Chapter Text
Yes, it rained a lot in Florida, and Cas grew up here so he knew that, but it didn't mean he was any less pissed when the first few drops started to fall. He'd missed the last bus, and now he was stuck trying to use his body to cover the library books in his arms as he scuttled under the covered bus stop. He was pushing himself a little hard this semester, but he was on his fifth year in college, and he was eager to finally be done. Most of his classes for his Business Management major were finished, but his minor in history was taking a little longer than he expected. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it, he liked the classroom environment, and he enjoyed learning. Tonight had been a particularly good night for his studying, and he’d lost track of time at the library, lost in the book he was reading he forgot to check the time and missed his bus.
“Fucking weather,” he muttered darkly as he managed to dig his phone out of his pocket, hoping his roommate would be able to give him a ride home. It was mid January, but it was mild weather for that time of year, and a hoodie was all Cas really needed to stay warm. Of course, that was before the rain started falling, but he reasoned rain was better than snow. At least it wasn't raining terribly hard yet, just enough to be annoying. As he rearranged his belongings to dial his phone one handed, he felt the books start slipping from his hands as he huddled under the insufficient cover of the bus stop. He had resigned himself to dropping his phone in favor of rescuing the books when someone walked up and helped steady them.
“Hands a bit full, don't you think,” the man said. He was taller than Cas, which didn't happen too often, but his roommate was 6’4”, and this man didn't quite hit that height, so he wasn't much impressed.
“Got a lot of work to do,” Cas mumbled, adjusting the books in his left arm so they were a bit more secure.
“Apparently.” He looked up at the man who was standing a bit closer to him than Cas would have liked. His shoulders were well built, buried underneath a leather jacket, and his hair was a dark blonde, almost brown, short and spiked, his hair and his face glistening with rain water. “You need a ride somewhere?” he asked with a smirk, a flirtatious shine in his green eyes. Cas waved the hand holding his phone, dismissively brushing off the man, trying to unlock his phone without dropping it in the growing puddle at his feet.
“No, I'll give my roommate a call,” he said, managing to get his phone unlocked. He took a step back from the stranger, who was leaning on the side of the shelter, just watching him with an amused look on his face. Cas felt oddly exposed. His hair was damp, sticking to his forehead in clumps, and his button up shirt was damp and clinging to him uncomfortably, but this guy was raking over him with his eyes in an obviously attracted way, and Cas wasn’t used to it at all, from guys or girls. Cas usually prided himself with being the quiet guy in the back of the room that no one noticed, and being singled out by this guy was unnerving.
“So you’re just going to wait here in the rain,” the man said, a cocky smile still on his face. Cas huffed a sigh, pausing just long enough to look up at the guy angrily before turning back to his phone.
“Taking a ride home with a stranger doesn't seem like a much better idea,” he snapped, starting to get annoyed.
“Oh, I forget how dangerous I am, probably a good idea not to let me take you home.” The man’s voice was deep and still mildly flirtatious, and he raised an eyebrow at Cas, and if Cas were either a woman, or he reasoned an interested man, he was sure he would be swooning at this point. Cas was neither of those, and he rolled his eyes at the blatant come on, not even looking up from his phone as he pulled up his roommate’s contact, hitting the phone icon to call him.
“Sorry, not interested,” he said frankly, holding the phone up to his ear.
“Fair enough,” the man said with a shrug, though Cas caught his disappointment out of the corner of his eye. His roommate’s phone went to voicemail and he sighed, hanging up and waiting to try again in a few minutes. Cas and the man both turned their backs to the front of the shelter as the wind kicked up and gusted some rain under the meager roof. There was a flurry of movement, and the man removed his leather jacket, draping it over Cas’ belongings, and left shoulder, to shield him and his books from the rain blowing under the shelter. Cas froze, blinking confusedly at the complete stranger who had just leant him his jacket without asking. The jacket smelled like tobacco, motor oil, and Cas had no other way to describe it other than it smelled like ‘man’. Not in a bad way, just that sort of musky, masculine smell.
“You don't need to-” Cas started, moving to shrug off the jacket.
“Don't worry about it, I'll live. Those books need it more than I do.” He smiled, and it gave his green eyes a mischievous glint. “Besides, I was a wet t-shirt contest champion,” he added with a slick wink, flexing his shoulders slightly. Again, Cas felt his eyes roll, laughing at his poor attempts at flirting with Cas. The stray water drops had soaked most of the man’s shoulders already, and Cas felt a little guilty about taking the jacket, but had to admit he was relieved the library books were covered. Not to mention he felt he deserved something for dealing with this guy’s overconfidence. Cas looked back down at his phone, which was now wet and not reading his thumb as he attempted to unlock it again. “You're sure about that ride?” the man asked again, some of the innuendo still lingering in his voice, but the words had turned sincere. Cas nodded, ignoring the flirting yet again, and feeling very sure he didn't need a ride from this guy that couldn’t take a hint.
“Yeah, I'll get a hold of my roommate in a few minutes.” The man shrugged.
“Alright, in that case, I'll at least wait till they get here, or till the rain stops. Keep you company-”
“Does this really work for you?” Cas asked suddenly, without hesitation. The man just stared at him, confused.
“Does what work for me?” he asked slowly.
“This overbearing, incessant amount of come ons that you keep layering on top of each other,” Cas gestured at him, and he just stared back slightly open mouthed. “Because it’s really starting to get annoying.” He stared wide eyed at Cas, mouth slightly agape, and for a moment, Cas wondered if he’d really offended the guy, but the man ran his hand over the back of his neck, chuckling softly.
“Hey, sorry, man. Don’t realize I’m doing it half the time,” he sighed, taking a step back from Cas and giving him some space.
“Normally, I couldn’t care less, it’s just that right now with the weather, I’m a bit aggravated.” The man blushed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“Okay, yeah, sorry.” He looked up sheepishly. “In all honesty, would you mind telling me how to get to the Amber Lakes apartments? I’ll get out of your hair after that.” Cas blinked, staring at the man in disbelief. Of course he'd be headed to the same complex Cas lived in, maybe he just should just get a ride home… Cas pulled up his text messages and decided to text his roommate instead of calling him as the man continued with his explanation. “I'm moving in with my brother for a bit, get my feet under me. And it's hard to read city maps while driving, so I got this far and got stuck.” Cas felt the flush on his cheeks, his thumb pausing over his phone keyboard. No fucking way.
“What's your brother’s name?” he asked quietly, hoping against hope he was wrong.
“Sam Winchester. He’s just a sophomore, you seem a bit older than him, so I don't know if you-” Cas just started laughing, this whole thing was surreal, straight out of a crappy romantic comedy.
“Of course, that's just too fucking perfect,” he sighed.
“Um, you know him?” the man asked, slightly surprised.
“He's my roommate,” Cas said simply. It was the man’s turn to be confused for a moment, then he laughed along with him.
“Well, isn't that kismet? So I bet that makes you Cas?”
“And I'm assuming you're Dean?”
“Yeah, that's me.” He ran a hand over his face and through his hair to get rid of the excess water. “Sorry about all this, I uh… man, am I fucking embarrassed now,” Dean laughed.
“It’s alright,” Cas said, dropping his phone back in his pocket. “I tend to be a bit blunt and to the point.”
“I can see that,” Dean chuckled.
“But you were being a bit overbearing,” Cas added. Dean held up his hands in mock defense.
“Alright, point taken, I promise never to hit on you again.” The wind gusted, throwing more rain at them and Cas huddled into Dean’s jacket.
“I guess I’ll take that ride home with a stranger after all,” Cas sighed, figuring at this point Sam must either be out or sleeping.
“I'll pull the car around,” Dean said with a smile. He tried to hand Dean back his jacket, but Dean wouldn't take it.
“Nah, hang onto it, I'll be right back.” He took off at a jog into the parking lot, and Cas only had to wait for a few minutes before a sleek, black, muscle car pulled up to the bus stop. He darted for the door Dean had leaned over and unlocked for him, climbing inside as quickly as he could, the library books spilling across the front seat of the car.
“Sorry,” Cas muttered, gathering them up. Dean shook his head.
“It’s all good. So, which way?” he asked. Cas buckled up and pointed out of the rain soaked window.
“Turn right out of the parking lot and then the next right,” Cas said. He startled slightly when the car pulled away, the purr of the engine deeper than he expected, vibrating up through the floor and into his feet. Dean smirked.
“Cas, meet Baby, my 1967 Chevy Impala,” Dean said proudly. Cas relaxed slightly as he got used to the loud car, not saying much outside giving Dean directions to their apartment, and after the 20 minute drive that felt much longer than normal, they were pulling up to Cas’ building. He let Dean help him with the books, and led Dean up the steps to his door, unlocking it and letting them in.
“Sam?” Cas called, not so loud he’d wake him if he was sleeping, but loud enough he’d be heard if he was up.
“Yeah?” Sam answered from his room. He generally left the door open all the time, and so did Cas, though with a new roommate that was probably going to change.
“I found something that belongs to you at the library,” he called back, taking his books from Dean and walking into his bedroom. He had managed to earn himself the master bedroom when he and Sam had moved into this three bedroom apartment, mostly because Sam had more friends, and therefor more use for the living room, whereas Cas usually kept to himself, a small TV in his bedroom all he really needed. He heard Sam’s steps coming from the back of the apartment.
“Dean!?” he said, laughing slightly.
“Heya, Sammy,” Dean answered. Cas walked back out in the living room in time to see the brothers embrace briefly.
“I thought you hated being called Sammy,” Cas pointed out, walking past them to the kitchen to get something to drink. Sam shrugged.
“Dean’s the exception to the rule, I guess,” he laughed. “You guys are both soaked, did you get caught in the rain?” he asked.
“I missed the last bus, and Dean got lost. He found me in the library parking lot.“
“I didn’t get lost, I just had to make a pit stop,” Dean said indignantly. Sam laughed.
“So, this worked out nicely, you two have already met.” Cas met Dean’s gaze, who flushed slightly.
“Yes, and I believe you now, what you said about Dean being too flirtatious for his own good,” Cas said, pouring a can of Sprite over a cup of ice and adding two shots of orange vodka. Dean gave Cas a betrayed look as Sam scoffed at him.
“What? Dean, come on, you’ve been here for five minutes and you’ve already hit on my roommate?!” Sam sighed. Dean shrugged.
“If it makes you feel any better, he called me out on it and put me in my place,” Dean muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Cas had already started tuning out their conversation, making his way back to his room.
“Dean, this isn’t why I’m letting you stay here, for you to just fall back in your same patterns again-”
“Come on, Sam, I just got here can’t you lay off that crap?!” Cas stepped into his room and closed the door, somewhat muting the sound of the brothers bickering. The books were mostly dry still, thanks to Dean’s coat, which Cas had draped over the couch in the living room. He stripped out of his damp clothes, pulling on sweatpants but staying shirtless, which is how he almost always slept, and crawling into bed, plugging in his phone before pulling up his Skype app. He pulled up his sister’s contact and dialed, and in a few rings Anna’s kind face came into view on his phone.
“Hey, Castiel, it’s kind of late,” she said, frowning at him slightly. Her red hair was done up in her bedtime knot on top of her head, and her makeup was already removed. Immediately Cas started to feel better, without even realizing he was feeling off in the first place. He and his siblings had been taken by child services from his mother quite early on in Cas’ life, and luckily for him, he’d never been separated from his sister Anna. She was his one constant in life, and the one person he could talk to about everything, so when Dean arrived to change up his life, he knew he needed to talk to her.
“Yeah, sorry. I would have waited until tomorrow it’s just… Sam’s brother arrived today.” She smiled, settling in to talk to her baby brother.
“This Dean guy you mentioned last week?”
“Yeah, he arrived tonight, kind of unexpectedly.”
“So? What’s he like?” she asked. Cas huffed a sigh.
“Flirtatious, cocky, he drives a muscle car…” Cas heard the voices in the living room come closer, making their way down the hallway, where Sam was showing Dean the spare bedroom.. “Sam and him are so different, it’s strange. He’s all bluster and loud, where Sam is soft and calm.”
“You think you can handle living with someone like that?” she asked gently. Cas shrugged.
“I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Besides, from what I understand it’s not permanent.” He paused, and could feel his brow furrowing.
“What’s on your mind?” his sister asked. Cas thought about it for a moment before answering.
“I’m not sure. Sam always talks about his brother with such fondness and the moment Dean arrived they started arguing. It just… wasn’t what I expected.”
“Wow, like seriously arguing?”
“More like nagging at one another. Sam said he hadn’t seen Dean in a very long time, so for them to start in like this right away…”
“Maybe it’s just how they are around each other,” Anna suggests, and Cas shrugs.
“Sam gets along so well with everyone, but I guess everyone is different around family.” Anna laughed softly, a sparkle in her eye.
“Their arguing remind you of someone you know?” she asked softly. Cas sighed, knowing she was talking about his older brother, Gabriel. There were a few years when his brother had been fostered out to another family, but they had always stayed in contact, meeting up again once Gabriel had turned 18. Since then the three had been inseparable, but Gabriel’s personality contrasted so much with Castiel’s it was hard to tell they were brothers sometimes.
“Gabriel purposefully gets on my nerves, he doesn’t even try to be civil when he’s around me,” Cas muttered, “even though I have no idea what I ever did to him.” Anna laughed.
“It’s only because it’s so easy for him to get under your skin, Cas. He does it on purpose.” Cas sighed, looking at the wall and listening to one of his roommates getting in the shower. “Are you going to be okay?” Anna asked again. “Rooming with Sam was a big deal for you, you think you’ll be alright living with his brother, too?” Cas shrugged.
“I think so. I’m going to be so busy with school leading up to my semester abroad next fall, I’m hopefully not going to notice much of a change.”
“Alright, Castiel,” she sighed, “I’m going to bed now, alright? Talk to you later,” she said, blowing him a kiss through the camera. He smiled warmly.
“Good night, Anna,” he said, hanging up the Skype call. He hears a soft knock on his door. “Come in,” he calls, setting his phone down on his bedside table.
“Hey, Cas,” Sam pokes his head in the door, changed into his sleep pants and an old t-shirt, “you got a moment?” Dean must be in the shower.
“Yeah, come in, Sam.” Sam walks in and partially closes Cas’ door behind him.
“Thanks again for letting Dean stay with us. He’ll never admit it, but he had nowhere else to go.” He scuffed his foot into Cas’ carpet, looking down embarrassed. “I know Dean’s behavior isn’t the best, he’s loud and obnoxious and you’re pretty quiet-”
“If you’re referring to him coming onto me, it’s fine, Sam. I simply told your brother I wasn’t interested and he stopped.” Sam chuckled.
“I would have loved to have seen that,” he sighed, “someone putting Dean in his place.” Cas shrugged.
“Does your brother always try to sleep with every person he comes across?” he asked. Sam thought about that for a moment.
“Yeah, kinda. I mean, he’s never really gotten attached, so he’s never really had reason not to bounce around.”
“Is he exclusively gay, or does he sleep with women also?” Sam turned a bright shade of red, but over the last six months he’d gotten used to Cas’ blunt way of asking about things.
“Dude, Cas, my brother’s sex life isn’t exactly what I came to talk to you about,” he mumbled with a laugh.
“Sorry, I was just curious what kind of company he might have over while living with us,” Cas said matter of factly. He didn’t understand why Sam was getting so embarrassed by this conversation. Sam shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.
“He’s bi, as far as I know. And that’s as far as I want to know,” Sam took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. “I mean it Cas, thanks for giving him a place to get back on his feet, even if he’s not the best roommate.” Cas smiled.
“It’s no problem, Sam. I figure I’m going to have to live with a complete stranger in a completely new country in less than a year, I’ll use your brother as practice.” Sam smiled.
“Silver lining, I guess.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as Sam turned to leave his room, but just as Sam was about to open his door, Dean stuck his head in from the other side.
“Hey, Sam, you got a spare toothbrush? I can’t find mine,” he smiled, a big goofy grin, and Sam rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, hang on. And knock before coming in Cas’ room next time, alright? It’s bad enough you just barge in on me…”
“I’m sorry, was I interrupting something?” Dean said sarcastically. Their banter continued after Sam closed the door behind him, leaving Cas sitting in bed bemused. He turned off his light, settling in under the covers to get some sleep.
Over the next week, Cas goes about his daily routine without much change, in fact, he hardly saw Dean at all for those first seven days. Sam goes for runs before the sun comes up every day just like always, and by the time he gets back from his run Cas is usually on his way to class. Dean was always asleep when Cas left in the morning, and when he got back to the apartment for dinner, he was usually out either partying or looking for a job. Sam seemed slightly more irritated than usual, but other than that there were no changes Cas noticed in their living arrangements.
Exactly one week after Dean moved in, Cas was sitting at his desk, working on a reading assignment for his philosophy class, when Dean loudly stomped into the apartment from being out all day. Cas’ door was cracked, not quite closed all the way, and Sam was in the living room playing something on his Playstation. Cas glanced at his phone, realizing it was about 9:30pm, and quite a bit early for Dean to be home.
“You are never going to believe who I ran into,” Dean said. Cas wasn’t planning on listening, but Dean’s voice was excited and carried through the apartment, and he figured he wasn’t going to be able to avoid listening. He stuck a pencil in his textbook and closed it, standing to take his dishes from dinner out to the kitchen while he was distracted.
“Who do you know that lives around here?” Sam asked. Dean waved at Cas from the entryway, where he was removing his jacket and toeing off his shoes, as Cas walked out into the living area to cross through to the kitchen.
“Remember Benny? We spent that month in Vegas right after I turned 21?” The look on Sam’s face told Cas all he needed to know about what Sam thought of Benny, and it wasn’t pleasant.
“How could I forget, you kind of just up and abandoned mom and me to run off with him,” Sam said sarcastically. Dean’s face faltered for the briefest moment, but his smile came right back. It was almost so fast Cas couldn’t see it, but he prided himself on his ability to read body language, and since he spent most of his free time people watching, he noticed the subtle change in Dean’s face. Dean sauntered into the living room, and Sam paused his game as Dean stood between his brother and the television.
“Turns out he just opened a bar down the street, Lafitte’s? He’s offered me a job as a bouncer and part time bartender.” Dean was grinning, so proud of himself, it almost made Cas smile with its infectiousness as he poured himself a glass of water, but Sam just sighed.
“Wow, you’ve got a job already,” he said, with half a smile, trying to sound happy for Dean, but Cas knew Sam well enough to know there was more to that sentence than he was saying out loud. Cas felt his brow furrow in confusion, wondering why Sam was so disappointed when Dean had managed to get a job, relatively quickly for that matter. Even in this college town it wasn’t easy to find work. “We still going out for your birthday tomorrow?” Sam asked, turning off the game system, standing and stretching.
“Of course, one of the only nights a year you willingly buy me dinner!” Dean said with a wink, patting his belly. “And since you’re the one that’s been here for two years, you better know a good steak house nearby, just saying.” Sam chuckled, clapping Dean on the shoulder and walking towards the hallway.
“Alright, I’m getting ready for bed. I have an early class Monday morning, so plan on an earlier dinner than you’re used to tomorrow,” he called.
“Okay, mister college student,” Dean called back. Cas was still standing in the kitchen, and he found himself watching Dean pull off his overshirt, his henley shirt seeming minimal compared to all the layers he usually wore. It wasn’t that cold, but maybe Dean was just used to dressing that way. Once Sam was out of the room, Dean’s mood had deflated again, but only briefly, before he looked up and realized Cas was still there. He dropped his shirt on the couch and walked towards the kitchen. Another thing that intrigued Cas was Dean didn’t seem at all surprised by Sam’s poor reaction to his announcement, nor did he seem truly bothered by it. It was more like he expected it, and the falter in his mood was just him accepting what happened.
“Hey, you awake over there?” Dean asked. Cas felt his thoughts pulled back into the moment.
“Sorry,” he said, finishing his water. “I got a bit distracted.” He put the glass next to the sink and turned to head back to his room.
“Distracted by what?” Dean asked, walking past Cas to the fridge to grab a beer. Cas shrugged, watching as Dean popped the top with his pocketknife, as easily as flipping a light switch. There was something raw about Dean, something more human than Cas had seen in another person before, and Cas had only glimpsed the edge of why he acted that way..
“I’m not sure it’s my place,” Cas said dismissively, “people don’t usually enjoy what I have to say, anyway.” Dean chuckled.
“You had no problem telling me off at the bus stop a week ago. C’mon, lay it on me,” he said, taking a pull of his beer and looking at Cas expectantly. Cas looked over at the hallway where Sam had just disappeared.
“I have gotten to know Sam very well these past few months, and whenever he talked about you, he always spoke so fondly. I just can’t seem to understand why, now that you’re here, he seems disappointed. I also don’t understand why you don’t seem upset by it.” Dean’s smile faded, and Cas wondered if he’d overstepped. Dean took a long pull of his beer, thinking hard for a moment, but Cas could sense he wanted to say something.
“I don’t know what Sam has told you about how we grew up, but it wasn’t great. My dad left us one night, after a really bad argument with Sam, and I uh,” he cleared his throat, “I kinda became Sam’s dad as well as his brother. Had to help take care of my mom, too.” He picked at the label on his bottle. “I wasn’t ready for that, I mean, what kid would be? So as soon as I could, as soon as Sam was in high school and didn’t need me anymore, I ran off. Guess I kinda let him down, and I’ve been doing on hell of a job of letting him down ever since.” Dean finished off the beer, chuckling to himself. “Though maybe you didn’t want to hear my life story, there it is,” he sighed, dropping the bottle in the recycle bin.
“That’s not what I see when I watch Sam talk to you,” Cas said quietly. Dean leans into the fridge for another beer, but Cas can tell he’s listening. “I don’t think it’s disappointment in you that makes Sam pick at you to better yourself.” Dean looks up at him, his green eyes cynical.
“Then what is it?” Dean asks sarcastically. Cas ponders Dean for a moment, and Dean flushes and looks away.
“I think it’s because he sees so much more in you than you see in yourself. I think he just wants you to see yourself the way he sees you. It’s not disappointment in your actions, it’s frustration that you don’t see yourself any better than you do.” Cas fidgets nervously, turning his gaze to the floor. This got very personal, very quickly. He still for all intents and purposes hardly knew Dean, but could he help it if both of the brothers wore their hearts on their sleeves?
“Wow, that’s… you going to school to be a shrink or something, Cas?” Dean asked, slightly dumbfounded. Cas shook his head.
“Business Management, with a minor in history.” Dean blinked.
“History. Really.” Cas shrugged, and Dean made a ‘huh’ face.
“I’ve always been very good at reading people and their body language. My sister claims it’s because I have a lot of empathy, that I can’t help but feel what other people feel. I think it’s just one more weird quirk I have that keeps people at a distance.” Dean stared at him for a moment.
“You really have no filter, do you?” he asked with a small laugh. Cas shrugged.
“I guess not.” They stand in silence for a minute, the boundary of stranger to friend very suddenly and unexpectedly starting to break down. “I’m going to bed now,” Cas sighed, turning for the hallway.
“You’re more than welcome to come to dinner with us tomorrow for my birthday,” Dean added after Cas took a few steps. Cas paused.
“You don’t want the time with just your brother?” he asked, turning to look over his shoulder. Dean shrugged.
“You just psychoanalyzed my relationship with Sam after one week and one conversation. You know me well enough to celebrate my birthday with me,” he laughed. Cas nodded.
“Alright, tomorrow then,” he said softly, walking into the hallway to his bedroom. Cas wasn’t totally sure, but he thought he noticed Sam’s door closing as he turned the corner towards the bedrooms. He wondered if Sam was listening in, and blushed slightly. He had grown comfortable living with Sam, and it wasn’t easy for him to get along with many strangers, he hoped he hadn’t said anything to upset him too much.
He walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him, stripping out of his clothes and pulling on sweatpants. He dropped back into his desk chair, pulling his textbook towards him to finish his reading assignment. Half an hour later he started to nod off, so he turned off his light and climbed into bed, looking forward to dinner with the Winchesters the next day, if for no other reason than it would give him a chance to figure out their enigma of a relationship.