Just a Baby in a Trench Coat

Chapter 19 ~ Scared of Heights (Falling)

Team Free-Whatever got back to the bunker by the next day. To be fair, Gabriel should have expected the silent treatment from Sam, but damn could that man commit to it. Castiel had been a fumbling awkward mess, choosing to stay quiet and Dean refused to entertain Gabriel's wild ideas. It was insulting, really, to waste his imaginative talents like this.

"Sam if you don't acknowledge me right now I'm going to turn your stupid computer into a bag of snakes."

The youngest Winchester thought he could take refuge in an archive deep in the bunker's core, but Gabriel wasn't designated to be the messenger for Heaven for nothing. Do you know how hard it is to find a random woman in the Middle East in an era where most people were illiterate and the maps were all wonky? Incredibly difficult.

"Go away, I'm working."

"You're always working. Do something else."

Sam glared over his computer and continued to clack away at the keyboard. Gabriel huffed, stepping away to scan the shelves of the archive like he cared about any of the useless junk. He looked at the lights, wondering why the Men of Letters decided to be edgy nerds and dim the overhead bulbs that could clearly work like normal proper lights. It was a very Micheal and Lucifer thing to do, the dramatic sons of bitches.

"Why do you like all of this stuff anyways? Didn't the M-O-L's have an index?"

Sam sighed, shutting his computer fully, "Because, Gabriel, some of us weren't alive a thousand years ago. Besides, some of this stuff could be useful."

Gabriel lifted up a coarse leather whip out of a random box, raising an eyebrow at Sam, "Oh yeah, this will totally come in handy." he hefted it in the air and smirked, "So, Indiana Jones or Dominatrix?"

Sam huffed, but a small smile did appear for a split second and that was enough for Gabriel to wedge open the door to forgiveness.

Dean had barely unpacked his stuff when Castiel knocked on his door. A solid sound before the angel himself opened the door and walked in, which made Dean laugh softly to himself. Invitations weren't something Castiel understood, even after all his time on Earth.

"Dean."

That seemed to be the only greeting Castiel ever gave, not that Dean was complaining, "Yeah Cas?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Jasper's for dinner before I showed you my wings again."

He seemed nervous, his gaze skittering around the room as he waited for Dean to respond. The man thought about it, his stomach twisting as he pushed away the idea that this could be a date. It could never be a date, because they could never be a thing, and now, goddammit, Dean was going to prove how much they were just best friends by accepting this as a bro's night out, "Yeah that's fine with me. Do you think Sam--"

"Gabriel has already informed me that he is helping Sam in the archives and that they will be having Chinese food later."

"Oh. Well, that's perfect then."

"We will leave at 5..?" it was tentative, not a demand but a question. Dean's heart was about to constrict itself into a heart attack.

"Yeah that sounds great."

Castiel then nodded, promptly turning around leaving Dean to hyperventilate in peace.

When five rolled around Dean was practically vibrating with nervous energy. Something about this was different. Something about going to dinner, and then getting to see Cas's wings purposefully felt strangely intimate. Strangely romantic, like a night out on the town. Dean had to continuously remind himself that nothing was going to happen. That nothing could happen. Not between them.