Archive of Our Own

Castiel had always enjoyed the smell of coffee. 

His parents were both lawyers with long work hours, which meant they always had a pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen to keep them going. The smell was the blanket of Castiel’s childhood. 

That was one thing that led Castiel to open his own coffee shop in downtown Chicago. His parents had actually disowned him when he’d quit law school and decided he wanted to try something different but it was still the memories of rich coffee that made Castiel open ‘Angel Delights’.

Nearly a year on from first opening his doors, Castiel couldn’t be happier with how things were going. 

At first, he couldn’t afford extra workers so he went for many weeks without a day off or even a lie in. But welcoming customers from all walks of life into his shop, and seeing them leave satisfied was worth the tiredness. 

He’d since been able to hire a few members of staff to help him out. But he still found himself spending as much time as he could at the shop. It was his favourite place to be and he was proud of what he’d achieved. 

And spending so much time in the shop meant that he could get to know his regulars. 

There was the guy who came in always looking a little worse for wear. He’d ask for their most basic coffee and pay for it with scrunched up dollar bills. Castiel always made sure to give him a snack on the house, waving off any protests from the man until he relented and gave Castiel a grateful smile. 

Then there was the gaggle of young mothers who met every Thursday morning to swap stories of what their little ones had managed to get up to that week. They even wrenched Castiel in to look at pictures of their children as they grew. Castiel couldn’t complain. He loved children and was sure to have special cookies tucked away for when he had the pleasure of having well-behaved, smiley kids in the shop. 

But none of them compared to Batman. 

Of course, Castiel knew that Batman wasn’t the man’s real name. But it was all he’d had to go on so far. 

Batman first appeared in Angel Delights one Wednesday afternoon. The lunch rush had just ended and Castiel was manning the counter while Charlie went on her break. 

Castiel was wiping down the surfaces and rearranging the mugs when the bell above the door jingled. He turned to stand at the counter, giving the new customer his best customer service smile. 

But his smile faltered slightly when he took in the man before him. 

Simply put, he was beautiful. 

Well, Castiel couldn’t actually see his whole face but what he could see was wonderful. Short, perfectly styled hair, which complimented sun-kissed skin. A dark leather jacket that hugged his torso in all the right places. And a whispering of stubble across his cutting jawline. If only he wasn’t wearing those sunglasses. Castiel would have loved to have seen the eyes that surely would be as beautiful as their owner. 

But, despite catching Castiel’s attention with his good looks (and a few of the other customers, it had to be said), Castiel couldn’t help but notice that the man didn’t carry himself with the confidence that his appearance suggested he should have. 

As he walked up to the counter, the man kept his head down and maintained eye contact with the floor. 

Once he arrived at the counter, Castiel’s smile was fixed firmly back on his face. He wouldn’t let an attraction distract him from doing his job properly.

“Hello, welcome to Angel Delights. What would you like to order?” Castiel asked, with the same polite tone as always. 

Even though he was clearly the first (and only) one in line, the man’s head snapped up to meet Castiel’s gaze as if he wasn’t expecting Castiel to address him. From behind the sunglasses Castiel could see the man frown slightly. 

Instead of answering the question, the man finally lifted the glasses from his eyes and pushed them up onto his head. 

Wow, Castiel was right, his eyes were definitely as beautiful as the rest of him. The green of his eyes along with the crisp brown of his hair made Castiel think of a forest he’d love to explore. 

The man stood there, making eye contact with Castiel for a few more seconds before a flicker of confusion flitted across his face. Seemingly realising he was just staring at Castiel, the man shook his head slightly and finally looked up at the menu board behind Castiel. 

“Uhh, I guess I’ll give your cappuccino a try.” The man shrugged. “And could I have it to go?” 

“Of course.” Castiel smiled, ignoring the strange way the man had been acting. He certainly wasn’t here to judge. “Could I take a name for the order?”

The man chuckled slightly to himself. A small smirk appeared on his face. It was the first inkling of positive emotion Castiel had seen from him so far. 

“Batman.” 

Castiel squinted at the man, Batman apparently. He may not be ‘down with the kids’ as Charlie constantly reminded him, but even Castiel knew who Batman was. And this man certainly wasn’t him. But, again, he wasn’t here to judge. 

“Thank you. Is there anything else you’d like?” 

Batman smirked again and looked like he was going to say something until a small group of teenage girls giggling by the window caught his attention. Castiel frowned as the man seemed to hunch in on himself at the attention he was receiving from his fellow customers. 

“Uh, no thanks, man. Just the coffee will be fine.” He murmured, pulling out his wallet to pay. 

Castiel finished ringing up the order and turned to the coffee machine to make the man’s cappuccino. 

Once he turned around again to pass the coffee over the counter, he noticed the man had moved to a small space against the far wall, his sunglasses placed firmly back over his eyes. 

Sensing that the man probably wouldn’t want the attention that came with Castiel shouting his order out across the quiet shop, Castiel left the counter and took the coffee over to him. 

“Here’s your coffee.” Castiel said, handing the to-go cup over. 

The man startled slightly, clearly having not been paying attention to his surroundings. 

“Oh, uh, thanks man.” He gave Castiel a small smile as he accepted the drink. 

“You’re welcome, Batman .” Castiel smiled back with a glint in his eyes. 

A light blush appeared on Batman’s cheeks and he nodded before making his way towards the exit, his head held a little higher than it had been when he came in. 

*  *  * 

By the next day, Castiel had failed to stop thinking about Batman for more than a few minutes. The only time his mind was truly at rest was when he slept. But even then, he dreamed of walking through forests and looking up at the sky made up of emeralds. He couldn’t put his finger on why the man wouldn’t leave his thoughts. There was just something about him that called out to Castiel. 

The shop had just quietened down once again after the lunch rush, Charlie had just left for her lunch break and Castiel was doodling ideas for the holidays coming up in the next few months. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas could be used to bring in a bit more profit. 

Ordinarily, he’d be happy just to break even with enough to have a little money for himself. But he secretly had a dream to extend the shop into the perpetually empty space next door, and create a bakery. And extending a business, especially a small one, took money. And lots of it. 

So he needed all of the financial help he could get. It would be just his luck that just as he finally got the money together for a bank loan, the empty space would be snatched up by someone else. 

Castiel was snapped out of his inner musings (and badly drawn holiday coffee decorations) by the bell ringing above the door. 

He couldn’t help but smile to himself when he saw who was walking up to the counter. 

This time Batman moved his sunglasses to his head before he reached the counter. This allowed Castiel to take a subtle look at the man’s face again. His dreams certainly didn’t do the green in the man's eyes justice. But, Castiel figured, it would probably be impossible to recreate such a beautifully unique colour. 

Before he could second guess whether he might actually be falling for a man whose name he didn’t know and who he’d only actually met once, Castiel welcomed him at the counter. 

“Hello, again.” Castiel smiled. 

Batman looked a little taken aback that Castiel remembered him, which only made Castiel smile more. 

“What can I get for you today? Another cappuccino?” Castiel asked. 

Green eyes blinked slightly at Castiel before the man cleared his throat. “Uh, actually I thought I’d give your pumpkin spiced latte a go.” 

A small blush appeared on the man’s face, which spread up to the tops of his ears. It seemed he was embarrassed about his order, though Castiel couldn’t think why. Perhaps it was because pumpkin spiced lattes were supposedly only consumed by young women. But, as always, Castiel wouldn’t judge. And it was only a drink after all. 

“That’s a great choice. We’ve just started them for the fall and they’ve proved to be very popular already.” Castiel gave the man a reassuring smile. “Especially with the holidays coming up too. We’ll probably be getting even more options in soon.” 

The small light in the man’s eyes dimmed and he closed off again, much like when he first arrived the day before. “Yeah, I guess the holidays are soon. I forgot it was that time of year again.” 

Forgot? Castiel knew it wasn’t quite the holiday season yet but surely this person knew what month they were in at least? 

Carefully schooling his expression to not show his reaction to the man’s statement, Castiel decided to change the subject. Try to get the light back in the man’s eyes. 

“Are you going for ‘Batman’ again?” 

“Uh, what?” 

“The name for the order.” Castiel explained. “Yesterday you gave me ‘Batman’. Would you like to go for it again? Or would you like to give another name?” 

Perhaps your real name?

A small amused smile graced the man’s face. He nodded at the memory. “Nah. I’ll go for something different today. Let’s say…” The man pondered for a bit, biting his lip a little. “Han Solo.” 

“Han Solo?” Castiel questioned.

The man nodded, a grin threatening to appear on his face. “Yeah, dude’s awesome.” 

“You’re getting no arguments from me.” Castiel chuckled. (Though, had the man given that name just a couple of weeks before, Castiel would never have understood the reference. Charlie had only just managed to convince him to watch the Star Wars movies with her.) “It’ll be ready for you in a couple of minutes.” 

“Thanks, man.” The man, Batman, Han Solo, said as he passed over the correct change for the drink. 

Once again, Castiel noticed that he moved over to the far wall to wait for his order, out of sight of the few other patrons dotted around the shop. But this time, the sunglasses stayed propped on top of his head. 

Before the man could look up and see Castiel basically staring at him, Castiel busied himself with putting the finishing touches on the order. 

As the coffee machine finished coughing and spluttering the final dregs of liquid into the cup, Castiel picked up a plastic top and sealed away the bittersweet aroma steaming out. He turned to leave the counter again to deliver the coffee to the man, but as he walked past the small selection of desserts they had on offer, he faltered in his step. 

Quickly, so he couldn’t second guess his decision, Castiel grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. 

As if sensing Castiel approaching, the man lifted his head from where it had been looking at the carpet. He fixed Castiel with a smile as he passed over the coffee but the smile turned to a frown when he noticed the cookie in Castiel’s hand. 

“Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t order that.” 

“No, it’s on the house.” Castiel waved it off. “I suppose, I just-” He stopped himself before he said something that would offend or upset the man and stop him from coming back. 

But the man wasn’t letting it go. “You just what?” 

Now it was Castiel’s turn to look nervously at the carpet. “I just thought that you seemed a little down about something.” He shrugged. And then snapped his head up urgently to reassure the man. “Not that it’s any of my business at all. I apologise if I overstepped.” 

“Nah, man. It’s fine.” The man said, suddenly looking intently at the cookie in his hand. “I guess I’m not used to people being kind just ‘cause.” 

Castiel’s heart melted and his gaze on the man softened. He didn’t know this man’s story but he knew there was more to him than his intense good looks. 

“Well, I’ve found that there’s very little point to this life without kindness and happiness.” Castiel smiled softly. 

The man looked as though he was going to say something else but the bell above the door rang again and directed Castiel’s attention to new customers who were making their way to the counter. 

“You better go.” The man nodded towards the other side of the room. “Thanks again, for this.” He said, lifting up the cookie. “Means a lot.” 

“You’re welcome. I hope to see you again?” Castiel asked. 

The man just nodded and made his way towards the exit. 

*  *  * 

And that’s how it went for the next month or so. 

Every day, like clockwork, the man would enter under the jingle of the bell and Castiel’s day would get immediately brighter. 

But the happiness would inevitably turn to affectionate eye rolls and frustration when the man still refused to give Castiel his real name. 

In fact, it had turned into a joke. Every day the man, who Castiel had instead started calling ‘Green Eyes’, would come in and give a new fake name. 

In addition to ‘Batman’ and ‘Han Solo’, there had also been Dr Sexy, Iron Man, Fred Flintstone, Yoda, Marty McFly, and Agent Mulder to name just a few. 

Each one made Castiel laugh even more and he soon found himself secretly longing for the mornings to quickly pass so that he could see the mysterious man. 

They never spoke about anything personal. They never even got anywhere close after that day with the cookie. But Castiel noticed that, as each day passed, the man would come out of his shell just a little more. 

And slowly, almost without him realising, Castiel felt himself begin to fall for this curious stranger.

*  *  * 

Almost two months since the man first came to the coffee shop, Castiel had to face the first day without seeing him. 

It was a Thursday afternoon, Green Eyes had just left with a smile and a wave, and Charlie came running in from her lunch break frantically rambling. She begged him, pleaded with him to let her have some last minute time off for the weekend to go to a convention of some sort (as much as Castiel loved and appreciated her, he couldn’t always keep up with all of the various pop culture things she was into). She did work hard and Castiel knew how much it would mean to her to go so he eventually relented. 

Though, due to the short notice, he was unable to get any other employees to cover her Friday evening shift, which meant it was left to Castiel to work it. He tried not to show the disappointment on his face at the thought of missing Green Eyes - it’s not like they even knew each other that well. The man only knew Castiel’s name because he wore a name badge, and Castiel still didn’t know his. 

But Charlie was too perceptive and clocked the change in Castiel’s face immediately. She stopped the happy dance she’d been doing and asked him what was so bad about the evening shift. (It was widely regarded as the best shift by the other baristas. They could have a lie in and then come to work and have barely anything to do. Win-win.)

Castiel had just shrugged and said he just liked the afternoon shift that he normally worked, he enjoyed the lunchtime rush. As the owner, he did have a little more choice about when he worked so it wasn’t completely a lie to say that he liked the intensity of a rush period - it was why he chose to stick to that shift in the first place.

Charlie didn’t know about the green-eyed stranger - she was either on her lunch break or hadn’t started her shift yet whenever he came in - and Castiel was reluctant to share the existence of the man with her. It felt personal, or private, somehow. Plus, Charlie would be sure to try to set them up as soon as she learned of the man. And, while Castiel would definitely not be opposed to that idea, he didn’t want to scare the man away before he’d even learned his real name. 

Charlie had raised an eyebrow at him, seeing through his flimsy excuse, but she didn’t press him further on the matter. Instead, she gave him a quick hug in thanks and skipped out to the back, shouting over her shoulder that she’d return the favour next week by giving him all the gory details of her weekend away. 

*  *  * 

Friday evening came, and, while Castiel had actually been grateful for the extra sleep that morning, he was still a little downtrodden at missing Green Eyes. 

When he’d arrived, he had been tempted to ask one of the baristas if they had seen Green Eyes come in but decided against it. He wasn’t sure that the answer would bring him any comfort anyway. 

So he just went through the formalities of the hand over from the afternoon shift to the evening shift. He thanked his staff for their hard work as they left through the front door. And then he was on his own. The rush hour crowd had been dealt with already by the afternoon staff and there were only a handful of customers left dotted around the shop. 

Castiel stood behind the counter, not really knowing what to do with himself. Ordinarily, he’d be preparing for the next rush, but with the city beginning to calm down for the night, there was very little likelihood of more than a few customers dripping in before they closed. 

Now he could see why some of the younger baristas would be happy to do this shift, there was little else to do but sit behind the counter and wait for the occasional patron. But Castiel didn’t work like that, he needed to be busy. So he set about reorganising and cleaning anything he could find. 

And that’s how he spent the next few hours leading up to closing, while also keeping an eye out for anyone approaching the counter. 

It was approaching eleven o’clock, there hadn’t been any new customers for almost an hour and the last remaining ones had just left with a smile and small ‘thank you’.

Castiel sighed to himself and checked his watch. Still half an hour until he was meant to close. Maybe having to do the evening shift had turned out to be a good thing. If it was this quiet, and frankly boring, at this time of night, perhaps the coffee shop didn’t need to stay open this long. He could use this time to start assessing some changes. If he was going to apply for a bank loan at some point he needed to make sure his business was a well-oiled machine. And that meant not spending money on staff and utilities to stay open for a few customers whose orders wouldn’t even cover the staff's wages for those few hours. 

Humming thoughtfully to himself as he looked over the shop one more time looking for something to do, his head snapped up at the sound of the bell ringing over the door. 

A cold blast of air came in and Castiel could feel the whispers of it on his face even from behind the counter. But he was distracted from the bitterness by the person walking towards him, hunched over on themselves and shaking slightly. 

It was Green Eyes. 

Castiel wasn’t used to seeing this version of the man anymore. He hadn’t been closed off like this since the first few days they saw each other. Castiel missed the light in the man’s eyes. Instead, now they were dull and refusing to look at Castiel. 

“C-could I get a coffee or somethin’. Please.” Green Eyes’ voice shook. 

Snapping himself out of staring, Castiel cleared his throat. “What would you like?”

“Anythin’. I just need somethin’.” 

Castiel nodded and moved to the coffee machine, turning his back on the man for a few seconds. He knew immediately what drink he’d make for him. 

After trying out each of the coffees that Angel Delights had on offer during his daily trips to the shop, Green Eyes had settled on his regular order being the cappuccino he’d ordered that very first day. Castiel had internally questioned the choice considering he thought they offered nicer drinks than that but he wouldn’t judge someone else’s taste. 

Castiel filled the machine with coffee grounds and set it to warm up (he’d turned it off and cleaned it only twenty minutes before thinking that no one else would come in). The only sound in the room was the whirring and whining of the machine. 

Castiel turned back to face Green Eyes who had clearly been watching him if his quickly averted gaze was anything to go by. 

Usually, at this point, either Castiel or Green Eyes would have started up their playful banter. Castiel would have probably used the name the man had given the day before to greet him and then smiled with a joyful glint in his eye as he watched Green Eyes come up with yet another name to give him. 

But now it didn’t seem right when the man was clearly on edge. On the edge of what, Castiel didn’t know. Plus, there was not another soul in the shop, it would be pointless to ask for a name. 

However, Castiel’s instincts didn’t get the message and his hand reached towards the pot of Sharpies next to the register, working completely on auto pilot. Castiel cringed slightly and retracted his hand, hoping that Green Eyes hadn’t seen the action. 

“Dean.” 

The voice came across the counter with such a mutter that Castiel almost didn’t catch it over the sound of the coffee machine. 

“I’m sorry?” Castiel asked. 

Green Eyes finally looked at Castiel. “My name - my real name - is Dean.” 

Green E- Dean looked as though he’d just told Castiel his darkest secret. But instead of relief, there was a sort of resigned, defeated look in his eyes. 

Dean. It’s one that Castiel had never considered when thinking of all the different names he could possibly have. But now, looking at Dean, Castiel couldn’t imagine him being anything else. 

Castiel only wished he knew what brought on this revelation. Why Dean was standing in front of him shaking in a way that had nothing to do with the autumnal cold outside. 

“Well, it’s nice to finally, properly meet you, Dean.” Castiel smiled. 

Dean didn’t reply but he gave a small nod in return. 

Just as Castiel was about to open his mouth to ask Dean what made him give his real name, the coffee machine beeped behind him, snapping him from his thoughts. He turned to finish up preparing Dean’s coffee and only a few seconds later, he was handing the steaming cup over the counter. 

Dean accepted the coffee and put his other (still shaking slightly) hand in his pocket to retrieve his wallet. Before he could wrestle it out, however, Castiel reached a gentle hand out to his shoulder.

Dean paused his struggle and looked to Castiel. 

“It’s fine, Dean. It’s on me.” 

Dean looked as though he wanted to protest but Castiel gave him a look that said ‘I will fight you on this’ and Dean relented. He didn’t look as though he had the energy to argue. 

With that, Dean nodded his thanks and turned away from the counter. 

Castiel watched him walk for a few seconds before leaving to turn off the coffee machine once again and clean it. 

Twenty minutes later, the coffee machine was once again clean and Castiel had taken to pottering around out the back in their small kitchen area. He glanced at his watch and realised it was ten minutes until closing. Figuring it wouldn’t matter if he closed early, he made his way out to the front. 

Except, when he began moving his way through the various tables and chairs scattered around, Castiel noticed a figure hunched over in the corner. 

It took his brain a second to realise it was Dean. He mustn’t have left after Castiel gave him his coffee. And now that he thought about it, he didn’t hear the bell above the door. He should have known that Dean was still there. 

Now Castiel felt terrible that Dean was clearly not okay and he’d just walked off and left him. 

Carefully approaching the table neatly tucked away in the corner, Castiel spoke up. “Hello, Dean. I didn’t realise you were still here so I began locking up for the night.” 

As if he’d been in a daze until he heard Castiel’s voice, Dean’s eyes snapped to Castiel’s. “Uh, right, sorry man. I didn’t think about the time.” Dean made to get up from his seat, coffee cup still in hand. “I’ll get outta your hair.” 

Castiel didn’t know what was happening with Dean but he knew he wasn’t going to let him go when something was clearly wrong. He shot out a hand to halt Dean and encourage him to sit back down. “No, Dean. It’s okay. You can stay as long as you need.” 

“Castiel-” 

Castiel had never heard Dean say his name before. He liked the way it sounded in Dean’s gruff voice. Though hopefully the next time he said it it wouldn’t be wrapped in weariness. 

“- it’s late. You probably need to get home. Thanks for the coffee.” Dean went to stand again but this time Castiel was firm and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder stopping him from moving. 

“Dean. I do not wish to overstep the mark, but there is something wrong and I am not letting you go out into the freezing cold night alone. Not when you could be safe here.” He let the ‘with me’ go unsaid but the sudden soft look Dean gave him said that they both knew the implication was there. 

Dean relented once again and settled back in his seat. 

“Good. Now wait there and I’ll brew us some more coffee. Then we’ll talk.” Castiel instructed. “It doesn’t have to be about what’s bothering you - that is none of my business unless you wish to share it with me.” 

Without letting Dean respond, or more likely protest, Castiel made his way back over to the counter. He forwent the coffee machine because, as much as he did like Dean, there was no way he was going to clean that thing three times in one night. 

Instead, he set a pot of instant coffee to brew in the back kitchen. It was mostly the staff that drank it on their breaks (you’d think they’d be sick of it after serving it all day but evidently not). 

Returning a few minutes later, coffee pot in hand and two mismatched mugs, Castiel detoured from his path back to Dean to lock the door and flip the open sign to closed. 

Dean watched Castiel walk from the door back to his table. Normally, it would set Castiel a little on edge knowing that he was alone at night with someone watching his every move. But Dean was different. Castiel didn’t quite know why, he just trusted Dean. He knew that, even in his current state, Dean would never do him any harm. You don’t train to be a lawyer and then serve customers daily without learning to pick up on people’s personalities from even the smallest interaction. 

“Sorry that it’s only the instant kind.” Castiel said, as he placed the pot and mugs on the table before taking a seat opposite Dean. He poured a mug each for them and slid one over to Dean. 

“Thanks, man.” Dean said, taking a small sip. “Pretty sure I don’t deserve any of this.” He muttered. 

Castiel frowned. He didn’t like hearing people be hard on themselves - god knows he did it enough to himself when he was in law school wondering what the hell he was doing there - but he especially didn’t want to hear it from Dean. 

Dean who had made him laugh. Dean who could brighten his day just by walking through the door. Dean who Castiel was sure he could fall for despite knowing very little about him.

“I’ll determine who deserves what I give them, thank you.” Castiel said, sternly. 

Dean just shrugged in response. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew.” He mumbled under his breath. 

But in the quiet of the empty coffee shop, Castiel could hear everything. 

“So why don’t you tell me so I can judge for myself.” Castiel challenged. “I know I said that you didn’t have to tell me anything but considering you’re so determined for me to think you undeserving, despite the fact that our interactions in the last couple of months have proved otherwise to me, tell me. Let me decide for myself. And I promise you, if I don’t like what I hear I’ll take away the coffee, you can leave, and we’ll never see each other again.” 

Truly, Castiel didn’t feel himself obliged to know anything that Dean didn’t want to tell him but he could see Dean’s kind soul beaming out like a beacon and he knew there was more to the story than Dean was letting on. There was also no way he would actually stop seeing Dean unless Dean decided to end their daily meetings. 

From the deep relenting sigh that Dean let out, Castiel knew his thinly-veiled threat had worked. 

“S’your funeral.” Dean muttered, before clearing his throat and sitting himself up straight for the first time, seemingly, since he had arrived. “I’m an alcoholic. Recovering, technically.” 

Castiel blinked back at Dean. “Is that supposed to scare me off?” 

“I-uh..” Dean clearly hadn’t expected Castiel to say that. “Well, I guess? Normally, people tend to run in the other direction when they find out. If they didn’t know already.” 

Castiel shrugged. “Well, I suppose I’ve never been what others determine as ‘normal’.” 

Dean smiled at Castiel’s use of air quotes. “Anyway,’ he sighed. “It’s the classic story of having a dead mom and a shitty dad.” 

The blunt way in which Dean spoke of his parents cut Castiel. He hadn’t spoken to his own parents for almost a year but even then he still felt something for them. The way Dean spoke was with a resigned acceptance of a past trauma. Castiel just wanted to wrap his arms around the man. 

“I pretty much raised my brother because my dad was too out of it. I dunno where he even was half the time. I started drinking as soon as I was old enough to figure out how to get a fake ID. Figured, if my old man could drink away his feelings why couldn’t I, y’know?” 

Castiel only frowned. He figured there was more to the story and feared that saying anything would result in Dean closing up again. 

So Dean continued. 

“I coped with it better than Dad though. Hid it better from Sammy.” He sniffed, starting to run his finger along a chip in his mug. “Hid it so well no one ever knew, which helped in my line of work a hell of a lot.” He chuckled darkly. 

“Okay,” Castiel treaded carefully. “But none of that makes you a bad person. You had a lot of responsibility from what sounds like a very young age.” 

Dean scoffed. 

“Seriously, Dean. This isn’t your fault.” Castiel implored. “And you said you’re recovering, that’s amazing!” He exclaimed.

“Right, thanks for patronising me dude.” Dean rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry if it seems like I was being patronising but that wasn’t what I meant.” Castiel explained. “I meant only that you should be proud of your strength to do something about your addiction.” 

Dean seemed to settle a little at Castiel’s explanation. 

“Well I didn’t have much choice.” 

“What do you mean?”

Dean squinted at Castiel’s question, almost as if Castiel should already know the answer. 

“About a year ago I got in a pretty bad car accident. Drink driving. Luckily no one else was hurt. I had a few scrapes and a broken arm but that was about it.” Dean subconsciously rested his hand just below his left elbow, as if reliving the pain of the crash. “But the worst part was that my brother stopped talking to me. Said I was an embarrassment. That I was beyond help.” 

Castiel sucked in a sharp breath. 

“He shouldn’t have said that to you.” He said, fiercely. 

“But he was right. I was taking out my shit on everyone else. I had no friends and no family. I’d pushed them all away for being too scared to deal with my shit.” Dean quickly lifted a hand to wipe away a stray tear that had dropped down his cheek. “Now I’ve heard through a few people that he’s gonna be a dad in a couple months.” 

“So why don’t you try to reconnect with him? Show him how much progress you’ve made?” Castiel tried to help. 

“Because I’m an embarrassment. To him and to everyone we know.” 

“I’m sure that’s not true anymore. If it even was to begin with.” 

“Cas, I know you’re trying to be nice or whatever but people are literally still talking about it a year later. They won’t leave me alone. Nothing is private anymore. That’s another reason not to drag my brother back into this. He never asked for it.” 

Castiel was officially confused. Dean said that he’d pushed all his family and friends away so who was it that wasn’t leaving him alone?

“I’m sorry, who’s ‘they’?” 

“You really have no idea who I am do you?” Dean smiled, softly. 

Castiel was still confused but if it meant Dean’s face being painted with even a small amount of happiness, it was fine. 

“I’m not following, Dean.” Castiel shook his head. It felt like Dean was talking in riddles and Castiel was only privy to half of the clues. 

Dean shifted nervously in his seat. But instead of hunching in on himself like before, he blushed slightly and smirked. 

“You’re making this kinda awkward for me, dude. ‘Cause this is the part where I’ve gotta explain that I’m kinda a movie star without sounding like a complete dick. ‘Dean Winchester’ ring any bells?” Dean chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

And it all fell into place. 

Every moment that had puzzled Castiel since they met had instantly been explained. 

That was why Dean had seemed so confused when Castiel asked his name the first day they met. And why he’d shied away when those teenage girls sat by the window seemed to notice him. 

Castiel’s heart broke thinking back to when he’d given Dean that cookie for free to cheer him up and Dean had said no one did kind things for him without reason. 

The ‘they’ that Dean had talked about were probably the media, stalkers, fans, anyone who cared more about Dean’s apparent fame than the man behind it. No wonder he’d always seemed to close in on himself and make himself as small as possible. He was probably scared of people watching his every move. 

After processing the information for a few quiet moments, Castiel looked to Dean’s smiling face. 

“I wasn’t expecting that. I had no idea.” 

Dean chuckled again. “Yeah, I figured that the first day I came here. At first when you asked my name I thought you were just being polite but then I realised you had no clue who I was.”

“So why did you give a fake name?” 

“I guess I was still worried that I’d say who I was and something would click. So I played it safe. And then after that it became a joke. How long could I keep giving you a fake name for before you cracked up and asked my real name? But you never did.” 

“Well, it was none of my business.” Castiel shrugged. 

“Whatever your reason, it kept me coming back. Gave me something to focus on every day. What name could I give that would make you smile in the beautiful way you always do.” 

Castiel blushed at the compliment. He’d found Dean attractive since the day they met but he could never work out if Dean returned the feeling. 

“Honestly,” Dean continued, “I only came in that first time because I’ve sort of taken to drinking coffee instead of hitting the bottle. I guess it’s still not good for me but it’s helping for now. And, man, I just couldn’t resist the coffee here. I used to go to the Starbucks down the street but I kept getting recognised so I tried here and I don’t regret a thing.” Dean smiled. “Coffee’s much better and the barista that always serves me is pretty cute too.” He winked. 

Beautiful? Cute? Dean seemed determined to kill Castiel now. And by the playful smirk on Dean’s face, he knew exactly what he was doing to Castiel. 

Despite how wonderful it was to see Dean finally open up and be himself, Castiel couldn’t let him get the upper hand. 

“I think you’ll find he’s the owner , actually.” 

Dean barked out a beautiful, wholesome laugh that lit up his entire body. “Alright man, fair enough.” 

A soft silence fell over the two men as Castiel finally sipped his forgotten coffee. It was only lukewarm now but it was enough to keep him awake a little longer. Despite the late hour, Dean showed no signs of leaving and Castiel had no intention of letting him go any time soon. 

“So,” Castiel eventually broke the silence. “Do you have any new projects coming up?” 

Dean shook his head. “Nah, I’m done with acting.” 

Castiel raised his eyebrows as he lifted his mug to his lips.

“It was fun while it lasted but it’s too risky. The environment is too toxic for me now. With all the partying and shit, it was only a matter of time before someone offered me something worse than alcohol, y’know?” 

Castiel nodded. Though he only could only imagine what Hollywood parties must be like. It sounded like his worst nightmare. 

“So what will you do now?” 

“I dunno.” Dean shrugged, going back to nervously running a finger over the chip in his mug. “I’ve earned enough from my last couple of movies that I’m set for life if I’m careful. I’m just trying to navigate laying low long enough for the media to move on and I can live normally again. Maybe get a proper job too.”

“Um.. I think I could help a little with that.” Castiel murmured. 

Now it was Dean’s turn to be confused. “What’re you talkin’ about?” 

“Well, just before you came in tonight, I was making plans for this place and I think there’d be a place open for you here. If you’d like it, of course.” 

Dean just looked flabbergasted. 

“I just need an extra pair of hands in the mornings to help with the first rush of the day. In truth, I’ve needed someone for the early shift for a while but I haven’t been able to fill the position.” 

Dean seemed to snap out of his initial shock and blinked back to himself. His eyes lit up with excitement and he looked as if he was going to agree until something seemed to occur to him, which made him stop. “Would you be working then?” He asked, looking down at the table in front of him. 

Castiel thought to himself for a moment. Working with Dean would be a dream. Getting the chance to get to know him better and see if these whispers of feelings he’d been having were real would be wonderful.

“I’m sure I could move some of the shifts around so we work together if it makes you more comfortable.” Castiel couldn’t help but match the grin that found its way to Dean’s face. 

Dean looked like he couldn’t believe his luck. The man that had come in earlier that night, shaking and quiet was long gone. And Castiel hoped he never came back. 

“God, man, I don’t know what to say. I don’t-” 

“Dean Winchester, if you’re about to say you don’t deserve this again, I will fire you before I’ve officially hired you. Understand?” Castiel squinted defiantly, pointing a determined finger towards Dean. 

Dean nodded with wide eyes and stayed quiet. 

Good choice. 

“Now,” Castiel continued, “would you like to see the work area before you sign your soul away to me?” 

Dean chuckled, “Sure, man. Lead the way.” 

They both rose from their seats, leaving the coffee pot and mugs behind on the table. Castiel would dump them in the sink later and leave them for the morning crew to clean. He was too tired now. Glancing at his watch as he led Dean around the counter, he noticed it was almost one in the morning. 

But, despite the tiredness he was feeling, seeing Dean’s face as he looked over his new workplace with a soft look of excitement made him forget about it. 

There wasn’t much to actually take Dean around, it was mostly a case of showing him some of the equipment that he’d be using. So, within ten minutes they were standing together in the kitchen area. Dean was leaning against the island counter, and Castiel against the sink. 

The silence was warm and didn’t need to be filled. Both men were content to be together and process what had happened in the last couple of hours. 

Soon, Dean lifted his head to meet Castiel’s eyes and he smirked slightly before lifting himself up to sit on the counter he’d been leaning against. 

“Is it against the rules to do this?” Dean teased. 

Castiel pushed himself away from where he’d been leaning and walked towards Dean. “Technically, yes. But I won’t tell if you don’t.” He teased right back. 

Castiel came to rest against the counter again, this time opposite where Dean sat. 

Dean looked him in the eyes and smiled before taking another sweeping look around the room. “This is all pretty awesome. How long did you say you’d been open for?” 

Castiel tried not to blush at the compliment. He and Dean may have grown closer in the last few hours, but Castiel didn’t want to scare him off already by making his attraction to the man obvious. 

Instead, he cleared his throat, avoiding Dean’s gaze. “Um, a little over a year. Considering the major companies we have to compete with, we’re doing pretty well.” 

“That’s because this place has you.” Dean said, his tone serious. 

Castiel couldn’t help but blush again. He lifted his eyes to meet Dean’s inevitably flirty, cheeky grin, that he’d already started to love. But when blue met green, he saw nothing but sincerity. 

“Though I can’t see what is so special about me, I appreciate the praise. Thank you.” Castiel smiled. 

Dean’s seriousness didn’t waiver and he maintained eye contact with Castiel, letting the silence build around them. At one point, Dean squinted slightly as if he could see something he couldn’t figure out. 

Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Castiel diverted Dean’s attention back to the coffee shop. 

“Anyway,” he coughed, “I hope to turn it into a bakery too one day.” 

Dean immediately snapped out of his enquiring gaze and his eyes lit up. 

“That sounds amazing, Cas!” 

“Hopefully it will be. I just have to wait another year or so to get together the basic funds before getting a loan to cover the rest. I’m just hoping the building next door stays empty long enough for me to do it.” 

“How much?” Dean asked suddenly, almost cutting Castiel off. 

“How much, what?” Castiel replied, completely confused as to the direction this conversation had taken. 

“How much money do you need to expand? To make this into the bakery you want?” 

Dean levelled Castiel with a firm and serious look. And suddenly Castiel knew exactly what Dean was trying to ask. 

“No, Dean. I can’t make you do that. And even though I’ve enjoyed our time together, you barely know me! How can you offer something like that.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “You’re not making me do anything, Cas. I want to do it. I told you I’m set for life and a little bit more besides. Let me help you.” 

“Why?” 

Despite what he’d said to Dean earlier about being deserving of kindness, Castiel knew he couldn’t possibly be deserving of Dean’s offer. 

“Why? Fucking hell, Cas!” Dean exclaimed. “For the past two months you’ve given me something to hold on to when every day felt like trudging through mud. Seeing you has been the highlight of my day.” 

Castiel was speechless. 

Taking a careful step towards Dean, Castiel tried to breathe again. 

“Do you wanna know why I came here tonight?” Dean asked when Castiel still didn’t respond. 

Castiel swallowed. He had been concerned when Dean had first arrived, shaking all over. He’d wondered what had made Dean break his usual pattern but the thought hadn’t returned during their night together. He just knew Dean needed company and someone to talk to. He didn’t need to know the details. But now Dean was offering them to him, Castiel couldn’t help but be curious again. 

Castiel nodded silently, taking another step towards Dean. 

“I found out about an hour before I got here that my dad died.” Castiel’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t imagined it would be something like that. He went to offer his condolences but Dean raised a placating hand. “Don’t bother. He wasn’t a nice person and I haven’t spoken to him in years. But I guess hearing the news made me realise that it could have been me. If I hadn’t stopped drinking I could have ended up like him and wasted my life away.” 

Not saying a word, Castiel took a final step closer to Dean and placed a comforting hand on the man’s thigh. 

Dean’s eyes snapped down to where Castiel’s hand rested. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet Castiel’s again. “I got all in my head and I knew I needed something… someone. So I came here. I’d already come in at my usual time but you weren’t here. And, god, I hoped and prayed that you’d be here tonight. And there you were.” Dean lifted his hand to Castiel’s cheek. He gently stroked a thumb along his jawline. “I owe you more than I can give. You helped me feel normal, like myself, for the first time in years. You gave me a glimpse of what my life could be. No judgement. Just complete happiness.” 

Castiel couldn’t speak but he could feel his eyes begin to water. 

He knew he’d started falling for the quiet but cheeky man that had been frequenting his shop but he’d felt silly. How could he possibly be falling for someone he barely knew? Someone whose name he hadn’t even known? 

But now, hearing Dean say such wonderful things made Castiel realise he wasn’t the only one who had noticed the connection between them. 

How anyone could treat this wonderful, beautiful man with anything but kindness and respect, he couldn’t fathom. Dean was so strong and he deserved to be recognised for that. 

If no one else could give him that, well that suited Castiel fine because he wanted to give Dean everything, and more. 

“Cas?” Dean whispered. 

“Yes, Dean?” Castiel croaked, voice tired from disuse and the emotion creeping its way up his throat. 

“Can you promise me something?” 

“Anything.” 

“Tell me to go fuck myself if you don’t want this.” 

And with that, Dean leant across the small distance between them and captured Castiel’s lips in a deep kiss. 

Trying to keep down a sob of happiness, Castiel responded quickly and eagerly. 

*  *  * 

You are cordially invited to the grand re-opening of

ANGEL DELIGHTS BAKERY

It had taken a year after Dean’s initial offer to pay for the expansion for the bakery to finally be complete. 

Despite the formation of their new relationship, Castiel had still been reluctant to allow Dean to pay for the work that was needed. But, eventually, Dean had worn Castiel down (though Castiel could admit now that he wouldn’t have been able to resist those green puppy dog eyes for very long anyway). 

And now, the new building had the gleaming shine of newness. The original coffee shop space had also had an overhaul with beautiful decorations and artwork created by local artists. The works were beautiful and wonderfully captured the tone that Castiel had wanted. They flowed with the extension of the counter and display case into the bakery’s seating area in a warm cohesion of coziness. 

But Castiel’s favourite feature of the new bakery wasn’t the intricate art pieces, the fancy appliances, or even the consistent aroma of warm pastries straight from the oven. No, it was the scattering of used coffee cups, lined up neatly together behind a protective pane of glass on the top shelf behind the counter. 

When Castiel had first visited Dean at his house, he’d been taken aback to see a line of coffee cups from his shop placed neatly along the top of the fireplace. On closer inspection, Castiel’s confused expression melted to one of softness and love. 

Dean had kept each of the cups that Castiel had given him with the various fake names. 

Castiel’s heart had grown three sizes and he’d immediately sought Dean out (who had gone to the kitchen to get them some drinks) and kissed him with all the love he could. Dean had been a little confused but eagerly went with it. 

Castiel was torn out of his wistful glance at the cups by two strong arms appearing from behind and wrapping around his waist. 

“What’re you thinking about?” Dean’s voice rumbled softly into Castiel’s ear. 

Castiel sighed happily and turned in Dean’s arms to face him. “Just how much I love you.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “You’re such a sap, Cas,” he scoffed. But Castiel could tell by the glint in his eyes that he didn’t mean it. 

In fact, Dean was the sappiest out of them. It’s as if he couldn’t go for more than five minutes without reminding Castiel how much he loved him. Whether it was with words, a kiss or just a simple, grounding touch. Castiel would tell Dean that he didn’t need to, that he knew how much Dean loved him. But Dean never stopped. 

“Anyway,” Castiel said, pulling himself out of Dean’s warm embrace. “Has Sam managed to keep the reporters under control?” 

Over the past year, Dean had managed to achieve his goal of living under the radar. There were very few incidents in which he was recognised (and even when he was, the people were mostly polite and just glad to see he was happy). 

But news had got out that former movie star, Dean Winchester, was opening a bakery in Chicago of all places. So reporters from far and wide had turned up on the day of their re-opening, hoping to get an exclusive from Dean about where he’d been for the last year or so. 

And then there was Sam. 

Soon after the night they got together, Castiel had convinced Dean to reach out to his brother, especially with the knowledge that Sam was going to be a father soon. Dean had been telling Castiel stories of their childhood, when Dean had raised Sam with no help from their father. The fondness with which Dean spoke of Sam made Castiel adamant that he would get the two brothers reunited. 

Dean had been full of angst for about a week before finally sitting down with Castiel one evening and picking up the phone, dialling Sam’s number. Throughout the phone call, Dean had kept a death grip on Castiel’s hand. It had hurt slightly but Castiel was more focused on giving Dean support in any way he could. 

It turned out that Sam had been incredibly relieved to hear from Dean. He’d thought that Dean didn’t want to hear from him after he’d left so he’d stayed away. He’d kept up with bits and pieces from Dean’s life through the media but when Dean had disappeared from the headlines, Sam had feared the worst. 

Eventually, Dean released his grip on Castiel’s hand and ended up speaking to Sam for hours late into the night. Castiel never left his side. Even when he fell asleep next to Dean, he kept a knee leant against Dean’s, letting him know that he was there. 

The brothers’ reunion a month later was an emotional one for everyone involved. Dean still denied that he cried when he held his nephew for the first time but Castiel remembered handing him a tissue to dab his eyes. 

“Yeah,” Dean grinned, “they’re not getting past his giant moose body any time soon.” 

“Good.” Castiel couldn’t help but smile back at Dean’s dig at his younger brother. “I’m going to check in with Charlie out back.” 

He kissed Dean goodbye quickly and made his way out to the kitchen to help Charlie with taking the treats out of the ovens. 

When Charlie first found out about Dean she’d, to put it simply, freaked out. 

It turned out that she knew exactly who Dean was and was also a fan of his movies. She’d berated Castiel a little for not telling her about Dean sooner. It had just turned out that Dean would come into the shop when Charlie had gone for lunch or wasn’t working. 

Looking back, Castiel ought to have known that Charlie would probably know who Dean was considering her extreme interest in the movie and television industry. But he couldn’t regret the way she’d found out. 

Castiel had told her that they were hiring someone new and Charlie needed to help train him up. When Dean had walked through the door, apron and all, that first day, Charlie could only go bright red and look at Dean with wide eyes, muttering a small, “Am I being Punk’d?” to which Dean chuckled and Castiel squinted in confusion. 

Once everything was finished in the kitchen, Castiel made his way through to the counter to do final checks before they opened their doors. 

But before he could overthink the organisation of the mugs for the fifth time, Dean appeared and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him across to where a woman sat in a booth, scribbling something down in a notepad. 

Castiel was hesitant to go over. 

“Look, I know we said we weren’t gonna let any reporters in before the customers,” Dean quickly explained, “but I spotted Pamela outside, and she was one of the only reporters I worked with before who didn’t write a load of shit about me. I wanted to introduce you.” 

Castiel sighed. Even with Dean’s assurance, he was reluctant to trust any reporters after he’d seen some of the things that had been written about Dean in the past. But the woman seemed to have a kind face, and Castiel couldn’t resist Dean’s pleading eyes so he nodded. “Okay.” 

Pamela looked up as Dean and Castiel slipped into the booth opposite her. 

“Hello, Castiel. It’s nice to meet you.” Pamela offered a hand for Castiel to shake. 

Castiel accepted the hand warily. 

“So Castiel, Dean here was telling me that you’re the brains behind this whole operation,” she said, gesturing to their surroundings. 

“And the beauty.” Dean interrupted. 

Castiel rolled his eyes and shook his head fondly. Dean just couldn’t resist. 

“Is everything I say going to be printed?” Castiel asked, eyeing Pamela’s notepad, with an arched eyebrow. “Given some of the things that have been written about Dean in the past, you’ll forgive me for being a little cautious of reporters.” 

From the corner of his eye, Castiel could see Dean was about to say something but Pamela beat him to it. 

“I understand your caution, Castiel. I can only ask that you trust me when I say I would never write anything horrible about Dean,” she assured, “or twist your words to mean something else. It’s just not my style.” 

Castiel stared at her a little longer. 

And then relented. “Okay.” 

Dean visibly let out a little sigh of relief and moved to grasp Castiel’s hand in his, giving it a squeeze in thanks. 

It turned out that Pamela didn’t want to talk too much about Dean anyway. She spent the whole time complimenting Castiel on the bakery. Though at one point Castiel did have to stop her. 

“I can’t take all the credit, as much as Dean might want me to,” Castiel said, casting an affectionate glance at his love. “Dean helped me a lot. It’s just as much his success as it is mine. This wouldn’t be here without him.” 

“And I wouldn’t be here without you, babe.” Dean replied, softly, only to Castiel. 

Castiel blushed and caught Pamela’s eye. Despite Dean’s attempt to keep it between them, Pamela had clearly heard the endearment, if her pleased smile was anything to go by. 

“Dean, Cas,” Sam’s voice spoke up as he walked over to their table, “sorry to interrupt but it’s almost time to open.” He sent an apologetic look towards Pamela. 

“Don’t worry about me, darlin’. I was just about finished with these two anyway,” she smiled. 

Castiel and Dean thanked her and shuffled out of the booth. 

They were walking towards the front doors with Sam when Pamela’s voice called them back. 

“Oh, sorry Castiel, just one more thing. I just wanted to check the spelling of your last name for the article.” 

Dean turned to Castiel with a knowing grin, and gave him a wink. 

“That’s easy. It’s the same spelling as Dean’s.” 

Pamela gave a small smile and ‘congratulations’ in response before turning back to her notepad. 

Dean and Cas turned back to the doors to welcome their customers in but were stopped by Sam. 

“I told you he had a giant moose body that stops people getting passed.” Dean murmured to Castiel. 

Sam sighed and gave Dean a glare before speaking again. 

“You guys got married?! When? You only got engaged last week!” He exclaimed. 

Dean just shrugged. “Last night. We just didn’t want to wait.” 

Castiel smiled and pecked a kiss on his husband’s cheek. 

“But don’t worry, Sam,” Castiel assured, “we’ll still have a proper ceremony at some point. We wouldn’t want our nephew to miss out on being an adorable page boy.” 

“Yeah, and you being the most beautiful bridesmaid.” Dean quipped, flicking imaginary hair over his shoulder. 

Castiel one again rolled his eyes and left the two brothers to playfully fight it out. He knew they were still making up for lost time, just being brothers without the added angst. 

It gave him one final chance to see his dream that had come true. The bakery had turned out to be everything that he wanted it to be. 

His sweeping gaze finally settled on the brothers again. They’d stopped fighting and were looking back at Castiel, waiting for him to give the signal to open the doors. 

Castiel just smiled, and stepped to stand next to Dean and join their hands. 

Who knew that this would all happen because the wrong name was written on the right coffee cup?