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Okay, okay. You got this, Castiel. You’ve seen it a hundred time. YOU GOT THIS!
Just follow the instruction.
It’s easy.
.
.
.
It was not easy.
Whatever reassurance Gabriel had told him earlier, it did not matter.
Castiel already made sure he put enough dough into the cupcake pans. Just the right amount and not overflowing the individual holes. Then he pushed dark chocolate pieces into the middle of the dough, so when it’s done, the cupcake will have melted chocolates in the middle, mixed with salty caramel dough. Salty, and bitterly sweet. One of their best sellers, after the maple bacon and cheese muffin.
Then he put the pans into the oven, set the right temperatures, and hit the timer. Just like what Gabriel had taught him earlier this morning, and how it was written down in his notepad. Gabriel had told Castiel over and over again, just before he left to do an emergency errand.
But the dough didn’t rise and puff up like the one Gabriel usually do. It just stuck there. Well, it did puff up for a second, then it just exploded and turned into a sticky goop.
Castiel started smelling the tell-tale of over baked cupcakes from the lower oven. The top oven already had smokes curling out of the edges when he turned it off. He was about to check the lower oven, and take the cupcakes out when the horrible smell of burnt plastic came out of the top oven.
He immediately opened the top oven. The hot wave of smoke whoosh out, hit Castiel right in the face, making his eyes and throat hurt like being on fire. Castiel slammed the oven door closed quickly. He had to get out. He needed to get out of all this smoke.
The back door slammed open, and Castiel finally got his breath of fresh air. He took a couple more deep breath of fresh air, before he heard a loud beeping from the kitchen.
It took a couple seconds before Castiel realised the sound came from the smoke alarm installed throughout the bakery. Including the seating area on the front of the bakery.
Castiel forgot that the ovens still burning their contents happily.
Gabriel shouldn’t have trusted him with the kitchen. The coffee machine, he could handle them easily. He could grind the beans, measure the bitterness, adjust the steam just right to produce beautiful pillowy foam for a cup of dark cappuccino, or even the right temperature for a hot cocoa.
Before Castiel even managed to get back into the kitchen, a loud manly voice startled him.
“ANYONE HERE?!”
When Castiel didn’t answer, he heard the voice yelled again. This time Castiel answered just as loudly. “YES!”
“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”
“Please stop screaming! I can hear you perfectly fine!” said Castiel loudly as he approached the voice closer.
Then Castiel was covered in white cooling smokes from the fire extinguisher.
“Come on! We have to get out of here. There’s too much smoke. Is there any exhaust fan around that we can turn on to maximum?” The man grabbed Castiel’s arm, dragged him out of the kitchen through the back door where Castiel just entered a minute earlier.
“But… but the customers..,” Castiel stammered through the motion of being dragged out of his place.
“They’re all out. I told them to get out once I saw the smoke. Are you alright? I have to get back to check if there’s any open fire left.”
Castiel finally saw the man properly as he approached closer. A few inches taller than him probably, with sandy light brown hair, and freckled covered face. Thick muscled body like Greek god wrapped in tight black t-shirt. Castiel never saw a more beautiful man in his entire existence. What green, green eyes too.
Before Castiel could even say another word, the man went back inside the bakery. Back into the smoky kitchen.
Castiel still stood there, bewildered at what just happened, when the man came back out again. This time with a bottle of water, tossed to Castiel. “Here, drink it.”
“Where…uh.. where did you get it?” asked Castiel as he nodded, thanking the man.
“I always stock them in my car. Are you alright?”
Castiel nodded again. “Yes. Just a little baking mishap. Nothing to worry about.”
The man chuckled, “Well, that’s one way of putting it. What were you doing anyway? I thought the small guy usually do the baking.”
“That small guy is my brother, Gabriel.”
“Well, Gabriel’s brother. I’m Dean. Glad you didn’t burn the place down. Kinda hate to lose the best coffee in town.”
Castiel raised his eyebrow, disapprove. “Just the coffee?”
“I baked better pies.” Dean stood smugly, with his hands on his hips.
“Castiel.”
“Sorry?”
“My name. Castiel.”
“That’s a mouthful.”
“So you didn’t just insult our bakery, but my name too.”
Dean laughed.
Even his laughter is addictive. Damn you.
“I’m sorry, dude. But you nearly burned down the place. I just saved your life, and your customers’.”
Castiel sighed, tired from all the stress he had earlier. He rubbed his face with both hands, “Gabriel had some kind of wedding cake emergency. He left me with enough instructions even kindergarten would’ve understood. Apparently, I have no baking genes in me.”
A beat.
“I have to thank you for… earlier. You don’t have to do that, but thank you.” said Castiel sincerely. Gabriel would’ve killed him for burning down the place.
“Yeah, guess I’m always on the job.” Dean shrugged.
“Saving people?”
“I’m a firefighter.”
“Oh.”
Dean smiled at him.
“But you said you bake pies.”
“Firefighters aren’t allowed to bake stuff?”
Castiel blushed, caught at his own ignorance.
Dean laughed this time. “C’mon. I’ll help you clean the kitchen, and if you don’t mind, I’ll even bake you my prize winning apple pies.”
They both walked quietly back into the kitchen. While Castiel grabbed some cleaning products from the cabinet, Dean inspected the oven.
“Hey, Cas! You got real lucky, this time. No wonder the whole thing went up in smoke.” Dean was prodding the oven with some oven mitts and metal tongs. He chucked out four cupcake pans out to the bin, scrapping for some burnt pieces while at it.
“Cas?”
“Oh, sorry. Thought it’s easier than Castiel.” Dean blushed slightly, trying to duck out of Castiel’s way.
“No, that’s fine. No one called me that before. I like it.” Castiel grinned widely at Dean. “Here, this might help with the burnt marks.” Castiel gave some oven cleaning spray to Dean, who took it happily.
They were cleaning and scrubbing the place down quickly, hoping to get it done before Gabriel return for the day. The bakery had to close down for the day due to the mishap, but for the first time, Castiel was glad he could spend it with such a handsome guy.
Dean was dumping all the unusable stuff into the big garbage bag, and tying it up, before tossing it to the dumpster outside. When Castiel did some final cleaning, and mopping the whole place down.
“Alright! That’s done. Wanna grab something to drink?” Dean plopped himself down into one of the chair, wiping his sweat with the napkins provided in the bakery.
“I can make you some ice coffee with ice cream, if you like.” Castiel suggested.
“Sounds great. So… does this counts as first date? You know, buy you a coffee.” Dean smiled smugly this time, leaning towards Castiel, who sat on the opposite side of the table.
Castiel raised an eyebrow, “Clearly I’m the one making the coffee here. And you promised me “prize-winning” apple pies, Dean.”
Castiel was making air quotes, making Dean chuckled. “Hard sell, huh. Gotta say, I did expect that from the gorgeous black hair barista here.”
Castiel nearly drop his jaw right to the floor. He certainly didn’t expect Dean to say that. “What?”
“Wasn’t sure if you’re interested, or if you like guys. Was waiting if I got a chance, but what’d y’know, place on fire. Gotta save the hot guy in distress.” The smug smile never leaving Dean’s face. Castiel almost wanted to push him towards the wall and kiss him senselessly, wiping that smug smile off his face, and moan Castiel’s name instead.
Castiel tilted his face slightly upward, looking serious this time. “I require some wine and dine first, but I don’t like wine. I prefer beer, or hard liquor. I was serious about the apple pie earlier. Can you really put your words in your mouth or was all that just bluffing to get in my pants? Are you going to scream my name, Dean?”
Castiel whispered the last few words closely to Dean’s ear, and Castiel might’ve imagined it, but he saw Dean’s body shivered in such delicious way.
“I’ll scream as much as you want me too, Cas…” Dean’s voice nearly a whisper, hoarse from want. “Not gonna disappoint you, if you let me.”
“Good. I’m free tomorrow after 6. I’ll text you my address.” Castiel took out his phone, pushing it towards Dean, who took it immediately.
“Ahem!”
Both men startled from their own space, cranking their heads towards the sound quickly. There, in the front door, stood Gabriel grinning like a lunatic. A slightly perverted lunatic maybe.
He sauntered his way towards Castiel and Dean’s table, fluttering his eyelashes exaggeratedly. “Sooo, what do we have here, Cassie dear? Got yourself some hot firefighter now? Damn… never thought you score Mr. August here. Please tell me you didn’t close the bakery due to your little debauchery here.”
Dean blushed so red to the tip of his hair, he nearly jumped out of his chair.
Castiel sighed loudly, clearly used to Gabriel’s antique. “Mr. August?”
“Oho ho, Cassie. Cassie. You’ve seen my wall calendar, right?”
Castiel squinted his eyes slightly, thinking. “I rather not get infected with whatever happened in your room, Gabby.”
Gabriel tsk before continuing, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Well, you definitely look way much hotter in real life.” Gabriel gave Dean a wink, “So, you didn’t burn down the place. Guess you can tell me over dinner later. I’m going home, that wedding was a disaster. I need a long nap and a bucket of ice cream to get over the nightmare. My cake was excellent though. I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t have sex on the counter. Use protection, kiddo. Bye!”
With that, Gabriel grabbed an ice cream out of the display fridge, and went out of the door.
Dean still blushing when Castiel looked back at him. “Mr. August?”
“Uh…yeah… charity thing. Calendar.” Dean gestured with his hands all over the place, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Castiel got up from his chair, went behind the counter and made himself and Dean the promised ice coffee earlier, before placing one in front of Dean.
“I hope to hear more from you, Dean. Perhaps we can get more acquainted tomorrow? I have to lock up the bakery for the rest of the day now.”
Dean finally got his confidence back in his step, smiled as he said, “You won’t regret it, Cas.”
……………….
Dean did make better apple pies than Gabriel. The ice cream got eaten between their kisses.
Dean did scream Castiel’s name over and over again on their second date when Castiel pounded hard into him.
Castiel definitely didn’t regret not having any baking genes in him. He got one in his soulmate after all.