Author's Note: Hi everyone this is my first Destiel fanfiction and reviews are greatly appreciated! I would like to thank PandoraTheFox, she has agreed to be my editor so that there are less mistakes for you guys to suffer through. She also writes fantastic Destiel fanfics, so I highly recommend looking up her work on here! Also, I did not draw the cover art, psylockestiel on Tumblr did, so if you like fanart, look her up! Alright, enough from me - happy reading!

Chapter 1: What Are Neighbors For?

Dean Winchester woke up that morning the same way he had every morning for the past seventeen years - late. He could hear Sam rushing around downstairs in the kitchen getting ready for his first day in hell (otherwise known as high school).

"Dean! Get up! I can't be late on the first day!"

Dean groaned as he pushed himself out of his warm cocoon of blankets and put on a (mostly) clean pair of jeans and his favorite Metallica shirt.

"Dean?"

"I'm coming! Keep your skirt on, Bitch."

"You're such a jerk!"

Dean chuckled at his kid brother's automatic response and headed downstairs.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Dean questioned as he raided the pantry for breakfast.

"Work," Sam responded, fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie. "Can we please leave? First period starts in half an hour, and I still need to find my locker and figure out where my classes are."

"Alright, alright, we're going!" Dean held up his hands in mock surrender. He grabbed a package of beef jerky and ruffled Sam's hair as he headed towards the garage.

Castiel Novak didn't perceive that morning to be any different than usual. He woke up promptly at 6:30, got out of the shower at 6:45, had breakfast cooked by 7:00, and walked out the door at 7:15. As long as there were no unexpected delays, he would arrive at his new high school at 7:30, giving him a good 15 minutes to grab his books and get to first period. Yes, it may have been a new location, but the routine stayed the same. Exactly how Castiel liked it.

"Sammy, who's the kid in the dirty trench coat?" Dean inquired as he started his baby, a classic '67 Chevy Impala that his dad had passed down to him as soon as he got his license. Dean watched as the scrawny, impeccably dressed teenager walk out of the house next door at exactly 7:15 with his head down. Dean found himself mesmerized by the boy's strange appearance; he wore a suit and tie underneath the tan trench coat which looked one or two sizes too big, and had messy black hair that Dean couldn't help but notice looked incredibly soft. But what truly stupefied him were the boy's eyes - it seemed as though thousands of shades of blue were somehow contained inside his two hypnotic irises.

"I don't know. I think he's the guy who just moved in last month," Sam replied, snapping Dean out of his trance.

Without truly realizing what he was doing, Dean rolled down the window and called out, "Hey neighbor! Need a lift?"

"What are you doing?" Sam whispered.

"Being neighborly," Dean declared. He could feel Sam's questioning gaze, but ignored it as he waited for the blue-eyed boy's answer.

Castiel jumped at the sound of the gruff voice that called out to him. He looked up in confusion, somewhat shaken up about having been noticed so quickly - he had hoped it would take some time for anyone to even realize he existed. Annoyed, Castiel headed towards the car from which the voice had emanated to see who exactly was noticing a nobody such as himself. When he reached the vehicle's window and leaned down to see into the car, Castiel's heart nearly stopped.

He stared into the emerald-green eyes of the incredibly attractive male who had, for some unknown reason, noticed him. He was tall and sinewy, with short, cropped hair that, although Castiel would never admit it, he found absolutely sexy. He was wearing a slightly large worn leather jacket, most likely a hand-me-down gift from a family member. Castiel stared at the beautiful stranger with his jaw dropped all the way to the ground.

"I'm Dean," the boy said with a smirk, causing Castiel to blush and drop his gaze. "I thought maybe you would want a ride to school, considering it's a mile walk and you're holding about 20 pounds worth of books there," he said slowly, as if he was worried that any sudden movement would cause Castiel to take off sprinting.

Who knew? Maybe he would.

"No, thank you. I enjoy walking, and besides, I wouldn't want to be a nuisance," Castiel forced himself to answer, despite his heart begging him to say just the opposite.

"Dude, it's no trouble. It's not like it's out of the way or anything. And besides," Dean added, glancing over at someone in the passenger seat, "what are neighbors for?"

Castiel stared silently at Dean while he debated the pros and cons of accepting his offer.

He seems nice enough. What's the harm?

You know what's the harm, said a bitter, somewhat mocking voice in Castiel's head. You can't get close to people. It's a mistake. It always is.

It's just one ride... Who says it needs to mean anything?

Don't be stupid, Cassie. You know you can't separate yourself from your feelings. It's just one of your many flaws.

Castiel snapped out of his internal dispute at the sound of Dean's voice.

"Hey, man, you okay?"

A voice from the passenger seat added, "It's really no trouble."

Castiel, having made his decision, responded with a simple, "Thank you, but I must decline."

Dean sighed, gazing upwards as if looking towards the heavens for guidance.

Don't bother; no one up there is listening, Castiel thought bitterly.

Dean turned his head so his gaze fell on Castiel, and he was once again struck by the beauty of the young man's jade eyes.

"Listen man, I didn't want it to come to this, but either you get in the car or I will get out and push you in." Castiel stared into the green eyes, trying to assess how serious Dean was.

"He's not joking," said the voice from the passenger seat, answering Castiel's unasked question.

Castiel ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation as he checked his watch. He let out a frustrated sigh when he realized that he was running far behind schedule.

"I suppose it's in everyone's best interest if I get in the car, seeing as the only way for me to get to school on time now is to accept your gracious offer," Castiel relented as he climbed into the back seat. Of course, I wouldn't be running late in the first place if these two weren't so stubborn.

"Alright," Dean clapped his hands together. "Off to school we go."

Castiel took the following moment of silence to observe the boy in the passenger seat. He was somewhat short, clearly still awaiting puberty. He had shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes. He seemed a few years younger than Dean and, judging by the textbooks in his lap, smarter as well.

As if sensing Castiel's gaze on him, the boy turned around and smiled.

"I'm Sam," he introduced himself, and then turned to glare at Dean. "You've met my brother."

Castiel felt his heart soften for the boy. He supposed it was because he reminded Castiel of himself when he was younger. Back when he still believed there was good in the world.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sam," he replied. "My name is Castiel."

"Who the hell names their kid Castle?" Dean asked in confusion.

"Not castle," Castiel sighed, although he wasn't truly upset. He doubted he could ever be upset when it came to Dean - one look at those eyes and he could feel his anger melt away. "Castiel, the Angel of Thursday."

"Oh," Dean said in embarrassment.

"What grade are you going into, Castiel?" Sam asked, clearly trying to save Dean from making a bigger fool of himself.

"I'm a junior," he answered. "And you?"

Dean seemed to think this was a good moment to insert himself back in the conversation, and answered Castiel before Sam had the chance.

"Sammy here's a freshman," he said with a slightly malicious grin aimed towards Sam, "and I'm a senior," he added, looking at Castiel in the rear-view mirror.

"Dean, we've been over this. It's Sam. Sammy was a chubby 12-year-old."

"Sorry, what'd you say? I don't speak Little Bitch," Dean retorted with a smirk, breaking eye contact with Castiel.

Castiel stopped listening to the brothers' bickering, figuring that was the end of his role in the conversation. But to his surprise, Dean asked him another question.

"So, you just moved here, right?"

"Yes."

Dean stared at Castiel as if waiting for him to elaborate. Castiel stared in return.

"Okay," Dean replied slowly, as if trying to find a way to save the train wreck that was their exchange, "well, where'd you move from?"

"New York. My mother and I moved here a month ago."

"Just the two of you?" Sam inquired.

Castiel went rigid, not liking where the conversation was headed. "Yes," he said curtly.

Dean, sensing Castiel's discomfort, tried to change the subject. "So, why would someone choose to live in Kansas?" he asked.

"We needed a change of scenery," Castiel replied, feeling the tension leave his body. "Lawrence seemed as good a town as any."

"I suppose it is, if you like farms and afternoons filled with nothing to do," Dean retorted.

Castiel didn't bother to explain that the peace and quiet was exactly why they had chosen Lawrence. He wasn't worried about becoming bored - Castiel could easily find ways to entertain himself - and besides, he would be spending most of his time taking care of his mother.

Yes, Lawrence was exactly what they needed. It was a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. And at least here he knew he was safe.

Or so he thought.