Dandellion (Destiel AU)

Chapter Three: 10 Months

It's been 10 months, and counting, since Dean last talked to, or even saw, Castiel. Dean is 10 years old now, and Cas had just all of a sudden vanished. He wasn't at school, and he was Dean's only true friend, (Ever since Cas' disappearance, to keep from drawing bullies' attention to himself, Dean had started hanging out with the popular kids, which caused him to make a lot of fake friends.) so if he moved, Dean thought he would have told him beforehand.

Dean had become extremely paranoid since his disappearance. He didn't trust anyone, and his worry kept him up most nights until he passed out from fatigue. It had become a problem, and one a 4th grader definitely shouldn't be experiencing.

Dean had lost all hope of ever staring into Cas' unbelievably blue eyes ever again.

Today was the last day of school until summer break, so the kids got to play in the gym, on the playground, and in a field nearby all day. Dean found himself sitting in the same swing he was when Castiel introduced himself for the first time. He remembered all the disbelief and joy he felt as Cas gave him the dandelion and how good it felt to have a friend.

He still had the dandelion. It was pressed in between the pages of a book that Dean didn't dare open for fear that the frail little flower would fall to pieces.

A single tear slipped down Dean's cheek, and he closed his eyes to hold back the rest that threatened to flood out.

He kept his eyes closed until he calmed down, then he opened them again, only to find a boy with dark hair and blue eyes, who wore that all-too-familiar coat, staring at him from across the playground.

"Cassie!" Gabriel, Castiel's older brother, opened the door just before Cas could turn the knob himself.

"Were you waiting for me?" Cas asked skeptically.

The elder brother scratched the back of his neck as he tried (and failed) not to look guilty. "Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Never mind..." Cas said. I'm sixteen! Why does he still treat me like I'm a child who needs to be watched 24/7?? Although this was typical for Gabriel, Castiel couldn't help but get slightly agitated.

When Cas was young, his parents disappeared, and to this day, no one knows where they went. Gabriel, who turned 18 only days before their disappearance, was the oldest at the time, so he took responsibility of Cas, Anna, and Gadreel. Cas is the youngest, so Gabriel watches over him like he's still in elementary. Gadreel was the 2nd oldest, and he moved off to college, but Anna recently turned 18 and hadn't moved out yet.

Castiel quickly felt guilty for being upset. It wasn't fair for Cas to be mad at Gabriel. After everything he sacrificed so they would remain a family in their parent's absence, Gabriel deserved better.

Cas glanced at his watch. It was only 4:30, so he had three and a half hours to kill.

He went to his room and watched tv for a bit, but eventually, he grew bored. That's when Cas remembered the book he was reading at lunch when the... incident happened. He pulled it out of his back pack and started reading through it.

The next thing Castiel knew, it was 7:50 and there were only a few unread pages remaining in his book.

Dean is going to be here soon... What should I wear?? Cas thought as he looked down at his school clothes (khaki pants and a blue polo) he hadn't bothered to change out of. Wow, I'm acting like a teenage girl going on her first date. Dean's not going to care what I wear. He decided to just put his coat on over his school uniform. He slipped into the trench coat, ran a comb through his hair, and put on his shoes.

Cas sneaked out his window (He didn't want to be interrogated by Gabriel over where he was going.), then walked around to the front of the house.

It was 8:00 exactly when Dean pulled up in his '67 Chevy Impala, which, Cas had to admit, even though he didn't really care what brand or model a car was, Cas was impressed by Dean's impala and found himself looking at it's shiny, dark colour with slight awe.

Dean rolled down the window and said, with his usual smirk plastered on his face, "You gonna just stand there?"

Cas muttered a "no," then opened the passenger door and slid inside.

"Uhm, where are we going?" Cas asked, tripping slightly over his words. Ugh, there that feeling is again, Cas thought as he looked into Dean's bright, green eyes.

Dean smiled, and Cas thought it seemed more genuine than most of his. "It's a surprise."

Dean shifted the car out of park and started driving away.