*What's the Word?!*

~WhiteGloves~

~madmen behind an impala~

With an ANGEL for a background ;)

- one shot-

Hope you enjoy!

There was a commotion in the bunker when Castiel came around at noon with hands deep inside his trench coat pockets. Understanding that Sam and Dean were talking in loud voices, like they normally do, but sensing it wasn't necessarily a fight to be alarmed about, the angel descended on the stairs quietly but with his sensitive ears following the rowdy voices of his friends. It was common for the brothers to be all unruly when they were by themselves.

Then again—they always were unruly.

And violent.

And hot tempered.

And well, complicated.

Amused as he was, the angel followed the voices of his friends and heard enough to know exactly what they were talking about before he could reach them—something about the internet, then something yummy, filled with whip creams and butter, plus honey on the side. Dean never fails to mention it when he can which still makes Castiel think how food could be an ideal substance even at the exterior of a female body.

The idea always made him imagine humans in cake suit.

The angel rounded by the kitchen door and finding the brothers arguing still he said in a flat tone—

"Are you two not going to stop arguing about porn in the middle of the day?"

He stopped by the threshold looking mildly blank as he casted his eyes at the company where silence suddenly fell. Sam and Dean were there, looking at him with what seemed to be pure horror on their faces. Beside them of course, was their mother who was staring at him in surprise.

"Excuse me, what?" she asked.

"Porn—" Castiel repeated—

"PAN-cakes." Dean clenched his teeth with a glare at the angel who stared back at him without taking his eyes off, sensing that Dean wanted to convey a meaning—in a grudging way that confused the angel. "We meant pancakes, right, Cass?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Dean who stared right back with intensity the angel couldn't quite comprehend at first. But then closing his lips, he nodded slightly and glanced at Mary blankly.

"Yes… the p-pancakes? They always fight about it."

"We do." Sam forced a smile at his mom while Dean and Castiel shared looks that completely said shut up now and alright fine. Mary turned to the angel.

"Sit down, Castiel, have some."

"No." the celestial being quickly said. "I heard it's sickeningly sweet. I have to be healthy and be always on my feet." He nodded at the family who were all staring at him with mouths slightly open.

"Heard? Haven't you tried one?" Mary looked up in wonder that made the angel shrug.

"I have history with food in general. But nowadays I just think them repulsive."

"Oh." She blinked.

"It's not that Cass has eating disorders, mom." Sam quipped when his mother looked up at the angel with concern, "It's an angelic thing… they don't eat, they don't sleep, they don't even breathe… Cass tries though."

"It's become a habit." The angel agreed.

"So what do you do with your time?" Mary went on curiously with now eyes transfixed at the angel as if it was the first time she was seeing him.

"Mostly I come around watching Sam and Dean sleep, eat, drink, drive... thrash around. And sometimes I watch TV when nothing's happening… or accidental porn on Dean's compu—"

"Sam's!" Dean injected with round eyes at the angel with his brother and mother looking at him in surprise. "It's Sam's computer, Cass!"

"No it's not." Castiel was positive. "Your usefulname on that Fortune Nookie—"

"Whoa, hey now let's not go on details, Cass!" Dean hastily stood up from his chair and rounded at the angel and tapped him by the shoulder with a heavy hand that nearly sent Castiel's trench coat askew and his left shoulder dislocated. "Just when we try hard to steer away from atomic bomb, buddy—there you go throwing it!"

Castiel gave Dean a hard look. "I did?"

Dean made a face before wiping a sweaty palm on his face.

"All right, buddy, what's up?" he then agitatedly asked. "Anything we can help with?"

"Yes." Castiel remembered and took a card from his pocket. "I came to consult… ask for 'friendly' advice… you told me to tell you anything I plan since well…" the two eyed one another meaningfully and Dean nodded.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"This person…" the angel handed the card over, "The man calling himself 'Mick'? The one with a slurry accent."

"The British Men of Letters?" Sam stared up attentively at Castiel while Dean frowned at the card and then at the angel. "What the hell's up with them now?"

"Cass?" Dean's contorted eyebrows made the angel hesitate.

"He's been contacting me for the past days. He says it's urgent that I meet him."

"What?" both the brothers said in chorus and they eyed each other for that.

"What's he want?" Dean turned to Castiel with the familiar angry features appearing on his face.

"I don't know." The angel took his phone out exactly as an unknown caller's name rang the phone and declined answering before returning it to his coat pocket. "He seems very serious on the phone and kept insisting I listen to him. I get the feeling he's really in trouble."

"No. Not happening." Dean glared at Castiel as he paced the floor in fury, "What kind of nut case do they think we are? After what they did to Sam?"

"I know." The angel nodded with a look at the younger Winchester, "But we should look at it in a different way."

"What different way? They mess with us they're already on the wrong foot. What else is there?"

"I mean, don't you think since we do not know much about them this could be our chance?"

Dean stopped pacing and stood a foot away from the angel and his expression was anything but amused. Sam licked his lips, knowing well a volcanic eruption when he sees one while Mary stared at her eldest son and his friend.

"I'm sorry, what?" Dean raised eyebrows.

"To take the advantage and learn more about them." Castiel's jaw tightened like it always does when he was ready to counter any of his friend's deadly tirades because that's how Dean always talks—deadly. "Dean—they apparently know things we don't; they easily overpowered you, Sam—and I'm an angel."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You can't understand me?"

"No—what I can't understand is what in my answer 'no' didn't you get?"

Castiel sighed and turned to Sam helplessly who pressed his lips close with a frown at his brother. Mary took a bite on her spoon, eyes on the boys. At that exact time, Castiel felt his phone vibrate and took it from his coat. Looking at it, he found the British man's number ringing him. The look he gave Dean was enough for the man to understand who was calling—and pointedly snatched the phone away.

"Dean—"

"Shut up, Cass. You ain't going." The man slammed the phone on his ear. "Speak of the devil, this is Dean Winchester and if I hear you bothering my angel again I'll make sure to bring hell over there. Got that pal?"

And hung up before any response could be made.

Dean threw the phone over to the angel who easily caught it with an exasperated expression on his face. Then the eldest Winchester walked towards him with pointed finger up.

"You're not going."

And walked out of the kitchen, fuming.

Castiel gripped the phone on his hand and rounded out of the kitchen too.

"Dean, wait." And was out of their sight, leaving Sam with his pancake and mom.

Then came Mary's chuckle that made her youngest turn in her direction.

"Are they always like that?" she asked with twinkles in her eyes. "Your brother and his… angel?"

"Yeah, always, everyday." Sam nodded casually as he grabbed for the syrup container and poured it on his pancake. "Because nobody listens to Dean and when he knows it he goes all over the house till you listen. Kind of mature, really." He smiled at his mother but then found her beaming on her own. "Mom?"

"No… no I just thought… it's kind of sweet how your brother's very protective of him."

"Yeah." Sam agreed fully, "That's Dean. No—that actually goes around. Cass has been very much like a brother to us and you know being an angel… he just thinks he can always protect us like a guardian angel—"

"He isn't?"

"He is—he is," Sam raised a hand at his mother who looked confused, "He is a guardian angel. After what he did for me and Dean? Disobeying rules, giving up heaven just for us? I mean, we can't thank him enough—that's why Dean's always looking out for him because Cass does the same."

"Like a brother?" she smiled knowingly. "He's always been there?"

"Always." Sam munched on his pancake. "Which is why Dean's got this 'separation anxiety' at the moment."

"Separation…?"

"He can't stand it when Cass is not around when there's a situation. Situations like this where Cass doesn't listen. The last time it happened we got Lucifer inside him."

Mary sat straight with half open mouth, just as footsteps returned and Dean and Castiel returned with magical handcuffs between them. Sam stared at it then up to his brother who turned to the refrigerator, opened it with his free hand and took a bottle of beer. Castiel was looking down the handcuff quietly but there was a questioning look in his face as if slowly trying to catch up with the situation.

"Dean…?" he began but was ignored.

Sam caught his brother's eyes who rolled it and turn to the angel.

"We're not going anywhere."

Silence, then Castiel raised his eyes to his friend while Mary watched with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"I understand." The angel responded quietly. "But you didn't need to cuff me."

"Precautions."

"You don't trust me?"

"Oh, I do, Cass. But I don't trust those British men who came here, snatched my brother, tortured him and now aiming for my angel buddy and pray to him like that would make him respond to them like an angel!"

"I am an angel." Castiel frowned deeply.

"Wrong reference, dude." Sam quipped that got him a raised pointed finger from his brother.

"Shut up, Sam. All right, Cass, let's be objective. Do you think he's calling you in because he wants to make friends or something just when moments ago they were ready to raise red flags to start a war against us?"

"It could happen—"

"NO!" Dean bellowed that got the angel to blink with narrowed eyes. "That's wrong because that doesn't happen to us! Nobody with position like them would bother to come down to us to shake our legs! There's always a catch with those people and you—being an angel as you are—should learn better than to trust humans!"

"I trust you." Castiel offered.

That got Dean to shut up and got Mary to put a hand on her mouth. Sam looked at her mother oddly before glancing back at his brother and the angel who were still facing each other.

Dean seemed affected for awhile as he stared his friend down, their close proximity almost too alarming for a fight. Cass didn't take his eyes off the man with his angelic face grave and truly, trusting.

"Then trust me," Dean began with earnest eyes, "when I say to you that we need this… for now."

He pointed at the cuff that got Castiel pressing his lips close and look down the bracelet. Then—

"All right." The angel muttered in quiet adherence. "Just a second… he's calling again."

Castiel referred to his phone he just took from his pocket that had been ringing on his palm for awhile now. Dean didn't waste time and took the phone with a grim look at the angel and then answered—

"Alright, man, you're asking for it."

Castiel quietly sighed and then chanced a look at Mary who was staring at him with interest. The angel stared back until he felt Dean tugged on his bracelet and the two disappeared out of the kitchen with the eldest Winchester giving threats and curses on the person on the other line.

"Typical day." Sam glanced at his mother apologetically but what he found on her face almost made him pause—for there on her expression was what seemed to be an identical look to one of those girls in a Supernatural play case they had— hopeful and excited—only much less obvious.

"Mom?"

"Sam, can you tell me more about those two?"

Down and seated side by side the Bunker's library, Dean was unleashing some fearsome words that not even Castiel found easy to swallow which involved mothers and truckers? He couldn't quite understand but he was there, nonetheless, listening to Dean's every word with constant closure of eyes and sighs.

The next thing he knew, Dean had hung up again and turned to him abruptly.

"I'm going to confiscate this for awhile."

"Dean—" even Cass knew when to put his foot down. "You have your own phone." He pointed out.

The man smirked and shook his head with some of that angry glaze still on his ever intense eyes. "Those suckbags won't get a hair of you, you hear?"

"You do realize you're making it difficult to make peace with them."

"Was that the plan?"

"Dean— you don't know what humans can do—world war is—"

"Is the least thing we worry about when we saved their asses from Apocalypse and sun un-shining." Dean put the phone inside his pocket with Castiel looking upset.

"We're the reason behind those, you forget."

"No, I didn't. But it doesn't mean you should feel responsible and listen to their wants. No, Cass, you stay here with me. No dealings with anyone, no zapping anywhere, just here."

"I didn't say anything about making deals."

"Yeah, right."

Silence fell between the friends, and then Castiel stared at the man and kept staring till Dean raised his glowering eyes up and met the angel's blue eyes.

"You understand you're staring and it's rude?"

"Well… you… chained me… that's rude too."

"Don't make me look like the bad guy here, Cass, I'm just trying to protect you. You know how sometimes I like to strap you in a chair and tie you up and Sam just so you could stop your crazy notions of self sacrifices and all that."

"That's probably not a good idea."

"It's not but you give me no choice." Dean's contorted eyebrows made the angel look down quietly. "Now you listen to me. This is called intervention because I care."

Castiel paused but whatever he was about to say was interrupted when Mary's footsteps was heard and down she came at the library with the two watching her come near.

"Everything alright, boys?" she stood on her son's left shoulder with the angel looking up at her.

"I was just about to tell Dean… it's alright to tie me up."

Dean's eyes rounded at the angel while his mother slowly took the news in and nodded.

"Okay, looks like you too have already made up."

Dean smirked but gave Castiel a roll of eyes, just as the angel looked Mary in the eyes curiously as if reading her. Then with a blink, the angel looked at his friend but didn't say anything. When she left moments later, Dean leaned to the angel.

"What do you mean 'tie up'?"

"I meant it's alright for you to keep me here… otherwise I might do something stupid too… because I was thinking of protecting you and Sam."

"Oh, so you think what I'm doing is stupid?"

"For the right reasons." Castiel consoled him with a warm look that only got Dean to sigh heavily. Silence fell between them again and the angel was glad it was so. His ears were already hurting him because Dean wouldn't… well, shut up. But then something occurred in his mind again… something that curiously popped out of Mrs. Winchester's head.

"What did she mean… what's that word…?" the angel suddenly said with a glance at his companion who attentively looked back. "Your mom was thinking it… I couldn't follow."

"What?"

"That word… Destiel?"

Dean Winchester's face paled.

And then his voice cracked holes in silence as he hollered in the whole bunker—

"SAAAAM!"

*THE END*

A/N: This profound bond of friendship... I'll protect it ;)

More Love lots for the show!

~Thanks for Reading~