Hey you guys! I'm sorry I've been taking so long with these stories. School is overwhelming me again, just like it done every time I try to do something with my life. So, I greatly apologize for that. I hope this makes up for it! You have no clue how happy I am that I finished it.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"You know something? Nobody ever does something to be nice. They always want to get something out of it." - Marvin's Room
"Don't think that I trust you just because I let you in on this. Because I don't." Cas said once they were on their way down the road. "If you make any move to backstab me, you'll both be dead before either one of you can say 'son of a bitch.'"
"I never said you did." Dean said, keeping his eyes on the road. "But, you were the one who asked us for help on your little project."
Cas' face twisted into a frown as he looked at Dean. "I didn't ask you for help. I offered to let you in on my plans, because one; it would be easier for me if I didn't have to do it completely by myself, although I am perfectly capable. And two; I thought you might be interested because we think alike. I never said I was asking for help, because I don't need any."
Dean quietly snorted, possibly hoping Cas wouldn't hear, but he did anyway. He could feel himself growing angry. He did not ask for help. He had offered, mostly to keep Dean from ripping his limbs off, but he would never say that out loud. The day he asked Dean Winchester for any sort of help will be the day the sky falls.
"Don't mock me, because I can, and will cut your tongue off." They reached a stop sign and the car ceased its movement. Dean looked over at him with his green eyes and stared at him like he was a little kid wanting to beat up a middle school bully. Cas didn't like it. It annoyed him to think that Dean looked down on him like he couldn't accomplish what he could.
But no matter how much it made him want to smack the look from his face, there was something about him that stopped him. Maybe it was his eyes, or his fondness of his brother. While they were loading all their stuff into Dean's impala, he had been observing him.
He had watched him as he picked up some of his things and brought them to his car, the way his muscles tightened and shifted to hold his possessions, the way he walked so he could see where he was going and not trip over anything that was on the ground. Cas definitely admired his bowlegs. He didn't see too many people who had them these days. He watched the way his hair shined in the sunlight, turning a different shade of blond when he was in the shadows. He noticed all the freckles that were splattered across his cheekbones and his nose.
He also watched the way his face would change when he was focused on rearranging everything to fit in the trunk. Once he had shut it and turned to Cas, asking if he was ready, all he could do was stare into those deep green eyes before he replied, he was just so interested in Dean and what he was doing and what he looked like doing it that he had forgotten what exactly it was he had been doing in the first place. But he had gathered his thoughts and they hit the road.
Cas knew he shouldn't watch or think about Dean in that way or any way related to it, but he just couldn't help it for some odd reason. Something about him attracted Cas, even if he did try to kill him about an hour or so ago. Dean probably had a strong disliking for him, and Cas knew it, too.
After he mentioned Sam, there was no possible way Dean would even consider being friends with him, much less look at him in an affectionate way. Cas knew he couldn't let any thoughts regarding that get in his way or it could bite him in the ass. So he took a deep breath and met Dean's stare with one of his own.
"I'm serious." Cas said. "Don't push me."
Dean kept his gaze for a little while longer then rolled his eyes as he looked away. "Whatever you say, Mr. Tough Guy." That comment really got Cas to flare inside. He hoped he didn't just refer to him as weak, because if he did he would be paying for it later.
"Oh don't even. Says the guy who crumples at a single mention of his brother." Cas said, glaring at the driver. Dean clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, looking like he was trying to keep calm. Because even though he might have been trying to get on his nerves like Dean was trying to get on his, driving in a bad mood was uncomfortable.
"Just shut up." He finally says through clenched teeth.
"Why should I?"
"Because, I'm the one driving, and I could kick you out and any time, and you're starting to get on my nerves so I suggest being quiet so that doesn't happen."
"Kicking me out wouldn't be wise. I could always get a word out and rat you and Sam out to the cops. Plus, those are my plans, not yours. So you need me along anyway."
"I don't need anyone but Sam. And if I kicked you out, I would kill you before you left that seat, so no, you wouldn't rat us out. Although these may be your plans, Sam and I have read over them and we're not stupid, so we know how to carry it out, so technically you're not really needed. Your just here for the ride."
"Oh, am I? If I recall, I'm the one who suggested you come, so it's my doing that you're here. So I may not be driving, but you're along with me for the ride." Cas said.
"Not in my car, you're not." Dean said, clearly irritated.
"I beg to differ." Cas argued.
"You know what, just shut your damn mouth before I make you shut it. I'll knock you out cold before you know what's coming." Dean growled.
"Oh, I'd love to see you try." Cas said back, glaring at him and his voice low and challenging. Dean's grip tightened on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white and making the veins in his hands pop.
"Hey!" Sam shouted from the back seat, "Why don't you both just not talk at all? I think it's best that neither of you try to kill each other while one is driving. I need a nap and I do not want to get in a wreck while I'm sleeping. If I wake up to one of you two dead, the other person will be killed by me. Understand? Now, both of you; shut up."
He looked at them both for another few moments then settled into the seat. Both Cas and Dean watched him for a while as he drifted off, eventually letting the hum of the impala and the faint music from the radio lull him to sleep. It took maybe an hour, but the tension between the two men eased mostly, but they still didn't say anything. Cas just wrung his hands and looked out the window, twiddling his thumbs.
Cas let his mind wander. No matter how much he tried to get away from it, it always wandered back to Dean. He wanted to try and understand the thoughts that he was having. He knew him for weeks, but he only just met him. He had thought about him quite a bit the last few weeks, he wasn't able to help himself. He wanted to know why. He turned his head and stole a look at Dean, who didn't seem to notice because he looked lost in a world of thought all his own.
He laid his hands flat across his lap, palms up with his fingers still laced together. All he did was stare, trying to decipher his thoughts. Because if he were to be honest he had no clue what to make of them. He hadn't thought like that in such a long time he had forgotten what it meant. But even if he did eventually figure it out, it wouldn't matter. Once this whole thing was over with, they would either go their separate ways, or one of them would end up dead. Most likely the latter.
He knew Dean didn't like him. He kind of made that official by mentioning his brother, but he didn't care. He didn't like him very much either, he just knew that he liked his work and technique. He wanted nothing more than to get this over with as soon as possible and put as much space between him and the Winchester's as he could.
At least he was almost sure that's what he wanted. The time he's had to himself to think about the past weeks had the gears in his mind turning, mixing older thoughts with new ones. And after meeting him today, even after the fight they had, he kept thinking. Was that what he wanted?
He took a silent breath an once again tried to push the thoughts aside. He had plenty of time to contemplate everything, so he didn't need or want to do it now. He clasped his hands back together and turned his attention back to the trees, cars, and buildings that rushed past the window. He went deep into a place in his mind where his head was clear of thoughts and he could just take in what was around him. It wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder that he was able to pull himself free from that space in his head, even though he didn't want to. He glanced at his shoulder, then at Dean who was waiting for Cas to pay attention to him.
"I need you to reach in the back seat and wake up Sam. We're making a pit stop." Dean said. Cas looked out the front window to find them in front of a stop sign, and just down the road was a McDonald's. He looked back at Dean and squinted his eyes, possibly trying to determine whether he was serious or not.
"You're joking, right?" Cas said bluntly. He wasn't austere about just walking into a burger joint and not expect to be recognized, did he?
"No, I don't believe I am." He said. "What part of what I said did you misunderstand?"
"It's not that I misunderstood, but do you really expect for us to just waltz right into a public restaurant, not to mention a popular one that's high up on the food chain in the fast food industry, do you?"
Dean sighed. "Are you really going to do this with me right now? Yes, I do, we'll be fine. Just wake him up. I need a bacon cheeseburger before I go off on something, or someone, which would most likely be you." He looked away from Cas and back at the road, pressing his foot down on the gas. Cas inwardly sighed and twisted in his seat to reach back to Sam. He knocked his knee a few times before he stirred. He groaned a little, but he sat up and started to rub the sleep from his eyes.
When they pulled into the parking lot and found a spot, Dean was out of the car pretty quickly, with Cas and Sam close behind him. Once they were in the line to order, Cas couldn't help but look around at the people around them, just waiting for someone to realize who they are and call them in. Although people did look at them, they didn't think twice about them. They all just treated them like any other people who might show up.
Cas thought it was strange. He looked up at Sam, who was calmly studying the menu choices, then over to Dean, who had his arms crossed and was staring at the stone floor in from of his feet, quietly tapping his fingers in sync on his arm. Nearly fifteen minutes passed before it was their turn at the register.
They picked a booth in the corner once they had ordered and sat down, Sam and Dean on one side and Cas on the other. He kept his eyes on the straw in his drink, not really wanting to look up at the brothers sitting across from him. He just slowly sipped his soda and kept his eyes averted. It wasn't until Dean addressed him that he looked either of them in the eye for the first time since the car. "So Cas, what are you like?"
"I'm sorry?" Cas replied, surprised at what he had been asked.
"Well, if I'm going to have to put up with you for a while, I may as well know you better." Dean said. Sam just watched him with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh."
"Yeah, well, I'm not really all that sunshine and daisies about it either. Sam here," he jerked his head towards his brother, "is kind of making me. Even though it's stupid."
"Dean." Sam said, and Dean frowned.
"Fine." He turned his attention back to Cas and leaned forward, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table in front of him like he was genuinely interested in what he was about to tell him. "So. Tell us about yourself."
"Dean," Cas sighed, "you don't have to pretend to be interested. It won't help anything."
"Oh I know. But if I don't make some sort of effort, Sam will deprive me of the one thing I thrive for."
"Yes, I will." Sam chimed in. He turned his attention to Cas and shrugged. "He just about lives for pie." Dean's face went blank and he looked at his brother, and just stared. Sam knew he was watching him, but he didn't pay any attention to him. It went on for several minutes before Sam finally gave in and gave his older brother a sideways glance. "What?"
"He didn't need to know that." Dean explained. "Really, Sam, monitor what comes out of that chomper of yours more often."
Sam just sighed and shook his head. "Dean. Stop getting off topic." He looked at Cas. "Sorry about him. So, tell us about yourself a little." Cas looked back and forth between Sam, who was watching him and waiting for him to say something, and Dean, who was messing with the ketchup bottle avoiding eye contact, clearly a little annoyed. He looked down at the lid of his cup, picking what to tell about himself to the Winchesters.
He had never really had any sort of opportunity to sort through the mess that was his life and tell about it. So he had no clue where to start, or how. But he sat there, going through all his thoughts and actions, finding something to say. The more he sifted through everything, the more and more he found himself to not be the strong, fearless man he had been acting like the past couple of years. The more he dug into his brain, the more fragile his existence revealed itself to be. He didn't like it. There were certain things he didn't want to talk about, and others that he strictly refused to take part in. But he finally settled on a mindset and prepared to speak.
"Fine." He said. "My name is Castiel, I'm a Leo. I like the dark, watching people get what's coming to them, and I'm gay. Your turn." Sam raised his eyebrows while Dean cocked one of his, and after a moment Cas saw the tiniest hint of a smirk play at his lips.
"All right." Dean said. He leaned a little closer to Cas over the table and folded his hands. "My name is Dean, I'm an Aquarius. I like sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women." Castiel snorted, but just barley. He though Dean didn't hear it, and he did, so he frowned at him.
"Well, it's something." Sam sighed. "So I guess it's my turn. I'm Sam, I'm a Taurus. I like reading, doing research, and I hate clowns." Cas nearly choked on his drink when Sam was finished.
"I'm sorry, but. . . You're scared of clowns?" Cas asked in disbelief. Sam open his mouth to reply, but Dean did it for him.
"Oh, yes." Dean said a matter-of-factly. "Very scared of clowns." Cas smiled some at the pure bitchface Sam was giving his older brother, but Dean just smiled smugly at him. At that moment, their food arrived and they ate most of the food in silence, occasionally bringing up Sam's irrational fear of clowns. When they finished, they went out to the impala and climbed in, Cas requesting for the back seat so he could take a nap that he probably needed to take. The brothers agreed, and soon after they were on the road again.
He laid on his back, staring out the window where he could see. And after a while, the humming of the car's engine and the faint sound of the radio put Cas to sleep.
SUPERNATURAL
Sam and Dean were mostly quiet, with a few comments every now and then. He would look in the mirror every once in a while to see Cas was still sleeping. He thought he looked so vulnerable while he slept. His eyes closed and his mind out of consciousness, his mouth was slack, as was the rest of his body. Dean watched as he shifted, pulling his trench coat a little tighter around himself. He kept his fingers curled around the edge as he stilled again, breathing in deep as he settled back in.
He felt his stomach flutter as he looked at Cas. It had been a while since he had felt himself get butterflies by looking at someone. He couldn't even remember when it was. Or even if it was a girl or a guy, but didn't really care. He had to keep looking at the road, but he always stole glances at the man in the trench coat in the back seat of his car. He looked at his hair, his closed eyes, his nose, his hands, his clothed body. He lastly found himself looking at the guy's lips. They seemed a little dry, but they were full and pink, and kissable. . .
Dean found himself staring longer than necessary, and Sam noticed. What the hell? Dean quickly thought to himself.
"You know," Sam started, "if you find the guy attractive, you could at least try to hide it. He probably hates your guts."
"I don't think he's attractive." Dean said immediately, trying to dismiss the conversation. But as he thought, it didn't work. Some things just don't pass with his kid brother as they used to.
Sam scoffed. "Yeah. Sure you don't. That's why you keep staring at him; maybe he'll eventually burst into flames if you stare hard enough."
"Shut up, Sam."
"Dean, just tell me. It's not like I'm going to tell him."
"I don't like him. He threatened your life, Sam. I won't stand for that. Not ever."
"Maybe; but you almost beat his out of him. So you two are even. Stop holding a grudge about it. It won't get us anywhere. All it will get us is time wasted and into trouble."
"Don't. Just stop. I don't want to talk about this anymore." Dean tried to dismiss the conversation again, but Sam just won't let it slide.
"You care about me too much, Dean. You're worried every little thing is going to hurt me. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself. I appreciate your efforts to protect me, but it's annoying sometimes."
"Sammy, don't. . Please. Just let it go." Sam sighed and stared at his older brother, face drawn into a look of concern and slight annoyance. But the longer he watched him, the more he thought.
"Dean. . . This isn't about what happened when this all started, is it?" Sam asked, his tone a little lighter. Dean didn't answer him. "Dean," he said again, but still got no answer. "Dean."
"What, Sam?" Dean snapped.
"You're seriously still obsessing over what happened? Dean, it was six years ago. You need to move on."
"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, looking over at his brother. "I'm done talking about this. I don't want to hear any more. All right?"
"Fine, Dean. But I'm just saying that we will have to talk about it at some point. And soon." Sam sighed. Dean didn't answer him, instead he fixed his stare on the road, and he tightened his hands on the steering wheel.
The next few hours went by in complete silence. Occasionally Sam and Dean would look at one another, but never at the same time. Dean still stole some glances at Cas from the rear view mirror to make sure he was still passed out. But after a while, he groaned quietly and sat up, dragging a hand over his face. He blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes, and then looked in the rear view mirror to find Dean watching his every move. "What?" He asked groggily.
Dean sighed and looked away before replying. "Nothing. You were out for a few hours, that's all. Plus you moved around only once, so for a while I thought you might have died in your sleep." Dean said.
"Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you?" Cas said. Dean could tell he was trying to sound somewhat annoyed, but he could hear the little hint of humor in his voice. It made him smirk.
They drove maybe another half hour before they passed the Wyoming state limits. Sam leaned his head out the window and stared at the sun as it slowly sank below the horizon.
He turned to look at Dean and said, "Sun is going down. We need to find a place to stay for the night."
"Yeah, yeah." Dean said. "Who knew it would take so long to get from Missoula, Montana to Wyoming. You have no idea how bad I need to stretch my legs."
"Yeah, well, there's a town called Cody not too far from here, I guess we should try there. See if there's any abandoned houses or cheap hotels. We can't afford to be caught."
"Yeah, I know Sam. How you doing back there, Cas?"
"I'm doing fine, Dean. And, if I may add, I remember passing through Cody a few months ago, there's an old motel about ten miles from that sign we just passed." They reached a stop sign, and the impala slowed to a stop. Dean twisted in his seat to look at Cas directly.
"Oh really?"
He said. "Yes." Cas said simply.
"All right." Dean replied, and turned back around, pressing his foot onto the gas petal. They drove until they reached the motel Cas mentioned, and they all climbed out, all of then sighing with relief at the feeling of straightening out their legs. Sam went to check them in while Dean and Cas wordlessly gathered their things.
Sam walked out and held up their room card. He said he wasn't able to get two rooms, so he had to pay for a large one. Both Cas and Dean groaned at the news but received a glare from Sam, so they did their best to let it go.
They took their things and went to their room, Dean and Sam immediately claiming the beds, leaving Cas to make due with the pullout couch. Dean looked over at Cas, who was pulling the cushions off of the furniture to pull out the mattress, and took a deep breath. These next couple of weeks were going to be long.
SUPERNATURAL
A/N:
I put fluffy thoughts into this one. I hope you guys liked it! (: I'm already planning out the next chapter in my head and I'm already so excited to start writing it! But I need to get some other stuff written first. ;-; But hopefully I'll get it all done soon! Please leave a review and let me know what you think, and maybe what you think might happen? That's always interesting. Thank you guys for reading!
