dauntperplexity (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dauntperplexity) wrote2011-12-11 11:24 am
dauntperplexity) wrote2011-12-11 11:24 am
Fic: Unraveling (Part 2)
[Masterlist] [Part 1]
Cas flew back to his apartment after everyone had left the building. He saw a plate waiting for him in the kitchen with a note telling him to eat. He took a few bites of it then put the rest of it in the fridge.
He walked to the couch and saw his sister asleep on it. The news was playing on the television. He knew that she was watching it to keep tabs on him. He touched two fingers to her forehead and sent her to her bed. He knew it would be better if she got a more comfortable night’s sleep since there would be a fallout when she woke up and saw the paper.
He sat down on the couch and watched a rerun of Dr. Sexy. It was how his nights usually went. He would wait until his wings shivered and he then he’d be off elsewhere.
Two hours before work, he found himself trying to pull a group people from a mineshaft that collapsed when they snuck into it. He wasn’t able to save the shaft, but he didn’t care about that.
He made it to work twenty minutes before he was supposed to clock in. The only other person on the floor was Crowley.
He turned on his computer and waited for it to start up. He watched as everyone who worked on his floor trickled in. He was not surprised to see Dean walking in with a bunch of females vying for his attention.
Curiously, for once, Dean wasn’t giving anyone the time of day. Cas thought that was odd. Usually, Dean was trying to ham it up and keep their attention on him. More girls joined the ones already following Dean, trying to tell him something.
With his sensitive hearing, he could hear what they were talking about. They were congratulating Dean on the picture that was printed on the front page. He was curious about how big Crowley’s sales were because of the picture.
He didn’t think about it too long before he pulled open a drawer and pulled out the folder of articles he was working on the day before and his Post-its. He grabbed his nearest pen and was ready to get to work. That was until Dean put a cup on his desk. “What is this?” Cas asked.
“It’s orange juice,” Dean said.
“Why?”
“Why not?” Dean replied. He saw the confused look on Cas’s face and knew that he needed to give an explanation. “Okay, Sam gave it to me. He says that I drank too much coffee.”
“You do.”
“Whatever. I bought a cup before I walked in. And I don’t want this to go to waste.”
“Thank you, Dean.” He took a sip from it and got started on his work.
The day went on without trouble. He had an inkling of someone who could have used his help, but the feeling wasn’t long enough for him to leave work to find them. It was probably something that the police or other local law enforcement could take care of.
It was days like this where the work day went by quick. By the time he looked at the clock on his computer screen, he saw that it was noon.
He was putting the finishing touches on a review of a new novel that had just been released when his work phone rang. “Hello, Lucas Singer,” he answered. He tucked it into his shoulder and craned his head to keep it there while he finished typing.
“Cas.”
“Jo?” he asked. He stopped typing for a minute and grabbed the receiver. “Why are you calling?”
“It’s lunch time, meet me downstairs.”
He knew that she was only saying that because she was in the lobby and needed to be polite. He knew that she had seen the paper and was going to reprimand him for it. “I have a lot of work to do, Jo.” He really did not want to deal with his sister’s wrath.
“If you aren’t downstairs in two minutes, I’m coming up to get you.”
Cas could imagine the look of determination on his sister’s face. As much as he wanted to avoid her, he knew that her threat was credible. He didn’t want her coming onto his floor again. “I’ll be right down,” he said. Cas hung up the phone and sighed. He finished his thought that he started typing before Jo called.
“You okay, Cas?” Dean asked, walking over. He was returning to his desk after talking to Ash about the layout of the next article. He could see Cas’s anxiety in the way he typed.
“Jo is downstairs waiting for me to take my lunch break.”
“Are you going?”
“I have to.” He sighed. He really did not want to go to lunch. Not today.
“Wow. You going on a lunch break twice in a couple weeks. The world must be coming to an end.”
“Or my sister thinks I’m too skinny.”
“That too,” Dean laughed. “You could gain a few more pounds.”
Cas shook his head. “Please don’t agree with her.”
“Cas, I’ve never seen you eat anything unless I bring it for you. And I know it’s not an eating disorder or something because you’re not a twig. So, go and eat. The article will be waiting for you when you get back.”
Cas pulled open his bottom drawer and took out his trench coat. “I’ll be back in an hour,” he said as he put it on. He saved the document on his computer and headed downstairs. He found Jo sitting on one of the couches in the lobby.
“Hey,” Jo said, standing up. “I’m very surprised that you actually came down.”
“I didn’t want you disturbing my floor again.”
“We need to talk,” Jo said.
“I know,” Cas sighed. “Just not here.”
They walked down the street together without any reason to go the way they did. They turned down a street and saw a square to walk through with not too many people in it. Jo led them through it.
“You need to quit your job,” Jo said.
“Why?” Cas asked even though he knew exactly what was on his sister’s mind.
“You just have to.”
“I like my job.”
“You’re on the front page of the paper you’re hired at.” She reached into her purse and pulled out the paper. She opened it up and held it in front of Cas’s face. “Look at this picture.”
“It’s a very nice—”
“Not the point,” Jo said. “You look like you were posing for it.”
“I couldn’t have known that Dean was going to take the picture.”
“Dean? Dean took it?” Jo sighed loudly. She shoved the paper back into her bag. “Cas, you can’t work this closely with Dean and keep your secret.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because, you can’t,” Jo stated. She felt like that was enough of an answer, but she knew her brother would want more. “Can you at least ask Dean not to be the one to take the pictures? Even that would make me feel better about this.”
“Jo, he’s just doing his job.”
“Then ask for a different partner.”
“And what am I supposed to tell Dean at work? Joanna, it’s our job to report things like this.”
“Well, that’s your job and I’m doing mine,” she replied. She stopped in place and crossed her arms over her chest.
When Jo stopped, Cas stopped walking immediately. He turned and faced his sister. “What exactly is your job?”
“I’m your sister. I’m trying to protect you.”
Cas looked around to make sure that none would be able to hear what he was about to say. “Well, I’m the superhero. I’m the one who is supposed to be doing the protecting.”
“Well, I’m the superhero’s sister,” Jo retorted. “However protective you feel of this planet and all the people on it, I am that protective of you. Times ten.”
With that, Cas remembered why Jo won most of the arguments they had. “I’m not quitting my job,” he said with a sigh. He knew that wasn’t what his sister wanted to hear.
“I hope you know exactly what you’re getting into.”
“I do.” But he didn’t.
Somehow, Jo was able to pick up on it. “Are you coming home for dinner tonight?” With the subject change, their discussion over him quitting his job was over.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what Crowley wants us to do.”
“Just let me know ahead of time, all right, Cas?” Her brother may have had the super strength and special abilities, but she knew that if she wasn’t caring for him, then no one else would.
“Of course.”
“I’m in the mood for some Thai food.”
“There’s one a few blocks down from here.”
“Lead the way.”
And he did.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
When Cas returned to the pen an hour later, he plopped into his chair with a groan. He ate too much and it made him lethargic.
“You all right? You don’t look happy.”
“I’m uncomfortable,” Cas answered Dean. “I swear, my sister buys the biggest meal on the menu just so she can eat half and force me to eat the rest of it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”
Cas shook his head. He knew that Dean wouldn’t think anything was wrong with it. He was always eating. “I don’t think I’ll survive however long she decides to stay.”
“She can’t be that bad, Cas.”
Cas sighed. “She isn’t. Her intentions are good. It’s just difficult for me to adjust to living with someone after living alone for so many years.”
“I can imagine,” Dean said. “Those years I finally got away from my family were some of the best moments of my life. But when Sam asked to live with me as soon as he moved to the city, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I missed him too much, you know?”
Cas nodded, recalling all the stories that Dean would tell him about the stunts he used to pull with his brother. “I know how close you and your brother are.”
“But then again, maybe the dynamic is different when it’s a brother and sister instead of two brothers.”
“Maybe.” He and Jo’s relationship was different from Dean and Sam’s but it didn’t mean they weren’t as close.
“But watch, as soon as you get use to having her around, she’ll be out of your hair again.”
“I can only hope that is the situation.”
“Or she may end up loving it here and move in permanently.” Dean had to bite back a laugh when Cas glared at him. “Sorry. Knock on wood,” he said, tapping his desk with his knuckle.
“That’s metal.”
“Same thing. You could play the older sibling card and irritate her out of staying.”
“I am six years older than her, yet somehow she is in possession of that card.”
“Sorry, dude.” He could feel Cas’s pain. He always hated the role reversal when Sam would some how be the one taking care of Dean instead of the natural order of it. “I could always—”
“Dean, office, now.”
Dean and Cas both looked up and toward the source of the voice. They saw Crowley standing in the doorway of his office. “Give me a sec,” Dean yelled back. He turned back to Cas and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Cas, stop worrying so much. Most people would kill for a sibling that cared for them as much as your sister does.” He stood up and headed to Crowley’s office.
Cas knew that Dean was right. He shrugged off his trench coat and stuffed it back into the bottom drawer of his desk. He turned his computer back on and opened the document that he was working on before lunch. He wanted to get as much work done as he could so he wasn’t stuck in his desk all night again.
He reread what he had previously typed so he could get back in the state of mind to finish. When he was ready to type his first word, his wings tightened. He sighed. He made a mental note to call Jo and tell her he would be working late again.
He stood up and walked to the elevator without anyone stopping him.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
It was just Cas’s luck that when he was on his last paragraph of proofing, his wings would sense some danger and he’d have to leave work again for the second time that day. Luckily, there were more people working late than he thought so he had the chance to sneak away without raising any suspicion. He hoped that they’d still be there when he returned.
He found himself in Uganda stopping a large number of weapons either coming from or going to America. He tried to question the warlords, but he wasn’t able to break them. He flew the dozen boxes with the word ‘sinister’ and a symbol he didn’t recognize written all over them to the nearest embassy.
He spent the next forty minutes talking to the diplomats about what he had done and where to find the warlords’ camp. He received a thank you and he flew back to his work place.
He was about to fly into the alley and change back into his civilian’s clothes when he saw someone standing on the roof. He made himself invisible and flew closer. When he was close enough, he saw that it was Dean.
He knew Dean was waiting for him. Or at least, superhero him.
He looked through the windows and saw that there were not many people left on his floor. He contemplated between going back to work and talking to Dean.
He flew up to the roof and hoped that he didn’t make the wrong choice.
He floated near the edge of the roof, a couple of feet away from the railing Dean leaned on. He made himself visible. “You are quite the photographer,” he said in his deep, gravelly voice.
Dean looked up, eyes wide. He shook his head, wanting to get out of the shock quickly and talk to Dark Angel before he was called to save someone else. “Yeah. Hi. You saw the picture?” he asked.
“I did.”
“Are you mad? I didn’t exactly have the chance to ask you for permission.”
Cas floated up and onto the roof. He waited for his feet to touch the ground before he spoke again. “Of course not,” he replied. “It’s your job to take pictures.”
“Unfortunately, it’s at the expense of someone who is doing some good for our city. Actually, the world.” Dean ran his hands up and down his face. He was frustrated, but he also knew that he could feel his face turning red. “I feel like a dick. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You seem reluctant to do this.”
“Reluctant is putting it nicely.” Dean sighed. Knowing that Dark Angel wasn’t angry with him calmed him. “I’m surprised you showed up.”
“I said that I would,” Cas replied.
“I know you did,” Dean said. “I just thought that you’d have better things to do than come and talk to me.”
“I said that I would come and talk to you,” Cas repeated. He didn’t want Dean to keep waiting for him to show up on the roof. He hated breaking promises.
“Yeah, you did,” Dean said. He noticed that his hands were shaking and stuck them into his jacket pockets. He didn’t want the superhero to see him so fidgety and nervous. “So, what do I call you?”
“What? I…” he didn’t understand what Dean was asking.
“Everyone is calling you Dark Wings. Apparently we’re calling you Dark Angel. What do you call yourself?”
“My name…” his voice trailed off. He had no idea how to answer Dean’s question without revealing too much about himself. “My real name is Castiel.”
He had found that out when he turned sixteen. He snuck out of his house and visited the chapel near their house. All the power in a five-mile radius had been knocked out so that Cas could meet a few members of his family.
He left the chapel with a birth name and a purpose.
“Castiel?” Dean repeated, testing out the name on his lips.
The sound of his real name was enough to jar him out of his phase. “Yes,” Cas said when Dean said it correctly.
“Wow. Well, that sucks.”
Cas’s eyes went wide. That was not the reaction he expected Dean to have. It was not even close. “Why?” He tried not to sound offended. He wasn’t sure if he pulled it off or not.
“Well, I’d call you Cas, but that’s what I call one of my coworkers. I call him Cas.”
“I see,” Cas replied. He tried not to smile. “Well, I wouldn’t want to steal that from him.”
“It’s all right. I mean, I’ll know the difference. But for now, I’ll just call you by your real name. If that’s all right with you,” he added quickly.
“That’s fine with me.”
“So tell me something, Castiel.”
“Anything.” He wondered if he sounded too forthcoming with information. It surprised him how much easier it was for him to be honest with Dean when he had a mask on.
“What are you? Are you a human with wings? Was this some accident at a lab?”
“I’m an angel. I was born with these abilities.”
“So, you’re not from Earth.”
“In a sense.”
“Okay, I have another question, a few actually, if that’s okay.” Dean waited for Castiel to nod before he continued to talk. “Why did you decide to come and talk to me? I mean, there are hundreds of photographers and journalists all over this city, yet you came to talk to me.”
“I’m not sure,” Cas replied. It was the truth, but he knew it wasn’t the answer that Dean wanted to hear.
“That’s a lie.”
“I can’t lie.”
“You have to know. I mean, it’s not like you had every reporter in the world’s name and chose mine out of a hat.”
The more Dean kept pressing for an answer, the more he thought about it. He wondered why he did go back to see him. It would have been easier for him to ignore Dean and return to work, but he didn’t. If he never saw Dean again as Castiel, it would solve a lot of his problems. But if he knew that if he could help Dean, he would any way he could. He wondered if it had to do with working for him for years. “You asked for me to come and see you.”
“I could have been setting a trap and trying to kill you.”
“But you weren’t,” Cas countered. He knew Dean wasn’t capable of doing something like that.
“But I could’ve been. You always just show up whenever people ask for you?”
“If they’re in danger or need my help.” He tried, at least. Sometimes he wasn’t able to make it. “I came because there is something pure about you, Dean Winchester.” He had no idea why he was saying what he was, but the words felt honest enough.
“Pure?” Dean scoffed. “Do you know who I am? I’ve done a lot of impure things.”
“Yes,” Cas replied. “But that doesn’t mean you’re heart is not pure. I help people, and you were asking for help.” He knew Dean’s motives for wanting to see him weren’t bad.
Dean smirked and shook his head. “I didn’t think you could hear me. And I may have been a little sarcastic. I wasn’t exactly in danger.”
“But I was still able to offer my help.”
“Yeah, I guess you were. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then silence fell between them. But only for a moment. Dean had a lot of questions he wanted to ask the superhero, and he knew he had to ask them fast because he never knew when the next crisis Dark Angel would have to avert would occur. “Okay, Castiel, can I ask you something else?”
“Yes,” Cas replied. He wondered why Dean was asking so many questions. He knew that Dean’s assignment only required him to take pictures. He could’ve easily done that in the ten minutes than they’d been on the roof together.
“Why do you do this?”
“Excuse me?” Cas asked. He heard Dean fine, but he wanted him to elaborate on the question further. He wanted to answer the question correctly.
“Why do you save the world? Don’t you feel like it’s all in vain sometimes? You stop one problem, six more pop up? Why do you do this?” he repeated.
Cas bit his bottom lip. He did not expect that to be the question Dean would ask. He was pressing for answers like this was a hard-hitting interview. He’d answer. He knew the answer.
He walked to the edge of the roof, holding onto the railings. He looked out, then down, then out again. He waited for Dean to stand next to him before he started speaking. “Humanity is an interesting thing. Of course, there’s fighting and betrayal and lies. Even angels aren’t immune to it. But humans are able to forgive. Humans make choices and mistakes. It’s amazing to watch.”
He smiled thinking about it. On the chances that he was able to talk to his angelic brothers, they had filled him in on the entire history of their existence. It hurt his head to think that they were so emotionless. They fought and easily turned against their brothers. After thousands of years, they still held onto their regret and anger.
He never said it, but he was glad to be raised amongst the humans.
A flash brought him out of his reverie. He looked to Dean who was slowly lowering his camera.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “You… it was a nice picture.”
“Will this show up on tomorrow’s front page?”
“Nah,” Dean replied and shut off the camera. “The lighting is off.”
“Okay. Do you need me to pose for another one?”
“Nah. I need them to be more candid.” He put the camera around his neck. “You want to explain the outfit to me?”
Cas stepped away from the edge of the railing and looked down at himself. “I didn’t realize my outfit needed explaining.”
“Why are you shirtless?”
“Shirts get in the way of my wings.” At least, they did when he needed to use them. When he didn’t, they stayed tucked to his back and no one would be able to tell anything different when he wore a shirt.
“I understand the mask. You have to keep your identity a secret. Maybe you have a normal life or something,” Dean rambled on. “And the cloak? Is it because when you save people, you don’t want to look like a Chippendales dancer or for dramatic effect?”
“Both?” Cas answered. He didn’t know if Dean was actually asking a question or he was just talking through his thoughts like he sometimes did at work.
“Okay, one more question.”
“Okay,” Cas said cautiously. He wasn’t sure if it was going to be another serious question or critique of his persona. He wasn’t sure which type of question he would have been more comfortable answering.
Dean reached up and pulled the hood off of Cas’s head. “Does your hair do that fluffy thing on it’s own?”
Cas reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. He never actually realized how messy his hair would usually get. Then again, he didn’t think anyone would ever see it to notice or care. “No.”
“So you style it.”
“No. It’s the result of flying around. If I’m flying for five minutes, once I touch ground I can never seem to tame it.” He pulled the hood back up to cover his hair. “Are you going to put that in your article?”
“I don’t write the articles. My partner, Cas, does.”
“I see.” Cas had to smirk. He felt a little happy that Dean reserved the nickname for him. The human side of him.
“Yeah. And I’m going to tell him to write down that Dark Angel doesn’t use hair gel. It will blow everyone’s mind.”
“Dark Angel?” Cas repeated. It was the first time he had ever said it and it sounded funny on his tongue. “It sounds menacing.”
“Yeah,” Dean sighed. He hated the decision to use it. “My boss coined it. And now I’m asking the menacing Dark Angel if he uses hair gel.”
“Real hard-hitting news.”
“I think so.” Dean had to smile.
“I must be going, Dean.”
“Yeah, of course. The world needs saving.”
“It does.” But it was more because he had been gone from his desk for nearly an hour. Today, he didn’t have the luxury of a fight in the pen, so there was a chance that someone would notice he was missing a lot sooner.
“Thanks for stopping by.”
“I hope you got everything you needed.”
For now.
“Until next time, then.” Cas didn’t know why he said that. He didn’t know why he wanted these rooftop meetings with Dean to become a regular thing.
“Yeah. Next time.” Dean tried not to blush at the prospect of them talking again, but he knew that his face was turning pink. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to tell since it was night.
“Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Just take a few more minutes out here. It’s a nice night. I should enjoy it. Wait, before you go, can I…” His voice trailed off and held up his camera. He blushed, embarrassed that he had to ask Castiel for a picture. He felt like the paparazzi.
“This won’t be as candid as the other one you took,” Cas said.
“I’ll just take one of you flying away or something. Just don’t fly too fast.”
Cas smiled. He extended his wings and shook them out. He flew up then floated down to about the same area he was when Dean took the first picture. He shook his wings again, preparing to fly. He looked up and over his shoulder to make sure Dean was ready.
He didn’t expect Dean to take a couple of pictures just then, but he was surprised by the flashes he was greeted with.
Then he angled his body to fly out over the city. Then he saw a few more flashes around him. Then he went invisible, hoping that Dean took enough pictures.
He flew into the alley near his building. He snapped his fingers once changing out of his superhero outfit and into his business attire. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his glasses.
Before he walked back into the bullpen, he made sure to tame his hair. He pulled out his comb and hair gel and combed every strand of hair back into place. He usually did that anyway, but today he was meticulous about it; almost paranoid. Especially since Dean had mentioned it when talking to his persona.
When he got back to the pen, he saw that most of the people on the floor had already left. The few that were still there were on their way out.
He walked past them and to his desk. He found Dean at his own desk and was surprised that Dean had come back inside so quickly. “Where did you go?”
“Needed to call Jo and tell her that I’d be late.”
“Well, we don’t have much left to do, right?”
“I don’t know about you, but I have to reread one more article.”
Dean stood up from his chair and crossed the distance between the two desks. “Can I help?”
“Oh, it’s all right, Dean. I can finish.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Cas. “One day, you’ll accept my help.”
“One day. But not today. I don’t think you want to read what I have to.”
Dean smiled. He loved that Cas knew how much he hated reading. One of the many reasons why he stuck to the photography part of working at the paper. “Good looking out.”
“Are you done with your work?”
“Yeah, mostly. I got a few pictures I needed. I don’t have to print them until the day after tomorrow, so I guess I’m done.”
“That’s good. It’s nice to get out of here early.”
“Cas, we’re the only two people here. I don’t think early is the right word,” he said with a laugh.
“Okay, earlier than me.”
“I can wait,” Dean offered. It’s the least he could do after the dozens of times Cas has waited for him to be done with his work. And he knew that Cas was a fast reader, so he wouldn’t have been waiting long.
“It’s all right, Dean. Just go home.”
Dean sighed. He really didn’t want to stay, he was trying to be polite. “Okay. You’ve convinced me. Don’t stay here too late, Cas. It’s ridiculous that you’ll be the first one here at work tomorrow after being the last to leave.”
“You could try to beat me, for once.”
“Nah. I’d rather not.” Dean walked over to his desk and shut off his computer. He grabbed his camera and leather jacket then shut off the light. “See you tomorrow,” he said as he slipped on his jacket.
“Good night, Dean,” Cas replied.
He breathed a sigh of relief. These were the nights that he enjoyed the most. When no one was in the pen with him and he could take all the time he needed to look at his work. And it made it a lot easier to slip in and out if the world needed him.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas wasn’t usually one to mess up deadlines, so when he realized he was ahead of schedule by a few days, he found himself wandering the pen aimlessly looking for something to do. He was able to help a few people, but even doing that, he was done with his work before noon.
“Just go home, Cas,” Dean said as Cas walked by his desk again.
“I can’t just leave work because I finished my work early.”
“Actually, you can.”
“But I could help someone.” He knew that he’d just be wandering around the pen for the next few hours, but he felt bad that he was able to leave early when everyone else was still working. But it did make it easier if he had to leave and save someone.
“Cas. Take the rest of the day off. You stay late more than anyone I know. That’s not right.”
“But what if something comes up?”
“Then you’ll work on it tomorrow. Cas, just go home and relax. It has to be better than wandering aimlessly around here.”
“If you need my help—”
“I won’t. And even if I did, I’m not enough of a dick to call you because I know you’ll always show up whenever I call.”
Cas sighed. He knew that he wasn’t going to win this argument against Dean. The more he actually thought about it, the more he liked the idea of leaving. “All right. I’ll tell Crowley that I’m leaving.”
When Cas made his way to Crowley’s office, Dean went to Cas’s desk. He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out Cas’s trench coat. He unfolded it and laid it out on his desk. He would get Cas to leave if he had to carry him to his car.
Cas returned a couple of minutes later and looked at his desk. “You took my coat out.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“How did you know that Crowley would say yes?”
“Because the hours you work make him look bad.”
“I don’t mean to—”
“No,” Dean said quickly, knowing exactly what was going to come out of Cas’s mouth. “Don’t feel guilty about that. Go home, slip into your pajamas, make some tea, and read a book. Actually, don’t read. Watch some TV instead. No brain activity.”
“I feel as though you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“Cas.”
Cas took his trench coat off of his desk and shook it out before he put it on. “I will try to relax.”
“Good,” Dean said with a smile. He couldn’t help but feel proud. “See you tomorrow, Cas.”
Cas grabbed his bag and left. Once he stepped out of the building, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. When he got home, Jo was relieved and excited to see him home so early. She immediately started to make him something to eat.
Cas was able to eat a few bites when he felt his wings tense against his back. It would have been too much to think he’d actually have a chance to relax.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Cas had been home for an hour without interruption. He sat with Jo and watched a cop drama on TV until something came up where he would have to leave. There hadn’t been any danger in the world that was pressing enough for him to tend to. He was hoping for more time, but his peace was interrupted. It was not from any danger.
He got off the couch when he heard his cell phone ring. He grabbed his trench coat off the coat rack by his door and searched through all the pockets before he finally found it. He answered it before looking at the caller ID since he wasn’t sure if he’d answer it in time or not. “Hello?” he whispered.
“Cas, hey, it’s Dean.”
“Hello, Dean.” He was suspicious. He thought back and there had to be less than a dozen times that Dean had called him. Every time he did, it had to do with work.
“I was wondering if I could come over tonight and get your help with something.”
“Um…” Cas really thought about it. None of his coworkers had ever been to his apartment before. One, because he wasn’t really close with anyone he worked with. And two, he didn’t want to have to worry about disappearing in the middle of hosting guests.
“If you’re busy, that’s fine,” Dean said quickly when he sensed his partner’s hesitation. “I mean, I should be able to do this by myself after all this time, and you were supposed to just stay at home and relax, but I would rather get your opinion on this.”
“Is this some sort of test?”
“What are you talking about?” Dean asked.
“If I say yes and then you reprimand me for working.”
“What? No. I’m not that conniving, Cas,” Dean laughed.
“Are you sure?”
“Cas, if you’re busy, just say you’re busy. There’s no trick here. I need your help.”
“Then, yes. I’ll help you.”
“God, you’re amazing, Cas,” Dean said with a sigh of relief.
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You said yes, and that’s enough. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“But you don’t know where I live.” He was ready to give Dean his address and directions to his apartment.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Cas. Of course I do. We’re partners. I’m leaving the office now. See you in a few.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
“Who was that?”
Cas spun around and found his sister standing a few feet behind him. “Dean,” he replied.
“Oh,” she said, trying to sound unaffected by the mention of his name. “What did he want?”
“He’s coming over.”
“What?” she yelled so loudly that Cas jumped and nearly dropped his phone.
Cas’s eyes widened as he stepped back and into the counter. “Why are you screaming at me?” he asked.
“Dean’s coming over? I look like crap.”
Cas sighed. He should have suspected that Jo would not be immune to Dean’s good looks and charm. “Jo, you look fine.”
“No. I need to shower. Make sure to take the pot roast out of the oven.”
“Okay.”
Jo pushed her brother in the chest. “Fourteen minutes, Cas. It needs fourteen more minutes.”
“I’ll take the roast out. Go shower,” he said pushing her toward the hallway. His skin crawled from the glare he received from her.
As soon as Jo disappeared down into the hallway, Cas started to clean up the apartment. He wasn’t exactly a neat freak as his desk at work would suggest, but with Jo around, it looked like there was constantly a tornado decimated his apartment. He had no idea how it happened since he’d clean every night when he had free time.
Fifteen minutes later after he got off the phone with Dean, there was a knock on the door. He looked at his apartment one more time and felt it decent enough to let someone in. He opened the door and saw Dean standing on the other side with some soda.
Dean held the six-pack out to Cas. It was his sort of house-warming and peace offering gift. “Hey, Cas.”
Cas took the bottles of soda out of Dean’s hand. “Hello, Dean,” he said, stepping aside to let Dean enter his apartment.
“Are you home by yourself?” Dean asked, taking off his leather jacket.
“No,” Cas replied. He stood next to Dean and took the jacket out of his hand. He hung it on the rack hidden behind the door. “Jo is showering.”
“I see.” Dean took a big inhale and grinned from ear to ear. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”
“Thank you. Jo cooked a pot roast.” His eyes widened as soon as those words left his mouth. “That I was supposed to take out of the oven. Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.” He saw Dean sit down on the couch and watch whatever was on TV before he got there. Cas shut off the oven, then reached into the oven and pulled the pan out without gloves or a rag. He set it down and healed his hands before Dean could smell the burning flesh.
Cas pulled out two glasses and filled them with ice. Then he filled the cups with the soda that Dean brought. He brought them over to living room and set them on the table.
“Thanks,” Dean said. He grabbed the glass closer to him and took a sip from it.
“You’re welcome,” Cas said. He grabbed his glass and also took a sip. “I have a question for you, Dean.”
“Shoot.”
“How did you know where I live?”
Dean raised an eyebrow at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t remember ever giving it to you.”
“Because you didn’t,” he took another sip of his soda then set his glass down on the table. “But I’m a reporter. I investigate and find stuff like this out.”
“I see,” Cas replied. The answer made sense.
“And because you have you address everywhere on your desk. I unconsciously memorized it after seeing it every time I needed to take a something,” Dean said with a smile when he realized that Cas believed his earlier lie. “I will pay you back for them.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“Cas, I’ve used more of your Post-its than you have, stolen your tape dispenser and stapler, lost your pens, and you still help me with my articles when I come over to your house after work hours.”
“Dean, we’re partners. It’s my duty to help you when you need it.”
Dean sighed and leaned back to settle into the couch. “I definitely lucked out when Crowley put us together.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You just made a joke.”
Cas blushed. He wasn’t known to have a good sense of humor, so he appreciated when he was able to make someone laugh. “It was opportune.”
“You—”
“You didn’t take the roast out of the oven,” Jo interrupted as he stomped down the hallway.
Cas let out a deep sigh that seemed to deflate his entire body. “Of course I did.”
Jo walked into the kitchen and inspected the pot roast. “Not in time.”
He looked over his shoulder and watched his sister in the kitchen. He groaned and stood up. He walked in the kitchen. “It’s still edible, Joanna.”
“But it’s not perfect anymore.”
Cas took his sister’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze. He looked into his sister’s eyes with his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry that I ruined your roast. But I was busy.”
Jo glared at her brother. She yanked her hands out of Cas’s and broke eye contact with him. She knew that if she kept his gaze then she wouldn’t be able to feign anger for much longer. “Doing what?”
Dean stepped into the kitchen. “He was giving me directions to your place. Never been here before and I wanted to know the fastest way possible without hitting traffic. So I called him. Stole all of his attention, actually. So, the roast is my fault.”
“You’re forgiven,” she said to Cas. She then turned her attention to the newcomer of the apartment. “Hello, Dean.”
“Hey, Jo,” Dean replied.
“You want anything to drink?”
“Cas already got me something,” Dean replied.
“So, you guys are gonna be working on something?”
“Yeah.”
“But do you guys have to get started right now?” Jo asked.
Dean looked at Cas. “I don’t want to ruin Cas’s night by keeping him up because of work.”
“Well, he didn’t work all day, so it’s okay.”
Dean hadn’t taken his eyes off of Cas while Jo was talking to him. “Cas?”
Cas looked at his sister and saw that she wanted to spend some time with Dean. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Awesome,” Dean said and flashed his trademark smile. “Um… so I drank a lot of coffee today, so would I be able to use a bathroom?”
“Down the hall, first door on the left,” the Singer siblings said.
With a salute, he made his way down the hallway.
“This was a bad idea,” Cas said when he knew Dean was out of earshot.
“What are you talking about?” Jo asked. “This is great. He’s hot. I get to spend some quality time with him.”
“He’s here for work, Joanna,” Cas said rolling his eyes.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.” She was going to say more to antagonize her brother, but they heard the sound of the toilet flush and had to stop. She stared at the hallway and waited for Dean to enter the living room. As soon as she did, she smiled. “Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable?”
“Okay,” Dean replied and sat on the couch.
Jo and Cas were about to join him when Cas grabbed Jo’s hand and squeezed it. “Jo,” he whispered when he felt his wings tighten against his back.
“Go,” she replied.
“How did you know?” he asked. When he hid his wings, they didn’t make a sound.
“Your eyes brighten when you sense something,” she whispered with a smile.
“Oh,” Cas said. He never realized that. “Can you…”
“Go. I’ll run interference.” She had done it enough times when she had to give Cas an excuse during sports or family gatherings.
“Thank you. I’ll try and return as soon as possible.”
“Be careful.”
Cas leaned forward and kissed his sister on the forehead. “Always.”
“Now go.”
“Thank you,” he said again. He grabbed his trench coat off of the rack and put it on. He needed to keep up the appearance that he was going out to get something. He checked his pockets to make sure his keys were still in them. He looked into the living room and saw his sister sitting next to Dean on the couch.
“Dean. Do you want to see some embarrassing pictures of Cas?” she asked.
“I feel like the answer to that question is obvious.”
“Okay.” Jo reached under the coffee table and pulled out one of the many family albums stacked under it. “Well, here’s a picture of Cas as the cowardly lion with our mom, Ellen, and our dad, Bobby.”
“He seems like he would be a fan of the Wizard.”
“You have no idea.”
Cas left before he could hear something that would postpone his rescue to make sure Jo didn’t embarrass him too badly.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Before Cas flew back to his house, he went to the nearest grocery store to buy something small and pointless. He was gone long enough that he needed something he could use as an excuse to explain his absence if Dean was still there.
Any other day, he would have just flown into his apartment, but instead, he settled for entering his place the human way. He opened his door just in time to hear Dean gasp loudly. He stepped inside and saw Dean and his sister watching something on the television
“He just hit that guy,” Dean said, pointing to the screen.
“That’s lacrosse.”
“He’s not moving. Was that hit legal?”
“Yup,” Jo said, proud.
“That guy has at least thirty pounds on Cas. Holy crap,” Dean laughed. He was impressed.
“Yeah. Cas felt really bad about it.”
“Why?”
“Because he gave him a concussion.” Jo grabbed the controller and turned off the TV.
“Remind me to never get your brother angry, okay?”
“There is nothing that you could to make me angry enough to hit you, Dean. Besides, that was part of the game.”
Dean jumped off the couch and spun around. He didn’t realize that Cas was even in the room. “You’re back. Holy crap. I totally lost track of time just now.”
Cas set the gallon of juice, cornmeal, and oranges down on the table. “It’s fine,” he said as he slipped off his trench coat. “So, what was it you needed help with, Dean?”
Dean pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. He shook his head. “I feel like a dick asking you since it’s so late. We’ll just work on it tomorrow.”
“Dean, it’s fine. You came all this way and I said I’d help you.”
“I know you did, Cas. But it’s late and I don’t want to keep you up because I couldn’t figure something out myself.”
“It’s my fault for taking so long. I’m sorry that you came all this way—”
Dean walked over to Cas and put a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed it once, hoping that it was enough to calm him down. “Cas, don’t worry. I had a fun time talking to your sister. You were quite the rascal growing up. And I pretty much ate half your kitchen.”
“That’s all right.” He was glad for that. Less food in the apartment was always a good thing.
Dean pulled his hand off of Cas. “So, we’ll just get to work on this first thing tomorrow. Okay? Don’t stress out about it.”
“Okay.”
Dean smiled. He knew that even though Cas said that he wasn’t going to stress, he still would. “I should get going. Sam’s probably wondering where I’m at. Thanks for the stories and food, Jo.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile that spread from ear to ear. “Any chance to tell everyone about Cas’s childhood is a good time for me. You should stop by any time you like.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” He turned to face Cas. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
Cas followed Dean to the door and opened it for him. “Of course. Drive safely, Dean.”
“Goodnight, guys,” Dean said, closing the door behind him.
Cas locked the door behind Dean then stepped into the kitchen. He began to put away the things that he bought from the grocery store. “Thank you for doing that, Jo.”
“No problem, Cas,” Jo replied. She walked into the kitchen and saw her brother ignore all of the food around him. “You should eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat something. Even if it’s something small.” She could tell by the way her brother was trudging around the kitchen that something was wrong. “Please, Cas.” It would give them an opportunity to talk.
“Okay.” Cas grabbed a small plate and put some corn and mashed potatoes on it.
Jo watched as her brother pulled up a stool and began to eat at the island instead of go to the dining room table. She could tell that he was tired, and anxious. She waited until he took a few bites before she started speaking. “You want to talk about tonight?”
“There was a standoff outside the city.”
“What?”
“There is something bigger that’s going on that I can’t see right now.”
Jo didn’t miss how Cas’s knuckles turned white from gripping the fork too tightly. She put her hand on her brother’s. “Cas.”
Cas let out a deep breath and unclenched his fist. He set the fork down on the side of the plate. “I feel like all of the criminals I’m taking down in this city all have a connection to each other, but I can’t see it. How would it look if a disaster happened in the city that Dark Angel is supposed to be calling home?” More and more he was seeing the word ‘sinister’ everywhere, along with the symbol he first saw in Uganda.
“Cas, don’t worry about it right now.” Cas stood up and Jo knew that he was done eating. She was glad that he at least got a few bites in.
Cas paced back and forth. His sister got him talking and now he was ready to spill all of his worries. “It’s the fourth person I’ve taken down that I’m feeling this anxiety about. I’m not sure if I want that feeling to be wrong or right. But the city might be in danger soon. And…” his voice trailed off when he realized that he was raving. He looked up and saw his sister looking at him intently. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bringing you into this. How was your night? You and Dean looked like you were getting along well.”
Jo knew that Cas wasn’t going to talk about any superhero business anymore with the subject change. “I learned some new things about Dean tonight.”
“That’s good. Though I suspected everything you learned about him is new since you’ve never met him before.”
Jo rolled her eyes. “You’ve told me stuff,” she argued. “And you know what I meant. Do you want to know what I learned?”
Cas really didn’t. What Dean and his sister talked about was private. “I—”
“First of all, Dean is single. That alone is an anomaly of the universe. But he kept screening a bunch of calls, all from different girls.”
Cas sighed. He already knew that Dean attracted the attention of people of the female kind. “Jo, I don’t care about—”
“Second, I don’t think he’s straight. At least, not completely. Because I was bringing my A game tonight and he didn’t do anything about it. Either that, or he’s denser than lead.”
Cas knew that about Dean too. Whenever they would go out on assignment together, Dean had the ability to get anyone to talk to him. He was charming. It was amazing actually. He would not be surprised if Dean said he had been with a man once or twice. “Joanna, I really don’t—”
“And third, I think he’s smitten with Dark Angel.” Jo looked at her brother’s face and saw that fact was able to get his attention. She smirked. “That’s pretty much all he kept talking about when we weren’t talking about your past. So basically, he just talked about you all night.”
Cas rolled his eyes. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if Dean ever discovered that he and Castiel were the same person. “I’m going to sleep.”
“You don’t sleep.”
“I don’t need to, but I can. And I’m going to right now.” He wrapped the plate he was eating and put it in the fridge. There was a small change he’d eat it. He walked down the hall to his room.
Jo stalked after him. “But you’re Dark Angel. He’s smitten with you, Cas.”
“Goodnight, Jo,” he said without looking back.
“Why are you not excited about this?”
Cas spun around and saw his sister inches away from running into him. “Why would I be?”
“Cas. This is big news about your coworker.”
“You’re definition of big news is not the same as mine, Jo. I’m going to sleep.”
She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “You are no fun at all.” She trudged down the hallway irritated that she couldn’t keep bothering Cas. “You know, it’s unfair that he likes you.”
“He doesn’t like me,” Cas said.
“I thought you were going to sleep.”
“Goodnight. Again.” Cas closed the door behind him. He changed into sweatpants and a shirt. He crawled into bed and under the covers. He closed his eyes for a second and let out his wings to sense if someone needed his help.
When he didn’t get anything, he gave himself a moment to relax. He let out a deep breath. He felt himself drift off into sleep.
[Part 3]
Cas flew back to his apartment after everyone had left the building. He saw a plate waiting for him in the kitchen with a note telling him to eat. He took a few bites of it then put the rest of it in the fridge.
He walked to the couch and saw his sister asleep on it. The news was playing on the television. He knew that she was watching it to keep tabs on him. He touched two fingers to her forehead and sent her to her bed. He knew it would be better if she got a more comfortable night’s sleep since there would be a fallout when she woke up and saw the paper.
He sat down on the couch and watched a rerun of Dr. Sexy. It was how his nights usually went. He would wait until his wings shivered and he then he’d be off elsewhere.
Two hours before work, he found himself trying to pull a group people from a mineshaft that collapsed when they snuck into it. He wasn’t able to save the shaft, but he didn’t care about that.
He made it to work twenty minutes before he was supposed to clock in. The only other person on the floor was Crowley.
He turned on his computer and waited for it to start up. He watched as everyone who worked on his floor trickled in. He was not surprised to see Dean walking in with a bunch of females vying for his attention.
Curiously, for once, Dean wasn’t giving anyone the time of day. Cas thought that was odd. Usually, Dean was trying to ham it up and keep their attention on him. More girls joined the ones already following Dean, trying to tell him something.
With his sensitive hearing, he could hear what they were talking about. They were congratulating Dean on the picture that was printed on the front page. He was curious about how big Crowley’s sales were because of the picture.
He didn’t think about it too long before he pulled open a drawer and pulled out the folder of articles he was working on the day before and his Post-its. He grabbed his nearest pen and was ready to get to work. That was until Dean put a cup on his desk. “What is this?” Cas asked.
“It’s orange juice,” Dean said.
“Why?”
“Why not?” Dean replied. He saw the confused look on Cas’s face and knew that he needed to give an explanation. “Okay, Sam gave it to me. He says that I drank too much coffee.”
“You do.”
“Whatever. I bought a cup before I walked in. And I don’t want this to go to waste.”
“Thank you, Dean.” He took a sip from it and got started on his work.
The day went on without trouble. He had an inkling of someone who could have used his help, but the feeling wasn’t long enough for him to leave work to find them. It was probably something that the police or other local law enforcement could take care of.
It was days like this where the work day went by quick. By the time he looked at the clock on his computer screen, he saw that it was noon.
He was putting the finishing touches on a review of a new novel that had just been released when his work phone rang. “Hello, Lucas Singer,” he answered. He tucked it into his shoulder and craned his head to keep it there while he finished typing.
“Cas.”
“Jo?” he asked. He stopped typing for a minute and grabbed the receiver. “Why are you calling?”
“It’s lunch time, meet me downstairs.”
He knew that she was only saying that because she was in the lobby and needed to be polite. He knew that she had seen the paper and was going to reprimand him for it. “I have a lot of work to do, Jo.” He really did not want to deal with his sister’s wrath.
“If you aren’t downstairs in two minutes, I’m coming up to get you.”
Cas could imagine the look of determination on his sister’s face. As much as he wanted to avoid her, he knew that her threat was credible. He didn’t want her coming onto his floor again. “I’ll be right down,” he said. Cas hung up the phone and sighed. He finished his thought that he started typing before Jo called.
“You okay, Cas?” Dean asked, walking over. He was returning to his desk after talking to Ash about the layout of the next article. He could see Cas’s anxiety in the way he typed.
“Jo is downstairs waiting for me to take my lunch break.”
“Are you going?”
“I have to.” He sighed. He really did not want to go to lunch. Not today.
“Wow. You going on a lunch break twice in a couple weeks. The world must be coming to an end.”
“Or my sister thinks I’m too skinny.”
“That too,” Dean laughed. “You could gain a few more pounds.”
Cas shook his head. “Please don’t agree with her.”
“Cas, I’ve never seen you eat anything unless I bring it for you. And I know it’s not an eating disorder or something because you’re not a twig. So, go and eat. The article will be waiting for you when you get back.”
Cas pulled open his bottom drawer and took out his trench coat. “I’ll be back in an hour,” he said as he put it on. He saved the document on his computer and headed downstairs. He found Jo sitting on one of the couches in the lobby.
“Hey,” Jo said, standing up. “I’m very surprised that you actually came down.”
“I didn’t want you disturbing my floor again.”
“We need to talk,” Jo said.
“I know,” Cas sighed. “Just not here.”
They walked down the street together without any reason to go the way they did. They turned down a street and saw a square to walk through with not too many people in it. Jo led them through it.
“You need to quit your job,” Jo said.
“Why?” Cas asked even though he knew exactly what was on his sister’s mind.
“You just have to.”
“I like my job.”
“You’re on the front page of the paper you’re hired at.” She reached into her purse and pulled out the paper. She opened it up and held it in front of Cas’s face. “Look at this picture.”
“It’s a very nice—”
“Not the point,” Jo said. “You look like you were posing for it.”
“I couldn’t have known that Dean was going to take the picture.”
“Dean? Dean took it?” Jo sighed loudly. She shoved the paper back into her bag. “Cas, you can’t work this closely with Dean and keep your secret.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because, you can’t,” Jo stated. She felt like that was enough of an answer, but she knew her brother would want more. “Can you at least ask Dean not to be the one to take the pictures? Even that would make me feel better about this.”
“Jo, he’s just doing his job.”
“Then ask for a different partner.”
“And what am I supposed to tell Dean at work? Joanna, it’s our job to report things like this.”
“Well, that’s your job and I’m doing mine,” she replied. She stopped in place and crossed her arms over her chest.
When Jo stopped, Cas stopped walking immediately. He turned and faced his sister. “What exactly is your job?”
“I’m your sister. I’m trying to protect you.”
Cas looked around to make sure that none would be able to hear what he was about to say. “Well, I’m the superhero. I’m the one who is supposed to be doing the protecting.”
“Well, I’m the superhero’s sister,” Jo retorted. “However protective you feel of this planet and all the people on it, I am that protective of you. Times ten.”
With that, Cas remembered why Jo won most of the arguments they had. “I’m not quitting my job,” he said with a sigh. He knew that wasn’t what his sister wanted to hear.
“I hope you know exactly what you’re getting into.”
“I do.” But he didn’t.
Somehow, Jo was able to pick up on it. “Are you coming home for dinner tonight?” With the subject change, their discussion over him quitting his job was over.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what Crowley wants us to do.”
“Just let me know ahead of time, all right, Cas?” Her brother may have had the super strength and special abilities, but she knew that if she wasn’t caring for him, then no one else would.
“Of course.”
“I’m in the mood for some Thai food.”
“There’s one a few blocks down from here.”
“Lead the way.”
And he did.
When Cas returned to the pen an hour later, he plopped into his chair with a groan. He ate too much and it made him lethargic.
“You all right? You don’t look happy.”
“I’m uncomfortable,” Cas answered Dean. “I swear, my sister buys the biggest meal on the menu just so she can eat half and force me to eat the rest of it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”
Cas shook his head. He knew that Dean wouldn’t think anything was wrong with it. He was always eating. “I don’t think I’ll survive however long she decides to stay.”
“She can’t be that bad, Cas.”
Cas sighed. “She isn’t. Her intentions are good. It’s just difficult for me to adjust to living with someone after living alone for so many years.”
“I can imagine,” Dean said. “Those years I finally got away from my family were some of the best moments of my life. But when Sam asked to live with me as soon as he moved to the city, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I missed him too much, you know?”
Cas nodded, recalling all the stories that Dean would tell him about the stunts he used to pull with his brother. “I know how close you and your brother are.”
“But then again, maybe the dynamic is different when it’s a brother and sister instead of two brothers.”
“Maybe.” He and Jo’s relationship was different from Dean and Sam’s but it didn’t mean they weren’t as close.
“But watch, as soon as you get use to having her around, she’ll be out of your hair again.”
“I can only hope that is the situation.”
“Or she may end up loving it here and move in permanently.” Dean had to bite back a laugh when Cas glared at him. “Sorry. Knock on wood,” he said, tapping his desk with his knuckle.
“That’s metal.”
“Same thing. You could play the older sibling card and irritate her out of staying.”
“I am six years older than her, yet somehow she is in possession of that card.”
“Sorry, dude.” He could feel Cas’s pain. He always hated the role reversal when Sam would some how be the one taking care of Dean instead of the natural order of it. “I could always—”
“Dean, office, now.”
Dean and Cas both looked up and toward the source of the voice. They saw Crowley standing in the doorway of his office. “Give me a sec,” Dean yelled back. He turned back to Cas and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Cas, stop worrying so much. Most people would kill for a sibling that cared for them as much as your sister does.” He stood up and headed to Crowley’s office.
Cas knew that Dean was right. He shrugged off his trench coat and stuffed it back into the bottom drawer of his desk. He turned his computer back on and opened the document that he was working on before lunch. He wanted to get as much work done as he could so he wasn’t stuck in his desk all night again.
He reread what he had previously typed so he could get back in the state of mind to finish. When he was ready to type his first word, his wings tightened. He sighed. He made a mental note to call Jo and tell her he would be working late again.
He stood up and walked to the elevator without anyone stopping him.
It was just Cas’s luck that when he was on his last paragraph of proofing, his wings would sense some danger and he’d have to leave work again for the second time that day. Luckily, there were more people working late than he thought so he had the chance to sneak away without raising any suspicion. He hoped that they’d still be there when he returned.
He found himself in Uganda stopping a large number of weapons either coming from or going to America. He tried to question the warlords, but he wasn’t able to break them. He flew the dozen boxes with the word ‘sinister’ and a symbol he didn’t recognize written all over them to the nearest embassy.
He spent the next forty minutes talking to the diplomats about what he had done and where to find the warlords’ camp. He received a thank you and he flew back to his work place.
He was about to fly into the alley and change back into his civilian’s clothes when he saw someone standing on the roof. He made himself invisible and flew closer. When he was close enough, he saw that it was Dean.
He knew Dean was waiting for him. Or at least, superhero him.
He looked through the windows and saw that there were not many people left on his floor. He contemplated between going back to work and talking to Dean.
He flew up to the roof and hoped that he didn’t make the wrong choice.
He floated near the edge of the roof, a couple of feet away from the railing Dean leaned on. He made himself visible. “You are quite the photographer,” he said in his deep, gravelly voice.
Dean looked up, eyes wide. He shook his head, wanting to get out of the shock quickly and talk to Dark Angel before he was called to save someone else. “Yeah. Hi. You saw the picture?” he asked.
“I did.”
“Are you mad? I didn’t exactly have the chance to ask you for permission.”
Cas floated up and onto the roof. He waited for his feet to touch the ground before he spoke again. “Of course not,” he replied. “It’s your job to take pictures.”
“Unfortunately, it’s at the expense of someone who is doing some good for our city. Actually, the world.” Dean ran his hands up and down his face. He was frustrated, but he also knew that he could feel his face turning red. “I feel like a dick. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You seem reluctant to do this.”
“Reluctant is putting it nicely.” Dean sighed. Knowing that Dark Angel wasn’t angry with him calmed him. “I’m surprised you showed up.”
“I said that I would,” Cas replied.
“I know you did,” Dean said. “I just thought that you’d have better things to do than come and talk to me.”
“I said that I would come and talk to you,” Cas repeated. He didn’t want Dean to keep waiting for him to show up on the roof. He hated breaking promises.
“Yeah, you did,” Dean said. He noticed that his hands were shaking and stuck them into his jacket pockets. He didn’t want the superhero to see him so fidgety and nervous. “So, what do I call you?”
“What? I…” he didn’t understand what Dean was asking.
“Everyone is calling you Dark Wings. Apparently we’re calling you Dark Angel. What do you call yourself?”
“My name…” his voice trailed off. He had no idea how to answer Dean’s question without revealing too much about himself. “My real name is Castiel.”
He had found that out when he turned sixteen. He snuck out of his house and visited the chapel near their house. All the power in a five-mile radius had been knocked out so that Cas could meet a few members of his family.
He left the chapel with a birth name and a purpose.
“Castiel?” Dean repeated, testing out the name on his lips.
The sound of his real name was enough to jar him out of his phase. “Yes,” Cas said when Dean said it correctly.
“Wow. Well, that sucks.”
Cas’s eyes went wide. That was not the reaction he expected Dean to have. It was not even close. “Why?” He tried not to sound offended. He wasn’t sure if he pulled it off or not.
“Well, I’d call you Cas, but that’s what I call one of my coworkers. I call him Cas.”
“I see,” Cas replied. He tried not to smile. “Well, I wouldn’t want to steal that from him.”
“It’s all right. I mean, I’ll know the difference. But for now, I’ll just call you by your real name. If that’s all right with you,” he added quickly.
“That’s fine with me.”
“So tell me something, Castiel.”
“Anything.” He wondered if he sounded too forthcoming with information. It surprised him how much easier it was for him to be honest with Dean when he had a mask on.
“What are you? Are you a human with wings? Was this some accident at a lab?”
“I’m an angel. I was born with these abilities.”
“So, you’re not from Earth.”
“In a sense.”
“Okay, I have another question, a few actually, if that’s okay.” Dean waited for Castiel to nod before he continued to talk. “Why did you decide to come and talk to me? I mean, there are hundreds of photographers and journalists all over this city, yet you came to talk to me.”
“I’m not sure,” Cas replied. It was the truth, but he knew it wasn’t the answer that Dean wanted to hear.
“That’s a lie.”
“I can’t lie.”
“You have to know. I mean, it’s not like you had every reporter in the world’s name and chose mine out of a hat.”
The more Dean kept pressing for an answer, the more he thought about it. He wondered why he did go back to see him. It would have been easier for him to ignore Dean and return to work, but he didn’t. If he never saw Dean again as Castiel, it would solve a lot of his problems. But if he knew that if he could help Dean, he would any way he could. He wondered if it had to do with working for him for years. “You asked for me to come and see you.”
“I could have been setting a trap and trying to kill you.”
“But you weren’t,” Cas countered. He knew Dean wasn’t capable of doing something like that.
“But I could’ve been. You always just show up whenever people ask for you?”
“If they’re in danger or need my help.” He tried, at least. Sometimes he wasn’t able to make it. “I came because there is something pure about you, Dean Winchester.” He had no idea why he was saying what he was, but the words felt honest enough.
“Pure?” Dean scoffed. “Do you know who I am? I’ve done a lot of impure things.”
“Yes,” Cas replied. “But that doesn’t mean you’re heart is not pure. I help people, and you were asking for help.” He knew Dean’s motives for wanting to see him weren’t bad.
Dean smirked and shook his head. “I didn’t think you could hear me. And I may have been a little sarcastic. I wasn’t exactly in danger.”
“But I was still able to offer my help.”
“Yeah, I guess you were. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then silence fell between them. But only for a moment. Dean had a lot of questions he wanted to ask the superhero, and he knew he had to ask them fast because he never knew when the next crisis Dark Angel would have to avert would occur. “Okay, Castiel, can I ask you something else?”
“Yes,” Cas replied. He wondered why Dean was asking so many questions. He knew that Dean’s assignment only required him to take pictures. He could’ve easily done that in the ten minutes than they’d been on the roof together.
“Why do you do this?”
“Excuse me?” Cas asked. He heard Dean fine, but he wanted him to elaborate on the question further. He wanted to answer the question correctly.
“Why do you save the world? Don’t you feel like it’s all in vain sometimes? You stop one problem, six more pop up? Why do you do this?” he repeated.
Cas bit his bottom lip. He did not expect that to be the question Dean would ask. He was pressing for answers like this was a hard-hitting interview. He’d answer. He knew the answer.
He walked to the edge of the roof, holding onto the railings. He looked out, then down, then out again. He waited for Dean to stand next to him before he started speaking. “Humanity is an interesting thing. Of course, there’s fighting and betrayal and lies. Even angels aren’t immune to it. But humans are able to forgive. Humans make choices and mistakes. It’s amazing to watch.”
He smiled thinking about it. On the chances that he was able to talk to his angelic brothers, they had filled him in on the entire history of their existence. It hurt his head to think that they were so emotionless. They fought and easily turned against their brothers. After thousands of years, they still held onto their regret and anger.
He never said it, but he was glad to be raised amongst the humans.
A flash brought him out of his reverie. He looked to Dean who was slowly lowering his camera.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “You… it was a nice picture.”
“Will this show up on tomorrow’s front page?”
“Nah,” Dean replied and shut off the camera. “The lighting is off.”
“Okay. Do you need me to pose for another one?”
“Nah. I need them to be more candid.” He put the camera around his neck. “You want to explain the outfit to me?”
Cas stepped away from the edge of the railing and looked down at himself. “I didn’t realize my outfit needed explaining.”
“Why are you shirtless?”
“Shirts get in the way of my wings.” At least, they did when he needed to use them. When he didn’t, they stayed tucked to his back and no one would be able to tell anything different when he wore a shirt.
“I understand the mask. You have to keep your identity a secret. Maybe you have a normal life or something,” Dean rambled on. “And the cloak? Is it because when you save people, you don’t want to look like a Chippendales dancer or for dramatic effect?”
“Both?” Cas answered. He didn’t know if Dean was actually asking a question or he was just talking through his thoughts like he sometimes did at work.
“Okay, one more question.”
“Okay,” Cas said cautiously. He wasn’t sure if it was going to be another serious question or critique of his persona. He wasn’t sure which type of question he would have been more comfortable answering.
Dean reached up and pulled the hood off of Cas’s head. “Does your hair do that fluffy thing on it’s own?”
Cas reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. He never actually realized how messy his hair would usually get. Then again, he didn’t think anyone would ever see it to notice or care. “No.”
“So you style it.”
“No. It’s the result of flying around. If I’m flying for five minutes, once I touch ground I can never seem to tame it.” He pulled the hood back up to cover his hair. “Are you going to put that in your article?”
“I don’t write the articles. My partner, Cas, does.”
“I see.” Cas had to smirk. He felt a little happy that Dean reserved the nickname for him. The human side of him.
“Yeah. And I’m going to tell him to write down that Dark Angel doesn’t use hair gel. It will blow everyone’s mind.”
“Dark Angel?” Cas repeated. It was the first time he had ever said it and it sounded funny on his tongue. “It sounds menacing.”
“Yeah,” Dean sighed. He hated the decision to use it. “My boss coined it. And now I’m asking the menacing Dark Angel if he uses hair gel.”
“Real hard-hitting news.”
“I think so.” Dean had to smile.
“I must be going, Dean.”
“Yeah, of course. The world needs saving.”
“It does.” But it was more because he had been gone from his desk for nearly an hour. Today, he didn’t have the luxury of a fight in the pen, so there was a chance that someone would notice he was missing a lot sooner.
“Thanks for stopping by.”
“I hope you got everything you needed.”
For now.
“Until next time, then.” Cas didn’t know why he said that. He didn’t know why he wanted these rooftop meetings with Dean to become a regular thing.
“Yeah. Next time.” Dean tried not to blush at the prospect of them talking again, but he knew that his face was turning pink. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to tell since it was night.
“Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Just take a few more minutes out here. It’s a nice night. I should enjoy it. Wait, before you go, can I…” His voice trailed off and held up his camera. He blushed, embarrassed that he had to ask Castiel for a picture. He felt like the paparazzi.
“This won’t be as candid as the other one you took,” Cas said.
“I’ll just take one of you flying away or something. Just don’t fly too fast.”
Cas smiled. He extended his wings and shook them out. He flew up then floated down to about the same area he was when Dean took the first picture. He shook his wings again, preparing to fly. He looked up and over his shoulder to make sure Dean was ready.
He didn’t expect Dean to take a couple of pictures just then, but he was surprised by the flashes he was greeted with.
Then he angled his body to fly out over the city. Then he saw a few more flashes around him. Then he went invisible, hoping that Dean took enough pictures.
He flew into the alley near his building. He snapped his fingers once changing out of his superhero outfit and into his business attire. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his glasses.
Before he walked back into the bullpen, he made sure to tame his hair. He pulled out his comb and hair gel and combed every strand of hair back into place. He usually did that anyway, but today he was meticulous about it; almost paranoid. Especially since Dean had mentioned it when talking to his persona.
When he got back to the pen, he saw that most of the people on the floor had already left. The few that were still there were on their way out.
He walked past them and to his desk. He found Dean at his own desk and was surprised that Dean had come back inside so quickly. “Where did you go?”
“Needed to call Jo and tell her that I’d be late.”
“Well, we don’t have much left to do, right?”
“I don’t know about you, but I have to reread one more article.”
Dean stood up from his chair and crossed the distance between the two desks. “Can I help?”
“Oh, it’s all right, Dean. I can finish.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Cas. “One day, you’ll accept my help.”
“One day. But not today. I don’t think you want to read what I have to.”
Dean smiled. He loved that Cas knew how much he hated reading. One of the many reasons why he stuck to the photography part of working at the paper. “Good looking out.”
“Are you done with your work?”
“Yeah, mostly. I got a few pictures I needed. I don’t have to print them until the day after tomorrow, so I guess I’m done.”
“That’s good. It’s nice to get out of here early.”
“Cas, we’re the only two people here. I don’t think early is the right word,” he said with a laugh.
“Okay, earlier than me.”
“I can wait,” Dean offered. It’s the least he could do after the dozens of times Cas has waited for him to be done with his work. And he knew that Cas was a fast reader, so he wouldn’t have been waiting long.
“It’s all right, Dean. Just go home.”
Dean sighed. He really didn’t want to stay, he was trying to be polite. “Okay. You’ve convinced me. Don’t stay here too late, Cas. It’s ridiculous that you’ll be the first one here at work tomorrow after being the last to leave.”
“You could try to beat me, for once.”
“Nah. I’d rather not.” Dean walked over to his desk and shut off his computer. He grabbed his camera and leather jacket then shut off the light. “See you tomorrow,” he said as he slipped on his jacket.
“Good night, Dean,” Cas replied.
He breathed a sigh of relief. These were the nights that he enjoyed the most. When no one was in the pen with him and he could take all the time he needed to look at his work. And it made it a lot easier to slip in and out if the world needed him.
Cas wasn’t usually one to mess up deadlines, so when he realized he was ahead of schedule by a few days, he found himself wandering the pen aimlessly looking for something to do. He was able to help a few people, but even doing that, he was done with his work before noon.
“Just go home, Cas,” Dean said as Cas walked by his desk again.
“I can’t just leave work because I finished my work early.”
“Actually, you can.”
“But I could help someone.” He knew that he’d just be wandering around the pen for the next few hours, but he felt bad that he was able to leave early when everyone else was still working. But it did make it easier if he had to leave and save someone.
“Cas. Take the rest of the day off. You stay late more than anyone I know. That’s not right.”
“But what if something comes up?”
“Then you’ll work on it tomorrow. Cas, just go home and relax. It has to be better than wandering aimlessly around here.”
“If you need my help—”
“I won’t. And even if I did, I’m not enough of a dick to call you because I know you’ll always show up whenever I call.”
Cas sighed. He knew that he wasn’t going to win this argument against Dean. The more he actually thought about it, the more he liked the idea of leaving. “All right. I’ll tell Crowley that I’m leaving.”
When Cas made his way to Crowley’s office, Dean went to Cas’s desk. He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out Cas’s trench coat. He unfolded it and laid it out on his desk. He would get Cas to leave if he had to carry him to his car.
Cas returned a couple of minutes later and looked at his desk. “You took my coat out.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“How did you know that Crowley would say yes?”
“Because the hours you work make him look bad.”
“I don’t mean to—”
“No,” Dean said quickly, knowing exactly what was going to come out of Cas’s mouth. “Don’t feel guilty about that. Go home, slip into your pajamas, make some tea, and read a book. Actually, don’t read. Watch some TV instead. No brain activity.”
“I feel as though you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“Cas.”
Cas took his trench coat off of his desk and shook it out before he put it on. “I will try to relax.”
“Good,” Dean said with a smile. He couldn’t help but feel proud. “See you tomorrow, Cas.”
Cas grabbed his bag and left. Once he stepped out of the building, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. When he got home, Jo was relieved and excited to see him home so early. She immediately started to make him something to eat.
Cas was able to eat a few bites when he felt his wings tense against his back. It would have been too much to think he’d actually have a chance to relax.
Cas had been home for an hour without interruption. He sat with Jo and watched a cop drama on TV until something came up where he would have to leave. There hadn’t been any danger in the world that was pressing enough for him to tend to. He was hoping for more time, but his peace was interrupted. It was not from any danger.
He got off the couch when he heard his cell phone ring. He grabbed his trench coat off the coat rack by his door and searched through all the pockets before he finally found it. He answered it before looking at the caller ID since he wasn’t sure if he’d answer it in time or not. “Hello?” he whispered.
“Cas, hey, it’s Dean.”
“Hello, Dean.” He was suspicious. He thought back and there had to be less than a dozen times that Dean had called him. Every time he did, it had to do with work.
“I was wondering if I could come over tonight and get your help with something.”
“Um…” Cas really thought about it. None of his coworkers had ever been to his apartment before. One, because he wasn’t really close with anyone he worked with. And two, he didn’t want to have to worry about disappearing in the middle of hosting guests.
“If you’re busy, that’s fine,” Dean said quickly when he sensed his partner’s hesitation. “I mean, I should be able to do this by myself after all this time, and you were supposed to just stay at home and relax, but I would rather get your opinion on this.”
“Is this some sort of test?”
“What are you talking about?” Dean asked.
“If I say yes and then you reprimand me for working.”
“What? No. I’m not that conniving, Cas,” Dean laughed.
“Are you sure?”
“Cas, if you’re busy, just say you’re busy. There’s no trick here. I need your help.”
“Then, yes. I’ll help you.”
“God, you’re amazing, Cas,” Dean said with a sigh of relief.
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You said yes, and that’s enough. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“But you don’t know where I live.” He was ready to give Dean his address and directions to his apartment.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Cas. Of course I do. We’re partners. I’m leaving the office now. See you in a few.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
“Who was that?”
Cas spun around and found his sister standing a few feet behind him. “Dean,” he replied.
“Oh,” she said, trying to sound unaffected by the mention of his name. “What did he want?”
“He’s coming over.”
“What?” she yelled so loudly that Cas jumped and nearly dropped his phone.
Cas’s eyes widened as he stepped back and into the counter. “Why are you screaming at me?” he asked.
“Dean’s coming over? I look like crap.”
Cas sighed. He should have suspected that Jo would not be immune to Dean’s good looks and charm. “Jo, you look fine.”
“No. I need to shower. Make sure to take the pot roast out of the oven.”
“Okay.”
Jo pushed her brother in the chest. “Fourteen minutes, Cas. It needs fourteen more minutes.”
“I’ll take the roast out. Go shower,” he said pushing her toward the hallway. His skin crawled from the glare he received from her.
As soon as Jo disappeared down into the hallway, Cas started to clean up the apartment. He wasn’t exactly a neat freak as his desk at work would suggest, but with Jo around, it looked like there was constantly a tornado decimated his apartment. He had no idea how it happened since he’d clean every night when he had free time.
Fifteen minutes later after he got off the phone with Dean, there was a knock on the door. He looked at his apartment one more time and felt it decent enough to let someone in. He opened the door and saw Dean standing on the other side with some soda.
Dean held the six-pack out to Cas. It was his sort of house-warming and peace offering gift. “Hey, Cas.”
Cas took the bottles of soda out of Dean’s hand. “Hello, Dean,” he said, stepping aside to let Dean enter his apartment.
“Are you home by yourself?” Dean asked, taking off his leather jacket.
“No,” Cas replied. He stood next to Dean and took the jacket out of his hand. He hung it on the rack hidden behind the door. “Jo is showering.”
“I see.” Dean took a big inhale and grinned from ear to ear. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”
“Thank you. Jo cooked a pot roast.” His eyes widened as soon as those words left his mouth. “That I was supposed to take out of the oven. Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.” He saw Dean sit down on the couch and watch whatever was on TV before he got there. Cas shut off the oven, then reached into the oven and pulled the pan out without gloves or a rag. He set it down and healed his hands before Dean could smell the burning flesh.
Cas pulled out two glasses and filled them with ice. Then he filled the cups with the soda that Dean brought. He brought them over to living room and set them on the table.
“Thanks,” Dean said. He grabbed the glass closer to him and took a sip from it.
“You’re welcome,” Cas said. He grabbed his glass and also took a sip. “I have a question for you, Dean.”
“Shoot.”
“How did you know where I live?”
Dean raised an eyebrow at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t remember ever giving it to you.”
“Because you didn’t,” he took another sip of his soda then set his glass down on the table. “But I’m a reporter. I investigate and find stuff like this out.”
“I see,” Cas replied. The answer made sense.
“And because you have you address everywhere on your desk. I unconsciously memorized it after seeing it every time I needed to take a something,” Dean said with a smile when he realized that Cas believed his earlier lie. “I will pay you back for them.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“Cas, I’ve used more of your Post-its than you have, stolen your tape dispenser and stapler, lost your pens, and you still help me with my articles when I come over to your house after work hours.”
“Dean, we’re partners. It’s my duty to help you when you need it.”
Dean sighed and leaned back to settle into the couch. “I definitely lucked out when Crowley put us together.”
“Yes, you did.”
“You just made a joke.”
Cas blushed. He wasn’t known to have a good sense of humor, so he appreciated when he was able to make someone laugh. “It was opportune.”
“You—”
“You didn’t take the roast out of the oven,” Jo interrupted as he stomped down the hallway.
Cas let out a deep sigh that seemed to deflate his entire body. “Of course I did.”
Jo walked into the kitchen and inspected the pot roast. “Not in time.”
He looked over his shoulder and watched his sister in the kitchen. He groaned and stood up. He walked in the kitchen. “It’s still edible, Joanna.”
“But it’s not perfect anymore.”
Cas took his sister’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze. He looked into his sister’s eyes with his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry that I ruined your roast. But I was busy.”
Jo glared at her brother. She yanked her hands out of Cas’s and broke eye contact with him. She knew that if she kept his gaze then she wouldn’t be able to feign anger for much longer. “Doing what?”
Dean stepped into the kitchen. “He was giving me directions to your place. Never been here before and I wanted to know the fastest way possible without hitting traffic. So I called him. Stole all of his attention, actually. So, the roast is my fault.”
“You’re forgiven,” she said to Cas. She then turned her attention to the newcomer of the apartment. “Hello, Dean.”
“Hey, Jo,” Dean replied.
“You want anything to drink?”
“Cas already got me something,” Dean replied.
“So, you guys are gonna be working on something?”
“Yeah.”
“But do you guys have to get started right now?” Jo asked.
Dean looked at Cas. “I don’t want to ruin Cas’s night by keeping him up because of work.”
“Well, he didn’t work all day, so it’s okay.”
Dean hadn’t taken his eyes off of Cas while Jo was talking to him. “Cas?”
Cas looked at his sister and saw that she wanted to spend some time with Dean. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Awesome,” Dean said and flashed his trademark smile. “Um… so I drank a lot of coffee today, so would I be able to use a bathroom?”
“Down the hall, first door on the left,” the Singer siblings said.
With a salute, he made his way down the hallway.
“This was a bad idea,” Cas said when he knew Dean was out of earshot.
“What are you talking about?” Jo asked. “This is great. He’s hot. I get to spend some quality time with him.”
“He’s here for work, Joanna,” Cas said rolling his eyes.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.” She was going to say more to antagonize her brother, but they heard the sound of the toilet flush and had to stop. She stared at the hallway and waited for Dean to enter the living room. As soon as she did, she smiled. “Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable?”
“Okay,” Dean replied and sat on the couch.
Jo and Cas were about to join him when Cas grabbed Jo’s hand and squeezed it. “Jo,” he whispered when he felt his wings tighten against his back.
“Go,” she replied.
“How did you know?” he asked. When he hid his wings, they didn’t make a sound.
“Your eyes brighten when you sense something,” she whispered with a smile.
“Oh,” Cas said. He never realized that. “Can you…”
“Go. I’ll run interference.” She had done it enough times when she had to give Cas an excuse during sports or family gatherings.
“Thank you. I’ll try and return as soon as possible.”
“Be careful.”
Cas leaned forward and kissed his sister on the forehead. “Always.”
“Now go.”
“Thank you,” he said again. He grabbed his trench coat off of the rack and put it on. He needed to keep up the appearance that he was going out to get something. He checked his pockets to make sure his keys were still in them. He looked into the living room and saw his sister sitting next to Dean on the couch.
“Dean. Do you want to see some embarrassing pictures of Cas?” she asked.
“I feel like the answer to that question is obvious.”
“Okay.” Jo reached under the coffee table and pulled out one of the many family albums stacked under it. “Well, here’s a picture of Cas as the cowardly lion with our mom, Ellen, and our dad, Bobby.”
“He seems like he would be a fan of the Wizard.”
“You have no idea.”
Cas left before he could hear something that would postpone his rescue to make sure Jo didn’t embarrass him too badly.
Before Cas flew back to his house, he went to the nearest grocery store to buy something small and pointless. He was gone long enough that he needed something he could use as an excuse to explain his absence if Dean was still there.
Any other day, he would have just flown into his apartment, but instead, he settled for entering his place the human way. He opened his door just in time to hear Dean gasp loudly. He stepped inside and saw Dean and his sister watching something on the television
“He just hit that guy,” Dean said, pointing to the screen.
“That’s lacrosse.”
“He’s not moving. Was that hit legal?”
“Yup,” Jo said, proud.
“That guy has at least thirty pounds on Cas. Holy crap,” Dean laughed. He was impressed.
“Yeah. Cas felt really bad about it.”
“Why?”
“Because he gave him a concussion.” Jo grabbed the controller and turned off the TV.
“Remind me to never get your brother angry, okay?”
“There is nothing that you could to make me angry enough to hit you, Dean. Besides, that was part of the game.”
Dean jumped off the couch and spun around. He didn’t realize that Cas was even in the room. “You’re back. Holy crap. I totally lost track of time just now.”
Cas set the gallon of juice, cornmeal, and oranges down on the table. “It’s fine,” he said as he slipped off his trench coat. “So, what was it you needed help with, Dean?”
Dean pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. He shook his head. “I feel like a dick asking you since it’s so late. We’ll just work on it tomorrow.”
“Dean, it’s fine. You came all this way and I said I’d help you.”
“I know you did, Cas. But it’s late and I don’t want to keep you up because I couldn’t figure something out myself.”
“It’s my fault for taking so long. I’m sorry that you came all this way—”
Dean walked over to Cas and put a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed it once, hoping that it was enough to calm him down. “Cas, don’t worry. I had a fun time talking to your sister. You were quite the rascal growing up. And I pretty much ate half your kitchen.”
“That’s all right.” He was glad for that. Less food in the apartment was always a good thing.
Dean pulled his hand off of Cas. “So, we’ll just get to work on this first thing tomorrow. Okay? Don’t stress out about it.”
“Okay.”
Dean smiled. He knew that even though Cas said that he wasn’t going to stress, he still would. “I should get going. Sam’s probably wondering where I’m at. Thanks for the stories and food, Jo.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile that spread from ear to ear. “Any chance to tell everyone about Cas’s childhood is a good time for me. You should stop by any time you like.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” He turned to face Cas. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
Cas followed Dean to the door and opened it for him. “Of course. Drive safely, Dean.”
“Goodnight, guys,” Dean said, closing the door behind him.
Cas locked the door behind Dean then stepped into the kitchen. He began to put away the things that he bought from the grocery store. “Thank you for doing that, Jo.”
“No problem, Cas,” Jo replied. She walked into the kitchen and saw her brother ignore all of the food around him. “You should eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat something. Even if it’s something small.” She could tell by the way her brother was trudging around the kitchen that something was wrong. “Please, Cas.” It would give them an opportunity to talk.
“Okay.” Cas grabbed a small plate and put some corn and mashed potatoes on it.
Jo watched as her brother pulled up a stool and began to eat at the island instead of go to the dining room table. She could tell that he was tired, and anxious. She waited until he took a few bites before she started speaking. “You want to talk about tonight?”
“There was a standoff outside the city.”
“What?”
“There is something bigger that’s going on that I can’t see right now.”
Jo didn’t miss how Cas’s knuckles turned white from gripping the fork too tightly. She put her hand on her brother’s. “Cas.”
Cas let out a deep breath and unclenched his fist. He set the fork down on the side of the plate. “I feel like all of the criminals I’m taking down in this city all have a connection to each other, but I can’t see it. How would it look if a disaster happened in the city that Dark Angel is supposed to be calling home?” More and more he was seeing the word ‘sinister’ everywhere, along with the symbol he first saw in Uganda.
“Cas, don’t worry about it right now.” Cas stood up and Jo knew that he was done eating. She was glad that he at least got a few bites in.
Cas paced back and forth. His sister got him talking and now he was ready to spill all of his worries. “It’s the fourth person I’ve taken down that I’m feeling this anxiety about. I’m not sure if I want that feeling to be wrong or right. But the city might be in danger soon. And…” his voice trailed off when he realized that he was raving. He looked up and saw his sister looking at him intently. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bringing you into this. How was your night? You and Dean looked like you were getting along well.”
Jo knew that Cas wasn’t going to talk about any superhero business anymore with the subject change. “I learned some new things about Dean tonight.”
“That’s good. Though I suspected everything you learned about him is new since you’ve never met him before.”
Jo rolled her eyes. “You’ve told me stuff,” she argued. “And you know what I meant. Do you want to know what I learned?”
Cas really didn’t. What Dean and his sister talked about was private. “I—”
“First of all, Dean is single. That alone is an anomaly of the universe. But he kept screening a bunch of calls, all from different girls.”
Cas sighed. He already knew that Dean attracted the attention of people of the female kind. “Jo, I don’t care about—”
“Second, I don’t think he’s straight. At least, not completely. Because I was bringing my A game tonight and he didn’t do anything about it. Either that, or he’s denser than lead.”
Cas knew that about Dean too. Whenever they would go out on assignment together, Dean had the ability to get anyone to talk to him. He was charming. It was amazing actually. He would not be surprised if Dean said he had been with a man once or twice. “Joanna, I really don’t—”
“And third, I think he’s smitten with Dark Angel.” Jo looked at her brother’s face and saw that fact was able to get his attention. She smirked. “That’s pretty much all he kept talking about when we weren’t talking about your past. So basically, he just talked about you all night.”
Cas rolled his eyes. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if Dean ever discovered that he and Castiel were the same person. “I’m going to sleep.”
“You don’t sleep.”
“I don’t need to, but I can. And I’m going to right now.” He wrapped the plate he was eating and put it in the fridge. There was a small change he’d eat it. He walked down the hall to his room.
Jo stalked after him. “But you’re Dark Angel. He’s smitten with you, Cas.”
“Goodnight, Jo,” he said without looking back.
“Why are you not excited about this?”
Cas spun around and saw his sister inches away from running into him. “Why would I be?”
“Cas. This is big news about your coworker.”
“You’re definition of big news is not the same as mine, Jo. I’m going to sleep.”
She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “You are no fun at all.” She trudged down the hallway irritated that she couldn’t keep bothering Cas. “You know, it’s unfair that he likes you.”
“He doesn’t like me,” Cas said.
“I thought you were going to sleep.”
“Goodnight. Again.” Cas closed the door behind him. He changed into sweatpants and a shirt. He crawled into bed and under the covers. He closed his eyes for a second and let out his wings to sense if someone needed his help.
When he didn’t get anything, he gave himself a moment to relax. He let out a deep breath. He felt himself drift off into sleep.
[Part 3]