Chapter Text
Starting Monday night, the group didn’t meet together after school. They all individually decided that between what happened at lunch and Castiel and Dean’s breakup, it was better not to force everyone to be around each other. So, Charlie, Crowley, and Jo went to Jo’s mom’s diner. Benny hung out with his niece, Elizabeth. Dean went home with Sam. Gabe tried to score more dates (he didn’t get any). As for Hannah and Castiel they decided to stick around their usual location, Billie’s Coffee Shop.
“It feels strange, without anyone else here,” Castiel glanced around the shop.
“I think we all needed a break,” Hannah smiled. They sat across from each other at a table, their familiar booth now occupied by an old lady’s book club.
“Perhaps you’re right.”
“We might have to get used to this if you and Dean keep avoiding each other or doing whatever it was that happened at lunch.”
“What do you mean?”
“All I’m saying is maybe this new arrangement isn’t going to be temporary.”
Castiel squinted slightly and shifted in his seat.
“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but you have to admit our old group dynamics just aren't going to work anymore.”
“Because I broke up with Dean?”
“Yes, although I do believe rightfully so. He wasn’t treating you the way you should be,” Hannah offered a sly smile.
Castiel coughed and glanced at his iced coffee, “So how did you do on your Spanish quiz?”
“Aced it. All thanks to your last minute study help.”
“Well, I have been known for being able to help others cram before their classes.”
“Then I guess I chose an excellent partner for our English assignment because I did not read a single word of whatever play we’re reading.”
“You mean Hamlet?”
“Sure.” They both laughed.
“We’ve been reading it for three weeks!”
“You’ve been reading it for three weeks. I have been using SparkNotes.”
“And you still get an A on every assignment.”
“What can I say? When you beat the system, you beat the system.”
“I don’t know if I’d call using Google and clicking the first link ‘beating’ the ‘system’ but it's the thought that counts.”
“Wait, what was that?”
“I don’t understand. What was what?”
“Did anyone ever teach you how to use finger quotes?”
“What? Yeah, Gabe did. Why?”
“Of course he did,” Hannah then proceeded to unteach Castiel what Gabriel had taught him, which took surprisingly longer than she had expected, before being able to explain to him how to properly use air quotes.
“I almost had it the first time,” Castiel joked.
“And I almost lost prom queen the first time, doesn’t make it right.”
“You know, I’ve never been to prom.”
“Really?”
“It never was my thing,” Castiel sighed. “Although this year I figured I would change that. But with everything that happened, I don’t know.”
“Well, we can still certainly change that,” Hannah reached out and took Castiel’s hand. He smiled and nodded very slightly, but his eyes were still somewhere else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday was a mere repeat of Monday. Dean excused himself to the bathroom during chemistry when his emotions began boiling over, Castiel and Hannah snuck off during lunch to study, the rest of the group tried asking questions about the breakup but to no avail, Dean watched Castiel moving on as he was left wallowing in the memories, and they all split up after the last bell rang. The uneasy energy billowed from them like a chimney. But it was Wednesday afternoon when this awkward shifting phase came to an abrupt end.
“Did you hear Hannah is dating that guy Castiel?” A girl named Anna whispered to her friend.
“Isn’t he gay?” Her friend, Balthazar, asked.
“Not anymore, I guess,” she shrugged.
“Damn, thought I had a chance with that one.”
“We’ll find you a boyfriend, don’t worry.” The two closed their lockers and walked towards their next class.
Dean walked up behind them, “Hey did you say that Cas and Hannah are dating?”
Anna turned around, “Yeah, she told me this morning in the locker room. The whole school’s probably talking about it by now.”
“What?” The words barely escaped Dean’s mouth.
“I don’t know, you should really ask her about it. I have to get to class,” Anna turned back and caught up with Balthazar.
Dean could barely breathe as he stood in the hall, students overwhelming the space around him while his entire world fell in on itself. He mustered enough strength to turn around and head to the nurse’s office. At least there he wouldn’t have to explain himself to anyone. But as he pushed past students he heard more remnants of their conversations, “Hannah finally got a boyfriend,” and “I would’ve taken a shot at Castiel if I knew he was straight,” but the biggest, loudest sentence, “Did you hear Hannah and Castiel are dating?”
It had been four days since they broke up and Cas was already dating someone new. Not even someone. Hannah. A girl. After everything Cas had told him about being pushed back in the closet and now he’s, what, bi? Pan? Dean’s breaths got shallower.
He barged into the office, nearly hyperventilating, “I need… to see the… the, uh,.... the nurse.”
“Right this way, sweetie,” the receptionist, Ms. Missouri, brought him back to the nurse’s room. “She’ll be back in just a minute. You just hang in there, honey.”
Dean laid down on the green bed and tried to focus on counting the dots on the ceiling rather than the words echoing through his skull.
Hannah and Castiel are dating.
These lifestyles are...
I need you to figure out what you want, how you feel, all of this.
...Fucking disgusting.
Then we can try again.
“Mr. Winchester?” Dean shot up. “It’s just me, Miss Tessa.” She walked in the room and grabbed her clipboard.
“Oh, sorry.” Dean sat up against the wall.
“No need to apologize,” She smiled. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“I, um, I just needed to lay down.”
“From the looks of it you needed to calm down too. Does something have you worked up?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Hmm. Well I’m going to take your temperature and if you feel like elaborating on that lie, go ahead and say so.” Miss Tessa turned around and prepared the thermometer. She scanned Dean’s forehead, stopping at the temple. “98.8. You don’t have a fever, which is good news for you because you don’t have to go home, but unless you tell me what’s going on I’m gonna have to send you back to class.”
“I couldn’t breathe for a second, that’s all.”
“Are you asthmatic?”
“No.”
“Had you been exercising?”
“No.”
“Well, Dean, people usually don’t have trouble breathing without reason. Do you know what might have caused it?”
“I don’t… I heard a rumor in the halls.”
“Mmm, and do you care to share what that was?”
“Just that there’s a new couple.”
“And that made you start hyperventilating?”
“No.” Dean glanced down, “Kinda. I don’t know.”
“Well, then what did?”
“I just started thinking about things, and hearing the rumors made it worse, and I heard all these things people said like they were amplified in my head. I’m not hearing new voices, just remembering the old ones.”
“It sounds to me like you had what’s called an anxiety attack. One can often feel overwhelmed and unable to breathe. And they’re usually caused by a trigger word, or phrase, or event.” She jotted something down on her clipboard, “I;m going to let you stay in here for the rest of the period, okay? Just try to relax and if you want to talk about it more I can get Mrs. Vallens.”
“Okay.”
Miss Tessa left the room, closing the door behind her. Dean got up and flicked the light off before laying back down. He tried to let go of all the things he’d heard. His eyelids felt heavy as they slowly shut and snapped open. Before he knew it, he drifted out of consciousness and into a dreamless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean woke up to Miss Tessa’s hand on his shoulder, “The last bell’s gonna ring soon.”
“Oh right, thanks.”
“And someone wanted to check on you. He brought you some work that you missed, his name is Castiel. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, yeah I do. Um, where… where is he?” Dean sat up slowly.
“He’s in the main office. Would you like me to go get him?”
“Yeah,” Dean rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“Okay, be right back.” Miss Tessa returned moments later, simply ushering Castiel into the room. She made a thumbs up at Dean and closed the door.
“Hey, Cas. Whatcha doing here?” Dean tried to keep some pep in his voice.
“I saw you in the hallway and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Cas set down a small pile of papers next to Dean, “I picked up your work for you.”
“We don’t even have the same sixth period.”
“I know, but I knew you wouldn’t go back to get it until tomorrow. And I also knew that Mr. Azazel isn’t very forgiving when you miss his class.”
Dean looked down and smiled weakly, “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
If Castiel could put all they had aside and still be kind towards Dean then surely he could do the same.They were friends before, they can be friends after. Dean could find a way to accept that Cas wanted to be with Hannah and that they were, in fact, a couple. Even if it had only been four days. Hell, Gabe bounced from person to person more frequently than that. Maybe it just runs in the family. But if it made Cas happy, then Dean wouldn’t let that ruin what’s left of their friendship.
“I gotta go pick up Sammy,” Dean stuffed the papers in his backpack and slung it on his shoulder. He gently walked past Castiel, pointedly not making eye contact.
“Hey Dean?”
He turned around, “Yeah?”
“Call me if you need any help with his assignment, okay?”
“Yeah, will do.” Dean turned back and kept walking until he made it to the safety of his car. Sam hopped in the passenger side and tried to make light conversation with Dean. To which Dean tried to answer as pleasantly as possible, but they both knew he was faking it. Thankfully, John wasn’t there when they got home. So, they did their homework in silence except for the classic rock on the radio.
Dean looked at his phone, tempted to call Cas despite being finished with the worksheets. But instead he took a deep breath and ignored his wishes.
Which was unfortunate, because on the other side of that line, Cas waited patiently by his phone, wishing for a call that would never come.