Scars on our Hearts
Chapter Three
Castiel woke without the nerves of the day before. He quickly showered, dressed, and poured a cup of coffee before heading out the door.
Lawrence, Kansas had changed very little. There were many places that Castiel passed that looked just the same as they did when he was growing up. His trip down memory lane ended at the high school once more. He stared up at the brick building, nervous once more.
There was a high chance that he wouldn't see Dean at all that day, or even when the students started the new term. Their classes were at opposite ends of the building. Castiel had no doubt that Dean would stay as far from the English hall at almost any cost.
No, the reason Castiel was nervous was that it was the day that he would meet many of his students. This would be the day that would set the tone for the first day of classes and the rest of the year. He knew there were many things that could go wrong. Castiel was a young man who looked younger than he really was as well. If the parents did not respect him, neither would his students.
He entered the school and walked up to his room, greeting his fellow teachers that he saw. Finally, he set down his half-full cup of coffee on the desk. He looked around the room, checking to see that everything was in place. His stack of syllabi sat beside the laptop under the lists of his students. He sat down, fingertips tapping against his thigh.
A knock at the door made him turn his head. Sam Winchester stood in the doorway, sheepish smile on his face.
"Castiel?"
He stood from his seat. "Sam? What are you doing here?"
The taller man stepped into the room. "Dean told me that you were working here. He wasn't too rude, was he?"
Castiel shook his head. "Nothing I didn't deserve."
Sam's gaze softened. "Cas," he chided, "Dean's a dick."
Castiel snorted, then widened his eyes, shocked at himself. "Sorry," he murmured.
"Don't worry about it," Sam said, shaking his head. "Truthfully, a lot's happened since you moved. I think that Dean, for some reason, blamed it all on you."
Castiel looked down, biting his cheek. He looked up once more when he heard people talking out in the hall.
"Hey, I came to ask if you'd like to have lunch together and catch up. There's a diner down the street that you might remember," Sam said, shifting his feet.
"I'd like that," Castiel replied.
"Well, I'll leave you to your work," Sam said as a teenager and her parents looked into the room. "I'll come by at half-past twelve."
Castiel nodded to him as the family came in and Sam ducked out.
There was a steady stream of students and their families throughout the morning. Castiel's nerves quickly left to be replaced with boredom. He found himself repeating pleasantries and what the class would be like.
As he was finishing speaking with a woman and her son (who was obviously as bored as his teacher), Casitel glanced at the door to see Sam waiting. Castiel walked with them as they left the room and locked the door behind him.
"Hello, Sam," he said, putting the key in his pocket. They started walking together.
"How's your morning been?" Sam asked with a smirk.
"I'm repeatedly saying the same thing several times an hour," he replied. "I'm bored to death."
Sam laughed. "Dean tried to do that," he jerked his head in the direction of Castiel's room, "his first year. Now, he leaves the syllabi near the door and works on the cars down there."
"How long has he been here?" Castiel asked as they left the building.
"I managed to convince him to go to college when I was in high school, though he insisted on community college," Sam told him, shrugging. "He got his degree in two years and the school needed someone to teach auto tech. The man retiring recommended Dean and he's been doing it ever since. This'll be his fourth year.
"Castiel," Sam paused, uncomfortable, "Dean never told me what happened between the two of you. It can't be that bad—"
"You just said that you didn't know what happened," Castiel interrupted. "You don't know how bad it was."
"It couldn't be that bad," Sam said louder, "or Dean would have bitched about it. Whatever it was, he didn't tell anyone."
They reached the diner and Sam held the door open for the older man. They sat in a booth away from the other patrons. A waitress took their orders and delivered their drinks before walking away again.
"Cas," Sam said hesitantly. "Do you still want to be Dean's friend?"
He stirred his tea with his straw. "Dean was the best friend I've ever had. I've missed him since I left."
"Then don't give up on him," Sam said gently. "He needed you a decade ago and he still needs you. You were one of the few who could keep his head on straight."
"Sam," Cas asked. "What happened?"
The younger man slumped in his seat. "A year after your family moved there was a fire. It was in the middle of the night and Dad woke us up, told us to leave the house. We ran and Dad went back in to help Mom, but it was too late," Sam's voice hushed and he frowned. "Mom was trapped. The firemen dragged him out seconds before the house was engulfed.
"Dad…he lost the love of his life. If it hadn't been for Bobby Singer chewing him out and reminding Dad that he had us to worry about we'd probably be orphans now. But ever since that night, Dean took care of the both of us. He's the one who made sure we had enough to eat. He took a job as soon as he could and wouldn't let me help.
"Cas, he tells me he's okay, but I know he's not. He has friends from work, a few drinking buddies, several girls that he's dated, and Dad and me, but he hasn't been himself in years," Sam leaned forward, hands folded together. "Honestly, I'm worried about him."
The waitress gave them their meal and walked away again. Castiel poured ketchup on his fries, trying to process everything.
"Why do you trust me so much?" he asked, hands gripped together in his lap. "How do you know that I won't do the same thing I did last time?"
Sam grinned. "Yesterday was the first time in ten years that I've heard Dean talk about you. Yes, he was angry, but I think he was also relieved. He probably won't admit it, but he missed you."
Castiel nodded and Sam changed the subject. They chatted together until it was time for Castiel to return to his class. He insisted on paying half the bill before he began his walk back to the high school. He was close to the building, sweat beading on his forehead when a familiar black car passed by him headed up to the school.
Dean ran out of his house the next Saturday, Sam close on his heels. The sun shone down, the day already warming from the early summer heat. They stopped at the edge of the yard, laughing. Their dad had the day off and pushed for the boys to spend the day at the nearby park so that he could have some time alone with his wife. Sam didn't really know why they were laughing, Dean knew. He was still too young to understand grown up stuff.
Dean glanced up and caught a glimpse of movement at the neighbour's door. He watched, Sam noticing and following his gaze, until he saw two dark heads look through the window beside the door before disappearing again.
"Hey, Sammy," Dean started, "come on."
Sammy followed his older brother up to the sidewalk, the steps, and up to the front door. He knocked quickly and took a step back.
There were footsteps, then Michael answered the door. He looked down at the brothers with a smile. "Hello."
"Hi," Dean said, smiling nervously. "We're going to the park down the street. My brother and I wanted to ask if your kids wanted to go. There'll be a lot of kids there and a few parents, too."
"Let me ask them," Michael said, opening the door. "Why don't you come in?"
Dean nodded and stepped in. Sam caught the hem of his shirt and held on, staring up at the tall man through his lashes. Dean, used to Sam being bashful, paid him no mind.
Michael shut the door behind them and motioned them into the room off the hall, to sit on the sofa there.
"Gabriel," he called, "Jimmy, Cas, Anna!"
The little red-headed girl was the first to come in, clutching a bear. The twins quietly appeared from a different door, one hiding behind the other. Finally, the teenage boy came down the stairs. "What?" he whined.
"Dean and Sam," Michael nodded towards the two boys, "Have invited you to the park with them."
"Are there other kids there?" Anna asked.
Dean nodded. "There's a whole group of girls your age."
She nodded and stepped closer to her father.
"I want to go," one of the twins (the one that wasn't shy) said. His twin seemed to shrink in on himself.
"Why should I go?" Gabriel asked, bored. "It's probably just a bunch of little kids."
"Because I have to set up my office and I'd feel better if you kept an eye on your siblings," Michael told him. They stared each other down in a battle of wills, until Gabriel glanced away and slumped against the wall.
Dean and Sam looked at the last of the Novak children who hadn't said anything. The boy blushed and quickly nodded. Gabriel opened the front door and waited as Anna and Sam went through. Dean started to follow, but stopped when he didn't hear footsteps behind him.
The more talkative of the two boys was looking back at his twin. Dean could just see the shy boy's face. His blue eyes were large and stood out from his face. Dean watched him nod and they followed all the other children.
When they reached the park, the quiet twin kept separate from the other children, but shook his head when his brother tried to join him. The boy sat beside Gabriel (who was reading a comic) looking bored and miserable as he toyed with the grass beneath him.
"Dean." He turned from watching Castiel and faced his brother. The basketball he held almost didn't fit in his arms. "Aren't you going to play?"
Dean looked back at the shy kid an then to his brother. "Maybe in a while. It's too hot to be running around."
Sammy grinned, knowing the real reason his brother was leaving the blacktop. He returned to the game he was playing with the other boys as his brother sprawled out on the cool grass beside a shocked Castiel.
"Hey," Dean said, staring up at the clouds drifting slowly across the sky. "I'm Dean."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the boy wrap his arms around his thin knees.
"My teachers always say I'm obsten-obstinate," Dean continued. (He didn't know it, but Gabriel glanced down at the blond boy with a hidden smile as he slipped a lollipop into his mouth.) "I think she means I'm stubborn," he turned his head and looked up at Castiel. "I'm not going to give up. I'll at least get your name."
Dean looked back up at the sky and closed his eyes, enjoying the sun's heat. He felt the body beside him uncurl and lay down beside him.
"I'm Castiel," he whispered.
Dean's smile was almost as blinding as the sun he's shut his eyes against.
Alright, that's it for today! Hope you've enjoyed it! Leave a comment to tell me how I'm doing! Now I've got to get, because I have errands to run!