Thank you so much for reading. It's always a really nice feeling to know that someone bothered with your story besides yourself! If it wouldn't be to much toruble, reviews really do help me get better.
So this chapter is a little longer, and all the next ones will be as well. I don't know what it was about starting off but this is my first fanfic and I couldn't seem to concentrate on one plot for too long. I'm getting better now, though, so thank you for powering through!
Chapter Three
On the eleventh day since hearing the news of Bobby's death, Castiel woke up with a goal. He was going to drive back down to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and he was going to say goodbye to Bobby.
He got into his rental car. He didn't have his own car because he barely ever traveled and the amount of money they drain is unbelievable. Initial payment, gas, insurance. It was incredible how much of the human race would waste their money on things like that. He still didn't really understand it.
Of course, he couldn't act entirely self-righteous on this front, since he was paying money for the rental.
He turned onto the highway and was beginning to mentally prepare himself for a long day of driving, when he saw a sign for In-n-Out burger in the corner of his eye. Well, I'm going to need fuel for this car ride, he told himself, and took the exit toward the restaurant.
After buying a superfluous amount of hamburgers, Cas was back on his way. He made it to Sioux Falls by about 9:30, and crashed at a motel. The next day he would visit the University and pay his respects to the closest thing he had to a father.
This morning Castiel woke up without the need of alarm clock. The excitement of seeing the University for the first time in years and the dread of having to say goodbye to Bobby were weighing on him far too much for a deep sleep. After getting dressed he walked outside. It was colder than he had anticipated, so he put on a tan overcoat and then set off on his walk to the University.
He arrived there at precisely ten o'clock, just in time to see all the students hustling to their morning classes. He stopped to ask one of them where the Ancient Mythological Art was located, and then immediately headed in that direction. He would have to hurry if he wanted to walk in with the crowd, unnoticed. He knew that he technically shouldn't be sneaking into a class, he wanted to see who they had picked to replace Bobby.
He walked into the large auditorium and took a seat next to a brooding, scruffy boy. Many memories were coming back to Cas, even just walking into the room and sitting down. With a delayed sort of shock, he realized this was where he first met Sam and Bobby. And it happened just like it was happening now.
Castiel had just arrived to college the day before and Ancient Mythological Art was the first class he had signed up for. He walked into the oversized auditorium nervously and found an empty seat next to a very tall boy.
"Hey, man. I'm Sam," said the tall boy in a gentle yet commanding tone.
"Hello. My name is Castiel," he responded, a little uncomfortably.
Sam smiled, and Cas couldn't help but notice how straight and white his teeth were. "That's my dad up there, the teacher, I mean. I don't actually like art, but I don't get to see him much if I don't take this class."
Although he thought it was a bit strange that Sam was telling me so much about himself so quickly, he found that he wanted to share something about himself as well.
"That's very kind of you. Most children wouldn't put that much effort into being with their fathers. I'm sure he appreciates it," Cas commented, avoiding talking about himself entirely. He was more of the listening type, than the talking. He enjoyed hearing other people's stories, but tried to keep his own to himself. Only when he felt very conflicted about something would Castiel tell his story; and even then, it would be to a priest during confession.
"Yeah, I guess. Hey look, since you're new, why don't I show you around the campus after class. It must be confusing for you. It wouldn't be a bother." Said Sam, flashing Cas another one of those seemingly perfect smiles.
"Okay, thank you. You're very kind, Sam. I'm glad I chose to sit next to you." He said it in a slightly joking tone, but he really did mean it. He appreciated how kind Sam was being to him. It was nice to have someone there. He didn't like being alone. He wasn't used to it, for he had had so many brothers back home.
After that Sam and Cas had walked around the campus for hours. They talked about everything from their pasts to their futures, and Castiel felt like he had found his first real friend. Sam, of course, felt like he had found more than that.
Castiel was snapped abruptly out of his reverie by a noise to his left. He turned and saw the strange little scruffy boy was speaking to him. "Hey, you! Are you okay? You've been zoning out for a while. The class is about to start."
"Oh, yes. Sorry. I…didn't get much sleep last night."
"It's all good. Just making sure. My name's Chuck, by the way," said the boy, holding out his hand.
"Hello, Chuck. My name is Castiel," he shook his hand, "Nice to meet you." Cas muttered, still a little distracted by his recent flashback. He was going to stop talking to this Chuck fellow after that, but then something struck him: he could get information out of this boy.
"So, Chuck," he started, over-nonchalantly, "Who teaches this class?"
"Now? Professor Winchester. But that's only because our last professor, Professor Singer, died about a month ago," recalled Chuck. At first Cas was shocked that someone could speak of Bobby's death so casually, but he had to remember that no one else besides Sam knew Bobby like he did. No one else could understand what he was going through.
"And…Professor Winchester…What's he like?" asked Cas. He was trying to sound informal about the whole thing, but what he really wanted was to sit Chuck down and make him tell Cas everything there was to know about this new teacher. But he didn't get the chance to ask any more questions, because Professor Winchester was about to arrive.
"He's actually pretty gre—" started Chuck, but was cut off by the professor walking into the auditorium with grandeur. Was he funny, or just cocky? Cas didn't think he could stand it if they had replaced Bobby with some random jackass.
Castiel peered at the professor closely. He was young; handsome, even. His cheekbones looked as if a professional sculpture had carved them there. He had hair the color of dark honey. He had eyes that reminded Cas of spring in Ireland. Cas had started off wanting to know about him for Bobby's sake, but then the professor smiled. Now Cas was looking at him for his own sake only.
"Morning, class. Nice of you to show up. I know it probably wasn't easy to leave your beds this early. It sure wasn't for me. But we're all here now, so why not learn about some ancient artists and try painting a little ourselves?"
His voice…One word and Cas was hypnotized. It was gruff and yet gentle. Loud and yet calm. He kept his face as emotionless as possible, but Cas had never been so distracted during a lecture in his entire life.
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