Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, and I have no rights over Supernatural. If I did, we would have a lot more Destiel. -sassycaslovesdean
It was a summer night just like any other. The wind blew slightly, but there was a sanctuary inside of the ice cream parlor's walls. The air outside the shop was tepid, but inside the shop there was a creaky fan that blew methodically in order to remedy the brisk summer air. Castiel was alone with only the incessant tick of the fan as he washed down the ordering counter. The dull lights above him only slightly illuminated the dingy room, which did nothing to make the shop look any more welcoming. It was kind of a sketchy looking place, but yet it gave off a quaint vibe. It was the kind of place that was filled with memories - the kind of place that one goes to dwell on the events of the past summer because the current events were too upsetting to think about. It was a place where one could forget one's troubles, even if it was only temporary. It was almost eight o'clock, and there were not usually many customers around that time. It got to be quite lonely around that time of night, but he had to stay - the shop was open until nine even though ice cream was not particularly popular at that time of night.
Castiel was left alone to stare into the counter he was meticulously scrubbing. He had been absentmindedly cleansing the counter for the past twenty minutes, and it was now glistening so much that Castiel could see his reflection staring back at him. He paused for a moment as he saw the image of a fatigued man in front of him. He had brilliant blue eyes, but underneath them were rather large dark circles. Fatigue had gotten the best of Castiel in the past couple of months, and it had resulted in a pale complexion with dark under eye circles. The night is almost over. Castiel mentally reminded himself. I'll be able to go home soon.
However, Castiel was proven wrong as the silence was broken by a '67 Chevy Impala pulling into the parking lot. He raised a curious eyebrow. It was very rare that somebody came to the shop at that time, yet alone a man in a car of that make and model.
Castiel tried to suppress a shudder as a man in a leather jacket stepped out of the car. He had a rough air about him that gave off an almost threatening vibe. Castiel did not get too good of a look at him from his spot at the counter, but he could make out the outline of the quasi-dark figure. He was a little bit taller than six feet, if Castiel was guessing correctly. He wondered briefly what a man like that calibre was doing at an ice cream parlor at eight o'clock at night, but he knew it was not his business to ask questions of his customers. He preferred it that way anyway; the less talking he had to do, the better.
Castiel watched as the man stood by the side of his car for a moment, and Castiel wondered if he was even going to come into the store, but then a slightly larger man emerged from the passenger side of the car. Although he was taller, this man did not give off as much of a rugged sense as the other man; just by glancing at him, anyone could tell that he was kind-hearted. The shorter man said something to his taller companion, but it was incoherent from inside the shop. Said store was almost soundproof to the outside world, and that was something that Castiel enjoyed about it. When he was there, he did not have to deal with all of the boisterous commotion..
At that moment, however, he did, because the two men from the sixties car were entering the shop. The soft chime of the bell above the door made Castiel put away his washcloth and brush the imaginary dust off of his shirt. He took his place in front of the counter and put on a fake smile. "Hello." Castiel said in a quiet voice that he attempted to make sound friendly. "How.. may I...help you?" His question was courteous, but his words seemed to drag out as if he had trouble formulating sentences.
The shorter man muttered something to his companion again, who gave him a scolding nudge in response. "Hey." The smaller individual said with a bright smile to Castiel. His voice was eloquent and it was filled with a level of charm that Castiel had never heard before. He had only said one word, and Castiel was already impressed by the man's ease with the English language. "Sammy and I are just here to celebrate a little bit." The shorter man said with a jerk of his head to motion to the taller man, who was not quite a man, Castiel realized now that he had a better look at him. He was a kid, probably about the age of sixteen. It was slightly harder to tell the age of the shorter man, but Castiel assumed that he must be around his own age or maybe a bit older.
"Uh… are you okay?" The leather-clad man asked with mild concern as he took a step closer to the counter and Castiel. Castiel had not realized that he had been staring at the customers in front of him, and now he felt embarrassed about it.
"I- I'm sorry… I'm just…Well.. I guess I'm.. Tired." Castiel muttered. He always did his best not to weird out the customers, but sometimes he did, and he knew when he did. This was one of those times. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry." He blurted out frantically in his flustered state.
"It's fine." The taller man - presumably Sammy - spoke for the first time. His voice had a gentle ring to it, but Castiel did not find it as charming as the other man's voice. "It happens to all of us." He said in understanding.
Castiel gave him a slow nod. He did not want to risk talking again in fear of scaring them away.
The man in the leather jacket took a couple more steps towards the counter, and with each step he took, Castiel could feel his heart beat a little bit faster. He got anxious when people got too close to him, and this man was no exception. The man leaned against the counter and looked down briefly at the flavors displayed before him before looking up into Castiel's eyes. His face was within a foot of Castiel's, and that was far beyond Castiel's comfort zone. He could not have noticed from a distance, but the man in front of Castiel had vibrant green eyes. He thought them to be the most beautiful shade of green that he had ever seen. "What do you think, Sammy? You want rocky road?" The man said as he turned back around to face his companion.
A smile filled the gentle giant's face. "Of course. What else would I get?" The tall man replied sarcastically.
The shorter man let out a bemused snort. "Right. He'll have a rocky road, and I'll just have a strawberry milkshake." The man in the leather jacket said in a persuasive voice. It did not sound intentionally persuasive, but it definitely had a gentle air to it that made it impossible to say no.
Castiel gave him a brisk nod as he turned around to get an ice cream scooper. Relief swept over him as he turned his back to prepare the milkshake and get the bowl for Sammy's sundae. The job became easier when he did not have to look people in the eyes.
"You don't talk much, huh?" The shorter man said in a lightly joking way with a slight shake of his head.
Castiel stiffened a little bit. "N-no." He stuttered. It was true. He did not talk much, but that was for the best. He would just make a fool of himself if he did.
"That's not such a bad thing." Sammy interjected. "Some people just run their mouths too much." He finished with a small warning glare to the other man.
"Hey! I will run my mouth as much as I want to." The shorter man responded defensively as he folded his arms.
Castiel was at a loss for words, but that was not uncommon for him. It was not in his job description to talk to strange men in the middle of the night, but for some reason, he was that night.
The two men were seated at a nearby table and they were talking casually about high school, presumably Sammy's high school. Castiel tried to listen to their conversation without staring at them again. He did not want to creep them out, but he always found interest in his customer's conversations. He did not have many discussions of his own, so he got his enjoyment from listening to other people's. It became a little bit hard to make out what they were saying when he turned on the blender, but as soon as he turned it off, he could hear the words again.
"It's really not that big of a deal, Dean." The taller brother with longer hair and a sweet smile said modestly.
"Hey. You got all A's and you finally asked Jess out? Man, that's more than enough to make me proud. Heck, I'm proud of you for staying in school. You always exceed my expectations, Sam, and I'm proud of you." The words spoken by the shorter man had such sincerity and affection on them that Castiel felt touched. Although he knew that he had nothing to do with that conversation, it still seemed to be a beautiful sign of affection.
Sam blushed softly. "Thanks, Dean. That means a lot." He said genuinely with a soft smile to the man sitting across from him.
Castiel brought their ice cream over in a practiced silence. He did not want to interrupt their conversation, but if he waited until they were done talking, then he might have waited too long.
"Thank you." Sam said with a small gracious smile as Castiel laid the sundae in front of him.
"Yeah. Thanks." Dean grunted in agreement as Castiel placed the milkshake on the table as well.
"You're welcome." Castiel said with the kindest smile that he could muster, which must have come out as obviously weak because Sam and Dean exchanged glances as if asking each other if they should say something.
"Hey, buddy, if you're not doing so great, then Sam and I can just head home, so that you can go home and rest." Dean offered, his voice cool and nonchalant.
"N-no. That's okay. I'm okay." Castiel muttered apologetically.
Dean raised a curious eyebrow. "You don't seem okay to me. Really. You should go and get some rest. You look exhausted." He spoke with such a casual understanding, and it was at this moment that Castiel noticed the fatigue in the man's eyes, not under them, but inside them. His eyes were still a thriving forest of green, but that green seemed to be worn down-not the color, but the essence-and that was how he realized that the man in front of him had been through hardships of his own.
"So are you." Castiel found himself accidentally blurting out in a serious tone.
Dean regarded him with a straight face. If he was bothered by the comment, he did not show it. "We all are." He said simply. "In a way, so what makes you so tired?" Dean asked half out of curiosity and half out amusement.
Sam watched as Castiel struggled to find an answer. He was uncertain if he should speak up at that point to save Castiel from having to speak, but Dean was staring at Castiel intently awaiting a reply, so Sam decided it best just to observe for the time being.
"I-I have been working since six in the morning." Castiel finally managed to choke out. His voice lacked any confidence, and it was actually coated with fear as if he was afraid that his words could make the world cave in on him.
Dean stared up at the fatigued man, who was fidgeting around uncomfortably. He was quite strange in Dean's opinion; he had never met anyone quite like him before. He was a mystery - an unsolved mystery at that, and Dean hated to leave a mystery unsolved, so he leaned in towards Castiel a little bit more, his curiosity peaked. "So what's an attractive guy like you doing working all day at an ice cream shop?" Dean asked so smoothly that it did not seem like the question was even a flirtatious invasion of privacy; it seemed casual.
Castiel blushed deeply and stumbled back a little bit in shock. He could not find the words to respond. His brain felt like it was being drowned as possibilities began to run through his mind, but they all seemed too awkward to say, and Castiel found himself standing in silence with eyes locked to the ground.
A smile tugged at the corner of Dean's mouth. Usually, Dean hated silence and stillness; he much prefered noisy action, but there was something sweet about the pause between them. Castiel looked flustered and confused, and Dean thought it looked cutely innocent. "I get it now." Dean said decisively. "You don't need words. You can say it all with that beautiful face of yours."
The words flowed so smoothly out of Dean's mouth that Castiel had no idea how to respond. This man had all the social skills he lacked and more. This man was flirting with him, and he was so casual about as if it were no big deal, but it was. It was to Castiel. Nobody flirted with him; he was just too awkward, or if they did, they soon stopped when the realized that he was socially impaired. This was the first time that anyone was still interested in him for who he was, and this man hardly even knew him. Slowly, Castiel lifted his gaze to meet Dean's eyes. "I-I… Um… Thank you…" Cas fumbled with the words, but he did mean them. There was something special about having a confident, tough looking man like Dean unashamedly flirt with him.
The smile tugged harder at Dean's mouth, and he decided to give into it. "You're welcome, but I'm sure you hear it quite often." He said with the utmost certainty. Dean gave the straw in his milkshake a slight push as he glanced down at his barely touched dessert. He enjoyed his sweets, but he found Castiel to be quite intriguing, so intriguing that he had temporarily put aside his food. Now, he pulled the milkshake a little bit closer to him and took a small sip from the straw.
"N-no." Castiel stammered. "No one has ever said that before…" Castiel sounded pleased, almost happy. It was true; no one had ever said that before, and he actually loved hearing it. He had always thought his social anxiety was a problem and a burden, but now, somebody actually liked it; somebody actually liked him and thought that his social awkwardness was cute, and that was the most foreign feeling Castiel had ever known.
Dean's eyes widened a fraction in genuine shock as he lifted his focus from his milkshake to Castiel. "You're serious?" Dean asked in a bewildered tone as if the thought that Castiel must have been joking. He could not believe that the man before him had never been told that he was beautiful for who he was. One glance at him, and all Dean could see was a gentle looking man with sweet sky blue eyes and a soft compassionate face. He saw a man with a smile that could light up the darkest tunnel; one that he figured would make all sorts of people just melt in their seats. How could nobody have ever noticed his beauty before?
Castiel gave Dean an awkward nod. Of course he was serious. He was an outcast, and outcasts were anything but beautiful. He was one of society's rejects, the ones that get sent back to the factory because they were not adequate. He lacked programming. He was not normal; he was strange and awkward, and that was in no way beautiful.
Dean continued to stare at him in disbelief. "Well then you've been around all the wrong people. You," he paused as he raised his pointer finger to Castiel in a overly motivational way, "Are a good man. I can tell just from looking into your eyes. You can tell a lot about a man from his eyes." Dean began to take on a serious tone, which was rather unusual for his nonchalant personality. "Eyes are a good judge of character. You can see all the corruption and purity in a man's eyes, and I can tell that you are pure. It just gives you this whole…" He began to wave his hands around as he searched for the right word. "Essence." He finished pointedly. "Yeah, that's it. You have this kind essence to you that makes you undeniably beautiful." Dean finished honestly, or so Castiel thought, but then Dean continued in a smoother voice. "Although, you are undeniably hot too." Dean added as he shot Castiel a small wink.
Castiel was sure it was a wink that he just gave him. It had to be. He had not imagined it, had he? No. That was definitely a wink. He did not know how to react to any of it. He felt his face begin to brighten in a dark red shade as he stood there fidgeting in his struggle for words. "I… Agree." Castiel muttered in an attempt to communicate with Dean, but he soon realized what he said and his eyes widened a bit. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I don't think I'm beautiful or hot. I just agree with telling character from the eyes. I do it all of the time; it's how I keep myself entertained at this job. I see all kinds of people come into this shop, and they're all different. They all have different stories, and you can read it all from their eyes." Castiel found himself uncharacteristically rambling to Dean.
Dean put aside his milkshake yet again as he turned his gaze upwards to gaze curiously at Castiel. "Wow. I think that's the most you've said all night." Dean chuckled in slight amusement. "But that's really deep. You're smart, aren't you?" He said teasingly.
"I-I don't know if I would say that… " Castiel began to stammer again, but he found some kind of strange assurance in Dean's gaze that allowed him to continue. "I'm just… Observant."
Dean nodded his head in agreement. "So I've noticed." He replied sarcastically. "You really are a strange one." He said with a chuckle as he teetered his pointer finger at Castiel.
"I-I know that." Castiel admitted ashamedly. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I didn't mean… to bother you." He muttered with no confidence.
Dean's smile widened now as he let out a genuine laugh. "You're not bothering me. Quite the opposite actually. You are quite interesting. Heck, you're the most interesting thing I've encountered in a while." He looked Castiel dead in the eyes while speaking to demonstrate his sincerity.
"O-oh." Castiel mumbled in response. "Surely you've… Found more… Interesting things and people than a socially impaired ice cream scooper?" He began with doubt drenched in his tone. "I mean… You-you… Look like you've seen a lot of interesting things… I mean… Y-you are an interesting thing what with that car of yours…." Castiel dared to glance out the smudgy window at the car parked in the dimly lit lot. It was getting darker, he realized. It would probably be time for the shop to close soon.
Dean's eyebrows raised slightly out of amusement at Castiel's words. "I've seen some interesting things, and that car is one of the best things I have seen, so if you have a problem with my car, you take that up with me." He replied with a defensive folding of his arms.
"N-no!" Castiel stammered as he took a step backwards. "I didn't mean that. It's just… It's not every day that a 67 Impala rolls into the parking lot." He managed to say with relative confidence.
"Yeah, well that's 'cause people don't have good taste." Dean defended his car again with his sassy attitude.
"It's kind of an old taste." Castiel said neutrally.
Dean leaned backwards in his seat slightly as if he had been attacked. "Hey! I'm not that old!" He quickly retorted. "Besides," He began in a calmer, less defensive tone. "I prefer old-fashioned anyway."
A small smile crept onto Castiel's face. "So I've noticed." He repeated Dean's earlier words and imitated his previous attitude. It was the twenty-first century, and a 67 Impala was a rare sight. The uniqueness of the car just said things about Dean's personality. It was a slick, old fashioned looking vehicle, but it still worked. It had probably seen its fair share of troubles, but it concealed its scratches well. Most people would not expect it to still be running, but it appeared to be in perfect condition, and Castiel had seen it pull into the parking lot effortlessly. He only wondered how much life the car had left in it.
Dean's smile returned to his face when Castiel repeated his words. "Yeah?" He said as he tracked Castiel's gaze to the car. "Do you like her? She's a real beauty, and I wouldn't replace her with any other car, no matter how new." Dean spoke the way that a proud parent would speak when their child gets his or her diploma.
"It is a nice car." Castiel conceded. It was a nice car. There was something about it that was alluring, which made him decide that it suited Dean.
"Yes she is." Dean responded fondly, but his admiration of his car was interrupted as realization came crashing down on him. "I don't even know your name."
"Oh." Castiel said in realization. "It's Castiel…" He muttered.
"Castiel." Dean experimentally tried the name out. "Castiel." He repeated. He liked the way the name slipped off his tongue. It sounded… right. He was not sure how else to put it, but he felt as if that was a name that had been carved into his very soul, just waiting for him to find it someday. "Talk about strange, but… I kind of like it." Dean said as a small smile emerged on his features.
Castiel felt a matching smile spread across his face. "Thank you. It's the name of an angel. My brothers and I are all named after angels." He replied with more confidence than he had really ever had before.
"Brothers, huh?" Dean asked with amusement as he turned his attention to Sam, or at least where his brother used to be. Apparently, Sam had gotten up some time ago and was now in the corner of the ice cream shop with a book in hands. He had moved to give Dean and Castiel a little bit more privacy. He did not want to get caught up in Dean's flirting.
Dean motioned for Castiel to sit down in the chair across from his where Sam used to be sitting, and Castiel silently complied. "How many?" Dean asked simply when Castiel had taken his seat.
It was such a simple question, but it meant so much to Castiel that somebody actually cared enough to ask him about his personal life. "Two. Their names are Gabriel and Michael." Castiel responded naturally. He was beginning to feel comfortable around Dean, so he was tripping up his words a lot less.
Dean nodded as he pulled his milkshake back to him and began to sip casually from it again. "So," he said as he lifted his head from his milkshake. "Where are these brothers of yours? You said you've been working here since six in the morning, so why haven't they come to help you here?" Dean was aware that the ice cream shop was a family run business. That was why he and Sam had gone there specifically - to support a local family, but it sounded almost as of Castiel ran the place all by himself.
Castiel's gaze lowered and he found himself staring fixedly at the table. "I-I… Well… They.." He found himself struggling for his voice again. Calm down. It's just a question. Nothing to worry about. But thinking those things only seemed to make his anxiety worsen. Castiel looked nervously up into Dean's emerald eyes, and there he found some strange sort of strength. "My oldest brother, Michael, is in the army. We haven't heard from him in a while, and Gabriel…" Castiel trailed off as he pondered how much information he should really be revealing to a stranger. Ideally, he should not be giving out any, but there was some strange kind of assuring element to Dean that made Castiel inevitably trust him. "Gabriel works a lot. Anywhere that he can get good money. He works as a janitor at the local high school." Castiel said thoughtfully. It was true, all of it. He worked the shop alone on most days, so he had to drop out of school temporarily. It was just until his mom got better; that's what he kept telling himself. Gabriel helped when he could, but Gabriel was always picking up all sorts of odd jobs to try and pay the bills.
"Janitor, huh?" Dean said incredulously. "That doesn't sound like good money to me." He scoffed.
If anyone else had said it, Castiel would have thought it to be extremely rude, and it probably was to anyone except Castiel and Dean, but to Castiel it was a simple truth. "It's not." He stated darkly. "But it's better money than I make here, and we need all of them money we can get…" Castiel trailed off as he realized what he was saying. He had never talked about this before with anyone other than his brothers, and now he was telling this emerald eyed stranger? Something was special about that encounter, but Castiel could not quite say what.
Dean's eyebrow twitched in curiosity. He wanted to know how that sentence ended, but he did not want to pry into Castiel's personal life too much. He mentally debated on continuing or changing the subject, but his curiosity got the best of him, and he asked in the most gentle voice he could manage, "Why do you need the money so badly?"
Castiel felt as if he were talking to a therapist and venting about all of his problems. Dean's voice had taken on a cautious tone, and Castiel admitted that he appreciated it, but it was still a very touchy subject. He cleared his throat. He needed this to come out strong. He could not fumble with his words again. He was going to say this, and he was going to say it right. "My mother… She's sick. She has cancer. She's very far along…" Castiel could feel his voice began to waver from emotion, but he tried harder to keep it steady by clenching his fists into tight balls. "We… Have to pay for her hospital bills somehow." He managed to finish without a total voice crack. His voice ebbed with emotion, but he had done it. His voice was clear and remotely steady.
Dean leaned forward slowly and rested a hand on top of Castiel's delicately and gave it three small comforting taps. Castiel was flustered by the touch, but even more unsettling was the sincere smile Dean was giving him. It was not fake; it was completely and entirely real. And it was that moment that Castiel understood. "You lost someone, didn't you?" Castiel found himself asking without thinking about it. "You understand."
Dean pulled his hand away from Castiel's out of shock. What is he, a mind reader? How…? "What… I…" Dean found himself stumbling in his words now. "Jeezum it's contagious." He teased lightly as he tried to regain his composure. "I did." Dean stated bluntly. "My mom." He added in a softer tone. "In a house fire, when I was a kid. My dad… Well, let's just say… He's not around a lot, so it's just been Sam and I against the world." He seemed mildly nostalgic, but he tried to hide it by taking the last few sips from his milkshake.
"I'm sorry." Castiel blurted out awkwardly, but at least it was sincere. He meant that truly. Dean knew what he was going through, and he was sorry that anyone else felt the way that he did.
Dean waved his hand at him dismissively as he shoved aside his empty milkshake glass. "No problem." He grunted. "So, tell me about these brothers of yours. They good guys?" Dean changed the subject to something that they were both clearly more fond of. They both had no fathers to be seen and mothers who welcomed death, but they both had their brothers, and that seemed like a good thing to focus on.
Castiel smiled slightly at the prompt to talk about his brothers. He had always envisioned himself talking to people. He had imagined all the things he would say and all of the people he would fascinate, but he had never had the courage or the social skills to do any of it. "Well, there's Gabriel. He's… My closer brother. I don't mean that Michael and I aren't close, but Gabriel and I just… Click." Castiel glanced up at Dean to make sure that he followed his rambling. Castiel was not used to rambling, and he was unsure if he was even being coherent, but the nod from Dean confirmed his coherence, and so he continued. "Gabriel loves pranks, or I suppose he loved them. It was a phase when he was a kid, but he still enjoys them now. He's always been really fun, and sometimes he picked on me, but not nearly as much as Michael did, and when Michael teased me too hard or hurt me, Gabriel would always defend me." Castiel had never said any of that before to anyone, and he was uncertain why he was saying it then. Perhaps, he had held his thoughts in for too long out of fear of them being rejected.
Dean smiled warmly. "Sounds like you've got yourself a good brother there. The other one… Michael, right?" He looked up at Castiel for confirmation, which Castiel provided in the form of a quick nod. "Sounds like he has some improving to do." Dean grunted.
"H-he's not that bad." Castiel chimed defensively. "He's still my brother." He said that as if he wished it could be changed, and that made Dean wonder how many times Michael had physically assaulted Castiel and how many times that Gabriel had not come in time. Dean tried and failed to hold back a cringe as he remembered finding out that his father had beaten Sam. John had beaten Dean before, but as soon as he lifted a finger to Sam, Dean had had enough. They had left their house that day, and Dean had been trying to support Sam ever since. Luckily enough, Sam was a smart kid, and he was definitely going places, and that gave Dean hope.
Castiel saw the distant look in Dean's eyes and he knew it all too well. It was the look of a man who was remembering something tragic but oddly endearing. Dean was lost in his subconscious, much like Castiel was when he worked the ice cream shop. The world was such a noisy place, and Castiel simply drowned it out. Thoughts could drown anything. They were so welcoming, but yet so dangerous. Castiel gave Dean about a minute of respected silence before shyly asking, "what about your brother?"
Dean's gaze had fixed itself upon the wall in his trance, but now he turned his gaze back to Castiel as he pondered the question momentarily. "Sam? Well, Sam's a good kid. He's going to go to law school, and he's going to get a full ride; I just know it. The kid's brilliant, way smarter than I am and nicer. That kid, I'll tell you, that kid is just a ray of sunshine." Dean said with a fond smile as his eyes began to move towards the corner of the room where Sam was silently and patiently reading a book. "Better than I ever could have hoped for him to be."
Castiel could not help but to smile back. The way Dean looked at Sam was much like the way that Gabriel looked at Castiel. There was so much kindness and endearment, and you could just see it in his eyes. Dean loved his brother, and Castiel thought that was beautiful. "But that's because of you… Right? " He sounded uncertain, but he had meant to compliment Dean. He internally cursed at himself for messing up yet another time.
Dean's eyes were snapped away from Sam because of Castiel's comment. He had never thought of it that way before. He had only felt responsible for all of the bad things that Sam had to face because of him. "I don't think so. I can't make Sam who he is. He did that himself." Dean refused to take credit for the good person that Sam had become. He did not feel like he deserved it.
Castiel's head tilted in confusion and his eyes narrowed. "B-but you allowed him to grow up this way. Didn't you... Give him the love that he now shows. We can only love others if we have been shown love through another, and I think that he learned it from you." Castiel had begun a little bit unsure, but once he found his voice again, he was able to speak clearly and confidently.
Dean absorbed the image of the man in front of him along with the words he had just said. I taught Sam love? He found the thought a little bit hard to believe, but then again, who else could have? Not their mother, she died when Sam was a baby, and it certainly was not their father. "I-
I... Thank you." Dean stammered as he fought to find the proper words to thank Castiel. He has never realized how important to Sam he really was before. "You know, you're one smart kid." Dean teased with a small chuckle.
Castiel felt his cheeks begin to turn red. "I'm not a kid." He protested weakly. "I'm twenty years old. I'm going to go to med school when I graduate, and then I'll be a doctor. Doctors are not kids." He imitated Dean's sass because he found it easier to pretend to be someone else, somehow, that made talking easier.
Dean's eyes widened in astonishment. So Castiel was his age. He had assumed so, but he was unsure up until that point. "Doctor, huh? That's quite a lot of science. Do you like science?" Dean sounded like a guidance counselor, trying to make sure he made the right choices.
"Yes. Science is my favorite subject." Castiel stared at Dean as if he were a strange foreign object. Castiel loved science, and he could not believe that Dean doubted that he could like science. "Why do you ask?" He had more and more confidence with each time that he spoke to Dean, and now his voice was unwavering.
"Nothing. Science is just not my thing." Dean replied indifferently.
Sam heard a gasp of horror followed by a lot of scientific theories and the such from the corner of the room. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Dean was listening intently, occasionally interrupting to make a sarcastic comment our burst out in laughter. Castiel seem so content to be there talking to Dean, and the same went for Dean, that Sam hated to make them have to say goodbye, but they really had to get home. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and Sam did have school the next morning. With a sigh, he got up from his table to go and intervene. He hated being the bad guy, but somebody would have to do it. Slowly, he walked over to the two men, who were entranced in a conversation. Castiel was talking about school and his hopes for his future passionately.
"And my mom will get better because I'm going to find a cure for her, and it will work. I know it will, and then Michael will come home. Gabriel won't have to work so much, and my family will be back together." He ranted happily, and Dean was listening intently while nodding his head in agreement. He was staring into Castiel's sky blue eyes, where he could read all of his excitement. This was a plan that Castiel had had for a long time, but he had never told anyone before, and now, he was telling someone who cared. Dean did care. That much was evident by the way he was staring at Castiel. He had a half smile on his face as he watched Castiel talk, as if his excitement was contagious. Dean looked so happy in that moment; they both did, and Sam felt awful for interrupting it, but Dean had to go to work tomorrow, and so did Castiel.
"Ahem." Sam coughed, catching the attention of both Castiel and Dean who both turned their gazes to him wide eyed like deer in a headlight. Sam shot Dean an apologetic smile, but Dean hardly seemed to notice. He was just pulled out of what seemed to be a different world, and the same went for Castiel. They had not been in an ice cream parlor that entire time; they were inside of each other's eyes, and they had managed to lose themselves in the process, and now they were pulled back to reality by Sam's interruption.
"Mmm… yeah, Sam?" Dean said with a few slow blinks as he readjusted to that reality.
"Uhm…" It took Sam a moment to recollect his thoughts because he was a little bit shocked by how deeply involved in the conversion both Dean and Cas were. He cleared his throat in attempt to make his words clearer. "It's getting late, Dean. We really should be heading home." Sam sounded like he almost regretted saying it.
"Oh." Dean said with disappointment. He glanced over to the clock at the wall and read eleven o'clock. "I guess you're right." He said blankly. With a smile, he turned to Castiel. "Time flies by when you're having fun." He said jokingly, but it actually had. Dean had not noticed that they had been in the shop for over two hours, but he had gotten lost in Castiel's eyes, and that made all time irrelevant.
Castiel turned crimson red, and nodded simply in response. "I-it was fun. I enjoyed speaking with you." He stuttered.
"Me too." Dean said earnestly. "Let's do it again sometime." It almost sounded like a question, but it was not. It was a statement. It was as if Dean was too afraid that the answer would be no, so he did not allow Castiel to give an answer, but this all caused there to be an almost pleading sound to his voice.
"I would actually… Really like that." Castiel managed to choke. He definitely wanted to talk to Dean more often. He had found something in Dean like he had never found before: confidence, and he found that he really enjoyed it.
"Alright. I'll see you later." Dean replied smoothly as he gave Castiel a small wink and turned to leave the shop with no further words. The only sound was the small chime of the bell above the door.
Sam stood and watched Dean leave for a moment. He was not used to seeing Dean like that. Usually Dean was all parental or all fun: there was no in between, but now… He was something else entirely, and Sam could not quite say what. "It was nice meeting you." Sam said briefly to Castiel before following Dean out the door, leaving Castiel all alone yet again with only the incessant ticking of the fan on that increasingly humid summer night.
"So… Are you going to tell me what happened in there?" Sam teasingly pried for information from Dean as he sat in the passenger seat of the gently rumbling Impala.
"What is there to tell?" Dean replied casually while keeping his gaze locked on the road.
Sam's eyebrows lifted in amusement as a smile tugged at his lips. "Really?" His voice was drenched in sarcasm. "That was definitely not nothing. Dean, I haven't seen you look at someone like that since…" Sam trailed off as he tried to remember the last time that he had seen Dean look at someone like that, but he could not seem to recall one. Usually, Dean was not interested in long term relationships. He could not really maintain one with his lifestyle. He worked all hours of the day, and all of his money went to taking care of Sam. All of his energy went into that one task, so he did not really have the energy left over for an actual relationship. Plus, it just was not his style. That was not the way that Dean Winchester rolled.
Dean said nothing in response because his mind was flowing with thoughts. He was unsure of exactly what had happened in that ice cream shop, but it was something special. It was not just a quick and meaningless flirtation; it was something more.
"Did you give him your number?" Sam asked slyly when he noticed that he had hit home.
Dean took his eyes off of the road to give Sam a small almost menacing glare. "No. No I did not." He said simply without much emotion.
Sam raised an incredulous eyebrow. "But you give your number to anything that breathes." He replied with sarcasm and a semi-disguised shock ebbing from his voice. "I thought for sure with the way that you were looking at him…"
Dean shook his head dismissively. "It didn't feel right." He said simply. That was really the only way to put it. Castiel was socially anxious, and talking on a phone was probably just more uncomfortable than talking in person. Dean hated to admit it, but Sam had a point. He did flirt with anyone who he considered to be remotely attractive, and he did have a habit of giving out his number, but he did not want to do that to Castiel. He would not tell Sam, but Castiel seemed too special to degrade him into another one time flirtatious banter. Dean prefered to keep his feelings to himself, and this was no exception. "And I don't think that's true." Dean defended himself with little enthusiasm. "I only flirt with the cute ones."
"Right." Sam said with a sarcastic lift of his eyebrows. "I saw you leave something on the table." He confided. "What was that?" He asked sarcastically.
Dean stiffened slightly. "It… Was a tip. He needs all the tips he can get." He mumbled somberly.
"How much did you give him?" Sam asked curiously. Dean usually tipped waiters and waitresses with tips of winks, sweet talk, and the such, but apparently he had given an actual tip to the strange young man in the ice cream shop.
"Not enough." Dean muttered bitterly. He wanted to do more for Castiel; he really did. He seemed brilliant, and he could not go to school because he had to try and keep his mother alive, and his brothers seemed to hardly be around. He needed all of the help that he could get, but the unfortunate thing was that Dean could not afford to help him anymore than he had.
Sam was denied any further discussion of the topic as Dean turned on his classic rock station to drown out the surrounding world, leaving the Impala to rumble onwards in a forced silence.
Dean came over to the shop every night after that one. It became almost a routine. Dean got out of work at eight o'clock, and he would drive over and order something, or on some occasions just sit there and talk to Castiel. It was usually quite empty when Dean came into the shop, but when a customer came in, he patiently let Castiel take care of the customer.
"You really like cats then?" Dean asked with amusement ringing in his voice. He was seated at a booth to the side of the ordering counter, and he was talking to Castiel, who was scrubbing down the counter diligently.
"Yes, Dean. Cats are pleasant creatures. They don't ask for much. Why? You… Don't like them?" Castiel asked while focusing on a drop of ice cream that had hardened on the counter. He increased his force on the structure as he began to wrestle with the surface's imperfection.
"They're okay I guess. They're cute and all, but I'm kind of allergic." Dean said cooly with a shrug.
"Oh." Castiel said as he looked up from the counter in realization. "That's too bad." He sounded as if he truly pitied Dean because of his lack of medical tolerance for cats. "I want a cat someday." He found himself blurting out. "Yes. I want a cat - a nice one too, really fluffy and sweet. I want a cat that will just sit with me and let me hold it, and it will not ask me to do anything that I'm uncomfortable with." Castiel said firmly.
Dean nodded his agreement. "So cats are your spirit animal,huh?" He let out a small laugh as Castiel gave him a shy nod in response. "That's nice. Yeah, that's real nice." Dean said approvingly. He paused for a moment. He had wanted to do this before, but he had been afraid of scaring Castiel away.
"Cas…" Dean had gotten accustomed to calling Castiel by that nickname, and Castiel had said that he 'could learn to not hate it.' "I… Well… Heck, I've never been this nervous about this kind of thing before…" Dean said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, which earned him a curious gaze from Cas. He never had had a problem with this before, but this was different; this was Castiel Novak, and that made all the difference. Dean cleared his throat before he continued. "Would you like to go out sometime?" He let the words spill out of his mouth as he turned all of his focus to Cas.
Castiel had to force his mouth not to drop open. No one, not any one, had asked him out before. Being wanted was a new feeling to Castiel. Who would have wanted him around anyway? Why would anyone in their right mind want to go out with someone as socially impaired as him? He could not understand it. Sure, he could understand mitosis and osmosis, but understanding Dean Winchester's desire to actually go out with him on a date…? That seemed impossible. It could not happen, not even in his dreams. Dean was a rugged, sly looking man, and Castiel had admitted to himself that he found him to be rather attractive; he could have anyone that he wanted, but he was asking out him? "W-what?" Was the only word Cas could manage to blurt out in his state of shock.
Dean tried to hide his disappointment, but his voice was still edged with hurt. "Oh. Well, If you don't want to, that's fine too." He tried to sound as neutral as possible with a small indifferent shrug.
"N-no!" That was not what Cas had meant at all. "I was just surprised. I mean…. Why me?" Castiel asked seriously. He needed to know, and he wanted to too. If there was something worthwhile in himself, Castiel wanted to know what it was.
Dean's face distorted slightly with thought while his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed only the slightest bit. "I guess I just really like you." He said honestly without trying to over dramaticize the event. He did not want to lose his collected composure, and so far, he was maintaining it pretty well.
Castiel was shocked into silence for a brief period of time. How do I respond to that? Does he mean that, or am I just another stop on the bus? "Really?" Castiel asked skeptically.
Dean let out a chuckle of amusement. He knew what this meant. Cas was doubting him. Of course he is. I mean, I would too. I guess I do give off that player kind of vibe. That meant Dean would have to prove it to him, and that meant dropping his cool attitude, but even worse, it meant expressing emotion, which he preferred to keep to himself because he felt that no one else needed the burden of his feelings. "I…" He tried to find the words to phrase his statement without it becoming a chick flick moment, which he despised with every fiber of his being. "You're different, okay? I mean, heck, as soon as I first looked at you, I knew there was something different. There's just something about you that sets you aside from everyone else that I've ever been with."
Castiel absorbed his words and pondered them momentarily. He could not believe it. He knew that he was different, but he had never thought that to be a good thing. Now it was? Now Castiel gave Dean some sort of different feeling, and that was why Dean was so interested in him? Interested in me. Dean is interested in me. This ruggedly attractive man is interested in me… But… That's not right. This must be a dream. Castiel began to shake his head as if he were trying to wake himself up. This would never happen. Who would want me? I'm useless, a reject, and a good for nothing. Why would he want me more than any of the other people he could possibly have? "Y-you… I…" Castiel stammered as he tried to find the words to respond, but he could not. The whole thought was entirely new to his brain, and he did not know what to do with it.
Dean leaned into the booth to get closer to Cas. "Hey. Look at me." He commanded patiently but firmly.
Slowly, Cas turned his gaze to Dean with confusion and distress clear in his gaze. Dean read his eyes and gave an understanding nod. "I do think you're interesting." He assured him. "And I am real." He added in a joking tone. "And I do like you." He finished smoothly as he leaned back from the booth counter with a sly smile.
"I…" Castiel was astounded. It is true. This is real. No matter what he said to himself, it did not seem real. Even if it is fake, I might as well enjoy it while I have it. "I like you too." Cas managed to say with a fair share of confidence, but his voice was still soft, and Dean figured that it always would be, but he did not mind; he actually liked it; it sounded sweetly innocent.
"Good." Dean said with a triumphant grin. "I'll come by after work tomorrow, and we can go out after you close up shop." He replied without any hesitation as he stood up to leave.
"Wait, Dean." Cas said as soon as he saw Dean get up. "Do you have to go already?" He sounded like a child who did not want to go to sleep - pleading and almost whiny.
A smile spread across Dean's face when Castiel said his name. There was nothing quite like the way Cas said his name; he said it like it would be the last time he could ever say it, and it felt so endearing. Dean glanced up at the clock pretending to check the time. He did not care what time it was. He was not going to leave Cas if he wanted him to stay. "I guess I could stay a while longer." Dean said decisively after a few moments staring at the clock.
Castiel soon had a smile to match Dean's as he realized that Dean did care. He could have been any where at that moment, but he chose to be there with him, and that made him happier than most anything he could remember.