It's In Your Eyes

Once upon a time...

Castiel's POV -

I stand on the gravel driveway in front of the steps that lead up to those big double doors. Reams of other children flood up those steps, shouting and calling to each other, or just walking up in silence. Some have tears in their eyes or on their cheeks, some look stern or thoughtful. There are many still around me, crowded around family who are there to lovingly see off their beloved children.

I look down at my feet. My goodbye had been a quick pat on the back as I tumbled out the door, my brother Lucifer calling from behind the wheel a good luck and that he'd see me again in a couple months when they can visit for autumn. You can go home in autumn for a few weeks instead, but they don't want me there. They'd rather just send my oldest brother up to see us all and bring us a couple of peace offerings.

By us I mean me and my other siblings. But they've scurried off now to meet their friends. Gabriel's in his fourth year, and he's the person to be around if you want a good laugh and to look good. Anna's in her third year so she has better things to do than hang around with her kid brother right now. She has to reestablish friendships that were strained by the summer holiday. Balthazar left last year and swore never to come back. So he isn't here to see me off either.

I may just be starting here, but I'm not starting at the bottom. I was kept out of this school for the first year because my parents wanted me to learn 'people skills' before I was let loose so I didn't embarrass the family, I struggle when it comes to interacting with others my age. They also had a problem with me sharing a room with a bunch of other boys. They just didn't seem to understand what being gay meant. They thought, just because I liked boys, I liked every boy. I tried to enlighten them, "Heterosexual people aren't attracted to every person of the opposite sex. This is no different!" But they'd struggle with it for a long time. But after the incident, they needed me to not be near them, so I was carted off with my siblings to endure this new, inescapable hell.

Lucifer is kind enough to wait, the engine rattling, just long enough for me to heave my case out of the car and slam the boot shut again, before he pulls away and leaves me stranded on the gravel where I still stand now.

Someone blears their car horn at me and I jump forward to avoid the minivan that peals forward into the space I'd been standing in just seconds before. Wincing at the weight I head towards the steps, lugging my case along the ground behind me. Boarding school was going to be tough, and I knew it. As I reach the first step I stop and glance back. I see Anna chatting enthusiastically and animatedly with a group of girls. Gabe must be inside already. I'm turning back but freeze, something catching my eye. Someone...

Dean's POV -

"It's okay, Sammy. I'll see you soon. Don't you go crying on my like a sissy now, you hear." I pull my teary-eyed little brother into a bear hug. He was shooting up, still much shorter than I, but I was getting concerned about how quickly he was going to catch me and, God forbid, overtake me on the height front. Soon he might actually be able to take me.

"I'll miss you. Dad said I can come too in a couple of years. But that's a long time." He says, looking up at me with sad, gentle eyes.

"Not that long." I lie. It feels like forever here. How is this only my second year?!

I push him out to arms length, crouching down slightly, and smile. He throws his arms around my neck again and let's out a muffled, "See you super soon." Before I deposit him back in my dad's car, the impala. One day she'd be mine. Slick and black and beautiful. My beautiful baby.

I share an awkward moment with my father, him looking at me, me starring back at him, waiting for him to just say something abrupt and leave. I love my father, but he can't show emotions well, and I seriously worry about Sammy's well-being whenever I am away.

"Right son, be careful. You're getting to that age, so watch yourself..." There we have it. The moment made even more uncomfortable. Yes, I was definitely 'getting to that age', more so than he knew, but it was just like him to come out with something like that rather than just say that he'd miss me and promise to come see me in autumn. A promise he would no doubt break anyway, but all the same...

"Dad man, just don't..." I groan in response, shifting uncomfortably. He nods stiffly, pats me on the back and walks back to the driver side of the car, sliding behind the wheel.

The impala pulls away, Sam sticking his head out the open window and shouting to me, "Bye Dean! Bye!" And waving crazily.

"I'll call you soon!" I shout back before they're too far away, then sling my bags over my shoulder. I turn towards the school's entrance and stop. A boy is just turning away from my direction, awkwardly ascending the stairs with a bulging case dragging behind him. He's struggling.

Just as his eyes passed mine, I caught his gaze - whether he'd been looking at me or not, I couldn't be sure, it was unlikely - but I couldn't help but take in his eyes.

They were the purest, most intense blue I've ever seen.

"Oh..."