"Anna, is there any sugar?" Cas asked, jutting out his jaw slightly as he walked right past Gabriel. Cas had done it to try and infuriate Gabriel, to show him that he was brave, he guessed, but no avail. Gabriel was too sleepy to notice or care, instead he dropped into a swivel stool at the counter in the kitchen, rubbing his face with his hands.
"Uhh," Anna's brows knitted together for a minute as she thought, before reaching up to the cupboard above the cooker. Inside was a bunch of different sauces and spices and herbs. She took out a small, square container and gave it to her youngest brother, who shook as much as he could onto his Kellogg's cereal. Anna insisted they ate Kellogg's for breakfast, as she wanted them to stay healthy, but she'd gave up protesting to Cas burying the cereal in sugar ages ago.
Starving, Cas dug up a large spoonful of sugary goodness, shoved it into his mouth, and immediately spat it out, gagging on the sharp sting of salt.
"GABRIEL!" Cas slammed his spoon against the table before running to the sink and splashing water on his tongue to try and soothe it, spitting out the sticky clumps of milky salt at the same time. Gabriel was fully awake now, as he stumbled off of the stool, his cruel laughter echoing around the large kitchen. He was clutching his stomach and gasping for breath as his shoulders shook up and down uncontrollably.
Cas was wiping his face with a scratchy towel as Anna stood with a scowl on her face and her arms folded.
"What? Oh, come on, it was a joke!" Gabriel had finally composed himself and stood small in his blue pyjamas, arms spread in a "what did I do wrong?" gesture. Anna sighed long and deep, not noticing Cas slinking away to brush his teeth twenty times over to get rid of the salt.
"Nobody's laughing Gabriel. We're sick of your pranks. They're harmful, can't you just tell jokes like a normal person?" Anna busied herself by emptying the ruined Kellogg's into the drain of the sink and scrubbing out the bowl. She'd given many longer speeches about Gabriel's pranks, and the answer was always the same:
"I think it's funny, you ought to find a good sense of humour," and he turned to leave, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on his way out.
For today's outfit, Cas chose a blue cardigan, jeans, and his favourite pair of Adidas trainers. They were probably a million years old, and could do with a wash, but he didn't care. They were comfy, and easy to run in. And in the neighbourhood he lived next to, he'd have to do a lot of running. He grabbed his bag without checking that he had all the books necessary for a Monday, and walked down the stairs as slowly as possible, trying to waste as much time as possible.
Cas, just like every other teenager, hated school. Gabriel had easily wormed his way into the popular group the minute they moved into school, as their family just happens to be swimming in cash. Anna rejected Gabriel's invitations to join, and found her own friends. Everybody knows her as "Gabriel's pretty younger sister, you know, the really kind one that lets you copy her homework,". Nobody has anything against angel Anna.
Gabriel had told Cas to stay as far away from him as possible, because he didn't want him to be accepted into the popular group. He had to put up with his ugly face everyday at home, he needs a break during the day at school. Cas didn't really care. He'd never had many friends all his life, he didn't need any now. He wouldn't know what to do with a friend anyway. What do you even talk about? Or do you just watch movies and smoke cigarettes at skate parks like in movies? It is a mystery.
After being tripped over by Gabriel, Cas left the house and made his way down the street. The Novak family lived in a large, fancy neighbourhood, made up of clean, new houses with tidy, floral gardens and expensive cars parked in the street. Everybody had a garage, they just wanted to show off their cars. Hardly any teenagers lived in this area, for some unknown reason. It was mainly posh old couples with their heads stuck too far up their asses, or very young couples with babies.
To the left, there was a wider street, the Main Street that separated the two neighbourhoods. Everybody on the posh side looked down on the poorer side. Even Cas, although he didn't want to. They were still people, just with less money, there should be no reason to hate them, right? Wrong. Most of them swore like sailors, and picked a fight with anybody who even looked at them. They're strangely proud of themselves, and can almost always be found smoking pot or drinking. Their houses are the ones that the government were too lazy to fix up, so they're aged, brown, and full of holes. Most of the fences are ridden with graffiti.
As Cas dawdled down the Main Street, earbuds in as he gazed up at the fresh morning sky, he noticed a figure to the right. The same figure he sees every morning. Every morning he walks with his head ducked, as if he's scared to be seen, and walks quickly with his hands in his pockets. Every morning, he nods at Cas. Probably just to be friendly, but he's from the rough neighbourhood, and Cas is scared that nodding back would be an invitation for a fight. So he ducks his head also and quickens his pace.
Dean woke with a snort to Metallica blaring through the radio. The noise was horrible and static, and it definitely woke Dean up.
"Sammy!" Was always the first word that tumbled out of Dean's lips every morning. The door opened by an inch, letting in a crack of burning white light, causing Dean to bury under the covers and hide his eyes.
"I made toast," Sam said quietly, before retreating to the kitchen, giving his brother a chance to wake up.
Just like every morning, Dean instantly felt better when he was assured that Sam was okay. To be honest, there's nothing bad that could happen to Sam here. The neighbours were dicks, but they had enough common sense at least to stay away from kids. Especially if those kids were related to Dean Winchester.
He rolled out of bed with a groan, before passing into the kitchen to eat the jam toast Sam had made. Sam was eating slowly, savouring the rare, sweet taste of raspberry jam. Without the seeds, of course. Whoever came up with the idea of putting seeds, raisins and nuts in otherwise tasty snacks deserves to be burnt at the stake. Usually, Dean could only scavenge enough money to pay the bills and buy basic food and cleaning equipment as whatever else the average household needs. Jam was a rare, delicious treat for them.
After breakfast, Sam's watch informed them that they only had twenty minutes to get their asses to school, and from then on it was a frantic rush to get everything ready. Dean tossed the dishes into the sink, vowing silently to do them the moment he got home, but really, who was he kidding? They'd probably stay in the basin with all the other dishes for a week, and only be washed when there was squat left and they needed to be used. After he'd washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got dressed in his usual old band shirt, jeans, and Dad's old leather jacket, and checked Sam had done the same, he grabbed his bag and began the walk to school.
Dean told Sam to leave ten minutes earlier, just like every day, because if people at school say Sam waltzing in with fucking Dean Winchester, one of the biggest losers at school... Well, it wouldn't be good. Their sleazy neighbours knowing they were related was bad enough. You see, Sam was happy at school. Something he never was at home. Sam had a few friends, and apparently his teacher was nice, so there you have it.
As he hurried down the main road with his hood pulled over his head, he seen the weird kid from the posher side dawdling down the road as if he had all the time in the world. Dean wasn't sure when he'd started to nod at this weirdo, or why he still did it, but he nodded again, only to get the same response. He avoided eye contact and practically sprinted away, as if Dean could pull out a gun any second. But hey, it's perfectly logical to think that. Sam was the only living soul who knew that Dean never went anywhere without a gun.
It was the start of the school year, and Cas was now a senior. The only senior that still had not one single friend. Well, there was Becky, but she isn't his friend. She is an annoying, ditzy girl who becomes too attached to anybody who speaks to her. Cas deeply regrets picking up her dropped books that one day on the corridor, because she leeched on immediately, and two years later he still hasn't got rid of her.
After an assembly, where they were given a speech about their new responsibility as seniors and a new timetable, Cas trooped up to the third floor for maths, without Becky (thank god for that).
Their teacher turned out to be the cruelest, most sarcastic teacher. Mrs Sutherland was notorious at Lawrence High School for choosing one student in each class to bully, for no reason whatsoever. Everybody looked nervous as they lined up outside her classroom, there was no way to tell who would be her victim this year. This was the third year in a row Cas was with her, and the first year it had been a chubby girl with braces, who took a while to catch on, so it was understandable why she'd be picked on; the next year, however, it had been a handsome young man who was actually very smart, but Sutherland still found a way to make him feel worthless.
She always does.
After seating them in alphabetical order, starting from the front, she gave a long, boring speech about how she wanted them to try their best, blah blah blah. She earned a laugh from more than a few students when she said she would tolerate no form of bullying in her class. Cas was sitting at the far right at the second last row, and he memorised Dean's seat, in the black left corner. If he shifted in an exact position in his seat, he could keep an eye on Dean. Man, that sounds creepy
Dean was the mysterious guy who'd moved here only a few months before the summer holiday's. His alluring green eyes and perfectly square jaw were only two of his many features that attracted girls to him like a moth to a bulb. Despite his amazing looks, he only had one true friend (he'd also had many one night stands, but that's another story). Most of the female population of the small, rural town they lived in envied Jo Harvelle's relationship with Dean Winchester. They hadn't exactly announced that they were dating, but that's what everybody automatically assumed. Rumours spread like wildfire in high school.
To begin the class, Sutherland thought it would be a great idea to play a "challenging game" where each person in the class has three seconds to mentally answer an easy multiplication or division question. She was picking people at random, and so far, everybody had answered correctly. When Cas' turn rolled around, his question was 32 divided by 4, which was easy peasy. Of course, he answered correctly, and he slackened his shoulders to lean back in his seat, relieved that he could now sit and listen to others answering their questions. That's what Cas liked to do best in class. He was fine just sitting at the back, listening and quietly taking notes. He could learn just as much by doing that as if he was being forced to speak in front of the class.
"And last but not least, Dean Winchester!" She banged her chubby fist against Dean's desk, causing him to jolt out of his daydream. Dean swung forwards in his chair and folded his arms across the desk as he squinted up at the teacher with wide, bright eyes. This almost made Cas melt. Seriously? It shouldn't be legal for one boy to be so cute when he's just sitting. Sutherland leaned in close to him, and she either didn't notice or didn't care that he was trying to squirm away unnoticed.
"What is one hundred and fourteen," her voice boomed out loud, before she paused to waddle to the front of the classroom, "divided by six?"
Dean's lips parted and he dropped his hands onto his lap as he stared at the old witch in disbelief. The previous silence broke into a chorus of murmurs as people shifted in their chairs, muttering about how his question was harder than the previous ones. Nobody really liked Dean, but they hated Sutherland even more, and seized every opportunity to bitch about her. Sutherland made a huge show of holding up her watch to time Dean's three seconds exactly.
"Time's up, Dean!" She announced, clapping her hands together again. Dean stayed still in his chair, staring right at the teacher with his eyebrows knitted together, a very confused look on his face.
"What the-"
"Aw, you didn't get it, how unfortunate," she tried to pout, but the corners of her lips that had crushed so many students seemed to be pulled upwards by invisible fish hooks.
"But you-"
"Ruby!" She snapped her fingers in front of a random girl's face, completely ignoring Dean as he stammered over his words and opened and closed his mouth like a bewildered goldfish. Ruby shrank back in her chair as Sutherland leaned all over her desk; once again, invading personal space.
"Can YOU tell me what one hundred and fourteen divided by six is?" She didn't time Ruby, who tried to hide her hands under the desk as she counted on her fingers. After thinking for a while, she finally spoke up.
"Nineteen?" She asked hopefully. Sutherland just stared at her blankly for a moment, her lips pressed tightly together, before quietly telling her that she was correct.
"Dean Winchester, you were the only person in the class today to answer a question wrong. How does that make you feel?"
"Mistreated!" He snapped. Sutherland chuckled and turned to walk to her desk.
"Mistreated my ass! I know you're smart, Dean, I thought you'd get it right," she said. Dean sighed and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his face with his hand as he stared out of the window again. "You know, acting dumb isn't attractive, Dean. Your good looks alone won't get you far in life!" This earned a few laughs, but Dean was giving her a full on death glare.
"Anyway! Moving on!" And with that, she turned to the whiteboard to scribble down a method Dean could've used to answer correctly on time.
It was now lunch time, and Cas had managed to escape Becky. When they were pushing through the crowd to get to the lunch hall, Cas had "accidentally" tripped and fallen behind, losing her in the swarm of students. When he realised he couldn't risk going to the lunch hall, if it meant he might bump into Becky again, he headed towards the corridor at the bottom of the main building; this corridor was long and wide, with grey metal benches running down the middle and the left side, and navy blue lockers lined the right wall. Apart from a couple of seniors studying and eating homemade sandwiches, the corridor was empty.
After stuffing his bag into his locker, Cas sat at the very end of one of the benches, glancing awkwardly at the girl beside him, who awkwardly looked away. He recognised her as the dark haired girl from maths earlier. What was her name? Rosie? Rhoda? Ruby? Something like that anyway. She was another weird kid. Usually by herself during school, but rumour has it that she's a crazy party animal at night. Again, just rumours. Seriously, this school was the worst for them.
With an entire fifty minutes to waste, Cas took out his iPod to listen to music (obviously) and go on tumblr. Cas didn't listen to music that much, but when he did, it was always Green Day. He hit the shuffle button, and Walking Contradiction came on, making Cas want to jump up onto the bench to sing and dance. He resisted this urge and began scrolling down his dash. Cas wasn't part of any of the main fandoms, and he still hadn't made any friends on here. He just reblogged things as he thought about Dean.
Cas had never had a crush on a girl on his life, but he'd brushed away his little boy crushes. He thought those were just his hormones acting up, it wasn't anything serious. Until Dean arrived. Stupid, beautiful Dean just waltzed in here with his inhumane eyes and Hollywood smile, and Cas fell. He fell hard. Literally, he had been walking when he seen him, and some girl (who had also been staring) bashed straight into them, and they both fell down like dominoes.
It was crazy, really. But whenever he seen him, his palms got all sweaty, and he was suddenly even more self conscious than usual. Was Dean just looking at me? Does Dean even know who I am? Am I impressing Dean? Oh no, am I walking too fast, too awkwardly? Oh, shit, I got an answer wrong in class, he thinks I'm stupid now. He's probably sitting there thinking how dumb I look with this t shirt. Oh god, he's looking at me. Please no. How do I breathe.
These were just some of the thoughts that tormented Cas throughout the daily school day. Over the summer, he hadn't seen Dean at all, and he thought the feeling had just faded away, but in maths when Dean was sitting there, being made to look like a fool by Sutherland, Cas wanted nothing more than to get out of his seat, hug Dean and give him a cookie, assuring him everything would be okay.
But he can't. Because Dean is straight. Straighter than a ruler.
And Cas, no matter how much he thinks he isn't, is 100% gay.
There was once a time when Cas thought that they could be friends, but they have nothing in common. Also, Dean seems like the rock hard kind of guy that trusts no one. He already knew Jo from somewhere before he started school here.
Maybe ten minutes later, the corridor had filled up a little more now, and a group of about five jocks were standing beside the lockers near Cas, shouting and laughing so loudly that Cas could hear them over his music, even with the volume turned up full. They were throwing a football around and slamming their fists against the lockers and each other, but Cas tried to ignore them.
However, when the roar of laughter died down, Cas grew suspicious and glanced up to see them standing close together, talking quietly as they glared at Dean, who stood a few lockers away from them, throwing books into his locker, that was already decorated with stickers and photos.
Cas muted the music to listen into the conversation, but without taking out the earbuds, because Castiel Novak is a true spy kid. When Dean slammed the locker door shut and hoisted his bag up over his shoulder, something small and brown fell from it, and one of the jocks swooped in like a hawk and grabbed it before Dean even realised it had fallen.
"You fucking girl, what do you have a damn teddy bear for?" Spat Jason, the sort of leader of the jocks. Jason was actually pretty short, and not very muscly, but he was rich and good at football, and that's really all you need to be popular and have power. Cas was ninety ten percent sure that Dean would destroy him on a fist fight. Wait, no, imagining Dean fighting - all hot and sweaty, maybe with a few cuts and bruises - was not a good idea; Cas used his arms to cover as much of his lap as he could, glancing around to make sure nobody saw, as he strained his ears further to hear them above the noise that was slowly creeping louder in the corridor.
"Give it back you dick," Dean stepped forwards lazily to snatch the toy, but Jason threw it high in the air behind him, and another jock, who Cas didn't know by name, caught it. He giggled - a strange, low pitched sound - and waved it about in the air, dancing around to avoid Dean, who was basically just clawing the air, looking pissed off.
"Aw, look, somebody's on her period!" Jason teased, trying to push Dean back, but of course it didn't work so he just stood in front of him instead. "Want me to go get you some tampons? It's okay if you're embarrassed, I'd do it for you" he gazed at Dean affectionately, who rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers for a moment, standing with one arm on his hip. The other guys danced around him happily, throwing the teddy bear about as an amused crowd of maybe ten people cheered them on. At this point, Cas had stood to join them, although he wasn't cheering of course.
Suddenly, Dean lashed out. He pushed Jason out of his way and punched the bigger guy that currently had the teddy. Of course, the guy dropped the teddy bear and staggered backwards, hiding his face and yelling every cuss word under the sun. He bent down to grab the teddy but Jason kicked him and he rolled over, clutching his side as Jason grabbed the bear and threw it near Cas.
Now, the toy was probably aimed at somebody standing behind Cas, but something deep in his mind told him that he should catch it instead, and that's exactly what he did. Now that an object that obviously meant a lot to Dean was in his very hands, what the fuck was he supposed to do with it? Dean had jumped back up to his feet now, and was moving straight at Cas. A little voice at the back of his head told him he should get the fuck out of there, and again he obeyed, and turned on his heel to scramble away, teddy bear in hand.
The crowd of students parted willingly, letting Cas hurry around the corner to stand just outside the building. He leaned against the wall, panting slightly as he looked down at the bear. It was scruffy, old, and had a red velvet bow tie. His plastic nose was scratched and bashed; it hung on by a thread. What the fuck had Cas done? He'd practically stolen this from Dean. Which means that he will have to give it back. Which means that Cas will have to talk to Dean.
Cas. Talk. To Dean. Dean Winchester.
With a shaky sigh, Cas turned and pulled open the heavy doors and walked briskly inside, clutching the teddy in both hands as he looked down at it. He looked up to see Dean storming towards him.
"Dean!" Cas held out the bear at arms length, and Dean snatched it back. He barely looked at it before shoving it into the very bottom of his rucksack.
"Thanks," he mumbled, before rushing past.
"What?" Cas dug his nails into the palms of his hands nervously as he turned around to face him. Dean slowed down, his hand pressed flat against the door.
"What?" He repeated. His voice was deep and gruff, and he looked genuinely confused at Cas's question. If you could call it a question. He wasnt very specific.
"I- I- the bear. I- caught it-" Cas was stumbling over his words like a newborn deer stumbles over his feet. The thoughts of how he'd just saved Dean, in a way, rushed through his head and he wanted to say these words, to tell Dean how he wanted to help or whatever, but Dean was ice cold and seemingly emotionless as he just squinted at him. As if Cas was a mere puzzle that Dean was trying to solve.
"Yeah, you caught it, do you want a prize?" Dean got ready to walk away again, but Cas was hit by a random pang of anger. If somebody else had caught the damn bear, they would've kept throwing it and Dean would've kept fighting and it wouldn't end well. But since Cas caught it, he could give it back to Dean and end the stupidity. And that is exactly what he did! Even if it looked like he was stealing the bear at first...
"No, but I think I just saved you back there-" Dean scoffed, interrupting him. It felt as if Cas's stomach was sinking deeper and deeper with each little action Dean did. The boy shook his head, smiling (but not in a nice way) as he pushed the door open.
"I was just trying to help you!" Cas blurted suddenly. When Dean slowed down, and turned to look at him, his facial expression lightened just a little, and he nodded, casting his eyes down.
"Well, thanks. I guess," and then he left. For good, this time. Cas let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and took some steps back to lean against the wall. To be honest, he'd been expecting for Dean to smile - a wide, genuinely happy smile - and seem as if he meant it when he said thanks. Maybe even say "see you around" or "do you want to go out with me", y'know SOMETHING.
But Dean did acknowledge him. Dean spoke to him. Dean thanked him.
And it was better than nothing.
The last three periods of school seemed to drag on and on and on. The first day of school is always shit. The teachers force you to play "fun" get-to-know-each-other games. Maybe it's supposed to help you make new friends, but everybody has their own circle of friends at this point. Cas... Well you already know Cas' situation.
The bell ringing at the end of history was the most beautiful sound Cas had heard all day and he didn't wait for the teacher to dismiss them, he just grabbed his stuff and ran. Considering his seat was right beside the door, it was pretty easy. He'd worry about detention tomorrow.
On his way home, it was raining. Lightly at first, but now it was so heavy that Cas was soaked through to his underwear. He hurried along, actually wanting to get home ASAP for a change. Hooded figure was there, just as always, just a few feet ahead at the opposite side of the street. Except, his hood was gone. He was wearing an oversized leather jacket, which he was pulling over his head just now. Come to think of it, the jacket looks similar to Dean's one. Huh.
Cas started running, but mainly because this was a perfect opportunity to see the face of the guy that'd been nodding at him every day for four months. Exciting times.
When he reached the point in the street where he turned right, to get to his house, he hid behind the tree in his neighbours garden instead. Like I mentioned earlier, Castiel Novak is a true spy kid. His vision didn't reach very far in the rain and fog, but Leather Jacket paused when he reached one of the turns, and he turned around quickly, as if he was ensuring that nobody could see him. Cas was well hidden, and Leather Jacket looked right through him before jogging away down the street.
But Cas saw his face. He can put a name to the man that had been nodding at him every morning. The man's face was Dean Winchester.
The minute Cas opened the door, a wild Gabriel appeared. Cas slammed the door and began to peel off his cardigan and shoes and socks, trying his best to ignore Gabriel. He wasn't saying anything. He was just standing. Smiling. Finally, Cas broke.
"What?" He sighed, sitting down on the stairs and staring up at his brother.
"I think you know," Gabriel's mischievous grin never faltered.
"No... Please enlighten me," Cas said slowly.
"Dean! You helped out Dean at school today!" Gabriel hopped up and down, his words loud and excited. Cas, however, was the complete opposite of Gabriel right now. He rolled his eyes and began his descent up the stairs. And awkward descent, as he was waddling slightly because his heavy jeans were stuck to him.
"You like him, don't you?" Gabriel didnt give up, as he hopped up the stairs after him.
"No, that's ridiculous," Cas lied.
"You do. I know because you never talk to anybody at school, let alone get them out of a fight. Cassie and De-ean, sittin' in a tree," Gabriel began singing, but Cas had already reached his bedroom and slammed the door in his face.
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Gabriel yelled from the other side of the door. Cas dragged his wooden chair over and propped it under the door handle, so Gabriel wouldn't be able to get it. He stayed outside his room shouting for a while before finally giving up and leaving.
At this point, Cas was exhausted and fed up. He'd gotten a little thrill from conversing with Dean, but they way he'd reacted... He didnt seem happy to be talking with Cas, which left him feeling sort of deflated for the rest of the day. The rain didn't help much either. So, he changed into his pyjamas. Navy blue pyjamas with a button up shirt. Simple but comfy.
"I need chocolate," he muttered to himself. If Cas remembered correctly, he'd hidden a box of chocolate and sweets somewhere in his room. But where?
"Okay, if I were going to hide some chocolate, right now, here would I hide it?" He thought aloud. He shared a room with his brother, so it had t be somewhere Gabriel didn't know about. Ah. The old cardboard box under Cas' bed. The box where he shoved useless junk when he was tidying. You know, the draw everybody has. The place they put all their random knick knacks that they don't want to throw away just yet. Everybody has one. In Cas' case, it was a box.
Sure enough, right at the very bottom was an old blue biscuit tin with some old chocolates that looked okay to eat. He grabbed a handful, and dumped them on his bed before putting everything else back in the box. Except for the laptop. Jeez, this hadn't been used in months. Since Christmas, Cas had just used his iPod for most things.
Surprisingly, it still had a lot of charge, but it took ages to open up. After many years, his user account opened up to... Facebook. It had been opened on FACEBOOK all this time, no wonder it took ages to load. He was even signed in, and his dash - no, newsfeed, apparently - was up to date.
Without even thinking, Cas had clicked on the "find friends" bar, and typed in his name. Who's name? You know who.
Cas clicked on the first Dean Winchester that popped up. Dean's profile picture was just the AC\DC logo. Thankfully, Dean was pretty careless, and hadn't set his account to private. Cas was free to scroll down this timeline thing. Man, Cas felt like an old granny, this Facebook crap is hella confusing.
Dean hadn't posted much, but many people - who weren't from Cas' school - had posted comments, wondering how much pot would cost them. Or if he had weed. "Is Dean interested in rolling a joint, haha"?
"What the fuck," Cas' voice was no more than a hoarse whisper. "I have a crush on a drug dealer,"