Against All Odds -Destiel

Chapter 13

After school Cas bumped into Dean, causing Dean to drop the things he carried in his arms against his chest. They fell to the floor and something made a loud and embarrassing clank on the white tiles. Cas apologized not even completely realizing at first that it was Dean and knelt down to help him gather his things. He picked up the medal and the thick piece of paper that had his name on it in bold fancy letters. Castiel Novak. He met Dean's eyes in questioning, his heart a lump in his throat. "I was going to drop it off at your house. I thought one of your brothers would want to give it to you or might want to keep it."

"Why?" Cas's voice was calm and steady.

Dean shrugged, gathering the loose papers that had fallen out of his notebook. He felt his face flush as he tried to cover up the scribblings of Castiel's name on his papers. "They should be proud of you. I am."

Cas snorted. "You're proud of me now?"

Dean rose to his feet, extending a hand to Cas who was still on the floor, holding his medal and certificate. Cas stared at the hand in front of him for a long moment and then took it in his own hand, allowing himself to be lifted off the ground. He took one step away from Dean. The closeness was too uncomfortable.

Dean sighed. "Yes, I'm proud of you. You worked really hard and you deserved that medal."

Cas narrowed his eyes. "All I did was copy off your papers, Dean. Not a hard thing to do."

Dean looked away, his lips tightening. Castiel's rough voice continued. "I talked to Principal MacCleod."

Looking back at him, Dean saw the unsureness and the sadness behind the boy's eyes. "I'm dropping out."

"Cas! What the hell?" Dean's voice became loud and his eyes wide in surprise. "You have to go back and tell him you changed your mind!"

"Why?" There was no point to it, Cas thought to himself. He was defeated. Nothing was worth it anymore.

"Go! Now!" Dean was pointing in the direction of the principal's office, kids near them turned their heads as they walked by.

Castiel stood, a statue, unmoving, without a voice.

In a sudden movement, Dean rushed passed him, his feet stomping against the floor as he walked as fast as he could to get to MacCleod. In the window of the man's office, Dean could see him putting his things into the briefcase he always carried with him. He threw open the door as soon as the handle was in arm's reach. "Principal MacCleod,"

Half way through the second word, MacCleod's thick voice overlapped Dean's, "Dean Winchester, what is the matter? Turn around, walk out of this office, close the door slowly, and come in like a civilized human being."

"No." Dean said bluntly, still catching his breath.

"I beg your-"

"You can't let Cas drop out."

"I'm sorry Mr. Winchester, but that is not your decision to make." He continued to put papers into his briefcase carefully, one at a time.

Cas, who had finally caught up, crept slowly and silently behind Dean, just a few paces behind him, and stood still with a focused frown.

"I understand that, sir." Dean continued, calmly. "But I'm telling you, you can't. He is only doing this because of something horrible that I did to him and I cannot live with myself if I let this happen to him."

MacCleod stood with his fingertips on the desk, drumming them softly on the polished wood. One eyebrow was raised which meant he was listening.

"Cas is such a great person, but he doesn't let anyone know it. He'd rather have everyone hate him and leave him alone than love him and pretend to be someone else. And he should be admired for that. It takes guts and it hurts to go through what has to deal with every single day. Just because a guy wears old hand-me-downs and leather jackets and listens to Led Zeppelin, it doesn't make him a bad guy. The reason he acts tough is because people will walk all over him if he's not. People like you. And me."