Strings Attached

Chapter 38

"Hey, Sam!" Gabriel greets the boy with a hug when they finally reach the Winchester house.

"Hey." A fully showered Sam kisses the top of Gabriel's head quickly.

"You live in a junk yard?" Garth observes.

Sam nods, stepping back to let them all in. "Yeah. It's my uncle's. Dean and I help out when we can, but it's mostly his thing."

"Cool," Garth says, and he really seems to believe it.

Castiel waits for everyone else to move before he wheels inside. He can hear the faint sound of a guitar being played nearby. He hadn't really thought about Dean when he agreed to come. As long as Dean doesn't really acknowledge them and just continues playing his guitar, Castiel doesn't care. He can't complain about good music. He just wishes he could figure out what song this is, because it's going to bother him forever if he can't.

"That's Dean," Sam tells him as if Castiel didn't know that. "Playing guitar, per usual."

"Dean plays guitar?" Garth repeats, impressed.

"Dean does everything," Sam replies.

"Castiel plays guitar, too," Gabriel adds. "It gets real annoying, real quick. You'll probably wish Dean didn't pretty soon."

"You play guitar, too?" Garth repeats.

"I used to," Castiel says. "I don't know if I still can, especially with my cast."

"Yeah, that's problematic," Garth agrees.

"Come on, let's go bug Dean!" Gabriel says excitedly.

"No," Sam replies.

"Why not? We always bug Dean! It's a tradition!"

"He's definitely not in mood to put up with that today," Sam tells him.

"I don't care. Let's bug Dean."

Sam sighs as Gabriel walks away. "You're gonna regret that," he mutters under his breath as he walks after the boy, Garth and Castiel behind him.

"The test isn't even 'til Thursday!" Dean whines, still playing the guitar.

"You can't wait until Wednesday night to study," Bobby says. "That's called cramming, and it never works. Trust me."

"I'll study when I get home! Come on, I never get to see Jo anymore!"

"Christmas is in six weeks," Bobby reminds him, which serves as a wake up call for Castiel. He didn't realize it was that close. "You'll see her then."

"And this rate, you're gonna make me start studying for finals by then," Dean mutters, and though Castiel can't see him, he knows the boy is pouting.

"Just start studying."

"Why? I'm gonna play football for the rest of my life. I don't need to know this stuff to go pro."

"No, you need to know it to pass the class so you can stay on the team," Bobby replies. "Now get to work."

Dean groans. "No one else is going to start studying this early!"

"Dean, just study for your damn test!"

Gabriel takes this moment to jump in the room. "What test are we studying for?"

"Biology," Dean tells him, though he clearly isn't happy about it.

"Seriously, you're just taking that now? Castiel took that as a freaking freshman."

"I don't care what classes Cas took when," Dean snaps.