Title: Bonding Over Soup

Author: OpheliacAngel

Pairings: Sam/Castiel

Genres: Romance/Friendship

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sam likes his roommate of nearly a year, the only question is how to make Castiel like him back.

A/N: Written for Day 6 of #queersamweek on tumblr, which is AU. I chose a Sastiel college!AU, since I think these two would be adorable as roommates.

Sam's roommate is shy, likes to read and is surprisingly bendy.

Sam wishes that there were more words to describe him, but the truth is that he really doesn't know much about Castiel Novak. Every time he tries to start up a conversation there is pretty much just silence on the other end, and even when he asks a question there's only typically a one, maybe two-word answer. It's frustrating, but if there's anything that Sam likes it's a challenge to help him de-stress from the great expectations he sets for himself, from the monotony of homework, studying for exams and taking down meticulous notes during lectures.

It doesn't matter that he's the only one who ever talks, doesn't matter that when he's sitting in the living room Cas wants to give him his space and go to his own room. If Sam is going to do anything before the semester ends, he's going to draw Castiel out of his shell and get to know him better.

His friends know he has a crush on the smart and artistic, dark-haired, blue-eyed boy who sits at the back of all the classrooms and never talks, and they think it absurd that Sam should like someone he knows next to nothing about. Cas seems special to him though, someone worth giving attention to even if he doesn't want it.

This is their second semester of living together, and already their relationship has shifted from acquaintances to friends and they've become more comfortable around each other. Sam was no longer embarrassed at the start of the new semester to try to take a class or two with Cas, and Castiel has been around Sam long enough that he's starting to cook for the both of them, since his schedule is often less stressful than Sam's.

Cas is big into art and literature, and really can't decide between the two on which one to focus on. So he focuses on both. His sketches are intricate and mysterious when Sam gets to see them, and his writing is even better in a way, it's soulful and beautiful and shows Sam a part of Cas that he has been aching to see.

Maybe Cas just thinks that Sam doesn't like him, that Sam thinks he's too good for him. He can't think that though because he always checks in on Cas when he makes it back to the dorm, in between classes if he can manage it, and he always tells Cas how good his cooking is and how good everything else he does is. He wants to tell him that he's a beautiful person to Sam, that he'll make a great boyfriend and even husband someday, but more and more he thinks that Cas doesn't want to hear it, and he really doesn't want to drive him away.

It's so damn infuriating that Sam's picked up his old habit of biting his nails. It's all he can do to put his roommate from his thoughts when he's in class, has to bite his tongue occasionally to prevent him from saying his name out loud.

It's not even that Sam's gay, or that's not all he is. He's dated plenty of girls, girls that he's liked and girls who have annoyed him to no end. He likes girls, but Cas is different. He's dated a guy here or there and Cas is nothing like any of the people he's dated. He's funny when he doesn't think he is and charming and sweet and cares about Sam enough to feed him and let him look at his sketches or read his short stories.

His brother Dean can tease him all he wants about crushing on a guy, despite knowing that their father would have beat him to a pulp. Jess and Brady are supportive, but they tease too. And Cas' brother Gabriel... well, he doesn't even want to think about what would happen to him if he found out Sam's intentions. He's met the guy once or twice before, when he came round to make sure Sam was proper roommate material, and overprotective of Cas is a huge understatement.

Cas had been kinda protective of Sam too, in a way. Sam smiles as he thinks of that.

He has a surprising lack of homework this weekend and he knows Cas merely does yoga and reads on his weekends, so this is the perfect opportunity for Sam to ask him out on a date, and then go take him to see a movie afterward. He's excited about the potential of dating Cas, thrilled about getting to know the guy better. He's nervous too, but not because he thinks he'll like Cas less, or that Cas will like him less. He just doesn't want to screw this up and tarnish Castiel's opinion of him.

Sam is sitting on the couch waiting for him when a splash of dark, ruffled up hair comes in through the door. Sam smiles and stands, nervously picking at his fingernails. Cas glances up, adjusting the books in his hands, and his gloriously blue eyes become curious as they hone in on him. Sam smiles wider but more nervously.

"Hey, Cas. How was ceramics?"

Castiel turns around to close the door, "It was sculpture."

Sam immediately blushes, "Oh, right yeah. Hey, man, I'm sorry, should've known that. Ceramics is Mondays, not Fridays."

Castiel offers him a small smile, "Do not worry about it. I hardly know your classes by heart either." Sam's heart jumps in his chest at that, and it beats erratically afterward. His roommate brushes past him to put his books on the small table in their small kitchen and Sam follows him, taking note of the titles of the various hardcover and paperback books while Cas rummages in the fridge.

"I made some chicken noodle soup, if you're interested. You sounded sick this morning." And oh shit, he's definitely sounding like a stalker now.

There's a short silence between them which is broken by the sound of the refrigerator slamming shut. Sam jumps, but relaxes again when Cas turns around, the small, plastic container of soup held in his hands. "Thank you, Sam. That was... thoughtful of you. I have been feeling a bit under the weather."

Might as well get to it now, before he leaves and goes in his room again.

"Hey, Cas, I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get something to eat tomorrow night? Or for lunch," he adds hurriedly, figuring dinner may be a step too far. "We can see a movie afterward, whatever you want."

The spoon that had been about to enter Cas' mouth stops in midair and those beautiful blue eyes float upward to look into his own. Sam freezes in place, ready for rejection, ready for Cas to walk out or lock himself in his bedroom, prepared for him to kick him out and demand another roommate. His heart's beating so fast that he might just have a heart-attack if he doesn't hurry up already.

Still, he waits, waits for Cas to do whatever he wants to him.

Then the spoon is in his mouth and Cas hums in pleasure. "It's good."

"Thanks, Cas," he swallows hard, swallows again. "I..."

Castiel interrupts, "And yes, I would love to go out to dinner with you tomorrow night. I have been wanting to ask you myself, but I assumed I might have had the wrong impression."

Sam steps forward and wraps Cas up in a hug, his roommate as stiff as a board at first but then relaxing and wrapping his arms around Sam. "You're weren't wrong, Cas. I really like you, have really liked you for a while now. If you'll have me for dinner I would love to take you."

He can feel him smile against Sam's shirt, "Then it is a date, and I will have to find something decent to wear."

Sam closes his eyes and hugs Castiel tighter, "It's a date."

FIN