Title: Ambiguous
Author: destielocked
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: T
Word count: 3,801 (so far)
Warnings/Spoilers: Nah, not really any spoilers but there may be in future chapters, I'll let you know.
Summary: AU Dean is a music store owner who is neighbours with "Gabriel's Gelato" and an empty store. After several applicants a Castiel Novak is accepted to run a pet store and invites Dean over to his place to get acquainted. ~fluff~
Disclaimer:: the characters aren't mine, all the songs here referenced are property of their respective writers and the only thing I own here is the plot and the title
A/N : This is a oneshot but I have dropped several hints for a second chapter but am only planning on writing one if this gets a good reaction. Note, future chapters will contain Sabriel!

Dedicated to Becky for all the torture I put you through. I hope this fluff makes up for it.

Ambiguous.

It was the first time that Dean had walked into Gabriel's Gelato with the intention of buying actual ice cream. It'd been that kind of day.

He strolled in and headed straight for his usual table for two by the window. As he sank gratefully down into the familiar cushioned chair and kicked his feet up onto the chair opposite, Gabriel left a plucky new apprentice called Alfie at the till, pulled a third chair from a nearby table and looked through his hands at Dean."Rough day?" he asked.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "You could say that. Some punk came in saying how I should switch to CDs and how cassette tapes aren't selling anymore." He sighed. "I mean, he's got a point. But the store's stocked if tapes, if I restocked with CDs I'd have to change the whole store and I ain't got the money for it."

Gabriel sat and listened. After Dean had finished ranting he got up and retrieved a black coffee Alfie had made from the side. "Drink your coffee," he said as he slid it over. "You'll feel better." Gabriel paused. "Maybe if more people had cassette tape players? I mean, apart from one for your store, one for your apartment and one for next door's apartment, all of which come from you, who else do you know who owns a tape player? Even my store's music comes from an iPod dock."

Dean winced at the word iPod. "A couple guys down the street and that's it. To be honest, the most popular part of my store is the CD and poster part." He took a sip from his coffee. "You're right; I just don't want to deal with it right now."

"Hey I know! How about you rent the space next door and rename your store Dean's Disks, then we could match!"

Dean stared at him. "Absolutely not."

Gabriel's ecstatic face fell and he slumped towards the counter.

"Dude, I hate to say it but I'd like something else." Dean raised his eyebrows in anticipation of Gabriel's response.

Gabriel turned slowly, eyebrows raised like Dean's. "You actually want some Gelato?"

Dean nodded solemnly. "Vanilla."

Slowly a huge grin spread across Gabriel's face. "You have to tell me what you think!"

"Gabe." Dean's voice stopped Gabriel in his rush towards the counter. "Extra sauce."

Gabriel let out a cackle and clapped his hands. The only other customers in the shop, three girls, looked up from their magazine and stared.

"Must have been a bad day," Gabriel cried and ran into the kitchen laughing.

Dean grinned and sipped at his coffee, trying to forget his music store troubles. Suddenly, the speakers hanging in all corners of the cafe stopped playing a quiet Bon Iver track and burst into some loud Led Zep. Immigrant Song would you believe it, one of Dean's favourites.

The girls on the other table snorted in disgust and left as the song got louder.

Dean smiled and gazed out the window, watching curiously as a man his age walked towards the store in a suit, tie and a tan trenchcoat.

Gabriel's usual customers were teenage girls, families, women shopping and Dean. Dean only drank his coffee there because Gabriel was his neighbour and he wanted to support his business, plus other customers kept their distance; intimidated by Dean's leather jacket, band shirts and holey jeans.

So Dean was puzzled as to why such a smartly dressed guy would walk into a Gelato cafe. The man stopped to peer in through the window before stepping tentatively over the threshold.

Even from where Dean was sat on the far side of the room he could see that the guy's eyes were blue, like a, write poems about oceans, falling in love, soppy songs, kind of blue. His dark black hair made them stand out even more. At that moment the blue eyes were wincing and frowning up at the blaring speaker.

Gabriel burst through the kitchen door with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and sauce, singing really really badly.

"We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs bloooow-"

He stopped himself when he saw the man, who continued to frown at the speakers. Gabriel let out a loud eek before rushing back into the kitchen. Led Zep was cut off and replaced with the same quiet Bon Iver song that was playing before, turned right down.

"Hey man," Dean shouted back to him. "Dude, that track was awesome, put it back on."

Gabriel rushed towards his table, plonked the ice cream down and glared meaningfully at Dean before putting on a big smile and leading the man to a table furthest from his. Dean snorted but listened to their conversation.

"Hello, Mr Novak, I'm glad you could make it." Gabriel sounded nothing like himself.

"I am sorry I arrived early, Mr Milton, I did not mean to...interrupt."

Dean let out a laugh and tried to cover it with a spoonful of ice cream. Damn. He wasn't an ice cream man but this was delicious.

The man continued, oblivious to Gabriel's glaring at Dean. "And please, call me Castiel."

Man, that guy's voice was deep, if he wasn't dressed so smartly Dean would've guessed he'd be a sex phone operator.

"Cool, okay Castiel, you can call me Gabriel. So, you're here about the space next door?"

Ah. Dean should have guessed. The empty store next door had an apartment above it and Gabriel had been trying for weeks to get people to rent it and set up an independent business ("Damn those chain stores!"). Some of the whack-jobs that had turned up for it though...No way was he being neighbours with a sex dungeon runner that was "strictly legal of course". The guy looked so disappointed.

But this guy, Castiel, looked relatively normal. What kind of store was he hoping to set up?

"Yes. I was hoping to rent both the apartment and the store space if possible?"

"Yeah that's possible, what kind of store are we talking about here?"

Castiel blushed slightly. "Well, it has been a sort of, lifelong dream of mine to run my own pet store."

Gabriel's eyes widened. Dean paused in the act of eating ice cream. Well, Dean thought, that's new.

"Okay, um, do you have pets to sell?"

"Oh yes, my sister Anna breeds guinea pigs and rabbits. If you allow me to stay there, I could get some fish tanks going and maybe, over time, start looking into dog and cat breeding."

Dean blinked. This guy was serious.

Gabriel grinned. "Sounds like an awesome idea, pal! Just need to cross some t's and dot some i's and we could be neighbours soon."

Castiel's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes, really, just need to make sure you're not some psychopath and can afford the rent and stuff."

After that Castiel got out some papers and talked to Gabriel about formal stuff. Dean finished his ice cream. So. He might soon be neighbours with a Gelato cafe owner and a pet store owner. Well, you can't say this street doesn't have variety, he thought.

The next day Dean woke up, stuck on his favourite Stones shirt, grabbed a coffee to go from Gabriel's and headed to open his store. Named 'The Store of Rock' after one of his favourite films (though he'd never admit it).

As he walked in he was hit with the smell of old tapes and relaxed. Clapton, Hendrix and Page as well as loads of others looked down on him from the walls. He checked the posters; made sure the CDs were in order and rearranged some cassettes before heading behind the counter and putting on Physical Graffiti. He smiled as Custard Pie hummed onto the surround speakers hung around his store. Much like the pair he got Gabriel a few years back but these were much higher quality for tapes and there were four of them, one for each corner of the room.

Grabbing the coffee and making a note to ask Gabriel discreetly for some ice cream later, he settled into his leather chair. If the punk asking about the CDs came in today, he was ready for him.

A month or so of the same passed until one day Dean looked up from his magazine to see Castiel, in the same suit and trenchcoat, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

Dean jumped up, turned down the yelling Ozzy Osbourne and went to talk to him.

"Hello, Dean."

"Hey, um, Castiel right? Moved in yesterday?"

"Yes. I am now occupying the apartment next to Gabriel's and am in the process of building hutches and ordering in supplies."

Dean blinked. "Okay, er, why are you here?" He gestured at the posters.

Castiel squinted. "We are neighbours. I have spare time and I believe we should become acquainted. It was Gabriel's idea actually."

Damn.

"Okay, well I can close up for an hour or two. What do you want to do, grab a coffee from Gabe's or...?" He was so crap at these sorts of things.

"I thought that I could show you my apartment?"

"Oh, yeah sure." If only Castiel had been a really hot chick, this would be the perfect moment.

Dean turned, cut off Crazy Train by Ozzy mid scream and slid his jacket on.

The corners of Castiel's mouth were turned up as he glanced around the shop. "You have an interesting music taste."

Dean snorted in indignation as they walked out the door. "My music taste is awesome. Seriously, give me some classic rock and I'm yours."

They were stood outside Dean's store now and after Dean had turned the key he turned to see Castiel looking at him. Not laughing or even smiling, just staring intensely and frowning slightly. Dean stared back for a moment before clearing his throat and looking at the sign hanging above them.

"I mean, my store is called The Store of Rock, that's a bit of a giveaway," he said, breaking the silence.

Castiel's frown deepened as they started down the street to Castiel's and Gabriel's stores and Dean's apartment. "I originally thought that this store was intended for petrologists of some sort."

Now it was Dean's turn to stare. "Petrologists?"

"Yes. They are studiers of rocks. Petrology is a sub branch of geology. I thought it was a petrologist's supply store."

Dean couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing, almost doubled over. "Dude!" He paused to catch his breath. "Dude, The Store of Rock is a play on words from the film The School of Rock, you know with Jack Black?"

Castiel frowned at him.

"Oh my God, rock is a genre of music."

"So you are not referring to the solid aggregate of minerals?"

"No, I'm not," Dean chuckled. "Petrology, that's a first."

They approached Castiel's store in a comfortable silence. "So Dean, as a music store owner, what is your favourite song?"

"Well it's a tie between Zep's Ramble On and Travelling Riverside Blues."

"I see." Castiel paused as he fumbled with his keys. He got the door open and allowed Dean to pass ahead of him into the unnamed store.

"No you don't. Anyway, what're you gonna name this place?"

"I do not know yet. Gabriel is adamant that I should call it Castiel's Creatures to match with his cafe but I am not keen on that name."

Dean laughed. "That sounds like him."

Many aspects of the store hadn't changed since Dean had been in there; the pealing white walls were still there and so was the wooden panel floor which was in remarkably good shape. The counter was in the same place as Dean's, in the back right corner. Behind that there was a door which led to a big storage area and stairs that led to Castiel's small apartment. The floor of the main store area had packages strewn all over the place, many looked quite flat.

"How come they're flat?" Dean gestured at the packages. "I thought you had hutches and stuff."

"Yes, but this apartment was more expensive than I originally thought. I have had to cut the cost of builders and Gabriel suggested a place called Ikea. It was quite a drive but I picked up all the necessary supplies. I do have to build them myself though, and I am rather apprehensive."

Dean chuckled, and stopped when he realised that he'd laughed more in ten minutes with Castiel than he'd done in the past few months combined. Weird.

"I helped a mechanic before I started selling tapes, I know a bit and Ikea stuff can't be too hard right? I'll give you a hand."

"Thank you, Dean. Perhaps you could come tomorrow? I do not expect your store to be open on Sundays?"

"No it ain't and cause Gabe's open all week we can grab coffees from there."

Dean stepped carefully over different boxes and let Castiel pass him to go up the stairs. When they reached the door and Castiel had opened it, Dean walked in and stopped; surprised at how different it was.

Last time he was up here the place was dusty as Hell and empty except for the box of tapes he had left for the next owner, the tape player and the four speakers like the ones in his store. One in the bedroom, one near the living area and one for the corridor leading to the bedroom and bathroom and one for the kitchen. Identical to the speakers he had in his own apartment; Dean knew you couldn't buy a surround system like it. However, despite his contributions, it had felt like a ghost town and Dean had left after a brief look around.

Now, in stark contrast to the chaos of boxes downstairs, the place felt homely. The whole floor was covered in a fluffy cream carpet. There was a couch in front of the window overlooking the street, made of several different fabrics sewn together. It faced a little gas fire.

Next to the couch was a bookcase, two shelves dedicated to well read copies of books that Dean didn't recognise and the other two filled with tapes. He squinted and saw that they were in alphabetical order. Closer to the kitchen area was a modest wooden table with four chairs. All were tucked in close to the table apart from one which was slightly pulled out, a pair of brown slippers beneath it. Dean raised his eyebrows at the slippers but moved his gaze wordlessly to the right.

The kitchen was stocked with kitchen utensils and was sparkling clean. Dean cringed at the thought of several dirty plates at his place.

The walls were the only things so far that were the same. They were still covered in the most hideous wallpaper Dean had ever seen. Burgundy roses weaved between mustard yellow sunflowers on a light purple background.

Castiel was looking back at him expectantly and after two minutes of Dean's wordless staring from the doorway his expression was getting more and more woeful; his body slumping. "Is it not satisfactory?"

Dean moved his mouth for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "It's...awesome."

Castiel's whole body straightened and he grinned. "Thank you so much, Dean. I called in my brother Balthazar who knows a few useful people who helped me sort things out."

"Balthazar? Are you guys like a bunch of religious freaks?"Castiel's eyes widened and Dean cursed himself. "I mean, God, no, I mean, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It is fine, Dean, I actually get asked that question a lot. I have never heard someone be so blunt about it before."

"Shit, I'm so sorry."

Castiel smiled ruefully as he shut the door and moved to the bookcase. "Don't be, it's actually quite refreshing, most people just assume things and avoid me."

"So, you are?"

"My parents were. But neither me, nor any of my siblings are what you referred to as 'religious freaks', I consider myself agnostic."

"Oh."

Dean followed Castiel to where he was crouched by the bookcase. "So you got my tapes, huh?"

"Yes, I admit they were a curious thing to find when I came here. I thought that perhaps the recent owner left them there until I saw inside your store. I was wondering actually if you could recommend some music to me. I have been so busy with my apartment that I haven't had a chance to listen to these and I've never properly listened to music."

Dean was shocked. "Never?"

"Well, perhaps in passing, from a store or from the radio. I've never properly listened attentively to a song."

"You don't have to listen attentively. Music is nice to have in the background and if you're feeling particularly happy or sad or angry about something, it's good to have a tune that suits your mood."

"How interesting."

Dean smiled at him. "So what are you feeling right now?"

Castiel, still crouched, turned at stared at him. It was like before, not laughing or smiling. Just an intense stare.

After a couple moments Castiel stood up, still looking at Dean. "I am feeling ambiguous."

Dean paused and frowned at him. Ambiguous? he thought. What's that meant to mean? "How about some Deep Purple?"

Castiel squinted at him.

"Um, Deep Purple, it's the name of a British band from the 70s?"

Castiel continued squinting.

"Well they're pretty generic. Well I say generic; they're like generic in the rock sense." Still no reaction. "Erm, how about I put some on and you see what you think?"

"Okay."

Dean bent down to retrieve the tape from the shelf and walked to where the tape deck stood on a little cupboard. Jeez, this house was like something from a pottery barn magazine. He stuck the tape on, fast forwarded the familiar amount of time and stopped it exactly before the song he wanted started playing.

The classic riff of Smoke On The Water started playing and Dean grinned as he heard it from all corners of the apartment.

Dean turned to see Castiel in the kitchen making coffee, his trenchcoat folded neatly on the couch. "Good to know the system works as well as mine. Course, I'm more of a Led Zep person but best to start you off slow."

Suddenly a grey blur ran at him and started rubbing against his leg. Dean did not scream like a girl. He did in fact ask Castiel in a very manly voice what was nuzzling his leg.

Castiel chuckled, "Don't worry, that's just Misha, he's my cat."

Dean crouched down to get a better look at the cat. He was a creamy white colour, with a brown legs and face. With his fluffy creamy fur he blended in with the carpet. His ears were black and his eyes were a stunning blue. His eyes and ears reminded Dean of Castiel's eyes and hair and he smiled.

"Course you'd have a pet, being the owner of a pet store." Dean paused. "He looks a bit like you, what with the eyes."

Castiel glanced up at him. "I think Misha's eyes are much brighter than mine, it's what made me notice him at the animal shelter."

"Hold up. You have a cat, which looks a bit like you, and you don't leap at the opportunity to call him Catsiel?"

Castiel burst out laughing. "I-I had not thought of that before," he chuckled. "Perhaps I should have."

Dean looked at the cat and rubbed its ears. He put on his talking-to-animals voice. "I think you'd prefer Catsiel huh Misha? You'd like that wouldn't you?" Unfortunately the cat only pricked his ears up at Misha.

"He's a Himalayan."

"He's a good cat, I like him," Dean smiled.

Castiel smiled back at him. "Coffee?" he asked, holding up a cup.

"Yeah, sure." Dean walked over and retrieved his cup then collapsed on the couch. Catsiel (He is so a Catsiel) jumped up and snuggled next to him. "And you made it black."

"Yes, is that okay?"

"It's perfect you – Castiel, you drink tea?"

Castiel froze in the act of sipping from his cup. "Yes. Why?"

"Nothing, just, wow tea. I've never been a fan."

"I think tea is a brilliant drink. It's very soothing."

"Whatever. Also, do you mind if I call you Cas? Castiel is a bit of a mouthful."

Castiel paused, tilted his head sideways and stared at him. Intensely. Again. After another of what Dean assumed would be a long line of awkward silences Castiel replied, "That would be...nice. I've never really had a nickname, well, my brother Balthazar calls me Cassie frequently to irritate me but Cas is good. I would like that."

Dean placed his coffee on the table nearby and when he turned around Castiel was looking curiously up at him over his cup.

It was then Dean realised that he hadn't felt that comfortable around a person since he got to know Gabriel, and that took time.

He decided to make the most of it, as it was in his nature to screw things up and push people away. So he spent the next hour just talking to Cas, finding out about him, teaching him about music, grinning so hard when he discovered that Cas liked Led Zeppelin.

When he left to reopen the store for a few hours, Dean actually felt sad to leave, which was a totally new feeling.

"I hope work is good."

"Well, it's the night shift now, which is always interesting. I'll see you tomorrow at like 11 for the Ikea stuff?" he asked when they were stood outside in the growing darkness.

"Yes. I appreciate the offer, Dean."

S'alright Cas. Hey, I'll bring some tunes from my place; we'll ask Gabe for some ice cream, it'll be great." He turned to walk away.

"Dean." Cas's voice was soft. (You've known the guy for a day and you notice his voice is soft? Way to go Dean, way to be creepy.)

Dean turned, his gaze questioning.

Cas blurted, "Thank you for today. I know we have not known each other for very long. But I really enjoyed your company. Goodbye."

Cas jumped back into the store and Dean heard the lock being turned very quickly. As if Cas didn't want to see Dean's reaction, or as if the sentence had been impulsive and regretful. Huh.

Dean hugged his jacket closer to him and walked from the light of one streetlight to the next, kicking the leaves and grinning. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. But, one corner of his mind nagged the question: How long would it be before he messed it up?

So, second chapter? Cause if this isn't working then I'll start working on other stuff. Just wanting your reaction. Any reviews appreciated.

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-Molly