So this is completely AU: Sam and Dean are unrelated teenagers who are in their senior year of high school. Dean is the school jock with an unrelenting father and Sam is the brainiac whose father doesn't understand him and Sam is Dean's new tutor.

Tell me if the story line is too obvious, but this plot bunny got in my head and just wouldn't leave. Hope y'all like it. Oh and I have no idea what Ellen's husband's name is so I said it was William. If this is not correct and you know what his real name is, please tell me.

Sam sat in the small classroom, checking his watch every other second. Jock boy was late. Of course, Dean probably thought that his time was more important than Sam's own. Dean was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams and Sam was only the smart kid drafted to keep him from failing and getting kicked off all three teams.

He huffed a little as he saw the person in question hurrying toward the door. It didn't help Sam's mood that Dean was, in a word, gorgeous. Sam had come out to his friends and family two years ago, momentarily making himself a target for scorn at school. Fortunately, in high school everybody hates everybody and the bullies had mostly moved on. Of course, Sam's father hadn't moved on.

Sam loved his father, he loved his family. He had been adopted at six months old, and Ellen and William (?) and even his younger sister, Jo were all the family he had ever known or wanted. He hadn't ever felt out of place, like he didn't belong, until he hit thirteen. These days it felt like Sam and his father couldn't be in the same room for more than five seconds without fighting. Sam felt like his dad didn't understand him at all, like his dad wanted him to be someone else, someone like Dean.

Sam was scowling as Dean burst into the room. "Sorry…" Dean started.

The blonde didn't get any further than that. Taking out his frustration on the first person available, Sam's voice was already loud and angry when he started speaking. "Listen, don't waste my time. I'm doing you a favor with these tutoring sessions so try to be on time."

Dean looked actually contrite, making Sam regret his harsh words. "I know and I do appreciate it. I really need your help."

Sam sighed and relented, gesturing to the seat across from him. Dean sat down gingerly.

Dean did need Sam's help. If he failed Algebra II, then he would be kicked off the football team and then his father would make this last weekend look like summer camp. His legs were so sore that he could barely walk. After the game on Friday, his father had said that Dean looked out of shape and had run the teen into the ground all weekend, including this morning. Dean hadn't even had time to eat breakfast and his stomach was growling loudly.

Sam heard the other teen's stomach and scowled again. If Dean thought that he was gonna wait some more while the jock went to get food, the blonde was sorely mistaken.

With effort, Sam reined in his frustration and tried speaking again. "Look, let's just start over. I'm Sam." The taller boy extended his hand across the table.

"Dean." They shook and then Dean was pulling out his book, calculator, and notebook. "So Sammy…"

"It's Sam," the brunette automatically replied. He hated it when people called him that nickname. Sammy was a chubby twelve year old that he didn't need to be reminded of.

But Dean smiled at Sam's reaction, a full-out smile bright enough to stop traffic. Sam thought that the sight of that smile might actually be worth letting Dean call him Sammy, not that he would ever admit that.

Trying desperately not to smile back, Sam turned to his own backpack. "So let's begin at the beginning, shall we?"

The session actually went pretty well after that. Dean was distracted, but not stupid. In fact it seemed to Sam that all the other teen really needed was some individual attention.

Dean at first had been hesitant to ask questions, not wanting to appear any more stupid than he already did. But Sam seemed to understand, going over the material slowly and having Dean work examples.

The only problem was Dean's attention span. He couldn't help it, his stomach was turning itself inside out and his legs were sore and cramping every time he took a breath. Occasionally, Sam would look over at him with those puppy-dog eyes, eyes that said 'are you ok' without voicing the words. Dean would just shake his head and try to focus again, trying to also ignore the way his heart stuttered to see Sam concerned over him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

After practice that day, Dean went home to an empty house. Not that that was unusual. He and his father lived on what used to be called the 'wrong side of the tracks', a run down two bedroom house in an unsafe area.

It had been just his father and him since Dean was four when his mother died. John hadn't taken her death well and started drinking too much. Dean tried his best to take care of his father.

Tonight was no different and Dean set about making dinner before his father got home from the body-shop where he worked. Dean had clung to his father, unwilling to lose the remaining member of his family, even when John became more of a drill-sergeant and a drunkard than a father.

He knew that his father only wanted Dean to be the best. John was just 'toughening' his boy up, for Dean's own good.

Dinner was already ready when the phone rang. It was Bobby, the owner of the body-shop. The man used to be a friend to John, but now was a sort of surrogate father to Dean.

"Hey boy, how was school?"

Dean laughed. "Boring as usual."

Bobby laughed as well before his tone sobered. "Listen, John won't be home for dinner. He headed to the bar straight from work, again."

"Oh, ok. No big deal."

"Listen…"

Dean cut the older man off. It was a speech he had heard plenty of times before. "Its fine, Bobby."

A huff sounded down the line, before Bobby spoke again. "Well if you need anything…"

"I know where you are, Bobby, but its fine."

Dean wrapped the rest of the food in foil and put it in the refrigerator in case his father was hungry later and then set about eating his own dinner. He thought maybe he'd make muffins for tomorrow. And maybe his father wouldn't come home drunk and madder than hell tonight.