Evening y'all. In hopes to move this story along at a nicer rate, and due to the overwhelming amount of time I have had to write these past couple of days, I have decided to upload another chapter today. Usually what I do with my stories is pick one or two days out of the week and name those as updating days, or, if the most current chapter has at least 100 views and enough followers request it, I will update sooner. How would y'all like me to go about this? I have up to chapter ten written so far, so either way will work. Please let me know, and as always, reviews are more than welcome~
Warnings: Homophobic tendencies and violence.
Chapter Three: Second Grade Scandal
As it turned out, Dean had nothing to worry about. Going to school with Cas only made their friendship stronger. Kindergarten and first grade flew by with the blink of an eye. They had been put in the same classes for both years, sitting next to each other whenever there was no assigned seating. While they made other friends, like Jo Harvelle, Ash, and Benny, Dean and Cas always made sure that their friendship was the strongest. He boys would eat breakfast at their own homes and race outside to the bus stop. They sat next to each other on the bus as they talked about their mornings, and were, for the most part, attached at the hips. They would alternate doing homework at the other's house, and after one was called home for dinner, they met in the back yard to play before bed. On Fridays, Cain and his boys would come over for dinner and listen with John, Mary, and Sam as the best friends shared the highlights of the week.
Gabriel, who was in fifth grade when the boys were in first, kept an eye on them when he could, and made a point of letting everyone know not to mess with his little brother and friend. That, however, did not last long. Gabriel graduated and moved on to junior high, leaving Dean and Cas to fend for themselves.
Second grade began and the boys went about their routine as per usual. Once again, they were in the same class. Jo, Ash, and Benny, however, were not. They were in the other second grade class (not that Dean and Cas minded very much). They still saw each other at lunch and recess. It was the lack of the other three kids that drew more attention to them from the older students. Dean and Castiel saw nothing wrong with how they acted. The teachers thought it was sweet to see such close friends, but a few boys in their class did not.
It was a Monday morning when John, Mary, and Cain raced to the elementary school.
Once inside the headmaster's office, they saw their sons holding bags of ice to their faces and arms, with help from the school nurse. They were sitting in plastic navy chairs looking down at the blue and white tile floor. An elderly woman standing behind the wooden desk motioned for them to sign in. Ignoring her silent demand, they filed into the part of the office where their boys were.
"What the hell happened?" demanded John, scaring the daylights out of the receptionist. Mary knelt down in front of the boys and frowned. A door to a sectioned off office squeaked open, revealing a woman with a pants suit on and hair pulled neatly back.
"Sir, I would advise you to sit down." She brushed her jacket, smoothing it out as three boys walked past her and out of the main office. "Now, I am Headmaster Naomi. I called you in to discuss the inappropriate behavior of your sons." Mary stood up, just as confused as her husband and neighbor.
"I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'inappropriate behavior'? From the looks of it I would say that our boys were the victims of whatever happened."
"Uriel, Azazel, and Luke, the three boys you just saw leave, they felt threatened by the way your boys were acting."
"And how exactly were they acting?" Cain raised a brow at the all too formal woman.
"They said we were acting like faggots." All eyes shot to Dean who was looking at them innocently. "We don't even know what a faggot is."
"That's enough of that language, Mr. Winchester," shot Naomi. "Your boys seem to be too close to each other. Now, starting tomorrow, one of them will be transferred to the other second grade class. For the remainder of their time here, they will have no classes together." John walked over to Naomi, hands clenched in fists.
"You didn't answer the question! What were our sons doing that caused second graders to beat them up? What were they doing that made three eight year olds punch them bloody? What were they doing that made their classmates feel threatened?" He was raising his voice now. Mary was hugging Castiel and Dean while Cain put a hand on John's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Naomi cleared her throat. "Perhaps they should tell you." John looked at the boys. Castel was the first to answer.
"Jo was looking for Dean before lunch today but didn't see him because she buys lunch and Dean brings his. She had to leave early because of a doctor appointment, so when she saw me in the lunch line she told me to give him a message. She wanted to tell him that she was having a birthday party and that me and Dean were invited and then to give him a hug for her." Cas shifted his eyes from the three parents to Naomi. "She's a big hugger." Dean gave a swift nod in agreement before continuing Cas' explanation.
"So when Cas told me he also hugged me for Jo. I hugged him back, for Jo, and Azazel and Uriel and Luke walked by and called us 'faggots'. When we just looked at them they started to ask us things like if we hold hands or kiss or anything. We told them that sometimes we hold hands, like when crossing the street to the bus stop, but other than that we just watch cartoons and do homework and stuff."
"They said that they didn't believe us and then Azazel threw the first punch."
John, Mary, and Cain were furious with what they had heard. They looked at Naomi, then back at the boys, and then back to her once more.
"So what you're telling us," began Mary, "is that we got calls telling us to come in because our boys were causing trouble, only to find out that they are being punished because their classmates saw them hug, called them slanderous names, and then beat them up?"
"I called you to ask you to come in to inform you that if this behavior continues, I will be forced to take drastic measures. The safety of my students is my top priority."
"You could have fooled us," scoffed Cain.
"Mr. Winchester, Mr. Shurley, I believe your sons forgot to inform you that they fought back." John knelt down next to Dean, composing himself as best as he could.
"Dean, did you and Castiel fight back?" Dean twiddled his thumbs, a habit that he had formed from a very early age, and looked at his father.
"Only after they punched me in the eye and gave Cas a bloody nose. We hit them out of defense, Dad, we swear it!"
"And we only hit them once. Uriel never got hit. Just Luke and Azazel."
"And why did no one hit Uriel?" questioned Cain, looking down at his son who had chimed in. Castiel didn't answer. Dean stayed quiet as well. "Castiel?"
"No one hit him because he was standing off to the side laughing at us. He called us 'mud monkeys' or something like that. Said we were nothing but dirt and that him and his friends were meant to walk over faggots like me and Dean." Mary couldn't help it any more. She did her best to choke back her tears but failed.
"These boys are eight years old, and they are being discriminated against over some big misunderstanding. What is wrong with you? Can't you see that they didn't mean for any of this to happen? It isn't their fault!"
"Mrs. Winchester, I assure you, tomorrow morning everything will be solved."
"By separating them? You think that will solve things? What about the one that gets stuck in the class with those three bullies?"
"Mrs. Winchester, we will cross that bridge if and when we get to it. Now please take your boys home. When they return, I expect them to apologize to Uriel, Azazel, and Luke." Mary took the boys by their hands and all but ran out of the office with them. John and Cain followed, slamming the doors as they left.
Mary sat the boys down at the kitchen table while John and Cain went out back to bitch about what happened. John, being homophobic due to his upbringing, and Cain, being a good friend, stayed with him as he ranted and cleared his head. As much as John loved his wife, he didn't think he would be able to sit through the "gay sex talk" with two second graders. He also knew that his wife was strong enough to handle the situation.
Mary took a few deep breaths as she poured the boys some milk and cut some apple pie. She sat down across from them looked at them with big, sad eyes.
"Dean? Castiel? Do you know why those boys did what they did?" Dean was busy stuffing his face with pie, so Castiel answered.
"Is it because we're faggots?"
"Goodness, no! Please, do not use that word. It's mean and hurtful and… I should probably tell you what it means. Boys, a…that word, is used to hurt someone, specifically a boy or man, who is in a relationship with another boy or man."
"So it's used to hurt gay people?" Mary looked at Castiel, stunned.
"Castiel, how do you know that?"
"My brother Gabriel says he's part gay. He hasn't told Dad yet, though. He told me to keep it a secret, but I think that with this going on, I should tell you."
"How can you be part gay?" asked Dean.
"He says that he likes boys and girls just the same."
"So does that make him a fa-"
"Dean! Please watch your language. And no, it does not. And just so you boys know, there is nothing wrong with two men loving each other."
"Oh!" Dean perked up. "You mean like how Bert and Ernie love each other?" The kitchen door swung open and John Winchester walked inside.
"Castiel, your father's going to pick Gabe up from school. You should go with him." Castiel brought his glass and plate to the sink and looked at the Winchesters.
"I'm sorry for what happened today at school." Mary dragged him in to a bear hug.
"Don't you ever apologize for something like that, Castiel. The same goes for you, Dean. If anyone is going to say 'sorry', it's those boys who hurt you." Cas hugged Mary back and waved at Dean and John as he walked over to Cain. "I should pick Sammy up from day care…."
When they were alone, John sat down next to his son.
"Dean."
"Yeah, Dad?"
"If anyone ever tries to call you something like that again, you look them in the eye and tell them that you're not a fairy. Do I make myself clear?"
"But Mom said-"
"You're not a fairy!"
"Yes, Sir." Dean was scared. He had never seen his father so angry before- so mad at him. He had never heard him yell or scream or use that tone of voice.
"And Dean?" John got up and walked away from the table, leaving Dean alone. "Bert and Ernie are just roommates."