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Sam snores. It’s not very loud, but the vibrations are enough to wake Eileen. She blinks in confusion and takes a moment to orient herself, and then she feels it - a soft rumble, going from her fingertips on his chest to her heart. And it’s kind of sweet, but-
Okay, yeah. She’s definitely sleeping on the couch in the movie room.
In a few minutes. Right now she is content to just lay here and look at Sam’s relaxed face, feel the heat radiating from his body. She never thought she could have this, she gave it all up the day she decided to avenge her parents. Sure, there have been a few men through the years, but never one that feels like home. Like-
Like waking up in the middle of the night due to her partner’s snoring and not minding, not one bit, because he is a wonderful man who will talk about ancient lore and take secret sign-language classes to surprise her and save her life.
And wow. He really snores.
Her clothes are all over the place and she smiles when she spots Sam’s red flannel. Surely he wouldn’t mind…?
The shirt is large and soft and goes down to the middle of her thighs, and she has to roll the sleeves up five times before she can even find her hands. Casting one last look at Sam, she then opens the door and tiptoes into the hallway.
Eileen is a well-trained hunter, she has spent her life learning how to compensate for the fact that she is deaf, and she can detect a hidden vampire within a fifty-yard distance. She has killed dozens of monsters on her own, and knows how to defend herself.
That being said, she still yelps in surprise when she sees a figure emerging from one of the bedrooms.
Dean’s bedroom, she realizes, and panics only slightly because Dean doesn’t know about her and Sam yet, and she would hate it if he found out by meeting her in nothing but Sam’s flannel in the middle of the night.
Half a second later, she realizes that this is Castiel, not Dean, and calms down at once. She has grown to like the angel, once she learned that he is the type of
thing
person that could sit in the grass for hours only to watch a flower bloom.
Castiel gives her an awkward wave and a half-smile.
Couldn’t sleep? he signs perfectly, and she raises an eyebrow, impressed.
Sam snores, she signs back. Castiel smiles fondly and fidgets a little with his shirt.
Eileen tilts her head and considers him, because something is off with the way he looks. His hair is disheveled as usual (maybe a bit more than usual, but-)
She interrupts her own thoughts as she understands, she finally understands, because Castiel is wearing Dean’s green flannel. It looks a bit big on him, and-
Are those sweatpants? she asks, and Castiel looks down bashfully.
They are surprisingly comfortable. I thought all clothes felt the same, but this fabric is much softer than my regular pants.
Eileen can’t help the widest grin from spreading on her face. Castiel smiles back uncertainly, straightening out an invisible crease in the shirt.
So, you and Sam? he asks, and Eileen looks back on the bedroom door she left only seconds ago. She shrugs even though Sam deserves a much better explanation than that.
You and Dean? she retorts, and instead of blushing deeper, Castiel starts beaming like a ray of sun. There is so much love in his eyes, so many emotions that Eileen can’t fully understand, and she is so happy for them. Judging from what little Sam has told her, Dean has not had it easy. Neither has Castiel. And now he is wearing Dean’s shirt and sweatpants and sneaking out of his room in the middle of the night.
She laughs a breathy laugh and points towards the kitchen.
I’m going to get some tea, do you want to join me?
Castiel signs a ”thank you” and follows her down the hall. As she locates a pot to fill with water, Castiel sits tentatively on one of the chairs.
Sam doesn’t know, he says, and he doesn’t need to ask her to keep it to herself. She understands.
Dean doesn’t know about us either. There is trust in Castiel’s eyes. A warm fuzz spreads in Eileen as she realizes that she and Castiel are probably the two luckiest people in the world.
So, tell me about Dean, she asks, and if they stay up all night and gossip about their respective Winchester, well, the brothers will never know.
(They will, however, wonder about the two tea cups and the empty pack of ice cream the next morning.)