It was the same musty smell the boys had been accustomed to. The smell that was as familiar as the smell of smoke, sulfur and each other. The two boys were currently struggling between a one person door frame that left the brothers much too close for comfort. However the lack of space was not the first of their concerns, the most important part was getting to the king bed over the queen before the other.
"Sam don't try me. Big brother gets the biggest bed damn it!" Dean growled threateningly. Glaring up to what he could see of his brothers' face in their current predicament.
"Dean I'm the youngest, therefore I need more sleep than you! So I need the better bed!" Sam retorted while attempting to push his way into the room.
That wasn't happening for Dean. Their squirming became desperate as they tried to beat each other to the punch. Sam was the first to cut himself loose from the frame, he moved towards the bed to try and claim it first. The brothers tended to call their things to the other as kids, and they never really grew up in that sense. But Dean was far from finished; he grabbed his brothers leg and used Sam's height against him as he stumbled and fell to the floor. They barely scrambled to their feet in order to get to the bed first, and now the room seemed so much larger all of a sudden. They became a tumbling mess of flailing limbs and curses, both slapping their hands on the edge of the mattress,
"It's mine!" the two exclaimed in union.
"No way Dean I was here first"
"Just give it up Sammy and no one gets hurt" Dean snarled in response, and Sam opened his mouth to say something when a familiar rough voice interrupted the twos quarrel.
"If the mattress is claimed in the way of those who were here first.. Does that mean then the honor is mine?"
Dean and Sam's snapped up and around to the source of the comment. The literal angel of the lord, Castiel, sat atop the bed with his customary head tilt, hard blue eyes observing them curiously. He sat cross legged in the middle of the bed and according to his words he had been there for a while. "Sam. Dean" Cas said in way of greeting. Dean eyed Castiel with surprise and tilted his head in response by way of habit from the angel. Sam meanwhile watched the quite exchange of sensual looks of longing. His eyes narrowed and his eyebrows knitted together, one piqued in interest.
After a while Sam grew fed up. "Are you going to sit there and eye fuck each other or are you going to kiss already?" Sam asked half seriously.
Castiel then tilted his head in Sams direction is silent questioning of his comment. Dean on the other hand went from flustered to garing so hard he seemed to be trying to blow Sams head up with his mind.
"Sam how many times do I have to say it's not-"
"Yeah yeah I know Dean." Sam murmured. He was irritated. Why shouldn't he be? Dealing with this sexual tension all these years while Dean was stubborn and Cas was oblivious. They were obviously in love but they were being girls just tiptoeing around it, and Sam seemed to be the only one who just wanted them to get together already! Dean took his brothers silence as an opportunity to speak to the angel.
"So Cas, you're right. Usually that bed would be yours since you were there first, but-"
"But? What but? It's mine right? I was here first."
"Well yeah but you kinda don't sleep and Sam n I need that bed. Plus even if you did sleep there's only one bed. Don't you have some place you could hang out in heaven?
"Well that's just it. Heaven is oddly calm right now. We have reached a stalemate and everything is quiet. I came to you to see if you are in need of any assistance as of late. Last time I was here I recall you were tracking some rogue half-bloods on a killing spree. Did you succeed in the elimination of sed threat?"
Sam snapped out of thought at the topic of the conversation. "Yeah we just finished em off earlier today. We came back to the hotel for a break. We already paid for two more nights up front so we're going to chill for a while. No use putting money to waste."
"Yeah tell me about it" Dean mumbled
"So we are going to "relax" here then? What does one do to "relax"? Cas asked his eyes wide in hope and curiosity of learning something new.
Sam was as surprised as Dean at the stark confusion and wonder that added a glow to Cas's usual blank and intense stare. Sam was even more surprised at what Dean did next.
Dean leaned forward on his elbow towards Cas his hand reached up and ruffled Cas's already unruly hair, not helping the problem. While the action was a small sign of endearment that Sam had seen before used on Ben that wasn't what surprised him. There was an uncharacteristically tender smile that graced his brothers features. Only for a second. Sam almost thought it was never there but the flush on the angels cheeks said otherwise.
"Don't worry Cas, we'll teach you about relaxing." Dean said after he returned to his usual cocky grin. Castiel also tried to re engage in there last topic of conversation while a light pink dancing across his features betrayed his serious expression as he listened to Dean explain relaxation.
Sam interrupted their little love fest, strangled by the tension and lack of progress. "Well if we're gunna relax there's nothing better than booze!"
Dean finally tore his eyes away from Cas to look at his brother with a knowing smile. "If we're gonna party then this calls for pie! Sam would you head down the street to do the honors?"
That gave Sam an idea. Why not speed things along a little? It's about time he did his big brother a favor. "Sure, no problem. C'mon Cas! Let's go get pie."
Dean tried to hide the obvious surprise and disgruntlement at his brother's decision but he had two options. He could state his upset at and make it seem like he liked Cas. (Cause he didn't, totally didn't) Or he could let Sam go and he would come back with booze, pie and Cas, not that he would miss Cas or anything. It shouldn't take that long…Yeah he'd so be fine…
"Okay Sam, just bring back some friggin pie." He murmured begrudgingly.
"Excellent, be back in a few" Sam smiled dragging Cas out the door by his trench coat, Castiel fixed his tie as he let himself be dragged and waved bye to Dean. As Sam pulled Cas across the street Cas glanced up and saw Sam looking at him over his shoulder.
"Is there something you'd like to discuss Sam?" Castiel asked noticing Sam's thoughtful expression. "If there is something troubling you I would like to help."
"Well.. I wanted to ask you something.." Sam muttered as they arrived in front of the corner store.
Cas tilted his head in response, giving Sam the silent go ahead to continue.
"Cas… how do you feel about Dean?" Sam asked looking at different types of pie, avoiding the angels eyes. After a long silence he was forced to turn and look at his friend. "Cas?"
The angels eyes were closed and his arms were crossed in deep concentration.
"I regard Dean with respect. As I do you. I like Dean. I like being around him. But sometimes when he puts himself down and I find myself wanting to wrap my wings around him. I wish to be useful to him when he needs me and I seem to enjoy myself around him. Why do you ask?"
"Well I was just wondering. You two seem as close as I am with Dean. But in a different way…more than the whole profound bond thing.."
Cas nodded silently and seemed to be back in deep thought. So deep in fact he was caught by surprise when he was hit by the cool night air when they stepped outside. He didn't even realize they had finished shopping. The two traveled in silence for a few minutes until Sam coughed and glanced to Castiel.
"So you're in love with Dean…"
"Love…" Cas seemed to breathe out the word. He spoke the word carefully, as if it was some kind of a caress. He almost seemed scared that if he spoke to brashly the word could shatter in the frosty air. But then the meaning of Sam's comment washed over him and his eyes widened in disbelief. He stopped dead in his tracks. "I love Dean? If I love Dean then… how would I know I love him?"
"Well…If you love him then. You would get jealous when he hits on girls-"
"Sam I don't think Dean hitting people would make me jealous, in fact I believe it would have the opposite effect."
"Well uh…it means you get jealous when he's talking to girls over you. And you feel sad when he's sad and you're happy when he's happy…basically."
"Is there some kind of test I can take to be assured of my feelings?" Cas asked eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Suddenly a devious idea crossed Sam's mind. I can speed things up this way he thought happily. "Well, have you ever felt like you wanted to kiss him? If you want to kiss him that means you're attracted to him and probably love him." Sam answered thoughtfully, looking to Castiel.
Cas's mouth turned into a little surprised o and he disappeared with the sound of fluttering. The only sign of his departure was the disturbance of the air that had once been surrounding him.
Dean meanwhile had settled himself on the king bed. Who it belonged to, that was still undecided but all Dean knew was that it was his for the time being. At least he thought as much but then there was a sudden fluttering of wings and there was an angel in his lap.
"CAS!" Dean yelled much louder than he mean to, arms flailing in every direction. "Cas why are you..?"
"Dean I have to see if I want to kiss you!"
"W-w-w-what?!" Dean yelled exasperated, a small flush working its ways to his cheeks.(I have to stop him, I should really stop him)
"Please hold still!" Cas exclaimed as he leaned into Dean's face. He stared into his eyes and said "Dean…how does one proceed with a kiss?"
Dean's face fell a little then he suddenly roared with laughter startling the angel out of his lap. Tears formed in his eyes as he clutched his stomach. "Cas you are just something else. Damn you are something special." He wiped a tear from his eye and smirked at the angel, which first caught the angel by surprise but was then returned happily. (That's not adorable, nope not at all) Sam walked in just in time to see the love birds staring at each other once again. He rolled his eyes and put his keys in his pocket.
"So did you guys suck face yet?" He asked bluntly.
Dean was immediately pulled out of his trance at his brothers words. "That was you? You told Cas to kiss me?" Dean growled
"You're angry? Why are you angry?"
"No Cas I'm not angry it's just-"
"Well did you?"
"No we didn't kiss, he didn't even know how to kiss." Dean snapped, glaring at his brother but then snickering slightly remembering how Cas surprised him. "And we wouldn't have even if he knew how." Dean added after a minute.
"So you didn't find out about what we talked about did ya Cas?" Sam chirped as he winked in Cas's direction in a secret exchange of an unknown conversation. But Cas wasn't nearly as good an actor. Cas immediately lost face. His eyes went wide and he tried to hold a blush in, that made him look like he was going to explode. Finally there was a loud POOF and Dean was smacked with something warm and fluffy.
"what the-" Dean exclaimed in alarm. After moving back a bit he looked at what had hit him and there was a small egg shaped, Cas sized, cocoon where Castiel once was sitting. But this wasn't any cocoon, it was made of feathers. Cas had wrapped his wings in a protective fortress around his body. And they were stunning.