Dean heard Castiel's declaration from across the room. His attention was taped to Castiel's back rather suddenly because of it, watching the two angels interact once more. Dean noted the way Castiel seemed to shy away into his words, suddenly slumped over where he sat, head down and eyes anywhere but facing Dean.
"Fighting with your angel?" Sam smirked, taking another swig of blue liquid out of the mason jar with a satisfied gulp. "What'd you do?"
"Shut your trap," Dean groaned with repugnance, stealing the jar from Sam's hand just as he was about to take another drink, "He's just been moody today."
"You know," Sam began, "the best way to tame an angel is to make friends. Gabriel walks on my heels rather obediently."
Dean donned a devilish grin at this, leaning back against the kitchen counter, "Well look at you, being all manipulative. You mess with his head or something?"
"We just get along. It's simple chemistry, praise is well received." Sam replied, matter-of-factly, "Just letting you in on some of the perks."
The brothers passed the jar a few more times in silence, until Sam had to knock on the bottom to get the last few drops into his mouth. He used his arm as a napkin and smeared the brightly colored soul remnants off his lips, setting the empty jar nonchalantly into Dean's sink.
"Well..." Dean reentered, eyes once again glued to the angels on the couch. They were whispering, and it bugged him. "How do you do it?"
Sam stared at him curiously before pulling a face. "Do what?"
"Make...friends?"
Dean growled dangerously when Sam started to chuckle at his brother's embarrassment. Dean wasn't embarrassed, just hesitant to try something like this; any pet would be beaten into submission. Demons didn't make 'friends.' "Shut up bitch."
Sam rubbed a hand over his arm where he'd been jabbed by Dean's elbow, wearing a rather disheartened face. "Jerk."
"Whatever. Just tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do."
"...You're serious?"
Dean furrowed his brow in warning, warning his brother not to take the joke too far, "No, I'm humoring you for the heck of it. Of course I'm serious." he rubbed the cartilage of his nose tenderly, trying to keep a frustrated headache from waking up. "I don't want to put up with any disobedient shit. That's all."
"That sounds more like you." Sam grinned, nudging Dean with his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, all that gooey shit can go down later. Just give me the instruction manual."
With a weary sigh and a hand tight over Dean's shoulder, Sam starting whispering advice. It started with simple, small things. Asking the angel questions and interaction was good. Just not being a dick was the main gist. Not even half way through all that Sam wanted to say and already Dean's face was a mix of confusion, frustration and a pair of dog-tired, rather frustrated, eyes.
"Dude...maybe this should be a slow thing..." Dean started, raising his hand up to stop his brother's suggestions. "This is a lot of useless stuff to remember all at once."
"It's not useless if you want to gain his favor," Sam grunted, crossing his arms like an authoritative mother. "You always give up too easily."
Dean was getting a little tired of being led around for one day, "Everyone seems to think I'm a big pushover today." he grumbled, remembering how he'd let Castiel get off scott-free for defying him. The thought played with his brain, willing his eyes to convert back to the odium-thick demon eyes. "You may be my brother, but you're not my boss."
Sam's expression changed suddenly, filled with disappointment. Dean didn't want to notice that they almost looked sad. Demons didn't get sad. He'd always suspected there was something wrong with Sam, but ignored it whenever he could. All this talk about 'friendship' with a pet was nonsense. That's what Castiel was afterall, a pet. Not a him, but an it. He didn't have to make friends with what belonged to him. "You shouldn't be making friends with a pet."
"It's easier than the hard way."
"Or you're just a pussy."
He hadn't really meant it in malice, but it must have come out that way, because Sam physically flinched, "Hey, fuck you. Friendship can be nice."
Friendship can be nice? Disgusting. Filled with repugnance, Dean pushed himself off the counter, making his way toward the couch where the angels had stopped their whispering. "Just take your fucking pet and leave. I don't need any of your pansy act in my apartment."
Sam started up behind him, reaching out an apologetic hand to place on his shoulder, "Dean... I just think if you were nicer-"
"Just get the fuck out of my place!" he snarled, spinning around so suddenly Castiel thought he was about to kill him.
Dean had snatched the friendly hand and now had it grasped between livid and irate knuckles, crushing it with brute force. Sam's face was skewed awkwardly, fighting fear and delivering an attempt to stand strong. Gabriel rose from his seat beside Castiel, ready to pounce if the need to should arise.
"Stop talking already."
"Dean," Sam spoke calmly, careful not to sound like a threat, "Let go of me."
His brother let out a low, dangerous chuckle before leaning closer. "Then take your angel, your cowardice, and your fucking friendship, and get the hell out. I don't want someone who stoops to the same level as these maggots telling me what to do."
"What happened to you?"
Dean shoved Sam's hand away crudely, still keeping his eyes locked on the other demon, "You don't sound like a fucking demon. You sound like a human and it's pissing me off." he growled, "Maybe we were brother's once, but truthfully, I don't think we're that similar. Don't pretend you know me."
"I do know you."
Dean's voice was deep and threatening, saturated in detestation and laced with something Castiel could only assume was something from the past. "Get. Out," he ordered, the perimeter of his black eyes now stained with a dark, bloody red. "Now."
Castiel felt his stomach drop to the floor, his heart was faster than normal, and only picked up it's pace when Sam and Gabriel started to leave. Gabriel kept his eyes on Castiel, almost apologizing as the door closed behind them.
Castiel was still sitting on the couch, staring up at Dean's back as he glared at the door, as if expecting them to come back. It stayed silent until Dean finally turned to him, only interrupting the stillness with a gasp from the angel. He was frightened.
The demon loomed over him, the redness of his eyes had faded, but those heated black irises remained. "What?"
"N-nothing.."
Dean drew in a calming breath, his rugged and tense shoulders betraying him and forcing his character to stay uptight and on edge, ready to jump off any second and hurt someone. "Do I scare you? Little angel?"
Castiel didn't move, but kept himself facing Dean. "I am neither scared nor little."
"Then why do you look like a trembling, lost puppy?" he chuckled, bending down to cup his hands over the back of the couch, shoulders slumped, face only a few inches from Castiel's, and a venomous smile tinged over his lips.
"Why did you get upset?"
The smile that was once powerful became angry and warning, "Because I'm a god damn demon," he replied, "We pillage, plunder, curse, and lie. We don't share, we don't care, and we sure as hell don't make friends with lesser creatures."
Castiel tried to let his eyes wander a little, but didn't manage to get far. There was something about the way Dean was staring at him that made him too nervous to look away. "...Where is this coming from?" he enquired, fingers subtly clinging to the hem of the shirt he wore, looking for support, even comfort.
"That sorry excuse of a demon thinks that because I knew him on earth, he's got a right to tell me what to do, all this- whatever. He only approached me a little less than two months ago." Dean's spine straightened proudly, but he kept himself lowered to Castiel's height, squaring his shoulders to the best of his ability. "He thinks that I give up easily, that I should make friends with you so that you'll obey me." He chuckled once more, "I can make you listen to me without any of that shit."
Castiel was caught up, and confused about why he was feeling fear. His hands were steadying himself thanks to the rough grip he had on the shirt, but the demonic stare that chased him was nerve wracking. With little warning, the demon had started to smirk again.
It was always dark, and they didn't have electric lights in hell. All that lit the room were candles. Candles that barely outlined the dangerous scowl, only helping it feel all the more threatening, "You are an it," he muttered, "You're a fucking it."
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
There was a loud slam that made Castiel jump as Dean slammed his fists down on the back of the couch. "You. Are an it." His words were so silent that Castiel thought maybe he was talking to himself, telling himself was Castiel was. "An it..."
The demon's shoulders had slumped again, and Castiel could see the pitched eyes turn lax and gently fade until the brilliant jade eyes he'd once admired found him again. Dean looked like he was slowly crumbling."What are you doing to me?" he whispered, pushing his drowsy head forward the small distance so that their foreheads bumped against one another.
What was he doing to Dean? What did that mean?! The demon was the one making Castiel's emotions run around in circles.
Castiel wasn't a human, he wasn't even much of an angel anymore, and Dean was making him feel that confusingly, loveable sickness deep in his belly again. It wasn't normal, and he wanted it to stop. What the hell was this?
"Dean?" he asked quizzically, "I don't understand..."
Dean's head shook against his as he shut his eyes slowly. "You're doing something to me, and I don't like it. Changing... Stop it."
"Why do you think it's me?"
The olive green irises followed the edges of Castiel's lips as he talked, chasing every heavy breath he took. "It started after you showed up…" his tone was worried, almost hesitant to confess this, like that sentence explained everything and would give away all his weaknesses.
"I still don't understand..."
Dean's expression suddenly became serious, hiding any emotion that had been there only seconds ago. He recoiled back, not saying a word as he pushed himself off where he'd slumped over the couch, almost defensively. Dean ran an awkward hand through his hair and groaned, turning lazily toward the door, "I'm going out."
"Where?"
"You need more food," he replied, emotionless, shrugging into his coat after pulling it off the rack by the door.
He left silently after that, leaving Castiel alone, just staring at the door in utter confusion. He didn't understand any of this. All he did know, was that the demon he'd met in the basement two days ago wasn't the same one he'd just talked with. Dean had let his guard down for a moment, and that was something demons never did, especially for angels. He frowned, looking over at the counter and noticing that there was still a little less than half a loaf of bread.
