#fluffverse

Just a little gift for @inchoateanamnesis x

So the whole falling madly in love with a nerd thing is apparently a family trait.

At least, that's what has Luke almost ready to knock his head against the wall after the end of one of his study sessions with Max.  Not that Luke actually got much studying done since he was too damn busy trying not to get too excited over Max's enthusiasm for chemistry and cellular biology.  Fuck his life.

Because nothing makes a friendship more awkward than the desire to listen to your best friend recite the periodic table and talk about the structure of DNA while you go down on him.

Except, perhaps the desire to drag the guy into the back of your car during your spare period so that you can make out with him until his adorable fucking nerdglasses fog up.

Oh wait, it's probably the ridiculous desire to lace your fingers with his during the middle of a movie in the damn theater that you almost give in to that takes the fucking cake.

Or having to stop yourself from saying "I'm so in love with you," every time he laughs or speaks or bakes you a fucking pie one weekend just because he wants to prove that baking is nothing more than applied chemistry.

That's probably it.

Luke is so screwed.

"You know, you could make it much easier on yourself if you were to tell Max how you feel," a gruff voice advises from the doorway of his bedroom.

Luke looks over, shaking his head.  "Cas, you don't understand.  He's my best friend and he's straight," he replies with a sigh.  "It'd just fuck everything up."

The ex-angel takes Luke's reply as permission to enter his room and sits down on the edge of the bed.  He tilts his head and stares at Luke, who is sitting in his desk chair, for a long time, barely blinking.  "Maybe," he says finally, "but unless you're a Prophet of the Lord, you can't say for certain how things will turn out.  Why put yourself through the needless agony for hiding the way you feel?  Perhaps Max returns your feelings but doesn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Rolling his eyes, Luke shakes his head again.  "Dude likes girls, Cas.  Stacy Evans, the cheerleader he tutors in French, works him up so much he can barely speak. Trust me when I say my inconvenient love is strictly unrequited," Luke argues.

"Sexual preference rarely matters when it comes to love, Luke," Cas states quietly. "You should tell him.  If you don't, the lie, and trust me when I say a lie of omission is still a lie, will eat away at you and fester until your friendship becomes tainted and destroys itself."

Luke blinks at Cas, uncomprehending, and Cas looks away.  "I was in love, once," Cas admits, "and I assumed the, uh, object of my affection knew his value to me. I never actually said the words and it ended...poorly."

"I'm sorry, Cas," Luke says honestly, wishing that there was something else he could say because Cas is a good guy and he's always been there for Luke when Luke needed someone to talk to that wouldn't rat him out to his parents if he thought it were necessary.

"It was a long time ago," Cas replies, shrugging.

"Yeah, but," Luke begins, but Cas looks at him and he realizes that the subject was over with.  "I'll think about, okay?"

Cas nods and pushes himself up.  "That's better than I'd hoped for," he admits with a smile.

"Thanks," Luke says, picking up his pen.

"Anytime," Cas answers before exiting the room and leaving Luke to his thoughts.