Date time! This is more of a fluffy chapter, so those of you who like that kind of stuff will hopefully enjoy it.

Chapter 10: Cats Out

The state of Dean's room can be described as one thing, a war zone. He has successfully gone through his closet twice, throwing clothes he was going to wear, then deciding they weren't good enough, off his bed and onto the floor. Dean never thought he'd be one of those people that did this before a date, but he's a mess.

Sure he's hung out with Cas at a restaurant before, but that was different. They didn't sit down and eat with each other, and Dean didn't have the pressure of the word date hanging over his head to not screw up. Before if he screwed up, he would still be Cas' friend. Although, if he screws it up this time, Cas wouldn't want to still be his friend, would he? Typically if a date goes south then they part ways, never to speak to each other again. Dean doesn't want that.

A knock sounds from Dean's door followed by his brother's voice. "Dean? You okay?" The door opens and Sam's head peaks into the room, his eyes widening when he sees the mess Dean made. He pushes the door open the rest of the way and steps in, looking at Dean. "What're you doing?"

Dean looks at his brother exasperatedly. "Sammy, I've got nothing good to wear." Dean holds up a sweater. "I can't believe you ever let me leave the house with this monstrosity on." Dean throws it on the ground picking up another shirt. "And this looks like it's been through a war." Throws it on the ground as well and picks up a bunch of other shirts. "They're all plaid and band-tees! I can't wear that on a date!"

Sam's eyes widen and he whispers a quiet, "Wow," He clears his throat holding up his hands trying to defuse his brother. "Okay, Dean, calm down. Cas isn't going to care what you wea-"

"I care!"

"Okay, okay, just," Sam picks up a plaid shirt and furrows his brows holding it up. "What's wrong with plaid?"

"Sammy, if you're not going to help then you need to leave."

Sam gives Dean an are-you-kidding-me look and sets the shirt on the bed. "Dean, I am trying to help." Dean turns away, eyes scanning the floor, running his hands through his hair and muttering something to himself. Sam thins his lips and nods. "Okay, Dean, you stay here, I'll be right back." He quickly turns and leaves, pulling out his phone and calling Charlie's number. This calls for drastic measures.

"Hello?" She answers.

"Charlie, we've got a code rainbow 13-10. I need your assistance."

"I'll be right there."

Not ten minutes later, Charlie shows up and Sam immediately lets her in and takes her up to Dean's room. She opens the door and her eyes widen seeing the mess and Dean saying something about calling the date off.

Charlie glances back to Sam. "You did the right thing calling me." She looks back to Dean who is now looking over at the two with furrowed brows. "Alright, Dean, let's get you something to wear."

Dean glares at Sam. "You called Charlie?"

"Dean, you weren't giving me much choice. Now be quiet and let Charlie work her magic, you're not calling this date off after everything we've been through."

Dean arches a brow at the use of the word 'we', but he lets it go since Sam leaves the room so Charlie can get to work. Dean turns to Charlie with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Charlie, you don't have t-"

"Shut up, and sit down I'm helping." Dean's eyes widen and he sits on his bed. "Tell me what the problem is. I see quite a few things you could wear that would look great on you."

Dean sighs rubbing a hand over his face with a small groan. "I don't know, Charlie. Nothing just seems right."

She thins her lips and looks around at her options. "If you simply can't decide, I'm going to pick an outfit and if Sam thinks it's good then you don't get to change." Dean looks like he's about to argue, but Charlie narrows her eyes at him and he shuts his mouth. She smiles and nods. "Good, now let's see what you've got."

It takes her approximately three minutes to piece together an outfit for Dean, then she's shoving him out of the room and down the stairs to the living room where Sam is at. She stands beside Dean and puts her hands on her hips.

"How's it look, Sam? Be honest."

Sam turns his attention to the pair and smiles. "It's great."

Charlie beams over at Dean and pats him on the arm. "You've got nothing to worry about now. You and Cas have hung out multiple times before now, so it should be a slice of pie."

"It's a piece of cake." Dean corrects with a fond smile.

Charlie playfully punches him in the arm with a wide smile. "That's the spirit! Go get 'em, tiger!"

Dean nods and makes his way to the door getting ready then leaves, shouting over his shoulder, "See ya, Sammy, Charlie." Before closing the door and getting into the car. He forces himself to calm down on the drive there. Charlie is right, he's done this before, the only thing that's new is that they're calling it a date. Dean was just getting himself worked up, all he has to do is be himself.

When he pulls into Cas' driveway he's completely calm, only getting butterflies when he sees Cas come out the door. He can't stop the smile from spreading across his face when he meets Cas' eyes through the glass, Cas smiling back just as wide.

Cas opens the passenger side door and slides in with a, "Hello, Dean."

In which Dean responds with his usual, "Hey, Cas."

"So," Cas starts, "Where are planning on taking me?"

Dean smiles over at him and then starts backing out of the driveway. "Typically for first dates, I take them to a fancy restaurant, but I decided to switch it up." Dean gives a quick glance to Cas to see him staring at him. "How do you feel about food trucks?"

Dean's heart flutters when Cas' smile widens. "I love them."

"Awesome."

When they get to the place Dean had in mind, some darker clouds are starting to roll closer form the distance. Dean glares at them as if daring them to rain on his date. The two make their way over to the food truck and order their food, each of them paying for their own meal. Although if Dean would have had it his way, he would have paid for them both seeing he asked Cas out, but Cas wasn't having any of that.

After they get their food they make their way over to a bench in the park right next to the truck and sit down. Dean bites into it and hums in appreciation then looks expectantly over at Cas as he bites into his own. Cas closes his eyes and savors the flavor, and when he opens them again he sees Dean staring at him.

"You like it?"

Cas swallows and nods. "It's very good. Have you been here before?"

"A few times. I'd stop here when I would go and visit Sam at school for lunch."

They talk about little things while they finish up their food, laughing when the other one says something funny, both of them trying to commit the other's laugh to memory. The way Dean throws his head back and belts out a heartwarming laugh when he finds something to be particularly hilarious. The way his eyes crinkle at the sides and his body shakes with laughter. The way Cas will drop his head forward and try to hide his laugh, but he always fails and will shake his head and turn his head towards Dean, eyes crinkled, a wide crooked smile plastered across his face, a playfulness in his eyes that makes Dean's heart sputter with affection.

Once they finish their food, Dean sees a group of adult men playing a game of soccer in the giant field in front of them. Dean lights up and starts to feel excited as he turns to Cas, trying not to look too excited so he doesn't pressure Cas into saying yes.

"Hey, Cas, want to go see if they'll let us join their game?"

Cas looks over to where Dean had been staring and sees some men playing an aggressive game of soccer. Part of him starts to get excited, but the other half of him knows how bad he is at sports. He bites at bottom lip hesitantly saying, "I'm not very good at soccer,"

Dean presses his lips into a thin line quickly before leaning back and shrugging with a smile trying not to appear disappointed. "That's alright, we don't have to."

Cas tears his eyes from the soccer players over to Dean and sees he's trying to look relaxed for Cas' sake, but he can tell he really wants to play. Cas forces himself to gather the courage to not care how bad he looks playing the sport as long as he can see Dean having a good time. "But I'm willing to try."

Dean lights up like a lighthouse and looks over to Cas. "Really?"

Cas smiles widely at how Dean looks like a kid in a candy store. He'd give anything to see Dean look like this. "Of course, I've always wanted to try and play a sport."

Dean beams and stands up, Cas following his eager boy- his date over to the group of men. They stop a few feet from the group and they all turn to the pair.

"We just saw you guys starting a game and wanted to come over and ask if there was room for two more players," Dean says confidently.

The men all look at one another then beam over to the pair welcoming them with open arms. Cas and Dean end up on separate teams, and Dean plans on going easy for Cas since he seems so nervous. When they start the game, Dean is quick to steal the ball from the other team and try to go to the other net. He gets surrounded and kicks it to one of his teammates.

Cas is hanging near the rear watching everyone like a hawk, occasionally trying to join in and take the ball, but someone would always take it from him. Little did they know he wanted them to steal the ball so Cas could study how they did it so he can replicate it. He slowly starts to put what he's learning to use and soon Cas is feeling much more comfortable with the sport and is ready to steal the ball. He sees Dean running down the field with the ball and Cas focuses in and catches up to Dean.

Dean doesn't even see it coming when Cas swoops in and swiftly steals it from Dean, almost effortlessly and Cas' team cheers. Dean snaps his head back to Cas' back with wide eyes, then a wide smirk slowly crosses his face and he knows he doesn't have to hold back anymore. It's on.

Cas ends up earning his head three points and Dean earns four, but Cas seen evens it out in an unexpected way, he uses his head. That has Dean laughing out loud and clapping Cas on the shoulder. Cas smiles over at Dean and then all of a sudden a raindrop plops itself on his cheek. Dean looks over at him when Cas holds out his hands, palms up and staring up at the sky. Dean looks up and immediately gets pelted in the middle of the forehead with a raindrop.

Dean curses under his breath and looks over at Cas about to ask if he wants to head out, but Cas starts to laugh. Dean smiles seeing Cas look like he's really enjoying himself and Dean no longer cares about getting wet anymore.

They all continue to play their game of soccer, the ground slowly becoming a muddy mess. Mud sloshes up onto the hem of their pants and up their legs, the rain plastering their hair to their heads. Dean keeps running a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes. He runs up beside Cas since he has the ball and he goes to try and take it, but he fails and instead, he starts to fall. Cas notices and tries to catch him, but it only results in both of them falling into a puddle of mud, along with most of the other men around them. Dean's shoulders start to shake and Cas looks him over worriedly.

"Dean, are you hurt?"

Dean throws his head back and startles Cas with a boisterous laugh, but once Cas is reassured that Dean is, in fact, not hurt, he starts to laugh along with him and the other men. Dean's laughter slows and he looks over at Cas to see him still laughing, his eyes closed. They're a lot closer than Dean had thought, their legs tangled together in the pile of bodies. Dean's heart soars hearing Cas' laugh so close he can almost feel it in his own chest.

Cas opens his eyes soon, coming down from his laughing fit and meets Dean's gaze. Dean's eyes flick up form Cas' lips and he starts to blush as if getting caught doing something bad. Cas tries to even out his breathing from running around and he brings up a hand to Dean's cheek to wipes off some mud, then slowly snakes it around to the back of Dean's neck and starts to lean in. He pauses when he feels a light brush of Dean's lips, pulls back a little and then goes back in, fully connecting their lips. Dean pushes into the kiss, running his hand up to Cas' hair and pulls him closer.

That's when the men that they were playing soccer with all start to whistle and holler at them, and this makes the pair remember they're not alone. Cas pulls back looking into Dean's eyes and Dean slowly starts to smile.

"I don't usually kiss on the first date," Cas says with a gentle smile lightly squeezing the back of Dean's neck.

"But you made an exception for me."

"You're different."

Dean has another slow smile spread across his face and he starts to chuckle. He closes his eyes and drops his head, looking back up when he says, "You just Ryan Gosling'ed me."

Cas smiles wide and pulls Dean back in for another quick kiss, needing to feel his lips on his again. "I didn't know you were a fan of The Notebook."

Dean shrugs. "Guilty pleasure." It's at this moment that a loud crack of thunder booms across the storm-ridden sky followed by quick flashes of lightning. Dean starts to stand, holding out a hand to Cas saying, "That's our queue." Cas takes his offered hand and Dean smiles back to the men. "Thanks for letting us play with you guys, but we're gonna head out now."

They say their goodbyes and make their way to the Impala, only when she comes into view does Dean realize they're going to cover her in mud, and he doesn't have any blankets in the trunk. He internally cringes thinking about mud getting in her seats, but sucks it up and tells himself that he'll clean her up good tomorrow. They get in and Dean drives Cas home and when he pulls up into the driveway he looks over to Cas with a smile.

"I had a great time today, Cas."

"Me too." Cas smiles and then Dean is leaning in for one more kiss before Cas has to leave. Dean pulls back and Cas can't stop himself from leaning back in and reclaiming his lips. He just can't get enough of feeling Dean's lips on his. This time when Cas pulls back he goes for the door. "I'll text you."

"Alright, see ya, Cas."

"Goodbye, Dean." and Cas gets out into the pouring rain and casually walks up to his door. Dean waits for him to get inside before he pulls out and heads home.

When Dean pulls into his driveway he sits there in the Impala for a few more seconds after he shuts her off to sigh contentedly, then he pulls himself together so he's not swooning when he gets inside. Upon opening the door he hears Charlie's voice coming from the living room talking to Sam. Dean takes off his boots and mud-soaked socks and makes his way to the arch of the living room.

Charlie's eyes snap to him with a smile that quickly drops and she gasps covering her mouth. "Oh my God, Dean, what happened?"

Sam looks over and his eyes nearly pop out of his head seeing the mud monster Dean became. "Dean, what…"

Dean does everything in his power to not smile like an idiot, but it's no use. Images of their date come rushing back to his mind and he starts to laugh and smile like a schoolgirl. He sees a fond expression pass both their faces and Dean fills them in on everything that happened, telling them everything since he secretly wants to relive it. When he tells them about his "The Notebook" moment, Charlie squeals and goes to hug him then stops abruptly remembering he looks like he just crawled out of a swamp. So instead he settles for jumping up and down excitedly in front of Dean.

"You've seen The Notebook?" Sam questions and smiles teasingly at his brother who gives him the stink eye. Sam stands up with a laugh and pats him on the shoulder. "See, Dean, I told you there was nothing to worry about." Sam looks him over and puts his other hand on Dean's other shoulder and turns him around and gives a small shove to the stairs. "I'm happy for you and everything, but you need a shower."

Dean laughs and turns back towards them. "Yeah, yeah, I have to give my dear friend a hug goodbye though." Dean holds out his arm and walks towards Charlie.

"Don't you dare, Winchester!" He lunges at her and she runs to the door. "Good luck, Sam. Bye, Dean!" She quickly runs out the door before Dean can catch her in his muddy grasp. Dean starts to laugh and he turns to Sam who's shaking his head with a smile. That's when Dean sneezes.

Sam's eyes go wide staring at Dean who is blinking away his watering eyes from the sneeze. "Oh no," Sam mutters.

Dean waves a hand at Sam to tell him it's fine. "It's just a sneeze, Samm-" He interrupts himself with another sneeze and whispers to himself, "Fuck,"

Sam points up the stairs with a no bullshit tolerating expressing. "Hot shower, now."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, mom." Dean makes his way up the stairs and sneezes again.

XXXXX

Dean groans as he wakes up, the sun rudely blinding him through his window. His head is pounding and he can't stop coughing to save his life. He groggily gets up out of bed and makes his way downstairs fighting off a massive coughing fit, but it wins out.

Sam looks up at him and grimaces. "Dean, you're sick, go back to bed."

"I'm fine," Dean argues.

"You're not fine. I heard you dying all the way up in your room. Now go to bed before you get worse."

"Sammy, I said I'm fi-" he gets cut off by another series of coughs and Sam glares at him in his I-told-you-so kind of way.

"I'll call Cas."

Dean glares at Sam. "Don't yo-" Dean, yet again, gets interrupted by a series of nasty sounding coughs.

Sam goes to say something about it but is cut off by his phone starting to sing to them. He digs it out of his pocket and sees Gabriel calling so he answers it, leaving the kitchen so he can hear Gabriel over Dean's coughing. "Hello?"

"Samerella, you …" Gabriel goes silent on the other end of the line for a few seconds before speaking up again. "You good over there?"

He must have heard Dean in the background. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Sam walks back into the kitchen to see Dean nursing a glass of water at the table. "Dean is just sick and being stubborn saying he's fine. Did you need something?"

"Ah, no, I was calling to see if you and Dean-o wanted to go out and have a little fun tonight, but that cough sounds pretty nasty. Wasn't he and Cassie out on a date yesterday?"

"Yeah, that's how he got sick."

"Well, the offer still stands for you if you want to get out of the house."

"No, I should stay here. Dean's a pain in the ass when he's sick because he thinks he's fine when he's clearly not." Sam emphasizes that last part for Dean, in which case Dean simply rolls his eyes at his brother. "Thanks for the offer though, Gabriel."

"Anytime, good luck on your end of things."

Soon after they hang up, Sam finally kicks Dean up the steps to his room. When Dean is in bed he tells him, "Stay, sleep." and it makes him feel like he's talking to an unruly dog. Dean stays up in his room for at least an hour before making his way back down the stairs, earning an annoyed, "Dean," from his brother in the living room. In which Dean responded with a petulant, "I can't sleep, Sammy, let me do something, I'm going mad here."

A knock on the door stops Sam momentarily from commanding his brother upstairs again, but as he gets up he looks at him and says, "Go to bed, Dean. I'll bring something to help you sleep." and then he opens the door. His eyes widen seeing Cas standing there with a white pot of, what looks like, chicken noodle soup.

"Cas, what're you doing here?"

Cas gives a sheepish smile holding out the pot for Sam to take, which he does. "I made chicken noodle soup for you both. I feel like it's partially my fault Dean got sick from being in the rain yesterday."

"How'd you …" Sam pauses and nods, no longer needing to ask. "Gabriel told you?"

"Yes," Cas nods pulling out his phone and showing Sam the text.

Gabriel: Little bro, you got your boyfriend sick yesterday and now he's giving Sam grey hairs, go save the moose from greying early.

Sam rolls his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Cas, it wasn't your fault. You can come in."

Sam steps aside and Cas thanks him coming in just as Dean starts having another coughing fit in the kitchen. Sam and Cas make their way into the kitchen, Sam setting the soup on the stove.

Dean straightens up from supporting himself on the counter and looks back to see what the noise was Sam made, but instead, he makes eye contact. A small smile makes its way onto Dean's face. "Cas, when did-" He quickly turns his head and coughs a few more times in his elbow, the quick movement makes him stumble a bit but Cas steadies him. "When'd you get here?"

"A minute ago. Gabriel informed me you got sick so I made you some soup."

"You didn't have to do that, Cas." Dean hesitates to look over at the stove, nibbling at his bottom lip. "Is it chicken noodle?"

Cas can't help but smile seeing his appetite hasn't been affected. "Yes, it is. And if you go to bed you can have some."

Dean's smile falls and he huffs petulantly and starts making his way upstairs mumbling something about him coming into his house and ordering him around, but he goes anyway. Cas smiles and watches him disappear up the steps before looking over to Sam. Sam looks impressed that Cas got Dean to go to his room on the first try, but then again, it was for food; food that Cas made specifically for him.

"I have to say I'm surprised," Cas says while Sam goes and gets a bowl for Dean. "He got awfully sick in one night."

"Yeah, I know, but that's how it is with Dean. It's always been like that. He rarely gets sick, but when he does it hits him like a train. Hard, fast, and all at once." Sam sighs turning to face him. "And even when he's this sick, he will keep going until he passes out, claiming he's fine."

Cas offers out a hand for the bowl. "I can take that to him."

Sam hands it over along with a bottle of pills and a bottle of water. "Thanks, Cas."

Cas smiles and brings everything upstairs and to Dean's room. Dean is sitting in bed with his back against the wall and his eyes closed, he doesn't open them until he hears Cas putting the bowl down on the nightstand by his bed. He looks over and Cas hold out a hand that has pills in them.

"It's fine, Cas, I don't need them."

"Dean, don't make me force feed you."

Dean whistles and smirks at him. "Seeing you get all demanding is making me tingly, Cas." Dean's smirk is wiped from his face when he goes into another coughing fit, successfully making Cas roll his eyes. "Really, Cas," Dean starts, cringing at a pain in his chest. "I don't need them."

"Why not?"

"I don't want them."

Cas narrows his eyes. "You're worse than a petulant child."

Dean goes to grab the soup bowl but Cas swats his hand away. Dean looks up at him surprised and slightly confused. "You said I could have it if I went to my room."

"And now I'm saying you can have it after you take the medicine."

Dean eventually relents and begrudgingly takes the stupid medicine. Cas finally lets Dean eat the soup, which Dean says tastes amazing and tells Cas he's a great cook. After Dean is finished eating, Cas takes the bowl and tells Dean to get some sleep, adding a little please to the end so Dean will be more inclined to listen. When Cas gets downstairs he rinses the bowl and puts it in the dishwasher.

"Is he actually sleeping now?" Sam asks coming into the kitchen.

"I hope so," Cas says turning to Sam. "Did Dean happen to clean out his car last night?"

Sam furrows his brows. "No, why? What's in it?"

"Mud." Cas reminds him and Sam's mouth forms into an o shape remembering Dean came home looking like he crawled out of a swamp, and that's how they find themselves out by Dean's car cleaning her out for him.

Cas' phone starts to ring in his pocket and he backs out of the car looking at the screen. Cas sighs and Sam straightens out as well looking at him. Cas meets his eyes. "I'm sorry, I really should take this."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Cas turns away and walks a little down the driveway answering the call. "Yes, Michael?"

"I just read something that said you were dating some man, Castiel, who is he?"

Cas runs a hand down his face slightly annoyed, but knowing Michael is his brother and of course he would want to know who his little brother is dating. "It isn't anybody you know, he's Gabriel's friend."

The other end of the line is silent for a moment. "Of course it would be Gabriel," Michael sighs. "Castiel, I don't think you have time for such things as a relationship right now. You're very busy with the show. It's close to the finale, can't this little … thing wait until after?"

"Michael, I have plenty of time for this."

"If you say so, but Castiel, you know Gabriel's friends aren't always the best. What if this man is simply using y-"

Cas hangs up on him, not trusting himself to keep calm if he were to answer Michael. He will deal with him later, but right now he's with Sam and he doesn't want to cause a scene. Cas takes a deep breath and goes to pocket his phone, but it starts to ring again, so Cas turns it on airplane mode before cramming it back in his pocket. He makes his way back to Sam and begins to clean again.

Sam looks up and sees Cas is clearly upset by something. "You okay?"

Cas looks up at him with a smile. "Yes, I'm fine. It was just my brother."

"Gabriel?"

"Michael."

And with that, they keep quiet and clean the rest of the car. The two of them have a few good laughs about what happened yesterday and when it comes time for Cas to leave, he makes his way to tell Dean he's heading out, but Dean is asleep on his bed. Cas smiles and walks over quietly, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead whispering, "Goodbye, Dean." before leaving.