/ / I had some serious writer block with this chapter, so sorry for how long it took to update!


Custiel barely got any sleep the night before. About five hours or so by his count. Certainly not what he'd consider a good night's rest, especially on the weekend. But who could blame him when it came to his nerves getting the best of him? He was in no way looking forward to this visit to Tenth's flat – other than getting to see Michelle – and his inability to sleep was only showing that. He was almost tempted to take some sleeping pills or something to knock him out. But after lying there in his bed for another couple hours, trying to get back to sleep, he gave up. If his body wasn't going to let him sleep, he might as well do something to keep himself busy.

Most of the day after failing to sleep was spent packing. Deciding what he'd need, what he wouldn't need, what suits to bring, and figuring out just how many bags he'd need. He'd never been on a trip this long before. Certainly a couple days' worth of a trip, but never really an entire week. So better to be prepared than not at all. Even though he would have the entire weekend to figure it out, it was something to do.

Around noon, he even contemplated calling his dad like Tenth had said he should. A certain part of him felt compelled to do that. Perhaps it was the part lodged deeply within him, the scared little boy that was begging and pleading for his father's attention. Begging for anything good from him. But the other part of him, the part dedicated to loathing his father, was much larger and much more dominant. He wasn't that scared little boy looking for approval or guidance anymore. So he didn't let that thought linger for long before brushing it off. He could only handle so much of his family and Tenth was enough for one day.

However, before he realized it, he'd fallen asleep on his couch. He only meant to lie down for a few minutes, taking a break from packing and tidying up his flat in the process. Seemed that lack of sleep had taken more of a toll on him than he originally thought. And oversleeping was definitely not on his agenda for the day.

Rubbing his eyes and giving a small groan of sleepiness, he felt a small panic rising within him as he noticed the sun streaming in through the window was already beginning to set. He was quick to reach within his pocket, digging out his mobile. His eyes widened as he realized he was nearly an hour late.

"Shit," Custiel cursed as he sprung up, rushing into the bedroom to quickly change. After slipping on a pair of black jeans, he grabbed a light blue long sleeved shirt that was lying out on his bed and threw that on quick as he could. After tying his boots on, he grabbed his mobile from where he'd laid it on his desk and remembered seeing the notification for a missed call from Michelle and a new voicemail.

He dialed his voicemail as he stepped back into the living room to grab his hooded leather jacket, listening as Michelle's voice came from the other end.

"Hey, Custiel, Tenth and I were wonderin' where ya were and if ya are still comin'? Anyway, call me as soon as ya can."

He could imagine that Michelle was the only one truly wondering where he was. Tenth more than likely couldn't care less with Michelle being there. It just meant he had time alone with her. And Custiel really didn't like that those two seemed to have a lot of time alone together. He wasn't sure why it bothered him, but it just really did.

Custiel let out a heavy and quick sigh as he slid his jacket on, smoothing his hair down as best he could before he was out the door and hailing a cab. Just as the cab pulled up he got himself within it, gave the driver the directions, and immediately dialed Michelle's number. A small yawn escaped his mouth as it rang and before long, he heard Michelle's voice once more.

"Custiel, hey, there ya are," she sounded a bit relieved which definitely made Custiel feel a bit better.

He was quick to explain, "Hey, sorry, I ah… Kind of took an unplanned nap 'n overslept a bit. Everything alright over there?"

There was the hint of a smile in her tone, "Yea, everything's alright. I hope ya don't get upset, but… We just finished eatin'. I wanted to wait, but it was gettin' cold."

"Oh, no, no, s'fine," Custiel reassured her, honestly not minding as much as he probably should've. He just wasn't all that eager to eat any of Tenth's food. "My fault I'm late anyway."

"Alright, well, you're on your way now, yea?"

Custiel nodded, "Yeah, I'm in a cab now. So I'll be there soon."

Her voice seemed to uplift a bit more, "Okay, see ya when ya get here."

Giving a simple goodbye, Custiel brought the mobile away from his ear and hung up. He let out a small sigh, one filled with hints of regret and silent, mental berating. This could've possibly been the last day he'd see Michelle for a week and he'd already gone and wasted time with an accidental nap. Maybe he really should've put an effort forward into finding some sleeping pills earlier. Then he wouldn't be so tired now.

On the bright side, he supposed he wouldn't have to try Tenth's food. No need to force any compliments out. Even if the food he'd made was good, there was a chance he'd rather not admit it. Tenth's ego was big enough without him having to inflate it. In fact, if he were to do that anymore, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to fit in the same room as him. His ego would be taking up all the space.

Although whether that would be true or not, it didn't matter. He'd arrived. After paying the driver, he made his way up a few steps and after a bit more walking, he was finally at Tenth's door. The white wood was very sleek, almost looked to be newly polished. Probably wasn't the case, but it just seemed to exude a look of newness to it that would probably be retained for years to come just because of its quality. Already his brother's flat was nicer.

Brushing these thoughts aside for later, he raised his hand… And had a second of hesitation. He could get through this. Things would be fine. Pressing forward, Custiel rapped on the door a few times. Seemingly moments later the door swung inward, revealing the spiky haired man.

A smile quickly settled itself onto the taller brother's lips as he spoke, "You're late, little brother."

"Yeah, thanks for pointing out the obvious," Custiel shot back, tone lightly irked.

Tenth was wearing a white button up shirt with denim jeans, an outfit Custiel wouldn't have really expected. Perhaps he expected something a bit more impressive for Michelle's sake. But maybe he was going for some sort of casual look. Then again, he always seemed to make up for it with his hair, always gelled and always styled.

Michelle soon popped up beside Tenth, an even bigger smile on her features, "Custiel! Ya made it!"

Her smile was always contagious. It lit up a warmth within Custiel that he could never find it in him to fight, even if Tenth was nearby. He supposed that was a good thing, really. As Tenth stepped by to let him in, he found himself in Michelle's arms, a chuckle escaping past his lips as he returned her hug. She was dressed in a white tank top with a black skirt that ended just above her knees, her hair down in its usual wavy lengths.

"Hello to you too, Michelle," Custiel said as she pulled back and he walked into the flat. "Would've been here sooner, but I-"

"Took a nap. You were too busy sleeping. Yeah, Michelle told me," Tenth cut Custiel off as he closed the door and slid his hands into his pockets. His features seemed to be mildly amused as he continued, "Sleep is just way more important to you than us, I suppose."

Custiel's eyebrows tugged together, a bit annoyed at that, "No, no, that's not true. S'not like I meant to fall asleep." He probably wouldn't have denied that sleep was more important if he were only going to be meeting up with Tenth today. It'd simply be an 'oops, rain check?'

Tenth's left eyebrow rose teasingly, "You weren't trying to get out of tasting my amazing cooking, were you?"

Custiel considered that, "Hhm, well, maybe that's why I overslept; I just knew whatever you'd make would be bad. I was just saving myself the trouble."

There was a small giggle from Michelle as she jumped into the conversation, "The food was actually really good! Ya don't give Tenth enough credit, Custiel."

Way to stroke his ego. Tenth just gave a smug smirk Custiel's way, "See? Michelle's got good taste. She knows brilliance when she sees it. Or… Tastes it, rather."

"Yeah," Custiel gave in with a bit of a forced chuckle. "We'll jus' see 'bout that."

He really still didn't want to try it. But there was a bit of a competition brewing between them, unspoken and unwritten. Just as it had always been between them. Tenth seemed to take that challenge, wanting to prove him wrong, Custiel was sure.

He began leading him toward the kitchen of his flat, giving him time to look more closely at his place. It was nice. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind about that. Much bigger than Custiel's and even Michelle's flats. More spacious, more clean, more, well… Everything. It even made him feel a bit embarrassed about his own flat. He could only wonder what Michelle thought, comparing them. Of course she probably realized just as he had Tenth's flat was better than his. And maybe he couldn't blame her. It was only truth. It cut into his confidence, but that was nothing new around Tenth.

Upon entering the very white kitchen, there's a small dining table just at the edge of the kitchen tiles, a few tubs for leftover food sitting on top. Michelle is the first to take a seat on one of the four chairs surrounding the table, folding her hands within her lap. Custiel takes the liberty of settling down in the seat next to her before Tenth could and finds a small triumph when he succeeds. But as he looks to Tenth, he doesn't seem as concerned as Custiel would've hoped. So much for that.

"So what'd you make, then?" Custiel asked, looking up to Tenth who stood at the opposite side of the table.

Michelle answered before Tenth could, reaching forward to grab the largest tub and uncover it, "Three cheese lasagna; it's amazin'."

Custiel could tell Tenth was trying to downplay his smugness with modesty, waving it off with a few chuckles, "Of course it's amazing to you, Michelle."

"I can't help that I have a weakness for Italian food," she replied mock defensively with a small laugh.

Tenth gave a larger laugh, his toothy grin growing as well, "Exactly why I made it."

Custiel had to resist the urge to sigh loudly, "Well, can I have any of it or not?"

"Yeah, of course you can," Tenth confirmed with his smile still intact as he reached for a plate within a white cabinet, grabbing a spatula from a drawer below said cabinet. Tenth scooped a good portion from the leftover food and placed it on the plate before stepping over to the microwave and putting it in, setting the time for just under a minute.

"Your face doesn't look like it got hit by a truck anymore," Tenth commented pointedly at Custiel as he turned to face him once more.

Custiel scoffed a bit at that, "Oh, and it did before?"

Tenth laughed, "In all fairness– it did look horrible last week."

"It didn't look horrible, it just looked…" Michelle trailed off, her defense left unsupported. Although Custiel appreciated her attempt to defend him, at least.

"Horrible," Tenth finished Michelle's hanging sentence. "But it doesn't really anymore, so no need to get all offended, Custiel."

Custiel's features twisted into a sort of mocking appreciation, eyebrows raised high on his forehead, "Wow, thanks, I think that was almost a compliment."

The microwave suddenly sounded, prompting Tenth to turn back around and retrieve the plate, grabbing a fork from a drawer and placing it before Custiel on the table, "You're welcome, by the way."

"M'not gonna thank you yet," Custiel argued as he grabbed the fork and gave a bit of a challenging smile toward Tenth. "Especially if it's actually horrible 'n Michelle is just being nice 'bout it."

That got a bit of a laugh out of Michelle, "Hey, don't judge it before ya try it, Custiel."

"Still waiting for that thank you," Tenth shot back as he sat himself down across from Michelle and Custiel, an expectant smugness about his gaze. "Trust me; I know it's coming. I know everything."

Custiel could roll his eyes at that one. And he did. Very visibly. It got nothing more than a laugh out of Tenth, "You know I'm right."

He didn't bother to respond to that one. Without hesitating another moment, he pressed his fork into the food, bringing up a piece of it and placing it within his mouth. He was so prepared to shoot it down and dislike it that he hadn't considered the possibility it really might've been good. And it really was. Michelle wasn't exaggerating in a single sense of the word, and he found himself swallowing it after just a few chews.

He hadn't quite realized, but Michelle and Tenth were both watching him expectantly, gauging his reaction and trying to figure out just how he felt about the cuisine. After a moment or two more of silence, Michelle urged, "Well? What do ya think, Custiel?"

"It's completely okay to admit you like it," Tenth encouraged him, the corners of his lips still curved upward.

"Alright, alright," Custiel gave in, giving up the fight for the moment. "It's not… Bad."

There was a laugh from Michelle, "See? Ya totally like it!"

The smugness in Tenth's eyes could very well be the equivalent of pumping his fist into the air in a small victory, "Where's my thank you?"

Stabbing the fork back into the lasagna, he looked to Tenth fully and grudgingly said with every ounce of disgruntlement he could, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Tenth threw back, seemingly not at all bothered by his younger brother's discontented appreciation. Custiel couldn't rightly tell whether he chose to ignore it or simply didn't pick up on it. "Made that from scratch too, so you know. Enjoy."

He probably thought he was so impressive. Obviously by the fact that he knew this kind of food would please Michelle, really, properly impress her even, he was going the extra mile just to be amazing and great. Custiel certainly wasn't surprised but that didn't mean he found it any less grating. Still, it was out there, the smugness was already beginning to fade, and he went on to take another bite of the food. He was too hungry to really refuse it and it really was good. He had to give him some credit there.

"So," Michelle began as she placed her elbows on the table, folding her hands together, "Tenth was tellin' me 'bout the Hamlet play you were in durin' high school."

Custiel nearly choked on the food as it went down, not expecting that at all. But he swallowed just fine, trying to play it off, "What?"

Custiel had no doubt Tenth just loved to tell that story, especially to Michelle. It was a terribly embarrassing story that he wished could be lodged away, deeply within the past where it could never be found again. Ever. But of course, that would be too simple. If Tenth could make an earning from embarrassing Custiel, he'd no doubt be rich by now.

The story went that during his first year of high school, he'd decided to go for a role in theatre. It was a phase, but when didn't young teens have phases of some sort? After getting the part ghost of Hamlet's father, he was actually quite ecstatic. He'd learned every line, delivered them brilliantly, but when it came to opening night…

"Custiel tripped and fell on the very first night of the play," Tenth went on as if he were continuing from a previous discussion. No doubt the one they'd been having before Custiel showed up. "Knocked his head so hard, he got a concussion! Can you believe that? A concussion!"

Custiel could feel blood quickly rushing to his face, Michelle's attempt at stifling her giggles not helping at all. He was quick to drop the fork onto his plate and covered his face with a barely audible groan, "Not this bloody story."

"Oh my God!" Michelle finally said, still trying to stop her laughter. Custiel supposed it was nice of her to try to not laugh, but it was embarrassing nonetheless. "That's horrible! Was he okay?"

"They had to get his understudy to take over," he explained like it weren't something completely and totally humiliating. "He really smacked his head hard."

"I'm right here, y'know," Custiel finally cut in, huffing out a quick breath of frustration. He was boring his eyes into the table, attempting to will the heat away from his face. Why'd he have to always blush so easily?

The touch of Michelle's hand was felt on his upper arm on his right, Michelle's giggles dying down more, "I'm sorry, Custiel, I'm sorry."

Tenth just laughed, "You know it was funny."

"No, I really don't find it that funny," Custiel shot a rebuttal Tenth's way, his attention turning up to him slightly.

Tenth gave a few more chuckles, "Alright, no need to get all pouty about it."

There was just really no winning in situations like this with Tenth. Not when it came to him telling embarrassing stories about his teenage years. He didn't even bother to try arguing on it.

"Well, what do you think of my flat? You never did say," Tenth inquired, the subject change, albeit one to inflate his ego no doubt, a welcome one.

Custiel could feel his face luckily losing its heat as he looked up more properly, turning his attention to look around the place. He hated he was about to say this, but, "Yeah, it's nice."

Michelle chimed in then, "I like it a lot. It's really spacious."

That got quite the reaction from Tenth, a grin gracing his lips for the umpteenth time that day as he began to list out how much space it actually had and what it featured. Not that Custiel really cared to know, so he found himself phasing out from the conversation a bit. He continued to eat his plate of lasagna, nodding when appropriate just to make it look as if he really did care. Michelle seemed a bit more interested than him, but he wouldn't blame her if she just didn't care all that much to know all the details about Tenth's flat.

It then came to Custiel that he realized how well he was actually doing. Either Tenth wasn't being as obtrusive as usual or perhaps he was just getting better control over this 'getting along' thing. With everything considered, that was a pretty impressive feat. Maybe it was even the fact that Michelle was sitting next to him and not Tenth. Quite the bonus on its own. Whatever it was, he was just glad this was going better than he expected.

As he finished his plate of lasagna, he got up and brought the used plate to the sink, turning on the faucet and washing off the plate as he did so.

"Hey, Custiel," Michelle asked just as there was a lull from Tenth's explanation of everything about his flat. It caused him to turn around after turning the faucet off, his eyebrows rising just slightly. "Can ya tell me why Tenth's nickname is Tenth? He won't tell me."

"Now that is cheating, missy," Tenth immediately reprimanded her, to which Custiel gladly paid no mind.

Michelle grinned almost mischievously, "Well if ya won't tell me, then I'm sure Custiel will."

"Hhmm, let me guess," Custiel hummed thoughtfully as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, taking his time in answering. "Did he tell you something like, I dunno, it 'makes him a mysterious man'?"

Michelle giggled lightly at Custiel's mocking of Tenth's voice, "Yea, he actually said that a time or two."

"I am a mysterious man! Custiel, don't shatter the illusion," he warned his younger brother, eyeing him with determination.

Custiel could only laugh at that as he returned to his seat, "What illusion? That you were born at 10:10 in the morning 'n ten jus' happened to be our dad's lucky number so he started calling you Tenth? Where's the mystery in that?"

Tenth threw his hands up in defeat, "Well now there's no mystery!"

"Ohhh, okay, now it makes sense," Michelle nodded several times at the new found knowledge, a more genuine smile beginning to tug at her lips. "Mystery solved. Thanks, Custiel."

Custiel smiled over at her, nearly proud of himself, "Could've asked me sooner, y'know. Wouldn't want you to get the idea he got it from some amazing accomplishment."

He found himself smiling even more as he gave a louder laugh, Tenth cutting in and quickly changing the subject, "How would you two fancy a bit of a game?"

Did he just win that time? Custiel believed he did. Maybe a little more evening out after that Hamlet story.

"What kinda game?" Michelle asked, now seeming to grow more serious with curiosity hanging in her voice.

Without another word, Tenth walked over to a large bookshelf where he grabbed a moderately-sized black box from the top, bringing it over to the table and setting it down, "Cards Against Humanity."

Custiel's eyebrows piqued up slightly, "You actually own that game. Oh, blimey…"

Custiel had certainly played the game before. He couldn't say it was particularly his sort of game, but it was good for a laugh. He just hadn't quite expected Tenth to have it himself.

"So?" Tenth urged on, taking his seat once more and giving a challenging sort of grin their way. "Up to play? Or not?"

"I've actually never played," Michelle admitted a bit bashfully, but she was quick to try and cover. "But I know how to. I'd love to play."

Both of them looked to Custiel, waiting for his response. He gave in with a small shrug, figuring he didn't have much of a choice, "Sure, why not."

As if that were his cue, Tenth opened the box, beginning to pull out two stacks of cards; one stack was white and the other was black. As Tenth shuffled the cards, he explained, "Why not play with some special rules?"

Custiel could feel his brow furrowing at that, not liking the sound of that a single bit. When Tenth made the rules, they were never exactly fair, something to be more within his favor than Custiel's. But he would bite.

"'N what special rules would that be?" Custiel asked, equally worried as much as he was eager to find out.

Tenth halved the stack of white cards, placing one stack before Custiel and another before himself as he elaborated, "Michelle, you can be the judge on which of us has got the funniest card every round."

Pausing for a moment, Tenth put the stack of black cards in front of Michelle, "First to win three rounds is the winner and winner gets to share one embarrassing thing about the other. Good then?"

"Yea, I'm totally game," Michelle agreed with a nod and a smile, looking to actually be excited about it. She turned her attention to Custiel who was silently contemplating the pros and cons of these rules, finding more cons in them than there were pros, in all honesty. "Are ya okay with this, Custiel?"

There was still a chance to back out. Still a chance he could save himself the trouble if he lost. But there was also that equal chance that he could win and share something embarrassing about Tenth. Although Tenth might've had many more stories to tell about Custiel, he had his share. A few in particular he thought up right off the bat and he wouldn't hesitate to take the chance to tell Michelle. It was just too good of something to resist, really.

And so he gave a nod, looking from Michelle to Tenth with a challenging smile growing across his lips, "You're on."

Michelle gave her stack of black cards one last good shuffle, even though Tenth had done it himself, and drew on a single card on the top. She brought it up and read it out loud, "'What don't you want to find in your Kung Pao chicken?'"

That got a small giggle out of Michelle as she laid it down and looked to both the boys expectantly. Taking the hint, they each began to draw their cards when Tenth reminded Custiel, "Only five cards at one time."

Like Custiel needed Tenth to remind him of that. Whatever reason he felt the need to say that, it didn't matter. He was too busy reading over the cards within his hand. 'A cooler full of organs, Justin Bieber, bees?, half-assed foreplay, and pulling out' were his choice of cards. Honestly not the best hand, he knew there were probably better ones, but he wasn't completely hopeless. He just had to rely on the possibility that Tenth had drawn a worse hand than he had.

Custiel chuckled lightly to himself as he grabbed a card from his hand and laid it out, "How 'bout 'Justin Bieber'."

A larger laugh ensued from Michelle at Custiel's card, hand covering her mouth in attempt to keep her laughter down, "I definitely wouldn't want to find that in my Kung Pao chicken."

Custiel's eyebrows rose in a challenging way, a tinge of smugness staining his features, "Got any better than that?"

That actually got a bit of a laugh from Tenth. Or perhaps it was because of his own card that he read out, seemingly unaffected by Custiel's challenge, "'The clitoris.'"

There was definitely an attempt to hold back his laughter as Tenth laid down the card, but Michelle's own laughter was far too contagious. Custiel couldn't stop as it left his throat, his chest bubbling with what were practically giggles.

"Okay, okay, that's just gross," Michelle protested with a wave or two of her hand, trying to contain her soft laughs. "Tenth definitely wins that one though."

Damn, and here Custiel thought he actually had that one. He still thought his card was funnier, but Michelle was the judge here. He just hoped that this next one he could actually nail. Especially after seeing that look of victory overcoming Tenth's features.

"Fine, it's only one round, there's plenty of time for me to win," Custiel brushed it off, trying to act like it didn't bother him at all. And really, it didn't bother him all that much. He could still win.

Tenth just chuckled as he pushed the used cards to the side, "Well, we'll see."

Michelle wasted no time in drawing out another black card, reading it over, "'Blank. That's how I want to die.' Alright, go."

As she laid the card down, Custiel and Tenth drew from their respective decks, Custiel's hopes for a great card being diminished as he read the new one. 'Five-Dollar Footlongs'. Not exactly one that would work so well for this one, but he wasn't worried. He was sure he'd have this one down.

Laying out his card, Tenth read it as he did so, "'Raptor attacks.'"

"Oh my God, that's just horrific!" Michelle protested with barely concealed laughter. "I wouldn't want to die like that!"

Tenth found himself laughing just as Custiel did, his shoulders rising and falling as he tried to defend his card, "Well, think about it. When others read your obituary and saw you were killed by raptor attacks, no one would ever forget that kind of thing. If you've got to go some way, might as well be by raptors."

She just shook her head with another laugh, "Still doesn't sound like the way I'd want to die."

Custiel wasn't bothered by this choice or Michelle's reaction. Because he was sure this round would be his. As Michelle looked to Custiel to signal his turn, he put out one of his cards, "'Pulling out.'"

Again, Michelle's laughter was contagious. Even to Tenth, it seemed contagious. She covered her face, trying to contain the laugh, shaking her head as she did so.

"I think we know who the winner is here," Custiel finally managed through his own chortles.

Michelle finally seemed to recover her composure a bit as she uncovered her face and nodded, a giggle or two lingering in her tone, "Custiel, ya win that one."

Custiel couldn't stop the noise of triumph that left his mouth, a look of victory being conveyed all throughout his squared features. Tenth seemed to pay the smugness no mind, giving Custiel an even higher sense of elation that Tenth actually didn't have any comment to give out for once. Now if only he could win just two more times, he would get the opportunity he'd never properly gotten.

Wasting no more time, Michelle drew another black card just as Tenth brushed off the used cards once more, a small giggle lining her lips as she read it silently to herself. Custiel urged her on, "Well? What's it say?"

"'How did I lose my virginity?'" she read aloud before placing it down on the table, the response from each brother being to draw from their respective decks. It seemed with their evened score, they were equally determined to win, the game turning from one of laughter and fun to one of pure competition. And not the light hearted kind.

Custiel's grin grew at his new card, 'tentacle porn', deeming it absolutely perfect for this one. So immediately he laid it down, "'Tentacle porn.'"

To which it got an instant reaction from Michelle, her features a mixture of amusement and disgust, her laughter unstoppable, "Oh my God, Custiel! No!"

Custiel certainly couldn't help but chuckle along, her reaction definitely a good sign. He'd love to see Tenth beat that one.

"'Mr. Clean, right behind you.'"

Judging by the laugh that came from Michelle right then, Custiel could feel that maybe he didn't quite have this one after all.

"This game – it's so bad!" Michelle finally managed, beginning to come down from her laughing fit.

Tenth chuckled lightly, a certain assured air about his voice, "So, is that a sign I won that round?"

Custiel watched Michelle carefully as she contemplated this, seeming to go back and forth a bit before finally coming to a conclusion, "Okay, yea, ya won that one, Tenth."

A rising sort of gnawing worry began to tug within Custiel. Tenth only needed one more win and that would be it. The possibilities of just what he'd choose to embarrass him over were endless and it was probable that he may know some things Custiel never would've known he was aware of. He was suddenly beginning to regret agreeing to this game.

But he couldn't let it stop him. He could still win this. It wasn't impossible. But God, was it looking pretty improbable.

"One more and I win," Tenth mentioned as he swiped away the used cards, reminding Custiel to what he already painfully knew. "Better step up your game, Custiel, or you're going to lose."

"Yeah, I know the rules," Custiel bit out, looking to Michelle as she drew another black card.

Michelle quickly read it silently to herself, a small smile tugging at her lips before she read it out to the both of them, "'A romantic, candlelit dinner would be incomplete without blank.'"

Custiel began to reach for a new card when Tenth immediately put out his, not even bothering to draw this round. And as Tenth read out, "'Viagra,'" Custiel understood why he didn't bother taking a card. And he could just tell, he knew, Tenth did that one on purpose. Purposefully stabbing him with that bloody reminder.

Custiel could feel himself a bit frozen up, the word honestly triggering the beginnings of a blush. Although he wasn't sure whether it was a blush of embarrassment… Or one of anger. Tenth's large smile certainly didn't help the situation, only rubbed it in. And he was sure Tenth knew exactly what he was doing. He hadn't even noticed that had gotten quite the reaction from Michelle. But this wasn't much about the stupid game anymore.

After a few more moments of Custiel just simply glaring at Tenth, Michelle moved toward him slightly, "Custiel? It's your turn."

Without looking at his cards, he selected a random one and set it out. He didn't even bother reading it before it was laid out.

"'Five-Dollar Footlongs'?" Tenth read as he leaned over to see the card more properly, his face contorting into something like amused confusion. "Well, that's pretty rubbish."

Michelle gives a small laugh before admitting, "Well, looks like Tenth wins."

Of course he did. He barely even paid attention as Tenth gave a triumphant laugh, his voice pounding more and more annoyance into Custiel with each syllable, "As I expected."

It seemed like Tenth was waiting for Custiel to say something to that, but instead he just got silence. Silence combined with a glare that wasn't in the least bit concealed.

"Got anything to say, Custiel? Or are you going to be a sore loser?" Tenth asked with the raise of his left eyebrow, the stupid little smile on his lips driving Custiel even madder. It was enough that he won using that card, but rubbing it in like this…

Custiel placed his cards back into his stack, averting his eyes away from Tenth and forcing out, "Congrats."

Maybe if Tenth hadn't played that particular card, this loss wouldn't have been as bad. In many ways, perhaps he was overreacting and he shouldn't have let it get to him so much. But maybe it was just the fact that Tenth had intentionally played that card to get under his skin is what bothered him so much.

"Custiel?" Michelle asked, her voice much more serious and quiet. "Are ya okay?"

"Ohh, don't worry about him, he's fine," Tenth chimed in, prompting Custiel's eyes to shift from Michelle back to his brother. "In fact, I'm sure he's more than fine, especially after last weekend."

Eyes widening, Custiel snapped his full attention to Tenth, his heart nearly stopping in his chest and rising to block his throat. He wouldn't… Custiel opened his mouth to say something, anything, but Michelle beat him to it.

"What're ya talkin' 'bout?" her tone was genuine, the question honest and inquiring.

Tenth smiled a bit wider, obviously pleased by her curiosity, "Hold on, I'll show you."

Custiel could feel his eyebrows furrowing together into a line of confusion, his voice unsteady even to his own ears, "What are you talking 'bout."

After Tenth retrieved his mobile from his pocket, he began searching through it, that damned smile never leaving his lips, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Custiel."

There was an internal rising panic, wanting to deny what he thought it might've been, not wanting to believe what he could have been referring to. But there were parts of confusion in it, the need for his mobile being out not adding up to it all. What the hell was he going to show her?

Tenth's attention turned from his mobile to Michelle, his voice holding an estranged sort of innocence to it, "I wasn't going to say anything about this, but I mean, I won the game. One embarrassing thing, right? That was the deal?"

For just one moment, just one tiny moment, Custiel wished everything would freeze, that everything would stop. Because the longer this dragged out, the more he realized it was what he feared it would be. The stag. The stripper. The handjob.

Unfortunately, nothing froze. Everything continued normally. And before he could say a single thing, Tenth's mobile was in Michelle's hands, her features indiscernible as her eyes flickered over the screen. What hammered the last nail into the coffin were Tenth's words, "Custiel just couldn't help himself after he saw that stripper."

Eyes widening, he felt an immediate blush rushing to his face. He was too stunned to even cover it this time. Not only had Tenth revealed something that he never wanted Michelle to know, he took pictures. Bloody pictures! He had the gall to not just drug his drink and get the stripper on him, but to take a picture of the shameful incident.

There was no finding the right words right then. Michelle just continued to stare at the screen, the flat suddenly quiet and the air thick with a mixed tension. Custiel wanted to take it as a good sign that Michelle hadn't started laughing… But he didn't realize how bad of a sign it actually was.

"I tried to tell him not to let her do it," Tenth finally broke the silence, the lie actually stinging and adding salt to the wound. "But he was so eager."

"Shut the hell up!" Custiel found words at last, his voice much louder in comparison. It nearly echoed within the flat. He was quick to turn his attention to Michelle, stumbling for something, anything, "Michelle, it-it's not… It's not what it looks like."

Michelle's features were still hard to read. But there was an odd sort of hurt within her eyes, the way her eyebrows pulled together in something that resembled frustration only hurting more, "Then what is it? Because it sure looks to me like you just let her do whatever she wanted to you. I thought you had better dignity than this, Custiel."

That dug deep. Deeper than he would've thought it ever could. He tried to explain, "It wasn't my fault-"

"It's plenty your fault for lettin' her have her hands down your pants," she shot back, placing the mobile down onto the table with a heavy sigh.

Custiel pointed at Tenth, "He slipped bloody Viagra into my drink and called the stripper over to me, Michelle!"

Michelle almost looked offended at that, a scoff escaping past her lips just as quickly as her defensive words, "Don't blame Tenth for somethin' ya obviously did!"

"I would never let that happen!" Custiel said nearly desperately, the fact she was siding with Tenth on this all the more painful.

Michelle suddenly picked the mobile back up, shoving it toward Custiel. That was when he got a good look at the incriminating picture, shame and embarrassment alike washing over him. It looked even worse from the outside view. The only thing he could be grateful for was his member was still covered by his jeans. But the fact that this stripper had her hand within his pants was still just as bad and the expression on his face… She was never supposed to find out about this.

"Well that's obviously not true, so stop lyin' and stop tryin' to blame your brother!" Michelle's words were like individual stabs but nothing pushed him over the edge quite like what Tenth decided to say right then and there.

"Yeah, Custiel, it's not my fault you were so excited."

That was it. Custiel stood from his chair in one swift motion and in the very next, he was standing over Tenth where he sat, his hands clenching tightly at Tenth's shirt, "Tell her the truth!"

Although Custiel was in his face, Tenth didn't seem all that phased by it. He even gave a small laugh, "What? That you let that stripper jerk you off?"

"No!" Custiel denied with a quick jerk on the grip of Tenth's shirt. "The fact that you drugged my drink, you asshole! That you told the stripper to jerk me off!"

Custiel had been so caught up in his anger, letting his temper get the best of him (something he was sure he was doing better at recently, but in this case, who could really blame him?), he hadn't noticed that Michelle had gotten up from her seat as well. In fact, he only noticed once he felt her hands roughly pushing him away from Tenth.

"Custiel, stop!" Michelle shouted, her force enough to snap him out of it momentarily, leaving him to stumble back slightly.

Swallowing roughly, Custiel looked to Michelle with an expression that begged for her to believe him, "D'you really think I'm lying? Really?"

"I really don't think Tenth would spike your drink with Viagra," Michelle shot back, her voice holding a firmness to it.

Custiel shook his head, his brow forming a line of frustration, "You don't even know Tenth – you have no idea what he's like!"

"I know him well enough to know he wouldn't do somethin' like that!"

There was a moment of pause, that of which Custiel couldn't believe this. Everything was just being turned against him. Had this really been just what Tenth wanted? How long had he been setting this up?

Michelle's voice came out before Custiel's could again, quiet yet solid in its conviction, "Ya should leave. I don't even want to look at ya right now. I thought ya were better than that and I'm ashamed of ya."

If it were possible to hear the sound of a shattering heart, splintering into shards upon shards, Custiel was sure it would've been loud enough to reach every corner of this flat and then some. His voice almost sounded broken as he pleaded, "Michelle, please, can we jus' talk-"

"No," Michelle denied him quietly, giving a shake of her head. "Just leave."

His throat felt dry and strangled. Even if he wanted to push this further, trying to get something more out of this, trying to solve it somehow, he knew it wouldn't be any good. Michelle didn't want to see him. And as much as it pained him, he knew going against that would only make things worse. He didn't dare bother to look at his brother again, afraid that there might be some sort of smug little smile lining his lips that would send him over the edge again. His temper was always a fragile thing when Tenth was ever involved. And he hated it nearly as much as he hated Tenth.

Giving Michelle one last look, he turned and made his way out of Tenth's flat. No looking back, no hesitations. Just the shutting of the door behind him and the hailing of a cab. Nothing but the numbness of a silent drive, a silent journey to his flat. So many times he'd opened the door to his flat, but there had never been any other time he'd felt this… Hopeless. Lost. Broken.

Entering into his empty flat, he closed the door, softly and quietly. He didn't bother turning on any lights, leaving the flat in an almost completely dark state. He found his back leaning against the door of his flat and, without much effort, allowed his body to slide down it until he felt himself meet the ground.

His thoughts were merely bits and pieces of a jumbled puzzle, not really all there at the moment. And he wasn't sure when they would all be put together to form any coherent thoughts over what just happened. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if this was just some really bad nightmare. A terrible dream that his mind was plaguing himself with. But he knew it wasn't a dream. He knew he wouldn't wake up from this. It was reality and it was fucked up. Completely and entirely.

Custiel sat there for several minutes, face buried into his hands, caught somewhere between tears and numbness. What could he do? What should he do?

Fighting off the tears as best he could, he reached into his pocket, taking out his mobile and quickly dialing Michelle's number. Maybe it wasn't the best course of action to take so soon, but he needed to do something. Yet as the ringing continued, he knew she wasn't going to answer. And before long, the only thing of her greeting him was her voicemail. To which the only words he left after that tone was, "I'm sorry, Michelle… I'm so sorry."