POV: Dean
December 8, 2003
I hated alarms and especially how early they were now. They just sucked. It was even worse when Cas was so warm beside me and it was so cold outside. Snow had fallen last week and it had just been cold as hell. Not that Cas was spared by the alarm, because he turned over and buried his face beside me.
“I should get up,” I groaned.
“Stay. You’re warm.”
“You’re a bad influence.”
He chuckled. “That wasn’t what you said over the weekend.”
I felt the blush form on my face and groaned. “It’s way too early for that sass.”
“Do you want me to go in with you?”
“If you want to, I planned to do paperwork and there is a consultation with another new client about two. I think a contractor is coming in too but I don’t remember.”
“I’ll come with you. Want me to wear your coveralls?”
I dropped my head. “If you wear those…I’ll get nothing done.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll wear clothes and bring my laptop.”
“You know we have to get up though, right?”
He curled up a little more but we did get up eventually and made our way to the kitchen.
“Want to stop and get biscuits?”
“Sure. Coffee now though,” I said.
He smiled and started the coffee. Sure, I hadn’t complained last weekend but he neglected that he’d promised me a hardcore round if I tolerated the Christmas decorating without a fuss. I loved Christmas. So, that was easy to do. We hadn’t really needed to shop much; he pretty much had everything in storage. His desk was moved and the tree was put there. He’d gone with a live tree, still potted so we could move it elsewhere after Christmas. A pretty skirt hid the pot.
He had ornaments and I had some that Sam had made, it was a cute little tree. Complete with wrapped presents that I had no idea when he’d had time to get, wrap or where he’d kept them hidden from me. In addition to the tree, there were a few knick knacks and garland and we’d put up lights outside as well.
“I’m going to get dressed, coffee’s almost done.”
I nodded and when the coffee was done I got a cup, I needed that before I bothered with clothes. He came back in dressed and I paused, eying him over the cup.
“Cas…”
“Yes?”
“Seriously? Have I turned you into some kind of sex fiend?”
“There is nothing wrong with this.” He deadpanned.
“Until you sit down and those pants rip.”
He smirked. “They’ll only rip if I’m in your lap. Are you planning to have me in your lap today, Sweetheart?”
“It could happen.”
He blinked. “I’m not changing.”
The black pants he had chosen fit him so well. They hugged his body in all the right places and would tighten when he sat down. The shirt wasn’t long enough to cover up his perfect ass but I guess I’d have to deal. I had my coffee and then got dressed myself in my standard coveralls.
We stopped by our favorite place for breakfast and got extra biscuits and hash browns for the others. Once we were to the garage, Cas dished out breakfast and we sat down to eat with the crew. We discussed what was coming up for the day; what was done and needed to be informed or called, if there were problems and inventory status. Cas listened and took notes, stating he wanted mechanical elements in Jensen’s world. Once talks over breakfast were done, everyone split up; Meg to the office, and Benny and Kirk to the garage. I went to the office where Cas joined with his laptop.
“Are they about done with that place?” Cas asked.
He indicated the large dumpster out front of the second building.
“From what I understood, a cleanup crew came in last week and cleared everything out of the building. I know Kirk, Benny and I got whatever was salvageable from the garage area and moved it here. Looks like they’re done but I don’t know what to do after that.”
I really wasn’t sure because insurance refused to pay for the damage upstairs and if the structure wasn’t sound enough that was going to be a headache to fix and a costly one.
“Nothing insurance will do?”
I shook my head. “Dad contacted a lawyer even; they’re not obligated because the insurance covered the garage portion of the building. There isn’t much damage there, it’s mostly upstairs. I don’t even know if I’ll be allowed to keep the existing building or not. It depends on the inspection.”
It honestly wasn’t a big deal, I mean Cas didn’t seem to care that I basically moved in with him. But, it was just the idea that I may not really have that type of space anymore. But I wasn’t sure I really wanted my own space anymore.
He dove into work and I followed. I had end of the year coming up and we would be closed the last two weeks of the year. It was a tradition we started the year we opened, it was family time. Customers that frequented us understood perfectly. About ten, Meg came to the door.
“Dean? There is a guy here to talk to you about the building. I think he might be the inspector.”
“Thanks, is he waiting out front?”
She shook her head. “He said he would meet you inside the garage. Take your coats, it’s cold.”
Cas and I both got up and got our coats, he was as invested as I was. He still felt like he had something to do with it because of Robert. We were sure he had something to do with it, which made him feel worse. We headed over and met the man just outside.
“Mr. Winchester?”
“That’s me and this is Mr. Novak.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Mr. Hardy. I completed an inspection on this building and wanted to walk you through.”
“That’s fine.”
We all went inside.
“I won’t beat around the bush. That entire front section is unstable and shouldn’t be repaired; it needs to be engineered to be stronger and needs to berebuilt.”
“We figured it would need to be,” I said.
“I didn’t see any reason why the remaining floor wouldn’t be stable. However, I would recommend having an engineer come in and check it thoroughly. I did see some electrical issues and some potential problems, so that will need to be addressed.”
That all sounded like dollar signs to me. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t rebuild?”
“Honestly? Cost. You’ll have to bring the entire building up to current codes and that could be expensive. I don’t see any issues but a structural engineer should come in and consult before you choose.”
He showed us a few potential code issues before he handed me a final report and left us standing in the middle of the garage. I didn’t even complain when Cas came up and wrapped me in his arms, placing soft kisses to my cheek.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I know it’s not news you wanted to hear.”
“I guess I kinda knew though.”
His lips were soft against my skin, the slight stubble scratchy. His hands were running up and down my back, soothing. He really was making it better.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too, Dean.”
I had to admit I had been scared shitless after those words fell from my lips, at the wrong time! While we had talked afterward briefly, the next morning we had another talk - when our brains weren’t clouded. It was so nice to know that we both felt the same way now. That we both knew this may not last but that we both felt it would.
Still, it didn’t help the tears that came with realizing I may have to just tear the whole building down, because the cost wouldn’t be worth it. To renovate the garage, it would cost thousands and current codes had changed so much. Cas stood there and held me, soothed me, wiped away the tears when he could.
I heard someone clear their throat and we both looked, seeing Sasha and Charlie standing at the door.
“You done or do you need more time?” Sasha asked.
“Asshole,” I said.
They came in and closed the door. It wasn’t really warm, but it wasn’t subzero with wind in here.
“I guess you didn’t get the news you wanted?” Charlie asked.
“No, I didn’t.”
Okay, I had to admit that Cas hugs were nice but having them all three just squish me, maybe it was nice too.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked.
“I knew the inspector was coming, Charlie told me. I was told not to ask how she knew.”
She just smiled. “I have connections.”
We didn’t ask any questions about those connections either.
“We figured you might need your spirits lifted.”
It didn’t take long before Kirk, Benny and Meg were also joining us. Everyone did a good job at raising my spirits. My employees went back to work and we headed to the office where it was warm.
“Can you rebuild the garage?” Charlie asked.
I shook my head. “New codes would mean a complete overhaul of that garage. Safety measures and other codes would have to be met. I’m also afraid if I start there, they may require it here. This one was built more to code. I think it was the newer building. I just don’t know. I mean, I could modify it to just storage and be fine. But I couldn’t work on cars there and do I really need that much storage?”
She frowned at the news and well, I could imagine. Sasha sat up straight though.
“You can’t meet current garage codes but what about house codes?”
“House codes?” Cas asked.
“Yeah, there are things that houses have to go through for inspections: plumbing, electrical, structure, and all that. Could you get a permit to build just
a living space?”
“Do you realize how big that place is Sasha?”
“True.”
They stayed for about another hour before they headed back to work or home. Cas and I had forgotten to bring lunch so we ordered a pizza and sat in the office. After lunch, I got back to work and so did Cas. At two, I met with the new customer and he had a ‘67 Impala as well. He admitted that the reason he came here was because Baby looked so good. He wanted a total restore and it would take some time. However, he wasn’t in a hurry. I told him I would look her over well and give him an estimate before we took a break.
I made it back into the office at 3:30 and Cas was sitting in my seat just waiting.
“Sunshine, please tell me you didn’t attempt invoices.”
He laughed. “No, but it was easier to type here. Did the customer go well?”
“Yeah, he has the same car as me, Cas. He wants his to be red though.”
“Black is better. So, question..” I waited for several moments before he looked at me. “If you could, would you stay and fix that place?”
I leaned on the edge of the desk. “It’s not a requirement. It’s close to work but the bottom line is I can’t afford to fix it.”
“But if you could…would you?”
I raised a brow. “I’m not sure. I mean, are you going to kick me out?”
He smiled. “I considered it but no. I’m fully prepared to live with you forever.”
The little flutter in my chest was good, he was thinking forever and well, I was too.
“It would be nice to be closer to this place but it’s not a requirement.”
“That was all I wanted to know.”
I scrunched up my face. “Why do I get the feeling you’re being sneaky?”
“I’m just asking.”
I stared at him another few minutes and he remained sitting, damn those pants fit those thighs so well.
“And you say I’m the sex fiend?”
“It’s your fault with those damn pants.”
He got up; while it loosened the pants it didn’t do much to stop my racing thoughts. He leaned in close and I was sure he did it on purpose.
“Meg may hear you here, and you have a lot to do. Since you let it sit for so long.”
“Tease.”
He kissed me quickly and then went back to his spot, leaving me stuck with invoices. It sucked but he had a point, we would be open two more weeks and I had to have everything done before then. I also had a few estimates to do before then too. And shopping, ugh shopping! But as I was sitting here watching him read and reply to emails or even working on the book, a thought occurred to me. I needed to order Kirk and Benny new coveralls and well, I had the order waiting but I needed to add some for myself, maybe…I’d just add a few extra.
At 5:15 we headed home with leftovers being our meal. While I changed, he heated up the remainder of last night’s dinner and then I joined him at the table.
“Make any progress on your stuff?” I asked.
“Some, the producer does want to meet in January, he said probably late January. There is some proposal they want to do that makes me nervous but my manager Samantha and publisher Ashley both agree that it’s a good proposal.”
I hadn’t learned of the manager until last month, but it made sense because he had published works and eventually he would do another book tour for the latest installment. But his injury kept that on hold. I wasn’t looking forward to having no Cas near me.
“I would trust them.”
“I do, I’m just nervous. Did you still want to go with me?”
I paused and looked at him. “Are you still planning to fly?”
“Yes, Dean. It’s the fastest way to California.”
Me and planes didn’t match and well I wasn’t sure about that but the prospect of seeing California and maybe even seeing Sammy in his school was alluring.
“Will you stay in the bathroom for me the whole time? Distracting me?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“I’ll go.”
When we cleared the plates we went to the living room area, but he didn’t make any moves to turn the TV on and he paused me when I did.
“I want to talk to you about something.”
I was alarmed right away. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, there is nothing wrong.”
“You scared me for a second. Okay, what do you wanna talk about?”
He rubbed his hands on his pants. “Sasha made me wonder when he mentioned house codes and I asked Charlie to send me the requirements, she’s much faster at finding shit than I am. I think Sasha was right, Dean.”
“About?”
“You and I both knew that the building wouldn’t meet current codes for a garage. It does, but the things you would need to change would be expensive. However, the building already meets most basic codes for a house.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve not looked into those.”
He glanced at me. “I did briefly with what Charlie sent me. Obviously, we would need to speak to that engineer and confirm that we could, but what if we modified that building and made it a home instead of a garage? You have a separate entrance around the back for cars, or we could put up a carport or something.”
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip; I wasn’t sure exactly what to say.
“Castiel, what exactly are you proposing here? Because I can’t afford to upgrade it and I can’t afford to do that many renovations either.”
He smiled. “I know you can’t do that alone but you and I together could. You still have a payment due on that entire property every month, you insisted on helping me here. Why should I pay rent here and you pay a payment there, when we can take that and put it toward just one payment?”
I blinked as the words he’d said finally clicked.
“And if somehow we don’t work out? You’ll be tied to me through a loan.”
I fucking hated bringing that up but we really hadn’t been together forever, just six months or so. I couldn’t guarantee things would work forever. But as I was debating on this when he moved into my lap, those pants stretching tight across his thighs and I was sure his ass as well. His arms went around my neck and his forehead pressed into mine. Gorgeous blue eyes stared into my soul. I moved my hands around him to his lower back.
“I love you, Dean and I don’t plan to leave. I’d like to believe that you don’t either, but to answer your unasked questions. Yes, I have thought about that and I am aware that we would be tied together financially. But, you’ve been living here a month and come on, you aren’t a guest to me. We’ve been practically sharing living spaces since the day you and I went to the dance. Everything has felt right, Dean. From the dance, to meeting your family, to you meeting mine, those really awesome firsts that you’ve given me. This feels right to me.”
I could see the truth in his eyes; it wasn’t something he just tossed out. Perhaps Sasha made the suggestions earlier but I was betting Cas had considered it beforehand.
“It really does feel right being here and being with you. We can find an engineer and ask if it’s possible. We should do that before we do any other planning because it may not be legal or an option. If this person says it’s okay to do this, we can find a contractor and make some plans.”
He smiled and then kissed me but he’d given me enough space to flip him over onto the sofa. I got a surprised yelp before I kissed him, running my hand down his outer thigh and then bringing it up, my own hips grinding into him. His back arched some and he moaned at the contact.
“I think…I’d like to get these off of you somehow.”
He smirked at me and well, I never got the pants off but just being this close was good. It made the stress of finding out I couldn’t just fix what was broken melt away. Eventually, we made our way to bed and then I got to assist with those pants.