Chapter Text
THEN
“Cas,” Sam said after a minute, “I know the priority is dealing with the veils. But I am keeping an eye out for anything that might help with your deal, too. So’s Rowena, for that matter, but I think you already knew that.”
“I appreciate that,” Cas said, a fond smile tugging at his lips. “Just, it does no good to save me if the multiverse unravels, so yes, that is the priority. So, for that matter, is both of your safety.”
“Cas,” Dean started, then cut himself off.
Sam knew that look on his brother’s face. He’d seen it after the lake house and every day after that right up until they finally got Cas back. He wondered if Cas had any idea how destroyed Dean had been the last time he’d died. Wondered if it would make any difference to tell him or would just make things worse.
They rode on in silence for the last few miles until they pulled into the bunker’s garage. It was neither the companionable quiet they’d had for the last several hours nor the extremely tense awkwardness that had marked the last week. The air felt charged, though, and Sam wondered whether the two of them were going to explode into yet another fight or maybe finally get their shit together. Either way, he resolved to make himself scarce once they got home.
As they pulled their bags out of the Impala and got ready to head inside, Dean turned to face Cas. They were, unfortunately, between Sam and the stairs leading downstairs.
“Yeah, Cas, so, you made a deal,” Dean started again, as if it had been only seconds instead of almost fifteen minutes since the last time he’d spoken. “You made a stupid deal, but I get it. And me and Sammy, and apparently Rowena, we’re gonna help you break it. Okay?”
They exchanged one of those long looks that made Sam feel like he should leave the room. Which he’d gladly do, if they’d just move so he could go hide in his bedroom or something.
Finally, Cas nodded and they all headed inside. Sam made a beeline for his room and then spent more time unpacking than was strictly necessary. He doubted they were going to actually have a full-on heart to heart or anything. Dean was probably going to be recovering from that little speech for days. But a brother could hope. After all, that’s what he’d been doing for about a decade now, anyway.
NOW
Dean stretches a bit and then yawns loudly, while he pulls his dressing gown a bit tighter around his waist. It’s almost a bit cold in the bunker and Dean is very happy to see that the kitchen is still empty. That means he could make himself some bacon and doesn’t even have to share. Not that it really matters, since his brother only eats healthy oatmeals and Castiel doesn’t eat at all.
“So get this!”
Dean whines quietly, when he gets the pan out of the cupboard and his brother shows up. Nothing good ever comes of it when Sam starts a conversation with that sentence. So Dean rolls his eyes, since Sam can’t see that, and decides to ignore his brother for now.
“I have a new case.” Sam says and he sits down at the table with his laptop. Dean starts the coffee machine, because he for sure would need some now. Bacon alone doesn’t cut it anymore. Sam seems to wait patiently for Dean to focus on him, so after he put some heavenly smelling bacon in the pan, he turns to Sam.
“Please enlighten me.” Dean says and Sam shows him one of his wonderful bitch faces. Dean snorts quietly, because it seems like Sam actually owns a whole collection of bitch faces. He snickers at his own thoughts and Sam frowns even more. Case in point.
“I was looking through some newspapers this morning and found an interesting article. Apparently there is a whole town that’s asleep.” Sam says and holds his laptop up for Dean to see. Dean snorts at the title. Sleeping Beauty.
“So people there are a bit lazy, why would that be our problem?” Dean says and he turns the bacon in the pan, he loves the sound it makes. Sam behind him huffs and Dean is almost a hundred percent sure, he just rolled his eyes at him. Whatever.
“Dean. Almost everyone in that tiny town has been asleep for over 3 days now.” Sam says and this time Dean has to admit that this does sound like something they should look at. That doesn’t mean that he likes it at all.
“So Djinn?” Dean asks and finally gets his bacon on a plate. He walks over to the table, ignoring Sam’s judging face, and turns the laptop to himself again. Apparently Sam is right and most people there fell into a very deep slumber.
“Probably more than one.” Sam mutters and Dean slouches a bit forward. The last time he had an encounter with a Djinn, he had dreamed of the perfect life. He can still remember how proud his mum looked, when she was out eating with his sons and their girlfriends. Dean shakes his head a bit, trying to get rid of these thoughts.
“I hate djinns.” Dean mutters and Sam snorts loudly.
“You say that about every supernatural creature.” Sam says and Dean shrugs. He can’t help it, that all those freaks they met are assholes. Even the angels are pretty thick headed dicks. Well… besides one of them.
“So, Cas gonna come with us?” Dean asks, because of course his thoughts wandered back to him. Somehow they always do. Dean doesn't look up from his bacon, because he is sure that his brother is grinning.
“Sure, I already talked to him, we wouldn’t want to leave your boyfriend behind.” Sam says and Dean nearly chokes on the next stripe of bacon. Sam gets up and fills both their mugs with coffee, while Dean tries to swallow his food down.
“Haha, very funny.” Dean says and of course the angel chooses that moment to walk into the kitchen. He isn’t wearing his trench coat, just the black suit for now, but he has the trench coat over his arm and Dean watches, when he throws it over his shoulder and gets it on.
“So are we ready to leave?” Castiel asks and looks up, Dean gets lost in his eyes, just like it has happened so many times before. Sam snickers louder and Dean looks on his plate again. He hopes he can will down his blush and ignores his brother again.
“Just finishing breakfast.” Dean mutters and hastily stuffs more bacon in his mouth, so he wouldn’t need to talk. Sam holds up a mug with coffee and Castiel takes it happily. While the angel doesn’t eat he somehow developed a strange need for some coffee.
“What is so funny?” Castiel wants to know, when Sam is still laughing quietly. Dean wants to strangle his brother, but then Castiel would for sure have even more questions that Dean isn’t ready to answer.
“Nothing.” He growls out and gets up. He rinses his plate and the pan, while Sam and Castiel sit at the table and chatter about the sleeping town. Dean just hopes they would get the job done fast and easy.
“I have never heard of a djinn managing to make so many people sleep.” Castiel admits and Sam nods to himself. Dean doesn’t even have to look into his own notes, he never heard about something like that either. Normally a djinn only feeds on three to five people at once. Of course, as soon as those are drained he would need new ones.
“Me neither. Dean and I were thinking that it could be a lot of djinns? Like uhm… a pack?” Sam says and Dean grins at the word ‘pack’. Castiel seems to think about that for a moment and Dean makes the mistake to look back to him. Castiel’s head is tilted and Dean smiles at that. This would never not make him happy, even if he normally doesn’t show it.
“That could be true. Fath… I mean Chuck did get all those creatures back out of hell and purgatory. Maybe they thought it would be very wise to work together. Even though, of course, it also brings more attention.” Castiel explains slowly and Sam nods before he gets up and puts his dirty mug into the sink. Dean frowns and then starts to clean Sam’s mug as well, Castiel at least looks sheepish when he holds out his mug as well.
“Leaving in ten?” Sam asks over his shoulder and is already gone. Castiel follows him out of the kitchen, maybe he is already going to Baby, since the angel doesn’t need clothes or a bag anyway. Dean sighs loudly, he had thought that would be a quiet day, but apparently he would never have those again.
Dean takes his time to pack his bag anyway. He can hear Sam walking down the corridor and puts another flannel onto his clothes, before he finally slings the bag over his shoulder. He looks back to his nightstand and winks at his mother’s picture with him and Sammy.
When he sees the picture of him and Castiel right next to it, his smile vanishes.
