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Castiel saw the sign as he drove past the fire station on Thursday. He barely glanced at it, not bothering to read it as he made his way down the road to his house. While it was a comfort living this far out and knowing there was a fire station so close, he'd honestly never paid it much attention.
Friday he passed it again, and this time he actually took a moment to read the sign. There was a pancake breakfast Saturday morning. That was nice. He thought perhaps he might stop in, meet the firefighters, and maybe socialize a bit with this new community he'd just moved into. He'd lived here three months already and hadn't even met the people he lived next door to, though that most likely had more to do with the fact that they worked night shifts. He'd seen them coming home once in the predawn hours and leaving very late.
Work monopolized most of his time, mostly because he didn't have any friends here. Yet. Perhaps that would change if he met more people in the area. When he pulled into his driveway, he took a moment to add it into the calendar on his phone so he didn't forget. Pancakes sounded wonderful; he hadn't had decent ones in ages.
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“Winchester!”
Dean looked up from the stove where he'd spent the last two hours making pancakes to see the captain walking into the kitchen.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Switch with Rudy. That boy can't direct cars to save his life.” Captain Mills had her hands on her hips and a look of annoyance on her face. Rudy must be screwing up big time.
“Sure thing.” He slid the last of the pancakes onto the waiting plate and set the flipper on the counter. After untying his apron and hanging it up, he headed downstairs to go relieve his friend.
“Man, you ticked Captain Mills off.” He slapped Rudy on the back and grinned before taking the sign from him that announced the pancake breakfast. “Don't screw up the pancakes, or I'll be the one to kick your ass.”
Rudy rolled his eyes as he started jogging back towards the door.
“Ha ha, I can cook; my dad's a chef, remember? Been cooking for ages now.”
Dean chuckled and turned his attention to directing traffic into and out of the station parking lot. He smiled at everyone that pulled in and waved to everyone that was leaving. So far the turnout this year was better than it had been the last few years. That was encouraging. The station liked getting to know the new members of the community and easing their minds that they had competent, experienced firefighters keeping them safe.
At ten to eleven a dark blue Prius pulled in. He only meant to glance at the driver, except the man sitting behind the wheel was possibly the most gorgeous guy he'd ever seen. He did an actual double take, which had Benny laughing from across the parking lot.
“See something you like, brother?”
Dean shot him a dirty look before directing the Prius into the first available spot on his side. He ignored his friend's laughter as another car, a family this time, pulled in. That car he directed to Benny's side.
The man that climbed out of the Prius was even more attractive than he'd first realized, and he made a point of not staring as the man slowly began walking his way.
“Should I go inside?” he asked in a deep, gravelly voice. When Dean looked over at him, he was pinned by the biggest, bluest eyes. He swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yeah, just, uh, follow the rest of the crowd. T-there's pancakes.”
The man arched an eyebrow and smiled in amusement.
“I would assume so, this is a pancake breakfast after all.”
Dean winced as he realized that he sounded like an idiot.
“Sorry, long morning already. There's more than pancakes in there, is what I meant to say. Sausages, orange juice, sweet tea, that sort of stuff.”
The man smiled and started for the doors that led into the station, leaving Dean to wallow in his embarrassment.
“That was almost painful to watch. What happened to the smooth brother I know?” Benny teased as he crossed the parking lot. Dean directed another car in and two more out before turning to look at his friend.
“He was gorgeous; did you see those eyes? Or hear his voice? Man, what I wouldn't give to see just what a spitfire he is in the bedroom. Who wears dress pants and looks that damn good in them?”
Benny laughed and clapped him on the back.
“Why don't you go introduce yourself, stud? You might just be surprised.”
Dean was suspicious of the much-too-innocent smile on Benny's face and by his cryptic words.
“Why do I feel like you know something I don't?”
Benny's grin just grew wider. “Go on now, go see if Mr. Tall, Dark and Dreamy is interested. We're closed for business anyway. I'll just start taking down these signs and meet you inside.”
Dean folded the poster board he was holding and started walking.
“You better not be fucking with me, or I'll have to kick your ass.”
Benny just chuckled to himself as he watched him head inside. He knew the blue-eyed man, fairly well, actually, but he knew Dean even better. If Dean knew who he was interested in, he was likely to let his prejudice get in the way of getting to know a genuinely nice guy.
Granted, he wasn't entirely sure the man was gay, but he was pretty sure he was at least bi, which meant Dean had a real shot. Best to let Dean work his natural charm all on his own. He still wanted to see the look on his friend's face when he realized who he was flirting with, so with no more cars pulling in and all the signs collected and stored away for next year, he hurried inside. This he didn't want to miss.
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The kitchen was still pretty packed when Dean got there, and every seat at the picnic tables were filled with people chatting as they chowed down on pancakes, sausage, and homemade pie, courtesy of Dean. He'd argued with Captain Mills that first year they had decided to host a pancake breakfast when he'd offered to make the pies. Her argument was that pie was not a breakfast food. His argument was that pie was good for any meal. After weeks of wearing her down, she'd finally given in and let him make them. Turned out to be a great idea since now people all over the county came to the pancake breakfast just for his pie, which raised the money they needed for the children's hospital, but they also clamored for the station to get a booth at the county fair where Dean could sell whole pies as well as slices. His baking earned the station a lot of money for charity, but it earned them all attention too.
“Fantastic pie, Dean!” Becky Rosin waved her fork at him and smiled around a mouthful of triple berry. He grinned and nodded to her.
“Is this a new flavor?” Buddy Hawkins asked as he pointed at his plate.
“You have the peach berry?” Dean tried to peek at Buddy's plate, but there were too many people.
“I think so. It's fantastic.” Buddy jabbed his fork into his slice and cut a generous piece off to shove in his mouth. Dean chuckled and shook his head as he scanned the tables for the man with the piercing blue eyes and the liquid silk voice. He spotted him in the serving line, where Rudy was putting pancakes on the man's plate.
“Bigger turnout than last year.”
Dean turned to see Captain Mills standing beside him. “Your pies draw them in like flies. The hospital is going to be very happy. This money is going towards building the new surgical wing.”
“I'm happy to do my part. How much do you think we made this year?” he asked. She was standing there with one arm crossed over her stomach, the other elbow resting on her forearm as she tapped her forefinger against her lips.
“I'm not sure yet. Charlie is calculating it right now, but I'd say we made probably $5,000. At $5 a person, $15 for whole families, plus three dollars for each slice of your pie we've sold, and we've sold all of your pies.”
Dean's eyes bulged as he calculated how much they'd made. In between calls he'd spent two weeks slaving in the kitchen with three of the guys to make the crusts in advance, and then another two weeks making all of the different fillings. It had been grueling, but in the end he'd made 65 pies in eight different flavors. Usually he made about 40, but this year the captain had told him to make more, just in case. He was glad he had.
“Wow. Does this mean I should make more for the fair?”
“There's a fair? When?” Mr. Blue Eyes asked.
Dean was in danger of developing whiplash with how fast he kept whipping his head around to look at people. Standing only a few feet away, just casually eating a piece of cherry pie, was Mr. Blue Eyes.
Oblivious to Dean's reaction, Captain Mills replied to the man's query.
“Next month, starts the 8th, ends the 15th.”
“Oh, it's an entire week? I believe I'll have to attend.” He took another bite of pie and sighed contentedly. “This is excellent pie. I think it's possibly the best I've ever had, definitely not store bought.” She smiled and chuckled softly.
“No, they're homemade by Dean here. Are you new to the area? You must be if you don't know about Dean's pies.” Captain Mills held out her hand. “I'm Jody Mills, captain of station two.”
The man shifted his plate (Dean noticed the pancakes were as yet untouched in favor of the pie.) to one hand while offering the other to shake her hand.
“My name is Castiel Novak. Cas for short. I did just move to the area, three months ago. I kept noticing your signs so I thought I'd come and meet some of the people in the community.”
“Novak,” she said thoughtfully. “You're not the new minister, are you?”
Dean felt his stomach plummet when Cas smiled wide and nodded.
“I am.”
Those blue eyes slid over to Dean, and Novak offered his hand. Dean smiled politely as he shook it.
“It's nice to meet you, Cas, welcome to the neighborhood.” He pushed away his disappointment, though the shy smile the man gave him piqued his curiosity.
“Thank you. It's very nice to meet you as well, Dean.”
“I see you met Reverend Novak.” Benny walked over with a huge, shit-eating grin on his face. Dean narrowed his eyes at him. The bastard had been fucking with him.
“Hello, Benny. This is where you work? You're a firefighter as well?” Cas asked.
“I am.” Benny turned to Dean and Captain Mills. “Reverend Cas here took over when Reverend Joe retired in February. He's just as personable, if not more so, and relates better to the younger people, which most members are in their early 20s up to early 40s. Joe was 86. It was time for him to retire, enjoy his last few years. He's looking forward to lots of fishing.”
“Joe's a good guy, but yes, he was more than a little out of touch. I haven't had a chance to hit a Sunday sermon in about seven years now; I usually go on Wednesdays. Did anyone tell you about Pride Fest?” Jody asked. Cas nodded enthusiastically, and the gummy smile he offered her brought a smile to Dean's face.
“Yes, and I'll be there with my Pride flag and my tee shirt, telling everyone that stops by our table to come by the church and check it out. I'm excited about it, I love Pride fests.” His eyes flickered once to Dean for just a second before looking shyly away again. “Will any of you be attending?”
“We are a presence at every festival, as a safety measure, but we'll pitch in too, help with watching the gates, selling tickets, that sort of stuff. Some of us just go to enjoy ourselves, if we're not scheduled," Jody explained.
“Right, like this year Dean, Charlie and I are all off, so we're going together. Jody's wife, Donna, will be with us too.” Benny smirked when he caught Dean staring at Cas again. He was trying to help a brother out, but Dean's game was way off today.
“Perhaps I'll see you there?” Again Cas’ eyes flickered over to Dean, who had already caught on that the handsome minister was interested in him. Question was, should he break his rule about “no religious people” and ask the man out? Maybe find out more about the man before he decided to turn the charm on full blast. Maybe Cas wasn't like those Mormons that kept stopping by, or people that liked to drop homophobic comments into casual conversation, claiming it's God's will that gays should die. Yeah, Dean wasn't a fan of organized religion.
He had no idea what this church was Cas preached at, but if it allowed for a gay pastor and had gays in the congregation, it couldn't be that bad. He smiled what Benny liked to call his “panty dropping" smile as he hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. Cas simply raised an eyebrow. Not the reaction he expected, but he had other tricks.
“I'd tell you to come with us, but I think you'll already be there,” he said, still smiling.
“We're actually taking it in two hour shifts, and I don't have to be at the booth until six. If you don't mind the company I'd love to go with you all, maybe get to know more of the community. So far everyone I've met has been very nice.”
Cas looked over at the filled tables where everyone was chatting like they were old friends. It was nice.
“We're all being rude. The tables are full and you're standing here with your plate; let me grab you a chair real quick.”
Before Cas could protest, Dean was dashing inside to get one of the folding chairs out of the storage room. He was back in under a minute, the chair clutched in both hands.
“Come on over here, and I'll introduce you to some people.” Dean nodded towards the nearest table, and after excusing himself to Jody and Benny, Cas followed him.
“Thank you, Dean.” He smiled softly at him before sitting down.
“Everyone, this is Reverend Cas Novak. He's new in town. Cas, this is Ellen Harvelle, she owns The Roadhouse; it's a bar and grill right at the edge of town. Best burgers you'll ever have. That's her daughter, Joanna Beth, or Jo for short. That cranky ol’ coot making heart eyes at Ellen is Bobby Singer. He is a retired firefighter; now he owns Singer Salvage and Auto Shop. Best place in town to get your car fixed, should it ever break down. Next to Bobby is Ash. He works at Ellen's, but he's a computer genius. Your computer ever breaks, you go to him, never Geek Squad.
“The brunette with the little boy stealing sausages off his mother's plate is Lisa Braeden and her son, Ben. Lisa teaches third grade. This here is Cesar, his partner, Jesse, and their kids, Stella and Arturo. They own the diner in town.”
Dean pointed each person out, earning himself a baleful glare from Bobby about his crush on Ellen, who just smiled fondly at the man, but everyone was very warm and welcoming. Satisfied that this group of people would be friendly and make Cas feel welcome, he turned to leave. The hand that caught his arm made him pause, and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw it was Cas who had done it.
“I'm sure you're busy today with everything that's going on, but I would like to get your number so we can make plans to meet for the fest. Would that be alright?”
Dean swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, that's perfect, actually. If everyone carpools we'll only have to take, like, two cars.” He took the phone Cas handed him and typed his number in. When he handed it back, Cas smiled softly up at Dean.
“Thank you, for everything.”
Dean scratched his neck and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Eat up, your food is gonna get cold.”
Cas nodded and turned back to his plate to start eating the pancakes. As Dean started walking back to where Jody and Benny were still standing, he spotted the matching Cheshire cat grins on their faces.
“Shut up,” he laughed. That made them both smile even wider.
“He likes you,” Jody said. “But I don't think your usual charms are going to work on him.”
Benny nodded in agreement. “If you're worried he's a Bible thumper, he's not.”
“What kind of church is it, anyway? I can't imagine Baptist or Catholic would have someone gay preaching.” Dean asked. His mother had been Baptist, but she had never forced her beliefs down her sons’ throats.
“Well, for starters? Catholics have priests, not ministers and it's not a Christian-based religion, per se. It's more…spiritual. I think even you might like it,” she replied.
Dean wrinkled his nose in confusion. “What exactly are you guys worshipping? I thought you were both Christian.”
“I was raised Baptist, but I never really agreed with their principles. At the Unitarian church, I'm comfortable finally, and other people accept me as I am. No judgement,” Benny explained.
“Right, and Donna convinced me to go. I'm glad I did. There's a deep sense of community, of acceptance, there since most of the members are queer to some extent or another. Since I work Sundays, I haven't gotten to sit in on Cas’ sermons, but I'm very happy with Reverend Shurley,” Jody added.
“Reverend Shurley is a good man,” Benny agreed.
“And here I thought you guys were going to church because your wives dragged you,” Dean joked.
“Nah, brother, I found them on my own and dragged her there. Now she loves it too.” Benny glanced over at where Cas was eating his pancakes and chatting with Bobby like they were old friends. “He's a good guy. I think you'd like him if you gave him a real chance. None of that one night stand crap you do to avoid developing real feelings for someone. Everyone knows that's just a mask. We saw when you were in love with Lisa, and with Cassie.”
“And Aaron. Thought for sure you'd be whipping out the ring and dropping to one knee with that one.” Jody’s voice took on a sympathetic tone as Dean's eyes dropped to his boots.
“I did propose. He said no. Used his faith as an excuse, but he hadn't stepped inside a synagogue probably since his bar mitzvah. He just didn't want to marry me.”
“Man, I had no idea, brother. You never said a word.” Benny's hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. “You could have talked to me. The long line of ladies and men since him makes a lot more sense now. It wasn't your fault, though, that he couldn't commit, that he didn't see what he had right in front of him. That's his loss. You're a great guy, and anyone would be lucky to have you. So stop beating yourself up over his stupidity.”
Dean frowned but didn't argue. He'd done a lot of thinking since he and Aaron had broken up. It had taken him a long time to accept that maybe he wasn't the one at fault in the death of their relationship. Aaron had always been to blase about it, never seeming to really take things seriously. Dean hadn't noticed that at the time, but it was glaringly obvious now in retrospect.
“You think...I could have something nice with Cas? You know, if he were interested.”
Benny and Jody exchanged a look. A mutual “Don't tease him about this or he'll close off again and shut us out".
“Absolutely,” Jody said. “But treat him with respect.”
“I know, ’cause he's a preacher and all that.” Dean turned to look at Cas. He was surprised to find the man watching him.
“No, Dean, treat him with respect because he deserves it as a human being," she said.
He looked at her, knowing she was right. Cas was handsome, interested, and single. He'd never really liked one night stands anyway, but just put on a show of liking them so no one would worry. He hated being pitied. Maybe this was his chance to ask out someone who was actually nice. He sure hoped so.
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Dean was in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher as others busied themselves with the cleanup outside. He hummed softly under his breath as he stuffed the last pie tins into the machine and dropped a soap pod in. Just as he closed the door and pressed start, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He'd expected Benny, Charlie, Garth, or any of the others working today, but instead he found himself face to face with Cas.
“Were you humming The Cure?” Cas asked.
“Uh, yeah. A remake of it was playing on the radio a little while ago. Got stuck in my head.” Dean pointed to the small radio on the counter that was now playing a song by The Kinks. Cas looked at the radio, listening for a moment.
“I like the classics. They're much better than the modern music on the radio now.”
Dean noticed the man was carrying a stack of the pans they'd been keeping the pancakes warm in.
“Here, give me those,” he murmured as he took them and set them in the sink.
“It's not very busy today. Is it always this quiet?” Cas leaned against the counter beside where Dean was busy washing the pans and watched him quietly for several minutes. It was making Dean nervous, something he almost never was.
“Benny tells me there are only two stations for this county. Are you able to handle all of the issues that come along? It's not overwhelming?”
“The county is small, smallest in the state, and it's mostly rural. There are thankfully not a whole lot of fires. If the surrounding towns need help, we go help. Summer is our most active season. Lot of burn piles cause fires that spread to dry fields. We get at least three or four of those kind a week.” Dean talked as he washed, not wanting to focus on the intense blue eyes currently watching him as if he were the most fascinating person in the world.
“I'll bear that in mind, should I decide to burn anything.” Castiel took a few steps closer, which just made Dean's heart pound faster. “Is it really ok if I tag along to the fest with you? It felt as if I were maybe being too forceful. I don't wish to intrude.”
Dean slid the last pan into the dish rack and turned the water off. He turned to face Cas as he wiped his hands dry on one of the dish towels.
“Of course it's ok. I didn't think you were being forceful at all. It's hard being new in town and making friends. You're welcome to come with, but I'll warn you now, Charlie will talk your ear off. It's next to impossible to get her to shut up.”
Cas smiled. “I don't mind, really. Is...Charlie your girlfriend?” He blushed but maintained eye contact with Dean as he asked the question.
“Charlie? No way. She's my best friend, and another firefighter. She's as gay as the day is long. I think she might be bringing the girl she's been seeing. I'll have to ask though. I'm not sure how serious they are yet.” Dean tossed the towel on the counter and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Oh. Well, Benny also told me that you might be interested. In me, that is, but that you might not feel confident in asking me out because I'm a minister. I thought I'd come in here and see if that were true, but also to let you know I am the furthest thing away from being a Bible thumper, if that's what you were concerned about. I drink, I swear, I've never been married, but I really enjoy sex. And I find you incredibly attractive, Dean. If you're interested, would you maybe want to get together one evening? Maybe for dinner?”
Dean was not often on the receiving end of date proposals, and it took his brain a few seconds to catch up with what was happening. He smiled wide.
“Yeah, I'd like that. I'm off tomorrow.”
Cas smiled as he pushed off the counter.
“Wonderful. How does dinner tomorrow evening sound? Do you like steak?”
“I love it," Dean replied.
“Good. I can pick you up at whatever time is convenient for you. I've done the difficult part in asking for your number, now I simply have to refrain from embarrassing myself. I already had Benny's number, but I saw an opportunity to get yours, so...I took it.” Cas grinned at the shocked look on the other man's face.
“You…”
When Cas started laughing, he found himself chuckling and shaking his head.
“That was smooth.”
Cas grinned and shrugged. “On occasion I can be. I just, I saw the way you looked at me when I pulled in, and I thought perhaps you were interested. Benny says I was right.”
“Yeah, he's right,” Dean confirmed. “Pick me up at seven. I can be out later since I don't have work Monday either.”
Cas’ smile lit up his already bright eyes, and it was next to impossible to look at from. Then the alarm went off.
“I gotta go.” Dean started for the engine room.
“That's fine; be safe. I'll see you tomorrow night,” Cas called after him.
Dean was riding a high as he dressed and climbed onto the truck, one he couldn't be pulled out of, even with the knowing grin Benny sent his way. He had a date with a hot guy the following night, and for the first time in a while he felt like maybe this one might turn into something more.