Castiel is in the middle of a very entertaining conversation with Charlie about dinosaurs, of all things, when his phone rings. He pulls it out without hesitation, just in case it's someone important, and he turns out to be right. Granted, Jim's name may be his least favorite to see on the caller ID, but he's still important.

"Gotta take this," Castiel says quickly, slipping out of the room. He doesn't answer until he's at the door, skipping the pleasantries as he says, "I'm at a party, so this better be important."

"You've been tweeting enough that I figured you wouldn't mind," Jim replies. "The editors want the next music video filmed way quicker, so they have time to actually get it done, because the first one was kind of rushed. We can get you a flight Tuesday morning so you have tomorrow to pack, and if you film this week, you —"

"That's not happening," Castiel interrupts.

"You'll be back by this weekend," Jim finishes as if he never spoke. "You'll still be back for your birthday, and you'll have the whole week with your boyfriend before he leaves. Deal?"

Castiel hesitates, then sighs. "I guess, but only if you get Dean on the same flight." He'll have to ask if Dean wants to come, of course, but he's sure he would. Even if they just see each other at night, it's better than not seeing him at all.

"No, because I'm going to work you sixteen hours each day so we can get the damn video done, and you won't have time to talk to him," Jim tells him.

Castiel scoffs. "Sixteen hour days? Not a chance in hell." He needs sleep. He's still human, after all. This isn't the tv show.

"It's not that bad," Jim assures him. "I got you a hotel five minutes from set, you'll have a few breaks, and it's only three days. Sleep on the plane and you're already doing good."

Castiel sighs to himself as he thinks this through. He can only assume it's going to be an early morning flight, so he'll have to wake up at an ungodly hour for that, but he can make up the sleep he misses at the airport and on the plane, so that's okay.

Judging by the "three days," he'd start filming when he arrived in... wherever he's going, and they always run over, so he'll be back at the hotel for probably just under seven hours. If he bypasses social media entirely and just takes a shower and goes to bed, that's probably about six hours of sleep, maybe less.

Three nights of running on six hours of sleep isn't impossible. He can't say he's had worse in recent times, but there were times in high school he'd have twelve hours of sleep in a five day school week due to homework, so it's not outrageous to ask this of him.

He does have the issue of his fans to worry about, though. He can try to keep up with them by checking in during his breaks, but those fifteen minutes always seems to stretch thin, so he might not acknowledge them outside of meal times, if he doesn't sleep through them. Then again, he can claim he's been on Instagram, and no one would know if he's been around or not.

He lets out a long breath, then nods, as if Jim can see him through the phone.

"Alright, consider it done," Castiel tells him. "Leave Tuesday, home Friday?"

"Tuesday morning, Friday afternoon," Jim adds. "Yep. Sound good?"

"No, but sounds doable," Castiel replies. "Just remember that I have to be home all of Saturday — home and awake."

"So sleep on the plane," Jim says carelessly.

"Right, because that's so easy," Castiel says sarcastically.

"Hey, not my problem. Just be there." Jim hangs up on him, leaving the impression of a cold hearted old man. So, basically, leaving the impression of himself.

Okay, so maybe Castiel is a bit hard on him. It can't be easy, managing such a slacker like him, and his random bursts of inspiration must be hard to contain. Castiel has to keep reminding himself that Jim is doing the best that he can. He's doing what's best for Castiel's career, even if it sucks at the time. The video will make it worth it. The videos are always worth it. The fans always seem to love them, so at least there's that.

The front door opens behind him, and he turns around to see Dean peeking through the crack. When he sees Castiel is off the phone, he steps outside to join him, shutting the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Dean asks.

Castiel briefly explains the new filming schedule to him, and the disappointment on his face instantly makes him feel bad for agreeing to it.

Dean doesn't voice his disapproval, though. Instead, all he says is, "Well, hey, if that's what you gotta do, I won't stop you. Just don't drive yourself insane because you're so tired, okay? I need you back here in working order for your birthday. Trust me, it's going to be great."

Castiel can't help but smile. "It only took seven years, but you're finally going to be around on my birthday," he observes.

Dean opens his mouth to say something, then pauses. "Wait, I've never been around on your birthday?"

"Nope," Castiel replies. He just barely missed it six years ago, when college and work got in the way, and once they were reunited, they broke up again before his most recent birthday.

"Then I'll have to make this one special," Dean tells him with a grin. "Anyway, I really came out to tell you that we're having cake in a minute, so you should come back to the party."

Castiel grins. "Don't have to tell me twice."