"Instantly, Cas pictures some priest in the future reading something like, 'then Sam caressed the demon's breast,' 'Dean and Sam creep next to the random car, smashing the window open and stealing themselves a new ride,' or something like 'Dean gazed deeply into the angel's eyes thinking about how much he lo—no' wait what?"


Cas is worried things are going to be awkward, but they're not. Charlie is really good at talking, and Cas wishes he could keep a conversation like Charlie can. She tells him how she met Sam and Dean, apparently she 'kicked some serious leviathan ass with them.' Then she goes on to tell Cas that Charlie isn't actually her name, but it's her favorite name she's ever gone by, and the one she was using when she first met the Winchesters. She also explains why she has to switch names all the time, it's got something to do with 'sticking it to the man.'

She also tells Cas a story about Dean and Sam randomly running into her at her LARPing game. Charlie goes on to explain all about LARPing, apparently 'it's the best shit ever thought of,' and 'Dean and Sam are seriously the best at it.' 'They seriously almost caused the other teams to piss their pants,' Cas isn't exactly sure he's following everything Charlie's saying but he gets the jist of it, and Cas can picture, very vividly, Dean in a medieval costume. He totally doesn't get that pooling tug in his gut again.

When Charlie finally pauses and Cas has the opportunity, he speaks up, "I'm really glad I met you, I mean, it's nice to meet people Dean's so fond of."

"Thank you, I'm glad we met too, I've really been dying to," Charlie shoots him a delighted smile. Cas, for a second, almost stays quiet and doesn't tell her the rest that's on his mind but his curiosity gets the best of him.

"I was really nervous to meet you, earlier Dean told me you were," air quote, "intense," air quote, "and that I shouldn't leave the bathroom without dressing first because you thought I was dreamy and I might ruin your lifelong dream of picking up girls," Cas lets out a long breath, but he keeps going because Charlie looks very interested, and almost amused. "And I just don't get why you would pick up girls for fun, I mean isn't that hard on the back? And do you really think I'm dreamy? Because I was just looking at myself in the mirror and, I just, I don't really know. It's stupid," He finishes.

That's it, Cas has officially struck out in maintaining his angel-ness. First not even being able to take a freaking shower correctly, then nearly choking on freaking toothpaste, and now spilling his freaking guts out to this girl he just met. Oh, and apparently Cas is thinking in swear words now also.

Charlie burst into laughter before Cas has too much time to fret, "Dean knows me better than that," she gets out in between her laughs, "like I would ever give up on the ladies."

Oh! Of course, "you're homosexual," Cas says aloud as he discovers it. She continues to chuckle but her giggles are slowing down rapidly.

"What a bright one you are," she jokes and Cas feels the warmness of red creeping up his cheeks again, "and yes, I thought you sounded very dreamy, and you are nearly a perfect specimen of man, you have nothing to worry about in that department."

The blush that was creeping now covers Cas's whole face almost instantly, and he turns to look at the floor, trying to hide his pleased smile. His efforts prove to be useless when Charlie moves to sit in the chair next to him and grabs Cas up by his chin and makes him look at her, saying, "I'm serious, the most important thing about owning a body is feeling comfortable in it."

Then all of the sudden she's up and twirling around the table singing some song Cas doesn't recognize, bright red hair swooshing behind her. "And that's how it's done ladies, and gentleman," Charlie adds as she plops back down in the chair next to him.

Cas doesn't know if Charlie knows the whole story, about him falling, but she definitely knows exactly what Cas needs to here, "you really are great you know that?" Cas tells her.

"Yes, I've heard," she says smiling, "after all I am queen of Moondor."

Next Charlie asks Cas if he's ever read Chuck's books, only she calls him Carver Edlund. Cas says no, but he explains to her all about the times he's met Chuck, the nervous mess Chuck is, and how all the books would one day be part of the Bible called the Winchester gospels.

Charlie's mouth drops in awe, and she literally squeals something like, 'oh my Vulcan one day I'm gonna be in the Bible.'

"Wait so you mean you're in the books? Does it say your name?" Cas asks—wait—"am I in the books?"

She grins rather, well, slyly and Cas almost thinks there's something creepily knowing about it. "Why yes, Castiel, you are quite a huge friggin' part of the books," she explains.

Cas furrows his brow, why would he be in the books? The other parts of the Bible being written so poetically and vague; giving the reader room to use their own imagination in deciphering the meaning behind the words. A lot of the Archangels never even get mentioned by name, so why would Castiel?

"Um, well let's see here, you—freakin' badass I might add—pulled Dean's fat ass out of hell, full on rebelled against heaven just because you believed in Dean so much," she itches her nose then continues, "it's just really beautiful, Chuck romanticized it so much."

"What do you mean romanticized it?" Cas asks, Cas always thought he was the only one who thought of their story as a classic tale about love, loss, and desire.

"Well I mean, he just, well he totally kinda of makes you guys gay for each other," Charlie admits quickly and Cas almost chokes on thin air.

Gay for each other? Like happy for each other? Or like together? Oh no, I guess that's why Dean hates the books so much, of course Dean would hate the idea of him and Cas—you know—getting together. Dean's made it almost overly obvious that he likes women, multiple times.

Cas is nearly on the brink of hyperventilation. His eyes, surely, bulging out of his skull. Charlie reaches out and grabs his hand from her seat, "Whoa there, it's not that deep, Chuck just must see things in his visions differently, you know?"

"Out of context," Cas adds, but he doesn't explain what he means. Charlie seems to understand enough, if the smug look on her face, and the way she twirls her finger through her fiery hair is anything to go by.

They change the subject rather fast, because Charlie says, "I can't imagine any super religious people reading those books."

"Why not?" Cas asks, and before Charlie starts to answer she's already grinning. "Its just Sam and Dean live very full lives, and Chuck is a very vivid writer," she explains.

Instantly, Cas pictures some priest in the future reading something like, 'then Sam caressed the demon's breast,' 'Dean and Sam creep next to the random car, smashing the window open and stealing themselves a new ride,' or something like 'Dean gazed deeply into the angel's eyes thinking about how much he lo—no' wait what? No, definitely, not that. But anyway, the priest might actually die, and despite his little slip up, Cas cracks up at that image forming in his head.

Charlie soon joins in on Cas's laughter, and they both have a good five minute laugh. Cas has never laughed like this, well at least not since that night at the brothel with Dean. The feeling of letting his, long past due, laughs out really warms Cas from the inside out and keeps an enormous grin plastered across his face.

As if on cue Charlie mentions something about that night at the brothel, "I was thinking about some super religious mom reading the chapter about the time Dean tried to get you to fuck a hooker."

Cas, now picturing the same thing, falls into near violent laughter this time. At least he didn't actually sleep with the poor girl.

"Can you imagine the look on that poor woman's face, she'd be like 'oh god, I really have to read this to my daughter someday?'" Charlie adds, and they both burst into laughter again.

With Cas and Charlie both howling still, they barely notice Dean enter the room with three plates stacked up his arms, until he sets them on the table with a loud clatter. They both abruptly cut out their giggles and look up at Dean.

"Looks like I'm missing out on the fun?" Dean smiles warmly, only looking at Cas, who looks back with a shy smile and a slight creeping redness coloring his cheeks again. Blushing is a strange feeling that he never experienced as an angel; but as it keeps happening Cas realizes he actually kind of likes it.

Dean doesn't really seem to care that Cas and Charlie are having a good time without him, he's just looks genuinely glad that they're getting along.


Dean's honestly just extremely happy to see Cas talking at all. He can't even fathom what it must feel like to have something so dear, something that's been a part of Cas for so long, just suddenly stripped away. Dean remembers the Cas he met in 2014, and he never wants to let his Cas turn into that. Not that Cas is his or anything, just you know, from his time period.

Cas, still blushing—and Dean totally doesn't think it's the cutest thing he's ever seen—answers Dean, "We were actually just laughing about how you and Sam's story is someday going to be read by priest and mothers, and according to Charlie, Chuck writes very vividly."

"Yeah, I bet he does, fuckin' creeper." Dean adds before sitting down in the chair on the very end of the table, just to the left of Cas, and sliding his burger with him.

Dean has never read Chuck's books, at least not since that one weird ass time at the laundry mat. It kinda scares him honestly. The fact that Chuck can somehow magically see their lives. Oh shit, a protruding thought enters his head and Dean internally freaks out at the new idea—what if Chuck can see what Dean's thinking? Dean realizes he really needs to get his hands on some of these books.

"It's not the prophet's fault he sees your life Dean," Cas explains, "although it would help if he saw things in context."

Cas is trying to hide a smile, until Charlie cracks up beside him. As Charlie breaks, Cas also lets himself burst into laughter. Which leads Dean to believe he's been left out of yet another inside joke.

Though Dean is confused, and obviously missing out on a lot of new jokes, he has still never been happier, this moment—looking between his two best friends cracking up—is perfect. Sure, Cas fell, and Sam's still sick, but Sammy is gonna get better, Dean can tell; and Cas, well Cas looks happier than Dean's ever seen him. Dean lets himself watch as Cas's loud roars of laughter slowly fade into soft chuckles. He notices underneath Cas's three day beard, the fallen angel's hidden dimples, and his faint wrinkles. He can't wait to see how Cas starts to age, Dean briefly wonders who will get grey hair first, him or Cas.

Cas's long eyelashes catch Dean's attention as they flutter open and closed with his fading laugher. He's so beautif—Dean starts to think, but instantly cuts his thought short. Dean has always thought Cas is a handsome guy, but that doesn't mean he needs to thinks about Cas like that. For all he knows Chuck is listening right now!

"I'm guessing I missed something," Dean asks, glancing between a winded Cas and a giddy Charlie.

"Oh yeah, big time," Charlie explains, before Cas can answer. Dean is really hoping to hear about the inside joke from Cas. Although Cas never speaks up, instead letting his head drop and quickly starting in on the burger Dean made him.

Charlie and Cas both complement Dean on his superior chief skills. Cas is in total awe about how much flavor Dean's burgers hold, Dean supposes that would be his reaction too, if the only kind of burger he ever ate was from white castle.

Once they all have moved on to the fries, Cas asks about Sam, and Dean's heart melts a bit. Even with Cas having so many issues of his own he still makes it a priority to ask about Sammy. Dean explains that he's basically been asleep the whole time since the ordeal. But he reassures Cas and Charlie that Sammy'll be fine. Going on to explain how the color in Sam's face is almost completely back, and how today he actually got Sam to eat some breakfast.

Their plates are nearly done when Charlie, all of the sudden pipes up, asking "why don't you let me take Cas to the mall and buy him some of his own clothes?"

Dean wants to disagree, wants to say 'no, I'll take Cas myself,' but he knows Cas is in dire need of some clothes his own size, and someone needs to stay here with Sam, and Crowle—oh fuck! Dean forgot to tell Cas about Crowley.

Dean agrees, only after asking Cas if that's okay with him first, and Cas grins a big "yes, that would be lovely."

"Good, cause I know if you take him shopping it'll be somewhere that only sells freaking flannels and blue jeans," Charlie declares, as she pushes her plate further away from her, indicating she's ready to go, "Cas needs to know there are more places to shop then the salvation army."

Charlie stands up and fixes herself, dramatically flipping her hair back in place. As she walks around to the other side of the table and grabs her bag, she hums. The way Charlie, no matter what's going on around her, can always hum a happy beat is one of the hundred reasons why Dean loves her.

As Cas stands, Dean realizes he should probably inform them about the other two people living in the bunker, now rather than later. Cas is going to be pissed, but not as pissed as he would be if he found it out on his own, "hey, um, so there are some other new people living here too," Dean spits out quickly.

"Who is it?" Charlie asks before Cas can.

Dean, still looking at Cas, answers, "Crowley, and Kevin."

No wonder Dean looks so worried, Cas definitely has a problem with that. The last time Cas saw Crowley the demon shot him and pulled the angel tablet out through his skin. Cas huffs a reply, "seriously? I thought Sam didn't go through with it."

"He didn't, but since I didn't do any of the other trials, curing a demon didn't affect me like it would have Sammy. So I finished it." Dean explains, eyes still focused on Cas.

Not feeling a very happy about sharing a home with the former demon, Cas huffs out a sound that resembles a growl, then turns to leave while stating, "whatever, but don't expect me to be nice to him."