11:20. The perfect time to go to school.

Although, it would be more perfect if the school believed that. It's his second day of high school and Dean Winchester was very late. Not that it bothered him so much; this was his third school in the span of a year. Regardless of what his shiny bill of attendance stated here, it would be wiped clean as soon as his dad found a new hunt. The life of a hunter's kid, moving around more than any military brat.

So as Dean exited his black '67 impala, he made no extra effort to get into the building. He walked up the long pathway leading to the glass doors and pulled one open with a swift motion, walking over the devils trap he had spray painted underneath the doormat, two nights before. As soon as his feet hit the tiled floor, he instantly soaked up the lukewarm feeling of oppression. No matter how many schools Dean had been to, the feeling was always the same. Nothing would give him the sense of freedom and life like driving in the impala while listening to zeppelin did … but this was school and school didn't even register on that scale. He'd rather go on a witch hunt, hell; he'd rather get spewed on by a witch then be in this building. But the high school was as close to his brother Sam's school, without actually attending the middle school, he could be. And he took solidarity in the fact that he was literally across the street if shit hit the fan. He would do anything for his brother, even suffer through Hell.

Knowing this, Dean turns to his right going down the vast hallway leading to the lockers and classrooms. Passing the auditorium and the library, taking in the sound of his boots hitting the ground.

*thud thud* *thud thud* *thud thud* *Thud SMASH*

Dean's head immediately snapped to the right toward the sound of something quite heavy being shoved against a locker. Dean took off down the right wing of the hall, hoping it was just stupid kids and not anything he would have to actually gank.

As he approached, he was relieved to see nothing that screamed supernatural but just one tall asshole with patchy facial hair and an evil smirk that could easily sour milk towering over and tightly holding the throat of a smaller kid with a stoic face and a trench coat. As Dean got closer, he noticed a steady drip of red coming from Trench Coat's nose. Patches McGee swung back his free arm and, with much force, punched Trench Coat in the stomach.

"Hey! Leave him alone." Dean said as he came to a stop beside the scene.

The tall kid turned to look at him, not loosening his grip. It was at this point that Dean recognized the resident douchebag, Bryce Stan.

"Dean. Dean. Dean. I don't think this is any of your business, is it?"

Bryce then let go of Trench Coat's neck but immediately took his fist and hit Trench Coat across the face, the kid's face swinging violently into the locker.

"I said, Back off." Dean growled staring at Bryce. He did not want to fight at the school but he would if he needed to.

"I'm fine" a deep voice suddenly broke the stares as Dean turned toward Trench Coat, who spit blood out of his mouth. Then looked directly into Dean's eyes. Blue eyes locking with green.

Dean stared unbelievably into the eyes of Castiel; a shy kid who had sat behind him in history yesterday and was now staring straight at Dean with not a hint a fear in his eyes and so much resolve that Dean was taken aback.

"You heard the little angel. He's fine." Bryce sneered as he drew back his fist again, hitting Castiel once more, causing his head to smack back into the locker.

"Just go." Castiel said in a calm steady voice looking down at the ground and proceeding to spit up more blood from his mouth, leaving his teeth stained red. "Please." He stared once again into Dean's eyes to solidify his word.

"You heard him. Better run off to class there, Deano." Bryce said as he turned back to Castiel, who was staring straight at his attacker, unwavering. Bryce pulled his arm back once more but Dean had seen enough. It didn't matter that Castiel didn't want his help; he wouldn't just stand there and allow this kid to get killed. As Bryce was about to follow through with his swing, Dean grabbed his shoulder harshly turning him around.

"I said, back off," Dean said as he moved back his own fist to punch Bryce, who quickly moved out of the way. Bryce used his momentum to quickly shove Dean against the orange lockers with a thud, drawing back his fist and about to make contact. However, Dean, anticipating the blow, quickly ducked beneath Bryce's fist which crashed into the locker. Bryce was quick on the up take, however, immediately grabbing the back of Dean's leather jacket and shoving him in the same position that he was in only a second ago. Dean took one good punch to the face and soon Bryce's slightly blooded fist was making a sudden reappearance. It was cut off suddenly, however, when a trench coated arm grabbed Bryce, spinning him around, and proceeded to give him one heavy blow to the temple causing the asshole to fall to the floor unconscious.

Dean, standing up straight, looked down at the unmoving attacker and then slowly up to Castiel in shock. "What the hell?" Dean breathes.

Castiel, who looked completely calm, was staring at Dean, when suddenly his head swiftly turned to observe down the hall, where a teacher was finally emerging to see what the commotion had been.

"We should go" Castiel said as he immediately jumped into action, grabbing Dean's arm and shoulder quickly leading him through glass doors which lead outside to the bus ramp. Cas and Dean kept moving until they were completely around the back of the building facing the football field. Cas pushed Dean against the wall and peeked over the wall's side to make sure the teacher hadn't followed them. When he saw that the coast was clear he turned to Dean to inspect his injuries. Cas touched Dean's face and Dean pulled away.

"There appears to be bleeding beneath the skin around your eye. So, I think you will have black eye. There is no indication of a more extensive injury or hyphema. It should be completely gone in 2 weeks." Castiel reported studying the black eye as he finished his diagnosis. Dean just stared at the kid who he was supposedly going to protect, who had his own deep bruises forming on his face and dried blood around his eye and nose, severely confused.

Castiel looked around the surrounding area and back around the building once more. "We should be cleared to go to class now."

Castiel looks back at Dean, when he noticed that there had been no effort to vacate the spot that he had taken against the wall. Concerned that he had missed something, Castiel looks Dean over once more.

"Are you … ok?" Castiel says as his eyes squint in confusion.

"Yeah…" Dean says snapping out of it, shaking his head, "I mean no. I… you… What the hell?!" Dean says throwing his hands in the air.

"sorry?" Castiel asks has he tilts his head slightly to the side, like getting a different angle of Dean will somehow make him understand the words from a new perspective.

"You were getting creamed, dude…" Dean said exasperated.

"I told you I was fine. I wish you hadn't have gotten involved." Castiel said calmly.

"… and then you just knocked Bryce out cold!" Dean continued.

"Yes." Castiel replies, just confirming the events that Dean had retold, not entirely understanding Dean's current reaction. "We really should be getting to class."

Castiel goes to start walk away, but Dean grabs him by the arm to stop him and turns him back around.

"Why the hell were you letting him beat you up?!" Dean asks annoyed. Castiel stares Dean in the eye, as if trying to communicate everything with a single glance.

"I know what Bryce is going through and he needs an outlet," Castiel sighs, "Regardless if it is not the best course for him to take."

"So what, you just volunteer yourself as a meat slab?!" Dean asks incredulously.

"Better myself than someone else" Castiel says as he turns around and starts to walk back to the doors. Dean quickly follows, still in a state of disbelief.

"Why not at least fight back, stand your ground?!"

"I don't like conflict." Castiel says easily not stopping.

Dean chuckles. "Yeah, tell that to the guy you knocked out with one hit, Pacquiao."

"I was not going to allow him to hurt you." Castiel says as he turns to look at Dean, one hand resting on the door handle. Dean was taken aback by this answer. It had always been him looking out for others. He didn't need anyone to look out for him. Why would this random kid look out for him? Sure, he had been the one to offer help to Castiel (not that he needed it, apparently) but still… it didn't add up.

"Why?" Dean asked as Castiel opened the door following him back into the school building. Castiel looked around, once again surveying the area, making sure that neither of them would get caught. There were no teachers in sight and Bryce was no longer in the spot they had previously left him. Once he knew that they were safe, he turned back to look Dean straight in the eye. Blue staring into green.

"Because you are a righteous man, Dean Winchester." Castiel said with complete sincerity. Dean's eyes widened slightly and the staring continued until Dean couldn't anymore. Turning his face down, away from the piercing eyes, and then back up again.

However, when he looked back up Castiel was gone and he was standing in an empty hallway by himself.