Castiel stood still not sure of how to greet the Brother he had not seen his years, he considered hugging him but even to him that felt awkward. "I… I can't believe you're here." Gabriel walked straight up to Castiel pulling him into a rib-cracking hug, which Castiel could only make a sound of protest. "Sorry." he held Castiel at arms length evaluating his current appearance. "A bit peaky nothing a good few square meals won't fix," he pulled him forward into another hug and sniffed his hair. "And maybe a shower and change of clothes as well, you stink Little Brother." Taking Castiel by the wrist he dragged him into the house.
Sometime later Castiel and Gabriel sat silently in the Kitchen. Gabriel had insisted that Castiel have a shower and change clothes before they had the serious conversation to how Castiel had managed to get to Kansas. "I take your escape backfired?" Gabriel's eyes glued on Castiel's cheekbone while his fingers tightened a fraction around his mug. "Yes. But I sense Michael may have tipped Father off, Father returned an hour than I had expected, I had hoped to leave while he was away." He heard his Brother snort in disbelief. "Saint Michael, I hope one day Karma comes and bites him in the ass." Gabriel pushed a plate of pie in front of Castiel urging him to eat. "What happened after that?" cautiously, Castiel tasted a small piece of the pie. "Father found me in mid packing as you can imagine he was furious." He picked at the pie not particularly sure of what to make of it. "Things got violent and eventually I managed to escape, he chased me through the Fields and Wood before giving up." He cleared his throat of the emotion of talking about the events. "And you got to Kansas all by yourself?" Gabriel asked finishing off the left over pie that his Little Brother had lost interest in. "I hitchhiked, walked and starved myself to save my money for the bus trip. I had no idea how much it would be so I did not want to risk it." Gabriel's face was thoughtful but soon turned serious. "Does anyone other than the person I trusted with the letter know my whereabouts?" Castiel's bright blue eyes collided with Gabriel's; he had never once considered whether others knew. "I do not believe so. Raphael rarely spoke to me and I was extremely careful with my actions around Michael."
"I promise you Castiel I will protect you if anything happens, and this time I won't break it."
Gabriel's words replayed in Castiel's mind as he lay in his new bed, no matter what he tried he just could not seem to switch his mind off. The many and endless possibilities of what he could do with his new life circled around his brain over and over. For the first time in years he was excited, that feeling of hope and joy mixed together warmed his stomach until Gabriel dropped a shocking bombshell on his lap.
"High School? I do not understand." Gabriel had found Castiel awake sitting alone in the Kitchen staring into space. He placed some pancakes on a plate in front of him as he tried to digest the information. "Legally, you have to be in school which conveniently starts today. So when you're ready we're going to get you registered." He stared at his Brother dumbstruck; Castiel like his other Siblings had been homes-schooled, although Gabriel had been the only one to go to College. "And Castiel there's nothing to worry about, plus it might help with the whole 'social awkwardness' you have going on."
Salvation High
Castiel had always been an awkward person even much so as a child or when he was out of his comfort zone. He was extremely aware of the scrutinising look the Headmistress was giving him when he and Gabriel arrived for their appointment. "I really do not understand why it is necessary for me to come here." He whispered to Gabriel was the Headmistress had left briefly, without even lifting his head from the paperwork his was filling out. "Because I don't want you home alone all day, plus you need grades if you want to work in the future." Castiel stared in disbelief, which Gabriel caught out the corner of his eye. "Little Brother let me tell you something. Sitting alone in a big house for hours is bad. Socialising and developing relationships is good. Getting the hint yet?"
They went silence once the Headmistress returned and fully aware she had interrupted a discussion. "I apologise if I interrupted."
"Not at all, Castiel is just a little anxious about coming to a Public School. He was home-schooled for most of his life."
"I can assure you that Castiel will fit in just fine here Mr. Novak, we have vast variety of students currently studying here. And I'm sure he'll find somewhere that suits his needs. Now would you like a tour before we discuss lessons plans and timetables?"
"Now, this is our English Department which has separate quiet rooms for individual studying or project building…" he tuned out the monotone voice of his now Headmistress… "Ah Mr. Donalds this is a new student who will be joining your lessons tomorrow." Without realisation he found himself standing in front of a classroom of curious eyes. He moved back trying to get away from the stares only to receive a sharp elbow in the ribs from Gabriel.
From the back of the room Dean Winchester stared at the new guy who stood almost terrified in front of the whole class. Short and scrawny with dark tousled hair but the brightest blue eyes that he could see from where he was sitting. "Hey, Dean he's a bit weird don't you think? And I wonder what happened to his face."
From his angle he didn't know what the girl next to him was talking about until Castiel turned his face. "Who knows, probably one of those guys who pisses the wrong people off."
A/N: Who can't but help love the socially awkward Cas
More to come later. Reviews if you want :) (Oh yeah, does anyone know what colour eyes Gabriel has?)