Work Text:
Castiel Novak
September 2026
The first thought that emerged from the inky blackness of Castiel’s dreamless sleep was, I wonder where the milk frother is? It was his birthday after all, and it seemed like a perfect day to go through the whole rigmarole to make himself a nice honey lavender latte. Castiel and Dean had gone to a farmer’s market the other day, their first market as roommates, and got some local honey and lavender syrup. Castiel smirked at the term, ‘roommate.’ He couldn’t think of a better term to use to describe cohabitating with the love of his life, but roommate was stupendously underwhelming given how Dean made Castiel feel.
Castiel was nearly bowled over when Dean asked if they wanted to move in together. He considered comparing them to U-HAUL lesbians, as they had only been together for about seven months. However, he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want any chance of making Dean feel small for suggesting something so personal and so welcome. He had never liked his roommates that much, any roommate for that matter, and was ecstatic at the possibility of living with Dean. Plus the tiny twin XL beds the university provided were really starting to get on his nerves when he spent the night at Dean’s, which at that point was most nights.
They moved in the day before the semester started, but the summer was so busy as well that there simply wasn’t a better time before. As two PhD students at the University of Alaska Southeast, summer “break” was really only a break from classes, not research. Now that Cas was a third year, the only classes he had remaining was a seminar class he was taking this semester. Dean however still had another year of coursework to do, and this time they wouldn’t be taking the classes together. They wouldn’t be able to study together, but Dean was smarter than he gave himself credit for, and Castiel was quite confident that Dean would be able to keep up, even without his sexy tutor.
As a result of moving so close to the start of the semester, they really only unpacked things as they needed them. So today was the day to look through the box of miscellaneous kitchen equipment that has been sitting in the corner for a couple of weeks. Castiel ground his coffee beans, packed them into his espresso machine, and then looked for the frother while the machine finished heating up. He heard the ready light pop on, pulled the first shot of espresso, and then went back to the box and rummaged some more. When the ready light popped on again, he found his prize. He turned around to pull the second shot, but Dean was already there in nothing but forest green boxers covered in little sasquatches, pulling the shot for Castiel. Seeing Dean half naked outside of their room was another delicious benefit of living together, just the two of them.
Castiel beamed at the sight of his gorgeous boyfriend, hair mussed sexily, his lithe and well-muscled body heavy and sluggish from sleep, his peridot green eyes shut and pouty lips relaxed. He was half-asleep, yet he was still helping Castiel make his drink. Castiel felt a swell of love and affection, and silently thanked the universe for making their paths cross. Milk frother in hand, Castiel came up behind Dean and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder, murmuring “Thank you my love.”
Dean grunted in response, pulling a rumbling chuckle from Castiel as he nuzzled his partner’s shoulder affectionately, planting a kiss on his neck before pulling away. Dean stepped aside so Castiel could use the steamer. Castiel had shown Dean how to make a decent espresso, having been a barista for a few months before he started working full time in STEM. However, Dean couldn’t figure out how to get the milk steamer to stop making that horrid screaming noise like Castiel could. As someone on the spectrum, Castiel preferred to avoid that noise when possible.
As the milk started steaming, Dean came up next to Castiel and rested a head on his shoulder, “Happy birthday baby. I got a surprise for you, but we have to go somewhere to get it; you up for that today sunshine?”
“Of course Dean, I assume I cannot ask where we are going?”
Dean grinned lazily, “No way, that would ruin the surprise. It isn’t far though, and I want to get going after breakfast, they open at 9:30 and I want to get there bright and early.”
Dean fixed himself up a thermos full of black coffee while Castiel finished making his latte, then Dean whipped up some pancakes with some mix he prepped last night. He sprinkled in some blueberries and topped them with whipped cream and maple syrup. The two ate in companionable silence, then they went to their room to get dressed. Dean pulled out an old red flannel and said, “Hey uh, wear something you wouldn’t mind getting dirty.”
Castiel quirked his head to the side, “Well that is an intriguing request.”
Dean grinned at his bewildered boyfriend, “Well your surprise is intriguing, and there is the possibility that it’ll get messy.”
Castiel raised an eyebrow, “But not a guarantee?”
“Nope, you probably won’t honestly, but I’d hate for something to happen and you ruin a shirt you like.”
Castiel considered his dresser for a moment before muttering, “Interesting.” Castiel wasn’t the biggest fan of surprises in the first place, and ones that may or may not get him messy gave him some measure of anxiety. However, he and Dean had known each other for a little over a year now, and he had never made Castiel truly uncomfortable. He trusted that Dean knew what he was doing. Castiel went for a plain, paint spattered, and slightly holey tan t-shirt with some olive cargo shorts.
They got into Baby and Dean started driving, his hand quickly making its way to Castiel’s. Castiel looked at Dean nervously, which Dean picked up quickly. He pulled Castiel’s hand in for a kiss, “You’re going to love it, I promise,” He gives his hand a little shake, “and if you don’t, then it’s no biggie, we’ll do something else for you special day.” Dean had his own strange energy, his fingers drumming against the wheel. Castiel couldn’t tell if it was nerves, excitement, or both.
Castiel smiled warmly at Dean, his nervousness ebbing slightly as excitement started to stir. After several minutes, Dean turned off the main road into a gravel parking lot. Castiel’s eyebrows shot up at the non-descript building’s big sign that said “Gastineau Humane Society.” He turned to Dean, who was smiling sheepishly. He looked down at his lap as he said, “You’ve told me a few times how much you love cats and how you always wanted one, but your family was against owning any pets. Well, I figured we probably won’t be living in student housing anymore,” He added quickly, “uh, even if we did break up or something,” then he started blushing profusely, “and our place allows up to two pets as long as they are less than 30 pounds, so… I mean if you want, I’d really… really like to get a cat with you.”
Castiel slid across the seat and threw his arms around Dean’s neck, pulling him into an excited kiss. “Dean! Really?! Are you sure?! I… what if it doesn’t like me?”
Dean chuckled and ran a hand through Castiel’s hair, “That’s why I didn’t just pick up a random cat, I’ve read online that if you want a good relationship with your cat, let the cat choose you. I’ve done some research on cat ownership, so if you’re worried about not knowing what to do, I think I got that covered for now. Do you… what do you think?”
“Dean, I love it!” Castiel couldn’t help it, he was so excited that he started jumping up and down in his seat and tapping his thighs, humming softly before adding, “I probably wouldn’t have suggested this, but I’m so glad that you did.” He pulled Dean in for another kiss, then whispered, “We’re going to be great cat dads.”
Dean grinned and winked at his adorkable boyfriend, “Of course angel, I’m glad you feel the same way. Well, let’s get at it!”
The two of them walked into the humane society hand in hand, Castiel vibrating with excitement. When they walked in, Castiel was immediately hit with a wall of sensory input. He could hear dozens of dogs barking in the distance, and the whole place had a rather unpleasant smell, a mix of urine, stool, hay, and cleaner. The sensory onslaught brought Castiel back to Earth a little. He felt his heartrate ratchet up slightly, but Dean squeezed his hand and he felt calmer.
They approached a cheerful woman at the front desk, Dean and her exchanged words while Castiel inspected some children’s artwork to ground himself, then she led them to the cat area. Castiel was immediately hit with a terrible sadness when they entered the room; well over a dozen cats were here, waiting for homes, and he could only take home one of them.
He anxiously looked at each of the cats as he passed them, all of them looking so cute and fluffy, wondering how he could possibly pick just one. He wondered if one would pick him. They passed a senior calico, a pair of black kittens, a young Maine Coon mix, but he stopped as an orange paw reached out of a cage. He turned to look at the cat who summoned him, and the moment he did, the massive cat let out a soft squeaky chirp that melted his heart. It was like if a meow was mixed with a raccoon’s chatter. Behind the chubby ginger was a gorgeous and terrified spotted cat that looked like a wild animal. He turned his attention back to the ginger cat, who was now batting at Castiel. He put two fingers tentatively into the cage, and the cat sniffed them, licked them, and then turned to fwomp his entire heavy body against the finger.
Dean chuckled, “I think that one likes you. I’ll go get the attendant to pull him out?”
Castiel couldn’t take his eyes off the affectionate cat, he just nodded as a little smile spread across his face. Dean walked away as Castiel continued to pet the cat through the bars, who was now purring up a storm. He looked again at the cat behind him, emerald green eyes wide open in suspicion at the man touching their friend, but Castiel could tell there wasn’t outright hostility in that stare. The smaller cat was pressed into the corner, clearly overwhelmed being in this loud, smelly place. Castiel instantly felt connected to this cat. He chuckled, “Same here buddy.”
Dean returned with the attendant who looked at Castiel hesitantly, “Ah, Sugar and Spice. Wow, Sugar is usually a lot shyer than that. I have to let you know though that these two are strongly pair bonded; where one goes, the other does too. Do you still want to play with Sugar?”
Castiel looked at Dean hopefully, who was already nodding and responding, “Yeah that’s fine, so shouldn’t we play with both of them then?”
The attendant looked at the green eyed cat hesitantly, “He… doesn’t like to be handled. These two came from an abusive home… but Spice back there is a Bengal that is pretty protective of Sugar. So…” She sucks her teeth, then nods, “Yeah, actually I think he would prefer to stay close to his friend.” The attendant turned to Dean and said, “The play room is just out the door, turn right, then it’ll be the second door on the left. It’s labelled so you shouldn’t miss it! I’ll bring these two handsome gentlemen in a moment.”
Castiel grabbed Dean’s hand and the two of them made their way to the play room. It was much cleaner and quieter, and Castiel could feel himself relax. While they waited, Castiel said quietly, “Dean are you sure? One cat is already a lot of responsibility, I don’t want to overburden you.”
Dean just gave Castiel and easy smile, “I’ve read that in some countries, it is illegal to just get one cat. If they’re already bonded and one of them is obsessed with you, the other one will probably warm up quickly. I really don’t care, I hear two cats is basically the same amount of effort as one.” He nudged Castiel with a scowl, “What do you think of the names?”
Castiel scrunched up his face, “I do not care for them, and I would want to change them. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, we should see how they act in a more ideal environment.” The play room had a tiny box of toys and a small cat tower, which was really just a cat cave with a scratching post above it with a little perch on top.
The attendant came in with one large carrier, and Castiel looked in to see both cats looking back at him. “Alright, I’ll give you guys ten minutes, but if you need anything, one of you can just come to the front desk, okay?”
Dean gave her his dazzling smile, “Sounds good, thanks sweetheart!” When the door closed, Dean reached out and opened the carrier, then sat back on the bench.
For about 10 seconds, there was no movement from either cat, then Sugar’s head popped out of the carrier, his honey brown eyes looking directly at Castiel. His heart soared at the look, and Castiel quickly got off the bench and sat in front of the carrier. Dean reached into the box and grabbed a fishing pole with a bunch of colorful feathers on the end of the string, then handed it to Castiel, murmuring “Here ya go, Cas.”
Castiel flicked the toy in front of the ginger chonk, who promptly ignored the toy and wobbled right into Castiel’s lap. The cat clearly wasn’t very agile, and Castiel wondered why. When he moved to pet the cat properly this time, Sugar arced his entire back into Castiel’s touch. Castiel looked at Dean and whispered excitedly, “Dean, I think he has picked me.”
Dean had a warm smile on his face when he nodded, “Yeah it seems so.” His eyes flitted to the carrier, then widened as he said, “Oh, Spice is coming out!”
The Bengal was like a different animal. Where before he was clearly stressed and terrified, now he was a confident little prince. He immediately started sniffing the perimeter, then lithely climbed the cat tower and sat on top. Dean grinned and whispered, “I’m gonna see if I can pet him.” He got up and slowly approached the tower.
Meanwhile, Sugar had placed his paws on Castiel’s chest and was licking his face. Castiel had never been licked by a cat before, and wow when people compared it to sandpaper, they were not exaggerating. It quickly started to hurt, but he was so enamored by the cat’s obvious sign of affection that he couldn’t bear to stop the little man. He looked back to Dean, who was grinning like a little kid slowly petting Spice. He looked down at Cas and murmured, “He feels like a rabbit.”
“Alright, I think I should name Sugar and you should name Spice. I already know what I want,” Dean and Castiel both said, “Clancy.” Castiel looked at Dean in surprise, then he blushed as he said, “Am I that obvious?”
“I just know you that well.” Dean replied with a wink. He turned his attention back to the Bengal and considered the cat. “Well, he’s supposed to be a spicy guy, and I’ve heard Bengals are pretty high energy, so I’m thinking… Tabasco?” The cat started squinting his eyes at Dean. “I think he likes it.”
Castiel grinned, “A fitting name for such a gorgeous creature. So… are we really doing this?”
Dean grinned right back, “Hell yeah babe, there’s no way I’m leaving without these two now.”
Cas cocked his head as Clancy plopped back into his lap, curling up. “Thank you Dean. This is already the best gift I’ve ever received. I love you.”
“Love you too angel.”