#but also. i want to hold this little frog keychain as tight as i can

[revwinchester]

Impressive, Winchester

Summary: In 1995, Dean spent time in a boys home.  While he stayed with Sonny, Dean joined the school wrestling team and found that he was a natural at the sport.  This is the story of Dean’s brief wrestling career and the start of his romance with the coach’s daughter.

Author: @revwinchester

Characters/Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader, OMCs - the wrestling team, coaches, opponents, etc.  Mentions of Sonny, Sam, and an OFC.

Word Count: 4892

Warnings: a little bit of cursing, Dean in high school, a teeny tiny bit of angst.

A/N: This was written for @impalaimagining’s One Word Prompt Challenge.  My prompt was “Victory,” which I set out to make the major theme of this story.  It’s set in 1995, the year that Dean spent a few months at Sonny’s boys home and won the state wrestling title.  I don’t know a whole lot about wrestling so a decent amount of research went into this one and I’m still not positive I all of the technical stuff right.  I haven’t ever seen a fic quite like this before so please let me know what you think!

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Impressive, Winchester -

Dean walked into the school gym feeling pretty stupid.  He looked ridiculous, he thought, in the tight green and gold singlet and he wasn’t sure why he was even here.  He’d never been on any kind of a team before, unless you counted the times he’d hunted with his dad.  Hunting was a solitary life, though, and it was going to be his life so why had he agreed to this again?  Oh, right, Sonny.  Dean liked the man.  He would have made a good hunter if that had been his lot in life.  Sonny ran the boys home where Dean’s dad had dumped him and he had suggested that Dean needed a better outlet for his anger and frustration than picking fights with the other boys on the farm.  So, now, Dean found himself dressed in school colors, standing in the gym, about to start his first wrestling practice.  It was something that he wasn’t particularly looking forward to.

Once he was down on the mat, though, and listening to the coaches’ instructions,Dean found that he was a natural at the sport.  Even the coaches were impressed with his strength and his ability to break free of just about any hold the other students put him in.  Growing up in the life had been good for something, Dean thought to himself, and when he finally joined his dad on the road again, he hoped to have some new moves to use in the next hunt.  Or, at least, something cool to show Sammy.  

Sammy… Dean had been skeptical of Sonny and the boys home at first but he’d found the place to be comfortable.  Having a steady roof over his head, eating three square meals a day, and sleeping in the same bed for more than two or three nights certainly had it’s appeal.  If it weren’t for his little brother Sam, Dean would have wanted to stay.  His brother needed him, though.  Dean had to look out for his his brother, it was his job to take care of Sam and he couldn’t do that while he was stuck with Sonny.

Dean was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the gym door slamming shut followed by the head coach’s whistle and his instruction for the boys on the team to take a break.  Dean’s eyes darted toward the door and he took in the girl who had just entered the gym.  Y/N was in one or two of his classes - english and biology, he recalled - and apparently, she was also the wrestling coach’s daughter.  Dean had thought her pretty the first time he had seen her and, though he had never spoken with her, she had continued to endear herself to him ever since.  His favorite memory was from biology class.  They were dissecting frogs and, while all the other girls had squealed about how gross it was, Y/N had simply gotten to work while humming some of Dean’s favorite Bon Jovi songs.  Her sweet voice moved effortlessly through the melodies as she took apart her frog at the table behind him.

Now, though, she hugged her dad and then settled on the bleachers with her headphones over her ears as she popped a CD into the portable player she had pulled out of her backpack and opened a book Dean recognized from english class.  The pattern held true for the next week.  Y/N would come into the gym about half way through wrestling practice, after her own after school activity had finished - choir practice, Dean had learned - and she would sit and work on homework while she waited for the team’s practice to end so her dad could take her home.  

The next week in biology class, the teacher asked them to select partners for the lab they would be working on.  Dean turned to Y/N at the table behind him and asked her if she’d work with him.  She agreed with a shy smile and Dean was officially smitten.

They were doing something with plants or maybe cells… Dean wasn’t sure.  There was a microscope on their lab table but he hadn’t been able to pay attention since Y/N had smiled at him.  She seemed content to get things set up while Dean just sat and watched.  He felt like a goober but he was way out of his element here.

“You’re really good, you know,” Y/N told Dean, her voice startling him.

“Huh?” Dean replied, eloquent as always.

“Wrestling,” she clarified, “you’re really good.  Your old school must have been sad to see you leave.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Dean mumbled.  “I actually haven’t ever done it before, not officially.  I’m just a fast learner, I guess.”

Y/N nodded as she got the microscope ready for the experiment.  “Dad said you hadn’t wrestled before.  Can you pass me that slide?” she asked, indicating a delicate piece of glass that Dean carefully passed to her.  “I didn’t believe him,” she shared as she adjusted the focus on the microscope.

She looked up at Dean and indicated that he should look through the lens.  “The first meet is this weekend.  You gonna be there?” he asked as nonchalantly as he could.  Dean really wanted her to say yes.

Y/N sighed and Dean looked up at her.  “I don’t usually go to the meets but there’s a new guy on the team this year who’s making me rethink that,” she shared.

Dean’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out who she might be talking about.  As far as he knew, he was the only new person on the team… oh… OH… Play it cool, Winchester, he thought to himself.  “You know, coach always says I do a better job during the second half of practices.  It would be a shame if my good luck charm didn’t make it to the meets.”  Dean was impressed with himself.  He thought his words were smooth and the complement wasn’t overkill.

And, yet, when he looked up from the microscope, Y/N did not look impressed.

“I am a woman, Dean Winchester, not some tacky, neon, rabbits foot keychain,” she declared.  

Y/N had a defiant but amused glint in her eye and Dean was pretty sure that he hadn’t actually offended her.  However he apologized with a simple “yes, ma’am,” and made a mental note not to try a line like that on Y/N in the future.  

Dean returned his eyes to the microscope.  “So, um, we’re looking at… some kind of cell?” he guessed, trying to keep calm and recall what the teacher had said about this particular lab.

“Impressive, Winchester,” Y/N joked, doing her best to keep a straight face and hold in her laughter.  

----

That Saturday afternoon, Dean was in the gym with the team.  They were all doing well that night, winning three of the first four matches before it was Dean’s turn to wrestle.  He managed to pin his opponent early during the second round of their bout, winning the match and gaining even more points for his team.  Dean scanned the crowd as the referee held his arm aloft, declaring him the winner.  His eyes landed on Sonny and some of the other boys from the farm who had come to cheer him on and his smile grew but they weren’t the ones he was looking for.  

From one corner of the gym he heard a familiar voice shout, “Impressive, Winchester!”  It had become a running joke between him and Y/N ever since the first lab they had worked on together.

Dean felt the muscles in his cheeks start to burn with the force of his smile.  Y/N was here, just like she said she would be, and she liked what she had seen.

----

Each weekend, Y/N would come to the wrestling meets and watch Dean.  They had remained lab partners in biology class and Dean had noticed his science grade improving.  He and Y/N would also spend time together outside of school stuff, too.  Those were some of Dean’s favorite times.  On this particular Sunday, Dean had taken her to a movie and Y/N had spent most of the afternoon with her head buried in his shoulder and her hands clasping one of his.

“That wasn’t even all that scary!” Dean laughed and teased her as they exited the theater.

“Are you kidding me?” Y/N squealed.  “That was terrifying! I’m not going to sleep for a week!”

“If it’s really that bad, I’ll come help you get to sleep,” Dean offered.  He hadn’t meant anything by it but the mood shifted drastically and the pair looked at one another, the tension between them growing.

Y/N broke first and took a step back, rummaging in her bag.  “So, um, I’m not going to be at the meet this weekend,” she told /Dean as she pulled a small package from her purse.  “It’s Pam’s birthday party on Friday night.”

Dean nodded.  He’d met Pam a few times when he’d hung out with Y/N and her friends.  He liked Pam; she was nice and seemed really genuine.  “Oh, that’s cool,” Dean replied, “happy birthday, Pam.”  He indicated the wrapped package with a smile.  

“Well, actually, this is for you,” Y/N told Dean, “since I won’t be there.”  She held the small parcel out and smiled as he took it from her.

Dean unwrapped the paper and threw his head back in laughter.  The package contained a lucky rabbit’s foot keychain in the bright, neon versions of their school’s colors.

“Since I can’t come, I thought you might need a good luck charm,” Y/N told him.  Her voice sounded shy but she was trying to hide it underneath insincere sarcasm.

“This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten,” Dean told her.  It was true; he hadn’t received a whole lot of gifts throughout his life but this silly little thing ranked right up there with the pendant Sam had given him a few Christmases ago.

“Don’t tease,” Y/N laughed, playfully pushing Dean’s shoulder.

Dean slung an arm around Y/N, “I’m not, sweetheart,” he assured her and he pressed a kiss to her cheek.  It was new territory for them but he decided to take a chance.  When Y/N didn’t pull away but, instead, laid her head on his shoulder, Dean knew it had been a good idea.

Too soon for Dean’s liking, Y/N’s dad was pulling up to the curb and their afternoon was at an end.  They didn’t have much time to talk in class between lectures, a review, and a test, and, all too soon, the weekend was upon them.

As they picked up their bags, Dean bumped Y/N with his hip.  He grabbed the rabbit’s foot that was now hanging from his bag and poked her with it.  “I think I’m ready for tonight now that I’ve got this,” Dean commented.  “Have fun at Pam’s; wish her happy birthday for me.”

“I will,” Y/N promised.  Then, she bit her lip like she was making a tough decision.  Before Dean could ask her about it, she leaned forward on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.  “Kick some Spartan ass, tonight.”  With those parting words, she turned and made her way out of the classroom and towards the school’s exit.

Dean, on the other hand, went in the direction of the gym.  He didn’t need to be there for another hour but there were only so many things Sonny could do at once so it was just easier for all involved if he hung out at the school.  A few of the other guys would hang around, too, and they’d each prepare for the match in their own way.  Dean liked to put on a pair of headphones and pop in his Metallica cassette.  The music calmed him and helped him get in the zone.  This afternoon, he pulled the rabbit’s foot off of his bag and rubbed his thumb over it.  He knew it wasn’t actually lucky - things like that didn’t really exist - but it was from Y/N and he found the repetitive motion to be comforting.

Soon enough, it was time to weigh in.  Dean made weight, got into his uniform, and began his final preparations for the match.  He would be wrestling first that evening so he wouldn’t have the privilege of watching a few rounds to get himself fired up.  

Dean wasn’t projected to win this match.  He was going up against a boy who had won the previous two state championships in their weight class.  Dean had a wealth of natural talent and had picked up the technical and the physical aspects of the sport quickly but this kid had been at it much longer and knew the little tricks that Dean was still learning.  Dean made a good showing, taking the reigning champ into the overtime rounds but, in the end, he was on the losing side for the first time all season.  Dean didn’t like the feeling of defeat - he never had - in his life, losing so often meant death.

Dean climbed off the mat with a scowl on his face, begrudgingly shook hands with the opposing team’s coach, and took his seat with the team.  The other boys from the team congratulated him on a well fought match but Dean brushed them off, his eyes focused on the mat and his brain running in circles around what he should have done differently while he prepared himself for the verbal lashing that would surely be coming.  The rest of the match crawled by as Dean watched it through unseeing eyes.  He was the last one to enter the locker room following the match.

“Winchester!” His coach shouted into the throng of boys, “My office!”

Dean wasn’t surprised.  He’d lost and, because of it, the opposing team was celebrating their victory in the visitors locker room.  Dean entered the coach’s office with his eye cast downward, bracing himself for the shouting and derision that always followed one of his messups.

“You did good out there, Winchester,” Coach began.

His brain on autopilot, Dean replied, “I’m sorry, sir.  I’ll do better next time.”

The coach paused and really took in Dean’s appearance.  His shoulders were hunched, his head was down, eye gazing at the floor.  Dean’s hands were fidgeting, going between picking at the leg of his uniform or wringing together.  He looked like he was preparing to be shouted at, at the very least.  What has this kid gone through to be reacting like this? The coach wondered.

“Look at me kid,” Coach commanded and he waited until Dean complied.  “I don’t know what’s going on in that brain of yours but you need to get out of your head.  You did a damn good job out there on the mat.  That was one of the best wrestlers in the state and you took him into extra rounds.”

“Yeah, and then I lost,” Dean responded sardonically.

“Dean, after all of two months of wrestling, you pushed a kid who’s been competing since he was 12 farther than anyone has in at least a year and a half,” Coach reminded him.  “You’ve got a lot of potential, Dean. You’re even in the running to be named team captain next year but not if this is how you handle losing.  We’ll work on it.  Three of our other guys lost their matches, too, this team wasn’t riding on your shoulders.  You hear me?”

Dean nodded.  He didn’t know how to respond and nodding felt safe.

“I’m serious, Dean.  We’re gonna work on this.  Especially since I just got word this afternoon: you qualified for states.”

States.  Dean knew he’d been doing well but he never imagined that the state tournament was in his reach.  Whenever the other guys had talked about it, he’d grunt noncommittally but he didn’t know enough about how the sport worked to think he’d have a shot.  “Who else is going?” Dean asked.  A few of the boys were hoping they’d be invited.  

“Ryan and McClaren were invited, too,” Coach shared.  “Do me a favor, tell them to stop in and see me before they leave.  Then hit the showers.”

“Yes, sir,” Dean replied with a quick nod.

----

The next month flew by.  Dean and Y/N saw each other in class and she made it to the rest of the team’s meets following Pam’s birthday party.  Between school work, his responsibilities on the farm, and increased wrestling practices in preparations for states, he didn’t see Y/N too much outside of class.  Luckily, they had done a few labs in biology and there had been a group project for which they had paired up in english class so their relationship - Dean wasn’t sure how to define it beyond that - continued to grow.  

While Dean won all of his matches after they had wrestled the Spartans, the team ended up losing two of their next three meets.  Just like his coach had promised, he talked with Dean after each loss, helping him to process, reminding Dean that it was a school wrestling match, not a life or death situation.  Coach was also working with him on some of the smaller, more subtle aspects of the sport as Dean and the two other boys, Doug Ryan and Andrew McClaren, were preparing for the state tournament.  The three would stay later after school and even come in on weekends for extra practices.  Coach would send them home with videos of their own performances and he was able to find a few video clips of the reigning champ in his weight class.  

Dean watched the videos with a hunter’s eye, looking for weaknesses in the other boy’s form and approach.  At first it looked like he might not have any but, eventually, Dean spotted it.  He had a habit of dipping his head before going in for a takedown.  It wasn’t much but that knowledge could be the difference between finding himself on the offensive or the defensive side of the match.  Dean pointed the habit out to his coach and they started focusing some of their attention on how he could dodge and take advantage of the initial attack.  

Finally, the weekend of the state tournament had arrived.  It was a three day event held in the state capitol and Coach had offered to drive the boys.  Dean and his teammates hopped into their coach’s mini van and were surprised to find Y/N already situated in the last row of seats.  Dean climbed in next to her while the two other boys took the row ahead of them.  Their assistant coach was riding shotgun and doing the navigation.  

Doug and Andrew were content to continue talking strategy with one another for most of the ride to the tournament.  Dean and Y/N, however, used the time to really catch up with each other’s lives.  They hadn’t had much time to see one another outside of class and Y/N had a terrible habit of keeping them on task when they were doing their school work.  They talked, joked, and laughed all the way to the hotel.  It was about a two hour ride and the pair had barely stopped to breathe.  Dean had never felt so free with anyone besides his little brother, before.  

The group arrived at the hotel where they would be staying, Holiday Inn the sign proclaimed, and walked into the lobby.  Dean was in awe of the cheery space, he’d never seen a hotel desk in a room like this.  There were couches and a few televisions and even an attached room with tables and chairs that looked like it was big enough for 30-40 people to eat in it.  

Coach checked them into their rooms and then directed them towards the elevators.  Dean had never stayed in a place where the room doors didn’t open out directly to the parking lot and he took in the brightly colored carpeting on the floor and art on the walls as they made their way to their rooms.  Coach handed each of the boys a key once they reached room 311.  

“I don’t have to remind you boys that you are here representing our school.  You all need to be on your best behavior,” he told them.  “Coach Wick and I are staying right next door if you need anything.”  Coach then turned to Y/N and handed her a key, “you’re across the hall, princess.”

Dean followed the other boys into the room they’d be sharing for the weekend and he was taken aback by what he saw when he entered. The carpet felt plush under his shoes and the pillows on the beds were full and inviting.  Despite growing up on the road, Dean had never stayed at a place this nice.  He put his bag down and took in the bright, clean space.  The blankets on the bed weren’t old and threadbare and the television looked like it would work.  Dean meandered into the bathroom where he was shocked to find that it didn’t smell musty and the shower curtain wasn’t sporting any growth.

Once everyone was settled, they went to the school that was hosting the tournament.  Y/N found a seat in the stands and Dean imagined her pulling out a book while he prepared to weigh in.  He made weight, as did Doug and Andrew, and the trio began their final preparations for the day.  They were all scheduled to wrestle twice throughout the day and it was timed out so that Dean would be able to see his friends each wrestle once.  

Andrew was the first to wrestle for the day and the boys watched and cheered him on from the side of the mat.  He pinned his opponent early in the third round, claiming the win.  Dean had to prepare for his first match so he couldn’t watch Doug wrestle but just before Dean stepped onto the mat, Doug and Andrew made it over to watch and flashed him a thumbs up.  The atmosphere of the tournament had Dean pumped up and knowing that both of his friends had gotten off to a good start had him riding high as he entered his own match. 

Dean took his position across from his opponent and the referee gave them the signal to start.  Dean was able to score a good amount of points in the first round but neither of the wrestlers pinned the other.  Midway through the second round, however, Dean gained the upper hand and ended the match, pressing the other boy’s shoulders into the mat.  Dean was glad to have won the match, getting the first win took a weight off of his shoulders that he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying.  When he made it back to his seat and fished his water bottle from his bag, Dean noticed there was a slip of paper with Y/N’s handwriting on it.  He smiled down at the words from Y/N, “Impressive, Winchester.”  Dean didn’t know how she’d managed to get that into his bag but he was glad she had.

Dean’s next match was scheduled for late that afternoon.  He did his best to keep his muscles warm and loose throughout the day.  Dean missed Andrew’s second match in order to stretch and get his blood pumping before his final match of the day.  He took to the mat and prepared to wrestle.  Dean really wanted to go into the second day of the tournament with two wins under his belt.  A loss wouldn’t kill his chances - it was a double elimination tournament - but the more wins he could accumulate, the better position he’d be in as the days went on.

Dean knew that his opponent had lost his earlier match and realized early on that he was stuck in his head.  Dean was able to use that to his advantage, pinning the other boy by the end of the first round and claiming victory.  He left the mat and grabbed a drink of water before making his way across the gym to where Doug was preparing to wrestle.  

The day ended with Dean in a great position.  Doug had also won both of his matches and Andrew had one win and one loss to his name.  The whole group met for dinner and Y/N broke down Dean’s matches with him, talking strategy for the next day while each of the coaches had similar conversations with the other boys.  

They returned to the hotel and Y/N and the boys opted to watch a movie.  Y/N joined them in their room and sat with Dean on one of the beds, leaning back against the headboard and resting her head on his shoulder.  Before the movie was even halfway over, Y/N was asleep and Dean shifted to wrap an arm around her in order to give her some extra support.  

When the movie ended, Dean tried to gently wake Y/N but instead of waking up, she burrowed deeper into his side.  

“Hey, Y/N,” Dean tried, “you gotta wake up.  Come on, sweetheart.”  He lightly shook her and, finally, she opened her eyes groggily.  Once Y/N realized where she was, she jumped up.

“Shit.  My dad is going to kill me for sleeping in here…” she began but Dean interrupted.

“It’s ok, Y/N.  It’s only about 11:00,” he comforted her.  “You fell asleep during the movie and it just ended.  No broken rules, here.”  Dean winked at Y/N and she smiled back, clearly relieved.  Dean walked her to the door, knowing that Doug and Andrew were going to tease him once Y/N was gone.

The next day at the tournament went similarly to the first.  Andrew had lost his second match the prior day so when he lost his opening match, he was eliminated from the competition.  Doug won one and lost another and, though one of the matches was much closer than either the day before, Dean won both of his events.  Dean was headed to the semifinals the next morning.  

The next day, Dean forced himself to eat some breakfast.  He had faced down vampires, ghosts, and all manners of other creatures and, yet, he was incredibly nervous about what was ahead of him today.  

The morning went by smoothly.  Dean won his semifinal match and was moving onto the finals.  His opponent was also undefeated throughout the tournament and he was someone who Dean had become quite familiar with over the past few weeks.  Dean was wrestling against the boy who had beaten him earlier in the season, the only match he had lost all year.  He knew that if he stayed out of his head, he had a shot at beating this guy; Dean had studied him and his habits and he was ready.

The match began and Dean and the other boy approached one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move.  Dean won the standoff and his opponent moved in, trying to take Dean down to the mat.  Dean was ready for him, though, and he was able to end up on the offensive side of the attack and rack up a few points.  

The round ended and the boys reset themselves for the second round of their bout.  Both wrestlers scored points in the second round and it appeared to all that they were rather evenly matched.  As they prepared themselves for the third round, Dean was starting to doubt the intel he had gathered from watching the other boy’s videos.  However, when the match began his opponent went straight for the takedown, hoping to pin Dean to the mat.  Just as he began to advance, he dipped his head and Dean took advantage of his blindspot, putting the boy on the defensive and bringing him down to the mat.  The boy arched his back to avoid getting pinned but Dean maneuvered his own legs to get in the way and force his shoulder blades against the ground.

Time seemed to move so slowly as the referee counted the pin but, suddenly, the shouting of the crowd around him broke through the haze as Dean was standing and offering a hand to help hoist the other boy off of the mat while the ref went to the scoring table to confirm the pin before returning to where the two wrestlers stood taking one of their hands in each of his.

As the referee hoisted his arm in the air, Dean could see the look of pride on his coach’s face and the grin that Y/N was sporting as she stood beside her father.  The crowd in the gym was too big to find him but Dean could hear Sonny’s cheers rising above the rest of the noise.  Dean hopped off of the mat and shook the opposing coach’s hand before shaking hands with his own coach and wrapping Y/N in a hug.

After he released her, Y/N grabbed his face and pulled Dean in, kissing him fully for the first time.  “Impressive, Winchester.”

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