In which Dean lives in a small town, with his Father, and younger brother. He's only nineteen, and without enough money to move out on his own. He hates where he lives, and usually doesn't agree with anything his Father says. So, he often escapes to the hidden lake a few miles from there house... Nobody knows about this place, at least, that's what Dean thought.
"You literally always dote on Sam! You cone to every school event he does, but when I try and get a job somewhere you don't agree on, you want to kick me out?!" Dean's throat is already growing raw from screaming at his Dad, who's participating in the yelling match just as loudly.
The man scoffs at his teenage son, his eyes full of a sense of mockery. "You'll never amount to anything if you want to go and work in a music studio! It's pathetic!" He spits at Dean, who doesn't back down from standing directly in his face.
"So, enjoying being in that environment is bad, is it? Enjoying myself isn't allowed now?! What about if I wanted to go to Stanford, would you love me then?!" He feels the irony taste of blood in his mouth from biting his lip so hard, trying to bite back the tears.
The words that his Father begins to shouts all blend into one, as Dean tears himself away from the situation. He's gotten violent before, and that really didn't end well. The words bounce off of the denim jacket that covers his back, and he starts to run. He jumps down two stairs at a time, ignoring the stomping of John's (his Dad – who hates it when Dean calls him by his first name) boots causing the worn out wood to physically shake from behind him.
Practically yanking the front door off of its hinges, Dean steps outside into the crisp, October air. "That's it, run away from all of your problems and confrontations! Don't come running back anytime soon!" Is the last thing that captures Dean's eardrums, before he's fully out of earshot and around the next corner.
Feeling numb inside, and not even realising he forgot to wear shoes, his feet seem to be carrying him to the right place anyway. His brain is pretty much hardwired towards this escape – the hidden lake, just outside of town.
Dean uses the cuff of his denim jacket to vigorously wipe at his eyes, and then he shoves his hands inside his jacket pockets. He doesn't meet any other living thing on the way to his secret safe haven – people don't come out much here, there's nothing to do. A small shiver runs up his spine, as the fallen trees over the entrance to his getaway fill his watery vision.
Not caring about scratching his hands on the branches, he uses all of his strength to push some of the twigs and leaves aside. A frown paints upon his brow... Usually, he has to use a lot more energy up to get in here. But, today he barely has to lift a finger. He knows that the last time he was here, he made sure to cover the archway up so that nobody else can discover it. Weird.
As he climbs inside the enclosed space, the usually silent atmosphere seems to be disturbed this evening. Dean freezes on the spot, and closes his eyes to listen more carefully. It's barely even audible, but the tiniest mumbling noise is coming from somewhere by the waters edge. Sudden feelings of worry and hesitation wash over the teenager – but, he knows that he can't turn back towards his 'home.'
Deciding to confront this stranger who's stolen his solitary confinement, Dean starts walking again. He steps over a few tree roots, and makes sure to push the branches back downwards behind him as he goes. His eyes turn into a squint, as he observes whoever is crouched down by the lakeside. They seem to be of a build that shows them to be of Dean's age. "Hello?" His attempt at calling out is a raspy mess, so he clears his throat and steps a little closer.
"You okay there?" This time he's definitely been heard, as the unknown guest on the floor almost jumps out of his skin.
The guy stands up straight, and spins around to look Dean in the eye. "Why would you do that to a person?!" He's clutching at his heart, but Dean is distracted by a fair few things – number one; he is a rather attractive looking teenager. Two; his eyes and nose are even redder, and more water than Dean's, indicating that he's been crying for rather a long time. And, three; he's only wearing a short sleeved t-shirt.
Quickly giving himself a mental note to stop staring, Dean adverts his eyes to the grassy floor. "S – sorry," he stammers, scratching at the back of his neck.
"I didn't realise anyone else came here," the other teen begins to grow self conscious, as he turns back around.
He knows that it's no use trying to hide the fact he's upset, so he sits back down with a sigh. The boy throws a nearby stone as far as he can into the lake, and concentrates his stare at the splash. "I didn't know either," Dean admits, taking a seat beside the new comer.
"Hm," the guy simply states.
"Aren't you cold?" Dean cringes at what a stupid question he'd just asked. He tends to get like this around attractive people. This guy has the most blue of eyes, and he wants to look at them again.
An unexpected chuckle escapes the lips beside Dean, and then the guy turns his head towards the blushing individual. "You ask stupid questions," his hand extends out towards Dean's. "I'm Cas," they shake hands, and for some reason Dean gets a tiny swarm of butterflies doing a dance inside his stomach. Or, maybe he's just hungry.
"I'm Dean... I'm guessing this is your escape too?" One of his eyebrows raises, as he asks the question.
Cas nods once, and then attempts to inhale through his stuffy nose. "I've never been here for this amount of time though, but I can't really go home..." He trails off, and Dean notices him start to pick at his nails.
"If it makes you feel any better, we're both sorta in the same boat." Dean's eyes of green meet those of blue again. The blue ones filled with so much sadness, but so much longing to get out of here, and do something more.
Cas takes a shaky breath in through his mouth, and then tosses yet another stone into the water. "My parents found out I'm gay," he blurts out to the guy who he's only known for about three and a half minutes.
Dean doesn't say anything for quite a while. He wasn't expecting this 'Cas' to be so forwards about his life problems, but he feels an overwhelming sense of empathy towards the fellow teen. "I um," swallowing, he finds himself picking at his own nails. "When my Dad found out I was bi, I think I stayed here for about seven hours."
Cas' ocean eyes flit upwards, and see that Dean is staring out at the lake too. "We are k – kinda in the same boat," the chattering of his teeth draw Dean's attention back over to the real world.
Feeling his cheeks heat up at what the not-so-stranger shrugging his jacket off, Cas actually smiles for the first time in a long time. "That's very cliche," he giggles, and then claps a hand over his mouth.
"My Mom used to teach me to always give my jacket to someone who's cute, and cold," Dean shrugs, and then extends his arm out so that Cas has no choice but to take the garment of clothing.
It's a little loose fitting, but it's a nice warmth. It smells of cologne, and Cas could quite easily curl up inside of the clothing, and fall fast asleep right here. "Thank you," he looks up at Dean, who's smiling like an idiot.
His smile is contagious, and soon both teenagers are laughing about something they have no idea about being so funny. Cas lies down on his back, and sighs a long sigh. "Have you ever watched the stars here before?" He asks quietly, observing the dusty sky above them.
Dean lies down beside him, taking in the clouds – remembering looking for cloud snaps with his brother, and Mom. "Yeah, not to sound cliche again, but the stars are always beautiful out here."
Cas turns his head just a little, so that he can take in Dean's side profile. Feeling the pair of eyes against him, Dean turns his own head too. "Ever been kissed out here?" His mouth moves and the words come out before he can stop them, and he sincerely hopes that Cas doesn't notice the bright shade of pink that his cheeks are currently turning.
"No," Cas' voice is reduced to a whisper. "But, I'd like to be."
The pair are about two centimetres apart, and Dean's eyes have been flickering upwards from Cas' lips of pink, and his eyes of blue, for the past minute. Their fingertips gently brush together, and it's Dean who makes the first move in order to entwine their fingers together. This pulls Cas just that little bit closer, and then each pair of eyes gently flutter closed, as their mouths finally connect.
Cas squeezes Dean's hand, and brings his free one up to cup the side of his face. Their lips move in sync, as if they've done this many times before. They even pull away at the same time, and open their eyes to stare directly into the opposite colour. "This is an ever better view than the stars," Dean smirks, but Cas starts laughing again.
"Touché." he winks, before leaning in for another warm embrace.