Castiel had just bought a run down house on the edge of town. He stumbles across a mysterious painting of a man with incredibly green eyes. Who is this man and why is his portrait in the attic? Sort of a coffeeshop AU. My first mostly AU story ever. Please be review.
This fic was inspired by a post on tumblr by destieldrabblesdaily. Please check them out, they're amazing! :D
The Green-Eyed Painting
Chapter 2:
Castiel got up a bit earlier than he needed to that morning, quickly dressing. He grabbed a hammer, two heavy duty hooks from his laundry, the painting and put them in his car. He woke up Anna just as he was leaving.
Castiel managed to get the hooks into the brick wall after getting some other things from the hardware store opposite his coffee-shop. Castiel carefully hung the painting up on the wall and stood back to admire it.
Castiel let out a pleased sigh. "Don't you look handsome this morning!" Cas said to the painting, feeling a little silly, but not really caring. He shook his head at his folly and began to set the shop up for customers.
It may only be a small town, but his coffee shop got business from almost the whole town. Castiel had grown up here and had only left to go to college before coming back. Castiel had a degree in Literature and Art. Castiel didn't consider himself a great artist and he was in awe of the painting that now hung opposite him. He was almost envious of the artist who had been given the honour of painting such a beautiful man. Castiel sighed when the first customer came in, ready to start the day.
Soon, days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and in all that time, Castiel never got tired of that beautiful painting.
When Castiel was alone, cleaning up after the day's end, he would talk to the painting, telling him about himself and how, when he was a small boy, his parents had died and he and his sister Anna and his brother Gabriel had moved here to live with their aunt Naomi. Naomi had died not long after Castiel had finished at college. Castiel missed her, and his brother, who was going to college on the other side of the country, in California.
He'd tell the painting his troubles and his doubts. Even though it was an inanimate object, Castiel grew to think of the man in the painting as a sort of friend. Castiel didn't have many friends. There was Ash and Adam, and Jo and Ellen, but outside of them, he didn't have any friends. Sure, his regular customers were sort of like friends, but he wouldn't go so far as to invite them over to dinner or anything.
Castiel was pleased with the work he was getting done on the house. He had been knocking down walls and replacing floor boards over the past month and was now putting up new walls and painting them. Castiel secretly wanted to take the painting home to keep for himself, but the painting was becoming quite the fixture in the coffee shop and people would notice if he took it down.
"Are you mooning over that painting again?" Anna said, coming up behind him.
"No!" Said Castiel sheepishly.
Anna chuckled. "You know he's dead, right? The guy in the painting. That painting gotta be pretty old. So I suggest you get over your infatuation." Anna said teasingly.
Castiel shoved her lightly. "I'm not infatuated! It's just a really good painting. I wish I could paint that well." Cas said in reply.
Anna rested her hand on Castiel's shoulder. "You are that good! You can paint that well! Don't sell yourself short just because you didn't paint this one! Stop moping!" Anna said.
Cas rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Cas replied.
"I gotta go, thanks for covering for me! This guy, he's a sweetie..!" Anna said.
"Yeah yeah! You owe me! Now get out of here. Go experience that thing called fun." Castiel said with a grin.
Anna grinned. "Bye! Don't work too hard!" Anna cried, grabbing her handbag and high-tailing it out of the coffee shop. Cas grinned after her.
Cas walked over to a table of elderly ladies and put their coffees gently on the table.
"We were just admiring that painting you hanging up there. I haven't seen it since I was a little girl, but who could forget such a handsome face?" One of the ladies, Beatrice said.
"Oh, Betty!" Said the other lady, Denise. "Don't start with your stories!"
"You've seen this painting before? Do you know who the subject is?" Castiel asked.
Betty chuckled. "Well, my grandmother said that he was a hunter and he was called in by the local sheriff to kill a witch who had be terrorising the local neighbourhood." Betty said, her Irish accent showing through.
"What happened to him?" Castiel asked.
"He managed to kill the witch, but not before she put a curse upon him. She trapped in the painting for eternity, only to be freed if called upon again and only if called upon by someone worthy of his protection." Betty said.
Castiel chuckled. "I'm assuming that hasn't happened yet." Castiel said.
"Indeed not. Maybe he'll save you someday, my lad!" Betty said.
Castiel shrugged. "I doubt it!" He replied and walked away from the two ladies.
Castiel looked up as the door jingled. A homeless man came in and walked up to the counter.
Castiel smiled at the man. "Are you hungry? Would you like some food?" Castiel said kindly to the man.
The man nodded. Cas picked up one of the ham and salad rolls and an apple juice box, put them in a brown paper bag and handed it to the man.
The man took the bag. "Thank you." He murmured, putting a coin on the counter. Cas smiled at the man.
"No need," Cas said, handing the coin back to the homeless man. "Stay safe."
The homeless man smiled and left the coffee shop. Castiel smiled. He grabbed a couple of dollars out of his wallet and put them in the til to cover the food.
Cas tried to help as much as he could, and if giving a homeless man a sandwich was helping, then he would do it everyday.
Once again, night fell and Castiel began to close up shop.
He grabbed his stuff and walked over to the painting. "Good night. See you in the morning." He whispered to the painting before shutting the shop.
Cas headed back to apartment and showered before going to bed.
