Blue Eyed Stranger [COMPLETE]

Chapter 10: Walnut and the Nutcracker

After the fiasco with Cas and Mittens, changing out of a mud-ridden suit and getting an extremely slow bus, Dean managed to get into work at 9.00, nearly two hours late.

Of course he was his own boss so it didn't really matter, but Dean Winchester was never late. And never ever two hours late. Nothing could stop the rest of his office and colleagues looking at him like he was an alien.

"Look at what the cat dragged in." Gabe's antagonising voice comments from the doorway.

"Don't talk to me about cats." Dean points his pen at him.

Gabriel leans on the door frame. "What happened to you?"

Dean briefly explains the events of this morning but ties last night into it too. About him meeting a guy who'd lost his cat and seeing him this morning covered in dirt — and then an odd cat chase. He left out how he got emasculated and straddled.

Gabriel laughs at him. "In all my years of knowing you, you would not help someone who lost their cat." He scoffs. "So tell me, what is it really?"

Rolling his eyes, Dean ignores him and looks back to his screen. He can't focus on anything because Gabe keeps talking.

"Bet he was hot." He teases.

Dean makes an obvious tut at him, jolting his head with it like what Gabriel said is totally wrong. "It's not like that."

"Mhm," Gabriel replies unconvinced. "I know you, Dean."

"Yeah, unfortunately." He retorts. "Look, we can get a potential case out of this guy-" Dean tries to defect the conversation, but he gets ignored.

"Is this another one of those situations?" Gabriel asks. "Where ya have the hots for a guy and get all freaked out? Although not that much because we all know what happens when-"

"I said no." Dean interrupts, not wanting to hear it but knowing Gabriel will talk about it anyway.

"We both know what's gonna happen. You are gonna bed this guy like all of the others." Gabriel speaks in a high voice, rolling his last word as he exits the office.

Reluctantly, Dean thinks to what Gabe's referring to. The nights he'd slither alone into an all-guys bar and fool around with random guys, keeping himself occupied and his mind off of work. Nights where he'd let men take him home and for once let somebody else be in charge. Letting his own stress and worries of work go.

Dean Winchester wasn't gay though. He wasn't into guys properly or anything. That stuff didn't mean anything.

Or so he told himself.

Yet, it's an hour or so later and he can't stop thinking about Castiel. It's just because he could be a potential client, that's all, Dean assures himself. And then convinces himself that he only wants to talk to Cas again so badly is because he wants a new case. Therefore, what he's about to do is completely justified.

He's going to track him down and get a hold of him... there can't be many Castiel's around here.

— — —

Castiel is at his flat with Mittens camped out on the sofa in front of the TV. Now that he's unemployed, he's actually pretty bored.

Once he came back, he changed and gave Mittens a bath as he was filthy, then had a shower himself. He spent the morning cleaning his bedroom then proceeded to do all of his washing because he had nothing to do.

He starts thinking about Dean.

His ridiculously attractive stranger who's no longer a stranger. They've conversed, they've spoke. He can't stop thinking about his voice, his eyes, his freckles. He feels like a soppy puppy.

Okay, maybe he's got a crush. But he's had that for ages. He's always had his own fantasies about his green eyed stranger, but now he has the opportunity now make it into something.

Although... he has no idea if Dean is into guys at all. Cas under no circumstances ever declines his sexuality and is openly gay. He's accepted by those he knows and cares about and that's enough for him. But how would he find out about Dean? He relays his earlier thoughts — Dean is just like him. You just have to crack the outer shell to get to the even better stuff.

"Well, consider him a walnut and me a nutcracker." He says to Mittens, who is totally disinterested.

"You what?" Alfie asks him, who happened to be walking past.

Castiel looks up from the sofa. "Nothing. Just thinking about a plan of action for this Dean."

Cas had told Alfie about him. He bumped into him last night when he came home late and spoke all about it. Alfie has known about the green eyed stranger all along and always encouraged him to talk to him, but Cas was too nervous.

When he returned with Mittens in his arms Alfie wasn't surprised to hear about Dean again from the smile on his face and the good mood he was in, and could tell that he was bursting from the seams to talk about something other than his cat.

"You should've got his number this morning, it would save you from having to think of a plan of action." Alfie says.

Castiel tuts. "I was just happy we'd actually spoken again, my brain wasn't working that quickly."

"You can try to find him online?" Alfie suggests.

"I already have." Cas sighs. "Turns out 'Dean lawyer' wasn't a great search to conduct." His cat jumps off of his lap and he sits up, looking at Alfie. "And I can't exactly get the bus at stupid o'clock in the morning anymore, I don't have a reason to. I was too embarrassed to admit this morning I was actually looking for him after I tried to find Mittens." Castiel feels defeated.

"You can always-" Interrupting Alfie is Castiel's mobile ringing. They both look at the phone displaying an unknown number then share a look.

Cas pulls a face and answers. "Hello?" He speaks into his phone.

"Cas?" The voice is easily recognisable.

His eyes light up. "Dean?" He can see Alfie cock an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, uh, I-"

"Wait... How'd you get my number?" Castiel asks, looking at Alfie.

He hears Dean stammer on the other end of the line. "There aren't many Castiel's in the city."

"Did you stalk me online?" Cas smirks to himself, saying it in a jokingly way. "What kinda weirdo are you?" He adds ironically.

"Uh, no, I just..." Dean loses words and Cas can hear that he's become awkward.

"I'm kidding."

He gets a response of a sigh of relief, even though that's evidently what Dean must've done.

"Now that you've successfully sourced my private information though, what is it?" Cas asks.

"Well..." The other line goes silent. "I was thinking that maybe we could meet up for a drink and bite to eat." Dean pauses. "We could start your case."

"That sounds good to me." Castiel says. "What about that new café in the town centre?" He says, speaking about "Cain's".

"I... yeah. That works for me. Shall we say 1?"

"Yeah, that's great, perfect. I'll see you then." Castiel says, hanging up the phone.