Fic: Unraveling (Part 3)
[ Masterlist] [ Part 2]
Cas was at work, typing up a second draft to one of the longer pieces that Crowley had him working on. He was halfway through the introduction when a shadow was cast over his desk. He looked up and saw Dean standing in front of it. “Hello, Dean,” Cas said.
Dean held two small coffees from the break room in his hand. He put one on Cas’s desk. “It’s nothing special. But I figured it was either that or tea.”
“Tea would have been all right.”
“I’ll remember that next time.” Dean turned around, acting like he was going to head back to his desk to work, but he stopped. He looked over his shoulder to Cas who had his fingers on the keyboard and was ready to start typing again. “Cas, why don’t you ever ask about Dark Angel?” He saw Cas take his hands off of the keyboard and he took it as an opportunity to turn back around.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, everyone in the entire building has asked. Except you.”
“Because it’s your work, Dean. How you do it is none of my business.”
“You don’t want to know anything about my process?” Dean asked.
“I’m guessing you asked him for a photograph, he appeared, posed, and left.” He tried to sound as nonchalant and vague about it as he could.
“He does tend to zap in and out when he doesn’t fly.”
“Zap?”
“Yeah. Like he’ll appear out of nowhere sometimes. Maybe teleport is a better word. Like Nightcrawler.” Dean looked at Cas and waited for a sign to show him that Cas knew what he was talking about. Cas just stared blankly at him. “X-men?” What he got was Cas shaking his head. “Come on, Cas.”
“I’m sorry. That reference is beyond me.”
“Yeah. I guess I could tell. You read a bunch of literature and all that. Nothing wrong with it, of course,” he added quickly. He didn’t want to offend his partner.
Cas squinted at him. “How do you know that?”
“I looked around your apartment.”
Cas suspected that Jo would have given Dean a tour. He was a bit curious to what the tour entailed. He would ask her when he got home. “I apologize for leaving you with, Jo.”
“Don’t worry. She’s cool. She told me a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about you. You play lacrosse?”
“I did.”
“Three years working together and I feel like I don’t know anything about you.”
“I’m a boring person, Dean,” he replied. He could tell that Dean was feeling guilty about it, and he wanted to stop the guilt before it got worse.
Dean sat down on one of the few clear spaces on Cas’s desk. He put his coffee down next to his thigh. “Favorite color?”
“What?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
He didn’t think that Dean would jump into wanting to know trivial facts about him. He would answer them, though. If they would get Dean to feel less bad about not knowing much about his life, then he’d indulge him. “Green.”
“Why green?”
“Being raised in the country helped me appreciate the color of nature. I always loved whenever spring would roll around. It’s different in the city.”
“One of your favorite movies is the Wizard of Oz?”
“Yes.”
“Favorite book?”
“Too many.”
“Give me one.”
“Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”
“Sorry.” Dean shook his head when he realized that he was firing questions at him rapid fire. “I feel like you know way more about me than I know about you. Granted, you don’t really care about most of the stuff I share.”
“I care, Dean,” Cas protested.
“I mean, I know you don’t want to hear about my dates with this person and that person. Who was your last girlfriend?”
“Um…” His eyes widened and he could feel his heart beating in his ears. “I…”
“Okay,” Dean said, holding his hands up. He could see how panicked Cas became and wanted to instantly soothe it. “You don’t have to answer that. That’s too personal.”
“Thanks,” Cas whispered, his face pink. He couldn’t answer because he never had a girlfriend before. He never had the time to worry about those kinds of relationships. Sure, he’s had crushes on people, but he never acted on them.
“Favorite place in the entire world?”
“South Dakota.”
“South Dakota?” Dean repeated, incredulous. “Okay, you’re going to have to explain that one to me.”
“It’s where I was born and raised.”
“Favorite dinosaur?”
“Triceratops.”
Dean laughed. He wanted to ask why, but he’d save it for another day. “Okay, you willing to answer something serious?”
“How serious?” Cas asked, suspicious.
“What is your biggest fear? You know that I hate flying. What are you afraid of?”
“Oh,” Cas whispered.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want, Cas,” Dean said.
“Failing,” he whispered.
“Failing?”
It had been his fear ever since his angel family had told him his destiny was to protect the Earth and the people on it. It was a huge burden to carry on his shoulders, but he knew that if he didn’t, he had no idea who would. “I don’t like letting people down.”
Dean watched his partner. He wanted to know what weight he was carrying to make him sound so sad. It made him want to go into overprotective older brother mode, even though he was sure that Cas was older than him. “How could you-”
“Winchester, office.”
The two of them looked up and saw Crowley standing in the doorway to his office. “I guess that I have to go?” Dean asked, upset that he was interrupted.
“I think so.”
“Good talk, Cas,” he said, standing. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip from it. “I still need help with the thing from last night if you’re all right with helping me.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll work on it after Crowley gets tired of hearing the sound of his voice.” Dean walked to his desk, grabbed his camera, then headed toward Crowley’s office.
Cas took a sip of his coffee before he got back to work. He finished the introduction that had turned out to be more than seven pages. He sighed and leaned back on his chair. He needed a break.
He stood up and stretched. He wanted to stretch his wings, but he knew he’d have to leave the office to be able to do so.
He was about to sit back down when he saw someone standing at Dean’s desk. He immediately knew who he was from his stature. The man turned around and made eye contact with him and waved. Cas waved back. “Hello, Sam,” Cas greeted when Sam walked toward him.
“Hey, Cas. Is Dean around?”
He looked toward Crowley’s office and saw the door still closed. “He was called into a meeting with Crowley a couple of minutes ago.”
“Will it be a long meeting?”
“I’m not sure, actually.” He could have used his powers to listen into the room, but he didn’t want to hear anything he shouldn’t.
“I can wait.” He set the briefcase he was holding down on the floor. “So, Cas, how have you been?”
“Well. And yourself?”
“I’m good. Law school’s been killer though.”
“I can imagine.” Dean would always talk about how Sam was the brainiac in their family and how he was studying to be a lawyer. Cas was impressed.
“Dean told me that your sister has been in town.”
“She’s been here for a few weeks. With no sign of leaving.”
“It must be nice to have some company, though.”
“It is.” He had to admit that through all the food and complaining about his job, he enjoyed having his sister around.
Then the conversation died. And Cas became ansty. He never dealt well with awkward silences.
The moment became more awkward when he felt his wings shake against his back. Someone needed his help and he had no way to leave since he was carrying a conversation. “Sam, I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He knew he sounded abrupt, but from the way his wings were acting, the situation was dire.
“Where to?” Sam asked.
“I forgot that I was supposed to go somewhere for an interview today.” He really hoped that Sam could not tell that he was lying.
“Oh. Okay. I hope I wasn’t keeping you.”
“No, no, of course not,” he said quickly. “It just slipped my mind. My fault completely.”
“Well, you should get going then.”
“You can sit at Dean’s desk and wait for him if you like.”
“I’ll do that.”
Cas sent one last smile Sam’s way before he made his way quickly toward the elevators without drawing attention to himself. Once he was inside, he pushed the button for the lobby floor furiously, thinking that it would get him to his destination faster. He ran out of the lobby as fast as he could.
He changed into his superhero outfit and took to the sky. It unsettled him when he found himself at the edge of the city once again.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas didn’t know why, but he flew toward his work building. He wasn’t expecting to see anyone, but on his floor, some lights were still on. He wondered who was still working that late. He flew up to the roof and saw Dean sitting on it and looking to the sky. He made himself visible and landed.
“I didn’t expect you to be here tonight,” Dean said.
“This is the best view of the city,” Cas replied.
Dean let out a short laugh. “It is.”
“I hope I’m not distracting you from your work.”
Dean shook his head. “I’m waiting for some pictures to print. I can show them to you if you want.”
“I don’t think-”
“Right,” Dean interrupted. He felt foolish to even offer.
“Do you usually work this late?”
“Sometimes,” Dean answered. “I’m never alone. Usually Cas is here. But my brother needed to borrow my car, so I’m stuck. I didn’t think I’d be here this long. Cas offered to give me a ride, or wait with me, but I declined. What a guy, right? Helped me with something that a rookie could’ve figured out but my brain just decided to stop working and I needed to ask him for help like I usually do. He’s too nice.” He knew that he was rambling, but he hoped that the superhero didn’t miss the fond tone in his voice. Cas was a nice guy, and he liked that about him. “But since I’m here, I figured I could get some work done.”
“That is a good use of your time.”
“I’m not usually like this.”
“I doubt that,” Cas said. He knew how hardworking Dean was.
“Not on my own. Cas usually keeps me in check. I’m always surprised that he hasn’t asked for a new partner.”
“Maybe you work well together.”
“We do,” Dean admitted. “I figured that we’ve worked together this long that we’re kind of stuck with each other. Well, enough about me. You’ve been busy.” He had been keeping tabs on whenever Dark Angel made the news.
“I have.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“It’s not of import.”
“Seems like a lot of criminals are getting bolder.”
“They are.”
“And you’re all right?”
Cas stared at Dean. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you can’t come out of all of these rescues and busts without sporting a few battle wounds.”
“There isn’t a weapon that can harm me.”
Dean let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. When he exhaled, it seemed like all the tension he had in his body ebbed away. “That’s a relief.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Dean.”
“Someone has to,” he mumbled. He stepped back when he realized how sentimental he sounded. “I mean. The world appreciates what you do, but I don’t think they’re concerned about your well-being. Are you invincible?”
“I don’t think so. It’s difficult to believe that I’m all powerful and there’s nothing on the planet that can harm me.”
“So there could be.” He didn’t like that possibility.
“I’m not sure.” He was lucky enough to not have come across anything like that yet.
“I hope there isn’t.”
Cas stared at Dean. “Why?” There was no reason for Dean to feel so concerned about him.
“I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt because you’re saving the world.”
“Your concern is appreciated. But it’s unnecessary.”
“That doesn’t stop me from caring. I-” He was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and saw that his brother was calling. “I have to take this. Sorry.”
“It’s all right.” He watched Dean as he answered the phone and walked to the other side of the roof.
“Hey, Sammy… Nah, I’m just waiting to see how some of my shots turned out… Okay, well just call me when you’re downstairs… Yeah, I should be done by the time you get here… Whatever, see you in a couple. Bitch.” Dean hung up the phone and strode back over to Cas who hadn’t moved from his position.
“Do you have to go?”
“I have a couple of minutes. I have to clean up my desk anyway. And I have to replace all the supplies I keep borrowing from Cas. I think it’s a problem when I’m using one of his Post-its to remind me to buy him some Post-its. I hope he knows I’m buying him some and doesn’t go out and buy more.”
“I’m sure he knows,” Cas laughed. It was too late for him to return the Post-its he bought a few days ago. And he was pretty sure that Dean wouldn’t buy him new ones any time soon.
“So, there’s nothing overtly criminal going on today?”
“Nothing that I can sense. Then again, the day has just started in some parts of the world.”
“Crime and danger never sleep.”
“Then it’s probably a coincidence that I don’t either.”
An awkward silence fell between them, but Dean wasn’t going to let it last long. “I should finish cleaning up the office.”
“You should,” Cas agreed, taking it as a sign that they were done taking for the night. “Do you need another picture of me?”
“Nah. I think I have enough for the next few issues. “
“All right.”
“Next time?” Dean asked, hopeful. He didn’t want to sound desperate, but he enjoyed whenever he saw the superhero. He didn’t want that to stop just because he didn’t need a picture.
“Next time,” Cas replied without hesitation.
Dean watched as Dark Angel spread his wings out and then vanished right in front of him. “Cool,” he whispered, then went back inside.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Dean walked out of the building, saying his goodbyes to the security guards. He saw Sam and the Impala right in front of the entrance. His brother tossed him the keys and they both got into the car to go home.
The music choice of the night was Metallica.
Dean thought that he was going to get through the car ride without having to talk to his brother. He was wrong.
“You get all of your work done?” Sam asked.
“Most of it,” Dean replied. He had to adjust a few of his pictures and reprint them tomorrow.
“You see him again tonight?”
“Shut up,” Dean said. He didn’t know why he was so defensive about it, but he couldn’t help but grip the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“What? It’s an honest question.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Why are you so weird about it?”
Dean sighed and slapped the steering wheel. “I don’t know.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Shut up, Sam.” He would have punched his brother in the arm, but he knew that Sam would have punched back which would have resulted in the car swerving and neither of them wanted that. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Dean. You’re the only photographer on this planet who Dark Angel kind of poses for. He obviously trusts you enough. There has to be a bond forming between you two.”
“You’re going to make me throw up.” The conversation was becoming way too sweet for Dean’s liking.
“I’m not the one in love with a superhero.”
“I’m not-”
“Fine,” Sam interrupted. “Maybe love is too strong of a word. You’re infatuated. It’s okay. Weird, but okay.”
Dean groaned and rubbed his hand up and down his face a couple of times. “All because of this stupid assignment.” He may have sounded like he hated it, but he didn’t.
“You’re enjoying the private time that you’re getting with the superhero. Admit it.”
“I’m not admitting anything.”
“Yeah. You don’t need to. I already know.”
“Bitch,” Dean mumbled under his breath, hating that his brother had won this discussion.
Sam felt it would have been unfair to respond, so he kept his mouth shut.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Dean and Cas went on like that for a couple of weeks. A few days out of the week, Dean would let Sam borrow his car so he’d be able to stay back at the office. Some days, he’d be there alone until Sam picked him up. Others, he was lucky enough to have a conversation with a superhero.
It became a regular thing for them.
Cas tried to make it to the roof as often as he could, especially days when he knew Dean would be there alone. He wasn’t always successful, but he was always glad Dean understood.
He found comfort in his coworker’s company. It was miles different from the time that he spent with Dean for work. Here, they could talk about their day; Dean more than Cas. Cas couldn’t tell him much, but whatever he could, Dean appreciated.
Sometimes they didn’t talk at all. There were nights when they’d just sit on the roof and stare out into the city. Whenever Cas would shake his wings, Dean knew that he had superhero business to attend to.
He let Dean take his picture whenever he needed, which wasn’t much. Cas wondered how many pictures of him Dean actually had.
They had a good system going. They wondered how long they could keep it going before someone or something ruined it.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas flew back to the city. He had been hit three times with bullets and one was taking longer than usual to heal. He wasn’t sure if it was something different with the bullets, or because his grace was working overtime because of the growth of crimes that he had to deal with.
He knew he couldn’t fly back home just yet because Jo would see the wound and proceed to yell at him. He could not handle his sister after the night he had.
So, he flew to a place where he thought he’d be safe enough to heal before going home.
He flew to the roof of his work building. He made himself visible before he landed. He had no idea why. It was most likely out of habit.
“Castiel?”
Cas spun around and saw Dean standing in the doorway. “You’re here,” Cas said, surprised. He could have sworn that Dean left at the same time he did. He cursed himself for not being more aware of his surroundings.
“You’re bleeding.” Dean looked at Castiel’s face, searching for any sign that he should be worried. Then his eyes trailed down the superhero’s body and zoned in on the bleeding wound.
“It’s a minor injury, Dean.”
Dean shook his head when he realized that he was still staring at the wound. “Let me get you something to stop the bleeding.”
Cas stepped forward to stop Dean from heading back into the building. He grabbed him by the arm. He waited for Dean to look at him. “Dean, the injury will be healed by the time you find something and come back. A few more minutes and it will be like I was never injured.”
“Minutes, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“So you aren’t in any danger.”
“Not at the moment.” He was concerned with why he wasn’t already healed, but there was no need for him to frighten Dean with that information.
“At the moment?” Dean said. He sounded like he was in a trance. He watched as the wound on Castiel’s side knitted shut.
“Unless you’re a danger to me.”
“No,” he whispered. Dean took a few steps forward and put his hand on where the gunshot wound was a few seconds ago. All he felt was soft flesh. No marks of him being shot were anywhere in sight. He pulled his hand back when he realized how invasive the act was. “I thought that you said there wasn’t a weapon that could hurt you.”
“I guess I should have said hurt enough that I wasn’t able to heal myself.”
“Yeah,” Dean said with a nervous laugh. “That changes things. Can I ask what did this to you?”
“Someone shot at me.”
Dean looked up and glared at Castiel, not liking how nonchalant he sounded about it. “Shot and hit you.”
“It was at a close enough proximity that I would have been surprised if he missed.”
Dean realized how foolish his overprotectiveness was. This probably happened on a regular basis to the superhero. “Did you get them?”
“Yes, I did,” he said, sadly.
“You look uneasy.” Dean stepped toward the superhero, hoping that the proximity would make him feel more comfortable.
“It’s all right, Dean.” Cas didn’t want to burden him with his anxiety.
“Castiel,” Dean said, hoping that him using his real name would get his attention. Castiel looked at him and he smiled. He put a hand on the superhero’s arm and squeezed it. “Please. If you need someone to listen, I’m here.”
Cas smiled. He had Jo to talk to about his these things, but he felt bad when it seemed like he was constantly unloading on her about everything. He thought about not telling him, but the eagerness on Dean’s face did nothing to stop him from speaking. “I just have this feeling that something is about to happen.”
“Oh,” he said, dropping his hand to his side. It didn’t sit well with him how vague and ominous it sounded.
“I don’t know if I’m prepared for it, either.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to make a mistake and people to get hurt because of it.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
“I know.” He let out a long sigh and his eyes went to the sky. “But I’d rather the pressure be on me than anyone else.”
“That is some complex you have. Then again, what superhero doesn’t have a complex?”
Cas looked at Dean. He shrugged, then smirked. “I don’t know.”
Dean stared at the superhero, trying to figure him out. He discovered that it was difficult when it seemed like the angel had dozens of walls up. He couldn’t help feel like he did know the man standing in front of him. And he couldn’t help but care about him. “Is it still worth it? Even after getting shot at?”
“Dean, policemen do the same thing that I do, but they don’t have the luxury of super powers.”
“Yeah, but they’re human. It’s our responsibility to help the other people on our planet.”
Cas tilted his head to look at Dean. “What makes you think this planet isn’t mine?”
Dean’s eyes widened when he realized that he might have said something wrong. “Is it?” He shook his head and raised his hands defensively. “I’m sorry, Castiel. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Cas walked over to Dean and gently took his wrists in his hands. He brought the raised hands down to his sides. “You didn’t. I know this isn’t my home in the sense that I’m not human and that makes me other-worldly. But it’s where I belong.”
Dean watched as Castiel talked about his planet. He wished that he had his camera because the vulnerability and honesty that came over the superhero’s covered face was something he didn’t want to forget. “Castiel, how well do you know this planet?”
Cas sighed and looked away from his coworker. “It’s home. I know I’m different, but I’ve found a place for me here. I cannot imagine being anywhere else.”
It took awhile for Dean to process Castiel’s words. He was in awe. An alien, who had no connections to anyone on this planet had found a place for himself when millions of people were still trying to find their own. He smiled. Then he realized that he was beginning to find himself caring more about him than he thought he would. “Then you deserve to call this your home.”
“Thank you,” Cas whispered. He wanted to continue talking, but he sensed some people in danger on the Mexican border. “Dean.”
“Go,” Dean replied. He knew what was happening.
“It was nice talking to you again,” Cas replied.
“Same here.” Dean could have sworn that the angel was blushing. “Go. Now before something happens.”
“Until next time.”
“Next time,” Dean replied. “And Castiel?”
“Yes, Dean?” Cas replied as he let out his wings.
“Be careful, all right?”
“Of course.” Then he flew off, leaving Dean standing alone on the roof.
[ Part 4]
Cas was at work, typing up a second draft to one of the longer pieces that Crowley had him working on. He was halfway through the introduction when a shadow was cast over his desk. He looked up and saw Dean standing in front of it. “Hello, Dean,” Cas said.
Dean held two small coffees from the break room in his hand. He put one on Cas’s desk. “It’s nothing special. But I figured it was either that or tea.”
“Tea would have been all right.”
“I’ll remember that next time.” Dean turned around, acting like he was going to head back to his desk to work, but he stopped. He looked over his shoulder to Cas who had his fingers on the keyboard and was ready to start typing again. “Cas, why don’t you ever ask about Dark Angel?” He saw Cas take his hands off of the keyboard and he took it as an opportunity to turn back around.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, everyone in the entire building has asked. Except you.”
“Because it’s your work, Dean. How you do it is none of my business.”
“You don’t want to know anything about my process?” Dean asked.
“I’m guessing you asked him for a photograph, he appeared, posed, and left.” He tried to sound as nonchalant and vague about it as he could.
“He does tend to zap in and out when he doesn’t fly.”
“Zap?”
“Yeah. Like he’ll appear out of nowhere sometimes. Maybe teleport is a better word. Like Nightcrawler.” Dean looked at Cas and waited for a sign to show him that Cas knew what he was talking about. Cas just stared blankly at him. “X-men?” What he got was Cas shaking his head. “Come on, Cas.”
“I’m sorry. That reference is beyond me.”
“Yeah. I guess I could tell. You read a bunch of literature and all that. Nothing wrong with it, of course,” he added quickly. He didn’t want to offend his partner.
Cas squinted at him. “How do you know that?”
“I looked around your apartment.”
Cas suspected that Jo would have given Dean a tour. He was a bit curious to what the tour entailed. He would ask her when he got home. “I apologize for leaving you with, Jo.”
“Don’t worry. She’s cool. She told me a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about you. You play lacrosse?”
“I did.”
“Three years working together and I feel like I don’t know anything about you.”
“I’m a boring person, Dean,” he replied. He could tell that Dean was feeling guilty about it, and he wanted to stop the guilt before it got worse.
Dean sat down on one of the few clear spaces on Cas’s desk. He put his coffee down next to his thigh. “Favorite color?”
“What?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
He didn’t think that Dean would jump into wanting to know trivial facts about him. He would answer them, though. If they would get Dean to feel less bad about not knowing much about his life, then he’d indulge him. “Green.”
“Why green?”
“Being raised in the country helped me appreciate the color of nature. I always loved whenever spring would roll around. It’s different in the city.”
“One of your favorite movies is the Wizard of Oz?”
“Yes.”
“Favorite book?”
“Too many.”
“Give me one.”
“Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”
“Sorry.” Dean shook his head when he realized that he was firing questions at him rapid fire. “I feel like you know way more about me than I know about you. Granted, you don’t really care about most of the stuff I share.”
“I care, Dean,” Cas protested.
“I mean, I know you don’t want to hear about my dates with this person and that person. Who was your last girlfriend?”
“Um…” His eyes widened and he could feel his heart beating in his ears. “I…”
“Okay,” Dean said, holding his hands up. He could see how panicked Cas became and wanted to instantly soothe it. “You don’t have to answer that. That’s too personal.”
“Thanks,” Cas whispered, his face pink. He couldn’t answer because he never had a girlfriend before. He never had the time to worry about those kinds of relationships. Sure, he’s had crushes on people, but he never acted on them.
“Favorite place in the entire world?”
“South Dakota.”
“South Dakota?” Dean repeated, incredulous. “Okay, you’re going to have to explain that one to me.”
“It’s where I was born and raised.”
“Favorite dinosaur?”
“Triceratops.”
Dean laughed. He wanted to ask why, but he’d save it for another day. “Okay, you willing to answer something serious?”
“How serious?” Cas asked, suspicious.
“What is your biggest fear? You know that I hate flying. What are you afraid of?”
“Oh,” Cas whispered.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want, Cas,” Dean said.
“Failing,” he whispered.
“Failing?”
It had been his fear ever since his angel family had told him his destiny was to protect the Earth and the people on it. It was a huge burden to carry on his shoulders, but he knew that if he didn’t, he had no idea who would. “I don’t like letting people down.”
Dean watched his partner. He wanted to know what weight he was carrying to make him sound so sad. It made him want to go into overprotective older brother mode, even though he was sure that Cas was older than him. “How could you-”
“Winchester, office.”
The two of them looked up and saw Crowley standing in the doorway to his office. “I guess that I have to go?” Dean asked, upset that he was interrupted.
“I think so.”
“Good talk, Cas,” he said, standing. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip from it. “I still need help with the thing from last night if you’re all right with helping me.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll work on it after Crowley gets tired of hearing the sound of his voice.” Dean walked to his desk, grabbed his camera, then headed toward Crowley’s office.
Cas took a sip of his coffee before he got back to work. He finished the introduction that had turned out to be more than seven pages. He sighed and leaned back on his chair. He needed a break.
He stood up and stretched. He wanted to stretch his wings, but he knew he’d have to leave the office to be able to do so.
He was about to sit back down when he saw someone standing at Dean’s desk. He immediately knew who he was from his stature. The man turned around and made eye contact with him and waved. Cas waved back. “Hello, Sam,” Cas greeted when Sam walked toward him.
“Hey, Cas. Is Dean around?”
He looked toward Crowley’s office and saw the door still closed. “He was called into a meeting with Crowley a couple of minutes ago.”
“Will it be a long meeting?”
“I’m not sure, actually.” He could have used his powers to listen into the room, but he didn’t want to hear anything he shouldn’t.
“I can wait.” He set the briefcase he was holding down on the floor. “So, Cas, how have you been?”
“Well. And yourself?”
“I’m good. Law school’s been killer though.”
“I can imagine.” Dean would always talk about how Sam was the brainiac in their family and how he was studying to be a lawyer. Cas was impressed.
“Dean told me that your sister has been in town.”
“She’s been here for a few weeks. With no sign of leaving.”
“It must be nice to have some company, though.”
“It is.” He had to admit that through all the food and complaining about his job, he enjoyed having his sister around.
Then the conversation died. And Cas became ansty. He never dealt well with awkward silences.
The moment became more awkward when he felt his wings shake against his back. Someone needed his help and he had no way to leave since he was carrying a conversation. “Sam, I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He knew he sounded abrupt, but from the way his wings were acting, the situation was dire.
“Where to?” Sam asked.
“I forgot that I was supposed to go somewhere for an interview today.” He really hoped that Sam could not tell that he was lying.
“Oh. Okay. I hope I wasn’t keeping you.”
“No, no, of course not,” he said quickly. “It just slipped my mind. My fault completely.”
“Well, you should get going then.”
“You can sit at Dean’s desk and wait for him if you like.”
“I’ll do that.”
Cas sent one last smile Sam’s way before he made his way quickly toward the elevators without drawing attention to himself. Once he was inside, he pushed the button for the lobby floor furiously, thinking that it would get him to his destination faster. He ran out of the lobby as fast as he could.
He changed into his superhero outfit and took to the sky. It unsettled him when he found himself at the edge of the city once again.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas didn’t know why, but he flew toward his work building. He wasn’t expecting to see anyone, but on his floor, some lights were still on. He wondered who was still working that late. He flew up to the roof and saw Dean sitting on it and looking to the sky. He made himself visible and landed.
“I didn’t expect you to be here tonight,” Dean said.
“This is the best view of the city,” Cas replied.
Dean let out a short laugh. “It is.”
“I hope I’m not distracting you from your work.”
Dean shook his head. “I’m waiting for some pictures to print. I can show them to you if you want.”
“I don’t think-”
“Right,” Dean interrupted. He felt foolish to even offer.
“Do you usually work this late?”
“Sometimes,” Dean answered. “I’m never alone. Usually Cas is here. But my brother needed to borrow my car, so I’m stuck. I didn’t think I’d be here this long. Cas offered to give me a ride, or wait with me, but I declined. What a guy, right? Helped me with something that a rookie could’ve figured out but my brain just decided to stop working and I needed to ask him for help like I usually do. He’s too nice.” He knew that he was rambling, but he hoped that the superhero didn’t miss the fond tone in his voice. Cas was a nice guy, and he liked that about him. “But since I’m here, I figured I could get some work done.”
“That is a good use of your time.”
“I’m not usually like this.”
“I doubt that,” Cas said. He knew how hardworking Dean was.
“Not on my own. Cas usually keeps me in check. I’m always surprised that he hasn’t asked for a new partner.”
“Maybe you work well together.”
“We do,” Dean admitted. “I figured that we’ve worked together this long that we’re kind of stuck with each other. Well, enough about me. You’ve been busy.” He had been keeping tabs on whenever Dark Angel made the news.
“I have.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“It’s not of import.”
“Seems like a lot of criminals are getting bolder.”
“They are.”
“And you’re all right?”
Cas stared at Dean. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you can’t come out of all of these rescues and busts without sporting a few battle wounds.”
“There isn’t a weapon that can harm me.”
Dean let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. When he exhaled, it seemed like all the tension he had in his body ebbed away. “That’s a relief.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Dean.”
“Someone has to,” he mumbled. He stepped back when he realized how sentimental he sounded. “I mean. The world appreciates what you do, but I don’t think they’re concerned about your well-being. Are you invincible?”
“I don’t think so. It’s difficult to believe that I’m all powerful and there’s nothing on the planet that can harm me.”
“So there could be.” He didn’t like that possibility.
“I’m not sure.” He was lucky enough to not have come across anything like that yet.
“I hope there isn’t.”
Cas stared at Dean. “Why?” There was no reason for Dean to feel so concerned about him.
“I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt because you’re saving the world.”
“Your concern is appreciated. But it’s unnecessary.”
“That doesn’t stop me from caring. I-” He was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and saw that his brother was calling. “I have to take this. Sorry.”
“It’s all right.” He watched Dean as he answered the phone and walked to the other side of the roof.
“Hey, Sammy… Nah, I’m just waiting to see how some of my shots turned out… Okay, well just call me when you’re downstairs… Yeah, I should be done by the time you get here… Whatever, see you in a couple. Bitch.” Dean hung up the phone and strode back over to Cas who hadn’t moved from his position.
“Do you have to go?”
“I have a couple of minutes. I have to clean up my desk anyway. And I have to replace all the supplies I keep borrowing from Cas. I think it’s a problem when I’m using one of his Post-its to remind me to buy him some Post-its. I hope he knows I’m buying him some and doesn’t go out and buy more.”
“I’m sure he knows,” Cas laughed. It was too late for him to return the Post-its he bought a few days ago. And he was pretty sure that Dean wouldn’t buy him new ones any time soon.
“So, there’s nothing overtly criminal going on today?”
“Nothing that I can sense. Then again, the day has just started in some parts of the world.”
“Crime and danger never sleep.”
“Then it’s probably a coincidence that I don’t either.”
An awkward silence fell between them, but Dean wasn’t going to let it last long. “I should finish cleaning up the office.”
“You should,” Cas agreed, taking it as a sign that they were done taking for the night. “Do you need another picture of me?”
“Nah. I think I have enough for the next few issues. “
“All right.”
“Next time?” Dean asked, hopeful. He didn’t want to sound desperate, but he enjoyed whenever he saw the superhero. He didn’t want that to stop just because he didn’t need a picture.
“Next time,” Cas replied without hesitation.
Dean watched as Dark Angel spread his wings out and then vanished right in front of him. “Cool,” he whispered, then went back inside.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Dean walked out of the building, saying his goodbyes to the security guards. He saw Sam and the Impala right in front of the entrance. His brother tossed him the keys and they both got into the car to go home.
The music choice of the night was Metallica.
Dean thought that he was going to get through the car ride without having to talk to his brother. He was wrong.
“You get all of your work done?” Sam asked.
“Most of it,” Dean replied. He had to adjust a few of his pictures and reprint them tomorrow.
“You see him again tonight?”
“Shut up,” Dean said. He didn’t know why he was so defensive about it, but he couldn’t help but grip the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“What? It’s an honest question.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Why are you so weird about it?”
Dean sighed and slapped the steering wheel. “I don’t know.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Shut up, Sam.” He would have punched his brother in the arm, but he knew that Sam would have punched back which would have resulted in the car swerving and neither of them wanted that. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Dean. You’re the only photographer on this planet who Dark Angel kind of poses for. He obviously trusts you enough. There has to be a bond forming between you two.”
“You’re going to make me throw up.” The conversation was becoming way too sweet for Dean’s liking.
“I’m not the one in love with a superhero.”
“I’m not-”
“Fine,” Sam interrupted. “Maybe love is too strong of a word. You’re infatuated. It’s okay. Weird, but okay.”
Dean groaned and rubbed his hand up and down his face a couple of times. “All because of this stupid assignment.” He may have sounded like he hated it, but he didn’t.
“You’re enjoying the private time that you’re getting with the superhero. Admit it.”
“I’m not admitting anything.”
“Yeah. You don’t need to. I already know.”
“Bitch,” Dean mumbled under his breath, hating that his brother had won this discussion.
Sam felt it would have been unfair to respond, so he kept his mouth shut.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Dean and Cas went on like that for a couple of weeks. A few days out of the week, Dean would let Sam borrow his car so he’d be able to stay back at the office. Some days, he’d be there alone until Sam picked him up. Others, he was lucky enough to have a conversation with a superhero.
It became a regular thing for them.
Cas tried to make it to the roof as often as he could, especially days when he knew Dean would be there alone. He wasn’t always successful, but he was always glad Dean understood.
He found comfort in his coworker’s company. It was miles different from the time that he spent with Dean for work. Here, they could talk about their day; Dean more than Cas. Cas couldn’t tell him much, but whatever he could, Dean appreciated.
Sometimes they didn’t talk at all. There were nights when they’d just sit on the roof and stare out into the city. Whenever Cas would shake his wings, Dean knew that he had superhero business to attend to.
He let Dean take his picture whenever he needed, which wasn’t much. Cas wondered how many pictures of him Dean actually had.
They had a good system going. They wondered how long they could keep it going before someone or something ruined it.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas flew back to the city. He had been hit three times with bullets and one was taking longer than usual to heal. He wasn’t sure if it was something different with the bullets, or because his grace was working overtime because of the growth of crimes that he had to deal with.
He knew he couldn’t fly back home just yet because Jo would see the wound and proceed to yell at him. He could not handle his sister after the night he had.
So, he flew to a place where he thought he’d be safe enough to heal before going home.
He flew to the roof of his work building. He made himself visible before he landed. He had no idea why. It was most likely out of habit.
“Castiel?”
Cas spun around and saw Dean standing in the doorway. “You’re here,” Cas said, surprised. He could have sworn that Dean left at the same time he did. He cursed himself for not being more aware of his surroundings.
“You’re bleeding.” Dean looked at Castiel’s face, searching for any sign that he should be worried. Then his eyes trailed down the superhero’s body and zoned in on the bleeding wound.
“It’s a minor injury, Dean.”
Dean shook his head when he realized that he was still staring at the wound. “Let me get you something to stop the bleeding.”
Cas stepped forward to stop Dean from heading back into the building. He grabbed him by the arm. He waited for Dean to look at him. “Dean, the injury will be healed by the time you find something and come back. A few more minutes and it will be like I was never injured.”
“Minutes, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“So you aren’t in any danger.”
“Not at the moment.” He was concerned with why he wasn’t already healed, but there was no need for him to frighten Dean with that information.
“At the moment?” Dean said. He sounded like he was in a trance. He watched as the wound on Castiel’s side knitted shut.
“Unless you’re a danger to me.”
“No,” he whispered. Dean took a few steps forward and put his hand on where the gunshot wound was a few seconds ago. All he felt was soft flesh. No marks of him being shot were anywhere in sight. He pulled his hand back when he realized how invasive the act was. “I thought that you said there wasn’t a weapon that could hurt you.”
“I guess I should have said hurt enough that I wasn’t able to heal myself.”
“Yeah,” Dean said with a nervous laugh. “That changes things. Can I ask what did this to you?”
“Someone shot at me.”
Dean looked up and glared at Castiel, not liking how nonchalant he sounded about it. “Shot and hit you.”
“It was at a close enough proximity that I would have been surprised if he missed.”
Dean realized how foolish his overprotectiveness was. This probably happened on a regular basis to the superhero. “Did you get them?”
“Yes, I did,” he said, sadly.
“You look uneasy.” Dean stepped toward the superhero, hoping that the proximity would make him feel more comfortable.
“It’s all right, Dean.” Cas didn’t want to burden him with his anxiety.
“Castiel,” Dean said, hoping that him using his real name would get his attention. Castiel looked at him and he smiled. He put a hand on the superhero’s arm and squeezed it. “Please. If you need someone to listen, I’m here.”
Cas smiled. He had Jo to talk to about his these things, but he felt bad when it seemed like he was constantly unloading on her about everything. He thought about not telling him, but the eagerness on Dean’s face did nothing to stop him from speaking. “I just have this feeling that something is about to happen.”
“Oh,” he said, dropping his hand to his side. It didn’t sit well with him how vague and ominous it sounded.
“I don’t know if I’m prepared for it, either.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to make a mistake and people to get hurt because of it.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
“I know.” He let out a long sigh and his eyes went to the sky. “But I’d rather the pressure be on me than anyone else.”
“That is some complex you have. Then again, what superhero doesn’t have a complex?”
Cas looked at Dean. He shrugged, then smirked. “I don’t know.”
Dean stared at the superhero, trying to figure him out. He discovered that it was difficult when it seemed like the angel had dozens of walls up. He couldn’t help feel like he did know the man standing in front of him. And he couldn’t help but care about him. “Is it still worth it? Even after getting shot at?”
“Dean, policemen do the same thing that I do, but they don’t have the luxury of super powers.”
“Yeah, but they’re human. It’s our responsibility to help the other people on our planet.”
Cas tilted his head to look at Dean. “What makes you think this planet isn’t mine?”
Dean’s eyes widened when he realized that he might have said something wrong. “Is it?” He shook his head and raised his hands defensively. “I’m sorry, Castiel. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Cas walked over to Dean and gently took his wrists in his hands. He brought the raised hands down to his sides. “You didn’t. I know this isn’t my home in the sense that I’m not human and that makes me other-worldly. But it’s where I belong.”
Dean watched as Castiel talked about his planet. He wished that he had his camera because the vulnerability and honesty that came over the superhero’s covered face was something he didn’t want to forget. “Castiel, how well do you know this planet?”
Cas sighed and looked away from his coworker. “It’s home. I know I’m different, but I’ve found a place for me here. I cannot imagine being anywhere else.”
It took awhile for Dean to process Castiel’s words. He was in awe. An alien, who had no connections to anyone on this planet had found a place for himself when millions of people were still trying to find their own. He smiled. Then he realized that he was beginning to find himself caring more about him than he thought he would. “Then you deserve to call this your home.”
“Thank you,” Cas whispered. He wanted to continue talking, but he sensed some people in danger on the Mexican border. “Dean.”
“Go,” Dean replied. He knew what was happening.
“It was nice talking to you again,” Cas replied.
“Same here.” Dean could have sworn that the angel was blushing. “Go. Now before something happens.”
“Until next time.”
“Next time,” Dean replied. “And Castiel?”
“Yes, Dean?” Cas replied as he let out his wings.
“Be careful, all right?”
“Of course.” Then he flew off, leaving Dean standing alone on the roof.
[ Part 4]