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Castiel kept his eyes glued to his notebook until everyone started talking amongst themselves again. What had Dean been getting at? Why had he come over to talk to him if not to torment him? Castiel went back to his drawing. He hoped Dean hadn't noticed that it was him. It was just a rough sketch, but it would be kind of hard to think it'd be anything else. Castiel continued shading the picture until the bell rang. He closed his notebook and made his way out into the hallway, praying that the football players didn't have the same lunch as him.
Yet again, his prayers were in vain. There were Crowley and Alastair, along with about seven other football players, all decked out in their Letterman jackets and everything. Castiel watched as they walked to the front of the line and shoved some freshmen back before stepping in front of the younger students.
“Hey, Winchester! Get up here, man!” Alastair shouted in Castiel's general direction. He turned in time to see Dean walk past him and get in line with the football players. They all greeted him and laughed, asking him how he liked the school.
Castiel wondered how the jocks even knew Dean until he heard one of them ask if he was ready for the season to start.
“Well, yea... I-I guess I am,” Dean chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, returning a light shove from Crowley.
Dean was on the football team? What was he doing talking to Castiel? Better yet, what was he doing in band class? No other jocks were in the band. They bullied band kids. Castiel brushed it off as ignorance and took a seat at an empty table, waiting for the line to go down.
~~~~~
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Dean went through the line with his teammates with a fake smile plastered on his face. He only signed up to play football because it was what his father wanted, but he couldn't tell these guys. This school's whole foundation was football. If there was even one guy on the team that said he'd rather be playing music, or doing some other sort of art instead of playing the game, he'd be shunned.
He got his tray and followed Alastair, the running back that had taken him under his wing so to speak, toward a table. Halfway across the cafeteria, Dean spotted Castiel sitting alone at an empty table. He looked like he was doodling something in his notebook again. “Uh, hey guys, I'll see you later...” He knew it'd make a huge scene for him to go and sit with the guy, but he couldn't help himself. It was either sitting with Castiel and having lunch with him or staring at him from across the lunchroom and having his teammates question him about it and tease him for it later.
He veered off toward Castiel's table, ignoring the protests from seemingly every person he'd previously been standing with.
“Hey is this seat taken?” Dean asked as nonchalantly as he could, putting on a genuine smile. Castiel's eyes snapped up and Dean noticed just how blue they were. The kid looked like he was anticipating something but he couldn't tell what.
“Um..n-no. You can take the chair. No one is sitting there,” Castiel looked back down to his drawing. Dean hesitated before sitting down across from him.
“What are you drawing now?” Dean picked up a french fry from his tray and popped it into his mouth, craning his neck to see Castiel's paper.
“What do you want?” Castiel said in a low voice. He closed his notebook so Dean couldn't see the paper and looked up at him, not meeting his eye.
Dean swallowed and looked at him with a mock hurt expression, “Ouch...Dude. I'm just trying to be nice...” He picked up another fry and ate it without looking away from him.
Castiel looked at him like he was crazy. “No one is ever nice to me without a reason... You're on the football team, right?”
“Uh, yea...why?”
“Crowley sent you over here, didn't he?” Castiel looked down at his hands.
“Why would Crowley have sent me over here? I came over here because I wanted to,” Dean said nonchalantly, picking up his burger and taking a bite. He could feel about a hundred eyes on them, but he tried not to pay attention to them. “Are you gonna get some lunch or what?”
Castiel looked back up to Dean. “Why do you keep talking to me? They're going to give you hell for it...”
“I couldn't care less what everyone else thinks of me,” Dean shrugged and set his burger down on his tray. “So you gonna go get some food?”
“I...yea. I usually wait for the line to go away so I don't have to deal with too many people...” Castiel scooped up his notebooks and stood. He nearly stumbled back when Dean stood with him. “W-what are you doing?”
“Thought I'd go and wait in line with you,” Dean said as if it was something he'd been doing for years. He ignored the stares from almost everyone in the cafeteria as he and Castiel went up to the line, Castiel hugging his notebook to his chest as if his life depended on it.
When they got back to the table after standing in silence for five minutes, Dean still felt tons of eyes boring into his back as he sat across from Castiel. He picked up his burger and took a bite and immediately pulled back when laughter erupted from the jocks' table. He looked back at them and took the top bun off of his burger as Castiel gave him a pitying look.
Dean gagged when he realized when they had done to his food, immediately spitting it out and pushing his tray away.
“I told you what would happen if you talked to me...” Castiel sighed, looking down at his food. “Here, you can have mine...” He pushed his tray toward Dean.
“Nah. Its okay...” Dean took a drink of his milk and gagged again. “Holy shit!” he coughed and sputtered, spitting his milk out on his tray. “What the hell?!”
“You shouldn't leave your food where anyone could get to it, Winchester!” Crowley laughed from a few tables over.
“Jackass!” Dean said loud enough for everyone to hear. “What the hell is your problem?”
Castiel swallowed, looking obviously nervous and Dean felt bad. He turned toward Castiel, trying to ignore his idiot teammates and striking up a conversation. “Um...So, Castiel. W-where you from?” He swallowed and pushed his tray further away.
Castiel looked up at him and furrowed his brow, “I'm from here...”
Dean almost laughed at the confused seriousness in the boy's voice. “Okay... So you got any brothers or sisters?”
“I have three brothers and one sister,” he said flatly. After a pause, he added, “do you have siblings?”
Good. The guy was finally beginning to loosen up. Dean smiled, “big family, huh? I've only got Sammy, he's my little brother. He goes here too, in the junior high school.” He leaned on his elbows on the table. “You should eat your food before lunch ends,” he chuckled and pushed Castiel's tray back to him.
A smile flickered across Castiel's face for a fraction of a second and then it was gone. Dean watched as he picked up a fry and ate it cautiously. He smiled to himself and made a mental note to get Cas to smile more. It suited him. “I feel strange eating in front of you when you don't have any food...” Castiel said quietly.
“Its no big deal, Cas. Just eat,” Dean sat back in his chair with a genuine smile on his lips.
For the first time, Castiel looked him in the eye with wonder in his own. “Why don't we share..? I mean... I don't usually eat the burgers here anyway... They're shit,” he chuckled lightly and Dean beamed at the sound of it.
Dean grinned and picked up the burger, “eh, I've had worse.” He took a big bite, still smiling at Cas.
A peaceful silence fell over them as Dean ate Castiel's burger and Castiel ate his fries. About ten minutes before the lunch period ended Dean finished off the last of his food and looked up at Castiel, who had begun doodling in his notebook again.
Without saying anything, Dean leaned forward to see the paper. He felt a blush creeping up his face when he saw the detailed drawing of his smiling face. “W-wow...you're really good,” he said softly, fighting the urge to pull the paper toward himself so he could admire it.
Castiel covered his paper reflexively and blushed, wide-eyes staring at the back of his hand on the paper. It the cutest damn thing Dean thought he'd ever seen. “Th-thanks...its just a little sketch...” he said quietly.
“Looks like more than a sketch to me. You're really good,” Dean smiled at Cas then looked back down to the drawing still covered by Castiel's hand. “Can I see it?”
Castiel hesitated before he nodded, moving his hand and scooting the paper toward Dean slightly.
Dean carefully pulled the drawing closer and picked it up, admiring the line work. A smile played at his lips as he took in the detail Castiel had put into the 'sketch' and he glanced up to see Castiel studying his reaction. “Its really good... Where'd you learn to do that?”
Castiel shrugged, “having no friends gives me a lot of free time...”
When the bell rang, Dean picked up his tray and stood, waiting for Castiel and walking to the drop off window with him. “So what class do you have next?”
“Um...I think I have US History...” Castiel said, looking down as they passed the jocks' table.
Dean brushed off the glares from his teammates and smiled, “me too!”
Castiel looked up at him, meeting Dean's eye again, which almost gave Dean chills. A small smile flickered across Castiel's lips and then it was gone as they got to the window. “Thank you...” Castiel said politely as he handed his tray to the lunch lady.
Dean handed his tray through the window, “thanks. Hey wait up!” He jogged to catch up to Castiel who had hurried down the hall. “What's the hurry, Cas?” He nudged him cheerfully and pulled back when he noticed Castiel flinch. “Hey..you okay?”
“Y-yea, sorry...” Castiel said in a rush.
Dean moved to put his hand on Cas's shoulder, but changed his mind, not wanting to scare the guy again. “Hey, I'm really sorry... I-I didn't meant to-”
“It's fine, Dean...” Castiel cut him off, taking a deep breath and looking up at him. “I'll um...show you where the history room is.” he offered.
“Okay... You sure?” Dean felt genuinely bad for scaring him.
“Yea, but first I need to go to the nurse's office.” Castiel spun around as if nothing happened and headed toward a door at the top corner of the hallway.
“What's the matter? Are you sure you're okay?” Dean asked, following him closely.
“Yes. I have asthma and I have to go and get my inhaler,” Castiel said easily. It seemed as though he was warming up to Dean. Dean wondered how many people at school actually knew that Cas had asthma, or if any of them knew anything about him at all.
They went to the nurse quickly and then Castiel showed Dean to history. More rules and things they would be doing for the semester for another hour. Dean hated the first day of school so much. Why did they have to go over pretty much the same exact rules seven or eight times? It was all pointless in his mind.
Castiel was still closed off, still afraid that Dean would abandon him the next day, but he did talk a little more by the end of the day. They shared the last half of their schedule from band class, which was a relief to Dean so he wouldn't have to waste too much time with his jerk teammates.
Dean didn't get to talk to Castiel like he wanted to because Cas was so shy. He wanted to get to know him and, in time, he would. He wanted to find more ways to make him smile because it didn't look like he ever did and a smile looked good on him; it highlighted his features.
When the final bell rang to dismiss them from school, Dean slung his bag over his shoulder and stood up. “Hey Cas, where's your locker?” he asked, trying to seem nonchalant as they walked out into the crowded hallway.
Castiel looked up at him in shock, “it's right down the hall.” His voice seemed hesitant and Dean hoped he hadn't creeped the guy out.
“Hey cool, mine is too. Its uh, 362 I think.”
“Mine is 365,” Castiel said, watching down the hallway.
Dean noticed throughout the day how Cas was always either looking down at the floor or keeping a cautious watch on his surroundings. It made him feel bad at how paranoid Castiel seemed, though he hid it exceptionally well.
“So uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?” he asked carefully, trying not to get his hopes up. He knew Castiel didn't have any friends, but maybe that was by choice, or maybe he didn't even like Dean.
“Sure!” Castiel said a little quickly. “I-I mean, if you want to...” he added quickly.
“Of course I do. Well, isn't that your locker?” Dean nodded toward a row of lockers. He hadn't meant to, but he ended up waiting for Cas at his locker and walking him out to the buses.
“Dude is this your bus?” Dean asked when Castiel stopped at one of the first buses.
“Yes...” Castiel said uncertainly, taken aback by Dean's excitement.
“This is my bus too. According to the office at least,” Dean dug a small piece of paper out of his pocket. He'd jotted down the bus number earlier when he got to the office and asked them which was his. “My dad drove me and Sam to school this morning since we forgot to find out which bus it was.”
Castiel showed a small smile. He'd never had anyone to ride the bus with except his siblings and that was only because the bus driver just stuck them together. All of his siblings except Gabriel pretty much ignored him. “Are you riding the bus back home?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.
“Yea, my dad's at work til eight I think.” Dean smiled as they climbed onto the bus.