Castiel didn't dream at all that night. It was a habit he had fallen into as of late. He started coming to as he felt a strong grip shaking him back and forth.
"Cas, come on buddy," A deep voice coddled his groggy mind, "It's time to get up."
Castiel squeezed his eyes together tighter, but then felt them fly all the way open. They traveled wildly around the room and took in an unknown environment. It had haunting, deep red walls, or so he assumed: the bed he was in had a dark black satin canopy cloistering him away from the rest of the room. The sheets were silk. Castiel backed away from the intruder- thoughts of flying fists and incessant screaming echoing through his mind- and stared at him wide eyed.
"What is it? Did I forget to brush my teeth or something?" Dean asked, sounding self conscious.
Castiel blinked. Memory surged through this mind.
"N-no, it's nothing," Cas mumbled, "I forgot where I was for a second."
"You're in the penthouse of the Impala Cafe," Dean smiled slightly before sporting a serious expression, "And we are on the clock."
Cas slipped slowly out of the bed, and looked down at his rumpled uniform, which he had slept in the night before. "Do I look...presentable?"
Dean had turned to inspect his teeth in a nearby mirror. "You look fine," he said without looking at him, "It's just a coffee shop, not a runway."
Dean turned back to Cas to give him a reassuring smile before leading him out the door and through the apartment. Cas was stunned by the adornments he hadn't bothered to notice the night before. A flat screen T.V. A large and inviting sanguine leather couch. Mahogany hardwood floors subtly clicked under Dean's and his shoes. What seemed to be expensive, avant garde artwork almost littered the walls. Crowley had a really nice place here, and Castiel felt extremely grateful that he had thoughtlessly let him stay.
"What time is it?" Cas yawned.
"Te-e-e-en," Dean started urgently as he looked at his watch, "Thirteen. We are late."
The door to the elevator opened, and the two stepped in. Cas looked around the cramped chamber and felt suddenly self conscious surrounded by Dean and his doubles in the mirrored walls. He studied Dean's built, muscled form in the mirror before comparing it to his own slim- almost starved- form. He lowered his gaze to look at his feet while he waited for the elevator to arrive on the first floor.
"What?" Dean asked blankly.
Castiel turned his head slowly to meet his eyes. "What, what?"
"You look like someone just ran over your dog," Dean exaggerated, "What's wrong? Not a morning person?"
"I suppose so," Cas mumbled.
"Well, we'll get you there," Dean chirped as the door to the elevator opened. The two walked into the main floor of the cafe. "I'll open the place, go ahead and take a seat behind the counter."
Cas did as Dean instructed, and watched him turn all of the lights on, pull the cord on the open sign, and start pastries of the day in the kitchen behind the other door Cas had noted the day before.
"I make all the food here," Dean called to a silent Cas from behind the kitchen door.
"Is that so?" Cas mused.
"Yeah, well, I learned how to do it because- hold on," Dean poked his head out from behind the door before explaining: "This felt too personal to shout through a door."
"Okay?" Cas turned his head quizzically.
"I learned how to make all sorts of sweets because my Mom died when I was a kid. I wanted Sammy to have the things that all the other kids with Moms had, and Dad sure as Hell wasn't going to learn how to make lemon bars. So I did," Dean's tone was matter of fact, no sense of whining or complaining. As if this was the only possible answer to this situation in the world.
Cas looked at him in silence for a second. This man was amazing. Honestly amazing. "W-wow, I'm sorry," He managed to stutter out.
"Sorry for what?" Dean asked through the door after retracting his head from the doorway and re entering the kitchen.
"F-for, uh," Cas started, trying to name his deep sympathies for Dean as anything other than deep attraction. "For the weight of your life up to this point, I suppose," He concluded and nodded at his smart save.
A buzz sounded from the kitchen. The sound of a full cooking sheet scraping against the metal tray of an oven poked Cas' ears. Dean propped the kitchen door open with his foot, and carefully made it through the door with the goods in hands. When Cas saw what the tray in Dean's bloated oven mitt clad hand bore, he smiled and sent a silent question into Dean's eyes.
"I know I said that the oatmeal cookies are unpopular," Dean rationalized with a smirk, "But we gotta make 'em for the infrequent oddball with a fetish for 'em."
Cas chuckled silently to himself as Dean strided toward the display case. The two existed in silence for a few minutes, apart from the sound of Dean placing and arranging the goodies in the case. If the sound of Cas' eyes being riveted to Dean's impassioned eyes, his capable biceps, or his tight ass made a sound, the cafe would have been be filled to the brim with the sound of a cacophonous, sexually charged orchestra. Lucky for him they did not.
He moved his eyes from Dean to the street outside, in quiet contemplation. "Sometimes I feel like an oatmeal cookie," he finally broke the silence with a powerful half-whisper.
"Like infrequent oddballs have a fetish for you?" Dean quipped instantly with his head still engulfed in the case.
"No," Cas smiled slightly despite his insecurity as he turned to meet Dean's gaze. He was finished with the cookies, and had made the case completely presentable to customers in minutes. He looked at Cas with narrowing confused eyes. Cas continued with a subdued sadness: "Like not a soul on this Earth wants me."
"Don't be like that, Cas," Dean rolled his eyes. He walked towards Cas, gingerly placed his hand on his shoulder, and directed his eyes into Castiel's. "Crowley wanted you enough to give you this job. I want you enough to teach you how to do it. Whatever happened to you in past- whatever it was- it is the past. We are living right now, and right now," The sound of the entry bell rang causing Dean's mouth to curl upward, "Right now we have a customer."
Castiel followed Dean's gaze with a smile while his heart raced immersed in the soft, reassuring praise he had he just received from his beautiful cohort. The man who had entered the cafe sported some sort of old fashioned hat (it almost warranted the term "cap") that belonged in another era. His face was wide and honest looking, with a polished beard framing his features. It was brilliantly lit with a wide smile.
"Benny!" Dean's enthusiasm was palpable.
"Dean," The man nodded coolly.
"Cas," Dean said, turning to him, "This is Benny. He's one of our regulars. He's a big shot book editor and does most of his work in our modest little cafe."
"I resent that," Benny smiled, a slight taste of a southern accent flavoring his sentences, "Hello, Cas."
"Nice to meet you, sir."
"No, no, none of that 'sir' business," Benny shook his head, "Save that for Crowley's big ego."
Dean exploded into laughter at the man's small joke, resulting in a wave of quiet validation washing over his face. Cas noted the look Benny's eye as matching the look his own eyes most likely possessed when aimed toward Dean, and wondered what sort of relationship the two shared.
"What can we get'cha, Benny?" Dean asked once he had caught his breath.
"Well, I got a lot of work I gotta get down today, so get me one a' those bottomless mug deals," Benny said, scrounging through the overhead menu in order to confirm his order, "And start me off with a...hell, nothin' fancy, just a black coffee."
Cas started to fill a round mug with the amber liquid as Dean collected a crumpled bill from Benny. The cash register chimed as it opened and closed. Cas smiled as he topped off his first real drink, and he turned and handed it to the man.
"Thank you," He said simply as he received his drink.
"It's no problem, sir-" (A chastising look bore into Cas' eyes) "B-benny," He quickly corrected himself.
"Just holler if you want any more," Dean nodded politely.
"Will do."
Dean's polite salesperson tone turned to casual friend in an instant: "How long are you going to stay today?"
"Well," Benny's eyes became a little clouded, "I really got a lot of work, and I've been so stressed lately...I was thinkin'...I would stay 'till...closing."
"Fantastic," Dean instantly replied.
"Is that alright?" Benny seemed concerned.
"Yeah, I'm on staff all day and into tonight," Dean informed Benny with a pleasant, yet goofy grin.
"Great," Benny mirrored his grin, before walking away, taking a seat at a table, and pulling stacks and stacks of papers out of his bag.
The two men continued to serve infrequent customers, none staying in the cafe for too long. Cas found the work engaging enough that he wasn't bored, but light enough that he wasn't stressed, and overall very pleasant. As an added bonus, he got to talk to Dean in the lulls of customer influx.
"Tell me more about your brother," Cas stated bluntly while sitting in a stool behind the counter. A new customer hadn't entered in maybe twenty minutes.
"Sammy? Oh, Sammy's great," A proud smile crinkled the lines around Dean's eyes in a wise-looking way, which warmed Cas' heart so much he followed suit. "He's 17, a senior in high school- smart, so smart, smarter than I could ever understand. He studying so that he can get into a big law school, and I'm working so that we can afford it." Dean raised his hand behind his head, and scratched his neck, seeming to deliberate before he continued seriously: "With mom and dad gone, he's all I really got left in this world."
"You're an orphan?" Sympathy swelled through Cas' heart like ice water.
"Did I forget to mention that?" Dean asked dismissively, "Yeah, Mom died when we were little, and Dad drank himself dead a few years ago. It's honestly easier for Sam and I to get by without him."
Cas was lost for words. "I'm sorry," He finally managed.
"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault, is it?" Dean raised his eyebrows with slight condescension.
"No," Cas bit his lip, "I suppose not."
"Then we move on, living in the now," Dean declared as he turned to face incoming customers, effectively ending the conversation.
As the day continued, Cas got a better handle on pouring exactly the right amount of liquid into a mug, how to use the tongs to pull food out if the case without squishing it, how to work the register, and other cafe subtleties. Around 5 o'clock, a familiar sneer entered the cafe.
"Hello boys," Crowley smiled.
"Hey, boss."
"Sir," Cas nodded.
As Crowley approached, he seemed to be appraising Castiel again, his eyes moving up and down his figure. "That uniform suits you," He finally acknowledged.
"Crowley-" Dean started critically.
"It's just a compliment, Dean," Crowley narrowed his eyes, "Get a hold of yourself."
"Thank you, sir," Cas drawled, feeling awkward. "Oh, thank you for letting me stay in your apartment, as well."
"My wha'?" A look of incomprehension in his eyes.
"The room...upstairs?" Cas motioned upward trying to explain, not having expected this to be a confusing concept.
"Oh, the penthouse, you mean," Crowley nodded, raised his eyebrows, and grinned before continuing, "Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes, sir," Cas nodded, before feeling confused and slightly uncomfortable, "Do you not...reside there? It's so beautifully furnished."
"We...rent it out to...tenants occasionally," Crowley picked his words with tact, "So, no, I do not 'reside' there."
Dean loudly cleared his throat.
"How's the first day treating you, Cassie?" Crowley quickly diverted the conversation.
"Quite well," Cas smiled, feeling comfortable again, "I enjoy working here."
"Good, good," He nodded dismissively, "I'm going to head upstairs and get a little administrative work done. Who's slated to come in tonight, Winchester?"
"Jo and Gabriel should be coming in 'round 8," Dean stated.
"It should be a fun night, then," Crowley chuckled before walking through the door to the elevator.
Cas sat in silence for a few moments before vocalizing his confusion. "Why are more employees coming in so late?"
"We, uh," Dean stopped short and diverted his wide eyes from Cas' prodding expression. "Uh, we get a surge of customers...late...into the night..."
"Why?"
"Ok...Cas, uh," Dean scratched his head and continued in a slow whisper, "There's something I should tell y-"
"Dean?" Benny's voice instantly came between the hushed conference as he approached the counter with an empty mug.
Dean turned quickly to meet the customer. "Yeah, Benny? What can I get you?" The Dean Schmooze had been turned on like a light switch, and Cas felt like he had been left in the dust.
"Just another black coffee."
Dean smiled and slowly took the cup out of Benny's hands, overtly brushing his fingers over the man's fingers. A sheepish smile broke out across his bearded face, and the two shared a silently moment of charged eye contact, with Cas standing as a single spectator. Cas felt a cocktail of confusion, irritation, and unwarranted jealousy burning in his stomach as he watched Benny ogle Dean's back while filling his cup, but made sure to keep his expression neutral.
"Here you go, Benny," Dean offered the cup with a gracious smile.
"Thanks, Dean," Benny said without moving.
"Got something else you wanna say?"
"Y-yeah," Benny's voice suddenly timid. His eyes regarded a silent Cas before returning to Dean's and dropping his voice to little more than a whisper, "I-is the penthouse available tonight?"
Dean awkwardly eyed Cas before continuing with his flirtatious bravado. "It is. Would you like to stay here tonight?"
Benny nodded.
"Okay, we can get that all worked out later," Dean jokingly waved him off, "Go get your work done, big shot."
Following this conversation, the rest of the evening was spent with Dean finding some sort of work to do. He cleaned the oven. Baked extra muffins. Made rounds throughout the cafe to offer refills. Anything to avoid Cas, it seemed. Cas was confused and irritated by Dean's incongruous behavior, but accepted the fact that Dean didn't really owe him any sort of explanation.
Then, just as Dean said, around 8 o'clock a blonde woman entered the slightly more crowded cafe. She wore a more feminized version of Dean and Cas' uniforms: a tight, white blouse and slim khaki shorts that cut off closer to mid calf. She tied on her green apron as she entered the door.
"Dean!" She exclaimed.
"Jo!" He echoed with a wide smile.
She approached the counter with an apprehensive regard to Cas. Cas thought it was strange he could see just a faint trace of lace from beneath her blouse, but didn't feel strongly enough to vocalize anything. "Who is this?"
"This is Cas," Dean said, regarding Cas for the first time in an hour, "He's a new employee."
"It's nice to mee-" Cas tried to start politely.
"A new employee? What is Crowley thinking?" Jo started with her fiery gaze boring directly into Cas' eyes, "We can barely split wages across the employees we already have, and you and Gabe hardly need any more competition with clients-"
"That won't be a problem, Jo," Dean stated through clenched teeth while making a motion Cas couldn't make out out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh," She deadpanned. "Okay, then. I'm Jo," She extended her hand, "It's nice enough to meet you, Cas."
"Likewise," Cas carefully enunciated while softly shaking her hand.
"Do you think you should take off, Cas?" Dean suddenly interjected.
Cas blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Jo's here now, and you've worked all day, so...why don't you head out and take a rest?" Dean's eyes suddenly wide with kindness.
Cas found it hard to disagree with the man. "I don't have anywhere to go...could I stay upstairs again?"
"No," Dean abruptly growled. "No."
Cas stopped breathing at Dean's commanding tone, and looked into Dean's suddenly troubled eyes. He could see the cogs in the his head turned quickly, and an unexplainable distress muddying his green irises. Dean bit his lip before continuing: "No, take the keys to my apartment and go stay at my place," He finally decided, before noisily fishing his keys out of his pocket, and placing them in Cas' hand.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, one hundred percent. It's right down the street. You'll see an impala parked out in front of it," Dean explained quickly.
"O-okay," Cas stammered, "Goodbye Dean. Jo. I will see you two later."
"Bye, Cas," Jo waved with a mischievous smile.
"See ya later, buddy," Dean's genuine smile warming Cas' mind as he walked out the door of the cafe and onto the cold street outside.