Another chapter is here already! The next one might take a little bit longer. In this one we have our boys being their usual clueless selves. No smut yet. Please favorite/review!
And of course, I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters!
Chapter 4
As Dean enjoyed his hobby, Castiel found a new one of his own. The detective thought he could watch the younger man work forever and never grow bored. Dean would work on the car nearly every day while Cas started going back to work. When he had finished his shift for the day Cas would go to the shop and watch as Dean crawled around under the car or under the hood fixing things. The younger man's movements were always precise and Cas could tell that Dean knew exactly what he was doing.
Rufus had deemed Dean's skill to be adequate, clearly an understatement in Cas's opinion, and the owner allowed Dean free use of the workshop and its tools. The younger man made sure not to waste the opportunity and when he wasn't assisting the owner with work orders, he threw himself into repairing the Impala.
As he worked he began to notice the way Cas watched him. At first he brushed it off as curiosity. The detective clearly didn't know much about mechanic work, judging by the few questions he had asked, and Dean thought the man might be attempting to learn by observing the work. There was no world in which Cas might be staring for another reason. That was just wishful thinking on Dean's part, so he continued his work and made a point of doing his best to explain things when Cas did ask questions.
After a couple weeks of this had passed, Dean started to feel frustrated. He had always found Castiel to be attractive, but he was only 16. Someone like Cas, a detective no less, would never think of him in that manner. For the first time Dean found himself missing his little brother's annoyingly accurate emotional talks. He missed Sam all the time, but he had never been fond of discussing emotions, not even with Sam. At this moment, however, Dean knew that Sam would know exactly what to say and he would love nothing more than to sit down and have a 'chick flick' moment with him.
One night, after eating dinner with Cas, Dean decided to ask for a favor. So far he had only asked Cas for a few things; to stay with him, let him watch the cooking, and a trip to the junk yard, but the request he was about to make made him nervous. He wasn't nervous about asking so much as he was nervous about actually being allowed to do what he wanted to do.
"Hey Cas?"
"Yes Dean?" the detective responded as he rinsed their plates and placed them in the dishwasher.
"I, uh...I was wondering..." Dean stood on the other side of the table from Cas, once again scratching the back of his neck nervously. Cas dried his hands and turned to face the younger man, waiting patiently for him to speak.
"Would it, maybe, be okay if I...visit Sammy's grave?"
"Of course. When would you like to go?" Cas looked at Dean with a concerned, compassion that made Dean shiver. It was such a caring look, one that the younger man had never received from anyone, save for Sam or Bobby, but this was different. It took him a moment to regain his composure enough to respond.
"Tomorrow?" Cas smiled warmly and nodded.
It was a Saturday morning and Cas did not have to work all weekend. They had eaten a quick breakfast before getting into Cas's car and heading for the graveyard. No family had come forward when the boys had been found so Sam had been buried in a graveyard in town. Dean asked for some time alone once they got there, so Cas stayed in the car and observed as Dean walked up to the site and knelt by the stone marker. He could see that Dean was speaking and his lips turned up in a small, sad smile.
"Hey ya, Sammy," Dean started as he knelt. It felt odd to speak to a stone, but this was his brother and the only person he needed right now. "I, uh...need a chick flick moment, and you're it bitch." He swallowed around a lump that was trying to form in his throat. "I'm not hear to cry over you being gone. I did enough of that already. I have some...feelings...I need to sort out. I know, I know, not like me to want to talk about those, but..." Dean ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I like Cas. I mean, really like him. I think I might even...love him." The last part was a whisper. "I just don't know what to do about it. He's a detective and I'm...damaged goods. If it was even possible for him to like me, and I do mean IF, how would I tell?"
He went on to list off the reasons he thought he wasn't good enough for Cas and why he shouldn't even be thinking about the detective in that manner until, suddenly, an acorn struck him in the head. Dean looked around, stunned. It was fall, but the nearest oak tree was at least thirty feet away. But as he looked around, Dean realized that there was no one else there that could have thrown it. Cas was still sitting his car. The young man chuckled then.
"Bitch. You did that on purpose." The wind gusted just then and Dean swore he could hear Sam's laughter. "Okay then. You're right, Sammy. Love you man," he said as he patted the head stone and picked up the acorn before standing. Smiling, he turned and walked back to the car.
"Everything okay?" Cas asked as Dean closed the car door. The younger man held the acorn on his palm before closing his fist around it.
"Yeah. Can we go to the shop today?" Cas raised an eyebrow at the acorn, but chose not to comment on it.
"Sure Dean. Let's go," he replied.
The shop was surprisingly warm when they arrived. The fall air was crisp, but it was still about 60 degrees outside. The inside of the shop was 75 degrees according to the thermometer by the door. Cas immediately removed his black jacket and Dean took off his flannel shirt, leaving him in only the black t-shirt. When they commented on the heat the owner of the shop frowned disapprovingly at them.
"I'm old. I like the heat," Rufus replied grumpily, before returning to working on a motorcycle that had come in. Dean offered to help, but he waved the younger man off. "I'm not too old that I can't handle one bike on my own."
Dean shrugged and walked over to the Impala. This heat actually gave him an idea. He started working underneath the car, finishing attaching the new fuel lines. It took him nearly an hour, during which time Cas had left to get some coffee. When he had gotten back he had taken a seat on one of the chairs near the wall that was behind the office and right in front of the Impala. It was his favorite place to sit while watching Dean work.
During the hour Dean had spent under the car, he had worked up a sweat in the heat of the shop. In a calculated move, he pulled his black t-shirt over his head and walked slowly over to a chair to place it next to his flannel shirt. Cas happened to be sitting on the chair right next to it and as Dean walked up he watched the way the older man's eyes skimmed every inch of exposed flesh. He offered Cas a smile he hadn't used since he had been in school. It was the slow, sexy smile he had used, quite effectively, on all of the girls.
Castiel swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry, and watched as Dean turned and strode back over to his car. The younger man then popped the hood of the car and leaned over it to keep working. From this angle Cas was given a nice view of Dean's ass and he took a moment to appreciate the way the blue jeans clung to his hips and hugged every curve. He shook his head and quickly looked down at his coffee cup.
What was he thinking, checking Dean out like that? Then again...Cas remembered the smile Dean had shown him. He looked up to catch the younger man's glance before he looked back at the car and leaned forward a little farther, sticking his ass out just a bit more. Is Dean trying to seduce me? Castiel's eyes widened slightly at the realization and he coughed, drawing Dean's attention.
"Um...It's nearly lunch time. Are you ready to leave?" Cas tried to cover his embarrassment at his wayward thoughts.
"Sure," Dean smiled, wiping his greasy hands on a rag before closing the Impala's hood. He then turned and walked slowly back over to the chair to retrieve his t-shirt and flannel. As he walked, Dean made a point of slowly stretching his arms above his head, as if his shoulders had gotten tired from working. He was delighted to see Cas lick his lips, eyes locked on the muscles as they rippled from Dean's movements. Once he pulled the t-shirt over his head, Cas seemed to snap out of his revere.
"Right, I'll go get the car."
"Isn't it parked right outside?"
"Running...uh, you know, started. I meant that I'll get it started." Cas seemed flustered and Dean fought back a smirk.
"Right. I'll be out there in a second," Dean said as he pulled on his flannel shirt. Cas quickly left the building and Dean walked over to Rufus to say goodbye.
"Are you okay going with that man?" Rufus asked as he walked up.
"Why?" Dean frowned.
"He doesn't...force himself on you...does he? 'Cause that man looked like he wanted to eat you alive, kid." Dean nearly choked.
"No! No, he would never hurt me. I'm fine, I promise," Dean assured him.
"The detective is a good man, far as I can tell. I just had to make sure, you know." The owner smiled at him then and Dean realized that Rufus knew exactly what he had been doing. He blushed, pressing his lips into a thin smile before ducking his head and leaving.
While he had been waiting in the car, Castiel had convinced himself that he was imaging everything that had happened in the shop today. There was no way that Dean could be attracted to him as well. He had never been that lucky in his entire life so why should this be any different. Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed.
Even if it had meant nothing, he had still thoroughly enjoyed watching a shirtless Dean work on that car. It made his heart hurt when he thought of the scars that littered the younger man's skin, though. The fact of the matter was that Dean would bear the physical and emotional scars from that experience for the rest of his life and Cas wished, for what seemed like the millionth time, that he had gotten there sooner. He realized that the only thing he could do now was protect Dean and make sure that nothing like that ever happened to him again.
Dean got into the car and they rode back to Castiel's house in silence. They had sandwiches and lemonade for lunch and when they were done Dean decided to take a nap on the couch. Cas still felt the need to clear his head, so he headed to his basement where he had a small gym. He stopped in his bedroom to change into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, before making his way down the stairs.
The first space in the basement was what he considered to be his office. His desk was in the far corner facing the center of the room, a white board and a cork board adorning the walls behind it. There was a police scanner in the opposite corner from the stairs, but this room had very little else in it. He walked to the left, alongside of the stairs and through a door. This was the laundry room and there was another door, to the right, that contained a half bath. He continued forward, through a final door, to his home gym. There was a treadmill, a bench that allowed him to lift weights or work his legs, a pull-up bar, and some bands that were hanging from the ceiling in one corner.
Cas started by stretching. It had been a few weeks since he was down here last and he didn't want to pull anything. Next he took a short jog on the treadmill, and once he was warmed up he began lifting weights. When Dean came looking for him 45 minutes later, he was shirtless and hanging from the pull-up bar.
"Twenty nine, thirty," he grunted before he noticed Dean and dropped to the floor. "Hello. Have a nice nap?" Dean blinked. He had been staring at Cas's shirtless and sweaty form, but tried desperately to focus on what Cas had said.
"Uh...yeah. I didn't know you had a gym," he motioned to the room.
"Yeah, I like to stay in shape for work. With my odd hours sometimes, it can be hard to go to an actual gym, so this was the best option." Cas observed as Dean struggled not to let his eyes wander...and failed. "Well, I'm just gonna...go take a shower. We have to leave for your appointment soon."
"Right," Dean shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the detective's hard abs, "...the she-devil. Great."
They arrived at the hospital for the appointment about 45 minutes later. Dean had been meeting with Jessica alone for the past three sessions and told Cas that he would like to do so again today. Cas took his usual seat by the wall, picked up a magazine, and began flipping through it as Dean walked into the office.
"How are you today, Dean?" Jessica asked pleasantly as he entered the room.
"I'm fine. Still working on the car just about every day."
"I told you a hobby would help!" she responded excitedly. Dean rolled his eyes. "Are you ready to keep talking about the torture?" Dean had finally opened up to her last session, and had told her a little bit about the torture he had been forced to inflict.
"There ain't much more to talk about," Dean grumbled.
"You haven't told me how it made you feel," she stated. They were sitting now and she was holding her pen above her clip board, waiting for a response.
"It made me feel terrible! But I already cried it out when one of the victims approached me. He forgave me, Cas convinced me that it wasn't my fault, I moved on. End of story," he sighed, exasperated. "I have something else I'd rather talk about today."
"Oh?" Jessica was intrigued.
"I, uh...don't have a lot of people in my life that I can talk to for advice...and I really don't wanna ask Cas about this..." he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'd be happy to help in any way I can," she smiled, happy that Dean was feeling more comfortable opening up to her.
"I was just wondering...when you like someone...and they seem to be clueless about it, no matter what you do...how do you tell if they like you back? I mean...I have some experience from back when I was in school, but this is different."
"Why is this different?"
"This person...means a lot more to me," Dean was feeling a bit uncomfortable discussing his personal feelings with her, but he needed the advice.
"Well, let me ask you this. What would you do if this person didn't mean more? How would you handle it if this person was one of the people from school?" Jessica had put her pen down and was leaning forward slightly now.
"I guess I would start by complimenting something about how they look...then I'd ask them out."
"Earlier you said this person was clueless no matter what you do. Have you tried that with them yet?"
"Okay. I guess I have an idea. Great talk doc," Dean stood and pulled on his leather jacket. This time Jessica rolled her eyes, as she could tell Dean was being sarcastic with that last comment.
"See you next week," she said as she opened the door for him. Dean followed Cas out to the car and they made their way back home in silence while Dean contemplated what to do next.
