I am a problem and I do not want to be solved

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

Honestly getting past Daniel was easier than Samhain thought it would be. The second he laid eyes on the man, hovering near the exit, he thought it was over. All those anxieties he thought he buried back in the bathroom come bubbling back to the surface. He thought that they’d be forced to talk to him and explain things. A part of him was so terrified that it almost let go of Cas’s hand and ran away. He almost did that, too. He was regretting everything: The closet, the bathroom, the revelation about who he is. It suddenly all felt like too much. Luckily, Daniel’s tongue was too deep down some woman’s throat for him to really notice them, or anything else for that matter. He’s not sure what it is about office parties that makes everyone horny. It’s weird. And yet, without fail, every party eventually breaks off into sexcapades. Once outside, he steers Cas in the direction that he points out, toward the gate. “Hey, you made it too, don’t forget that. I think we both played it pretty cool.” The only reason he played it cool is because he was so busy freaking out internally that he didn’t have time to do it on the outside.

“Yeah well...” he turned back towards the house. “...maybe I should stay. I can cover for you, make up a reason why you’re gone.” he was quickly finding himself overwhelmed and he didn’t want his calm, collected nature to wear away into-- whatever it was becoming, in front of this guy.

He actually really did want to “escape” with Sam though, ditch the party and just breathe air that wasn’t laced with fifteen different colognes or body sprays- he had a pocket full of cookies and the perfect opportunity to just leave and he was frozen to the ground with fear. And that wasn’t like him. He wanted to go with Sam, the guy was nice and making an actual friend out of a mostly uncomfortable situation seemed really nice. But all Cas could think of were all the ways he could mess it up. But then Cas just started walking- forcing himself to find a way through the fear. “... Do you like pizza?” he asked. “There’s a place two blocks west that’s open later than when this party’s supposed to end. Could be a nice place to avoid running into people if you want.”

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

Sam smiles, the first genuine one of the night, at least in public. “It was more symbolic, but I’m glad you did, it’ll make us seem less conspicuous this way. Everyone’s coupling off anyway, it’s that time of the night.”

Around them, several couples are dancing and laughing or making out. It’s weird, because when these parties happen, it only takes a little while before people are splitting away from the group to hook up. Yeah, it’s a work party, but since they’re never actually held on company ground, everyone feels a lot more relaxed to do whatever–or whomever–they want. “We just need to make it outside and it’ll be better,” he whispers as they officially step through the kitchen door.

“Oh.” he let his shoulders drop in somewhat embarrassed frustration. Reading people wasn’t ever going to come easily to him. But at least Sam didn’t make him feel weird for doing it. Cas glanced around a little to observe the party and the budding couples before looking ahead to the kitchen again. “It smells like a perfume department in here.” Cas stated quietly through squinty eyes, pulling his hand free from Sam’s and grabbing the plate of extra cookies and swiftly dumping them all into his black and yellow pocket on his chest. “...For reasons.” he explained with a small, almost missed smile before setting the plate down and heading for the door.

And it would’ve worked out just like Sam had said if Daniel wasn’t right at the door- mid face sucking with some woman Cas was convinced didn’t like him- mostly because of the way she always asked him why he needed to be so stubborn and childish about everything. He had his reasons for not liking her just the same. He panicked momentarily before remembering the black and yellow bandana in his pocket, pulling it out and tying it around his eyes- it worked in comic books. He kept his head down slightly, slipping past Daniel and the girl and pushing the kitchen door open, the cold air hitting his skin- and then- things seemed lighter after that. “Well... you made it, the gate’s between those trees” he turned back to Sam, but pointed ahead so Sam would know where to go.

#samhainofhalloween

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

“That’s the beauty of it. We don’t need to distract anyone, they’re too busy mingling and partying. If we’re subtle and inconspicuous enough, then no one will pay attention to us, even if we are sneaking out.” He crosses the bathroom and slowly opens the door. The party is in full swing just beyond the hallway. Samhain’s certain this will work. He turns around, holding his hand out. “Come with me! I know you wanna. It’s gotta be better than the bathroom, right?”

The sound rushed into the bathroom. Music and laughter and different conversations. Mark wasn't around and Sam had a hand held out to him and it was like panic and fear set in all at once. But he ignored it. Cas reached his hand forward, the hesitation visible, but he was trying so that should count for something.

Grabbing Sam's hand and trying to force his shoulders to relax as he walked out of the bathroom and glanced towards the half full kitchen. "I honestly don't know if I was supposed to grab your hand- but you held it out so I took it and now we should sell it so that nobody stops us and we can just walk right out of the kitchen and I'm about to hyperventilate so it's either now or never because I'm panicking I swear to god." He said it all in one quick burst.

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

Samhain raises an eyebrow, seriously considering it. He’d love to escape into the night, but at the same time, he’s also enjoying this conversation. More than he’d like to admit, and certainly more than he thought he would earlier. His reluctance to come out in the open earlier feels stupid now. “I’ll tell ya what,” he says, still smiling. “I’ll sneak out the back way, but only if you come with me.” He pauses, waiting to see what kind of reaction he’s going to get. Surely this can’t be a shocking idea? It’d be way more fun for them to sneak off together than just him going alone. “Well? What d’ya say?”

Cas honestly didn't expect Sam's response, his eyes narrowed slightly along with the small, slightly confused smile. "But how do I sneak out if I'm distracting anyone from seeing you sneak out?"

It wasn't a refusal. Cas was definitely up for ditching, but getting caught and having to explain himself made his heart race a bit. Then again, Sam was a really interesting stranger and Cas actually liked his relatively calm nature- plus wandering the streets seemed more eventful than spending all the good hours in a bathroom. He pressed his lips together in another crooked line and took a slow, deep breath.

"Ok. Alright, ok, ok-" he repeated, convincing himself first. "Ok I'll come with you." He grabbed the locked doorknob and gave it a twist and a pull. "But I can't promise we won't be intercepted by Daniel. Especially if he hasn't started drinking yet... He has a knack for finding out plans ahead of time." Cas opened the door after that, prepared to head for the backdoor through the kitchen.

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

Samhain just kind of stares at Cas for a few long moments, the awkward silence and endless questions hanging between them. He wants to ask, he wants answers and an explanation for what just happened here. He really, really wants to ask. He wants to know more, but… Instead, he just smiles and leans against the sink. “I don’t know, man… the next one is Christmas again, and since all the snowmen cookies are being eaten tonight, I don’t see much reason to show up.”

"I can always save you some." Cas defended his cookie consumption with a quick, small smile in return. "I mean....I'll be there." He added. "I don't know, if you wanted a closet conversation or almost bathroom altercation again..." He tripped over his words, not sure really what to say after that.

But he did enjoy Sam's conversation, he missed the casualness of just-- talking. No forced questions or uninterested responses that required more uninterested questions with fake interest and growing exhaustion. It'd been a long time.

Out of habit he fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves for a few seconds before looking over to Sam again. "There's a backdoor through the kitchen if you wanna leave- I mean you still have to walk through people here, but I can always distract your friend while you leave- the fence has a gate and a few trees and then you just cut through the mailboxes for the other street and you're basically free from party central. If you wanted an easy way out."

Angels We Have Heard On High

iam-castieltheangel:

“It took a lot of convincing before Daniel gave in on the snowman shapes.” Cas replied. He couldn’t help the surge of worry that crossed his features though. He wasn’t positive Mark wasn’t still out there waiting, but he was grateful that Sam had -for the time being- shooed whoever it was away. “What kind of stuff do you do when you’re not at… parties?” he asked Sam, wandering over to the tub and sitting on the side of it, The door handle jiggled again with a quick bang against the door and then the lock clicked up. The door swung open and Cas stood quickly when Mark barged in. “The parties out there, in case you two didn’t realize this is a bathroom.” the bright red of his blood stained the white paint of his vampire getup as he made his way to the sink to clean up, not making any sudden movements towards either Sam or Cas. “Can’t say I’m surprised by what you did.” he splashed water over his mouth, “Never would’ve expected this with Gabe.” “Gabriel is dead.” Cas stated, practically emotionless. “You should try remembering that. People change… and you should go home, Mark. Nobody even likes you here.” he kept his posture stiff and his words devoid of any emotion, blocking out Sam’s presence entirely so that Mark wouldn’t feel the need to target a stranger.

For the briefest of moments after the knocking stops, their strange dynamic resumes as if uninterrupted. Cas starts to ask a question, one that Samhain already has an answer for, when suddenly the door flies open. The exchange that happens in front of him is confusing at best. He just stands there, looking dopey and stupid with a cookie half-shoved into his mouth, his eyes following the two of them. Mark. Gabriel. Dead. People change. He’s not really sure what any of this means, but after what feels like an eternity, he finally pulls the cookie out of his mouth and decides that whatever’s going on here, he doesn’t think it should continue any longer. “Hey, so,” Samhain says, casually stepping out from behind Cas. “I don’t know what this is exactly, but I think… you should probably, you know, leave?” He’s reaching for the door, planning to shut it again. This guy–Mark, right?–is still sort of in the doorway, so if he can close it fast enough, then the guy will have no choice but to back out. Right? Maybe he shouldn’t be interfering at all, but he’s kind of trapped in the same room as it happens, which gives him at least one chance to try and stop it. At least, he thinks so.

"It's none of your business is what it is." Mark shot back at Sam before grabbing the pocket of Cas shirt just for the hell of it- it kept him from being pushed out of the bathroom entirely anyway. "Gabriel's dead because of Dean right or--"

"Are you trying to make a point or something?" Cas interrupted him with a confused look. He had nothing to prove to Sam, and even if he did he wouldn't try to. Sure he wanted to be normal and random conversations fucked that up, but in that instance Cas just really didn't give a fuck and Mark bringing up his past for no reason seemed stupid at best. "Nobody likes you Mark. Go home." He moved his hand near the door before nudging Mark back out and shutting the door with a hard thump, locking it and then leaning against it with his full weight.

"So.." Cas exhaled stressed relief. "You goin' to the next party?" It was half a joke-half an honest question. "Ignoring that guy- for the sake of bathroom sanity- what else do you do besides come to these things?" Cas asked, backtracking all the way to the question before that burst of weird.

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

“They have snowman cookies? At a Halloween party?” He reaches out and grabs a pumpkin cookie, simply because it’s the biggest of the shapes, and takes a bite. It’s just a plain old sugar cookie, but he likes sugar cookies, so life is good. Genuinely so. Talking to him is something he dreaded all night, but now that it’s happening, it’s really quite… nice. Chill.

Being with him doesn’t make him feel socially overloaded, like talking to people usually does. Maybe it’s knowing he feels the same way about– The door handle jiggles, and someone knocks. Samhain pauses for a moment before saying, “Occupied!” and shrugging awkward in Cas’s direction. Cas. It’s easier than saying his full name. Like Sam is easier than Samhain. It just works.

"It took a lot of convincing before Daniel gave in on the snowman shapes." Cas replied. He couldn't help the surge of worry that crossed his features though. He wasn't positive Mark wasn't still out there waiting, but he was grateful that Sam had -for the time being- shooed whoever it was away. "What kind of stuff do you do when you're not at... parties?" he asked Sam, wandering over to the tub and sitting on the side of it,

The door handle jiggled again with a quick bang against the door and then the lock clicked up. The door swung open and Cas stood quickly when Mark barged in. “The parties out there, in case you two didn’t realize this is a bathroom.” the bright red of his blood stained the white paint of his vampire getup as he made his way to the sink to clean up, not making any sudden movements towards either Sam or Cas. “Can’t say I’m surprised by what you did.” he splashed water over his mouth, “Never would’ve expected this with Gabe.”

“Gabriel is dead.” Cas stated, practically emotionless. “You should try remembering that. People change... and you should go home, Mark. Nobody even likes you here.” he kept his posture stiff and his words devoid of any emotion, blocking out Sam’s presence entirely so that Mark wouldn’t feel the need to target a stranger.

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

“Oh,” he glances down at his outfit before looking back up. “A ghost, someone killed in the eighteen hundreds. I kind of have an entire backstory for the costume… I tend to do that on Halloween, I go highly overboard on the explanation of my costumes. Like the year I went as a trophy wife murdered by her rich husband after he discovered her affair with the pool boy. I was fourteen then, so it’s kind of my… thing, I guess.”

He pauses, trying to stop himself from rambling. He does that in front of cute guys. “I like your costume too, man. Also I’d totally take a cookie. I think we passed the weird line a long while back.”

Cas opened his mouth to respond with a “wow- that’s really cool”, but didn’t have a chance to when Sam jumped in to explain himself. For a moment his eyes went wide and then narrowed into quiet lines of blue, his jaw slightly dropped in interest at how much thought went into his costume. A small still lopsided smile began to form until it was a full smile. Genuinely interested in what else there was to learn about him.

“I watch the bees-- I like them.... yeah.” Cas glanced down at his costume again, pulling at the fuzzy yellow stripes and then looking back up with a laugh at the mention of lines crossed long ago. “D’you want a ghost, a pumpkin, or... half of a snowman?” he asked with a smile, holding out the cookies towards him. A slight shake to his hand, nerves setting in and a strangely familiar jitter in his stomach- like he’d throw up and laugh at the same time. Something confusing like that. “Going overboard is a good thing, by the way.” Cas tagged on. “I think it is anyway. If you like something then... going overboard seems like a good way to go.”

Angels We Have Heard On High

iam-castieltheangel:

samhain-of-halloween:

“I know you’re not… that’s just what I called you in my head, to make the whole thing seem less weird, and… now I just seem even more weird, so it didn’t really help.” He’s still trying to take deep breaths. For some reason he thought revealing himself would be much worse, but so far… like it’s bad, but it’s not bad-bad. It could’ve been way more embarrassing.

He listens to what the other man has to say, and honestly… it’s nice. It helps make him calm the fuck down and feel less like a total douche canoe, even though he still kind of is for acting so childish before. “Yeah. You’re cuter than I imagined too. What’s–Like, what’s your actual name, anyway? I’m Sam…” Which is easier than saying Samhain.

A slight blush warmed under his eyes and over his nose at the cavalier mention of his looks-- before he backtracked to... Sam's first comment. "You don't seem weird to me. You seem relatively normal. Slightly quiet, cautious maybe, but mostly devoid of weird." His own comments came out softer, more calculated and precise. As if he'd cease to exist if he wasn't blunt and to the point.

"I'm Castiel." He pressed his lips together in a lopsided line and shrugged. "But it's still nice to meet you, Sam." He let the name linger on his tongue for a moment. "At least there's more room in here. That's a plus, right?" He wasn't sure how else to make the guy seem comfortable other than leaving again. "I'd... offer you a cookie, but, this is a bathroom and that's kinda... weird." He fidgeted with the heavy yellow patches on his black pants for a second before talking again. "What are you?... I mean dressed as?"

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

O_O “Daniel? No, can’t say I am…” He’s still doing the fake voice thing, which is totally lame. He’s like a teen in a movie, it’s ridiculous. Kind of adorable in a dorkingly charming way, but again, that only exists within the confines of a teen movie. Which this is totally turning into. Just grow up, he tells himself. You’re already locked in another tight space with the dude, just own up. He can’t judge you when this is the second time this has happened. Sighing, he runs a hand through his blonde hair, dropping the voice entirely. “Actually, yeah, I know him… and I know you, Aaron. I mean–that’s–fuck.” He takes a deep breath, brushing past the fact that he just accidentally revealed the name he secretly gave him. “If memory serves, then we met in the closet, last Christmas…”

Cas raised his head up to look at the stranger almost immediately. The sudden shift in the guy's voice solidified it for Cas and that time a small smile did cross his features- mixed with a slightly confused furrow of his brows at the name the guy called him. "I'm not--" ... Aaron?

If only his name actually was that normal. The name didn't actually faze him though, nearly forgetting it in a heartbeat. And then the guy brought up the Christmas party and the closet and Cas was thankful that the black face paint covered at least half his face. The warm rush of blood making even his ears hot. But the dopey smile seemed stuck on his face even as he looked back down and continued to stare at the floor.

"Right... But that night was nice. Less hectic than tonight, better cookies." He smiled at the floor again. "When I left the closet to get more cookies there, all I really did was steal the entire tray. I kept five of each kind in a different pocket." He knew there wasn't really any reason to talk about it. "And that's why there's a pocket on this costume. So that if I needed another closet all my cookies wouldn't get broken." Cas took a deep breath and looked back up at him. "It's nice to meet you, mostly officially, face to face." He finally managed to get something normal spoken.

Angels We Have Heard On High

samhain-of-halloween:

Samhain stares at him with wide-eyes, the thought of exposure driving him crazy. It’s been so long since that fateful closeted meeting that he might not even recognize his voice… either way, he has no choice but to go along with this, and speak. If he doesn’t it’s going to get even weirder in here than it already is, and that’s not something he wants. “Uh,” he clears his throat, talking a bit deeper than he normally does. It’s not the smoothest cover, but it’s the best he can do. “Yeah, that’s fine. Totally get it. Avoiding a dude. Totally.” He’s so thankful he’s in white makeup right now otherwise his deep blushing would be painfully obvious.

Waiting for an answer felt agonizingly long and he swore he could hear every single beat of the blood rushing through his chest in that moment. And then the stranger spoke and something about his voice tipped Cas off to familiarity.

A small burst of recognition flickering in his eyes and a hesitant, almost upturn of his lips. But he didn't act on it- and no way was he going to make an even bigger idiot of himself than he felt he already was. Cas dropped his chin to his chest in grateful relief when the pounding slowed down and murmuring outside the door began.

"Avoiding--hiding from. Same thing I guess." He murmured to himself. "Sorry. Again. For walking in on you, but thanks," He shrugged in the oversized striped costume. "For not selling me out I mean." He stared at his feet for a second before dragging a hand through already messy hair, keeping his hand along the backside of his neck. "Um... I know this is still weird and well- I don't get out much, but, I don't know." Panic set in, starting to back out of the question, but he forced it out anyway. "You seem really familiar, are you Daniel's friend too?" He dropped his hand to his side again after that.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Samhain stares in the mirror, watching himself. He looks weird. The paleness of his face is off putting, even though it’s just shitty costume makeup he bought from the Spirit Halloween store. Sometimes, like right now, he’ll stare at himself and be like that’s you. That’s what you look like. Even though it doesn’t feel like him, and even though it’s really weird, it also makes sense. Then he’ll snap back to reality and he’ll feel like a weirdo because he’s been looking into the mirror for ten minutes. Speaking of ten minutes, he finally snaps back to reality, looking away from the mirror. He’s been in here long enough. He should go back out and socialize for a bit before leaving. Honestly, he should really just stop coming to these things. Parties. They drain him, and he doesn’t ever actually really enjoy them, unless he gets tipsy. Then he gets more into it, even though drinking brings its own problems. It’s just that… if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t have any friends, and there’s something about the idea of being utterly lonely while working that terrifies him. He’s about to leave when the bathroom door flies open.

Cas didn't mean to walk in on him. But at least it wasn't like he'd walked in on an awkward situation... But he still felt somewhat rude. Anyway... It wasn't awkward until Cas made it awkward, beginning to take backwards steps out of the bathroom back into the hallway.

He didn't know why that guy felt familiar, but he just did and to be honest it was driving Cas nuts trying to figure out why. And sure he could ask, but he really just wanted to wash the blood off his cut up knuckles and go back home. He was tired, he was upset... And mostly-- he was just, overwhelmingly sad and it felt worse being sad in a house full of people who were happy and had people to be happy with.

He glanced down the hall and spotted Mark heading his way fast and without much of a plan he shoved himself right back into the bathroom with the pale faced stranger and locked the door. "I know this is inappropriate and mostly... uncomfortable-- and I'm not some weird bathroom creeper and I know I can't really prove that right now, but given the circumstances... can you please not open the door until the person outside goes away?" He rushed through the words just as Mark began banging on the door and yelling his name through it- though too muffled to make out- for him to get out and apologize. "Please?" He asked the pale faced guy again, the panic evident in his eyes.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Samhain stands there awkwardly once “Aaron” leaves, watching after him without any hint of subtlety. He feels really bad. He should’ve said something, anything, but he couldn’t. He was frozen with fear the entire time. It’s probably stupid that he’s so scared of being found out, but he can’t help it. It’s just how he feels. And because of that, now he seems like a gigantic asshole. Probably because he is one, after standing there, not answering.

Sighing, he makes his way to the kitchen door, and then pauses right in the doorway. If he goes in, and apologizes like he wants to, then he’ll probably be found out as the other secret closet dweller. Why does it bother him so much? It makes no sense. The guy was in there too, he can’t judge, and he also didn’t seem to want it to get out. But he can’t shake the feeling to keep quiet. So instead of going into the kitchen and setting things straight, instead he slips away from the party and off in search of somewhere to hide. Again. Just a few minutes, he just needs a few minutes, to figure this all out…

With a sigh Cas made his way back into the other crowded room and tried to find a sense of calm while tugging at the hem of his shirt. A few people stopped him along his way to get a drink and more cookies- striking up conversation and asking how he'd been. Cas gave them vague, but somehow polite answers anyway, forcing himself to talk with them- ask them questions be sociable- "nice". All while his mind wandered to years before. He'd never minded social gatherings before, but things were different now- he was different. And everything about getting back into society and meeting people just frustrated him and forced him to shut people out even worse.

Some guy named Mark stopped by after a little while- friends of a friends friend apparently. Cas, unfortunately, knew him- not a fan really. His off balance saunter let Cas know he'd already reached his drink limit, but he figured so long as Mark didn't bother him nothing would really go too wrong. But Mark had other plans- making his way over to Cas and pulling him in close by the yellow collar of his costume so they were face to face. He went rigid and his brows furrowed in uncomfortable annoyance while Mark slurred his words in an attempt to advance and when he pushed him away he found Mark's hold on his hand more than upsetting. Mark eyed the lighter ring of skin around Cas' ring finger before clicking his tongue and shaking his head, but before he could mention the name about to roll off his tongue Cas slammed his other fist right into his lip instead.

Something about the sting of his cut knuckles and the blood running down Mark's chin was satisfying and it was crowded and loud enough that nobody would even see the encounter and nobody could hear it either. Cas shoved his way through bodies and down the hall to the bathroom to run soapy water over his hands and after that he was out. He was gonna go home and be alone and that was that.

Angels We Have Heard On High

He recognizes Daniel first. He knows Daniel, at least better than he did at the Christmas party. Ever since that night, he’s become more aware of the other man’s presence, finding it no longer easy to ignore. He almost wishes that his brain would stop singling out Daniel, because with him comes memories of the stranger from the closet. After the party, as the weeks dragged on, he found it harder and harder not to look back on that whole situation and not feel awkward about it; embarrassed by it. Even though the guy was doing the exact same thing as him and therefore had no reason to judge, Samhain can’t help but feel utterly weird about it. Someone knows that he likes to hide away in the dark at parties. Someone who, possibly, is at this Halloween party right now. Samhain doesn’t want to run into him again, especially under those circumstances, so he has to live with the knowledge that he can’t sneak away from this party. He’s in it for the long haul. That’s not an easy thing for him to live with. The interaction is short, and almost immediately Daniel’s trying to pull Teresa away. Samhain wishes he would stop, because he doesn’t want to be left alone in the crowd. Especially with… that’s when he notices the bee standing next to Daniel, almost hiding behind him. He only becomes more noticeable once Daniel sashays away with Teresa in tow, leaving them alone. “Want a cookie?” The voice pierces his memory like a knife. He has flashbacks to the cookie table at the Christmas party, seeing no one near it but three drunken women. He remembers the darkness, the secrets, and the name Aaron. Daniel’s honeybee friend is the man from the closet. Samhain shakes his head in response to the cookie offer, not wanting to reveal his voice. Not wanting to reveal himself.

Cas watched his reaction with interest, tilting his head slightly as he put the cookie back into his pocket pouch. Rocking on his feet for a second before shrugging. “…I like your costume.” He panicked inwardly when the thought that maybe he wasn’t in costume hit him.

He didn't like the silence when people were around. He liked being around Daniel and not having to answer questions or ask questions and basically he liked the way he'd turned Daniel into his security blanket and without him Cas felt completely helpless. “Um. Well. I’m gonna go get more cookies…” The thought of those words temporarily took him back to the previous holiday party he’d been at. His mind drifting for a split second about the closet stranger and wondering if Teresa had invited him and he’d show up sometime throughout the night. Maybe they would talk face to face, maybe Cas would be calm and personable when he got there. Maybe they’d end up in a closet again. Stowing away in a closet right about then seemed like a welcome idea to be honest. But then he was back to the guy in front of him. “But if you want I can tell Daniel to leave Teresa alone if you came with her. I’d assume parties are… awkward without the people you go with.” He offered, keeping his hands folded up in the pouch of his costume.

After rambling Cas figured maybe the guys silence had to do with his costume. Maybe he was a zombie mime. Cas wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to press the guy for words and the panic in his chest was starting to manifest on the outside. “I’m gonna go now… Ok? But… I’ll be over by the window in the kitchen.” And when Cas got to the kitchen he sat so close against the window that someone knocked against it to see if he was real or just a decoration, and his scowl in return seemed to scare them off quick enough. Frustration crept in after that because his one chance to actually be normal and find an opportunity to enjoy the stupid parties Daniel and his friends threw was ruined by his own inability to just stick it out and talk to a stranger.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Another holiday, another work party.

He already managed to get out of the work Valentine’s party and the fourth of July BBQ, both of which took a lot of complicated lies to accomplish. Sometimes he still gets belated “get well cards” from random coworkers that he’s never heard of. He doesn’t want to go to this party either, but Teresa’s dragging him. Like she’s literally coming to the door and hauling him there, she basically vowed to do so; no lie will get him out of it this time. So he’s stuck, backed into a corner, with no way out. He’s going as a ghost. No, he’s not just throwing a sheet over his head, he’s going all-out. Halloween parties might suck, but the holiday itself is pretty awesome. He’s always loved dressing up. He never really stopped. He has a costume every year. His skin’s been made to look pale, and he has an old-fashioned coat on over an old-fashioned shirt, with dress pants. Everything is white. He’s a really old ghost, centuries old. It’s cool looking and it was easy/cheap to pull off, which is why he loves it. He’s kind of a cheapskate. Teresa arrives and drags him out the door. She drags him to the car, and then drives the car all the way across town, to some random dude’s apartment. And so it begins.

Cas managed to stay hidden behind the fancy cookie tier for a good half hour before a party goer spotted him and struck up conversation by asking what he was.

To which he mostly just stared politely through them before blinking and shrugging his response. "I'm a honeybee." Her uncomfortable laughter at him made him want to disappear, but then she was patting his shoulder and pulling at his black and yellow stripes with interest while noting he was missing his wings.

He offered her a small, half smile- stopping when a familiar face walked through the door. Recognizing her as the woman from Daniels Christmas party they'd gone to a while back. And then an unfamiliar face, pale and quiet looking. Cas wondered what he was, but made no move to go talk. The girl, Leslie, who was overly interested in his bee costume seemed to notice his distraction, whispering about how if he'd take a picture it'd last longer before she left to go out onto the back patio.

The next thing he knew Daniel had him by the yellow of one sleeve and was pulling him over to the newcomers with excitement. Holding his arms out to hug Teresa while Cas pulled cookies out from the pouch sewn on his bee sweater between his torso and stomach. The black around his eyes made the blue stand out, but mostly Cas just felt like it made him look bug-eyed so he kept his eyes towards the floor while Daniel worked on welcoming Teresa, but then Daniel seemed to be ready to drag Teresa away and not wanting to be that awkward tagalong Cas held out a ghost shaped cookie iced in purple and orange to the pale faced stranger, “Want a cookie?”