Castiel woke with a small jolt, coming back to reality. He rubbed his eyes slightly, removing the remnants of sleep from his eyes. He fell asleep in the kitchen. He heard a soft meow and looked to see the stray cat from the apartment above had once again found its way into his home and was rubbing his head against Castiel's hand, begging for attention. With a smile, Castiel reached his hand out and scratched the cat behind its ears, his grin growing wider as the cat began to purr.

"You want some food, don't you?" Castiel cooed as he moved his hand to rub under his chin, "greedy little kitty cat," He chuckled as he stood up from the small table in his kitchen, to move over to the fridge, stretching out his cramped muscles as he did. He grabbed the packet of cat treats he had picked up from the store a couple of weeks after he had moved into his apartment building, when it looked like his neighbour's cat was going to be a regular occurrence. He's positive the only reason the cat came back was because Castiel gave him treats, but it didn't bother him, he liked the company on nights when he was up late painting.

With a start, Castiel suddenly realised what day it was. He quickly gave the cat his treat before jogging down the hall towards his bedroom where his phone was charging. As he expected, there were half a dozen missed calls from his event organiser and agent, Crowley, and twice as many messages asking where he was.

Hurriedly, Castiel unlocked his phone and called Crowley back.

"Cassie!" the Englishman greeted, "How nice of you to finally call me back."

"Crowley, I'm so sorry," Castiel apologised hoping that his voice portrayed his sincerity, "I was up all night worrying how tonight would go. In the end, I was making myself a cup of cocoa and fell asleep at the table, so I didn't hear my alarm go off."

"It's alright," Crowley soothed, "We have time. Get yourself showered and dressed. Meet me at the gallery as soon as you can. There are a few things we need to go over."

After he had hung up, Castiel quickly made his way around his apartment getting ready. He had a quick shower to rinse of the grime from the previous day before he dressed in form fitting black slacks, a white button down that had a grey strip down the buttons, a grey cardigan, and his favourite black dress shoes. As he walked out the door, he grabbed his big woollen coat and slipped it over his shoulders, making sure to put his keys, wallet and phone into his pockets as he locked the door behind him.

When he got outside, the cool autumn chill hit him, causing him to pull his jacket around him tighter. Seven years in New York and he still wasn't used to how cold it would get so early in the season. Out of all his friends, he was the first to start wearing a couple more layers when the temperature turned south. They called him soft, but for nineteen years, Castiel grew up in the south, where the summers were long and when it did turn cold, putting on a jumper was enough to fight against it. He figured eventually he would get used to it, but seven years going, he was still shivering as soon as August ended.

Castiel jumped off the subway a couple of blocks away from the gallery and headed towards the Starbucks on the corner to grab himself a coffee. He needed the caffeine to survive the long, nervewracking day ahead.

Just after he had ordered, his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see who was calling and couldn't stop the smile that formed across his face as he stared down at the screen. Staring back at him was no other than his boyfriend's picture and caller ID, Balthazar.

He was an incredibly handsome man who had a charming smile that Castiel had fallenl for in an instant.

The man was bold and didn't hide his attraction from Castiel the second they had met. It had taken Castiel by surprise how forward he was but the longer he talked to him, the more he found that he liked the attention. Balthazar made him feel wanted, made him feel like he was the only thing that mattered.

"Hello, Balthazar," Castiel greeted, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Morning, Cassie," his boyfriend replied causing Castiel to roll his eyes. Castiel detested the name. They only reason he didn't chastise Crowley was because he was organising the most important event of his life, and he did not want to piss him off. People who pissed off Crowley did not get successful careers.

"Balthazar, you know I hate that name so why do you insist on saying it?" Castiel growled into the phone just as his name was called out to collect his coffee.

With his phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder, Castiel made his coffee with two sugars and stirred it before he replaced the cap and made his way back out into the autumn breeze.

"Oh come on, Darling, you know I'm only teasing. Figured you could use a little humour to distract you from tonight," Balthazar replied, his voice displayed his clear concern as to how Castiel was coping.

"Yes well that doesn't mean you get to call me that. As for tonight, I'm nervous but excited at the same time." he replied before he took a sip of his coffee, savouring the way the warm liquid warmed his insides with just one sip.

"You'll do great I'm sure of it," Balthazar soothed, "You're going to be the next big thing, Castiel."

Castiel smiled and ducked his head under the praise, "Thank you, Balthazar. You always know what to say to keep me sane."

Balthazar's chuckle made Castiel feel just a bit lighter, "It's why you keep me around isn't it?" he teased.

Before Castiel realised, he was stood outside the gallery. He looked inside the glass door to see Crowley inside bossing around the interns to get everything ready for the exhibition. With a sigh, he stepped away from the entrance and leaned against the brick wall beside the glass doors.

"I have to go," he said with a resigned sigh, "I'll see you tonight?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. You know that, Darling."

"I'll see you tonight then, I love you."

"I love you too, Cassie," Balthazar replied his tone laced with humour. He knew the other man would be smirking at him if they were stood face to face and it aggravated him that much more, "You'll do great."

After hanging up Castiel made his way inside instantly being caught up in the whirlwind that was Crowley.

"Ah, Castiel, how great of you to finally join us. It's not like we're busting our asses to make tonight a success or anything," Crowley greeted, dripping sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, I haven't had much sleep lately, between finishing the last of the pieces and worrying about the future. I truly am grateful for everything you've done, Crowley. I wouldn't be anywhere without you."

"You're damn right you wouldn't be," Crowley huffed, "Now go and have a look at each piece, decide if it's in the right place, or if you have any last minute changes to its position, or if you want it removed completely. Everything needs to be in the right position by five, so you have three hours to inspect everything and see if it's all up to standard. When you're done, you need to go eat and change and be back here by sixthirty. Doors open at seven."

Castiel nodded away, having heard everything Crowley had said over ten times already as well as having it emailed to him at least three times a day. He knew Crowley was just making sure everything ran smoothly and he was a little relieved that he wasn't the only one that was panicking over the event.

"Well hurry up, we don't have all day," Crowley snapped, shooing Castiel in the direction of where the patrons were meant to start their tour around the gallery. He knew that most people would just go wherever they wanted, but he had a slight order to his pieces and he wanted them all to be in the right place so they could tell the right story.

Slowly, Castiel made his way around the room with Samandriel in his wake. The boy was one of Crowley's interns, who was also an aspiring artist. He had taken up the internship with Crowley so he could gain some experience in the industry as well as see if it was a career he truly wanted. Castiel had taken him under his wing and had tried to give him as much advice as he could. Trying to inspire him to continue with whatever he chose to do.

Samandriel was quick to make any changes Castiel asked of, and when he asked for his opinion, he would shyly give his answer as if Castiel would yell at him if he didn't agree. Of course, Castiel never had, he always took what the boy had said into consideration before either passing over the idea or putting it into action.

Castiel noticed how each time the boy would gain a little more confidence and it made the older man happy to see that he was starting to see that his opinions actually mattered. After an hour and a half, they had made their way around the entire gallery and all the changes had been made. Once Samandriel had made the final adjustment to the final piece, Castiel told everyone they could leave for the afternoon and he would see them all that evening at the exhibition. He thanked them all for their hard work and told them that he would not forget them if he did make it to the big time. They all laughed and gave him a hug wishing him luck for the evening before they headed off leaving him alone in the gallery.

As he looked around the empty room, Castiel made his way to the center of the space feeling a soft thrum of excitement mixed with nerves under his skin. The event would either make or break his career. With a soft sigh, Castiel took a seat on the hard wooden floor in the centre of the room and just breathed in the quiet atmosphere. In a few hours, people from all over the city would be in this room to look at his art.

Crowley had been adamant that he needed to have anyone who was anyone at his event and had spent a lot of money on getting the big names to give up some of their time. A few had already seen some of his art that he had done before he had found Crowley and had known he had talent but no one other than the interns, Castiel, and Crowley had seen the work that was in the gallery for the exhibition.

He had no idea how long he had sat there until the door behind him opened and in stepped Crowley.

"What are you doing on the floor?" the man asked as he walked over to stand beside where Castiel was sat.

"Just taking it all in," Castiel replied before he stood to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Cassie," Crowley started turning to face the other man, "You have nothing to worry about, they're going to love your work, and you will be the next Picasso in no time."

"I highly doubt I'm the next Picasso," Castiel deadpanned, "But I'd settle for selling most of my work for market price tonight."

"Well that I'm sure you will do," Crowley replied with a grin, "Now come on, you've got to get home and spruce up. I'll see you when you get back."

If Castiel thought he was nervous the night before, it was nothing compared to how he felt once he got back to the gallery. Crowley had told him to eat but there was no way Castiel was able to keep anything down. Dressed in an allblack suit with black tie and white button down, Castiel was sweating like no tomorrow. He was unbelievably nervous as the time the doors were to open grew closer and closer.

Balthazar had messaged him all throughout the day as if he could read Castiel's mind and had known how nervous he was. He had just wished the other man was there with him to hold his hand and calm him down with his ever present calmness but being an agent for some of the top celebrities in the country meant he was in constant meetings and didn't have the time to be with Castiel through the day. He knew if he could, Balthazar would be there in an instant but instead, Castiel would have to settle for waiting until seven o'clock when Balthazar told him he would arrive.

Of course, when the time arrived, Castiel realised he had absolutely nothing to worry about. The queue to get in ran around the block and people were clearly excited when they doors were finally opened. The patrons flooded the space, quick to start to view all the art pieces. Servers were walking around handing out champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Castiel had already gone through at least two glasses of champagne.

People knew who he was as soon as they saw him and were complimenting him from the outset on his success. They told him what they thought of the artwork and he would simply thank them and tell them to continue to enjoy themselves.

When he had a small lull in the amount of people coming up to him, Castiel pulled out his phone to see if Balthazar had sent him a message to say he was running late as he was still nowhere in sight. Hands wrapped around his waist startling him but as warm lips pressed against his cheek, he could smell the familiar cologne and instantly smiled, turning in Balthazar's arms to greet him properly.

"I was beginning to worry you weren't going to show," Castiel said as he pulled away, taking in his boyfriend's appearance of black jacket and slacks with a grey button down with the top few buttons undone to show off the skin of his chest. Balthazar was always wearing deep vnecks so it was no surprise to Castiel to see him with the buttons undone and no tie to be seen.

"Of course I was going to show," Balthazar replied kissing Castiel once more, quickly on the lips, "I would never miss your big night."

Castiel smiled at his boyfriend, hugging him once more before he finally pulled away from him, but took one of his hands in his own just to help the small trace of nerves that were still coursing through his system.

"Look at all these people, Cassie," Balthazar said gesturing around the room with his free hand, "They're all here for you, to look at and buy your work. I'm so proud of you, Darling."

"Thank you, Balth," Castiel replied leaning into Balthazar's shoulder, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," his boyfriend replied kissing the top of his head.

Two hours later, the crowd of people had thinned out to the point there were only a few people left. Castiel was pleasantly buzzed with the amount of champagne he had drunk and all nerves that he had felt at the start of the evening had definitely dissipated.

Crowley had come over earlier to tell him that he had already sold six of his pieces with plenty of offers to buy others. He had been informed that there would more than likely be an auction on at least four of his pieces, which were bound to reach well over the market price. It left Castiel giddy with excitement that he was finally able to make money doing something that he loved.

"Castiel." Balthazar whispered in his ear once Crowley had left, "Come with me, we've got to go to mother's fundraiser. She's expecting us soon."

"Do we have to?" Castiel whined already feeling some of the excitement slipping away at the prospect of finishing the evening with Balthazar's mother.

Castiel had nothing against Naomi but she had a grudge against Castiel. She didn't believe Castiel to be good enough for Balthazar but as the Mayor of New York she couldn't outright say she didn't like him or she would be labelled as a homophobe by the media. Of course, it wasn't true, Naomi was one of the biggest pushers for New York to have samesex marriage legalised but if it came out that she didn't like her son's boyfriend then the media was sure to spin it into something it wasn't.

In truth, Naomi didn't like Castiel because he was apparently 'distracting' to Balthazar's career. When in truth, Castiel never did anything to keep Balthazar from his meetings. He always understood if his boyfriend had to suddenly cancel their plans because a meeting ran longer than it was supposed to or if he suddenly had to go across the country to sort out an incident. It never stopped Castiel's affection for the other man. He knew what it meant to put your career before anyone else; Castiel knew that more than anyone.

"Yes," Balthazar answered his arm snaking around Castiel's waist and pulling him closer into his side, "Unfortunately we do have to. Come on, it will be over before you know it. The limo is out front waiting for us."

"Fine," Castiel resigned letting himself be lead outside to the car where the climbed inside.

As soon as they were inside, he noticed how Balthazar was fidgeting a little. He couldn't seem to keep still as they drove in the direction of the venue but Castiel put it down to nothing more than having to spend the evening with Naomi, who was always whispering to Balthazar how he should just move on from Castiel and find someone who was actually worth being with. Of course it hurt his feelings to hear his boyfriend's mother speak about him like that but he always felt a little better when Balthazar would stick up for him and put his mother in his place.

When the car stopped on the street, Castiel peered out the window and noticed they weren't anywhere near the venue.

"Why are we stopping here?" Castiel asked trying to identify where they were but as he was a little buzzed and it was quite dark outside, he couldn't figure it out.

"I forgot something here today. Won't be a moment, come on," Balthazar said as he climbed from the car holding his hand out for Castiel to take and be helped from the car.

"Can't I just wait in the car?" Castiel grumbled as he climbed unsteadily from the car.

"Don't be a whiny baby," Balthazar chastised, "It won't take too long."

"Fine," Castiel replied still grumbling a little as he was pulled through the several doors.

When they reached a room that was pitched black, he finally stopped grumbling at look at his boyfriend confused.

"Where are we? Why is it so dark?" Castiel asked trying to look around and find something that could tell him where they were.

All of a sudden, the entire room lit up, revealing they were in fact inside a Tiffany & Co.

"Balth? What's going on?" Castiel asked, looking around the room before he looked to his boyfriend only not finding him standing but on one knee in front of him. "Oh my god," Castiel gasped looking down at the man on his knee. "Are you? What are you doing? Balth?" Castiel stuttered so confused with all the emotions and questions running through his head.

"Castiel," Balthazar said calmly, "We've known each other for a year now, dating for nearly as long and

I've never known anyone like you. You're charming and witty, talented and stubborn, brave and strong. You're everything I could have wished for and more. I never want to live a day without seeing you or talking with you. Would you please do me the pleasure of marrying me?"

"Whawhat?" Castiel stuttered once more, mouth agape as he looked down at Balthazar, "You're being completely serious right now? This isn't some joke?" When he really looked at Balthazar's face he could tell he was not joking. It was sudden, came out of nowhere but he knew nothing would make him happier. "Yes!" Castiel screeched as tears clouded his vision, "Yes, I'll marry you," he said as he pulled Balthazar up and into a tight embrace, their lips meeting as they did so.

"You had me worried there for a second," Balthazar joked as he pulled away, one hand cupping Castiel's cheek and wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry, you just took me by surprise is all," Castiel reassured leaning into the touch.

"That was kind of the point." Balthazar laughed causing Castiel to slap him lightly on the arm.

As he looked around the room, he noticed all the rings on display and all the smiling employees looking on. Castiel suddenly became shy hiding himself in Balthazar's chest.

"Come on, Darling, let's choose our rings," Balthazar said leading him by the hand to the counter.