Chapter One
((A/N: RP collab with the lovely SarahAnn1901))
Castiel Novak sat at his usual desk, in the second row, right next to the window. He was exceptionally smart and didn't really care that the others made fun of him for sitting in one of the first two rows; where most of the nerds resided. Ignoring any snickers or whispers, he sat quietly, and removed his things from his black backpack next to him. Castiel didn't have many friends, and spent most of his time alone. Not that he minded, though. He liked being able to think without being bothered constantly. He kept his head down as he waited for class to start, glad that this was the last period of the day before he finally got to go home.
Castiel was mentally planning out his homework schedule for the night as the bell rang. Mr. Crowley took his place in the front of the class, his eyes scanning the room, filled with bored and tired looking teenagers, fresh from lunch
"Good morning class." He said, his Scottish accent dripping off his words. It was shortly after that Dean Winchester arrived, late as usual, earning a glare from Mr. Crowley as he took his seat.
Castiel's crystal blue eyes glanced up from his paper, noticing Dean Winchester casually sauntering in, not seeming to care that he was late. It was a usual habit of his, and Castiel couldn't understand why the boy felt the need to come at least 5 minutes late to class. It was no secret that Mr. Crowley despised the Winchesters, even if the younger one, Sam, was always perfectly punctual and smart. It seemed like most teachers just hated Dean, and by default, hated Sam.
"Alright, you little buggers are going to pair up and write a 5 page paper on your partner's life. From birth to present day. Be thorough and detailed. Papers are due next week." The Scottish teacher announced, causing a chorus of groans to fill the room. Castiel felt his heart drop, knowing that he would have to be paired with whoever else was the last person alone. He was never picked, or ever had any friends to pair up with. So he knew he'd have to deal with whoever was left.
Suddenly there was Dean sliding into the chair next to him. This not only shocked Cas, but everyone else in the room. Dean Winchester never spoke to the nerds; it was against the unspoken jock code, which Dean had to follow. Castiel had presumed that Dean would have paired up with Jo, the cute blond that sits next to him. But here he was, looking at Castiel with those oh-so beautifully green eyes.
"Hey, it's Castiel right?"
Castiel couldn't hide the surprise on his features as he turned to Dean.
"Um...Yes. You're Dean, right?" He stammered, hating that his voice caught from nervousness. Never in a million years would Castiel ever expect Dean Winchester, one of the most popular (and, admittedly, attractive) guys in school to talk to him. He was, for lack of a better term, starstruck.
"Yeah. I am." Dean looked down at his desk. "So do you wanna be my partner?" He looked up suddenly and blushed. "For the project, I mean." Dean didn't know what he was doing. He'd had a crush on Castiel for years. He spent the last hour trying to get up the nerve to talk to him and this was his chance... He HAD to take it.
Castiel felt his own cheeks twinge with a shade of red at Dean's rather awkwardly-worded question, but nodded.
"Um, sure. Only if you want. I thought you'd be partnered with Jo or something." He said shakily, trying to act as casual as possible, but failing. He knew Dean was bisexual; that word got around quite fast. Never the less, he was still somehow extremely popular. Probably because of his good looks and athletic talents. Whatever the reason, Castiel was one of the many who had a huge crush on Dean, and this seemed like it was finally his chance to get to know the boy.
Suddenly, Crowley (As most students called him) quieted down the class.
"Okay, now that you've all got your partners.-" Mr. Crowley cut off as Chuck, one of Castiel's friends, raised his hand.
"Excuse me, sir. But I don't have a partner." He said quietly.
Crowley sighed, "Who else doesn't have a partner? Ah, Meg, you're with Chuck." This caused some scattered snickers from the rest of the class and Meg pulled a face, but took her seat next to Chuck at the front. Crowley smiled, and it was sinister. "I hope you bloody well like your partners. They'll be with you the rest of the semester. Get used to it. I'll turn the time over to you. But work on your assignments. Don't just jack-off."
Castiel felt a twinge of pity for Chuck as the others laughed at him, and felt a frown tug at his lips. He could only hope that he was alright with Meg. She certainly had a mouth on her. Castiel thought briefly back to last year, when there was a rumor floating around that Meg had a crush on Castiel, but Castiel could never believe that someone like her could ever like him. The announcement that the partners were permanent shook Cas out of his train of thought, and he glanced over at Dean, trying to gauge his reaction; hoping that Dean didn't mind too much.
Truth is, the announcement surprised Dean as much as it did Castiel. The surprise soon turned to excitement, now he had a legitimate reason to continue speaking to Castiel.
"So... Cas." Realizing he used the nickname he'd made for Castiel long ago he finished in a rush. "What's your full name?"
Castiel blinked as Dean used a shortened version of his name, secretly quite liking the nickname. it made him feel a lot more comfortable and casual.
"Castiel Novak." He replied politely, turning in his seat slightly. "So...This is a pretty big project." He said awkwardly, not sure what else to say.
Dean pulled out his notebook and wrote the details of the project down, which Crowley had written on the board.
"Yeah." Dean did great when talking to girls even the occasional guy. But when it came to Castiel... Dean was lost. "Um... how about your favorite color? Mine's blue."
"Favorite...Color?" Castiel repeated. "Erm...I never gave it much thought. Green, I guess?" He offered up, not even thinking about it before saying it. He didn't even make the mental connection that the reason he loved green so much was Dean's eyes; the most striking shade of green.
"Favorite kind of music?" Dean prompted, wanting to know everything about Cas. Everything, from his favorites to his family. Favorites will have to do for now. He didn't know what else to say. With Castiel he goes from smooth-talker to caveman in under three seconds. Maybe it was his beautiful blue eyes... Dean never called anything beautiful... but Castiel was. He took a moment while Castiel was thinking to look over him over. He was wearing black jeans and Dean's favorite (on Castiel) blue jacket with angel wings decorating the back. Now that he thought about it, Castiel's wardrobe centered around angel wings. Not that he minded.
Castiel awkwardly scuffed his Vans against the ground before glancing back up at Dean.
"Um. Depends. I sort of listen to a bit of everything, except rap." He said, not sure how else to answer. He never really gave it much thought... "And, you...?" He asked, though secretly, Cas already knew the answer. In all honesty, he knew quite a lot about Dean. From word of mouth, or even just by listening, Cas had learned quite a bit already. Dean grinned.
"Classic rock. Like Zepplin and AC/DC. Listen to that much?" Dean loved talking music. It was one of his favorite things to do. Castiel nodded once.
"Yes, I do prefer the classics, for sure." He replied. "Most of the new stuff just can't live up to the classics." He said, hoping to say what Dean wanted to hear.
"Exactly! Most people just don't get that. Okay, CD or cassette?"
"Cassette." Castiel replied, without missing a beat. Dean laughed, pleased by his answer.
"Okay, you're definitely my new best friend." He found it easy to smile around Castiel, he just liked him so much. Castiel couldn't help but smile as well, pleased to hear that he could be friends with Dean.
"So, we should probably get to work on these papers. Um, I hope you don't mind telling me your life story." Castiel said, grabbing his mechanical pencil and opening his notebook, before turning to Dean eagerly.
"Um... my life story?" Dean paused, suddenly unsure of what to say. "Well I was born on January 24, 1979. My dad's name is John Winchester,my mom Mary Campbell. I have a little pain in the ass brother, Sam. I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy long walks on the beach and frisky women." He winked at Cas. "And sometimes men too."
Castiel's pencil tip snapped as he heard Dean's extra comment, and he quickly tried to push out more lead, extremely flustered. He hastily copied down everything Dean had said, trying to calm his erratically beating heart. His face was so deeply red that if anyone else were to look at him, they'd think he was suffering from a terrible fever. He cleared his throat awkwardly and had to avoid eye contact.
"Um. Where have you lived?" He asked, trying to get as many facts as possible. He knew the bell was about to ring, and school would be over soon. They'd have to meet or call to get the rest of the facts about each other before the next class, which admittedly made Castiel's heart jump with the idea of a chance to get to know Dean better, and see him out of school as well.
"Um... just Lawrence. Dude, you alright?" Dean was slightly worried. Castiel didn't look so good. As a matter of fact, he did look a bit feverish ever since he sat down.
Castiel nodded quickly.
"I'm fine." He snapped. "Anyways. Do you have any interesting or funny stories I can use?" He asked, trying to keep from letting Dean realize how flustered he was.
"Um... Sure." Obviously Castiel didn't want to talk about it, and it wasn't really Dean's place to pry. He took a minute to think. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the bell rang. "Damn. Hey, wanna meet up after school or something? We could talk and get to know each other more." He jotted down his number on a piece of paper and ripped it out of his notebook. "Here. Call me sometime." He grinned at Castiel and gave him the paper. He slung his blue backpack over his shoulder and started to walk towards the door. He turned and looked directly at Castiel. "I mean it. Call me." He grinned again and walked out of the door.
Castiel stammered, trying to form a coherent reply before Dean left, but he was too flustered and embarrassed. He instead sat there, gaping like a fish as Dean turned and left from the room. He looked down at the number, memorizing it front and backwards. Finally, he stood up, tucking the paper into his pocket, and walked in a daze. He didn't have a car, so he had to walk home. Castiel didn't mind, however, he liked the walk. He began walking, replaying the conversation with Dean in his head. He wondered when he should call him; after he finished his homework? Or as soon as he got home? He didn't want to seem too desperate...But they did need to get this project done. And preferably, sooner than later.
Dean had been waiting for Sam at home a little over half an hour before he finally got a call. "Sammy? Where the hell are you, I've been waiting forever." There was a giggle on the other end of the line.
"Shhh! I'm on the phone with Dean. Sorry, Dean. I went home with Gabriel. We're studying." And a muffled, 'studying, yeah right.' coming from, presumably, Gabriel.
"Shut up, Gabe. But yeah, studying." Another giggle. "Gabe stop! No!" then the line went dead. Dean stared at his phone in shock, and slight disgust.
