description: Dean and Cas shop together and Cas tries to figure out who stole his computer bag.
note: Day twenty of my thirty day writing challenge! Also, this is an AU.
words: 1,825
☁
At the local Target, the rich-but-not-so-rich store where teenagers and middle aged women looking for wine come alike, Dean and Cas were standing in the middle of the aisle. Dean was softly gripping the cart's bright red handle, while he was standing by his husband of two years, Castiel. They were in the book aisle, since the man loved to read. Dean, bashfully, liked to read as well, but he wasn't very open about it.
"Can I get this one?" Cas asked, tilting his head while clutching a white, hardback book. Dean gripped the book from his hands and read the title. It was a poem book called Devotions by Mary Oliver. The man looked ecstatic because he was so excited about reading it.
"Of course, Cas. We can get whatever we want here." Dean nodded, putting it in the basket gently. Cas smiled a big grin and leaned over to kiss his husband, Dean, of course, accepted it and gave him a peck on the lips.
Target was a store of all ages. There were cribs and onesies for toddlers, toys for kids, books and games for teenagers, and home decor and food for adults and elderly alike. There was a Starbucks in the corner of the store and even a pharmacy in the back. The red-and-white logo store had everything, which was the quintessential place that Dean and Cas needed.
Recently, Dean had gotten a bonus check from his mechanic shop, working as the only assistant manager. Also, Castiel got a raise in his school counseling job. Both of them were immensely exuberant and decided to shop at the store for things that they had needed for a while. They began shopping some more, grabbing different things that they would probably regret buying later. Thank God for receipts.
"I also need a new computer bag." Castiel sighed. "Remember? Some kid at the school stole mine."
"Oh yeah!" Dean nodded, remembering what had happened. He clenched his teeth. It was a fairly expensive computer bag as well. They never found out who it was. "I remember being so mad about that, angel."
The man blushed at the name. A lot of people found out that Cas was gay and married to a man. Instead of disowning him and making fun of him, on their first year anniversary, a bunch of the kids at his school gave him cupcakes and a card. The card said congratulations for him and Dean and Cas almost burst into tears. He had been so scared of what the kids would do to possibly try to get him out of the school. The rest of the staff and teachers had found out, and were also nothing but supportive. They have loved Cas and him working there and the man was absolutely grateful for the school he got accepted into.
"I honestly think it's that kid in eleventh grade who always makes fun of gay people." Cas looked down, trying to remember what his name was. "Oh! God, it has to be that Brandon kid."
Thankfully, when the computer bag was stolen, his MacBook was not inside of it. If it was, then who knows what would've happened after that. His computer, with most of his work inside of it, would be lost forever. It was a computer bag that his brother had gotten him a few years prior as a Christmas gift. The man had always taken care of it, until he came back from his session and it was gone.
"He makes fun of gay people?" Dean looked over, reaching for an Unturnables DVD. Cas looked at what he was holding in his hand, and softly laughed.
"Yeah. The kids in my sessions tell me about him all the time." he thinned his lips, slightly nodding.
"Give me his address so I can beat his whiny ass." Dean flicked his neck up in a demeaning way. Instead of Cas being intimidated by him, he laughed harder. "What? I'm serious."
"It'll be fine. I have no proof it's him, anyways." he replied. Dean tossed the DVD into the basket, it clanking along with other, many items.
After they shopped at the movie and book section, they ended up at the decor section. They needed a new rug for their living room, as they were once babysitting Jack, who was Sam and Eileen's newborn, and he had spit up all over it, ruining the color even when Cas scrubbed vigorously. They weren't upset, as they probably needed a new one anyway. Once they picked out the rug they wanted, a circular, fluffy white one, they decided that that was enough shopping.
The total came over a little over a hundred dollars. As Castiel's computer bag was the most expensive. He really needed a new one, as he didn't trust himself putting his computer where it couldn't be hidden. He brought it home with him, but now it was difficult to. He had to carry it in his other bag, which he kept all his notebooks and supplies in there. Bashfully and apologetically, Cas reached out his debit card and handed it to the cashier.
They carried their bags out, Cas very excited to check out the new things he got. Getting inside the car, the 1967 Chevy Impala that Dean nicknamed Baby, Cas immediately grabbed his new poem book and began reading as his husband started the ignition.
"I'm sorry that the bag was so expensive, Dean." Cas frowned, turning a page already.
"Why are you sorry? Your other one was stolen, you can't help it." Dean looked over, seeing that his husband was somber and upset. "Plus, the one you just got is pretty cool."
"Yes I know." he replied. "But Gabriel got my other one. Now he lives all the way in New York with Eleanor."
Dean bobbed his head up and down slightly, thinking about his words. They lived in northern Kansas which was fairly far away from Brooklyn. Cas loved Gabriel a lot, since Gabe was his older brother, but he had the feeling his brother didn't feel the same way. He chose his girlfriend over his younger brother so quickly, and moved away from him like he was nothing. Cas met Eleanor once and then they both left.
Driving home, Dean put on AC/DC for him to rock out to. Smiling, Cas tried to focus on his book. Yet all he could focus on was the beat and where his computer bag was.
☁
On Monday, Cas came in his smaller office, greeting the staff members and teachers who walked by. Putting his new computer bag down, and taking off his trench coat, he noticed something inside his trash can.
His old computer bag.
His breath hitching, he looked around to see if anybody was laughing at him. There was nobody. Grabbing his computer bag. He saw it had writing all over it; it was permanently ruined. It had awful, vulgar words on it that made Cas question who had no heart to do so. Slurs written in black sharpie were painted across it, the writing looking smeared, and he looked inside to see that there was a note. Debating whether or not he should open it or not, he called the one person who would have the best advice. His husband, Dean.
The phone rang with intermission. As soon as Dean answered Cas' voice was panicky.
"Hello, Dean."
"Hey, Cas. Are you okay? Is everything okay?"
Licking his lips and taking the note out, Cas shook his head. "No. Everything is not okay. I found my old computer bag."
"That's great! Where was it?"
"In the trash." Cas sighed, fingering the note. He could see through the paper that it had writing in Sharpie, the same color that was written on the bag. "It has writing all over it. Bad writing, Dean. I don't know where they even learned these words. It's really, truly terrible."
Cas could hear noises on the other side of the line. Dean was clearly busy and he felt terrible that he bothered him while he was working.
"I'm coming over there right now."
"No!" Cas exclaimed. That was the last thing he wanted. "I can handle this myself, Dean. I promise."
Cas looked down at the note again. He'll find who the person that did this.
"But-" he licked his lips again, trying to find comfort. It was so silly, the situation, but Cas couldn't help but to be bothered. There were gay people at the school, and who knows what that person has done to them. "There's a note. It has writing in it too. I don't know if I should read it. But if I do. It'll pinpoint the person who wrote it. I'll talk to that kid and ask him to write something, then I'll know it's him."
"Tell the staff, angel."
"I can't expel a kid for bullying. Bullying happens all the time." Cas shook his head in disbelief. He didn't ever want to expel a kid from his school. His parents would have his throat.
"Yeah, Cas. But this is serious. He's probably saying all those words to other people, which are really bad."
"Okay. I'll read it." Cas said, smiling at the thought of his husband. He then got excited to see his husband later that day. "I love you so much. I'm sorry for bothering you."
"You didn't bother me, honey." Cas could hear smile as well. "I love you more. See you later."
Cas pushed the end call button and put his phone down. He looked at the note.
Unfolding it, he saw what was inside.
The note was very apologetic. It was a girl that Cas was always glad to see, who found the bag in the hallway. It said that she tried to scrub it clean, which would explain the smearing, but it was no use. The bag was inside the trash can because she didn't want anybody else to see it.
Thinning his lips, Cas put the note down.
"Can you get Julia Henderson to my office, please?" he asked once he got up, to the vice principal sitting at her desk.
And so, Cas talked to the girl about the importance of love, and how that showed that a simple, amazing gesture, even if he was her school counselor.
Giving her the poem book that he had just bought two days ago, he smiled. "Read this and pass it on the next time somebody is kind to you."
The shopping spree was worth more than anything. Even if it was a simple, poetic book, Cas could still spread kindness like the girl did.
He couldn't wait to tell Dean.