Hello all. I would like to thank rainystv and guest (Guest) for the reviews. To address the issues, rainystv that hadn't even crossed my mind but now I am planning of addressing that next chapter, hope it works, and guest (guest) I apologize for the grammatical errors, being dyslexic grammar and punctuation are a mystery to me (as is spelling, you should see my first drafts, I swear nearly every other word is underlined in red). I'm afraid I am reliant on Word picking up my mistakes and that doesn't always happen so I apologise, I hope it doesn't detract from the story.
I would also like to thank all you lovely people who have favoured and followed since my last update. I love you guys.
Anyway here is the next chapter I hope you enjoy it. Also I know this story is going from one time to another, I hope it is clear which time is which but if not please don't hesitate to give me a shout and I will clear it up.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
4 minutes and 33 seconds left of his time on this earth. Dean did not want to spend that time thinking of the day his life ended, no he would much prefer to think of the day it began. The day everything became that little bit brighter. The day he got his very own guardian angel. That spring Saturday 20 years ago that he first met him.
20 years ago…
At eight years old Dean Winchester was wise for his age. Street wise at least. His mother had died four years ago and his father had carted his brother and him around the country staying for a few weeks here and there working all hours he could to scrape enough money to survive. As such Dean had quickly become responsible for his baby brother, and making sure they had enough to get by. He had found many ways to do that, the best being the five fingered discount he had learnt early on in this new life. He was the elder and as such his mission in life was to make sure that Sammy had his childhood. When his father died and they were sent to live with their uncle Bobby, Dean thought that the situation would change very little. Sam was his responsibility and if he needed something Dean would get it for him one way or another. The number of times that Bobby had to try and explain to the eight year old that he did not need to steal any more, just to ask, was becoming triple figured. And the number of times he tried to give the child a time to be young was countless. Dean Winchester did not take charity from anyone, not even his family. His brother was his responsibility, that was what his father had told him and he took that responsibility seriously. He had no time for anything else.
It was with these thoughts that one Saturday afternoon he took his brother to the park to play as a child of four should. While Sammy played Dean sat on the side-lines and watched over him rather than joining the children of his own age. That was his role, to watch over his brother.
Castiel Novak on the other hand was bored of playing on the equipment and his older brother Gabriel was busy talking to his friends. What Castiel needed was a friend of his own to talk too. But he was a quiet eight year old, and most children in the park thought he was stuck up because of this, well that and the fact that his family was one of the elite of the town. The rich and successful one percent, whose good will on which the town itself depended. So he had few friends of his own. His parents very rarely let him come to the town park, in fact he was only here today because Gabriel had brought him as an excuse to escape their parents. And so here he was sitting on the side-lines watching the other children play, eating a bag of sweets Gabriel had thrust at him when he had gone over to see him. Looking round he noticed he was not the only boy watching from the sides. There was one other over by the younger children's play area. Walking over Castiel could see on closer examination that the other boy was Dean Winchester. His parents had told him to stay away from the boy, saying he was trouble, but Castiel did not think he was. No if anything he looked lonely, like Castiel himself was. With that realisation Castiel set his shoulders back and walked over to the other boy, once there he held out the bag of sweets to him without saying a word.
Dean looked up when his line of sight to his brother was interrupted by a bag of sweets being thrust into his face to find himself looking into the face of a boy about his age. One look at his clothes told Dean what he needed to know. He was a rich boy.
"I don't take charity." He growled out glaring at the boy for the offense.
"It isn't charity, it is payment to be my friend." Castiel replied and though he spoke quietly he spoke with a confidence which had Dean looking at him closer.
"Why'd you need to pay people to be your friend?" He asked intrigued despite himself.
"Because my brother says I'm an annoying snot nosed little brat." Castiel replied taking the question as an invite to sit beside Dean.
"Bet he had a reason." Dean chuckled as he looked once more to where Sammy was playing in the sandpit.
"I interrupted him talking very close with a girl." Castiel responded with a frown, he still did not understand why Gabriel got so annoyed with him for doing that.
"You mean they were about to kiss?" Dean asked turning back to the boy. Surely he wasn't that innocent that he didn't know what kissing was.
"I do not understand. What do you mean?" Castiel asked. Oh he knew what kissing was but as far as he was aware Gabriel had not had his lips on the girls and why would he want to kiss her anyway? That was gross.
"Like this." Dean replied with an eye roll and moved his head close to the other boys to show the position that people put their heads when they are about to kiss.
"Yes just like that." Castiel replied with wonder in his voice. Dean was very clever to know these things and to understand his brother. Something that Castiel was sure he would never do, Gabriel confused him greatly, and often.
"Then he was right." Dean said with authority as if he too would have called Castiel a snot nosed brat for interrupting him if he had been about to kiss a girl. Though Castiel still did not understand the wish to kiss anyone but he let it go for now in favour of trying to get this clever boy to become his friend.
"Which is why I'm paying you to be my friend." He said holding out the sweets once more for Dean to take.
"Na I don't need payment, you need someone to make sure you stay out of trouble." Dean replied looking down at the bag with slight longing before he pulled his eyes from it and turned back to watching Sammy.
"Oh, okay." Castiel said not sure if that meant Dean was his friend or not. How could they be friends if Dean would not take that which Castiel tried to give him?
"Course as I'm your friend the polite thing to do would be to share your sweets with me." Dean added in a nonchalant tone not taking his eyes from his little brother.
"Gladly," Castiel replied a smile splitting his face as he opened the bag and held it out for Dean to take some. "My name is Castiel Novak." he continued when Dean had taken a handful and started to shove them into his mouth all at once. Castiel himself preferred to eat them one at a time, taking a while to choose which to have next.
"Dean, Dean Winchester." Dean responded through a mouthful of sweets.
"Yes I know." Castiel replied finally making his choice and popping the sweet into his mouth.
"How?" Dean spluttered as he chewed.
"Everyone knows you." Castiel replied with a shrug as if it was fact. Of course this got Deans back up. I mean what had he done to make everyone know him in this piss poor town?
"Okay Cas-tie-l." he grumbled before leaning over and grabbing another massive handful of sweets from the other boy, not that Castiel seemed to mind. In fact the more of his sweets Dean ate the bigger Castiel's smile seemed to grow.
They ate on in silence and Dean's ire at the Castiel's sentence slowly ebbed away. No doubt most people did know him, it wasn't a big town after all.
Once all the sweets where gone Dean turned to his new friend and spoke.
"You know I'm going to call you Cas." He said as if it was a great privilege to get a nickname from the great Dean Winchester.
"Why?" Castiel asked with a tilt of his head. No one had ever called him anything other than Castiel, well except Gabriel who on occasion called him Cassie, which he did not like. But Cas, he liked that.
"Easier to say." Dean replied with a shrug as he stood and signalled to his brother. "Anyway I have to go and collect Sammy, see you again Cas. Later." He said with a wave of his hand as he started to walk away.
"Yes Dean I would like that. Goodbye." Castiel shouted after the departing boy who turned and gave him a wicked grin before turning back to collecting Sammy and leaving.
And no matter what people said or did the friendship between Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester went from strength to strength that day onwards. Until of course that was the day Castiel Novak was no more.
Dean opened his eyes as the memory faded trying to prevent the next from rising, though he knew it was a worthless endeavour. It wasn't like he could hide in the good memories and pretend he wasn't gone, not anymore.
It was a week after the funeral, a week after Dean's realisation that he had just lost the love of his life that he decided it was time to take his head out of his own ass. He had wallowed enough. The reason for this realisation was the same memory that he, as the man about to end his life, had just relived. He had lived his life up until now without being aware of his love for Castiel, he could live the rest that way as well. He just needed to find a reason, which being Dean wasn't that hard to find. His reason for everything was his brother, little Sammy. He still needed looking after, he still needed protecting. So Dean would concentrate on him. And he would not think about Cas again. No, that name no longer existed in Dean's vocabulary. He wasn't here, he had left him alone. As such he did not deserve to have Dean speak of him. He was no more. Now Dean life was all about one person, his mission, to look after Sam. to make Sam happy, nothing and no one else mattered, not now. Not ever again.