Fame Crazy (Sequel to Strings Attached)

Chapter 145

Once again, he's bombarded by cameras practically as soon as he gets off the plane. Part of him just want so run by so he can get this music video over with, but he doesn't. Instead, he waves at the paparazzi and makes weird faces until he finally gets in his limo to get the hell away from them.

It's interesting in the limo as he checks Instagram — the last time he'll get to do that for a few days. It seems like he screwed up, posting that video of him and Dean singing "You Give Love A Bad Name," because people keep commenting on it, talking about how he's wearing the same clothes in it as he was at the airport just a few minutes later. Whatever genius put that together deserves an award, really.

His follower count is climbing, probably from people who have guessed his secret identity. His DMs are full of people asking if it's him, and he doesn't open any of them, because he doesn't want anyone to know he's ignoring them. He might have taken a while to chat with one of them, but he doesn't want to leave abruptly when he gets to set, so he decides against it

The whole music video process is fairly boring. This one is all filmed in a garage of sorts, though it won't look like it for the final video. He's lucky that the director of his video, the legendary but controversial Joseph Kahn, is pretty chill, so it's not a very stressful environment, and they're fairly productive.

They finally finish the video by noon on Thursday, the last day they had planned to shoot, and a bit earlier than expected. Part of Castiel just wants to go back to the hotel and sleep, because he's so tired, he almost fell asleep during every break for the last two days.

But he told himself before he came that he'd go visit the hospital about an hour away if he had time. A few tweets he's been getting were about a fan of his, Ashley, in the hospital after a run in with a drunk driver, and even in her terrible condition, she still really wants to meet him. He's sure she wouldn't be opposed to his random appearance there.

So that's what he does. There's a bit of a scene at the hospital when he says his name, and he ends up meeting a few other fans in the halls, but eventually, he does make it the Ashley's room.

She's lying on the hospital bed with her arm and both legs in casts, and her face is scratched and bruised. Her eyes are closed, and he can't tell if she's awake. After a moment's hesitation, he knocks softly on the open door, loud enough that he's hoping she'll hear it if she's awake, but soft enough that it shouldn't wake her up.

"Hmm?" she murmurs, looking over at him. Her eyes widen when she sees his face, and he can't help but smile. Fans are so easy to impress.

"Mind if I come in?" he asks, already knowing she won't.

"You — you're —" she stammers before taking a deep breath and saying in a somewhat more collected but still rattled way, "Uh, come — come in." As Castiel steps in the room, she asks, "What are you doing here?" Realizing how that sounds, she adds quickly, "Not — not that I didn't want you to come, I just —"

"Don't worry, I got it," he assures her. "A little birdie told me what happened to you. I figured I'd come keep you company for a little while."

He doesn't mention that he was in the area already. If she doesn't already know, it will probably make her feel more special, and there's no real reason to tell her, anyway.

The idea of him coming to "keep her company" isn't entirely outrageous. From what he's read, she's only lived in California for two years, when she moved because the people of this state tends to be more accepting of the LGBT+ community than her parents were, and she was fortunate to get into a college in the state. She definitely won't have parents coming to visit, and her friends can't and won't be here all the time. He's sure it gets lonely, and as what seems to be the national symbol of homosexuality, this type of thing is right up Castiel's alley.

"I can't believe you — oh my gosh," she breathes. "This is literally the best day of my life. I've been listening to your music for over six years. I can't believe you're actually here and I'm actually talking to you and —" She cuts herself off, probably realizing she's rambling.

Castiel just chuckles. "Well, you better believe it, because I'm pretty much here until you get sick of me or I get kicked out." That gives them an hour, tops, until visiting hours close. He doesn't want to overstay his welcome, and he knows no one would ask him to leave — or no fan, at least — no matter how much they'd like to be alone, so the time frame helps.

"Seriously?" she says in disbelief, clearly surprised that he's willing to spend so long here — but a good surprised.

"Yep," he replies with a grin. Biting back a yawn, he adds with a joking smile, "Unless I fall asleep, which at this rate is beginning to seem very possible."

Ashley laughs. She doesn't speak at first, and when she does, all she says is, "I'm sorry, I'm just — I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're actually here right now, and that this isn't some weird acid trip or something."

Castiel chuckles. If he had a dollar for every time he heard that, he'd... have a shockingly similar amount of money as he has now, actually, because he already has a lot of money. Maybe that wasn't the best phrase to use...