Chapter 7

The morning rolled on by slow and lazy like syrup dripping down the side of the bottle. Though Dean now had Cas around to keep him company, there was still little for them to occupy their time with in that stuffy house besides talking to one another, but Cas was not exactly good at that, and neither of them had much to say anyway. Dean got to drinking early to fill the boredom while Cas tried to figure out Tetris on Dean's cell; it did not go well.

"My thumb keeps hitting the wrong button." He complained aloud. Dean tried to hide his smile behind the nozzle of his beer bottle.

Tired with the troublesome game, Cas returned the phone to Dean and snuck into the kitchen. Dean made an effort not to pay attention to him rummaging through the cabinets, the doors squeaking on old hinges as he opened each one to inspect the contents inside. Metal cans clanked as he moved things around with little awareness to how much noise he was making, searching for something. Dean let out a defeated sigh and finally got up when a glass jar shattered on the floor, spilling apricot preserves out all over.

"Need some help?" Dean asked, taking a step over the sticky mess and placing his beer on the counter. Cas looked flustered, a slight redness in his cheeks.

"I'm looking for the eggs."

"Cas, eggs are refrigerated." Dean said with a teasing, little laugh. He accepted the information with no embarrassment by his mistake and moved over to the ice box that Sam had brought. "What do you need eggs for anyway?"

"I want to make you lunch." Cas said simply. Dean quickly realized how bad of an idea that was, but rather than rejecting it, he did his best to manage the situation.

"Here, why don't you let me do this part." Cas watched over Dean's shoulder intently as he cracked the eggs into a bowl, seasoned them, and poured them into a pan that he had placed on a gas fired hot plate he had found in one of the bottom cabinets. He handed Cas a wooden spoon and took a step back to let him take over. "Just mix them around every once in a while."

As Dean watched the angle hovering over the pan, he felt struck with a sense of nostalgia. It took him a second to place it.

It reminded him of when he and Sam were younger, back when their father, John, would leave the two of them alone in motel rooms while he went off hunting. Dean, being the older one, would always do the cooking, but Sam often begged to help out, as to not feel totally useless. Dean would do all of the harder parts and let Sam give a hand where he could.

"Dean, I think they are done." Cas' voice pulled Dean out of his reminiscence and back to reality, a smile on his lips. He leaned over Cas' shoulder to get a good look and gave an affirming nod. He grabbed the pan off the heat and scooped the eggs onto two plates which he had set on the table for them.

After their scanty lunch of scrambled eggs, Dean got to work on hanging a blanket over the gaping hole in the wall to keep stuff from blowing in, but that only took a few minutes. With nothing left to do, he wandered around the outside of the cabin to take a breather while Cas gave Tetris another go. Propped up next to the porch, he found a couple of fishing poles, which were usable albeit rusty. That gave him an idea. He quickly snatched two of them up and carried them inside.

He found Cas on the couch bent over the cell phone, his attention glued to the screen with frustration. "Why don't you take a break from that?" Dean suggested. "I found something we can do."

Cas sat up, perplexed, and looked over at what Dean was holding with squinted eyes and a tilted head. "Fishing rods?"

"Yeah. There's a lake close by to here. I figured I could teach you how to fish, ya know, to pass time." A subdued emotion swirled lightly in Cas' chest as he heard the idea.

"Sure." He replied with a nod. Dean handed Cas the rods and made a quick trip to the kitchen to grab the rest of the items they would need: the ice box, a loaf of stale bread, and just to be safe, a jar of blood. Cas followed a step behind as Dean led him to the secluded lake in the midst of the dense woods.

He stopped in awe as he laid eyes on the still, peaceful body of water. Like when Dean first found it, ducks padded along the lake's surface, all of them quacking as one decided to flap its wings about. He watched as the fish swam about in the clear water, their metallic scales shining various hues of blue and green in the light. He even started a bit when a well hidden frog croaked and hopped into the water with a splash. All the while, Dean was busy rolling little pieces of bread into dense balls and pierced them on the fishing hooks. A curse slipped out under his breath as he pricked himself.

Snapping Cas from his dazed state of amazement, Dean handed him one of the fishing rods and gave him a few quick instructions and pointers on what to do. Though he would not admit it, he himself did not really know what he was doing, being that he had only ever gone fishing once with Bobby many years ago, but he was surely giving it his best shot. They both cast their lines, Cas' going much further than Dean's, and watched as ripples spread out along the surface where their bobbers touched down.

"Now you gotta keep an eye on that red ball that's floating on the water. If you see it go under, that means you've got something." Dean instructed.

"What do I do then?"
"You pull the rod back and reel it in." Cas gave a nod, thinking it seemed simple enough.

It came as a surprise to both of them that it was actually much more difficult than it sounded in theory. Time after time, their catch would get away from them before they could reel it in all the way. They, however, were not about to give up.

"Cas, you should try casting the line a little closer." Dean was not sure if what he was saying was accurate, but it sounded right. "It might help." Cas was still sending it out pretty far, though. "Here, let me show you." Dean got in close and showed him how it was done, using his hands and body to help Cas through the motions. "Good. See? You've got it." Cas smiled.

The sun was getting intense, and it was becoming an issue for Dean. His skin stung where the light hit him as if he had full-body sunburn. Much to his disliking, he was forced to retreat to the shade until the clouds moved back in. Cas offered to join him, but Dean assured him it was alight. He took the time to guzzle down the blood he brought along while Cas continued trying for his first catch.

Dean was half asleep, propped up against a giant oak tree, when a commotion on the bank brought him back to. Cas was grunting as he struggled laboriously with the fishing pole. He was quick to get up and see what the matter was.

"Need some help?" Dean asked, his eyebrows raised. Cas shot him a quick look and shook his head.

"I think the hook is caught on something under the water. It won't reel in." Dean watched the rod bend wildly as Cas pulled harder and harder. Then with a great snap, the line broke. As it recoiled, Cas lost his balance and started to fall, back first, toward the lake, a shocked expression on his face. Dean instinctively shot out a hand to grab him, which he managed to do, but it was too late. They both landed in the cold water with a loud splash, Dean right on time of Cas.

Dean immediately broke into hearty laugher, but Cas was not as amused, feeling quite embarrassed. Fortunately, the water there had a shallow enough depth that Cas only had to prop himself up with his hands to be out of it. Dean stood himself up and offered Cas a hand, helping him to his feet. His trench coat was over saturated and dripped heavily, leaving a wet trail in his wake.

"Wanna head back?" Cas did not respond but simply nodded twice.

Dean kicked off his muddy boots on the front porch, Cas following his lead and doing the same, and both took off their drenched jackets and hung them over the railing to dry. Cas turned to wander inside, but Dean stopped him with his hand.

"Let's stay out here a little longer to dry off." He sat down at the top of the stairs that led up to the porch and patted the spot next to him as an invitation for Cas to join him. He hesitated a moment before taking his place.

Personal space no longer existed between them. They were always right beside each other, their arms practically touching, and though it used to bother Dean, it no longer fazed him. Cas' closeness was now so familiar to him.

As they sat there, Dean could feel Cas' warmth, feel his hot breath against his cheek. A pressure started to build up in his chest, a feeling that always seemed to happen around Cas. For once in his life, Dean decided to act on it. He slowly reached his hand over and placed it gently on Cas'. Cas pulled his hand away, confused and unsure, but Dean's only followed. Neither of them said anything. They did not look at each other. They simply sat there, hand in hand, taking the first step towards something greater, something they both desperately needed and wanted.