Paul was experiencing a pleasant hum. He had been wary of bringing Leslie to a bar but his boy had insisted that he wanted to celebrate with normal people. That is if you could call it normal to come into Geary's in pink lounge pants, a cream polo and a mint green scarf. Leslie had laughed himself silly at the gaping mouths and googly eyes that had greeted them. Armin, the long time barkeep, had defused any tension by clasping Leslie's wrist in his hand and welcoming him back to Concordia. Then Mr. Anderson, the uncle of the family who had lost their home and dog on the night of the falling comets, had insisted on buying them drinks. Leslie wanted a pineapple juice. Paul suspected that Armin had run to the corner store for the carton he produced after a long disappearance.
Officially they were celebrating Leslie's employment by Salina Prime Realtors. Unofficially they were one month back in each other's lives. Incidentally Dean and Castiel were christening Castiel's new tattoo. Paul thought it was real cute that Castiel had gotten a matching tat to Dean's one. He thought Leslie might get a Chinese symbol of their love or a Tweetie bird like budgie with Paul written across it. Leslie Bear was never going to get a matching armband of barbed wire, flames, and fire axes, or his 4th Infantry skull's head with the four ivy leaves that graced his right bicep.
Paul was not quite sure what to make of Castiel. He was super intelligent but socially awkward, needing to look to Dean for approval or reassurance. He reminded Paul of a combination of his nephew's friend Dawson who had Aspersers and his Dad's cousin Brother Ignatius when he came out of the monastery. At the moment though the dark haired man was anything but a picture of serenity. Castiel was drunk, and not in a 1-2-3-4 Happy Days way. Dean was supporting him under the shoulder and instructing him to put one foot in front of the other on their way back from the restrooms.
"I don't know how Jimmy wore these shoes, they are fucking awful. My feet hurt Dean! Can I throw the…. Can I burn these shoes?" Castiel was pushed into the chair next to Paul.
"No you can't freaking burn your shoes, I'm not carrying your ass home." Dean growled in frustration. "I'm getting you a coffee."
Castiel ignored him and pulled his shirt open again, ripping away the loose gauze covering his new tattoo, the slurring was getting more obvious, "I'm stotally freeeging human, Look!"
Dean patiently taped the cover back and closed the buttons up. Then pushed Castiel back into the seat.
"He used to be able to drink a liquor store." Dean muttered by way of apology.
"Deanie Deanie, I wanna Kahula."
"If you call me Deanie again I'm getting in Baby and leaving your sorry ass here." Dean grouched but Paul could see Dean was concerned and pretty sober. His friend had only had two Heineken. He had gone to the bar and gotten two Jameson. Paul had drank his but Dean's sat untouched on the table. Leslie was sitting legs crossed, sipping his juice, seemingly enjoying the show.
"Deeeaan Kahula. Is nicer than the rot gut you and Sammy drink. I'm human now I should have my own drinkie," Castiel's body tilted forward, head dropping between his knees, "I don't feel so good."
"What does he mean Human Now?" Leslie asked twirling his ankle around.
Dean gave a nervous laugh, "It's a joke. Not a man, not complete until he had a tattoo."
Paul narrowed his eyes, there was more to that story, he was sure.
"I've got a tattoo Leslie, Look" Castiel told the younger man again, "it's really cool and it matches Dean's. I was very sad…. like..." Castiel held up a wavering finger," … like Lucy when I pulled Sammy's body away from him…."
Dean's eyes were like stalks and Paul thought he was preparing for action.
"…Why was I sad? Oh yes. Dean, my Dean, my human Dean, My handprint…"
Paul couldn't be sure what happened but he thought Dean kicked the leg out from under Castiel's chair. They went down in a tumble with Castiel apologizing for something to do with bees and walls.
"OK." Dean said firmly as he pulled Castiel upright. "He can't take his liquor. We are bailing. I'm sorry Paul, Leslie. Congratulations on your new job Leslie."
"Dean do you have Advil and juice at home? He's going to need it in the morning."
"Oh we do. I'm just not sure if he deserves them."
Paul watched Dean drag and support his partner out the door. Leslie moved to pick up the chair Castiel had been sitting on. He moved it close to Paul and sat down curling an arm around the firefighter's waist. "Was I like that? You know when I was out of my mind?"
"You were ten times worse, Les, but don't worry babe, you are here now and that is what matters." Paul rested his hand on Leslie's arm where it wrapped around his belly.
"I don't envy Dean."
"Nor Castiel. He is going to be sick as a dog."
The following morning brought two text messages. The first was a very eloquent apology from Castiel. Dean's brought a smile to Paul's face, Advil administered but he is cleaning bathroom.
Castiel stared towards the ceiling of Dean's room. Their room.
He had made a fool of himself in Concordia. Over the next two days, Dean had been cool with him. Castiel knew he had said things he shouldn't have. He wanted Dean to understand that he didn't know so few glasses of liquor would make him so intoxicated. He just had wanted something to sooth his nerves and take away the strumming anxiety he had felt since getting the tattoo.
Castiel had apologized repeatedly. It was only when he admitted that he didn't understand alcohol and would trust Dean to let him know if he was becoming stupid on drink, that Dean had thawed. He gave Castiel a few sentences about the consequences of spilling secrets and the dangers of being intoxicated for hunters. Castiel was chuffed to be included under the title hunter, and gave Dean grateful kisses and renewed his hickey on Dean's thigh in thanks.
He closed his eyes listening to Dean's soft early morning snores beside him. Dean wouldn't admit it when awake but he was a snuggler. The hunter was on his belly, face turned to Cas's shoulder and an arm laying across the fallen angel's chest. The weight of Dean's arm grounded him. Let his thoughts settle back in the present and in what they had found in each other.
"There are so many places I wanted to show you, Dean." Castiel's voice was heavy with regret speaking to the dark room. "If I still had my grace we could have travelled the planet and..."
"Why can't we?" Dean muttered into his bicep.
"You are awake." Castiel curved to face his lover. "There are so many places Dean. I wanted to show you them all. The Manuhangi atoll, the view from the Belle Alp, sunset over the Ganges, the migration of the wildebeest, the aurora over Svalbard, looking west towards America from the Cliffs of Moher, dawn breaking over the Great Barrier Reef, the round pebbles of Valsaline Bay in Pula where the stones are smooth and warm..."
Tears poured down Castiel's face dampening the sheets. He felt the loss of everything he could have given Dean. His gut burned. He was being weak again in front of Dean. He was hopeless.
"You listen to me Cas. I have done nothing but travel since I was four years old, excluding my stint in Hell." Dean lifted his hand to scrub his face. "Damn I need a shave. Cas, I have seen dawns over Atlantic bays and sunsets over Pacific ones, strange lights in the sky, views from the Rockies and the Mississippi basin. I'd love to travel with you but Cas it is a bonus not a deal breaker. It is a supersize option. We will enjoy it when we do? Hey?"
"Yes Dean." Castiel replied but he still felt he should be more and be able to do more on his side of the relationship. Dean was giving him so much, what did he have to contribute in return.
"So, would you like to go to the beach?" Dean propped himself up on an elbow.
"Pardon?"
"A lot of the places you listed were by the sea. I know you like to stand on shorelines."
"You do?"
"Cas, you told me."
"I did?"
Dean gave a soft chuckle and ducked his head to knock it against Cas's shoulder.
"You were all fish once."
Dean smiled indulgently, "Much of my travel has been in the interior states. How about we back up our crap, wave goodbye to Sam's sorry ass for a few days and go to the sea?"
"Truly?" Castiel felt his mood lift.
"Truly. Is there anywhere you would choose that Baby can take us to?"
"We could go to Short Sand Beach in Oregon. There is reputedly buried treasure there and it has been called Smuggler's Cove."
"I'll pack a salt and burn kit."
"I do not intend for us to be on a job."
"I know but I don't want to be jumped by a fugly smuggler's ghost while your cock is pinning me to some rocky cave."
"Dean!" Castiel objected, "There is a beautiful beach and a hike through the trees and the sand is soft under your feet..."
"I'll bring the army blankets and we can test the sand for softness during sex." Dean teased as he extracted himself from their comforter and headed for the showers.
"Dean! Clothes! Honestly dude." Sam's protest from the hall made Castiel grin. He started to make a list of what he wanted to bring on their road trip to the beach.
In the end the did go to the sea, but not on a mini-vacation, because Dean got a call about a case. Their friend Charlie had a lead on a poltergeist. She would have used her new hunting skills to tackle it herself but she was on the other side of the country at some super important LARPing convention.
Dean called Sam out of the library.
"Sam we are going to Washington."
"For the conference?" Sam called back.
"Huh Sam? What are you talking about?"
"The conference. In DC? The Church representatives with members of the Senate and Homeland Security, about all the 'new people' who have turned up, many of them seeking sanctuary in church buildings, according to Father Moran from Concordia on the KWCH news. Are you taking Cas?"
"No." Dean said simply. Castiel stayed quiet. He wondered what the churches thought they could do for the former angels. He didn't want to go. In fact he was only too glad to be going to the opposite side of the country.
"So where are we going?" Sam asked leaning a hand on the back of a chair.
"You are not going anywhere. Cas and I have a hunt in Steilacoom." Dean kept talking ignoring Sam's effort to protest. "Charlie has a poltergeist for us to clear out."
"Charlie is there?" Sam asked.
"She called Dean. She can't be there but she is about to contact us on your laptop." Castiel answered.
Sam opened up Skype and Charlie's grinning face met his, "Hey Peeps!"
Dean and Sam enthusiastically pulled out two chairs and sat so they could both be seen. Castiel hovered behind while Dean and Sam greeted her. She was dressed in a combination of purple and orange that made Castiel blink. She called Dean her handmaiden but he wasn't insulted in fact he responded with a 'My Lady, what can I do for you?"
"First tell me who is the cutie with the Harry in Deathly Hallows hair?"
"That's Cas," Sam supplied.
"He needs a haircut." Dean added.
Castiel pulled on the strands of hair at the back of his neck, maybe he did need a haircut. He moved forward squeezing his hand on Dean's shoulder and saying "Hello Charlie."
"Congrats Dean. Dumbledore would be proud." She said inexplicably and continued, "So Daria my chick side kick, royal consort, and RP Winona Ryder look-a-like, she's from Steilacoom. Her parents have bought an old new house. Poltergeist I'd say. I ran my search program and it confirmed 97% 'geist. 3% chance of termites. We're here in Delaware for the con. Was going to head their way during the summer, still are after LOTR Part Deux Nebraska…. You still coming to Lincoln for the LARPing weekend?"
"Sure are Charlie." Dean confirmed. Castiel needed to find out more about this but didn't interrupt.
"But it has escalated. They brought in a priest to bless the house, but it seems to have angered whatever is there. Before the holy water it was all loud noises, boots running up and down the stairs, crashes and banging keeping them awake at night, but now they are or it is moving the furniture. Daria's mom was trapped in their guestroom for four hours when the closet moved in front of the door and the bed flew upright to cover the window. Will you take it?" Charlie bit her fingernails.
"Piece of cake, darling," Dean grinned. "Cas and I will head out later today."
"Sam?" Charlie asked.
"I'm on desk duty." Sam twisted his face as if he had eaten something bad. "Think of me as their Abby Sciuto back at home base."
"Sorry Sam, you don't measure up," Charlie got a dreamy look on her face. "mmm Abby you can forensically assess me any time."
"OK." Dean interrupted, "Address? Any house details? History? Are her parents going to be there?"
"Daria convinced them to take a weekend away. I'm e-mailing you the details I have. Good luck Dean, and thank you."
"We'll stay in touch." Dean promised. "Come on Cas. Time to get packed. Sam, research duty."
Sam give Dean a mocking salute while the older brother made for their supply rooms.
"What are we getting?" Castiel asked Sam as he rose to follow Dean.
"You need to make up hex bags for the walls of the house, other than that the usual crap, and Cas?"
"Yes Sam."
"Don't pack your favorite clothes. If you wear them the poltergeist will rip them, for certain. It's Winchester Luck."
Castiel stretched his legs to catch up with Dean. No aviator jacket or his designer jeans then, maybe he could share some of Dean's clothes for the hunt. This was his first hunt as human and he was determined to prove to Dean that he could be of help.
SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN
A/N: Chocolate by Snow Patrol...
"...What have I become? Truth is nothing yet A simple mistake starts the hardest time I promise I'll do anything you ask, this time "