Early on the morning of December 10th, snow falls heavily and peacefully on the streets of Washington DC, outside the closely built historical apartments that look as if they were once a large mansion and was renovated into small real estate, keeping the exteriors they previously had. Inside the small white apartment on the corner of Logan Circle, Castiel Novak sleeps peacefully in his queen sized mattress, decorated with tan sheets that match comfortably with the plain white walls.

For such a busy area, it's fairly quiet outside and inside Castiel's apartment. Aside from the sound of the light blow of the wind, the soft taps of the snow landing outside, and the occasional vehicle passing by; the sleeping man's light breathing filled the silent room.

Anyone that did not know Castiel, would think he died in his sleep he slept so soundly. Though, he was a very light sleeper.

Breaking the silence of the room, Castiel's ringtone broke out into song, playing Carryon Wayward Son by Kansas. It was a strange ringtone, others thought, but it suited him. The sleeping man jolted awake, letting out a loud gasp and sitting up rapidly. Quickly calming himself at the recognition of the song, he turned to his phone, picking it up off the dresser. On the lit up screen, it displayed the name "Gabriel"; his brother. Castiel sighed and pressed his finger against the green answer button on the touch screen and raised the phone to his ear. "Hello, Gabriel." His voice was gravely and heavy with sleep. As soon as he spoke, a yawn forced itself from his throat coming out loud enough for the man on the other end of the phone to hear.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo!" Gabriel exclaimed over the speaker as he popped a Hershey's kiss into his mouth. Gabriel was big on sweets. "You're finally old enough to drink!" he joked, laughing to himself as he chewed happily on his candy.

"Yes, I know. But do you know what time it is?" Castiel asked bitterly, another yawn forcing his jaw to open again.

Gabriel glanced up at the digital clock on his stove and cleared his throat; it read 6am. "Yes, do you know what time it is?" he shot back playfully, his voice sly and cheerful as usual.

Castiel sighed softly and hung his head down, looking to his feet that he had slid over the side of the bed so he could sit up. "I heard that Cassy." Gabriel snickered. Castiel could almost hear him squinting. "I'm coming over, 20 minutes; I've got a present for you." He announced, since his brother didn't fill the silence.

Castiel sighed again, this time with a small groan at the nickname 'Cassy', his body falling backward onto the bed. "Fine, but I don't see why you're coming so early."

"Because Cassy, we're getting wasted tonight; and your present takes place tonight so you simply cannot make me come later. I'll see you in twenty." Without another word, Gabriel hung up, leaving Castiel in his drowsy silence.

Damn that nickname. He thought to himself, pushing his body up and returning the phone on the dresser. Castiel was used to Gabriel's instant and uncalled for hang-up's; he was his brother after all.

Castiel stood up, the blankets falling from his lap revealing his blue and black plaid boxers that he slept in, and the rest of his loosely fitting plain white t-shirt. Castiel wasn't much for color.

He sighed loudly and slowly walked toward the bathroom, arms outstretched in front of him, flexing his muscles which partially showed underneath his shirt. As he approached the round frameless mirror that hung solemnly on the white oak wood walls, he locked eyes with the sapphire hues before him. The man in the mirror was almost like a stranger to him with his scruffy dark brown hair that almost appeared black, the small amount of facial hair that must have grown in the last day or two on his jaw, chin and upper lip, and his slightly rounded box shaped face. Castiel sighed softly to himself, his tired eyes turning to the tall, light gray tiled, walk-in shower that sat at the end of room, filling the back wall. His body followed suit and he began to move across the room over the cool tile floor toward the end wall.

He stopped outside the glass door in the center of the large glass pane that separated the shower from the rest of the room and opened it slowly, the door swinging toward the wall inside. His hands pulled away from the handle of the glass door, and moved back toward his body, grabbing on to his white shirt at the hem and pulling it over his head, revealing the rest of his well-toned, pale torso. The muscles on his back were the most defined on his entire body, showing evidence that he was a swimmer or a runner.

Castiel's hands then moved down to his hips, his fingers hooking in the elastic of his boxers. He slowly pulled them down and removed them from his pale body, revealing well-toned thighs as well, and more evidence of his athletic abilities. Dropping his boxers on top of his shirt that laid on the floor beside him, he stepped into the shower, the floor slightly damp and cooler than the bathroom's tile flooring. He reached with his right hand and grabbed the handle of the glass door, pulling it shut carefully, shutting himself away from the rest of the room.

The air in his shower was much colder than the rest of the apartment, making goose bumps form on his arms and legs and causing him to shake slightly from the cold. Quickly, he turned to the single handle to turn the water on, twisting it to the right past "cold" and to the area where it read "hot". The water trickled from the faucet above his head slowly, gurgling softly and then pouring out in a waterfall sort of fashion, drenching him with warm water. The feeling of the water over his skin was calming, tempting him to fall asleep. Refusing to rest, he snapped awake and grabbed the soap, he needed to hurry up if he was planning on making breakfast.