AN: Hope you are all still with me here. More cuteness follows today, but don't get too use to it. Winchesters are never happy for long. Thanks again sidz for the reviews and those of you that Fav and Follow.

Dean was very excited about the kitchen. He looked at it like it was his own personal heaven. He surveyed the ingredients that Cas had purchased and began laying them out along the counter. He popped a pan on the stove and scooped a sizable lump of butter into it before turning on the flame of the gas range.

He said as he began rummaging for a stirring utensil, "You actually have an indoor grill on your stove. What I wouldn't give…"

"It is pretty normal. I don't use it much though. I just never have the time. I'm afraid that I eat out a lot." Cas had explained as Dean began pulling out more items from the fridge for his cooking project.

"Well, I would use this grill literally everyday. Sam and I had to do a lot of fending for ourselves when we were young, and I became adept at cooking TV dinners, but mostly at finding good diner food. I really picked up some skills later when I…" Dean stopped abruptly and pretended to be looking for something in a cabinet.

"Can I help you find something?" Cas offered while making his way over to the other side of the counter.

"Just looking for a spice rack." Dean continued to rummage until Cas cut him off with an arm that reached past him to another cabinet. Personal space was once again missing as Cas used his body to slightly push Dean back while he reached into the cabinet. The spice rack was on an odd little lazy susan contraption with a handle. He was able to pick up the whole thing and deposit it on the counter in front of them. There was a little bit of everything on the rack. He turned to tell Dean that when he noticed the look again. The same intense look that he thought that he saw earlier when he blinded him with his shirtlessness.

"Uh, this work for you?" He gestured to the rack and took a step back.

"Looks like you got everything that I need. Thanks, Cas." Dean began picking up containers from the rack here and there with consideration. Cas had to turn away a little as he was blushing profusely.

You got everything that I need. He would play those words out on repeat for, well, ever. It didn't matter if they were said about spices. He heard it as he needed to hear it, and it felt good. "Should I cut up some of the lettuce and tomatoes?"

"Yeah, do you have onions too?" Dean tossed back over his shoulder.

"Yes, I wasn't sure if you wanted red or yellow onions so I bought both."

"I'm not picky. Would you mind if I used one of them now and then you could cut the other one up for later?"

"You're the boss." The easy camaraderie was starting to kill off the ache that had taken root in Cas' stomach, and he wasn't sure if he should welcome it or push aside the feeling. It was a strange thing to think. It was odd to imagine an ache as a comfortable thing when faced with the potential comfort of a companion, but he was incapable of seeing the whole thing as lasting. He saw it as temporary and maybe a road to greater aches and loneliness. His resolve was slipping, though.

Cas cut up the onions and found their aroma distracting enough. Dean looked over at him and saw the globs of tears forming in Cas' eyes. "There is a trick to that, here." Dean grabbed a piece of bread from the loaf that was on the counter and held it in front of Cas. Cas looked up at him with some confusion, tears on the precipice of spilling over his cheeks. "Open your mouth." Cas complied. Dean put the slice of bread in Cas' mouth so that it hung out rather awkwardly. "It will soak up some of the aroma before it hits your nose and eyes. That should help with the tearing up. It's like a little shield."

"Thanks, Dean." Cas mumbled almost inarticulately. Then Dean picked up a dishrag from the counter and dabbed at the edges of Cas' eyes.

"Wouldn't want you getting tears in my onions." He winked and turned back to his own preparation on the other counter. "Let me know when you finish with round one of the onions; I want to grill them for in the burgers."

Concentrate, Cas. Otherwise you will cut off your fingers here. He winked again. Do friends do that? Should I take up winking at my friends? He tried to imagine the effect of winking at Uriel. He cringed at the thought. Uriel would likely find that unappealing. He continued cutting up the onions then and tried to turn his brain more fully to the task. It was not easy.

"I think that round one of the onions is now complete." He tossed back over his shoulder.

"Good timing." Dean stored the melted butter that he was heating. "I'll take those." He reached past Cas then and grabbed the cutting board with the onions on it. He tipped the onions into the pan and then reached back to place it in front of Cas again. They seemed to work nicely together in the shared environment. Personal space was still an issue, but they each moved together in a type of symmetry. Cas began cutting up the tomatoes as the smell of the onions wafted up from the pan. Dean was stirring it around. There is nothing quite like the smell of cooking onions.

Dean gradually added other spices to the mix. Cas did not pay attention to what they were. The smell though was mouthwatering. It reminded him of the sentence that Dean had left hanging before, so he asked, "So you never finished explaining where you picked up your cooking skills. You certainly did not figure this out from the world of TV dinners." Cas cut up the lettuce while he waited for the response.

"That is a long story." Dean paused then and did not continue.

"So, does that mean that you aren't telling me?"

"No, I just don't really know how to share it." He paused again and then dove right in, "I had this friend that was from New Orleans. His name was Benny." Dean paused and removed the pan from the stove, still stirring while he moved. Cas had finished cutting up the veggies and walked over to the kitchen stool to sit. "He use to cook some of the best stuff. He made these little donut things. I think that they were called Bennys."

Cas laughed a little. "You mean beignets?"

"Yeah, probably, fancy pants." Dean laughed, "I think that I probably ate a literal ton of those things. Sammy liked them too, which sucked since that meant less for me." Dean started mixing the meat and the seasoned onion mixture together. Then he started making patties. "My dad hated Benny. I never understood why. I understood, somewhat, later, but in the beginning it didn't make sense. He was a great guy. Always trying to help out and such. Sometimes I think that my dad just didn't have room enough in his life for any more than just Sam and I and sometimes not even enough for us." His tone had dropped a little.

"I'm sorry Dean. That must have been tough. I feel like our father's were similar creatures." Cas looked down at his hands while he spoke considering his own family.

"God, I hope not. That would mostly suck. I loved my dad, don't get me wrong, but he was a cold son of a bitch. He had his ideas on how the world worked and god forbid you should deviate from that path. It was hardest for Sammy. I did what I could, but Dad was always there to knock it all back to shit."

Cas decided to redirect a little, not because he was uninterested in Dean's dad, but because he could feel the tension coming from Dean as he discussed him. "So, Benny taught you all of this cooking stuff?"

Dean brightened a little, "Yeah, he did. He would come over with a bunch of weird vegetables and say, 'I've come to prevent the scurvy.'" Dean chuckled. "Apparently, that was something that you get if you only eat meat or something. He use to complain that we never ate vegetables, and that it was his mission to broaden our palates. My dad didn't come home most nights for dinner so Sam and I had to take care of things ourselves, until we met Benny. Benny just kind of invited himself over whenever dad wasn't there and made a lot of our dinners."

"How did you meet him?"

"He moved into town a few doors down from our house. I didn't meet him then though. I met him at a weird hunting camp that dad sent us to. Benny's mom sent him to the camp because she was tired of him moping around the house all the time. She thought that he was getting depressed or some such thing. My dad just wanted to get rid of us for a week, so this was his solution. Plus it was cheap. He said that it would man us up." Dean paused again and turned to Cas, "Do you have any apple cider vinegar, honey, lime juice, and ketchup?"

"Well, that was random." Cas got up and retrieved the items, handed them to Dean, and then returned to the stool.

"I like to make my own BBQ sauce. He mixed the items together and some items from the spice rack, along with a splash of olive oil. "Here taste." He held out a spoon of the BBQ sauce to Cas then.

"That's way better than the store-bought. I think that maybe you can never leave now. You must make all of my meals." Cas smiled at him and thought to himself, If only it were that simple.

He laughed. "Sounds like a good plan. I will just quit my job and work on the motorcycle and meals all day." He smiled back.

"Come on, your uncle can spare you. Plus, I'm a charity case." Cas mock begged.

"Nah, my uncle would blow a gasket if I quit now. Do you know how much I have to get through this week? It took a lot of manipulating to get out of working for him this weekend. Truth be told, I think that Sammy got to him. He said something sappy, I think, because my uncle has been walking around on eggshells with me for the past couple of days. When I asked him what was up, he said that Sammy was just being a pest. He said some other things too, but we won't go into that. He let me out of work though, so maybe I owe Sam one, huh."

Dean slathered on the BBQ sauce and put the patties on the heated grill. "Now this I could get use to. You need to use this more often. Don't let it go to waste." He gave Cas a steady glare that said, I will be checking.

"Yes, sir." Cas responded. "I am sure glad that someone appreciates this." Cas spread out his hands over the kitchen. Then Cas chose to redirect, "So, do you still hang out with Benny?"

"Hmm, not so much." Dean let that statement hover without elaboration.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated." Cas waited for more explanation, but it didn't come.

"So…"

"It's just complicated." Dean busied himself with the burgers, but didn't flip them. "Do you want cheese on yours?"

"Sure. I have to admit, I am now very curious about where Benny is. You have to tell me more." Cas rested his chin in his hands and stared across the counter at Dean.

"This guy I knew once told me that I should get use to disappointment. So, Cas, get use to disappointment." Dean smiled at Cas then and flipped the burgers.

"Okay, for now. How much longer? I am on the brink of starvation."

"Not long now."

"I am going to set the table then. What do you want to drink with your burger?"

"Beer." Dean answered quickly.

Cas began gathering the table settings and the burger fixings for the table. He then came back into the kitchen. He dipped into the fridge to pull out two beers from the bottom shelf, and turned to Dean to ask which type he preferred. Dean's soon to be patented intense stare was already on him. He swiftly looked away. "So what type of beer do you want? I have a stout or an ipa."

"Let's go with the ipa." Dean had finished with the burgers and was putting them onto a plate. They both made their way to the table carrying the beers and the burgers and plunked themselves down across from each other.

"Dean, I can't thank you enough. This looks amazing." Cas breathed in the aroma coming off of the burgers and felt like eating had to commence immediately.

"It's just burgers. You act like nobody ever cooked for you before." Dean began forming his burger and Cas did the same.

"Aside from my mom, no one ever has." Cas raised the burger to his mouth when he caught the look in Dean's eyes. "What?"

"That is just a little sad. I don't know. Food is like a basic necessity. It is what you share with the people that matter, and it is important. Sammy and I have eaten countless meals together. I miss that. Each time I sit down to eat when I am at home, I feel like it isn't really home, because I'm not sharing stuff with anyone. It is just me, you know?"

"I guess that I hadn't really thought of it that way. But I understand what you mean. There are other ways to be connected than just the food. Funny thing, the other night at the bar, I felt very connected to everyone. Maybe it was the singing or…"

"The alcohol," Dean interrupted with a smile.

"Or the alcohol…" Cas laughed. "But it wasn't the food. It was just being with people. I don't do that enough. I would be a complete recluse if it weren't for the constant efforts of my friends."

"Why didn't your ex cook for you?" Dean asked as he took a long pull from his beer.

"Hmm, that's a long story. And depressing, so let's just...no." Cas ate his burger and added, "Literally the best meal I have ever had."

"I'm okay with depressing stories. Kind of own a few of my own." Dean tried to redirect.

"How much did Sam already tell you?"

"Nothing much. He said that the guy went AWOL or something. I think that he mentioned a messy break-up."

"Yeah, the short version is: he drank too much, crashed the bike, went to prison, and disappeared." Cas took a pull on his own beer now. "I haven't seen or heard from him since he went to prison, and I am not interested in anything having to do with him."

"Did you try to see him when he was in prison?" Dean asked.

"Of course. He was not interested in seeing me anymore at that point. I hope that you won't take this the wrong way, but I would really rather not talk about this." Cas tried to avoid eye contact. He just wanted to dive down any other avenue, but he could not find a tactful exit, thus the abrupt statement.

Dean did not try to continue the conversation. Instead they ate silently for a few minutes. Then Dean said, "When Benny turned 18 he got a girl pregnant. Had to move out of his mom's place. Eventually, he and the girl moved to New Orleans. I was young and didn't know how to be the kind of friend that he needed. When he moved we were already not on the best of terms. I have a lot of regrets on that one. I should have talked with him. I should have been his friend."

"You could always look him up now." Cas offered.

"Yeah, but I won't. Too much time has passed. I'm not the same kid I was then. I do wonder sometimes though, whatever became of him. I wonder how his kid turned out and if he stayed with the girl. I hope that he's happy."

Cas looked up at him then and said, "I hope so too." And they both knew that Cas was talking about Charles a little then too.

"Look at us. Two sappy dudes on a Friday night." Dean laughed and Cas joined him.

"It is a little sad huh." Cas smiled.

"You better not try to back out of watching The Army of Darkness tonight." Dean waggled a finger at him.

Cas opened his mouth wide in an elongated yawn. "I don't know Dean. It is pretty late." It was taking an immense effort to keep from laughing at Dean's look of shock.

"No way. You don't get to skip the best movie ever. At least not that easily."

"Haha, I can't keep it up. You actually looked totally sad just now." Cas laughed again. "Like I would bail on this. I see it as an opportunity to make fun of you. This is likely going to be the worst movie I've ever seen."

"Ah! How dare you." He flicked a pickle slice over at Cas' head. "Take that you heathen."

Cas looked at Dean with surprise. "Dean, did you actually just throw a pickle at me?"

Dean swept his head down a little. "That may have happened, or maybe it didn't. I deny everything." He smiled at him. "You don't really have to watch it if you don't want to. I just thought that it would be fun."

"Dean, I will thoroughly enjoy watching this piece of cinematic awesomeness with you. It will likely be so horrible that I will be completely entertained. Plus, if it is really bad, I don't have to feel guilty for making you fix my bike and my dinner." Cas started to clear away the dishes.

"You do realize that I wanted to do this, right?" Dean held his eyes steadily.

"I guess I didn't exactly twist your arm." Cas didn't break the gaze. "Let's clear this up and watch this movie."

Once again, he couldn't stop smiling. It was like his face was threatening to split apart. Dean broke the silent clean up with, "So this might sound stupid, but where is your TV? Do you have one of those hidden TVs that come up out of a hole or from behind the bookcase? I stayed in a hotel once that had a TV that was hidden behind a picture."

Cas had to laugh at that, but then he recognized a greater issue. "There is a TV in each of the bedrooms. I never put one in the living room, because it felt weird to have three TVs in one condo when I am the only one here. Plus, I don't really watch TV. When I do, it is a last ditch effort to fall asleep. I tell myself that if I get bored enough by the program, that my insomnia will lose the war."

"So, do you have rules about popcorn in there, because popcorn, kinda necessary." Dean began washing up the dishes.

"Uh, no dishes. Just stop already." Cas hip bumped him aside and said, "I will feel like a jerk if you keep doing everything." Cas took over and Dean stood off to the side awkwardly.

"Geesh, just trying to help. Well, I'm going to change into sweats and then beg for popcorn again."

"Normally, I would say no to the popcorn, but tonight, I will make an exception. Just no pickles for you. I don't need to find pickles all over my bed in the morning." I should be freaking out right now. I should be drenched in a cold sweat. I should be having tiny heart attacks back to back. If he even looks at me again, I won't be able to control myself. He is so, everything. Find your Zen place, Cas. Find it now. He took a deep breath and walked away from the sink toward his room.

He scooped up the DVD from the counter before he got into the room. He wandered into his room with the movie, opened it up, and put it into his player. He popped over to his drawers and pulled out a pair of sweatpants that he often chose to sleep in. They were worn to a softness that was comfortable, but they were still solidly black. He felt like they showed off his shape well enough. He pulled them on and looked into the mirror. He ran a hand through his dark hair only to find that it would not be tamed. It was sticking out all over the place. It was then that Dean chose to come in. "Popcorn?"

"Patience, Dean, patience." He left the room to make up some popcorn. "Cue up the film. I don't need to see the previews for movies from the 90s." Cas called back to the room.

It didn't take long to cook up the popcorn. He had one of those large air-poppers despite the fact that he wasn't much of a film buff. Last Christmas, he and Anna made popcorn strands for their "Old Timey" Christmas tree. It was a fun theme. They had been doing the Christmas collaboration for a few years now. It was easier than going home and more enjoyable.

When the popcorn was done he returned to the room with the way too large bowl just brimming with the little puffs of goodness. "Ah, nothing better than popcorn and a movie." Dean breathed in deeply as Cas plopped down next to him.

"Really, nothing better? This is your idea of heaven?" Cas smiled over at him.

"Totally." He smiled back. "Prepare for awesomeness, Cas." Dean flicked on the film and Cas flicked off the lights and settled in.

Reviews make me all kinds of happy. Favs and Follows are awesome too. The next chapter is Dean and Cas centric in all the best ways. 'Till then...