Kevin wanders into the kitchen to find it already occupied by a familiar angel (thank god, maybe now Dean'll be tolerable at the very least) and a beautiful redhead, both drinking coffee in companionable silence. Ruffling his still wet hair Kevin walks up to her with a smile.
"Hey," he says, eloquent as ever in the morning (just because he was an AP student doesn't mean he's any better at talking to a pretty face, especially one wearing an awesome fandom t-shirt). "I'm Kevin."
"Charlie," she says with a tired smile, gulping down more coffee.
After a few moments of silence she speaks up again. "You're the new prophet, right?"
Kevin flinches slightly. "Yeah…" he draws out the word. "Not the best job on the market."
"And you don't even get to write cool stories like the other guy," Charlie agrees sympathetically.
The conversation lulls for a few minutes, but it's not the most awkward one either of them have experienced. As for Cas? Well he's not the best judge of what's awkward and what's not; he just continues to sit quietly at the counter, drinking his coffee.
Realizing he recognizes her name and description Kevin starts conversation back up. "Hey aren't you the hacker that helped out with the Leviathan?"
With a shudder Charlie confirms. "Glad we don't have to deal with them anymore."
He chuckles. "Yeah. That's pretty cool though, what you do. The hacking I mean."
"It is the best," Charlie agrees. "I could show you the basics sometime; it's easy."
"Yeah? That'd be great."
"Quit trying to flirt Kev," Dean yawns as he walks in heading straight for the coffee maker; "you're so not her type."
"I'm not flirting," Kevin protests weakly while Charlie laughs good-naturedly.
"Can't blame him for trying," she quips back. "I mean look at me."
Dean snorts, leaning his hip against the counter right next to Cas, sipping casually. When Kevin raises his eyebrow Charlie just smirks, which is answer enough.
At last Castiel says something, shifting his gaze from empty space to Kevin. "I wanted to apologize for what I said before, about never getting out of the life till your death."
The statement is a bit awkward, and really unexpected for how deadly serious and intimidating he had been at the time, but Kevin accepts it. "It's okay; you're kinda right. I mean, it doesn't make me miss my old life any less, or make me feel any better about all the shit that's happened in the last two years but, uh, thanks."
Castiel just nods.
"I, uh, sorry about all the angels," Kevin says reluctantly, regretting it immediately when Cas stiffens.
"It is not your fault," he says rigidly; "I did not give you proper time to translate the Tablet and instead took the word of an angel who had been gone for centuries and was clearly disgruntled with all of Heaven.
"If anyone is at fault it is me," he says more quietly, looking down at the mug between his hands.
Charlie makes a sympathetic noise in her throat. "Cas, we've been over this; if anyone's to blame, it's that douche Metatron."
"Seriously Cas," Dean rumbles, setting down his mug roughly and making some coffee slosh over the sides, "how many times do I have to tell you? Stop blaming yourself for everything!"
"Why shouldn't I?" Castiel grumbles sullenly right back. "It's my fault Crowley ever got the Angel Tablet and it was my Grace that completed the spell that cast all the angels out of Heaven."
"Well I'm not gonna argue with you on the Tablet; that was all on you," Dean responds snidely, crossing his arms over his chest. "And all because you couldn't trust us, trust me even after everything."
"As you have informed me of this multiple times Dean, I am more than well aware," Cas retorts sarcastically.
"As you damn well better be!" Dean yells. "But you gotta stop blaming yourself for the angels buddy. I mean, it's not like you gave Metadick your Grace willingly."
"But, as stated previously, I trusted him when he had been gone for centuries; I trusted he was giving me the correct trials to close Heaven down when I should have been questioning them – particularly when the first was to kill an innocent niphilim girl."
"But this guy was the scribe, the dude who wrote down God's Word or whatever; of course you would be expecting him to give you the right info!"
"Dean, you yourself said we should have been checking the Angel Tablet, but I gave Kevin no time! And you didn't trust Metatron! So, again, it's all on me!"
While the two stand on opposite sides of the kitchen, bickering and going around in circles, Charlie and Kevin decide to get out of the line of fire and head to the library, where she left her laptop. They can still hear yelling but at least they're not in the middle of it.
By midday Charlie is to some of the more advanced stuff, Kevin following along just fine being a genius and all, and the yelling hasn't died down one bit. In fact, they think it's gotten worse as they've caught a few snatches about trust and needing and brainwashing, and telltale shatters of things being thrown against the walls. Sam comes shuffling out, still looking groggy as he yawns and rubs at his eyes, flopping down across from them.
"They finally going at it?" he mumbles tiredly, fighting to keep his eyes open. The other two nod. "About time; I was pretty surprised when we made it through the night without, well, this." He waves a hand in the direction of the kitchen, where something else can be heard smashing against the wall followed by a loud thump that is most likely a body being shoved against said wall.
Sighing, Charlie sits back and watches Kevin, keeping an eye out for mistakes. "It had started out as such a nice morning too."
Kevin nods, not taking his eyes off the screen as he types quickly. "Yeah but maybe once they get it out of their systems everything will calm down." That earns him a snort from Sam and an incredulous look from Charlie. "Yeah, you're right, what was I thinking?"
The yelling eventually stop only for the three to see Castiel stomping out of the kitchen, trailed by a thunderous Dean, both ignoring them. When a bedroom door slams Dean yells, "Don't you fucking slam my bedroom door in my face!" A muffled response comes through the wood to which Dean responds, "Did you just curse at me in Enochian, you little shit?"
Castiel opens the door long enough to growl, " There are no foul words in Enochian as it is the language of angels but the sentiment is the same," before slamming the door again.
"You open this door right now you son of a bitch," Dean yells, pounding, "I'm not finished with you yet." When the only sound that answers is a heavy object being thrown at the door he kicks it hard in response before stomping past the three observers and out the front door.
Silence falls, interrupted when Kevin finally speaks up after several moments. "It's not gonna get any better around here is it?"
"If by 'better' you mean 'worse'," Sam can't help remark sarcastically.
By dinnertime, with Dean still gone, Sam decides he's given Castiel enough time and goes looking for him. The door to Dean's room opens, empty, when he knocks on the door and all the rooms, aside from Kevin and Charlie's, are empty as well as the bathroom and the gym.
Next stop: shooting range
As he nears the range Sam can hear shots being fired one after another. The sight that meets his eyes when he enters is a shocking one though he knows it shouldn't be. Castiel has been in existence for longer than the concept of time, has been watching humanity since it began; he's bound to have picked up a few things, even if it's not pop culture and figures of speech.
Castiel is standing there with a Glock pistol – which he most likely got from Dean's room – shooting the target all the way at the end of the line, hitting mostly the head and the heart, plus the general areas of major organs. Waiting till he finishes the magazine, Sam walks up behind, Sam walks up behind him, sure to make enough noise so as not to startle him or anything.
"He still hasn't forgiven me," Castiel says into the deafening silence, not moving to reload, "for anything."
Frowning, Sam protests, albeit weakly, "Now that's not true; he's forgiven you for all the things Naomi made you do."
"Because Naomi made me do them," he grumbles. "Everything after the Angel Tablet, combined with the Purgatory deal with Crowley and the spying and lying? He thinks I don't trust him. And he certainly doesn't trust me any longer."
When Sam has no response to that Castiel continues, "And he shouldn't because I don't know how to do a single thing right; every single time I think I do it brings death and destruction."
Sam snorts. "Which is one of the reasons why you're an honorary Winchester." Placing a tentative hand on his shoulder – he knows Cas is most likely just as emotionally stunted as Dean, considering he hasn't had emotions for long and learns everything new from Dean and Sam – Sam tries a comforting smile. "Look man, I know better than anyone what it's like to put so much stock in Dean's words and how hurtful they can really be.
"Dean not trusting you? I've been there. But when it counts he'll come around. You just have to give him time, let him cool off.
"And in the mean time? You gotta forgive yourself man." Cas opens his mouth to interrupt but Sam lifts his hands to stop him. "We heard you in the kitchen Cas, and I know you, at least to a point; you're blaming yourself for everything when none of it is your fault. You were played. Your heart and guilt were used against you, just like Crowley used them against you.
"You work on that and maybe Dean will come around. Even if he doesn't, you gotta stop or it'll destroy you. Trust me man, I would know. And so would Dean."
Clenching his jaw and staring into the distance Cas thinks over Sam's words; they're basically the same as what Dean had said that morning just a lot more gentle, as was Sam's way. Eventually he nods and sighs, thought he doesn't relax even a fraction of an inch. Taking what he can get, Sam offers a smile and claps him on the shoulder before leaving again. Castiel continues to stand there before turning back to the range, reloading the gun and shooting a new target, point blank.
Two in the morning finds Dan shutting off the ignition of the Impala and heading quietly into the bunker, leaving the lights off as he makes his way back to his room. The door is closed and a light shines through the crack. Opening the door slowly Dean peeks through and sees Castiel sitting in the bed on top of the covers, slumped over with an old MoL book held open in his lap.
Shutting the door behind him with a near-silent snick, Dean creeps over to the bed and sets the book gently in front of the lamp that's still on, pulls off Cas' shoes, and carefully lifts his legs so Dean can get the covers over him, then shuts the light off, getting himself ready for bed in the dark, habitual and routine. Once done he slides in carefully before yanking Cas over until his head is pillowed on his chest. Immediately Cas nuzzles into him, his arm wrapping securely around Dean's waist as their legs tangle. Dean sighs into the chocolate hair tickling his chin, wrapping an arm of his own around his fallen angel, pointing their fight out of mind and closing his eyes.
A/N: Apologies for the angst, but you had to know it was coming. As you can see from the cuddlesDean initiates upon his return, they are on the road to forgiveness. And hey, maybe there will be angry and/or apology sex.
