Wow, huge delay in posting this chapter but with good reason. Firstly, I've graduated! The last few weeks of school were an incredibly period and I was focussing final assessment pieces. Secondly, Assassin's Creed 3 was released. As much as I love SPN, AC is my main fandom and, as expected, it has taken over my life. It took a lot of effort to scrape myself from an AC-mindset so as to be able to write this chapter for you. I'll eventually return fully to SPN but not anytime soon.

Enjoy

You know those people that hang out with your friend group that no one really likes but stay anyway because no one will tell them to go away and/or there's some benefit to having them around? Yeah, well for Dean Winchester that's these guys. Alastair and Gordon. And not only are they complete assholes, they're also long-time bullies of one Castiel Novak. So when Dean brought Castiel over to his group to introduce his new boyfriend, the welcome from these two was less than friendly.

"I think you've got the wrong table." Gordon spat at the sight of Castiel.

After his interaction with Dean earlier, and the fact that his hand was still firmly planted on his hip, Castiel was far too content to be upset by this blatant display of dislike. "Nope. Dean has invited me to join you for lunch today."

Dean moved his hand to Castiel's back reassuringly, a comforting pressure between his shoulder blades. Castiel subconsciously leant into the touch for support. "I'm pretty sure you guys all know Cass by now." The 'after bullying him for years' was unspoken but clear as day.

Most of the tables occupants were either glaring at Castiel for daring to even so much as think of Dean, sending him questioning glances, or looking at him like they would dirt on the soles of their shoes. At least Sam and Jo offered friendly 'hey, Cass'es and Pamela Barnes winked at him so he assumed he was at least somewhat welcome.

Unfortunately some people disagreed. "What are you doing bringing this freak here, Dean?" Gordon Walker spat at Dean but his eyes remained glued to Cass the whole time and it seemed more like an excuse to insult him rather than a genuine question. "He's going to fucking contaminate us with his insanity. It's disgusting."

One of Dean's feet kicked the table next to where Gordon's feet lay and caused him to jump, a subtle threat. Dean's expression was clearly one of forced restraint. "He's is my boyfriend, so you're going to play nice, capiche?"

Gordon was silent after Dean's announcement but continued to glare at Cass. Jo jumped up out of her seat and clapped Dean on the back. "Congrats, man! I though you two looked super adorable."

A snarling voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. "It's like a zebra befriending a lion. It's not adorable. It's unnatural."

"Alastair, stop it." Pamela cautioned, her hands resting on her hips.

"Oh, honey," Alastair reached across the table and petted Pamela's cheek coldly with not even a drop of affection, "I'm just looking after my dear friends from this…what was your name again? Cass." Alastair grimaced at the name passing through his lips and spoke with a clear tone of disgust,

Jo shook her head, discomfited by Alastair's action. "Don't listen to this idiot, Cass. Come on, you and Dean can sit next to me." She kicked a chair out next to her.

Castiel sat down awkwardly. His shoulders were raised and his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. When Dean sat down next to him he tried to comfort him but holding one but he wouldn't budge and instead sat there like a statue. Even as the rest of the table continued eating their food and occasionally conversing in chit-chat, Cass remained completely still. That was, at least until Alastair spoke again.

"So, tell me, Cass, as an outsider what do you think of the human race?"

Cass tilted his head and stared at Alastair intensely, looking for answers in his expression. He realised this could be considered as rude or strange so forced his focus back to his food, poking his sandwich idly. "I-I think you have misunderstood…"

"Cass, don't." Dean warned.

Castiel ignored him anyway. "I have no connection to any 'alien races' and am startled you would see me as such." Dean's palm covered his face in an instant, he knew this would happen the moment Alastair begun his insults. Of course Cass would misinterpret the more contemporary slander. Alastair and Gordon burst out into fits of laughter across the table.

"Man, this freak really is bat shit insane." Gordon spat; one of his extended accusingly towards Castiel.

Once he got over his chuckles, Alastair added jarringly. "You're right, he's not an alien, he's clearly a robot if he talks like that."

Castiel's eyebrows lowered his expression became pinched. That in conjunction with the situation just made Dean want to pull him close to his chest and whisk him away somewhere happy and safe. "You are being very rude, it's unnecessary and inconsiderate."

"Woah, calm down. Got up on the wrong side of the padded room this morning?"

Castiel bit his lip and mumbled his reply to himself. "My bedroom is not…"

"Fuck, Dean! This loser is a total riot!" Gordon clapped Dean on the back. "Brilliant joke, man. Dating him-" He couldn't finish his sentence as he broke out into a cackling laugh.

Dean stood and leant across the table to grip one of Gordon's fingers and twist. Snarling. "Clearly you're the joke here."

Sam jumped up and tried to calm his brother down. "Dean, let him go."

Eventually Dean let go, chucking the immobile limb aside like garbage. "Come on, Cass. Let's get out of here." Dean beckoned.

"No."

Dean stopped to turn back to Cass, uncomprehending as to why he wouldn't want to escape the barrage of insults he was being exposed to. Cass was directing a venomous glare towards Alastair who was far more amused by the situation than it warranted. "Aww, look, Cassie's all angry now. You gonna break up with Dean?"

Dean snarled. "You know what, I'm sick of you two-"

"Dean, please just shut up." Castiel's calm voice demanded.

At first Dean thought it was Cass backing down, giving into their cruel words but when he turned back and saw the look of anger and determination on his boyfriend's face he knew it was anything but and it sent shivers down his spine. "Cass…"

Cass stood up and moved to stand directly in front of the two. "I am dating Dean. Take a moment to get that through your thick heads. We. Are. Dating. It's not a joke." Castiel towered over Gordon and Alastair, looking far more intimidating than ever before. If Castiel actually had real wings, not just the fake ones he wore when dressed as C, they would be puffed up threateningly in that moment. "Dean has clearly stated that if you don't like it, get out."

"Oh, honey," Alastair drawled, "but it really is such a laugh. Dean is clearly just playing you around."

Gordon cackled, the laughter so cold it made Dean grimace and he noticed Cass shiver at the sound of it. "There's no way he could ever be serious about-"

Gordon's next words were fortunately cut short by the fist that made contact with his cheek. "Cass?" Dean gasped in shock.

"You can insult me all you like, I've dealt with similar things all my life and I can handle your childish abuses but don't you dare insult Dean like that." He spat and emphasised his point by leaning over intimidatingly; his body directly invading Alastair's personal space.

"O-oi!" Gordon hesitantly tried to intervene but his incentive dwindled at the sight of Castiel's cold glare.

"Do you honestly think Dean to be so superficial and shallow as to date me for humour value or a good joke and nothing else? I would expect that from you, never him. Dean is by far the most sincere, honest, loving man I have ever met," Dean swallowed at the rising thought of his deception and that if Cass trusted him so much then the blow would come ten times as hard when he found out, "so don't you dare try to defile him with your falsities and criticisms."

Everyone was dead silent in shock. Dean bit his lip as a rush of affection swept over him. He tried to grab a hold of Castiel's upper arm and pull him back. "Cass, I-"

"Dean, shh." Cass shook him off effortlessly and returned to Alastair. "You can insult and bully me but I am not going to change who I am and I am not going to break up with Dean. Stop acting like immature children and deal with it."

Cass moved away from the two and leant back into Dean's chest for support. It would have been completely unnoticeable had he not been this close, but Cass's shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Dean shook his head lightly and wrapped an arm around Castiel's waist for reassurance that he was there to support and help. Alastair and Gordon shared a glance together and hurriedly stood a moment later. They exited the cafeteria without saying a word. Their postures were stiff and they clearly infuriated by being so humiliated by Castiel.

The moment Alastair and Gordon disappeared from sight Dean erupted into laughter. "I have the best boyfriend ever." He spun Castiel around, grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Oh, my god, Cass. You're my new best friend. It's decided, you have no say in the matter." Jo cheered and pumped her fist in the air at the sight of Cass and Dean's locked lips."

"Dean, marry this boy!" Pamela exclaimed.

Dean cradled Cass in his arms when he begun to panic, not just from the thrill of his actions catching up with him but also perhaps because a public kiss with such a shy teen was not such a good idea. "Did I just do that? Is it hot in here? Do I have a fever? Should I call Gabe?" He poured out in a rush.

"No, just sit here and kiss me."

Cass blinked a few times in stunned silence before rushing up to kiss Dean.

In physics class later that day, Dean doted upon Cass with paramount affection, not letting the teen lift a finger as they set up a mechanism for an experiment they were conducting outside. Dean didn't spare a single opportunity to touch Cass or hold his hand or wrap an arm around his shoulders yet Cass was completely unresponsive to them. Eventually Dean sighed and decided to explain and apologise for Alastair and Gordon's behaviour.

"I'm so sorry, Cass. I told them about you yesterday…well, not about you specifically, I didn't name you I just generally spoke about you, anyway, they were really supportive and I thought…I thought they'd be okay with you." Dean rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"That was humiliating, Dean." Castiel spoke solemnly.

"Yeah, but you absolutely destroyed them!" Dean exclaimed with a grin. "Come on, it wasn't all that bad. Besides, I've wanted to see those two get told for a while now; the fact that it was my wonderful boyfriend who did it is just an added bonus." He wrapped an arm around Cass's shoulder.

Cass laughed silently, his body shaking with noiseless giggles. "Yes, I suppose it did turn out all right."

"It turned out better than alright, Cass!"

Castiel remained silent, fixing a part of their experiment and allowing his thoughts to reorganise themselves. "Make it up to me." He stated simply, turning to face Dean's stunned expression.

"O-okay," Dean mumbled after a while, "give me tomorrow. Let me have you all of tomorrow." Dean proposed smoothly.

Castiel's mouth felt dry, his lips parched and his tongue subconsciously lapped at them. "T-the whole day?" Dean nodded. "What are you planning on doing for the whole day?"

"Spoiling you rotten." It was stated like the simplest, smallest thing in the world but the words crushed Cass like an 18-wheeler truck and stole the breath from his lungs.

"M-me?"

"Nooo, my other Cass. Of course you." Dean drawled teasingly.

Cass let his lips curl upwards and he took a deep breath before returning his eyes to Dean's passionate emerald gaze. "I look forward to it."

Next chapter is their first date! Yay. I'm only going to write one date in or this fic would go on forever and just…ramble on. (badum tss) I'm over two thirds of the way through this fic. We're on the home stretch! Not much more to go from here.

Short chapter but next one will be much longer.

Please review!