Standing Together

Chapter 91

"How did you do that?" Castiel asks when they're finished with the ice cream, after Dean ate the majority of it.

"Do what?" Dean asks, seeing genuinely clueless.

"Eat all that," Castiel says. "And a burger, and fries?"

Dean just shrugs. "I can't play football anymore. Eating is the one joy in life I have left."

"That's so depressing but you sounded so happy," Castiel says.

"Uh, yeah, because ice cream," Dean says. "But, unfortunately, my binge eating is over. Check time?"

"It would appear so," Castiel says.

"How much do you usually tip?" Dean asks. "Cuz when I go out and no one's gonna judge me, I go with, like, five k, just 'cause I can, but I don't know if you usually tip more just 'cause you're super rich."

Castiel gapes at him. "Five thousand dollars? Do you even make enough money for that?"

"Do I make enough money playing professional football every day for six months to spend five thousand dollars on the extremely rare occasion that I go out to eat by myself?" Dean nods. "Yes, I think it's safe to say I do — or did, when I could still play."

Castiel just stares at him in disbelief for a few moments before saying, "Well, I mean, I'm not going to say no to be generous. I'll chip in the same amount so I don't feel bad about myself."

"So 10 k?" Dean surmises.

So that's what they do. It's sure to make her day when she sees it. After a few minutes, they're ready to go. Castiel slides out of the booth with ease, and Dean does the same but slower and more careful.

"This whole 'two working legs' thing is weird," Dean says, earning a small smile from Castiel.

"Castiel?" the boy wearing his album cover shirt says hesitantly as the two boys are starting to leave, and he's morally obligated to stop and talk, just because he's wearing the merch.

"Hi," Castiel says with a fake but realistically friendly smile.

The boy just stares at him, seemingly at a loss for words, so the girl in flannel steps in with, "That's Steven. He's kinda obsessed, if the shirt didn't give it away."

Steven shoots her a glare.

"Dude, own it," Dean says, but the reminder that Dean's here too just seems to put Steven back in star struck mode.

"Well, it was nice to meet you guys," Castiel says.

When Steven doesn't say anything, the flannel girl steps in again with, "He's been talking about trying to get a picture since he saw you."

"We can do that," Castiel says, even though he really doesn't want to. He gestures for Steven to stand up. "Come on. Don't want the table in the picture."

Steven stands next to him, and flannel girl takes a picture of them.

"So if you're Castiel," flannel girl says, then looks to the other boy, "then you're Dean Winchester, right?"

"No," Dean lies.

"Yes, that's Dean," Castiel says. "He's just antisocial."

"Trust me, I'm aware," she says. In a mocking voice, she adds, "'I'm not going to answer that.'"

"Okay, if the question's irrelevant, I'm not going to answer it," Dean says.

"The questions are usually relevant, but go off," flannel girl says.