Chapter Text
It was just another work day, but Castiel Novak was exhausted, having stayed at work later than he anticipated. He should have known getting most of the assignments marked for his students on a Friday night wouldn’t end well. Garrison Falls’ Male Preparatory School was where Castiel worked, lived, and breathed. At least he got more than half of the essays marked, which was a plus—it made for less work over the weekend.
He walked grudgingly towards his car that was parked a few blocks away from the school, his feet heavy and sore. Why the fuck did he park this far away? It didn’t seem that far away this morning. His bag had begun to feel heavier and heavier with each step. He slowed his pace to rest and appreciate the warm spring air. The sun was almost set, and at this time of the year, the sun was only just beginning to stay out later. He glanced at his watch, 8:26 PM. Christ, Castiel thought. He didn’t realize it was this late. He picked up the pace and walked across the empty road and down the first block.
He wasn’t far from his car when he heard the voices of a few men behind him. He knew they probably wanted nothing to do with him, but Castiel couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as he could hear them coming closer behind him. Castiel gripped the leather strap of his bag that held his laptop and stack of essays. It was heavy enough that if he came out swinging, it would likely do some damage.
He ignored the first call from one of the men. He kept walking straight. Castiel could see his car, he was only minutes away. But the men were persistent. His grip tightened on the strap when he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.
“Hey! I’m talking to you!” a nameless man said to him as another pinned him to the wall of some shed.
“I apologize, you must have me mixed with somebody else,” Castiel replied as calmly as he could, without letting his voice shake.
“You didn’t hear me. I said—give me your shit.” The man was right, Castiel hadn’t heard him say that.
Castiel didn’t move, his hand still clasped to the strap of his bag. His breathing had started to become short, as panic was about to induce. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a deep rugged voice boom from across the street, yelling at the guys surrounding him. They scattered when the man started to march over.
The man approached him slowly.
“Hey man, are you okay?” he asked, concerned. Even in dusk’s lighting, Castiel could see the green in his eyes as he stepped up on the curb and reached out to Castiel.
Castiel cleared his throat and nodded assertively. “Yes. I’m fine,” he said.
“Can I walk you wherever you’re going? You can trust me, I’m a cop,” the man smiled softly and pulled out a badge from his back pocket.
“Uh, sure, my car is just right over there,” Castiel pointed.
“Well let’s get over there before anyone comes back.” The green eyes looked around for the culprits but even Castiel knew they were long gone by now.
“Right.” Castiel began to walk, the man followed beside, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.
They were silent for a moment before the man spoke.
“Did you know those guys back there? I can write up a report at the station tomorrow when I go in, it’s not a problem,” he offered.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize them. Thank you, though. I appreciate the offer.”
“Hey, no problem. Long day?” He was making small talk now. It only made Castiel begin to panic as his car was very near and there wouldn’t be much to talk about. It would just be awkward.
“Uhm, yes. Quite long, actually. I’m exhausted,” Castiel admits, more to himself than anything.
“Yeah, I hear ya,” he agreed.
They arrived at Castiel’s car.
“Well, here we are,” Castiel commentated.
“What’s your name, if I may ask?” the green eyes questioned.
“Castiel.”
“You have a good night, Castiel,” he smiled. “Stay safe.” And with that, the man walked away before Castiel could give a full reply.
“You…as well,” he half-said to himself, because it was pointless to call after a man who was already walking away. He looked down at his feet as he groped for his keys and he realized that he didn’t even ask the man for his name. Stupid. Now he’ll never know who he was—other than the mysterious green-eyed man—a green-eyed man whom Castiel had never seen before, and Garrison Falls wasn’t that large of a town.
Castiel fumbled with his keys before finally getting into his car. He pulled out from the side of the road and began his drive home, another twenty minute drive out on the edge of town. The clock on his dash read 8:58 PM, and Castiel just sighed. He rarely leaves this late.
The plus side to driving this late in the evening was that the traffic was manageable. It didn’t take as long for Castiel to be pulling up to his driveway as it normally did. Castiel lived in a small, quaint house, located on a rather small piece of land just on the outskirts of Garrison Falls. It wasn’t much, he figured, but it was something that he felt most comfortable being in. He parked in front of his garage, unable to park inside because he hadn’t fixed the automatic door yet since it froze during the winter.
He walked to the back side of his house where he could see his chickens—yes, six of them—were situated in their coop. He threw a couple handfuls of seed, and walked inside his house. He was just talking his coat off when he noticed a set of headlights pull up. He never had visitors, especially at this hour, unless it was planned—and this was definitely not planned. Castiel watched from his kitchen window. He couldn’t recognize the figure as it got out of the car and walked up to the front door.
The doorbell rang once followed by a few raps on the door, and Castiel was hesitant to answer, afraid he was followed home by one of those guys. When he peaked through the blinds of his front door, and a pair of unforgettable green eyes stared back at him. Castiel had to remind himself to keep breathing and open the fucking door you idiot.
“Hey,” the man smiled.
“Hey, yourself.” Castiel was a bit confused. Scratch that. He was terrified. He leaned on the door frame and tried to look like he wasn’t.
“Sorry,” he laughed, obviously seeing Castiel’s look of (attempted) hidden complexity, “I—I just wanted to make sure you got home safe, that’s all. I’m Dean by the way. Dean Winchester.” Dean held out his hand.
Castiel grabbed it and shook it firmly. He wasn’t sure if Dean or him held on longer than what would usually be a handshake, but he dropped his hand awkwardly when they both let go.
“Well, I’m home now. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that. I’m fine,” Castiel assured him.
“Right.” Dean just stood there. Castiel was unsure if he needed to say anything else, but what else was there to say? Dean beat him to it.
“—Sorry. Uh, well, then. Goodnight, Cas.” Dean stumbled off the front step.
“Goodnight, Dean.”
Castiel watched as Dean walked off the front porch step and down the walkway to his car. Castiel shut the door and tried to keep his cool as he still wasn’t sure what the fuck just happened. He was half creeped out that some random stranger decided to follow him home to insure he was safe—cop or not, and half lost in the thought of those green eyes that did something so genuine for a complete stranger. He was humbled by the thought and it made him smile to himself as he turned the lights off in the porch, locked the door, and walked towards his bedroom.
He decided that getting ready for bed was the best decision, as the day’s work was creeping back up on him and he realized how tired he had become in the last half an hour. He showered and got dressed, turned off all of the lights in the house, and went to bed.
—————————————
His alarm blared at 7:00 AM the next morning. And yes, this was sleeping in for Castiel. He woke up refreshed and ready to start his day. Castiel’s Saturdays went as followed: wake up, brush teeth, make a pre-workout smoothie, run five miles, shower, make protein shake, make a light breakfast with a cup of coffee. On the weekdays, Castiel would wake up at 5:00 AM and do all of that before going to work.
Today was a little different.
Castiel had just finished stretching, ready to begin his run, when he noticed a car parked at the end of his driveway, half hidden behind the trees. He slowly approached it to see Dean, fast asleep in the front seat.
This was really weird.
Castiel wasn’t sure what to do. Does he go for his run anyways? Does he wake Dean up and tell him to fuck off? He decided to do the former and worry about Dean when he returned. Castiel didn’t like it when his routine was broken.
Castiel was sure he didn’t do the full five miles that usually does. His mind was too distracted by the fact that Dean, a stranger nonetheless, had slept outside his house throughout the night. Castiel appreciated the gesture, in a weird way, but it was still a little unnerving. He doesn’t even know the guy.
The car was still sitting there when he returned. Castiel was almost half hoping that Dean would have woken up in his absence and left, but Castiel realized he had to suck it up and just approach him. He walked up to the car, more nervous than ever. He watched as Dean’s chest slowly rose and settled, he counted the freckles on his face, and gazed over his full lips.
He reached his hand out and lightly tapped the window, where Dean’s head rested. Dean lightly flinched back and rubbed his eyes. A look of embarrassment washed over his face when he realized he had just be woken up by Castiel. He rolled down his window and yawned, stretching his arms.
“Good morning, Dean. I hope I didn’t startle you,” Castiel mumbled shyly.
Dean stifled another yawn as he said good morning back to Castiel.
“What time is it?” Dean asked, rubbing his neck.
“It’s nearly 8:00 AM.”
“But it’s Saturday,” Dean complained.
“If you wanted to sleep in, I would have advised you not to sleep in front of my house.” It came out a little bit harsher than Castiel was expecting and he immediately regretted it by the look on Dean’s face.
“Sorry, man. I just didn’t like the idea of you spending the night by yourself. Those guys were a little sketchy.” Dean looked around, avoiding Castiel’s gaze.
“I’m fine, honestly. I appreciate your concern. That sort of thing happens all the time,” he lied. He was fine, but this “sort of thing” didn’t happen often, or at all. Garrison Falls was a nice town. Everybody knew everybody and the people were friendly. What those men were up to last night was something entirely new that Castiel had witnessed.
“Yeah well, anyways,” Dean continued. “I don’t want to keep you from whatever it was you were about to do.” Dean turned to start his car.
“I was actually about to make breakfast,” Castiel stated, not really sure where he was going with that, and realized he now had to invite him. “Would you like to join? It’s the least I could do. A sort of ‘thanks’ for staying guard last night.” Castiel laughed lightly to try and make up for sounding like a douchebag. He smiled as sincerely as he could.
Dean hesitated before he spoke.
“Nah, I think I’ve already overstayed my welcome, thanks.”
“Please, it’s the least I can do,” Castiel tried.
“Uh, you sure? I mean, I don’t want to intrude,” Dean teased lightly. Castiel caught the joke and held his tongue, considering he didn’t find it amusing.
“I’m sure. Please, come in,” Castiel gestured toward his house.
“Okay, yeah. Sure.” Dean stepped out of his car and stretched his legs. He followed Castiel up the path that he walked less than twelve hours ago. Only this time, he was invited to do so—sort of.
Castiel led the way through the threshold, the handsome man followed shortly behind. Castiel took off his shoes and placed them by the door, and walked over to the kitchen where he started a pot of coffee.
Castiel noticed Dean placed his own shoes beside Castiel’s and walked into the kitchen where he leaned against the island counter.
“So, uh, you’re a teacher huh?” Dean pointed to the pile of assignments on the kitchen table. He pulled out one of the stools next to the counter and sat down.
“Yes. High school. Prep-school, actually.”
“Yeah I figured. You were walking near the school last night.”
“Yes. I uh—I like to walk,” Castiel started, “I usually park farther away and bring my bike so that I can get a little more exercise in the morning, seeing as I don’t get to do much in the afternoon—marking and other responsibilities are prioritized above it—but yesterday, I couldn’t bring my bike because the tire was flat, hence why I was walking. I’ll have to air it up tomorrow so I can ride it to school on Monday.” Castiel breathed, trying—and failing—to not let his anxiety seep through. He was rambling. He did that when he was nervous.
He grabbed a couple of pans out of the cupboards and placed them on the stove—mainly to keep a part of him busy. He avoided Dean’s gaze as he began to raid the fridge, placing items on the counter. He was planning on making omelettes and toast, but he wasn’t sure what Dean would like, and Dean noticed his hesitation.
“What’s with the face, Cas?”
“Uhm, I was just thinking about what you would like to eat. I was going to make an omelette and toast with avocado but...”
“Anything you make is fine, I appreciate it.” Dean smiled genuinely.
“Alright. How do you like your coffee?”
Castiel went to work. He gradually made small talk while he bustled around the kitchen, grabbing assorted bowls and pans to make their breakfast.
He made bacon too, because he noticed Dean eyeing it up when he had grabbed it to get at the eggs behind it. It wasn’t long before Castiel could see Dean practically drooling at the scent of the bacon cooking.
“Do you need a hand with anything?” Dean asked.
“No, thank you. I should manage fine.” Castiel started whipping up the eggs for the omelettes. “Actually, would you mind cutting up the onions and peppers for the omelettes?”
“Yeah, sure thing, Cas.” Dean got up and walked around the island. Castiel handed him a knife and cutting board.
Castiel grabbed a couple avocados and began slicing them open. He cut them into thin strips and placed them on a plate for the toast later.
“Cut up anything you want in your omelette and set it aside. I’ll put it in for you,” Castiel instructed.
“Yes, teacher,” Dean mused, and turned back to wink at Castiel.
Dean buckled over and laughed when Castiel turned fifty shades darker.
“I’m kidding.”
“Uhm, right,” Castiel busied himself with flipping the bacon and he could hear Dean chuckling to himself.
When the bacon was cooked, Castiel took it out of the pan and placed it on a plate, then patted it down with a paper towel to remove the grease.
“Woah—woah, what are you doing?” Dean cried. “You can’t just wipe the grease off, that’s ludicrous!”
Castiel laughed. “Clogged arteries are more ludicrous, Dean.” He wiped his hands clean.
Dean scoffed and tossed his peppers and onions in a bowl with the scrambled eggs. Castiel brought the bacon over and chopped it up and put it in with the rest of the ingredients. His lips quirked when he noticed Dean’s expression change.
“I like the way you think, Cas—aside from ruining the bacon,” Dean smiled.
“Yes, well. Usually I don’t add bacon. But today, I’ll do it just for you,” Castiel returned the smile and mixed up the eggs some more and brought them over to the pan.
They ate breakfast together at Castiel’s crowded kitchen table. It was quaint, but as breakfast went on, Castiel could feel an ongoing tension within himself that was starting to show on his face.
“What’s on you’re mind?” Dean asked, shoving the last bit of his toast into his mouth in the least unattractive way possible.
“I’m sorry.” Castiel placed his fork down. “This is all just a little bit unusual for me. I—I’ve never had someone like you turn up and be so valiant—and yet unsettling at the same time. I don’t really know how to react to because you’re here right now—you could be here for the reason you say you’re here for—or this could all be an elaborately thought out plan to murder me when I least expect it.” Castiel could tell his face was giving away all of his emotions as his face contorted into regret for opening his mouth.
Dean fought back a smile as he looked Castiel straight in the eyes. His body began to shake as he held back laughter when he looked at the expression Castiel was letting show.
“No, I get it,” Dean replied, waving his hand over the whole situation and smiling. “Look, don’t worry about it. I’ve never actually done something like this before either. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. That was the complete opposite of my intentions.”
“What exactly were your intentions then?” Castiel demanded as lightly as he could. Dean sighed.
“I don’t know.” He set his arms on the table and leaned in. “I’ve never done this before—like I said. I know it’s not necessarily in the job description to follow distressed people home and sleep in their driveway to ensure their safety, but I just felt like it was my duty—wow. That sounded so much better in my head.”
Castiel looked down at his unfinished meal.
“Look, I know this is a little weird,” Dean continued, “but for some reason, I just felt like I needed to be there for you last night. I’m kind of new to this town, I don’t know the people well—I hardly know anyone, actually.” He laughed to himself. “All I’m saying is, I felt like I needed to protect you.”
“You don’t know me.” Castiel tried not to make it sound rude; everything he seemed to say sounded blunt and careless.
“Is it bad that I want to?”
Castiel looked up and was pierced by Dean’s stare, which was truthful and sincere.
He sighed. “No. It’s not bad that you want to. I’m just not the best at making friends, as you can probably already tell. I keep to myself, I do my job, I come home. I tend to my chickens, and I keep my house relatively tidy. I go for runs every day, and I keep a routine. I make lesson plans, and I mark assignments. I don’t do much else. I’m not one for spontaneity,” he hesitates, “I kept a pretty good front for you, for the most part, while I cooked breakfast, because I was distracted by the food. But on the inside I was panicking because I was unsure about you.”
Dean didn't say anything for a few moments. He sat quietly while Castiel calmed himself down.
“That’s fair.”
“Anyways,” Castiel murmured. “That’s how I feel.”
“I’m sorry, Cas. But if I made you that uncomfortable, why did you invite me in?” Dean’s face changed to panic when he could see Castiel’s turn into defence-mode. He held up his hands in front of him. “I—I didn’t mean that in a bad way—I just—” He sighed. “You could have told me to leave, and that would have been okay.”
“Yes, well. I felt that I needed to invite you in after I told you I was making breakfast. I was intrigued by you. I still am,” he paused, “but I’m also partially terrified. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yeah—I think so. Fight or flight response kicked in. But hey, if you want me to leave, I can. No harm, no foul. I won’t be offended.”
Castiel sighed. He did need Dean to leave but deep down, that’s not what he wanted. What did he want?
“Well. I do have things that need to get done today. It’s not that I don’t want you here—I just need to be focused.”
“No I get it. I’m a distraction to you,” Dean smiled. Did he wink? Castiel wasn’t sure but he could tell his face was burning.
Dean started to laugh as he stood up from the table.
“Anyways,” Dean continued, “I’ll get out of your hair. Let you do what you need to do. Did you want me to take your plate?” Dean reached out for Castiel’s plate.
“Thank you,” Castiel said. He stood up and followed Dean back into the kitchen where Dean placed the plates in the sink.
“Thanks for breakfast, by the way. It was awesome.”
“I’m glad it was satisfactory for you,” Castiel smiled. Dean walked over to the front door where he began to put on his shoes.
He watched as Dean meticulously tied the laces and put on his leather jacket that Castiel quite enjoyed looking at.
Castiel allowed himself to stand on the front step while Dean walked outside.
“Hey, why don’t you park your car inside the garage?” Dean stopped walking to point at Castiel’s car. “That’s kind of what they’re there for.”
“Oh, that. Well,” Castiel leaned back against the door frame, his arms crossed, “the door froze during last winter and when spring rolled around, it busted when I tried to open it. Frankly, I do not have the skills nor the funds to repair it,” he explained.
“I could fix it for you. I’m a handy-repair-man,” Dean smiled.
“I thought you were a police officer.” Castiel lowered his gaze at Dean.
“I am, but I was a handy-man before I became a cop.” Dean winked at Castiel as he walked over to inspect the door. “You got any tools?”
“You’re asking the English Lit teacher if he has tools.”
“Rhetorical question, got it,” Dean replied. He sighed as he looked around for a solution. “How about this—I’ll run back to my place and grab some tools and then I’ll come fix this for you, hey? Does that sound good?”
“You don't need to go out of your way, Dean. Really, it’s not that big of an issue.” The guy just doesn’t give up, Castiel thought.
“Okay, I guess. Let me know if you ever want it fixed.” Dean began to walk towards his car.
Fuck. Castiel could tell Dean was getting the hint. He didn’t mean to sound rude, but he hardly knew the guy. It would be wrong to rush into anything and have regrets. He didn’t want to repeat what happened last time.
“Don’t take offence, Dean. I told you, I’m not good at the whole ‘friend’ thing,” Castiel called after him.
“Don't worry about it. It’s a good thing I am fantastic at making friends.” Dean smiled at him as he opened his car door. “I’ll see you around, Cas.”
The roar of the Impala’s engine echoed in Castiel’s mind for the rest of the day.
He didn’t accomplish much.