Chapter Text
Chapter 5 - 9:48 a.m.
Birds chirp as Castiel heads to the law firm for another tough day of work. All that’s on his mind is the memories of Dean’s graduation, the last time he had spoken to him. He had graduated a year before Castiel was supposed to, so he went off to college to become a professional race car mechanic earlier. The happiness written on Dean’s face as he opened the letter from his dream college haunted Castiel's dreams and thoughts more as the graduation continued. More and more, the sharp pain in his heart spread as the months grew closer to weeks and weeks closer to the days before he left. He never really thought he would be affected this much by one simple year away from Dean, but what he didn’t realize was that they’d be off to different schools, different cities, maybe even states or countries. Neither of them truly thought the chances of them running into each other were big, meaning that as the day came, they were surprised, but not opposed to it. Of course with their anger towards each other, both men took it out on each other; as their anger grew and grew, so did their desire and need for each other. Each word spoken leads to another inappropriate thought for both, sending their already skyrocketing hormones higher. But, that story’s for later on, as it occurs in a few hours. For now, Castiel is treading down the sidewalk; his black faux leather Oxford’s clacking against the concrete with each step. The cold winter breeze nipped at his skin, sneaking under his tan trench coat and fancy suit. People turn to look at him, eyes wandering over his navy blue tie as it sways across his white button up, like a pendulum swinging in a clock. By now, Castiel is used to all the looks, but that doesn’t keep him from feeling uncomfortable. Slowly, the five minute walk from his office on the corner of the street to his favorite cafe ends as he turns into the little opening between the store walls. He opens the door with a chime, drawing the attention from the roaming employees and customers to himself. A smile grows on the cashier's face as they make eye contact. “Hiya, Cas! Your usual order?” Castiel nods, smiling awkwardly back at her. “Yes, please.” She’s pulled away from Castiel as a customer asks her a muted question. The awkward man walks to his usual seat in the corner and sits down, pulling out his paperwork along with a pen. Jotting down words, he loses track of time as he works. Few minutes pass and he’s once again stumped; the client’s needs confused him. “Working on another tough case?” A voice interrupts his thoughts as his pencil hits the table. “Uh yeah. They’re asking me to look over this case and figure out if these people can adopt a child, but something’s not adding up.” He looks down at the paper once again. “I would help you, but I have no idea on how to do that, and you can’t show your work.” Castiel sighs. “Yeah. It’s just this lady seems okay as there’s nothing wrong with her statements, but the man seems different. I don’t know how. It’s just weird that he was hustling jobs like McDonald’s and suddenly has a big job hit.” The waitress shrugged. “Maybe it’s just pure luck?” The man’s thoughts are interrupted as he gets an idea. “That’s it! God, thank you so much, Jo!” He scrambles as he shoves his equipment into his case. “Wha- you’re welcome?” Confused, the waitress scratches her head, strands of blonde hair bunching up together as she tries to comprehend what’s happened. Castiel stuffs his hand in his pocket and pulls out seven dollars worth of bills and change. Setting it on the table as he runs out of the cafe. “Keep the change!” He yells back as the door begins to shut behind him. Full speed, he jogs towards the firm, not paying attention to his surroundings. As he rounds the turn, he’s stopped by something bigger than him. With a grunt, he falls to the ground, head whipping back, but not quite hitting the sidewalk. He squeezed his eyes shut during the fall, and didn’t open them until he was lying on his back, trying to catch his breath. Once he opens them, the whole world stops as his heart skips a beat.