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To say that Dean was nervous was an understatement. He had triple checked his satchel and had all his notebooks and writing implements. Meg had kept her word, and gotten him an appointment with Castiel Novak, the foremost expert on Greek Mythology.
It seemed almost like fate. He met Meg at one of Round Table gatherings, and the duo was instantly inseparable. Despite how close they had become to each other, it still surprised him how fast she had gotten him the meeting. Dean had been trying for the better part of a year to arrange an interview, and the delays had hindered his book progress. All he had done was mention the part of the book he was stuck on, and when she determined she was unable to help, she got him the meeting with Novak.
That was how Dean found himself standing outside the Classics building at Stanford University, on the other side of the country. He headed up the stairs and entered the building, stopping at the information desk. He smiled at the receptionist. “Sorry to bother ma’am. I have an appointment with Professor Novak?”
She pointed over her right shoulder. “Up the stairs to the fourth floor, right corridor, office number 401.”
Dean nodded. “Thank you.” He headed up the staircase she had pointed to, taking two steps at a time. He was far from out of shape, but four flights of stairs was still a lot to climb. As he reached the fourth floor, he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. He was thankfully early and took the spare time to sit in one of the chairs outside the office to catch his breath. Meg had warned him that Novak was a stickler for appearances, and he didn’t want to disappoint.
A few minutes later, a tall gentleman with messy brown locks walked up the stairs. Dean’s eyes met his, and he instantly lost himself in the bluest eyes he had ever seen. His breath hitched in his throat, and he was distracted enough that the man had to repeat himself.
“Mr. Winchester, I presume?” The man smirked and offered his hand. “Castiel Novak.”
Dean stood up and took his hand. “Yes, sorry. I’m Dean, Dean Winchester. I appreciate you meeting with me today.” He stopped to appreciate the professor’s eyes again. “I’m so sorry. Is this the first time we’ve met? Have we met before?”
“It’s always possible.” Castiel smiled as he let go of Dean’s hand and gestured down the hallway. The professor’s other hand hovered at the small of Dean’s back, causing a warm feeling to build within him. “It’s amusing. I haven’t heard from Megara in ages, she calls me completely out of the blue, and tells me there’s this fantastic author I must meet because he is in dire need of assistance from an expert on Greek Mythology.”
“Meg? Said I’m fantastic?” He smiled fondly. “I’m surprised the She-devil said anything nice about me. Are we talking about the same woman?” Dean gestured with his hands. “Yea high, brunette, quite voluptuous?”
“As I said, it’s been ages. But that sounds about right.” Castiel opened the door to his office and stepped back to let the taller man enter. “Take a seat. And tell me, what has you seeking out more information about the classics?”
Dean walked past the other man into the office. The feeling of déjà vu grew stronger while his attraction to Castiel built even stronger. “I’m working on a novel about the Erotes.” He answered as he sat down, discreetly covering his lap with his satchel and pulling at his wrist. “There’s plenty of work to find on just Eros, but we know of at least six others, and I can’t seem to find anything on them.”
“Not many people know about the Erotes.” Castiel’s head tilted and smiled curiously at Dean. “What do you know of them?”
Dean felt the heat of a blush rise up his cheeks. “There are 7 of them at the god level. Anteros, Eros, Hedylogos, Hermaphroditus, Himeros, Hymenaeus, and Pothos. They have their own followers, but they are a retinue of Aphrodite’s.” He swallowed, unsure of why he was embarrassed by his knowledge. “They’re often attributed to homosexual desires, hence why most people don’t know of them. Outside of Eros.”
Castiel had leaned forward on his desk while listening. “Sounds like you’ve done your research. Why come to me?”
“Your research was the only research I found.”
“So how did you know of them to research them, let alone write about them?”
“I had a dream. I was told to find Anteros.” Dean bit his bottom lip and looked down at the desk. “I honestly thought it was a place, so I tried to search for it on a map. Then I ran across a book of mythology. One of yours.” He lifted his head back up, his green eyes instantly finding the blue ones across the desk. “I don’t even know how I found it, or what possessed me to read it. And now you probably think I’m crazy.” Dean stood up from his chair, making sure that his bag was in front of him. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Professor Novak.”
Castiel shot out of his chair and blocked Dean’s departure. “This hasn’t been a bother at all, Dean. I promise you.”
“Don’t try and humor me Cas. Even I know how that sounds.”
“Can I ask you something, and if I’m wrong, I’ll move?” Castiel reached down and took one of Dean’s hands into his own. “Since you’ve met me, has something felt…” he paused, staring deep into Dean’s eyes as he tried to figure out his next words, “familiar? Like you’ve come home after a long time away?”
Dean could only nod.
Castiel’s traced his hand up Dean’s other arm. “Say my name? Please?”
“Cas.” Dean saw the tears build up in the other man’s eyes. “Cas? What’s wrong?”
“I thought each time would hurt less.” Castiel cupped his hand softly on Dean’s cheek. “26 years this time?”
“What do you mean?”
“Remind me to send Megara a fruit basket?” Castiel leaned forward and softly kissed Dean on the lips. “Remember.”