(Author's Note- sorry this chapter is a bit short, I wanted it to be longer but I also didn't want to force anything. I tried to get it published as soon as possible, so sorry if there's any spelling/grammar errors. Hope you like it!)
~s~
Dean really didn't want to admit how many times he'd listened to the CD Cas had given him. Part of this was because he knew the number was outrageously high, and also because he had lost count himself.
He surprised himself with how much he actually liked Nirvana. It was easy for him to just- lose himself in the songs. He loved the rough, edgy sound of Kurt Cobain and the guitars accompanying him. And the lyrics were unbelievably poetic. Dean was thoroughly surprised.
The next challenge was working up the courage to go back to the record store to talk to Cas. He had invited him, which made it easier, but there was always some invisible force stopping him from actually driving there. Like it just wasn't the right time. And it was driving him crazy.
It had been 12 days since Cas gave him the CD and winked at him, and the last three Dean had seriously contemplated going to Smash Records to just talking to the guy. Each time, though, it fell through. He was truly pathetic.
At least when he did finally go back to the store, Cas wouldn't be disappointed. He had been listening to a lot of music, and not just Nirvana. He also liked stuff from The Doors, The Beatles, and even Pink Floyd. He'll admit, he mostly listened to stuff he thought Cas would approve of. Yet another reason he was utterly pathetic.
He really hoped he somehow won today's internal debate and went to record store. He wanted to see Cas again.
~s~
Weekends were always the busiest. Especially Saturdays. But Cas could understand that. It's everyone's day off, or at least everyone who goes to record shops. There were always constant streams of college students coming through the store, too stressed to be on campus studying but not wanting to commit to a night out with their friends.
"Excuse me," a guy asked Cas, who was filling out an inventory sheet in the back of the shop, "do you guys have the new Arctic Monkeys album?"
Cas glanced up at him and laughed internally. He looked like he had walked directly out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Definitely not the typical customer. Plus, he sounded like a total douchebag. "Yeah, I think so. Let me just see hereā¦" he responded, getting up to help him.
It didn't take long browsing the 'A' section before he found it. Hell, it wasn't even hard. Any idiot with two eyes could've found it in under two minutes.
"Alright, found it. Here you are," Cas said as politely as possible, handing the CD to the guy. "Enjoy."
He barely even mumbled a 'thanks' to Cas as he took the CD from his hands, already rushing it to the checkout counter where Adam was working. Wow, he was right- douchebag.
He just shook his head, resuming his position at the desk in the back, filling in the inventory paperwork. He would much rather be doing Adam's job right now, but someone had to keep the shop running. Cas didn't like to brag, but he was the most experienced employee. He'd been working there for what seemed like forever, but was actually just about 7 years. He started when he was 17 and never really saw a reason to quit.
As he got to the 'N' section in the paperwork, he suddenly remembered Dean and the Nirvana album he'd given him. It made him smile a bit. To Cas, it was like giving money to the poor- he simply giving his aid to someone less fortunate.
Luckily Cas was doing the paperwork this time, so he could just change the numbers. It's not like Bobby would ever find out. And even if he did, he wouldn't be mad. Just annoyed.
Still, changing the numbers (and essentially lying) made him feel clever. Like he had successfully completed some dangerous undercover mission that nobody would ever find out about. Cas liked that he gave the CD to Dean and he really liked lying about it.
~s~
Dean walked in the doors of the shop at exactly 7:54 PM. And he still didn't know why. He was supposed to be driving to the supermarket to pick up the milk and bread he desperately needed, but somehow he ended up here. And, of course, it just had to feel right this time. At nearly 8 on a Saturday night.
He really did question his life choices sometimes.
After freaking out in the car for a good 5 minutes, he finally worked up a workable amount of courage and walked in the door. He really hated the fact that it jingled. Because something that jingles alerts other people in the close proximity of you of your presence, which is exactly what happened. Cas, who was sweeping up the floor, suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked directly at him, looking more than surprised.
"Oh, hey Dean! Sorry we're closing soon, but do you need anything quick?" Cas asked, smiling a bit as he propped the broom against the wall.
Crap. What the hell was Dean supposed to say? Hi Cas, I just dropped in to casually stalk you, no big deal. No no, I don't need anything, I was just feeling extra pathetic and thought looking at you would be kinda awesome.
God, he was an idiot. There he was, awkwardly standing in front of the guy he was trying to impress, looking like a complete loser, not knowing what to say.
After what felt like forever, he finally managed to spit out something. "I, um, listened to that album. And, uh, some other stuff."
Jesus Christ, really? Dean truly did hate himself in that moment, or rather he hated his stupidity. Cas must think he was the biggest freak on the Western Hemisphere.
To his surprise, though, Cas's smile didn't even falter. He didn't seem annoyed, or angry, or freaked out. If anything he seemed excited.
"Yeah? What'd you think? Nirvana's pretty great, but if you don't like them there's a lot of other genres and bands you could always try."
Dean's embarrassment melted away, leaving gratitude. Cas didn't hate him, so that was definitely a plus. "Actually, I did like it. And I, uh, also looked up some other stuff." He tried to sound cool and smooth, but he was almost certain it had failed.
Cas, on the other hand, was loving this. Dean, in all his awkward dorkiness, stumbles into his shop literally minutes before closing time to tell him he listened to some music. It was just so- him. And Cas found that amazing. Something about the shy, introverted, comic book loving, nerd made Cas smile.
"Ok, cool. What did you listen to?" Cas encouraged, trying to get Dean to loosen up a bit.
"Well, um, stuff like The Doors, and Pink Floyd. I liked them, too."
Cas's eyes got big and his smile spread. "No way, that's awesome! Way to go, dude. I'm impressed."
Dean returned his smile. "Thanks," was all he could really respond.
The both stood there for awhile, not really sure how to continue. I didn't really feel awkward yet, but Dean had a feeling it was about to start. He didn't really want to push his luck with the whole not-creeping-Cas-out-yet thing, so he tried to come up with a logical escape plan. And failed.
"Well, um, sorry to have disturbed you. You're probably trying to close, so I should probably-"
And that's all Dean could really remember saying before somehow, without any warning, Cas was there, right there, an inch away from him. It was as if he were magic, or knew how to teleport, because just a second ago he was standing a good 6 feet away, leaning on the counter. And then, he just- wasn't. It confused Dean enough for him to forget his current situation.
Cas was an inch away from him.
Or, at least he was. Again, everything happened so fast. One second he was by the counter, the next he was close enough that Dean could see just how blue his eyes were, and the next Cas closed the remaining distance so that there was none left and his lips met Dean's in a hard, perfect kind of way.
Cas was kissing him, touching him, holding him. It was all so amazing Dean considered he could be dreaming. But he knew he wasn't, because he could feel his small stubble brush against his cheek, he could taste his lips, which were pepperminty and delicate and phenomenal. Cas had managed to snake his hand up into Dean's hair, holding them firmly in place. Not like Dean would ever want to move.
Cas knew even less about what was currently happening than Dean. All he was aware of was Dean's lips, which were so fucking soft, pressed against his own. And before that, he was aware of even less. Something inside of him just snapped, and now here he was, kissing a guy he didn't know he liked. The only thought in his mind (other that Dean) was thank god Adam had left early.
Dean surprised himself by being strangely calm. Here he was, being kissed by the guy he had been thinking about for over a month and had previously thought did not feel this way about him, and his mind was clear from any overreaction or concern he usually had when he was this close to another human being.
He had no clue when Cas finally pulled away, but he was surprised to see a hint of a smile still on his face as he stared directly at Dean, not at all embarrassed by what he had just done or, even worse, regretting it. Instead, he just looked at him, almost like Cas was studying every last detail of his face, which was exactly what he himself was doing. Dean thought Cas had looked perfect from afar, but that was nothing compared to ho he looked now.
"Wanna come over to my place? We could listen to music, or do other stuff," Cas offered, still looking at Dean, their faces nearly touching.
And then Dean did something he had not yet done in his entire 23 years of living. He, Dean Winchester, the awkward geek who could count his romantic experiences on one hand, said yes.
