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It’s one of those days in the late fall where the sun still shines, keeping the temperature bearable before the harsh winter makes its way to town. There is a gentle breeze that blows by, picking up a few fallen leaves in its path. The air is fresh and clean. Some might say it’s a perfect autumn day… Castiel is not one of those people. He started his day running late, rushing out the door, barely remembering to grab his coat from the hanger. His coffee mug, however, was not so lucky to be remembered. The sad travel mug was left sitting on the counter for the rest of the day, slowly growing colder as time goes on.
Luckily, when Cas gets to work he is able to get some coffee from the staff room before heading to his office. He sinks down into his semi-comfortable chair, holding the mug to his face in hopes it’ll improve his mood. All too soon the mug is empty and Castiel is left looking at the calendar on his desk. He stares at the boxes blankly for a few seconds, refusing to accept what day it is. You see, Cas is a zoo keeper at the city zoo and he really does love his job! He loves hanging out with the animals, feeding and playing with them, he loves his coworkers (most of the time), and he even loves giving tours to groups of people and interacting with all of the other guests. There is, however, one day each year that he needs time to properly prepare for. Today just so happens to be that day. As if his day needed more things to go wrong. There in a bright red pen, the two words he was not prepared for.
Fieldtrip Day.
Really, it shouldn’t have surprised him. Each year the local elementary school sends their third grade class out to the zoo for a tour of the animals. This has been going on for the last eight years and Cas was the lucky one who got chosen to lead the tour the very first year it happened. Since then he has done all of them. Don’t get him wrong, he absolutely adores kids and loves giving tours! It’s the kids’ teacher that is the difficult part of this day.
Dean Winchester. The man moved to town eight years ago when he took the job opening at one of the local elementary schools. First thing he had done was insist on taking his class to the zoo every year since it is one of his own fond memories from his schooling days. So every fall, without fail, the class has come to the zoo for a field trip. Normally Castiel would love having a class there for a field trip, but the very first second he laid sight on Mr. Winchester, he knew it was a very very bad idea. The man is unfairly attractive and instantly had Cas straining to remain professional and appropriate in front of a whole bunch of eight year olds. It didn’t help matters when the teacher flashed him that mesmerizing smile the very first time. Cas was a goner instantly.
Cas groans as he looks at the clock and sees he only has a couple hours to get everything ready and prepare himself for the rest of his day. He calls in Gabe and Charlie to ask for their help with the class today. He has found it best in the past to split into at least two groups so all the kids can listen and ask questions easier. They make a game plan and then move outside to help with opening the zoo. An hour later finds the three of them standing just within the gates watching the class make their way inside.
Castiel can see a little more than 20 kids file in and stand in a cluster waiting for their next directions. Some of them look bored and others look like they were ready to take off at a dead sprint. Luckily it seems like the parent volunteers are able to rangle them all together and calm a few of the over energetic bunch. The volunteers handout mini clipboards and pencils to each student. From past years, Cas knows that the paper on the board is a list of the animals housed at the zoo with space next to them for the kids to write one interesting fact about the animals they see. A couple of the students who were looking bored look a little more excited to be there, now that they’ll be able to actually do some work. Cas chuckles quietly to himself knowing that he was the exact same way when he was their age. Always enjoying time reading or writing more than engaging in class activities. The excitement in the air follows the group as they make their way closer to the waiting zoo employees.
Then, Castiel sees him. Dean Winchester. Tall, light brown hair that is perfectly styled as always, a shining smile, and those damn bow legs. The morning sun filters through the trees highlighting the man’s hair making it appear more blonde. Castiel knows that once the teacher gets closer he will be able to see the sparkle in the bright green eyes and the dusting of freckles over the man’s face. He knows he has to get a hold of himself. He can’t stare at the teacher the whole time, it wouldn’t be fair to the kids. It’s not his fault that the man is unfairly gorgeous though. Cas feels someone elbow him in the side and turns to see Gabriel looking up at him with mischief sparked in his eyes and a lollipop in his mouth.
“A little hot for teacher are we Cassie?” The shorter man teases. Castiel rolls his eyes and sends a small glare his way. He watches the man in question make his way over with his own twinkle in his eye. A small groan escapes Castiel’s mouth knowing exactly what is going to happen next.
“Whale hello there Cas,” The teacher smirks when he finally reaches the zoo employees.
“Mr. Winchester,” Castiel ignores the stupid animal pun. It’s the same one that he has been greeted with the last eight years. The worst part is, it’s not the only one he will hear today! Dean has a never-ending list of stupid animal puns that he puts to use just to annoy Castiel. Ok, that's not exactly true, he tells them to entertain the kids and annoy Castiel. The first year the teacher only had a few and they mostly confused Cas. Then the second year it happened again but with more and they annoyed him. This continues on for eight years with new animal puns each time, so Castiel strives to do his best at ignoring them as much as possible. Unfortunately it never works. The more he ignores them the harder Dean tries to get him to crack. Not this year though. Castiel is so sure that he will not give in to the teacher's antics and will focus solely on the kids. He can’t say the same for his coworkers though as they both giggle at the man in front of them. A quick glare from Cas thankfully shuts them up instantly.
“Oh, come on now Cas, I’ve told you before you can call me Dean!” He says with a wink, “That is unless the kids are listening, then it’s Mr. Dean!”
As if that summoned them, suddenly all 23 kids and the four parent volunteers are standing behind their teacher looking up at them with anticipation filled faces. Dean turns to address his group of students after doing a quick headcount to make sure everyone is there.
“Alright kiddos. Does everyone have their clipboard and pencils? Yes? Good. Now does everyone have their buddy for the day?” The kids quickly pair up and smile up at their teacher. “Awesome, now remember to always stay with your buddy. We are going to split up into the three groups that we talked about earlier, then we’re going to follow one of these lovely zoo officials as they give us a tour and tell us all about the awesome animals here ok?”
Dean proceeds to split the groups up and assigns two parent volunteers with each group. To Castiel’s great pleasure all the kids seem to be on their best behavior this trip. The zoo gets a few other classes that come in for field trips and most of the time the kids don't want to be there and are rude to everyone that crosses their path. They have never had an issue with any of Dean’s classes though. If Cas wasn’t dreading the rest of the day then he might be more inclined to think that Dean was a decent human. Even when the man annoys him to no end, he can really tell the kids love having Dean as their teacher.
The first group is set up with Gabriel, who somehow has a different lollipop now. Gabe has helped out with these tours enough times that he knows the drill with Dean and his classes. The shorter man takes his group and heads off to the big cat exhibits to start. The second group starts to gather around Charlie, the bouncy redhead just as excited as all of the kids. They’re about to head out when Dean stops them.
“Wait, this is your first time with us right?” Charlie nods her head with a smile on her face. “Are we sure you have all of the koala-fications for this job?”
Charlie and the kids all laugh at the play on words while Dean stands there with a proud yet goofy grin on his face. Castiel on the other hand shakes his head and focuses on his own group. He has eight kids and gets paired up with Dean, because of course he gets the joy and pleasure of spending the entire day with the man. The second group heads out leaving Cas with the full attention of the kids and their teacher. There is excitement and curiosity filling all sets of eyes on him and Cas is reminded why he loves this part of his job. With one last look at Dean to make sure they’re ready to go, he gets caught in the pools of sunlit forests that are Dean’s eyes and loses focus of his current task. It’s only when he catches sight of the smirk forming on the teachers lips that he snaps out of it.
“Alright guys, my name is Cas, and I’ll be your guide for the day. We’re going to head to see the bears first, so if any of you have any questions feel free to ask at any time,” Cas says with a friendly smile. When no one races their hand with any questions Cas takes it as his cue to start moving in the direction of the bear habitats.
“Oh good, we’re moving! All of this waiting has been un-bear-able,” Dean chuckles along with a few of his students. The pun quickly turns Cas’ smile into a glare directed at the man. Of course, it doesn’t help matters at all. Dean’s smile just grows bigger from his reaction. Cas lets out a sigh and continues walking, he knows he shouldn’t let the man’s antics get to him. He makes a promise to himself to try harder not to react to Dean’s puns and just enjoy the tour with the students. If Cas is being honest with himself though, he is a little curious to see if Dean has any new puns from the previous year. You would think he would’ve run out of new puns by now, but no such luck. So far, Cas has heard all of these in previous years. Dean always has at least one new one each year though. With the tour starting it is a slight relief knowing that Dean has to follow in the back to make sure they don’t lose any kids, so Cas gets a small break.
A couple minutes later the group reaches the polar bear habitat. The zoo has two polar bears housed in a fairly large environment. Guests can watch them on two different levels, one from above to watch the mammals on the land portion and a lower viewing area to watch the bears play in the water. Luckily the bears decided they wanted a swim today so Cas leads the group to the lower section. When he turns to address the students his eyes catch on Dean for a moment. More specifically the spark of mirth in the man’s eyes. To the best of his ability, Cas ignores the teacher and addresses the students to tell them a little bit about the magnificent creatures behind him.
“These guys behind me are known as polar bears and can usually be found living in the Arctic. Unlike most bears, polar bears don’t actually hibernate during the winter. They can usually be seen still hunting during the harsher winter months. Another fun fact about these bears is that even though they appear white to us, their skin is actually black!” Cas explains while the kids start to write down their fun facts.
“You could say it’s kinda like polar opposites, huh Cas?” Dean says nudging him genty.
And there it is. Cas rolls his eyes, which causes Dean’s grin to grow. He quickly turns his attention back to the kids to find them all staring through the glass at the bears playing in the water. It brings Cas a little bit of joy knowing none of the kids laughed at Dean’s pun this time. It’s a little petty sure, but Cas doesn’t care too much, it still gives him some satisfaction. When it’s time to move on the two adults have to drag the kids away from the glass to the next habitat. Castiel gets a little pep in his step as they get closer to the sun bears. They’re his favorite bears at the zoo, and they’re also new this year. Which means there is no way Dean would have a pun planned for them.
The sun bears are not the cutest looking bears but the color on their chests are so interesting to Castiel. No two bears have the same pattern which makes it easy for Cas to tell them apart. Sun bears are also incredibly rare, so the zoo is pretty lucky to have them in the first place. Today the bears are pretty lazy, sprawled out on rocks and tree branches. A genuine smile forms on Cas’ face from watching the bears. When he turns around to face the kids again, he misses the fond look on Dean’s face.
“Now these bears are known as sun bears. They’re new to the zoo this year and are incredibly rare. They also happen to be the smallest species of bears in the world. Despite their small size they have extremely long tongues, which allows them to get the honey they enjoy so much from the bee nests.”
“Hey Cas, what would bears be without bees?” Dean asks with a smile lighting up his face. Castiel thinks to himself for a little, Dean has never done this one before. He will also admit he’s quite curious about the answer, so Cas indulges the teacher in his game.
“I don’t know Mr. Winchester, what would bears be without bees?”
“Ears!” Dean exclaims with a full body laugh. Cas stands there frozen watching the man in front of him. The laugh is one of the sweetest sounds he has ever heard. It’s so genuine and carefree. Plus the way that Dean’s eyes squint and the smile is so big. Damn, how can he be so freaking adorable and annoying at the same time? “Aw come on man! I thought you’d like that one. You know cause you love bees so much!”
Cas’ heart warms a bit at those words. It’s true, he really does love bees. He allows a small smile to play on his lips as he turns his attention back to the kids. They make their way to the next exhibit of American black bears. Surprisingly, Dean is quiet the whole time and only gives his attention to a little blonde girl when she asks him a question. It’s when they move on to the panda habitat ten minutes later that Dean gets that look in his eye again. Cas mentally prepares himself, having an idea of what is about to happen.
“Hey kiddos I have a joke for all you,” Dean announces to the group. Here it comes, the teacher does this every year and the kids love it each time. “What do you call a bear with no teeth?”
The kids contemplate the question for a little while. Cas watches as some of their faces scrunch you in confusion, some seem they just want to know the answer and not actually put the work in, and one little boy lights up with a smile. He raises his hand and in a quiet voice says, “A gummy bear?”
“Yes Alex!” Dean reaches into his pocket and pulls out mini packs of gummy bears for the kids. They each take one excitedly and start to feast on their treat. Dean looks back at Cas and winks, “Look out Cas, it’s about to be panda-monium here.”
“It’s your fault,”Cas replies, keeping his tone light, he loves that Dean brings treats for the kids and keeps them entertained and focused on the tour.
“Yeah, but the kids love it, so totally worth it.”
The two men stand shoulder to shoulder watching the kids enjoy their gummy bears and watching the antics of the panda bears. Just like the polar bears, the pandas are feeling energetic today. Although energetic might not be the best word to describe pandas. It is one of their more active days, but that only means they’re stumbling around instead of sleeping. They do get lucky and see one of the pandas try to sit on a ball only to roll off instantly. The kids laugh as they eat and it makes Cas’ day just a bit better.
Once the kids finish their snack and whoever needs to go to the bathroom has, they regroup, getting ready to move on to the next section of the zoo. The big cats. Dean always seems to have new puns each year for the cats, so Cas is both kind of excited and completely dreading discovering what the teacher has come up with this year. Of course, he would never tell the handsome man that to his face, it’s Cas’ own little secret.
Dean does one last headcount then gives Cas the ok signal, “All here, lead the way Captain.”
Cas rolls his eyes, but does as he’s told. On their way they pass Charlie’s group and Dean stops her for a second to whisper something in her ear. The redhead smiles and is almost bouncing on her toes in excitement. Castiel wonders what the teacher told her but then he sees Dean hand her a small bundle of something and it hits him. They’re gummy bears. Dean is making sure all of the kids get some and not just the ones in his group. Knowing Gabriel he always has a stash of sweets with him so there is no doubt his group will also get something. As the two groups start moving again Dean makes sure each kid gets a high five and a smile as they pass him.
A few short minutes later the group reaches the exhibit holding the cheetahs. Castiel waits for the kids to gather around him, letting them have a minute to admire the beautiful animals. Cheetahs are on the smaller side of all the big cats but no less impressive. Just watching the way they move you can tell these animals are powerful.
“Can anyone tell me what kind of cats these are?” He asks the kids. A young girl with dark hair in the front races her hand slowly. “Yes?”
“Are they cheetahs? They have spots,” She asks in a quiet voice.
“Yes they are!” He gives her a reassuring smile which instantly helps with brightening the girls face. “Believe it or not these powerful cats are the fastest mammal on land and can reach up to 70 mph, their legs…”
“Speaking of fast cats! I have a question for you guys,” Dean interrupts him. Cas sends him a glare wishing that he could smite the man here and now. Since he can’t do that, he lets the teacher have his fun this time. “Why did the cat get disqualified from the race?”
Eight blank faces stare up at their teacher while Cas stands to the side restraining himself from rolling his eyes. He’s heard this one before. Really Cas is slightly disappointed Dean doesn’t have more original jokes this year.
“Because he was a cheetah!” Dean exclaims with a big smile and some form of jazz hands. Some of the kids giggle at his antics and continue looking at the beautiful animals. While Castiel tries to not look at the beautiful man in front of him. Cas lets them watch the cheetahs for a few more minutes before shuffling them to the next habitat housing the jaguars. Cas is so focused on getting to the next spot that he doesn’t see Dean whisper to two of the students and all of their matching smiles.
“Now, these guys are jaguars. They can actually be found in some parts of the US and are the largest cat in the Americas,” Cas explains while pointing out the two sleeping cats.
“Mr. Cas sir?” One of the boys in the group looks at him with a big gummy smile. “Can they dance?”
Cas looks at the boy completely confused as to what he could mean. Do the cats dance? The kids start laughing and pointing at something to Cas’ left. When he turns to see what caught their attention he finds Dean dancing like a complete dork. Cas stares in complete shock at the spectacle in front of him. Dean goes from doing the robot to the running man to some other dance move that Cas finds a hard time even being real. He’s not sure how the teacher does it but even when he’s being a complete dork and should be entirely unattractive Dean still finds a way of being the most beautiful person Cas has ever seen. It really is not fair in the slightest.
“Cas! I’ve got the moves like jaguar!”
“Mr. Dean, stop! You’re going to make me puma pants!” Another big exclaimed while pointing at the next habitat with two black pumas resting in it. That seemed to be the last straw for the kids because suddenly there were eight kids and one grown man (definitely not Castiel, that’s for sure) laughing out loud and clutching their sides. Eventually when the group starts to settle Dean gives both boys a high five thanking them for their role in his shenanigans. He then looks back at Cas with sparkling green eyes and Cas can’t even pretend to be mad or irritated with the man.
Honestly Cas is still standing there in shock to feel any kind of way. Never once in the last eight years has Dean been this prepared with his students involvement. It’s actually pretty impressive if Cas really thought about it. He also has to admit the whole thing was kind of funny. Still irritating though he reminds himself trying not to cave to the other man's natural charm. Somehow, against his will, a small laugh does escape and it must catch the whole group by surprise because they go silent. Only for a moment though, because soon everyone is laughing again. Him and Dean both have a fond look in their eye when their gazes meet and they share a soft smile before turning their attention back to the students.
“Alright who wants to go see the lions now?” A chorus of yes’ and mes’ fill the air, so Cas leads the group to the four lions they have at the zoo. They have three females and one male in the habitat. The male usually sits on top of the high rock watching over the females and the guests at the zoo. Sure enough when they reach the exhibit he is sitting up too and the kids love how cool he looks.
“Does anyone know any fun facts about lions that they would like to share with the rest of the group?” Castiel knows the lions tend to be the most popular due to how recognizable they are in movies and such that kids tend to know something about them.
“A group of lions is called a pride!”
“The girl lions are the ones who hunt for the group!”
“Lions are the second largest cat in the whole world!”
“They can roar really really loud!”
“If they fall in love with a tiger they can make a liger!”
The onslaught of information takes Cas by surprise. He expected maybe one fact, not one from almost every kid. What is really surprising is that all of the information is correct. He has never had a group that has known so much about lions before. He turns to Dean and finds the man with a sheepish look on his face.
“They were so excited and wanted to know more about the lions when I told them we were taking a field trip to the zoo, so I told them all of the fun facts that I could remember you saying over the years. Except for the liger one, that came from me of course,” Dean explained with a slight blush rising to his cheeks.
Cas can tell the teacher is trying to play it cool like he always does but personally Cas kind of likes this flustered version of the man. He can’t help the feeling in his chest at the man's admission either. Dean remembered all of the fun facts Cas has told his classes over the years and then has the audacity to look adorable and embarrassed by it. Another soft smile makes its way to Cas’ face, seeming like no matter how annoying the other man is, Cas can’t help but smile around him.
“Well let’s see if I can remember another fun fact for you guys then,” Castiel really does have to think hard for an interesting fact that the kids haven’t said yet. “Did you guys know that even though in stories and movies the lion is known as the king of the jungle lions don’t actually live there? They prefer the open savannah and grasslands over a whole bunch of trees.”
The kids look up at him with a sense of awe and a surge of accomplishment hits Castiel. It makes him happy knowing he made the kids happy with his knowledge of the many animals at the zoo. The group spends more time than they probably should watching the lions before moving on to the next and last portion of the zoo. The next half hour passes relatively quickly as they move from animal to animal. Cas shares fun facts. Dean shares puns and jokes. Between the two of them the kids are entertained. He knows he should be grateful that he doesn’t have to keep the kids interested all by himself but Cas can’t help getting annoyed by the endless puns. Dean more often gets a glare in response to his commentary than he does a smile. Just barely though. Cas really has to work on his self control. Of course it doesn’t seem to bother the teacher at all since the man just keeps on smiling like nothing is wrong.
There are only a couple more exhibits to go and Cas is counting down the minutes. He needs more coffee. Or a nap. They reach the elephants and Cas says his piece before letting the kids watch the giant animals get a bath from some other zoo employees. They have a hose and a kitty pool out for the animals trying their best to get them a little cleaner. One of the elephants finishes getting sprayed off before stomping over to the other side of the habitat. Cas knows this particular elephant never likes being clean for too long so he watches with all the kids as the animal flops down in the dirt causing a dust cloud to fly into the air. The elephant rolls around trying to get all his still wet surfaces covered in a nice layer of dirt. Laughter fills the air as the guests watch the elephant and zoo employees in the habitat. Dean of course doesn’t miss the perfect opportunity either.
“That bath seems a little irr-elephant now doesn’t it?” The teacher says to the zoo keeper nudging him with his elbow.
“Ugh Mr. Winchester you’re giraffe-ing me crazy with all of these puns,” Cas replies while pointing over his shoulder to the giraffe habitat behind them. Dean turns to stare at the man with shock in his bright green eyes. Then the biggest smile Cas has seen all day splits across the handsome man's face and it’s like pure sunshine. The kids sense the switch of attention and head over to the giraffes while the two men stand and stare at each other with smiles on their faces.
“You are such a hippo-crite sometimes Cas,” Dean says with a teasing tone and a quick wink that leaves Cas blushing softly. They watch the kids enjoying their last few minutes before they go to meet up with the rest of the class at the front of the zoo. Cas sends Gabriel and Charlie back in to finish their day. Gabe shoots him a wink and Charlie smiles at him before heading off. He walks with Dean and the class back to the bus and gives each kid a high five as they load up. After all the kids are safely on the bus, Dean turns back to Cas with a soft smile on his face. The zoo keeper steps a little bit closer to the attractive man and reaches up to fix his collar.
“Sorry it’s been bugging me for a while,” Cas mumbles quietly leaving his hand resting on Dean’s chest.
“Thank you, so I’ll see you at home?” Dean asks, pulling Cas’ hand away from his body to hold between them.
“Yes, I’ll be home a little after six,” he replies with a smile.
“Awesome,” Dean leans in and gives Cas a soft kiss before pulling back. “Oh, you forgot your coffee on the counter this morning, so I thought I would bring it to you at the start of the tour, but then I got too excited to annoy you all day and forgot it on the bus. It’s probably not good anymore huh?”
“You’re such a dork. Go before I kiss you again and make you late to getting back,” Cas chuckles.
“Eh one more kiss wouldn’t hurt,” Dean says puckering his lips. Cas gives in, of course, and softly kisses the teacher again. With a satisfied smirk Dean hops on the bus and gives the all good to the driver.
Cas shakes his head and watches the bus drive away. He can’t wait to get home to his husband tonight.
Two years later!
It’s field trip day again….
Cas is standing at the gates with Gabe and Charlie one again waiting for Dean’s third grade class to file into the zoo. This year Cas was actually able to remember what day it was and prepare himself for the day to come. He sees the kids make their way towards the zoo officials and his eyes lock onto a little girl with blonde curly hair in the front. She has a giant smile on her face and is practically bouncing up and down. Once their eyes meet she takes off running for him. When she does reach him he crouches down to be at eye level and is met with a pair of very excited bright blue eyes.
“Whale hello there, Papa!” She exclaims.
Castiel rolls his eyes and looks at the adorable little girl in front of him. Her smile is bright enough to rival her father’s and Cas was never any good at denying that man anything. Same goes for this little one.
“Hello Claire.”
“I see our daughter beat me to it with the puns today?”
Cas looks up and sees Dean looking at the pair with a fond look on his face. Standing back up the zookeeper does his very best to glare at the teacher and is met with a satisfied grin. Oh yeah, today is going to be a very very long day.