Cas closed his eyes as the fist hurled towards his face. Usually his school day ended with some sort of slur tossed at him. But today the jocks were upset, particularly one Dean Winchester, whose fist was on a collision course with his face. Cas-Castiel- was knocked to the floor with a grunt as Winchester hit him. Cas laughed- he couldn't help it.
"Touchy today, aren't we, Winchester?" Cas could never shut up when it mattered. Dean scowled as Cas stood, staring defiantly at his attacker.
"Don't talk to me, faggot." Dean snarled. He hit Cas again, and this time the smaller boy stumbled into the lockers. Dean followed his quickly, grabbing his shirt to prevent escape.
"Didn't know you liked it rough.' Cas's laugh was cut off as Dean's fist plunged into his stomach. The boy doubled over, wheezing. Winchester's cronies, watching from either side, laughed.
"Still think you're in a position to laugh, Cas?" Castiel nodded.
"Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh..." he began to sing under his breath. "Don't you know everyone wants to laugh..."
"Knock it off." Dean hissed angrily, again punching Cas in the face. It took longer than before, but Cas looked Dean in the eyes. The bigger boy nearly flinched at the cold apathy in his victim's stare. He suddenly had the thought that if he were on fire and Cas had a glass of water, he would put it on the ground and walk away. The blue-eyed boy simply didn't care.
"Come on, man!" One of Dean's friends called. "Are you gonna kiss him or hit him?" Dean face twisted into a grimace.
"Stay down." he ordered quietly. He pulled Cas forward and slammed him into the lockers. "Just stay down." he tossed Cas to the side, ignoring the groan as his body hit the floor heavily. Wearily, Cas struggled to his feet one more time. Dean's friends started forward, but before they could land another blow on the boy, they all heard heavy footsteps approaching. Quickly, the three bullies turned and fled. Cas slumped against the nearest locker as soon as they were gone- he knew those footsteps.
"Hello, Sam." he greeted as the sound approached. He heard a sigh.
"Hey, Cas." Castiel opened his eyes and smiled at his younger friend, Sam Winchester.
"How are you today?" Sam frowned.
"Cut the crap, Cas. When are you going to tell me who does this to you? Dean could make them stop." Cas laughed, holding his aching stomach.
"I don't doubt that." he agreed, straightening, hand still on his throbbing skin.
"Why don't you at least fight back?" Sam demanded as Cas picked up his bookbag. The older boy grinned, though his cheek hurt terribly.
"Violence is for the weak, Sam. Don't forget that, okay?" Sam nodded his agreement as the two began walking to the front of the school.
"Do you think I could come over? Dean's got late practice and I don't feel like waiting here." Cas glanced in the direction of the football field, where Dean would shortly be with his team mates.
"Sure."
After practice, Dean turned on his phone to a text from Sammy, saying to pick him up at a certain address. Sam went to the house a lot, so Dean was pretty sure it was a girl and they'd be announcing the engagement any day now.
Upon arriving at the house, he honked twice. When Same didn't come running out of the house within the minute, he honked again- still nothing. He got out of the car with an irritated sigh and made his way the the front door. He rapped sharply and a woman answered a moment later. She had long brown hair and blue eyes that Dean was immediately fixated on.
"Hello." she greeted with a smile. "May I help you?" Dean had never seen anyone who lived in the house before, but he figured the woman in front of him was 'mom' of the place. He gave her his most charming smile.
"I'm looking for my baby brother, Sammy." The woman's eyes lit with recognition.
"Of course, they're in the living room. Please, come in." The woman led Dean to the living room, but it looked empty. The lady seemed to know what she was doing, though, as the walked around to the front of the couch. "They do this pretty often." she explained softly to Dean, who stepped forward to get a look at the scene on the couch. As he approached, the mom reached out, presumably shaking someone.
"Cas, honey," she murmured gently. "It's time to wake up. Sam's brother is here." At her words, Dean's blood ran cold. Cas? Dean took the step that let him see onto the couch. Cas's eyes were just opening. He was on his side, facing his mom. Dean spotted a black eye bloomed spectacularly across his cheek. Sam was in the curl of his legs, head pillowed on the blue-eyed boy's hip.
"Sam!" Dean barked, ignoring the feeling in his stomach that just might have been jealousy. Both boys on the couch shot up, Cas facing Dean with a look of panic. Dean couldn't help but notice that Cas's arm was slightly outstretched, placing himself between Dean and his mom- as well and Dean and Sammy. Dean forced his attention back to his brother.
"Let's go, Sammy!" he ordered.
"What's wrong, Dean?"
"Now!" Sam hastened to Dean, brow furrowed in confusion. Dean took hold of his brother's arm, pulling him to the door. Sam managed to call a 'thanks for having me' to Cas and his mom before he was hustled out. Within moments the brothers were speeding away.
"What the hell, Dean?" Sam demanded.
"I've been thinking you were with a girl, and they I come in to see you fucking sleeping with him like a fucking faggot." Sam's cheeks colored and he looked away.
"God, Dean! It's not like we were having sex on the couch!"
"He turn you gay, Sammy?
"No, Dean!" he cried. "Jesus, how homophobic can you be? He's already dealing with assholes at school who freaking beat him up, he doesn't need you bullying him too!" Dean glanced quickly at his brother- Cas apparently had told Sam that it was him that beat Cas up. "And he won't fight back because he doesn't like violence-" Dean snorted.
"He couldn't fight if he tried." Sam narroed his eyes and turned to look at his brother angrily.
"He's good, Dean, and not just at fighting. He's a good person. Besides, he'd beat you to a pulp without evne breaking a sweat." he smiled smugly when Dean's only response was to grunt.
The next morning, Dean found Cas as he was getting his books. Furious, Dean shoved him into the lockers.
"What are you doing to my brother, faggot?" Dean spoke quietly so the crowd forming around them wouldn't hear. "Why you making him gay, huh?" he hissed, tightening his fists in Cas's shirt.
"Sam isn't gay, Dean." Cas spoke quietly too. Dean slammed him into the lockers again.
"Don't fucking lie to me, fairy. What did you do to my brother?"
"I promise, Dean. I haven't done anything to Sam." he smirked, knowing it was a bad idea, but unable to stop the flow of words from his mouth. "Though if I had, I'd be concerned by how much you care. He's your Sammy, isn't he?" Dean growled.
"Don't you fucking dare, asshat." Cas laughed.
"Ooh, defensive, aren't we?" Dean dragged Cas until he hit the lockers on the other side of the hallway with a huff.
"Shut your damn mouth."
"Now you're definitely getting defensive." Before Dean realized it, he had punched Cas in the face, and blood started streaming from a cut above his eye. Dean punched again, snapping Cas's head to the side.
"Hit me." Dean grunted, slamming the other's shoulders into the lockers. "Hit me, dammit!" Cas laughed haltingly.
"Would that make you feel better about hitting me? If I fought back?" Dean glowered at the boy and let him go. He took a step backwards and opened his arms wide.
"Hit me, you god-damned cock-sucking faggot! Hit me!" Cas shook his head slightly.
"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction." For the first time, Cas looked at Dean with dislike. It shot straight to his heart. Suddenly, the crowd around the two boys disappeared as though it had never been there. A teacher was the only witness left.
"Principal's office, now." she ordered. Silently, the boys did as they were told.
Dean was suspended for three days. Cas, as the victim who didn't throw a punch, was also suspended for three days. Sam didn't speak to Dean during the entire suspension. He did, however, talk to Cas, both over the phone and in text. On the morning the boys were to return to school, Sam knocked on his brother's door. When Dean answered, he spoke.
"Cas is my friend, Dean." The older sighed and gestured that the other should come in.
"I know."
"He says I should forgive you," Dean tried not to let his shock show. "He's a good, guy, Dean." The green-eyed boy nodded, not meeting the younger's eyes.
"I know." Sam smiled.
"Can you pick me up at his house after practice?" he asked hopefully. Dean let out a hollow laugh.
"I'll honk when I get there."
"Hey, Dean." The locker room was virtually empty before school. Dean glanced over his shoulder.
"Hey, Victor."
"So, we're starting to think you might be going soft." Dean raised an eyebrow, not sure where the conversation was headed.
"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, closing his locker. From the corner of his eye, he saw another boy waiting, fists clenched. A quick glanced to the other side confirmed what Dean feared- he was surrounded.
"We think you're a faggot, but like Novak." Dean tried to laugh.
"Very funny." Victor raised his eyebrows.
"We don't think so. See, we don't want you sneaking looks at us in here."
"i don't want to look at your junk, asshole." Victor shrugged.
"Fair's fair. If we don't let Novak in here with us, we can't let you in either." Suddenly, Dean's head snapped to the side, a burning feeling in his cheek as he stumbled. Within moments, the others were on him, punching and kicking for all they were worth. Dean tried to fight back, but was quickly overwhelmed. Dean didn't hear it when one of the boys cried out, only noticed that anything had changed when the pummeling stopped. The three boys had moved to a different victim, he saw. Then, something incredible happened- Victor went down and didn't get back up. The other two followed suit quickly.
"Cas?"
"Are you alright?" Cas asked Dean from where he stood. Dean started to nod, then slumped and shook his head.
"I'll help you to the nurse."
"No." Dean grunted. "She's creepy."
"You just got beaten to a pulp by your friends and you don't wanna go to the nurse because she's... creepy?" Dean grunted again. Cas took in a deep breath and held it for a long while. Then he let it out as a sigh. "Come on. I'll take you to my house." he held out his hands to Dean, who struggled to his feet, breathing in short gasps. Dean wanted to argue, but Cas's warm hand felt food, still holding his own steadily.
"Okay."
The boys entered Cas's house silently. Dean, still proud despite his beating, refused help with walking. Cas led the way through the empty house. When they got to the kitchen, he turned to Dean.
"How are you feeling?" Dean grimaced.
"I'm fine." Cas raised an eyebrow, but Dean didn't back down, so he shrugged.
"Alright. Sit down." Dean stood still for a moment, as if to prove his strength. Then he did as he was bid. Cas fished a first-aid kit from under the sink. He missed with it busily for a few moments before placing it on the table next to Dean. Then he went back to the sink and got a washcloth from a drawer nearby. He wet it with warm water and made his way back to Dean. "This is going to hurt just a bit." he warned. Dean nodded and Cas began gently dabbing at the various cuts and scrapes that littered his face. His other hand held Dean's face in place, gently cupping his cheek. Cas didn't speak for a long time, concentrating on his bloody work. Once he cleared Dean's face of blood, he out down his rag and picked up a tube of antibacterial.
"Why are you being so nice to me, Cas?" Cas smiled slightly as he began dabbing at Dean's face with the cream.
"Not everyone is a bag of dicks, Dean." he looked pointedly at him for a moment. The green-eyed boy flushed.
"I tried to protect you." he muttered finally. Cas snorted as he finished slathering goo on Dean's wounds.
"Oh, yes. All those times you hit me, you were protecting me." Cs turned away to wash hit hands, but Dean caught his wrist.
"Please, Cas. Think of all the times I told you to stay down, but you kepy getting up. I didn't want to hurt you, I swear." Cas gently pulled his wrist away.
"You could have fooled me." Cas made his way to the sink. When he turned around, Dean was right behind him.
"I'm sorry." he murmured, cupping Cas's cheek. "I'm sorry." Cas pushed on Dean's chest.
"And I almost believe you, too." Cas quipped. A desperate look entered Dean's eyes as Cas tried to duck around him.
"Please, Cas." Dean begged. Quiet suddenly, he cupped Cas's face in both his hands and pressed their lips together in a harsh, violent kiss. For a moment, Cas was unable to respond. Dean took it as acceptance and enjoyment, making his surge forward eagerly. When Cas finally caught up to what was happening, he shoved Dean hard in the chest, sending him reeling backwards.
"Cas, please..." Dean began babbling frantically, before lurching forward, attempting to kiss Cas again. Cas pushed him away. Dean slumped, all of the fight leaving his body at once. "Why?" he asked in a defeated tone.
"You've never been anything but an ass to me, Dean." Dean flinched.
"I... I love you, though." Cas shook his head.
"I don't love you. I don't even like you, Dean."
"But..." Dean shrugged helplessly. Cas mirrored the motion.
"What do you want me to do, Dean? You've beat me up more times than I can count. Before that you tripped me down stairs, you stole my homework, my library books, my damn milk money in elementary school. You're lucky I don't hate you with everything I am, Dean Winchester."
"What can I do, Cas? Please, I'll do whatever it takes." Cas huffed and turned away, putting his hands on the counted. Dean waited helplessly. Finally, Cas turned around.
"You can leave me alone. Nothing you do will ever make up for the hell you have put me through. Just... get out of my house." Slowly, haltingly, Dean left the house, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Just leave me alone, Dean." Cas whispered to the empty house. "Please."
Cas closed his eyes as the fist hurled towards his face. Usually, his day ended with a homophobic slur or a not-so-gentle shove into a locker. But today, Dean Winchester was upset. Cas hit the ground hard, and took a moment to catch his breath.
"Get up, faggot."