Sam and Dean were on just another regular hunt in Wisconsin. It was a simple enough open and shut case. After reading a few newspapers they quickly discovered the deaths were caused by a Rugaru. Nasty creatures, sure, but easy enough to kill.
The boys had not been very close ever since Purgatory. Dean still refused to tell Sam how he got out, or even where Cas was, and Sam was still very cryptic about what exactly he had been doing in the year that Dean was 'away'. Thus, on the hunt, they opted for separate motel rooms. They were next to each other, but provided enough space between them so that it wouldn't get... Awkward.
On the third night of the hunt, they were no closer to finding exactly where this Rugaru was hiding. So, as always, Sam went to interview witnesses of the murders (again), whilst Dean suggested that he would ask around town to see if there were any similar incidents anywhere nearby in recent years. Dean may have been away for a year, but Sam still knew that was code for checking out the local bar.
So that night they did just that. Sam was as kind and professional as ever, asking all the right questions and listening intently to what they had to say, whether it was relevant to the case or not. Meanwhile, Dean just sat at the bar, gripping a whiskey tightly in his right hand. He did not bother to ask anyone any questions, or even try to chat up the hot barmaid, he had other things on his mind.
Purgatory had changed Dean. He wasn't what he used to be. Whereas his stint in Hell had left him with scars from the physical and mental torture, Purgatory was different. It left him feeling hollow. It was like there was a pit in the bottom of his stomach, that nothing could fill. Well, almost nothing.
Sam, on the other hand, had also changed from his time spent apart from Dean, but for the better. He had always wanted a normal life. A life free from monsters and death. That is the life that he had for the last year. He had spent his time with a woman, Amelia. They grew close after they met, and bonded over their recent losses of a person dear to them. Sam was finally able to have a normal life. That is when he realised... He didn't want one.
Dean left the bar early to return to his motel room, finally realising that not even the sense of being drunk could mask the hollow feeling he felt inside. He went inside and fell face first, fully clothed onto the bed, not even bothering to undress first. He lay like that for a moment or two before he heard a rustling sound behind him. His hunter instincts kicked in, as he simultaneously reached for his gun and rolled over to face his attacker. Except it wasn't an attacker, it was Castiel.
"Cas?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
The angel's eyes shifted from Dean's, to the gun, and back up to Dean. The hunter took this as a message, and when he realised that he was still pointing a gun at his best friend, he immediately laid it down beside himself on the bed. Cas's shoulder's relaxed fractionally.
"I came to see you Dean." The angel replied, his gaze now firmly aimed at the floor.
"What's wrong?" Dean asked, with the slightest hint of worry creeping into his otherwise steady tone.
"Nothing." Cas replied "I just came to see you, but I wasn't sure whether you wanted to see me..." If Dean didn't know better, he would have sworn that Cas was blushing.
"Why wouldn't I want to see you?" Dean asked with a quizzical look etched on his face.
"Well... We're not in Purgatory any more," Cas said, still staring at the floor "so I thought that things may change between us..."
It took a moment for Dean to fully understand what Cas was trying to say, and Dean's quizzical look rearranged itself into a look of amusement.
"Cas. Look at me." Dean said, as he stood up and took a stride closer to the angel, Cas tilted his head up to look at Dean. "What happened in Purgatory between you and me... I don't regret it."
