For the love of God, please do not crucify me if I sound dumb when I talk about the business. I personally don't know much about what the hell goes on in a business, but I'm trying my best. If there are some things that are blatantly wrong about what I wrote, please PM me so I can straighten it out. Thank you all.
(BLD)
Castiel and Gabriel made it home about thirty minutes after Castiel's little encounter. He was a little washed out, and he wanted some time to contemplate about things by himself and come to some sort of understanding about his life.
But Gabriel dragged him into the kitchen where he knew Lucifer would be and shoved Castiel into a seat by the island in the middle of the kitchen, much to his dismay.
"You will never believe what just happened." Gabriel started, clapping a hand to Castiel's back once, a bit painfully, and gained Lucifer's attention. He was busy seasoning a pork roast that Castiel assumed was for dinner, and his hands were dirty with raw meat juice.
"What?" he asked with a quirked brow, his hands never leaving the meat.
Gabriel grinned, glancing once over to Castiel then to Lucifer, "I think Castiel may have found someone he's finally interested in." Gabriel's eyes were slitted with his overwhelming smugness.
Lucifer's eyes went wide, "What? Where were you? Who was it?" he then abandoned the meat and went to the sink, washing his hands, "Was it someone we know?" he asked, his head craned over his shoulder to see his brother's faces.
Gabriel laughed, "We went to the bar down the street. Unfortunately, Castiel was so awestruck he forgot to ask for his name."
Lucifer gasped, turning off the faucet and only shaking his hands to dry them off, "No…" he looked from Gabriel to Castiel, "You're joking…" and he began to smile, his mouth agape.
Gabriel laughed, "Nope." And patted Castiel's back again, making him groan and shove his hand away from him with a glare. "Stop that." He groused.
Lucifer came from the stove and leaned against the island next to Castiel, "Tell me what happened." He demanded, with a giddy sense enthusiasm. He seemed a decade younger, and absolutely girlish.
Castiel rolled his eyes and sighed, "It was nothing, I got nervous and made a fool of myself."
"Oooh, it looked like a lot more than getting nervous." Gabriel chimed in, winking to Lucifer.
Castiel stared blankly down at the counter in front of him as his brothers laughed. No matter how many times he's told himself he's finally above all the childish things, or how many times he's accomplished great personal feats, coming home has always made him feel like the little nerdy twerp brother.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop treating me this way." He said almost coldly and sending Gabriel a glare.
Gabriel's hands went up in mock defense, "Whoa, cool it there, Bro." and he took a couple steps back.
"Hey, we're only picking." Lucifer reasoned, sending a light hearted punch to Castiel's shoulder. "How many times do we get to witness you have a crush, huh?" he asked, then ruffled at Castiel's hair, ruining the state he'd kept it in.
Castiel sighed, then reached up to comb it back in place with his fingers, "It's not a crush."
"Yea," Gabriel set a hand on Castiel's back, patting it gently this time, "He only just met the guy. He's got to learn his name first, maybe hang out some, go on a date-" "Gabriel…" Castiel hissed.
"What?" he looked to his brother, feigning innocence with a hurt look.
Lucifer chuckled, "Whatever the case may be…" he began, then came over to Castiel, brushing Gabriel's hand away and putting his hand in its place on Castiel's back, "I'm happy that you're finally showing some interest in someone. All jokes aside." And he leaned down and gave his brother a big hug, making it annoyingly suffocating and long, "But I feel I might get jealous." He whispered.
Castiel grimaced then struggled to get out of Lucifer's hold, "Stop saying things like that." He growled, annoyed.
"Like what?" Lucifer asked, only tightening his squeeze around Castiel's torso.
"Lucifeeer…" Castiel groaned.
Before Castiel could get a grip on his brother to get himself free, Gabriel joined in and hugged around Castiel's waist, laughing. Though the group hug didn't last long, as Michael soon entered the kitchen.
"Guys…" he called to them, and it was all that needed to be said to get Gabriel and Lucifer to let go of Castiel. The youngest brother huffed, shrugging out the wrinkles in his clothes.
"Hannah has asked me to allow another hospice worker to join her. She said things have become more difficult to handle on her own." He told them. The statement took all the joy and enthusiasm out of his brothers, and Castiel watched as Gabriel took a hard lean against the counter. Lucifer looked to the ground, silently, for a moment, until he could meet his older brother's eyes.
"Tell her she can have whatever she needs." He responded, all mirth and light-heartedness left from his voice. Any decision on matters about their father were decided between Michael and Lucifer. They were the ones who got Hannah in the house in the first place, despite their fathers many refusals. When it came to Gabriel, he was never sure what was best for his father and politely asked to be kept out of the matters.
Michael nodded once, "His name is Ephraim. He'll be starting tomorrow. She says they've worked together many times and he's exceptionally good at what he does." That's when Michael finally looked away from his brothers, to a corner in the kitchen, unable to look them in the eye as he spoke the last part. "He's going to make Dad's…transition…as painless as possible."
And without another word, he left them in the kitchen, headed to who knows where. No one asked questions about what Michael did anymore, though they know all he did was work. If he wasn't with his brothers, or their father, he was in his room, at his laptop, making sure things were kept in tip top shape at their father's company. He was kept busy most the time making phone calls and getting ready to take up ownership of the company.
Autman Furnishings is a company that sells and manufactures home improvement and decorative appliances and furniture. Their products range from entire kitchen sets, garden fountains, swimming pools, to children's outdoor playsets. Most of the decoration in their yard is directly from their factories and many of their top clients have visited their father's home and marveled at what all they have to offer.
Their products are sold in places like The Home Depot, Lowes and many other home improvement stores worldwide. The company was started in the 20's, selling simple lawn chairs, and they've grown and gotten stronger ever since.
The company has been passed down from father to son for generations, and Michael has always known he'd eventually take ownership. He just hadn't expected to inherit it so suddenly. His brothers could tell he was stressed, and they made sure to give him his space.
Lucifer sighed, going back around the island and back to work on the meal he was preparing. He didn't have anything else to say on the matter, and Gabriel and Castiel knew well enough not to speak to him while he looked the way he did. He almost seemed defeated.
Gabriel glanced from Lucifer to Castiel then pulled out his cell, "I'm gonna call Kali." He mumbled then headed out of the kitchen. Castiel stared after him, until he was out of site. He watched Lucifer for a few moments, following the movements of his hands as he spice the cut of meat in front of him.
He then ran a hand through his hair, deciding he needed to do something productive. That's when he realized he should probably give Balthazar a call. He hadn't heard a word from him since he got here.
And he also realized that maybe… he wanted to tell him the truth. If not the whole truth, then just the real reason he's here. He needed someone to talk to, and his brothers weren't exactly up for the task at the moment.
And he'd much rather talk about the bar incident with his best friend than his brothers at the moment.
So, just in case some of you didn't notice, I didn't go with the name Novac. For me, I only associate the name Novac with Jimmy, and I feel like it just doesn't suit Castiel. The name Autman is religious and means respect, loyalty and strength, all great qualities of the brothers.
(BLD)