If he didn't know any better, Castiel would think he was invisible. For all he knew, people just passed him by, not even noticing when he had been hit with a loud thud by their shoulder, knee, or worse, their whole body. Often, he had learned to ignore it, however this time, Castiel had one of the toughest obstacles to surpass. He had to deliver his valedictorian speech in front of thousands of his fellow students, faculty, and family members.
"It is my pleasure to welcome to the podium a young man of superb wisdom, leadership skills and charisma. Please welcome our valedictorian, Castiel James Novak."
And with this, several, 'who?' to 'who is that…?' and 'I thought Amelia was going to be valedictorian?' were whispered throughout the crowd as Castel walked across the stage and shook the principal's hand. The funny thing was that these were not only his classmates, but also the people he had grown up with since he was little. Not only that, but also because he was born here.
Tears blurring his vision, Castiel stood in front of people he had come to know as strangers and not classmates nor friends. Where he stood at this moment he knew that he was more alone that ever.
"Friends, family, and faculty, I am pleased to stand before you and share the wonderful experience that can only be expressed once in our lifetime…" Castiel began his speech, only to reach this point, and be left with hushed sounds escaping his lips. He had stood in silence for a minute until anyone had noticed that he could not move anymore.
Castiel moved his face closer to the microphone and silently thanked the crowed before moving to the left side of the podium and walking away. Not back to his seat, but out of the open field, where they held the ceremony.
Castiel knew that what he had to do now was leave immediately. He knew this was to happen.
"You're mother told me you walked right out of your graduation." Mr. Novak said, pulling a chair closer to Castiel.
"What else did she tell you?" Castiel asked, not looking up from the glass of orange juice that his father gave him.
"She just said to watch after you, kiddo." Mr. Novak got up from his chair, "And that you should get a job. If you're willing to drop everything that you worked hard for to run away, then by all means do it."
Mr. Novak rose from his chair, and patted Castiel on the shoulder. "Look, Castiel, running away from your problem doesn't solve anything."
"But it makes it easier." Castiel exclaimed, looking up.
Castiel's parents had divorced years after Castiel was born. During that time, Castiel had always moved from his mother to his father's, and then he finally settled with his mother. When he said that he grew up with the children in his neighborhood, it was more that he watched them as they grew up. His parent's divorce didn't exactly make making friends easy, nor was it Castiel's top goal to do so. Castiel was determined to be a valedictorian and become a doctor. However, when his senior year had come, it had seemed as though he could not possibly care to do what he wanted to do. He felt that there was more to what he wanted to do; he just needed to do it.
Castiel now sat alone in his father's apartment, with a disappointed mother waiting for him to come home to beg to take him back. Though this time, he was determined to do something for himself that he could make himself happy.
Castiel walked around the windy inclines of the San Francisco streets, walking into any store he possibly can, who had a "Help Wanted" sign in the front. Without a computer, or access to his old documents, Castiel did not have an easy time of getting a reference or his old resume. He often had an excuse where he would say that he was just starting off, may that be true.
Exhausted from walking around, he stopped in a plaza, where he could walk around each store, since they were close to each other. He first noticed a garage, in the very edge of the plaza. This was not to be one of his stops. Castiel may be smart, but he was interested in cars, or mechanics for that matter. Though with all the stores, the only place that was in dire need of help was a Laundromat.
"All we need you to do is work the early morning shifts and the weekends. We need you to man the cash register and help the elderly who normally come here." The store manager said.
"I'm more than ready, Mrs. Walker. And thank you again."
"Just don't be late. And Castiel, Cas if I may, don't be late tomorrow."
"You can be assured that I will be here."
Castiel walked back to his father's apartment, ten blocks away from the Laundromat. He knocked on the door, to have it be opened by Bela, his father's girlfriend.
"Cas," she began, smirking in the corner of her mouth, "Come on inside. Let me call your father really quick." She walked to the kitchen, making noise along the way.
"Cas, I didn't know you were going to be home so soon." Mr. Novak said, as he walked out of the kitchen, obviously laughing from being tickled by his woman.
"Don't worry; I just came to tell you that I found a job..." Cas said, as he walked to his room and grabbed his belongings, at least, what he brought with him when he ran out of his mother's house. "And an apartment."
"Really?" His father's eyes were so big that it looked as though his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets.
"Yeah, and I just came to grab my clothes. I'll head out now." Cas walked passed his father and Bela. He didn't even bother to wait to hear a goodbye. He just leaned on the wall outside his father's apartment and shook his head.
He had told the truth about getting a job, but he lied about getting an apartment. It would have been too awkward being with his father and Bela. Hearing his parents fornicate in the next room when he was younger, devastating enough. He couldn't bear to hear Bela, who was a woman only a few years older than himself, in the other room instead of his own mother.
Castiel put the blue sweater, which his grandmother knitted, on and the duffel bag across his body and walked out of the apartment complex.
Cas walked the dark streets of San Francisco, only to end up near the Laundromat. He checked his watch to see that the time was 11:16pm; the Laundromat would be closed by now. He saw the light was still on in the garage that he avoided this afternoon. He approached the open door, and he saw a man was standing, with his back turned to Cas, looking for a tool in the pile of gadgets on the table next to the car that he was working on.
Cas didn't know if he should knock, but he just couldn't help but look at this man. He was taller than Castiel, and he was oily and greasy from the car that he had been working on.
"It's not nice to stare," The man turned and grinned at Cas.
Castiel's eyes grew wider when he saw the man grin directly at him. Cas could hear his own heart beating. Boom boom boom…
"I didn't mean to stare, I was just wondering why the light was still on." Cas explained as he scratched the back of his neck.
"It's not a problem, just working on a few things on my car."
"This is your car? That's great."
"You like cars?"
"To tell you the truth," Cas chuckled and moved closer to the tool box next to the man, "I have no idea what these do. I don't see the difference between a screwdriver and" he picked up the closest tool, "This."
The man chuckled, "Darn, I was looking for some help here."
"Really? I can help, really!" Cas dropped all the tools he was holding.
"No no, I'm sorry to get your hopes up. Me and my brother do everything for our Uncle," he picked up all the tools that fell on the floor, "Sorry to get your hopes up." He chuckled.
"It's alright." Cas helped him pick up the tools. "Sorry for dropping your tools…"
"It isn't a problem. But it was rude of me to not introduce myself. I'm Dean Winchester." He extended a hand, which was surprisingly clean for someone who was working on cars all day.
"I'm Castiel Novak, nice to meet you." He shook the hand and then stood up. "I'll be heading out now." Castiel started for the door.
"Heading out? Aren't you a little young to be walking around this late at night?"
"I'm 18 thanks." Cas turned around to look at Dean again.
"And I'm a 23 year old worried about a kid who just magically stumbled in my Uncle's shop." He got up from his position and walked closer to Castiel, brows beginning to furrow. "What's wrong kid?"
Why did Castiel always find it easier to talk to complete strangers better than his own family?
Why did Castiel begin to spill his life story to this man he had just met?
Why did Castiel begin to cry?
Why was he being held by this Dean fellow, tighter than anyone in his life?
Why did he hold onto this man tighter?
Castiel's head shot up from the soft pillow. He looked around the room, and he didn't recognize anything. The empty beer cans on the floor, the odd colored comforter that covered him, and the clean laundry scent that filled the air wasn't his.
"Good morning sleepy head." Cas looked at Dean, who was brushing his teeth at the door.
"Where am I?" Cas panicked and jumped out of the bed, only to find that he was in clothes that weren't his either. "And tell me, who does this belong to?" He stretched the pajama bottoms, and looked at the band t-shirt that he wore. "I can't even read what band this is!"
Dean chuckled, and walked to the bathroom.
"Don't walk away from me!" Cas screamed and stormed out of the room, only to run into Dean.
Dean grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Calm down! Look, after you had your little session last night, you fell asleep."
"I fell asleep in a garage?"
"In my arms actually. You cried until you fell asleep."
Castiel just blushed and dropped his head.
"Oh, don't cry again. It's a new day."
"A new day?" He looked at Dean with confusion. "What time is it?"
"It's actually noon. You slept a majority of the day."
"Oh shit." Cas ran back into the room to gather his things. Dean followed right behind him, confused. "You have to drive me to the Laundromat near your garage. I'm supposed to be there early this morning and… Oh crap!" Cas just plopped on the bed. "I'm going to be fired. I'm already fired. I needed a job so bad, so I could get an apartment and not hear my father and his girlfriend bang each other and now I mess this up." Cas buried his head in his hands, only to hear Dean chuckle.
"What do in this situation do you find funny?" Cas, not lifting his head from his hands, said in the snarkiest tone.
"I just find this side of you a lot better than the arrogant, know-it-all that I met last night." Dean sat next to him on the bed. "But look, I'll ask my Uncle if he can get you a job at the garage."
"I can't work with cars,"
"Don't worry about the cars, I'll have you manage the cash register or something. Just don't steal anything." Dean laughed and this was one of the most beautiful sounds that Castiel had ever heard.
Cas had fallen for this man.
"Can I just ask how I ended up in your clothes?" Cas asked, staring directly into Dean's eyes.
"Nothing happened, if that's what you're thinking of." Dean leaned his forehead on Castiel's forehead. "But I do have to come clean with you."
Castiel stared at Dean's eyes only letting out a small what under his breath.
"I think we're meant to be together."
Castiel leaned his head away from Dean and laughed.
"You don't even know me!"
"I would love to know you."
"I don't… do that."
"I don't label."
Castiel and Dean stared and sat in silence for the longest time possible and yet there wasn't a slight hint of awkwardness in the situation. Seven words continued to play in Castiel's mind.
I think we're meant to be together.