At eighteen, Castiel Novak thinks he’s an adult. The X’s on his hands at the music venue say otherwise. So does the bartender who shuts him down with, “I don’t think so, kid,” when Castiel asks for his number.
He keeps coming back anyway. For the music. Not the bartender, of course.
This chapter: Castiel goes back to The Bunker with a few changes.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/81049946/chapters/218082966
Here’s my final collab for the @destielaureversebb ! Thank you so much @tea-or-die for claiming my art! It was a joy to work with you and see this lovely story come to life!
Go check out the fic here: LINK TO FIC
Thanks again to the wonderful mods of the @destielaureversebb for creating and running this wonderful bang!
2k Followers Celebration Content Creator Event, Day 1: Beach
This is a special birthday gift dedicated to @castielstolemyheart! To my favorite cute person, happy birthday, ilysm! 💜
Being a bartender at a 360˚ open bar right on the beach had many perks. Dean couldn't complain. Sun and sand, free and fun. He'd only meant to take a couple week vacation here after Sammy had gone off to college, and yet here he was, many years later, still in Hawaii and loving every second of it.
The company wasn't bad either. Tourists with fun stories and coworkers who were actually awesome to work with. Everything was easy and laid-back, until a certain someone had caught Dean’ eyes, and suddenly he had no interest in the casual hook-ups offered by the tourists.
"You're the king of confidence and you can't walk over there and ask him out?" Charlie asked, leaning over Dean to grab one of the little umbrellas before popping it open and placing it in a Pina colada for a customer.
Dean snapped his eyes to Charlie before looking back out towards the beach. Towards Cas; local surfing instructor and the guy Dean had been crushing on since the gorgeous man had moved to town six months ago.
Dean had been caught breathless the first day he'd met Cas; casually making him a drink while desperately trying to make words come out of his mouth, which had gone sticky and dry at the sight of Cas.
Things had only gotten worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it. Five days a week, after finishing his surfing lessons (which Dean definitely didn't watch from his spot at the bar, eyes glued to Cas as he elegantly surfed the waves and pushed his wet hair from his dazzling blue eyes), Cas would come over and order a drink. He'd stay sitting at the bar, sometimes for half an hour, sometimes for a couple hours, just talking to Dean. They'd struck up an easy friendship, and it had fast become Dean's favorite part of the day.
On days when the rush was crazy, customers angrily demanding more Hawaiian-esque vibes to their drinks, Dean all but counted down the seconds until Cas was done with his lessons so he could unwind listening to Cas' molasses thick voice.
But the best days were the quieter ones, when Dean could let Charlie handle the few customers and he'd make himself a drink and sit down on the other side of the bar with Cas, discussing the pod of dolphins that swam past earlier that day, or a new trail just up past the coast that would be perfect for a hike.
Sighing, Dean finally tore his gaze away from Cas in his wetsuit to look at Charlie as she handed a drink to the last customer in line. "I can't, Charlie. Have you seen him? He's like an Angel fell down from Heaven, and I'm just me," Dean said, gesturing to himself vaguely. "He's so far out of my league it's unfathomable."
“You really don’t see it, do you?” Charlie asked, jutting her hip against the counter and tying her fiery red hair into a loose ponytail.
“See what?” Dean asked, reorganizing the bottles of alcohol just for something to do with his hands.
“The way he looks at you. I swear the two of you spend all day every day looking at each other when the other one isn’t looking,” Charlie said, picking up a strawberry and hurling it at Dean’s head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean huffed, plucking the strawberry and plopping it in his mouth.
“For God’s sake, Dean. Ask him out. I’ve watched you two make heart-eyes at each other for six months now. Anytime you have a day off and he comes over here looking for you, he sulks and spends the entire time telling me about you, as if I don’t have to work with your insufferable ass all day every day.”
“What’s your point?” Dean asked, finally turning and facing Charlie.
“My point is- his lessons just finished for the day, which means he’s gonna be over here any minute. Please, for my sanity, ask him out on date. Maybe then you two can stop making bedroom eyes at each other over the counter. Your drooling over each other scares the customers away,” Charlie huffed, even though there was nothing but teasing fondness to her tone. “Here’s your chance, Romeo. Go get your Prince Charming.”
Dean winced. “That wasn’t a horrific clashing of references.”
“Don’t care,” Charlie called, moving around the circular bar to serve the next customers.
“Hey, Dean,” Cas said, plopping himself down in his usual bar stool.
“Heya, Cas. Good waves today?” Dean asked, even though he knew the answer. The waves had been gorgeous, but not nearly as breathtaking as Cas had been catching the last few waves.
“Yeah, they were some of the best in weeks. In fact, I was going to ask if you wanted to go out and catch some waves with me before the sun sets?” Cas asked, looking up at Dean expectantly.
Dean froze midway through making Cas’ favorite drink- a Mai Tai- and he felt the air leave his lungs in a sharp rush. “Wh-what?”
“Unless you don’t know how to surf? I can teach you, if you don’t. Private lessons, just you and me,” Cas offered almost shyly.
Dean blinked, swallowed, and blinked again. Had Cas just asked him out? Was this a date? It was a date, right? Going surfing was a date, wasn’t it? Or maybe it was just a buddies thing? Who offered private lessons on a not-date-date? Oh God. Dean’s head was starting to spin.
“Unless you’re not interested in… this…” Cas said, gesturing between them with a nervous sound. “I um… I might have read things wrong and I-“
“No!” Dean cried. Oh shit. Wait. “No, I mean. Wait. Shit. Wait, hang on. No, you haven’t read this wrong. Yes, yes I want to go on a surfing date,” Dean stuttered, words coming out in a rush.
Cas bit at his lower lip nervously, and he looked up at Dean through his lashes. “Really?”
Dean nodded, then realized he was nodding far too quickly, and he cleared his throat and tried again. “Yeah, really. Although, I’ve only been surfing a couple times, and I’m pretty crap at it.”
“I’ll teach you if you want,” Cas said with a smile.
“I’d like that,” Dean replied, feeling the butterflies flutter in his stomach.
“So it’s a date, then?” Cas asked, looking up at Dean hopefully.
“God, yes,” Dean grinned. “Been wanting to ask you out for months.”
The way Cas’ eyes sparkled electric blue outshone the ocean a million to one. “The feeling’s mutual.”
Tearing his eyes away from Cas, Dean peered around the bar. “Hey Charlie, mind covering the rest of my shift? I’ve got a date,” Dean called.
Charlie immediately darted around the bar, bumping into Dean and punching his shoulder. “‘Bout damn time, Winchester.”
“Shut up,” Dean flushed, shoving at Charlie lightly but grinning widely.
“Did he finally ask you out?” Charlie asked, turning her attention to Cas.
Cas shook his head. “Nope,” he said, throwing a little smirk at Dean. “I asked him out.”
“Oh hell yes,” Charlie said with a laugh, reaching out to high-five Cas.
“Alright, we’re leaving now,” Dean muttered, slipping out from the bar before Charlie could embarrass him anymore than she already had.
“I’ve got a spare surfboard if you want to borrow mine?” Cas asked as they walked down towards the ocean.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Dean said, bumping his hand against Cas’ a couple times before finally sucking up the courage to link their fingers together. They walked the rest of the way with their fingers intertwined, sneaking glances at each other the whole time.
They spent the next hour out in the ocean, with Cas surfing several waves like an actual God, while Dean wiped out twice and refused to get back up out of sheer embarrassment. Even though he’d made a fool out of himself, it was by far the best date of Dean’s life; splashing water at Cas and the two of them laughing together at Dean’s desperate need for private lessons.
Sitting comfortably on his board, Dean watched in awe as Cas caught another wave, gliding across the water as if he belonged there. It was captivating and mesmerizing to watch from this close; to be allowed to stare at his date in wonder.
By the time Cas had paddled back to him, Dean had dropped himself down in the water to cool off, arms resting on the board as he looked up at Cas. The way the setting sun caught Cas’ profile was enough to cast a halo around his head, making Dean’s heart skip a beat in his chest. God, Cas was breathtakingly gorgeous.
“Let me help you up,” Cas said, pulling Dean out of the water until they were both sitting on one board, hovering in each other’s space; both of them darting looks at each other’s lips. As the sun set, creating the most romantic setting Dean had ever been in, Cas leaned forwards and kissed Dean. It was like fireworks bursting into the sunset; dizzy and electrifying and completely captivating. Teasing flicks of tongue, and yet gentle brushes of lips.
With the bright orange and pink sunset lighting the sky, and Cas’ hands sliding into Dean’s wet hair, it was the absolute best kiss of Dean’s life.
Tag List Part 1 Below- (please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the list!)
Getting the man of your dreams is as simple as that!
The article promised a foolproof plan to the love of his life and Castiel was desperate enough to try it. The days Michael ignored him were about to be over.
With the help of his newly appointed wingman, one Dean Winchester, Castiel was ready to get out of his comfort zone and reach for the stars. As he and Dean spent more time together, though, and got to know each other, Castiel had to admit that his plan had one major flaw: what if he didn’t want to go through with it after all?
Link to fic | Link to art
Tags & warnings under the cut!
Pairings: Dean/Cas (Cas/Michael)
Warnings: No major archive warnings
Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Lawyer Castiel, Bartender Dean, Love Triangles, Pining Dean, Misunderstandings, Love Confessions, Fluff and Humor, Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, kitmistry, dmsilvisart
This picture is the inspiration behind this story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12980538/chapters/29675289 @mrswhozeewhatsis my WiFi wasn't working the last few days so I couldn't post this, but now you know what inspired the story! 😂