A/N: I told you this was going to be a long one! ;) I hope you like it, and please review with your thoughts, and leave suggestions if you have any! ^^
Chapter 23 – After the practice
After almost three weeks of running in the gym, Dean felt like the thirty laps were the easiest thing ever. He would run every day, trying to gain stamina, and now he could run for more laps than necessary.
"Which lap is this one?" Benny asked Dean as the boy passed him.
Dean turned around mid-run and smiled before answering, continuing his lap.
"Thirty-three!" He replied, giving Benny a thumbs up.
Benny chuckled, "Alright Champion, get over here!" Dean jogged to him and waited a few seconds for him to continue, but since Benny didn't seem to be making any action to start talking, Dean took his opportunity.
"So… Can I start learning how to fight now?" He asked, a large smile forming on his lips.
Benny smirked, "No." Dean pouted and prepared himself to argue, but Benny continued talking before he had the chance to say anything. "I still want you to do something before we go on" Benny stopped talking once again, and Dean thought that he was doing it on purpose.
"Come on Benny! Tell me what I gotta do now!" He asked, eager to continue with their practice.
Benny chuckled. "I'm getting to it! Now that you can run the thirty laps, I want you to do some push-ups and sit-ups before you get your fighting skills."
Dean nodded and sat on the floor.
"How many?" He asked simply, getting ready for the sit-ups.
"Ten of each… And you gotta hold each of them for ten seconds before you go to the next one."
What Dean thought was going to be easy, turned out to be much difficult than he had ever imagined. The first three sit ups were fine, but as began the fourth, his abs started to hurt. Nonetheless, he continued, and as the last one of them came, Dean held himself for fifteen seconds, as if to prove that he could do better than what was asked of him.
"That was good, buddy. Now you gotta do the push-ups!" Benny told him, reminding him that he was almost where he needed to be before starting the actual fighting lessons.
Dean flipped around on the floor and positioned himself so he was ready to do the push-ups. At the same moment, Benny smirked. "I wonder what would happen if I suddenly decided to put something on your back… Do you think you could do it?" He asked Dean, absolutely sure of what the boy would answer.
Dean was counting the seconds before he could get down again to start the next push-up, almost missing Benny's words.
"You gotta do what you gotta do." Dean said simply as he went down, and waited ten more seconds before continuing.
Benny got Dean's schoolbag and placed it on Dean's back. The bag was heavy, since it was full of Dean's books and some extra clothes for after practice, but Dean could handle the bag on his back anytime.
"What if I asked ya to hold it for fifteen seconds instead of ten?" Benny asked, making Dean continue counting instead of lowering his body once again.
"I'd do it without a doubt." Dean said, remembering Benny's rules.
"That's the spirit!" Benny replied, proud of Dean's attitude.
Dean completed the push-ups and sat himself on the floor, looking at Benny expectantly.
"Alright, get up, Dean-o!" Benny stretched out his hand to Dean in order to help him get up, but Dean seemed to be very eager for the actual training, because he was up in a second, without using the support offered to him. "Alright… I'm gonna teach you the basics, so come here."
Dean walked along with Benny as they went to the corner of the gym in which the punching bags were. Benny started to show Dean how to throw a fist at someone; like how he should position his hands, how he should be standing, where to punch, and above all, how to not break his hand while punching someone.
"Dean, you're gonna stand sideways to your target," Benny directed as he molded Dean's body to show him the correct way to stand. "And you're gonna put your left foot in front of you, but not too much, it's mostly just for a question of balance." Dean nodded, indicating that he understood Benny's words, and placed his left foot in front of his body as if it was looking at his target. "And you're gonna correct the way you place your foot right now before you start running laps again… Your foot is supposed to be standing almost at a forty-five degree angle to your target. The way you're standing is very similar to that of an archer."
Dean nodded, but he didn't exactly understand why he couldn't just be standing in front of whoever he wanted to punch.
"Why do I have to do that?" Dean asked, because it was easier to do things when you understand why you shouldn't do them.
"You wanna know why? It's a simple matter of whether you're a big target or it's more difficult to harm you while you're fighting someone." Dean nodded, and positioned himself in the way Benny had showed him. Benny grabbed a tape measure from the floor; he opened it and placed it on the floor, from the middle of the punching bag forming a diagonal line. "You see this line? This line will tell you how to place your feet. Your left toe goes to the left side in that forty-five degree angle I told you about, and it has to be touching the line, while your right heel goes to the other side and steps on the line. Like this…." Benny explained as he placed himself in front of the bag. "That way you're not completely sideways;" He said as he demonstrated his point, by placing each foot away from the line. "You're not completely looking away from your opponent;" Benny continued, as each foot went to the line and he stepped on it. "But rather, you're actually standing comfortably with your left toe and right heel on the line…" Benny finished explaining, placing himself in the correct way. "This way you can still have your shoulders above your knees, you want a little bend on the knees, your elbows are tucked in, your left hand is next to your cheek, and your right is under your chin, which is turned to the floor… Now you do it!"
Benny left the place he was standing and let Dean get in place. At first, Dean spent more time looking at his feet than actually doing what Benny had told him.
"You gotta face your target Dean!" Benny reprimanded the boy, making him raise his chin slightly. "That's a bit better! Now, you're gonna come out of there and go to another punching bag and do the same, but you won't have anything to guide your feet…"
Dean walked to the nearest bag and did his best to remember where every body part had to be. He managed to do it almost perfect, but the only thing he got wrong was his feet.
"You got your feet wrong…" Benny said simply, as he watched Dean look down and blush slightly. He changed his feet to the correct position and Benny nodded, pleased. "That's it, kid! Now you know how to stand! Before we move further, you're gonna practice standing when you're home, ask your brother or your friend to be in front of you… Tell them what you're supposed to do, and then you ask them to throw water at you when you get it wrong." Benny commanded and Dean nodded. Upon Dean's nod, Benny started laughing. "Are you seriously gonna ask them to throw water at ya? I was joking!"
Dean looked at Benny, his face straight, and saw the way his "older brother" was laughing.
"Rules are rules… Never question them." Dean said simply, making Benny nod in agreement.
"I'm glad you have your priorities straight, Dean!" Benny replied, his face showing all the pride he was feeling. "This is it for today. Remember to keep running and to practice how to stand!"
Dean grabbed his things and left the gym, heading for the locker room. It had been an hour since the last class, and so he relaxed completely.
Man, I'm jaded! Damn I really stink! I really gotta take a shower…
And with that thought, Dean gathered his things out of his locker and placed them in the bench that was in front of it. He took his shower gel, shampoo and his towel. Luckily for him, the school had warm water in the showers so he wouldn't freeze when it hit him.
He opened the shower tap and waited for the water to reach a comfortable warmth. He walked back to the bench and left his clothes there. When he got back to the showers, steam had begun to rise from the floor of the shower. Dean walked to his showerhead, and relaxed as the water flowed over his body. The feeling of the water worked miracles for his aching muscles.
Dean took the shower gel and started rubbing it over himself to clean the sweat that had gathered from his practice. As he started to rinse it off, Dean hummed the melody of a song that had been stuck in his head. Soon enough, he started singing the lyrics too.
"I'm an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun, an angel with a shotgun, shotgun, shotgun..." Dean sang softly as he rubbed his chest clean. "Get out your guns, battles begun; are you a saint, or a sinner? If love's a fight, then I shall die, with my heart on a trigger." He grabbed the shower gel bottle once again to get some more to clean his legs. "They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore, if love is what you need, a soldier I will be." The water continued to fall down on him, taking the foam to the ground. "I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting til' the wars won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight." He grabbed the shampoo bottle and threw some of its contents in his hand. He started rubbing his hair and he sang the next bit of the song. "Sometimes to win, you've got to sin, don't mean I'm not a believer. And major tom, will sing along. Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer. They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore, if love is what you need, a soldier I will be." Dean wasn't just singing the song as it was supposed to be sang, Dean was adding a bit of himself to it, letting the words linger when he felt it should stay for a bit more. "I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting til' the wars won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have? And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight. Ooohhh, ooohhh, whoa, whoa, oooh, whoa" Rinsing the shampoo from his head was his next task, and soon, he was putting a bit more in his hand, just to be thorough. "I'm an angel with a shotgun...Fighting til' the wars won...I don't care if heaven won't take me back..." As soon as he was done with the second rinsing of the shampoo, Dean just let himself sing the next bit, using the showerhead as his microphone. "I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting til' the wars won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have. And I, want to live not just survive, tonight. And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight."
Dean was singing so loudly that he didn't notice the sound the door made as it opened. Castiel stepped inside, searching for the person to which the voice belonged. As he saw the bench with clothes, Castiel heard the last part of the song.
"They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for. Well baby, you are all that I adore, if love is what you need, a soldier I will be."
Who could be the person singing so beautifully?
The answer to his question came quickly, as Dean said aloud.
"Dammit Charlie! Why the hell did I tell you I was learning how to fight?!" He said angrily. "Of course you would show me a song about it that would get stuck on my head for the whole week!"
After that, Castiel was a hundred percent sure the voice belonged to Dean. Castiel didn't know what to think about the whole situation; he was torn between staying there and confronting Dean about his voice or just leaving, not letting Dean know he had heard him. There was also another thing lingering in his mind…
Why is Dean learning how to fight? I said in front of the school that he is mine… Are people still after him? They should not be… He should be free from it all.
As Dean walked out of the showers with the steam following him into the locker room, he saw Castiel sitting in the bench where he left his clothes, lost deep in thought.
"What are you doing here?" Dean asked. It's not like he was angry that Cas was sitting there, he was simply curious, since school finished so long ago, why would anyone still be there?
Dean's voice snapped him back to reality, and made him jump slightly, forgetting momentarily that he wasn't alone in the locker room. Castiel didn't remember what Dean asked him, he only had one thing in his mind at the moment, so he asked it.
"Who do you want to fight?" He asked, leaving Dean unprepared to answer the question.
As the question sank in Dean, he blushed. He wasn't expecting anyone to find out, nor did he ever expect to have to explain what he was doing to anyone apart from Sammy and Charlie.
"To protect myself from anyone who tries to hurt me or those I care about…" Dean told him, his voice steady, leaving him proud of himself for not showing how embarrassed he actually was of the situation.
Castiel nodded in acknowledgement. Despite never having said it, Castiel admired Dean and he was impressed that he was learning how to fight for protection.
"You never cease to surprise me." Cas muttered, but it wasn't low enough that Dean didn't hear it. As Dean listened to Castiel's muttered words he looked at the other boy, his face covered in a deep blush. After all, Dean still had a crush on him. No matter what Castiel did to him, deep down he was still dreaming about the day Castiel would notice him, not in a 'I want to torture you' kind of way but more like 'You're cute and I like you' kind of way.
"Why's that?"
A smirk graced Castiel's features. He now had the chance to explain his interest in Dean. He would never just say what he thought about people, unless they asked him. And most of them where too afraid to do so…
"You're unlike everyone else. They're all so easy to control and manipulate that it gets boring… But you, you always fight back and that makes you better than all of those idiots."
Castiel's confession left Dean confused. Is he complimenting me?
"Plus, you can sing." Castiel added after seeing Dean's confused face.
I look like a high school girl! Why am I blushing so hard? Yes, I still like him, but why do I have to blush to everything he says?
"What?!" Dean asked, embarrassed beyond words. "No I don't!"
"Yes you do… I heard you!" Castiel stated firmly, not letting Dean escape.
Shit! Note to self: never sing when you're in school… Dean thought to himself. Self to note: then where can I sing?
"That was nothing…" Dean muttered embarrassed.
Only then did Castiel notice that Dean was only wearing a towel and remembered that he was having a shower when he walked into the locker room. Looking to every bit of Dean's chest, Castiel noticed just how built up he had gotten.
"And your arm looks better than the last time I saw it." Castiel stated, letting his eyes wander from Dean's arm to his chest. After running so much, Dean was starting to gain a different body type. He was getting built up in his stomach, and his legs were getting more muscular. The whole practice with Benny was something that he truly was thankful for, having every muscle on his body sore after it was worth everything because he truly felt different and stronger than before. "You look different."
Not understanding what Castiel was talking about, Dean frowned and he followed Castiel's stare with his eyes. Once he noticed Cas was looking at his now a bit toned chest, even Dean's ears turned red.
"Yes. I guess that's what running does to people." Dean said trying to shake his embarrassment away with a funny reply. "Why did you come here Cas? Shouldn't you be home?"
Castiel's eyes continued fixed on Dean's chest.
"I stayed behind because I wanted to ask Mrs. Mosely about something she said in class and she started ranting about her daughter…" Castiel explained. "…And then I was going home but I heard you singing and decided to find out to whom the voice belonged."
Droplets of water were falling down Dean's face, and he shivered. He was starting to feel cold as he left the showers a few minutes before. Castiel noticed and understood Dean would need to get dressed soon or he would freeze, even if the steam was still coming towards him.
"So you just came here to check out who was singing… Now you know, so you can leave!" Dean said trying to get his teeth to stop chattering.
Castiel smirked and got himself more comfortable in his seat.
"It's too cold outside… I'm just gonna wait here for a bit if you don't mind…"
Dean rolled his eyes. It was too cold to be standing there waiting for Your Majesty to think it was time to leave.
"Whatever." Dean replied as he grabbed his clothes to get dressed on the other side of the lockers. "Just stay there." He asked. It was not as if Dean trusted Castiel wouldn't try to peek on him getting dressed so he used his towel to shield himself from anyone's view.
"You know, I actually wanted to ask you something…" Castiel said from the other side. "Are you ever going to tell me who hurt you?"
"Are you ever gonna let that one go?" Dean asked as he cursed himself mentally. He thanked God Castiel hadn't seen his back… He had most of his scars in his back, and if Castiel saw them he would insist more and more on the matter.
"No." Castiel said simply.
"No."
Getting dressed in a record time was something that left Dean smiling, as soon as he had clothes around his arms and legs he sighed. It was much better like that! He grabbed his towel and walked back to Castiel's side to gather his things.
Castiel looked at him and sighed himself too.
"It's a shame…" He said, as Dean frowned.
"What?" Dean asked.
"You put your clothes on." Cas answered, making Dean blush harder than ever before.
Is he saying he likes my body? Oh my God! He is! What do I do now?
"Hmm… Cas… Hmm…" Dean stuttered slightly trying to think of anything to say. Sadly, he found nothing and resorted to his usual first instinct- did whatever he could to run away and hide. He grabbed all his belongings and shoved them into his bag as quickly as he could. Once he was all done, he looked at Castiel who apparently was still waiting for an answer. "I gotta go… See ya."
I really am a high school girl who just got told by her crush that she has nice eyes! Ugh! Why did I even run? I feel more controlled by him just by letting him think he won!
Castiel watched Dean leave and yet another sigh dropped from his parted lips. With a flick of his tongue, he found his mouth had become inexplicably dry. Why does he still feel the need to run? What is he hiding? And why does he have such severe trust issues? A moment later, Castiel decided to head out, questions buzzing through his head again in what seemed like a very short span of time. Once more he needed answers.
A/N: I wrote a one-shot ("By The Principal's Door") and I would like to ask you guys to read it... And please tell me if you would like to see me add some chapters to it!
~ Stay awesome, guys!