Cas woke up in the motel. He was still wearing his clothes, including shoes. Someone had tossed a blanket over him...Dean?
He blinked. What had happened last night? How did he end up back here?
Sitting up, he pressed his palm to his forehead and groaned. His head was killing him.
"Mornin', sunshine." Dean's voice, usually a source of comfort, seemed to increase the pain in his head. "Hey, you okay?"
Cas winced. "I'm fine."
"Got a headache?" The hunter spoke softer, which was much appreciated.
"Yes."
Dean fetched some Tylenol, and handed them to Cas with a glass of water. As the former angel reached out to take them, he realized that his hands were shaking.
"What's going on, Cas?"
Normally this display of concern would make Castiel happy, but for some reason it just irritated him. "Nothing, I said I was fine." He snapped.
"Okay, okay." Dean backed off, although his green eyes were still full of worry. "Have a little too much fun last night? You stumbled in around 1 in the morning, and you looked totally smashed."
Cas tilted his head, trying to fight off the sudden bout of dizziness. "I don't remember." He said honestly.
Dean chuckled. "Your first real hangover. Great, isn't it?"
"No." Cas glared.
"Well, drink lots of water, and you can sleep it off on the way back to the bunker."
Dean's POV
Something was up with Cas, that much was obvious. He wasn't the type to go out get drunk on a whim. And honestly, Dean wasn't even sure that's what had happened. He'd wandered back to the motel at 1 in the freaking morning, acting weird, but not drunk-weird. His speech wasn't slurred. He went on about stars, and colors, and flying. If Dean didn't know any better, he would've said Cas was high as a kite.
Maybe he'd gotten his hands on some weed. But then again, Marijuana didn't leave you with a killer headache like this.
Dean brushed off the uneasy feeling. This was Cas. He was the responsible one, he was probably overthinking this. Sometimes a headache is just a headache.
On the ride home, Dean couldn't stop glancing over at his friend. It wasn't unusual for him to be quiet, but this level of silence...just not saying anything? It was concerning.
Upon arriving, Cas headed straight for his room, and Sam confronted him angrily. "You can't just drug me, Dean. That's not okay."
He didn't argue. He knew it wasn't okay, but he needed to keep Sammy safe. Let him be mad. He stormed off, leaving the older Winchester alone in the kitchen. Awesome. He tried not to let it bother him, but a nagging loneliness tugged at his heart. His first instinct was to run to Castiel. Wait, what?
No. Dean Winchester's misery did not need company. And so he found himself in the bottom of a bottle again.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to put the next chapter up soon.