Chapter Text
The flames at his fingers tickled Castiel’s skin and he pursed his lips. He had been standing there, at the edge of a large cliff in the bowels of Hell for what felt like eternity. It very well may have been, truthfully. The desperate gasps and screams of the damned echoed loudly from the pit below him. He’d often found the sounds soothing, a balm to his nerves over the course of the millenia. But now, they turned his stomach. He turned away from dark abyss before him and closed his eyes tightly. He’d been a demon longer than he could even remember, maybe he’d always been a demon, maybe he hadn’t. It was hard to tell down here. Occasionally, he had brief memories, or what he thought were memories, of physical sensations and emotions, things that felt ALMOST human… they’d always scared him.
Gabriel had just been by to report that Cas had been given a new assignment. He’d been trying to work his way up the ladder for a long time now and had always been rebuffed in his advances. Gabriel had finally put in a good word for him and he was being given an opportunity. The prospect was exciting, but also daunting. It was an opportunity that not many demons got and Cas was thrilled by the prospect. He was going top-side. Top-side for a whole year with the intent to damn and corrupt as many souls as he could. It wasn’t just all fun and games, he’d been told. He’d been given a quota, though Gabriel had assured him that it was quite low, all things considered.
He was set to leave soon, though he wasn’t sure when exactly. Time had no real hold in Hell and Cas wasn’t sure what the passage of time even felt like anymore. Gabriel had assured him that he would figure it out and had left to start getting things put together for him. Cas’s only real experience with humanity had been watching his brothers and sisters torment the souls that landed here. He wrinkled his nose at the thought.
He considered the idea of souls briefly. The souls themselves somehow had bodies here and didn’t have them at the same time. They had enough physical mass that they could feel the cut of a blade and the crack of a whip in a corporeal way and yet those wounds never seemed to heal, never seemed to bleed, never truly existed. The sole purpose of a soul in Hell was to cause pain in whatever way possible. It had always confused Cas, but it was a certain fact of Hell that he had just come to accept. The idea of seeing a soul in human form, seeing it before it had a chance to gain all the marrings from the beatings and torture Hell could produce… It was exhilarating.
Cas wondered briefly to himself if he would be able to fake the emotions necessary to manipulate the humans on Earth. He’d been trying to learn subterfuge forever, the addition of emotions, fake emotions that is, may pose a hurdle. He smiled grimly to himself, he hadn’t ever backed down from a challenge before though and he was going to meet his quota and outshine all of his peers. He’d been thirsty for this chance for years and he was going to prove himself worthy. He’d poured over the Book hundreds of times and knew the procedures to a T. He patted his breast pocket briefly, checking to make sure his well-worn copy of the Beezlebub’s Official Obtaining Book for Souls (or BOOBS, for short) was still with him. It was a habit he had fallen into some time ago and he thought of it a bit like a demon security blanket. The book itself had “technically” been retired from the demon curriculum. It was outdated and apparently, harmful to their future goals, but Cas couldn’t seem to let it go.
With a bit of a spring in his step, he turned from his musings on the cliff. He picked his way easily down the dark hillside and through twisting alleys and dark corridors. Screams rang out through the air but he ignored them, accustomed to the noise. He enjoyed taking these walks, at first it had been because he was happy to hear the torment of the damned but now he found a certain comfort in the radiating heat and darkness that encroached on all sides.
He was halted in his wanderings by a quick puff of red smoke and the mischievous smile of Gabriel in front of him.
“Hey baby bro! I got the goods and we’re all set to get you upstairs. Have you thought about where you wanna land?” Gabriel rattled off quickly.
Cas had been considering his options since he’d heard the news that he was going to Earth. He had been able to observe places on Earth from time to time, brief glimpses when he’d had time to get away and sneak peeks. And he’d heard tales from his brothers and sisters who had visited the surface, he’d always listened with rapt attention to their tales of corruption and violence.
So, he’d thought often and long about where he would want to be if given the chance. He barely hesitated before responding resolutely to Gabriel, “The Midwest!”
Gabe nodded to him thoughtfully, a forefinger pressed against his lower lip. “Got anything more specific?”
Cas thought again, he had glanced something just the other day that had interested him. A mechanic with light brown and a soul bright like the sun. He had thought to himself at the time that that would truly be a prize to poison. Where had he seen that man…?
“Sioux Falls... South Dakota,” He said slowly.
Gabe raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged and reached a hand out to Cas’s shoulder. Almost instantly the two of them were standing inside an alley alongside a quiet street. Cas blinked rapidly, disoriented by the sudden shift in location. Gabe clapped him twice on the shoulder and grinned broadly at him. Cas blinked rapidly and swallowed back a gag from the shock of the landing.
Gabe started speaking before Cas had time to adjust to their new surroundings. “Here we are, Cassie! The heartbeat of America, home of Mount Rushmore and the lifeblood of down home country charm, South Dakota.” He gestured impressively around himself. He looked around, following Gabriel’s outstretched arms. He wrinkled his nose at the dirty alley, noticing the broken bottles under his feet and the smell that was rolling out of the dumpster to his left.
“Impressive,” He said drily.
Gabe waved him off and sauntered jovially out of the alley and into the street beyond. Cas followed him slowly and glanced down one end of the street and up the other with narrowed eyes. He had to squint against the bright sunlight that threatened to blind him. Compared to the dim ambiance of Hell, this place felt like being on the surface of the sun. This was more than he’d ever seen of the surface, even with his eyes half closed, and he was almost completely overwhelmed by the sights and smells around him.
Gabriel, for once, was silent and allowed him a few minutes to adjust to everything around them. His eyes watered for several moments. How is it SO bright here! Once the shock of the sunlight wore off he noticed something else, a tremor was traveling down his arms and he looked at them in confusion. This was a new sensation for him… He was freezing. He hadn’t noticed it at first but his fingers felt like ice. He flexed them in and out of fists and looked over at Gabriel, who looked perfectly comfortable in jeans and a light jacket. Cas rubbed his arms absentmindedly and Gabriel spied him from the corner of his eye.
“You’ll get used to it eventually. It’s actually summer here and hotter than all get out for the humans. You’re used to a more… arid climate. Just get a couple sweaters. The humans will look at you strange but you’ll be more comfortable.” Gabriel said off-handedly.
Gabriel directed them along the street. Now that he was getting his bearings, Cas found that he was fascinated with everything around them. Little details jumped out at him, seemed to scream at him to pay attention. The sidewalk before them was cracked in a number of places. Cas found that he was fascinated with the uneven cement and the little bits of grass growing between the cracks. Clouds puffed by dreamily overhead. The dark silhouette of a bird circled in the distance. The sounds of a city at work pulsed against him. Cars drove past, people shouted to each other, birds called out greetings in the sky. It was too much, too little. Cas wanted all of it, he wanted to experience all of it in the same instant.
Castiel was so caught up in the sights, sounds, and feelings of all of it that his walking slowed to a halt. He couldn’t seem to open his eyes wide enough to take it all in. His head swiveled quickly, almost enough to make him nauseous. Gabriel had kept walking while Cas had stooped to watch a bug scuttling across the ground. After a moment, Gabe seemed to notice the silence and stopped himself.
“Caaaass…..” Gabe sighed with exasperation. He turned quickly and grabbed Cas’s arm to haul him forward. “Focus please, bugs have their own version of the Devil to worry about.” At Cas’s shocked expression Gabe rolled his eyes. “It’s humans, stupid. It’s a joke. Now, come on. You’ve got bigger fish to fry here.”
Cas scrunched his nose at the saying. Gabe had spent a lot of time on Earth and had picked up a lot of colloquialisms and sayings that never failed to confuse him. They continued walking and Cas became aware that Gabe was talking rapidly to him. He made an attempt to pay attention, but he kept getting distracted by little things around him. The hum of an apartment’s air conditioner, a particularly puffy cloud, the breeze against his face, all seemed to draw his attention away from the likely important information Gabriel was relaying to him. He frowned deeply and told himself to focus.
“...and another thing, try to steer clear of anyone holding a sign that says, “The End is Near” or perhaps “Nigh” or some shit like that. They aren’t affiliated with us so don’t try talking to them about any grand schemes. You’ll only embarrass yourself and draw undue attention.” Gabe was talking animatedly, his hands flailing this way and that. Cas had to duck under a particularly wide gesture from his palm.
“The people here are generally what you’d call wholesome. It might be a bit more of a challenge than if you’d gone to say Vegas, LA or New York, but it should be all the more satisfying for the work it requires.” He paused thoughtfully, his lips pursed, and seemed to consider the building in front of them for a moment. “This is the one, I think!” He swept his hand to his right to a large brick building.
Cas followed his movement and looked at the building curiously. It was about 3 stories high, made of aging brick, with faded paint along one side that might at one time have been a mural or perhaps an advertisement. A number of air conditioning units stuck out from different windows in a haphazardsort of way, the occasional drip from their bottoms coming to splash on the hot pavement below. It looked completely unremarkable and Cas looked to over to Gabriel for an explanation.
“You’ll need a home base, douche.” He said with an eye roll. “Welcome to your home away from home for the next few months!”
“Oh” Cas said simply. This was going to be his “home”. He tried to look at it with new eyes, but his initial assessment held true and he felt his brows draw down slightly.
“You always look so serious, Cassie. You need to lighten up a little bit or you won’t be able to get anyone to talk to you, let alone sign their souls over to you.” Gabriel clapped him again on the shoulder and pushed him forwards slightly.
“Here, I took the liberty of writing this up for you. Trust me, it’ll come in handy. Just follow this and you’ll be rolling in souls and pussy in no time.” Gabriel handed him a sheet of paper that looked like it had been torn from a notebook roughly. It was titled, Being Human and had a bulleted list of items underneath it. Gabriel grabbed his attention again before he could look through it though. “You’re in 2C. I called ahead and got everything situated. Your first step towards being human. Or faking it anyway. You’re welcome.”
xxx
“Dean!”
Dean looked up from where he was hunched under the hood of some old Firebird that should have been retired 10 years ago. Bobby came into view from around a corner and walked gruffly towards him. He had a hand under his cap and was scratching his forehead with agitation.
“Look boy, I know you’re busy with this hunk of garbage but I need a favor.”
Dean raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for his surrogate father to continue.
Bobby frowned and pulled his cap back into place. “We got a guy out front, some nut in a suit that doesn’t know jack about cars asking to have his looked at. I told him we would need some time but he’s insisting it be looked at now. Guy’s offering double what we charge to get it taken care of fast. You got a minute to spare?”
Dean shrugged good-naturedly. He’d dealt with more than one impatient businessman in his time here, ones that thought money could buy their way into anything, so he wasn’t bothered with the request. He followed Bobby towards the front and almost halted in his tracks when he entered the lobby. The “nut” Bobby had been referring to was standing calmly in the lobby, his hands at his sides. Bobby gave him a sidelong look and Dean held back a smile. It was almost 90 degrees outside and this guy was wearing a full suit and a tan trench coat on top of it. The guy had to be close to dying of heat stroke, but he looked cool as a cucumber, no trace of sweat on his face and no anxious pulling at his shirt collar. Dean did notice that his tie was a little rumpled and that his hair was in complete disarray, but it suited him somehow.
At the sound of their entrance the man turned to look at them and Dean felt his mouth go dry as the bluest pair of eyes he’d ever seen met his own green ones. The guy had a hard jawline, a sharp nose and eyes that seemed to look straight through him. Dean blinked rapidly and composed himself quickly. The man’s expression didn’t change and he looked about as serious as someone about to deliver the news of a relative passing.
“What did ya say yer name was again?” Dean heard Bobby ask the stranger.
Blue-eyes looked Dean up and down quickly, assessing, before responding in a voice that sounded like whiskey poured over gravel.
“Novak. Castiel Novak.”
Bobby hmmphed at the strange response but tilted his head at Dean. “This is the mechanic. He agreed to come take a look at yer car.”
The man looked over at Dean again and nodded once. He turned quickly on his heel and headed back outside, presumably towards his vehicle. Dean raised an eyebrow at Bobby and the man shrugged with an eye roll.
“Said the things makin’ a “veritable cacophony” when he tries to turn the engine over.” Bobby had enunciated the words “veritable cacophony” slowly and with a mocking twist to his lips. “Whatever the hell that means. Good luck and I’ll be out in a minute.”
And with that, Bobby turned and headed back towards his office. Dean sighed heavily, unprepared for this turn in his day but steeling himself against it regardless. He didn’t particularly like dealing with customers. Usually, Bobby or Jo would take care of it but Jo was off today and Bobby had been in a foul mood all morning.
Dean walked out the front door and into the waiting heat of the day. He raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sharp brightness that assaulted him. The man, Castiel, was standing next to a little foreign car that Dean couldn’t remember the name of. Figures, he thought to himself.
The man looked a little impatient but kept his mouth closed as he waited on Dean to approach. Castiel was holding the keys to the car in one hand and Dean reached out to take them from him.
“I told your superior that it’s making a lot of noise when I try to turn it on. My skill set lies elsewhere and I haven’t been able to diagnose the problem myself. I’m hoping we can get this situation resolved fairly quickly.” Castiel explained suddenly.
Dean rolled his eyes to himself when his back was turned from the other man. What a priss, Dean thought with a laugh. He climbed into the small vehicle, immediately uncomfortable as his arms came into contact with the hot leather of the interior. Dean turned the car on and listened carefully. There was definitely a knocking coming from the engine. Dean turned the car off and waited another few seconds before trying it again. The knocking came again. Well, this was fairly easy to diagnose, as Castiel had phrased it. Based on the pitch and volume Dean figured that the rod bearings were wearing down. It wasn’t a difficult fix, he could knock it out quickly.
Castiel was looking at him expectantly and Dean smiled easily at him, trying to convey that he knew what was wrong through the look. Castiel continued to look at him expectantly, his eyebrows slowly creeping up his forehead. Dean shifted uncomfortably. Oh, right. He was waiting for Dean to say something. Dean reached out and handed the keys back to Castiel who caught them deftly.
Dean swiveled his head, hoping Bobby would be back out soon. He never dealt with customers for this very reason. He gave Castiel a lopsided grin that hopefully, only looked a little forced as he clambered out of the car. He took a quick side step away from the man that was suddenly too close to him and prayed silently that Bobby was on the way. His heart had picked up it’s rhythm when he’d realized how close he was standing to the blue-eyed man and he tried desperately to take a couple discrete calming breaths.
Just as Castiel opened his mouth to speak, the bell above the shop door rang and Bobby exited the building. Dean almost breathed a sigh of relief at seeing him but held back at the last minute. Bobby sauntered towards them, speaking as he walked.
“Well? What’s wrong?” He asked gruffly.
Dean hesitated for a moment, looking briefly at Castiel beside him before he signed quickly to Bobby about the rod bearings. Bobby nodded a few times in understanding and then was straight to business with Castiel.
“He says your rod bearings are wearing down. Now, that’s a fairly easy fix…” The rest of Bobby’s words were lost as Dean hurried back inside the shop and away from the heat of the sun and the heat those eyes had pooled in his chest.
He took a deep breath as the door closed behind him. Bobby would figure out whatever needed to be done for the transaction and then would tell Dean what he needed to do. Dean closed his eyes briefly and willed his heart rate to slow down. He hadn’t had a physical reaction to someone like that in a long time. That coupled with his anxiety about not being able to answer the man had his brain all muddled. He’d always had a weakness for dark hair and that was working against him today.
He needed some water and an air conditioner on him, immediately. He was absolutely boiling in his jeans and shirt today. His blood had always run hot. He often wondered if it was some latent aftereffect of the fire that had taken his mother and scarred his body. He could almost feel flames licking at his legs and his ribs from time to time. Summers were miserable for him and the cloying heat of the Midwest in June was enough to make him seriously consider stuffing ice cubes down his underwear. He’d managed to refrain from doing that, so far at least. Sam had always joked with him about it, claiming Dean had boiling water in his veins instead of blood. It was something Sam had noticed at an early age and had been a running joke between the two of them for years.
Dean could feel the flush on his cheeks receding and he was immensely thankful for the water Bobby kept in the lobby for customers. Dean inhaled deeply and made his way back into the garage proper and debated with himself what to do. Bobby would be in soon and would let him know one way or the other which car he needed to be focusing on. He decided now was as good a time as any for a quick break and sat down heavily on a bench along the wall of the garage, facing the Firebird he had been working on.
Five minutes later, Bobby walked back in with a scowl and his cap askew. Dean kept in the snort that threatened to escape his lips and waited for Bobby to speak.
“That guy had more questions than Sam when he thinks you’re hiding something from ‘im.” Bobby sighed exasperated. “He wanted to talk to you. I told him it wudn’t possible. Had to explain to him about the signing just get him off my back. Sorry.” Bobby looked apologetically at Dean for a moment before letting his eyes trail to the floor. “Anyway, he wants you to fix the bearings as soon as you can. He asked to sit in here and watch you work, to “make sure an adequate job was being done”. Bobby had done far more air quotes at that statement than was strictly necessary but Dean made a valiant attempt at keeping a smile off his face. “Told him an adequate job was gonna be done whether he was here or not and that I didn’t want him harassing my mechanic.” Bobby shrugged here as if he was too worn out to continue.
“He said he’d go for a walk and come back. I wudn’t think the Devil himself could stand this heat in that damn coat he’s got on but he promised he’d be fine.” Bobby shrugged again. “Left his keys if you wanna bring it around the bay. I’d rather get him taken care of and out of here as fast as we can. Something about him don’t sit right with me.”
Dean nodded and stood, reaching out a hand for the keys Castiel had left with Bobby. He trotted outside and pulled the car around to the first bay and pulled it in alongside the Firebird. He wouldn’t mind getting this taken care of quickly either. Castiel had unsettled him, though not quite the way he had Bobby.
xxx
Castiel meandered slowly around the park he had stumbled upon. He’d been on Earth for about a week now and he was finding more and more things that amazed him. Everything was still so new to him, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever have a chance to get used to any of it. As he ambled through the park the heat from the concrete below soothed him and brought a sense of calm to his movements. He thought back to his interaction with the “mechanic” that he’d gone to see. He was the reason that Castiel had come to South Dakota and Cas had been thrilled to finally meet him. He still wasn’t sure what this mechanic’s name was but he would recognize the sight of that soul anywhere. And with his newly mortal eyes he was able to appreciate the man for his purely aesthetic appeal as well. He was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. All light brown hair, freckles and eyes greener than the grass on a summer day. They were features that were completely foreign to him. Something totally different from what he’d seen in his years in Hell.
Cas had almost swallowed his tongue when the man had stepped out of the of the garage and the proprietor of the establishment had introduced them. Though introduced might be a strong word, since he hadn’t gotten the man’s name. He had managed to keep his cool, even though his thoughts had turned into a riot upon meeting those eyes that looked almost like stained glass. The conversation felt like a bit of a blur but they weren’t looking at him strangely so he must have managed to get through it. He was surprised to notice that his heart had picked up its normal rhythm. He had placed a hand against it as he quickly made his way outside to the car he had “borrowed” for this interaction.
He hoped there was nothing wrong with his mortal body since there seemed to be no outside stimuli that would be causing this quickened heart rate. He rubbed against his chest and willed the offending organ to settle itself down while he waited for the mechanic to meet him at the car. Cas watched in fascination as the man plunked himself down onto the seat and turned the engine over a couple times, listening intently. The clunking from the engine didn’t mean anything to him but the mechanic seemed know what was wrong fairly quickly. He smiled up at Cas and Cas felt his heart pick up again. He had apparently gravitated towards the man without his knowledge because when the mechanic stood up from the interior of the car they were standing much closer than they had been initially. Cas was so surprised by the nearness that he made no attempt to back away from the man and watched as the mechanic side-stepped him quickly.
He kept waiting for the mechanic to speak to him. To “talk shop” as the phrase went, he thought. But, no sound came from him and Cas wanted to push him for something. He had orchestrated this whole interaction for this moment, this initial meeting and he was anxious for something to come of it. He had even stolen this car from another mechanic’s shop so he’d have an excuse to be here. And yet, the man said nothing. Finally, Cas opened his mouth to prompt something from him when the owner of the shop came outside.
The man next to him seemed to settle a little at the sight of the older man and Cas scrunched his nose slightly, unsure of what that meant. The owner spoke to the mechanic and Cas watched curiously as the mechanic looked at him askance and then did a few strange movements with his hands that the proprietor seemed to nod at a few times in understanding. Cas frowned at the exchange. He was unfamiliar with these gestures. Gabriel spoke often with his hands but he had never done anything quite that intricate before.
Then the proprietor, Bobby, he remembered suddenly, had turned and was speaking to him again. He started explaining something about rod bearings and costs and estimated time of completion and Cas nodded along to what he was saying but, he was not so discreetly, watching the mechanic walking hurriedly back into the building. After he had left, Cas’s wits seemed to come back to him and he turned towards Bobby with a frown. His curiosity got the better of him and the questions just seemed to flow out after the mechanic had stepped away. What were rod bearings? Were they called that because they carried themselves in a stiff manner? How did the mechanic know just by listening? Do different problems have different sounds? His natural curiosity got the better of him and on and on the questions came until finally he asked if he could come and speak again with the mechanic. He tried insisting but Bobby wasn’t having it and so Cas settled on a different question and asked about the hand movements.
“It’s… It’s called signing. Sign language. He don’t talk, see, but he can talk in a way by making different motions with his hands.” Bobby explained, though he seemed hesitant to do so.
Cas mulled this information over for a minute and then asked, “May I sit with the mechanic while he works so that I can be assured he is doing an adequate job in a timely fashion?” It was a ruse, he’d simply wanted to spend more time with the other man in the hopes that he could learn more about him.
Bobby had looked at him flabbergasted for a moment and had flat out refused. Cas had huffed out a breath in agitation but had acquiesced. Bobby promised the car would be done in a couple hours and so Cas told him he would take a walk and be back promptly in two hours. Cas had exited the shop with no clear destination in mind. He still wasn’t all that familiar with this place, and his years in Hell hadn’t really given him a good sense of direction.
He had meandered around the sidewalks near the shop for a time before he happened upon a park. The sounds of children squealing drew his attention and he stopped to watch them play. The noises had been pained at first, or they had sounded that way to his ears. The shrieking had drawn him initially, reminding him of his true home downstairs. But... it was happy shrieking. He curled his lip at the sight of the toothless smiles and round cheeks of the children as they scurried around the park. He was still learning the difference between good sounds and bad sounds. He’d been accustomed to only the shrieks of the damned for so long that the sounds of happy children were jarring to him. The children ran to and fro, hair flying behind them and dirt on their knees.
Cas allowed his gaze to move past the children and around the park. He watched the happy faces of the mothers and fathers as they chatted amongst themselves and the defeated expression of a lone jogger as he made his way down the path. The man had an expression on his face that Cas was very familiar with from his time in Hell. The look almost brought a smile to his lips. If he could imagine the shouting was painful then he could almost picture being back in Hell. This place felt like a much brighter and more colorful Hell in some respects really, and he was happy that he’d made the decision to come here. He turned his face towards the sun and soaked in it’s warmth for a moment.
Gabriel’s suggestion of getting sweaters had been sound advice, but he found that he much preferred the weight of the trench coat he now wore. It coupled with the heat of the sun kept the chills he had been feeling at bay and he almost felt himself smile at how comfortable he was now. He held a hand out over the sidewalk and appreciated the heat radiating from the cement. The sun had been baking it all day and he had a brief desire to feel the heat on his bare feet. He glanced around quickly but no one seemed to be paying him any attention. Silently, he toed off his slick black shoes and bent to pull his dress socks off of his feet. He stuffed the socks into the shoes and splayed his toes onto the concrete below him.
He took one more surreptitious glance around before he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Ah, yes, this was exactly what he had been needing; just a little reminder of home. Everything around him had been so overwhelming this last week that he hadn’t had a chance to feel homesick, but standing in this park now, with his coat on, the sun on his face, the shouts of people around him, and the hot sidewalk under his toes, he felt a slight yearning for Hell in his gut.
He allowed himself to stand there for only a moment longer. Gabriel had warned him not too stay too still for too long, it drew attention and worried the humans. He opened his eyes slowly and continued on with his walk, holding his shoes in one hand. The other hand he stuffed into the pocket of his large coat. If the people around him gave him strange looks he didn’t notice. He was lost in the sensations of being “mostly” human and experiencing the world like a newborn with a millenia old mind.
Cas’s thoughts occasionally circled back to the beautiful mechanic a more or so away and the problem that he had posed. Cas was well-versed in lies and manipulation, he’d been practicing those skills and learning the trade for as long as he could speak. Yet, how was he supposed to use those skills when the body that bright soul inhabited COULDN’T speak? He’d never come across this problem before. But, he hadn’t ever had to try and claim souls on his own before. Had never in fact, been top-side for more than a minute at a time. Perhaps this particular affliction was common among humans, he didn’t know.
That still left him with the problem of claiming the soul. He had set his sights upon it and Cas was very rarely distracted once he’d gotten his mind set to something. And honestly, at this point it would be a matter of principle. Gabriel would ask eventually what brought him to this place specifically and he needed a good answer. Gabe would be impressed when Cas showed him the contract and the resplendent beauty of the soul he had managed to snare. Not to mention the man it came attached too. Cas knew that Gabe appreciated beauty in anything and anyone. If only because it gave him a bigger challenge in order to warp it.
Cas checked his watch briefly. His wanderings had taken him an hour and a half and he supposed it would be an appropriate time to get back. He turned his face towards the sun one last time and inhaled deeply before he turned around and began an unhurried walk back to the garage, plotting the whole way.
xxx
Dean was just wiping a little grease off of his hands onto a dirty rag when he heard the faint ring of the bell from the lobby. He pursed his lips and glanced briefly at his cell phone. That Castiel must be back for his car already. He rolled his eyes Heavenwards and waited on Bobby to appear to deal with the man. Silence from the back greeted him. Dean glanced toward Bobby’s office expectantly, but the man was nowhere to be seen. As a couple of minutes stretched by, he huffed indignantly. He turned to go and rouse the man, just as the door to the lobby and the garage opened and Castiel himself stepped through.
Dean was taken aback for a moment, not that the man had been forward enough to come through, people did that all the time. But, taken aback because the man looked absolutely ridiculous. His hair seemed even more wild than it had before, twisting and turning in a riot of black, giving it a windswept birds-nest look. His eyes seemed to sparkle brighter, like they had absorbed some of the light from the sun while he’d been outside. He was still wearing that God awful coat, though Dean had to admit he was curious what the man was hiding under it. And...
And he was barefoot.
Dean frowned at the man’s bare feet and titled his head minutely to the side, as if getting a different angle on it would help him understand why the man had taken off his shoes. Castiel was holding his neatly shined black shoes with their soft black dress socks peeking out from the tops… and he was standing on the dirty garage floor as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Dean felt the corner of his mouth quirk up. Castiel didn’t look in the least bit perturbed by his state of dress, he merely looked around himself curiously, an expression of utmost calm on his face. His eyes turned around the shop, seeming to catalog and analyze everything in the room rapidly before they finally turned towards Dean. It had to be one of the most incongruous things Dean had ever seen and he almost laughed at the sight of the finely boned feet sticking out from the pressed slacks against the stained cement floor of the shop.
Dean made eye contact with the man and Castiel’s expression hardened in determination before he made his way resolutely towards him. Dean took half a step back, looking towards Bobby’s office and willing the man to step out of it. Come on, you old bastard… I can’t talk to this gu-Dean’s attention was diverted by Castiel as he stopped in front of him. Much too close to him, he might add, there was hardly any space between the two as the man peered at him curiously.
“I am to understand that you cannot speak to me using verbal means?” Castiel asked without preamble.
Dean was surprised at being addressed this way. Most of the time people felt uncomfortable when they found out he couldn’t speak. Or even derisive at his “disability”, but never with a simple statement of fact. Dean sensed no condemnation in his tone and saw only curiosity on his face. It was refreshing actually, the man was blunt, probably to a fault, but Dean appreciated the fact that he wasn’t being handled like a child or like he was deaf or stupid.
He nodded once to the man while taking a small step back in order to expand the space between them. The man was much too close for a comfortable conversation to be taking place between strangers. He waited for Castiel to continue but the man had pursed his lips and had a slight frown on his face, as if in deep thought. “Those movements you performed earlier with your hands to… Bobby?” Dean nodded again. “Those are a different means of communication? He understood what you were saying to him.”
Dean gave a half shrug and nodded. Castiel frowned again in thought and Dean had to force a smile off of his face. The man was interesting to say the least, even if he was freakishly intense. He seemed truly interested in the fact that Dean was mute and was trying to work out how to talk to him. It was endearing in a way, he mused. Castiel’s brows lifted suddenly and he started rummaging around in the pockets of his coat for something. He was hampered by his hand holding the shoes as he patted at his pockets quickly. He seemed to keep forgetting that he was holding the shoes and couldn’t force his right hand into his pockets with the cumbersome objects in his grip. He huffed agitatedly as he tried to put the hand into a pocket, switched the shoes into the other hand, only to need try and reach into a different pocket with that hand and Dean let out a small strangled squeak of amusement.
Castiel looked at him quickly and Dean removed all expression from his face and looked back at him neutrally. Is this guy seriously for real? He’s like Marvin the Martian... This was the most bizarre interaction with a customer Dean had ever had. Castiel looked around them suspiciously as if some offending mouse had gotten into the room and he was going to spy it rooting around. Eventually, he produced a pen from one pocket and a receipt from another pocket with a triumphant look on his face. He held them out to Dean and Dean looked at them with a raised eyebrow.
“I am at a disadvantage here. The proprietor gave you my name but I never received yours. Can you… oh, perhaps not.” He thought here a moment more before continuing. “Would you write your name for me? I would have you use your hands but I wouldn’t know what it meant.” At Dean’s amused look, he amended, “Well, I suppose you’re still using your hands to write. But I meant using your hands to…” He trailed off as Dean took the pen and the paper from him.
He watched eagerly as Dean smoothed the paper against the top of the car behind him and swirled a couple small circles on the paper in order to get the pen to work. In a quick and sloppy hand he wrote simply, “DEAN” and handed it back to Castiel.
Castiel studied the paper, bringing it closer to his eyes than was probably necessary and Dean again felt amusement alight on his features. This guy was completely unreal. He watched the guy’s lips as they mouthed the word once and then looked up to meet his eyes.
He extended a hand then, Dean was further amused to note that it was the hand holding the shoes, as if he were expecting a handshake. Castiel huffed a breath and extended the other hand instead and this time Dean reached forward to grasp it in a firm grip and pumped it once.
“Hello, Dean,” Castiel’s deep voice intoned to him with formal solemnity.
A VERY cute Marvin the Martian. Dean thought with a small smile. It felt nice to be treated so… normal by a complete stranger. Dean nodded to him once before dropping his hand. It was then that he noticed Bobby coming out of his office, hat pulled tightly down across his head. Oh thank God… Dean thought to himself. Took you long enough, you pain in the ass. Though, he couldn’t say that his brief interaction with Castiel had been too terrible. His eyes shifted back to the dark-haired man and he was a little shocked to note that Castiel’s eyes had remained trained on his face while he had turned towards Bobby. He felt a heat suffuse his cheeks briefly. Definitely not even close to terrible, actually. He nodded once to Castiel before stepping away and signing to Bobby that the car was done.
“Bout time,” Bobby huffed to him good-naturedly and Dean rolled his eyes before he turned back to Castiel and gave him a polite nod of goodbye. He made his way towards the back of the shop, while rubbing his neck. He didn’t necessarily have anything to do back there but he needed to put some space between himself and the darkly engaging man that was now speaking quickly to Bobby. They seemed to settle their business without too much fuss and the man accepted the keys from Bobby and made his way towards the lobby. He paused at the door and looked back at Dean with an unreadable expression on his face. Dean had the singularly uncomfortable sensation that he was being weighed and measured with those piercing eyes before the moment was broken and Castiel was gone through the door.
Dean exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He could mark this day as one of the strangest he’d had in awhile. He took a steadying breath and looked towards the Firebird morosely. He had a feeling he was going to have trouble concentrating the rest of the day.
xxx
Castiel sat inside “his” car where he had parked it downtown. He was going to leave the car here when he finally convinced himself to get out of t. He couldn’t very well take it back to his home and have it tracked back to him, it would cause too much trouble and he was trying to keep a “low-profile” as Gabriel had told him. That second interaction with Dean had gone better than he’d thought it would. He’d had some initial trepidation about his abilities to overcome their little language barrier, but he shouldn’t have doubted himself. He was a demon after all, the best in fact.
Dean… he thought to himself. Dean, Dean, Dean. He felt a small smile pull at his lips. The name suited the man and Cas had to catch himself before said it out loud. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of his stolen car as he thought. He needed to force some more interactions with the man, he just wasn’t sure how yet. He sighed deeply. He needed to get out here and regroup at home. He had enjoyed the heat from the leather seats and he was reluctant to leave them though. But, the longer he stayed in the car, the higher his chances of being caught by someone looking for the vehicle.
He put his shoes back on before slipping out of the small vehicle. He had noticed the way that Dean had looked at his bare feet and figured that perhaps people didn’t just wander around barefoot up here. He was determined to look like he fit in and so would take as many social cues from others as he could. Though, he did look a little wistfully at the black asphalt of the road below him before forcing himself to continue.
Castiel was lost in his thoughts and so he missed the dirty looks of the other drivers on the road that had passed him. He had broken more than a few laws and a number of moving violations with his haphazard driving earlier. The car he had just exited was parked at a rather jarring angle, half a front tire on the curb and right next to a fire hydrant. But, Cas paid none of it any mind. The fact that he had managed to maneuver the car at all had been nothing short of a miracle, truthfully.
He wandered the sidewalks for a time, following a particularly white cloud as it drifted lazily above him. His thoughts kept coming back to the problem that Dean posed. The man had seemed to have some sort of physical reaction to his proximity. He thought back to the pink that had stained his cheeks at one point and a slight tightening in his chest drew his attention. That sensation was starting to worry him, but just as he was thinking about it, his eyes fell upon a rather artfully decorated sign in a store window. The sign read “Help Wanted” with a large number of swirls on the ends of the letters. There was also a small symbol at the bottom of the sign that Castiel wasn’t familiar with. It looked like a half moon, or perhaps like a stylized trident. Castiel frowned at it a moment before looking up at the store itself.
It appeared to be a coffee shop. Castiel was only vaguely aware of the concept of coffee. He’d never had it before but he knew that Gabriel was a particular fan of something called an espresso. Coincidentally, Gabriel had also been banned from all Crossroads meetings while he was on espresso, though Cas wasn’t sure why.
Speaking of Gabriel, he had suggested Cas get a job while he was up here. He had assured him that it would help him assimilate and also told him that he would need money soon, since his mortal body would need to eat. This felt rather fortuitous! He decided to shelve his plans for Dean for the moment, he would need to consult with BOOBS later anyway.
He gathered himself up resolutely before pushing the door open and blinking against the sudden dim light around him. A petite redhead sat behind the counter, her eyes half-lidded as if she were falling asleep. Cas looked around, quickly assessing his surroundings. The place was empty, aside from the redhead and he thought shrewdly that this probably wasn’t good news for a customer based business. The room itself was cosy, with a comfortable mismatch of furniture and abstract art on the walls. Most of it looked second-hand but it seemed to “fit” for some reason. The walls were a muted brown and white string lights hung near the ceiling. Cas wasn’t sure what to make of it, he supposed humans would feel comfortable here, though perhaps not if the lack of clientele was anything to go by.
He approached the counter confidently and looked at the young woman with a hard set to his jaw. She hadn’t seemed to notice him yet and after a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat loudly. She blinked suddenly and her head snapped upright. It swiveled around twice before catching sight of him and her eyes focused on his face.
“Oh geez, I’m so sorry!” She laughed nervously. “The place has been dead all afternoon and I was falling asleep here.” She straightened and smoothed down the apron she was wearing. She met his eyes again and smiled prettily. “What can I get you?”
Cas looked her up and down briefly, spying a nametag pinned to her chest. He cleared his throat again and looked down at her imperially. “Yes, Ms. Organa, I would like one job, please.”
The woman blinked at him in surprise and her eyes clouded with confusion. “Wha-” She started to say and then looked down at her chest. Comprehension dawned at last and she laughed loudly. “Oh, wow, I completely forgot that was there.” She laughed again.
Cas was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. He peered again at the nametag she now had tilted towards her face. It read in simple bold type, Charlie Organa. He looked back up at her face and noticed her eyes were sparkling with mirth.
“I put the last on there as a joke. You know, ‘cause Leia’s the dream girl.” She ran a hand through her hair here and let out one more chuckle. “It’s just Charlie. Er, I’m just Charlie.” She took in his appearance then, seeming to really look at him for the first time. “And I’m sorry, did you say you were looking for work?”
“I believe I said one job, but yes. I saw your sign out front…”
Charlie was waving her hand now and his sentence trailed off. “Not to be rude, dude, but you don’t really look like the type to get a job in a coffee shop. The position is just for a barista after all, it barely pays above minimum wage…” She paused here and looked at him thoughtfully. “With that suit you look more like you’d be running the place… Or the corporation that runs the place. I had figured the sign would attract some college student, honestly.”
Cas looked at her impassively. She seemed to be exercising some sort of judgement on him based on his appearance. It was a rather novel experience really, he hadn’t given a thought to his appearance in a long time. Demons all looked very similar in Hell, outward appearances notwithstanding. Their essence was always black and twisted, the ethereal stuff soft at the edges and misty. They all had faces and human forms, something to hold in the horror of their true selves. He mused briefly as to why that was… He’d never thought about it before. He figured it might be a good idea to pay closer attention to his appearance at a later time, now it was too late to do anything about it.
“Do you have any experience working in customer service?” Charlie asked him brightly.
Cas considered the question for a moment and decided on a vague answer. “I’ve been looking to get into sales.”
Charlie nodded here and shrugged. “Well, you’re a bit of an oddball, I’ll give you that. But, I need the help and oddball suits me just fine. This place is a madhouse.”
Cas took a moment to look around the shop again curiously, taking note of the fact that it was still deserted.
Charlie blushed, the pink on her cheeks contrasting with the red of her hair. “Obviously not right now… I promise it’s nuts in the mornings!”
Cas nodded to her in what he hoped was understanding. He had no idea how these types of transactions typically occurred and was trying to follow her lead.
“Anyway,” She started again, “Shift starts at 4:30 a.m. and goes until 12:30 Monday through Thursday. I hope you work well under pressure because you would not believe the horde of zombies that come in here that early. You know sometimes, I like to picture myself as this totally hardass zombie hunter except instead of headshots to take them out, I pass out espresso shots.” She laughed loudly but the sound faded as she looked over at Cas. He wasn’t laughing, he just looked at her with a tilt to his head.
“Okay! So, I sound insane, great. Well, what do you say…?”
“Castiel” He supplied simply.
“What do you say, Castiel? Wanna help me fight off the hordes?”
“I believe the answer is yes, though I’m unsure of the meaning of the question,” he deadpanned.
Charlie laughed again and reached a hand out for him to shake. “Happy to have you on board! Lemme grab some papers for you to fill out and we can discuss some more details and make it all official.”
And with that Castiel found himself gainfully employed. Charlie had to walk him through some of the paperwork and he had to evade a couple of questions regarding his previous work experience. Apparently, it was strange for a man in his thirties to have never had a job before. Charlie seemed to think he was hilarious, laughing at his some of his more dry responses and patting his arm companionably. It was a strange experience, to be sure. But, he had completed another item on his Being Human checklist and for that he was thankful.
He went home that night feeling physically exhausted. That was also a new sensation. His mortal body seemed to tire quite easily and he was frustrated with his inability to work continuously like he was accustomed. Charlie had given him strict instructions on when to be at work the next day and he was grateful that he had the clear directions. He liked following directions, it was far easier to get through his day with a definite plan in front of him.
He fell heavily onto his bed, still fully clothed. Absently, he set an alarm on his phone so that the would be up in time to make himself presentable before work the next day. Gabriel hadn’t been much help in getting him prepared for this undertaking really, but he had at least shown him a few basics on how to use the cellphone he’d been given.
His jaw cracked around a wide yawn and he snuggled his face against the plush pillow under his head. He was making excellent progress and he was pleased with himself. He was blending in here seamlessly, Gabriel and Anna would be proud. He was fast asleep almost immediately, thoughts of green eyes and white clouds drifting through his dreams.