IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: If you guys just read this chapter, this is chapter 5! Chapter 4 has been changed! I accidentally posted this one as chapter 4... Please go back and read the real 4 if you haven't already. If this chapter looks familiar, then that's why!
Anyways... Enjoy :P Stupid me, making mistakes...
[I don't own the lyrics you see in this chapter. They're owned by the band mentioned.]
It was the next day, a relatively boring one in terms of school. The only thing that made the day a little brighter was seeing Michael's face in the hallway.
Now Castiel practically skipped to the Impala, excited for his planned day with Dean. People were gathered around the car, so he slowed down, trying to see what they were doing. He recognized Nick as one of them, he was glad Dean was on the other side of campus as the group moved away, laughing.
In bright red letters, different insults and graffiti were tossed around the car, and Castiel almost died on the spot. Dean would be pissed.
He raced as fast as he could towards the doors Dean would come out of. He spotted Dean opening the glass entrances and he almost crashed into him.
"Dean! Emergency! Go to the library and find me a book by Richard Stevens!" Castiel said quickly. Richard Stevens had written computer-science books, ones that weren't in the library.
Please just go! Castiel thought, putting on a face of desperation.
Dean looked slightly confused, but he raced up to the library, determined to find the book for Castiel. In the meantime, Cas ran towards the after school gardening club, around the corner of the school entrance he was at. He almost tripped over a trash can that he bumped into, tumbling right into the school greenhouse.
He looked around, hoping that she would be here to help him. He squinted, spotting the wavy brown curls and baby-blue jacket. "Hannah!" He called out, and the girl turned.
"Castiel?" She looked confused. "Don't you go straight to your place after school?"
Cas was panting, hands on his knees as a way of support, not used to running so fast. "I need to... Borrow a hose..." He said in between deep breaths. "Emergency."
"Is there a fire?" She asked, looking around as if she would spot a pillar of smoke somewhere around school grounds.
"Hannah, you have to trust me." Cas told her, urging her to hurry as she nodded and bundled up a hose.
Hannah attached a few extra hoses, long enough to the point where it would probably lead past the Impala. "Also, do you have a cloth or something?" Castiel asked, hoping for a way to scrub the paint off.
She nodded, hurrying to retrieve a sponge. "We were using it to clean the pots earlier. It should be clean." She explained.
Running with the pile of hose in his arms, with a sponge in his back pocket, he ran back to the car. He took a look around, hoping Dean would continue to search.
The water streaked down the black surface of the car, and he sighed deeply. If he didn't get the car clean in time, he knew Dean would go after Nick and the other douches.
He leaned over top of the impala, attempting to get the smudges of red off the top of the car. He held onto the car with one hand, the hose trapped under the fingers of that hand. His other arm was working furiously to get the drying paint off of the hood and glass of the car.
Dean looked through the shelves and shelves of books, searching for a Richard Stevens. He had no idea what section it would be in or anything, but Cas had said that he needed it. He sat by one of the library computers, searching up 'Richard Stevens' on Google. He hummed Metallica while he waited for the dial-up connection to establish, and he found what he was looking for: A few titles by the author. He opened up the school website again, still rocking out to his off-key humming of the Master of Puppets album.
The school website came up, and a pop-up showed as well. A cartoon squirrel and moose, the school mascots, smiled at him, encouraging him to donate to the prom fundraisers. He clicked away from the advertisement, a small gray 'x' in the corner of the ad allowing him exit.
He loaded up the school library page, doing a quick search for the author 'Richard Stevens'. Nothing came up, and so he searched for one of the titles. 'Advanced programming in the Unix environment'. Again, the school website produced a frowny face and apology for no results, along with a few suggestions. He scrolled through those, still not finding any of the books by this Richard Stevens guy.
Why would Cas want a book on programming? Dean asked himself, closing down internet explorer and crossing to the window, where he would have a clear view of the parking lot, where hopefully he'd see Castiel.
He leaned up against the glass, his forearm holding him up, and he squinted down at the bright and reflective asphalt.
What was Castiel doing? He was on top of the impala, his arm moving around a lot and some sort of green line, hose thing, trailing off the car and around to the green house building.
Dean pulled out his cell phone, thinking to call Cas and ask him what was up when his eyes caught something on the top of the car, near where Cas was working his arm. Curse this school and it's three story library, but he could have sworn he could see something red all over baby.
"Who the hell-" He began, storming out of the library. Why hadn't Castiel told him?! He was going to kick some ass, probably far before he asked Cas who did it.
Castiel desperately scrubbed at the trunk of the car, hoping to get all the paint off of the 1967 model. He spotted the carved initials 'S.D. and he smiled, knowing that had been Sam and Dean's doing. He thought back to his childhood, then strayed back. He didn't need anymore bad memories today.
He stood from the car, wrapping up the hose and lugging it back to the greenhouse. He tripped over one of the tightened hose lines he had, falling forward.
Something hard hit his chest, saving him from falling. "Th-Thanks!" He said, breathless, and stood up to see Dean frowning down at him. "Dean…" He said, wanting desperately to put the hoses behind his back, but he only ended up getting more entangled in the hose. He took a few steps back, almost falling over again. When he was steadied, he prepared himself for the barrage of questions
"Richard Stevens doesn't have any books you need, does he?" He asked first, and Castiel was surprised. Wouldn't he want to know why his baby was wet and why Cas was holding a red stained sponge in his hand?
Castiel laughed nervously. "Well, he does have books, and he exists… but, er… no."
Dean's glare intensified. He looked over to the impala, knowing that it had been painted in some way, by some little dick that thought they could get away with it. He shook his head to himself, knowing it was probably Nick or Michael. Castiel had sent him to the library so that he wouldn't get pissed, so that they could have a nice day, and he breathed in deeply, tucking his bottom lip into his mouth for a second, thinking.
"Get your ass in the car." He commanded, and Cas was about to protest, wanting to return the hose and sponge, until Dean took it all from him, handing Castiel the keys. "Try not to get any water in her." He said, nodding towards the '67.
Castiel was silent as he dragged his feet back towards the impala, knowing he had failed as he twisted the key in the lock. The familiar click let him know the door was unlocked and he climbed in, unlocking Dean's door from the inside.
His eyes followed Dean until he disappeared behind the side of the school, the hose dragging behind him for a while until that too, fell behind the school.
He scuffed his foot against the asphalt, his other leg in the car. He was hoping Dean didn't plant to run off after Nick and Mike, and he was relieved to see the familiar plaid and leather turn around the stone corner, heading straight for the black car.
Cas moved his foot into the car, shutting the door. As soon as Dean had sat down, he handed the keys over to his outstretched hand.
He waited a while through a long Motor head tape before he spoke. "Dean, you're… Okay and everything, right?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting Dean to get set off. He hoped they'd still go ahead with their day, and he wished they could forget about the stupid graffiti bullshit.
Dean sighed deeply, rubbing his chin and mouth. "Cas, I'm not going after them if that's what you're asking. I promised you we'd go to Abaddon. Remember?"
Cas nodded slowly. "But you're sure you're not going to…?" He trailed off, and Dean nodded at the unspoken question.
"Not going after those ass holes. Plus, you'd probably say something like 'God punishes the bad' or some religious shit like that, right?" he smiled towards Cas, even though they both knew he was still a little ticked.
"Right…" Castiel said absently, resting his chin on his hand and staring out the window for the rest of the ride. If Dean was going to fake everything all day, he might as well have let him go after Nicholas.
"Hey, uh Cas." Dean began when they pulled past the park entrance.
"Dean, you missed the turn." Castiel alerted him, pointing back the way they had come.
"Damn…" Dean mumbled, pulling into the left lane and waiting for the upcoming U-Turn. "Anyways, I need to go somewhere once we get to the park. Can you hold my place in line?"
Castiel nodded slowly. "Am I allowed to know where you're going?" He asked, already assuming that was going to be a no.
Dean thought about what Castiel's mother had said, guessing it would be something she didn't wan her son to see. A pit of fear wedged its way into his stomach and he shoved it back down. Dean Winchester was afraid of nothing. "No." He responded. "But don't worry, I'll be safe." He promised, then turned up the radio, not wanting a chick-flick moment.
"I know you'll be safe. I just want to know that you're not doing anything stupid." He said over the music, glancing over at Dean, wondering if what he was going to do would be illegal.
"No, I'm not doing anything stupid either. It isn't illegal." I hope, he added in his thoughts.
Dean made the sharp turn into the amusement park, already disliking how many people were stocked into one park.
He checked the cost of parking on the many signs they had posted. $5 wasn't so bad compared to the other theme parks he'd heard of. To be honest, this was his first time at one, and probably Castiel's too. They pulled up to the paid parking pay booth. Dean rolled down his window, looking up at the worker with a glare while Castiel shrunk down in his seat, cowering.
Lucifer leaned against the car, his stained and cruel smile aimed at the smallest boy. "Hey Novak. How are ya?" He teased, laughing wickedly. "Dean, how have you been? Met any other gay boys yet?"
"Get off the car." He muttered angrily, revving the engine, and pushing away Joey with the hand he had free.
Lucifer laughed again, amused by the reactions he got when he pissed Dean off. "Hey, relax. You guys want to get in free?" He stood from leaning against the Impala. "Here." He held out two free passes into the park, but Dean barely spared a second looking at them. He glared up at Lucifer instead. "Have fun." Joey encouraged, waving the tickets in front of Dean's face. He frowned when Dean didn't take them, dropping them onto the dash of the car.
"What do you want, Lucifer?" Dean asked, looking down at the tickets hesitatingly. "You wouldn't do something like this for free."
Lucifer held a hand to his chest in mock surprise. "Dean, do you really think I'm that heartless?" He asked, a smile playing at his lips as Dean leaned forward a little, seeming to lose patience. "Listen-" He said, leaning down. "Michael didn't pay me for my latest services, and I want revenge. Also, I was thinking about taking out your brother-"
Dean slammed the car door open, jamming it into Lucifer, and Joey hugged his side. "Damn, it was a joke. Sam and me are getting closer though…" He joked, even though he was in obvious pain. "So you gonna help me?"
"Hell no." Dean said, driving off. For a little revenge, he held the tickets out the window while he waved goodbye, smirking.
Castiel smiled a little, relieved to be away from the boy who had ruined their lives enough. Dean had noticed it before, but now it seemed more prominent. Something, he wasn't sure what, but something had passed between Lucifer and Castiel. Something unspoken, that they both knew and Dean didn't. He wasn't too focused on it though, and didn't let it hang on his mind.
Dean looked around the parking lot, following the pointing workers in bright orange vests that directed him to a parking space. He was shown to a section of the lot where most of the spaces were tight, and so he waited for a large van to move from a larger space. It began to pull out, and Castiel checked that they had everything they needed.
"Do you burn easily?" He asked Dean, who shook his head.
Either way he wouldn't need sun block since he was covered in layers. Besides the sun was behind clouds and it was cold outside. Nobody would need protection today.
"Watch the door." Dean warned Castiel, and they both knew he wasn't saying it for the sake of the Toyota Corolla beside them, but more so for the lining on his door.
He got out slowly, watching the rim of the door. It stopped a few inches before it came close to the silver-suede car.
Cas looked around the parking lot, making sure there were no cars coming as him and Dean crossed the lot and entered the ticket line. "Dean, I'll hold the place in line, and you go do your…thing." He said, trying to guess what Dean would be doing.
Dean nodded, suddenly dreading his meeting with ms. Novak. He couldn't be sure of what she was planning. He felt Castiel's blue eyes burning a hole into his back before he turned a corner and felt them trail off, losing him. He moved towards the left side entrance, near the restroom signs, and he spotted her. She was dressed up in a pencil skirt and button down, so he guessed that she had work soon. He swallowed down his fear, coming to stand before her confidently.
Her eyes skimmed over him, giving him a quick judgment, and he wasn't surprised to find the distaste she had of his fashion. He happened to like his jacket, and his taste in shoes was his problem.
Castiel's mother slid her hand into her purse still frowning down at him, and fear clenched in his stomach. A weapon? Why hadn't he brought his damn knife…
He was surprised to find that instead of a gun or shank, she drew a wad of cash. "Dean Winchester. Tomorrow is valentines day and you will make Castiel Novak your valentine, and ensure that his holiday is a most memorable and pleasurable one. This will serve as enough for spending money, I presume?" She also handed him two slips of paper. "And these are the reservation slips for the Patitio on Zachariah Drive. I have to go to work now. Goodbye." She was talking so quickly and left in such a rush that he didn't have time to say thank you. He struggled to implant the information into his memory.
"The Patitio?" He mumbled, guessing it was Castiel's favorite restaurant or something. But reservations? He didn't have a whole lot of fancy clothes, and if it was on Zachariah, it had to be some stuck up shitty black tie restaurant. He sighed, not liking the idea of the whole small-portioned, over-priced crack food. He slid the reservation slips into his wallet. He hated Zachariah Dr.
He counted out the cash next. Did she really expect him to spend $2,000 on a valentines day date? He had planned like $40 or something, not two freaking grand. How much was she paid, anyways? He stuffed the money into his leather wallet as well. Hopefully Castiel wouldn't need to look in it or anything. Otherwise it would ruin whatever screwed up plan that his mom had coming.
He felt a little bit of gratitude for her, but he still felt suspicious of her actions. Why would she have done that if she hated her son so much? She had done nothing but complain about Cas the first time he had met her, so why was she so accepting of him now? Why did she want him to be happy?
Riding roller coasters, eating lunch and messing around in the arcade. That was most of their day. Castiel had ridden his first roller coaster and they splurged money into cheap carnival style foods. Dean had even won himself a rainbow slinky in the arcade with the tickets they had earned.
At the end of the day, fireworks lit up the sky over the large lake at the center of the park, in honor of their recent opening. The light bounced off of the water and reflected off any shiny object in the area, making the light show a little more spectacular.
Castiel's head rested against Dean's shoulder in the Impala, watching the explosions from afar. He felt the heater blasting over him, making his face feel warm, and he felt his hair moving a little under the constant airflow. Eventually he got annoyed, so he pushed the vent flow away from his direction.
Dean moved his shoulder up, forcing Castiel to lift his head, and Dean caught his eyes. "Hey... So tomorrow is valentine's day, you know? I had a few things planned. What about you?"
Cas took time to think about it. "I guess I haven't really thought of anything besides your gift. I still haven't gotten you anything." He blushed, averting his eyes to check the time. It was only 6;30, so he had enough time to go shopping later in a last minute effort.
Dean laughed a little. "Same." He agreed, then took time to think of a solution while green and blue lights exploded across the sky. "I have an idea. Sam should be home tonight, so he'll take you shopping when we get home. I'll go somewhere else to buy for you and we'll be done in like half an hour." He suggested.
Castiel smiled brightly. "Okay. I want to get to know Sam better anyways. He still doesn't know about… us… does he?" Castiel asked his question carefully, knowing it was a sensitive topic for Dean.
Dean hesitated, thinking. He knew Sam wouldn't really care, and that he would probably welcome it. It was his father that he was worried about, since he had no idea how John Winchester would react. Maybe he wouldn't mind? "No. Neither does my dad." He finally responded, adding a small carefulness to his words. Cas could sense the dread of coming out to his father, and so he didn't want to bring that up again.
"It's fine." Castiel amended. "I didn't even tell Hannah yet… My mom, I don't even know how she found out... she's always been really, intuitive? I guess?"
Dean nodded, and at the topic of Castiel's mother, he again wondered why she had been so kind today. Well, as kind as she could ever hope to be.
The porch light reflected off the windshield when Sam came out of the house, and he held up a hand to block the light from the headlights. "Dean? What's the problem?"
The driver side door opened, and Dean stood out, one foot still in the car. "Sam, get in. We're going shopping. You need something for Jess tomorrow, right?" He asked, and Sam nodded, climbing into the passenger side of the car.
"Anything else wrong? Did you seriously text me to 'get your ass out here now' just because you wanted to go shopping?"
Dean nodded. "Should have answered your texts." Sam rolled his eyes as he fiddled with the seatbelt.
"Dean, I was on the phone with Jess." He said, and he finally seemed to notice the boy in the back seat when he caught a movement in the rearview mirror reflection. "Castiel?" He asked, turning in his seat.
Cas nodded to him. "Hello, Sam."
Dean looked between the two and he felt a small flutter of nervousness as he opened his mouth to speak. "We're, uh…" He trailed off, not sure how to start a conversation like this.
"Dating." Sam supplied. "I figured it out back at the party. I was there, remember?"
Dean laughed nervously, shifting gears and pulling out of the drive way and onto the street beyond their neighborhood. "Well, yeah." He finally said in return, shifting gears again, this time into drive.
Sam nodded coolly, as if completely understanding. "Does dad know?" There was a thick silence in the air, and they breathed it in each second Dean missed from answering. Castiel knew Dean was still worried about his father's reaction. He looked up to his father greatly, he knew, and he also could tell Dean wasn't too eager to tell John.
"No." Dean responded, and even Castiel could tell that Sam had made a silent promise to keep quiet.
Dean turned on the radio to fill the quiet car. Sam sighed a complaint, but was unable to do anything. Driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cake hole, just like Dean always said.
It was a long time of uncomfortable quiet before they pulled into the parking lot, Sam and Cas not feeling the connection Dean expected them to have yet. Sam hadn't been in contact with Dean as much, especially since he had moved into an apartment with Jessica. He had been planning to simply leave the family and go off the Stanford or Princeton or something.
I'm a lonely little shit. Dean realized. He had no idea where his father was most of the time and Sam had completely forgotten about him mostly. He had himself, and the impala. Cas, when he wasn't busy. Other than that, his friends were gone and his father moved too much to keep most of them.
As soon as they pulled into the mall parking lot, Dean had parked and left the two of them alone in seconds. He was going to need to rush this, especially since it was almost 7:00, and he had a show airing at 9.
"So..." Sam began, wanting to start a conversation as they entered the mall shop. "Do you like books?"
Castiel nodded, and he felt he could actually get along with Sam Winchester. "Yeah. What kind do you like?"
Sam seemed to lose color in his cheeks, almost as if he were embarrassed. "Mostly sci-fi ones. I know it sounds nerdy-"
"No! I like those ones the best too." Castiel interrupted as he began to defend himself for it. "I also enjoy books on the supernatural."
Sam smiled. "Cool! So have you read-" Sam was cut off as he spotted someone across the store. Castiel followed his gaze to a boy with brown hair, who currently had what looked like a cigarette, or maybe a lollipop stick protruding from his mouth. "Let's go." Sam urged, trying to rush them out of the store before the boy turned.
Castiel felt like he knew not to ask, and so he didn't, allowing Sam to contemplate whatever it was in his mind.
He instead followed Sam's quick and long stride to the central mall.
After a while of looking through the shops and windows and such, Castiel sighed in defeat. "I don't know what to get for Dean. I've never really needed to shop for him before, and there's not many things I know he enjoys."
"Valentines day?" He guessed, and Cas nodded. "He likes a lot of things. Mostly old and pointless vintage 60's related stuff." He rubbed his chin in thought. "I bet you could find some cheap tapes in F.Y.E. You've at least seen those in his car, right? It's the only music he has. Classic rock on old tapes."
Castiel nodded, though he didn't have that extensive of knowledge on what tapes, albums and music Dean already had or had no interest in having. "What kind of things have you gotten him?"
Sam picked his brain. "The only present I ever really have him was that necklace he always wears. Other than that, he's impossible to buy for. I don' think he'd want another piece of jewelry."
Castiel nodded, trusting what Sam said. He had always wondered where Dean had gotten that strange cord necklace. "What are some of his favorite things, then?"
"Pie." Sam responded automatically. "He has this unhealthy obsession with pie."
Castiel nodded. "I can put together a pie. I think I have most of the ingredients at home anyways…"
Sam nodded. "He likes cherry, apple, pecan… You name a pie and he's had it, he's loved it, he's wanting it right now.."
Castiel was attempting to remember if he had anything to be used as pie filling at home. "I think I have cherries at home, the ones in a can with the syrup?"
Sam laughed. "You're all set then. Came all this way just to follow me around the mall I guess."
"It's fine." Castiel responded, grateful and excited. He had a present for Dean, one he hoped would be a great one.
Sam had entered a few girl stored with a bright blush creeping up his neck, and he eventually selected a nice jacket, one he thought would look good with a few things Jess already had in her wardrobe. He paid for it and met Cas out side the shop, and then both proceeded to wander the mall in search of Dean or anything interesting.
Dean wandered around the stores aimlessly, clueless as to what Cas would want. He wasn't sure what books Cas was into, and he was pretty sure he already had most of the ones in the small book section of the mall's shopping center.
He had wandered into a clothing store, trying to find something he could see Castiel wearing when something caught his eye. It was tan, and sort of long. Was it a dress in a male's clothing store? Curious, he pulled it off the rack.
A trench coat was positioned on the black hanger, and he tried to imagine Cas wearing it. It was pretty adorable. The sleeves would be a little too long, and the belt most likely wouldn't tie all the way, but it would just add to the cute factor.
What the hell was he? Some girl shopping for his 4-year-old son?
He would get it anyways, a private feeling of guilty pleasure inside him. So what if he wanted to see Castiel in a too big coat? It would be fucking hilarious watching him stumble around in it. He tried to convince himself that's what he was doing when he purchased the coat.
He checked out with the coat, tying off the bag it came in.
Dean followed the mall map up the escalator and into the bookstore. He couldn't find any books that screamed out 'Castiel', and that was when he spotted a large table, a series laid out on it. It said it was new, so surely Cas didn't have it yet?
He picked one up. 'Supernatural' it looked interesting enough, but he wasn't sure how Cas would react. He bought one of the series packs, grabbing a few more newer books he didn't think Cas had yet. He walked out if the shop with two new bags, and felt a stab of excitement. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. Castiel would enjoy the next day's events, Dean could tell. What could go wrong?
Even the tiniest mosquito bite wouldn't ruin a day as great as tomorrow would be.
Not even a mosquito bite.
Cas yawned, lifting himself up off his bed. He vaguely remembered last night, but he knew school had been closed for the day, announced last night on the news. Apparently most of the administrators would be at the principal's last-minute wedding, and they couldn't find enough people to work that day.
He felt a little glad, knowing that would be more time with Dean.
Castiel yawned again, and then looked to his calendar. A large heart was drawn around the square. He sat up suddenly, memories pouring into him. He had passed out at Dean's house. Dean must have carried him back here.
He looked over in surprise to his alarm clock. It was nine am, and Dean would be there at ten to pick him up. To Dean., less time was a curse, and so Castiel could only guess he'd really be here around 9:30.
He rushed downstairs, almost tripping over the side table like he almost always did. His mother stood at the counter, writing something down, and looked up as he entered the kitchen.
"Castiel." She said, annoyed. "Don't run in the house. What could you possibly be rushing for?"
"I'm sorry, mother." He responded. "Today is Valentine's day." He began pulling out the ingredients for a cherry pie, and tossing then on the counter. He ripped open a bag of flower, dumping most if it into a mixing bowl without measuring it. He added water, eggs, and a little bit if sugar, desperately mixing it while his mother watched him with curious eyes.
She only realized he was making a pie when he filled a pie pan with the dough. He attempted to spread it evenly, and she strolled over to stand by him.
She didn't help him, only stood there, pointing out his flaws like always. "You'll need a spoon to spread it evenly. This is what you get for procrastinating and sleeping in."
He quickly grabbed a spoon, smothering it over the pan. The spoon flung out of his hand when he was going to place it in the sink, he didn't even know how, and it hit his cheek. He didn't bother wiping it away, just threw the spoon back into the sink and retrieved the can of cherries and syrup.
He mixed faster, taking a spot of cherry and swiping it into his mouth. Good enough, he decided, and Castiel's mother didn't bother with a farewell as she left.
Castiel didn't mind, and he occupied himself with more pie rushing as 9:20 approached.
He spread the cherry into the pie pan over the crust dough, putting more dough on top and placing it in the oven. Castiel set the oven, bake 435, the quickest and safest way to prepare the pastry.
He sighed as he shut the oven door, leaning against the counter.
He had done it, the pie was baking. He glanced at the stove top clock. 9:33. Dean would be here soon, he always seemed to be early.
He was looking out the window, watching for Dean when the front door opened. His muscles tightened as he heard footsteps approach the kitchen.
He heard a few sniffs. "Is that pie?" Someone asked, slightly excited.
Castiel was still looking out the window, hoping Dean would check for him in the kitchen last, but someone turned him around, and he was looking at Dean, face bright red. He still had a mess on his face, and the kitchen was a disaster. Usually he had time to bake, and he wouldn't have done this bad a job. He could have had time to wipe up most of the things if Dean had gone to search up stairs, and he still-
Dean only laughed, kissing Castiel. The cherry still left on his mouth mixed into the kiss, and it was sweet. Dean smiled as he pulled away, resting his head against Castiel's. "Pie smells good, and I bet it'll taste good too." Dean wiped away the piece of dough on Castiel's cheek bone, smirking as he did so.
Castiel smiled, but then his shoulders dropped as he looked around at the mess in the kitchen. He collected paper towels off the roll, attempting to clean, and he noticed Dean helping him.
"Thanks." He said happily.
Dean glanced over at the oven with a little worry twisting his voice. "Cas, did you seriously rush to make that? You didn't have to destroy everything to make a pie I could have had tomorrow…"
Castiel nodded. "You were going to be here any second, and I wasn't going to delay our plans for the day."
Dean laughed. "You could have taken your time. I wouldn't have minded."
Castiel shook his head. "I would have minded." He led Dean out to the living room after clean up. He lifted a bag from the coffee table there, handing it to Dean.
He reached his hand into the bag Cas handed him. He pulled out a few empty tapes, waiting to be used to record his favorite songs and albums. "Thanks, Cas." He said, but he looked a little incredulous. "Where'd you get all these? I can barely find any, even online."
He shrugged. "We had a few empty ones around the house, and I've seen how many tapes you already had, so I gave them to you."
Dean grinned. "Thanks." He repeated. He lifted up his own bag.
Castiel untied the first one, and he could already tell it was clothing, judging by the weight and feel.
Cas opened in gingerly, taking out the trench coat with care. Dean loved to watch his face light up as he looked over it."Thanks, Dean." Castiel said, sincere gratitude in his voice. He slid it over his shoulders almost instantly, smiling widely. The sleeves were a little too long, but he looked adorable. Dean felt his cheeks grow hot and he instantly pulled back the blush. No cute emotions. But Castiel was just so adorable...
He distracted himself by handing the bags of books to Cas and clearing his throat. "I had no idea which ones to get you." He laughed, and Castiel smiled at each one in turn.
He looked down at the supernatural books in surprise. "Supernatural? It looks pretty cool." He looked excited to read it. He commented on the others as well. He placed down the books and leapt into Dean's arms. "Thank you!"
Dean laughed a little, surprised that he had liked it. "No problem, Novak." A sort of alarm tone sounded through the house, coming from the kitchen area, and Cas looked up expectantly. "Pie is ready!"
He felt slightly excited. This would be his first time tasting Castiel's cooking, and it was pie nonetheless.
He followed the boy in the trench coat into the kitchen, where he waited patiently off to the side while he opened up the oven.
The crust looked browned enough, and Castiel breathed in deep through his nose. "It smells good, at least." He mumbled. He pulled up the sleeves of his new coat, sliding on oven mitts and reaching his hands into the oven. He lifted it delicately, placing on the stove top with care. He turned off the oven and removed the oven mitts.
A knife was already sitting beside the pie, and Dean attempted to remember where the plates were in Castiel's house. He did a little searching, bumping his head on one of the cabinet doors in the process, and then finding a few paper plates.
"It's still hot." Castiel protested, but picked up the knife to serve it anyways. He pulled out a drawer to the right of the stove, randomly picking two plastic forks. He dropped one and got a new one as Dean washed the other one and replaced it in the drawer.
He began to cut as evenly as he could, down the middle and through the middle of those slices, successfully slicing it into eighths. He became lost in thought as he divided the pie, mindlessly cutting now.
"Are they thin enough yet?" Dean teased, and Castiel looked down in embarrassment to see that he had cut it as small as he could go. He hastily placed a chunk of it onto each plate. It wasn't perfect, but hopefully it would at least taste better than the glob looked.
It did. There was a small "mmm" from both of them. The cherried were sweet and the pie crust was toasted to perfection. They barely spoke as they ate, completely enamored with the pie and the time they were able to spend together.
Castiel placed down his plate as he finished, and soon Dean was retrieving another cherry glob. "Dean, thanks a lot for today." Castiel said in a quiet voice, and it surprised Dean. The day hadn't even started, so why thank him now? Not that he wasn't flattered by the gratitude…
"Why?" He decided to ask, not sure what he had done to deserve the thanks, not sure if he deserved one yet.
"It's just... This is one of my first holidays that I've actually been able to celebrate. And it's already amazing… I guess that sounds kind of stupid, but I've never even had a birthday. Like, a real one. Christmas, no. Halloween, no. Anything, no. This is my first legitimate holiday, and I'm grateful that I get to spend it with you."
Dean smiled playfully. "You probably studied through the holidays, nerd." He kissed Castiel's cheek, popping another piece of pie into his mouth, after the fact. "I'm glad I get to spend it with you, too. Thanks." Dean said in return, and was satisfied to see that Castiel's cheeks and neck lit up with color.
"You probably spent your holidays with a bunch of dumb stupid jocks like yourself." Castiel laughed. His phone began to vibrate on the counter next to him, but he decided to wait for a few moments before picking it up. He still had something else to say to Dean. "I think it's weird… I mean, we're taking this whole thing too fast, but I just don't care, you know?" Dean nodded, glancing down at Castiel's phone, but Cas continued, hoping to finish before the call rang out. "I don't care because I can't think of anyone else I'd rather love more than you." He finished, and Dean handed him his cell phone, their lips meeting as he did, and he smiled through the kiss, conveying his agreement as Castiel muttered a questioning "Hello?" into the receiver.
Hannah hesitated before she picked up her phone. She had been Castiel's friend for a while now, and she knew he might be busy, but she just had to ask. She should have asked yesterday when he had asked her for the hose, but she hadn't. Instead, she had delayed until the day of.
She picked up the phone in a sudden burst of confidence, though she still felt her stomach about to give out as she dialed Castiel's speed-dial number. It rang for a while, and she was afraid he wouldn't pick up. Then there was an end to the constant ringing, and a muffled feedback as someone said "Hello?"
"Hello Castiel." She said, nervously, moving the brown curls out of her face and tucking them behind her ear.
"Hey Hannah!" Castiel said contentedly, and he seemed to swap the phone to his other ear. "What's up?"
This was it. This was her chance.
"Do you think... Well uh how is your valentines day going so far?"
Chance ruined, Hannah! She scolded herself. She glanced around the familiar soft shades of brown in her room. Where was she going with this conversation besides far away from where she wanted to?
Castiel wanted to say 'great', or to say 'chilling with Dean', although he remembered as his lips parted that he hadn't told her about Dean yet. He'd had the time, but he just hadn't known how to bring it up. "I'm just hanging around the house like always. How about you? Do you have a special someone yet?"
Hannah beamed with happiness. Did that mean that he was asking her…? "No… Do you want to-" She was cut off as Castiel seemed to move suddenly.
"Don't touch that!" He scolded. "No, I'm trying to talk to someone!"
She laughed nervously. Apparently he was with someone, and as far as she knew, he didn't have any younger siblings. He wouldn't be talking to his mother like that, and he didn't have any guy friends he ever hung out with.
"I guess that you're busy." She said, and there was hurt hidden behind her voice.
He seemed to be occupied again. "Stop, I said! I'm sorry, Hannah… What were you saying?"
"I-" She wanted to ask him about the person in the background, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She felt her throat closing up, and she knew if she spoke again, her words would come out in a sob. Castiel was her only friend, and she should be happy for him! So then why… Why was she feeling as if he'd betrayed her? Maybe it was just one of his friends, over to hang out since neither had anything to do today…
She was going to cry if she spoke again, and so she hung up.
She tossed her phone onto her bed, but it bounced off and onto the floor. She didn't bother to retrieve it. Instead, she fell onto her bed in defeat. Why was she so stupid? Cas was smart, handsome, caring… of course he'd have someone to go out with today.
She raised her head to find her headphones and CD player, hitting the triangle that signified the play button.
The Script, one of her favorite bands was currently spinning away in the CD port slot, and she listened on and on to the same song in a loop.
What am I supposed to do, when the best part of me was always you?
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're okay?
The line went dead, and Castiel shrugged. "A poor connection perhaps?"
Dean shrugged. He had only heard small clips of their conversation. "Can I touch this now?" He questioned, gesturing to the knife that sat in the pie pan.
Castiel rolled his eyes. "Could you be any more excited over a pastry?"
"Maybe. If I was eating it already." He said, and Castiel smiled at the ever-present sass. He loaded another blob onto the plate, serving himself another, yet smaller, portion.
"I wonder what had Hannah so upset? She sounded like she was embarrassed or something… Maybe she forgot the homework, or that there was no school?"
Dean was barely paying attention. His mouth was stuffed, almost ready to burst as he placed the entire slice into his mouth, scooping another onto his plate. Castiel smirked, pushing the entire pie pan to Dean. "Have the rest. By the way, that's disgusting." Castiel said, staring with pointed disgust at the overstuffed mouth of fruity pastry. Dean laughed as he swallowed.
"So... What should we do today?" Castiel asked, and Dean shrugged. "I have plans for tonight, but I wasn't prepared for today. I thought we'd be at school."
"Same." He agreed. "We could just look around town."
Dean nodded. "Sounds like a not-plan." He finished off his slice, wrapping the rest of the pie in tin foil and carrying it to the impala with Cas. "I hope you know I'm taking this home." He told him.
Cas grinned. "I knew it when I started baking it." He paused before getting into the impala. "What are your plans for tonight?"
Dean was in the driver side by then, and leaned over to kiss Castiel sweetly. "You'll se later." He promised. He looked back up at the house after he had pulled away, happening to glance up at the second story window…
He quickly put the car into reverse, shooting down the empty road. That would be a conversation for a later date.
He was leaving today anyways, right? He'd be away for three weeks he had said… Why had he looked down at that exact moment though?
John Winchester had just seen his son kiss a boy.