Lunchtime was somewhat tense, as Castiel joined the Winchesters and Deadpool at the table. Sam had brought out his salad bowl, while Dean and Deadpool opted for roast beef sandwiches and a bag of chips. Castiel nibbled on a spoon of peanut butter to attempt to blend in with the humans, though it was still a disappointment.

For the last couple weeks, mealtimes were filled with conversation. Usually snark about Game of Thrones, or sharing stories of different hunts. But with the angel present, Dean wasn't talking. He'd talked enough in the car. And Wade… The merc was behaving strangely. Not only was he quiet, but the voices in his head were silent too.

Sam was the only one attempting to break the silence with small talk.

"So, uh, Cas-How's heaven?" he asked while pouring dressing over his rabbit food.

"Peaceful," was Castiel's response. Which was absolutely true. After the angels had been forced to Earth and fought among themselves for so long, there was a sense of togetherness that hadn't existed for a very long time. Sure, there were still a few troublemakers here and there, but their attempts to cause friction didn't gain momentum.

Silence again prevailed, broken only by the occasional loud crunch of chips from Wade. Sam was certain that the merc was being obnoxious on purpose. It had not escaped Sam's attention that Wade's mood had shifted since the arrival of the angel, and he felt that he knew why. Wade had a thing for Dean, be it a bromance or romance. And though Dean would deny it until he was blue in the face, in some ways he reciprocated the feeling. The two spent a lot of time together, and the night time snuggling was just one symptom. When Dean got frustrated or angry, Wade was a pro at calming him down-even at the expense of physical harm to himself.

It wasn't a healthy relationship, at least not by any normal human standards. But throw in the added return of Dean's other awkward man-friend, and Sam saw the world's strangest love triangle unfolding before his eyes. If not for the fact that the three were practically forces of nature, it would be funny. Sam just hoped he didn't end up in the crossfire.

"So, Metatron…" Sam attempted again.

Cas' brow furrowed. "Imprisoned. In heaven. No change."

Wade smirked and popped the last bite of his second sandwich in his mouth. More than half the bag of chips had made its way to his stomach, along with a 2-liter of soda. He let out a loud belch that echoed across the room as he stood up and grabbed his plate.

Castiel's eyes followed the mercenary to the door of the kitchen. Then he fixed his gaze on Dean. He spoke softly, as he said, "I want to try to cure you, Dean."

Dean's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, Cas?"

Sam cleared his throat, and said, "Remember the trials? Curing a demon?"

"Yeah," Dean said, his eyes darting to his brother. His eyebrows rose. "You want to try to cure me? With your purified blood?"

"Not me," Sam said, frowning. "Cas, you can't do…"

"I'm becoming human again, Dean," Castiel said softly. "I will do this for you. My Grace, it's fading. For a time, I was reenergized by being in Heaven, but it is only a temporary fix. And while remaining in Heaven might keep my Grace going for much longer…" He sighed, looking Dean in the eyes as he said, "It's not where I want to be."

Sam stood up, completely unnoticed as his brother and the angel stared at each other. He walked to the kitchen and found Wade sitting on the counter munching on Oreos. The last few weeks, Sam had gotten used to the mercenary leaving his mask off when in the bunker. But now, he had the mask pulled down, only lifting it off his mouth to shove in another handful of cookies.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

He nodded, and through a mouthful of cookies, said, "Jush aweshum, Shammuh."

Sam snagged an Oreo and leaned against the stainless steel table. "Cas really is here to help, you know."

The merc swallowed, giving Sam an annoyed look. "I'm not his jilted lover. I don't need consolation or whatever it is you think you're giving me. What I really need right now is to drop a stink pickle and take a nap. That's all."

Deadpool hopped off the counter and shoved the package of Oreos into Sam's arms, then disappeared up the stairs. A few seconds later, the clang of the bathroom door echoed through the bunker.

Sam sighed heavily and ate another Oreo.

Castiel spent the rest of the day in the library, studying the Men of Letters' journals and notes concerning the demon cure. Father Thompson's notes were very detailed, but it was still a singular event. Sam had not finished the ritual, stopped by Dean before he could complete the task of curing Crowley. And the fact remained that Dean was not just any demon. He was the Knight of Hell.

There was in the angel's mind the memory of Cain's fate, and the correlation was not lost on him between Cain and Abel, and Dean and Sam. There was always a hint of jealousy between the brothers, but always love. Both Cain and Dean were the strong ones, offering up everything they had to provide for their younger sibling. But both had a warped way of giving, and both were prone to falling for the easy path.

In truth, Castiel did not like the idea of the brothers under the same roof. Sam explained Dean's problem with anger, and all Cas could think of was the rage of Cain to strike down his brother. Of course, Cain's version was somewhat different. In his journal, it was a sacrifice to save Abel from Lucifer. It didn't take much to imagine Dean's distorted mind somehow justifying killing Sam in order to save him from some fate.

John Winchester had suggested it before he died. Save Sam, or kill him. That was before the Apocalypse, but Castiel knew well that it would only take a slight push to put everything back on the path of Armageddon. Sometimes, he thought about the Cage where Michael and Lucifer still waited. Who knows what kind of terror they could bring to Earth after an eternity together.

Sighing, Castiel set aside the book, head lolling back against the chair. He was tired, a sensation he understood very well. He'd used his mojo a little too much for one day, flying to get to Dean. Twice. Now, he needed to rest and recharge.

Footsteps in the hall made Castiel sit up straighter, eyes squinting as Wade came into the library wearing a T-shirt with Thing 1 and Thing 2 on the chest and matching Cat in the Hat pajamas. He had a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a beer in the other. He paused, seeing the angel.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then Wade walked past the angel and vaulted over the back of the couch, landing in a lounging position with the remote in his hand. He flipped on the TV, scrolling through the DVR to find his recordings of Space Dandy.

A few minutes later, Dean appeared at the door holding a six pack of beer. He was also in his pajamas, though he opted for plaid lounge pants and an old T-shirt. He looked at Wade then at Castiel.

"Is this another one of your daily rituals?" Castiel asked, his head tilted in that way that reminded Dean of a confused kitten.

Dean shrugged. "Kind of?"

"Why don't you join us?" Wade said, peeking over the couch. Dean frowned seeing the mask was still in place.

The angel's face twisted in confusion. "What am I joining?"

"Anime Saturday," Dean said with a shrug.

Castiel stood up and followed Dean to the sitting area. Wade moved to one end of the couch, crossing his legs beneath him. Cas sat on the far end of the sofa still wearing his trenchcoat, his back ramrod straight. This left Dean between the merc and the angel. After passing out beer, and Wade deciding that Dean should be the popcorn holder, the merc pushed play.

It wasn't long until Cas started asking questions. Why is that space station shaped like women's breasts? How can a robot cry? I don't understand why his hair is amusing, Wade…

Wade gladly accepted the challenge of explaining anime. The merc was very much an otaku, and was very animated with his explanations. He seemed to really like going the extra mile with some things, like his own experience with a ball gag when Cas asked what was in Lady Liberty's mouth.

By the time Space Dandy had ended and they were one commercial break into One Piece, Sam had joined the group. He sat on the floor between Wade and Dean, his gigantor legs stretched out and ending in a pair of fluffy bunny slippers. Wade braided Sam's hair. Castiel burned the second bag of popcorn, but he finally took off the coat and had the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up to the elbows.

Dean drank beer and slouched between his two best friends, and felt for the first time in a while, that he wasn't alone. There was still a lot of things to work out. Sam and Cas were hell bent on curing him, and if they didn't, Wade was convinced he could keep Dean from going full Dark Side.

It was a good night.

The next morning, Sam was the first to wake. He slept on the floor, and opened his eyes to an adorable puppy pile on the couch. Dean's head was in Wade's lap. Castiel lay against Dean with an arm around him. And Wade had flung one leg over the arm of the couch, and was using Castiel as a pillow. It didn't look comfortable, but it was too adorable for Sam to not add it to his growing file of blackmail pictures.

He tiptoed to the main hall where he'd left his phone the night before, and snuck back to the library.

But when Sam finally turned on the screen, he saw he had three missed calls, all from a Michigan number. There was also a voice mail.

Abandoning the puppy pile picture, Sam dialed his voicemail, entered his code, and heard a young man's voice say, "Uh, you don't know me. I don't think. But I found this number in my mom's stuff. My name's Ben Braeden. And I need help."