Best Friend's Brother

Chapter 3

Once again, Sam woke up to the smell of food. He smiled when he saw his older brother cooking in the kitchen. Like yesterday, Sam and Dean ate breakfast without Castiel. That gave them time to catch up on each other's lives. "I have a girlfriend now", Sam said. Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother before smirking. "Her name is Jessica Moore. She's amazing. I think you'll love her".

"When can I meet her?" Dean asked.

"I'm taking her out tonight, maybe tomorrow?"

"Wait?" Dean stopped eating. "You're-you're not going to be here tonight?"

"No, will that be a problem?" Sam asked.

Dean forced his food down before replying, "No-no, it's fine. Have fun on your date. I expect you home by 10am latest, understand?" He pretended to be a strict parent, but it only made Sam laugh at him. Gradually, he broke into a smile and joined in with the laughter.

The day went on as usual: Sam went to school while Dean was working on the Impala, and Castiel was nowhere to be seen. Not until lunch time when he was walking home and made eye contact with Dean again. There was something about Castiel that caught Dean's attention, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. That's why he's openly flirting with him, and he loves the way Castiel blushes when he gets nervous or embarrassed.

For the remainder of the day, Dean sat in the living room with his bottle of Bourbon Whiskey that he brought earlier. The sun had been replaced by the moon when Dean realised how late it was. His almost empty bottle still in his hand, he stumbled into the kitchen to look for food. The fridge seemed empty in his blurry vision, so he closed the fridge and attempted to make his way to the couch. Unfortunately, he lost his balance.

Luckily, something cushioned his fall. More like someone.

Castiel had caught him before he collided with the floor. "Woah. Are you alright?" His calming voice spoke into Dean's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. He held Dean up and spoke to him with a soft voice. "Dean? Can you walk on your own? Or do you need my help?"

Instantly, Dean pushed him away. "'M fine," he slurred.

He stepped forward and almost fell if Castiel hadn't caught him in time. "Woah! OK! I'm going to help you. Obviously, you can't walk on your own". Dean tried to protest, but he was too drunk to push Castiel away again. "Look, I just want to make sure you're alright. I'll help you to Sam's room, it'll be empty because he's staying out tonight, and I won't speak a word of this to anyone. OK?"

Dean nodded and allowed Castiel to take him to Sam's room. Dean flopped onto the bed, fully clothed, and began to doze off. He instantly woke up when he felt Castiel remove his shoes. He sat up in panic. "Dean! Calm down! It's fine. I'm just trying to make you comfortable. You shouldn't sleep in jeans, it cuts off the blood circulation in your legs".

"No. I want 'em," he slurred, tiredly. "Protection".

Castiel frowned. Protection? What could he mean? Sighing, Castiel left Dean in his clothes and quietly left the room. When he entered his own room, he shut the door and sat at his desk before writing in his journal.

<3

     Dear journal,
     I found Dean drunk in the kitchen just now. He was too drunk to hold himself up. I can see that he's carrying so much on his shoulders, but he never mentions it. While I was helping him into Sam's bed, I tried to remove his shoes and jeans to get him comfortable, but he got all possessive. He said he needed them on for protection. I have no clue what he meant by that.
     What if something really bad happened to him while he was growing up? What if it's traumatised him? Why would he need his clothes for protection? What has he experienced in his life? Those scars on him must tell so many horrifying stories.
     Will he ever tell me those stories? Do I want to know?
     Anyway, until next time,
     - Castiel.