Strings Attached

Chapter 45

Castiel finds all the kids hanging out in the living room and all the "adults" in the kitchen. Well, if you can consider Lucifer an adult. Castiel has a feeling he was dragged into it, probably in an effort to look somewhat good in comparison to Raphael. Why he's the standard, Castiel will never understand.

Castiel attempts to sneak by the adults and towards the kids, where he knows Gabriel will doubtlessly be hanging out, but Chuck sees him anyway.

"Oh, Castiel, you're home," Chuck observes. "Where's Gabriel?"

Where's Gabriel? But Gabriel is here. He's supposed to be here. He was in front of them. He should have gotten home sooner. And it's not as if he doesn't know the way home. So where did he go? Did he decide to ditch?

Knowing Gabriel, that's exactly what he did. If only Castiel could have ditched as well. But what does he tell Chuck to make sure Gabriel won't get in trouble for not being here? Especially if he didn't ditch, which isn't very likely. Castiel decides to just stick with the truth, because that always ends better for him. Well, usually.

"I don't know," Castiel admits. "He didn't walk back with me and Dean. Like, not right with us. But I'm sure he'll show up soon."

"Dean?" Raphael repeats in that low, accusing voice of his.

"A friend," Castiel clarifies. He knows Raphael assumes they're dating now; he does with every boy Castiel mentions and he disapproves immensely.

"Destiel?" Lucifer asks, his voice hopeful like that of a child's.

"No," Castiel answers immediately. "It's never gonna happen. You might as well give it up now."

"We'll see," Lucifer says mischievously. "On another note, you're ignoring Aunt Amara."

"Oh, sorry," Castiel says. "Hi, Aunt Amara." He gives his aunt a hug, as he does every time he sees her. He doesn't really like hugs, but he does it anyway, for her sake.

"Hi, Castiel," she replies with a kind smile. Amara is the nicest person Castiel has ever met. The thought of her ever being mean to anyone is impossible to imagine. It's probably where Raphael got his strict personality from. He likes things in order, and Amara clearly wasn't doing it herself.

"I'm gonna go hang out with the little kids," Castiel says awkwardly before walking over to the living room.

Instantly, Castiel's cousins run over to greet him. They're mostly younger — Hannah is in second grade, Ambriel is in third, Hael is in sixth, and Balthazar is in ninth. What that equates to in age, Castiel doesn't know, nor does he care.

Balthazar is the only one who doesn't hurry over to hug him. Instead, he watches with an amused grin as Castiel is overrun by girls.

"Hi, Castiel!" Hannah squeals. She lets go of him and begins jumping up and down energetically.

"Hi!" Ambriel adds with a big grin.

"Heya, Castiel," Hael says, not squeaking like the other girls. It must be part of the new middle school mind frame. It's probably also why she settles for a high five and not a hug.

"You should play with us!" Hannah tells him. "We're playing with dolls!"

Castiel has never wished for Gabriel to be here more.

"I'm gonna go talk to Balthazar..." Castiel tells her, then walks over to his cousin. He had been chatting with Samandriel; there's only a one year difference between the two, just as there is between Balthazar and Castiel. It makes it much easier to hang out with family when you have bearable cousins and siblings.