Dean didn't know why he'd set his alarm clock for 6:30 in the morning, of all times. When his alarm clock blared that morning at six thirty, he slammed it off with a look of frustration mixed with regret on his face. It was the weekend before college started, in the brand new town he had moved into just two weeks prior.

Dean groaned as he stretched, the relief of stretching his muscles rushing through him. He sighed and then yawned, before turning to face his closet full of clothes.

He grabbed two jackets and a black shirt, pulled them all on, then tugged on some jeans. He closed the door of his closet before glancing at his reflection in the mirror. Assuring himself he looked fine, he walked out into the tiny kitchen of the tiny apartment he had managed to buy.

Dean had been saving money since he was 10, from birthdays or Christmases or anywhere he could get money. He had even snagged a few dollar bills out of people's wallets in his utter desperation. He had been desperate to move out since the age of 10, out from under the roof of his abusive father. And sure enough, just weeks after Dean graduated high school, he managed to purchase an apartment in a small town on the opposite side of Kansas. He had quite quickly packed all of his and his brother's stuff, and had dragged his younger brother with him to the apartment.

It was tiny with bad plumbing and the constant smell of cats, but Dean managed to live there just fine. Any place with his brother but without his father was an amazing place indeed.

Speaking of his brother, Dean peeked his head into Sam's room, only to see Sam sleeping soundly in his bed. Dean smiled and quietly closed the door, before turning his attention to the kitchen.

Dean fixed himself a measly breakfast of cereal, downing all off it in an incessant hunger. After spending most of his savings on buying the apartment and paying all necessary bills, Dean barely had anything left for food. Of course, he had taken up two different jobs, one at a McDonalds nearby and the other at a library, working as a library assistant. Both were rather boring jobs, but Dean was glad to have them. But since neither of them paid very well, he barely had enough money to scrape by.

Dean grabbed the bag he had bought to carry his school stuff in, and piled his textbooks and pencils into it. He checked the clock, seven am.
Dean heaved his bag over his shoulder, and opened the door. He turned, glanced briefly at Sam's room, then locked the front door behind him.

Dean climbed into his car, and after placing his school bag on the ground, began the twenty minute drive to the college he was to attend.
As Dean drove, he turned on the radio, trying to find some rock song to listen to. Finally, he settled on Back in Black by AC/DC, and lip synced the song as he drove along.

He reached the college in exactly twenty minutes, right on time. He shut his door and locked the car, before he made his way to the main office so he could get his schedule and dorm room. As he reached the front door of the college, he looked up at the college in awe. Sighing, he opened the door and walked inside the large building.

The main office was fairly easy to find, and the halls weren't too crowded, with only a few college kids finding their dorms. Dean walked into the main office and walked to a woman sitting at a computer.

"Name?" She questioned, not even glancing up to look at Dean.

"Dean Winchester."

The woman bit her lip in concentration as she scanned her computer screen. "Ah, here you are. Your dorm is room 242, you have a roommate." The woman printed out Dean's schedule and handed it to him, along with a map of the dorms. "School starts on the 25th. You'll need to move in tomorrow."

"Thank you." Dean spoke before walking out with his schedule. He got back into his car and dialed his father figure, Bobby, who was living in the town Dean was staying in.

"Hey Bobby. I just got my dorm information, and I have to move in tomorrow, so Sam's gonna have to stay with you for a while."

"That's alright boy." Bobby replied gruffly, a hint of happiness in his voice. "I don't mind taking care of Sam. But the question is, you gonna move out of your apartment?"

"What choice do I have? Sam's 14, I can't exactly let him live by himself in the apartment, even if you visit everyday." Dean replied, his hand gripping the wheel. He hadn't even started his car yet.

"Well, if you do move out, you can always live with me in the summer." Bobby offered. Dean smiled at the offer.

"Thanks Bobby. I appreciate it."

"Of course boy, and you don't need to thank me. That's what I'm here for, right? Now you go home and buy you and your brother some food."

Dean hung up on Bobby, then started his car. He started to drive home, listening to rock music on the entire drive home.

When Dean got home at 8, Sam was still asleep. Dean shook his head, and then turned his head when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to see Bobby standing there with a smile on his face.

"C'mon boy, I'm taking you grocery shopping."
Dean climbed into Bobby's car and the two of them took off to the nearby grocery store. When they walked inside, Bobby insisted Dean get anything and everything he'd need for college life for the next month. Dean gathered a bunch of snacks, such as cookies and chips. He also got lots of hamburger meat, ramen and pasta fixings, and lots and lots of bacon. He then got some salad fixings for Sam, and proclaimed he was done. Bobby insisted on paying for it all, all $250 of it.

"You really didn't need to pay for it." Dean spoke as they walked out of the store. "I could've covered it."

"And lose money you could use to pay your bills? Boy, I know how much money you have versus how much your bills cost. I am going to be paying for your groceries for the next few months until you can catch up and have a steady income." Bobby lectured as they walked back to the car. "I am your guardian for now, I'm not gonna let you go hungry anymore."

Dean nearly burst into tears hearing that. After years of abuse from his dad, and years of going hungry, he had gotten used to the ache he felt whenever he didn't eat; he had gotten used to the feeling that no adult would care for him. Instead, determined to not cry, Dean bit his lip and nodded. "Thank you Bobby." He whispered, his voice shaky. Bobby shook his head and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Like I said earlier boy, there's no need to thank me."

They both climbed into Bobby's car, and Bobby took off driving back to Dean's apartment. Once they got back, they walked inside, only to discover that Sam was awake.

"Heya Sammy." Dean spoke, as his younger brother ran towards him and engulfed him in his arms. Dean hugged back, and Sam soon pulled away, and hugged Bobby in turn.

"Hey! Wait, did you get groceries?" Sam questioned, glancing at the bags Dean and Bobby were carrying.

"Yep. Bobby paid for all of them." Dean replied, placing a few bags down on one of the tables.
Sam turned to look at Bobby, then unexpectedly hugged him with all he had.

"Thank you Bobby." Sam whispered, and Bobby smiled as Sam said this.

"No need to thank me boy. You just make sure to eat well from now on. And you're coming to stay with me while your brother attends college." Bobby explained, as Sam pulled away in shock.

"Seriously?"

"Of course, didja think you'd stay here by yourself? At the age of fourteen?" Bobby exclaimed. "Ya idjit, there's no way you're gonna live by yourself at fourteen. You'll be living with me until you're old enough to go to college yourself." Bobby ruffled Sam's hair as he said this, and Sam couldn't help but smile. Dean smiled too, the sight of his baby brother's smile too much for him to bear. He'd missed that smile.

Bobby helped Sam pack all of his stuff to move in with him, all while Dean packed his things to move into his new dorm. Sam finished packing everything an hour later, and by then Dean was also finished packing his things.

Dean had told the landlord he was moving out a week prior, so he went to talk again to the landlord to officially say he was moving out, while Bobby took Sam to his place so Sam could officially move in. Sam couldn't be happier to move in with Bobby, after all, Bobby had been the one to care for both Sam and Dean after they fled their abusive father. Bobby was the main reason Dean had chosen this town in particular, and stayed in Kansas, rather than running off to California or even Hawaii, to get as far away from his dad as possible.

Once the move-out was official, Dean took all of his things and placed them in the Impala, before he turned the key into the ignition and began to drive towards Bobby's. He was to move into the college tomorrow, so he'd figure he'd spend the rest of the day planning what to bring and how to decorate his dorm room, and what to expect from a roommate.

~~~~~

Dean's alarm went off at exactly 8am in the morning the very next day. Dean, who had fallen asleep at 3 in the morning, groggily turned his alarm off before sitting up on the bed Bobby had let him sleep in.

Dean stood up and began looking through the tiny amount of clothes he owned. He soon decided on a leather jacket, green jacket and black shirt, along with a pair of jeans. He patted down his hair, which was resembling that of a hedgehogs hair, and glanced at himself in the mirror. Other than his hair attempting to rebel against him, he looked just fine. Dean sighed and walked out into the kitchen, only to see no one but himself was awake yet. Dean grabbed a chocolate muffin to munch on before he began grabbing all of his stuff. Dean then suddenly realized he needed to take a shower, and he grabbed a towel out of the laundry room before he walked into one of the three bathrooms.

When he stepped into the hot water, it was as though anything bad he was thinking off washed away in the water. The hot water was comforting and warm against his bare skin, and he sighed in content at how warm the water was. He washed his hair and the rest of himself, and got out of the shower a few minutes after he was done washing, as the water was just too comforting to step out of. Alas, he had to actually do stuff today, so he turned the water off and stepped out into the bathroom. The icy cold air nipped at his skin, but he quickly dried himself off with a towel, which made the cold air just a little more bearable. He then got redressed in the clothes he had originally put on, and finally opened the bathroom door.

By then, Bobby was awake, sipping on a bottle of beer when Dean walked into the room. Bobby hastily put the beer away, however, not wanting to set Dean off. Dean's father had drank so much so often that Dean could barely see alcohol without cringing.

"Good morning boy. You going off to your dorm to move in?" Bobby asked. Dean nodded, and Bobby smiled. "Alright. Take your car, drive careful. Text me when you're done so I know everything's good."

"I will Bobby," Dean spoke, nodding, "I will. I'll stop by again to eat lunch with Sammy."

Bobby looked up at Dean from his seat as Dean grabbed all of his things. "Sam'll love that."

Dean nodded in agreement, then grabbed the four boxes of his stuff (including food) and put it all in his car. Then, he turned the key into the engine and began to drive.

Dean passed by many pretty things as he drove. Dean wasn't paying much attention to any of them, but each were pretty in their own aspects. Things like farms and sculptures, things Dean had never taken the time to look at before.

He listened to rock music the entire drive, occasionally singing along to the rock music that blared from his radio. The twenty minute drive seemed longer than that, but perhaps it was just because Dean was taking his time.
When Dean parked in the student parking lot, he cut the engine of the Impala and stepped out. He grabbed both boxes and carried both upstairs to his dorm room, room 242. He opened the door with the key he had been given yesterday, to see a relatively nice sized room, bigger than any bedroom he had ever had.

He began unpacking his things, putting the blankets Bobby had bought him on his bed. At 10 that morning, not too long after Dean was fully unpacked, a knock came at the door. Expecting his roommate, he opened the door to see a boy standing there.

The boy was just barely shorter than Dean, with dark, almost black hair and enchantingly beautiful blue eyes. His face was clean and pretty, and his hair was ruffled and unkempt.

"I'm guessing you're my roommate." Dean remarked, as he stepped aside to let the boy pass.

"If you're also in this room, then yes." The boy replied, his voice slightly deeper than what Dean was expecting. A boy suddenly walked in behind the dark haired boy.

The second boy was shorter, with golden hair and eyes, and a cheery smile on his face. "I'm just here to help this guy move in." The second boy explained, still smiling.

"I'll get out of here if you need me to." Dean offered, but the first boy shook his head.

"It's fine, we'll be alright unpacking with you in here." The boy remarked, shaking his hand. "I just have a few boxes."

"By a few, he means ten." The second boy laughed. "My name's Gabriel. Your new grumpy roommate is my little brother, Castiel."

The first boy, Castiel, nodded. "May I ask your name?"

"Dean Winchester." Dean introduced.

"Castiel Novak. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The boy suddenly placed the box he was holding on the second bed, and the second boy also dropped his box. They walked out to go get more boxes, and Dean saw this as an opportunity to go out and buy himself some actual breakfast with the money Bobby had given him for food.

He drove to the closest restaurant, which was a McDonalds. There he ordered two big macs and a coke, all of which he wolfed down extremely quickly. Despite wolfing it all down, he managed to savor every bite he took. He wasn't used to eating this much food at once. He was so happy to finally have money of his own for food, money that he could use to buy actual meals rather than the occasional snack and spaghetti fixings. It didn't take Dean long to be finished with his food, and once he was, he threw all his garbage away and drove back to the University.

When Dean got back to his room, Dean's roommate, Castiel, and his brother Gabriel had completely transformed Castiel's side of the room. Posters covered the wall, blankets and pillows were arranged on the bed just so, and a few items, keepsakes and photographs, littered the one shelf on Cas's side of the room.

"You two sure know how to decorate." Dean remarked as he walked into the dorm room. Cas turned around, briefly startled by Dean's sudden reappearance.

"I'm very particular." Cas explained, looking at one of the posters. "Everything has to be just so. That's why my stuff is always neat."

Dean laughed. "Well, you're gonna have a hella hard time with me as a roommate. I can't clean or keep my stuff neat for shit."

Cas cocked his head, then turned to glance back over the posters. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine." He remarked, not entirely focused on any one thing in that moment.

Dean tilted his head, then sighed and nodded. "Then from here on out, we must vow to get along."

Cas turned to face Dean, the end of his lips curving up only the slightest bit. "Alright. Let's get along."

2.8 thousand words! I think that's a pretty good start to a story huh?
So here Chapter 1 of my college AU! Let's hope this one isn't a disaster ^^;
I figured today would be perfect to upload the first chapter, since Season 14 premieres today. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
~ Liz