Work Text:
The first time Cas sees Dean Winchester’s name it’s on the receipt for an online order. One double steak burrito with extra cheese, pinto beans and just a drizzle of hot salsa. He works almost on autopilot, scooping out the correct portion sizes and trying to keep his eyes away from the line, which nearly wraps around the drink station. It’s always stressful to work on online orders when the customers in the store are getting impatient. Cas rolls the burrito deftly and he’s about to deposit it into a bag when he notices the special instruction section of the receipt.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: DRAW ME SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.
Cas does a double take at the words. Usually people abuse that section of the order form to ask for extra guacamole or meat because the system won’t charge them automatically. Occasionally he sees someone request light cheese or beans as a side so their burrito doesn’t get soggy, but he’s never, in his four months working here, seen someone ask for this.
He glances up again and sure enough, the line is still growing. He sees girls shifting uncomfortably in their high heels, dressed to the nines in short sequined dresses. He can actually smell the alcohol wafting off most of the people in the store and, for the millionth time, he regrets agreeing to work the Friday closing shift. He doesn’t know why he reaches for the marker, he’s way too busy to be dealing with this shit, they’re completely understaffed and the unwashed masses are murmuring unhappily but Cas sets to work anyway.
He pauses, the tip of his Sharpie just barely hovering over the foil wrapping as he contemplates what to draw. It’s a split second decision to go with the bumblebee, but he doesn’t regret it until he starts sketching it out. The curvature of the burrito makes the drawing difficult and when he’s finished he’s only pretty sure it looks like a bee, so he draws an arrow to it and helpfully writes ‘bee’, just in case there is confusion. As an afterthought he adds a little speech bubble coming from the bee that says ‘Enjoy your food!’.
Castiel glances at the name on the receipt again and finds himself wondering if Dean Winchester likes bees.
The first time Cas hears Dean’s voice, it’s just laughter. He isn’t even on the assembly line at the time but his friend Balthazar is working the cash register and calls him up from the back.
“It seems this is for you,” Balthazar hands him an online receipt with a smirk and Castiel furrows his brows in concern. They’ve got another order from Dean Winchester. It’s the same ingredients, but this time he’s ordered a burrito bowl. Cas’s eyes immediately flick to the instructions.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: I LIKED THE BEE. VERY CUTE. BUT CAN YOU TELL ME A JOKE?
Cas doesn’t know why he’s fighting a smile, he knows nothing about this person. Well alright, he knows they appreciate his, ahem, artwork…if it can even be called that. And of course he knows that Dean has nothing better to do with his Friday and Saturday nights than order almost the same food online. Then again, Cas has nothing better to do than be at work, and he’s pretty sure there’s something there about people in glass houses and stones…
He catches Balthazar chuckling at him silently and regrets ever mentioning the drawing request to his friend, although it seems to have worked out in his favor this time. He could hand someone else the receipt and the Sharpie and let them take care of this, but he doesn’t want to. Dean, whoever he is, had liked what he did last time, and for some reason Cas doesn’t quite understand, he feels compelled to do this himself.
He’s happy that Dean got a bowl this time because the shiny lidded surface is a much easier canvas to work on than a crinkling burrito wrapper. This time there’s no hesitation about what he’s going to do and he’s actually pretty happy with how it turns out. He bags up the food and leaves it in the hotbox, awaiting the mysterious Dean to come pick it up.
He’s bagging up tortilla chips when Balthazar calls back to the team on grill and asks for the Winchester order, which Cas hands to him. He tries to avoid looking, but it’s a wasted effort. Dean would have drawn his eye even if he hadn’t been curious about him ahead of time. There had always been a part of Cas that had just assumed that this ‘Dean’ was kind of a dork, but he stands corrected. In fact, he’s suddenly pretty sure divinity is once more walking the Earth. Dean’s eyes are so fucking green he can practically see them from here and Cas is pretty sure he’s blushing now, so he darts back behind the grill again, just out of view of the lobby. What right does anyone have to look that good? It’s just unfair.
He isn’t expecting it when he hears bags rustling and then, Dean laughs.
Castiel can’t see but he knows who the laugh belongs to, and he can’t fight the smile on his lips. “Did you write this joke?” He hears Dean ask Balthazar, and all of the blood rushes to his ears. He prays his friend won’t make him go out and make small talk. He’s shit at talking to guys who are this attractive. He can already feel his throat go a little bit dry and he tenses.
“What joke?” Balthazar asks, and it occurs to Cas that he never actually showed Balthazar the finished product.
“What is a bees favorite book?” Dean asks. Cas can actually hear the humor in his voice, and yep, his ears are definitely red now.
Balthazar makes a noncommittal questioning noise and Dean snorts. “The Great Gats-bee!” He declares, and he laughs again. Cas doesn’t need a view of the scene to know that Balthazar is rolling his eyes. He stops caring about that after Dean adds: “That’s actually one of my favorites!”
“Is it now?” Balthazar says dismissively. Castiel knows his friend doesn’t mean to sound so condescending, but the line is out the door and Balthazar hates that. Still, he wants to chastise him, which makes absolutely no sense. Dean is a stranger and he owes him no loyalty.
“It is. Thanks again.” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Dean give a cordial nod and make his way out the door. The Great Gatsby is one of Castiel’s favorites too.
The first time Castiel talks to Dean, it’s not exactly his choice. It’s Monday night and he’s supposed to be washing dishes but front line is getting slammed and they don’t have enough people to spare him. He’s actually so busy that he doesn’t even notice Dean until he’s standing right in front of him, staring into green eyes that are exactly as dizzying as they looked when he was cowardly peeking at them days ago.
“Hey, can I do a burrito, white rice and double chicken?” Dean asks, and Cas opens his mouth to ask why Dean is switching from steak, only barely catching himself in time.
He nods and gets to work, but Dean just chatters right along, unbothered by his flush or silence. “Do you like working here?” He inquires.
Cas shrugs. “It’s not bad or anything, although to be honest, I’m not much of a cook. This is about the extent of my skills.” He admits, gesturing to the burrito and risking a glance upward. He finds green eyes waiting patiently for his own.
“I love cooking! I just haven’t had much time this week, since it’s almost finals.” Dean explains, and Cas nods along while he works. He’s actually been a little stressed about that too, but he can’t afford to take the time off. After a beat, Dean adds: “Are you guys always this crowded?”
Cas gives a short laugh as he scoops out the chicken. “Pretty much, although weekends are the worst.” He says, carefully avoiding Dean’s eyes. God help him, he can’t remember the last time some guy made him this weak at the knees.
“Really? Well fuck, now I feel bad.” Dean says, and looks like he’s searching for words.
Unfortunately, the line actually is pretty obscene and Cas has to keep it moving, so he asks Dean about the rest of his toppings (which are unchanged from the online order, Cas is amused to note). As he’s sprinkling cheese on the burrito, Dean continues his thought. “I’ve never been in here before. I always just order online. Speaking of, were you working this weekend?”
Cas can already guess what this is about, but he finds himself nodding anyway.
“Awesome,” Dean beams at him and Cas doesn’t know why he’s smiling back, but it seems he has no choice in the matter. “Do you happen to know who was drawing bees on things? I wanted to thank them!” Dean says.
Castiel pauses in the middle of rolling the burrito and he questions how the smoke alarm is silent, because his cheeks are on fire. He readjusts the tortilla and begins the roll again. “If I find out, I’ll let them know…” Cas shrugs, suddenly too embarrassed to own up to his own doodles and corny jokes.
Dean grins at him. “Thanks! You’re an angel!” He says with a smile so genuine that Cas is almost taken aback by it. He stares after Dean for a moment and he suddenly finds himself wanting.
He wants to tell Dean things about his life, like how he actually is named after an angel. He wants to know if Dean is up to date on the conservation efforts for bees. He want to know what Dean is studying, who his favorite Gatsby character is, what made him switch to chicken today. He wants to know what makes Dean happy, and then he wants to give that to him.
Castiel sees him making conversation with Anna at the register and he doesn’t know what comes over him. He’s ashamed of himself for lying to Dean, but he decides it’s probably better to just let Dean imagine who he might be. He figures the other boy will be better off that way.
The first time Castiel comforts Dean, it isn’t with whispered words or open arms. He’d been half hoping that Dean would order something tonight, but even he had to admit, that would be an awful lot of take-out Mexican food in just one week. It’s getting late, later than he usually orders, when Anna hands him the online receipts. He spots Dean’s name immediately. Dean has switched back to the bowl again, and that’s not Castiel’s only surprise.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: CHEER ME UP
His face falls into a frown, and he wonders what could possibly have upset Dean. Against all reason, he’s worried about this virtual stranger. His stomach actually twists into a sympathetic knot as he works on the order, struggling to figure out what he could possibly say.
Cas has always been told he’s awkward and he doesn’t have much experience offering comfort to people. But he thinks about Dean, and he thinks about that beautiful and genuine smile Dean gave him, and he can’t for the life of him understand how anyone could ever hurt him. He’s certain in a way he almost never is, that Dean is an incredibly good person.
He seals up the bowl and draws another bee while he thinks. Finally, Cas writes: ‘The green light has nothing on your eyes. Your future will be orgastic.’
It doesn’t occur to him until later that he isn’t meant to know what color Dean’s eyes are.
The first time someone realizes Castiel has a crush on Dean is three days later, and funnily enough, Dean isn’t actually there for it. Cas gets into work at four, geared up and ready to go. He barely manages to shrug off his trenchcoat and hang it on the coat rack before Anna and Balthazar descend upon him from the office.
“Why was Freckle Face McHottie in here asking for you today?” Anna Milton, never one to beat around the bush, jumps right in with the hard hitting questions.
“What?” Cas asks, scrunching up his brows in confusion and eyeing the both of them like they’ve finally lost it.
“Your favorite plaid wearing monstrosity came in around noon, wanted to know if you were here.” Balthazar explains, all blasé like he’s not essentially saying that Cas is fucking doomed, because if Dean is asking for him he’s figured out exactly who has been filling his orders. It’s not even that surprising, since Cas is one of only a few people who have actually seen Dean in person. He wouldn’t put it past the other boy to have figured out that whoever makes the food is in charge of the special requests.
“Oh shit,” Cas says, biting at his bottom lip. “What did you say?”
“Told him you weren’t here, but then Anna gave him your schedule for the week.” Balthazar says, and this time the sly smirk gives him away. The motherfucker is enjoying this and Cas glares at both of them, although he knows he must not look very menacing with flushing cheeks.
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“Well, he looked so sad when we told him you weren’t here!” Anna protests, and Cas’s treacherous heart gives a brief abortive flutter.
He forces his face into a mask of ambivalence. “He doesn’t even know me, so forgive me if I’m a little skeptical.” He narrows his eyes at her.
Balthazar snorts. “You should have seen him describe you to Anna! He tried to do height and body type, and eventually just gave up and described you as ‘that guy with the low voice and sex hair’.”
Cas gapes at the both of them as Anna giggles. “You seem to have made quite an impression for someone he ‘doesn’t know’.” She adds, seeming particularly delighted by his surprise.
And just like that the butterflies are back.
They stay there through his whole shift.
The first time Dean calls him ‘Cas’ is two days later. At first Cas had been worried that Dean was going to show up while he was working. He had no idea what he was going to say and he refused to let himself hope for anything. The way Dean described him meant nothing, they were strangers. But as the shifts wore on Cas felt his fear give way to disappointment. Dean wasn’t coming after all. Now that he had Cas’s schedule, avoiding him would be easy. The comment about Dean’s eyes had clearly gone too far, and he was uncomfortable with Cas making his food now.
He tells himself it was no big deal, but disappoint bubbles up in him anyway.
It’s almost at the end of his shift when Anna hands him a stack of online orders to work through.
It’s slow going, since he has to make one online in between each physical order, but eventually he sees a familiar name on the receipt. The butterflies return with a vengeance and he’s almost scared to look, but eventually he gets up the courage.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: CAS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO OUT WITH ME? I PROMISE YOU WON’T HAVE TO COOK.
This time, the bee drawing is accompanied by only three letters.
Yes.