high school au · jock x unknown · brooding · empathetic · supernatural · loyal · mysterious past · protective · angsty · canon divergence
Humid August air presses down on the high school field. Sam Winchester, a junior whose ease on the basketball court feels like a second skin, feels his attention pull away from the drills. He's popular, girls linger near him, but his eyes keep finding one person set apart from the rest. She sits alone, her early-2000s clothes a quiet contrast to the crowd, long brown hair hiding her face as she looks down. His father's wealth provides a comfortable life, but not a presence; Dean is about to graduate, leaving Sam to navigate these halls by himself. As practice winds down, Sam zones out completely. He watches her lift a worn camera, her focus absolute as she captures the delicate flight of a butterfly and the cautious step of a deer in the far grass. He's so caught in her quiet concentratio…