Title: The Little Wooden Kitchen In The Suburbs (6/?)
Author: craystiel
Rating: PG (For now)
Pairing: Dean/Castiel. Bonus domestic!Team Free Will
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, all rights belong to Supernatural.
Spoilers: Based off the Season 8 storyline I suppose.
Warnings: Its so fluffy I'm gonna die.
Notes: Part Two is almost done so I won't leave you hanging for too long I promise. Remember when this story was fluffy? Neither do I. Hope you enjoy Cas' side. Thanks for reading. Beta'd as always by the lovely TruffleHead :)

Summary: It's been a few months since they shut the gates of hell forever. They've given up hunting for a simpler life. But Dean, he's having a little trouble adjusting.

Part One.

The morning light teased his skin, tickling and weaving around his cold pores. Castiel was happy. Something he hadn't been in a long time, maybe never. Not truly. He was brought up not to believe in emotions, not to feel anything- especially doubt. The day he'd met Dean Winchester, everything had changed. He felt protective and instinctive, brave yet weak, and all of it at the same time. But most of all, he was scared- scared all the time. Scared that Dean would never find happiness, scared Dean would never be done with hunting.

Now, though, it was years later; Dean was done. Dean was happy. He squirmed at the memories, thinking that part of the reason for that was him. In under one second, he was suddenly feeling hot and fragile. He was still getting used to this emotions thing.

He turned over to snuggle into Dean again, but was faced with emptiness instead. He patted the bed, where his friend should be. Nobody was beside him. He stretched and reached for his clock. Dean was gone, way earlier than usual. But both mechanic Dean and hunter Dean had proven to be quite random and erratic, so he thought nothing of it, rolling out of bed and slinking into the kitchen for coffee. Castiel was a human. He did human activities and made stupid human mistakes.

Cas smiled at the coffee machine, remembering Dean's lesson and how frustrated he'd gotten at him. Chucking the machine out the window and having to buy a new one. This Dean wasn't any better with patience as the last one.

Sam joined him in the kitchen about a half an hour later; they drank some coffee and talked about Lydia, Dean, and the weird vampire novel a professor at the college had given Cas to read. He liked all of the time he now got to spend with Sam, in this different environment. This Sam was different- younger, even. And it made Cas smile, to see Sam always smiling. After all he'd been through and sacrificed, he really deserved it.

"Dean not up?" Sam asked, heading to the fridge. He always, without fail, cooked breakfast for all of them. It was tradition. One that Cas really looked forward to each morning.

"He was already gone when I woke up, I assumed he had an early start at the garage." Cas smiled, sitting down to watch Sam cook. He'd have to learn to cook one of these days, although he knew his food could never taste as good as Sam's.

"I have a question." Sam turned to face Cas, spatula waving in the air, "I know if I asked Dean, he'd just skate over it and I'd never know." A smirk crept onto Sam's face and Cas felt uncomfortable immediately; he didn't like where this conversation was heading. "What's going on between you and Dean? Or, I guess: what are you? Are you a couple? Are you still just friends? I mean, I know that for years you've had the heart eyes and the 'relationship' without actually having a relationship, but you guys have been acting differently now. You never stay in your own room, and Dean kissed you on the forehead last night. It's sweet and I'm just... I'm just curious I guess". Cas gulped.

For the first time in Castiel's very long life, he didn't know what to say. Dean had always told him that he didn't have a filter, and he was probably right. But Cas had been human for awhile now. He acted semi-appropriately at work, and sometimes held his tongue when and where it was necessary. But now, Sam was staring at him, expecting an answer, and all Cas could do was smile awkwardly in response.

"Ah-" Cas cleared his throat, "We are what we've always been, Sam."

"Don't give me that crap." Sam turned around to keep cooking, babbling on about relationships and some other stuff that Cas tuned out, before, a good 10 minutes later, turned to face Cas again.

"I don't care, you know. I think it's nice that Dean finally has someone that understands him and that he's comfortable with. More family he can rely on." Sam smiled and Cas did too.

"Dean means much more to me than I ever imagined he would." Cas said quietly. "I was always made to believe that emotions clouded your judgement, that feeling anything other than loyalty was unproductive, but Dean makes feeling so easy. I never believed in the love that I saw others having until I fell, and I suddenly found myself loving Dean." Cas felt his cheeks heat and a strange feeling washed over him. "A different love than the one I had for my brothers and my Father. Different, but maybe stronger." Cas suddenly found the coffee cup he was holding utterly fascinating. "I don't think I'd ever be the same again, if I somehow lost him."

Sam didn't respond, just smiled and turned around. The rest of the breakfast passed with simple conversation, about Sam's studies and Cas' work and after slipping a bit of bacon to Jimmy under the table, Cas slipped out the door and off to work.

xxx

Cas could sometimes only barely remember his life before he fell; what he had been and what he was now. He'd felt so powerful as an Angel, so strong and determined. And though he was only a Professor now, he sometimes felt that same sense of power when he was with his students. They listened to everything he said, they smiled when he spoke, and he was well- liked and respected on campus. His fellow staff members asked him out for drinks, and he detected many a flirtatious look from the female teachers. He liked his job and his coworkers athough he never hung out with them out of school or took them up on their drink offers, opting always to hang out with Dean instead, especially on his half days.

Cas was already smiling as he unlocked the kitchen door. He'd had an especially long day, with a new class and a test to monitor, not to mention the fact that Dean hadn't text him once throughout the day. He couldn't wait to be home. Jimmy greeted him at the door, jumping up and smothering him with kisses, despite Cas' protests. He dropped his bag at the door and went straight to the fridge, grabbing some snacks, and headed to Dean's room, which was now practically his room too. He expected to see Dean there, but the room was empty. Usually when Cas got home from work, Dean would be sprawled out on the bed they shared, sometimes reading, but usually playing some stupid App that he'd got addicted to.

Cas grabbed out his phone and added to the few text messages he'd already sent Dean today.

'You're not home? Call me when you get this.'

After 15 minutes and no phone call, Cas sent another text.

'I'm starting to get worried, where are you?'

5 minutes passed and he sent another text.

'Seriously, Dean, this isn't funny.'

3 minutes passed.

'Dean? Please just respond. Let me know you're okay.'

1 minute.

'I'm calling Sam. We'll find you, I promise.'

30 seconds.

'Hold on, okay? I can't lose you.'

Sam ditched the second half of class and walked into Dean's room around 10 minutes after Cas had called.

"What's going on?" Sam sounded panicked.

"I haven't heard from Dean all day." Cas started pacing. "He was gone before us this morning. But he always responds to me! Always. And I haven't heard from him, and he still isn't home, and I'm worried." Sam stopped Cas in his tracks.

"We'll bring him home, don't worry." Sam said, and Cas nodded.

Cas had never been afraid to lose something before. He had always been alone. Yes, he had his brothers, and a cause, but he had been one single solitary angel in a group full of thousands of angels. But when he'd met the Winchesters, that'd changed. He had become a part of something. A different cause, a friend group, a family. He loved them, he loved being human, he loved this life they'd created, and he didn't want to go back. He had something now, and he'd do whatever he had to to hold on to that.