Summary: The eight times Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak had a surprise encounter, and the one time it was on purpose. Just a nice little Destiel College AU in which Castiel is a hapless freshman and Dean is a helpful and friendly senior. Basically an excuse for me to practice my lemons that somehow gained some plot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. Any recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
A/N: Hey, I'm back! And it's only been like a week...guys, this needs to be celebrated. Before you read on, know that I may not be the absolute best at writing fight scenes. Just maybe. Oh, and I reposted chapter 2 with a couple of edits and a little bit more content. If you already read it, you don't need to go back and read it unless you want to, I didn't add anything that affects plot. Anyway, enjoy!
Thanks to Syd and beautiesrosemightneverdie for reviewing, and thanks to everyone who followed or favorited! It means the world to me that people are enjoying/interested in this XD.
*****Line Break*****
The third time Dean met Cas, he found him in a bit of a crunch. Dean had been headed back to his dorm from the library where he had been working on a paper he'd bet his brother he'd get a top grade on. Unsurprisingly, he was in fact drunk when this bet occurred, but his brother wouldn't let something as simple as that get in his way (his exact answer had been to wave his hand airily while stating "Semantics." over his shoulder as he rushed off to class) and if he didn't win this bet he'd be losing his baby for a month. Obviously, a big no-no. As much as the green eyed man hated the evil book room, he had to admit that it, and the overly indifferent Professor Cain who prowled its shelves searching for people mistreating his precious books, was a viable source of information.
Having just spent the last five hours working and knowing he'd only gotten through half the battle (fucking research), he was absolutely worn out and ready to fall into his loving memory foam mattress when he heard an agitated, familiar voice from somewhere around the next corner. He sped up slightly, curious to see who Crowley had turned his ire on this time, oddly hopeful that it wasn't his new freshman sorta-friend, who he hadn't seen since their lunch-study about a week previous.
Rounding the corner and pausing to take in the scene further down the hall, he found that his hopes had been for naught. Cas was backed against a wall, some short brunette chick practically hiding behind him and using his body as a shield, and four of Crowley's goons, two seniors named Alistair and Azazel and two juniors named Uriel and Gordon, standing on either side of him while Crowley stood directly in front.
Oddly enough, it didn't seem that Crowley was after Cas this time, his focus was mostly on the girl who, by the look on her face (he should know, he'd worn it enough), was making snarky remarks at the damn-near growling Crowley until Cas barked something at her over his shoulder and her mouth snapped closed.
Dean meandered closer, leaning against a wall and telling his subconscious that he was only there to provide backup in case Cas needed it, (NOT eavesdropping, he's not a creeper for fuck's sake) only catching a word every now and then due to the distance. Something about a Meg, a necklace, breaking up, two sluts? He sighed. College romance drama had never been his thing; couldn't they all just fuck and get along?
Apparently not, it seemed, as the hallway had gotten deadly quiet. Dean didn't know what'd been said, but it appeared that Crowley had crossed some major line; Cas was glaring, his eyes flicking from Crowley to his goons and back again as Crowley's group smirked and leered at the now uncomfortable looking brunette chick, who Dean assumed was the Meg who'd been mentioned.
Cas said something and Dean could almost feel hackles raising, the air suddenly crackling with a level of tension than hadn't been there before, all the attention shifting from the girl to the angry, blue-eyed freshman. 'Cas just has a gift for putting his foot in his mouth, doesn't he?' Dean thought sarcastically to himself, ignoring and repressing his subconscious's comments about what else Cas could be using that flexibility for, and taking a few quiet steps forward as he readied himself to help out in the obviously soon-to-be fight.
He could see Crowley ignoring Cas and talking to the brunette chick, and when he was about 15 meters from them, peering cautiously around the corner of a conveniently placed side hallway, he caught the end of Crowley's long-winded spiel; "-the end, a whore is a whore is a whore." which he delivered viciously with a smirk, obviously relishing in the slight flinch the brunette chick was unable to hold back.
It seemed that this was too much for Cas as, without warning, he leapt at Crowley, punching him in the face. Meg rolled her eyes (used to her friend's hotheaded and defensive behavior maybe?), dodging around an attack from Gordon, and punching a charging Azazel in the throat, causing him to stumble back. Dean stepped forward slightly, still hidden by the shadow of the corner and ready to throw himself into the fight, but stopped to admire his Cas's skill when he noticed how well the brunette duo was doing against their adversaries.
Meg was fighting dirty, using her amazing right hook as well as the usual chick-tricks of hair pulling, scratching, and knees to the groin to down her taller, male adversaries. Dean winced almost sympathetically for the momentarily downed Azazel; he'd be singing soprano for a few days. Cas was a whirlwind of motion, never staying still for more than a moment, using his greater speed and flexibility to gracefully weave around his opponent's blows and send back attacks of his own.
However well they were doing though, a slip up was inevitable. Dean saw the moment it happened, Cas paused after downing Uriel with a (surprisingly well delivered) roundhouse kick to glance back and check on the girl, who winked at him. He only took his eyes off his opponents for a moment, but a moment was all that was needed as he was hit by a flying tackle by Alistair and fell to the ground, and a quick jab to the face stunned him enough to keep him there.
Meg, seeing him downed, was distracted enough to be surprised by a kick that knocked her feet out from under her. She was picked back up by an annoyed looking Gordon and a black-eyed Alistair, who restrained her as she put up admirable effort at getting free. Cas was lifted none too gently to his feet by a stone-faced Uriel and a sadistically amused Alistair in front of a murderous looking Crowley who reared back to punch him. Of course, Dean couldn't have that.
"Now gentlemen, 5 on 2? That doesn't seem right." He stated loudly, prowling predatorily from the shadows. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, seemingly remembering that they were in fact in a public place. The initial surprise faded to different reactions for each person; Crowley looked annoyed and slightly confused, Meg was bemused, and Cas seemed to be warily relieved, odd of a reaction as that was. Of Crowley's goons, Gordon and Uriel were stoic, but both Alistair and Azazel were more cautious now that he'd arrived; they'd been on the wrong end of his boot many a time during their shared college stint since they were both dickbags.
Dean stopped a few feet away, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Crowley took a step away from Cas toward him asking, "What the hell do you want Winchester? I was about to teach Cassie and his little bitch here a lesson." and sending a hot glare toward a stoic Cas and an annoyed Meg. She opened her mouth to say something, but Cas just fixed her with a stern look and she shut it again.
Dean allowed a smirk to fall onto his face. "Sorry Crowley, but I just don't think this is fair. I mean, 5 on 2...you obviously should've gotten more guys cause Cas and his girlfriend were kickin' your asses." Crowley's glare was turned on Dean but he easily brushed off its heat; all the training of his little brother's bitchfaces had prepared him for this moment.
"Winchester. What. The hell. Do you want?" Crowley growled out between grinding teeth, his fists clenched.
"Well," Dean drawled, shifting his weight from his left leg to his right, "I just happened to be walking by, headed to my waiting bed, when I come around the corner and see my poor little friend Cas and his lovely assistant being bullied by some mean upperclassmen!" He dramatically clutched a hand to his heart before continuing. "I can't possibly let this continue, I mean, what kind of person would that make me?"
Crowley stiffened. "What exactly are you trying to say, Winchester?" Dean dropped his arms to his sides, a relaxed smile on his face, though it had a subtle edge.
"What do you think I'm trying to say, Crowley? Should I spell it out for you?" Crowley surprisingly didn't answer, silently staring at him. Dean sighed loudly in mock exasperation. "Cas is my friend." He said, pointing at Cas and ignoring his slightly surprised expression. "I fight with my friends." he continued, slowly, as though he was talking to a small child. "You're fighting my friend," This was stated with a ridiculous and large hand motion, making a fist and pointing between Cas and Crowley. "Which means you're fighting me." he finished with a feral grin.
As though this was some kind of signal both Cas and Meg broke away from their respective restrainers; Meg stomping her heel down hard on Gordon's feet, backhanding him across the face, and kneeing Azazel in the groin yet again, and Cas ripping himself from a distracted Uriel's grip and sweeping Alistair's feet from under him with a low kick.
After that it was a blur of motion, too chaotic for Dean to keep track of as he threw himself gleefully into the fray. He did note that at one point he was back-to-back with Cas, punching Azazel in the face and blacking his other eye and blocking Uriel from attacking Cas while his back was turned, as Cas was preoccupied with kicking Gordon and sending a brutal uppercut to Alistair's chin.
The next time Dean was truly able to focus on the world around him was during a lull in the fight, which may or may not have been caused by him punching Crowley in the temple, knocking him to his knees. Crowley sent him a stunned look and, with a dark grin, Dean proceeded to send a vicious kick at his jaw, knocking him flat on his back. Oddly enough, this stopped all the action around him, Gordon and Azazel rushing to help up their fallen leader while Cas and Meg, their fights momentarily abandoned, stepped closer to Dean warily.
Crowley pulled himself angrily from their grip, wiping blood from his lip and straightening his clothes as Alistair and Uriel stood by, amused and stoic respectively. Crowley sent Dean another oddly searching look, to which he responded with a raised eyebrow and a cocky grin, his eyes cold. Crowley knew he was beaten; for now, at least, there'd be no more fighting.
Crowley broke eye contact first, glancing away before scoffing, turning his back, spitting a "Come on boys. No one cares about the little whore and her bitches anyway." over his shoulder to the room at large, and stalking away to lick his wounds. His goons followed, each of them sending a sneer, a sadistic grin, or a leer to the triumphant trio as they departed.
Dean resisted the urge to start up the fight again-he was NO ONE's little bitch, would Crowley like to come say that to his face? He'd show Crowley who's a little bitch-turning to face Cas, who was carefully watching the others as they left. Dean studied his profile, looking him up and down (for injuries, calm your shit) and, finding nothing more serious than a cut on his lip and a bruise forming on his left cheek, he cheerfully stated, "That was easier than I thought it would be!"
Cas finally turned to him, having watched Crowley's crew until they'd turned the corner at the end of the hall, his blue eyes still bright with leftover adrenaline from the fight, and his trench coat falling off one shoulder. He absentmindedly pulled it back up, not breaking eye contact, and stated seriously, "Thank you, Dean. I didn't expect to be assisted in this fight, and I truly appreciate your help. How can I repay you?"
Dean waved him off joking, "No biggie. I always love fucking Crowley over, this just gave me an excuse to do it. And getting Alistair and Azazel in the mix? Man, I should be thanking you." with a shrug and an easy grin.
Cas looked at him uncertainly, murmuring, "If you're sure…" both of them ignored Meg in the background, who was muttering something about sexual favors, until she slinked forward, draping herself over Cas's shoulders and drawling, "So Clarence, you gonna introduce me to your friend?" Cas responded immediately, idly patting at the hand she'd buried in his hair.
"Meg, this is Dean Winchester. Dean, this is Meg Masters." Dean ignored his momentary jealousy at the sight of Meg laying all over Cas, automatically kicking it into the furthest recesses of his mind before he even had time to process it. He took a step closer, doing what he did best as he bowed at Meg and stated, "It is an honor for this lowly servant to meet such a charming and beautiful queen, milady," grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it as he sent her a smoldering look from under his lashes.
Surprisingly, instead of the usual reaction (blushing, fainting, amusement), she stated "Ugh, Cas you'll need to keep this one on a leash." while ripping her hand from his, wiping it on Cas's shirt with a scowl of disgust. "Listen here, pretty boy," she said, stalking around Cas toward Dean who took a slight step backward, "I know your heartbreaker type. I'm sick and tired of shits like you fucking around with me." She stood directly in front of him, yanked him down to her level by his shirt front, and purred in his ear, "You make a move on me? I swear to Lucifer I'll castrate you." before pulling away, a violent light in her dark brown eyes. "Got that tiger?"
Dean nodded quickly, give him a violent fight any day, but hormonal women scared the shit out of him. "Good. Then we'll have no problems." she patted him on the cheek before turning and flipping her hair over her shoulder, nearly hitting him in the face, murmuring a quiet, "Later Clarence." and sauntering off, an extra sway in her hips.
The two remaining men stood in silence for a moment, one still trying to cope with how firmly he'd been shot down, the other content to stand in comfortable silence until the first finished processing. Dean shook himself, turning from where he'd watched her walk away (hey, just cause she was off limits didn't mean he couldn't admire) to Cas, asking "Is she usually so…" though he trailed off before completing the question.
Cas merely shook his head, still staring after her until he sighed, muttering, "She's usually a lot less brutal. Fixing this is going to require a lot of ice cream." Dean snickered.
Cas suddenly turned to him, his bright blue eyes staring intensely into Dean's green ones. "Dean, thank you.
Dean snorted. "Cas, we've been over this. It was no big deal, and I was glad to help." Cas shook his head. "I don't mean just for helping me. Yes, thank you for helping me because it was the right thing to do, but also thank you for doing it because you think of me as a friend." Cas looked away for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "I too think of you as a friend. It's good to know the feeling is mutual."
Dean was speechless for a moment, a large piece of his mind telling him that he should educate his friend on the intricacies of avoiding chick-flick moments while most of the rest of his brain was still focused on how hard he'd been let down by Cas's lady friend (he ignored the tiny piece that was touched by Cas's sudden declaration, his subconscious collecting it and shoving it away with the jealousy).
By the time he'd gotten his mental faculties in order, Cas was already following after Meg, just the edge of his trench coat visible as he rounded the corner. Dean sighed, unsure if he was relieved or disappointed at Cas's quick exit, before his body reminded him that he was fucking exhausted. With heavy steps, he treaded on to his dorm room, not even bothering to take off his shoes before crashing on his bed.
A/N: This is the longest chapter yet for this story, that's gotta be worth something, yes? Hope you liked Crowley and Meg; they may have seemed a bit OOC, but…*shrugs* creative license. Please review, I'd really like to get some more opinions! Or even just hello's! Just anything really ^.^"
