Shorty update I'm afraid, I should be writing for you know, by creative writing course, but this is so much more fun
Morning dawns tense and with Castiel sitting edgily in the chair opposite the bed in Dean's room.
"Have you been there all night?" Dean grunts, trying to wake himself up enough to open both his eyes without wincing.
"Only a few hours." Castiel looks ragged, hair sticking up at odd angles and eyes shadowed almost black underneath. "At some point we should probably go downstairs."
"And say what? None of this is our fault."
Castiel frowns deeply.
"I mean it. Did you force Gabriel to sleep with you? No. Did you introduce him to Sam? No. Did you lie?..."
"Yes." Castiel points out stonily.
"But not to them, and only to Sam for a really good reason." Dean insists. He manages to crack both eyes all the way open and glare at Castiel properly. "So we can go down there and talk to my parents like adults, ok?"
"Ok." Castiel nods, not looking particularly enthused or convinced.
"And then we should check on Gabriel and Sam." Dean adds, "Because that's going to be a mess."
John is already sitting at the breakfast table when they make it downstairs. Mary is worryingly absent, which leaves them with only Dean's father, a mug of coffee and that mornings paper, open to the society pages. Castiel doesn't have to look down to see Gabriel and Sam's picture atop one of the columns.
"Your mother's still trying to get Sam on the phone." John Winchester stirs sugar into his coffee as if he wishes it great personal harm. "No luck so far." He thumps the cup back onto the table. "First I've got to hear about you turning queer from Lisa, now I see Sam getting felt up by a man almost my age on NATIONAL FUCKING TELEVISON?" His voice makes both of them jump. "What the hell is happening to this family Dean? Two divorces, one grandkid I'm never going to see and both of my sons carrying on with..." He gestures violently with a spoon "A hooker, ex-hooker – no offence." Castiel is surprised by that but covers it well. "And a cradle robbing corporate asshole?...who you apparently used to work for..." he points at Castiel. "What happened? You wanted a contract so badly you fixed them up?" He turns his glare on Dean. "And you? Where were you when Sammy decided to start dating the pervert?"
"I didn't know! I thought he was making a move on that chick from work, then he turned up with Gabe..."
"Don't 'Gabe' me, not in this house." He points the spoon at Dean threateningly, which would be funny if he didn't look murderous. "He's older than Sam, by far, and he's his boss!, his bosses, boss point of fact – you really think your brother's ok in a relationship like that? 'cos I don't."
"Mr Winchester, I know Gabriel and I don't think he's the kind of person to take advantage..."
"Really, you know him as a friend or as a client who paid to stick his dick in your mouth?" John challenges.
Dean clenches his hands into fists.
"Dad, don't do this again." He warns.
"I understand that I'm perhaps not the best person to judge his character." Castiel perseveres. "But Gabriel always struck me as intelligent, moral and incredibly kind...despite perhaps being a little juvenile."
"Doesn't mean he's to be trusted." John practically growls. "You think we let Sam marry Ruby, hell, let Dean marry Lisa, without thinking they were good people? They were decent girls and somehow both of them wound up with you."
"Which wasn't my fault." Castiel says mildly. "and people are apt to change, even if they commit to somebody else."
"I didn't want to believe it, when Lisa called us." John practically growls. "that my son would do something like that, with the man who screwed his wife? You think I'd know what my own son was capable of, but no. And now Sam?" He thunders. "Sam's a good boy and now, because of all this crap, I don't know who he is..."
"Well then perhaps you're just not a good judge of character." Castiel counters. "and I would suggest at least meeting him, after all, you invited me here, it would be only fair to extend him the same courtesy."
Dean's kind of worried that his Father's just going to tackle Castiel to the ground, drag him outside and lock him the trunk of one of the cars. But surprisingly he confines himself to a slight narrowing of his eyes and a tightening of his mouth.
"You could be right." He allows, eventually.
Castiel looks mildly relieved.
Dean thinks he's just witnessed a minor miracle.
"Don't get me wrong, you're some kind of fucked up kid, but you're not dumb." John looks down into the depths of his coffee. "You're probably not going to cheat on my son and...hell, Mary likes you." He gestures with his mug, "So...there goes my nation."
Silence reigns in the kitchen.
"Great...so..." Dean pulls a chair out for Castiel. "Pancakes?"