Dean looked from Cas to the monitor. He wasn't smiling. He was live.

His foot stuttered on his prompter pedal. "Welcome back to KAZS Channel 15 News," Dean read. There was a man's voice in his ear. "While the sunshine and humid air might draw you outside today," Dean started. He couldn't understand the man in his ear. Oh fuck, he was talking over him. He was talking out of turn. He shut up.

Dean was going to die on the desk. He was going to have a heart attack or stroke and die on live television, the only testament to his memory being a viral clip on some asshole's Blogspot, and his stupid unobtainable crush said he loved him, and his mic might have been hot when he said it. And there was no voice in his ear. The studio was silent. Jo wasn't cutting in.

He had been hearing his own voice on the audio track, a half-second after he said anything. Dean closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. And smiled. Jo hadn't cut in because it was his script to read.

"Channel 15 meteorologist Castiel Novak has today's forecast, with some important information about potential severe weather. Castiel, tell us what's happening today," Dean finished.

Cas had taken Dean's struggle to compose himself, and he was smiling and ready to point at the big map. "Thank you, Dean," he started, his on-air voice higher and smoother than the sexy gravel he usually spoke in.

"Today's hot and humid atmospheric conditions might have you looking to beat the heat, but you really should consider staying close to shelter this afternoon. A blast of wet air from the Gulf of Mexico means there's a lot of potential for severe storms in today's forecast, potentially bringing heavy rain, large hail and even possibly a few tornadoes," Cas said.

He turned back toward the green screen, gesturing in a way that hopefully translated to viewers on screen. "Already, we're seeing some cloud development near McCook and Holdriege, and the sun's only just come up. So keep an eye on the sky and make sure you have a way to receive weather alerts, whether it's through a weather radio or on your smartphone through our KAZS Channel 15 app. Back to you, Dean."

Dean forced out a chuckle. "Looks like a rough day today, Castiel, do you have any wild weather safety tips?"

"Absolutely. The best place to shelter during a severe weather event is in a windowless interior room or ideally in a basement. If you find yourself on the road, you should pull over in the face of large hail to reduce damage to your car. You should never shelter under an overpass during a tornado, and you should never attempt to outrun a tornado. Find shelter and get to safety."

Billie signalled he had 30 seconds before the last break.

Dean nodded, a smlie still on his face. "Thank you, Castiel. You always do a good job of keeping our local community safe. Up next after the break, we have an update on the Cherry Pie Festival this weekend - and the latest change may surprise you."

And Dean was off the hook for 90 scant seconds. He saw Naomi in the control room ask Kevin the audio engineer a question, to which he responded with a nod. She opened the door and stormed into the studio.

"Castiel!" she yelled.

Cas finished putting his mic away, sending one last glance Dean's way.

"My office. Now," Naomi commanded.

Cas followed her out of the studio. Dean had a bad feeling about that.

Billie made eye contact with him, then made a show of regulating her breathing. Oh. Dean copied her breaths, closed his eyes, and got ready for the last countdown that meant he could wrap up this literal shit show and grab a moment to breathe before doing it all over again at 7.

And he could compartmentalize. Maybe it just looked to the average viewer like his coffee hadn't kicked in yet. So when he walked out of the studio and into the bullpen, he wasn't particularly surprised not to see Cas. The man was probably getting reamed out by Naomi. Fair enough.

Dean continued his walk through the station to the front lobby, where he was greeted by the distinct scent of cotton candy. He sighed and looked to Claire the receptionist.

"You know you can't be doing that inside," he said.

Claire rolled her eyes. "What, using air freshener?"

Dean held out his hand. "No. Give me your vape."

With another eyeroll, Claire handed it over.

Taking it outside and stepping out of view of the front doors, Dean leaned against the cinderblock wall of the TV station. He wiped germs off the vape pen with his tie and took a hit, letting the nicotine calm his nerves after the shitshow of a morning that was only half-over. He hadn't  smoked in months, but something about today told him he'd need it.

Sometimes zoning out on his break was the simplest pleasure he got in a day. The air was humid and already a little hot, but a cool breeze worked its way through the spring leaves and toward Dean's little hideout.

As the sun spread her golden-hour rays over the prairie, reflecting red across the clouds, Dean took one last hit and checked his watch. Almost 7 o'clock, time to do it all again. Dean pocketed Claire's confiscated vape as he walked back into the station. He decided to take a meandering loop to the studio, through the bullpen. Maybe say something, about something, now that he had time to breathe.

Cas' desk had been cleared off, laptop and coffee and mementos all gone.