Chapter Thirteen

Cas was humming quietly to himself and decorating some sugar cookies with Dean the next morning, when the bell above the door rang.

'Oh, there you are.' It was Sam, and Cas briefly glanced at Dean, who had stiffened slightly. 'Sleepover at Cas's again?'

Dean nodded.

'Morning, Sam,' Cas said, his nervousness causing his voice to rise a note.

'Are you okay?' Sam said, noticing this.

Cas cleared his throat. 'Fine,' he said, hastily grabbing a cloth and wiping down the counter, carefully avoiding looking at Dean.

'Are you sure? You're being kinda weird.'

'Um…' Cas glanced up. 'My mom is supposed to be calling me today.'

'Ah, I see. Will you be okay?'

Cas nodded.

'Good. I just came to grab a cup of coffee before work. Is that okay?'

'Help yourself,' Cas said, moving out of the way of the coffee machine.

'Great, thanks.'

Cas and Dean waited in tense silence while Sam poured himself a coffee, paid and left.

Once Cas was sure he was gone, he exhaled loudly. He finally looked Dean in the eye and they both began to laugh.

{I think it is important you know that I am a terrible liar} Cas admitted.

{Really? I think you did fine} Dean signed.

{It wasn't technically a lie. My mom is calling me today}

Dean's smile dropped. {Are you ready for that?}

{I suppose we'll find out}

Dean sighed and checked his watch. {I better go. I'll text you later}

{Okay. Bye}

Dean left him with a brief smile and a dollar for the cupcake he grabbed on his way out.

Cas went back into the kitchen and began preparing more bread dough, allowing his mind to wander. He knew his mother wouldn't be calling him while it was still early in the day. She never roused herself before midday, but he kept his phone on the counter near the register just in case, fiddling with it until he was sure that the ringtone was on loud.

Alfie arrived at the usual time and stared at Cas for a while.

'Is there something I can help you with, Alfie?' Cas asked.

Alfie shook his head. 'You're in a weird mood. I can tell. What's going on?'

'Is everyone suddenly a mind reader today?' Cas said, rolling his eyes.

'No, you're just terrible at hiding your emotions and I've known you since I was born.'

'True,' Cas conceded. 'Mom is calling me later.'

'Ah, okay. Are you closing early?'

'We'll see,' Cas said. 'Depends what time she calls.'

'So you don't have a time?'

'No. Just that it'll be today.'

Alfie nodded, then set about cleaning out the coffee machine again, although Cas noticed over the net few hours that he served more customers than he usually would, and even decorated some of the cupcakes.

Cas was grateful for the moments of quiet this provided him, as he felt himself becoming more and more tense once the clock had passed midday.

'I have nothing to do this afternoon. I can stay, if you like,' Alfie offered as he prepared to leave.

'It's fine, Alfie. You can go home,' Cas smiled. In truth, he would rather he took his mom's call either alone, or in the company of people who didn't know him all that well.

At around 3pm, Cas was preparing for the after-school rush, when a peppy tune rang out from somewhere on the counter. He was confused at first, but then recognised his own ringtone and scrambled to grab it. He froze with it in his hand and took a few short, sharp breaths, then forced himself to press the 'accept call' button.

'Hello?' he said, a little hoarsely.

'Castiel, is that you?'

'Yeah, Mom, it's me.'

'How are you?'

'I'm fine. Listen, I can't talk long. The schools will be letting out soon and they'll all be in here for cupcakes.'

'Oh, of course. Have you been very busy?'

'Not really today. Weekends are usually busier.'

'That makes sense, although I think you should be busy all the time. Your food is excellent.'

Cas's breath caught in his throat. 'You really think that?'

'Of course! Didn't Gabriel show you the video he took of me?'

'Well, he did, but it's different hearing it live.'

'I see. I enjoyed what I ate when I came to visit. You should be proud of yourself, you're quite skilled.'

'Thanks, Mom,' Cas said faintly, chest constricting. He could hear his own breath becoming shallow. 'I have to go. My cupcakes are ready.'

'I understand. Can I call you again next week? I'll avoid the school rush.'

'Yeah, that's fine,' Cas said hastily. 'I'll talk to you next week.'

'Goodbye, Castiel.'

'Bye, Mom.' He hung up the phone, then slumped against the counter to catch his breath. He didn't have long, though, before kids began streaming into the bakery, so he rubbed his face, pulled himself together, and helped some of them decorate their own cupcakes.

Eventually, he began to wind down for the day, and texted Dean during a quiet moment.

Mom called.

It wasn't long before he got a text back. How did it go?

Mixed, Cas replied.

Do you need some company?

Cas sighed. As much as he would have liked to see Dean, he was feeling too frazzled. I think I'll just close up and go to bed.

Sounds like a good plan.

Cas went to text back, but got another one from Dean in quick succession. How's Saturday at around 7 for you?

Cas was glad that no one was around to see him flush. That works for me.

Awesome. I'll pick you up at yours. You won't need to wear anything fancy, but try and avoid that gray sweater. What pie are you making tomorrow?

Key Lime.

Sweet. Save me some.

Sure. See you tomorrow.

Cas put his phone away and began closing up. It was a little earlier than usual, but he wasn't too upset about this. He packed everything up for the homeless shelter and locked the door behind him. It was still light outside, so when Cas got home, he decided to give Charlie a call.

'Wow. Two calls in one week. I must be blessed or something,' Charlie said when she answered the phone. 'That, or you're having boy trouble.'

'Can it be both?' Cas said, pouring food into Gracie's bowl. 'Although, I wouldn't necessarily call it trouble.'

'All right, spill it. I already have some snacks, so go ahead. Did you ask him out?'

'No, but he asked me.'

'How'd you swing that one?'

'I wish I knew.'

'Come on, man, details. What happened? Was it romantic? Did you gaze into each other's eyes and all that crap?'

Cas rolled his eyes. 'That depends on your definition of romantic, and yours includes getting wasted and hitting on her in a convenience store at 3am.'

'Hey, she was just as wasted, and I think we both came off better for it. Whatever, you're avoiding the subject.'

'Fine, I'll tell you.'

'Don't try and make out like you're not dying to tell me.'

'If you're going to keep interrupting me, then maybe I won't.'

'Sorry, jeez. I'll be quiet.'

'I couldn't sleep last night, so Dean and I went for a drive. I fell asleep in his car-'

'You fell asleep in his car?'

'It's very comfortable in his car.'

'Really? What kind is it?'

'How would I know that?'

'I don't know, maybe by using your eyes.'

'Why would I be looking at Dean's car when he's standing right in front of me?'

'Good point. Continue.'

'He woke me up when I had that nightmare I get, so I told him all about it while we were sitting on the hood of his car out in a field somewhere.'

'Wait, you told him about your nightmare? And what it's about?'

'I did.'

'Nice. Brave. He took it well?'

'He seemed sympathetic.'

'Uh-huh, so then what?'

'Then I started talking about stars and I showed him my favourite constellations, and then he asked me on a date.'

'It's like you're living in a romance movie. A super gay one, that is. When is the date?'

'It's on Saturday.'

'That's so awesome, Cas! I'm so excited for you!'

Cas grinned, and ignored Gracie's attempts at gaining his attention. 'It is exciting, isn't it?'

'It so is! Especially since you didn't scare him away by being such a nerd either. Or with your awful fashion sense. What are you going to wear, by the way?'#

'Uh… That's a very good question.' Cas went into his room and began to dig through his closet. As much as he loved his sweaters, none of them were good enough for a date.

'As long as you don't wear that gray sweater with the tomato stain,' Charlie sniggered.

'Why does everyone hate my sweater so much?' Cas complained, rifling even further back into his closet.

'Because it's ugly, dude. What about that suit you have?'

'No, Dean said nothing fancy. Charlie, I have nothing.'

'Don't worry, I can help you. I know your measurements, so if you just let me pick something, I can have it delivered to the bakery for you.'

'You know my measurements?' Cas said suspiciously.

'You have no idea how long I've wanted to buy you a decent outfit. Come on, Cas, trust me. I got your back.'

Cas sighed. 'All right, but nothing pink, and nothing with studs.'

'Okay, I get the studs, but why not pink?'

Cas shrugged. 'It's not my color.'

'You're so weird. Okay, I gotta go. I have got this covered, so don't you worry about a thing. I'm so good at shopping.'

'Thanks, Charlie.'

'No problem. 'Night.'

'Goodnight.'

She hung up and Cas changed into his pajamas.

He turned and looked at his bed, but the thought of trying to get to sleep in it was too daunting, so he grabbed a blanket and dragged it into the living room. He got himself comfortable in his recliner, but he couldn't seem to sleep. His thoughts were racing, but he didn't want to disturb Dean at work. He looked around the room for a solution and found one with his laptop. He might not be able to replicate the exact feeling of being in the car, but perhaps putting on some music might help. He pulled it towards him and put on a random classic rock playlist on YouTube, then switched off the lights. It wasn't perfect, but the music at least helped him fall into a shallow, restless sleep for a few hours.

What's up everyone, welcome back. Thanks to Vadergirl2006, AGirlIntheGalaxy, Sherlock Harry Winchester, VegasGranny and thewindinthemeadow for the reviews. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll be back next week!

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