It's A (Not So) Terrible Life, a supernatural fanfic

A/N: This in an AU, set in the terrible live!verse. So really, it's like an AU of an AU. And before you say "wait, wait Jennifer, this is completely out of character and also you suck," let me pre-empivly defend myself and say that so is the episode at the start, and this is based in a world where Sandover is a legit company that Dean works at and so all that ghost stuff never happened (or, if you like particularly angsty things, the ghost stuff did happen/is yet to happen, and Dean made a choice to forget/has to make a choice), and also I just really, really wanted to write this.

This whole thing came about because, for whatever reason, I really like the idea of Dean Smith with 2014!Castiel, so that's what this is, though Cas is slightly less (read extremely less) extreme than he is in 'The End.' There's really no point to this, and practically no plot to speak of, it's just a little snippet of domesticity. I'd like to write more one day, but I'll see how this goes down first.

Rated for references to drug use.

I own nothing. All mistakes are my own and spell checks. Reviews are more than appreciated, they're practically worshiped.

Everyone knows Dean Smith's life is perfect. He's got the money, the job and the looks. He may be single, but all the girls in the office moon over him, and as soon as he decides he wants a girlfriend, he'll have no shortage of suitors.

What they don't know, is that every night, after he's worked 8 hours straight without seeming to move a muscle except to type or get his secretary to run errands, Dean Smith goes home to his big apartment and his ridiculous, pot-smoking boyfriend.

-00-

It's not that Dean's ashamed of being gay. There was a time when he was. Deathly ashamed. When they uncle he had idolised was still alive and he'd been well informed about what a man could do and what a man couldn't do. He'd dated practically every available, beautiful girl in both high school and university, and when he'd gotten his little sister Jo's best friend pregnant, his uncle had been proud of him. But John died a few years ago and Lisa and Ben moved across the country without asking Dean to follow.

Then the clincher in his self-acceptance had come during his second day working for Sandover, when he had walked in on his boss, Zachariah, yelling at Castiel. Cas is Zachariah's younger, adopted brother, and had been turning down a job offer twice a year, every year since graduating from university. Apparently, the entire Novak family were doctors or lawyers or CEO's, and Castiel's career as an artist did not cut it.

He'd only been at Sandover a couple of days, but Dean knew already that Zachariah was a bully, and standing next to Cas, despite the fact that he had a few years on him, he looked massively intimidating. But slim, pale Castiel with the ruffled black hair and impossibly blue eyes only stood there and took it, and after Zachariah had finished screaming at him about being an embarrassment to the family and dragging the name Novak through the dust, Cas shrugged and asked "Are you quite finished, brother? Only I have these pieces I have to finish for my next show, and we all know how much you'd hate it if my career bottomed out." Then he spun around and walked out, but not before clasping Dean on the arm and whispering "I'm so sorry about that."

Dean asked Cas to dinner before he'd even really remembered that he'd never been okay with his sexuality.

And it's not that Dean's ashamed of Castiel, because Cas is everything that Dean wishes he could be. He's dedicated and accepting and fiercely loyal, and he loves life, and loves the one he lives, something that Dean used to struggle horribly with. He may have a weird speech patten, but Dean only finds that endearing, and though Dean isn't exactly crazy about it, Cas' recreational drug-taking is not something he would ever make an effort to hide or deny. Because a Cas who doesn't come home occasionally smelling of pot and paint just isn't Cas. Besides, it's not like he's taking the hard stuff. Not since he met Dean, anyway.

Besides, Dean's pretty sure that if either of them should be ashamed of the other, it should be Cas. Despite years of hard-work and study, Dean still does not fit into the high-class world that being upper management has thrown him into. Castiel, meanwhile, was raised in it, knows which forks to use when, how to match a cheese and wine and how to navigate formal social occasions. Dean still needs help tie his tie every morning.

Really, the only reason people don't know about Cas is that Dean is selfish, and he doesn't like to share.

-00-

Dean comes home to the smell of beef hitting him before he even opens the apartment door. Cas isn't often home before him, tending to start later and then losing track of time as he does, but Dean loves to come home to the smell of food. And then he remembers that the smell is beef and he's supposed to be detoxing. All work and no exercise makes Dean put on 5 pounds in less than a month. He groans loudly.

Cas sticks his head out of the kitchen. "Good afternoon, Dean. Not a fun day at the office?"

Dean pulls a face. "Come on, Cas. You know I can't eat that stuff."

Cas rolls his eyes, but smiles his small, twitchy smile and pulls his head back, chanting "You know you like it."

Dean huffs again, but props his briefcase against the wall and heads into the bedroom to change out of his suit.

When he returns, Cas is sitting at their small dining table, grinning up at him. There are two plates set, a burger on each. It's possibly the most beautiful thing Dean's ever seen. He takes a deep breath to strengthen his will. "No."

Cas gives him a look that clearly says "You're an idiot." and then enforces it by saying "You're being irrational, Dean."

Dean shakes his head. "No, Cas. I can't."

Cas huffs and scowls at Dean, before reaching over and pulling the second burger towards himself. Then he stands and walks into the kitchen.

Dean sighs and stares longingly at the burger for a while. He really wants it, but he can't afford to gain any more weight. Cas is skinny as a beanpole, and Dean doesn't want to give him one more thing to be embarrassed about.

He startles a little when Cas puts a salad down in front of him, didn't even hear the man coming, before he sits down opposite him. Cas is still scowling a little, but Dean knows it's all for show. Cas doesn't stay mad for long, prefers to just deal with the problem quickly and then get over it, and Dean figures that Cas knows watching him eat two burgers while Dean himself gets one measly salad is punishment enough.

The eat in silence for a while, the scowl leaving Cas' face as it is replaced by what is obviously over-acted euphoria. "Are you sure you don't want any, Dean. I make a good burger, if I do say so myself."

Dean can only shake his head, forcing down another piece of carrot and silently cursing everything. He swallows. "So you're home early, Cas. Weren't feeling particularly inspired?" Deflection is the key.

Cas shrugs. "We worked on it again today."

Dean doesn't have to ask, because he knows exactly what Cas is talking about. 'It' or 'The Piece' as it is also known, is something that Cas, Ash and Andy have been working on since they were in university together. It's huge and makes no sense, and is this weird combination of their varied styles and mediums, Ash's sharp photoshopping skills and Andy's preference for mythological epics and Cas' big, broad brushstrokes and wing obsession. Dean asked them once if it was ever going to be finished, and Cas had told him it was about the experience of the art, rather than the final piece. Dean had laughed and told them they were all crazy, but secretly he thinks it's the greatest thing ever.

'It' is also almost completely done while the three of them are high, which is why Cas is leaning over to absent-mindedly steal salad off Dean's plate even though he claims to hate the stuff.

"Get any of it finished, then?"

Cas nods. "Yeah. Completely new panel. You'd like it. I was just thinking about where to hang it when you walked in."

Dean looks around the apartment, at the walls that are spotted with various parts of 'The Piece.' "I don't know, Cas. We're gonna run out of wall space."

Cas glances around the room again. "We'll make it work." He takes another large bite of burger.

"So, tell me about your day." Cas doesn't really asks questions, only frames demands so they sound like them.

"The usual. I had lunch with Sam Wesson."

Cas does his confused head-tilt for a minute. "Tech support guy?"

Dean laughs. "Yeah, tech support guy. Come on, Cas. I remember your friends."

"So Sam's your friend, now? That was fast." Cas doesn't look confused now. Instead, he's staring, obviously contemplating something. Dean's never been able to get over the feeling that when Cas stares at him, he's looking into his soul, but he learned quickly that you couldn't look away, or else Cas would trick you into something or disappear.

Whatever Cas finds on Dean's soul, though, he seems to like, because he twitches a smile again. "It's great that you're making friends, Dean. I'd love to meet him."

Dean wants to bitch at Cas' implication that he doesn't have any friends. After all, with the aforementioned staring and the fact that with his less lucid years during his youth he tends not to get any pop culture references or casual social cues, Cas has a far more difficult time making friends than Dean. But he doesn't, because Cas is right. Dean doesn't really have many friends, and honestly, he's just too thrilled that Cas wants to meet Sam.

There's a small awkward silence, which Dean is only too happy to break. "I'll invite him out to dinner then. He likes salad."

Cas only shoves more burger into his mouth. Dean watches it go in, juicy and meaty and everything he's told himself he's not allowed to have. He looks down at his half-eaten salad. He looks back up again at Cas, licking the taste of beef and cheese and bacon from his fingers.

Dean puts down his fork. "Screw it Cas. I'll have the damn burger."

Cas doesn't even have the grace to look apologetic. Instead, he looks distinctly smug. "Sorry. I ate it."

Dean drops his head into his palms and groans. Cas definitely sounds victorious as he says "What? I was hungry."

Dean can't help the half-sob, half-laugh.

-00-

That night, after Dr. Sexy and Ghostfacers are both finished, they haul themselves off to bed. Cas is out like a light, a side-effect from the drugs, because usually he's a classic case for insomnia, but Dean lies awake for a while. He's not really sure why, it's just something that happens sometimes, this restlessness. He thinks it's probably something to do with the fact he's been sitting down all day.

Dean reaches out and wraps his arms around Cas' skinny waist, pulling him close and letting his hair tickle his chin. He can feel the steady rise and fall of Cas' chest, hear the soft sounds of his snores, and lets it all wash over him. It steadies him. Dean falls asleep.

-00-

And it is perfect