Chapter Twenty-Five

Author's Note: I have no idea why this chapter took me so long. You have my apologies, and hopefully the next chapter will be easier to write :)

Enjoy,

{Dreamer}

'Good morning, Sam,' Castiel greeted when he saw Dean's brother sitting down with a cup of coffee and a muffin. Castiel wasn't working the register at the moment, instead wandering around cleaning up after the morning rush.

'Hey, Cas,' Sam replied, offering him a bright smile.

Good looks must run in the family, Castiel mused. Not that he was attracted to Sam; he could just admit that Sam was a very handsome young man. It would probably be best if he never mentioned that to Dean, though.

'Can I help you with anything?' Castiel asked as he wiped down the table beside Sam's.

'No, I just came in for coffee,' Sam admitted. On closer inspection, Castiel realised that Sam looked exhausted. 'I've been working since four am on a big case,' Sam sighed. 'I think I've drunk my body weight in coffee.'

'That would be impossible, I would imagine,' Castiel commented, eyeing Sam's rather large form. Not only was the younger man tall, but he was very fit. Castiel was sure that Sam could throw him over his shoulder.

Sam laughed- a soft, warm sound that belayed his size. 'Just feels that way,' he shrugged.

'Can I get you another, then?' Castiel offered.

Sam shook his cardboard cup, and then smiled. 'Yeah, that'd be great.'

'I'll make it!' Gabriel shouted from somewhere behind the counter, and one of his employees- Christie- yelped when Gabriel suddenly popped up from behind the muffins.

Castiel sighed.

'Don't give me that look!' Gabriel ordered, pointing a finger over the counter at his younger brother.

'I didn't give you any look,' Castiel replied.

'I can feel it,' Gabriel declared, and Sam snickered.

'Brothers, huh?' Sam shrugged.

Castiel smiled. 'Yes, brothers.'

'How long have you been down there?' Christie demanded.

Gabriel smirked at her. 'Long enough to know that you like dancing to Justin Bieber.'

'Justin Timberlake,' Christie corrected.

'Like that's any better,' Gabriel scoffed.

'Cas, is there a rule saying that I can't hit the owner over the head with a mug?' Christie asked Castiel, who was cleaning the table beside Sam's booth.

'There might be,' Castiel said, making Christie sigh. 'However, if you choose to hit him, I can always look at the wall.' He pointedly turned and stared at the wall, and Christie giggled.

'Hey, not cool, little bro!' Gabriel huffed. 'You're supposed to be on my side!'

'Not when you're stalking your employees,' Castiel responded.

'I'm not stalking anyone,' the older Novak denied.

'I don't believe you,' Castiel dead-panned. 'Especially when you and Balthazar feel the need to crash my apartment at three am every other Saturday.'

'Aww,' Gabriel pouted, 'that's just how we show our love. You know that you're our favourite.'

'I'm the only sane one; of course I'm your favourite,' Castiel said.

Gabriel ignored him in favour of getting started on Sam's coffee, and Castiel looked between the two. Sam had his head tilted and resting on one large hand, eyes on Gabriel's back as the blonde whistled and jumped on the spot to whatever music he was thinking of.

Hmm, Castiel thought. He had to wonder if there was something more here. He didn't think that Sam was dating anyone, and Gabriel had never bothered with gender; to him, as long as he was attracted to someone's personality, he'd date them. He was much like Balthazar and Lucifer, there. And Gabriel had finally told Kali that they wouldn't work out.

It would be nice, Castiel decided, for Gabriel to date someone as sweet and kind-hearted as Sam. Kali had been neither of those things, and neither had any of Gabriel's past flames. He always seemed to have a specific type; manic, addicted to something, and slightly unhinged.

But, Castiel thought as he got back to work, he wasn't going to get involved. He didn't like it when his brothers pushed themselves into his personal life, and he wasn't going to start now. If Gabriel and Sam become good friends, so be it. If they became more, Castiel would be happy, too.

Now I just have to make sure that Dean doesn't kill Gabriel, Castiel thought to himself as he wiped down another table.

{oOo}

Dean was humming as he entered Archangel's Delights. He'd had a crappy day so far, and he was starving; both complaints could be mended by a large slice of pie and Castiel. Dean knew for a fact that his boyfriend was working; they'd been texting each other on and off all morning, until Dean had been pulled away by an asshole client, and Castiel had gone off to help "bake brownies that will no doubt cause early on-set heart attacks for anyone idiotic enough to eat more than one a month". Castiel's words, not Dean's; Dean had burst out laughing, as had Jo, Adam, and Victor, when he'd shown them all the text.

That, of course, had earned him a good twenty minutes of ribbing from everyone over how adorable he and Castiel were.

Dean shook his head and stepped around a woman leaving the store, as well as the various tables, some occupied, some empty. There was a girl behind the counter- Christie, Dean remembered- but Castiel was nowhere to be seen. Dean could smell something delicious baking, so figured that his partner was in the kitchen with Gabriel.

He reached the counter and grabbed a menu, taking a quick look as Christie moved away from the coffee machine and towards him. 'Can I help you?' she asked.

'Um, yeah... what sandwiches do you recommend?' Dean asked. He'd much rather a burger, but the Roadhouse didn't have Castiel in his cute little apron and tight jeans, so... he could settle for a sandwich.

'Chicken salad, toasted ham and cheese, maybe roast beef?' Christie suggested. 'My favourite's the toasted ham and cheese with a side salad, and then maybe a brownie or pie for dessert.'

Dean grinned. 'I like you, Christie,' he decided. 'Okay, give me that, with the apple pie. That comes with ice cream, right?'

'If you want,' Christie chuckled, tapping his order into the cash register. 'What can I get you to drink?'

Dean glanced over towards the drinks fridge, which Gabriel had only recently installed. Dean was sure that the dude was gonna turn the entire place into a restaurant soon enough; it had gone from being a coffee shop to a proper little café in the past few weeks that Dean had been dating Castiel.

'Uh, bottle of Coke,' Dean decided when he realised that he'd spaced out. He threw Christie an apologetic smile and pulled out his wallet. 'So...' he said after he'd paid Christie, 'uh...'

'Cas is in the kitchen,' Christie said, a small smile spreading across her face. Dean blushed. 'Want me to go get him?'

'Uh, nah, not if he's busy,' Dean said.

'He's not,' Christie chuckled. 'I'm sure he'd thank you for saving him from Gabriel.'

As if saying his name had summoned him- and God, please no!- Gabriel appeared from the archway that cut off the kitchen from the main shop. He was covered in flour, sprinkles, and chocolate, his eyes wide and short blonde hair messy.

'Dean-o!' he shouted, and if Dean were less of a man he'd have run.

'What?' he asked instead.

'Try my new brownies,' Gabriel ordered, and then promptly disappeared once more.

'Okay...' Dean hummed.

'He's trying a new recipe,' Christie rolled her eyes. 'I've had six brownies today, and let me tell you; I never want to see another brownie again.'

'I can imagine,' Dean laughed, and Christie smiled at him before disappearing to make his lunch.

Gabriel re-appeared, this time carrying a tray with still-steaming brownies. He placed it before Dean and waved a hand over the chocolate treats. 'Go on,' he ordered.

'Er...'

'They're free,' Gabriel waved his hand, this time impatiently.

'Okay...' Dean murmured again. He reached for a brownie, wincing only a little at the heat. He tore off a chunk and blew across it before popping it into his mouth. 'Oh my God,' he moaned as he chewed, eyes fluttering shut. When he opened them Gabriel was grinning.

'You like?' he asked.

'What the hell is in these things?' Dean demanded, taking another bite.

'Three types of chocolate chips, sprinkles, and gummy bears,' Gabriel said. 'The secret is to include the gummy bears without melting them. I'm gonna name 'em "Devil's Treat".'

'Can I have another one?' Dean asked, already reaching for one.

'No!' Gabriel snapped and slapped his hand. Dean pouted. 'Damn you and your pretty eyes, Winchester,' Gabriel sighed. 'Fine, one more; but after that, you pay.'

'Awesome,' Dean grinned. He grabbed another brownie and pouted again when Gabriel withdrew the tray, but one bite of the delicious chocolate was enough to have him sighing in bliss.

'I see that Gabriel has convinced you to join the Dark Side.'

Dean immediately perked up, and grinned when he spotted Castiel, the other man smiling in amusement. 'Well how could I refuse?' Dean said and waved his brownie. 'You guys have brownies.'

'Indeed,' Castiel replied. He closed the distance between them and leaned over the counter, Dean immediately sealing their lips together. Castiel tasted like chocolate, and faintly like cigarette smoke, but the chocolate was enough to cover that. Dean hummed as they broke apart, and Castiel's smile softened. 'Good afternoon, Dean.'

'Heya, Cas,' Dean replied.

Castiel's lips twitched further up before he leaned back.

'I didn't know you were a fan of Star Wars,' Dean said.

'Are there any people in the world not fans of Star Wars?' Castiel asked.

'If there are, they're sad people,' Dean responded.

Castiel chuckled. 'I like Star Wars, but I'm a bigger fan of Star Trek.' Dean's eyes lit up and he slammed a hand against the counter, making the author jump. 'Dean?'

'Are you kidding me right now?' Dean demanded.

Frowning, Castiel asked, 'Do you dislike Star Trek?'

'Do I dislike... okay, wait a minute.' Dean grabbed a napkin and put the rest of his brownie atop it before facing Castiel once more. 'What Star Trek are we talking about?'

Castiel raised his eyebrows. 'Well, I've seen and own every series- including the Animated Series- as well as all the movies, the J.J. Abrams ones included.'

Dean just stared.

'My favourite series,' Castiel continued after a pause, 'is The Original Series, closely followed by The Next Generation. My favourite character across all of them is Spock, and my favourite movie is The Search For Spock, closely followed by Into Darkness.'

Dean blinked. 'Favourite episode of The Original Series?' he asked.

'The Trouble with Tribbles and Return To Tomorrow,' Castiel answered.

Dean blinked again. He took a breath, released it, and leaned heavily on the counter.

'Dean?' Castiel asked, now sounding concerned. 'Are you okay?'

'Cas...' Dean groaned and tipped his head back, eyes squeezed shut.

'Are you having some kind of panic attack?' Castiel questioned.

Dean shook his head and then opened his eyes to stare at his partner. Castiel stared back. 'I've just realised how absolutely fucking perfect you are,' Dean said.

Castiel frowned. 'Because I like Star Trek?'

'Because you're clearly a Trekker, and that makes you so much more awesome than I already thought you were.'

'I see...' Castiel mused, 'you're a Captain Kirk fan, aren't you?'

'Hell yeah!' Dean replied, making Castiel laugh again. 'You, me, and Charlie have to have a Star Trek night soon,' Dean decided. 'We can watch all three seasons of TOS and eat our body weight in junk food.'

'That would take longer than one night, Dean,' Castiel said, smiling as he leaned on the counter.

'Make it a weekend, then,' Dean rolled his eyes. 'Though a warning; Charlie's a huge Chekov fan, and thinks that Spock and Kirk are in love with each other.'

'Well of course they are,' Castiel replied immediately.

'What?' Dean spluttered.

'Dean,' Castiel rolled his eyes, 'if you can seriously watch Star Trek and somehow not see that Spock and Kirk are in love with each other, then you're less intelligent than I thought you were.'

With that he pecked Dean on the lips, smiled slightly at him, and turned to make himself a drink.

'If you weren't awesome I'd totally bitch slap you,' Dean grumbled.

'I heard that,' Castiel called over his shoulder.

Dean stuck his tongue out at Castiel's back, ignoring Castiel's chuckles as he went to find a table.

{oOo}

'Are you allowed to sit with me?' Dean asked when Castiel joined him, a steaming cardboard cup of tea between his hands.

'I'm on break for the next two hours,' Castiel told him. 'I've been working since five this morning.'

'Five?'

Castiel nodded and took a sip of tea before answering. 'Gabriel broke into my apartment and forced me to take him food shopping. He bought a shopping cart full of chocolate, candy, and everything else that could even remotely be put into a brownie.'

'Well the one I tried was awesome,' Dean said.

'Mm, I ate the rest of it,' Castiel said. Dean raised his eyebrows, and Castiel said, 'You left it on the counter; I finished it.'

'Hey!' Dean pouted, but Castiel just smiled at him. 'So,' Dean cleared his throat.

'So...?'

'How've you been?'

Castiel chuckled softly and said, 'I've been well, Dean. Despite my five am wake-up call, my day hasn't been too busy. And you?'

'Yeah, alright,' Dean nodded. 'Well, I had some shitty customers earlier, but my day got better as soon as I saw you.'

'Sweet or sappy?' Castiel mused. 'I'm not sure yet.'

'Definitely sweet.'

'That remains to be seen.'

'You're mean, you know that?'

'But of course.'

Dean huffed and Castiel hid a smile behind his cup.

'Are we still on for tomorrow?' Dean asked. Before Castiel could answer, Christie appeared with his lunch. He thanked her and took a bite, almost groaning as he chewed.

'Gabriel is a very good cook,' Castiel said in amusement.

'Shut up,' Dean huffed, taking another bite. Again, Castiel just smiled, the gesture hidden behind his tea. 'Are we still on for tomorrow?' Dean repeated.

'Unless something comes up, yes, I'm free,' Castiel nodded.

'Cool,' Dean mumbled around another mouthful. Castiel tisked, but Dean ignored him. 'I have Friday off, so I was thinking you could come over, and maybe stay the night? If you're not busy Friday.'

'I'm not,' Castiel shook his head. 'Actually, tomorrow is my last shift here for a number of months.'

'Really?' Dean cocked his head.

'Finally!' Gabriel huffed, suddenly appearing and dropping to sit beside Castiel. 'I thought you weren't gonna tell him 'til your plane took off.'

Dean frowned, and Castiel squirmed in his seat. 'Plane?' the mechanic asked.

Gabriel froze, gold eyes wide, and swivelled to look at his brother. 'You haven't told him yet?' Castiel just shook his head. 'You haven't told him yet,' Gabriel repeated and looked back at Dean. 'Say, Dean-o, if I give you another brownie- for free- will you forget this conversation ever happened?'

Okay, so now Dean was starting to panic. 'What plane, Cas?'

'Right!' Gabriel clapped his hands together and shot up from his seat. 'That's my cue!'

'I truly hate you, Gabriel,' Castiel growled, but the older Novak simply grinned and darted off, disappearing back into the kitchen.

'What plane?' Dean asked again.

Castiel sighed and took a sip of his tea before leaning back. 'Anna finalised my book tour today,' he said.

'Okay...' Dean hummed, still confused, 'and?'

'Dean, I... I'll be gone for a while,' Castiel said.

Dean blinked. 'Okay,' he repeated, 'so, uh... how long's a while?'

'Over a month,' Castiel admitted.

'Over a month?' Dean echoed, just to make sure he'd heard correctly, and Castiel nodded. 'Why so long?'

'I'm going to Australia and New Zealand, followed by England, and then back to America,' Castiel said. 'After that most likely Japan or China.'

'Shit. Shit.' Dean had known, back when he'd first found out that Castiel was Jimmy Milton, that Castiel would be going on a book tour; he'd mentioned it over a dozen times, but Dean hadn't realised that he'd be gone that long. A month might not seem like much, but... they'd just started dating. Dean couldn't imagine not seeing Castiel for an entire month.

'I didn't want to tell you,' Castiel admitted when Dean failed to say anything else, 'but I leave in a week.'

'A week?!' Dean spluttered.

Castiel nodded. 'That's what my meeting with Anna yesterday was about,' he said. Dean remembered him mentioning it. Well, complaining about it; he'd texted Dean about forty times mentioning that his sister was keeping him prisoner in her office. Dean had offered to stage a rescue mission, and Anna had confiscated Castiel's cell for an hour.

'She wanted me to leave a few days ago, but I kept pushing it back,' Castiel continued. 'I have to leave Monday if I want to make it to my first appointment. And believe me, signing over a hundred books with jet lag isn't fun in the least.'

Dean sighed and leaned back, his lunch suddenly forgotten.

'Are you mad?' Castiel asked, and when Dean looked up the author's head was cocked, eyes soft.

'No,' Dean said. 'I'm not mad, just... disappointed? Upset,' he decided. 'I'll, um... I'll miss you.' He mumbled the last three words, and Castiel's eyes softened further.

'I'll miss you too, Dean,' he admitted. 'I didn't plan on meeting you when I first agreed to do such an extensive tour. But I can't back out of it now.'

'Yeah, I know that,' Dean said. 'You've got commitments and shit.'

'And shit,' Castiel echoed in amusement.

'Shut up,' Dean huffed, but Castiel sat up and leaned over the table to kiss him, so all was forgiven. Castiel was too good at looking equal parts adorable and sexy. 'We've got a week, huh?' he asked when Castiel pulled back.

'Four days,' Castiel corrected, looking apologetic. 'My flight is at one on Monday.'

'Four days,' Dean grumbled, glaring at his plate.

'We can talk on the phone,' Castiel said, 'or Skype.'

'I have no freakin' idea how to use Skype,' Dean admitted, fiddling with his sandwich.

'Me either,' Castiel agreed. 'Technology and I tend to disagree on a number of things. I barely know how to use my cell phone.'

Dean barked out a laugh, and Castiel chuckled across from him. 'You just get more and more perfect, man,' he said as he opened his bottle of Coke.

'I'm not perfect, Dean.'

'Are too,' Dean argued.

'You're a child,' Castiel retorted.

'Are not.'

Castiel kicked him lightly under the table, and Dean tried to retaliate, but the older man was too quick. Dean grumbled under his breath and took another bite of his sandwich, but Castiel knew that he wasn't truly upset... well, not really.

'I'm okay, Cas,' Dean said when he noticed the look on Castiel's face. 'I mean, it sucks, but we'll get through it. I'll even ask Sammy to teach me how to use Skype.' As horrible as that thought was, Dean would do it; for Castiel.

'Perhaps Anna can also teach me,' Castiel mused.

'Yeah,' Dean agreed.

'Speaking of Sam,' Castiel said, suddenly changing the subject, 'he was in here this morning.'

'He was?' Dean frowned, looking puzzled. 'His office isn't really near here. Why would he come in?'

'For coffee,' Castiel said. 'At least, that was what he told me.'

'And you reckon he was lying?' Dean asked.

'Well...' Castiel hummed, 'he and Gabriel certainly spent a lot of time talking.'

Dean nearly choked on his sandwich, and Castiel watched, amused, as he took a swig of Coke to clear his throat. 'Gabriel?!' he demanded, picking up on Castiel's subtle hint immediately.

'Yes, Gabriel,' Castiel agreed.

'What... I... what?!'

'Dean,' Castiel chastised, and Dean glared at him. 'Would it really be so bad?'

'Well...' Dean huffed, 'not really, okay? It's just... weird. Sammy has the worst taste in people, especially after college. And Gabriel? Imagine them together! Sam's, like, a hundred feet taller than him!'

'Hardly,' Castiel chuckled, but he could see the amusement the sight would offer; Gabriel wasn't very tall, and Sam was. 'Still, if they're happy...'

He trailed off, and Dean flapped a hand. 'Yeah, yeah.' He grunted and went back to his sandwich, grunting things like "seriously?" and "Gabriel" under his breath every so often.

Castiel just watched, hiding laughter, as his boyfriend tried to wrap his head around the thought of Sam and Gabriel together.