Gabriel had just finished laying out the display cakes on the table they'd set up in front of the house when Castiel came out to inspect.

"Where are the others?"

"Ash and Chuck took a couple of trays of cupcakes and are going door to door along frat row, Balthazar and Garth took a couple of the bigger cakes and went to set up a stall by the classes," Gabriel ticked off his frat brothers on his fingers. He stopped, frowning in thought. "And I haven't seen Dean yet…"

"Probably sleeping off his hangover," Castiel said with a snort, trying not to show too much disgust. Or to blush. He had spent most of the night hoping and praying that Dean would be so drunk he wouldn't remember the kiss that could end his career. "Well, I can stay with you to help here, if you need it, but as soon as Dean shows his face he can take over. I have to go arrange some contractors into fixing the building."

"Cool," Gabriel grabbed a deck chair from beside the makeshift booth and pulled it open, slouching into it. "Now we just sit back and wait for customers I guess."

Castiel stared at Gabriel, and looked around the empty street.

"I don't think just waiting for customers is going to generate much traffic."

Gabriel glared.

"I have been baking for the last sixteen hours. This is as much effort as I have left." He shut his eyes and sank back in his chair. "I'm not even moving, ok? I make the cakes, you serve the customers. That was my oath when I took this stupid job, and…"

"Sam Winchester's coming this way," Castiel chimed in, nudging the back of Gabriel's chair.

"Yeah, right," Gabriel didn't move, "You think I'm falling for that one, you've got another thing coming."

"Ok then." Castiel turned to the ridiculously tall freshman. "Care to buy a cake today?"

"I don't know," Sam stopped, hearing Castiel call from the other side of the street. he didn't make to cross the road. "If the alphas saw me buying anything from you…"

Gabriel's eyes snapped open on hearing Sam's voice, and Castiel saw he was suddenly on his feet, providing a much more inviting atmosphere.

Funny what a person can do when properly motivated.

(-*-)

Across campus, Chuck and Ash were making slightly more progress. So far they'd managed to get orders for two cakes and three dozen cupcakes with a ten dollar deposit on each order. Their strategy had been to hit Epsilon Alpha, the stoner house first, and work out from there. Follow the munchy trail, as it were. However, this meant that they were now stood in front of Theta Theta Gamma, staring at the pink clapboard siding with a daunted expression.

"We've gotta hit every house on campus," Ash said, raising his eyebrows at Chuck. "We may as well do it now."

"But…" Chuck was beginning to twitch a little, and a nervous sweat was just visible on his forehead. "You know, I think I'm getting a migraine, I'm gonna go back and see if Gabriel will switch with me…"

"Come on, dude!" Ash grabbed Chuck by the shoulder, and stared into his eyes. "You and Becky broke up months ago. Enough is enough. You can't let her stop you doing what you've gotta do."

"I… I don't…"

"No! Dude, you're a man, and you've got your man business to do! Becky isn't your girlfriend, and you can't let her and her sorority push you around any more!"

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, but he didn't sound as certain as he looked. "Yeah."

"Now you're not gonna let her get to you!"

"Yeah."

"You're gonna march up there, knock on that door, and sell them some cakes!"
"Yeah!"

Together, they marched up the short path and hammered on the door. It was answered by a red-headed young woman, whose smile dropped the moment she saw them.

"Oh… Omegas." She leant against the doorframe. "You've got some nerve showing your face here, Shurley."

"Charley," Chuck wavered a little, but he fixed his eyes on the door and regained his firm expression. "How's Becky?"

"At class," Charley laughed. "Lucky for you, although I don't know why I shouldn't set our pledges on you."

"Look, Charley," Ash stepped forwards, his salesman smile in place, "We're not here to pick fights. We're here to raise funds. Fact is, our house is a mess and we've got to get the money together before we can fix it. Now, our co-captain, Gabriel Goldman, is amaze-balls in the kitchen, and we're selling off cakes. Here, have a taste. Chuck?"

Chuck held out the tray of cupcakes he'd been placed in charge of, and Charley took one, eyebrow quirked.

"The LARPers society has been talking about a cake for our big regional event…" She sniffed, glancing suspiciously from one Omega to the other, before sinking her teeth into the cake. "Mmf… tha'sh goo' cake…"

"Right, dude?" Ash laughed, nodding. "Come on, help a frat out, whaddaya say? Twenty five bucks for a big cake, with a ten dollar deposit."

Charley wiped frosting from her lips, thought for a while, and nodded.

"Put me down for two. One for the LARPers society, so if you could put a picture of a dragon on it or something that'd be cool. And, uh, one for Becky's birthday. Which, I suppose if you're bringing the cake we'll invite you in…" She looked at Chuck again. "So maybe you'll want to deliver the cake."

Chuck stared at her for a moment.

"I thought you hated me?"

"I hate anyone who stops me from being the experimental phase." She grinned, stepping back into the house. "But if she has to go around with some douche frat pledge, I'd rather it was you. Stay there, I'll get you your deposit."

Ash punched Chuck's shoulder.

"Alright, lesbian room-mate approved!"

(-*-)

Castiel had managed to do a little trade, even without Gabriel's help. Gabriel was still leaning on the table, looking up at Sam with intent, possibly to hypnotise.

"A lawyer, huh? That's so cool, you know, I wish I knew what I was going to do."

"You don't know yet?" Sam laughed. "Aren't you in your final year?"

"Eh," Gabriel shrugged. "Planning isn't my style."

"But how are you going to get a job?"

Castiel was oddly mesmerised, watching Gabriel flirt his ass off at a seemingly oblivious Sam.

"Well, part of me plans on having to repeat this year anyway. Hoping I'll be too busy with a bustling social life to study… Plus, getting a job is easy. Just walk into a place like you already work there, find an empty desk and start typing things. Run around occasionally asking if anyone wants coffee and then go down to payroll and ask if they've changed systems or something because you've missed your last few paychecks."

Sam laughed again.

"You're evil."

"It's been said," Gabriel grinned, with a shrug. "Now, how about I convince you to buy one of my cakes?"

Castiel stifled a laugh, turning his head so Sam wouldn't notice his reaction. As Castiel turned his head, he spotted the front door opening, and Dean, because it had to be Dean, stepping out into the morning air.

His mind was already made up.

"Gabriel, I'm going to go check on your housemates."

"Yeah, see you later," Gabriel said, without looking away from Sam, which suited Castiel fine. He marched away quickly, so quickly he could pretend not to hear Dean calling for him, or Dean noticing Sam and demanding to know what he was doing talking to Gabriel.

Castiel marched on, and in a moment he was out onto the proper Frat row. Away from Dean and Gabriel, and their sordid, squalid house, and their sordid and squalid lives.

Dean, meanwhile, did not have the luxury.

"What the hell are you doing here, traitor?" Dean growled, annoyed by Castiel's blanking him. Sam balked a little, looking at his feet.

"Dean I'm just… I'm just talking."

"Yeah, Dean," Gabriel said, turning an entirely different smile on Dean to the glowing flirty smirk he'd been using on Sam a few minutes ago. "We're talking. So why don't you shuffle on back inside and get some coffee on the go."

Dean glared at Gabriel, jaw set.

"I don't think so. I think maybe you should go make your own coffee."

Gabriel, whilst never one to miss out on a potential conquest, also knew when to take a hint, which is why he settled for grumbling mutinously under his breath as he walked back towards the house.

Sam and Dean stood in silence for a moment. Sam looked up.

"You can't have it both ways."

"What?"

"You can't say I'm dead to you and then decide who I can talk to."

"I can too, Sammy, and you don't get a say in it." Dean pointed at Sam. "Because I'm your brother, and I'm supposed to be looking out for you, even if I can't stand you."

"Because I joined a different Frat, Dean?" Sam ran a hand over his facing, trying to keep his cool. "Don't you think you're being a little immature?"
"Immature? Immature?" Dean sidestepped the cake stand, and jabbed a finger into Sam's shoulder. "You want to talk about immature? How about when Michael, your 'captain, my captain' over there, broke in and trashed our house, for no reason? How about when he and Uriel held down Garth on the library steps in full Halloween costume and gave him the worst anxiety attack he's ever had? Or when Michael spread rumours all 'round Campus that Chuck was only seeing Becky to get to the other girls in her sorority? You think that's not immature?"

"I just mean…"

"Yeah, I get it, Sam." Dean turned away, walking back around to the other side of the stand and throwing himself down into Gabriel's chair. "You want to be with the rich douchebags, you don't want to slum it with us, fine. But don't think you can try buying your way back in. If you're gonna help us, join us, don't give us your charity." Dean closed his eyes, and Sam guessed that was the end of the conversation. He scowled, and stepped back from the table.

"Fine. If I bought any of your cakes the Alphas would just have us whip them at your house anyway." Sam started to walk away, before turning back. "You know, Dean, I worked real hard to get here. The fact that I'm here now, proves once and for all that we are just as good as each other. So for once, now, you'd think you'd be able to treat me like an equal instead of some little kid."

Sam walked away, and Dean didn't look up.

He wondered how many more people he could piss off by the end of the day.