Notes:

I am very new to this fandom, therefore if there are any mistakes or misinterpretations I did please inform me. Also English is not my native tongue, therefore it might sound a bit odd occasionally, hope you can oversee that (or tell me what I did wrong).

Just in case someone didn't get it: This is fanfiction, which basically means I don't own the characters, I just borrow them to play.

No copyright infringement intended, no money made and so on.

This takes place early in the friendship between the brothers and Castiel while the angel is still trying to get accustomed to all the human issues and procedures.


Chapter 1

The First time Cas helped a Winchester to sleep

"I don't want to sleep, Dean, stop mother-henning me."

"Wouldn't need to if you weren't behaving like a kid for a change."

"Screw you," Sam growled.

Dean knew Sam hadn't slept for at least two nights. They had just come back from a straining hunt and his little brother looked like about to keel over. Dean had considered putting a sleeping pill in his soft drink, but up to now had refrained to act on that idea.

Cas had been with them before, but had disappeared from the scene right after the last demon had been slain - without a word.

They both had dragged their tired asses back to the motel and Sam's nervous energy, which was probably still the leftover from the adrenaline kick, made him run up and down the room, a textbook in his hands.

"Look man, this was not a single occurrence; we need to investigate this closer."

"We've been over this. There won't be anything happening in the next twenty days, you said…"

"I know, I know… but…"

"Sam, you're running on fumes here, get a break… Why don't you have the first shower?"

"Fine, whatever."

Sam let the heavy book fall to the bed, open and the pages fluttering.

He headed into the bathroom, which was spacious for a motel, and messily started to remove his sweat jacket.

Dean looked after him, he was quite worried, if Sam wouldn't get some sleep soon he'd start hallucinating.

"Cas? Can you zap somebody to sleep?" he asked the empty room, too tired to be creative himself. He didn't expect an answer, it was more of a rhetorical question.

The more he flinched when a soft voice was suddenly close behind him.

"I can. But as far as I know human beings just lay down and it… kind of happens."

Dean hissed in surprise.

"Hoh, Cas, don't do this, it's freaking me out," he answered in a similar soft tone, grateful though about the unexpected answer.

"You want me to ignore you when you address me?" the angel frowned.

"No… No… I just, can't you make some kind of noise upon arrival? Sorry, forget I said that… Sam is in a bad way, he needs sleep but he refuses to try to get it."

Castiel's head tilted a bit, he was listening closely.

"Also, humans need to want to sleep to actually do it… you know, like starting the process by an act of will. Sam needs to sleep but he has trouble doing it. How about you help out a bit?"

"Isn't that… Wouldn't that… I mean this is a bodily function. You told me it is not appropriate to interfere with those," Castiel stammered, obviously remembering an earlier conversation.

"Right," Dean sighed. "But this in an exception. He's… agitated, he can't relax, he needs help... kind of."

"Then why isn't he asking for it?"

"Because he's a stubborn sonofabitch… and because sleep is a bit of a private matter, he might not dare to do so."

"Why not?"

"Cas, just give him the chance to have a proper rest. This is a variation of healing him, you know, helping his body heal itself. Rest speeds up healing."

Castiel raised an eyebrow and Dean could see the wheels turning. Obviously the angel was wondering why usually no one was actually doing what the older Winchester had just proclaimed was a dire need.

Before Dean could stop him Cas had opened the bathroom door.

"Dude, can't you wait till I'm finished?" Sam's muffled voice came from the adjoining room and Dean sucked in air, fearing this wouldn't end well.

"Shit, Cas! What the hell are you doing?"

That moment Dean realized that the outer circumstances that should accompany sleep were not common knowledge for an angel and he jumped up to interfere.

But he was too late, the muted soft 'thud' that came from the bathroom made him fear Cas had switched off his brother right there.

"Shit!"

Sam was collapsed on the ground, although his upper body was upright.

He was still clad in his bloody t-shirt and boxers, socks still on. Cas had obviously slowed down his decent and was now awkwardly holding onto one of his arms he had over his shoulder to support him, but he had not managed to keep Sam standing.

"Was this not what you wanted?" the trench coat clad man asked.

"You… It would have been the wise option to wait until he was clean and out of the bathroom, you know, privacy and all."

"Oh," Castiel just made, pressing his lips into a slim line as if he was a bit unnerved by his inability to store all the knowledge about human etiquette.

Dean stepped in and wound his arm around his little brother's hip, lifted his other arm over his own shoulder.

"Okay, let's lift him, on three."

They carried Sam over to the bed and lowered him down to sit on the edge.

Cas seemed to have done a proper job, Sam was so much out of it that even when Dean removed his shirt and - after they had put him in a horizontal position – gave him a cursory wash with a washcloth, he didn't even react in the slightest.

The angel stood next to them and observed the care giving closely though he did nothing to interfere.

It was obvious he was trying to store more information about the proper procedure of brotherly care in contrast to normal care. He was clearly struggling with the concepts and Dean was also well aware that the fact that how his affection manifested depended mainly on his own mood, the physical or mental agony either he or Sam were in and the vulnerability of the situation at all… and the factor of Sam being conscious or not.

He had to give Castiel credit for being so patient with them, though. From his point of view this must be all way out of his league and he tried to learn it never the less.

"Thanks, Cas."

The angel just nodded before he vanished into thin air.


Since I am new to this I'd really like to know what you think.