This was the third time Cas had scene the boy with the green eyes. The third time that week, actually. And he'd done the same thing pretty much every time: He went to the back of the book store, pulled the same book off the shelf and started reading where he'd left off the day before. Part of Cas wondered why he didn't just buy the book, because he'd scene the boy buy cassette tapes from the old music store down the street but Cas didn't want the boy to stop coming in.
Cas worked at the bookstore with his older brother, Gabriel. It was a way to make money that wasn't completely unbearable. To be honest, Cas only applied for the job to keep Gabe out of trouble. Sure, technically Gabe was the older one but that didn't make him responsible. Gabe was smart but impulsive and Cas found himself constantly taking the blame for some of his wilder pranks.
Cas was helping a girl find a book when he heard a blood curdling scream coming from the back of the store. "Excuse me." Cas excused himself.
"Sure. You've been mighty helpful." The girl smiled as Cas left her to find the source of the scream.
The boy with the green eye was staring with an expression of disbelief at the book he was reading. This time, Cas was able to see the cover. The Fault in our Stars. Oh boy. Cas had wanted to scream to when he read it. Didn't mean he actually did. Cas stood there awkwardly for a moment before the boy looked up. "Um..." Cas began. "You aren't really supposed to yell in here."
"Have you read this?" demanded the boy.
"Yes, actually. It's an amazing book. I lov-" Cas was cut off.
"It's a crap book with a crap ending." interrupted the boy. He looked down at the page. "No. That's not fair. You're right. It's an amazing book and it's beautifully written but damn. Poor Hazel."
Cas sat down next to him, with his back to the shelves like the boy was. "You know, I think I read somewhere that the author, John Green, said that Hazel dies like a year after Augustus did."
The boy hadn't tore his eyes away from the page but looked to Cas when he heard this. "That is not comforting in the slightest." He closed the book and sighed, glancing at the reviews on the back, all four to five star ratings. "I'm Dean, by the way."
"Cas." Cas said, shaking his hand.
"You work here, right?" asked Dean.
"Yes. My brother and I both."
"I got a brother. He's annoying but I love him." said Dean, once again looking at the book.
"My brother's annoying too. I actually applied only to keep him out of trouble." Cas said.
"So yours is younger too?" asked Dean.
"No no. He's older...just not what you'd call mature."
Dean laughed briefly before standing. "Gonna put this back and never read a word again in my life." He looked down at the cover. "Yeah."
It was Cas' turn to laugh as he too got to his feet. "Or I could recommend something else..?"
"No. No." Cas followed Dean. Because of the new movie coming out, The Fault in our Stars had it's own display. "I've had enough of emotional trauma for one...life time." He said as he put the book back. The girl from before picked another copy off the shelf. "No. Don't do that."
"Excuse me?" asked the girl, looking a little confused.
"Trust me sister, I am doing you a favor when I say do not read that book. It was put on this earth to rip the still beating heart out of the innocent and teach us never to trust anyone because death is coming for us all." The girl looked a little alarmed but she put the book down and went to look at something else. Dean smiled and seemed satisfied with himself. "That went well."
"Um, no. I don't think it did." Cas wondered if he should go after the girl and try to explain the book was actually one of the best he'd ever read. "And I think you scared her."
"Good." said Dean. "Then I saved her from a life time of pain and trust issues."
Cas stared at him as Dean said down next to the display. "Are you planning on sitting there all day?"
"Yep." said Dean. "And then I'll come back and sit here tomorrow and warn people."
"Or," Cas waved his arm and gestured to the other books. "You could get another book, considering we are in a bookstore."
Dean looked thoughtful for a second but shook his head. "Nah. I'd rather warn people. I feel like its my job now that I've read it."
"Alright then." Cas went over a couple shelves. The fantasy section was marked by a giant mural of a dragon flying over a bunch of famous characters and authors. The dragon was blue and green and breathing a column of fire onto a wand brandishing wizard, who seemed to be in some sort of bubble shield. This was Cas' favorite section of the store. He liked searching the painting for new details and trying to figure out which story they were from. The only one Cas couldn't place was the small black car in the bottom corner. No one else seemed to notice it. It was one of those old cars and the only explanation Cas could come up with was it was supposed to be Mr Wesely's car, but the wrong color.
It took Cas about two seconds to find what he was was looking for. He took it off the shelf and brought it back to Dean. "Here." Cas handed it to him. "If you haven't read it, you should."
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?" asked Dean, looking up to Cas. "My brother read this awhile back."
"Did he like it?" Cas asked.
"He cried his eyes out with the last one and went around for a week saying he was ravenclaw. My dad and I had no idea what he meant." said Dean, handing the paperback to Cas. "I don't want to cry over a book."
Cas didn't take it back. "But that's not until the last book. It's not until the forth that people start dying."
"There's four books?" asked Dean. "Wow. That's...that's a lot."
"There's seven books and they're all incredible."
"Thanks but my brother and I are leaving soon so if I started it now I wouldn't be able to finish it." This time, Cas accepted it. "Let alone seven books."
"Why don't you just buy it?" asked Cas. He'd been wondering that since Dean's second visit, back when he was just The Boy With The Green Eyes.
"Don't have the cash." Dean said, getting up. "And anyway, I gotta go."
"Why?" Cas was about to say but before he had the chance, a boy in a plaid shirt came right up to Dean.
"What are you doing?" The boy asked.
"Warning people. Guarding books. You know, a public service." answered Dean, grinning.
"Why?" The boy asked, rolling his eyes.
"Because I read it and I wish I hadn't." explained Dean. "Let's go Sammy."
Sammy looked at the display. "Wait...you read the Fault in our Stars?" He asked, holding back a laugh.
"Shut up. It's not like I liked it our anything. I just...read it." said Dean.
"Sure." Sammy started back out of the store but Dean didn't follow just yet.
"I'll be back tomorrow." promised Dean with a grin.
"Really?" Cas asked. "Okay!"
Dean left but Cas couldn't help but feel happy the rest of the day, even though it was a Wednesday, which was when the store got that week's shipment. At first, Cas had liked seeing what kinds of books had made the top charts but then it started getting a bit predictable: Dystopian romance novels and books about shy girls who fall in love with a paranormal/supernatural being, usually undead. It got a bit boring. But after Dean had left with that beaming smile of his, Cas couldn't help but feel happy, cheerful.