Cas loved fruit. He loved peaches, apples, bananas, mango, plums, and plouts; he even enjoyed cracking open ripe coconuts and spooning out the "spoon meat", a white custard-looking substance that Cas claimed native Hawaiians have been enjoying for centuries. Four or five times a day Dean would see Cas walk through the room, eyes in a book held open in splayed fingers, a piece of fruit on the other hand.
All day Cas would wander from room to room in the bunker, usually reading, sometimes writing, drawing maps, or in his room doing God-knows-what. He talked to most at meals, when Dean would prepare a meal for them and with one look quiet his nerd brother and nerd-ex-angel's looks of "but, Dean, there's research to be done". Dean looked forward to those dinners, even if he wouldn't admit it, because when he would make Cas smile and even chuckle a warmth spread across his chest and down in his belly. Even Sam would joke and then Dean would sleep better at night.
Dean knew they would need to work hard to open Heaven, and he helped out a lot, double checking facts, making more coffee, asking questions. But he knew his mind didn't work that way, and after a few hours he would feel burnt out and need to do something else. The angel and his brother would continue reading and comparing notes, often into the early morning hours.
Dean still thought of Cas as an angel, even if Cas didn't. Cas was full of knowledge and lore and he still had that uptight posture and gait of a warrior of heaven. He didn't sleep much either and when Dean would awake in the middle of the night and leave his room for a sandwich or a drink, he often would see Cas, working in the study, having tea in the kitchen, watching old movies on the couch or just a sliver of light shining under his door.
One night Dean was woken up by a nightmare, the feeling of being unable to run further than a pursuer lingered, along with heavy limbs and the urgency of imminent harm. So, he got up and shook it off. He rubbed his neck, threw on a t-shirt and walked out of his room. He heard the T.V. was on in the living room, he stopped at the doorway. Cas was lying on the couch, The Creature from the Black Lagoon was on the screen. Cas was shirtless, wearing only light pajama pants. The glow from the television highlighted the curve of his waist and the curves of his chest, arms, jaw. On the coffee table a box of wood, like a small slatted crate with a solid lid sat open, it was labeled in bright colors, "Candied Apricots".
Cas reached for one and lifted the orange-gold fruit to his lips and sucked. He nibbled with his tongue and lips until it was half gone and then he plopped the rest in his mouth. He licked the sugary syrup off his fingers and looked up. Cas' full lips were pursed around the tip of his finger as he met Dean's gaze and smiled. He slowly slipped his finger out of his mouth, "Couldn't sleep?"
Dean licked his dry, parted lips and situated the waist-band of his pajama pants, his t-shirt suddenly felt confining and hot, "Had a bad dream."
Cas moved his feet and sat up on the couch, offering Dean a seat. Cas fingered the space between his thumb and forefinger with a pink tongue tip, sucking on his skin until he was satisfied the sticky honey was gone.
Dean sat next to Cas on the couch, The Creature from the Blue Lagoon quielty played before them. Dean took a deep breath.
Cas picked up another apricot, "Want one?" He held the sweet offering between his finger and thumb towards Dean. Dean hesitated, his breath left his lungs, his blood beat faster to his belly and thighs, they ached, his chest ached, and Dean leaned in, lips parted he lifted the fruit gently with his lips and tongue and teeth; Cas froze.
He let Dean clean the syrup from with fingers with a soft suck, his eyes caught by the shape of Dean's mouth, pursed. Dean smiled triumphantly as the honey spread across his tongue. Cas' mouth hung open. Dean reached for another apricot and slid it into Cas' open mouth and letting his sugary fingers rest on Cas' lips. Cas grabbed his forearm He slid his tongue across the rough pads of Dean's first two fingers. Dean ached to be closer and he grabbed Cas by the back of the neck and pulled him to his lips and they tasted like honey and apricots.