Author's Note:
So much excitement for a coat xD
Castiel stared out the window as they slowed to a stop between other vehicles, his ears hurt but he was starting to get used to the sounds around him. It was so different from the lab and the mansion, he was used to those noises and knew what to tune out but these were so new. He tried to hear them all, mixed them up and focused too hard on things that were useless to him. His head was aching but he'd grown used to that sort of thing as well, having better hearing sometimes led to that and he was okay with it. Dean seemed to be aware now, for at least a little while anyway. Cas felt a little bad for making Dean worry, but he was so happy to be out of the house that it was outweighed.
"Ready?" Dean looked back at him; Dean had a little bit of nervousness about him ever since they'd left the mansion. Cas knew it was because Dean cared about him but he wished Dean could relax a little.
"I think so," he smiled and opened the door again. Using handles was challenging at first but he'd figured it out; he was extremely grateful no one had noticed his struggles earlier.
Dean and the others were heading for one of the buildings now but Cas was a little distracted by the way all the vehicles were lined up. He wished he could just look at it from above because it seemed so cool. They all parked within those lines, like there was a rule about it and they all just did it –aside from a few people apparently. Cas wondered what the penalty was if you didn't follow the rules. Did they lose their car? Maybe they wouldn't be allowed to go to that place ever again?
"Cas," Dean called from the door, "C'mon, let's go!"
"Sorry, coming!" Cas hurried after them and paused a little to try and focus on keeping his wings still. He made it in without incident and followed after Dean. Entering the store was an experience all its own. The ceiling was high with many lights that hurt his eyes, the room was completely open and there were things everywhere. He couldn't really believe it but at the same time it felt somewhat familiar. That feeling was vague and faded fast, but he noticed it all the same.
There were a few people inside, most kept to themselves, they hadn't looked up at the new people walking in though the clerks did.
"Social experiment," he heard Sam say and let that noise drift away as he let himself stare at the wide open room. It smelled different, maybe dusty. The floor was concrete like the side walk but smoother, there was the sound of large fans going and big vents in the ceiling above. The word warehouse came to mind though he wasn't sure why. It was so cool.
When he caught up to Dean he knew he had ask about the vehicles outside. Dean loved cars, he'd definitely know. "Why are all the cars like that?"
"Like what?" Dean looked at him with genuine confusion, Cas was a little disappointed. "Like, metal? Or why are they shaped like that or-"
"No, no, why are they all stopped in those lines?"
"Ohhh," Dean clapped as he caught on to what Cas was saying, as if Cas hadn't just explained it to him and he'd discovered it on his own. "Right, yeah that's because it's a parking lot. All the cars park in those lines so everyone can leave easily and we can fit as many cars in the lot as possible."
"Who paints them?"
"The city,"
Cas' eyes widened, "The city paints itself? That's amazing! How does-"
"No," Dean covered his mouth to stunt his excitement, "No, not what I meant. I mean that there are people in charge of stuff like that and they're paid by the city."
"The city pays people?"
"In a way, but that's not why there are painted lines." Sam cut in and Dean looked more relieved than Cas thought he should be. He expected Dean to know but it was about more than just cars, so he supposed it made sense that Sam would know more. "Every city has a small government, a group of people whose jobs it is to make sure everything within the city runs smoothly. One of the small parts of this is making sure that the roads and parking lots have the right lines."
"Can we not explain government right now?" Dean asked drearily and Cas moved to nuzzle him. He liked the way Dean smiled whenever he did that, this time was no different. It was like the sun had just risen on Dean's face, as beautiful as the sky at dawn. Cas knew it was kinda cheesy but he liked the sunrise too much to care. Be that sunrise the real one or Dean's smile.
"Let's grab a coat and get outta here," Charlie hurried to the racks with the large jackets, "these stores have the weirdest people."
"Tell me about it," Sam looked at Dean and Cas with a joking smirk that Dean swatted at him for.
"Yes," Cas added, "We are inside this store." He felt proud of himself for joining in on the joke, it was even better when Dean started laughing about it.
The other three were more focused on getting him a coat while he wandered around. He didn't get far though, Dean kept bringing him back and making him try on a new one. Most of them were too small and the very few that weren't tended to be too thick and heavy for early summer weather.
"This is impossible." Dean grumbled after about fifteen minutes.
"We'll find something," Cas reassured him and moved to start trying on anything he figured might fit. He wanted to cheer Dean up but it started to dawn on him that he might not be helping as he got stuck in one of the jackets. He kept quiet as he struggled to break free, his arm was stuck and the fabric wouldn't stretch. It was about ten seconds before he softly said "Uhm,"
Dean looked up and snorted, "Seriously?" He was smiling and trying not to laugh; it made Cas feel a little better for being incompetent.
"I am stuck, Dee." Cas stated simply and Dean laughed out loud as he went to help out.
"C'mere, I got you."
"I think I got one," Sam said though Cas couldn't quite see him while Dean was trying to tug him around by the coat. There was an extra set of hands on him and with a few sharp motions he was freed. Cas scooted away from the jacket with a little hiss, he didn't really mean to, it just came to him.
"You good?" Dean was still laughing at him.
"Yeah," he smiled in return, "I'm good."
"Great," Sam tossed the coat at him, "Try this one."
Though he was a little dubious of coats after what just happened, he listened and curled his wings in close as he put it on. It was a tan colour and left enough room around his shoulders despite having wings pressed against the back of it. His wings wriggled under the fabric but it wasn't crushing, he could get used to it. It was thin too, made more for the weather they were currently having. It was almost perfect, just to check with the others what they thought and he'd be happy with it. "How do I look?" he asked as he lifted his head to see them, looking between their faces but settling on Dean's.
"It's actually not bad," Dean walked around him, or tried as Cas turned with him to watch him. "Hold still Cas, I wanna see." Dean smirked and put a hand on him to keep him in one spot.
"I like it," Charlie decided and headed toward the shoe section, "This way Cas, we're not done yet."
He followed her, and only then did he notice the people in the store. The ones who had seen him come in were staring at him like the people from the street. They were in awe of his 'mutation' and he was sure they'd ask him questions about it very soon.
Charlie led him to a bench and insisted that he sit and stay out of trouble. "I'll bring some over here and we'll see how they work for you."
"Okay," he agreed and looked over at Sam and Dean who were wandering over. He could hear their conversation; it was like they'd forgotten again that he had enhanced hearing.
"He's doing pretty good, right?" Dean was close to whispering, eager to get some reassurance from his brother.
"Yeah, I'm pretty impressed." Sam nodded and glanced over at Cas who smiled, Sam waved at him. "After this I hope we can take him to some really cool places without more trouble. What happened back on the street would happen literally everywhere today if we don't cover his wings."
"Yeah, I think Jet's plan worked better when Jet was actually part of it." Dean chuckled, "Still though, I literally have no clue what to show him. I mean there's probably a thousand things I take for granted on a daily basis he'd find awesome but I can't think of a single one."
"Don't force it, we'll just do stuff as it comes along." Sam pat him on the shoulder and Dean nodded.
"Thanks," he sighed and looked at Cas too, "I just want the best for him, you know?"
"I know." Sam walked away from Dean then and joined Cas on the bench. "Time to put something on your feet, huh?"
"Yeah," Cas feigned ignorance to what he'd just heard though he was sure his face was as bright as the sunlight outside. Dean was amazing, he wasn't sure what other explanation he could possibly give. "The ground is very dirty," he emphasized this by lifting up his now greyed sole.
"Oh," Sam's mouth pulled tight, "yeah, yeah it is."
"Used shoes are nasty," Dean remarked, "we can afford new ones, let's just get those."
"Maybe after he already has a pair," Charlie said as she brought a few samples, "People think it's less weird when they see a shoeless person in a thrift store than a higher end retail location."
"Point taken."
Charlie lifted up Cas' foot and he giggled a little, it tickled but he tried to hold still before being scolded. She measured one of the shoes to his foot and frowned, "Okay, your feet have grown since I last saw you…"
"You knew my shoe size?" Cas wasn't sure how to take that, it was amazing he'd known someone so well that they would know what size his feet were. At the same time though it hurt because he probably used to know hers too.
"I knew a lot of things," Charlie shrugged and smiled up at him, "But I guess we both need to learn new things about each other, huh?"
He bit his lip and nodded, he didn't want to cry again but he felt so much better hearing those words. "Thanks Charlie,"
"You're welcome," she handed him a pair of shoes, "Think you can put these on yourself?"
"Yeah," he was eager to prove himself and promptly put the shoes on. They were extremely uncomfortable and he snarled down at them. He really had to wear these? They didn't even fit his feet, they were painful and felt weird.
"Close," Sam reached down and made him switch feet, "you had them on wrong."
"Oh, right." Cas stood up in them now that Sam had fixed them, it was a lot better. He still preferred not wearing shoes though, the material was weird and his feet felt suffocated.
"Do you like them?" Dean asked and Cas looked up at him to see hopeful eyes.
Cas wasn't sure what it was about Dean's face, maybe it was just the combination of all his features or something in his expressions, but it made Cas melt a little every time. He walked a little in the shoes and shrugged, "I dunno, they feel weird."
"Maybe we should start with something softer?" Sam looked at Charlie as he stood up, "I mean, wearing slippers is better than being barefoot."
Charlie hummed in response and went back into the aisles to find more shoes for him to try on. With them gone he took the shoes off and wriggled his toes in their freedom. "I should appreciate being shoeless more," he muttered and Dean giggled.
"We always realize what we had when it's gone," he said as he dropped onto the bench where Sam had been. "Hey Cas?" his tone shifted to something more sincere and it happened so quick Cas wasn't sure how to respond.
He just looked up with wide eyes, mouth slightly open in his dumbfoundedness.
Dean smiled so sweetly and leaned in for a kiss. It was nice and warm, Cas let himself fall into it and enjoy it. Dean and everything Dean brought to the world were all things Cas didn't want to lose. He didn't want to one day realize what he'd had because Dean was gone. He decided that he'd appreciate Dean right then in that moment, and in every moment that he could.
The kiss ended and they stayed with their foreheads touching and eyes locked in a gaze that Cas didn't want to end. "I love you, Dee." He whispered and stole another kiss, just a quick one.
Dean didn't say anything; he just kept smiling and pulled Cas into a hug instead. "You're so incredible," he said after a few moments of a silent embrace.
"Feet please," Charlie grinned as they looked up at her, she very purposefully interrupted them. "You guys are getting too cheesy for public scenarios."
"Pfft, you're just jealous," Dean leaned away to give them more room.
Charlie just put the shoes on Cas' feet this time, slipped right on with no trouble. Cas stood up and 'ooooh'd out loud. "They're comfy," he exclaimed and bounced up and down a little. They weren't as harsh as the other ones; it was like walking on a soft rug all the time. He trotted around the immediate vicinity, watching his feet as he went. "I love them! Can I have them?" He looked up at Dean excitedly and realized that Dean was making a weird face.
"Really?" Dean looked at Charlie who shrugged.
"They're all the rage."
"Uggs?" Dean reiterated and Cas didn't understand at all. "He can't wear those!"
"Why? He likes them." Charlie folded her arms defiantly, "He's getting them, they're cheap here."
"Are they bad?" Cas asked sheepishly and both Sam and Charlie responded firmly.
"No."
But simultaneously Dean said "Yes" just as firmly.
Cas pouted, "But they're so comfortable…"
Dean paused and stuttered, unsure of how to reply. He looked at Sam and Charlie who had the most condescending expressions that said something like 'yeah Dean, he likes them. Why can't he wear them?'
"Fine!" Dean threw his arms up, "They're fine Cas,"
"Are you sure?" Cas double checked and Dean dropped his face into his hands.
"Dean's being dramatic," Sam reassured him and shoved Dean hard enough he had to stumble to stay upright.
"Yeah," Dean agreed though a little more exasperated than before. "I'm just being dramatic Cas, the shoes are fine if you love them."
Cas looked at Charlie who gave him a thumb's up. "Okay," he smiled and looked down at them again, "I want these ones."
"Sweat pants and Ugg's," Dean groaned, "What have I done…"
"He's comfortable, just shut up." Sam smirked and Dean very sarcastically mimicked his face.