theseus for as much time as he'd need it. For the whole of his University life, if necessary. He wanted to, and this had demonstrated that with the right pressure his boyfriend could always bring some results home.
"And we'll keep on being a great team. In any field."

Dean's smile got less tense and more natural now. He felt himself flush a little bit and he chuckled, leaning back on his seat. "Oh. Well, I'm- I'm glad", he murmured, feeling a weight dissolving in his chest. "I've felt the same way about you. I've... wanted to hold your hands a lot of times, while we watched movies on the couch." He had always been hyperaware of this, and had always been scared of moving the wrong way towards Castiel - to scare him off.

Theseus grinned at Asterius, and used his free hand to have him tilt his head down so that he could kiss his cheek. "We won't just be a great team, Asterius. We'll be the best duo there is out there! Inseparable and undefeated, no matter what we do!" He was, as usual, overly dramatic about it.
But cut him some slack. He did feel like with Asterius, he could do anything.

Castiel's smile grew more relaxed now as well. "You could have. You can. Anytime you wish. Just bear in mind that relationships are something new and alien to me. I'll follow your lead, and tell you when something might be too much for me, but I fear that initiative won't me my strong point."

Asterius chuckled. "Of course. You're right", he agreed, turning to kiss Theseus' cheek as well. "And I'm sure everyone will envy us and our strength when we will be at the climbing spot." He'd need to teach Theseus to build a tent, but he was sure it wasn't going to be that complicated - right?

Dean grinned. "Heh. That's alright with me. We just- need to understand what our boundaries are. It will be good if you'll tell me exactly at what point I'm being too much." He leaned on the table, resting on his elbows. "And with time, maybe you'll learn some initiative." He gently raised a hand to rest it on Castiel's, if it happened to be on the table.

Riiiight.
When they reached Theseus' apartment, they were greeted by a very thrilled Carleen, who hugged her brother tight and congratulated him for his exam results. She then hugged Asterius as well when Theseus had gone in his room to retrieve his bag, and she took the opportunity to thank him for motivating Theseus enough to study properly.
And with that, they just needed to go to Asterius' place, get his car and go towards the camping location.
Theseus had of course offered days ago that they take his car, but you definitely don't take a flashy, golden convertible in the middle of nowhere. You just don't.
And here they were now, with the sun already setting and Theseus on his knees, two tent poles in his hands and some fabric in front of him. "Asterius, it fell down again!" He complained over-dramatically. He should have bought a throwable insta-tent. What was this witchcraft!

Castiel let out a soft smile when Dean reached out for his hand, and just freed his thumb so he could run it against Dean's. His friend had mentioned that he was quite... touchy with people he was pursuing romantically speaking. It felt night to know that he was, indeed, happy about how the circumstances turned out to be.
"I'll try my best. I can't leave all of the work to you, Bruce."

Asterius was definitely having both the time of his life and a terrible time somehow.
The time of his life came by just being in the wilderness with Theseus, of course - just the two of them in a semi-desert camping spot, nature surrounding him, a clear, quickly darkening sky above them that promised many stars would be visible that night... and he had to admit that watching Theseus struggle with the tent and pout definitely had its charm. He was cute.
And a terrible time because it was almost night, it was starting to get cold, and Theseus was struggling with the tent way much than he had expected. "Look at me", he repeated patiently, showing him what he had done with his own part of the tent. "This is what you need to do. See?" This time, though, he actually got up from his spot to get closer to his boyfriend, scooting so that he could guide him better. "If you fix it on the ground too weakly, it's going to fall every time. Don't be afraid to hit on the picket too hard." Actually he was this close to just ask Theseus if he could go fetch them some food at the main building of the camping (it would be just cans and pre-heated food, but that's what you eat when you're camping) and do it by himself, but he wanted to trust him a bit more.

Dean grinned, feeling genuinely happy that Castiel looked definitely happy with this outcome. "Well, Robin, I'm not called Batman for nothing, y'know? I can take some hard work! But hey, I'm glad to know we'll be working as the team we're supposed to be", he added with a wink.

Theseus sighed dramatically at first. Had he been with anyone else, he'd have throw everything on the ground and walked away. But... only Asterius could manage to have him calm down instead, take a deep breath and try again. He managed to secure the tent on the ground, and to have his own side of the tent stand up straight, with no wrong connection done between the metal rods.
At last, he was left grinning when the tent finally stood fully upright, and secured to the ground. "We did it! Oh, Asterius, we did it!"
Any excuse was good to wrap his arms around his boyfriend's neck and pull him down for a kiss, but who was he to resist that urge?

Castiel scoffed. "I hope being in a relationship with me won't always qualify as 'hard work'." His expression softened, however. "I still can't believe that I've fallen twice for you. And confessed all of those embarrassing things to you." Oh, he had definitely been more honest with 'Bruce' than with Dean regarding certain topics.

Asterius held back a relieved sigh and simply smiled, ready to congratulate Theseus on his result - just to be pleasantly muffled by that unexpected but very welcome kiss, that he welcomed by wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and kissing him back. "Can I expect this kind of celebration every time you accomplish some new results?", he asked a little teasingly when their kiss was broken.

"Please, it will never qualify as hard work", Dean added with a sheepish smile, correcting himself. Smile that turned into a grin when he was reminded of all the things 'Robin' had shared with him, not knowing who he was. "Well - c'mon, nothing you said was embarrassing", he reassured him, still gently running his thumb over the hand he was holding. "I mean- On the other hand, you've seen me at my most embarrassing already, so you already know exactly what is waiting for you in the future", he joked then, thinking about all the times Castiel had seen him hungover and in his very unflattering post-party clothes.

"Oh you can expect these kisses even more often," Theseus replied with a wide smile, before he gently put some strands of Asterius' mane back in order, and stood up. "What's next, then? I suppose we should find something to sustain ourselves, but I have no idea whether we're done with our campement or not. Alfred used to take care of that, when we went camping."

Castiel smiled to himself. "I've heard you singing in the shower, too. But that only made me fall for you even more, I suppose. You've got a lovely voice, when you don't think anyone might be listening to you." Oh, now he wasn't even holding back, throwing a really fond look at Dean.

Asterius hummed, closing his eyes briefly to better take in Theseus' affectionate gesture as he brushed his mane back in place. Then he got up as well, patting his knees to get rid of the dust. "In the main building of the camp they sell canned and packaged food", he explained as he reached for his bag. "I've paid in advance for it. Could you go fetch our share while I get our fire going?" Each of the spaces where campers could set their tents was provided with a little safe spot where they could start a little fire.
Of course Asterius had brought over everything necessary to do so, and to cook.

Dean felt himself flush at that compliment, against his better judgement. Damn it - that was smooth. Direct, but smooth at the same time. "Oh, I- uhm. Thank you", he finally managed to answer with a little smile. "And you've got lovely eyes", he added then, trying to divert the attention from his blushing cheeks. "And I don't mean only because they're an amazing shade of blue. They're very warm. Gentle." He smiled a little more confidently. "I'm sure your patients will feel lucky to have you with them."

"Sure thing! I'll be right back, Asterius!" Theseus winked at him and jogged all the way to the main building, where he suddenly felt a little flustered when he said he was there to retrieve Mr. Laurkisons' share. Their share. Presenting himself under Asterius' name made his face hot, and he was secretely glad he could jog back as an excuse for any redness in his face.
Most fluster was forgotten by the time he reached their tent again. Given that it was only January it had really gotten dark outside by now, and the newly lit up fire was a pleasant sight. "You'll have to teach me how to light a fire someday!"

Castiel's smile grew a little more. "Given that my patient will mostly be small children, I do hope they won't find my eyes as attractive as you do," he kindly teased Dean. "But- thank you. I'm glad to know I appeal to you." He flushed a little, remembering that he had told 'Bruce' that he had been shaping his shoulders recently. Silently admitting that he had been doing it for him.