Fame Crazy (Sequel to Strings Attached)

Chapter 173

A/N So remember when I said the Pats won the 2018 Super Bowl? Guess who isn't winning the 2018 Super Bowl... *laughs awkwardly*

Anna's birthday is in the end of November, so about a month in advance, Castiel decides to find her a gift, because he knows she's extra and will probably want something that will take a month to get. He's actually not sure what Anna would want, though, so he decides to text her. She always has her phone on her, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Castiel: If someone was going to ask you what you want for your birthday, hypothetically, of course, what would you say? :)

As Castiel expected, the "read" tag appears almost immediately, and Castiel waits patiently for a response. After a few minutes, he finally decides that it's not coming. Great. Now what?

He opens his chat with Lucifer to try again.

Castiel: Hey Luce, what does Anna want for her birthday?

Castiel waits for a response from him as well, but the "read" tag doesn't show up within the first ninety seconds, so he gives up. Okay, so who does he ask now?

Castiel: Hey Michael, what should I get Anna for her birthday?

Michael is apparently already on his phone, because it only takes a few seconds to see that he's read it, and unlike Anna, he actually replies.

Michael: How would I know? Shouldn't you ask her instead?

Oh, if only it were that easy.

Castiel: Tried that. Didn't work very well.

Michael: Okay, then idk.

Castiel: What are you going to get her?

Michael: I'm just going to take partial credit for whatever Lucifer gets her. He knows her (and everyone else) better than just about anyone.

Castiel sighs. Michael has it easy. He and Lucifer are basically two halves of a whole, so they can pull that off. Castiel, on the other hand, has to think of something himself, and it's hard to find a gift for someone who can buy anything and doesn't like you enough to enjoy something sentimental.

Castiel: Well, you live with her. What does she like to do?

Michael: The same things most teenage girls like to do.

Castiel: You gotta be a little more specific.

There's a brief pause, which Castiel takes to assume is Michael thinking of something she enjoys. It's apparently not that simple.

Michael: Do you know what she's doing this year?

Castiel: ?

Could he be a little more vague?

Michael: Now that she's graduated high school, do you know what she's doing?

Castiel has to think about that. He actually doesn't know what she's been up to. He hasn't even seen anything she's posted online lately, so that's no help. He decides to just go with what the rest of the family did, despite most of them dropping out eventually.

Castiel: Going to college?

Michael: No, because she knows she can't hold a normal job while being related to you, so she's not wasting her time pretending that's in the cards.

Castiel: So what's she doing?

Michael: That would be the point I'm trying to make. You'd have a lot more luck finding a gift if you actually knew her.

Castiel sighs. He doesn't need his brother to guilt trip him. Anna's done that herself. He doesn't want to go through it all over again.

Castiel: You'd have to get her on board with that first.

Castiel: I just want to know what to get her for her birthday, okay? Help me out.

There's another pause before Michael starts typing a response.

Michael: You should a) offer to be there (but if she doesn't want you to, don't push it) and b) she's been trying to find a modeling gig. You have connections. See if you can make that happen, and she might just start to forgive you.

Castiel: Awesome, thanks!

It's not actually that awesome. He has a lot of connections, but not a lot that will help with this. He's not even sure where to start with that. He'll try figure something out, but he doesn't even know who's in charge of hiring models, or who he could pay off to make this happen.

But, a few days later, he can finally say that he's hooked her up with a chance to model for an American Eagle advertisements, should she take him up on it. He probably just wasted a whole lot of time that he could have spent "rehearsing" for tour — or talking to himself alone in his house and pretending he's on stage — but hey, maybe Anna will ignore their one-sided feud for a day and take the chance to begin her modeling career. He can only hope.