Hold Me While My World Falls

Chapter One

Mornings had never appealed to Dean. The man couldn't understand why humans needed to get out of bed. Couldn't they just sleep forever, stay in happy, endless dream-world? Grumbling, Dean curled back the bundle of blankets that had cocooned him all night long. The winter butterfly nearly let out a yelp when his bare feet hit the ice-cold hardwood floor. He jammed his feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers, shuffling to his closet, tying his long moss-green robe tighter than he meant to in his hasty quest for warmth.

When he opened the bathroom door to the right of his bed, a flurry of white fur bounded past him.

"Morning, Jo," Dean yawned. The husky wagged her tail exuberantly, unaware of all the dust she was sweeping off the floor into the chilly air, where it would undoubtedly settle on her coat. Dean sighed as he moved into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As soon as he'd eaten breakfast, brushed his teeth, dressed, and fixed his hair, Dean reached for his wallet and keys. Just before his hand closed around the wallet, Jo snatched it in her jaws. Dean put his hands up in surrender, trying to make his way toward the doggy door.

"Jo, I need that. It'd be really nice if you'd let it go..." he drawled, diving for the dog. Jo anticipated his attack. She jumped over Dean, laying on the floor now, and pranced into the yard. "Jo! Come back here now!" Dean yelled, holding the front door open and allowing Michigan's winter air into his house. He ran his hands through his short sandy blond hair, then pulled on his work boots, preparing to chase the husky. He was about to bring the door closed when he saw his new neighbor leaving for a morning jog.

He barely had time to marvel at his ability to wear shorts in the sub arctic temperature before his thoughts returned to Jo's thievery. "Hey! Stop that dog!"

The other man looked up in confusion before launching himself on top of Jo as she made the fatal mistake of running past him. "Got him!" He called triumphantly.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Dean trudged through the freshly fallen snow.

"Dude, you have no idea how much you just saved my life," he said, gripping the wallet that now dripped with dog slobber. "Drop it," he commanded, staring Jo down.

Jo reluctantly let the wallet out of her mouth, opening and closing her jaw. Dean could see the glare in her shiny eyes.

The man who'd taken Jo down stood up, allowing the husky to happily investigate this new human. Evidently, Dean was forgiven. "Ah, he took your wallet," he observed.

Surprised slightly at the deepness of the man's voice, Dean chuckled. "She," he corrected. "But, yeah, she took off into this wintery Hell with it." He scowled at his dog.

"Awe, she probably just wants to play." The man grinned at the dog.

"She always does." Dean sighed. "I just hate getting out in this shit." He turned to the man. "Name's Dean Winchester." He put his hand out.

"Castiel Novak." The man smiled, shaking his hand warmly. 

"That's kind of an odd name." Dean didn't mean for it to come out so harshly, but Castiel didn't seem to mind.

Castiel shrugged. "My mom named my siblings and I after angels. I'm named after the angel of Thursday."

"How many siblings do you have?"

Castiel took a deep breath. "Three."

Dean nodded. "That's cool. Hey, come on in. I'll make you some hot chocolate for dealing with this little shit, after I clean my wallet." He offered, smirking Jo, then looking back at Castiel.

"Are you sure? I could be a murderer. I might be your new neighbor, but you never know. Or you could be some kinda serial killer." Castiel thought out loud.

Dean laughed. "You could be, but I trust you. And maybe I am, you never know." He winked.

Castiel grinned. "Alright, but if you ask for a lock of my hair, I'm out."

Dean laughed again. "Okay. Come on, baby. Let's get this good samaritan some hot chocolate." Jo dashed forward, leaving the men to walk alone.

Castiel broke the silence first. "So when did you move in? Where are you from?"

Dean thought for a moment. "I'm from Kansas,  but I've been here about two weeks now. To be honest, I'm from a lot of different places. We moved around when I was growing up. I decided to move after my dad passed away. I got a pretty good deal on the house, though. I've been trying to make little improvements to it here and there."  He smiled as they reached the porch.

"You chose a nice house. The man who owned it before was old and cranky, and it hasn't been a real home for much too long. Hopefully you can put some love into it." Castiel looked around at the peeling paint on the front door. He remembered when the front window had been broken by a kid throwing ball with his dad. The kid had apologized, and it was the only time Castiel could think of that he'd seen the old man smile.

"I'm sure it'll be more homey soon. I'm already looking into some new styles for the shower tile. And the kitchen's got way too much brown. It's kind of depressing." Dean shrugged. He reached the front door and held it open for Castiel, slamming it behind them.

"Dean?" Castiel questioned.

"The door doesn't shut unless it's slammed really hard. Come on in, don't worry about taking off your shoes." Dean walked away. His own boots left heavy steps. "I'll sweep after work."

Castiel looked at him quizzically, but shrugged and followed him.

"Do you like water or milk in your hot chocolate?" Dean called.

"Water." Castiel responded, standing awkwardly in the kitchen and looking around at the house. For the several years he'd known the previous owner, he'd never actually been inside. 

"Sorry there's nowhere for you to sit, man. I'm gonna get some barstools for the counter, just haven't had time. Moving really takes a lot out of you." Dean sighed, pouring water into two mugs. He put them both in the microwave and set the timer for a minute and twenty seconds.

Castiel just shrugged. "That's fine. Why do you add the extra twenty seconds?" He nodded to the microwave.

"A minute's too cold, two is too hot, twenty seconds is just right." Dean shrugged.

Castiel nodded. "I see."

Dean took the mugs out of the microwave and ripped open a packet of Hershey's hot chocolate mix with colored marshmallows. He stirred the mix in and handed one mug to Castiel, taking the other for himself.

"Thank you, Dean." Castiel smiled warmly.

"Yeah, no problem." Dean replied, mixing his own before taking a sip.

"So where do you work?"

Dean cleared his throat. "I work at Perrigo on the heating and cooling units. I'm trying to get my electricians degree right now, though, been taking classes at State."

"That sounds nice. And a bit dangerous." Castiel stated. "What time do you go into work?"

"I have to be there in about an hour."

Castiel nodded. "How far away is it?"

"About forty-five minutes." 

"Not bad. I work at the Gas N' Sip down the road. Today's my day off."

"Nice." He looked at his watch, sighed, and drained the rest of his hot cocoa. "Well, Cas, I'm gonna head out. I kinda like bein' a little early. Thanks for saving my wallet."

"No problem, Dean." Castiel smiled after, finishing his cocoa. "We should get together for a game night sometime. I think we could be great friends." He threw his voice to the entryway as he put his mug in the sink.

"Sure, Cas. That sounds like a good time." Dean put his arms through his heavy winter jacket and pulled on a pair of black gloves. When Castiel came back into view, he continued. "Maybe we could do it Thursday? I have a day off then."

Castiel smiled. "Sure. Well, I'll get out of your hair then, Dean. Be safe and don't get electrocuted!" He laughed, shutting the door behind him.

Dean grinned to himself for a moment. Then he said goodbye to Jo, making sure she had food and water, and drove to work.