Burned - Destiel

XXV

*unedited*

"For most of you, this is probably the first time you've ever heard me speak."

Dean looked at the huge crowd in front of him. All seniors were joined by their parents and friends, which meant that the audience was immense. Dean was absolutely terrified, but he did continue when he locked eyes with Castiel, who nodded encouragingly from the crowd, sitting next to Chuck.

As Bobby had said at the funeral, Sam and Bobby were there too, sitting further back. He recognized the two of them instantly, feeling uncomfortable as he felt their gaze in him. He cleared his throat due to the lump that had appeared in his throat upon noticing their attendance and quickly looked away.

"For those of you that don't know me, my name is Dean Winchester. I moved here to finish my senior year. At the age of four, I lost the ability to speak in an- accident and until today there's not been a day where I liked the burns on my body as a result. I hid them from the world but most importantly; I hid them from me. That was until someone had taken pictures and spread them to the school. I'm not going to call names, but I'd just like to say that I forgive them."

Dean looked directly at Ash as he spoke, earning a small smile and a nod from the boy. Dean noticed people whisper and parents look around accusingly, which eased his nerves slightly.

"Everybody looked at me like I was trash afterwards. Like I was contagious. I heard whispers, snickers, laughing and if it wasn't for my boyfriend, I definitely would have moved again. And before you scold your kids once you get home, what's done is done. It's not necessary. They know what they did and hopefully they'll regret it.

"And besides, without most of you, I wouldn't be talking here today. My boyfriend helped collecting money for my surgery and most of the students helped. Maybe it was pity, maybe it was guilt or maybe it was for serious philanthropic reasons, but I'm eternally grateful for your financial and emotional support. Especially after losing my father a couple of months ago.

"I'm not going to speak of how amazing school has been, because it's not. It's a struggle to find who you are, to find out who you can trust and learn from your mistakes. And maybe learn something educational along the way," Dean joked, smiling at Charlie, who looked at him proudly and put her thumbs up.

"It's a time with ups and downs, disappointment and success, love and hate, and I believe that I've definitely grown on these aspects. Anyways, congratulations to everyone that graduated," he said, before stepping away from the microphone. He squinted his eyes, smirking a little before taking one step forward again. "Oh, and I'm not that scary. You can talk to me without going to hell. Thank you."

It started with a single person clapping, which Dean noticed was Ash. He smiled gratefully, looking down when even more people began to clap. He watched in amazement when students started standing up, leaving him there uncomfortably. He thanked them once before stepping off the stage. He was greeted by a big hug, immediately noticing that it was Castiel.

"You did great, babe," the jock mumbled, before pulling away and pecking his lips twice.

"Thanks, Cas," he whispered, looking around anxiously when he saw everyone staring. He made eye contact with multiple parents, who merely smiled. "People are staring," he mumbled, causing Castiel to smile.

"You're not gonna tell me that you're worried about some stares after giving one hell of a confident speech a few seconds ago. Let them stare," Castiel replied, raising an eyebrow. Dean chuckled lightly, gesturing for them to return to their seats.
They watched and listened how principle Ketch gave one final speech, before clapping when he finished. The two boys walked over to Kevin, Charlie and Jo,