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Your hands shook violently as you adjusted the tassel that sat on the graduation cap you wore. The black gown cascaded down your body, covering the shoes that you wore. Two golden cords ran over your shoulders and down your chest. You were in a room with the other individuals that were graduating alongside you. You were a part of the Cloud County Community College graduating class of 2018. After years of online courses, thousands of hours of studying, and thousands of dollars worth of books and tuition, you were able to graduate with a major in criminal justice and police science. Not only could the degree help you in the future with different cases, but it was always something you enjoyed - mostly when it came to the legal side of things.
Your hands shook violently as you adjusted the tassel that sat on the graduation cap you wore. The black gown cascaded down your body, covering the shoes that you wore. Two golden cords ran over your shoulders and down your chest. You were in a room with the other individuals that were graduating alongside you. You were a part of the Cloud County Community College graduating class of 2018. After years of online courses, thousands of hours of studying, and thousands of dollars worth of books and tuition, you were able to graduate with a major in criminal justice and police science. Not only could the degree help you in the future with different cases, but it was always something you enjoyed - mostly when it came to the legal side of things.
You were in the auditorium of your college, other students wandering around, talking to one another, smiles plastered on all of their faces. Glancing at your watch, you had six minutes until the ceremony was supposed to start. Even as you sat there, in one of the many chairs in the room, waiting to be escorted to the gym where the actual ceremony was going to begin, the butterflies swarmed around in your stomach as quickly as they possibly could. You weren’t as nervous as you were excited about the entire situation. You just couldn’t wait to get on stage and your hand on the diploma that you worked so hard to get.
A bell rang in the auditorium, causing you to lift your head and look around. “Hello, Cloud County graduates of two-thousand-eighteen!” A male voice came over the loudspeaker.
The students surrounding, clapped and cheered loudly. You smiled lightly and stood up from your seat, waiting for the voice to continue. It wasn’t until the cheers died down that the male began to speak once more.
“The ceremony will start in five minutes. All graduates must line up at the west side door of the auditorium in alphabetical order. A list of the graduating students has been provided for you in the pamphlet that you have received. A member of the staff will come into the auditorium and get all of you for the precession. Begin.”
There was a final click, signaling the man was done talking to the student body. You picked up the pamphlet that was given to you as you entered the auditorium that morning. There were about one-hundred-fifty students in that auditorium, but it didn’t take long to find your name in the jumbled up mess of names. Once you found where you were, you began to count down the line of people that began to line up. You looked back at the sheet of paper and then back at the group of people more times than you could count. You began to move towards the general area that you could only figure you would stand. Biting your lip, you decided to ask someone their name. You turned to a blonde female with a pale face.
“Excuse me, are you…” you glanced down at the sheet that you had in your hand, looking for the name directly before you. “Karen?”
“No, sweetie,” the girl said and shook her head. “My name is Skylar.”
“Oh…” you looked at the paper, noticing that Skylar was the name of the girl behind you. “Oh! So you’re behind me, then.”
Skylar looked down at her own paper. “Are you (Y/N)?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah! I’m behind you!”
A smile appeared on your face before you moved in front of Skylar. Everyone else was lining up around you. You could tell that Skylar was excited by the way that she was presenting herself. Her hands were folded right in front of her as she bounced around lightly.
“Aren’t you excited?” She asked you with a happy voice. “We’re finally done with college. We can go out into the world and become whatever we set our minds out to be.” She shook her head. “What degree did you get?”
You turned around and glanced at her. “Oh, I majored in criminal justice and police science. What about you?”
“Nursing. Mostly pediatrics.” She shrugged. “I love taking care of children.”
“Interesting.” You nodded, looking at some of the other students.
It was silent between the two of you for a while. Skylar seemed rather excited though, hands placed in front of her and moving ever so slightly, not able to keep them still. The smiled was plastered on her lips and her body was moving up and down.
“You know,” Skylar continued. “I think what I love most is that I get to help people. It’s amazing to feel like you have saved someone’s life.”
A smile slowly appeared on your face as you turned and looked at her. “I know the feeling.”
Skylar smiled. Before she could say anything else, a small alarm rang throughout the auditorium, but it quickly stopped. That alarm got all of the student’s attention. They turned their gaze towards the front. An older woman stood there with a megaphone so that her voice would echo throughout the room.
“Graduates of the class of twenty-eighteen!” She said, her deep voice hitting your ears. Before she was able to continue, the chorus of cheers erupted from the students in front of and behind you. She waited. After the cheers, she put the bullhorn closer towards her mouth. “We are getting ready to enter the gym! If you would please follow me and stay in line! Thank you so much and congratulations!”
There were more cheers from the students and the smile stretched across your lips. The megaphone was lowered from her face as she stepped to the side. She began to gesture the line out of the auditorium and that was when the line began to move and you began to feel the butterflies swarm around inside of your stomach once again. It wasn’t, so much, out of nervousness as it was out of excitement. After all of the hard work and dedication that you have placed into your college career, you were finally able to receive the piece of paper that showed it. That would give you more public recognition than the countless amount of monsters you have hunted and killed. It didn’t matter, though. You could do thousands of hunts without being recognized for the work that you have done, but all that matters is that you knew that you saved those people. Others didn’t have to know.
In order to get into the gymnasium, the class had to walk through the courtyard and into the side entrance. It was the beginning of summer in Kansas, the sun shining down and beating on top of the blue graduation caps that everyone wore. Even with the thin material and then shorts and tank top you had on underneath, you could feel yourself already starting to break a sweat. Your only hope was that there was air conditioning inside of the gym or at least a decent sized barn fan on the inside that was powerful enough to keep people cool, but weak enough to guarantee that programs and hats didn’t fly around the building.
As you neared the red brick building, you could see that the gray, metal doors were shut, giving you the idea that there was air conditioning inside of the building - if there was a fan, they would have the windows and the doors open to keep the air circling throughout the space. The first person got to the door and opened it up, allowing a gust of cool air to touch your skin. You shivered and felt a sense of relief inside of you. At least you wouldn’t be miserable the entire time the ceremony went on.
As the line proceeded to the gym, the faint sound of the College band playing Pomp and Circumstance. It made you feel such elation as you made your way to your seat. Parents, friends, and family members were in the bleachers, standing up, clapping and cheering for the graduates of 2018. You looked around for a little bit before you got to your designated seat. You sat down and adjusted your robe so that it was a little more comfortable. Skylar sat next to you and did the same. Once she finished, she placed her hands in her lap and glanced at you.
“Here we go,” she said with a smile before she looked forward.
You turned, glanced at her, gave a small nod, and then looked at the podium that was in front of the graduates. It didn’t take that long for everyone to sit down and for the crowd to do the same. An older man walked up to the podium wearing a gray suit with a blue tie. He touched the microphone and tapped on it, the vibration echoing in the entire building, indicating that the microphone was on. He leaned forward, practically pressed his lips against the microphone, and began to speak.
His voice was baritone and deep. He addressed the audience and then the graduates, a slight smile hiding behind the thick, black microphone. The man was the dean of the College and his speech was long and tedious, saying many different lines one too many times. It took ten minutes before he called up the Valedictorian up to the podium for them to give their speech. A male student stood up from behind you and made his way up to the stage. He thanked the dean and turned to the student body. It was then that he began to speak.
The speech was longer than the first one - if you had to estimate, about thirty minutes long - but this one had more content, memories of the past and goals for the future. You didn’t care about any of that. You wanted to walk up to the stage and take the diploma and throw your hat into the air and then go home and celebrate. However, after the valedictorian, came another student with a twenty-minute speech and then another student with a twenty-five-minute speech and then another speech from the Dean before he finally called the Class President up to announce the graduates. You let out a sigh of relief and watched as the female walked up to the podium. She began to speak.
You watched from your spot on the seat as the rows were called. It didn’t take long, however, before your row was called. You stood up and set your program down on your seat. You followed the other students to the stage and stopped as they reached the bottom step. The Class President then began to call out the names of the people that were in front of you and that was when you were able to feel the butterflies swarming around in your belly. Your hands were shaking slightly, but you were filled with excitement and anxiety. Two people were left, then one, and then it was your turn. It was your moment to shine and to be known by the entire student body.
“(Y/N) (L/N), a graduate of the field of Criminal Justice and Police Science.” She said with a soft voice that echoed loudly in the mic.
A smile appeared on your face as you climbed up the short steps to the stage, walked over to the Dean - who was handing out the diplomas - and reached with one hand to grab it while the other hand came down and shook his. He congratulated you and you turned to walk off the stage. It was then that you heard the loudest and most obnoxious cheers from the audience. You turned your head towards the sound and the smile broke out even wider onto your face once you saw that it was none other than Sam and Dean Winchester, standing tall and proud, clapping loudly and cheering even louder. The blush was dark on your face. You lifted your arm up and gave them a wave before you turned and headed back to your seat. You waited by your chair for everyone in the row to get back to their own before you all sat down in unison. While the others were still getting their diplomas and watching the others do so, you were studying the diploma. In cursive letters, you name was presented on it as well as the degree you majored in Criminal Justice and Police Science. The smile never left your face as you studied the calligraphy, running your hands over it.
The final student shook the head of the Dean and got their diploma as they walked off the stage and sat back down in their seat. Afterward, the Class President got her diploma and then sat back down in her seat. Once everyone was settled and the audience began to take their seats as well, the Dean walked back up to the podium and it was there that he began his last speech. It wasn’t as long as the first one - just a couple of words to wrap up the ceremony.
“Graduates of the class of twenty-eighteen…” he trailed off and studied each of the students, a smile creeping onto his face. “Stand up, please.”
Everyone around stood up, smiles on your faces and excitement flooding over you. The Dean cleared his throat before he stood up straight.
“As you stand here before us, diplomas in hand and dreams in your head, I can’t help but be proud of every single one of you, even if I never met even half of you. I love seeing the students graduating each and every year because I know that our future is great and it is all because of you.” He paused for effect. “Now, as you switch your tassel from your right to your left-” Everyone switched their tassels. “I can see the way paved to a brighter and better future for all of you.” He smiled widely. “Congratulations Class of 2018!” He exclaimed.
As if it were instinctive, everyone reached up, grabbed their caps, took them off their heads, and threw them into the air - a tradition that has lasted over a century. Your cap disappeared into the air, never to be seen again by yourself and at that point, you didn’t care. You looked at the diploma that you had as Pomp and Circumstance began to play once more. The students began to file out of the gymnasium in single file line, waving at their families. Some of the people in the bleachers were starting to stand up, stretch, and applaud for the graduates. You were able to see Dean and Sam standing up, clapping for you, and making their way down the bleachers - not even halfway to the gym floor when you made it out to the courtyard.
The sun hit the top of your head and the strong, hot summer breeze ran through your hair. At that moment, though, the heat wasn’t something that crossed your mind. Skylar came up behind you, placed her hand on your back, patted it twice, and then pointed at you. “Congratulations, (Y/N),” she told you. “I know you’ll do great!”
You barely even know me.
“Thanks, Skylar! I know you’ll do great too!” You huffed as you watched her turn and run off towards her friends and her family as you stood back and waited for the brothers to appear from the gym doors.
There were five exits to the gym. Two were on the east side, two were on the west side, and one was on the north side, the side in which the graduates exited from. You decided to take your chances and moved over towards the east side of the building where rows and rows of people leaving the gym and entering the blistering heat outside. You stayed where you were, trying your best to get into a location where there was shade and that you were also able to see the exits, but alas there was none. You had to stand in the sun’s rays until the boys hurried up and got outside.
What you weren’t aware of was that the boys had left the gym via the west side of the building and were walking around trying to find you - thanks to Sam’s height, it was a lot easier than if they were considered ‘normal height’. They spotted you before you spotted them and the two brothers snuck up behind you. Sam was the first one to wrap his large, massive arms around your body, enveloping you in a tight hug. A gasp fell from your lips at the contact before you turned your head to see the Winchesters. You smiled widely.
“Hey!” You said as you turned around and hugged both Dean and Sam.
“Congratulations, (Y/N),” Sam said with a small smile etched onto his thin lips.
“Yeah, congrats, kiddo,” Dean said.
Both of the brothers pulled away and looked down at you. “Thank you so much,” you responded. “I’m so glad that the two of you could show up.”
“Are you kidding? We wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Sam said.
“Yeah, you’ve gotten farther into a normal life than Sammy and I combined,” Dean responded.
You rolled your eyes. “Stop. You two have done more when it comes to actually saving people from danger. That’s the only thing that matters here. Not about having a normal life. You know what I say?”
“Fuck normalcy,” Sam mumbled.
“That’s right because family is all that matters.” You pointed at Sam.
Sam rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Can I see the diploma?”
“Sure,” you handed over the diploma that was still held casually in your hand.
Sam took it from you and brought it closer to him and Dean so that both of them were able to see it. As they glanced at it, they couldn’t help but smile.
“We’re really proud of you,” Dean said, glancing up at you before turning back to the diploma.
“Thanks,” you said with a small smile. You reached over and grabbed the diploma. “Enough ogling over my diploma!” You chuckled.
As soon as you took the diploma away and made the last comment, Dean raised his brows and a look of realization crossed his face. “Oh, yeah! We gotta go!”
“Go? Why?” You asked.
“Because we have a surprise for you.”
“Oh yeah!” Sam said. “What are you wearing underneath that?”
“Ugh…” you trailed. “Just some shorts and a tank top. Nothing fancy.”
“Perfect,” Dean commented as he reached over and grabbed your hand. “Come on, we really want you to see the surprise.”
“What the Hell is wrong with the two of you? You’re never this giddy about something in your entire life.” The boys began to take you - quickly you might add - towards the black Impala that sat amongst the other vehicles that either belonged to (former) students or their relatives. “Well, for Dean that’s beside when he even mentions sex or women and for Sam when he talks about Game of Thrones or some sort of damn novel.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean rolled his eyes as he got to the car, unlocking the driver’s side, opening the door, and unlocking the other doors. “Just get in the damn car. And take that robe off while you’re at it.”
You rolled your eyes as well as you opened up the back door - Sam always got shotgun. You tossed the diploma into the back seat and then reached down, grabbing the end of the gown and pulled it over your head, revealing your black and white attire. You folded the gown and tossed it into the car as well before you got in and buckled up, the boys already ready to go towards the surprise that they had for you. Once you were settled and buckled in, Dean turned on the car, the engine roaring to life, and backed out. He was one of the first ones that left the parking lot - thanks to the fact that you didn’t stay to chit-chat with the others you graduated with.
“So where is this surprise?” You asked.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Sam commented.
A groan escaped past your lips. “Come on. I don’t want to wait.”
“Too bad,” Dean said. “But it will take a while for us to get there, so why don’t you go ahead and doze off for a while?”
“But I’m not tired.”
“Then sit back there for a while and listen to music?” He shrugged. “It’s up to you.”
You glanced at the back of Dean’s head and then at the back of Sam’s head before you shook your own and leaned back against the seat. There were only a couple options that were presented in front of you for the trip that you were taking - however long that was supposed to be. You could listen to the music on the radio, screw around on your phone, fall asleep, or you could even listen to the music that was on your phone, drowning out the world with your headphones. The latter option seemed like the best option for you. You looked up at the front seat and tapped Sam on the shoulder. He turned his head and looked your direction.
“Can you hand me my earbuds in the glove compartment?” You asked.
“Sure.” He said. He opened the drawer and got out the white earbuds, handing them to you. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,”
You grabbed the headphones and plugged them into your phone. You got resituated in the back so you were a bit more comfortable. Once you were in the correct position, you looked through your music and picked out a song, the tune immediately playing through the earbuds. It was one of your favorites and one that you could easily relax to. So you did just that. You leaned against the car door, nuzzled against the leather seats, leaned against them, and closed your eyes, waiting for Dean to take you towards your surprise.
You had your eyes closed the entire duration of the ride, but you never went to sleep. Your mind was a mix of two emotions: curiosity and excitement. Curiosity came from the wonder on where it was you and the brothers were going and the excitement was the fact that you graduated that day. That you finally got recognized for all of the hard work you put into your education. It was a wondrous feeling that you were unsure whether or not you would feel the same about anything else ever again, but that was something you didn’t want to worry about. At that moment, you wanted to bask in the feeling of success.
The car came to a halt, the vibration that normally accompanied it vanishing, indicating that the car had been turned off. Reaching towards your lap, you grabbed your cell phone, opened your eyes, and turned off your music. Taking out your headphones, you looked around to see where you were. It was a familiar building - a garage that was filled with many different types of early cars from the 1900s.
It was the bunker.
You furrowed your brows. “I thought you were taking me to a surprise?” You asked as the boys got out of the car.
“We are,” Sam said and shut the door.
Dean opened the door for you and you glanced out into the garage. You grabbed your diploma before you got out of the car.
“You have to close your eyes,” Dean said as you closed the door.
“Okay, what’s going on?” You asked and sighed, shoulders slumping.
“Just do it!” Dean had a smile on his face that beamed like a ray of light.
You sighed lightly and closed your eyes.
“Alright, just follow us,” Dean said as he and Sam grabbed either of your hands and began to lead you towards the door.
Your feet shuffled against the concrete floor, worried about running into something despite the fact that you were being led by the brothers. Dean and Sam opened the door and led you into the bunker. They were rather careful as they led you down the stairs and then into the library.
“You guys are giving me anxiety,” you mumbled under your breath.
Dean and Sam chuckled. They stopped and you did as well. “Okay,” Dean said. “Open your eyes.”
You did as you were told and it was then that you were given the biggest shock of your life. In the library, there was a large array of food platters with a cake that said “ CONGRATULATIONS ” in the center of it with graduation caps on it. Black and white balloons were all over the place too. Not only that, but the room was littered with the people that you cared about and who cared about you: Charlie, Garth, Kevin, and Castiel. They all shouted ‘surprise’.
You covered your mouth, a shocked expression playing on your face. Everyone was clapping for you, the boys as well. “Oh, you guys shouldn’t have,” you said and looked at Dean and Sam.
“Of course we should have,” Dean said.
“Yeah, (Y/N). Graduating from college is a big deal. You had to work so hard for it.” Sam said as well. “And we’re all here to celebrate your first day as a college graduate. This party is just for you. We got your favorite foods, desserts, and even your favorite cake.”
“You’re spoiling me.”
“And for a good reason,” Charlie chimed in. “About time they treat you like this!”
“Hey,” Dean said, furrowing his brows as he glanced at Charlie. Charlie shrugged.
“I agree with Charlie,” Kevin said. “I mean, you worked on your college work and helped me with the tablet. You worked more than anyone around here.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Sam gestured to Kevin. “You deserve this, (Y/N).”
You smiled, your cheeks turning pink. “Thank you. All of you. I do believe that this party is missing one thing, though.”
“What’s that?” Dean asked.
“Beer.”
“I like the way you think, kid,” Dean smirked and chuckled as he patted you on the shoulder. You gave a small smile and watched as Dean left the room, most likely heading for the kitchen to grab a case of beer.
Castiel walked up to you and nodded ever so slightly in the awkward way that he had for ages. “Congratulations, (Y/N).” He said. “I was told that graduating from a school is a high honor. Just like everyone else, I am proud of you.” He smiled lightly.
You smiled. “Thank you, Castiel,”
“You’re welcome,” his voice always sounded so professional and it was something that you absolutely adored.
“Here we go!” Dean said as he brought back two six packs of beer. He placed them on the table. He grabbed a beer and tossed it to Sam. Garth and Charlie walked over and grabbed one of their own. Dean grabbed one and handed it to Castiel. You walked over and grabbed one of your own. Then, finally, Dean grabbed his own beer.
You opened your beer against the table and took a small drink.
“Hey, hey!” Dean said and smiled as he opened his beer. He lifted his drink into the air. “Cheers to (Y/N). For her hard work, dedication, and smarts. It’s because of her that we have been able to do everything that got us to where we are today. Congratulations, (Y/N). Cheers!”
“Cheers!” Everyone chanted as they clung their beer bottles against one another.
A blush crept onto your face as everyone took a swig of the alcohol, including you. The beer ran down your throat and caused shivers to appear in your spine. As you pulled the bottle away, you let out a small sigh of satisfaction before you looked at your friends.
“Alright!” Charlie called out. “Let’s get this party started!”