Author's note- Okay, so, this chapters kind of just like a filler. I have the next one all planned out so hopefully I'll finish it quicker and post it in good time. I also think the next chapter will be the last chapter.
WARNING FOR BAD USE OF LANGUAGE.
Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural, or any of the characters, nor am I making any money off of this.
The light and stress free feeling didn't last very long, because by the time Castiel had showered and changed into an old hoddie, the anxiety had already started to creep back into his sub conscious.
"What am I going to wear? My hair is untameable, maybe I should get a hair cut? Will Dean expect me to pay for my own meal? I'll have to borrow some money from Gabriel. What if Gabriel disproves of Dean and I dating?"Castiel rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands and groaned loudly in frustration at the entire situation. "There is no way that I am going to be able to focus on homework or my documentary." A sense of dread filled Castiel's chest as a dawning realization crossed his mind, "I'm going to fail all my classes."
Castiel took a couple of deep breaths. Filling his lungs with air until he was sure they were going to burst and then exhaled, repeating the process a few times until he felt his shoulders relax slightly. "I should at least open my chemistry book, maybe I'll miraculously absorb something." His eyes fell on his backpack where he had flung it onto his bed and then his mix tape placed more carefully beside it. "If I listen to music I won't be able to focus."
"Fuck."
Castiel snatched his backpack up from his bed and stalked from his room back down stairs and seated himself on the cough without a second thought. "A few solid hours of study should be sufficient to catch back up on the curriculum." True to his word, Castiel opened his bag, found his chemistry book and a pen at the bottom of his backpack and dropped them onto the coffee table that was pressed against his knees. Three and a half answered chemical equations later, Castiel chewed his lip and went in search of food.
"I'm procrastinating." He thought solemnly as he opened the pantry for a second time, fully aware there was nothing in their the first time he looked. Shutting the cupboard with a sigh, Castiel went back to the fridge and stared blankly at its content. "Milk, a half empty carton of eggs, beer, chocolate, cake and casserole. Maybe I should just have the casserole now." Removing the dish from the fridge, Castiel blinked down at the meal and had the sudden urge to just drop it on the floor. "No, I can't do that. Just preheat the oven and finish your homework."
At the end of the section on organic chemistry, the oven timer snapped Castiel out of his intense focus and he wandered over to the oven in a daze. Instead of bothering with oven-mitts, Castiel flopped his sleeves around until they were bunched around his hands and he hastily removed the hot dish and set it on the sink. Not even bothering with a bowl, Castiel just fetched a spoon from the top drawer beside him and lent over the dish. "This is what it will be like 40 years from now. All alone in a tiny apartment eating over the sink." Castiel sighed and pushed a chunk of meat around the dish.
Castiel was still hunched over his meal when a strange sound coming from the front door made his head snap up and his pulse race. "Oh God, someones trying to break in! What should I do? What if they kill me?" Hands gripped tight around the now, cold dish, Castiel darted behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the front door. "If it's a murderer I'll throw the dish at them. What if there's more than one murderer?" The front door opened suddenly and Castiel peeked around the corner.
"Gabriel!" Castiel yelled. His voice was a mixture of surprise, relief and irritation.
"Castiel!" Gabriel yelled back a little sarcastically and raised an eyebrow at his younger brother when Castiel emerged from around the corner with the casserole dish raised above his head in prime throwing position. Castiel lowered his arms slowly and his face burning, "I forgot you were out. Did you fix your emergency with the icing?"
Gabriel grinned and locked the front door behind him before launching into a very detailed account of how too much vanilla and butter had created a completely different flavor and was all wrong for the wedding cake he was making. But apparently the bride had loved it and wanted it instead of the flavor that Gabriel had already perfected so he had spent all day replicating the too much vanilla and butter flavor until it was also perfected, and now he's thinking of putting it on the menu. Castiel was hardly able to follow Gabriel's chatter but he nodded along and made appropriate replies when needed.
By now Castiel and Gabriel were back in the kitchen. Gabriel was nursing a beer, "I'm going to need you to come into work with me in the morning, Castiel."
"What? Why?" Castiel was elbow deep in soap suds and water, washing the dish and his cereal bowl from this morning.
"I need to finish the wedding cake, I can't be running in and out of the back to man the front counter. You've done it before, just serve the old ladies their bread and make the preppy office ladies their lattes. Ill even pay you this time!" Castiel scoffed in disbelieve and flicked bubbles at Gabriel.
"This is the perfect opportunity to tell Gabriel about your date with Dean." "Will you pay me this time?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yes! Of course I will. Don't I always?"
"No." Castiel deadpanned.
"I'm wounded, Castiel." Ever the dramatic, Gabriel held a hand to his chest and pretended to weep. Castiel flicked more bubbles at him.
"I have a date." Castiel mumbled, choosing to look at his hands in the sink instead of at Gabriel. There was a bout of silence and Castiel resisted the urge to look up, he just focused on scrubbing the already clean bowl in his hands.
"With Dean?" Gabriel responded a few seconds later. Castiel nodded and waited for Gabriel to continue. "Okay."
Castiel looks up and gapes. "Okay?" "He's okay with it? Even after my freak out?"
Gabriel took a swing of his beer and shrugged. "If he hurts you I'll smite him."
Nodding in understanding, Castiel grinned internally. "Do we have an old Walkman cassette player?"
Gabriel smirked around his beer, "is this for your mix tape?" Castiel flushed and stuttered.
"I think there's one in Anna's old room," getting out of his seat Gabriel tousled his hair and said goodnight.
"Take a breath and finish the dishes. Where's the dish rag? Don't drop the plate. Dry your hands and calmly walk to pick up your chemistry book. I'm just taking a usual casual stroll through my house, I've done it many times. Place your chemistry book back into your bag. One step at a time towards the steps. Okay picking up the pace, that's fine, I've run up the steps one million times." By the time Castiel had run up the stars, thrown his bag aimlessly into his room and then darted into Anna's old room, he was winded.
"Anna's away at college, she'll never know that I was snooping through her things." This knowledge didn't stop him from treading carefully and attentively rummaging through her draws instead of thoughtlessly like he wanted to. Finding it in a shorter time than he expected it, Castiel made a pleased noise from the back of his throat and placed the dusty Walkman cassette player in the pocket of his hoodie and backed out of her room.
Switching on his lamp and making rounds around his room, Castiel closed his window, picked out a pair of socks from his pile of laundry, turned down his bed spread and fluffed up his pillows. Socks instantly warming his feet, he slid down under his covers and scrounged around for head phones in the top drawer of his night stand. "I hope this player still works," inexperienced hands fumbled with the Walkman player and it took a solid minute for Castiel to figure out how to sit his tape in the player correctly.
"I need to roll over onto my side." He chocked a little as his headphones strangled him. "Note to self- Don't do that. Please work, please work, please work. Yes!" Music filled Castiel's ears and he snuggled down further into his blankets and closed his eyes. "Different sounds affect the brain in different ways, harmonic music reduces neural activity. Listening to increased tempo music intensifies brain wave patterns. I will have trouble sleeping if I listen to this." Mentally shrugging, Castiel settled and listened.