Chapter Text
The first time Cas sat with Dean at lunch was on his first day at his new school. It was about two months into Dean's senior year, and Castiel’s junior year. Castiel had just gotten his lunch and he had no idea where he was supposed to sit. He looked around pathetically searching for any vacancy, but finding none.
None until he saw red tipped hair, one left studded ear, a pierced eyebrow, topped of with snake bites and green eyes that stole your attention with their shine.
He was beautiful. Whoever he was. With his strong set jaw, muscles you could tell were there underneath that leather jacket and, Castiel was immensely pleased to notice, full, soft looking, pink lips.
Snake Bites sat at a table towards the back exit and faced the whole cafeteria, (A tactical strategy for Dean, he had a vantage point of everything, and he knew they all could see him silently brooding. It was important to display the ‘don't even fucking look at me, you peasants’ vibe. It worked well.) so Cas, relieved to find a vacancy, walked up to Dean’s table and sat down like it was the most normal thing.
And oh, the people had seen. They'd seen as some crazy-haired, scrawny looking, idiot actually walked up to Dean Winchester himself. The whole cafeteria was watching in stunned silence as Cas sat down directly across of the terrifyingly hot senior. He was dead. He was a dead man for sure. The people's eyes shifted from Cas’ brave, foolish stunt, to Dean; just wondering what kind of torture was in store for the new kid.
The last kid that approached Dean, well, some shuddered to remember that day. It was one of the rare and few times during Dean’s sophomore year that the tattooed teen actually showed up to eat lunch, sitting at that very table in that very spot as he dug into his food. Ten or fifteen minutes into lunch and there were shouts of pain and anger as everybody turned to see a shocked, scared looking senior, being pinned face down on the table with his arm forcefully held in what had to have been a painful position behind his back.
“Let me get one thing straight, fuck head!” Dean shouted. He grabbed the back of the kids collar and pulled him up only to slam him back down on the table, hard. “Approach me again, I'll rip off your arm and beat you with it.”
Dean had said it to that one senior but the whole school got the message. No one approached Dean during lunch ever again, until today.
Every gaze was fixed on Dean who actually looked shocked, at the smaller boy before him, who didn't seem to notice any of the attention directed at them. The cafeteria held it's breath collectively. Dean's shock subsided, when Castiel looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. Dean narrowed his eyes at the boy for four agonizing seconds, before he merely grunted in annoyance, pushed himself up, and walked out of the cafeteria. Castiel, along with everybody else, watched as Dean sauntered out of there. Cas was alone in feeling a little disappointed though, everyone else was relieved.
Once the shock of the almost-incident had worn off, lunch continued normally.
No one saw Dean for the rest of the day.
×××
The next day, to almost everyone's astonishment, it happened again.
Castiel, seeing no other table available, walked, again, up to Dean's table and sat directly across from him. Dean looked up slightly shocked, but after a couple of seconds, shock turned into mild annoyance, but there was no fire behind it. Dean frowned at the small boy, who returned the frown with a wide smile.
“Hello.” Castiel greeted excitedly, before he focused on his meal.
That was all that was said as Dean watched the kid for a few moments. “You're not gonna leave, are you?” He asked. It was more of a statement than anything.
Castiel looked up and smiled again, before shaking his head. “Nope.”
“Fine.” Dean rolled his eyes and pushed himself up and walked out.
So there Castiel sat, eating his lunch alone for another day.
No one saw Dean for the rest of that day either.
×××
Every day after that Castiel walked over and sat with Dean, and everyday Dean got up and walked out.
After the fifth day, Dean stopped walking directly out of school, but he still walked out of lunch.
They never said anything to each other, other than Castiel’s daily ‘hello’. And to his surprise, Dean found himself sitting at lunch longer and longer, just by a few seconds. Everyday just a few seconds longer than the last.
Day seventeen, that fateful Friday, is when Dean snapped. He slammed a single fist on the table. “What do you want from me?” He asked harshly. It was the first full sentence Dean had spoken in weeks. Castiel’s head whipped up to meet Dean's very beautiful and angry eyes. And. . . was that hurt?
“What?” Was all Castiel blurted before Dean started off again.
“Everyday!” Dean exclaimed. “Everyday you take your lunch and you sit right there,” he pointed at Castiel’s chair, “right there. That's what you do. You walk up here, like you own the place and you sit at that chair, like it's yours. With me! Of all the idiots in here, you sit with me.” He restates. “I scoff it away, I roll my eyes. I never speak. Not one word. Not one hello. Nothing. I don't smile, I scowl. I don't wave, I hiss. I don’t even stay! I leave you! Everyday I walk out, like you have done me a personal offense.” By now Dean had commanded the attention of the room with the tone of his voice, all were silent. “I am the most, ruthless, intimidating, asshole that anyone could have the misfortune of being with, yet here you are. It's been weeks! I don't even know your name for fuck sake! Why don't you leave? Why are you still here?” Dean finished his long winded rant and sat there waiting for Castiel’s answer.
It took a few moments, but Castiel realized that Dean was done, so he set his burger down calmly, wiped his face and smiled.
“Because I like you.” He said. He then resumed eating his burger like the whole cafeteria wasn't staring at him. He ate like Dean wasn't staring with his mouth hanging open. He sat there like he wasn't just yelled at for being kind to a man who's never really been shown kindness.
It was five full minutes before Dean shot up and practically ran out. Castiel was unsurprised to find that Dean left school again. He was upset. He really thought Dean had begun to tolerate him. Dean seems to run when someone shows him any sort of positive emotion. He doesn't seem like the kind of person that deserves to feel that way.
×××
Monday came and Dean was not seen at all. All morning Dean was no where. It's not like he was easy to miss when walking through the halls, but Castiel had no classes with Dean so he had to wait till lunch to see if he'd actually shown up or not.
Castiel realized that the closer it came to lunch the more anxious he was to confirm whether or not Dean was here. More anxious than he guessed he should have been for a guy he'd never really spoken to. A guy that didn't even like him.
Still when Castiel collected his lunch he searched for red tipped hair and snakes bites, only to come up to an empty table that the people pointedly avoided.
With a sigh he sat down in his self-appointed seat and silently ate his lunch alone yet again. This time felt different though. This time Snake Bites hadn't even shown up. Castiel did not miss the glances that were spared his way, but he did ignore them.
Halfway through lunch, Castiel was just about done with his burger when Snake Bites heavily dropped down in the seat across from him.
There was a defeated sigh from the taller teen. “Alright, I give up.” He said. “You win.” And if the full on ecstatic smile that Castiel gave him gave Dean a butterfly-ish feeling in his chest, then that was nobody's business but his.
“Hello.” Castiel said, as he did everyday, but then he added. “My name is Castiel.”
Dean gave a smirk and a short nod. “Dean Winchester.”
“It is nice to meet you, Dean.” Castiel said, truly meaning it.
Dean's smirk moved to a genuine smile. “You too, Cas.”
It was the first time in months Dean had smiled. Later on, the first time in years he actually laughed, and the first time in weeks he'd sat all through lunch till the bell rang and he couldn't say he minded.