Author's Notes: Hey guys, long time no see. Yeah I know, it's been awhile. Midterms and Halloween will do that to you. At least I got to dress up like Castiel and wander around telling people I was an angle of the lord. It was fun to see their reactions. If you celebrated it, how was your Halloween? BTW, this chapter is separated into three parts so there's still a lot to come, the second part should be done by next week.

Show (SPOILERS): So how did y'all feel about the last SPN episode? I know tons of fans were like 'OMG Dean was so mean to Sam, how could he talk to him like that!?' but I was actually really glad Dean told Sam to stop being a bitch about Amy. Yeah, it sucked that Dean had to lie about it but he had good reason to and Dean's got a lot going on right now and Sam pointlessly bitching about a monster who would totally have killed if her child grew sick again was just getting tiring. PLUS then Ellen came in and told Dean to grow up and tell somebody how much he was really hurting about Cas and everything. So both boys got some sense knocked into them and I was happy. *end rant*

Important: Two things. First, this story has been translated by the wonderful ~casvam.

Here is the link to the story in Chinese if you'd like to read (again, take out the spaces): tieba . baidu f?ct= 335675392&tn=baiduPostBrowser&sc =15002695906&z =1256660439#15002695906

And also to casvam's profile if you have any questions or wanna say thanks:

www . fanfiction u / 3157255 / casvam

Finally, a character named Nirvana that appears later was inspired by a conversation I had with ~Reaper's Curse, so giving credit where credit is due. :)

Beta: My beta is really busy right now so I'm posting this unbeta'd to take off the pressure, please ignore or kindly point out any mistakes you see and I'd be grateful. I'll repost the chapter once it's beta'd.

Chapter Rating: M (Language)

Disclaimer: Kripke owns this and Sera is running it. I'm just a humble bounty hunter—I mean, writer.

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Weekend Retreat Part 1

The world shattered around him as he fell, breaking into droplets and consuming everything. The air shimmered and warped as time slowed. He continued to tip backwards off the pier. His eyes met the sky and an eclipse greeted him. Sun and moon together and the light darkened. The water parted for him as he hit and swallowed him whole in one swirl. He sank deeper and the light faded.

Then an arm crashed into the water above him and reached out.

Dean woke in quiet darkness and wrapped in warmth. He breathed out slowly and shifted, snuggling closer to the person beside him. Castiel was stretched, back pressed up against Dean's chest. Dean buried his face against the back of Castiel's neck and let the peace of the moment wash over him. Yeah, he could wake up like this every day.

As it was, they could only do this Thursday nights as the rest of the school week Castiel had to get up much earlier than Dean. Dean smiled as he caressed a hand down Castiel's bare chest and the other boy arched beneath him, mumbling incoherently. Dean's hand slipped lower until it reached Castiel's waistband and he delved in to the warm flesh that lay beneath, stroking until the smaller boy shuddered and woke with a gasp as he released.

"Mornin'." Dean said as he kissed Castiel.

"Oh, uh, g-good morning." The blue-eyed boy flustered, "Th-that was..."

"Did you like it?" Dean asked, worried for a second.

"Much better than an alarm clock." Castiel said and Dean felt the laughter bubbled in his chest and grinned widely. "Although, now I'm in need of a shower...and a change of underwear."

This time Dean couldn't hold himself back and laughed loudly. Castiel squirmed next to him and rolled over so that he was facing Dean, a pout forming on his lips, but he couldn't keep it and a small smile broke over his face as well. He surged up and crawled on top of Dean, pinning the blond beneath him.

"Hey, now I like this too." Dean quipped and gripped Castiel's hips and ground them against his own, "This could work." Castiel dipped down and kissed Dean, soft yet firmly and Dean moaned into it. They kissed until the need for air broke them and Castiel moved his mouth over Dean's ear.

"And if I had something else in mind?" Dean was very happy with how much bolder Castiel had become in asking for what he wanted. True, they still couldn't do too much with Dean's arms healing up, but the position they were in now was quite appealing. Even if the alpha male in Dean didn't like to be on the bottom, he shoved that part of him aside. They were so close, perhaps this time they—

"Hey guys, when are you getting up? It's—argh!" Gabriel fell as he threw up his arms to cover his eyes and Castiel jerked back in surprise, lost his balance, and tipped off over the bed and landed in a heap on the floor. Dean watched everything in mild annoyance. At this rate he and Castiel were never going to have sex.

"You brought that on yourself, Gabe." Dean said after another moment of Gabriel flailing at the doorway, "Next time knock on the door, that's what it's there for." Dean finally sat up and peered over the edge of his bed, where Castiel was sprawled across the floor, his face bright red. "You ok, Cas?"

"No." Came the disheartened reply.

"My eyes!" cried Gabriel.

"What's all the noise about, mate?" Balthazar popped his head in and took in the scene before him. He promptly smacked Gabriel in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for? I'm the one who's been mentally scarred for life!"

"And?" Balthazar jabbed at the shorter blonde's chest, "Cassie was totally about to get laid! My younger cousin was about to become a man and you waltz in and ruin it. I've a right to be perturbed!" He crossed his arms in a huff while Gabriel stared at him incredulously.

"Balthazar, you are not helping." Castiel groaned.

"Well, this is all great and whatever," Dean sighed, "but if y'all don't mind. I'd like to get dressed now and I'm sure Cas would like to be able to as well."

"Yes, a shower is definitely needed." Castiel said as he sat up, his face was still red and Dean was fairly certain it was going to stay that way for awhile.

"A cold shower?" Balthazar teased and fled the doorway as Dean chucked his alarm clock at young man.

.


.

"It wasn't that bad, Cas."

"It was."

"I'm quite heartbroken that I missed it all." Crowley said from his seat in the dinning commons where everyone was for breakfast. "I mean, honestly, I'd have paid good money to walk in on you two."

"Thanks Crowley," Dean said. "for making this totally uncomfortable and disturbing."

"Any time, Winchester."

"Guess it's not as bad as that time you walked in on me and Kali." Gabriel admitted as he stuffed himself full of pasties, which was what he did in times of stress. Dean figured he must have the metabolism of a shrew to go through all those sweets the way he did.

"Yeah, dude, thanks for bringing that up." Dean winced, "and you say you're scarred for life, I don't even want to know what you two kinky bastards were up to when I came in."

"Well, it involved whipped cream and—"

"DUDE!"

"Such fine gentlemen you live with, Cassie." Balthazar remarked over his fried steak and eggs.

"Why are you eating dinner for breakfast?" Castiel asked with a tilt of his head.

"First thing I saw when I walked in here. I'm not even sure what it is, but so far it's pretty tasty. I guess even Americans can cook a slab of meat right."

"Alright, we're getting off topic." Dean cut in.

"There was a topic?" Crowley asked and Dean flicked a crumb of his apple turnover onto the boy's impeccable suit.

"You guys still on for this weekend?"

"Talk about cooking a slab of meat," Gabriel gushed, "Wait 'till you guys try me an' Bobby's cooking. Southwestern grilling at its best!"

"If it gets me away from this insanity of drama, I'm completely in." Balthazar said.

"Is there anything to actually do over there?" Crowley asked, stirring his cup of coffee. "No offense, love, but if I wanted a vacation, I'd take a private jet to Vegas and not remember a thing when I returned."

"You don't have to come, Crowley." Dean sighed, "I didn't even ask you to come, you were just in the room when I made the announcement. You barely hang around with us at school, I've no illusions about that."

"Good reason for that too, I'd have to have a compelling reason to suffer an entire weekend with you lot." Crowley said.

"Something along the lines of total self-interest?" Gabriel deadpanned.

"Completely." Crowley agreed and took a delicate sip from his coffee.

Dean sighed. "Well, Chuck said he was in last night, although I'm pretty certain he's just gonna lock himself away and write the entire time."

"He said he was at a critical juncture in his story." Castiel said from next to Dean. He had something healthy-looking on his plate, Dean noticed. Like fruit or some such. Dean preferred his pile of sausages and apple turnover.

"He always says that." Dean, Gabriel, and Crowley chorused.

"What about you, Cas?" Dean asked, "I mean, if you already have plans with Anna and Uriel—"

"No. Of course I want to come." Castiel interrupted, "I'm looking forward to seeing your house and the car you are currently restoring."

"It is a she, Cas, and she's called an Impala. '67 Chevy and beautiful."

"Looks like you got some competition, Cassie." Balthazar winked and Castiel frowned and tilted his head in confusion.

"Shut up." Dean snapped lazily, "So that just leaves Sam. I dunno if he's gonna ask Jo or Andy to come with him, maybe Lucifer, though I figure he's gotta be busy with graduate stuff...and healing." Gabriel and Sam had taken Lucifer back to his apartment after Sam had bandaged his head and the man had been absent Tuesday and Wednesday in Dean's Theology class. Gabriel had spent a large amount of time at his brother's apartment, checking up on him and making sure he rested. Dean wasn't blind though, he had seen the way Sam had been with Lucifer that night. He knew that look in his brother's eye and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Dean really liked Lucifer, he did, but...

"...earth to Dean." Gabriel was waving a hand in front of his face and Dean snapped out of it. "I said Lucifer would probably go if Sam asked, what's up with you?"

"Sorry," he lied, "still sleepy."

"Guess you need to do a better job of waking him up, Novak." Crowley said and Dean felt like slamming his head onto the table while Castiel went back to blushing.

.


.

Andrew Gallagher was by no means a slacker...actually, that's exactly what he was. If he had it his way, he would be roaming the States in a big van that he lived out of smoking from a large bong at every possible convenience. As it was, he and his twin Ansem had been sent to the most prestigious school money could buy to continue the Gallagher tradition of overachieving.

His father owned the largest medical supply company in the entire North American countries, just as his father before him, and his father before him blah blah blah. And one day Andy and Ansem would own it together. Which was the last thing Andy wanted. Ansem was good at the talking with people. He could convince a person to do nearly anything he wanted and he had the shark-like attitude needed for a business environment. Andy had none of that. He was lucky if he could talk to a pretty girl without fumbling for words.

Ansem had even told Andy he would talk to their father, that he didn't mind taking the entire company on by himself. Even though they were twins, Ansem felt like the older sibling and was always trying to help Andy, even if sometimes he could go to scary extremes, but Andy still liked his brother. Not that it had made a difference, his father was set on what he wanted for Andy.

Which is why Andy could be found at this moment beside the school gym getting completely blitzed off the joint he was smoking. It was how he dealt with stress, or really any high emotions, or actually...it was how he dealt with just life in general. He used to do this with Cam, but from what he'd heard, the guy had dropped. So he'd found another group to join for his daily session.

"Dude, this is so rad. Where do you get your stuff?" Ash said from beside Andy. They were sitting on the ground leaning up against the eastern gym wall where hardly anybody ever passed by.

"Trade secret, bro." Andy said behind a puff of smoke, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Gnarly." A girl from the other side of Ash laughed. Andy had seen her around at some of the parties before, but he didn't know her and she didn't go to their school. According to Ash her name was Nirvana and she was a pretty chill chick.

"Do you live around here or something?" Andy asked, the weed making him blunt and unafraid to speak around cute girls.

"I guess you could say that." Nirvana said as she took another hit from her joint.

"She's my partner in crime." Ash said, "Dr. Badass and Nirvana; here to save one college party at a time."

"It's a pretty good gig." the girl said.

"Wait..." Andy paused as the drugs made it harder to process thoughts, "That's not a paying job though, right?"

"You think too much, kid." Ash said and rolled another blunt for Andy, "You need another one of these."

"I probably do." Andy agreed.

"Trouble in paradise?" Nirvana asked. Andy found he couldn't take his eyes away from her red beanie she wore. It was hypnotizing. And so very red.

"What? Oh, yeah. I guess." Andy sighed.

"Girlfriend?"

"I wish." Andy blew smoke from between his teeth, "Best friend."

A shadow suddenly fell across the trio, "Excuse me?" A deep voice said from above. Andy looked up and saw an older man with ice blue eyes and appeared to have just gone three rounds in a bare-knuckled fight standing over them. He squeaked in fear. "Which of you is Andy Gallagher?" The man asked and Ash and Nirvana stood up immediately.

"Well bro, being seeing ya." Ash said and they both bolted. Andy watched and debated if he jumped up and ran right now he could somehow get away—

"You're Andy, then?" the scary man asked.

"N-no." Andy ignored how high pitched his voice was. He looked down at his hands a realized he was still holing his joint. He threw it to the side quickly. "I-I wasn't, th-that wasn't..."

"I don't care if you were smoking." The man cut in and Andy flinched. He stood up slowly, still leaning against the wall, and made to run but the man blocked his path with his arm as he leaned in towards Andy.

"Uh, please don't hurt me!" Andy waved his arms. He wasn't brave (usually) but his kicked puppy dog act had saved him more than once. "I-I have friends! Jo could kick your ass in a heartbeat a-and Dean's in an advanced martial arts class!"

"Dean's in the Intermediate Fitness and Defense class." the man corrected and Andy blinked. The man backed off slightly and looked awkward for a moment. "I take it you don't recognize me?"

"Um?" He did look a bit familiar now that Andy wasn't cowering in fear behind his hands.

"It's Lucifer." Oh. Andy had seen him a few times at their lunch table and again at the hospital when Sam and Dean had been hurt. The bruises on his face made him look rougher though, and he was also wearing a suit, which was something Andy had never seen him wear before. Combined with the drugs and Andy wasn't surprised he hadn't recognized the man.

"Oh," he said aloud with an edge of coolness to his voice. Lucifer was the reason he and Sam weren't talking right now. Andy had barely seen his friend at all this past week, Sam only seemed to come to their dorm for sleep and then left early in the morning. Jo was really getting worried.

"Sam told me what happened." Lucifer explained, "That you three got into a fight."

"Did he say what about?" Andy asked, frowning. When it came to his friends he would get serious.

"About me," Lucifer said. "He was very distressed when he came to my apartment that night."

"H-He was over your apartment...at night?" Andy tried pushed the guilt aside but it didn't really work. What if his and Jo's words actually pushed Sam to make the wrong choice?

"Nothing happened." Lucifer snapped suddenly, seeing Andy's face. "This is why he was so upset, everybody seems to think I want to take advantage of him and this couldn't be further from the truth!"

"But you like him!" Andy argued, "Even I can tell you have feelings for him."

"And Sam knows this." Lucifer shot back and Andy paused.

"H-he does?"

"Yes, I told him how I feel." Lucifer said, "I'm not some love-struck teen desperately trying to keep my crush a secret, I'm twenty-four for god's sake."

"Yeah, and Sam's only seventeen!" Andy said, "Isn't that illegal? Shouldn't you like people your own age!" Lucifer's face darkened and he stepped forward. Andy deflated instantly.

"You can't choose who you like, Mr. Gallagher." Lucifer said dangerously, "And I'm well aware of Sam's age, believe me."

"B-but the law." Andy said, but it was a weak defense and he knew it.

"The law implies a sexual relationship." Lucifer said, "And though it's none of your business, I'll have you know I'd wait. Wait until Sam was old enough."

"Y-you mean you guys aren't together?" Andy had assumed that Sam had been going over to Lucifer's every day since Monday.

"What? No. I told Sam how I felt, but explained that it was perfectly fine if he just wanted to be friends."

"You'd be fine with that?" Andy was doubtful.

Lucifer sighed and ran his hand through his hair, wincing afterwards. "Sometimes I forget just how young you guys are. Yes, I'd be fine with it. I like Sam, as you said—a lot—and whatever he's comfortable with is what I'm willing to give. I'm not going to lie, it would sting a bit, but better to have a platonic relationship than none at all."

"That's kinda..."

"Mature? I know." Lucifer crossed his arms. "I just needed to tell you that. I'm not out to use Sam, or pressure him, and he's under enough stress as it is. Just let him make up his own mind, he's pretty responsible and considerate for his age."

"You're still older than him." Andy said, but it was half-hearted at best. Truthfully, he'd been feeling pretty rotten about the whole thing. He shouldn't have yelled at Sam, but when his friend had argued with Jo, Andy just had to defend her. He'd tried to run after Sam right afterwards but Jo had stopped him, saying Sam needed time. Andy really liked Jo and everything, but she could be as stubborn as the Winchesters sometimes.

"In less than a year's time, you'll be in the same boat as me." Lucifer said and Andy snapped his head up, confused.

"What?" he asked.

"I'd seen the way you look at that blonde girl," Lucifer continued, "Jo." Andy blushed brightly. "But Sam told me she's a year younger, so what happens when you turn eighteen and she's still a minor?" Andy lowered his head and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.

"Sorry," he finally said. He just wanted things to go back the way they'd been before. When he was with Sam and Jo, Andy could forget all his problems and worries.

"As am I." Lucifer said and Andy tilted his head, "I just meant to come over here and have a quick conversation with you, tell you that I mean no harm to Sam. Listen, just talk to Sam. Work out your issues, he misses you and Jo."

"He does?" Andy asked, "But hasn't he been spending all his time with you this past week?"

"After school he has been coming over," Lucifer admitted, "with my younger brother Gabriel. They've been helping me recover," he pointed to his head, "from this. That's why. It's been stressful on him and I think you three reconciling would benefit him."

"Ok. Um, thanks and uh, sorry about, y'know, thinking you just wanted Sam for sex." Andy said and really wished he hadn't thrown away his joint.

"You were just looking out for him," Lucifer said, "He is a bit too trusting, I understand."

Andy dug into his back pocket and pulled out the extra blunt Ash had rolled for him and lit it. "You want some?" he asked and Lucifer frowned.

"I don't smoke." he said, "And as a student here I have to report all illegal activities." Andy's eyes grew wide. "But I'll let it slip this time." The older man smiled and Andy felt himself relax and grin in response.

.


.

A willow tree grew in the arboretum by the small indoor river. Underneath the willow tree was an old wooden bench that was the last piece of the original school that had been built in 1873. In the 70's, Hunter's Academy had been burned to the ground by a freak lightening storm. Only this bench and the willow tree, which was a transplanted branch from a previous tree that had been burned, survived the fire.

There were no other students inside except for Castiel and Balthazar. Dean had shown Castiel the secret back door the Botany students used and always left unlocked. Most of this past week, Castiel had been preferring its company to that of his friends at lunch.

"They said I shouldn't haven gotten involved." he explained to his cousin, "That is was not my place to join him that night."

"Vous plaisantez!" Balthazar exclaimed, "I knew Uriel always had a stick up his arse, but I never thought he'd go that far, the prat."

"Anna agreed with him." Castiel said miserably.

"Anna too?" Balthazar snorted, "Dean's your boyfriend, mate, y'have to side with him."

"I don't have to." Castiel rolled his eyes, "But yes, as his partner I will stand by him. It's more though, Balthazar, I wanted to side with Dean. You were there, you didn't hesitate either."

"Yeah, that was quite uncharacteristic of me, I'll admit."

"Nothing went as it should have in that party." Castiel sighed.

"Oh really?" Balthazar arched an eyebrow, "Not even when I found you two playing tonsil hockey in the closet? That's twice now this week I've had the misfortune of walking in on you, if you're keeping count. Though this morning it was more of Gabe's fault, I just passed by innocently and saw the aftermath."

"I don't understand how people keep interrupting so often." Castiel blushed, "Statistically—"

"Love and statistics don't go together, chéri."

"Fine. Up until that point, the party was fine, but after that—"

"Wait, wait!" Balthazar threw his hands up, "Seriously?"

"What?" Castiel was nonplussed. Balthazar flailed.

"I just threw out the "L" word and you didn't blink! You love him? You love Dean?" Castiel opened his mouth as his eyes got wide and he quickly turned his head away. Balthazar jumped up, "You do. You do! You so love him, Cassie, don't even try to deny it now!"

"I never said..."

"You didn't have to say, mate. I can tell." Balthazar gestured, "Well that explains everything, like why you're so wound up 'bout what Uriel and Anna said. I mean, its one thing for a friend to say they don't like your casual boyfriend and maybe you should dump him, but its somethin' else entirely if they say it about the man you love."

"I didn't—"

"What? Are you saying y'don't love him?" Balthazar crossed his arms, "Go on then, say it. Prove me wrong."

Castiel stayed silent and hung his head.

"Ah ha!" Balthazar grinned.

"It's stupid, we've only been dating a few months and he can't possibly feel the same way." Castiel glared at the ground, "That isn't how Dean operates and I don't blame him. I just need to step back and—"

"Tell 'im how you feel." Balthazar interrupted. Castiel blanched.

"Wh-what? No! No, I couldn't. That would only confuse him."

"Don't see how, 's only three words." Balthazar said.

"With serious implications." Castiel said and clenched his fists, "It would be better for Dean to figure out his own feelings first before I dump mine all over him."

"Y'could be here awhile then, chéri." Balthazar replied, "The Winchester boys aren't known for their self-reflection and confrontation of emotions. Take Sam, legarçon formidable, still can't figure out if he likes Lucifer or not, though I'm quite sure even Dean is starting t' take notice."

"I can take the waiting." Castiel argued, "I like where we are right now, honestly. Dean's been taking it slowly with the, uh, physical side of our relationship—"

"Clearly."

"—so I can take it slowly on the emotional aspect." Both cousin's looked evenly at each other, Balthazar from where he stood and Castiel on the old and slightly burnt bench. Balthazar caved first.

"At least do somethin', mate." he pleaded, "Let the man know that your feelings are definitely more than casual. Believe me, you'll regret it if you don't."

"How?" Castiel asked after a moment, "Without outright saying it, of course." Balthazar paced in front of bench for a few minutes, the river gurgling in the background. The blond finally stopped and snapped his fingers.

"Je sais! This weekend!"

"Excuse me?" Castiel tilted his head.

"Do something this weekend," Balthazar explained, "something small but personal that says 'y'mean a lot to me, this isn't a fling' but without screaming th' words 'I LOVE YOU', see?"

Castiel squinted, "I believe so."

"You don't look very impressed, Cassie."

"No—I," Castiel paused, "I guess I'm just not sure what I should do." Balthazar flopped back down next to his younger cousin and stretched his arms out across the back of the bench.

"He's not my boyfriend, mate. That's your job to figure out."

"Right." Castiel said, sarcasm lighting his voice, but he dropped it. "Thank you, Balthazar." The older boy wouldn't meet his gaze, but the back of Balthazar's neck and ears were tinged pink with a blush and Castiel smiled.

.


.

Dean's arms were almost completely healed. The doctors had said it would probably take two weeks to get back the full use of his arms, but Dean was fairly certain that by the time the weekend was over he'd be at full strength. Which was great because he was going stir-crazy in Fitness class.

"C'mon Winchester, enough with the tricks, show us what you've been working on." Gordon complained as the class waited for Rufus to show up. He, Dean, Ava, and Castiel were lounging on the wooden bleachers. Dean gave him a cocky grin.

"Where'd be the fun in that Rufus?" He said, but the truth was he was itching for some action. The entire week he'd had to train alone and separate from the others, unable to do the normal warm-ups and sparring. He'd like nothing more than to jump up and take on the whole class just to work up a good sweat.

At least the week hadn't been in vain. His new fighting style was coming along beautifully.

"The fun would be in crushing you." And Gordon was anxious. Nobody had been able to catch Dean's new workout routine or what he was developing.

"Maybe just a sneak peek." Ava chimed in. She was just as anxious, but more chipper and friendly about it. Although, Dean figured, would be just as ruthless in fighting him. "Castiel, you're his boyfriend, get him to show us."

Castiel was the only one who hadn't bugged Dean about the whole thing.

"Dean, I would like it very much if you were to share with us what new techniques you are working on." Or not. Dean's grin grew even wider.

"So, three against one, huh?"

"Quit messing, you know you want to." Gordon frowned, "I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

"Me too." Dean just couldn't stop grinning. "Alright, what the hell. C'mon Gordon, you're on—"

"ALRIGHT SLACKERS, LINE UP!" Rufus barked as he burst through the door. Dean watched as a blood vessel throbbed dangerously on Gordon's temple.

"Sir!" the dark boy ground out, "Winchester and I were just talking and he was eager to showcase his new fighting style you've let him develop."

"That so?" Rufus glanced over at the four as the group came together with the rest of the class. Dean noticed that Castiel's face had gone from intrigued to worried when he had agreed to spar with Gordon. "That so, boy?" the professor asked Dean.

"A little show couldn't hurt." he shrugged carelessly and Castiel tensed next to him.

"Dean, I wasn't serious when I said I wanted to see—"

"A word with you Winchester." Rufus called and Dean trotted over, shooting a look over his shoulder at Castiel. He and Rufus walked a little ways from the class as Rufus shouted for the class to start their daily stretches.

"Sir?" Dean asked as they stopped.

"I've been watching your progress, boy." The taller man grunted, "And I gotta say I'm impressed with what you've come up with and how you're developing." Dean stood, stunned. That was high praise coming from Rufus. "But you think you're up for this? One on one with Gordon of all people? I mean maybe Travis or Novak but—"

"Sir," Dean interrupted respectfully, "Actually I was thinking it'd be better if you put me up against Cas, Gordon, and Ava together." Rufus stared hard at Dean for a long moment and the boy felt himself start to sweat. Finally, the older man cracked a grin.

"Boy, it's scary sometimes how much you've got everyone convinced, even I forget."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, tilting his head. A habit he had picked up from Castiel.

Rufus pointed at his chest. "You got everyone thinking you're some dumb loudmouth who flings wise-cracking insults and charmed smiles wherever he goes, when in fact, there's nothing further from the truth. You've got a sharp mind in there," He moved to Dean's forehead, "and it's always thinkin' and planning."

"I dunno about that, sir." Dean said, scratching the back his head and starting to blush. Nobody had ever called him smart before. Sam was smart, he was just Dean. He was good at designing cars and punching things. "I just go with my instincts...and I am a loudmouth with a sexy smile."

"So he says." Rufus replied unconvinced, "Alright, take on those three and let's see what happens."

"Yes sir!" Dean's grin was nearly feral. As he turned around he plastered on a overly fake smile instead. A proper spar at last! It was Christmas come early. "Hey Gordon!" He called out and raised a hand, "Looks like you got your wish!" Gordon's face lit up.

"Now you're talking, Winchester!" he roared and practically ran over to the sparring mats, throwing on the protection gear . This time Castiel interjected.

"Dean!" he said sharply, "You're still hurt." His voice was urgent, "What I said earlier was merely in jest, please don't do this. I take it back, that was foolish of me to say."

"Cas please," Dean said as he walked past the other boy, "It'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'm sparring with you too."

"Wh-what?" Castiel spun around to Dean's retreating back, "T-two against one?"

"Three against one." Dean held up the fingers and joined Gordon on the mat. "C'mon Ava, you too!"

"Oh sweet!" The girl squealed and hopped over. "You're going down Dean!"

"Ava." Castiel warned and turned to Rufus, "Professor, please! You can't condone this, Dean is still injured."

"Cas," Dean said seriously from the mat, hands tucked in his pockets. "Don't you trust me?" Castiel paused and slowly faced him, eyes wide. "Do you?"

"I..." the blue-eyed boy bit his lip and Dean had to ignore how cute that was, "I do, but—"

"You don't want to hurt me?" Dean grinned and his voice became deeper, his stance more aggressive, "I'd like to see you try." Something flickered in Castiel's eyes and the other boy released a breath, a small smile coming to his lips as he walked to the mat at last.

"Please don't make me regret this Dean." he said and took up a fighting stance next to Gordon.

Dean stood before the trio and shrugged, "Have a little faith, Castiel."

"Only one of you needs to pin him." Rufus spoke up from the sidelines as the rest of the class gathered eagerly to watch, "Please don't kill each other, I hate paperwork."

A pause.

"BEGIN!"

Dean crouched and took a wider stance as Gordon, Ava, and Castiel charged. Gordon came from head on like a freight train while Ava leapt upwards to come crashing down on him, Castiel, as always, vanished. Dean knew he was coming around behind him. Dean knew how all three of his classmates fought. That was his greatest advantage, but not his only one.

Just as Gordon's fist came close to his head Dean ducked and rolled to the side, arms tucked in and hands in his pockets still. His leg shot out as he spun and tripped Gordon as the other boy stumbled from his momentum, the fall causing Castiel to jerk back from where he had been coming in to take Dean by surprise and forced him to leap back. Ava came crashing down and Dean fell onto his back to avoid her knee as it sunk into the mat. He used his own momentum to roll backwards and popped up, dancing around and away from the trio.

"C'mon guys, gotta do better than that." he taunted, hopping from one foot to another. It was odd, usually he was much more like Gordon in his fighting technique, the others were still trying to get a grip on what he was doing.

Gordon was, predictably, the first to move. He hauled himself up and ran at Dean again but Gordon pulled back at the last minute and dropped, doing a floor sweep with his leg to throw Dean off balance. Dean was actually surprised, Gordon had caught on quicker than he'd thought. Or maybe the boy was just acting on instinct like Dean did. Dean grinned and finally slid his arms out of his pockets. Just as Gordon's leg was about to sweep Dean's from under him, Dean spun. He brought his right leg up, kicking, and twisted his entire body to become airborne. Gordon's leg swept under his body and Dean brought his left leg down as he landed, his right leg arcing over coming to the ground firmly. And now Gordon had left himself exposed. From where he was crouched Dean delivered a powerful side kick with the heel of his foot directly to Gordon's head, connecting soundly with the sparring helmet and knocking the other boy clear off the mat.

Dean would have mentally congratulated himself but Ava was upon him before Gordon had even hit the floor. Her arms snaked out to try and grab him, she specialized in throws, and Dean worked hard to dodge her. He sensed more than saw Castiel come from the corner of his eye, Ava and Castiel were better at working together. Dean flipped back to dodge the raven-haired boy's punch and Ava's lunge, landing on his hands and flipping back forwards over Ava's body and away from Castiel.

"Wh-what was that?" Ava asked as she sat up and pouted at Dean, "That wasn't a proper fighting move."

"Yeah, stole it from breakdancing, sorry." Dean grinned back. Castiel came from the side this time and Dean spun around him. Ava's kick leapt out and Dean dropped, rolling on his back and flipping up without his hands. Castiel and Ava attacked in unison now. Dean dodged this way and that, a using any unconventional move he had been studying for the past week, only using his arms in flips or to steady himself during kicks or dodges. The only kicks he used were low kicks to knock his opponents off balance or break their stance. He never stopped or paused in his movements. That was the trick, to keep the momentum going.

Finally, Ava got frustrated and threw her own kick at Dean, but it was to his head and high kicks were dangerous in battle. They left a person wide open and were easy to dodge. Dean barely had to try and duck beneath the blow before coming up and delivering a knee thrust directly into the girl's stomach and flipping her over him to slam her down onto the mat, checking her in a pin.

Now it was just him and Cas. Thing was, Dean knew Castiel wouldn't use his full strength against him. Not when he perceived Dean as injured. Honestly, Dean couldn't blame him. He wouldn't want to fight Castiel if his boyfriend was injured either. It meant that Dean would have to end this fight quickly, though. Castiel would try to prolong it out, tire Dean down and it was a good plan, Dean was still out of shape for longer battles. He needed to build up his stamina a lot more.

So Dean would pull out his ace move.

True, it was meant for larger opponents than himself but Dean knew Castiel's body well enough not to hurt him...and that sounded dirty even in his own head. Dean dodged to the side as Castiel aimed for his head and jumped back. The smaller boy leapt and kicked out at Dean but kept himself well-guarded as Dean rolled underneath him and looked for an opening. Castiel was by far the most dangerous fighter of the three.

Dean put his plan into action and raised his arms in front of himself and took his old stance, watching in satisfaction as Castiel hesitated for a moment. Dean charged, just like how he used to and for one moment wished he could swing into his normal attack and jab to Castiel face, but he held himself back and watched as Castiel shifted his own stance to meet Dean's new approach and that was when Dean struck.

He ran right past Castiel, hooking his right arm across the other boy's chest and gripping Castiel's left shoulder as he did so. Dean placed his left hand on Castiel's right shoulder and used his momentum to swing upwards behind Castiel's back, his legs flying into the air. Dean twisted as he spun and placed a knee on either side of Castiel's head as his legs came up, Dean then curved his 1eft knee and used it as a grip against the other boy's neck as he continued spinning and flipped Castiel right over him and threw the boy to the ground onto his back with Dean's leg's across his neck in a scissor hold. Pinned.

"Sorry, that was a "wrestling" move." Dean huffed, "Called the spinning huracanrana

or crucifix headscissor—never did figure out which."

"Match!" Rufus yelled and Dean only then realized how crazy the class was going. Wild cheers rang out from everywhere. Dean carefully lifted his legs and looked down.

"You ok, Cas?" The other boy blinked at him.

"That actually didn't hurt at all, I'm more stunned than anything else."

"Yeah well, that's WWE Smackdown wrestling for you." Dean grinned, "It's all fake. But useful, as I recently found out, to take someone down if performed correctly."

"That was dangerous." Castiel glared, "You left yourself vulnerable, if I hadn't been caught off guard—"

"That's the point Cas," Dean chuckled as he sat up and looked down at the other boy, "I only did it because I knew it would catch you off guard."

"Oh." Castiel gave a sheepish grin and Dean had to resist the urge to kiss him in front of the entire class.

"Aww man, I can't believe I lost." Ava whined from where she sat next to the sparring mat, "How'd you beat all of us Dean? You barely even used your arms!"

"Because I'm awesome, Ava." Dean said without really saying. "That's how."

"One day, Winchester." Gordon groused from where he sat nursing his head. Dean leaned over Castiel and looked down.

"How 'bout you, Cas? Sore that you lost to me?"

Castiel just blinked again. "I found your display of strength and speed quite arousing." Dean flushed a deep red and slammed his head to the ground. He blamed Castiel for the bloody nose he got afterwards.

.


.

Sam whistled tunelessly to himself as he packed for the weekend. He still needed to go over to Lucifer's and see if he was coming with them. Gabriel said when he had asked, Lucifer hadn't seemed sure but Sam didn't like the idea of the older man staying by himself. Sam zipped up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, Lucifer should be done with all of his classes by now—

"Sam?"

"Huh?" Sam turned and saw Andy and Jo standing at the doorway. "Oh." Great, Sam really did not want to deal with this right now. "Hey guys, I was just about to head out. Going home for the weekend. Usual stuff."

"Sam." Jo said this time with ice in her voice as she crossed her arms. Sam sighed.

"Guys, seriously, can't this wait until after I get back?"

"No—" Jo started but Andy cut her off gently.

"Sam, we're sorry." he said and Sam blinked.

"Um, what?" He hadn't expected that. "Y-you are?"

"Yeah." Andy hung his head, "We were out of line." He nudged his foot against Jo's and the girl sighed.

"I was just worried." she admitted, "He's so much older than you a-and he'd been paying a lot of attention to you and...and I jumped to conclusions without trying to get to know him first. I'm sorry Sam." Sam wanted to hold onto the indignation he felt but his two friends both looked ashamed and Sam couldn't even try to do anything but forgive them.

"I'm sorry too." He finally said and dropped his bag. "I shouldn't have yelled at you Jo, or you Andy. That was wrong of me."

"Hey, at least from your point of view it's understandable." Andy said.

"Well, it's understandable where you guys were coming from too." Sam said and then paused, "Oh man." He slapped a hand to his face and grinned, "Now we're seeing who had more right to be upset."

Jo giggled and Andy smiled nervously, looking between the two.

"I-I guess we've all had a lot going on." She said after a moment. "We were all hit pretty hard by Jess—"

"Yeah." Sam said and looked down, "We were."

"Well, we don't wanna keep you." Andy said suddenly, "We can talk more when you get back?"

"Oh," Sam perked his head up, "I-If you guys wanted to come along, actually. Bobby and Gabe are gonna cook up this huge BBQ."

"You need this weekend for yourself, Sam." Jo said, "Take it. We'll see you again Sunday night."

"We can come over another time." Andy said, "See ya soon, dude."

"Right, thanks guys." Sam smiled as he picked up his pack again, "Thanks for the talk, I needed it."

"Me too." Andy said and Sam pulled both of them into a quick hug before letting them go and running out the door.

"See ya guys later!" he called out and ran out of the building, feeling lighter than he had in a long time.

.

.

To Be Continued...


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A/N: So a bit longer, I had more planned for this part but it got moved over to the second part because I liked where it ended. What did you think of everybody in this chapter? Dean and his awesome fighting abilities?

Fun Facts Time!: The pygmy shrew has the highest metabolism of all animals. It has to eat almost constantly in order to maintain its high metabolic rate.

Dean is using the butterfly kick (the one he uses to dodge Gordon) correctly, as in actuality, using this kick for an attack in combat is completely ineffective. The butterfly kick's original purpose was to evade an opponent's floor sweep and flip to the antagonist's exposed side.

and yes, the Huracanrana is a real WWE Smackdown move. Dean watched it a lot as a child until he learned it wasn't real fighting and his heart was broken.

Reviews are loved and will bring you cookies!