Make the Most of It (Destiel AU)

The Day of the Dance

The rest of the days before the dance fly by in a blur of talking to Cass and Sammy, planning new mini dates and surprising him, and trying to research all he can about the tricker-siren. (He really needs to give it a better name.) By the time Friday does roll around, he is as nervous as humanly possible about the dance. Sammy's going too, but he refuses to reveal who he's going with. No matter how much Dean pokes and prods, Sammy still says he'll only find out when he gets there.
"Does dad know you're going?" Dean asks on Friday morning.
"Yeah, I told him last night but he gave me the lecture on how hunters can't have girlfriends. But I don't have a girlfriend." Sammy answers.
"Is he gonna let you go?"
"He can't stop me. Did you tell him yet?"
"No, but..." Before Dean can finish his sentence their father strides into the room.
"Dean! Great to see you up already. Listen, the thing I'm hunting should arrive here soon and I need you to stay home tonight and prepare. The siren should be here by tonight and I need someone by my side. Sam here is too good for that, apparently. Going to some stupid dance." He shoots a death glare in Sam's direction.
"Um, actually, Dad, can I help you tomorrow night?"
"Why, Dean? You never miss a chance to organize the guns."
"I'm... Going to the dance dad." Dean said slowly.
His father's face changed, went from curios to furious in 5 seconds flat.
"No, you're not. I can't deal with this right now. First sam and now you? People are going to die, if we don't stop this goddamn trickster-siren or whatever the hell it is. And you leave me for a damn school dance?"
"I never asked to be brought up like this!" Dean was practically yelling. "You can't expect to raise children and cut off all their friends and still expect them to stay with you every night when you need them. You've been gone three months and the only time you called was when you updated me about how long we were staying."
John's voice softens. "I'm doing the best that I can, okay? I tried to raise you kids with normal lives but you can't have a normal life. Not when you're a hunter."
Dean glanced at the clock, saw how late he already was. "I gotta go to school. I promise I'll help you tomorrow, but I'm going to the school dance today. I don't ask for much, so the least you can do is give me one night off."
Dean's father sighed. "I guess there's nothing I can say or do to make you stay home."
"That's right, there isn't. I'm heading off now. Come on, Sammy." Dean packed his bag, shoved one last pop tart into his mouth, and dragged Sam out to the impala, his mouth stuffed full of pop tarts, ignoring his complaints that "I wawsn dun wiv ma bakfest ye'"
"We have to leave a little early because I have to make one stop on the way." Dean explained, even though Sam didn't ask.
Sam swallowed his pop tarts. "Is there any chance we could, um, pickup another person, too?"
"Who? I didn't know you had friends here." Dean teased.
Sam looked hurt. "For your information, I do have friends and his name is Gabe. He lives, well, you're pulling into the driveway now. How'd you know?" Sam is confused.
"Because I know his brother. Isn't Gabe the one you said was annoying?"
"Yeah, but he's better now."
"Whatever you say." Dean texted Cass to come outside, praying that Cass had missed the school bus like Cass told him he always did. Sam texted Gabe, too and within minutes two boys, one tallish, lean and neat, his bag artfully draped around one shoulder and his hair ever-so-slightly mussed, the other short, round but not fat and messy, coat trailing from his arm, his bag barely hanging on, stepped out the door and ran down the driveway.
"Dean! You didn't have to pick me up. But thank you. I'm assuming that's your brother Sam in the backseat?" Cass climbs into the car, along with Gabe, and Dean peels away from the curb and starts to drive.
Sam cuts in. "Yeah, I'm Sam. How did you know? Are you the dude my brother is taking to the dance?"
Last night, Dean made the mistake of telling Sam he wasn't taking a girl to the dance, so Sam made his own assumptions (and he assumed right.)
Cass blushed. "Yes, I am. And I knew because Dean has told me a lot about you."
"All good things, I hope?"
"Mostly." Cass regains his confidence and smirks.
Dean really is curious about who Sam is taking to the dance, so he asks Gabe about it. Gabe blushes a shade of scarlet Dean had only seen on tomatoes before and quickly mutters "I don't know." Before turning away to look at something on his phone.
Maybe Sam is offended by that question, too because as soon as they are within walking distance of the school (after a few minutes of awkward silence) he says, "that's fine, Dean, thanks. We can walk the rest of the way. See you after school." He opens the car door and rushes in with Gabe.
"That was weird. Normally, you can't shut my brother up. Come to think of it, he hasn't been acting like himself lately." Cass pipes in, confused.
"Yeah, and normally my brother wants to be driven to within a foot of his location. He hates walking."
Dean finally finds a parking space, and the two walk into school together, prepared for another boring day of classes. At least they have each other.