Secrets and Camera Flashes

Chapter 13

Everyone knows that no movie premier preparation is complete without your best friend on speaker, hyping you up as you get ready.

"Are you looking your best?" Charlie asks.

"I'd like to think so," Castiel says. "It's my movie premier, after all."

"Well, last time you went to your own movie premier, you were wearing an ugly fucking tan trench coat thing," Charlie reminds him. "So, yeah, not sure I trust you on that front."

"What's wrong with my trench coat?" Castiel asks defensively, clutching at the sides of his coat.

"It's ugly, that's what's wrong with it," she says.

Castiel scoffs. "It is not!"

"Sorry, my guy, but it is," she says. "And you are not wearing that thing today, when it could be your last chance to see Dean Winchester again."

Castiel frowns. "Dean said he liked my coat."

"He lies," Charlie says. "Haven't you ever seen Mean Girls? People tell you ugly things aren't ugly because they don't want to just ignore them."

"Oh." Castiel looks down at his trench coat. He really likes his coat. It's comfortable, and it makes him look formal and mature. Does everyone else actually secretly hate it? That's disappointing.

"Come on, take it off," she says. "I swear to god, if I see one picture of you wearing it tonight, I will sneak into this thing myself and tear that shit in half."

"But I like it," Castiel insists.

"Okay, Cas, listen to me," she says. "This is your last chance to save your dignity. If you wear that trench coat, Dean Winchester will never want to fuck you. Lin Manuel Miranda did not add all that homoerotic subtext to Hamilton for you to just throw away your shot at hot sex with a hot guy."

Castiel crosses his eyes. "I'm not looking for hot sex with the hot guy, Charlie. I'm just going to admire the hot guy from afar."

"God, Cas, if you keep avoiding all the hot guys, you're gonna be a virgin for the rest of your life."

Castiel scoffs. "Charlie!"

"Am I wrong?"

Castiel hesitates, then, because he's too awkward for these conversations, hangs up on her without another word. He slips his phone in his pocket and heads out the door...

But, just before he leaves, he lays his trench coat on the kitchen table.

~~

When Jo steps out of the limo, everyone starts screaming. Some of it comes from the paparazzi, trying to get her to look at them, but a lot of it is just the fans, who can't believe they're in the presence of Jo Harvelle herself. Dean slides out of the limo, and the cheers just get louder. Once again, he takes her hand as they walk down the red carpet, and she poses for pictures with and without Dean. It's all the same as last time, so there's no reason to get into detail.

This time, when Castiel shows up, he goes straight for Jo, pulling her into a tight hug that Dean personally feels lasts way too long. He probably shouldn't be jealous of the guy stealing his girlfriend when both of their relationships are fake, but he's really not keen on the thought of hugs like this littering the internet pretty soon. He'd honestly much rather keep Jo to himself.

And then it's time for Dean and Castiel to greet each other. Now, given that it went so smoothly last time, you would assume it would be the same now, right?

Wrong.

If there's one thing they can both agree on, it's that they liked each other a lot more before the world premier after-party. Had Dean just kept his mouth shut about Castiel's family drama, they could have had one less awkward conversation, and it's amazing how much one awkward conversation can shake a relationship when you've only had two or three conversations in total with the person.

Dean plasters a friendly smile on his face. "Hi, Castiel."

Castiel smiles back. "Hi, Dean."

Awkward silence.

Jo glances between the two of them, then decides to break the tension. "Hey, Cas, we should get some pictures together. I think it'll be cute."

"Oh, yes, right," he agrees.

Dean has to fight the urge to sigh dramatically or roll his eyes or do something to show that he doesn't like this. He should probably act professional here. It's not like he has any actual reason not to like Castiel, other than the fact that he's stealing Jo, which wasn't even good choice. He seems like an okay guy, all things considered, and it's not his fault that he was told to go out with Jo.

So Dean just fakes a smile. "I'll leave you to it, then."

And then he's off. He ducks out of the paparazzi's way, giving them a clear view of the happy soon-to-be couple. Once he's off the red carpet, it's a free-for-all. Interviewer's try to grab his attention, fans cheer his name and beg for selfies and autographs, and the paparazzi still manage to snag a few photos while Dean reluctantly obliges everyone's demands.

Fortunately, his father makes his way on the scene soon enough, and that's a pretty good reason to sneak away from the overeager fans. He excuses himself with a polite smile, offering high-fives to everyone he didn't talk to, then jogs up to his father.

"Hey, Dad," Dean says with a grin.

"Hey, Dean." John pulls him into a brief hug. "I didn't expect to find you here without your girlfriend."

"Yeah, she's hanging out with Castiel."

John cracks a smile. "You know, for two people who aren't really dating, you really sound like a jealous boyfriend."

"What? No!" Dean says immediately. "I mean, yeah, I'm a little irked that I can't hang out with her for a while, but I'm not jealous."

John raises an eyebrow. "Mm hmm. Sure."

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little jealous," Dean concedes. "But a platonic type of jealousy."

John chuckles. "Okay, Dean. Let's go with that."