Hey everyone, this is my first Destiel so please go easy on me! It can also be found on AO3 using this link /works/885316/chapters/1706222#comments

This story is based on the novel 'The Ingredients of Love' by Nicolas Barraeu.

I Hope you enjoy it so far!

Disclaimer: the characters in this story do not belong to me, they are property of the writers and creators of Supernatural. The original storyline belongs to Nicolas Barraeu.

In a small café located in an alley on the outskirts of central London, a young man stood; cursing the day he was born as he stood facing the man currently fuming in front of him.

"For Christ's sake Castiel! What in God's name am I supposed to do with this much Tuna?" the man growled. Running a hand through his thick black hair, he let out a frustrated huff of air.

"How should I know, Crowley? You asked for Tuna for today's menu so I brought you Tuna!" His voice was rising, only moments away from reaching what his best friend Anna dubbed 'unstable catlady Cas.' Whatever. It had been a stressful day and this argument was the final straw. "I've done my part, do whatever you want with it. I've got more important things to do, like RUN THIS CAFÉ." There it was, the voice. A not-so-friendly reminder that he needed to leave before he did something that would wind up with him getting handcuffed, and not in the good way.

Shooting one last glare at Crowley and the rest of the kitchen staff, who had long since abandoned their work to watch their argument, he turned and strode out of the café and began to make his way home.

Castiel Novak considered himself a kind and fair man, it was unusual for him to snap at his employees or lose his temper so quickly over something so trivial. In the past he would have rolled his eyes and made some comment about where Crowley could shove the rest of his tuna, but things were different now.

Castiel's father had been his hero, his best friend and mentor all in one. After Castiel's mother passed when he was a child, his father squared his shoulders and pushed through his grief to become the person Castiel could turn to with anything. It was exactly one month ago that Charles died from a heart attack, leaving Castiel with the second most important thing in his life- the café he poured his heart and soul into, named after Castiel's mother Rosa, café L'amour de Rosa.

As for Castiel, he was left broken and grieving for the man who gave him everything in life. The man who taught him how to bake not just plain food but art, who taught him to be the type of man who treats everyone as a friend and an equal because they may need someone to brighten their day and acknowledge their worth. And most importantly, he was the man who embraced his son and told him that he would never stop being proud of him and loving him, even when Castiel came to him one day shaking and sweating with nerves and told his father he was gay. Castiel lost his world the day Charles died.

So, Castiel thought; it was perfectly understandable for him to be touchy today. His father was gone and Castiel was going to ruin the café and his father's legacy. His day had been one problem after another; he missed his bus and had to walk in the rain to the café, then his produce supplier phoned to tell him he had gone out of business, so now they will have no fresh fruit or vegetables until they find a new one. Finally, there was Crowley and his damn fish.

Reaching his front door, Castiel could feel himself relax. All he needed was some quiet time to unwind and let all the stress of the day leave him. Maybe some sex. That always helped.

Thinking of sex made Castiel smile as he thought of his gorgeous boyfriend, Balthazar. They'd met one day when Castiel was dealing with a hangover from hell. Anna had taken him out the night before and gotten him absolutely trashed. He hadn't been that drunk for a while, so clearly he needed to remind himself why he didn't make it a habit.

He had been sitting on a park bench staring at his coffee like it could provide him with all the happiness in the world, which at the time was quite likely, when a shadow fell across the seat that he was sitting on. Squinting and cursing the harsh sunlight, he looked up to see who had come to disturb his valuable time with what he was currently referring to as the Elixir of the Gods.

He was met with clear blue eyes and a far too cocky smirk. The man stuck out his hand, winked and said "Hello love, couldn't help but notice from over there how simply gorgeous you are. I'm Balthazar, mind if I sit?"

Castiel, still not functioning on all cylinders just nodded dumbly back at him, he'd agreed to a date before he'd finished his coffee.

Placing his keys on the kitchen counter, Castiel shrugged off his coat and headed upstairs. A nice hot bath sounded like the perfect way to unwind. The apartment was quiet. Normally Balthazar would have been spread out in front of the TV or banging around doing God knows what upstairs, but Balthazar must have been out with some of his friends. Well, wherever he was, Castiel was going to make the most of the peace and quiet while he could.

The cool air woke Castiel in the tub where he must have drifted off, the stress of the day and the hot water lulling him to a much-needed sleep. Rubbing his eyes he looked at his watch, six o'clock already! He must have slept for longer than he'd thought. Frowning, he wondered why the apartment was still so silent. Balthazar never seemed to mind waking him up with his noisy stomping, so why should today be any different? He had to have come home by now.

After checking his phone for any messages, Castiel made his way out of the tub, grabbing a towel on the way downstairs. The silence wasn't so peaceful now. Instead, it was making him feel uneasy. There was no reason for Balthazar to not be home, and he hadn't contacted Castiel to tell him he would be out late so where was he?

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Castiel's gaze landed on a folded up note that was left on the kitchen table. He must have just missed it when he walked through earlier, too much on his mind at the time. Relief flooded though him as he scolded himself for jumping to conclusions and panicking.

Reaching for the note, he unfolded it and began to read:

Dear Cassie,

So sorry this had to happen, you've been such a good time these past months. However I'm afraid it cannot go on. You see, I've gone and fallen in love. I know, such bad timing but I know you'll understand, you always were into all that true love nonsense.

Take care of yourself Cassie,

Balthazar

Castiel re-read the note three times before it begun to sink in, Balthazar was gone. Left him for another man. Never coming back. Castiel felt his knees start to buckle and grabbed the counter for support before sliding to the floor, hands clutching the note and tears rolling down his cheeks.