You knew before you even turned the corner that you were going to miss the bus that would usually take you home. Even so, your almost completely frozen legs were doing their best to run in the snow. The frozen plumes of your breath were revealing how short winded you were. Hoisting your bag higher onto your shoulder, you turned the city block and saw your usual stop totally abandoned. Suddenly the fog of breath in front of you doubled in size with a sigh. Pulling out your almost dead phone, you sighed in exhaustion again. No wonder there were no buses running. It was almost smack dab in the middle of the night and the buzzing of the street lights was your only company. Well, not your only company.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a snow covered bench with a solitary, totally non-threatening, figure. The build of the stranger seemed to be a guy, and a part of you was on edge. This was the city after all. But, the exhaustion of your limbs made any caution come in through one ear and out the other. Not trying to spook the man too much, who had his shoulders slumped in a way that was almost sad, you made your way over to the bench.

Snow crunched under foot ever so loudly, and the man glanced back your way, but he didn't pay much attention. Snowflakes were still softy sticking to yours and his hair, and pretty much everywhere else, but the stranger didn't seem to mind. While you were feeling your own blood freeze, the stranger in a trench coat didn't produce as much as a shiver. You finally reached the bench and sat on the opposite end of the stranger.

He glanced at you again and gave a polite "smile", if you want to call it that. It was like something was preventing him of feeling joy. Looking around the abandoned and white covered street, you let out a quiet breath to mix with the awkward atmosphere. In an attempt to be discrete, your eyes wandered to the stranger and saw a look of defeat on his face. His very, very attractive face. You couldn't not look at the bluest eyes you've ever seen. You could only imagine what they would look like full of excitement, because now they were solemn and somber.

You must have been staring too long because the man looked over at you with an inquisitive look. "May I help you?" he asked, but sounding surprisingly genuine.

"N-no, I didn't mean to stare," you explained uneasily.

His gaze returned to a downcast looking over the street, watching snow drift from the sky and layering itself on top of the street. "It's alright," he replied in a gravely voice. You found yourself feeling worried about this guy; his slumped shoulders and weak voice didn't exactly add up to an overjoyed individual.

"Is it?" you asked before you could stop yourself. "Are you? Because you seem... lost." Then the man looked at you with what looked like shock. Like no one had ever asked that before.

"Honestly... I-I don't think so," his answer was accompanied by his features contorting in sadness and confusion.

Despite being a perfect stranger, your curiosity got the better of you. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh, no. I couldn't burden a stranger with the knowledge of my problems," he responded, but you wouldn't let up.

"Alright. My name's Y/N, I'm from {where ever}, and I moved to the city a couple months ago. Now I'm not a stranger, and still eager to listen," you smiled, and he actually cracked one too.

"My name is Cas. If you're sure..." he said, still politely unsure. You scooted over a bit closer, placed one elbow on your knee, and rested your chin on top of your hand. He half-grinned again before explaining. "I feel like... I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. The weight of heaven and hell too. I should be...helping, now, but I think I needed to... not be anyone's savior. At least for a little while." Even if you didn't know him, you knew he needed some form of consoling. Without being too forward, you lightly grabbed his hand, and he instantly looked at you. "You're freezing," he said, surprisingly concerned.

Suddenly, he stood and let the trench coat fall from his shoulders. He then wrapped it around your own, and you instantly felt warmer. You were about to object, but realized you could barely move your hands, let alone anything else. "Thank you," you smiled warmly at him as he sat beside you again. "I might not know you, but in my opinion... it's not always your job to save the world. And even if it is, I think it's safe to assume you aren't in in alone?" He nodded. "Well there you go. All the responsibility doesn't have to fall on you all the time. Just one stranger's opinion."

With tears in his eyes, he grabbed your hand again. There was a moment of silence between the two of you, and you got an opportunity to see his eyes with some light in them. Then you got an idea.

"Here," you turned to get your phone out of your bag, "if you need a strangers opinion again-" you heard almost a gust of wind, and turned back to see that he was gone. Looking around, you didn't see any footprints in the snow or any other people...he was just gone. Then, you saw something in the middle of the bench written in snow.

Thank you.

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Hey guys it's the author who hasn't updated in about 9 years. Sorry I haven't added in a while but I hope you enjoyed! Vote, comment, and request!