A/N: This was only meant to be a oneshot goddamnit you guys. Heads up, I'm going on holiday for two weeks so the next update might be a little late. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

Dean's car is old and classic, and Cas doesn't know why he expected anything else. "I like your car," he says as Dean starts the engine.

"She's beautiful, ain't she?" Dean says fondly, running his hands up and down the steering wheel. "My dad gave her to me about a year ago." He throws an arm over the back of the bench, reversing out of the parking lot with an air of I-know-how-cool-this-looks-and-I-don't-care.

It's silent for a few moments. Cas can't think of anything to say, so he doesn't say anything at all.

"Hey, Cas," Dean says finally, casual as ever, leaning his elbow out the open window. "Tell me something. Nice guy like you, why'dyou sit on your own?"

"It's not out of choice," Cas says bitterly. "It's just always been that way."

Dean nods, understanding that Cas's hostility is not aimed at him. "You ever try making friends?"

"That's... not really my forte."

"Why not?"

Cas just shrugs, looking out the passenger side window.

"Hey. Dude." Dean whistles, forcing Cas's head around to look at him. "Why not?"

"I'm just not good at it, okay? I just... it just doesn't come as easily to me as it does other people."

"Gimme an example." It's a hard concept for Dean to grasp. Cas assumes he's always been popular. He probably doesn't even have to talk, just stand there and look pretty.

"Well, I'm not really into the same media as most teenagers. I spend most of my time reading or, uh... I don't really get movie references, or television references. And I can't make them, either."

Dean glances at him occasionally while trying to keep his eyes on the road. "Okay, well, that's no big deal. Happens to the best of us. Hell, my brother talks about books all the time, you guys might hit it off." The side of his mouth twitches up a minute amount. "There must be other things as well. More important things."

"Why do you care?" asks Cas, not meaning it to come out as harshly as it does.

Dean's hand flexes out on the steering wheel. "Hey, I'm trying to help. You seem like a nice guy. I'm curious, so sue me."

Cas takes a deep breath. "I don't know, uh... I guess there's my family, too."

"Yeah?" A grin spreads across Dean's face. "I know a thing or two about family, man. Shoot."

"Uh, okay. My brothers came here, too, a few years before me, and you could say they... made an impression."

Cas waits for Dean to respond.

After a few moments, Dean says, "My silence is your cue, Cas."

"Right. Sorry. My brother Lucifer was a troublemaker. Have you seen the swimming pool yet?"

"No, why?"

"We don't have one anymore. He blew it up."

Dean snorts. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. He made explosives from gasoline and cat litter, among other things."

"Well I'll be damned." He shakes his head in awe. "I gotta try that. What else?"

"My brother Michael, he was the head of this Christian group trying to get all the homosexual and promiscuous students kicked out. And my sister Anna was the leader of the LGBT society. Every debate they'd just scream at each other until one of them stormed off."

"Jesus Christ, man. You live with that?" Dean opens his door and steps out. Cas is confused for a few moments before realising they've parked somewhere. He gets out and looks around him. They're at a small diner in a place Cas has never seen before.

"Yeah, I have to. Where are we?"

"Couple miles out. C'mon, I'm starving." He moves towards the restaurant and Cas follows.

"So, you were saying?" He holds the door open for Cas, who mumbles his thanks and walks in.

"Um. My brother Gabriel was a prankster of sorts. While Lucifer was setting up in the swimming pool, Gabriel was distracting everyone by putting pornographic movies on the projector in the lecture room."

Dean leads them to a booth near the back of the diner, sliding into a seat. Cas sits opposite him.

"So, what, people are afraid of you?"

Cas nods. "Kind of. I think they're just worried I'm going to cause trouble. Even the teachers avoid me. I'm pretty sure if I missed a deadline they wouldn't even care." Of course, he's never tested this theory.

"You know, you could get back at everyone by, like, setting the place on fire or something." Dean smirks as he hands Cas a menu. "Pizza's good, even without the meat."

"Thanks. And no, I'm not like them. I don't want to commit any kind of arson. I don't want to yell at anyone. Most of the time, I'd rather be at home."

Dean watches him for a few seconds, concentrating on something. "It's not fair," he says finally.

"What isn't?"

"That they avoid you because of your family. It's not fair."

"I know."

"It's, like, a crazy amount of unfair. A fucking shit-ton of unfair."

"I know." Cas places the menu down in front of him. "But what are you gonna do?"

Dean leans back in the seat, stretching his legs out. They knock into Cas's under the table. "I haven't figured it out yet."

Cas narrows his eyes. "I don't need your help, Dean. I don't need charity."

"I know." He folds his hands behind his head, elbows sticking out. "But what are you gonna do?"

Cas starts to respond when a waitress comes over with a smile as fake as her blonde hair. "Hi there!" she greets, voice too nasal for Cas's liking. "Are you ready to order?"

"Sure are. I'll take a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, sausages on the side, black coffee, and do you still have that raspberry pie?"

"Sorry, we ran out of that yesterday," the waitress tells him, eyeing him curiously.

Dean bangs his fist lightly on the table. "Damn."

"We have blueberry, though."

"Awesome. Gimme a healthy slice of that, too. Thanks."

They both look to Cas. He starts to sweat.

"Uh, can I have, uh, some pizza. Please."

The waitress raises her eyebrows. "What sort of pizza?"

"Plain," Cas blurts.

Dean rolls his eyes. "Yeah, get him the vegetarian. Two slices. Extra pepper."

"You got it. Drink?"

"Yes, please," Cas answers.

"Coke," Dean tells her. She nods and walks off.

"Sorry. I'm not good at that." Cas fiddles with his hands in front of him, looking at them instead of Dean.

"I'll say." He glances down at Cas's hands before looking back up. "I gotta be honest, you're making me feel pretty fuckin' honoured that you're talking to me."

Cas looks up to see amusement in Dean's eyes. Normally he'd be offended, but he finds himself smiling.

"Maybe you don't intimidate me because you're such a dumbass."

Dean barks out a laugh, then covers his mouth, surprised at the noise he just made. "Man, kitty got claws. We can work with this!"

"What are you talking about?"

He leans forwards, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands under his chin. His eyes grasp Cas's. "I'm talking about Project Cas. I'm gonna Can't Buy Me Love you."

"You're gonna – what?"

"Oh, right. Movie references. Lemme put it another way." He flattens his palms to the table and leans forwards even further. "I'm gonna make you cool."

Cas takes a few moments to process what Dean's said before deciding that yes, he was right, he really did just say that. "I'm sorry?"

"Dude, I'm not trying to offend you or anything. But just picture it. It's like every lifetime movie I've ever seen." The waitress drops their drinks off, and Dean nods his thanks before starting to empty sugar packets into his mug. "I got no interest in being cool, but I know how to do it. You're the opposite. We help each other out."

"Are you proposing a makeover?!" Cas says in disbelief.

Dean splutters into his drink. "No, no. No. Just – no. Well, kind of. I'm talking about turning this awkward little caterpillar into a flourishing social butterfly. Teach you the basics of social convention. How to talk to girls, how to talk to guys, hell, just how to talk to people." He flashes a smile. "I got some pretty sweet dance moves I could share, too, if you're interested."

"I don't know about this, Dean." Cas stirs his Coke with the straw, watching the ice cubes fall over one another. "I'm not sure it would give me much satisfaction."

"Screw satisfaction. I'm trynna make you happy."

Cas drinks his Coke, looking at Dean. After a few moments, he says, "My silence is your cue."

Dean smiles. "Touché. But, it seems to me that you're pretty miserable. Correct?"

Cas sighs. "Sure, I guess."

"Don't you wanna be cool?"

"I guess."

"Stop guessing, man. What is it? Yes or no?"

Cas rolls his eyes in frustration. "I don't know, okay? Anyway, I can't."

"Yes." Dean knocks his hand away from where it plays with his straw. "You can."

For a second there's just eye contact and all Cas can see is green eyes and freckles and eyelashes and the way that Dean licks his lips –

The sound of plate-on-table brings him back to reality. The food has arrived. "Enjoy," says the waitress. "I'll be around if you need anything else."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Dean throws at her, immediately picking up his burger and taking the biggest bite of anything Cas has ever seen. He chews with a blissful expression on his face before saying, mouth half full, "This is the shit."

"Looks like it, yeah." Cas looks down at his pizza. He's never seen corn on cheese before, but it doesn't look too bad. He picks up a slice and takes a small bite.

"What d'you think?" Dean asks, to which Cas hums his approval.

They eat in silence for a few minutes. Dean's finished his burger and half the fries before Cas has finished his first slice.

"Dean."

He looks up from his coffee.

"I don't... I don't want to."

Dean nods. "Fine." He swallows. "It's okay, Cas."

Cas shifts in his seat, feeling hot in his big coat. He shrugs it off his shoulders, revealing the pale blue polo shirt and black sweater underneath. "It's not like I don't appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't be comfortable with something like that."

His eyes return to Dean's and he's surprised to find Dean's been staring at his torso since he took his coat off. "Dean?"

"Huh?" He looks up, failing to be embarrassed. "Yeah, no. It's okay."

"I understand if you don't want to be my friend –"

"Shut up." He throws a fry at Cas.

"Make me."

Dean waggles his eyebrows suggestively. "You sure you wanna be sayin' that?" Cas blushes, and Dean laughs. "Man, is there anything you are comfortable with?"

Cas answers with a glare.

A few minutes later, Dean's inhaled the rest of his food while Cas has worked steadily at his. They stand up to pay.

"You guys paying separately?" The man behind the till asks, looking between them.

Cas goes to answer, but Dean stops him. "Don't worry about it," he says, pulling out his wallet. "On me." He hands a few notes to the man.

"No, don't do that, I have my wallet, I can pay."

"Dude, seriously." Dean gives him a reassuring smile. "Don't sweat it."

"I. Uh. Thank you."

Dean nods. "You're welcome." He takes his change, thanks the guy, and they leave.

"How many times have you been here?" Cas asks as they walk back to the car. He glances at his watch and breathes a sigh of relief. Dean was right; they'll be back in time for last period.

"Oh, two or three."

"I thought it was special, the way you talked about it." He slides into the passenger seat, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Oh, yeah." Dean sits down next to him. Cas notices he doesn't bother with seat belts. "I was thinking of this other place, the Roadhouse. But, uh. I forgot I'm not allowed there anymore."

"Why not?"

"Long story short, we've been here for a couple weeks, but I only just started school. I'm not too good with free time, so I started devoting my time to winning over this chick, Jo Harvelle, who so happens to work at the Roadhouse. Turns out she's the owner's daughter. When Ellen got wind I had the hots for Jo, she banned me. Says I go back in there, she's telling my dad about my fake ID."

Cas lets out a low whistle. "That's... a story, alright."

"Tell me about it. Wish I had a few less stories and a few more, you know. Relationships." They turn a corner into a street Cas recognises, finally.

"Same here," Cas mutters to himself, not meaning Dean to hear, but he does.

"Cas..." Dean starts, taking his eyes off the road to look sideways at Cas for longer than is safe. "This is gonna seem a bit blunt, but roll with it. Are you a virgin?"

Cas starts to say something but the words catch in his throat and he starts coughing. He feels Dean laughing next to him as he wheezes, leaning back in his seat, tears coming to his eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dean quips as he parks the car in the school lot. Cas shoots out an arm to smack Dean in the shoulder. "Hey, watch it!"

"That's none of your business," Cas says quietly, knowing full well how red he must be.

"Yeah it fuckin' is," Dean cries. He clasps Cas's shoulder in his hand. "Dude, I know two things for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, I'm getting you laid by the end of the semester."

"And how, pray tell, do you plan on doing that?" Cas deadpans.

Dean just grins, and Cas finds it a bit unnerving. "Oh, I have my ways. C'mon. I'll be late for woodshop. It's still my first day, after all." And he flings the car door open, stepping out, leaving Cas wondering whether this is the real life or he's going insane. He's partial to the latter.