Chapter 1 ~Cas' POV~

Cas stood in the family diner, bending over a table as he methodically wiped it down. The small resturaunt was completely deserted during one of the restaurant's off hours. It was empty except for him, Castiel, and his brother, Balthazar. Cas' shift had ended nearly thirty minutes ago but the afternoon had been busy so Cas was staying behind longer to tidy. He stood uo straighter and stretched out his aching muscles with a soft grunt.

"Cassie, why don't you come and clean up this booth. Some kid threw up on the table," Balthazar's carefree voice rang out.

Cas pushed his messy black hair back with the back of his hand and sighed.

"Will do," he tiredly called over his shoulder to where Balthazar was idly playing with the antique sword he carried around for some reason. Cas shoved the damp rag deep into his grimy apron's pockets with one hand and fished his phone out with the other. He pressed the "on" button and watched the old screen light up. Displayed clearly on his generic background was the time.

10:52

Cas knew that he hadn't received and texts or calls because nothing showed up on the screen. But he checked anyways, hoping to see something- anything from Dean.

Nothing showed up when Cas unlocked the device. He exhaled slowly, turning off his phone and returning it to his jean pocket. He pulled out the rag and dipped it in a bucket of dirty water before wringing it out and walking over to the booth.

Cas winced at the overwhelming smell of throw up and quickly began to wipe down the area. Even after the table's wooden surface had been cleaned until it shone, the rancid stench continued to hand heavy in the air. Cas checked his watch- the one Dean had gotten him before he had left- and wondered when he would leave.

"Balthazar, are we going home soon?" Cas asked, not bothering to turn around. He heard clanking at his brother hit table legs with his sword. Cas opened his mouth to ask again, wondering if Balthazar had even heard him.

"Baltha-"

"No, we're staying."

Cas' older brother stated firmly. Cas groaned inwardly, wishing that he had gotten a shift with a different sibling. One who would let him leave. Cas could leave if he really wanted to, he was old enough to drive. But he was the youngest child of his many brother's and sisters. Which meant that he didn't get to do anything fun, especially with Dean gone. But he knew better than to argue, so he nodded silently and walked over to the chair with his belongings on it. He grabbed his messenger bag's thick strap and hoisted it up onto his shoulder. Cas walked over to the counter where his worn, hand-me-down laptop was set up.

Cas dragged his pointer finger across the small mousepad patiently, but the ancient screen remained blank. He felt his tolerance slowly ebb away as his attempts to turn on the device failed time and time again. He irritatedly flicked the screen and heard a soft hum. It grew steadily louder until the screen lit up. Cas moved the cursor to hover over the email icon and clicked. The tab opened and Cas heard countless dings as new emails popped up. He squinted as he clicked the search bar and typed in Dean's email adress and waited as the engine searched through his virtual mailbox. A soft beep alerted Cas that the task was done and he eagerly leaned forwards, propping himself up on his elbows and squinting to better see the screen.

A wave of dissapointment washed over him as he saw that he had received nothing new in the past two weeks. Cas squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to picture his boyfriend's face. Cas imagined the farmiliar eyes, each the shade of a forest's fresh green after a heavy spring storm. He imagines Dean's face, holding the coldness of his hardships, and the softness of his hopefulness. The beard that he hardly ever shaved. His short hair styled in its' usual faux hawk. The face he had grown to love so much. The hard and coarse personality with a soft side that was so hard to find, but so easy to hold close. Dean was the man Cas had grown to love so much over the past year they had been dating.

"Thinking about your boyfriend, Cassie?" Balthazar's obnoxious voice cooed.

Cas felt heat rush to his face. He hurriedly ducked behind his laptop screen to hide his embarrassed expression.

"No," Cas lied, his voice unusually high.

Balthazar chuckled and swung his sword at a table, putting a small dent in the polish. Cas cleared his throat in an attempt to bring his voice back to normal. He strained to keep a neutral face, tried to stop thinking about-

Dean

Cas felt the corners of his mout twitch upwards involuntaryily. Just the thought of his boyfriend was enough to send jolts of joy throughout his entire being. The feeling of happiness was quickly dampened as reality came crashing in once more. Dean was off fighting in Afghanistan, with Sam. The regular messages, emails, and calls from the brothers had ceased over two weeks ago. And Cas had only been growing more and more anxious with each passing day,

hour,

second.

The anxiety was tearing Cas apart. So he busied himself with work, trying to occupy his mind. But he sees Dean in everything he does. Hears his voice in every costumer that comes. Even Gabriel was worried, lighthearted Gabriel. He had spent nights up late screaming at nothing. Where Cas grieved silently over his missing boyfriend while Gabriel grieved through violence over his. A sudden vibration emitted from Cas' jean pocket and he jumped. The song "Bubbly" started to play and Cas smiled. That was the song that had been playing when he and Dean had met at Jo's party. The song that had been playing when Dean had confidently asked Cas to dinner. The song that had been playing when Cas had blushed and nodded. And the song that Cas had made his default ring tone immediately afterwards. His hand flew into his pocket and he fumbled to hold his phone, excitement making it hard to function. He held it up, squinting slightly to read the caller ID.

"Bobby," Cas breathed, dissapointment washing over him like a wave. But then he remembered that Dean or Sam could be calling from Bobby's landline. As felt his pulse quicken, he licked his lips as he brought the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" Cas said softly, his voice hopeful. The voice that replied was barely audible over the sound of Balthazar playing with his antique sword in the kitchen.

"Answer sooner ya idjit," Bobby growled gruffly. Cas held the phone between his ear and shoulder, getting his stuff together just in case he needed to borrow the car without his brother noticing. Just in case he needed to leave and see Dean.

"Sorry Bobby," Cas said earnestly before asking the question burning in he back of his mind. "Is Dean there? Or Sam?"

There was a pause and Cas let himself worry about the worst.

"No," Bobby responded, his voice betraying none of the saddness that Cas knew was there. "But I needed to ask if you were at the diner."

"Yeah," Cas replied with a frown, closing his packed bag and shifting the phone to his other shoulder. "Why?"

"I've got a friend who's just finished a hunt," Bobby said quickly. "Killed a buck and a doe, so he's pretty tired. I said that you might be able to fix him up with dinner."

Cas sighed, he was used to this happening by now.

"Yeah, sure," Cas agreed tiredly, slowly lowering his bag to the floor in resignation and holding his phone in his hand.

"I'll be working some of the night shift anyways. Send him on in."

"Thanks Cas. You're a real life saver, you know that?" Bobby's relieved voice said on the other end.

"Yeah, well I have to go. Bye."

"Bye."

Cas slowly lowered his phone down, he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. He turned around so he was facing the kitchen and gripped the countertop's ledge behind him. Cas let out a grunt as he hefted himself onto the surface. Cas brought his wrist up and squinted at his watch.

11:10

The night shift had begun, Cas should be gone. His sister Naomi should have started the night shift already. Balthazar should be driving him home right now. The door behind Cas opened and thudding of footsteps signalled a customer. Probably Bobby's friend arriving early. Cas slid off the countertop and reached for a single menu. He began reciting his short, practiced speech without bothering to turn around.

"Welcome to the Shirley's Family Diner, where we're opened twenty hours a day seven days a week. How may I help you?"

"I'll have a coffee- black."

Cas felt himself stop breathing momentarily, the voice had the same gruffness that Dean's did. But then again, most hunters had a brusque tone.

"Yes, sir," Cas said, his voice high and unsteady. He reached for a cup, and completed the order with practiced speed. He popped on a lid and spun around on the balls of his feet only to stop in his tracks.

Cas opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, before him stood a uniformed man. A man that Cas recognised instantly. The man that Cas had been praying to see since he had left.

"Dean," he croaked out in surprise. Dean held out his arms. Cas stepped around the counter and jumped into Dean's strong embrace. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas and lifted him up as they hugged. Cas' toes skimmed across the floor as Dean bent backwards. Cas affectionately buried his face into Dean's neck, feeling the stubble of his boyfriend's slight beard. His hands relaxed and the coffee cup fell to the floor, spilling everywhere can But Cas didn't care.

He deeply inhaled and squeezed his eyes shut. Cas pulled away and steadied himself on his feet, swaying slightly. He studied Dean carefully, searching for any injuries, but he found none.

"You're okay," Cas said, laughing for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Well of course I am," Dean said in a gentle voice, cupping Cas' face in his hands. Cas leaned into Dean's palm and closed his eyes, relishing the familiar touch.

"You're here," Cas said, his electric blue eyes glistening.

"Well most of me," Dean said, a certain saddness overcoming him.

"What?" Cas asked, alarm overcoming him.

"Kidding," Dean said with a flirty wink and a slight smirk. Cas exhaled in relief and tried to surpresses a smile. Then he looked at Dean, who he hadn't seen for months, or heard from for weeks. He was here. Cas grinned and threw his arms around Dean's neck. Dean stumbled backwards a few steps to find his footing but immediately hugged Cas back a second time. His arms wrapping around Cas' waist and pulling him closer.

"Oh, Cassie you seem to have discovered your present," Balthazar cried out, walking into the dining area with the sword held loosely in his hand. Cas pulled away, his face burning. Balthazar just chuckeled and sat on a table, taking out his phone idly.

"P- Present?" Cas stammered, feeling flustered.

"Oh yes!" Balthazar exclaimed proudly. "I arranged for Dean to come today. Payed for his ticket- with your money of course- and now he's here! You can thank me later."

Cas turned to Dean to see if this was true, and Dean nodded. Cas held back a smile and pursed his lips together.

"Thanks Balthazar," Cas said absentmindedly, plcing his hand on Dean's shoulder. Still thinking that this was all too good to be true.

"Well I'm sure you two have a busy night," Balthazar cooed, using his sword as a walking stick as he strode up. Cas glared at his brother, wanting to spend some time alone with Dean. But Dean didn't seem to mind, in fact, Balthazar's presence seemed to amuse him.

Cas' jaw tightened and he opened his mouth to tell Balthazar off, but he was cut off before he could begin to complain. Dean grabbed Cas's face again and turned it towards him. Cas stared at his boyfriend, their eyes locked.

Cas wasn't sure if he was dreaming

He wouldn't be surprised if he was seeing as he had imagined this moment countless times.

Imagined Dean walking into he diner unscathed, arms held out for a hug.

Imagined coming into the apartment to find Dean waiting.

Imagined so many fantasies that he had never dreamed would come true and now-

Dean tilted Cas' chin upwards slightly.

"You're daydreaming again Cas," Dean's voice said, breaking Cas' train of thought. Cas felt heat rush to his face and he shrugged sheepishly.

He did daydream a lot.

"Sorry," Cas mumbled, staring taking in every detail of Dean's face.

"Nah, that's what I like about you." Dean whispered so only Cas could hear, the corner of his mout twitching upwards with every weld he spoke. "You've got your head in the clouds, like an angel. And that's what you are. My angel."

Cas felt his knees go weak, he had never anticipated how happy Dean would make him feel. None of the fantasies he came up with ever went like this. Dean traced small circles into Cas' cheek with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Dean bit his lip before bending down to kiss Cas on the nose. Cas closed his eyes and relished the moment, anticipating a night of fun the second his prolonged shift ended.

Cas looked at Dean's uniform, all the pockets used for holding ammunition, guns, knifes. Cas shuddered, he didn't like he uniform. It reminded him that Dean had been out fighting, and it reminded Cas that Dean had been gone.

"Let's go get you some regular clothes," Cas said, tracing his finger along the velcro rectangle that read "WINCHESTER". Dean's followed Cas' gaze back to the uniform. He gently took Cas' hand in his own and have it a gently squeeze.

"I'm back now," Dean whispered reassuringly. "I'm back now for good."

Cas squeezed his eyes shut and silently prayed that he was telling the truth. He prayed that Dean would stay for the sake of everyone.

A/N: heya guys! This is the first story I've posted on this account so... idk, vote or comment *throws hands up into air in exhasperation*

Aditionally: If you have a wattpad and want to read it there then our username is Anonymous_Authors_