Chapter Four: Road Trip
Dean called at ten the day after their date. He was as excited as a mongoose with a cobra when Castiel picked up.
"Cas! Guess what?"
"Hello to you too, Dean," Castiel shot back, amused.
"Sorry, hey- but guess what?" Castiel laughed.
"I don't know; what?" he humored the elder male.
"I just finished your car! Mason is re-hymen-ated and ready for us to break him in!" Castiel laughed in a mixture of amusement at his boyfriend's phrasing and his own excitement.
"When can I come and see him?"
"Hey!"
"Sorry, when can I come around to see you guys?" he corrected. Dean laughed.
"Well, this is technically my day off but your parts came in this morning so Bobby rang me up and we finished Mason before anything else. So I can come and pick you up whenever you're ready." Castiel smiled.
"Okay. I'll be ready in half an hour, is that sufficient?"
"Perfect! See you soon, bye Cas." Dean affirmed.
"Goodbye, Dean." Cas rolled his eyes fondly as he hung up the phone but couldn't really blame the elder male; he was extremely pleased to be able to drive Mason again.
When Dean rolled up a half an hour later, Castiel was sitting on the front step. He had thrown on a pair of black skinny jeans, a worn red Styx shirt, and red chucks. Cas jumped up instantly and began stroking the bonnet of his beloved car as soon as it was parked. He cooed as he lightly traced the silver bird emblem.
"Oh Mason, I missed you," he smiled and sighed. Dean laughed as he got out of the car and closed the driver's door gently.
"Thanks Cas, I missed you too," he teased. Cas frowned at him.
"Dean, sooner or later you're going to have to accept that I just love Mason more than I like you. If you can't move passed that then this isn't going to work out," he furrowed his brow in mock worry. Dean laughed.
"Well as long as we're being honest, you'll always be second to my baby." He retorted. Cas nodded.
"Just so we're clear," he nodded in agreement. They both laughed this time.
"So where do you want to go first?" Dean asked, excited. Castiel thought for a moment.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Dean huffed out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Actually," he rubbed is neck.
"What?" Castiel asked curiously. Dean blushed and muttered something which only fueled the curiosity. This was so unlike Dean. "What was that?"
Dean cleared his throat. "I said: um, I actually have an idea… there is an abandoned ballroom up past the cities. I have my IPod and dock in the car if you're not opposed to a little b & e then maybe we could go there and you could teach me how to dance or dance for me?" he blabbered nervously on when Castiel didn't respond immediately. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to. Breaking the law and all I guess it's stupid to ask you to-."
"Dean," Castiel cut him off with a short chuckle. Dean blushed and met his boyfriend's gaze. "That sounds like fun. I'll drive and you can be my humanoid GPS." Dean perked up and grinned widely. Castiel returned it fondly and for a moment they just stood there, grinning. Finally, Castiel laughed and leaned up, pecking Dean on the corner of his mouth and snatching the keys from his hand. "Come on then, doofus," he teased. Dean pouted and slid into the passenger seat.
"Meanie," Castiel laughed again and turned the key, melting a bit when the car purred like new beneath him.
"You know it." He replied. Dean cracked a smile and reached over to flip the radio on. Cas swatted his hand away.
"Nope- my car, my music," Castiel told him. Dean laughed.
"Fine, the cakehole rule against me,"
"Cakehole rule-?" Cas asked as he pulled his seatbelt on. Dean did the same.
"Yeah," Cas pulled onto the street. "Turn left at the stoplight. The cakehole rule is something I made up for when Sammy is in the car; 'Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole'," he smirked and Cas laughed. He stopped at the red light with his blinker on and reached over to turn the station to a variety station that played anything from Panic! At the Disco to Metallica. It was an excellent compromise and the rest of the drive was spent singing along to the songs, unless Dean was giving directions. Sometime during the drive, Castiel had put his hand on the center console and Dean had intertwined it with his own.
They stopped in the city to go through the drive through of a Dairy Queen and got chocolate/vanilla twist ice cream cones but even with the delay it took them less than an hour to reach the abandoned studio. There were boards over the windows and the walls were graffiti-d but it was still in pretty good shape, all things considered. Dean walked up to the padlocked doors and pulled out a key to unlock them. Castiel raised an eyebrow in question.
"This place is sort of my sanctuary… I was once put in a boy's home not far from here and the man who ran it- Sonny- had a sister who owned this place. She died not long after I left the home and Sonny inherited it but he never knew what to do with it, and he couldn't bear to sell it. We kept in touch, Sonny and I, and whenever Sammy or I needed an escape we would come here. Dad always knew where to look for us but sometimes it took him days to get here." Castiel nodded in understanding, stretching his neck to kiss Dean's cheek in comfort. Dean smiled.
Walking inside, Castiel inhaled in surprise. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this was not it. The foyer was marble and cylindrical with a reception desk covered with a sheet straight ahead and six doors leading into separate studios, three on either side of the main entrance. Above was a posh and extremely dusty chandelier. Light filtered in through the cracks of the boards on the windows.
Now entranced and excited, Castiel ran forward to fling open the first door on the right revealing a ballet studio with warped wood flooring and slightly tarnished, dusty mirrors. The golden barre was also coated with dust but Castiel barely noticed the imperfections, already completely in love with this place. The second door revealed a room with two mirror walls and a thick mat covering the entire floor. Dean led him onto the third door which was another plain studio but with a lower barre- a studio for small children perhaps.
The first door on the left revealed a plain room with lots of things covered in sheets. Uncovering a few, Cas discovered a few perfectly usable weight machines and several stretching and endurance devices. A line of exercise bikes and treadmills sat up against the far wall and Castiel was astounded to discover a door next to them that led into two hallways- male and female showering/changing rooms. The second door on the left was the same as the first on the right- a plain dance studio with a medium height barre. But the third and final door on the left led to a stairway. The stairs up to the second level were as dusty as everything else and he walked up them cautiously, Dean following.
It was an apartment. The majority of the room was open with slanted ceilings and several skylights that had been boarded over. A small kitchen nook was tucked next to the stairs a door on the far end of what seemed to be the living room (the main area)led into a deceptively large master bedroom with en suite bathroom including large tub/shower with two showerheads- one detachable and one stationary. Castiel turned to Dean with wide eyes.
"I want to buy this place," he said seriously. Dean frowned.
"What, really? But it's so run down…"
"Shut up, I love it," Castiel said in mock offense. "Seriously- do you think Sonny would accept an offer if I put one in?" Dean noticed how serious his boyfriend was and thought about it.
"Um… maybe. I know he doesn't like seeing it waste away but he doesn't want to sell it to just anyone. People have offered to buy it before but he's turned them down." Castiel looked disheartened and Dean's heart caved to his boyfriend's pout. "But I guess I could put in a good word for you," Castiel beamed up at him.
"Really?" Dean couldn't help but to smile back.
"Absolutely, angel." He kissed his forehead and Castiel practically purred as he buried his face into Dean's neck and hugged him
"So what do you want me to dance to?"
"Actually… Something Sammy was listening to the other day…"
"Oh?" Dean pulled his Beats Audio iPod jack out and fiddled with the controls for a moment before setting it on a nearby ledge. The opening bars of the song played and Castiel smiled.
"One Republic? I am shocked, Mr. Classic Rock,"
"Oh, shut it," Dean smiled back, almost shyly and leaned against the wall. Cas took a deep breath and walked out into the open, beginning with a few simple spins.
Lately I been, I been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Yeah, we'll be counting stars
The music sped up and Castiel began jerking his limbs around to the beat, every move was precise and strangely graceful. Dean watched in fascination as Castiel closed his eyes and got lost in the music for a minute.
I see this life
Like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line
In my face is flashing signs
Seek it out and ye shall find
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
I feel something so right
By doing the wrong thing
And I feel something so wrong
Dean's candy apple green eyes met Castiel's as they fluttered open. A mischievous smile spread over his face and he grabbed Dean's hand, pulling him into the middle of the room. Dean resisted half-heartedly but smiled at his boyfriend's enthusiasm.
By doing the right thing
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be, we'll be counting stars
Castiel laughed as he laced his fingers with Dean's and they began to bounce and dance like middle school kids at a school dance. They were both laughing and goofing off. The song ended and they both smiled at each other, breathing a bit heavily from all the bouncing. A slower piano intro began playing and Castiel sighed as Dean pulled him closer. They swayed as they caught their breath, embracing and allowing their affectionate feelings to wash over each other.
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naïve
I'm just out to find
The better part of me
I'm more than a bird,
I'm more than a plane
I'm more than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me
I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
'Bout a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd but don't be naïve
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
And it's not easy to be me
Castiel placed a few gentle packs on Dean's neck and the older man sighed in contentment.
"I love you," Castiel sighed out quietly. Dean buried his head in Castiel's hair and the dancer could feel his smile.
"I love you too." The piano in the background faded out gently and they broke apart, Dean stepping over to shut off the iPod. That night they spent the remainder of their "date" on the roof of the studio lying on a blanket, looking up at the stars above them and talking of the future.
And they were happy.
AN: And that's it! I will write an epilogue eventually but until then I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, you guys have been nothing but kind and helpful and really encouraged me to keep going on this one! I love you all!