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English
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Part 6 of destiel one-shots
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Published:
2021-09-29
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1,705
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1/1
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Fire Safety

Summary:

Castiel typically dreads fire safety day... that is, unless there is a green-eyed fireman to make it worthwhile.

Notes:

not beta'd. written in like an hour. godspeed.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

With the sound of a siren, Kaia bolts out the classroom door, slamming into Castiel’s left knee in the process. The rest of the class follows suit and Cas narrowly avoids a stomped foot and three more hits to his knee. 

None of them seemed to care about fire safety when he tried to talk about it, but sure, bring in the big red trucks and loud sirens and suddenly it’s super cool to learn about “stop, drop, and roll”. 

Castiel loves teaching third grade but he’d be lying if he said he looked forward to the Fire Safety unit. While it was fun to watch the kids light up at the demonstrations and talks with the fireman, it typically was followed by a lot of questions regarding fire and whether or not their houses were going to burn down. 

It just doesn’t seem all that logical to unlock a new fear in twenty-seven eight-year-old’s heads all at once.

Castiel does a quick headcount. He shoots Meg, the other third grade teacher, a look to make sure she’s got it all under control before shuffling through the crowd to meet up with the fireman currently dismounting from the front seat of the truck. The man turns around and Castiel is thankful those green eyes know CPR. 

What an embarrassing thought to have.

Tampering his attraction, Castiel extends his hand out in greeting, “You must be Captain Winchester.” He hopes his smile doesn’t look as strained as it feels.

The fireman’s eyes light up in response, “Dean will do.” He winks and Castiel’s knees practically give out. “And you must be Mr. Novak.” He swears his heart skips a beat when the man rakes his eyes up and down Castiel’s body. He’s never been so blatantly checked out before and he can feel his neck heating up at the forwardness. 

He finds he doesn’t mind being looked at by Dean.

It takes awhile for Castiel to realize he’s staring… and still holding the fireman’s hand… and at school. In fact, Castiel doesn’t realize at all. He’s broken from his trance by the clearing of a throat and snaps out of it just as another fireman comes up next to Dean. The two men hurry to break apart— as though caught doing something much more scandalous than an extended handshake— and Castiel knows he isn’t imagining the blush now coloring the skin between Dean’s freckles. 

Castiel just realized he likes freckles. 

The other fireman looks at Dean knowingly before the captain speaks up, “Uh– yeah– so– uhm, Mr. Nova–”

“Castiel.”

“ Gesundheit.” Dean smirks. 

“No, my name is–” Castiel rolls his eyes, no stranger to first reactions of his peculiar name– his parents’ religion being more important than their kids’ social lives apparently– but he’s cut off before he can give his practiced spiel about the angel of Thursdays.

“I know. I’m just giving ya a hard time, Cas.” 

Cas . 

He’s never had a nickname before, never even wanted one, but now he’s not sure he ever wants to hear the name Castiel again. 

At least not from Dean. 

He stumbles again, the picture of grace and poise today, “Oh, uh, of course. You were saying…”

Dean snaps into action, “Oh yeah! Right! So, Cas, Benny and I’ll talk to the kids a bit and then take them through the truck and let them sit in the driver's seat and then they can ask questions and stuff. Sound good?” 

Castiel is taken aback by the man’s enthusiasm and all he can do is nod. Seemingly pleased with Castiel’s wordless go-ahead, the fireman smiles, nods, and turns towards the increasingly antsy group of students, “Hey, class! Are we ready to learn about fire safety?” 

It’s the best fire safety presentation Castiel has seen in his nine years of teaching third grade. 

While Dean obviously makes the whole thing easier to watch , he also is just so damn good with these kids. His patience when they ask out of turn questions, his attention to their safety as they move around the truck, and the way he presents the information with a touch of humor makes the whole thing way less fear inducing. 

It’s not lost on Castiel that Dean also keeps using him as a volunteer, demonstrator, example, or any other other reason he can come up with to bring Castiel closer to him. He doesn’t know if it’s on purpose or if Dean always uses the teacher as his helper instead of the students. When Castiel is asked to walk the hose down the sidewalk to show off just how long it is, he catches  a knowing look in Benny’s eyes that tells him this may not be routine.

Castiel is so fucked. 

While the kids take turns sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, Castiel watches Dean gently lift each one in and out, giving them a high five after they’re safely back on their feet. He’s lost in thoughts definitely not appropriate for a third grade fire safety course when Meg speaks up, “I’d tap that.”

On instinct, Castiel rolls his eyes. “You’d tap anyone that breathes , Meg.” 

She sneers, “Yeah, probably, but you wouldn’t and I’m pretty sure you want to tap that.”

Castiel’s silence must be answer enough– his mind unable to think about anything other than what  “tapping” Dean would entail. 

Dean is helping the last kid out of the front seat and when Castiel looks over, the fire captain immediately looks up and smiles. With all the kids sitting, Dean waves for Castiel to join him at the front of the group. 

“Go get ‘em, cowboy.” Meg slaps his ass and it brings Castiel back to the present. He shoots her a ‘ we’re at work, knock it off’ look before walking towards the truck. 

He nods at Dean before turning to address the group, “Alright, class. We have time for a few questions for Captain Winchester and Mr. Benny. Please raise your hand and speak one at a time.” 

No less than 30 hands raise in the air, the group consisting of almost sixty kids between Meg and his class loads. Dean chuckles before looking at Benny and motioning for him to start off. 

Castiel isn’t sure if he should stay up front but his feet don’t seem to want to move out of Dean’s radius so he stands there, albeit a bit awkwardly, for the entire line of questioning. 

Dean and Benny do great. Castiel can’t help but be impressed by the way they handle a raucous group of eight year olds like it’s nothing. It’s Castiel’s job and he still doesn’t know how to handle them some days. 

These two make it look easy. 

Especially Dean. 

He answers each question thoughtfully, the kids clearly feeling heard, and with an air of joy that is contagious. 

Dean would make a great dad. 

Yearning courses through Castiel. He’s never like this. Fantasizing about a life with a man about which he only knows surface thing. Castiel wars with himself, unable to contain his want to actually  know this man, but also realizing he’s at work. Following his gut instead of his– well other “thought drivers”— Castiel is resolute in his decision to let the undeniable connection go by the end of the question part of the day. 

It’ll hurt but so would finding out Dean does this with every third grade teacher in Lawrence. 

Resolute in his decision, Castiel steps forward to address the students. He instructs them to thank the fireman before nodding a thanks himself and turning to sort and wrangle the students from his class now mixed among Meg’s. He feels a hand on his arm and turns. Instinctively he looks down expecting one of his students, but quickly looks back up when he notices the fire pants and suspenders. 

He sucks in a breath— Dean’s eyes are just so green.

Dean’s hand is still on Castiel’s elbow when he speaks, “Uh– I know this is not the place and I don’t typically do this but I–” 

He doesn’t typically do this. 

“Yes.” Castiel answers before Dean can even start his question and desperately hopes he’s not misreading the entire last hour of his life.

“Yeah?” Dean’s smile is luminous and Castiel feels it settle in his stomach like warm hot chocolate after sledding. 

“Yes, please.” Please? Castiel is mortified for a second but then Dean throws his head back in laughter and there isn’t a care in the world. 

“I get off at six.” Dean looks away, blush creeping across his face again and Castiel thinks it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever seen. 

Castiel nods, “I’ll meet you at the station then.” His confidence is purely fueled by Dean’s smile growing wider with each confirmation that yes Castiel is feeling this too. 

“Perfect. See ya tonight, Cas.” He waves softly before ducking his head and wandering back towards Benny who is shaking his head knowingly toward Castiel. 

Castiel blushes and turns back towards his class, but finds them already inside. He catches a shit-eating grin from Meg as she waves from the doorway where she’s waiting to let him back in the building. 

He walks towards the school before turning around once more, watching Dean reset the truck for the next group of students who should be there any minute. Dean must feel Castiel’s gaze because he looks up, his grin lopsided and happy, before waving enthusiastically at Castiel. The teacher gives him a small wave back before heading into the building. 

As he walks back towards his classroom, Castiel finds himself excited for the prospect of tonight– of a date - for the first time in a long time. Sitting down at his desk, he traces a finger over today’s spot on his desktop calendar. He remembers scratching Fire Safety Day into the square at the start of the school year with disdain. He chuckles to himself– if he’d only known a green eyed Captain existed, maybe he wouldn’t have dreaded it so much. While writing in a new addition to the square, Castiel decides that– despite the ribbing he knows he’ll get from Meg until the day he dies– maybe Fire Safety Day isn’t so bad.

Notes:

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