Castiel finally goes back to school two weeks later. He's in a wheelchair again, this time with a leg brace and a sling. Thankfully, Dean's car can carry the chair and all five boys. As always, Dean drives them, and this time, it's him and not Gabriel that gets the wheelchair out.

"You haven't been here all semester, have you?" Dean observes as Castiel slides into his wheelchair.

"Nope," Castiel replies. "I've missed the first ten classes. Is that a bad thing?"

"I guess you'll see," Dean replies with a shrug. Noticing Castiel having trouble getting his backpack, Dean grabs it for him. "I'll take it," he offers, and Castiel knows better than to decline. Dean would take it anyway.

"Thanks," Castiel replies.

Charlie runs up to them, sprinting all the way from the door. Donna follows, but she can't run as fast or as long as Charlie.

"Castiel, you're here!" Charlie squeals, giving him a giant hug. Castiel awkwardly hugs her back from the wheelchair.

"Hey, Castiel, you saved the newspaper!" Donna tells him with a grin.

"I did what now?"

"We sold more newspapers last week than ever!" Donna replies excitedly. "Everyone wanted to read your article story thing!"

"Why?" Castiel asks. "And how'd they even find out about it? No one reads the newspaper. No offense, of course."

"None taken," Donna assures him. "And we had a bit of help from Dean."

Castiel looks up at Dean expectantly. "What did you do?"

Dean shrugs. "Not much. I bought the paper. Crowley asked why I was reading the school newspaper, of all things, and I told him you wrote something for it and that if he wanted to read it, he had to buy his own. I'm pretty sure he just bought it to make fun of it, but I was there when the team read it, and there wasn't a single bad thing said about it. That just sorta started a chain reaction, and just about everyone read it."

"Wow," Castiel replies, unsure what else to say.

That's not at all what he was expecting to hear. Why did no one tell him this before he came to school? Maybe they knew there is no way he would have come if he had known. He hates being the center of attention. Had he known anyone read his story, he would have begged Chuck to let him stay home. Seeing as Chuck still feels guilty about everything, Castiel knows it would have worked.

"You don't seem very excited about that," Donna observes.

"No, I'm thrilled for you," Castiel tells her. "I'm glad I could help the paper out."

"You don't look thrilled," Charlie observes. "What's wrong? This was the whole reason we wanted you to write this."

"I know," Castiel replies. "I just didn't really think this through. Now I sound like a lovesick puppy or something."

"Why are you complaining? Puppies!" Charlie squeals, flailing her arms around. Apparently, she's in the puppy fandom now.

"As fun as this conversation is, I'm gonna take Castiel to class," Dean announces.

"I can do it," Castiel protests.

"Where's your room?" Dean asks, ignoring that.

Castiel pulls out his schedule and reads off the number.

"Calculus?" Dean guesses.

"Yeah," Castiel replies uncertainly. "How'd you know?"

Dean grins and says, "Looks like we're classmates. Come on."

Dean wheels Castiel to their class, ignoring the whispers and stares as they do. Thankfully, there are two seats in the front next to each other, so they can sit together. Dean goes up to the teacher to get everything Castiel has missed, so the younger boy is stuck sitting alone at his desk. A girl that Castiel doesn't recognize walks up to him.

"Did you really kill a serial killer?" she whispers.

"Yeah," Castiel replies uncertainly.

"That's so cool!"

"Um... Thanks?"

"Back off, Meg," Dean says in a low voice. "He's mine."

"Can't you learn to share?" Meg replies with a smirk.

Dean pushes past her and sits down in his seat. "Get lost, Meg," he hisses.

"Aw, fine," Meg agrees, throwing Castiel a wink before walking away.

"Meg..." Castiel repeats the name to himself. "She's on my bus. She didn't like me last time I spoke to her."

Dean nods. "Yep. Get used to it. You're famous here, and this time, it's not in a bad way. Just remember that you're dating me and you can't go hook up with anyone else."

Castiel starts choking on air at that suggestion. When he recovers himself, he says, "I wasn't — I wasn't planning on hooking up with anyone."

Dean chuckles. "I didn't think you were. I just wanted to see what you'd do, and I have to say, I was not disappointed."

"You're a jerk," Castiel pouts.

"You love it," Dean replies with a confident grin.

"No," Castiel says stubbornly.

"Yes," Dean argues.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"No —crap."

Castiel laughs. "I win!

"You cheated," Dean pouts.

"I won't deny that," Castiel replies with a grin.

"Well, don't cheat!"

Castiel pretends to think about this for a moment. "I could..." he concedes, but then adds, "But then again, cheating saved your life, so really, you should be glad that I cheated." Castiel gestures to his arm in the sling.

"That doesn't make it okay," Dean replies in a manner that reminds Castiel of a teacher.

"Would you rather have died, then?"

"I have full confidence that you would have chosen Lucifer instead," Dean tells him.

Castiel chuckles. "I've known him all my life. I've known you less than two years, and I actually hated you for most of it. Are you still sure I would have chosen Lucifer?"

Dean nods. "Definitely. Only not really. But yeah. Because, if crazy psycho killer man explained it right, you also ignored Lucifer for the majority of your life anyway."

"But he was still always there for me," Castiel replies. "You know, like all those times when I walked home in tears because of... Hmm, who was that again? You." Castiel says it with a teasing grin; he isn't really mad at Dean about this. Not anymore, at least.

"Okay, fair enough," Dean agrees. "But I got the team to leave you alone eventually, so it's not like I just didn't do anything. Just like, if I understand correctly, Lucifer didn't do anything for you."

"He recited The Bee Movie," Castiel recalls.

"I don't quite see those being equals," Dean replies. "I mean, if anything, The Bee Movie was just a mild annoyance."

"I found it sorta funny," Castiel tells him. "And it was something to listen to as I ignored him, so there's that."

"I love how this is what we fight about," Dean laughs. "Most people it's like 'You cheated on me!' 'No I didn't!' But with us, it's like 'You would've let a serial killer kill your brother instead of me!' 'No way!'"

Castiel laughs. "I didn't even think about that. It makes sense, though. Neither of us are exactly 'normal.'"

"True," Dean agrees. "Besides, I like this fight, because I am clearly winning."

"Sure you are," Castiel says sarcastically.

"I'm going to pretend that was sincere," Dean tells him.

"Then you're wrong."

"You know, Cas, telling someone — your boyfriend, of all people — that you would have let them die if you didn't have to is generally considered very rude."

"Does it count if I don't mean it?" Castiel asks. "Because I'm just playing devil's advocate. (A/N Literally, because he's advocating for the devil. Hahaha, I'm so funny.)

"Well, I'd hope you were," Dean replies. "I don't know why, but I can't quite see you as the type to tell me this to my face and actually mean it. Maybe I'm crazy, but..."

"No, I wouldn't," Castiel agrees. "But I might have said the reverse to Lucifer, because he'd be thrilled."

"Seriously? Why?" Dean asks.
"He'd want to go down with the ship."