HELLO! I am so sorry it's taken me so so long to upload this next chapter. Traveling around Europe was amazing, but it didn't really leave much time for writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I probably could have uploaded it earlier but I wanted to add a little more to the end. However, I decided tonight that last section was just not flowing because I felt so bad about keeping you waiting. SO, this chapter is a little bit short but hopefully I'll add in a little filler chapter in the next few days, before the next big chapter. Okay, I've kept you waiting long enough so here it is, after two long months, welcome back to St. Moffat's my loves.
The last few days of the week were uneventful and passed with a blur and before he knew it Matt found himself sitting with River in the common room on Friday night. Matt watched Dean slouch away to bed even though it was only half past nine. Matt had noticed Deans attitude problem all week but when he tried to ask Dean what was wrong Dean automatically shut him down before Matt could even get the whole question out. Matt wasn't blind though, he had a fair idea of what was going on. Sam hadn't sat with the boys since the brothers had fought three days earlier and Matt could tell Dean missed him. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed as though River and Sam had swapped places, River was spending most of her time with the boys and Sam was spending his with the girls, although Matt knew that Sam would probably spend all of his time alone studying if it wasn't for Jessica. Matt thought that she was good for Sam but Dean didn't see it that way and couldn't seem to stop bitching about the girl. Although Sam was in a state of perpetual bitchface, he seemed to be doing okay, unfortunately Dean's mood was consistently deteriorating and Matt found himself beginning to worry.
"I'm worried about Dean." He confessed in a hushed voice to River as he continued to watch Dean sulk away to bed.
"I've noticed his mood lately, do you know what's wrong?" She replied quietly.
"I am guessing it has something to do with the fight he had with his brother." Matt also remembered Cas crashing into him in the hallway, holding back tears before running away but he didn't want to assume anything.
"Maybe we should get him out of the school for a while." River suggested.
"That's an excellent idea!" Matt exclaimed. "I haven't been to town yet, we could do that?"
River just laughed and shook her head slightly. She was obviously amused at Matt's enthusiasm for something so mundane but he didn't care, she looked beautiful when she laughed.
Matt and River agreed to meet at 10am the next morning and Matt planned to drag Dean along, regardless of whether he wanted to go or not. Matt was tolerating Deans bad mood, mostly because Dean seemed to be drawing away from all his other friends, but Matt was sure a nice day trip would brighten him up.
In the morning Matt jumped out of his bed and onto Dean.
"Come on, wake up! We're going to town." Matt exclaimed, shaking Dean awake.
"Just let me sleep." Dean muttered, trying to turn over.
"No way! We are going out and that's final."
Dean just groaned in reply.
By the time Matt had dragged Dean out of bed and they finally made it down to the Common Room River was ready and waiting.
"What took you so long?" She joked, a cheeky smile playing on her lips.
"This one wouldn't get out of bed." Matt said, pushing forward the still sleepy Dean.
Dean began to grumble but River cut him off.
"Well come on then." She smirked as she began to walk away.
The three teenagers headed out of the school and started the fifteen-minute walk toward the small town. They chatted along the way and eventually, to everyone's surprise, Dean started to enjoy himself.
Around midday the triplet decided to find somewhere to go for lunch.
"Come on lets go to 'The Coffee House' my friend Jo works there." Dean smiled and led the other two towards a small coffee shop just off the main street.
Inside 'The Coffee House' was cozy and warm and as much as Matt enjoyed Dean's company he couldn't help but wish that Dean wasn't there so Matt and River could be alone. A pretty blonde, Matt could tell from the sociable flirting was the friend Dean had mentioned, came over to take their orders and introductions were made.
"Say Dean, there is a house party on tonight, one of the boys who lives in town is throwing it; he's a mate of mine. Why don't you bring your friends along? Make sure you ask Sam and Cas too." Jo smiled warmly towards Matt and River. "Oh, and bring that boy with the cheek bones, you know the one I mean, the tall one!" She added almost as an after thought, before walking away happily.
Matt chuckled, trying to imagine Sherlock with a girl or at a party.
"We should go to that party." River decided once Jo had walked away.
"I don't know, sounds kind of lame." Dean's mood had deteriorated from the moment Sam's name was mentioned.
"Come on, I have a fake I.D." River coxed.
Deans attitude changed subtly at the mention of alcohol and he eventually agreed.
"As long as of you don't invite Sam."
"Oh, we won't." River smiled, but Matt could tell she was planning something.
After they left the Café, River bought some cheap wine and they all decided it was time to head back to school so they could tell the others. By the time they got back into the common room everyone was sitting around looking bored. Dean immediately slunk off into their room with the wine, leaving Matt and River to invite the others to the party.
"So, we met a friend of Dean's in town who invited us to a party tonight." River said coolly, joining the others around the couches they were lazing on. "Jessica, you should totally come, she said we could bring whoever we wanted. She even made a special request for cheek bones over there." River spoke to Jessica, but jerked her thumb behind her towards Sherlock.
"Cheek bones…" John started to mutter before Jessica cut in.
"Oh, can we Sam?" Jessica spoke directly to her boyfriend. "Please it will be fun!"
"I don't know Jess." Sam sighed.
"It was Jo who invited us." Matt offered.
"Jo is a friend of yours! Come on Sam we have to!" Jessica pleaded.
"Okay, Jess. If you really want to!"
"Great." River said, smiling mischievously. Matt had the feeling this had been her plan all along. "What about you cheek bones?"
"She's talking to you." John nudged Sherlock with a hint of annoyance.
"What interest do I have in parties?" Sherlock asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Maybe John would like to go?" River replied cheekily.
"I really don't mind." John mumbled, his cheeks beginning to flush red.
Sherlock looked up from his book and observed John for a moment.
"We'll go." He said and he continued to read again as John, unbelievably, turned an even deeper shade of red.
"Great, let's meet in the Doctor's room at seven. Bring alcohol." River stated before standing and walking across the floor towards her own bedroom.
By the time seven came around Dean was sulking on his bed, having already produced a flask that smelled as though it was filled with petrol.
"No thanks Dean, that smells disgusting." Matt said rejecting the flask as Dean held it up to his face.
"Suit yourself." Dean mumbled.
Both boys turned as River walked in the door without so much as a knock.
"Starting already are we?" She questioned, unscrewing the lid on a bottle of Rosé that Matt had left with the other two bottles on his desk.
Matt watched her take a swig straight from the bottle, he watched her lips wrap around the bottleneck and he swallowed hard. He couldn't deny she looked hot, in a short pale pink and black dress. It was tight on top but flowed from the waist and was just short enough to show off her long legs with out screaming 'I'm a whore', like the way so many other girls dressed.
"Come in." Dean yelled after a clear tapping came from the door.
Sherlock and John entered.
"We brought wine!" John grinned as he held up a bottle.
Sam and Jessica came next, Sam wore his best bitchface and Dean looked sour but didn't say anything, since River had told him earlier that she had invited Jessica and it 'wasn't her fault if the girl wanted to bring her boyfriend'. Cas was last to arrive on his own and Matt could see a familiar loneliness in the boy's eyes. The group of eight drank and laughed and everyone seemed to be having fun, even Cas smiled and as Dean got drunker he seemed to forget what had put him in such a bad mood in the first place and his attitude became almost tolerable.
By the time eight o'clock came around they were trying, rather unsuccessfully, to act sober as they walked out of the school grounds. They all continued to swig wine as they walked towards the party. Matt hated the taste but loved the feeling it gave him, like he was light and free and he noticed the stars and walked close to River and listened to her laugh. Everyone was starting to get pretty drunk, especially Dean who managed to fill up his flask for the third time before they left, even though Matt couldn't figure out where he was getting the liquor from.
"But how do you do it?" Dean was asking Sherlock for the fifth time.
"I have already told you." Sherlock sighed. "It's simple observation."
"Yes, but how?" Dean questioned, and Matt couldn't help but laugh at Sherlock's expression. He looked as though he was going to strangle Dean.
"Dean's quite drunk." River laughed, pretending to whisper in Matt's ear. Dean shot them a dirty look.
"Hey! I can hear you!" Dean slurred, pointing an unstable finger, before turning back to face a surprised John, who Sherlock had stealthily swapped places with in an attempt to avoid the drunk American.
"I'm glad we are doing this." Matt said smiling at River.
"You're a good friend Matt." She said smiling. He noticed she was being very platonic, he sighed. He had thought there was a possibility that she only wanted to be friends with him, but if that was all she wanted, why did she have to be so sexy?
Before they arrived at the house they could hear the music pumping from half way down the street and the second they stepped foot inside the door the group of eight dispersed amongst the people and Matt was left alone with River.
"Let's get a drink." She said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen.
When they got there Dean was already doing shots with one of the local boys, River grabbed two beers and they headed back to the lounge.
Matt sipped on his beer, not really enjoying it. He wanted to talk to River but the music was so loud and his brain was suddenly empty.
"Do you want to dance?" He practically yelled in her ear.
"Sure." She laughed.
Matt didn't really know how to dance the same way all the people at this party danced, they moved their hips against each other and it all looked rather provocative. He found himself watching River, she danced with her eyes closed, hips swaying to the beat, she looked incredible in the dim light and Matt's jeans felt tighter than when he had put them on. He wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, to wrap his hands around her waist, he suddenly felt too warm and the alcohol was making his head spin. He grabbed River by her wrists and pulled her into him, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Rivers eyes shot open and she pulled back instantly.
"I should go find Jess." She blurted out, barley audible over the music.
"Wait, River! I'm sorry…" Matt started but she had already disappeared into the crowd.
Matt could have kicked himself, he was so angry. He didn't want to push River away; they could just be friends if that really was all she wanted. It wasn't his fault she was so beautiful, he'd never felt like this about anyone before and he wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it. He suddenly felt sick and decided he needed to get away from the music and the people and the heat. He somehow made his way to the back door and forced his way out into the cool night air.
He sighed as he sat down on the back steps and stared up at the stars; desperately wishing he could somehow fly away.
"Can I sit with you?" A deep voice asked from behind him.
"Sure Cas." Matt smiled, he might have been angry with himself but he would never let that effect the way he treated anyone else.
"Parties aren't really my type of thing." Cas explained.
"I've never been to a party like this before," Matt replied. "I don't think I like it much either."
"Can I ask you something?" Cas almost whispered.
"Sure." Matt flashed Cas what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Since you're Dean's roommate, I was just wondering if maybe he had said anything about me, to you?" Cas spoke quickly, obviously embarrassed.
"I'm sorry Cas. He hasn't spoken to me about you. Is everything okay?"
"It's nothing really. Don't tell him I asked you though." Cas replied swiftly.
"You're a good guy Cas, I'm sure everything will work out." Matt wasn't exactly sure why he said that but it felt right, and Cas seemed to appreciate it.
The pair sat in silence for a while, watching the stars and thinking their own thoughts.
"Do you ever wonder what it's like, out there?" Cas asked suddenly, staring into the vast space above them.
"All the time." Matt sighed.
"You owe me a twenty" Dean slurred.
He had just won a bet that he couldn't down five whiskey shots in thirty seconds. The disgruntled teen shoved the bill in Dean's hand before walking off.
"Impressive, Dean." A familiar voice said from behind him.
"Don't you wish your boyfriend could drink like me. Don't you Jess?" Dean garbled leaning in probably a little too close for comfort.
"Right, look, Dean I really think you should apologize to Sam for whatever happened between you guys. You know he really misses you." Jessica replied, unfazed by Deans lack of respect for personal space.
"Apologize?" Dean snorted.
"Come on Dean, seriously." Jess's tone was suddenly graining and annoying to Dean.
"Leave me alone." Dean spat, pushing past her and stumbling into the lounge room.
There were people everywhere and the mix of lights and noise and alcohol was starting to make Dean feel very disorientated. Across the room he saw Cas and Matt laughing like they were best friends. He saw the way Cas looked at Matt; it was the same way Cas used to look at him before he fucked everything up. Dean growled and strode over towards the pair.
"I want to talk." Dean shouted at Cas.
Cas' blue eyes were wide with fear or shock, Dean wasn't sure.
"Dean, are you okay?" Dean felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Matt looking concerned.
"I don't need you to steal Cas away from me." Dean slurred. Matt frowned and whispered something in Cas' ear. Cas nodded before Matt hurried away through the crowd.
"Okay Dean, what's wrong?" Cas' voice was strong and calm.
Dean hadn't actually planned this far ahead and wasn't exactly sure what to say, how do you tell someone you're sorry for kissing them and then blaming them for said kiss and ruining six years of friendship.
"I want to be friends again." Dean finally settled on, speaking slowly in order to sound less drunk.
"Say it too me sober, Dean." Dean could tell Cas was still upset and he just wanted to make everything better.
"But Cas," He stepped closer and put his hand on Cas' lower back. Cas stepped back instantly, his strong demeanor cracking.
"I mean it Dean, you can't give me one terrible drunk apology and expect me to just say 'OK' and everything to go back to the way it was before. In fact you didn't even apologize did you? Dean, I need to know I can trust you again and right now I just can't. You probably won't even remember this tomorrow so why don't you just leave me alone." Dean was too shocked to say anything as Cas turned and almost ran away.
Why did this always happen to him, why did he have to push away the only people that cared about him, why did he have to ruin everything even remotely close to a relationship? Dean suddenly felt sick, and all he wanted to do was go home. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder.
"Come on Dean." Sam said, looking pissed.
"Leave me alone." Dean said, noticing Matt standing behind Sam with apologetic eyes.
"No, I'm taking you home." Sam said practically dragging Dean towards the front door, before he stopped and turned to other boy. "Can you explain everything to Jess?"
"Sure." Matt said, looking sorry for the pair.
"Sam, I'm fine I don't need to go home." Dean protested, however the moment they stepped out of the house Dean realized he was not fine and barley made it to the front lawn before those five whiskey shots made their way back up.
"Yeah, totally fine." Sam mocked, slinging one of Dean's arms around his shoulder after Dean had finished emptying the contents of his stomach into the garden bed.
Dean allowed himself to be lead away from the party and soon the loud music and the smell of sweat and vomit was far behind them.
"I didn't even get to see Jo." Dean scoffed, breaking the awkward silence.
"Don't worry, she saw you." Sam said, almost cracking a smile.
"I'm sorry Sam." Dean was suddenly very emotional, he didn't feel like himself at all.
"I know Dean." Sam replied patiently.
"You're a good brother and I just want to protect you." Dean sniffed.
"Dean, you don't need to protect me, I can take care of myself." Sam responded.
"But you're the one who is going places, you are smart and you are good at stuff. I should be making sure you get the furthest you can in life and I know that means no hunting. I know you don't want to end up like Dad or like me." Dean didn't know why he was saying all of this, but he knew it was true, and he couldn't stop himself.
"I'm sorry too." Sam said quietly.
The boys were silent for a few minutes as Dean stumbled back towards the school besides Sam.
"I kissed Cas." Dean blurt out suddenly.
Sam stopped walking, his lips parted slightly.
"Excuse me?" Sam asked.
"I kissed him, on the lips and then I blamed him and yelled at him and now he is mad at me." Dean confessed.
Sam looked shocked for a moment before his face turned to anger.
"Dean you are a complete idiot." He said, before turning away and storming back towards the school.
"Yeah, I know." Dean sighed, trailing along behind his brother.
Well there you go! Let me know if you've enjoyed this chapter and if you have I promise to work hard to bring you another one asap!