A/N: Still ill. Short chapter. Don't have energy to care. Need hugs.

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Advent - December 21st

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"Sam is hurt."

Thorn's voice is low and dangerous and Dean would shiver, except that the words don't really match up to the level of violence promised. Because, yeah, there's that whole I will rip out your spine aspect, but Thorn has just said he attacked because Sam was hurt.

Which is totally not what Dean was expecting of the asshole. Except for the part where he's not really surprised because Thorn is a jealous little fuck and Dean is totally getting that now, thanks.

Sam isn't though, as he makes a little noise of annoyance and leans forward.

Dean should not find it funny how put out thorn looks as Sam unintentionally moves out of his sort-of but not quite hug. Or properterial claim or whatever the fuck sort of animal mating ritual he was performing.

But he does. It's hilarious. Dean doesn't even care that Thorn spots his shit-eating grin and shoots him a glare that would have Dean wondering after his life if he wasn't so sure that he was pretty much free from any and all physical hurt.

Because Thorn was whipped by his brother. And Sam would never ever forgive Thorn if he hurt Dean.

Ergo total immunity.

Thorn's glare increases as if he can read Dean's mind. Dean doesn't know if that's actually true – but he wouldn't put it past him Mr I Throw Fireballs – or if Thorn's just been clued in by the giant fucking grin on Dean's face.

Dean shivers. Okay, maybe not total immunity.

Dean's pretty sure that Thorn can come up with a way to make his life a living hell without Sam ever finding out.

Hell, Dean's pretty sure that Thorn can come up with a way to screw him over whilst making it look like he's doing Dean a favour.

The bastard.

Dean does not want to have his life turn to shit and then Sam thanking his tormentor by doing…well, Dean's not going to go there. But it's safe to say that the answer's no. Just no.

"I," Sam says, breaking across Dean's thoughts, "was not hurt."

Everyone stares at him and then drop their gazes to the blood spattered shirt Sam is wearing.

Sam immediately gets flustered and edges forward on his seat even more, turning to give Ash a beseeching look.

"I wasn't, Ash. It was just a nosebleed I got from using my powers too much."

Ash blinks, "Wait, what? Powers?"

Sam gives him a weird look but brushes it off, "Yes, powers."

This time it's Ash who leans forward, looking at Sam with interest. "You have powers?" He sounds awed and Sam flushes a little.

"Oh, well…um. I mean…they're not that…impressive…" Sam says.

Dean snorts and cuts across his brother before he can belittle what he did any more. "Not that impressive? Dude! You levitated everything in the room! The kitchen too and I wouldn't be surprised if you hit up the bedrooms as well."

Sam's flush darkens under Dean's praise and Dean belatedly realises that he's probably never praised Sam for his powers before. Which was stupid he's now realising, because Sam never even thought about hurting Dean when Dean was given fangs and powers.

Yeah, Sam had been confused and wary, but as soon as Dean had spoken he'd settled in and just took it without batting an eyelash. Like Dean was still Dean even though he'd been turned into some sort of pseudo-vamp.

And Dean…Dean hadn't ever done that. Not even after he'd got his own weird mind powers.

What was worse is that Dean sold his soul for them, whereas Sam had them forced on him.

If anything, that makes Dean more of a monster than Sam would ever be. Even if he'd never actually wanted extra powers to begin with.

Dean's been a crappy brother for that and he can't believe it's taken him this long to realise it.

He's going to have to say something to Sam. Something about how Dean thinks what he's doing with his powers is good and how proud Dean is of Sam making the best with what he's been forced into.

But not here and not now. Dean can maybe, sort of handle shit like this when he's alone. But not when he's in the room with other people, half of them strangers.

"You can levitate things?" Ash asks, and draws Sam's attention back like a light to a moth.

Sam, who is still flushed, ducks his head and gives a half-shrug and a little smile. "Um, yeah, Dean's been teaching me a little bit of control…"

And then they're off in their little world, the one that's filled with all sorts of weird babble and jargon that Dean can't follow.

Dean rolls his eyes and leans back. From experience he knows that this will take a while and he's prepared to wait it out.

Thorn isn't though, Dean notes with barely concealed amusement.

Thorn is sitting stiff and straight and is alternatively glaring at the back of Sam's head and Ash. Eventually he settles on turning his full attention on Ash and the glare increases.

Ash doesn't even notice.

Dean wants to laugh so fucking hard that he gets stomach cramps trying to stop himself. There are literally tears in his eyes when Thorn's fingers starts to twitch.

Sam and Ash are talking about applications and testing Sam's powers and all sorts of stuff about checking ancient texts written in languages that haven't been spoken in about ten thousand years when Thorn cuts in with a "Well, I can speak Enochian."

Dean almost dies.

Sam and Ash stop talking in surprise and Sam turns to face Thorn, who is looking distinctly uncomfortable at having interrupted them, especially when Ash slowly raises an eyebrow.

"Can you really?" Sam asks, awe in his voice.

Dean has to close his eyes and turn his head away when Thorn looks both pleased and embarrassed. Dean's shaking so hard that it takes him a while to realise that he's pressed his face into Castiel's shoulder to muffle the little hiccups of laughter that keep trying to escape.

"Um…yes." Thorn says.

"Can you teach me?" Sam asks, edging closer to Thorn.

Dean's breath stutters and he barely feels the hand that awkwardly pats him on the shoulder.

"I…yes-"

"No."

The denial is swift and stern and it takes everyone a moment to realise that it's just come from Castiel. The same Castiel who's been silent for the entire conversation so far.

Dean lifts his face from Castiel's side and looks at him in part-amazement, part-are-you-crazy?

Castiel isn't looking down at him though; he's glaring at Thorn who is quite rightly glaring back.

"Listen here, angel-" Thorn starts but Castiel cuts him off and holy shit that shouldn't be as hot as it is.

"Enochian is the language of angels."

"Yeah?" Thorn sneers as Sam gasps and moves back from them.

"Teaching it to a human is sacrilege." Castiel isn't backing down. In fact, he looks ready to pull his sword out again if Thorn isn't going to comply. Dean likes that.

"I…don't want to get anyone into trouble…" Sam says hesitantly, as if he hadn't been ready to do almost anything to get Thorn to teach him two minutes ago.

"No, Sam." Thorn says, "It's okay, I can do what I want. I'm not going to get into trouble."

It's probably not the best thing to say in front of Castiel, Dean thinks, as the angel is now practically vibrating with tension.

"It is against the rules." Castiel says.

"Yeah, well," Thorn smirks, "I'm not exactly in on your rules, am I?"

"You are an angel." Castiel says and wait, what? When had that happened?

Thorn was an angel?

Thorn's smirk drops and now he just looks pissed. Dean wants to both edge away from the object of his rage, which would be Castiel, and edge closer to protect Castiel from the crazy homicidal newly-discovered angel in their midst.

"I am not-" Thorn starts to say but Castiel cuts him off again. And seriously, why does everyone Dean know and start to like suddenly develop suicidal tendencies around him? Is it him? It's him, isn't it.

"You are an angel." Castiel deadpans, "You may be the son of Lucifer, but you are still an angel."

Sam's eyes are wide. For that matter, so are Dean's.

"The…the son of Lucifer?" Dean manages to choke out.

Dean is having a lot of thoughts on his stepping back and letting Sammy maybe have a relationship with this guy. Hell, Dean's rethinking the whole Sammy working for this guy.

And Ash knew! Ash had to have known because Ash seems to know about anything and Jesus! Dean had thought Ash liked his brother and here he is, stepping back and letting Thorn get all nice and cosy with him.

"It's not what you think." Thorn says sharply and Dean bares his teeth and practically snarls as he works out the best way to get Sam away from Thorn.

"It's not what I think?" Dean spits, "You're the freaking Anti-Christ!"

Thorn glares, "That is wholly dramatic. I am not."

"Oh," Dean says, "I think you are. I think the books are very clear on that."

"What do you even know about books," Thorn snaps, "You've never read a book in your life."

"I read!" Dean's on his feet now, matching Thorn who stood up as soon as he moved. "I've read enough to know that you're not all puppies and flowers to humans. Fucks sake! You're supposed to end the world!"

"I don't care what your little book says!" Thorn is practically shouting, in the sense that he's not restrained and his eyes are glowing a hellish red. "Do you think I care what a bunch of humans wrote about something they know nothing about?

"Yeah," Thorn continues and throws a sneer Dean's way, "I'm the son of the biggest asshole this side of Christianity, but I'm nobody's bitch.

"You can't choose your parents or, trust me, I would not be having anything to do with…with this." He gestures at Ash and Castiel. "You think I like knowing what my father has planned? Do you know how hard I have worked to set up the Hellchasers to fuck up any plan my father or his god damned minions think up?

"No, no you don't. So I'll thank you kindly to shut your mouth on things you don't understand because I've worked too damn hard to protect bastards like you for absolutely nothing for you to get to run your mouth off at me, you hear?"

Dean's mouth works for a moment but he can't find anything to say to that because it sounds true. Even though Dean knows that having something sound true and it actually being true are two different things.

"Dean…" Sam says quietly, "maybe we should give him a chance…"

And Dean sees the way Thorn's shoulders relax slightly as Sam accepts him for what he is.

Dean isn't happy.

He's not happy by a long shot.

But Sam is ready and willing to let Thorn prove himself and really, Thorn hasn't done anything that evil. Yet.

"I wouldn't have brought Sam to Thorn if I thought he was a danger, Dean." Ash says softly.

No, Dean wants to say, but you would if you thought you could protect him.

"Fine." Dean spits out because Sammy has to work with this guy. "Fine." He glares at Thorn though, knowing his eyes say if you mess up my brother I will end you.

Thorn tilts up his chin in a challenge, but there's the hint of respect in his gaze. Layered under all the contempt that is.

Dean doesn't care, he's dealt with guys like this before, and he's sure to deal with more of them during his admittedly shortened human-again life-span.

He sits down slowly, Thorn mirroring him.

"Besides," Thorn can't seem to help adding, "I'm the prince of the earth. Why the fuck would I end it?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "Please," he says, and if their conversation's starting to sound a lot like banter well…

Sam is glancing nervously between the two of them, but he's slowly starting to relax when it becomes obvious that they're not going to start ripping each other apart.

"Um, I really don't need to learn it." Sam says to Castiel. "I was just curious about it, is all."

Dean feel Castiel relax next to him.

"Thank you." Castiel says quietly, talking over Thorn's huff, "It is…"

Sam smiles, "That's okay."

"Right," Ash says after a moment or two where everyone settles down, "well, I don't think we can get any more aggressive if we tried."

Which is the exact moment when a very pissed of goddess appears in the middle of the room and pins Dean with a glare.

Sometimes Dean hates his life.