As soon as Sam shut the infirmary door behind him, he let his shoulders sag.

Cas watched him carefully. "Sam?"

"I don't know how that's gonna go."

"You believe the younger Dean will not take it well." Cas nodded knowingly.

"In case you haven't noticed, our Dean isn't taking it well."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Sam rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Hey, can you come give me a hand with something?"

"Of course." Cas stepped aside, letting Sam take the lead farther into the bunker.

Sam walked them to the room across the hallway from his own, opening it up and flicking on the lights. It was barren, but clean; Similar to how Cas' own room in the bunker looked. "We need to move this furniture over and pull in another bed. If we put them in separate rooms they'll just both end up in the same one anyway." He began shoving the bed sideways, allowing enough room for a second.

When he looked up again, Cas was walking in, a complete bed awkwardly balanced from hitting the walls. Cas furrowed his brow in concentration as he carefully steered around the small desk and set the frame down, tipping it the last few inches into place. He stepped back. "There isn't much space."

"They'll be alright." Sam said softly, looking it over. He grabbed the sheets, straightening them out. "This is good."

Cas watched him freeze in the middle of the room, eyes locked on the two beds. "Sam?"

Sam jumped slightly. "I don't… What do we do with them?"

Cas furrowed his brow. "I don't know what you-?" He looked back at the beds. "I thought we were setting up a room for them."

"And after that?"

"We are finding a way to return them to their time."

Sam sighed thoughtfully, looking down at the ground. "If we return them to the same time, we're technically older than we thought we were." He said. "Lost time and all… I wonder by how much."

"Not long enough that your father noticed the discrepancy."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What is bothering you?" Cas asked directly.

"Nothing, it's just… what do we tell them?"

"Dean is explaining the situation to himself, which I imagine he will either repeat himself or let himself relay the information to you."

Sam gave a weak smile. "The fact that that made sense is nuts."

"I-"

"That's not what I mean." Sam continued, cutting him off. He tilted his head back. "About everything else. Everything…"

"Everything that happened to them." Cas caught on. "To you."

"They're going to ask."

"Is there harm in telling them the truth?"

Sam winced. "I don't know." He said honestly.

"What is your concern?"

"I… that kid in there… who I was… I didn't- I hadn't done anything yet. I didn't know any better yet."

"You were aware your brother and father hunted."

"I didn't know about the demon blood or- or Azazel, or Lucifer." Sam insisted. "Cas, I let Lucifer out… I let the darkness out. I've almost ended the world twice."

"There isn't anyone in this bunker that is not somewhat to blame for placing the world in jeopardy." Cas said softly, trying to be comforting but having no idea how.

"Those two kids in there don't. Not yet. What happens if they find out?" Sam crossed his arms, settling down to half sit on the desk shoved into the corner. "Cas… I don't think I'd take it well, knowing where we ended up."

"You believe he would judge you."

"I know he would." Sam said softly. "They… I mean I wouldn't… I wouldn't be okay knowing I got out and came back. Let alone the other crap."

"It is behind you."

"It isn't behind them."

Cas watched him for a moment. "It is information you live with presently."

"I'm not eleven years old, watching where I end up, and getting it all at once." Sam swallowed. "And Dean he… he still thinks I'm completely innocent."

"You are."

"I was."

"It will be okay, Sam." Cas said, deciding that was probably the right thing to say, even if he didn't know it would be true.

Sam rubbed his arm for a second before standing up. "Yeah… good. Thanks Cas." He said firmly, taking a deep breath before heading back toward the door.

They had just walked back into the map room when the door to the infirmary opened.

Sam froze in place, watching Dean and… Dean walk out.

Young Dean stopped still. "Sam?"

Sam raised his hand in a half wave, an awkward smile on his face. "Hey Dean."

"Ho-ly shit." He said, drawing it out in mild shock. He took a second to look him up and down before a small frown set in place. He looked up at Sam then Dean and back again, deflating slightly as he sized them up.

Sam threw his head back in an unexpected laugh. The older Dean pulled a face at him. "Oh shut up."

The younger Dean crossed his arms, waiting for the laughter to fade, his expression flat. "You done?"

Sam took a moment to pull himself together. "Yeah." He said, catching his breath again. "Yeah I'm good."

"Good." Both Deans returned at the same time, both ending by glaring at the other for a moment before turning their attention back to Sam who was currently resisting giving into laughter again.

"Cas, Dean. Dean, Cas." Dean said, giving a half gesture at Cas.

Cas bowed his head slightly. "I apologize for knocking you unconscious."

"Yeah, just keep your hands to yourself from now on, buddy." Younger Dean warned. "We're starting a new policy called personal space."

"Yes… we've talked about that."

Young Dean paused, looking Cas over before turning his attention back to Sam. "You're good?"

Sam settled back, the smile on his face becoming more warm, the question genuinely touching to him. "Yeah." He said. "All things considered, I'm good." It wasn't true, or at least wasn't wholly true, but he'd been far far worse than he was right now.

He wished he could say the same for Dean. He looked at his brother, catching the strain behind his eyes. It'd been a rough couple of weeks, and this was just another thing on top of it all.

The younger Dean looked back at Cas. "Dean said Sam would wake up soon. When is 'soon'?"

Cas looked at him. "He should awaken in three to four hours."

"You said he'd wake up soon." Older Dean protested.

Cas looked hesitant. "I apologize if I misspoke."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He turned to his counterpart. "He's perfectly fine. Cas has knocked out plenty of people."

"Was there a world in which you'd think that line would ever make me feel better?"

Dean stopped, mouth set.

Sam cleared his throat. "Okay then." He interrupted. "Dean… uh… little Dean…" This earned him a far more scathing glare than he was prepared for. "Sorry. But I… Cas and I set up a room for you two." He looked between the Deans for a moment. "Thought you'd be more comfortable than the infirmary… and it'd be a little less jarring when he… uh… I wake up…"

"Together?"

"Yeah. Cas pulled in another bed, it's one room." He assured him.

The young hunter hesitated but he finally nodded. "Okay."

"Here let me-"

"I got it." Younger Dean said firmly, standing and heading back towards the infirmary to gather his brother.

Sam sighed, watching him go. "Yep… that really is you."

Dean rolled his eyes. He came to lean against the table close to Cas. "Sam has you on furniture moving duty?"

"He is probably right that it will put him at ease."

"Trust me, there is not a single thing that could put him at ease right now."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't try."

Dean pulled a face. "Whatever. Forget it." He pushed up off the table. "Anyway. Sam, you got the kids? I'm taking Cas."

"Wait, what?" Sam asked, thrown off by the sudden switch. "Where are you going?"

"They're gonna need stuff. Best do it before they wake up tomorrow." Dean said, voice just a little more tense than it should be.

Sam stopped, looking at him for a second before sighing. "Yeah, alright."

"Good." Dean said firmly, nodding to Cas before heading out of the room.

.

Dean had flipped on the radio the second he turned on the car, and it had bought him twenty minutes of a tense silence, only interrupted by his impatient tapping on the side of the wheel to the music.

He tried unsuccessfully to ignore Cas looking at him with intent in his expression. He finally reached out and flicked off the radio, deciding to break the tension himself. "How you really know you live in the middle of nowhere: It's an hour to the nearest damn Walmart."

"Why are you doing this, now?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "They need stuff. They're wearing the only clothes they have, and it's not exactly like they brought a toothbrush."

"Surely that could have waited until after you slept." Cas pointed out.

Dean glanced down at the clock. He hadn't realized it was well past three in the morning. "Yeah, well. I was getting antsy in the bunker, I'd rather go clear my head."

Cas was quiet for a moment. "They are causing you a lot of stress."

Dean huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess. Just with everything happening… Ramiel, Mom… It's just one more thing, you know?"

"Mmh." Cas nodded thoughtfully.

"It's just… to see Sam like that." Dean hesitated, a small smile forming. "I forgot how small he was." Just like that the smile was gone. "I forgot how small I was."

"I suppose to you, your sense of scale would be off."

"Mmh."

"It must be odd to see yourself so young from an outside perspective."

"Just a little." Dean flashed a rehearsed grin. "No use griping about it. We're already out." He dismissed, leaning down to flick the radio back on.

.

Cas didn't say much when he followed Dean into the store. Dean was clearly on a mission, but he didn't have much of an idea what they were there for. He kept close behind, ready to help if needed, but knowing he wouldn't be.

He was aware Dean brought him there to talk, not because he needed help. He was also aware that Dean wasn't aware of that.

"At least they slept with their damn shoes on." Dean muttered, regretting not getting any of their sizes before he left. He was going in blind, but he wasn't about to give up now.

"You didn't for a while." Cas said.

"Yeah…" Dean said, distractedly. "Guess we got lax about that."

"You got in the habit again recently." Not recently. After purgatory.

"Ready for anything." Dean quipped.

"Mmh." Cas replied simply.

Dean pushed the cart towards the back of the store, past the shoes. "Sam seems to be handling this well."

"Sam is worried." Cas said.

Dean didn't look up. "He said that?"

Cas bowed his head in confirmation. "He is worried about them finding out the truth."

"He thinks his mini is gonna freak when he hears it all?"

"Sam is concerned about himself, but he is worried about what your younger self will do if he finds out everything Sam has done."

Dean scanned over the wall of socks, searching for a moment before just grabbing a package more or less at random and throwing it in the cart. "What do you mean? Like, I'll abandon him or something? I'm here, aren't I? He knows that."

"He seems to think that it would be worse coming all at once than stretching years."

"Oh."

"But, I believe Sam is more worried your younger self would just look at his brother differently."

"Jesus." Dean breathed, stopping to look up at Cas. He wished he could jump to his own defense, say with conviction that he never would, but he had no idea how he'd have taken all that news back then. "We're gonna have to be careful what we decide to tell them."

Cas gave a nod.

Dean pushed the cart again, grabbing a couple packages of boxers without really looking at them. He continued on towards regular clothes.

Cas studied him for a second. "How are you doing?"

"Just grand." Dean replied absently, his voice low as he started to source out some clothes that he figured might mostly fit.

Cas looked at him pointedly.

Dean glanced up, freezing for a second before sighing. He dropped his shoulders, reaching up and scrubbing his hand over his mouth. "I have no idea." He gave a humorless laugh. "I meant what I said in the car. It feels like the universe is just kicking us while we're down. It's one crisis after the next, and I gotta say, man, I'm runnin' on empty." Dean sighed. "I mean, it's everything. Hell, you almost fucking died a week ago."

"I did not." Cas pointed out.

"Yeah, no thanks to me."

"Dean-"

"And then-" He cut himself off.

Cas watched Dean pull a couple t-shirts, adding them to the pile of things steadily growing in the cart. "I didn't say… I'm sorry your mother left."

She didn't leave, I threw her out. "Yeah. Well. What should I expect?"

"I do not think it is a fault to not expect the worst."

Dean snorted. "It'd certainly save a lot of grief if I did."

"Perhaps." Cas replied softly.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else."

"Like what?"

"Literally anything else."

Cas was quiet for a moment. "It is unseasonably warm this week."

Dean let out a genuine laugh, the sincerity in Cas' voice throwing him, and paired with that satisfied look, Cas knew what he was doing. "Yeah."

Cas glanced at the cart. "What is left?"

"I don't know." Dean admitted. "Toothpaste? Deodorant? Basic stuff I guess."

"It must be jarring to be brought somewhere with nothing." Cas mused.

"I don't think not having a toothbrush is what's jarring about this."

"No… I suppose not. But it cannot help."

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Though we didn't really have a lot to our name back then. Just a couple toiletries, a musty old motel room, and a truly ridiculous number of guns."

Cas let that sink in for a moment. "Well… after this they will have toiletries, and an underground bunker with a truly ridiculous number of guns."

Dean laughed again. "Yeah. I guess you're right." He sighed, pushing onward again. "Come on, let's finish this up and get back."