"Dean! Why is there garbage all over my bed?"

The Winchester boys had been staying in the motel room for two days while working on a case, and Sam had gotten back from the morgue only to find his bed covered in candy wrappers. Sam reached across the bed and started to pick up the trash. Dean stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What? Ugh. Looks like someone needs to cut down…"

"Shut up. I know that you're the one that dumped all of this on my bed. You were the only one here!"

"Well it wasn't me!"

The sound of wings flapping was drowned out by Sam and Dean's shouting, so the deep "Ahem" from right behind Dean's left shoulder nearly gave him a heart attack. After regaining his grip on the towel that was barely big enough to wrap around him, Dean spun around to yell at Castiel.

"Cas, for the last time! Get. Out. Of. My. Ass!"

It was only after he realized just how close he was to Castiel that Dean started to blush. He backed up and adjusted the towel to ensure maximum coverage.

"Dean. We need to talk about the case."

"Um, Castiel? I'm here too, just so you know…"

"Oh. My apologies, Sam."

Sam just turned and tried to cover the chuckle by clearing his throat. "It's fine, Cas. I know that you and Dean share a 'more profound bond' or whatever."

Dean used this distraction to throw on some clothes in the bathroom. Before going back into the room, he splashed some water on his face to clear his mind. It's just Cas. Why are you even reacting like this? Seriously, Dean, it's just Cas. Dean headed back into the other room to rejoin Castiel and Sam, and kept repeating his new mantra: It's just Cas. It's just Cas. It's just…

But then Dean saw him again and his legs turned to jello. Why is this happening? Cas is your best friend. That's all he is. So stop it!

"Hey guys. So Cas, what did you want to talk about?" Dean hoped that it sounded pretty nonchalant, but he couldn't be sure.

"The case. I went to the crime scene to look for hints about what we're dealing with."

"Did you find anything?"

"If you count a dog leash and wrappers as something, then yes. But that and the cause of death are all we have."

"I went to the morgue to look at the body," said Sam, "and it was pretty weird. It was like Garfield went rogue."

"Excuse me, what?"

"The guy was covered in cat scratches. Like, covered. And his throat was stuffed with –"

"–lasagna?" Dean interrupted.

"Yep. And he was walking his dog. Who was named Odie."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"I don't understand that reference…"

Dean and Sam started laughing at one of Castiel's famous one-liners.

"So Garfield went a little nuts on the catnip. Is Marmaduke next to go crazy?"

Sam guffawed at that. "Maybe. But get this: the victim was an animal hoarder. He had twenty-six cats and fourteen dogs living in his house. They were never allowed to leave their cages that were lined with newspaper, which he only changed once every three weeks."

"That's just gross."

During the time they had been talking about the victim, Dean had sat down at the table across from Castiel. He tried not to look up at the angel, but occasionally snuck a peek. It's just Cas. It's just Cas. It's just Cas. Dean's heart started beating faster and faster. What is happening to me? It's. Just. Cas. Castiel looked over at Dean, and they made eye contact. Dean's green eyes locked onto Castiel's bright blue ones, and neither could look away.

Sam cleared his throat from the background a few times, but nothing could break the stare. Sam finally stood up and said something about taking a shower. Dean and Castiel looked away from each other at last, and Cas muttered a quick "Goodbye" before leaving.

Dean just sat there. Oh my God. What was that? Dean, you idiot! Now Cas probably thinks you have a crush on him or something… It's just Cas. It's just Cas. It's just Cas! He spun around and knocked over the vase that had been sitting on the table.

"Damn!"

Dean was cleaning up the broken glass when he came across another candy wrapper lying on the floor. Wait a minute… Dean suddenly knew exactly who ganked Mr. Doggy Day Care.

"Hello, Gabriel."