Sometimes, she amazes herself with her own brilliance.

For a few years now, Charlie's been blessed to call Castiel her roommate. They've been friends for a while before that, so when he needed a place to stay, she offered him the second bedroom in her apartment without a thought, and the rest is history.

Sharing an apartment with Castiel is a lot like going on an outing with him. He's kind of quiet, but definitely very sweet and thoughtful, something he's kept up even if he doesn't hang the toilet paper right and always seems to trigger the washing machine into eating their socks. But while she's glad he didn't turn out to be a roommate-zilla like her last attempt at sharing a space, Charlie was in for quite a surprise when she came home early one day to find a cat snoozing in a sunny spot on the carpet.

After an appropriate amount of squealing, cooing, and petting, Charlie finally released the cute little black cat, and imagine her surprise when the cat—the familiar, as it turned out—changed into a sheepish Castiel, all sad eyes and unnecessary apologies. Charlie didn't mind the surprise; she's always wanted a cat anyway, and Castiel's as sweet as can be and loves to be pet, so he's the perfect cuddly companion whenever she needs a coding buddy.

In many ways, they're ideal roommates. Despite being so different, they still get along great and enjoy hanging out together. The only thing is, she can tell her friend is a little lonely, and she knows just who will make his little kitty heart light up the way his face always does when he looks at exactly one individual.

Enter Dean Winchester.

She's been friends with Dean since forever and actually met Castiel through him. Charlie was with Dean when he went LARPing for the first time and showed him the ropes, and they've been friends ever since, bonding over shared interests and a similar taste in women that makes trips to the bar extra fun, though she just so happens to know that Dean's into guys too.

Dean's thoughtful in a more subtle way, like he doesn't want anybody to know about it. He seems super macho on the surface, but he's pretty sensitive deep down. He's a great cook and a good listener and an awesome friend, even if he can be super stubborn about stuff, like his unrelenting rule about music in his beloved car that she swears is bordering on a fetish (something Dean's brother Sam would agree).

As an added bonus, Dean also happens to be a witch with no familiar in sight.

Plus, best of all, Dean never shuts up about Castiel, going on about how kind and nice and dreamy he is, always touching him whenever they're near each other. And she knows Castiel feels the same with the way he just stares at Dean for what feels like hours to the rest of their awkward friend group, how he always makes room beside him for Dean to sit and always suggests they watch Doctor Sexy, M.D. and generic action movies that Charlie knows for a fact Castiel doesn't actually like.

In other words, they're perfect for each other. The only problem is that they're also both totally oblivious to that fact, even though everybody around them has already figured it out.

For the sake of both Dean and Castiel's happiness as well as the sanity of their entire friend group, Charlie knows something needs to be done, and since no one else is stepping up, she realizes the catalyst of it all is going to have to be her, since they'll all be in their eighties by the time Dean or Castiel open their eyes.

"So, I'm thinking about inviting Dean over later for a pizza night," she says one day, trying to get the ball back rolling.

Castiel stiffens up a little, then fails miserably at covering how interested he is. "Just Dean?"

"Yeah, y'know, having a whole gang over is fun, but just a few friends is nice too. Nice and intimate, you know?" She conceals a grin at her friend's face, which is already looking a little pink just at the mention of a certain witch. "Sound good to you?"

"Um…yes."

As predicted, there's no struggle when it comes to inviting Dean over, and Dean agrees with a simple 'sure' when she texts him, so Operation Destiel is a go.

"Dean said yes," she chirps, and Castiel nods all seriously, but he's smiling when he looks away. So obvious… Oh well. Time to plant some seeds in his mind and get some confirmation. "Dean's a pretty nice guy, huh?"

"Yes. Dean is…very nice."

"Yeah, really nice. He practically raised his brother, you know. That takes some real dedication. He still takes care of him even now, which is pretty nice too. And his looks don't hurt either…"

Castiel's squinting at her. "I thought you were only romantically interested in females."

Charlie rolls her eyes, saying pointedly, "I am. You aren't."

"Oh."

She waits for a minute, but the familiar doesn't say anything else. "Castiel, level with me for a sec. Is it possible for you to think about Dean and not smile?"

Castiel frowns. "What are you saying?"

"You like Dean, don't you?"

"I-I… Dean is very nice—"

"Yeah yeah, super nice. That's not what I asked," she interrupts, grin growing by the second at Castiel's flustered expression. "Dean. Yay or nay?"

"Dean is my friend," Castiel insists, and of all the traits for him to share with the witch, he just had to have that Winchester stubbornness, didn't he? "Of course I like Dean, or we wouldn't be friends."

Charlie narrows her eyes. "You know what I'm really asking." The familiar doesn't respond, which she takes as confirmation. "Dean'll be here in a little bit. Any plans on what to watch?"

"Doctor Sexy," comes the immediate reply, though Castiel's face is a little red.

"You don't even like that show." Castiel goes all quiet again, and her grin returns. "You're not as subtle as you think, Castiel. I got you all figured out now."

"Please don't tell him," Castiel finally says, looking ashamed, which Charlie was definitely never aiming for, so she backs off a bit.

"Hey, it's totally cool, okay? Dean's a good guy to be interested in if you're into them." Nudging his shoulder gently, she adds, "And you are too, by the way."

"Um…thank you."

"Besides, I'm, like, 90% sure that Dean likes guys too, so there's that…"

"Charlie."

"Okay, okay…"

Dean comes over soon enough, and even though Castiel won't hardly acknowledge his big, fat, obvious crush, it's pretty clear what he's thinking about the whole visit, eyes unwaveringly locked on Dean. In other words, the seeds have successfully been planted on one side of the field.

Now time for the other side…

She finds such an opportunity in the form of a trip to the bar. Over the past few years, she's noticed that Dean's been doing a whole lot more looking than actually going home with anyone, and she has a feeling she knows why.

"How about her?" Dean asks around the rim of his glass, nodding towards a classy blonde with a martini.

A lightbulb goes off in her head as the golden opportunity presents itself. "Maybe her friend in the short shorts. With the dark hair?" Dean nods along and swallows, and Charlie adds, "Dark hair is probably my favorite hair color on somebody I'm into."

"Yeah… Yeah, dark hair's okay."

"Looks good short…"

"Yeah. Maybe on the messy side…"

"Mhm. With blue eyes—really makes everything pop."

"Blue eyes…" Dean repeats with an even harder swallow, and Charlie grins when the witch's head snaps over to her. "Wait, what?"

"What's wrong, Dean?" she asks innocently. "I'm just talking about my tastes in people, that's all."

Dean frowns at her, setting his beer down. "And why are you describing Cas?"

"Hey, you're the one who mentioned him, not me," Charlie points out with a grin, and Dean falters. "You like Cas, don't you?"

"Shut up," Dean replies with a sniff, which is as good as a yes in her book, because it certainly wasn't a no. "'Course I like him. He's a good guy."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean, sure he's weird," Dean continues, looking off into the distance with a faint smile. "So weird. But he's a good guy. A weird, dorky…little guy."

"You don't say?"

Dean suddenly looks at her, scowling. "Hey, what are you trying to pull?"

Charlie fakes a shocked look. "Who, me?"

"Whatever, red. Just, uh…don't tell him, okay?"

She forces a serious expression. "You know me—I'm a vault." Dean still looks pretty tense, which wasn't the point of any of this, so she clears her throat and nods towards a brunette ordering a drink. "How about her? Dark hair, blue eyes…"

"Yeah, she's easy on the eyes," Dean replies, but he never even glances at her, instead staring off into the distance with this faraway look that makes Charlie hide a smile behind her glass.

Yeah, she's got the seeds planted deep in both of their minds. Now all she has to do is get them talking, though for these two, that's definitely easier said than done.

The thing about Castiel is that he's a nervous wreck whenever Dean's coming over, cleaning stuff up and picking out his clothes for half an hour. It's cute, but it got so much worse since Charlie made him all but admit to his feelings, and even worse yet in the last few days for whatever reason (she hasn't been able to pry it out of him yet, but she's trying).

So the obvious solution is to not alert Castiel that a certain witch is coming over, but this naturally backfires in the form of the poor familiar being totally unprepared for company, camped out in his bee-themed PJs with his hair still wet from his shower, looking nice and comfy on the couch and squinting at a documentary about birds.

Of course, this is when the door rings, and Charlie jumps up to open it when Cas keeps on staring at the birds on the screen unblinkingly. "Hey, Dean!"

She hops into a hug and hears something shift behind her as Dean hugs back. "Hey, Charlie. Cas home?"

So unsubtle… "Oh, he's around somewhere," she answers vaguely as they pull away after a glance behind her confirms that Castiel is no longer on the couch, probably off to frantically change his clothes and dry his hair and end up looking even less put together than before. "Why don't you come inside?"

Dean follows her into the apartment and over to the empty couch, but makes a face as he sits down while Charlie tries to subtly scan the room for Castiel, because she's pretty sure he couldn't have disappeared to his room in the abbreviated amount of time it took for her to usher Dean in

"Boring bird show, huh? Cas must be nearby." As if on cue, Castiel crawls out from under the couch in his cat form, obviously planning on sneaking away, but Charlie, feeling devious, nudges Dean until he looks down. "Oh, hey. Since when do you have a cat?"

Charlie doesn't answer, instead watching Castiel pause awkwardly before trying to slink away. "Here, kitty, kitty!"

She swears she gets an unimpressed little glare at that (can cats glare? Maybe a squint would be more accurate), but before she can address that, Dean remarks with a frown, "Guess he doesn't like me much."

"Aw, he's just a little shy, but I'm sure he loves you." That definitely earns her a glare that she strategically ignores. "Just try to call him."

"Uh, c'mere…cat…" Naturally, Castiel creeps toward Dean immediately, rubbing against his legs, which makes the witch smile tenderly. "Huh. Maybe he does like me. What's his name again?"

"Mr. Snugglesworth," Charlie replies with no hesitation, watching Castiel's resulting disapproving face. "Why don't you pick him up? I think he'd love that."

Castiel tries to run off again, but Charlie grabs him around the middle when he gets too far and hands the squirming bundle of fur to Dean, seeing the way Castiel keeps on wiggling until the witch starts petting him. Charlie watches in delight as the familiar relaxes in Dean's lap with just a few strokes down his back, though she knows Dean can do better with a little instruction.

"Get under his chin—he likes that," she suggests, earning a dirty look from a certain cat until Dean actually does it and Castiel's eyes close, a purr starting up. "Cheeks, too. Oh, and behind the ears."

"Heh. Look, a cat sandwich," Dean says, scratching both of Castiel's cheeks at once, making the purring grow even louder. "Gotta say, you picked a fitting name, Charlie."

"I know, right? No better name for him than Mr. Snugglesworth." Castiel doesn't even shoot her a look this time, too busy becoming a little whiskered puddle in Dean's lap. Charlie decides to use the opportunity to strategically plant some more seeds. "Hey, aren't you allergic to cats, Dean?"

She can see the way Castiel instantly stiffens, but that tension goes away when Dean rubs behind the familiar's ears again. "Yeah, but allergies don't mean much to a witch. A spell or two and you get over stuff pretty fast."

Castiel's eyes are open in a familiar squint now as Charlie asks, fishing for the TV remote to change the channel, "What's it like being a witch?"

It's a question she's asked before, but never in front of Castiel. But she has a reason to ask it now, and that's that she's not sure whether her roommate knows Dean is a witch, and how can they start a relationship if they're keeping such big things secret from each other? Of course, Castiel's a terrible liar, so she has faith that his own little secret will come out soon enough, but Dean's good at hiding something when he wants to be. Given Castiel's only mildly confused head tilt, it seems like he already knew Dean's secret, though.

"About the same as the last dozen times you've asked," Dean replies with an eye roll, and she sticks her tongue out at him. "It's pretty sweet, I guess. I can solve all kinds of problems that most people can't, like your carpal tunnel or my allergies. But, uh, I dunno. It's not like I'm super strong or anything."

"Because you don't have a familiar?"

"Shut up," Dean huffs, running his hands down Castiel's back. "It's hard to find a familiar, y'know. Besides, like I said, I'm not that strong, not like Sammy is. No familiar would wanna be stuck with a weak witch like me…"

"Dean…" Charlie says sympathetically, itching to move in for a hug only to blink in surprise when Castiel rolls in Dean's lap to expose his belly, which Dean pets without a thought. "Whoa. He let you pet his belly? He never lets me do that!"

Castiel purrs louder, as if he's trying to prove a point, and Charlie huffs. Of course if anyone would pet his belly, it'd be Dean. She can't really be upset; if anything, this just proves how much Castiel trusts Dean, and she knows it goes both ways. In other words, this is further proof of the existence of Destiel, which will hopefully come to fruition soon.

Dean doesn't respond to her words, but he does start smiling, and Castiel gets even more cuddly by the second, even seeming to doze off after a while to Dean's hands on his fluffy tummy. Some action movie is playing on TV now, but Charlie gets the feeling she's the only one watching it, making her fingers itch to turn on some brain-rotting reality TV show instead.

"You know, I've never really liked cats too much," Dean pipes up after about half an hour, Castiel now definitely snoozing in his lap, looking heart-stoppingly huggable. "Not just 'cause I was allergic. But…I dunno. There's something different about this little guy, though. Never met such a cuddly cat before. Uh, Mr. Snugglesworth, huh?"

"Yeah, he's unique all right," Charlie says with a grin, unable to resist continuing, "Kinda pretty too, isn't he? That dark fur and those big blue eyes…"

"Good to know you like Catwoman for more than one reason," Dean mutters loudly, and Charlie kicks him in the shin, earning a yelp. His sudden movement makes Castiel blink awake, startled. "Ah, sorry, little buddy. Someone here just never matured past the age of five."

"Now who could that be?"

It takes a minute before the familiar relaxes back into Dean's lap, a sight that makes Charlie smirk a little. They really are the perfect match. Familiar and witch, introvert and extrovert, blue and green… They're opposites, but deep down, they're the same, and she just knows they're perfect for each other, like a matching set missing their other half.

"Hey, where's Cas?"

Oh, it just gets better. "Oh, I'm sure he's…around," she answers vaguely, seeing the way Castiel stiffens at the words. "Maybe closer than you think, even?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever the hell that means." A long moment passes before Dean asks quietly, "Did I…do something? Doesn't he wanna, y'know, see me, or…?"

Charlie frowns. "Dean, you know that's not true. Since when does Cas not want to see you?" Her roommate gives her a warning look that she ignores. "I mean, you should see the way he gets when you're coming over. Cleaning everything up, worrying about his outfits, taking forever in the bathroom…"

"And he still looks like he just rolled outta bed," Dean says fondly right as Castiel in his cat form nips at Charlie's finger, though not nearly hard enough to actually hurt. "Heh. Looks like you pissed off the little fuzzball."

"Maybe I should give him an extra long bath tonight," Charlie mutters back, giving the cat a look that Castiel returns with a head tilt. "I'm watching you, Mr. Snugglesworth…"

"Looks like he's watching you right back. Look at those big ol' eyes…" Dean's quiet for a minute before asking, "If Cas isn't mad, how come he doesn't wanna be out here?"

Uh oh. "Uh…maybe he's just busy?"

"Doing what, huh? He usually does all his little crossword puzzles and sudokus and stuff out here and…" Dean glances away, continuing more quietly, "and I think he's not here for a different reason…"

Charlie looks between the two of them, baffled. "Did something change between you two?"

"I…I told him…some things," Dean hedges, and Charlie gives him a look that earns an aggravated sigh. "I told him I liked him, okay? But it didn't work out, and now he's gotta be pissed at me for—I mean, we've been friends for years, Charlie. He's my best friend, and I went and screwed it up by opening my big trap."

"Because you said you like him?" she asks skeptically, because that doesn't sound like Castiel at all, especially since Castiel's got a huge crush on Dean the size of Jupiter. "What exactly did you say?"

"I…I said I need him, okay?" Dean finally snaps, and Charlie and Castiel both look at him now, Charlie curious and Castiel with his head tipped to the side. "And he just blew me off. For three days now, he won't respond to any messages with more than a few words. What's that, man? He always sends a whole essay back, and now this?"

Charlie's stunned into silence. She's never seen Dean look so depressed before, his hands not even petting the cat in his lap. Castiel too looks as sad as a cat can be, looking up at Dean pitifully and nuzzling into the witch's belly before getting all determined and springing off his lap completely, scurrying out of the room.

Dean gives a watery chuckle. "Even your cuddly cat doesn't wanna be around me anymore…"

Charlie leans in to give him a hug when a new voice breaks through, calling timidly, "Dean?"

"Cas?" Dean rasps out, and Charlie's eyes quickly scan for an escape, because that's his emotional voice right there, and as much as she wants to see Destiel finally happen, she knows when she's not wanted. "Cas, I…"

"I thought you meant you…needed me for my abilities," Castiel says in a rush that makes both Dean and Charlie blink. "I…thought you discovered…what I am, and since you mentioned your magic in the conversation, I thought you…"

"Thought I…what?"

Castiel hesitates, stating, "I am, uh, 'Mr. Snugglesworth'."

"Uh… I mean, I know you like hugs, but—"

"No, I'm…well, yes, but I am a familiar. A…cat familiar." The realization finally seems to click in Dean's thick head, and Castiel continues softly, "I thought you found out, and when you said you need me…"

"Oh. Cas…" Dean stands up, and the two hug in one of those tender bone-crushing embraces they're famous for in the friend group, like neither of them ever want to let the other one go. "I meant I need you in my life and stuff, buddy. Not as my familiar or anything. Well, maybe that too, but I…I meant I…I, y'know, like you and stuff, Cas."

"I like you 'and stuff,' as well, Dean," Castiel mumbles into Dean's shoulder, tipping his head to press a kiss to his cheek that has them both smiling, and that's when the squeal Charlie has been trying to contain finally breaks free.

"Aww, you guys are so cute! Just so you know, you two have totally been my OPT since forever."

"Wait, you planned this whole thing, didn't you?" Dean asks with a huff, pulling out of the hug, though his arm is still around Castiel's waist and the familiar doesn't seem inclined to move it. Despite the witch's words, he's smiling. "Damnit, Charlie."

"Thank you, Charlie," Castiel says at the same time, eyes inevitably drifting towards Dean again. "What is an 'OPT'?"

"It means I realized you two would be perfect together long before either of your heads came out of your own butts," she offers as an explanation, beaming. "I came up with a ship name and everything, and I can now say that Operation Destiel is a success."

Dean makes a face at that. "Shouldn't it be Deastiel?"

Castiel looks more confused by the second, looking to Dean for guidance, and Charlie just grins. "Whatever it is, my mission is complete."

"Cas, I'm pretty sure Dean doesn't care what you're making," Charlie says for the third time. "He ate that chicken soup you made when he got sick without complaint, even though it was a little…smoky. Pretty sure he can handle a pie."

Her roommate scowls and pokes the slightly charred lump in a pie pan. "But it's burnt."

"Something I guarantee Dean won't even notice. Besides, can't he just magic it better?"

It's true; since becoming a witch and familiar dynamic duo, Dean is more powerful than ever, his magic now capable of things none of them would have even dreamed of before. As such, she doubts unburning a pie would be much of a challenge, and judging by the way Castiel just grumbles, he probably realizes this.

The Destiel Chronicles have been adding chapters for a few months now. Dean and Castiel were friends for a long time, so they wasted no time in moving things along, much to poor Sam's dismay, since they usually head over to the apartment Dean shares with his brother to do things Charlie tries not to think about too much.

She's beyond happy for them. If there's one thing she enjoys, it's making her friends happy, and anyone with eyes could see that what makes these two idiots happy is each other—not that they'd probably notice themselves, as they're always too busy looking into each other's eyes for obscene amounts of time that still make Charlie coo at them, if mostly internally (though they hardly ever notice her when they're together anyway).

There's a knock at the door that makes Castiel jump and hurry off, saying something about his hair being a mess, making Charlie roll her eyes, knowing that Dean likes that look better anyway. But there's no reasoning with the ball of nerves she calls her roommate, so she gets the door to find Dean standing there in what she fondly calls his bi-flannel.

"Hey, Charlie. Cas home?"

Typical. "Yeah, he's around here somewhere," she answers after a brief hug, opening the door wider, as if she needs to invite Dean in when he practically lives here these days. "Why don't you come in?"

Dean sits on the couch, and here's not there for more than five seconds before Castiel, now in cat form, pokes his head out from under the couch, making the witch give him a smile that makes Charlie's heart consider skipping a beat. They're so cute together…

"Hey, Snugglesworth," Dean offers with a grin, patting his thigh until the familiar hops up into his lap to nuzzle his belly. "Look what the unreasonably cute cat dragged in. Catstiel form today, huh?"

Castiel meows in response, purring when Dean starts petting down his spine, and Charlie rolls her eyes fondly. "Any suggestions for what to watch? I'm thinking The Bachelor if you two just plan on cuddling the whole time."

The witch looks weirdly sheepish as he suggests, "I heard there's a thing on whales playing tonight…"

"A documentary? But you hate those," Charlie says, but Dean's eyes are on Castiel, and she knows when she's not being listened to, this behavior very common with these two.

Castiel stares up at Dean, and in the time it takes Charlie to turn around to find the remote, she hears a grunt, the rustling of fabric, and a solemn, "Hello, Dean."

"Hey, Cas." She turns to find Castiel back in his human form, straddling Dean's lap while the witch gazes up into his eyes adoringly. "You like whales, don't you?"

"Yes, Dean." The familiar presses his human face into Dean's neck, his face probably feeling a bit like whiskers with all that scratchy stubble. "It sounds perfect."

"You're perfect," Dean mutters back, and Charlie coos aloud at Castiel's resulting face-nuzzling.

"And you don't even know about the pie yet," she chirps helpfully as she finally finds the remote, switching on The Bachelor on a hunch that Dean and Castiel won't be watching very much TV anyway.

Dean's eyes light up, all but confirming her theory. "You got me pie?"

"I made it," Castiel replies quietly, embarrassment obvious. "It's…burnt."

"Hey, nothing a little magic can't fix, right?" The witch stands up, taking the familiar in his lap with him until they're both standing on their own two feet and Dean offers his hand. "C'mon, buddy, I need my little magic helper."

Castiel takes it with a gummy smile. "I need you too, Dean."

The sputtering she hears all the way to the kitchen is pretty entertaining, but nothing she hasn't heard before. Castiel's blunt honesty has a way of getting funny reactions from Dean, and Charlie's just glad to watch it all happen.

She may not go to bars to leer at girls with Dean anymore and she may be in danger of losing her roommate pretty soon, but Charlie can't find it in herself to care all that much, not when she can say that Operation Destiel is running smoothly on its own and her two closest friends are happier than she's ever seen them.

Besides, if things keep going the way they do, she has a feeling Sam could be pitching in on the rent pretty soon with the way he's been talking about all the things he's witnessed happening in that apartment since Dean and Castiel finally got together, though she knows Sam's happy for them too—happy they finally woke up, at least…

But she likes Sam well enough, and besides, Sam and Eileen are one of her straight OPTs. With any luck, maybe she can start working on Operation Saileen soon…