Soldier Boy

Chapter One

Dean Winchester's apple green eyes connected with his best friend Castiel Shurley's crystal blue eyes. Dean was picking him up for school, Dean's little brother, Sammy, sitting in the passenger's seat of his baby- his 1967 Chevrolet Impala.

"Hey." Dean smiled, and Castiel grinned back. Cas's backpack was slung over his shoulder, the boy ready to go in his favorite tan trenchcoat. He was wearing it due to the pouring rain, while Dean wore his favorite leather jacket that was slightly too big for him. It had been Dean's father's until John Winchester had passed it down to his oldest son. It's one of Dean's most treasured objects, right after the necklace his mother had given him and his Impala, also from his dad.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded, locking the house front door behind him. Cas's dad was at work, where he spent most of his time, and two of Cas's older brothers were already at their own classes at the college nearby or at work; they never talked about Cas's other two oldest brothers anymore, mainly because there was nothing new to talk about. Anna, Cas's twin, and Balthazar, Cas's older brother by one year, was probably already at the school. Cas could've gotten a ride with his siblings, but always elected to wait for Dean.

They ran through the rain, ducking their heads to avoid the water a bit. Cas climbed into the back as Dean got  in the front seat. Dean started the car, warming it up. Once all three were buckled in, Dean having to force Sam to buckle up, he drove them to school. Sammy was only a freshman, while Dean and Cas were seniors.

Dean climbed out, going around the car to his brother's side. Sammy climbed out, barely reaching Dean's chest. Dean slung an arm around his brother, smiling. "Now, kid, I know you can defend yourself, since you did beat up that kid Dirk. But if he messes with you again, tell me. I'll rip his lungs out," Dean promised, pulling Sam close. Cas walked next to them, his collar up against the wind.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it, Dean. I've got to get to class- Barry's waiting on me," Sammy grumbled, burying a smile. Dean released him, and Sammy ran into the school. Dean and Cas jogged the rest of the way, bumping shoulders slightly every so often.

As Dean enters the school, he receives fierce glares from a hurt blonde- Amanda Heckerling. "I told you it was a bad idea," Cas grumbled, standing slightly behind Dean. A bouncy brunette- the girl Dean had cheated on Amanda with- smiled at Dean seductively, and he rolled his eyes.

"What? She was getting too clingy and needed a reminder that I am a free man," Dean shot back, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. Cas rolled his eyes, moving past his friend. Dean hurried after him, not wanting to linger around the hostile female and her friends.

This was the school Dean's been at the longest by far- a whole seven years. When he was growing up, he lived in Kansas, but after his mom died, they began moving around a lot. He was about eight, in third grade, and until sixth grade, they moved around at least four times a year.

Dean's dad was a highly decorated general, and he was moved wherever they needed help. His mom has always held down the fort at home, raising the boys, but when she died, they had to move around with him. It wasn't until Sammy had finally asked if they could stay in one place that their dad finally did. When you're as high as he is on the ladder, you can ask to stop moving.

Now, seven years later, and John hasn't broken his promise to Sammy yet- though John Winchester has certainly gone off a lot, still. He just left a good buddy of his, Bobby Singer, in charge of the boys while he's gone. Dean didn't really mind- Bobby was great. He played catch with Dean, took care of Sammy, and cared about Dean.

It had been weird at first, staying in one place so long, but eventually he got used to it and made friends like Cas. Cas and him had been through thick and thin, always having each other's backs. Some guys had liked to make fun of Cas, and when Dean had found out, he pummeled them. When things with Cas's family went to shit, Dean had comforted him and gotten his mind off of it.

They understood each other- both wanted their father's approval. Both had absent fathers. Neither had a mother.

They went into their first class of the day, sitting next to each other as usual. A few jocks shouted out their greetings to Dean, while Cas got the greeting of some drama kids. Bobby had convinced Dean to go out for the football, wrestling, and baseball teams when he was a freshman- a good way to get out his aggression- while Cas had decided to express himself in a different way. Some of Dean's teammates had tried to crack jokes about Cas over the years, but Dean had put a stop to it. As the quarterback, he led the pack. They'd learned to fall in line and not step over the line he'd drawn.

After about an hour of Dean ignoring the teacher and Cas writing down every single word he could that pertained to whatever they were learning about, the class was released for their next period. Dean and Cas separated, their classes on separate ends of the school. Dean passed Sammy in the hall, walking with his friend Barry. "Hey, Sammy." Dean smiled his crooked smile, sending most girls swooning, and Sam waved in response, smiling slightly. Barry stood awkwardly next to him, waiting.

Dean continued on his way, winking at some girls as he went. A few glared, hearing the rumors about Dean's cheating. Some winked back, smiling seductively, hearing the same rumors. The rest smiled bashfully, shocked they were getting the boy's attention. Dean managed to get to class- unfortunately he shared it with Amanda.

Until lunch, Dean continued ignoring his teachers and sending notes to girls he found attractive. When he was finally released for lunch, he met Cas at the locker that they shared, dropping their stuff off. They made their way to the cafeteria, the room going silent as they walked in.

It was a commonly held belief in the school that Castiel was one of the most gorgeous guys in the school, Dean being the only one that could possibly surpass him. They were equally popular in their separate circles, Cas getting most of the leads in their school's productions, and Dean being the star quarterback.

Dean lifted his chin up as they walked in, while Cas fell into step behind him, his head somewhat hung low. It was easy to see who was the one in charge, but Cas had never minded. It was Dean's and Cas's personalities. Cas wasn't decisive- Dean was.

Dean spotted Sammy tucked away at a corner table with Barry, Kevin, Lily, Lily's girlfriend Kate, Jake, Andrew (Andy) and Ansem- freaky twins- and Jess- Sam's friends. A few people kept trying to sit with them, but Sammy kept sending them all away. Dean made his way over, Cas following him. "Hey, little brother." Dean smiled, plopping into the seat next to Sam. Cas sat on the other side of Dean, waving to some of his other friends.

"How's class?" Dean asked, putting his elbows on the table casually. "Fine. English is the best now that Dirk isn't making fun of us," Sammy informed him, taking a huge bite of the sandwich Dean had made for him this morning. Barry grimaced at seeing Sam talk with his mouth full, but otherwise didn't say anything as he ate his generic lunch that he'd received in the lunch-line. Kevin rolled his eyes, eating the lunch his mom packed him quietly. Jess looked disgusted, but said nothing. Lily and Kate were staring at each other too much to notice, Jake was stuffing his face just as much, Andy was staring at his ex Tracey across the lunchroom, and Ansem was staring angrily at Tracey.

Dean swore that Ansem was a possessive girlfriend rather than Andy's twin brother.

"I'm gonna go grab myself some food," Cas said, abandoning Dean at the lunch table with the nine freshmen. Some football players came over, talking to Dean and Jake- the kid was a damn good athlete- about the big game or something, but Sammy ignored it. His attention had been caught by something across the lunch room.

Dirk was sitting all alone, barely eating what was in front of him. Some kids at the tables around him were pointing and laughing, and Dirk looked horrible. Sammy was pretty sure he was going to start crying. It had been awhile since Sam had beat him in that fight, and everyone had taken to calling him Dirk the Jerk. The nickname was courtesy of Sam, and he was starting to regret it.

No one deserves that kind of treatment, even a bully.