Chapter 5
All Cas could see was aisles and aisles of food.
When Starry said she wanted to stock up her fridge, he'd thought she meant to go to the Walmart down the street, like what Sam would do on Sunday mornings. Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine sitting on a Ducati, clinging his friend for dear life, the angel's helmet caging his head securely he couldn't even see the road. If he thought the Impala was an instant recipe for doom, he'd take that back in a heartbeat.
The metal horse glided smoothly across the asphalt, turning sharply into a corner. He squeaked, gripping Starry's shoulder tighter, when the Ducati stopped abruptly, a few inches away from a delivery truck. The trip had taken less than 10 minutes, and she had parked it at the very last parking spot, right next to the truck, in a place called "Tesco".
"Please get off, Cas." Starry said, her voice muffled by the sturdy black helmet. He obliged, and shortly after she got off, turning the key and pocketing it in her jeans. Her helmet came off, and she shook her waist long hair before bunching it up into a dense bun. After she removed Cas's, they dragged a cart and walked inside.
Really, the amount of food humans consume is just ridiculous, the angel thought as a mother of four pushed two cartons full of food as her four kids teetered behind him, pushing each other playfully. Cas was momentarily distracted when he realized Starry had disappeared into one of the aisle, and he clambered after her.
"What do you prefer?" She asked, her back still turned to him. "Soup or stew?" She turned around with a flourish, and showed two packets of powdered soup and stew. He cocked his head to the side, frowning at her odd question.
"It's food." She explained, and his mouth formed a knowing "O". She ended up dropping both into the cart, and moved forward.
Cas ended up pushing the cart anyway. "Don't you have a car?" He asked, still shaken up by the death trap Starry lovingly called the Ducati.
"Yeah I do. I just wanted to see your face riding it. I'm pretty sure Dean only has his Impala, and not a BAMF motorcycle like mine." She chuckled, an evil glint in her eyes.
"I don't understand. You are riding the Ducati just to see me horrified?"
She laughed harder at his sour face. "You can say that. It's also been a while since anyone has used it. The last time it was used was…"
She trailed off, stopping herself just in time before she could give out any more information. She waved it off, and smiled once again, the flash of hurt in her eyes Cas had missed.
"Come, we must find some milk for Anna." She said, walking away.
Cas wasn't aware she had left, her figure consumed by the maze of aisles. His legs moved automatically but he was thinking hard on what she had said, and ended up lost somewhere in the bakery, Starry completely out of his sight. When he actually noticed she was gone, he was standing there for more than 10 minutes, basically spacing out and freaking some of the customer.
A young child tugged at his jeans, and his searching eyes looked down. She was barely 6, and had her dirty blonde thin hair tied into ponytails fastened with cream colored ribbons.
"Are you lost, mister?" She asked, a dainty smile lit up her freckled cheeks. Funny how the little child also had sparkling green eyes, the similarity sent a wave of longing through him. Her eyes were anxious and worried, like she's looking for something, or someone.
He nodded, his eyes scanning the premise for Starry. The child gripped his fingers, and tugged once more, chewing on her lower lip nervously.
"I'm lost too." She said, her green eyes sparkling brightly. The tugging sensation in his heart came back in full swing, why is he missing the older Winchester, he has no clue.
"I'm Deanna. What's your name, mister? I'm looking for my mama, she told me to stay still, but I wondered off anyway. Are you looking for your mama too?" She asked quickly, rather talkative for someone her age.
"Castiel. My name is Castiel." He answered, dropping to one knee. "I'm looking for my friend, Starry." He said, fully holding onto the child's hands. The smile that graced his features must have dazzled the little girl, because the anxiousness in her eyes disappeared. She mouthed a soft "oh", her eyes still set on his own.
"Where's your mama?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her. Cas kept quiet and shrugged.
"Did she leave for work, like my papa? The last time I saw my papa was a very long time ago. Mama says papa leave to work, and he's not coming home for a very long time. It's just me, mama and nana." She told him animatedly, her hand counting the people she lived with.
Cas grinned at her innocent actions, and felt his heart flutter. For the past few days, he's exposed to so many emotions that it was overwhelming. He couldn't really put a name on the emotions, neither does he know how to express them out. Starry told him to just let it happen, and now smiling comes easier than expected.
"I never knew her." He said honestly. Due to the horrified look she gave him, he quickly added. "It's alright!" He kept his hands up, trying to emphasis it like Dean would. "I guess it wasn't meant to be. I had a lot of brothers and sisters who took great care of me." He said, his eyes gazing up longingly.
When a woman in her thirties, dressed as one of the staffs of the mall called out to the child in front of him, Deanna held out her hand in the air, waving enthusiastically. Cas waved along, mimicking the child, which effectively caught her attention.
The woman was out of breath, a thin sheen of sweat covered her pale face. She clutched her daughter close and scolded her for leaving her sight. Deanna just shrugged sheepishly and told her that Cas was lost too.
On the other side of the mall, Starry was also looking for Cas. She had just turned left when she realized she lost Cas, and a goose chase started. She was at the liquor section when the speakers rang it's cheery tesco jingle.
"Attention, we have a lost child—err I mean, man here, looking for his other… um, friend. His name is Castiel, blue eyes, dark hair, wears a tee and slacks. To whom he belongs to, please retrieve your son- ah I mean your friend at Counter 7." The speakers said, sounding rather shaken up.
She wasn't surprised when she reached Counter 7 to see Cas on the benches, happily sucking on a lollipop. A child sat next to him, a similar lollipop in hand, telling him a story about her time in the wilderness.
"Cas," she said, catching the angel's attention. He turned his head, and smiled easily. "There you are."
After thanking Deanna's mother for her help, and paying for her groceries, they walked back to her Ducati in the parking lot, both of their arms full. She stuffed it in a compartment behind the Ducati, driving off into the evening, the events of the day in the back of their minds.
Dinner came around and Starry made creamed soup as Cas watched her cut the vegetables flawlessly. They sat around the table, Anna on a high chair beside Starry, so she could feed her whilst feeding herself.
A plane shaped spoon was half way through Anna's mouth when Cas spoke up.
"That little girl, Deanna, earlier at the shop." He started, unsure whether to continue prodding it or not.
"Her father died in combat, somewhere in Afghanistan." Starry stiffened, and her hand froze for a moment before making it's way into Anna's mouth.
"How do you know? Angel magic?" The young mother asked, rather uncomfortable, but the baby has to be fed now, or it'll be cranky later.
"No. She had a picture of him in uniform, framed on her work desk. I asked about him too."
She just nodded quietly, dabbing away excess soup off Anna's lips.
"She told me about him, Afghanistan, the war, her child. She looked sad." He paused, taking a breath. "She looked sad, like you would be when your husband is mentioned."
That instant, she dropped the spoon, her eyes downcast, unwilling to meet his eyes, because she was scared. Scared that she'll come loose in front of the angel and bawl her eyes out. "Cas, please. I don't wanna talk about this." She said softly, the hurt raw in her voice.
He nodded, understanding. "Alright. But answer me this, Starry."
She finally got the courage to meet his eyes, and he asks.
"Are you in the same situation as her right now?"
When she turns back and talks no more, he doesn't pry and finishes his soup.
AN: Starry's husband will pop up soon, in a few chapters or so. There will be more Human!Cas in the next one, so look out.
Cas will be Cas. To me, he belongs to Dean. Starry and him? Nope. OR IS IT? DUN DUN DUNNN...
I'll probably post the next one Friday. I'll probably draw a new cover. Leave a review and I shall give you a cookie! xDDD