When Castiel landed on the ground, he just stared at it. Honestly, Dean had expected a bit more emotion, some sort of dramatic reaction. This was his first time outside, for God's sake. Most people cry the first time they're outside, since they're babies. But Cas just bent down and felt the grass under his feet and said,
"Well this feels weird."
Dean jumped the last 2 feet down from where he was climbing down the tower. "No kidding-it's grass. So what do you think of the great big world?"
Cas raised an eyebrow and surveyed the area around him. "It looks like it did from my window, simply at a different angle."
"That's it?" Dean sputtered. "First time on real ground and that's all you have to say?"
"If you expected me to begin a music number then they rescued the wrong person from their tower." Cas said dryly.
Dean sighed. "Fine. Now, first day in the great wide world. Where d'ya want to go?"
Cas looked hesitant for a moment before asking, "Can I meet more people?"
Dean grinned. "Great choice. That I can do."
And with that, Dean guided Cas out of the hollow and into the woods beyond.
"I'm going to introduce you to a couple of my kinds of people." Dean informed Cas as they walked through the forest.
"So, thieves."
Dean shrugged but didn't comment.
"Where is this place?" Cas asked.
"Not much farther." Dean assured him. "It's a bar where I spend most of time time. Owned by good guys. You'll like them."
"I'm fine as long as they don't try to steal anything off me."
Dean looked Cas up and down. "Cas buddy, you don't exactly have much to steal."
Cas tilted his head in acknowledgment.
A few minutes later, Dean brushed away a giant tree limb covered with moss and leaves to reveal a run-down looking cabin with a few horses milling around outside.
"Welcome to the Roadhouse!" Dean announced. "The friendliest bar for thieves around."
"Isn't that an oxymoron?"
Dean gave him a look. "Stop being so judgmental. We have morals, you know."
"No. I wouldn't."
Dean looked at Cas's stoic expression and cracked up. "Sorry, I almost forgot for a second. So, an explanation is in order, then. We're not exactly thieves like you read about in books or anything like that. We-"
Dean voice was cut off by a roar coming from the Roadhouse. "Dean Winchester. Get in here now, ya idgit!"
Dean grinned. "Ah, home. Nothing like it."
He swaggered up to the front doors and pushed them aside. "After you." He told Cas courteously.
"Perhaps you should lead, seeing as I have never been here before. And it appears there is someone inside go would like to speak with you."
"Nah, that's just Bobby. But you've got a point." Dean strolled into the bar and spread out his arms. "I'm home!"
Immediately, Bobby wheeled up to him, furious. "2 months, boy. 2 damn months! You don't visit, you don't write-"
Dean shrugged. "I was busy. Also, I wasn't exactly welcome here for a while after last time."
"Boy, no one here but me decides who's banned from this bar, no matter how many pounds of muscle you got. And you ain't. So don't go running of like that again, you hear? Ellen was worried sick. Hell, /I/ was worried. Where've you been?"
Dean waves a hand vaguely. "Here and there."
Bobby snorted. "Hanging out with pretty boy here, no doubt."
Dean spun around to find Cas still at standing awkwardly in the doorway. Oops.
Dean shot Bobby a look that clearly said, "Behave," before walking back to Cas. "Cas, this is Bobby, my self appointed father. He owns this place. Bobby, this is Castiel. I kinda...ran into him yesterday and now I'm giving him the official Dean Winchester tour of the kingdom."
Cas extended a hand and Bobby took it, shaking it slowly, all the whole scrutinizing him slowly.
"Dean, what are you up to?" He finally asked, finally turning away from Cas.
"Recently?" Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I got us the royal crown yesterday."
Bobby swore. "Those idgits tried for it /again/?"
Dean nodded. "They just don't know when to give up. But at least this time they think the crown is actually stolen, so they won't try to steal it again once they got out of jail."
"Canned 'em too?"
"I always do, Bobby."
"Wish you'd return what you stole as often." Bobby muttered.
"Hey, I take my 10% finder's cut. I think I'm entitled, seeing as I do a better job of keeping this kingdom safe than the entire police force combined."
"Umm, Dean?" Cas asked. "You're a thief. No offense, but how is that keeping the kingdom safe?"
Oops.
Bobby rolled his chair right up in front of Dean. "You didn't even tell him? What kind of idgit are you?"
Dean suddenly found a black speck on the floor that he began to stare at and scrape off by scuffing his shoes against it.
Bobby sighed. "You're going to be the death of me one of these days, you know that? C'mere, both of you."
Bobby led the pair of them over to a small table in the back of the bar. Dean scrapped along, still staring at the ground, Castiel trailing behind, equal parts confused and curious. Bobby grabbed a bottle from a nearby shelf and poured them all a generous drink. Dean looked up in time to see Castiel stiffen at the sight of them amber liquid sloshing into the three partly clean glasses and made a mental note to find out about that later. Or maybe not. Why was he so interested in this guy anyways? He was just some stranger he picked up from nowhere that he was suddenly introducing to the closest thing that he had to family. That was normal, right? It had nothing to do with the fact that the guy's eyes looked as if they were made from the sky itself and that his hair was practically hair asking to be mussed up or...
"Stop it." Dean told himself. "We are not going through this right now." Instead, Dean took a sizable gulp of the alcohol Bobby provided.
"Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?" Cas finally asked.
Okay, so I am so so sorry that this took so long. I had finals, and then my cousin got engaged, and then I flew to Israel for the summer so I had to pack, and then I got settled and then I finally sat down to write and here we are. Hopefully I will update sooner.