Work Text:
Eggs, milk, flour, bacon.
Eggs, milk, flour, bacon.
Eggs, milk- oh, wait. Wasn't there something else Charlie had added to the mental shopping list last minute as Dean had left their apartment? What was it?
Alright, time to type the list up. At least then he could have an excuse for not talking to anyone as he made his way through the store. Walking through the parking lot, Dean typed the list into his notes.
Eggs, milk, flour, bacon, oh, and spaghetti. That's what Charlie had shouted as he walked out the door.
As he typed the last word, he stepped through the automatic doors of the grocery store and felt the rush of cold air creep down his neck. If he was quick enough, he could still make it home before Charlie started the next episode of Chopped without him.
"Hi, welcome in. Can I help you find anything today?" a deep male voice asked.
Dean stumbled to a halt, almost dropping his phone as he came within inches of stumbling into whoever had asked him the question.
He opened his mouth, ready to say 'who the hell are you?' and 'no, I don't need your help', but the words got stuck in his throat when he looked up.
Aside from the ridiculous green vest and chunky name tag, the man was devastatingly handsome. Dark messy hair and dazzling blue eyes. A soft smile that made Dean feel a little weak in the knees. The man's nose was scrunched up adorably and his hands had somehow made their way to Dean's shoulders in an attempt to steady him.
"You alright there?" the man asked, and dear God, could that voice be any more attractive?
Dean shook his head, then realized a second later what he was doing and instead switched to nodding. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good… Steve," Dean said, glancing down at the name tag pinned to the bright vest.
The man- Steve- chuckled, low and deep. If those hands weren’t on his shoulders, Dean was sure his knees would’ve given out at the sound. Rich and reverberating in Dean’s head.
“My name is actually Castiel. First day on the job and they didn’t have any name tags for me yet,” Castiel said, hands sliding off Dean's shoulders with a nervous laugh. “I’m um- the store’s new Greeter. Is there- uh- anything I can help you with?”
God dammit. Why was Castiel so cute? ‘Focus, Winchester. Focus,’ Dean thought to himself. “No, I’m uh… I’m good. Got a list that my roommate requested. It’s only a few items,” Dean said, tightening his hold on his phone.
Cas nodded, taking a step backwards and away from Dean. “Good, good. If you have any questions…”
“Maybe ask someone who’s worked here longer than a few hours?” Dean teased. He watched as a flush creeped up Castiel’s cheeks and, God, this man could not get anymore beautiful if he tried.
“I’m a fast learner. Ask me next week and I’m sure I’ll know where everything is,” Castiel said, tugging on his vest before looking up at Dean through his eyelashes.
Clearing his throat, Dean took a step further into the store; away from a couple of teens who were looking between Dean and Castiel with matching grins. “I’d better, you know…”
Castiel nodded, moving back towards the entrance of the store. “It was nice to meet you-”
“Dean. My name’s Dean.”
Castiel smiled; a soft expression that made his blue eyes melt. “Nice to meet you, Dean.”
Before he could melt into those eyes, Dean turned and hightailed towards the dairy aisle on the other side of the store.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.
Dean was in trouble. Yep. Absolutely in trouble. The only other grocery store in the area was all the way on the other side of town. No way could he drive that far every day, especially with how often he needed ingredients for the baking business he and Charlie were starting to run out of their little kitchen.
That just meant he was going to have to ignore the fact he felt a spark. A hint of a crush. Nope. No way was Dean going to fall for the new guy in the grocery store. Nu uh. Nope. Not happening.
~
“Hiya, Cas. Have you got those organic bananas in yet?” Dean asked as soon as he stepped into the store, brushing his hair from his face as the air conditioning above the door blew his bangs into his face.
Cas stepped aside, waving to another customer before leaning against one of the drink refrigerators by the entrance where Dean had veered off to. “Yes! We just got them in an hour ago. What are you making with them? Banana bread? Oh. Is it a banana cream pie again? That one you brought me a sample of last week was delicious,” Cas said with a grin.
Dean laughed, shaking his head. “Nope. Got an order in from a neighbor for a banana upside down cake. If there’s any leftovers I can bring them by tomorrow. Oh wait, tomorrow is your day off. How about Thursday?”
Seven months of being friends, and yes, maybe Dean had memorized Cas’ schedule. Wednesday and Saturday were his days off (Dean had asked why he didn’t have a normal schedule with two days off in a row but Cas had just shrugged and said he was happy to work whenever his managers needed him).
“Thursday sounds great. I’m always happy to try your baking,” Cas said as he brushed their arms together. The movement caused Cas’ name tag to catch the sunlight and it momentarily made Dean blink against the blinding light. Putting his hand out, he tugged the tag down an inch and smiled at Cas.
“You’re blinding me again,” he teased, fingers lingering against Cas’ name for a second longer than necessary before he pulled his hand away.
The badge now said ‘Castiel’ instead of Steve. But it had only taken Dean a couple weeks of calling the man Castiel before he’d given him a nickname instead. Cas. And the nickname had caught on, because now Dean had heard the rest of the employees calling him Cas, too. A feat that Dean was quite proud of achieving. Castiel was a mouthful, but Cas suited him better.
“Maybe I wouldn’t need to blind you if you didn’t distract me from my job at least once a day,” Cas grinned, nudging their shoulders together.
“I have no idea what you mean. I was merely having a conversation with my best friend. Just don’t tell Charlie I said that,” Dean winked, watching as that all-too-familiar blush climbed up Cas’ cheeks.
Just as Cas opened his mouth to throw some kind of retort back at Dean, an overhead announcement interrupted the moment. “Castiel to aisle 2 for a customer. Castiel to aisle 2,” the message repeated before cutting off.
“That’s my cue,” Cas said, nodding his head towards the fresh produce in aisle 2.
“Woah, wait. Can anyone request your help in the store?” Dean asked, a spark of hope dancing in his veins at the idea of calling for Cas over the intercom to whatever aisle Dean needed ‘help’ in.
The way Cas rolled his eyes made Dean laugh. “Don’t be getting any ideas about sending me all across the store just because you feel like it,” Cas said, knocking their wrists together before pulling away.
The grin on Dean’s face felt like it was going to split his cheeks with happiness. “I would never,” he said, even though he knew that was exactly what he was going to do on his next visit to the store.
Together, they both moved towards the produce, with Cas veering towards the vegetables and Dean heading to the fruits.
“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Cas asked just before they went their separate ways.
Dean nodded, motioning to the newly-stocked bananas. “With banana upside cake,” he confirmed.
Turning away to actually buy whatever groceries he needed always sucked. Walking away from Cas was Dean’s least favorite part of the day. He hated to admit it, but his little crush had snowballed into a head-over-heels ache. A day without seeing Cas felt empty; as if there were a Cas-sized-hole in Dean’s day until he walked into the store and saw that handsome face.
Normally, Dean could steal Cas away from the front doors for 5 minutes to talk about anything and everything. But today had been cut short and Dean felt slighted by it.
Well then. He’d just have to come back to the store right before Cas’ lunch break.
Nodding as if that were the completely normal thing to do, Dean paid for the bananas and made his way back to the car. He could easily run a couple more errands and swing back past the store on the way home.
Yep. That was totally normal.
An hour and a half later, Dean walked back through the entrance and under the spray of cold air. His eyes instantly locked with Cas’ and he saw the way the tension slipped from his shoulders.
“Dean! What are you doing back here? You were only here an hour ago,” Cas said, automatically moving to the side and out of the way of a couple of customers walking in.
“I um-” Dean started. Shit. He hadn’t thought of a valid excuse for why he’d be coming back for the second time in the same day. “Forgot to get butter. Charlie texted me just as I was on my way home to remind me.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’m just about to clock out for my lunch break. I can help you find that butter and you can tell me about this cake you’re baking while I eat my lunch?” Cas asked, a flicker of something dancing in his eyes as he looked at Dean.
The offer made Dean’s stomach twist and flutter, and he found himself nodding before he could find the words to say yes.
"Yeah, I'd like that," Dean said, darting his gaze away from Cas' before his heart could catapult right out of his chest.
As they walked to the aisle with the butter, their hands brushed together and Dean swore he was going to stop breathing. God. Why couldn't Cas just push him against the shelves and kiss him stupid? Dean ached for it; to feel Cas pressed against him and to have their mouths moving together.
But maybe Cas didn't want it? Maybe they were better off just staying as friends? It didn't stop Dean from yearning. From desperately thinking about what it would be like to have Cas be his.
After Dean had purchased the butter, Cas tugged Dean towards a quiet spot at the back of the store and told him to wait there. A minute later, he came out of the break room with a PB&J sandwich and a lemonade.
“Tell me about the cake you and Charlie are working on,” Cas said, offering half his sandwich to Dean.
They spent Cas’ entire 30 minute break talking and sharing the sandwich. If Dean thought he was falling before, he was absolutely gone on Cas by the end of Cas’ break.
Walking back to the front of the store, Dean motioned to the entrance with his thumb. “I should get back home before Charlie does all the baking without me,” Dean said. Part of him wanted to stay all day and talk to Cas, but he knew that wasn’t an option.
“I’ll see you on Thursday, yeah? Don’t you dare forget a slice of that cake,” Cas said, eyes lingering on Dean’s face in a way that had butterflies soaring through Dean’s chest. Was it just Dean’s imagination, or was Cas staring at his lips?
Swallowing thickly, Dean nodded and tried to make his lungs function again. Quite possibly because Cas had somehow stolen all the air from his body once again with just a simple look. “Wouldn’t dream of forgetting,” Dean said. He had to bite down on his tongue and flee the grocery store before the words ‘it’s a date’ could tumble from his lips.
~
Cas’ POV
Just five more minutes until Dean would walk through those automatic doors and flash him that beautiful smile that had Cas’ heart racing in his chest.
Dean had been coming into the store more frequently over the last couple weeks. What had been a once a day encounter had turned into two and then three times a day, and now Cas had it down to a T. Always in the morning when the store opened, and then again right before Cas went onto his lunch break, and then finally in the evening lull when Cas was in need of some company.
Oh, how Cas loved those moments with Dean. He’d started setting his watch to count down to the moments when Dean would walk into the store and steal Cas’ breath away.
God. Dean was gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. Funny and smart. Full of amazing stories about his baking adventures and always carrying with him some new samples for Cas to try.
Oh yes. Cas was smitten. Absolutely and utterly gone for Dean. Had been since their first meeting when Dean had almost knocked him over. Cas’ hands had brushed against Dean’s shoulders and their eyes had met and Cas was starstruck.
And he’d only gone and devastatingly fallen for the man who had become his best friend. There was a spark. Cas was sure of it. A possible hint of reciprocation. There had to be, right? What man came to the grocery store 3 times a day unless he were specifically coming to talk to Cas, right?
Pacing the front entrance of the store, Cas pulled in a deep breath of air. Today. For sure. It had to be today.
For weeks, Cas had been trying to pluck up the courage to ask Dean out. He’d managed to ask Dean to join him on his lunch break, and they always shared sandwiches and sat pressed up next to each other in the back of the store. But every time he tried to tell Dean that he was his favorite part of the day, he froze with nerves.
Tomorrow was one of his days off, and Cas was determined. He was gonna ask Dean out on a date. They could spend the day together tomorrow. He didn’t even care what they did. As long as he got to spend time with Dean outside of work.
Taking another deep breath to steady himself, the watch beeped on his wrist. Just as he’d managed to turn it off, Dean waltzed into the door.
“Hiya, Cas,” Dean said, bright and bubbly as ever.
Cas’ heart lurched in his chest. Dean looked especially beautiful today. Old red flannel shirt and black jeans with holes ripped in the knees. A streak of flour still sat high on his cheekbone, and Cas couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and rubbing it away with his thumb.
Dean blushed, eyes dropping to the ground before he gave Cas this soft little smile. Oh God. Cas was completely sweet on Dean.
“Hi Dean. It’s my lunch break, if you wanna sit with me in the back?” Cas asked quietly, heart hammering away against his ribs as his fingers danced over Dean’s wrist.
Dean nodded, licking his lips before holding out a cold-brew coffee. The same one Cas had mentioned yesterday. Dean really did listen to him.
Oh, Cas was so far beyond crushing on Dean. He was absolutely falling in love with him.
Together, they moved to the back of the store. Cas grabbed his sandwich- ham and cheese this time- and offered Dean a slice. Instead of sitting though, Cas leaned against one of the shelves.
“Can I ask you something?” Cas asked after a minute had slipped by with them leaning next to each other.
“Is it about the chocolate loaf that Charlie mentioned when she was in here yesterday? Because if it is, I really did try to save you a slice. But my brother is in town and he ate it before I could bring it to you,” Dean quickly interjected, a flush creeping down into the collar of his shirt.
“No, no. Not that.” Cas took one final steadying breath, hoping to God that he could get the words out without making a fool of himself. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?” Cas asked, the words coming out in a whisper as his heart jumped up into his throat.
Dean tilted his head slightly before a flicker of hope danced across his eyes. “No plans. Why? Isn’t tomorrow your day off?”
Here it was. Now or never.
“Go on a date with me?” Cas asked, forcing the words out as fast as he could before he lost his nerve.
Dean blinked once, twice, before a heart-melting smile burst across his face. “Castiel Novak. Are you asking me out?” Dean teased, fingers reaching out to ghost along Cas’ cheek.
Chewing on his lip, Cas looked up at Dean through his eyelashes. “Yeah, I am. I’m so- you make me so- God, Dean, I’ve been crushing on you for months. Honestly, since the day we met. You’re the highlight of my day and I count down to the moments I get to see you. All I wanna do is kiss you,” Cas admitted. Once the words started flowing, he couldn’t stop them. He wanted. He yearned.
“Yes. Hell yes, I’ll go on a date with you,” Dean beamed, leaning into Cas’ space until their foreheads were pressed together. “Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss me, Cas,” Dean said, words ghosting over Cas’ mouth.
Lurching forward, Cas connected their mouths together. They stumbled backwards, and Cas pressed Dean into the shelves as he locked their lips together. Cas licked along Dean’s lower lip, and Dean sighed blissfully as he opened his mouth.
Cas melted into the kiss, arms locking around Dean’s neck as Dean’s hands settled on his waist. They broke apart with a gasp, only for Cas to chase Dean’s mouth into another kiss. The kisses slowed down, gentle and sweet as Cas brushed their lips together in little strokes.
When they finally pulled away, Dean was laughing happily and Cas felt like he was floating. “Please tell me you’re gonna kiss me like that again tomorrow?” Dean asked, fingers trailing along Cas’ hips.
Cas smiled until his face ached with happiness. “I’m gonna kiss you like that again right now,” he murmured.
If they spent Cas’ entire break kissing against the shelves, well, that might’ve been the best lunch break Cas had ever had.