Chapter 36

A few days went by before the house started to actually look lived-in. Dean had hung Cas' painting over the bed, Cas had folded all the towels and sheets and stowed them away in the linen closet, pots and pans and dishes were in the cabinet, and the windows all had curtains.

Besides setting up the house and making another grocery run, they hadn't done much. Cas had spent a lot of time on his computer, after having cable and internet hooked up, of course; changing the info for Dean's car insurance and registration, getting their licenses and addresses switched over, and finishing up some last-minute stuff for school, which was only four weeks away.

A full week had passed before Cas' phone pinged with a text from Rich.

'hey! sorry i haven't contacted you. someone quit at work and i've been taking the extra shifts for the money. do you guys still want to hang out? i know it's short notice but i'm off today'

"Rich just texted me," Cas said. They were sitting on the couch, hitting the bong and watching Spongebob re-runs.

"What did he say?" Dean asked, setting the bong down on the coffee table and picking up his glass of soda. He didn't take his eyes off the TV, where Spongebob and Patrick were shaving Sandy as she slept.

"He said he's off tonight if we would like to hang out." Dean was quiet. "Should I say yes?"

"Why not?" Dean replied, glancing over at him.

"You don't seem interested," he answered, frowning.

"It's not that," Dean said, turning back to the TV.

Cas wasn't sure what Dean meant, but he texted Rich back. 'Hey! Sure, sounds good. Do you want to come here, or do you want to go somewhere?'

They texted back and forth for a bit. "He said we should go to a bar," Cas finally said.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Does he know we're not twenty-one?"

"I told him that." He paused. "He said he knows the people that work there."

Dean frowned. "I dunno... Being kicked out of a bar for being underage in front of a bunch of people doesn't sound too fun."

Cas frowned too. "You don't want to go?"

Dean hesitated. "Not really... But if you want to go, I want you to." He grabbed the bong off the table and took another hit. "You can report back to me how it went." He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Maybe I'll tag along next time."

Cas nodded and texted Rich back. 'Dean said he doesnt want to go. But I'm in'

'pick you up at 8?'

When Rich arrived, Cas invited him in to smoke first. He was wearing a plaid, dark green, button-up flannel and dark jeans. Cas had settled on his usual attire- his white shirt, tie, slacks, and trench coat- figuring it would help his whole "looking older" case.

As they smoked, Rich told them about his coworker flipping out on their boss and quitting on the spot earlier in the week, and how he'd taken as many of the shifts as he could because the price of his father's medication had gone up. As they stood up to leave, Rich looked down at Dean. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Dean shook his head. He was slouched back on the couch, his foot propped up on the edge of the coffee table. "I'm good. I'm going to do some laundry and shit." He tossed the lighter he was holding onto the coffee table. "Probably play some guitar. You guys have fun."

"Alright, see you later," Rich said as he headed for the door.

"I'll meet you outside," Cas said to Rich, who nodded and closed the door behind him. "You okay?" Cas asked Dean, moving to stand behind the couch where he was sitting.

Dean let his head fall back, looking up at Cas. "Yeah," he said. "I'm just not feelin' it."

Cas nodded slowly before bending down to kiss him. "I'll text you."

Dean nodded and Cas left, locking the door behind him.

"So you're sure they will let me in?" Cas asked as Rich pulled out of the driveway. "I don't need to drink or anything. I just want to get out and meet some people. You're the only one Dean and I have met so far."

Rich nodded. "Yeah, it's no problem. He'll let you in." He paused. "It's nothing fancy, kind of a dive bar. But I know most of the people there."

They pulled up to a small building nestled between two larger ones. It was just beginning to get dark, and the glow of the neon signs in the window lit up the sidewalk. When they entered, Rich caught the eye of the bartender, who nodded at him. Rich stopped in the center of the room, looking around for a moment, before moving towards a booth with two girls.

"Rich!" one girl said excitedly. "Finally a night off?" She had long brown hair, pulled back in a loose ponytail, and large green eyes. She was wearing a blue tank top and pink knee-length skirt. She lifted the glass in her hands to her lips, her eyes flicking to Cas.

Rich nodded, taking a seat next to the girl opposite her. She had short blonde hair, a nose ring, and brown eyes framed with heavy black eyeliner. A worn leather jacket covered her upper half, a plain white shirt beneath, and Cas couldn't see below her waist. She also was nursing a drink.

"Cas, this is Jen," Rich said, motioning to the brunette across from him, "and this is Brit." He put his arm around the leather-clad shoulder of the blonde, pulling her close before she playfully broke free from his grip with a smirk.

"It's nice to meet you both," he said, sliding into the booth next to Jen. "I'm Castiel."

"Cas just moved here," Rich said. "Like, what, a week ago?" he asked, glancing to Cas for confirmation.

Cas nodded.

"That's cool," Brit said. "I bet you'll like it. Most everyone likes it here."

"I certainly hope so," Cas said. "But I think I will."

Rich stood up quickly. "Cas, would you like a drink?"

Cas looked up at him in surprise. "Um, yeah, if you could get me one, sure."

"What do you like?"

Cas shrugged. "Beer is fine."

Rich left the table to talk to his friend behind the bar and get their drinks.

"So..." Brit started, eyeing Cas up and down. "How old are you?"

Cas hesitated before answering, "Nineteen."

"Nineteen?" Jen gasped.

"How old do you think Rich is?" Brit pressed.

Cas shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it." He paused. "Why, how old is he?"

"Twenty-five," Brit muttered, snickering.

Cas nodded slowly. "I had no idea." He paused for a moment. "What about you two?"

"I'm twenty-one," Jen said quickly.

"Twenty-two," Brit said, gulping down the last of her drink.

Cas nodded again and an awkward silence fell over them. Jen broke it. "So... where are you from?"

"Kansas," Cas said quietly.

"Never been there," Brit said.

"I'm not surprised," Cas said back. "It's not much to see."

Rich returned with four bottles of beer, setting two down in front of Cas and rejoining Brit, setting his own down in front of him.

"I'm actually from New York," Brit said. "Brooklyn. Parents moved here when I was thirteen." She smirked. "Said I was getting into too much trouble, although that wasn't hard to find here, either. I just got better at hiding it."

"I've never left California," Jen said sheepishly, seemingly embarrassed about her lack of travel experience.

"I'm actually not from Kansas," Cas said hesitantly. "My parents moved to Kansas when I was around the same age. I can't remember exactly."

"So why are you here?" Brit asked.

"School," Rich said quickly. "I'm sure he's getting tired of the same questions, though, hmm?" he said, shooting Cas a smile and taking a swig of his beer.

Cas smiled nervously, forgetting he had his own beer to drink. He brought one hand up from where they were fiddling on his lap under the table, to grab his bottle and bring it to his lips.

The conversation became a bit more relaxed as Rich, Brit, and Jen talked about other things that didn't involve Cas. Cas sat quietly, listening, learning about their lives and personalities, sometimes offering a comment on the conversation. Jen seemed pretty quiet, much like Cas. Once or twice he noticed her stealing glances at him, but mostly she and Brit seemed to both be texting someone as they talked. Brit was definitely not quiet. In fact, she seemed to be the opposite of Jen. She was outspoken and loud and fun and she had a deep, sincere laugh that Cas loved.

When eleven o'clock rolled around, Cas was four beers and one shot of whiskey in. Rich himself had only had his two beers, as he planned on driving.

After checking her phone a few times, Brit cleared her throat. "So Cas, are you single?"

Cas' eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but she continued before he could respond. "I'm only asking because if you are looking, I have plenty of friends I could set you up with. My one friend, she's a sucker for blue eyes." She grinned mischievously.

Jen was fiddling with her phone, avoiding the conversation, but Cas didn't notice. "Umm..." he started, the alcohol making his head slightly foggy. "I'm actually not, y'know... into girls."

"I see," Brit said, taking a drink from her glass as Jen shoved her phone into her pocket and stared at Brit, huffing a small sigh. "I have guy friends too, y'know." She kicked Rich under the table, and he jumped slightly before covering it with a forced smile.

"I- I appreciate the offer..." Cas said slowly, "But I'm with someone."

Rich could feel his heart sink, and beneath the table, Brit squeezed his thigh apologetically. Her plan to figure out Cas' preference and relationship status had succeeded, but not with the results she had hoped for.

"Are you, um... with Dean?" Rich asked, gripping his bottle with both hands and peering up across the table at Cas.

Cas tilted his head. "Yes, I... I'm sorry, I thought you knew that."

Rich shrugged, his gaze falling down to the table. "It's all good. I was just wondering."

The table was silent for a moment, Cas' head swimming, before he asked, "Does that change anything?" He paused. "Fuck, was... was this supposed to be a date?" he mumbled, feeling his face growing hot.

"No," Rich said quickly.

"I must have mis- misunderstood your intentions," Cas continued, looking down at the table, unsure of what to think- not that he could do much thinking anyway.

"No, Cas, not at all," Rich said quietly.

"This is super awkward," Jen mumbled.

"No, it's not. It's fine," Rich said, tilting his head back and finishing his beer. "Why would it be awkward?" He stood up quickly. "I'll be right back."

As he walked off towards the bar, Cas stared across the table at the empty half of the bench seat, lost in thought, trying to process what just happened.

"Sorry," Brit said quietly, the first time she could be described as quiet all night. "I didn't mean to make things awkward."

"It's not your fault," Cas said slowly, trying to properly form his words while drunk. "I just- I didn't think-" He stopped. "I don't know what I thought."

Brit shrugged. "Don't sweat it, either of you." She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table and leaning on her elbows. "Misunderstanding."

Cas nodded slowly and she leaned back into her seat as Rich returned with a half-empty bottle of whiskey and four shot glasses. He set the glasses down in the center of the table and filled all four. "Here," he said, motioning to them and speaking to the whole table. "Drink." He quickly picked one up, knocking it back and refilling it.

"Easy," Brit said to Rich, picking hers up and nodding to Cas. He picked one up as well and she held hers out to toast. "Here's to awkward first meetings, the best kind of stories," she said with a grin. Jen picked up a shot glass as well, clinking it to theirs. As Rich pulled his back and drank it, Jen set hers down, saying she had to leave soon. Rich quickly grabbed hers and tossed it back.

"Jesus, Rich," Jen mumbled. "Didn't you drive here?"

Rich rubbed his eyes. "Shit, right." He wearily looked at Cas, his face a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment. "It's not a far walk, but if you don't feel like walking we can take a cab later."

"Walking is fine," Cas said quietly.

It was now eleven-thirty and Jen excused herself, saying she needed to sleep before work tomorrow. Brit hung around a little longer, giving Rich shit for how quickly he was drinking, but she didn't say anything to Cas, who was clearly quite buzzed before Rich brought over the bottle, but had continued drinking with him.

She checked her watch and saw it was midnight. "I gotta go, guys. Sitter needs to leave soon."

"You have kids?" Cas blurted out, squinting at her.

She laughed. "Hell no. He's my sisters. I'm watching him for the week, but I needed a damn night away. I don't have kids for a reason." She chuckled. "It was nice to meet you," she said, sliding out of the booth after Rich. Rich sat back down and she gave them a quick wave before heading for the door.

Cas tapped his fingers on his shot glass, which was full. "I'm s- sorry I made things w... weird," he slurred, looking at the table.

"You didn't," Rich said. "It happens. Let's jus' forget about it, yeah?"

Cas nodded, lifting the glass to his lips and tilting his head back.