Pyjamas (AO3)

Requested by bxttomcas

Prompt: (#420 - PYJAMAS) Dean and his friends tease Castiel over his favourite pyjamas, navy with tiny bees printed on them. When Castiel’s feelings get hurt, Dean has to find a way to make it right.

“Pass me the chips,” Dean hummed, reaching out to grab the bowl from Victor before he ate them all. He was currently in the middle of a video game with Benny, but they’d paused for a few minutes for snack purposes. Dean’s dorm was their preferred place to hang out, since his roommate Castiel was pretty cool about it, and Victor and Benny roomed with total douches. All Castiel asked was that they leave before midnight so he could get some sleep before classes, which seemed more than reasonable.

Dean thought he’d hit pretty lucky to have a roommate like Cas, he was always willing to help out with anything, and he was good company. When coming to college, Dean had expected his roommate to be someone he resented, someone he’d fight with over the lack of space, but that wasn’t the case. He really liked Cas, thought the guy was sweet and cute and a little dorky. He spent most of his free time collecting for charities and doing fundraisers instead of going to parties, after all.

Benny reached out to grab some chips, but Dean moved the bowl, laughing as Benny took a dive at him and protesting loudly as they both hit the floor.

Castiel’s door cracked open, and the freshman stepped out slowly, uncertainly. He was dressed in a pair of navy pyjamas, adorned with cute little bees, his hair sticking up on end. It didn’t take a genius to realise they’d woken him up.

“What the hell kinda pyjamas are those?” Benny asked bluntly, looking at what Castiel was wearing and starting to laugh. “C’mon, chief, we’re hardly in kindergarten any more.”

Victor looked too and laughed along with Benny, because really, they were ridiculous pyjamas. Dean turned to smile at Cas, caught up in the laughter and smirking at his roommate. “Yeah, Cas, what’s with the whole bee thing anyway? You’ve got like … bees on everything. It’s kinda childish, you know? You’re eighteen, how do you expect to get laid if you wear bee pyjamas to bed.”

He would never have said something like that if he’d been on his own, and both he and Castiel knew it. Dean had just been caught up in the moment and wanting to side with his friends, that he didn’t care that he’d just said something really mean.

As it was, the look on Castiel’s face stopped him laughing instantly, recognizing the hurt and sadness that he was clearly trying so hard to conceal, but failing. Dean’s smile faded and he tried to scramble up to go and apologize to his roommate.

“Cas…”

“It’s after midnight,” Castiel turned away, as if he couldn’t even look at Dean. His voice was shaking. “If you want to hang out, do it somewhere else, or I’ll report you to the RA.”

His door closed firmly behind him, and Dean felt something settle in his stomach, as if he knew that he’d just done something that he couldn’t take back. He stared at the empty door for a few minutes, at a loss for words, before sighing.

“He’s right, guys, and Cas is pretty chill about us hanging here. I’m gonna turn in anyway, got an early class tomorrow. I’ll see you guys at the weekend for Ruby’s party.”

Benny and Victor left quickly, and Dean returned to knock on Castiel’s door quietly. No reply came, so he knocked again, cracking it open. The room was dark and Castiel was curled up on his bed with his back to the door. Sighing, Dean closed it again, feeling awful about what he’d said and hoping he could make it up to Castiel in the morning.

He didn’t get the chance. For the next three days, Castiel avoided him entirely. If Dean was in the dorm, Castiel never left his room. If he went out at all, he was there and back before Dean even got home. Dean felt awful, and knocked at his door every morning and night, desperate to apologize and get his friend back, but Castiel never answered and the door was always locked.

On the fourth morning, there was a cardboard box on the table, taped up with the name of a thrift store on the front. Dean didn’t pay it much attention. It wasn’t his, which meant it was none of his business. Plus, Castiel did collections for charity all the time, it was probably just something like that.

Heading out to class, Dean was determined that he would barricade himself in front of Castiel’s bedroom door all evening if he had to, but he was getting his friend back. He would make this right no matter what.

When he got back, the box was gone, and there was a light on in Castiel’s room. Dean knocked and tried the door without waiting for an answer, relieved when he found it unlocked. He walked in and up to Castiel purposefully, grabbing the other boy’s shoulders.

“Cas! I’m so sorry I was a dick. I never meant to laugh at you or your pyjamas. I think your bee stuff is cute, honestly. I was just caught up in the teasing and I have no excuse for saying what I did. Please, forgive me. I want us to be friends again.”

He was pleading and he knew it, and there was still something off about Castiel’s expression, but his roommate nodded and patted his arm clumsily before turning back to his laptop. “It’s okay, Dean. You were right. It was childish and I understand that now. I have homework, if you don’t mind.”

Dean frowned, unable to make Castiel understand that he thought the bee stuff was cute because it was Cas’ thing, that Cas himself was cute and Dean had always thought so. But then he caught Castiel’s full meaning and he looked around the room in horror. Everything was gone, the bee wall clock and bed spread and pyjamas, and even the little stuffed bee collection that Castiel had been building up since he was a child.

“Cas… where did everything go?” He asked, weakly.

Without turning around, Castiel shrugged. “I got rid of it all. Some kid will appreciate it, I think. I have homework, Dean. Close the door on your way out.”

Dean felt his face fall, because Castiel had gotten rid of everything he held dear just because he’d been a dick. That wasn’t fair. He remembered the huge box on the table that morning and knew immediately that it had all of Castiel’s belongings in. Dean felt sick. It wasn’t right that he’d done this, and he knew he’d never be able to make that up to Castiel.

But he could try.

He walked out of the dorm, heading out to the thrift store whose name he’d seen scrawled on the box that morning, glad he’d paid attention. It didn’t take him long to get there and he told his story to the woman behind the counter, telling her he wanted to buy everything back and asking if she’d sold anything. She hadn’t and the box hadn’t even been processed for sale yet. Dean was happy to break into his savings to buy everything back, but the lady wouldn’t hear of it. Still, it was for charity, so Dean looked around for something to buy to at least help out.

To his delight, at the front of the shop he found the ugliest vase he’d ever seen, with black and yellow stripes, just like a bee. Despite it being hideous, Dean also knew that Castiel would love it, and he bought it immediately, sliding it into the box along with everything else.

Taking a quick stop on the way home, he bought some white tulips, because they needed to have some flowers for the vase, and plus, white meant forgiveness, right? He hoped Castiel would forgive him for what he’d done.

Stepping into the dorm, he set the vase on the table with the flowers, filling it up with water and arranging them awkwardly. Well, he never claimed to be a florist. It was the thought that counted. Hopefully. Castiel’s box, he hid, stashing it behind his beanbag while he ordered dinner for both of them from the Chinese place around the corner. Dean hurried out to pick it up, hoping he’d be back before Castiel left his room.

He wasn’t that lucky.

When he stepped into the dorm with the bag of food, he found his blue eyed roommate running his finger over the vase hesitantly, as if he couldn’t believe it was there.

“What’s this?” Castiel asked hesitantly, dragging his gaze away from the vase. “Why do we have flowers? And a pretty vase?”

Dean shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, I bought them. For you,” he muttered, setting the food down on the table. “I didn’t like that you got rid of all your things because I was a douche.”

Castiel’s eyes turned sad again, clearly regretting the loss of his belongings. “It’s okay, Dean. It was about time I let go of them anyway.”

Letting out a weak laugh, Dean moved over to his beanbag. “Don’t say that, not after I went and got them all back for you,” he admitted, picking up the box and holding it out to Castiel.

“You… you bought them all back? For me?” Tears filled Castiel’s eyes and suddenly Dean was panicking because he didn’t know what to do or if he’d done something wrong.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I didn’t have to buy them because I explained to the lady that they were for someone real special and I needed them back and- oooomft!”

Suddenly the box had been whipped out of his arms to be replaced with something much heavier, much warmer, and it wasn’t until he felt a pair of soft lips covering his own that he realised it was Castiel. Cas was in his arms and he was kissing him.

“Oh,” Dean breathed, when they pulled away. He wasted no time in pulling Castiel back towards him for another kiss, sliding his arms around his neck and knotting his fingers into the dark locks.

“Just so you know, I fucking hate that vase,” he mumbled into the kiss.

He could feel Castiel’s lips turn up against his in a smile. “I know, Dean.”

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