It was seven o'clock on Tuesday and Dean was origamied into a Volkswagen Beetle. A frikken hotpink one at that.
"I forgot to ask... is it far from the salvage? I just got used to not getting stuck in gridlock..."
Gabriel flashed him a smile.
"Don't worry, buddy. It's on West Cain."
Dean gaped. Those were no apartements!
"Dude! He's got a house!? I thought I'd be looking at an apartement."
Gabe just made a turn and grinned.

He pulled up in a cul-de-sac and stopped in front of a big, white, two story house with black rooftiles.
"There we are. It's a double garage, so that boat you call a car is safe."
Dean gulped. This was so much more than an apartement.
Gabriel squirmed a bit and pulled out his phone.
"Ah. He texted. I already thought he wasn't home yet. No lights on."
He showed Dean the text.

From: Babybro. Received at 7.08
Gabriel.
I have been detained at work.
I will try and be home as soon as possible.
You know where the spare key is.
Please start the tour without me.
I would not let you stay outside in this weather.

With a flourish, Gabriel pocketed the phone and pulled Dean to the front porch. He stretched to reach the eves of the roof, but even on tip-toe, he couldn't get what he wanted.
"Fuck. He always forgets I'm not as freakisly tall as him. Dean... could you?"
He pointed at a little gap in the support beam.
Dean grinned and easily dipped his fingers in the gap, finding the cold metal of a key. He pulled it out and smiled. The keychain was a cartoon bumblebee.
"Here you go, shortbus." Dean teased.
Gabriel shot him a glare and opened the front door.

"Shoes off, please. Hardwood floor. So much fun to slide around on your socks." Gabe said offhand, as his toed off his own boots.
Dean followed suit and looked around. Contrary to how he imagined a brother of Gabriel might live, the house was clean, not very messy, but not as meticulously spotless as Lisa kept the house. A cd cover lay open on the sturdy, oak coffee table, along with an unwashed coffee cup and some magazines and books. The sofa was big and looked very comfortable.
Dean could see how he could be in this room with Gabe's brother and not be bothered. It was like two rooms were drawn together into one. Besides the sofa and coffee table, it fit a large wooden dining table with six chairs with black leather seats and backs, a couple of bookcases and a big wall unit with a tv. And still there was enough room around it all for two guys to walk around next to eachother.

The walls were a warm, honey yellow on one side and a dreamy, spring sky blue on the other. Gabe walked through an archway and called back at Dean.
"You want some coffee or tea? I think he'll be home before or just around when we finish that."
Dean was still looking around. This was a stretch different from both the home he had with Lisa, (stark white walls and minimalistic furniture, little in real comfort.) and Bobby. (Old, tacky wallpaper and a hodgepodge of mismatching, yet comfy, furniture, and a right mess at all times.)
"Coffee please, bud. Not much of a tea guy."
He actually felt at home already. He was dying to try out that sofa. But he also wanted to see the kitchen, so he sauntered in after Gabe and stood rooted to the floor. The kitchen could hold the one Dean and Lisa had had easiliy, and still it was amazingly cozy and homey.

"Christ on a cracker, Gabe! This is the kitchen?"
Gabriel looked up from the counter where a percolator was making coffee.
"Yup. And through there is the scullery. No real skulls though."
He winked and took two mugs out of a cupboard.
"So, sugar? Cream?"
Dean shook his head and smirked.
"Nope. I take my coffee black as my soul."
That had Gabe raise his eyebrows and chuckle.

"Wow. You will certainly get along with my brother, with choice remarks like that!"
Dean was unsure whether that was a sarcastic or a serious statement, and he bit his lip.
The sound of an engine cut through his thoughts and Gabe bounced towards the window.
"There he is! Told ya he'd be here in time tor coffee!"
Curious, Dean followed his gaze.
A tan Continental Mark 5 stopped next to Gabe's hotpink Dinky Toy.

"Well, at least it's a classic, not a sad, modernised copy." Dean commented.
Gabe threw him a look at the slight at his little, pink Beetle.
The driver got out and, recognising that dark sexhair, Dean turned on Gabe like a derwish.
"Castiël? Castiël from accounting is your brother? You... you asshat! You knew!"
There was no way he could take the offer now. All he knew about Castiël, was that he was the smart, yet silent type, and he somehow knew Dean liked his coffee black. Oh, and that he had a great ass, which Dean would love to pinch. Fuck. He was so screwed. He nearly signed the lease, or whatever, just on the livingroom and the kitchen.

The front door opened and closed. Castiël took off his shoes and tan trenchcoat.
'Hm, fits the car. Wonder which he had first...' Dean pondered, watching the back of his probable housemate from the archway.
Castiël put shoes and coat in the hallway closet, where Dean glimpsed a pair of combat boots.
'Must be from that guy who left...' Dean allowed his mind to wander.
"Heya Cassie! Welcome home!" Gabe nearly yodled, making Dean almost jump out of his skin. Castiël turned around and Dean felt the blood drain from his cheeks.
"Hot bartender is Castiël? Are you fucking kidding me? How is this my life?" he hissed low, but Gabe heard him and shot him that mischievous smirk.

"Hello Dean, Gabriel. I trust you got my message." Castiël said in that deep, gravelly voice, and Dean's blanched cheeks imediately flushed.
'Oh God! He still sounds like sex personified...'
"That we did, Cassie. We just got here, and I made us some coffee. You want some too?"
Castiël hummed and nodded. His tie was half undone and he shrugged off his suit jacket, revealing a white button up. Dean saw his top two buttons were undone, showing a white undershirt, and his fingers itched to undo some more. Quickly he clasped his hands together on his back. No touching the guy, that would be rude. But, Hell, did Dean want to.

"You two got yours already? Good. You know Dean takes his black?" Castiël asked sincerely.
Gabriel grinned and scooped five spoons of sugar in his mug.
"Yeah. He told me... what was that phrase, Dean-o?"
Dean gritted his teeth and smiled.
"I take my coffee black as my soul."
Castiël raised his eyebrows.
"That is debatable, but I like the saying." he said with a quirk of his mouth.
Dean gaped. He'd thought Castiël would protest at his unpolished way of saying, but the guy just smirked slightly and poured his own, black, coffee.

"Have you been upstairs yet?"
Dean swallowed his sip of coffee, and coughed.
"Not yet. I really only saw the living room and the kitchen. I heard there is a scullery though..."
Castiël nodded.
"The skulls are resin..." he said in a offhand way, making Dean chuckle.
"I gathered there were no real skulls there. Gabe neglected to tell me there were fake ones... I wonder why." Dean quipped sarcastically.
He caught Castiël's glare at Gabriel and burst out laughing.
"I know he's a Trickster, Cas. Don't worry."
That raised two sets of eyebrows.

"Cas?" the brothers entoned in unison.
Internally, Dean cursed. He'd been calling the guy 'Cas' in his mind ever since he put name and person together.
"Yeah. Sorry... I can stop that if you want."
Gabriel tilted his head at Castiël, but Castiël drank his coffee and didn't look up.
"That's ok, Dean. I don't mind." he said after putting his mug down.
"Everybody finished their drinks?"
Gabe and Dean nodded.
"Good! Shall we continue the tour then?"

Dean sat down on the chocolate brown sofa and ran his hand through his hair. He was royally screwed. He knew he found Cas hot, and that could definitely spell trouble, but he also wanted to live here. The bedrooms were big and looked comfy. The first room Cas had opened, was amazing. A big, soft looking bed with a sturdy frame, matching bedside tables and desk, an adjacent bathroom with a tub, big enough for two grown people to sit in. Dean was about to declare this would be an awesome room for him, when Cas said it was his, and Dean was welcome to use the bath, if his own wasn't working or otherwise indisposed. Imediately Dean could see himself walking in from the bathroom, in a towel, to find Cas lying on that big bed, reading or waking up from pleasant dreams, eyes sleepy and cheeks flushed... damn his vivid imagination.

The next bedroom Cas opened was just a bit smaller, but it still held a big bed, bedside tables and desk, along with a chest of drawers and a walk-in closet. Its bathroom held a slightly smaller bath, but Dean was sure he would have room enough.
"You're more than welcome to this room. Balthazar didn't like it." Cas had said.
Dean wondered why not. The deep green accents on the dark wooden furniture matched wonderfully with the cream coloured walls. He could see himself there, his stereo on the chest of drawers, his laptop on the desk, his flanel over the back of the deep green rolling chair...
Gabriel's voice had cut through his thoughts.
"Why didn't Balthy like this room? It's nearly as nice as yours..."
Castiël shrugged.
"He said he didn't like green. So he took the burgundy one."

The burgundy room was smaller but still held a bed and a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. Instead of a bathroom, it had a walk-in shower. Dean was in awe.
"Cas... how the hell did you get this place? It's amazing!"
Castiël looked at Gabriel, who sighed and started the explaination.
"Our Dad disappeared, years ago. One day just, 'poof', amazing disappearing act. Our oma, that's Dutch for granny, raised us. She did an amazing job, and when Dad was legally declared dead, she took the money from the life insurance, sold her own house and continued living with us. All that money, she put in a trustfund for us. One each. When I came of age, I blew it all on girls, guys and booze... and candy. Cassie has the frugal Dutch genes, and saved up. He could buy this place with a relatively low mortgage thanks to that. But it does have the mortgage, and he still has to eat too, so he took in Balthy. Who skipped out a bit ago, leaving Cassie here to fend for himself."

And now Dean was sinking into that amazing sofa, feeling at home and wishing he had the guts to tell Cas he had been eyeing his butt, so they could start their agreement without that standing between them.
Gabe clapped his hands.
"So, Dean-o... Whaddaya think?"
Dean sighed, a smirk forming.
"You know damn well what I think, you sly fox. What's my rent gonna be?"
Castiël blushed, making Dean want to see that a lot more.
"It will have to be $ 350,— a month."
Dean full on grinned, ignoring the swarm of butterflies in his gut.
"Is that all? Hell, draw up the papers, buddy! I'm moving in!" he declared, silently wishing his crush would go away.