Dean pulls into the driveway, uncomfortably knowing something was wrong. The house appeared to be unchanged, but Dean always trusted his gut. And his gut was very rarely wrong.
He had a feeling whatever was rattling around inside the bag had something to do with Castiel. But he could only surmise.
At this point, surmising would get him nowhere. Frustration building, he shut off the car and went inside the house with a few bags of food.
"CAS! GET OUT HERE!" Dean called out. Castiel appeared at the top of the stairs, slightly disheveled, and worry written all over his face. At this, Dean felt a twang of guilt.
He thinks I'm angry at him.
"I can't carry all this in myself." he gestured to the food bags he'd brought in. "Come on, Cas, there's more in the car."
"Okay, Dean." Castiel was immensely relieved. The two went out to carry the rest of the food in.
Castiel showed Dean how he had reorganized the kitchen and Dean was very pleased with it. Now he wouldn't have to spend more time hunting for the hamburger than he would hunting for Sam. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the cookbook and tossed it in a pile of other books. He decided to talk to Castiel about it later. He wanted to know about the bag first.
"Cas, I need to tell you something." He told of the tall man and the two others and how this time it had just been the tall man, how he had disappeared suddenly, leaving nothing but the grease-stained bag currently sitting on the countertop.
Castiel, breathing though his mouth (it really did stink), held out his hand.
"Give me the bag, Dean." Dean was more than happy to oblige. Anything to get the god-awful stink away from him.
Castiel very gingerly set the bag on the table and opened it. Then he picked up the bag and shook it. He looked inside the bag again in disbelief. He reached a hand in-
"Cas, are you nuts?!"
Castiel looked up to Dean, noticing the tone of worry in his voice.
"There's nothing."
"Gimme that." Dean snatched the bag away. "Cas, there has to be..." His voice trailed off as he realized Castiel was right.
"It's heavy, though."
"There is some weight to it," Castiel agreed. "But as far as either of us know, there does not appear to be anything in this bag."
"What the hell, Cas, it has to be some kind of a spell or angel mojo or-or-or something, if the bag is getting nastier by the second, something's not kosher, it has to be-to be- some sort of -a-a- something." Dean found himself at a loss for words.
"I believe the object inside this bag is invisible."
"Whatever, Cas."
"Dean?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you for permitting me to stay with you." Castiel said as he put the bag inside a tupperware container to hide the stench.
Dean looked at Castiel. He never realized how human he was getting to be. Castiel tilted his head to the left by millimeters. Dean realized they'd been staring at each other silently for several minutes.
Fill the silence Fill the silence FILL THE SILENCE FILL THE
Why is he looking at me like that?
SILENCE THE SILENCE FILL IT FILL THE SILENCE
"Cas, it's no problem. It really isn't like you had anywhere else to go." Dean realized Castiel actually touched the bottom of the bag and the smell was lingering on him. "But your ass is leaving unless you go take a shower."
Castiel tilted his head further, narrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
"You mean to tell me," Dean stepped forward, "that you have never taken a shower?"
"It never occurred to me. If I was able to heal my vessel, it is likely I also subconsciously masked any smell emanating from me."
Dean rubbed his brow and shook his head in resignation. "I oughta hose you down."
"Dean?"
"Yeah, Cas?"
"You have to teach me about being human."
"Okay, but there are barriers, man."
"Like what?"
"I am not-understand?-not taking a shower with you."
"Why not?"
Dean threw up his hands and walked out of the room, defeated.