Fic: Kiss the frown from your face
Pairing/Characters: Dean/Cas, Sam/Jess
Genre: AU
Rating: R
Word Count: 3500
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Dean gets a job in a bakery, dates his boss, and crashes on his brother's couch. Sam has an expression for everything. Jess and Dean have a name for each one.
A/N: I was in the mood for sweet and silly bakery!fic, so I wrote it.
Someone is dripping water on his face. Dean, sprawled out on his brother's couch where he'd spend the night and had hoped to sleep through noon at least, curls up on himself and tries to swat at his brother with his eyes still closed.
He hears a rather feminine giggle when he misses. It may have been a few years since they've seen each other in person, but Dean's 90% sure his brother doesn't have that girly of a laugh so he blinks his eyes open. "Wake up sleepyhead," says the pretty girl with long blonde hair kneeling at his side.
"You must be Jess," Dean says. He'd heard a lot about her but hadn't met her before.
The girl grins as she stands. "Sam says if you don't get your ass off that couch this minute, he won't be responsible for his actions."
Dean groans but obligingly rolls onto his feet and follows Jess into the small apartment's tiny kitchen.
"Got him up for you," Jess says, dropping a kiss onto Sam's cheek. "Now I'm going to take a shower."
Dean slumps into a chair across from Sam at the kitchen table. "What was with the big wakeup call?" he asks warily. He and Sam hadn't been very close growing up, the blame for which lies mainly with Dean - after all, he had stolen Sam's prom date, raided his piggy bank more than a few times, and even put Nair in his shampoo once. After their parents had died, they'd gotten a lot closer, but Sam goes to law school and has his own life now. He'd hoped that Sam would be willing to let him stay a couple of days at least, but now he's not so sure.
All Sam had said when Dean shown up at his door at four o'clock that morning was "Your girlfriend kicked you out?"
"Yeah," Dean had answered, because it was mostly true, except that it was his boyfriend rather than his girlfriend. He hasn't exactly gotten around to telling his little brother that he likes it both ways, and he's not about to now.
Now, Sam just hands him a section of the newspaper spread out in front of him.
"The classifieds?" Dean reads.
"If you're going to stay here for awhile, you can't just laze around on the couch. You have to get a job."
He's even circled a few he thinks might work. Dean's not so sure about those, though. He's done just about everything in the last eight years, ever since he'd left home to join the army which had ended fairly quickly with a dishonorable discharge after he'd discovered he had a pretty big problem with authority. He hadn't stayed in one place for long since or been able to stick with one job, mostly for the same reason.
"Tech support?" Dean asks, pointing to the least likely job that Sam had circled. "I'm not that good with computers."
"It's easy," Sam replies. "I worked there over the summer once. Most of the time, all you had to do to solve the problem was tell the person to restart their computer, and voila, problem solved."
Dean looks skeptical.
"Anyway," Sam says, grabbing the jacket hanging from the back of his chair as he stands. "I've got to get to class. But before I go…" he turns and digs around in a drawer for a moment before pulling out a spare key and tossing it in Dean's direction. "Just promise me you won't steal our TV if I give you this," he says with a teasing grin.
Dean flicks a stray cheerio at his head.
*
Jess leaves for her own classes an hour after Sam does and Dean is left alone in their apartment.
He gets bored quickly, so he grabs the spare key Sam had given him and goes out looking for breakfast. He buys a coffee and an apple turnover from a cute guy at a bakery just around the corner before sorting through the want ads Sam had given him.
It's not that Dean is a moocher - he works hard at every job he gets even if he doesn't manage to keep them for long. There's just always something that keeps him from staying long; the bosses are jerks, the customers are assholes, or he sleeps with one of his co-workers and they have a messy break-up. Somehow, the job and the town he's in always end up losing their appeal.
Dean hadn't been playing to stay here much longer than any other place - he and his trusty Impala had been pretty much everywhere in the continental United States - but he wouldn't mind spending some time with his brother and catching up a bit before he takes off again, so he figures why not get a job? Except when he pursues the ads, he can't seem to find anything that strikes his fancy. Secretary - boring; pizza delivery man - heh, porn; postal worker - isn't that where the term going postal had come from?
So the paper's a bust, but Dean's not worried. Something always turns up eventually, and Sam better not expect him to find something his very first day in town.
*
Sam does in fact expect him to find a job his very first day in town.
"What do you mean, nothing in the paper worked out?" Sam asks, wearing an expression Dean privately refers to as his very-disappointed-in-you-bitchface.
Jess, however, comes to his rescue. She comes into the kitchen holding a takeout menu. "It's been one day. Give him some time."
Sam pouts but doesn't argue. Dean thinks he's a little bit in love with his brother's awesome girlfriend.
Jess beams and hands Dean the takeout menu. "Circle what you want. We're having Chinese tonight."
Once Sam's obediently calling in their order from the kitchen, Jess turns to Dean with a conspiratorial grin. "Did you see his face when he was lecturing you?" she asks. "I call that his Constipated Bitchface of Disapproval."
Dean is definitely a little bit in love with his brother's totally awesome girlfriend.
*
After Sam and Jess retire for the night, Dean stays up flicking through the channels. Dean has a tendency to suffer from insomnia, quelled only by the drone of infomercials and late night TV, something that he is well aware makes him a horrible roommate and he often finds himself sleeping on the couch after annoying a number of past girlfriends and boyfriends.
The night before he'd been exhausted from driving. Tonight, he's not so lucky. He finally settles on a cooking show playing on the university channel. It's an older show, at least ten years judging by the clothing the host is wearing - an attractive man with intense blue eyes and messy dark hair who looks strangely familiar. Dean leans forward and squints at the screen for a moment until it hits him - it's the guy who sold him coffee in the bakery the morning before.
*
"I know you!" Dean says the moment he bursts through the door the next morning.
"Yes," the guy behind the counter answers - Castiel, as he'd learned from the cooking show last night; it really is the same guy, just a few years older. "You were here yesterday."
"No," Dean says with a wide grin. "Cooking with Castiel, right? It was on last night."
Castiel turns beat red. "Oh, god. That was just a school project I helped a friend do for his broadcasting class. You mean they're still playing it?"
"Well, yeah, but don't worry, it was on at three in the morning."
Castiel's blush dies down a touch. "I'm surprised that they're playing it at all."
"No," Dean says. "It was really cool. You almost made me want to go in the kitchen and whip up a batch of coke eh vin."
"Coq au vin," Castiel corrects.
"Yeah, that. I'm mostly a hamburger and potatoes kind of guy, so what I'm saying is- you inspired me."
Castiel's fiery blush is back.
Dean belated notices that a Now Hiring sign has appeared on the counter since yesterday.
If he believed in fate, he'd say this was it.
"You're hiring?" he asks eagerly.
Castiel nods. "It's mostly just washing up and manning the register," he warns.
"I don't care," Dean replies. "You were so… passionate about what you were doing on that show, I just- want to know what that's like."
Castiel looks flattered. "I'll still need to do a background check," he says.
Dean just grins. He in and he knows it.
*
Castiel calls him later that night to tell him he's hired. "Can you be here tomorrow at 11?" he asks.
"Of course," Dean answers.
When he lets Sam know, his brother gives him his I'm-impressed-so-don't-blow-this-bitchface.
"You must have done something right," Jess says. "That's the face he gave me when I got into Veterinary school, quickly followed by his Your Patients Better Not Ever Hump My Leg Bitchface."
Sam frowns. "Must you two name all of my expressions?"
"That's the You Just Stole the Cherry Off My Sundae Puppyface," Jess says in return. Dean laughs.
*
Working with Castiel, or Cas as he asks Dean to call him, is relaxed and easy. The morning rush is mostly over by the time that Dean gets there. The rest of the day is slow and steady, and Dean spends the periods in between customers wiping tables and cleaning up or in the back watching Cas prepare tomorrow's pastries.
He loves watching Cas bake. He loves it even more when Cas lets him help.
"What are we making?" Dean asks as he stirs a bowl of batter.
"Inside out carrot cake cookies," Cas answers as he whips the frosting.
"Sounds good," Dean says. "Just like everything you make."
Cas smiles at him. "You have…" he says, reaching up a hand to wipe a bit of batter off Dean's cheek.
Even though he knows its probably a horrible idea even as he's doing it, Dean leans forward to lick the batter off Cas' finger.
"Eggs! That's… they're not cooked," Cas mumbles. "You could get…"
Dean grins. "I'm not worried," he says.
*
He and Cas dance around each other for a few days before Cas finally caves and asks Dean out on a date.
Dean wants to say yes, desperately, even though he knows he shouldn't. He's had so much bad luck dating co-workers - it never works out and usually ends up with him getting fired or quitting. Dating Cas would be even worse - considering that not only is Cas his boss, but he's only had this job for three weeks and he's afraid of the horrible puppyface Sam is going to give him if he loses his job.
It's just that… Cas fascinates him. Unlike with his exes, he thinks he wants more from Cas than just sex. As lame as it sounds, he wants to get to know Cas.
He mentions this to Jess, although he doesn't tell her everything - such as the fact that Cas is a guy. It's not that he thinks Jess would mind, but he's not quite ready for her to tell Sam.
"That's what dating is for," she explains like Dean is slow. He's not mad - when it comes to relationships, he kind of is. "To get to know the other person."
"Even when it's your boss?"
Jess appears unimpressed. "According to Sam, you've had about a hundred jobs and you never have a problem finding another one. I don't think that's a good enough excuse for you to turn her down."
"I just…"
"Don't tell me you're scared?" Jess teases. Dean frowns. "Oh. You are."
"Well, yes." Dean squares his shoulders at Jess' encouraging look. "But that's never stopped me from doing anything before."
Jess ruffles his hair. "Good boy." Dean glares indignantly at her and smooths his hair back down.
*
Cas takes him on a picnic date in the park. Afterward, Dean takes him to the batting cages and teaches him how to hit a baseball, something Cas has never done before.
It's the lamest, most perfect date that Dean has ever been on.
*
The first time they have sex, Dean corners Cas in the back room of the bakery after hours with a bottle of chocolate syrup and the suggestion that he lick it off Cas' cock.
"That has got to be a health code violation," Cas argues.
"I'll just have to be sure to lick up every. Last. Drop," Dean returns.
Cas doesn't disagree after that. He still drags Dean upstairs to his apartment instead though. Dean doesn't mind. Cas' bed is pretty damn comfortable.
*
"Dude, please tell me your dying grandmother knit you that sweater on her deathbed," Dean says a few days later on their way to see a movie, making a face of distaste at the most ridiculous sweater he's ever seen - the one his boyfriend is currently wearing.
Cas glances down self-consciously. The sweater is blue with a row of white snowflakes on a black background. "No, I bought it at the mall. Is there something wrong with it?"
Dean just shakes his head and slings his arm around Cas' shoulders. The atrocious sweater is soft at least. "I'm just looking forward to getting you out of it," Dean tactfully replies.
*
"You were gone a long time," Sam observes much later that night when Dean finally gets back in. He's camped out at the kitchen table in front of a pile of books.
"I had a date," Dean says proudly. "You have a test tomorrow?"
"Yes," Sam says. He's about to say more, but when he looks up his mouth drops open. "Where the hell did you get that sweater?" he demands a little too loudly. Jess rounds the corner and immediately turns right back around, dissolving into giggles the moment she's out of sight.
Dean looks down and blushes. He'd gotten dressed in the dark, and apparently he'd grabbed Cas' atrocious blue and white snowflake patterned sweater rather than his own overshirt.
"Uh, it's my boss'," Dean slowly explains. "I, uh, got cold at work and he… lent it to me. Yeah."
"Right," Sam says, wearing his obviously-you-are-lying-but-I-don't-actually-want-to-know-the-truth-bitchface, so Dean quickly makes his way to the bathroom to take a shower.
He finds Jess collapsed on the floor in the hallway, her hands covering her mouth. "That," she gasps out between laughs, "is… the most… ridiculous… thing I have ever seen!"
Dean would take back every nice thing he'd ever said about her if it wasn't so very true.
*
Dean had - briefly, very briefly - considered keeping Cas' sweater. It's soft and it smells like him, but it's fairly distinctive, so Dean decides to give it back. And then "accidentally" take home a much less conspicuous shirt.
*
Dean talks about Sam, a lot. He can't really help it - Sam's his baby brother and he goes to Stanford Law and Dean is proud. Cas occasionally hints that he would like to meet him, like now, when Dean is getting dressed to head back home. (He's already surreptitiously slipped on the gray t-shirt Cas was wearing earlier. If Cas notices, he doesn't say anything.)
"I'll think about it," Dean says.
The perfect opportunity shows up a few days later when Jess happens to come into the bakery for lunch when Dean is at the register and Cas is bringing out a new batch of bagels.
"Uh, hi Jess," Dean says. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd stop by and see where you worked," Jess says. She gives Cas a bright smile and reaches over the counter to shake his hand. "I'm Jess, Dean's brother's girlfriend."
"Castiel, Dean's boss."
"Really?" Jess asks, giving him a speculative look. She looks like she might ask more, but a timer beeps in the back and Cas excuses himself to go check on it.
"Soo…" Jess says after he leaves. "You didn't mention your boss was a guy."
"Um, no," Dean says. "I didn't."
"I seem to remember you telling me you were dating your boss."
"That's true."
Jess pouts. It's a look very similar to the one she'd dubbed Sam's You Just Stole the Cherry Off My Sundae Puppyface.
"Look," Dean says. "I wanted to tell you guys. It's just… Sam and I are finally getting along and I wasn't sure how he would react, so I… kept it to myself."
"Can you take a five minute break?" Jess asks. Dean nods. "Good. I want a cherry tart and a coffee and then you're going to come sit with me and I'll walk you through what will happen when you tell Sam."
Dean looks a little unsure.
"He's only going to get pissed if you keep waiting," Jess points out.
Dean sighs and does what she asks.
*
"When you first tell him," Jess explains, "he'll be annoyed you didn't say something earlier and he'll have his What Do You Mean I Got An A- On This Assignment Bitchface on.
"Then he'll probably be a little hurt and give you his I Just Lost My Shoe Down This Storm Drain Because I Was Goofing Off During This Class Field Trip Puppyface.
"You'll have to apologize for keeping him in the dark for so long and you'll know he's forgiven you if he gives you Thank You For Lending Me Your Notes Because They Are So Much More Detailed Than Mine Puppyface. If he has the What Do You Mean You Got An A+ When I Got An A- Bitchface on, you'll have to grovel a bit. He'll probably be wearing that one."
"Gee, thanks," Dean says.
"Glad to help," Jess beams.
Dean can't help but ask, "Is there a reason most of your names for his expressions have to do with classes?"
"We had most of our undergrad classes together. That's when I named most of them. Of course, if you don't like those, I can tell you a few of the more private names I have for some of them."
"Nope, that's okay!" Dean quickly answers. "You can keep all those to yourself."
*
Telling Sam about Cas goes about as well as Dean expects. He doesn't really care that Dean dates guys, but he gets his I-just-know-that-it-was-you-who-put-pepper-in-my-gym-shorts-bitchface when he finds out that Dean and Cas have been dating a few months already.
Sam demands that Dean invite Cas over for dinner so that he can meet him.
That part goes surprisingly well. Sam and Cas hit it off instantly. At one point they even disappear into the kitchen together for a moment.
Jess laughs. "You look worried," she says. "Think they're talking about you?"
"Probably. How could you tell?"
"You're wearing Sam's I Shrank My Underpants In The Wash face," she says gleefully.
Dean glares at her.
"Now it's his Early Morning, What Do You Mean You Drank All The Coffee Bitchface."
*
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Dean asks afterwards.
"I wasn't the one who was worried," Cas answers.
Dean just shakes his head and slings his arm around Cas' shoulders.
"Wait here for a moment," Cas says when they get back to his apartment. "I have something I want to give you."
"Okay," Dean says.
When Cas comes back, he hands Dean a key.
"Is this what I think it is?" Dean asks. "You want me to move in with you?"
"I was going to ask you eventually," Cas explains. "But Sam made it clear that he would like to get you off his couch sooner rather than later."
"That is so romantic," Dean says sarcastically. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, but are you sure you want me as a roommate? Sometimes I have insomnia and I watch TV well into the night - that's how I first saw your cooking show, remember? - I refuse to do laundry until I absolutely have to, and I might throw out your dorky sweaters if I have to see them every day."
Cas shrugs. "Absolutely nothing wakes me up once I'm asleep, not doing laundry will just give you an excuse to wear my clothes which you seem to enjoy anyway, and my sweaters are pretty dorky. I, on the other hand, hate doing dishes, I drink directly out of the milk carton, and you won't get any hot water in the morning unless you climb into the shower with me. We all have our little faults, but I think we can learn to live with them and each other."
Dean studies Cas speculatively. "Absolutely nothing wakes you up?"
Cas smirks at him. "What are you thinking?" he asks.
"I'm thinking up fun and exciting ways to try and wake you up."
"Nothing too bad, I hope?"
"No, most of them involve your cock and my mouth. Why do you ask?"
"You have an expression on your face that looks suspiciously like I just bit into a lemon. I'm hoping that's just your general thinking face and not your thinking sexy thoughts face, because otherwise I'm a little worried," Cas teases.
Dean pouts at him until Cas kisses the frown from his face.
Genre: AU
Rating: R
Word Count: 3500
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Dean gets a job in a bakery, dates his boss, and crashes on his brother's couch. Sam has an expression for everything. Jess and Dean have a name for each one.
A/N: I was in the mood for sweet and silly bakery!fic, so I wrote it.
Someone is dripping water on his face. Dean, sprawled out on his brother's couch where he'd spend the night and had hoped to sleep through noon at least, curls up on himself and tries to swat at his brother with his eyes still closed.
He hears a rather feminine giggle when he misses. It may have been a few years since they've seen each other in person, but Dean's 90% sure his brother doesn't have that girly of a laugh so he blinks his eyes open. "Wake up sleepyhead," says the pretty girl with long blonde hair kneeling at his side.
"You must be Jess," Dean says. He'd heard a lot about her but hadn't met her before.
The girl grins as she stands. "Sam says if you don't get your ass off that couch this minute, he won't be responsible for his actions."
Dean groans but obligingly rolls onto his feet and follows Jess into the small apartment's tiny kitchen.
"Got him up for you," Jess says, dropping a kiss onto Sam's cheek. "Now I'm going to take a shower."
Dean slumps into a chair across from Sam at the kitchen table. "What was with the big wakeup call?" he asks warily. He and Sam hadn't been very close growing up, the blame for which lies mainly with Dean - after all, he had stolen Sam's prom date, raided his piggy bank more than a few times, and even put Nair in his shampoo once. After their parents had died, they'd gotten a lot closer, but Sam goes to law school and has his own life now. He'd hoped that Sam would be willing to let him stay a couple of days at least, but now he's not so sure.
All Sam had said when Dean shown up at his door at four o'clock that morning was "Your girlfriend kicked you out?"
"Yeah," Dean had answered, because it was mostly true, except that it was his boyfriend rather than his girlfriend. He hasn't exactly gotten around to telling his little brother that he likes it both ways, and he's not about to now.
Now, Sam just hands him a section of the newspaper spread out in front of him.
"The classifieds?" Dean reads.
"If you're going to stay here for awhile, you can't just laze around on the couch. You have to get a job."
He's even circled a few he thinks might work. Dean's not so sure about those, though. He's done just about everything in the last eight years, ever since he'd left home to join the army which had ended fairly quickly with a dishonorable discharge after he'd discovered he had a pretty big problem with authority. He hadn't stayed in one place for long since or been able to stick with one job, mostly for the same reason.
"Tech support?" Dean asks, pointing to the least likely job that Sam had circled. "I'm not that good with computers."
"It's easy," Sam replies. "I worked there over the summer once. Most of the time, all you had to do to solve the problem was tell the person to restart their computer, and voila, problem solved."
Dean looks skeptical.
"Anyway," Sam says, grabbing the jacket hanging from the back of his chair as he stands. "I've got to get to class. But before I go…" he turns and digs around in a drawer for a moment before pulling out a spare key and tossing it in Dean's direction. "Just promise me you won't steal our TV if I give you this," he says with a teasing grin.
Dean flicks a stray cheerio at his head.
*
Jess leaves for her own classes an hour after Sam does and Dean is left alone in their apartment.
He gets bored quickly, so he grabs the spare key Sam had given him and goes out looking for breakfast. He buys a coffee and an apple turnover from a cute guy at a bakery just around the corner before sorting through the want ads Sam had given him.
It's not that Dean is a moocher - he works hard at every job he gets even if he doesn't manage to keep them for long. There's just always something that keeps him from staying long; the bosses are jerks, the customers are assholes, or he sleeps with one of his co-workers and they have a messy break-up. Somehow, the job and the town he's in always end up losing their appeal.
Dean hadn't been playing to stay here much longer than any other place - he and his trusty Impala had been pretty much everywhere in the continental United States - but he wouldn't mind spending some time with his brother and catching up a bit before he takes off again, so he figures why not get a job? Except when he pursues the ads, he can't seem to find anything that strikes his fancy. Secretary - boring; pizza delivery man - heh, porn; postal worker - isn't that where the term going postal had come from?
So the paper's a bust, but Dean's not worried. Something always turns up eventually, and Sam better not expect him to find something his very first day in town.
*
Sam does in fact expect him to find a job his very first day in town.
"What do you mean, nothing in the paper worked out?" Sam asks, wearing an expression Dean privately refers to as his very-disappointed-in-you-bitchface.
Jess, however, comes to his rescue. She comes into the kitchen holding a takeout menu. "It's been one day. Give him some time."
Sam pouts but doesn't argue. Dean thinks he's a little bit in love with his brother's awesome girlfriend.
Jess beams and hands Dean the takeout menu. "Circle what you want. We're having Chinese tonight."
Once Sam's obediently calling in their order from the kitchen, Jess turns to Dean with a conspiratorial grin. "Did you see his face when he was lecturing you?" she asks. "I call that his Constipated Bitchface of Disapproval."
Dean is definitely a little bit in love with his brother's totally awesome girlfriend.
*
After Sam and Jess retire for the night, Dean stays up flicking through the channels. Dean has a tendency to suffer from insomnia, quelled only by the drone of infomercials and late night TV, something that he is well aware makes him a horrible roommate and he often finds himself sleeping on the couch after annoying a number of past girlfriends and boyfriends.
The night before he'd been exhausted from driving. Tonight, he's not so lucky. He finally settles on a cooking show playing on the university channel. It's an older show, at least ten years judging by the clothing the host is wearing - an attractive man with intense blue eyes and messy dark hair who looks strangely familiar. Dean leans forward and squints at the screen for a moment until it hits him - it's the guy who sold him coffee in the bakery the morning before.
*
"I know you!" Dean says the moment he bursts through the door the next morning.
"Yes," the guy behind the counter answers - Castiel, as he'd learned from the cooking show last night; it really is the same guy, just a few years older. "You were here yesterday."
"No," Dean says with a wide grin. "Cooking with Castiel, right? It was on last night."
Castiel turns beat red. "Oh, god. That was just a school project I helped a friend do for his broadcasting class. You mean they're still playing it?"
"Well, yeah, but don't worry, it was on at three in the morning."
Castiel's blush dies down a touch. "I'm surprised that they're playing it at all."
"No," Dean says. "It was really cool. You almost made me want to go in the kitchen and whip up a batch of coke eh vin."
"Coq au vin," Castiel corrects.
"Yeah, that. I'm mostly a hamburger and potatoes kind of guy, so what I'm saying is- you inspired me."
Castiel's fiery blush is back.
Dean belated notices that a Now Hiring sign has appeared on the counter since yesterday.
If he believed in fate, he'd say this was it.
"You're hiring?" he asks eagerly.
Castiel nods. "It's mostly just washing up and manning the register," he warns.
"I don't care," Dean replies. "You were so… passionate about what you were doing on that show, I just- want to know what that's like."
Castiel looks flattered. "I'll still need to do a background check," he says.
Dean just grins. He in and he knows it.
*
Castiel calls him later that night to tell him he's hired. "Can you be here tomorrow at 11?" he asks.
"Of course," Dean answers.
When he lets Sam know, his brother gives him his I'm-impressed-so-don't-blow-this-bitchface.
"You must have done something right," Jess says. "That's the face he gave me when I got into Veterinary school, quickly followed by his Your Patients Better Not Ever Hump My Leg Bitchface."
Sam frowns. "Must you two name all of my expressions?"
"That's the You Just Stole the Cherry Off My Sundae Puppyface," Jess says in return. Dean laughs.
*
Working with Castiel, or Cas as he asks Dean to call him, is relaxed and easy. The morning rush is mostly over by the time that Dean gets there. The rest of the day is slow and steady, and Dean spends the periods in between customers wiping tables and cleaning up or in the back watching Cas prepare tomorrow's pastries.
He loves watching Cas bake. He loves it even more when Cas lets him help.
"What are we making?" Dean asks as he stirs a bowl of batter.
"Inside out carrot cake cookies," Cas answers as he whips the frosting.
"Sounds good," Dean says. "Just like everything you make."
Cas smiles at him. "You have…" he says, reaching up a hand to wipe a bit of batter off Dean's cheek.
Even though he knows its probably a horrible idea even as he's doing it, Dean leans forward to lick the batter off Cas' finger.
"Eggs! That's… they're not cooked," Cas mumbles. "You could get…"
Dean grins. "I'm not worried," he says.
*
He and Cas dance around each other for a few days before Cas finally caves and asks Dean out on a date.
Dean wants to say yes, desperately, even though he knows he shouldn't. He's had so much bad luck dating co-workers - it never works out and usually ends up with him getting fired or quitting. Dating Cas would be even worse - considering that not only is Cas his boss, but he's only had this job for three weeks and he's afraid of the horrible puppyface Sam is going to give him if he loses his job.
It's just that… Cas fascinates him. Unlike with his exes, he thinks he wants more from Cas than just sex. As lame as it sounds, he wants to get to know Cas.
He mentions this to Jess, although he doesn't tell her everything - such as the fact that Cas is a guy. It's not that he thinks Jess would mind, but he's not quite ready for her to tell Sam.
"That's what dating is for," she explains like Dean is slow. He's not mad - when it comes to relationships, he kind of is. "To get to know the other person."
"Even when it's your boss?"
Jess appears unimpressed. "According to Sam, you've had about a hundred jobs and you never have a problem finding another one. I don't think that's a good enough excuse for you to turn her down."
"I just…"
"Don't tell me you're scared?" Jess teases. Dean frowns. "Oh. You are."
"Well, yes." Dean squares his shoulders at Jess' encouraging look. "But that's never stopped me from doing anything before."
Jess ruffles his hair. "Good boy." Dean glares indignantly at her and smooths his hair back down.
*
Cas takes him on a picnic date in the park. Afterward, Dean takes him to the batting cages and teaches him how to hit a baseball, something Cas has never done before.
It's the lamest, most perfect date that Dean has ever been on.
*
The first time they have sex, Dean corners Cas in the back room of the bakery after hours with a bottle of chocolate syrup and the suggestion that he lick it off Cas' cock.
"That has got to be a health code violation," Cas argues.
"I'll just have to be sure to lick up every. Last. Drop," Dean returns.
Cas doesn't disagree after that. He still drags Dean upstairs to his apartment instead though. Dean doesn't mind. Cas' bed is pretty damn comfortable.
*
"Dude, please tell me your dying grandmother knit you that sweater on her deathbed," Dean says a few days later on their way to see a movie, making a face of distaste at the most ridiculous sweater he's ever seen - the one his boyfriend is currently wearing.
Cas glances down self-consciously. The sweater is blue with a row of white snowflakes on a black background. "No, I bought it at the mall. Is there something wrong with it?"
Dean just shakes his head and slings his arm around Cas' shoulders. The atrocious sweater is soft at least. "I'm just looking forward to getting you out of it," Dean tactfully replies.
*
"You were gone a long time," Sam observes much later that night when Dean finally gets back in. He's camped out at the kitchen table in front of a pile of books.
"I had a date," Dean says proudly. "You have a test tomorrow?"
"Yes," Sam says. He's about to say more, but when he looks up his mouth drops open. "Where the hell did you get that sweater?" he demands a little too loudly. Jess rounds the corner and immediately turns right back around, dissolving into giggles the moment she's out of sight.
Dean looks down and blushes. He'd gotten dressed in the dark, and apparently he'd grabbed Cas' atrocious blue and white snowflake patterned sweater rather than his own overshirt.
"Uh, it's my boss'," Dean slowly explains. "I, uh, got cold at work and he… lent it to me. Yeah."
"Right," Sam says, wearing his obviously-you-are-lying-but-I-don't-actually-want-to-know-the-truth-bitchface, so Dean quickly makes his way to the bathroom to take a shower.
He finds Jess collapsed on the floor in the hallway, her hands covering her mouth. "That," she gasps out between laughs, "is… the most… ridiculous… thing I have ever seen!"
Dean would take back every nice thing he'd ever said about her if it wasn't so very true.
*
Dean had - briefly, very briefly - considered keeping Cas' sweater. It's soft and it smells like him, but it's fairly distinctive, so Dean decides to give it back. And then "accidentally" take home a much less conspicuous shirt.
*
Dean talks about Sam, a lot. He can't really help it - Sam's his baby brother and he goes to Stanford Law and Dean is proud. Cas occasionally hints that he would like to meet him, like now, when Dean is getting dressed to head back home. (He's already surreptitiously slipped on the gray t-shirt Cas was wearing earlier. If Cas notices, he doesn't say anything.)
"I'll think about it," Dean says.
The perfect opportunity shows up a few days later when Jess happens to come into the bakery for lunch when Dean is at the register and Cas is bringing out a new batch of bagels.
"Uh, hi Jess," Dean says. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd stop by and see where you worked," Jess says. She gives Cas a bright smile and reaches over the counter to shake his hand. "I'm Jess, Dean's brother's girlfriend."
"Castiel, Dean's boss."
"Really?" Jess asks, giving him a speculative look. She looks like she might ask more, but a timer beeps in the back and Cas excuses himself to go check on it.
"Soo…" Jess says after he leaves. "You didn't mention your boss was a guy."
"Um, no," Dean says. "I didn't."
"I seem to remember you telling me you were dating your boss."
"That's true."
Jess pouts. It's a look very similar to the one she'd dubbed Sam's You Just Stole the Cherry Off My Sundae Puppyface.
"Look," Dean says. "I wanted to tell you guys. It's just… Sam and I are finally getting along and I wasn't sure how he would react, so I… kept it to myself."
"Can you take a five minute break?" Jess asks. Dean nods. "Good. I want a cherry tart and a coffee and then you're going to come sit with me and I'll walk you through what will happen when you tell Sam."
Dean looks a little unsure.
"He's only going to get pissed if you keep waiting," Jess points out.
Dean sighs and does what she asks.
*
"When you first tell him," Jess explains, "he'll be annoyed you didn't say something earlier and he'll have his What Do You Mean I Got An A- On This Assignment Bitchface on.
"Then he'll probably be a little hurt and give you his I Just Lost My Shoe Down This Storm Drain Because I Was Goofing Off During This Class Field Trip Puppyface.
"You'll have to apologize for keeping him in the dark for so long and you'll know he's forgiven you if he gives you Thank You For Lending Me Your Notes Because They Are So Much More Detailed Than Mine Puppyface. If he has the What Do You Mean You Got An A+ When I Got An A- Bitchface on, you'll have to grovel a bit. He'll probably be wearing that one."
"Gee, thanks," Dean says.
"Glad to help," Jess beams.
Dean can't help but ask, "Is there a reason most of your names for his expressions have to do with classes?"
"We had most of our undergrad classes together. That's when I named most of them. Of course, if you don't like those, I can tell you a few of the more private names I have for some of them."
"Nope, that's okay!" Dean quickly answers. "You can keep all those to yourself."
*
Telling Sam about Cas goes about as well as Dean expects. He doesn't really care that Dean dates guys, but he gets his I-just-know-that-it-was-you-who-put-pepper-in-my-gym-shorts-bitchface when he finds out that Dean and Cas have been dating a few months already.
Sam demands that Dean invite Cas over for dinner so that he can meet him.
That part goes surprisingly well. Sam and Cas hit it off instantly. At one point they even disappear into the kitchen together for a moment.
Jess laughs. "You look worried," she says. "Think they're talking about you?"
"Probably. How could you tell?"
"You're wearing Sam's I Shrank My Underpants In The Wash face," she says gleefully.
Dean glares at her.
"Now it's his Early Morning, What Do You Mean You Drank All The Coffee Bitchface."
*
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Dean asks afterwards.
"I wasn't the one who was worried," Cas answers.
Dean just shakes his head and slings his arm around Cas' shoulders.
"Wait here for a moment," Cas says when they get back to his apartment. "I have something I want to give you."
"Okay," Dean says.
When Cas comes back, he hands Dean a key.
"Is this what I think it is?" Dean asks. "You want me to move in with you?"
"I was going to ask you eventually," Cas explains. "But Sam made it clear that he would like to get you off his couch sooner rather than later."
"That is so romantic," Dean says sarcastically. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, but are you sure you want me as a roommate? Sometimes I have insomnia and I watch TV well into the night - that's how I first saw your cooking show, remember? - I refuse to do laundry until I absolutely have to, and I might throw out your dorky sweaters if I have to see them every day."
Cas shrugs. "Absolutely nothing wakes me up once I'm asleep, not doing laundry will just give you an excuse to wear my clothes which you seem to enjoy anyway, and my sweaters are pretty dorky. I, on the other hand, hate doing dishes, I drink directly out of the milk carton, and you won't get any hot water in the morning unless you climb into the shower with me. We all have our little faults, but I think we can learn to live with them and each other."
Dean studies Cas speculatively. "Absolutely nothing wakes you up?"
Cas smirks at him. "What are you thinking?" he asks.
"I'm thinking up fun and exciting ways to try and wake you up."
"Nothing too bad, I hope?"
"No, most of them involve your cock and my mouth. Why do you ask?"
"You have an expression on your face that looks suspiciously like I just bit into a lemon. I'm hoping that's just your general thinking face and not your thinking sexy thoughts face, because otherwise I'm a little worried," Cas teases.
Dean pouts at him until Cas kisses the frown from his face.