Dean started to unlock the door of the Cup o' Words, the little bakery/bookstore where he worked. He thought it was a nice idea, people would grab a book and a cup of coffee, but he wasn't much of a reader himself. Dean was a high school dropout with only his car to his name. His family had never stayed in one place for a long time, at least not after his mom's death. But Dean was trying to slow down, pick up as many jobs as he can to help put his brother through college. He worked here during the day, and he worked nights at the mechanic's on the outskirts of town.

Dean pushed open the door of the shop and stepped inside. He went straight to work cleaning up for opening in a half hour. He put books away, put the chairs back where they were supposed to be, and started brewing some coffee. He flipped the sign to open just as the chef brought out the first round of croissants. Dean slid behind the counter while pulling on his apron. He was ready for one more day of work, where the clocks tick with old tired hands. Work is endlessly boring, but he needs the money for Sammy.

A few hours had passed since the cafe opened when Cas walked in. He'd passed the place often, but had never found the time to go in. When he opened the door he was hit with the smell of old books and fresh bread. He walked in and ran his fingers along the bookshelves, taking a moment to really appreciate the place. He was so absorbed in the books that he almost didn't notice the man standing at the counter.

"Um, can I get you anything?" He rumbled.

"Wha…" Cas turned around to see slightly annoyed green eyes.

"You're standing in the middle of the shop, you could be in the way of…" Dean paused when he noticed who he was talking to. The man looked so innocent, with tousled black hair and pools of blue in his eyes. "Well," Dean amended, "I guess there isn't a line to hold up." He sighed looking at the emptiness of the shop. He usually at least saw a few girls to flirt with when he got too terribly bored.

"Ok, I guess I'll get a cup of coffee…" Cas said. Dean nodded and went to work. Soon Cas was sitting with a book in his hand and his coffee on the table next to him. It was such a nice set up, but Cas couldn't seem to get comfortable. After ten minutes of squirming around Cas stood up. Not really thinking about he walked to the counter. "I couldn't help but notice you looked really bored."

"You have no idea," Dean chuckled, "It's boring on a normal day, but today is extra slow. You're the first customer we've had all day."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't have much to do today, so I can just sit here and make it a little less boring today." Cas smiled, pulling out one of the stools and sitting down.

"I don't see why not…" Dean grinned. So he and Cas stayed and talked for hours. They laughed and joked, and for once work didn't make Dean want to fall asleep. It was already 3 pm by the time Cas got up to go. He was half way out the door when Dean yelled out, "Hey, I didn't catch your name!"

Cas turned around and flashed him a smile and called back, "It's Castiel!"

Cas started to visit Cup o' Words more often. Since his first visit business picked up again, so he didn't talk to Dean again for a couple of weeks. After a few slow days, Dean and Cas sat and talking for an hour again. As time passed the visits grew more frequent, and after 2 months Cas found himself stopping in Cup o' Words everyday. He did work just across the street, so it was easy. He often only stopped in for fifteen minutes, but it gave Dean something to look forward to. With Cas he could escape some boredom, and he always needed to do that.

With the daily visits they began to learn a lot about each other, to the point where Cas could easily describe Dean's little brother Sam despite having never met him. Well, it was a subject Dean talked about all the time. His face lit up with pride when ever he mentioned Sammy. Neither Dean nor his dad had been the most educated people, so it excited Dean to think about the brother he practically raised going to law school.

"He has an interview at Stanford," Dean was saying, "Sammy might actually make something of his life. Definitely more than me," he gestured to the empty cafe.

"Your eyes light up whenever you talk about your brother, you must really care about him." Cas says.

"Yeah. Sammy has been my responsibility since we were kids. Our mom died when he was only 6 months old. After that our dad had to pick up odd jobs and he left me with Sam. It's always been my job to protect the kid." Dean said, thinking about how much his brother means to him. "Maybe one day you could meet him, he's a real geek and could probably hold a conversation with you better than me."

Cas sort of froze, but not enough for Dean to notice. He didn't think Dean had really thought of him as anything more than a regular at the cafe, but for the first time in his life Cas might actually have a friend. "Yeah." He finally says. Checking his watch he continues, "Um… my breaks over so I gotta go." Dean nodded and quickly got back to work like Cas had never been there. Cas was just walking out when he heard Dean yell "SHIT!" Cas shot a quick glance back to see that Dean had spilled coffee all over the floor. A small smile graced Cas's face as the door closed.