A single black sock. That's what Castiel finds in the middle of the hallway one morning as he gets ready for work. Raising an eyebrow, the man kneels and picks it up. He owns quite a few black socks of the same caliber, and figures he'd dropped it on his way from the laundry room to the bed room while doing laundry. His cat, Lucifer, meows and stalks away with his tail high in the air.

The next day, he comes home from his work out and kicks another dark garment across the hardwood floor. Covered in sweat, muscles aching, and a much needed shower on his mind, Castiel leaves it, though curious. After cleaning himself, he wraps a towel around his waist and goes to the fridge to get a cold bottle of water.

He leans against the doorframe, skin still damp from the steam. Lucifer purrs and rubs against his legs, gold eyes flashing as he looks up at the man. Castiel smiles down at the cat. "Hello, Luci."

He receives a short meow in response. Castiel nods like he understands, taking another swig of his water. "I'm doing well, thanks for asking."

Lucifer tilts his head, meowing a few more times before going down the short hallway to the living room. Castiel watches him go, running a hand through his wet curls. He has a paper to write for his Gender Construction in Literature class, a Spanish review sheet to look over and an article to write for the university's paper. Sighing, he pushes off the doorframe to go back to his room and notices the dark fabric on the floor again.

He picks it up from the ground, holding it up in front of him. Castiel examines the pair of boxers. He's 100 percent sure he doesn't own any boxers with the Batman symbol across the front. While he doesn't mind the DC character, he favors plain briefs over pricey designs.

"Lucifer, are you stealing from the laundry mat?"

The tabby glares at Castiel for a split second before curling up to nap. Castiel shakes his head, folding the boxers and putting them in a grocery bag. He decides to take them to lost and found the next time he does laundry.

…

The typical week passes. Castiel goes to his classes, burdened with literature and his foreign language classes as well as his required credits in math- too busy to remember to go to the lost and found. Soon he finds himself creating a new routine. He wakes up, showers, makes coffee, goes to class, then comes back to find a new undergarment on the floor in the front hall.

Lucifer sometimes sits on the fabric like it's a Gain scented throne. Other times he carries his prize between his teeth, delivering it directly to Castiel when he comes through the door. Either way, he watches curiously as Castiel picks it up and adds it to the bag of stolen underwear. The styles range from women's lace panties, the kind from Victoria's Secret, to the simplest of boxers. As the number grows, Castiel tries to figure out how to get the garments to their rightful owners.

Sitting down at his laptop, Castiel starts brainstorming for a flyer he can hang up in the laundry mat. Only west wing dormitories use the laundry mat he goes to, so he hopes that by posting the flyer there, he can return some of the stolen objects.

He types up a simple message: "Are you missing your underwear? My cat has been snatching undergarments for little over a week. If you wish to retrieve what is yours, my apartment is C309. What is not picked up will be donated at the end of the week."

He hits print, creating a mental reminder to take it with him when he goes to do his laundry.

…

He pushes the tack into the corkboard with a nod. The flyer doesn't particularly stand out amongst the others, but the large bold letters at the top could draw an eye. Turning back to the line of washers, he goes to the closest open one and starts loading in his clothes. He glances around the laundry mat as he drops a Tide Pod into the washer and closes it. A few other students wander about with their own laundry. Castiel squints to get a better look at each person. Any one of them could be a victim of Lucifer's burglaries.

Shaking his head, Castiel goes back to the desk in the corner. He doesn't need to worry about his new trove of underwear; he needs to focus on his upcoming midterms.

….

Someone knocks on his door a few days later. Castiel's washing dishes in the small sink of the apartment and bobbing his head to music. At first he didn't hear it, the sound following the beat of the song he's listening to. After a couple more measures of the melody, Castiel hears it. A steady crack of curled knuckles against the wooden door. He looks across the room at Lucifer sitting on one of the stools. Both cat and human glance at the door together.

Castiel dries his hands on a nearby towel, turning off the music as he moves towards the door. He ruffles Lucifer's fur as he walks by, whispering, "Maybe it's someone to pick up your stolen goods, Luci."

The tabby purrs, jumping from his perch to follow Castiel to the door. Checking the peephole first, Castiel's eyes widen. A man, about his age with a slightly taller build, stands on the other side of the door. The stranger bounces on his toes, looking around at the other apartments. Despite the fish eye perspective, the stranger's distorted features are attractive. Unlocking the door, Castiel opens it.

"Hello, can I help you?" Castiel says, leaning against the doorframe to make it appear that he's calm and collected. The stranger's eyes are a vibrant green with flecks of gold, freckles dotting his cheeks and nose. He has a few wrinkles around his eyes and the corner of his lips, laugh lines Castiel finds endearing. The slope of his shoulders to his waist is defined under his v-neck shirt, but he appears more soft than chiseled.

The guy opens his mouth a couple of times, looking at Castiel's feet for a second before actually speaking. "Hi, I… uh saw your flyer in the laundry mat? I'm actually missing quite a few pairs of my underwear…"

"Oh! Come in, come in." Castiel steps back and gestures to the inside of the house.

The guy clears his throat as he steps across the threshold, looking around as Castiel shuts the door. After closing the door, Castiel holds out his hand for the stranger to shake.

"I'm Castiel," he says, nodding towards Luci as he pads towards the new human. "That is the thief."

"Dean," the other man answers, shaking Castiel's hand. When they let go of each other's hands, Dean kneels and lets Lucifer sniff his fingers before petting him. Lucifer purrs, arching into the touch. "So you're the reason I've been commando for a week."

Castiel freezes, blushing as the mental image fills his mind. Dean continues to pet the tabby, unaware that Castiel stares at the waistband of the man's worn Levis. Lucifer's gold eyes flash at Castiel in such a way it looked like he winked. Castiel scowls at the cat and shakes his head to clear it. He moves towards the cupboard where the grocery bag hangs from the white handle.

Taking it in his hand, he holds it out to Dean. The man as he says, "Thanks."

Ears hot, Castiel nods. "You can come sit down in the kitchen while you gather your stuff. The table is clean."

Dean offers a tight lipped smile in response, following Cas into the kitchen. He scans the small, green room, smile softening as he notices the ceramic plates and metal tea kettle. The sugar and flour containers remind Dean of his mother's kitchen, the homey feel he missed while away at college. He settles in one of the wooden chairs, plopping the bag onto the small table as Castiel sits in the other chair. His blue eyes follow Dean's careful movements.

The plastic bag crackles as Dean opens it wider. He flinches at the sound, eyes widening as he takes in all of the underwear stuffed into the bag. "You've gotta be kidding me…"

Silence envelops the two men as Dean pulls out undergarment after undergarment. He slowly folds pairs of boxers with Marvel character logos and plaid briefs. His hands jump over the lace and satin and flower patterns, mouth dry when he spots them. Castiel watches him, tilting his head when he notices Dean swallow over and over.

"Would you like something to drink?"

Dean's breath hitches in surprise, gaze focusing on Castiel. He slumps against the back of the chair. "Some water sounds great, thanks."

Castiel goes about filling a glass of water and Dean hunches over the bag. As quickly as possible, Dean shoves pairs of panties between his boxers and briefs without folding them. The touch of smooth softness against his fingers makes him shiver.

He never thought anything of washing these more personal garments in the public laundry mat. His fellow classmates thought of them as trophies, leftovers from his post-party escapades. When he noticed his stash of panties dwindling, he wondered if he'd left them lying around. He tore his room apart, more anxious about the pinks and purples than the Batman and Captain America symbols. When he found Castiel's flyer in the laundry mat, he'd thought for hours about whether or not he should see if any of it belongs to him. It had taken him years to build up his supply, only buying the panties during holidays to pass them off as gifts. So he'd swallowed his dignity and took the short trip to Castiel's apartment.

Castiel turns around, full glasses in hand. He had moved so quietly Dean didn't notice at first, snatching a navy blue, all-lace number from the bag and hiding it underneath a pair of red boxers. Castiel furrows his eyebrows as he sits back down at the table. Dean sits up straight again like lightning shot through his bones. His heart pangs against his ribs. Placing the glasses on the table, Castiel sits back. Lucifer comes and sits at his feet, glancing between him and Dean as if to suggest starting a deeper conversation. Castiel glares at him, pushing a thought towards the tabby even though he can't hear. He probably has a girlfriend. Face like that and the women's underwear?

Lucifer's pupils arc almost like he rolled his eyes at the thought and jumps into Dean's lap. Both men remain silent as Dean takes a drink of water. Using his free hand, Dean absentmindedly pets Lucifer. The tabby purrs until Dean stops and goes back to sorting through the underwear. Lucifer then stands on his hind legs, gold eyes fixed on Castiel as he paws at the pile. One of his claws catches on lace, pulling out the same pair of panties Castiel spotted earlier.

Dean pushes Lucifer off of his lap, causing his pile of undergarments to fall off the edge of the table and onto the floor. Stammering, Dean kneels onto the ground and pushes the clothes together. Castiel shoos Lucifer away, kneeling next to Dean to help refold what Dean had claimed. He doesn't hesitate as he folds the panties beside Dean. The other man's cheeks and neck flush a deep red, hands shaking. He notices how thin and pale Castiel's fingers are, but also how confident and strong they appear. As Castiel folds his favorite pair of panties- a thin, pink satin pair with a bow over an ass cage- Dean pictures those hands tracing the outline of the lace borders on his ass. The image trickles down his spine, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. Dean continues to stare as Castiel moves to other pairs, but the thought lingers.

Castiel glances at Dean from the corner of his eye, noticing when Dean stops folding. Tension radiates from the man, thick enough Castiel feels his chest tighten. He clears his throat and says, "Your girlfriend has great taste. These are very tasteful."

Dean's eyes widen at the comment and he quickly admits, "I don't have- I mean… I'm not dating- I've been single for a while."

Castiel sits back on his feet, legs folded underneath him. He spreads his legs a little to be more comfortable in his jeans and rests his hands on his knees. Staring at the floor, he misses Dean gulp while taking in the pose.

"I apologize for imposing," he says to the pile. Fixing his blue eyes on Dean again, he offers a small smile. "If you wish to get rid of anything, you are more than welcome to throw them away here. I still occasionally find my ex's belongings mixed in with my cloths, so I understand."

Cheeks still warm, Dean holds Castiel's gaze. He can't remember ever seeing another pair of eyes so blue or mesmerizing; they look like a pair of shining whirlpools. He takes a deep breath to relax and laughs. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. They, uh, belong to me actually."

Dean rubs the back of his neck, looking away from the other man. Instantly, regret makes his muscles heavy. His heart skips a beat. Idiot, he thinks, why the fuck would you say that?

"Oh…" Castiel murmurs, skin tingling when he realizes when Dean means. Lucifer watches the duo, tilting his head while Castiel stares at him. "Well, then you have very good taste, Dean."

Dean gasps, stomach dropping and heat rushing through his veins. Running a hand through his hair, he takes in all of the underwear in front of him. He chuckles, laughter growing and filling the entire apartment. Castiel watches him, smiling as Dean holds his stomach and doubles over.

Castiel starts to laugh as well, leaning forward while still holding a pair of panties.

"Thanks, man," Dean says, wiping his eyes. He shakes his head, putting a hand on Castiel's shoulder. They stay like that for a couple minutes, occasionally busting out into another fit of giggles. Eventually, Dean picks up his favorite pair, running his thumbs along the lace border along the waistband.

Dean smirks as he stands up. Looking down at Castiel, he winks and says, "I'm gonna go put these on. Where's the bathroom?"

Castiel stammers for a few seconds, pointing down the hall. "First door on the left."

As the man walks away, Castiel looks at his cat. Lucifer licks one of his paws, stopping briefly to glare at Castiel knowingly.

"You little shit, what have you gotten me into," Castiel says, the tone of his statement softening as he contemplates how this could work out.

Lucifers simple meows.