This one is YET ANOTHER Destiel getting-together fic. I'm addicted to writing these, I swear. Also I really need to write Charlie more, I adore her. I really became attached to my OCs in this one too.
Anyway, obviously this is non-canon-compliant since this is an alternate 'Charlie meets Castiel' scenario. Plus it doesn't neatly fit into the canon timeline anywhere, as far as I can see. Occurs after 'LARP and the Real Girl', I guess, but before the end of Season 8. Whatever, I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much!
Disclaimer: I have only played Munchkin once so I'm sorry if my portrayal of the game is in any way inaccurate. Or if it's unheard of in America. Here in Australia it's a fairly common geeky game :)
"Come on, it'll be fun!"
Sam glanced across at his brother where he suspiciously eyed the phone lying on the table. Charlie's bubbly voice was chirping out of it with such enthusiasm that it made the cracked surface of the breakfast diner table vibrate under his hands. Rolling his eyes at Dean's reluctance, Sam spoke for them all, assuming as usual that Castiel would be fine with following them around. The angel sat next to Dean, watching the phone with interest.
"We'd love to, Charlie. Be a nice break."
"Nerdy shit..." muttered Dean. Sam mouthed for him to shut up but Charlie had heard him. She scoffed loudly down the line.
"Whatever, Lord LARP. You love it." With that she hung up, leaving Sam grinning, Dean shaking his head wearily and Cas smiling vaguely between them both. He spoke first.
"So we're going to visit Charlie? I'll get to meet her?" He sounded pleased at the prospect, which was reasonable as both his best friends had spoken very fondly of the young woman. Sam grinned and nodded as Dean finally cracked a smile.
"Yeah, I guess it'll be a laugh," he shrugged. Sam was relieved. The last hunt hadn't gone so great and they'd been unable to save a high school kid from being killed. Dean had been quiet and moody for the few days since. An excursion to Charlie's place was exactly what they needed to wash away the sadness of recent events. Besides, they hadn't seen her new house.
It was only a day's drive to where Charlie had settled herself into a new IT job, a new share house and a new D&D group. They cruised up her pleasant, leafy little street in the early evening, several boxes of pizza and a case of beer sitting next to Cas on the back seat.
Charlie opened the door with a bright exclamation and an even brighter Mario Kart t shirt. She pulled both brothers into tight hugs before squealing at Cas, who hovered shyly in the doorway, loaded down with pizza and beer which Sam and Dean quickly took from him.
"Oh my God!" she giggled, throwing her arms around his neck before leaping back in horror. "Oh, Jesus, I'm sorry. Oh, crap, I did it again!"
Sam and Dean burst out laughing and even Cas broke into a rare grin, shaking his head, blue eyes twinkling. "It's alright, I don't often take offence at verbal blasphemy. It's nice to meet you, Charlie. I'm Castiel."
Charlie beamed up at him, hands on her hips. "I know who you are, don't worry! The boys talk about you all the time."
Cas's eyes widened and flickered momentarily to Dean before he looked back at the smirking redhead, who pretended not to notice the reaction. She clapped her hands and whirled around, leading them up the slightly cluttered hallway towards a half open door.
"Come join the party, bitches!"
"Party?" Dean repeated sceptically. She smiled wryly at him before pushing the door fully open.
"Well, I use the term loosely," she amended as they all entered the cosy, messy lounge area, dominated and almost entirely lit by an enormous TV which was playing 'Red Dwarf', although that could hardly be heard over the heavy metal playing through several sets of speakers. Four people were arranged on the leather corner sofa, three of them poring over a low coffee table and one of them curled around a phone. Charlie picked up a remote and turned the music and TV down, catching the attention of the three people at the table but not the man glued to his phone.
"Sam, Dean, Cas, meet my two roomies and their brother and best friend and boyfriend and barely tolerated acquaintance."
All three newcomers stared blankly at her, clearly having no idea which person fit which category, but she continued unperturbed. "This is Cam, Lucas, Tyler and Aamir. Guys, these hotties are the Winchester brothers and their wingman Castiel."
She winked obviously at that point, clearly pleased at her pun. Sam groaned, Dean stared her down and Cas cocked his head in polite confusion, before all three men turned their attention to the people they'd just been introduced to.
Cam was a petite young woman with dark hair, shaved on one side and sitting in styled curls on the other to just below her pointed chin. She had a sunny smile and an eyebrow piercing. Pressed comfortably to her side was Lucas, a handsome man with thickly lashed doe eyes and a sarcastic arch to his dark eyebrows. He'd saluted flippantly as his name was spoken, a lazy smile on his lips. Tyler was fair haired and lanky, slumped forward with a beer cradled in his long fingers, blue eyes wide and friendly as he grinned at them. Aamir was the man hunched tensely over his phone, his thick black brows drawn together behind his equally thick black spectacle frames. He was the only one not to look up.
"Aamir!" repeated Charlie loudly, picking up a stained playing card from the table and flicking it at him. It struck his fingers and he flinched, glaring at her.
"What?" he asked in a strained voice. Charlie gestured impatiently to their guests and he gave a quick, forced smile as he nodded at them before returning obsessively to his phone, muttering as he typed furiously. Charlie sighed.
"Messaging his girlfriend Rosie," she explained. "They have a very dramatic relationship. Mir is a very dramatic guy."
Aamir spared her a sour look as he continued to type. "I'm not the dramatic one. You haven't met Rosie, she's a fucking psycho, I'm the sane one."
"Dump her then!" said Charlie, as though she'd said it quite a few times before. Aamir fixed her with a wounded glare.
"You don't even know her!" With that, he returned his attention to his phone, gasping indignantly at whatever was written there. Charlie waved her hands in the air and turned away from him. Sam was looking mildly amused, Cas more confused than ever and Dean was eyeing Aamir's phone with faint alarm in his eyes. The moment of quiet was broken by Cam's cry of dismay; Sam, Dean and Cas whirled around but found that she was staring down at some kind of card game on the coffee table, grey eyes wide with disappointment. Beside her, Lucas was doubled over in laughter and Tyler was grinning into his beer.
"You asshole!" she accused the man next to her, but a smile broke through the words as she leaned back in her seat, running a hand through her hair. Lucas sat back too, smiling smugly at her. He reached up and ran a teasing finger down her cheek.
"Aw, don't cry now..."
"Fuck off," she laughed.
Tyler chuckled from Lucas's other side. "Sorry, Cammie, Luke beat you fair and square. He is kinda a champion at Munchkin."
Lucas flung both his arms around Cam and Tyler and ruffled their hair simultaneously, laughing again. "Why, thank you, that is so true!"
Cas was smiling at all the affection and Charlie grinned widely at him. She jerked her head towards the couch and rolled her eyes. "Always seem to get stuck in a house with a couple hanging around. Then there's me, forever alone."
"Yeah, tragic," snorted Sam. He set the pizza down on a clear corner of the table, flipping open the top lid and grabbing a slice. There was a clamour of movement as everyone except Cam leaned or scrambled forward to claim a piece. Charlie held a piece in her mouth and pulled the bottom box out, handing it to the other woman. She smiled and opened it, lifting a piece of vegetarian out and biting off half in one go. Dean eyed the vegetarian pizza with disapproval as he munched on his pepperoni. Cas peered at the pizza with vague interest, hands in his pockets.
"So," said Charlie after swallowing her mouthful. "You guys know how to play Munchkin?"
Almost an hour later, Sam was sitting in the corner chatting to an emotionally exhausted Aamir while Dean and Cas faced off in a showdown, both having proven to possess a flair for the card game. Cam sat with her feet in Lucas's lap, swigging on a beer, and Tyler appeared to be half-dozing with his head on Lucas's shoulder, his cards forgotten in one slack hand. Charlie was cross legged on the floor by the table, watching with rapt attention.
Dean's cry of triumph was perfectly justified, but the leaping off of his bean bag and fist pumping the air was a little overdone. Cas smiled fondly up at him, clearly not bothered by the loss; Charlie grinned between them, catching Cam's eye and smirking. Dean caught the look as he sat back down, still inordinately pleased with himself.
"What's that for? You girls up to no good?" he teased, opening his eighth beer. He was starting to feel slightly drunk, but nothing major. Charlie shrugged coyly and winked at him. He chuckled. "Ah, you know I love a bad girl, Charlie!"
"Hell yeah," chimed in a now-awake Tyler, raising his own can and almost hitting Lucas in the face in the process. He snorted an apology into the other man's shoulder as Dean grinned his approval at the toast.
"Clearly a man with tastes to match my own," he proclaimed, pointing at Tyler. To his confusion, everyone at the table except Cas snickered in response. He frowned at them but decided to ignore it, glancing instead at his angel friend. Cas seemed unaware of the conversation around him, engrossed in the Munchkin instruction leaflet, hair mussed from when Dean had ruffled it affectionately earlier and tie gone because Charlie had wanted to wear it. His full lips were parted as he read fast, blue eyes skimming over the small print. Dean didn't realise that he was staring until Charlie shoved his knee.
"Earth to Dean!" He flushed as he looked across at her and she raised a slim auburn eyebrow knowingly. "Distracted?"
He shrugged and gave a fake laugh, pretending not to know what she was talking about. Casting around for a distraction, he turned to the trio draped over the couch, addressing Cam and Lucas. "So, how long have you guys been together?"
Everyone fell silent and Dean got one of the most puzzled looks he had ever received in his life from Cam, along with one of disbelief from Lucas. He glanced at Charlie in confusion, but her expression was even stranger: it was almost pitying. He turned back to Cam and Lucas, nonplussed.
"Dean," said Cam after a long pause, amusement starting to show in her eyes. "Lucas is my twin brother."
Dean felt his stomach twist. He could feel Cas's eyes upon him and oddly, he felt more embarrassed by that than by Lucas's growing smirk.
"Well, shit. Sorry about that, my mistake," he croaked out when he found his voice. Cam shrugged, grinning now. Dean could see that her smile was practically identical to Lucas's, along with their similar noses and hair the exact same shade of deepest brown. Of course they were brother and sister, how could he not see it? He turned accusingly to Charlie, pointing his beer can at her, still refusing to look at Cas. "You said they were a couple!"
Charlie covered her face with one hand, groaning into her palm before looking back up at him to speak through her splayed fingers. "Oh my God, Dean, you are so hopeless. I was pointing at Lucas and Tyler, you doofus!"
Dean slowly turned back to look at Lucas and Tyler, feeling his skin prickle with humiliation. Again, now that he was looking properly it was glaringly obvious. Tyler was leaning into Lucas's side, head nestled on his shoulder, while Lucas had his arm slung behind Tyler as if it belonged there. Both men were staring at him with raised eyebrows, coolly amused. Dean opened his mouth to apologise but instead came out with something akin to an accusation, directed at Tyler, which he knew as soon as he said it was only making him seem more dense.
"But you said stuff about chicks, man, you even mentioned an ex girlfriend earlier..."
He trailed off, cheeks hot. The three on the couch frowned at him, but it was Cas who responded first.
"It's called bisexuality, Dean." Dean whipped his head around to meet narrowed azure eyes, fixed on him with unwavering concentration. "I'm sure you've heard of it. It's really not very unusual."
Dean swallowed at the odd, almost annoyed undertone to Cas's voice and that strange intensity in his eyes. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the angel with difficulty, refocusing on Lucas and Tyler. "I know that. Yeah, sorry, I know that."
Tyler smiled kindly at him. "Nah, it's OK, man. And actually, I felt like I was totally straight before I met Luke. So I'm not sure if I even count as bi, if he's the only guy I've ever, you know, liked."
Dean raised his eyebrows, interested despite himself in this new information. "Can that happen?"
Tyler shrugged and twisted his head to glance up at Lucas, affection shining from his usually mild eyes. "Well, it happened to me. It's like a gender preference exception or something. I like women, I've really only ever liked women, but then I met this guy and voila, gay panic! Guess it proves that nothing can ever really guarantee who you fall for."
Lucas grinned and ruffled Tyler's hair again for the fifth time that evening, fingers tangling possessively in the silky strands. "Can't help it if I'm irresistible."
Dean's wide eyes flickered between the two men with rapt attention and he forced a polite smile to cover up his inner confusion, sipping from his beer. Cam leaned forward from her spot on the couch, her expression speculative.
"Haven't you ever met a guy you felt some kind of attraction to, Dean? Most of us have those experiences. Charlie is as gay as they come but she has a total crush on the guy across the street."
"He has really nice hair and he's read all the Star Wars books! I mean, come on..." Charlie's protests sounded faint in Dean's ears as he gazed blankly at Cam, face warm, an odd combination of doubt and shame and hope twisting his gut. He shrugged and took another sip of his drink. The weight of Cas's stare felt hot and heavy on him, but this wasn't even just about Cas. This was years of suppressed feelings and fortified denial being casually questioned like it didn't even matter. But it did matter, although Dean had never quite pinpointed why. He turned to look at Charlie, forcing himself with great difficulty not to meet Cas's eyes on the way, and asked quietly where the bathroom was. He had to get out of there.
Placing his beer on the table, he practically jumped to his feet and darted out of the room, almost jogging to the bathroom at the end of the hall. He locked the door behind him and leaned against it, eyes closed and head spinning, swearing under his breath. This was ridiculous. He wasn't panicking, not at all. He was just embarrassed at his faux pas and the beer had gone to his head.
He actually did need to pee and he stared blankly at the toilet cistern as he did so, calming his breathing and telling himself to get a fucking grip. So some straight dude was actually gay, or bi or whatever. So maybe gender wasn't all that important for some people when it came to who they were into. Some people, but not necessarily him. He got confused about his own feelings sometimes, that was all. Nodding to himself, Dean zipped up and washed his hands thoroughly, scrubbing hard at the skin. He splashed some water on his face, trying to sober up, then wiped it dry on the hand towel. OK. He was ready to go back.
Opening the door decisively, Dean came face to face with a worried Castiel. He froze and stared at the angel, who cocked his head and simply said: "Dean."
Dean let out a huff of breath, angry that his heart was hammering and his skin warming. His answer was harsh and snappish, nothing like Cas's gentle tone of voice. "What?"
Cas stepped closer and Dean inhaled sharply, knowing he should make a remark about personal space but unable to speak. Cas was gazing into his eyes with clear concern. "You seemed upset. I came to see if there was anything I could do."
Dean snorted and spoke without thinking. "You've done enough."
He regretted it straight away; Cas blinked, looking hurt and confused. Dean groaned under his breath and shook his head, sighing and glancing away.
"I didn't mean... Cas, it's OK, I'm fine. No need to check on me -" Dean stopped abruptly. He'd been shutting the bathroom door as he spoke before turning back around and trying to sidestep the angel. But Cas moved at the same time to let him pass and they ended up almost nose to nose, with Dean's hand automatically placed on Cas's elbow to move him aside.
They stared at each other for a long moment and the tension built at a frightening pace, each waiting for the other to break it. Dean felt weak and resigned, like he'd been taking a beating and he was unable to fight back any more. He usually got pissed off and prickly at this point but the incident with Tyler had gotten under his skin, messed up his defence mechanisms. He let his gaze drift from Cas's wide blue eyes to his parted mouth, past caring if he was being obvious. The mouth moved and Dean heard his name uttered in a questioning whisper, barely audible. He gave in, too weary to resist.
When his lips touched Cas's he felt suddenly light and warm, as though a weight had been lifted and replaced with sunlight on his skin. He sighed into the kiss, bringing up his other hand to grip Cas's upper arms and gently draw him closer. Cas seemed slightly stiff with shock but he made an odd, sweet sound as Dean's mouth pressed against his. His hands crept up to settle against Dean's ribcage and he tilted his head again, this time to move his lips hesitantly against the human's.
It was a short kiss, but it seemed bound up in an endless, still silence which cocooned the two of them. Dean was smiling slightly as he drew back, the tension gone from his shoulders, but then he blinked and Cas saw the smile begin to disappear from his eyes.
Desperate not to lose the moment, the angel brought his hands up to frame Dean's face and kissed him again, harder this time, hearing Dean's muffled sound of protest and ignoring it. He remembered the pizza man and tried that on Dean, parting and moving his lips passionately against a mouth frozen in surprise, pressing their bodies together, his self-control slipping. He'd wanted this for so long, and if there was a chance that Dean wanted it too... But even in his frantic mind he registered that it had been several seconds, and Dean hadn't kissed him back. Loosening his hands, he accepted failure and made to move away, shame already colouring his cheeks.
Without much warning, Cas found himself pushed back against the wall, Dean's tongue in his mouth. Cas squeaked and then moaned breathlessly at the unexpected response, feeling one of Dean's hands bury itself in his hair and then slide around to cup his neck. The other had a fistful of his coat and jacket. Dean was pinning him bodily to the wall, kissing him aggressively with years of pent up frustration and desire behind the action. The difference between their first kiss and this one made the angel's head spin, but he found that he wanted more. His hands roamed Dean's back before yanking up both layers of shirt, mindlessly seeking bare skin to touch.
Dean arched into him and broke the kiss, swearing roughly against Cas's mouth as strong fingers dug into the muscles of his back. Cas was in a daze, darkened eyes fluttering open then closed again. He softly kissed Dean once more, bringing one hand up to run through the human's short hair. Moaning, Dean broke away again only to bury his face in Cas's neck, sucking greedily at the soft skin on the side. Cas gasped brokenly at the ceiling, overwhelmed and mildly shocked at his own feelings of lust. He'd felt pricklings of desire and had half-formed sexual thoughts before, usually about Dean, but this was on a whole other level. Kissing Meg was nothing compared to this. He let out a shuddering breath against Dean's ear and murmured his name, voice thick with longing. Dean swore again against Cas's skin and brought their mouths back together as he pulled Cas with him towards a doorway...
"Oh, hell no, you guys are not having sex in my room."
They broke apart with a small yelp on Dean's part to see Charlie standing in the hallway a few feet from them, arms folded and eyebrows raised. Cas stood flushed and panting, glancing at Dean, who was staring at the redhead in horror, his own skin pleasantly pink-tinged and his breathing ragged. "What the fuck, Charlie? How long were you standing there?"
She shrugged airily. "Not long, I just didn't want to ruin a moment that was clearly way overdue. But letting my adoptive brother bang an angel of the Lord in my bed? Sorry, that's where I draw the line."
Cas shifted uncomfortably, scared that the blunt phrasing would trigger Dean's defensiveness about the whole situation. He'd come to know and anticipate Dean's behaviour over the years. Quite regularly, Dean said or did something that caused a spark of hopeful excitement in Cas. Sometimes he held his gaze for longer than usual when they smiled at each other or let his hands linger when he touched him. Whenever these moments occurred, Dean would predictably retreat into his tough persona, avoiding contact with Cas and treating him with a forced coolness. It had become an old and familiar pattern. If the pattern held then Cas wasn't sure how great the cost of kissing Dean might be. Would he pretend it never happened or would it be enough to totally sever the friendship they'd built up? Cas felt sick at the thought and he closed his eyes, sure that whatever came next would not be pleasant. They flashed open again in shock at Dean's next words.
"Fair enough, time we left anyway. Is it alright if Sam stays here tonight?"
Cas stared at Dean in amazement as Charlie raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. "Uh... wow. Of course. I'll come grab his things from the car now if you want to, uh, get away quickly."
Dean nodded, swallowing hard. He glanced at Cas and there was a moment of doubt and panic in his eyes, but it faded as they met the angel's deep blue gaze. He managed a cocky grin and jerked his head towards the door. "You wanna leave?"
The hope in his voice was obvious. Cas broke into a relieved smile and nodded firmly. Dean's eyes softened for a moment before he turned and led the way out of the door, not looking at Charlie as she smirked at him all the way to the car. He sorted out Sam's toiletries and some of his clothes, piling them into a spare plastic bag intended for laundry. Passing this off to Charlie, he scowled at her smug face and cheeky wink. She turned to Cas, who was leaning quietly against the passenger door, and tugged his tie over her head to return to him.
"Make sure you have protection, yeah?" she stage-whispered at him. He frowned at her, ignoring Dean's mortified expression in the background.
"I have my angel blade," he responded, his confusion increasing when Charlie dissolved into giggles. She glanced back at Dean as she walked back towards the house.
"He is totally a keeper," she informed him, her eyes serious. He slammed the trunk shut and said nothing, but the hint of a smile played across his face. Slowly, fiddling with his keys, he walked up to where Cas still stood by the car, only raising his nervous green eyes when he came to a stop. Cas gazed up at him softly in the dim glow of the streetlight, waiting. Dean sighed and scratched the back of his neck, shrugging.
"Do you... do you wanna go get a drink with me?"
Cas frowned slightly, cocking his head. "A drink? Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I was under the impression that we were going to have sex."
Dean froze, eyes popping. He inhaled deeply before replying. "Yeah, I can see where you got that idea. Um, yeah. I guess that was the... Jesus, I don't know. I guess I'm trying to ask you out properly? Shit..."
Dean passed a slightly shaking hand over his face and Cas realised, with some surprise, that the man was utterly terrified. He felt a smile creep onto his face but pushed it back, wanting to help Dean.
"You're 'asking me out'?" he asked gently. "As in, asking me to enter into a romantic relationship with you?"
Dean lowered his hand and scratched the back of his neck again, harder this time. His eyes darted around before finally returning to the angel and he nodded stiffly, looking mildly nauseous. His face relaxed a little as Cas broke into a beaming grin and nodded in return, far more enthusiastically.
"I'd like that very, very much, Dean. And I would also like to have a drink with you, if that's customary. I'm sorry I assumed that we would have sex; if you'd rather not then that is perfectly-"
"No! No, I'd rather would. I mean, I'd like to do that too. I mean, like, if you want."
They stared at each other for a moment before they both laughed softly, leaning forward simultaneously to touch foreheads. Dean reached forward, shyly, and entwined their fingers together, unable to keep the smile off his face despite the fear still twitching in his chest. He thought of Tyler and Lucas and wondered if Tyler felt this scared when he realised that he was falling for a man. He thought of how happy they looked together now. He thought of the years of friendship behind himself and Cas, all leading up to this impossible, amazing moment.
"Let's go get that drink," he murmured.
FIN
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
Obviously I stole the angel blade line because it is hilarious and was literally the only positive thing to come out of the whole Cas/April bullshit.
I'm thinking I'd like to write a spin-off about Charlie's friends, particularly Lucas/Tyler? I just really like them, even if that's a bit vain of me since they're my OCs. Would anyone be interested in reading that? I'll probably do it anyway but it'd be nice to think that there's an audience for it.