"15 minutes." Dean mumbled. Sam had a big sappy grin and clung to his arm, staring as the timer counted down.
"15 minutes, huh? That's pretty quick!" The timer agent exclaimed.
Dean had put off getting his own timer, but after Sam had insisted probably over a thousand times after finding his own soulmate, Jess, Dean had at some point shut his mouth and grudgingly drove himself to the nearest timer agency with Sam and Jess a few minutes before they would head on to the annual city parade. He did it mostly just so he could get his little brother to finally shut up, but after seeing the counter switch to around fifteen minutes, his heart hammered as fast as drums, and he gulped nervously at the newly engraved timer in his freckled wrist.
"...Yeah. Pretty quick." Dean turned to his brother, who began to pull his not-so-long plaid sleeve.
"C'mon Dean! Let's go show Jess!" His tall lanky brother was like an overexcited puppy. The very mental image of his brother Sammy chasing his own fluffy brown hair made him snap out of his shock.
Dean is 26. He works a good paid job as a mechanic. He never really imagined himself with a soulmate. Well that's not entirely true. Every time he tried, he pictured them seeing him for the first time, and asking for a refund on their timer.
His brother Sam on the other hand; well that kid's 22 and already studying to become a lawyer at Stanford. His whole life was out there waiting for him. And already meeting his soulmate? Well that's just a cherry on a well-scooped sundae. A walk in the park. An honorable cliche.
Dean was pulled from his begrudged thoughts as he was dragged to his impala. Sam was at the point of almost-shouting very excitedly and publicly at his girlfriend Jess to get out of the car.
"14 minutes, Jess! He'll meet his soulmate in 14 minutes!" Sam was literally jumping up and down now. Hardly the adult he claimed to be.
"14 minutes? Aren't we going to be at that parade in like, 14 minutes?" Jess asked, excitedly reaching for Dean's hand so she could see for herself.
Dean groaned and pulled himself away from the two. "Guys, it could be wrong. Sharon's was wrong." He pointed out. Sharon was an old friend of theirs in high school who's timer rang out in a completely empty hallway for three minutes.
"But Dean, this is the newest, cheapest version!"
Dean cringed at 'cheapest' and decisively sat in the driver's seat of his baby. "Just like Sharon's?"
"Oh whatever, you'll see!" Sam assured his brother as he and Jess took their seats in the impala.
Dean rolled his eyes and pulled his sleek car out of park, and then onto the thin road that would soon lead to the parade on the main road.
A little down the road, he glanced at his inner-right wrist and felt overwhelmed. "I need to get a drink." He blurted, before stopping at the gas station.
Jess and Sam protested, but Dean got out anyway. As he opened the door to the run-down store, he heard Sam yell about getting him a multi-grain bagel. Dean rolled his eyes, and stepped into the store. The small over-door bell rang, and the door closed behind him.
His breath was a little shallow, and he headed to the back of the store before bending so his hands were on his knees and he attempted to breathe. He mentally counted to ten before leaning towards the refrigerated door and grabbing a cold beer.
Decidedly calm, he looked around for the bagels. In his head, however, his mind was reeling. What would his soulmate look like? What would they be like? Would they like him? Him, of all people?
He knew he was bi since he was sixteen and a half, so it could be anyone. How could he spot them in a crowded parade? He felt a little panicked now. But then he remembered something. The agent had said that the timer would ring loudly once him and his soulmate met each other's eyes for the first time.
Even with that information clearing his uncertainty for a short moment, he still worried whether or not he would like them. Or more importantly, as the previous doubt was unlikely, whether they would like him.
The question repeated in his head like a parrot. He thought he would have had more time. A month? Maybe a year, or twenty when he had his life and money together?
He grabbed the right bagel his brother had asked for, and headed for the cash register, which was empty, as no one else was there. They were probably somewhere in the supply room, or something. He took out his phone and was about to ask Jess if she wanted anything, when he saw his wrist.
One minute.
He placed his beer, phone, and the bagel on the counter before he could drop them in shock. He stared at the door of the store, waiting for what felt like a lifetime to see if anyone would walk through. Observing the outside, he saw no one but his impala and the two lovebird college students in his car.
Glancing down, twenty seconds. He felt his breath catch.
He heard footsteps from the supply room door, and saw someone carrying a large box. They were struggling a little, and Dean's well-mannered instincts decided to kick in. He quickly swung around the counter, and helped the poor guy by lifting the other end of the box to balance the weight.
Curious, the person peered around the box, and their eyes met. Dean quickly noted that the man's eyes were a startling blue just when he heard a shrill ringing echoing doubly through the otherwise empty store.
Shocked, they both almost dropped the box. Slowly, they put the box down together on the floor, before standing straight to look at each other.
Dean's tongue seemed to be stuck in his throat, and the other man seemed just as speechless. He was a gorgeous man. He had messy brown hair, and a cute tug of a frown. He wore a cute, wrinkled white and green uniform that was too cute for this gas station store. He had short sideburns, and a little stubble. Just enough that if they kissed, Dean would get only a pleasant burn. He felt his own cheeks flush at the thought, and licked his lips to hydrate them, as they were drying rather quickly.
He felt a spark of something, more than likely a mixture of some weird warmth along with lust as he saw the man's eyes trail down to his lips. It spread around like a shock to his body.
"...Hi…." Dean said, his heart racing, and his voice a little high. He internally kicked himself.
The man looked from his lips and back into his hazel-green eyes, and cleared his throat before repeating," Hi."
Just then, Dean heard his phone ringing, and turned to see it on the counter. He looked back at the stranger shyly before reaching for it.
"Oh...it's uh, my brother." He laughed a little awkwardly before quickly texting his brother that he's busy.
The man was still standing, almost frozen in place, still watching him.
Realizing they were getting nowhere, Dean also cleared his throat and politely reached out his right hand to the stranger.
"Um, I'm Dean Winchester. I guess, well, we're soulmates?"
The man stared at his hand, before grasping it and shaking it once. A shocking thrill went up his arm at the warm touch. Dean swears his heart skipped a beat when the stranger's lips twitched into the most beautiful smile he's ever seen, eyes crinkled just a little.
"Hello Dean. My name is Castiel."