The Power of Two:
"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.
Castiel reappeared next to the couch and found himself staring down at a sleeping Nathan, found himself thinking about what Dean had said. He'd never really had the need to actually take care of a human or had to do the human necessities with his own body. Before, he could feel what his Vessel was feeling, the emotions that Jimmy Novak carried; but had learned to ignore them—Castiel's essence would keep him from deteriorating and dying. He always seemed to forget that humans weren't like him because despite the fact that he was using a human as a Vessel, he wasn't the one that felt hunger or tired.
And Nathan did look worn out; Cas could see the dark shadows under his eyes, the slight sunkenness of his cheeks, the loss of weight and deterioration of his muscle. And he winced internally because Dean was correct; he wasn't taking care of Nathan properly—and now he knew that he would force himself to remember that Nathan was human.
"What's with the look?" Nathan asked and Cas blinked in startlment. "Dean talked to you, didn't he?" he guessed, and Cas cocked his head to the side in inquirement. Nathan smiled up at him as he dug in the box for another cookie. "You always have that same look on your face every time after you talk with Dean." Nathan sat up on the couch with a soft grunt; he set the box beside him and stood. He placed his hands on his lower back before he arched and groan as his back crack lightly.
Cas looked at him with well concealed concern as Nathan turned back to him and picked up the cookie box. "Are you unwell?"
"I'm fine," Nathan assured him, sticking his hand into the box and fished for another cookie only to discover that the box was empty, and he looked down at it dismay before throwing it onto the coffee table. He looked at Cas. "Before we leave I need to get a refill on my prescription."
Castiel nodded. "Why will you not allow me to heal you?"
Nathan came round the couch and stood in front Cas. "You can?" he exclaimed.
"Of course, I have healed all of your wounds thus far, have I not?"
"Well, yeah. But this is something completely different." Nathan told him, not knowing why they hell he wasn't jumping on the chance for Cas to heal his back problem—making it one less thing that he has to worry about with all the shit spraying everywhere.
Castiel really resisted the urge to roll his eyes; sometimes, on nearly all occasions, he really wondered about the Winchester trio. He grabbed Nathan by the shoulders and turned him around so that it was his back facing him instead.
Nathan let out a squeak of surprise as he felt Castiel cool hand go under the band of his shirt, and the feel of his fingers at the top of his spine.
Cas usual just touched the third-eye when he needed to heal something on a human, but for something such as what Nathan had, it was much more easier to start right at the source. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on the source of Nathan's degeneration and his fingers slowly trailed down his spine.
Nathan shuddered as he felt his skin breakout in goose bumps before he felt warmth, Castiel's hand on his shoulder keeping him in place.
Cas placed his hand flat on the smooth curvature on Nathan's back, delving deep to see if he had fixed the problem completely—deeming that he did, his finger tips trailed down Nathan's spine and back out from under his shirt.
"Wow," Nathan breathed as he turned back to Castiel, rolling his shoulder experimentally. "There no pain or anything at all, thanks, Cas." he looked at the Angel gratefully, Cas said didn't comment. "And it's gone? All of it?"
Cas nodded. "Your back is no longer degenerating."
"You, are amazing." Nathan told him firmly.
Cas forced down the feelings that the compliment brought up; no one had ever complimented him before, especially not a Winchester. He was about to open his mouth, but didn't know what to say—this had never happened before. But he was saved when the front door slammed and he saw Nathan reflexively wince.
"Dean!" Nathan scolded. "You know dad hates it when the door slams."
"I can damn well slam my own door!" Bobby growled, storming into the living room with a wide eyed Dean trailing behind him.
"Dad!" Nathan exclaimed in surprised—and guilt because he had totally forgot about Bobby; what with the Colt, the hunger, Dean, the nap and talking with Castiel.
"Damn right 'dad'!" Bobby snapped, jerking Nathan into a hug before he pulled away, his expression pissed. "Why in the hell didn't you tell me that you were here?" he demanded.
"Uh," Nathan looked at him with wide eyes, stumbling over his words at the ambush. "I, um, I've only been here like, like two hours."
"You should have come and found me the instant you got here." Bobby told him gruffly. "I been frigin' worrying my balls off, haven't talk to you in a month."
"Dad, we've been apart for longer than that!" Nathan protested.
"This is different." Bobby told him. "You're not out playing ball, Nathan; you're out there in dangerous situations."
Nathan couldn't help the sigh that escaped him; he did feel bad that he had forgotten about Bobby when Cas had dropped him out of the house. But the fact that Bobby and Dean kept on the same thing as the before he left, was really starting to irk him. He wasn't a kid, he knew how to make the right choices, how to take care of himself and he knew how to deal with all the shit around him without digging himself a grave. He rubbed his brow; it seemed as if Castiel was the only one that actually had confidence and believed in him.
"I can handle myself just fine, dad." Nathan told him after glancing at Cas for a moment. "As you can clearly see, I'm alive."
"Still..." Bobby started.
"It's fine that you worry," Nathan accepted. "But this is just ridicules; just because I new at this doesn't mean that the first time that I go out there, I'm gonna get torn apart! I'm not gonna just snap and have a break down; I've been in fights before—granted this is probably way different and way more dangerous—but it's all the same. I'm not gonna instantly screw up the minute you or Dean take your eyes off me."
"Sam always said the same things," Dean spoke quietly, his voice and face void of expression. "And he went out and got himself hooked on Demon blood, and paired up with a frigin' Demon and broke the last of the 66 Seals."
"I'm not Sam." Nathan said, his voice nearly pleading, begging for them to finally believe. But just as suddenly, he turned to Cas. "You did tell them about Sam, didn't you?"
Bobby and Dean just stared at him, surprised by the very sudden change of subject.
Castiel's silence was all the answer Nathan needed and he rolled his eyes lightly at the Angel, before he turned back to his father and brother. "Castiel purged Sam's blood of any traces of Demon blood, he clear and free."
"What? When the hell did this happen?" Dean demanded, looking at Castiel. It wasn't as if he wasn't grateful, he just could have been given a heads up so that he could have let Sam out of the panic room.
Castiel pinned Dean with a blue gaze. "Before you called me name, adamant that we speak about Nathan that it slipped my mind to inform you of Sam."
"What?" Nathan demanded before Dean could speak. "So you're talking about me behind my back now?"
"It's not like that!" Dean protested.
"Yes, it is!" Nathan shot back. "I don't understand why you guys can't see the fact that I can take care of myself. You've treated Sam this way his whole life; trying to protect and keep everything from him—and that's the reason why Sam left, and when he did he got hooked on Demon blood. He made the wrong choice because you keep treating him like you're treating me." Nathan took a calming breath. "The only one here that treats me like an actual adult is Castiel."
It was quiet, utterly so. The expression that Nathan saw cross Dean's face at the comment that it was his fault that Sam was this way, made Nathan want to stab himself with a knife. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he knew that it was probably the only way to get his point across.
"I will go and let Sam out of the panic room." Castiel said, vanishing from sight because he knew that this was more of a family discussion.
Nathan sighed and leaned back against the back of the couch. "I didn't mean what I said." he said softly, looking up a Dean.
"No," Dean shook his head. "You're right, Nathan. We did treat Sam like that and we are treating you like that. I can't help it; ever since I was a kid that was all I knew. I guess, that even as we grew up, I felt that it was my job to protect Sam—you to; even if we are the same age."
All three of them knew that this was probably one of the biggest chick-flick moments that they were ever going to be participants of. They let it sit for a moment, before none were able to take it any longer.
"That's all I needed to understand." Nathan said.
"We'll try and do better." Bobby told him.
Which concluded the chick-flick moment and they let out a trio of long breaths.