The Road Home Leads To You (5/?)
Title: THE ROAD HOME LEADS TO YOU (5/?)
Author: silver_lametta
Rating: This chapter R for language, overall NC-17
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, background Sam/Gabriel, highlight for spoilers: Dean/Lisa, Dean/OCs, Castiel/Balthazar, Castiel/OCs
Spoilers: None, it’s AU
Warnings: none
Word count: WIP. This chapter ~2.6k
Summary: Pop band AU. “They were drawn together by the passion for music and by the time they became a household name, Castiel realized he was in love with his very heterosexual best friend.”
Author’s notes: Once again a million thanks to vulgar_snailfor being so awesome and helping me make this fic better.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
***
Months passed before Castiel got used to the idea of Dean having a serious relationship. It wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined - they still spent most of their time together travelling across the country, preparing for their first world tour. The difference was now Dean only slept with Lisa who travelled alongside the crew. Castiel didn’t know if she had a job, but given the fact that she’d spent the last few months following them everywhere he made a conclusion that she didn’t. From Dean he only knew that she was a yoga instructor, reluctantly listening to vague anecdotes about ‘bendy weekends’.
Dean’s behavior didn’t change much to Castiel’s relief. He wasn’t lovesick or obsessive. If anything he became calmer.
The only person who was openly against the relationship was Alastair. Alastair believed any relationship would damage the image of the band, upsetting the majority of their fanbase, who were women. Of course Dean didn’t care what Alastair thought, leading to frequent rows where threats were tossed out but didn’t go further. Perhaps Alastair hoped Lisa was a crush that would soon pass and only asked Dean to keep his relationship a secret, which wasn’t a problem for him - he had never made a show of his private life before.
For a while Castiel thought he was fine, ignoring any unpleasant emotions from rearing to the forefront of his mind with the help of strippers and alcohol. There were two more concerts left before the end of the tour. Afterwards he planned to board a plane to Fiji, getting as far from home, most importantly from Dean, as possible.
That’s what he was thinking about as he and Dean sat in their dressing room, getting ready to go on stage all the while being scared shitless.
No matter how many concerts they’d had the anxiety was always there. What if something went wrong? What if the instruments wouldn’t work? What if the lights went out? Months earlier the lights had gone out. It hadn’t been bad though. They managed to calm the crowd while the generators powered up. But even after that incident the fear didn’t disappear. The only way to stop the nagging feeling was to go on stage and start playing.
That’s why Castiel waited for their call, lying on a couch and studying the ceiling. Dean whirled on a chair before a large mirror. He’d been throwing glances in Castiel’s direction for half an hour already and Castiel was waiting when he would finally say what he wanted.
“Hey Cas, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.”
“There’s something I have to tell you. You’re my best friend and… I wanted to let you know first.” There was anxiety in his voice that perked Castiel’s attention.
“Are you on drugs?”
“No. Why the Hell-“
“You want to leave the band?”
“What?! No. Cas, let me finish. This is good news, great news even.”
“All right. Shoot.”
“Cas, I’m gonna propose Lisa.”
Castiel’s heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight, dumbfounded, staring at Dean and trying to figure out whether it was a joke. Maybe he’d misheard.
“Come again.”
Dean looked him in the eyes, his stare intense. “Tonight at the afterparty I’m going to propose to Lisa. I want to marry her.”
“You…”
Somebody knocked on the door.
“Guys, it’s time.”
Castiel followed Dean to the door in shock. Thoughts and questions swarmed through his head, but he found himself unable to talk. He wanted to grab Dean, turn him around, and demand an explanation, but instead he went on stage and sat behind his synthesizer, stretching his suddenly clumsy and irresponsive fingers.
For the first time the delighted screams of the crowd didn’t affect him. For the first time the elation that overtook him when he settled onstage with the storm of applause as his backdrop wasn’t there.
They started playing and Castiel was thankful his hands remembered what to do without the need for his brain to participate. As his fingers moved and the other’s strummed and beat their instruments, he was deafened by the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.
‘Cas, I’m gonna propose Lisa.’
Dean stood in the spotlight near the edge of the stage. Castiel could see specks of dust dancing in the air around him. The crowd sang with him, but Castiel was indifferent to the energy.
He spent the majority of the concert in a kind of stupor.
‘Tonight at the afterparty I’m gonna propose Lisa.’
It was only when the first song they wrote together started did Castiel realize it was over.
He had to quit the band. It was the last time they would ever play the song together. He couldn’t stand it anymore, wasn’t strong enough. He didn’t want to suffer more than he’d already had. The Leads couldn’t exist any longer, not with him. Dean could do whatever he wanted, but Castiel couldn’t be with him like this. Spending every day in near constant contact. His heart ached when he thought about it, but he told himself that his decision was final and there was no going back.
Of course he wouldn’t say anything tonight, he couldn’t spoil the day of Dean’s engagement. He would have to come up with a proper explanation because ‘I’m in love with you and I can’t watch you being happy with someone else’ didn’t sound like a good one for oh so many reasons. He didn’t want to postpone it for long either, afraid to lose his newfound courage. He would talk to Dean the next morning.
He left his synthesizer and walked across the stage to take the guitar from Andy aware of the significance of the moment. It was the last time he would stand next to Dean, leaning over the edge towards the screaming fans and cutting the air with the sounds of his guitar.
Dean glanced at him and winked - oblivious that this would be the end to The Leads. His face illuminated by the floodlights was flushed, eyes glowing with excitement.
Castiel tried to imagine how they looked together - his own wiry form, pale skin, and inky black hair with Dean’s muscle, freckles, and charm. On stage Castiel rarely showed emotion, his face expressionless, but Dean was passionate - fierce and unstoppable.
As the song reached its peak Castiel made the few steps closer to him, afraid the heat would burn him, melt him into nothing. Another step, a touch of foreheads, the damp feeling of skin on skin, Dean’s breath against his lips as the last words of the song escaped them, becoming part of the thick air. A moment where he floundered to savor every detail. People in the crowd screamed in delight - they had been waiting for this.
Dean finished singing, but didn’t move away, waiting for Castiel to pull the last cords from the guitar. There was less than an inch between their mouths and Castiel knew that if he’d just closed the ridiculous distance he could finally find out what Dean tasted like…
Sweat. His lips salty, soft and pliable, opening for him either by intent or on impulse, he didn’t really care which. Castiel realized what he’d done only when Dean made a strangled noise in the back of his throat -- something between a grunt and a gasp. He didn’t kiss back, but he didn’t move away either, letting Castiel slide his tongue along his bottom lip before they parted. The crowd had gone wild, screaming and applauding in enthusiasm.
The rest of the concert passed in a blur of lights and sounds. Castiel avoided looking at Dean or anyone else for that matter.
He left the stage when the concert was over, following Dean to their dressing room, staring at the back of his best friend’s head, trying to figure out by the tenseness of his neck whether Dean was mad, shocked, or disappointed. At the same time he was reluctant to stay alone with him and find out the truth so he slowed his pace, dropping behind to give autographs to a couple of fans who somehow managed to sneak backstage.
Turned out he didn’t have to worry about being confronted by Dean. By the time Castiel reached their dressing room it was crowded. The rest of the band- Balthazar, Ash, and Andy -- was there with Dean, sitting quietly. The atmosphere clearly read as ‘tense’. They all watched Alastair pacing in circles in the middle of the room his face dark with anger. He stopped when he saw Castiel, crossed the distance between them in a stride, invading his personal space.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he hissed, covering Castiel’s face with splashes of saliva.
Castiel figured the question was rhetorical so he didn’t bother to answer. The last thing he cared about was Alastair’s reaction. After all, he had already decided to leave the band so it didn’t matter even if he got kicked out. It was Dean’s reaction he was afraid of. He saw his friend out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t dare turn to look at him. Instead he watched the vein on Alastair’s temple pulse at a threatening pace, wondering with a detached interest whether the man would have a heart attack.
“Do you think this is some kind of joke?! That this is all just for fun?! I’ve worked so fucking hard to create the image for this band, to pull you two ingrates from dirt. We have an agreement! You’ve signed the contract! Do you think our sponsors will like that you’ve fucked up everything?! Do you have any idea how many fans we’ll lose after what you’ve done?! There’s a shitload of money at stake and I’m not gonna let some dumbass cocksucker take it away from me!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Castiel’s voice was calm. He wasn’t going to feel guilty for what he did. True, he was embarrassed that he failed to control his impulses and scared that Dean would hate him, but what was done was done. The only way to get out of that situation with minimum damage was to act like nothing had happened, like he had planned to do it to entertain their fans. Besides, he wasn’t going to let Alastair debase him in front of the whole band.
Alastair’s nostrils flared, enraged he uttered, “Oh, please. You’re not gonna fool me. I know a faggot when I see one. I don’t care who you fuck in your time off, but I hate it when my money gets taken away from me. There are certain rules, fairly simple rules I must say, that you two need to follow to the ‘T’ unless you want me to destroy what you call a ‘career’. Just play nice and keep it in your pants at least in public. I don’t give a shit what perverted things you do to get your rocks off, just don’t bring that crap on stage.”
Castiel opened his mouth to reply, but Dean was faster, standing between him and Alastair, hands raised as a shield.
“Whoa, whoa. Chill. This is ridiculous. Cas isn’t gay. I know him. He might have gone a little too far on stage, but I’m telling you right now he is not gay. Hell, I’ve hooked him up with women! Chicks love him.”
Castiel knew he had to keep his mouth shut while Dean defended him, defended them because now his best friend’s career was also at risk. Alastair could destroy Dean’s reputation in one night if he wanted to. But there was something in the way Dean tried to put up a macho front for him that hurt.
“Maybe Cas is still a little shy with women, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them. I think he’s got a thing for Lisa’s friend Anna, right Cas?”
A feeling had been growing inside Castiel, a gnawing temptation that placed something dangerous on the tip of his tongue.
“Dean…”
“And then there’s Meg Masters who won’t leave him alone... You should see the way Cas flirts with her. Hell, even I can’t pick up women like he does. He doesn’t even have to say anything, just looks at them with those big blue eyes and they’re ready to lose their clothes.”
“Dean…”
Dean waved him off, irritated. “No, Cas. Let me finish. I won’t let anyone talk about you like this.” He turned back to glare at Alastair. “We’ve practically lived together for the past couple of years. You think I wouldn’t have noticed if Cas was into dudes? I bet he doesn’t even know what ‘gay’ means.”
“Dean, I am.”
Castiel could see his friend’s shoulders tense under the fabric of his t-shirt before Dean turned around to face him.
“What?”
“I’m gay. Always have been.” The room went silent while they shared a long look. One could hear a pin being dropped in Australia.
Castiel’s worst nightmares came true when he saw horror in Dean’s eyes.
Alastair grinned triumphantly in the background. “I knew it.”
“No.” Dean murmured. “You… It can’t be. Cas, tell me you didn’t lie to me this whole time!”
“I didn’t. I would never lie to you, Dean.”
“But you didn’t tell me the truth either. I’m your best friend, Cas. You should have told me.”
“And how would that go? ‘Hey Dean, lets make a band and write music together. Oh, and by the way, I like cock!’”
Dean shook his head. “I trusted you, Cas. I thought you trusted me, too. I thought our friendship meant something to you. And you don’t even bother to tell me you’re gay?”
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know my sexuality was so important to you.” The way Dean looked at him made Castiel bitter. “And I’m sorry the fact that I like men would so drastically change your attitude towards me... I guess I did the right thing, hiding it from you. At least then I didn’t have to see just how disgusted you are with me.”
“Cas, that’s not…”
“Save it, Dean. I know you. I can see that you’re horrified. I just… I had hoped you wouldn’t be one of those people.”
Castiel knew he crossed the line when Dean reached to grab his shoulders, growling, “How can you even…”
“Easy, easy, Dean.” Ash stood between them, tearing Dean’s hands away from Castiel. “There are crowds of journalists out there. You don’t want to give them front page material.”
“I wish I told you earlier,” Castiel spit out when Dean finally let him go. “Then it wouldn’t have gone so far.” He looked around the room, ignoring the startled looks from the rest of the band.
“Yeah, me too.” Dean turned away, freeing himself from Ash’s grip.
“Why don’t you go get in the car Dean?” Alastair turned to Ash. “Switch places with Cas so that these two don’t ride in the same car. I don’t want them killing each other off before I get my money. As regards to you, nancy.” The mischievous smile spread on Alastair’s face as he looked at Castiel. “Listen to me. You are going to do exactly what I say unless you want me to destroy your sorry life. You will go to the afterparty tonight and you will fuck Meg Masters so that tomorrow morning every single person in this city will know what a macho man you are. Get drunk, swallow a bottle of Viagra, or think about your straight friend if you need to. I don’t give a rat’s ass. You are going to make up for your little PR fiasco.”
Castiel felt sick, but resisted the urge to tell Alastair to go screw himself. He still wanted to leave the band, but he couldn’t take Dean down with him.
He swallowed his pride and nodded.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
***
TBC...
Author: silver_lametta
Rating: This chapter R for language, overall NC-17
Pairing: Dean/Castiel, background Sam/Gabriel, highlight for spoilers: Dean/Lisa, Dean/OCs, Castiel/Balthazar, Castiel/OCs
Spoilers: None, it’s AU
Warnings: none
Word count: WIP. This chapter ~2.6k
Summary: Pop band AU. “They were drawn together by the passion for music and by the time they became a household name, Castiel realized he was in love with his very heterosexual best friend.”
Author’s notes: Once again a million thanks to vulgar_snailfor being so awesome and helping me make this fic better.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
***
Months passed before Castiel got used to the idea of Dean having a serious relationship. It wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined - they still spent most of their time together travelling across the country, preparing for their first world tour. The difference was now Dean only slept with Lisa who travelled alongside the crew. Castiel didn’t know if she had a job, but given the fact that she’d spent the last few months following them everywhere he made a conclusion that she didn’t. From Dean he only knew that she was a yoga instructor, reluctantly listening to vague anecdotes about ‘bendy weekends’.
Dean’s behavior didn’t change much to Castiel’s relief. He wasn’t lovesick or obsessive. If anything he became calmer.
The only person who was openly against the relationship was Alastair. Alastair believed any relationship would damage the image of the band, upsetting the majority of their fanbase, who were women. Of course Dean didn’t care what Alastair thought, leading to frequent rows where threats were tossed out but didn’t go further. Perhaps Alastair hoped Lisa was a crush that would soon pass and only asked Dean to keep his relationship a secret, which wasn’t a problem for him - he had never made a show of his private life before.
For a while Castiel thought he was fine, ignoring any unpleasant emotions from rearing to the forefront of his mind with the help of strippers and alcohol. There were two more concerts left before the end of the tour. Afterwards he planned to board a plane to Fiji, getting as far from home, most importantly from Dean, as possible.
That’s what he was thinking about as he and Dean sat in their dressing room, getting ready to go on stage all the while being scared shitless.
No matter how many concerts they’d had the anxiety was always there. What if something went wrong? What if the instruments wouldn’t work? What if the lights went out? Months earlier the lights had gone out. It hadn’t been bad though. They managed to calm the crowd while the generators powered up. But even after that incident the fear didn’t disappear. The only way to stop the nagging feeling was to go on stage and start playing.
That’s why Castiel waited for their call, lying on a couch and studying the ceiling. Dean whirled on a chair before a large mirror. He’d been throwing glances in Castiel’s direction for half an hour already and Castiel was waiting when he would finally say what he wanted.
“Hey Cas, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.”
“There’s something I have to tell you. You’re my best friend and… I wanted to let you know first.” There was anxiety in his voice that perked Castiel’s attention.
“Are you on drugs?”
“No. Why the Hell-“
“You want to leave the band?”
“What?! No. Cas, let me finish. This is good news, great news even.”
“All right. Shoot.”
“Cas, I’m gonna propose Lisa.”
Castiel’s heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight, dumbfounded, staring at Dean and trying to figure out whether it was a joke. Maybe he’d misheard.
“Come again.”
Dean looked him in the eyes, his stare intense. “Tonight at the afterparty I’m going to propose to Lisa. I want to marry her.”
“You…”
Somebody knocked on the door.
“Guys, it’s time.”
Castiel followed Dean to the door in shock. Thoughts and questions swarmed through his head, but he found himself unable to talk. He wanted to grab Dean, turn him around, and demand an explanation, but instead he went on stage and sat behind his synthesizer, stretching his suddenly clumsy and irresponsive fingers.
For the first time the delighted screams of the crowd didn’t affect him. For the first time the elation that overtook him when he settled onstage with the storm of applause as his backdrop wasn’t there.
They started playing and Castiel was thankful his hands remembered what to do without the need for his brain to participate. As his fingers moved and the other’s strummed and beat their instruments, he was deafened by the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.
‘Cas, I’m gonna propose Lisa.’
Dean stood in the spotlight near the edge of the stage. Castiel could see specks of dust dancing in the air around him. The crowd sang with him, but Castiel was indifferent to the energy.
He spent the majority of the concert in a kind of stupor.
‘Tonight at the afterparty I’m gonna propose Lisa.’
It was only when the first song they wrote together started did Castiel realize it was over.
He had to quit the band. It was the last time they would ever play the song together. He couldn’t stand it anymore, wasn’t strong enough. He didn’t want to suffer more than he’d already had. The Leads couldn’t exist any longer, not with him. Dean could do whatever he wanted, but Castiel couldn’t be with him like this. Spending every day in near constant contact. His heart ached when he thought about it, but he told himself that his decision was final and there was no going back.
Of course he wouldn’t say anything tonight, he couldn’t spoil the day of Dean’s engagement. He would have to come up with a proper explanation because ‘I’m in love with you and I can’t watch you being happy with someone else’ didn’t sound like a good one for oh so many reasons. He didn’t want to postpone it for long either, afraid to lose his newfound courage. He would talk to Dean the next morning.
He left his synthesizer and walked across the stage to take the guitar from Andy aware of the significance of the moment. It was the last time he would stand next to Dean, leaning over the edge towards the screaming fans and cutting the air with the sounds of his guitar.
Dean glanced at him and winked - oblivious that this would be the end to The Leads. His face illuminated by the floodlights was flushed, eyes glowing with excitement.
Castiel tried to imagine how they looked together - his own wiry form, pale skin, and inky black hair with Dean’s muscle, freckles, and charm. On stage Castiel rarely showed emotion, his face expressionless, but Dean was passionate - fierce and unstoppable.
As the song reached its peak Castiel made the few steps closer to him, afraid the heat would burn him, melt him into nothing. Another step, a touch of foreheads, the damp feeling of skin on skin, Dean’s breath against his lips as the last words of the song escaped them, becoming part of the thick air. A moment where he floundered to savor every detail. People in the crowd screamed in delight - they had been waiting for this.
Dean finished singing, but didn’t move away, waiting for Castiel to pull the last cords from the guitar. There was less than an inch between their mouths and Castiel knew that if he’d just closed the ridiculous distance he could finally find out what Dean tasted like…
Sweat. His lips salty, soft and pliable, opening for him either by intent or on impulse, he didn’t really care which. Castiel realized what he’d done only when Dean made a strangled noise in the back of his throat -- something between a grunt and a gasp. He didn’t kiss back, but he didn’t move away either, letting Castiel slide his tongue along his bottom lip before they parted. The crowd had gone wild, screaming and applauding in enthusiasm.
The rest of the concert passed in a blur of lights and sounds. Castiel avoided looking at Dean or anyone else for that matter.
He left the stage when the concert was over, following Dean to their dressing room, staring at the back of his best friend’s head, trying to figure out by the tenseness of his neck whether Dean was mad, shocked, or disappointed. At the same time he was reluctant to stay alone with him and find out the truth so he slowed his pace, dropping behind to give autographs to a couple of fans who somehow managed to sneak backstage.
Turned out he didn’t have to worry about being confronted by Dean. By the time Castiel reached their dressing room it was crowded. The rest of the band- Balthazar, Ash, and Andy -- was there with Dean, sitting quietly. The atmosphere clearly read as ‘tense’. They all watched Alastair pacing in circles in the middle of the room his face dark with anger. He stopped when he saw Castiel, crossed the distance between them in a stride, invading his personal space.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he hissed, covering Castiel’s face with splashes of saliva.
Castiel figured the question was rhetorical so he didn’t bother to answer. The last thing he cared about was Alastair’s reaction. After all, he had already decided to leave the band so it didn’t matter even if he got kicked out. It was Dean’s reaction he was afraid of. He saw his friend out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t dare turn to look at him. Instead he watched the vein on Alastair’s temple pulse at a threatening pace, wondering with a detached interest whether the man would have a heart attack.
“Do you think this is some kind of joke?! That this is all just for fun?! I’ve worked so fucking hard to create the image for this band, to pull you two ingrates from dirt. We have an agreement! You’ve signed the contract! Do you think our sponsors will like that you’ve fucked up everything?! Do you have any idea how many fans we’ll lose after what you’ve done?! There’s a shitload of money at stake and I’m not gonna let some dumbass cocksucker take it away from me!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Castiel’s voice was calm. He wasn’t going to feel guilty for what he did. True, he was embarrassed that he failed to control his impulses and scared that Dean would hate him, but what was done was done. The only way to get out of that situation with minimum damage was to act like nothing had happened, like he had planned to do it to entertain their fans. Besides, he wasn’t going to let Alastair debase him in front of the whole band.
Alastair’s nostrils flared, enraged he uttered, “Oh, please. You’re not gonna fool me. I know a faggot when I see one. I don’t care who you fuck in your time off, but I hate it when my money gets taken away from me. There are certain rules, fairly simple rules I must say, that you two need to follow to the ‘T’ unless you want me to destroy what you call a ‘career’. Just play nice and keep it in your pants at least in public. I don’t give a shit what perverted things you do to get your rocks off, just don’t bring that crap on stage.”
Castiel opened his mouth to reply, but Dean was faster, standing between him and Alastair, hands raised as a shield.
“Whoa, whoa. Chill. This is ridiculous. Cas isn’t gay. I know him. He might have gone a little too far on stage, but I’m telling you right now he is not gay. Hell, I’ve hooked him up with women! Chicks love him.”
Castiel knew he had to keep his mouth shut while Dean defended him, defended them because now his best friend’s career was also at risk. Alastair could destroy Dean’s reputation in one night if he wanted to. But there was something in the way Dean tried to put up a macho front for him that hurt.
“Maybe Cas is still a little shy with women, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them. I think he’s got a thing for Lisa’s friend Anna, right Cas?”
A feeling had been growing inside Castiel, a gnawing temptation that placed something dangerous on the tip of his tongue.
“Dean…”
“And then there’s Meg Masters who won’t leave him alone... You should see the way Cas flirts with her. Hell, even I can’t pick up women like he does. He doesn’t even have to say anything, just looks at them with those big blue eyes and they’re ready to lose their clothes.”
“Dean…”
Dean waved him off, irritated. “No, Cas. Let me finish. I won’t let anyone talk about you like this.” He turned back to glare at Alastair. “We’ve practically lived together for the past couple of years. You think I wouldn’t have noticed if Cas was into dudes? I bet he doesn’t even know what ‘gay’ means.”
“Dean, I am.”
Castiel could see his friend’s shoulders tense under the fabric of his t-shirt before Dean turned around to face him.
“What?”
“I’m gay. Always have been.” The room went silent while they shared a long look. One could hear a pin being dropped in Australia.
Castiel’s worst nightmares came true when he saw horror in Dean’s eyes.
Alastair grinned triumphantly in the background. “I knew it.”
“No.” Dean murmured. “You… It can’t be. Cas, tell me you didn’t lie to me this whole time!”
“I didn’t. I would never lie to you, Dean.”
“But you didn’t tell me the truth either. I’m your best friend, Cas. You should have told me.”
“And how would that go? ‘Hey Dean, lets make a band and write music together. Oh, and by the way, I like cock!’”
Dean shook his head. “I trusted you, Cas. I thought you trusted me, too. I thought our friendship meant something to you. And you don’t even bother to tell me you’re gay?”
“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know my sexuality was so important to you.” The way Dean looked at him made Castiel bitter. “And I’m sorry the fact that I like men would so drastically change your attitude towards me... I guess I did the right thing, hiding it from you. At least then I didn’t have to see just how disgusted you are with me.”
“Cas, that’s not…”
“Save it, Dean. I know you. I can see that you’re horrified. I just… I had hoped you wouldn’t be one of those people.”
Castiel knew he crossed the line when Dean reached to grab his shoulders, growling, “How can you even…”
“Easy, easy, Dean.” Ash stood between them, tearing Dean’s hands away from Castiel. “There are crowds of journalists out there. You don’t want to give them front page material.”
“I wish I told you earlier,” Castiel spit out when Dean finally let him go. “Then it wouldn’t have gone so far.” He looked around the room, ignoring the startled looks from the rest of the band.
“Yeah, me too.” Dean turned away, freeing himself from Ash’s grip.
“Why don’t you go get in the car Dean?” Alastair turned to Ash. “Switch places with Cas so that these two don’t ride in the same car. I don’t want them killing each other off before I get my money. As regards to you, nancy.” The mischievous smile spread on Alastair’s face as he looked at Castiel. “Listen to me. You are going to do exactly what I say unless you want me to destroy your sorry life. You will go to the afterparty tonight and you will fuck Meg Masters so that tomorrow morning every single person in this city will know what a macho man you are. Get drunk, swallow a bottle of Viagra, or think about your straight friend if you need to. I don’t give a rat’s ass. You are going to make up for your little PR fiasco.”
Castiel felt sick, but resisted the urge to tell Alastair to go screw himself. He still wanted to leave the band, but he couldn’t take Dean down with him.
He swallowed his pride and nodded.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
***
TBC...