Fame Crazy (Sequel to Strings Attached)

Chapter 146

Castiel sets his alarm for seven o'clock the next morning, and even though he was in bed by nine the night before and easily asleep by half past, he's still exhausted when the obnoxious intro of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" starts blasting through his phone.

His only motivation to get out of bed is that he knows exactly how long until the lyrics start, and that's how long he has until he can start jamming out. It's what convinced him to get out of bed in middle school, and it still works at 21 — almost 22, he realizes with a start. His birthday is tomorrow, isn't it? How did he forget that?

He rocks out silently in his room until the song ends, when he turns off his alarm and digs through his suitcase for any shirt, finally just throwing on his Bon Jovi t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He doesn't have the motivation to do anything with his hair, so he just smooths it down slightly as he throws everything in his suitcase carelessly. As long as it zips, it works.

He pretends not to notice all the cameras at the airport, both from paparazzi and random people walking by. As he waits for boarding to start, he rests his head in his hands and closes his eyes. He knows better than to let himself fall asleep — it would be really awkward to miss his flight because he slept through it. It's almost worth it, but he can wait another half hour until he gets on the plane before he takes a nap. Hopefully.

Thankfully, he only half falls asleep, conscious just enough to hear the boarding call. By the time the plane takes off, he's already asleep, and stays asleep for the entire flight back to Sioux Falls, only waking up during the bumpy descent.

He manages to find Dean soon after he gets off the plane. He gives the boy a small smile when their eyes meet, but even when he approaches him, he doesn't say much, just a simple, "Hey."

Dean gives him a simultaneously amused and confused look. "Well, aren't you just a bundle of excitement today," he says sarcastically.

Castiel just shrugs. He's too tired to really converse with anyone. He gestures vaguely for Dean to follow him as they head to get his suitcase. As they wait for the conveyor belt to start moving, Castiel takes Dean's hand and rests his head on the boy's shoulder. He has to fight to keep his eyes open. He's not used to having an actual sleep schedule, and definitely not one as hard to follow as this one. His eyes literally feel like they're burning. If tomorrow wasn't his birthday, he might set out to sleep the whole day away.

"That one?" Dean asks, snapping Castiel out of his tired trance.

Castiel follows his gaze to his suitcase, and quickly snatches it off the conveyor belt. He covers his mouth as he yawns, then pulls out the handle to roll the suitcase around the airport for the next five minutes until they finally get out of the place because airports are too big and complicated for a tried Castiel to navigate.

"You good?" Dean asks.

Castiel just shrugs again. "I just wanna go home," he mutters.

"M'kay," Dean replies. He quickly snatches the suitcase from Castiel's hands, holding the handle with one hand with the other arm wrapped around his boyfriend's waist, gently pushing Castiel with him as they leave.

As soon as they reach the impala, Castiel sits shotgun, resting his head against the window and closing his eyes. Once Dean has put his suitcase in the trunk, he slides in the driver's seat. There's a few moments of silence, in which Castiel expects the car to start, but it doesn't.

Finally, Dean asks, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Mm hmm," Castiel replies halfheartedly.

"Are you sick or something?" Dean asks.