The Bodega Boy

A day in the life of Castiel Novak

      Cas wakes up around two o'clock in the afternoon the next day. He's groggy and still half asleep as he rolls over and checks his cell phone. when he sees the time he scrambled out of bed. "oh fuck, I overslept my alarm!" He rushes to get dressed, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

      Today his youngest sibling had a violin recital. Technically, he was supposed to go over to his parents house early to eat a brunch with them before the show, which started in fifteen minutes. He no longer had the time for that. He doesn't bother brushing his hair or brushing his teeth, after all, what was one morning without it?

      As castiels tugs on his pants his phone rings and he nearly trips trying to pick it back up to answer it. "Hello?" He grunts as he regained his balance.

     "Hey Cassie, where the hell are you?" A familiar voice speaks over the receiver. "we're all at the show already, we got the good seats front row. I went out for a smoke break. Mom is pissed"

      "I know Gabe, I'm sorry" cas sighed as he gets his socks on. "I had a graveyard shift last night, I over slept all my alarms" he sighed.

      "Jesus Cas, you're running yourself ragged. Are you still working that bodega? I don't get why you haven't quit by now"

      "Because it pays decent" he snapped. "I'm also working McDonald's on the weekend, and selling my artwork on the side." He sighs.

      "I don't get why you won't just get an office job or something. Paid a bunch to sit in a cubicle all day" he snorts.

      "Because that sounds like literal hell, Gabe" cas says, not in the mood to have this conversation. "You're starting to sound like Michael."

      "Well, you're starting to sound more like Lucifer. Don't be like that" Gabe sighed. "Look, Anna is getting anxious you're not gonna show. Do I need to give you a ride?" He asked genuinely. Cas finished tying his shoes and stands.

      "No, I'll be there I promise." he swears "I'm taking my bike so I won't have to deal with traffic. If you left to come get me there's no way in hell we'd make it back in time. The show would be over by the time we got there" on his way out he grabs his helmet and puts it on while Gabe replies.

      "That's fair I guess" he sighs. "I'll see you soon, it'll be nice seeing you." He says genuinely. Cas smiled lightly.

      "You too, Gabe. Now I gotta go." He hangs up and gets his bike out the front door and down the hall. He's never been so happy that he lives on the first floor.

.....

     Castiel arrives literally minutes before the recital starts, hastily putting his bike on the rack and securing it with a bike lock. He had the expensive kind that wasn't worth breaking into. It costed him a pretty penny, but in New York? Definitely worth it.

      He rushes inside to get to thier seats. His mother immediately shoots him a small glare and he gives an apologetic expression back. He sits down and his father leans over.

      "Everything alright, son?" He asked. Cas nodded.

       "I had a late shift, overslept my alarms, I'm really sorry" he explained and apologized. His father just lightly nodded.
Cas waves to the twins, the two eldest sons of Naomi and Chuck Novak, Lucifer and Michael. Lucifer was in a struggling rock band, and Michael had become the CEO of a technology company. Though he usually had his nose in his phone and a Bluetooth piece always in his ear he had neither insight. He may have been a busy man, but he always put his work down for his family. Castiel had always admired it.