Chalk & Chainmail

Chapter 3

Their next couple of weeks worth of tutoring sessions were reminiscent of the first one. They met in the library and discussed protons and neutrons while Dean would attempt to chip away at Cas's outer shell and Castiel would scold him and urge him to continue working. Many nights one or both of them would go home frustrated about the afternoon's events (Dean usually because Cas wouldn't budge and Cas usually because of Dean's incessant questions on why Cas couldn't just act like a teenager). But on the third week of tutoring, Dean noticed a change. Albeit small, it was there, and it was like the first push of green through dirt in early Spring: hopeful.

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Dean had already been waiting for Castiel-who was usually there before Dean-for 20 minutes. But rather than study, he spent his time texting back and froth with Charlie on what the theme was going to be for their upcoming Fandom Club party. When Cas rushed into the library and threw his stuff on the table, Dean looked up at him in surprise. His hair looked a little more wild than usual, and he'd been carrying around a venti cup of Starbucks all day. Dean wasn't sure if it was constantly being refilled or if Cas had continuously gotten fresh cups, but the way Castiel guzzled it down like it was nectar from the Gods, Dean was pretty sure there was more coffee in Cas's system than blood.

"I'm late, I know, I'm sorry," Castiel said sitting down. "I was up late studying for the SATs, and I've been running behind ever since. My last class got out early, so I would have arrived on time, but Mrs. Mills gave me a 98% on my paper so I had to stay after and expalin to her why it deserved 100%. She said the debate team is lucky to have me although I'm not sure that was meant to be a compliment." When Castiel stopped rambling he looked across the table at Dean who was listening with a puzzled expression on his face. "What?" Castiel asked.

"Why are you telling me all this, Cas?" Dean questioned. "That's your personal life you're sharing with me, there."

Castiel cleared his throat carefully and paused as if to collect himself before responding. "It's Castiel. And I don't know. I merely felt you should know why I wasn't as punctual as I typically am."

Dean raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Cas had just shared more about his life with Dean in the last five minutes then he had in the last six years since the first (and only) summer they'd spent together. "Are you sure it's not because you thought I'd care?" Dean asked, "Or because you just felt like sharing?"

Castiel realized what he'd done, how he'd opened up to Dean so easily for just those brief minutes, and all at once the flustered, open demeanor Cas had rushed in with was gone, his walls back up, neutral expression comfortably in its place on his face. "Don't be foolish, Dean," he said flatly, as he opened his chemistry book. Dean sighed and followed, suit but the way Castiel had spoken to him just minutes before, as if they were friends, niggled at the back of his brain.

After the tutoring session, Dean offered an "I'll see you tomorrow." as he collected his things. Cas responded with a tired nod and left the library, leaving Dean thinking that maybe, somewhere underneath all that disconnected, I'm-too-good exterior was the boy he'd gotten to know so well over the short summer they'd spent together.

* * *

Castiel wanted to see Dean.

In the time since they'd began playing together, Castiel found himself becoming addicted to Dean's happy-go-lucky personality and the way he felt when he was around Dean. Dean made a lot of the hurt inside Castiel go away, and he didn't worry so often that he wasn't worth anything or that his mother was scowling down at him from Heaven like his father always said she was. When he was around Dean, he didn't feel like he couldn't breathe and his skin didn't feel as if it were crawling.