A/N: Trigger Warnings for post-rape and trauma.
Making his way down the front steps of the church with a smile on his face, Dean grabbed his phone out of this pocket; 2 missed calls, a voice mail, and a text from Jo. Dean rolled his eyes, sitting down on the last step. And putting the phone up to his ear, it was Sam:
"Hey Dean, something is wrong with Adam, he's running a fever. So, me and Jess are going to take him to the ER. Don't worry too much we think it's an ear infection but we're leaving a key under the door mat so you can get in. I guess I'll see you in the morning when we get back. Drive safe."
He smiled lightly and looked to the other missed call; it was Jo. He scrolled quickly through his phone and got to the text:
From: Jo Jo
Time: 2:13am MON 1-28-13
hey babe im sorry i didnt mean to say those things come home and well talk it over
-jojo
Biting the inside of his mouth he shut the phone hard, almost breaking it and shoved it back in his pocket as he got up and walked to his car. Starting the engine and turning on his radio and 'Behind Blue Eyes' by Limp Bizkit played softly. His mind raced to Cas in the church, him and those fucking amazingly blue eyes. Tolerating the new rock band to the end of the song, Dean quickly turned it over to another station when he can up to a red light. And thankfully one of his favorite songs came on just moments after the DJ shut up, 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' by Def Leppard.
Singing loudly along with Joe Elliott, Dean found his way to his brother's house and turned off the engine. Staring at the picture perfect life in front of him he began to feel more and more guilty as he made his way up the path to the house, he didn't deserve to disrupt this perfect bubble with his hellish life, Sam didn't deserve it. But all Dean needed was one night away from Jo, and he'd be ready to face her again.
Dean took the keys locking the door behind him and made his way up the stairs to the guest bedroom. Stripping down completely, Dean found the bed and nestled under the warm covers falling into a restless night's sleep. Sleep filled with blue eyes, apple pie, and a strange man named Eddie.
-0-
"You little fucker!" Castiel shouted as they exited the church kicking Gabriel in the ass.
Gabriel exploded with laughter as his friend kicked him. Jogging across the street Gabe turned back to him and cut him large smile. "Cursing so eagerly as soon as your soul had been saved. Michael wouldn't like that." He tsked as Castiel made his way through the light night traffic.
"You little shit," Castiel punched him as hard as he could in the shoulder. "What was that? I know you sent that man over to me." Castiel couldn't imagine what his friend was thinking when he sent that man over to him. "I'm not the man to be giving some guy advice on his love life. I barely function in public. I don't have 'people skills'." He said dramatically air quoting himself. Castiel fell silent as couple passed next to them. It must have looked like Castiel was yelling at his son. And some days it felt that way too, they had an extremely strange relationship. "I just don't want to fuck up my brother's reputation."
"And you won't Cassie." Gabe said as he rubbed his own shoulder.
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Castiel covered his mouth and looked away down the street. He had lied to his brother in confessionals, lied to Father Murphy saying he knew the man, and now he was going to impersonate his brother to hit on a straight man.
"Oh a lot of things but isn't that why we're strippers?"
Castiel threw Gabriel a bitch face and dropped his hands to his sides, "Thanks." The sarcasm seeped off of Castiel. "Come on. Let's go home, I'm tired."
As Castiel and Gabriel walked back to Gabe's car someone called out to them from the car garage. "Castiel?" Shit it was Alastair. The two men froze in their tracks, neither turned around; neither took a breath, maybe if they were still enough he wouldn't see them. "Castiel it is you."
Under his breath Gabe whispered to Castiel. "Why did you date this psychopath?"
"He beat up a guy who was going to rape me." Castiel whispered back.
"Yes, but this douchebag technically did rape you." It wasn't a lie. Alastair did technically rape him. They were at a Halloween party when it happened. They went as demons together; Alastair looked horrible but amazing at the same time. They were covered in blood and looked like they had been beaten to a bloody pulp. But towards the end of the night Alastair got a bit too handys. Castiel had been drunker than a skunk, and he couldn't fight back he was far too dizzy for that, all he could say was no. It took Castiel 2 days to fully remember what happened that night and the second he completely remembered they were done. Alastair never really put up a fight when they had broken up, which worried Castiel deeply.
"Hey sweetie." Alastair spoke into his ear as an arm wrapped slowly around Castiel's shoulder. Smiling unemotionally as he reeled him in closer into his chest.
"Al, no." Castiel whimpered as he tried rolling Alastair's arm off him.
"I'm sorry it took us a couple months to get back together but I'm back sweetie." Alastair's lips ghosted over his neck softly instantly freezing him in place. To be honest, even when they were together something about Alastair was off, he always felt slightly out of control around him.
"No." Castiel whimpered softly closing his eyes tightly trying to disappear desperately. It took Castiel weeks to get back to his normal self and to stop dreaming about running away from him, and even then he would always be looking over his shoulder. Only just recently had he actually begun to drop his guard and admit to himself that he was truly gone from his life. If only it had stayed that way for good.
"Back the fuck up." Gabriel's powerful voice boomed in the car garage. When Castiel opened his eyes slightly only looking through a crack he saw Gabe holding a knife made of what looked like pure silver out in front of him sharp end pointing to Alastair.
"Oh," Alastair moved away from Castiel, releasing him and moved towards Gabe with a cat like motion. Castiel retreated as quickly as possible from the two, hiding behind a small beat up tan car. He hugged his legs in to his chest as tightly as he could trying and frantically begging to disappear.
"You think you can use that knife on me buddy?" Alastair licked his lips and brushed a hand over his greying beard.
"You want to press your luck?" Gabriel never faltered in his position. Slowly Gabriel moved around Alastair in a wide circle to get between him and Castiel. "I would kill you in a heartbeat if it meant saving him from ever seeing you again."
"Aw I'm hurt." Alastair stepped forward a couple feet until he was within arm's length of Gabriel. And with a swift motion Gabriel lashed out cutting Alastair across his midsection, sending him howling in pain, as he clutched his stomach in his arms.
"Now you're really hurt. Leave. Now." Gabe barked. Without a word Alastair left slightly doubled over in pain. He watched the man leave the parking garage slowly. As soon as Gabe knew the man was gone he looked over his shoulder and saw his friend shaking like a leaf trying to curl up inside himself. "Cassie." Gabriel murmured dropping next to him and cautiously wrapping his arms around his friend.
Castiel jerked away at first until he realized it was Gabe. He clung to Gabriel like his life depended on it. "God is mad at me isn't he. For lying to my brother?"
Gabe shushed Castiel running his fingers gently through his friend's hair. "God isn't mad, maybe upset, but he isn't mad at you." He smiled softly. "Let's get you home."
"Okay." Castiel shivered lightly as Gabriel picked him up off the ground and looked around the cars once before they moved back to his and left the garage. On their drive to their shared house Castiel was shivering still trying to calm down. He looked around Gabriel's car slowly. "You know your car sucks right?"
"Well at least it runs." Gabriel smiled over to Castiel. "It's nice to see you talking."
"Yeah," Castiel looked to the old console of the car and turned on the radio. 'My Humps' by The Black Eyed Peas blared through the speakers, Gabriel nearly swerved off the road. Castiel flailed all over the car and tried to turn it down frantically but just ended up turning it off completely. They sat in silence for a few moments before looking to each other and busting out laughing. Gabriel was almost in tears as they pulled into their neighborhood.
"Hey Cassie. Didn't I hear that your new flock member built these houses?" Gabe made a twirling motion with his finger.
"Flock?"
"That hot guy from the church. I heard you two making a date for Wednesday so he's a member of your wayward flock now right?"
"Gabe I don't have a flock. I'm not a bird."
"Then why on Earth do you have those wings tattooed on your back?"
"I was drunk." Castiel said a little too quickly.
"Right," Gabe pulled up to their house and turned off the car. "But anyway, didn't the hottie build them?"
"Dean," Castiel said getting out of the car. "His name is Dean and he designed the houses. He only built the kitchen for two of them."
"Oh!" Gabriel jumped out of the car. "Which ones?"
"The model home and some other one in the neighborhood. He said they spilled brown paint in the master bedroom. I don't have brown pain on my floor so it couldn't be ours. Calm down."
"No but you do have carpet." Gabriel said opening the door to their house and walked in. "Let's rip the carpet up and see if this is the house!" He offered bolting up the stairs.
"No! No!" Castiel shut and locked the door before bounding up the stairs after Gabe. "You are not ripping my carpet up!" Castiel got to the top of the stairs just in time to see Gabriel taking a hammer into his room. "If you even so much as touch my carpet I'll burn all of your candy stashed in your room!"
"I don't have any more candy left in the house. I'm on a diet, remember?" Gabe kneeled on the ground and put the curved part of the hammer to the edge of the carpet.
"Wanna bet I know where it is?" Castiel locked eyes with Gabriel; they had a showdown of glares for a good five minutes just frozen in place.
"Fine you win." Gabe tossed the hammer on to Castiel's bed and left the room. "I'm going to go get some water do you want any?"
"Sure." He called to Gabe as he headed down the stairs. "Only half a glass!" He walked over to the hammer and placed it on his desk and looked to the floor below him. Could this be the house Dean worked in? No it couldn't be. Castiel ignored the thought and began to take of Lucifer's costume and fold it up on his desk to take back to him. Bare naked Castiel walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of flannel pants and an oversized shirt and put them on before Gabriel made it back with the water.
"Here you go half glass with a twist." Castiel took the glass and took a sip, it tasted strange. He grimaced at the taste and looked to Gabriel with a dramatic frown.
"What's in it?"
"Just drink it."
Castiel didn't fight it; he took a couple large gulps and finished it quickly. "Now will you tell me?" He said handing the glass back to Gabe.
"Water and an Ambien." Gabriel said beginning to drink his own. "I didn't want to hear your bed creaking all night as you fought to stay awake tonight. You need to sleep this whole episode off, tomorrow is a new day and it'll be a faraway memory."
Castiel shuddered at the thought of that man again. "You're right."
"Damn right, I'm right. Now sleep. Gym tomorrow, your tummy is starting to come back." Gabe said walking out of Castiel's room and down the hall.
Sighing lightly Castiel got under the covers and wrapped himself in a small cocoon. And within a few minutes Castiel was out like a light. He was safe here, he was always safe here.
