Thanks for all the comments, faves and follows. Appreciate it. Again, not an English native, so any mistakes are not me being to lazy to correct them. It's me being not fluent enough to see them. So patience, please.
Cas went to answer the door with an uneasy feeling; he would be spending a better part of the day in Dean's company, and that fact made him both excited and had him dreading the moment. He liked the idea of getting to know the other man better, but he was scared that the crush he developed after their one short meeting would turn into something more, and he could not allow that to happen. So when he opened the door and was met with a wide grin he cursed himself for ever thinking that this would be a good idea.
"Hello, Dean," he greeted to start somewhere.
"Hey, Cas," the taller man answered, and hesitated slightly after realizing what he just said. "I hope you don't mind me calling you that?" he asked quickly.
"No, not at all." Castiel already loved his new nickname. "You're the first to call me that. Most of my family goes with Cassie... Please, don't use that."
"No worries," Dean laughed, glad the mood got lighter. But was he not allowed to use that name because Cas would never see him as family, or did he simply prefer Cas? "God, Winchester, don't over-think it."
"That doesn't suit you at all," he decided. "Gonna stick with Cas." He smiled at the man, deciding it was a good time to start working his charm, though apparently it wasn't working as well as usual as the dark-haired man lowered his gaze immediately and mumbled something under his breath.
They stood on the porch for a while until Dean finally snapped himself out of it. "Ok, ready to go?"
"Of course. And, again, thank you for going out of your way to drive me."
"Don't mention it, man. It gave me the opportunity to take my Baby out for a spin.
"Baby?" Cas asked, though an answer wasn't necessary as they rounded the house and he found himself standing in front of the Impala. "Wow!"
The car was pure aphrodisiac with it's sleek black paintjob and silver rims shining in the sunlight. Cas didn't know, but his stocks had just risen up in Dean's eyes, not that they weren't extremely high to begin with.
"Yup, I rebuilt her with the help of my dad and my uncle Bobby... They own a garage together... Well, he's not really my uncle, but I've known him my entire life, and you know how it is." Dean had to fight to stop himself from rambling, but thankfully it didn't seem to bother Cas.
"So what about you?" Dean inquired as he backed away from the driveway. "Big family?"
Cas shot him a curious gaze.
"No, man, I'm only asking 'cause you live in this big house. Do you live here by yourself?" Dean felt he needed to know; for some reason the idea of Cas wandering around this big, empty house made him sad. If Dean got his way Cas wouldn't ever feel left out or lonely again.
"Moderate, I suppose," came the calm answer. "And we live here together. There's me, two of my siblings, and our parents."
"I just asked 'cause it looks close to abandoned, just like the first time I was here," Dean offered an explanation of a sort. "It didn't feel right you living here all by yourself," he added before he could censor his thoughts, and, shit, did he say everything he thought?
Cas fixed him with a longer look this time, glad Dean was driving so there was no threat of being drowned in those mesmerizing emeralds. "No. As luck would have it, my sister and parents are simultaneously out of town, and I have to share my car with my brother. And he needed it to run his business, so I'm afraid I had to bother you."
"Dude, we've already established it's no bother," Dean assured him before they both fell silent. He thought the silence should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. On the other hand he was dying to learn a little bit more about his companion, so he stuck to the subject Cas seemed to feel comfortable answering.
"So, does your family travel a lot? 'Cause you might want to think of 'one car per person' kind of deal."
"And here I was thinking you didn't mind," Cas retorted with an flirty smile before quickly putting himself together. "No. They don't actually, and that's why we're presently one car short."
"Wow, so, what, you carpool to work?" Dean asked curiously, already deciding he was going to work as hard as it took just to see that grin again.
"No, most of us work from home. Only my brother has to drive to his shop in town."
"Shop?" Dean asked, eagerly absorbing the smallest details.
"Yes, he's a baker and has his own patisserie."
"Wow, brother baker? You've really won the lottery there." Dean eyes almost glazed over with the imagery.
"Just shows you've never met him. Even though he's the oldest he can be irritably childish, and he turns everything into a joke." Cas felt he needed to explain when met with Dean's questioning gaze. "Even when it comes to his business, and as hardworking as he is, he was struck with the idea of a totally inappropriate name and menu and wouldn't change it for the world," the man huffed in exasperation.
"So what's the name of the shop?"
"It's called 'Treats with Tricks', but that's not the most unset-" Cas was cut off by a loud shriek that erupted from the driver's seat.
"Trickster is your brother?!" Dean shouted, still not believing his luck. He was positively giddy with excitement, and Cas couldn't help but share his smile.
"I'm sorry? Who?" Now it was Cas' turn to feel lost.
"I mean Gabriel, but that's what he makes his customers call him," the man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Then again, it was Gabe, so...
"Of course he does…" Cas muttered, honestly far from surprised.
Oh, man. I love that place," Dean continued. "He is the master of the Apple Threesome," he blurted out before he could think of what he was saying.
"I'm sorry?" The man in the passenger seat blushed furiously, and Dean couldn't bear how adorable he looked like that.
"It's a pie," Dean murmurs, a little bit embarrassed.
"Seriously? Gabe called one of his pies a Threesome?" Cas couldn't help but ask, though, in hindsight, he honestly shouldn't have been surprised.
"Yeah, and it's awesome," Dean told him, feeling the need to protect the good name of the pastry. "There's a traditional apple filling, thick apple sauce inside of the crust, like cheese in a pizza, and dried apple shavings on top. It's the best pie in creation!"
"Glad you like it. Gabe will be sure to shove a little down your throat since he makes everyone his taste-testers… Actually, there was a pie for you to taste the other day, but it completely slipped my mind," Cas said thoughtfully.
"Maaan!" Dean whined loudly. "You mean there was a pie with my name on it and I missed it?! You're lucky you're so good looking, otherwise this wouldn't end well for you," he added, making another attempt at flirting. It was not met with acceptance as Cas furrowed his brows somewhat angrily, and turned to look the other side. They were riding like this for a while before Dean decided to clear the mood and go back to neutral topics.
"So, Gabe is one of your siblings, but you said something about a sister as well?"
Cas shook himself from his thoughts and quickly glanced in Dean's direction before finally lowering his eyes. "Yes, Anna. She's a writer, just like our parents actually."
"Yeah? Someone I might have heard of?" Dean asked, not that he was some avid reader or anything, but he'd sometimes find a book or two every now and then that would catch his attention. Besides, his family members were constantly throwing reading material at each other in attempts to convince them to get acquainted their new favorites.
"Well, my sister, Anna, and father, Chuck, actually go under a pen name. Anna doesn't like people to know it, but my dad writes under Carver Edlund."
There was a spark of recollection in Dean's eyes at that. "Man, I know that guy. When my dad and uncle Bobby took us kids on their so called 'hunting trips' they always had Edlund's short stories and read them to us beside the campfire. Man, some of them gave us nightmares!" he told him, his words contradicted by the light smile gracing his lips.
"My cousin Adam probably still checks under the bed for ghouls, Jo won't move to an apartment building, and Sammy nearly pisses himself at the sight of clowns. It's awesome. And Ash only now wants to go back into the woods 'cause he's been so afraid of running into a Wendigo." Dean clapped his hands in amusement, remembering a conversation that took place earlier. Maybe he would tag along with them again, and maybe Ben would like to come as well… Or Cas... They could share a tent.
"So does your sister and your Mom also write awesome stuff like that?"
"My sister's series is actually quite popular, yes. And my mom, Rebecca, writes mostly romance novels or women-empowering books. But only Anna is off working now—she's gathering materials for her next book. My parents went on my father's jubilee tour, having book signings in the cities from his novels, and they decided to turn it into a road-trip like the characters in the story."
"On the road in their car. I dig that."
"So, what about your family?" Cas asked hesitantly, not sure he would be happy with the information he would be provided with.
"Well, you already know Sarah, so... Oh, we're here, man. I'll tell you everything later."
When Dean moved to park his car on a curb next to a well-kept house, Cas pondered for a while why he didn't simply leave the Impala in the garage, but he realized Dean wasn't done driving for the day.
He followed the other man to the door and noticed him holding a heavy keychain with an abundance of keys on it. "Don't tell me you're moonlighting as a porter somewhere," Cas joked as he observed Dean retrieving one and opening the door. The taller man turned and shot him a look that clearly said 'That's what I've been saying, dude',and they both smiled at the shared thought.
Upon entering the house, the first thing Cas noticed was that it was filled with wooden furniture that was probably made by Dean. The first thing he noticed, and fell in love with even faster than with it's maker, was the beautiful custom-made library shelves; there was even a fucking rolling ladder! The shelves went up to the ceiling and were topped by a handsome cornice, and it was filled with all kinds of books from plain horror and crime pulp to beautiful, heavy art albums.
Cas was openly staring and basically drooling over the piece when an amused voice drew his attention away.
"Man, if you want to make sweet love to it, I can give you a minute."
The words caused Cas to blush furiously, which only made Dean more compelled to push his buttons every time he could; the way the painter's usually alabaster skin flushed caused hot flashes in Dean's body.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just an exquisite piece of work," he apologized, feeling the need to explain himself as he took in the entire room. It was basically an opened-space dining room and day room connected, and the kitchen was separated only by a high counter with a few bar stools next to it.
He could easily pinpoint the pieces Dean made as he looked around. In the kitchen there was a heavy island, three legged stools next to it, and a set of piattini (and Cas somehow felt Dean would snort at him if he were to use that term) and a wine rack that was split into two zones on the top half for wine glasses that could hang upside down. There was a drawer in the middle and divided spaces for wine underneath, and there were some decorative accents there as well.
Cas shifted his attention to a wooden frame that was a little crude by comparison to other pieces, but was definitely Dean's as well.
"It's the first thing I ever did," Dean explained, standing behind Cas.
It was true; he carved the simple frame when we was 15 and gave it to Sammy as a present. There was currently a picture of Sam, Dean and Sarah in it, the three of them piling onto each other and making faces at the camera.
"And who's that man?" Cas asked as he pointed to the person who was towering over both Sarah and Dean, which was quite an accomplishment since Dean was no shrimp.
"Oh, you haven't met Sammy yet? He's my baby brother."
"Baby brother?!" Cas shouted incredulously
"Yeah, I know," Dean snorted. "Dude is a freaking giraffe, but he's awesome. I can't believe you haven't met him."
"Why, should I have?" Cas didn't see any probable situation in which he would come across the younger Winchester.
"You're probably right. I thought you might have run into each other at the museum, but I guess not. Ok, I'm gonna grab something to drink and then we can make plans for the nursery."
Cas nodded and shortly after they were stepping into a bare room that was going to become their shared project.
"Is Sarah not gonna be here?" asked Cas, who was constantly reminding himself about the woman. "I thought she would like to oversee the plan."
"Nah, she's still at work. She's freaked about the maternity leave, so she's peeing around her office now and trying to make the others miss her when she'll be at home." Dean laughed lightly, which was quickly becoming Cas' favorite sound. "Besides, she thinks of you as of some sort of art prodigy, so she's leaving it up to you. I'm mostly done with all the pieces, just gonna lacquer them when you're done and maybe make some necessary adjustments."
Cas nodded and they began to make plans.
Dean was fascinated with the way Cas' mind worked. His ideas we're very practical but also extremely artful, and his overall vision of the room made Dean self-conscious about his own input. How could he think his rustic, lumpish furniture would ever impress Cas? His amazing talent and abundance of artistic skills were clearly visible, only amplified by years of thorough education, and Dean was a self-taught man who could do some carpentry.
No wonder Cas made no move to flirt back at any of his attempts. There were probably tons of classy, elegant men falling over each other just to ask Cas out. Dean was so out of his league on this one… How could he ever think someone like Cas would like to work for Dean's shop? Great, now he almost dreaded tomorrow since he was planning to take the painter there.
"Dean, are you ok?" Cas asked when he noticed the other man was out of focus. He felt a strange uneasiness. "I mean...if you don't like it we could work on other ideas. It was just my first draft, we don't have to-" he was interrupted by a hand covering his own.
"Cas, it's perfect. You're so talented, so don't you worry, and let's do this."
Cas offered him a small smile but gently slid his hand out from under Dean's.
"I'm gonna finish the project tonight, and tomorrow we can get the remaining furniture from your shop. Will that be ok?" Cas asked quietly, unable look at Dean at the moment.
"Sure, I'll pick you up around the same time. Now, let me take you back, you probably have some painting to save and pieces to restore," Dean joked lamely in an attempt to disarm the sudden tension in the house.
The drive back was filled with different topics, mostly regarding the Impala or the music. He even let Cas pick up the tunes and almost declared his undying love when Cas picked up the Led Zeppelin tape, though it appeared Cas was more of a Dire Straits man himself, which was fine with him. Dean was yet again humbled when he learned about Cas' time spent studying in Italy and Spain, and he almost passed on his story about the road-trip he, Ash and Sammy took when the latter turned 18, but the obvious interest on Cas' part made him relax a little bit. The painter seemed to be truly interested in Dean's experiences, or maybe he was just far too polite to look bored…
They arrived at Novak's residence to see a car parked in front of the house with the driver's door wide open.
"Gabe's home," Cas noted and jumped when a face sprang into his line of vision.
"Cassie! You're home! Move your ass and help we with these boxes."
Both men in the Impala shared a knowing smile and moved to get out of the car.
"Deano!" Gabriel shouted when he came back out of the house to get more boxes from his car. "I see you've finally embraced your inner stalker and found out where I live. Let me guess, you've befriended Cassie under false pretenses to get close to me?" He winked and turned to his brother, who was glaring at him. "Deano is a faithful client of mine. I've got him hooked on my goodies." That comment was rewarded with an eye roll.
The three of them moved the remaining boxes into the house's built-in walk-in freezer. "Thanks for the help, guys," Gabe said with a smile as he turned to the taller man. "Here," Dean couldn't stop himself from taking a step backwards as Gabriel started fumbling with his jeans' pockets, "...check out my Nice Package."
The shorter man pulled out a small present box complete with a ribbon. "These are the new truffles I'm testing, Deano. Try it," he said as he shot him a grin.
Dean opened it carefully since it was from Gabriel. When nothing blew into his face and he saw a small chocolate lying there, Dean snatched it and took a bite, his eye glazing over as he was devouring the treat.
"I take it you approve?"
"Dude, it's awesome. Which reminds me, I have to swing by your store to buy some desserts. Dinner at my parents place," he offered as an explanation.
"Don't you worry, brohito. Gabe is here to save the day." He disappeared behind the door just to emerge shortly with a plate full of pastries. "Here, go nuts. And consider it a thank you for helping my baby brother," he smiled knowingly.
"Thanks, Gabe. I appreciate it. Gotta go, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Cas."
"Yes, 'til then. And thank you again, Dean," Cas said as he walked Dean out to the Impala. Dean looked like he was about to say something, but he only offered Cas a parting smile and got into the car. When he was out the gate Cas took a deep breath and went back to the house.
"So… Dean..." he heard just as he was through the door.
"Forget it, Gabe, not gonna happen," Cas said, a little sad that he had to acknowledge that fact one more time.
The older man, not one to easily give up, tried to reason with him. "But you should see-"
"Drop it," Cas cut him off and headed to the barn before anything else could be said on the matter.
Dean arrived at his parents and turned off the ignition just to sigh in defeat. He made his intentions known and Cas made no notion to accept them. It was quite obvious there was no interest in him from the other man, not that he was surprised. He sighed again as he took the pastry Gabriel gave him and made his way towards the house.
"I'm here! Sorry if I'm late!" he shouted towards the living room, but when he turned around he was almost cornered by Sarah, who was wearing a knowing grin.
"So... Cas..." she started, and Dean couldn't stop an exasperated groan from escaping him. She wasn't going to let this slide easily.
"Hello, darling."
He saw his mother coming to the rescue and smiled at her, at least until he saw her smiling slyly as well.
"So, I hear you met someone nice," Mary prodded.
Dean glared at that pregnant traitor in front of him. "This is gonna be a long night," he thought to himself upon entering the dining room where he spotted Sam, who Dean could immediately tell was trying very hard to keep his comments to himself.
Oh, shit. Sorry, it seems to be a simple chit-chat, but apparently they were in a mood for that. I don't even know where it came from. And sorry the chapters are getting longer and longer, but the boys can't seem to shut up.
But don't worry my lovelies, soon... I'm already writing a smutty chapter.
And you can guess Anna nom de plume, if you want, cause it's not really that complicated.
I got the idea for wine rack from the Internet. It's Corona wine rack
