I'm on a writer's retreat with shoddy internet. Hope this posts!
"Can you stop squirming?" Meg complained, and forced a jacket onto Castiel.
"Do we have to go?"
"Yes, Lady Toni Bevell will be showcasing her pottery and we're going to have to pretend we like it because she's donated a huge amount to daddy's campaign."
"Dean's one of the artists in the showcase as well." Castiel grumbled.
"So? We'll look amazing, and completely in love, and he can stick one of his metal rods up his ass."
Castiel wished that he had Meg's confidence, but he just didn't. It was the first time he would be coming face-to-face with the artist since they had slept together, the first time since Dean had begun to ignore his texts, and he was feeling that familiar, sickening, panicked sensation in his stomach at the idea of going. Dean used to bring him comfort, used to calm him down, and now he had no idea what to do. To be in the same room as Dean and be ignored, or shrugged off was going to be awful. If it weren't for Meg's insistence that they go for Lady Antonia, then Castiel would definitely be avoiding the gallery completely.
"Meg," Castiel sighed.
"Clarence, you don't have to talk to him." She smoothed out his lapels, and then held out a necklace for him to put around her neck. He took it and carefully fixed it around her neck, mindful of any hairs that might be caught. "Stick with me, okay? And we'll tell everyone about our beautiful engagement and you'll forget he's even there."
"Yes, marrying out of convenience and expectation will really make us the envy of everyone else there." Castiel couldn't help but bite back. Meg laughed.
"That's why we don't tell them that. We'll have some fun with it."
Castiel let Meg's curls back down, and then crossed the room, rifling in his drawers.
"I just thought. It's our first time going out as an engaged couple, and," he found what he was looking for, shut the drawer and walked back, before going on one knee, holding it up. "I didn't even give you a ring."
Meg held out her hand, and Castiel slid it onto her finger before standing up again, as Meg admired the ring.
"And you just happened to have a diamond ring hanging around?" Meg asked sceptically. "What's the carat on this thing?"
"It was Mother's. Before she and Father disappeared. I kept it for sentimental reasons, but it feels like I should give it to my future spouse."
Meg merely nodded. They never talked about the situation with Castiel's parents, and clearly Meg wasn't prepared to begin now.
"It's two carats. Set in twenty-one carat gold. Mother liked tasteful and understated."
Meg smirked, and gestured for the door.
"Let's go … fiancé."
They walked through the Novak's mansion, and out of the front door where Kevin was standing beside his limousine. He eyed Meg nervously, before opening the door for them both. Castiel had noticed in the last few days that Kevin had become distant and closed off around him, wary around Meg, and it made him sad to think that the friendship that had been blossoming between the two of them was waning. Meg never seemed to notice, she would step into the car as though Kevin wasn't even there, and the most Castiel could manage was a sheepish smile before following her in. Kevin shut the door with more force than normal, and drove them in silence, sliding the partition up to give them privacy.
It gave Castiel so many misgivings. Kevin had been so understanding of the relationship he had thought had been growing with Dean, and Kevin's actions screamed that he wasn't okay with this new development, but Castiel could hardly complain to anyone. Kevin wasn't doing his job badly, he was doing everything he was supposed to right to the letter. The camaraderie was gone though, and Castiel doubted it would come back.
Inside the gallery, Castiel could see it was already full of people, paintings, urns, and metal sculptures. He spotted Sam almost straight away, talking with Edith as they looked at one of Dean's pieces. Meg's eyes scanned the crowds, and she tugged on Castiel's arm, clearly spotting someone she knew. Lady Antonia Bevell was talking with one of the people on the board of Edith's gallery that Castiel recognised but didn't know the name of. She broke off as she spotted Meg, with her usual flair for the dramatic. She pressed a hand to her heart, and gestured at the pair of them.
"Megan Masters, you are a dark horse!" She had an over-pronounced English accent, which was an odd combination with her vernacular. Likewise, her seemingly ethically inspired pottery was at odds with the pants suit she was wearing. Castiel had her pegged in moments as a bored housewife of another politician who had gotten into pottery as something 'fun' to do with no real mastery of the craft. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had bought her slot in this showcase. "Who is this?"
Lady Bevell's eyes scanned over Castiel's face, and he looked to Meg, trying to anchor himself to the arm she had wrapped around his elbow. Already, he could feel his anxiety peaking.
"This is my fiancé, Castiel Novak."
"I don't know what's bigger news, the fact that you're engaged or that Castiel Novak exists in the flesh! When did you get together?"
"Recently," Meg nodded, and held out her other hand to show off the ring.
"You simply must tell me everything! How did he propose?"
Castiel could feel himself beginning to shake. Meg squeezed his arm, and continued addressing Antonia, going into some elaborate story that Castiel only just heard over the rushing sound that was growing in his ears. Something about a boat and candlelight. And then things began to calm, but that worried Castiel even more, because only one person's presence did that to him, and he didn't want to look up and spot Dean, only to be blanked by him. He focused even harder on Meg as she began laughing with Antonia. Antonia who had obviously spotted Dean, regardless of the fire beginning in Castiel's veins. He felt ashamed for reacting when Dean clearly didn't want to know.
"Ah, this is Dean, another artiste! Dean, this is the enigmatic Castiel Novak and his beautiful bride-to-be, Meg Masters."
She said Castiel's name as everyone else did, as though she couldn't believe he was quite real. And it irked Castiel that she used artiste in that way, it was pretentious, and incorrect. A few short weeks ago, he would have joked with Dean about it, but now …
"You're too kind! Isn't she too kind, darling?" Meg grinned up at Castiel. He looked back at her, and she must have read the panic in his eyes before she looked away. "And hello, Dan. Nice to meet you. Are you part of the show?"
Castiel knew she was just trying to protect him, to defend him from heartbreak, but it still hurt. She knew it was Dean, she knew how Castiel felt, she knew this was Dean's show too. Antonia interrupted, clearly wanting the attention back on herself.
"Tell me how he proposed again!"
Meg held out her hand, over-gesturing for Dean's benefit, as Castiel's stomach churned. It felt suddenly like everything was going too far. Dean hadn't said a word, but Castiel could tell he was still standing there. Was he waiting for something? Would Castiel be able to control himself if Dean said anything to him? Surely Dean would understand their engagement - and anyway, if Dean were really concerned about Castiel's love life then he would have at least tried to respond to Castiel's messages.
"So when's the wedding?" Dean's rumbling baritone cut through the air. His tone was devoid of emotion, but not robotic. It was most similar to when they had their first conversation, when Dean knew nothing about him and was erring on the side of caution. It still sent shivers through Castiel's entire body, and Meg squeezed his arm again, as though she could sense his mood. She answered Dean, clearly not impressed with him.
"In a few months, I think. We're just enjoying being engaged at the moment, aren't we Clarence?"
"Yes," Castiel forced out. He wouldn't exactly say he was enjoying it, and he wondered if either Antonia or Dean would question Meg's pet name for him which he still didn't quite understand.
"Meg, that ring is exquisite. Where did Castiel source it from?" Antonia gushed. Meg turned to her friend, and Castiel felt a hand around his other elbow, firm and forceful, leading him away from the women. He had no choice but to follow the pressure, to see what Dean wanted with him. Despite the contact, Castiel could feel the panic rising, and felt sick at the idea of looking at Dean, at seeing the man he was crazy about and picturing him the way he had looked the last time they had seen each other as Dean yelled at him or ordered him to leave.
"You're engaged?" Dean asked when they were in a corner away from most of the crowds. Castiel focused on Dean's shoulder, trying to understand what was going on. Dean sounded reasonable, which made his silence even more frustrating.
"It's complicated, Dean." Castiel told his shoulder. And it truly did feel complicated to him, even without the light-headed sensation and the buzzing in his ears and his shaking limbs …
"You could have warned me." Dean's tone turned petulant, which confused Castiel even more. Dean hadn't responded to a single word, how was Castiel meant to tell him? Send a save-the-date card to the Winchesters? Beyond Dean's shoulder, Castiel saw Charlie approaching slowly, eyeing them apprehensively. Castiel still had no idea what to make of Dean's little sister, what she would do with the news that Castiel was engaged to someone else. He did not need two Winchesters to increase his anxiety. It was already coming out in the worst possible way, raising Castiel's defences.
"Would you really have appreciated a text message to communicate the fact I'm now engaged?"
He heard the petulant tone, hated that it was aimed at Dean, but he was at a loss as to why the conversation was taking this direction. It almost felt like Dean thought he was owed something, but Castiel had paid him every cent.
"I would have liked something. You could have told me on the boat."
Castiel looked to his feet, feeling heat flame his cheeks. So Dean wasn't completely oblivious to their time on his yacht. What was going on? Charlie was behind Dean now, able to catch every word.
"I didn't know then."
"You didn't … how could you not know?"
When did Dean suppose he had gotten engaged? It had been two weeks since they had seen each other, that was plenty of time. How did Dean not see that he was the catalyst?
"It's complicated. And I don't owe you a thing."
It was true enough. Dean had everything, he was the one doing the silent treatment. He didn't get to play the victim the way he was trying to.
"Dean?" Charlie interjected quietly. "Let's go. There's a dealer who wants to talk to you."
"I think you do," Dean was laser-focused on destroying Castiel, it seemed. "I put myself out there for you."
How had Dean done that, exactly? By sticking to the terms they had agreed upon?
"And you were paid well for it." Castiel tried to be firm as he reminded Dean that actually, that didn't count. He almost looked up into Dean's face, stopped himself just in time, and instead met Charlie's eyes. They were as wide as saucers, like she couldn't believe the words out of Castiel's mouth herself. She tugged on Dean's arm, but it did no good, and Castiel refocused onto Dean's shoulder.
"You didn't buy my affection, Cas." Dean sneered. It hurt, to hear that, to know that Dean hadn't held any affection for him. Castiel was a bundle of emotions, and he wanted nothing more than to head back to Meg, to talk it out with Kevin, to go home and collapse under the weight of his feelings for the Dean he had thought he was getting to know. He forced himself to stay strong, to see this one interaction out until there was a chance to walk away.
"No, I bought your time and your company."
"He paid you?" Charlie asked her brother. That at least confirmed how little Dean had told his siblings about this whole thing. It was like Dean was a complete stranger to him at this point.
"We had a deal," Castiel informed her. That, at least, spurred Dean into talking once again.
"Yeah Cas, we had a deal. But you knew it wasn't about the money for me!"
"But you still accepted my money," Castiel pointed out, trying not to go anywhere near the notion that Dean was only in it for the name Novak. "And now you need to accept that I'm going to marry Meg."
It sounded strange, out loud. Real, though Castiel hadn't been fooling around. Was he really going to commit his life to his best friend? Dean seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"You know what, Cas? I hope you're happy with her. I really hope you are. I hope you enjoy all those boring networking events together. And I hope that you remember that however much you spent on me, you still couldn't buy a friend. Four million dollars, and you're in the same place you always were."
Dean turned away, finally ending the conversation. But Charlie remained, frowning at Castiel, not giving him the chance to walk away himself.
"You paid my brother." She said flatly.
"It's between him and me."
"No. No, you might play divide and conquer, but my brothers and I are a unit. You crush my brother and I will crush you."
"What's going on here?" Meg interrupted, slipping her arm around Castiel's once again.
"None of your business. Who the hell are you?" Charlie shot back.
"Meg, Castiel's fiancee. Which makes it my business when you yell at my future husband." Meg rubbed his arm. "Are you okay?"
Meg never asked that, but Castiel was grateful for it. He shook his head, unwilling to talk further in front of Charlie.
"Oh, he's just dandy, I'm sure." Charlie snapped, as Sam materialised at her side, looking between the three of them with a passive expression. Charlie turned to him. "Sam, guess what? Castiel was paying Dean for all those dates. It was all fake."
Castiel felt his head swimming badly, and he clutched at Meg. He was desperate to get away now.
"Okay, Charlie, we'll deal with that later. Right now, its Dean's show. Where is he?"
"I don't know, he walked away from this loser a minute ago."
"Okay. Let's go find him. Come on." Sam eased Charlie away, and Meg tugged Castiel outside into the fresh air. He collapsed on a nearby wall bordering a flower bed, and Meg sat beside him quietly, swinging her feet.
"That was dramatic," she noted.
"That's why I wanted to stay away." Castiel said in between taking huge gulps of air. Meg pulled something out of a shrub just behind him.
"Hey, someone got rid of a tux jacket. Think there's someone getting lucky in the bushes?"
Castiel looked at it. It had a familiar cut.
"That's Dean's," he said quietly, as it clicked. He had been staring at it during their confrontation. And then he remembered where else he had seen it.
It was the Prada jacket. Dean had been wearing Prada. Either he had bought it himself, or far more likely, Michael had given it to him. It told Castiel all he needed to know.
"Get rid of it. And let's go home."
