Standing Together

Chapter 121

The first person Lucifer pulls aside for an interview is, unsurprisingly, Castiel. Lucifer sets up his tripod near the kitchen table, catching the rest of the party in the background. Castiel sits down at the table, folding his hands in his lap like he does at every interview. It's become a habit of his, even after so long of not doing interviews. It makes him look more professional, and, especially during his first ever interviews, less nervous.

"So, for most people," Lucifer says, "I'm going to ask them to introduce themselves and how they know you, but I think most people can figure out how you know you, so we can skip that part. The camera's already on because why would I ever turn it off, so, like, let's jump right in."

"Sounds good."

In his super-professional that's-right-bitches-I'm-a-director voice, Lucifer says, "We're on the set of Castiel's new music video 'See You Then' with none other than the man himself! So, Castiel, this is going to be your first music video in over two years. How do you think it measures up to your older ones?"

Castiel carefully hides any trace of surprise from his face. Wow, Lucifer's conducting this like a real interview. He wasn't expecting that at all. He's obligated to treat it like a real interview now, too. Man, that sucks.

"It's definitely something different," Castiel says, though he says that every time he's asked about a new project, because it's what people want to hear. They don't want anything different, but they want to think that's what they're getting. This one is a bit different, though, so he's not lying. "I've had music videos that follow a storyline before, but not usually to this degree. I write a lot of songs about my life, so usually my videos are in some way reflecting my life, but this one follows a story I'm completely detached from." After a pause, he adds, "Well, I wrote it, so I'm not completely detached from it, but it's not about me at all, which is new."

"And how do you think this is going to reflect on your comeback?" Lucifer asks. "Do you think people are more interested in your life or your stories?"

"I think people are definitely more interested in my life," Castiel says without hesitation. "People who barely know my name will eat up whatever bullshit gossip magazines publish about me. They'll tear apart my songs, looking for clues about what I'm up to. Big name media companies write articles about things I post on Instagram. People have some odd fascination with what I'm doing with my life, whether they like me or not."

"And yet, you still chose to go with a song with a storyline that you created from nothing as your comeback," Lucifer says. "Why is that?"

"I think we've had a bit of a miscommunication about this video," Castiel says. "It's not supposed to be a comeback. I've been out of the public eye for so long, I don't think a real comeback is possible. I'm not going to win back the general public, and I'm okay with that. But this song and the album in general, it's for the people who never left, and who have been waiting for years to hear from me again. And this video is for a chance to hang out with my friends and family again, and to have a little fun, and make something cool while we do it."

"Aw," Lucifer gushes. "That's so cute and pure, I can't even pretend to be a professional."

"Good, because it kinda creeps me out when you act normal," Castiel says.

"It's okay; it creeped me out, too," Lucifer says. "So, I know we just started filming less than five hours ago and you've been asleep for half of that, but what's your favorite part of the filming process been so far?"

"I don't know," Castiel says. "I mean, I'm working with my friends and family. I think that's pretty great in itself."

A hand appears on his head, and Dean says, "It's okay, you can say your favorite part of the video was looking at me. We already know."