"Why are we going to Louisiana of all places?" Anna whined from the backseat of the station wagon. She sat next to the door where she had been stubbornly pouting since the family had left from their suburban home in Pontiac, Illinois. Castiel watched her pale face, red lips pressed together in a thin line. She looked like their mother, Castiel thought. He was squished in between his sister and eldest brother Micheal who had barely said two words the entire trip. Out of habit he ran an agitated hand through his thick dark hair, casting an annoyed gaze towards his sister. The air conditioning was broken and the hot summer sun was heating up the inside of the old family station wagon as though they were a bag of popcorn in a microwave. Sweaty skin stuck to leather, miserable bodies bickered back and forth, running on three hours of uncomfortable sleep.
"Anna I told you," Mr. Chuck Shurley sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Louisiana is a very cultured and memorable place to visit. There's an endless amount of activities to do there! Trust me, sweetheart, once we get there you'll regret ever moping about going. Besides, we're going to visit your cousins and we haven't seen them in...God knows how long."
Anna snorted, shifting her body in the seat, angling herself so her arms and chin now rested on the car door. "I could be soaking up the ocean in Carolina with my friends right about now..." She mumbled.
"Anna." Chuck pressed, his tone seemed annoyed but not angry. "Just...please. Try to enjoy yourself..."
"Whats there to enjoy, Dad?" Gabriel popped up from the backseat, pulling his large earmuff-like headphones down to hang around his neck. "The most exciting thing that has happened since we left was when Samandriel sat on my melted chocolate stash."
"You said it wasn't that bad!" the eight year old whimpered next to him, slinging his arms around the seat in front of him. "You said the people hardly even noticed when we stopped at the gas station."
Gabriel smirked, popping a tootsie pop into his mouth. "I lied."
"Gabriel!"
"It really wasn't that bad, Sammy." Lucifer said from the passenger seat up front. All Castiel could see of him was his black chuck taylors resting on the dashboard. One tucked under the other and his feathery blonde hair sticking straight up from humidity above the head of the seat.
"Really?" His little brother asked hopefully.
"Nah..." Castiel could hear the cocky smirk in his big brothers voice, "it was terrible."
That seemed to cause an uproar. Samandriel was whining about how he was always picked on just because he was the youngest, Lucifer was shouting over him to say that he should try getting a sense of humor. Micheal had finally broken out of his silent state, yelling at Lucifer that he should grow up already, that everyone was sick of his stupid jokes and pranks. At this point Gabriel defended the second eldest Shurley boy by saying to Micheal that maybe if he didn't have a stick up his ass people would like being around him more. This resulted in Micheal now turning on Gabriel and saying that he should butt out, calling him a bad name. Gabriel was fuming and Lucifer was telling Micheal to shut the hell up already it was just a joke. Anna was saying that she never ever ever got what she wanted and family vacations were so stupid and oh my god Dad why do we even go anywhere with Lucifer and Gabriel always screwing things up its just so unfair Micheal always gets what he wants. Micheal rounded on Anna at this, shouting something about how that was so not true, she was such a daddy's girl and blah blah blah. Samandriels high pitched voice was still ringing above the others, he wasn't even making sense anymore he was just making noise. And in the midst of it all, was Castiel.
He sighed at his brothers and sister's chaos. He wished that just once they could all get along. Now, he knew he was not perfect. He quarreled with his siblings more often than not. Mostly it was Gabriel he got upset with. Gabriel was always pulling pranks, sometimes he was even accompanied by Lucifer. But oddly enough, although it was Gabriel he got annoyed with the most, it was Gabriel he got along with the best. Maybe it was the closeness in age between the two. Or maybe it was just that Gabriel hid his loneliness and sadness under pranks and jokes. He could talk to his younger brother about things he felt like he couldn't share with Lucifer or Dad. They had a connection.
Castiels blue eyes met his fathers in the rear view mirror. He looked tired. Dad was always tired. The past six months had been rough on Chuck. Of course his children didn't mean to run him up a wall, they were just kids. It's their job. And of course they were going through the same things he was. With the absence of a mother Lucifer had felt the need to act out. He got in trouble for shop lifting a few months before. He and Mike were fighting more often than usual. Gabriel was constantly locked in his room, sometimes he wouldn't talk to anyone, not even Castiel, for days. Anna was never home. She would rather be with her friends than share her feelings with family. Samandriel would get frustrated, he came home crying a few times, sputtering about mothers day, about how kids asked him where his mom had gone. He would then ask his older brothers where Mom was so he could go find her. Castiel told him that it didn't work that way. Castiel himself had taken to silence. He started talking less and less until he found himself not even speaking when spoken to. He had always been quiet, but this was drastic. Chuck was constantly exhausted. Much like his son Gaberiel he had taken to sometimes locking himself in his office for days. The siblings would sometimes have to set food in there for him, just so he would eat.
Being a single Dad of six children is not something an average person can handle. Especially with someone like Gabriel. Generally they were still a happy family. Everyone has their dark days sometimes. This was the first year they were going on vacation without their mother.
Chuck groaned, shoulders dropping slightly. He then raised his voice over his screaming children. "Can't you kids shut the hell up for two seconds?!"
Silence.
For exactly two seconds Mr. Shurley got his wish for peace and quiet. Two seconds. In this time Anna jammed her chin into her palm, gazing out the window moodily. Castiel watched the bright rays of sunlight dance off his sisters pale ginger skin. Her brown freckles sprouting where there would normally be a caramel tan. Scarlet red hair fell along her shoulders and back without a hair out of place. It looked smooth and silky. It reminded Castiel of his mother. How he used to think her hair was so beautiful it was like ocean waves.
Orange painted finger nails clicked against the glass window. Her blue eyes looked like the flame on the kitchen stove. Flickering with a hint of wild danger.
"...I still wish I was in Carolina." She mumbled.
Chaos again.
Chuck groaned at the steering wheel clasped between white knuckles.
The Shurley family pulled into the driveway of their vacation home. It wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. All around the house was bent trees and wild brush, vines tangled themselves around the fence and sun kissed porch. Crickets sang loudly, masked by the darkness of night and overgrown lawn. Chuck had had this place since Gabriel was born. He bought it so the family would have a place to stay when he visited his sister down South. The Shurleys hadn't been to Louisiana since Samandriel was just a toddler, but Chuck's sister and her family usually came up for Christmas because she missed the snow.
Samandriel had fallen asleep and Micheal had to carry him inside. It smelled like old maple syrup and pie crust inside the home. It was creaky and a bit dusty. Castiel watched the pools of dust circle around his suitcase as he dropped the heavy load down on the wood floor. The moonlight shone through the screen door behind him, illuminating the small particles as gravity collected them back to the floor.
"Home sweet home." Chuck sighed as he walked in behind his son, setting two suitcases beside Castiels. "For the summer anyway..." He flashed him a small, tired smile. The crinkles by his eyes denting his skin. Castiel smiled back.
There were three bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs, and one bedroom and one bathroom downstairs. Their father would be sleeping downstairs while Anna got her own room, Micheal and Lucifer shared, and the three youngest boys shared the final room. Samandriel was laying face down and sprawled out on his bed when Castiel reached their room, his ball cap pushed up on top of his head. Castiel smiled at his little brother, shaking his head before tossing his bags onto the unoccupied bed. It was closest to the window.
Gabriels head was resting against the wall as he sat with his headphones attached to his skull, his eyes scanning the words of songs on his iPod in his hand. His eyes were dropping and it was obvious he was tired, but there seemed to be something keeping him awake. Something haunting him.
"Hey, Castiel," Gabriel said, voice groggy and low. He turned to his brother as he positioned his headphones to his neck. Castiel was peeling off his tshirt, stinking of sweat and leather, and pulling back the covers of his bed sheets to finally sleep comfortably.
"What?" He responded.
"Wanna go check out the town?"
"It's nearly midnight and I haven't slept in at least twenty four hours...what do you think."
"I think you need to loosen up a little." Gabriel swung his legs over the side of the bed, his shoes grazing the floor. A wicked grin crossed his face, "C'mon it'll be fun. The adrenaline of sneaking out when everyones asleep...it'll be an adventure c'mon!"
"Gabriel...No." Castiel pulled the quilt up over his body, curling into the mattress.
"But Castie-ll," His brother whined, "It'll be so much fun! C'mon we'll just walk around the backyard a bit. How about that?"
"What if we get lost?"
"We won't get lost you wimp. I'll bring a flashlight for you, big baby. C'mon please. We haven't been here for years! We gotta check it out!"
Castiel huffed, flipping around to face his brother and frowning.
"Fine. I'll go." Gabriel pumped his fist in the air with a grin. "But if we get caught-"
"Oh, we wont get caught!" Gabriel snorted, waving a hand at him. "Luci and I sneak out allll the time."
Castiel stopped pulling a fresh sweatshirt on to give his brother a squinty look. "You do?"
"Oh, yeah," Gabriel tossed his iPod and headphones onto the bedside table, "whenever either of us need a break or anything. You know how Micheal can get. Sometimes we just gotta...leave for a while."
Castiel didn't comment as he pulled on his tennis shoes. He knew very well how Micheal could be. Micheal was not a force to be messed with, especially when he was angry. Lucifer though, toyed with this. He was the only one in the family (besides Dad) who could stand up to Micheal. Gabriel sometimes tried to step in but hes not exactly a fighter. He often finds himself feeling conflicted when the two eldest brothers are arguing. If there's one thing Castiel admires about Gabriel it is his undying affection and loyalty to his siblings. It may not seem obvious to others when they see how Gabriel often picks on and pranks his brothers and sister, but Castiel has seen his brother at the end of the day. He has seen times when Gabriel has held Samandriel while crying. Sometimes they'll both be crying but mostly its just Samandriel. Gabriel would be mumbling something to him, combing his hair as he spoke softly, his tone was like honey. He even saw Anna and him talking. They sat on her bed whispering and Gabriel got her to laugh which made him smile. Him and Lucifer often get along. Usually the two scheme pranks together in Gabriels bedroom, drawing out plans and Lucifer giving his younger brother tips for pranks at school. Once Micheal locked the door to his room, keeping him and Gabriel inside for what seemed like hours. Castiel couldn't hear what they were talking about but he heard murmurs of talk about mom and dad. Gabriel has always been there for Castiel. He mostly looks after his younger siblings but he is definitely the glue that holds the Shurelys together. Castiel will always love that about his brother. Perhaps that's why he feels like he can open up to him the most.
"C'mon!" Gabriel said in an excited whisper, pulling on a black beanie that he swiped out of his backpack, "Lets go! While the night is still young!"
The two brothers walked in silence as they entered the dark dense forest behind their vacation home. Gabriel held a flashlight out in front of him, the yellow light capturing the gray bark of trees. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked, and somewhere an owl hooted. Gabriel whispered something about crocodiles in the byoue.
Castiel smirked, tilting his head towards the star filled sky between the canopy's of trees. "Whats that, Gabriel? Getting a little scared?"
"No." Gabriel snorted. "I'm not scared whats there to be scared of I'm not scared..."
The younger brother rolled his eyes and chuckled, picking up his pace slightly to walk ahead of his senior, placing his cold hands into his sweatshirt pocket spread across his belly. The air was fresh and cold, it would have reminded Castiel of fall if it weren't for the smell of flowers and a slight scent of swampy water that made memories of his childhood summers come swimming back.
Gabriels flashlight illuminated his brothers body, hands trembling slightly. His brain whirred with the thought of crocodiles darting out from the brush and snapping at his ankles with their jagged yellow teeth. Twigs and moss crunched and squished under their sneakers. Gabriel flinched when a flock of bats screeched above them. He darted the flashlight up towards the sounds, amber eyes wide. Castiel started laughing and he frowned, shining the light back down to his little brothers joyus face.
"What?" He snapped.
"They're just bats." Castiel giggled.
"Yeah? So? Bats are scary! There's vampire bats aren't there? They have a sharp little tongue or something to break into your skin and suck your blood. We learned about it in science."
Castiel rolled his eyes even though Gabriel couldn't see, he was inspecting the branches of an old swamp tree.
"I highly doubt those were vampire bats," he stated, "vampire bats typically feed off of chickens and cows. Farm animals. Besides, those bats were too big to be vampire bats. Vampires are about the size of a mouse. Those bats up there wanted nothing to do with us. That noise they were making was sonar, they were trying to find bugs to eat. It's like how dolphins find fish."
Gabriel paused and stared at Castiel who was observing the navy sky above. Blue eyes twinkling with the glint of stars millions of miles away.
This is why Gabriel liked to hang out with his little brother. He always found everything so interesting. Something as dumb and simple as different breeds of bats and their dolphin waves or whatever. His curiosity was of childlike wonder and a thirst for learning. Castiel was interesting like that. He got excited over things normal people would find average. Castiel made things exciting, like he gave things stories. Yeah, Castiel was pretty weird. But that was cool.
"You're such a nerd." Gabriel scoffed before hurrying up to his brother, flashlight bobbing in his grip.
"Just because I know facts about bats doesn't make me a nerd." Castiel said simply.
"No...You being a nerd makes you a nerd."
Amber eyes met blue and the two brothers shared a smile and giggles. Castiel playfully punched the latter in the shoulder. "You...assbutt. That wasn't even that funny. I think you're losing your touch."
"Nah," Gabriel rolled his shoulder. "I just haven't had a good nights sleep in two days. Give me a crunch bar and I'll be bouncin' back. Besides you're one to talk...assbutt? Really? Where'd you come up with that one?"
"Shut up."
A rustle of brush and Gabriel was alert and rigid. The flashlight was clutched close to his chest as though it was going to protect him. The yellow light shining his face up like a beacon. Castiels heart pounded in his chest as he looked over his brothers shoulder where the sound had came from.
"Hey, Uh, C-Castiel..." Gabriel gulped. "You know anything about crocodiles in Louisiana...?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Gabriel. Crocodiles don't live in Louisiana they live in Africa."
"Oh...well that's good..."
"Alligators live in Louisiana."
"Oh...great..."
Wide eyes remained glued onto the darkness in front of them. Noises grew louder, the sound of stomping feet and twigs crackling in half echoed through the woods. Until finally, the source of this noise showed itself by soaring through a thicket and stumbling on its own feet, cackling with laughter.
Gabriel almost pissed himself, attaching himself to Castiels arm as another dark body scampered out of the woods. Howling with laughter just like the first. The dark figure nearly tripped over its partner, catching himself and placing a hand on a near by tree for leverage and to catch his breath. Castiel could just make out their outlines in the dark. The shorter of the two was wearing a funny looking hat. Like it was an old nineteen thirties paperboy hat.
"We gotta get goin', brother." He panted in a Cajun accent. "That fella is prolly right behind us."
"Hey!" The first figure picked up his head as he finally noticed the brothers standing a few feet in front of them. Armed with a flashlight. "Who the hell are you?"
Gabriel suddenly got a surge of confidence. Realizing that these two were not alligators, nor crocodiles he snapped back to the sassy Gabriel Castiel grew up with. "Who wants to know, kiddo?"
The two newcomers looked to each other in surprise. The one with the hat spoke, "We dunt normally meet any strangers walkin' around at night. Yah lost?"
"No." Gabriel said.
"Tourists?"
"So what if we are?"
The two looked to each other again, exchanging a laugh. "Tourists." They said.
The shorter of the two looked back to the Shurley boys, white teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Mind if I ask what the hell a pair of tourists are doin' wonderin' around these parts in the middle of the night?"
"Whats it to you?" Gabriel barked.
"Gabriel." Castiel said under his breath, "We don't know them. We don't need to act rash.."
"I'm not acting rash." Gabriel hissed.
"Listen to him," The other one-whos voice sounded equivalent to sandpaper-nodded towards Castiel, "If you know whats good for yah."
"You better watch it bucko! I'm not afraid to come up there and sock you in the nuts-" Gabriel began, shoving the flashlight into his brothers hands as he took a step forward, but he was cut off as the four boys all pusillanimously jumped at the sound of dull voices and moving branches. The flashlight finally showed what two strangers really looked like as Castiel held it in front of him. The dark figures turned into people. Castiels heart lept when he saw one of them turn around from looking over at the dark trees where the noises had came from.
He was gorgeous.
Fluffy sandy hair, round green eyes, and freckles dotted all over his face like pieces brown sugar. He was covered in dirt, as well was the other, but it was the latter who was making Castiel feel queasy. Their eyes met as a freckled hand moved up to his face to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Oh, god hes perfect...Castiel thought as a lump formed in his throat, he wanted to say something to him but his brain drew a blank.
But...wait...did he actually just think that this guy was...perfect?
He could picture his old principal swatting him with a ruler just now. What in the world made him think that? Castiel liked girls. Not random boys he just so happened to meet while walking through the woods in Louisiana. At least...that was how he was raised. If anyone ever found out Castiel had ever thought that this guy was gorgous without a doubt there would be a massive uproar in his family.
He tried to tell himself he didn't mean it. Straight guys can still think other guys are physically appealing without wanting to actually pursue them any other way other than platonic friendship right? Right.
But God dammit, Castiel thought he should be damned to Hell right then and there because he couldn't stop looking at that face.
A dirty old leather jackets collar was popped up around his neck. It almost looked a little bit big for him, like it was hand-me-down. Ripped, dirty, blue jeans hid the bare flesh of a terrible case of bow legs. But, Jesus-Mary-and Joseph, were they ever spectacular. A black Metallica t-shirt glinted in the flashlights view for a minute before focusing back onto the face.
The boy squinted into the light, glaring back at Gabriel and Castiel. His pink lips were moving, but Castiel wasn't making sense of what they were saying. His lips were so round, and pink. Castiel didn't think he had ever seen lips that pink before. Once he was done talking he moved his tongue over them, wetting them. Castiel felt a shiver spill down his spine.
Pink lips. Pink tongue. Green eyes. Brown freckles. Dirty tan skin.
These physical attributes where racing in Castiels mind; like he was trying to memorize them to the last detail so he wouldn't ever forget.
Next thing he knew the one with the funny hat was running past them.
"It's been fun, boys," He said, "But we gotta get goin'! C'mon, Dean!"
"See yah!" Dean flashed a grubby palm at Gabriel and Castiel as he smirked and ran past them. Castiel was left breathless.
"C'mon, Castiel!" Gabriel pulled on his arm. "We better get going before whoever was chasing them catches up."
Castiel turned to his brother blankly. His brain was foggy and his heart was drumming.
Dean. His name was Dean.
It was when Gabriel was practically dragging him through the marsh was when he came to his senses. His brother was mumbling about how it seemed he was always dragging his little brothers ass around. Gabriel didn't seem to notice that his pain in the ass little brother was blushing more than a whore in church.
Castiels stomach was twisting in knots, and bubbling with confusion. What on earth had gotten into him?
The next morning Chuck piled his children back into the station wagon to drive them off to their cousins house. They would be visiting their cousins Raphael, Naomi, and Balthazar. Castiel had missed Balthazar the most. He didn't like Naomi and Raphael much but he had to pretend he liked them because they were family. Naomi was alright sometimes, but when they were little she used to pretend Castiel was her little doll and he hadn't quite forgiven her for that. Raphael was just too serious for his taste.
Aunt Rachel had lived in England while studying for college and had Balthazar with a previous marriage. Which is why Balthazar has an English accent while his siblings do not. When Aunt Rachel got divorced she moved back to the states with little Balthazar, meeting Uncle Joshua, widowed and raising little Raphael by himself. Aunt Rachel says it was love at first sight. Naomi was the product of their first year of marriage.
The last time Castiel had seen his cousins was Christmas before his mother left.
They pulled into the driveway, Aunt Rachel and Naomi were outside waiting for them. Aunt Rachel was beaming, waving enthusiastically to her brother Chuck. Mr. Shurley grinned as he saw his sister and niece. As they filed out of the car Aunt Rachel greeted them with a bone crushing hug. When she reached Castiel she kissed his forehead before wrapping her arms behind his back. Castiel thought she smelled like candied strawberries.
"Oh, Castiel," She sighed as she parted and held his face in her hands. She parted her lips to make a comment, but then seemed to decide not to say it last minute. Instead she found something else to say, "...Balthazar will be delighted to see you. It's all he's talked about for weeks. He couldn't wait for his little cousin Cassie to come down from Illionis."
Castiel just smiled, his neck growing uncomfortably hot from hearing his childhood nickname. "Yeah..." He said softly, "I can't wait to see him too...Where is Balthazar?"
"Oh, he's off running around with a few of the neighbor boys right now. I told him to be back before eleven...He should be here soon. Come on inside your Uncle was just cooking lunch for all of us. We can all catch up and when Balthazar shows up you can go hang out with him, okay?"
Castiel nodded approvingly as his aunt pressed a loving hand to his back and guided him inside their air conditioned house. Anna and Naomi instantly disappeared into Naomi's bedroom, inaudible talking and girlish giggles where all anyone heard from them. Raphael was sitting at the island in the kitchen, his feet tucked behind the stool as his father chopped up vegetables from their backyard garden on the counter. Uncle Joshua hugged Chuck when he saw him. Rapheal jumped down to greet Micheal and Lucifer, his favorite cousins. Castiel noticed a slight glare from Raphael to Gabriel when the third eldest brother walked inside behind Castiel. Gabriel also noticed this and flashed a cheesy grin to their cousin before taking Castiel by the arm and dragging him into the living room, Samandriel tailing behind them.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"Living room." Gabriel answered.
"Why?"
"To get away from those douche bags."
"Dad said not to say that word!"
"So? Are you gonna tell him?"
"Well...No..."
"Then they're douche bags."
Samandriel seemed to accept this.
"Man, Balthazar needs to get here. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to stand tweedle dum practically swooning over Mr. American Pie and Juicy Luci. All he ever does when we visit is try to win over their affection. Jesus Christ you'd think they were Greek Gods the way he talks to them."
This got Castiel smirking. "Aunt Rachel said he was due back soon. Raphael isn't that bad, Gabriel."
"You're right," He said, flipping himself onto the couch. Kicking his feet on the coffee table, "He's terrible."
"You two used to play all the time when we were little." Castiel reminded him, "you, Mike, Luce, and Raphael. You were good buddies."
Gabriel rolled his eyes and pretended to shudder, "Don't remind me."
"I like him." Samandriel said, sitting on the chair arm.
"You like everyone." Gabriel pointed out.
"I don't like you."
"Well, Samandriel, buddy, that's a no good lie. Everyone loves me." Gabriel said coolly as he magically pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket, ripping off the wrapper and taking a bite.
"Where do you keep all of that?" Castiel piped up, arching an eyebrow.
His brother smirked, the chocolate candy was shoved into one cheek comically as he chewed. "Trickster secret. I'm sworn to secrecy." Castiel rolled his eyes. Balthazar, Lucifer and Gabriel all called themselves the tricksters. It was an old inside joke from when they were kids. Castiel felt less interested in getting in on the joke the more they mentioned it.
The screen door was thrown open, followed by two slams against the door as it blew shut. "Honey, I'm home!" Balthazars British voice sang. Dull voices mumbled behind the walls. He wasn't alone.
"Balthy!" Aunt Rachel scolded from the kitchen, "How many times do I have to tell you not to slam the door?!"
"Heyyah, Mum!" Balthazar completely ignored his mothers comment. "Uncle Chuck! Long time no see!"
At the sound of their cousins voice, Gabriel leaped from his spot on the couch. With his younger brothers tailing behind him, he hurried back to the kitchen where the rest of their family was reuniting.
"...Who are these two?" Castiel heard his dad ask Balthazar.
"These are our neighbors. They moved here about a...year ago? Right, Sam?"
"Yeah," A voice, who Castiel guessed was Sam, "We're originally from Kansas."
"Well its nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Shurley."
"I'm Micheal."
"Lucifer."
Gabriel skidded onto the checkered floor, feet sliding across the tile before managing to stop himself by gripping tightly to a counter top. Out of the corner of his eye, Castiel saw Gabriels mouth drop. Surely Balthazar couldn't have looked that different? Or maybe one of the neighbors was a pretty girl.
"Ah, here's my other son. Gabriel...Gabe...Gabriel look alive will you?" Chuck frowned at his sons staring. But when Castiel scampered into the kitchen he saw why his brother had been so shocked. The other neighbor was Dean. The boy from the night before in the woods.
He was no longer covered with dirt and grime, he was now squeaky clean. With the exception of a small cut on his cheek. Castiel stayed rooted to his spot as Samandriel rammed into his back, not expecting his brother to suddenly come to a stop. He mumbled something, but to Castiel his little brother was a million miles away. All there was was Dean and no one else. Piercing green eyes and cinnamon freckles clouded his brain as his heart hammered and stomach flipped itself summer salt after summer salt. He couldn't believe his luck, he didn't think he would ever see that boy again, but here he was. In his Uncles kitchen nonetheless. He felt like he should say something but his mouth had gone dry and his tongue didn't seem to be working. Neither was his brain.
"...I swear they were normal when we left this morning." Chuck was joking when Castiel came to. "These are my sons Gabriel and Castiel. And the one who isn't acting idiotic is Samandriel."
"Hi!" Samandriel bounded forward. "I'm eight!"
"Hey." Dean grinned warmly down at the youngest Shurley brother. "I'm Dean Winchester. This is my brother Sam.
If Dean recognized Gabriel or Castiel from the night before he surely didn't show it. His attention was all focused on Samandriel.
"You know we have a kid brother around your age," He said, "His names Adam. He's visiting his mom right now but next time he's home maybe you can meet him."
"You don't live with your mom?" Samandriel asked in his most innocent voice.
"Samandriel." Chuck said sternly.
"Oh no, it's fine, Mr. Shurley," the other boy, Sam, said with a kind smile. He had flippy brown hair and dimples dented his cheeks. He was also quite short. He looked as though he was about as tall as Gabriel. Which was pretty short, "See, Adams our half brother. We have the same dad, but he has a different mom. But since his mom and our dad aren't married, he sometimes gets to visit us, and sometimes visits his mom."
"Oh," Said Samandriel, "Where's your mom?"
Something flashed in Deans eyes.
"She...She passed away when I was a baby." Sam answered awkwardly, glancing shiftily at his brother.
"We don't have a mom either."
"Samandriel." Micheal barked.
"She didn't die though-"
"Samandriel that's enough."
"Castiel said she went far far away from us-"
"Samandriel-"
"He said she probably won't come back. Thats why Daddy is so sad-"
"Alfie shut up!" Gabriel suddenly roared to life. "Don't you know when to shut up!"
Samandriels blue eyes widened as he turned towards his golden haired brother, his mouth still hanging open from being cut off mid-sentence. An awkward and embarrassing silence hung in the air.
Gabriel had used a childhood nickname that they had not used in quite some time. It was no wonder why Samandriel responded to it instead of Micheals repeated hissing.
Balthazar stood awkwardly next to his friends, his lips pressed out comically like a duck and his pale blue colored eyes flicking back and forth from Samandriel to Gabriel. Castiel would have laughed if it weren't for the serious tone in the room.
Chuck cleared his throat and said slowly and evenly, "Gabriel." At the sound of his name the brother turned. "Let's go have a talk. You too Samandriel." Mr. Shurley then turned on his heel and walked slowly out of the kitchen. His sons followed suit.
Aunt Rachel and Uncle Joshua entered from the sliding screen door from the porch, plates of pork chops in their hands.
"What did we miss?" Aunt Rachel asked, beaming with ignorance.
Before Raphael could open his mouth and spill the gossip, Balthazar shot up his hand like he was in school. "Mum!" He said enthusiastically to get her attention. "Can Cassie, Dean, Sam, and I go and take a walk around?"
"Balthazar you just got home."
"I know, but...I haven't seen him in ages! And the last time he visited this house he was only little. I bet he doesn't even remember what the place looked like. Can't we show him around? Pretty please, Mum? We have loads to catch up on."
Aunt Rachel sighed, smirking. "All right fine. I want you to at least take an apple with you to eat though. I don't want to find out you've gone and passed out on the side of the street."
"Thanks, Mum!" Balthazar swiped a few apples from the fruit bowl on the island and shoved them into Sams hands before spinning on his heel and darting out the front door. The two brothers and Castiel weren't far behind.
"You okay, Cassie?" Balthazar asked as the four boys walked down the sidewalk towards town. Balthazar was ahead of them, walking backwards and chewing on his Macintosh apple.
Castiel simply nodded, watching his feet carry his body down the sidewalk.
"Come on, Castiel," He sighed, "I haven't heard you say two words. Say something. Anything!"
Castiels brain seemed to seize this opportunity. Balthazar wanted him to say something, he'll say something. He turned to Dean who was walking next to him and said, "Gabriel and I saw you in the woods last night."
The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting the latter to speak to him so suddenly. But his face furrowed the longer he stared at Castiel, as though trying to place his face. Then his lips parted to a friendly smirk when he finally recognized the teenager.
"Ohh, right! That was you," He gave a slight nod, "I hardly recognized you without the flashlight beaming into my face."
Castiel giggled, heart hammering. "Yeah...Sorry, about that..."
"You were in the woods last night?" Squeaked Sam, "I thought you were with Benny!"
"I was with Benny." Said his brother, "I was with him in the woods. What where you two doing in the woods anyway?" He turned back to Castiel, "It ain't safe if you don't know you're way around."
"We haven't been to Louisiana in years. Gabriel wanted to have a look around...of course he had to drag me along...I apologize for the way my brother behaved. We didn't want to cause trouble."
"Forget it man," Dean chuckled. "Me and Benny didn't mean any harm. We were just messing with yah. Besides, if we'd known that you were Zar's cousins we'da acted nicer."
"You don't have to worry about Cassie," Balthazar slung an arm around Castiels shoulder, taking him away from Deans good natured smile, "He's a good kid. Right?"
"Why do you keep calling him that?" Dean asked Balthazar with a small smirk.
"What? Cassie?" Balthazar seemed taken a back, "I've always called him that. Since he was just a little tike."
"Well maybe he doesn't like being called Cassie. Do you like being called a girls name, kid?"
Castiel blushed a bit before shrugging. He didn't really mind it, he guessed. It was better than being called any of Lucifers or Gabriels 'pet names' they so affectionately called him.
"What do you want to be called?" Dean continued.
"Well," Castiel thought for a moment, "I would like to be called my name. But any sort of nickname would suffice I suppose. Samandriel used to call me Cas when he was learning how to talk."
"Cas." Dean repeated, as though testing the name, "Cas. Hmmm...yeah, I can dig it. You look like a Cas. Cas it is then."
Castiel smiled warmly. "Yes," he said, "Cas."
"What do you mean Cassie is a girls name?" Balthazar scoffed, as though he were offended, "I think it's quite gender neutral. Besides you say it like its a bad thing."
"Oh, stop it." Dean rolled his eyes, "I was just teasing'. I didn't mean any harm by it, Zar. You can call him whatever you want as long as it don't hurt his feelings." He nudged Castiel with his elbow, "Right?"
Castiel nodded to Balthazar, "I don't mind, Balthazar. You've called me that for so long I didn't even think of it as a girls name I guess."
Balthazar rolled his shoulders. He seemed to accept this. He changed the subject.
"Welll...Let's go show'ya the lake, Cassie. C'mon!" Balthazar skipped ahead of the three boys. The four had been walking around all afternoon. Castiels feet felt like lead and the only place he wanted to walk to was back to Aunt Rachel's house. But Balthazar is spirited. His way of living was by never staying home. Even when he would come to Pontiac he would drag Castiel and Gabriel and sometimes Lucifer all around their neighborhood, looking for something new and exciting. Anything to keep him from home.
It wasn't that Balthazar didn't love his mother or step father or siblings, he cared deeply for them. It was just that Balthazar had endless amounts of energy and ever since he was a small toddler his mother would tell him that if he wanted to do something do it outside. And that's what he did.
Because Castiel knew protesting would be futile, he didn't say anything to his cousin and continued walking along the sidewalk after him. They cut into a dirt path turning into a wooded area. It wasn't long until they reached a clear pond. The suns light casted crystals into the water. When they showed up a frog had been startled and plopped into the water with a croak, sending ripples through the peaceful lake.
"We go swimming in here all the time." Explained Balthazar, gesturing to a boulder that overlooked the water. "Sammys still too scared to jump off the rock."
"Shut up, I am not!" Sam pouted. He looked at least twelve or thirteen. He was younger than the other three boys all the same. "I'm older now, I can do it this year!"
"Thats what you kept saying all last summer." Balthazar rolled his eyes.
"Well, I mean it this time!" Whined Sam.
Dean just chuckled and looked down at his wristwatch. He muttered a curse before lifting his head back up. "We better be getting back soon, 'Zar. Your mom said she was makin' pie. I can't miss out on pie time."
Castiel giggled.
He liked Dean he decided. If he could have a friend he thinks he would chose Dean. Dean was so kind towards him, and it was nice to have someone outside of his family treat him this way. And he wasn't even being friendly because he had to, he was being friendly just because! It made Castiel feel special inside.
He never really had many friends. Making friends was sort of a weakness of his that he never got around to surpassing. But that was all right. He never really felt the need for friends. He just needed his family, and so far it had suited him just fine. He liked being at home. He liked getting As, and he liked spending time with family. What else was really needed when he was perfectly content with this?
But now...he seemed to be realizing that he was missing out on a great factor of life.
Friends.
He had only really had one true friend in his lifetime, but started back on the bottom when he entered high school. He never really thought much of socializing with other people outside his bloodline. He had too much on his plate for that it seemed. Church. School. Family. Piano. There wasn't really time for him to have friends it seemed.
But now it was different. He had met Sam and Dean. He would very much like to be their friends he told himself as Balthazar started back up the dirt path, beckoning for the others to follow, and talking about some fair that was taking place here in a week.
Dean is so cool, he thought, Balthazars so lucky to be friends with him.
But Balthazar and Sam turned to him as though he had spoken. Sam's eyes were wide with surprise as he slowly faced Castiel from up the dirt path. His eyes were flicking from his brother, and back to Castiel. Balthazar looked like he was using every fiber of his being to hold back his laughter. His palm was pressed flat against his mouth to keep the giggles from escaping. His eyes were practically watering.
Castiel didn't understand what was so funny until Dean also turned to look at him. Smirking slightly and his ears were turning pink. "Thanks..."
Castiel turned stiff. His mouth fell open wordlessly like a fish gasping on the dock with its gills burning for water as he came to the realization that that thought had not been as private as he intended it to be. Ohmygawd I actually said that aloud didn't I? Oh Jesus Christ our Lord in Heaven-
"You're pretty cool too, Cas."