Castiel thought life was going great. He was going to college and finally out of his strict, overbearing parents' house. He had scholarships and lived in a dorm on campus, and a part time job at a coffee shop to help buy things he wanted. School came pretty simple for him, and on his time off he would sit in his dorm and read. Every once in a while he was coaxed into going out with a few friends, never anything crazy, mind you, but enough to not be considered a hermit. He was happy with his life for the time being.
Yes, Castiel had a wonderful life. Or so he thought.
It wasn't until befriending Sam Winchester that Castiel began looking at what he was missing. Sam was a bright, giant of a man, just starting college, and a very happy-go-lucky type of person. He had a personality that made everyone around him smile. Castiel was glad he met a kind hearted, hardworking individual like Sam, who was quickly turning into one of his best friends. Another piece of life that made Castiel happy.
But it changed one day when Castiel was walking with Sam out of the building of their last classes of the day. They were laughing and talking about the reading homework they had been assigned when at the corner of Castiels' eye, he saw a man leaning on a huge black car, arms crossed, with a smirk plastered on his face. Castiel turned to look at the man, who seemed entranced by the boys' conversation.
"Oh…" Castiel whispered, just loud enough for Sam to barely hear. The man in question was gorgeous. He was tall, not as tall as Sam, but definitely bigger than Castiel himself. He had big, broad shoulders that made him look like he lifted very heavy things for a living. His hair was a golden brown, and blew gently in the soft summer wind. But the part of him that stuck out the most was his eyes. They were a piercing green color, the brightest green Castiel had ever seen on a person. Very intense. And they were looking straight into his own.
He could feel the heat radiating from his face.
"Uh, Castiel, this is my big brother." Sam said, nudging him with his shoulder. Castiel hadn't even realized they had walked straight up to the man, who was but a mere three feet away from his face.
The big brother.
Damn.
"Castiel, huh? Dean." The gorgeous man held out his hand and Castiel looked down to stare at it. It was the most beautiful hand Castiel had ever seen. He looked back to the man's face, who was now tilting his head to the side, eying him curiously. Castiel shook himself out of his head and clasped Deans hand.
"Nice to meet you." He smiled shyly, before mentally kicking himself. Was he being completely obvious?
Well, if he was, Dean didn't let on.
"Sammy, you 'bout ready to go? Dinner at Bobby's tonight, remember?"
"Oh yeah, of course." Sam said, turning to Castiel. "Well, I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow, Castiel."
Castiel nodded. "Yes, have a good evening." He lowered his eyes to the ground, avoiding the gaze of the older, very attractive brother.
"Yeah, good meetin' ya, Cas."
Cas?
Castiel had never had a nickname before, other than the embarrassing "Cassie" his older brother Gabriel had dubbed for him.
He rather liked it.
He smiled to himself and looked up slowly, eyeing the brothers who were getting into the behemoth of a car. He watched them sit and the car roared to life. Sam adjusted his seat belt while Dean reached over to turn on the radio, blasting some sort of heavy metal thru the very loud speakers. He watched as Dean placed his hands on the wheel, and turned his head to look at Castiel.
He smiled.
And then he was gone.
Castiel stood in the same spot for a few moments, memorizing the look on Deans' face.
Sam was his friend.
Dean was Sams' brother.
They were close.
He would be seeing him a lot, he thinks.
And this is where Castiel's life started getting a bit complicated.
Luckily for Castiel, he was too busy with schoolwork the next few days, and was able to put Dean out of his mind mostly. The hardest time however, was just before bed, as he lie under his comfortable covers, thoughts of Dean would flash through his mind. Those strong arms, the piercing green eyes. The smile that looked like it could light up a room. Castiel felt bad about thinking of his best friends brother while he pleasured himself, but as long as no one found out, what was the harm?
Sam didn't mention the strange interaction between his friend and his brother, and their friendship continued on as normal. Castiel made it a habit to part ways with Sam just before they reached the parking lot, where he knew Dean would be waiting for his brother. He did catch a few glances at Dean, who usually stayed in the car listening to his music, but there were a few times when he was sitting on his hood, cigarette in hand, enjoying the breeze as he waited. Dean often caught his eye and smiled, and Castiel had to stop himself from literally melting on the sidewalk.
Eventually, the week was over, and his Saturday morning shift at coffee shop was about to begin. Castiel felt good about the day; he was caught up on his course work for the following week, and all his bills had been paid for the month. He was actually looking forward to work, where he could laugh with his coworker and friend Charlie, a red headed genius that he had known since his first semester of college. She was smart and funny, and as much of a geek as Castiel when it came to movies and such.
"I swear, Castiel, you should've came with us! The Hobbit gave The Lord of the Rings Trilogy a run for its money!"
"I would've loved to go with you, Charlie, but I had class the next morning, and didn't feel like standing in line all day to see the midnight premier. Not all of us can run through our day on caffeine and 5 hour energy drinks." He replied, cleaning off the machines before the store opened for the day. It was 6am, and the shop usually didn't have very many customers on a Saturday.
"Well, it would've been worth it, believe me."
"Do you really think Hermione would've done it?"
"Oh, don't even try to use my own words against me." Castiel snickered.
The bell to the shop rang and Castiel turned to greet their first visitor. The word 'Hello' fell dead on his lips as he drank in the sight of Dean, dressed in jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt.
"Castiel, you're attracting flies." Charlie whispered and Castiel quickly closed his mouth and composed himself.
"Hello, Dean."
"Hey, Cas. Didn't know you worked here."
"Uh, yeah, just on weekends, and sometimes after class."
"That's cool. I really need some coffee this morning. Majorly hung over and a lot of work to do."
Castiel nodded as professionally as he could. "What would you like?"
Dean smirked and turned his head away, seemingly staring at the wall. The action was not unseen by Castiel, who raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Just a black coffee. Biggest one you got." He turned back to Castiel, smile still on his face. Castiel nodded and set about brewing a fresh pot for him. Dean sat at the counter and placed his hand under his chin, watching patiently as Castiel poured in the ground beans and turned the machine on. He was surprised when he turned to see Dean staring at him.
"So, Sam tells me you're a sophomore." Castiel nods. "What are you going for? Diploma wise I mean." He smirked again.
"Well, I really want to be an English teacher. Reading is my favorite hobby and doing that for a living would seem nice. Teaching others to appreciate literature as much as I do. Or something like that. I still have a year to make my final decision."
Dean listens intently, nodding in all the right places.
"That's cool man, I'm sure you would be a great teacher."
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know. You just seem like that type. I could see you in a nice little sweater vest and glasses, getting excited about Shakespeare and all that."
"Well, I don't get 'excited' I just appreciate a good work of literature."
"It was a joke Cas, I'm sure you would look good in anything." Dean lowered his eyes to the table as Castiel eyed him suspiciously. Did he hear that right? Was Dean flirting? Dean didn't look like he would be into guys, Castiel thought. He looked like a typical run of the mill, all American straight man. Castiel shook his head. He wanted to think he had a chance with Dean.
"I…" He bit his lip, unable to form a reply. The coffee machine beeped, and Castiel quickly turned to pour a large cup. He tried his hardest to avoid eye contact, unsure of how to respond. He really wanted to though.
"Um, here's your coffee." He handed the cup to Dean, and pulled away, rubbeing his right hand over his left arm. It had been a gesture he was used to doing when he was nervous.
Dean nodded, taking the coffee and laying down a five dollar bill.
"See you around, Cas." He smiled gently before turning and walking out the door. Castiel let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Dude, you got it bad." Charlie smirked at him from behind her comic book. Castiel shook his head.
"I don't know what to do about him. I swear he's straight, but was it just me or was he actually trying to flirt."
"Sounded like flirting to me. What if he doesn't know he likes guys?"
"Hmm, falling for a straight guy is never a good idea."
"You're so cute Cas."
"Don't call me that."
Charlie pouted. "You're no fun."
Castiel shrugged and reached over to grab the money on the counter. It was twice as much as he was owed. He smiled. Maybe complicated would be interesting.
