A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot to me. Keep them coming! I wish I could say we were nearing an end to this story, but this is just the beginning.

As soon as Cas was coherent enough, he made it his goal to shower. He felt gross, he smelled even worse and his teeth felt like they were covered in fuzz. Passing out on the bathroom floor tends to do that to a person, though he doesn't quite remember how he got there, or how he got back.

The bathroom was mostly empty, but he could hear one of the showers going. Cas wasn't really a shy guy, per se, but he didn't really like showering in the presence of others. Maybe if he waited a bit by the sinks, the other person would finish and leave so he could shower the scum off in peace.

So he waited. He hung around the sinks, observing his face in the mirror, noting how badly he needed to shave. A 5 o'clock shadow suited him just fine, but he was borderline cavemanish at this point. He noted his pasty complexion, and the dark circles under his eyes. He was kind of amazed the girls weren't lining up to bang him at this point. Nothing says sexy like a hairy, pale, droopy, smelly man.

As he was deep into his pondering, he heard the water in the shower cut off. Curiously, he looked into the mirror, which was angled in such a way so anyone could see the shower stalls. And who should walk out of the shower but Dean fucking Winchester.

Dean was obviously comfortable with public showers, being a baseball player and all, but Cas was not used to seeing the other residents' dangly bits. They usually towel up right away. But Dean was letting it all hang out... Cas was trying to figure it out, as he continued to watch. Perhaps Dean didn't notice Cas was in the room? So Cas pulled a brilliant maneuver, and coughed. Loudly. Hurting himself in the process.

"Well, well, well. Look who lives."

"Not now, Dean. I think I just gave myself a hernia." Cas tried to rub under his bellybutton, isolating the pain, hoping he wasn't going to die.

"Do you need some help?" He could see a look of almost concern on Dean's face.

"Do you need to be naked right now?"

"You didn't have a problem with it when you were watching me through that mirror." He gave Cas that patented I'm-a-cocky-little-shit Winchester smile.

"Like hell I was. I was simply waiting for you to leave so I could shower in peace."

"Well, you definitely need it. You smell like death."

"Yeah, yeah... Showering now."

He walked to the shower stall next to Dean's, and laid out his clothes and towel. He reached into the curtained stall, and turned on the water, finding the ideal temperature. He so wanted to strip and crawl into the shower, but he hesitated a bit because Dean was right there... and Dean was staring. At him.

"Yes, Dean?"

"You know... You never thanked me for helping you out a few days ago."

"Can we not have this conversation when you're naked?"

"Would it still be awkward if you were naked, too?"

"Uh... Wha- Huh? Yes. It would." Figuring he wasn't going to get in the shower in peace, he stripped down as quickly as humanly possible and climbed in the shower, hoping Dean wouldn't still be there when he got out.

The hot water felt amazing. He felt all of his sore muscles suddenly unknot, his lungs open up, and his sinuses begin to clear. It was fucking heaven. He could feel the built-up layer of grime and gunk literally melt off his skin. He could stay in there forever if the hot water didn't run out so quickly. He knew this was Dean's doing. He was not amused.

He shut off the water before it grew too cold, and he could hear movement outside his stall. Silently cursing, he peeked his head out of the curtain to see who was in there. Of course, Dean. At least he was wearing clothes this time. Cas grabbed his towel hanging outside the stall, and wrapped himself up before emerging from the protection of the curtain.

And there stood Dean, a cheesy grin plastered on his face. Cas sighed, "Dean. Two things. One, you used up all my hot water. Two, I am going to kill you in your sleep for that."

"I'm just waiting for some gratitude from you. I didn't have to go and save you."

"Saveme? You drugged me."

"I medicated you. There's a big difference."

"Can we please not talk about this here? Do you, like, wait for one of us to be naked to do this, or something?"

"I'm just taking advantage of the moment. You seem to avoid me, otherwise."

"Because you're a pain in my ass."

"And you love to cuddle."

"I- What?"

"Oh, you don't remember?"

Cas narrowed his eyes. "No...?"

"Well, I better let you get dressed. Don't want you to catch a cold again." Again, the damned I'm-a-cocky-little-shit smile.

"Wait... Explain!" Cas watched as Dean just walked out of the shower room. That son of a bitch. You can't just say something like that and leave. What did he know? What did Cas do? He's up to something, and Cas was going to get to the bottom of it... Just as soon as he put on some boxers before his junk shriveled into oblivion.

He took the time to shave and make himself look human once again, but as soon as he was finished, he stormed out of the shower room; a man on a mission. He headed straight for Room 14. He knocked, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the door opened. It was Chuck.

"Where's Winchester?"

"Not here. Haven't seen him in a few hours."

"Dammit. If you see him, tell him to come see me immediately."

"Sure thing, boss." Cas would have responded, but the door was already closed in his face. That Chuck was an odd character.

But he was on a mission! Back to the hunt for the elusive Winchester. He stopped in the lounge next, and his eyes widened in horror. A couch cushion was missing from the couch.

"WHO THE FUCK STEALS A COUCH CUSHION!" He narrowed his eyes at the one poor soul who happened to be in there at the time. "You..."

There was so much hatred in that single word, that the poor boy nearly cried. "It wasn't me! Some guy took it when I was playing the Wii. Promise!"

"Do you know who it was?"

"Well, he was tall. Dark hair. Green eyes. Kinda cocky."

Cas nearly collapsed to the floor from the rush of anger. "He. Will. Pay. For the cushion." He turned back to the poor boy, "If you see him, you tell him to come find me immediately."

The quivering boy could only nod a response as Cas stormed out of the room and down the hall, cursing loudly. Words like "cushion" and "Winchester" and "death" crept into his ranting, but even Cas wasn't sure what he was saying.

Despite his angry ramblings. something caught his eye on the floor. It was a lone chunk of... "Cushion!" Cas was just about foaming at the mouth at this point. Someone dared rip up the couch cushion, and then taunt him with its remains? No, not someone. Winchester. And the little shit left a trail on the floor.

Cas cursed as he picked up the fluffy remnants, and slowly realized where they lead. The bastard was hiding in Cas' room. How Dean got in there was beyond him, but he knew Dean must pay. Dearly.

Cas slowly opened the door to his darkened room, and saw Dean sitting on his bed, hugging the remaining portion of the cushion to his chest. He had that damned smile on his face again. Cas was going to enjoy this...

"Took you long enough. I thought I was going to fall asleep."

"Dean... I. Am going. To kill you."

"I have a proposition for you."

Cas didn't care. He closed the door behind him, and leapt at Dean, trying to pin him to the bed. He struggled to pull the cushion from Dean's evil clutches, but Dean rolled so that the cushion was beneath him.

"You're not gonna get it unless you make a deal."

"Dammit, Dean. Just give me the cushion!"

"Nope. Deal first!"

Cas sighed, rolling off of Dean, out of breath. "What do you want?" At this point, he just stopped caring. Dean Winchester was going to be the death of him.

"Your Calc notes for the cushion."

"You've plotted this all along, haven't you? From the day I told you I took Calc before... This is what you were plotting?"

"Do we have a deal, or no?"

Cas sighed once again, weighing his options. He couldn't help a resident cheat. He and Dean would both be expelled if they were caught. But if the Resident Director found out there were cushions missing from the lounge, he'd have to pay for it, and he simply couldn't afford a new couch.

"Dean... What if... What if I just help you with your assignments? That way, neither of us are cheating, and neither of us can be expelled."

"You mean like a tutor?"

"If that's what you want to call it, sure."

Cas looked at the perplexed expression on Dean's face. The cogs were clearly turning in his brain. It's not like it was that hard of a decision...

"Yeah, okay. As long as you don't tell anyone. I don't need people to know I had to get a tutor for this shit."

"Deal. Now give me the cushion."

The second Dean handed Cas the cushion, Cas unleashed hell. He started beating Dean with the cushion until his arms were tired, and they both were laughing. Cas finally rolled off the bed, and shoved the bits of cushion that he gathered back into the fabric, hoping no one would notice a lumpy cushion.

"Dean, you and I need to have a little chat."

"About you being Mr. Cuddles?"

"Well, no... About how you got into my damned room. And that, I guess."

"I kinda borrowed the master key a while ago. You were missing and Chuck was worried. So, I got it from that chick running the front desk. But it was just to make sure you were alive. Not to steal anything... Not that you have anything worth stealing, but yeah. I found you in a pile of Kleenex and snot, and you looked miserable. So, aren't you glad I got the key?"

"I... guess."

"Aren't you going to thank me? I was your hero."

"Oh yes. My knight in shining armor."

Dean rolled his eyes and headed for the door, "You'll thank me one day, Novak."

Cas clutched the cushion to his chest and left the room after Dean, intending to replace the cushion where it belonged.

Dean followed along behind him, smug smirk firmly in place, "So, when do you want to start this
tutoring thing?"

Cas glared at Dean over his shoulder as they entered the lounge, Cas going about putting the cushion back and trying to make it look less mauled. Dean wandered over to the fridge in the corner and began poking around at the food Cas had stashed for the next floor meeting.

Cas watched, arms crossed over his chest, as Dean grabbed an ice cream bar. Dean unwrapped it, and began eating it, despite the message 'DO NOT EAT' and 'You must be pure of heart to eat these. Back away, I know you' written on the box of them. Then the little shit had the gonads to offer Cas one.

"Dean... Are you trying to incur my wrath?" Cas was trying his hardest to stay calm.

Dean just smiled with a mouthful of food, "What do you mean?"

"Can you not read? Did you eat paint chips as a child? Did you get hit in the head a few too many times in practice?"

"What's the issue? They're here for everyone, aren't they?"

Cas actually face-palmed at this. "No, Dean. They're not. I had to buy them for the next floor meeting. They were to be saved for that, which is why I wrote those warnings on the box. Normal people would notice them."

"Huh. Guess I'm not normal. That makes me special."

"Makes you a pain in my ass."

Cas, having had enough of Dean for the night, decided it was best he leave before he actually killed the man.

"Where you going? What about the tutoring?"

"I am leaving before I strangle you. Eat any more of those, and there will be hell to pay. Good night, Winchester."

"Bye, Cas..."