Unexpected Destinies Chapter 11
Title Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU
Word Count: 1,469
Summary: Castiel doesn't like how much Dean has been drinking lately and decides to do something about it.
PAST
Castiel frowned as he recognized the type of building outside which the Impala was parked. When he'd found Dean's latest motel room empty, he'd feared this was where he'd find the errant hunter, but he'd hoped his charge was working instead of once more drinking himself into oblivion. Those hopes had now been shattered.
He growled in frustration and resisted the temptation to follow Dean's example and curse. There were some things in which he shouldn't emulate the hunter, a lesson Castiel had, unfortunately, learned the hard way. Not that it had been Dean's fault, the human had tried to dissuade him from drinking when he'd first realized that he'd picked up the habit, but he hadn't listened. He'd figured that if it was good enough for the Righteous Man, then it was good enough for him. Somehow he'd forgotten that Dean, like all humans, was flawed. Indeed, it was often those flaws that drew him towards the hunter as they only served to underscore all that he accomplished in spite of them.
Now, however, this one flaw was starting to annoy Castiel. Drinking did not help anything, Dean knew this and still he persisted in the habit. There were times when he didn't understand the hunter at all. Well, this foolishness ended now. He was not going to let Sam's decision destroy his brother.
Once inside, Castiel quickly found the hunter as he was seated at the bar, a slew of empty shot glasses next to him as well as several empty beer bottles. His hands curled into fists before he made his way towards Dean.
"Another," Dean said, motioning towards the barman.
"No, you've had more than enough," Castiel stated.
His approach had obviously been silent enough to have gone unnoticed as Dean jumped in his seat, nearly falling from the barstool. That was another negative consequence to the hunter consuming such copious quantities of alcohol, Castiel noted, it slowed his reflexes and left him more vulnerable. And that was something they couldn't afford, especially if dark forces were gathering in anticipation of Lucifer's return to Earth. His friend would, unfortunately, once again be the focus of all that power now that Adam was back in Heaven. Dean was all that was left between Lucifer and Hell on Earth and given what had happened the first time around, he doubted his brother would be as tolerant of the hunter's continued existence.
"Cas," Dean's tone of voice was far from welcoming. "There an emergency?"
"No."
"Then shove off."
The bartender brought another opened bottle to them.
"He won't be having that," Castiel told him.
"Yes, he will," Dean disagreed, shoving some money at the man.
"Dean."
"Fuck off, Cas."
"No."
This being a public place, Castiel knew he couldn't use his powers overtly, so he simply snatched the bottle from the hunter's hands and shoved it down the bar towards another patron.
"Hey!" Dean protested.
"You have had enough."
"I've told you before, Cas, I'll be the judge of that and I damn well haven't had enough!"
Beyond a general check to make sure that there was nothing supernatural in the bar with them, Castiel had tuned out everyone else to focus solely on his charge. As a result, the large man who'd approached him from behind went unnoticed until he grabbed hold of his trench coat and arm.
"You causing trouble?" the man demanded. "'Cause it looks like you causing trouble to Benny."
"Hey, get your hands off him!" Dean snarled, on his feet instantly.
Before Castiel could say anything, the hunter had already gotten right up beside him and was shoving at the man who'd grabbed him.
"But- he was harassing you," Benny said, confused.
"He's with me."
Dean's reply warmed Castiel, as did the automatic reaction to an 'assault' on his person even if he could have handled it easy enough on his own. It was good to know that even if they were arguing, the hunter wasn't angry enough with him to leave him alone to the mercy of customs he didn't know and human interactions he was, at best, awkward at.
"Out." The order came from the bartender and made Dean's face fall with dismay.
"What? Come on, man!"
"We don't need your kind of trouble here."
"But-"
"Benny."
This time it was Castiel's turn to step closer to Dean as the large man looked to grab his friend.
"Alright, alright, we're going," Dean replied, glaring at both men.
It wasn't lost on Castiel that that glare was directed his way as soon as they were safely away from the bar. It hadn't been how he'd intended this confrontation to go, but he couldn't argue with the results. Hopefully this would also prevent Dean from being about to return to this bar at a later date and, as it was a small town, that left him without a suitable place to go get drunk at.
"The Hell was that about, Cas?" Dean finally erupted in the darkened parking lot.
"You have been drinking too much."
"Look, let's get one thing clear here, I'm an adult and perfectly capable of deciding when, and how much, I want to drink."
"Yet you are not acting rationally and require help to do so."
/
The urge to punch something rose within Dean and managed to resist it only by remembering how much it had hurt the last time he had punched Castiel.
"What do you want from me, Cas?" Dean demanded.
"I want you to take care of yourself."
The words were said softly, but Dean could clearly hear the sincerity behind them and they took the wind right out of his sails. How the hell was he supposed to argue with that?
"You have not been doing this for a long time now, but it has gotten worse since we went to see Sam and your grandfather."
"I don't want to talk about it!" Dean thundered, pushing past the angel to head towards the Impala.
"No, we will talk about this. Now."
The words were accompanied by a hand on his bicep, spinning him around so that he was facing Castiel. Dean's eyes widened in shock and he stared at the angel, rendered completely speechless at this unexpected and nearly unprecedented forcefulness. He hadn't really seen Castiel this worked up since the very beginning, the only exception being that time in the alley when he'd fully intended to let Michael have him. The comparison should have frightened him; made him fear for his own safety, but it didn't. No, he trusted Cas, trusted him unlike anyone else and he knew, really knew, that the angel wouldn't lay a finger on him without a damn good reason.
The blue gaze fixed on him was full of determination and stubbornness and Dean could feel the carefully restrained strength in the fingers wrapped around his arm. The air was filled with a familiar static buzz that had been absent from the angel towards the end of what they'd thought was the Apocalypse. Now it was back, amplified a hundred fold and spoke of a power he couldn't even hope to comprehend no matter how much he'd seen Castiel do. But that didn't matter as he knew that power would never be turned on him. Not without a damn good reason anyway and he was the first to admit that his stunt with Michael had been stupid and half-assed.
"Cas," Dean began, swallowing thickly. "I- I can't."
"Yes, you can. Furthermore, you must."
"Why?"
"Because this is not good for you. Pretending that you don't know what you do only to be reminded of it all the time is hurting you more than just acknowledging it would."
"No, you don't understand, I can't just talk about it. That's not how I do things."
"Nevertheless, it is what must be done now."
Dean briefly closed his eyes before he glanced about, looking to see if there was anyone else nearby. The last thing he needed was to make a public spectacle of himself. As if sensing the thought, Castiel's hand left his arm and brushed his forehead and they were suddenly back in his motel.
"Dude, my car!"
"She is outside, I wouldn't leave her behind."
"You transported my baby as well as us?"
"Yes. Your suggestion for me to try expanding my abilities was a good one. Xarael and I have been experimenting with more than just my fighting abilities as we both doubt I could confront Lucifer head on."
Dean gave a strained smile. "So you're thinking to outsmart him, come in from the side instead?"
"Tactics has always been my strength, there is no reason for me not to use that now."
"Good thinking."
"But that is not what we need to discuss at this time."
Chapter 12
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU
Word Count: 1,469
Summary: Castiel doesn't like how much Dean has been drinking lately and decides to do something about it.
PAST
Castiel frowned as he recognized the type of building outside which the Impala was parked. When he'd found Dean's latest motel room empty, he'd feared this was where he'd find the errant hunter, but he'd hoped his charge was working instead of once more drinking himself into oblivion. Those hopes had now been shattered.
He growled in frustration and resisted the temptation to follow Dean's example and curse. There were some things in which he shouldn't emulate the hunter, a lesson Castiel had, unfortunately, learned the hard way. Not that it had been Dean's fault, the human had tried to dissuade him from drinking when he'd first realized that he'd picked up the habit, but he hadn't listened. He'd figured that if it was good enough for the Righteous Man, then it was good enough for him. Somehow he'd forgotten that Dean, like all humans, was flawed. Indeed, it was often those flaws that drew him towards the hunter as they only served to underscore all that he accomplished in spite of them.
Now, however, this one flaw was starting to annoy Castiel. Drinking did not help anything, Dean knew this and still he persisted in the habit. There were times when he didn't understand the hunter at all. Well, this foolishness ended now. He was not going to let Sam's decision destroy his brother.
Once inside, Castiel quickly found the hunter as he was seated at the bar, a slew of empty shot glasses next to him as well as several empty beer bottles. His hands curled into fists before he made his way towards Dean.
"Another," Dean said, motioning towards the barman.
"No, you've had more than enough," Castiel stated.
His approach had obviously been silent enough to have gone unnoticed as Dean jumped in his seat, nearly falling from the barstool. That was another negative consequence to the hunter consuming such copious quantities of alcohol, Castiel noted, it slowed his reflexes and left him more vulnerable. And that was something they couldn't afford, especially if dark forces were gathering in anticipation of Lucifer's return to Earth. His friend would, unfortunately, once again be the focus of all that power now that Adam was back in Heaven. Dean was all that was left between Lucifer and Hell on Earth and given what had happened the first time around, he doubted his brother would be as tolerant of the hunter's continued existence.
"Cas," Dean's tone of voice was far from welcoming. "There an emergency?"
"No."
"Then shove off."
The bartender brought another opened bottle to them.
"He won't be having that," Castiel told him.
"Yes, he will," Dean disagreed, shoving some money at the man.
"Dean."
"Fuck off, Cas."
"No."
This being a public place, Castiel knew he couldn't use his powers overtly, so he simply snatched the bottle from the hunter's hands and shoved it down the bar towards another patron.
"Hey!" Dean protested.
"You have had enough."
"I've told you before, Cas, I'll be the judge of that and I damn well haven't had enough!"
Beyond a general check to make sure that there was nothing supernatural in the bar with them, Castiel had tuned out everyone else to focus solely on his charge. As a result, the large man who'd approached him from behind went unnoticed until he grabbed hold of his trench coat and arm.
"You causing trouble?" the man demanded. "'Cause it looks like you causing trouble to Benny."
"Hey, get your hands off him!" Dean snarled, on his feet instantly.
Before Castiel could say anything, the hunter had already gotten right up beside him and was shoving at the man who'd grabbed him.
"But- he was harassing you," Benny said, confused.
"He's with me."
Dean's reply warmed Castiel, as did the automatic reaction to an 'assault' on his person even if he could have handled it easy enough on his own. It was good to know that even if they were arguing, the hunter wasn't angry enough with him to leave him alone to the mercy of customs he didn't know and human interactions he was, at best, awkward at.
"Out." The order came from the bartender and made Dean's face fall with dismay.
"What? Come on, man!"
"We don't need your kind of trouble here."
"But-"
"Benny."
This time it was Castiel's turn to step closer to Dean as the large man looked to grab his friend.
"Alright, alright, we're going," Dean replied, glaring at both men.
It wasn't lost on Castiel that that glare was directed his way as soon as they were safely away from the bar. It hadn't been how he'd intended this confrontation to go, but he couldn't argue with the results. Hopefully this would also prevent Dean from being about to return to this bar at a later date and, as it was a small town, that left him without a suitable place to go get drunk at.
"The Hell was that about, Cas?" Dean finally erupted in the darkened parking lot.
"You have been drinking too much."
"Look, let's get one thing clear here, I'm an adult and perfectly capable of deciding when, and how much, I want to drink."
"Yet you are not acting rationally and require help to do so."
/
The urge to punch something rose within Dean and managed to resist it only by remembering how much it had hurt the last time he had punched Castiel.
"What do you want from me, Cas?" Dean demanded.
"I want you to take care of yourself."
The words were said softly, but Dean could clearly hear the sincerity behind them and they took the wind right out of his sails. How the hell was he supposed to argue with that?
"You have not been doing this for a long time now, but it has gotten worse since we went to see Sam and your grandfather."
"I don't want to talk about it!" Dean thundered, pushing past the angel to head towards the Impala.
"No, we will talk about this. Now."
The words were accompanied by a hand on his bicep, spinning him around so that he was facing Castiel. Dean's eyes widened in shock and he stared at the angel, rendered completely speechless at this unexpected and nearly unprecedented forcefulness. He hadn't really seen Castiel this worked up since the very beginning, the only exception being that time in the alley when he'd fully intended to let Michael have him. The comparison should have frightened him; made him fear for his own safety, but it didn't. No, he trusted Cas, trusted him unlike anyone else and he knew, really knew, that the angel wouldn't lay a finger on him without a damn good reason.
The blue gaze fixed on him was full of determination and stubbornness and Dean could feel the carefully restrained strength in the fingers wrapped around his arm. The air was filled with a familiar static buzz that had been absent from the angel towards the end of what they'd thought was the Apocalypse. Now it was back, amplified a hundred fold and spoke of a power he couldn't even hope to comprehend no matter how much he'd seen Castiel do. But that didn't matter as he knew that power would never be turned on him. Not without a damn good reason anyway and he was the first to admit that his stunt with Michael had been stupid and half-assed.
"Cas," Dean began, swallowing thickly. "I- I can't."
"Yes, you can. Furthermore, you must."
"Why?"
"Because this is not good for you. Pretending that you don't know what you do only to be reminded of it all the time is hurting you more than just acknowledging it would."
"No, you don't understand, I can't just talk about it. That's not how I do things."
"Nevertheless, it is what must be done now."
Dean briefly closed his eyes before he glanced about, looking to see if there was anyone else nearby. The last thing he needed was to make a public spectacle of himself. As if sensing the thought, Castiel's hand left his arm and brushed his forehead and they were suddenly back in his motel.
"Dude, my car!"
"She is outside, I wouldn't leave her behind."
"You transported my baby as well as us?"
"Yes. Your suggestion for me to try expanding my abilities was a good one. Xarael and I have been experimenting with more than just my fighting abilities as we both doubt I could confront Lucifer head on."
Dean gave a strained smile. "So you're thinking to outsmart him, come in from the side instead?"
"Tactics has always been my strength, there is no reason for me not to use that now."
"Good thinking."
"But that is not what we need to discuss at this time."
Chapter 12