Content: In which we turn back the hands of time and witness Dean and Castiel meet for the very first time in high school.

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Author's Note: I know I ended the last chapter on an evil cliffhanger and unfortunately this one isn't that much better either considering it's a flashback to their high school time ^^' But don't you worry, I'm gonna upload the next chapter tonight as soon as I get back home because I don't wanna let you hang in the air for too long ;)

And once more, thank you so much for all your amazing feedback, I highly appreciate it!

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Dean grits his teeth and casts a glance at the watch on his wrist for the millionth time in the last fifteen minutes.

His last class has been over ages ago, but instead of placing his lazy ass on the couch at home, eating junk food and watching bad TV, he's standing at the school's parking lot, leaning against the Impala and looking like a poor dude who got stood up.

And well, he kinda feels like that actually.

Admittedly, it's not a hot chick he's expecting but his baby brother who somehow convinced Dean, by the sheer power of the puppy eyes, to stay longer, so he's got a chance to enjoy his after school club for super nerds and live the dream or whatever, but it's still more or less the same. Sam had been annoying his whole family for weeks now that he wanted to participate, however, their dad would only grant his permission with the assurance of safe transportation since their school is somewhere in bombfuck nowhere and it takes forever to get home by bus. So eventually Dean relented because Sam can be a persistent piece of work sometimes, though made it perfectly clear at the same time that he wouldn't allow any kind of further delays.

Sure, he had to stay an extra period, but he totally used that time by making out with Cindy Marson in the janitor closet and somehow squeezing a few minutes in to do his homework in the library, so it hadn't been a complete waste of time. However, that extra period had been planned right from the start. He got an opportunity to get acquainted with the thought and make the best of it.

Because he's an awesome brother like that.

But he wasn't prepared to wait in the parking lot for over twenty minutes, with no Sam in near sight.

Stupid little boy probably lost track of time geeking over nerdy stuff.

Dean is quite eager to march into the building and drag Sam out like a petulant child, right in front of his friends, but he's got no idea where that club of his is or what it's even called, so he could totally miss Sam searching for the right room and make the tour all for nothing.

So instead Dean decides to stay next to the car and practice his death glare.

It turns out quite easy since there is a lot of anger building up inside of him.

"Excuse me?"

The deep and slightly familiar voice comes out of nowhere and Dean finds himself startling very unattractively. At least there are some embarrassing noises and an almost heart attack involved.

He turns toward the newcomer and is confronted with such an intense blue that he has to swallow.

Castiel Novak.

The new guy who joined them in their senior year after being home-schooled the years before. Dean hadn't interacted with him that much apart from a few glances here and there and maybe a grunted 'hello' first thing in the morning (a time where he's neither coherent nor especially responsive), so it's quite surprising to see him up that close.

It makes Dean's stomach flutter in a very weird way.

"I'm sorry," Castiel says. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Dean clears his throat awkwardly and starts to tug at his collar, trying for cool and probably missing by a mile. "I wasn't scared," he deflects. "Just … surprised."

Castiel seems like he doubts that very much, but is way too polite to put this into words. Instead he asks, "You're Dean Winchester, right?"

He sounds as if he already knows the answer to that question, but thought it necessary to ask nonetheless for some unfathomable reason. Dean merely blinks and nods, withholding the snarky remark that's sitting on the tip of his tongue.

He's got a tendency to get extra sarcastic when he's not feeling very comfortable.

And right now he's the farthest from comfortable.

Mainly because Castiel doesn't seem to understand what socially acceptable even means. Dean noticed before that the guy obviously didn't interact with kids his age (or people in general) that much before since he's absolutely shitty with reading body signals or acknowledging any kinds of boundaries. He seems a bit like a toddler who doesn't get that you shouldn't stare at people without blinking over a longer period of time.

So yeah, the guy is socially awkward and very intense.

And his eyes are even bluer than Dean expected.

"I wondered if I could ask a favor of you?" Castiel sounds very shy, but nonetheless trains his gaze on Dean. "I hope it's not too much, I wouldn't mean to impose. But I could really use your knowledge and I would pay you, of course …"

"Um," Dean says, blinking, not exactly sure where this is heading.

"And certainly you could say no, I wouldn't blame you –"

"Just tell me what you want!" Dean cuts in and immediately winces because it probably sounded a bit snappier than necessary.

Castiel, however, doesn't seem fazed by it. "Someone told me you're quite good with cars."

Dean simply stares at him for a minute. "Uh … yes?"

Bobby and John showed him everything there was to know about the insides of an automobile basically since he was old enough to hold a screwdriver without poking his eye out.

"My car," Castiel says, pointing behind himself, "it's not starting."

Dean looks at the pimp car a bit further down the parking lot. It had been the very first thing he noticed when he came back from summer break because there is probably not a single car uglier than this one on the whole planet. It felt like his eyes were burning by even looking at it.

Another sarcastic remark is waiting on the tip of Dean's tongue, but he keeps himself together. Castiel most likely doesn't get a joke even if it bites him in the ass and Dean seriously doesn't want to be remembered as the rude and insensitive macho boy to this guy. There are already enough people on this fucking school thinking that (and worse) about him.

So instead he offers, "I could take a look."

And he is rewarded by a smile so unexpected Dean doesn't really know how to deal with that.

Usually Castiel is the quiet type who keeps in the background, far away from any kind of trouble, and Dean barely saw a twitch of his mouth before today. Dean wasn't even sure whether the guy knew the meaning of showing any kinds of emotions to begin with. The few times Dean spared him some attention Castiel's face had been blank and fairly expressionless.

So to see that smile now, the crinkling of his eyes – it does something to Dean he can't really explain.

"You are very kind," Castiel says, sounding so fucking genuine that Dean's chest starts to clench painfully.

Dean simply waves him off, mumbles something about "No big deal" and strides toward the hideous car before he'd do anything stupid, like blushing or stammering. That would have been something he's not certain he'd ever be able to recover from.

As soon as his head is hidden deep underneath the hood, his eyes searching for the reason the engine wouldn't start, he releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding in the first place.

Weird.

"I can't thank you enough," Castiel's voice comes from beside him, making Dean aware of their very close proximity. Obviously he approached Dean quiet like a freaking ninja and ignored every single rule about personal space ever invented as he presses himself toward Dean, most likely to take a glance over the boy's shoulder.

And Dean can't help noticing that Castiel's body is very hot.

Temperature wise, of course.

Not … the other thing.

"Um … it's okay," Dean mutters, his heart making a jump he's not sure he's able to interpret. "I'm just … waiting for my stupid baby brother anyway. It's not like I've got anything better to do."

And wow, somehow that sounded ruder than Dean actually intended.

He's on the verge of apologizing because a lot of people don't get his humor and Castiel doesn't seem like the type who understands even any kind of joke, but before he's even able to open his mouth he hears Castiel chuckling.

"Brothers can be quite challenging sometimes, right?"

Dean's lips curl upwards. "You've got one of those, too?"

"Gabriel is a few years older than me, but acts like he's still in kindergarten." Castiel sighs, obviously feeling quite punished by some higher powers for the existence of his brother. "He's fairly taxing."

Dean can easily imagine that. Castiel seems rather annoyed by juvenile behavior happening around him, always rolling his eyes and obviously praying that he'd be anywhere else, so it must be sort of hard to have to deal with that at home as well.

"Well, Sammy is the opposite," Dean explains. "Way too advanced for his age. Most of the time I feel really dumb next to him."

Dean feels Castiel stiffen and he throws a glance over his shoulder, wondering if he missed something. Castiel just stares at him, long and intense, his blue eyes so hypnotizing Dean can't help asking himself whether if might be possible to get lost in them forever.

"You are far from stupid, Dean." Castiel's voice sounds really freaking serious, as if he's awfully offended by a good friend's behalf, and Dean finds himself flushing like a little girl.

"Um …"

"I don't know you very well," Castiel says, stepping even closer and decreasing the space between them to a minimum, "but I observe. I saw you writing down answers to teacher's questions into your notebook before anyone could even say them out loud. I watched you mouthing along when someone were reciting a poem. I noticed all the little notes you wrote in your Vonnegut book and the fact that you obviously already finished reading although the teacher's deadline isn't until the end of next week."

Dean's blush deepens and he hastily hides insides the depths of Castiel's monstrous car before it became too obvious. He actually never thought that anyone would pay that much attention to him – after all, he is just the kid with the too big of a mouth who pushes people away when they're trying to get too close – and he seriously doesn't know how to respond to that.

Granted, it seems like Castiel tends to watch everyone from afar and not solely Dean specifically, nonetheless the boy feels his stomach flutter for a moment.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Dean," Castiel continues with the seriousness of a grown-up in his forties or something. "You don't deserve that."

Who the hell says stuff like that?

No wonder not many kids wanna hang out with the guy. Dean probably would feel fidgety the whole time if he had to spend more than a few minutes with Castiel.

Even their brief interaction right now is kinda hard to deal with.

For a moment Dean considers running. Just claiming that he's got no idea what's wrong with the car and getting out of there. It wouldn't be the first time he'd bail out of an awkward situation.

But somehow it feels wrong and Dean finds himself actually appalled by the sheer idea of leaving Castiel hanging like that.

So instead he does what's he does best: changing the topic.

"Um … you got any special plans for today?" he asks and instantly flushes when he realizes how that might sound like. "I mean … I just – I don't know how long this might take and I don't want you to miss … well, whatever you've got planned."

"I have indeed somewhere important to be," Castiel agrees in a gravelly voice. "That's why I'm very grateful you're making the effort of fixing my car. I wouldn't know how to reach my destination otherwise."

"Hot date?" Dean can't help wondering. He casts a look over his shoulder and notices Castiel dropping his gaze.

"It's very important that I don't miss my appointment," he states before falling silent after that. Whatever it is, he's obviously not very keen to talk about it.

And Dean seriously respects these kinds of boundaries. It's not like he's got any right to know anyway.

So he offers, "I could drive you. I mean, if I'd be unable to fix your piece of junk in time."

He winces immediately because he honestly didn't intend to insult that stupid car (as much as this thing might deserve it), but Castiel thankfully doesn't seem mad. Instead his whole face softens when he steps closer once again.

"You would do that?" he asks, awed. "Although you have no idea where I need to be? It could be on the other side of town."

Dean lifts an eyebrow. "Is it?"

Castiel shakes his head. "No. But it could have been."

Dean coughs awkwardly, not really sure what to do with the look on Castiel's face. No one ever prepared him for something like this.

So he mumbles a low, "Wouldn't be a biggie," and goes back to work.

And fortunately just a couple of minutes later he finds the culprit. He suppresses a relieved sigh (since it totally would have sounded like a thank-God-I-can-espcape-the-situation-now sigh and Dean isn't exactly sure how Castiel would have taken it) and explains, "It's the carb. It's just a minor problem, but really hard to find. You're lucky I had something similar before, otherwise I'd probably missed it."

"I am very lucky indeed," Castiel answers in such a serious voice Dean feels a shiver running down his back.

"Um … I'm getting my tools."

It doesn't take long to fix the problem and Dean is entirely grateful for that. Castiel is way too intense to handle it properly and though he thankfully doesn't seem to notice Dean's discomfort, Sam is about to show up any second now and he definitely would have picked up on Dean's unusual behavior right away. That's something Dean honestly doesn't wanna see happening.

"So, you're all set up," Dean announces after a few minutes of fumbling. "Try to start the car."

Castiel dutifully does as he told … and the engine roars to life as soon as he turns the key in the ignition.

"It works!" Castiel sounds seriously amazed like it's an actual miracle someone was able to repair his piece of junk. "I can't thank you enough, Dean."

And then he smiles.

No, he fucking beams.

And Dean feels like a starstruck idiot watching this while his heart tries to jump out of his ribcage. He never felt something like this before and the urge to run away before he does or says something super embarrassing grows stronger by the second.

"Uh … no – no problem, Cas," he mutters, hoping that the blush on his cheeks isn't too prominent.

Castiel's smile only intensifies after those words (and how is that even possible?) and Dean takes a minute to realize that the boy is obviously pleased by the unconscious nickname Dean gave him just now.

Dean feels frozen on the spot, simply gapes and searches for some proper responses or reactions in his apparently empty brain, and he probably would have stayed like this for a long time (since Castiel doesn't seem to know when to stop either) if he didn't catch a glimpse of his little brother exiting the school building and heading toward the Impala.

Dean instantly jolts himself out of his reverie and mumbles, "Gotta go," pointing vaguely in Sam's direction.

Castiel follows his line of sight. "Ah, I see," he says. "Well, I certainly don't want to keep you. Thank you so much for your help."

And then he suddenly touches Dean's wrist and squeezes it slightly, their skins making contact and letting Dean's brain short-circuits for a moment. "Please let me know how I can recompense you."

Dean wants to argue that there is no need for that, that it was just a simple fix-up, but he can't bring his mouth to work. He only manages a weak, "It's okay, bye!" before he does the one thing he's craving for since Castiel first smiled at him.

He flees.

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They didn't interact very much after that incident.

And only Dean was to blame for that.

Castiel tried to reach out to him a few times after. He smiled at Dean, waved, said hello. And attempted to pay him for fixing his car a few times – which Dean declined every single time.

Castiel seemed eager to get closer contact.

But Dean … he found himself recoiling. Every time Castiel came near him, he hastily turned around, desperate to avoid the boy at all costs. And he hated himself for being so plain obvious a couple of times, the disappointment in Castiel's face so freaking visible it hurt like little did before, but he just couldn't help himself.

Dean was confused. And downright terrified by all these strange feelings that awoke as soon as Castiel even looked at him.

The fluttering of his stomach, the jolting of his heart, the blushing …

Of course Dean wasn't an idiot. All these things, he was supposed to feel for girls. At least John told him many times how he fell in love with their mom and he described his emotions more or less the same.

So it didn't make a lot of sense that Dean was having them for this dorky and weird guy with the blue eyes.

That's why he tried not to cross paths with Castiel. They only shared one class and hadn't much contact before that anyway, so in the end it didn't turn out to be that challenging. Especially after Castiel apparently gave up to win Dean's attention eventually and returned to the background and continued to hang out with the few odds friends he made in the past.

Dean caught him looking a few times after that, but that was about it. Castiel never attempted to speak with him again.

And Dean should have been grateful for that. After all, he had no time at all for some kind of sexuality crisis with their dad being gone once again. He had to do his job at the garage and take care of Sam. He couldn't afford any distraction.

But the only thing he felt was emptiness.

For a really long while.

He couldn't shake it off. He found himself watching Castiel from afar again and again, studying the different ways he scrunched up his nose when being puzzled or simply irritated by the things happening around him. Dean saved all the little things about him in the back of his mind, holding onto it, but at the same time telling himself over and over that he won't use that information later anyway.

That he can't use it.

And before Dean even fully realized it, graduation came along and Castiel moved away to visit some fancy college to live his nerdy dream.

Dean never saw him again.

Until now.