A/N: I'm too sleepy to edit anymore so (*throws writing at reader*) have at it.

Thank you Valice, you are a fantastic supporter! And thank you heavenhellpurgatoryearth for the review!


Twenty minutes later, Ash sent a group text saying that he had found a very interesting picture of Cassie when he'd visited her desk. He then followed up with a shot taken from his phone, showing a picture of Cassie clad in a tight bikini and leaning against a black car that bore a remarkable resemblance to Dean's 'baby.' Charlie zoomed in on the picture, blowing it up until there was absolutely no mistaking the impeccably maintained 1967 Chevy Impala.

Charlie stared at the picture blankly, and before she could finish her mental buffering, another text flew in, this time from Kevin.

Kevin announced that when he'd gone to visit Anna, she had been on the phone with someone named "Sam," telling him how excited she was to have him for a brother-in-law, and looking over prints of wedding venues and color schemes. Coincidentally (or not), she was favoring a certain shade of green that closely resembled that of a certain Winchester's alluring eyes.

Well, there was 'certainly' some weird shit going on around here. Charlie hurriedly replied before anyone else could make a comment.

is she wearing a ring?

no but that wd draw unwanted attn, wdnt it? i wdnt wear a ring if i wanted to keep my rltnshp quiet.

Hmm. He had a point. Charlie began typing again.

all right gang, stand by. i still need to see dean and castiel and we haven't heard from jo so let's not get too crazy just yet.

That warning went right out the window half an hour later when Jo sent a picture of a toddler taking wobbly steps toward a man that looked an awful lot like Dean. Needless to say, there was a freak-out-by-phone when everyone in the group texted "WHEN THE FUCK DID DEAN HAVE A BABY."

Charlie's thumbs were a flurry of tapping digits yet even she was helpless to keep up with the barrage of theories that flooded her screen: that maybe it was the child of Lisa's sister, or maybe the man in the picture just happened to be a Dean-doppelganger, or maybe Dean and Lisa really did have a fucking baby out of wedlock without the entire fucking office knowing about it because holy shit does that kid actually fucking look like him.

Everyone who'd been with the company for the last four years remembered the time when Lisa was pregnant, but no one had known the father—much less realized that said father shared a pot of Folgers with them every morning—and so didn't ask about him; they just dropped off cutesy gift baskets and wished her health and happiness until she eventually went on maternity leave. But if Dean really was a father after all this time—

Oh gods. They seriously had to get down to the bottom of this. Sometime after lunch, Charlie managed to sneak into Dean's private office while he was in a meeting with the other designers and engineers.

Everyone was always surprised to find that Dean's office was rather stark. They expected the place to be covered from floor to ceiling in posters and memorabilia, but in reality it was neat and professional; the warm, bright colors gave it a comfortable business atmosphere, and everything on the walls and tabletops were strictly work-related and military-organized. There were hardly any personal items, and the few framed photographs on his desk only showed his parents and his brother as a young teen. There was no sign of a baby, or of Lisa or Cassie or anyone else for that matter.

Charlie plopped down into the plush wheelie chair behind the desk and began checking the drawers. She was rather disappointed to find only folders, drawing and measuring tools, a bag of candy, and a lint roller on its last leg. With a sigh of resignation, she pulled a notepad toward her and wrote down a notice about the after-work party to leave for Dean.

Just as she was putting the pen back, she noticed the coffee mug that held all of Dean's pens and pencils. Having been to his office multiple times before, she had seen the mug and was used to being greeted by Han Solo, whose image was printed on the face of it, every time she walked in. However she had never considered that there might be more markings on the other side of the cup.

Now, sitting behind the desk, she could see I KNOW inked in bold lettering, clear as day. And if there's an I know, there must be an…

Charlie gave the chair one last satisfying twirl then leapt up and hurried to the other side of the building. The company was young and still small enough to require the use of only two floors in the building but, even so, Charlie was faced with the daunting task of navigating a seemingly endless sea of cubicles. After being directed to the accountants' section several times (and getting lost just as many times), she finally managed to locate Castiel's…well, whatever this tiny little hell hole was supposed to be.

Charlie was surprised to see how much character Castiel had put into his workspace, though she couldn't blame him given the drabness of an accountant's cubicle. Those two words together all but screamed "gray" and "square" and "sad." In his efforts to combat such depressing lack of inspiration, Castiel's desk was practically bohemian in comparison to Dean's; an entire wall was covered in postcards from around the country, a Lord of the Rings poster was pinned to another, and his desk was home to a tin of oolong tea, a small collection of mixed CDs, a potted fern, a black cat bobble-head, and…yes, there it was.

I love you sat there, inconspicuous but honest like a confession. Yesterday it had been some ten-dollar mug purchased as part of a set from some struggling comic book store. And now…now that Charlie had discovered the beautiful gay backstory, it was a secret, a promise—a material tie between a pair of lovers who hid their true selves from society like a couple of superheroes.

Destiel was officially Charlie's favorite nerd romance of all time.

"Charlie, why are you standing there?"

Castiel blinked up at her with ear buds idling in his hands. A glance at his phone's screen showed that he'd been listening to rain. Seriously. He had an app that played the sound of rain. Jesus, this man was adorable.

"Sorry! Just admiring your lair." She flashed him an innocent smile. "I've never seen it. What's with JiJi over there? I take it you're not superstitious."

Castiel looked to the bobble-head. "I am not familiar with this JiJi, but no, I am not superstitious. I received it as a gift because it looks like my own cat."

Charlie's eyes grew wide. "Dude. You haven't seen Kiki's Delivery Service? 'Cause if Dean hasn't educated you on the magic of Studio Ghibli I'm gonna have to send him a virus."

Castiel tilted his head. "No, I have not seen that particular film. Dean favors Princess Mononoke." After a moment's pause, his eyes narrowed at her. "Forgive me, but was there something you wanted to discuss?" He spoke in a polite but please-leave-me-alone sort of tone that made Charlie clear her throat awkwardly.

"Oh, right. Yeah, a bunch of us are gonna head over to the Roadhouse at six for a little work party. You in?"

Castiel looked away. "I'm, um, not really in the mood…"

"You don't have to actually rub elbows or anything! Just hang out with us and have a couple beers—loosen up a bit, yeah?"

Castiel rubbed the cord of his earphones between his fingertips, studying it. "As long as I don't have to socialize, I…" He rubbed his face tiredly and sighed. "I suppose I wouldn't mind a drink or two."

As if seeing things through a filter, Charlie suddenly saw all of the lines in his face and the weariness of his eyes—the same weariness she had seen in Dean just this morning.

"Rough morning?" She asked with genuine sympathy.

Castiel gave her a small, defeated smile. "You could say that."

Charlie nodded absently, letting that sink in.

"Well, I'll leave you alone now. See you at six!" Flashing a smile, she reentered the maze of temporary walls with her mind working at a thousand thoughts per second. What's up with Castiel? Did Dean hurt him? Did it have anything to do with all these women, or did they just have a lovers' spat? Were they actually lovers, or just friends with a couple of coffee mugs? What's going on?!

Get it together, Charlie; first and foremost, lay out the facts:

1) Castiel was upset this morning, which is probably why he went to the donut shop—because in all honesty, Castiel's a nice guy, but bringing donuts to the office was a little OOC of him.

2) He was not only in super introvert mode today, but he redirected the conversation specifically after Charlie brought up Dean.

3) Dean was also upset this morning.

4) Both had seemed normal yesterday.

5) Dean and Castiel had a hissy fit in the break room—a scary one—meaning that they'd had a real fight either last night after work or early this morning. Or both.

6) Their offices…well actually, their offices didn't prove much except that Castiel sort of was a cat lady and that Dean was neat freak with a lint roller and—

Wait, what?

Dean wore his slacks and blazers and suits often enough to have to clean them on a regular basis, so why would he need a lint roller unless he…

Oh crap. Oh crap. Dean lives with a cat. Dean lives with Castiel's cat. Dean and Castiel have a cat, either instead of a child or in order to prepare them for having a child, because that's what couples do, because that's what having a pet means for a young couple, and sweet mother of God Dean and Castiel are definitely a couple.

Charlie sent off her discovery in a group text but of course everyone had to rain on her gay parade. As the replies came in Charlie's eyes rolled again and again like two merry-go-rounds of frustration.

"Dean isn't gay."

There is such thing as bi. Pan, even.

"Castiel is probably asexual."

Castiel is a mystery. It's hard to know about any part of his personality and lifestyle. And even if he were asexual it's not like he couldn't ever be in a romantic relationship ever.

Jesus H Christ, guys. Google exists for a reason.

"Friends are allowed to have fights."

True. But so are couples.

"Friends are allowed to have matching cups."

'Friends' get Solo and Chewbacca, sure. Harry and Ron. Hawkeye and Black Widow. Kirk and Spock. Frodo and Sam.

But Solo and Leia?

"Dean is totally a dog person. He's got like, German shepherd and Doberman written all over him."

That was a pretty stupid excuse considering Dean has never even been seen near a dog, his own or otherwise. There is literally more evidence to suggest that Big Foot exists.

Sam Winchester, for example.

"There's no way. They would kill each other if they lived together—as a couple or not. Dean is Led Zep and beer and motel road trips and Castiel is opera and tea and bookstores."

Yeah, because Castiel never drinks alcohol and Dean never reads. Uh-huh. Sure. Flawless theory right there.

Charlie eventually shut off her phone, far too annoyed that everyone but Chuck refused to even consider that Dean and Castiel could be together. It wasn't a matter of gay wishful thinking on her part, but rather knowing that those two assholes somehow, in some miraculous way, truly belonged together and made each other better people. And somehow, in some miraculous way, Charlie was going to prove that.