AU: Dean and Cas chat on a app date for around a month. Finally, they agree to meet.
4.- On a date
Dean changed his shirt four times. And he was about to do it for the fifth when Sam stopped him.
"Dude, it's just a date with a guy you met online. It's not like you're going to meet the president or something. You look fine and I doubt another shirt could fix the real problem with your face."
"So mature, Sammy." Dean teased, emphasizing on the nickname he used to call his little brother when he was, in fact little. Now it was just a way to annoy him.
Dean finally looked at the mirror one more time and checked the time on his phone. He and his online boyfriend how Charlie liked to call him, were supposed to meet in an hour. He checked the app again for traffic and confirmed it would take him 40 minutes to get there. He sighed and wondered if it would be appropriate to drink a glass of brandy before go out.
He was really nervous. After all, Castiel (yeah, that was his name) had popped up on his screen when he was about to uninstall the dating app. Since then, they have talked almost everyday (sometimes almost all day) for a month, until he finally couldn't resist the curiosity and asked Cas out.
Castiel was a bit more relaxed, but that didn't mean he couldn't freak out a bit about his styling. His sister, Hannah was there helping him to choose his clothes and to look after Jack, once Cas was out.
"Are you sure about this, Castiel?" The woman asked, crossing her arms on her chest.
"Yes, I think this jacket looks better with this shirt." Castiel replied, trying to fix his hair with his fingers.
"No, I- I mean the all date idea, not just the clothing. Who knows what kind of freak are on these apps, and... I don't know. People lie all the time, Cassie." She said, worried.
Castiel turned to look at her. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm sure. Trust me, the worst thing that can happen today, it's he doesn't like me." He replied, trying to keep his sister calm. "He... he is just as a newbie as me on this thing." Castiel added, with a small smile on his lips, remembering when Dean took ten full minutes to send a gif because he couldn't find them.
"Ok, if you say so... I just don't want you to get hurt in any way... nor physical or emotional." The woman replied, closing the distance with his brother to fix the collar of his shirt. "And about that... Did you tell him about Jack?"
"Nope." Castiel said, looking away. "I- I couldn't find the occasion." He explained.
"You couldn't... Castiel, you stayed one night talking to him... all night."
"Yes, but it was because he had to finish a report for his job and he needed to stay awake. What could I say? 'Hey, I have a teenage son, I bet you can't sleep with that information on mind'" Castiel replied.
They met outside the restaurant. Dean was there five minutes before Castiel (it felt like an hour, but it didn't really matter.) He recognized him at first sight. His hair just like in his profile photo, the chap pink lips and those blue eyes that lilt a bit when he spotted Dean. Of course Castiel recognized Dean just as fast. The leather jacket, those perfect lips and the million dollar smile.
They smiled like fifteen years old when they were finally standing in front of each other and Dean took the first step, telling Cas how much he liked his blue shirt. Then, he invited him in.
The place was nicely quiet. There were a few people sitting at a salad bar and most of the tables were empty or had a "reserved" sign on it. Dean had reserved a nice table next to a window on the second floor. From there, they had a full view of the city at sunset.
"This is really nice." Castiel said when they sat. "I've heard about this place, but I've never actually been here."
"Me neither." Dean replied, without knowing what to do with his hands. "My friend... Charlie, she told me about it."
Castiel nodded. Soon enough, the waitress came with the menus. "Can I offer something to drink while you decide?"
The men looked at each other. "I'd like a lemonade, please." Castiel said.
"Just water for me, thank you." Dean said. He was crawling for a beer, but he wanted really badly to cause a good impression to Castiel that fought his impulse. If all went well, soon he would be drinking beer with a gorgeous man by his side.
"Did your friend recommended something from the menu?" Castiel asked. He was truly confused, because there were a large number of dishes, from elaborated and expensive meals to burgers and fries.
"She said sea food here was pretty good, but..." Dean replied, however he cut himself half sentence. He realized he shouldn't repeat what the girl said.
Of course it called Castiel attention, and when he looked at Dean, slightly blushing, he understood. "But it depends on your intentions for today's evening?" He said, trying to control his voice to sound cool and relaxed. He actually nailed it.
Dean chuckled. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well, I hope you don't get a bad idea from me if I ask for salmon ceviche" Castiel glanced at Dean.
"I learn to not judge a man's character regarding his taste of food. Unless you wanna eat tofu. Then I shall leave." Dean replied, looking at Castiel.
Cas actually laughed at this and it was the most honest laugh Dean had ever heard. Damn, this guy was getting under his skin really quick.
The waitress came back with their drinks and asked for their orders. Castiel stuck with the ceviche, while Dean decided for a shrimp rissotto. "Alright. Would you like wine with your food?" She asked, without knowing to whom look at.
"I believe white wine is for seafood, right?" Dean wondered.
"Yes. Well, in fact, there are a lot of variables to consider, but I think this bottle, of sauvignon blanc at the end of the list would do." Castiel pointed, without hesitation.
"Excellent choice, sir. I'll be back with the wine soon. The waiting time for the food is around twenty minutes." The waitress informed and took the menus with here.
"You know your wine." Dean said, sipping his water.
"Well, I took a tour of a vineyard once. It caught my ear, honestly, I thought about it as a bunch of fun facts to tell on social meetings. Then I realized it was pretty useful." Castiel explained, proud of himself.
Dean smiled at him. "You know, I was about to uninstall the app when we started chatting. Now I'm so glad I didn't do it."
"Yeah, I'm glad too." Castiel replied and drank a bit of lemonade. "It was nice to find someone who wanted to actually talk about real stuff before... never mind." He suddenly blushed and shook his head a bit ashamed.
"What? Come on, tell me, what were you going to say?" Dean pushed a bit, softly grabbing Castiel's arm.
"I was going to say 'before sending dick pics." Castiel replied and hid his face.
Dean laughed, his head all the way back and Cas was actually relief that was his reaction. "Yeah, well... that's really nice... no the pics..." he laughed again. Both of their faces red in embarrassment. "You know what I mean, right?"
Castiel wiped a tear that escaped for laughing so hard and nodded. "I'm sorry. I should think before talk."
"Please, don't."
The waitress came with the wine and two tall glasses.
She opened the bottle and served, announcing their food would be there soon.
They tasted the wine and Dean complimented Castiel's choice. Then, they were just staring into the other's eyes for a while. The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Thanks to their previous conversations they already knew pretty much everything about each other.
"So, how went your week?" Dean asked, when he realized they were staring.
"Really nice. School is almost over so there weren't many visits to the museum and I actually could get some research done. I'm currently working on a timeline about women's rights." Castiel replied, trying to sound casual.
"Wow, I'm gonna cover the fact that I don't know the first thing about feminism by asking you about that comment about kids. You don't like them?" Dean said, and took a sip of his wine.
"I can tell you some things about my research when it is done and on display, so next time you talk to a woman you don't sound like a moron." Castiel replied wisely. "About the kids... Yeah, I like them but... I don't know... I guess there's a limit when the plural becomes a problem." He joked. Dean smiled. "What did you do this week, besides don't know about feminism?"
"Well... I'm putting together a team that I hope will help to introduce green politics to the company I work for and our products. Oh, and I had a meeting with fair trade farmers. They're testing different vegetable fibres to make garments." Dean replied, slightly proud of himself.
"Oh, yes, I've read about some places in south Asia, where they are using pineapple and stuff like that to make clothing. I think is awesome." Castiel brought up, showing interest on Dean's work.
"Of course you've read about it."
"Well, actually you can say you know something about feminism, because you know, fair trade also involves equal payment, so, you can start with that."
Their food arrived, the waitress refilled their glasses of wine and offered her assistant for further attention. When she left, Dean smiled at Castiel and said. "You're so smart. I'm really starting to wonder if you've got any defect."
Castiel smiled and drank a bit. They tasted their dishes. "Oh my god, your friend was right, this is so good." He said, taking a bit more of his food.
"Yeah, that looks really good. Mine is awesome too." Dean replied, eating fast.
"Do... do you wanna a taste of mine?" Castiel offered. He knew that sharing food was something quite intimate. But then, he had already made the offer when the thought hit him.
Dean reached with his fork for a piece of salmon. Castiel waited for him to eat and his eyes lilt a bit when Dean's face showed a pleasing expression. "Wow... it's so good." He said. "Here, take some of mine." He said, pushing his dish slightly closer to Castiel. He took a small portion with his fork and ate it.
"Oh my god, is everything a freaking mind blower here?" He said, still some of the food in his mouth.
They kept eating, looking at each other time to time. Dean stole some more salmon and Castiel pretended to be annoyed, but there was a warm, lovely sensation in his belly that he had forgotten. And god, he really missed it. But something was bothering him. If he felt that way already, he knew he got to be honest and take the chance... if Dean was going to reject him, it would better be now, when nothing had happened.
He took a deep breath and said. "There's something I have to tell you and I don't know..." He looked at his hands and without taking his eyes off them, he added. "I should have told you before."
"What is it? You're straight?" Dean asked, trying to relieve the tension.
Castiel smiled and took a sip of wine. "I have a son." He looked at Dean. He couldn't read his reaction.
Dean drank a bit and looked at Castiel trying to found his eyes. His hand came a bit closer to the other man's.
"How old is he?" He simply asked.
"Jack is 16." Castiel replied, a little crack on his voice.
"16?" Dean asked, a bit shocked, "I'm sorry, but now you... you've gotta tell me, how a thirty five years old single guy end up with a teenager kid?"
Castiel sighed. He knew he eventually would have to tell the story. The all story. A story he probably hadn't told to anybody.
"So... I had a girlfriend, on high school. We... I really thought... we met since we were children. Our parents were really friends, working on church together and stuff. So, when I came out, Kelly kinda alredy knew so it wasn't that hard. She actually was very supportive..." He refilled his glass and looked up at Dean, who was listening respectfully. "The thing is that in the middle of all that it means coming out here, on this bloody town, we found out she was pregnant. Now, if you think coming out to a conservative family sucks, add telling them your teenager ex girlfriend is pregnant. The only reason we kept the baby is because Kelly's family would never allow an abortion. It sounds so awful when I say it like that, but back then it was true... now..." Dean took Castiel's hand and with a nod invited him to continue. "The thing is we decided that would be unfair for us and the kid to pretend we were together. She deserved someone who could actually loved her and I..."
"And you too." Dean interrupted, squeezing Cas's hand a bit.
Castiel smiled slightly. "Yes, I guess so... but we decided to raise him together, to try to teach him we both love him and we were his parents and nothing else mattered. So we did. Kelly had some relationships, I had some too, but when you're a college guy you don't want to go out with someone who has to come back home at 11, so there were still just the three of us."
"What happened?" Dean asked, knowing it didn't have a happy ending.
"Five years ago, Kelly had cancer. A very stupid, agressive type. She lasted three months since the diagnosis. I've been taking care of our kid ever since."
They both fell quiet. Dean was still holding Castiel's hand and he didn't dare to look at Dean. He ran his thumb on the back of Cas's hand slowly and asked "Is he a good kid?"
Castiel lifted his eyes to Dean's, unable to hold a small proud smile. "A very good one. He is doing great in school and he is very kind and respectful and I couldn't be prouder. And he wants to go to Harvard medical school. I think is gonna make it."
"He sounds really awesome." Dean said. "I... I don't pretend to say that I understand what you're been through, because, hell... only God knows, but I think you're so fucking brave. I... My dad died when I was 10. Car crash. Sammy was 6 and we were alone with mum... she... I don't know... I can't blame her, after all, she lost her husband, but... I know she did her best." He stopped, noticing he was tripping through the words, so he took a deep breath and put his ideas together. "The thing is she tried her best to give us everything, food, toys, school. Sometimes she was out for work on different cities, or took shitty shifts because it got her more money... we stayed with Bobby, a friend of our family, but at the end, I looked out for Sammy, I made his meals and washed his clothes. And I had Bobby and Ellen and mum was there sometimes and... what I'm saying is you raise a kid alone on his most difficult age, just after he lost his mother and he is ok. You should be proud of yourself."
"Thank you." Castiel replied, his fingers found their way on Dean's hand and they both were looking at how perfectly their hands fit. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"Yeah, well, don't worry... I don't think I would be able to find the proper emoji for the situation." Dean replied.
Their eyes locked in each other's. Their hands were joined in a steady grip and for a moment they felt time stop.
"Do you guys want some dessert?" The waitress fetched the empty dishes. They haven't heard her approach.
"Yeah, I... I think that would be appropriate." Castiel said. Dean smiled.
She gave them the menus. Dean asked for a cream brulé and Cas went for a raspberry cheesecake.
"So... what happen to your mum?" Castiel asked, when the waitress left.
"She died, ten years ago." Dean replied, finishing his wine. "Do you know any joke or something? I feel we could use a laugh right now."
Castiel smiled at him. Their desserts arrived, so they ate in silence for a moment, until Castiel took some of Dean's with a mischievous smile on his lips. Dean grabbed a bit of Castiel's as well and they decided to put both desserts in the middle of the table.
"Where were you been hiding all this time?" Castiel asked, his head resting in his hand, while his free one found Dean's again.
"You're the one who popped up at the last minute. I should ask that." Dean replied, his eyes fixed on Cas's.
"I was changing tappers and teaching how to tie a tie. So..."
"That's a pretty good excuse, actually. And well, we're here now. And I honestly don't care about your kid... I mean, I do care, I do, but it's not... Gosh, is this ok? Should I care? Or shouldn't I?" Dean wondered. They both laughed.
"I don't know either." Castiel said. "But I get what you're trying to say. And I'm glad about it."
"Yeah?" Dean asked, frowning his noise a bit, Cas nodded. "I'm glad too."
The waitress brought the bill. "We're splitting it, please." Castiel said, pulling out his wallet.
"Very well, sir, I'll get the machine." She said and walked away.
"No fighting over split the bill?" Castiel asked, looking at Dean with his eyebrows raised.
"Why on earth would I fight over that?" Dean replied.
The woman came back and they paid, leaving a generous tip. Once outside the restaurant they looked at each other. It was far too soon to say goodbye.
"It's still pretty early. Do you wanna... I don't know, go somewhere else?" Castiel asked.
"Yeah, sure. But I can't think about anywhere to go." Dean answered, honestly.
"We could just take a walk in the park. There's a small rose garden over there" Castiel pointed a spot across the street. "They put lights around it, so you can actually see the flowers when is dark."
"Sounds great." Dean said and they both started to walk.
They talked mostly about the things they liked to do. Even when they had already been over that topic, it was refreshing and nice to speak about their favorite movies, or repeat their points on the dispute beach vs mountain. They walked very close to each other, their hands meeting time to time with a soft brush, until finally the tips of their fingers met and they hold hands walking towards the garden.
Castiel did most of the talking, while Dean listened to him very carefully. A slow breeze raised and some dandelions flew all over. It was getting darker and the street lights turned on, just like the ones around the garden. Cas looked at Dean to ask if he was boring or cold, but the man stopped him, taking a step closer, while one of his hands landed on Castiel's cheek, his thumb softly brushing against his skin. "You have... something there..." Dean whispered.
Castiel went closer. His hand found Dean's hip. "Oh..."
"Yeah, I took it off, it's ok now."
Dean's face reached closer. Both of his hands were now cupping Cas's face and his nose brushed slightly against the other man's skin. Their lips met slowly and just like the night took over, they found themselves kissing deeply without realizing how they got there. Just that it was amazing. Cas's hair was so soft and Dean's hips were unbelievable strong. They pulled apart for a second and then kiss again, repeating it like a ritual, at least three more times. They finally hugged and Castiel buried his face in Dean's neck.
"Are you real? I not sleeping and just dreaming about meeting you?" Dean asked, his voice soft and warm on Cas's ear.
"Don't you dare. I'll be really pissed if this is just a dream." Castiel replied, his teeth gripped. Then, he left a small and solf bite in Dean's neck. He looked down at Cas, "You're not dreaming."
Dean smiled and kissed him, more confident this time. "You have to get home tonight, right?" He asked, knowing the answer.
"I'm afraid so... actually" Castiel took his phone from his pocket. "I'd should get going..." he said, a bit ashamed.
"You walked here, right?" Dean asked, Cas nodded. "Let me drive you home. And we could talk about the next date, I mean... if you wanna have another."
"I really have to think about it, you know. I'm not sure if we got chemistry" Castiel joked and let a small kiss on Dean's lips. "But I'll take the offer with one condition."
"Alright, what is it? I have to babysit for you?" Dean asked, they started to walk back to his car.
"Tempting, but no. I just need to make a quick stop on the store. I want to buy some food for Jack, he is on exams week and stays almost every day until late, so if there's no food, he is capable of eat his books."
"Ok. Let's go there. I might get some supplies myself. But I bet the kid is really just sneacking out to go to parties." Dean teased. He realized it wasn't his best line, so he got a bit tense.
Luckily, Castiel laughed. "Well, if that's the case, he still needs his proteins."
"You're such a great dad." Dean said. He put his arm around Cas's shoulders and their hands met. Castiel's arm was around Dean's waist.
They made their shopping and Castiel gave directions to his house.
"Here we are." Dean announced.
"Indeed." Castiel replied, looking at his hands. "It was really nice to finally meet you and... I had a lot of fun today. Thank you." He glanced at Dean, who smiled.
"Yeah, I had fun too." Dean replied and his hand went looking for Cas's "Let's go out the next weekend, it's... it's that ok with you and your dad's schedule?"
"Yes, it is, except for Sunday afternoon. Jack's got a game for the school and I never miss his matches."
"Good. Hey, actually I was thinking if... maybe we could take him with us, like to go to the movies or something, I don't know... is that ok? Is it too soon?... I suck at this don't I?..."
"No... no... I mean... I don't know either" Castiel replied. They looked at each other and laughed. "Well, as I said, he has a lot on his plate right now, but I don't know... I guess I'll ask him. Yeah, let's do that. I'll ask him and then we plan."
"Awesome."
Castiel ran a hand through Dean's hair and they kissed goodbye.
"Let me know when you get home, ok?" Cas asked and Dean nodded.
Castiel went inside the house, where Hannah and Jack were waiting for him.
"So...?" The woman asked, impatient.
"It was nice, really nice. He is... he is a good guy." Castiel said. On his head he had a bunch of other words to describe Dean, but knowing his sister would try to hold him back, he started from the basics.
"Care to elaborate a bit? Come on dad! Tell us a bit more!" Jack pushed.
"Alright. But you young man should go to bed soon." Castiel said, trying to sound authoritarian. "We had dinner, and talk about... stuff... then we went for a walk in the park, to see the rose garden and..."
"And...?" Hannah and Jack pushed at the same time.
"We kissed. He drove me home and we will meet again next weekend." Castiel replied, speaking quickly. "Now, Jack, go to bed."
Jack and Hannah smiled to each other and the teenager did as his father told him. Hannah and Cas stayed a bit longer, where Castiel elaborated deeply about the conversation in the restaurant.
At Dean's, Sam and Charlie received Dean. "Dude, you came home alone? Ok, it went too bad or too good?" Charlie said right after Dean entered.
"Can I have a beer first at least?" Dean replied, annoyed. He went to the kitchen to grab a drink and took the chance to text Cas he was already at home.
"Will you tell us now?" Sam insisted.
"For God's sake. Fine. Dude is awesome. Capital A. Actually the entire world in capitals, bold... he... fuck, he is..." Dean smiled. There wasn't a word of english language for how he wanted to describe Cas. So, he just walked to his bedroom. Of course, Charlie and Sam followed him making guesses.
Later, on his bed, Dean couldn't resist and called Cas.
"Hey, I just wanted to know if you survived the interrogation. Unless your family is less crazy than mine, then, what interrogation?" He said when Castiel picked up.
"You went through that too? Well, luckily, I have some authority on one of my interrogators so I managed to send him to bed. How was yours?"
"Better than I expected. But still... they asked me why did I get home alone..."
They stayed on the phone for the next hour. Even after saying goodnight they didn't hang up. They might have not slept together, but they, in fact, fell asleep together.