Sugar Daddy

August

In the days leading up to the first day back at school, Dean worked as many shifts as he possibly could. Alfie worked just off campus at a shop that sold various university-related items. Everything from sweatshirts to foam fingers to license plate holders. With school starting back up parents were pouring in by the bus load to buy souvenirs and clothing that showed their pride for the university. Alfie was busy, and he and Dean didn't see much of one another.

They both worked random weekends, depending on what hours their bosses needed to fill. Dean worked at a garage a few blocks from their apartment, and he saved himself a small fortune on gas by walking to work every day. One Friday night, just after classes had started back up and Dean was walking back from work, a car pulled up along side him. At first he ignored it but then the tinted window rolled down and he saw Cas leaning out.

"Hello, Dean. Just getting off work?"

Dean stopped and turned towards the car. He was surprised, Cas drove an old Cadillac, not some newfangled car like he expected a lawyer to drive.

"Yeah, actually. It's been a long week. I think Alfie's still at work. Probably til nine. He's been closing lately."

Cas sighed. "That explains why he wasn't answering my texts." He seemed thoughtful for a moment before pinning Dean once more with his intense blue stare. "What are your plans this evening?"

Dean floundered for a moment. His plans? Aside from a shower and leftover fried chicken he didn't have a plan.

"I dunno. Shower, eat, maybe watch a movie? I'm caught up on homework for the moment, and I don't have to be in until tomorrow afternoon."

"Care to join me for dinner?" Cas asked. Dean blinked in surprise. Cas wanted to have dinner...with him? Why was that an exciting prospect? What the hell was going on with him? Before he could stop himself he was nodding.

"Great. Hop in, I'll drive you to your place so you can shower, unless you are comfortable as-is," Cas said. Dean looked down at his grease-stained clothes and his fingers that he never quite got completely clean down at the garage.

"N-No, I need a quick shower." Dean didn't like socializing when he was dirty from work, but for some reason he really wanted to make an extra-good impression on Cas. The man smiled warmly and leaned over to unlock the passenger door for Dean as he walked around to get in. As he slid into the seat he couldn't help the smile that suddenly appeared on his face when he heard Motorhead coming from the car speakers.

"Awesome tunes."

Cas smiled back as he pulled away from the curb.

"I have most of my album collection on my iPod. I was still using tapes for a long time but my tape deck broke last year, so I moved into the new millennia and bought myself an iPod. I have it nearly filled up completely with music now. It's easier to transport, though honestly it took me forever to figure out how the damn thing worked."

Dean laughed. He couldn't help it. The pouty way Cas talked about his iPod was funny.

"So how many songs are we talking here, Cas?" he asked.

"Oh, about 3,000? Give or take. I'll actually need another iPod soon. I have another 1,000 or so I need to download." Cas pulled up in front of Dean's building, and they both got out.

When they got up to the apartment, Dean excused himself and went to grab clean clothes. As he headed to the bathroom he glanced at Cas. The man was looking through the albums on one of the repurposed shelves Dean had recently put together from scraps of wood he'd found. It looked like it belonged in Beetlejuice, but it was sturdy and held the contents of three album boxes and four of Alfie's boxes of books. He planned to find more wood that he could repurpose and make more bookcases, and maybe even a TV stand, but that would come later.

The shower felt wonderful and Dean scrubbed the day's filth off his skin and out of his hair. After making sure the dirt and grease were out from under his nails, he got out and dried off. He dressed quickly and rubbed a little gel in his hair before heading back into the living room. Cas smiled the moment his eyes fell on him, and it had Dean blushing again.

"I, uh, just need to grab my shoes. I'll be back in a sec." He ducked into his bedroom and decided on his casual boots instead of his work ones. Once he had his wallet and had grabbed his flannel he went back into the living room.

"Ready?" Cas asked. Dean gave a brisk nod.

"Yep."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You...went out. With my brother?" Alfie scrunched up his nose as he paused the video game he'd been playing and turned back to look at Dean.

"Well, he was asking about you, but I told him you were closing. I guess you weren't answering his texts so he came looking for you." Dean shrugged as he untied his boots and set them by the front door. Not working until the following afternoon meant he could wear those to school and be comfortable in the morning.

"Yeah, I had to close, and I'm closing every day next week too. Phyllis fired Mandy, and she worked nights. Actually, the night shift just works better for me with my schedule and I think Phyllis knows that, so I think for a while I'll be on it. The plus side is I'm off Sundays now, and I plan to just chill." Alfie turned his attention back to the TV and put the game back on. "I forgot Cas texted me. I'll have to apologize."

"Well, I am going to go work on my art paper, then I'm going to bed. See you probably in the morning. If you leave before I do, would you please make sure the coffee pot is on?" Dean walked towards his bedroom door after he received a thumbs up from Alfie.

In his room Dean stripped down to his tee shirt and boxers before crawling into his bed with his laptop. He was a quarter of the way finished with his paper on the Baroque period when his phone buzzed with a text. He picked it up and slid the bar to unlock it. To his surprise it was Cas. They had exchanged numbers, but he hadn't expected to really hear from the man.

Cas: Sorry to bother you but my brother STILL isn't answering me. Is he home yet?

Dean: He's playing video games in the living room. I'll tell him you're trying to reach him.

Cas: I apologize, but our mom says she called him and he didn't answer. I explained to her about work and school, but she wants to hear from her "baby," so I am just trying to pass that message along to him.

Dean: His phone is probably dead. He needs a new one, or a new battery because it dies like two hours after he takes it off the charger. We've both had our phones since freshman year. I'll remind him to put it on the charger.

Cas: Thank you. Sleep well, Dean.

Dean's stomach felt that stupid fluttering again. How was he supposed to respond to that? He mulled it over for a minute before typing back.

Dean: You too. And thanks again for dinner tonight.

Cas: My pleasure.

Dean got up from the bed and opened his bedroom door.

"Hey, call your mother, she's trying to reach you!" He made sure to raise his voice just enough to be heard over the video game. "And text your brother!"

"Sure thing! Phone's on the charger now!" Alfie called back. Satisfied that he had completed his mission, Dean went back to working on his paper.

Dean was still feeling a strange buzz under his skin an hour later when he turned off the light and when he closed his eyes, all he could see was blue. It was so very warm and inviting.