"May I speak with you?"
For a moment, it did not occur to Benny to acknowledge the angel's voice; Castiel rarely spoke to him directly. Dean, however, had left to wash off in the lake only minutes earlier, and as Benny stoked a fire, he couldn't help but smile. He grunted as he lifted himself to stand, and tried not to laugh out loud when he turned to face Castiel.
To Benny, Cas had never looked content; while Benny and Dean would joke and laugh frequently, Castiel usually looked ill. The shadows under his eyes had deepened since he had met Benny, and while Benny did enjoy giving him a hard time, he pitied Castiel. And it was none of his business, but he genuinely wondered about the nature of his relationship with Dean. He had never seen Dean smile so big as when they had found the angel by the lakeside; and, despite Cas' sad, sick gaze, he had decided to remain with Dean since. Why on earth did Cas watch over Dean as Dean drifted to sleep? There was a spark of playfulness that made Benny want to tease Dean about his guardian angel, but Dean's grave seriousness where Cas was concerned confined Benny to his vague curiosity from a distance.
So, when Castiel's gravelly voice rang out behind Benny, that curious itch returned and Benny took a step towards the dirty, bedraggled angel.
"Yeah, bud," he said with a grin, "whatever's on your mind." Castiel narrowed his eyes; he could tell when humans-and ex-humans-were being facetious.
"I… wish to discuss Dean," Cas said, staring at his feet. Benny's affection for the angel grew as he saw how small he looked; embarrassed, dirty, huddled in his oversized trench coat.
"Dean," Benny repeated, raising eyebrows. The plot thickens, he thought to himself. "Why don't you and I just siddown and chat, huh?" he asked, smiling and gesturing to the now-dancing flames of the campfire. Cas nodded gratefully and took a seat beside Benny, who, out of habit rather than necessity, began warming his hands by the fire.
Cas glanced up at Benny. While he had been initially quite skeptical of Dean's new ally, he had grown to at least tolerate him. If nothing else, he was very grateful that Dean had a good friend. Benny was waiting, bright blue eyes reflecting the fire as Cas swallowed his trepidation and opened his mouth to speak.
"You are Dean's friend," he stated, fiddling with his sleeves anxiously. Benny looked at him sideways, amusement in his expression.
"Yeah?" Benny replied, his brow furrowed as he studied the angel. "Was that what you were wonderin' about?" Cas colored lightly and shook his head.
"I was curious as to whether… had Dean spoke of me before we were reunited?" Cas asked. He could feel the vessel's heart in his chest, racing and pounding in his ears. Benny's smile grew.
"You're seriously askin' me whether he mentioned you? That is an understatement, angel. He, ah, wouldn't shut up about ya." Benny said, shaking his head with a chuckle. If he had had a nickel for every time Dean had mentioned Cas, he'd probably be able to buy his way out of Purgatory. He glanced up and notice that Cas was absolutely captivated, though, hanging on Benny's every word. He had leaned in and was listening carefully with those big eyes, wide as dinner plates.
"What… did he say, exactly?" Castiel asked, his hands folded nervously. Benny raised his eyebrows, wondering for a fleeting moment whether Castiel was making a joke. But, there was nothing but genuine concern on his face. Benny cleared his throat incredulously.
"He, uh… nothin' but praise, Cas. He wasn't gonna leave without you. He kept sayin' that you were part of his family."
Cas raised his eyebrows and inhaled, disbelieving. Benny grinned sympathetically.
"Why're you askin' something like that?" Benny asked, his voice in an undertone. Cas colored again but did not break eye contact with the vampire.
"Frankly I am worried that I have been a burden to him," Cas replied quickly. "And to you."
"Hey, you know what they say," Benny said warmly, placing a hand on Cas' shoulder. "Three's company, right?"
Cas smiled and nodded; although he had never heard of such a thing, he appreciated Benny's kindness. As Benny began to shift and stand, Cas spoke suddenly and urgently.
"I have… I feel very strongly for Dean," he blurted, looking desperately at Benny. Benny froze and turned to face Cas completely, unable to suppress a smirk.
"What're you sayin'?" Benny asked carefully. Benny had finally gotten to the crux of their odd friendship; it wasn't a friendship at all. It had occurred to Benny that there could be something else going on there; especially the way Dean looked at Cas. Cas glanced around helplessly to be sure Dean was nowhere to be found.
"You are Dean's friend, and… that is all?" Castiel asked? He was too floored to feel ashamed; but Benny threw back his head and laughed loudly, until there were tears in his eyes. Cas clenched his jaw.
"Oh, man!" Benny hooted, patting Cas on the back once again. "Whew!" He wiped his hands over his face, beaming. "Nah," he said, noticing how serious Cas remained. "Nah, it's… oh God, nothin' like that."
Cas' expression softened. "Thank you," he said evenly. "You are laughing because it is a farcical question," Cas said, although it sounded more like a question.
"Yeah, Cas," Benny laughed again. "He's all yours."
Cas swallowed.
"And I'm gonna be honest with you," Benny said, lowering his voice significantly and enticing Cas closer. "I'd bet my life savings that Dean 'feels strongly' for you, too."
Cas watched Benny's expression carefully; it appeared as though Benny was being serious, although it was often hard to tell. Benny nodded encouragingly before he stood up.
"Good luck, Casanova," Benny laughed, pounding the angel affectionately on the back with an open hand. "I'm rooting for ya."
Cas sat alone by the fireside and watched Benny walking away, quiet laughter erupting every few seconds in his deep baritone. Cas smiled to himself. Benny wasn't so bad, after all.