Everything's Changed, Nothing's Changed

by iluvzuzu

Sam hugs Castiel. Written after "Like a Virgin," aka The Hug That Never Was. Basically, the most gratuitous, non-edited, self-indulging piece of fic ever. Slight Destiel, kind of Sassy, mostly just Dean/Pie.

"It's okay, you know," Castiel said quietly after Dean left the room.

"What?" Sam said, looking up from the dragons' book.

"You don't have to protect him."

"Protect—Dean? From what?" Sam was half-standing, now, as if whatever he was protecting Dean from was actually in the other room with him at that very moment.

Castiel's brow furrowed. "You misunderstand. I meant from… your feelings."

"My feelings?" Sam repeated, sitting down again.

The angel gave a curt nod. "He's been waiting half a year for you to have emotion at all, Sam. If you feel guilty for the things you don't remember, don't ask forgiveness. It makes himfeel guilty."

Sam just watched him, a frown coming onto his own face.

Castiel sighed. "He thinks it's all his fault. You're trying to put all the blame on yourself—"

"Because I'm to blame,Cas!"

Castiel tilted his head nearly imperceptibly. "Stop trying to take the blame, Sam. You don't have to protect him from sharing it. If anything goes wrong from here on out, that's on all of us. Even me." He looked down. "I know everything's changed, but in a way, nothing has. You can't make this your fault, Sam. It'll kill him."

And just like that, Castiel was gone.

Sam tried to focus on what Bobby had deciphered of the dragons' book, but he couldn't. Finally, with a sigh, he said, "Cas?"

He looked around, once, twice, and then—

"Yes?"

Sam rose from his chair and walked slowly towards the angel. "I'm sorry."

"Don't—"

"This one isall on me." Without another word, Sam pulled Castiel into a hug. He waited until he felt Cas' arms return the grip, and after a moment he finally let go.

"Wow," Dean said sardonically, and Sam's and Cas' heads both whipped in the direction of the door frame on which Dean leaned. "That was really cute. Are we going to paint each other's nails, now? I'd say braiding was in, but Sam's the only one whose hair's long enough."

Sam snorted and walked back to his seat, still chuckling. Castiel simply gave Dean a little smile. Dean met his eyes from across the room, and Cas gave a little nod that indicated perhaps, in the future, that Dean would receive his own hug. Then the angel vanished with the tiniest fluttering of wings, Sam returned to his research, and Dean walked, grinning slightly to himself, back into the kitchen to finish his pie.

THE END.