All I Want Is You

Chapter 6: Unwrapping the Truth

~ Third Person ~

Cas trudged back to his apartment, fighting against a swelling blizzard as it assaulted him full-force. He hugged himself tightly, his entire being quaking; whether from anxiety or the cold was indistinguishable.

In his head, those ever-haunting words ricocheted.

"No son of mine is a fag!"

Cas winced, gritting his teeth as he attempted to continue down the pavement.

"I don't have a son, not anymore!"

His breathing became laboured, each breath was as icy as the swarm of snow around him. He shielded his eyes as he attempted to push onward.

"Nobody could ever love someone as pathetic as you!"

He was faintly aware of the tears streaming down his face, but they were swept away by the howling wind just as fast as they were shed. He stumbled slightly, staggering onto the road as he made to cross; the landscape around him was cloaked by an impenetrable white.

"Get out of my house and never come back!"

Cas halted, clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut as he became overwhelmed by his thoughts. He was hyperventilating, and badly. It felt like his heart was going to explode. Just as everything started to go faint, a blare of a horn made him snap his eyes open.

Blinding headlights glared at him as a truck slammed on its brakes, unable to get a grip on the snow and ice. Cas' breathing hitched. He was momentarily frozen.

His body acted on its own accord, thawing itself and throwing its weight with all its might onto the curb; narrowly avoiding being crushed. The truck thundered past before screeching to a halt a few yards later, thankfully unharmed.

Cas slumped back onto the ground below, his heart racing. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins, and at that moment his head had emptied. It had been shaken awake by the near-death experience. He looked up above him and felt his stomach do a summersault.

Towering over him was a postbox. Not just any postbox, though. The postbox; the place where he had met...

"T-Theo..." He breathed, his voice wavering slightly.

He heard the sound of snow crunching beneath feet, a man approaching. He sat up and realised it was the driver of the truck.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" Cas just nodded, pulling himself to his feet and brushing himself off. "You gave me quite the fright. Be careful out here!"

Cas nodded again and lowered his head.

"S-Sorry," He apologised and bowed slightly.

The man looked concerned but nodded in acknowledgement, before turning and heading back to his truck; leaving Cas by the postbox.

"I ran away..." Cas realised, his eyes boring holes in his feet. "Maybe I am pathetic."

Cas continued on his way, slowly ploughing his way through the snow until he finally reached his apartment building. He slipped through the main door and finally reached his front door. With raw hands, he unlocked it and gently pushed it open.

It was pitch black inside, with the only light coming through an old lamp on a small table. It caught Cas' eye, and he walked up to it. Basking in the light was 'Broken Hope', the book Theo had bought for him at the bookstore.

He carefully picked it up and caressed the front cover. He began mindlessly flipping through the pages until something stood out on the back page; something Cas never noticed before.