Strings Attached

Chapter 99

"Welcome back, Castiel Novak!"

Castiel walks out on stage with a smile he's spent the last five years perfecting. He waves at everyone watching in the audience, causing them to cheer louder. Castiel chuckles to himself, which can't be heard over their applause, and walks up to Jody Mills.

"Hey, Jody," he greets her as the crowds settle down.

"Hey, Castiel," Jody replies. "Nice to see you again." She gives him a friendly hug, which he returns briefly. "Holy crap, man, you're ripped!"

Castiel chuckles. "Yeah, I know, right? I've seen pictures of guys that work out, but I didn't realize it was actually, like, real! I mean, I have an actual six pack!"

"Really?" Jody says in playful surprise. "You should show us. You know, so we know you're not lying. That's totally it. Yeah, totally." She says it in a way that shows that's not at all what she means, but it's a jokingly sexual remark.

Castiel glances out at the audience and laughs. "My brother's out there shaking his head at me," he observes.

The audience and Jody laugh.

"Which brother?" Jody asks. "I need to know which one I need to yell at," she jokes.

"Gabriel," Castiel replies. "And his boyfriend is out there, too." He waves at them. "Hi, guys! Everyone say 'hi' to Sabriel!"

There's a chorus of "Hello"s following that.

"'Sabriel'?" Jody repeats, waiting for clarifications.

"It's their ship name, courtesy of our brother, Lucifer," Castiel tells her.

"Is he here, too?" Jody asks.

Castiel shakes his head. "Nah, he's at home. But they live near Stanford, so they were close enough to come down."

"See, I would have known this, had you shown up on time," Jody teases.

"I know, I'm sorry," Castiel apologizes. "There was a lot of traffic. And I slept in. But yeah, the traffic."

This earns some laughs.

"I feel ya," Jody replies. "Waking up early is rough. But you're here now, and that's what matters, right, Cas!"

Castiel nods. "Yep! Wow, 'Cas.' No one's called me that in, god, four years, probably."

"Really?" Jody says, sounding surprised. "Not even your friends?"

"Nope. One of them called me it once, like, five years ago, but my friend Charlie yelled at him because only my boyfriend at the time was allowed to call me that. The rule kinda just stuck, so I haven't heard 'Cas' since last time I spoke to him."

"Ooh, the exes. That's never good. I'm sorry I brought it up, then."

"It's fine," Castiel assures her. "I've got nothing against him. We just drifted apart. And, to anyone who's ever made a long distance relationship work, I say to you, you are magical."

There's a laugh at that as well.

"I'm sure it's rough for someone like you," Jody says. "I mean, you've been on tour, like, three times in the last five years, right?"

Castiel nods. "Yeah. Four if you count when I opened for Taylor."

"I forgot about that," Jody says. "I think most of us were hoping you and Tayloy Swift would hit it off. You may not swing that way, but you have to admit, that would be the best musical breakup ever."

Castiel laughs. "I don't know. I'm more a Harry Styles fan myself." He looks out at the camera. "Hey, Harry, if you're watching this." He makes a phone with his hand and puts it to his ear as he mouths, "Call me," earning some laughs.