Standing Together

Chapter 99

Dean and Castiel go to Castiel's favorite restaurant in the Los Angeles area for dinner. It's not even because they have anything interesting there, but their pizza is really good, and he knows Dean will eat anything on the menu.

They sit in the back of the restaurant, fortunately able to claim a corner booth. As they wait for their drinks, Dean flips through the menu with one hand, the other resting on Castiel's thigh. At first, Castiel thinks he's only doing it because he knows Castiel has nothing on under his jeans and he wants to play around with that while he can. After a minute or two, though, Castiel realizes he isn't really thinking anything of it, and his hand is just there absentmindedly, which he finds kind of cute.

"Bacon burger," Dean reads aloud. "My two favorite things in one. Sign me the fuck up."

Castiel chuckles. "I've heard that's pretty good. Just, maybe keep the swearing to a minimum? We're kinda in public."

Dean gives an exaggerated groan. "But everything's so much more fun in private."

"Honestly, not really," Castiel says. "At least with eating, we do that three times a day in the house. It's nice to change that up."

"Yeah, but when we're in public, I shouldn't do this." Dean slides his hand up the other boy's thigh, all the way to his crotch.

"I thought you forgot about that," Castiel says quietly.

"I did forget," Dean says. "'Til you said not everything's better in private, and you know what? I think you're right."

"You're cute," Castiel says. "And, in any other circumstance, I might go along with that, but we're in public, Dean. What if someone sees?"

"They won't, Cas," Dean murmurs. "What happens under the table stays under the table."

Castiel moves Dean's hand back to his thigh. "I wish, but don't underestimate the paparazzi. They would take pictures underneath the table."

Dean sighs dramatically. "I can't believe I waited this long to cash in that bet and I don't even get my prize."

"I know, but —" Castiel begins, already prepared to launch into a long apologize.

"No, it's fine," Dean interrupts. "Disappointing, but fine. Probably for the best. The paps are fucking creeps."

~~

They leave the restaurant that evening, and, with only one guy with a camera waiting quietly for them in a car across the street, Castiel doesn't bother hiding his face. The guy's not being annoying. He might as well get some pictures for it.

"Dean!"

Dean and Castiel keep walking, assuming whoever that girl is will just take a picture or video and leave them alone. But instead, she runs over to them and throws herself at Dean, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

There's a brief pause as Dean waits for her to step away, and when she doesn't, he sighs and says an annoyed, "Please don't touch me."

"Oh, sorry," she says, taking a step away. "I just never thought I'd see you again."

"Do I know you, or...?"

"You don't remember me?" She seems a little hurt by that. "We went to UCLA together."

Dean just looks at her for a moment, scanning her facial features. "Yeah, no, I have no idea who you are."

"The party?" she adds.

"I swear I've been to at least 500 parties," Dean says. "You're gonna have to be a little more specific."

"So you really don't remember me?" she asks.

"Not at all."

Castiel wraps his hand around his wrist, rocking back and forth slightly as he waits for her to take a hint and leave. If his gay ass can tell that this little blonde chick is hot, so can Dean, and he's sure that's how Dean knows her. Everyone knows he slept around a lot before he and Castiel got back together.

But instead, the girl says, "It was, like, five years ago, and I was a freshman and it was my first college party, and I guess someone spiked the Jell-O —"

"The Jell-O shots?" Dean says, amused. "They're supposed to be alcoholic. No one spiked them — well, not like that."

"But someone told me —"

"Someone lied," Dean deadpans.

"Oh." She doesn't seem to know what to say to that, so she goes back to her story. "Well, I guess I got drunk, and I don't really remember anything from that night, but I know my friends said we slept together, but I know we didn't —"

"Oh, wait, I remember you!" Dean says, realization dawning on his face. "Yeah, I saw someone spike your drink so I took you home."

"And then I never saw you again," she says. "And I never got to thank you for taking me home and not actually sleeping with me —"

"Why are you thanking me for not raping you?" Dean interrupts.

The girl clearly isn't sure how to respond to that, but Dean doesn't step in to save the conversation, so she has to find some answer.

"I guess because not everyone would do that?" she says uncertainly.

"Then you clearly have low standards in guys," he says. "Well, you're welcome, I guess, and it's been great catching up with you, and I now that that's over, I think it's time to go our separate ways."

"Just like that?" she says incredulously, as if she can't fathom the idea of the boy that saved her back in college not wanting to actually talk to her. It's probably a reasonable thing to be confused about, especially if she doesn't actually know Dean, because he doesn't talk to many people.

"Why not?" Dean says with a shrug. "What happens in college stays in college. I'm not exactly jumping with joy waiting for an opportunity to relive my college experience."

"But everyone always said you had a blast at UCLA," she says, confused.

"Well, yeah, but I'm 26 now," Dean says. "I'm passed all that now." Seeing that she still doesn't understand why he's not interested in talking, he takes Castiel's hand and adds, "Like, I've been engaged for almost 18 months, for one."

Her eyes widen in surprise at that, and it's unclear whether it's because a player like Dean is in a committed relationship, because that relationship is with a guy, because that guy is Castiel Novak, or because Castiel Novak is here.

She looks back at Dean and asks, "Wait, so are you gay? I thought —"

"I'm bi," he says. "How did you not know that? I thought everyone knew that."

"I don't think we had a lot of mutual friends, so..." she says awkwardly.

"No, like, I thought everyone knew I was Cas' boyfriend," Dean says.

"Cas —" She cuts herself off and looks back over at Castiel. "You're Castiel Novak."

"Hi," Castiel says with a small, awkward smile.

"Alright, this has been fun," Dean says before she can say anything else. "But people are staring and it's weird, so I'm going to take my fiancé and leave."

"Wait," she says, but Dean is already pulling Castiel after him. She follows them, which they probably should have anticipated. "But how do you even know each other."

"Google it," Dean says. "You can find everything on google."