Back in Blackberry

Chapter two

Castiel. He'd always liked that name. The way you could flick the T. How L is such a nice letter to end on. And it was unique. Castiel cautiously took a bite of his sandwich.

"Well, nice to meet you, Castiel," he heard Dean say. Castiel didn't say anything. He was still rather afraid. He wasn't sure if he could trust Dean, especially because of his blindness. He'd meant to leave that day, but he just couldn't bring himself to yet. He wasn't sure why, but even though he didn't know if he could trust Dean, he still felt safe here. He took another bite of his sandwich. He'd never had a PB&J before, and was quite enjoying the experience.

"You know, you don't have to wear that suit. I have clothes you can borrow," Dean said. Cas slowly lowered his sandwich to the plate.

"I p-probably won't st-stay..." He said.

"Dude, you look half dead. You're staying here until I'm confident you can survive," Dean replied. Castiel sighed. Dean was very stubborn. Cas finished his sandwich quickly.

"Um... I have to open my shop soon. Do you want to hang out down there with me while I work?" Dean asked.

"I guess," Cas replied quietly.

"Okay. I'll get you a change of clothes," Dean said. Castiel heard footsteps fade into another room, then come back. Castiel stood up and Dean placed a bundle of clothes in his hands. Cas nodded to him and Dean took his arm and lead him to the bathroom.

"I'll be back in a second," Dean said. A second later, Castiel heard the door close. He felt around until he found the sink, then he began to change. Dean had given him jeans and a t-shirt, which wasn't what he normally wore, but he rather liked it. He carefully folded his suit and made his way out of the bathroom and into the hallway. He walked towards the common area to the best of his memory, but he missed a small step down and fell on his face. He heard Dean rush up behind him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," Cas replied, embarrassed. He grabbed his suit and stood up, almost trying to shrink into himself.

"Here, I'll take that," Dean said. Cas felt dean's hands fall almost over his own and let the fabric slide through his fingers. He heard Dean walk back into his room, and he took a few steps forward, before thinking maybe he should wait for Dean. He stood there for a second before Dean came back in.

"Okay, let's go," he said, placing a hand on Castiel's arm and starting to guide him forward. When they got down the stairs into the shop, Dean led Castiel to a small table in the corner and he sat down.

"The rain's over. It doesn't look that bad out there," Dean observed. Castiel didn't respond.

"Well, I have to get this place running, so call if you need anything," Dean said. Castiel nodded and Dean started moving around. After a while, the front door jingled open.

"What's up, my bitch? Oh, hey. Who are you?" Castiel heard a girl ask.

"My name is Castiel," he said.

"Cool. I'm Charlie. Is Dean here?" She asked.

"Hey Charlie!" Dean said from behind Castiel.

"Hey Dean. So Castiel, I'm assuming you and Dean know each other?" Charlie asked. Castiel tilted his head slightly.

"Not really... We m-met last night," he said.

"Last night?" Charlie asked, and Castiel could practically hear her raise her eyebrow.

"Shut up, Charlie. He was out in the storm, I let him crash at my place," Dean said as Castiel blushed deeply.

"Okay, whatever you say. Let's go, we're behind schedule," Charlie said, and she and Dean both commenced in getting the bakery up and running. Not to long afterwards, customers started arriving. Castiel sat quietly in his corner, listening to the bustle. Dean came over to check on him several times, and brought him a bagel and a slice of pie at lunchtime. Charlie talked with him a lot, asking him about his hobbies and interests and telling him way more than he ever needed to know about computers. He ended up spewing like a madman about piano. Castiel loved playing piano like nothing else. He played a lot, since most other hobbies require being able to see.

"Wow, that's cool! I thought about playing violin when I was a kid, but it never ended up happening," Charlie told him during a lull in business.

"Violin is nice. I really enjoy the sound of violins," Castiel said.

"Yeah, but how do you feel about classic rock?" Dean asked, walking by.

"Classic rock... Is not my favorite," Castiel admitted.

"How can you not like classic rock?" Dean asked, sounding shocked.

"Oh my god, Dean, not everyone likes classic rock, okay?" Charlie said.

"Everyone except boring people," Dean said. Castiel frowned slightly.

"I'm boring?" He asked. There was a second of silence.

"Naw, you're great, Cas," Dean said. Castiel tilted his head.

"Cas?" Castiel asked.

"Sorry, do you not like it when people call you that?" Dean asked.

"No, it's fine, just... No one ever called me that before," Castiel told them. If anyone was going to say anything else, they were interrupted by the sound of the bell as the door opened.

"Hey Dean," Cas heard a girl croon as she walked towards the counter.

"Oh, hey Lisa! How's Ben?" Dean asked.

"He's good. How are you?" Lisa asked.

"I'm good. What can I get for you today?" Dean replied.

"Just a donut, please," Lisa said, sounding vaguely disappointed.

"Sure," Dean said. Castiel heard a lot of rustling, then Dean spoke again.

"Have a good one, Lisa."

"Thanks Dean," Lisa said. After she left, Charlie snorted.

"You do know she's madly in love with you, right?" She said. Castiel turned his head towards them slightly.

"Charlie, we've been over this," Dean said, his voice cold.

"C'mon, Dean, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Charlie said. Castiel could hear the thousands of past arguments that had unfolded just like this one.

"Let it go, Charlie," Dean growled. Charlie didn't respond, and Castiel furrowed his brow, then turned in the direction he thought Dean was.

"Dean, are you gay?" He asked.