Dean glared at Sam and huffed, bitchily, feeling the residual happiness from their successful salt-and-burn leeching away inside him to be replaced with resignation and a tinge of, well, fear. He turns to the angel. 'Fine. Thanks for the heads up, Cas. You... you did good. Can we just figure it out back at the motel? I'm sick of smelling like bone barbecue.' There's a tone there he didn't mean to use, a lilt like it's actually a question instead of him rhetorically deciding what they're gonna do, and a part of him hated himself for that.
Cas looked at Dean questioningly, as did Sam, neither have heard Dean complain before about the burnings. Sam raised an eyebrow at Cas and says, "hey I'm gonna walk back," motioning to Dean at Cas with the hope that the angel would get the hint. The two of them needed to talk, and it would probably be best if Sam wasn't around.
Dean sighed, catching Sam's motion and scowled. "No way Sam, that's like four miles."
"Dude. I'm not a kid anymore. I've walked further, and I'm not exactly into the idea of sitting in the back again," he said with a smirk.
"Then call shotgun." Dean replied irritably, swinging himself into the driver's seat. "If you walk I will drive beside you all the way back at three miles an hour." It was not an idle threat, he'd done it a fair few times when Sam was a moody teenager.
"Fine. Cuz I'm walkin. I just need to stretch my legs, and think a little, ok, Dean?" Sam rolled his eyes and started walking. Even if Dean did follow him at three miles an hour, he wouldn't have a heck of a lot of choice but to talk with Cas.
Dean groaned and started the engine. "Hop in, Cas." He didn't care what Sam wanted, he was not gonna this touchy-feely talking crap, and he was definitely not doing it about hell.
Cas looked between the brothers, not exactly sure what's going on. He got in the passenger seat, since Sam said he was going to walk. As Dean got in, he asked, "Are you really going to follow him at three miles an hour?"
"Yep." He focused on the road as he began to follow Sam, doesn't look at Cas. It's quiet in the car, the cassette tape needs to be turned over, and after an itchy two-minute lull he cleared his throat and asked 'So, uh, you mentioned an artefact?"
Cas spent the first couple minutes waiting for Dean to talk. "Yes, the little metal piece you found that 'shocked' you. It turns out that there were some residual effects from an electrical storm recently. However, for the piece to hold the charge like it did, it needed help. Firstly, it was an ancient piece, from some of the first metal ever forged. Secondly, it had some demon help, so that whoever got near the piece would get a shock and would be deterred. I think they knew hunters would come through... however they didn't plan on you two having me with you."
The corner of Dean's mouth twitched up in Cas's direction. "Guess we're pretty lucky, then. Funny, though, seems like a lotta trouble to go through for a demon, over a minor ghost in a podunk town in the middle of nowhere."
Sam looked over at the Impala and saw Cas and Dean talking. Good.
Cas saw the almost smile and smiled back, before catching himself. Quickly gaining his composure, he responded, "Yes, it is strange, but we already know that there are people in Hell who would do just about anything to get you and Sam down there with them."
"Good thing we have you, Mr. Search and Rescue." He said lightly, but Cas dragging him out of the pit once was enough, and the involuntary mental image of Sam down there- his hands tightened on the steering wheel, a momentary protest-
Cas reached over and set his hand on Dean's, "Dean, I will never let them take you. You've done your time. The next time you die, you'll see your parents again, and Sam'll see Jess."
Dean flinched at that, wide-eyed, but didn't jerk his hand away like he probably should have want to, he couldn't disbelieve the promise in that voice, though he tried.
Cas smiled and gave Dean's hand a slight squeeze and then took his hand back, and still smiling, slightly kept an eye on Sam.
Sam looked in the car to see how it's going. Apparently it was going well, if not a little strange. Cas had Dean's hand in his and Dean, the king of hooking up with anything with legs and boobs, wasn't pulling away.
Before either of them could notice him looking, he slowed up and knocked on the Hood, signalling Dean to stop.
Dean looked at Cas for a long moment, searching for something he doesn't have a name for, mouth opening to-KNOCK KNOCK. His mouth snapped shut, and he halted the car for Sam, raised an eyebrow at his brother through the window.
Sam noticed the glare he's given and gives Dean the class "what do you want" look. He got into the backseat and with a smirk, asked, "Did you two have a nice talk?"
"Yeah, about '10 Ways in Which Sam Winchester is a Little Bitch'. " Dean snarked at the backseat. "Thought you wanted to walk?"
"Oh c'mon, you really believed that line of BS?" Sam laughed... "You've lost your touch, bro."
'Get outta my car.' Dean ordered without any real heat, he made eye contact through the rearview and fought the urge to stick out his tongue.
"I just got back in" Sam playfully whined. He looked in the rearview mirror, matched Dean's look and winked.
Dean didn't cave, but it was close. He rolled his eyes and threw a look of mock despair at Castiel, fingers flicking in surrender.
Sam smiled to himself at Dean's reaction. He knew he hit a soft spot.
Castiel watched the Winchesters trying hard not to laugh at the two of them. He knew that Sam had seen them and was picking on Dean for it. All he can do though was roll his eyes and smile.
They made it back to the motel unscathed, and Dean deliberately took his time getting out of the car so he's out of earshot from Sam to catch Cas and offer a 'Thanks. For, uh, earlier.'
"For what?" Cas asked. He honestly didn't really know what Dean was talking about, at least he didn't think Dean could be talking about what Cas couldn't stop thinking about, could he? No. Dean is 'straight'. He's heard Dean say it often enough, and seen him chase plenty of girls. There is no possibility he's talking about that.
"The, uh-" he ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck, and he knew the tips of his ears are red. "Whole 'guardian angel' routine."
Cas brushed his hand on Dean's, trying to keep it subtle in case Sam's watching. "No problem, Dean. I am always here for you, you know that."
Yeah, Dean knew that, and that he trusted that Castiel means it, that Castiel could be ...scared him. It didnt stop him from reaching to grab Cas's hand back for a fleeting moment, before he thought about it enough to regret what accepting that might mean. He squeezed and let go, getting out of the car.
Cas was a little shocked by Dean grabbing his hand, even for a split second. It's so unlike Dean to show affection, Cas knows he's a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy. However, here he is showing little signs. Cas sighed, confused by his emotions and the messages he's receiving, but also tired of trying to figure out Dean Winchester. Why did the man have to be so damn complicated?
"Sam-?" the motel room door's already open, so that's where Dean went, purposely not thinking about anything but a shower, expression hopefully obfuscating the mix of emotions that have entirely too much to do with Castiel so he can go face his too-knowing little brother.
Sam heard Dean come in over the sound of the shower. He figured Dean would NOT want Sam watching, so he hit the showers before his brother could use up all the hot water. As he slipped into some jeans that weren't covered in dust, he stepped out of the bathroom. "All yours, dude."
As soon as Dean headed into the bathroom and the shower was going, Sam gave Cas a once over, seeing how dusty his clothes were. "Hey, Cas, I was gonna go clean Dean's and my clothes, why don't I take yours with me? You can borrow some of Dean's clean clothes til I'm back." Without waiting too long for a response, he started digging through Dean's stuff looking for some of the smaller stuff. He grabbed a pair of old jeans and a Bon Jovi shirt that Dean had for some reason and tossed them at Cas, motioning for him to change and hand over the dirty clothes.
"Bitch, you left hair in the drain" Dean called good-naturedly, as he opened the door and stopped cold. After a relaxing, mostly warm shower to wash away his confusion in, the last thing a towel-wearing Dean needed was to walk in on a stripping Castiel. As he slammed the door closed with a yell of surprise he swore he could hear Sam laughing.
Sam was just about to warn Dean as he saw the bathroom door open, but after Dean's reaction he's damn glad he didn't. He breaks down laughing, and man does it feel good. After he calmed down a bit, he took the clothes from a very confused Castiel, and headed over to the laundry area of the motel.
Dean was not gonna hide in the bathroom like a twelve-year-old girl. He was not.
Cas finished changing and knocked on the bathroom door. "Dean? What's wrong?" He knew it has something to do with the fact that Dean walked out while Castiel was in a certain state of nakedness. However, Sam didn't seem to have a problem with it, so why did Dean?
Dean slowly counted to five in his head, took a deep breath and hoped Cas is dressed. "Nothing, man, it's fine." He opens the door again and finds Cas in a shirt Dean got because it reminded him of Sam while he was at Stanford. He headed to grab some clean clothes from his duffle, feeling strangely self-conscious, so he can change.
"Is it alright that I borrowed your clothes, Dean? Sam gave them to me, so he could wash mine. I believe he took yours too." Cas was really confused, and he knew it showed on his face. He hoped Dean would read that and maybe explain what exactly is going on.
"Huh? Yeah, of course Cas, that's fine, you're welcome to whatever you need." Dean didn't turn around, so he missed the face, but he could hear the confusion. He dressed perfunctorily, ears burning.
"Alright. Thank you, Dean." Cas doesn't really know what else to say at this point. He has long noticed that Dean's ears turn bright red when he's embarrassed, and not saying what he wants or needs to say. He wants to drop the subject but finds himself unable to. "Dean... um.. Why did it bother you to see me when you walked out of the bathroom?"
"I was just startled, man, that's all." Dean told him honestly, turning around to meet the stare of Cas' he ccould feel through the shirt now on his back. He didn't really want to go into the whole 'I may also be attracted to you and have no idea how to even start dealing with that' bit or he may panic. Besides, Cas was a friend, and an angel, and probably had no idea of the profound effect his reassurances, the words used to convey his desire to protect them, even had on Dean.
Castiel sighed at the typical Dean response, avoiding the issue by saying just enough of a truth that it would slip by. However, Cas and Sam both know Dean better than that to let him get away with it. However, today it does not look like Castiel is going to have much of a choice. Resigning, he slipped out the door quietly, not even searching for his grace. He just wanted to walk and think and maybe figure out just a little bit of Dean's inner workings.