Traveling Buddy [Destiel]

chapter 2

It had been 2 hours since Dean boarded the train. Earbud kid had stayed in his seat, not saying a thing. Only letting out a deep sigh occasionally.

Dean hadn't really done anything too. After Lawrence was no longer in sight, he checked his phone every once in a while, rechecked his money, and waited. He had been on longer trips than this, but at least the whole time he could talk to his little brother. Even though Dean was free now, he was also very alone.

Another hour passed. The train stopped at another station, some people getting on and some people getting off. Dean was going to take this train as far as it could carry him. Considering earbud kid never even flinched when the train stopped, Dean figured he was doing the same.

Dean wanted to start a conversation with this kid, he really did. It was lonely on this train, it would be nice to be able to talk to someone. Dean glanced over at the earbud kid, deciding whether to talk or not, but he noticed that earbud kid was slumped over differently than he usually was. Earbud kid was asleep.

Dean reached over and put his hand on earbud kid's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, time to get up!" Dean said, shaking him slightly.

Earbud kid woke up, shaking his head a little bit. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. He glanced over at Dean, and this was the first time Dean had seen earbud kid's face.

Earbud kid was... well... attractive. He had a little bit of stubble on his face, and his jaw could cut glass. His hair was a dark brown, that was slightly ruffled from his train nap. But his eyes. Dean couldn't help but stare at his eyes. They were blue, the color of the sky. Yet they held all the depth of the ocean.

There was no denying that this earbud kid was pretty attractive, even for a boy.

"Oh, thank you. I guess I just kind of dozed off." Earbud kid said. His voice was low and gruff, but still calming in its essence.

"So, uh...hi." Dean said, unsure of what to say. He wanted to start conversation, but how would you do that with someone you met on a train? He figured that a name is usually a good starting point. "I'm Dean Winchester."

"Castiel Novak." Earbud kid replied. "People usually call me Cas."

"It's nice to meet you, Cas." Dean said. Dean really liked that name, the way it rolls off the tongue. Cas.

"As to you, Dean." Cas said. "I wasn't really paying attention for the trip, where are we at?"

Dean glanced out the window. "It looks like we're in Topeka."

"Topeka, as in Kansas?" Cas asked.

"Yep." Dean said, confused as to why Cas was confused. "Why, where are you from?"

"Illinois." Cas said, glancing back out the window.

"Holy crap, dude!" Dean said. "You're super far from home."

Cas turned back to Dean. He gave Dean a bit of a smirk, a mischievous smile. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Dean was right. This kid was running away from home too. "It's definitely not a bad thing. I'm doing the same thing." Dean said.

Cas seemed surprised, but pleased that Dean was in the same boat as him. "Really?"

"Hell yeah!" Dean said, finally feeling like he was making a friend in this world. "So, what made you want to leave?"

Cas turned from looking very happy and excited that he made a new friend, into looking sad. He turned out the window, gazing the same way he did when Dean first saw him. Cas completely shut down, being silent when just a moment ago he was bubbling with words.

Dean didn't know what to do. Should he let Cas be, which would return them to the silence they had shared before?

Dean gave Cas a minute or two, and then Dean put his hand on Cas's shoulder. It seemed to startle him.

"Hey, buddy, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Dean said. "Crap happens, I would know. I promise I won't bring it up again."

Cas nodded in a gratuitous way. Dean got the sense that Cas had never been given respect before. What the hell happened in this kid's life?