The Power of Two:
"We found the Colt."
Dean stared at him. "Repeat that." he said.
"Um, okay." Nathan was giving him an odd look, but repeated himself anyway. "Castiel and I found the gun that you were searching for; The Colt."
Dean let out a breath, he couldn't quite believe it yet, they were just words. His qualm was put to rest when Nathan brushed his hand on the front of his shirt before he reached behind him and produced said Colt. He held it out to Dean, and not like one would have expected to a gun as special as the Colt, but instead like something that he couldn't wait to get out of his possession. Dean took in, his fingers trailing over the cool, engraved muzzle.
The look stayed on Nathan's face as he watched Dean with the Colt, the action seemed very intimate and Nathan found himself averting his gaze as he munched on another cookie. It felt odd to be back at the house, after spending every constant minute in the past month at Castiel's side—it seemed oddly calmer here too; with Cas, he had been involved in things that were just way too off, there was no way that they could have been real—but apparently they were, the proof etched into his brain.
Dean shook his head and cleared his throat awkwardly as he tucked the Colt into the back of his jeans. "So, where's Cas?"
"Oh," Nathan looked back at Dean and shrugged his shoulders. "He said that he'd be back to pick me up in about an hour, said that he had some duties that he needed to attend to."
Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Would it kill the guy to drop in every once and while?"
"Cas said that you guys talk almost every night." Nathan said in confusion.
"It's that dream-thing of his; it's just not the same." Dean admitted.
"He is busy." Nathan defended the Angel lightly.
"We're all busy." Dean countered.
They stared at each other, silent. It was weird, but at the same time it seemed familiar and peaceful—something of which they both needed.
"So, isn't Castiel feeding you?" Dean asked, light humor in his voice.
Nathan scoffed. "For someone who's spent nearly two years around Humans, he just doesn't get the fact that we need to do the little things in life."
"Yeah, I don't think that that's ever going change."
"Probably not." Nathan agreed, not able to help that grin that came over his lips.
"What are you smirking about?" Dean asked, noticing the curve of his lips.
"Sorry; it's just that Castiel is kind of interesting to watch."
This time it was Dean who gave him the odd look. "What does that even mean?"
"I don't know," Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "You can't really help it; he's an Angel, Dean. What'd you expect me to do?"
"I don't know." Dean rolled his eyes. "Not become a stalker or something."
"How am I a stalker?" Nathan demanded, indignant.
"You can't help but watch him?" Dean raised his brows.
"You are so taking that out of context!" Nathan protested. "And anyway, if you were in my current situation, you'd keep an eye on everything that's happening as well."
"And what is happening?" Dean asked seriously.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders again. "The usual, I suppose."
"And what's that?"
Nathan puffed out his cheeks as he thought back. "Avoiding rogue Angels, killing Demons, trying to find a way to put Lucifer back in his cage... Uh, killing said rouge Angels when necessary. Most of the time I am literally at his side 24/7, but sometimes there are things that he deems too dangerous for me, so he sticks me in that stupid white room." Nathan complained, very much preferring to rather being handcuffed to Cas than being stuck in that room.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Dean asked. "Wouldn't that leave you vulnerable?"
"Cas knew that it was a big risk, and he can't really trust anyone else so he did some funky shit to my ribs."
"I get what you mean." Dean nodded, remembering what it felt like to have those Enochian symbols seared into his ribs awhile back.
"Anyway!" Nathan chirped rather brightly and Dean sent him a look. "Until Cas get's back I'm taking a nap." and making his decision an action, he went passed Dean and somersaulted over the back of the couch and landed on his back with a soft grunt—and of course taking the cookies with him. He shifted, adjusting his head on the arm rest, he glanced over at Dean. "Wake me when he comes, would ya?" he asked, closing his eyes and inserting a cookie into his mouth at the same time.
Dean just watched him for a minute with raised brows; so yeah, he was kinda sure that Nathan may have just blown his off for a nap. But he couldn't get angry about that, Nathan did kinda look dead on his feet. And he was definitely going to chat to Cas about that when he came around.
Nathan jaw stopped moving and he emitted a soft snore, his grip on the cookie box relaxing in his sleep.
Dean sat on one of the car's hood somewhere among the Yard; he just had to get out of that house. Sam had stopped yelling at him from down in the panic room, but it didn't matter that he didn't have the constant reminder because he knew that he was down there, and he was the one to put Sam there.
Nathan was asleep on the couch, so sound that he was still asleep despite the noise that Sam had been making; making Dean realize how exhausted he must be to not even had asked about that or Sam or Bobby for that matter. There was also the fact that he had totally ignored the screams because Dean knew that if he could hear it, then so could Nathan.
"What the hell did Cas do you?" Dean whispered out loud without realizing it.
And as if saying his name out loud had summoned him, Castiel appeared in front of Dean, his coat tails fluttering behind him.
"Dean." Castiel greeted, in the same tone of voice that he always seemed to use when saying his name.
Dean shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment; he couldn't really angry with the guy because at least he made the decent effort to appear in front of him. "How many times, Cas?" he asked rhetorically.
Csatiel just cocked his head to the side for a moment before he straightened his head. "I had the sense that you wished to speak with me."
"Yeah," Dean agreed, sliding off the hood of the car. "I do."
"About what?"
"About Nathan."
Castiel didn't say anything and just watched Dean.
"About the fact that you aren't taking care of him." Dean told him, working himself up a little; a fact that he couldn't help.
"I am protecting your brother as I said that I would." Castile said in confusion.
"I said taking care of, Cas." Dean corrected. "Have you even looked at him?" he demanded, his arm pointing in the general direction of the house behind him.
"Of course I have." Castiel was still confused.
"Yes, Cas." Dean ground his teeth together. "I know that you've looked at him, but have you actually seen him?"
"I do not understand what you speak of." he finally admitted.
"Of course you don't." Dean shook his head. "We are not Angels, Cas, we're not some superior being who doesn't have a physical form. We're human, we need food and we need sleep—Nathan had hardly been getting any of that, he's dead on his feet! You said that you were going to protect him, but I know that you've been taking him places with you when you shouldn't." he told Cas firmly.
"I have prior engagements, Dean." Castiel told him. "There are things that I cannot brush aside because you have no confidence in your brother."
"What?" Dean snapped.
"You have been the same way with Sam; I believe that you are more so towards Nathan because you have a deeper connection with him as well as he is new to this kind of world." Cas explained simply.
"I treat Sam just fine, he knows how to take care of himself—or he did." Dean growled, frustrated now because Cas brought up Sam when they were clearly talking about Nathan. And yeah, what Cas had said was true; he's always did keep an eye on his brother—and now he knew the reason for that. But still, they were talking about Nathan, not Sam. "I do think that Nathan can take perfectly good care of himself; it's you I think that doesn't know how to take care of him."
Cas cocked his head to the side as he listened to Dean.
"When you said that you protected, it was assumed that you would be stationed at one spot and keep an eye on him. Not traveling wherever you wish into dangers that he doesn't need to be involved in, battles that he shouldn't be included in or seen things that he doesn't need to witness—needless things, Cas, that you involved him in." his finger found itself poking Cas in the chest and he quickly pulled it away, his stare nonetheless intense.
"Nathan is very capable and able in his ability to decide whether he is able to handle something or not." Castiel said in a single breath and for just a second, Dean looked at him as if he were crazed. "He understands and calculates the risks before he decides whether or not he should accompany me. I do have to confess that I sometimes forget that he is a human and does need nourishment as well a rest, but all he need do is remind me of the fact—but even he forgets on occasion."
Dean silently stared at him, reluctantly knowing that what Cas said the truth; Nathan did seem like the type to get caught up in things and forget that he just needed to stop for a second and look at himself. "You still have to remember, Castiel; he can't function or think properly if he doesn't get enough food or rest."
"I am aware, Dean, and will keep that in mind." Cas nodded. "I did have a meeting with a few other Angels and knew that it would be to dangerous to bring Nathan along, so I thought that I would leave him here while I tended to that; knowing that it would be a good time for Nathan to give you the Colt and visit with your brother." he told Dean. "Nathan did give you the Colt, did he not?"
"Uh, yeah." Dean nodded, giving Cas an odd look; he could swear that this was the most that Castiel had ever spoken in one conversation. "He gave it to me while stuffing his face full of cookies and collapsing onto the couch."
Castiel could see that it was a jibe, trying to make feel guilt but he ignored the try. "So I can assume that you are going to try and use it to defeat the Devil instead of simply say YES to Michael?"
"You assumed right." Dean told him, his jaw set. "I don't know why you're so eager for one of us to say YES, and for the Apocalypse to happen."
"I do not wish for the Apocalypse to happen, Dean." Castiel told him with slight emotion. "I simply wish for this fight to be over so that I do not have keep on slaughtering my brethren over something that I think our Father would greatly disprove of."
"It suck that you have to kill your brothers," Dean sighed. "But I'm not gonna just let the Devil jump start the end of the world."
Cas actually sighed. "I am here to collect Nathan." he said, changing the subject—and avoiding an argument that always seemed to happen and get them nowhere but pissed.
"He's in the living room sleeping," Dean sighed again. "But—" he didn't get to say anything further because Cas had already disappeared and he ran back to the house.