[A/N:] Hiya! :D If you're reading this, it means you decided to read my little oneshot. Pairing is Destiel. This is the longest oneshot I've ever written, and my first step into the Supernatural fandom, although I've wanted to publish something for months I just... procrastinate. ;) I'm pretty proud of this, and I hope you like it! Please let me know if you'd like to see a sequel or something more, because I can't decide if it needs one or not. I hope you all enjoy! Please review! :)
Dean sighed into the phone which was pressed against his ear, his arms laden with groceries and things that Sam and he needed from the Target that was a few blocks down from their apartment. "What, Sam?"
"We need some more spaghetti, and you gotta get the ingredients for sauce as well, man. I forgot that I promised Jess you'd make her some when she came over for our study... session."
Dean snorted. "We both know you want it to be a date. Anyway, so we need spaghetti... And tomatoes and basil and garlic and shit? The kind you like that I always make?" Sam made a noise of confirmation and Dean sighed. "Alright. I'm gonna drop these off first and I'll walk back over. When's Jess coming for your 'study session?'"
"... Tonight..." Sam said hesitantly. "At 6 o'clock."
Dean made a noise in his throat. "Are you fucking kidding me? Fine. Okay. Whatever. Fuck you. Okay. I'll be back in like five minutes. Have the door unlocked and watch for me, my hands are full."
Dean sighed as he tried to maneuver his phone into the bag nearest his shoulder. He almost had it into the bag, shrugging his arms and moving his body awkwardly, when it crashed to the ground. Dean sighed, and looked to the sky, muttering curses under his breath. He turned around when he heard a voice cough awkwardly behind him, the voice was gravelly and it sent shivers down Dean's spine. He spun around to face the stranger, a smile on his face.
The man was bent over, picking up Dean's phone that was cracked beyond belief. Dean stared wide-eyed at it, then met the gaze of the man as he stood up. Piercing blue eyes met his. "Er, I believe this is yours?"
Dean nodded, his voice stuck in his throat. "Um," he coughed, "yeah sorry, thanks for picking that up. If you could just drop it into one of the bags, that'd be great... God. It's fucked up. And I just bought it too! Goddamnit."
The stranger dropped the phone into the bag, being careful that it wouldn't hit anything else. "Perhaps you'll still have a warranty..." He trailed off awkwardly.
Dean nodded. "Oh yeah. Well... Thanks. I'd uh, ask to buy you a drink but my hands are full. Thanks so much though." Dean gave another smile and nodded his head before turning around and walking away. He walked a couple feet before glancing back at the man, his blue eyes still at the front of Dean's mind.
He made it to his and Sam's apartment building, the doorman opening the door for him and offering a smile, as he walked to the elevator. He sighed, looking at the elevator's buttons, wondering how the hell he was going to get up to the 5th floor cause he sure as fuck wasn't walking. A giggle from behind him made him spin around.
A bouncing ball of blonde hair smacked into him. "Oof. Hey, Jo. Um... Be careful, please?"
She stepped back immediately and smiled at him. "Sorry, Dean!" She reached behind him to press the elevator button, copping a feel of his ass as she pulled her hand back.
Dean backed up uncomfortably, waiting for the elevator doors to open so he could back inside. Jo followed him in and pressed their floor number, smiling at him and batting her eyelashes.
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jo. I love you. You know that and you know as well I'm not gonna sleep with you. I'm gay."
She pouted, her full lips scrunching up along with her eyebrows. "Fine, Dean... What are you doing tonight?"
"Well... Sam's 'friend'," Dean wiggled his eyebrows. "Is coming over for dinner and they're gonna study... I have to make 'em spaghetti and shit cause apparently Sam promised her my legendary spaghetti. I'm leaving after I drop these off to go pick up some more shit." Dean shrugged. "Other than that... Uneventful. Probably just sit down for some Dr. Sexy MD."
"Sounds fun... I've got a date tonight. With a guy named Balthazar -"
Dean scoffed. "Sounds like a douche bag."
Jo continued, ignoring Dean's interruption. "- I met him at the bakery down the road, y'know? He seemed sweet. We'll see. Maybe I'll get some out of it," Jo elbowed Dean in the side and he laughed. The doors opened and Jo went off to the left, her apartment was six doors down from Sam and Dean's.
Dean waved goodbye and started for his room, stopping in front of the door to kick it and wait for Sam to come open it. Two seconds later the door flew open and Sam pulled Dean inside, slamming the door shut.
Sam was in a towel slung low across his hips, and his hair was a dripping mess. "DEAN! Thank god, I need your help with what to wear tonight and should I put on cologne and be kinda dressy or should I play it casual in case she doesn't think it's a date, oh and you've gotta be outta the house after you make the spaghetti, cause like... It'll be awkward and just -"
Dean chuckled, slapping a hand over Sam's mouth. "Jesus, Sammy, calm down. Yeah I'll help you. Just let me put these into the fridge," he gestured towards the groceries that had been set on the counter while Sam was rambling. "And you're kicking me outta my own house? Jesus." Dean shook his head at Sam, who punched him in the shoulder.
"Okay, okay, go get the other shit and then come back quickly, you gotta help me!" Sam shouted, rushing back to the bathroom to dry his hair.
"Yeah sure, just put some fucking clothes on. And I dropped my phone... It's cracked. And broken as fuck so don't try and call me. I'll be back in 20 minutes or so. Don't... Don't have a panic attack and die while I'm gone."
"Jerk." Sam grumbled from the bathroom.
"Bitch," Dean smiled as he shut the door and made his way back to the elevator, sliding in before the doors shut behind an older lady. "Lobby?" Dean asked, and she shot him a smile, pressing the floor one and three button. Dean nodded and went back to making the mental list in his head of the stuff he needed to get for the pasta. Besides spaghetti, canned tomatoes, garlic, basil, and parmesan, he wasn't aware of anything else. He'd probably pick up a few beers, if he was gonna be kicked out of his house he might as well have fun. Choosing instead to take an alternate route to one of the local cheese shops, he passed by a man with messy, black hair setting out some worn down chalks and other art tools. He shrugged as he passed by; reminding himself to come back this way after Harris Teeter to see if there was any progress.
He reached the shop and pulled the door open, heading straight for the parmesan wheels in the back of the shop. He reached the back and nodded towards the woman behind the counter. "Can I get two small wedges of the parmesan? Wrap it, please."
The lady nodded and started to slice the cheese, and Dean tapped his foot to an old Zeppelin song that was in his head. He began to hum the chorus to 'Whole Lotta Love' when the lady cleared her throat. "That'll be $14.36, please."
Dean handed her his card, and grabbed the bag as she printed the receipt. He signed the paper with a flourish, and told the woman to keep the change of the fifteen bucks he had given her.
He strode out of the shop, and headed towards the Harris Teeter a couple blocks down. Dean quickly went through the store, grabbing the beer and other items they needed. He glanced at his watch, seeing it read 5:30. "Shit," he cursed loudly, getting a glare from a young mother walking into Harris Teeter with a baby strapped to her side. He rolled his eyes before starting to walk as quickly as he could to the apartment.
As Dean rounded the corner of the cheese store, he paused and promptly said, "Fuck." Which, if he considered, was probably a lot louder than was necessary. He ignored this though, as he stared at the crowd of people that had engulfed the sidewalk while he was in the store. He began trying to navigate his way through the mass of people, silently congratulating himself when it started to thin out. Thinking he had finally reached the end of the crowd and had a clear stretch to the apartment, he paused mid-step and realized what the crowd was surrounding. The man that Dean had seen earlier setting up his chalk and other artsy tools that Dean couldn't identify was now almost fully done with his drawing... Painting... Chalking... Artistic vision and it was fucking awesome.
Dean stared in amazement at what the artist had drawn. A man with sandy blonde hair seemed to be being raised out of something; Dean wasn't sure what, by an angel. The angel's wings surrounded the two men, keeping them wrapped in a world of their own. The feathers of the angel were black, but seemed to become tinged with red as they reached the bottom where they became orange. The man seemed to be looking upon the angel with pure love and thankfulness, and if Dean were to hazard a guess, the angel was raising him from Hell. Without knowing, Dean had walked forward, the edge of his shoes standing on the bottom part of the angel's wings. A voice interrupted his musings, and damn it all if it wasn't the same man who had helped Dean with his phone earlier.
"Step back, please, you might smudge the chalk."
That gravelly voice was all too familiar, and Dean grinned. "Sorry, man, it's just... Wow."
The man glanced up, and upon seeing Dean, turned a light shade of pink and Dean wondered why. "Oh. Hello. Thank you. Did you get your phone fixed?"
Dean detected a hint of teasing in his voice and chuckled. "Nah, I had to come back and get a few more things that my brother needed for his 'not a date but it definitely is one' tonight. He promised the girl that's coming over to study with him, Sammy's studying to be a lawyer, he promised her I'd make my famous spaghetti. Had to pick up the ingredients." Dean shrugged, and continued to stare at the drawing. "This is... Amazing. Wow. I'm Dean, by the way."
The blush returned to the man's cheeks. "Thank you. I am Castiel."
"Interesting. I like it. Anyway... D'you think you could come to my apartment with me? I still wanna buy you a drink for helping me, and my brother's kicking me out after I make him dinner, plus I'd love to hear more about your artistic stuff cause this is cool as shit. I totally did not mean that in a creepy way just... You seem cool." Dean mentally smacked himself for sounding like a creep and a weirdo, before turning back in as he realized Castiel had begun talking.
"Oh, sure it sounds lovely. And I'd love a free drink," Castiel winked at Dean, whose expression went blank. "Just let me finish up real quick."
"Alright, Cas." Dean stepped back a little, careful not to walk on Cas' drawing even more. He watched as Cas became sucked into his work, his brow puckering as he added more shading to the man's face. He took a couple of shuffles back before standing up and looking down at his finished work. He smiled and blushed as the people surrounding them began to clap. Eventually it died down as Cas began clearing his chalks out and the crowd began to disperse, everyone going their separate directions. Cas went to stand beside Dean, and waited for him to lead the way. "Oh, right, sorry. This way." Dean led him into the direction of the apartment, chattering the whole way with Cas about Sam and their jobs, Cas was an art professor at Stanford where Sam went to college, Dean was a mechanic/co-owner of a widely known auto shop in the area. Dean was surprised by how easy he fell into conversation with Cas, as if they had known each other for years.
When they reached the door of the apartment, Dean kicked at it once again. "Sammy!" He yelled, smirking as the door flew open and Sam's indignant face filled the space.
"I told you not to call me that any- hey, who's this?" Sam's attention turned to Cas who greeted him with a soft 'hey'.
"Sam, this is Cas, Cas, this is Sammy." Dean grinned as Sam punched him as he walked by and Dean ruffled his hair. He walked to the counter, listening to Sam and Cas introduce themselves.
"So Dean, how'd you meet Cas?" Sam inquired, before shouting, "OH SHIT! You still gotta help me pick outta tie and Jess is gonna be here in..." There was a knock at the door. "FUCK!" Sam looked at Dean with helplessness and Dean sighed.
"Don't wear a tie, go to your room, wear that plaid shirt that Jo always says brings out your eyes. Your jeans will do. I'll talk to her while you get dressed." Sam nodded at Dean and rushed to his room, going to throw his clothes on as quickly as possible. "God this is awkward, I apologize Cas, anyway, could you start the pasta, pots are in the bottom cabinet, while I stall Jess?" Cas nodded and smiled, walking into the small kitchen to find the pots.
Dean opened the door to reveal a smiling girl. "Hey, Dean! Where's Sam?"
Dean smiled at her, pulling her into a quick hug. "He's just finishing getting ready, he'll be out in a minute. This is my friend Cas, Cas this is Jessica, or Jess. We'll be out of your hair as soon as I finish the pasta," he winked at her. "God knows Sam can't cook, he could burn water."
"Fuck you, Dean. Hey, Jess." Sam walked into the room, giving Jess a hug and a kiss on the cheek, pretending not to notice as Dean wiggled his eyebrows behind her back.
Dean headed into the kitchen to help Cas, who had started pulling things out of the grocery bag and putting them onto the counter. Dean stood behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder, Cas jumped and Dean chuckled. "Sorry. Okay so... You've got the water boiling, did you add any salt?" Cas shook his head. "Alright..." Dean added a few pinches of salt into the pot and motioned for Cas to pour the spaghetti noodles in to cook. "Now..." Dean reached around Cas to get to a drawer, pulling out the can opener. He tried not to notice how his arm fit perfectly around Cas' waist. "Alright so now we're gonna drain the tomatoes, the strainers thataway, and if you could do that, I'm gonna start chopping the garlic and basil and get a pan out for the sauce."
"Sure, Dean," Cas said, his hand briefly grasping Dean's wrist. Goosebumps erupted over Dean's arms, but he continued on as if nothing happened. He pulled out a cutting board and grabbed a pan out from the cabinet, setting it up on the stove beside the pot of noodles. He laid the cutting board on the counter, pausing to put the garlic on it and reaching for the expensive olive oil that was in the upper cabinet. He turned the stove up, and added some of the oil to the pan. He went to the sink where Cas was draining the tomatoes to wash the garlic and basil.
"I finished these," Cas held out the strainer of chopped tomatoes to Dean, who nodded. "What should I do with them?"
"Go ahead and add a few to that pan, if you would, not all of 'em yet though, as soon as I chop this garlic up we can add the rest." Dean pulled the garlic and basil out of the sink, and placed them on the cutting board. He quickly peeled a clove of garlic and began chopping it into tiny pieces. As soon as he was finished, he scooped it up and added it to the frying pan. "Alright, hand me that wooden spatula, and then add some more of the tomatoes as I stir in the garlic." Cas obliged, adding few tomatoes at a time. "Okay, so if you'll stir that till the tomatoes start to get kinda liquidy, also add another tiny bit of olive oil, I'll chop the basil and drain the pasta." Dean moved to the cutting board, quickly chopping some of the basil before pausing to check the pasta if it was done. He spooned out a noodle and took a careful bite into it, checking to see if the inside was white. It wasn't, so Dean brought the pot to the sink, and gently tipped it so the pasta fell into the strainer. He set the pot on the counter and ran some cold water over the spaghetti, before tossing it back into the pot. "Okay Cas, the sauce is done?"
"Yes, Dean."
"Okie dokie, pour in what you've got in the pan and I'll add the basil." As Cas poured the sauce and Dean threw in the basil, Cas simultaneously grabbed the wooden spatula and began stirring it. "I'm gonna get some plates, you taste it and see if it's good." Dean walked to another cabinet before stopping as a moan came from Cas' mouth. Dean licked his lips before spinning around to Cas. "It's good?" He smirked, and Cas nodded, his eyes wide.
"Oh my god. That's the greatest thing I've ever tasted. You've gotta let me have some before we leave," Cas pleaded with Dean. He shrugged and gave a grin, to which Cas' face lit up with joy. He grabbed a plate from Dean and spooned a hearty helping onto it. He rummaged through the drawers until he found a fork, and then proceeded to take another bite of pasta, eliciting another moan. Dean bit his lip and had to stop himself from jumping Cas right there. He didn't even know if Cas was straight or not, and he didn't want to ruin what could be a good friendship if he was.
"Sam! I've got it ready! Get your over achieving asses in here for some food." Dean called, waving them into the kitchen. He put some of the pasta onto the two plates, not sure how much the two of them would want. "What do you want to drink, Jess? Water for Sammy, as per usual."
"I'll take water too," Jess confirmed.
Dean grabbed two glasses and went to the fridge to fill them with ice and water. He set them down on the table, handing paper towels to both of them. "I feel like a goddamn mother," he grumbled good-naturedly. Sam hummed his agreement, and Dean smacked him on the back of the head. He glanced over to Cas who was staring longingly at the pot of pasta. Dean burst into laughter. "Dude, if you want some more, when we come back you can take some. Sammy, I'll be back around 10-ish, no funny business."
"Jerk."
"Bitch." Dean waved Cas out of the apartment and grabbed his wallet and keys. "Wear a condom!" He shouted as he slammed the door shut to Sam's mortified 'oh my god' and Jess' laughter. At least one of them had a sense of humor.
"Alright, Cas! So. Let's go get some coffee and pie because those are the two best things in the world alongside beer and Baby."
"Baby?" Cas questioned, looking at Dean awkwardly. Dean gestured towards his car, a '67 classic Chevrolet Impala. "Baby." He confirmed.
Cas chuckled. "I see. Anyway, no need for that, you already treated me to the best pasta ever. That was fantastic, thank you."
Dean smiled. "Nah man, no problem. But I like pie. And you like pie cause everyone likes pie, so we're going to this little bakery place I know that has the best pie ever. Sides, I've got 3 and a half hours to kill. And lemme know when you need to get on home."
"Oh, I'll be fine if we stay out the whole night. I still want my share of that pasta," Cas nudged Dean as he started the car, grinning at the sound of Baby's engine and Cas' comment. "What's the bakery? My brother Gabriel owns one a few miles away as well."
"It's called Baked, which is really funny to me, at least, my friend Ash is a co-owner with the guy who started it."
"That's my brother's bakery! Gabriel, yeah, he and Ash are great friends." Cas exclaimed.
"No shit! Dude, your brother, best pie maker ever. I love him." Dean said seriously.
Cas chuckled and shrugged at Dean. "He's been baking for forever. He really enjoys it. I'm glad he's become so successful."
Dean scoffed. "I'm glad he's alive," he said as he pulled into a parking spot in front of the bakery. They got out of the car, Dean rushing ahead to open the door for Cas as they walked into the bakery.
"CASSIE!" A voice yelled. A short man jumped over the counter and sprinted to Cas, tackling him to the ground. "I've missed you!"
"Gabriel, you saw me yesterday." Cas pointed out, pushing Gabriel off of him so he could stand back up.
"Yeah but, hey, it's Dean-o!" He jumped off of Cas and ran to tackle Dean who braced himself for it.
"Hey, man. How's it going?" Dean laughed as Gabriel latched himself onto Dean.
"Great! Is it the usual? I'll make it a full apple pie this time, Cassie loves my apple pie, why are y'all here? How'd you meet?! Is it a DATEEE?!" He yelled with glee, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking.
Dean chuckled nervously as Cas rolled his eyes. "We ran into each other today, I was drawing, and earlier I had helped him when he dropped his phone. We went back to his apartment where I helped him make spaghetti for his brother and his date, the spaghetti was the best thing I've ever tasted ever by the way, and then we got kicked out by Sam," he glanced at Dean. "And no... It's not a date."
"Oh..." Gabriel said, disappointed. "Well, I'll bring you my legendary pie and some coffee, on the house!" He said, brightening up considerably.
"No, dude, I got it. Here's a $20, cause you've given me shit on the house too many times." He shoved the bill into Gabriel's hand before grabbing Cas' and leading him over to a table. He pulled out a chair for Cas, who smiled and thanked him. He walked to his own seat, pulling it out and sitting down. "So, how's the professor life?"
Cas chuckled and answered his question, while Dean answered his about how life at the auto shop was, and how many idiots there were who owned cars and couldn't fix them, and how Cas started art. They talked for forever, only pausing to thank Gabriel when he brought the pie and coffee over with a knowing smile.
Dean laughed at a story Cas was telling about when one of his students had started a paint fight and turned the room into a huge mess. As he trailed off, Dean decided to ask what had been on his mind all evening, and if he was being honest, since he had first stared into Cas' eyes. "So, Cas," he coughed. "Are you uh... Seeing anyone?" Dean pinched his wrist to keep him from laughing at his own stupidity. No one ever said 'seeing anyone'. Ever. Dean was an idiot.
If Cas was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. "No, I'm not seeing anyone... I had a rough break-up with my last partner... Raphael was very controlling. We got into fights all the time, and eventually it escalated to every day. I finally got the courage and left him. It was a couple months ago, but it's still hard to think of getting into another relationship now. I'm not very trusting."
Dean choked on the bite of pie he had just put into his mouth, pounding at his chest as he coughed and finally swallowed it down. "So, so you're gay then?" His voice was unnaturally high.
"I suppose. I'm more attracted to personality, but more often than not it is the male gender." Cas responded. "What about you, are you dating anyone?" He asked lightly.
"Oh, um, no. My ex-boyfriend he, uh... He was..." Dean's throat closed up. "Luke was abusive. And um... He hurt me. A lot. Like you, I don't trust very much... At all now. Outside of Sammy and Jo, and Bobby, my boss, that's about it." And you as well, Dean added silently in his head.
Cas gripped Dean's wrist lightly, his eyes trained softly on Dean. "I am so sorry, Dean. You don't deserve that."
He coughed and looked away. "Thanks, man. It's just... Yeah. You're cool though, as well. It's weird, I've never been this open with someone before."
Cas nodded, "I know what you're saying, me as well."
There was a moment of silence until Gabriel's voice cut through the tension. "HEY! BROS! IT'S PAST MIDNIGHT. GET YOUR ASSES OUTTA HERE!"
Dean started, jumping out of his chair and knocking it to the floor. "Fuck! It's past midnight! Sammy's probably having a heart attack. C'mon Cas, we gotta go, I'll drop you off after we go back to the apartment, I gotta check in with Sammy before he calls the cops. Bye Gabe, thanks for the pie!" He grabbed Cas' wrist and pulled him out of the shop, waving goodbye to Gabriel before opening the passenger car door for Cas and then hustling to the driver's side, shoving the key in the ignition and revving the engine. "Sorry 'bout this. I just gotta check in with Sammy and then I promise I'll haul ass to take you home." Dean sped all the way back to the apartment, doing a mediocre parking job and running to the elevator once they were inside. He hit the button at least four times before Cas' hand wrapped around his.
"Dean. It's fine. I have a feeling Sam's been too involved with Jess to notice you were gone." Cas reassured him, stroking the inside of his palm with his thumb.
The doors opened and Dean sped inside, pulling Cas along with him. He jabbed the floor number and began tapping his foot as the doors closed and they ascended to the apartment. The doors parted once again and Dean ran down the hall, Cas walking slowly after him. He slid his key into the lock and threw the door open. "Sammy?" He yelled, tossing his jacket onto the couch. Cas walked inside and followed suit, shrugging his oversized jacket off his shoulders.
"Oh, Dean, you're home. I figured..." He trailed off awkwardly as he noticed Cas behind him. "Hey, man." Cas nodded at him, before making his way over to the kitchen to look for the rest of the pasta.
"Alright, alright, how was it?"
"Great!" Sam said giddily. "I kissed her as she was leaving and she said she'd been waiting forever for me to finally pick up the courage, and then she said kissed me back and it was awesome and, oh, are you looking for the rest of the pasta? Jess took it with her, sorry dude. But yeah, it was awesome!"
Dean chuckled and ruffled Sam's floppy hair. "I'm glad it worked out for you man. Now head back to bed, you've got class tomorrow." Sam nodded and went back to his bedroom, giving Dean a pointed look at Cas, to which Dean flicked him off as Sam shut his door.
"Dean. Dean, we have a problem. There is no more pasta." Cas stated seriously, a worried expression overtaking his face.
"Guess you'll have to come back over for more then, huh?" Dean smirked at Cas, who began walking towards Dean.
"I suppose so..." He said in mock thought, placing his hands on Dean's waist. He stared into Dean's eyes before surging forward to connect their lips. Dean gasped, giving Cas the perfect opportunity to slide his tongue into Dean's mouth. Dean smiled against Cas' lips, his tongue gently caressing Cas'. He pulled back, his teeth gently gnawing on Cas' bottom lip. He let Cas' lip go and leaned his forehead against his.
"I've been wanting to do that all day," Cas admitted breathlessly.
"Me too," Dean smiled, pressing a kiss to Cas' forehead. "But I need to get you home, as you probably have a class tomorrow."
"Not until six in the evening... Besides... I live across town. It'd be too long of a drive for you. Would it be alright if I stayed here?" Cas' eyes met Dean's nervously.
"It's no problem Cas. You can have my bed, as the couch is kinda uncomfortable... I'll give you a t-shirt so that you don't have to sleep in your jeans and button up." Dean walked into his room, Cas following him but stopping at the doorway. Dean picked his worn Led Zeppelin t-shirt off the floor and tossed it to Cas. "It's clean I promise and... Here are some sweatpants." He chucked those at Cas before finding a pair of sweats for himself. He pointed towards a closed door beside the dresser. "That's the bathroom. Uh... I'll be out in the living room if you need me, or need anything. Just let me know, it's no problem." Dean walked forwards, giving Cas a quick kiss and a hug. "We can talk about everything in the morning... As I'm kinda incoherent right now." Dean yawned and Cas laughed.
"Okay. And Dean?" Cas said, as Dean paused in the doorway. "I still want some of that pasta."
Dean let out a laugh. "Goodnight, Cas. Remember, if you need anything you can come ask me."
"Goodnight, Dean," Cas said, snuggling up comfortably under the covers to a smell that was strictly Dean. "It was nice to meet you..." He trailed off, yawning, and buried his head into the pillow.