This was written before the first "chapter" was haha. The great thing about drabbles is you can jump around without feeling guilty.
"Dean, you aren't even trying," Cas said.
Dean scoffed. "Am too," he said, pointing to his paper. "I drew the sun in the corner. That's part of the solar system, right?"
Cas rolled his eyes, pushing the text book towards Dean. "You failed the last three tests. You need to get a decent grade if you have any hopes of passing this semester."
Dean huffed as Cas tried to refocus on the lesson, his long fingers pointing to some passage in the text.
"It's not as hard as you think, Dean," Cas assured. "Look, there's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."
"I've lived this long not caring about planets," Dean groaned. "When exactly will I use this in life?"
"I assure you, Dean, this will be plenty useful in life," Cas said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I sure don't see how," Dean grumbled. "S'not like I'm planning a trip to Venus anytime soon."
Cas snorted. "Technically, you would not even be able to survive on Venus. It is the hottest planet in our solar system, and you would burn up before even reaching the surface."
Dean scrunched his nose up. "Not my point, Cas."
Cas sighed, but remained patient. Dean looked up to find a pair of blue eyes burning wholes into his skull.
"Dude, you gotta stop looking at me like that," Dean whined. Because, jesus christ, it made him feel guilty and exposed. "I'm trying, I really am."
Cas stared intently at Dean for a moment longer before giving a gentle smile, completely melting Dean.
"I'll try harder," he promised. "So, this is Mars which is the planet of the sea right?"
"No, that's Neptune."
"I thought Neptune was the planet of agriculture."
"No, that's Saturn."
"What the hell!" Dean expressed, running his hand through his hair. "Well, what's Venus, then?"
"The planet of love," Cas explained, looking up from the text book. "It embodies enticement..beauty...seduction...sex..." Cas shook his head dismissively, trying not to appear flustered as he realized how close his face was to Dean's.
After a minute or so of silence, Dean blurted out, "Hey, didn't she like pop out of the ocean nude or something?"
Cas snapped his head up, blue eyes blazing. "Excuse me?"
"Venus," Dean said, as if it were obvious which naked woman he was talking about now. "Didn't that chick pop out of the ocean naked or something?"
Cas' jaw hung slightly open. Dean was vaguely pleased that he could surprise Cas with a small bit of knowledge like that. Cas stared at him for what seemed like long enough to count all the freckles on Dean's face before answering. "Um, yes, that is what the painting Birth of Venus depicts. But it is not necessarily referring to the pla-"
"I know Cas, I'm not that stupid."
"I didn't say you were," Cas replied sincerely.
Dean looked up at Cas, and his face was so full of care that Dean was taken aback. It had been a simple comment, sure, but everything about Cas' face now said "I'm here for you," and, wow, where did all the air in this room go? Cause Dean sure couldn't breathe.
"I think it's time for a break," Dean said matter-of-factly, trying to play it nonchalantly. He threw his pencil down and stood up. "Come on, we're going outside." He grabbed Cas' hand without waiting for a response, dragging him out of the library. "It's been snowing all day and it's time for me to enjoy it."
The caring expression on Cas' face quickly melted into the one of exasperation that Dean knew so well.
"Dean," Cas quietly but firmly said, making Dean turn around to face that stupid careworn face.
"C'mon, Cas. It's been snowing all day, and it's time for us to enjoy it."
Before Cas even had time to rebuttal, Dean dragged him out of this still-suffocating room, ignoring his friend's protests of "But Dean, we haven't finished!" and "The test is tomorrow, Dean!"
"Cas," Dean said slowly. "Just shut up and let me show you how to enjoy yourself every once in a while, alright?"
Cas huffed indignantly, but remained loyal as he watched Dean race ahead of him. Cas stopped by his locker, retrieving his trench coat before heading for Dean's to get his coat.
"Cas, man, hurry up!" Dean shouted. Cas smiled to himself, because sometimes he just couldn't help himself when it came to Dean. He went outside to find Dean with his tongue sticking out, supposedly trying to catch a snowflake. When he saw Cas, Dean smiled greatly and ran towards him.
"Dude, we gotta make a snow fort!" Dean exclaimed, taking his coat from Cas' now gloved hands. "Whenever I'm with Sammy, he always just wants to make a lame ass snowman."
"We still have to study, Dean," Cas reminded.
"Come on, Cas! Please? Pretty please? Pretty pretty pretty please?"
Cas was tempted to say no, he wanted to say no, but he just couldn't say no to Dean's pleading face. He sighed and nodded his head, smiling when Dean let out a sound of victory.
Cas followed Dean over to the nearest mound of snow. Cas couldn't help laughing to himself at how much Dean looked like a child seeing snow for the first time. Cas went over next to Dean and began to help him form the snow into a crude wall, but Dean swatted his hand away.
"Uh, no," Dean said. "Cas, this is my fort. You make yours over there." Dean pointed to a large clump of snow at the base of a nearby tree.
Cas tilted his head in confusion. "May I ask why?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Because, Cas. We are going to have a proper snowball fight and we can't share forts - that would kinda defeat the purpose."
"A snowball fight?" Cas repeated. "Really, Dean, we should go back-"
"Cas, go make your fort," Dean said sternly, as if he were a mother telling their child to do the chores.
Cas stared at Dean incredulously for a moment, but gave in and smiled as he walked over to wear Dean directed.
"Uh, Dean?" Cas called from behind.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"I don't really know what I'm doing," Cas admitted. He turned around to see a look on Dean's face that suggested he'd just been bitch slapped.
"DUDE!" Dean yelled as he marched over to Cas' would-be fort. Cas gave an apologetic look, clearly noticing the disappointment in Dean's expressions.
"I'm sorry," Cas said. "I've never made one of these before."
"Well, at least you got me," Dean stated as he sat on his knees and started building up Cas' fort. "Looks like the teacher has become the student."
Cas rolled his eyes, but sat back and let Dean fix the lopsided structure.
"Cas, you have to be able to actually hide behind it, you know," Dean said, piling more snow on the top. "It won't do you much good if you can even fit behind it."
"Well, forgive me if I don't often engage in 'proper snowball fights,' as you called it."
Dean shook his head. "You have been deprived." He piled on a bit more snow, and then took a step back, scrunching his nose at it. "It'll do." He turned and began racing back to his fort, which was actually quite impressive.
"Cas, prepare for a major ass-whopping!" Dean called. "You're going down!"
Dean began rolling a lethal-looking ball of snow in his hand, and Cas hurriedly tried to copy. "Um, Dean?" He called. "What exactly is the point of this game?"
Dean snorted with laughter. "Hit your target!"
And with that, Dean pegged the snowball straight at Cas.
