AN: I give up! I needed to write something, anything really, and this is what resulted. I'm sorry.
Couldn't get any inspiration for a current story and I didn't want to start a new multi-chapter fic yet, so I just started writing. Essentially, this is whatever popped into my head in the span of an hour. I'm just going to say it's some form of AU set after season 5. And for some reason Cas works with kids. I don't know whose good idea that was, to set him up with a job like that, but it happened.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing recognizable in this story (other than a bad sunburn), though I wish I owned a Coldstone Creamery.
Warning(s): As per usual, this is un-beta'd. Also, spoilers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
"Uh, Cas? Is everything ok?" Dean hazarded as he entered the living room, holding a 'Gotta-Have-It' sized cup of cake batter ice cream with marshmallows and Peanut butter cups from Coldstone Creamery in front of him as a peace offering.
Sam had called him on his way home from work to warn him that Castiel might not in a good mood when he got home, before hanging up on him with no further explanation. He panicked for a second, trying to figure out what he could have done wrong, cause Cas in a bad mood was never a good thing. Then he saw the sign for the Coldstone come up and pulled in quick, getting the biggest size of his boyfriend's favorite concoction.
As he rounded the corner, Dean had to stifle a laugh at what he saw. Cas was spread out on the hard wood floor, in front of a fan, wearing absolutely nothing. Looking around, Dean saw the man's clothes strewn about the room as if he'd ripped them off the minute he got home. Normally, Dean would have been all over him in an instant as a result of this kind of display, but he checked himself when he saw his boyfriend's body. The skin on his legs, torso and face was candy apple red and practically radiating with heat even at a distance.
"What the hell did you do today?" Dean couldn't help himself from asking as he approached the prone man.
"We took the children to the beach. I accidently used lotion instead of sun block." Cas grumbled while he sat up stiffly, hissing as his burnt skin pulled tight. Dean winced in sympathy; he of course had had his own share of bad burns in his life. Though with this being Cas' first time being burnt this bad, he could only imagine how much more worse it was. Sitting down next to his blue eyed lover, Dean offered him the cup of ice cream he still held. Cas made a happy noise of joy at receiving his favorite treat and leaned over and pecked Dean on the cheek before hissing in pain again.
"Aw, poor baby. Your lips got burned too, that sucks man. Did you put any aloe on yet?" Dean crooned, a small smile on his face as he watched Cas devouring his treat with conviction. The other man shook his head as he took another spoonful into his mouth.
"Ok, I'll go see if we have any. Don't go anywhere." He told him as he got to his feet and headed towards the bathroom. Opening the closet in there, he scanned the shelves and found a huge, unopened bottle of the green goo and snagged it. On his way back to Cas, he noticed that all the windows in the apartment were wide open. He shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes as he entered the living room.
"Dude, did you seriously leave all the windows open while walking around butt naked? You know there are kids in the building across from us, right?"
"Don't care, my skin is on fire. This is worse than Hell." Cas groaned from his spot in front of the fan.
"Maybe you should take a cold bath before putting the aloe on." Suggested Dean.
"Already did that when I first came home. Nothing has worked. Perhaps if we made a giant pool of ice cream I could dive into it and it would sooth the burn enough for me to be comfortable."
"You'd just end up eating it all." Dean teased as he kicked the now empty cup of coldstone to the side. Kneeling down in front of Cas, he ripped the plastic off the aloe bottle.
"Now this is going to feel super cold and probably sting a bit, but it really does help. And you can keep putting it on whenever you feel like you need it." Dean explained as he squeezed a glob of the green gel onto his fingers.
"It looks slightly disgusting." Cas commented, his nose wrinkled slightly in disdain.
"Says the guy who works with toddlers all day. Pretty sure you've seen and handled worse dude." Dean said as he started smearing the aloe across Cas' chest as gently as possible. Castiel inhaled sharply as the cool goop touched his burning skin. He smacked Dean reflexively and scooted away a few feet. Dean gave him a look before following him.
"Don't be such a baby. I recall a time I stabbed you in the chest and you didn't even flinch. Nut up already." He growled at him as he started to rub the gel on again. Cas whimpered softly before biting his lip and clenching his eyes shut. Dean worked as quickly as he could, while still applying a thick layer of aloe over all the angry red skin, muttering soft apologized as he went. When he finished slathering the stuff over all the sunburn, he screwed the cover back on the bottle (that was now a quarter gone) and sat back on his heels.
"It's… Sticky… And unpleasant, I don't like it." Cas complained as he inspected his now slick body.
"Yeah, well suck it up. Doesn't hurt quiet as bad now though, does it."
"I suppose not…"
"See, I do know best sometimes. Now, let's get you into bed right away." Dean got to his feet and looked down at Cas, trying to figure out where he could grab him to help him up without hurting him too much.
"I hurt too much for sex Dean." Cas told him and he maneuvered to his feet painfully while his lover hovered over him.
"I wasn't- Oh never mind. Just get on the bed, I'll bring you your book or something." Dean shooed the older man into their bedroom before going to Cas' work bag and pulling out a book big enough to be considered a tome. Tucking it under his arm, he went and got a glass of water and a beer. Walking into the bedroom, he handed the book to Cas first and then the water.
Cas chugged half the glass before setting it on the night stand and shifting gingerly on the bed till he was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as someone who was imitating a lobster could be. He put a pillow across his lap before opening his book and resting it against it.
"So what's happening now?" Dean asked, nodding to the book as he climbed onto the opposite side of the bed with his beer in hand. Lying on his side, he propped his head up on his free hand and looked up at Cas' face. They did this pretty much every time they got into bed together (Except when they climbed in with intentions of having sex). Dean would ask Cas about what he was reading and Cas would tell him. That way, Dean didn't have to actually read a whole lot and Cas got someone, other than Sam, to discuss the story with.
"Dobby died."
"What? That little elf dude with the sock fetish?" Dean's disbelief was palpable and made Cas smile a little.
"Yes. Bellatrix threw a knife at him and it hit him in the chest. Harry then buried him without using magic." Cas explained as he turned the page.
"That author chick is a bitch. What did that poor little elf ever do to anyone to deserve a death like that?"
Castiel just shook his head and continued to read without responding. Taking the hint, Dean grabbed the remote from under his pillow and turned the TV on. A man in a brown trench coat with crazy hair was running through a dark field, with some kind of blue laser pointer in his extended hand. Settling back and taking a sip of beer, Dean watched with amusement as the adventure on the screen unfolded.
"And you call Sam a geek." Cas said suddenly, noticing which TV show was playing and closing his book.
"Dr. Who is a damn good show, shaddup." Dean returned, "I'll poke you if you say otherwise."
"You wouldn't dare." Cas' eyes narrowed as he glared at his lover. Dean pursed his lips and glared back, one finger raised and ready to poke. He dramatically moved the finger slowly closer to Cas' shoulder.
"Do it and I'll withhold sex for a month."
Dean froze and immediately withdrew, slumping back on the pillows and watching the TV with a scowl on his face. Cas smiled triumphantly as he opened his book and started reading again.