"Hey, Mel!" Dean called from the kitchen, his face buried in the fridge as he looked for something other than beer to make for Ben's breakfast. Heaving a sigh, he stepped away, turning around only to be faced with clear blue eyes. "Holy—!" he slammed the fridge closed, scowling as Miel broke out in a fit of giggles. "Don't do that." He warned, pointing a threatening finger at her.
She stuck out her tongue, obviously not intimidated in the least, "Cas mentioned your reaction to this kind of thing was always pretty amusing." She informed him with a grin, stepping away to sit on a chair.
"I knew it! I knew the bastard did it on purpose!" as much as he tried not to, Dean couldn't help the small grin that tugged on his lips. Looking around, he raised an eyebrow, "Speaking of our little nerd with wings, where is he?"
Miel sighed, "He and Gabriel haven't come back yet," she pouted, obviously not happy to be missing out on the fun, "Guess the scouting mission is taking longer than they expected." Dean chuckled.
"So you're stuck with us boring humans, huh?" dragging a chair back, he sat in front of her.
"Oh, humans are not boring." She assured, placing an elbow on the table and leaning her cheek on her hand, "I just wish they let me fly around a bit more. I want to see the oceans, the mountains, the forests, the deserts…" she sighed.
Dean arched his eyebrows, "So angels like sight seeing…" he nodded, face in mock thought, "Never would have guessed."
She sent a playful glare in his direction, "Well, I haven't been down here in a couple thousand years," she shrugged, "Seeing it from upstairs gets kind of boring after the first few centuries."
"I'd bet." He said in agreement, chuckling at her use of time. "Hell, I live down here, and I've never actually left the States." The bright smile on her face reminded him of a child on Christmas morning.
"Maybe you could come with me, when this is all over."
He laughed, "Sorry, Shorty." She scowled slightly at the nickname, "But I'm not too fond of Angel Airlines. Just ask your brother."
Mel deflated slightly, "Fine…" Dean thought of saying something, to make it up to her, but Ben interrupted any words that might have come out of his mouth as he walked into the kitchen, looking more awake than he should have been at that time of the day.
"Morning!" he chirped, sitting down next to Dean, looking up at him expectantly. "What's for breakfast?"
"I'm working on that." He said while ruffling the boy's hair, "Where's your mother?"
"Still asleep," he shrugged, "She sleeps in on Saturdays, remember?"
"It's Saturday?" he frowned, looking at Miel for confirmation. The angel nodded with amusement, "Huh. Forgot how much this place makes me lose track of time."
He stood up, walking over to the living room, followed closely by Ben and Mel. "Alright, guess I'll have to drive over to get us some decent breakfast." He took his jacket and was about to grab his keys when they suddenly flew towards Miel's open hand. He rolled his eyes, "That's very funny, Mel. Really. Hilarious. Now, give me the keys."
She shook her head, dangling the keys around her finger as she smiled at him. "Tell me what you want for breakfast, and I'll go get it." She shrugged, "It'll be much faster."
Dean eyed her carefully. "Didn't Cas tell you to stay here and look after Ben?"
Mel's grin widened, "It'll be just a second, I promise." She nodded to the wall, "Besides, Cas and I sealed this whole house against demons and angels."
His eyes narrowed, "You're just dying to get out of the house, aren't you?"
She gave him a puppy eyed look, blue eyes shinning as she tilted her head slightly, "Please?"
The hunter rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet chuckle as he shook his head. Looking back at her, he sighed. "Alright, fine."
Ben, who'd been listening from behind the angel, decided it was a good moment to make himself known by jumping on the girl's back. Dean raised his eyebrows, Miel had sort of a petite body, but then again, she was an angel…holding up an eleven year old shouldn't have been too hard for her, if at all. "Can I come with you?" he asked, leaning his head over her shoulder to look at her face.
Mel laughed, the melodic sound suddenly bringing warmth to Dean's soul. He was still tense and mad at Sam from their discussion the night before. But if living with Ben and Lisa had taught him anything, it was to hide any emotions regarding his brother from the rest. So, when Mel's laughter made Dean's shoulders relax slightly, he found himself looking at the angel in slight wonder. Gabriel had mentioned that she was the angel of hope and joy, but it didn't seem like she'd noticed anything. He was so lost in his train of thought that he barely registered Ben's voice as the boy asked him a question.
"Hmm? Sorry, what?" he asked, forcing himself to pay attention to the situation at hand.
The boy didn't seem to mind this, for he asked the question just as excitedly, "Can I go with Mel to get breakfast? That way, she'll know what to get. And we can get something for you and mom."
Dean eyed them with narrowed eyes, giving the appearance of thinking through his offer. Ben's brown eyes widened as he gave him his infamous puppy eyed look. The fact that Mel was also looking at him expectantly did nothing to help his case. Finally, he sighed, smiling despite himself as Ben cheered and Mel giggled. "Alright, kiddo. But don't leave Mel's side, ya hear?"
"Yes, sir!" The boy chirped.
Stretching out his hand, he raised an eyebrow, "Can I have my keys now?" the angel tossed them to him with a smile, and he met her eyes, his silent question reaching only Miel's ears.
"I'll take care of him. It'll only be a minute." He nodded, waving at the boy as he practically beamed at the prospect of flying.
They were gone with the echo of fluttering wings, and Dean briefly wondered if Ben would feel sick after his first trip with an angel. He snorted, that wasn't likely…and if it did happen, it would serve to teach him a lesson for next time he tried to go anywhere with Mel.
"Dean?" He turned around to the sound of Lisa's voice. All the cheering must have woken her up, her eyes were still clouded with sleep as she rubbed her face and tried to get her dark hair back into place.
"Mornin'," he greeted with a smile, "Ben just left to get breakfast with Mel."
"Mel?" she frowned slightly, her eyes widening slightly after the memories from the night before seemed to sink in. She looked around the old living room, as though she'd only just noticed this wasn't her house. "Whose house is this?"
"Bobby Singer's," he replied easily, taking her hand and pulling her with him to sit on the sofa, "You've talked to him a couple times on the phone. Grumpy old man."
"I heard that." Said grumpy old man's voice startled her as Bobby walked into the living room, trucker hat already firmly in place. Dean gave the old hunter a cheeky grin, making it clear that he'd known perfectly well that Bobby would hear what he said. Bobby rolled his eyes, walking over to the kitchen, "Idjit."
Lisa watched him go, eyes still wide as she took on everything that had happened in less than 24 hours. Finally awake enough to put her thoughts together, she turned to Dean, "Wait, so Ben and Miel went out? Isn't that dangerous?"
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, giving her a reassuring smile, "She's an angel, Lisa. Ben's as safe as he'll ever be with her." He glanced down at his watch, "Besides, they should be here any minute."
As if on queue, Ben and Mel materialized in the middle of the room in a flutter of wings, the relative silence of the house being broken by the boy's cheerful laughter. Lisa jumped, her eyes wide once again as she looked at Dean, making sure she wasn't seeing things, and that Miel and her son had really just appeared out of nowhere in front of her.
Dean eyed her expression with amusement before turning to the boy and the angel, "Well that was quick." He grinned, "What'd you guys get?"
Miel gave him a sweet smile, "Ben chose everything." Blue eyes turned to the still stunned woman by his side, and the angel greeted her with another of her smiles, "Good morning, Lisa. I hope you slept okay." Lisa managed to nod with a shaky smile, and Mel's smile widened slightly before she gently took the bags from Ben's hands and walked over to the kitchen while the boy ran to flop down in between the hunter and his mother.
"We got pancakes!" he informed them happily, "And coffee for you and Dean," brown eyes moved from Dean to Lisa, a wide smile still painted on the boy's lips. "We also got bacon and eggs for you, Dean!" he finally settled on the hunter, who ruffled his hair playfully, "And Mel also got something else for Sam and Bobby." Dean tensed slightly at the mention of his brother, but managed to hide it as he forced a smile. Looking over to the kitchen, he saw Mel giving him an apologetic look from the door. He nodded, assuring her it was okay. It was actually pretty nice of her to think of Sam and Bobby. He'd sort of forgotten about them himself.
"Looks like you brought food for a whole army," Lisa smiled, glancing at Dean briefly, and the hunter knew she'd noticed the change in his stance. "Let's go eat before it gets cold then!" she pushed herself up, motioning for Ben to follow her into the kitchen. The boy sent a brief confused look in Dean's direction, but the hunter managed a more convincing smile, which seemed enough to put Ben at ease. Damn kid was too perceptive; he chuckled as he shook his head slightly. He'd have to be more careful now that Sam was around again.
Sitting back for a moment, he took deep measured breaths to calm himself down, his eyes closed. The sound of soft steps from the kitchen and someone sitting carefully at his side made him look to his side. Blue eyes were staring at him with something that Dean could only describe as motherly concern. "Sorry," she said, offering him a steaming cup of coffee, "I shouldn't have mentioned Sam to him. Should've just said it was for Bobby."
He raised an eyebrow, trying to show her he was really all right with it without having to actually say it. "Can angels even lie?"
Mel snorted, "Please. You've met Gabriel," and that was really more than enough to make his point invalid, "And don't forget Zachariah." She leaned back with a sigh, a surprisingly human gesture for someone who hadn't been on Earth for thousands of years, "They might not have done it in the old times, but angels certainly do lie now. A lot." This seemed to sadden her, and Dean somehow felt her sadness creep into his own soul.
"Well, Cas sort of sucks at it." He mumbled, trying to cheer her up.
She laughed, and Dean was glad when the coldness inside of him disappeared. That was kind of weird. He'd have to ask Cas or Gabe about it later. "Yeah, Castiel's never really been good at deceiving anyone." She agreed fondly. Blue eyes met green, and Miel arched an eyebrow, amusement quite obvious in her voice, "Your breakfast is getting cold, by the way."
That seemed to put Dean's stomach to work, and he quickly jumped to his feet, Miel's laughter following after him as he skipped into the kitchen to battle Ben for his bacon and eggs.
Sam woke to the sound of laughter. Rubbing his eyes, he frowned, idly wondering if maybe he was just dreaming of happier times. Shaking his head, he stood up and stretched with a groan. He'd been sleeping in his car a lot lately, and had almost forgotten just how much a bed could do to actually make you rest.
Grabbing a change of clothes from his old duffel bag, he walked into the bathroom to take a welcomed hot shower.
Ten minutes later he was making his way down the stairs when the sound of laughter greeted him again. He couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips as he made his way through the living room and into the kitchen.
Ben was laughing hysterically as Dean tickled him in his attempt to steal a piece of his pancakes. Lisa and Miel were talking animatedly; often sending warm looks in the boys' direction. Bobby was sitting next to them, face hidden behind a newspaper while taking sips of his coffee from time to time.
"Morning," he greeted, smiling despite himself, as the argument between him and Dean had yet to be forgotten.
"Good morning, Sam." Miel responded with a warm smile, and Sam found himself liking the angel already.
Lisa's eyes widened slightly as she looked at him, and Sam could only guess Dean had told her he'd sort of died around a year ago. He stood with a sheepish smile as the woman jumped up and walked over to hug him. "Oh my God, Sam!" she said with a laugh, "It's good to see you, it's been so long!" The young Winchester glanced down at her, returning her hug hesitantly while glancing nervously at Dean, only to find his brother smiling.
"It's good to see you too, Lisa." He replied, finally allowing himself to smile fully.
"Hi, Sam!" Ben waved from the other side of the table, maple syrup all over his round face.
"Hey, Ben." He chuckled, taking a seat next to the girls as Bobby folded his newspaper and pushed a cup of coffee and a plate in his direction. "Well, it's about time, princess. Hope you're done with your beauty sleep now, cause you ain't gonna be sleepin' like that every day."
"Wow, good morning to you too, Bobby." He grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.
The morning went by well enough, Ben's laughter making it easier for him and Dean to hide the tension still remaining between them as they all finished breakfast without a rush.
Once they were done, Lisa offered to clean up, and Miel decided to stay and help her (although she seemed to be mainly curious, because Sam was willing to bet she hadn't washed a dish in her life). Bobby and Sam sat quietly while Dean explained Ben the many things they'd battled together. The boy listened carefully, his eyes shinning with excitement.
Sam should have known it couldn't have lasted for long.
The echo of flapping wings announced the arrival of the two missing angels, and they all looked up to see Gabriel and Castiel, standing slightly disheveled in the middle of the room. Miel ran to them from the kitchen, eyes searching frantically for injuries before she let herself breathe with relief. "What took you guys so long?"
"Sorry, Melly," Gabe's usual grin was a sure sign that everything was pretty much okay, "Bumped into one of Raph's group of fans," he snorted, "I swear, the crap they spout about us Rebellious heathens just keeps gettin' better each day."
"They seemed very convinced of our evil ways," Cas agreed, his tone not nearly as amused as Gabriel's, "Raphael must be filling their minds with wrong information."
Dean's lip curled up in disgust, and Sam watched as his brother studied the angels almost like Miel had, "Sounds like him." he stood, walking over to Castiel's side, "So, what's next?"
Before Castiel could answer, Lisa made herself known with a polite cough as she went over to them slowly from the kitchen, "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt," Her eyes watched Dean for a moment before turning to the strangers, "But, who are you?"
Gabriel burst out laughing, making Lisa smile self-consciously while Dean sent him a glare, "Wow, Deano, I'm offended. So you really don't talk about me at all, huh?"
Castiel sent his brother a look that could only be described as annoyed before turning his blue eyes to Lisa. "Excuse him," he apologized, "My name is Castiel, and this is my brother, Gabriel."
Lisa's eyes widened at the names, and Sam mused with a small smile that the woman was most likely struggling with dealing with all the surprises. "You're Castiel?" she walked over to the trench coated man, "You're the angel that saved Dean from…" she hesitated.
"Hell?" Gabriel interrupted, sending his little brother a look that almost appeared to be proud, "Yep. That's him." Putting an arm around Castiel's neck, he pulled him down and closer to him, making the taller angel let out a surprised grunt, "Dear Deano was saved by my socially awkward lil' bro. Isn't that right, Cassie?"
Castiel rolled his eyes, pulling away to get rid of Gabriel's grip on his neck. Ben giggled from his perch on a chair. And that was all it took for the archangel to take notice of the boy with a wide grin.
But, apparently, Dean had had enough of the former Trickster's antics, and stepped in front of Ben, annoyance in his features. "I know you're dying to corrupt the kid with candy, Gabe. But can you do that after you tell us what's going on?"
Gabriel sighed, "Aw, alright, alright." A mumble that sounded suspiciously like party pooper made Dean roll his eyes.
"Just get on with it."
"Jeez, Winchester, so demanding." Dark golden eyes met Sam's for a moment, and the young hunter could have sworn he saw a spark of interest and curiosity in them. Well, that couldn't be good. "I think we should start you on the angel diet today." Another glance in his direction, and Sam knew what Gabriel was actually looking for. A reaction.
Okay. So Sam could now say he officially hated the guy's guts.
He felt Dean's eyes on him as he tried to keep the anger under control. This was just messed up. He couldn't agree to have his brother become dependent on something like angel blood. Especially when there was no guarantee that the angels would help him once their problem with Raphael was solved.
Sam barely heard Dean asking Lisa to please leave the room. He heard her and Ben's muffled voices, and felt the air moving beside him as they walked past him to get out of the living room. Forcing himself to focus on the situation at hand, he caught on to the conversation as Dean started talking again.
"So, how's this gonna work? You gonna give me a bottle or something to drink from or what?"
Gabriel shook his head, actually looking slightly apologetic as he glanced at Castiel and then back at Dean. "Actually, angel blood is a bit different from demon blood in another way too." He started, "Putting it in a container makes it practically useless. It has to come directly from the angel's vessel, and he or she needs to be alive."
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, the tension building rapidly as Dean's frown deepened. "Wait. You want me to suck Cas's blood? What am I, a friggin' sparkling vampire now?"
Cas himself looked just as uncomfortable as Dean did, and Sam couldn't find it in him to blame the guy. It didn't seem like he was happy about the whole deal either, so that left Gabriel for him to be pissed at…not such a bad thing either. He didn't want to be mad at Cas. And he was pretty sure he couldn't be mad at Miel even if he wanted to.
"Yeah, I know, I know. It's not exactly the most appetizing thing," Gabriel apologized (sort of), "But I wouldn't make you do it if there was any other way. I mean, come on. Would I lie to you?"
The silence that followed the question, along with the stares from everyone in the room, was enough to answer that question. Hell, not even Gabriel could deny that. "Alright, don't answer that." He pointed at Cas, "But you can trust Cassie! He wouldn't lie. I mean, hell, he can't lie." Gabe snorted, obviously finding his joke hilarious.
Castiel glared at him, taking a breath before giving Dean a truly apologetic look. "He's right, Dean. Angel blood is only effective when it comes directly from the vessel being used." The angel shook his head, heaving a sigh, "I'm sorry."
Sam watched Dean struggle with the issue. It wasn't Cas's fault. Even Dean could see that. But that didn't mean he had to agree with it. There was no way he'd let Dean get hooked on angel blood. His brother had to know this was a bad idea.
"Fine. Fine, alright, let's get this over with." Sam's eyes widened, his mouth falling agape as he stared at his brother disbelievingly.
"What? Dean, you're kidding me, right? So you're really going through with this?" he glanced at Bobby for support, but the old hunter didn't quite meet his gaze, and Sam turned his eyes back to his brother.
"Sam, we've talked about this." The warning in Dean's voice was clear.
"No, Dean. I know you think it's the only way, but come on. Angel blood? There has to be another way."
"Well, there isn't, Sam." Sam knew he should stop, Dean and him were already in bad terms as it was, he didn't need to make it worse. Dean's eyes were already dark with anger, and it was clear that he was trying to control himself. But Sam just couldn't help himself.
"And who says that? Gabriel? Come on, Dean! He was the Trickster, for God's sake!; practically everything that comes out of his mouth is bull. How can you even trust him?"
"I don't! Alright?" Dean's anger was more than obvious now, and not even Gabriel risked defending himself. "But Cas says he's telling the truth, and I trust him!" Dean's eyes glared into Sam with such raw disappointment and hurt that the younger Winchester actually stayed quiet. His brother gave a step toward him, still keeping closer to the angels, "And you know what? I don't think you're one to talk about trust, Sam. So you better stay out of it. Because this is none of your fucking business!"
"What? Dean, I—"
"Sam." Dean closed his eyes, taking a breath. He was about to lose it, and Sam knew better than to push this further.
He nodded numbly; shoulders slumped in defeat as he sent one last glare at Gabriel before walking out of the room, followed closely by Bobby.
Dean watched his brother go, already feeling guilty for what he'd said but knowing that it was the only way to keep Sam in line.
"Alright, Gabe. I hope you're really telling the truth, because if it turns out you're not," his eyes were not joking when he looked at the former Trickster, "I'm gonna dunk you in Holy oil and burn your wings to ashes."
Gabriel nodded, keeping his tongue in check, not wanting to upset the hunter any more than he already was.
Dean eyed him for a moment, as though waiting for a smart remark, before turning to the other two. "Okay, Cas, let's get this over with. You two leave. The fact that I'm doing this doesn't mean I want an audience."
The archangel smirked, but before any comment that would surely earn him a few glares could leave his mouth, Miel grabbed his arm, and they disappeared in a flutter of wings. Dean could barely hear her tell the others not to get in the room.
Taking a breath, he turned to face Castiel, who looked just as uncomfortable as he felt. Breaking eye contact first for a change, Cas nodded at the sofa. "We should sit."
"Why?" Dean complained, "Can't we just do it standing? It should only take a few seconds, right?" He was well aware of how wrong this whole conversation sounded.
"Your first dose is going to be double the one you will take for the first couple of weeks." Cas informed him, "Even if I have full power over my grace, you'll still be absorbing a relatively big amount of energy. It'll weaken me for a few moments." Once again, Dean was put before Castiel's will to sacrifice himself for their sakes. Unlike all the other times, however, Dean acknowledged it and decided not to make this any more difficult.
"Fine. Don't faint on me though." He warned, his eyes showing the angel his worry while his words barely registered concern. "Don't want to have to deal with your ass if you pass out." He mumbled as he flopped down on the sofa.
Castiel sat down next to him, immediately taking an angel sword from inside his trench coat and pulling up his sleeve. And Dean actually let out a breath of relief when he realized he wouldn't have to suck Cas's neck or something…because that would've just been friggin' awkward. He winced slightly as Cas sliced a deep cut into his arm, frowning slightly when the angel closed his eyes as the wound shined slightly. This wasn't a normal weapon; this was an angel-killing sword. Dean could only guess it was actually painful for angels to even get a small cut with these things.
His thoughts were interrupted as Castiel offered his bleeding wrist to him, and Dean reluctantly took it in his hands. Green eyes met blue for a brief look of reassurance, but it was only after Cas nodded that Dean actually leaned down to bring his mouth to the wound. He winced as he tasted the coppery substance…it was…
…A lot better than he'd been expecting.
Dean had tasted blood before. And whether it had been his own or the one of the souls he'd tortured in Hell, he'd never actually liked the taste. It was just wrong. But angel blood must have something to it, because while he could taste metal, it wasn't repelling at all. He actually found it tasted pretty good. Addicting.
The hunter resisted against the hand pushing against his shoulder, pushing him away from the coppery life source. He was barely aware of an almost animalistic growl rumbling in his chest, and the echo of his name piercing through to his mind. Finally, a stronger force pushed him completely away from the bleeding wound, to the point of almost throwing him off the sofa.
And he snapped out of it.
Putting a hand to his lips, Dean looked at the blood dirtying his fingers with horrified fascination. The sound of shallow breathing bringing him out of his trance as he looked up to the angel sitting next to him.
Castiel had moved away from him, to the other end of the sofa, and was leaning back, his face pale. His chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his erratic breathing.
This was wrong.
Was Cas supposed to be feeling so weak?
He couldn't have drank that much, could he?
Voice faltering, Dean motioned to move towards the angel, "Cas?" Something tightened in his chest when Castiel flinched slightly. "You okay? Did I—" he swallowed, "Did I take too much?"
The angel shook his head, still working on getting his breathing back to normal as he tried to reassure his charge. "No, you—" he cleared his throat, trying to erase the sudden exhaustion in it, "This is my first time doing this too." Calm blue eyes turned to meet frightened hazel green, "I'm not used to having my energy leave me like this. But it should become easier eventually." Cas straightened up, bringing two fingers to the wound. Dean watched with curiosity as the wound closed, but the scar remained.
Cas must have noticed him staring, because he was suddenly looking back at him with his usual head tilt. "Dean?"
"Your arm." Dean pointed out, his voice back to its usual low confidence tinted with a touch of concern, "The wound scarred. Is that normal? Shouldn't it disappear like it was never there or something?" While he tried to keep his tone nonchalant, Dean knew Castiel could see right through him.
Cas gave him one of his non-smiles, eyes softening slightly, "Injuries made with these swords not only affect the vessel, Dean, but the angel as well. The fact that the scar remains visible means the wound has not been healed completely. My grace is still…bleeding, as it were."
Dean frowned, eyes dark as he eyed the pale scar on Castiel's arm. So entranced was he in his own thoughts that he barely felt Cas's hand on his shoulder. As the contact broke through his thoughts, he looked up into the angel's eyes. "Dean. It'll heal."
The hunter nodded, forcing a brief smile before standing up. Bringing his hands to his mouth, he wiped the drying blood from his lips and heaved a sigh.
"Alright. So, when am I supposed to be getting my superpowers?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood but not quite succeeding.
Castiel frowned slightly at his odd choice of words, but didn't ask, "You should start noticing changes in the way you perceive things. Your vision, your hearing and reflexes will be much more acute."
Dean snorted, "Awesome. So I should be able to see you guys without going blind, right?" Castiel nodded, and Dean glanced around the room, trying to see if anything had changed. "Well, I gotta tell ya. I'm not so sure if your juice is workin' right, Cas." He chuckled, "Because I see exactly the—" his words left him as he looked back at Cas, eyes widening when he distinguished the blue aura surrounding the angel. "What the—" he closed his eyes, taking a step back as he rubbed them furiously. When he opened them again, the light was only clearer than before, and he could now distinguish a pair of huge dark shadows growing from Castiel's back.
His wings.
"Cas, are those—" he swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry, "Are those your wings?"
Castiel arched his eyebrows slightly in surprise. "You can see them?" The hunter nodded. "I didn't think you'd be able to see them this soon." He frowned slightly, "Although I guess it makes sense…"
Dean forced himself to look away from the wings – which were becoming more visible by the minute – and glanced at Cas with a frown of his own. "Well, would you mind enlightening me as well? I'm kind of freaking out here."
"You're Michael's vessel. Your tolerance for angel blood should be higher than a normal human being. Even higher than a common vessel."
The hunter felt his knees go weak and staggered back to hold on to a chair. "Great," his voice shook slightly, "So I'm already in for more than I bargained for. Awesome."
"I'm sorry." Cas looked down, and Dean kept quiet. He knew Cas was sorry, and he knew it wasn't his fault. But it would take some time for him to be okay with this whole angel blood thing, and to top it all, his destiny as Michael's angel condom had found a way to mess with his life even after the apocalypse. It was a lot to take on.
They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. After a few moments, Dean found his eyes wandering back to the angel's wings. He could see them clearly now. Cas's wings were of tones of grey and black, like a hawk's. Forgetting the messed up situation he was in, he watched with curious fascination as the wings moved and the feathers fluttered, showing the angel's emotions better than his facial expression ever did. Dean almost smiled as Cas's wings moved back slightly, like he was upset at something, which allowed him to see a bit more of the gray wings…
Enough to see the charred and burned feathers at the edges and the tip.
"Cas." The angel looked up to him immediately, tilting his head in question. "Your wings…" Dean pointed at them halfheartedly, "How did you…" he hesitated, not knowing if he was even supposed to be noticing this, "How did they get burned?"
Castiel looked down again, his wings fluttering uncomfortably behind him, "Hell." He answered quietly, "Getting Sam and Adam out of the cage was harder than I'd anticipated." Dean winced, the guilt of all the blame and hatred he'd laid on his friend making his chest constrict in shame. He wanted to ask more…but by the way Castiel's wings were folded tensely just over his shoulders, the angel didn't want to talk about it. And Dean could respect that. So he moved the conversation elsewhere.
"You saved Adam too?" Cas nodded, "Do you know were he is?"
Castiel sighed, his wings relaxing slightly at the change of subject, "I rescued both Adam's and Sam's souls from the cage. But Adam told me he had nothing and no one else to live for, and begged me to send him to Heaven with his mother." He explained, sympathy and understanding clear in his gruff voice, "Sam didn't ask for Heaven, so I reconstructed his body and…" he looked away, not wanting to finish, knowing it would only bring back the pain of Dean's fight with Sam.
"Good," Dean answered, nodding to himself, "That's…that's great. He deserved to be happy." He looked down at the floor for a few minutes before looking up. "Cas?"
The angel met his eyes, feathers ruffling slightly, as though waiting to be bashed for something. Dean's eyes saddened, but they shone true as he looked at his friend in the eye.
"Thank you."
Cas's eyes widened slightly, wings relaxing and stretching out slowly before flexing back. The angel smiled.
"You're welcome."
