It was times like these when Castiel hated nearly every aspect of his life; a life, he presumed, destined to be lived alone and in the most pathetic manner. Very rarely is he ever flirted with, least of all by someone desirable. So when he actually managed to secure a date with a cute boy, Castiel was extremely giddy, so happy and impatient for the next three days and right up until the very moment of his big night. Only, it's not going as planned. In fact, it's not going at all.
For the last thirty minutes Castiel patiently awaited the arrival of his date, absently sipping his water and eating bread sticks. For the last thirty minutes, he's attempted to avoid continuously checking the time on his phone, only to fail and sigh with disappointment. The waiter returns every five minutes or so to ask for his order, and for Castiel to insist on waiting.
"I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic," he would say, his smile fading with each repetition. He noticed the people surrounding him look upon his situation with pity and angrily ate his breadsticks at them. Eventually, he sighed with resignation and moved to get up and leave when a complete stranger sat down across from him.
"Hey, sorry I'm so late; the traffic was just awful. There was a wreck on 95 and the detour was ridiculous," the stranger said with a smile.
Confused, Castiel looked around and asked, "I'm sorry, do I know – "
The man cut him off as he leaned in and whispered, "Sorry, Man. My name's Dean. I know it's kinda rude and all, but I could tell you were stood up and was just trying to save you the embarrassment. "
Castiel frowned. "It's a little late for that." He slumped back into his seat. "Though, I suppose it would be strange if I had spent all that time waiting for you only to leave when you arrived." He sighed. "Why did you decide to keep me company while I'm being stood up, Dean?"
"Well, under usual circumstances I'd ask a cute boy on a date and actually show up. But come on, the looks everyone here were giving you, it was pathetic. You deserved better than that. The fact that I walked in on a cute and vulnerable boy is just a plus," Dean said with a wink.
Castiel actually laughed. "Oh, and you think because I'm attractive and 'vulnerable' it means I'm willing to sleep with you, am I right?"
Dean smiled. "Not exactly what I was going for, but if you're willing..." He shrugged.
"Absolutely not." Castiel blushed. "Besides, you wouldn't even have a name to shout."
Dean smirked and leaned in closer, "I could always call you Frank."
Castiel grinned. "I'd prefer you'd call me Castiel, seeing as it is my name."
"Castiel? Nah, you're still more of a Frank to me. Family name?" Dean grabbed a bread stick and took a bigger bite than he probably should have.
"No, my dad just felt like it was a suitable name for me. He's gone now." He frowned momentarily before looking concerned, "Not that I want to bring up family drama on the first date."
The waiter came back around again, both pleased and surprised to see someone accompanying Castiel at last. Dean ordered the rosemary chicken with mashed potatoes and Castiel got the chicken alfredo. They deciding to get a bottle of wine seeing as they were both romantics and actually were enjoying themselves.
The conversation throughout dinner was filled with laughter, bad jokes and pick-up lines, and silly games.
"What are the odds that you will... at an entire cake for desert?" Castiel questioned as if expecting to beat him this time.
Dean merely laughed, "One for fun."
Castiel frowned. "Fine, but you're paying for the cake."
Dean made a face to suggest he was personally offended that Castiel would even think he's not up for paying. "Hey, you were stood up. This entire night is on me, Cas."
"That was surprisingly easy," Castiel said, smiling to himself. Dean furrowed his brows. "You conning me into paying for dinner? If so, it's sneaky and you have to teach me how it's done."
Castiel laughed. "That's not what I meant at all. And if I'm lucky, I'll get to tell you what I did mean... in a few years."Before Dean had time to complain about how unfair his statement was, Castiel changed the subject: "What are the odds you'll kiss me tonight?"
Completely unprepared for the question, Dean hesitated with shock before mumbling out a confident, "One out of ten."
Castiel smiled and nodded. In unison they recited, "One, two, three...," before Dean called out a seven and Castiel said four. The results registered and they both looked disappointed. "It's just a game," Dean said reassuringly.
"Ah, yes, but you see, it is a very wise game that is valuable for making many serious life decisions." By the end of his sentence Castiel was incapable of keeping a straight face and laughed a littler louder and harder than socially acceptable. By that point, Dean could not stop himself from laughing at Cas.
"Okay, so what we've learned tonight: your name definitely isn't Frank, you have poor decision making skills, and you embarrass yourself way too easily. Sounds like my kinda guy." Dean grinned.
"Oh, like you're so much better. You eat way more than what I would expect to be physically possible, you think you burp discretely but you really don't, and you laugh at your cute, vulnerable dates. Guess we're perfect for each other," Castiel chuckled quietly.
"Maybe we are." Dean's tone is much more serious now, causing Cas to shift awkwardly in his seat and avoid eye contact.
The waiter, with either impeccable or terrible timing, Cas couldn't decide which, chose that very moment to arrive with the bill, which Dean paid eagerly. Castiel was thankful for this because it more than he had expected. They got the remainder of their food to go and finished their wine in near silence.
Dean rubbed the back of his neck and asked hesitantly, "Can I walk you home?"
"I'd like that, yes." Castiel nodded reassuringly in hopes of silently providing Dean the answer to the question he knew was on his mind.
The walk remained awkward, so Castiel periodically looked up at the stars with a smile and a sigh. Eventually, Dean noticed this and just looked at him with an amused and smug face. "I swear you came straight out of a chick-flick."
Cas faked a hurtful gasp. "Is that a bad thing?"
"It means you're cute and pretentious. What's not to love there?"
"Well, you're cute and obnoxious." Cas said as he nudged Dean; the perfect excuse to feel his sculpted body.
"If I'm so obnoxious, why are you still on a date with me?" Dean grinned with triumph.
"See now you're just thick. I did say you were cute." Castiel laughed. "It's not exactly easy to find a cute guy I can be so relaxed around and laugh with."
"Oh, you definitely have a crush."They stopped outside of Castiel's apartment. "We never got that kiss."
"You lost the game, remember?" Cas smiled and looked at his feet.
Dean smiled and shook his head at him. "Okay, fine. What are the odds you'll go on another date with me?"
Cas looked up at him and moved in, inches from Dean's lips. "One for fun."He proceeded to kiss him on the cheek before he moved up the steps to go inside. "I expect to see you serenading me outside my window very soon. Goodnight, Dean." He waved at him before heading in. He had to remind himself to stop skipping and dancing because it was not normal.
Meanwhile, Dean stood outside speechless, already contemplating how a dare from his friend just turned into the best night he's had in a long time. On his walk home, he pondered how to best serenade Cas. Was a mariachi band too much?