Malfoy’s head was in Hermione’s lap, and her fingers were buried in his hair, caressing strands, brushing them off his forehead and lightly massaging his scalp. Like the moon that night in the hospital wing, it seemed like the sun was also enamoured with Malfoy, its kiss softening his edges and bathing him in a glow that could only be likened to a Greek sculpture come to life—the scars on his cheek and neck like pink veins running through alabaster.
“Narcissus?” Malfoy opened one eye, the other unable to withstand the sun’s rays streaming over Hermione’s shoulder and onto his face. “Am I also that vain?”
“Possibly. Don’t you agree?”
“With what?”
“That you’re like Narcissus.” Hermione trailed one finger down the faint scar bisecting his cheek.
“If it will make you happy, sure. Not many qualms about being called the fairest in all the land.”
“I did no such thing.”
“Of course you did.” Malfoy reached out and flicked some of the hair draped over her shoulder. “You compared me to Narcissus. Was he not renowned for his beauty?”
“Are you saying you are as beautiful as Narcissus?”
“Now you’re twisting things. You just told me to agree with your assessment.”
Hermione laughed. “I did, didn’t I.”
Malfoy tugged slightly on the curls he had wrapped around his fingers to bring her closer. Hermione leaned down and kissed him, tasting sugar and strawberries on his tongue when he teased her lips. They were still smiling when they broke apart, her hair a curtain of curls that fell around his face and tickled his chin.
So @savedbythenotepad was kind enough to absolutely inspire me. Enjoy my accidental date fic!
“Hey, Tony, are you busy?” Steve Rogers asked, walking into the genius’s lab.
“Not too busy for you, Cap. What’s up?” Tony replied, turning from the hologram he had been working with. His breath caught a little when he saw Steve. Steve looked good. He was always aesthetically appealing, to be sure, but right now? Looking like a blonde James Dean? Tony was surprised he was able to keep control of himself enough to register Steve’s words.
“I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite,” Steve said. “You’ve been down here for a while today and I thought you might be hungry, wanna get some fresh air.”
Tony nodded, “Sure. Just give me ten minutes to save and shut down. Meet you in the common room?” Steve grinned, nodded himself, and went to wait for Tony.
The Captain’s idea for dinner was, as was their tradition, a diner. Tony would treat Steve to upscale places Steve wouldn’t have considered on his own and Steve would take Tony to all the little places he loved where they pretended they didn’t know he was Captain America. By extension, this granted Tony privacy as well. He dearly loved Steve for that. For just an hour when he didn’t have to be Iron Man or Tony Stark or Dr. Stark. He could just be Tony. And he hoped Steve could just be Steve.
“Wow, I hadn’t realized just how much I needed to eat until I saw this menu. You been here before, Steve?” Tony asked as he perused various burgers and breakfast items.
“I have indeed,” Steve responded. He already knew exactly what he wanted without looking at the menu.
“It all sounds good. Just order for me? You know what I like. Be right back.” Tony scooted out of their booth and headed for the restroom.
The waitress arrived just as Tony departed. She was young, possibly new on the job and she had a nervous energy saying she knew exactly who she was serving. To her credit, she didn’t ask who Steve was or call him anything other than sir. The young woman took his order of two burgers and fries for himself and French toast with blueberries for Tony, and two coffees, please, Miss.
They ate their meal in companionable conversation. Tony was being his usual flirtatious self and Steve was flirting right back. But it didn’t mean anything. It never meant anything. How could it? They’d both dated women and...well...neither of them had been forthright about their interest in other men.
The meal concluded, the bill paid after their usual bickering. (”I invited you!” “Well, I’m the one with all the money!” “No, I’m paying, put tha- put that card back, Tony, miss, yes here’s the CASH for the bill. Do not take anything from him.”), and Steve suggested they go to an old carnival house he knew back when.
“Steve...this is like a much cooler Chuck-E-Cheese,” Tony said upon arrival.
“Chuck-E-Cheese?” Steve teased. Tony gave him a longsuffering look that told Steve he knew his game.
“Actually, I’ve never been to one of these before,” Tony admitted, eyes hidden behind sunglasses, cheeks slightly pink.
“You...never? Really?” Steve was dumbfounded.
“Never.”
Steve grabbed Tony’s hand and led him in. “I have to show you my favorite thing in this place!” Steve had the widest grin Tony had ever seen when they stopped in front of....the Skeeball.
Steve put in some quarters, not bothering to explain the game. Tony was smart enough to figure out how it worked by observation. He threw the ball down the lane with expert aim and hit the center target, time and time again. When he was finished, he looked to Tony and gestured toward the game. It was his turn.
Tony gamely went up and put in his quarters....and his first two balls were a disaster.
“Mind if I adjust your posture?” Steve said, coming up close behind Tony. Tony turned and Steve realized...he was close enough to kiss. He pushed the thought aside before it could turn into anything more. He didn’t need his Irish skin giving him away. Not when it wasn’t...not when it wasn’t anything other than friends having a fun night out.But then...the way Tony was looking at him...like he was realizing it too....
Tony returned his focus to the skeeball lane and the moment was broken. Steve was still very aware of the heat between them, but also that nothing would come of it.
“Like this,” he said, gently angling Tony’s arm, tapping on his leg to adjust it back a little. “Alright and....back and...release!” The ball sped down the lane and hit the center target. And so did the next. They kept practicing until Tony’s aim was completely sure and they were laughing and high-fiving his newfound skill.
They left after spending quite a bit of time and more money than either of them cared to admit, but they were happy. As they walked, Steve found himself itching to hold Tony’s hand. This was not an altogether new desire, but the closeness of the evening made sharper the awareness that he could not do so.
They walked now in comfortable silence as they came upon a flower vendor. Roses, which Steve knew Tony loved. And weren’t the red ones just lovely? He wanted to get Tony the rose because he wanted Tony to have something lovely, something that he could enjoy simply because Tony should have nice things. As his...date.
Steve couldn’t deny it to himself any longer. He wanted this to be a date and buying Tony a red rose? The symbolism, even if just that they were Tony’s favorite color and flower? He had to admit it. Steve hoped this was a date.
Steve bought the flower and told the street vendor to keep the change and walked back to Tony, who had been stunned into motionlessness at Steve’s impromptu purchase.
“Steve,” he said, voice low and calm, like he was talking to a fawn. “What...what is this?”
“It’s...” Steve gulped. “It’s a rose, Tony. For you.”
Tony nodded. “Yeah, but...what are you trying to tell me, Steve? Did you want this to be a date?”
Steve’s mouth went dry and his palms grew damp as he extended the flower to the other man. “If you want it to be, yeah,” he said quietly, heart pounding in his chest.
Tony blushed a pretty shade of pink and Steve knew he’d be drawing this later. How could he not, when Tony took the rose, Steve’s hand, and said, “Ok.”
I just wanted to tell u I loved "Accidental First Date"!! I was wondering if you were planning on making it into a series or doing anymore one-shots possibly? I'd love to hear about the wedding and a possible family. Anyway keep up the amazing work-I went ahead and subscribed to u 😀👍. (Sorry if I chose the wrong place to ask, I still don't really know how to use Tumblr lol) 💕👏
While I’ll never rule out doing some time stamps (especially if I get a good idea), at the moment I’m not planning anything.
Oddly enough, I actually have a bunch of pretty developed headcanons for the side characters at Cas’ News Station (with the help of supernaturallynoble). Don’t know if I’ll write those or not, but they are there... kicking around in my head.
Accidental First Date - Chapter 17 (Final Chapter)
For a ficlet that was supposed to be just 2K words, this really took on a life of its own. This is also my longest fic to date and I am stunned.
Big, gigantic thanks (and equally gigantic hugs) to supernaturallynoble for all her help, her professional expertise and for hosting countless 1K1Hrs. You are the entire reason I was able to keep on schedule and didn't take two years to write this.
AO3
Castiel checks his phone for the tenth time, groaning in irritation. Dean said he would meet him at the restaurant at 6:30; it’s already 6:45. He grumbles to himself, it’s not like Dean to be late. Normally, Dean is the one pulling him out the door at the very last minute while Cas continues to fiddle with his shirt cuffs or searches around for his jacket.
He glances around the empty foyer. Castiel finds it very strange that there is no one else here, especially considering that they were on a wait list supposedly. The hostess had apologized when Cas had arrived, saying that a very large party was taking up most of the restaurant this evening. Some sort of large family gathering, the girl said.
Who the Hell has a family gathering at an Olive Garden on a Wednesday night? Cas thinks
Castiel slumps back on the bench. He didn’t even want to go out tonight; he was more interested in staying home and making some headway on the moving boxes that still littered their house.
Castiel smiles to himself and glances down at the lock screen of his phone. It’s a photo of Dean and him on the day they moved into the house, their house. Dean is grinning from ear-to-ear, holding up the keys to the front door with one hand while Cas is tucked beneath his other arm.
Months of searching had been fruitless until he and Dean had stumbled upon the little white house, only a few blocks from the river’s edge. The price was a bit more than they originally wanted to pay, but as soon as they stepped inside the Queen Anne-style home and saw the hardwood floors and classic design, they both knew this was what they’d been searching for.
It needed some work, that was for sure. There was no garage, something Dean worked on remedying as soon as they’d closed in November. The backyard was also in rough shape and Castiel was eager for spring to arrive so he could start planting a garden and reseeding the lawn. The wallpaper in the master bathroom had to go and the kitchen was in serious need of an update; both of these we’re project Cas and Dean planned on working on over the summer.
Aside from that, the house was perfect, structurally. Big enough not only for Cas and Dean but also for, perhaps, a family in the future.
Cas grinned to himself as he pulled his Kindle from the inside pocket of his trenchcoat. Dean bought it for him for Christmas, already pre-loaded with “A Dance With Dragons.” He taps it on and finds his spot in the book.
Castiel lets himself get sucked into the action of the story, barely noticing when the door between the restaurant and foyer opens. Someone walks into the area and sits down on the bench across from him.
“Hey, excuse me Sir?” A familiar voice says. Castiel raises his head, ready to remark on Dean’s tardiness. Instead, he startles when he sees Dean sharply dressed in a dark suit and tie on the bench across from him.
“Dean?” Castiel asks, eyes flicking over the clothes. “What’s going on? Why are you dressed-?”
“I was wondering...,” Dean cuts him off, taking a nervous breath. “I’m here alone actually, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner?” A slow, hesitant smile spreads across Cas’ face.
“What are you up to?” He asks. Dean snorts and shrugs absently.
“Nothing, nothing,” he answers, looking away. “I’m just wondering if this… gorgeous man sitting across from me would like to spend an evening with me.” Dean dips his hand into his pocket and pulls something out, “and then maybe forever after?” Castiel’s eyes widen as Dean extends his hand out, offering a glimmering silver band in his direction. His jaw drops open and he feels like all of the blood is draining from his face.
“Dean,” he breathes out.
“It’s just…” Dean licks at his lips nervously, “It was just over a year ago that we met and it happened to be the best accident of my life. I’ve never been happier than I am with you.”
“Dean,” Cas repeats, setting his kindle aside.
“Marry me, Cas?” Dean asks softly, his expression gone serious. He moves off the bench, kneeling on the floor in front of Castiel. He looks from the ring to Dean and swallows hard.
“Oh my God,” he mumbles in disbelief. “Did you… Did you really just propose in an Olive Garden?” Dean’s shoulders drop and his expression fills with confusion.
“What? I thought it was kind of clever,” Dean answers defensively, rising to his feet. “Like our first date, y’know? I mean, there’s more to it than this. I practically rented out the entire building.” Castiel laughs breathlessly as happy tears spring to his eyes, completely overwhelmed.
“Dean, I…” The door to the restaurant opens and Meg pokes her head out.
“Are you guys done yet?” She asks, glancing between Dean and him. “What’s the verdict?”
“He hasn’t answered yet,” Dean sighs. She glares at Cas pointedly.
“Well, hurry up, Clarence!” She snaps. “Some of us our starving in here.” Cas looks from Meg to Dean to the ring in his hands.
“Yes!” He blurts out. Instantly, he is swallowed up in a hug. Dean squeezes him tightly, mumbling “thank yous” and “I love yous” into his hair. Cas presses his face against Dean’s shoulder, happy sobs bubbling up from his chest. He is only vaguely aware of more people coming into the foyer with a smattering of applause. Cas raises his head to see the entire Winchester family as well as Balthazar and Meg.
Dean pulls back, wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye. He bites at his lip shyly as he takes Cas’ hand and slips the band onto his left hand.
“And now it’s official,” he says. There is a click and a flash as a picture is snapped.
“Smile, you two!” Mary says, holding up her camera once more. Cas and Dean pose with their arms around each other before separating and fielding hugs from everyone else. Sam and Jess both squeeze Cas hard enough to leave him breathless. John gives Cas a warm nod and a friendly pat on the back, which Cas counts that as a win. Cas catches sight of Balthazar briefly embracing Dean before leaning down and whispering something in his ear that causes Dean’s smile to falter (Cas could swear he heard him say “If you hurt him, there won’t be a body to find”).
Mary moves forward, hugging both Cas and Dean simultaneously. “Welcome to the family!” She gushes. She pulls back and looks at both of them soberly. “By the way, I will expect a wedding from you guys. An actual wedding, none of the Las Vegas bullshit!” Dean snorts in surprise at his mother’s language.
“I told you, Mom,” Sam groans. “It just made more sense-”
“Sam Winchester, you deprived me of a wedding!” Mary states fiercely, turning on her heel and facing her youngest child. “I am deprived!”
“Don’t worry, Mary,” Cas says gently, placing both hands on her shoulders and kissing her softly on the cheek. “You’ll get a wedding.” Jessica fakes a cough, muttering “Kiss-ass” jokingly.
“Come on,” Dean says clapping his hands. “Let’s go order our dinner. I know I’m starving.” Everyone shuffles out of the foyer. Castiel feels Dean slide their hands together, pulling him into the restaurant.
Dean didn’t just go out of his way to invite both of their families, but many of their friends as well. The proposal quickly turns into a makeshift engagement party. Castiel watches happily as Ava chats with Meg while Gabe has Jess and Sam in stitches.
“What would you have done if he’d said ‘no?’” Charlie asks, popping a piece of fried calamari into her mouth. Dean smiles and shrugs, glancing at Cas out of the corner of his eye.
“I figured he was good for it,” he answers. “Plus, Cas already proposed to me first.” Castiel chokes on his wine and swallows painfully. He turns to Dean, brow furrowed.
“No, I didn’t,” he says.
“Sure you did,” Dean replies as he takes a bite of his linguini. “Remember? The night we found out Sam and Jess got engaged?”
“I did not propose to you, Dean,” Cas insists. He’s sure he would’ve remembered asking Dean to marry him.
“But you did, Cas,” Dean says wryly. “You said, and I quote, ‘For the record, I’d marry you in a heartbeat.’” Castiel opens his mouth to argue the point and then immediately claps is shut.
“And I said ‘Same,’” Dean continues.
“I think that counts,” Charlie teases Cas. Dorothy nods in agreement. Castiel blinks a couple times, sighing and nodding reluctantly.
“Alright, alright, you got me,” he admits. He narrows his eyes at Dean. “You always do that.” Dean gives him a cheeky grin.
“But you love me for it,” he says. Cas’ face softens and he leans forward, kissing Dean tenderly.
“I do,” he murmurs, twining his and Dean’s fingers together. “I really do.”
I wish I could show you all the house I have picked out for Cas and Dean, but since it is an actual residence, actually listed for sale, I feel like it would be invasive to do so.
Huge thank you to supernaturallynoble for beta-ing and being the greatest cheerleader ever.
Also Sweet Theory Baking Co. actually exists! It is wonderful stuff!
AO3
Dean speeds down the highway, the needle on the Impala's speedometer ticking towards 80.
“Jesus, Dean. Slow down!” Cas orders, white knuckling the door handles.
“We can’t be late,” Dean grumbles.
“Why not?” Cas asks, glaring at Dean in annoyance ..
“Because Sam and I have this standing agreement that if you’re late, you buy the first round.” Dean admits, perhaps a bit reluctantly. Cas snorts in exasperation.
“And so you want to kill us just to save $20?” He gives Dean a pointed look. He smirks at Cas for a moment then turns his attention back to the road.
“It’s the principle of the thing,” he mutters. Cas shakes his head
“Principles won’t matter if we’re maimed in a traffic accident,” Cas says through gritted teeth as they swerve around a Buick doing 45. Dean snorts and moves over a lane as they approach the turn off.
“C’mon Cas… Have a little faith.” Dean grins slyly at him and Cas can’t but help smile in spite of himself.
They pull into the steakhouse parking lot, already packed with cars. Dean grumbles under his breath, leaning forward over the wheel as he searches for a spot.
“Unbelievable,” he mutters. “Did everyone and their mother come out tonight?” They circle the lot for a good five minutes before finally squeezing into a space, narrowly beating out a little old lady who not-so-subtly flips them the bird.
“Same to you, Grandma!” Dean yells after her. Cas’ tugs on his sleeve.
“Dean, c’mon,” he mumbles, “People are staring.” Dean glares after the car, but follows Cas without argument. The entryway is packed with people. Dean pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Sam.
“I don’t see them anywhere,” Cas says, craning his neck to see over the crowd. Dean’s phone buzzes and a message from Sam appears on the screen.
We’re at a table near the back, it reads. Dean takes Cas’ hand and leads him through the crowd of waiting people. They weave amongst the tables until they spot Sam and Jess in the lowlight of the dining room.
“Glad you could join us,” Sam says with a triumphant grin, “Jess and I already ordered our drinks. Thanks for that by the way.”
“Yeah, whatever Sam,” Dean replies, settling into his chair. The waitress comes by, setting Sam and Jess’ drinks down in front of them as well as glasses of water for everyone. She turns to Cas and Dean, asking for their drink orders.
“I’d like a Bud. Cas?”
“Corona, please,” The waitress nods and scampers off.
“So, how’s it going guys?” Jess asks, taking a sip of her cocktail. “Enjoying the summer so far?” Dean huffs a laugh and rubs at the tender red skin of his neck. He thinks he may have underestimated how powerful the sun was at 8:30 in the morning.
“Yeah, beach was fun until I got roasted,” he answers.
“You gotta be careful about that Dean,” Sam advises. “You’re especially susceptible to sun damage with your freckles-”
“Yeah, I get it, Dr. Oz,” Dean snaps.
“How’s the trial going?” Jess asks. Dean and Cas look at each other oddly.
“It’s not,” Cas sighs, “There was another delay.”
“Oh no,” Jess groans in sympathy.
“It’s not a bad thing, though,” Dean is quick to add. “They’re flushing out some possible victims from his time in New York. The prosecution is trying to make this case as big as possible.”
“Is he trying to plead out?” Sam asks. “Avoid jail time?” Cas shrugs and shakes his head.
“We don’t know,” he admits sadly. “Everyone is being so tight lipped about it. Either this is very good or very bad. Honestly, I’m just happy to have him out of the station. Things are 1000 times better without him around.”
Sam and Jess nod and turn their attention to their menus. The waitress stops by the table and drops off Cas and Dean’s beer. Dean take his bottle and lifts it above the table.
“Cheers, guys,” he says. Cas, Sam and Jess all lift their drinks and clink them together. Something catches Dean’s eye amongst the glasses. As they set their drinks down, he reaches out and takes hold of Jess’ left hand.
“What is this?” Dean asks in disbelief, holding up her hand where a ring… no, a Rock sits on her finger. Jess pulls her hand away, a shy, gleeful smile crossing her face. Dean looks at Sam, who is wearing a similar proud grin.
“Sammy? Really? Are you serious?” Sam gives a small nod and Dean is instantly out of his seat, wrapping his brother in a tight hug.
“About time, man!” he gushes. “I was wondering when you were going to make an honest woman out of her. “ Dean pulls back abruptly, giving Sam a serious look. “She’s not pregnant is she?”
“Dude, no!” Sam grouses, sitting back down. Dean holds his hands up in a defensive gesture.
“I was just asking, Sam,” he replies. “You never know.”
“When did you pop the question?” Cas asks. Sam opens his mouth to answer but Jess beats him to it,
“Last night,” She gushes. “He had all the kids in the pediatric ward sing ‘You are My sunshine’ while he got down on one knee and rushed through the question.”
“I was nervous! Asking the most beautiful girl in the world to marry me, I think I have a right,” Sam insists. “Besides, you did say yes and that’s all that matters.” He leans over and kisses her sweetly.
“Congratulations you two,” Cas says, lifting his glass this time. They all offer one more toast and Dean snags their waitress, ordering a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
“So have you told Mom or Dad yet?” Dean asks, glancing through the menu.
“Yeah, told mom first,” Sam answers. “I didn’t want to risk her figuring it out telepathically or something like that. I think her and Dad seem pretty happy about it.”
“Well, of course they are,” Dean announces. “As I said, you have the best lady in the world.”
“Hey!” Cas snaps in offense.
“I said ‘best lady,’” Dean clarifies, taking Cas’s hand in his with a squeeze. “You’re the best guy.” Cas smiles and squeeze Dean’s hand back.
“Are all y’all ready to order?” The waitress asks, readying her pad and pen as she approaches the table.
“I think so,” Dean answers, glancing to the rest of the table.
The night was wonderful and dinner was amazing. Dean was surprised, too, by Sam’s choice of a steakhouse, until he realized it was actually Jess’ choice (“I don’t know why, but I’ve just really been craving steak recently.” “... Are you sure you’re not pregnant Ow! Quit it, Sam!”).
Dean and Cas, both give them tight hugs in the parking lot before slipping back into the Impala.
“That was nice,” Cas says sleepily. Dean hums in agreement. Cas looks over to him, watching Dean’s brow furrow deeply as he drives.
“Something wrong?” Cas asks. Dean’s mouth turns downward and he shrugs.
“I don’t know,” Dean mumbles. “It’s really weird to think of Sam getting married. I mean, in my head I still see him as a geeky little kid, and now…” Dean trails off and rubs a hand across his forehead.
“Now he’s an adult with a job and a fiance,” Dean shakes his head in disbelief. “And she has a job-”
“I don’t think I’m following,” Cas says. “Are you upset that Sam grew up or that he’s getting married before you?” Dean stares out into the distance for a moment and considers this question.
“Neither, both… I don’t know,” he mutters. “I don’t know, I’m just thinking outloud.” Cas considers Dean before scooting across the bench seat and settling under Dean’s arm.
“You know, just because Sam is getting married before you doesn’t mean you don’t have your shit any more or less together than he does.”
“Yeah, I know. ‘We’re in different places.’” Dean puts on a mocking voice at the end.
“Well of course you’re in different places. You’re different people!” Cas states firmly. “You are always going to to have different challenges to face, but please Dean, don’t act like it’s a competition between you two.” Dean doesn’t say anything, but his expression does soften and he nods.
“Thanks Cas,” he says, pressing a kiss to the top of Cas’ head. They drive in silence for a few minutes before Cas speaks up again.
“Just for the record,” he says softly “I would totally marry you in a heartbeat.” Dean’s heart swells and he has to bite back a megawatt grin.
“Same,” Dean replies, as calmly as he can manage. He changes lanes and takes the exit toward Riverside and Cas’ house. He feels Cas’ head weigh heavy against his shoulder and he wonders if this counts as Cas proposing.
Cas pushes aside a stack of hangers in Dean’s closet and frowns.
“You know, for a guy who live in Florida, you sure do own a lot of flannels,” Cas points out. Dean snorts and pokes his head into his closet.
“I don’t have that many,” he argues. Cas raises an eyebrow in his direction, holding up a handful of hangers with a dozen different shirts hanging of of them.
“Dean, lumberjacks own less plaid,” He teases. Dean huffs a laugh and steps into the closet.
“Making fun of my wardrobe now, Cas?” he asks, gently lifting the hangers out of Cas’ hand and placing them back on the rail. He steps closer into Cas’ space, placing a tender had on his hip.
“Actually, I’m a bigger fan of you out of your clothes,” Cas replies coyly with a light kiss to Dean’s lips.
“I think that can be arranged,” Dean murmurs, moving forward and deepening the kiss. He wraps his hand around Cas’ back and begins to tug at the edge of his tucked-in shirt. The buzzer for the door abruptly echos through the house.
“Fucking cockblocks,” Dean mutters, pulling back from the kiss. Cas giggles to himself.
“Can we really call them cockblocks if we invited them over?” He asks. Dean steps out of the closet and looks at the bedside clock.
“They are five minutes early,” He grouses, “We could’ve had a lot of fun in five minutes.” Cas shakes his head and follows Dean out of the closet.
“Not enough fun,” he says, pecking Dean on the cheek, “I’ll make it up to you when we get home tonight.” The buzzer rings again and Cas hurries from the bedroom to the front door. Dean smiles as he watches him leave, a warmth spreading from his center. He loves how Cas uses the word “home.” In a couple hours, they will be officially vacated from Dean’s apartment and anything not put into storage will be unloaded at Cas’ house. Their house, Dean has to remind himself.
He walks out of the bedroom, hearing Charlie, Sam and Jess’ voices drifting from the living room.
“Do you even know how to drive a U-haul?” Sam asks.
“There is nothing to it!” Charlie replies. “You think if it were that hard they’d just rent them to anyone who came in off the street.” Cas and Sam exchange worried glances.
“Why don’t you let me drive it?” Dean offers. Charlie turns and glares at Dean.
“What? You think because I’m a girl I can’t drive a moving van?” She snaps.
“No, but I’m pretty sure it’s because you’ve been driving Gremlins and Mini Coopers for over a decade.” Charlie is still giving Dean a hard look. He sighs in exasperation. “It’s a different beast entirely Charlie. Boss-level, get it?” Charlie’s expression softens slightly when Dean begins speaking her language, but she still looks disappointed.
“How much have you guys gotten packed so far?” Jess asks.
“Not too much,” Cas answers, “I was trying to navigate to forest of Dean’s flannels when you guys got here.” Jess laughs and rolls her eyes dramatically.
“Oh my God! Tell me about it,” she exclaims. “I think Sam might have stock in flannel company of something. Must be a Winchester family trait. I’m pretty sure they bleed plaid.” Cas chuckles in response. Sam wraps a hand around Jess’ waist.
“And you’re marrying into it,” he teases, kissing her neck. “Got to get you suited up.”
“Oh yeah, plaid wedding dress and all,” Dean adds. Jess snorts and slaps Sam playfully. She gives Dean a direct look.
“Over my dead body,” she threatens, pointing a finger in his direction.
“So how do we want to start this?” Charlie asks. On her left arm she wears rolls of packing tape like bangles while a stack on flat pack boxes are lodged under her right arm.
“Well, I guess Sam, Dean and I can start packing up the big stuff going into storage,” Cas offers. “You two want to start on things like the glasses and dishware and we’ll help you out in a few minutes?” Charlie and Jess nod. Charlie drops the boxes and tape in the middle of the living room floor and her and Jess start assembling them.
“Let’s do this!” Dean claps his hands and Cas and Sam follow him into the bedroom to start dismantling the bed.
With five people, much of the packing goes pretty fast, but it’s still hard work.
“Pizza… and beer… is not going to cut it, Dean,” Sam huffs, wiping at his brows with the back of his shirtsleeve as he tries to maneuver Dean’s surprisingly heavy coffee table down three floors.
“You already agreed,” Dean grunts, nearly missing a step. “Verbal contract, binding agreement and all that other lawyer bullshit.” Sam grins in spite of his annoyance and shakes his head.
“You really don’t ever listen when I talk about my job, do you?” He asks.
“All I hear is Charlie Brown’s teacher,” Dean admits. “Pivot, Sam! Piv-ot! Fucking Pivot!!” They move around the corner and Sam sets the table down at the bottom of the stairs. He wipes the sweat off of his face and catches his breath.
“You sure have a lot of stuff going into storage.” Sam points out. Dean settles down onto the bottom step and gives Sam an absent shrug.
“Yeah, so what?” He says, “Cas’ place is bigger than mine, but it’s still not big enough for two houses’ worth of furniture.”
“Why not just craiglist it all then?” Sam asks, leaning against the corner of the wall. Dean nods quickly.
“Oh, we will,” he assures, “but there are certain things that I can’t or don’t want to sell.”
“Such as?” Sam prods. Dean shrugs once more.
“I don’t know, Sammy,” he mutters, “I’ve got some tools, my TV… things like that.”
“I don’t understand Dean,” Sam says, “Why not just get rid of the stuff. You are crazy about Cas, you’re taking this huge step. Unless... you’re not sure…” Sam trails off, looking at Dean curiously.
“No, no, of course not,” Dean says vehemently, “Cas’ is it for me. It’s just… I hope that when we eventually get a bigger place-”
“When?” Sam repeats with a hint of disbelief.
“Yes, Sam. When,” Dean replies. “When we get a bigger place, we will have enough room.” Sam’s mouth twitched to the side as he listens.
“I mean, I’m not saying I’ll never sell some of that stuff,” Dean continues, “but I’d rather hang onto it for now.” Sam continues to watch Dean quietly for a minute before speaking.
“I don’t get it,” San says, “Why are you moving into Cas’ place instead of buying a house together right now? Save yourself trip?” Dean looks up at his brother, brow deeply furrowed.
“Moving in together is one thing,” Dean answers, “but buying a house together? That’s a huge step. You’ve got paperwork and contracts and-”
“You said Cas is it for you, right?” Sam asks. Dean nods. “Why should this stop you?” Dean bites at his lip and stares at his folded hands thoughtfully. There is the thump of footsteps on the stairs and Cas turns the corner carrying two large boxes, one on top of the other.
“Jesus, Cas, you’re going to break your neck!” Dean gripes as he jumps to his feet, grabbing a box from Cas’ arms.
“thanks, Dean,” Cas says. He smiles gratefully and Dean’s heart melts a little at the sight. He normally hates when Sam is right about something, but this time his advice might actually have some merit.
Everyone is sitting on the floor of Dean’s living room, eating pizza off of paper plates and using boxes as tables.
“Thank you all for helping us,” Dean says, wiping at the corner of his mouth with a napkin.
“Of course,” Charlie says, squeezing his arm. “You’d do the same thing for us.” Dean nods in agreement and takes a bite of his pizza.
“So, Jess,” Cas pipes up. “Do you guys have a date picked out yet?” Sam and Jess glance at each other and grin.
“We’re actually thinking about going to Vegas,” Jess admits. Everyone’s eyes go wide and Dean stops mid-bite.
“Yeah, Mom’s going to love that,” he mumbles sarcastically.
“Well, Mom’s not the one paying for it,” Sam counters. “Honestly, we just don’t want to make a huge deal out of the wedding.”
“Why go all the way out to Vegas, though?” Dean asks.
“We’ve never been,” Jess offers, briefly glancing at Sam. “Seemed more fitting to elope to Vegas than say… Miami.” Dean shrugs.
“I suppose,” he mumbles. He doesn’t envy Sam breaking the news to his mom, though. Charlie clears her throat and dabs at her mouth with a napkin.
“I got some good news this morning,” she pipes up. Everyone looks up from their food. “I got a call from Stanton. I’m going in for an interview on Tuesday.” Sam, Jess and Castiel look slightly confused, but Dean’s eyes light up.
“Charlie, that’s incredible!” Dean gushes, scooting across the floor to give her a tight side hug.
“Who’s Stanton?” Cas asks.
“Not who. What.” Dean answers, “It’s a prep high school. One of the best schools in the state, actually.”
“Yup,” Charlie agrees proudly. “I heard they were hiring right after all that shit with Roman went down. I submitted my resume, but I really didn’t expect anything to come of it.”
“And you waited until now to tell us?!” Dean gapes. She shrugs absently.
“I got the phone call just before I got here,” she admits, “I’ve spent the last seven hours just trying to process it.”
“That’s so exciting!” Jess grins brightly. “Would you still be teaching history?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t gotten the job yet,” Charlie says, holding out her hands. “I’m still hoping I’ll be able to make it through the interview without vomiting.”
“You’ll knock it out of the park,” Dean assures, punching her playfully in the shoulder. Charlie smiles at him and takes a small bite of her pizza.
“I may need you to text me encouragement for the rest of the weekend,” she says. Dean smiles and pulls out his phone. He taps quickly before Charlie’s phone chimes. She picks it up off one of the boxes.
“‘Sure thing,’” She reads with a smile. “Thanks, Dean.” Dean chews his food and winks at her.
“Anytime.”
The U-haul sits parked at the curb in front of Cas’ (and now Dean’s) house. By the time they had finished loading everything up and did a quick clean up of the apartment, both men had been exhausted. They’d agreed to get the boxes and few bits of furniture unloaded the next day.
Dean stretches across their bed, face down and eyes drooping shut. He hears the bedroom door squeak with movement and he doesn’t know if it’s Grace the cat or Cas.
“C’mon, Dean,” Cas says, bed dipping as he crawls up onto it. Dean smiles as Cas leans down and kisses over the shell of his ear. “Under the covers.”
Dean groans and rolls onto his back. He reaches down and pulls Cas up by his arms over him. Dean is struck by how gorgeous he is. The fluorescent light from the ceiling fan creates a halo effect around his mop of hair. Dean runs his fingers through it, slightly shifting the strands.
“You going to continue our interrupted fun from earlier?” Dean ask with a suggestive wink. “You said you’d make it up to me.”
“You were half asleep when I walked in here and now you’re ready for sex?” Cas asks incredulously.
“Always ready,” Dean mumbles between a yawn. Cas looks at him doubtfully.
“Uh-huh. Why don’t get a good night sleep so both of us can make it to our orgasms without passing out?” Dean pouts out his lips and gives a disappointed groan, but nods just the same. His brow furrows as a thought from earlier occurs to him.
“Hey, why are we doing this?” he asks. Cas’ expression instantly shifts to confusion and panic. Dean quickly tries to correct his mistake, “No, no, don’t worry. I’m not talking about moving in together. I mean moving in here, to this location.” Cas’ face relaxes and he glances around his room.
“Well, we both agreed that my house was bigger than your apartment.”
“Yeah, but…” Dean trails off and lets his head fall back against the bed. “Sam and I were talking today and he brought up a good point: Why aren’t we buying a place together?” Cas’ brow furrows deeply, but he doesn’t say anything.
“I mean, yeah, your place is bigger, but we still have a lot of stuff of mine that’s not going to fit,” Dean continues, “even if we do get rid of a bunch of it. And your lease agreement is up when?”
“October,” Cas admits. He laces his fingers flat over the center of Dean’s chest and lays his chin down on top of them. “Buying a house is a big decision, Dean. Not one to make lightly or spur-of-the-moment.” Dean brings his hands up and cups Cas’ face, brushing a thumb over his cheekbones.
“Yeah, I know,” he gives Cas a reassuring smile. “Look, there’s no rush right now. We can think about it, take our time. We have four months.” Dean cranes his neck up and kisses Cas sweetly.
“You really want to shackle yourself to me by…” Cas imitates a dramatic “duh-duh-dun” sound, “investing in property?” Dean chuckles to himself and slides his hands further down until they are cupping Cas’ behind.
“You bet your sweet ass I would,” Dean replies, giving it a playful squeeze. Cas laughs and rolls off of Dean and onto the bed. He pulls himself tighter into Dean’s arms and snuggles into his neck.
“Time to take your own advice,” Dean mumbles. “Under the covers, time for bed.” Cas nods into Dean’s shoulder and hefts himself to his feet. Dean stands with a pained grunt. He tugs off his shirt and pulls on a pair of sleep shorts.
Cas is already under the covers, face pressed into his pillow. Dean crawls into bed and wraps his arm around Cas’ waist, pulling him close until they are spooned together.
“‘Night, Cas,” he says, pressing a kiss to the nape of his neck. Cas makes a small intelligible noise that Dean can only assume is “love you.”
“Love you, too,” Dean replies.
Dean’s eyes are as wide as saucers as he stares down the display case, the rich confections glaring back at him. He hears the bell above the door chime and the familiar slap of Charlie’s Converse on the tile.
“Sorry, sorry. I know I’m late.” she says as she sidles up next to Dean in line.
“Hey Charlie,” Dean mumbles without looking up. “Not a problem, I’m just figuring out which donut to get.” Charlie leans down and examines the case.
“Hmmm, well, Maple Bacon is my favorite, but I think you’d like the Yoga Pants more.” Charlie offers.
“Which one is that?” Dean asks. Charlie points to the row of donuts on the far right.
“The one with the brownie on top.” Dean shakes his head with an incredulous chuckle.
“As if a donut isn’t bad enough for you,” He mumbles.
“Sweet Theory does not fuck around,” Charlie replies with a grin. The clerk calls out “next” and Charlie and Dean approach the counter. Dean orders a Maple Bacon donut and a cup of coffee, Charlie decides on a muffin.
“Look at this thing! It’s as big as my fist!” Charlie gushes as they settle into one of the outside tables. The heat is beginning to settle over the neighborhood and the early morning air is already thick and humid.
“Good luck finishing that thing,” Dean laughs. He looks down at his donut, trying to figure out where to start in the ginormous monstrosity.
“Might I suggest these?” Charlie offers, pulling out a fork and knife.
“The day I use silverware to eat a donut is the day I turn in my man card,” Dean says flatly, picking up his donut. He widens his jaw as far as it will go in an attempt to bite into it.
“So?” Charlie asks eagerly. “Is this place not the best?” Dean nods enthusiastically as he chews.
“Dear God, that’s amazing,” he says after he swallows. He wipes at his mouth with a napkin. “So how’s the new job going?” Charlie shrugs and picks at her muffin.
“So far so good,” she replies. “The kids are really… I don’t know, ‘serious’ I guess? ‘Focused’ is probably a better term for it. Totally unlike Carver Edlund.” Dean nods.
“But you were expecting this, right?” he asks.
“Yeah, yeah,” Charlie nods, “It’s still an adjustment, though.” Dean smiles at his friend. It’s strange not working with Charlie anymore. The new history teacher, Victor, is ok, but Dean has made it his mission to pull the stick out of his ass before the end of the year.
“How’s house hunting going?” Dean’s eyes widen comically in exasperation.
“It’s… going.” he replies. Charlie grimaces.
“That bad, huh?”
“We’re trying to stay close to downtown, but every house we’ve seen is either 300K or needs 200K in repairs.” Dean says. They’d only started looking for houses around the end of July but within six weeks both Dean and Cas were sick of it.
“Why downtown?” Charlie asks.
“Cas wants to stay close to the station,” Dean replies. “Plus, you and Dorothy are down this way. We’d be closer to Jess and Sam.”
“Dude, you guys could still live at the beaches,” Charlie argues. “We’d all still be in Jacksonville.” Dean shakes his head.
“We’re pretty set somewhere close to downtown,” he replies, “Riverside, San Marco, Five Points… that area.” Charlie nods and drops the subject. Dean is glad of this; he knows she remembers her and Dorothy’s exhaustive search for their own home.
“So, I found out something pretty interesting this week,” Charlie says. Dean makes a small interested noise. “Roman’s involvement in that whole rigmarole with the news story wasn’t a coincidence.” Dean’s head perks up in surprise.
“What?” he asks, mouth full of donut. Charlie gets a gleeful look in her eye.
“I’ve recently been thinking about all the drama with the news story and something wasn’t sitting right with me,” she whispers conspiratorially.
“What?” Dean repeats. He doesn’t understand the big secret, but he plays along.
“Bartholomew… I don’t know, he said something when he was interviewing me. It gave me pause,” Charlie shakes her head absently. “So, I did a little digging and sure enough: no coincidence.”
“What?” Dean repeats once more, a little less patiently. As much as he loves Charlie, keeping her concise is an issue.
“They were in a frat together, Bartholomew and Roman.” Charlie says with a triumphant grin.
“What?” Dean breathes, eyes large in shock.
“University of Florida, class of 2003, Theta Chi,” Charlie recites from memory.
“You’re sure?” Dean asks. “Same graduating class and everything?” Charlie nods.
“Oh yeah. I actually talked to another one of their ‘brothers’, a guy named Edgar. They were pretty tight.” Charlie replies. “My guess is Bartholomew got the idea and Roman just went along with it to help his old friend.”
“Wow. I can’t believe it… No wait, I actually totally can.” Dean says ruefully.
“I heard our friend Mr. Roman isn’t at the school anymore,” Charlie raises an eyebrow. “He finally got fired?” Dean pops the last bite of donut into his mouth, enjoys the smoky crunch of the bacon.
“The official party line is that he resigned to take care of some ‘family matters,’” Dean says with an annoyed expression. “He was on the chopping block after the board discovered some unusual school policy changes, but then he beat them to the punch.”
“How’s Singer taking the promotion?” Charlie asks with a wry smile.
“How do you think?” Dean laughs. “Ornery and pissed off. The school will be better off with him in there, though.” Charlie hums in agreement. There’s a lull in the conversation and the soft noise of the street drifts over them.
“How are you doing, Dean,” Charlie glances at him curiously. “You and Cas?” A slow smile spreads across Dean’s face.
“Good, real good,” Dean says. He knows he is unable to hide his happiness and he doesn’t try to. “It’s just… yeah, just great.” Charlie pokes her tongue into the side of her cheek, clearly amused by how flustered he is.
“Still all rainbows and butterflies, huh?” Charlie takes a sip of her coffee.
“We’re still figuring each other out, this whole living together thing,” Dean replies. “It’s not perfect.” Dean lets the line about “it’s pretty damn close” go unsaid. Charlie rolls her eyes.
“Yeah right,” she snorts. Dean shrugs; he doesn’t know what to tell her. Having Cas in his arms every night, coming home to him at the end of the day, is the best feeling Dean can imagine. He loves the knowledge that when he thinks of Home, it always includes Cas as well.
“Hey Charlie, can I ask you a question?” Dean asks hesitantly. “How did you know Dorothy was the one?” Charlie’s eyes widen and she stops mid-bite into her food.
“Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?” She leans forward conspiratorially.
“You know what I’m getting at,” Dean sighs in exasperation. Charlie’s brow furrows and she cups her chin in her hand.
“Well, I just… I just thought about what it would be like to live without her,” Charlie replies. “I know that sounds kind of morbid. Let me see if I can put it another way…” She takes another sip of her coffee and collects her thoughts.
“I thought about what my life would be like in five years if I didn’t have her and… and I couldn’t even picture it. She was just there. I literally couldn’t imagine my life or being happy without her. Does that make any sense?” Dean smiles warmly.
“Yeah… yeah it really does.” He says. Everything Charlie says sounds weirdly familiar. Dean has had relationships in the past, decent ones too, but they pale in comparison to what he has with Cas. “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime,” Charlie grins. She clasps her hands together and sets her elbows on the table. “Alright, I am so behind school gossip. You’ve got to fill me in on what’s going on! Are Kevin and Channing dating yet?” Dean snorts but recounts the latest news at her request.
I LOVE your Accidental First Date series!!! How often do you update it if you don't mind me asking?
Usually once a week, +/- 1 or 2 days.
I write in the little free time I have between work and spawns (kids). Chapt. 15 is so close to being finished. Hopefully it will be up tonight (fingers crossed)
