Chalk & Chainmail

Chapter 4

When Castiel walked out his front door the next morning, he stopped in his tracks. Parked in his driveway was Dean's shiny black 1967 Chevy Impala. The windows were rolled down, and Castiel could hear music drifting out from the cab but couldn't see anyone inside. Cautiously approaching the driver's side, Castiel peered into the car. Dean was lying on his back across the driver's and passenger's seats, air drumming along with the music, his body wiggling and jerking in time to the beat.

"Dean?" Cas asked, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

Dean sat bolt upright nearly knocking his forehead against the other boy's. "Cas!" he gasped, his face coloring ever so slightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought you could use a ride to school. I saw Michael leaving early this morning when I dropped Sammy off for soccer, and I know Anna's still gone so...," he trailed off.

"How long have you been out here?" Castiel interrogated.

"I don't know 10 minutes maybe," Dean answered with a shrug.

"And you just planned on waiting until I left my house to see if I needed a ride? You didn't think to knock?"

"Well, when you say it like that, Cas," Dean said realizing his plan may not have been as thorough as he had originally thought.

Castiel shook his head and began walking away.

"Hey, c'mon!" Dean shouted leaning out his window. He watched as Castiel rounded the car and approached the passenger side door and that's when Dean' realized, oh. Cas was getting in.

Sitting stiffly in the seat next to him, Castiel muttered, "Thank you for thinking of me," as Dean started the Impala and backed out of the driveway.

"I'm always thinking of you, Cas," Dean admitted, but because Castiel didn't know what to do with that statement, he did not reply.

As they approached the school, Dean looked briefly at Castiel and then back to the road. "So, did you want me to drop you off somewhere incognito so none of your friends see that you rode to school with me?" he asked.

A small smile curved Castiel's lips, but it vanished so quickly Dean thought maybe it was his imagination.

"No, Dean. Wherever you usually park will be fine. I'm sure my friends aren't standing around outside like a bunch of Greasers, waiting for my arrival."

Dean stared at Castiel, mouth agape, wheels whirring in his head trying to figure out the boy across from him. Was that a joke? Or even better, a pop culture reference? Castiel moved his lips around a small smirk and then looked away.

When Dean had pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine, Castiel thanked Dean for the ride and headed off across the parking lot. As Dean made his way up the pavement to the doors of the school, he was attacked by a flying blur of red hair and large concerned eyes.

"That wasn't Castiel Milton getting out of your car just now, was it?" Charlie asked, coming to a screeching halt in front of Dean. Her breath was heaving from her chest in deep gasps, and her cheeks were a little flushed.

"Geez, Codex," Dean said smiling sheepishly down at her.

"Don't 'Codex' me, Dean. This is serious. What are you doing?"

"I was just giving him a ride to school, Charlie, give it a rest." Dean sidestepped his friend and continued into the school, heading towards his locker. Charlie easily fell into step next to him.

"Dean, I'm concerned, okay? He was horrible to you." She paused letting that sink in before stating, "He still is."

They made it to their lockers, and Dean spun his lock entering his combination. "Han Solo wasn't exactly prince charming to Leia, but it all worked out in the end," he pointed out, pulling his first few periods’ worth of books out of his locker and dropping them into his book bag.