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It was dark. Finally being able to settle down after the longest day at the lab, you lay in your bed in the dark listening to the wind outside.
You shivered. Why did you take the basement bedroom again? Even with the vent closed, the AC down there made your room feel like a Costco freezer. Even after a long, hot shower you couldn’t get comfortable in there. As you bundled tighter in your blankets the soreness of your shoulders became more pronounced.
“I give up!” you yelled to yourself as you threw the blankets off. The chill surrounded you as you got up to go to your dresser. You ruffled through your drawers to find a pair of socks.
This was the first time you were going to need to sleep like an Eskimo since your breakup. You had met Cas when he came to the lab with Sam and Dean. They were practically your brothers. After your parents’ death they took you under their wing. You worked at the station together and they always came to you if there was lab work to be done. How two brothers were allowed to work together in the department was beyond you, but they trusted you to get the job done quickly and without error.
***
One day at the lab there was a knock at your door.
“Hey y/n! How’s the bloodwork coming?” Dean asked as he walked in, Sam at his heals.
“I should have the report by the end of the day guys. Can’t rush perfection!” you replied.
“That’s why you’re the best!” Sam said. Just then another man walked up behind them.
Your breath stopped. Your heart stopped. The universe stopped as you looked upon that angel of a man. Messy, dark hair that complimented his bright blue eyes. His soft outward complexion contrasted with the air of strength and power hidden beneath. You could tell this man had seen many horrors in his life.He wore a loose, dark suit with a tie mindlessly tied around his neck, and to top it off, a tan trench coat thrown over top. He had the look of someone professional with a casual mindset. Someone who took their work seriously, but also had fun with it. Someone who would hang out with the Winchesters and yourself. You thought you fell in love right there.
“And who’s this handsome fellow who followed you in?” you asked trying to hide your blushing that appeared when you realized you were staring. You couldn’t help the shake in your voice. Dean smirked.
“Hello. I’m Castiel, lead FBI liaison to this department. Nice to meet you,” he said as he stuck out his hand. His low, silky, raspy voice caught you off-guard. You never wanted him to stop talking. Sam coughed to snap you out of your trance. Once again, you tried to cover up your blushing and quickly shook his hand.
“You too…” you attempted, but it seemed to come out as a hoarse whisper.
“Cas here is going to help out on our current case. Very high profile, if you know what I mean,” Dean said with a wink and eyebrow wiggle. “Now, we’ll leave you to your DNA samples, Lab Geek. Just wanted to introduce you to our new bud.”
“Yeah, see you,” you answered as he and Sam turned to leave. “Still on for drinks later tonight?”
“Dean wouldn’t miss bar night if the world was ending,” Sam replied. They left, leaving the door open, and leaving Cas there looking a bit lost.
“So… Castiel, huh? Strange name.” you finally managed once you got over the fact that the hottest FBI guy you had ever seen was alone with you in your office.
“Yes. But please call me Cas. With the case we’re working I have the feeling we’ll be spending much time together.”
“I hope so…” you thought.
“If there is anything I can assist you with, feel free to call. And also don’t be afraid to call on our lab for additional assistance if needed. Though I’m sure your lab is quite capable,” Cas said, handing you a business card.
“Will do!” you said, as you watched him start walking you the door. “Hey, wait!”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you join us for drinks this evening? Get to know who you’re working with?” You tried to keep the desperateness out of your voice. Anything to see him sooner rather than later.
“Already planning on it,” he said as he turned the corner out of the lab. It was then that you realized his personal number was written on the back of his card.
***
You finally found some decent socks and slipped them on.
“Might as well put on a sweatshirt too,” you whispered to yourself as you dug through your closet.
You found your old Eastern sweatshirt and put it on. The same sweatshirt given to you by your parents your senior year of high school. The same sweatshirt that you wore for 4 years of undergrad and 2 years of grad school. Many things happened while wearing that sweatshirt. It also happened to be what you wore to the bar that night so long ago.
***
“Over here!” you called when you saw Cas walk into the bar. You were already on you second beer when he got there, but the boys were on numbers 3 and 4. Though, that was taking it light, at least for Dean.
“Hello again, y/n! Sam. Dean…” Cas said as he greeted each of you with a head nod. Dean had sputtered beer down the front of him when Cas walked up.
“I didn’t think you would actually take us up on the invite Cas!” Dean exclaimed as he called the bartender over to get Cas a drink.
“So it was you who got to him first then!” you said pointedly in Dean’s direction.
“Wait, you invited him too?” Sam asked, oblivious to your yet again blushing face.
“Of course she invited him! She has the ho—“
“So Cas,” you interrupted Dean, to which he smirked. “How do you like Seattle so far? How long have you been in town?”
Sam elbowed Dean at that moment when he started eyeing you and Cas seductively. He glared at his brother and the two of them seemed to have a 10 minute discussion with their eyes in less than a second that ended with Dean’s slumped shoulders and a defeated gloom over his face. You rolled your eyes at him.
“I got in yesterday afternoon from DC. I was expecting more rain to be honest,” answered Cas, completely oblivious to the exchange between you and the boys.
You laughed. “Yeah. We get that a lot.”
“We had a major downpour last week, so it should be a couple hours before more comes around,” Sam quipped. Cas laughed.
“Your sweatshirt. You weren’t wearing it earlier today. Is that where you went to school?” Cas asked you when some time had passed and Dean had finished his fifth beer.
“He noticed your clothes?!? AND gave you his number?!? What-How-Huh?” You thought. You tried to pull yourself together. “Why are you acting like this? CALM DOWN! You’re almost 30 for crying out loud! You’re not a horny teenager in high school anymore! GROW UP!”
“This old thig? Yeah. Eastern was my home for 6 years.”
“6 years? That long?” Cas followed up.
“Yeah. After I finished by bachelors I stayed for two more years to receive my masters. I’m currently working on my doctorate through another university.”
“I know a couple lap techs in DC that went to Eastern. They went other places for Grad school, though.”
“I thought about that. But Eastern had become my home by that point. And I wasn’t quite ready to go home.” You weren’t about to tell him that the summer you received your Masters was the summer your parents passed. You should’ve spent more time at home before that…
“So what poison now guys? And Lady,” Dean cut in. He must have sensed you slipping into bad memories.
The rest of the evening fell into warm laughter at funny stories told by you and the boys from all your years together. Cas told some stories from old cases. Dean told about the one and only date you shared with him. Sam told the true story of that date. You explained how the three of you met. Pretty soon the bar was closing and it was time to head home.
“You want a ride home, y/n?” Sam asked as Dean leaned heavily on him.
You laughed at Dean. “No, it’s a nice night. I’ll walk. Thanks though.”
“It’s chilly out there. Are you sure?” This time it was Cas asking.
“Thanks for your concern, but I don’t live far. 10 minute walk the most.”
“Alright! See you Monday, Lab Geek!” Dean called drunkenly as Sam tried to get him out the door to their Impala.
“Yeah, walk safe!” Sam all but grunted under Dean’s weight.
“Perhaps I could accompany you home.”
Cas caught you by surprise. You looked at him blankly. You blinked a couple time to get your bearings. No one had offered to walk you home in about two years, and that relationship didn’t end well, to say the least. What were you supposed to do in these situations?
“Um… I don’t want to inconvenience you. I really will be fine. Besides, what about your car?” you finally spit out.
“It’s no inconvenience to make sure a beautiful woman makes it home safe. And about the car, I walked here as well.”
“Beautiful woman? He needs his eyes checked,” you thought. “You walked? How far is your hotel?”
The bar was by no means on the middle of the city. Less chance of running into colleagues that way. You and the boys liked some privacy away from the station.
“I’m not in a hotel. The bureau didn’t want the expense especially since they weren’t sure how long the investigation would last. Cheap bastards,” he answered. The last part came out with a chuckle.
You laughed. “So, if you’re not in a hotel, where are you? And no car either?”
“There’s a safe house about 10 minutes from here by foot that they put me in. I’m not complaining. More privacy and better furniture.”
You laughed again. “Why are you laughing? He’s not that funny! Who are you kidding, he’s hilarious!” you thought.
“Well I hope I’m not out of your way,” you said with a grin. Why not? It was cold outside…
Cas led you outside and the two of you started the trek to your house.
***
You shook off the memory. You couldn’t take this right now. You needed sleep! You were weeks behind on lab work with 3 priority cases on your plate. You couldn’t waste precious sleep time day-dreaming about the past.
You climbed back into bed and curled up in a ball. Maybe this way your body heat won’t leave you as quickly. The only problem was that now your muscles were all tense. You sighed and attempted to relax while simultaneously conserving body heat.
“Just listen to the wind, y/n. Listen to their calming effect…” you thought. You slipped again into the past…
***
“So your official report said ‘subject down due to bruising on his balls’?”
“It was either that or ‘blue balls’! What would you have done?!” Cas exclaimed in mock defense.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around how you knew that was the cause!”
As much as you didn’t want to admit it, the walk home with Cas was the most fun you had had in a long time. He was a true comedian, even though he didn’t seem to know it. He had that rare quality you adored: humor without trying. Dean was funny, but he kinda tried to be. Cas was flat out adorable.
“This is me,” you said as you approached your house. “Thanks for the walk.”
“You’re joking!”
“Why would I joke about living in the same house I inherited from my parents?”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m right next door,” Cas said. He pointed to the house to the right of yours.
“Oh. Wait, what?!”
“Is it safe to assume you don’t pay much attention to your neighbors then? Because that house has been empty and off the market for a year,” he chuckled out.
Laughing, you replied, “No, I pretty much keep to myself. Sam and Dean are the exception.”
He walked you to your door. “I did notice a rather close relationship between you and the Winchesters.”
“Yeah. After my parents died they took me in and started treating me like a younger sister. I suppose it never wore off.”
“Your parents…died? May I ask—“
“I prefer not to talk about it. At least not with someone I just met today. Sorry,” you cut him off.
“No, I should be the one apologizing. I don’t usually ask about those things. At least not of people I just met today,” he replied, copying you with a sheepish grin.
“Well maybe one day I will share with you. You said yourself that we would be spending much more time together.” Where did that sudden boldness come from?
You could’ve been mistaken, but you thought you saw a Cas start to blush.
“Well...” he started, “Good night. See you Monday, maybe.”
“See you Monday, Castiel.”
And that’s when it started.
As you started to walk inside, Cas grabbed your arm, spun you around, and slammed his mouth against yours. You never kissed someone one the first date, and this didn’t even come close to qualifying as a date. You deepened the kiss, lightly inching you tongue forward. Cas reciprocated every move, and then some. The next thing you knew you were in your basement bedroom, naked, with Cas, under the covers, starting the first of many nights where you never once complained of the cold.
***
“Well screw that now!” your mind said. “It was bound to end sometime. Heat always transfers eventually. The Cold always returns.”
You sighed again and rolled over. How could you be so foolish? Of course it was going to end! He lived in Washington DC dammit! Your job was here. Your home was here. Your family was here!
Your family. Sam and Dean Winchester were your family. Not Cas. Not anymore anyway. He left. The case was solved and he went back to DC. Why did you argue with him about leaving? You knew he had to. He tried to take you with him. Even offered you a job at their lab. But you couldn’t leave you brothers. And Cas understood that, a little too well. So he left.
So here you were, a week later, struggling to sleep because you were cold. Because your warmth was gone. Because Castiel was gone.
Then you heard it.
A rustling upstairs.
“But you locked the doors, right? Sam and Dean would be at home, and the only other person who has a key is...“
"Y/n?"
...Castiel.
“Cas?!” You looked at your door. There, standing in the doorway, was the cause of your restlessness. “Cas, what are you doing here? You went back to DC!”
“I did and I came back. I couldn’t sleep without you. I was too cold.”
“What? How? When? Wha…?”
“I requested a transfer to the Seattle office. I got in an hour ago. Is it alright if I crash here tonight? I’ll find a place tomorrow—“
You cut him off by jumping out of bed and kissing him tightly. He kissed you back, then pulled back. “Is that a yes then?”
“Hmm? Wha- yes! Of course!”
“Good. Is that the sweatshirt you were wearing that night at the bar?”
“…yeah. I got cold.”
He chuckled with that low rumble that you loved. “…I can help with that.”
And once again you were in your bed with Cas, gaining back the warmth you had lost, never again to have another cold night.