This one's short, but I had to get it out there before I convinced myself it was total crap. That's Writer Code for, "Leave me lots of reviews telling me how good it is or I might never publish anything ever again."

Many thanks to the lovely Kathy for taking the time to share her thoughts.

This is definitely going to be longer than four chapters, but don't ask me how much longer. I'm not in charge.


Chapter Three

Cas didn't call the next day. Or the next. By Thursday Dean had officially turned into a teenage girl, checking his phone every ten minutes and mentally debating whether he could call Cas without coming off as needy and/or stalkerish. The only number he had was the number of Cas's store, East of Eden, which he had found via Google so that was a little stalkerish already.

He definitely did not spend hours staring at Cas's picture on the store's website. He only looked at it for ten or fifteen minutes, and he spent most of that laughing at Cas's black and yellow striped rain boots with cartoon bumblebee faces on the toes.

Cas called on Friday night. "It's not too late, is it?" he asked, and there seemed to be a dual meaning to the question.

"No, it's fine." Dean closed his bedroom door for some privacy. He hadn't told Sam or anyone else about Cas yet. They would be so happy that he was finally "moving on", and if things didn't work out they would immediately smother him in comfort. He didn't want to deal with that. "How've you been?"

"Good. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. The store's been busy now that the weather is warming up, and then Grace had to go to the vet."

"Is she okay?" Dean asked, genuinely concerned. He liked that dog, and she was clearly very important to Cas.

"Yes, it was nothing serious. Just a small scratch that got infected. She's feeling much better now. In fact, I was planning to take her to the park tomorrow, and I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

"Sure." Dean tried not to sound like an eager puppy and mostly failed. "What time?"

"I close the store at two on Saturdays, and I live right next door, so if you meet me there at two thirty, that'll give me enough time to change my clothes and pack us some food. I'm not much of a cook, but I can do sandwiches."

"Sounds good to me." Dean had always preferred informal dates. Getting dressed up and going somewhere expensive might be romantic, but it didn't really encourage people to be themselves which kind of defeated the whole purpose of a date.

"Great." Cas sounded a little relieved. "Do you need directions to the store?"

"No, I, um … I already looked you up," Dean admitted. "Love the boots, by the way. Do you actually wear those, or was that just PR for the website?"

Cas laughed, and even distorted by the phone, it was one of the top five most beautiful sounds Dean had ever heard. "Believe it or not, I actually wear them. They were a gift from my brother, and they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. Also completely waterproof which is very important in my line of work."

"I think they're cute. Do the actual bees like them?"

"They do, but I don't think they recognize that it's supposed to look like a bee. They're just attracted to bright colors."

Dean realized that at some point in the conversation he had flopped down sideways across his bed with his head hanging upside down over the edge. God, he was such a girl, but he was comfortable, and no one could see him.

"So how was your week?" Cas asked. "Get any interesting puzzles to work on?"

Like Cas with his bees, Dean didn't need much encouragement to talk about cars. He told Cas about a '73 Dodge Charger that he was rebuilding practically from scrap. "The guy thought she just needed new spark plugs, but when we opened her up the battery was rusted, the fuel line was leaking, and about a dozen other things. It's a miracle she didn't go up in flames…" The next time he happened to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table, it was after ten. "God. Sorry. I'm probably putting you to sleep."

"Not at all," Cas assured him. "I didn't understand most of it, but I like listening to you talk. Has anyone ever told you what a beautiful voice you have?"

Dean felt a flush creep into his cheeks. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, no."

"Well, you do. And when you're talking about something you're passionate about, it's even more beautiful."

"Shit, Cas. You're making me blush."

"Mmm. That's another thing you do beautifully. I'm sorry I'm missing it."

"Dude, has anyone ever told you you're a shameless flirt?"

"Oh, yes. Many people. If I'm making you uncomfortable, tell me and I'll stop." Cas's tone had shifted from seductive to serious in two seconds flat.

"No, it's fine. It's just …" Dean hesitated. This was gonna make him sound so insecure, but what the hell. He was insecure, and he needed to know for sure. "You're not just teasing, right? You're actually … interested in me?"

"Yes, Dean," Cas said, and nothing in his voice made Dean feel stupid for asking. "Are you interested in me?"

"Yeah, definitely, but … Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I kind of want to take things slow. Cause I usually don't. I'm very impulsive, and I … I really like you, and I don't want to screw this up."

"I understand, Dean," Cas said without hesitation. "There's no rush. And like I said, if I do anything you're not comfortable with, tell me and I'll stop immediately. Okay?"

"Okay." Dean wasn't sure why, but he trusted Cas.

"It's late," Cas said. "We should both get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

As soon as he hung up, Dean set three alarms on his phone. No way was he gonna forget about this.

~o0o~

Cas stared blankly at the phone in his hand for a long time. Was he really prepared to let himself fall completely in love with Dean Winchester? Because the more time they spent together, the more inevitable it would become. Could he handle the hurt and disappointment if Dean took one look at the broken, scarred, neurotic mess that was the real Castiel Novak and ran for the hills?

Sensing his spiraling mood, Grace jumped up on the couch with him and nuzzled his cheek with her wet nose.

"I'm okay," he assured her, but he leaned against her, burying his face in her fur. "I'm okay. No matter what happens, you'll still love me, right?"

She licked his hair.

"I'll take that as a yes."