.-.-.-.-.
Fishsticks
.-.-.-.-.

Castiel snuggled happily against the warm chest he rested on. He relaxed further as a hand gently stroked his hair. 'Mm… Good morning.'

'Morning' Dean replied. For most of the night he had watched Castiel sleep, his own mind in a half-asleep state. A couple times, he completely lost consciousness and was afraid that he would awaken Castiel when he startled awake. Being dry was going to take a lot of getting used to.

Castiel pushed himself up then quickly dipped in for a kiss. 'Would you…like to take a shower with me?' he asked.

Dean took a moment to recall what the word meant. 'Oh. Er… I'd love to, but uh… I have this…thing,' he uneasily replied. 'It's uh… Y'know…unfamiliar showers and baths and…stuff.'

Castiel chuckled as he nodded in understanding. 'I understand. You wouldn't be the first mysophobe I've dated,' he said. He looked over to see his laptop still on the coffee table. 'That will…actually work out quite well for now… Um… You take over the bathroom for a bit, and I'll set you up with some breakfast and a movie.'

While Dean had vanished to the bathroom, Castiel quickly called for room service, ordering a few choices for breakfast. He then scanned through the movies that the hotel offered until he found what he was looking for. He grinned sheepishly as Dean reentered the room. 'I uh… Here,' he said, playing the movie. 'If room service gets here before I'm done, just sign for it and give them this.' He handed Dean some cash and turned to grab a change of clothes from the bedroom.

Dean nodded and was about to ask what 'room service' was when music began playing. He looked at the television and was completely distracted from the world around him. The title showed on the screen, and he immediately regretted not learning to read.

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel shut the door to the bathroom and started up the shower before calling Crowley. 'I need you to bring something!' he said the moment Crowley picked up.

'Well, hello to you, too.'

Castiel took a breath. 'I'll be on your documentary or whatever you want. I will walk around with my wetsuit around my hips,' he said. 'I just need you to bring me something.'

'Oh?' Crowley replied, unable to hide the intrigue from his voice. 'And what am I bringing? Is it from the special box?'

'Special… No! I don't… Never mind. In my storage unit, there is a box marked "Halloween." In that box is my Ariel costume. Bring it,' Castiel said as he stripped down. He worried as only silence met him.

'Castiel…what do you need it for?' Crowley asked.

Casitel sighed in frustration. Crowley was going to find out sooner or later. 'I've met someone, and he has expressed interest in seeing me in it…'

'Uh-huh… Sounds like a winner,' Crowley replied.

'Crowley—'

'Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'll bring the damned thing. But I will be holding you up to your end of the bargain. On screen half-naked, I believe. That'll do nicely.'

They bid their goodbyes, and Castiel stepped into the shower.

.-.-.-.-.

Dean's mouth was hanging open as he watched Ariel narrowly escape the shark. It brought back some of his own memories of swimming as fast as he could with his little brother clutched tightly against his chest, barely managing to find a crevice to squeeze into. The three slashes along what was now his right calf served as a reminder of how lucky he had been.

There was a loud knock at the door, and Dean was about to get when Castiel darted in front of him. 'Got it. Got it,' he said, grabbing the money on his way. When Castiel returned, he was carrying a tray of food.

'I didn't know what you'd like, so I just ordered a little of everything,' Castiel explained, setting the tray on the coffee table. 'How are you liking the movie?'

Dean picked up a piece of bacon and sniffed at it. 'So far, so good,' he replied. 'But uh… How do they breathe? Or are they just not showing that part?'

Castiel sighed as he picked up a fork. 'Supposedly, they can breathe underwater. And above. Maybe they're amphibians. I suggest not thinking about it.'

'Oh, uh… Okay then,' Dean said as he turned back to the movie, munching away on the bacon. By the time Ariel received her legs, Dean had found that he liked eggs, waffles with whipped cream and berries, and bacon. He stared in confusion with a piece of bacon halfway to his mouth. 'Wait… Why…?'

Castiel paused the movie and turned to face Dean. 'What's wrong?'

'Well, why doesn't she just…go on land? She should get legs after she dries off,' Dean said, waving the piece of bacon at the screen. He stopped breathing when he realized what he had just said. 'I mean… Well…'

'You're thinking of Splash,' Castiel replied. At Dean's helpless stare, he continued. 'It's another mermaid movie. Um…Tom Hanks. Daryl Hannah. It's not…horrible. Standard romantic comedy.'

'Yeah…guess I only saw a small part of it…'

Castiel smiled in amusement. 'Probably the bath scene.'

'That'd be it,' Dean said easily. He turned his attention back to the screen as the movie continued. Overall, Dean enjoyed the movie. Ariel got what she wanted, and her love knew what she was. The only part Dean didn't agree with was the part where she was stuck as a human. If her father had the power to give her legs, then couldn't he have given her the ability to change back and forth? When he voiced his opinion, Castiel just shrugged.

'At least it's not the original ending,' Castiel said.

'And what's that?' Dean asked.

'She dies. She loses the prince to some other woman,' Castiel explained. 'She's given a chance to save herself by killing him, but she doesn't. Instead, she throws herself into the sea and becomes a spirit.'

Dean stared at Castiel in horror. 'That's a shitty ending! Who came up with that?!' He huffed indignantly when Castiel began laughing. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the couch, torn between embarrassment and loving the sound of Castiel's laughter. He jumped when a hand lightly caressed his chest.

'I'm sorry,' Castiel said between giggles. 'Really, I am. If it makes you feel any better, I get quite passionate about inaccuracies in movies when I'm drunk.'

Dean gave Castiel a doubtful look. 'I'll believe it when I see it.'

Castiel smirked and leaned against Dean, running his hand down Dean's chest. 'I can arrange that…'

A chipper-sounding ring erupted, and Castiel gave an irritated sigh. He stood up and made his way to the bedroom where his phone lay on the bed. He picked it up and wandered back into the living room, staring at the name of the caller. He glanced at Dean and back at his phone. Biting his lip, he answered it. 'Yes, Balthazar?'

'I am so, so sorry!'

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel grumbled as there was a knock on the door. 'No…stay…ignore it,' he mumbled as Sam wiggled out from beneath him. He heard Samandriel's voice and groaned as he pulled a pillow over his head. 'Lemme alone!'

'We need to work on the soundtrack,' Samandriel said, keeping his eyes glued to the ceiling. 'Charlie's got everything set up in your room, and I already have some breakfast waiting.'

'What time is it?' Sam asked. He looked at his clock to see that it was only eight in the morning. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't slept in too late.

'Too early,' Gabriel replied, throwing his pillow at Samandriel. 'Come back later.'

Sam smiled down at Samandriel's pleading stare. 'It's just as well,' he said as he made his way to his bed and leaned over Gabriel. 'I have a lot to do today.' He kissed the man in his bed and laughed as arms latched around his neck. 'Once you get your work done, come and find me.'

Gabriel slowly kissed Sam and nodded. 'Fine,' he relented. 'I'll go do my chores, and you go do yours.' He dressed and followed Samandriel to his room. He grimaced at the haphazard state of his belongings and the various computer screens that were precariously balanced on his bed and desk.

'There you are!' Charlie said as she looked up. 'Get your morning quickie?'

Gabriel threw her a half-hearted glare. 'I wanted one, but Alfie kept me from getting it.'

'Next time, I'll schedule you some extra time,' Samandriel said as he sat down on the bed and pulled up the script for the episode they were working on.

'No wonder you don't have a girlfriend,' Gabriel muttered.

'There are other reasons for that,' Samandriel easily replied.

'Boyfriend then. Geez.' Gabriel sank onto the floor with a loud yawn. 'So what's first?'

'First, we find the stock ambient sounds,' Charlie said as she dug through a pile of Gabriel's clothes. 'I have ten CDs here, and none of them are marked!'

'Uh… It's the uh…silver one.' Gabriel received a dirty look and shrugged. 'Clear case?'

Charlie thinned her lips as she picked up a CD in a clear case from the pile of multicolored cases. 'You win this round. For now,' she said as she popped it into the laptop on the desk. She frowned when she opened it and saw a single video file simply labeled as 'CST.' Curiosity got the best of her, and she opened it on the second monitor. She stared in awe at what greeted her.

'Well, have you tried hitting record?' Castiel asked, glaring as he took a swig from an almost-empty wine bottle.

'Oh! There it goes!' an accented voice replied.

'What is…?' Gabriel looked up to see his brother's drunken face plastered across a computer screen. His mouth dropped open in shock.

'About fucking time… I wanna do this in one take,' Castiel said, polishing off the last of the wine. He swayed as he made his way to large bed and dropped onto it. He grinned at the camera as he rolled onto his back and unbuttoned his shirt.

'Go slower.'

'Shut up, Crowley!' Castiel growled, his eyes flicking just to the side of the camera. He moaned as he pulled his shirt off and started on his slacks.

'You should tease your nipples. That's always a good start,' Crowley said, bringing the camera closer and focusing on Castiel's hands. 'Here, put the shirt back on. We'll start over.'

'I'm not doing takes! One angle. One shot. One time. I'm not making Jody's…production!' Castiel reached up and forced the camera to point at his face. 'I want it sexy. I want it to be hot. I want it…I want… It has to be impromptu!'

Crowley sighed and backed away, settling at Castiel's feet. 'Proceed.'

Castiel stared just off camera for a moment before switching his gaze back to the camera and leering. 'Mmm… I wanna feel your hands on me. Wanna feel your fingers on my hips,' he moaned, running his fingers along his waistband. He slowly pulled his pants off, revealing dark boxers. He reached down and rubbed himself through the fabric.

'T-turn it off!' Gabriel shouted as he got control of his voice. He stumbled to his feet and tripped over a pile of clothing. 'Charlie! Off!'

'No way!' Charlie said gleefully. 'This is the sex tape! The sex tape! Your brother is hot.'

'And flexible,' Samandriel added, tilting his head to the side.

'Stop looking at him!'

'Woah! Tattoo!' Charlie exclaimed as Castiel crawled to his knees. 'Didn't see that the other night…'

'When did he…?!' Gabriel stared in shock at the small black wings and occult symbols that decorated the small of Castiel's back and hips.

'Aa-ahh! Mmm… So good…'

'Spread your legs a little more,' Crowley said, moving to get a better angle.

Castiel kicked out at Crowley, earning a guttural gasp. 'No director commentary! No gag reel, no special features! Shut up!'

The camera righted and focused back on Castiel.

'Gag reel… Oh, fuck,' Gabriel muttered. 'I know what this is.'

Charlie and Samandriel glanced at Gabriel before having their attention drawn back to the screen by a loud moan. They whined pathetically when Gabriel slammed the laptop shut and the monitor's screen went black.

Gabriel ran his hand though his hair looking around the room in discomfort. 'I have to talk to Bal…'

'Why?' Charlie asked. She pouted as Gabriel ejected the CD and took it.

'Because this,' he said, holding up the disc, 'is one big misunderstanding, and I won't have him hating my brother over a present gone wrong.'

'Present?' Samandriel repeated. He looked to Charlie for a clue when Gabriel left the room. Charlie shrugged and shook her head. 'Guess we'll find out later…'

Charlie nodded as she sifted through the pile of CDs and pulled out another unlabeled CD in a clear case. 'Too bad we didn't start sooner…'

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel leaned against the door and banged loudly. 'Bal. Balthazar! We need to talk.' He looked up and grimaced at the annoyed look on Balthazar's face when the door opened.

'I was sleeping,' Balthazar said, crossing his arms.

Gabriel's eyes drifted up to the bedhead Balthazar was sporting. 'Yeah. Sorry. But this is important. It's about Cas.'

Balthazar rolled his eyes and leaned against the door frame. 'What about him. I already know he's shooting his scenes alone.'

'No, it's…' Gabriel listed his hand, revealing the CD. 'This isn't what you think it is.'

Balthazar frowned at the disc in confusion. 'I have no idea what that is.'

'It's not a sex tape,' Gabriel bit out. 'It's…a uh… I dunno how to put it.'

'Not a sex tape? Looked like one to me,' Balthazar said icily.

'It's…a video dildo? I don't know!' Gabriel wailed miserably. 'Apparently Crowley has one of his wife. Only reason I know about it is because Cas walked in on Crowley watching it so many times, he's pretty much seen the whole thing! And who does he bitch to about it? Me!'

'What are you talking about?'

'This,' Gabriel said, shaking the CD. 'This was meant for you. For when he's gone on long trips. Fuck. Before he went to the Caribbean that one time, he said he wanted to get you something special. I guess he got drunk enough that he thought this would be a better idea than the ring.'

'Ring?'

Gabriel quickly looked away. 'Y-yeah…'

Balthazar took a slow breath. In the weeks leading up to Castiel's trip, Castiel had been acting skittish. After seeing the footage of Castiel and Crowley, he had assumed it was because the two had been seeing each other. But if Castiel was secretly buying a ring… He quickly shook off the thought. 'Then why the fuck is Crowley in it? Did he think I'd like that?'

Gabriel shook his head. 'He's there to tape it. I'm guessing he never makes an appearance during the whole thing. Just talks.' Balthazar nodded, and Gabriel continued. 'Uh…Cas said that when Jody made hers, she had a couple friends help. There's a…a gag reel.' Gabriel broke off, looking around the hallway. 'I don't know how to explain it.'

'Let me get this straight: Castiel wanted to make a tape for me to watch when he was away on long trips?'

'If it's like Crowley and Jody's, then…yeah.'

'That…that actually explains the ending…,' Balthazar said quietly, looking away.

'Ending? Wait. I don't wanna know. No. Yes, I do. What ending?'

'Now I can keep you company and make you miss me more,' Balthazar recited. He shook his head as he turned away. 'Fuck… I was so…angry… I didn't even explain why I broke up with him.'

'This whole thing coulda been cleared up long ago, and you two would be a happily married couple. That's sweet,' Gabriel said. 'But I think that ship's sailed.'

Balthazar thought back to when Castiel had been standing outside his door. 'Not entirely.'

'Bal,' Gabriel said in a warning tone. 'Please don't…do anything.'

'Do you really think your cabana boy's brother is serious? Besides, I'm only going to apologize. The rest is up to Castiel,' Balthazar said, giving Gabriel a winning smile.

Gabriel frowned and chewed on his lip. 'Just… Whatever you do, be gentle. Cas…' He trailed off and shook his head. If things got too bad, he could always send Balthazar home and have Charlie work as editor until they found someone new.