The Shop Across the Street
"…Cas. Cas? Hey, Cas!" Dean's voice reached Castiel as though from far away. He hadn't been listening to a single word that the hunter had said. He was absorbed by watching the children and adults who were coming in and out of a small establishment across the street from the diner where Sam, Dean and Castiel were discussing the best way to draw a witch out of hiding. Well, Sam and Dean were discussing. Castiel was ignoring them.
At Dean's loud interruption of his thoughts though, Castiel blinked a few times and turned to look at the human. Dean's eyebrows were drawn in at the middle, which Castiel had learned to interpret as either his Serious Face or his Concerned Face. It was hard to distinguish between the two sometimes. Dean's green eyes flicked over Castiel's face, searching. Castiel looked over at Sam to see him looking at him with his Concerned Face. It was easy to tell which was Sam's Concerned Face due to the resemblance to a puppy who had lost a favorite toy. It was quite adorable, actually.
"I don't understand."
"What don't you understand, Cas?" Sam said gently.
Castiel gestured with one hand at the place across the street. "Why are all the people who come out of that establishment all happy and smiling?"
Sam and Dean leaned around Castiel to see where he was looking. When they realized what he was looking at, they both started chuckling. Castiel frowned at them.
"What is amusing?"
Sam caught his breath enough to explain to Castiel what the place was. "It's an icecream shop, Cas."
Castiel's eyes widened and he whipped around to stare across the street at the store. He had discovered icecream only a few days prior and was already a very enthusiastic fan of the cold treat.
"An…icecream shop?" He breathed. Dean and Sam continued to chuckle, watching his face as it lit up. "There is a store of icecream?"
"Yeah, man. Look, about this witch…"
Castiel blocked Dean out again and went back to staring at the store across the street.
After the brothers and the angel had killed the witch, they started the drive back to the motel silently. Killing witches was never easy, especially when the brothers remembered that they were once normal human beings. They were almost back when Castiel suddenly reached out and touched the dash of the Impala, making her stop in by the side of the main street.
"What the hell? Baby?"
"She is fine, Dean. Come on." Castiel climbed out the car, knowing the boys would follow. They walked a few feet behind him as he went a block back up the street. They stopped walking when they saw where he was headed.
"Really, Cas?" Dean demanded. "Icecream?"
"Icecream," agreed Castiel. Then he disappeared inside.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look and then gave in. They followed their wayward angel into the shop.
Castiel stood looking at the list of all the flavors. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper the farther he read.
"Why," he started, his confused tone making both the brothers smile a little, "is there a lobster flavored icecream?"
"What? Gimme that." Dean snatched the menu away from Castiel. "No way."
"Dude," said Sam. He was standing behind Dean, reading over his shoulder. He wrinkled his nose. "Horseradish?"
Castiel pondered the list for a minute before walking to the young teenage girl behind the counter. "We'll take one scoop of every flavor."
Sam and Dean looked panicked, but Castiel didn't bother to turn around and check. He was focused on the girl in front of him whose own eyes were widening a bit in surprise. She nodded and started scooping.
"Cas!" Dean groaned. "No more icecream."
The boys had been sick for two days. They had started throwing up after tasting the Raw Horse Meat and Octopus flavored icecreams. Castiel looked over at them from where he lay on the floor. He took in their slumped forms with their own respective buckets beside them.
"No more icecream," he agreed.