The moon hung high, casting an ethereal glow through the windows as a cold breeze flitted into the room. The slight nip in the air raised goosebumps on paling skin forcing the blanket to be pulled up even higher. Samandriel loved the cold for this very reason. Snuggling deep into a very soft blanket was his favorite, the warm press of a body behind him only added to it. Benny murmured something unintelligible in his sleep, his arm pulling Samandriel even closer. He smiled with a soft sigh, turning his face to nuzzle at Benny's cheek over his shoulder. In truth it had only been a few weeks since moving in but it felt much longer than that.
He had merged with the household so easily and effortlessly, he almost regretted not moving in sooner. The bullying from his cousin only got worse at school with constant insults towards his new make shift family. The worst were the disgusting things he would say about he and Benny's relationship. But in all honestly he couldn't even care long enough to be really hurt by it. Not with Benny waiting for him to hug the angst right out of him. It still amazed him that the two of them fit like puzzle pieces, only hitting snags during the times he needed to study when all Benny wanted to do was snuggle or make out.
Though Samandriel felt like he was ready and wanted to go much farther than their very heated kissing and sometimes even rutting, Benny was very adamant about waiting. At first it had annoyed him but in the very back of his head he was relieved. He had even asked Castiel about it and his friend only smiled, saying that it was the same for him and Dean. That they hadn't even gotten intimate until after he'd been living there for a while. It made him feel better but the want was still there.
Benny blew a long breath along his neck and nuzzled at his skin, lips grazing along his pulse point. Samandriel closed his eyes and tried to relax, wanting to fall asleep but his ever going brain wouldn't let him. It had taken a week before he called his parents to tell them what was going on. Sure enough, his uncle had gotten to them first. They were frantic, not understanding why their usually well behaved son was acting out. He tried to explain but his mother shushed him, just asking if he was safe. They planned to come out a little while later to really find out what was going on.
That little while later was now... tomorrow...in less than 10 hours rather. He was nervous and terrified with how his parents were going to react to not only him being gay but living with his boyfriend who was 4 years older than him. The whole household had pulled through for him once again, making sure the entire place was clean. It wasn't like they left it a pigsty but they were young...and messes tended to accumulate quickly.
"Mmm, why aren't you sleepin Angel?" Benny's voice was sluggish, words slurred with sleep. Samandriel sighed softly rolling over onto his back, smiling as Benny draped half his body weight over him while his face pressed back into his neck.
"I've been trying," Samandriel whispered trailing his fingers up and down Benny's bare arm. He was pulled even closer and lips brushing along his making him sigh with content.
"You nervous about tomorrow?" he asked, mouth hovering over his own. Samandriel nodded leaning up to peck at his boyfriend's lips. Benny leaned up a little on his elbow as he gazed down at him with sleep clouded eyes.
"You know that no matter what happens, you're home is here with us as long as you want," Benny said. Samandriel nodded again, pulling him down to hug him tightly.
"I do...I just hope my parents don't freak out too much," Samandriel said with a sigh. Benny hummed, nodding his head as he snuggled closer. There was a soft smile on Samandriel's face as he finally drifted off to sleep.
"Thanks again for coming with me Castiel..." Samandriel said watching as Dean's car slowly drove away out of sight. He didn't want his parents to meet him at the house...not wanting to overwhelm them with everything all at once. Castiel sat on the top of one of the picnic tables, a mug of coffee between his hands.
"You don't need to thank me Samandriel...we're family," Castiel said with a beaming smile as he handed over his mug. Samandriel nodded and took a long drink from it, loving how it warmed him up from the inside. They only had to wait about 10 minutes when a car pulled up. His breathing got a bit ragged as the people crawled out, his mothers long brown hair blowing around her in the slight wind. He stood up, smoothing his hands over his clothes. The distance between them quickly became smaller and for the first time in his life he really didn't know if they would push him away. Something most have shown on his face because the next thing he knew, his father was hugging him tightly.
"It's so good to see you Alfie," Joshua whispered into his hair. Samandriel swallowed hard at the nickname and clung to his dad. Eve playfully pushed Joshua out of the way and wrapped her arms around him.
"I missed you both so much," he said once she pulled away. Her fingers raised to brush some of his hair out of his face and he blushed. It was getting really long but he didn't have the heart to cut it...Benny liked it too much.
"We missed you too son," Eve said with a kind smile. He bit his lip and took a deep breath before moving to gesture for Cas to come closer.
"This is Castiel, my best friend," he said. Castiel waved with a little smile and both his parents grinned wide. Joshua even pulled Cas into a hug. His friend squeaked but hugged him back with a little laugh.
"It's so good that you've made friends here Alfie..." Eve said, a knowing look growing in her eyes. He nodded moving to sit back down at the table. The others followed and it was quiet...almost a little too quiet. Eve glanced between everyone, finally clearing her throat and clasping her hands on the table.
"Sweetheart...I know full well how...much of a dick my brother can be...but can you tell us honestly what's going on? Some of the things Zach is saying...I just refuse to believe," she said, her tone dropping into disgust at the mere mention of his uncle. Samandriel couldn't help but huff out a laugh.
"First...there's...something I really need to tell you both," he started, his eyes twitching between the two of them. Under the table Castiel squeezed his wrist, silently giving him some of his bravery. His parents nodded, Joshua pleading with him to continue.
"I'm...I'm gay..." he said quickly, his teeth worrying into his bottom lip. Eve's eye brows raised just as her lips parted for an abrupt laugh. He searched her face but saw nothing cruel or disgust there, only love and maybe even some relief.
"Oh...well...son. We kinda already knew that," Joshua grinned reaching out to squeeze his hand. Samandriel made a noise before hiding his face while the others giggled at him. Eve gently pulled his hands down, her blue/green eyes shining brightly at him.
"We love you for you kiddo...no matter who you love," she said. Samandriel fought the very strong urge to crawl into his mom's lap and hug the crap out of her. Joshua was nodding in agreement with her, his face full of understanding. Samandriel took in another deep breath and began to describe in full detail of everything that went on at his uncle's house, including the Hannah's version of what happened at that party. Eve had rolled her eyes at it but managed to keep her mouth shut. Joshua's face pinched but he too didn't say anything.
"I'm so sorry Alfie, I knew my brother can be insufferable but I never thought he would be abusive..." Eve said through clenched teeth.
"It's ok mom...that's why I left though. I wasn't acting out, I'm still getting good grades...they're actually better now that I can concentrate on my work. Anyway...after Zachariah slapped me the second time..."
"Hey struck you? Twice?" Eve growled out, her eyes flashing. Samandriel swallowed, nodding a bit timidly. Joshua's face turned a dark shade of red, his fingers wringing together on the table.
"I'm going to kill him...how dare he touch MY son!" she cried standing up. Samandriel shot his father a look and Joshua was up, calming her down in soft tones.
"No...I will not stand for this shit...I trusted my brother with our son...and this his how he treats his family? I'm done with him!"
"At least they're not angry with you," Castiel said softly. He looked closely at his friend, his chest tightening with the expectation of seeing some hint of jealousy or anger. The breath he was holding came out in a whoosh when he saw none and gave Castiel a one armed hug. Castiel just smiled hugging him back, pressing the sides of their heads together. It took another few minutes to calm his mom down but she finally sat down, her anger right underneath the surface.
"I'm sorry...my brother and I never got along...especially when it came to raising you. In truth we hadn't talked in years but he called me out of the blue, offering to take you in so you can change schools. Alfie...I swear to you if I had known..."
"I know mom. I promise I understand...but there is something else I have to tell you," he said and cleared his throat, "I...I have a boyfriend. His name is Benny and he's really sweet. The house I moved into actually belongs to him...Castiel and a few others live there as well," he said. Eve's eyes widened, quickly looking at Joshua. His dad blushed a bit, his mouth opening and closing a bit before replying.
"Are...are you being safe?" he chocked out. It was Samandriel's turn to blush and he made a disgruntled noise, wanting to hide behind his hands again but Cas wouldn't let him.
"We haven't...I'm still..." he said frantically trying to tell them without really saying the words. His parents nodded, both letting out a relieved sigh.
"So...how do you fit in all this Castiel?" Eve asked softly.
"My story is similar to Samandriel's but...with my own parents. They were abusive and at the time I met Dean I was a mess. He helped me escape from them, giving me a home and a family that I never thought I could have. Now I have my own goals and dreams...things my parents were very...adamant against. It actually started off with Benny, Dean and his little brother Sam. Then I joined along with a couple of others and now Samandriel," Castiel said with a fond smile. Samandriel returned it and heard a sharp inhale. He glanced at his mother and was shocked to see her face paling, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Mom...what's wrong?" he asked. She blinked furiously, wiping her mouth with her hand before waving him off.
"Oh nothing...just...me being emotional," she said a little too quickly. His dad was looking at her with his eyebrows knit together and Samandriel hoped he could get it out of him later. He always had a good relationship with both of them but his mom was extremely private about her childhood. And he knew something had happened right before he was born...but neither of them would tell him.
"Can we meet this Benny and see the house you're living in?" Joshua asked, his eyes still on his wife's face. Samandriel pushed the strange moment to the side to mull over later and nodded as Castiel pulled out his phone to give the house a heads up.
Benny was pacing in the family room, his hands constantly smoothing down his recently trimmed down goatee. In all his relationships, this would be the first time meeting their parents. He knew he was a good guy and would take care of Samandriel for as long as he would allow him too. But the age gap could be something his parents wouldn't be able to swallow. Garth and Sam were twitching nervously on the couch, watching but not really seeing what was going on on the screen.
Dory and Charlie were cooking and Dean sat on one of the arm chairs, a bottle of beer barely even touched clutched in his fingers. They were waiting for the text from one of the boys to let them know they were pulling up...until then all they could do was wait. The house was as clean as it was gonna get.
Dean jerked when his phone went off, the beer nearly falling to the floor as he scrambled to get up, "They're pulling up," Dean said. Benny swallowed down the sudden lurch of his heart as Dean ran towards the kitchen, dumping out his beer most likely. The telltale sound of an engine being cut off was heard and Benny shared a panicked look with Dean when he came back in the room.
"Everything will be fine man..." Dean said with a reassuring smile. Benny nodded and held his breath, making his way towards the door to greet them. Surprisingly, Samandriel had a soft smile on his lips and even Castiel looked content. He was able to relax a bit, even more so when Samandriel reached out for his hand squeezing his fingers. Behind them stood his parents both smiling as they got closer. They looked like pleasant people, Benny couldn't sense any kind of malice within them.
"Mom...Dad...this is Benny Lafitte. Benny, these are my parents, Eve and Joshua," Samandriel said biting his bottom lip. Benny grinned and reached out to shake both of their hands.
"Nice to meet ya...please come in," Benny said moving out of the way to let them in. Eve smiled warmly, looking around curiously as Joshua followed. It was expected and Benny didn't really mind when Joshua took him in, sizing him up with appraising eyes. After making some sort of internal decision, Joshua clapped him on the shoulder with a nod. Benny let out a slow breath, letting Samandriel nearly drag him into the family room. More introductions were going around, the previous tension in the air slowly melting away.
"So...I'm sorry if this is rude but...is this something you normally do? Taking wayward teenagers in?" Eve asked sitting down on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap. Samandriel moved to sit next to her, his smile contagious as she grabbed for his hand.
"Not really. I was living here alone when I first met Dean. He was only supposed to stay until he got on his feet..." Benny said with a laugh. Dean merely shrugged, his arm wrapped loosely around Castiel's waist.
"With him came Sammy his little brother. The others...they just kinda come here to escape the crap goin on at home. Dory's and Charlie's parents don't approve of them datin and Garth's parents are religious nuts..." Benny said and froze, the color quickly draining from his face. Samandriel bit his lip, covering his mouth to keep from laughing. Joshua quirked a brow before snickering.
"You don't need to worry son...We may be church goers but we are nothing like Zachariah. We're not ruled by our faith," he said. Benny nodded, his vision going a bit blurry with the spike of his anxiety. He let out a slow breath as the others picked up the conversation, answering any and all of their questions. None of them seemed to prying or even malicious. When it started to become a little dull, Dory popped her head out of the kitchen to call them into the kitchen. Benny couldn't help reaching out for Samandriel's hand, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.
"I know I shouldn't be so approving of this...you are far too young to be on your own..." Eve began, a small smile growing on her face as her hand rose to cup the side of his face, "But it seems you've got a good thing here sweetheart...especially Benny...he's a charmer."
Samandriel bit the inside of his cheek hard but it didn't stop the huge smile as his cheeks warmed. They were standing out by the car, his dad leaning up against it with a look of fondness in his eyes. The rest of their visit had gone without a hitch, the earlier nerves melting away as they all sat down for dinner. Samandriel loved each and every one one of his friends for separate reasons but never got over how in awe of them he was...they were all so smart and talented in their own right. Eve's eyes had grown wide at the excited talk of Charlie getting accepted into Yale early but instead turned it down to stay local.
"Someone's gotta look out for them...they'd get into so much trouble otherwise," Charlie had said with a warm smile. Dory winked and went on to talk about her own little success with her small web series on YouTube. Her videos were steadily reaching into the millions, especially when Garth decided to help with all of his impersonation skills. Sam had piped in with his need for staying local as well for college but Dean only argued with him, saying he was going to Stanford and that was that. Benny then jumped in saying that if Sam had to go to college, so did Dean. The older Winchester stammered into silence and sunk back in his chair while the rest of them laughed, teasing him affectionately.
"I refuse to see that boy waste all that brain...he's smarter than he looks and even acts," Benny said clapping Dean on the shoulder. The friend's shared a knowing smile before Dean finally nodded, saying he was going to look into it. Castiel just hummed happily before Samandriel brought up his art and photography, racing into his room to grab the one Castiel had given him. Something crossed over his mom's face, her eyes getting that faraway look when seeing something that isn't there. She apologized, begging for them to continue. From then on Samandriel kept glancing at her but it never happened again.
It was well into the afternoon when his parents both decided to head back, surprising Samandriel when they gave each of them a warm hug. Benny's eyes grew wide but smiled none the less, his eyes squinting with how wide his lips were.
"You're sure you don't want to come back home?" Joshua asked even though it was plain on his face that he already knew that answer.
"I'm sure...but I'll call if anything changes," he promised. Eve nodded, leaning in to kiss his forehead. He squeezed his arms around his mother's waist, burying his face into her shoulder.
"Good...we'll try to come out here again next month. I miss you kiddo," she whispered against his hair. He nodded, hugging her tight before pulling away to give his dad one as well. Joshua gave him a warm smile and ruffled his hair after they broke apart.
"You be good kid," he said just before crawling into the car. Eve gave him one more smile, her eyes glancing back at the house and she too slipped into the car. Samandriel stayed there at the edge of the lawn watching as they disappeared around the corner. He felt warm hands slip around his waist and he couldn't help humming softly, his head dipping back against Benny's chest.
"That...went way more smoother than I had hoped," Benny chuckled, lips pressing against the side of his head. Samandriel grinned, turning his face just in time to catch Benny's bottom lip.
"I know...I'm thankful though...I was so scared they wouldn't approve," he said softly. Benny nodded with a low hum, kissing down his neck to nuzzle into his shoulder. The whiskers on his cheek tickling his skin, making him giggle.
"Come on cher," Benny grinned taking his hand and pulling him towards the house. The tight feeling in Samandriel's chest long forgotten.
Castiel remembered this place...he'd been here before but not for a really long time. It's always a different area, but the feelings...the comforting warmth settling in his gut was always there. Last time had been a forest with a beautiful meadow...but now he was standing on a cliff over looking an ocean, the strong breeze fluffing his hair. The setting sun barely left any warmth, leaving his skin with goosebumps. There was something always missing when he was here, like a huge chunk of himself was gone.
It left him anxious until that faceless person would arrive. He always showed up...but Castiel could never make out his face through the blur. Just this last time he was able to make out that it was in fact another boy who kept him company in his lonely dreams. It was a hole so deep inside of him that even though Dean loved him whole heatedly...it never filled that last part up.
The sun was just about to dip below the horizon when he heard a snap from behind him. He turned, a smile warming his face when he saw his friend slowly joining him, the tilt of his head letting Castiel know that he too was smiling. The face of the other boy was still a blur to him but the features were slowly becoming more defined. Dark messy brown hair dipped down almost down to his shoulders, the bangs nearly covering his eyes. He was as tall as Castiel but thinner, not as filled out. He could just barely make out a slender nose and full lips.
When he had first saw the boy in his dreams, it had been right when he met Dean...and he was scared that it meant this other boy was his one and only. But the more he appeared, the clearer it became that there was nothing romantic about this. He still couldn't figure it out but he couldn't deny that it made him feel whole...that ache deep in his chest would go away. Even if it was only for a little while.
The boy lifted his arm, his fingers closed over something in his hand. Castiel bit his lip and opened his hand, letting the item drop into his waiting palm. It was a seashell...beautiful and iridescent...about the size of a half dollar coin. Castiel grinned, taking a closer look at it. The boy before him said something, but like always his voice was muffled. Castiel looked up at him, the boy's brows furrowing in frustration.
The boy took in a deep breath and rubbed at his face almost angrily, his hands acting as an eraser against the blurred edges of his face. When he finally looked at him, Castiel sucked in a quick breath, the seashell in his hand almost falling to the ground. He was met with blue eyes that eerily almost matched his own.
Castiel shot up in bed with a gasp, his chest heaving as he fought to remember where he was. The slight smell of oil and jasmines brought his brain back up to speed and he closed his eyes. He was ok, safe and tucked in their bed, Dean's arm still lazily draped around his waist. Castiel was about to crawl out of the bed when the arm tightened, pulling him back down effortlessly. Dean still had his eyes closed but he was awake, his tongue flicking out to wet his chapped lips.
"What's wrong?" he asked gruffly. Castiel started to shake his head when Dean's eyes popped open, leveling him with a stare.
"It's nothing Dean...I'm sorry I woke you..."
"Was it that dream again?" Dean whispered, leaning in to brush his lips against his cheek. Castiel sighed, pulling Dean even closer. Of course Dean would just know...he always did when he would wake up with a start. At first Dean suspected it was about his parents...but after enough time Castiel finally told him. Trusting in him to not freak about another boy being in his dreams. Of course Dean knew he had nothing to worry about...Castiel loved him and tried to show him without words everyday.
"Yeah...just the usual..." Castiel said softly, wiggling closer into Dean's warmth, tucking his head under Dean's chin. His boyfriend grumbled out a response and within a few minutes he was fast asleep. Castiel chewed on his lip...he had finally seen the boy's face but he had no idea how to even approach this new development. He'd wait until morning...wait to talk to Dean when they were both more awake. Castiel closed his eyes, not surprised to see the image of Samandriel's smiling face beaming at him from his dream.