Castiel had decided to go out to get away from Dean. He had barely been able to stop himself from telling the green-eyed man; barely stopped himself from crying in front of him. Cas was sick and broke with barely enough money to buy a ticket, let alone food, but he had to get out.
He bought a ticket to some horror film that, unfortunately, one of the main characters looked too much like Dean for him to bear. He left halfway through, unable to handle it any longer.
The sick and lonely man wandered around, not knowing, or for that matter, really caring where he was going as he shivered in the Cold Nebraskan night air. He wound up in front of a diner and could walk no further. He sat down on the bench by the road and began to cry.
Cas didn't know how much time had passed when a middle-aged woman came from the diner and invited him inside out of the cold.
"I-I have no money."
"C'mon, you're freezing. It'll be on the house."
Castiel stumbled after her and she sat him down in a heated booth in the back, by the kitchen. "I'll be right back."
She came back a few minutes later, carrying a tray with a kettle of hot tea and two cups. "My name's Katherine, but you can call me Kate or Katie. Welcome to my diner. You look like a college student. You go to Nebraska State?"
Cas nodded numbly and stuttered, "M-my name is Castiel."
"Nice to meet you Castiel, but why are you out so late and alone?" She said, concerned as she poured the tea. "You're obviously sick and not dressed warm enough."
"I-I had to get away," he choked out.
"Away from what, honey?"
"F-four years ago I was raped by some strange man in a strange town. I still have flashbacks. I'm a freshman at Nebraska State this year, and I had a flashback the same night I met my roommate. I had it in front of him. Instead of backing out and running away, like people have always done, he helped and took care of me. It's been a few months, and with his help, I've been getting slowly better. He gets called gay and is harassed for helping me, yet he doesn't stop. He's the first person to stay and help for this long."
Castiel broke into fresh sobs and Kate gently rubbed his back.
"B-but, I've done something horrible. I've fallen in love with him. I have never felt this way before. I've never even been able to think about dating someone. He's all I can think about; how safe he makes me feel. He's not gay, though. I CAN'T be gay. My dad's a pastor at a church in Georgia. They aren't very friendly to gays there; he'd disown me. So even if Dean was gay, I could never be with him."
He cried harder as she hugged him tightly.
"I'm so sorry honey. Maybe you should try dating in general. See if you start to like someone else."
"I-I can't date other people. I'm scared. I can't trust anyone here but him. I'm afraid of getting close to anyone, including him, but I want it. With him only."
"Shhh, honey. We'll figure it out. I'd like to try to help you, if that's okay. Now, you need to eat something hot. What do you want?"
"M-mashed potatoes?"
She smiled softly. "Okay. One big plate of mashed potatoes coming up." She left, but came back a few minutes later with the plate and slid back into the booth before handing it to him. "Dig in."
Hesitantly, he complied, tears still streaming down his face. As he ate, she spoke, "Do you want a ride back to the dorm after this? It's really late, passed one."
"Y-yes please. I'm not even sure what direction it is in."
She smiled. "Okay. Honey, why don't you wash up as I close up shop?"
Castiel did what she suggested, thinking about what a good idea it was too. A few minutes later, they were in Kate's car, driving back to the dorm. It took over a half hour to get back.
When she pulled up in front of the dorm, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down something. "Here's my number. Call if you ever need to talk. No matter what time it is, call if you need me."
Cas took it, thanking her and waved goodbye before hurrying inside, running up the stairs. He slowed to a walk when he reached the hallway. When he had reached his door, he took a deep breath and prepared himself.
But as he opened the door, nothing could prepare him for what he saw.
