Castiel shivered when he got out of his pick up truck. The early October morning was colder than he had expected. Luckily for him, his boyfriend Dean's cafe and bakery was only steps away. He could get a hot cup of coffee and maybe convince him to take a five minute make out break before he had to open his own shop. He grinned and jogged down the street.
"Hey Cas!" a cheery voice called out to him when he walked into the bakery, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Six months previously, Dean had made the decision to hire some help. He contacted a friend from the culinary school he had attended, Garth, who accepted the job with his trademark optimism. Garth had also recommended a fresh graduate from the pastry program, a tireless and unflappable brunette that made the best cake any of them had ever tasted. "Usual?" Kat asked him, already moving to fix his favorite latte.
"Yes, please. Can I get a hot cocoa to bring to Charlie as well?"
"You got, sugar." She winked at him. "The other thing you're wanting is in the kitchen rolling out pie crust." He brushed his lips over her cheek before slipping through the door leading to the back.
Dean was pouring thick cherry pie filling into a crust when Castiel wrapped his arms around his waist.
"Shit, Cas, I almost dumped this onto the counter!" He exclaimed with a jolt.
"We have been dating for an entire year and you still don't seem to know when I'm coming." Cas nipped at the back of his neck and huffed a small laugh. "I don't know if I should be disappointed in your failure to notice me, or be impressed with my own stealth."
"Laugh it up, I'm gonna get you a damn bell." He covered the pie with the top crust and deftly pinched the dough together. "Kat always pokes some fancy design in the top when she makes the pies," he said, piercing the top with a sharp knife. "But I'm not Kat so they get a regular, boring pie."
"Speaking as someone who has eaten more of your pie than is possibly healthy, there's nothing regular or boring about anything you make." Dean washed his hands and turned around with a wicked grin.
"Something about that statement sounded vaguely dirty." Castiel felt the same warm rush he got every time Dean looked at him that way. He wondered if it would last another year, and he hoped it never went away.
"You know, I have about ten minutes before I have to unlock the shop."
"That's convenient, I have a good ten minutes I can spend necking with you out in the Impala."
...
Kat had two to-go cups hot and ready to go when a mussed Castiel managed to unwrap himself from Dean. He inhaled the scent of coffee deeply.
"You're an angel, you know that right?"
"I may have heard that before," she replied with a giggle. "Can I get you anything else before you go?" Castiel eyed the blueberry muffins and sighed.
"I'm weak. Bag me up a blueberry muffin…and I know Charlie will pout if I don't bring her a cheese Danish."
"Well don't say I twisted your arm, Cas!" She turned to put the pastries into a bag. The door opened and a few teenaged boys came in to suck down cappuccinos and ogle Kat before they had to run over to the high school.
"Your adoring public?"
"Hmm?" She looked over her shoulder and snorted. "Oh. They're sweet kids. They don't say anything gross and they usually look me in the eye when they order." Castiel laughed and took the bag from her.
"Thanks for the morning treats."
"You're very welcome." She leaned over and smacked a kiss on his cheek. Cas heard a few grumbles from the teenagers behind him. He laughed to himself after he walked through the jealous stares. Fortified by the excellent coffee Kat had brewed, the fall morning didn't feel quite as chilly.
Charlie was humming happily over her work table when he walked in the shop to greet her.
"You were always my favorite brother." She told him when he handed her the pastry and hot drink.
"I'm your only brother." He replied. Charlie sighed with pleasure as she bit into the sweet roll.
"You're still my favorite!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, you heathen," he laughed. "Anyway, what's got you in such a good mood today?" Charlie started gesturing with her free hand while she gulped down half of her hot cocoa.
"Jo finally agreed to our couple's Halloween costumes for the party at The Roadhouse! Which is especially awesome since I kind of already spent a lot of time making them."
"What are you going as?" Cas asked. Charlie grinned mysteriously and shook her head.
"You will just have to wait and see!" She finished off her cocoa and tossed the cup into the trash can. "Are you and your dreamy baker boyfriend going to dress up together? You are coming to the Halloween party, right?"
"I really don't know." Castiel frowned, and tried to remember if Dean had mentioned the party, or costumes... He had talked a lot about baby Emily's upcoming first birthday. "Dean is mostly occupied with Emily's birthday to be honest." He told her.
"Jess told me he promised a princess castle cake! And her own mini cake that she can really go to town on. He would probably go through all of Betty Crocker's recipes if he thought that little girl wanted him to." Castiel laughed. He thought about the last time Dean had watched Emily for Sam and Jess. He had spent hours on the floor with her, through endless games of peek-a-boo and making all sorts of ridiculous noises to make her giggle. The two of them ended up passed out on the couch, Castiel had covered them up with one of his mother's quilts. Jess had to pry her daughter out of her uncle's arms. Emily loved Dean as much as Dean adored her.
"Truth be told, he's admitted that Kat take care of most of the big cake, but the smash cake is all him."
"Do you think he wants some kids of his own one day?" Castiel felt his heart stutter at her question. He hadn't let himself really explore those thoughts.
"I..." His mouth worked like a fish out of water.
"Cas! Calm down, I was just thinking out loud!" She jumped out of her chair and took his face into her hands. "I didn't ask that to freak you out!"
"It's okay, I just... The last time I thought about kids was... With someone else..." He refused the say his name.
"Hey. Let's pretend I didn't say that, okay? Now," Charlie waved her hands as if she were brushing away any lingering dark or unpleasant thoughts. "You are both coming to the Halloween party, I won't take no for an answer, so you had better start thinking up costume ideas." Castiel groaned. He had orders to work on. He still had some finishing touches on the pretty little toy chest he was making for Emily's birthday. Halloween costumes were the last thing on his mind.
"I'll talk to Dean about it, I should be able to think of something." He finally said.
"Good! I can't wait to see what you come up with!"
"Yeah... Me either."
After making sure everything was in order, Castiel flipped their sign to 'open' and retreated back into his work room. He still had orders for custom furniture coming in at a steady pace, but the work he had done for Dean in the bakery was still paying off in a big way. He had felt strange taking money from his boyfriend, and had tried to get Dean to accept a lower payment for his work. He was refused and paid the full amount he had quoted Dean before he started the job.
Dean also insisted on putting Castiel's business cards on display at the bakery, and gladly pushed them onto anyone that commented on anything Cas had built. A few lucrative jobs had come to him that way. C&C's was now solidly on track, profits were up and they usually had a steady stream of costumers interested in custom and unique furniture, and of course Charlie's fanciful creations.
Cas ran his hands over the smooth wooden chest that he imagined would hold all of Emily Winchester's childhood treasures. Dean had no idea he was working on it, he felt like he needed to keep it to himself as long as he could. Charlie had hit a nerve that he hadn't realized was so raw, and now he knew that this gift was more for him than it was for the baby. She would grow up knowing that 'Uncle Cas' built it for her, but she wouldn't really remember receiving it at her first birthday.
He rested his forehead against the lid.
He stayed like that for a long moment, drawing in the dusty scent of the wood.