Augustus' POV
I didn't wake up immediately, the next morning. It took a few groggy moments to realize that I was not where I was supposed to be. In hindsight, I really should have put that together far more quickly, as I wasn't not only not in my own bed, but on top of another person. But, nevertheless, for about four seconds after I had woken up, I was blissfully ignorant and wonderfully comfortable.
And then I understood. I understood why my pillow was breathing and why my blanket had its arms tight around me. And, the stupidest thing was, I was completely okay with it.
At least, at first. It sounds ridiculously cliche, but it felt right. I felt like I was where I had belonged my entire life, with my head nestled into the crook of Dean's neck. I barely knew him, yet still I was okay with this. At least, at first.
And then the common sense kicked in. I was on top of a stranger, cuddling with someone I hardly knew. My eyes shot open and I tried to maneuver myself out from under Dean's arms without waking him, and promptly fell on the floor. Muttering profanities under my breath, I tried to quietly stand up. But, it was too late, Dean had already started to stir.
Dean rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, and I could see the confusion cross his face. For a moment, I was distracted by his face. And his hair, and his eyes, and his- NO. Focus.
Obviously tired, Dean looked as though he was trying to assess what was going on. "'Gustus?," Dean had called, his voice thick with sleep.
"Uh... Go back to bed. This is... All a dream..?" Okay, it was weak, I'll admit. But I was desperate.
Predictably, Dean didn't buy it. He moved so that he was sitting up, and stared up at me. "Leaving so soon?," his playful tone returning to his voice.
'How did he recover so quickly?,' I remember thinking. And it surprised me how much it hurt to think this, but I realized it must have been because he had a lot of practice. How many guys, or girls for that matter, had he brought into his house, given a beer to, slept with? I felt a slight pang in my chest as I realized that this had probably happened more often than I could imagine, and that undoubtedly Dean would forget about me by this time tomorrow.
I supposed that's the reason why I answered him with a note of resentment in my voice. "Yeah, I am. This was stupid of me. I shouldn't have given in."
I noticed that this took him by surprise; I also noticed that, while he seemed to be the type to try to hide his emotions, I could often tell what he was thinking. Whether it be a flash in his eyes or a crook of his eyebrow or a twitch in his smirk, it wasn't hard to figure out what he was- NO. FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE. PAY ATTENTION. Another thing I noticed- Dean had a way of distracting me in ways I did not have experience with.
Once again, however, Dean bounced back from it with incredible speed, his voice only a little quieter and only slightly less confident. "Right. You're right."
I knew I was right. So, why did his confirmation hurt?
I hadn't brought anything, or taken anything off, so I could easily just walk out the door. Leaving was simple. Or, at least it should have been. I should have wanted to go. I should have, but I didn't.
But, despite the fact that I slept better in the arms of this stranger than any other time in my life, and despite the fact that I had never wanted to kiss anyone more, I had to leave. I told myself not to look at Dean. Looking at Dean was how I ended up here in the first place. So, I averted my eyes, and quickly walked to the door. I didn't look at him while I muttered a goodbye, I didn't look at him when he returned one, and I didn't look at him when I closed his door behind me. It was far more painless than I had anticipated.
That was, until, I was halfway down the hallway of his apartment building when I heard him call, "Gus, wait!" And that was when I finally looked at him.
I turned around, and he was running to me. Sprinting, even. It seemed unnecessary, it wasn't as though I could outrun him. He closed the distance between us in seconds, and stopped about a foot away from me, staring into my eyes with an intensity that took me by surprise.
"Gus, I-" he paused, probably contemplating what he wanted to say. "I want to see you again."
Did I hear him right? I couldn't have. "You- what?"
"I want to see you again," he repeated.
Surely this was a dream. Maybe I would wake up soon, in his arms again, and we'd start it all over. Maybe I was in some time loop. Or maybe, just maybe, Dean Winchester wanted to see me again. I couldn't decide which scenario seemed more farfetched. Probably the latter.
"Um, I don't.. I don't know," I stumbled over my words. His gaze made me nervous. A good nervous, but still nervous.
His eyes pleaded, and I felt my pace quicken. What was wrong with me? I didn't even know this man. "C'mon, Gus," he smirked. "You haven't even seen me shirtless yet. It's just a phone number-"
I cut him off. "Dean, you don't even know me."
Without missing a beat, Dean smiled slightly and said, "I know, but I want to."
My emotions told me to give him my number, but my thoughts told me that it was a horrible idea. There was no doubt in my mind that Dean was used to this, having people fall for him. And I didn't doubt that he enjoyed watching them land on their faces, dazed and confused. I thought I would end up like them, for sure. Yet, my emotions won out, as they usually do, and I found myself returning his smile, probably blushing crimson.
And I gave him my number, stupidly and undeniably hopeful.
And then, as if none of this had ever happened, my life returned back to what was normal as soon as I walked back to my dorm room. Thankfully, it was close enough to Dean's apartment that I didn't have to call for a ride.
For the first time since yesterday, I thought of Hazel and Isaac. As I walked through the chilly winter air, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I had silenced it and didn't even think to check it until now. 27 messages and 13 voice mails. Crap. I clicked on the first voice mail, from Hazel.
"Hey, Gus! It's Hazel. Just wondering where you are. Call me back."
The next one.
"Gus, It's Isaac. Where the hell are you, bro? Did you get lost? Hazel's freaking out, I told her you probably just went home with some chick. It didn't help. Call me back, you son of a bitch."
With each consecutive voice mail, the concern in my friends voices grew. Fuck. It would take some fancy lying to get out of this one. While listening to the messages, I had walked all the way to the dormitory. I took a deep breath, prepared my story, and walked through the doors.
Almost immediately, I was met with a chorus of "Augustus!" and "Where the hell have you been?!" I looked in my room and I saw Hazel and Isaac, both looking somewhat frantic. Hazel looked as though she had been pacing, and Isaac was sitting in a chair, wringing his hands. Hazel Grace hurried to me, gave me a hug, and promptly slapped me across the face. I suppose I deserved it, but, Christ, who knew she could slap so hard? I rubbed my stinging cheek.
Despite her being a considerable amount shorter than I, her presence intimidated me. She seemed to grow, and I to shrink, as she yelled. "Where the hell have you been? Do you know how worried we've been? Why the hell didn't you call?! You could've died! Or been kidnapped! Or who knows what else! You-"
"Hazel, give him a break," Isaac interrupted. "He probably just found some babe and went home with her, right, Gus?"
I decided to go with it. It made sense. I wouldn't have to explain too much. Yes, a perfect alibi. I nodded, feigning sheepishness. "Um.. Yes."
I must have been convincing, because I watched as the blood drained out of Hazel's face and as Isaac smiled widely.
Isaac was the first to speak. "Yes! I knew it! Well done, man. Did you.. Y'know... Get to home base?"
This was tricky. I could say no, but then it may lead to more questions. At least if I said yes, I could get them to shut up about it.
"I- uh- yes. I did."
I felt a pang of guilt at Hazel's look of confusion and hurt. She really was a wonderful girl, my best friend, but it wouldn't work out. It may be hard, but maybe it was good for her. At least, that's what I told myself.
Isaac, however, got up from his seat, and blindly felt his way trough the room to me and clapped me on the back. "YES! YES! Finally, it's about time you dropped the virginity, eh? How was it? What was she like?"
I felt my cheeks redden. Of course he'd play the virginity card. "It was.. Good." Even without eyes, somehow Isaac gave me a look that told me to elaborate. "She was.. Uh... Beautiful." This, at least, was true. Although Dean admittedly wasn't a she.
Hazel piped up. "Did you get her name?"
"Yeah, it's Dean." I realized my mistake quickly. "...na. Deanna."
If either of them noticed my slip up, they didn't say anything.
Hazel nodded tersely. "Well, good for you, Gus. You're still an ass for scaring us. But, good for you."
I laughed slightly. "I know, I'm sorry. I really am. It was just.. A whirlwind kinda thing. I didn't really have time to talk." Could they tell I was bullshitting this whole thing? It sounded like a load of crap to me. But, regardless, they seemed to buy it. It looked like I was in the clear.
Small talk ensued, about what happened after I left, the exams before our college graduation, the weather, you name it. Eventually Hazel returned to her dorm, and Isaac drifted off to sleep.
And that night, as I lay in my bed, the only thought crossing through my mind was how I longed to be where I slept the night before.