Imagine you and human!Cas get a day alone to just hang out in the bunker.
Walking into the library, you gasp at the sight before your eyes. "Cas! What did you do to the cat??"
He looks up in surprise, his blue eyes wide. With a glance down at the cat at his feet, his expression shifts to one harboring more guilt. "I apologize...I can take it off..."
You rush to his side, crouching in front of the mewing cat. It is lying immobile on the floor, with reindeer print green wrapping paper taped to it. A red bow is stuck to her head as she gazes around worriedly.
"What...? H-how?" You splutter, unable to create full sentences as you stare at the confused cat.
"I saw a...a...gif? Gif?" He struggles for the correct pronunciation, then gives up and just spells it out, "G-I-F thing and I wanted to try it. I'm sorry..."
"No, I'm not mad," you say, still holding in your laughter, "It's pretty great."
"Thank you."
"But let's get her out of it now." You peel off the wrapping paper and before you can remove the bow, she leaps out of your gasp and scurries away.
"I don't think she enjoyed it," Cas observes.
You shake your head. "Not one little bit."
......
"Why is the girl acting so quiet around the guy? Is she the villain in disguise?" Castiel asks, munching on popcorn with his eyes glued to the screen where an episode of BBC's Sherlock is playing.
"Isn't it obvious? Molly likes Sherlock....like she really likes him. People always act different around crushes."
"Why? Wouldn't you want someone to like you for who you are?"
"Well, you can't really help it. When you're around someone you like, your heart flutters and you can't think straight. Sometimes you do things without thinking them through as much as you usually do and so do stuff you normally wouldn't. Love is weird like that..."
He sighs, slouching into the couch and crossing his arms over his chest, his bumblebee pajamas becoming wrinkled. "Ugh. Being human is unnecessarily complicated. So many feelings for such a feeble body that you can't even function correctly around attractive counterparts."
"It sucks, doesn't it?" you say, reaching for the popcorn in his lap.
......
"I wonder where Athena went," you wonder aloud as you sip coffee from a plain white mug.
Cas reads the description on every container of coffee to help his decision of which flavor to try. "The goddess, Athena, lived on Mount Olympus with the other Grecian Gods."
"I meant my cat, Athena. I only named her after the greek goddess."
He shrugs, finally picking out a canister of coffee and placing it in the top of the machine. "I don't know where she went. Cats can escape trouble quite easily."
You watch as he struggles to find the button on the machine that opens the water compartment. Just as you begin to offer assistance, his finger presses it and the lid pops open.
As Cas pours a cup of water into the machine, he says, "Did you know that the Greeks believed Athena was an asexual being?"
"What? Really? That's cool."
"I'm sure her life was far less complicated without the temptation of sex or love." He closes the lid and examines the rest of the buttons on the machine. "What does it feel like when you're in love?"
You let out a deep breath and rack your brain for the best explanation. "Well, it's different for everyone. For me, I get really hot and tingly when I'm around them, and I can't get my words out right. Everything in my head feels jumbled and mushy. I constantly look for signs that they might like me too. When I'm not with them, I always wonder what they're doing, where they are, if they're thinking of me too. It sounds like I'm insane, but..."
"No, I understand," Cas says, finally finding the correct button on the coffee machine, and it begins to fill his cup, "But how do I know if I'm in love or not?" He gives you the perfect puppy-dog expression. His sharp, blue eyes are wide and innocent. His lips are plump and set in a slight pout, his eyebrows pleading for explanation.
You hesitate. How could you ever know how a former angel feels? With a sigh, you give up. "I don't know, Cas. I can't read your mind. You have to figure that out for yourself. Let's go look for Athena."
His mug begins to overflow with coffee and spill onto the counter. Cas reaches for the cup, but the hot liquid stings his hand and he pulls back, wincing in pain. You unplug the machine and wipe up the mess with a towel. Then you carefully lift the mug out from under the machine and set it on the counter.
"Sorry, Cas. I hardly understand my own feelings, so I don't know what it'll feel like for you."
"That is alright, Y/n. I will help you find your cat."
......
Castiel crouches on the ground and peeks under the couch, then under a bookshelf. You pull back all the curtains on all the windows and check the cabinets in the kitchen.
As the two of you scour the library, Cas starts up a conversation. "What do I do if I like someone, but I don't know if they like me?"
Taken off guard, you stop moving and watch him casually check under the tables. "What do you mean?"
"How do I tell if someone likes me back? If I'm going to succeed in the game of love, I must understand it."
"Uhh...well," you're flabbergasted at the topic he continues to bring up, "They might act different around you or be super nice to you. They might make excuses to be near you or talk with you. If you can, you could try to subtly make them like you."
"How?" He says, following you into another room and checking under the furniture there.
"Well, if you've already looked for the signs, you can...help them see you in another light. Show them that you're worth it. Maybe talk with them more, or give them things, or touch their shoulder or arm when they're talking."
You wander through the bunker, calling out to Athena in hopes she'll return...although she has never responded to her name in the past. Castiel copies your high-pitched voice and coos Athena's name into the empty halls.
"What is guaranteed to make someone fall in love with me?"
In the kitchen again, you pour some food into Athena's bowl, making as much noise as possible. You let out a sigh when she doesn't come trotting around the corner.
"Nothing really is guaranteed to work. People have minds of their own and will do what they want. The best thing to do, honestly, is to just tell them how you feel and stop playing games. Even if they don't feel the same way, being honest is the best way to go."
......
You lay on the couch, feeling empty and unaccomplished. Athena is still nowhere to be found, and you have long since given up looking for her in case she decides to come back on her own.
Cas saunters into the room and slouches into another chair, a bowl of cereal in hand. "When are Sam and Dean coming back?"
"Soon."
After a moment of silence, he asks, "Why are you distraught over your missing cat?"
"Because I love her."
"You love her?" He sits up in his seat, astonished.
"Not like that. More like family."
He cocks his head to one side, wearing the puppy-dog expression again. "How can you tell the difference?"
"Well, family love is warm and comforting, but loving someone else is hot and exciting. Love has a lot of layers...Cas?"
"Yes?"
You prop yourself up and sit cross-legged. "Are in love with someone? Is that why you keep asking all these questions?"
"Yes, I am in love with many people, but I am understanding that some are family love."
"Who do you love in the other way? The hot, exciting way."
He blushes and seems to shrink into himself. Before he can muster an answer, the door opens and Sam and Dean appear at the top of the stairs. Both you and Cas leap up and rush to meet them.
"Long time, no see," Dean says, from the top of the stairs before following Sam down them.
"How'd it go?" You ask them. Castiel stands beside you, his eyes focused on what they have to say.
Sam shrugs. "You didn't really miss much. We just hung out at some stingy bar and talked."
"What happened to your "fabulous" strip bar plans?"
Dean answers with a shrug, "I wasn't feelin' it today, buuuuut..." He steps out from behind Sam, taking his hands out from the inside of his jacket. Snuggled into his arms is the fluffball cat, Athena. You gasp in amazement as you reach for her. Dean sets the cat into your arms and she nuzzles into the crook of your elbow.
"We've been looking all over for her, haven't we, Cas?"
He nods, seemingly mute and turning red.
"Where did you find her?" you ask.
"I found her outside. She seemed pretty lonely and didn't know how to get back inside."
"Thanks, so much, Dean."
"Ah, no problem. So what have you guys been up to?"
At this moment, something visible breaks inside Castiel. Overcome by all too human emotions, he steps forward, breathing hard and nearly shouting. "Dean! I think I love you!"
Obviously surprised by this, Dean blinks at Cas, racking his brain for words. "I-I-I love you too, Cas." He steps forward to meet Cas. Their lips lock and they pull each other close.
With a grin, you take Sam by the arm and tug him into the other room. "I just thought we should give those lovebirds some space."
"No kidding," he scoffs.
"It's kinda crazy what love can make you feel, isn't it?"
A/n: I'm back! I'm planning on resuming my schedule of posting every weekend until the end of the book (which is very near). I think I have one or two more chapters planned before the (hopefully) epic two-part finale.
Then it's over, so thank you so much to anyone who has read this far and/or voted for any of my chapters. It seriously makes my day a 10000% better :) See you next week!
—Dia