Prompt: AU where young Dean and Cas are both strangers to each other and at a a wrestling match that features Gunnar Lawless. Dean really wants to get Gunnar's glove before the match, but Gunnar ends up giving it to Cas instead. After the match is over, Dean tries to buy the glove off of Cas with his allowance and Cas says he'll trade the glove for a kiss.
Rated for threatening harm to a child.
Dean was beyond excited. Not only had he and his father successfully taken care of a ravenous werewolf, but his favourite wrestler Gunner Lawless was had a match in town that night and John had promised Dean that they could go as a reward for how well he had been doing with his hunters training.
Dean had hidden himself between the beds in the abandoned house they were currently squatting in so that he could secretly admire his signed poster of Lawless; they did not have the privilege of owning many precious items, but that poster was certainly one of Dean's.
"I'm going to get one of those gloves" he said determinedly as he traced his finger across the image.
He knew that Gunner often gave one of his fans an item of his wrestling gear before the match to symbolise his reciprocated admiration. That was one of the many things Dean liked about him; he could kick ass but he was kind too.
When he heard the heavy footsteps of his father coming up the stairs Dean quickly rolled up the poster and stuffed it back into his duffle.
"Dean?"
"In here, dad" Dean called as he stood up and tried not to look suspicious.
I just heard a report on the radio about another attack. It seems that that werewolf had a missus" John informed him.
Dean's heart sank. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"You know it can't" John said sternly, but softened when he saw how crestfallen his son was. "I'm sorry, kiddo" he said as he placed a comforting hand on his Dean's shoulder. "I know you were looking forward to tonight. We can find out where his next match will be and follow him down."
Dean sighed dejectedly knowing damn well that would not happen. "Can't I just go by myself?"
"You gotta be at least eighteen if you don't go with an adult" John reminded him.
"Well I'm sixteen and I hunt monsters" Dean huffed. "That's gotta count for my maturity levels."
"Not when you say it with a pout like that" John said with a small smile. "It's getting late so you need to stay here and look after Sammy."
"Alright" Dean replied dejectedly.
"Ok" John said. He reached the doorframe before pausing and turning back to this son. "I'm serious, Dean. I do not want a repeat of what happened in New York. Stay in this house."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll make it up to you. I promise."
John left and Dean laid down on the bed with a heavy sigh. He felt the corners of his eyes begin to sting and rubbed at them furiously. He had been looking forward to this for weeks: not only because he would get to see Gunner wrestle, but he would so get to spend time with his dad which did not entail killing something.
He remembered the rush and the thrill he had felt strolling around New York City by himself. Up until that point he had been his dad's good little soldier who never stepped a foot out of line, and it had been so awesome to rebel against all the restrictions his dad had put into place. He had felt free, and the more he thought about it...the more he wanted to do it again.
The fear of facing his father's wrath did not outweigh his desire to actually own something which belonged to one of his heroes, and to see him rise to glory.
"I deserve this" Dean tried to convince himself as stood up and started to pace the room. "I look after Sammy, I do my training every morning, I cook for us all, and I save people's lives. I deserve to go and see Gunner Lawless wrestle."
He grabbed his bag and rummaged around until he found the sock he kept all of his allowance rolled up in; John gave Dean and Sam ten dollars at the end of every month to go and play video games or whatever they wanted, but Dean has been saving up for years, just in case he needed it to by him and Sammy food or something of the similar import.
He found the sock and stuffed it into his pocket. He bounded down and stairs and towards the front door before he could try and talk himself out of it.
"Sammy! I'm going out and if you tell dad I'll shave your head in the middle of the night."
Sam, who had been sat on the sofa reading, looked up at his brother with a puzzled frown.
"Where are you going?"
"I told you..." Dean said as he hopped around trying to pull his boot on. "Out."
"That's not an explanation, Dean" Sam deadpanned. "You're sneaking off to see the wrestling match, aren't you?"
"Yeah, okay?" Dean said as he grabbed his jacket.
Sam closed his book with a grin and hurried over to his brother.
"Can I come with you?"
"Hell no."
"Dean! I really wanted to go too. Please?" He begged. "What if I get eaten by a werewolf because you weren't here?"
"Don't..." Dean started, but he trailed off with a sigh and closed his eyes as he painfully remembered the incident with Shtriga. "Alright, but you have to do everything that I tell you" he said as he pointed a stern finger in his brother's face. "Understand?"
"Yes, I understand" Sam said with a firm nod.
"Alright. Get your coat; it's chilly."
When they arrived at the venue Dean was immediately awestruck by the amount of fans roaming around outside in their tribute wrestler costumes. He had to try and push their way though hustle and bustle in order to find the ticket stands.
"Dean" Sam complained as they finally broke free of the crowd.
"Stop squirming!" Dean hissed.
"Let go of my hand! I'm twelve for God sake."
"No, you wanted to come with, this is part of the deal" Dean stressed as he brandished their clasped together hands in Sam's face.
"Fine, but you're only making yourself look stupid too."
"I don't care."
They joined one of the queues to get tickets. Dean bobbed up and down on his feet nervously and craned his neck so he could see how far they still had to go; he did not want to miss out on getting Gunner's glove.
They finally reached the front of the line and a stern looking man glanced Dean up and down.
"ID?"
Dean froze for a moment and he thought that he could hear his heart hammering against his chest.
"Ah, well, you see..."
"Get the hell out of here."
"Please! You don't understand how much this means to me. I'm eighteen I swear!"
"Yeah and I'm the queen of England. Beat it!"
Dean opened his mouth to protest again but he was already being pushed away by security.
"The queen of England would have much better manners than you" Sam retorted as Dean tugged him away.
They headed around the side of the building and Dean slumped down against the wall with defeat.
"Don't worry. You'll think of something" Sam said as he sat down next to him.
"You're the smart one; you think of something" Dean mumbled.
"You're smart, Dean-"
"Clearly not otherwise I would have friggin' thought to bring fake ID!" The younger Winchester yelled. He sighed and looked down the ground. "I'm sorry" he sniffed.
"It's okay" Sam said with a face of concern; he did not want his brother to think that he had let him down. He placed a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder.
"It's these stupid freckles!" Dean exclaimed as he indicated to his cheeks. "I wish I could scrub 'em all off."
"Don't say that; I think they're very charming."
Both of the brothers looked up to see a boy about Dean's age with unruly dark hair and the brightest blue eyes they had ever seen.
"Uh...thanks" Dean said; he felt a blush start to spread though his cheeks.
"My name is Castiel" the other teen said with a gentle smile.
"Whoa, like the Angel?" Sam asked with awe as he stood up to be face-to-face with Castiel. "That's so cool! I've read all about him in this book I found at the library about Seraph Mythology-"
Dean quickly stood up and elbowed his brother gently in the arm. "Shut up, nerd."
"It's quite alright" Castiel chuckled. "I like reading too."
"He just doesn't want me to embarrass him because he thinks you're pretty" Sam casually claimed.
"Sam!" Dean exclaimed.
"Well your brother is rather pretty himself" Castiel smirked.
Dean's eyes widened and the heat in his cheeks only got worse.
"Sammy, there's a foot cart over there. Go get us some hotdogs" Dean said as he stared at Castiel and absentmindedly handed Sam some crumpled dollar bills.
"Dean, this is fifty dollars-"
"Go."
Sam shrugged and walked away.
"I saw that they wouldn't let you in so I wanted to suggest that you come with me and my brother" Castiel explained. "We have two spare tickets; my other brothers were supposed to come but they have to work."
"Really? That would be great!" Dean exclaimed excitedly. "I-I mean, not about your brothers not being able to come; I'm sure that's sad for you, but thank you so much!" He pulled Castiel into a bone crushing hug.
"I'm glad to be of assistance" Castiel chuckled as he patted the other teen's back unsurely. "Who are you here to support?"
"Gunner Lawless" Dean said a little dreamily as he pulled away. "I've loved him since I was a kid and I take his poster everywhere with me...my dad would probably freak if he knew how much I make-out with it" he joked.
Castiel laughed again; Dean thought that there was something musical about it which he really liked.
"He is ruggedly handsome" Castiel agreed. "He's my favourite too. I have four older brothers who have been dragging me to wrestling matches since I was five."
"Yeah? My dad's been bringing me since I was about that age too" Dean said. "And he promised that he'd come with me tonight but he...has to work too."
"Well, I'm sorry about that, but I'm very glad to have met you" Castiel said with a small a smile.
"Yeah, likewise" Dean said with a tentative smile of his own.
"We should get Sam and then find my brother" Castiel said.
"Alright. He's just...Sam?"
Dean had turned to look at the food cart be he could not see his little brother's messy mop of hair anywhere.
Dean felt something tighten in his chest. "Oh god, no...Sammy!" He yelled as he ran over, Castiel right behind him.
He pushed his way through the gathered group of customers but his brother was nowhere in sight.
"Hey!" Dean shouted to the vender. "Have you seen-"
"Get to the back of the line, squirt!" One already drunken customer yelled as he shoved Dean out of the way.
"This can't be happening" Dean said as his chest started to heave with panic and his eyes began to fill with tears that he had always felt he was never allowed to let fall.
"Dean, it's going to be okay" Castiel's steady voice assured him. "Look at me" he said as he placed both of his hands on Dean's shoulders; the older Winchester did as asked. "We will find him. We'll split up. You go around the left, and I'll go around the right."
"Okay" Dean said with a determined nod; now was not the time to freak out. He had to be level-headed for Sammy's sake.
The two teens took off running. Dean tried to battle away all the horrible images that were running through his mind just to stop himself from crumbling. If anything bad had happened to his baby brother he would never forgive himself; and his father certainly would not either.
The more ground he covered without sight of Sam the fuller of dread Dean became.
He turned the final corner, and at the far end of the otherwise desolate stretch he saw his little brother backed up against the wall as a burly and clearly intoxicated man loomed over him.
"I saw the money, kid" he slurred. "Give it to me!"
"No! It's my brother's!" Sam retorted.
"Why you-" the man made a fist.
"Sammy!" Dean yelled as he sprinted towards them.
"De-"
The man tried to land a hit but Castiel seemingly appeared out of nowhere and pushed Sam out of the way. The man's fist hit the concrete wall with a sticking crack and he cried out with pain.
"Sammy" Dean breathed as he reached his brother and pulled him into a relieved hug.
"You asshole!" The man yelled at Castiel.
He tried to swing at the teen with his other fist, but Castiel seemed unfazed and ready as he ducked and then straightened up to land a punch square on the man's nose.
The man stumbled backwards.
"I'll kill you!" He shrieked. "I'll kill all you little runts!"
"I don't think you will" Castiel said as grabbed the man's shoulders and pulled him down to slam his knee into the man's chest. The man fell to the ground. "Remember this before you dare to try and hit or steal from a child ever again!"
"Whoa, Cas" Dean said as he and Sam had been watching with wide eyes. "How'd you learn how to fight like that?"
"My brother's name is Lucifer; you probably don't want to ask why."
"What are we going to do about him?" Sam asked nervously.
"Leave it too me" a voice called; Dean would know it anywhere.
They turned around to see Gunner Lawless stood at an open fire exit door.
"C'mon, boys, inside. I'll get medical to take care of him."
Dean, Sam, and Castiel all quickly hurried over and followed Gunner inside where they all huddled into the dressing room.
Dean's breath caught; it was really like a dream come true, he just wished it had not happened under these circumstances.
"Are you boys alright?" Gunner asked. "I heard all the commotion but my tight ass management wouldn't let me check it out."
"We're fine" Castiel responded as Dean seemed too star-struck to talk. "If a little bruised" he said as he clenched his throbbing fist.
"Ah, well I believe I have something to make sure you take less damage next time" Gunner said as he grabbed one of his gloves. "You beat up a guy almost twice as big as you for the sake of a kid, I think you deserve a little something."
"Wow. Thank you, sir" Castiel breathed as he took the glove and admired every single stitch.
"And how does front row sound to all of you, huh? I'll get my manager to leave the tickets at the front."
"That would be amazing!" Dean grinned. "I-I mean, thank you, S-Sir. I'm a huge fan."
"Yes, thank you" Castiel said. "We'll need four tickets if that's alright."
"Not a problem" Lawless grinned. "You deserve it. I'm sorry but, I have to get ready now."
"Of course, we don't want to put you off or anything" Dean said as he grabbed his brother and Castiel and started ushering them out of the room. "Good luck, Mister Lawless, we'll be rooting for you!"
"I'm counting on it" Gunner chuckled.
The three boys wandered down the hall for a moment before Dean felt it necessary to stop and lean against the wall.
"Oh my god, I just breathed the same air as Gunner Lawless" he gushed.
"Yeah, and all it took was for me to nearly get beat to a pulp" Sam huffed.
"What happened exactly?" Castiel asked.
"I was just holding the money ready to make an order when that guy must have seen. He tired to grab my arm but I slipped out. He started following me so I panicked and ran. I tripped and he caught up with me."
"Sammy, I'm so sorry" Dean said feeling the guilt that seemed to be always lurking about in him claw its way up. "I shouldn't have made you go off by yourself. If Cas hadn't gotten there when he did-"
"But he did" Sam stressed as he took his brother's hand. "So it doesn't matter. Maybe he's our guardian; just like the angel Castiel!"
"Hush, you mustn't blow my cover" Castiel teased with a finger to his lips.
"God, Cas, thank you so much" Dean said as he hugged the other teen again. "You're a real badass!"
"I try" Castiel said with a smile. "There's need to thank me; I only did what I hope others would have too."
"And please don't blame yourself" Sam said to Dean; he knew exaclty how his brother's mind worked. "It's nobody's fault but that idiots."
"I know" Dean reassured him. "Actually, it's Cas' fault for being so hot."
"That's hardly something I can help-"
"Guys! Please don't start flirting again" Sam said as he covered his ears. "It's gross."
"We should go and get the tickets and find my brother" Castiel said.
"Alright. Sammy, you sure you're okay to stay? We can go home if you want to" Dean said seriously.
"No. I'm fine, Dean. I promise. I've been really looking forward to to this and I know you have too. You deserve to have some fun. You do."
"Okay" Dean smiled at his little brother. "Let's go."
This time when he held his little brother's hand, Sam did not protest. And nor did Dean when Castiel took hold of his too.
Dean was sure that he had never felt so exhilarated as he watched Gunner Lawless rise to victory. He found himself completely consumed by the hyped atmosphere around him as he jumped up and down from his seat, clapping and cheering at each move that Gunner made.
He wished that his dad was there to see it, but he was having a good time with Sam, Cas, and Cas' brother; who Dean did not think seemed scary at all. He was relieved to see that Sammy was enjoying himself too; the horror of earlier seemed forgotten as he reflected his older brother's excitement.
After Lawless delivered his final move and his opponent laid groaning on the floor, Dean was sure that he was one of the ones cheering the loudest as Gunner was confirmed the winner.
As Gunner walked around the ring and basked in his fans cheering, Dean swore that he winked at him. The older Winchester blushed profusely.
What a night.
When it was time to leave Sam and Dean followed Castiel and his brother into the parking lot.
"Hey, Cas, don't suppose I could buy that glove off you?" Dean only half-joked. "It's sorta been my dream...I-I mean you every right to keep it because of what you did, but-"
"You can have it" Castiel said with a small smile. "But I don't want money. I'd like a kiss, if you are willing?"
Dean's mouth fell open a little. Castiel was very beautiful and damn, seeing him kick ass had made Dean feel warm inside. It was not too much to ask, as for Dean a kiss from Castiel would bring him great pleasure too.
"I think I can manage that" he smiled.
They both leaned in and linked their lips together. Dean closed his eyes and relished in the heart-warming sensation. There was a natural spark which could not be denied, and Dean found himself lusting for more.
When Castiel pulled away Dean immediately felt as if something was missing and he whimpered softly.
"I hope we will meet again" Castiel said as he handed Dean the glove.
"I'll make sure of it" Dean replied. He traced his fingers along the glove with awe and silently swore to hang on to it forever.
Castiel smiled warmly. "Goodbye, Sam. Remember to keep my secret safe" he whispered.
"You can count on me" Sam said determinedly.
Castiel went to join his brother in their car, but he turned to the Winchesters and waved before getting inside.
Sam and Dean waved back and watched the car drive into the distance before starting to make their own way back.
"So, is he your boyfriend now?" Sam asked as he took Dean's hand.
"Nah" Dean said a little disappointedly. "But who knows? Maybe if I pray really hard."
"Well he is an angel; I'm sure he'll hear you."
Dean laughed and shook his head. "Never become a teenager, Sammy. That's when you start to lose belief."
"Well, I believe that dad is going to kill us if we don't hurry back" Sam said. "He must be close to done by now."
"Ah, well, even if he does find out it will have been worth it" Dean claimed.
"Because of a glove?" Sam asked with a frown.
"No. Because of a kiss."
