Title: Into The Physical Realm

Disclaimers/note: I don't own anything to do with Supernatural, so much so I don't even watch much more than Castiel's scenes. That's it. So pardon my ignorance and the mistakes I may make due to my unfamiliarity with this universe.

Set: Castiel stays with the brothers as their third wheel just like he said in Hunteri Heroici.

Summary: A concerned Dean in trying to figure out what's wrong with Castiel.

Pairing: Destiel.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort for the sake of it.

"Hey Sammy," Dean hollered over to his brother in good spirits as they walked back to the Impala parked outside the abandoned house the werewolves had been occupying, even though Sam was walking barely a couple of feet to his right. "You know that Bar&Grill we passed midtown that smelled like steaks? Can you remember where it was?"

"I think it was on Central Avenue, Dean. But if not I can search for it on the map. It seemed decent enough to be listed on a satnav."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "perhaps too decent though to pick up chicks on a whim there?" He wondered, more to himself.

"Is that what you wanted there?" Sam raised his eyebrows minorly judgemental.

"No, but it would be a nice bonus with the steak," Dean grinned, "where's Cas?" The successful hunter realised the angel was missing from his left where the trenchcoated had been just a few seconds ago. He looked around mostly expecting Castiel to have flown off, despite Dean telling him earlier he didn't like the zapping. But the angel was standing a little back, leaning at the wall with one hand and holding his stomach with the other. "Cas damn it, were you hurt in the muddle?" He rushed back, his brother following. "You need to tell us these things!"

"I don't believe my vessel was damaged", Castiel looked up with a confused expression.

"Are you short of juice?" Dean asked worriedly, "you've blasted quite a few of those werevolves in there. Man, do you think you'll ever be up to full charge or did purgatory mess that up for good?"

"I'm feeling a little weak," Castiel admitted, "I don't understand that. Or why my stomach makes me so acutely aware of that organ."

Dean frowned at him, "is that angelcode for hurting?"

"There's just a little pain," Castiel rubbed his hand over his solar plexus, "so it doesn't make sense why it would feel like it was.. juddering?" The angel fished for the correct word. He had only felt the same way once before, when he woke up in the hospital after he became human for a short while.

Dean supported his friend by a shoulder, "let's see under those coats. Maybe you didn't notice getting hurt, it wouldn't be the first time. You haven't had an injury since you came back from purgatory, have you? So we don't know how you'd heal. Maybe you cracked a rib or something with those two werewolves on top of you," the hunter tugged on the smaller guy's suit jacket.

"No." Castiel pushed him away forcefully, a little short of the total control of how to handle humans, making Dean fall back on his butt. He managed however to achieve the purpose of the shove, that being having Dean out the way while Castiel threw up the small amount of stomach juices that was in his otherwise empty stomach.

"Looks like we can forget about restaurants," Dean commented looking at Sam while getting to his feet and carefully approaching Castiel again from the side and putting a hand on his back, "are you done?"

The angel nodded, straightening up, more confused that anything else. "I don't understand how that happened. I'm sorry Dean."

"You want to go back to the motel and lie down a bit?" Sam came to corner Castiel from the other side in case he needed any more support.

"I'll do that," Castiel nodded, "but there's no need to change your dining plans," the angel disappeared from in between the brothers. The prospect of Dean eyeing up the ladies in that establishment was making him feel nauseous, but it couldn't have been all how he was feeling due to that, could it?

"Damn it Cas!" Dean shouted angrily, almost losing his footing for a moment as the body he was supporting wasn't there anymore, "I told you no more zapping!"

"You need to talk to him Dean," Sam stated. "Cas had been smiting a lot of werewolves in there, but perhaps he has even less juice than he thinks or lets on. He was so quickly drained when we went for Kevin and the warding off sigils affected him easily as well."

"You think I don't know that!" Dean snapped, "he has been saying things, worrying things as well. But any time I try to make him talk, not a small feat I stress, you waltz in at the wrong time and we get on with hunting business instead."

"You want some alone time with Cas?" Sam grinned at his brother. "Seriously though, Dean," Sam rubbed the spot on his arm the older Winchester punched him reacting to the tease, "if you think you can find out more about what's wrong with Cas, I could stay longer at that bar while you, you know.."

"No," Dean ended the conversation forcefully before it could go any further, "or at least not tonight. It can wait."

Tbc