Dog Days Are Over
A/N: This is dedicated to Chrisinele-hime. I had asked her for a few ideas, and this is one that she gave me that I really liked. Here you are, love!
Summary: A walk in the park turns into so much more for Dean and Cas.
Setting: AU Set in Manhattan, New York, and starts out Central Park.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
***D&C***
Castiel's POV
Running. It's my therapy.
The feeling of my feet rhythmically pounding against the concrete soothes my soul from all of the stresses of my daily life. When I run, I am no longer trapped in this cynical world of bitter people and bullshit. No, I am in a world of peace and solitude.
Every morning before work, I get up and run through Central Park. It's basically deserted at this time of morning, which is exactly why I go at this time. I deal with enough people whenever I'm at work, so any time that I can be left alone is a blessing.
I run my usual route this morning, enjoying the serenity of sleepy Manhattan. As I round the bend, I notice another person out running this morning. As I draw nearer, I realize that it is a male…
A very, very attractive male.
I slow my run to a jog, wanting to get a better look at him.
I can tell that he's taller and more muscular than I, his large biceps and hefty thighs drawing his clothes tight. And don't even get me started on that ass of his. It is truly a thing of beauty, and that's with clothing on. I can only imagine what it'd look like outside those insanely tight shorts…
I can also only imagine what it tastes like.
"Great, Novak, now you're hard," I mutter to myself. Good thing I run in sweats.
I chuckle to myself as I return to observing my new object of affection. He's gotten a little ahead of me, so I pick up speed a bit. As we burst into the sunlight, I become entranced by his blonde locks shining in the light. He's obviously not from here, with his sun-kissed skin and naturally lightened locks. That, and his shirt says Lawrence fire department on the back. Speaking of which, I'm mesmerized as his back muscles ceaselessly coil and uncoil beautifully under the charcoal-colored fabric. I think I'm in love.
"You're delusional," I chide myself. The more I talk to myself, the more I begin to believe just that. Maybe I am delusional…
Or just downright crazy.
I look over to my right…and damn near have a heart attack. It seems in my moment of intense self-reproach, I seem to have come alongside my attractive running companion. I smile nervously at him.
"Good morning," I say shyly. He smiles softly in my direction.
"Morning," he replies, his voice smooth and deep. The rich timbre sends pulses of electricity through my frame.
We run side by side for quite some time. I'm not going to lie; I looked over at various points, checking out his amazing form. His chest is amazing, firm pectorals flexing with every movement of his wonderfully muscular arms. His face is extremely handsome, but it's his eyes that truly capture my attention. They are a beautiful clouded emerald with flecks of gold and wisdom. This is a man who's seen a lot, and from the scars on his powerful arms and legs, he's been through a lot, as well.
The content smile on his face stirs something within my chest. Although he hasn't looked over at me since our greeting, I know that he's noticed me staring at him. Throughout our run, we've somehow managed to move closer and closer together. When I feel the slight brush of his skin against mine, I blush the deepest crimson possible.
"I'm sorry," I offer kindly. He chuckles from deep within his chest.
"No need to be," he replies nonchalantly. I smile.
We settle back into our comfortable silence as we continue on.
It has honestly been a very long time since I've been even remotely attracted to someone, let alone done anything like this. I don't know a thing about this man other than his vast amount of sex appeal. Talk about pheromones. However, I still can't help but want to both see and know more about him. For once, I am intrigued.
"Shit," I hear from my right, and my heart drops from my chest. I know what that means...
"Time to go?" I ask. He nods solemnly as we slow our pace to a walk.
The air around us is comfortable, albeit a little solemn. I am pleased to find that he's enjoyed our time just as much as I have, if not more. It's more than obvious that a connection was made, even though very few words were ever exchanged. Life is funny like that at times, though.
"So, you run here often?" I ask quietly. He chuckles at my shyness.
"I do now," he says cryptically. I cock my head to the side.
"What do you…" I go to ask, but find myself silenced by his lips on mine.
It's a relatively quick and chaste kiss, but an effective one all the same. I almost whimper at the loss of contact.
"See you later," he says seductively before dashing off to wherever he needs to be. I sigh.
"Well, off to work with me then, I guess," I say to no one in particular.
I just hope that I can get this beautiful stranger off my mind…
***D&C***
"Good morning, my son."
"I really wish you'd stop that," I offer playfully. He just laughs.
I work under (although he prefers to say 'with') my father at a brokerage firm right in the heart of Manhattan. He's owned it since before myself or my siblings were born, and all of us have worked here at some point in our lives. Being the youngest, I just started with the company. I came in as his head accountant, though, so I can't complain. Great hours and even greater compensation.
"So, what's on today's agenda? I've already gotten quite a bit ahead on your books," I rattle off uninterestedly. He smiles warmly at me.
"I expected nothing less. I actually have an unusual task for you to complete today. I have a new broker starting today, and I need you to show him the ropes. You know the basics of brokering, so I trust that you'll be fine if he has any questions regarding expectations and responsibilities." I frown.
"You know I do not like people, especially new people. And why me?" I ask, annoyed. He just rolls his eyes.
"Because this one is very important to me. He's more than qualified for the position, his appearance notwithstanding. The main thing, though, is that his family is very dear to our own. You kids would not have noticed, but we had help once your mother died," he relates distantly, obviously lost in memories of the past.
I don't really remember much of my childhood, but that's neither here nor there. All I know is that I was always happy and content, so I can't doubt anything that my father says about any outside influences. I wouldn't anyway, though. Father has always been a wonderful parent, regardless of being the only one.
"Alright. Where is he?" I ask. He practically beams at me.
"He's in your office. He arrived much earlier than expected, so I just had him doing a few menial tasks for right now. I'm sure you'll like him, Castiel." I just nod before heading off to find my shadow for the day.
I greet everyone as I head towards my office. Everyone is rather pleasant that works here, treating me no different than anyone else, regardless of my being the boss' son. In fact, everyone here acts as a single familial unit, which is nice. I'm used to a large family, so it's very welcome. As I round the corner, I mentally prepare myself to meet my charge.
"Good mor…" I start, but never get to finish. I honestly can't complain, though.
Holding me close and exploring my warm mouth with an expert tongue is my running partner from this morning. I can't help but practically melt into the delightful contact.
"Morning," he whispers huskily. I can't help but blush.
"Morning," I reply shyly. He chuckles, but continues to hold me.
Under normal circumstances, I would have punched anyone who dared to even think about touching me in such a way. This man, however, somehow shuts down all of my defenses. I can feel his warmth seep into my skin, his steadily beating heart singing out to mine. My smile widens as his hands slide down my arms to lace our fingers together.
"So, you're my constant companion, it seems," he says playfully. I smirk.
"Yes sir. Can you handle that?" He laughs heartily.
"Babe, you don't even know the half. Let's go," he says, leading me out of the office.
I smirk as everyone stares longingly at my charge as we head off to the brokers' offices.
"My name is Dean, by the way," he says suddenly. I nod.
"Castiel," I reply. He quirks an eyebrow in my direction.
"Nice to meet you, Cas." I laugh at his nickname.
"Cas, huh? I like it."
"You'll find a lot more to like by the time I'm done with you, kid."
***D&C***
"Dean?"
"Yeah, babe."
"You look like shit."
"…thanks?"
Dean has officially been with the company now for about three months. In this time, he's been promoted three times. Unfortunately, he's become three times as busy. At first, no one really noticed. Dean is just the type of guy who'll work his ass off but never complain about it. I only noticed when he stopped coming by my office to see me. He still ran with me every morning, but I wouldn't see him anymore afterwards.
To say I missed him would be the understatement of a lifetime.
Ever since that first day, we've been inseparable. He's always by my side, whether it be at work or out and about on our off days. That's why his work overload has become an issue for me. Dean had purposefully situated his schedule to work alongside my own so that we'd have 'us' time. Now, other than our runs, us time doesn't exist.
"This is unacceptable. I'm consulting Father in the morning," I say petulantly. He just shakes his head.
"It's all part of the job, though, Cas. You know that. I'm one of your dad's best, and I'm really trying to make it in this business. I've got to make Sammy proud."
Sam is his younger brother who he basically raised. Their dad was a truck driver, so he wasn't home much, and their mom died when they were very young in a house fire. They spent most of their childhood with their Uncle Bobby, but Sam would always know Dean as both parents in one. Subsequently, Dean places Sam's thoughts and feelings towards him in the highest degree.
"He's already proud of you, Dean. Hell, I'm proud of you!" I say honestly.
"You have no idea how much that means to me, Cas," he says quietly. I smile at him.
"Yeah, yeah. Look, I miss you, and I plan on fixing that. I know you don't want me to say anything, but seriously, Dean, you are working yourself into the ground. Your dog days are over," I state firmly. He just chuckles before leaning over and kissing me.
"Okay," he whispers against my lips. My smile widens.
"Good. There's also something else that I want to talk to you about." He looks at me seriously, nodding slowly.
I've recently come to the conclusion that I want to take our relationship to the next level. Dean has been an amazing influence on my life. He's so sure of himself and is such a warm presence that you can't help but fall in love with him. Running is no longer my therapy. No. Being with Dean is my therapy. Because of that fact, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and go after what I want for once in my life…
And Dean is definitely what I want.
"Move in with me, Dean," I offer bluntly.
He doesn't say anything at first, obviously descending deep into thought. Most would begin to fret or whatever at his silence; some might even be offended. I, however, know that this is just part of his process. Dean takes most things as they come, disregarding worry completely. However, when it comes to larger, more important decisions, he takes his time and thinks them through. Dean is nothing if not a survivalist.
He finally looks up at me.
"No," he says, but there's a smirk on his face. I'm almost afraid to ask.
"What are you thinking then?" I ask curiously. I trust Dean completely, but that doesn't mean I don't wish to know what he's planning.
"Let's move in together," he says simply. I quirk an eyebrow.
"So…" I start slowly. He just laughs.
"We'll find a place together, and move from there. The thing that I appreciate most about our relationship most is that it's a fifty-fifty sort of deal. We each give our all and then some, but it still evens out perfectly. I don't see either of us bailing, so…" I smile, nodding in agreement.
"Let's do this. First, though, let's take care of this scheduling issue." He smirks playfully.
"Alright, Boss."
***D&C***
"Dean? Where are the…"
"Top drawer to your left."
"Don't laugh at me."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
I step out of the bathroom, wrapped in my favorite towel. My lover is laid in bed, looking at me hungrily. I blush under his scrutiny. As I make my way over to his side of the bed, I prepare for the groping onslaught that I now I'm about to get.
"Come 'ere," he says seductively. I eagerly seek out his embrace.
It's been absolutely amazing living together, and I'm excited to see where the future takes us. I am sure, though, that it will lead us where together. I can't even begin to imagine my life without Dean Winchester in it.
"Our dog days are truly over."
***D&C***
I know. It's a little cutesy, but I figured it'd be nice to give you something happy and bright before I drop my next heavy fic. Hopefully, I'll have a few chapters of it out really soon ^-^ Review!