Frosted Car Windows - A Destiel Story

Title » Frosted Car Windows
Author » RzSumisu
Fandom » Supernatural

Summary » The Christmas lights could be seen from through the front window - and sillouetted Castiel so perfectly that he looked almost angelic. 
Warnings » Alternate Universe

Author’s Note » I wanted to write something for the DeanCasHoliday12 project.

Tell me if anyone would be interested in either a sequel or maybe something with Sabriel that would take place during this same verse? Gosh, I have other prompts to do as well but I wanted to do something for this week so bad! Also, I am taking suggestions for things to add or change in this story. Somehow I find myself thinking it needs a little something. So feel free to drop me an ask! So this story might end up being updated eventually. 

 

Christmas was in three days.

Now, you probably wouldn’t think that a mechanic’s job would get worse this near to the holiday. It wasn’t as if Dean Winchester worked in one of those big ass corporate chains. You know - the ones that they advertise on the TV and all of that? Like Motorola and all of the rest for example?

No. 

Dean worked at his own little shop toward the edge of town. He owned the place now; he had inherited it from the man he had worked under before – Bobby Singer. The man had been like a second father to him. Dean even had few men who worked for him now – his younger brother being one of them. Sammy may complain all of the time about the job, but he was good at it. He was working there in the first place so he could get the money to pay his college bills so he that he could, as Dean put it, go be a sissy lawyer dude.

Sam didn’t like being called that. 

But Dean was his brother and he needed the money and he had been called worse. So he, again as Dean called it, took it like a bitch and continued to work there and be a good boy.

But anyway, they had been hit with a storm the other day. This had been great in the beginning. Christmas was fast approaching and they hadn’t had any snow, only rain. Snow was a miracle and everyone had been happy. And then they had discovered the black ice on the roads. And by discovered, I mean the hard way. Dean was getting so much work at the moment. So many cars that either needed a job done with the body because the idiots hadn’t put on snow tires and they had smashed the fenders or something else against telephone poles, one of them even needed a windshield replacement. Lord knows how they managed that one. And then the more hardcore people who had managed screwing up the body and something on the inside. Didn’t they know how to drive?

But he knew that the roads had been bad that day. Dean had even had a hard time getting to work himself. And he had some damn good tires on his Baby. Dean knew that he was just being grumpy because of how late he had had to stay up late lately working. And he knew that he was being grumpy because of how his girlfriend Lisa had dumped him right before the holidays. And he knew he was being grumpy because he had told Sam to bring him back a burger for dinner and he had brought him back some health shit.

Sometimes, life just sucked.

And now, when he was supposed to be leaving for the night, there was a tow truck pulling in out front. He had even already shut the lights off inside. 

Dean let out an annoyed breath as he leaned over the counter and squinted in an attempt to see past the bright headlights. Damn tow truck man has his lights on the highest setting. Why did they even go that bright?

With such bright light streaming through the front, and with the lights off inside, he couldn’t see anything. The odd lighting gave Dean a pale complexion and his freckles stood out in light tan splotches. Just then, Sam came out from the back and leaned over his shoulder so he could hear him better over the roar of the truck outside. 

“You know who that is?” Sam asked. 

The older Winchester shook his head in response.

Next thing he knew, the front door was jingling open and there was a man coming in. Sam eyed Dean quickly, hoping that he wouldn’t be projecting his fed up attitude onto a possible customer. But when he saw that his brother looked more tired than angry, he poked at him a couple of times and said he was going to get his keys and leave.

Dean on the other hand, went to turn on the little lamp at the desk. He wasn’t going to bother with the rest of the lights. Whoever he was, he would have his car fixed tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. Or possibly next week depending on how long it took Dean to finish the other things he was doing. By the time the possible customer was finally approaching the desk – the tow truck man was messing around outside with the car on the back, and Dean was sprawled attractively on the counter while his eyes drooped close.

Yeah. 

It was too late for this. 

The closed sign was there for a reason.

“Hello?” 

Dean opened his eyes to look upon a man. He had dark hair that was sticking out every which way, and was probably a really dark brown even though it looked black in this lighting. And it looked soft. And the man has a rather roundish face. But not too round, because his face was still appealing, coupled with a strong jaw lined with stubble and a mouth with sensual yet hard edged lips. Heavy eyelids and bright, striking blue eyes that seemed to be looking right into Dean and at things the older Winchester never wanted anyone to see, ever.

The man was wearing a dress shirt with a button undone at the top, with a navy sweater draped over that. It didn’t look like something he should be wearing, as if something else belonged over that instead of the sweater. And then he was wearing dress slacks. Really odd outfit, Dean thought, as if there were things missing. Huh.

Dean himself was wearing a form fitting grey t-shirt that was splattered with grease and hydraulic fluid. There was a big pink stain on his jeans, right next to his crotch where he had opened a transmission and the transmission fluid that was waterlogged had all come pouring out onto his lap. 

Because he was leaving though, he had washed his hands and arms and face – so he thought his skin at least must have looked pretty clean and he didn’t think the man was going to be inspecting his hands enough to see the grease jammed under his fingernails. 

“I’m sorry. I saw that you were closed, but you were the closest place, and I wouldn’t have been able to get it here on my own.” The man said - his voice low and rough, and he sounded a bit nervous. Dean liked it, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud. 

The other stood there in that sweater, looking so damn out of place. And then he looked up at Dean, and they locked eyes for the first time.

Dean fought off a shiver. God. Fucking. Damn it all. Who the hell had eyes like that? But they were piercing and as he looked at Dean, probably waiting for him to ask him something. How did one give off a somewhat commanding presence while at the same time being so submissive? Or seeming that way? Dean pondered for a moment, before the frown came across his face. That was the only warning the other received. “Look, buddy. I don’t know what the fuck happened to your car, but if your not going to spit it out, then I’m going to leave you here in the dark and you can wait around until morning.” Dean said, exasperated. But, he didn’t know why. He felt bad the moment the words left his mouth, because it had been a simple impulse. He was feeling intimidated by the other and so he was running his mouth. Shit. He hadn’t meant to be so rude. 

“I’m sorry.” The other said, words clipped, before the dark haired man leaned in and squinted to get a good look at the sticker on Dean’s shirt. 

Then he leant back again. “I’m sorry, Dean.” There was a pause. “What will your fee be for checking my car over?” Oh, okay. Dean got it. So, he wasn’t going to give him any idea what trouble that car was going to be. Nothing? Maybe he didn’t know. “Fifty bucks starting fee.” Dean said finally, waiting and watching as the other reached into his back pocket to get his wallet out so he could give Dean the money.

“My name is Castiel.” The man offered almost shyly. Dean blinked then, because it wasn’t like he had asked or anything. Then Dean brought a hand up and raked it across his face, scratching at his nose. Eventually Dean took the money while this Castiel guy waited, and he pulled the change out and turned only to be met with a hand in his face.

Dean opened his mouth to say something rude, only the others soft thumb and forefinger were rubbing at his nose, and then his cheek, before hesitantly pulling away. “I’m sorry. You had grease on your face.”

He hadn’t sounded sorry, Dean thought as he gave the man a look and moved to turn the light off again. But at least he still sounded a bit nervous. The last thing he saw was a hesitant smile from Castiel before the light flickered off.

“My name is Dean.” He offered quickly once the lights were out. 

Dean heard a rather content noise, almost like a purr from the other, before Dean turned to quickly make his way through the obstacles of tools and car parts in the dark in order to reach the back door.

-

Dean felt on edge all the next day.

And Sam noticed too, the fucker. Why the hell did he always have to be so attentive about everything? He brought it up once around lunch too and Sam just gave him one of those big, dumb I’M SMART smiles and answered how he was going to be a sissy lawyer dude - so he needed to notice these things.

If Sam brought him another healthy supper back after that - he was going to end up wearing it. Dean didn’t know why he was so on edge. He supposed he was expecting the guy from the evening before to show up eventually. And when he thought about it, he hadn’t conducted business properly last night. He knew the guy’s weird name. But he hadn’t asked for his phone number or anything else. Dean sighed as he stared hard up into the chassis of the vehicle he was working on. He didn’t know if that guy was going to stop back in, but even if he did, Dean wasn’t going to be able to get to it until tomorrow or the next day. Work had been long and hard but today they had been doing really good. Like, really good. They were almost all caught up. Which was great because Dean wanted to take Christmas Eve and Christmas off. 

Then, he supposed, that he had best get to Castiel’s vehicle tomorrow. But even then he might not have time to fix the problem, whatever it was. For some reason, it made Dean work and concentrate harder on what he was doing.

Sam just looked at him funny when he bent down, wondering what his older brother was getting so worked up about. He had even opened his mouth to ask.

But then Dean made a remark about his girly hair.

And then Sam got all huffy and went away.

Although, Dean didn’t think he had really taken it personally. It wasn’t like Dean had meant for it to be taken personally, anyway.

-

The next day, Dean checked out Castiel’s car.

There were some scratches on the blue paint job, which he actually went back and fixed. Normally, Dean asked someone if they wanted scratches fixed because he would have to charge them extra, but he had done it almost unconsciously and now he didn’t want to have to charge him.

The transmission had water in it - so the fluid needed to be replaced. The car needed an oil change and on top of that a couple of the spark plugs were burnt out. Nothing major. Just a bunch of little things that had probably caused the car to break down while the other was driving - thus the tow truck the night before.

Dean was wiping the grease off of his hands and commending his work well done as Sam went to shut the lights off and leave when the little bell by the door rang. “Hello?” Came Castiel’s voice. Dean turned around, sighing a bit because he was all ready to go home once again. Although, Castiel was smart to come in and ask about his car before Christmas Eve. Dean wasn’t going to be working for the next couple of days, after all.

Dean let out a breath as he told the other to wait there. He was going to clean up before he spoke with Castiel - because he had been planning on going home. So, he went in the back and took his time. Changed this time, scrubbed under his fingernails and raked a hand through his hair before going out to meet Castiel.

The dark haired man had a small, almost sheepish, smile on his face while Dean didn’t smile at all, yet. It was that gruff quality he had that gave him the inability to greet someone with a smile unless that said person had gigantic boobs. Or a nice ass. Or both. Both was good. 

But once Dean had gotten close to the other and met Castiel‘s eyes, he gave a forced smile. Something about Castiel made him want too. Behind the other, and through the glass, he could see the Christmas lights that were bright and glowed from across the road. There were some white ones that framed Castiel perfectly from where he stood and made him look almost angelic.

Dean shook his head to shake away the sight of bright blue eyes and twinkling white lights before he reached over to smack his hand down on the cash register. “I have an estimate of how much your total is going to be.” The Winchester said slowly, avoiding the others eyes as he stood behind the counter. “I won’t have the precise amount until we’re done because sometimes the price of parts fluctuates depending on where we get the parts from.” Dean explained the Castiel what was wrong with his car, and when he got the little trivial part of how it wasn’t done yet, Castiel looked a bit heartbroken.

“I was hoping it would be done.” Castiel said, eyebrows upturned and bottom lip jutting out just a tiny bit. There must be a better reason than just being sad that his car wasn’t done. Really. Dean’s eyebrow rose. “Why?” He questioned as he leaned over the counter and Castiel scooted out of the way a bit so Dean could grab his jacket. 

“I had a friend drop me off and I won’t have a ride home. I was hoping it would be finished so I could drive myself home.”

That explained it. 

Dean sighed and went through a large moment of internal debate as he stared at Castiel. The other was wearing a trench coat today in place of the sweater, and the garment looked a lot more at home on his slanted shoulders than the sweater had.

Castiel was watching him with big, blue eyes.

Dean crumbled.

“I suppose I can probably take you home. Where do you live?” Damn, he hoped it was in town. If it was out of town than he would have to go completely out of his way. Or if it was in the opposite direction. But, hell, he enjoyed driving his car, so maybe he shouldn’t be complaining. 

Castiel brightened almost immediately.

-

Dean was debating internally.

The ride to take Castiel back to his house was a long one. Castiel had complimented Dean’s car before awkwardly climbing in and then sitting in the passenger seat and looking oddly alert and out of place. Yet, he had kept glancing at Dean the entire way home. Dean knew this because he had been glancing back.

And okay, there was a bit of odd tension.

But Dean was in denial over what kind of tension it was. It couldn’t be. He didn’t even know the other, and he didn’t like men, and they had just met, which circled around back to his first reason. 

So he drove, and acted unhappy all the way home.

His thoughts had even attempted to drift off to Lisa - but with Castiel so warm and close in the car, they weren’t able too. Dean chanted in his head. I am not attracted to men. I am not attracted to men. God, fucking damn it all, I am not attracted to men.

Castiel had taken to making shapes in the frost on the window of the car when he wasn’t taking turns glancing at Dean.

Eventually, they reached Castiel’s home. It was a big, white colored, cozy looking two-story house nestled back in some evergreen trees and snow. Something about it was perfect. Something about it fit Castiel so well. There was even little white icicle lights across the edge of the roof on the second story - and you could see a little, pretty Christmas tree through one of the bottom floor windows.

Dean waited there, hands gripping the steering wheel, as he waited for Castiel to do something. Anything. Slowly, the dark haired man turned in his seat to offer him a small smile. “Thank you for bringing me home. You really didn’t have too.”

Some of the tension drifted from Dean’s shoulders. “No. It was no problem.” There was a pause. “I should have your car done soon.” He added quickly, still trying to say in his head that this was just work associated. Just work. This was a customer, and this was just something that was happening, and then he -

- then there were warm lips pressed to his cheek as Castiel leaned in to press a kiss there, Castiel’s own stubble from his chin brushing against Dean’s jaw and making him shiver.

“Thank you again, Dean.”

Dean looked over to Castiel just quick enough to catch one last glance of that trench coat and those bright blue eyes before the other was gone, heading up toward his door window.

Dean sat there for a long moment, the car turned off, and his knuckles growing cold, before finally he slumped down a bit in his seat and swore in a hushed tone.

Fuck.

I am attracted to a man.