Chapter Text
The ice cream shop was always busy after school kicked out on Fridays, especially when the weather was good.
Today was no exception.
The line was already out the door when Dean and Claire walked around the corner.
Claire held Dean’s hand as they approached the line of people, mostly parents with their kids, waiting to get to the takeout window.
“Daddy, are we gonna get cweam?”
“Ice cream, yeah baby, we are, we just gotta wait our turn ok?” He said, looking down at his little daughter, her blonde hair falling down across her little round face.
Dean bent down and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
“Which ice cream you wanna get today Claire Bear?” Dean asked as they joined the end of the line.
“Strawbewwy,” Claire answered, grinning up at Dean. She was just the cutest kid. It wasn’t easy doing this on his own but it was moments like this that he was reminded how lucky he was to have his sweet girl.
“Strawberry?” he laughed as they stepped forward moving a few feet closer to the window.
“Ok, strawberry ice cream, and what should I get? Strawberry for me too?”
“You wanna have cweam too Daddy?” Claire asked, looking absolutely delighted at the thought that Dean would also be having ice cream, as if merely the idea of it was some kind of miracle.
“Yeah, I do!”
“You get a same as me?”
“Sure baby, I can get the same as you.”
The line was moving slowly but they were getting closer and Dean could see the counter now. Claire was still holding his hand and she swung their hands back and forth as they waited.
After a few more minutes they finally got to the window and it was their turn.
Dean picked Claire up so she could see the counter and look at the boxes of ice cream inside the freezer.
“You still want strawberry?” he asked as the young man behind the counter smiled and asked for their order.
“Yeah, you get it too Daddy?”
“Yeah me too baby, ok,
Hey buddy, er, two strawberry cones, thanks man.”
Dean gave their order and the young man picked up the scoop and began preparing their ice cream cones. He handed Dean the first one wrapped in a paper napkin. Dean took it and leaned down to Claire who was waiting wide eyed.
“Ok, hold it tight honey, don’t drop it ok?”
“Ok,” Claire said, determination on her tiny face as she eyed her ice cream cone like it was a living thing that might jump out of her hands if she stopped watching it.
A moment later the young man behind the counter handed Dean a second strawberry ice cream cone and told him the total.
Dean took the cone and switched hands so he could reach round to pull his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. Claire was still watching her ice cream like a lion stalking its prey.
It was beginning to melt and there was a line of milky slush starting to run down the cone and onto Claire’s tiny hand.
“You can eat it baby, don’t wait or it’ll melt.” Dean said, as he put his hand in his pocket.
No wallet.
He switched hands again and reached into the other pocket.
Empty.
He began checking his other pockets for change to find they were also empty.
“Shit,” he mumbled to himself. Claire was eating her ice cream now, or she was trying to...
Most of the ice cream was on her face, on her shirt and some had found its way into her hair.
“Jeez, ok listen buddy, I think I left my wallet back home, I’mma come back and…”
Dean didn’t finish his sentence. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the most dazzling piercing blue eyes he had ever seen in his life.
His breath caught in his chest.
Dean looked at the blue eyed man smiling at him. His hair was dark, wild in the way you could tell he had tried to tame it and given up.
Next to him was a small blonde haired boy who was holding his hand but didn’t appear to be paying any attention to anything other than watching Claire paint herself with pink slush.
“Can I get that for you?” The man said after a moment.
His voice was deep, smooth and gravely. Like honey and thunder.
“Huh?” Dean’s brain wasn’t engaging, he just stared at the man. His mouth hanging open as the line continued to grow behind them.
“Your ice creams, I can get those for you if you’ve forgotten your wallet.”
“Oh, er, ok, thanks man, I er, yeah thanks.” Dean managed to mumble out as the man leaned around him and handed a ten dollar bill to the young man who was patiently waiting for someone to pay.
The guy behind the counter thanked the wild haired, blue eyed man. Dean stepped slightly to the side and leaned down to try and wipe some of the ice cream from Claire’s face whilst simultaneously lick his own ice cream so it didn’t start to run down his hand.
He waited until the man and his kid had got their order and stepped forward again as they stepped away from the counter.
“Hey man, thanks for that, I owe ya.” Dean said with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“You’re welcome. Perhaps you can buy me an ice cream in return another time…….” The man raised an eyebrow, waiting for Dean to answer the question he hadn’t asked.
“Dean, names Dean, and this little masterpiece is Claire.”
“Hello Dean, hi Claire. I’m Castiel and this is Jack. We’re headed to the park now, if you’d like to join us?”
“Park? Park Daddy! I wanna go a park Daddy!” Claire cried, jumping up and down and pulling at Dean's shirt with her ice creamy hand. Jack was laughing at Claire as he licked his ice cream and watched Castiel and Dean looking at each other.
“Er sure, sounds like we’re joinin’ you guys, ” Dean said, slightly dumbstruck, as Castiel and Jack turned and began to walk down the street towards the play area of the park that was on the other side of the street.
Dean and Claire walked a few paces behind Castiel and Jack. As soon as they entered the park Jack ran off towards the jungle gym.
“I’mma play Daddy?”
“Yeah honey go play, be careful ok?”
“Ok,” Claire replied as she ran off, chasing after Jack, her ice cream devoured and long forgotten.
Dean sat down on the bench next to Castiel and finished his ice cream, every so often he would chance a glance at the man beside him.
His profile was stunning. The line of his jaw was sharp, with a dusting of stubble. Dean wasn’t being dramatic in thinking Castiel was probably the best looking guy he’d ever met.
“So,” he began, having absolutely no idea what he actually planned to say.
Castiel looked round at him and smiled. He didn’t speak but his eyes were studying Dean’s face, like he was committing every detail to memory. His stare was intense and Dean could feel heat starting to rise up the back of his neck, he rubbed a hand over it in a vain attempt to hide his flush.
“You, er you and Jack come to this park a lot?” Dean asked, acutely aware that he was floundering already. The Winchester charm had packed up and left the building and Dean cringed as he heard himself deliver the worst pick up line of his life.
Castiel let out a soft chuckle as he glanced back over a Jack and Claire who were now chasing each other in and out of the poles of the climbing apparatus.
“We do yes, Jack loves it here.” Castiel answered, looking back at Dean.
Silence fell between them and Dean watched his daughter running and laughing, her hair flapping in the breeze as she chased her new friend.
“They play nice together huh?” Dean said after a moment.
“They do. Is Claire your only child?”
“Yeah just me and Claire Bear. She keeps me busy enough I reckon.” Dean replied, wondering if Castiel had picked up on the hint that there was no other parent in the equation.
“How about you, got any other kids, wife, husband?”
Dean asked before he could stop himself. Instantly regretting his loose lips.
“Sorry man, none a my business,”
“It’s alright Dean, yes it’s just Jack and I.” Castiel said sharing the most stunning smile Dean had ever be given. The tiny lines beside Castiel’s eyes crinkled as he smiled and it made Dean’s chest feel tight.
Fuck man, this guy…
They sat in conformable silence watching their children play together as the sun began to make it’s slow descent. After maybe a half hour or so Castiel spoke and broke the quiet.
“Dean, I wondered, seeing as our children seem to have hit it off, and you owe me an ice cream, I thought you’d perhaps be willing to give me your number and, we could do this again sometime?”
Dean's head shot round as his brain registered what Castiel had said.
“Sure man, sure I’d, yeah I’d like that.”
“Great”
Dean took out his phone and handed it to Castiel who typed his number in and then hit the call button, his phone rang once and then stopped. He handed the phone back to Dean.
“Are you free this weekend?” Castiel asked after a moment.
“This weekend works for me, “ Dean replied sensing this was definitely not plans for a play date with the kids.
Just as he was about to test the waters with suggestions of something other than ice cream, Jack and Claire came bounding over, out of breath and laughing with each other.
“Hey you guys, you having fun?” Dean asked as the children stopped in front of them.
“Yes!” Jack said so earnestly it made Castiel chuckle fondly.
“Papa, Claire wants to come over for dinner, can she, can they come? Claire and her papa? Please can they please?” Jack asked, his voice getting higher and higher the more he spoke.
Castiel looked at Dean and up went the eyebrow again. Dean’s stomach flipped as he smiled at Castiel, then Jack, then Claire, who were all looking at him expectantly.
“Sure, if that’s cool with you, that’d be awesome.” Dean said after a moment.
“Of course, I’d like that very much. Shall we go?”
“YES!!” Claire and Jack yelled in unison, causing Dean and Castiel to laugh.
The two men rose from the bench, each taking the hand of their child, and started walking out of the park and back towards the street where the ice cream shop stood.
Dean smiled to himself as he thought about how glad he was, that he’d forgotten his wallet…